gyanm general awareness_june_2016

GENERAL AWARENESS – JUNE 2016 1

GENERAL AWARENESS

JUNE 2016 Vol. 4, Issue 12

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

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

Contents

CURRENT AFFAIRS FEB TO APRIL 2016 01-37

BULLET NEWS NOV 2015 TO JAN 2016 38-60

LATEST 100 GK MCQs 61-65

SSC CORNER 67-71 SBI - CLERK (PRELIM) MODEL TEST PAPER 72-80

FOUR MONTHS GK BYTES 81-100

FIGURES TO REMEMBER

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

7.00%

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

9.30 to 9.70%

INDIA’s RANK IN

World Press Freedom Index 133rd

Rank in Manufacturing Countries 6th

World Happiness Index 118th

Intellectual Property Index -2016 37th

Overall Growth Prospectus 5th

Global Talent Competitiveness Index 89th

Nuclear Security Index 21st

Ease of Doing Business (Forbes) 97th

Human Development Index 130th ICT Development Index 131st Rank in Brand Value 7th Legatum Prosperity Index 99th Global Terrorism Index 06th Financial Secrecy Index 45th Ease of Doing Business (World Bank) 130th Number of Startups 03rd Global Competitiveness Index, WEF 55th Protection of Minority Investors 08th

NATIONAL NEWS

APRIL 2016

AMBEDKAR JAYANTI AT UNO For the first time, United Nations observed the birth anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar on April 14 at its headquarters in New York. It was organised by Permanent Mission of India to the UN in association with the Kalpana Saroj Foundation and Foundation for Human Horizon to focus on the empowerment and inclusion of excluded groups, reform of labour laws, and promotion of education for all. INDIA TOPS IN ATTRACTING FDI As per a report by The Financial Times Limited, India was the highest-ranked country in terms of attracting FDI, receiving $ 63 billion worth of FDI projects in 2015. India is closely followed by USA and China. INDIA PLACED 6th IN MANUFACTURING India has been ranked sixth among the world's Top-Ten largest manufacturing countries. Previously, India was 9th rank in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) report. China tops the list followed by US, Japan, Germany and Korea. Indonesia was at the bottom. ‘AADHAAR’ CROSSES HUNDRED CRORE MARK The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has generated 100 crore Aadhaar numbers, touching a “historic” milestone in a span of five-and-a-half years. Aadhaar is now the largest digital platform in the world for good governance and transparent delivery of services of subsidies and services. INDIA GETS FIRST LOAN FROM NDB The newly started development bank by the global group BRICS, New Development Bank – NDB has started giving loans. India is among the first four countries to get a loan. The $ 250 million loan will be routed through the Canara Bank for a renewable energy project. INDIA HOLDS MARITIME SUMMIT The First Maritime India Summit was held in Goregaon, Mumbai, from April 14 to 16 to focus on port based economic growth of the country. India has a coastline of over 7500 kms that offers vast opportunities for growth oriented investment.


RAJYA SABHA GETS 6 NEW MEMBERS President nominated the six personalities from different fields to the Rajya Sabha (House of Elders) following the recommendations of the Central government. The six persons include BJP leaders Subramanian Swamy and Navjot Singh Sidhu and Narendra Jadhav, Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi, journalist Swapan Dasgupta and boxer Mary Kom. President is empowered to nominate 12 prominent persons from various walks of life to the Rajya Sabha. GERMANY TO HELP IN ‘NAMAMI GANGE’

India has joined hands with Germany to attain pristine status of Ganga by adopting river basin management strategies used for cleansing German rivers like Rhine and Danube, under the Indian mission ‘Namami Gange’. INDIA SIGNS PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT India signed the historic Paris Climate Agreement at United Nations in New York on April 22, along with 175 nations, marking a significant step ahead for combating global warming. In the agreement, all countries agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius. APEX COURT ALLOWS NEET The Supreme Court has allowed the holding of the National Eligibility Entrance Test, NEET for medical courses across the country. The top court set aside its 2013 order by which the common entrance test for admissions to MBBS, BDS and PG courses in all medical colleges was quashed. W B LOAN FOR SWACHH BHARAT MISSION

World Bank has agreed to provide a $1.5 billion loan for the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). SBM is the country's largest-ever campaign to improve sanitation. It aims to end open defecation and improve the management of liquid and solid wastes.

TOP EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES OF INDIA The HRD ministry released first-of-its-kind National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for ranking the higher education institutions in the country. Results of the rankings are:

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

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

Best University: The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

Top Pharmacy Institute: Manipal College of Pharma-ceutical Sciences, Manipal MODI NOT IN WORLD TOP 100 RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, tennis star Sania Mirza, actress Priyanka Chopra and founders of Flipkart Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal are the Indians that have been named by Time magazine in its list of the '100 Most Influential People in the World'. Surprisingly, Mr Modi does not figure in the list. INDIA SUFFERS HIGH TROJAN ATTACK As per a report from the security solutions firm Symantec, India ranks third among countries with high number of financial Trojan infections, where cybercriminals defraud customers of online banking services. Globally, the financial sector was the highest targeted sector in January with 40.2 per cent of all spear-phishing attacks. INDIA NOT SAFE FOR JOURNALISTS A study of 180 countries by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders to study the functioning of journalists has placed India at a lowly 133rdplace.

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MARCH 2016

INDIA TO HOST 8TH BRICS SUMMIT India will host the eighth annual summit of BRICS from October 15-16 in Goa, in its capacity as chair of the influential bloc comprising five countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. The logo for the summit is a lotus with colours from all the five member-countries and a traditional ‘namaste’ in the centre. MODI GOES FOR A THREE COUNTRY TRIP Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for a three - nation tour to Belgium, the US and Saudi Arabia from March 30 to April 2. He attended India-EU summit in Brussels. In USA, he attended the fourth Nuclear Security Summit in Washington D.C. Before returning to India, he stopped in Saudi Arabia to hold talks with their leaders. WORLD CULTURE FESTIVAL AT YAMUNA BANK The first World Culture Festival, a three-day event celebrating cultural diversity and Art of Living's 35 years of service to humanity, was held on Yamuna bank in New Delhi on March 11-13. Over 36,000 artists from 155 countries took part in the event. The Art of Living is a global spiritual movement founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

NEW SHIPPING SERVICE TO BANGLADESH A new beginning was made in maritime trade and bilateral cooperation between India and Bangladesh with the launch of direct shipping service between Krishnapatnam in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh and Chittagong in Bangladesh. The new service will lower the transportation cost thereby boosting the exports.

COURT ALLOWS PHOTOS OF LEADERS IN ADs Supreme Court has now allowed use of pictures of Chief Ministers, Governors and Cabinet ministers in the government's media advertisements. Earlier, in May 2015, court had imposed a ban on publishing such photos treating it as misuse of public funds. WORLD’s LONGEST ALL WOMEN FLIGHT Air India on March 6 flew the “world’s longest” all-women operated and supported flight, nonstop, from New Delhi to San Francisco, USA. The flight covered a distance of around 14,500 km in close to 17 hours. It was operated as part of International Women’s Day celebrations.

FOREIGN MINISTRY HOLDS RAISINA DIALOGUE The Raisina Dialogue, a joint initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs and a leading think tank, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi on March 2. The summit is seen as India’s flagship conference of geopolitics and geo-economics, designed to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration.

PAK BETTER THAN INDIA IN HAPPINESS When it comes to happiness quotient, India lags behind neighbors like China, Pakistan and Bangladesh, ranking 118th in a study of 156 nations, according to The World Happiness Report 2016, prepared on behalf of the United Nations. Denmark takes the top spot displacing Switzerland. The report takes into account GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support and freedom to make life choices as indicators of happiness.


IMF TRAINING CENTRE IN DELHI

India and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) have signed an agreement to set up a South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Centre (SARTTAC) in Delhi for training officials in dealing with macro-economic and financial issues on behalf of IMF. INDIAN WOMEN LAG BEHIND IN BUSINESS As per the Grant Thornton’s Women in Business 2016 report of 36 countries, Russia held the top spot with 45 percent of senior-business roles occupied by women; and Japan held the lowest spot at 7%. India faired very poorly in this regard, being ranked at a lowly 34th spot. BANGALORE, MUMBAI ARE MOST INEXPENSIVE In a list compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit that compares the cost of a basket of goods in 133 cities across the world, the cheapest were Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, followed by Bengaluru and Mumbai in India. Singapore is most expensive, followed by Zurich, Hong Kong, Geneva and Paris. INDIA DISAPPOINTS IN ENERGY SECTOR Global Energy Architecture Performance Index compiled by the WEF for 126 countries to assess their ability to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy, placed India pretty low at 90th rank. Top rank was secured by Switzerland followed by Norway.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEBRUARY 2016

ABU DHABI PRINCE VISITS INDIA

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India. The two countries signed nine agreements covering cooperation in the fields of currency swap, culture, and investments in the infrastructure sector, renewable energy, space research, insurance supervision, cyber security, skill development and commercial information sharing. MYSURU IS THE CLEANEST CITY Swachh Survekshan-2016 conducted by the Quality Council of India to rank the Indian cities on the basis of cleanliness has ranked Mysuru at number one, followed by Chandigarh and Tiruchirapalli. The least clean cities included Dhanbad (Jharkhand), Asansol (West Bengal). Among the cities in the Smart City Mission, Bhubaneswar has emerged as the top.


ANSARI VISITS BRUNEI, THAILAND Vice President Hamid Ansari paid a five day (Feb 1-5) visit to South East Asia covering Brunei and Thailand to boost the bilateral relations and trade prospects. Agreements were signed with Brunei in the fields of defence, health and sports. NATIONAL AROGYA FAIR HELD IN DEHRADUN

The 4-day National Arogya Fair organised by the central and state government in collaboration with CII was held in Dehradun, Uttarakhand to showcase and promote the strengths, efficacy and affordability of the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) systems of medicines. Rs.580 CRORE FOR BANGLA RAIL LINK The Indian government has finally sanctioned Rs.580 crore for the vital Agartala (India)-Akhaura (Bangladesh) rail link, a project that was finalized in January 2010. This project will reduce rail distance between Kolkata and Agartala from 1700 kms (via chicken neck) at present to 350 kms. NATIONAL DEWORMING DAY–FEB 10 India observed the first National Deworming Day on Feb 10 in schools and preschools (anganwadis) to combat parasitic worm infections among children. Free Albendezole deworming tablets were provided to children across the country. INDIA ASEAN HOLD DELHI DIALOGUE The eighth Delhi Dialogue was held in New Delhi to discuss politico-security, economic and socio-cultural engagement between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India. The theme for this year's dialogue is ASEAN-India Relations: A New Paradigm. COINS IN MEMORY OF LAJPAT RAI

Ministry of Culture released a commemorative coin of 150 rupees and a circulation coin of 10 rupees on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of great freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai.

ROAD TO RESILIENCE PROGRAMME The Road to Resilience, an initiative of the World Bank to survey the entire Indian coastline was completed on 15 February 2016. It aims to implement support for six coastal disaster management and climate resilience projects covering all ten coastal states of India. 3 INDIANS IN TOP 50 RICHEST IN WORLD Three Indians — Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Group), Azim Premji (Wipro) and Dilip Shanghvi (Sun Pharma) —have made it to a global list of 50 wealthiest people at 27th, 43rd and 44th place, respectively. The list compiled by Wealth-X in collaboration with Business Insider is topped by Bill Gates. JNU STIRRED BY ANTI NATIONAL SLOGANS Nation’s prestigious university caught attention of intellectuals around the world, although for non academic reasons. A group of students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi staged a demonstration and raised anti national slogans leading to arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar, President of JNU students union and two other student leaders on charges of sedition. The issue raised a storm in the country with different groups favouring and opposing the charge of sedition against the students. INDIA HAS 111 BILLIONAIRES The total number of billionaires from India has risen to 111, consolidating the country's third position after China and the US, according to Hurun Global Rich List 2016. The list is topped by Bill Gates while Mukesh Ambani is the richest Indian at 21st rank. GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT IN INDIA

Birdwatchers from all over India took part in four day annual Great Backyard Bird Count and shared the information online. With more than 7,000 lists, totaling 735 species, India has second rank in world. House crow, common myna, Asian koel and black drongo were the most common species reported in India.

INDIA VERY POOR IN PROTECTING IPR In a survey of top 38 countries to assess the protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), India ranked 37th on the 2016 Intellectual Property Index released by the Global Intellectual Property Centre, USA. The top rank was secured by USA, followed closely by UK, Germany and France while Venezuela was ranked last – 38th.


ANTI-LEPROSY DAY–30TH JANUARY

Anti-Leprosy Day was observed on 30 January nationwide in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, who attained martyrdom on 30 January 1948, to honour his selfless efforts to care for the people affected by this infectious disease.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NEWS FROM STATES

APRIL 2016

EDUCATION BAR FOR ULB SEATS Any male person desiring to contest for Urban Local Bodies in Haryana will now have to be matriculate and have a functional toilet at home while a woman and a S C candidate will be required to be at least 8th standard pass. Minimum educational qualification for SC women candidates will be 5th standard pass. HOUSING SCHEME FOR WIDOWS Jharkhand govt launched the Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for construction of houses for widows. The beneficiaries will get Rs 75,000 support for constructing houses in hilly areas and Rs. 70,000 in plain areas. WORLD RECORD: PLANTING 208751 SAPLINGS Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd., a subsidiary of the global mining giant Vedanta Resources, has set the Guinness World Record for planting 2,08,751 saplings at a single location in less than an hour, around their plant in Mansa, Punjab. The Uttar Pradesh government has directed all the

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


MARCH 2016

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

launch the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine as a public health programme for school children. The HPV vaccine protects people against the

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

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

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

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

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

FEBRUARY 2016

HARYANA SINGED BY JAT AGITATION Prosperous state of Haryana suffered big loss due to widespread violent agitation by its Jat community demanding reservation for Jats in government jobs. The stir claimed around 30 lives, leaving over 300 as injured. The Supreme Court had rejected inclusion of Jats into the Central OBC list on ground that National Commission of Backward Castes does not consider them socially and economically backward in Haryana. LONGEST RAIL BRIDGE TO COME UP AT KATNI Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved construction of India’s longest railway bridge on Katni – Bina route in Madhya Pradesh. This 14 kms long bridge is three and half folds longer than the present longest Vembanad rail Bridge 4.6 Km in length, in Kerala. VARANASI HAS WORST AIR QUALITY

Central Pollution Control Board released its National Air Quality Indices (NAQI) for 24 cities. The index has a colour code and a numerical value to help in comparing pollution levels in different cities. Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Muzzafarpur in Bihar topped the list for the worst air quality.


HARYANA TO CONDUCT AQUIFER MAPPING Haryana to become the first state in the country to have aquifer mapping done for its groundwater resources by May 2016. An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing rock, from which groundwater can be extracted.

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

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

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

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

APRIL 2016

PROGRAMME FOR VILLAGE UPLIFTMENT

The ‘Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan’ (Village Self Governance Campaign) was launched on April 14, the 125th Birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages, empowerment of women and upliftment of farmers. The campaign concluded on April 24. 25 MINISTRIES JOIN IMPRINT INITIATIVE 25 Ministries and Departments of the Union Government signed a MoU to join IMPacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) initiative. It was launched on 5 November 2015 to establish a single window mechanism to shortlist research projects by leading research and technology institutes. 'VIDYUT PRAVAH' FOR 24X7 POWER SUPPLY Govt has launched the mobile application 'Vidyut Pravah' to empower common people to demand 24x7 power from the State. The app will provide the highlights of the electricity availability in the country on the real time basis.

INDIA’s FIRST SEMI-HIGH SPEED TRAIN

The Nizamuddin-Agra Gatimaan Express that started on April 5 is the first semi-high speed train in India. It will run at a speed of 160 kilometer per hour and is expected to cover the 200 km distance between Delhi and Agra in 100 minutes. COMMITTEE FOR DOUBLING OF FARM INCOMES Govt has set up a committee headed by Ashok Dalwai, Additional Secretary at the Agriculture Ministry to suggest ways to double farm incomes by 2022. The committee will focus on finding the means for enhancing productivity and reducing costs of cultivation. STAND-UP INDIA LOAN SCHEME LAUNCHED Govt has launched the Stand-up India scheme to give a push to financial inclusion programme. Under the scheme, 1.25 lakh bank branches will provide loans up to 1 crore rupees to SC/ST and women entrepreneurs. The scheme will help in creating 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs as every bank branch will be required to provide two such loans ranging from 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore without collateral, for setting up a new enterprise. 3RD PHASE OF ‘MISSION INDRADHANUSH’ The Union Health Ministry launched third phase of universal vaccination programme Mission Indradhanush to cover 216 districts across several States including Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Under the mission, the children are vaccinated against seven preventable diseases. ‘PANIC BUTTON’ MUST FOR MOBILE PHONES In a bid to improve women security, the government has made it mandatory that no mobile can be sold in India without an in-built panic button, starting January 1, 2017. Besides, in-built GPS navigation system would be mandatory for all phones with effect from January 1, 2018. RULES FOR PREVENTION OF ATROCITIES Union Government notified the Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) (Prevention of Atrocities (PoA)) Amendment Rules, 2016 to enlarge scope of rules to cover several more violations against SC/ST persons as cognizable offences.


E- MARKET LAUNCHED FOR FARM PRODUCE

To facilitate online trading of commodities in 21 markets from 8 states, an E-National Agriculture Market was launched on April 14, 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar. The eight states are Haryana, UP, MP, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, HP and Telangana. INDIA TO JOIN ‘SAWEN’ Union cabinet has approved India’s formal membership of the regional group Sawen. SAWEN (South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network) is a regional network comprising of eight countries in South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka for combating wildlife crime and illegal trade in the region. ISBN PORTAL LAUNCHED The Union HRD Minster Smriti Irani launched a portal for registration and allotment of International Standard Book Number (ISBN) at a function held in New Delhi. The portal will facilitate publishers and authors to register for ISBN online. It is a 13 character identification number allotted by International ISBN Agency based in UK. GOVT LAUNCHES ‘ANMOL’ AND ‘E-RAKTKOSH Govt has launched a tablet-based application ‘ANMOL’ that allows ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) to enter and update data for the beneficiaries. Another web-based mechanism launched is ‘E-RaktKosh’ that interconnects all the Blood Banks of the State into a single network. I P PORTAL LAUNCHED FOR SMEs The government has launched a portal ‘The Indian IP Panorama’ which will act as a single window interface for information on intellectual property and provide guidance on leveraging it for competitive advantage. It is a customised version of IP Panorama Multimedia toolkit, developed by World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The Indian IP Panorama has 5 modules: (i) Importance of IP for SMEs, (ii) Trademark, (iii) Industrial design, (iv) Invention and Patent and (v) Patent Information.

Govt has launched its first online interactive heritage portal Sahapedia to serve as one point resource for collaborative knowledge on the arts, culture and heritage of India.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MARCH 2016

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

‘SETUBHARTAM’ - CROSSING FREE HIGHWAYS

Govt has launched the Setubharatam project on Mar 4 to make all national highways free of railway crossings by 2019. Some 208 such points have been identified for construction of rail over-bridges or underpasses.


NEW COLOUR SCHEME FOR POLLUTION LEVELS

Govt has launched the new four colour scheme for re-classification of industries based on the Pollution Index (PI) scores.

Pollution Category P I Score No. of industries covered

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

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

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

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

‘UJALA’ SCHEME FOR LED BULBS

Govt has announced the ‘UJALA' scheme for the LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme, which is currently running successfully in over 120 cities across India to replace incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. UJALA is an acronym for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All.

WOMEN CONQUER ITBP FORTE ALSO Government has allowed women to be inducted as officers in combat roles in the Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBP), the last paramilitary force to do so. The four other paramilitary forces – CRPF, CISF, BSF and SSB have already been allowed to recruit women officers in the combat roles. BRIGHT DAYS AHEAD FOR HOUSE BUYERS The Rajya Sabha passed the landmark Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 on March 10 to address corruption and inefficiency in the sector. The bill aims to protect house buyers from the widely prevalent opaque and fraudulent practices in the real estate sector. Lok sabha has already passed this bill. PRADHAN MANTRI UJWALA YOJANA

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

Each ATM will be manned by a multipurpose public health worker (MPHW) or an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) armed with a multi-parameter patient vital monitor and other devices required for checking basic health parameters. AADHAAR BILL PASSED BY PARLIAMENT The Aadhaar (Target Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016 has been passed by the Parliament to provide a legal back up to the usage of Aadhaar card for various social welfare schemes. It will empower the states to distribute resources to deserving people and save the resources that undeserving people get


UNIVERSITIES TO HAVE WEB PAGE FOR SC/ST The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked varsities and colleges across the country to launch a special page on their websites for checking discrimination against SC/ST students. The move comes amidst the debate on the issue of alleged discrimination in higher educational institutions in the aftermath of Rohith Vemula's suicide at Hyderabad Central University. UNRESERVED TICKET VALID FOR 3 HOURS As per new rules, from March 1, an unreserved train ticket for travelling up to 199 kms will no longer be valid after 3 hrs of purchase of the ticket, or up to the departure of first train for the destination, whichever is later. ENEMY PROPERTY ACT, 1968 AMENDED Lok Sabha passed a bill to amend the Enemy Property Act, 1968. The properties covered by the Bill are those left behind by people who became Chinese or Pakistani nationals, after leaving India in the wake of wars fought with these countries. The new bill also ensures that the law of succession does not apply to enemy property.

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

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

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

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

FEBRUARY 2016

20 SMART CITIES ANNOUNCED Central government has announced the names of the first 20 urban areas that will be developed as smart cities. The selected cities will be equipped with basic infrastructure, efficient urban mobility and public transport, IT connectivity and e-governance mechanisms. The 20 selected cities are from 11 states and UT of Delhi. 1. Bhubaneswar 2. Pune 3. Jaipur 4. Surat 5. Kochi 6. Ahmedabad 7. Jabalpur 8. Vishakapatnam 9. Sholapur 10. Davangere 11. Indore 12. New Delhi 13. Coimbatore 14. Kakinada 15. Belagavi 16. Udaipur 17. Guwahati 18. Chennai 19. Ludhiana 20. Bhopal

RURBAN MISSION LAUNCHED IN DONGARGARH

The ambitious Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban (rural-urban) Mission was launched from Chhattisgarh's Dongargarh block. It aims to draw an investment of over Rs 5,000 crore in three years to transform rural areas to economically, socially and physically sustainable spaces aimed at minimising rural migration to cities through skill development programmes. GOVT TO SET UP AIM AND SETU The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Self Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) in NITI Aayog to encourage innovations and entrepreneurship in the country. APP LAUNCHED FOR CLEAN TOURIST CENTERS Ministry of Tourism has launched a mobile app ‘Swachh Paryatan’ to facilitate the public to communicate their complaints about any unclean area/garbage piles in and around 25 listed prime tourist destinations. E-TOURIST VISA FOR 37 MORE COUNTRIES Govt has decided to extend E-Tourist visa facility to 37 more countries from Feb 26, making the total count of countries under the scheme 150. The new countries include Austria, Brunei, Denmark, Greece, South Africa, Switzerland and Tajikistan.


EPFO COVERAGE FOR 10 WORKER UNITS

The Union Labour Ministry has decided to halve the threshold for coverage of firms under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) from 20 at present to 10 workers. This will benefit over 50 lakh workers.

YOU TUBE CHANNEL FOR FINANCE MINISTRY Finance Ministry has launched its official YouTube channel with a view to disseminate information to the public on a real-time basis. The channel showcases videos featuring schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, Insurance schemes, among several others.

PROJECT SUNRISE LAUNCHED TO FIGHT AIDS Government has launched Project Sunrise for prevention of AIDS in the 20 districts of eight North-Eastern states. The project seeks to improve interventions against human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) among people who inject drugs (PWID).

24x7 TOLL FREE TOURIST INFOLINE Union Ministry of Tourism has launched the 24x7 Toll Free Tourist Infoline in 12 International Languages including Hindi and English in New Delhi. It will assist the callers, particularly those who know little about India, with advice on action to be taken during times of distress while travelling in India to ensure a hassle free comfortable journey.

TATA TO HEAD RAIL RESEARCH TEAM Government plans to set up a dedicated, cross functional team called Special Unit for Transportation Research and Analytics (Sutra) headed by veteran industrialist Ratan Tata for carrying out detailed analytics leading to optimised investment decisions and operations in railways.

NDRF RAISES ‘DOG SQUAD’ In a maiden initiative, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has raised a squad of 162 dogs to aid its personnel in rescuing people trapped under debris in the aftermath of natural calamities like earthquake. India’s first-ever Aviation Park will come up near

Bagodara village in Ahmadabad to strengthen the aviation sector. The park will promote special units to manufacture spare parts for aircrafts.

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

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

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

APRIL 2016

RBI MAINTAINS GROWTH RATE AT 7.6% The Reserve Bank in its first policy review of the year expects the economy to grow by 7.6 per cent in the current fiscal on the back of favourable monsoon, slightly lower than the upper end of government’s projected rate of 7-7.75 per cent. ADB PUTS INDIA’s GROWTH AT 7.6 % With the failure of the government to push through the Goods and Services Tax and the Land and Labour Reforms, the Asian Development Bank has lowered India’s growth forecast to 7.4 per cent from an earlier estimate of 7.6 per cent for the financial year ending March 31, 2017. INDIA POISED TO GROW BY 7.5% - IMF As per the World Economic Outlook report by IMF, India's growth is projected to reach up to 7.5 per cent in 2016-17, overtaking China's GDP by more than 1 per cent. It said, growth will continue to be driven by private consumption, which has benefited from lower energy prices and higher real incomes. FITCH / W B PUT INDIA’s GROWTH AT 7.7% Fitch Ratings expects India to be on the top of global growth ladder, expanding by 7.7 per cent in the current fiscal due to higher disposable income and a likelihood of a normal monsoon. The World Bank also projected India’s growth at 7.7 per cent. “NO BPL POPULATION BY 2032” - KANT In a presentation made by Niti Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant, it was stated that India will achieve growth of 10% by 2032 to become a $10-trillion economy, creating 175 million jobs and leading to zero per cent of Below Poverty Line (BPL) population. IIP MOVES UP BY 2% Factory output measured in terms of the index of industrial production grew by mere 2 per cent in February month. Growth of the core sector comprising of eight infra industries, rose to a 15-month high of 5.7% in February due to sharp pick-up in natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, cement and electricity generation.


TRADE DEFICIT SINKS TO $ 5.07 BILLION According to data released by the Commerce Ministry, exports contracted by 5.47 per cent to $22.71 billion in March. Imports also declined by 21.56 per cent to $27.78 billion, mainly due to fall in crude prices, leaving a trade deficit of $5.07 billion. Trade deficit for the year 2015-16 is now only $118.46 billion as compared to $137.69 billion last year. India's foreign exchange reserves surged by $ 333.7

million to reach a fresh life-time high of $ 360.25 billion in the week ended 15th April.

As per Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman, Niti Aayog, India may achieve 8% growth on the back of satisfactory progress in infrastructure development.

MARCH 2016

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

FEBRUARY 2016

INDIA RECORDS 7.3% GROWTH IN OCT-DEC QR

According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), growth of the Gross Domestic Product is estimated at 7.3% in the October-December 2015 quarter. The economy is projected to record a five-year high growth rate of 7.6% in 2015-16 with consumption supporting growth and manufacturing being a surprise performer.

GDP GROWTH TUNED DOWN TO 7.2% The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has marginally revised downward the GDP growth for 2014-15 to 7.2% from the earlier estimate of 7.3% after factoring in the latest data on agriculture and industrial production. The real GDP or GDP at constant prices (2011-12) for the year 2014-15 stands at Rs 105.52 lakh crore. The per capita Net National Income at current prices is estimated as Rs 79,412 and Rs 86,879, respectively for the years 2013-14 and 2014-15. For 2015-16, the Net National Income at Current Prices is expected to be Rs. 93,231.00 MOODY’s PUTS INDIA’s GROWTH AT 7.5% Moody’s Investors Services has projected that Indian economy will grow at 7.5% in 2016 and 2017 as it is relatively less exposed to external headwinds like China’s slowdown and will benefit from lower commodity prices.

ECONOMY & INDUSTRY

APRIL 2016

INDIA TOPS IN INWARD REMITTANCES

As per a recent World Bank report, India remained the world's largest remittance recipient in 2015 despite experiencing a one billion US dollar drop from the previous year, attracting $69 billion, followed by China at $64 billion.

COMPANIES TO OBSERVE IFRS NORMS Companies with a net worth of Rs 500 crore or more will have to follow new Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) from April 1. The new standards have been converged with the globally followed International Financial Reporting Standards - IFRS. BLACKSTONE ENTERS INDIA In one of the largest private equity deals in the IT industry, Blackstone, the New York based MNC in investment and financial services has signed a deal to buy 60.5 per cent stake in Mphasis, a Bengaluru based IT services major. India has offered to invest up to $20 billion in new

petrochemicals, fertiliser and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Iran and sought land and cheaper natural gas for this.

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

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

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

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

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

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


MARCH 2016

100% FDI ALLOWED IN E-COMMERCE

The government has allowed 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in the marketplace format of e-commerce via the automatic route but not under the inventory led model. This means that companies such as Amazon and Alibaba can set up an online marketplace legally now where sellers can hawk their products. ‘NO’ TO ‘WILLFUL DEFAULTERS’ – SEBI To curb the menace of willful defaulters, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has barred them from making a public issue or acquiring another listed entity. The RBI defines a willful defaulter as an entity that defaults on its payment obligations even if it has the capacity to pay back debts. INDIAN LOCOMOTIVES FOR MYANMAR Railways have signed a contract to supply eighteen Meter Gauge 1350 HP Diesel Electric Locomotives to Myanmar Railways. The engines will be manufactured by the Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi. URIDASHI MASALA BONDS LAUNCHED BY IFC International Finance Corporation (IFC) launched its first Uridashi Masala Bonds (Japanese bonds) to mobilise Rs 30 crore from Japanese retail investors. The proceeds will be used for promoting private sector development in India. Masala bonds are rupee-denominated instruments sold only to foreign investors. INDIA HIKES QUOTA IN IMF The government has decided to invest Rs. 69,575 crore towards increasing India’s quota in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2.44% to 2.75% to have increased voting rights of 2.6% from the previous 2.34%. INDIA’s BIGGEST EVER CREDIT LINE India signed its biggest ever overseas credit line, extending $2 billion loan facility to Bangladesh, repayable over 20 years. Managed by the Exim Bank, the funds will be used for development of infrastructure and social sector.

ALTO FIRST CAR TO CROSS 3 MILLION SALES Maruti’s hatchback Alto has achieved cumulative sales of three million units in the Indian market. It has taken 15 years and 6 months to achieve this record and is the only Indian auto brand to cross this milestone. Around 2.50 lakh Alto are sold annually. MAHINDRA ONLINE TRACTOR RENTING India’s number one tractor producer, Mahindra& Mahindra plans to launch Trringo – a digital app, to start online tractor rental business. It will offer a digital platform to connect those looking to hire tractors and those willing to rent their self-owned machines. CALL DROPS NOT TO EXCEED 2% - S C

The Supreme Court has asked telecom operators to give an undertaking that they have not exceeded the two percent threshold limit of call drops as mandated in the regulations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


FEBRUARY 2016

10,000 Cr FUND FOR ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY

In a bid to kick start manufacturing in the electronics sector, government has launched a Rs. 10,000-crore Electronic Development Fund. It will provide risk capital to companies developing new technologies in electronics, nano-electronics and information technology. ‘MAKE IN INDIA WEEK’ INAUGURATED Prime Minister Mr. Modi inaugurated the Make in India Week on Feb 13 in Mumbai. He told representatives from 68 countries participating in the event that India was blessed with Democracy, Demography, and Demand, and his government has added 4th D – Deregulation, making it a four-dimensional India waiting for foreign investment and manufacturing companies. The week attracted investment commitments of over Rs.15 lakh crore. 15.27 LAKH COMPANIES IN INDIA As per the latest data released by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the total number of companies registered in the country rose to more than 15.27 lakh in January 2016. However, only 10.76 lakh of them were active ones.

G I TAG FOR BASMATI OF 7 STATES The Intellectual Property Appellate Board has directed Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai to issue ‘Geographical Indication’ tag for basmati rice to 7 states in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. These states are Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, parts of Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. This tag will help to preserve the unique identity of India’s aromatic basmati rice in the international market.

FIRST PETROCHEMICAL PLANT IN NORTH EAST Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL) started the Assam Gas Cracker project, the first ever Petrochemical project in entire North East India. The plant at Lepetkata near Dibrugarh, Assam will produce High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Linear Low Density polyethylene (LLDPE) totaling 2, 20,000 Tonnes per Annum (TPA) and 60,000 TPA of Polypropylene (PP) for downstream plastic processing industries.

TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT APPROVED Union Cabinet has approved (TFA) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), becoming 71st country to do so. The TFA seeks to ease customs procedures to boost commerce.

eKYC LAUNCHED FOR MUTUAL FUNDS India’s leading transfer agency for most of the mutual funds-CAMS (Computer Age Management Services) has launched Aadhaar-based eKYC app using OTP (one-time password) authentication to make mutual fund account opening and transactions a paperless and presence less process through the app myCAMS at www.camsonline.com . PARADIP REFINERY STARTS PRODUCTION Indian Oil Corporation’s latest oil refinery in Paradip, Odisha started production of petrol from the Rs. 34,555-crore facility that took over 14 years to complete. The Refinery, largest on the eastern coast, will primarily be producing BS-IV fuels for local consumption and for exports. With this refinery, IOC has now become country’s largest refiner, overtaking Reliance Industries Ltd. TRAI RULES IN FAVOUR OF ‘NET NEUTRALITY’ The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has barred telecom service providers from charging differential rates for data services, effectively prohibiting Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel’s Airtel Zero platform. TRAI said a fine of Rs. 50,000 would be levied per day, subject to a maximum of Rs. 50 lakh, for any violation of these regulations by the service providers. INDIA TO GIVE $150 MN FOR CHABAHAR PORT India has approved a $150 million credit line for the development of Iran’s Chabahar port. The port in southeast Iran will allow direct trade with Iran, avoiding Pakistan and open up a new route to Afghanistan.


INS VIKRANT REBORN AS ‘V’ MOTOR BIKE Bajaj Auto has launched a 150-cc motor bike named ‘V’ that contains metal sourced from India’s first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. The ship was decommissioned in Jan 1997 and was sold as scrap in November 2014.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BANKING & FINANCE

APRIL 2016

REPO RATE LOWERED TO 6.50%

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

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

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

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

MARCH 2016

BANKS TO PAY Q’LY INTEREST ON SB A/Cs RBI has asked banks to pay interest on savings accounts on a quarterly basis or a shorter duration, a move which will benefit crores of savings account holders. At present, the interest is credited in savings bank accounts on a half-yearly basis. Banks are free to decide rate of interest on savings bank accounts. It is calculated on the daily balance basis. SMALL SAVINGS RATES SLASHED The government has reduced interest rates payable on small savings including Public Provident Fund, National Savings Certificate and Kisan Vikas Patra to align them closer to market rates. From 1st of April, PPF and NSC will earn 8.1 per cent and KVP 7.8 per cent. BANKERS MEET ‘GYAN SANGAM’ IN GURGAON The two day meet of public sector banks and insurance companies and other financial institutions with the government officials - Gyan Sangam, was held in Gurgaon, Haryana on March 5-6 to discuss their performance with particular focus on mergers, bad debts (NPAs) and credit growth. It was indicated that the government may go in for the consolidation of banks, led by 6-10 major public sector banks acting as ‘anchor banks’, to strengthen weak banks. ACCOUNT AGGREGATOR NBFCs RBI has come out with a draft regulatory framework for new kind of Account Aggregator Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) which would act as an account aggregator to help people view their accounts across financial institutions in a common format. ICICI BANK STARTS ‘WORK FROM HOME’ Keeping in mind the difficulties faced by the women who very often opt to drop out from the workplace at key life stages, ICICI Bank has announced an initiative called iWork@home that uses technology to enable women employees to work from home for an extended period of time depending on their needs.

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


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

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

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

FEBRUARY 2016

NO RATE CHANGE BY RBI The Reserve Bank maintained a status quo in its sixth bi-monthly monetary policy review for year 2015-16 announced on Feb 2 by not changing any of the policy rates. Stating that current momentum of growth is reasonable, RBI maintained the FY 16 growth at 7.4 per cent, with downward bias. BANKS TO FOLLOW ‘IND AS’ NORMS The Reserve Bank has advised that banks should follow accounting standard ‘Ind AS’ converged with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from April 1, 2018. Ind AS implementation is likely to significantly impact the financial reporting systems and processes such as profit planning and budgeting, capital planning, and impact on capital adequacy.

P G APTE REPORT RELEASED ON IROs The Reserve Bank of India has released the Report of the Working Group (Chairperson: Prof. P.G. Apte) on Introduction of Interest Rate Options in India. The report recommends liberalization of the interest rate derivatives market by allowing simple call and put Options, caps, floors and collars.

PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS HIGH ON NPAs Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance headed by M. Veerappa Moily, a senior Congress MP submitted the report on the Net Non performing Assets (NPAs) of Public Sector Banks (PSBs). As per the report, NPAs in the country’s PSBs were around 205,024 crore rupees till September 2015 and the Gross NPAs during the same period were around at 369,990 crore rupees.

S C ASKS RBI TO DISCLOSE BIG DEFAULTERS The Supreme court has asked the Reserve Bank of India to submit within six weeks a list of the companies which are in default of loans by the banks and financial institutions in excess of Rs 500 crore or whose loans have been

restructured under corporate debts restructuring scheme. The list is to be furnished in a sealed cover to maintain confidentiality about the identity of defaulters.

INCOGNITO VISITS TO CHECK CUSTOMER CARE Reserve Bank has decided to undertake ‘incognito visits’ by its officials to bank branches to check culture towards customer complaints and how banks have implemented Charter of Customer Rights.

FDI RULES RELAXED FOR START UPS The Reserve Bank has relaxed several rules including foreign direct investment norms to boost start-up activity in the country. Now the start-ups are allowed to receive foreign funds irrespective of the sector in which they operate.

SBI LAUNCHES "FLEXIPAY HOME LOAN" State Bank of India launched a new home loan scheme "FlexiPay Home Loan", offering higher amount and up to five years of interest moratorium to young professionals in the age group of 21 to 45 years. Borrowers will have the option of paying only interest during the moratorium (pre-EMI) period and thereafter pay moderated EMIs. Govt to infuse Rs 5,000 crore as capital in the public

sector banks to strengthen their balance sheet for compliance of Basel III capital norms.

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

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

DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

APRIL 2016

ARMY RAISES NEW ‘GORKHA BATTALION’

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


DEAL FINALISED FOR 36 RAFALE JETS

India has finalised the deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault Aviation of France for 7.89 billion euros (Rs. 59,000 crore). The Indian team managed to bring down the deal price by 11 billion euros. The first set of jets would be delivered within 18 to 20 months. K-4 MISSILE TESTED SUCCESSFULLY India has successfully tested its most ambitious weapon system - a long range submarine-launched ballistic missile, codenamed K-4, capable of striking targets upto 3,500 kilometres away. The missile was tested 40 kms off the Vishakhapatnam coast. INDIA MAKES FIRST SONAR DOME India’s first indigenous composite sonar dome, a ship’s underwater eyes and ears, was launched at Goa. Designed and produced by DRDO, it is a rare achievement as very few companies in the world have technology to make sonar domes. INDIA 4TH IN DEFENCE SPENDING India has become the world’s fourth largest spender on defence, following a 13.1% increase in its 2016-17 defence budget of Rs. 2,58,000 crore, according to US research firm IHS Inc. USA is the largest spender in the world, followed by China and Saudi Arabia. INDIA – US TO SHARE MILITARY LOGISTICS To counter the growing maritime assertiveness of China, India and the United States have ‘agreed in principle’ to share their military logistics that allows the two militaries to use each other's land, air and naval bases for resupplies, repair and rest. IAF TO TAKE PART IN NATO EXCERCISE 12 IAF aircrafts will take part in the prestigious 'Red Flag' air exercise alongside NATO forces from April 28 to May 13 in skies over Alaska. It is seen as a complex and advanced network centric operation -- the toughest test for flying machines and men.

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

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

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

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

LIGHTEST EVER SYNTHETIC MATERIAL Scientists at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (of ISRO), Thiruvananthapuram, have developed the world's lightest ever synthetic material called ‘silica aerogel’ or ‘blue air’ or ‘frozen smoke’. It has an excellent thermal resistance and if used as filler in soldiers' uniforms, it can save many lives at the Siachen Glacier. SUPERCOMPUTER ‘PARAM KANCHENJUNGA’ The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Sikkim has secured a rare distinction of having a supercomputer named ‘Param Kanchenjunga’, which is said to be the most powerful and fastest among all the 31 NITs. INDIA GETS ASIA's BIGGEST TELESCOPE

Asia's biggest telescope has been launched in India. Built by the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) with the assistance of Belgium, the telescope is located at a height of 2,500 metres at Devasthal in Nainital district.

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

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

MARCH 2016

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

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


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

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

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

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

NATIONAL SCIENCE DAY – FEB 28 It was observed Feb 28 with the theme “Scientific Issues for Development of the Nation”. The day is observed to mark the discovery of the Raman Effect (phenomenon of scattering of photons) by Indian physicist Sir C V Raman, Nobel laureate on 28 February 1928. ISRO PUTS UP SPACE RESEARCH RADAR A new 30MHz radar system, Gadanki Ionospheric Radar Interfereometer (GIRI), second largest in the world, has been established at National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL) at Gadanki in Andhra Pradesh for ionospheric, meteor and space weather research in a comprehensive way. NARL functions under ISRO. ISRO LAUNCHES 6TH IRNSS SATELLITE The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 10 March launched the country’s sixth Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS)-1F, on board its launch vehicle PSLV C-32 from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. IRNSS is a set up of seven satellites to serve as GPS (global positioning system) of India. ‘EXOMARS’ LAUNCHED TO STUDY MARS ExoMars 2016, an unmanned spacecraft was launched jointly by Europe and Russia on a Russian Proton rocket from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to study the Mars' atmosphere for gassy evidence that life once existed on the Red Planet.

Australian scientists have created the world’s thinnest lens which is 2,000 times thinner than human hair, a breakthrough set to revolutionise nanotechnology.

FEBRUARY 2016

FLEET REVIEW OF NAVY HELD IN VIZAG Indian President and the Prime Minister inspected one of the largest maritime events in the recent past – the International Fleet Review 2016 held on 4 Feb to 8 Feb at Visakhapatnam coast. The theme of event was United through Oceans and mascot concept was Dolphin. Close to 75 Indian warships and 52 from Navies across the globe took part in the grand event. INS ARIHANT BECOMES OPERATIONAL The Indian Navy's first locally developed nuclear submarine INS Arihant is now ready for full fledged operations after passing a number of deep sea diving drills as well as weapons launch tests. INS VIRAAT TO RETIRE IN JUNE 2016

After nearly 60 years of sailing across the oceans, the Indian Navy's warhorse aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat is destined to be decommissioned in June, 2016. It was inducted in Indian Navy in May 1987 as refitted British warship – HMS Hermes. Government of Andhra Pradesh has agreed to base the ship off Visakhapatnam coast, converting it into a luxury hotel for promotion of tourism in the State. INDIA LARGEST IMPORTER OF ARMS A study by the Stockholm-based think-tank SIPRI states that India continues to be the world’s largest importer of arms, accounting for 14% of global arms imports in the period 2011–15. China ranks second with 4.7%, followed by Australia (3.6%), Pakistan (3.3%). PRITHVI II TESTED SUCCESSFULY Indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile, capable of carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads up to 350 kms, was tested successfully as part of a user trial by the Army from a test range near Chandipur, Odisha.


INDIA HOLDS JOINT NAVAL FEAT - IBSAMAR The fifth edition of 'Exercise IBSAMAR' (India, Brazil, South Africa Maritime) between the navies of Brazil, India and South Africa was held off the Goa coast from Feb 19 t0 29. This is for the first time that India is hosting this exercise. LIGHT REVOLVER ‘NIDAR’ LAUNCHED

India’s first indigenously developed lightest revolver Nidar, weighing just 250 grams, was launched under the "Make In India" initiative by the state-run Ishapore Rifle Factory in West Bengal. ‘COBRA GOLD 2016’ Indian Army participated in the ‘Cobra Gold 2016’ – the biggest multilateral military exercise hosted by Thailand, along with its counterparts from 35 countries, including USA, China and Pakistan. “SINO-INDIA COOPERATION 2016’’ Focusing on humanitarian aid and disaster relief, the Indian and Chinese troops held their first joint tactical exercise “Sino-India Cooperation 2016’’ in Chushul-Moldo area of Ladakh border with China.

MAHINDRAS TO M 777 HOWITZERS IN INDIA Leading gun-maker BAE Systems, the UK based multinational company has announced selection of Mahindra as its Indian partner for the around $700-million deal for the supply of 145 M777 ultra light howitzers to the Indian Army—the first new artillery guns after the Bofors scandal. The gun, with a strike range of 25 km, will form the backbone of the Mountain Strike Corps, being raised by the government for the mountainous borders with China.

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

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

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

The 4th India-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol was conducted jointly by both navies along the International Maritime Boundary Line in the Andaman Sea.

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

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


‘KSHEER-SCANNER’ TO DETECT MILK PURITY

Government has launched a device developed by the CSIR –CEERI, Pilani, Rajasthan, named ‘Ksheer-Scanner’ that instantaneously detects the adulterants like urea, salt, detergent, soda etc in milk. YOUTUBE RED LAUNCHED YouTube has launched its YouTube Red service. The original movies and show are part of Google parent Alphabet Inc's efforts to offer more to customers on YouTube Red, the $10-a-month service that allows viewers to watch videos across YouTube without ad breaks. ELUSIVE GRAVITATIONAL WAVES DISCOVERED After decades of search for Scientists working with the gigantic optical instruments in the LIGO [Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory], USA, have detected for the first time, signals of gravitational waves emanating from two merging black holes 1.3 billion light years away. These ripples in space-time were predicted by Albert Einstein, some 100 years ago. NOD FOR GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTOR Union Cabinet has given ‘in principle’ approval for a proposal to have a gravitational wave detector in India under LIGO-India Project. It would cost at least Rs. 1,200 crore and may take at least eight years to be operational. JAPANESE SATELLITE TO STUDY BLACK HOLES The Japanese space agency has successfully launched a new X ray astronomy satellite – Astro–H to study the origin of black holes. The satellite has four telescopes that will enable the space agency to peer into far off galaxy clusters, providing data on how they were formed. 5 NEW JUPITER LIKE PLANETS DISCOVERED Scientists have discovered five new Jupiter-like planets having similar characteristics to the biggest planet in our solar system and orbit very close to their host stars. Newly discovered planets have been named as WASP-119 b, WASP-124 b, WASP-126 b, WASP 129 b and WASP-133 b.

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

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

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

INTERNATIONAL

APRIL 2016

IMF & WB TO WORK FOR TAX IMPROVEMENT The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have joined hands with the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, to form a new group which will work for building effective tax systems in developing countries and avoiding tax base erosion. WORLD’s WHO’s WHO IN PANAMA LEAK

A massive leak of 11.5 million documents from a law firm in Panama reveals how the world's current rich people, politicians and celebrities hide their money in Panama. The documents, dubbed the Panama Papers, were obtained by a Munich-based daily newspaper. The names figuring in the leak included aides to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's son Nazifuddin, family of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Amitabh Bachchan. USA TOPS IN ICT USAGE A study of 50 nations by Chinese IT giant Huawei for investment and deployment of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has placed USA at top, followed by Singapore, Sweden. Huawei Global Connectivity Index 2016 places India at 44th rank. SAN JOSE - THE MOST FUTURE READY CITY In a study of 50 cities conducted by the IT firm Dell - ‘Future-Ready Economies Model’, city of San Jose in California, USA has been placed at top, followed by San Francisco, Singapore. From India, Delhi ranks at 44th place.


WTO LOWERS TRADE GROWTH TO 2.8% The World Trade Organization has revised its 2016 global trade forecast downward by more than one percentage point to 2.8 per cent, warning that a slowdown in China and broad market volatility continued to threaten growth. In September last, the WTO estimated global trade to rise by 3.9 per cent in 2016. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ZERO - ICZ ICZ was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France to promote the knowledge of Maths for greater global good. A bronze bust of ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhatta was also unveiled there on the occasion. TOP 'GLOBAL GAME CHANGERS'

American business magazine Forbes has ranked some of the biggest names in business as the 'Global Game Changers'. The selected 30 businessmen have exhibited growth and innovation, and their examples have had been

adopted and copied by rivals the world over. The list is topped by Marcs Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, followed by Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com. It includes three Indians - Rahul Bhatia of Inter Globe Enterprises, Cyrus Poonawalla of Serum Institute of India, and Sunny Varkey of GEMS Education at 3, 23 and 26 positions respectively. WORLD DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS The World Bank released the 2016 edition of the World Development Indicators (WDI). It includes 1400 indicators for over 200 economies to measure the 169 targets of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by UNO. AUSTRALIA SUFFERS LOSS IN REEF TOURISM Australian scientists have reported that over 90 per cent of the Great Barrier Reef has been affected by mass bleaching that is likely to destroy half the coral. Reef tourism generates around $4 billion every year for Australia. Bleaching occurs when the water is too warm, forcing coral to expel living algae and causing it to calcify and turn white. The annual Spring Meeting of IMF & WB was held at

Washington. Finance Ministers and Governors of Central Banks from G-20 nations attended the meet.

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

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

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

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

Stealth technology gives radar dodging ability to the jet.

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

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

The world’s first public dengue vaccination programme was launched in the Philippines. The country had the highest dengue incidence in the West Pacific region.

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

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

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

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

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

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

MARCH 2016

UN TO SET UP ‘BLUE DOTS’ FOR REFUGEES The United Nations has decided to set up 20 child and family support hubs known as "Blue Dots" from Turkey, through Greece all the way to Slovenia as special support centres for

migrant children and families along the most travelled route in Europe. The centres will be looked after by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).


USA STARTS NEW CHAPTER WITH CUBA US President Barack Obama scripted history by becoming first US President to visit its island neighbour Cuba, after 88 years of strained relations. The US snapped ties with Cuba in 1959 when the Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro ousted a pro-American government. USA TOPS IN INNOVATIONS

According to the latest figures released by the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the US continued to dominate the world of innovation and inventions by filing 57,385 international patent applications last year, followed by Japan and China. In comparison India lagged behind by filing for only 1423 patents. In terms of companies, Huawei Technologies of China with 3,898 applications was at top. WORLD’s COSTLIEST RAILWAY STATION The World Trade Center Transportation Hub was opened to public on March 3 at New York. Built at a cost of $ 4 billion, it took 12 years to complete. It' will serve 250,000 daily commuters and 11 subway lines. GATE CONTINUES TO BE RICHEST Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates continues to be the world’s richest person with a net worth of $75 billion, according to Forbes’ annual ranking of billionaires. Ranked 36th, Mukesh Ambani, with a net worth of $20.6 billion, leads the pack of 84 Indian billionaires in the list. WORLD CONGRESS OF BIOSPHERE RESERVES was held at Lima in Peru from 14-17 March 2016 to address different issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for promotion of biosphere reserves across the world.

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

9th International Abilympics started at Bordeaux in France.

Abilympics is coined from 'Olympics of abilities' of persons with disabilities. It is a global work skills competition held every four years.

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

The 59th Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs was held in Vienna, Austria to prepare for the UN General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem to be held in April 2016.

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

China's National People's Congress has set the country's growth target for 2016 in a range of 6.5 to 7 per cent.

FEBRUARY 2016

DAWN OF DEMOCRACY IN MYANMAR Myanmar embarked upon a new democratic era on Feb 1 as the MPs of National League for Democracy party lead by the democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, took their seats in the parliament, marking end to the military rule since 1962.

A RAY OF HOPE IN SYRIA A landmark UN-backed ceasefire came into effect in Syria at midnight of 26 Feb, supported by both – USA and Russia. This is the first major truce in five years of civil war that has claimed more than 2.7 lakh lives. BRITAIN TO HOLD REFERENDUM ON ‘BREXIT’ Britain is facing a big debate these days on the issue of ‘Brexit’–Britain’s exit from the European Union. Opinions are widely divided. Leaving EU has its own pros and cons. To decide the issue, it has been decided to conduct a referendum on June 23, 2016. WHO DECLARES ZICA EMERGENCY World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Public Health Emergency of International Concern over the explosive spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which is linked to birth defects in the Latin American countries like Brazil, Mexico and even USA.


ONE HUMANITY: SHARED RESPONSIBILITY United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon has released a report called 'One Humanity: Shared Responsibility' which has called for a global campaign to prevent the destruction of humanitarian laws and to protect civilians in conflict. The report is a part of the World Humanitarian Summit to be held in May, 2016. FRANCE BANS WASTING OF FOOD France has become the first country in the world to legally ban supermarkets from throwing away or destroying unsold food, forcing them instead to donate it to charities and food banks. Non compliance will attract fines and jail up to two years. WORLD GOVERNMENT SUMMIT IN DUBAI The three day annual World Government Summit was held in Dubai. 4500 participants from more than 130 countries participated to discuss challenges and opportunities before present and future governments worldwide. WORLD’s LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANT

The Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex, world’s largest solar power plant’s first phase started operations on February 4 in the Souss-Massa-Drâa area in Morocco. The plant holds the capacity to produce 580 MW to power over one million homes by 2018 and reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 760000 tons per year. WORLD’s LONGEST TRAIN ROUTE OPENS The first cargo train under Beijing led-Belt and Road connectivity initiative along the New Silk Road from China to Iran completed its first journey from Yiwu near Shanghai on China’s eastern coast to Bander Abbas port in Iran. The 10,400 kms trip took just 14 days, a full 30 days shorter than the maritime voyage from Shanghai’s port to the Iranian port.

HISTORICAL MEET OF TWO CHRISTIAN HEADS Nearly 1,000 years after the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity split apart, a first ever meeting between a Roman Catholic Pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch took place on Feb 12 in Havana, Cuba. Pope Francis, head of Roman Catholics and Orthodox Patriarch Kirill embraced and kissed each other and issued a global appeal for the protection of Christians under assault in the Middle East.

USA LEADS HISTORICAL TRADE DEAL The Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, lead by USA, one of the biggest trade deals in history, was signed in New Zealand on Feb 4. The deal aims to eliminate nearly all tariffs among the 12-member nations, accounting for about 40 per cent of the global economy. BANK OF JAPAN IMPOSES -IVE INTEREST RATE In a historic measure intended to boost the growth of the world's third largest economy, Bank of Japan has imposed, for the first time, a negative interest rate of minus 0.1 per cent for certain bank deposits placed with it. The decision, which penalises financial institutions for storing excess funds, aims to stimulate investment and credit and is meant to force a reduction of interest rates applied by banks.

ALPHABET IS MOST VALUABLE COMPANY Alphabet, the company that owns Google, has overtaken rival Apple Inc in terms of value of market capitalisation on Feb 1 to emerge as the most valuable company of the world, having a market cap of $ 547.1 billion, higher than Apple's $529.3 billion.

MERCER PLACES VIENNA AT THE TOP The survey of 230 cities for assessing quality of life by the global consulting firm Mercer has placed Austria’s capital Vienna at the top, followed by Zurich, Switzerland and Auckland in New Zealand. The worst life quality was in Baghdad, Iraq. New Delhi was placed at 142nd rank.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


PERSONS IN NEWS

APRIL 2016

SACHIN TENDULKAR: The Ministry for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has named cricket icon as brand ambassador of the 'Skill India' campaign. NITA AMBANI: Reliance Foundation Chairperson has been named the most powerful businesswoman in Asia by Forbes, leading a list of 50 women leaders from the region that includes only eight from India. P SUSHEELA MOHAN: Renowned playback singer has been recognized by the Guinness World Records for singing the most number of songs in Indian languages - 17,695 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs in 12 Indian languages. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: A host of commemorations were held in England and several other parts of the world to observe 400th death anniversary of legendary playwright, also known as The Bard of Avon. His famous works include masterpieces like Othello, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II: The world’s oldest-serving royal and the longest-reigning and longest-lived British monarch turned 90 on April 21, receiving the greetings of thousands of British citizens as well as wishes from all over the world. ARSENIY YATSENYUK: Ukrainian Prime Minister announced his resignation in the wake of a month-long political crisis that paralysed his government and frozen the release of vital Western aid. Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson: Iceland’s Prime Minister resigned reportedly after his name figured in the mushrooming worldwide scandal over hidden offshore financial dealings exposed in the so-called Panama Papers leak.

MARCH 2016

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


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

FEBRUARY 2016

U K SINHA: The government has extended Sinha's term as the Chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) till March 01, 2017. He took over as Sebi chairman in 2011. SAMEER ANJAAN: Bollywood’s popular lyricist has made into the Guinness Book of World Records for writing the most number – 3524, songs for Bollywood films. NEYMAR: Iconic football player from Brazil was in news as Courts in Brazil issued warrants to freeze his assets worth almost $ 50 million. GEN. RAJENDRA CHETTRI: Nepalese Army Chief was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army by the President Pranab Mukherjee.

APPOINTMENTS

APRIL 2016

JUSTICE (retd.) PERMOD KOHLI: Appointed as the new Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). C P GURNANI: Elected as the new Chairman of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) for 2016-17. He is the MD & CEO of Tech Mahindra. MEHBOOBA MUFTI: Elected as the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir LOBSANG SANGAY: Re-elected as the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh. CLEMENT MOUAMBA: Appointed as the new Prime Minister of Republic of Congo. IDRISS DEBY: Elected for the 5th time as the President of Chad, a country in Central Africa. BOUNNHANG VORACHIT: Elected as the new President of Laos THONGLOUN SISOULITH: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Laos VOLODYMYR GROYSMAN: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Ukraine SOORONBAI JEENBEKOV: New Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan. HASHIM THACI: Elected as the President of Kosovo, a small country in southeast Europe. SIGURDUR INGI JOHANNSSON: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Iceland after the earlier Prime Minister resigned due to his name coming in ‘Panama Leaks’. NGUYEN XUAN PHUC: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Vietnam. TRAN DAI QUANG: Elected as the new President of Vietnam. FAUSTIN ARCHANGE TOUADERA: Elected as the new President of Central African Republic. Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr: Appointed as the new Prime Minister of Yemen


MARCH 2016

VINOD RAI: Former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has been appointed as the first Chairman of Banks Board Bureau (BBB). BBB will start functioning from April 1, 2016 to approve the appointments of banks’ top executives and improve their governance. JUSTICE BALBIR SINGH CHAUHAN: appointed as the chairperson of the 21st Law Commission. He is a former Supreme Court judge. HTIN KYAW: elected as the first civilian President of Myanmar to lead the country after 53 years of military rule. He is a close aide of the iconic crusader of democracy Aung San Suu Kyi. H DEEP SAINI: Noted Indian scholar and plant physiologist has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the prestigious University of Canberra, Australia. ASHLEY JUDD: The American actor and activist has been appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund - UNFPA, (formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities). MICHELLE YEOH: Famous action heroine of Malaysia-China has been appointed as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador. AHMED ABUL GHEIT: Veteran Egyptian diplomat and former Foreign Minister has been named as new Secretary General of the Arab League. ALI MOHAMED SHEIN: Re-elected as the President of Zanzibar. MAHAMADOU ISSOUFOU: Re elected as the President Niger for a second term HASHIM THACI: Elected as the President of Kosovo, a tiny country in southeastern Europe.

FEBRUARY 2016

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

K N VYAS: Appointed new Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai

AMIT MITRA: West Bengal Finance Minister has been appointed as the new chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax (GST). KALIKHO PUL: New CM of Arunachal Pradesh. PARAMESHWARAN IYER: Appointed as the new Secretary of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department to steer the Swachh Bharat Mission. He is the World Bank’s water and sanitation specialist. ARUNA SETHI: Appointed as the first women head of the Indian Cost Accounts Services D J PANDIAN: Former chief secretary of Gujarat has been appointed vice-president and chief investment officer of the newly formed Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). JAI KUMAR GARG: appointed MD and CEO of Corporation Bank

ARCHANA RAMASUNDRAM, IPS: Appointed as the Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal, SSB. She is the first woman to head a paramilitary force. SSB guards Indian borders with Nepal and Bhutan.

K DURGA PRASAD, IPS: Appointed Director General of Central Reserve Police Force. K K SHARMA, IPS: Appointed Director General of the Border Security Force. GURDEEP SINGH: Appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of NTPC Ltd. For the first time a Maharatna company chief has been selected through a search committee route. Amitava Bhattacharyya, IAS, Bimal Julka, IAS and D P Sinha, IPS have been appointed as the Information Commissioners in the Central Information Commission GIANNI INFANTINO: Elected as the new President of world Football body –FIFA. He is a Football administrator from Switzerland and is Chief of European Football body UEFA. FAUSTIN ARCHANGE TOUADERA: Elected as the new President of Central African Republic (CAR) YOWERI MUSEVENI: Elected new President of Uganda, for the fifth time.

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

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


AWARDS & HONOURS

APRIL 2016

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

FBB FEMINA MISS INDIA WORLD 2016 Winner: Priyadarshini Chaterjee First runners-up: Sushruthi Krishna Second runners-up: Pankhuri Gidwani DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD: won by renowned actor Manoj Bajpayee for the movie Aligarh. Please note that this is NOT the national award rather it is the regional award in Maharashtra, given by Dada Saheb Phalke Foundation. 'Officier de l Ordre national de la Legion d Honneur’: (Officer of the Legion of Honour), highest French civilian honour conferred upon Former Army Chief General (retd) J J Singh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour- the king Abdulaziz Sash. The award is named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of the modern Saudi state.

MARCH 2016

63rd NATIONAL FILM AWARDS

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

Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan for 'Piku'

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

Best Hindi Film: Dum Laga Ke Haisha by Sharat Katariya

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

Most Film- Friendly State Award: Gujarat DADA SAHEB PHALKE AWARD - 2015: Awarded to veteran actor and film maker Manoj Kumar who played the patriotic Indian in most of his films, becoming famous as ‘Bharat Kumar’. His superhit movies included Upkaar, Purab aur Pashchim, Kranti.

The award is the highest official recognition in Indian cinema from the govt. It consists of a golden lotus, a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a shawl. ‘KRISHI KARMAN AWARD’: Given to Himachal Pradesh for its landmark achievement in showing highest production of food grains in year 2014-15, despite adverse weather conditions and rain-fed farming in the state. CHAMELI DEVI JAIN AWARD: Priyanka Kakodkar and Raksha Kumar won the award for 2015-16 for their excellent work in journalism to highlight social issues. The award is given only to women journalists. SKOCH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu for his contributions to inclusive growth and towards poverty alleviation in India. ‘KAYAKALP’ AWARD: The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research bagged the top government award for best hospital cleanliness and infection control, winning prize money of Rs 5 crore while AIIMS, New Delhi, came second and got a reward of Rs 3 crore.

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

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

Best Picture: Spotlight by Tom Mc Carthy Best Director: Alejandro Iñárritu (The Revenant) Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) Best Actress: Brie Larson (Room) ABEL PRIZE (for maths): Sir Andrew Wiles, an Oxford University professor has won the 5,00,000 pounds prize for cracking a 300-year-old mystery mathematical theorem. The prize, popular as the Nobel of Mathematics, is given by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. GOLDEN CITY GATE AWARD: Prestigious award from the world's leading travel trade show Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2016 won by Kerala Tourism's campaign on responsible tourism. GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE: The one million dollar prize for innovative teaching has been won by Hanan Al Hroub for her innovative approach in teaching to overcome tense environments of the region under the shadow of the Israel-Palestine conflict. She is a Palestinian teacher from a refugee camp in Al-Bireh, Palestine


Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur: (Knight of the Legion of Honour), one of the highest civil honour by the French government was conferred upon Anand Mahindra, CMD, Mahindra & Mahindra.

FEBRUARY 2016

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

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

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

ORDER OF FRIENDSHIP: Russia's top civilian awards given to Ramayah Shanmuga Sundar, Director of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant.

CRYSTAL BEAR AWARD: Best film award in children category at the Berlin film festival won by Malayalam film Ottaal (The Trap) directed by Jayaraj Rajasekharan.

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

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

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

Record of the year

Uptown fund Mark Ronson

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

Loud Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge

Best Rock Performance

Don't Wanna Fight

Alabama Shakes

Best World Music Album

Sings Angelique Kidjo

Best Music Video Bad Blood Taylor Swift

69th BAFTA AWARDS, London, Feb 14

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


BOOKS & AUTHORS

APRIL 2016

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

Swimmer Among the Stars by Kanishk Tharoor

Mercedes-Benz - Winning by Adil Jal Darukhanawala

Friends in Wild Places by Ruskin Bond.

Safeguarding India by NN Vohra.

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

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

A State in Denial by B G Verghese

The Kiss of Life by Imraan Hashmi

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

MARCH 2016

East of Suez by Alice Perrin

Buddhist Biology by David P. Barash

Standing Guard—A Year in Opposition by P Chidambaram.

Our Impossible Love by Durjoy Dutta

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Life Mantras by Subrata Roy Sahara

Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography by Pramod Kapoor

Fixed: Cash and Corruption in Cricket by Shantanu Guha Ray

Who Was Shivaji by Govind Pansare

Indigo —Selected Stories by Satyajit Ray

A Handbook for My Lover by Rosalyn D’Mello.

FEBRUARY 2016

‘Playing It My Way’ - Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography, has entered the Limca Book of Records in the category of best-selling books, with 1,50,289 copies sold.

An Economist In The Real World by Kaushik Basu

Bullets and Bylines by Shyam Bhatia, noted journalist

Lal Bahadur Shastri: Netritva ke Sutra by Anil Shastri and Pawan Chowdhary

Dial D for Don — Inside Stories of CBI Case Missions by Neeraj Kumar, former Police Commissioner of Delhi Ancestral Affairs by Keki Daruwalla. Why We Love the Way We Do by Preeti Shenoy The Bestseller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri Nathuram Godse - The Story of an Assassin by Anup Sardesai

Transendence – a book by Former President APJ Abdul Kalam based on his spiritual experiences with Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

OBITUARY

APRIL 2016

POORNIMABEN PAKVASA: Great social worker from Gujarat, known for her exceptional work towards educating tribal girls, passed away at the age of 103. Mother of famous classical dancer Padma Vibhushan Sonal Mansingh, she was a Padma Bhushan awardee.

SATYANAND MUNJAL: The co-founder of Hero Cycles group, a great philanthropist, passed away in Ludhiana, Punjab. He was 99.

PRATYUSHA BANERJEE: TV actress, known for her role of Anandi in the popular serial “Balika Vadhu”, allegedly committed suicide at her Kandivali residence in Mumbai.

GUY HAMILTON: Veteran British movie director, who directed four hugely popular James Bond films, passed away at the age of 93. The four superhits include Diamonds are Forever, Live and Let Die and The Man With The Golden Gun and Goldfinger.

ROGERS NELSON: Pop music superstar, popularly known as Prince in USA, died aged 57. He won seven Grammy Awards and earned 30 nominations.

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

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

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


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

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

MARCH 2016

PARAMESH KRISHNAN NAIR: Indian film archivist and film scholar died on 4 March 2016. He was 82. He was the founder and former director of the National Film Archive of India. P A SANGMA: Former Lok Sabha Speaker passed away at the age of 68. He was co-founder of the Nationalist Congress Party and remained Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990. KUMARIMUTHU: Famous Tamil Comedy actor died in Chennai. He was 77. Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan: Eminent Shehnai exponent died in Kolkata. He was 77. LLOYD S. SHAPLEY: Veteran Mathematician from USA, winner of Nobel Prize in Economics for his study of strategic decision-making called “game theory,” died in Tucson, USA. He was 92. JOHAN CRUYFF: The Netherland's soccer legend died of lung cancer in Barcelona, Spain. He was 68. He is credited with some of the greatest triumphs of the famous Barcelona Football Club. GEORGE HENRY MARTIN: The legendary music producer, popular as the "Fifth Beatle", passed away in England. He was 90. Winner of 6 Grammy Awards, he held Guinness World Records for the most successful producer ever with more than 50 Numbers. PAT CONROY: US novelist whose best-selling novels include 'Prince of Tides' and 'Water is Wide', died at the age of 70 in South Carolina, USA. RAY TOMLINSON: inventor of E-mail, passed away in Washington, USA at the age of 74. He invented direct electronic messages between users on different machines on a certain network in 1971. MARTIN CROWE: Pioneering cricketer, widely acknowledged as New Zealand’s greatest batsman who laid the foundations for Twenty20 cricket, died of cancer at the age of 53.

FEBRUARY 2016

USTAD ABDUL RASHID KHAN: The oldest performing vocalist of Hindustani Music, Padma Bhushan awardee, a descendant of Tansen, passed away in Kolkata at the age of 107 years. GEN. K V KRISHNA RAO: Former Army Chief who played a key role in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, died of a cardiac arrest in New Delhi. He was 92. JASWANT SINGH RAJPUT: Two time Olympic gold winner in Hockey, passed away at the age of 90 years. O N V KURUP: Jnanpith award winning, very popular and most respected Malayalam poet from Kerala passed away at the age of 84. He was honoured with Padma Sri in 1998 and Padma Vibhushan in 2011. SUDHIR TAILANG: Well-known cartoonist, passed away in New Delhi at the age of 55. He was suffering from brain cancer. He worked for leading national news papers and was awarded Padma Sri in 2004. NIDA FAZLI: Renowned poet and lyricist, who enthralled several generations with his soul-stirring compositions like Kabhi kisi ko mukamil jahan nahi milta and Hosh waalon ko khabar kya, died in Mumbai due to heart failure. He was 78. S.S. TARAPORE: Former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, died at Mumbai at the age of 80. BALRAM JAKHAR: Veteran Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker, four times M P, passed away in New Delhi. He was 92. AKBAR KAKKATTIL: Noted Malayalam novelist and short story writer passed away at the age of 62. HARPER LEE: One of America's most celebrated novelists whose 1960 masterpiece "To Kill a Mockingbird" was read by millions worldwide, died at the age of 89. Equally popular was his second novel – Go Set a Watchman, published in 2015. In fact, it was the original manuscript of her first novel. BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI: Former UN Secretary General, the Egyptian diplomat who became the first Secretary General from Africa in 1992, died in Cairo. He was 93. SUSHIL KOIRALA: Former Prime Minister of Nepal and President of Nepali Congress passed away in Kathmandu after prolonged illness. He was 78. EDGAR MITCHELL: NASA astronaut, who was the sixth man to walk on the Moon from Apollo 14 mission in Feb 1971, died in West Palm Beach, Florida at age of 85.


PLACES IN NEWS

APRIL 2016

UJJAIN: The month-long Simhastha Kumbh mela, one of the largest congregations of Hindus, began in Ujjain on April 22 on the banks of Kshipra River. LATUR: City and district in Marathwada region of Maharashtra was in news as it faced severe water crisis, especially in the villages. The district with a population of around 2.45 crore has suffered one of the worst drought in recent years. KOLLAM: In the worst-ever pyrotechnics tragedy to strike Kerala, 110 persons were killed and close to 400 injured, many of them grievously, when a huge dump of firecrackers stored for celebrations, exploded near the Puttingal Devi Temple near Kollam, causing extensive damage to nearby buildings. TRIMBAKESHWAR TEMPLE: Famous temple of Lord Shiva in Nashik, Maharashtra was in news as trustees of the temple decided that even men devotees will not be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, reportedly to avoid the entry of women devotees. KUMAMOTO: Town in south-western island of Kyushu in Japan was devastated by several rounds of earthquake tremors leading to death of over 41 persons and injuring hundreds of others. Around two lakh persons were affected in the severe earthquake. PEDERNALES: City in Manabí Province in Ecuador was destroyed in a severe 7.8 magnitude earth quake. Reportedly, around 654 persons were killed and several hundreds were injured. Coastal city of Manta was also very badly affected.

MARCH 2016

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

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

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

FEBRUARY 2016

KUMBAKONAM: Temple town of Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu was the venue for the famous Mahamaham festival on Feb 22. The event occurs once in 12 years and is also referred to as the Kumbh Mela of the South. ELEPHANTA ISLAND: Located near Mumbai, a UNESCO world heritage site, famous for its Hindu cave sculptures depicting the cult of Shiva, was in news because the island, which was dependent upon diesel-powered generators for electricity until now, will be completely electrified by August, 2016.

MURUD-JANJIRA BEACH: A picnic along the Arabian Sea went horribly wrong for a group of collegians from Pune when 13 of them drowned off the Murud-Janjira beach in Maharashtra’s Raigad district.

CYCLONE WINSTON: One of the most powerful storms recorded in the southern hemisphere tore through the Pacific island nation Fiji, killing over 44 persons, flattening remote villages and cutting off communications.

SPORTS WORLD

APRIL 2016

Dipa Karmakar, 22 year old girl from Agartala, Tripura created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics and to win the gold in vaults event at the test event of the Rio Games in Brazil. She performed the Produnova vault — the extremely difficult and most dangerous form that involves a front handspring on the horse and two front somersaults.

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

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

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

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

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


Asian Kho-Kho championship: both, men’s and women’s title were won by India by defeating respective teams from Bangladesh at Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

National Badminton Championship: Men’s title won by Samir Verma and women’s title won by P C Thulasi in Chandigarh.

9th season of the popular Indian Premier League opened on April 9 in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The first match was won by Rising Pune Supergiants against Mumbai Indians.

The Commonwealth Judo Congress has allotted the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships to India. The games will be held in Jaipur.

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

Government has decided to merge the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan with the ‘Khelo India’ programme.

RAHUL JOHRI: appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India - BCCI

LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS Best Sportsman of the year: Novak Djokovic, Serbia Best Sportswoman of the year: Serena Williams, USA Both of them won three grand slams in Tennis in 2015 Best Disabled Sportsperson: Paralympic swimmer Daniel Dias of Brazil Best Sports team: New Zealand's Rugby World Cup-winning team Laureus World Sports Awards, known as the Oscars of Sports, honour the notable sporting personalities and their achievements of the previous year. Britain's Anthony Joshua won the IBF world heavyweight title by stopping American champion Charles Martin in London, becoming the first boxer in history to hold the Olympic super-heavyweight crown (2012) and a version of the world heavyweight title simultaneously.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes driver of Germany won the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir, Baharin. Nico Rosberg of Germany won the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, leaving behind his compatriots Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

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

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

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

Singapore Open Badminton Championship: Men’s - Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia Women’s - Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, world no 1.

Malaysian Open Badminton title won by Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia against world number one Chen Long of China in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

MIAMI OPEN (tennis) IN FLORIDA, USA Men’s title: Novak Djokovic (Serbia) won by beating Japan's Kei Nishikori Women’s title: Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) won by routing Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia.

BARCELONA OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP Rafael Nadal of Spain won the title defeating Kei Nishikori of Japan in the finals played in Barcelona, Spain.

Monte Carlo Masters: Rafael Nadal Spain of won the title defeating Gael Monfils of France.

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

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


MARCH 2016

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

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

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

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

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

Santosh Trophy National Football Championships: Services retained the title after beating hosts Maharashtra in the summit clash in Nagpur. Irani Cup Cricket championship: Rest of India team won the title by beating Mumbai team in the finals played in Mumbai. India clinched the Asia Cup T20 trophy for a record sixth time after beating Bangladesh by eight-wickets in the final at Mirpur, Bangladesh. Col C K Nayudu Trophy won by Mumbai by beating Madhya Pradesh in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Nayudu was the first Indian captain of Indian test match team 1st All India Open Invitational Snooker Championship won by Rahul Sachdev in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. National Race Walking Championships, Jaipur: Gurmeet Singh and Khushbir Kaur won the gold in 20kms event for men and women, respectively. Pro Kabaddi League Season 3: Patna Pirates beat the U Mumba to emerge as Champions in the finals played in Delhi. Russia’s Sergey Karjakin won the World Chess candidates tournament in Moscow Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton Tournament: won by India's H S Prannoy in Basel, Switzerland. World Table Tennis Team Championship: China defeated Japan in both, men’s and women’s category, to win both the championships at Kuala Lumpur. In the second division, both, men's and women's team titles were bagged by Indian teams. All England Open Badminton Championship: Lin Dan of China won the finals by beating his own teammate Tian Houwei in the finals played in Birmingham, UK.

BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament: Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Victoria Azarenka of Belarusia won the men’s and women’s singles title, respectively, in the finals played at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Southern California. UCI Track Cycling Championship 2016 held in London. Dubai Tennis Championships: Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland won the title by defeating Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus MARIA SHARAPOVA: Former world number one tennis star failed a drugs test at the Australian Open. As a result, the 28 year old Russian star, a five time Grand Slam champion, was suspended from sports, pending further action.

FEBRUARY 2016

Dutee Chand, ace sprinter set a new national record in the 60m dash in 7.28 seconds at the 7th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha. Kidambi Srikanth won the Men's Singles title of the Syed Modi International Badminton Championships held in Lucknow, U P. Anirban Lahiri, India’s top golfer has been voted as the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Year by fans in an online poll. Rishabh Pant, Wicketkeeper-batsman in India U-19 team created world record for fastest 50 playing against Nepal in the ICC U-19 World Cup in Mirpur, Bangladesh. Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis won the St. Petersburg Ladies Doubles Trophy. 12th South Asian Games came to an end on Feb 16 at Guwahati. India finished at the top with a record 308 medals - 188 Gold, 90 Silver and 30 Bronze. Shooter Chain Singh won record 6 Gold medals. Hosted city was Shillong and Guwahati. 13th SAG will be hosted by Nepal in Kathmandu in 2019. Ranji Trophy: Mumbai won the prestigious cricket championship defeating Saurashtra in Pune, Maharashtra.

The Indian women's cricket team lead by Mithali Raj won the three-match Twenty20 International series against Sri Lanka 3-0 in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

Hockey India League: Jaypee Punjab Warriors won the championship by beating Kalinga Lancers in Ranchi, Jharkhand. 36th National Chess team Championship was won by the Indian Railways in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.


Punjab defeated Mizoram to lift the Dr BC Roy Trophy for the National Junior Football Championship at Hoshiarpur, Punjab. 34th Senior National Rowing Championship held at Hussainsagar Lake, Hyderabad.

83rd Senior National Snooker Championship: Aditya Mehta won the title by defeating Manan Chandra in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Kerala won the 61st National School Athletics championship held in Kozhikode, Kerala India achieved a rare 3-0 clean sweep in the T20 International against Australia in Sydney to emerge on the top of the ICC T20 rankings. The Indian women’s cricket team made history on Jan 29 by clinching its maiden T20 series win over three-time world champions Australia in Melbourne. Fittipaldi of Brazil won the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 race in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. AUSTRALIAN OPEN concludes in Melbourne, Australia. First of the four grand slams of tennis

Men’s Singles: World Number One Novak Djokovic of Serbia beats Andy Murray of Britain Women’s Singles: Germany's Angelique Kerber got her maiden grand slam title by beating defending champion world no 1, Serena Williams of USA Men’s Doubles: Jamie Murray of UK and Brazil’s Bruno Soares won the title Women’s Doubles: Sania Mirza of India Martina Hingis of Switzerlandwon the title Quinton De Kock, batsman from South Africa became the quickest and the youngest batsmen to score 10 centuries in ODIs. He notched it up in just 55 innings, beating the record of Hashim Amla who had notched up 10 tons in 57 innings. He scored his 10th century in Centurion, SA, playing against England. Brendon McCullum, New Zealand Skipper has smashed the fastest ever Test century in just 54 balls, playing against Australia at Christchurch. Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: won by Sean Abbott, the bowler from Australia. ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup: The West Indies won the cup for the first time, beating three time champions India in Mirpur, Bangladesh. Badminton Asia Team Championships: China and Indonesia won the women’s and men’s categories, respectively, in Hyderabad.

2021 World Aquatics Championships will be hosted by Fukuoka city of Japan and by Doha, Qatar in 2023. The first ever Asia Cup in its T-20 format started from February 24th in Bangladesh. The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 will be hosted by England in June 2017. Helmet for Umpires: Concerned about the safety of its on-field officials, the ICC has decided to provide specially designed helmets to umpires in the upcoming World T20 in India to ensure their safety.

DAYS & DATES

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


APRIL 14: NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS People in several parts of India celebrated beginning of their new year on April 14. In Assam and Northeastern states, it is observed as Rongali or Bohag Bihu. In Tamil Nadu side, it is celebrated as Puthandu. In Kerala, people celebrate Vishu festival. In North India, it is observed as Baisakhi, a festival of gaiety to mark the harvesting of wheat crop. In West Bengal, people celebrate it as their ‘Poila Baisakh’. APRIL 17: WORLD HEMOPHILIA DAY Observed in the memory of Frank Schnabel, the founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia as this day is his birth day. Hemophilia is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn't clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins. APRIL 18: WORLD HERITAGE DAY Observed with an aim to create awareness among the people towards conserve and protect the valuable assets and cultural heritage across the world. APRIL 21: "CIVIL SERVICE DAY" Observed by all Indian Civil Services to re-dedicate and re-commit themselves to the cause of the people. On this day in 1947, Sardar Patel, then Home Minister, addressed the first batch of civil servants in independent India.

APRIL 22: EARTH DAY Observed all over the world to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The theme for this year is "Trees for the Earth" with the aim of mobilizing nearly eight billion plantings over the next five years. APRIL 23: WORLD BOOK DAY Celebrated all over the world, supported by the UNESCO to promote the reading, publishing and copyright among the public worldwide. APRIL 25: WORLD MALARIA DAY Observed to create awareness among the people about this vector borne disease. The theme this year is ‘End Malaria For Good’. APRIL 26: WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DAY Observed across the world to spread awareness about the role that intellectual property rights (patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright) play in encouraging innovation and creativity. This year’s theme is Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined.

MARCH UNAIDS observed the ‘Zero Discrimination Day’ on March 1 with various activities to celebrate everyone’s right to live a full life with dignity regardless of age, gender, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity, skin color, height, weight, profession, education, and beliefs.


UNAIDS: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

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

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

International Women's Day was observed across the world on 8 March 2016. This year's theme for the Day is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”.

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

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

March 20 observed as The World Sparrow Day with the theme Rise for the Sparrow-Experience the power of one.

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

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

March 22 was observed as the World Water Day with the theme Water and Jobs. It may be noted that three out of four of the jobs worldwide are water-dependent.

World Meteorological Day was observed on March 23 with the theme “Hotter, Drier, Wetter. Face the Future”. Climate change is disrupting the natural pattern of the seasons, and it is increasing the frequency and intensity of certain extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts and heavy rainfall.

March 23 was celebrated as Shahidi Diwas to pay homage to great freedom fighters - Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on their martyrdom day. It was on this day in 1931 that they were martyred in Lahore jail and cremated on the banks of Satluj River at Hussainiwala in Ferozpur district of Punjab.

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

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

APRIL April Fool’s Day 1st April National Maritime Day 05th April World Health Day 07th April World Heritage Day 18th April Civil Service Day 21st April World Earth Day 22nd April World Books Day 23rd April World Maleria Day 25th April World Intellectual Property Day 26th April

MAY World Labour Day, Maharashtra Day 01st May International Energy Day, World Asthma Day 03rd May Coal Minor's Day 04th May World Midwives Day 05th May World Red Cross and Red Cresent Day 08th May National Technology Day 11th May International Family Day 15th May World Telecom Day 17th May National Anti Terrorism Day 21st May World No Tobacco Day 31st May

JUNE International Children’s Day 01st June World Naturist Day 03rd June World Environment Day 05th June Father’s Day 16th June International Yoga Day 21st June International Olympic Day Rath Yatra 23rd June International Anti-Drugs day 26th June World Diabetes Day 27th June


NATIONAL NEWS

JANUARY 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of 69 bridges on the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa (TKK) road section of the trilateral highway in Myanmar. This will facilitate all season movement of goods from Imphal to Mandlay in Myanmar and further entering Thailand.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bullet News (NOV 2015 – JAN 2016) For details visit – www.gyanm.in


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2015

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

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

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

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

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

The Supreme Court has directed that acid-attack victims should be considered under the disabled

quota to enable them to get reservations in govt jobs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2015

The ‘Constitution Day’ of India was observed on

26th November to spread awareness of Indian Constitution and its architect Dr. B R Ambedkar.

P M visited England on November 12 for a three day trip. He became the first serving Prime Minister of India to address the UK's Parliament.

India and Australia have announced the completion of procedures for bringing the two-nation nuclear deal into force.

Li Yuanchao, the Vice-President of China visited India to review cooperation on better river water management and cultural exchanges.

As per the annual report on world's most valuable nation brands compiled by Brand Finance, India is world's 7th most valued nation brand.

The US remains on the top with a valuation of 19.7 billion dollars, followed by China and Germany

P M Modi has been ranked as the world's ninth most powerful person by Forbes magazine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is at no one.

According to a report, the number of internet users in India is expected to touch 402 million by December 2015, a 49 per cent jump over last year.

India has been ranked 99th in Legatum Prosperity Index 2015 out of 142 countries.

7th Central Pay Commission headed by Justice AK Mathur submitted its report to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Nov 19.


It recommended 23.55 percent hike in pay and allowances of government employees.

The pay will go up by 16 percent, allowances by 63 percent and pension by 24 percent.

The pay revision will come into effect from January 2016.

The Global Gender Gap Report 2015 has ranked Iceland at top, followed by Norway and Finland. India ranked low at 108th rank.

As per the Global Terrorism Index 2015, India ranks 6th in list of 162 nations worst hit by terrorism in 2014. Iraq tops the list, followed by Afghanistan.

First India International Science Festival was held at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi

46th International Film Festival of India, IFFI began in Panaji, Goa with the screening of ‘The Man Who Knew the Infinity’.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9th Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (RPBD) was held at Los Angeles, California, USA on the 14th and 15th November 2015.

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

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

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

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

NEWS FROM STATES

JANUARY 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

DECEMBER 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2015

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

Mysuru Railway Station in Karnataka has become the first blind-friendly Railway Station in India.

South Australia state has signed a historic 'sister-state agreement' with Rajasthan to pave new ways to boost export and investment opportunities

Chhath festival was celebrated in different parts of the country on Nov 17-18 with great religious fervour and gaiety.

Migratory birds mostly from Northern Eurasia, Siberia, Kazakh and remote areas of Russia and Southeast Asia have arrived in Chilka Lake, Odisha.

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

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

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

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

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

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


GOVT INITIATIVES

JANUARY 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Union govt. proposes to launch a $1-billion equity fund, with seed capital from public sector units, to support renewable energy companies.

NOVEMBER 2015

The government launched Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY) to improve the ability of power distribution companies (DISCOMs)

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched 10 schemes for the benefit of disabled persons.

Govt has launched the Technology Acquisition and Development Fund (TADF) to facilitate acquisition of clean and energy efficient technologies.

To revamp criminal justice system in the country, the govt has approved implementation of two systems –

CCTNS - Crime and Criminals Tracking Network and Systems and ICJS - Integrated Criminal Justice System

Accessible India campaign launched at 27 international airports and 75 railway stations to make them disabled-friendly.

Govt has approved State Annual Action Plans (SAAP) of 81 mission cities in 5 states under AMRUT for 2015-16.

National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) and Swadesh Darshan schemes launched to achieve 1% share of international tourist arrivals by 2016-17.

Govt has made it mandatory to use waste plastic in bituminous mixes for road construction to overcome the problem of disposal of plastic waste

Monetary limit to approve foreign investment proposals of the FIPB hiked to Rs 5,000 cr, from Rs. 3,000 cr at present.

Govt launched 3 web portals/apps in education field: –e-Pathshala: for educational resources, –Saaransh: for educational improvements, and –Shala Siddhi: National Programme on School Standards and Evaluation Framework for online evaluations.

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

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

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

From Nov. 12, a railway ticket could be booked online up to 30 minutes prior to the departure of a train

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

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

JANUARY 2016

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

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

DECEMBER 2015

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

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

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


NOVEMBER 2015

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

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has said that the Indian economy is expected to grow by 7.2 per cent this fiscal.

ECONOMY

JANUARY 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2015

MSP OF RABI CROPS HIKED Rs./Qtl CROP MSP CROP MSP Wheat 1525 Rapeseed / Mustard 3350 Barley 1225 Masoor 3325

Safflower 3300 Grams 3425 The Confederation of All India Traders has launched

an e-commerce portal, ‘e-lala’ to promote interests of 5.77 crore small businesses

As per a recent IMF study, India's GDP can expand by 27 per cent if the number of women workers increases to the same level as that of men.

Government has announced the levy of a Swachh Bharat cess of 0.5% on all services liable for service tax (14%) from November 15.


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BANKING

JANUARY 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MUDRA: Pradhan Mantri Micro Units Development Refinance Agency

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

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

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2015

3% interest subvention scheme launched to allow exporters to avail loans from banks at a lower rate.

RuPay card usage condition of at least one transaction in 45 days hiked to 90 days for filing a claim under accident insurance cover in PMJDY accounts

State Bank launched the country's first low-income state infrastructure equity partnership (or the Neev fund) in London.

Indian corporates plan to raise fund by issuing rupee-denominated ‘masala bonds’ in foreign capital markets.

Masala bonds are Indian rupee denominated bonds issued in overseas capital markets by Indian corporates.

Sovereign gold bonds were opened for public subscription from Nov 5-30 for min 2 grams of gold, up to a maximum of 500 grams.

RBI has allowed state and district central co-operative banks to offer ‘view only’ internet banking to its customers.

‘View only’ means that customers can use online services such as balance enquiry, a/c statement and request for supply of cheque books.

RBI has granted an "in-principle" approval to three companies to set up and operate a new Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS).

HDFC Bank has become the first Indian bank to launch Sonic branding (Musical Logo) to be used across ATMs, phone banking, mobile banking

RBI has decided to stop the barter system - trading of goods without exchange of money at the Indo-Myanmar border, from December 1.

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

RBI has decided that a foreign bank in India can deploy a max of 4 expatriates for each branch and not more than 6 for their H O functions.

DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

JANUARY 2016

Indigenously designed and built advanced light

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2015

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

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

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

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

Israeli military has successfully tested from a ship an advanced surface-to-air supersonic missile –

Barak 8, co-developed with India. It has a range of 100 kms.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2015

The Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM),

jointly developed by the Israel and DRDO successfully flight tested from the Israel Naval Platform

The nuclear-capable ballistic missile Dhanush was successfully test fired from warship INS Subhadra, off the Puri coast of Odisha


Indian Army successfully test-fired the land attack variant of the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile at the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan.

Agni-IV, the nuclear-capable ballistic missile, tested for a range of 4,000 kms from Abdul Kalam Island (formerly Wheeler Island), off the Odisha coast.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

India’s latest communication satellite GSAT-15 was successfully launched by the European Ariane rocket from Kourou in French Guiana.

Under its ‘Project Loon’, Google is using big balloons floating at a height of 20 kms for transmission of Internet services in India

Russia launched its first early warning system satellite named EKS or Integrated Space System. Its official name is Kosmos 2510 (Tundra 11L).

China’s Tianhe-2 supercomputer has emerged as the world’s most powerful supercomputer system for the sixth consecutive time.

UK Scientists have developed the world's first 'porous' liquid that can be used to capture and dissolve large amounts of harmful carbon gas emissions

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

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

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

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


INTERNATIONAL

JANUARY 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2015

The 10th WTO (World Trade Organisation) Ministerial Conference was held in Nairobi, Kenya from Dec 15 to 19.

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

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

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

transportation, urban construction, education and healthcare.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2015

In one of the worst gruesome terrorist attacks, over 129 people were killed and more than 300 were wounded in multiple ISIS terrorists’ shootings in Paris

Several persons, including policemen were killed in Terai region of Nepal due to Madhesi agitation leading to acute shortage of fuels and medicines

Madhesis, the Indian-origin inhabitants of the Terai region, have been protesting against division of their ancestral homeland in the new Constitution.

A two day summit of Heads of G-20 nations was held in Antalaya, Turkey to dwell on inclusive economic growth and climate change.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit was held in Manila.

Leaders of the ASEAN group of nations have declared the establishment of an EU-style regional economic bloc, ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)

For the first time, Oxford Dictionary has chosen an emoji pictograph, commonly referred to as an emoticon, as its 2015 Word of the Year

Russia suspended all its flights to Egypt after one of its civil aircraft was blown up in mid air by militants soon after take-off from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

The International Day for Tolerance observed globally on 16 November with an aim to educate people about the need for tolerance

27th ASEAN summit (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) was held in Kuala Lumpur on November 21.

The 10th East Asia Summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Nov 22, under the theme Our People, Our Community, Our Vision.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

PERSONS IN NEWS

JANUARY 2016

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

DECEMBER 2015

SHAH RUKH KHAN: has been ranked as the country’s top-earning celebrity with estimated earnings of Rs. 257.5 crore this year, pushing Salman Khan to the second position (202.75 crore) in the latest Forbes India Celebrity List for 2015.

KATY PERRY: Global pop singer from USA is on top of Forbes magazine's list of highest-paid musicians of 2015, with $135 million in earnings. ANGELA MERKEL: German Chancellor has been named as the "Person of the Year" by the Times Magazine for her role in Europe's refugee crises and Greek debt.

NOVEMBER 2015

PAWAN MUNJAL: Managing Director of Hero MotoCorp, was the highest paid director with a remuneration of Rs.43.91 crore during the 2014-15 financial year. ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA: Chairperson of SBI remains the most powerful woman in the Indian business sector, according to Fortune India’s latest rankings of Indian business women.

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

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

APPOINTMENTS

JANUARY 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2015

R.K. MATHUR: Appointed the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC)


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

NOVEMBER 2015

JUSTICE T S THAKUR: New Chief Justice of India (43rd), succeeding Justice H L Dattu. NITISH KUMAR: Elected as the new Bihar Chief Minister SYED AKBARUDDIN: Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations at New York. NAVTEJ SINGH SARNA: Veteran diplomat, an IFS officer of 1980 batch, has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. VIJAY KESHAV GOKHALE: Senior diplomat has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to China. RAGHURAM RAJAN: Governor RBI has been elected Vice-Chairman of the Bank of International Settlement (BIS) at Basel, Switzerland. SUBIR GOKARAN: Former RBI Deputy Governor has been appointed as an Executive Director on the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). MAHESH KUMAR JAIN: MD and CEO of Indian Bank. R K TAKKAR: MD and CEO UCO Bank

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

HARSHAVARDHAN NEOTIA: Elected as the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for the year 2016. SUNIL KANORIA: Appointed as the President of The Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). Ms. ZARIN DARUWALA: Appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Standard Chartered Bank, India.

JUSTICE AJIT PRAKASH SHAH: Appointed as the ethics officer (ombudsman) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

MAURICIO MACRI: elected as the new President of Argentina.

JOHN POMBE MAGUFULI: Elected as the new President of Tanzania

AWARDS & HONOURS

JANUARY 2016

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

PADMA VIBHUSHAN - 10

Sr. No.

Person Field From

1 Tamil Superstar Rajinikanth,

Art-Cinema Tamil Nadu

2 Founder of the Reliance empire late Dhirubhai

Ambani,

— Trade & Industry —

Maharashtra

3 Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi

Shankar

Others-Spiritualism

—

Karnataka

4 Cinema baron Ramoji Rao

Literature & Education-

Journalism —

Andhra Pradesh

5 Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor

Jagmohan,

Public Affairs —

Delhi

6 Former DRDO chief VK Aatre,

Science & Engineering

—

Karnataka

7 Cancer specialist and chairperson of

Adyar Cancer Institute Dr V

Shanta

Medicine-Oncology —

Tamil Nadu

8 Eminent Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dancer

Yamini Krishnamurthi

Art-Classical dance —

Delhi

9 Classical vocalist Girija Devi

Art-Classical Vocal —

West Bengal

10 Indian-American economist Avinash

Dixit

Literature & Education —

USA


PADMA BHUSHAN - TOTAL 19 Sr. No.

Person Field From

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

Singing Maharashtra

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

Singh Hamdard Literature & Education - Journalism

Punjab

6 Hafeez Contractor

Others-Architecture

Maharashtra

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

10 Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry (NRI/PIO)

Trade & Industry Ireland

PADMA SRI – TOTAL 83

Sr. No.

Person Field From

1 Ajay Devgn Art-Cinema Maharashtra 2 Ms Priyanka

Chopra Art-Cinema Maharashtra

3 S S Rajamouli Art-Film Direction and Production

Karnataka

4 Madhur Bhandarkar

Art-Film Direction and Production

Maharashtra

5 Dhirendra Nath Bezbaruah

Literature & Education

Assam

6 Prof Pushpesh Pant

Literature & Education-Journalism

Delhi

7 Piyush Pandey Others-Advertising & Communication

Maharashtra

8 Ujjwal Nikam Public Affairs Maharashtra 9 Ms Deepika

Kumari Sports-Archery Jharkhand

10 Dilip Sanghvi Trade & Industry Maharashtra

ASHOKA CHAKRA: Nation's highest peacetime gallantry award, , has been awarded posthumously to Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami of 9 Para (Special Forces) for his acts of most conspicuous gallantry in eliminating 10 terrorists in 11 days before laying down his life in the line of duty in Sep 2015 in Kupwara sector of Jammu & Kashmir. JNANPITH AWARD FOR 2015: Noted Gujarati writer Raghuveer Chaudhari became the 56th writer to be conferred with India's highest literary honour. His most noted works include novels 'Amruta' and 'Uparvas’.

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

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

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

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

Best Director: Alejandro Inarritu - The Revenant

DECEMBER 2015

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

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

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


Miss Universe 2015: Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach of the Philippines

Miss International 2015: Edymar Martínez of Venezuela

Miss Earth 2015: Angelia Ong from Philippines

Miss Intercontinental 2015: Valentina Rasulova from Russia

Miss World 2015: Mireia Lalaguna from Spain

NOVEMBER 2015

THE INDIRA GANDHI PRIZE FOR PEACE, DISARMAMENT AND DEVELOPMENT-2015: Awarded to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for its “immense contributions” in assisting millions of refugees

KIREN RIJIJU: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, was designated as the Disaster Risk Reduction Champion for the Asia Region by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

RAMNATH GOENKA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Kuldip Nayar, a veteran journalist, columnist and author for his contribution to journalism.

KALA SHIKHAR AWARD: Santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma for lifetime achievement.

NEW YORK GLOBAL LEADERS DIALOGUE HUMANITARIAN AWARD: Bindeshwar Pathak, Social Activist and founder of Sulabh International INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S PEACE PRIZE: awarded to Abraham Keita (17) of Liberia for his “tireless campaigning” to end violence against minors.

OBITUARY

JANUARY 2016

MRINALINI SARABHAI: Veteran dancer and Padma Bhushan recipient passed away in Ahmedabad. She was 97. She was proficient in Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and Mohiniyattam. Lt–Gen. J F R JACOB (retd): Ex Governor of Goa and Punjab and war hero of 1971 Bangladesh war, passed away in New Delhi after a brief illness. He was 92. GENERAL O P MALHOTRA: Former Punjab Governor and ex-Chief of Army Staff passed away in Gurgaon due to old-age complications on Dec 29. He was 93. V. RAMA RAO: Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Sikkim Governor passed away in Hyderabad after prolonged illness. He was 80.

RAJESH VIVEK UPADHYAY: Noted film/ TV artist died in Hyderabad. He was 66. Rajesh was mainly known for his roles in films like Lagaan (Guran) and Swades. MUFTI MOHAMMAD SAYEED: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister died in New Delhi. He was 79.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2015

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

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

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

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


NOVEMBER 2015

RAM KRISHNA TRIVEDI: Former Gujarat governor, Chief Election Commissioner of India and Central Vigilance Commissioner, passed away at 94.

K. SANKARAN NAIR: Former Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) died in Bengaluru at 94.

ASHOK SINGHAL: Veteran patron of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) passed away in Gurgaon due to a prolonged illness. He was 89.

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

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

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

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

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

PLACES IN NEWS

JANUARY 2016

PATHANKOT: A group of 6 suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists attacked the Pathankot Air Force base in Punjab on January 2. All the attackers were killed, claiming martyrdom of 7 defence personnel KALIACHAK: A small town 25 kms southwest of Malda in West Bengal was in news as more than a dozen policemen were injured and police station was set on fire in mob fury in an incident of communal violence. UMAID BHAWAN PALACE: in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, has been adjudged the best hotel in the world based on reviews and opinions collected by travel site Trip Advisor for its ‘Travellers’ Choice awards for Hotels'. CHARSADDA: At least 25 persons were killed and several other were seriously wounded when Taliban suicide attackers stormed the prestigious Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, near Peshawar in Pakistan.

MAZAR-e-SHARIF: City in Afghanistan was in news as the Indian Consulate there was attacked by the heavily armed terrorists. An intense 25-hour gun-battle between security forces and terrorists ended in the killing of all attackers.

RAMADI: City in Iraq was declared liberated from the Islamic State group after clinching a landmark victory against the jihadists. The city was lost to IS in May, 2015.

DECEMBER 2015

KANNUR: Town in Kerala was in news as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavated 35,950 cannon balls at the historic Fort St Angelo there. SHENZHEN: In China, more than 90 persons were killed due to a landslide caused by the collapse of a huge mound of waste construction mud in Shenzhen industrial area in south China. SAN BERNARDINO: A city in California, USA was in news as gunmen opened fire on a holiday party at a social services agency, killing 14 people and wounding 17 others. Two gunmen were killed later on. TYPHOON NONA (Melor): Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from the central Philippines as a typhoon with winds of up to 150 kph made landfall, causing heavy rains leading to massive flooding and landslides.

NOVEMBER 2015

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

SPORTS WORLD

JANUARY 2016

DHANWADE SCORES RECORD 1009 RUNS Mumbai teenager Pranav Dhanawade scripted history by becoming the first batsman ever to notch up a four-figure score by smashing an unbeaten knock of 1009 including 59 sixes and 129 fours in 6 hours 35 minutes. Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s off-spinner was ranked as the No. 1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings for 2015. PV Sindhu won the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold Badminton title beating Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour in the final at Penang, Malaysia.

Jehan Daruvala of India won the New Zealand's most popular motor race the Lady Wigram Trophy.

Siril Verma, young Indian badminton player was declared number one in junior men's singles category in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.

APURVI CHANDELA broke the world record on 5 January 2016 to grab a gold medal in the women's 10 metre air rifle event with a score of 211.2 at the Swedish Cup Grand Prix in Savsjo, Sweden.


Later, she won her second gold in 10 metre tri series event, thereby also winning the title of ‘Shooter of the Tournament’ V V S Laxman's classy innings of 281 against Australia at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 2001 has been rated as the greatest Test performance of the last 50 years in an online survey by the ‘Cricket Magazine’.

ONGC won the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hockey tournament by beating Railways in New Delhi.

Rakhi Haldar and Kavita Devi won gold in their respective weight categories in the Senior National Weightlifting Championships held in Patiala, Punjab.

Arunima Sinha, the amputee mountaineer who set a record by climbing the Mount Everest, conquered Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest mountain outside Asia, at 6960.8 metres.

India won the first T20 Asia cup Cricket for Blind beating Pakistan by 44 runs in the finals held at Kochi, Kerala. Delhi International Chess Tournament started in Delhi on Jan. 9 BCCI ANNUAL HONOURS 'Cricketer of the Year' - Men: Virat Kohli, Indian Test captain 'Cricketer of the Year' - Women: Mithali Raj, 1st Indian woman and 2nd in world to complete 5,000 runs in ODI India beat defending champions Afghanistan 2-1 in the final of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Chennai Open Tennis: Stanislaus Wawrinka (Swiss) won the cup for the third time in row, beating Borna Coric of Croatia.

The 76th All-India Inter-University Athletics Championship was held in Patiala and the Punjabi University emerged as the overall champions for the sixth year in a row.

Senior National Wrestling Championship, New Delhi Gold won by Bajrang Punia in Men's 65kg and Ritu Phogat in women's 48kg Freestyle categories. Priyanka Phogat won the gold in the women’s 55kg category. Overall championship was won by Railways in men’s category and by Haryana in women’s category.

Vijay Merchant (U-16) Trophy: Punjab won the cricket trophy after beating Mumbai in Bengaluru.

Premier Badminton League: Delhi Acers won the title by beating Mumbai Rockets in New Delhi.

Indian women boxers won 4 gold, 9 silver and 9 bronze medals at the 5th Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) Nations Cup in Ruma, Serbia.

The 61st National School Athletic Meet held at Kozhikode, Kerala from Jan 29.

Justice (Retd) R M Lodha committee appointed by the S C to look into the affairs of BCCI has recommended sweeping reforms that include a bar on ministers from occupying positions, putting a cap on the age and tenure of the office-bearers and legalising betting.

Japan's Izumo Takuto and Hong Kong's Zhu Chengzhu won the boys' and girls' table tennis titles, respectively, in the 11Even Sports 2015 ITTF World Junior Circuit Finals in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

FIFA Ballon d'Or award: Lionel Messi of Argentina won the World Player of the Year Award for the fifth time.

FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year: Carli Lloyd, US midfielder claimed her first award.

INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY FEDERATION ANNUAL AWARDS 2015 Player of the Year (men): Robert Van der Horst, The Netherlands Player of the Year (women): Lidewij Welten, The Netherlands World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the Qatar Masters Open Chess Tournament.

Ronnie O'Sullivan of Britain won his sixth World Snooker Masters title after defeating Barry Hawkins in London.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul: The West Indies batsman announced his retirement from international cricket

Veteran tennis star Marat Safin became the first Russian player to enter the prestigious International Tennis Hall of Fame, USA.

2015 BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL Tennis Tournament at Brisbane, Australia. Men’s Singles: Milos Raonic of Canada defeated Roger Federer Women’s Singles: Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beats A Kerber Men’s Doubles: Henri Kontinen & John Peers Women’s doubles: Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis

Australia has declined to take part in forthcoming Under-19 World Cup Tournament in Bangladesh citing security reasons.

DECEMBER 2015

P V Sindhu has won the Macau Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton tournament for the third consecutive time, beating Minatsu Mitani of Japan.


Thakur Anoop Singh won the Mr. World title in the World Bodybuilding and Physique Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

Deborah Herold has become the first Indian female cyclist to be ranked fourth in the World Elite Women Ranking for the 500m time trial event. Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy won the doubles title in the Mexico Open Grand Prix Badminton tournament in Mexico City.

Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award: Syed Kirmani, India's former wicket-keeper batsman who played 88 Tests and 49 ODIs

Gujarat won their maiden Vijay Hazare Cricket Trophy by beating Delhi in the finals played in Bengaluru.

18th Asian Luge Championship: Shiva Keshavan of Manali, HP won a silver medal at Nagano, Japan.

Indonesian Masters Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament: India’s K Srikanth suffered a very narrow defeat from Tommy Sugiarto who won the finals in Malang, Indonesia.

59th National Shooting Championship, New Delhi. Vijay Kumar, Olympic medalist won gold in the men's 25-metre centre fire pistol Apurvi Chandela won Gold medal in the 10-metre Air Rifle event Chain Singh won the Gold in the 50-metre Rifle event Elizabeth Susan Koshy won Women's 50m Rifle Gold The 68th National Track Cycling Championship held at Ludhiana, Punjab.

The 22nd National Cricket Tournament for the visually impaired was held in New Delhi.

2nd Indian Super League Football tournament: Chennaiyin FC defeated FC Goa in the finals played in Goa.

Commonwealth Table-Tennis Championships were held in Surat, Gujarat. India topped the medal tally with 16 medals.

All India Football Federation has named midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh and striker Bala Devi as the Player-of-the-Year and woman Footballer - of - the - Year, respectively. Senior National Weightlifting Championships, Patiala: Haryana's Deepak Lather won gold medal in the men's 62kg category and set a new national record. Vikas Thakur of Services created a new national record as he won the gold medal in the 85kg category.

12th National Ice-Skating Championship held in Gulmarg, J&K from Dec 30 to Jan 03, 2016.

Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) awarded Player of the Year title for the PGTI Order of Merit to Bengaluru’s S Chikkarangappa as he won the McLeod Russel Tour Championship at Kolkata. India won four-match Test series against South Africa, 3-0, played in India. Pro Wrestling League: Mumbai Garuda outclassed Haryana Hammers to clinch the inaugural title in New Delhi. Two new teams, Pune and Rajkot have become the new franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for a period of two years, replacing the suspended teams of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. Hockey World League: Australia defeated Belgium to lift the title at Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Stadium, Raipur, Madhya Pradesh.

Robert Lewandowski, Polish professional footballer’s nine-minute, five-goal haul for German Football Club Bayern Munich against Wolfsburg earned him Guinness World Record for fastest three, four and five goals.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg won the 2015 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Underdog Tyson Fury shocked the boxing world by giving a stunning defeat to the reigning world heavy weight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine on Nov 28, becoming the first Briton to hold a world heavyweight crown since 2011. BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2015 award won by tennis star Andy Murray of UK Dan Carter, winner of Rugby World Cup from New Zealand, has been named 2015 Sports Personality of the Year. Chen Long of China and Carolina Marin of England were declared Male and Female Player of the Year, respectively, by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in Dubai. CRICKETER OF THE YEAR - 2015: Australian batsman Steve Smith has been selected for this prestigious award by the ICC. He was also named ‘Test Cricketer of the Year. ODI Cricketer of the Year 2015: South Africa's ODI captain batsman AB de Villiers

FIFA Club World Cup: Barcelona (Spain) won the cup by beating River Plate (USA) in finals played in Yokohama, Japan.


The International Tennis Federation announced following rankings for 2015:

Men’s World Champion - Novak Djokovic (Serbia)

Women’s World Champion - Serena Williams (the USA)

Men’s Doubles World Champions - Jean-Julien Rojer & Horia Tecau Women’s Doubles World Champions: Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis

Great Britain won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936 after the British Andy Murray beat Belgium's David Goffin in Ghent, Belgium.

Brendon McCullum, New Zealand cricket captain announced on Dec 22 his retirement from all forms of international cricket.

NOVEMBER 2015

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

Pankaj Advani, India's most successful cueist won the record 15th world title by winning the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Egypt, defeating Zhua Xintong of China. Heena Sidhu has won Gold in 10 metre Air Pistol event at 13th Asian Shooting Championships in Kuwait. Jitu Rai won silver medal Shiva Thapa, top Indian boxer was ranked number 2 in the latest international rankings in the 56 kg category. Siril Verma, 16 year old shuttler from India won the silver medal at the BWF World Junior Championships held in Lima, Peru. 8th Men’s Junior Asia Hockey Cup: India’s junior men’s team won the cup at Kuantan, Malaysia by defeating Pakistan.

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

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

Wasim Jaffer became the first player in Ranji Trophy history to notch up 10,000 runs. He reached the milestone playing against Bengal in Kolkata. Anju Bobby George, former long jump world champion has been appointed as the chairperson of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

Shashank Manohar, BCCI President was authorised to represent BCCI in ICC (International Cricket Council) as its Chairman.

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

World number one Novak Djokovic has become the first player to win the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals for the fourth consecutive time by beating Roger Federer in the finals played in London. Swiss Indoors Basel Tennis title: Won by Roger Federer by defeating Rafael Nadal Agnieszka Radwanska, of Poland, won the BNP Paribas WTA Finals title at Singapore, beating Petra Kvitova

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BOOKS & AUTHORS

BOOK AUTHOR ‘Azad Bachpan ki Aur’ Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel

Peace prize winner The Turbulent Years – 1980-1996

Pranab Mukherjee, President of India

India’s Foreign Policy Muchkund Dubey, a former Indian Foreign

Secretary The Z Factor: My Journey as the Wrong Man at the Right Time

an autobiography of Subhash Chandra, media moughal, founder of Zee

TV. Maru Bharat Saru Bharat (My India Noble

Jain Acharya Ratnasundersuriswarji


India) written Maharaj. This is the 300th book written by

Maharaj ji. A God in Ruins Kate Atkinson - The book

won the novel-of-the-year prize at Britain's Costa

Book Awards 2015.

Go Set a Watchman, the second novel

Harper Lee, topped the US bestseller list in 2015,

selling 1.6 million copies. 'Anything But Khamosh' – biography of Shatrughan Sinha written

Bharathi S Pradhan.

The Bose Brothers and Indian Independence – An Insider’s Account

Madhuri Bose, the grand-niece of Netaji Subhas

Chandra Bose. On My Terms: From the Grassroots to the Corridors of Power

an autobiography of Sharad Pawar

This Unquiet Land Barkha Dutt Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney See Me Nicholas Sparks Rogue Lawyer John Grisham Combating Hunger and Achieving Food Security

M.S. Swaminathan

Chronicles of Time and Chance

Raymond Francis Isar

Because We Say So Noam Chomsky Why India Is Not A Great Power (Yet)

Bharat Karnad

My Gita Devidutt Pattnaik The Mare's Trap Wendy Doniger. What Happened to Netaji Anuj Dhar Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations

Nandan Nilekani and Viral Shah

India-Myanmar Relations Rajiv Bhatia The Clintons' War on Women

Roger Stone and Robert Morrow

Mrs Funnybones Twinkle Khanna To the Brink and Back: India’s 1991 Story

Jairam Ramesh.

A Children’s History of India Subhadra Sen Gupta. The Country of First Boys Amartya Sen Baat Niklegi toh Phir Sathya Saran Dreaming Big: My Journey to Connect India

– an autobiography of Sam Pitroda, noted

technocrat who brought telecom revolution in

India. The Chinar Leaves veteran Congress leader

and close aide of the

Gandhi family M L Fotedar

Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider’s Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy

Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, ex Foreign Minister of

Pakistan. The Courage to Act - A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath by

Ben S. Bernanke. The author is the ex governor of the Federal Reserve of

USA and the book is about the lessons learnt from

the recessions like 2008 Financial Crisis.

The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue

an autobiography of Frederick Forsyth, noted

thriller novelist. Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Days

Salman Rushdie.

The Monsoon War: Young Officers Reminisce 1965 India-Pakistan'

Capt Amarinder Singh and Lt. Gen. Tajindar

Shergill The Curse of Surya Dev Prasad. Hubris: Why Economists Failed to Predict the Crisis and How to Avoid the Next One

Meghnad Desai.

The Power of Meow David Michie Muslim Cosmopolitanism in the Age of Empire

Seema Alavi

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

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Latest MCQs ON CURRENT AFFAIRS

APRIL GK TEST – 01 1. The Uri-I and Dulhasti power projects are located

in A. Jammu & Kashmir B. Himachal Pradesh C. Uttarakhand D. Punjab E. Haryana

2. Bedaquiline, a drug newly launched by the Health Ministry, is related to A. Zika Virus B. Tuberculosis C. Ebola D. Swine flu E. Kala Azar

3. Haldhar Nag, who was recently honoured with the Padma Shri award, writes poetry in A. Malayalam B. Bengali C. Kosli D. Odia E. Maithili

4. Who has authored the book “Standing Guard --- A Year in Opposition”? A. Arun Shourie B. Raghuram Rajan C. P. Chidambaram D. Suzanna Arundhati Roy E. Kapil Sibal

5. The Prime Minister of __________ recently resigned after his name was revealed in the Panama Papers leaks. A. Iceland B. Kenya C. Mexico D. Bulgaria E. Lichtenstin

6. Effective from April this year, the Reserve Bank has begun a new system to help the banks calculate the interest rates on bank loans. The new regime is called A. Base Rate B. MCLR C. Floor Rate D. Discount Rate

E. PLR 7. The marginal productivity of labour in case of

disguised unemployment is A. Slightly positive B. Always negative C. Positive D. Positive or negative

E. Zero 8. Stand Up India and Start Up India are meant for

…….…. and …………. . respectively. A. young entrepreneurs, SC/ST/ women B. SC/ST/ women, young entrepreneurs C. SC/ST/ women, entrepreneurs D. entrepreneurs, SC/ST/ women E. women, entrepreneurs

9. What was the theme of the 2016 World Health Day (WHD)? A. Healthy heart beat, Healthy blood pressure

B. Beat Diabetes C. Healthy blood pressure D. Save lives: Make hospitals safe in emergencies E. Antibiotic Resistance

10. The 2016 International Conference on “Zero” was recently hosted by which country? A. Russia B. Vietnam C. France D. Brazil E. India

11. Who has been appointed the new chairman of NASSCOM? A. Parasmal Parekh B. CP Gurnani C. Raman Roy D. BVR Mohan Reddy E. C. Ramachandra

12. The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is held in A. Pakistan B. Malaysia C. India D. Indonesia E. Saudi Arabia

13. Mossack Fonseca & Co., which was recently in news, is a company from A. Britain B. Panama C. Iceland D. The U.S.A E. The UK

14. The world’s first mass dengue vaccination programme has been launched by which country? A. Israel B. Philippines C. United States D. Russia E. India

15. Who is the newly elected President of Vietnam? A. Tran Dai Quang B. Truong Tan Sang C. Nguyen Phu Trong D. Nguyen Huu Vinh E. Htyn Kwa

16. Which mobile app has been recently launched by the Union Government to empower the common man to demand 24×7 Power? A. Vidyut 24×7 B. Vidyut Sangam C. Vidyut Power D. Vidyut Pravah E. Gamini

17. Which Indian personality was recently bestowed with the Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour “King Abdulaziz Sash”? A. Pranab Mukherjee B. Sushma Swaraj C. Narendra Modi D. Dalbir Singh Suhag E. Chandi Prasad Bhatt

18. Who has won the 2016 Miami Open Men’s singles title? A. Rafael Nadal B. Novak Djokovic C. David Ferrer D. Kei Nishikori E. Roger Federer

19. According to the HIS report, what is the India’s position in defence spending worldwide? A. First B. Second C. Third D. Fourth E. Fifth


20. Study the following news item, which was recently published in newspapers. “The eight core industries’ output grew at the fastest pace in 15 months, clocking a 5.7 per cent growth in February”. Which of the following is NOT one of the core industries? A. Fertilizers B. Crude Oil C. Electricity D. Pulp & Paper E. Cement

21. Who is the incumbent head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees? A. Filippo Grandi B. Ruud Lubbers C. Sadako Ogata D. Peter Maurer E. Christine Lagarde

22. Pick the odd one out. A. Margin money B. Loan To Value Ratio C. Nomination D. Sub-standard assets

E. Hypothecation 23. The average life expectancy in a country is NOT a

function of A. Food habits B. Vaccination facilities C. Malnutrition levels D. Lifestyle E. Prevailing Sex ratio

24. The Olive Ridley turtles, which face the risk of extinction, mate annually on the A. Malabar islands B. Kerala coast C. Andaman islands D. Odisha coast

E. Andhra coast 25. The “Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday” scheme was

launched to commemorate the birth anniversary of A. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee B. Vinoba Bhave C. Dr. BR Ambedkar D. Jaiprakash Narain E. Mahatma Gandhi

26. A massive fire tragedy struck a temple in ……….. in Kerala, killing 108 people and injuring hundreds of other people. A. Trivandrum B. Kollam C. Vylavur D. Perimabdur E. Kumarkom

27. The NAV of a mutual fund refers to A. The total market price of all units on a particular day B. The market price of a unit on a particular day C. The market price of a unit + applicable fee on a particular day D. The issue price of the unit during a New Fund Offer E. None of these

28. Which Syrian city was recaptured from the ISIS by the security forces, marking their biggest victory against it? A. Palmyra B. Damascus C. Machu D. Gaza E. Kryghiz

29. Window-dressing in the context of banking would imply A. Making the branch premises look appealing B. Improving the facilities enjoyed by the customers C. Both A and B D. Overstating the profits/receivables and understating the losses/ liabilities E. None of these

30. Out of these, which one was the Best Hindi movie at the National Film Awards this year? A. Dam Laga Ke Hai Shaa B. Bajirao Mastani C. Bajrangi Bhaijaan D. Tanu Weds Manu Returns E. Bahubali

31. As per the data for 2014-15, which of the following is the correct order of states w.r.t. their Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP)? A. Maharashtra > Uttar Pradesh > West Bengal > Gujarat B. Gujarat > Maharashtra > Uttar Pradesh > West Bengal C. Uttar Pradesh > Maharashtra > West Bengal > Gujarat D. Maharashtra > Gujarat > Uttar Pradesh > West Bengal E. None of these

32. Who has been crowned as the FBB Femina Miss India World 2016? A. Namrata Sharma B. Priyadarshini Chatterjee C. Pankhuri Gidwani D. Sushruthi Krishna E. Jhatlekha Chaterjee

33. Who has won the 2016 Global Indian of the Year award? A. Shahrukh Khan B. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan C. Sanjay Leela Bhansali D. Priyanka Chopra E. Irrfan Khan

34. Which new interface has been launched by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for next-generation mobile banking? A. Unique Payments Interface B. Unified Payments Interface C. Universal Payments Interface D. Unicellular Payments Interface E. Union Payments Interface

35. Which country recently tendered an official apology for the infamous Kama Gatamaru incident, which had happened during India’s freedom struggle? A. South Africa B. Canada C. Germany D. USA

E. England 36. With total inflows of $ 69 billion, India was the

_________ recipient of foreign remittances during 2015-16. A. largest B. second largest C. fourth largest D. fifth largest E. third largest

37. The term Open General License refers to A. Foreign direct investment B. Industrial production C. Imports D. Banking E. Exports

38. Pick the odd one out. A. RBI B. PFRDA C. SEBI D. TRAI E. IRDAI

39. The UNO, for the first time ever, celebrated recently the birth anniversary of A. Jawahar Lal Nehru B. Mother Teresa C. Mahatma Gandhi D. Bhagat Singh

E. Dr. BR Ambedkar


40. The Supreme Court recently overturned its own 2013 judgment in the A. President’s rule case B. Triple talaq case C. NEET case D. Right to expression case E. Right to death case

41. The term moratorium is applied to A. Savings accounts B. Bank loans C. Fixed deposits D. Bank mergers E. B and D

42. The proposed TAPI gas pipeline will NOT pass through A. Tazakhistan B. Poland C. Pakistan D. India E. Afghanistan

43. Chit Chette is a literary creation, which grabbed headlines recently for A. Its winning the Saraswati Samman for its authoress B. Its winning the Jnanpeeth Samman for its authoress C. A legal case filed against it in the apex court D. A recently released movie based on this book E. Getting banned

44. The proposed $ 100 billion merger between two gaint pharma cos. has been called off owing to regulatory hurdles. Can you identify the right pair? A. Daaichi Sankyo- Pfizer B. Allergen-Novartis C. Pfizer- Ranbaxy D. Allergen-Pfizer E. Novartis AG- Bayer

45. CGI is a technology employed in A. Cosmetic surgery B. Banking C. Supercomputers D. Films E. 3D Printing

46. A top-level Nuclear Safety Summit was attended by PM Narender Modi in A. Paris B. Washington C. Lima D. Moscow E. Brussels

47. The only place, where the one-horned deer are found in India, is A. Manas sanctuary B. Simplipal sanctuary C. Sariska sanctuary D. Bharatpur sanctuary

E. Dachigam sanctuary 48. Which movie won the honour for the Best Movie on

National Integration this year? A. Shobho Aichha B. Vellam Kollam C. Nanak Shah Faqir D. Chaar Sahibzaade E. Bahubali

49. For small banks, the ratio of priority sector loans to total loans has been fixed at A. 50% B. 100% C. 60% D. 75% E. 40%

50. Which of the following is a term NOT related to banking? A. Foreclosure B. Fiscal buoyancy C. Assignment D. Ledger balance E. Average Quarterly Balance

ANSWER KEY TEST - 1

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 A 2 B 3 C 4 C 5 A 6 B 7 E 8 B 9 B 10 C 11 B 12 B 13 B 14 B 15 A 16 D 17 C 18 B 19 D 20 D 21 A 22 C 23 E 24 D 25 C 26 B 27 B 28 A 29 D 30 A 31 A 32 B 33 B 34 B 35 B 36 A 37 C 38 D 39 E 40 C 41 E 42 A 43 A 44 D 45 D 46 B 47 E 48 C 49 D 50 B

APRIL GK TEST – 02 1. “DEEP” web portal has been launched for the

acquisition of short-term power by DISCOMs. What does ‘DEEP’ stand for? A. Discovery of Efficacy Electricity Price B. Discovery of Effective Electricity Price C. Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price D. Discovery of Effable Electricity Price E. Distribution of Efficient Electrical Power

2. Which Indian Air Force base has been renamed after former IAF chief Arjan Singh? A. Udhampur B. Panagarh C. Darbhanga D. Port Blair E. Adampur

3. The Supercomputer “Param Kanchenjunga” was launched in which state of India? A. Sikkim B. Kerala C. Gujarat D. Odisha E. Maharashtra

4. Who has topped the TIME poll of 100 most influential people? A. Aung San Suu Kyi B. Narendra Modi C. Bernie Sanders D. Hillary Clinton E. Barack Obama

5. Which country has become the 189th member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank? A. Senegal B. Chad

C. Nauru D. Grenada E. South Sudan

6. Burj Khalifa is situated in A. Doha B. Manama

C. Dubai D. Abu Dhabi E. Iraq

7. The Saraswati Samman for the year 2015 has been conferred upon A. Sugathakumari B. Govind Mishra

C. Padma Sachdev D. M Veerappa Moily E. Kedar Nath Singh

8. The RBI and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) have recently launched the ____________ to encourage electronic payment systems for a cashless economy in India. A. Unified Payment Interface (UPI) B. Aadhar Payment System C. Cashless Payment System D. Hassle-free Payment System E. Integrated Payment Interface

9. Who has broken the world record for the longest dance performance by dancing continuously for 123 hours and 30 minutes? A. Birju Maharaj B. Kumudini Lakhiya C. Shovana Narayan D. Sona Chaurasia E. Mrinalini Sarabahi

10. In order to promote entrepreneurship, PM Modi launched the “Stand up India scheme” in A. Varanasi B. Kanpur C. Noida D. Lucknow E. Rajnandgaon


11. The Union Finance Ministry has extended which duty on import of some steel products? A. Customs duty B. Countervailing duty C. Safeguard duty D. Excise duty E. Anti- dumping duty

12. The Triyambakeshwar Temple is situated in A. West Bengal B. Rajasthan C. Maharashtra D. Karnataka E. Madhya Pradesh

13. PM Narendra Modi recently launched a National Agriculture Market portal called A. e- Agri Market B. e- Agro C. e- NAM D. e- NaMp E. e-Farm

14. Gurgaon will now be known as A. Gurdham B. Goregram C. Dronagram D. Gurugram E. Gurushaala

15. _________ and _________ plan to build a bridge over the Red Sea. A. Germany and Egypt B. USA and Egypt C. Pakistan and Egypt D. Saudi Arabia and Egypt E. Turkey and Egypt

16. The five-time world chess champion of India, who was conferred with Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award 2016, is A. Viswanathan Anand B. Bhagyshri Thipse C. Deepa Karmakar D. Tanya Scahdev E. None of these

17. Which of the following has/have been integrated into the Core Banking System recently? A. India Post B. Exim Bank C. Regional Rural Banks D. Grameen Banks E. ICICI Bank

18. What is the full form of ‘ULIP’, a term which was in news recently? A. Universal Life & Investment Plan B. Unit Loan & Investment Plan C. Unit Linked Insurance Plan D. Uniformly Loaded Investment Plan E. None of these

19. Which of the following is NOT a banking-related term? A. Radiation B. Outstanding Amount C. Guarantee D. Marginal Cost of Funds-based Lending Rate (MCLR) E. One Time Password (OTP)

20. The insurance policies sold by various banks come under A. Investment banking B. Portfolio management C. Merchant banking D. Bancassurance E. Wealth Management

21. Which of the following does NOT happen when the interest rates in an economy go up? A. Savings increase B. Lending decreases C. Cost of production increases D. Return on capital increases E. All these are correct statements

22. The Open Market Operations of the RBI refer to the buying and selling of A. Commercial bills B. Foreign exchange C. Gold D. Government bonds E. Old and new notes

23. The popular term Green Banking means A. Development of forestry by the banks B. Financing of environmental friendly projects by the banks C. Financing of irrigation projects by the banks D. Financing of solar-powered projects by the banks E. None of the above

24. Which one of the following is NOT a quantitative credit control technique? A. Bank Rate B. Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) C. Increase in interest rates payable on savings deposits D. Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) E. Repo rate

25. A team of Chinese inventors have unveiled an interactive, human-like robot resembling a living woman with facial expressions. What name has been given to this humanoid robot? A. Mia Mia B. Li Li C. Jia Jia D. Xia Xia E. Hia Hia

26. __________ is a new super strong material which is stronger than even Graphene, which is currently considered to be the strongest material. A. Zorbyne B. Stephyne C. Carbyne D. Delbyne E. Terene

27. New York City declared 14th April 2016 as the ‘Bindeshwar Pathak Day’ in recognition of the contributions of Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of __________ in improving the lives of people working in the most dehumanising conditions. A. Sulabh International B. Suvidha International C. Suraksha International D. Safai International E. Swachh International

28. Name the Indo-American (CEO of MasterCard), who has been appointed a member of the Commission on Enhancing National Cyber security by US President. A. Ajay Banga B. Ajay Ahuja C. Vijay Banga D. Vijay Ahuja E. Rajat Gupta

29. Dilma Rousseff, the President of ____________ was recently impeached by a parliamentary vote. A. Brazil B. South Africa C. France D. Italy E. South Korea

30. The oldest stock exchange in Asia is the A. Hong Kong Stock Market B. Bombay Stock Exchange C. Japanese Stock Market D. South Korean Stock Market E. Kolkata Stock Exchange

31. “No one is absolute, not even the President or the Courts. Anybody can go terribly wrong.” These scathing comments against the central government were made by the _________ in the __________ case.


A. Uttrakhand High Court, flood relief B. Uttrakhand High Court, President’s rule C. Uttrakhand High Court, temple entry D. Arunachal Pradesh High Court, President’s rule E. Punjab and Haryana High Court, Jat reservation stir

32. The term ‘first class securities’ is applied to A. Bonds with AAA+ rating B. Government securities with AAA+ rating C. Government securities with AAA or better rating D. Government securities E. Bonds issued by financial institutions like NABARD, GIC etc.

33. Pick the odd one out. A. Par Value B. OTCEI C. Underwriting D. Futures & Options E. ARCIL

34. The first Indian woman player to qualify for an individual Olympic event in the past half a century, is A. Deepa Karmakar B. Saina Nehwal C. Krishna Punia D. Sania Mirza E. Deepika Pallikal

35. Which of the following institutions is NOT headed by a woman? A. State Bank of India B. ICICI Bank C. HDFC Bank D. Axis Bank E. All these are headed by women CEOs

36. The Indian Army’s battle exercise ‘Shatrujeet’ was conducted in A. Bikaner B. Vadodara C. Meerut D. Jaisalmer

E. Sanganer 37. CAPART is an organization related to

A. politics B. computers C. self-employment D. pharmaceutical research E. rural development

38. Assertion (A): India’s trade deficit has been falling for the past few months. Reasoning (R): The prices of commodities and crude

oil are showing a downward trend. A. Both A and R are correct and R correctly explains A. B. Both A and R are correct but R does not correctly explain A. C. A is correct but R is wrong. D. R is correct but A is wrong. E. Both A and R are wrong

39. Which of the following acronyms/ terms is NOT related to inflation in India? A. Primary articles B. IIP C. Consumption basket D. WPI E. CPI

40. A Red Herring Prospectus is issued by a company desiring to A. Diversify its operations B. Raise debt from the public C. Collaborate with other companies D. Disinvest its equity capital E. Have an IPO

41. Who has been appointed India’s goodwill ambassador for the Rio Olympics contingent? A. Sachin Tendulkar B. Yogeshwar Dutt C. Salman Khan D. Aamir Khan E. Milkha Singh

42. The National Honour for the Best Director went to A. Anand L Rai for Piku B. Anand L Rai for Tanu Weds Manu Returns C. Manish Sharma for Tanu Weds Manu Returns D. Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Bajirao Mastani E. Shoojit Sircar for Piku

43. The agency which insures an IPO against under-subscription is called A. Merchant Banker B. Broker C. Registrar D. Advisor E. Underwriter

44. Which of these countries tops the Press Freedom Index rankings for 2016? A. Sweden B. Finland C. Denmark D. Singapore E. The USA

45. Which of these fuels is added to petrol for blending purposes? A. Pentene B. Ethyl Mercaptan C. Ethanol D. Methanol E. Octane

46. In a controversial move, the government has recently notified that the pictorial warnings on cigarette and other tobacco products’ packaging should cover at least _________% of the total pack size. A. 70 B. 85 C. 50 D. 60 E. 30

47. Hedging is a technique commonly used in A. Banking B. Insurance C. Psychology D. Stock markets E. Computing

48. The ________ committee had recommended liberalization of the banking sector in India. A. Shivaraman B. Narsimhan C. R Malhotra D. Gadgil E. R Gandhi

49. The SAWEN network, which India has joined recently, is designed to A. Fight malnutrition B. Protect wildlife C. Fight preventable diseases among children D. Safeguard intellectual property E. None of these

50. Prince Williams and Kate Middleton, the ________ and ________ of Cambridge came to India on a goodwill tour. A. Duke, Duchess B. Prince, Princess C. King, Queen D. Earl, Earless E. His Highness, Her Majesty

ANSWER KEY TEST - 2

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 C 2 B 3 A 4 C 5 C 6 C 7 C 8 A 9 D 10 C 11 C 12 C 13 C 14 D 15 D 16 A 17 A 18 C 19 A 20 D 21 D 22 D 23 B 24 C 25 C 26 C 27 A 28 A 29 A 30 B 31 B 32 D 33 E 34 A 35 C 36 A 37 E 38 A 39 B 40 E 41 C 42 D 43 E 44 B 45 C 46 B 47 D 48 B 49 B 50 A


SSC CORNER

THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

Historic Milestones 6th century BC: Ancient Indian ayurvedic physician Sushruta described how vital fluids circulate in the body.

1628 AD: William Harvey, a Britisher, first described blood circulation.

1903 AD: Dutch physiologist Willem Einthoven invented the electrocardiograph.

1952 AD: The first successful open heart surgery by F. John Lewis, an American surgeon.

1967 AD: South African Dr. Christian Barnard performed the first transplant of a human heart

1982 AD: American physician Robert Jarvik designed the first artificial heart CIRCULATORY SYSTEM The circulatory system is a vast network responsible for the flow of blood, nutrients, hormones, oxygen and other gases to and from cells. Without it, the body would be unable to fight disease or maintain a stable internal environment — such as proper temperature and pH — known as homeostasis. It is made up of three independent systems that work together: the heart (cardiovascular); lungs (pulmonary); and arteries, veins, coronary and portal vessels (systemic). In an average human, about 7,572 liters of blood travel daily through about 96,560 kilometers of blood vessels. An average adult has 4.7 to 5.6 liters of blood. Besides, the circulatory system moves lymph, a clear fluid to help rid the body of unwanted material. The passage of lymph takes much longer than that of blood. BLOOD Blood is a fluid consisting of plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets circulated by the heart through the vascular system, carrying oxygen and nutrients to and waste materials away from tissues. Lymph is recycled excess blood plasma after it has been filtered from the interstitial fluid (between cells) and returned to the lymphatic system. The cardiovascular system comprises the blood, heart, and blood vessels.

The lymph, lymph nodes, and lymph vessels form the lymphatic system, which returns filtered plasma from the interstitial fluid as lymph.

ARTERIES Oxygenated blood enters the systemic circulation when leaving the left ventricle. The first part of the systemic circulation is the aorta, a massive and thick-walled artery. The aorta arches and branches into major arteries to the upper body before passing through the diaphragm, where it branches into arteries which supply the lower parts of the body. CAPILLARIES Arteries branch into small passages called arterioles and into the capillaries. The capillaries merge to bring blood into the venous system. VEINS After their passage through tissues, capillaries merge again into venules, which merge into veins. They finally converge into two major veins: the superior vena cava (draining the areas above the heart) and the inferior vena cava (from areas below the heart). These two great vessels empty into the right atrium of the heart. CORONARY VESSELS The heart itself is supplied oxygen and nutrients via a small "loop" of the systemic circulation. HEART The heart pumps oxygenated blood to the body and deoxygenated blood to the lungs. In the human heart, there is one atrium and one ventricle for each


circulation, and with both a systemic and a pulmonary circulation there are four chambers in total: left atrium, left ventricle, right atrium and right ventricle. The right atrium is the upper chamber of the right side of the heart. The blood that is returned to the right atrium is deoxygenated (poor in oxygen) and passed into the right ventricle to be pumped through the pulmonary artery to the lungs for re-oxygenation and removal of carbon dioxide. The left atrium receives newly oxygenated blood from the lungs and the pulmonary vein, which goes into the strong left ventricle to be pumped through the aorta to the different organs of the body.

The coronary circulation system provides blood supply to the heart muscle itself. The coronary circulation begins near the origin of the aorta by two arteries: the right coronary artery and the left coronary artery. After nourishing the heart muscle, blood returns through the coronary veins into the coronary sinus and from this one into the right atrium. Back flow of blood through its opening during atrial systole is prevented by the Thebesian valve. The smallest cardiac veins drain directly into the heart chambers. LUNGS The circulatory system of the lungs is a part of the cardiovascular system, in which the oxygen-depleted blood is pumped away from the heart, via the pulmonary artery, to the lungs and returned, oxygenated, to the heart via the pulmonary vein. The oxygen-deprived blood from the superior and inferior vena cava enters the right atrium of the heart and flows through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle, from where it is pumped through the pulmonary semilunar valve into the pulmonary artery to the lungs. Gas exchange occurs in the lungs, whereby CO2 is released from the blood, and oxygen is absorbed. The pulmonary vein returns the now oxygen-rich blood to the left atrium.

BLOOD & OXYGEN TRANSPORT About 98.5% of the oxygen in arterial blood in a healthy human is chemically combined with hemoglobin molecules, the primary transporter of oxygen. CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES Many such diseases are "lifestyle diseases" as they develop over time due to exercise habits, diet, smoking, and other lifestyle choices. Atherosclerosis is the precursor to many diseases, wherein small plaques build up in the walls of arteries. This may eventually grow or rupture to occlude the arteries. It is a risk factor for acute coronary syndromes, marked by a sudden deficit of oxygenated blood to the heart. Another major cardiovascular disease involves the creation of a clot, called a "thrombus". These can originate in veins or arteries. Deep venous thrombosis, which mostly occurs in the legs, is one cause of clots in the veins of the legs, particularly when a person has been stationary for a long time. These clots may travel to another location. It may cause pulmonary embolus, transient ischaemic attacks, or stroke.

SELF-QUIZ

1. Define homeostasis. 2. What are the major parts of the human heart? 3. Differentiate arteries from veins. 4. Describe the major components of blood. 5. Oxygen-depleted blood is carried from the

heart to the lungs by the ………… 6. Oxygen-rich blood is carried from the lungs to

the heart by the ………… 7. How much average volume of blood does an

adult human have? 8. Who discovered the circulation of blood?


GYANM QUIZ - 13 How much do you know about the world around you? Take the quiz below to find out for yourself and WIN some exciting prizes as rewards. 1. Tripitaka is a major religious book in

A. Hinduism B. Buddhism C. Jainism D. Islam

2. The process of human digestion starts in the A. Pancreas B. Mouth C. Stomach D. Intestine

3. Kangaroo is the national animal of A. Denmark B. Australia C. Canada D. New Zeland

4. “Patriotism is the last resort of a scoundrel” was said by A. Oscar Wilde B. William Shakespeare C. Dr. Samuel Johnson D. Alexander Pope

5. Which Mughal king was most well-known for erecting beautiful monuments? A. Humayun B. Akbar C. Jahangir D. Shahjehan

6. One can open a self-operated savings bank account in India at a minimum of A. 18 years B. 21 years C. 14 years D. 10 years

7. Which of the following countries shares its day of independence with India? A. Singapore B. Taiwan C. Hong Kong D. None of these

8. The number of Lok Sabha seats is determined on the basis of the …….…. census. A. 2001 B. 1971

C. 1991 D. 2011

9. The moon lacks an atmosphere due to A. More friction B. Its magnetic properties C. Its distance from the Sun D. Lesser gravitational pull

10. Which of the following was the first truly Indian set up in British India? A. Reserve Bank of India B. Punjab National Bank C. Allahabad Bank D. Hindustan Commercial Bank

Heartiest congratulations to the winners of Gyanm Quiz-12!

1. Monika Chauhan– Bengalore 2. Sharika – Panipat

The winners are being informed by post. Name: ______________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ PIN: _____________________ Mobile: ___________________________________ _ My answers to Gyanm Quiz - 13 are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Signature _______________

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1. Please send your responses to the quiz, along with

your COMPLETE ADDRESS and PIN CODE, by 25th May, 2016. The responses can be sent By e-mail to [email protected] OR On Whatsapp mobile number 09646888377 OR By post to Gyanm College of Competitions, SCO 13-15, 2nd Floor, Above Domino’s, Sector 34-A, Chandigarh-160034

2. ONLY the residents of India are eligible to participate.

3. In case of multiple correct entries, a draw will be held to decide the winner/s.

4. The Prize/s CANNOT be exchanged for cash. 5. The decision of the jury shall be FINAL and

BINDING on all the participants. 6. The winners’ names shall be announced in the July,

2016 issue.


Profit And Pleasure ON PERSONALITIES

1. The famous economist and former American

ambassador to India once described India as a “functioning anarchy”. Can you recall his name?

2. He never won the Nobel Prize for his most famous

contribution i.e. the Theory of Relativity which only two people in the world could understand when it was announced. He got it for another scientific contribution, which is very little known in the world. Can you name this man and his contribution?

3. The Chipko Movement is frequently associated with

Sunder Lal Bahuguna, who did great work against illegal tree felling in the hilly areas of Uttar Pradesh. But the movement had originated with some villagers sticking to the trees, which the tree mafia wanted to axe for profit. Can you name the simple village woman who started it?

4. This man was called the Ambassador of Hindu

Muslim Unity by Sarojini Naidu in undivided India. Ironically, he did the most for the creation of a separate Pakistan. Whom are we talking about?

5. This man, who brought about a revolution in milk

output in India, never drank milk himself as he did not like it. He, after returning from the USA, set up the cooperative model for milk production, which improved the dairy framers’ incomes and transformed their lives, so beautifully captured in the 1970s Smita Patil- starrer Manthan. Can you name this revolutionary man?

6. Besides Gulzar, he is the only other lyricist to get the

prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Prize for overall cinematic contributions. Initially, he was a hakim but discovered his true calling in Bollywood. He teamed up with the iconic RD Burman for some of his most glorious songs, which are popular till date. Do you remember him?

7. The Pakistanis lovingly call him Father Teresa on account of his humanitarian work, which covers rescue and relief work during calamities. His foundation has a vast fleet of ambulances and relief vans to help people in any kind of distress situation. What is his real name?

8. He is the man regarding whom it is said that he knew

infinity. He worked as a clerk in the Madras Port Trust but his mathematical genius was spotted by a British professor, who brought him to England on a scholarship. Unfortunately, he died young due to TB but left behind a rich legacy of contributions to the Number Theory. In fact, the number 1729 is named after him but can you name him?

9. No modern book on psychology is complete without

repeated references to this Austria-born psychiatrist, who explored the unconscious mind and its workings. The Father of Psychoanalysis wrote extensively on dreams and what they mean. Though his ideas on the human instincts of violence and sex sparked great controversy, his seminal contributions have greatly impacted modern psychiatry, parenting and education in general. Can you identify him?

10. The movie A Beautiful Mind portrays the life and

work of this great mathematician, who struggled with schizophrenia, a severe mental disorder. His contributions to the Game Theory are well-recognized and find applications in many fields. Can you identify him?

KEY

1. JK Galbraith 2. Albert Einstein 3. Gauri Devi 4. Mohammed Ali Jinnah 5. Dr. Verghese Kurien 6. Majrooh Sultanpuri 7. Abdus Sattar Eidhi 8. Ramanujan 9. Sigmund Freud 10. John Nash


How much well-equipped are you with vocabulary to express yourself in different situations? Take the quiz below to find out for yourself and also learn some new words as a BONUS! Directions: Given below are certain words printed in BOLD letters, followed by four choices in each case. Find out the choice which best conveys the meaning of the word in question. You will find the detailed solution to this exercise in this issue only. 1. PONDERING

A. Shining B. Praiseworthy C. Thoughtful D. Reckless

2. PERSEVERING

A. Persistent B. Dirty C. Interesting D. Worthy of hatred

3. INDUSTRIOUS

A. Hardworking B. Lazy C. Sensible D. Urgent 4. VIVACIOUS

A. Swaying B. Confused C. Likely D. Lively

5. PERTINENT

A. Smooth B. Relevant C. Handsome D. From Germany

6. SHRILL

A. Through voice B. Critical C. In disagreement D. Loud and sharp

7. DUMB

A. Stay at a place B. Silent C. Closed D. Change dramatically

8. CHATTER BOX

A. Aged B. Abusive C. Excessive talker D. Fond of writing

9. TACITURN

A. Speaking little B. Decent C. Connected D. Related to eyes

10. BELLICOSE A. Trigger-happy B. Roundabout way C. Peace-loving D. Pungent

11. SPECTACUALR

A. Horrible B. Looking like a terrorist C. Worthy of being seen D. Highly commendable

12. TRICKLE

A. Going deep into a river B. A bunch of some objects C. Flexibility D. Drop

13. PACIFIST

A. Broker B. Full of love C. Peace-loving D. Related to oceans

14. LEGEND

A. Related to mythology B. Historical C. Of heights D. Unproven

15. DEBONAIR

A. Sophisticated B. Having holes C. Well-educated D. Practical MY SCORE RATING 0-3 Get going! 4-7 Work hard! 8-11 Great, you’re almost there! 12-15 Wow!

SOLUTION

1. Pondering: adjective: serious, in a thinking

mood Popular synonyms: thoughtful, pondering, cogitative Examples: Newton sat pondering under a tree as an apple fell into his lap.

2. Persevering: adjective: hardworking, persistent

Popular synonyms: sedulous Examples: A. Every successful person needs to have a persevering attitude in the face of difficulties. B. The mantra of success is getting up after every failure and persevere to overcome weaknesses.


3. Industrious: adjective: persevering, hardworking Popular synonyms: diligent, sedulous Derivation: Industry Examples: A. Her industrious attitude was finally recognized by her boss with a promotion. B. One may be extremely intelligent, but without industrious application of mind, one cannot get success.

4. Vivacious: adjective: lively

Popular synonyms: sprightly, animated Examples: Her vivacious manners turned every party into a super hit event.

5. Pertinent: adjective: related, relevant, to the

point Popular synonym: germane Examples: A. Your ideas were rejected as they were not pertinent to the discussions going on. B. All the issues pertinent to Indo-Pak relations will be taken up at the summit-level talks.

6. Shrill: adjective: loud, vocal, forceful

Popular synonyms: voluble, strident Examples: A. The MPs made a shrill demand for the minister’s resignation over the scandal. B. There is shrill opposition to the proposal to make the Aadhar card compulsory.

7. Dumb: adjective: silent, unable to speak

Popular synonym: mute Examples: A. We cannot become dumb spectators to this murder of democracy. B. I went to a special school for the deaf and dumb yesterday.

8. Chatterbox: excessive talker

Popular synonyms: vocal, voluble Example: The chatterbox politician did not sotp even for a second and talked non-stop.

9. Taciturn: adjective: silent, speaking very little

Popular synonym: reticent Examples: A. Many people are taciturn at social gatherings but you will find them very vocal with their friends. B. To become a public speaker, you need to get rid of your taciturn nature.

10. Bellicose: adjective: fighting, contentious

Popular synonyms: belligerent, pugnacious Examples: A. Bellicose nations like North Korea always keep global tensions alive with their nuclear threats. B. The bellicose attitude she carried to the meeting did not let reach a compromise with others.

11. Spectacular: adjective: must-see, great Example: Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s spectacular acting helped the movie become a super hit.

12. Trickle: noun: drop, small quantity

Example: The college got only a trickle of applications for admissions this year.

13. Pacifist: adjective: related to peace, peace-loving

Popular synonyms: peaceful, pacifist Examples: The pacifist leader used to make peace between the warring parties in her college.

14. Legend: noun: story of doubtful origin, unproven

Popular synonym: unsubstantiated, apocryphal Example: Several legends about the freedom struggle are quite popular but most historians do not accept them.

15. Debonair: adjective: sophisticated, well-bred

Popular synonym: suave Example: The girl’s debonair nature greatly helped her bag the job of an airhostess.

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Model Test Paper SBI-CLERK PRELIM

ENGLISH LANGUAGE Directions (Q.1–10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are printed in bold in the passage to help you locate them while answering some of the questions. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has taken an unusually aggressive stance on the issue of non-performing assets (NPAs), which is proving to be an extremely serious problem, particularly for public sector banks. In a scenario in which these banks will have to mobilize significant amounts of capital over the next four years, the last thing they need is the drain from internal accruals that providing for NPAs calls for. Further, raising capital from the market is going to be extremely challenging. Potential investors will view these banks as leaky buckets, with the bad assets significantly diluting their returns. Against this backdrop, the RBI's reported intention to impose constraints on the lending activities of banks with high levels of NPAs and restructured assets, which many analysts treat as NPAs, indicates a resolve to at least prevent the problem from getting worse. Coming on the heels of this were RBI Governor’s views on the default problems that banks face and the nefarious role that large and politically connected borrowers play in this. However, while the hardening of the stance and the explicit condemnation of large defaulters misusing privilege and connections are very welcome, they do not in and of themselves provide a solution. The reality is that the asset quality problems of public sector banks are the consequence of several fundamental organizational and governance problems, which measures like restricting lending are not going to fix. On the organizational side, antiquated practices and processes, an inability to attract the best talent because of limits on compensation and attrition of talent for the same reason are critical challenges to creating competitive businesses. On the governance front, the constant pressure from "higher powers" to lend to specific sectors and individuals and to show tolerance for the kind of behavior that the RBI governor criticised, the dodgy nominations of independent directors and the general inability of boards to exercise any meaningful oversight on the management - all point to massive inadequacies in the framework. As things stand, the only available channel for new capital infusion is for the government itself to provide it. If the asset quality problems are not fixed, this will become an endless fiscal drain. On the other hand, if capital is not enhanced, the ability of a large segment of the banking system to lend to

businesses will be undermined, thus threatening the nascent recovery. For the government, this is indeed a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. Only a comprehensive reform of the system, tackling both organisational and governance issues simultaneously, will work. Three steps can be immediately signaled. One, the top tiers of bank managements must be selected by open competition, in which insiders will also be considered. Their compensation can be at levels that are currently offered to regulators. Two, say, five of the best banks must immediately raise capital from the markets, even to the extent of the government giving up its majority. This will preserve the system's capacity to lend. Three, there must be special scrutiny of large accounts, to ensure that patronage does not buy them leniency. Boards and their committees need to be strengthened and empowered to do this. Many more actions are required, of course. The threat of a hobbled banking system is very real. 1. According to the passage, which of the following is

true? 1) RBI has decided to help the Private Sector Banks. 2) Government has decided to change the guidelines for private Sector Banks. 3) RBI has restricted the issuance of NPAs. 4) Private Sector Banks have flourished in the recent years. 5) None of these.

2. According to the passage, which of the following is one of the consequences of the action taken by RBI? 1) Banks are going to store the funds for a longer period of duration than before. 2) Raising money from the market is going to be difficult for NPAs. 3) Banks are going to earn profit at a very fast pace. 4) Market is going to get stabilized by the actions of RBI. 5) None of these.

3. Several asset quality problems of Public Sector Banks are the result of? 1) Misuse of funds by the banks. 2) Liquidation of assets by the banks. 3) Restrictions of the RBI imposed on the banks. 4) Fundamental organizational and governance problems. 5) None of these.

4. Choose the word which is SIMILAR in meaning as the word "nefarious" as used in the passage. 1) wicked 2) supreme 3) cunning 4) scrupulous 5) None of these.


5. Which of the following problems has not been mentioned in the passage? 1) World Bank interference 2) Mobilizing of funds. 3) Organisational 4) Governance 5) Fund Security

6. Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning of the word 'infusion' as used in the passage. 1) Division 2) Addition 3) Extraction 4) Hindrance 5) Seclusion

7. The most appropriate title of the above passage may be ........... 1) Chaos in the Market 2) The Dwindling State of Private Banks. 3) Era of Difficulties for RBI. 4) The role of Money in the Market. 5) None of these.

8. What was the factor, according to the passage, that forced RBI to take this decision? 1) Deteriorating state of the Private Banks. 2) Falling World Economy. 3) Decisions of the Government 4) Some people being educated and other illiterate. 5) None of these.

9. Only what, according to the passage, can rectify this situation? 1) Change the guidelines of RBI. 2) RBI and Government work together. 3) Comprehensive change in the system. 4) Increase the interest rates. 5) None of these.

10. Which of the following is true, according to the passage? 1) RBI is lenient towards Private Banks. 2) Banks interfere in political affairs. 3) The threat of Failing Bank system is real. 4) Banks borrow money from their competitors. 5) None of these.

DIRECTIONS (11-15): In the following passage, there are some blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words have been suggested. Out of the five words given, one fits the blank appropriately. Select the appropriate words to fill up the blanks so that a meaningful passage can be formed. Capital punishment should not be 11 from the Indian legal system because in our civilized society there is no place for 12 . In fact, the human race is distinct from rest of the ___13__ kingdom because of its rationality and 14 . Therefore, 15 murderers deserve elimination from this world as no one has the right to kill a fellow human being unless it is done in an exceptional situation. 11. 1) abolished 2) branded

3) excused 4) given 5) pursued

12. 1) offenders 2) criminals 3) murderers 4) crooks 5) goons

13. 1) plant 2) animal 3) living 4) bird 5) space

14. 1) faith 2) love 3) sympathy 4) compassion 5) hatred

15. 1) convicted 2) blamed 3) acquitted 4) accused 5) prosecutor

(16-20)Rearrangement the following sentences to choose the most logical order of arrangement of these sentences to form a meaningful, coherent paragraph. 1) Because a protein’s conformation – its folding and

physical shape – determines its biological activity 2) A prion protein is not a foreign protein, but a variant

conformation of protein normally produced by cells. 3) Instead prion proteins replicates themselves by

catalyzing the conversion of normal copies of the protein into the prion conformation,

4) The prion protein no longer servers its normal purpose 5) And they may also alter the synthesis of new protein to

favour that conformation 16) Which of these is the 1st sentence of the passage?

1) 1 2) 2 3) 3 4) 4 5) 5

17) Which of these is the 3rd sentence of the passage? 1) 1 2) 2 3) 3 4) 4 5) 5

18) Which of these is the 5th sentence of the passage? 1) 1 2) 2 3) 3 4) 4 5) 5

19) Which of these is the 4th sentence of the passage? 1) 1 2) 2 3) 3 4) 4 5) 5

20) Which of these is the 2nd sentence of the passage? 1) 1 2) 2 3) 3 4) 4 5) 5

(21-25): Replace the bold phrase to make the sentence grammatically correct and meaningful. If the sentence is correct as it is and no correction is required, the answer is (e). 21. The number of vultures have dwindled because the

encroachments of human on their territory have caused them to shun their customary breeding places. 1) have had dwindled 2) had dwindled 3) has dwindled 4) have been dwindled 5) no improvement

22. The major suspected that the Jawan was malingering in order to going around on the arduous march scheduled in that morning. 1) march scheduled for that morning 2) march schedule for that morning 3) march scheduled on that morning 4)march scheduling for that morning 5) no improvement

23. The opossum is impervious with the venom of snakes in the rattle snake subfamily and thus views the reptiles not as lethal enemies but as a food source. 1) impervious into 2) impervious to 3) impervious for 4)impervious as 5) no improvement


24. If the authorities adopt the principle whole heartedly, the strategies cannot become successful. 1) until the authorities 2) unless the authorities 3) should the authorities 4)whether the authorities 5) no improvement

25. It’s high time we had started our journey. 1) we started 2) we should start 3) we must start 4)we can start 5) no improvement

(26-30): Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error or idiomatic error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The letter of that part is the answer. If there is no error; the answer is (e). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any.) 26) Prime Minister had distributed (1)/ a total 5100 e-

rickshaws (2)/ of which a thousand each (3)/ is meant for Noida and Bihar. (4)/ No error (5)

27) She has been sharing (1)/ screen space with (2)/ the cricketers (3)/ for the first time? (4)/ No error (5)

28) I have told you (1)/ I was living (2)/ with him (3)/ for some time now? (4)/ No error (5)

29) For trading, the company (1)/ will have to produce (2)/ a trade certificate (3)/ that is mandatory. (4)/ No error (5)

30) The President said on Friday (1)/ he will quit (2)/ if the judicial commission (3)/ finds evidence. (4)/ No error (5)

QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE Directions – (Q. 31-35): What should come in place of question mark (?) in the following questions?

31)

58

85

546381

429

1) 12219

2)

40399

3) 37812

4)

38499

5) None of these

32) ?38

45

52

331

2

1) 1247

2)

1344

3) 1738

4)

1354

5) None of these 33) 3 9261262447056 1) 658 2) 613 3) 548 4) 718 5) None of these 34) (24% of 825) + (40% of 805) + (75% of 644) = 1) 2003 2) 1003 3) 1073 4) 2013 5) 1413 35) If P X Q = 1833 and A X B = 4161, then find the value of (AXP) + (BXQ) 1) 8645 2) 7899 3) 8941 4) 8423 5) None of these

Directions (Q. 36-40): What approximate value should come in place of question mark (?) in the following questions? (you are not expected to calculate the exact value) 36) 99999 = ?

1) 540 2) 470 3) 320 4) 390 5) 410

37) (65.32)2 = ? 1) 2030 2) 3340

3) 1550 4) 3760 5) 4270

38) 87324 x 77 = ? x 55567 1) 98 2) 120

3) 145 4) 180 5) 210

39) (886 % of 333) + 1230 = ? 1) 5550 2) 4920

3) 3350 4) 5230 5) 4180

40) (9238 + 2387 + 1101) (926 + 243 + 611) =? 1) 13 2) 18

3) 3 4) 26 5) 7

Directions – (Q. 41–45): What should come in place of question mark (?) in the following number series? 41) 5, 6, 14, 45, 184, ? 1) 1110 2) 741

3) 885 4) 1236 5) 925

42) 180, 181, 208, 333, 676, ? 1) 1676 2) 1019

3) 757 4) 1405 5) 1188

43) 4, 9, 25, 49, 121, 169, ? 1) 219 2) 229 3) 319 4) 289 5) None of these 44) 1, 27, 125, 343, 729, 1331, ? 1) 2190 2) 2197

3) 3195 4) 1326 5) None of these

45) 7, 8, 6, 9, 5, 10, ? 1) 1 2) 2 3) 7 4) 4 5) None of these 46) Which number should replace both the question

marks in the following equation?

304? =

?19

1) 74 2) 76 3) 78 4) 82 5) 84


47) What would be the simple interest obtained on an amount of Rs. 8,500 at the rate of 11 p. c. p. a. For 7 years ? 1) Rs. 6,545 2) Rs. 7,140 3) Rs. 6,842 4) Rs, 7,437 5) None of these

48) The difference between two numbers is 43 and their product is 1344. What is the sum of the numbers? 1) 85 2) 88 3) 92 4) Cannot be determined 5) None of these

49) The cost of 18 pens and 12 scissors is Rs. 756. What is the cost of 6 pens and 4 scissors? 1) Rs. 252 2) Rs. 189 3) Rs. 378 4) Cannot be determined 5) None of these

50) A number is increased consecutively two times by 25% each. The original number is actually increased by what percent? 1) 50 2) 37.5 3) 56.25 4) 62.5 5) None of these

51) In a field 832 plants are planted in 26 rows with equal number of plants in each row. How many plants are there in each row? 1) 44 2) 36 3) 28 4) 32 5) None of these

52) 54 chocolates are distributed among some boys and girls. If each boy gets 3 then each girl gets 5. But if each boy gets 5 and each girls gets 3, 4 more chocolates are needed. What is the number of girls? 1) 8 2) 10 3) 6 4) 12 5) None of these

53) In the Annual Examination Ramit scored 64 percent marks and Sangeet scored 634 marks. The maximum marks of the examination are 850. What are the average marks scored by Ramit and Sangeet together? 1) 544 2) 567 3) 589 4) 591 5) None of these

54) The average marks in Hindi subject of a class of 54 students is 76. If the marks of two students were misread as 60 and 77 but the actual marks were 36 and 47 respectively, then what would be the correct average? 1) 75.5 2) 77 3) 75 4) 76.5 5) None of these

55) The average age of a woman and her daughter is 46 years. The ratio of their present age is 15 : 8 respectively. What is the daughter’s age? 1) 30 years 2) 32 years

3) 34 years 4) 36 years 5) None of these

Directions – (Q. 56–60) Study the information carefully to answer the questions that follow– In a college there are 800 students studying four different courses viz. Marketing, Finance, Accounts and Retail. 20% of the total number of students are studying Marketing. One fourth of the total number of students are studying Accounts. There are 210 students in Finance, remaining students are studying Retail. Three fifth of the number of students in Retail are girls. There are 50 boys in Marketing. 60% of the number of students in Accounts are boys. There are 150 girls in finance. 56) What is the total number of boys in Accounts and

number of girls in Finance together? 1) 180 2) 410 3) 230 4) 170 5) None of these

57) Number of girls in Finance is what percent of the total number of students in Retail? (rounded off to two digits after decimal) 1) 72.74 2) 81.65 3) 53.88 4) 65.22 5) None of these

58) In which stream is the difference between the number of boys and girls the lowest? 1) Marketing 2) Finance 3) Accounts 4) Retail 5) Marketing and Finance

59) What is the difference between the number of boys in Marketing and the number of girls in Accounts? 1) 20 2) 40 3) 60 4) 80 5) None of these

60) What is the respective ratio of total number of boys to the total number of girls? 1) 18 : 23 2) 161 : 239 3) 239 : 161 4) 27 : 19 5) None of these

Directions – (Q. 61–65) Study the following graph carefully to answer the questions that follow– Number of Students Enrolled in Three Different Disciplines in

five Different Colleges

0

100

200

300

400

500

P Q R S T

210

360 380 400310

345 275300

375 410380 350

260

450

315

B.A B.Com B.Sc.


61) Number of students studying B.A. in College S forms what percent of total number of students studying all the disciplines together in that college? (rounded off to two digits after decimal) 1) 38.64 2) 42.55 3) 40.42 4) 32.65 5) None of these

62) Number of students studying B.A. in College T forms approximately what percent of the total number of students studying B.A. in all the College together? 1) 19 2) 28 3) 67 4) 77 5) 91

63) What is the respective ratio of total number of students studying B.Sc. in Colleges S and T together to those studying B.Com. in the Colleges P and Q together? 1) 4:5 2) 14:13 3) 41:51 4) 153:124 5) None of these

64) What is the respective ratio of total number of students studying B.A., B.Com. and B.Sc. in College S ? 1)19 : 18 : 16 2) 16 : 15 : 18 3) 16 : 15: 13 4) 19 : 16 : 13 5) None of these

65) What is Total number of students studying B.Sc. in the College P,R and T together? 1) 1755 2) 1155 3) 955 4) 1555 5) None of these

REASONING ABILITY 66. In a certain code language, ‘TULIP’ is written as

‘WVORK’. How will ‘LOTUS’ be written in that code language? 1) QNWUW 2) QNSUW 3) QUSUW 4) WUGNQ 5) NQAUW

67. How many meaningful, English words can be formed by using the letters E, D, R and A exactly once? If only one word can be formed, mark P as your answer. If no such word can be formed, mark Q as your answer. If only two such words can be formed mark R as your answer. If only three such words can be formed, mark S as your answer. And if more than three such words can be formed, mark T as your answer. 1) P 2) Q 3) R 4) S 5) T

68. Rashmi started from her home and went 50m towards north and then took a left turn and went 20m. Then she took a right turn and travelled another 10m to reach Rajni’s home. What is the distance between Rajni’s and Rashmi’s home?

1) m102 2) 80 m

3) m1020 4) m220 5) None of these

69. In a certain code language, ‘FRANCE’ is coded as ‘*%$@’ and ‘ROME’ is coded as ‘+&’. How will ‘MANNER’ be written in that code language? 1) &%$$ 2) &%$$ 3) %&$$ 4) $&%$$ 5) &$$%

70. How many pairs of letters are there in the word ‘BANKING’, each of which has as many letters between them as in the English alphabet? (if counted in both forward and backward direction) 1) One 2) Two 3) Three 4) Four 5) None of these

71. In a row of boys, Anil is fifteenth from the left end and his brother Sunil is eighteenth from the right end. If both of them interchange their places, Anil becomes twenty-ninth from the left end. How many boys are there in the row? 1) 47 2) 48 3) 46 4) None of these 5) Can’t be determined

72. If the given expression ‘A > B = C D < E < F = G’ is true, which of the following expressions is/are definitely false? 1) A > D 2) B D 3) G > E 4) All are false 5) None of these

73. Consider the following expression: ‘P < Q ? R > S > T ? V’ Which of the following symbols can be put in place of question mark in order to make ‘P < R ‘ and ‘V < S’ definitely true? 1) 2) 3) > 4) < 5) =

Directions (Q. 74-79): In each question below are given two/three statements followed by two conclusions numbered I and II. You have to take the given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance with commonly known facts. Read all the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusion logically follows from the given statements, disregarding commonly known facts. Give answer 1) If only conclusion I follows 2) If only conclusion II follows 3) If either conclusion I or II follows 4) If neither conclusion I nor II follows 5) If both conclusions I and II follow 74. Statements: All boats are berries. No brake is a belt. All belts are boats. Conclusions: I. No brake is a boat.

II. Some berries are belts. 75. Conclusions: I. All berries being belts is a possibility. II. All boats being brakes is a possibility. 76. Statements: Some tables are tasty. Some toasters are toys. Some tables are not toys. Conclusions: I. Some toasters are tables. II. All tables being toasters is a possibility.


77. Statements: All coffee is cold. Some cold are cups.

Conclusions: I. Some cups being coffee is a possibility.

II. All cups being cold is a possibility. 78. Statements: No rack is a rod. Some rats are red. All red are racks.

Conclusions: I. Some red are not rods. II. All rats are racks. 79. Statements: Some parrots are pigeons. Some pigeons are penguins. No parrot is pink.

Conclusions: I. No pigeon is pink. II. Some pink are pigeons. Directions (Q. 80-82): Read the following information carefully and answer the questions that follow. There are five friends – A, B, C, D and E – living on five different floors of an apartment with the lowermost floor as floor 1 and so on. Further, some more information is also given: C cannot live on an odd-numbered floor and B cannot live

on an even-numbered floor. E lives on the floor which is immediately above the floor

on which D lives. There is only one person who lives on the floor between

D’s and A’s floor. A lives neither at the bottom nor on the top floor.

80. Who among the following lives on the fifth floor? 1) A 2) E 3) D 4) B 5) Can’t be determined 81. A lives on which of the following floors? 1) Second 2) Third 3) Fourth 4) Fifth 5) None of these 82. How many floors are there between the floor on

which B and E live? 1) Four 2) Three 3) Two 4) One 5) None of these Directions (Q. 83-87): Read the following information carefully and answer the questions that follow: There are eight members of a family – A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H. All of them are sitting around a circular table facing the centre. They belong to three different generations and there are three married couples among them. Also, four of them are males and four of them are of the opposite gender (though not necessarily in the same order.) Further, some more information is also given. The son-in-law and grandson of H are immediate

neighbours. G cannot be an immediate neighbour of her sister-in-law.

B, a spinster, is sitting second to the right of her grandfather E. A and his sibling D can’t sit together.

There are only three persons sitting between B an her aunt D. C, a married male, cannot be an immediate neighbour of either E or B.

F and B are not siblings. There is only one person sitting between C and his brother-in-law.

83. What is the relationship of C with E? 1) Father-in-law 2) Son 3) Son-in-law 4) Brother-in-law

5) Can’t be determined 84. What is the position of H with respect to her

granddaughter? 1) Second to the left 2) Third to the left 3) Fourth to the right 4) Third to the right 5) None of these 85. Who among the following is definitely the group of

females? 1) H G F B 2) G D B A 3) B H D C 4) G D B H 5) G D C H 86. Who among the following is sitting exactly between

G’s daughter and C’s son? 1) A’s father 2) D’s son 3) H’s husband 4) B’s father 5) Can’t be determined 87. How many persons are sitting between G and her

brother-in-law? 1) One 2) Two 3) Three 4) Four 5) Can’t be determined 88. If all the eight persons are seated in the English

alphabetical order starting with A, the position of how many of them will remain unchanged (excluding A), if counted in anticlockwise direction starting from A?

1) One 2) Two 3) Three 4) Four 5) None of these 89) The positions of the first and the fourth letters of

the word PLANET are interchanged, similarly, the positions of the second and fifth letters and the third and sixth letters are interchanged. In the new arrangement thus formed, how many letters are there between the letter which is second from the right and the letter which is fourth from the left according to the English alphabetical order? 1) None 2) One 3) Two 4) Three 5) Four

90) The positions of how many alphabet will remain unchanged if each of the alphabets in the word WORTHY is arranged in alphabetical order from left to right? 1) None 2) One 3) Two 4) Three 5) More than three

91) How many such pairs of letters are there in the word REASON, each of which has as many letters between them in the word (in both forward and backward directions) as they have between them in the English alphabetical series?

1) None 2) One 3) Two 4) Three

5) More than three 92) Writing is related to Pen in the same way as _______? 1) ‘Singing’ is related to ‘Music’

2) ‘Stitching’ is related to ‘needle’ 3) ‘Dancing’ is related to ‘Exercise’

4) ‘Carpenter’ is related to ‘tools’ 5) ‘Paper’ is related to ‘book’

93) If it is possible to make only one meaningful word with the second, third, eighth and ninth letters of the word ‘CONFLICTED’, which would be the second


letter of the word from the left? If more than one such word can be formed, give ‘A’ as the answer. If no such word can be formed, give ‘Z’ as your answer. 1) A 2) T 3) O 4) N 5) Z

94) In which of the following expression will the expression P < M be definitely true? 1) M < R > P S 2) M S = P < F 3) Q < M < F = P 4) P = A < R < M

5) None of these 95) In a class of 42 children, Joseph’s rank is 16th from

the top. Kevin is 7 ranks below Joseph. What is Kevin’s rank from the bottom?

1) 22nd 2) 20th 3) 19th 4) 23rd 5) 25th

96-100) Study the following information and answer the questions given below: Eight people S, N, R, L, M , T, O and P are sitting in a circle facing the centre. All eight belong to different professions – reporter, doctor, cricketer, teacher, accountant, shopkeeper, painter and supervisor. They are not necessarily seated in the mentioned order. M is sitting third to the left of O. The doctor is to the immediate right of M and M is not reporter. R is sitting fourth to the right of P. Neither R nor P is an immediate neighbor of M. T is a teacher and is sitting third to the right of the doctor. The shopkeeper is sitting second to the left of the teacher. The painter is sitting second to the left of M. S, the cricketer is sitting exactly between T and P. The accountant is sitting second to the right of cricketer. N is sitting third to the left of T. 96) Who amongst the following is a reporter? 1) O 2) L 3) N 4) R 5) None of these 97) What is S’s position with respect of R? 1) Third to the right 2) Second to the right

3) Third to the left 4) Second to the left 5) Fourth to the right

98) How many people are sitting between P and N when counted in an anti clockwise direction from N?

1) One 2) Two 3) Three 4) Four 5) None 99) Four of the following five pairs are alike in a

certain way based on their positions in the above arrangement and so form a group. Which of the following does not belong to the group.

1) Teacher – Painter 2) Supervisor-Shopkeeper 3) Cricketer – Reporter 4) Doctor – Accountant 5) Shopkeeper-Doctor

100) Which one of the following statements is false according to the above mentioned arrangement?

1) N is to the immediate right of the supervisor. 2) The cricketer is third to the right of the shopkeeper

3) The doctor is sitting exactly between the supervisor and the accountant

4) L is neither a teacher nor a supervisor 5) There are only three people between S and N

ANSWER KEY AND EXPLANATION Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 C 2 B 3 D 4 A 5 A 6 D 7 B 8 A 9 C 10 C

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

31) 40399

58

859

58

8554X

8163X

429

32) 1247

38

417

37

38

45X

517

37

33) 3 926126244X7056 = 84 X 162 21 = 4 X 162 = 648 34) (24% OF 825) + (40% OF 805) + (75% OF 644) = 198 + 322 + 483 = 1003 35) 1833 and 4161 are odd so their factors will also be

odd. Hence, A, B, P, Q all are odd and thus (AXP) + (BXQ) cannot be odd. So answer is an even no. Hence, none of these

36) )Approx(1000099999

= 10100 = 320 approximate 37) 65.32 x 65.32 = 65.3 x 65.3 (approx) = 4270 (approx)

38) x = )approx(12055567

7787324

39) (886% of 333) + 1230 = ? 2950.38 + 1230 = 4180 40) (9238 + 2387 + 1101) (926+ 243 + 611) = x 12726 1780 = 7.14 41) x 1 + 1, x2 + 2, x3 + 3, x4 + 4, x5 + 5 So answer is 925 42) Difference is (1)3, (3)3, (5)3, (7)3, (9)3 So answer is 676 + 729 = 1405


43) Squares of prime numbers So answer is (17)2 = 289 44) Cubes of odd numbers So answer is 133 = 2197 45) +1, –2, +3, –4, +5 So answer is 10 – 6 = 4

46) 304x =

x19

X = 7619304 47) P = 8500, r = 11%, t = 7 yrs

SI = 6545100

7118500

48) x – y = 43 xy = 1344 numbers are 64 and 21 64 + 21 = 85 49) 18p + 12s = 756

6p + 4s = 2523

756

50) 25 + 25 + 100

)25)(25(

50 + 6.25 = 56.25

51) 3226832

52) 5G + 3B = 54 Using options, we get G = 6 and B = 8 53) 64% of 850 + 634 = Total

Average2

634544

So average = 589 54) 60 36 –24 –54 77 47 –30

So new average = 76 – 5454 = 75

55) Ratio is W : D and total 92 15 : 8 23 92 1 4 So W = 15 x 4 = 60 D = 8 x 4 = 32 Qs. 56 – 60)

Boys Girls Total Marketing 50 110 160 Finance 60 150 210 Accounts 120 80 200 Retail 92 138 230

56) 120 + 150 = 270

57) %22.65230150

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NOTE, TONE 94) P = A < R < M 95) 20th 16th Top Joseph 23th Top Kevin

Kevin’s Rank from bottom = Total + 1 – Top = 42 + 1 – 23 = 20 Q 96– 100


Latest G.K. Bytes

APRIL – 2016 1) A massive leak of 11.5 million documents from a law

firm in which country revealed how the world's current rich people, politicians and celebrities hide their money: Panama

2) Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of which country: Yemen

3) Where in India World’s maiden white tiger safari was opened up: Mukundpur, Madhya Pradesh

4) ____________elected as the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir: Mehbooba Mufti

5) Which famous temple of Lord Shiva in Nashik recently decided to ban the entry of even men devotees in the sanctum sanctorum: Trimbakeshwar

6) India has been ranked ______ among the world's Top-Ten largest manufacturing countries: Sixth

7) In terms of manufacturing level, which country is ranked no. one in world: China

8) Name the country that lifted the World T-20 title in both the men's and women's section: No country, it was won by West Indies team which is a group of Caribbean countries

9) Name the cricketer who was named as Player of the tournament in the world T-20: Virat kohli

10) Who is Dr. Karan Singh, author of the book 'The Mountain of Shiva': He is a member of Rajya Sabha

11) IAF aircrafts will take part in the prestigious 'Red Flag' air exercise alongwith which forces: NATO

12) Where in world the prestigious 'Red Flag' air exercise was held: Alaska

13) Where in India the Army has raised a new Gorkha battalion comprising entirely of Gorkha troops of Indian domicile: Sabathu, Himachal Pradesh

14) Pratyusha Banerjee, TV actress who was in news due to her suicide, was famous for which role: Anandi in Balika Vadhu

15) Imre Kertesz, veteran author, 2002 Nobel Literature Prize winner, died aged 86 in Budapest. He was from which country: Hungary

16) Popular Tennis Tournament 'Miami Open' is hosted in which country: USA

17) ________ won the men's title in Miami Open 2016: Novak Djokovic

18) ________ won the women's title in Miami Open 2016: Victoria Azarenka

19) Growth of the core sector comprising of ______ infra industries, rose to a 15-month high of 5.7% in February: Eight

20) Which Indian State has set matriculation as

minimum qualification for contesting urban local bodies elections: Haryana

21) The government has launched a portal ‘The Indian IP Panorama’ to act as a single window interface for providing information on which subject: Intellectual property maters

22) This portal is a customised version of IP Panorama Multimedia toolkit, developed by WIPO. What is WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization

23) Germany’s Development Bank KfW has agreed to provide loan assistance of 3750 crore rupees for the development of metro system for which Indian city: Nagpur

24) Heads of about 53 countries took part in the 4th Nuclear Security Summit held in ____________ USA: Washington

25) World Autism Awareness Day was observed across the globe on April 2. What is Autism: A serious developmental disorder in children that impairs the ability to communicate and interact.

26) The government has issued a new set of income tax return (ITR) forms that require people with an income of Rs. ______lakh and above per annum to disclose their assets: 50 lakh

27) Which stock exchange has launched a new index Nifty MidSmallcap 400 representing 150 midcap and 250 small cap companies: National Stock Exchange

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

29) Name the new interest mechanism that requires banks to set rates based on their marginal cost of funds rather than their average cost of funds: marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR)

30) India has become the world’s _______ largest spender on defence, following a 13.1% increase in its 2016-17 defence budget: Fourth

31) Which country is the largest spender on defence in world: USA

32) Zaha Hadid, renowned Iraq-born British __________ passed away due to heart attack: Architect

33) Name the campaign that was launched on April 14 to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages, empowerment of women and upliftment of farmers: Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan

34) As per a global study, India ranks third among countries with high number of financial Trojan infections. What is Trojan infection: Transactions where cybercriminals defraud customers of


online banking services 35) UNICEF launched a series of animated films, called

Unfairy Tales to create awareness about which group of people: Refugees

36) P Susheela Mohan, renowned playback singer has been recognized by the Guinness World Records for which achievement: For singing the most number of songs in Indian languages - 17,695

37) Where in India Asia's biggest telescope has been launched: Devasthal, Nanital

38) The European Investment Bank has agreed to give Euro 450 million towards constructing the metro rail line in which Indian city: Lucknow

39) Faustin Archange Touadera, has been elected as the new President of which African country: Central African Republic

40) Name the India's first semi high speed train launched on April 5: The Nizamuddin-Agra Gatimaan Express

41) Which country conferred its highest civilian honour- the king Abdulaziz Sash on the Prime Minister Modi: Saudi Arabia

42) Govt has launched the mobile application 'Vidyut Pravah' for what purpose: for information on 24x7 power from The States

43) The HRD ministry released first-of-its-kind NIRF for ranking the higher education institutions. What is NIRF: National Institutional Ranking Framework

44) As per NIRF _______ has been declared as the no. 1 management institute in the country: IIM Bangalore

45) The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has been placed at No. 1 in which category by NIRF: Best University

46) As per NIRF rankings, which is the top engineering institute of India: IIT Chennai

47) Where in India a company of Vedanta Resources set the Guinness World Record for planting 2,08,751 saplings at a single location in less than an hour: Mansa, Punjab

48) Nico Rosberg is associated with which sports: Formula 1 car racing

49) Tran Dai Quang has been elected as the new __________ of Vietnam: President

50) With which country India signed an agreement for a new Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) project in India: USA

51) India’s first indigenous composite sonar dome was launched at Goa. What is its function: It acts as ship’s underwater eyes and ears

52) The RBI announced a 25 basis cut in which of its policy rates: Repo Rate

53) What is the new repo rate after April 5: 6.50% 54) On April 5, RBI hiked the reverse repo rate by 25

basis points to _______ per cent: 6% 55) W.E.F. April 5, RBI has revised Marginal Standing

Facility and Bank Rate to ______ per cent: 7% 56) What is the likely impact of recent lowering of repo

rate on the rate of interest on bank loans: They may be reduced

57) What is the likely impact of recent lowering of repo rate on the growth prospects of the economy: Likely to go up

58) In one of the largest private equity deals in the industry, Blackstone Company of USA acquired a 60.5 per cent stake in Indian company Mphasis. We are talking about which field of industry: Information Technology

59) With a view to protect which Indian industry, the government has extended safeguard duty of 20 per cent on import of this product till March 2018: Steel

60) Companies with a net worth of Rs. 500 crore or more will have to follow new Ind AS from April 1. What is Ind AS: Indian Accounting Standards

61) With which international bank India has signed an $100 million loan agreement to facilitate exports to Islamic countries: Islamic Development Bank

62) World Bank has agreed to provide a $1.5 billion loan for implementation of which national level mission: Swachh Bharat Mission

63) Which bank has launched 'NO Queue' Mobile app to save its customers time to avail banking services: State Bank of India

64) Under Stand-up India scheme banks have been asked to provide loans up to _____ crore rupees to SC/ST and women entrepreneurs: One

65) The loans under Stand-up India may be provided without collateral. What is collateral: No need to offer land or building or any other security

66) Britain's Royal Mail has launched a set of special postage stamps to mark the 400th death anniversary of which great playwright: William Shakespeare

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

68) Which railway zone has topped in terms of largest Freight Loading in 2015-16: The East Coast Railway

69) Bihar has become the _________ state in the country to ban sale and consumption of liquor: Fourth

70) In one of the largest environmental settlement in the US history, which oil and gas company has been asked to pay over $20 billion towards damages: British Petroleum

71) Prime Minister of which country resigned reportedly after his name figured in the Panama papers leak: Iceland

72) _________ April is observed as the National Maritime Day of India: 5th

73) The world’s first public dengue vaccination programme was launched recently in which country: Philippines

74) World Health Day is observed on which date: April 07

75) World Health day this year shall be focusing on


control of with disease: Diabetes 76) Nguyen Xuan Phuc has been elected as the new

Prime Minister of which country: Vietnam 77) Asian Nations Cup Chess tournament was held at

which place: Abu Dhabi 78) Name the team that won the Asian Nations Cup

Chess tournament: India 79) Govt has constituted a high-level committee headed

by former Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta for what purpose: to suggest ways to strengthen the border protection along the border with Pakistan

80) Govt has launched a low cost micro solar device, Surya Jyoti for what purpose: To meet lighting needs in areas without electricity

81) International conference on zero was hosted by which European city: Paris

82) According to Arvind Panagariya India is close to achieving 8% GDP growth on the back of satisfactory progress in infrastructure development. Who is he: Vice Chairman at Niti Aayog, India

83) Name the lady who has been named the most powerful businesswoman in Asia by Forbes Magazine: Nita Ambani

84) Which global body has revised its 2016 global trade forecast downward by more than one percentage point to 2.8 per cent: WTO-World Trade Organization

85) Who has been elected as the new Chairman of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) for 2016-17: C P Gurnani

86) C P Gurnani is the MD and CEO of which IT company: Tech Mahindra

87) Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson has been elected as the new _____________ of Iceland: Prime Minister

88) The Union Health Ministry launched third phase of Mission Indradhanush for what purpose: Universal Vaccination Programme

89) Mission Indradhanush covers how many vaccine preventable diseases: Seven

90) Justice (retd.) Permod Kohli has been appointed as the new Chairman of which national level body for employees: Central Administrative Tribunal

91) 25 Ministries and Departments of the Union Government have joined IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology (IMPRINT) for what purpose: To establish a single window mechanism to shortlist research projects

92) Name the country’s first train with CCTV cameras in all coaches: Shan-E-Punjab Express

93) Hindus in north India observed April 8 as the beginning of their traditional new year. Can you name the year: Vikram Samvat 2073

94) In Andhra and Karnataka, April 8 was observed as ________ festival: Ugadi

95) In which Indian state April 8 was observed as Gudi Padwa: Maharashtra

96) The first ever two day North East-ASEAN

(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Summit was hosted by which city: Imphal, Manipur

97) Name the author of the book 'A State in Denial': B G Verghese

98) Govt has launched a tablet-based application ‘ANMOL’ that allows ANMs to enter and update data for the beneficiaries. What is ANM: Auxiliary Nurse Midwife

99) The Supreme Court has allowed the holding of the NEET for medical courses across the country. What NEET: National Eligibility Entrance Test

100) Which city hosted the first National Tribal Carnival in India: Delhi

101) Which temple was in news due to a worst-ever pyrotechnics tragedy claiming over 110 lives: Puttingal Devi Temple near Kollam, Kerala

102) Govt plans to construct five lakh irrigation ponds under which scheme: Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana

103) Summit of the foreign ministers of the G-7 countries was held at ______________ Japan: Hiroshima

104) Britain's Anthony Joshua created history in which field by holding the Olympic super-heavyweight crown (2012) and a version of the world heavyweight title simultaneously: Boxing

105) Malaysian Open Badminton title was won by Lee Chong Wei of which country: Malaysia

106) "Advantage India - From Challenge to Opportunity" is a book written by one of the ex-Presidents of India. Can you name him: APJ Abdul Kalam

107) 9th season of the popular Indian Premier League opened on April 9 in __________ in Mumbai: Wankhede Stadium

108) Name the winner of the FBB Femina Miss India World 2016 contest: Priyadarshini Chaterjee

109) In the abbreviation FBB Miss India World, FBB stands for what: Fashion at Big Bazaar

110) Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Prime Minister of which country was in news as he resigned from his post: Ukrainian

111) Name the Indian city which hosted National Badminton Championship: Chandigarh

112) 3rd Asia Ministerial Conference on the Tiger Conservation was held in __________on April 12: New Delhi

113) For which city in Maharashtra, in a first in the history, a train was used to supply 25 lac liters of water: Latur

114) A portal was launched in New Delhi for for registration and allotment of ISBN. What is the full form of ISBN: International Standard Book Number

115) __________ has become the first state to pass land title bill for verification of land records: Rajasthan

116) A statue of which Indian Maharaja will be installed in France's Saint-Tropez town in September this year: Maharaja Ranjit Singh

117) Who has been named as the brand ambassador of the Skill India Campaign: Sachin Tendulkar


118) Danny Willett who won the US Masters Golf Championship for the year 2016 is from which country: Britain

119) Why World Homoeopathy Day is observed on 10th April: It is the birthday of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German Physician who developed system of Homoeopathy

120) To which country India has offered to invest up to $20 billion in new petrochemicals, fertiliser and LNG facilities and sought land and cheaper natural gas for this: Iran

121) Saraswati Sammaan is given for excellence in literature in which language: Any language recognized by Indian constitution

122) Poet and novelist Padma Sachdev won Saraswati Sammaan for her autobiography ‘Chitt-Chete’ written in which language: Dogri

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

124) Asian Kho-Kho championship was held at which place in India: Indore, Madhya Pradesh

125) Which country won both, men’s and women’s title of Asian Kho-Kho championship: India

126) The First Maritime India Summit was hosted by which city in India: Mumbai

127) For the first time, United Nations observed the birth anniversary of which great Indian leader at its headquarters: Dr. B R Ambedkar

128) Which European country has offered to help in ‘Namami Gange’ project for cleaning of Ganges like their rivers Rhine and Danube: Germany

129) The fire services day is observed on which day of April: 14th

130) In Tamil Nadu side, April _____ is celebrated as Puthandu: 14th

131) In which state people celebrate Vishu festival on April 14th to mark beginning of their new year: Kerala

132) As per a recent World Bank report, which country received largest amount of inward remittances in 2015: India

133) Which country conferred its highest civilian honour upon Former Army Chief General(retd) J J Singh: France

134) A study of 50 nations for investment and deployment of Information and Communications Technology has placed which country at top: USA

135) India has successfully tested its K-4 ballistic missile. What is the launch pad of this missile: Submarine

136) India has decided to become a formal member of the regional group SAWEN for what purpose: For combating wildlife crime and illegal trade

137) What is the full form of SAWEN: South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network

138) Airtel M Commerce Services Limited (AMSL) has been granted the India’s first _________ bank license by RBI: Payment

139) Which National Institute of Technology in India has developed the fastest super computer 'Param Kanchenjunga': Sikkim

140) The recently launched E-National Agriculture Market covers agriculture markets from how many states: Eight

141) Volodymyr Groysman has been elected as the new Prime Minister of which country: Ukraine

142) Which tiny South Pacific island nation has become the 189th member of the IMF and the World Bank: Nauru

143) India has finalised the deal to purchase 36 ________ fighter jets from Dassault Aviation of France: Rafale

144) Jharkhand govt launched the Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for construction of houses for which category of persons: Widows

145) Which town in south-western island of Kyushu in Japan was devastated by several rounds of earthquake tremors: Kumamoto

146) Which country in South America continent was shaken by several rounds of severe earthquake, claiming over 654 lives: Ecuador

147) Monte Carlo Masters championship is associated with which sports: Tennis

148) Monte Carlo Masters 2016 was won by which tennis star: Rafael Nadal

149) Adil Jal Darukhanawala, a veteran automobile enthusiast has written a coffee table book recently about which famous auto company: Mercedes - Benz

150) Friends in Wild Places is a recent book written by which famous author: Ruskin Bond

151) Which Indian bank got the first loan of $ 250 million from the newly established BRICS New Development Bank: Canara Bank

152) In a study of 50 cities conducted by the IT firm Dell - ‘Future-Ready Economies Model’, city of San Jose was ranked no. 1. Where is this city: California, USA

153) Which wing of Indian forces conducted its major war exercise named ‘Shatrujeet’ (winning the enemy): Army

154) Where in India the army conducted its war exercise 'Shatrujeet': Thar Desert of Rajasthan

155) Satyanand Munjal, a great philanthropist and industrialist, passed away in Ludhiana, Punjab at the age of 99. He was the co-founder of which industrial group: Hero Cycles

156) The annual Spring Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank was held at which city in USA: Washington DC

157) World Hemophilia Day is observed on April 17. Hemophilia is what type of ailment: Non-clotting of blood

158) Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is associated with which sports: Hockey

159) City of Ipoh hosted the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in which country: Malaysia


160) What was the rank of India in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: Second

161) Which country won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup by beating India: Australia

162) Name the girl from Agartala, Tripura who created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics: Dipa Karmakar

163) Name the gymnastic feat preformed by Dipa Karmakar as it is one of the extremely difficult and most dangerous form: Produnova vault

164) ________ of Germany won the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai: Nico Rosberg

165) Women's title at the Singapore Open Badminton Championship was won by Ratchanok Intanon. She is from which country: Thailand

166) Men's title at the Singapore Open Badminton Championship was won by Sony Dwi Kuncoro of which country: Indonesia

167) The Forbes list of top 30 Global Game Changers is topped by Marcs Benioff. Who is he: CEO of Salesforce.com

168) Name the Indian who has been ranked third in the Forbes list of top 30 Global Game Changers: Rahul Bhatia of Inter Globe Enterprises

169) Which Indian IT major has been slapped a $940 million fine by a US grand jury: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

170) World Heritage Day is observed all over the world on which date: 18 April

171) Govt has released a Commemorative Coin of 200 rupees and a Circulation Coin of 10 rupees to mark the 200th Martyrdom Day of Tatya Tope. Who was he: A war hero of 1857 war of Independence

172) The 13th Islamic Summit Conference was held in________, Turkey: Istanbul

173) IMF and world bank have joined hands with the United Nations and OECD for improvement of tax systems world over. What is OECD: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

174) ________ has been declared the Laureus Best Sportsman of the year: Novak Djokovic, Serbia

175) ________ has been declared the Laureus Best Sportswoman of the year: Serena Williams, USA

176) Which sports team won the Laureus Best Sports Team of The Year Award: New Zealand's Rugby World Cup-winning team

177) Name the Silicon Valley’s veteran adviser, mentored of Steve Jobs, Larry Page, who died recently: Bill Campbell

178) India, Afghanistan and Iran have agreed for joint work on development of Chabahar port in which country: Iran

179) With which country India has signed an MoU on cooperation in the field of traditional system of medicine and Homoeopathy: Mauritius

180) The ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ programme has been extended to additional 61 low CSR districts. The term CSR stands for what: Child Sex Ratio

181) Doris Roberts, the popular TV actress of the popular TV soap Everybody Loves Raymond, died at the age of 90. She was from which country: USA

182) On which issue High Court of Uttrakhand made a terse observation, “People can go wrong, be it the President or the judges.”: Imposition of President Rule in the Uttrakhand state.

183) Which famous temple was in news for depositing 1,311 kg of gold in a public sector bank under Gold Monetisation Scheme?: Tirupati Balaji Temple, Andhra Pradesh

184) As per the 2016 ‘World Press Freedom Index’, which country enjoys the number one position for the functioning of journalist: Finland

185) As per the 2016 ‘World Press Freedom Index’, what was the rank of India: 133rd

186) Scientists have reported that over 90 per cent of the Great Barrier Reef has been damaged by mass bleaching. It is in which country: off the Australian coast

187) Name the East Asian country where both, new President and the Prime Minister were elected recently: Laos

188) Government has decided to merge the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan with which other programme: ‘Khelo India’

189) Rahul Johri has been appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of which major Indian sports body: BCCI- Board of Control for Cricket in India

190) Which international organization has released the World Development Indicators aimed at measuring the performance of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by UNO: World Bank

191) As per the latest World Malaria Report from WHO, ________ has become the world’s first region to wipe out malaria with zero cases reported last year: Europe

192) Idriss Deby was elected for the 5th time as the President of Chad. Where is this country: Central Africa

193) Which day is observed as the Earth Day all over the world: April 22

194) What is the theme for the Earth Day this year: Trees for the Earth

195) Victoria Wood, popular comedian, singer and writer died at 62 after “a short but brave” battle with cancer. She hailed from which country: United Kingdom

196) Name the leading Bollywood actress who has been named by Time magazine in its list of the '100 Most Influential People in the World': Priyanka Chopra

197) Civil servants all over India observe April 21 as ________ day to re-dedicate and re-commit themselves to the cause of the people: Civil Service Day

198) Why April 21 has been selected as the Civil Service Day: On this day in 1947, Sardar Patel addressed the first batch of Indian civil servants

199) The Olympic Torch for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics was ceremoniously lighted at the Temple of Hera in


which place: Ancient Olympia, Greece 200) The Rio Olympics beginning on August 5 will be the

____ edition of modern Olympic games: 31st 201) A statement by Amitabh Kant says that India will be

free of BPL population by 2032, attaining a growth of 10%. Who is he: CEO of Niti Aayog

202) Rogers Nelson, pop music superstar, popularly known as _________ in USA, died aged 57: Prince

203) Which Indian city is the host for the popular religious event Simhastha Kumbh: Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

204) Simhastha Kumbh is being held in Ujjain on the banks of which river: Kshipra

205) As per a report by The Financial Times Limited, which country in world received highest FDI in 2015: India

206) Where in world, representatives of 175 nations signed the historic Paris Climate Agreement: New York

207) The Paris Climate Agreement aims at limiting global temperature rise to well below ____ degrees Celsius, and to strive for ______ degrees Celsius: 2, 1.5

208) How many prominent persons were recently nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President: Six

209) Name the famous Malayalam actor who has been nominated as a Rajya Sabha MP: Suresh Gopi

210) England and several other parts of the world are celebrating 400th death anniversary of a legendary playwright. Can you name him: William Shakespeare

211) What is the popular other name for the William Shakespeare: The Bard of Avon

212) Name any two famous master pieces written by William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet

213) Name the world’s oldest-serving royal and the longest lived monarch who turned 90 on April 21: Queen Elizabeth II

214) The Department of Disinvestment has been renamed as Department of Investment and Public Asset Management or 'Dipam'. It is in which ministry: Union Finance Ministry

215) Name the veteran British movie director, director of four hugely popular James Bond films, who passed away at the age of 93: Guy Hamilton

216) Clement Mouamba has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of which African country: Republic of Congo

217) Barcelona Open Tennis Championship was held in which country: Spain

218) Name the tennis star who won the Barcelona Open Tennis Championship: Rafael Nadal

219) With which country India launched a $1 trillion Potential Solar Programme under the International Solar Alliance: France

220) Name the India’s first online interactive heritage portal launched recently: Sahapedia

221) Which UN agency organizes activities for promotion

of World Book Day on April 23: UNESCO 222) Japan has become fourth country in world to

successfully test its first stealth fighter jet – X 2. What is stealth technology: Ability to avoid detection by Radar

223) Poornimaben Pakvasa, great social worker from________, known for her exceptional work towards educating tribal girls, passed away at the age of 103: Gujarat

224) Which city has been selected for hosting 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships in India: Jaipur

225) An Economist in the Real World is a book written by Kaushik Basu. Who is he: Chief Economist at World Bank

226) Govt has lowered the interest rates on EPF for 2015-16 to ______ per cent: 8.7

227) On which day of April the World Malaria Day is observed across the world: 25th April

228) With which country Indian navy held a joint exercise named CORPAT - 2016: Thailand

229) What is the full form of the word CORPAT: Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai)

230) Which global organization supports the celebration of the World Intellectual Property Day on April 26: WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organization

231) The joint army training exercise, titled ‘Nomadic Elephant - 2016’ was held between which two countries: India and Mongolia

232) Scientists at which Indian organization have developed the world's lightest ever synthetic material called ‘silica aerogel’: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

233) Govt. has decided to increase minimum wages of contract workers to Rs. _________ at the national level: 10,000/-

234) ADB has agreed to give a loan of $300 million for upgradation of 400 kms of major district roads in which state: Uttar Pradesh

235) Which country has ordered a two-day working week for public sector workers as a temporary measure to help it overcome a serious energy crisis: Venezuela

236) Government has decided to sell 11.36% shares in NHPC Ltd to raise about Rs 2,700 crore. Write full form of NHPC: National Hydroelectric Power Corporation

237) ICGS Shoor is what type of ship inducted in the Indian coast guard: Offshore patrol vessel

238) Union Sports Ministry has decided to provide one lakh rupees per month to sportspersons preparing for Olympics under TOP Scheme. TOP stands for what: Target Olympic Podium

239) Govt has set up a committee headed by Ashok Dalwai, for what purpose: To suggest ways to double farm incomes by 2022

240) The government has made it mandatory that no mobile can be sold in India without an in-built ________button, starting January 1, 2017: Panic


MARCH – 2016 241) Indigo —Selected Stories is a collection of stories by

which famous film maker: Satyajit Ray 242) 88TH Oscar Awards, 2016 were held in which city of

USA: Los Angeles 243) The Oscar for the best director was won by the film

‘The Revenant’. Name the director: Alejandro Iñárritu

244) Film ____________ won the 2016 Oscar for the best feature film: Spotlight

245) The Oscar for the best actor has been won by ___________ for the film ‘The Revenant’: Leonardo DiCaprio

246) Gurmeet Singh and Khushbir Kaur won the gold in the national championship for which event: Race Walking

247) The National Race Walking Championships was held at which place: Jaipur

248) According to Forbes’ annual ranking of billionaires, __________ has been ranked at No. 1 in the world with a net worth of $75 billion: Bill Gates

249) __________ has been declared as the world’s number one airport in its category by the Airports Council International: Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi

250) Hashim Thaci has been elected as the President of Kosovo. Where is Kosovo: In southeastern Europe

251) Rahul Sachdev recently won the all India championship in which event: Snooker

252) Defence Ministry has issued an order worth Rs 22,000 crores for purchase of Chinook and Apache helicopters from which country: USA

253) What type of helicopter is CH-47 Chinook: Heavy transport

254) What type of helicopter is AH-64 Apache: Multirole Attack

255) Vinod Rai, Former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) was in news recently for what reasons: He has been appointed as the first Chairman of Banks Board Bureau

256) What is the basic objective of the newly formed organization Banks Board Bureau: To approve the appointment of banks’ top executives and improve their governance

257) Stanislas Wawrinka of ___________won the Dubai Tennis Championships title: Switzerland

258) Kumarimuthu, famous Tamil ______ actor died in Chennai: Comedy

259) On which date we celebrate National Science Day: Feb 28

260) The National Science Day is observed on Feb 28 as on this day discovery of __________ was made in 1928: Raman Effect

261) Name the Indian scientist who won the Nobel prize for discovery of Raman Effect: Sir C. V. Raman

262) ________ has been declared as the first digital state of India for achieving digital connectivity of all villages and panchayats: Kerala

263) India’s largest heritage conservation project - Muziris Heritage Project is located at which place: Trissur, Kerala

264) Martin Crowe, one of the greatest batsman of New Zealand was in news for what reasons: He passed away

265) Govt. has launched _________ project to make all national highways free of railway crossings by 2019: Setubharatam

266) The UGC has asked varsities and colleges to launch a special page on their websites for checking discrimination against which category of students: SC/ST students

267) RBI has plans to start new kind of Account Aggregator NBFC for what purpose: to help people view their accounts across financial institutions in a common format

268) Name the former Lok Sabha Speaker and co-founder of the Nationalist Congress Party who passed away recently: P A Sangma

269) Which Indian car has achieved cumulative sales of three million units in the Indian market: Maruti Alto

270) What was the name given to the two day meet of public sector banks and insurance companies and other financial institutions with the government officials held at Gurgaon: Gyan Sangam

271) Which Union Ministry organized The Raisina Dialogue, a project to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration: Ministry of External Affairs

272) Name the mega military exercise that was held jointly by Indian and armies of ASEAN countries: Force 18

273) Mega military exercise Force 18 was held at which place: Pune, Maharashtra

274) World Bank has agreed to grant $ 300 million loan for the Higher Education Quality Improvement Project in which state: Madhya Pradesh

275) In a recent study of energy effectiveness of the countries, India was placed at 90th rank. Which was the best country: Switzerland

276) Name the veteran actor and film maker who has been awarded Dada Saheb Phalke Award – 2015: Manoj Kumar

277) Manoj Kumar is popularly famous as _______ Kumar: Bharat

278) What is the amount of cash prize given to the winner of Dada Saheb Phalke Award: Rs. 10 lac

279) Col C K Nayudu Trophy is associated with which sports: Cricket

280) ___________ won the 2016 C K Nayudu trophy: Mumbai

281) Finals of C K Nayudu trophy were held in ___________, Madhya Pradesh: Indore

282) ____________ hosted the UCI Track Cycling Championship 2016 : London

283) Assembly elections will be held in April and May in


_______ States and _____ UT: Four, One 284) Name the only UT in which Assembly elections will

be held in April: Puducherry 285) Out of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal

and Assam, in which state Assembly elections have not been announced: Karnataka

286) Indian shooter ___________clinched the 50m pistol gold at the ISSF World Cup in Bangkok,Thailand: Jitu Rai

287) World’s costliest railway station was opened to public on March 3 in which city: New York

288) ‘Who Was Shivaji’ is a book written by which author: Govind Pansare

289) The United Nations has decided to set up 20 ‘Blue Dots’ in Europe for what purpose: As child and family support hubs for refugees

290) Which two UN organizations have been given the task of lookin after of ‘Blue dots’: UNHCR and UNICEF

291) On March 03 we celebrate which day associated with the wild animals: World Wildlife Day

292) Which animal is the main focus of 2016 World Wildlife Day: Elephant

293) Which UN body organizes the Zero Discrimination Day on March 1 across the world: UNAIDS

294) What is the full form of UNAIDS: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

295) P K Nair, a noted film scholar died on March 4. He was specialist in which field: Film Archivist

296) India observes National Safety Day on March 04 to promote which aspect of life: Safety awareness among people

297) Uridashi Masala Bonds are issued in which country: Japan

298) Which Indian state has taken first of its kind initiative by launching the Air Ambulance in the state: Kerala

299) Ray Tomlinson, a veteran IT expert of USA passed away recently. He is known for invention of which IT application: E-mail

300) ___________ in Malaysia hosted the World Table Tennis Team championship: Kuala Lumpur

301) Which country won the both, men’s and women’s category in the World Table Tennis Team championship: China

302) __________ won the Asia Cup T20 trophy for a record sixth time: India

303) Pat Conroy, a popular novelist who died recently was from which country: USA

304) National Conference of Women Legislators held in___________ from March 5 to 6: New Delhi

305) Which country has agreed to promote three Indian as smart cities: Germany

306) Germany has assured help for promoting which 3 cities as smart city in India: Kochi, Bhubaneswar and Coimbatore

307) Air India on March 6 flew the “world’s longest” all-women operated and supported flight, nonstop,

from New Delhi to____________, USA: San Francisco 308) In terms of women occupying top positions in

business in 36 countries, what was India’s rank: 34th 309) __________ occupies the top spot in terms of women

occupying top positions in business: Russia 310) Name the former world number one tennis star who

failed a drugs test at the Australian Open: Maria Sharapova

311) Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur is one of the top civil honour of which country: France

312) Name the Indian industrialist who has been honoured with Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur: Anand Mahindra, CMD

313) Pro Kabaddi League Season 3 was won by _________beating the U Mumba team: Patna Pirates

314) International Women's Day was observed across the world on which date: 8 March

315) _________ is the first bank to get the licence for the small finance bank: Capital Local Area Bank Ltd.

316) India’s first Small Finance Bank-Local Area Bank Ltd. is based in which part of India: Jalandhar, Punjab

317) Govt has launched the new ____ colour scheme for re-classification of industries based on the Pollution Index (PI) scores: Four

318) In the context of score on pollution index, ______ colour shows the highest level of pollution: Red

319) In the context of score on pollution index, ______ colour shows the lowest level of pollution: White

320) In a recent survey of 133 cities for cost of living, which two Indian cities figure among the most in expensive cities: Bengaluru and Mumbai

321) ___________won the Asian Billiards Championship held at Colombo, Sri Lanka: Dhruv Sitwala

322) The RBI has signed a pact with Bank of __________ for exchange of information pertaining to banking supervision: Israel

323) Lok Sabha passed a bill to amend the Enemy Property Act, 1968. It relates to properties of which persons: People who became Chinese or Pakistani nationals, after leaving India in the wake of wars fought with these countries

324) ISRO launched IRNSS – 1 F satellite for what purpose: To provide GPS facility

325) Indian GPS system-IRNSS is a setup of _________ satellites: Seven

326) India signed its biggest ever overseas credit line, extending $2 billion loan facility to which country: Bangladesh

327) Which Indian bank will look after the $2 billion loan line to Bangladesh: Exim Bank

328) Scott Kelly who returned to earth on March 1, completing 340 days stay in space, created which record: American with longest stay in space

329) As per new rules, unreserved train ticket for travelling upto 199 kms will no longer be valid after _____ hours of purchase of the ticket: Three

330) India has signed an agreement with ________for avoiding double taxation of income from


international air transport: Maldives 331) The first-ever auction of a gold mine in the country

was held in Baghmara. It is in which state: Chhattisgarh

332) India’s first gender park has been started in which state to promote the participation of women in development: Kerala

333) __________ has become the first state in the country to launch the HPV vaccine as a public health programme for school children: Delhi

334) What is the full form of HPV: Human Papilloma Virus

335) March ___ is commemorated as National Security Day to praise the work of security forces: 4

336) Ahmed Abul Gheit, veteran Egyptian diplomat has been named as new Secretary General of which international body: The Arab League

337) Irani Cup is associated with which sports: Cricket 338) Irani Cup 2016 was lifted by __________ team by

beating Mumbai: Rest of India 339) Govt. has launched Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana

for what purpose: To provide free LPG connections to women in BPL households

340) Justice __________ Chauhan has been appointed as the chairperson of the 21st Law Commission: Balbir Singh

341) What is the purpose of setting up the law commission: To review the existing laws for improvement

342) India signed a MoU with ___________on cooperation for prevention of human trafficking: Bahrain

343) Govt has announced the ________ scheme for the LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme: Ujala

344) What is full form of UJALA: Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All

345) High Court of which state is celebrating 150 years of its existence: Uttar Pradesh

346) __________ High Court is celebrating 150 years of its existence: Allahabad

347) India hosted a three-day conference in ____________ with International Monetary Fund from March 12 to 14: New Delhi

348) Lok Sabha passed the Aadhaar Bill on March 11 with what objective: To provide a legal back up to the usage of Aadhaar card for various social welfare schemes

349) The government has decided to invest Rs 69,575 crore towards increasing India’s quota in which international organization: IMF-International Monetary Fund

350) Garuda Shakti was the joint army training exercise between ________ and India: Indonesia

351) Garuda Shakti joint military exercise was hosted by which country: Indonesia

352) Govt. has started which new technological initiative for primary health care in four states: Healthcare ATMs

353) George Henry Martin, popular as the "Fifth Beatle",

passed away in England. He was a prominent figure from which field: Music

354) Name the bill recently passed by the Parliament that aims to protect house buyers from the widely prevalent opaque and fraudulent practices in the real estate sector: Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015

355) What is the name of the online service launched by the railways to facilitate passengers for cleaning of their coaches: Clean My Coach

356) Railways have signed a contract to supply 18 Meter Gauge 1350 HP Diesel Electric Locomotives to which country: Myanmar

357) The one million dollar prize for innovative teaching- Global Teacher Prize has been won by Hanan Al Hroub. She is from which country: Palestine

358) Santosh trophy is associated with which sports: Football

359) Santosh Trophy 2016 was won by _________ team: Services

360) All England Open Badminton Championship was hosted by which city in UK: Birmingham

361) ___________ of China won the All England Open Badminton Championship: Lin Dan

362) Government has recently allowed women to be inducted as officers in combat roles into which paramilitary force: ITBP

363) What is the full form of ITBP: Indo-Tibetan Border Police

364) SEBI has disallowed which type of borrowers from making a public issue or acquiring another listed entity: Willful defaulters

365) Indian army successfully test-fired indigenously built nuclear-capable Agni-I ballistic missile. What is its range: 700 kms

366) Golden City Gate Award is given for excellence in which field: Tourism

367) Which Indian body won the Golden City Gate Award-2016: Kerala Tourism

368) Union Ministry of _________ will host ‘Maritime India Summit’ at Mumbai from 14 to 16 April: Shipping

369) 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves was held at Lima in ______from 14-17 March: Peru

370) Union Ministry of Tourism has launched the ‘Paryatak Mitra’ (tourist’s friend) programme to enroll which category of persons: NCC/NSS College Students

371) ________ elected as the first civilian President of Myanmar to lead the country after 53 years of military rule: Htin Kyaw

372) ExoMars 2016, an unmanned spacecraft has been launched jointly by Europe and Russia for what purpose: To study the Mars' atmosphere

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

374) World's first fully electric double decker bus service


has been launched in which international metro: London

375) Governor of the Central Bank of which country recently resigned as the bank's account in USA were hacked causing a loss of over $100 million: Bangladesh

376) In which country an Indian-origin Sikh has become the Police Commissioner of its capital: Malaysia

377) Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography is a book written by which author: Pramod Kapoor

378) Chameli Devi Jain Award are given for excellence in which field: Journalism by women

379) Which bank has launched a contactless mobile payment solution ‘Touch & Pay’: ICICI Bank

380) What was the theme of this year's World Consumer Rights Day: Antibiotics off the Menu

381) The World Consumer Rights Day is observed across the globe in March on which date: 15

382) World Kidney Day is observed globally on which date: March 10

383) The 59th Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs was held in________, Austria: Vienna

384) Which global prize is famous as Nobel for Mathematics: Abel Prize

385) Abel prize is given by which country: Norway 386) In a study of 156 nations in the World Happiness

Report 2016, India has been ranked as ________ place: 118th

387) As per the World Happiness Report 2016 which country is the happiest in the world: Denmark

388) Indian Air Force conducted its biggest fire power combat exercise at Pokhran in Rajasthan on March 18. What was its name: Iron Fist 2016

389) The Pope Francis, religious chief of Christians, has announced to confer Sainthood on the social worker who spent 45 years serving the poor and sick on the streets of Kolkata. Name her: Mother Teresa

390) Name the hospital that bagged the top government award ‘Kayakalp’ for best hospital cleanliness and infection control, winning a prize money of Rs. 5 crore: PGIMER, Chandigarh

391) Michelle Yeoh has been appointed as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador. Who is she: Famous action heroine of Malaysia-China

392) Name the American actor and activist who has been appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the UNFPA: Ashley Judd

393) What is the full form of UNFPA: United Nations Population Fund

394) The India Aviation 2016, an international exhibition and conference on civil aviation was held in_______, Telangana: Hyderabad

395) Which Indian city hosted the first meet of World Sufi Forum: New Delhi

396) Which railway station has stood first in India in terms of cleanliness, as per a survey conducted by the Ministry of Railways: Surat, Gujarat

397) The Time Magazine recently described which Indian leader as ‘Internet star’ who often uses social media to conduct diplomacy: Narendra Modi

398) The government has reduced interest rates payable on small savings w.e.f. April 01, 2016. Name two small savings schemes: Public Provident Fund, National Savings Certificate

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

400) Railways have tied up with which organization to leverage the space technology for providing the passenger information in all trains: ISRO

401) Name the city that hosted the 6th National Community Radio Sammelan: New Delhi

402) Which Union Minister has been honoured with Skoch Lifetime Achievement Award: M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Urban Development Minister

403) Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan, eminent _________exponent died in Kolkata at the age of 77: Shehnai

404) Parsi Zoroastrians of India celebrated their ___________festival on March 21to mark beginning of their new year: Navroz

405) Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament was held at ________, Switzerland: Basel

406) Name the Indian badminton star who won the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton Tournament: H S Prannoy

407) Who created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to clinch a gold medal in the Asian 20 km Race Walk Championships: Gurmeet Singh

408) Name the ace Indian golfer who won the European Tour Hero Indian Open title in Delhi: S S P Chawrasia

409) UNESCO has included Agasthyamala biosphere reserve in its World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Where is it in India: In the Western Ghats

410) Which Bank has become the first bank to commence the sale of Indian Gold Coin (IGC) in the domestic market: Indian Overseas Bank

411) What are the three weight categories in which India Gold Coins are available: 5, 10 and 20 gram

412) With which country India has signed an agreement to avoid double social security contribution: Australia

413) US President Barack Obama scripted history by becoming first US President by visiting which country after 88 years of strained relations: Cuba

414) March ___________ was observed as the International Day of Happiness: 20

415) The United Nations appointed 'Red' as an envoy to inspire climate action toward a sustainable and happier future for all. Who is 'Red': Leader of the "Angry Birds" mobile game characters

416) The government has relaxed FDI norms for the insurance sector to allow overseas companies to buy ________percent stake in domestic insurance


companies without prior approval: 49 417) March 21 was observed as the ___________ day across

the world to promote the importance of forests and trees in our lives: World Forestry Day

418) BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament was held in California, USA. What is BNP Paribas: A multinational bank based in France

419) March 22 was observed as the __________ day with the theme Water and Jobs: World Water Day

420) The World Sparrow Day is observed across the world on which date: March 20

421) Which European capital city recently was rocked by a series of bombings at its airport and metro station: Brussels

422) The World Meteorological day is observed on March 23 for what purpose: To spread awareness about climate change

423) ____________reelected as the President Niger for a second term: Mahamadou Issoufou

424) 9th International Abilympics started at Bordeaux in France. Who are the participants in this: Skilled persons with disabilities

425) Which Indian city will host the eighth annual summit of BRICS from October 15-16: Goa

426) Which flower has been selected in a symbolic form as the logo for the 8th Brics Summit: Lotus

427) _________ won the Krishi Karman Award for its landmark achievement in showing highest production of food grains in year 2014-15: Himachal Pradesh

428) The government has formally withdrawn the recognition of which Stock Exchange after it was de recognised by SEBI: Delhi

429) Govt has launched the new drug Bedaquiline to combat drug resistant form of which disease: Tuberculosis (TB)

430) _______was observed as the World Tuberculosis day: March 24

431) Subrata Roy Sahara, promoter of Sahara Group who is in Tihad Jail, has written a book about his experiences. What is the name of this book: Life Mantras

432) The Girl on the Train is a famous novel written by ___________: Paula Hawkins

433) ICGS Arnvesh the Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) was recently inducted in which defence force of India: Indian Coast Guard

434) Which country signed a MoU for construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra: France

435) Name the govt. scheme that aims to achieve the objective of ‘Housing for All’: Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana

436) A financial assistance of Rs.__________ lakh will be provided for construction of pucca houses to homeless families in plain areas: 1.20

437) A financial assistance of Rs.__________ lakh will be provided for construction of pucca houses to homeless families in hilly and difficult area: 1.30

438) RBI has asked banks to pay interest on savings accounts on a ______basis or a shorter duration: Quarterly

439) Rate of interest on savings bank accounts in banks in India is decided by which authority: Banks themselves

440) India’s number one tractor producer, Mahindra& Mahindra plans to launch Trringo – a digital app for what purpose: To start online tractor rental business

441) Which country has made a law to jail the parents who fail to vaccinate their children: Uganda

442) Who is the only Indian leader in the world’s 50 greatest leaders list compiled by Fortune magazine: Arvind Kejriwal

443) Name the Netherland's soccer legend who died of lung cancer in Barcelona, Spain: Johan Cruyff

444) RuPay, the domestic card payment service provider by NPCI plans to issue which new type of card: Credit Card

445) Which Indian state was put under President's rule in last week of March, 2016: Uttarakhand

446) Name the famous ancient city of Syria that was recently recaptured by Syrian troops: Palmyra

447) ISRO has establish world's second largest Ionospheric Radar at which place in Andhra Pradesh: Gadanki

448) Who is the director of the film 'Baahubali' that won the national award for best feature film: S S Rajamouli

449) The film Bajrangi Bhaijaan won the national award for best film in which category: Most popular film

450) Name the three countries visited by prime minister modi in the last week of march: Belgium, USA and Saudi Arabia

451) India has started a new direct shipping service to Chittagong in Bangladesh from which port in India: Krishnapatnam in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh

452) The World Bank has agreed to provide $250 million loan for improving the performance of electricity distribution in which state: Rajasthan

453) H Deep Saini, noted Indian scholar and plant physiologist has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of which global university: University of Canberra, Australia

454) Which bank has announced an initiative called iWork@home that uses technology to enable women employees to work from home for an extended period: ICICI Bank

455) The first World Culture Festival, a three-day event celebrating cultural diversity was held on the bank of which river: Yamuna

456) The World Cultural Festival was organized by which organization: Art of Living

457) Lloyd S. Shapley, veteran Mathematician from USA, winner of Nobel Prize in Economics died recently. He was famous for which theory: Game Theory

458) Which e-retailer has been ranked as the most


trusted online shopping brand in India: Amazon 459) According to the latest figures released by the

Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), ___________ is the top most country in filling patents: USA

460) Deepika and PR Sreejesh won the Dhruv Batra Player of the Year Award for Women and Men, respectively, in which sports: Hockey

461) The Telecom Commission has approved which number as a common number for emergencies such as police, fire, ambulance, etc. all over India: 112

462) The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Asian Development Bank have signed a MoU to provide $ 848 million for which purpose: To develop solar parks across India

FEBRUARY – 2016 463) Name the two South East Asian countries recently

visited by our Vice President: Brunei and Thailand 464) First Grand Slam of Tennis 2016 was held at which

place: Melbourne, Australia 465) _____________ won the Men’s Singles title of Australian

Open: Novak Djokovic 466) _____________ won the Women’s Singles title of

Australian Open: Angelique Kerber 467) Angelique Kerber, winner of Women’s title in

Australian Open, is from which country: Germany 468) Which Union Ministry has decided to reduce the

threshold for coverage of firms under the EPFO: Labour Ministry

469) What is the full form of EPFO: Employees’ Provident Fund Organization

470) The threshold for coverage of firms under the EPFO has been reduced to _________ workers from 20 at present: 10

471) ICC has decided upon what new measures for the safety of the umpires: They will be provided by specially designed helmets

472) The Indian women’s cricket team made history by clinching its maiden T20 series against which country: Australia

473) Name the author of the book Why we love the way we do: Preeti Shenoy

474) Nathuram Godse - The Story of an Assassin is a book written by which author: Anup Sardesai

475) What is the name of the book by Former President APJ Abdul Kalam based on his spiritual experiences with Pramukh Swami Maharaj: Transendence

476) What is the name of the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft which is about to replace the MiG fighters: Tejas Mark 1-A

477) The GDP growth for 2014-15 has been scaled down to 7.2% from the earlier estimate of 7.3%, by which Government organization: Central Statistics Office (CSO)

478) As per latest CSO data, per capita income during 2015-16 is likely to be above ________ thousand rupees: 77

479) As per a list compiled by Wealth-X in collaboration

with Business Insider, _______ is the 2nd richest person in India: Ajim Premji

480) Central government has selected how many cities in the first phase for development as smart cities: 20

481) ADB will provide a $80 million loan for improving the infrastructure in which two North-Eastern cities: Agartala and Aizawl

482) Henri Tiphagne, founder of NGO People’s Watch was recently awarded which international honour: Human Rights Award

483) Human Rights Award is given by which global organization: Amnesty International, Germany

484) A commemorative coin of 150 rupees and a circulation coin of 10 rupees was released on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of which great freedom fighter: Lala Lajpat Rai

485) 34th Senior National Rowing Championship was held at Hussainsagar Lake in which city: Hyderabad

486) Anti-Leprosy Day is observed on 30 January in the honour of which national leader: Mahatma Gandhi

487) Name the player who won the 83rd Senior National Snooker Championship: Aditya Mehta

488) Which city hosted the 83rd Senior National Snooker Championship: Indore, MP

489) Gurdeep Singh has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of which Maharatna company: NTPC Ltd.

490) What is the full form of NTPC Ltd: National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd.

491) Indian railways, for the first time, has exported six metro coaches to which country: Australia

492) Which country has produced the fifth-generation stealth fighter jet- X-2-‘Shinshin’: Japan

493) Growth of core sector was mere 0.9% December, 2015. How many industries are there in core sector: Eight

494) Which paramilitary force of India has appointed, for the first time a woman as its Director General: Sahastra Seema Bal

495) Name the newly appointed Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB): Archana Ramasundaram

496) Sahastra Seema Bal looks after the security of which part of border of India: Nepal and Bhutan

497) K Durga Prasad, a senior IPS officer has been appointed Director General of which paramilitary force: CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force)

498) __________ has been appointed as the Director General of Border Security Force: K K Sharma

499) Which global social networking application recently crossed the one billion user milestone: WhatsApp

500) Which of India’s neighbour country has agreed to allow visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders of India: Afghanistan

501) MPs led by democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, took their seats in the parliament, marking end to the military rule since 1962 in which country: Myanmar

502) President of India recently conferred the honorary


rank of General of the Indian Army to Chief of Army of which country: Nepal

503) 61st National School Athletics championship were hosted by which city: Kozhikode, Kerala

504) Which state won the 61st National School Athletics championship: Kerala

505) Dial D for Don is a book written by former Police Commissioner of Delhi. Name him: Neeraj Kumar

506) Ancestral Affairs is a book written by which author: Keki Daruwalla

507) World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Public Health Emergency of International Concern over the explosive spread of which disease: Zika Virus

508) As per recent market reports, which is the largest company of the world in terms of market capitalization: Alphabet

509) 2021 World Aquatics Championships will be hosted by _______city of Japan: Fukuoka

510) Which company has launched a 150-cc bike named ‘V’ that contains metal sourced from India’s first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant: Bajaj Auto

511) Men’s Singles Title in the Syed Modi International Badminton Championships was won by which player: Kidambi Srikanth

512) Name the veteran wildlife filmmaker who won the V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award: Naresh Bedi

513) Name the Indian film that won the Best First Foreign Film Award given by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics: Titli

514) D J Pandian, former Chief Secretary of Gujarat has been appointed vice-president and chief investment officer of which newly formed global financial institution: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

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

516) For what purpose the Government has decided to infuse about 5,000 crore rupees capital in the public sector banks: To strengthen their balance sheet for compliance of Basel III capital norms

517) Hyderabad-based biotechnology research company Bharat Biotech has announced that it has developed the world’s first vaccine against which major disease: Zika Virus

518) Name the major employment scheme run by govt. that completed 10 years in February: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)

519) Name the state that won the Dr BC Roy Trophy for the National Junior Football Championship: Punjab

520) The Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, led by ______, one of the biggest trade deals in history, was signed in New Zealand on Feb 4: USA

521) The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has barred telecom service providers from charging

differential rates for data services. This is in promotion of which concept: Net neutrality

522) Indian President and the Prime Minister inspected one of the largest maritime events in the recent past – the International Fleet Review 2016 at which place: Off the Visakhapatnam coast

523) The eighth Delhi Dialogue was held in New Delhi to discuss politico-security, economic and socio-cultural engagement between the ________ and India: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

524) Name the former UN Secretary General, the Egyptian diplomat who became the first Secretary General from Africa in 1992: Boutros Boutros-Ghali

525) Reserve Bank has decided to undertake which step to check handling of customer complaints and how banks have implemented Charter of Customer Rights: Incognito visits to bank branches

526) Which country won the highest number of medals in the 12th South Asian Games: India

527) India emerged number one in the 12th South Asian Games by winning total _______ medals: 308

528) Name the ace Indian Shooter who won record six medals in the 12th South Asian Games: Chain Singh

529) 13th SAG will be hosted by Nepal in Kathmandu in which year: 2019

530) As per Swachh Survekshan-2016 conducted by the Quality Council of India to rank the Indian cities on the basis of cleanliness, _________ has been ranked no. one: Mysuru

531) Central Bank of which major economy has imposed, for the first time, a negative interest rate of minus 0.1 per cent for certain bank deposits placed with it: Japan

532) BAFTA awards 2016 were given away in London on Feb 14. What is the full form of BAFTA: British Academy of Film and Television Awards

533) Which film won the BAFTA award for the best film: The Revenant

534) Name the iconic football player from Brazil was in news as Courts in Brazil issued warrants to freeze his assets worth almost $ 50 million: Neymar

535) Supreme court has directed RBI to submit a list of defaulter companies whose bank dues are more than Rs. ___________ crorers: 500

536) World’s longest train route, running for 10,400 kms, starts from and ends at which place: Yiwu (China) and Bander Abbas (Iran)

537) What is the formal name given to this 10,400 kms rail route: Belt and Road connectivity initiative

538) Prime Minister Mr. Modi inaugurated the Make in India Week on Feb 13 in which city: Mumbai

539) Mr. Modi has been highlighting the 4D blessings of Indian economy. What are these 4Ds: Democracy, Demography, Demand and Deregulation

540) World famous Grammy Awards are given for excellence in which field: Music

541) 58th Grammy Awards ceremony was held on 15th February at which place: Los Angeles, USA


542) Grammy for Record of the Year was won by Uptown Funk by which artist: Mark Ronson

543) Taylor Swift won the Grammy for the Album of the Year. What is the name of the Album: 1989 Taylor Swift

544) 36th National Chess team Championship was won by the _____________in Bhubaneswar, Odisha: Indian Railways

545) ‘Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur’ is one of the highest civilian award of which country: France

546) Name the Indian fashion designer who was conferred above award in February 2016: Manish Arora

547) Lamitye 2016, the 7th joint military exercise was conducted by Indian army with which other country’s army: Seychelles

548) Which country hosted the ICC under–19 Cricket World Cup-2016 : Bangladesh

549) ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup-2016 was won by which country: West Indies

550) The three day annual World Government Summit was hosted by which city: Dubai

551) In a survey of top 38 countries to assess the protection of IPR, India ranked 37th. What is the full form of IPR: Intellectual Property Rights

552) In a recent survey of countries for assessing protection of IPRs, which country was placed at top: USA

553) What is the title of the latest book written by Shyam Bhatia, noted journalist: Bullets and Bylines

554) Leading gun-maker BAE Systems, the UK based multinational company has selected which Indian corporate as their partner for manufacturing M777 howitzers in India: Mahindra’s

555) M777 howitzer guns will be used as major weapon by which proposed army formation: Mountain Strike Corps

556) Govt. proposes to assign the security of which border area to Mountain Strike Corps: Mountainous borders with China

557) Which Indian bank has launched an exclusive ‘Japan Desk’ as a single nodal point for Japanese corporates: State Bank of India

558) National Arogya Fair was organized to showcase and promote the strengths, efficacy and affordability of the AYUSH. What is the full form of AYUSH: Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy

559) First phase of world’s largest solar power plant, with a capacity to produce 580 mw was started in which country on Feb 4: Morocco

560) Name the batsman from South Africa who became the quickest and the youngest batsmen to score 10 centuries in ODIs: Quinton De Kock

561) Which global organization has released a report called 'One Humanity: Shared Responsibility': UNO

562) India observed the first National Deworming Day on which date: Feb 10

563) What is the objective of the National Deworming Day: To combat parasitic worm infections among children

564) Which deworming tablet is provided free to school and pre-schools children who fight worm infections: Albendezole

565) The Reserve Bank of India has released the Report of the Working Group (Chairperson: Prof. P.G. Apte) on which topic: Introduction of Interest Rate Options in India

566) Name the Indian Navy's aircraft carrier which is destined to be decommissioned in June, 2016: INS Viraat

567) Which state has decided to convert INS Viraat into a luxury hotel for promotion of tourism in the State: Andhra Pradesh

568) What is the name of the 9th edition of India-Nepal Combined Military Exercise: Surya Kiran IX

569) Surya Kiran IX military exercise was held in which area: Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand

570) Indian and Chinese troops held their first joint tactical exercise “Sino-India Cooperation 2016’’ for what purpose: For joint operation on humanitarian aid and disaster relief

571) Sino-India Cooperation 2016 - joint tactical exercise was held in which part of China border: Ladakh

572) Which ministry has launched the 24x7 Toll Free Tourist Infoline in 12 International Languages to facilitate tourists: Union Ministry of Tourism

573) ______________ has become the first country in the world to legally ban supermarkets from throwing away or destroying unsold food, forcing them instead to donate it to charities and food banks: France

574) As per the National Air Quality Indices for 24 cities by Central Pollution Control Board, __________ is the city with worst air quality: Varanasi

575) Government has launched ____________for prevention of AIDS in the 20 districts of eight North-Eastern states: Project Sunrise

576) Indian Oil Corporation’s latest oil refinery started production in Paradip in which state: Odisha

577) Government has decided to set up the National Organic Farming Research Institute in which state: Sikkim

578) Indian Army participated in the ‘Cobra Gold 2016’– the biggest multilateral military exercise. It was hosted by which country: Thailand

579) Golden Conch Award is given for excellence in which field: Documentary Films

580) Golden Conch Award is given at which film festival: Mumbai International Film Festival

581) World Cancer Day was observed across the world on which date: 4th February

582) What was this year’s theme for the World Cancer Day: We can, I can

583) In a global survey by Brand Finance for brand power, which Indian firm has been rated as the


World’s Most Powerful Brand in IT Services: TCS – Tata Consultancy Services

584) Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has launched the BGR-34, country's first ayurvedic drug for treatment of which major disease: Diabetes type - II

585) In the anti-diabetic drug, acronym BGR stands for what: Blood Glucose Regulator

586) Aruna Sethi has been appointed as the first women head of the which all India administrative service: Indian Cost Accounts Services

587) Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Classical Music Award for 2015-2016 was conferred on Pandit Ram Narayan. He is a master player of which instrument: Sarangi

588) Parameshwaran Iyer, a World Bank’s water and sanitation specialist has been selected by the Indian govt. to head which major national mission: Swachh Bharat Mission

589) Which union ministry has launched its official YouTube channel with a view to disseminate information to the public on a real-time basis: Finance Ministry

590) The app myCAMS has been launched for what purpose in context of mutual fund business: To facilitate paperless eKYC

591) Edgar Mitchell, a NASA astronaut passed away in February in USA. What was his special achievement: He was the sixth man to walk on the Moon.

592) National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has raised a special squad of which animal to boost its rescue efforts in earthquake hit areas: Dogs

593) Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai has issued ‘Geographical Indication’ tag for which item to 7 states in the Indo-Gangetic Plains: Basmati Rice

594) The first ever Petrochemical project in entire North East India was started in February in Dibrugarh in which state: Assam

595) The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 will be hosted by ________________ in June 2017: England

596) The Indian government has finally sanctioned Rs.580 crore for the vital Agartala-Akhaura rail link with which country: Bangladesh

597) India’s first-ever Aviation Park will come up near Bagodara village in which state: Gujarat

598) What is the objective of setting up aviation park: To promote special units to manufacture spare parts for aircrafts

599) The National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-2031 has been unveiled by which ministry: The environment ministry

600) __________________, India’s top golfer has been voted as the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Year by fans in an online poll: Anirban Lahiri

601) _______________________founded by Freedom fighter Pt Madan Mohan Malviya has turned 100 years on 13th February 2016: Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

602) World Radio Day is observed globally on 13th February by which UN organization: UNESCO

603) What was the theme of this year’s World Radio Day: ’Radio in Times of Emergency and Disaster’

604) Scientists have detected for the first time, signals of ________________waves emanating from two merging black holes 1.3 billion light years away: Gravitational

605) Prediction about gravitational waves was made about 100 years ago by which great scientist: Albert Einstein

606) The gravitational waves have been discovered after decades of research by scientists at LIGO, USA. Expand LIGO: Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory

607) CEO and MD of which corporate entity have been selected as the E&Y ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR 2015 from India: Lupin Ltd.

608) U K Sinha, the Chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) was in news for what reasons: He has been given extension for one year

609) Name the India’s first indigenously developed lightest revolver weighing just 250 gms: Nidar

610) Name the Bollywood’s popular lyricist who made into the Guinness Book of World Records for writing the most number–3524 of songs for Bollywood films: Sameer Anjaan

611) Government has launched a Rs. 10,000-crore Electronic Development Fund for what purpose: To promote manufacturing in the electronics sector

612) Which country launched a massive military exercise – ‘North Thunder’ that included troops from 20 nations: Saudi Arabia

613) _____________ has been appointed as the new Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh: Kalikho Pul

614) Scientists have discovered five new planets having characteristics similar to which planet in our solar system: Jupiter

615) Name the America's celebrated novelist whose 1960 masterpiece "To Kill a Mockingbird" was read by millions worldwide: Harper Lee

616) Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund was in news recently for what reasons: She has been re-appointed for a second five-year term

617) Amit Mitra has been appointed as the new chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on GST. Who is he: West Bengal Finance Minister

618) Name the New Zealand cricketer who smashed the fastest ever Test century in just 54 balls: Brendon McCullum

619) _____________, ace sprinter set a new national record in the 60m dash in 7.28 seconds at the 7th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha: Dutee Chand

620) _____________, has been appointed as the new Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai: K N Vyas

621) What is the title of the recent book by Jhumpa Lahiri: In Other Words


622) An Economist in the Real World is a book written by the Chief Economist of the World Bank. Name him: Kaushik Basu

623) Who has been elected new President of Uganda, for the fifth time: Yoweri Museveni

624) Crystal Bear Award is given for excellence in which field: Children’s films

625) Crystal Bear Award is given in which international film festival: Berlin Film Festival

626) Name the Indian film that won the 2016 Crystal Bear Award: Ottaal (The trap)

627) Berlin Film Festivals top prize for the best feature film is named as ______________: Golden Bear Award

628) The Golden Bear Award for 2016 was won by an Italian film. What was its name: Fuocoammare (Fire at sea)

629) The term ‘Brexit’ is very much in news these days, particularly in Europe. What does this mean: Britain’s Exit from the European Union

630) The women’s and men’s title in the Badminton Asia Team Championships were won by which country: China and Indonesia, respectively

631) The Mahamaham festival, celebrated once in 12 years, also known as Kumbh Mela of South is held at which place: Kumbakonam

632) Kumbakonam is located in which state: Tamil Nadu 633) The book ‘Playing It My Way’ has entered the Limca

Book of Records in the category of best-selling books, with 1,50,289 copies sold. This is the autobiography of which person: Sachin Tendulkar

634) The Khajuraho Dance Festival, a world famous annual classical dance festival is held in which state: Madhya Pradesh

635) Government has launched a device developed by the CSIR –CEERI, Pilani, Rajasthan, named ‘Ksheer-Scanner’ for what purpose: To detect adulteration in milk

636) The Road to Resilience, a survey of the entire Indian coastline for promoting six coastal disaster management projects is an initiative of which global organization: World Bank

637) The survey of 230 cities for assessing quality of life by the global consulting firm Mercer has placed _____________at the top: Austria’s capital Vienna

638) Top Indian city in the Mercer survey was _______ placed at 142nd rank: New Delhi

639) Name the former Chief Justice of India who has been appointed as the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission: Justice H L Dattu

640) Mobile app ‘Swachh Paryatan’ has been launched by which ministry to promote cleanliness of prime tourist destinations: Ministry of Tourism

641) As per a global study, India is the top importer of arms. Which is at the 2nd rank: China

642) Parliament of ___________ has become the world’s first parliament to run fully on solar power: Pakistan

643) RBI has extended the $2 billion currency swap arrangement to __________nations till mid-November

2017 to enhance economic cooperation: SAARC 644) The fifth edition of 'Exercise IBSAMAR' was

conducted between the navies of India and which two other countries: Brazil and South Africa

645) What is the full form of the term IBSAMAR: India, Brazil, South Africa Maritime

646) Government raised about Rs 5,030 crore from sale of its 5% stake in which Maharatna PSU: National Thermal Power Corporation-NTPC

647) Govt has decided to extend ___________visa facility to 37 more countries from Feb 26: E-Tourist

648) The Indian Navy's first locally developed nuclear submarine _____________is now ready for full fledged operations: INS Arihant

649) Who has been appointed as the new Director General of the Indian Coast Guard: Rajendra Singh

650) Aryabhata award 2013, the prestigious honour by Astronautical Society of India has been conferred upon which scientist: Dr. Avinash Chander, former chief of DRDO

651) Goverdhan Mehta, renowned researcher in Chemical Sciences, has been honoured with the prestigious Cross of the Order of Merit by which country: Germany

652) Which Indian bank has won the Green Bond Pioneer Award for promoting Green Infrastructure Bonds: Yes Bank

653) _________ has been elected as the new President of world Football body –FIFA: Gianni Infantino

654) __________won the prestigious Ranji trophy cricket championship defeating Saurashtra: Mumbai

655) The Indian women's cricket team lead by Mithali Raj won the three-match Twenty20 International series 3-0 against which team: Sri Lanka

656) Government plans to set up a dedicated, cross functional team called Special Unit for Transportation Research and Analytics (Sutra) for improvement in which area: Railway

657) The innovative team Sutra is proposed to be headed by which person: Ratan Tata

658) The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of AIM and SETU in which organization to encourage innovations and entrepreneurship in the country: NITI Aayog

659) The acronyms of AIM and SETU stands for: Atal Innovation Mission and Self Employment and Talent Utilisation

JANUARY – 2016 660) Jnanpith Award is given for excellence in which field:

Literature 661) Jnanpith Award is given for excellence in literature

in which language: All 22 Indian languages approved by the Constitution

662) Name the winner of the Jnanpith Award 2015: Raghuveer Chaudhary

663) Shri Raghuveer Chaudhary is a noted novelist of which language: Gujarati

664) Vijay Hazare Trophy is associated with which sports:


Cricket 665) Name the team that won the Vijay Hazare Trophy for

2015: Gujarat 666) Government has announced that taxpayers with an

annual income of more than Rs. ______ lakh will not get subsidised LPG cylinders from January, 2016: Ten

667) Dr. Harpal Singh Kumar was conferred with Knighthood Honour in UK for what achievement: For his influential work on prevention and treatment of cancer

668) Senior National Wrestling Championship was held at which place: New Delhi

669) Bajrang Punia, Ritu Phogat and Priyanka Phogat are the prominent players of which sports: Wrestling

670) Which is the last country to be declared free of deadly Ebola disease by WHO: Liberia

671) Who has been named as the 'Cricketer of the Year' - Men for 2015 by the BCCI: Virat Kohali

672) Who has been named as the 'Cricketer of the Year' - Women for 2015 by the BCCI: Mithali Raj

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

674) _____________ has been named as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog: Amitabh Kant

675) Haskell Wexler, an Oscar winning cinema celebrity from USA died recently. He was from which field of cinema: Photography

676) Which country recently launched Gaofen-4 Earth Observation Satellite: China

677) The government has approved the signing of the Raptor MoU for what purpose: To conserve and reverse the decline of birds of prey such as vultures, eagles etc

678) Dr. Gyanendra D Bandgaiyan has been appointed as the Director General of which national organization: National Centre for Good Governance

679) Giorgi Kvirikashvili has been elected as the Prime Minister of which European country: Georgia

680) Rakhi Haldar and Kavita Devi won gold in their respective weight categories at the National level in which sports: Weight lifting

681) RBI has notified that from Feb 1, 2016 all govt cheques will be paid through ________________system: Cheque Truncation System

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

683) RBI has asked SLBCs to ensure that every village with a population over 5,000 should have a bank branch by March 2017. What is SLBCs: State Level Bankers Committees

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

685) World Bank has agreed to provide a $ 50 million

loan funding of ‘Nai Manzil' project for what purpose: Education and Skills Training for Minorities in BPL category

686) Name the India’s star off-spinner who was ranked as the No. 1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings for 2015: R. Ashwin

687) World champion Magnus Carlsen won the Qatar Masters Open Chess Tournament. He is from which country: Norway

688) Name the Mumbai boy who created cricket history by scoring 1009 runs not out: Pranav Dhanawade

689) Reserve Bank has started the process of issuing composite instructions under the title _________ on various regulatory issues in its bid to simplify the communication process: Master Directions

690) South Asian Football Federation Cup was won by India by defeating which country: Afghanistan

691) South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup was hosted by which Indian city: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

692) Name the important document of Chemistry which now has its seventh row completed with the introduction of four new chemical elements: The periodic table of elements

693) Name the veteran Communist Party of India leader who passed away after a long illness at New Delhi: A. B. Bardhan

694) Which university won the overall trophy in the 76th All-India Inter-University Athletics Championship: Punjabi University

695) 'Anything But Khamosh' is an autobiography of which prominent celebrity politician: Shatrughan Sinha

696) A classy performance by which Indian cricketer in 2001 has been rated as the greatest Test performance of the last 50 years: VVS Laxman's

697) Name the famous novel by Harper Lee that topped the US bestseller list in 2015, selling 1.6 million copies: Go Set a Watchman

698) Bidali Neemuchwala has been appointed new Chief Executive Officer of which IT corporate: Wipro

699) Which educational institute hosted the 103rd Indian Science Congress: University of Mysore, Karnataka

700) Apurvi Chandela broke the world record by earning highest ever score of 211.2 in which event: 10 meter air rifle shooting

701) Name the indigenous stealth Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Corvette that was recently inducted in Indian Navy: INS Kadmatt

702) _________________became the fastest film to take one billion dollars at the global box office: Star Wars the Force Awakens

703) Name the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister who breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi: Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

704) Govt has decided to implement norms of Bharat Stage (BS) VI from April 1, 2020 for what purpose:


To minimize the air pollution from vehicles 705) The counter-insurgency joint exercise ‘Shakti-2016’

was held at which place: Rajasthan Desert 706) Shakti 2016 - joint military exercise was held by

which two countries: India and France 707) Name the Indian badminton player who was

declared number one in junior men's singles category in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings: Siril Verma

708) Which country was in news for conducting a powerful Hydrogen bomb test in a defiant and surprising move as there is a UN ban on testing and development of nuclear weapons: North Korea

709) As per the Hurun India Philanthropy List 2015, _____________ has been ranked as the most generous Indian of the year: Azim Premji

710) Golden Globe Awards are given in which country: USA

711) Golden Globe Awards are given for excellence in which field: Cinema

712) The Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture (Drama) was won by which movie: The Revenant

713) With which country India has signed an agreement for enabling people of both nations to avail retirement benefits in each other's country: Australia

714) International Kite Festival was held at which city in India: Ahmadabad, Gujarat

715) India will host a joint military exercise with 18 members countries of East Asian Summit in March, 2016 at which place: Pune, Maharashtra

716) Eight Indian states have agreed to implement direct benefit of transfer of subsidy in _________in 26 districts w.e.f. April 1, 2016: Kerosene

717) _____________has become the first state in the country to officially accept electronic motor insurance policies by the name ‘e-Vahan Bima’: Telangana

718) Justice (Retd) R M Lodha committee was appointed by the Supreme Court for what purpose : To look into the affairs of BCCI

719) Name the amputee Indian mountaineer who

conquered Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest mountain outside Asia: Arunima Sinha

720) The novel 'A God in Ruins' which won the novel of the year prize in Britain is written by whom: Kate Atkinson

721) ______________won the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hockey tournament by beating Railways in New Delhi: ONGC

722) From which place in India, a bus service for Nepal was started after a gap of 27 years: Banbasa border in Uttarakhand

723) Stand Up India Scheme has been approved by the Union Cabinet for what purpose: To promote entrepreneurship among SC/ST and women entrepreneurs by facilitating easy bank finance for them

724) Which country declined to take part in forthcoming Under-19 World Cup Tournament in Bangladesh citing security reasons: Australia

725) National Waterway-1 has been developed on which river: Ganga

726) In which state an initiative ‘Wattan ko Jano’ has been launched to familiarize the local youth with the development of the country in other states: Jammu & Kashmir

727) Raghuram Rajan, RBI Governor was named ‘Global and Asia-Pacific Central Bank Governor of the Year 2015’ by the prestigious magazine The Banker in which country: Britain

728) Name the senior IAS officer who has been appointed as the new Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India: Sailesh

729) _________________appointed as Chairman of fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI): Devender Kumar Sikri

730) 'Operation Green Hunt' refers to an all-out offensive by India’s paramilitary forces against which group: Naxalites

731) Govt has decided to merge the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with which bigger ministry: Ministry of External Affairs

732) The 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) was held on 9 January 2016 in which city: New Delhi

733) Govt has decided to change the frequency of hosting the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas to what interval: Once in two years

734) The 11th World Hindi Day was celebrated on __________ January 2016 in all Indian embassies around the world to promote the usage of Hindi as official language: 10

735) The world's largest blue star sapphire that weighs 1404.49 carats was discovered recently in which country: Sri Lanka

736) Govt has launched Ganga Gram Yojana for what purpose involving 1600 villages of UP situated along the banks of river Ganga: To minimize / stop pollution of the river from these villages

737) 'Maru Bharat Saru Bharat' is a book written by a noted Saint of which religion: Jainism

738) RBI imposed a one crore penalty on a bank for non reporting of data to CRILC. Write the full form of CRILC: Central Repository of Information on Large Credits

739) Name the star football player who won the World Player of the Year Award - FIFA Ballon d'Or for the fifth time: Lionel Messi

740) Name the US mid fielder who won the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year: Carli Lloyd

741) Naya Raipur is the capital city of which state: Chhattisgarh

742) Birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda is celebrated in India as which day: National Youth Day

743) What was the theme of this year's National Youth


Festival: India Youth for Skill, Development and Harmony

744) In Himachal Pradesh, the ______folk dance of Kullu district has made a world record for the folk dance by largest number: Nati

745) Name the new crop insurance scheme for farmers under which the premium will be paid by Central and state govt: Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

746) As per the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Farmers have to pay a token premium of ____ per cent for Kharif, ____per cent for Rabi and _____ per cent for commercial crops: 2, 1.5, 5

747) ___________ has become the first Indian state to achieve 100 percent primary education (up to class iv): Kerala

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

749) __________________has become the first public sector bank to launch wealth management service ‘SBI Exclusif’: State Bank of India

750) As per a recent report, India sends the largest number of engineers and scientists to which country: USA

751) As per a UN study, people from which country are the largest community living outside their country: India (16 million)

752) Tsai Ing-Wen has been elected as the new President of which country: Taiwan

753) The coveted The Hindu Prize, 2015 for best novel has been won by Easterine Kire for which novel: When the River Sleeps

754) Noted novelist Anuradha Roy won which prize for her novel 'Sleeping on Jupiter': DSC Prize for South Asian Literature

755) 'Flood of Fire' is a book written by which author: Amitav Ghosh

756) Name the famous footballer from Britain who won the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award recently: David Beckham

757) Naval exercise named 'Sahyog-Kaijin 2016' was held jointly by which two countries: India and Japan

758) World Bank has agreed to provide Rs 1071 crore funding for the Neeranchal National Watershed Project for what purpose: For augmentation of various irrigation projects across the country

759) The 2015 Filmfare Award for best actor was won by which artist: Ranveer Singh for Bajirao Mastani

760) Which film won the 2015 Filmfare award for the best film: Bajirao Mastani

761) Name the newly launched mobile based programme which aims to deliver 72 free weekly audio messages about pregnancy and child care to the beneficiary: Kilkari

762) Union Ministry of Health has launched mobile based programme M-Cessation to help which target group: Persons willing to quit tobacco use, through SMS

support 763) Name the anti-tank missile recently successfully test

fired by the DRDO: Nag 764) Why Army Day is observed on January 15: On this

day in 1949, Lt. Gen. (later Field Marshal) K M Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army

765) Name the rocket developed by the SpaceX company of USA which is capable of landing back on earth: Falcon 9

766) RBI has contributed Rs. 1000 crores for the equity of which of its organization: National Housing Bank

767) Which is the first private sector bank to achieve the milestone of Rs 1 lakh crore in housing loan: ICICI

768) Union Ministry of Finance released the draft report of Justice R V Easwar (Retd) Committee for what purpose: To simplify the provisions of Income-tax Act, 1961

769) What is the main function of IRNSS: To provide navigation, tracking and mapping services to the Indian sub continent

770) The Union Ministry of Shipping has started Project Green Ports for what purpose: To make Major Ports across India cleaner and greener

771) What is the rank of India in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index: 89th

772) The World Tourism Barometer report is released by which international organization: UN World Tourism Organization

773) Government has decided to institute which new award category under the National Film Awards: The Most Film Friendly State/UT

774) Name the Indian who won the New Zealand's most popular motor race the Lady Wigram Trophy: Jehan Daruvala

775) As per the annual global CEO survey done by PwC for growth prospects in countries, India has been placed at which rank: 5th

776) As per recent data release by NASA, year _______ has been declared as the warmest year since 1880: 2015

777) In context of rising global warming, experts say the record temperatures are due to a combination of ______ and_______: El Niño, human-induced warming

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

779) What is the name of the new luxury super fast express train started between Varanasi to Delhi: 'Mahamana Express'

780) Government has decided to extend the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme to 61 more districts this year. On what basis these districts have been selected: Districts with poor sex ratio (of girl child)

781) The dreaded Zika virus is spread by which animal: Aedes mosquito


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782) Countries in which part of the globe have recently suffered wide spread attack of Zika virus: Latin America

783) The RBI has asked banks to provide loans of up to Rs 3 lakh at 7 per cent interest rate to which category of self help groups: Women Self-Help Group (SHG)

784) Name the public sector undertaking responsible for minting the India gold coins: Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation of India - MMTC

785) What is the full form of UNCTAD: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

786) ________ has been appointed as the Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT): Atulesh Jindal

787) Name the two major components of Direct Taxes: Corporate Tax and Income Tax

788) The Z Factor: My Journey as the Wrong Man at the Right Time - an autobiography of which noted personality of Indian media: Subhash Chandra, founder of Zee TV group

789) A Nuclear Security Index compiled by the Nuclear Threat Initiative of USA for 176 countries ranks India at which place: 21st

790) In a recent global survey, which Indian hotel has been adjudged as the best hotel in the world: Umaid Bhawan, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

791) A new Thrush bird found in northeast India has been named 'Zoothera Salimalii' scientifically after which great Indian ornithologist: Salim Ali

792) World Bank will provide $ 250 million loan to which Indian State for the Kosi Basin Development Project: Bihar

793) Which global report has said that India will be the world's fastest growing large economy at 7.3 per cent in 2016: United Nations World Economy Report

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

795) Indian Railway’s telecom arm, RailTel is collaborating with which IT giant company to provide free wifi services in railway stations: Google

796) RBI plans to introduce new banknotes of which denominations with enhanced security features: Rs. 100 & Rs. 500

797) Which city hosted the National Conference on e-Governance: Nagpur, Maharashtra

798) As per a recent 'Best Country Report', _________ has been ranked as no. 1 country: Germany

799) France has signed MoU with India for the development of which three Indian cities as Smart City: Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry

800) Headquarters of global body International Solar Alliance are to be located at which place in India: Gurgaon, Haryana

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