gyanm magazine may 2015 issue

GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 1

GENERAL AWARENESS

MAY 2015 Vol. 3, Issue 11

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

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

Contents

CURRENT AFFAIRS JAN TO MARCH 2015 01-34

BULLET NEWS OCT TO DEC 2014 35-51

MCQs ON CURRENT AFFAIRS 52-57

FCI MODEL TEST PAPER 58-69

IBPS MODEL TEST PAPER 70-80

6 MONTHS GK BYTES 81-100

FIGURES TO REMEMBER

REPO RATE (04.03.2015) 7. 50% REVERSE REPO RATE 6.50% MARGINAL STANDING FACILITY RATE

8.50%

STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 21.5% CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00% BANK RATE 8.50% BASE RATE(s) (of various banks)

10 to 10.25 %

INDIA’S RANK IN

Open Government Index 2015 37th

Press Freedom Index 2015 136th

Talent Competitiveness 78th

Travel and Tourism Index 65th

Corruption Perceptions Index 85th

The Web Index 2014 48th

Global Terrorism Index 2014 6th

Global Slavery Index 2014 1st

Gender Gap Index 114th Ease of Doing Business (WB) 142nd Global Hunger Index 2013 55th Global Competitiveness 71st Human Development Index 135th Global Innovation Index 76th Economic Confidence Index 01st Choice for FDI 143rd Social Progress Index 102nd World Press Freedom Index 140th

NATIONAL NEWS

MARCH 2015

PM VISITS SEYCHELLES With a view to expanding its footprint in the strategic Indian Ocean, India signed four agreements with Seychelles for cooperation in hydrography, renewable energy, infrastructure development and maritime security during the visit of India’s Prime Minister’s visit on March 11. He also launched a Coastal Surveillance Radar project to boost security cooperation with the island nation. India promised to give one Dornier aircraft and free visa on arrival for three months to the citizens of Seychelles. PM VISITS MAURITIUS Prime Minister visited Mauritius on March 12 and inked five MoUs with Mauritius to give new impetus to bilateral co-operation. The agreements signed included one on Ocean economy which will help utilise the rich marine resources of Mauritius. PM VISITS SRI LANKA India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements during Mr. Modi's maiden visit to the island nation on March 13-14. The agreements are on visa, customs, youth development and building Rabindranath Tagore memorial in Sri Lanka. Facility of Tourist Visa on Arrival and Electronic Travel Authorization

Scheme to Sri Lankan citizens to start from April 14, 2015. India to cooperate in developing a Ramayana Trail in Sri Lanka and a

Buddhist Circuit in India. P M PAYS HOMAGE TO MARTYRS On March 23, PM Narendra Modi visited Hussainiwala on Indo Pak border in Punjab's frontier district of Ferozepur and paid homage to freedom struggle martyrs Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. The three revolutionaries were cremated here on March 23, 1931. They were awarded death sentence for shooting a British Police Officer Mr Saundras on the 17th December, 1928. In their honour, March 23 is observed every year as Martyrs Day ( Shaheed Diwas).


MODI, SATYARTHI AMONG TOP 50 LEADERS Prime Minister Narendra Modi (5th) and Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi (28th) have been named among the 50 greatest leaders in the world by Fortune magazine in its annual list of extraordinary men and women transforming business, government and philanthropy. BHARAT RATNA CONFERRED UPON VAJPAYEE The President of India, breaking away from the protocol, conferred the Bharat Ratna on Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee on March 27 in New Delhi in a simple ceremony held at the residence of Shri Vajpayee, on account of his poor health condition. Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya was accorded Bharat Ratna posthumously during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan on March 30th. INDIA AND QATAR SIGN SIX AGREEMENTS The Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani visited India and held extensive talks with the Prime Minister. The two countries inked six pacts for cooperation in energy sector and boosting trade and investment. An agreement was also signed on the transfer of sentenced persons allowing the Indian convicts in Qatar to complete their balance sentence in India and vice versa. SC CANCELS RESERVATION FOR JATS The Supreme Court of India has nullified the Central Government's decision to include Jats in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. The top court said that caste can't be the sole factor to decide backwardness, maintaining that Jats don't form socio-economic backward class. The decision will prevent the Jat population in India from availing of the special benefits of reservation in jobs and educational institutions. AADHAAR NOT MUST FOR AVAILING SUBSIDY The Supreme Court has given a landmark ruling, confirming that the Aadhaar card is not compulsory for availing of various government subsidies and any other benefits, and warned that officials ignoring this would be taken to task. CONFERENCE ON COUNTER TERRORISM A 3-day International Conference on Counter Terrorism 2015 was held at Jaipur in March. It was organised by India Foundation in association with the Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice, Jodhpur to develop an integrated approach to counter terrorism.

S C RULES AGAINST SECTION 66A The Supreme Court has struck down the controversial 2009 amendment to India's Information Technology Act known as section 66A as it was “unconstitutional” and a restriction on freedom of speech. Section 66A makes the sending information of "grossly offensive or menacing character" punishable by up to 3 years in jail ATTORNEY GENERAL IS PUBLIC AUTHORITY The Delhi High Court has ruled that the Attorney General is not merely a lawyer for the government, but is a constitutional authority and thus falls under the ambit of the RTI Act. The High Court reversed the 2012 decision of the Central Information Commission in which a full bench had ruled that the AG is only a person and can't be considered an "authority" under the Act. WORLD’S 1st SOLAR AIRCRAFT LANDS IN INDIA

Solar Impulse, claimed to be the world’s only solar-powered aircraft, made a stopover in Ahmadabad on its maiden global journey. The Swiss aircraft can fly day and night without a drop of fuel, propelled solely by the sun’s energy. The single-seater aircraft made of carbon fibre has a 72 metre wingspan, larger than that of Boeing-747 and weighs just 2,300 kg. INDIA UNFURLS WORLD’s TALLEST FLAG The world’s largest and tallest Indian national flag was unfurled in Faridabad, Haryana. The flag has dimensions of 96 feet by 64 feet and weighs 48 kilograms. The flag was hoisted at a height of 250 feet (75 meters), thus, making it the world’s largest and the highest hoisted Indian flag. The 58th All India Ayurvedic Congress was held at

Panjab University, Chandigarh – March 14-15. The 5th National Community Radio Sammelan held

in New Delhi – March 16. A three-day conference for strengthening maritime

trade and security among Indian Ocean Rim countries held at Bhubaneshwar – March 20-22.

The government has announced that India's first National Skill Development University will be established in Chhattisgarh.

In the World Justice Project's ‘Open Government Index 2015’ report, India was ranked 37th amongst 102 countries. Sweden was placed at first position


FEBRUARY 2015

GOVT ACCEPTS FINANCE COMMISSION REPORT Union Government has accepted the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission for devolution of revenue collection from the Centre to the states for the period from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2020. The commission was headed by Ex. RBI Governor Y V Reddy. DIPLOMATS’ CONFERENCE IN NEW DELHI A three day Heads of the Missions Conference was held in New Delhi from Feb 7 to 9 in New Delhi. About 110 ambassadors/diplomats from various Indian embassies took part in the conference that spelt the ways in which diplomats can contribute to the country's development. AERO INDIA SHOW HELD AT BENGALURU The 10th edition of Aero India Show concluded in Bengaluru. The show was focused on Make in India campaign of the Union Government which is aimed at encouraging small and medium industries to invest in defence manufacturing in India. INDIA SET TO JOIN BRICS BANK The Union Cabinet approved India’s plans for the establishment of a New Development Bank led by the BRICS bloc of developing nations, and a Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) that will act as an extra safety net in the event of financial crisis. AIRTEL TO SERVE CHILDREN IN AFRICA Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel Limited on 18 February 2015 tied-up with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide health, edu-cation and youth-focused content to its customers in 17 African countries. S C RULES ON CRIMINAL CANDIDATES In a historic judgment, the Supreme Court has ruled that the suppression of criminal antecedents, especially relating to heinous crimes, by an election candidate during nomination deprives voters to make an informed choice and creates impediments in the free exercise of electoral right and therefore, if such a candidate wins the election, his election should be declared null and void (invalid). FENCED ELEPHANT SANCTUARY BY PETA The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has announced to create India's first fenced elephant sanctuary within the Bannerghatta Biological Park in Karnataka. The forested space will allow elephants to move around freely within the secure area.

MS. SWARAJ VISITS CHINA External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj went to China on a four day official visit. She met the Chinese President Xi Jinping also. The visit focused on resolving the tensions on border issue. She also launched the Visit India Year in China at a function in Beijing. INDIA FARES POOR IN PRESS FREEDOM India has been ranked 136TH in terms of press freedom in 2015, out of 180 nations in the World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters without Borders. Countries are ranked on the basis of media pluralism and independence, respect for the safety and freedom of journalists and the legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which the media operates. Finland, Norway and Denmark were on the top of the list.

Rajya Sabha was informed that 76.83 crore Aadhaar cards have been generated till 15 February 2015 out of a total population of 121.01 crore

Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam, President of Singapore visited India on Feb. 10 and inaugurated the Singapore Festival in New Delhi.

18th National Conference on e-Governance held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from 30 to 31 January 2015.

Three Commemorative Postage stamps on the theme of Swachh Bharat Mission were released on 30 January 2015 to mark the Martyrdom Day of Mahatma Gandhi.

The first National Tribal Festival “VANAJ”-2015 held at New Delhi from 13 to 18 Feb., 2015.

India and Sri Lanka have agreed to explore avenues for enhancing cooperation in oil and gas sector.

JANUARY 2015

OBAMA CHARMS INDIA Barrack Obama became the first U.S. President to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day and the first U.S. President to visit India twice during his tenure. The two leaders agreed to operationalise the civil

nuclear deal, resolving the key hurdles pertaining to the liability of suppliers of nuclear reactors in the event of an accident and the tracking of fuel supplied by the US.

Obama announced new initiatives worth $ 4 billion aimed at boosting trade and investment ties as well as jobs in India through a new Indian Diaspora Investment Initiative.

For the first time in the history of India’s Republic Day, all-women contingent from the three defence forces-Army, Air Force and Navy, marched down in the parade.

India and the US signed MoUs for formulating action plans for development of smart cities in Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam.


15 NRIS HONOURED AT PBD 15 persons were conferred with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award including Microsoft CEO Satyanarayan Nadella and Guyana President Donald Rabindernauth Ramaotar at the three day Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas, Jan 7 to 9, held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. COINS AND STAMPS RELEASED IN PBD Coins and stamps showing in the same frame pictures of a young Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and another of his transformation into Mahatma Gandhi were here released on Jan 8 at Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas to commemorate the centenary year of his return to India from South Africa in 1915. The coins are in the denomination of Rs 100 and Rs 10, while stamps are of the value of Rs. 25 & Rs. 5. TIGERS’ POPULATION UP BY 38.4% Across India, the mean figure for tiger numbers increased from 1,706 in 2010 to 2,226 in 2014, registering an impressive growth of 30.48 per cent. With 406 tigers, Karnataka tops the list, followed by Uttarakhand – 340 and Madhya Pradesh – 308. INDIA TO HELP NEPAL FOR FIGHTING GOITRE India will provide Rs 6.90 crore support to Nepal for fighting against the Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme for goitre control across the country. Goitre is an enlarged thyroid gland found in neck. ASIA’s BIGGEST LITERARY EVENT AT JAIPUR ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival, Asia’s biggest literary event was held at Jaipur from 21st to 25th Jan 2015. Over 2.45 lakh persons took part in the festival. More than 300 authors from over 50 countries attended the festival. DSC Prize for Literature: The $50,000 prize won by Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri for her book, The Lowland. Poet Arunadhathi Subramaniam was declared as the winner of inaugural Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for poetry for her work “When God is a Traveler”. H S BRAHMA IS THE NEW CEC Former bureaucrat Hari Shankar Brahma has been appointed as the next Chief Election Commissioner of India. The present incumbent, V S Sampath turned 65 on Jan 15, the upper age limit under the Constitution for holding the post. Mr. Brahma too is completing 65 years on April 19. CEC has a tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. He is appointed by the President, on recommendations of the Union Government. He enjoys the same official status, salary and perks as available to Judges of the Supreme Court and High court.

NATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL AT GUWAHATI The 19th National Youth Festival began in Guwahati on Jan 8. The theme this year is, 'Youth for Clean, Green and Progressive India'. A mascot performing Sattriya dance and named as Baandhav has been designed for the festival. INDIA 78TH IN TERMS OF SKILLED LABOUR In a list of 93 countries compiled by INSEAD business school, India has been ranked 78th globally in terms of talent competitive-ness of its human capital, indicating acute shortage of skilled workforce. Switzerland has topped the list, followed by Singapore. SUPREME COURT ENDS SRINI’s GAME The Supreme Court has barred N Srinivasan, the controversial businessman and cricket official, from contesting the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) election until he gives up his commercial interest in the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK). India will provide 60 million dollars Line of Credit to

Guyana for its road infrastructure projects. Guyana is a small republic on northern border of Brazil.

Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan came to India on a weeklong visit.

The 13th Pune International Film Festival has held at Pune in Maharashtra from January 8 to 15. The theme of the festival was “War against War".

102nd Indian Science Congress was held at Mumbai University, Maharashtra.

Two commemorative coins of Rs 100 and five were released in the honour of Tata Group founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata's to mark his 175th birth anniversary.

January 12 is observed as National Youth Day on the birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda.

India signed an agreement on transfer of prisoners who are completing their sentence, with Hong Kong

Germany has agreed to partner with India in developing three smart cities. A six-member joint committee has been set up to identify the cities in next three months.

The first Border Haat (market) along Tripura-Bangladesh frontier was opened at Srinagar (Tripura) - Purba Madhugram (Feni, Bangladesh).

Indian Railways to run an additional weekly trip of Maitree Express train between Kolkata and Dhaka.


NEWS FROM STATES

MARCH 2015

FIRST COMMERCIAL COURT SET UP IN DELHI In March, the Delhi high court became the first court in India to set up dedicated commercial divisions within it, in line with the recommendation of the Law Commission. These special benches will hear commercial matters relating to intellectual property rights, arbitration, insurance, banking, taxation, company cases etc. OLIVE RIDLEY BEGIN MASS NESTING

The mass nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles, an endangered species, started in March near river Rushikulya mouth in Odisha's Ganjam district. On the first day, over 10,000 female turtles laid eggs in the over 3-km-long sandy beach. HARYANA MOVES TO BAN COW SLAUGHTER The Haryana Legislative Assembly passed the Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill, 2015, which bans cow slaughter, sale of beef and prescribes rigorous punishment for violations, ranging from punishment of up to 10 years with a fine up to one lakh rupees. 'AAPKI BETI HUMARI BETI' SCHEME LAUNCHED

The Haryana government has launched 'Aapki Beti Humari Beti' programme to provide cash assistance of Rs 21,000 to first-born girl child of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Below Poverty Line families and all second girl children born on or after Jan 22, 2015 of all families.

THREE STATES EXEMPTED FROM PAP In a written reply to a query, the Rajya Sabha was informed that Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland have been excluded from the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime for foreign tourists till December 31.

FEBRUARY 2015

MUFFLERMAN SWEEPS DELHI The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party on Feb 10 swept to power with 67 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly, leaving only three to the Bharatiya Janata Party and nil to the Congress. Later, Mr. Kejriwal was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Delhi.

Uttarakhand govt launched on Feb 7 its ambitious “Himalaya Darshan” programme as part of its ongoing efforts to boost tourism in the state.

Haryana to set up Gram Sachivalayas to bring Gram Panchayat and village level functionaries of all departments under one roof for better functioning.

The ten day long annual Taj Mahotsava, a cultural extravaganza, began in Agra, UP from 18th February.

Gujarat govt. has decided to set up ‘Plast India International University’ in Vapi in partnership with University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA.

Madhya Pradesh won the 10th National Award for excellent work in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA).

Haryana launched e-registration of properties in all the 130 tehsil and sub-tehsils of the State on Feb 04.

The First World Ocean Science Congress (WOSC) was held in Kochi, Kerala from 5 to 8 February 2015.

JANUARY 2015

PUNJAB BANS SALE OF LOOSE CIGARETTES The Punjab state has banned the sale of loose cigarettes (as single sticks) and loose tobacco, becoming the first State to do so. Ban has been issued as the sale is in violation of Section 7 of the COTPA (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products, Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution Act, 2003). Since loose cigarettes are affordable and do not carry a pictorial or a written warning, these will not be permitted to be sold.

J&K BEST IN e-INITIATIVE Jammu and Kashmir has been selected, for the first time, for National e-Governance Award 2014-15 for the best district- level initiative in the country, for the project e-Panchayat, launched in 2013-14 ASSAM ONLY PLACE TO GROW ‘PURPLE TEA’ According to a senior scientist and tea expert according to Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Jorhat, Assam can emerge as the only place in the world after Kenya to become a producer of health-rich medicinal purple tea. Currently, Kenya is the only country that produces unique purple tea which fetches three to four times the price of black tea.


Amitabh Bachchan appointed as the brand Ambassador for health sector in Andhra Pradesh.

Hampi Utsav Jan 9 – 11, cultural festival of dance, drama, art and music held at Hampi, the erstwhile seat of the Vijayanagar Empire in Karnataka.

Governor’s rule imposed in J&K as political parties failed to muster the requisite number 44 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly.

Voting for all 70 Delhi Assembly seats will be held on February 7 and counting of votes will be done on February 10.

Haryana has appointed yoga guru Ramdev as the state's brand ambassador to promote yoga and ayurveda in a big way.

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

MARCH 2015

PRADHAN MANTRI SURAKSHA BIMA YOJANA The scheme will be offered by all Public Sector General Insurance Companies for giving insurance cover against death by accident. Eligibility: Available to all persons in the age group

18 to 70 years, having a bank account. Premium: Rs.12 per annum to be directly debited by

the bank from the subscriber’s account. Risk Coverage: For accidental death and full

disability-Rs.2 Lac and for partial disability–Rs.1 Lac. PRADHANMANTRI JEEVAN JYOTI BIMA YOJANA The scheme will be offered by Life Insurance Corporation and all other life insurers who are willing to join the scheme to offer life insurance cover. Eligibility: Available to all persons in the age group of

18 to 50 and having a bank account. Premium: Rs.330 per annum to be debited from the

applicant’s account. Risk Coverage: Rs.2 Lac in death on any ground.

ATAL PENSION YOJANA This scheme will be launched from 1st June, 2015 and will be administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. The scheme will focus on the unorganised sector workers and will replace the previous Swavalamban - NPS Lite scheme. Eligibility: The scheme is open to all bank account

holders between 18 years and 40 years, who are not members of any statutory social security scheme.

Benefit: Pension ranging between Rs.1000 - Rs. 5000 is payable after the age of 60.

Govt Funding: The government would co-contribute 50% of the subscriber’s contribution or Rs. 1000 per annum, whichever is lower, for a period of 5 years from 2015-16 to 2019-20, to those who join the scheme before 31st Dec, 2015 and are not tax payers.

‘TWITTER SAMVAD’ LAUNCHED BY THE PM As part of the government's Digital India campaign, a new service ‘Twitter Samvad’ was launched in New Delhi by the Prime Minister. Everyday, a set of curated tweets will be delivered as SMS from the government and leaders' accounts to those mobile users across the country, who register for this service. Mr Modi and several state Chief Ministers have joined the scheme. LAND BILL PASSED BY LOK SABHA The controversial Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill was approved by the Lok Sabha in March despite a walkout by all opposition parties. The bill has been allowed to lapse as the government lacks majority in Rajaya Sabha. The ordinance in this regard is expected to be re-promulgated. ANTI BLACK MONEY BILL PASSED BY CABINET In a bid to unearth black money and illicit assets stashed abroad, the Union Cabinet has approved the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of New Tax) Bill, 2015 with stringent provisions for prosecution of such offences with rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years. Penalty at the rate of 300 % of taxes will be levied, besides the applicable tax, on the concealed income. P M KAUSHAL VIKAS YOJNA LAUNCHED The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) with an outlay of Rs 1,500 crore to provide skills training to youth, including Class 10 and 12 drop outs. The scheme will cover 24 lakh persons. It will be implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).


33% RESERVATION FOR WOMEN IN POLICE

The Central government has announced 33 per cent reservation for women in police forces of union territories, including Delhi, for posts ranging from constables to sub-inspectors, in a move aimed at making police more gender-sensitive. ‘KAYA KALP’ COUNCIL TO OVERHAUL RLYs. The Ministry of Railways has constituted the Kaya Kalp council and appointed Ratan Tata its head to recommend innovative methods and processes for the improvement, betterment and transformation of the Railways. The council will have two railway union leaders also. PHARMA JAN SAMADHAAN SCHEME LAUNCHED Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministry has launched the Pharma Jan Samadhaan scheme for redressal of grievances of consumers related to drug pricing and availability of medicines. It is a web based scheme created by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority NEW WEBSITE FOR CEMENT SUPPLY Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has launched a new web portal, www.inampro.nic.in to monitor the supply of cement at all India level. It will benefit the bulk users like developers of big infra projects as they can view the asking price as well as the nearest factory. INAM-PRO stands for platform for infrastructure and materials providers BACHCHAN TO LEAD WAR AGAINST HEPATITIS The government has again roped in Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador for its campaign against Hepatitis B. According to the latest WHO data, Hepatitis B is responsible for 1.4 million deaths every year globally. India has over 40 million hepatitis B patients.

Bharat-Nepal Maitri Bus Seva started between Varanasi and Kathmandu from March 5 as per Motor Vehicle Agreement signed with Nepal.

The first Kisan Call Centre in N-E India was opened in Agartala, Tripura to give information to farmers for agriculture, fisheries and plantations etc.

The Lok Sabha has passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to bring e-rickshaws and e-carts into the ambit of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

FEBRUARY 2015

NITI AAYOG HOLDS ITS FIRST MEETING In the first meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog in New Delhi, the Prime Minister described ‘Team India’ as a combination of three teams – the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers; the Union Council of Ministers; and the bureaucracy in the Centre and States. He suggested formation of three sub groups for improved functioning of ‘Team India’. The first sub-group will study the 66 centrally-

sponsored schemes and recommend which schemes should continue, which should be transferred to states, and which to discontinue.

The second sub-group will focus on skill development and creation of skilled manpower within states.

The third sub-group will decide on the institutional mechanisms to be evolved for Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, so that cleanliness becomes a part of life in perpetuity.

It was also decided that all the states should create two task forces under the aegis of the NITI Aayog, one to focus on poverty alleviation, and the other to focus on future development of agriculture.

ALL INDIA MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY From May 3, cell phone subscribers will be able to retain the same mobile number on relocating to anywhere in India. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India amended the mobile number portability (MNP) regulations for this purpose. At present, number portability is available only within a telecom circle. PM LAUNCHES SOIL HEALTH CARD SCHEME The nationwide “Soil Health Card” scheme was launched by the Prime Minister from Suratgarh, Rajasthan on Feb 19, focusing on the health of soil to boost productivity and bring about increased prosperity. At least 14 crore cards are to be issued over the next three years. NATIONAL DEWORMING DAY ON FEB 10

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the first National Deworming Day on Feb 10 to reduce the threat of parasitic worm infections in children. Medicine Albendazole will be orally administered to pre-school and school-going children between one and nineteen years of age in 12 states to begin with.


‘MADAD’ LAUNCHED FOR CONSULAR SERVICES

Government has launched Consular Grievances Monitoring System named MADAD-Because You Are Us- to register grievances pertaining to the Consular Services offered by the Indian Missions abroad. TWO CRORE TOILETS UNDER MNREGA Govt plans to construct over two crore toilets in select villages across the country under a programme of making India free from open defecation by 2019. The project will be implemented under MNREGA. Literate and active women MNREGA workers will be selected as the 'Sanitary Mates' to provide basic lessons about use of toilets to people living in villages. The govt has launched a single window e-Biz portal

for 11 Central government services to bring transparency in the ease of doing business.

The government plans to launch a new scheme 'Krishi Daak Service' to distribute improved seed varieties to farmers at their doorstep, through post-offices.

Govt has constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Pramod Asthana for re-investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases.

JANUARY 2015 SCHEME LAUNCHED TO SAVE GIRL CHILD Prime Minister launched the nationwide 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' (save girl child, educate her) campaign from Panipat in Haryana on Jan 22 to counter the adverse sex ratio in the country.

Noted film actress Madhuri Dixit was roped in as the brand ambassador of the campaign.

A special savings scheme by the name ‘Sukanya Samriddhi Account’ was also launched to encourage special savings for girl child.

SUKANYA SAMRIDDHI ACCOUNT Account can be opened in the name of a girl child of

up to 10-year-old. After attaining the age of 10 years, the account

holder can herself operate the account. Accounts can be opened in name of girl child in

banks and post offices, Interest payment at 9.1 per cent per annum.

Deposits can be made for 14 years from the date of opening of the account.

Half of the fund can be withdrawn for her higher education and marriage after she attains 18 years of age.

The scheme would mature on completion of 21 years from the date of opening of the account.

The account can be transferred anywhere in India Minimum deposit of Rs. 1000 and thereafter any

amount in multiple of Rs. 100 can be deposited. Amount deposited in the scheme is eligible for

income tax rebate. For one time, a girl child who has attained the age of

10 years prior to 1 year from the date of introduction of scheme is also eligible.

A maximum of Rs. 1,50,000 can be deposited in a financial year.

The account can be opened in any post office or authorized branches of commercial banks in India by producing birth certificate of the girl child.

To meet the requirement of higher education expenses of the account holder girl child, partial withdrawal of 50 % of the balance would be allowed after the girl child attains age of 18 years.

The amount can be deposited in cash, cheque or demand draft.

SCHEMES LAUNCHED FOR SC ENTREPRENEURS In a bid to promote entrepreneurship among the Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched two schemes on Jan 16: 1. Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes, with an initial capital of Rs.200 crore to provide financial assistance up to Rs.15 crore for up to six years to SC entrepreneurs. IFCI Ltd. will act as Nodal Agency to operate this fund. 2. Green Business Scheme to provide loans up to Rs.1 lakh at concessional rate of interest to SCs for running e-rickshaw, solar pumps and other solar energy-powered implements. HRIDAY SCHEME LAUNCHED The government has launched a Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) to preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country. In the initial phase, 12 heritage cities have been identified which will be rejuvenated and developed. NITI AAYOG IN, PLANNING COMMISSION OUT On Jan 1, the government announced that the Planning Commission has been restructured and rechristened as the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog. It will be a multi-tiered structure headed by Prime Minister with a governing council comprising of the chief ministers of all states and lieutenant governors of union territories.


‘PRICE STABILISATION FUND’ LAUNCHED Govt plans to set up a ‘Price Stabilisation Fund’ (PSF), with a corpus of Rs 500 crore, to check price volatility through procurement of selected perishable horticulture produce, maintenance of buffer stocks and their regulated release into the market. To begin with, interventions would be supported for onions and potatoes only and other commodities may be added later on. HELPLINE LAUNCHED FOR DRUG ADDICTS

Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched a toll-free helpline (1800-11-0031) to assist the alcoholic and drug-dependent persons. Initially, the helpline will operate from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm from Monday to Saturday and will be upgraded later on to a 24x7 helpline. ON-LINE TRACKING OF TOILET USAGE Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has said that people would be mobilised to check and verify the use of toilets in the rural areas and they can post photos or upload data of non use or misuse of toilets through mobile phones, tablets or I-Pads onto a website in real time. Shortage of toilets costs the country more than $50 billion a year, mostly through premature deaths and hygiene-related diseases, according to a World Bank study. NORMS RELAXED FOR SEZs Aiming to revitalise SEZs, the government has permitted dual-use of non-processing areas in special economic zones, allowing developers to set up social infrastructure like schools, hospitals and hotels which can be accessed by people within and outside these conclaves. FACILITY TO LODGE FIR IN TRAIN Under a new initiative by North Central Railway, rail passengers will now be able to lodge an FIR in the train itself. Earlier the passenger had to cut short his visit and register the FIR at the nearest Government Railway Police (GRP) station.

DBTL LAUNCHED IN 622 DISTRICTS The Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL) scheme, now called ‘Pratyaksh Hanstantarit Labh’ (PAHAL), launched in 622 districts w.e.f. Jan 1, 2015. Finally, the scheme will cover over 15.3 crore consumers across 676 districts of the country. CHANDIGARH COULD BE FIRST ‘SMART CITY’ Finance Minister has indicated that the first Indian smart city to be created probably could be Chandigarh. Smart cities would be built in a way so that they have uninterrupted power, water, proper sanitation, efficient management of solid waste, decongestion of roads, last mile connectivity and effective use of ICT. Several countries like Japan, Germany, Sweden, Singapore, Israel, UK, US, Hong Kong and the Netherlands have shown interest in building smart cities in India. GREEN INDIA MISSION LAUNCHED Govt launched 'Green India Mission' for undertaking eco-friendly development of the rural areas. To begin with 18 villages in Seraikela forest division in Jharkhand have been selected. DOMESTIC EFFICIENT LIGHTING PROGRAMME Prime Minister launched a scheme for LED (light emitting diodes) bulb distribution under Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP) in Delhi on 5th January. The LED bulbs will be supplied at an initial payment of Rs 10 each and recovery of Rs 10 each for 12 months from their electricity bill. The programme shall be launched all over the country. SPECIAL PHABLET LAUNCHED FOR FARMERS ICRISAT launched a customised low-cost combination of phone and tablet computer ‘greenphablet’ for small farmers. The device is powered by GreenSIM and is dust- and shatter-proof, readable under bright sunlight; operates from -20°C to +60°C.

ICRISAT: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. HQ: Hyderbad, Telangana ‘HIMMAT’- MOBILE APP FOR WOMEN India's first integrated mobile application for women safety called ‘Himmat' was launched in Delhi on Jan 1. The app can alert the police in the hour of need by either shaking the phone or pressing the power button twice. It is directly linked to the Police Control Room and allows police to locate the victim, with updation every ten seconds.


PRESIDENT APPROVES JUDICIAL COMMISSION President gave his assent to the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, nearly ending the two-decade-old collegium system for appointment of judges of the Supreme Court and 24 high courts. The commission will be headed by the Chief Justice and will have five other members - two senior-most judges of the SC, the Law Minister and two eminent persons.

INDIA’s 1st CNG TRAIN STARTS FROM REWARI Country’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) - powered train was flagged from Rewari, Haryana on Jan 13. The dual-fuel CNG Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) will run between Rewari and Rohtak everyday and would help in reducing the operating cost of locomotives by over 50%. India’s first International Institute of Music will be set

up in Kerala by a trust headed by Sarod Maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his family.

Department of Disability Affairs has been renamed as Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Viklangjan Sashaktikaran Vibhag).

President signed the Citizenship Ordinance to merge Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes and to grant life-long Indian visa to PIOs.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

MARCH 2015

IMF PROJECTS 7.2% GROWTH FOR INDIA The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised India's growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.2 per cent taking into account the revised methodology adopted by India earlier this year for calculating the GDP figures.

ADB PUTS INDIA’S GROWTH AT 7.8 % The Asian Development Outlook Report from the Asian Development Bank says that India’s growth rate is expected to surpass China and improve to 7.8 per cent in next fiscal and further to 8.2 per cent in 2016-17 on the back of government's structural reform agenda and improved external demand.

INDIA TO GROW BY 7.7% - OECD According to a recent OECD report, India is poised to grow 7.7 %this year and 8 per cent in 2016 to become the "fastest growing major economy" in the world, beating even China which is expected to grow by 7%.

GDP SET TO GROW BY 7.5% IN 2015-16 The global rating agency Moody's has retained its stable outlook on the sovereign rating of India at Baa3, citing the country's large and diversified economy and healthy private savings rate which may see India growing at 7.5 per cent in 2015-16.

TRADE DEFICIT SHRINKS TO $ 6.8 BILLION The country's exports contracted by more than 15 percent, to $ 21.5 billion in February this year while imports fell 15.7 percent, to $ 28.4 billion leading to a lower trade deficit of $ 6.8 billion during the month. Imports fell mainly due to the value of oil imports plunging by 55 per cent. INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION UP BY 2.6% According to the data released by the Central Statistics Office, the country's industrial production as measured by the Index of Industrial Production, grew 2.6 percent in January this year, mainly on account of better performance of the manufacturing sector and better off take of capital goods. CORE SECTOR SLOWS DOWN TO 1.8% Growth in eight core industries slowed to 1.8% in January, the lowest in 13 months. The eight core sector industries — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity — had expanded by 3.7% in January, 2014. PER CAPITA INCOME UP BY 37.6% As per a reply submitted in Parliament, India's per capita annual income rose by 37.6 per cent in the last four years to Rs 88,533 in 2014-15. It was Rs. 71,593 in 2012-13 and Rs 80,388 in 2013-14.

India's foreign exchange reserves shot up to an all-time high of 339.99 billion dollar in the week ended 20th March.

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FEBRUARY 2015 INDIA SET TO GROW BY 7.4% The Central Statistics Office (CSO) data released on Feb 10 showed that India is set to grow 7.4 per cent in the year 2014-15 and cross the $2.1-trillion mark against 6.9 per cent achieved in 2013-14 on the back of robust manufacturing sector performance and a surge in public expenditure. India's monthly per capita income is likely to be at

Rs 7,378.17 this financial year, up over 10 per cent from last year, when it was Rs. 6,699.88 year.

India grew 7.5 per cent in the October-December quarter, overtaking China’s 7.3 per cent growth in the same quarter, to become the fastest growing major economy in the world.

The Central Statistics Office has revised its base year to 2011-12

JANUARY 2015

INDIA SET TO GROW BETTER THAN CHINA As per Global Economics Prospects Report published by the World Bank, India is set to clock a 7% rise in GDP in 2017 compared with 6.9% for bigger rival China. “India will recover to 6.4% in the current calendar year itself on the back of higher export growth and bolstered investor confidence with the election of a reform-minded government at the Centre”, said the report. INDIA TO GROW BY 6.5% - MORGAN STANLEY A report by global financial giant Morgan Stanley says that Indian economy is on its way to grow by 6.5 per cent as the government's reforms agenda is on track and the pace is accelerating too.

A United Nations report says that India will see gradual growth acceleration with its GDP expected to reach 5.9 per cent this year and 6.3 per cent in 2016.

India's GDP growth has averaged 6.5 per cent over the last 25 years, while in the last two years it averaged 4.9% alongside very high inflation.

FISCAL DEFICIT TO BE CUT TO 3.6% OF GDP The Expenditure Management Comm-ission, headed by Bimal Jalan, has recommended to the government that it should cut fiscal deficit to 3.6 per cent of the GDP during 2015-16. The recommendations are as per the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003.

NEW CPI FOR BETTER PROJECTION For presenting a more accurate and realistic price situation, government plans to release by next month a new series of Consumer Price Index (CPI) with 2012 as base year for computing retail inflation rate. Figures for January 2015 will be compiled on revised base and will be released on February 12.

As per a Labour Bureau survey, unemployment rate in the country rose to 4.9 per cent in 2013-14, mainly on account of increase in joblessness in rural areas.

ECONOMY & INDUSTRY

MARCH 2015

P M TO MONITOR HELD UP PROJECTS

To give impetus to stalled projects and ensure their timely execution across the country, the Prime Minister plans to have a regular direct interaction with officials in the states and the central ministries. Titled Pragati, an acronym for Pro-active Governance and Timely Implementation, the programme will be conducted through video conferences. CABINET APPROVES ‘SAGARMALA’ PROJECT At least 12 smart cities at ports and several coastal economic zones will come up under the ambitious Sagarmala project approved by the Union Cabinet. The project will include smart cities which will have affordable housing, wind & solar power and green industry, 1,208 islands to be developed for attracting tourists and 189 light houses also. NEW CPI TO COVER 460 ITEMS Any increase in mineral water and potato-chip prices, as well as changes in data usage charges will reflect in the new Consumer Price Index released by the Central Statistics Office as the number of items in the CPI basket has been increased to 448 from 437 in rural areas and to 460 from 450 in urban areas. The CPI tracks inflation at the consumer level and has become the key measure of inflation used by the Reserve Bank of India for monetary policy action.


Rs 1.10 TRN FROM SPECTRUM AUCTION The government has fetched about 1.10 lakh crore rupees after rigorous bidding in the auctioning of telecom spectrum. The auction was conducted for 800 MHz, 900 Mhz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz covering both mobile telephony and broadband, including 4G. NGT PULLS UP RLYs FOR CLEANLINESS The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has announced a fine of Rs 5,000 on individuals spotted littering or throwing waste on the railway platforms and tracks. The tribunal directed the Railways to collect, transport and treat the waste at the treatment plants instead of directly releasing the garbage into sewer system. AGRI PRODUCTION TO EXCEED 257 MT As per the second advance estimates for 2014-15, the foodgrain output in the country is estimated at 257.07 million tonnes, far more than the projected requirement of 249 million tonnes for the year. The average annual increase in the overall foodgrain production has been 3.48 per cent during the period 2009-10 to 2014-15. WB AID FOR GANGA SAGAR DEVELOPMENT The World Bank has sanctioned 100 crore rupees for all round development of Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas District of West Bengal. Every year, lakhs of pilgrims from India and abroad offer prayers at Gangasagar on Sagar Island on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. LIC TO INVEST 1.5 TRILLION IN RAILWAYS In the biggest ever funding for the Railways, the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) committed Rs 1.5 lakh crore for development of various railway projects over the next five years. The investment would be made through bonds issued by the Railways. JOINT EFFORT FOR GREENER INDIA The government has decided to merge the National Mission for a Green India (GIM) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to facilitate afforestation on 10 million hectares of land over the next decade. This would, in turn, help provide forest-based livelihood income to three million households.

MACAU/HK BANNED FROM BUYING PROPERTY The RBI has included Macau and Hong Kong in the list of countries whose citizens are prohibited from acquiring or transferring immovable property in India. The other prohibited countries include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Nepal and Bhutan.

RELIANCE IS NO 1 CORPORATE IN INDIA Among top 10 corporates in terms of assets, compiled by the Corporate Affairs Ministry, Reliance Industries Ltd is the largest corporate with assets worth 3.68 lakh crore rupees, followed by the state-owned Indian Oil Corporation with assets worth 2.52 lakh crore rupees.

CAIRN INDIA SERVED 20 CR TAX NOTICE Income Tax Department has slapped a Rs. 20,495-crore tax demand notice on Cairn India for failing to deduct withholding tax on alleged capital gains made by its erstwhile promoter, Cairn Energy.

India and Kyrgyzstan have signed n MoU to strengthen bilateral cooperation in textiles and clothing.

FEBRUARY 2015 GOVT NOTIFIES ‘IND AS’ NORMS Government has notified the rules for Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) which are converged with global standards IFRS. The norms will be mandatory for companies from 1 April 2016. However, these norms can be followed by corporates on a voluntary basis from 1 April 2015. For companies having net worth of Rs.500 cr. or more, norms would be a must from 1 April, 2016.

NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS NOT LIABLE Govt has clarified that the U.S. suppliers of nuclear reactors and parts will not be directly liable in case of a nuclear accident, nor can they be

sued by Indian nuclear operators unless the contract they sign clearly states it. Further, the immediate liability for any incident will be channelled only to the operator — in this case the public sector unit Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. There will be no changes in the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages (CLND) Act, 2011.

ADB TO GRANT $400 MILLION LOAN TO INDIA The Asian Development Bank has inked two loan agreements worth USD 400 million with India to upgrade district roads in Madhya Pradesh and to support improvements to power transmission and distribution systems in Assam. Of this, $350 million is for Madhya Pradesh and remaining $50 mn. for Assam.

India reclaimed its position as the leading consumer of gold in 2014 with an estimated consumption of 880 tonnes against China’s 866 tonnes.

World Bank agrees to grant $ 8 million loan to India for sustainable livelihoods and adaption to climate change project of National Rural Livelihoods Mission.


UNION BUDGET 2015 – 16 HIGHLIGHTS

ECONOMY GDP growth to be between 8 to 8.5% in 2015-16 Housing for all - 2 crore houses in Urban areas and 4

crore houses in Rural areas. Basic facility of 24x7 power, clean drinking water,

toilets and road connectivity to all villages Electrification of the remaining 20,000 villages

including off-grid Solar Power- by 2020. Providing medical services in each village and city. Ensure a Senior Secondary School within 5 km reach

of every child, AGRICULTURE Major steps to be taken to address the two major

factors critical to agricultural production, that of soil and water.

‘Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’ to be fully supported.

‘Pradhanmantri Gram Sinchai Yojana’ to provide ‘Per Drop More Crop’.

Rs 5,300 crore to support micro-irrigation, watershed development and the ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana’.

Target of Rs. 8.5 lakh crore of agricultural credit (through banks) during the year 2015-16.

FUNDING THE UNFUNDED Micro Units Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA)

Bank, with a corpus of Rs. 20,000 crores, and credit guarantee corpus of Rs 3,000 crores to be created.

MUDRA Bank will be responsible for refinancing all Micro-finance Institutions which are in the business of lending to such small entities of business through a Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana.

A Trade Receivables discounting System (TReDS) which will be an electronic platform for financing of trade receivables of MSMEs to be established.

Comprehensive Bankruptcy Code of global standards to be brought in towards ease of doing business.

Postal network with 1,54,000 points of presence spread across villages to be used for increasing access of the people to the formal financial system.

NBFCs registered with RBI and having asset size of Rs 500 crore and above may be considered for notifications as ‘Financial Institution’ in terms of the SARFAESI Act, 2002.

FROM JAN DHAN TO JAN SURAKSHA Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna to cover

accidental death risk of Rs 2 Lakh for a premium of just 12 per year.

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana to cover both natural and accidental death risk of Rs 2 lakh at annual premium of Rs 330 for the age group of 18-50.

Atal Pension Yojana to provide a defined pension, depending on the contribution and the period of contribution to the workers in unorganised sector.

A new scheme for providing Physical Aids and Assisted Living Devices for senior citizens, living below the poverty line.

Unclaimed deposits of about Rs 3,000 crores in the PPF, and approximately Rs 6,000 crores in the EPF corpus to be used for creating a fund which will be used to subsidize the premiums on these social security schemes through creation of a Senior Citizen Welfare Fund.

INFRASTRUCTURE National Investment and Infrastructure Fund to be

established with an annual flow of Rs 20,000 crores. Tax free infrastructure bonds to be issued for the

projects in the rail, road and irrigation sectors. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) to be established in

NITI to provide Innovation Promotion Platform involving academicians, and drawing upon national and international experiences to foster a culture of innovation , research and development.

Self-Employment and Talent Utilization - SETU to be established as Techno-financial, incubation and facilitation programme to support all aspects of start-up business. Rs1000 crore to be set aside for this.

5 new Ultra Mega Power Projects, each of 4000 MW, to be started in the Plug-and-Play mode.

FINANCIAL MARKET Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) bringing

both external and domestic borrowings under one roof to be set up this year.

Forward Markets commission to be merged with SEBI. Sovereign Gold Bond, as an alternative to purchasing

metal gold scheme to be developed. Indian gold coins to be made for investment in gold. A student Financial Aid Authority to be formed to

administer all scholarships as well Educational Loan Schemes, through the Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram.

A post graduate institute of Horticulture Research & Education is to be set up in Amritsar

An autonomous Bank Board Bureau to be set up to improve the governance of public sector bank.

BLACK MONEY Acceptance or re-payment of an advance of Rs 20,000

or more in cash for purchase of immovable property to be prohibited.

PAN being made mandatory for any purchase or sale exceeding Rupees 1 lakh.


General Anti Avoidance Rule (GAAR) to be deferred by two years, to be applicable from 01.04.2017.

Wealth-tax replaced with additional surcharge of 2 per cent on super rich with a taxable income of over Rs 1 crore annually

Service-tax plus education cess increased from 12.36% to 14% to facilitate transition to GST.

SWACHH BHARAT 100% deduction for contributions, other than by way

of CSR contribution, to Swachh Bharat Kosh and Clean Ganga Fund.

Clean energy cess hiked from Rs 100 to Rs 200 per metric tonne of coal, to finance clean environment initiatives.

BENEFITS TO MIDDLE CLASS TAX-PAYERS Limit of deduction of health insurance premium

increased from Rs 15000 to Rs 25000, for senior citizens limit increased from Rs 20000 to Rs 30000.

Senior citizens above the age of 80 years, who are not covered by health insurance, to be allowed deduction of Rs 30000 towards medical expenditures.

Deduction limit of Rs 60000 with respect to specified decease of serious nature enhanced to ` 80000 in case of senior citizen.

Additional deduction of Rs 25000 allowed for differently abled persons.

Limit on deduction on account of contribution to a pension fund and the new pension scheme increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Additional deduction of Rs 50000 for contribution to the new pension scheme u/s 80CCD.

Payments to the beneficiaries including interest payment on deposit in Sukanya Samriddhi scheme to be fully exempt from income tax.

MAJOR BUDGETARY ALLOCATIONS

Defence 2,46,727 Subsidies of which Food Subsidy – 1,24,419 cr Petroleum Subsidy – 30,000 cr Fertilizer Subsidy – 72,968 cr

2,27,387

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

34699

National Livelihood Mission (Rural & Urban)

3343

Housing for all (Rural and Urban)- 14200 Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana 14291 National Social Assistance Programme 9074 Swachh Bharat 6000 Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana 5300 Krishonnati Yojana, incl. Rs. 4500cr for Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

12257

Micro, Small And Medium Enterprises 1350 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan 22000

Higher Education 11965 Women And Child Development 9694 Information Technology 2510 Telecommunications 4800 National Health Mission 18000 Urban Development 14585 Road Transport & Highways 40003 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram JyotiYojana

4500

Science and technology 3550 Namami Gange for cleaning of the Holy Ganga

2100

For recapitalisation of Public Sector Banks (Rs 7940cr)and other DFIs

9790

KEY BUDGET FIGURES – 2015-16

BUDGET HEAD Rs in Cr 1 Revenue Receipts (2+3) 1141575

2 Tax Revenue (net to centre) 919842

3 Non-Tax Revenue 221733 4 Capital Receipts (5+6+7) 635902

5 Recoveries of Loans 10753

6 Other Receipts 69500

7 Borrowings and other

liabilities 555649

8 Total Receipts (1+4) 1777477 9 Non-Plan Expenditure (10+12) 1312200

10 On Revenue Account - of

which, 1206027

11 Interest Payments 456145

12 On Capital Account 106173 13 Plan Expenditure (14+15) 465277

14 On Revenue Account 330020

15 On Capital Account 135257 16 Total Expenditure

(9+13)(Budget Size) 1777477

17 Revenue Expenditure

(10+14) 1536047

18 Of Which, Grants for

creation of Capital Assets 110551

19 Capital Expenditure

(12+15) 241430

20 Revenue Deficit (17-1) 2.8% of GDP

394472

21 Effective Revenue Deficit (20-18) 2% of GDP

283921

22 Fiscal Deficit {16-(1+5+6)} 3.9% of GDP*

555649

23 Primary Deficit (22-11) 0.7% of GDP*

99504

*GDP for 2015-16 has been projected at Rs. 141. 09 trillion cr. GDP growth rate for 2015-16 is projected at 8 to 8.5%


RAILWAY BUDGET 2015-16 HIGHLIGHTS No new trains announced No increase in passenger fare FINANCE No increase in passenger fares Plan outlay of Rs 1,00,011 crore, up by 52 % Rs 8.5 lakh crore to be invested in next 5 years Rs.96,000 crore for 77 new projects Rs 6,581 crore for rail safety Will set up infra funds for railways Plan to invite corporate sponsorship for stations UPGRADES/NEW SERVICES New ‘Bullet-like’ trains to run on existing tracks Increase in track capacity by 10% to 1.38 lakh km Delhi-Kolkata and Delhi Mumbai to be overnight

journey 6,000 km to be electrified in 2015-16 Speed on 9 corridors to be increased to between 160-

200 km High speed bullet train between Mumbai and

Ahmadabad Direct line from Delhi to Arunachal Pradesh

PASSENGER CONVENIENCE All India helpline No. 138 from March 1 No 182 helpline for women security Cameras in the women compartments in select trains Rs 1,000 Nirbhaya Fund, which was lying idle so far,

to be used to provide women's safety Multi-lingual online ticketing Ticket booking timing increased to 120 days Operation 5 minutes to ensure that a passenger

travelling unreserved can purchase a ticket within 5 minutes

Lower berth preference for senior citizens, pregnant women and differently abled

Cleanliness in Railways highest priority under Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat

Food can be ordered online while booking ticket E-catering introduced on over 100 trains 400 stations to get Wi-Fi facility SMS alert service for train arrival / departure timings Mobile App to address passenger complaints Lockers at all stations Innovation Council and Technology Portal will be set

up to invite suggestions on improvements

GREEN INITIATIVES 17, 000 toilets to be replaced by bio toilets Will move towards paperless ticketing To introduce vacuum toilets in trains Disposable linen and garbage bags at all stations

JANUARY 2015 ‘MAKE IN INDIA’ IS BIG HIT ONLINE The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion-led Make In India (MII) initiative has become the largest and fastest growing government initiative ever on digital platform. Within three months of its launch, the initiative has already touched over 2.1 Billion global impressions on social media and reached an overall fan base of over 3 Million on its Facebook page. Make In India initiative focuses on attracting businesses to invest and manufacture in India. DUTY FREE IMPORTS FROM AFGHANISTAN India has allowed duty free access to Afghanistan’s export products in Indian markets under the Agreement of South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA). The export consignments will be allowed through the Integrated Check Post at Attari in Amritsar, Punjab. INFOSYS TO INVEST $ 250 MILLION Leading IT company - Infosys has assured Indian government that they will spend USD 250 million to fund innovations in software and services in India. The assurance was made by company CEO Vishal Sikka during his meeting with the Prime Minister. IMPORT OF MOBILES RESTRICTED Government has prohibited imports of all kind of mobile handsets with fake or duplicate Unique Identity Numbers. The decision will help the security agencies to track callers using different SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards. ‘PK’ CREATES BOX OFFICE RECORDS According to a report on Boxofficeindia.com, the film PK recorded a sale of Rs. 500 crore gross worldwide within two weeks of its release, there by becoming first ever Indian movie to have such huge collection in this period. OFFICE SPACE COST HIGHEST IN NEW DELHI Connaught Place in the National Capital has become the world’s sixth costliest office destination, with an annual occupancy cost of around $ 160 per square feet, says a report of global property consultant CBRE. (London is the costliest, followed by Hong Kong and Beijing.) NEW FERTILIZERS COMPANY FORMED National Fertilizers Limited (NFL), Engineers India Limited (EIL) and Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCIL) on 14 January 2015 signed an agreement to form a Joint Venture Company (JVC) Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited in Karimnagar district of Telengana.


NEW NAME FOR IRDA Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has been renamed as ‘Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India’ after the promulgation of Insurance Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014.

European Union has decided to lift a seven-month-long ban on the import of mangoes from India.

Sun Edison USA and India’s Adani Group will invest Rs.25,000 cr in setting up one of the world’s largest solar photovoltaic manufacturing unit in Gujarat.

ADB to give $ 75 million loan and $1.8 million grant to Karnataka for Integrated Urban Water Management Investment Program.

India and Israel have signed a joint agreement to implement the third phase of the agriculture cooperation project for next three years, 2015-18.

To boost the jute sector, govt has directed packaging of sugar and food grains in jute bags to minimum extent of up to 90 % of production.

To meet the fiscal deficit, the government sold 10 per cent stake in state owned Coal India Ltd to raise about Rs 24,000 crore.

Union Cabinet approved the hike of government stake in Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Ltd. to 51 percent from around 48 percent at present.

BANKING & FINANCE

MARCH 2015

REPO RATE SLASHED TO 7.5 % Citing better fiscal consolidation, the Reserve Bank of India cut its main lending rate known as repo rate by 0.25 percentage points to 7.5% w.e.f. 04.03.2015. It raised hopes of lower EMIs for home loan borrowers and cheaper bank finance for companies.

LOANS TO DISABLED UNDER PRIORITY SECTOR The RBI has decided that priority sector loans to persons with disabilities will now be eligible for classification under weaker sections category of Priority Sector lending. The RBI guidelines require the banks to lend 10% of their total loans to the weaker section.

NEW RUPEE ONE NOTE RELEASED

After a gap of over 20 years, Re 1 note has been released in the country and it bears the signature of Finance Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi. The note was released at Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, on March 6.

EASIER HOUSING LOANS UP TO Rs 10 LAKH Giving a boost to affordable housing, the Reserve Bank of India eased the norms for home loans for up to Rs 10 lakh by allowing the banks to include stamp duty and registration charges in the cost of a house. As per the current practice, the banks do not include stamp duty, registration and other documentation charges in the cost of housing property.

RBI GIVEN INFLATION TARGET @ 6% The government and the Reserve Bank of India have signed an agreement on Monetary Policy Framework whereby the government has set a target for RBI to bring down inflation below six per cent by January 2016. As per the agreement, if the RBI fails to meet the target, it will have to report to the government the reasons for the failure to achieve the target, what remedial action it proposes to take and estimate of the time period within which the target would be achieved. Currently, the Centre and the RBI give inflation estimates, but don’t set targets. Inflation targeting was suggested by Urijit Patel Committee as per the practice adopted by central banks in developed countries

RRBs ASKED TO CUT ON STAFF DEPLOYMENT The government has directed the regional rural banks to become slim by cutting jobs and by outsourcing non-core functions such as IT maintenance, cash remittance and house-keeping. The move, based on the recommendations of the SK Mitra Committee on HR policy for RRBs, is aimed at improving the productivity and profitability of RRBs. India has 56 RRBs with 19400 branches which have a collective business volume of Rs 4.50 lakh crore. They lend primarily to small farmers and artisans.

BANKS TO GIVE MORE LOANS TO MINORITIES The government has advised the PSU banks to step up lending to minorities with a view to ensuring that they get loans in proportion to their population. In terms of population, the Muslims make up the largest community, followed by Christians and Sikhs, besides Parsis, Buddhists and Jains.


NPA SALE NORMS EASED The RBI has allowed the banks to reverse the excess provision on sale of bad loans to their profit and loss account, provided the transaction took place before February 26, 2014 and the cash received by way of sale assets is higher than the NBV (net book value)of the NPAs sold to a securitisation company or an asset reconstruction company (ARC), LENDING BAN LIFTED FROM UNITED BANK

The Reserve Bank has removed the lending restriction on United Bank of India as the bank demonstrated an ability to arrest bad loans after its chairman's exit last year amid record non-

perfoming assets. The UBI will have to maintain a CRAR (capital to risk weighted assets ratio) above 9.5% and a credit to deposit ratio not exceeding 70%. 'SUKANYA SAMRIDHI SCHEME' As many as 1.80 lakh accounts have been opened under the 'Sukanya Samridhi Scheme' in less than two months after the launch of the special programme for girl child, with the maximum number of accounts being opened in Karnataka.

The National Payments Corporation of India reached a major milestone of successfully linking 15 crore bank accounts with the Aadhaar number.

The Reserve Bank has directed all NBFCs to get themselves rated by March 2016 and only investment grade rate NBFCs will be allowed to accept deposits.

The Reserve Bank will issue Rs 5 coins to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru that fell on Nov 14, 2014.

RBI and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka agreed to enter into a Currency Swap Agreement of 1.5 billion dollar to help keep the Sri Lankan rupee stable.

FEBRUARY 2015

SLR SLASHED TO 21.5 PER CENT In its 6th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement announced on Feb 3, the Reserve Bank held interest rates steady at 7.75 per cent but cut the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) by 50 basis points to 21.5 per cent of their total deposits from February 7, prodding banks to increase lending. This cut will spare around Rs 42,000 crore with the banks, giving them more leverage for lending. RBI has estimated that the real GDP in 2015-16 is expected to rise by 6.5 percent.

INDIANS CAN INVEST $2.50 LAC OVERSEAS Encouraged by foreign exchange reserves touching record peak levels, the Reserve Bank in its by monthly policy statement announced on Feb 3, doubled the annual overseas investment ceiling for individuals to $250,000 per person per year under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS). WELCOME THE NEW ONE RUPEE NOTE The Reserve Bank of India will soon put in circulation currency notes in one rupee denomination. The notes will be printed by the Government of India as provided in The Coinage Act 2011. The government had discontinued printing of one rupee notes in November 1994 due to higher printing costs. RBI ALLOWS NON-CALLABLE DEPOSITS The RBI has allowed banks to offer deposit schemes up to Rs 1 crore which cannot be broken prematurely — so-called non-callable deposits — and they can earn different rates of interest.

At present, all deposits accepted from individuals and a Hindu Undivided Family up to Rs 1 crore can be withdrawn prematurely, leading to asset-liability mismatches in banks. PMJDY GETS IN TO GUINNESS BOOK Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana has got overwhelming response all over the country. It entered the Guinness Book of World Record for opening over 12.5 crore bank accounts through the public sector banks with around 10,500 crore rupees. The Rupay Debit Cards have been issued to over eleven crore account holders so far. PMJDY OD TO BE PART OF PRIORITY SECTOR Reserve Bank has advised that the overdrafts extended by banks up to Rs.5,000 in PMJDY accounts will be eligible for classification under priority sector advances (‘others’ category) and also under ‘weaker sections’, provided the borrower’s household annual income does not exceed Rs.60,000 for rural areas and Rs.1.20 lakh in non-rural areas.

GOVT TO INFUSE EQUITY NINE BANKS Government will infuse Rs. 6,990 crore in nine public sector banks including SBI, Bank of Baroda and Punjab National Bank for enhancing their capital to meet the global risk norms under Basel III guidelines of Bank for International Settlements. This is the first tranche of capital infusion for which the government had allocated Rs. 11,200 crore in the budget for 2014-15.


BANKS TO BE CLOSED ON 2ND/4TH SATURDAY As per an agreement reached between IBA and bank unions, public sector banks will remain closed on second and fourth Saturdays. However, they will work full-day on remaining Saturdays. At present banks work half-day on all Saturdays. BANKS TO DISCLOSE UNCLAIMED DEPOSITS In a bid to help people who have unclaimed deposits lying with banks, RBI has directed banks to prominently display such account holders' names on the websites and provide them with a "Find" option to locate the information easily. BANKS TO INSTALL CASH DEPOSIT MACHINES

The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to install Cash Deposit Machines/ Bunch Note Acceptor Machines at locations selected by them (banks) without getting its prior permission. RBI, however, advised banks to install such machines with adequate security arrangements. BANKS NOT TO SEND FAKE NOTES TO POLICE The Union home ministry has asked the Reserve Bank to direct the banks that in case the number of counterfeit currency notes seized at a bank branch is up to four pieces in a single transaction, they need not send notes to the police but handle it themselves. Banks should not return counterfeit or fake note to the customers; instead, it should be cancelled & retained by the banks. INSTANT REMITTANCE APP FROM ICICI BANK ICICI Bank has launched ‘Pockets’, a digital banking service, enabling users to instantly send money to any e-mail id, mobile number, friends on Facebook and bank account. Anyone, including those who are not customers of ICICI Bank, can easily download the ‘e-wallet’ from Google Playstore, fund it from any bank account in the country and can start transactions immediately. HDFC BANK RAISES 10,000 Cr FROM PUBLIC HDFC Bank raised about Rs 8,000 crore by selling American Depository Receipts in USA and another Rs. 2000 crore by selling India-listed shares to qualified institutional investors in India. It was the largest follow-on offer by a private sector firm. With this sale, HDFC Bank became one of the best capitalised lenders in the country with a capital adequacy ratio of 15.7 per cent.

CIC MEMBERSHIP COMPULSORY FOR LENDERS Reserve Bank has asked all credit institutions to become members of all Credit Information Companies. As per present rules, NBFCs are required to become member of at least one CIC and provide them credit data. RULES FOR INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has said that a bank or an NBFC which proposes to undertake investment advisory services has to first obtain permission by Reserve Bank of India and then shall apply to SEBI for grant of registration.

RBI has lifted the ban on import of gold coins and medallions by banks but the sales will be permitted against upfront payment only.

R Gandhi, Dy. Governor RBI to head the committee formed to review the structure and functioning of the Urban Cooperative Banking Sector.

HDFC Bank is set to introduce a new app, Chillr, which will allow users to send money to any contact in their phone books, 24X7.

JANUARY 2015 RBI LOWERS REPO RATE TO 7.75% The Reserve Bank of India on 15th January, 2015 cut down repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.75 percent from 8 percent, with immediate effect, yielding to growing signs of slowing inflation and a flagging recovery. RBI has announced this rate cut ahead of its next monetary policy on February 3.

Consequently, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.75 per cent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 8.75 per cent with immediate effect. This cut in repo rate is likely to reduce interest rate on various bank loans. NEW GUIDELINES FOR BASE RATE The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to notify the Base Rate, or the minimum lending rate, at least once in every three months, based on the cost of funds; a move seen as a demand on bankers to pass on the changes in the policy rate to borrowers. At present, the review of the Base Rate does not have a fixed schedule. Further, banks have been allowed to review the Base Rate methodology after three years instead of the current periodicity of five years. ‘GYAN SANGAM’ – BANKERS’ SUMMIT AT PUNE India's top PSU bankers and select policy makers gathered in Pune for a two-day (Jan 2-3) retreat - 'Gyan Sangam’ for a brainstorming session to give a facelift to PSU banks. Bankers made presentations on their agenda for reforms with the focus on promotion of financial inclusion.


RBI CLARIFIES ON SMALL BANKS The Reserve Bank has clarified that business houses with assets above Rs 1,000 crore and having finance companies will not be eligible to apply for a small bank license. Further, if the existing non-banking finance companies apply for the small bank, they will have to fold their operations into the small bank. SMALL RRBs EXEMPTED FROM FATCA The Reserve Bank has advised that Regional Rural Banks with assets less than $175 million need not register with the US Internal Revenue System under FATCA- Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. FATCA is a US law whereby foreign financial institutions across the world have to report to the US IRS of any transaction of clients who could be subjected to American tax laws. RBI TO SHARE INFO WITH US FEDRAL

The RBI has signed an information sharing agreement with US banking regulators for better coordination in supervising financial institutions. RBI concluded an agreement on Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of

Supervisory Information with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Office of the Comptroller of Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, all from USA. TRANSPARENCY IN LOANS RBI has asked banks to display on their website the total fees and charges applicable on various types of loans and should be disclosed to individual borrower also at the time of processing of loan. NABARD JOINS HANDS WITH IIM, A’BAD Nabard has signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, to set up a Chair to encourage research in climate change, rural livelihood and financial inclusion, among others. The chair is expected to offer inputs on issues confronting agriculture marketing and suggest innovative models to make farming a more profitable proposition for the country's farmers. ICICI BANK LAUNCHES CONTACTLESS CARDS ICICI Bank has launched the country’s first contactless debit and credit cards that use the near-field communication technology, enabling customer to make payments by just waving the card near merchant terminals instead of swiping the same. The new technology provides customers improved convenience of speed and security as card remains with customer.

RBI TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH BRAZIL The Reserve Bank of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on “Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information” with Banco Central do Brasil, central bank of Brazil. BANKS ALLOWED AS INSURANCE BROKERS Seeking to increase insurance penetration in the country, the Reserve Bank of India has allowed banks to act as brokers for insurers, set up their own subsidiaries, undertake referral services for multiple companies. KOTAK LAUNCHES JIFI SAVER ACCOUNT Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched Jifi Saver, a social savings bank account which can be seamlessly managed via Twitter and Facebook, offering almost all the features of a regular savings account. NEW KYC NORMS FOR NBFCs Keeping in view the practical difficulties faced in frequent renewal of KYC norms, RBI has notified relaxed KYC time norms as under:

– For high-risk accounts – at least every 2 years – For medium risk accounts - at least every 8 years – For low risk accounts – at least every 10 years

Earlier, NBFCs were required to renew KYC norms every two years for high and medium risk accounts and every five years for low risk accounts. ATMs ALLOWED TO POST OFFICEES The government has allowed certain eligible branches of Post Offices to issue ATM cards for their Savings bank accounts and also to issue account statements instead of giving out passbooks. BANK LOANS / DEPOSITS MOVE UP Latest RBI data shows that the outstanding bank loans rose by 10.7 per cent to 63.91 trillion rupees in the two weeks up to January 9, compared to previous years during the same period, deposits grew by 11.9 per cent to Rs.84.16 trillion. Yes Bank signed an agreement with U.S. govt’s

Overseas Private Investment Corporation for $220 million loan for on-lending to micro, small and medium enterprises.

Reserve Bank and the European Central Bank (ECB) have signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the area of central banking.

RBI has allowed Indians to carry high value notes of Rs 500 /1000 while travelling to Nepal and Bhutan with a cap of Rs 25,000 on the total amount.

Government has decided to separate the post of Chairman and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, CEO in public sector banks.


DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

MARCH 2015

ASTRA MISSILE TEST FIRED SUCCESSFULLY The indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Astra, was successfully launched from a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft to hit a simulated target at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha. The all-weather missile developed by DRDO can engage and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speed (1.2 Mach to 1.4 Mach) in head-on (up to 80 km) and tail-chase (up to 20 km) modes. NAVY CONDUCTS ‘TROPEX 2015’ Indian Navy’s Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise (TROPEX) exercise concluded on 27 February. The month long exercise aimed at validating the Indian Navy’s Concept of Operations and the area of operations spanned the Arabian Sea and Northern Indian Ocean. Three Immediate Support Vessels (ISVs), armed with

heavy machine guns, were commissioned by the Indian Navy at Vishakhapatnam.

INS Alleppey, the coastal minesweeper purchased from Russia in the 1970s, was decommissioned in March, after nearly 35 years of service

Pakistan tested its Shaheen-III Surface to Surface Ballistic Missile, having a strike range of 2750 kms.

IRNSS – 1D LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY On March 29, India took another step towards putting in place an alternative to the American GPS by putting in orbit IRNSS-1D (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System), the fourth of the seven satellites that would form a navigation satellite network. The IRNSS -1D weighing 1,425kg was placed in a sub-geostationary orbit by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C27) launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. INDIA’s POLAR REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE

India's first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle (PROVe), indigenously built by National Insti-tute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), was made operati-

onal for research in Marchin "Priyadarshini lake" on the Schirmacher Oasis in North Antarctica.

‘ROTAVAC’ VACCINE AGAINST DIARRHOEA India’s first indigenously developed and manufactured rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac, was launched in New Delhi. The vaccine will boost efforts to combat infant mortality due to diarrhoea. Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among infants and young children

WIRELESS TRANSFERR OF ELECTRIC POWER In a breakthrough, Japanese researchers have successfully transmitted electric power wirelessly to a pinpointed target using microwaves, an advance that brings space-based solar power closer to reality.

NASA's Opportunity Rover on Mars has become the first human-made vehicle that has completed 11 years marathon in a record time.

FEBRUARY 2015 INDO NEPAL JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE The 8th India-Nepal Battalion level Combined Military Training named Exercise Surya Kiran-VIII, commenced on 23 February 2015 at Integrated Army Training Centre, Saljhandi, Nepal. The exercise will end on 8 March 2015.

AGNI V TEST FIRED SUCCESSFULLY India test fired its Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), Agni-V, for the first time from a canister mounted on a Tatra truck, from the Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast. It traversed its full range of more than 5,000 km before plunging into the Indian Ocean.

India test-fired the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile from warship INS Kolkata, in Arabian Sea. It has a range of 290km and a top speed of Mach 2.8.

Indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile with a range of 350 kms, tested at a test range at Chandipur in Odisha.

WORLD’s HIGHEST RESEARCH STATION The Defence Research and Development Organisation has established the world’s highest research station in Ladakh. Situated at an altitude of 17,586 feet at Chang La, about 80 km east of Leh, the research station will be used to develop and validate cold weather technologies for agriculture and allied fields.

Researchers in Australia have developed the world's first 3D-printed jet engine that could pave the way for cheaper, lighter and more fuel-efficient aircraft.


JANUARY 2015 LCA TEJAS INDUCTED IN AIR FORCE

The first of the indigenously-built Light Combat Aircraft, LCA Tejas was handed over to the Indian Air Force on Jan 17 at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru. The project was sanctioned 32 years ago in 1983 to replace the ageing MiG-21s in Indian Air Force's combat fleet but has missed several deadlines due to several reasons. The project costed exchequer over Rs 17,000 crores. HAL plans to make 20 aircrafts by 2017-2018, to make the first squadron of the aircraft. DRDO TAPS GEOTHERMAL ENERGY Country’s first geothermal heating plant was launched successfully by the Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment of DRDO at its Manali (HP) campus. The plant taps the heat differential above and below the Earth’s surface to achieve the desired temperature. It is a renewable, non-polluting constant source of energy. FIRST DISTT WITH BROAD BAND NETWORK On Jan 12, Idukki district in Kerala became the first district in the country to have all its gram panchayats connected through National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) - hi-speed rural broadband network MICROSOFT LAUNCHES CORTANA FOR PCs Global IT giant Microsoft has announced that its new operating system - Windows 10 will also bring its voice-controlled assistant Cortana to PCs. Till now, Cortana was available in Windows Phone handsets only. Global IT giant - Apple Inc recorded highest quarterly profit of $18 billion in quarter ending December 2014. It was the largest profit ever made by a public company in the corporate history worldwide. MOST POWERFUL ANTIBIOTIC DISCOVERED Scientists have discovered a powerful new antibiotic – Teixobactin which can kill an array of germs without the bugs easily becoming resistant to it, a potential weapon against a range of diseases. The discovery is a rare—and much-needed—breakthrough after almost thirty years in the quest for new antibiotics to overcome the problem of growing resistance to existing drugs.

INDIA TO JOIN NEUTRINO CLUB

India is on way to join the global high-end scientific Neutrino Club as the govt has approved a project for experiments in high energy physics. The project to be set up near Pottipuram village Theni districts of Tamil Nadu will have a world-class underground laboratory to study fundamental issues in science. NEW VACCINE FOR BLUE TONGUE DISEASE Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), the wholly-owned subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Hyderabad, has launched a vaccine ‘Raksha-Blu’ for countering fir the first time the viral blue tongue disease among sheep, goats, camels and cattle. The year 2014 was the hottest on record, with global

average temperature increasing about 0.8 degrees Celsius since 1880, according to US scientists.

India’s Mars Orbiter programme team has won the 2015 Space Pioneer Award from the US based National Space Society (NSS).

INTERNATIONAL

MARCH 2015

150 KILLED IN GERMAN PLANE CRASH

Flight 4U 9525 of Germanwings went crashing into a mountainside in French Alps on March 24, killing all 150 persons aboard as apparently its pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately sent the aircraft crashing as a case of suicide and mass murder. EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TO JOIN ASIAN BANK France, Germany and Italy have followed the UK in joining the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). With their joining it, the total number of the bank's member states, including India, has gone up to 30. The AIIB is an international financial institution formed to provide support to infrastructure projects in Asia. It is expected to be formally established by the end of this year.


INDIA IS LARGEST IMPORTER OF WEAPONS A report by Sweden-based think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reveals that India has is the world’s largest buyer of weapons and military equipment, accounting for 15% of all such international imports during 2010-14. Saudi Arabia, China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan, are the next four biggest global importers.

GANDHI STATUE UNVEILED IN LONDON

In a historic development, a bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled in March at Parliament Square in London. It is a rare honour bestowed by the British government, whose colonial regime was overthrown by his non-violent campaign. Gandhi is the first Indian and the only person never to have been in a public office to be honoured with a statue at the Square.

‘HARVARD’ IS BEST IN THE WORLD Once again, no Indian university made it to the list of top 100 most prestigious global universities in the latest “world reputation ranking” of the 100 most prestigious universities by Times Higher Education of UK. The rankings placed Harvard University, USA at the top, followed by the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford in the second and third place respectively. RECORD FALL IN WORLD FOOD PRICES Global food prices fell to a nearly five-year low in February this year on increased supply of key food items and strong US dollar, says a report from Food and Agriculture Organisation-FAO. Food prices averaged at 179.4 points in February, down from 208.6 points in February 2014. The FAO's Food Price Index is a trade-weighted index that tracks prices of five major food commodity groups on international markets - cereals, meat, dairy products, vegetable oils and sugar. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY International Women’s Day was observed across the world on 8 March 2015. United Nations declared this year’s theme as ‘Make it Happen’ to encourage effective action for advancing and recognizing women.

Food and Agriculture Organisation observed March 21 as the International Day of Forests, with the theme ‘Forests and Climate Change’.

FEBRUARY 2015

REBELS TAKE OVER THE CONTROL OF YEMEN In Yemen, Shiite Houthi rebels dissolved the Parliament and took over the reins of the impoverished nation. They set up a five member Presidential council to run the affairs of the country. The President, Prime Minister and Cabinet had already quit in January 2014.

CHINA TOPS IN ATTRACTING FDI China has overtaken the United States as the top destination for foreign direct investment for the first time since 2003. According to the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development - UNCTAD, foreign firms invested 128 billion dollars in China and 86 billion in the US last year. Indonesia and India have been ranked at 3rd and 4th place respectively.

BRITAIN ALLOWS THREE PARENT BABIES Britain has become the first country to allow a "three-parent" IVF (in vitro fertilization) technique which doctors say will prevent some inherited incurable diseases. However, critics see it as a step towards creating designer babies.

APPLE NO. 1 IN TERMS OF MARKET CAP Apple Inc has set a world record on Wall Street, New York becoming the first US company to be worth more than $700 billion in terms of market capitalization based on the price of its share @ 122.02/share at the close of trading on Feb 10.

WINTER STORMS DISRUPT LIFE IN USA In the United States, more than 3,000 flights were cancelled as winter storms dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain across the

northeastern region of United States. The worst affected airports were Chicago O'Hare International, Newark in New Jersey, New York's La Guardia and Boston Logan International.

The Nepal has started a massive cleanliness campaign in 33 municipalities of the country in order to promote environment-friendly governance

Summit of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors held in Istanbul, Turkey on 9-10 Feb. 2015

The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine met in Minsk, capital of Belarus to find solution to end fighting in eastern Ukraine

Musicians from around the world will gather this April in Paris to celebrate the International Jazz Day which is observed on April 30.


JANUARY 2015 MILITANTS ATTACK FRENCH OFFICE: KILL 12 Three alleged ISIS militants shot dead at least 12 persons, including two police officers on Jan 7 at the Paris offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, for publishing cartoons lampooning Muslim leaders and the Prophet Mohammad. The attackers included two brothers — Cherif Kouachi (32) and Said Kouachi (34) who were later killed an encounter. Millions of people around the world expressed their solidarity with the slain French journalists by using the hash tag #Je Suis Charlie which means I am Charlie. WEF MEET HELD AT DAVOS The World Economic Forum's five-day annual jamboree of the global elite started on Jan 20 at Davos, Switzerland. More than 2,500 political and business leaders, including Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Piyush Goyal and more than 100 industry leaders from India attended the summit. 1% OWN MORE THAN REST OF THE WORLD A study by Oxfam shows that the wealthiest 1% will soon own more than the rest of the world's population by 2016. Currently, 85 billionaires have the same wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population. DEADLIEST EVER MASSACRE BY BOKO HARAM Boko Haram, extremists opposed to western-style education and secular governance in Nigeria, carried out a multi-day attack in the northeast of Nigeria, focusing on the town of Baga, killing over 2,000 persons and compelling several thousand more to flee from their houses. The militants razed an estimated 16 towns around Baga. EL CAPITAN ROCK CONQUERED IN USA Two Americans - Kevin Jorgerson and Tommy Cladwell have become first persons to conquer the 914 meters high, almost vertical granite rock - El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California, USA, with only harnesses and ropes to stop them falling. They reached the top on Jan 15, in about 20 days and slept in tents suspended from the mountain face. BRITAIN LAUNCHES ‘GREAT COLLABORATIONS’ Encouraged by the India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, the United Kingdom announced 'Great Collaborations’ - a campaign to forge collaborations with Indian companies. The campaign aims to cover areas that benefit both the countries across a range of sectors such as energy, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, financial service and infrastructure.

WORLD’S LARGEST LED LIGHTING A dazzling show of New Year’s Eve gala using 70,000 LED bulbs around the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa in Dubai broke the Guinness World Record of the ‘Largest LED-Illuminated Facade’. The illumination around Burj Khalifa spanned 32,467 square metres. DUBAI MAKES A 5.5 KM, 256 KG GOLD CHAIN Dubai has set yet another Guinness World Record with the world’s longest hand-made 22 carat gold chain measuring 5.522 kilometres, weighing 256 kg. Named The Dubai Celebration Chain, it has been made to mark the 20th anniversary of the Dubai Shopping Festival AirlineRatings.com, safety and product rating

website, has announced Quantas, the national airline of Australia as the safest airline for 2015, from the 449 airlines.

Australia has launched an Online Visa Pilot Programme to make it easier for Indian business and tourism visitors to apply online visa for travelling Australia.

The biggest cultural festival of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism in Nepal - Tamu Lhochhar, observed to mark the New Year, celebrated in Kathmandu.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who will be 89 in April this year, is now the world's oldest monarch following the death of King Abdullah (90) of Saudi Arabia.

Lithuania becomes 19th country to adopt Euro as its currency w.e.f. Jan 1, 2015.

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PERSONS IN NEWS

MARCH 2015

AMITAV GHOSH: He is the only Indian among 10 authors finalized for this year’s Man Booker International Prize for his contribution to English language writing. The prize is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction in English. VENKATRAMAN RAMAKRISHNAN: The Indian-American scientist, whose pioneering work in molecular biology won him the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has been elected to head Britain's prestigious Royal Society, an association of the many of the world's most distinguished scientists. SMRITI IRANI: Union HRD Minister has been named the Young Global Leader from India by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Switzerland M. C. MARY KOM: Veteran boxer from Manipur has been appointed a brand ambassador for north-east India to promote the region in the rest of the country and abroad. SAIF ALI KHAN: ‘Visit Britain’, the national tourism agency for Britain, has announced the appointment of the Nawab of Pataudi, Saif Ali Khan, as the spokesperson for the ‘Bollywood Britain’ tourism campaign in India. AZIZ QUERESHI: Governor of Mizoram was sacked By the President without assigning any specific reasons. TIM COOK: CEO of the IT giant Apple Inc has announced to donate his entire wealth totalling to $ 785 million to charity. CHRISTINE LAGARDE: Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund was in news as she visited India in March. She said that the recent policy reforms had given a boost to India's business climate and expected the Indian economy to grow by 7.5 per cent in the fiscal year 2015-16. MOHAMED NASHEED: Former Maldivian President was sentenced to 13-year imprisonment by a criminal court of Maldive under the anti-terrorism laws. He was arrested over the detention of a judge in 2012. MARK LIPPERT: The US ambassador to South Korea was in news as he suffered a knife attack by a pro-North Korean activist Kim Ki-jong, during a breakfast meeting in Seoul on March 5 BILL GATES: stands atop Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's richest people, with a net worth of 79.2 billion dollars.

FEBRUARY 2015

AMARTYA SEN: 81 year old Nobel laureate economist was in news as he resigned as the Chancellor of Nalanda University, alleging political interference in the affairs of the University. DEEPIKA MISRA: Squadron Leader of Indian Air Force became the first and the only woman pilot to make it to the helicopter acrobatic display team - Sarang of the Indian Air Force. SUMITRA MAHAJAN: Lok Sabha Speaker’s name was included in the LIMCA book of records for being the only woman of the country to represent the same Lok Sabha constituency on the same party ticket for eight times in a row. SALONI DALAL: A 12 year old school girl from Karnataka became the youngest medal winner in the 35th National Games in Kerala by winning a Bronze medal in the 200 meter breast stroke swimming event. RICKY KEJ: Bengaluru-based musician was in news as his collaborative album 'Winds of Samsara' with African flautist Wouter Kellerman won the ‘Best New Age Album’ award at the 57th Grammy Awards announced in Los Angeles, USA NEELA VASWANI: won the Grammy in the Best Children's Album category for rendering audio version of the book 'I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education and Changed the World’ by Malala Yousafzai. AJAY BANGA: President and Chief Executive Officer of MasterCard and the Chairman of the US India Business Council, has been appointed as a member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations by the US government. ANGELINA JOLIE: Cine actress -director of America has been named the most admired woman in the world in a survey by the British website dailymail.co.uk., leaving behind ladies like Malala Yousafzai, Hillary Clinton.


JANUARY 2015 POOJA THAKUR: A Wing Commander from Indian Air Force became the first woman to lead the ceremonial tri-service guard of honour inspected by U.S. President Barack Obama at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Jan. 25, 2015. VIKRAM CHANDRA: Indian origin Novelist was named among the finalists for prestigious National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Awards of USA for his non-fiction work Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty. MS. LEELA SAMSON: She resigned as Chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification, CBFC to protest the clearance of the controversial film Messenger of God by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT).

BHAKTI SHARMA: India's 24 year old open water swimmer has set a world record by swimming 2.25 kms in 52 minutes in one degree temperature in the Antarctic Ocean. She is the first Asian girl and youngest in the world to have achieved this feat.

AVINASH CHANDER: Secretary, Defence Research and Development cum Director General, DRDO and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister was in news as he was removed 15 months before his contract was to end.

NARENDRA MODI, REKHA: Our Prime Minister and veteran Bollywood actress, both were crowned ‘hottest vegetarian celebrities’ by animal rights organisation PETA India for making plant-based foods more popular than ever in 2014.

YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: Former Premier of Thailand was impeached on Jan 23 for corruption charges. Country’s first woman Premier and the sister of former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, suffers an automatic five-year ban from politics.

A P P O I N T M E N T S

MARCH 2015 KSHATRAPATI SHIVAJI: Chairman and Managing Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India. ARUN KUMAR SINGH: India’s next Ambassador to the USA, An Indian Foreign Service officer, currently Ambassador to France. JAGMOHAN DALMIYA: President of the BCCI VIKAS SWARUP: The new spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry. A 1986 batch IFS officer, he is known for his book on which the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire was made.

K M MANI: Kerala Finance Minister has been appointed Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Re-elected Prime Minister of Israel.

FEBRUARY 2015 L C GOYAL: New Union Home Secretary

SHEKHAR SEN: Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi; he is a renowned music composer and actor

KRISHNA CHAUDHARY: Director General, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

KSHATRAPATI SHIVAJI: New CMD of SIDBI

AJIT KUMAR: Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Offices in Geneva

NITISH KUMAR: Chief Minister of Bihar, 4th time

ARVIND KEJRIWAL: Chief Minister of Delhi

MOHAMMAD SAYEED MUFTI: Chief Minister of J & K

KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIC: First female President of Croatia

Ms. ZOE KONSTANTOPOULOU: New President of Greece, from the left wing party Syriza.

SERGIO MATTARELLA: Italy’s new President

JANUARY 2015 APPOINTMENTS IN NITI AAYOG The following appointments have been made by the Prime Minister to the various positions in the Aayog: Chairman: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Vice-Chairman: Arvind Panagariya (Economist) CEO: Sindhushree Khullar

FULL TIME MEMBERS: Bibek Debroy, Economist Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Former Secretary Defence R&D

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS: Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Arun Jaitley, Union Minister Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister

SPECIAL INVITEES: Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister Smt. Smriti Irani, Union Minister


PAHLAJ NIHALANI: Chairman, Central Board of Film Certification, CBFC. He is a noted film producer

A S KIRAN KUMAR: Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation- ISRO and Secretary of the Department of Space, Govt of India

AZIZ QURESHI: Governor of Mizoram (transferred from Uttarakhand).

K K PAUL: Governor of Uttarakhand (shifted from Meghalaya), with additional charge of Manipur

K N TRIPATHI: Governor of West Bengal will take additional charge as the Governor of Meghalaya

KALYAN SINGH: Governor of Himachal Pradesh (Additional Charge); He is Governor of Rajasthan

KAPTAN SINGH SOLANKI: Governor of Punjab (Additional Charge); He is Governor of Haryana

S. JAISHANKAR: Union Foreign Secretary

MALINI PARTHASARATHY: veteran journalist appointed the Editor of The Hindu, the first woman editor of the century-old newspaper

H S BRAHMA: Chief Election Commissioner

ATUL KHARE: Under-Secretary-General, Department of Field Support (DFS) in UNO

R KOTEESWARAN: MD & CEO, Indian Overseas Bank

ANIMESH CHAUHAN: MD & CEO, Oriental Bank of Commerce

KISHORE KUMAR SANSI: MD & CEO, Vijaya Bank

P SRINIVAS: MD & CEO, United Bank of India

LEE WAN KOO: New Prime Minister of South Korea

SALMAN BIN ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD: New king of Saudi Arabia

ALEXIS TSIPRAS: Prime Minister of Greece, from the anti-austerity Syriza party

KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIC: First women President of Croatia

MAITHRIPALA SIRISENA: 6th President of Sri Lanka, from Sri Lanka Freedom Party - SLFP

MODIBO KEITA: Prime Minister of Mali, a West African country.

AWARDS & HONOURS

MARCH 2015

62nd NATIONAL FILM AWARDS, 2014 Best Feature Film: Court (multilingual) by Chaitanya Tamhane Best Popular Film providing Wholesome Entertainment: Mary Kom by Omung Kumar Best Hindi Film: Queen by Vikas Bahl Best Director: Srijit Mukherjee for Shotushkone (Bengali) Best Actor: Vijay for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada) Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut for Queen DADA SAHEB PHALKE AWARD: Actor-filmmaker Shashi Kapoor (77), who has starred in over 100 Hindi films and best known for his powerful portrayals in hits like Namak Halaal, Deewar and Kabhie Kabhie. The Award consists of a Swarn Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs and a shawl.

INTERNATIONAL GANDHI PEACE PRIZE 2014: awarded to ISRO for their contribution in bringing space to the service of the common man and in the service of the nation. The award was instituted by govt of India in 1995 on the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The Award comprises an amount of Rs. one crore and a citation.

SARASWATI SAMMAN 2014: M. Veerappa Moily, Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader for his Kannada poem Ramayana Mahanveshanam.

FOLIO PRIZE 2015: Novelist Akhil Sharma for his novel Family Life. The prize is given by the Folio Academy of UK.

GOLDEN GATE AWARD: Kerala Tourism at the Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2015, Germany for its global multimedia campaign to promote its backwaters.

KNIGHT OF THE ORDER OF ARTS AND LETTERS: Artist Bharti Kher of India was conferred the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in French, the highest cultural award of France.

STOCKHOLM WATER PRIZE: Rajendra Singh, eminent environment activist from Rajasthan for his innovative water restoration efforts and extraordinary courage to empower communities in Indian villages. The prize is awarded by the King of Sweden and carries a cash prize of $ 150000 and a specially designed sculpture.

ABEL PRIZE for 2015: US mathematician John F Nash Jr and Canada-born American national Louis Nirenberg, for their contributions to mathematical sciences. The award, popularly known as the Nobel of Maths, is given by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters.


GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE: Nancie Atwell, a teacher from the USA. It is the world’s first $1 million prize set up by the Varkey Foundation of USA to recognise one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession.

MO IBRAHIM PRIZE: Hifikepunye Pohamba, ex President of Namibia for excellent leadership. The five million dollar award is given each year to an elected leader who governed well, raised living standards and then left office.

FEBRUARY 2015

60th FILMFARE AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Best film: Queen by Vikas Bahl Best Director: Vikas Bahl for Queen Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut for Queen Best Actor: Shahid Kapoor for Haider

THE 87th ACADEMY AWARDS, popularly known as ‘Oscars” were presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on February 22, 2015, at Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA. Best Picture: Birdman by Alejandro G Inarritu Best Director: Alejandro G Inarritu for Birdman Best Actress: Julianne Moore for Still Alice Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything

GRAMMY AWARDS

Announced on Feb 8 at Los Angeles, California, USA Some major winners are as under: Record of the Year - "Stay with Me," Sam Smith Song of the Year - "Stay with Me" (Darkchild Version) Album of the Year - Morning Phase, Beck Best R&B Performance - "Drunk in Love," Beyoncé Best Rock Album - Morning Phase, Beck Best Pop Vocal Album - In the Lonely Hour, Sam

Smith Best Pop Solo Performance - "Happy," Pharrell

Williams Best Rap Album - The Marshall Mathers LP2,

Eminem

BAFTA

(British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards announced on Feb 8 at London.

BEST FILM: Boyhood by Richard Linklater

BEST DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST ACTOR: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS: Julianne Moore, Still Alice

50th JNANPITH AWARD - 2014: Bhalchandra Nemade, Marathi novelist, known for his famous novels – Kosala, Hindu. STHREE SHAKTI AWARD: conferred upon Irom Sharmila, Human rights activist from Manipur who has been on an indefinite fast since November 4, 2000, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958. BEST MARCHING CONTINGENTS Trophy for Republic Day Parade 2015 won jointly by the Brigade of The Guards and the Sikh Regiment awarded jointly the AMARTYA SEN: Eminent Indian economist and Nobel laureate has been named as the first winner of a newly established Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize in the UK, in recognition of his work on welfare economics.

JANUARY 2015 PADMA AWARDS 2015 ANNOUNCED Padma Awards, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri are given by Govt. of India for exceptional and distinguished service in any field excluding service rendered by Government servants. They are announced every year on the eve of Republic Day, i.e. 25th January. Maximum number does not exceed 120, excluding award for foreigners and posthumous awards. They do not carry any cash award. PADMA VIBHUSHAN – 2015 (9)

S. No.

Name of the Awardee

Discipline State/Domicile

1. Lal Krishna Advani Public Affairs – Politician

Gujarat

2. Amitabh Bachchan Art - Cinema Maharashtra

3. Prakash Singh Badal

Public Affairs Punjab

4. Dr. D V Heggade Social Work Karnataka

5. Dilip Kumar Art - Cinema Maharashtra

6. Jagadguru Ramanandacharya

Swami Rambhadracharya

Others - Hindu Scholar

Uttar Pradesh

7. M. R. Srinivasan Science and Engineering -

Nuclear Scientist

Tamil Nadu

8. K. K. Venugopal Public Affairs - Constitutional

Lawyer

Delhi

9. Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan

Trade and Industry France/UK


PADMA BHUSHAN 2015 (19) S.

No Name of the

Awardee Discipline State/

Domicile 1. Shri Jahnu Barua Art – Films Assam 2. Dr. Subhash C.

Kashyap Public Affairs - Constitutional

Expert

Delhi

3. Harish Salve Public Affairs – Advocate

Delhi

4. Rajat Sharma Media (India TV) Delhi 5. Manjul Bhargava

(NRI/PIO) Science & Engg, Mathematician

USA

6. Bill Gates Social Work USA 7. Melinda Gates Social Work USA

PADMA SHRI – 2015 (75)

S. No.

Name of the Awardee

Discipline State/Domicile

1. Mithali Raj Sports – Cricket Telengana

2. P.V. Sindhu Sports – Badminton

Telengana

3. Sanjay Leela Bhansali Art – Films Maharashtra

4. Prasoon Joshi Art – Films Maharashtra

5. Tarak Mehta Art – TV Gujarat

6. Jean-Claude Carriere Literature and Education

France

7. Late Pran Kumar Sharma alias Pran

Art – Cartoonist Delhi

ASHOK CHAKRA: The highest peacetime military honour awardaed posthumously to Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh, the two Army personnel who laid down their lives combating militants in Kashmir Valley.

DSC Prize for Literature: The $50,000 prize won by Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri for her book, The Lowland at the Jaipur Literature Festival

Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for poetry won by Arunadhathi Subramaniam for her work When God is a Traveller, at the Jaipur Literature Festival

SOCIAL MEDIA PERSON of the Year Award 2015: Amitabh Bachchan, conferred by the Internet and Mobile Association of India

"GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR": Raghuram Rajan, Governor, RBI was selected by the British magazine ‘Central Banking’ for this award at the global level.

‘AWARD FOR THE BEST BANK’: bagged by the Canara Bank at the "MSME Banking Excellence Awards-2014" at Bengaluru.

72ND GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS 2015 Announced at Beverly Hills, California, USA Best Motion Picture-Drama: Boyhood Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood

Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything Best Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice

MISS UNIVERSE 2015: Paulina Vega of Columbia at Miami, USA.

Martin Luther King Jr. Award: Frank Islam, an eminent Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist for his contribution to the promotion of the civil rights in USA.

Giraffe Hero Award 2015: Renowned Indian RTI activist Subhash Chandra Aggarwal was conferred with the by a US-based NGO The Giraffe Heroes Project.

FIFA Ballon d'Or Award- 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, earning the title of world's best football player for the third time.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

MARCH 2015

Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy- Speaker's Persp-ective by Smt. Meira Kumar, former Speaker, Lok Sabha

'The Modi Effect: Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign to Transform India' by Lance Price

FEBRUARY 2015

Editor Unplugged: Media, Magnates, Netas and Me by Vinod Mehta

The Ever After of Ashwin Rao Padma Viswanathan

The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee, author of world famous novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Recasting India: How Entrepreneurship is Revolutionizing the World’s Largest Democracy by Hindol Sengupta

JANUARY 2015 'Neither a Hawk nor a Dove' by Khurshid M Kasuri, Pakistan's Ex-Foreign Minister

The Red Sari by Javier Moro; the book is the story of Sonia Gandhi, originally written in Spanish.

The Indian Parliament – A Critical Appraisal: Sudha Pai and Avinash Kumar

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

At Home in India: The Muslim Saga by Salman Khurshid

The Tunnel of Time by R. K. Laxman (autobiography)


OBITUARY

MARCH 2015

VINOD MEHTA: Distinguished editor and commentator who successfully launched a number of newspapers and magazines, including the ‘Outlook’. He wrote his autobiography “Lucknow Boy: A Memoir”.

D.K. RAVI: A young IAS officer was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his apartment in Bengaluru. The huge crowd of mourners bore testimony to the goodwill he had earned by taking on the powerful land mafia when he was Deputy Commissioner of Kolar district till 2014.

LEE KUAN YEW: Great statesman and founding father of modern Singapore passed away in March, after dominating the politics of Singapore for over 50 years.

TERRY PRATCHETT: Famous British author, creator of the science fantasy Discworld novels. He won worldwide fame and a cult following his Discworld novels about a flat, parallel universe balanced on the back of four elephants which themselves stand on the shell of a giant turtle.

FEBRUARY 2015 D. RAMANAIDU: Veteran film producer from Andhra Pradesh, Padma Bhushan and Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner, holder of the Guinness Book of World Records for the most films produced by an individual, having produced more than 150 films in 13 Indian languages. R.R. PATIL: Former Maharashtra Home Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader (16th Feb 2015)

RAJINDER PURI: Popular cartoonist, veteran columnist and political activist (16th Feb 2015). GAUR HARI SINGHANIA: Chairman, J K Group of Industries that includes JK Tyres, JK Cements.

CHARLES H. TOWNES: American noble prize winner scientist, inventor of laser –‘Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation’.

JANUARY 2015

R K LAXMAN: Full name Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Iyer Laxman, legendary cartoonist, creator of the iconic "The Common Man" cartoon published regularly for several years in The Times of India, Padma Vibhushan awardee. He wrote his autobiography titled ‘The Tunnel of Time’.

B G VERGHESE: Eminent journalist, a Ramon Magsaysay award winner and former editor of the Hindustan Times and The Indian Express.

RAJNI KOTHARI: Noted political scientist, founder of The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies

JASWANT SINGH RAJPUT: Two-time gold medal winning hockey Olympian

SUBASH GHISING: Former chief of Gorkha National Liberation Front, who gave birth to the Gorkhaland movement

SAIYID HAMID: Noted Muslim academician, educationist, reformist and author. He was Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard University, ex-Chancellor Jamia Millia Islamia and former Vice Chancellor Aligarh Muslim University

ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ: King of Saudi Arabia

PLACES IN NEWS

MARCH 2015

BACHHRAWAN: The town near Rae Bareli, UP was in news as two coaches of the Dehradun-Varanasi Janta Express derailed there, killing around 40 persons and injuring over 150 others.

HYDERABAD: According to the Mercer Quality of Living Rankings 2015, Austrian capital Vienna is the city with the best quality of living in the world, while Hyderabad, ranked 138th, was the best Indian city to live in.

DIMAPUR: The city in Nagaland was in news as thousands of protesters stormed the central jail there and dragged out Syed Sarifuddin Khan, accused of raping a 20-year-old Naga student, and lynched him to death, after brutally thrashing him.

ZOKHAWTHAR: The small town in Champhai district of Mizoram was in news as a land customs station was inaugurated there at the Indo-Myanmar border.

SANAA: The capital of Yemen was in news as over 150 persons, mainly Shia muslims were killed there in the bomb attacks by the Sunny militants of the IS group.

TUNIS: The capital of Tunisia was in news as Islamic militants stormed its Bardo National Museum killing 17 foreign tourists and three Tunisians. The United Nations, United States, France and India have also condemned the terrorist attack.

CYCLONE PAM: A super cyclone slammed the south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, east of Australia, leaving complete devastation in its wake.


FEBRUARY 2015 MELBOURNE & CHRISTCHURCH: Cities in Australia and New Zealand, respectively were in news as they were host to the cricket extravaganza ICC World Cup.

JANUARY 2015 PERIYAR TIGER RESERVE: Sanctuary in Kerala won the National Tiger Conservation Authority award for encouraging local public participation in managing the reserve.

MALIHABAD: Area of Lucknow was in news as around 50 lives were lost their due to a hooch tragedy that occurred in its nearby villages. Hooch is a type of local liquor, usually of inferior quality.

BAGA: A town in north east Nigeria was in news as the Islamic militant group Boko Haram executed over 2000 persons there and in adjoining villages.

CHENYI SQUARE: Place in Shanghai's Huangpu district was in news as a stampede broke out there during New Year celebrations, killing over 35 persons and injuring some 40 persons.

SPORTS WORLD

MARCH 2015

AUSTRALIA LIFTS WORLD CUP FOR 5TH TIME Lead by Captain Michael Clark Australia beat New Zealand by seven wickets to lift their fifth World Cup trophy on Final played on March 29 at Melbourne, Australia.

TOP ACHIEVERS

Man of the Tournament: Mitchell Starc, bowler from Australia. Man of the Match (final): James Faulkner,Australia Top scorer Martin Guptil (New Zealand) 547 Best strike rate: B Mc Cullum (NZ) 188.5 Top wicket taker Trent Boult (NZ) and Mitchell Starc (Aus), both 22 each Best economy rate: Mitchell Starc (Aus) – 3.5

HIGHLIGHTS OF WORLD CUP 2015

M S DHONI: By beating Bangladesh in Melbourne, he became the first Indian captain and third in the world history to win 100 ODI matches. He reached this milestone in 178th ODI. The other two achievers are Australian pair of Ricky Ponting (165 wins) and Allan Border (107 wins).

MARTIN GUPTILL of New Zealand made the highest score in the World Cup history with 237 not out against West Indies in the match played at Wellington, Australia. KUMAR SANGAKKARA of Sri Lanka became the first cricketer to score four successive one-day international centuries as he scored 124 against Scotland at a World Cup match played at Hobart, Australia. Also, he is the only batsman having scored 4 centuries in one world cup tournament. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka have announced their retirement from the One Day International (ODI) format of Cricket. Pakistan cricketers Misbah-ul-Haq and Shaid Afridi have also bid adieu to One Day International cricket. The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup will be hosted by England and Wales in June 2019.

SAINA – INDIA’s FIRST WORLD NO 1 Saina Nehwal created history on March 28 as she became the first Indian woman shuttler to attain the world number one ranking after her closest challenger for the spot, Spain's Carolina Marin, lost in the India Open Super Series semifinal played in Delhi. Later on March 29, she won the prestigious India Open Badminton Championship at New Delhi beating former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand. KIDAMBI SRIKANTH became the first Indian to win the Swiss Grand Prix Gold badminton championship beating Viktor Axelsen in Basel, Switzerland. He again defeated Axelsen to win the India Open at New Delhi RANJI TROPHY: Defending champions Karnataka clinched their eighth title as they thrashed Tamil Nadu in the final played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. KARNATAKA LIFTED THE IRANI CUP after beating the Rest of India team in the finals played in Bengaluru. The 69th National Football Tournament for Santosh Trophy held at Ludhiana. The Services team won the trophy beating the Punjab team. The Indian team won the Women's Hockey World League Round Two competition title by beating Poland in New Delhi. WONDER KID CREATES ARCHERY RECORD Two-year-old girl Cherukuli Dalli Shivani from Vijaywada has achieved a stunning feat by setting a new record in Archery and entering her name into the India Book of Records. She became the youngest Indian to score 200 points over five and seven-metre distances.


VIV BEATS SACHIN TO RANK NO 1 ODI PLAYER West Indian star batsman Viv Richards has been voted as the greatest ODI player in the history of cricket, ahead of Sachin Tendulkar (second) in an online poll conducted by ESPN cricinfo’s magazine ‘Cricket Monthly’ and a jury of 50 eminent cricketers.

Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic to win the Dubai Championship title for Tennis at Dubai.

Rafael Nadal won the Argentina Open title for Tennis defeating Juan Monaco of Argentina at Buenos Aires, Argentina.

BNP PARIBAS OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP: Novak Djokovic won the Men's Singles at Indian Wells, Californea (USA) beating Roger Federer. Women’s singles title was won by Simona Halep

beating Jelena Jankovic. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the women’s

doubles title.

LEWIS HAMILTON of Britain won the Australian Grand Prix Formula 1 race held in Melbourne, Australia.

SEBESTIAN VETTEL of Germany won the Malaysian Grand Prix on March 29 at Sepang, Malaysia, beating World Champion Lewis Hamilton of Britain.

FEBRUARY 2015

35TH NATIONAL GAMES The 14 day sports extravaganza – The 35th National Games that started on 31st January, came to an end on 14th Feb. at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. In all, sportspersons competed for the 1334 medals

comprising of 405 Gold, 406 Silver and 523 Bronze medals.

Services created a record by topping the medal tally for the third consecutive time. The group won 159 medals that included 91 golds. They won the Raja Bhalendra Singh Trophy for best performance.

Amongst states, Kerala topped the tally with 162 medals, including 54 gold.

National Games mascot Ammu, the Great Hornbill, has been selected for entry in to the Limca Book of Records.

The 36th National Games will be hosted by Goa in 2016.

Anirban Lahiri won his second European Tour title at the Hero Indian Open Golf Championship on Feb 22 in New Delhi.

Anil Kumble, former India Captain and ace Leg Spinner has been chosen to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame with all times greatest cricketers

Hero Hockey India League 2015: Ranchi Rays won the championship by defeating Jaypee Punjab Warriors in the finals played at New Delhi.

All India Football Federations (AIFF) has declared Sunil Chhetri and Bala Devi as Player of the Year 2014 in men and women category, respectively.

Paul van Ass of Netherland was appointed Head Coach of India’s men’s Hockey team.

67th National track cycling championship held at Thiruvananthapuram

A glittering opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 was held on Feb 12 at two places - at Christchurch New Zealand and at Melbourne, Australia.

France has become the first team in handball history to win World Handball Championships for the 5th time beating the Qatar at Doha, Qatar.

Omega Dubai Desert Classic: World No. 1 Rory McIlroy of UK won the prestigious golf cup. Simona Halep of Romania won the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) championship in Dubai.

Nicol David: World Women’s Squash champion from Malaysia has set a new record for topping the world rankings for the 106th month. AUSTRALIAN OPEN held at Melbourne, Australia

Men’s: Novak Djokovic of Serbia won his 5th Australian Open title beating Andy Murray of Britain

Women’s: Serena Williams of USA beats Maria Sharapova of Russia. It was her 19th Grand Slam title. She is tied for third on a list of the most Grand Slam singles won by women.

Mixed Doubles: Leander Paes of India and Martina Hingis of Switzerland won the title.

JANUARY 2015 AWARD MONEY RAISED FOR SPORTS MEDALS The Sports Ministry revised its ‘Scheme of Special Awards’ to medal winners in international events by increasing the award money in Olympic and Paralympics Games (summer and winter) from Rs 50 lakh to 75 lakh for gold, Rs 30 lakh to 50 lakh for silver and Rs 20 lakh to 30 lakh for bronze. Sania Mirza along with her American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands won doubles title at the Sydney International Tennis Tournament. Anirban Lahiri, Indian professional golfer voted as the 2014 Players’ Player of the year in Asian Tour. National Billiards Championship: Pankaj Advani won the national title in Kolkata beating Dhruv Sitwala. Arantxa Sanchis won the women’s title.


Senior National Snooker Championship: Pankaj Advani won the title defeating Varun Madan at Kolkata. Amee Kamani won the women’s title.

Youth National Weightlifting Championship: Jimjang Deru of Arunachal Pradesh created national record by lifting 238 kilograms under the 56 kilograms category in Yamuna Nagar, Haryana.

Bengaluru FC won the Federation Cup football title at Margao, Goa, beating Dempo Sports Club

76th Table Tennis National Championship: Petroleum Sports Promotion Board team won both - men's and women's titles at Puducherry.

The 79th Senior National Badminton Championship held in Vijayawada from January 29 to February 5.

Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland won the ATP Chennai Open Tennis Singles title beating Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Indian cricket captain has decided to retire from Test cricket, citing strain of playing all formats. He would prefer to concentrate on ODI and T20 formats.

India will host the 2016 Twenty 20 World Cup from 11th of March to 3rd of April 2016.

Stephen Constantine appointed head coach of Indian men's football team.

O P JAISHA: Indian runner broke the 19-year-old national record of women marathon at the 12th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in Mumbai, clocking a time of 2:37:29.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has won the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for 2014, earning the title of world's best football player for a third time.

Brett Lee: Australian cricketer, rated as third fastest bowler in world, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after a 20-year career.

AB de Villiers, South Africa's cricket captain hit the fastest century in one-day internationals cricket history, 31 balls to 100 against the West Indies in Johannesburg, South Africa. He scored 149 runs off 44 balls.

Roger Federer of Switzerland reached the 1,000 ATP Tour wins milestone as he won the Brisbane International title on Jan 11, defeating Canada's Milos Raonic at Brisbane, Australia. He becomes the third man, after Jimmy Connors (1253) and Ivan Lendl (1071), to secure 1,000 ATP wins. ATP: Association of Tennis Professionals

Sean Abbott, the Australian bowler has been named Australia's young cricketer of the year, winning the Sir Bradman Award. He is the same bowler whose delivery led to the death of Phillip Hughes.

DAYS AND DATES

MARCH World Wildlife Day 03rd March International Women’s Day 08th March No Smoking Day 13th March World Disabled Day 15th March St. Patricks Day 17th March World Sparrow Day 20th March World Poetry Day 21st March World Water Day 22nd March World Meteorological Day 23rd March World Stage Artists Day 27th March World Earth Hour (8:30 pm to 9:30 pm) 29th March Financial Year Ending 31st March

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

ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED

FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES


(October – December 2014)

For details please visit our website: www.gyanm.in

NATIONAL NEWS

DECEMBER 2014

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Late Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya honoured with Bharat Ratna-country's highest civilian award.

Putin Opens Economic Doors For India: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi to attend the India-Russia annual summit on Dec 11. The two leaders unveiled the ‘Druzhba (friendship in Russian)-Dosti' vision to strengthen the bilateral partnership over the next decade

As per the 2014 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, India has been placed at 65th position. The index was topped by Switzerland.

India is one of the top 3 countries that witnessed highest outflow of black money in 2012 with about $94.76 billion going out of the country.

As per the Corruption Perceptions Index – 2014 released by the Transparency International, India stands at 85th position among 175 countries

UNO has declared June 21 as International Yoga Day, recognising the ancient Indian science's "holistic approach to health and well-being."

Focusing on improving connectivity to the north-east, Central govt plans to provide Rs 28,000 crore for laying new railway lines in the region

The Web Index 2014 which measures the internet's contribution to social, economic and political progress ranks India at 48th place and topped by Denmark.

The birthday of the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on the 25th of December will be observed as National Good Governance Day.

Mahaparinirwan Diwas observed on 6 December 2014, death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.

The Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings 2015 of UK has placed Bangalore-based IISc at No. 25 in the overall 100, topped by China's Peking University.

India’s most prestigious Indian classical music function – The Tansen Sangeet Samaroh held at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

The first Arabic translation of the Indian Constitution launched by the Arab League in Cairo, Egypt.

Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid arrived in Kolkata on a two-day visit to West Bengal.

NOVEMBER 2014

On Nov 11, P M Modi left India for a ten day foreign visit, starting from Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar where he attended the ASEAN-India Summit on 12th Nov. NOV 13: He attended the 7th East Asian Summit there. NOV 14: Modi reached Brisbane, Australia to attend Heads of Nations meet of G-20 nations on 15th-16th Nov. NOV 17: Modi addressed Indian diaspora at Allphones Arena, Sydney. NOV 18: Modi addressed the Australian Parliament at Canberra, first Indian Prime Minister to do so. NOV 19: Modi reaches Fiji and addressed their Parliament, becoming first foreign dignitary to do so. NOV 20: Mr. Modi flied back to India.

The 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit held at Kathmandu from 26th Nov to 27th Nov, attended by Sh. Modi.

The 19th SAARC summit will be held in 2016 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia visited India to attend 20th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission at New Delhi.

Three global NGOs - the World Toilet Organisation, WASTE and the Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation and Health to work to end open defecation in India.

As per the Global Terrorism Index 2014, Iraq continues to be worst affected where 6362 lives


were lost in 2013 due to terrorism. India is 6th worst affected nation.

About 40% of the people trapped in modern slavery, over 14.2 million live in India as victims of trafficking-for sexual exploitation and forced marriage / labour.

President Pranab Mukherjee visited Bhutan on a two-day visit - 7-8 Nov. He is the first Indian head of state to visit to the country in 26 years.

6th World Ayurveda Congress held in New Delhi from 6 to 9 November 2014. This year’s theme was “Health Challenges and Ayurveda”.

A latest UN report says that, India has the world’s largest youth population with 356 million 10-24-year-olds, followed by China.

Public Service Broadcasting Day observed on 12th Nov to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's first and only visit to All India Radio.

Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA) and US Export-Import (Exim) Bank signed a MoU for cooperation on clean energy investment.

The 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began in Goa on November 20. China is the focus country of this festival.

Children's Film Society of India organised the first edition of the National Children's Film Festival from 14 to 16 Nov at New Delhi.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) hosted the India Economic Summit in New Delhi from Nov 4 to 6.

Prasar Bharti announced to re-launch DD National with new tagline “Doordarshan National – Desh Ka Apna Channel.”

India and Bhutan signed a MoU on 7th Nov. for the establishment of Nalanda University in Bihar to develop the institution as an international centre of excellence.

Sushma Swaraj: External Affairs Minister visited Dubai on Nov. 10.

India and Republic of Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate technical cooperation in Railway sector between the two countries.

First Commonwealth Science Congress was held in Bengaluru on 25th November.

OCTOBER 2014

President Pranab Mukherjee became the first ever Indian head of state to visit Norway. He also visited Finland.

Nguyen Tan Dung, Vietnam Prime Minister came on a two-day visit to India.

India ranks 55th on the Global Hunger Index 2014, up from 63rd in 2013, better than Pakistan and Bangladesh that ranked 57.

Commemorative coins of denominations of Rs 100 and Rs 5 released to mark 100 years of historic Komagata Maru incident.

The work order for 'Statue of Unity' — the world's tallest statue (182 mts) of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel has been issued to Larsen and Toubro (L&T).

India has signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury to control and reduce emissions from the power plants.

Union Ministry of Culture launched a year – long birth centenary celebrations of Ghazal and Thumri singer Begum Akhtar (07-10-1914).

Areas around Visakhapatnam on Andhra coast were severely lashed by the super cyclone Hudhud, causing widespread destruction.

The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index – 2014 has ranked India’s retirement system lowest among the 25 countries surveyed.

India has performed poorly in removing gender-based disparities, ranking 114 out of 142 countries in World Economic Forum's 2014 Gender Gap Index.

India has been placed at 142nd rank among 189 countries in the latest World Bank’s “Ease of Doing Business” report.

John Baird, Canada's Foreign Minister has said that Canada has agreed to sign commercial contracts for supply of uranium for Indian nuclear reactors.

India signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Culture Cooperation with UK for next five years.

A commemorative postage stamp on Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist and writer Anagarika Dharmapala was released by the President.

Government decides to commemorate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary (October 31) as “National Integration Day”- Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

India and Mexico signed a MoU for cooperation in space and working together in the areas of remote sensing and satellite communication.

India and Nepal have signed a Power Trade Agreement to promote cooperation in the field of production and transmission of electricity.

India Heritage Research Foundation, Rishikesh has released the ‘Encyclopedia of Hinduism’ consisting of 11 volumes and approximately 7000 entries.

India will contribute $4 million in the $5.4 billion aid pool formed by the global donors for rebuilding the Gaza Strip destroyed in the conflict with Israel.

Prime Minister addressed the nation on Oct 3 for the first time over radio in the programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ to reach out to maximum audience.

EDUCATION IS THE MOST POWERFUL

WEAPON WHICH YOU CAN USE TO CHANGE THE WORLD.


NEWS FROM STATES

DECEMBER 2014

India set a new world record on Dec 7 for forming the largest human flag, when over fifty thousand volunteers formed the Indian Tricolour in Chennai.

Karnataka launched “Mobile one” app to enable public to access 4000 govt and a few private services on their mobile phones just by dialling 161.

On Nov 29, Meghalaya got its first rail link when PM Modi flagged off a train from Maligaon, Guwahati to Mendipathar in Meghalaya, a distance of 131 kms.

Andhra govt. signed a MoU with Singapore for the development of its new capital that is set to come up near Vijawayada region.

The New Year festival of Tibetans known as Losar festival is celebrated mainly in Lahaul Distt. It denotes the start of winter session in the valley.

Maharashtra to observe the year 2015 as “Year of Digitised and Time-Bound Services” to standardise, simplify and deliver the services electronically.

Arunachal Pradesh won the Krishi Karman Award for the year 2013-14 for showing exemplary agri-performance in 14 different categories.

Manipur to set up a Cultural University to promote its rich cultural heritage, like Russia’s Moscow State Art and Cultural University.

Militants of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit) gunned down over 80 persons in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts of Assam.

NOVEMBER 2014

The Bengaluru has set up a kiosk that lets anyone file an FIR at any time, irrespective of area of incident.

The proposed 302 km long Lucknow - Agra Expressway in UP would be the country’s longest access controlled six lane expressway

Madhya Pradesh has been chosen for union government’s Best State Award for Empowerment of Disabled for year 2014.

The Karnataka Government aims at construction of 10 lakh toilets by 2018 and make the state completely free from open defecation.

Assam State Zoo in Guwahati has become the first zoo in the world to house the critically endangered pig Pygmy Hog.

Kerala has decided to cull about 2,00,000 poultry birds as a precautionary measure against the H5NI avian influenza virus.

OCTOBER 2014

Kerala Forest Research Institute plans to mark public trees with a "health-card" that will show its strength condition, risk factors and details of damage etc.

Union government plans to set up a mega handicraft cluster in Kachch, Gujarat to promote handcraft items and craft based textiles.

Madhya Pradesh tops iin the field of organic farming producing about five lakh metric ton of farm products, about 40% of the country’s total organic produce.

The Kerala Government will provide free treatment to every cancer patient in the state under the project ‘Sukrutham’ at major government hospitals.

Union Govt launches Jammu Kashmir Arogya Gram Yojna to promote cultivation of scientifically tested and commercially beneficial aromatic and medicinal plants.

GOVT INITIATIVES

DECEMBER 2014

Prime Minister launched a Rs 900-crore scheme "Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching" at Varanasi.

Government has decided to set-up Grahak Suvidha Kendras (Consumer care centres) to provide counseling to consumers in redressal of their grievances

Mission Indradhanush launched to cover all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children against seven vaccine preventable diseases

The government has decided to repeal Section 309 from the Indian Penal Code, for decriminalizing attempt to commit suicide.

A new train - The Sushaasan (good governance) Express launched on Dec 25, from Gwalior , the birth place of Mr. Vajpayee, to Gonda in Uttar Pradesh.

Govt has decided to pay 8.75 per cent interest on provident fund deposits of Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for the year 2014-15.

Justice G P Mathur committee set up to examine the possibility of forming a Special Investigation Team for re investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases.

NOVEMBER 2014

National Education Day was observed on Nov 11 on the 125th birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, independent India’s first Education Minister.


Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan launched to enable higher educational institutions like IITs and NITs to work with the people of rural India

‘Know Your College’ portal launched to enable students view details of courses, labs, faculty, library, hostels available etc.

Skill Assessment Matrix for Vocational Advancement of Youth launched to facilitate students to switch between education and jobs.

Saksham Scholarship launched for specially-abled needy and meritorious students pursuing technical education

Pragati scholarship launched for girls pursuing technical education at college level.

Union Ministry of Minorities Affairs launched the Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills (MANAS) to impart training to youth in health and security sector.

Govt has relaxed Indian citizenship norms for Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Govt. launched National Bal Swachhta Mission in New Delhi on Nov 15 to improve over all cleanliness amongst school children.

Udaan programme launched to assist girl students in preparing them for the IIT-JEE while studying in classes XI and XII.

Govt approves "Integrated Power Development Scheme" for strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution network of electricity in the urban areas.

India has launched the tourist visa on arrival facility enabled by electronic travel authorization for 43 countries for boosting the tourist inflow.

Govt has decided to lay an exclusive submarine cable network for Andaman & Nicobar Islands from Chennai to facilitate high speed internet/browsing in the islands.

The Central Government has allocated five thousand crore rupees under AYUSH Mission for promoting traditional methods of treatment in the country.

The Delhi Transport Corporation has started a Delhi-Kathmandu bus service from Nov. 26.

OCTOBER 2014

Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Karyakram launched for creating a conducive environment for industrial development and doing business with ease. Labour Identification Number to be issued to all

industrial units for transparency and accountability in labour inspections

“Shram Suvidha"–a Unified Labour Portal launched to facilitate "Labour Inspection Scheme

Universal Account Number for Employees' Provident Fund members

Apprentice Protsahan Yojana to reimburse 50 per cent of the stipend paid to apprentices

Swachh Bharat Mission launched on October 2 to make India neat and clean by Oct 2, 2019 at an expected cost of Rs 62,000 crore.

Govt to merge the ‘Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan’, a campaign for rural sanitation with Swachh Bharat Mission.

Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana launched under which every MP to adopt one village by 2016 and two more by 2019.

National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation launched “Swachhta Udyami Yojana to provide financial assistance to Safai Karamcharis

Govt has reintroduced the Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana- a single premium pension policy for senior citizens, for a limited period of one year

Government has launched an Adhaar based Biometric Attendance System (BAS) for government employees. named attendance.gov.in

Universal Health Assurance Mission plans to bring all Indians under health insurance cover

UHAM to provide 50 essential drugs and 30 AYUSH drugs to all citizens at govt. hospitals and health centres.

National Air Quality Index launched to create awareness about the quality of air and its likely health impact.

Union Cabinet has decided to completely deregulate the diesel prices and henceforth the price will be linked to the market.

The government has made it mandatory for tobacco companies to carry health warnings on at least 85% of the surface of cigarette packets

T S R Subramanian committee set up to review the laws related to protection of environment including the Indian Forest Act, 1927

India’s first-ever Offshore Wind Power Project in India to come up along Gujarat coast.

Govt plans to start “Sardar Patel National Housing Mission” to ensure housing for all by 2022 and a ‘slum free India’.

Union Government has decided to sell LED bulbs to households at 10 rupees against the market price of 400 rupees.

From November, 2014 all replies given under RTI by ministries will be posted online, available for access to all and not just to persons seeking the information.

Central govt has advised all states, union territories and Central Armed Police Forces to recruit 33 per cent women in their ranks.

T.K. Vishwanathan Committee setup to review Bankruptcy laws.


ECONOMIC INDICATORS

DECEMBER 2014

Moody’s Projects India’s Growth @6%: Global rating agency Moody’s has projected that Indian economy is expected to pick up pace in 2015 and grow in the range of 5 to 6 per cent, helped by strong domestic demand.

NOVEMBER 2014 Rating agency Fitch says that India's economic

growth is expected to pick up to 5.6 per cent in the current fiscal on account of structural reforms

OCTOBER 2014

A World Bank report says that India’s GDP is likely to expand by 5.6 per cent this fiscal as reforms gain momentum.

ECONOMY

DECEMBER 2014

India has inked a US $1100 million IBRD Direct Lending pact with the World Bank for phase two of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC).

Union government mopped up around 1715 crore rupees with the sale of 5 percent stake in SAIL at a floor price of 83 rupees per share

The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal for setting up of a 500 crore rupees Credit Guarantee Fund for Factoring for MSMEs

Government has asked PSUs to ensure that they procure 20% of their requirements from the products manufactured by MSMEs, w.e.f. April 01, 2015.

Snapdeal.com has announced the launch of ‘Agri Store’, offering online products like seeds, fertilizer and irrigation tools, among others, to farmers.

World Bank will lend Rs 475 crore ($75 million) to the Andhra Pradesh Government for implementing a rural growth project.

Government has fixed an export target of $340 billion for the current fiscal. Actual exports last year were $312.6 billion.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will extend $200 million loan to Punjab to improve the state's fiscal situation.

India Germany sign loan pact for euro 625 million for the Green Energy Corridors project under the Indo-German bilateral development cooperation.

The World Bank has approved $130 million credit for the Nepal Grid Solar and Energy Efficiency Project to minimize energy shortages in Nepal.

NOVEMBER 2014 The Government re-launched Kisan Vikas Patra

scheme on Nov 18 to encourage the habit of small savings among the citizens. The KVPs will be available in denominations of

Rs. 1000, 5000, 10,000 and 50,000 with no upper limit for investment

The invested amount will become double in 100 months.

MSP FOR RABI CROPS FOR 2014-15 SEASON CROP Rs./Qtl CROP Rs./Qtl Wheat 1450 Gram 3175 Barley 1150 Rapeseed/ Musturd 3100 Masur dal 3075 Safflower 3050

The market capitaliastion of all listed companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange, Asia's oldest stock exchange, hit a record Rs 100 trillion (lakh crore) mark on Nov 28.

Govt has come out with the mandatory standards (BIS marks) for 15 electronic products, including mobile phones, power banks and LED lamps.

India signed Tax Information Exchange Agreement – TIEA with Saint Kitts & Nevis, a two-island Carribean country, perceived as a safe haven for offshore funds.

Exporters and SEZ units asked to realise and repatriate overseas sales proceeds in nine months, as against 12-month earlier, from the date of shipment.

Suzlon Energy installed the world’s tallest 120 meters high hybrid wind generator turbine in Asia’s biggest wind energy park in Kutch, Gujarat.

India signs a $200 million loan agreement with the World Bank to finance the setting up of technology centres to help MSMEs enhance their productivity.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $350-million loan assistance for upgradation of district roads in Madhya Pradesh.

OCTOBER 2014

A major crude oil discovery in the Kharenti-A well near Ahmadabad in the Cambay basin by a private oil company, makes it the biggest find of the year.

SEBI barred India's largest real estate company DLF and its top officials, including chairman KP Singh, from accessing or dealing in stock markets for three years.

Amazon.com and India's Future Group, promoters of ‘Big Bazaar’ retail chain, have signed a deal to jointly sell goods over the Internet

Delhi Metro has been ranked second among 18 international Metro systems in terms of overall customer satisfaction in an online customer survey.


Maruti Suzuki launched ‘Ciaz’ - its first sedan car in past 7 years, to meet competition from Honda City and Hyundai Verna.

Government has decided to import potatoes for the first time to augment domestic availability and to check its rising prices.

Country’s first olive oil refinery has been started in Lunkaransar area of Bikaner, Rajasthan. The project was started by taking assistance from Israel.

IndiGo, India’s largest domestic airline by market share, has signed a deal to buy 250 latest Airbus A-320 neo aircrafts worth $26 billion or Rs 1.55 lakh crore.

India has imposed anti-dumping duty on Phenol imported from the U.S. and China’s Taipei to safeguard the interest of domestic manufacturers.

BANKING

DECEMBER 2014 The Reserve Bank released a charter of customer

rights on Dec.3 that lays down five basic rights that bank customers enjoy. Right to Fair Treatment with no discrimination on

any basis Right to Transparency, Fair and Honest Dealing Right to Suitability of products and services Right to Privacy of customers' personal

information Right to Grievance Redressal and Compen-sation RBI has defined the ‘non-cooperative borrower’ as

one who does not engage constructively with his lender by defaulting in timely repayment of dues

A bill to raise the authorised capital of Regional Rural Banks to Rs 2,000 crore, from Rs 5 crore at present was passed by the Lok Sabha on Dec 22. Government has approved the continuation of interest subvention for short-term crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh to farmers.

RBI has increased RTGS business hours to 12 hours from 8 am to 8 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to 3.30 pm on Saturday.

State Bank has launched two indices namely the SBI Monthly Composite Index and the SBI Yearly Composite Index for manufacturing sector.

RBI has doubled the limit for pre-paid payment instruments (PPI) to Rs. 1 lakh from Rs. 50,000 at present.

RBI issued final guidelines for the Bharat Bill Payment System to help consumers pay multiple bills like electricity, telephone etc at a single point.

HDFC Bank launched its mobile banking initiative - 'Bank Aap Ki Muththi Mein' that works on both smartphones as well as the basic phones

The deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes, including 500 and 1,000 rupees, has been extended by six months till June 30, 2015.

Yes Bank has raised $200 million loan from Asian Development Bank for onward lending to small farm households and rural women self help groups (SHGs).

RBI has imposed penalty of Rs. 5 million and 2.5 million, respectively, on ICICI bank and Bank of Baroda for violation of KYC norms.

Money supply rose by Rs 31,400 crore to Rs 101,950 crore ($1.61 trillion) in the fortnight to December 12, growing by 10.2 per cent on year on year basis.

NOVEMBER 2014 The Reserve Bank on Nov 27 released the guidelines

for ‘payment banks’ and ‘small banks’. Payments banks can receive deposits and

remittances, but cannot lend; focusing on migrant labour and low income households.

Small banks will lend to “unserved and under-served sections”, including small business units, small and marginal farmers, and micro and small industries.

RBI has asked banks to inform their customers about fall in the minimum balance and said that penal charges should be levied only to the extent of shortfall

In an all stock amalgamation, ING Vysya Bank decided to merge itself with Kotak Mahindra Bank, creating the fourth largest private sector bank in the country.

RBI has Traised the net own funds requirements for NBFCs that manage funds worth Rs 500 crore, from Rs.25 lakh at present to Rs.1 crore by March, 2016

Kerala and Goa have become the first states in the country to have bank accounts for all households in the state under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna.

RBI has made it mandatory for banks to send SMS alerts to both payer and drawer in cheque transactions

The SEBI has allowed the State Bank of India and three mutual funds to launch Sharia funds. Sharia-compliant funds invest in companies that follow Islamic rules.

The foreign investment promotion board (FIPB) has allowed HDFC Bank to increase foreign investment in the bank to 74 per cent.

Country's oldest and largest foreign bank, Standard Chartered Bank, opened its 100th branch in Nakatia, Bareily (UP)


OCTOBER 2014

KYC COMPLIANCE ‘MUST’ FOR ALL ACCOUNTS The RBI has made it mandatory for all bank customers, including low risk ones, to be KYC-compliant. The accounts which are not KYC compliant, credits

would be allowed but debits won't be allowed However, the account-holder will have the option to

close the account and withdraw the money. To facilitate compliance of KYC norms, banks have

been asked to allow self-certification of documents and accept a certified copy of the document

KYC norms were introduced in 2001, after the 9/11 attacks in New York, America.

Customers of the 6metros who had 3 free transactions in a month at non-home ATMs can now have 2 more free transactions at the non metro centres.

State Bank of India has launched a facility called ‘mPassBook’ on its ‘State Bank Anywhere’ mobile application, for its retail banking users.

Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched an instant bank payment product – KayPay for Facebook users to send money to each other in an instant.

Federal Bank has won the IDRBT Banking Technology Excellence award for 2013-14 in four out of total five Categories in the mid-sized lenders segment.

RBI signs a pact with Central Bank of Kenya for exchange of information and supervisory cooperation.

DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DECEMBER 2014

DRDO has successfully tested Panchi, wheeled version of the unmanned aerial vehicle Nishant. It can take off from and land on small airstrips.

Nuclear-capable strategic ballistic missile Agni-IV, with a strike range of 4,000 km, test fired successfully from a test range off the Odisha coast.

For the first time, India exported a war ship to a foreign country. The ship is CGS Barracuda offshore patrol vessel, purchased by Mauritius.

India has tested a 1,000 kg indigenously-developed glide bomb, which successfully hit a target 100 kms away, off the Odisha coast.

The indigenous nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant, for the first time sailed out for sea-trials on Dec 16, from its base at Visakhapatnam.

INS Circars, the oldest naval establishment on the Eastern seaboard in Visakhapatnam celebrated its Platinum Jubilee on Dec 12.

Sikorsky of the United States has been selected for supply of 16 multirole helicopters for the Indian Navy in a contract worth Rs. 6,000 crore.

Russia successfully test fired its Angara-A5 rocket from Plesetsk in northern Russia on 23 December.

NATO forces formally ended their role in Afghanistan, after 13 years of conflict that left the country in the grip of worsening insurgent violence.

India’s communication satellite GSAT 16 was launched successfully from Kourou in French Guiana on Dec. 7.

ISRO launched from Sriharikota its heaviest rocket till date - the 630-tonne three-stage rocket GSLV Mark III, capable of carrying satellites up to four tonne.

Carbon-dioxide emissions from burning of fossil fuels reached a high of 35.3 billion tonnes in 2013 where top 2 countries were China and USA

NASA’s Kepler has discovered a ‘super-Earth’ located 180 light-years from Earth - HIP 116454b, which is 2.5 times the diameter of Earth

Nasa's Curiosity rover has detected methane on Mars, a gas that could hint at past or present life on the planet.

Japan launched asteroid explorer Hayabusa 2 to explore one of the C-type asteroids called 1999 JU3 and retrieve materials and bring them to Earth.

NASA launched Orion spacecraft atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket for a four-hour test flight, after which it safely splashed down in to Pacific Ocean.

American geologists have named the earth’s most abundant mineral as ‘Bridgmanite’. It makes up about 70 percent of the earth’s lower

The International Ocean Discovery Program has analysed life in the deepest ever marine drilling expedition- microbes living 2,400 meters beneath the seabed off the Japanese coast.

International journal Science has declared the European space mission spacecraft Rosetta as most important scientific Breakthrough of the Year 2014.

NOVEMBER 2014 India test-fired the Prithvi-II missile from

Chandipur, Odisha. Naval version of this missile – Dhanush was also tested.

The long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) with a range of 70 kms, developed jointly by DRDO and Israeli Aerospace Industries tested successfully on 10th Nov.

The Indian Army’s team won the 48 hours rigorous endurance competition – Cambrain Patrol held in Wales, UK.

DRDO successfully test-fired on Nov 9 its nuclear capable ballistic missile – Agni-II having a strike range of 2,000 km and beyond.


Tejas (PV-6): India’s first indigenous Light Combat Aircraft’s two-seater trainer jet version made its maiden flight on Nov 8.

Indian Air force tested its medium range surface-to-air anti-aircraft missile Akash with a strike range of 25 km.

In a freak accident, a Torpedo Recovery Vessel of Indian Navy sunk off the Visakhapatnam coast during a naval exercise due to a probable split in its base.

Mithra Shakthi: Three week Joint military exercise between Indian and Sri Lankan military forces in Sri Lanka in Nov 2014

Hand in Hand 2014: 4th Joint anti terrorism military exercise by Indian and Chinese forces held in Pune at Aundh Military Station from Nov – 17.

Rosetta spacecraft created history on 12th Nov by landing its Philae probe on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, some 500 million kms away from Earth.

Scientists have developed antibiotic-free drug named Staphefekt as an alternative to antibiotics to fight against the antibiotics-resistant superbugs

India’s Mars mission Mangalyaan, developed by ISRO, has been listed among the 25 best innovations of 2014 by the Time magazine.

A study by the Internet & Mobile Association of India shows that Mumbai has the largest number 16.4 million, of internet users in India, followed by Delhi.

OCTOBER 2014 India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable

cruise missile 'Nirbhay' from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha, having a strike range of 700 kms.

India and China to set up hotlines between their army headquarters and establish new border meeting posts to amicably address incidents of incursions on border.

China has test fired a new variant of its 10,000 km range missile - Dongfeng-31B, capable of targeting Europe and the West Coast of the United States.

ISRO launched its third navigation satellite IRNSS 1C on board its PSLV-C26 rocket from Sriharikota on Oct 16.

Education is the Best Friend. An Educated Person is Respected Everywhere.

Education Beats the Beauty and the Youth.

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

DECEMBER 2014

A treaty laying down international rules for the $85 billion global arms trade came into force from Dec 24, after being signed by the USA

USA announced a series of steps for normalising relations with communist-ruled Cuba with which it had severed diplomatic ties decades ago.

Tehrik-e-Taliban gunmen stormed a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 140 students and nine staff members on Dec 16.

Hong Kong police forcefully ended the more than two month old street demonstration - Occupy Central

Russian economy is in deep trouble due to sanctions and slumping oil prices, leading to deep fall in value of its currency against the US dollar.

According to the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2015 report by UNO, the global economy will grow by more than 3 percent in 2015 and 2016.

The countless doctors, nurses and caregivers fighting the outbreaks of the Ebola virus, have been collectively named as Time magazine's 2014 'Person of the Year'.

112nations gathered in Lima, Peru on Dec 1 for the 12-day ‘Lima Climate Change Conference’ under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change- UNFCCC

World AIDS Day observed on December 01. The theme for this year is, 'Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-free Generation'. HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; (advanced stage of HIV infection)

Singapore launched a new National Day song in Tamil to celebrate its 50 years of independence. Tamil is 4th official language of Singapore.

United Nations General Assembly on 5 December 2014 declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils

Bhutan became 181st member of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency– a branch of the World Bank Group.

An Airbus A320-200 of Air Asia flight QZ8501 with 162 persons aboard disappeared on Dec 28 on way from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore.

Ukraine has decided to join North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), signalling its movement away from Russia, towards western powers.

Latvia will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2015. The Presidency changes every six months.


An Italian Ship - Norman Atlantic, carrying 478 passengers caught fire in mid sea, near Italian port Ancona. Rescue teams could save 471passengers.

Malaysia’s worst flooding in decades forced some 1,18,000 people to flee to safer places. Kelantan, in north east Malaysia, was worst-affected area.

NOVEMBER 2014 The World Bank released a report on the impact of

global warming titled “Turn Down the Heat: Confronting the New Climate Normal.”

A cargo train started on Nov 25 from the Chinese city of Yiwu for Madrid, Spain on the world’s longest rail journey of 10,000 kms following old Silk Route.

The UNO has adopted the first-ever resolution calling on governments to stop child marriages.

30 nations meet in Berlin pledged $9.3 billion for a fund to help developing countries cut emissions and prepare for climate change to avoid global warming.

The UNO has dedicated Nov 19th as World Toilet Day to bring into limelight the plight of all those people who do not have access to a toilet.

Head of nations meet of the G20 nations held at Brisbane, Australia on 15-16 Nov.

Turkey will host 2015 G20 summit and the 2016 summit will be hosted by China.

China and USA have agreed to limit emission of greenhouse gases — ending a 20-year discord between them on how to combat climate change.

As per recent reports from IMF, in October 2014, China overtook the US to become the world’s largest economy in terms of Purchasing Power Parity.

China’s GDP stood at $ 17.6 trillion, 16.48 percent of the World GDP, followed by USA at $ 17.4 trillion. India ranked 3rd with $ 7.3 trillion size.

Thousands of Greeks took to the streets of Athens to hold a nationwide strike to protest against the government’s austerity drive involving job cuts.

Japan's economy shrank for the second consecutive quarter, marking a technical recession in the world's third largest economy.

Sweden has become the first European Union (EU) country to officially recognise the State of Palestine.

WHO released first ever ‘Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality - Household Fuel Combustion’ to promote use of clean fuels at household level.

22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit was held in Beijing, China from 9th November 2014 to 11th November 2014.

Czech Republic celebrated the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Velvet Revolution that toppled communism and led to dawn of democracy in 1989.

General council meeting of WTO held at GENEVA on 27th November, 2014

International Buddhist Conference– Lumbini, Nepal.

OCTOBER 2014

Hong Kong witnessed widespread clashes between pro-democracy activists and counter-protesters (pro-Beijing)

The movement has been named as “occupy central” and also given the name ‘umbrella revolution’ due to extensive use of umbrellas by the demonstrators.

UNO observed the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17th October.

Theme for 2014: Leave no one behind: think, decide and act together against extreme poverty.

The United Kingdom finally called it a day to its presence in Afghanistan when it handed over its last base there in Helmand province to the Afghan forces.

Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Venezuela and Spain were elected as the new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for a two years term.

Jaffna-Colombo railway line, reconstructed with Indian assistance in Sri Lanka's former war zone,started 24 years after it was shut down during the civil war.

China and 20 other countries plan to set up an Asian infrastructure Bank seen as a counterweight to West backed international development banks.

Google closed the social networking site Orkut on 30 September 2014. The site was started in 2004 by Orkut Buyukkokten, a Google employee.

Severe typhoon – Vongfong slammed into Japan on 13th Oct. at Makurazaki on Kyushu Island with winds of up to 180 kmph, causing widespread destruction.

Strong typhoon Phanfone slammed into Japan on 5th Oct. with winds of up to 180 kmph lashing the shore, bringing heavy rain and chaos in areas around Tokyo.

PERSONS IN NEWS

DECEMBER 2014 DR. K. RADHAKRISHNAN: Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been selected as one of the top ten scientists in 2014 chosen by the prestigious science journal of UK-Nature.

PRIME MINISTER MODI: has been rated as the world’s top policy maker, according to a new report of Harvard’s prestigious Kennedy School of Government.

PAWAN CHAMLING: Sikkim Chief Minister, on 12 December 2014 became longest serving Chief Minister of India as he completed his 20 years in the office.


TASHI MALIK AND NUNGSHI MALIK: The twin sisters from Dehradun scaled Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest mountain at 4,892 metres to become the world’s first twins and siblings to climb the highest peaks on the seven continents.

SARITA DEVI: The International Boxing Association (AIBA) banned Indian boxer for one year for refusing to accept the Asian Games bronze medal.

VIVEK MURTHY: The 37 year old Indian origin doctor has been confirmed as the youngest ever Surgeon General of the United States.

NOVEMBER 2014 NARENDRA MODI: joined the Forbes list of the world's most powerful people at 15th rank. The list is topped by the Russian President Vladimir Putin ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA: The Chairperson of country's largest bank- SBI, was named as the most-powerful business woman in India by Fortune Magazine.

GEN. DALBIR SINGH SUHAG: Indian Army Chief was conferred the title of honorary rank of General of Nepal Army by the Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav.

FARHAN AKHTAR: Bollywood actor-director became

the first man in the history of “UN Women” to be appointed as its Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia.

NIKKI HALEY: Governor of South Caorlina state, USA,

the youngest of current US Governors (42) was in news as she visited Punjab

MALALA YOUSAFZAI: Pakistani teenage rights activist donated $50,000 to help rebuild UN schools in Gaza that have been damaged during the recent fight with Israel. CHUCK HAGEL: U.S. Defense Secretary was in news as he resigned from his post. VLADIMIR PUTIN: Russian President walked out of the G20 summit in Australia to protest the criticism from Western leaders over Russia’s interference in Ukraine.

OCTOBER 2014

RAGHURAM RAJAN: Reserve Bank of India Governor has received the Euromoney’s “Central Bank Governor of the Year Award 2014” in Washington on October 10 for his excellent performance. SHAKTI DEVI: An Indian police inspector won International Female Police Peacekeeper Award 2014 by the UN's police division for her "exceptional achievements" in her duty with the UN mission in Afghanistan

HARSHIT SAUMITRA: A five-year-old Indian boy has become the youngest person to reach the Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 5,364 metres (17,598 ft). LEELA SAMSON: Eminent Bharatnatyam dancer and Chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification resigned from the post of Chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi. THOMAS KAILATH: Indian-American professor from USA is one of the nine scientists selected for the prestigious National Medal of Science, the highest honour for achievement in the fields of science and engineering in USA. JOSHUA WONG: 18 year old leader of students organisation “Scholarism” which lead the pro democracy youth movement in Hong Kong. JEFFREY P. BEZOS: The Chief Executive of the world’s largest e-tailer –Amazon.com, called on Modi and committed $2 billion investment in the country. MARK ZUCKERBERG: Founder and CEO of Facebook, called on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. ALAN EUSTACE: A senior Google vice-president (57) created a new world record for highest free-fall parachute jump from an altitude of 135908 ft (41.4kms)

A P P O I N T M E N T S

DECEMBER 2014 RAGHUBAR DAS (BJP): New Chief Minister of Jharkhand

JYOTSNA SURI: President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

RAJINDER KHANNA: Chief of Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), PRAKASH MISHRA: Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

DINESHWAR SHARMA: Director, Intelligence Bureau

ANIL Kr. SINHA: Director, Central Bureau of Investigation

KLAUS IOHANNIS: President of Romania

BEJI CAID ESSEBSI: President of Tunisia

ANEROOD JUGNAUTH: Prime Minister of Mauritius

TABARE VAZQUEZ: President of Uruguay

SHINZO ABE: Re elected as Prime Minister of Japan

ASHTON CARTER: US Defence Secretary


NOVEMBER 2014 DEEPAK GUPTA: Chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

JUSTICE C K PRASAD: Chairman, Press Council of India

HASMUKH ADHIA: Union Financial Services Secretary

G S SANDHU: Chairman of National Chemical Weapon Convention.

LAXMIKANT PARSEKAR: Chief Minister, Goa

ANITA KAPUR:Chairperson, Central Board of Direct Taxes.

KLAUS WARREN LOHANNIS: President of Romania, first non Romanian (German) to become President

OCTOBER 2014 MANOHAR LAL KHATTAR: New Chief Minister of Haryana

DEVENDRA FADNAVIS: Chief Minister of Maharashtra

ARVIND SUBRAMANIAN: Chief Economic Adviser to the Union Government. He is the former IMF economist

RAJIV MEHRISHI: Union Finance Secretary

Dr. A SURYA PRAKASH: Chairman, Prasaar Bharati Board

HEMANT CONTRACTOR: Chairman of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)

DILMA ROUSSEFF: Re-elected as the President of Brazil, second term leading her Workers Party KHALED BAHAH: Prime Minister of Yemen JENS STOLTENBERG: Secretary-General of NATO India has been re-elected as member of the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the period of 2015-17

AWARDS & HONOURS

DECEMBER 2014

THE GOLDEN PEACOCK: Award for the best film at the 45th International Film Festival of India, Goa won by the Russian film ‘Leviathan’ directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev. The award carries a cash prize of 40 lakh

Wong Kar Wai: The Chinese filmmaker was conferred the lifetime achievement award at IFFI.

Swiss Ambassador's Award: Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro for inspirational and socially responsible leadership.

Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards for 2010-11 given at Delhi for outstanding performance in exports. Canara Bank won the Niryat Bandhu Silver Trophy, Banks Yash Chopra Memorial Award: Amitabh Bachchan Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014: Ruhi Singh of India at Beirut, Lebanon.

Miss Intercontinental 2014: Wang Patraporn, from Thailand at Magdeburg, Germany.

Miss World 2014: Rolene Strauss, from South Africa at London

Olof Palme Human Rights Prize: Xu Youyu, Chinese pro-democracy activist. It is an annual prize worth USD 75,000 granted by the Swedish labour movement.

Confucius Peace Prize: Fidel Castro, Former Cuban leader. It is known as China's version of the Nobel Prize.

Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2014: Noted Pakistan-born poetess Imtiaz Dharker for her poetry collection ‘Over the Moon’. This award is given by British Queen.

Turner Prize: Duncan Campbell, film artist from UK for a video that reflects on African art. It is a popular UK prize for art work.

NOVEMBER 2014 INDIRA GANDHI PRIZE for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2014: Indian Space Research Organisation – ISRO for its contribution in strengthening international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space.

GANDHIAN PHILOSOPHY and Public Service Broadcasting Award 2014: Won by Radio Kashmir, Jammu for its programme Jeevan Rekha.

CENTENARY AWARD for Indian Film Personality of the Year: Rajinikanth, super star of south cinema

SUMITRA CHARAT RAM AWARD 2014: Pandit Jasraj, veteran classical vocalist for Lifetime Achievement.

INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S PEACE PRIZE: Neha Gupta (18), an Indian-American from Philadelphia, for her work to help orphans in India

IIM- JRD TATA AWARD for Excellence in Corporate leadership: C S Verma, Chairman, SAIL

THE IPI INDIA AWARD for Excellence in Journalism, 2014, awarded jointly to Hindustan Times and The Week for “outstanding journalistic work” during 2013.

IPI – International Press Institute, Vienna (Austria)

WORLD’S CHILDREN PRIZE: Malala Yousafzai in Sweden


THE GRAND CORDON of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers: One of Japan’s top national awards, conferred on Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his contribution to Indo-Japan ties. He is first Indian to receive this honour. SYDNEY PEACE PRIZE 2014: Julian Burnside, Human rights advocate and barrister from Australia. SAKHAROV PRIZE for Human Rights: Denis Mukwege from Congo for treating victims of gang rape

OCTOBER 2014

NATIONAL RAIL AWARD: Harish Kanwar, Deputy Director in Railway Board for his contribution in completion of the Pirpanjal rail tunnel in J&K. NATIONAL KISHORE KUMAR AWARD: Noted Bollywood lyricist Sameer LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI NATIONAL AWARD – 2014 for Excellence in Public Administration, Academics and Management: Dr. A. Sivathanu Pillai, CEO and MD of BrahMos Aerospace. WORLD MEDIA SUMMIT Global Awards for Excellence, 2014: P. Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor at The Hindu got the Public Welfare Award. He is one of the five other media entities honoured with these awards. WILDSCREEN PANDA AWARD: The coveted wildlife photography award in best newcomer category was won by Ashwika Kapur for her film, Sirocco - how a dud became a stud at the annual Wildscreen Film Festival held at Bristol, UK. CULTURAL MEDALLION 2014 (Singapore): KTM Iqbal, an Indian-origin Singaporean poet and writer was named for this highest cultural award of Singapore. WORLD FOOD PRIZE 2014: Dr Sanjaya Rajaram for his scientific research that led to a bumper growth in world wheat production. MAN BOOKER PRIZE: The Australian novelist Richard Flanagan for book “The Narrow Road to the Deep North.” The book tells the harrowing story of an Australian surgeon who is held in a Japanese P.O.W. camp and is forced to work on the Thailand-Burma Railway. WAISLITZ GLOBAL CITIZEN AWARD: Anoop Jain for his work in founding Humanure Power in Bihar in 2011 that builds community sanitation facilities in rural India. GLOBAL DIVERSITY AWARD 2014: Shah Rukh Khan has been honoured with this award by British Parliament for his contribution to cinema.

2014 Nobel Prizes Declared

PRIZE FIELD

PRIZE DECIDED

BY

WINNER OF 2014

SELECTED WORK

Physiology or Medicine

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm

John O’Keefe of the USA, May-Britt & Edward Moser of Norway

For discovering brain’s internal positioning system, helping humans find their ways and giving clues to how strokes and Alzheimer affect the brain.

Physics The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano from Japan and U.S. citizen Shuji Nakamura

For inventing blue light-emitting diodes, a breakthrough that has spurred the development of LED technology to light up homes, computer screens and smartphones worldwide.

Chemistry The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Eric Betzig and William Moerner from the USA; Stefan Hell from Germany

For finding ways to make microscopes more powerful than previously thought possible, allowing scientists to see how diseases develop inside the tiniest cells.

Literature The Swedish Academy

Patrick Modiano, France

For his moody, terse and occasionally dreamlike novels, often set during the Nazi occupation of France

Peace The Norwegian Nobel Committee

Indian child right activist Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistani child education activist Malala Yousafzai (See details below)

For their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of education for all children.

Economics The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Jean Tirole, France

For research on market power and regulation that has helped policy-makers understand how to deal with industries dominated by a few dominant companies

OBITUARY

DECEMBER 2014

K. BALACHANDER: Eminent South Indian filmmaker and Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner from Chennai.

V.R. KRISHNA IYER: Legendary jurist, a Supreme Court judge and post-retirement, a human rights activist

DEVEN VERMA: noted Bollywood comedy actor, famous for his roles in films Chori Mera Kaam, Chor Ke Ghar Chor and Angoor. A R ANTULAY: Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and former Union Minister, veteran Congress leader


CHUNIBHAI VAIDYA: A veteran Gandhian and freedom fighter from Ahmadabad, Gujarat.

JARBOM GAMLIN: Former C M of Arunachal Pradesh

JOE COCKER: Legendary rock singer from Colorado, USA.

DAVID JOHN RYALL: Veteran British actor

NOVEMBER 2014 RAVI CHOPRA: Veteran Bollywood film director famous

for his tele serial – Mahabharat and movie – Baghban.

SADASHIV AMRAPURKAR: Mumbai Cinema actor, winner of two Filmfare awards.

MURLI DEORA: Eminent Congress leader from Maharashtra and former Union Petroleum Minister

SITARA DEVI: Eminent Kathak danseuse, Padma sri awardee.

P D JAMES: Noted English crime thriller novelist from UK. Popular as “Queen of Crime”

PHILLIP HUGHES: Australian batsman suffered a fatal hit by a short-pitched bouncer by Sean Abbott in Sydney

KEN TAKAKURA: Noted Japanese film actor

WARREN ANDERSON: Former Union Carbide chief, wanted in India in connection with the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, died at 92 in New York – Sep 29.

OCTOBER 2014

M.V. KAMATH: Veteran journalist and former Prasar Bharati Chairman, Padmasri awardee from Karnataka.

JAGDISH SHARAN PANDE: Noted freedom fighter from Almora, Uttarakhand.

MARTIN PERL: Nobel Prize-winning physicist from USA, known for discovery of a subatomic particle known as the Tau Lepton.

P L A C E S I N N E W S

DECEMBER 2014 CHINTAGUFA, SUKMA: place in Chattisgarh was in news as 14 CRPF personnel were killed there by naxalites.

TYPHOON HAGUPIT: hit the eastern Philippines creating misery for millions following a barrage of deadly disasters.

NOVEMBER 2014 JAYAPUR: A village near Varanasi was in news as it was adopted for development by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi under ‘Sansad Gram Yojna’.

HAMPI: Place in Karnataka was in news as some 20 drawings of the Harappan (Sindhu) era in Gondi dialect were discovered there at a nearby hilltop.

FERGUSON: A small town in Missouri State of USA was in news as it suffered violent racial riots. The riots sparked after a grand jury cleared a white police officer in the fatal August 9 shooting of an unarmed black teenager.

BERLIN WALL: Massive public celebrations were held in Germany to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

CATALONIA: A small but prosperous region in north eastern Spain was in news as it voted in a symbolic ballot on Nov 9 on the issue – “whether to break away from Spain or not” to emerge as an independent state.

WORLD TRADE CENTER, NY: The 104-story, $3.9 billion skyscraper at Manhattan, New York, the tallest in America, was inaugurated on Nov 03, almost thirteen years after the 9/11 terrorist attack that destroyed the original towers.

OCTOBER 2014

VISAKHAPATNAM: A major coastal city of Andhra Pradesh suffered wide spread destruction under the impact of severe super cyclone ‘Hudhud’

NALIYA: Small town on coast of Kutchh, Gujarat was in news as it was struck by super cyclone Nilofer.

S P O R T S W O R L D

DECEMBER 2014

Blind Cricket World Cup: India lifted the Cup on Dec 7 after defeating Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa.

P V Sindhu: Won the Macau Grand Prix Gold trophy at Macau, China, beating Kim Hyo Min of Korea Viswanathan Anand won his maiden London Classic title after defeating British Grandmaster Michael Adams

Ankita Raina won ITF singles tennis title defeating British Katy Dunne in Pune, Maharashtra. She is the first Indian to win this title in past 14 years.

M S Dhoni broke the world record for most number of stumpings in international cricket after he claimed his 134th victim – Mitchell Johnson of Australia at Melbourne, Australia.

Baichung Bhutia: Former Indian football captain conferred with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Hall of Fame Award in Manila, Philippines.

Sachin Tendulkar has been named as the brand ambassador for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

Arjun Atwal has won the Inaugural edition of Dubai Open Golf Championship.


Pragyan Ojha, The left-arm spinner has been banned by BCCI from bowling in competitive matches as his bowling action was found illegal, flexing elbow beyond 15 degrees.

India beats Turkey to win the World Youth Under-16 Chess Olympiad at Gyor in Hungary.

17th Asian Luge Championships: Shiva Keshavan won Silver Medal at the Spiral Olympic Sliding Centre in Nagano, Japan.

Indian Super League football tournament: Atletico de Kolkata won the championship beating Kerala Blasters.

Champions Trophy: Germany beats Pakistan to win the hockey trophy at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Deodhar Trophy: East zone beats West zone to lift cricket trophy in Mumbai.

58th National Shooting Championships held in Pune, Maharashtra

‘VINICIUS’ & ‘TOM’ – MASCOTS FOR RIO OLYMPICS Brazil has declared ‘Vinicius’ as the mascot for the Rio 2016 Olympics to be held at Rio de Janeiro.

International Tennis Federation (ITF) has declared following as the “Player of the Year 2014” Men’s: Novak Djokovic from Serbia Women’s: Serena Williams from USA

Hillel Oscar: An international umpire and former captain of Israel's national cricket team died on Nov 30 after being hit in the jaw by a ball at Ashdod, Israel.

ASIAN GAMES -- INDIAN HIGHLIGHTS

Yogeshwar Dutt ended a 28-year gold drought for India in wrestling after winning Gold

Jitu Rai, shooter won India's 1st gold in the 50m event. MC Mary Kom became the first Indian woman boxer to clinch a gold medal at the Asian Games

India won the Hockey gold medal beating Pakistan

Indian Kabaddi Teams, both men and women, beat Iran’s teams to win the Gold.

Varsha Gautam and Aishwarya Nedunchezhiyan made history by becoming the first Indian women to win a sailing medal – Bronze in Dinghy event at the Asian Games.

Khushbir Kaur won the country’s first-ever silver in the women’s 20 kms race walk in Asiad.

With an aim to increase India`s medal tally in 2016 and 2020 Olympics, the Sports Ministry has decided to start a "Target Olympic Podium Scheme"

The Indian Super League (ISL) heralded a new dawn for football in India on 12 October, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

Sharath Gayakwad, the para-swimmer made history at the Asian Para-Games in Incheon, South Korea, by winning six medals.

Anirban Lahiri won the Venetian Macau Open Golf Cup.

Pankaj Advani won World Billiards Point Format Championship at Leeds, UK. He also won the World title in time format beating Robin Wilson of UK.

World junior Chess title 2014: Lu Shanglei of China defeated Aleksander Indjic of Serbia to win the title in Pune, Maharashtra.

35th Senior National Archery Championship held in New Delhi, won by Punjab.

Champions League Twenty 20: Chennai Super Kings won the trophy by defeating Kolkata Knight Riders at the M. Chinn aswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

The multi-sport Paralympic Games 2015 will be held in India in February 2015.

4th Sultan of Johor Cup (hockey) for under 21 won by India beating Great Britain at Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

James Tull: A club cricketer in Australia created history by scoring a triple ton – 341 runs - with 25 sixes and 34 fours

Shanghai Rolex Masters (Tennis) – 2014 won by Roger Federer (Switzerland) beating Gilles Simon (France) in Shanghai, China.

KOHEI UCHIMURA: Japan’s gymnast won his fifth straight all-around world title at the Gymnastics World Championships in Nanning, China.

ATP CHINA OPEN Tennis Cup 2014, Beijing Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beats Tomas Berdych (Czech) to win men’s singles title.

Maria Sharapova (Russia) beats Petra Kvitova(Czech) to win women’s singles title

Serena Williams (USA) beat Simona Halep (Romania) to lift the WTA Finals cup at Singapore. Sania Mirza and Cara Black (Zimbabwe) won the WTA finals women's doubles tennis title at Singapore.

NOVEMBER 2014 ROHIT SHARMA made history by scoring the highest

individual score of 264 runs (173b, 33x4, 9x6) in the world history of ODIs, playing against Sri Lanka in Kolkata’s Eden Garden Stadium on Nov 13. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2014: Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar. The Award is given by BCCI.


Polly Umrigar Award 2013-14: Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar for being India’s best international cricketer of the year, given by BCCI.

ICC’s LG People's Choice Award 2014: Indian fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar

ABHINAV BINDRA: India’s ace shooter became the first Indian to be elected as Chairman of International Shooting Sport Federation's (ISSF) Athletes Committee.

Sachin Tendulkar was inducted into the Bradman Hall of Fame on 5th October at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia.

Ms Deborah, a tribal girl from Andaman and Nicobar Islands has created history in National Level by winning four Gold Medals in the Track Asia Cup Cycling Championship 2014 held at New Delhi.

54th National Open Athletics Championships held at New Delhi. Tintu Luka was adjudged the best female athlete and Ankit Sharma was named the best male athlete.

South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's Championship: India wins beating Nepal in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Indian cricket team won 5-match ODI series in a whitewash against Sri Lanka, winning all the five matches.

Saina Nehwal and K Srikanth clinched the women's and men's singles title (Badminton) of the China Open Super Series Premier in Fuzhou, China, on 15th Nov.

Duleep Trophy: Central Zone lifts the cricket cup after beating South Zone at New Delhi.

43rd Handball National Championship (women’s): Punjab beats Haryana to win the tournament at Mastuana Sahib, Punjab.

127th Durand Cup: Salgaocar FC won the prestigious Football championship in Goa, defeating Pune FC.

World Kabaddi League: United Singhs won the finals beating Khalsa Warriors at Mohali, Punjab.

68th Sr. National Aquatic Championship held at Kolkata.

Terry Walsh quits as the Head Coach of the National Hockey team.

Mitchell Johnson: Australia’s fast bowler won the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for the Cricketer of the Year award for 2014.

AB de Villiers: South Africa’s batsman was voted the ODI player of 2014.

Sarah Taylor: England’s wicketkeeper was named women’s player of 2014.

Lionel Messi: FC Barcelona superstar became the all-time highest scorer in La Liga history by scoring 253 goals, playing against Sevilla in Spain.

Lewis Hamilton of UK won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as well as the Formula 1 racing championship title of the year becoming the first British double world champion since Jackie Stewart in 1971.

Magnus Carlsen of Norway has retained his World Chess Championship title defeating five-time champion Viswanathan Anand in the 11th game at Sochi, Russia

Novak Djokovic (Serbia) won the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Nov 16 at London.

Switzerland won their first ever Davis Cup Tennis title at Lille, France, beating France.

World Women's Boxing Championships held in Jiju, South Korea. S Sarjubala and Saweety won the silver medals for India.

World Tour Golf Championship held at Jumeirah Golf states in Dubai is won by Henrik Stenson from Sweden.

2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships to be hosted by Doha, Qatar. 2015 and 2017 games will be hosted by Beijing and London, respectively.

Africa Cup of Nations 2015 - The 16 nation Football tournament will be hosted by Equatorial Guinea.

Seaways IBSF World Snooker Championship held at Bengaluru.

Lee Chong Wei: World number one in Badminton has been suspended by The Badminton World Federation due to an apparent anti-doping regulation violation.

OCTOBER 2014

The 17th Asian Games came to an end at Incheon on 4th October. China topped with 342 medals (151 gold, 108 silver and 83 bronze) followed by South Korea (234) and Japan (200).

India was placed at 8th rank, securing 57 medals - 11 Gold, 10 Silver and 36 Bronze.

Kosuke Hagino, the Japanese swimmer, was named as the “Most Valuable Player” of the 17th Asian Games.

MC Mary Kom, gold medal winner boxer was chosen as the ‘Most Valuable Player of India’ at the recent Incheon Asian Games.

The 18th Asian Games will be held in 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

FILA Senior World Wrestling Championship held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Li Na, China's ace tennis star and only Grand Slam winner announced her retirement at the age of 32.


BOOKS & AUTHORS

BOOK AUTHOR

Vande Bharatam Pandit Prabodh Kumar Mishra.

How Modi Won It Harish Khare

The Last Illusion Porochista Khakpour

Adultery Paulo Coelho

Life is What You Make it Preeti Shenoy

In God’s Hands Desmond Tutu Templeton prize winner

Family Life Akhil Sharma, the book has been selected by The New York Times Book Review

as one of the ten Best Books of 2014.

Born Again on the Mountain

Arunima Sinha, the first Indian female amputee to

climb Mount Everest. 2014: The Election That Changed India

Rajdeep Sardesai

Next China-India War - World's First Water War – 2029

Gen. Sundarajan Padmanabhan, former

Indian Army Chief

Your Dreams are Mine Now

Ravinder Singh

7 Secretes of the Goddess Dev Dutt Pattnaik

The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years

Pranab Mukherjee, President of India

The Scatter Here is Too Great

Bilal Tanweer of Lahore won the 2014 Shakti Bhatt

First Book Prize Truth Always Prevails Sadruddin Hashwani

The Rich John Kampfner

Final Test: Exit Sachin Tendulkar

Dilip D’Souza

The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Richard Flanagan

A Man and A Motorcycle, How Hamid Karzai Came to Power

Bette Dam

Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace by Leon Panetta

Jim Newton

Sons of Brahama Dhruba Hazarika

The divided Island Samanth Subramanian

And then One Day: A Autobiography of noted

Memoir film artist Naseeruddin Shah

The Highlights Frank Keating

Odyssey of My Life Autobiography of former Union Home Minister

Shivraj Patil Playing It My Way –My Autobiography

cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar

Gods of Antarctica Yashwardhan Shukla, a 13 year old school boy from

Delhi The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee, Kolkata-born British author.

The book has been shortlisted for the

prestigious Booker Prize 2014

Heaven is for Real Todd Burpo & Lynn Vincent

The Boys in the Boat Daniel James Brown

Orange is the New Black Piper Kerman

The Book of Life Deborah Harkness

The Goldfinch Donna Tartt

Half Girlfriend Chetan Bhagat

Simian Vikram Balagopal

One Life is Not Enough Natwar Singh

Not Just an Accountant Vinod Rai

Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi: An Inside Job

Faraz Ahmad

Strictly Personal, Manmohan and Gursharan

Ms Daman Singh

The Lives of Others Neel Mukherjee

Finding Neema Juliet Reynolds

Half a Rupee Stories Gulzar

The Substance and The Shadow

Udaya Tara Nayar, a biography of veteran actor

Dilip Kumar

Innovation in India Shyama V. Ramani

Blood Feud: The Clintons vs. The Obamas

Edward Klein

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah

Hannah Kent Burial Rites

Audrey Magee The Undertaking

Eimear McBride A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing


Latest MCQs ON CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. The richest man in the world, as per the latworldest Forbes data is………, with a total net worth of $ …. billion. A. Carlos Hemu, 99.6 B. Warren Buffett, 90 C. Bill Gates, 79.6 D. Larry Page, 120 2. The recent cut by the Reserve Bank in …….. has raised hopes of a cut in interest rates and a fall in Equated Monthly Installments. A. Statutory Liquidity Ratio B. Reverse Repo Rate C. Repo Rate D. Coupon rate on G-secs 3. Editor Unplugged: Media Magnates, Netas and Me was the last book written by him. Before that, his Lucknow Boy had become quite popular popular. He was one of the most outspoken anti-establishment journalists who never spared anyone. Which famous editor, who passed away recently, are we talking about? A. Aroon Purie B. B G Verghese C. Vinod Mehta D. N Ram 4. To help build affordable housing in India (up to Rs. 10 lakh), the Reserve Bank has decided to A. include the stamp duty and registration charges in the loan amount B. introduce an interest subvention scheme C. abolish the requirement of margin money D. extend the repayment period upto 40 years 5. A Maitri Bus Seva has been started between A. India – Bangladesh B. India-Pakistan C. India- Nepal D. India-Mynamar 6. Which of the following is/ are NOT part/s of the Atal Pension Yojana announced by the government? 1. The scheme applies to people between 18 years and 50 years. 2. The government will contribute a maximum of Rs. 1000 per year for 5 years to help promote it. 3. It will replace the existing NPS - Lite and Swavlamban schemes. A. 1 only B. 1, 2 C. 2 only D. 2, 3 7. With which nation has India signed four deals on hydrography, energy, infrastructure and

marine security during PM Modi’s visit in March? A. Nepal B. Maldives C. Mauritius D. Seychelles 8. Which wing of India’s defence forces conducted TROPEX, a month-long exercise for validating its operational readiness? A. All three forces B. Navy C. Air Force D. Army 9. As per the Mercer Quality of Living Index 2015, the best Indian city to live in, is A. Chandigarh B. Bengaluru C. Hyderabad D. Gandhinagar 10. The Rota vaccine was recently launched in India as part of its fight against A. Polio B. Malaria C. Goitre D. Diarrhoea 11. Shaheen –III, a Surface to Surface missile, and Hatf were recently tested by A. Bangladesh B. Pakistan C. Iraq D. India 12. Kumar Sangakkara was in news recently for having A. bowled out three cricketers in the opening ball of an over. B. scored a record three 100s consecutively in ODIs C. scored a record four 100s consecutively in ODIs D. scored 6 sixes in an over 13. Which state government has launched the Aapki Beti, Hamari Beti campaign to help the girl child? A. Uttar Pradesh B. Himachal Pradesh C. Delhi D. Haryana 14. Which financial institution will invest a record 1, 50, 000 crore in Indian Railways to help it develop rail infrastructure? A. Life Insurance Corp of India B. Infrastructure Dev. Finance Corporation C. World Bank D. State Bank of India 15. The revised Consumer Price Index (CPI), a barometer of retail inflation in India, has the new base year as A. 2008-09 B. 2004-05 C. 2012-13 D. 2011-12


16. Which two cricketers has been voted the two greatest ODI Players by Cricket Monthly? A. Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev B. Sachin Tendulkar, Don Bradman C. Don Brdaman, Viv Richards D. Sachin Tendulkar, Viv Richards 17. The acronym ARC stands for A. Asset Reconverted Into Capital B. Asset Reconstruction Company C. Agriculture Reinsurance Corporation D. Asset Revaluation Company 18. The Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in a bank are A. the loans which have been extended many times under the ever-greening norms B. the loans against which only the principal is repaid C. those loans and advances which are not paid by the borrowers and on which the bank does not earn any income D. those loans and advances which are partly paid by the borrowers 19. All major economic data on industrial output, inflation and economic growth in India are collated and released by the A. Central Statistics Office B. Reserve Bank of India C. National Sample Survey Organization D. Planning Commission 20. Creator of the fantasy novel series Discworld, who passed away recently, was A. Geoffrey Archer B. Kate Blanchett C. Robert Ludlum D. Terry Pratchett 21. The prices of essential drugs in India are regulated by A. Demand and supply forces in the market B. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers C. National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) D. Drugs Controller of India 22. Which of the following IS/ ARE true of Mohammed Nasheed, who dominated the newspaper headlines in March, 2015? 1. He is the ex-President of Maldives. 2. He was sentenced to a 13 year jail term on charges of terrorism. 3. The case pertains to the illegal detention of a judge in 2012. A. 1, 3 B. 1, 2 C. None of these D. 1, 2, 3 23. Narendra Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit …… after a gap of more than 25 years. A. Seychelles B. Maldives

C. Fiji D. Sri Lanka 24. As per the Union Budget 2015-16, the total amount allowed as savings under Section 80 C, is A. Rs. 1 lakh B. Rs. 1.5 lakh C. Rs. 2 lakh D. Rs. 2.5 lakh 25. Which political party was in news throughout March due to internal wrangling among its founder members? A. Congress B. Aam Admi Party C. BJP D. Samajwadi Party 26. Which of the following pairs is/are FALSE in the context of some new appointments made recently? 1. Arun Kumar Singh: India’s Ambassador to USA 2. Jagmohan Dalmia: President, BCCI 3. Kshatrapti Shivaji: Chairman, SIDBI 4. Satya Nadella: CEO, Microsoft A. 1 only B. 2 only C. 1 and 3 D. None of these 27. Solar Impulse, the world’s only solar-powered aircraft, made a stopover at __________during its first global flight. A. Ahmadabad B. Mumbai C. New Delhi D. Bengaluru 28. The task of linking the Aadhar cards to respective bank accounts is being performed by the A. Reserve Bank of India B. Unique Identification Authority of India C. UTI Software and Technologies Ltd D. National Payments Corporation of India 29. Saina Nehwal created history by becoming the first Indian woman to A. enter the finals of the Uber Cup B. enter the finals of the All-England Badminton Championship. C. win the All England Badminton Championship D. enter the finals of the Thomas Cup 30. The Santosh Trophy is awarded in A. Hockey B. Cricket C. Badminton D. Football 31. Dimapur in Nagaland hogged the national headlines recently due to A. a terrorist massacre there B. 35th National Games being held there C. a mob lynching incident there D. None of these 32. Which of the following Day-Date pairs is/are INCORRECT? 1. International Women’s Day: March 15 2. National Science Day: February 28 3. National Martyrs Day: March 23 4. National Youth Day: Jan 11


A. 1 only B. 1, 3 C. 1, 3, 4 D. All pairs are incorrect 33. The acronym GIM stands for A. Give India Money B. Green India Mission C. Green International Mission D. Go India Mission 34. The backwaters of …….. are a major tourist draw, which get lakhs of visitors annually. A. Goa B. Puducherry C. Kerala D. Andamans 35. The most asset-rich company in India is Reliance Industries Ltd, followed by A. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation B. Bharat Petroleum Corporation C. Indian Oil Corporation D. Steel Authority of India Ltd 36. The apex authority under the Right To Information Act is the A. State Information Commission B. Central Information Commission C. Information Ombudsman D. Supreme Court 37. The new Rs. 1 currency note released by the Reserve Bank carries the signature of the A. Chairman, Finance Commission B. Governor, RBI C. Finance Minister D. Finance Secretary 38. All complaints regarding unfair trade practices like overcharging, manipulation of supply and cartelization by the companies in India are heard by the A. Competition Commission of India B. Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission. C. National Consumer Forum D. Food and Civil Supplies Ministry 39. The term Fiscal Consolidation, commonly found in newspapers, refers to A. Improvement in the fiscal deficit position B. Better tax collections C. Lesser public debt burden D. Better economic growth 40. Moody’s, often mentioned in newspapers, is a/an A. Bank in Switzerland B. Major housing finance player in the USA C. Credit rating agency D. International development finance institution 41. The level of industrial output in India is measured by computing the A. Core industrial output B. Index of Industrial Production C. S & P 500

D. GDP growth rate 42. The Saraswati Samman 2015 has gone to A. Nirmala Sitharaman B. M Veerappa Moily C. Kedar Nath Singh D. Bhalchandra Nemade 43. Which new bill generated great heat and even walk-outs by the opposition in Parliament recently? A. Special Economic Zones Bill B. National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill C. National Food Security Bill D. Land Acquisition Bill 44. A cut in the Repo Rate ……. a bank’s …… and is likely to lead to ………. A. increases, cost, higher EMIs B. improves, liquidity, more loans C. worsens, liquidity, lesser loans D. lowers, cost, lower EMIs 45. The Lok Sabha recently okayed the Motor Vehicles Act to A. bring e-rickshaws and e-carts under it B. reduce the minimum age for a driving license in India C. introduce more stringent norms for pollution control D. bring in severe penalties for violations of traffic rules 46. Which states in India have been excluded from the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime for foreign tourists? A. Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam B. Manipur, Chhattisgarh, J & K C. Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland, J& K D. Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland 47. Pick the odd one out. A. Roger Federer B. Rafael Nadal C. Novak Djokovik D. Lewis Hamilton 48. The …….. committee constituted by the Reserve Bank had recommended inflation targeting as is the practice in developed countries and consequently, the RBI and the government have decide on an inflation target of ……. by January, 2016. A. C Rangrajan, 5% B. R Gandhi, 6% C. Urjit Patel, 6% D. KJ Udeshi, 6% 49. The first meeting of Lok Sabha in the year 2015 was addressed by A. Aang San Su Kyi B. Pranab Mukherjee C. Narendra Modi D. Barack Obama 50. Delhi is known as a limited state because A. it is the national capital B. it has a Lt. Governor as its Head of State C. it has got comparatively lesser powers. D. it is the National Capital Territory


51. Which Bollywood star has been roped into promote British Tourism? A. Salman Khan B. Saif Ali Khan C. Amitabh Bachchan D. Aamir Khan 52. The brand ambassador for the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan, which now forms part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, is A. Meeta Vashisht B. Shabana Azmi C. Vidya Balan D. Nandita Dass 53. The revised Consumer Price Index (Urban) will comprise how many items? A. 448 B. 676 C. 536 D. 460 54. Which two nations have recently joined the Reserve Bank’s list of countries whose nationals CANNOT buy immovable property in India? A. Pakistan, Hong Kong B. Hong Kong, Singapore C. Pakistan, Sri Lanka D. Hong Kong, Macau 55. An Asset Reconstruction Company is mainly involved in A. working with financial institutions, including banks, to help them restructure bad loans and recover the money due B. buying the physical assets of sick financial institutions to help them tide over a financial crisis C. helping the banks rebuild their offices in line with international norms D. helping sick companies sell their physical assets to let them recover money, to be paid to their creditors 56. Securitization is a term frequently used in the context of A. The securities markets B. Physical safety of the currency held with a bank C. Non Performing Assets of banks and other financial institutions D. Granting of loans by a bank against a collateral security 57. The Ranji Trophy 2015 title was lifted by A. Panjab, after defeating Haryana B. Karnataka, after defeating Tamil Nadu C. Tamil Nadu, after defeating Karnataka D. Karnataka, after defeating Kerala 58. Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, quashed by the Supreme Court as being unconstitutional, basically dealt with A. phishing and cyber-squatting B. freedom of online writing C. guidelines on which topics and how long the online posts can be D. offensive online posts and comments 59. Which of the following international organization tracks the supply of key food items in the world?

A. Food and Agriculture Organization B. World Trade Organization C. World Food Organization D. International Food Organization 60. Which of the following new laws have been passed in the Lok Sabha recent? 1. Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill 2. Coal Mining Bill 3. Special Economic Zones Bill Select your answer using the coder given below. A. 1, 3 B. 1, 2, 3 C. 1 only D. 1, 2 61. …………. was the architect of modern Singapore, who died recently. He had ruled it with an iron hand since 1959 and transformed a poor port city into an economically powerful nation. A. Goh Chok Tong B. Ram Ghoolam C. Lee Kuan Yew D. None of these 62. The President of which country in trouble had to flee from his house due to violent attacks by the extremists? A. Burundi B. Yemen C. Egypt D. Eriteria 63. Many states in India have been in the grip of a fatal infectious disease called ………., which has claimed hundreds of lives. A. Bovine Flu B. Dengue C. Tamiflu D. Swine Flu 64. India was defeated in the World Cup Cricket semi-finals by A. Pakistan B. Australia C. New Zeland D. South Africa 65. Section 66 of the IT Act, recently quashed by the apex court in India, violates which article of the Indian Constitution, as per the court? A. Article 19 B. Article 21 C. Article 14 D. Article 32 66. Christine Lagarde, who visited India recently, is A. Managing Director, International Monetary Fund B. Chancellor of Germany C. UN General Secretary D. Chairperson, World Bank 67. The Olive Ridley turtles are found in abundance in/ on the A. Mithapur Coral Garden B. Lakshadweep coast C. Periyar river D. Odisha Coast 68. Which of the following pairs is wrongly matched in the context of National Film Honours 2015? A. Best Movie for Wholesome Entertainment: Queen B. Best Male Playback Singer: Sukhwinder Singh


C. Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut D. Best Music Direction: Vishal Bhardwaj 69. In a landmark order, the Supreme Court has nullified the government decision to A. include Jats in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. B. include Muslims in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. C. continue indefinitely the reservations for SC/ ST categories in jobs D. abolish the creamy layer in case of Other Backward Classes 70. The projected foodgrain output in the FY 2015- 16 is expected to cross A. 450 million tons B. 249 million tons C. 157 million tons D. 257 million tons 71. The Minimum Support Prices (MSP) of farm commodities in India are proposed by the A. Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices B. NITI Aayog C. Finance Ministry D. Agricultural Prices Commission 72. As per the latest data, the biggest global buyers of arms are A. India, Saudi Arabia, China, UAE and Pakistan B. Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, UAE and Pakistan C. India, Israel, China, UAE and Pakistan D. Saudi Arabia, China, UAE, Israel and Pakistan 73. France, Germany and Italy have decided to join the A. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank B. World Trade Organization C. New Development Bank D. Basel agreement 74. Which young IAS officer’s death in Bengaluru sparked off massive public protests, resulting in a CBI probe into his mysterious death? A. Nirmal Subramanian B. DK Siddaramiah C. Sanjeev Ravi D. DK Ravi 75. Who among the following is a recipient of the Global Teacher Prize, a $ 1 million prize set up by the Varkey Foundation, USA for exceptional teachers? A. Nancie Atwell B. Ashoke Sen C. Dr. RA Mashlekar D. Jolie Atkinson 76. The new insurance plan to be offered by the Life Insurance Corporation and other insurers for life insurance is named A. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Bima Yojana (DDUBY) B. Mahatma Gandhi Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (MGJJBY) C. Atal Jyoti Bima Yojana (AJBY) D. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) 77. Lucknow Boy: A Memoir is authored by

A. Vinod Mehta B. Aroon Purie C. Hartosh Bal D. Saeed Naqvi 78. Which of the following constitute/s an act/s of disrespect to the National Flag of India? 1. Flying the National Flag after the sunset 2. Not keeping the officially prescribed length to width ratio 3. Letting it touch the lower part of one’s body A. 2 Only B. 1, 2 C. 1, 2, 3 D. 1, 3 79. The National Financial Switch, which runs the entire ATM network in the country, is managed by the A. National Payments Corporation of India B. Reserve Bank of India C. Private parties authorized by the Reserve Bank of India D. None of these 80. Which of the following is/ are NOT eligible beneficiary/es for priority sector loans in India? 1. Handicapped people 2. Scheduled Castes/ Tribes 3. Women 4. Rural artisans A. 3 only B. 1 and 3 C. 4 only D. None of these 81. Which city played host to the 55th National Ayurvedic Congress? A. Varanasi B. Jamnagar C. Chandigarh D. Haridwar 82. A Public Limited Company in India, as per the SEBI guidelines, must have a minimum …….. shareholding with the general public in India. A. 75% B. 25% C. 50% D. 30% 83. The Earth Hour was observed on ………. in March, 2015. A. 15th B. 29th C. 8th D. 28th 84. Which of the following terms is NOT related to environmental protection? A. COP 20 B. Carbon deficit C. Carbon Trading D. Carbon Footprint 85. The acronym UMPP, which was in news recently, implies A. Ultra Modern Power Project B. Unfinished Mega Power Project C. Ultra Mega Power Project D. Unified Mega Power Project 86. Which of the following was / were not part/s of the General Budget 2015-16 presented recently? 1. Enhanced individual tax threshold of Rs. 3.5 lac 2. Gold Bond Scheme 3. Reduction in Corporate Tax Rate


A. 2, 3 B. 1 only C. 1, 2, 3 D. 1, 2 87. The Giving Pledge, a global initiative to motivate multi-billionaires to donate half of their wealth to charity, has been started by A. Laxmi Narayan Mittal B. Bill Gates C. Warren Buffett D. Carlos Hemu 88. God’s Own Country -- This is how ……… tries to sell itself as a tourism destination. A. Singapore B. Switzerland C. Andamans D. Kerala 89. Which two global food and beverage companies have decided to merge, thereby creating the 5th largest food company globally? A. Nestle and Heinz B. Kraft and Hershey C. Heinz and Hershey D. Heinz and Kraft 90. India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) called GIFT City is coming up in A. Gandhinagar B. Bengaluru C. Surat D. Mumbai 91. In a rare honour, Mahatma Gandhi’s bronze statue was unveiled recently in/ at the A. British Parliament, London B. Public Square, Johannesburg C. Tienmann Square Plaza, Beijing D. Parliament Square, London 92. The first Indian to win the Swiss Grand Prix Gold Badminton Championship is A. Deepika Pallikal B. Saina Nehwal C. Kidambi Srikanth D. Jawala Gutta 93. Which country’s capital city was in news for a terrorist incident, involving killings of foreign tourists? A. Syria B. Yemen C. Tunisia D. Algeria 94. Which of the following is/are FALSE in respect of ASTRA, recently tested at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur? 1. It is a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, which can run at supersonic speeds 2. It can be launched in any kind of weather conditions. 3. It has been developed by the Indian Army in collaboration with Russia. A. 1 only B. 2 Only C. None of these D. 3 Only 95. Which India-born scientist has been chosen to head the prestigious Royal Society of England? A. Dr. CNR Rao B. Dr. V Ramakrishnan C. Dr. RA Mashlekar D. Dr. Ashoke Sen 96. The Abel Prize given by Norway’s Academy of Sciences and Letters is awarded in the field of A. Medicine B. Mathematics C. Chemistry D. Physics

97. The Sagarmala Project is related to A. Strengthening India’s coastal defences in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks B. Improving India’s maritime commerce with neighbouring island nations C. The creation of 12 smart cities at ports and many coastal economic zones. D. The commissioning of new naval warships to replace the outdated ones 98. The Dada Saheb Phalke Prize 2015 has been awarded to A. Shashi Kapoor B. Amitabh Bachchan C. Rishi Kapoor D. D Nageshwar Rao 99. Which new tax regime would start rolling out from the financial year 2016-17? A. General Anti –Avoidance Rules (GAAR) B. Direct Tax Code C. Goods and Services Tax D. Both B and C 100. Sanaa in Yemen was in news recently due to A. Killings of Shia Muslims by Sunni militants B. Shia–Sunni riots there C. A terrorist attack on a school there D. A bombing incident at a foreign consulate office there

ANSWER KEY

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

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


F C I MODEL TEST PAPER

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE Directions: In question nos. 1 to 3, select the missing number from the given responses. 1) 9 30 21 6 ? 14 12 40 28 a) 20 b) 33 c) 37 d) 70 2)

a) 22 b) 24 c) 25 d) 28 3)

a) 36 b) 117 c) 52 d) 26 4) Ram and Shyam started from a fixed place. Ram moves 3 km to the North and turns right, then walks 4 km. Shyam moves towards West and walks 5 km, then turns to right and walks 3 km. How far Ram is from Shyam? a) 13 km b) 16 km c) 9 km d) 10 km 5) Which one is true? 1. All players are not tall. 2. All basketball players are tall. 3. All tall people are players. 4. Some players are tall. a) 4 b) 3 c) 2 d) 1

6) One statement is given followed by two Assumptions, I and II. You have to consider the statement to be true, even if it seems to be at variance from commonly known facts. You are to decide which of the given assumptions can definitely be drawn from the given statement. Indicate your answer. Statement: All the people in Kerala are literate. Assumption I: People of Kerala are well educated and cultured. Assumption II: People of Kerala are hard working and sincere. a) Only I is implicit. b) Only II is implicit. c) Both I and II are implicit. d) Neither I nor II is implicit. 7) A student walked out from the Classroom towards the Library. She went first to the Canteen on the left side, 24 ft away. After a cup of tea, took a right turn and went to the Laboratory 13 ft away. She then went to the Physics Block, 15 ft to the left. She talked to a friend, in the garden 3 ft on the left and continued walking in the same direction to the Library, 10 ft more. What was the actual distance between the Library and the Classroom? a) 42 ft b) 65 ft c) 39 ft d) 34 ft Directions: In question no. 8 to 14, select the related letter/word/number from the given alternatives. 8) India : Mango : : New Zealand :? a) Apples b) Kiwi c) Grapes d) Bananas 9) Put the correct words in the blanks: Christmas : ? : : ? : Biryani a) christian, Muslim b) Cashew, Rice c) Jesus, Ramzan d) Cake, Id-ul-Fitre 10) VZS : EAH : : ? : JFM a) QSM b) NUQ c) QUN d) QNU


11) HJLN : PRTV : : BDFH : ? a) JMOR b) JLNP c) KLOR d) JKOR 12) DLOC : ECI : : TOH : ? a) EET b) EAT c) AET d) ETA 13) 42 : 20 : : 64 : ? a) 31 b) 32 c) 40 d) 42 14) Ravishankar : Sitar : : Bismillah Khan : ? a) Sarod b) Santoor c) Shehnai d) Flute Directions: In question nos. 15 to 16, choose the numbers similar to the group of numbers given. 15) 536, 428, 365 a) 358 b) 435 c) 624 d) 266 16) 580, 265, 373 a) 366 b) 490 c) 428 d) 383 Directions: In question nos. 17 to 23, find the odd number/letters/number pair from the given alternatives. 17) a) NOTA b) NATO c) NASA d) NAM 18) a) Diamond b) Gold c) Silver d) Platinum 19) a) GHI b) PRS c) UVW d) ABC 20) a) 45, 6, 7 b) 15, 3, 4 c) 32, 5, 6 d) 23, 4, 5 21) a) 725 b) 840 c) 632 d) 475 22) a) 64 – 36 b) 75 – 35 c) 57 – 43 d) 39 – 61 23) a) Orange b) Apple c) Lemon d) Grapes 24) Which one of the given responses would be a meaningful order of the following words? 1. Type 2. Print 3. Open 4. Save 5. Close

a) 3, 4, 1, 2, 5 b) 3, 5, 4, 2, 1 c) 3, 1, 4, 2, 5 d) 3, 2. 1, 4, 5 25) Which one of the given responses would be a meaningful order of the following words? 1. Evaluation 2. Presentation 3. Recap 4. Aim announcement 5. Motivation a) 1, 2, 5, 3, 4 b) 5, 2, 1, 4, 3 c) 5, 4, 2, 3, 1 d) 2, 1, 3, 4, 5 26) In the following question letters are skipped between by following a particular rule. Which of the following series observes the rule? a) BDFIJ b) DGJLM c) BDHPF d) ACFHJ 27) Which one is different from the rest three? a) Polar Bear b) Penguin c) Seal d) Tiger 28) Which one set of letters when sequentially placed at the gaps in the given letter series shall complete it? _ ab _ b _ bc _ ca _ a) accbb b) abcca c) cacab d) abacb 29) Select the odd word: a) Compress b) Condense c) Concise d) Convert Directions: In ques. Nos. 30 to 34, choose the correct alternative from the given ones that will complete the series. 30) KKMLLNMMONNPOOQP? a) PQ b) ST c) QV d) PR 31) 30, 24, 19, 15, 12,? a) 6 b) 8 c) 10 d) 11 32) 2, 7, 17, 32, 52, 77, ? a) 107 b) 91 c) 101 d) 92 33) 30, 28, 23, 21,? a) 15 b) 16 c) 18 d) 20 34) 1. A, C, E 2. B, D, F 3. G, I, K 4. ? a) L, J, H b) Z, Y, X c) H, J, L d) K, L, M


35) In a zoo, there are Rabbits and Pigeons. If heads are counted, there are 200 and if legs are counted, there are 580. How many pigeons are there? a) 90 b) 100 c) 110 d) 120 36) From the given alternatives, select the word which cannot be formed using the letters of the given word: FRAGMENT a) RAGE b) TEAR c) MEAN d) RACE 37) If DEVELOPMENT is written as 45853106572, how ENVELOPE can be written in that code? a) 57851305 b) 57853105 c) 57835105 d) 57850135 38) If MARCH is coded as PXUZK, what will be the code of APRIL? a) DMUFO b) DSULO c) ZKIRO d) ZKRIO 39) If A denotes +, B denotes – and C denotes x, then (10 C 4) A (4 C 4) B 6 = ? a) 46 b) 50 c) 55 d) 58 40) What sign should be changed to make the equation 5 + 6, 3 – 12 x 2 = 17 correct? a) + b) +x c) -+ d) None of these 41) If 10 boys walk 10 km in 10 days, then how many days it will take for 3 boys to walk 10 km? a) 1 b) 3 c) 6 d) 10 42) How many rectangles are there in the given figure?

a) 6 b) 4 c) 8 d) 10 43) From the answer figures, select the one which can be formed from the components given in the question figure.

Directions: In question no. 44 and 45, identify the diagram that best represents the relationship among classes given below: 44) Govt Servants, Lecturers, Doctors

45) M.K. Gandhi, Umesh Chandra Bandhopadhyay, Jatin Das and Surya Sen

46) Which answer figure will complete the pattern in the question figure?

47) Which of the answer figures is embedded in the question figure?

48) A piece of paper is folded and cut as shown below in the question figures. From the given answer figures, indicate how it will appear when opened.


49) Identify the alternative which resemble the mirror-image of the given word.

50) A word is represented by only one set of numbers as given in any one of the alternative. The sets of numbers given in the alternatives are represented by two classes of alphabets as in two matrices given below. The columns and rows of Matrix I are numbered from 0 to 4 and that of Matrix II are numbered from 5 to 9. A letter from these matrices can be represented first by its row and next by its column e.g., ‘A’ can be represented by 00, 11, 20 etc and ‘P’ can be represented by 59, 68, 75, etc. Similarly, you have to identify the set for the word ‘LOAD’. Matrix I Matrix II

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

0 A B C D E 5 L M N O P

1 B A E D C 6 M L N P O

2 A C D B E 7 P L M N O

3 E A D C B 8 P O M N L

4 C E A D B 9 O M P L N

a) 55, 42, 86, 03 b) 66, 40, 31, 13 c) 89, 86, 11, 99 d) 76, 95, 20, 32

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Directions: In question no. 51 to 55, four alternatives are given for the Idiom/Phrase underlined in the sentence. Choose the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the Idiom/Phrase and mark it in the Answer Sheet. 51) Through the reporter’s efforts, many unknown facts have come to light. a) ignited b) flared up c) brightened d) been revealed

52) I do not see eye to eye with you in this matter. a) to give a correct decision b) to obtain suitable punishment c) to have the same eyesight d) to have the same opinion 53) The boy was in Dutch with his friends. a) in love b) in good terms c) in awe d) in trouble 54) Their attempt to get back the stolen necklace became a wild goose chase. a) Wise decision b) useless search c) timely action d) delayed action 55) The departmental store is open around the clock. a) at different timings b) early morning c) day and night d) throughout the afternoon Directions: In question no. 56 to 60, a part of the sentence is underlined. Below are given alternatives to the underlined part at (A), (B), (C) which may improve the sentence. Choose the correct alternative. In case no improvement is needed, your answer is (D). Mark your answer in the Answer Sheet. 56) Have you ever been in New York? a) at b) to c) with d) No improvement 57) Wave after wave surrounded the tower. a) engulfed b) circled c) encircled d) No improvement 58) It is quite tough to declare which candidate will win the presidential election. a) predict b) augur c) portend d) No improvement 59) Transcoding has one of the items in the new syllabus. a) is one of the items b) has one of the item c) is one of the item d) No improvement 60) She does not tell lies, doesn’t she? a) isn’t she? b) does she? c) didn’t she? d) No improvement Directions: In Question Nos. 61 to 65, out of the four alternatives, choose the one which can be substituted for the given words/ sentence. 61) The headmaster brought back to mind the outstanding achievement of the school. a) remembered b) reminded c) reminisced d) recalled


62) Lack of feeling a) Empathy b) Apathy c) Sympathy d) Pity 63) Accidental good fortune a) Serendipity b) Good luck c) Chance d) Fluke 64) Short speech or poem given at the end of a play or a book a) Epilogue b) Epigram c) Epitaph d) Epicure 65) A person who drive our motor cars a) Driver b) Chauffeur c) Conductor d) Lift-operator Directions: In question Nos. 66 to 70, four words are given in each question, out of which only one word is correctly spelt. Find the correctly spelt word and mark your answer in the Answer Sheet. 66) a) Narsicissism b) Narcicicism c) Narcissism d) Narcisism 67) a) Seige b) Pharoah c) Laison d) Portuguese 68) a) Acoustics b) Accoustics c) Acusticts d) Accuoustics 69) a) Repertoire b) Repartoire c) Repertwah d) Repertiore 70) a) Necessary b) Neccesarry c) Necesarry d) Necessary Directions: In question no. 71 to 80, in the following passage some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer to each question out of the four alternatives and fill in the blanks. The other day I visited a refugee 71 where the victims 72 the Gujarat Earthquake 73 in very 74 conditions. I was particularly 75 by an old woman who was determined to give 76 grandchildren a better future. She 77 a strong and 78 woman who even after the 79 of her own children undertook such a journey through life and never felt weak or broken but was an 80 for all. 71) a) house b) camp c) home d) nest 72) a) of b) to c) in d) at

73) a) was living b) are living c) were living d) have lived 74) a) apathetic b) sympathetic c) pathetic d) empathetic 75) a) cornered b) collected c) worked d) moved 76) a) his b) her c) its d) their 77) a) were b) had c) was d) is 78) a) courageous b) continuous c) ruinous d) careful 79) a) life b) death c) motionless d) captivated 80) a) happiness b) determination c) motivation d) inspiration Directions: In question no. 81 to 85, some parts of the sentences have errors and some are correct. Find out which part of a sentence has an error and blacken the oval corresponding to the appropriate letter (A, B, C). If a sentence is free from errors, blacken the oval corresponding to (D) in the Answer Sheet. 81) Ghana, Nigeria and Gambia, / (A) each have parts to play / in the (B) development of Africa. / No error (C) (D) 82) In these days of inflation / a ten (A) rupees note will not buy you / (B) even an ordinary meal. / No error (C) (D) 83) Most of my friends / (A) heard the earthquake / (B) but I was totally unaware of it. / No error (C) (D) 84) He walks / as if the earth / (A) (B) belonged to him. / No error (C) (D)


85) The United Nations / enquired for / (A) (B) a cease fire. / No error (C) (D) Directions: In question no. 86 to 90, sentences are given with blanks to be filled in with an appropriate word(s). Four alternatives are suggested for each question. Choose the correct alternative out of the four and indicate it by blackening the appropriate oval in the Answer Sheet. 86) Communism and Socialism have always ____ the sermons of economic equality. a) said b) instructed c) preached d) obeyed 87) Robert ____ Ali of his support. a) assure b) ensured c) insured d) assured 88) The students are told to ____ these words in the dictionary. a) look down b) look up c) look into d) look after 89) Rama took his _____ for the wrong done to him. a) avenge b) vengeance c) revenge d) ravage 90) Students are not prepared ______ that kind of question. a) to b) with c) for d) on Directions: In question no. 91 to 95, out of the four alternatives, choose the one which best expresses the meaning of the given word and mark it in the Answer Sheet. 91) Guile a) Cunning b) Careful c) Careless d) Greedy 92) Futility a) Uselessness b) Insignificance c) Irrelevance d) Unimportance 93) Sham a) Real b) Genuine c) Authentic d) Fake 94) Arduous a) Troublesome b) Gloomy c) Difficult d) Perilous

95) Jealous a) Interested b) Hatred c) Envied d) Admired Directions: In question no. 96 to 100, choose the word opposite in meaning to the given word and mark it in the Answer Sheet. 96) Traditional a) Avant-garde b) Present c) Unusual d) Fresh 97) Turbulent a) Harmony b) Gusty c) Calm d) Windy 98) Profuse a) Sparse b) Miserly c) Brief d) Immoderate 99) Mitigate a) Appease b) Enhance c) Allay d) Relieve 100) Prudent a) Dunce b) Silly c) Foolish d) Careless

QUNTITATIVE APTITUDE 101) Two equal maximum sized circular plates are cut off from a circular paper sheet of circumference 352 cm. Then the circumference of each circular plate is a) 176 cm b) 150 cm c) 165 cm d) 180 cm 102) If a + b + c = 0, then the value of (a + b - c )2 + (b + c – a)2 + (c + a – b ) is a) 0 b) 8 abc c) 4(a2 + b2 + c2) d) 4(ab + bc + ca) 103) If P3 + 3P2 + 3P = 7, then the value of P2 + 2P is a) 4 b) 3 c) 5 d) 6 104) If x = 2015, y = 2014 and z = 2013, then value of x2 + y2 + z2 – xy – yz – zx is a) 3 b) 4 c) 6 d) 2 105) If 3a2 = b2 0, then the value of

is)ba()ba(

)ba()ba(22

33


a) b23

b) b

c) b21

d) b

32

106) A hemispherical bowl of internal radius 15 cm contains a liquid. The liquid is to be filled into a cylindrical- shaped bottles of diameter 5 cm and height 6 cm. The number of bottles required to empty the bowl is a) 30 b) 40 c) 50 d) 60 107) AD is the median of a triangle ABC and O is the centroid such that AO = 10cm. Length of OD (in cm) is a) 2 b) 4 c) 5 d) 7 108) The measure of the angle between the internal and external bisector of an angle is a) 60° b) 70° c) 80° d) 90° 109) Two circles C1 and C2 touch each other internally at P. Two lines PCA and PDB meet the circles C1

and C, D and C2 in A, B respectively. If BDC = 120°, then the value of ABP is equal to a) 60° b) 80° c) 100° d) 120° 110) DE is tangent to the circumcircle of ∆ABC at the vertex A such that DE || BC. If AB = 17 cm, then the length of AC is equal to a) 16.0 cm b) 16.8 cm c) 17.3 cm d) 17 cm 111) The distance between the centres of two circles with radii 9 cm and 16 cm is 25 cm. The length of the segment of the tangent between them is a) 24 cm b) 25 cm

c) cm350 d) 12 cm

112) If x > 1 and x + 121

2x1 , then the value of x4 -

4x

1 is

a) 2073658975 b)

2073659825

c) 2073657985 d)

2073657895

113) If tan = ,43 then the value of

22

22

cos3sin4cos2sin4

is equal to

a) 211 b)

212

c) 214 d)

218

114) If

2sinthen,b

sinsin

,acoscos is equal to

a) 22

2

ba

1a

b) 22

2

ba

1a

c) 22

2

ba

1a

d) 22

2

ba

1a

115) Let A, B, C, D be the angles of a quadrilateral. If they are concyclic, then the value of Cos A + cos B + cos C + cos D is a) 0 b) 1 c) -1 d) 2 116) If a pole of 12 m high casts a shadow of 4 3 m long on the ground, then the sun’s angle of elevation at that instant is a) 30° b) 60° c) 45° d) 90° 117) If sin ( + 18°) = cos 60° (0 < < 90°), then the value of cos 5 is

a) 21

b) 0

c) 2

1

d) 1

118) The digit in unit’s place of the product 49237 x 3995 x 738 x 83 x 9 is a) 0 b) 7 c) 5 d) 6 119) If x : y be the ratio of two whole numbers and z be their H.C.F., then the l. c. m. of those two numbers is

a) yz b) yxz

c) zxz

d) xyz

120) If the Universal Set U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8} and A = {1, 2, 3, 4}, then Ac is equal to a) {5, 6, 7, 8} b) {5, 6, 1, 2} c) {5, 6, 2, 3} d) {5, 6, 3, 4}


121) Find the nth term of the following sequence: 5 + 55 + 555 + ….. Tn a) 5(10n – 1) b) 5n (10n-1)

c) 95 (10n-1) d)

n

95

(10n-1)

122) If 12 men or 24 boys can do a work in 66 days, the number of days in which 15 men and 6 boys can do it is a) 44 b) 33 c) 55 d) 66 123) The 30th term of the series 30, ,

21

25 21, ,21

16 …..

is a) 0 b) -100

21

c) -183 d) -133 21

124) If diagonals of a rhombus are 24 cm and 32 cm, then perimeter of that rhombus is a) 80 cm b) 84 cm c) 76 cm d) 72 cm 125) The inradius of an equilateral triangle is 3 cm, then the perimeter of that triangle is a) 18 cm b) 15 cm c) 12 cm d) 6 cm 126) A double bed is marked at RS 7,500. The shopkeeper allows successive discounts of 8%, 5% and 2%on it. What is the Net selling price? a) Rs 6,500 b) Rs 6,000 c) Rs 6,423.90 d) Rs 6,500.50 127) X purchased an item at a discount of 10% and sold it to Y at 10% and it to Y at 10% profit. The marked price and the price for which Y purchased the item are in ratio. a) 1 : 1 b) 10 : 99 c) 20 : 99 d) 100 : 99 128) A man engaged a servant on the condition that he would pay him Rs 90 and a turban after service of one year. He served only for nine months and received the turban and an amount of Rs 65. The price of turban is a) Rs 25 b) Rs 18.75 c) Rs 10 d) Rs 2.50 129) Tom is chasing Jerry. In the same interval of time Tom jumps 8 times while Jerry jumps 6 times. But the distance covered by Tom in 7 jumps is equal to the distance covered by Jerry in 5 jumps. The ratio of speed of Tom and Jerry is

a) 48 : 35 b) 28 : 15 c) 24 : 20 d) 20 : 21 130) Three years ago the average age of a family of 5 members was 17 years. A baby having been born, the average age of the family remains the same today. The age of the baby today is a) 3 years b) 2 years c) 1 year d) 1.5 years 131) The average marks secured by 36 students was 52. But it was discovered that an item 64 was misread as 46. What is the correct mean of marks? a) 54 b) 53.5 c) 53 d) 52.5 132) A shoe company sold 50 pairs of shoes on a day costing Rs 189.50 each for Rs 10,000. Then the profit obtained in Rs is a) 522 b) 525 c) 573 d) 612 133) Kamala bought a bicycle for Rs 1,650. She had to sell it at a loss of 8%. She sold it for a) Rs 1,581 b) Rs 1,518 c) Rs 1,510 d) Rs 1,508 134) A got twice as many marks in English as in Science. His total marks in English, Science and Mathematics is 180. If the ratio of his marks in English and Mathematics is 2 : 3, what is his marks in Science? a) 20 b) 60 c) 30 d) 40 135) In a village 30% of the population is literate. If the total population of the village is 6,600, then the number of illiterate is a) 1980 b) 4620 c) 2200 d) 3280 136) Two trains start from stations A and B and travel towards each other at speeds of 50 kmph and 60 kmph respectively. At the time of their meeting, the second train has travelled 120 km more than the first. The distance between A and B is a) 1200 km b) 1440 km c) 1320 km d) 990 km 137) Find the difference between the compound interest and the simple interest on Rs 32,000 at 10% p.a. for 4 years. a) 2051.20 b) 2052.50 c) 2025.20 d) 2501.20


138) The whole surface of a cube is 150 sq. cm. Then the volume of the cube is a) 125 cm3 b) 216 cm3 c) 343 cm3 d) 512 cm3 139) If each edge of a square be doubled, then the increase percentage of its area is a) 200% b) 250% c) 280% d) 300% 140) A solid metallic spherical ball of diameter 6 cm is melted and recast into a cone with diameter of the base as 12 cm. The height of the cone is a) 2 cm b) 3 cm c) 4 cm d) 6 cm 141) Subtracting x% of y from y means multiplying y by

a) 100x

b) 1

100x

c) 100x

1

d) x

100x

1

The marks obtained by 273 examinees is shown by the frequency polygon. Given that mean marks is 59.5. Study the frequency polygon and answer Q. No 142 to 145.

Frequency of Marks obtained

2 412

2635

42

72

48

24

80

1020304050607080

0-10 21-30

41-50

61-70

81-90

Marks range

Freq

uenc

y

142) The number of examinees getting more than average marks is a) 72 b) 105 c) 152 d) 164 143) Percentage of the students who got above 80% marks is a) 9.81 b) 10.53 c) 11.28 d) 11.72 144) Percentage of the students got marks above 60% and below 80% is

a) 43.95 b) 48.39 c) 51.06 d) 56.84 145) If 40 is the pass marks, percentage of students failed is ______. a) 14.56 b) 15.84 c) 16.11 d) 17.25 Study the bar diagram and answer Q. Nos. 146 to 150.

60

140

220

300

100

180160

260

120

220

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Philoso Biology Anthro Sociolo Psycholo

Boys Girls

146) The percentage of the girls from Biology Department comparing to the total number of girls from all the other Department together is

a) 21

37

b) 37

c) 21

36

d) 21

35

147) The difference between the total number of boys and the total number of girls from all the Department together is a) 540 b) 520 c) 460 d) 440 148) The average number of boys from all the departments together is a) 123 b) 132 c) 134 d) 142 149) The percentage of the boys from Biology Department comparing to the total number of boys from all the Departments together is

a) 21

33

b) 50

c) 31

33

d) 30

150) The respective ratio of number of girls from Philosophy Department to the number of girls from Psychology Department is a) 7 : 11 b) 11 : 7 c) 7 : 10 d) 6 : 11


GENERAL AWARNESS 151) If the equilibrium constants for the systems H2 + I2 2HI and 2HI H2 + I2 are K1 and K2 respectively, the relationship between K1 and K2 is: a) K1 = K2 b) K1 = 2K2 c) K1 = K2/2 d) K1 = 1/K2 152) Water has maximum density at a) 100° C b) 0° C c) 4° C d) 273° C 153) Concentration of a material which is lethal to 50% animal is called as a) LD50 b) LC50 c) NOAEL d) ADI 154) Neap tides are a) Strong b) Weak c) Medium d) Very strong 155) Sahara is located in which part of Africa? a) Eastern b) Western c) Northern d) Southern 156) The Ocean with the largest surface area is a) Arctic Ocean b) Atlantic Ocean c) Indian Ocean d) Pacific Ocean 157) About how many Indians cannot meet their essential needs as per a report by Mc Kinsey Global Institute (MGI) released on 19th February, 2014? a) 66% b) 56% c) 46% d) 36% 158) When a bond is formed between two atoms, the energy of the system will a) increase b) decrease c) remain the same d) may increase or decrease 159) Telephone was invented by a) Alexander Graham Bell b) Baird c) Stevenson d) Newton 160) Which was the first country to host the Asian Games? a) Korea b) India c) Japan d) China 161) Who is the founder of Jainism in India? a) Gautama b) Mahavira c) Chandragupta d) Ashoka

162) Who compiled the tales of “The Panchatantra”? a) Valmiki b) Veda Vyasa c) Vishnu Sharma d) Tulsidas 163) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for 2012-13 was awarded to a) Sachin Tendulkar b) Sania Mirza c) Major RVS Rathore d) Ronjan Sodhi 164) Human Rights Day is observed on a) 10th March b) 10th July c) 10th September d) 10th December 165) Ajanta Caves were built during period of a) Gupta b) Kushana c) Maurya d) Chalukya 166) Who was the painter of the famous painting called – ‘Bharatmata’? a) Gaganendranath Tagore b) Abanindranath Tagore c) Nandalal Bose d) Jamini Roy 167) Who discovered Cape of Good Hope in 1488? a) Magellan b) Columbus c) Bartholomew Dias d) Vasco da gama 168) Taxes are as certain as the death, because a) They constitute the major source of government revenue. b) Government have no other source of revenue. c) Most PSUs are run inefficiently. d) Government has its own budget constraints. 169) Which is NOT a measure undertaken by government to check inflation? a) Increase in consumption b) Increase in production c) Reduction in Deficit financing d) Taxation measures. 170) The ‘Slack Season’ in the Indian Economy is a) March-April b) September-December c) January-June d) February-April 171) The relationship between the rate of interest and level of consumption was first visualized by a) Amartya K. Sen b) Milton Friedman c) Irving Fisher d) James Duesenberry 172) Which one of the Constitutional amendment has established Panchayati Raj Institution? a) 72nd Amendment Act b) 71st Amendment Act c) 73rd Amendment Act d) 78TH Amendment Act


173) ‘Take-off stage’ in an economy means a) Steady growth begins. b) Economy is stagnant. c) Economy is about to collapse. d) All controls are removed. 174) In the year 1977, an official committee was appointed to examine Panchayat Raj under the Chairmanship of a) Ashok Mehta b) Shri Ram Mehta c) Balwant Rai Mehta d) Manohar Lal Mehta 175) How many countries are the members of U.N. General Assembly? a) 190 b) 191 c) 192 d) 193 176) Which among the following States, first introduced the Panchayat Raj System? a) Rajasthan b) Haryana c) Uttar Pradesh d) Maharashtra 177) Which was the backbone of Indus Economy? a) Agriculture b) Trade c) Wheel Made Pottery d) Carpentry 178) Which Mughal Emperor transferred the Mughal Capital from Agra to Delhi? a) Jahangir b) Aurangzeb c) Shahjahan d) Bahadur Shah 179) Who said, “A living thing is born” after the League of Nation’s Covenant was drafted? a) Lord Robert Cecil b) Woodrow Wilson c) Orlando d) Neville Chamberlain 180) The author of ‘Arthashastra’ was a contemporary of ____. a) Ashoka b) Chandragupta Maurya c) Samudragupta d) Chandragupta Vikramaditya 181) The Taj – Mahal was built by ___________________. a) Jahangir b) Shahjahan c) Sher Shah d) Nadir Shah 182) The Election Commission is established under the Article a) Article – 355 b) Article – 256 c) Article – 324 d) Article – 320 183) The percentage of India’s total population employed in agriculture is nearly a) 60% b) 50% c) 70% d) 80%

184) The temperature increases rapidly above a) Ionosphere b) Exosphere c) Stratosphere d) Troposphere 185) Which one of the following continents lies in Northern – Southern and Eastern-Western hemispheres of the earth? a) Australia b) Africa c) Europe d) South America 186) Which Committee/Commission examined the Centre and State relationship? a) Ashok Mehta Committee b) Indrajit Gupta Committee c) Sarkaria Commission d) N.N. Vohra Committee 187) Which one of the following is not a photosynthetic pigment? a) Chlorophyll b) Phycobilin c) Carotenoid d) Anthocyanin 188) National Fruit of India is a) Mango b) Pineapple c) Apple d) Grapes 189) Which of the following is a fibrous protein? a) Haemoglobin b) Albumin c) Kertain d) Enzymes 190) Typhoid fever is caused by a) Bacteria b) Virus c) Protozoa d) Fungi 191) The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature was established in a) 1898 b) 1988 c) 2001 d) 1664 192) Which one of the following is the world’s largest desert? a) Arabian b) Kalahari c) Sahara d) Thar 193) A man standing at the top of a tower has two spheres A and B. He drops sphere A downwards and throws sphere B horizontally at the same time. Which of the following is correct? a) Both the spheres will reach the ground simultaneously. b) A will reach the ground first. c) B will reach the ground first. d) The question is incomplete because the masses of the spheres are not given


194) The dimensional formula ML-1T-2 corresponds to a) Modulus of elasticity b) Viscosity c) Moment of a force d) Thrust 195) 1 Micron is equal to a) 10-9m b) 10-12m c) 10-6m d) 10-15m 196) A wavelength of 0.3 m is produced in air and it travels at a speed of 300 m/s. Then it will be an a) Audible wave b) Infrasonic wave c) Ultrasonic wave d) Microwave 197) The time between program input and output is called a) Turn around time b) Waiting time c) Execution time d) Delay time 198) The Indian National Grid Computing Initiative for Scientific Engineering and Academic Community is named a) Ganga b) SAGA c) Garuda d) PARAM 199) Sodium Carbonate is commonly known as a) Baking Soda b) Washing Soda c) Caustic Soda d) Caustic Potash 200) Carolus Linnaeus System of classification is a) Natural b) Artificial c) Binomial d) Phylogenetic

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

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

101 A 102 C 103 B 104 A 105 A 106 D 107 C 108 D 109 A 110 D 111 A 112 A 113 A 114 C 115 A 116 B 117 A 118 A 119 D 120 A 121 C 122 A 123 B 124 A 125 A 126 C 127 D 128 C 129 D 130 B 131 D 132 B 133 B 134 C 135 B 136 C 137 A 138 A 139 D 140 B 141 C 142 C 143 D 144 A 145 C 146 A 147 D 148 B 149 C 150 A 151 D 152 C 153 A 154 B 155 C 156 D 157 B 158 B 159 A 160 B 161 B 162 C 163 D 164 D 165 A 166 B 167 D 168 A 169 A 170 C 171 B 172 C 173 A 174 A 175 D 176 A 177 A 178 C 179 B 180 B 181 B 182 C 183 B 184 B 185 C 186 D 187 A 188 C 189 A 190 A 191 C 192 A 193 A 194 A 195 C 196 A 197 C 198 C 199 A 200 C


I B P S P O MODEL TEST PAPER (REASONING AND QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE SECTION ONLY)

REASONING ABILITY

Directions (Q. 1-6): A word and number arrangement machine when given an input line of words and numbers rearranges them following a particular rule in each step. The following is an illustration of input rearrangement. Input: but 32 71 glory fair south 65 84 Step I: south but 32 71 glory fair 65 84 Step II: south 84 but 32 71 glory fair 65 Step III: south 84 glory but 32 71 fair 65 Step IV: south 8 4 glory 71 but 32 fair 65 Step V: south 84 glory 71 fair but 32 65 Step VI: south 84 glory 71 fair 65 but 32 And Step VI is the last step of the rearrangement. As per the rules followed in the above steps, find out in each of the following questions the appropriate step for given input. 1) Step III of an input is: year 92 ultra 15 23 strive house 39 How many more steps will be required to complete the rearrangement? 1) Three 2) Four 3) Two 4) Five 5) None of these 2) Input: any how 49 24 far wide 34 69 Which of the following steps will be the last but one? 1) VI 2) VII 3) V 4) VIII 5) None of these 3) Step II of an input is: town 74 pair 15 31 nice job 42 Which of the following is definitely the input? 1) pair 15 31 town nice job 42 74 2) pair 15 town 31 74 nice job 42 3) pair 15 town 74 31 nice job 42 4) Cannot be determined 5) None of these 4) Input: play over 49 37 12 match now 81 Which of the following will be step IV? 1) play 81 over 49 37 match now

2) play 81 over 49 37 12 now 3) play 81 over 49 now 37 match 12 4) There will be no such step. 5) None of these 5) Step II of an input is: war 58 box cart 33 49 star 24 Which of the following steps will be the last? 1) V 2) VI 3) IV 4) VII 5) None of these 6) Input: shower fall water 34 51 67 98 goal How many steps will be required to complete the rearrangement? 1) Three 2) Four 3) Six 4) Five 5) None of these Directions (Q. 7-12): In the following questions, the symbols ©, @, $, % and are used with the following meaning as illustrated below: ‘P@Q’ means ‘P is not greater than Q’. ‘P%Q’ means ‘P is not smaller than Q’. ‘PQ’ means ‘P is neither smaller than nor equal to Q’. ‘P©Q’ means ‘P is neither greater t han nor equal to Q’. ‘P$Q’ means ‘P is neither greater than nor smaller than Q’. In each question four statements showing relationship have been given, which are followed by four conclusions I, II, III & IV. Assuming that the given statements are true, fin d out which conclusion(s) is/are definitely true. 7) Statements: M © D, D K, K @ R, R F Conclusions: I. F © K II. D F III. M © R IV. D R 1) None is true 2) Only I is true 3) Only II is true 4) Only III is true 5) Only IV is true 8) Statement: B % K, K $ T, T F, H © F Conclusions: I. B $ T II. T © B III. H © K IV. F © B


1) Only either I or II is true 2) Only III is true 3) Only IV is true 4) Only III and IV are true 5) Only either I or II and III and IV are true 9) Statements: W B, B @ F, F © R, R $ M Conclusions: I. W F II. M B III. R B IV. M W 1) Only I and IV are true 2) Only II and III are true 3) Only I and III are true 4) Only II and IV are true 5) None of these 10) Statements: E @ K, K $ T, T © N, B % N Conclusions: I. T % E II. K © N III. B T IV. B E 1) Only I, II and II are true 2) Only II, III and IV are true 3) Only I, III and IV are true 4) All are true 5) None of these 11) Statements: Z $ B, B % M, M © F, F @ R Conclusions: I. Z M II. F B III. R M IV. M @ Z 1) Only I and II are true 2) Only I, III and IV are true 3) Only III and IV are true 4) Only I or IV and II are true 5) None of these 12) Statements: H @ T, T $ N, F © N, B % F Conclusions: I. F @ H II. F © T III. B T IV. B % H 1) None is true 2) Only I is true 3) Only II is true 4) Only III and IV are true 5) Only II and III are true Directions (Q. 13-17): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below: P, Q, R, S, T, V and W are seven students of a school. Each of them studies in a different standards – from Standard IV to Standard X – not necessarily in the same order. Each of them has a favourite subject from English, Science, History, Geography, Mathematics, Hindi and Sanskrit, not necessarily in the same order. Q studies in VII Standard and does not like either Mathematics or Geography. R likes English and does not study either in V or in IX. T studies in VIII Standard and likes Hindi . The one who likes Science studies in X Standard. S studies in IV Standard. W likes Sanskrit. P does not study in X Standard. The one who likes Geography studies in V Standard. 13) In which standard does W study? 1) VII 2) IX

3) X 4) Data inadequate 5) None of these 14) Which subject does P like? 1) Geography 2) Mathematics 3) English 4) History 5) None of these 15) Which subject does S like? 1) History 2) Geography 3) Mathematics 4) Data inadequate 5) None of these 16) In which standard does P study? 1) IV 2) VII 3) IX 4) X 5) None of these 17) Which of the following combinations of student-standard-subject is correct? 1) T- VIII- Mathematics 2) W- VII- Sanskrit 3) Q- VII- Geography 4) V- X- Science 5) None of these Directions (18): Read the following information carefully and answer the questions which follow Small brands are now looking beyond local grocery stores and are tying up with supermarkets such as Big Bazaar to pull their business out of troubled waters. Which of the following can be inferred from the given information? (An inference is something that is not directly stated but can be inferred from the given information) 1) Merchandise of smaller brands would not be available at loca l grocery stores in the near future 2) Smaller brands cannot compete with bigger ones in a supermarket set-up. 3) There is a perception among small brands that sale in a supermarket is higher than that of small grocery stores. 4) Supermarkets genera te more revenue by selling products of bigger brands as compared to the smaller ones. 5) Smaller brands have always had more tie-ups with supermarkets as compared to small grocery stores. Directions (19-22): These questions are based on the information given above and the sentences labeled (A), (B),(C),(D),(E) and (F) as given below (A) A smaller brand manufacturing a certain product of quality comparable with that of a bigger brand, makes much more profit from the local grocery stores than from the supermarkets. (B) As the supermarkets have been set up only in bigger cities at present, this step would fail to deliver results in the smaller cities.


(C) Supermarkets help the smaller brands break into newer markets without investing substantially in distribution. (D) Supermarkets charge the smaller brands 10% higher than the amount charged to the bigger brands. (E) Being outnumbered by the bigger brands, visibility of the smaller brands at local grocery stores is much lower as compared to the supermarkets. (F) Smaller brands are currently making substantial losses in their businesses. 19) Which of the statements numbered (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) and (F) can be assumed from the facts/information given in the statements? (An assumption is something supposed or taken for granted) 1) Only (A) 2) Only (B) 3) Both (B) and (C) 4) Both (D) and (E) 5) Only (F) 20) Which of the statements numbered (A), (B), (C), (E) and (F) represents a disadvantage of the small grocery stores over the supermarkets from the perspective of a smaller brand? 1) Only (A) 2) Only (C) 3) Only (E) 4) Only (F) 5) Both (B) and (C) 21) Which of the statements (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E) mentioned above represents a reason for the shift from local grocery stores to supermarkets by the smaller brands? 1) Only (A) 2) Only (B) 3) Only (D) 4) Both (A) and (D) 5) Only (C) 22) Which of the statements numbered (A), (B), (C), (E) and (F) mentioned above would prove that the step taken by the smaller brands (of moving to supermarkets) may not necessarily be correct? 1) Only (A) 2) Only (C) 3) Only (E) 4) Only (F) 5) Both (B) and (E) Directions (Q. 23-27): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below: i) A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H are eight students, each having a different height, ii) D is shorter than A but taller than G. iii) E is taller than H but shorter than C. iv) B is shorter than D but taller than F. v) C is shorter than G. vi) G is not as tall as F.

23) Which of the following is definitely false? 1) G is shorter than F. 2) C is shorter than F. 3) F is taller than C. 4) B is taller than E. 5) All are true 24) If another students J, who is taller than E but shorter than G, is added to the group, which of the following will be definitely true? 1) C and J are of the same height. 2) J is shorter than D. 3) J is shorter than H. 4) J is taller than A. 5) None of these 25) Which of the following will definitely be the third from top when the eight students are arranged in descending order of height? 1) B 2) F 3) G 4) B or G 5) Cannot be determined 26) How many of them are definitely shorter than F? 1) Three 2) Four 3) Five 4) Data inadequate 5) None of these 27) Which of the following is redundant to answer all the above questions? 1) (ii) only 2) (ii) and (iii) only 3) (iii) and (iv) only 4) (ii) and (v) only 5) All are necessary to answer the above questions. Directions (Q. 28-33): In each question below are four statements followed by four conclusions numbered I, II, III and IV. You have to take the four given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance with commonly known facts and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follows from the four gives statements disregarding commonly known facts. Then decide which of the answers 1), 2) 3), 4) and 5) is correct and indicate it on the answer sheet. 28) Statements: All belts are rollers. Some rollers are whe els. All wheels are mats. Some mats are cars. Conclusions: I. Some mats are rollers. II. Some mats are belts. III. Some cars are rollers. IV. Some rollers are belts. 1) Only I and II follow 2) Only I, III and IV follow 3) Only I and IV follow


4) Only II, III and IV follow 5) None of these 29) Statements: Some tyres are rains. Some rains are flowers. All flowers are jungles. All jungles are tubes. Conclusions: I. Some jungles are tyres. II. Some tubes are rains. III. Some jungles are rains. IV. Some tubes are flowers. 1) Only I, II and III follow 2) Only II, III and IV follow 3) Only I, III and IV follow 4) All follow 5) None of these 30) Statements: All desks are chairs. All chairs are tables. All tables are boxes. All boxes are trunks. Conclusions: I. Some trunks are tables. II. All chairs are boxes. III. Some boxes are desks. IV. All desks are trunks. 1) Only I, II and III follow 2) Only I, II and IV follow 3) Only II, III and IV follow 4) All follow 5) None of these 31) Statements: Some birds are goats. Some goats are horses. Some horses are lions. Some lions are tigers. Conclusions: I. Some tigers are goats. II. No tiger is goat. III. Some lions are birds. IV. No lion is bird. 1) Only either I or II follows 2) Only either III or IV follow 3) Only either I or II and either III or IV follow 4) Only I and II follow 5) None of these 32) Statements: All papers are bottles. All bottles are cups. Some cups are jugs. Some jugs are plates. Conclusions: I. Some plates are cups. II. Some plates are bottles. III. Some cups are papers.

IV. Some bottles are papers. 1) Only III and IV follow 2) Only I and II follow 3) Only I and III follow 4) Only II and IV follow 5) None of these 33) Statements: All bulbs are wires. No wire is cable. Some cables are brushes. All brushes are paints. Conclusions: I. Some paints are cables. II. Some wires are bulbs. III. Some brushes are wires. IV. Some cables are bulbs. 1) None follows 2) Only I & II follow 3) Only II follows 4) Only III follows 5) Only IV follows Directions (Q. 34-38): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below. At a recent international summit five delegates A, B, C, D and E participa ted. A person observed and made the following statements B and C spoke English, although when D joined them they all changed to Spanish, the only common language among the three of them. The only common language among A, B and E was French. The only common language between C and E was Italian, Three delegates could speak Portuguese. The most common language was Spanish. One of the delegates sp oke all five languages, another one spoke four, one spo ke three, one spoke two and one spoke only one language. 34) The person who speaks all the five

language is 1) A 2) B 3) C 4) Can’t say 5) None of these 35) D does not speak which of the following

languages? I) French II) Italian III) Portuguese 1) Only I 2) I and II 3) I and III 4) II and III 5) All of these 36) E speaks which of the following

languages? I) French II) Italian III) Portuguese 1) Only I 2) I and II 3) I and III 4) II and III 5) All of these


37) The only person who does not speak Spanish is

1) A 2) B 3) C 4) Can’t say 5) None of these 38) Which of the following indicates the

pair of persons who speak neither English nor Italian?

1) AD 2) AB 3) BD 4) DE 5) None of these Directions (39-42): Read the following information and the five statements given below it carefully and answer the questions which follow. Steve Jobs himself said it: “It’s smart to take an existing idea and enhance it beautifully,” Apple did it and so did som e of the most successful brands worldwide. To be successful, it is not essential to imova tion’ which is a combination of innovation and imitation. (A) As an innovation is a standalone product in the market, it reaps in all t he profit till the ‘innovators’ imitate it. ‘Imovation’ , however, is not profitable as there are many imitated products in the market at the same time, all reducing each other’s profits. (B) Brand X duplicated Brand Y’s mobile phones with exactly the same fe atures and same price range but failed to make an impact in the market. (C) No one remembe rs the innovators after some time because they did not turn their idea into success. On the other hands, the imitators did what they had to just at the right time. (D) While Sanfy invented portable MP3 players, it was Apple which enabled MP3 players to play videos and games at a fairly reaso nable price, thus capturing the market. (E) ‘Imovation’ is a lot less risky business venture. An imitator is already eq uipped with the analysis of how market received the innovation. 39) ‘Blind imitation of a product can never be successful and sustainable. Which of the statem ents (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E) mentioned above proves the above statement most appropriately? 1) D 2) B 3) C 4) E 5) Both A and C 40) Which of the statements (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E)mentioned above represented an advantage of imitating an existing product? 1) B 2) Both B and D

3) E 4) Both C and B 5) Both A and D 41) Which of the statements (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E) mentioned above would contradict the fact that imitation of products is a successful market strategy? 1) A 2) C 3) D 4) E 5) Both B and E 42) Companies must add such values to their imitated products that not only distinguish their imitation but also add to customer satisfaction. Which of the statements numbered (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E) mentioned a bove proves the above statement most appropriately? 1) A 2) Both A and B 3) Both A and E 4) Both A and C 5) Both B and D Directions (Q. 43-45): Each of the questions below consists of a question and three statements numbered I, II and III given below it. You have to decide whether the data provided in the statements are sufficient to answer the question. Read all three statements and give answer 1) if the data in statem ents I and II are sufficient to answer the question, while the data in statement III are not required to answer the question. 2) if the data in stateme nts I and III are sufficient to answer the question, whi le the data in statement II are not required to answer the question. 3) if the data in statemen ts II and III are sufficient to answer the question, while the data in statement I are not required to answer the question. 4) if the data in either st atement I alone or statement II alone or statement III alone are sufficient to answer the question. 5) if the data in all the statement I, II and III together are necessary to answer the question. 43) Out of five persons A, B, C, D and E, A is in which direction with respect to E? I. A is to west of D and to the south of C. C is to the west of E. II. B is to the west of C and south-east of D, who is north of A. D is to the east of E. III. E is to the south of D and north of B, who is to the west of A. 44) How is ‘candle’ coded in a code language? I. ‘su de fi ge’ is the code for ‘blow candle off light’ and ‘ra se de pi’ is the code for ‘light should cut never’.


II. ‘pi fi ta du’ is the cod e for ‘you should call off’ and ‘ge ko mo tu’ is the code for ‘never blow your trumpet’. III. ‘fi si de et’ is the code for ‘light always goes off’ and ‘ra fu se zu’ is the code for ‘cut never tree ever.’ 45) In a family of seven members, how is S related to V? I. T and U are offspring of R, who is the wife of S. II. Z, the cousin of W, is the nie ce of T. III. V is the only brother -in-law of W. Q 46-50) Study the following information carefully and answer the given questions. Eight colleagues A, B, C , D, E, F, G and H, are sitting around a circular table facing the centre but not necessarily in the same order. Each one of them holds a different post – Manager, Company Secretary, Chairman, President , Vice President, Group Leader, Financial Advisor and Managing Director. A sits third to the right of the Managing Director. Only two people sits betwe en the Managing Director and H. The Vice Presiden t and the Company Secretary are immediate neighbour. Neither A nor H is a Vice President or a company secretary. The Vice President is not an immediate neighbour of the Managing Director. The Manager sits second to the left of E. E is not an immediate neighbour of H. The Manager is an immediate neighbour of both Group Leader and the Financial Advisor. The Financial Advisor sits third to the right of B. B is not the Vice President. C sits on the immediate right of the Chairman. A is not the Chairman. G is not an immediate neighbour of the Manager. F is not an immediate neighbour of A. 46) Who amongst the following sits third to the left of E? 1) Manager 2) G 3) A 4) Financial Advisor 5) B 47) Four of the following five are alike in a certain way based on the given arrangement and thus form a group. Which is the one that does not belong to that group? 1) F – Chairman 2) G – President 3) D – Manager 4) A – Financial Advisor 5) B – Managing Director 48) Who among the following is the President of the company? 1) A 2) C 3) H 4) G 5) D

49) Which of the following is true with respect to the given seating arrangement? 1) The Group Leader of the Company is an immediate neighbour of the Vice President 2) G sits second to the right of D 3) The Group Leade r and the company secretary are immediate neighbours 4) The Chairman of the company sits to the immediate left of the Managing Director 5) The Group Leader sits second to t he left of D. 50) Which of the following posts does B hold in the company? 1) Chairman 2) Manager 3) Company Secretary 4) Vice President 5) Financial Advisor

QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE

Directions (Q. 51-55): What value should come in place of question mark (?) in the following questions? 51) (119)4.8 x (119)5.01 (119)3.001 = (119)? 1) 7.3 2) 6.8 3) 5.2 4) 4.9 5) 3

52) ?76.39997.2808 1) 17 2) 54 3) 16 4) 14 5) 15

53) 175% of 460 + 110% of 170 + (2) ? = (10)? 1) 3 2) 4 3) 5 4) 2 5) 1

54) ?554

3 6 96

4 6 8

1) 58 2) 516 3) 52 4) 54 5) None of these

55) ?

35

35

18

7

35

5

17

5

32

7

13

1) 3 2) 5 3) 7 4) 9 5) 11

Directions (Q 56-60): What should come in place of question mark (?) in the following number series?

56) 81 512 2401 7776 15625 16384 ? 1) 2187 2) 19683


3) 729 4) 512 5) 6561 57) 8 64 216 512 1000 1728 ? 1) 4096 2) 2744 3) 3375 4) 2197 5) 4913 58) 3 4 10 33 136 685 ? 1) 3430 2) 4802 3) 5145 4) 4116 5) 5488 59) 16 12 18 40.5 121.5 455.625 ? 1) 2050.1125 2) 2050.2125 3) 2050.3125 4) 2050.4125 5) 2050.5125 60) 4 18 48 100 180 294 ? 1) 448 2) 424 3) 436 4) 460 5) 412 Directions (Qs. 61-65): Following pie-chart shows the percentage distribution of total population of different cities and the distribution of literate males and females among them. Total population of all six cities together is 1.5 crore and the ratio of males to females among them is 8:7. Total literate males and females in all cities are 40 and 25 lakh respectively.

61) What is the total illiterate population of City A? 1) 10.8 lakh 2) 14.2 lakh 3) 16.8 lakh 4) 18 lakh 5) None of these 62) Total literate males of City E are what percentage of total literate females of City F? 1) 270% 2) 118% 3) 196% 4) 240% 5) 304%

63) Total literate population of City E is what percentage of its total population? 1) 25.33% 2) 16.66% 3) 26% 4) 42% 5) 64% 64) What is the difference between total illiterate population and total literate population of City C? 1) 8.5 lakh 2) 9.5 lakh 3) 10.5 lakh 4) 11 lakh 5) 20.5 lakh 65) Total number of literate males of City D is what percentage more than the total number of literate female of City D? 1) 60% 2) 38.46% 3) 61.538% 4) 120% 5) 160% Directions (66-70): Study the given information carefully and answer the questions that follows: An urn contains 3 red, 6 blue, 2 green and 4 yellow marbles 66) If two marbles are picked at random, what is the probably that both are green?

1) 15

2 2) 15

1

3) 7

2 4) 1

5) None 67) If three marbles are picked at random, what is the probability that two are blue and one is yellow?

1) 15

2 2)

91

6

3) 91

12

4)

15

3

5) None of these 68) If four marbles are picked any random, what is the probability that at least one is yellow?

1) 123

91 2)

91

69

3) 143

125

4)

4

1

5) one of these 69) It two marbles are picked at random, what is the probability that either both are red or both are green?

1) 5

3 2)

105

4


3) 7

2

4)

91

5

5) None of these 70) If four marbles are picked at random, what is the probability that one is green, two are blue and one is red?

1) 15

4 2)

280

17

3) 91

6

4)

15

11

5) None of these 71) 35 women can do a price of work in 15 days. How many women would be required to do the same work in 25 days? 1) 21 2) 24 3) 30 4) 36 5) None of these 72) A 280 meters long train travelling at a uniform speed, crosses a platform in 60 seconds and a man standing on the platform in 20 seconds. What is the length of the platform? 1) 640 meters 2) 420 meters 3) 280 meters 4) Cannot be determined 5) None of these 73) If the numerator of a fraction is increased by 500% and the denominator is increased by 300%, the resultant

fraction is 117

1 . What was the original

fraction?

1) 17

12 2) 17

13

3) 7

3 4) 11

4

5) None of these 74-75): In the following questions two equations numbered I and II are given. You have to solve both the equations and – Give answer if 1) x > y 2) x y 3) x < y 4) x y 5) x = y or the relationship cannot be established

74) I. xxx

11915

II.

y

yy 1

12

5

4

75) I. xxx

68 II. Y3 - 0

14 27

y

Directions (Q. 76-80): Study the following information carefully to answer the questions that follow: A company produces 4 different products, viz AC, fans, refrigerators and ovens, each product of two different qualities ie, Quality A and Quality B. The company produces a total of 500 products. One -fifth of total number of products are fans, out of which 35% are of Quality B. Fifteen percent of the total number of products are AC. Two -thirds of the ACs are of quality A. Twenty five per cent of the total numbers of products are refrigerators, out of which 40% are of quality B. Ten per cent of the number of ovens are of Quality B. 76) What is the total number of AC and ovens of Quality B and fans and refrigerators of Quality A together made by the company? 1) 165 2) 205 3) 155 4) 185 5) None of these 77) What is the average number of products of Quality A made by the company? 1) 90 2) 75 3) 80 4) 95 5) 92.5 78) What is the ratio of the number of ovens of Quality B to the number of fans of Quality A? 1) 5 : 2 2) 4 : 13 3) 5 : 13 4) 4 : 9 5) None of these 79) What is the difference between the number of ACs of Quality A and Quality B? 1) 25 2) 50 3) 35 4) 40 5) None of these 80) The number of refrigerators of Quality A is approximately what percentage of the total number of ovens (both Quality A and B together)? 1) 39 2) 31 3) 35 4) 38 5) 49 Directions (Q. 81-85): Each question below is followed by two statements A and B. You are to determine whether the data given in the statement is sufficient for answering the question. You should use the data and your knowledge of Mathematics to choose between the possible answers. Give answer 1) if the statement A alone is sufficient to answer the q uestion, but the statement B alone is not sufficient.


Given answer 2) if the statement B alone is sufficient to answer the question, but the statement A alone is not sufficient. Given answer 3) if both statements A and B together are needed to answer the question. Given answer 4) if either the statement A alone or the statement B alone is sufficient to answer the question. Given answer 5) if you cannot get the answer from the statements together, but need even more data.

81) What is the rate of interest (pcpa) on an amount of Rs. 6000 deposited in a bank? A. The simple interest for four years is Rs. 2,400. B. The difference between the simple interest and compound interest is Rs. 384.6. 82) What is the number? A. 75% of that number is three fourths o f that number. B. Three fourths of that number is less by 34 of that number. 83) The ages of Sakshi and Sanchit are in the ratio 7:6. What is the age of Sanchit? A. The ages of Sakshi and Smita are in the ratio of 8:5 B. After 5years the ratio of S mita’s and Sanya’s ages will be 3:2 84) Is B an odd number? A. B multiplied by an odd number is equal to an even number. B. B is divisible by 2. 85) What is the salary of D, in group of A, B, C, D, E and F whose average salary is Rs. 50, 5687? A. Total of the salaries of A and F is Rs. 78,980. B. Total of the salaries of B and C is Rs. 54, 665.

Directions (Q. 86-90): Study the table carefully to answer the questions that follow:

Total number of students studying in various colleges over the years.

Year College

A B C D E 2001 1125 1200 1170 1090 1114 2002 1345 1265 1342 1238 1278 2003 1290 1348 1560 1346 1662 2004 1785 1440 1660 1546 1784 2005 1890 1802 1864 1790 1986 2006 2000 2100 2200 1996 2265 2007 2160 2346 2178 2061 2448

86) What is the average number of students studying in the College E over the given years? 1) 1656 2) 1791 3) 1710 4) 1581 5) None of these 87) The number of students studying in College B in the year 2003 is approximately what per cent of the total number of students in various college in that year? 1) 37 2) 31 3) 19 4) 23 5) 14 88) What is the ratio of the number of students studying in College B to the number of students studying in College E in the year 2007? 1) 23:24 2) 11:12 3) 24:23 4) 12:00 5) None of these 89) What is the difference between the average number of students studying in College B over the given years and the average number of students studying in College D over the given years? 1) 23 2) 148 3) 434 4) 62 5) None of these 90) What is the difference between the total number of students studying in College A over the given years and the total number of students studying in College C over the given years? 1) 907 2) 94 3) 434 4) 1036 5) 379 91) Which number should replace both the question marks in the following equation?

128

? = ?

72

1) 96 2) 106 3) 92 4) 98 5) None of these 92) The C.I. on a certain sum is Rs. 104 for 2 years and S.I. is Rs. 100. Find the principal. 1) Data inadequate 2) Rs. 625 3) Rs. 670 4) Rs. 700 5) Rs. 850 93) A sum of money is divided among A, B, C and D in the ratio of 5:8:9:11. If the share of B is Rs. 2,475 more than the share of A, then what is the total amount of money of A & C together?


1) Rs. 9,900 2) Rs. 11,550 3) Rs. 10,725 4) Rs. 9,075 3 5) None of these

94) By how much is 3

2of 159 lesser than

8

5of

224? 1) 36 2) 38.75 3) 32.25 4) 34 5) None of these 95) The ages of Shakti and Kanti are in the ratio of 8:7. After 10 years the ratio of their ages will be 13:12. What is the difference in years between their ages? 1) 2 years 2) 4 years 3) 6 years 4) 8 years 5) None of these Durations (Q. 96-100): The following graph shows the percentage growth in population of six cities from 1990 to 2000 and 2000 to 2010.

96) If the population of City F in year 1990 was 12 lakh, what will be its population in year 2010? 1) 31.65 lakh 2) 32.55 lakh 3) 33.4 lakh 4) 34.64 lakh 5) None of these 97) The population of City D in year 2000 was what per cent of its population in year 2010? 1) 57.8% 2) 60% 3) 62.5% 4) 96% 5) 160% 98) In year 1990 the population of City A and City B are equal and the population of City A in year 2010 is 37.7 lakh. What is the population of City B in year 2010? 1) 38.4 lakh 2) 42 lakh 3) 43.5 lakh 4) 44 lakh 5) 46.6 lakh

99) If the population of City C in the year 2010 and that of city D in year 2000 are equal and they are 27.2 lakh each the population of City C in year 1990 is what percentage of population of City D in the same year? 1) 50% 2) 75% 3) 80% 4) 120% 5) 200% 100) The population of City E in year 1990 was what fraction of its population in 2010? 1) 8 : 19 2) 10 : 19 3) 8 : 21 4) 10 : 21 5) 15 : 19

ANSWER KEY

REASONING ABILITY

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

11 3 12 3 13 2 14 1 15 3 16 5 17 4 18 3 19 5 20 3 21 5 22 1 23 5 24 2 25 1 26 2 27 5 28 3 29 2 30 4 31 3 32 1 33 2 34 2 35 5 36 2 37 5 38 1 39 2 40 3 41 1 42 5 43 4 44 1 45 5 46 4 47 5 48 1 49 4 50 3

QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 51 2 52 4 53 1 54 4 55 2 56 5 57 2 58 4 59 3 60 1 61 1 62 5 63 4 64 2 65 1 66 5 67 3 68 2 69 2 70 3 71 1 72 5 73 1 74 1 75 5 76 4 77 5 78 2 79 1 80 4 81 1 82 2 83 5 84 3 85 5 86 2 87 3 88 1 89 5 90 5 91 1 92 2 93 2 94 4 95 1 96 2 97 3 98 2 99 1 100 4


Latest G.K. Bytes

MARCH – 2015 1) Kshatrapati Shivaji has been appointed Chairman and Managing

Director of which bank: Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

2) Mo Ibrahim Prize is given for what achievement: for excellence in public governance

3) Mo Ibrahim Prize is given in which part of the world: Africa 4) Who has been elected as the new President of the BCCI:

Jagmohan Dalmiya 5) What is the full form of the BCCI – the apex body governing the

game of cricket in India: Board of Control for Cricket in India 6) The government has, for the first time, fixed a inflation target for

the RBI, at what level: 6% by January 2016 7) RBI has been given inflation target as per the recommendation of

which committee: Dr. Urjit Patel Committee 8) Arun Kumar Singh has been appointed India’s next Ambassador

to which country: USA 9) As per the Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's richest

people, ___________ has topped the list for the 8th year: Bill Gates

10) Growth of core sector was lowest in January in past 13 months at 1.8 per cent. How many industries are there in the core sector: Eight

11) As per recent data the per capita annual income in India has been recorded at Rs. __________in 2013-14: Rs. 80,388

12) Which wing of defence forces recently conducted its operational exercise ‘TROPEX 2015’: Navy

13) Write the full form of the abbreviation TROPEX: Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise

14) Indian navy recently conducted TROPEX 2015 exercise in which area: Arabian Sea

15) Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic to win which title in Dubai: Dubai Championship

16) the Argentina Open title of Tennis was won by __________ beating Juan Monaco of Argentina: Rafael Nadal

17) Reserve Bank of India cut its main lending rate--the repo rate by _______ percentage points to 7.5% on Mar 4, 2015: 0.25

18) At which place world’s largest and tallest Indian national flag was unfurled on March 3: Faridabad, Haryana

19) The Lok Sabha has passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to bring which category of vehicles into the ambit of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988: e-rickshaws and e-carts

20) Name the popular news magazine that was founded by Vinod Mehta, the eminent journalist who passed away recently: Outlook

21) What is the name of the autobiography of Vinod Mehta: Lucknow Boy

22) Reserve Bank of India eased the norms for home loans for up to which amount: Rs. 10 lac

23) What are the expenses that now can be included in the amount

of home loan as permitted by RBI: Stamp duty and registration charges etc

24) Name the new scheme that will be offered by all Public Sector General Insurance Companies for giving insurance cover against death by accident: Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)

25) The PMSBY is available to all persons in age group_________ years, having a bank account: 18 to 70

26) What is the annual premium amount payable for joining PMSBY: Rs. 12

27) What is the amount of cover available under PMSBY in case of accidental death: Rs. 2 lac

28) Name the new scheme that will be offered by Life Insurance Corporation and all other life insurers for providing life insurance: Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)

29) The PMJJBY is available to all persons in age group_________ years, having a bank account: 18 to 50

30) What is the annual premium amount payable for joining PMJJBY: Rs. 330

31) What is the amount of cover available under PMJJBY in case of death by any reason: Rs. 2 lac

32) Name the new proposed pension scheme to be launched by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, focussing the unorganised sector workers: Atal Pension Yojana (APY)

33) The APY is available to all persons in age group_________ years, having a bank account: 18 to 40

34) Name the badminton player who became the first Indian woman to reach the finals of the All-England Badminton Championship: Saina Nehwal

35) Which Indian organization reached a major milestone of successfully linking 15 crore bank accounts with Aadhaar number: National Payments Corporation of India

36) According to the Mercer Quality of Living Rankings 2015, which Indian city has been selected as the ‘Best Indian City’ to live in: Hyderabad

37) Name the three states that have recently been excluded from the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime for foreign tourists till December 31: Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland

38) International Women’s Day was observed across the world on which date: March 8

39) United Nations declared this year’s theme for women’s day as _________ to encourage effective action for advancing and recognizing women: Make it Happen

40) Govt has decided to converge which national programme with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to facilitate afforestation on 10 million hectares of land over the next decade: National Mission for a Green India (GIM)

41) Name the special bus service that has been started between Varanasi and Kathmandu from March 5: Bharat-Nepal Maitri Bus Seva


42) What was the name of the world’s only solar-powered aircraft which made a stopover in Ahmadabad on March 11: Solar Impulse

43) Name the India’s first indigenously developed and manufactured rotavirus vaccine which was launched in New Delhi: Rotavac

44) Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe ________ among infants and young children: Diarrhea

45) Ambassador of which country to South Korea was in news as he suffered a knife attack by a pro-North Korean activist: USA

46) Saraswati Samman is given for excellence in which field: Literature

47) Saraswati Samman for 2014 has been awarded to which eminent author: M. Veerappa Moily

48) Which state tourism won the silver prize of Golden Gate award at the Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2015, Germany. Kerala

49) Which country tested its Shaheen-III Surface to Surface Ballistic Missile, having a strike range of 2750 kms: Pakistan

50) In which city first Kisan Call Centre (KCC) in North-Eastern India was opened on 9 March 2015: Agaartala

51) Which is the top corporate in the list of top 10 corporates in terms of assets, compiled by the Corporate Affairs Ministry: Reliance Industries Ltd.

52) Which is the largest public sector corporate entity in India in terms of its assets: Indian Oil Corporation

53) A recent Delhi High Court has clarified about which high public office that it is covered under the RTI Act: Attorney General of India

54) Which state government has launched 'Aapki Beti Humari Beti' programme to provide cash assistance of Rs 21,000 families having girl child: Haryana

55) National tourism agency of which country has appointed film star Sai Ali Khan as its brand ambassador in India: Britain

56) Name the three countries that were visited by the Prime Minister Mr. Modi in the second week of March 2015: Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Seychelles

57) Name the country that was visited first of all by the Prime Minister Modi on his recent visit of Indian Ocean Country: Seychelles

58) Name the Sri Lankan Cricket Star who became the first cricketer to score four successive one-day international centuries: Kumar Sangakkara

59) Which international organization has raised India's growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.2 per cent taking into account the revised methodology adopted by India earlier this year for calculating the GDP figures: International Monetary Fund

60) Which Indian organization has committed Rs 1.5 lakh crore for development of various railway projects over the next five years: Life Insurance Company of India

61) Which two countries have been prohibited by RBI from acquiring or transferring immovable property in India: Macau & Hong Kong

62) Which cricketer has been voted as the greatest ODI player in the history of cricket by recent survey: Viv Richards

63) The new Consumer Price Index released by the Central Statistics Office, number of items in the CPI basket has been increased to _____ from 450 in urban areas: 460

64) The base year for the consumer price index has been revised from 2004-05 to ________: 2011-12

65) After a gap of over 20 years, Re 1 note has been released in the country and it bears the signature of which government official:

Finance Secretary, Rajiv Mehrishi 66) Name the university that has topped the list of the 100 most

prestigious universities compiled by Times Higher Education of UK: Harvard University, USA

67) The final match of Ranji Trophy (Cricket) was played on March 12 at which place: Mumbai

68) Which team won the prestigious Ranji Trophy on March 12: Karnataka by beating Tamil Nadu

69) 58th All India Ayurvedic Congress was held in which place on March 14: Chandigarh

70) Which Union Ministry has launched a new web portal, www.inampro.nic.in to monitor the supply of cement at all India level: Road Transport & Highways

71) Name the two that is used by Central Statistics Office to measure the level of industrial production in the country: Index of Industrial Production (IIP)

72) Terry Pratchett who passed away recently was a famous science fantasy novelist from which country: Britain

73) Name the new scheme that has been launched for redressal of grievances of consumers related to drug pricing and availability of medicines: Pharma Jan Samadhaan Scheme

74) Which Indian ministry has launched the Pharma Jan Samadhaan Scheme: Chemicals and Fertilizers

75) A former President of which country was sentenced to 13-year imprisonment by a criminal court: Maldives

76) In which country India has agreed to build a Rabindranath Tagore memorial: Sri Lanka

77) Which Indian organization has agreed to enter into a currency swap Agreement of 1.5 billion dollar to help keep the Sri Lankan rupee stable: RBI

78) Name the super cyclone which slammed into the south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, east of Australia, leaving complete devastation in its wake: Pam

79) Indian navy decommissioned the INS Alleppey on March 13. It was what type of ship: Coastal Minesweeper

80) On which corporate the Income Tax Department recently slapped a tax demand notice of Rs. 20,495 crore: Cairn India

81) The 5th National Community Radio Sammelan held in which city: New Delhi

82) Santosh Trophy is awarded for winning which national tournament: Football

83) Name the winner of the 2014 Santosh Trophy: Services Team 84) A historic bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled on

March 14 at Parliament Square in which international city: London

85) Name the Indian sports star who clinched the Swiss Grand Prix Gold badminton championship title beating Viktor Alexson in Basel, Switzerland: Kidambi Srikanth

86) Which state has opened the largest number of Sukanya Samridhi Account in last two months: Karnataka

87) As per RBI guidelines, loans to which new category of persons will now be included in the priority sector lending: Persons with disabilities

88) RBI has said that loans to persons with disabilities can now be classified in loans to _______ category under priority sector lending: Weaker Section

89) As per RBI guidelines, banks are required to make _____ per cent of their loans to the weaker section: 10

90) Priority sector lending target for all banks in India is fixed at ____ per cent of their total loans: 40


91) Name the Chief of International Monetary Fund (IMF) who visited India recently: Christine Lagarde

92) Headquarters of IMF are located in _____________ in USA: Washington DC

93) ___________ is known as the currency of IMF: SDR 94) Lewis Hamilton who won the Australian Grand Prix Formula 1

race held in Melbourne, Australia is from which country: Britain 95) Name the team that won the Women's Hockey World League

Round Two competition title: India 96) Final match of the Women's Hockey World League Round Two

competition was held in which city: New Delhi 97) As per a recent international report, _________ has emerged as

the world’s largest buyer of weapons and military equipment, accounting for some 15% of total imports: India

98) What is the content of a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of India on the issue of Aadhaar Cards: They are not compulsory for availing various government subsidies and any other benefits

99) The world’s first $1 million prize – Global Teacher Prize is given in which country: USA

100) Which State has passed The Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill, 2015 to ban cow slaughter and sale of beef: Haryana

101) Supreme Court has reversed central government decision to include Jats in the ____________ category: Other Backward Classes (OBC)

102) Out of estimates of 250, 257, 358, 389 million tonnes, ___________ is the correct figure for estimated food grain production during 2014-15: 257

103) Out of France, Germany, Italy and Spain, which country has not decided to join Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: Spain

104) _______ is the main promoter country of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: China

105) Union cabinet recently approved the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of New Tax) Bill, 2015 for which objective: To unearth black money and illicit assets stashed abroad

106) Which Indian State is famous for mass nesting by Olive Ridley: Odisha

107) Olive Ridley, known for their mass nesting practices are which type of animal: Sea Turtle

108) M.C. Mary Kom, Veteran boxer has been appointed brand ambassador for north-east India to promote the region in the rest of the country and abroad. She hails from which state of India: Manipur

109) Capital of which country was in news as Islamic militants stormed its Bardo National Museum killing 17 foreign tourists and three locals: Tunisia

110) Which judicial authority has announced a fine of Rs 5,000 on individuals spotted littering or throwing waste on the railway platforms and tracks: National Green Tribunal

111) According to a recent report by the global think-tank OECD, India is poised to grow 7.7 per cent this year. What is the full form of OCED: Organization for Economic co-operation and Development

112) Name the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile that was successfully tested recently: Astra

113) The Astra missile is launched from which type of platform: Aircraft

114) Which Union Minister has been named Young Global Leader from India by the World Economic Forum (WEF) of Switzerland:

Smriti Irani 115) Bachhrawan, a town near Rae Bareli, UP was in news for what

reasons: A severe train accident 116) _________ has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of Israel:

Benjamin Netanyahu 117) A three-day conference for strengthening maritime trade and

security among Indian Ocean Rim countries was held at which place: Bhubaneshwar

118) Name the Nobel Laureate who has been elected to head Britain's prestigious Royal Society: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

119) Ministry of Railways has constituted the________ council to recommend innovative methods and processes for the improvement, betterment and transformation of the Railways: Kaya Kalp

120) Name the prominent industrialist who has been asked by the government to head the Kaya Kalp council of railways: Ratan Tata

121) M S Dhoni became the first Indian captain to score victory in 100 ODI matches. He achieved this fete in the match played against which country: Bangladesh

122) Capital of which country was in news as over 150 persons, mainly Shia muslims were killed there in the bomb attacks: Yemen (Sanaa)

123) The Central government has announced ___ per cent reservation for women in police forces of union territories, including Delhi: 33

124) Name the team that won the Irani Cup after beating Rest of India in the finals played in Bengaluru: Karnataka

125) Government has directed regional rural banks to cut down on which aspect of their operations: Staff Strength

126) Name the scheme that aims to provide skills training to youth, including Class 10 and 12 drop outs: Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

127) Which union ministry has been assigned the task of aggregating all the stake holders linked with Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana: Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

128) Reserve Bank will issue Rs. ____ coins to commemorate 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru that fell on Nov 14, 2014: 5

129) The government has roped in _______ _________as brand ambassador for its campaign against Hepatitis B: Amitabh Bachchan

130) Name the author of the book “Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy- Speaker's Perspective”: Smt. Meira Kumar, former Speaker, Lok Sabha

131) _________ of New Zealand made the highest score in the World Cup history with 237 not out against West Indies: Martin Guptill

132) Which UN organization is associated with observing March 21 as the International Day of Forests: Food and Agriculture Organization

133) What is the theme of this year’s International Day of Forests: Forests and Climate Change

134) Lee Kuan Yew, a great statesman who passed away on March 23 was credited with development of which country: Singapore

135) BNP Paribas Open Tennis Championship 2015 Men’s singles title was won by which player: Novak Djokovic

136) BNP Paribas Open Tennis Championship 2015 Women’s singles title was won by which player: Simona Halep

137) Which country is associated with the awarding of Stockholm Water Prize: Sweden

138) Name the eminent Indian environment activist who has been selected for Stockholm Water Prize: Rajendra Singh


139) A three day International Conference on Counter Terrorism 2015 was held at which place: Jaipur

140) Stockholm Water Prize winner Rajendra Singh works in which part of India for promoting conservation of water resources: Rajasthan

141) Prime Minister has launched Pragati programme to give impetus to stalled projects and ensure their timely execution across the country. What is the full form of Pragati: Pro-active Governance and Timely Implementation

142) The Supreme Court on March 24 struck down the controversial section 66A of which Act: Information Technology Act

143) The Asian Development Bank says that India’s growth rate is expected to surpass China and improve to _____ per cent in next fiscal: 7.8

144) Name the film that won the National Award for Best Feature Film: Court

145) The Hindi film Mary Kom was honoured with Best Film in which category of National Film Awards: Best Popular Film providing Wholesome Entertainment

146) Which film won the National Award for Best Hindi Film: Queen 147) Name the male actor who won the National Award for Best Actor:

Vijay 148) Name the female actor who won the National Award for Best

Actor: Kangana Ranaut 149) Veteran actor-filmmaker Shashi Kapoor (77), who has starred in

over 100 Hindi films has been honoured recently with which National Award: Dada Saheb Phalke Award

150) What is the amount of cash prize given in Dada Saheb Phalke Award: Rs. 10 lacs

151) India's first National Skill Development University will be established in which State: Chhattisgarh

152) Indian navy recently inducted 3 ISVs at Vishakhapatnam. What is ISV: Immediate Support Vessel

153) What is the name of the new service that has been launched by the government through which anyone can get the tweets directly from the Prime Minister / Chief Ministers in form SMS messages: Twitter Samvad

154) Name the author who is the only Indian among 10 authors finalized for this year’s Man Booker International Prize for English literature: Amitav Ghosh

155) In collaboration with which bank railways has launched the RuPay debit card service to facilitate online booking of rail tickets, payment of shopping bills and other service bills: Union Bank of India

156) Who has been appointed as the Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax: K M Mani

157) For the development of which popular pilgrimage centre, world bank has sanctioned a fund of Rs. 100 crore: Ganga Sagar Tirath, West Bengal

158) After a rigorous bidding in the auctioning of which item the government recently fetched about Rs. 1.10 lac crore: Telecom spectrum

159) The Reserve Bank signed a $400 million currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of which country for a period of three years: Sri Lanka

160) Two-year-old girl Cherukuli Dalli Shivani from Vijaywada was in news for her exceptional record achievement in which field: Archery

161) With which country India recently signed 6 pacts including one for

the transfer of sentenced Indian convicts in that country to complete their remaining sentence in India: Qatar

162) Which international prize given in the field of Mathematics is popular as the Nobel of Maths: Abel Prize

163) Zokhawthar, a small town in Champhai district of _________was in news as a land customs station was inaugurated there at the Indo-Myanmar border trade centre: Mizoram

164) Who has been appointed as the new spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry: Vikas Swarup

165) By which country Indian artist Bharti Kher has been honoured with ‘Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters’: France

166) Which high court became the first court in India to set up dedicated commercial divisions within it, in line with recommendation of the Law Commission: Delhi

167) India's first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle (PROVe), was made operational at which place in North Antarctica: Priyadarshini Lake

168) Name the ambitious project that aims to develop 12 smart cities at ports and several coastal economic zones to promote tourism and economic growth: Sagarmala

169) The Reserve Bank on March 25 removed the lending restriction on which bank to allow it to restart normal lending operations: United Bank of India

170) At which place Prime Minister Modi paid homage to 3 great revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on March 23, 2015: Hussainiwala, Ferozepur, Punjab

171) For which offence the British govt. awarded the death sentence to the revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev: Killing British Police Officer Mr. Saundras.

172) International Gandhi Peace Prize 2014 is given for what purpose: For promoting peace and harmony in public life

173) What is the amount of cash award in the International Gandhi Peace Prize: Rs. 1 cr

174) Which organization has been selected for the international Gandhi peace prize 2014: ISRO

175) Name the two Indians who have been named among the 50 greatest leaders in the world by Fortune magazine in its annual list of extraordinary men and women transforming business, government and philanthropy: Narendra Modi and Kailash Satyarthi

176) Name the airlines whose aircraft went crashing into a mountainside in French Alps on March 24, killing all 150 persons aboard: Germanwings

177) Name the space vehicle that became the first human-made vehicle that has completed 11 years marathon on a planet: Opportunity Rover of NASA

178) Final match of Cricket World Cup – 2015 was played in which stadium: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

179) Name the cricketer who scored highest runs in the Cricket World Cup 2015: Martin Guptil (NZ) - 547

180) Which cricketer declared as the ‘Man of the Tournament’ in Cricket World Cup 2015: Mitchell Starc (Aus)

181) _______________ was declared as the ‘Man of the Match’ in the final match of Cricket World Cup 2015: James Faulkner (Aus)

182) Name the women badminton player of India who created history by becoming the first Indian women to be ranked as No. 1 in world: Saina Newal

183) Saina Nehwal defeated world champion _______________ to win the women’s singles title in the India Open Badminton Championship: Ratchanok Intanon


184) Name the male Indian badminton player who won the recently held India Open Badminton Championship: Kidambi Srikanth

185) The prestigious India Open Badminton Championship was held in March 2015 at which place: New Delhi

186) _____________ will host the 2019 ICC Cricket Word Cup: England and Wales

FEBRUARY – 2015 187) The first Grand Slam of the tennis for 2015 – Australian Open

was held at which place: Melbourne, Australia 188) Name the winner of men’s singles title at the Australian Open

tennis tournament: Novak Djokovic 189) Name the winner of women’s singles title at the Australian Open

tennis tournament: Serena Williams 190) Name the Indian tennis player who won the mixed doubles title

at the Australian Open: Leander Paes 191) Name the Indian Union Minister who recently visited China on a

four day official visit, to launch the “Visit India Year” in China: Sushma Swaraj

192) Nicol David, World Women’s Squash champion has set a new record for topping the world rankings for the 106th month. She is from which country: Malaysia

193) Country’s GDP growth rate was revised upwards to ________ per cent for 2013-14, as against 4.7 per cent estimated earlier: 6.9

194) The base year for measuring national accounts has recently been revised to _______ from 2004 – 05 earlier: 2011-12

195) India test fired its Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), __________ for the first time from a canister mounted on a Tatra truck, from the Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast: Agni-V

196) What is the approximate range of India’s ICBM Agni – V: 5000 kms

197) Sergio Mattarella has been elected as the new President of which country: Italy

198) Rory McIlroy is the world’s no. 1 player in which sports: Golf 199) Rory McIlroy is from which country: Britain 200) _______ has been appointed Head Coach of India’s men’s

Hockey team: Paul Van Ass 201) 18th National Conference on e-Governance was held in which

city: Gandhinagar, Gujarat 202) Name the film that won the Filmfare Award for the best film for

2014: Queen 203) The Filmfare award for the best actor for 2014 was won by

_________: Shahid Kapoor for Haider 204) The Filmfare award for the best actress for 2014 was won by

_________: Kangana Ranaut for Queen 205) The Filmfare award for the best director for 2014 was won by

_________: Vikas Bahl for Queen 206) Krishna Chaudhary has been appointed Director General of

which paramilitary force: Indian Tibetan Boarder Police (ITBP) 207) Name the renowned music composer and actor who has been

appointed Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi: Shekhar Sen 208) Which bank has introduced a new app, Chillr, which will allow

users to send money to any contact in their phone books, 24X7: HDFC Bank

209) Charles H. Townes, American noble prize winner scientist passed away recently. He was known for which popular invention: Laser lights

210) What is the full form of the word laser: Light Amplification by

Stimulated Emission of Radiation 211) A high powered committee chaired by R Gandhi, has been

formed to review the structure and functioning of the Urban Cooperative Banking Sector. Who is R. Gandhi: Dy. Governor, RBI

212) India's first fenced elephant sanctuary is to be setup in which Biological Park in Karnataka: Bannerghatta

213) The RBI recently slashed the statutory liquidity ratio by how many basis points: 50

214) What will be the impact of recent reduction of SLR by 50 basis points on the inflation front in the country: It may go up

215) What will be the impact of recent reduction of SLR by 50 basis points on the growth of the economy of the country: It may go up

216) What will be the impact of recent reduction of SLR by 50 basis points on the bank loans: It may go up

217) What will be the impact of this reduction of SLR by 50 basis points on the interest rates of the bank loans: It may go down

218) Which is the only country to win the Handball World Championships for the record five times: France

219) Which country secured the no. 1 position in world in consumption of gold in 2014: India

220) India overtook which country in becoming the top consumer of gold in the world: China

221) Which American celebrity has been elected as the most admired women in the world in a recent survey: Angelina Jolie

222) Winner of the “Most Admired Women” title, Angelina Jolie is from which field: Cinema

223) The Reserve Bank on Feb. 3 doubled the annual overseas investment ceiling for individuals to $_________ per person per year under the Liberalised Remittance: 250,000

224) The deposit accounts in the banks in which there are no transactions for 10 years or more are called _______ accounts: Unclaimed

225) Under which project Govt plans to construct over two crore toilets in select villages to make India free from open defecation by 2019: MNREGA

226) The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to install which type of machines at locations selected by them (banks) without getting its prior permission: Cash Deposit Machines

227) Which country has overtaken the United States as the top destination for foreign direct investment for the first time since 2003: China

228) According to the UNCTAD, foreign firms invested 128 billion dollars in China and 86 billion in the US last year. Write the full form of UNCTAD: United Nations Conference of Trade and Development

229) Which country has become the first country in the world to allow a "three-parent" IVF (in vitro fertilization) technique: Britain

230) Who is the author of world famous novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”: Harper Lee

231) Saloni Dalal, a 12 year old girl became the youngest medal winner in the 35th National Games in Kerala by winning a Bronze medal in which field: 200 meter breast stroke swimming event

232) Which state won the 10th National Award for excellent work in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA): Madhya Pradesh

233) Which state launched e-registration of properties in all the 130 tehsil and sub-tehsils of the State on Feb 04: Haryana


234) Who has been appointed as the new Union Home Secretary: LC Goyal

235) Gaur Hari Singhania, a noted industrialist passed away recently. He was associated with which corporate group: J K Group of Industries

236) ________ has been appointed as member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations by the US government: Ajay Banga

237) Which state has decided to set up ‘Plast India International University’ in partnership with University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA: Gujarat

238) Who is the author of the book “The Bookman’s Tale”: Charlie Lovert

239) Which Indian mobile handset maker took over Samsung to become India’s biggest smartphone vendor and third largest in the world: Micromax

240) Which Indian Bank raised about Rs 10,000 crore by selling American Depository Receipts in the largest follow-on offer by a private sector firm: HDFC Bank

241) A three day conference of India’s Heads of the Missions was held in which place: New Delhi

242) Ms. Zoe Konstantopoulou has been elected as the new President of which country: Greece

243) In which country Shiite Houthi rebels dissolved the Parliament and took over the reins of the impoverished nation: Yemen

244) Noted novelist Bhalchandra Nemade has recently been honoured with which prestigious literary award: Jnanpith Award

245) Jnanpith Award winner Mr. Nemade writes in which language: Marathi

246) Name the Indian musician who won the ‘Best New Age Album’ award at the 57th Grammy Awards: Ricky Kej

247) Name the Indian who won the Grammy in the Best Children's Album category for rendering audio version of the book 'I Am Malala’: Neela Vaswani

248) The Grammy award for the record of the year and song of the year went to which song: Stay with me

249) BAFTA awards are given for excellence in which field: Cinema 250) The abbreviation BAFTA stands for what: British Academy of

Film and Television Arts 251) Which film won the BAFTA award for the best film: Boyhood 252) Government has decided to infuse Rs. 6,990 crore in nine

public sector banks to comply with which international norms / guidelines: Basel III

253) Basel III guidelines have been issued for what purpose: To ensure capital adequacy in banks

254) Basel III guidelines have been issued by which international authority: Bank for International Settlements

255) Name the politician whose name name was included in the LIMCA book of records for being the only woman of the country to represent the same Lok Sabha constituency on the same party ticket for eight times in a row: Sumitra Mahajan

256) Which state launched the “Himalaya Darshan” programme as part of its ongoing efforts to boost tourism in the state: Uttarakhand

257) Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam who visited India recently is the President of which country: Singapore

258) National Deworming Day is observed on which date: Feb 10 259) Medicine Albendazole is orally administered to pre-school and

school-going children between one and nineteen years for what

purpose: For de-worming 260) Which Indian economist has been named as the first winner of a

newly established Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize in the UK: Amartya Sen

261) Which bank has launched ‘Pockets’, a digital banking service, enabling users to instantly send money to any e-mail id, mobile number, friends on Facebook and bank account: ICICI Bank

262) The RBI has allowed banks to offer extra interest on deposit schemes up to Rs 1 crore which cannot be broken prematurely. Such deposits are called _________ deposits: Non Callable

263) Reserve Bank has given the directions that all credit institutions, banks and NBFCs should become members of all the CICs in the country. The abbreviation CIC stands for: Credit Information Company

264) Summit of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors held in _______ on 9-10 February 2015: Istanbul

265) The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine met in Minsk, capital of Belarus to find solution to which international problem: Fighting in Eastern Ukraine

266) What is the name of the mascot of the 35th National Games: Ammu

267) Which animal has been made the mascot for the 35th National Games: The Great Hornbill Bird

268) Which marching contingents were awarded jointly the Best Marching Contingents Trophy for Republic Day Parade 2015: The Brigade of The Guards and the Sikh Regiment

269) The First World Ocean Science Congress (WOSC) was held in ______, Kerala from 5 to 8 February 2015: Kochi

270) Govt. has constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by _________for re-investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases: Pramod Asthana

271) The opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World cup 2015 was held on Feb 12 at which two places: Christchurch and Melbourne

272) Which US Company has created a world record by crossing the mark of $700 billion in terms of market capitalization: Apple Inc

273) RBI has decided to put in circulation currency note in One Rupee denomination. These notes are printed under which Act of Govt. of India: Coinage Act 2011

274) India's trade deficit narrowed to an 11 month low of 8.3 billion dollar in January 2015. Trade deficit refers to what: The amount by which exports are less than imports

275) In terms of freedom of press, the World Press Freedom Index puts India at which rank: 136th

276) All India Football Federations (AIFF) has declared which sports person as the player of the year 2014: Sunil Chhetri

277) Name the champions who won highest number of medals – 159 in the national games 2015: Services

278) Raja Bhalendra Singh Trophy is awarded for which achievement: Sports Contingent that wins highest medals in national games

279) The 36th National Games will be hosted by which state in 2016: Goa

280) For which national programme World Bank has agreed to grant $ 8 million loan to India for sustainable livelihoods and adaption to climate change: National Rural Livelihoods Mission

281) India successfully test-fired the naval version of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile from which naval ship: INS Kolkata

282) Name the first National Tribal Festival that was held at New Delhi from 13 to 18 Feb., 2015. “VANAJ”-2015


283) Which national scheme recently launched by the govt. of India has been listed in Guinness Book of World Records for largest coverage: Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana

284) Which state has set up Gram Sachivalayas to bring Gram Panchayat and village level functionaries of all departments under one roof for better functioning and coordination: Haryana

285) Name the former Maharashtra Home Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader who passed away recently: R. R. Patil

286) Name the Popular cartoonist, veteran columnist and political activist who passed away in Feb 2015: Rajinder Puri

287) The 67th National track cycling championship was held at which place: Thiruvananthapuram

288) Name the veteran film producer, holder of the Guinness Book of World Records for the most films produced – 150, by an individual, who passed away recently: D Ramanaidu

289) What is the strike range of recently tested nuclear capable Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile: 350 kms

290) The nationwide “Soil Health Card” scheme was launched by the Prime Minister from which place in Rajasthan on Feb19 : Suratgarh

291) Which Indian telecom major has tied-up with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide health, education and youth-focused content to its customers in 17 African countries: Bharti Airtel

292) Government has launched MADAD-Because You Are Us system for what purpose: Consular Grievances Monitoring

293) Name the former India Captain and ace Leg Spinner has been chosen to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame: Anil Kumble

294) What is the short name for the recently notified Indian Accounting Standards which are converged with global standards IFRS: Ind AS

295) The Indian Accounting Standards – Ind AS will be mandatory for companies from which date: 1st April 2016

296) Which organization compiles the weekly figures for India's foreign exchange reserves: RBI

297) Name the tennis star who won the WTA championship in Dubai: Simona Halep

298) Name the Indian golfer who won the European Tour title at the Hero Indian Open on Feb 22 in New Delhi: Anirban Lahiri

299) Who has been elected as the new Chief Minister of Bihar: Nitish Kumar

300) Amartya Sen, 81 year old Nobel laureate economist was in news recently for what reasons: He resigned as the Chancellor of Nalanda University

301) The famous international Nalanda University is located in which State: Bihar

302) The 10th edition of Aero India Show was held in which place: Bengaluru

303) The government plans to launch a new scheme 'Krishi Dak Service' for what purpose: To distribute improved seed varieties to farmers at their doorstep, through post-offices

304) ADB has agreed to grant $350 million loan to Madhya Pradesh for what purpose: To upgrade district roads

305) Which organization has reached an agreement with the bank unions to keep the banks closed on 2nd and 4th Saturday: Indian Banks Association (IBA)

306) The Academy Awards are given for excellence in which field: Cinema

307) What is the popular name for prestigious US Academy Awards: Oscars

308) Which picture won the Oscar for best picture: Birdman 309) Name the actor who won the Oscar for best actor: Eddie

Redmayne for The Theory of Everything 310) The Oscar for the best actress for 2014 was won by which lady:

Julianne Moore for Still Alice 311) What is the name of the recently conducted Indo Nepal Joint

Military Exercise: Surya Kiran-VIII 312) The military exercise Surya Kiran – VIII was recently held at

which place: Saljhandi, Nepal 313) Who has been appointed as the Ambassador and Permanent

Representative of India to the United Nations Offices in Geneva: Ajit Kumar

314) The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established the world’s highest research station at which place: Chang La, Ladhakh

315) What type of research activities shall be carried out at the world’s highest research station at Chang La: To develop and validate cold weather technologies for agriculture and allied fields

316) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had amended the rules to introduce MNP on nationwide basis from May 3. What is MNP: Mobile Number Portability

317) Musicians from around the world will gather this April in which city to celebrate the International Jazz Day: Paris

318) International Jazz Day is celebrated on which date: April, 30 319) Irom Sharmila, Human rights activist has been conferred Sthree

Shakti Award for her fight against imposition of Armed Forces (Special Powers Act, 1958). She is from which state: Manipur

320) Hero Hockey India League 2015 was played in which city: New Delhi

321) Which team won the Hero Hockey India League 2015 Championship: Ranchi Rays

JANUARY – 2015 322) The 13th Pune International Film Festival was held at Pune and

Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra from January 8 to 15. What was the theme this year: War against War

323) Name the biggest cultural festival of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism in Nepal, observed to mark the beginning of the New Year: Tamu Lhochhar

324) The famous new year festival of Nepal – Tamu Lhochhar is held at which place: Kathmandu

325) ADB has agreed to give $ 75 million loan and $1.8 million grant to which state in India for Integrated Urban Water Management Investment Program for improving the water resource management: Karnataka

326) Name the top Indian cricketer who has decided to retire from the Test Cricket: MS Dhoni

327) Name the country that has recently adopted the Euro as its currency: Lithuania

328) How many countries in Europe have adopted Euro as their currency: 19

329) President gave his assent to the NJAC Act, nearly ending the two-decade-old Collegium System for appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and 24 high courts. NJAC stand for what: National Judicial Appointments Commission

330) The NJAC will be headed by ___________ and will have ______ other members: Chief Justice of India, Five


331) _____________ has been shifted from Uttarakhand to Mizoram to hold charge of Governor of State: Aziz Qureshi

332) ______________ has been appointed as new Governor of Uttarakhand: K K Paul

333) Name the former editor of the Hindustan Times and The Indian Express, who passed away recently: B G Verghese

334) As per a recent report by global property consultant CBRE, __________ is the costliest office space in India: Connaught Place

335) R Koteeswaran has been appointed MD & CEO of which public sector bank: Indian Overseas Bank

336) _______________ is the new MD & CEO of the Oriental Bank of Commerce: Animesh Chauhan

337) Kishore Kumar Sansi is the new MD & CEO of which bank: Vijaya Bank

338) Name the recently appointed MD & CEO of United Bank of India: P Srinivas

339) Name the India's first integrated mobile application for women safety launched in Delhi on Jan 1: ‘Himmat'

340) Saiyid Hamid, noted Muslim academician, educationist, reformist and author passed away recently. He was Chancellor of which educational institution: Jamia Hamdard University and Jamia Millia Islamia

341) What is the new name of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) after the promulgation of Insurance Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014: Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India

342) On Jan 1, the government announced that the Planning Commission had been revamped and rechristened as NITI Aayog. What is the full form of NITI: National Institution for Transforming India

343) _____________ is the Chairman of the NITI Aayog: Prime Minister

344) Name the newly appointed vice chairperson of the NITI Aayog: Arvind Panagariya

345) Ms Sindushree Khullar has been appointed CEO of which important national level office: NITI Aayog

346) In which development financial institution government has decided to increase its stake to 51% from around 48% at present: Industrial Finance Corporation of India – IFCI

347) Which is the only state in India that has the potential to grow the rare ‘purple tea’: Assam

348) ______________ is the only country in the world that produces unique purple tea: Kenya

349) India's top PSU bankers and select policy makers gathered in Pune for a two-day (Jan 2-3) retreat that was named ______________: Gyan Sangam

350) 102nd Indian Science Congress was held at which place: Mumbai

351) Who is the author of the book ‘The Fault in Our Stars’: John Green

352) Name the senior politician who has authored the book titled, ‘At Home in India: The Muslim Saga’: Salman Khurshid

353) The RBI has signed an information sharing agreement with which country for better coordination in supervising financial institutions: Unite States of America

354) As per revised norms, NBFCs have been asked to review KYC norms in their high risk category accounts every _________ years: Two

355) Two commemorative coins of Rs 100 and five were released in

the honour of Tata Group founder ________________ to mark his 175th birth anniversary: Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata

356) Indian railways runs the Maitree Express train between which two stations: Kolkata – Dhaka

357) Name the project launched by government for under taking eco friendly development of the rural areas: Green India Mission

358) Govt. has launched domestic efficient lighting programme in Delhi. What is the highlight of this project: LED bulbs to be supplied at an initial payment of Rs. 10

359) What is the full form of LED: Light Emitting Diodes 360) What is the name of the customized low-cost combination of

phone and tablet computer launched for farmers by ICRISAT: Greenphablet

361) Write the full form of the abbreviation ICRISAT: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics

362) Headquarters of ICRISAT are located at which place: Near Hyderabad, Telangana

363) India is on way to join the global high-end scientific Neutrino Club as the government has approved a high level research laboratory in __________ field in Tamil Nadu: High energy physics

364) Amitabh Bachchan has been appointed as the brand Ambassador for health sector by which State: Andhra Pradesh

365) The 19th National Youth Festival began in ___________on Jan 8: Guwahati

366) The theme for 19th National Youth Festival is_______________: Youth for Clean, Green and Progressive India

367) Which union ministry has launched a toll-free helpline (1800-11-0031) to assist the alcoholic and drug-dependent persons: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

368) As per a Labour Bureau survey, unemployment rate in the country rose to ______per cent in 2013-14, mainly on account of increase in joblessness in rural areas: 4.9

369) Name the satirical weekly of France whose office was attacked recently by Islamic militants, killing over 12 persons: Charlie Hebdo

370) Millions of people around the world expressed their solidarity with the slain French journalists by using the hash tag # Je Suis Charlie on Twitter. What is its meaning: I am Charlie

371) Name the senior Indian diplomat who has been named as the new Under-Secretary-General, Department of Field Support (DFS) in UNO: ATUL KHARE

372) Which bank recently launched the country’s first contactless debit and credit cards that use the near-field communication (NFC) technology, enabling customer to make payments by just waving the card near merchant terminals instead of swiping the same: ICICI Bank

373) India has agreed to provide 60 million dollars Line of Credit – LoC to Guyana for its road infrastructure projects. Where is it located: On Northern border of Brazil

374) Modibo Keita has been elected as Prime Minister of which country: Mali

375) The country Mali is located in which part of the world: West Africa

376) Hampi Utsav – 2015 a three-day mega cultural festival of dance, drama, art and music was held in which State: Karnataka

377) Ancient town of Hampi in Karnataka was the capital of which empire: Vijayanagar Empire

378) Scientists have discovered a powerful new antibiotic which can


kill an array of germs without the bugs easily becoming resistant to it. What is its name: Teixobactin

379) India will provide Rs 6.90 crore support to Nepal for fighting against the Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme (IDDCP) for control of which ailment: Goitre

380) In which country militants of Boko Haram massacred over 2000 persons in towns around Baga: Nigeria

381) Tshering Tobgay, who recently visited India is the _________ of Bhutan: Prime Minister

382) Who has been elected as new President of Sri Lanka: Maithripala Sirisena

383) 15 prominent NRIs were conferred which honour at the recently held Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award

384) In whose honour, the coins of the denomination of Rs. 100 and Rs. 10 and the stamps of value of Rs 25 and Rs 5 were released at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: Mahatama Gandhi

385) National Youth Day is observed on which date: 12th January 386) Why January 12 is observed as National Youth Day: It is

birthday of Swami Vivekananda 387) Name the star footballer who won the FIFA Ballon d'Or award

for 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo 388) Name the ace tennis player who reached the 1,000 ATP Tour

wins milestone as he won the Brisbane International title on Jan 11: Roger Federer

389) In the field of tennis, the abbreviation ATP stands for: Association of Tennis Professional

390) Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization: A S Kiran Kumar

391) Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has been elected as the first women President of which country: Croatia

392) Which airline has been selected as the safest airline in the world for 2015: Quantas

393) Quantas is the official air carrier of which country: Australia 394) A new vaccine ‘Raksha Blue’ has been launched to counter

which deadly disease in farm animals: Bluetongue 395) Golden Globe awards are given in which field: Cinema 396) Golden Globe award are given in which country: USA 397) Which film won the Golden Globe 2015 for the best motion

picture: Boyhood 398) Name the Secretary, Defence Research and Development cum

Director General, DRDO and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister who was in news as he was removed by the govt. from his seat, 15 months before his contract was to end: Avinash Chander

399) Raghuram Rajan, Governor, RBI was selected as the ‘Governor of the Year’ by international magazine Central Banking. This magazine is from which country: Britain

400) Country’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) - powered train was flagged on January 13 from which place: Rewari, Haryana

401) Encouraged by the India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, the United Kingdom announced which campaign to forge collaborations with Indian companies: Great Collaborations

402) Nabard has signed an MoU with which Indian Institute of Management, to set up a Chair to encourage research in climate change, rural livelihood and financial inclusion, among others: IIM, Ahmedabad

403) India and ____________have signed a joint agreement to implement the third phase of the agriculture cooperation project for next three years, 2015-18: Israel

404) Which bank bagged three awards, including the ‘award for the best bank’ at the annual flagship event "MSME Banking Excellence Awards-2014" at Bengaluru: Canara Bank

405) Which Bank on Jan 13 launched a savings bank account christened as Jifi Saver, which can be managed via Twitter and Facebook: Kotak Mahindra Bank

406) Which Indian space project has won the 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the science and engineering category from the US based National Space Society (NSS): Mass Orbiter Mission

407) Which district in Kerala became the first district in the country to have all its gram panchayats connected through National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) - hi-speed rural broadband network: Idukki

408) The first Border Haat (market) along with Bangladesh frontier was opened on 13 January 2015 in which State: Tripura

409) Which country has launched an Online Visa Pilot Programme to make it easier for Indian business and tourism visitors to apply online visa: Australia

410) Name the Indian professional golfer who has been voted as the 2014 Players’ Player of the year in Asian Tour: Anirban Lahiri

411) Name the new Chief Election Commissioner of India: H S Brahma

412) Bank Rate of Reserve Bank of India is calibrated with which other policy rate: Marginal Standing Facility

413) Which top IT company of India has promised the Prime Minister to invest $250 million for funding innovations in software and services in India: Infosys

414) Who is the appointing authority for Chief Election Commissioner: President of India

415) What is the tenure of Chief Election Commissioner: 6 years 416) The official status of Chief Election Commissioner is equivalent

to which other post: Judge of Supreme Court 417) Which area of Uttar Pradesh was in news as around 50 lives

were lost there due to a hooch tragedy that occurred in its nearby villages: Malihabad, Lucknow

418) Bhakti Sharma, India's 24 year old open water swimmer has set a world record by swimming 2.25 kms in 52 minutes in one degree temperature in which ocean: Antarctic Ocean

419) 76th Table Tennis National Championship was held at which place: Puducherry

420) The Red Sari by Javier Moro is a book return about which Indian political celebrity: Sonia Gandhi

421) Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification recently resigned from her post. What is her name: Ms. Leela Samson

422) Which Bollywood celebrity has been conferred Social Media Person of the year award 2015 by the Internet and Mobile Association of India: Amitabh Bachchan

423) Name the new indigenously built fighter aircraft recently inducted in the Indian Air Force: Tejas

424) Tejas is a LCA acquired by the Indian Air Force. What is the full form of LCA: Light Combat Aircraft

425) Stephen Constantine has been appointed head coach of which Indian sports team: Men's Football

426) Sania Mirza along with her American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands won doubles title at which international tournament in Australia: Sydney International Tennis Tournament

427) Giraffe Hero Award is given for excellence in which field: Social Work

428) Which State has appointed yoga guru Ramdev as the state's brand ambassador to promote yoga and ayurveda in a big way:


Haryana 429) Which state has banned the sale of loose cigarettes (as single

sticks) and loose tobacco, becoming the first State to do so: Punjab

430) Which State has been selected, for the first time, for National e-Governance Award 2014-15 for the best district- level initiative in the country: Jammu & Kashmir

431) In a bid to promote entrepreneurship among the Scheduled Castes (SCs), which Ministry launched two schemes for funding ventures setup by them: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

432) Name the Australian cricketer, rated as third fastest bowler in world, who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after a 20-year career: Brett Lee

433) Name the cueist who won the National Billiards Championship held at Kolkata: Pankaj Advani

434) Name the cricketer who recently hit the fastest century in one-day internationals cricket history: AB de Villiers

435) _________ state to host the 35th National Games: Kerala 436) Asia’s biggest literary event was recently held in which city:

Jaipur 437) Name the Indian-American author who won the coveted DSC

Prize for Literature at the Jaipur Literature Festival: Jhumpa Lahiri

438) _________ was declared as the winner of inaugural Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize Literature at the Jaipur Literature Festival: Arunadhathi Subramaniam

439) Name the film producer who has been appointed as the Chairman, Central Board of Film Certification: Pahlaj Nihalani

440) A report by the IMF says that India is expected to grow at 6.3 per cent this year and 6.5 per cent in 2016 by when it is likely to cross growth rate of which country: China

441) The 79th Senior National Badminton Championship held in ________ from January 29 to February 5: Vijayawada

442) Name the Indian runner who broke the 19-year-old women marathon national record at the 12th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in Mumbai: O P Jaisha

443) In which country the Houthi rebels seized the Presidential palace in the capital Sanaa, forcing the President to resign: Yemen

444) As per the recent tiger census in India, ________ State has highest number of tigers: Karnataka

445) As per a study by Edelman, India has been placed at _____ rank in world in terms of faith reposed by its citizens in its institutions: 2nd

446) Name the noted political scientist, founder of Centre for the Study of Developing Societies who passed away recently: Rajni Kothari

447) With which country India signed an agreement on transfer of prisoners who are completing their sentence there: Hong Kong

448) Name the author of the book “Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty”: Vikram Chandra

449) The prestigious National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Awards are given in which country: USA

450) Jimjang Deru of Arunachal Pradesh recently created national record in which sports: Weight Lifting

451) Which international organization has decided to lift a seven-month-long ban on the import of mangoes from India: European Union

452) Veteran journalist Malini Parthasarathy has been appointed as

the first women editor of a century old national news paper: The Hindu

453) The government has launched HRIDAY to preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country. Write full form of HRIDAY: Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana

454) What is the name of the Microsoft’s voice controlled assistant to be introduced in its new operating system - Windows 10: Cortana

455) India has allowed duty free access to which country’s export products in Indian markets under the Agreement of South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA): Afghanistan

456) Name the scheme launched by the Prime Minister to save and empower the girl child: Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao

457) Which Bollywood celebrity has been appointed as brand ambassador of Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign: Madhuri Dixit

458) A special savings scheme by the name ________ has been launched to encourage special savings for girl child: Sukanya Samriddhi Account

459) What is the rate of interest payable in the Sukanya Samriddhi Account: 9.1% per annum

460) A maximum amount of Rs. ______ can be deposited in a financial year in the Sukanya Samriddhi Account: 1,50,000

461) Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, King of Saudi Arabia was in news recently for what reasons: He passed away

462) India’s first International Institute of Music will be set up in _____ by a trust headed by Sarod Maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his family: Kerala

463) In which country its first women premier was impeached on Jan 23 for corruption charges: Thailand

464) Lee Wan Koo has been appointed new Prime Minister of which Asian country: South Korea

465) The Reserve Bank has allowed Indians to carry high value notes of Rs 500 /1000 while travelling to _______ and _____with a cap of Rs 25,000 on the total amount: Nepal, Bhutan

466) The World Economic Forum's five-day annual jamboree of the global elite started on Jan 20 at______, Switzerland: Davos

467) Which Ministry has launched a new organisation “National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited” (NHIDCL) to promote the road construction: Road Transport and Highways Ministry

468) Name the controversial Australian bowler who has been named Australia's young cricketer of the year, winning the Sir Bradman Award: Sean Abbott

469) In a major boost to the jute sector, govt. has approved mandatory packaging of _____ and _____ in jute material to minimum extent of up to 90 per cent of production: Sugar and Foodgrains

470) RBI has advised that RRBs with assets less than $175 million need not to register under the US law FATCA. Write the full form of FATCA: Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

471) Govt plans to set up a ‘Price Stabilisation Fund’ (PSF), with a corpus of Rs 500 crore for what purpose: To control price fluctuations in fruits and vegetables

472) The proposed price stabilization fund will initially focus on which two commodities for their price regulation: Onions and Potatoes

473) With which country India signed MoUs for formulating action


plans for development of smart cities in Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam: USA

474) Govt plans to introduce a new Consumer Price Index with ________ as base year for computing retail inflation rate: 2012

475) India has been ranked _______ globally in terms of talent competitiveness of its human capital, indicating acute shortage of skilled workforce: 78th

476) The Expenditure Management Commission, headed by_______, has recommended to the government that it cut fiscal deficit to 3.6 per cent of the GDP during 2015-16: Bimal Jalan

477) Which Bank has launched Jifi Saver, a social savings bank account which can be seamlessly managed via Twitter and Facebook: Kotak Mahindra Bank

478) Who has been appointed as the new Union Foreign Secretary of India: S. Jaishankar

479) Country’s first geothermal heating plant was launched successfully by the Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment of DRDO at its _____(HP) campus: Manali

480) R K Laxman, the legendary cartoonist who passed away recently is known for the iconic cartoon character named ________:The Common Man

481) Veteran cartoonist R K Laxman was associated with which news paper: The Times of India

482) Name the highest peacetime military honour awardaed posthumously to Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh on Republic Day: Ashok Chakra

483) Paulina Vega of Columbia has been crowned with which international beauty pageant: Miss Universe

484) Name the new national champion of snooker in men’s category: Pankaj Advani

485) The Reserve Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding on “Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information” with central bank of which country: Brazil

486) Which Indian bank signed an agreement with U.S. government’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation for $220 million loan for on-lending to micro, small and medium enterprises: Yes Bank

487) Pooja Thakur, the first woman to lead the ceremonial tri-service guard of honour inspected by Mr. Obama is from which wing of Indian Defence Forces: Air Force

488) Which MNC recorded highest ever quarterly profit of $18 billion in quarter ending December 2014: Apple Inc.

489) Name the legal luminary, a senior advocate who has been awarded Padma Bhushan recently: Harish Salve

490) Mr. Subhash Kashyap who has been honoured with Padma Bhushan is an authority in which field: Constitutional Expert

491) Name the noted philanthropist couple honoured recently with Padma Bhushan: Bill Gates and Melinda Gates

492) Name the noted TV journalist honoured with Padma Bhushan this year: Rajat Sharma

493) Name the veteran politician, a serving Chief Minister who has been decorated with Padma Vibhushan this year: Prakash Singh Badal

494) Name the two noted bollywood actors who have been honoured with Padma Vibhushan this year: Amitabh Bachhan and Dilip Kumar

495) Name the UK businessman and spiritual leader who has been honoured with Pamda Vibhushan this year: Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan

496) Sportsperson Mithali Raj has been honoured with Padma Shri. She is from which sports: Cricket

497) Name the women badminton player honoured with Padma Shri award this year: PV Sindhu

498) Noted film personality Prasoon Joshi who has been awarded Padma Shri is from which field of film industry: Lyricist

499) Jhumpa Lahiri has been awarded DSC Prize 2015 for literature for her book : The Lowland

500) India's FDI increased by 26 per cent in 2014 to an estimated 35 billion US dollar. Maximum FDI was attracted by which sector of economy: Services

501) To meet the fiscal deficit, the government sold 10 per cent stake in which state owned company to raise about Rs 24,000 crore: Coal India Ltd

502) Which country will host the 2016 Twenty 20 World Cup from 11th of March to 3rd of April 2016: India

503) Name the Former chief of Gorkha National Liberation Front, who gave birth to the Gorkhaland movement, who died recently: Subash Ghishing

504) As per revised guidelines, winners of Gold medal in international sports events will now get Rs. __________: 75 lacs

505) Jaswant Sing Rajput who won two times gold medal for India in Olympics, passed away recently. He was from which Sports: Hockey

506) The Payment Banks are not allowed to undertake which major banking function: Giving Loans

507) The payment banks are not allowed to accept deposits beyond Rs. ___________: One lac

DECEMBER – 2014 508) Name the Russian film that won the Golden Peacock for the

best film at the International Film Festival of India: Leviathan 509) The Golden Peacock Award for the best film carries a cash

award of __________ rupees: 40 lac 510) Noted film maker Wong Kar Wai was conferred the lifetime

achievement award at IFFI. He is from which country: China 511) Worlds Aids Day is observed on which date: December 1st 512) What is the full form of HIV infection: Human

Immunodeficiency Virus Infection 513) In the abbreviation of AIDS, the letter S stands for what:

Syndrome 514) Which Southeast Asian country has launched a Tamil version of

National Day Song: Singapore 515) Name the Indian footballer who has been given Hall of Fame

Award in Manila: Baichung Bhutia 516) Name the Indian woman badminton player who won the Macau

Grand Prix Gold trophy at Macau, China: PV Sindhu 517) Jarbom Gamlin who passed away recently was a formal Chief

Minister of which State: Arunachal Pradesh 518) Govt. has deiced to observe 25th December as which day:

National Good Governance Day 519) National Good Governance Day is observed in the honour of

which national leader: Atal Behari Vajpayee 520) Name the noted Bollywood comedy actor who passed away

recently: Deven Verma 521) A R Antulay, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra passed away

recently. He was from which political party: Congress 522) In a gruesome attack naxalites killed 14 CRPF personnel in

Sukma district of _________ state: Chhattisgarh


523) Tabare Vazquez has been elected as President of which South American country: Uruguay

524) Who has been appointed as the new Director of Central Bureau of Investigation: Anil Kumar Sinha

525) The international prize for art – Turner Prize is given in which country: UK

526) Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards are given in which field: For excellence in exports

527) Which bank won the Niryat Bandhu Silver Trophy for excellence in exports: Canara Bank

528) American geologists have named the earth’s most abundant ________as ‘Bridgmanite’: Mineral

529) The world climate change conference was held at which place: Lima, Peru

530) The recent world climate change conference was organized by UNFCCC. What is the full form of UNFCCC: UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

531) As per the Corruption Perceptions Index–2014 released by the Transparency International, India stands at ___ position among 175 countries: 85th

532) As per the Corruption Perceptions Index–2014, which country is least corrupt in world: Denmark

533) Name the India’s recently tested nuclear – capable strategic ballistic missile having a range of about 4000 kms: Agni IV

534) Name the system launched by RBI to help consumers pay multiple bills like electricity, telephone and school fees at a single point of transaction: Bharat Bill Payment System

535) Which organization has been appointed as the nodal body for implementing Bharat Bill Payment System: National Payment Corporation of India

536) Government has fixed an export target of $______ billion for the current fiscal: 340

537) India recently launched GSAT-16 satellite for what purpose: Communications

538) The communication satellite GSAT-16 was launched at which place: Kourou in French Guiana

539) United Nations has declared which day as International Yoga Day: June 21

540) Why June 21 has been selected as World Yoga Day: This is the longest day thus having maximum energy

541) Which state recently launched “Mobile one” e-governance initiative to enable public to access 4000 govt/ private services on their mobile phones just by dialing 161: Karnataka

542) Blind Cricket World Cup was recently held at which place: Cape Town, South Africa

543) Name the country that won the Blind Cricket World Cup 2014: India

544) RBI has hiked the limit for pre-paid payment instruments (PPI) to Rs. _________ from Rs. 50,000 at present: One Lac

545) Name the legendary jurist, a Supreme Court judge, and post-retirement, a human rights activist who passed away recently: V.R. Krishna Iyer

546) Deodhar trophy is related to which place: Cricket 547) Deodhar trophy 2014 was lifted by which team: East Zone 548) Which US firm has been selected for supply of 16 multirole

helicopters for the Indian Navy: Sikorsky 549) Government has asked PSUs to ensure that they procure 20

percent of their requirements from the products manufactured by MSME Units. What is meant by MSME: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

550) Who has been appointed as the new US Defence Secretary: Ashton Carter

551) On December 5, NASA launched Orion spacecraft atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket. It is what type of spacecraft: Returnable Spacecraft

552) Name the author of the book “2014: The Election That Changed India”: Rajdeep Sardesai

553) Which Indian state got its first rail link on Nov. 29, 2014: Meghalaya

554) As per the 2013 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, India has been placed at which position: 65th

555) Death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar – 6 December is observed as what day: Mahaparinirwan Divas

556) United Nations General Assembly has declared 2015 as the International Year of _______: Soils

557) Japan recently launched explorer Hayabusa 2 for what purpose: For exploring asteroids

558) With which country Andhra Pradesh signed a MoU for development of new capital: Singapore

559) The UNICEF has said that 2014 has been “devastating” for some 15 million ______caught up in violent conflicts around the world: Children

560) Ms. Wang Patraporn has been selected as Miss Intercontinental 2014. She is from which country: Thailand

561) In which country typhoon Hagupit caused wide spread devastation on December 7: Philippines

562) The government has decided to decriminalise “attempt to suicide” by deleting which section of the Indian Penal Code: 309

563) The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal for setting up of a 500 crore rupees Credit Guarantee Fund for Factoring for MSME units. What is factoring: Collection of receivables of business units

564) The first Arabic translation of the Indian Constitution has been launched recently in which country: Egypt

565) Name the entity that has been selected as the ‘Person of the Year 2014’ by Time magazine: Ebola Fighters

566) Which Indian bank has launched two indices to track manufacturing activity and offer forward looking economic trends: State Bank of India

567) Which country has become the 181st member of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA): Bhutan

568) As per the Web Index 2014 India has been placed at which rank in terms of internet's contribution to social, economic and political progress: 48th

569) Noted corporate personality Azim Premji has been awarded Swiss Ambassador's Award. He is chairman of which company: Wipro Ltd.

570) The Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) links Ludhiana in Punjab to __________ near Kolkata: Dankuni

571) India’s most prestigious Indian classical music function – The Tansen Sangeet Samaroh was held at which place: Gwalior, MP

572) INS Circars, the oldest naval establishment on the Eastern seaboard celebrated its Platinum Jubilee. It is located at which place: Visakhapatnam

573) Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India to attend which important meeting: 15th India-Russia annual summit

574) Who is Arunima Sinha, writer of the book “Born Again on the Mountain”: First Indian female amputee to climb Mount Everest


575) The Druzhba – Dosti concept relates to strengthening of the bilateral partnership of India with which country: Russia

576) Name the book by Akhil Sharma that has been selected by The New York Times Book Review as one of the ten Best Books of 2014: Family Life

577) In which country police forcefully ended the more than two month old street demonstration - Occupy Central: Hong Kong

578) The 14th Finance Commission submitted its report on December 11 to which authority: President of India

579) Who is the head of the 14th Finance Commission: Y V Reddy 580) What is the purpose of setting the finance commission: To

decide the devolution of tax receipts from the Centre to the states

581) The recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission shall be applicable from ______ to 31st March, 2020: 1st April, 2015

582) To promote electronic payments, the Reserve Bank of India has increased the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) business hours to 12 hours from ________ to _____ on weekdays: 8 am, 8 pm

583) Name the recent international chess title won by Viswanathan Anand: London Classic

584) Name the indigenous nuclear-powered submarine that for the first time sailed out for sea-trials on Dec 16: INS Arihant

585) Name the beauty queen that has been selected as Miss World 2014: Rolene Strauss

586) Miss World 2014, Rolene Strauss is from which country: South Africa

587) National Energy Conservation Day is observed on which date: Dec 14

588) Who is the author of the book ‘In God’s Hands’: Desmond Tutu 589) Who is Desmond Tutu, winner of Templeton Prize: Archbishop

from South Africa 590) Name the new chief of the Intelligence Bureau: Dineshwar

Sharma 591) Who has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of Japan:

Shinzo Abe 592) Champions Trophy is related to which sports: Hockey 593) Champions Trophy 2014 was won by which country: Germany 594) Champions Trophy 2014 was held at which city in India:

Bhubaneswar 595) Confucius Peace Prize, also known as China's version of the

Nobel Prize, has been given to which person for 2014: Fidel Castro, Former Cuban leader

596) Vivek Murthy, the 37 year old Indian origin doctor in USA was in news for what reasons: He has been appointed Surgeon General of USA

597) Olof Palme Human Rights Prize is given in which country: Sweden

598) Nasa's Curiosity rover has recently detected methane on which planet: Mars

599) Government has approved the continuation of interest subvention for short-term crop loans up to Rs _______ to farmers: 3 lakh

600) Which state has won the Krishi Karman Award for the year 2013-14 for showing exemplary agri-performance in 14 different categories: Arunachal Pradesh

601) Which bank has launched its mobile banking application by the name ‘Bank Aapki Muththi Mein’: HDFC Bank

602) Name the heaviest ever rocket, weighing 630 tonnes launched

by ISRO on Dec 18: GSLV Mark III 603) GSLV Mark III carried CARE as its payload which is an Indian-

made unmanned crew module. What is full form of CARE: Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment

604) USA has announced a series of steps aimed at normalising relations with which country: Cuba

605) Name the two banks that have been fined recently by the RBI for violation of KYC norms: ICICI Bank and Bank of Baroda

606) Union Cabinet recently approved a constitutional amendment bill on which important tax issue: Goods and Services Tax

607) Name the super power whose economy is in deep trouble due to economic sanctions imposed on it and huge loss on account of steep fall in oil prices: Russia

608) Opening ceremony for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2015 shall be held at which place: Melbourne, Australia

609) Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik, the twin sisters from Dehradun were in news for what reasons: They completed scaling highest peaks

610) Name the beauty queen selected as the Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014: Ruhi Singh

611) Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014 contest was held at which place: Beirut, Lebanon

612) What is the name of the new Prime Minister of Mauritius: Anerood Jugnauth

613) Among the chief ministers serving currently, who is the Chief Minister with longest tenure of 20 years: Pawan Chamling

614) Pawan Chamling, who completed 20 years as Chief Minister on Dec 12. He is from which State: Sikkim

615) In India the record for longest tenure as Chief Minister, 23 years, 4 months is held by which person: Jyoti Basu

616) Chunibhai Vaidya, a veteran Gandhian and freedom fighter passed away recently. He is from which state: Gujarat

617) Rajinder Khanna has been appointed head of which national intelligence agency: Research and Analysis Wing

618) Prakash Mishra has been appointed head of which paramilitary force: CRPF

619) The festival of Losar celebrated to mark the beginning of new year is observed at which place in India: Ladakh, J & K

620) Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas to be held from 7th to 9th January, 2015 will be which number in series: 13th

621) 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas will be held at which place: Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat

622) Which Indian cricketer has been named as the brand ambassador of ICC cricket world cup 2015: Sachin Tendulkar

623) Name the Indian golfer who won the Inaugural edition of Dubai Open Golf Championship title: Arjun Atwal

624) Name the winning team of the Indian Super League Football Championship: Atletico De Kolkata

625) Beji Caid Essebsi has been elected as President of which African Country: Tunisia

626) Which Indian State has decided to set up a Cultural University to promote its rich cultural heritage: Manipur

627) Klaus Iohannis has been elected as __________ of Romania: President

628) Govt. has decided to pay __ % interest on provident fund deposits of Employees Provident Fund Organisation: 8.75%

629) International Tennis Federation (ITF) has declared __________ as the men’s player of the year 2014: Novak Djokovic


630) _______ has been named as the women player of the year 2014 by International Tennis Federation: Serena Williams

631) The authorize capital of the Regional Rural Banks has been raised from Rs.5 crore at present to Rs. _______ crore: 2000

632) The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has advised that the new IFRS norms shall be applicable from April 1, 2015. What is the full form of IFRS: International Financial Reporting Standards

633) Recently RBI has released a new set of norms defining which type of borrowers: Non Cooperative Borrowers

634) Jyotsna Suri has recently been elected as President of the prominent national trade body – FICCI. What is the full form of FICCI: Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry

635) Name the President of Bangla Desh who visited Kolkata recently: Abdul Hamid

636) Name the NASA’s planet-hunting spacecraft which discovered a ‘super-Earth’ located 180 light-years from Earth: Kepler

637) As per a recent survey which are the two top culprits for highest global carbon-dioxide emissions from burning of fossil fuels: China and United States– 29 and 15 per cent

638) British Queen has honoured noted Pakistan-born poetess Imtiaz Dharker for her poetry collection ‘Over the Moon’ with which award: Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2014

639) Joe Cocker who died recently was a famous ________ from the Colorado, USA: Rock Singer

640) Name the Indian player who won silver medal at the 17th Asian Luge Championship: Shiva Keshavan

641) 58th National Shooting Championships was held in which place: Pune

642) Vinicius – the cat, has been declared as mascot for which international sports event: 2016 Rio Olympics

643) Name the European space mission spacecraft that has been declared as the most important scientific Breakthrough of the Year 2014: Rosetta

644) Bharat Ratna Award is given on recommendation of which authority: Prime Minister

645) The declaration for Bharat Ratna Award is made by which authority: President

646) Name the eminent South Indian filmmaker and Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner from Chennai who died recently: K. Balachander

647) The deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes of various denominations, including 500 and 1,000 rupees, has been extended upto which date: June 30, 2015

648) The World Youth Under-16 Chess Olympiad at Gyor in Hungary was won by which country: India

649) For the first time, India exported an indigenously built war ship to which country: Mauritius

650) For the first time, India exported an indigenously built war ship to a foreign country. It was what type of ship: Offshore Patrol Vessel

651) Which online shopping portal has announced the launch of ‘Agri Store’, offering online products like seeds, fertilizer and irrigation tools etc.: Snapdeal.com

652) Name the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand: Raghubar Das 653) Govt. has launched which programme to cover all those

children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated against seven vaccine preventable diseases: Mission Indradhnaush

654) Government has decided to set-up _______________to provide

counseling to consumers in redressal of their grievances and assist them in registering their complaints in the appropriate consumer forums: Grahak Suvidha Kendras (Consumer care centres)

655) Union Cabinet approved promulgation of the ordinance on Insurance Bill to raise foreign investment cap in the insurance sector from 26 to _________ per cent: 49

656) Union Cabinet opened the medical devices sector to foreign investment by allowing ______per cent FDI in these devices: 100

657) Which private sector bank has raised $200 million loan from Asian Development Bank for onward lending to small farm households and rural women self help groups (SHGs): Yes Bank

658) Name the head of the committee setup to examine the possibility of forming a Special Investigation Team for re investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases: Justice G P Mathur

659) Who has been selected as one of the top ten scientists in 2014 chosen by the prestigious science journal of UK-Nature: Dr. K. Radhakrishnan

660) A new train - The Sushaasan (good governance) Express was launched on Dec 25, from which place to which place: Gwalior to Gonda

661) Ankita Raina won ITF singles tennis title becoming the first Indian to win this title in past 14 years. This match was played at which place: Pune

662) Name the cricketer who broke the world record for most number of stumpings in international cricket after he claimed his 134th victim: M S Dhoni

663) Which country has been assigned the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first half of 2015: Latvia

664) Which southeastern country suffered worst flooding in decades forcing some 1,18,000 people to flee to safer places: Malaysia

665) Name the wheeled version of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Nishant, recently tested by DRDO: Panchi

666) Name the mission that aims at creating an environment for producing high quality teachers: Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching

667) Which country recently successfully test fired its Angara-A5 rocket: Russia

668) Name the country that has decided to join North Atlantic Treaty Organization: Ukraine

669) Which Indian bowler has been banned by BCCI as his bowling action was found illegal: Pragyan Ojha

670) World Bank will lend Rs 475 crore ($75 million) to the ___________Government for implementing a rural growth project: Andhra Pradesh

671) The Reserve Bank released a charter of customer rights on Dec.3 that lays down ____________basic rights that bank customers enjoy: Five

672) Pragyan Ojha was banned as his bowling action was found illegal, flexing elbow beyond ___degrees: 15

673) Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching was launched on 25th December at which place: BHU, Varanasi

NOVEMBER – 2014 674) Julian Burnside, Human rights advocate and barrister from

Australia was honoured recently with which international prize:


Sydney Peace Prize 2014 675) Sydney Peace Prize is awarded by which organization: Sydney

University 676) Mithra Shakthi, the three weeks Joint military exercise was

conducted between India and which other country: Sri Lanka 677) Mithra Shakthi military exercise was held at which place: Sri

Lanka 678) What was the name of the 4th Joint anti terrorism military

exercise held by Indian and Chinese forces: Hand in Hand 2014

679) The 4th Hand in Hand 2014 joint exercise of Indian and Chinese forces was held at which place: Pune

680) Which state aims at construction of 10 lakh toilets by 2018 to make the state completely free from open defecation: Karnataka

681) The Union Government has decided on 29th October, to relax FDI norms in the ____________sector, allowing 100 per cent of foreign funds in building projects: Constructions

682) Govt has fixed rupees _______ per quintal as the Minimum Support Price for wheat for 2014-15 season: 1450

683) Name the Indian cricketer who was inducted into the Bradman Hall of Fame on 5th October at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia: Sachin Tendulkar

684) Name the former Union Carbide chief, wanted in India in connection with the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, who passed away recently: Warren Anderson

685) Name the India’s ace shooter who became the first Indian to be elected as Chairman of International Shooting Sport Federation's (ISSF) Athletes Committee: Abhinav Bindra

686) Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani teenage rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner was in news for donating $50,000 for what purpose: To help rebuild UN schools in Gaza

687) Name the Mumbai Cinema actor, winner of two Filmfare awards who passed away in November: Sadashiv Amrapurkar

688) Duleep Trophy 2014 was won by which zone: Central Zone 689) Duleep Trophy is for which sports: Cricket 690) 43rd Handball National Championship (women’s) was held at

which place: Mastuana Sahib, Punjab 691) The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers is the

high level national civilian award of which country: Japan 692) Name the Indian dignitary who was honoured with The Grand

Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers: Manmohan Singh

693) World Trade Center, New York was in news recently for what reasons: It has been re-constructed and restarted

694) President Pranab Mukherjee recently visited which neighbouring country of India: Bhutan

695) Recently a warship of Indian Navy sunk off the Visakhapatnam coast during a naval exercise. What type of ship it was: Torpedo Recovery Vessel

696) The Central Government has allocated five thousand crore rupees under AYUSH Mission for what purpose: For promoting traditional methods of treatment in the country

697) Children's Film Society of India organised the first edition of the National Children's Film Festival from 14 to 16 Nov at which place: New Delhi

698) Paris-based think tank, OECD has projected 5.4 percent growth for the Indian economy this year. What is the full form of OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

699) Who is Dmitry Rogozin, who visited India to attend 20th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission: Deputy Prime Minister of Russia

700) In the Forbes list of the world's most powerful people for 2014, Mr. Modi has been placed at which rank: 15th

701) As per the Forbes list of the world's most powerful people for 2014, who has been placed at the top of the list: Vladimir Putin

702) Who has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes: Anita Kapur

703) 54th National Open Athletics Championships held at which place: New Delhi

704) Who was adjudged the best female athlete in the 54th National Open Athletics Championships: Tintu Luka

705) Who was adjudged the best male athlete in the 54th National Open Athletics Championships: Ankit Sharma

706) Tintu Luka, winner of the best national athlete (female) is from which sport: Racing

707) Ankit Sharma, winner of the best national athlete (male) is from which sports: Long Jump

708) Name the India’s fast bowler who has won this year's ICC’s LG People's Choice Award: Bhuvneshwar Kumar

709) Name the batsman who became the quickest cricketer to reach 6,000 runs in ODIs: Virat Kohli

710) The Indian Army’s team of eight Garhwalis won the rigorous endurance competition Cambrain Patrol in which country: Wales, UK

711) Name the region of Spain which is agitating for its separation from Spain: Catalonia

712) Name the village near Varanasi that has been adopted for development by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi under ‘Sansad Gram Yojna’: Jayapur

713) Laxmikant Parsekar has been appointed as the new Chief Minister of which state: Goa

714) What is the strike range of recently test fired ballistic missile Agni – II: 2,000 kms

715) Name the India’s first indigenous Light Combat Aircraft’s two-seater trainer jet: Tejas

716) Recently Germany observed silver jubilee of demolition of which historical monument: Berlin Wall

717) With which country India signed a MoU for promoting the Nalanda University in Bihar: Bhutan

718) In collaboration with which country India has developed the long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) system with a range of 70 kms: Israel

719) Who has been named as the most-powerful business woman in India by Fortune Magazine: Arundhati Bhattacharya

720) RBI has made it mandatory for banks to send SMS alerts for which type of transactions: Cheque Transactions

721) Where in India country’s longest access controlled six lane expressway is being developed: Uttar Pradesh

722) Country’s longest access controlled six lane expressway shall be connecting which two cities: Lucknow–Agra

723) Lipulekh Pass through which border trade worth over Rs 3 crore took place between India and China this year lies in which state: Uttarakhand

724) India has inked a USD 200 million loan agreement with the World Bank to finance the setting up of technology centres to help MSMEs enhance their productivity. What is full form of MSMEs: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises


725) The 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held at which place: Goa

726) Which was the focus country for this year’s International Film Festival of India: China

727) Which Cine Star was honoured with Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year at the 45th IFFI: Rajnikanth

728) Which two States have opened the bank accounts for all households in the state under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY): Kerala and Goa

729) 6th World Ayurveda Congress was held in which place: New Delhi

730) Durand Cup is related with which sports: Football 731) The 127th Durand Cup Championship was held at which place:

Goa 732) National Education Day is observed on which date: November

11 733) Name the India’s first Education Minister in whose honour

National Education Day is observed on November 11: Maulana Abul Kalam

734) Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan has been launched for what purpose: To promote role of IITs/NITs in rural development

735) Name the portal launched to enable students for selecting the right college for their higher education: Know Your College

736) Govt. has launched SAMVAY to facilitate students to switch between education and jobs. The acronym SAMVAY stands for: Skill Assessment Matrix for Vocational Advancement of Youth

737) Name the two scholarship schemes launched for girls pursuing technical education at college level: Saksham and Pragati

738) ________ has been appointed Chairman of National Chemical Weapon Convention: G.S. Sandhu

739) National Cancer Awareness Day observed on which date: 7 November

740) At which place in India Suzlon Energy company installed the world’s tallest 120 meters high hybrid wind generator turbines: Kutch, Gujarat

741) As per recent reports from IMF, in October 2014, which country became the world’s largest economy in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP): China

742) Name the country who has become the first European Union (EU) country to officially recognise the State of Palestine: Sweden

743) Public Service Broadcasting Day is observed on 12th November to commemorate the first and only visit of which celebrity to All India Radio: Mahatma Gandhi

744) Gandhian Philosophy and Public Service Broadcasting Award 2014 has been won by which radio station: Radio Kashmir, Jammu

745) Name the world number one Badminton player who has been suspended due to an apparent anti-doping regulation violation: Lee Chong Wei

746) What was the name of the first ever manmade mechanical device landed on a comet: Philae Probe

747) In the 10 day foreign visit of Prime Minister Modi in November, which was the first place visited by him: Nay Pyi Taw

748) How many members are there in the ASEAN group of nations: 10

749) Summit of ASEAN group of nations in November was held at which place: Nay Pyi Taw

750) Apart from 10 ASEAN countries, how many more countries are member of East Asian Summit: 8

751) ASEAN summit 2015 will be held in which country: Cambodia 752) While visiting Australia in November, Prime Minister Modi

visited which city first of all: Brisbane 753) While visiting Australia in November, which was the last city

visited by the Prime Minister Modi: Melbourne 754) What was the name of the venue in Sydney where Mr. Modi

addressed Indian diaspora: Allphones Arena 755) At which place in Australia, Mr. Modi addressed the Australian

Parliament: Canberra 756) Mr. Modi assured of life time visa to PIO and OCI card holders

of Australia. What is the full form of PIO and OCI: Persons of Indian Origin; Overseas Citizens of India

757) Who is the constitutional head of Australia: British Monarch 758) __________ is the Prime Minister of Australia: Tony Abbott 759) __________ is the President of Myanmar: Thein Sein 760) Name the Oceanic Island country visited by Mr. Modi in

November: Fiji 761) ___________ is the capital of Fiji: Suva 762) Govt. has notified BIS mark for 15 electronic products, including

mobile phones, power banks and LED lamps. BIS stands for: Bureau of Indian Standards

763) Which two countries have agreed on a timetable to limit emission of greenhouse gases — ending a 20-year discord between them: China and USA

764) The net own funds – NOF requirements for NBFCs has been raised from Rs.25 lakh at present to Rs._____ by March, 2016: One crore

765) As per a recent study, which city in India has the largest number (16.4 million) internet users: Mumbai

766) Who has been named as the captain of ICC ODI Team of the Year 2014: MS Dhoni

767) Who has been appointed as the new Union Financial Services Secretary (FSS): Hasmukh Adhia

768) Name the winner of 2014 World’s Children Prize: Malala Yousafzai

769) Name the Governor of South Caorlina state, USA who visited India recently: Nikki Haley

770) Name the Bollywood actor-director who became the first man in the history of “UN Women” to be appointed as its Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia: Farhan Akhtar

771) Rohit Sharma made history by scoring the highest individual score of 264 runs. He achieved this feet at which ground: Eden Garden Stadium, Kolkata

772) Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag, Indian Army Chief was conferred the title of honorary rank of General by which country: Nepal

773) Name the veteran film director from Bollywood, famous for his tele serial – Mahabharat and movie – Baghban, who passed away recently: Ravi Chopra

774) The IPI India Award for Excellence in Journalism, 2014, was awarded jointly to which two publications: Hindustan Times and The Week

775) The Indian army recently test-fired the Prithvi-II missile. What is the name of its naval version: Dhanush


776) Name the cricketer who won the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for the Cricketer of the Year award for 2014: Mitchell Johnson

777) Mitchell Johnson, winner of the Cricketer of the Year award for 2014 is from which country: Australia

778) Name the cricketer who was voted the ODI player of 2014: AB de Villiers

779) AB de Villiers is the batsman of which country: South Africa

780) 68th Senior National Aquatic Championship was held at which place: Kolkata

781) Name the tennis star who won the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Nov 16 at London: Novak Djokovic

782) Name the state that has been chosen for union government’s Best State Award for Empowerment of Disabled for year 2014: Madhya Pradesh

783) Which country will host the 16 nation Football tournament Africa Cup of Nations 2015: Equatorial Guinea

784) The India Economic Summit, sponsored by the World Economic Forum was held at which city in India: New Delhi

785) Govt of India has relaxed Indian citizenship norms for Hindu and Sikh refugees from which two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan

786) Union Ministry of Minorities Affairs launched the Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills (MANAS) to impart training to youths in which sector: Health and Security Sector

787) Which UN organisation released first ever ‘Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality - Household Fuel Combustion’ to promote use of clean fuels at household level: World Health Organisation

788) 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit was held in which place: Beijing

789) The 2015 G 20 summit will be hosted by which country: Turkey 790) The 2016 G 20 summit will be hosted by which country: China

791) To help in its efforts to crack down on suspected black money stashed abroad, India signed which agreement with Saint Kitts & Nevis: Tax Information Exchange Agreement

792) With which country India has reached an agreement on public stockpiling of food in terms of Bali Package: USA

793) Which UN organisation is the coordinator for the Trade Facilitation Agreement: WTO

794) International Buddhist Conference was held in which place: Lumbini, Nepal

795) Men's singles title of the China Open Super Series Premier (Badminton) was won by: K Srikanth

796) Women’s singles title of the China Open Super Series Premier (Badminton) was won by: Saina Nehwal

797) China Open Super Series Premier (Badminton) was held in which city: Fuzhou, China

798) RBI has asked banks to give liberal loans to landless farmers to meet the govt’s target of financing five lakh JLGs in 2014-15. JLG stands for what: Joint Liability Group

799) Which city in India has set up a kiosk that lets anyone file an FIR at any time, irrespective of where an incident took place: Bengaluru

800) The foreign investment promotion board (FIPB) has allowed which bank to increase foreign investment in the bank to 74 per cent: HDFC Bank

801) Which senior global leader left the G 20 summit under protest, before its conclusion: Vladimir Putin

802) Which country celebrated the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Velvet Revolution that toppled communism in 1989: Czech Republic

803) What is the name of the small savings instrument recently re-launched by the govt: Kisan Vikas Patra

804) What is the highest denomination in which the Kisan Vikas Patra will be available: Rs 50,000

805) What is the maturity period for the Kisan Vikas Patra: 100 months

806) Which major economy of the world shrank for the second consecutive quarter, slipping it into a technical recession: Japan

807) Klaus Warren Lohannis has been elected as President of which country: Romania

808) IIM- JRD Tata Award For Excellence In Corporate Leadership for 2014 has been won by which person: C S Verma, Chairman, SAIL

809) Indian cricket team won 5-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, winning all the five matches. This achievement is termed as _____: Whitewash

810) What is the objective of the National Bal Swachhta Mission: To improve over all cleanliness amongst school children

811) Which programme has been launched to assist girl students in preparing them for the IIT-JEE while studying in classes XI and XII: Udaan

812) Prasar Bharti announced to re-launch DD National with which new tagline: Desh Ka Apna Channel

813) Which country is worst affected by the terrorism as per the Global Terrorism Index 2014: Iraq

814) As per the Global Terrorism Index 2014, India is the ______ worst affected nation: 6th

815) Indian Air force tested its medium range surface-to-air anti-aircraft missile ______ with a strike range of 25 km: Akash

816) International Children’s Peace Prize – 2014 has been won by Neha Gupta. She is from which country: USA

817) 2015 IAAF World Athletics Championships will be hosted by which country: China

818) ______ quit as the Head Coach of the National Hockey team: Terry Walsh

819) 'Vape' has been chosen by Oxford Dictionaries as its international word of the year for 2014. What is the meaning of this word: Smoking electronic cigarette

820) Name the winner of BCCI’s C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2014: Dilip Vengsarkar

821) Name the winner of BCCI’s Polly Umrigar Award 2013-14 for being India’s best international cricketer of the year: Bhuvneshwar Kumar

822) A latest UN report says that, India has the world’s largest youth population-356 million. What is their age group: 10-24 years


823) The book “Truth Always Prevails” has been written by Sadruddin Hashwani. He is from which country: Pakistan

824) Sumitra Charat Ram Award is given in which field: Art and culture

825) Name the noted Japanese film actor who passed away recently: Ken Takakura

826) Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA) and US Export-Import (Exim) Bank signed a MoU for what purpose: For cooperation on clean energy investment

827) Name the winner of Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2014: Indian Space Research Organisation – ISRO

828) 18th SAARC Summit was held in _____ on the 26th and 27th Nov: Kathmandu

829) What is the full form of the acronym SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

830) Which major oil company in India won a Rs 18, 000 crore income tax order against it: Shell India

831) World Tour Golf Championship was held in which city: Dubai 832) UN World Toilet Day is observed on which date: Nov 19 833) World Women's Boxing Championships was held in which

place: Jiju, South Korea 834) The Union Cabinet has approved "Integrated Power

Development Scheme" for strengthening of distribution network of electricity in which area: Urban India

835) Name the bank that has been merged with the Kotak Mahindra Bank: ING Vysya Bank

836) Name the foreign dignitary who will be the Chief Guest at India's 2015 Republic Day celebrations: Barack Obama

837) The third South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's Championship was held at which place: Islamabad, Pakistan

838) Name winner of the third South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's Championship: India

839) Which Indian invention has been listed among the 25 best innovations of 2014 by the Time magazine: Mangalyaan

840) Which Indian zoo has become the first zoo in the world to house the critically endangered pig Pygmy Hog: Guwahati

841) UN Climate Change Summit 2014 was held in which city: New York

842) The United Nations has adopted the first-ever resolution calling on governments to stop which undesirable social practice: Child Marriage

843) Name the grand master who won the World Chess Championship title defeating five-time champion Viswanathan Anand: Magnus Carlsen

844) Magnus Carlsen, world chess champion is from which country: Norway

845) Recent world chess championship was held at which place: Sochi, Russia

846) Name the British F1 champion who won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as well as the Formula 1 racing championship title of the year, becoming the first British to do so since 1971: Lewis Hamilton

847) Which country won the prestigious Davis Cup Tennis Title – 2014 for the first time: Switzerland

848) To Indian Christian priests were decorated with Sainthood by the Pope Francis II. This process is known as_______________: Canonisation

849) Finals of the World Kabaddi League were played in which city: Mohali, Punjab

850) Name the football player who became the all-time highest scorer in La Liga history by scoring 253 goals in first class football: Lionel Messi

851) Name the new Defence Minister of India: Manohar Parrikar

852) Who has been appointed as the new Union Railway Minister: Suresh Prabhu

853) Who is the new Information and Broadcasting Minister of India: Arun Jaitely

854) Which organisation has started a Delhi-Kathmandu bus service from Nov. 26: Delhi Transport Corporation

855) World’s longest rail journey, covering 10,000 kms has been started between which two cities: Yiwu China and Madrid, Spain

856) Name the book that won the 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize: The Scatter Here is Too Great

857) Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Press Council of India: Justice C. K. Prasad

858) Name the U.S. Defense Secretary who was in news as he resigned from his post: Chuck Hagel

859) The SAARC summit that started in Kathmandu on 26 Nov, was _____ in the series: 18th

860) Who has been named as the new chairman of SAARC: Sushil Koirala

861) SAARC is a group of how many countries: 8 862) What is the theme of this year’s SAARC summit: 'Deeper

Regional Integration for Peace and Prosperity' 863) First Commonwealth Science Congress was held in November

2014 at which place: Bengaluru 864) Who is the author of the book titled “The Dramatic Decade: The

Indira Gandhi Years”: Pranab Mukherjee 865) The three organisations - World Toilet Organisation (WTO),

WASTE and the Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation and Health (FINISH) have joined hands for what purpose: To end open defecation in India

866) World Fisheries Day is observed on which date: Nov 21 867) Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of Union Public

Service Commission (UPSC): Deepak Gupta 868) Which UN organisation released a report on the impact of global

warming titled “Turn Down the Heat: Confronting the New Climate Normal”: World Bank

869) Nov 25 is observed as International Day for what purpose: Elimination of Violence Against Women

870) Name the fund launched by the Central Govt to build toilets in schools, rural and urban areas: 'Swachh Bharat Kosh'

871) As per the Global Slavery Index 2014, India is home to about ___ per cent of the people trapped in modern slavery: 40


872) The H5NI avian influenza virus is spread by which bird: Poultry birds

873) Name the country's oldest and largest foreign bank that recently opened its 100th branch in India: Standard Chartered Bank

874) India observes December 16 as Vijay Diwas to commemorate which event: Victory in 1971 Indo-Pak war

OCTOBER – 2014 875) Fitch has projected that India's growth is expected to accelerate

to 5.6 per cent in the year 2014-15. What type of organization is Fitch: Rating Agency

876) Core sector growth for the month of August stood at 5.8 percent. How many industries are there in core sector: Eight

877) The Union Ministry of Culture is observing the year-long centenary commemoration of the historic Komagata Maru incident. What / who was Komagata Maru: Steamer Ship

878) The Komagata Maru incidents took place at which place in India: Budge Budge Port, Kolkata

879) The US govt has assured its support for developing_________ smart cities in India: Three

880) Name the three proposed smart cities to be developed with US assistance: Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam

881) Who has been appointed as new Chairman of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA): Hemant Contractor

882) RBI has directed banks to disallow _________ in the accounts where customers have not fulfilled KYC norms: Debits

883) What is the formal name of the cleanliness drive launched by the PM across India, on Gandhi Jayanti: Swachh Bharat Mission

884) _______ has been named as new Secretary General of NATO: Jens Stoltenberg

885) In a recent global ranking of universities, ________ secured top position in Indian universities: Panjab University

886) Name the Chief Executive of the world’s largest e-tailer _________who visited India to meet our Prime Minister: Jeffrey P. Bezos, Amazon.com

887) India has imposed anti-dumping duty on _________imported from the U.S. and Chinese Taipei to safeguard the interest of domestic manufacturers: Phenol

888) ATP China open tennis cup 2014 was held at which place: Beijing

889) _________ won the Men’s singles trophy at ATP China open tennis cup 2014: Novak Djokovic

890) Novak Djokovic is from which country: Serbia 891) _________ won the Women’s singles trophy at ATP China

open tennis cup 2014: Maria Sharapova 892) Maria Sharapova is from which country: Russia 893) Which country has test fired a new variant of its 10,000 km

range missile - Dongfeng-31B: China 894) At which place in the world, students are leading a

prodemocracy protest – “occupy central”: Hong Kong 895) In which part of the world a mass public protest is going on nick

named as ‘umbrella revolution’: Hong Kong 896) Name the Indian-American professor from USA honoured with

National Medal of Science: Thomas Kailath 897) Which country secured highest number of medals in 17th Asian

Games: China, 342 898) India was placed at 8th rank in the 17th Asian Games, securing

________medals: 57 899) Indian sportspersons won _______ gold medals in the 17th Asian

Games: 11 900) Indian sportspersons won _______ silver medals in the 17th Asian

Games: 10 901) _________ , the Japanese swimmer, was named as the “Most

Valuable Player” of the 17th Asian Games: Kosuke Hagino 902) The 18th Asian Games will be held in 2018 in_________, Indonesia:

Jakarta 903) ___________became the first Indian woman boxer to clinch a gold

medal at the Asian Games: MC Mary Kom 904) Indian won the hockey gold medal at Asian Games by beating

which country: Pakistan 905) In which sports India won gold medal in both Men’s and Women’s

category: Kabaddi 906) Name the Indian film celebrity who was honoured with Global

Diversity Award 2014: Shah Rukh Khan 907) The Global Diversity Award is given by which organization: British

Parliament 908) Name the proposed central govt. programme that aims at bringing

all Indians under health insurance cover: Universal Health Assurance Mission

909) Name the winner of Champions League Twenty 20, 2014: Chennai Super Kings

910) Country’s first olive oil refinery has been started in which State: Rajasthan

911) What was the name of the first address of the Prime Minister over radio broadcasted recently: Mann Ki Baat

912) Name the social networking site that was closed recently by Google: Orkut

913) Which metro service in India has been ranked second among 18 international Metro systems: Delhi Metro

914) What is the name of the recently launched sedan car by Maruti Suzuki: Ciaz

915) Strong typhoon Phanfone slammed into which country, with winds of up to 180 kmph: Japan

916) Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award is given for excellence in which field: Public Administration, Academics and Management

917) Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, winner of this year’s Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award is head of which national organisation: BrahMos Aerospace.

918) _______ would become the first state in India to have high-speed internet connecting all the panchayats in the state by March next year: Kerala

919) John O’Keefe of USA, May-Britt & Edward Moser of Norway won the Nobel Prize 2014 for which field: Medicine

920) Nobel Prize 2014 for Physics has been won by three scientists from which country: Japan

921) Eric Betzig, William Moerner and Stefan Hell won the Nobel Prize 2014 in which field: Chemistry

922) Patrick Modiano, winner of Nobel Prize for literature, is from which country: France

923) Name the joint winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize: Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi

924) Name the economist who won the 2014 Nobel Prize for Economics: Jean Tirole, France

925) Union Government has decided to sell ______bulbs to households at 10 rupees against the market price of 400 rupees: LED

926) The first-ever Offshore Wind Power Project in India is to be setup at which place: Along the Gujarat coast

927) What is the objective of the proposed “Sardar Patel Urban Housing Mission”: Housing for all by 2022 and a ‘slum free India’


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928) Name the Japan’s gymnast who won his fifth straight all-around world title to become the only gymnast to win more than three World all-around titles: Kohei Uchimura

929) Name the super cyclone that caused wide spread devastation in the coastal part of Andhra Pradesh: Hudhud

930) Name the city which suffered maximum damage from the super cyclone Hudhud: Visakhapatnam

931) The name Hudhud has been derived from which object: National bird of Israel

932) Waislitz Global Citizen Award 2014, won by ___________ for his work in founding Humanure Power in Bihar in 2011 that builds community sanitation facilities in rural India: Anoop Jain

933) In which athletics event Indian women’s team won gold in 17th Asian Games: 4x400 relay race

934) In which sports Seema Punia won the only gold medal in athletics for India in the 17th Asian Games: Discuss Throw

935) What is the objective of the recently launched “Swachhta Udyami Yojana - Swachhta Se Sampannta Ki Aur”: To provide financial assistance to Safai Karamcharis

936) Name the single premium pension policy for senior citizens launched for a limited period of one year, from 15-08-2014 to 14-08-2015: Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana

937) Leela Samson was in news as she resigned from the post of Chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi. She is from which field: Eminent Bharatnatyam dancer

938) Name the plan that has been launched to promote model villages by each and every MP: Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana

939) The village selected under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana should have a population of ______in plain areas and _____in hilly, tribal and difficult areas. 3000-5000; 1000-3000

940) RBI has restricted free non-home ATM transactions to three in how many metro cities: Six

941) RBI has allowed how many free non-home ATM transactions to metro users in non-metro centres: Two

942) CEO of which international social networking site recently met Indian Prime Minister in New Delhi: Facebook

943) _________ won the Shanghai Rolex Master- 2014 championship: Roger Federer

944) Which Indian state has launched a health card scheme to protect grand old trees in public places: Kerala

945) Name the famous Ghazal and Thumri singer whose birth centenary is being celebrated in India: Begum Akhtar

946) President of India recently visited which two Scandinavian countries: Norway and Finland

947) Name the India’s research station located in the middle of North Pole and Norway: Himadri

948) With which country India recently signed an agreement for nuclear cooperation: Finland

949) In which country a 400 kms long railway line reconstructed with Indian assistance, was inaugurated recently: Sri Lanka

950) Which state govt. has decided to provide free treatment to every cancer patient in the state: Kerala

951) As per the Global Hunger Index 2014, India has been ranked at ______ place: 55th

952) Name the India’s largest real estate company that was recently barred for three years by SEBI: DLF

953) Shakti Devi, an Indian police inspector won international Female Police Peacekeeper Award 2014 for her work in which country: Afghanistan

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gyanm magazine may 2015 issue

Education

tourism index

web index

global innovation index

global hunger index

th global terrorism

th global slavery index

human development index

th press freedom index