· gyanm general awareness – april 2020 3 general awareness april 20 vol. 8, issue 10 a...

GYANM GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2020 3

GENERAL AWARENESS

APRIL 2020

Vol. 8, Issue 10

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

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

Contents

CURRENT AFFAIRS Jan to Feb 2020 03-33

BULLET NEWS Sept to December 2019 34-51

LATEST 100 GK MCQs 52-58 SBI CLERK MAINS

MODEL TEST PAPER 59-76

Current GK Bytes 77-102

FIGURES TO REMEMBER

REPO RATE (04.10.2019) 5.15% REVERSE REPO RATE 4.90% MARGINAL STANDING

FACILITY RATE 5.40%

STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO (w.e.f 04-01-2020)

18.25%

CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00% BANK RATE 5.40%

BASE RATE(s) (of various banks)

8.95 to 9.40%

INDIA’s RANK IN

Intellectual Property Index 40th

Sustainability Index 77th

Flourishing Index 131st

Climate Change Performance Index 9th

Global Talent Competitive Index 72nd

Carbon Disclosure Project Report 5th

Democracy Index 2019 51st

Corruption Perception Index 80th

Social Mobility Index 76th Hanley Passport Index 84th

Climate Change Performance Index 9th Human Development Index 129th

Gender Gap Index 112th Global Climate Risk Index 5th

World Talent Ranking 59th TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix 78th

Ease of Doing business 63rd IMD World Digital Competitiveness 44th

Global Hunger Index 102nd Global Competiveness Index 68th

World Giving Index 82nd

NATIONAL NEWS

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. 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.


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. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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.


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. 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.

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. 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. "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.

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.

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 birth day 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 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.

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 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 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 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

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 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.

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. 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.

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.

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. W 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). 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.

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.

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 all over 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. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

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. 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.


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.

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.

‘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.

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.

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 & INDUSTRY

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.

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.

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.


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 & FINANCE

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.

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.


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.

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.

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.


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.

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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. 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. 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. 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.

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. 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.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

FEBRUARY

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”.


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. 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. 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.

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. 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). 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.'' 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’ 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.

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. 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.

PERSONS IN NEWS

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

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

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.

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.

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.


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

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

OBITUARY

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

FEBRUARY

IGI Airport: Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport has become free of single-use plastic usage. The Confederation of Indian Industry-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CII-ITC CESD) that supports the business community towards achieving sustainability has certified their achievement.

JANUARY

Kota: The coaching capital of India in Rajasthan was in news as over 100 infants died in the month of December at the government’s J K Lon Hospital. All the babies who died were admitted in the Intensive Care Unit. Most of the children were brought to the hospital in critical condition. The extreme cold weather was another reason for the sudden spike in deaths. Reportedly, the infrastructure including incubators were not maintained properly.

SPORTS WORLD

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.

INTERNATIONAL 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

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 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

FEBRUARY

Feb 2: World Wetland Day Observed across the globe to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands in maintaining ecological balance. Wetlands are rich with biodiversity and are a habitat for a dense variety of plant and animal species. According to an estimate, about 1 billion people get their livelihood around various wetlands. This year’s theme for the day is ‘Wetlands and Biodiversity’. The day marks the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on this day in 1971 when a small group of environmentalists signed an international agreement at the Ramsar Convention in Ramsar, Iran.

Feb 04: World Cancer Day Observed to create awareness about cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. The theme this year 'I am and I will' has been proposed for the next three years. Cancer refers to a group of over 100 diseases characterised by the uncontrolled growth of a group of cells, usually forming a tumor. It may occur in any part of the body which if not detected at the right time and not treated, may spread and damage the tissues, increasing the risk of death. According to the official figures, nearly 9.6 million people die from cancer, every year.

February 10: The National Deworming Day Organized by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the objective of the day is to deworm children and adolescents to reduce the prevalence of parasitic worms in the intestine. To achieve this aim, children and adolescents in the age group of 1-19 years are administered a single dose of a safe medicine Albendazole, in all states and Union Territories, on this day.


February 10: World Pulses Day: The Day is a designated United Nations global event to recognize the importance of pulses (chickpeas, dry beans, lentils, dry peas and lupins beans among others) as a global food. Pulses are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family. Pulses grow in pods and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. They are healthy, nutritious and easy to cook with.

February 11: Unani Day Celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of Haqim Ajmal Khan. He was an eminent Indian Unani physician who was a versatile genius, freedom fighter, educationist and founder of scientific research in Unani Medicine. It is based on Greek philosophy of Hippocrates (460-377 BC). The term Unani is derived from 'Unaan', Arabic and Urdu name for 'Greece'. February 12: National Productivity Day Observed to commemorate the establishment of the National Productivity Council on this day in 1958 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The council observed the National Productivity Week from 12 February to 18 February, 2020. The main objective of the celebration is to encourage stakeholders in implementing productivity tools and techniques. NPC is an autonomous, multipartite, non-profit organization that aims to promote productivity culture in India. February 13: World Radio Day Supported by UNESCO, this day is celebrated all over the world to raise greater awareness among the public and the media of the importance of radio; to encourage decision makers to establish and provide access to information through radio; as well as to enhance networking and international cooperation among broadcasters. This year’s theme is “Radio and Diversity”.

February 13: National Women's Day Celebrated to commemorate the birthday of Sarojini Naidu, India's first women governor and also famous as 'Bharat Kokila' for her excellence in poetry. She actively participated in the Indian National Movement for the independence of the country.

February 19: Soil Health Card Day Celebrated to commemorate the launch of the Soil Health Card Scheme in 2015. To mark the event, the central government organized various awareness programs to make the farmers aware of the use of natural fertilizers.

February 20: The World Social Justice Day The day is celebrated annually all over the world with support from the International Labour Organization, Geneva to focus on the plight of social injustice throughout the world and to press for improvements and solutions. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age,

race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability. This year’s theme is - “Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice”.

February 21: International Mother Language Day The Day is celebrated across the globe with support from UNESCO, Paris to celebrate the linguistic diversity that exists in the world. In India, the HRD Ministry observes Matribhasha Divas on this day to highlight the linguistic diversity of our country. The central theme for the day this year is ‘Languages without borders’.

February 24: Central Excise Day The Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the Central Excise and Salt Act, 1944 which was enacted on this day in 1944. The day aims to honour the contribution of the Central Board of Excise and Custom to India's economy. CBEC is a part of the Department of Revenue under the Union Ministry of Finance. February 28: National Science Day Celebrated every year to attract and motivate the students towards science and to make the public aware of science and scientific achievements. On this day in 1928, Indian Scientist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (Sir CV Raman) made the discovery of the Raman Effect for which he was awarded the Nobel prize in Physics in 1930. Raman Effect refers to the inelastic scattering of photons from the molecules such that they are excited to higher levels.

February 28/29: The World Rare Disease Day It is observed to raise awareness about rare diseases and their impacts. The day was coordinated by the European Organisation for Rare Diseases (EURORDIS), which promotes research on rare diseases and commercial development of orphan drugs. It is observed on the last day of February each year.

JANUARY

January 4: World Braille Day The day is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, the inventor of Braille, a language based on six convex dots that form all the letters and symbols - for the people with visual disabilities. They are able to read the text by moving their hands over the dots. Louis Braille was born on 4th January 1809 in the town of Coupvray in northern France. He lost his eyesight at the age of just three years. January 9: Pravasi Bharatiya Divas The day is celebrated once in every two years to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian community with the Government of India and reconnect them with their roots. Established in 2003, the celebratory event is organised by the Ministry of External Affairs. It commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on 9 January 1915. Last Divas celebrations were held in Varanasi from Jan 21 to 23, 2019.


January 10: World Hindi Day Celebrated every year, to mark the anniversary of first World Hindi Conference which was held in Nagpur, Maharashtra in 1975 on this day. It intends to promote Hindi language around the world. Hindi has evolved from Sanskrit and is written in Devanagari script. It may be noted that National Hindi Diwas is observed on Sep 14.

January 12: National Youth Day Celebrated across the country to promote youth related activities to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Swami ji, one of India's most revered spiritual leaders, was born in Kolkata on January 12, 1863, as Narendra Nath Datta. A prime disciple of 19th century Indian mystic Ramakrishna Paramhansa, he effectively reintroduced the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world.

January 14: Makar Sankranti May be observed on January 15 also, depending upon the end of winter solstice as the Sun enters the Makar Raashi (Capricorn) on this day. It is celebrated as the festival of harvest. In North it is popular as Maghi and Sankranti. In Assam, it is celebrated as Magh Bihu, in Tamil Nadu as Pongal and as Poush Parbon in West Bengal. In Gujarat, it is popularly known as ‘Uttarayan’ and the main attraction is international kite festival. January 15: Army Day Celebrated every year to mark the taking over of command of Indian Army by then Lt Gen K M Cariappa, the first Indian Commander-in-Chief, from General Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in 1949. On this day tributes are paid to soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. January 24: National Girl Child Day The day is celebrated every year to promote awareness on a range of issues related to girls, such as education, health, and nutrition. It was initiated in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The day aims to increase awareness among the people and ensure every girl gets equal importance as their counterparts. On this day in 1966, Indira Gandhi became the first woman Prime Minister of India. Please note that International Day of Girl Child is observed on October 11.

January 24: International Day of Education The day is celebrated across the world with support from UNESCO to focus on improving the universal quality of education and its role in promoting peace and development. It aims to promote UNO’s sustainable development goal no. 4 of ‘Quality Education’. The theme for this year is “Learning for people, planet, prosperity and peace”. Pl note that in India, National Education Day is celebrated on November 11.

January 25: National Voters Day Celebrated every year to spread awareness about the necessity of voting and to encourage young generation towards the voting rights because each vote decides the fate of the new government and democracy. It was first celebrated on January 25, 2011. This year’s theme for the Day is - “Electoral Literacy for Stronger Democracy”. This day is the foundation day of the Election Commission of India which came into existence on this day in 1950.

January (26): World Leprosy Day Observed on the last Sunday of January, the day focuses on the target of zero cases of leprosy-related disabilities in children. On an average, India has been reporting more than one lakh new leprosy cases annually since 2005. The theme for this year is “Ending discrimination, stigma and prejudice.” Leprosy is an infectious disease that affects the skin and nerves. It is caused by the slow multiplying bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and eyes. Sadly, those affected with the disease, were treated as outcasts and thrown out of the community from others. With the advancement in medical science, now it can be prevented, treated and cured.

January 30: Anti Leprosy Day / Martyrs Day This day is observed to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary, who attained martyrdom on this day in 1948, to remember his selfless efforts and care for the people affected with Leprosy.

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


NATIONAL NEWS

DECEMBER

The 2nd Indo-US ministerial 2+2 dialogue was held in the US capitol Washington DC, between foreign ministers and defence ministers of both countries. The 2+2 dialogue is the highest-level

institutional mechanism between India and USA to discuss issues related to foreign policy and defence.

Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa came to India on a two day visit on Dec 19-20 for holding bilateral talks with the President and the Prime Minister.

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden arrived on a 5 day state visit to India, from Dec. 2 to 6.

Sri Lanka’s newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, arrived in New Delhi on his maiden state visit abroad, from Nov 28 to 30.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 (CAB) was passed by the Parliament on Dec 11 to grant Indian citizenship to Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, Jain, and Buddhist people; Only those who have fled from Pakistan,

Afghanistan and Bangladesh due to the religious persecution and such illegal migrants who have entered India by 31 December, 2014.

The Lok Sabha approved a bill - Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union Territories) Bill, 2019, on November 27. Now the UTs Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman

& Diu stand merged into one UT with new name - Dadara and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

The Supreme Court ruled that states which have districts where more than 300 cases of child abuse under the POCSO Act are pending would have to set up two designated courts in each such district.

The Lok Sabha on Dec 11 passed the 126th Constitution Amendment Bill that proposes to extend the reservation quota for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies by another 10 years, till January 25, 2030.

The Home Ministry has ranked Aberdeen Police station in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as best in the coun try, followed by Balasinor police station in Gujarat.

Country's first National Maritime Heritage Museum will be set up at Lothal, a site of Harappan era on the Saurashtra coast in Gujarat.

The 2016 movie "Dangal" which grossed Rs 2,000-crore globally, was ranked biggest block-buster of the decade, by the Yahoo India "Decade in Review" report.

Bhubaneswar in Odisha hosted the National Tribal Craft Mela–2019 from Nov 23 to 29.

The International Centre for Automotive Technology, Manesar, Haryana in collaboration with SAE-NIS organised NuGen Mobility Summit 2019 in Manesar.

Top Awards at IFFI 2019

Golden Peacock for Best Film: 'Particles' directed by Blaisse Harrison, France, with cash award of Rs.40 lakh.

Best Director: Lijo Pellissery for Jallikattu, Malayalam Best Actor: Seu Jorge (Brazil) for the film Marighella,

Best Actress: Usha Jadhav for Marathi film “Mai Ghat”

The Lokpal of India adopted a new motto, “Ma Gridhah Kasyasvidhanam” (Do not be greedy for anyone’s wealth)

Bengaluru emerged as the highest-ranked city in India, (83rd in world) in the first-ever Prosperity & Inclusion City Seal and Awards (PICSA) Index.

India entered the top ten countries group in this year's Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) for the first time, ranked at 9th place.

Bullet News (September – December 2019)

For details visit – www.gyanm.in


India ranked 129th in the Human Development Index 2019 that covered 189 countries and was topped by Norway.

Gender Gap Index-2019 by the World Economic Forum shows that India has slipped to 112th position. The report covering 153 countries ranked

Iceland as the most appropriate country for women.

India ranked 5th most climate-affected country in 2018, in the Global Climate Risk Index 2020 by International Environmental think tank Germanwatch.

NOVEMBER

The Supreme Court in a historic judgment on Nov 9 decreed the decades-old Ram Janm Bhoomi title dispute in favour of Ram Lalla. The court held that Sunni Central Waqf Board

had failed to establish its case of dedication by user and the alternate plea of adverse possession.

The Supreme Court held that the Chief Justice of India's office is a public authority and hence comes under the Right to Information Act.

The Golden Jubilee edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held in Panaji, Goa. Russia was the partner country this year.

French actress Isabelle Huppert was given the Lifetime Achievement Award while Superstar Rajinikanth was given the Icon of the Jubilee Award.

The NGT asked Environment Ministry to issue notifications prohibiting use of RO (reverse osmosis) systems, which result in wastage of 80% of water.

UNESCO has designated Mumbai as a member of UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the field of films and Hyderabad in the field of gastronomy.

The 5th edition of India International Science Festival was held in Kolkata from November 5-8.

India, for the first time, hosted the Global Bio-India summit in New Delhi from 21st to 23rd November.

Govt released a special commemorative coin to mark great yoga monk Paramahansa Yogananda’s 125th birth anniversary (1893-1952).

India’s maternal mortality rate (MMR) declined from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 122 per lakh live births in 2015-17, registering a 6.2% decline.

MMR: It refers to number of deaths of child / mother during pregnancy or within 42 days of child birth per lakh of live births.

India was ranked 59th in the new World Talent Ranking done by IMD, Switzerland for 63 countries. Switzerland ranked first in the ranking.

P M Narendra Modi attended the 11th BRICS Summit in Brasilia on 13-14 Nov. The theme of the

Summit was "Economic Growth for an Innovative Future”.

Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2020.

The two-day annual Conference of Governors and Lieutenant Governors was held in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, on Nov 23 and 24.

India and China will hold 70 celebratory activities to mark the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two nations.

OCTOBER

Under Swachh Rail, Swacch Bharat cleanliness assessment 2019, Jaipur, Rajasthan topped the tally among 720 major stations all over the country.

As per the 20th Livestock Census -2019, India's livestock population has increased to over 535 million showing an increase of 4.6% census 2012. It was conducted by the Department of Animal

Husbandry and Dairying under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

As per 'Crime in India 2017' report by National Crime Records Bureau, 50 lakh cases of cognizable crime were registered in India during 2017. Of the 3.59 lakh cases of crime against women,

Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number - 56,011.

A popular daily newspaper of western India -the Daily News & Analysis (DNA), decided to stop its print edition from Mumbai and Ahmadabad from Oct 10.

To celebrate 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the Nepal Rastra Bank has issued commemorative coins of 2,500, 1,000 and 100 Nepali rupees, in Kathmandu.

Supreme Court has ruled that road traffic offences can be prosecuted under the Motor Vehicles Act as well as the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

SEPTEMBER

President appointed four judges in the Supreme

Court, raising their strength for the first time, to 34. Parliament amended law in August 2019 to increase the number of judges from 31 to 34.

United Nations latest report says that India is the leading country of origin of international migrants in 2019 with a 17.5 million-strong diaspora. Country wise, the USA is home to the largest

number of migrants (5.1 crore). India has become a part of the Global Antimicrobial

Resistance Research and Development Hub. India’s first National Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Hub was inaugurated in Kolkata.


“Gangs of Wasseypur” by Anurag Kashyap became the only Indian film to feature in ‘The Guardian’ list of the 100 Best Films of the 21st century, at 59th rank.

On September 15, Doordarshan, India’s only govt TV channel, celebrated 60 years of its existence.

India hosted the 14th Conference of Parties, COP14, to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Greater Noida, from Sep 2 to 13.

World University Ranking 2020 by the Times Higher Education Society, London ranked University of Oxford at top for the fourth time in a row.

For the first time, a train will not be operated by the Railways; instead, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation will run the train. IRCTC will run two trains-the Delhi-Lucknow

Tejas Express and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express.

South Asia’s first cross-border petroleum pipeline was inaugurated in Nepal. It runs from Motihari in Bihar to Amlekhgunj in Nepal.

A new bus service between Kathmandu and Siliguri in West Bengal has been started. The bus will complete 650 km journey in 18 hours.

The 5th International Ramayana Festival organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations was held in New Delhi.

The UNESCO has decided to translate and publish an anthology of the writings of Guru Nanak Dev in world languages to mark his 550th birth anniversary.

A documentary film titled ‘Moti Bagh’, based on the life of an Uttarakhand farmer, has been nominated for Oscars.

NEWS FROM STATES

DECEMBER

The Union Ministry of Shipping has approved the development of the Loktak Inland Waterways Project in Manipur. It is the biggest fresh water lake in Nort East.

The Gujarat State Police was honoured with ‘President’s Colours’ for their outstanding services, the highest honour given to a police force in India.

The President laid the foundation stone to the memorial being built in memory of the Paika rebellion, a 200-year-old armed revolt in 1817 against the British East India Company in Odisha.

The 10 day Hornbill Festival of Nagaland was held from Dec1 to 10 with a colourful blend of culture and tradition with a modern twist.

The Chhattisgarh government has decided to declare Guru Ghasidas National Park in Korea district as the fourth tiger reserve of the state.

The UP govt to set up the state’s first vulture conservation and breeding centre in Farenda area of Maharajganj district with a view to conserve the endangered vulture population.

Chennai Municipal Corp launched India’s first online waste exchange portal and app namely “Madras Waste Exchange” to buy and sell municipal solid waste online.

Four Loans Approved By ADB i) The Asian Development Bank approved a loan of $250 million for Energy Efficiency Services Ltd., formed by the government of India. ii) $206 million loan to develop water supply and sewerage infrastructure in 5 cities of Tamil Nadu. iii) $490 million loan to upgrade about 1,600 kilometres of state highways and major district roads in Madhya Pradesh. iv) 2nd tranche of $ 150 million (about Rs 1,065 crore) loan for West Bengal to boost capital investment and infrastructure in the state.

NOVEMBER

University of Birmingham, UK started a Guru Nanak Chair to mark the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji.

The “Kartarpur Corridor” was opened up on 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, allowing access to “Gurudwara Sri Darbar Sahib Kartarpur” in Pakistan.

This is the place where Guru Nanak Dev ji breathed his last.

The popular Chhath Puja concluded on Nov 3 with devotees offering prayers to the rising sun in Bihar and adjoining areas of UP and Jharkhand.


The Tamil Nadu Agricultural Produce and Livestock Contract Farming and Services (Promotion and Facilitation) Act passed by Tamil Nadu.

Now, it is the first state in the country to enact a law on contract farming.

The week long Manipur Sangai Festival 2019 started in various parts of Manipur on Nov 24. Sangai, the brow-antlered deer, is the state animal of Manipur.

India’s first Winter Grade Diesel Sales Centre was opened in Ladakh. This diesel developed by Indian Oil Corp. retains its fluidity even at -33 degree C.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has agreed to invest $500 million in three suburban rail infrastructure projects in Mumbai.

The World Bank approved a $165 million loan for funding Odisha’s Integrated Irrigation Project for Climate Resilient Agriculture.

The ADB approved a $ 91 million loan to renovate the Vijaya Nagara Irrigation systems in Karnataka.

The ADB approved a $451 million loan to strengthen power connectivity in Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in Tamil Nadu.

The Avian Botulism bacteria killed more than 18,000 migratory birds at Sambhar Lake.

Odisha govt signed an MoU with the UNICEF to implement the “drink from tap mission” to provide piped drinking water all over the state.

The Assam govt announced 'Arundhati Swarna Yojana' under which 10 grams of gold will be offered as a gift to every adult bride who has completed at least 10th standard and has registered her marriage

One of the world's biggest Islamic Congregation Aalmi Tablighi Ijtima was held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh from Nov 22 to 25.

The green tea and white tea of Darjeeling (West Bengal) were granted a geographical indication (GI) tag.

OCTOBER

4 NEW GOVERNORS APPOINTED President of India approved appointment of two governors and two Lt. Governors as under:- Girish Chandra Murmu Lt. Governor of Jammu-

Kashmir R K Mathur Lt. Governor of Ladakh P.S. Sreedharan Pillai Governor of Mizoram Satya Pal Malik Governor of Goa As per the School Education Quality Index released

by the Niti Aayog, Kerala emerged on top, while Uttar Pradesh was ranked last during 2016-17.

The 53 km road from Kapurthala to Tarn Taran has been declared National Highway - 703 A A. It has been named as “Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Marg” to mark the 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji.

Uttar Pradesh to organise the country’s first training and performance programme of world famous KHON (खोन) Ramlila, in collaboration with Thailand.

In U P, Grand Diwali celebrations at Ayodhya have set a world record as over 5 lakh 51 thousand earthen lamps (Diyas) were lit altogether on Oct 27.

Govt. has decided to name India’s longest (9.2 km) Chenani- Nashri tunnel in J&K after Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.

SEPTEMBER

5 STATES GET NEW GOVERNORS Bhagat Singh Koshyari (Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister)

Maharashtra

Arif Mohammed Khan (Former Union Minister)

Kerala

Bandaru Dattatreya (Former Union Minister)

Himachal Pradesh

Kalraj Mishra (Former Governor of HP)

Rajasthan

Dr Ms. T Soundararajan (Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief)

Telangana

Shondol dance, the royal dance of Ladakh, has created history by entering into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest Ladakhi dance.

J&K has become the first state to distribute the highest number of golden cards under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

India’s tallest ATC (air traffic control) tower started functioning at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport

The Centre has finalised the site for a 7,500 MW mega solar project with nan investment of Rs. 50,000 crore at Pang, about 117 km from Leh, Ladakh

UNESCO has tied up with the Rajasthan to promote music, art and craft forms, and other intangible cultural heritage of the state to spur socio-economic growth of several local artist communities.

Kerala Tourism has won three prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold awards in Nur-Sultan (Astana), Kazakhstan.

Tamil Nadu government launched its exclusive 24x7 education channel 'Kalvi Tholaikkatchi' for school students of classes I to XII.

Actor Govinda appointed as the brand ambassador of Madhya Pradesh to promote the state's traditions and tourist places.


GOVT INITIATIVES

DECEMBER

4th round of the regional connectivity scheme “UDAN 4.0 launched to focus on the Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Northeast, hilly states and islands.

The Union Health Ministry launched “Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0” across India on December 2. The mission aims to immunize children less

than 2 years of age and pregnant women against eight vaccine-preventable diseases.

These 8 vaccines are - Tuberculosis, Meningitis, Measles, Hepatitis B, Tetanus, Whooping cough, Poliomyelitis and Diphtheria.

Govt to set up National Recruitment Agency for conducting a single exam— Common Eligibility Test for recruiting employees in the Group B, C cadres.

A new portal named ‘Abhiyanta’ has been launched by the AICTE- All India Council for Technical Education for providing authentic and quality learning resources in emerging areas to the students, free of cost.

The government has decided to make hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts compulsory from January 15, 2021.

Govt launched National Broadband Mission to provide Broadband access to all villages by 2022 with a view to promote e-governance in the rural areas.

The Lok Sabha passed the Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019 on Dec 3. The Bill seeks to restrict the use of hazardous material on ships.

HRD Ministry launched the kartavya.ugc.ac.in portal on the occasion of ‘Constitution Day’ as a part of year long Nagrik Kartavya Paalan Abhiyan being observed throughout the country.

India has become the first country in the world to completely digitize the Hajj process by developing an app to provide all required information on mobile.

All the Members of Parliament (MPs) unanimously decided to give up the subsidy on the food they used to avail of at the canteen of Parliament.

Archaeological Survey of India has identified 138 monuments as “Must-See Monuments” and information thereof is available on “Must See” portal of Archaeological Survey of India.

NOVEMBER

The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of

the National Institute for Sowa-Rigpa (Tibetan system of medicine) in Leh, Ladakh.

Credit-linked Subsidy Services Awas Portal of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Housing for All (Urban) launched to ensure early release of subsidy to beneficiaries.

Ministry of Finance launched two new IT Initiatives: ICEDASH to improve monitoring and pace of customs clearance of imported goods and ATITHI for facilitating custom clearance of arriving international passengers.

CBSE and NCERT launched an online aptitude test called TAMANNA: Try And Measure Aptitude & Natural Abilities“.

The test aims to help class 9/10 students to make a better selection of subjects, leading to better choice in subjects in Class 11 and 12.

Ministry of Rural Development released the 5th edition of Wastelands Atlas-2019 providing complete geospatial information on wastelands of India.

Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh launched. It is a repository of diverse crops across 128 agro-climatic zones to help enable better nutritional outcomes.

‘SAANS’ (Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully) campaign launched to reduce child mortality due to pneumonia.

Railways installed two ‘Health ATMs’ at the Charbagh railway station in Lucknow, UP providing 16 health check-ups for Rs 50-100.

Ministry of Environment launched a mass cleanliness-cum-awareness drive in 50 identified beaches under the "Swachh – Nirmal Tat (तट) Abhiyaan".

OCTOBER

The FSSAI launched Food Safety Mitra scheme to sensitise street food vendors on hygiene aspects and assist businessmen to comply with set norms.

The NITI Aayog released it’s first-ever India Innovation Index to promote competitiveness among the states. Karnataka emerged as the topper.


Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs launched the mobile app ‘mHariyali’ to promote plantation of trees.

Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan, SUMAN initiative launched under which pregnant women, mothers up to 6 months after delivery; sick newborns will be able to avail free healthcare benefits.

Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and UNDP joined hands to launch “Youth Co: Lab” to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in young Indians.

FSSAI launched a special logo to indicate “Trans Fat Free” food items, aimed at promoting the ‘Eat Right India’ movement of FSSAI.

The govt approved increase in the monetary assistance provided to the next of kin of all battle casualties, to Rs. 8 lakh from earlier Rs.2 lakh.

The NCERT has decided to review the 14-year-old National Curriculum Framework for the 5th time in accordance with new national education policy.

Tourism Ministry has launched the Audio Guide facility “Audio Odigos” for 12 iconic tourists’ sites of India

Govt. has renamed New Delhi-Ludhiana Intercity Express as ‘Sarbat Da Bhala Express' as a tribute to Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji’s 550th Parkash Purb.

The second Vande Bharat Express started on the Delhi-Katra route from 5th Oct. to benefit lakhs of pilgrims who visit Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the eDantseva website and mobile app to support oral health information and knowledge dissemination.

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to double the honorariums for ASHA workers to Rs 2000 per month from Rs 1,000 earlier.

SEPTEMBER

‘UMMID’-Unique Methods of Management and treatment of Inherited Disorders launched to tackle inherited genetic diseases of newborn babies.

Govt has instituted the high level civilian award in the name of Sardar Patel, for rewarding the outstanding contribution to the unity and integrity of India. The “Sardar Patel Unity Award” seeks to

recognize notable and inspiring contributions in promoting the cause of national unity and integrity.

HRD ministry launched one of the world’s largest Integrated Online Junction for School Education ‘Shagun’ in New Delhi. The term Shagun has been coined from two

words- Sha from ‘Shala’ meaning School and ‘gun’ from ‘Gunvatta’ meaning quality.

'Fit India Movement' launched on the occasion of National Sports Day, Aug 29 to encourage people to include physical activity and sports in their lives.

Ministry of Agriculture launched an app 'CHC Farm Machinery' to allow farmers to avail the services of CHCs (Custom Hiring Service Centres) in their area for hiring various agri machinery and equipments.

India has become the first country in the world to issue a Biometric Seafarer Identity Document (BSID) to its seafarers.

Govt plans to set up country’s first central police university in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

India to fund 1,000 scholars from ASEAN countries to pursue PhD at its 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

India’s first of its kind initiative, a fun zone has been set up by the Railways at the Visakhapatnam railway station in Andhra Pradesh.

The HRD Ministry has awarded the ‘Institute of Eminence’ status to 5 public institutions. The five institutions are: IIT Madras, IIT

Kharagpur, Delhi University, Benares Hindu University and University of Hyderabad.

The National Animal Disease Control Programme launched from Mathura, UP aimed at vaccinating over 500 million livestock.

Govt plans to establish Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) at Mumbai to provide skill training in highly-specialised areas to students after class X and XII.

Finance Minister announced that the government has decided to put a complete ban on e-cigarettes, including its sale/purchase, storage, transportation, etc.

Sanjay Mitra panel formed to oversee the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two UTs - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

ECONOMY

DECEMBER

As per the recent data released by the Central Statistics Office, India’s GDP growth hit an over six-year low of 4.5 percent in July-September 2019.

Global rating agency S&P (Standard & Poor’s) of USA has reaffirmed India’s sovereign credit rating at BBB with stable outlook.

US retail major Walmart has announced that it will train 50,000 entrepreneurs from the micro, small & medium enterprises (MSME) sector in India.

Integral Coach Factory of Indian Railways produced 3000 coaches in record 215 days and also retained its position as the largest coach- maker in the world.


India’s petro giant Reliance Industries Ltd became the first Indian company to cross Rs.10 trillion mark in market capitalization.

Reliance Industries emerged at number one spot in terms of revenue generated in 2018-19, ending the state-owned Indian Oil Corporation's 10-year reign as India’s largest company.

NOVEMBER

Moody's cut India's economic growth forecast for 2019-20 to 5.6% from 5.8% estimated earlier; saying GDP slowdown is lasting longer than expected.

India’s credit rating outlook suffered a setback as it was cut down from stable to negative at ‘Baa2’, 2nd lowest investment grade, by Moody’s.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. have been granted ‘Maharatna’ status, raising their number to 10.

The High-Level Advisory Group headed by Surjit Bhalla, asked government to launch Elephant Bonds to bring back $500 billion black money.

Elephant Bond is a sovereign bond. The fund gathered by these bonds is utilized to finance infrastructure projects only.

The world’s first CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) terminal is being set up at Bhavnagar port, Gujarat.

India decided to opt out of the mega free-trade agreement-RCEP - Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

This is to avoid possible flooding of Indian markets with Chinese goods as well as agricultural and dairy products from Australia and New Zealand

Govt issued HS Code for Khadi for better classification of Khadi products exclusively in exports.

Harmonized System-HS Code is a 6 digit identification code developed by the World Customs Organization for better classification exported goods.

India's first container cargo through water way was flagged off from Haldia Dock (National Waterway-1) to Pandu, Guwahati (National Waterway-2).

IFFCO launched India’s first nanotechnology based fertiliser product range: Nano Nitrogen, Nano Zinc, Nano Copper.

The 39th India International Trade Fair was held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi with the theme ‘Ease of Doing Business’.

Afghanistan was the ‘Partner Country’ and South Korea was the ‘Focus Country’ while Bihar and Jharkhand were the focus states in the trade fair.

Amazon launched "Project Zero" in India to ensure that customers receive authentic goods when shopping on Amazon.

OCTOBER

MSP HIKED FOR RABI CROPS

Sr. No Crops MSP for RMS 2020-21

1 Wheat 1925 2 Barley 1525 3 Gram 4875 4 Lentil 4800 5 Rapeseed & Mustard 4425 6 Safflower 5215

Air India became the first airline in the world to use

a Taxibot on an A320 aircraft at the terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport Delhi.

The Union Cabinet approved the merger of loss-making public sector telecom firms BSNL and MTNL as part of a revival package.

SEPTEMBER

To promote growth and investment, Finance Minister on Sep 20 announced to slash corporate tax rate from 30% to 22% for domestic companies and from 25% to just 15% for new domestic manufacturing companies.

Govt announced Rs 50,000 crore incentives to boost the export sector mainly from the small and medium segment.

According to the World Gold Council, India with gold reserves totalling 618.2 tonnes has surpassed the Netherlands to secure 10th rank. USA is at top with reserves of 8,133 tonnes.

The horticulture production in the country reached over 313 million tonnes, covering fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers and honey, plantations and herbs.


India’s second riverine Multi Modal Terminal was inaugurated at Sahibganj on River Ganga in Jharkhand.

Honda Cars India launched car leasing services in association with transportation solutions provider Orix to enable customers to enjoy the use of the latest cars without having to purchase it.

National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) plans to set up a 5-gigawatt solar park in Gujarat, which would be the largest in the country.

BANKING & FINANCE

DECEMBER

The RBI released guidelines for ‘on tap’ licensing of Small Finance Banks in the private sector. Min. capital for setting up a SFB has been fixed at Rs.200 crores.

RBI has allowed 24x7 transfer of funds under the NEFT from Dec.16. NEFT transactions are settled in half hourly batches; so now there will be 48 settlement batches.

Exim Bank has provided $500 million (Rs 3561 crore) Line of Credit to Bangladesh for funding the defence-related procurement.

RBI has decided that wef from Jan 1, 2020, banks shall not levy any charges on their savings bank account holders for funds transfers done through NEFT.

H R Khan has been appointed as the first chairman of the steering committee of the Code for Responsible Lending (CRL) in micro-credit.

HDFC Bank has become the first Indian bank and 3rd Indian firm to cross $100 billion mark in market capitalisation. The other two companies with a market cap of

over $100 trillion market cap are Reliance Industries Ltd, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

NOVEMBER

RBI expanded the scope of Special Non-Resident Rupee Accounts by allowing rupee-denominated overseas borrowings, trade credit and invoicing in them.

Private-sector Bandhan Bank earned more profit than aggregate profit of 17 public-sector banks in the quarter ending Sep 30, 2019, mainly due to lower NPAs.

OCTOBER

Announcing its fourth bimonthly monetary policy on Oct 04, RBI decided to cut the repo rate by 25 basis points, from 5.40% to 5.15%, with immediate effect.

BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) 2.0 payment mobile app launched on October 21. Now it will be available in three more languages – Haryanvi, Bhojpuri and Konkani.

RBI allowed Kerala for the formation of the ‘Kerala Bank’ by amalgamating all the Distt. Coop. Banks with Kerala State Co-op Bank.

The RBI has announced to raise loan limit for the borrowers of NBFC-MFIs to Rs. 1.25 lakh from Rs. one lakh earlier. Further, the household income limit to be

eligible to borrow from for NBFC-MFIs has been raised to Rs. 1.25 lakh from the current Rs. 1 lakh for rural areas.

In urban areas, limit will be increased from Rs. 1.6 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh.

SBI Card announced the launch of ‘SBI Card Pay’, a facility that allows contactless payment using mobile phones at PoS (Point of Sale) terminals.

SEPTEMBER

The govt announced merger of ten public sector banks into four banks. After the merger country will now have 12 public sector banks instead of 27 two years ago.

Among the 12 PSUs, 8 will be the national level banks while 4 will be regional banks. The merger is to be effective from April 01, 2020.

Sr. No.

Anchor Bank Amalgamating banks (s)

Business size As on

31-03-19

PSB rank by size

CBS

1 Punjab National Bank

Oriental Bank of Commerce

United Bank of India

Rs. 17.94 lakh cr

2nd largest Finacle by Infosys

2 Canara Bank Syndicate Bank Rs. 15.20 lakh cr.

4th largest iFlex

3 Union Bank of India

Andhra Bank Corporation Bank

Rs. 14.59 lakh cr.

5th largest Finacle

4 Indian Bank Allahabad Bank Rs. 8.08 lakh cr.

7th largest BaNCS by TCS

Banks merged earlier 5 SBI Amalgamated earlier Rs. 52.05 lakh

cr. BaNCS

6 Bank of Baroda Amalgamated earlier Rs. 16.13 lakh cr.

Finacle

To strengthen national presence 7 Bank of India Rs. 9.03 lakh cr. 8 Central Bank of India Rs. 4.68 lakh cr.

To strengthen regional focus 9 Indian Overseas Bank Rs. 3.75 lakh cr. 10 UCO Bank Rs. 3.17 lakh cr. 11 Bank of Maharashtra Rs. 2.34 lakh cr. 12 Punjab and Sind Bank Rs. 1.71 lakh cr.

Ministry of Commerce & Industry launched Export Credit Insurance Scheme called NIRVIK - “Niryat Rin Vikas Yojana” in tie up with the ECGC.


The RBI has made it mandatory for banks to link interest on their new loans, be it personal, housing or vehicle to repo rate wef Oct. 1, 2019.

India Post Payments Bank, IPPB, launched Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) Services for expanding access to financial services for millions of unbanked and under-banked customers.

DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DECEMBER

The Indian Army successfully test-fired two Spike LR (long-range) anti-tank missiles from an Infantry School at Mhow, in Madhya Pradesh.

DRDO successfully test-fired Pinaka guided rocket system and the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM) near Chandipur, Odisha.

‘Indra’: Joint military exercise of India and Russia held from 10 to 19 Dec at Babina Cantt, near Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh), Goa, and Pune.

‘Hand-in-Hand 2019’: Indo-China joint training military exercise held at Umroi, Meghalaya from 07 to 20 December.

Surya Kiran: Joint military exercise held in Salijhandi, Nepal between India and Nepal from Dec 3 to 16.

Mitra Shakti: India-Sri Lanka joint army exercise was held at Aundh Military Station, Pune.

MINEX 2019: Joint exercise of Indian Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force at Kochi, Kerala.

Lieutenant Shivangi became the first female pilot to join Indian Navy on Dec 2. She will fly fixed-wing Dornier surveillance aircraft.

In a unique approach, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has started a dedicated matrimonial site for its staff.

ISRO on Nov 27 launched advanced earth imaging and mapping satellite CARTOSAT-3 along with 13 other commercial nano-satellites for the US.

ISRO launched earth observation satellite RISAT-2BR1 along with nine foreign satellites aboard PSLV-C48 from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on December 11.

Amazon, Apple and Google have joined hands to develop a framework titled ‘Connected Home over IP’ for better compatibility among their smart voice operated devices Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri and Google Assistant.

NOVEMBER

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd, Kolkata, delivered the Fast Patrol Vessels ICGS Annie Besant and ICGS Amrit Kaur to the Indian Coast Guard.

The Indian Air Force retired its old war horse - MiG-27 strike aircraft on December 31, bringing to an end the era of ‘swing-wing’ fighters in the IAF.

Nicknamed Bahadur in India, the Russian origin MiG-27 was inducted into the IAF

Samudra Shakti: joint anti-submarine warfare exercise by India and Indonesia in the Bay of Bengal

Zair-al-Bahr or Roar of the Sea: A bilateral maritime exercise by India and Qatar held in Doha.

Tiger Triumph: The India-U.S. tri-services amphibious exercise was held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Shakti-2019: Indo-French joint army exercise was held at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan

Dustlik-2019: India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise held at Chirchiq Training Area near Tashkent.

Sindhu Sudarshan: The Indian Army conducted this mega exercise in the deserts of Rajasthan from November 29 to December 4, 2019.

IIT Madras, along with Phoenix Medical Systems, launched the country’s first indigenously-designed standing wheelchair, named “Arise”.

NASA launched its first all-electric experimental manned aircraft named the X-57 “Maxwell”.

Sudan's first-ever satellite, SRSS-1, was launched by China from space station in Shanxi Province.

NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft entered the inter-stellar medium in space. It was launched in Aug, 1977.

The interstellar medium is the matter and radiation that exists between the star systems in a galaxy.

Ultima Thule, the farthest cosmic body ever visited by a spacecraft, has been renamed Arrokoth nby NASA.


OCTOBER

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh formally received the first of 36 most modern Rafale fighter jets in Merignac, France, from Dassault Aviation.

To boost tourism in Ladakh, area from Siachen Base Camp to Kumar Post, at 15,000 ft height, has been opened for tourism purposes.

The Border Road Org. completed the construction of Col. Chewang Rinchen Bridge across Shyok River at an altitude of 14,650 feet in Eastern Ladakh region.

‘Dharma Guardian’: Joint military exercise held between India and Japan in Vairengte, Mizoram from 19th of October to 2nd of November.

Nomadic Elephant–XIV: Indo - Mongolian joint military training exercise held at Bakloh, cantonment town in district Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, from Oct 05 to 18.

Kazind-2019: Joint military exercise held between India and Kazakhstan in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand from 3-15 October.

'Vajra Prahar': Joint military exercise held between India and the US forces at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Seattle, USA from October 13-28.

Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT): Joint exercise of the navies of India and Bangladesh held in Bay of Bengal, off the coast of Visakhapatnam.

IMNEX-2019: The India-Myanmar Joint Naval Exercise held off the coast of Visakhapatnam.

'Shinyuu Maitri’: Indian Air Force and Japanese Air Self Defence Force held a joint exercise at Panagarh, West Bengal from October 17 to 23.

Ex-Eastern Bridge-V: Joint air warfare exercise of Indian Air Force and Royal Air Force of Oman held at Masirah in Oman from 17 to 26 October.

A geo-strategically vital maritime exercise “Malabar”, involving India, US and Japan, was held off the Japan coast from Sep 27 to Oct 4.

A commemorative stamp was released in honour of Marshal of the Indian Air Force late Arjan Singh. He is the only IAF officer to be given a Five-Star rank.

China unveiled the Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) intercontinental-range ballistic missile, touted to be the most powerful missile on the planet. It has a strike range of up to 15,000 kilometres,

within 30 minutes, more than any other missile. Astronomers from USA discovered 20 new moons of

Saturn, boosting the tally of known satellites to 82 — three more than Jupiter.

NASA and the International Astronomical Union named a minor planet discovered 13 years ago, after the great Indian classical singer Pandit Jasraj.

SEPTEMBER

India's second Scorpene-class attack submarine INS

Khanderi was commissioned into the Indian Navy on September 28, at Mumbai.

The DRDO handed over the second Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWC) aircraft - ‘Netra’ to the Indian Air Force.

The Indian Navy’s biggest dry dock with capacity for accommodating even an aircraft carrier was inaugurated in Mumbai.

The Indian Navy successfully carried out the first ever "arrested landing" (landing on ship) by Tejas aircraft.

The Indian Coast Guard commissioned the offshore patrol vessel (OPV) ‘Varaha’ at the Chennai Port Trust.

Indian Air Force inducted 8 AH-64E Apache helicopters at the Pathankot Air Base in Punjab. Apache is the most advanced attack helicopter in the world

The Indian Air Force recreated its 17 Squadron 'Golden Arrows' at the Air Force Station Ambala Cantt, Haryana to operate Rafale jets.

The DRDO successfully flight tested indigenously developed Man Portable Anti-tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.

In a major setback to India’s Rs 978 crore Chandrayaan 2 mission, the lander Vikram was lost at an altitude of just 2.1 km from the moon’s surface. Vikram was programmed to launch rover

"Pragyan" - the 6 wheeled robotic vehicle on Moon.

India’s is planning to explore the deep sea region with the 'Samudrayaan' project by 2021-22.

Indian Institute of Petroleum has set up a plant in Dehradun that can turn plastic waste into diesel.

INTERNATIONAL

DECEMBER

Boris Johnson won the general elections in the United Kingdom on Dec 13. His Conservative Party secured 364 of the 650 seats in the house, leading his way to Prime Ministership.

Eight West African countries have adopted a new common currency "Eco" in place of currently prevalent CFA Franc to end the sign of French dominance.


These 8 countries are Mali, Niger, Senegal, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, and Ivory Coast.

Government of Chile decided to hold the 25th Conference of Parties (COP25) to UN Climate Change Conference from Dec 2 to 13 in Madrid, Spain

The two day summit of world’s most powerful defence alliance, NATO-(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was held in London on December 3-4.

Saudi Arabia became the first Arab nation to take over the G20 presidency from Japan, to host the next G20 summit in its capital Riyadh in Nov. 2020.

Saudi Aramco, Oil Company owned by Saudi Arabia, issued world’s largest IPO (Initial Public Offering) to raise $25.6 billion from the US market on Dec 5.

NOVEMBER

The Heads of government summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from November 1-3.

As per the Global Terrorism Index, Afghanistan, with 7,379 deaths alongside 6,514 injuries, was the worst affected by terrorism.

The 35th ASEAN Summit was held in Bangkok, Thailand with the theme “Advancing Partnership for Sustainability”.

According to an estimate by the IMF, Guyana’s GDP is expected to explode by growing at 86% in 2020, on account of recent discovery of vast oil resources.

Pakistan became the 1st country in the world to introduce a new Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine to combat a drug-resistant Typhoid type in the Sindh province.

As per the “Freedom on the Net report 2019”, China was the world’s worst abuser of internet freedom while Norway was ranked as the world’s best protector of internet freedom.

The TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix of USA ranked New Zealand, Norway, Denmark as the top 3 countries in the descending order, with the lowest bribery risk. India stood at 78th rank, from the top

Oxford Dictionaries has named “climate emergency” as its 2019 Word of the Year, choosing it from an all-environmental word shortlist.

OCTOBER

UNICEF has become the first UN agency to transact in crypto currency through the newly launched UNICEF Cryptcurrency Fund.

China celebrated on Oct 01 its 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with a massive military parade.

A Qantas flight took 19:16 hrs to fly non-stop from New York to Sydney, covering 16,200 km, creating a record for the longest non-stop flight.

UAE announced the establishment of Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi - the first AI University in the world.

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit was held on 25-26 October in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan.

SEPTEMBER

Millions of people around the world held a global climate strike on Sep 20, inspired by Swedish student activist Greta Thunberg.

The world's oldest travel firm Thomas Cook UK was declared bankrupt on Sep 23, stranding hundreds of thousands of tourists around the globe.

Hong Kong announced on Sep 4 the scrapping of the extradition bill that triggered months of unrest and threw the city into its worst crisis in decades.

The U.S. President announced the formation of “Space Command” or SpaceCom, a force that will combine skills and assets from all U.S. military branches.

Tokyo topped for the third consecutive time, the Safe Cities Index compiled by The Economist Intelligence Unit.

South Asia’s tallest tower, standing 350 meter high ‘Lotus Tower’ was thrown open to public in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The 2nd edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) was held in Houston, USA from Sep 13-14.

Indonesia’s president announced that the country’s capital will move from overcrowded, sinking and polluted Jakarta to a new site in sparsely populated East Kalimantan province on Borneo island.

PERSONS IN NEWS

DECEMBER

Nirmala Sitharaman: India’s current Finance Minister and former Defence Minister’s name figured in the Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women List - 2019 at 34th rank.

Anand Mahindra stirred the corporate world by announcing his retirement from the chairmanship of the Mahindra group from April 1, 2020.

Virat Kohli secured the first position in the Forbes India’s Celebrity-100 list, beating Salman Khan to 3rd place, while Akshay Kumar secured second spot.


Suniel Shetty: Bollywood star has been appointed the brand ambassador of the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA).

Greta Thunberg: 17 year old climate change activist from Sweden has been selected as 'Person of the Year' for the year 2019 by the Time magazine.

Sundar Pichai: 47 year old Indo-American, present Google CEO will be assuming additional charge of Alphabet CEO, making him one of the most powerful corporate leaders of the world.

Roger Federer: Legendary Swiss tennis player became the first living person in Switzerland to have a coin minted in his honour.

NOVEMBER

The Harvard Business Review list of the world's best CEOs for 2019 includes 3 Indians in top 10 CEOs: Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen (6th), MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga (7th) and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (9th).

Satya Nadella: Fortune's annual Business Person of the Year list is topped by the Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Nirmal Purja: A Nepali mountaineer became the fastest climber to scale 14 highest peaks, all over 8,000 mts in elevation, in just over 6 months, under ‘Project Possible’.

OCTOBER

Narendra Modi: The Prime Minister has become the world’s most-followed leader on Instagram with more than 30 million followers.

Deepika Padukon & PV Sindhu: Bollywood actress and badminton star were named the ambassadors for Bharat Ki Laxmi, an initiative by Prime Minister Modi.

Saint Mariam Thresia: Indian nun and four others were declared Saints by Pope Francis. Born on April 26, 1876, she founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family in Thrissur in May 1914.

SEPTEMBER

Narendra Modi: He crossed the mark of 50 million followers on his twitter account, becoming the third most followed world leader after Barack Obama (108.2 million) and Donald Trump (64 million).

Wing Commander Anjali Singh: She became India's first female military diplomat to be posted in any of the Indian missions abroad.

Rohit Sharma: Indian Cricket team vice-captain launched “Rohit4Rhinos” campaign, in partnership with WWF India and Animal Planet

Jack Ma: Founder of Chinese e-commerce giant - Alibaba, stepped down as chairman of the world’s biggest e-commerce company on Sep 10, his 55th birthday.

Greta Thunberg: Teenage climate campaigner school girl from Sweden sailed from Plymouth, UK to New York on a zero-emissions yacht to minimize the carbon footprint of her journey to address climate action summit at UN General Assembly.

Sarah Thomas: American breast cancer survivor became the first person to swim across the English Channel four times in a non-stop 54-hour feat of endurance.

APPOINTMENTS

DECEMBER

Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane: Appointed as the next chief of the Indian Army in the rank of General.

Harsh Vardhan Shringla: Appointed as the new Foreign Secretary.

Devesh Srivastava: Appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of the General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re).

General Bipin Rawat: Appointed as the India’s first Chief of Defence Staff – a four-star position being created as part of a defence management overhaul.

Abdelmadjid Tebboune: Former Prime Minister of Algeria elected as the President of Algeria

Sanna Marin: Elected as the youngest ever Prime Minister of Finland (and in world also).

Manuel Marrero Cruz: Appointed the Prime Minister of Cuba by the President of Cuba.


Prithviraj Singh Roopun: Former arts and culture minister was elected as the President of Mauritius

Hage Geingob: Re-elected as the Namibia’s President for a second term.

Masatsugu Asakawa: Elected as the new President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) by its Board of Governors.

NOVEMBER

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde: Appointed as the 47th Chief Justice of India (CJI) wef Nov 18.

Mahinda Rajapaksa: Sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister. He is a former President of Sri Lanka.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa: Elected as the new President of Sri Lanka.

Pravind Kumar Jugnauth: Re-elected as the Prime Minister for a new five year term.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan: Re-elected as President of the UAE (United Arab Emirates)

Alberto Fernandez: Elected as the President of Argentina

OCTOBER

4 NEW GOVERNORS APPOINTED Girish Chandra Murmu Lt. Governor of Jammu-

Kashmir R K Mathur Lt. Governor of Ladakh P.S. Sreedharan Pillai Governor of Mizoram Satya Pal Malik Governor of Goa

S S Mallikarjunan Rao: Appointed as the MD and CEO of the Punjab National Bank.

Surjit Bhalla: Senior economist appointed by the govt as the Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund for a period of three years.

Anup Kumar Singh: Senior IPS officer of Gujarat cadre has been appointed as Director-General of the National Security Guard (NSG).

Pankaj Kumar: Appointed as the new CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

Rajnish Kumar: SBI chairman has been appointed as the new chairman of Indian Banks’ Association.

Christine Lagarde: Former President of IMF appointed as the new President of the European Central Bank.

SEPTEMBER

5 STATES GET NEW GOVERNORS Bhagat Singh Koshyari (Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister)

Maharashtra

Arif Mohammed Khan (Former Union Minister)

Kerala

Bandaru Dattatreya (Former Union Minister)

Himachal Pradesh

Kalraj Mishra (Former Governor of HP)

Rajasthan

Dr Ms. T Soundararajan (Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief)

Telangana

Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria will be the next chief of Indian Air force wef Sep 30, 2019 in the rank of Air Chief Marshal.

Pradeep Kumar Sinha: Appointed as the Principal Advisor to Prime Minister. He is a former Cabinet Secretary. Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra: Appointed as the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister

V K Johri: Senior IPS officer appointed as the new Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF)

Kristalina Georgieva: Noted economist from Bulgaria has been selected as the new head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

AWARDS & HONOURS

DECEMBER

55th Jnanpith Award: Won by the eminent Malayalam poet Akkitham Achuthan Namboodri. 29th Vyas Samman: Won by noted Hindi author and Sahitya Akademi awardee 71 year old Nasera Sharma for her novel “Kaagaz Ki Naav”. DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019: The $25,000 prize won by Amitabha Bagchi for his new novel “Half the Night is Gone”.

G Satheesh Reddy: Chairman DRDO selected by the Royal Aeronautical Society, London for the Honorary Fellowship of the Society for the year 2019.

"Shilpa ShettyApp": The fitness and wellness application by actress Shilpa Shetty was awarded Google Play's Best App of 2019 in the ''Personal Growth'' category.

Priyanka Chopra: Awarded the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award from UNICEF for supporting the cause of UNICEF for the last 15 years.

Miss Teen International: Won by 16-year-old Vadodara-based Aayushi Dholakia. Miss World 2019: Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh bagged the crown at a ceremony held in London.

Miss Universe 2019: Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa won the crown at Atlanta, USA.

Miss Supranational 2019: Anntonia Porsild of Thailand won the crown in Silesia, Poland.


Miss International 2019: Sireethorn Leearamwat of Thailand won the crown in Tokyo, Japan.

Miss Earth 2019: Nellys Pimentel of Puerto Rico was crowned as the winner at Manila, Philippines Miss Grand International 2019: Valentina Figuera , from Venezuela , was crowned as the winner at Caracas, Venezuela. Miss Intercontinental 2019: Fanni Mikó of Hungary won the crown in a glittering ceremony held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. PETA ‘Person of the Year’ Award 2019: ‘Joker’ fame Joaquin Rafael Phoenix, American actor from California, USA, won the award by PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, for his work supporting the cause of animals.

Ballon d'Or 2019 (Golden Ball): Argentina footballer Lionel Messi won the prestigious football honor for record sixth time.

The Ballon d'Or for women was won by Megan Rapinoe, captain of the US team that won the 2019 World Cup in France.

Brazilian player Alisson, goalkeeper of Liverpool Club, was the first-ever recipient of the Yachine Trophy for the Best Goalkeeper.

NOVEMBER

Vyas Samman, 2018: Awarded to well known Hindi writer Leeladhar Jagoori for his poetry collection- “Jitne Log Utne Prem”. Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development: Renowned naturalist, Sir David Attenborough honoured for spreading awareness for the need to preserve the biodiversity on earth. Raja Ram Mohan Roy Award: Awarded to Rajasthan Patrika group chairman Gulab Kothari by the Press Council of India, for his outstanding contribution towards journalism. Italian Golden Sand Art Award: conferred upon noted sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik, of Odisha at the International Scorrana Sand Nativity Festival held in Scorrana in south east Italy.

International Children's Peace Prize: Awarded to 16-year-old young environmental activist Greta Thunberg of Sweden for her untiring fight for environmental protection.

OCTOBER

The 31st Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration- 2017 and 2018 Awarded to the pioneer of the Chipko Movement in Uttarakhand, Chandi Prasad Bhatt for his services in promoting and preserving the national integration. The award constituted by the Indian National Congress consists of a citation and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.

India’s Most Powerful Women in Media: Kallie Puri, Vice-Chairperson of the India Today Group, received this prestigious award in British Parliament.

Saraswati Samman - 2018: Won by famous Telugu poet K Siva Reddy for his collection of poems “Pakkaki Ottigilite”.

NOBEL PRIZES - 2019

Nobel Prize 2019 in Physiology/Medicine Awarded jointly to William G. Kaelin Jr, Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg L. Semenza "for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability.

Nobel Prize 2019 for Physics Awarded to three scientists, James Peebles,Princeton University, USA; Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, both from the University of Geneva, Switzerland for their contribution to the understanding of the evolution of the universe and earth's place in the cosmos.

Nobel Prize 2019 for Chemistry Scientists John Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham, both from the USA, and Akira Yoshino from Japan, won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in equal share for the development of lithium-ion batteries.

The Nobel Prize in Literature - 2019 Austria's Peter Handke won the prize “for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience".

The Nobel Prize in Literature - 2018 Awarded to the Polish author Olga Tokarczuk "for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life." This award was not declared in 2018 due to some internal issues at the Swedish Academy.

Nobel Prize for Economics Awarded to Abhijit Banerjee and his wife Esther Duflo, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA and Michael Kremer, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. Nobel Peace Prize-2019: Awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation for his initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.


Sakharov Prize: Awarded by the European Parliament to Uighur intellectual Ilham Tohti for his attempts to “foster dialogue” between Chinese people and the Uighur.

Booker Prize-2019: Prestigious literary prize was awarded jointly to Margaret Atwood for her novel ‘The Testament’ and Bernardine Evaristo for her novel 'Girl, Woman, Other'.

SEPTEMBER

Dada Saheb Phalke Award: Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan was named for this most prestigious award for his outstanding contribution to the Indian film industry. It consists of a Swarn Kamal and a cash prize of ten lakh rupees.

The SASTRA Ramanujan Prize-2019: Awarded to Adam Harper, an Assistant Professor with the University of Warwick, England. The prize is conferred annually on mathematicians from across the world who is less than 32 years of age and working in an area influenced by the genius Srinivasa Ramanujan. The prize carries a citation and an award of $10,000.

The 20th IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) Awards ceremony was held on Sep 18 for the first time in India, in Mumbai. Best Actor (Male): Ranveer Singh for Padmaavat Best Actor (Female): Alia Bhatt for Raazi Best Film: Raazi by Meghna Gulzar Best Director: Sriram Raghavan for Andhadhun Lifetime Achievement Award: Legendary actor and comedian Jagdeep Jaffery

1st Gauri Lankesh National Award for Journalism: Given to senior TV journalist Ravish Kumar

Dr Kalam Smriti International Excellence Award-2019: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh was conferred this award in Dhaka. The award has been instituted in the memory of former Indian President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Breakthrough Prize 2020 Popularly known as the "Oscars of science”, they are awarded by the US based Breakthrough Prize Foundation, every year, in three fields. Each Prize carries an award of $ 3 million. Fundamental Physics: Awarded to 347 Members of the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration who collectively produced the world's first image of a black hole.

Life Sciences (4): Awarded to Jeffrey M. Friedman, F. Ulrich Hartl and Arthur L. Horwich, David Julius, and Virginia Man-Yee Lee, each for different achievements.

Mathematics: Awarded to Alex Eskin, University of Chicago, USA, for revolutionary discoveries in the dynamics and geometry of moduli spaces of Abelian differentials.

OBITUARY

DECEMBER

Dr. Shriram Lagoo: Veteran Hindi and Marathi theatre and film actor passed away in Pune at the age of 92. He was a trained ENT surgeon by profession.

Sudhir Dar: Renowned cartoonist passed away in Noida, UP at the age of 87. His cartoons appeared on the first page of Hindustan Times under the pocket cartoon column - “This is It” for over 22 years.

George J. Laurer: The engineer whose invention of the Universal Product Code or bar code at IBM transformed retail and other industries around the world, died at the age of 94 in Wendell, North Carolina in the USA.

NOVEMBER

T N Seshan: The former Chief Election Commissioner, remembered for introduction and strict compliance of voter ID card, passed away in Chennai, at the age of 86.

Gurudas Dasgupta: Former Parliamentarian and veteran CPI (Communist Party of India) leader died in Kolkata after a prolonged illness. He was 83.

OCTOBER

Viju Khote: Veteran Hindi and Marathi actor, who feebly mouthed the iconic dialogue ‘Sardar, maine aapka namak khaya hai’ as Kaalia in ‘Sholay’, passed away due to multiple organ failure in Mumbai, at the age of 77.

SEPTEMBER

Ram Jethmalani: Veteran lawyer and former Union Law Minister passed away in New Delhi at the age of 96.

Robert Mugabe: Zimbabwe’s former president died aged 95 in Singapore. He ruled the country as Prime Minister and as President for 37 long years.

PLACES IN NEWS

DECEMBER

Abu Dhabi: Capital of UAE selected as the world’s leading sports tourism destination at the 26th edition of the World Travel Awards.

White Island: A volcano erupted on Dec 9 on White Island, off the north coast of New Zealand's North Island, killing over 18 tourists

NOVEMBER

Suranga Bawadi: The ‘Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau’ in Bijapur, Karnataka, selected in the World Monument Watch List for 2020.


Cyclone ‘Bulbul’: The tropical storm devastated the coastal districts of West Bengal before hurtling towards Bangladesh.

OCTOBER

Typhoon Hagibis: A severe tropical storm made landfall on eastern face of Tokyo in Japan on October 12 as Japan’s “worst storm in sixty years”.

SEPTEMBER

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine: Adjudged as the "Best Swachh Iconic place" in the country.

Typhoon Faxai: One of the strongest storms to hit Tokyo in the last several years, with winds of up to 210km/h.

Hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas on Sep 1, the strongest on record to hit the northwestern part of the archipelago, located in southeast of Florida.

SPORTS WORLD

DECEMBER

Rakhi creates two new national records Rakhi Halder created two new national records and clinched a bronze medal in the women's 64kg weight category at the Qatar International Cup in Doha. S. Mirabai Chanu won the women's 49kg category gold medal at the 6th Qatar International Cup in Doha.

Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam claimed the gold in compound mixed pair event at the 21st Asian Archery Championships, held in Bangkok, Thailand.

Lakshya Sen notched up his fifth title of the season, claiming the men’s singles crown at the Bangladesh International Challenger Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

R Praggnanandhaa, the young Chess Grandmaster from Chennai crossed the Elo rating of 2,600 at the age of 14 yr 3 m 26 d, becoming the youngest Indian ever to get past the 2,600 milestone, and the second-youngest in the world.

13th South Asian Games were held in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal from Dec 1 to 10. India finished on top with 312 medals-174 gold, 93 silver and 45 bronze.

Senior Wrestling National Championship held in Jalandhar from Nov 29 to Dec 01.

Rani Rampal, Captain of Indian women’s hockey team and ace pistol shooter Saurabh Chaudhary won the Sports Person of the Year awards at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2019.

Wasim Jaffer, veteran opener from Maharashtra became the first player in Indian cricket to feature in 150 Ranji matches. He has played 253 first-class games, scoring 19,147 runs.

FIH-International Hockey Federation has approved India’s bid to host the Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023. Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar and Biju Patnaik Hockey Stadium in Rourkela have been approved as the venues for the tournament.

INTERNATIONAL Kento Momota, world no. 1 from Japan won his 11th badminton title of the year at the BWF World Tour Finals in Guangzhou, China. Chen Yufei of China won the women’s title to emerge as the world's number one.

Anthony Joshua, Britain’s top boxer reclaimed his world heavyweight crown from Andy Ruiz of America at Diriyah, near Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia.

The International Tennis Federation named Rafael Nadal of Spain and Ashleigh Barty of Australia as World Champions in singles for 2019 in men’s and women’s category, respectively.

Ben Stokes, England cricketer has been voted “BBC Sports Personality of the Year-2019”.

Belgium has been crowned FIFA's Team of the Year for finishing top of the world rankings for the second year in a row.

The World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, banned Russia for four years, from participation in global sporting events, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

NOVEMBER

Lakshya Sen won the Scottish Open men's single Badminton title and also the SaarLorLux Open tournament in Germany.

Maisnam Meiraba Luwang, 16 year old boy from Manipur clinched the boys’ singles U-19 title at the Woncheon Yonex Korea Junior Open Badminton International Challenge 2019 in Miryang, Korea

Chitharesh Natesan became the first Indian to win ‘Mr. Universe (Pro) 2019’ title in 90kg category at the 11th World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championship in South Korea.

Harmeet Desai won the men's singles title at ITTF Challenge Indonesia Open 2019 Table Tennis tournament held at Batam, Indonesia.

Sandeep Chaudhary and Sumit broke the world records on their way to winning the gold and silver medals, respectively, in the F 64 javelin throw event of the World Para Athletics Championships held at Dubai. Sundar Singh Gurjar also won gold in F-46 javelin throw here.


Deodhar Trophy: India B lifted the cricket trophy by defeating India C team in the finals played in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

Shafali Verma, 15 year-old girl from Rohtak, Haryana became the youngest (15 years, 285 days) Indian cricketer ever to score a half-century in international cricket.

Virat Kohli became the first Indian to score a century on the Pink ball, playing Day-Night Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Deepak Chahar made a unique record of taking six wickets for seven runs in T20 match playing against Bangladesh in Nagpur, Maharashtra. He also became the first Indian to achieve a hat trick in T20 format and became the most economical bowler in T20 Internationals.

Rohit Sharma became the first Indian male cricketer to play 100 T20 International cricket matches and amassin amassing 2537 runs so far in T20 format.

Dutee Chand, female star sprinter has been included in the ‘Time 100 Next’ list that includes those who are ready to make future in business, recreation, sports, politics, health and science.

INTERNATIONAL WORLD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, the first man to run a marathon in less than two hours, and Ms. Dalilah Muhammad of USA, 400m hurdles world champion, won the World Athlete of the Year award for men and women, respectively, given by World Athletics, top world body of Athletics.

Davis Cup: Rafael Nadal won the title for the sixth time for Spain after beating Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the finals played in Madrid, Spain.

3rd Rugby World Cup: South Africa’s national team - ‘Springboks’ defeated England’s team to win the Webb Ellis Cup in the finals played at Yokohama, Japan.

OCTOBER

Priyanshu Rajawat claimed the men's singles title at the Bahrain International Series Badminton at Isa Town, Bahrain

Lakshya Sen clinched his maiden BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Tour title by winning the Dutch Open men's singles at Almere in the Netherlands.

R Praggnanandhaa, the 14-year-old Grand Master from Chennai won gold in the U-18 Open category in the World Youth Chess Championships held in Mumbai.

Sumit Nagal won the men's singles title of ATP Challenger Tournament at Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Para-athlete Anandan Gunasekaran won 2 gold medals at the 7th CISM World Military Games held in Wuhan, China. He won the medal in the disabled men’s 100m and 400m IT1 events.

Kaushal Dharmamer clinched the men's singles title at the Maldives International Challenge (Badminton) in Male, the capital of the Maldives.

Deepak Punia jumped to world number one position in 86 kilogram category in the latest rankings issued by the International Wrestling Federation.

15 year old Tanishbir Sandhu won the gold in light heavyweight (80kg) category in the Asian junior boxing champion in Fujairah, UAE.

Praveen Kumar became the 1st Indian to win a gold medal at the 15th Wushu World Championships in Shanghai.

Surender Singh of India created three world records at the World Powerlifting Championship in Berlin, Germany.

Ronaldo Singh bagged a gold medal in the men’s junior Keirin event at the Asian Track Cycling Championships held at Incheon in South Korea.

Raunak Sadhwani, 13 year old boy from Nagpur became India’s 65th GrandMaster in Chess. He crossed the required mark for achieving this feat by earning over 2500 game points.

N Wilson Singh and Satish Kumar Prajapati won gold medal in 10 metres platform synchronised swimming event at the 10th Asian Age Group Championships in Bengaluru.

59th National Open Athletics Championships Star sprinter Dutee Chand smashed her own national record, clocking 11.22 seconds, in the women's 100m semifinals at the 59th National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi, Jharkhand. She also won gold in 100 and 200 m sprint and the award for best athlete.

Shot putter Tejinderpal Singh Toor, who also broke his own national record, was named the best athlete in the men’s category. Vijay Hazare Trophy: Karnataka won the trophy by beating Tamil Nadu by nine wickets in the finals played at Bengaluru. Mumbai teenager Yashasvi Jaiswal created history as he became the youngest cricketer in the world to score a double century in List A One Day cricket. The 17-year-old scored 203 off 154 balls against Jharkhand at Alur, Karnataka playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.


Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s women's cricket captain, became India's first cricketer (among both men and women) to play 100 T20 Internationals. She achieved this feat playing against South Africa at Surat, Gujarat.

Mithali first to complete 20 years in cricket India women's cricket team captain Mithali Raj became the first female player to last more than 20 years in international cricket. She achieved the feat playing against South Africa Vadodara on Oct 10. Ganguly to head BCCI One of India's most decorated captains, Sourav Ganguly will take over as the 39th President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

INTERNATIONAL

Biles - the most decorated gymnast Simone Biles, the 22 year old star US gymnast broke the all-time record for most international medals – 25 by any gymnast (male or female) at the world championships by securing her 18th gold by winning the floor exercise competition the World Gymnastics Championship in Stuttgart, Germany, raising her medal tally to 25 that includes 18 gold (4 from Olympics), 3 silver and 4 bronze in various events. Kipchoge first to run under 2 hr marathon Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya created history by finishing a marathon in less than two hours time. It is for the first time when an athlete has completed a marathon in less than two hours. He completed the 42.195 km race in 1hr 59min 40.2 sec.

ICC amends super over rule The International Cricket Council (ICC) has changed the super over rule for all its major events following the uproar over the outcome of the men's World Cup final this year when England were declared winners against New Zealand on boundary count basis. As per new rule, if a super over ends in a tie, the super over will be repeated until one team has more runs than the other.

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FEBRUARY GK TEST - 01 1) Which Indian naval establishment was awarded

the President’s Colour in Feb. this year? a) INS Vikrant b) INS Satlej c) INS Shivaji d) INS Shivalik e) INS Trikand

2) Who among the following athletes has recently set a new world record in a 5 km road race? a) Joshua Cheptegei b) Valencia Ibercaja c) Jimmy Gressier d) Marshal Rodrigo E) Rhonex Kipruto

3) Which of the following countries hosted the 13th COP (Conference of Parties) on conservation of migratory species of wildlife? a) Nepal b) Sri Lanka c) Pakistan d) India e) Malaysia

4) Which film has recently won the best film award in Filmfare Awards 2020? a) Article-15 b) Uri - The Surgical Strike c) Student of the Year 2 d) Gully Boy e) Andhadhun

5) In the context of economy, the ‘Trade Gap’ means? a) Gap between total imports and total exports b) Gap between total GDP and total consumption c) Gap between available liquidity and expected demand d) Gap between budgeted revenue collection and actual collection of the same e) None of these

6) What are the fees/charges that need to be paid for lodging the complaint with the Ombudsman? a) A fee of Rs 500 needs to be paid

b) A fee of Rs 100/- needs to be paid c) 20% of the relief sought must be paid as fee d) 10% of the relief sought must be paid as fee e) No fee or charges need to be paid

7) Which Govt. programme aims at involving higher educational institutions like IITs / IIMs / NITs to work with the people of rural India in identifying development challenges and evolving appropriate solutions for accelerating sustainable growth? a) Unnat Gram Abhiyan b) PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana c) Pradhan Mantri Gram Vigyaan Yojana d) Unnat Gram Sansthan Abhiyan e) Unnat Bharat Abhiyan

8) What is the name of a train connecting Varanasi to Ujjain – Indore inaugurated by PM Modi recently? a) Kashi-Mahakal Express b) Varanasi- Indore Express c) Adhyatm Express d) Kashi Vishwanath Express e) Ujjain-Mahakal Express

9) Which state government has recently announced to give Rs. 6 crore prize money to Olympics Gold Medal winners? a) Madhya Pradesh b) Haryana c) Uttar Pradesh d) Bihar e) Maharashtra

10) What is the name of the winner who recently won the International Gandhi Award for Leprosy in the individual category? a) Dr. N S Dharamshaktu b) Yohei Sasakawa c) Damodar G Bapat d) Satya Nadella e) Melinda Gates


11) What does letter ‘A denote in the term LAF’? a) Adequacy b) Addition c) Adjustment d) Advance e) Accreditation

12) As per the electoral bonds scheme notified by the Govt. of India, which bank has been authorized to issue and encash the bonds? a) RBI b) ICICI c) SBI d) RBI to issue, SBI to encash e) PNB

13) The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana has three main loan schemes. Which of the following are these three schemes? 1) Baal 2) Shishu 3) Kishore 4) Yuva 5) Tarun a) 2, 3 and 5 b) 1, 3 and 5 c) 1, 4 and 5 d) 2, 4 and 5 e) 3, 4 and 5

14) Which year has been set as the target for installing 100 GigaWatt solar power by the Government of India? a) March 2023 b) December 2022 c) December 2021 d) October 2021 e) March 2022

15) Who is the winner of the Australian Open 2020 women’s single title? a) Ashleigh Barty b) Simona Halep c) Belinda Bencic d) Sofia Kenin e) Garbine Muguruza

16) Which South Asian country has recently declared National Emergency due to massive locusts attack? a) Pakistan b) Nepal c) India d) Sri Lanka e) Myanmar

17) Which of the following is NOT the part of the scheduled banking structure in India? a) Micro Finance Institutions b) Pubic Sector Banks c) Private Sector Banks d) Regional Rural Banks e) State Co-operative Banks

18) Which one of the following institution is related to export financing and insurance? a) ECGC b) GAIL c) CBDT d) IDBI e) None of these

19) The Padma Awards namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri are announced by Govt. of India on which of the following dates? a) On the eve of Republic Day b) On Republic Day c) On the eve of Independence Day d) On the Independence Day e) On Good Governance Day

20) Who has been recently appointed the Prime Minister of Iraq? a) Amzad Khatoon b) Al-Hamza Pashtoon c) Mohammed Allawi d) Mehtarim Saleh e) Mahmood Reza

21) Which country has officially rejoined the Commonwealth recently? a) Maldives b) Bangladesh c) Bhutan d) Nepal e) Sri Lanka

22) What is the new Income Tax Rate for those falling in the salary bracket of Rs 5-7.5 lakh? a) 10 percent b) 5 percent c) 8 percent d) 20 percent e) 15 percent

23) The bank rate means a) Rate of interest charged by commercial banks from borrowers b) Rate of interest at which commercial banks discount bill of their borrowers c) Rate of interest allowed by commercial banks on their deposits d) Rate at which RBI purchases or rediscounts bills of exchange of commercial banks e) None of these

24) Which of the following bank was the first one to introduce India's first ATM? a) ICICI Bank b) HDFC Bank c) SBI d) HSBC e) PNB

25) Under the Union Budget 2020, the government has allocated how much amount for the education sector? a) Rs 99300 crore b) Rs 83500 crore c) Rs 77900 crore d) Rs 85300 crore e) None of these

26) Which among the following sites will NOT be transformed into an iconic site under the Government’s proposal in Union Budget 2020? a) Kurukshetra b) Rakhigarhi c) Hastinapur d) Shivsagar e) Dholavira


27) What is the name of the annual joint military exercise that began recently in Meghalaya between India and Bangladesh? a) GATI-IX b) DRISHTI-IX c) AROHAN-IX d) SAMPRITI-IX e) Bangex -IX

28) Green Banking means: a) Development of forestry by banks b) Financing of environmental-friendly projects by banks c) Financing of irrigation projects by banks d) Financing of plantation crops e) None of these

29) All companies registered under Companies Act are required to use the word “Limited” in their name. What is the meaning of word Limited in the context of Companies Act? a) The company can raise “Limited” capital for its business b) The company can undertake only “Limited” activities mentioned in the companies Act c) The liability of the shareholder is “Limited” to the extent of his investment d) The promoters have a “Limited” interest in the running of the business

e) None of these 30) Which of the following is the longest railway

route of the World? a) Trans-Siberian Railway b) Canadian Pacific Railway c) Tran Australia Railway d) Orient Express Railway e) Trans Caucasian Railway

31) Who among the following was recently appointed as India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka? a) Ravi Pujari b) Ashwani Ranjan c) Gopal Baglay d) Devendra Awasthi e) Taranjit Sandhu

32) In which country a massive new natural gas reserve was discovered recently? a) Qatar b) UAE c) Saudi Arabia d) Kuwait e) Iraq

33) The Union Government has ruled out disinvestment in which among the following public sector enterprises? a) BHEL b) Air India c) LIC d) BPCL e) NEEPCO

34) Promoters of a company are required to register their company under which Act? a) Companies Act b) Registration Act c) Indian Partnership Act d) Indian Contract Act e) a, b and c

35) What is the title of the autobiography of Yashwant Sinha, veteran BJP leader and former Minister of Finance and External Affairs? a) My Story b) My Indian Dreams c) Relentless d) Desperate e) My Days in BJP

36) Which film has become the first non-English film to win the Oscar 2020 award for ‘Best Picture’? a) Parasite b) The Irishman c) 1917 d) Jojo Rabbit e) Joker

37) Which state government has decided to declare Cauvery Delta Region as a protected special agricultural zone? a) Karnataka b) Tamil Nadu c) Andhra Pradesh d) Kerala e) Odisha

38) Which city recently organized a National conference on e-governance 2020? a) Delhi b) Mumbai c) Chandigarh d) Patna e) Bengaluru

39) The maximum amount that a company can raise for its business is known as a) Paid Up Capital b) Issued Capital c) Subscribed Capital d) Authorised Capital e) None of these

40) NASDAQ is a popular and major stock exchange in which of the following countries? a) Canada b) USA c) France d) Germany e) Japan

41) Who is the author of the book titled "The Thin Mind Map Book"? a) Dharmendra Rai b) Chetan Bhagat c) Albert Pinto d) Vikram Seth e) Arbind Ghosh

42) Who became the first Indian to receive the IOC's ‘honourable mention’? a) MC Mary Kom b) Anil Kumble c) Pullela Gopichand d) Ravi Shastri e) Rani Rampal


43) The 22nd edition of the world language database Ethnologue has placed Hindi at which rank in the world? a) 1 b) 2 c) 3 d) 4 e) 5

44) The Dan David Prize is an international award, promoted by the Dan David Foundation. It is based in which university? a) Tel Aviv University, Israel b) Oxford University UK c) Cambridge University UK d) Harvard University USA e) Chicago University USA

45) Invisible export means exports of: a) Services b) Prohibited goods c) Unrecorded goods d) Goods through smuggling e) None of these

46) Who is designated as the Chairperson of the Financial Stability & Development Council?

a) Union Revenue Secretary b) Union Finance Secretary c) Finance Minister d) Governor, RBI e) CEO, NITI Aayog 47) Which of the following correctly describes the

full form of online payment platform BHIM? a) Bharatiya Interface for Money b) Bharat Household Interface for Money c) Bharat Internal for Money d) Bharat Interface for Money e) Bharat Intermediary for Money

48) The famous historical monument of Red Fort was constructed by which Mughal Emperor? A) Akbar b) Shah Jahan c) Humayun d) Aurangzeb e) Jahangir

49) Which Indian 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? a) IndusInd Bank b) ICICI Bank c) State Bank of India d) Bank of Baroda e) HDFC Bank

50) The central government launched the “School Health Ambassador Initiative” to spread awareness about the preventive health aspects. This initiative has been launched under which mission? a) National Urban Health Mission b) Ayushman Bharat c) National Rural Health Mission d) National Health Mission e) Fit India Campaign

FEBRUARY GK TEST - 2 1) India celebrates National Women's Day on

February 13 to commemorate the birthday of which great leader? a) Sarojini Naidu b) Indira Gandhi c) Laxmi Bai d) Vijay Laxmi Pandit e) None of these

2) Which state hosted “ClimFishCon 2020”, a four day international conference on the impact of climate change on ‘hydrological cycle, ecosystem, fisheries and food security’, from Feb 11 - 14? a) Assam b) Tamil Nadu c) Kerala d) Jharkhand e) West Bengal

3) BIMSTEC, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation is a 7 nation group. Its headquarters are in which city? a) Dhaka b) New Delhi c) Kathmandu d) Thimpu e) Bangkok

4) Which of the following statements is TRUE about International Monetary Fund (IMF)? a) It provides Ways and Means Funds to member countries. b) It is an agency of the World Bank and is situated in Prague. c) It makes all the rules and regulations in relation to the World Trade between the nations. d) On becoming its member, countries are eligible for loan to meet temporary balance – of – payment needs. e) It is an organization floated by the members of NATO and caters to the need of those countries only.

5) In India, the NABARD does not provide refinance to: a) Scheduled Commercial Banks b) Regional Rural Banks c) State Land Development Banks d) Primary Agricultural Credit Societies e) None of these

6) Which of the following is the longest river of the world? a) Yangtze b) Brahmaputra c) Amazon d) Nile e) Mississippi

7) What is the name of the missile recently tested successfully by the DRDO which is an advanced version of the 150-km strike range Prahar missile? a) Akash b) Vinash c) Prahar-II d) Pranash e) Vidhvans


8) Name the noted environmentalist, former chief and founder of TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute), New Delhi, who passed away recently. a) Bhagat Puran Singh b) Chandi Prasad Bhatt c) K. Shivaram Karanath d) Sunderlal Bahunguna e) R K Pachauri

9) Name the Indian Hockey Player who has been named "Player of the Year for 2019" by the International Hockey Federation? a) Manpreet Singh b) Birendra Lakra c) Harbir Singh d) Dharamvir Singh e) Rupinder Pal Singh

10) Government of India, for the first time nationalized 14 large commercial banks in the year a) 1956 b) 1959 c) 1969 d) 1971 e) None of these

11) One rupee currency notes bear the signature of a) Finance Minister b) RBI Governor c) Revenue Secretary d) Finance Secretary e) Chief Economic Advisor

12) Which of the following is the fastest missile of India? a) BrahMos b) Dhanush c) Akash d) Prithivi III e) Agni-5

13) __________ is the India's Union Minister of Defence? a) Nitin Gadkari b) Nirmala Sitharaman c) Amit Shah d) Ravi Shankar Prasad e) Rajnath Singh

14) AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal secured a landslide victory in Delhi assembly elections, winning _____ seats in the 70-member assembly. a) 63 b) 60 c) 62 d) 58 e) 67

15) According to the PSU Survey 2018-19, which public sector undertaking has earned highest profits in 2018-19, accounting for 15.3% of total profits of PSUs? a) Oil and Natural Gas Corporation b) Indian Oil Corporation c) National Thermal Power Corporation d) Steel Authority of India Ltd. e) Coal India Ltd.

16) In the banking system the data is stored in the digital form and is accessible anywhere, anytime. This computerized environment is called:

a) Core Banking Platform b) Core Banking Solution

c) Central Banking Solution d) Net Banking Solution

e) None of these 17) The use of fraudulent mails designed to steal

personal data such as credit card number or pin number is known as

a) Fishing b) Phishing c) Hacking d) Skimming e) None of these

18) Who defeated multiple-time world champion Pankaj Advani 6-2 to win the National Snooker Championship in Pune? a) Sourav Kothari b) Yasin Merchant c) Geet Sethi d) Aditya Mehta e) Lucky Watnani

19) Which of the following is the largest component of the liabilities of Commercial Bank in India? a) Time deposits b) Demand deposits c) Inter-bank liabilities d) Other borrowings e) None of these

20) Under which section / law the govt. of India can issue directions to RBI?

a) Section 2 of Banking Regulation Act b) Section 5 of Companies Act c) Section 138 of Banking Regulation Act d) Section 7 of RBI Act e) RBI is a statutory body so govt cannot interfere 21) Who is the Lt. Governor of the National Capital

Territory of Delhi? a) R K Mathur b) Praful Patel c) Kiran Bedi d) Anil Baijal e) Dineshwar Sharma

22) Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose holds which of the following national level high office post? a) Solicitor General of India b) Lokpal of India c) Chairman, 21st Law Commission d) Chairman, NGT e) Chairman NHRC

23) Which state 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? a) Uttarakhand b) Himachal Pradesh c) Nagaland d) Mizoram e) Meghalaya


24) The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the disease caused by the new coronavirus will be referred to as _________. a) COVID-20 b) CORVID-19 c) COVID-19 d) CORVID-20 e) CORON-V

25) African Union Summit 2020 was held on Feb 10-11 in which African City? a) Addis Ababa b) Cairo c) Kampala d) Pretoria e) Nairobi

26) If the date of issue on the cheque is more than three months ‘old’ at the time of presentation of cheque to the bank, such a cheque will not be paid as it is a _____ cheque.

a) Old Cheque b) Stale Cheque c) Invalid Cheque d) Crossed Cheque e) None of these 27) As per the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 only

such cases where amount involved is more than Rs. ___________ can be admitted by National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission? a) 10 lakh b) 1 crore c) 50 lakh d) 5 crore e) 2 crore

28) Bakhra Nangal Project has been constructed on which river of Punjab? a) Ravi b) Beas c) Satluj d) Chenab e) Jhelum

29) World Pulses Day is observed on Feb 10 to recognize the importance of pulses. Which of the following food items is NOT a pulse? a) Chickpeas b) Dry beans c) Lentils d) Dry peas e) Oats

30) Name the American actor who won all the three Best Actor awards viz. Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA for his title role in the film Joker. a) Tom Hanks b) Leonardo DiCaprio c) Robert Downey, Jr. d) Brad Pit e) Joaquin Phoenix

31) The largest exhibition for the world's defence companies to display their land, sea and air capabilities at a single platform was held in which city? a) Lucknow b) Paris c) Dubai d) London e) Bengaluru

32) P Parameswaran, renowned thinker, writer and the founder director of Bharatiya Vichara Kendram, passed away at the age of 91. He hailed from which state? a) Telangana b) Kerala c) Karnataka d) Andhra Pradesh e) Tamil Nadu

33) Name the longest-serving Kenyan President who passed away on February 04. He was 95. a) Daniel Arap Moi b) Robert Mugabe c) Paul Kagame d) Uhuru Kenyatta e) Raila Odinga

34) As per World Steel Association data, India became the _________ largest steel producer of crude steel in the world in 2019. a) first b) second c) third d) fourth e) fifth

35) Which of the following project is located on River Ganga? a) Thien Project b) Idukki Project c) Kundah Project d) Farakka Project e) Mayurkashi project

36) The Monetary Policy Committee of RBI in its sixth and last bi-monthly Monetary Policy Review for FY 19-20 did not change which of the following rates? a) Repo Rate b) Reverse Repo c) Marginal Standing Facility d) Bank Rate e) None of these

37) Ajay Bisaria has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to which country? a) Canada b) Pakistan c) Myanmar d) Britain e) Australia

38) Consequent upon announcement by the Finance Minister in the Budget, RBI has enhanced the insurance cover on bank deposits to ____ lakh rupees from one lakh rupees wef Feb 04, 2020. a) Three b) Two c) Five d) Four e) Seven

39) Which of the following is not a Zayad crop? a) Melon b) Watermelon c) Cucumber d) Tories e) Potato

40) According to the recent Commerce Ministry data, which country has become India's top trading partner in 2018-19 fiscal?


a) USA b) China c) France d) UK e) Germany

41) The Supreme Court has directed the states to come out with notifications for establishing village level courts. What is the formal name of these courts? a) Gram Nyayalaya b) Gramin Court c) Panchayti Court d) Gram Kachehari e) Gram Nyayalya

42) Under whose leadership Britain officially left the European Union on January 31 after 47 years of membership? a) David Cameron b) Boris Johnson c) Theresa May d) Jeremy Corbyn e) Sadiq Khan

43) The Manas Sanctuary in Assam is famous for which of the following animals? a) One Horn Rhino b) Wild Buffalo c) Bengal Tiger d) Leopards e) Wild Bear

44) An imposing meditation centre, billed as the world’s largest meditation facility, was inaugurated recently in ‘Kanha Shantivanam’ in which state? a) Andhra Pradesh b) Odisha c) Telangana d) Karnataka e) Uttar Pradesh

45) President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 34th Surajkund International Crafts Fair on February 1 at Surajkund in which place and state? a) Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh b) Puri, Odisha c) Varanasi, UP d) Faridabad, Haryana e) Mysore, Karnataka

46) Which Indian sports person won the prestigious 'World Games Athlete of the Year' award given by the International World Games Association, Switzerland? a) Sunil Chhetri b) Bhaichung Bhutia c) Manpreet Singh d) Rani Rampal e) Dutee Chand

47) Which of the following statement regarding Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) is true? a) It is triggered when the amount of net NPAs exceeds 6% b) Return on assets is negative for two consecutive years or more c) Only a d) Only b e) Both a and b

48) In terms of percentage of area under forest cover, __________ state occupies the top spot with 85.41% area under forest? a) Arunachal Pradesh b) Mizoram c) Meghalaya d) Assam e) Nagaland

49) The Tyler prize, one of the most coveted environmental awards, often described as the ‘Nobel Prize for Environment’, is given by which university? a) University of California b) University of Michigan c) University of Dallas d) University of Southern California e) Yokohama University

50) Oxford University Press named __________ as the “Oxford Hindi Word of 2019”, saying it received widespread attention in the year? a) Samvidhaan b) Naagrikra c) Rashtravaad d) Deshdroh e) Dharna

ANSWER KEY - FEBRUARY GK TEST - 1

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 C 2 A 3 D 4 D 5 A 6 E 7 E 8 A 9 B 10 A

11 C 12 C 13 A 14 B 15 D 16 A 17 A 18 A 19 A 20 C 21 A 22 A 23 D 24 D 25 A 26 A 27 D 28 B 29 C 30 A 31 C 32 B 33 A 34 A 35 C 36 A 37 B 38 B 39 D 40 B 41 A 42 C 43 C 44 A 45 A 46 C 47 D 48 B 49 A 50 B

ANSWER KEY - FEBRUARY GK TEST - 2

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 A 2 C 3 A 4 D 5 D 6 D 7 D 8 E 9 A 10 C

11 D 12 A 13 E 14 C 15 A 16 B 17 B 18 D 19 A 20 D 21 D 22 B 23 A 24 C 25 A 26 B 27 B 28 C 29 E 30 E 31 A 32 B 33 A 34 B 35 D 36 E 37 A 38 C 39 E 40 A 41 A 42 B 43 A 44 C 45 D 46 D 47 E 48 B 49 D 50 A


SBI CLERK - MAINS (MODEL TEST PAPER)

REASONING ABILITY Directions (1 - 4): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below: Eight persons – B, C, D, E, F, G, H and I – live on eight different floors of a building but not necessarily in the same order. The lower-most floor of the building is numbered one, the floor above that is numbered two and so on till the topmost floor is numbered eight.

D lives on the floor numbered 5. Only two persons live between D and I. B live immediately below I. Only four persons live between B and C. H lives immediately above C but not on the topmost floor. F lives on an odd numbered floor. More than two persons live between F and E. I does not live on the top floor. 1) Four of the following five are alike in a

certain way based on the above arrangement and hence form a group. Which one of them does not belong to the group? a) GF b) EC c) ID d) BC e) HF

2) How many persons live between I and C? a) One b) Three c) More than three d) Two e) None

3) If all the persons are made to live in alphabetical order from bottom to top, the positions of how many persons will remain unchanged? a) More than three b) None c) One d) Two e) Three

4) Who amongst the following lives immediately below E? a) D b) C c) G d) I e) H

Directions (5 - 6): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below: Meenal starts from Point A, walks 15m to the east and reaches Point B. She then takes a left turn and walks 4m to reach Point C. She finally takes a right turn and walks 5m and stops at Point D.

Reena who is standing at Point Z which is 7m to the south of Point B walks 9m towards west takes right turn and walks for 11m and stops at point Y. 5) How far and in which direction is Point Y

with respect to Point D? a) 14m towards west b) 9m towards east

c) 13m towards east d) 9m towards west e) 14m towards east

6) If Meenal walks 11m towards south from Point D, in which direction will she have to walk in order to reach Point Z? a) North b) South-east c) West d) North-west e) East

Directions (7 - 8): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below: Five persons namely, A, B, C, D and E buy different number of cookies. C buys more cookies than both B and E. D buys more cookies than B but less than A and E. A does not buy the maximum number of cookies. E does not buy the third highest number of cookies. The one who buys the maximum number of cookies buys 20 cookies. 7) Who amongst the following buys the second

lowest number of cookies? a) B b) D c) E d) C e) A

8) If the difference between the cookies bought by C and A is 8, then which of the following may possibly represent the number of cookies bought by E? a) 12 b) 8 c) 15 d) 5 e) 10

Directions (9 - 13): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below: Seven persons, namely, A, B, C, D, E, F and G like seven different colours namely, Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, Silver, Red and Yellow, but not necessarily in the same order. They will also attend a wedding, not necessarily in the same order, from Monday to Sunday (of the same week.)


E will attend a wedding on Wednesday. Only one person will attend wedding between E and the one who likes pink. Only two persons will attend a wedding between the one who likes pink and the one who likes yellow. Only three persons attend a wedding between the one who likes Pink and C. B will attend a wedding immediately after the one who likes pink. Only one person will attend a wedding between B and A. D will attend a wedding immediately before F. Only one person will attend a wedding between F and the one who likes green. F likes neither blue nor orange. The one who likes silver will attend a wedding immediately before the one who likes blue. 9) On which of the following days will G attend

a wedding? a) Monday b) Tuesday c) Saturday d) Thursday e) Friday

10) Which of the following colours does D like? a) Silver b) Blue c) Pink d) Orange e) Red

11) Four of the following five are alike in a certain way as per the given arrangement and hence form a group. Which of the following does not belong to that group? a) A- Pink b) D – Blue c) C – Yellow d) C – Silver e) E – Orange

12) As per the given arrangement A is related to Saturday and C is related to Sunday in a certain way. To which of the following is B related to in the same way? a) Wednesday b) Friday c) Tuesday d) Monday e) Thursday

13) Which of the following pairs represent those who will attend a wedding immediately before and immediately after E? a) D, A b) B, A c) A, D d) C, G e) G, A

Directions (14 - 18): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below: Eight persons namely, A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H are sitting around a circular area at equal distances between each other, but not necessarily in the same order. Some people face the centre while some face outside (i.e. in a direction opposite to the centre.) C sits second to the left of G. G faces the centre. Both

the immediate neighbours of C face outside. D sits third to the right of C.

B sits third to the right of H. H is neither an immediate neighbour of C nor D.

Both the immediate neighbours of A face outside. E faces same direction as H (i.e. if H faces the centre

then E also faces the centre and vice-versa.) Immediate neighbours of E face opposite directions

(i.e. if one neighbour faces the centre then the other faces outside and vice-versa.)

14) Four of the following five are alike in a certain way based on the given seating arrangement and so form a group. Which is the one that does not belong to that group? a) B b) D c) E d) A e) C

15) Who amongst the following are immediate neighbours of E? a) D, H b) D, F c) C, G d) A, G e) A, C

16) Which of the following statements is true regarding F as per the given seating arrangement? a) A is one of the immediate neighbours of F. b) F faces the centre. c) None of the given options is true d) Only three persons sit between F and D. e) F sits third to the left of H.

17) What is H’s position with respect to C? a) Fifth to the left b) Fourth to the right c) Third to the right d) Second to the right e) Third to the left

18) Who is sitting to the immediate right of G? a) A b) H c) D d) F e) E

Directions (19 - 23): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below: Twelve persons are sitting in two parallel rows containing six persons each, in such a way that there is equal distance between adjacent persons. In row – 1, S, T, U, V, W and X are seated and all of them are facing south, but not necessarily in the same order. In row – 2, M, N, O, P, Q and R are seated and all of them are facing north, but not necessarily in the same order. Therefore, in the given seating arrangement, each member seated in a row faces another member of the other row. T sits third to the left of X. X does not sit at any extreme ends of the line. P sits second to the left of the one who faces T. Only two persons sit between P and M. V sits second to the right of S. S is not an immediate neighbour of T. O sits second to the left of R. Q is neither an immediate neighbour of M nor R. U is not an immediate neighbour of S.


19) Four of the following five are alike in a certain way based on the given arrangement and hence from a group. Which one of them does not belong to that group? a) N b) O c) R d) U e) T

20) What is the position of P with respect to Q? a) Fourth to the right b) Third to the left c) Second to the right d) Second to the left e) Third to the right

21) Who amongst the following is facing N? a) S b) T c) W d) V e) X

22) Which of the following statements is true regarding W? a) T is one of the immediate neighbours of W. b) Only one person sits between W and V. c) U sits to second to the right of W. d) W faces one of the immediate neighbours of M. e) None of the given statements is true

23) Who amongst the following is facing U? a) R b) P c) O d) Q e) M

Directions (24 - 28): In each of the following questions, two or three statements followed by two Conclusions numbered I and II have been given. You have to assume the given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance from the commonly known facts and then decide which of the given Conclusions logically follows from the given statements disregarding commonly known facts. Give answer (a) if either Conclusion I or Conclusion II follows Give answer (b) if neither Conclusion I nor Conclusion II follows Give answer (c) if both Conclusions I and Conclusion II follow Give answer (d) if only Conclusion I follows Give answer (e) if only Conclusion II follows 24) Statements:

Some stands are racks. No rack is a box. All boxes are cartons. Conclusions: I. All stands can never be boxes. II. All racks being cartons is a possibility. a) if either Conclusion I or Conclusion II follows b) if neither Conclusion I nor Conclusion II follows c) if both Conclusions I and Conclusion II follow

d) if only Conclusion I follows e) if only Conclusion II follows

25) Statements: All kittens are turtles. Some turtles are puppies. Conclusions: I. Atleast some puppies are kittens. II. No puppy is kitten. a) if either Conclusion I or Conclusion II follows b) if neither Conclusion I nor Conclusion II follows c) if both Conclusions I and Conclusion II follow d) if only Conclusion I follows e) if only Conclusion II follows

26) Statements: All papers are mills. All mills are factories. Conclusions: I. All mills are papers. II. All papers are factories. a) if either Conclusion I or Conclusion II follows b) if neither Conclusion I nor Conclusion II follows c) if both Conclusions I and Conclusion II follow d) if only Conclusion I follows e) if only Conclusion II follows

27) Statements: No perfume is a fragrance. Some perfumes are deodorants. All deodorants are colognes. Conclusions: I. Atleast some perfumes are colognes. II. No fragrance is a deodorant. a) if either Conclusion I or Conclusion II follows b) if neither Conclusion I nor Conclusion II follows c) if both Conclusions I and Conclusion II follow d) if only Conclusion I follows e) if only Conclusion II follows

28) Statements: No perfume is a fragrance. Some perfumes are deodorants. All deodorants are colognes. Conclusions: I. Atleast some deodorants are not fragrances. II. All fragrances being colognes is a possibility. a) if either Conclusion I or Conclusion II follows b) if neither Conclusion I nor Conclusion II follows c) if both Conclusions I and Conclusion II follow d) if only Conclusion I follows e) if only Conclusion II follows

Directions (29-33): In this question, relationship between different elements is shown in the statements. The statements are followed by conclusions. Study the conclusions based on the given statement and select the appropriate answer.


29) Statement: B ≤ A = N > K ≥ S Conclusions: I. A > S II. B ≤ K a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Both conclusion I and II are true c) Neither conclusion I nor II is true d) Only conclusion II is true e) Only conclusion I is true

30) Statement: B ≤ A = N > K ≥ S Conclusions: I. B ≤ N II. S < N a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Both conclusion I and II are true c) Neither conclusion I nor II is true d) Only conclusion II is true e) Only conclusion I is true

31) Statement: K ≥ L = M ≥ N = O ≤ P Conclusions: I. K ≤ N II. L = O a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Both conclusion I and II are true c) Neither conclusion I nor II is true d) Only conclusion II is true e) Only conclusion I is true

32) Statements: K ≥ L = M ≥ N = O ≤ P Conclusions: I. K < P II. M ≥ O a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Both conclusion I and II are true c) Neither conclusion I nor II is true d) Only conclusion II is true e) Only conclusion I s true

33) Statements: X < Y ≤ Z = W, K ≥ J > Z Conclusion: I. Z < K II. Y ≤ W a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Both conclusion I and II are true c) Neither conclusion I nor II is true d) Only conclusion II is true e) Only conclusion I is true

Directions (34 - 38): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below: Ten persons are sitting to in two parallel rows containing five persons each, in such a way that there is an equal distance between adjacent persons. In row – 1, A, B, C, D and E are seated and all of them are facing north, but not necessarily in the same order. In Row – 2, P, Q, R, S and T are seated and all of them are facing south, but not necessarily in the same order. Therefore, in the given seating arrangement each member seated in a row faces one member of the other row.

Only two persons sit to the left of C. Q faces one of the immediate neighbours of C. R sits to the immediate left of Q and does not face C. Only one person sits between R and T. The persons who faces T sits to the immediate left of B. Only two persons sit between B and D. The person who faces D is an immediate neighbour of P. E is not an immediate neighbour of D. 34) Which of the following statements is true

regarding E on the basis of above arrangement? a) E is an immediate neighbour of both C and B b) E is sitting at the extreme right end of the row c) Only one person is sitting between E and A d) D sits second to the left of E e) None of the given statement is true

35) Four of the following five are alike in a certain way based on the given arrangement and hence form a group. Which one of the following does not belong to that group? a) Q b) P c) B d) S e) A

36) What is the position of Q with respect of S? a) Third to the left b) Third to the right c) Second to the left d) Second to the right e) Immediate left

37) Who among the following is facing P? a) B b) D c) A d) C e) E

38) Who among the following is facing S? a) E b) C c) B d) A e) D

Directions (Q. 39 - 40): Each of the questions below consists of a question and two statements numbered I and II given below it. You have to decide whether the data provided in the statements are sufficient to answer the question. Read both the statements and give answer – (a) if the data in statement I alone are sufficient to answer the question while the data in statement II alone are not sufficient to answer the question. (b) if the data in statement II alone are sufficient to answer the question while the data in statement I alone are not sufficient to answer the question. (c) if the data either in statement I alone or in statement II alone are sufficient to answer the question. (d) if the data even in both statements I and II together are not sufficient to answer the questions. (e) if the data in both statements I and II together are necessary to answer the questions.


39) What does ‘pit’ mean in a certain code language? I. ‘ja na pit sod’ means ‘beautiful bunch of flowers’ in that code language. II. ‘na sod pa tok’ means ‘huge bunch of twigs’ in that code language. a) if the data in statement I alone are sufficient to answer the question while the data in statement II alone are not sufficient to answer the question. b) if the data in statement II alone are sufficient to answer the question while the data in statement I alone are not sufficient to answer the question. c) if the data either in statement I alone or in statement II alone are sufficient to answer the question. d) if the data even in both statements I and II together are not sufficient to answer the questions. e) if the data in both statements I and II together are necessary to answer the questions.

40) Towards which direction is P from R? I. S is towards west of M and north-east of R. II. P is towards south of S. a) if the data in statement I alone are sufficient to answer the question while the data in statement II alone are not sufficient to answer the question. b) if the data in statement II alone are sufficient to answer the question while the data in statement I alone are not sufficient to answer the question. c) if the data either in statement I alone or in statement II alone are sufficient to answer the question. d) if the data even in both statements I and II together are not sufficient to answer the questions. e) if the data in both statements I and II together are necessary to answer the questions.

41) Which of the following is a part of the

Central Processing Unit? a) Printer b) Key board c) Mouse d) Arithmetic & Logic unit e) None of these

42) CAD stands for a) Computer aided design b) Computer algorithm for design c) Computer application in design d) All of the above e) None of these

43) Which of the following printer cannot print graphics? a) Ink-jet b) Daisy Wheel c) Laser d) Dot-matrix e) None of these

44) A program which converts assembly language into machine language is called? a) Assembler b) Object c) Computer d) Machine e) None of these

45) The father of Modern Computer is a) Charles Babbage b) Von-nuumann c) Danies Ritchel d) Blaise Pascal e) None of these

46) The Word FTP stands for a) File Translate Protocol b) File Transit Protocol c) File Transfer protocol d) file typing protocol e) None of these

47) The lowest form of Computer language is called a) BASIC b) FORTRAN c) Machine Language d) COBOL e) None of these

48) Best Quality graphics is produced by a) Dot Matix b) Laser Printer c) Inkjet Printer d) Plotter e) None of these

49) Memory which forgets everything when you switch off the power is known as a) Corrupted b) Volatile c) Non-Volatile d) Non-Corrupted e) None of these

50) The linking of computers with a communication system is called a) Networking b) Pairing c) Interlocking d) Assembling e) Sharing

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

PASSAGE I

The union government’s present position vis-a-vis the upcoming United Nations conference on racial and related discrimination worldwide seems to be the following: discuss race please, not caste; caste is our very own and not at all as bad as you think. The gross hypocrisy of that position has been lucidly underscored by Kancha llaiah. Explicitly, the world community is to be cheated out of considering the matter on the technicality that caste is not a concept tantamount to a racial category. Internally, however, allowing the country’s image somehow, India’s virtual beliefs elbow out concrete actualities. Inverted representations, as we know, have often been deployed in human histories as balm for the forsaken – religion being the most persistent of such inversions. Yet, we would humbly submit that if globalising our markets are thought good for the ‘national’ pocket, globalising our social inequities might not be so bad for the mass of our


people. After all, racism was uniquely institutionalized in South Africa as caste discrimination has been within our society; why then can’t we permit the world community to express itself on the latter with a fraction of the zeal with which, through the years, we pronounced on the former?

As to the technicality about whether or not caste is admissible into an agenda about race (that the conference is also about related discriminations tends to be forgotten), a reputed sociologist has recently argued that whereas race is a ‘biological’ category, caste is a ‘social’ one. Having earlier fiercely opposed the implementation of the Mandal Commission Report, the said sociologist is at least to be complimented now for admitting, however tangentially, that caste discrimination is a reality, although, in his view, incompatible with racial discrimination. One would like quickly of offer the hypothesis that biology, in important ways that affect the lives of many millions, is in itself perhaps a social construction. But let us look at the matter in another way.

If it is agreed – as per the position today at which anthropological and allied scientific determinations rest – that the entire race of Home sapiens derived from an originary black African female (called ‘Eve’) then one is hard put to understand how, on some subsequent ground, ontological distinctions are to be drawn either between races or castes. Let us also underline the distinction between the supposition that we are all God’s children and the rather more substantiated argument about our descent form ‘Eve’, lest both positions are thought to be equally diversionary, it then stands to reason that all subsequent distinctions are, in modern parlance, ‘constructed’ ones, and, like all ideological constructions, attributable to changing equations between knowledge and power among human communities through contested histories here, there, and elsewhere. This line of thought receives, thankfully, extremely consequential buttress from the findings of the Human Genome Project. Contrary to earlier (chiefly 19th century colonial) persuasions on the subject of race, as well as one might add, the somewhat infamous Jensen offerings in the 20th century from America, those findings deny genetic difference between ‘races’. If anything, they suggest that environmental factors impinge on gene-function, as a dialectic seems to unfold between nature and culture. It would thus seem that ‘biology’ as the constitution of pigmentation enters the picture first only as a part of that dialectic.

Taken together, the originary mother stipulation and the Genome findings ought indeed to furnish ground for human equality across the board, as well as yield policy initiatives towards equitable material dispensations aimed at building a global order where, in Hegel’s formulation, only the rational constitutes the right.

Such, sadly, is not the case as everyday fresh arbitrary grounda for discrimination are constructed in the interests of sectional dominance. 51. When the author writes ‘globalising our

social inequities’, the reference is to a) going beyond an internal deliberation on social inequity b) dealing with internal poverty through the economic benefits of globalisation c) going beyond an internal delimitation of social inequity d) achieving disadvantaged people’s empowerment, globally e) None of the above

52. According to the author, ‘inverted representations as balm for the forsaken’ a) is good for the forsaken and often deployed in human histories b) is good for the forsaken, but not often deployed historically of the oppressed c) occurs often as a means of keeping people oppressed d) occurs often to vert the status quo e) None of the above

53. Based on the passage, which broad areas unambiguously fall under the purview of the UN Conference being discussed? A. Racial prejudice B. Racial pride C. Discrimination, racial or otherwise D. Caste-related discrimination E. Race-related discrimination a) A and E b) C and E c) A, C and E d) B, C and D e) All of these

54. According to the author, the sociologist who argued that race is a ‘biological’ category and caste is a ‘social’ one a) generally shares the same orientation as the author’s on many of the central issues discussed b) tangentially admits to the existence of ‘caste’ as a category c) admits the incompatibility between the people of different race and caste d) admits indirectly that both caste-based prejudice and racial discrimination exist e) None of the above

55. An important message in the passage, if one accepts a dialectic between nature and culture, is that a) the results of the Human Genome Project reinforce racial differences b) race is at least partially a social construct c) discrimination is at least partially a social construct d) caste is at least partially a social construct e) None of the above


PASSAGE II The communities of ants are sometimes very large, numbering even up to 500 individuals, and it is a lesson to us that no one has every yet seen quarrel between any two ants belonging to the same community. On the other hand, it must be admitted that they are in hostility not only with most other insects, including the ants of different species, but even with those of the same species, if belonging to different communities. I have over and over again introduced ants from one of my nests into another nest of the same species; and they were invariably attacked, seized by a leg or an antenna, and dragged out. It is evident, therefore, that the ants of each community all recognise one another, which is very remarkable. But more than this, I several times divided a nest into two halves and found that even after separation of a year and nine months they recognise one another and were perfectly friendly, while they at once attacked the ants from a different nest, although of the same species. It has been suggested that the ant of each nest have some sign or password by which they recognise one another. To test this, I made some of them insensible, first I tried chloroform; but this was fatal to them, and I do not consider the test satisfactory. I decided therefore to intoxicate them. This was less easy then I had expected. None of my ants would voluntarily degrade themselves by getting drunk. However, I got over the difficulty by putting them into whisky for a few moments. I took fifty specimens – 25% from one nest and 25% from another made them dead drunk, marked each with a spot of paint, and put them on a table close to where other ants from one of the nests were feeding. The table was surrounded as usual with a moat of water to prevent them from straying. The ants, which were feeding, soon noticed those, which I had made drunk. They seemed quite astonished to find their comrades in such a disgraceful condition, and as much at loss to know what to do with their drunkards as we were. After a while, however, they carried them all away; the strangers they dropped into the water, while they bore their friends home in the nest, where by degrees they bore their friends home in the nest, where by degrees they slept off the effects of the spirits. Thus it is evident that they know their friends even when incapable of giving any sign or password. 56. An appropriate title for this passage might

be a) Nature’s Mysteries b) Human Qualities in the Insect World c) Drunken Ants d) Communication in Ant Communities e) None of the above

57. The attitudes of ants towards strangers of the same species may be categorized as a) indifferent b) curious c) hostile d) passive e) None of these

58. The author’s anecdotes of the inebriated ants would support all the following inductions except the statement that a) ants take unwillingly to intoxicants b) ants aid comrades in distress c) ants have invariable recognition of their communities members d) ants recognise their comrades by a mysterious password. e) None of the above

59. According to the passage, chloroform was less successful than alcohol for inhibiting communication because of its a) expense b) unpredictable side effects c) unavailability d) fatality e) None of the above

60. Although the author is a scientist, his style of writing also exhibits a) sophistry b) whimsicality c) hypocrisy d) tragedy e) None of these

DIRECTIONS (61-64): Rearrange the following six sentences A, B, C, D, E, and F in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given thereafter. A. I had paid a lot of attention during training and could easily answer the questions till I came to the last one. What is the name of the lady who cleans your floor? B. ‘Yes’, he replied. ‘In your career you will meet many people all of whom are significant even if all you do is greet them.’ C. I thought the question was a joke. I had seen her but how would I know her name? D. During my internship, we were given a quiz to see how much we had learnt. E. I have never forgotten this lesson. F. I submitted my paper leaving the last question blank and asked the manager if it would count for assessment. 61. Which of the following will be the SECOND

sentence after rearrangement? a) A b) B c) C d) D e) E

62. Which of the following will be the SIXTH (LAST) sentence after rearrangement? a) B b) C c) D d) F e) E

63. Which of the following will be the FIFTH sentence after rearrangement? a) A b) B c) C d) D e) E


64. Which of the following will be the FIRST sentence after rearrangement? a) A b) B c) C d) D e) E

DIRECTIONS (65–67): In the following questions, some of the sentences are grammatically are incorrect. Find out which part of the sentence has an error. If there is no error, mark (5) as your answer. 65. Each of the students whom (a)/ I have chosen

to take part (b)/ in the discussion have (c)/indicated that he will be happy to do so. /(d) No error (e)

66. No sooner did (a)/the thief saw the (b)/policeman than (c)/he ran away. /(d) No error (e).

67. Neither the size (a)/ nor the colour (n) of the gloves (c)/ were right. /(d) No error (e)

DIRECTIONS (68 – 70): Each sentence in the following questions has two blanks, each blank indicates that something has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are four sets of words. Choose the word or set of words for each blank that best fits into the meaning of the sentence as a whole. 68. It is a well-known ________ that the lover of

the sea craves for dry land-the age-old __________ to be where we are not. a) belief; antipathy b) anomaly; demiurge c) credo; inspiration d) contention; duplicity e) paradox; yearning

69. The _________ of democratic freedom is dialogue and the __________ interchange of diverse ideas. a) deterioration; untrammeled b) height; restrained c) essence; unhampered d) alienation; compulsory e) epitome; discriminating

70. He warned the workers against supporting these antisocial policies, which he declared would ________ rather than ________ the plight of the common people. a) rescue; destroy b) encourage; defy c) aggravate; alleviate d) empower; improve e) protract; inhibit

DIRECTIONS (71- 73): Which of the phrases should replace the phrase given in bold in the following sentences to make the sentence grammatically meaningful and correct? If the sentence is correct as it is and no correction is required, mark 5 as the answer.

71. Your bonus will dependent the quality of your

work. a) is dependable b) depends on c) being dependent d) going to depend e) No correction required

72. He did not ask for a raise since he had fear to lose his job a) was fearful of b) was feared to c) was afraid to d) had been afraid to e) No correction required

73. The organizers agreed to shift the conference at some place convenience to all participants. a) any of the place convenient b) at place convenient c) from a place of convenience d) to a place convenient e) No correction required

DIRECTIONS (74 – 75): Choose the correct pair of words from the options given below which suits well in the context of the question as a pair of synonyms or antonyms. 74. COGENT: CONVINCING

a) Dubious: Certain b) Nonchalant: Disturbed c) Banal: Unoriginal d) Cunning: Genius e) Insular: Continental

75. SPATE: TRICKLE a) Much: Little b) Much: More c) Copious: Abundant d) Much: Many e) Small: Less

DIRECTIONS (76-80): In the following passage, there are blanks each of which has been numbered. The numbers are printed below the passage and against each five words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate words. Nations which have.… (76)…. programmes of economic development often run into unsuspected barriers which threaten, and often .…(77)…. the .… (78)… needed growth of the economy. Industrialisation .… (79)…. productivity fails to respond and the nations goals of raising the standards of living for its people are .… (80)….. 76. a) decided b) progressed

c) insisted d) embarked e) initiated

77. a) activate b) deteriorate c) halt d) cut e) enlighten

78. a) positively b) hopefully c) alarmingly d) deceptively e) desperately


79. a) falters b) deviates c) fluctuates d) lowers e) dissolves

80. a) postponed b) frustrated c) suspended d) criticised e) fulfilled

DIRECTIONS: Read each sentence carefully to find out whether there is any grammatical error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The number of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is '5'. (Ignore the errors of punctuation, if any.) 81. Whatever he was (a)/today is only because

(b)/ of his mother, who (c)/was a renowned scientist. (d)/ No error. (e).

72. The Head of the Department, along with his colleagues (a)/ are coming to attend (b)/ the conference which is (c)/ scheduled this afternoon. (d). No error. (e).

83. One of the most effective (a)/solution is that (b)/ she should work on Sunday (c)/and complete the assignment. (d)/No error. (e)

DIRECTIONS: Pick the most effective word from the given words to make the sentence meaningfully complete. 84. The non-cooperative attitude of the

members can only _______ the image of our society. a) spoil b) improve c) degrade d) defame e) deteriorate

85. Nobody can _______ me to do anything which I do not want to do. a) encourage b) request c) oppose d) compel e) delegate

86. The management of so many projects and of different nature _______ a common capacity and vigour. a) demands b) require c) permits d) urge e) offers

87. It is _______ in the pursuit of these very objectives that our Government has made some basic changes in our economic policies. a) greatly b) constantly c) clearly d) largely e) precisely

88. All the employees in the company are entitled _______ reimbursement of medical expenses. a) of b) for c) on d) to

e) with 89. The manager is to help his subordinates

_______ their potential in their present as well as in their future assignment. a) respect b) train c) delegate d) judge e) realise

90. The committee's most important recommendation, full of _______ potential, is for the constitution of a separate development fund for every university. a) famous b) enormous c) conscious d) autonomous e) curious

QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE

91) The radius of a circle is twice the side of a

square of area 196 sq. cm. Length of a rectangle is twice diameter of the circle. What is the perimeter of the rectangle if its breadth is half the length of the rectangle?

(a.) 244cm (b.) 168cm (c.) 336cm (d.) Cannot be determined (e.) None of these 92) Cost of 4 fans and 3 blowers is Rs. 16,500/.

Also cost of 2 fans, 2 tables and 2 blowers is Rs. 12,000/-. Cost of one table is RS. 1,000. What is the cost of 3 fans and one blower?

(a.) Rs. 8000 (b.) Rs. 7500 (c.) Rs. 8500 (d.) Cannot be determined (e.) None of these 93) Train – A crosses a pole in 33 seconds and

another Train –B crosses a pole in 55 seconds. Length of Train-A is three-fourth of Train-B. What is the respective ratio between the speed of Train –A and Train – B?

(a.) 5 : 11 (b.) 5 : 4 (c.) 11 : 3 (d.) Cannot be determined (e.) None of these 94) The smallest side of a right angled triangle

is 6 cm. and second largest side is 8 cm. Side of a square is thrice the largest side of the triangle. What is the diagonal of the square?

(a.) 302 cm. (b.) 602 cm (c.) 30 cm. (d.) Cannot be determined (e.) None of these


95) Sunil scored 54 percent marks in a test. Ravi scored 450 marks in same test which is 300 less than Sonu. Sunil’s score is 60 more marks than Sonu. If Ram scored 900 marks in the test. What is Ram’s percentage?

(a.) 80 (b.) 65 (c.) 75 (d.) 60 (e.) None of these 96) The angles of quadrilateral are in ratio of

3:5:9:7. The second largest angle of the quadrilateral is equal to the largest angle of a triangle. One of the angles of the triangle is 25. What is the value of second largest angle of the triangle?

(a.) 60 (b.) 50 (c.) 40 (d.) 20 (e.) None of these 97) The average marks of 15 students of a class

was increased by 3 when three of them with marks 70, 20 and 60 were replaced by X, Y & Z. Find the average of X, Y & Z. a) 65 b) 61 c) 67 d) 62 e) 73

98) The sum of seven consecutive even numbers of a set is 532. What is the average of first four consecutive even numbers of the same set?

(a.) 76 (b.) 75 (c.) 74 (d.) 73 (e.) None of these 99) In a school there are 800 students out of

whom 45 percent are girls. Monthly fee of each boy is Rs. 600 and monthly fee of each girl is 30 percent less than each boy. What is the total monthly fee of girls and boys together?

(a.) Rs. 425400/- (b.) Rs. 414600/- (c.) Rs. 419600/- (d.) 423400/- (e.) None of these 100) The simple interest accrued on a sum of

certain capital principal is Rs. 6400/- in four years at the rate of 8 p.c.p.a. What would be the compound interest accrued on that principal at the rate of 2 p.c.p.a. in 2 years?

(a.) Rs.800 (b.) Rs. 808/-

(c.) Rs. 704/- (d.) Rs. 700/- (e.) None of these Directions (Q. 101- 105): What will come in place of ? in the following questions? 101) 7 20 46 98 202 (?)

(a.) 420 (b.) 410 (c.) 310 (d.) 320 (e.) None of these

102) 210 209 213 186 202 (?) (a.) 138 (b.) 77 (c.) 177 (d.) 327 (e.) None of these




Directions (106-107): In the following questions two equations numbered I and II are given. You have to solve both the equation and Give answer if a) x > y b) x y c) x < y d) x y e) x = y or the relationship can’t be determined 106) I. (x7/5 ÷ 9) = 169 ÷ x3/5 II. y1/4 X y1/4 X 7 = 273 ÷ y1/2

(a.) x > y (b.) x y (c.) x < y (d.) x y

(e.) x = y or the relationship can’t be determined 107) I. 3

35

6)11()2( x


II. 4y3 = – (589 ÷ 4) + 5y3 (a.) x > y (b.) x y (c.) x < y (d.) x y (e.) x = y or the relationship can’t be determined

108) I. 1225 x + 4900 = 0 II. (81)1/4Y + (343) 1/3 = 0

(a.) x > y (b.) x y (c.) x < y (d.) x y (e.) x = y or the relationship can’t be determined

109) I. 222

812618XXXX

II. y2 + 9.68+ 5.64 = 16.95 (a.) x > y (b.) x y (c.) x < y (d.) x y (e.) x = y or the relationship can’t be determined

110) I. 12x2 + 11x + 12 = 10x2 + 22x II. 13y2 – 18y + 3 = 9y2 – 10y

(a.) x > y (b.) x y (c.) x < y (d.) x y (e.) x = y or the relationship can’t be determined

(11-115): Study the following table carefully to answer the questions that follow. Number of flights (in hundreds) cancelled in five different sates during six different years

Years States

Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Assam West Bengal

2004 1.4 3.2 0.3 1.1 1.5 2005 1.3 4.1 0.7 0.8 2.1 2006 0.5 1.7 0.2 1.3 3.5 2007 2.7 2.6 1.8 2.7 4.3 2008 1.4 1.5 2.2 1.3 5.5 2009 2.7 1.3 2.1 1.4 6.0

111) What was the respective ratio between the

number of flights cancelled in Rajasthan in the year 2006 and number of flights cancelled in West Bengal in the year 2009? (a.) 1 : 6 (b.) 15:2 (c.) 1 : 30 (d.) 30 : 7

(e.) None of these 112) What was the average number of flights

cancelled in all the state together in the year 2008? (a.) 278 (b.) 232 (c.) 238 (d.) 272 (e.) None of these

113) What is the difference between the number of flights cancelled in Assam in the year 2007 and the total number of flights cancelled din Rajasthan in the year 2005, 2007 and 2008 together? (a.) 200 (b.) 230 (c.) 210 (d.) 240 (e.) None of these

114) In which state the number of flights cancelled continuously increased during the years 2004 to 2009? (a.) Punjab (b.) Haryana (c.) Rajasthan (d.) Assam (e.) West Bengal

115) Number of flights cancelled in Haryana in the year 2004 was what percent of the total number of flights cancelled in Punjab over all the years together? (a.) 12 (b.) 32 (c.) 36 (d.) 24 (e.) None of these

116-120): Following pie-chart shows the viewership of different T.V shows in India in Feb’ 14. Consider that there are no overlaps in the viewership.

Values in degrees

116) If 60,000 people watched “KHILADI” on an

average per day in Feb’ 14, than “CID” on an average per day for the same period? (a.) 27,000 (b.) 30,000


(c.) 36,000 (d.) 3,60,000 (e.) none of these

117) During the given period for how many T.V shows is the viewership is more than 20% of the total viewership? (a.) 1 (b.) 2 (c.) 3 (d.) Can’t be determined (e.) none of these

118) If the viewership of “CROREPATI” for the first half of February is half that of the 2nd half of February, then what is the ratio of “CROREPATI” for the second half to that of “BIG BOSS” for the whole month? (a.) 2:3 (b.) 5:6 (c.) 8:9 (d.) 9:10 (e.) none of these

119) If the viewership of “BIG BOSS” on an average was 90,000 per day, than what was the viewership for all the shows on an average per day? (a.) 5,40,000 (b.) 6,00,000 (c.) 6,30,000 (d.) 7,20,000 (e.) none of these

120) What is the sum of percentage of viewership of a “Comedy Nights” & “MAD in India” together in the above pie-chart? (a.) 125/3% (b.) 150/3% (c.) 175/3% (d.) 200 /3% (e.) none of these

Directions (121-125): What will come in place of question mark (?) in the following questions? 121) (5x7) % of (34x55) + 456.60 = 699.1 + ?


122) 14 x 627 ÷ 1089 = (?)3 + 141

(a.) 55 (b.) (125)3 (c.) 25 (d.) 5 (e.) None of these

123) 307

14

(?)

155.3

161

255.1

23

1


124) (80 x 0.40)3 ÷ (40 x 1.6)3 x (128)3 = (2)? (a.) 25 (b.) 11 (c.) 12 (d.) 18 (e.) None of these

125) 1228472(?))117( 312

(a.) 36+44 7 (b.) 6 (c.) 216 (d.) 36 (e.) None of these

Directions (Q. 126 – 130): What will come in place of question mark (?) in the following questions?

126) [(3024 189 )1/2 + (684 19)2] = (?)2 + 459 a) -27 b) -29 c) 31 d) 841 e) 108

127) 4.4 times 165

of 30% of 216 = ?

a) 81.9 b) 83.7 c) 87.3 d) 89.1 e) None of these 128) (0.0729 0.1)3 (0.081 x 10)5 x (0.3 x 3)5 =

(0.9)?+3

a) 1 b) 2 c) 4 d) 7 5) None of these 129) (√? %of √ퟏퟕퟔퟒx 5) = 149.8 – 112 a) 18 b) 18 c) 324 d) 24 e) None of these 130) (27)2 x 6 9 + (7)3 + 71 = (?)3 – 431 a) 11 b) (13)3 c) 13 d) (11)2 e) None of these Directions (Q. 131 – 135): Study the following information carefully to answer the questions that follow: There are two trains, Train A and Train B. Both trains have four different types of coaches, viz General, Sleeper, First class and AC. In Train A, there are total 700 passengers. Train B has thirty percent more passengers than Train A. Twenty per cent of the passengers of Trains A are in General Coach. One fourth


of the total number of passengers of Train A are in AC coach. Twenty three percent of the passengers of Train A are in sleeper Coach. Remaining passengers of Train A are in First Class Coach. The total number of passengers in AC Coach in both the trains together is 480. Thirty percent of the number of passengers of Train B are in Sleeper Coach. Ten percent of the total passengers of Train B are in First Class Coach. The remaining passengers of Train B are in General Coach.

131) What is the ratio of the number of passengers in First Class Coach of Train A to the number of passengers in Sleeper Coach of Train B?

a) 13 : 7 b) 7 : 13 c) 32 : 39 d) Data inadequate e) None of these

132) What is the total number of passengers in the General Coach of Train A and AC coach of Train B together?

a) 449 b) 459 c) 435 d) 445 e) None of these

133) What is the difference between the number of passengers in the AC Coach of Train A and the total number of passengers in Sleeper and First Class Coach together of Train B?

a) 199 b) 178 c) 187 d) 179 e) None of these

134) The total number of passengers in General Coaches of both the trains together is approximately what percentage of the total number of passengers in Train B?

a) 35 b) 42 c) 46 d) 38 e) 31 135) If the cost per ticket of First Class Coach is Rs.

450, what will be the total amount generated from First Class Coach of train A?

a) Rs. 1,00,080 b) Rs. 1,08,000 c) Rs. 1,00,800 d) Rs. 10,800 e) None of these Directions (Q. 136- 140): What approximate value will come in place of ? in the following questions? 136) – (4.99)3 + (29.98)2 – (3.01)4 = ?

(a.) 550 (b.) 590 (c.) 620 (d.) 650 (e.) 690

137) 466.97 – 3245.01 + 1122.99 = ? + 2309.99 (a.) -3265 (b.) -3155 (c.) -3845 (d.) -3965 (e.) -4815

138) 5998 ÷ 9.98 + 670.99 – 139.99 = ? (a.) 1080 (b.) 1280 (c.) 1180 (d.) 1130 (e.) 1230

139) 67.99% of 1401 – 13.99% of 1299 = ? (a.) 700 (b.) 720 (c.) 770 (d.) 800 (e.) 740

140) ?89941

39399

924 2

(a.) 1600 (b.) 1650 (c.) 1700 (d.) 1550 (e.) 1750

ANSWER KEY

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 A 2 B 3 D 4 E 5 A 6 C 7 B 8 C 9 A 10 D

11 C 12 E 13 B 14 C 15 A 16 D 17 E 18 B 19 D 20 C 21 B 22 A 23 E 24 C 25 A 26 E 27 D 28 2 29 E 30 B 31 C 32 D 33 B 34 B 35 D 36 A 37 C 38 E 39 D 40 D 41 D 42 A 43 B 44 A 45 A 46 C 47 C 48 D 49 B 50 A 51 A 52 C 53 A 54 D 55 B 56 D 57 C 58 D 59 D 60 A 61 A 62 E 63 B 64 D 65 C 66 B 67 D 68 E 69 C 70 C 71 B 72 C 73 D 74 C 75 A 76 D 77 D 78 E 79 A 80 B 81 A 82 B 83 B 84 A 85 D 86 A 87 E 88 D 89 E 90 B 91 C 92 A 93 B 94 A 95 D 96 B 97 A 98 D 99 E 100 B

101 C 102 B 103 E 104 A 105 E 106 D 107 A 108 A 109 E 110 B 111 C 112 C 113 A 114 A 115 B 116 B 117 A 118 C 119 D 120 C 121 A 122 D 123 C 124 D 125 C 126 B 127 D 128 A 129 E 130 A 131 C 132 D 133 E 134 B 135 C 136 E 137 D 138 D 139 C 140 A


EXPLANATIONS (1- 4):

Floor Number Person Alphabetical Order 8 E I 7 H H 6 C G 5 D F 4 G E 3 F D 2 I C 1 B B

1) a): G lives immediately above F, in all others, one, two or more persons live between the given pair of persons.

2) b): Three persons – D, G and F – live between C and I.

3) d): The positions of two persons H and B would remain unchanged.

4) e): H lives immediately below E.

(5 - 6):

5) a): Point Y is (9 + 5) = 14 metre towards West from the Point D.

6) c): It is clear from the diagram that Meenal would have to walk towards West to reach Point Z.

7-8)

7) b): D buys the second lowest number of cookies. 8) c): C bought 20 – 8 = 12 cookies E bought more than 12 but less than 20 cookies. (9 - 13):

Day Person Colour Monday G Pink Tuesday B Silver

Wednesday E Blue Thursday A Yellow

Friday C Green Saturday D Orange Sunday F Red

9) a): G would attend a wedding on Monday. 10) d): D likes orange colour. 11) c): A would attend a wedding on Thursday. The one who likes Pink colour would attend a wedding three days before A, i.e., on Monday. Similar relation exists between all other combinations except in C – Yellow. 12) e): A would attend a wedding on Thursday. Thursday + 2 = Saturday C would attend a wedding on Friday. Friday + 2 = Sunday B would attend a wedding on Tuesday. Tuesday + 2 = Thursday 13) b): B would attend a wedding immediately before E while A would attend a wedding immediately after E. (14 - 18):

14) c): Except E, all others face outside. 15) a): H and D are immediate neighbours of E. 16) d): Only 3 persons sit between F and D 17) e): H sits third to the left or fifth to the right of C. 18) b): H is sitting to the immediate right of G.


(19 - 23):

19) d): Except U, all others are seated away from extreme ends. 20) c): P is sitting second to the right of Q. 21) b): T is facing N. 22) a): T is one of these immediate neighbour of W. 23) e): M is facing U. (24-28): 24) (C):

I) II) 25) (A):

I) X II) X 26) (E):

I) X II)

(27-28):

27) (D): I) II) X 28) (C): I) II) 29) (E): B ≤ A = N > K ≥ S Hence A > S and conclusion I is true. B and K can’t be compared. Hence conclusion II is not true. 30) (B): B ≤ A = N > K ≥ S Hence B ≤ N and conclusion I is true.

Again, N > S or S < N. Hence conclusion II is true.

31) (C): K ≥ L = M ≥ N = O ≤ P

Hence K ≥ N. Thus, conclusion I (K ≤ N) is not true. Again, L ≥ O. Hence conclusion II (L= O) is not definitely true.

32) (D):K ≥ L = M ≥ N = O ≤ P

Hence K and P can’t be compared. Thus conclusion I is not true. But M ≥ O. Hence conclusion II is true.

33) (B): X < Y ≤ Z = W ……….(i) K ≥ J > Z ……….. (ii)

From (ii), K > Z or Z < K. Hence conclusion I is true.

From (i), Y ≤ W. Hence conclusion II is true. (34 - 38):


34) b): E sits at the extreme right end. 35) d): S is sitting at the extreme right end of the Row – 2. 36) a): Q sits third to the left of S. 37) c): A is facing P. 38) e): D is facing S. 39) d): From I: ja na pit sod = beautiful bunch of flowers From II: na sod pa tok = huge bunch of twigs Even using I & II together, we can’t determine the code of pit. It may be beautiful or flowers. 40) d):

Using I & II, we get

Hence, ‘P’ may be east of ‘R’, or ‘P’ may be south-east of ‘R’, or ‘P’ may be north-east of ‘R’. 65) Correct it to read …..has indicated….. 66) Correct it to read ……did the thief see the …. 67) Correct it to read Neither ….. nor ……. was right. 71) Correct it to read ….bonus will be dependent on

OR …bonus will depend on…. 72) ….was afraid to lose….

OR …was fearful of losing.. (not possible as losing is not given here) 73) …to a place more convenient to….

74) A pair of synonyms here 75) A contrast between something huge and something small. 81) Note the word today, which demands ....he is today…. 82) The separator along with requires the verb to go with the first of these two subjects i.e. Head. The Head…….along with his colleagues, is coming… 83) One of the most effective solutions…… (one must be out of many) 91) c):

So, Perimeter =2 x 168 = 336 cm 92) a): 4F + 3B = 16500 (1) 2F + 2T + 2B = 12000 T = 1000 So, 2F + 2B = 10000 (2) Now solve (1) and (2) 3F + 1B = 8000 93) b): Train A

S = 3343 L

Train B

S = 55L

So Ratio of speeds = 4:555334

3

LL

94) a):

So diagonal of square = 230


95) d): Sunil = 54% of Total Ravi = 450 Sonu = 750 Sunil = 810 So 54% 810

So 150010054810%100

Ram’s %age = %601001500900

96) b): 3 : 5 : 9 : 7 Sum = 360 So 24 360° So 7 105° So,

97) Marks out = 70+20+60=150 New marks = 150+3(15) =150+45=195 So avg = 195/3 = 65 98) d): 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 So, average of first 4 nos. is 73 99) e): Total = 800 Girls Boys 360 440 Fee: 420 600 (360 x 420) + (440 x 600) 151200 + 264000 = 415200 100) b): 32% 6400 1% 200 100% 20000 C.I = 2(400) + 1(8) = 808 101) b): 7 20 46 98 202 ? 13 26 52 104 208 So ? = 410 102) b): 210 209 213 186 202 ? -1 +4 -27 +16 -125 ? = 77

103) e): 27 38 71 126 203 ? 11 33 55 77 99 ? = 302

104) c): 435 354 282 219 165 ? 81 72 63 54 45 ? = 120 105) c): 4 200 369 513 634 ? 196 169 144 121 100 ? = 734

106) d): 916953

57

xx

397

273y

x = 13 x 3 x y 39 39 - 39

So, x y

107) a): 6

13633 x

45893 y

x > y

108) a): 35x = - 70 X = - 2 3y = - 7

y = 37

x > y

109) e): xx62

2

3x2 = x x = 3, 0 y2 = 16.95 – 9.68 – 5.64 y2 = 1.63 = 1.69 (approx) So, y = 1.3 x y 0 1.3 3 -1.3 C.B.D

110)b): 2x2 – 11x + 12 = 0 4y2 – 8y + 3 = 0 - 8 - 3 - 6 - 2

23

28

42

46

x y 4 1.5 1.5 0.5 x y


111) c): Required ratio = 0.2 : 6 = 1 : 30

112) c): Required average =

2385

550130220150140

113) a): Required diff = (70 + 180 + 220) – (270) = 200

114) e): It is in West Bengal

115) b): Required percentage = %321001000320

116) b): So 30° 60,000 1° 2000 15° 30,000

117) a): More than 20% means more than 72° which is only one i.e., comedy nights.

118) c): Required ratio = 9:845:6032

119) d): 45° 90,000 1° 2,000

360° 7,20,000

120) c): Required percentage =

%3

175185210

121) a): 35% of (34 x 55) + 456.6 – 699 = x 654.5 + 456.6 – 699 = x x = 412.1

122) d): 314133

62714 x

266 – 14 = x3 125 = x3 So, x = 5

123) c): 430

713071

612

1032

3/1x

4307

307

61

1031122

3/1x

43002

3/1x

x1/3 = 8 So, x = 512

124) d): x21286.1404.080 3

643 = 2x 218 = 2x x = 18

125) c): 1228472)117( 3/12 x

7+121+ 122722722 3/1 x 6 = x1/3 x = 216

126) b) (16)1/2 + (36)2 = ?2 + 459 or, ?2 = 4 + 1296 – 459 = 841 or, ? = ± 29

127) d) 21610030

1654.4

= 1.898.641654.4

128) a) (0.729)3 (0.81)5 x (0.9)5 = (0.9)?+3 or, [(0.9)3]3 [(0.9)2]5 x (0.9)5 = (0.9)?+3 or, (0.9)9 (0.9)10 x (0.9)5 = (0.9)?+3 or, (0.9)9-10+5 = (0.9)?+3 or, (0.9)4 = (0.9)?+3 ? = 1

129) e) 8.37542100

?

or, 8.37210%? of

%?100

2108.37

%?%18 = 3.24

130) a) (729 x 6 9) + 343 + 71 + 431 = ?3 or, 486 + 343 + 71 + 431 = ?3 or, ?3 = 1331 = (11)3 or, ? = 11

131-135): Train A (700) Train B (910) Gen coaches 140 241 Sleeper coaches 161 273 First class 224 91 AC coaches 175 305

136) e): - 53 + 302 - 34 = - 125 + 900 – 81 = 694

137) d): 467 – 3245 + 1123 – 2310 = x

138) d): 14067010

5998

600 + 670 – 140 = 1130 139) c): 68% of 1400 – 14% of 1300 = 952 – 182 = 770

140) a): 41

89939399

81576

= 7.1 x 10.2 x 21.9 = 15.85 So, 1600 (approx)

GYANMGENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2020 77

Latest G.K.Bytes

FEBRUARY 2020 1) Which International Day is observed on Feb

28/29 to raise awareness about rare diseases and their impacts? The World Rare Disease Day

2) What was the name of the Joint Airforce exercise of India and UK held in last week of February? Exercise Indradhanush 2020

3) Exercise Indradhanush 2020 was held at which place in India? Air Force Station Hindan, near Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

4) 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)

5) Which film won the best film award at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2020? Super 30

6) Who is the director of the award winning film Super 30? Vikash Bahl

7) 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

8) 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

9) What is the full form of the MSMED Act, 2006? Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development

10) Name the noted Indian-American business executive who has been named the new executive Chairman of Mastercard: Ajay Pal Singh Banga

11) The 6th National Ice Stock Sports Championship was held at which place? Gulmarg (J & K)

12) Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, who died recently, ruled which country as President for 30 years? Egypt

13) US President Donald Trump was given a grand public reception at which stadium in Ahmedabad? Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera

14) During his India visit, US President signed a $3 billion deal to supply which helicopters to India? MH-60 Romeo Helicopters

15) What type of helicopters are the MH-60 Romeo Helicopters? Advanced anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare helicopter


16) India celebrates Central Excise Day on which date? February 24

17) What is the name of the Hindi version of Artificial Intelligence-based chatbot launched by the Indian Railway? ASKDISHA

18) __________ has become the first Indian Football Club to qualify for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League group stage? FC Goa

19) India’s first floating jetty has been inaugurated at which place in Goa? Vasco

20) Government has formally announced the constitution of the _____ Law Commission: 22nd

21) India celebrates National Science Day on February 28 to honour the scientific achievement of which Nobel laureate? Sir C V Raman

22) 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

23) D Gukesh, the 13-year old ChessGrandmaster from Tamil Nadu emerged champion in the 34th Cannes Open in which country? France

24) According to the Commerce Ministry data for 2018-19, which country was India's top trading partner? USA

25) Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared open the first-ever Khelo India University Games at _______ in Odisha on Feb 22: Cuttack

26) ________________selected as the new Chief Information Commissioner to head the Central Information Commission: Bimal Julka

27) What is the name of the autobiography of Yashwant Sinha, veteran BJP leader and former Minister of Finance and External Affairs? Relentless

28) What is the title of the recent book written by Jaggi Vasudev, popular as ‘Sadhguru’, noted Yogi and spiritual leader? Death- An Inside Story

29) 'Amnesty' is a popular novel written by which author? Aravind Adiga

30) What is the title of the new novel of Colum McCann released in February 2020? Apeirogon

31) Which two Union Territories recently hosted the Khelo India Winter Games 2020? Ladakh and J&K

32) 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

33) Who has been appointed as per the new Central Vigilance Commissioner - CVC of India? Sanjay Kothari

34) The Northeast Frontier Railway Construction Organisation has built India’s tallest railway pier bridge — 100 m tall in which state? Manipur

35) 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

36) Divya Kakran won gold in the 68 kg category in an Asian championship in which sports? Wrestling

37) ESPN Sports Awards are given by which organization? ESPN TV Network, USA

38) What is the full form of ESPN? Entertainment and Sports Programming Network

39) Who has been named ESPN Female Sportsperson of the Year: PV Sindhu (Badminton)

40) Who has been named ESPN Male Sportsperson of the Year: Saurabh Chaudhary (Shooter)

41) 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

42) What is the theme for this year's International Mother Language Day? Languages without borders

43) The World Social Justice Day is observed on Feb 20 with support from which UN organization? International Labour Organization, Geneva

44) 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

45) Which National Day is celebrated to commemorate the launch of the Soil Health Card Scheme in 2015? Soil Health Card Day, Feb 19

46) 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

47) Which global finance agency has agreed to give a $450 million loan to promote Atal Bhujal Yojana? World Bank

48) The 3rd edition of the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety was held in capital of which country? Sweden (Stockholm)

49) Name the corporate businessman who recently secured second rank in the list of richest persons of India? Radhakishan Damani

50) What is the popular name of the retail super market chain being run by Damani? D-Mart

51) What is the official motto of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics? United by Emotion

52) The International Hockey Federation has granted hosting rights for the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2021 to which country? India

53) As per IMF World Economic Outlook Report, India emerged as the world's ________ largest economy: Fifth

54) Which International Airport in India was recently declared free from single-use plastic usage?


Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport 55) Koneru Humpy claimed her second title in the last

two months by winning which tournament? Cairns Cup chess tournament, USA

56) The Laureus World Sports Awards - 2020 were announced recently at which place? Berlin, Germany

57) Who won this year's Laureus Sportsman of the year award: Lonel Messi

58) 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

59) Which state government has declared the Cauvery delta region as a Protected Special Agriculture Zone? Tamil Nadu

60) 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

61) Which Indian city hosted the 65th Filmfare Awards? Guwahati

62) Which film won the Filmfare Award for the Best Film? Gully Boy

63) Name the famous film director who was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award: Ramesh Sippy

64) A recent global study showed that Hindi is the ________ most spoken language of the world in 2019 with 615 million speakers: 3rd

65) Who has been re-elected as the President of Afghanistan? Ashraf Ghani

66) Debasish Panda has been appointed to which important post in the Ministry of Finance? Finance Secretary

67) The famous Dan David Prize is supported by which university? Tel Aviv University, Israel

68) Who won the men's singles title at the 77th Senior National Squash Championship held in Chennai? Saurav Ghosal

69) The women's singles title at the 77th Senior National Squash Championship was won by which player? Joshna Chinappa

70) World SnowShoe Championships were recently held in which country? Japan

71) 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

72) Which animal / bird has been named as the mascot of the above event? Gibi - The Great Indian Bustard

73) Supreme Court directed the union government to grant _____ commission to all women officers who opt for it. Permanent

74) 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

75) The external affairs ministry has decided to rename the Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra and Foreign Service Institute after which veteran political leader? Late Sushma Swaraj

76) The central government launched the “School Health Ambassador Initiative” for what purpose? To spread awareness about the preventive health aspects

77) The “School Health Ambassador Initiative” has been launched as a part of which bigger programme? Ayushman Bharat

78) India celebrates national women's day on Feb 13 in the honour of which great woman leader? Sarojini Naidu

79) On account of her excellence in poetry, Sarojini Naidu was known will which nick name? Bharat Kokila (Nightingale of India)

80) 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

81) The seven nation BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise - 2020 was hosted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in which city? Bhubaneswar, Odisha

82) What is the full form of the acronym BIMSTEC? Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation

83) Headquarters of the BIMSTEC are located in which city? Dhaka, Bangladesh

84) President Ram Nath Kovind presented ‘President’s Colour’ to the INS Shivaji. It is located at which place? Lonavala, Maharashtra

85) What type of naval establishment is INS Shivaji? It houses Naval College of Engineering

86) What is the name 200-km strike range supersonic tactical ballistic missile being developed by DRDO? Pranash

87) Supported by UNESCO, the World Radio Day is observed on which date? Feb 13

88) What is the theme of this year's World Radio Day? Radio and Diversity

89) The National Property Day celebrations on Feb 12 are promoted by which Union Ministry? Ministry of Commerce and Industry

90) 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

91) Which Indian boxer has been ranked number one in the 52 kilogram category for Olympic Qualifiers: Amit Panghal


92) Which Indian player was named Player of the Year for 2019 by the International Hockey Federation? Manrpreet Singh

93) President of __________ Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit: Portugal

94) AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal secured a landslide victory in Delhi assembly elections, becoming Chief Minster for the ________ time? 3rd

95) According to the PSU Survey 2018-19, which PSUs is the highest profit earning organisation? Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)

96) Name the cueist who defeated multiple-time world champion Pankaj Advani 6-2 to win the National Snooker Championship in Pune? Aditya Mehta

97) Who is the current national title holder of women's and snooker? Vidya Pillai

98) Which international team has been awarded ICC Women’s Championship Trophy 2020: Australia

99) Ajeya Warrior-2020: 5th edition of joint military exercise of India was held with which other country? United Kingdom

100) The IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Awards for Men has been won by whom? Malcolm Arnold from Uganda, for training athletes

101) Who won the women's IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award? Ulla Koch from Germany, for training gymnasts

102) Where in India a glass floor suspension bridge, the first of its kind in the country, is to be constructed? Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

103) Lalremsiami, 19 year old Hockey player from __________ has been named as the “2019 FIH Women's Rising Star of the Year”: Mizoram

104) The World Health Organization (WHO) has given what formal name to the disease caused by the new coronavirus: Covid-19

105) The roots of Unani medicine system can be traced to which modern country? Greece

106) India celebrates Unani Day on which date? Feb 11 107) 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

108) African Union Summit 2020 was held on Feb 10-11 in which place? Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

109) Who is Cyril Ramaphosa, the current chairman of African Union? President of South Africa

110) Which Indian badminton coach, was awarded an "honourable mention" at the IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Awards 2019? Pullela Gopichand

111) Which state won the 10th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2020 (A Division) title at Kollam, Kerala? Haryana

112) Team of which country lifted the ICC U-19 World

Cup: Bangladesh 113) What is the popular name for the prestigious

Academy Awards given for outstanding excellence in cinema? Oscar

114) Who made the documentary American Factory, the film that won the Oscar for the best documentary? Barack and Michelle Obama

115) Name the South Korean director, who won the Oscar for the best director for the film Parasite? Bong Joon-ho

116) Which film won the Oscar for the best film: Parasite

117) 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

118) _________ of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, arrived in New Delhi on Feb 8 on a five day state visit? Prime Minister

119) Which Union Ministry organises the National Deworming Day on Feb 10? Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

120) Which medicine is administered to the children on the National Deworming Day? Albendazole

121) Who created three new records in the men's 109kg category in the National Weightlifting Championships at Kolkata? Chandrakant Mali

122) The International Intellectual Property (IP) Index which measures the intellectual property environment of 53 economies of the world, placed India at which rank? 40th

123) Britain's Prince Charles unveiled a new children's protection fund for which country as part of British Asian Trust? India

124) India replaced which country to become 2nd largest producer of steel in the world in 2019? Japan

125) Which country is the largest producer of steel in the world? China

126) Who has been awarded the International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy? Dr NS Dharmashaktu

127) Name the longest-serving Kenyan President, who passed away on February 04? Daniel Arap Moi

128) India’s biggest rural technical festival titled ‘Antahpragnya 2020’ was held in Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies, in which state? Telangana

129) Union Cabinet has decided to bring __________ banks under the regulatory mechanism of Reserve Bank of India: Cooperative

130) Ajay Bisaria has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to which country? Canada

131) The Indian Navy conducted a coastal security exercise named ‘Malta Abhiyan’ in which place? Sunderban delta waters near Kolkata, West Bengal


132) M Ajit Kumar has been appointed as the chairman of the Central Board of _______________: Indirect Taxes and Customs

133) Which country has introduced a new system for collecting fee from regional tourists, called ‘Sustainable Development Fee? Bhutan

134) Which cinema award are popularly known as the Oscars of Europe? BAFTA Awards

135) What is the full form of BAFTA? British Academy Film and Television Arts

136) Which film secured the BAFTA award for the best film? 1917 by Sam Mendes

137) Who won the BAFTA award for the best leading actress? Renee Zellweger (Judy)

138) Name the actor who won all the three top global awards viz Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA for the best actor? Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

139) RBI has enhanced the insurance cover on bank deposits to _____ lakh rupees from one lakh rupees wef Feb 04: Five

140) The Insurance cover on the bank deposits of individuals is provided by which RBI owned company? Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC),

141) Which International Day is celebrated on Feb 2 to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands in maintaining ecological balance? World Wetland Day

142) Which Island country recently re-joined the commonwealth, after having left in 2016? Maldives

143) What is the number of member countries of the Commonwealth after joining of Maldives? 54

144) 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

145) What is the theme of this year's World Cancer Day observed on Feb 04? "I am and I will"

146) 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

147) The Gram Nyayalayas are to be established under the provision of which law? Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008

148) Which global technology giant announced a dollar one million grant to promote news literacy among Indians? Google

149) 10th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship was held at which place? Jhansi, UP

150) 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

151) Name the former communication minister of Iraq who has been appointed as the Prime Minister of Iraq? Mohammad Allawi

152) India and which other country held the 14 day joint military training exercise SAMPRITI-IX? Bangladesh

153) The bilateral military exercise SAMPRITI-IX was held at which place? Umroi, Meghalaya

154) The 36th edition of the National Games will be held in ________ from 20th October to 4th November 2020: Goa

155) What is the name of the flame-throated Bulbul, that has been unveiled as the official mascot for the Games? Rubigula

156) The finals of the first grand slam of the year Australian Open were held in which city? Melbourne

157) Who won her first grand slam title by winning the Australian Open? Sofia Kenin, USA

158) Men's Singles title in the Australian Open was won by which player? Novak Djokovic, Serbia

159) Which state bagged the first position for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana? Madhya Pradesh

160) On January 31, Britain officially left the European Union after ________ years of membership: 47

161) Name the British political leader who successfully led the Britain's exit plan from the European Union? Boris Johnson

162) Billed as the world’s largest meditation facility, an imposing meditation centre was inaugurated in ‘Kanha Shantivanam’ near which city? Hyderabad

163) Which country created a new Guinness World Record for organizing the highest altitude Fashion Show on the earth? Nepal

164) President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 34th Surajkund International Crafts Fair on February 1 at Surajkund in which place? Faridabad, Haryana

165) Which was the partner country for this year's Surajkund International Crafts Fair? Uzbekistan

166) Which player won the prestigious 'World Games Athlete of the Year' award given by the International World Games Association? Rani Rampal

167) Who is Rani Rampal? Captain of Indian Women's Hockey Team

168) Tyler Prize, often described as the ‘Nobel Prize for Environment’ was awarded to whom this year? Pawan Sukhdev

169) Who has been elected as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), Mumbai for the year 2020? Sunil Mehta

170) Which state launched a virtual police station where people can lodge complaints online from


their respective districts, without visiting the Police Station? Odisha

171) Oxford University Press named which word as the “Oxford Hindi Word of 2019” saying it received widespread attention in the year? Samvidhaan (Constitution)

172) Esow Alben of India is a leading sports star of which sports? Cycling

173) Taranjit Singh Sandhu, 1988 batch IFS officer has been appointed as India’s ambassador to which country? USA

JANUARY 2020 174) Who has been appointed as the new Foreign

Secretary of India? Harsh Vardhan Shringla 175) The death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi is also

celebrated as which day on January 30: Anti Leprosy Day / Martyrs Day

176) Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi took place in which year? 1948

177) What is the title of the book recently written by Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union Minister of Minority Affairs? Balwa (uprising)

178) American Dirt is a popular novel released in January 2020. Who is its author? Jeanine Cummins

179) Which Ministry launched online portal ‘GATI’ for monitoring major projects of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)? Union Road Transport Ministry

180) Which stat government launched the Shiv Bhojan Scheme to provide a regular meal in just Rs. 10 to commoners? Maharashtra

181) The 62nd annual Grammy Awards were presented at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They recognize the outstanding excellence in which field? Music

182) Name the artist who created history by sweeping all the four top Grammy Awards 2020? Billie Eilish (USA)

183) According to the recent data released by the Agriculture Ministry, which state topped in the production of vegetables? West Bengal

184) State of ____________ produced the largest quantity of fruits in 2018-19? Andhra Pradesh

185) The central govt. signed a peace accord on January 27 with the insurgent tribal groups of which state? Assam

186) This accord was sign with which tribal groups? Bodos

187) Bodos occupy which part of Assam? Western Assam, north of Brahmaputra

188) The Coronavirus wreaked havoc in China. Which Chinese city suffered the most? Wuhan

189) The Coronovirus generally causes which kind of illness? Acute respiratory syndromes

190) The Supreme Court granted how much reservation to persons with disabilities in all public sector jobs? 3%

191) Name the veteran American basketball player who was killed in a helicopter crash in California, USA? Kobe Bryant

192) The World Bank approved a loan of $210 million for Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project of which state? Maharashtra

193) 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

194) Name the only sports person who has been considered for award of Padma Vibhushan this year? MC Mary Kom

195) Shuttler PV Sindhu andindustrialist Anand Mahindra were selected for which Padma award this year? Padma Bhushan

196) World Leprosy Day is observed on which date? Last Sunday of January

197) The Leprosy disease affects which parts of the body? Skin and nerves

198) At which Indian airport a special all women taxi service named 'Women with wheels' was launched recently? Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi

199) President of which country was the Chief Guest at the 71st Republic Day Parade ceremony at Rajpath, New Delhi? Brazil

200) What is the name of the first ever humanoid unveiled recently by the ISRO? Vyomitra

201) The DRDO successfully test-fired its K-4 nuclear capable missile recently from which launch pad? Submarine

202) Which is the first telecom company to provide UPI-powered payments service for its subscribers? Reliance Jio

203) What is the full form of UPI? Unified Payments Interface

204) UPI is an instant real-time payment system developed by ___________ and regulated by _________: National Payments Corporation of India; RBI

205) What is the name of the debit / credit card launched by NPCI? RuPay

206) 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

207) Why January 25 has been selected to celebrate National Voters Day? The Election Commission of India came into existence on this day in 1950

208) Headquarters of Election Commission of India in New Delhi are known by which name? NirvachanSadan


209) What was India's rank in the recently released Global Talent Competitive Index (GTCI) 2020? 72nd

210) _______ secured the first place in the GTCI 2020: Switzerland

211) Celebration of International Day of Education is supported by which UN organization? UNESCO

212) International Day of Education is observed on which date? January 24

213) India observes National Education Day on which date? November 11

214) Which Union Ministry supports the celebration of National Girl Child Day: Ministry of Women and Child Development

215) India celebrates National Girl Child Day on which date? January 24

216) Which organization launched a blockchain-technology based payment system ‘Vajra Platform’? National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

217) Customers of which bank will now be able to withdraw cash from ATMs without their debit cards? ICICI Bank

218) 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%

219) __________ 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

220) As per the Corruption Perception Index 2020 India slipped two spots to ______ place: 80th

221) Which NGO compiles the Corruption Perception Index? Transparency International

222) Which two countries shared equal marks to secure top position in the Corruption Perception Index? New Zeeland and Denmark

223) Airpocalypse, a study of air pollution level in 287 Indian cities declared which 2 coal mining cities as the most polluted? Jharia and Dhanbad

224) Jharia and Dhanbad are located in which state? Jharkhand

225) Crystal Awards are associated with which field? Social Work by exceptional artist

226) Which organization is associated with Crystal Awards? World Economic Forum

227) Name the Indian celebrity who won the Crystal Award this year? Deepika Padukone

228) 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

229) What is the full form of the acronym PRAGATI?

Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation

230) EkateriniSakellaropoulou has been elected as the first woman President of which country? Greece

231) In which metro city shops and business establishments like multiplexes and malls have been allowed to remain open 24x7? Mumbai

232) The 3rd Khelo India Youth Games were held in _________ from Jan 10 to 22: Guwahati

233) Which state won the Champions trophy in the 3rd Khelo India Youth Games? Maharashtra

234) India dropped 10 places to ________ rank in the latest Democracy Index 2019: 51st

235) Which organization compiles the Democracy Index? Economist Intelligence Unit, London

236) Which country topped the Democracy Index 2019? Norway

237) Arjun Munda elected as the President of Archery Association of India. Who is he? Union Minister for Tribal Affairs

238) With which neighbouring country India opened an ICP at Biratnagar? Nepal

239) What is the full form of ICP? Integrated Check Post

240) Which is the Indian counterpart city for the Biratnagar ICP? Jogbani, Bihar

241) India secured which rank on the annual Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) 2019 report? 5th

242) Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) 2019 report placed which country at the top spot? USA

243) Which senior BJP leader has been elected as the 11th President of the party? Jagat Prakash Nadda

244) Sanjiv Chadha has been appointed as the MD & CEO of which Bank? Bank of Baroda

245) 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

246) The World Economic Outlook report is brought out by which International Body? International Monetary Fund

247) Which global NGO held its annual meeting at Davos attracting some 3,000 leading business/political leaders, economists, celebrities and journalists? World Economic Forum

248) Davos is located in which country? Switzerland 249) Who is the founder chairman of WEF? Klaus

Schwab 250) The World Economic Forum is based at which city

in Switzerland? Geneva 251) 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


252) Which country has shared technology with India to make Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets in India? Russia

253) Sania Mirza won the women’s doubles title of the WTA International trophy at _____________, Australia: Hobart

254) 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

255) India has been ranked very low at _______ place out of 82 countries on a new Social Mobility Index: 76th

256) The Social Mobility Index is topped by which country? Denmark

257) Which organization is responsible for bringing out the Social Mobility Index? World Economic Forum

258) Who won the women's singles title at the Indonesia Badminton Masters 2020: RatchanokIntanon of Thailand

259) The 9th International Children's Film Festival was held in __________ from Jan19 to 26: Kolkata

260) What was the name of the joint exercise of Indian Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard held recently? Sahyog-Kaijin

261) The joint exercise Sahyog-Kaijin was held at which place? Off the Chennai coast

262) Mikhail V. Mishustin has been elected by the Russian Parliament as the country's new __________ .Prime Minister

263) Arunachal Pradesh became the first Indian state to sign a MoU with IUCN for red-listing of _______ in the state: Orchids

264) What is the full form of IUCN? International Union for Conservation of Nature

265) What are Orchids? Attractive flowering plants 266) What is meant by red listing of species? It is

listing of threatenedspecies that need conservation

267) _________ approved a $88 million loan for Assam Inland Water Transport Project to modernize the Assam’s passenger ferry sector: WorldBank

268) The first edition of Krishi Manthan- the largest Food, Agri-business and Rural Development Summit of Asia was held at which place? Ahmedabad

269) VineshPhogat, Anshu Malik are the top ______ of India? Women wrestler

270) __________ became the fastest Indian spinner and overall third bowler to claim 100 wickets in ODI: Kuldeep Yadav

271) Name the senior Indian Advocate who has been appointed as the Queen's Counsel (QC) for the courts of England and Wales? Harish Salve

272) Which neighbouring country of India suffered a setback in GDP growth, sinking down to 6.1%, lowest in 3 decades? China

273) RobertAbela elected as the new Prime Minister of Malta. Where is Malta? A tiny island country in the Mediteranean Sea

274) Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy is associated with outstanding performance in which field? Cricket

275) Who won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Best Cricketer of the Year 2019, awarded by the ICC? Ben Stokes, England

276) The Government of India signed an historic agreement with the governments of _______ and ___________ and representatives of Bru-ReangTribals: Tripura, Mizoram

277) As per the agreement, the Bru-Reangtribals will now be settled in _______ state of India? Tripura

278) ISRO’s high power communication satellite GSAT-30 was successfully launched onboard Ariane 5 rocket from which place? French Guiana

279) The GSAT-30 satellite will be used for improving services in which field? Telecommunication and broadcasting

280) 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

281) Who won the SaraswatiSamman for 2019? VasdevMohi

282) VasdevMohi won the SaraswatiSamman for which book? Chequebook, a collection of short stories

283) What is the cash award component of the SaraswatiSamman? Rs.15 lakh

284) VasdevMohi is a prominent writer associated with which language? Sindhi

285) Which organization awards the SaraswatiSamman? K K Birla Foundation, Delhi.

286) Which Indian monument has been included by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in its list of eight wonders? Statue of Unity

287) Name the Indian Army officer who became the first woman parade adjutant to lead the Republic Day parade 2020: Captain Tania Shergill

288) 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

289) The 23rd National Youth Festival 2020 was held from 12-16 January in_______, Uttar Pradesh: Lucknow

290) The 23rd National Youth Festival 2020 was held from 12-16 January. It is associated with which great personality of India? Swami Vivekananda

291) What is the linkage of Swami Vivekananda with


the National Youth Day? It is the birthday of Swami Vivekananda

292) The National Youth Day is celebrated on which date? January 12

293) Who has been appointed as the new Director General of CRPF? A P Maheshwari

294) What is the full form of CRPF? Central Reserve Police Force

295) Which city hosted the World Future Energy Summit? Abu Dhabi

296) 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

297) Which Indian city hosted the 'Raisina Dialogue' from January 14 to 16? New Delhi

298) Which is the popular festival of North India associated with end of winter solstice and beginning of summer solstice? Makar Sankranti

299) The Makar Sankranti is celebrated popularly as Magh Bihu in which state? Assam

300) People in Tamil Nadu celebrate occasion of Makar Sankranti as _________ festival? Pongal

301) In which state Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Uttarayan festival? Gujarat

302) 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

303) The award for Best International Cricketer is given by BCCI in the honour of which great cricketer? Polly Umrigar

304) Who won this year's Polly Umrigar award for the best cricketer in Men's category? JaspritBumrah

305) The DilipSardesai Award for highest runs was given to ________ by BCCI: ChetaswarPujara

306) The DilipSardesai Award for taking highest wickets was given to ______ by BCCI: JaspritBumrah

307) JaspritBumrah is specializes in which field of cricketer? Right arm fast bowling

308) The Polly Umrigar award for the best womencricketer - has been won by? Poonam Yadav

309) Poonam Yadav excels in which roll in the Indian Cricket Team? Leg Spinner

310) What was the formal name of Swami Vivekananda? Narendra Nath Datta

311) What is the name of the popular spiritual and educational institution founded by Swami Vivekananda? Ramkrishna Mission

312) Henley Passport Index 2020 has ranked Indian passport at which rank in the world? 84th

313) Which country tops the Henley Passport Index 2020 for providing visa-free access to 191

countries? Japan 314) Which country recently became the first one to

declare its exit from the European Union: Britain 315) How many countries are there in European

Union? 28 316) 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%

317) The RBI has amended the KYC norms allowing banks to use V-CIP. What is its full form? Video based Customer Identification Process

318) Which international day is observed on January 10 to promote Hindi language around the world: World Hindi Day

319) India celebrates Rashtriya Hindi Divas on which date? September 14

320) Indian-origin writer JasbinderBilan won which international award for her debut novel “Asha and the Spirit Bird”? UK Children's Book Award

321) 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

322) Which company has been selected to set up a natural gas pipeline grid in North East? Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited

323) The 31st International Kite Festival was held in which city in the second week of January? Ahmedabad, Gujarat

324) What was the name of the joint maritime exercise held by India and Oman navies? ‘Naseem Al Bahr’

325) Which country began a mass culling of up to 10,000 camels as their “extremely large” herds have been encroaching on rural communities? Australia

326) Which bank has announced a 'residential builder finance with buyer guarantee' (RBBG) scheme, to improve home buyers' confidence? SBI

327) PravasiBharatiya Divas is observed on which date? January 09

328) PravasiBharatiya Divas celebrates the home coming of which great Indian leader on this day in 1915? Mahatma Gandhi

329) 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

330) The Reserve Bank has decided to recruit ___ % of the specialised supervisory and regulatory cadre from the market: 35%

331) Pedro Sanchez has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of which country? Spain

332) The 5th Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) National Ice Hockey Championship -2020 was


held in which place? Leh, Ladakh 333) Which State / UTs won both, Men's and Women's

title in the National Ice Hockey Championship -2020? Ladakh

334) Marine ecosystems are aquatic ecosystems whose waters possess a high _______ content? Salt

335) The 3rd international symposium on Marine Ecosystems Challenges & Opportunities (MECOS-3) was hosted by which city? Kochi, Kerala

336) 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

337) Which country recently formally approved setting up of its special Space Force? USA

338) The first edition of Khelo India University Games is scheduled to be held at which university? KIIT University in Bhubaneswar

339) Prof. Suresh Chandra Sharma has been appointed as the chairman of which apex professional body? National Medical Commission

340) C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award is given for recognizing one's outstanding contribution to which field? Cricket

341) Who has been selected for the C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award 2019 in Men's category? KrishnamachariSrikkanth

342) Who has been selected for the C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award 2019 in Women's category? Anjum Chopra

343) India has extended a line of credit (LoC) of $ 75 million (over Rs 500 crore) to ________ to finance solar parks in their country: Cuba

344) Which Indian city hosted the 63rd National Shooting Championship: Bhopal

345) Name the Indian all-rounder who announced his retirement from all forms of Cricket? Irfan Pathan

346) The Golden Globe Awards are associated with recognition of excellence in which field? Cinema and TV

347) Which picture won the Golden Globe for the best picture? 1917

348) Malavath Poorna,the 18-year-old mountaineer from Telangana recently scaled Mt. Vinson Massif. It is the highest peak of which continent? Antarctica

349) Recently KVIC open its first “Patola” silk processing plant at Surendranagar in Gujarat. What is full form of KVIC? Khadi and Village Industries Commission

350) “Patola” silk is famous for which product? ExpensiveSilkSarees

351) Patola sarees from which place enjoy the GI tag for their exclusivity? Patan, Gujarat

352) 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

353) What was the name of the person who developed Braille language for the visually handicapped persons? Louis Braille

354) Braille language is based on _____ convex dots that form all the letters and symbols. Six

355) The Indian Railways has renamed its security force RPF (Railway Protection Force). What is the new name? Indian Railway Protection Force Service

356) What was the theme of this year's New Delhi World Book Fair? ‘Gandhi: The Writers’ Writer’

357) 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

358) Which institution hosted the Indian Science Congress, the biggest annual gathering of scientists in India and abroad? University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru

359) What was the theme of this year's Indian Science Congress? Science and technology: Rural Development

360) 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

361) Florence Nightingale was famous nurse, statistician, and social reformer from which country? Britain

362) What was the popular name given to Florence Nightingale? Lady with the lamp

363) India for the first time has been ranked among the top ten in the Climate Change Performance Index. What is India's rank? 9th

364) Which country has been ranked at the top for best efforts in climate control as per the Climate Change Performance Index: Sweden

365) The Reserve Bank launched mobile app ‘MANI’ for what purpose? To help the visually challenged identify the denomination of currency notes

366) What is the full form of acronym MANI: Mobile Aided Note Identifier

367) Can the MANI app be used for detecting the fake currency? No

368) As per the Swachh Survekshan League 2020 for assessing the cleanliness level of 4,372 cities, which city topped the survey? Indore

369) 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

370) Who are the only two Indians in Wisden’s T20 International team of the decade? Virat Kohli


and JaspritBumrah 371) What is the name of the e-auction platform

launched to facilitate online auction of assets attached by banks: eBkray

372) Name the NASA Astronaut who created a new record for thelongest single spaceflight by a woman. Christina Koch

373) Which organization recently released its biannual report “India State of Forest Report 2019”: The Forest Survey of India

374) As per recent data, forest and tress cover roughly _____ per cent of the total geographic area of the country: 25 %

375) Areawise, _______ has the largest forest cover, followed by ArunachalPraesh and Chhattisgarh: Madhya Pradesh

376) In terms of forest cover as a percentage of total geographical area, with 85.41% area under forest, _________ is at the top: Mizoram

377) 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

378) As Chief of Defence Staff, General Rawat will also head the new Department of _________: Military Affairs

379) Which apex organization released the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Index for the year 2019-20? NITI Aayog

380) SDGs Index developed by NITI Aayog is based on 17SDGs formulated by which global organization?UNO-United Nations Organization

381) Which state topped the SDGs index? Kerala 382) 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

383) Govt. has clarified that MDR charge on credit cards transactions will continue to be up to ___________% of the transaction amount: 2%

384) Which country recently launched the world’s heaviest and most advanced communications satellite, weighing more than eight tonnes? China

385) Name the 32 year old Grandmaster from Andhra, who won the Women’s World Rapid Championship 2019 in Moscow: Koneru Humpy

386) Rohtang Tunnel, one of the longest high altitude tunnels, was in news recently for what reasons? It has been renamed as Atal Tunnel

387) The Atal Tunnel passes through which range of Himalayas? PirPanjal

388) The Atal Tunnel connects _______ in Himachal Pradesh with _________ in Ladakh? Manali, Leh

389) Which country deployed recently its hypersonic missile Avangard, capable of catching speeds up to 33,000 kmph? Russia

390) Which railway station recently was in news for offering its passengers the facility of an Oxygen Parlor? Nashik

391) 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

392) What is India's rank in terms of its contribution in the publication of scientific articles? 3rd - 5.31%

393) 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.

394) Where are the headquarters of FICCI? New Delhi 395) 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

396) Niranjan Hiranandani has been elected as the new President of which apex trade and industry organization? Assocham

397) Niranjan Hiranandani is associated with which industry? Real estate

398) What is the full form of Assocham? Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India

399) India’s first long-distance CNG bus fitted with CNG (compressed natural gas) cylinders will run from New Delhi to which other place? Dehradun

400) American Academy of Ophthalmology has selected which Indian doctor for its "Life Achievement Honour"? Dr Santosh G Honavar

401) Indian Railways has started “Him Darshan Express”, a glass-enclosed vistadome train on which heritage route? Kalka - Shimla route

402) The National Tribal Dance Festival was held in which place in Chhattisgarh? Raipur

403) Who was declared as the ‘Most Famous Teenager in the World’ by the United Nations in its 'Decade in Review' report? Malala Yousafzai

404) Who has been elected as the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand? Hemant Soren

405) The country’s first university for transgender community will be opened in Kushinagar district of which state? Uttar Pradesh

406) As per the recently release “Good Governance Index”, ___________ secure the first position among the Indian states? Tamil Nadu

407) Government launched which scheme aimed at improving the groundwater management in seven states? Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL)

DECEMBER 2019 408) Manuel Marrero Cruz has been appointed the

_______ of Cuba by the President of Cuba: Prime Minister


409) Eight West African countries have announced the adoption of a new common currency named _______ in place of currently prevalent CFA Franc to end the sign of French dominance from the region: Eco

410) FanniMikó, beauty queen of ____________ won the Miss Intercontinental 2019:Hungary

411) The International Tennis Federation has named World Champions in singles for 2019. Who won the men’s title? RafaelNadal of Spain

412) The women’s singles title for ITF world champion was won by whom? Ashleigh Barty of Australia

413) Integral Coach Factory (ICF) of Indian Railways has produced record 3000 Coaches in record 215 days. Where is this factory? Chennai

414) Who is the first Indian to win the Miss Teen International title for the first time in the27 year oldhistory of the pageant?Aayushi Dholakia

415) Which country's football team has been crowned "FIFA's Team of the Year" for finishing at the top of the world rankings for the second year in a row? Belgium

416) Why December 24 has been selected to celebrate the National Consumer Day in India? On this day, the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the President

417) India celebrates National Farmers' Day (KisanDiwas) to commemorate the birthday of which veteran farmer leader? Chaudhary Charan Singh

418) Devesh Srivastava has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of which public sector insurance company? General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re)

419) International Human Solidarity Day is observed on which day of December? 20th

420) Name the New-York based international credit rating agency that cut its growth forecast for India to 4.6% for the 2019-20 fiscal: Fitch ratings

421) In a landmark achievement which African country launched its first satellite on Dec 20? Ethiopia

422) S. MirabaiChanu won the gold medal at the 6th Qatar International Cup in Doha in which field? Weight Lifting

423) Asian Development Bank approved a $490 million loan to upgrade about 1,600 kilometres of state highways and major district roads in which state? Madhya Pradesh

424) India successfully test-fired Pinaka missiles from its Integrated Test Range in Chandipur in Odisha. It is what type of missile? GuidedRocket System

425) DRDO successfully test fired its QR-SAM missile recently. What is the full form of QR-SAM? Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile

426) In a novel initiative, which Municipal Corporation recently launched India’s first online waste

exchange platform and app? Chennai 427) With which country India conducted a 2+2

dialogue on Dec 18? USA 428) Which two ministers from each country

participated in the Indo-US ministerial 2+2 dialogue? Defence Minister and Foreign Minister

429) Which 3 tech giants have joined hands to develop a framework titled ‘Connected Home over IP’ for better compatibility among their smart home products? Amazon, Apple and Google

430) What is the name of the smart voice based services developed by the Amazon, Apple and Google? Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri and Google Assistant

431) _______ has become the 3rd Indian firm and the first Indian bank to cross $100 billion mark in market capitalization: HDFC Bank

432) Name the Prime Minister of Portugal who came to India for two-days in Dec. 2019: Antonio Costa

433) Which country announced the launching of a “Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize” in the honour of Gandhian values? Portugal

434) Name the celebrity who secured the first position in the Forbes India’s Celebrity-100 list: Virat Kohli

435) Mind Master is the title of the autobiography of which legendary chess player? Viswanathan Anand

436) "Phir Meri Yaad" is a popular book written by which author?Dr. Kumar Vishwas

437) Who is the author of the famous novel "Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta"? Amish Tripathi

438) Recently, there was a headline in the business section of the newspaper "PSA group and Fiat announce merger". The news relates to which industry? Automobiles

439) India successfully conducted trials of two variants of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos. The air force variant was fired from which fighter jet? SU-30MKI Sukhoi

440) Which state Police was honoured with ‘President’s Colours’ for their outstanding services, the highest honour given to a police force in India? Gujarat

441) Name the England cricketer who has been voted “BBC Sports Personality of the Year-2019”: Ben Stokes

442) One of the oldest and most esteemed classical music festivals in India, the ‘TansenSamaroh’ was held in which place? Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh

443) The Union government launched National Broadband Mission to provide Broadband access to all ________ by 2022: Villages

444) What is the theme of this year's International Migrants Day observed on December 18? #We


together 445) In a landmark ruling, the National Company Law

Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) reinstated_________as the executive chairman of the Tata Sons on December 18, 2019: Cyrus Mistry

446) Which Indian paramilitary force has started a dedicated matrimonial site for its staff? Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

447) The recently released Gender Gap Index-2019 by the World Economic Forum, what is the rank of India? 112th

448) Which country has been ranked as the most appropriate country for women representation in the Gender Gap Index-2019? Iceland

449) RBI has asked the banks to waive off service charge on online usage of which of its remittance facility? NEFT

450) The free NEFT service will be available from which date? January 01, 2020

451) The free NEFT service will be available to which category of customers? Savings Bank Account Holders

452) DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019 was won by which author? Amitabha Bagchi

453) Amitabha Bagchi won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019 for which novel? Half The Night Is Gone

454) Which corporate emerged at number one spot in terms of revenue generated in 2018-19, ending the state-owned Indian Oil Corporation's 10-year reign as India’s largest company? Reliance Industries Ltd.

455) KentoMomota, world no. 1 won his 11th badminton title of the year at the BWF World Tour Finals. He is from which country? Japan

456) Who is the world's new number one women's badminton champion? Chen Yufei (China)

457) The Supreme Court ruled that states which have districts where more than _____ cases of child abuse under POCSO Act should establish at least 2 special courts in each such district? 300

458) Which country recently elected its former Prime Minister, AbdelmadjidTebboune as its new President? Algeria

459) Who has been appointed as the next chief of the Indian Army in the rank of General? Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane

460) Miss Toni-Ann Singh bagged which beauty crown at a ceremony held in London? Miss World 2019

461) Lakshya Sen notched up his fifth title of the season, claiming the men’s singles crown at the Bangladesh International Challenger Cup in which sports? Badminton

462) Rohit Sharma, noted cricketer has been appointed as the brand ambassador of the which top Spanish Football Club? La Liga

463) Noted Hindi author and SahityaAkademi awardee 71 year oldNasera Sharma recently won which top literary award? Vyas Samman

464) Nasera Sharma won the Vyas Samman for which novel? Kaagaz Ki Naav

465) India celebrates Vijay Diwas on December 16 to commemorate its victory in which war? 1971 Pakistan War

466) Which day is organized by Energy Efficiency Bureau on Dec 14?National Energy Conservation Day

467) Name the Indian politician who has been ranked 34th in the Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women List - 2019? Nirmala Sitharaman

468) Name the British political leader who led his party to victory in the recent General elections held on December 13? Boris Johnson

469) Which apex national organization has identified 138 Indian monuments as “Must-See Monuments”? Archaeological Survey of India

470) The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 passed by the Parliament aims to grant Indian citizenship to people of which 6 religions? Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, Jain, and Buddhist

471) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sharply scaled down its projection for India's economic growth to ______ in 2019-20 from 6.5%to :5.1%

472) Name the veteran opener from Maharashtra who became the first player in India cricket to feature in 150 Ranji matches? Wasim Jaffer

473) Name the 14 year old Grandmaster from Chennai who won the FIDE Open category of the London Chess Classic? R. Praggnanandhaa

474) Who has been selected as 'Person of the Year' for the year 2019 by the Time?Greta Thunberg

475) The National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) has selected which Bollywood celebrity as its brand ambassador? Suniel Shetty

476) The Lok Sabha passed the Constitution (126th) Amendment Bill. It is related to which issue? Extending the reservation quota for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies by another 10 yearsupto Jan 25,2030

477) ISRO launched earth observation satellite named _________ along with nine foreign satellites aboard PSLV-C48: RISAT-2BR1

478) India entered the top ten countries group in this year's Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) at which rank? 9th

479) This year's Climate Change Performance Index is topped by which country? Sweden

480) Which international day is observed on December 11 with support from UNO to encourage sustainable development in mountains all over the world? International Mountain Day

481) Which country topped the medal tally at the 13th


South Asian Games? India 482) Which city of United Arab Emirates-UAE has been

selected as the world’s leading sports tourism destination? Abu Dhabi

483) Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) provided $500 million (Rs.3561 crore) Line of Credit to which country for funding the defence-related procurement? Bangladesh

484) Which US retail major has announced that it will train 50,000 entrepreneurs from the micro, small & medium enterprises (MSME) sector in India? Walmart

485) George J. Laurer, the engineer whose invention transformed handling of products in retail and other industries around the world, died at the age of 94. What was his invention? Bar Code

486) India's ranking in the Human Development Index 2019 improved marginally by ______ rank to 129 this year? One

487) The Human Development Index is associated with which UN agency? UNDP-United Nations Development Programme

488) The Human Development Index-2019 is topped by which country? Norway

489) The World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, banned which country for four years, from participation in global sporting events? Russia

490) The headquarters of WADA are located in which city? Montreal Canada

491) The Paika rebellion, a 200-year-old armed revolt in 1817 against the British East India Company took place in which state? Odisha

492) The UNO promotes the celebration of Human Rights Day on which date of December? 10

493) The Indian Navy celebrates National Submarine Day on Dec 09 to commemorate the induction of the first submarine. What was its name? INS Kalvari

494) Who is Britain’s top boxer who reclaimed his world heavyweight crown from Andy Ruiz of America? Anthony Joshua

495) Which country elected Sanna Marin as the youngest Prime Minister of the world? Finland

496) MissEarth 2019 crown was won by Nellys Pimentel. She hails from?Puerto Rico

497) Miss ZozibiniTunzi, a black beauty from South Africa created waves by winning the __________ crown at Atlanta USA: Miss Universe 2019

498) As per the recent RBI guidelines, the NEFT facility will now have how many settlement batches? 48

499) Aberdeen Police station has been declared as the best police station of the country. It is at which place? Andaman Nicobar Islands

500) A total 799 Van DhanVikas Kendra in the 24 states have been opened till date, for the benefit of which community? Forest Tribals

501) Fitness and wellness application by which actress was awarded Google Play's Best App of 2019 in the ''Personal Growth'' category? Shilpa Shetty

502) Name the legendary Swiss tennis player who became the first living person in Switzerland to have a coin minted in his honour? Roger Federer

503) The RBI recently released guidelines for ‘on tap’ licensing of which type of banks in the private sector? Small Finance Bank

504) What is the minimum capital requirement for setting up a Small Finance Bank? Rs.200 crore

505) The Saudi Aramco was in news in the first week of December, 2019 for what reasons? It came out with world's largest IPO for $25.6 billion

506) What is the name of the joint military exercise of India and Russia held in December? Indra

507) Indra - the joint military exercise of India and Russia was hosted by which country? India

508) Which national day is observed on Dec. 07 to express gratitude to the martyrs who sacrifice their lives for safeguarding the country’s honour? Armed Forces Flag Day

509) Name the Chess Grandmaster from Chennai who became the youngest Indian to cross the Elo rating of 2,600: R Praggnanandhaa

510) Which Indian celebrity was awarded the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award from UNICEF for supporting the cause of UNICEF? Priyanka Chopra

511) Name the railway station that became the first station to get the ‘Eat Right Station’ certification with four stars rating by the FSSAI: Mumbai Central

512) What is the name of the 8th Indo-China joint training military exercise held at Umroi, Meghalaya in December? Hand in Hand 2019

513) All the Members of Parliament (MPs) unanimously decided to give up the subsidy on which item? Food in canteen of Parliament

514) The World Soil Day is observed annually on December 5 with support from which UN agency? FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization

515) Which country passed The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 in November end, supporting the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong? United States of America

516) USA passed the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act, which calls for an end to the detention, torture and harassment ofUighurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities in which country? China

517) Masatsugu Asakawa, has been elected as the new President of which global financial agency? Asian Development Bank

518) The Headquarters of the Asian Development Bank are situated in _______, Philippines: Manila

519) Which day is observed every year on Dec 05 to


show gratitude towards all those people who are working free of charge and help other people without monetary benefits? International Volunteer Day

520) According to the Global Climate Risk Index 2020, India is the ______ most climate-affected country in 2018? 5th

521) The Union Government launched the 4th round of the regional connectivity scheme “UDAN 4.0". What is the focus area of this version? Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Northeast, hilly states and islands

522) The Lok Sabha passed the Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019 on Dec 3. Where in India we have the largest ship breaking centre? Alang, Gujarat

523) Which global rating agency has reaffirmed India’s sovereign credit rating at BBB with stable outlook? S&P (Standard & Poor’s)

524) The government plans to set up a specialised recruitment agency to conduct a single exam— Common Eligibility Test (CET)—for recruitment of employeesfor ______? Group B and C cadre

525) Alphabet, owner of Google, named whom as the next CEO of the company? SundarPichai

526) Asian Development Bank approved 206 million dollar loan to develop water supply and sewerage infrastructure in 5 cities of which Indian state? Tamil Nadu

527) India’s first National Maritime Heritage Museum is being setup at________, a site of Harappan era on the Saurashtra coast in Gujarat: Lothal

528) What was the name of the joint military exercise held in Salijhandi, Nepal between India and Nepal from Dec 3 to 16? Surya Kiran

529) Which star football player won the Ballon d'Or 2019 (Golden Ball)? Lionel Messi( 6th time)

530) Lionel Messi hails from which country and plays for which football club? Argentina, Barcelona

531) Who won the Ballon d'Or 2019 (Golden Ball) for women? MeganRapinoe

532) Megan Rapinoe is the star footballer of which country? USA

533) Which day is celebrated in honour of the maritime force's role during the 1971 Pakistan war? December 04: Indian Navy Day

534) Which National Day is observed to pay homage to victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy and create awareness about the need for pollution control? December 02: National Pollution Control Day

535) Sri Lanka’s newly elected President________ , arrived in New Delhi: Gotabaya Rajapaksa

536) Which company became the first financial sector player to file for bankruptcy proceedings before National Company Law Tribunal? DHFL (Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd)

537) Which Indian film crossed the Rs.2,000-crore

mark at the global box-office to become the biggest blockbuster of the decade: Dangal

538) The government has decided to make hallmarking of which jewellery and artefacts compulsory from January 15, 2021: Gold

539) Which Indian organization is authorised to carry out the hallmarking of gold jewellery? BIS-Bureau of Indian Standards

540) The 7th edition of India-Sri Lanka joint army exercise was held at Aundh Military Station, Pune. What was its name? Mitra Shakti

541) Tejinder Pal Singh Toor was India’s flag-bearer at the South Asian Games opening ceremony. He plays which event in athletics? Shot Put

542) Which country became the first Arab nation to take over the G20 presidency?Saudi Arabia

543) What is the name of the longest train (in terms of distance covered) of India: Vivek Express

544) The Vivek Express runs between __________, Assam to Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu? Dibrugarh

545) Who has been selected to lead India's cricket team in the next year's Under-19 ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in S. Africa? Priyam Garg

546) Which state you will have to visit to take part in Hornbill Festival? Nagaland

547) 25th Conference of Parties (COP25) to UN Climate Change Conference was held at? Madrid, Spain

548) The 25th Conference of Parties (COP25) to UN Climate Change Conference was held to give finishing touches to which climate accord? 2015 Paris climate change accord

549) World AIDS Day is observed on December 01. What is the full form of AIDS? Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome

550) What is the theme of this year's World Aids Day: Communities Make the Difference

551) Govt. launched “Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0” across India on December 2. It is associated with which issue? Immunization

552) Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0 covers preventive vaccine for how many diseases? Eight

553) International Day for the Abolition of Slavery on Dec. 02 is supported by which UN agency? International Labour Organisation (ILO)

554) The Etawah Lion Safari, one of the biggest safari parks in Asia, is located in which Indian state? Uttar Pradesh

555) Which city in Odisha hosted the National Tribal Craft Mela–2019? Bhubaneswar

556) Which state has decided to declare Guru Ghasidas National Park in Korea district as the fourth tiger reserve of the state? Chhattisgarh

557) Name the person appointed as chairman of the steering committee of the Code for Responsible Lending (CRL) in micro-credit: H R Khan


558) ____________ has become the first country in the world to completely digitize the Hajj process: India

559) G Satheesh Reddy, Chairman DRDO, has been granted Honorary Fellowship of ___________ society? Royal Aeronautical Society, London

560) Which apex national institution has adopted themotto, “Ma GridhahKasyasvidhanam(Do not be greedy for anyone’s wealth)”: The Lokpal of India

561) FIH-International Hockey Federation has approved India’s bid to host the Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 in which state? Odisha

562) Name the Indian who is current President of FIH-International Hockey Federation: Narinder Batra

563) What is the special feature of the Loktak Lake? It is the biggest fresh water lake in North East

564) Which prestigious prize for literature has been announced for the Malyalampoet AkkithamAchuthanNamboodri? Jnanpith Award

565) Which film won the Golden Peacock award for the best film at the recently concluded International Film Festival of India? Particles

566) Who is the director of the film 'Particles'? Blaisse Harrison, France

567) The Best Director award at the recently concluded IFFI was won by whom? Lijo Jose Pellissery for his Malayalam film “Jallikattu”

568) What is the amount of cash amount given with the Golden Peacock? Rs. 40 lakh

569) The Lok Sabha approved a bill on November 27 for the merger of two union territories into one. Name these union territories? Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu

570) After the merger of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, how many UTs are there now in India? 8

571) HRD Ministry launched the kartavya.ugc.ac.in portal as a part of year long“NagrikKartavyaPaalan Abhiyan” being observed throughout the country. It is related to which feature of the Indian constitution? Fundamental Duties

572) The fundamental duties are mentioned in which article of the constitution? 51A

573) How many fundamental duties are mentioned in the Article 51A of the Constitution? 11

574) The ISRO on Nov 27 launched advanced earth imaging and mapping satellite. What is its name? CARTOSAT-3

NOVEMBER 2019 575) Sangai is a popular cultural state festival of which

state? Manipur 576) Which National Day is observed on November

27to promote organ donation for those who are in needof them and creating awareness for

removing the taboo around organ donation? Indian Organ Donation Day

577) International Day for the elimination of violence against women is celebrated on which date? November 25

578) Which day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. VergheseKurien, promoter of Amul? National Milk Day,November 26

579) Rafael Nadal won the Davis Cup title for the sixth time for which country? Spain

580) India celebrates which day to commemorate adoption of the constitution by the constituent assembly in 1949? The Constitution Day, November 26

581) Fast Patrol Vessel ‘Amrit Kaur’ was recently inducted in which armed force of India? Indian Coast Guard

582) The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of the National Institute for Sowa-Rigpa in which place?Leh, Ladakh

583) The Sowa-Rigpa represents which traditional discipline of medicine? Tibetan system of medicine

584) Lieutenant Shivangibecame the first female pilot to join Indian Navy on Dec 2. She will fly which aircraft? Dornier surveillance aircraft

585) As per the latest edition of the Global Terrorism Index, _________ is the country worst affected by terrorism: Afghanistan

586) What is the rank of India as per the latest edition of the Global Terrorism Index? 7th

587) In which state recently more than 18,000 migratory birds died at Sambhar Lake? Rajasthan

588) For what reasons bacteria Avian Botulism was in news recently? It was cause of death of migratory birds in Rajasthan

589) Who has been named as the World Athlete of the Year 2019 by the World Athletics? Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya (Marathon Race)

590) Who has been selected as the World Athlete of the Year – women 2019 by the World Athletics? Dalilah Muhammad (USA)

591) Dalilah Muhammad excels in which sports of Athletics? 400 mworld champion

592) Oxford Dictionaries has named which world as its 2019 Word of the Year? Climate Emergency

593) Name the young environmental activist from Sweden who has been awarded International


Children's Peace Prize: Greta Thunberg 594) Name the renowned French film actor who was

honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award in IFFI held at Goa: Isabelle Huppert

595) Name the Indian movie icon who has been bestowed with the Icon of the Jubilee Award at the IFFI: Rajinikanth

596) Who has been chosen as Person of the Year 2019 by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)? Virat Kohli

597) Fortune's annual Business Person of the Year list is topped by which CEO? Satya Nadela

598) ________ won the men's singles title at International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Challenge Indonesia Open 2019: Harmeet Desai

599) __________ became the 1st country in the world to introduce a new Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV): Pakistan

600) The green tea and white tea of which place were recently granted a geographical indication (GI) tag? Darjeeling (West Bengal)

601) Government launched ‘SAANS’ (Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully) campaign aimed at reducing child mortality due to pneumonia, from which state? Gujarat

602) Government of India aims to achieve a target of reducing pneumonia deaths among children to less than ____ per 1000 live births by 2025: Three

603) Who is the winner of this year’s Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development?Sir David Attenborough

604) What is the amount of cash award of Indira Gandhi Prize? Rs.25 lakh

605) The Union Government has launched BharatiyaPoshan Krishi Koshwith what aim? Reducing malnutrition in India

606) Which union ministry promotes the celebrations of the Naturopathy Day on November 18: Ayush Ministry

607) Which International Day is associated with 6th Sustainable Development Goal of UNO that aims to ensure availability sanitation and water for all by 2030? World Toilet Day,November 19

608) India celebrates Children’s Day on Nov 14. On which date the Universal Children’s Day is celebrated? November 20

609) India’s first winter grade diesel sales center was opened in _________ region: Ladakh

610) Which oil company has developed India’s first Winter Grade Diesel? Indian Oil Corporation

611) What is the name of the national official body that functions as a moral watch dog to improve the standards of journalism and maintain its freedom? PressCouncil of India

612) Which national day is celebrated to commemorate the foundation of Press Council of India on November 16, 1966? National Press Day

613) Name the Indian female sprinter who has been included in the ‘Time 100 Next’ list? Dutee Chand

614) India’s Ravi Prakash won the $25,000 BRICS-Young Innovator prize for which achievement? For the invention of the small and cheap 'Milk Chilling Unit' for economically weak farmers

615) What was the theme of the 11th BRICS Summit in Brasilia? Economic Growth for an Innovative Future

616) If you want to see SurangaBawadi (mini pond), the ‘Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau’, which place will you have to visit? Bijapur, Karnataka

617) For what reasons SurangaBawadi was in news recently? It has been selected in the World Monument Watch List for 2020

618) Swachh–Nirmal Tat (तट) Abhiyaan has been

launched for what purpose? Tocreate awareness amongst citizens about the importance of coastal ecosystems

619) Which online retailer company launched "Project Zero" to ensure that customers receive authentic goods when shopping on its website? Amazon

620) The five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court recently pronounced its landmark historical judgment on Right to Information Act. What was it? Itheld that the Chief Justice of India's office is a public authority and is under the RTI Act

621) Which Indian state gave its approval for setting up of the world’s first CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) terminal at Bhavnagar port: Gujarat

622) The International Hockey Federation has announced that ________ will host the 2023 Men's Hockey World Cup in January, 2023: India

623) Sundar Singh Gurjarwon gold in _______ in World Para Athletics Championships held in Dubai: Javelin throw

624) ___________ 15 year-old girl from Rohtak, Haryana became the youngest (15 years, 285 days) Indian


cricketer ever to score a half-century in international cricket: ShafaliVerma

625) The much talked about“Kartarpur Corridor” connects Dera Baba Nanak in district Gurdaspur to holy shrine in _________________ Narowal, Pakistan? Gurudwara Darbar Sahib,Kartapur

626) What is the historical importance of the Gurudwara Sri Darbar Sahib? This is the place where Guru Nanak Dev Ji breathed his last

627) The main celebrations of the Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji on his 550th birth anniversary were held in Sultanpur Lodhi. What is its historical importance? He stayed here for many years and attained enlightenment

628) Name the former Chief Election Commissioner who transformed the face of electoral process in the country by introduction and strict implementation of Voter ID Card? T N Seshan

629) India’s MMR declined by 8 points in one year from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 122 per lakh live births in 2015-17. What is MMR? Maternal Mortality Rate

630) India recently launched the SUMAN programme for moving towards zero preventable maternal and newborn deaths. Expand the term SUMAN: SurakshitMatritvaAashwasan

631) November 7 is observed as National Cancer Awareness Day. It is the birthday of scientist whose research was helpful in the treatment of tumors and cancer. Name her: Marie Curie

632) India has decided to opt out of which mega free-trade agreement recently? RCEP

633) What is the full form of RCEP? Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

634) The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ruled against the usage of RO (reverse osmosis) systems, mainly for what reason? It results in wastage of almost 80% of water

635) In which city Indian Railways has installed two ‘Health ATMs’ at the Charbagh railway station? Lucknow,UP

636) Raja Ram Mohan Roy award is conferred for recognizing outstanding contribution in which field? Journalism

637) The central government has issued an HS Code for Khadi for what purpose? To categorize its products exclusively in exports

638) What is the full form of HS Code? Harmonized

System 639) Which country’s first-ever satellite, SRSS-1, was

launched by China on November 3 from Shanxi Province in north China: Sudan

640) MaisnamMeirabaLuwang,16yearold boy from Manipur clinched the boys’ singles U-19 title at the WoncheonYonex Korea Junior Open ______ International Challenge 2019 in Miryang, Korea: Badminton

641) Which organization recently introduced India’s first nanotechnology-based fertiliser product range by introducing Nano Nitrogen, Nano Zinc, Nano Copper? Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO)

642) Which state launched a first of its kind job helpline number 76260-76260 for the unemployed youth of the state under ‘GharGharRozgar’ programme? Punjab

643) According to an estimate by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which country’s GDP is expected to explode by growing at 86% in 2020? Guyana

644) Which development is the factor behind expected 86% growth of GDP in Guyana? Discovery of vast oil resources

645) Which spacecraft of NASA entered the interstellar medium (ISM) in space? Voyager - 2

646) Ministry of Finance released two new IT Initiatives named ICEDASH and ATITHI to improve monitoring and pace of which item? Customs clearance of imported goods and facilitating arriving international passengers

647) High-Level Advisory Group has recommended the central government to launch ______ Bonds to bring back $500 billion black money: Elephant

648) Indian Air Force has decided to retire its old war horse ________ strike aircraft this year: MiG-27

649) India received MiG-27 fighter aircrafts from which country? Russia

650) The phaseout ceremony for the last fleet of MiG-27 was held at which airbase? Jodhpur

651) 3rd Rugby World Cup was hosted by which city in Japan? Yokohama

652) Which country lifted the 3rd Rugby World Cup: South Africa

653) What is the popular name of the Rugby World Cup? Webb Ellis Cup

654) ‘Chhath Puja’ is one of the most popular festivals


of which state? Bihar 655) ___________ has become the first state in the country

to enact a law on contract farming: Tamil Nadu 656) Researchers from which apex IT institute have

created the first-ever ‘Indian Brain Atlas’? Indian Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT-H), Telangana

657) Which two Indian cities have been selected as a member of UNESCO Creative Cities Network? Mumbai and Hyderabad

658) Mumbai and Hyderabad have been selected as a member of UNESCO Creative Cities Network in which fields? Films(Mumbai), Gastronomy (Hyderabad)

659) The Heads of government summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held in which city from November 1-3? Tashkent

660) Tashkent is capital of which country? Uzbekistan 661) Which university in UK has established a New

Guru Nanak Chair to mark the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji? Birmingham

662) The 35th ASEAN Summit was held in which place in Thailand from Oct 31 to Nov 4? Bangkok

663) ASEAN is a group of how many countries? 10 664) Vyas Samman is associated with outstanding

performance in which field? Hindi Literature 665) The CBSE and NCERT launched the only aptitude

called TAMANNA. What is its full form? Try And Measure Aptitude And Natural Abilities

666) The TAMANNA programme aims to help students of which class to make a better selection of subjects? 9th and 10th

667) Two Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), have been granted ‘Maharatna’ status by the Government. What is their name? Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd.

668) Name the Nepali mountaineer who has become the fastest mountain climber as he scaled 14 highest peaks, all over 8,000 mts, in just over six months? NirmalPurja

669) Who has been appointed as the 47th Chief Justice of India? Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde

OCTOBER 2019 670) __________ topped the latest Quacquarelli Symonds

(QS) India University Rankings 2020: IIT Bombay 671) Which day is observed around the world on

October 24 every year to mark the anniversary of the establishment of the UN on this day in 1945?

United Nations Day 672) The United Nations World Food Program

launched the 'Feed Our Future' campaign in association with which Indian organization? UFO Movies of Mumbai

673) What is the objective of the ‘Feed Our Future' campaign? To create awareness and take steps against hunger and malnutrition in India.

674) Name the government authority that approves revision of MSP of foodgrains: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)

675) The CCEA recently approved hike in MSP of Rabi crops for for which marketing season? 2020-21

676) Which global financial organization recently released the “Ease of Doing Business” for 2019-20? The World Bank

677) India's ranking improved by how many steps in 2019-20 Ease of Doing Business rankings? 14

678) What was India’s ranking in 2019-20 Ease of Doing Business rankings? 63rd

679) Which country topped the 2019-20 Ease of Doing Business rankings? New Zealand

680) Which state launched 'MukhyaMantriKanya Sumangala Yojana' to provide a fund worth Rs 15000 to every family where a girl child is born? Uttar Pradesh

681) With the allotment of 1,000 LPG connections to rural women under the Ujjwala Yojana, ________ has become first Kerosene-free district of Gujarat. Gandhinagar

682) Sakharov Prize is awarded by the European Parliament for honouring outstanding contribution in which field? Fight for restoration of human rights

683) Who is the winner of the 2019 Sakharov Prize? Uighur intellectual Ilham Tohti from China for his attempts to “foster dialogue” between Chinese people and the Uighur.

684) ________ became the 1st Indian to win a gold medal at the 15th Wushu World Championships in Shanghai: Praveen Kumar

685) Which bird was recently found to be the world’s loudest bird whose shrieks can hit 125.4 decibels? Male white bellbird of Brazil

686) Name the Bollywood actress and badminton star who were named the ambassadors for Bharat Ki Laxmi, an initiative by Prime Minister Modi: Deepika Padukone& PV Sindhu

687) Girish Chandra Murmu has been appointed as the _____ of Jammu-Kashmir: Lt. Governor

688) R K Mathur has been appointed as the Lt. Governor of which union territory? Ladakh

689) Who has been appointed as the new Governor of Mizoram? P.S. Sreedharan Pillai

690) Satya Pal Malik, till recently Governor of J&K, has been shifted to which other state as


Governor? Goa 691) In Uttar Pradesh, Grand Diwali celebrations at

which place set a world record as over 5 lakh 51 thousand earthen lamps (Diyas) were lit altogether on Oct 27? Ayodhya

692) Vijay Hazare Trophy is associated with which sports? Cricket

693) Vijay Hazare Trophy is played in which format of cricket? One day

694) Which team won the 2019 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy? Karnataka

695) The United Nations Day is observed on which date: October 24

696) Which state has decided to make government jobs out of bounds for people with more than 2 children? Assam

697) "Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion’s Life" is the autobiography of which chess champion: Viswanathan Anand

698) Who is the author of the book titled "Reset: Regaining India’s Economic Legacy"? Subramanian Swamy, BJP MP

699) Who has been appointed as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)? Sourav Ganguly

700) Government has decided to open the entire area near Siachen base camp for tourists. It lies in which Himalayan range? Karakoram

701) Which company announced the launch of ‘SBI Card Pay’, a facility that allows contactless payment using mobile phones at PoS (Point of Sale) terminals? SBI Card

702) The SBI Card Pay will use NFC technology to process the contactless transaction. What is NFC: Near Field Communication

703) 18th NAM summit was held in Baku. What is NAM: Non Aligned Movement

704) Baku is the capital of which country? Azerbaijan 705) World Statistics Day is observed on October 20 at

the interval of how many years? 5 Years 706) The India-Myanmar Naval Exercise named ______

was held off the coast of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh: IMNEX-2019

707) Country's highest bridge constructed at an altitude of 14,650 feet is across which river? Shyok River in EasternLadakh

708) What is name of this bridge? Col. ChewangRinchenSetu

709) What is the theme for this year's International Film Festival of India-IFFI: Thejoy of cinema

710) The 'Crime in India 2017' annual crime report was released by which apex national organization? National Crime RecordsBureau

711) As per the Crime in India 2017 report, which state recorded the maximum number of cases of crime against women? Uttar Pradesh

712) Which state registered the highest number of rape cases at 5562(as per 2017 report)? Madhya Pradesh

713) Which Ministry launched new version of BHIM2.0 payment app? Ministry of Information Technology

714) BHIM has been developed by which organization: NPCI-National Payment Corporation of India

715) Which international airline created a record for the longest direct non-stop flight flying for 19 hrs 16 minutes? Qantas

716) Qantas is the national airline of which country? Australia

717) The longest non-stop flight was conducted between which two cities? NewYork to Sydney

718) Sultan of Johor Cup is associated with which sport? Hockey

719) Which country hosts the Sultan of Johor Cup? Malaysia

720) __________ defeated India to lift the Sultan of Johor Cup? Britain

721) Joko Widodo was sworn in as President of ____? Indonesia

722) Who has been appointed as the new President of the European Central Bank? Christine Lagarde

723) Where are the headquarters of the European Central Bank? Frankfurt, Germany

724) Name the Indian cricketer who became the first one to play in over 100 T-20 internationals? Harmanpreet Kaur

725) RaunakSadhwani, 13 year old boy from Nagpur was in news recently for which achievement? Hebecame India’s 65th GrandMaster in Chess

726) Who has been appointed as the new chairman of Indian Banks’ Association: Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, SBI

727) Two US astronauts, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, hogged international news headlines for ____:Becomingthe first all-woman pair to carry out a spacewalk

728) International Space Station is a joint project of space agencies of how many nations? Five


729) Anup Kumar Singh, senior IPS officer of Gujarat cadre has been appointed as Director-General of which elite commando force? NSG-National Security Guard

730) The NCERT has decided to review the 14-year-old NCF for the 5th time in accordance with new national education policy. What is NCF? National Curriculum Framework

731) With which country India conducted a joint military exercise named ‘Dharma Guardian’: Japan

732) Which Union Ministry recently conducted the 20th Livestock Census - 2019? Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

733) What is the rank of India in terms of number of life stock population? 1st

734) Which category of animals forms largest part of livestock? Cattle

735) The NITI Aayog released it's first-ever India Innovation Index to promote competitiveness among the states. Which state emerged as the topper? Karnataka

736) Government has decided to name India’s longest tunnel Chenani- Nashri after Jansangh (now BJP) founder. What is his name? Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee

737) Where is the Chennai Nashri Tunnel? On NH 44, in Jammu and Kashmir

738) India ranks at which place among the 128 countries surveyed by the Charities Aid Foundation? 82nd

739) Which country topped the WorldGiving Index: USA

740) Which country announced the establishment of world's first research based Artificial Intelligence University? UAE

741) Indian Air Force and Royal Air Force of Oman held a joint air warfare exercise named _______: Ex-Eastern Bridge-V

742) The Ex-Eastern Bridge-V exercise was hosted by which country? Oman

743) In the memory of which Indian leader World Students’ Day is observed on October 15: APJ Abdul Kalam

744) Kais Saied has been elected as the new President of which country? Tunisia

745) Which star footballer was awarded ‘European Golden Shoe’ for being the top goal-scorer in

league football across Europe? Lionel Messi 746) Lionel Messi hails from which country?

Argentina 747) Indian Railways has announced that it will

become a net-zero carbon emitter by which year? 2030

748) India is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after which two other countries? USA and China

749) Recently how many heritage landmarks from India were chosen for the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation: Four

750) The world observes International Poverty Eradication Day on which date? October 17

751) Among 117 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2019, India secured which rank? 102

752) Which airline became the first airline in the world on October 15 to use a Taxibot on an A320 aircraft with passengers on board? Air India

753) RBI has issued guidelines for on-tap authorisation for how many payment systems? Three

754) Name the three payment systems for which RBI allowed on tap authorization? Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU), White Label ATMs (WLAs) and Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS)

755) Which state plans to organised the country’s first training and performance programme of world famous KHON (खोन) Ramlila: Uttar Pradesh

756) The world famous KHON (खोन) Ramlila is

associated with which country? Thailand 757) What is the single unique feature of the KHON

Ramlila? It has no dialogues 758) Which International Day is observed to

commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on October 16, 1945? World Food Day (Head.Qrt.-Rome)

759) Name the organization that launched Food Safety Mitra: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

760) What is the main objective of the recently launched Food Safety Mitra scheme? Sensitise street food vendors and food businesses on hygiene and regulatory aspects

761) Indian President attended the Enthronement Ceremony of the Emperor of Japan. What is the name of the new Emperor? HM Naruhito

762) PriyanshuRajawat claimed the men's singles title


at the Bahrain International Series of which sports? Badminton

763) Booker Prize-2019, prestigious literary prize was awarded jointly to which two authors? Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo

764) Margaret Atwood won the Booker Prize-2019 for which novel? The Testament

765) For which novel Bernardine Evaristo won the Booker Prize: Girl, Woman, Other

766) What is the cash award of the Booker Prize: GBP 50,000

767) Who is the first black women to win the prestigious Booker Prize? Bernardine Evaristo

768) International Day of Rural Women is celebrated across the world on which day of October: 15th

769) Which day is celebrated globally on October 14 to raise awareness among regulators, industry and consumers to the importance of standardization:World/International Standards Day

770) A commemorative stamp was released in honour of the sole Marshal of the Indian Air Force. Give his name? Marshal of IAF Arjan Singh

771) India and the US forces held a joint military exercise in Seattle, USA. What was its name? Vajra Prahar

772) What is the name of the award constituted by the Indian National Congress to honour promoters of National Integration: Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration

773) Name the social worker honoured with 31st Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration: Chandi Prasad Bhatt

774) Sh. Chandi Prasad Bhatt is known for promoting:Chipko Movement in Uttarakhand to save trees

775) What is the actual name of the Nobel Prize for Economics? The SverigesRiksbank Prize in Economic Sciences

776) Out of six Nobel Prizes announced every year, which one was not listed in the will of Alfred Nobel? Economics

777) Abhijit Banerjee and his wife Esther Duflo, co-winner of Nobel Prize for economics, are associated with which university? Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA

778) PM Narendra Modi has become the world’s most-followed leader on which social media with more

than 30 million followers? Instagram 779) “Protect Birds, be the Solution to Plastic

Pollution” is the theme of which International Day? World Migratory Bird Day

780) Which Indian won his maiden BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Tour title by winning the Dutch Open men's singles at Almere in the Netherlands: Lakshya Sen

781) Name the 22 year old star US gymnast broke the all-time record for most medals by any gymnast (male or female) at the world championships by securing 25 of them: Simone Biles

782) R Praggnanandhaa, the 14-year-old Grand Master from Chennai won the gold in the U-18 Open category in:World Youth Chess Championships

783) Name the great Indian Nun who was canonised as Saint by the Pope Francis: Mariam Thresia

784) People of Netherlands are popularly known by which name? Dutch

785) Name the star Indian athlete who created a new national record in the women's 100m race: Dutee Chand

786) Who was declared best female athlete at the 59th National Open Athletics Championships?Dutee Chand

787) Who was declared best male athlete at the 59th National Open Athletics Championships? Tejinderpal Singh Toor (Shot Put)

788) Which athlete created world history by finishing a marathon in less than two hours’ time? Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya

789) Which ministry launched the mobile app ‘mHariyali’ to promote plantation of trees: Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

790) The second edition of Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) of the navies was conducted between navies of which two countries? India and Bangladesh

791) Who is the present Chief of Indian Navy? Admiral Karambir Singh

792) Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in which city on October 11 for a two-day visit to India: Chennai

793) Chinese President held the informal summit with PM Modi at which heritage city?Mamallapuram

794) What is the name of the China's currency: Renminbi

795) National Voluntary Blood Donation Day is


observed on which date? October 1 796) Which international day aims to help raise

awareness of the benefits of eggs and their importance in human nutrition: The World Egg Day

797) Which day is observed globally to highlight the challenges faced by girls worldwide: International Day of Girl Child

798) International Day of Girl Child is observed on which date? October 11

799) Which UN agency has become the first UN organisation to allow transactions in cryptocurrency? UNICEF

800) Which Arabian country has recently allowed recruitment of women in its armed forces? Saudi Arabia

801) Which Nobel Prize this year had its 100th delivery? Peace Prize

802) Abiy Ahmed Ali was selected for the prestigious prize for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation. He is Prime Minister of which country? Ethiopia

803) Who decides the winner of Nobel peace prize? Afive member Nobel committee appointed by the Parliament of Norway

804) A team of astronomers from USA discovered 20 previously unknown moons of which planet? Saturn

805) After this discovery, which planet now has largest number of moons-82? Saturn

806) Saturn planet is predominantly composed of which two gasses? Hydrogen and Helium

807) Which Nobel Prize has been announced this year for 2018 also? Literature

808) Who is the winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in literature? Olga Tokarczuk, Poland

809) The 2019 Nobel prize for literature has been won by which Austrian author? Peter Handke

810) Which authority decides the Nobel Prize in literature? The Swedish Academy, Stockholm

811) The Union Cabinet has approved proposal to double the honorariums for ASHA workers to Rs.2000/pm. Expand the acronym ASHA: Accredited Social Health Activists

812) What is the name of the first ever national digital platform and app launched on oral health information?E-Dantseva

813) Which UN agency supports the celebrations of

theWorld Mental Health Day on October 10? WHO- World Health Organisation

814) Where are the headquarters of WHO: Geneva, Switzerland

815) Antonio Costa has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of which European country? Portugal

816) Who became the first Indian female cricketer to complete more than 20 years in international cricket?Mithali Raj

817) RBI has given its final nod to which state to form its own bank by merging existing district co-op. banks? Kerala

818) India slipped to which place in Global Competitiveness Index 2019, down 10 places from its rank in 2018? 68th

819) Which country topped the Global Competitiveness Index 2019? Singapore

820) Atal Innovation Mission and NITI Aayog joined hands with which UN agency to launch “Youth Co:Lab” programme? United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

821) What is the objective of the “Youth Co:Lab” programme? Toaccelerate social entrepreneurship and innovation in young Indians

822) Central Pollution Control Board joined hands with which municipal corporation to set up the country’s first e-waste clinic? Bhopal (MP)

823) Which global IT giant has agreed to promote the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana? Google

824) Japan’s __________ won the China Open Tennis tournament held in Beijing, China: Naomi Osaka

825) Which Indian organization launched a special logo to indicate “Trans Fat Free” food items? The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

826) A joint military exercise named KAZIND-2019 was held between India and which other country? Kazakhstan

827) The KAZIND-2019 exercise was held in which district of Uttarakhand? Pithoragarh

828) With which country India conducted the Nomadic Elephant–XIV military exercise: Mongolia

829) The govt launched the National e-Assessment Scheme for what purpose? To eliminate human interface between income taxpayers and assessing officers

830) Which popular daily English newspaper of


western India stopped its print edition and shifted to digital version? DNA-Daily News Analysis

831) Which UN agency hosted the first celebrations of the World Cotton Day on October 09? World Trade Organisation (WTO)(Headquarters-Geneva)

832) Scientists John Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for their work in development of_________?Lithium ion battery

833) Which authority in Sweden decides the winner of Nobel Prize for Physics and Chemistry: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm

834) How many scientists shared this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine? Three

835) The Nobel Prize in Physiology 2019 has been awarded for research in which field? How cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability

836) The Indian Air Force, IAF celebrated its____ anniversary on Oct 8? 87th

837) What is the motto of the Indian Air Force? NabhaḥSpr ̥śhaṁDīptam (Touch the sky withglory)

838) The govt approved a four-fold increase in the monetary assistance provided to the next of kin of all battle casualties, from Rs 2 lakh to ____: 8lakh

839) The National Basketball Association (NBA) of USA brought to India the first-ever Floating Basketball Court in which place? In the Arabian Sea near Mumbai

840) _____ of India created three world records at the World Powerlifting Championship in Berlin, Germany: Surender Singh

841) Supreme Court has ruled that road traffic offences can also be prosecuted under ________ , apart from the Motor Vehicles Act: Indian Penal Code (IPC)

842) The World Teachers Day is observed on which day of October: 5th

843) The second Vande Bharat Express train started its run on which route from 5th October? Delhi-Katra route

844) The first Vande Bharat Express runs between Delhi and which other station: Varanasi

845) Govt. has appointed Surjit Bhalla, senior economist as Executive Director of which international organization? IMF

846) Who has been appointed as the MD and CEO of

the Punjab National Bank: S SMallikarjunan Rao 847) What is the name of China's recently launched

intercontinental ballistic missile, touted to be the most powerful missile? Dongfeng-41 (DF-41)

848) Which is the official body that decides the changes in the key policy rates of RBI? Monetary Policy Committee

849) Under Swachh Rail, Swacch Bharat cleanliness assessment 2019, carried out by the Ministry of Railways, which railway station topped in cleanliness: Jaipur

850) Government has renamed New Delhi-Ludhiana Intercity Express as ___________ to commemorate the 550th birthday of Guru Nanak Dev. Sarbat Da Bhala Express

851) Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, October 02, is observed as which International Day across the world: International Day of Non-Violence

852) Which day is observed every year with UN support to highlight the important contribution that older people make to society? October 1: International Day of Older Persons

853) Which neighbouring country of India celebrated on Oct 01 its 70th anniversary of its founding: China

854) President conferred The VayoshreshthaSamman 2019 on October 03. This award is given to which category of persons? Eminent Senior Citizens

855) Kallie Puri was honoured in British Parliament as "India’s Most Powerful Women in Media". Who is she? Vice-Chairperson of the India Today Group

856) October1 is celebrated to promote the popularity of which beverage? Coffee

857) Which day is celebrated annually to raise awareness about rabies prevention: World Rabies Day, September 28

858) Name the great scientist who developed the first Rabies vaccine? Louis Pasteur

859) As per the School Education Quality Index released by the Niti Aayog, which state was ranked at No. 1? Kerala

860) As per the School Education Quality Index released by the Niti Aayog, which UT was ranked at No. 1? Chandigarh

861) Which Indian Bank opened its office in Melbourne, becoming the first Indian bank to have a branch in the Australian state of Victoria?


State Bank of India

862) NASA and the International Astronomical Union named a minor planet after a great Indian classical singer. Who is he? Pandit Jasraj

863) Which Indian wrestler was ranked number one in 86 kg category in the latest rankings issued by the International Wrestling Federation? Deepak Punia

864) India was ranked _______ in the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2019 for 63 countries: 44th

865) Which country topped the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2019: USA

SEPTEMBER 2019 866) Name the joint maritime exercise that was held by

navies of India, US and Japan, off the coast of Japan from Sept 27 to Oct 4: Malabar

867) Name the winner of this year's SASTRA Ramanujan Prize: Adam Harper, England

868) World Rivers Day is observed on which Sunday of September? 4th

869) Which international day promotes preventative measures to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs): World Heart Day, Sept 29

870) What is the theme for this year's World Tourism Day celebrated on September 27: Tourism and Jobs: A Better Future for All

871) What is the name of the civilian award to be given for promoting unity and integrity of India? Sardar Patel Unity Award

872) Name the noted economist from Bulgaria who has been selected as the new head of the IMF: Kristalina Georgieva

873) ________ has become the first state to distribute the highest number of golden cards under Ayushman Bharat: J & K

874) The Indian Navy’s biggest dry dock with capacityto accommodate an aircraft carrier was inaugurated recently at which place: Mumbai

875) Name the veteran actor honoured with this year's Dada Saheb Phalke award: Amitabh Bachchan

876) What is the amount of cash prize given in the Dada Saheb Phalke award? Rs. 10 lakh

877) Who won 2019 FIFA best player women's award? Megan Rapinoe of USA

878) Who won 2019 FIFA best player men's award? Lionel Messi

879) Govt launched a new health initiative named ‘UMMID’ for what purpose? to tackle inherited genetic diseases of newborn babies

880) What is the full form of UMMID? Unique Methods of Management and treatment of

Inherited Disorders 881) "Howdy Modi" programme was held at which

place in Houston, USA? NRG Stadium 882) Name the world's oldest travel firm that collapsed

(declared bankrupt) on Sep 23, stranding hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers around the globe: Thomas Cook UK

883) Which film was selected as India’s official entry in the International Feature Film category at the 92nd Academy Awards (Oscars)? Gully Boy

884) Who is the director of the film Gully Boy? Zoya Akhtar

885) Which apex energy giant plans to set up a 5-gigawatt solar park in Gujarat, the largest in the country? National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC)

886) The International Day of Peace is observed around the world on which date? September 21

887) What is the theme of this year’s International Day of Peace? Climate Action for Peace

888) The Union home ministry plans to set up country’s first central police university in which city? Greater Noida, UP

889) Which International Day is observed on September 18 to highlight promotion and conservation of bamboo industry? World Bamboo Day

890) ‘LoktantraKeSwar’&The Republican Ethic, both the books are a compilation of speeches of which Indian statesman? President Ram Nath Kovind

891) The 25th Senior Women’s National Football Championship was held in which city? Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh

892) In a major bonanza for corporates as part of measures to promote growth and investment, Finance Minister announced to slash corporate tax rate from 30 percent to ______ percent for domestic companies :22

893) Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman of Railway Board was honoured with the Eminent Engineers Award on which special occasion? 52nd Engineers’ Day

894) Name the American breast cancer survivor who became the first person to swim across the English Channel four times in a non-stop 54-hour feat of endurance? Sarah Thomas

895) South Asia’s tallest tower, standing 350 meter high, was thrown open to public in Colombo, Sri Lanka. What is it’s name? ‘Lotus Tower’

896) What is the name of the mascot of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics? Bing DwenDwen

897) The mascot Bing DwenDwen has been created based on which animal? A chubby giant Panda

898) Who will be the next chief of Indian Air force wef Sep 30, 2019 in the rank of Air Chief Marshal? Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria

899) Who became India's first female military diplomat


to be posted in any of the Indian missions abroad? Wing Commander Anjali Singh

900) Who is the current President of the World Bank? David Malpass

901) India formally launched an initiative to fund 1,000 scholars from which group of countries to pursue PhD at its 23 IITs? ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

902) Who won the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Best Director award for the film Andhadhun? Sriram Raghavan

903) Which film won the IIFA award for the best film? Raazi by Meghna Gulzar

904) What is the approved strength of the judges (including Chief Justice) in the Supreme Court? 34

905) Finance Minister recently announced that the government has decided to put a complete ban on which type of cigarettes? E-cigarettes

906) Country wise, the _____ is home to the largest number of migrants (5.1 crore): USA

907) Which state launched the MukhyamantriSeva Sankalp Helpline number ‘1100’ to provide timely help to the residents of the state? Himachal Pradesh

908) What is the full form of “NIRVIK”, export credit insurance scheme ?Niryat Rin Vikas Yojana

909) India’s first National Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Hub was inaugurated in which city? Kolkata

910) Mayank Vaidhas become the first Indian origin person to complete which triathlon in a new record time? Enduroman

911) What are the three physical activities included in the Enduroman triathlon? Running, Swimming and Cycling

912) Name the film that became the only Indian film to feature in “The Guardian” list of the 100 Best Films of the 21st century: Gangs of Wasseypur

913) Who is the director of the film “Gangs of Wasseypur”? Anurag Kashyap

914) Name the country's official mapping agency that has decided to use, for the first time, drones to map the country: Survey of India

915) The World Ozone Day is observed on which day of September? 16 September

916) What is the theme for this year’s World Ozone Day? 32 Years and Healing

917) Name the star Indian cueist who clinched a record 22nd world title by winning the IBSF World Billiards Championship? Pankaj Advani

918) Which apex Indian broadcasting organization celebrated on September 15 it’s 60 years of existence? Doordarshan

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