monthly gk and current affairs capsule ju ly 2017 gk and current affairs capsule ± july 2017 ......

Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule – July 2017

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CONTENTS

S. No Topics Page No.

1. Important Days 2

2. Important State Wise National News 2

3. Important Ministry Affairs 13

4. Important Financial & Economy Affairs 18

5. Important Banking NEWS 21

6. Important International News 28

7. Important Appointments 35

8. Important Awards and Honors 38

9. Important Business News 41

10. Important MoU and Agreements 42

11. Important Schemes and Programs 46

12. Important Summit and Conference 48

13. Important Mobile App and Web Portal 49

14. Important Defence News 51

15. Important Ranking and Indexes 54

16. Important Bills and Acts 54

17. Important Books and Authors 54

18. Important Science and Technologies News 55

19. Important Sports News 57

20. Important Obituaries 64

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Important Days

1st July : National Doctors‘ Day

1st July : Chartered Accountants' Day

1st Saturday : International co-operative day

Theme : Co-operative ensures no once left behind

2nd July : World Sports Journalists Day

3rd July : International Plastic Bag Free Day

6th July : World Zoonoses Day

7th July : Global Forgiveness Day

7th July : World Chocolate Day

11th July : World Population Day

Theme : Family Planning : Empowering People, Developing Nations

12th July : World Malala Day

15th July : World Youth Skills Day

Theme : Skills for All

17th July : World Day for International Justice

Theme: Preventing conflict and sustaining peace through decent work

18th July : International Nelson Mandela Day

19th July : Save Public Sector Bank

23rd July : National Broadcasting Day

24th July : Income Tax Day

26th July : Kargil Vijay Diwas

27th July : Central Reverse Police Force (CRPF)Foundation Day

28th July : World Hepatitis Day

Theme : Eliminate Hepatitis

28th July : World Nature Conservation Day

29th July : International Tiger Day

Theme : Fresh Ecology For Tigers‘ Protection

30th July : World Day against Trafficking in Persons

Theme : Act to Protect and Assist Trafficked Persons

STATE WISE NEWS

Arunachal Pradesh

Capital – Itanagar; CM – PemaKhandu; Governor – PadmanabhaAcharya

Kiren Rijijuhas inaugurated the Research Institution of World Ancient, Traditional, Culture & Heritage

(RIWATCH) Museum at Roing in Arunachal Pradesh

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijijuhas inaugurated the Research Institution of World Ancient,

Traditional, Culture& Heritage (RIWATCH) Museum at Roing in Arunachal Pradesh. Later, on the sideline of

his visit to Roing, Rijiju also inaugurated the 235-meter longChimari Bridge, which would serve as a life line

between the National Highway 52 of Roing-Tezu.

Useful Info

Union Minister of state for Home – KirenRijiju

Constituency – Arunachal West

Centre releases advance grant-in-aid of Rs.51.30 crore to Arunachal Pradesh






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The Centre has released advance grant-in-aid of Rs 51.30 crore to Arunachal Pradesh for rescue and relief

operations on account of flash floods.

Due to heavy rains and floods in North East, department of expenditure in the Ministry of Finance has released

Rs 51.30 crore as grant-in-aid to Arunachal Pradesh on the basis of recommendation of the 14th Finance

Commission for relief necessitated by natural calamities to the state.

Bihar

Capital – Patna; CM – Nithish Kumar; Governor - KeshriNathTripathi

Nitish Kumar takes oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for the 6th time

Less than a day after resigning as Bihar chief minister, Nitish Kumar took oath at Raj Bhawan in Patna as the

head of the government that would include BJP and its allies. Prior to this, the party of Nitish Kumar, JD-(U)

was supported by Mahagathbandhan allies with LaluYadav led RJD. Nitish Kumar took oath as chief minister

of Bihar. Sushil Kumar Modi took oath as deputy chief minister. Ex-Deputy CM of Bihar, TejashwiYadav

meets Bihar governor KeshriNathTripathi in Patna to register protest over Nitish Kumar being invited to form

his government ahead of RJD.

Useful Info

Present Deputy CM - Sushil Kumar Modi

EX – Deputy CM - TejashwiYadav

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expanded the Cabinet, inducting 27 new ministers

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expanded the Cabinet, inducting 27new ministers which included 14 JD(U), 12 BJP

and 1 LJPlegislator.

CM Nitish Kumar -Home and Personnel, and Department of Monitoring portfolios.

Deputy CM SushilModi-Finance, Commerce, Forestry, and IT Department.

Krishna NandanVerma-Education Ministry.

Shravan Kumar -Rural Development and Parliamentary Affairs.

Delhi

CM – ArvindKejriwal; Governor – Anil Baijal

Delhi Police will be the first state police in India who will get „super cop belt'

National capital police the first state police in India who will get ‗super cop belt', a specially designed belt,

widely used by Police in UK, USA, Russia and para-military forces like CRPF, CISF, NSG etc. This belt will

help cops to keep things like Gun, Mobile Pouch, Security Batten, Wireless Set Pouch & ammunition pouch.

Delhi Metro is the first Metro system to become completely green in the world

Delhi Metro is the first Metro system to become completely green in the world. The Delhi Metro Rail

Corporation (DMRC) had earlier received the green certificates for its Phase-3 stations, depots, and sub-

stations. Delhi Metro has also secured the platinum rating for adherence to green building norms for its 10

residential colonies from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). DMRC has generated new solar power

facilities that produce 2.6 MW across the Metro network. DMRC also announced it is now generating 20

megawatt (MW) of solar power. The DMRC also mentioned ‗SwachhChetna – An Eco Club‘, a joint initiative

of the DMRC and Shri Ram School, Gurugram. It has been initiated to ―encourage school children to

participate in the more environment friendly projects and activities‖. Energy consumption has increased by

700% in the last four decades in the country and this will increase further three times by 2030. It is necessary to

focus on Metro systems and talk of green Metro.






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Useful Info

DMRC - Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

Headquarters of DMRC - New Delhi

Chief executive - Mangu Singh

First Edition of WINGS 2017 – “Sab Uden, Sab Juden”- Expanding Regional Connectivity Hosted in New

Delhi

The First edition of WINGS 2017 – ―Sab Uden, Sab Juden‖- Expanding Regional Connectivity was hosted in

New Delhi by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The Plenary session was chaired by the Union Minister of Civil

Aviation, Shri P. Ashok GajapathiRaju.

Useful Info

Civil Aviation Minister - P. Ashok GajapathiRaju

Constituency – Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh

Gujarat

Capital – Gandhinagar; CM – Vijay Rupani; Governor – Om PrakashKohli

India is set to get its first high-speed rail training center at Gandhinagar, Gujarat

The country is set to get its first high-speed rail training center at Gandhinagar. The center will provide for

advanced training modules on cutting edge technologies. While India‘s first bullet train is proposed to hit the

track in 2023, the training center is supposed to start operating by 2020

Useful Info

Managing director of National High-Speed Rail Corporation – AchalKhare

Ahmedabad city has been declared as a World Heritage City

Ahmedabad city has been declared as a World Heritage City at the 41st session of UNESCO's world heritage

committee being held at Krakow in Poland. Nomination of Ahmedabad was supported by close to 20 countries,

including Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, Portugal, Peru and Kazakhstan. The walled city has 26 ASI-protected

structures, hundreds of 'polls' that capture the essence of community living and numerous sites associated with

Mahatma Gandhi who lived here from 1915 to 1930. Now, Ahmedabad will join the world heritage cities like

Paris, Cairo and Edinburgh. Out of total 287 world heritage cities across the globe, there were only two cities in

the Indian subcontinent- Bhaktpur in Nepal and Galle in Sri Lanka. The UNESCO tag will add immense value

to Ahmedabad city which will also boost tourism.

Useful Info

UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

HQ – Paris, France

Director-general - Irina Bokova

Haryana

Capital – Chandigarh; CM – manoharlalkhattar; Governor – Kaptan Singh Solanki

Ornamental fish hatchery to be set up in Jhajjar district of Haryana soon

The Haryana government has decided to set up a modern ornamental fish hatchery in Jhajjar district at a cost of

Rs 13.68 crore. ―This will be the first-of-its-kind project in the country,‖ Agriculture and Fisheries minister Om

PrakashDhankar said.

First International Aviation Security seminar organised by National Security Guard in Haryana






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The Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (I/C) Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy attended the first

International Aviation Security Seminar in Manesar Haryana. National Security Guard (NSG) has organized

the seminar, with the aim of bringing all major stakeholders under one roof and facilitate them sharing

views/opinion, discussions, brainstorming with the matters concerning Aviation Security. Shri Rajiv Pratap

Rudy also hoisted the National Flag at NSG Campus, during the National Flag Foundation program. It is the

India's 67th Flagpole and 26th highest Monumental Flagpole.

Useful Info

NSG - National Security Guard

HQ – New Delhi

Current Director General - SudhirPratap Singh

Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) - Rajiv Pratap Rudy

Constituency – Saran, Bihar

Jammu & Kashmir

Capital – Srinagar (summer), Jammu (winter); CM - Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed;

Governor - NarinderNathVohra

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly adopted a resolution to implement the goods and services tax (GST)

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly adopted a resolution to implement the goods and services tax (GST), bringing

the state‘s indirect taxation into the new unified tax regime that the rest of the country adopted on 1 July at a

landmark ceremony in Parliament. With this Jammu and Kashmir has become the last state to pass the GST bill

in the state.

Jammu & Kashmir government launches weekly festival „Cultrue of Cruise' at Dal Lake

The spectacular Dal Lake here hosted first ever 'Cultrue of Cruise', a weeekly cultural programmeorganised by

the Jammu and Kashmir government aimed to bring artists from various fields on one stage. The innovative

programme series brings writers, performance artistes, musicians, poets and academics together and offers a

program of performances, workshops, talks, forums and debates.

Karnataka

Capital – Bengaluru; CM – Siddaramaiah; Governor – VajubhaiVala

Kambala (the traditional slush-track buffalo race) Bill gets presidential assent

The traditional slush-track buffalo race of coastal Karnataka — are cleared with the Prevention of Cruelty to

Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2017, finally got the presidential assent.

Useful Info

Kambala – Kambala is an annual Buffalo Race held traditionally under the sponsorship of local land lords and

households, in coastal Karnataka, India.

Karnataka Government constituted a 9-member committee to study the possibility of designing a separate

state flag

Karnataka Government constituted a 9-member committee to study the possibility of designing a separate state

flag and providing it a statutory standing. This committee was constituted following representation of social

activists from the state urged the government to design a separate flag for Kannada ‗naadu‘ and accord

statutory standing for it. This committee will be headed by Principal Secretary, Department of Kannada and

Culture.

The new flag for Karnataka state has been designed

Karnataka government has recently formed a panel to design a separate flag for the state.






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Significance of Design AndColour of Kannada Flag

The official state flag for Karnataka is a longstanding demand of pro-Kannada activists.

The Kannada flag, which is divided into two equal horizontal stripes, a yellow strip for the top half and a red

strip below, could become the official state flag of Karnataka.

This flag was designed by Kannada writer and activist Ma Ramamurthy for a pro-Kannada political party.

The flag's red colour stands for Kumkuma (Vermilion) and the yellow stands for Arrishna (Turmeric),

symbolising auspiciousness and well-being of the state and its people. This flag is unofficially adopted and is

hoisted on the state's formation day every year since 1960s.

Vondaraguppe village in Karnataka's Ramanagara district has transitioned to a completely cashless system

Vondaraguppe village in Karnataka's Ramanagara district has transitioned to a completely cashless system.

Around 350 families, 90% of which are involved in the silk-rearing business, have deposited their cash in

banks and carry their business transactions through cheques. The villagers are using RuPay, an Indian domestic

card scheme, for everyday transactions.

Useful Info

State – Karnataka

Capital – Bengaluru

CM – Siddaramaiah

Governor – Vajubhai Vala

Kerala

Capital – Thiruvananthapuram; CM – PinarayiVijayan; Governor – P.Sathasivam

Kerala hosted the fifth edition of South India Writers Ensemble (SIWE)

Kerala hosted the fifth edition of South India Writers Ensemble (SIWE) at Chengannur, a town in Kerala‘s

coastal Alappuzha district. The core theme of the festival this year is ‗tolerance‘. So creative writers,

journalists, theatre and film personalities from across the industry will be seen deliberating on the theme at a

time when the country as a whole is witnessing raging debates over intolerance.

Madhya Pradesh

Capital – Bhopal; CM – Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor - Om PrakashKohli

Madhya Pradesh conduct a massive plantation campaign to save the environment and conservation of the

Narmada River

In Madhya Pradesh, a massive plantation campaign was undertaken to save the environment and conservation

of the Narmada river. According to official sources over six crores, saplings were planted in 24 districts of

Narmada basin in just 12 hours. Arrangements were made to record the whole event for the Guinness World

Record. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the plantation drive at Amarkantak of Anooppur

district. Later he also took part in plantation drives in Jabalpur and Omkareshwar.

Maharashtra

Capital – Mumbai; CM – DevendraFadnavis; Governor – ChennamaneniVidyasagarRao

Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is turned into “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj”

Mumbai‘s iconic ChhatrapatiShivaji Terminus railway station has been rechristened with addition of an

honorific ‗Maharaj‘ after ‗Shivaji‘ to its earlier name. The British-era landmark was called Victoria Terminus






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before it was named after the Maratha warrior king in1996. The Central Railway (CR) issued a notification to

this effect on June 27.

Maharashtra, first state in the country to launch free injectable contraceptive for women

Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to provide women an injectable contraceptive for free.

The state‘s public health department launched a program called Antara to offer women an injection of Medroxy

progesterone acetate (MPA), a birth-control hormone. The announcements were made on the occasion of

World Population Day (11th July). According to state health officials, the injection, a safe means of birth

control, is effective for three months. The injection will be given intramuscularly to women in the age bracket

of 18-45 years.

Maharashtra has become the first state to make social boycott

Maharashtra has become the first state to make social boycott a crime after President Pranab Mukherjee cleared

the legislation. The Maharashtra Prohibition of People from Social Boycott (Prevention Prohibition and

Redressal) Act prescribes a maximum punishment of three years in jail and a fine of Rs1lakh. It aims to prevent

atrocities carried out by extra-judicial courts and caste panchayats. The Act also provides for compensation to

victims. The fines imposed on violators will be used to compensate them.

Maharashtra government has launched a medical insurance scheme up to 10 lakh rupees

The Maharashtra government has launched a scheme to cover medical insurance of up to Rs10 lakh for

legislators and their families. This scheme is aimed at curbing the use of fake bills in the medical

reimbursement scheme the legislators were covered under earlier.

The Maharashtra government has approved a revised policy of the 'MajhiKanya Bhagya shree' scheme

The Maharashtra government has approved a revised policy of the 'MajhiKanyaBhagyashree' scheme,

according to which families who have a yearly income of uptoRs 7.5 lakh will be benefited. The scheme was

launched by the state government on April 1, 2016 in place of 'Sukanya' scheme. It is aimed at improving the

skewed girl child ratio, prevent sex determination and female foeticide, and support female education.

Maharashtra government has lifted the ban on the sale of paan masala

The Maharashtra government has lifted the ban on the sale of paan masala until a single-member committee

decides on the matter. Maharashtra had banned paan masala in 2014.

Maharashtra government announced no intergrated coaching from next academic year

Maharashtra government announced that integrated coaching will not be allowed in the state from the next

academic year. It will be compulsory to attend college lectures and attendance will be marked through bio-

metric system. Integrated coaching is an arrangement between colleges and coaching centres, in which students

don't need to attend college lectures.

C. Vidyasagar Raoand Devendra Fadnavis has released the book „Mann Ki Baat – A Social Revolution on

Radio‟ at Raj Bhavan

C. Vidyasagar Raoand Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has released the book ‗Mann Ki Baat

– A Social Revolution on Radio‘ at Raj Bhavanin Mumbai The book includes transcripts of the first 23

episodes of Prime Minister‘s monthly address on radio ‗Mann Ki Baat‘. This book will enable citizens to read

and understand Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s vision and his ideas of development.

Matunga railway station in Mumbai becomes India's first railway station run by women

Central Railway has taken a step towards women empowerment by appointing an all-female work staff at the

suburban Matunga station, Mumbai. Matunga station has now become the first such ladies special station.

According to the official, women have been manning this station, which falls on the Central Railway, since the

past two weeks. A total of 30 women staffers, including 11 booking clerks, five RPF personnel, seven ticket

checkers are working under the supervision of station manager MamtaKulkarni.

Useful Info






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Central Railway Headquarters –Mumbai CST

Mumbai Metro announced the launch of India's first Mobile Ticketing System 'OnGo'

Mumbai Metro announced the launch of India's first Mobile Ticketing System 'OnGo' which will help

commuters pass the AFC gates using their mobile phones. Commuters will be able to generate a QR Code

through 'OnGo' service for current or future journeys up to a week in advance by clicking the mobile app

wherein they would pay for their journey.

Useful Info

Mumbai Metro is a consortium formed by Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, MMRDA and Veolia Transport SA,

France.

Mrs. AshwiniBhide is the present Managing Director of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation.

Mumbai railway is going to introduce a software to book tickets through USSD

The Mumbai railway is going to introduce a software which will help commuters book tickets through

Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) codes. The software will make use of SMS services, which

will allow commuters without smart phones to book tickets.

Meghalaya

Capital – Shillong; CM – MukulSangma; Governor - BanwarilalPurohit

Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma launches LIFE program at Songsak

Meghalaya Chief Minister MukulSangma has recently launched an ambitious flagship program titled

―Livelihood Intervention and Facilitation of Entrepreneurship‖ (LIFE) at Songsak. LIFE will focus on capacity

building, Under the program, every 10 SHGs (Self-Help Groups) will be motivated to act like a bank and help

each other. LIFE aims to bring all the poor and vulnerable women into the SHGs movement.

MukulSangmalaunched „Mission Football‟ at a grand ceremony at JN Sports Complex, Shillong

Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr. MukulSangmalaunched ‗Mission Football‘ at a grand ceremony at JN Sports

Complex, Shillong recently. During the occasion, Dr. MukulSangma stated that through this mission the future

of Meghalaya can be foreseen when the State will be connected with the rest of the world because of the love

and passion for the game. Mission Football is an initiative to help develop skills of football enthusiasts and

develop young footballers for the country. It is a dedicated program for talent identification and nurturing of

talents to develop national and international players.

Nagaland

Capital – Kohima; New CM – TR Zeliang; Preceded by – Shurhozelie Liezietsu;

Governor - PB Acharya

TR Zelianghas been appointed as the Chief Minister of Nagaland by Governor PB Acharya

TR Zelianghas been appointed as the Chief Minister of Nagaland by Governor PB Acharya. This will be the

second term for Zeliang, his earlier term was from 2014 to 2017. Zeliang's appointment came after Nagaland

Chief Minister ShurhozelieLiezietsu and nine ruling Naga People‘s Front (NPF) legislators failed to appear for

the floor test. Zeliang was asked to prove his majority on the floor of the House on or before 22 July 2017.

Zeliang claims the support of 43 MLAs including seven independents.

Odisha

Capital – Bhubaneshwar; CM – Naveen Patnaik; Governor – S C Jamir

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik dedicated to the nation the state's longest bridge and named it after

NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose






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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik dedicated to the nation the state's longest bridge and named it after

NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose. The 2.88 km bridge over the river Kathajodi will connect the state capital of

Bhubaneswar with Cuttack reducing the distance between the two cities by 12 km. Although the construction

work of the bridge started after Mr. Patnaik laid the foundation in February 2011, the completion missed the

deadline by over three years.

Odisha government signs Expression of Intent (EOI) with IAAF & AFI to establish High Performance

Academy

The Odisha government signed an Expression of Intent (EOI) with the International Association of Athletics

Federations (IAAF) and Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to establish a High-Performance Academy in

Bhubaneswar.

Useful Info

IAAF - International Association of Athletics Federations

HQ – Monaco

President - Sebastian Coe

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Bicentenary celebration of Paika Rebellion of Odisha

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Bicentenary celebration of Paika Rebellion of Odishaorganised by

the Union Ministry of Culture in New Delhi. Many scholars, researchers and historians have opined that the

Paika Rebellion of 1817 was India‘s first organised armed rebellion against British Raj.

Useful Info

PranabMukerjee 13th

President of India

Punjab

Capital – Chandigarh; CM – Captain Amarinder Singh; Governor – V. P. Singh Badnore

Strictly implement ban on sale of tobacco in Punjab announced by CM Captain Amarinder Singh

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh directed the Health and Family Welfare Department to ensure

strict implementation of the ban on sale of tobacco laced products such as ‗gutkha‘ and ‗paan masala‘ in the

State. The source of manufacture and sale of banned products should be identified and plugged with no delay to

stop the problem from escalating, the CM said, adding he noted the blatant violation of the ban.

Punjab government has recently launched its flagship 'ApniGaddiApnaRozgar' scheme by flagging off over

100 uber MOTO bikes

The Punjab government has recently announced the launch of its flagship 'ApniGaddiApnaRozgar' scheme by

flagging off over 100 uber MOTO bikes. Under the scheme, the state government will be providing

commercial two wheelers and four wheelers to unemployed youth at subsidized rates. The scheme aims to

generate job opportunities for youth and providing better mobile transport in Punjab. Uber target is to create

10,000 entrepreneurial opportunities in one year and 45,000 in next five years.

Useful Info

Uber HQ –California, USA

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) to set up India‟s first TISC in Punjab

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry has signed an

Institutional agreement with the Punjab State Council of Science and Technology in New Delhi to establish

India‘s first Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) at Patent Information Centre, Punjab, under the

World Intellectual Property Organization‘s (WIPO) TISC program. The objective of the TISC is to stimulate a

dynamic, vibrant and balanced Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) system in India to foster creativity and

innovation.

Useful Info






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Minister of State (I/C) for Commerce & Industry – Nirmala Sitharaman

Constituency – Karnataka, Rajya Sabha

Rajasthan

Capital – Jaipur; CM – VasundharaRaje; Governor - Kalyan Singh

Rajasthan becomes the first state in the country to fix minimum educational qualification for contesting

cooperative body polls

Rajasthan becomes the first state in the country to fix minimum educational qualification for contesting

cooperative body polls. To this effect, the Rajasthan Government amended the State Cooperative State

Cooperative Societies Rules, 2003. The new rules will benefit around 10,000 cooperative and agricultural

credit societies. For contesting election as members of governing boards of dairy societies, farming societies,

consumer societies, weavers' societies, urban banks, housing construction societies, primary land development

banks, credit societies and cooperative unions, the minimum educational qualifications will range from class 5

to class 8. The primary committee members need to have passed at least class 8. For district level members the

minimum qualification required is class 10, while those interested in being a member of State level committee

will need to be a graduate.

First child-friendly police station coming up at Rajasthan

Rajasthan‘s first ―childfriendly‖ police station will come up shortly in Dholpur, with the provision for

spreading awareness about laws against child labour, child marriage and sexual offences and establishment of a

colourful and attractive child cell.

Tamil Nadu

Capital – Chennai; CM – Edappadi K. Palaniswami; Governor – Vidyasagar Rao

NarendraModi inaugurated the former President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam‟s memorial at Pei Karumbu in

Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu

Prime Minister NarendraModi inaugurated the former President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam‘s memorial at Pei

Karumbu in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu on the second death anniversary of the former President. MrModi

unveils a statue of Dr. Kalam and hoisted the National flag at the memorial. Mr. Modi will flag

offKalamSandeshVahini, an exhibition bus which will travel across the country and reach RashtrapatiBhavan

on 15th of October, which marks the birth anniversary of the former President. The majestic memorial for the

missile man Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam has been designed and built by the Defence Research and Development

Organization.

Useful Info

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam – AvulPakirJainulabdeen Abdul Kalam

Born – 15th

October 1931, Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu

11th President of India from 2002 to 2007

Earlier, another museum in memory of DrKalam was opened in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram.

Madras High Court directed that National Song VandeMataramshould be sung in all Tamil Nadu

educational institutions

Madras High Court directed that National Song VandeMataramshould be sung in all Tamil Nadu educational

institutions at least once a week. It further mandated all government and private offices sing or play it at least

once a month.

Useful Info

Chief Justice of Madras High Court - Justice Indira Banerjee






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Telangana

Capital – Hyderabad; CM – Chandrasekhar Rao;

Governor – Ekkadu Srinivasan Lakshmi Narasimhan

Telangana to have separate agriculture budget from next year

Telengana will have a separate budget for Agriculture from next year. This was decided after Chief Minister,

K. Chandrasekhar Rao met the Ministers and officials on Agriculture in Hyderabad. He said it has also been

decided to enhance fund for agriculture sector. Mr. Rao said the State will provide training of modern and

scientific methods of farming to increase the farm output. He urged the farmers associations at various levels to

organize cultivators.

Telangana Chief Minister K. ChandrashekharRao to launch massive plantation drive

Telangana Chief Minister K. ChandrashekharRao will formally launch the third phase of the

TelanganakuHaritha haram programme by participating in the plantation of saplings in Karimnagar town. Mr.

Rao will participate in the massive plantation drive along with 10,000 students.

Telangana government launched a special portal called “Janahitha”

The Telangana government launched a special portal called ―Janahitha‖ to receive complaints from the public.

The programme was inaugurated in Suryapet district on a pilot basis by TelanganaEnergy minister G Jagadish

Reddy. The portal, which has been developed by Telangana‘s IT department, is a single window for all

grievances and their redressal management.

India's first Eco-bridges for the movement of tigers in Telangana

In a first of its kind, Telangana State will have eco-friendly bridges over a canal cutting across the tiger

corridor linking the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra with the

forests in Telangana'sKumramBheemAsifabad district. The ‗eco-bridges‘ will be constructed at key spots along

the 72 km-long, and at some places over a kilometre wide, right flank canal of the Pranahita barrage in the

Bejjur and Dahegaonmandals.

Useful Info

Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) – Maharashtra

Kawal Tiger Reserve is located at Jannarammandal of Mancherial District in Telangana state of India.

There are total 50 Tiger Reserves under the project tiger system in India.

Uttar Pradesh

Capital – Lucknow; CM – Yogi Adityanath; Governor – Ram Naik

GST to be part of UP higher education syllabus

The taxation system under GST will soon be part of the commerce and management curriculum in Uttar

Pradesh‘s higher education institutes, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said.

Anti-Copying bill will be introduced by Uttar Pradesh government

The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to introduce an 'Anti-Copying' Bill in the upcoming assembly

session to check for cheating in the state examinations.

UP Power Minister launched free power connection schemes for BPL families

Uttar Pradesh Power Minister Shrikant Sharma launched free power connection schemes for BPL families at

624 places across the state.

Union cabinet has approved to set up ISARC in varansi






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The union cabinet has approved the establishment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South

Asia Regional Center (ISARC) at campus of National Seed Research and Training Center (NSRTC) in

Varanasi.

Useful Info

NSRTC - National Seed Research and Training Center is located at Varanasi

Uttarakhand

Capital – Dehradun, Nainital (Judiciary); CM – Trivendra Singh Rawat;

Governor - Krishna Kant Paul

Uttarakhand records second highest tiger count in India

The count of tigers in Uttarakhand shot up to 242 with an increase of 63 big cats in the year 2017. The news

was announced by Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. In addition, 11 cubs were also found

in the two tiger reserves, the Corbett Tiger Reserve and the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, in the state. Uttarakhand is

the second state in terms of tiger count behind Karnataka, which has 400 big cats. According to the latest

statistics, at least 208 tigers have been identified in Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve, up from last year's 163. Also six

cubs were identified there.

Useful Info

Highest tiger count in India – Karnataka

Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India. It was established in 1936 as Hailey National

Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger.

West Bengal

Capital – Kolkata; CM – Mamata Banerjee; Governor – KeshariNathTripathi

The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), in association with the West Bengal government to host global

business meet in November 2017

The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), in association with the West Bengal government, will host Horasis

Asia Meeting, a global business meet, in the city in November. The two-day business meet, starting November

26, will focus on sustainable business practices in various areas, including power and energy.

Useful Info

ICC - Indian Chamber of Commerce

President of ICC - ShashwatGoenka

Rajeev Pratap Rudy &Shivraj Singh Chouhan laid foundation stone of country‟s biggest Global Skill Park

Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Pratap Rudy and MP Chief

Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan laid the foundation stone of the country‘s biggest Global Skill Park in Bhopal.

Former Captain of Indian Cricket Team K. Shrikant was present on this occasion.

Useful Info

Minister of state (independent charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship – Rajeev Pratap Rudy

Constituency – Saran Bihar

SriLankan Airlines from Visakhapatnam -Colombo flight launched

The inaugural flight of SriLankan Airlines from Visakhapatnam to Colombo was flagged off by the Union

Minister of Civil Aviation P. Ashok GajapathiRaju at Visakhapatnam International Airport. A total of 103

passengers travelled on the inaugural flight.

Useful Info

Country – Srilanka

Capital - Sri JayawardenepuraKotte (Administrative center), Colombo (Commercial Capital)

Currency – Sri Lankan Rupee






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MINISTRY AFFAIRS

PM Modi to address Chartered Accountants day celebrations of ICAI today

Prime Minister NarendraModiattend 68th Chartered Accountants Day function and GST event in New Delhi.

Finance Minister ArunJaitly and Revenue Secretary HasmukhAdhia will also attend the event. The national

professional accounting body of India, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India - ICAI celebrates its

Foundation Day as the Chartered Accountants‘ Day on 1 July every year. It was established on 1949 as a body

corporate under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 enacted by the Parliament to regulate the profession of

Chartered Accountancy in India. ICAI is the second largest professional Accounting and Finance body in the

world in terms of membership.

Indian Railways to introduce new Economy AC coaches soon

New class of 'Economy AC coaches' with fares less than normal 3AC tariff. The proposed fully AC train will

have three-tier Economy AC coaches besides AC-3, AC-2 and AC-1 classes as part of the transformation

exercise. An added feature would be automatic doors.

Useful Info

Minister for Railways – Suresh Prabhu

Constituency – Andhra Pradesh (RajyaSabha)

Railways were first introduced to India in 1830s for frieght purposes. First passenger train ran from Bombay to

Thane in 1853. In 1951 the systems were nationalised as one unit, the Indian Railways, becoming one of the

largest networks in the world.

NarendraModi becomes first Indian PM to visit Israel:

NarendraModi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel in 70 years. Israeli PM Benjamin

Netanyahu received Modi at the airport, in a departure from the normal practice. Modi's three-day visit aims at

commemorating 25 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries and strengthening cooperation in the

areas of defence, agriculture and science and technology.

Country: Israel

Capital: Jerusalem

Currency: Israeli new shekel

Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu

President:ReuvenRivlin

External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj has inaugurated the 9th edition of Delhi Dialogue

External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj has inaugurated the 9th edition of Delhi Dialogue. Under this

program, the premier annual track 1.5 event to discuss politico-security, economic and socio-cultural

engagement between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Delhi. The theme for

Delhi Dialogue 9 is 'India-ASEAN relations: Charting the Course for the Next 25 Years'.

Useful Info

External Affairs Minister – SushmaSwaraj

Constituency –Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh

ASEAN - Association of Southeast Asian Nations

HQ – Jakarta, Indonesia

Anti-hijacking law comes into effect a notification issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry

The Centre notified the anti-hijacking law that entails capital punishment in case hijacking an aircraft leads to

death of ―any person,‖ including ground staff, flight crew, passengers and security personnel. The Anti-

Hijacking Act, 2016 came into force, a notification issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry said.

Useful Info

Civil Aviation Minister – Ashok GajapathiRaju

Constituency – Vizianagaram (AP)

The government of India will organize a global food fair in November 2017

The government of India will organize a global food fair in November this year to provide a platform to Indian

farmers and manufacturers to showcase their products and explore partnerships with foreign companies. The

three-day international level fair 'World Food India 2017' is being organized on November 3-5 by the Food






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Processing Ministry, where industry body CII will be an event partner. The World Food India is a step aimed at

creating India a 'Global Food Factory' and 'Global Food Retail Market'.

Useful Info

Minister of Food Processing industries - HarsimratKaurBadal

Constituency – Bhatinda (Punjab)

Mother Teresa‟s Blue-Bordered Sari declared an Intellectual Property

The famous blue-bordered sari of Mother Teresa, who has been canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by the

Vatican, has been recognized as an Intellectual Property of the Missionaries of Charity. After a series of strict

legal proceedings, it was granted. This is the first time that a uniform has been made intellectual property. It

has obtained ―distinctive symbolic identity‖ of the Missionaries of Charity.

Useful Info

Mother Teresa

Born - 26 August 1910

Died - 5th September 1997 (at the age of 87)

Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize - 1962

Nobel Peace Prize - 1979

External Affairs Ministry is going to make its website available in Arabic

Expanding its outreach to the Arab world, External Affairs Ministry is going to make its website available in

Arabic. The portal will include speeches, briefings and other documents of the ministry, and articles written in

Arabic on India and its foreign relations.

Useful Info

Minister of External Affairs – SushmaSwaraj

Constituency – Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh)

After French and Spanish, Arabic will be the third foreign language that will be available on the ministry's

website.

The new name for urban development & housing ministry is Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

(MoHUA)

The government has merged the urban development and housing and urban poverty alleviation ministries. Now

this will be known as Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). This is third time the ministries have

been merged.

Useful Info

Minister of urban development, housing and urban poverty alleviation - Venkaiah Naidu

Constituency – Rajasthan (RajyaSabha)

National Green Tribunal banned the use of „Chinese‟ kite strings, made of nylon

The National Green Tribunal banned the use of ‗Chinese‘ kite strings, made of nylon or any synthetic material

on the grounds that it poses threat to life and environment. The Tribunal directed all state governments to

prohibit the ―manufacture, sale, storage, purchase and use‖ of synthetic manja or nylon threads and all other

synthetic strings used for flying kites with immediate effect. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice

Swatanter Kumar ordered the authorities to ban import of any synthetic manja. The judgement came on a plea

filed by animal rights body People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and others, contending that

‗manja‘ poses a grave threat to humans and animals as every year a number of deaths are caused by it.

Useful Info

Present Chairperson of NGT - Justice Swatanter Kumar

AICTE has made it mandatory for engineering students to participate in one of five extracurricular

activities

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has made it mandatory for engineering students to

participate in one of five extracurricular activities, otherwise they won't be awarded a degree. The activities

include yoga, National Service Scheme (NSS), National Cadet Corps (NCC), Unnat Bharat Abhiyanand sports.

Useful Info

AICTE - All India Council for Technical Education

HQ – New Delhi

Chairperson - Anil Sahasrabudhe






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Union Minister KirenRijiju to lead Central team to flood-hit States

Union Minister KirenRijiju will lead a high-level Central team to assess the rescue and relief operations in the

flood-affected areas of the north-east. During the tour, , the delegation will visit Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and

Manipur, where more than 15 lakh people have been marooned by flood water.

Useful Info

KirenRijiju – Minister of state for Home Affairs

Constituency – Arunachal Pradesh West

Railways Ministry launches RailCloud Project, NIVARAN-Grievance Portal and CTSE Scheme

Minister of Railways Shri Suresh PrabhakarPrabhu launched the following Initiatives:-

Rail Cloud Project.

NIVARAN-Grievance Portal (First IT Application on Rail Cloud).

Cashless treatment Scheme in Emergency (CTSE) Scheme.

About the Schemes in Brief-

RailCloud RailCloud is another step towards Digitization of Railways. Rail Cloud works on popular Cloud Computing

system. It aims to improve customer satisfaction, improve revenue and effective, efficient and safe operations.

NIVARAN ‗NIVARAN-Grievance Portal‘ is the first IT application to be launched on the RailCloud. It is the platform for

resolution of service related grievances of serving and former railway employees.

Cashless treatment Scheme in Emergency (CTSE) With an aim to provide immediate care to its retired employees in Golden Hour, the Railway Board has rolled

out a Cashless treatment Scheme in Emergency (CTSE) in empanelled hospitals for retired employees and their

dependent family members.

Useful Info

Union Railway Minister – Suresh Prabhu

Constituency – Andhra Pradesh, RajyaSabha

J P Nadda launched the National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2017-22)

Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched the National Strategic Plan for Malaria

Elimination (2017-22). The Strategic Plan gives year wise elimination targets in various parts of the country

depending upon the endemicity of malaria in the next 5 years. This plan focuses on the states such as

Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The strategies involve strengthening

malaria surveillance, establishing a mechanism for early detection and prevention of outbreaks of malaria,

effective indoor residual spray and augmenting the manpower and capacities for effective implementation for

the next five years.

Useful Info

Union Health & Family Minister – J P Nadda

Constituency – Himachal Pradesh, RajyaSabha

Government setting up passport centre every 50 kilometresin the country

Union Minister MJ Akbar said that the government is working towards setting up a passport centre every 50

kilometresin the country.

Useful Info

Minister of state for External affairs - M J Akbar

Constituency –RajyaSabha, Jharkhand

ArunJaitley released the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan

Finance Minister ArunJaitley released the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan. The WTO-Trade

Facilitation Agreement (TFA) was a major milestone for the global trading system. This Action Plan gives a

time bound map, not only for implementing TFA, but also for India's initiatives for trade facilitation and ease

of doing business which goes beyond TFA. According to a Finance Ministry statement, all actions covered

under the plan have been categorised by prioritising the activities into short, mid and long term.

Useful Info

Union Finance Minister – ArunJaitley

Constituency – Gujarat, RajyaSabha






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WTO – World Trade Organization

HQ - Geneva, Switzerland

Head - Roberto Azevêdo

Radio broadcasting in country completes 90 years

Radio broadcast completes 90 years in country and first ever radio broadcast in the country went on the air

from the Bombay Station on July 23, 1927 under a private company, the Indian Broadcasting Company. On 8th

of June, 1936, the Indian State Broadcasting Service became All India Radio. All India Radio (AIR) has been

serving to inform, educate and entertain the masses since it's inception, truly living up to its motto -

BahujanHitayaBahujanSukhaya.

Union Ministry of Rural Development is going to launch AajeevikaGrameenExpress Yojana (AGEY)

The Union Ministry of Rural Development is going to launch AajeevikaGrameenExpress Yojana (AGEY), a

sub-scheme under DeendayalAntyodayaYojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). This

scheme aims to provide an alternative source of livelihood to members of Self Help Groups (SHGs) by

facilitating them to operate public transport services in backward rural areas.

Useful Info

Union Minister for Rural Development – Narendra Singh Tomar

Constituency – Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh

Ram NathKovind took office as country‟s 14th President

Ram NathKovindtook over as the 14th President of India. He administered the oath of office by the Chief

Justice of India Justice J S Khehar at a special function in the Central Hall of Parliament. The stage would be

shared by President and President-elect, Speaker, Vice President and Chief Justice of India. After the oath of

new President, a 21-gun salute will be honored followed by the acceptance speech of Mr. Kovind. Mr. Kovind

was elected the President recently as a ruling NDA candidate. He defeated the Opposition parties‘ nominee

Meira Kumar by a huge margin.

Useful Info

14th

President of India – Ram NathKovind

CJI - J S Khehar (44th

CJI)

1st CJI – H. J. Kania

Leila Seth was the first woman judge on the Delhi High Court

Rajnath Singh chaired the first meeting of the newly constituted Islands Development Agency (IDA)

The Union Home Minister ShriRajnath Singh chaired the first meeting of the newly constituted Islands

Development Agency (IDA). The Union Home Minister presented the vision for developing India‘s maritime

economy while preserving the natural eco-system and addressing the security concerns. He emphasized upon

the need for sustainable development of Islands with people‘s participation.

Useful Info

Union Home Minister – Rajnath Singh

Constituency – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

IDA – Islands Development Agency

The IDA was set up on 1st June 2017

FSSAI has banned the use of stapler pins in tea bags from January 2018

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of stapler pins in tea bags from

January 2018.

Useful Info

FSSAI - Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

HQ – New Delhi

Chairman - AshishBahuguna

Chief Executive - Pawan Kumar Agarwal

India's first bullet train project, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail, will be inaugurated this

September

India's first bullet train project, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail, will be inaugurated this September

by Prime Minister NarendraModi and his Japanese counterpart ShinzoAbe . A Loan agreement of over 76,900






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crore rupee is expected to be signed between the two nations during Abe's India visit. Japan's Shinkansen

technology will be used in construction of the line.

Useful Info

India‘s First Bullet Train between Mumbai – Ahmedabad

Country – Japan

Capital – Tokyo

Currency – Japanese yen

PM – Shinzō Abe

NitiAayog cleared 6 proposals of the transport ministry to improve public transport

Mass rapid transportation technologies such as hyperloop, metrino and pod taxis could soon be a reality in

India after NitiAayog cleared half-a-dozen proposals of the transport ministry exploring options to improve

public transport. Once these safety parameters are tried and tested and the pilot run is successful, some of them

including metrino, could be up for running by next year‘s end.

Useful Info

NITI - National Institution for Transforming India

Chairman – NarendraModi

Vice Chairman – ArvindPanagariya

CEO – Amitabh Kant

The Supreme Court ruled that the police cannot arrest the accused without conducting a preliminary

inquiry under dowry harassment cases

The Supreme Court ruled that the police cannot arrest the accused without conducting a preliminary inquiry

under dowry harassment cases. With this, apex court put an end to immediate arrest of the husband and his

family members in the dowry harassment cases filed under Section 498A of Indian Penal Code (IPC). The

Supreme Court passed this order keeping in view the fact of suspected misuse of the anti-dowry harassment

law framed in 1983.

Useful Info

Supreme Court– New Delhi

Present Chief Justice of India - J. S. Khehar (44th

CJI)

First chief justice of India–H.J. Kania

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released Operational Guidelines for Planning and

Implementation of Family Participatory Care (FPC)

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released Operational Guidelines for Planning and Implementation

of Family Participatory Care (FPC). These guidelines are aimed at improving newborn health. The guidelines

will serve as a guiding document for those intending to introduce FPC in their facility as an integral part of

facility based newborn care. It also provides details of infrastructure, training, role of health care providers and

steps in the operationalization of FPC in the newborn care unit.

Useful Info

Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare – J P Nadda

Constituency –Himachal Pradesh (RajyaSabha)

Railways launches India‟s first solar-powered DEMU train

Indian Railways has launched its first 1,600 HHP solar diesel multiple unit (DEMU) train. The train has a total

of 16 solar panels of 300 watts in each coach. The energy generated by these panels will be stored in batteries

The move is expected to save Rs 2 lakh worth of diesel per coach, per annum. It will help in reducing carbon

dioxide of almost nine tonnes per coach, per annum. It is also expected to save nearly Rs 672 crore per annum.

India to import crude oil from US for first time

India, the world's third-largest oil importer, will import crude oil from the United States for the first time after

Indian Oil Corp bought a cargo that will be delivered in October 2017. India is the latest Asian country to buy

US crude after South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Australia and Taiwan as the countries seek to diversify oil

imports from other regions after the OPEC cuts drove up prices of Middle East heavy-sour crude, or grades

with a high sulphur content.

Useful Info

Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. - Sanjiv Singh






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India is going to invite the 10 leaders of ASEAN for 2018 Republic day Celebrations

India is going to invite the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as Chief Guests

for 2018 Republic Day celebrations. If this happens, the Republic Day 2018 would be the first Republic Day

event that will have so many leaders as the chief guests.

Useful Info

10 Member Countries of ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,

Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

India has contributed $500,000 to the UN Peacebuilding Fund

India has contributed $500,000 to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, expressing hope that more funding by nations

will boost efforts by the world body to build and sustain peace. India has been a member of the Peacebuilding

Commission since its inception in December 2005 and has so far contributed $5 million to the Peacebuilding

Fund. The fresh contribution of $500,000 to the fund will be affected over the coming days. The fund was

launched to support activities, actions, programmes and organisations that seek to build a lasting peace in

countries emerging from conflict.

Useful Info

United Nation HQ – New York, USA

Secretary-General - Antonio Guterres

The government has lowered interest rate on small saving schemes by 0.1 per cent for the July- September

quarter

The government has lowered interest rate on small saving schemes by 0.1 per cent for the July- September

quarter. The move will prompt banks to lower deposit rates. The rates of small saving schemes like PPF, Kisan

Vikas Patra and Sukanya Samriddhi have been lowered across the board compared to the April-June quarter.

Since April last year, interest rates of all small saving schemes have been recalibrated on a quarterly basis.

According to finance ministry notification, investments in the public provident fund (PPF) scheme will fetch

lower annual rate of 7.8 percent. Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) investments will yield 7.5 per cent and mature in

115 months. The one for girl child savings, Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, will offer 8.3 percent

annually, from 8.4 per cent at present. The investment on 5-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme will yield 8.3

per cent.

GST Council cuts tax rate on fertiliser to 5 % from 12 %

GST Council has reduced the tax rate on fertiliser to 5 percent from previously decided 12 per cent. Finance

Minister Arun Jaitley, who heads the GST Council comprising representatives of states, states the decision to

reduce the tax rate on fertiliser was taken because of apprehensions that price of the crop nutrient may go up.

The GST Council, in another move to give relief to farmers, also cut the tax rate on exclusive parts of tractors

from 28 per cent to 18 per cent.

Useful Info

Minister for finance, corporate affairs, defence – Arun Jaitley

Constituency – Gujarat (Rajya Sabha)

The growth of eight core sectors slowed to 3.6 per cent in May due to fall in output of coal and fertilisers

The growth of eight core sectors slowed to 3.6 per cent in May due to fall in output of coal and fertilisers. The

growth rate of eight infrastructure sectors— coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel,

cement and electricity — was 5.2 percent in May last year (2016). Coal and fertiliser productions recorded

negative growth of 3.3 per cent and 6.5 per cent, respectively, as per the government data released.

From January 1, 2018 MRP to be sole price of a packaged good






19

From January 1, 2018, the price of a packaged good would no longer depend on where you bought it- be it a

local Kirana store, a mall, a five-star hotel or an airport. The Consumer Affairs Ministry has amended the rules

that govern packaged commodities to this effect. As per the amended Legal Metrology rules for packaged

commodities, the Centre has clarified that the retail sale price shall be the maximum retail price (MRP)

inclusive of all taxes, with the provision to round off the price to the nearest rupee or 50 paise.

Useful Info

Minister of Consumer Affairs – Ramvilas Paswan

Constituency – Hajipur, Bihar

The next tranche of sovereign gold bond (SGB) scheme was launched by Finance Ministry

The next tranche of sovereign gold bond (SGB) scheme was launched recently by the Government. This time,

providing a 2.5 percent annual interest to investors. The bonds will be available in banks, Stock Holding

Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices and recognized stock exchanges namely

National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE). Finance Ministry has

announced the sixth tranche of gold bonds applications for which will be accepted from July 10 to July 14,

2017, according to the finance ministry. The bonds will be issued to eligible applicants on July 28. The

investors will get the interest payable semi-annually on the nominal value of the investment. The minimum

investment will be 1 gram of gold. The maximum limit can be subscribed up to 500 grams per person per fiscal

year. A self-declaration to this effect will be obtained. Payment options available are cash payment (up to a

maximum of Rs 20,000) or demand draft or cheque or electronic banking.

Useful Info

Minister of Finance, corporate affairs, Defence (additional charge) – Arun Jaitley


Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Launches 'Aaykar Setu' To Enhance E-Access Of Taxpayers

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched 'Aaykar Setu', an e-initiative for the Income tax Department to directly

communicate with the taxpayers and aimed at providing information on useful tax services. To enhance mobile

access experience, a mobile responsive Android version was also released along with the desktop version. The

module compiles various tax tools, live chat facility, dynamic updates, and important links to various processes

within the Income Tax Department in a single module.

Useful Info

Head of GST Council – Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley)

First country to introduce GST – France, 1954

Last state in India which implement GST – Jammu & Kashmir

First State in India which implement GST – Telangana

Venezuela's state-owned oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela has offered a 9% stake in an oil field to ONGC

Videsh

Venezuela's state-owned oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela has offered a 9% stake in an oil field to ONGC

Videsh, the international arm of India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. This comes as Venezuela

seeks to support its energy industry, which has been hit by falling oil prices and is struggling to maintain its

investment in oil fields.

Useful Info

Country – Venezuela

Capital – Caracas

Currency – Bolivar

5 Indian States and a Union Territory have formally adopted the centre‟s GeM






20

5 Indian States (Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Telangana and Arunachal Pradesh) and a Union Territory

(Puducherry) have formally adopted the Centre‘s Government e-Marketplace (GeM) initiative. In this regard,

these states/UT have signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) to join GeM initiative. 4 more states

including Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Haryana, will ink such MoU soon.

Useful Info

What is Government e-Marketplace (GeM) initiative?

GEM Initiative is an Online Market platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by various

Ministries and agencies of the Government. It aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public

procurement of goods and services and eliminate corruption

Government has launched a GST training programme to skill around two lakh youths in six months

The government has launched a GST training programme to skill around two lakh youths in six months to

handle tax compliance issues like invoice making. The people would be trained under the

PradhanMantriKaushalVikasYojana (PMKVY). The new training course would cater to the need of GST

trained professionals to help businesses in areas such as registration and calculation of tax liability under the

new tax regime.

Useful Info

Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) - Rajiv Pratap Rudy

Constituency –Saran, Bihar

Chairman of GST – ArunJaitely

India has ranked 4th among world's fastest growing economies

India has ranked 4th among world's fastest growing economies. According to recently released World Bank's

Global Economic Prospects. India has been placed behind smaller economies of Estonia, Uzbekistan, and

Nepal in growth rate.

Useful Info

Country – Estonia

Capital – Tallinn

Currency - Euro

SEBI has entered into a pact with the ESMA for information exchange on CCPs

Markets regulator SEBI has entered into a pact with the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)

for exchange of information concerning Central Counterparties (CCPs). CCPs are entities that help facilitate

clearing and settlement activities. The MoU establishes cooperation arrangements, including exchange of

information regarding CCPs which are established and authorised or recognised in India by SEBI and which

have applied for EU recognition under EMIR.

Useful Info

SEBI HQ – Mumbai

Chairman – Ajay Tyagi

Insurance giant Swiss Re is preparing an insurance policy for the Mesoamerican Reef in Mexico

Insurance giant Swiss Re is preparing an insurance policy for the Mesoamerican Reef in Mexico to prevent its

further deterioration. Under the scheme, which is the first for a natural structure, the premiums will be paid by

hotels and government, and money to pay for the repair of the reef will be released if a storm strikes.

Useful Info

Swiss Re - Zürich, Switzerland

CEO - Christian Mumenthaler

Centre and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a 220 million dollar loan






21

The Centre and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a 220 million dollar loan for improving

connectivity as well as transport efficiency and safety on State Highways of Rajasthan. The loan is the first

tranche of the 500 million dollar Rajasthan State Highways Investment Program, approved by ADB Board in

May this year. An official release said the first tranche loan will improve about one thousand kilometres of

State Highways and major district roads.

Useful Info

ADB - Asian Development Bank

HQ - Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines

President - ‎Takehiko Nakao

Government imposes 10% customs duty on imported mobile phones, parts

The government has imposed 10 per cent basic customs duty on mobile phones and certain parts with

immediate effect to boost domestic manufacturing. According to an official statement, 10 per cent customs

duty, will be levied on imported cellular mobile phones and accessories such as charger, battery, wire headset,

microphone and receiver, key pad, USB cable and other specified electronic goods. However, present

exemption from basic customs duty on specified parts of mobiles will continue.

GST to boost India‟s GDP, positive rating by Moody's

Moody's Investors Service has said, Implementation of the GST will be positive for India's rating as it will lead

to higher GDP growth and increased tax revenues. In a statement, Moody's Vice-President, Sovereign Risk

Group, William Foster said, over the medium term, GST is likely to contribute to productivity gains and higher

GDP growth by improving the ease of doing business, unifying the national market and enhancing India's

attractiveness as a foreign investment destination.

Useful Info

Moody‘s – Credit rating agency

HQ – New York City, USA

CEO - Raymond W. McDaniel Jr.

BANKING NEWS

RBI report sees India's economic growth rate at 7.3% in 2017-18

The Reserve Bank stated the ongoing accelerated reform initiatives like Goods and Sevice Tax and continuing

political stability will push the economic growth scale to 7.3 per cent in terms of Gross Value Added -GVA in

the current fiscal year (2017-18). The Financial Stability Report 2017 released, going forward, reforms in FDI

and real estate sector, implementation of GST, and revival in external demand are likely to contribute to a

better growth outlook. According to the RBI report, GVA growth is expected to be higher at 7.3 per cent in

2017-18.

Useful Info

RBI – Reserve Bank of India (It is the central bank of India)

Governor – Urjit Patel

HQ – Mumbai

RBI commenced its operations on 1 April 1935 during the British Rule in accordance with the provisions of the

Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. Following India's independence on 15 August 1947, the RBI was

nationalised on 1 January 1949.

EPFO signed an agreement with four private banks for collection of provident fund

The Employees‘ ProvidentFund Organisation (EPFO)signed anagreement with four privatebanks and Bank of

Barodafor collection of providentfund dues from employersand payments to itssubscribers.This is the first time






22

that theEPFO hastied up withprivate banks – namely, ICICIBank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bankand KotakMahindra

Bank.Earlier, only State Bank of Indiawas authorised to collectcontributions from employersand make payment

toemployees. The move willhelp the EPFO save about300 crore rupees annually as thefive banks have agreed

tozero transaction charges.

Useful Info

EPFO –Employees‘ ProvidentFund Organisation

HQ – New Delhi

Four Private Banks – ICICI, Axis, HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank.

PSU – Bank of Baroda

Indus OS partners with YES Bank to launch OS-integrated UPI platform

Indus OS has partnered with YES Bank to launch OS-integrated UPI (Unified Payment Interface) payment

platform in India. Users with Indus OS will be able to use this UPI payment platform on SMS, dialler interface,

and on third party apps like WhatsApp. This means P2P transactions, as well as utility payments, can be made

via SMS or messaging. The platform is expected to launch in this quarter.

Useful Info

YES Bank

HQ – Mumbai

Tagline – Experience our Expertise

CEO - Rana Kapoor

CEO of Indus OS - Rakesh Deshmukh

Credit card bill payment exempt from cash dealing limit of Rs 2 lakh

Revenue department has said that restrictions on cash dealings of two lakh rupees or more will not apply to

credit card bill payments, business correspondents appointed by banks and issuers of prepaid instruments. The

Finance Act 2017 banned cash transaction of 2 lakh rupees or above with effect 1st of April this year.

Canara, HSBC, Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance ties up with Dhanlaxmi Bank for marketing

bancassurance

Private life insurance company Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance has entered into an

alliance with the Kerala based Dhanlaxmi Bank for marketing various life insurance products. As part of the

agreement, the Bank will be a corporate agent for 3 years. All the life insurance products of Canara HSBC

Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance would be made available to customers of Dhanlaxmi Bank and

would be sold by the licensed staff of the bank.

Useful Info

HQ of Dhanlaxmi Bank – Thrissur, Kerala

Tagline – Tann. Mann. Dhan

MD & CEO - G. Sreeram

China's biggest banks lost $15 billion value in a week

China's biggest banks, including Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Agricultural Bank of

China, lost a combined $15 billion (nearly 97,000 crore rupees) in value in a week.

Useful Info

Country – China

Capital – Beijing

Currency – Renminbi – Yuan

President – Xi Jinping

ICBC - Industrial and Commercial Bank of China

HQ – Xicheng District, Beijing, China

Agriculture Bank of China






23

HQ – Beijing, China

RBI is considering setting up of Public Credit Registry (PCR), an extensive database of bank loans

RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya said, that the Reserve Bank of India is considering setting up of Public

Credit Registry (PCR), an extensive database of bank loans. Acharya suggested the registry would be managed

by a public authority like the central bank, and reporting loan details should be mandatory.

Useful Info

RBI - Reserve Bank of India

HQ – Mumbai


RBI said Ombudsman cannot handle note ban plaints

Customers‘ complaints about problems like cash withdrawal and exchange of old notes faced post

demonetisation cannot be entertained under the Banking Ombudsman (BO) scheme, the Reserve Bank of India

has said.

Useful Info

Banking Ombudsman Scheme

First BO office in India – RBI, New Delhi (jurisdiction over Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir)

Second BO office in India – New Delhi (jurisdiction over Haryana (except Panchkula, Yamuna Nagar and

Ambala Districts) and Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar districts of Uttar Pradesh)

Total BO office in India currently – 20

Nepal SBI launches first paperless Banking services sbi INTOUCH

Nepal SBI Bank, a subsidiary of the State Bank of India, launched its fully automatic digital banking services

in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. This is for the first time the State Bank of India has expanded the paperless

banking system outside India. Digital banking provides various services including cash deposit, the opening of

new accounts, distribution of debit card, ATM and online banking information on the touch of the screen.

Customers can avail the services from SBI Intouch Bank. The digital banking unit also has a robot, which

provides important information to customers in an interactive manner.

Useful Info

Country – Nepal

Capital – Kathmandu

Currency - Nepalese rupee

President - Bidhya Devi Bhandari

Prime Minister - Sher Bahadur Deuba

SBI – State Bank of India

HQ – Mumbai

Chairperson - Arundhati Bhattacharya

Tagline of SBI – with you all the way, Pure Banking Nothing Else, The Nation‘s Banks on us.

GMR Goa International Airports Ltd gets Rs. 1,330 cr loan from Axis Bank for developing Mopa airport

GMR Goa International Airports Ltd, a subsidiary of GMR Airports Ltd, has executed a debt facility agreement

for the development of Greenfield airport at Mopa. The foundation stone for the project was subsequently laid

by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on November 13, 2016. The entire debt of Rs. 1,330 crore was

underwritten by Axis Bank on a long tenor door to door basis of 18 years on competitive terms.

Useful Info

Chairman of GMR Airports - Srinivas Bommidala

Axis Bank HQ – Mumbai

MD and CEO of Axis Bank - Shikha Sharma

Tagline of Axis Bank – Badhti Ka naam Zindagi






24

The Reserve Bank of India has amends order on bankruptcy action on 12 large NPAs

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has amended its earlier order asking banks to initiate bankruptcy proceedings

against 12 companies which have outstanding loans amounting to over Rs 5,000 crore as on March 2016. The

amendment, made through a notification, comes after the Gujarat High Court asked the RBI to remove the

stipulation on its order last month that the 12 non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans, would be granted

priority at the National Company Law Tribunal. Essar Steel, one of the 12 large NPAs identified by the RBI,

had approached the Gujarat High Court for the RBI proceedings.

Useful Info


HQ – Mumbai

Governor – Urjit Patel (24th

governor)

There are 4 Deputy Governors – S. S. Mundra, N. S. Vishwanathan, Viral V. Acharya, B.P. Kanungo

Axis Bank has entered into collaboration with Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) to facilitate

trade with Latin America and the Caribbean.

Axis Bank has entered into collaboration with Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) to facilitate trade

with Latin America and the Caribbean. Axis Bank becomes the first Indian bank to participate in the Trade

Finance Facilitation Programme as a confirming bank. IIC, a member of the Inter-American Development

Bank Group, is a multilateral development bank committed to supporting the private sector in Latin America

and the Caribbean.

Useful Info

Axis Bank HQ – Mumbai

MD & CEO – Shikha Sharma

Tagline of Axis Bank – Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi

IIC – Inter-American Investment Corporation

HQ – Washington D.C

President - Luis Alberto Moreno

SBI waives charge on IMPS fund transfer of up to Rs 1,000

Country's largest bank SBI has waived charges for fund transfer of up to Rs 1,000 through its IMPS

(Immediate Payment Service) to promote small transactions. State Bank of India had been charging Rs 5 along

with the applicable service tax for IMPS fund transfer of up to Rs 1,000. IMPS is an instant interbank

electronic fund transfer service through mobile phones as well as internet banking. For IMPS, the charge will

be Rs 5 along GST for fund transfer in the range of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 lakh. The charge will go up to Rs 15 for

transactions of Rs 1-2 lakh. GST at the rate of 18 per cent is applicable on all financial transactions.

Useful Info


HQ – Mumbai

Chairperson – Arundhathi Battacharya

YES BANK Launches „YES GST‟ Program to Assist MSMEs

YES Bank, India‘s fourth largest private sector bank, along with YES Global Institute has launched ‗YES

GST‘ program for MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) under its MSME CSR initiative, ‗Say YES

to Sustainable MSMEs in India‘. Through the program, the bank will help MSMEs to understand the impact of

the changes in tax system and prepare them to know the new GST tax system. YES Bank has also launched

GST-Ready products for MSMEs.

Useful Info

Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises – Kalraj Mishra

Constituency – Deoria (Uttar Pradesh)






25

YES Bank HQ – Mumbai

MD & CEO - Rana Kapoor

Tagline of YES Bank – Experience our Expertise

State Bank of India launches website for home buyers

State Bank of India, the country‘s largest commercial bank, has launched 'SBI Realty' - a one-stop integrated

website www.sbirealty.in for home buyers. SBI Realty will help customers to choose their dream home from

3,000 SBI approved projects across the country. These projects are spread across 13 states and Union

Territories covering 30 cities, including metros, semi metro and towns. The site is developed by SBICAP

Securities in association with PropEquity in terms of data support, project information.

Useful Info


HQ – Mumbai

Chairperson - Arundhati Bhattacharya

The Bank of England unveiled a new polymer £10 note featuring 19th century novelist Jane Austen

The Bank of England unveiled a new polymer £10 note featuring 19th century novelist Jane Austen, in a move

to replace paper £5, £10 and £20 with secure plastic notes. This makes Austen the only woman other than

Queen Elizabeth to be featured on a polymer British bank note. This note's introduction marks the 200th

anniversary of Austen's death.

Useful Info

Bank of England – It is the central bank of the United Kingdom

HQ - Threadneedle Street London, EC2 England

Country – United Kingdom

Capital – London

Currency – Pound Sterling

ICICI Bank offers up to Rs 15 lakh instant personal loan via ATMs

Largest private sector lender ICICI Bank will be selling personal loans of up to Rs 15 lakh through its ATMs

that can be availed of by select salaried customers even if they haven't previously applied for one. The facility

offers a bouquet of features - swift application in simple steps, multiple eligible loan amount options up to Rs.

15 lakh based on pre-checked CIBIL scores and instant transfer of the money to the customer‘s account.

Useful Info

ICICI Bank HQ – Mumbai

CEO – Chanda Kochhar

Tagline – Hum Hai Na, Khyal Apka

SBI and Carlyle Group will acquire GE Capital's entire stake in SBI Card

State Bank of India (SBI), the Carlyle Group and GE have announced that they have signed definitive

agreements, whereby SBI and Carlyle Group will acquire GE Capital's entire stake in SBI Card, the second-

largest credit card franchise in India. SBI Card is operated through two joint venture companies, SBI Cards &

Payment Services and GE Capital Business Process Management Services, which issue credit cards and

process card transactions in the Indian market. Following the transactions, SBI and Carlyle will own 74 percent

and 26 percent respectively in each of the two entities.

Useful Info

State Bank of India HQ – Mumbai

Chairperson – Arundhati Bhattacharya

Carlyle Group HQ – Washington, United States

GE Capital – Norwalk, Connecticut, United States

Aurionpro launches a Bank in a Box to reduce branch expansion cost for banks






26

Aurionpro Solutions a global leader in digital innovation, enterprise security and banking solutions, announced

its Branch-in-a-Box product, the Virtual Teller Machine (VTM) a fully integrated self-service kiosk for

automating 90% of banking transactions at the branch level. The VTM helps in migrating routine transactions

like eKYC, account opening, passbook and statement printing, video assistance, bill payment, cash and

cheques (single and bunched) deposit, cheque account summary, cash withdrawal, personalised instant card

issuance, activation and replacement from the branch to the teller machines.

Useful Info

Aurionpro Solutions

Corporate HQ – Mumbai

US Headquarter - San Ramon, California

CEO - Samir Shah

Standard Chartered Bank has launched a Multi-currency Forex Card for overseas travelers

Standard Chartered Bank has launched a Multi-currency Forex Card for overseas travelers. The card will allow

customers the convenience of loading up to 20 widely used currencies on one card with an online reload

facility during overseas travel. The card will offer travelers protection against the frequent currency

fluctuations by locking in the currency exchange rate they availed during the time of loading the card, and not

pay different rates every time they use the card.

Useful Info

Standard Chartered Bank HQ – London, England

Chairman - Jose Vinals

Bolivia has declared "total independence" from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank

Bolivia's President Evo Morales has declared "total independence" from the International Monetary Fund

(IMF) and World Bank. Last year, Bolivia has announced that it will no longer respond to their demands.

Useful Info

IMF – International Monetary Fund

HQ – Washington D.C

World Bank HQ – Washington D.C

Country – Bolivia

Capital – Sucre

Currency - Bolivian boliviano

SIDBI has started full-fledged merchant banking operations to benefit MSMEs

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has started full-fledged merchant banking operations to

benefit the expanding number of growth-oriented micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), especially

those with a strong technology and innovation quotient. The initiative is aimed at enhancing the access of

MSMEs to the capital markets, including the SME Trading Platform and Institutional Trading Platform.

Useful Info

SIDBI - Small Industries Development Bank of India

HQ – Lucknow

Chairman and Managing Director - Kshatrapati Shivaji

SIDBI was established in the year 1990

RBI sets up Supervisory Colleges for six Scheduled Commercial Banks

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up Supervisory Colleges for six Scheduled Commercial Banks which have

sizeable international presence: - State Bank of India, ICICI Bank Ltd., Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Axis

Bank Ltd. and Punjab National Bank. The objectives of the colleges are to enhance information exchange and






27

cooperation among supervisors, to improve understanding of the risk profile of the banking group and thereby

facilitate more effective supervision of internationally active banks.

Useful Info

Those 6 Banks are – SBI, ICICI, BOI, BOB, Axis Bank, PNB

HQ of Reserve Bank of India – Mumbai

24th

Governor of RBI Urjit Patel

1st Governor of RBI – Osborne Smith (British banker)

1st Indian Governor of RBI – C. D. Deshmukh

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) receives final nod from RBI to function as Bharat Bill

Payment Central Unit

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella organization for all retail payment systems has

received a final nod from the Reserve Bank of India to function as the Bharat Bill Payment Central Unit

(BBPCU) and operate the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). On August 31, 2016, 8 BBPS operating units,

which received in-principle approval from RBI, took part in the pilot. Almost after a year of running the pilot,

streamlining the technology and business processes, NPCI has now received final clearance from RBI.

Useful Info

NPCI - National Payments Corporation of India

MD & CEO of NPCI - A. P. Hota

Indian Overseas Bank has offered Bharat Bill Payment System, introduced by NPCI

Public sector Indian Overseas Bank has offered Bharat Bill Payment System, introduced by the National

Payments Corporation of India, for its customers. BBPS is an integrated bill payment system that offers inter-

operable online bill payments to customers. The services include online payments of electricity,

telecommunication, DTH, water and gas bills, the Chennai headquartered bank said in a statement. Indian

Overseas Bank is one of the three public sector banks (apart from Bank of Baroda and Union Bank of India) to

get the approval from RBI for providing the service.

Useful Info

IOB – Indian Overseas Bank

Headquarters of IOB – Chennai

Tagline – Good people to grow with

MD & CEO of IOB - R Subramaniakumar

NPCI - National Payments Corporation of India

MD & CEO of NPCI – A. P. Hota

Canara Bank launched its first „Digital Banking Branch‟ at Bengaluru

Canara Bank, which has set an ambitious target of moving to ‗paperless‘ futuristic banking, launched its first

‗Digital Banking Branch‘ at Bengaluru. Titled ‗CANDI‘, the branch will provide an end-to-end digital

experience to customers.

Useful Info

State – Karnataka


CM – Siddaramaiah

Governor – Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala

Canara Bank HQ – Bangalore

Tagline – Together we can

MD & CEO of Canara Bank - Shri. Rakesh Sharma

FINO Payments Bank has commenced operations as a payments bank






28

FINO Payments Bank has commenced operations as a payments bank with effect from 30th June 2017

according to the Reserve Bank of India. FINO PayTech Ltd, Mumbai, was one of the 11 applicants which were

issued in-principle approval for setting up a payments bank. Besides FINO, the other applicants which have

launched payment bank operations are Airtel M Commerce Services, Department of Posts and Paytm Payments

Bank.

Useful Info

FINO Payment Banks HQ – Mumbai

FINO PayTech CEO – Rishi Gupta

RBI allows NBFCs to sell and market the new pension scheme

The Reserve Bank of India has allowed systematically important non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) to

sell and market the new pension scheme (NPS). NBFCs with asset size of Rs500 crore and above that have

made a net profit in the preceding financial year be permitted to sell NPS to their clients after registration with

the pension regulator.

Useful Info

IRDAI - Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India

HQ – Hyderabad

Chairman – T.S. Vijayan



INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Russia extends ban on Western food imports for another 18 months

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to extend a ban on Western food imports for another 18

months after the European Union extended economic sanctions against Russia. Putin‘s office published a

decree that keeps the food ban in place until December 31, 2018.

Useful Info

Country – Russia

Capital – Moscow

Currency – Russian Ruble

President – Vladimir Putin

China sets up research base to counter illegal drones:

China has set up its first research base in the country's Sichuan province to counter illegal flying drones. The

base will encourage the development of anti-drone technology and enhance aviation safety. Notably, the

number of cases of drones disrupting the normal operations of civil airports in the country has risen from four

in 2015 to 23 last year.

Country: China

Capital: Beijing

Currency: Renminbi

President: Xi Jinping

5th

Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education was held in Beijing, China

Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education was held in Beijing, China. The Indian delegation was led

byShriPrakashJavadekar, Minister of Human Resource Development, India. The delegation of all the five

BRICS countries participated in the two-day deliberations.Javadekar highlighted some of the initiatives of the

Govt. of India in education. He specifically spoke about the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF),

SWAYAM platform which has already hosted over 480 courses online, research initiative IMPRINT and Smart

India Hackathon.

Useful Info

BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa






29

Minister of Human Resource Development – PrakashJavadekar

Constituency –Madhya Pradesh (Rajya Shaba)

India ranks 23rd among 165 nations in cyber security index

India is ranked a high 23rd out of 165 nations in a global index that measures the commitment of nations across

the world to cyber security. The second Global Cyber security Index (GCI) was released by the UN

telecommunications agency International Telecommunication Union (ITU).India is ranked 23rd on the index

with a score of 0.683 and has been listed in the maturing category. The index has been topped by Singapore

with a 0.925 score.

Useful Info

ITU - International Telecommunication Union


The European Parliament has approved a first-ever cooperation deal between the EU and Cuba

The European Parliament overwhelmingly approved a first-ever cooperation deal between the EU and Cuba.

MEPs in the eastern French city of Strasbourg approved the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement

which was signed in December 2016. With the deal, Cuba joins other Latin American countries with similar

agreements with the EU, whose relations with the island had previously been conducted in the so-called

Common Position that linked ties to improvements in human rights.

Useful Info

The European Parliament

HQ - Brussels, Belgium

Country – Cuba

Capital – Havana

Currency – Cuban Peso

Twelfth G20 Summit held in Hamburg, Germany

Hamburg is hosted the twelfth G20 Summit. The G20, or group of 20, is an international meeting between

heads of states, finance ministers and central bank governors from the world‘s leading economies.

Useful Info

Country – Germany

Capital – Berlin

Currency – Euro

G-20 was founded in 1999.

The first meeting of G-20 was held in Berlin in 1999.

The last G-20 summit was held in China in 2016.

122 countries approved the first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons at the UN meeting

122 countries approved the first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons at the UN meeting boycotted by all

nuclear-armed nations. One country the Netherlands voting against while Singapore abstained. None of the

nine countries that possess nuclear weapons the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan,

North Korea and Israel took part in the negotiations or the vote. Even Japan the only country to have suffered

atomic attacks, in 1945 boycotted the talks as did most NATO countries.

Useful Info

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization

HQ – Brussels, Belgium

France will end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040

France will end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 as part of an ambitious plan to meet its targets under

the Paris climate accord, Emmanuel Macron‘s government has announced.

Useful Info

Country – France

Capital – Paris

Currency – Euro

PM - Édouard Philippe

President - Emmanuel Macron

Top Car Brands in France






30

Bugatti, Renault, Citroen, Peugeot

India and Bangladesh have decided to construct a bridge over Khawthlangtuipuiriver

To facilitate trade and to improve communication between the two countries, India and Bangladesh have

decided to construct a bridge over Mizoram‘s Khawthlangtuipui river (also known as Karnaphuliriver).

Useful Info

Country – Bangaladesh

Capital – Dhaka

Currency - Taka

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a summit on December 12

Speaking at the G20 summit, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that Paris will host a summit

on December 12 to address financing issues on the 2015 Paris climate agreement. The summit would aim to

mobilise private and public financing for the projects committed to in the Paris agreement.

Useful Info

Country – France

Capital – Paris

Currency – Euro

PM – Édouard Philippe

President - Emmanuel Macron

UNESCO has voted to leave Australia's Great Barrier Reef off its "List of World Heritage in Danger”

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has voted to leave

Australia's Great Barrier Reef off its "List of World Heritage in Danger" despite several reports claiming major

coral bleaching at the 2,300-km-long ecosystem. However, the UN body expressed "serious concern" about the

reef's health. The reef, which is also the largest living thing on Earth, was recently valued for the first time, at

$42 billion.

Useful Info

UNESCO - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization


Director-General of UNESCO - Irina Bokova

A Model United Nations (MUN) Regional Conference is held at Kathmandu

A Model United Nations (MUN) Regional Conference held at Kathmandu. The event is organised by the US

Embassy in partnership with the Youth Thinker‘s Society. Youths from 12 South and Central Asian countries

including India are participating in 5-day conference. The basic aim of the MUN is to provide a platform to

young minds to channelize energy and resources for a more prosperous and peaceful world. The conference

simulate four UN committees-United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Economic and Financial

Committee (ECOFIN), United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and United Nations Human Rights Council

(UNHRC).

Useful Info

Country – Nepal


Currency – Nepalese rupee

The United States has deployed anti-aircraft missiles for the first time in the Baltics

The United States has deployed anti-aircraft missiles for the first time in the Baltics for use in NATO military

drills in Lithuania. This comes ahead of the Zapad exercise by Russia and Belarus, which NATO allies believe

could increase Russian presence.

Useful Info

NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

HQ – Brussels, Belgium

22nd World Petroleum Congress (WPC) International Conference held in Istanbul, Turkey

The 22nd World Petroleum Congress (WPC) International Conference was held recently in Istanbul, Turkey.

Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, DharmendraPradhan visited Istanbul to represent India

at the Conference. The theme for 22nd World Petroleum Congress was ‗Bridges To Our Energy Future‘. WPC

was first organized in year 1993. Currently, it is being held at the interval of three years.






31

Useful Info

Country – Turkey

Capital – Ankara

Currency – Turkish Lira

Malta became the 24th

country to legalise same-sex marriage

The Roman Catholic Mediterranean island Malta became the 24th country in the world to legalise same-sex

marriage.

Useful Info

Country – Malta

Capital – Valletta

Currency - Euro

Indonesia has renamed part of South China Sea

Indonesia has named waters in its exclusive economic zone that overlap with China‘s expansive claim to the

South China Sea as the North Natuna Sea. The part of the renamed area falls in China‘s ―nine-dash line‖ waters

extending hundreds of miles to the south and east of China‘s island province Hainan.

Useful Info

Country – Indonesia

Capital – Jakarta

Currency - Indonesian rupiah

GST to be positive for auto, retail sector: Fitch

New indirect tax regime Goods and Services Tax (GST) is likely to be beneficial for auto, cement and

organised retail sectors, but will have a negative impact on oil and gas, and SME sectors, Fitch Ratings.

Useful Info

Fitch Ratings - credit rating agency

HQ – New York, USA

CEO - Paul Taylor

Founder - John Knowles Fitch

Founded - 1914

Indians among top asylum-seekers, according to the International Migration Outlook 2017

According to the International Migration Outlook 2017 report on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD) member countries, Indians are among top asylum-seekers in other countries such as

New Zealand, Australia, Finland, Japan, Latvia, Slovak Republic, United Kingdom and the United States of

America. According to the report on OECD member-nations, top asylum-seekers to New Zealand between

2012 and 2016 were from China, India, Fiji, and Iraq. Among these, India and China were the largest source

countries of asylum-seekers (11% and 9%), followed by Fiji (8%), Iraq (7%) and Pakistan (6%).

Useful Info

OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development


Secretary-General‎: ‎José ÁngelGurría

Australia became the 35th country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA)

Australia became the 35th country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an initiative launched by

Prime Minister NarendraModi in November 2015 in Paris. It is co-led by India and France. The aim of ISA is

to support developing countries to boost their solar production capacity. India on its part through the Indian

Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is

contributing $1 million to the ISA fund. The larger aim of ISA is to mobilize over $ 1000 billion by 2030

towards promoting solar power on all fronts generation and storage.

Useful Info

ISA - International Solar Alliance

HQ – Gurugram

Country – Australia

Capital – Canberra

Currency – Australian Dollar






32

PM - Malcolm Turnbull

SheikhaLubna Al Qasimi tops poll of most powerful Arab women: Forbes

SheikhaLubna Al Qasimi, the UAE Minister of State for Tolerance has topped a poll of the most powerful

Arab women in government for 2017, according to Forbes Middle East. Ms. Qasimi was followed by two

women from Egypt - Sahar Nasr, the country‘s minister of investment and international cooperation and

GhadaWali, the minister of social solidarity. Forbes has also released a list of the top 100 most powerful Arab

business women for 2017, and the UAE represents the highest number of women, with 18, followed by Egypt,

with 16.

Useful Info

Forbes - Forbes is an American business magazine. Published bi-weekly, it features original articles on finance,

industry, investing, and marketing topics.

HQ – New York

UAE –United Arab Emirates

Capital – Abu Dhabi

Currency - United Arab Emirates dirham

Lahore High Court lifted a ban on the airing of Indian television serials in Pakistan

Lahore High Court lifted a ban on the airing of Indian television serials in Pakistan. The court noted that

instead of a blanket ban, Indian content with "objectionable" or "anti-Pakistan" content could still be censored.

Useful Info

Country – Pakistan

Capital – Islamabad

Currency - Pakistani rupee

Facebook-owned WhatsApp has been partially blocked in China

Facebook-owned WhatsApp has been partially blocked in China following a censorship crackdown by the

government. China operates world's largest censorship system, called the 'Great Firewall', blocking platforms

like Facebook, Google, and Instagram.

Useful Info

Country – China

Capital – Beijing



India-Japan agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy

India-Japan agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy has come into force recently.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Ambassador of Japan to India Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu exchanged diplomatic

notes in this regard. The agreement was signed on 11th November 2016 in Tokyo during Prime Minister

NarendraModi‘s visit to Japan. The agreement is a reflection of the strategic partnership between the two sides

and will pave the way for enhanced cooperation in energy security and clean energy.

Useful Info

Country – Japan

Capital – Tokyo

Currency – Yen

PM - Shinzo Abe

U.K. gets its first woman president of top court

The U.K. government appointed Baroness Brenda Marjorie Hale, 72, as the first woman president of the

Supreme Court, the senior-most judge in the country. She will take charge in September.

Useful Info


Capital – London


Sean Spicer resigns as White House Press Secretary






33

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned, ending a difficult tenure during which the conventional

Republican sought to defend and explain President Donald Trump, with limited success. Sarah Huckabee

Sanders, Mr. Spicer‘s deputy, will succeed him.

Useful Info

New White House Press Secretary - Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Country – United States of America

Currency – US Dollar

President – Donald Trump

US citizens ban from travelling to North Korea

The United States announced that the government will ban citizens from traveling to North Korea due to "the

serious risk of arrest".

Useful Info

Country – North Korea

Capital – Pyongyang

Currency – North Korean won

US retail giant Walmart has topped the 2017 Fortune Global 500 list

For a 4th consecutive year, US retail giant Walmart has topped the 2017 Fortune Global 500 list with revenue

of $486 billion. 7 Indian companies were featured in this list. Indian Oil, with revenues of over $53 billion in

previous fiscal, is the highest ranked Indian company and placed 168th globally.

Useful Info

Walmart HQ - Bentonville, Arkansas, United States

World's first floating wind farm emerges off coast of Scotland

The world‘s first floating wind farm has taken to the seas in a sign that a technology once confined to research

and development drawing boards is finally ready to unlock expanses of ocean for generating renewable power

in Scotland. The £200m Hywind project is unusual not just because of the pioneering technology involved,

which uses 78-metre-tall underwater ballast and three mooring lines that will be attached to the seabed to keep

the turbines upright. It will bring power to 20,000 homes.

Useful Info

Country – Scotland

Capital – Edinburgh

Currency - Pound sterling

UN has selected Dubai as the data hub for the Middle East North Africa and South Asia (MENASA)

The UN has selected Dubai as the data hub for the Middle East North Africa and South Asia (MENASA)

region for the city‘s integrated initiatives to mine and manage its data. The work is already under way to

prepare Dubai as the regional city data hub. The designation will be part of a portfolio of local and regional

data portals, analytics and reports to engage stakeholders and help accelerate progress. It will also serve as a

dedicated platform for city-to- city learning and ‗solutions transfer‘ across metropolitan, national and global

contexts.

Useful Info

Country - United Arab Emirates

Capital – Abu Dhabi

Currency - United Arab Emirates dirham

BRICS Youth Forum 2017 opened in Beijing

The 2017 BRICS Youth Forum opened in Beijing, China to discuss the development of the youth in the

countries of the grouping. The theme of three-day forum is 'Enhance BRICS Partnership, Promote Youth

Development'. It gathered 50 youth representatives working as civil servants, scholars, entrepreneurs, artists

and journalists from the BRICS countries. The five BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South

Africa — first came up with the idea of establishing a dialogue mechanism for BRICS youth in 2014 during a

meeting between BRICS leaders in South Africa.

Useful Info






34

BRICS – BRICS is the acronym for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia,

India, China and South Africa. Originally the first four were grouped as "BRIC", before the induction of South

Africa in 2010.

Country – China

Capital – Beijing



Nawaz Sharif has resigned as prime minister of Pakistanover Panama Papers verdict

Nawaz Sharif has resigned as prime minister of Pakistan following a decision by the country's Supreme Court

to disqualify him from office. The ruling came after a probe into his family's wealth following the 2015

Panama Papers dump linking Mr Sharif's children to offshore companies.

Useful Info



Currency – Pakistani Rupee

2017 BRICS National Security Advisors (NSAs) meeting held in China

2017 BRICS National Security Advisors (NSAs) meeting was held in Beijing, China. National Security

Advisor (NSA)AjitDovalrepresented India at this meeting. This meeting is a major platform for Brazil, Russia,

India, China and South Africa (BRICS) countries to discuss and conduct cooperation in politics and security

fields. Discussions were held on topics including global governance, anti-terrorism, internet security and

energy security, as well as major international and regional hotspot issues. National Security Advisor AjitDoval

held talks with his Chinese counterpart and state councillor Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the BRICS NSAs

meeting. Chinese and Indian troops have been locked in a face-off in Doklam area for more than a month, since

Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the area.

Useful Info

Country – China

Capital – Beijing



7th edition of SAARC Artists Camp & Exhibition of Paintings held at Kathmandu, Nepal

The 7th edition of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Artists Camp and Exhibition

of Paintings has begun at Kathmandu. Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal, Jitendra

Narayan Devhas inaugurated the event. These events provide platform to artists for exchanging ideas with

fellow artists and helping in creating special bonding among them and 40 artists from SAARC member

countries except Afghanistan taking part in the 4 day camp.

Useful Info

SAARC - South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

Member Countries of SAARC –Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri

Lanka

HQ – Kathmandu, Nepal

Secretary General of SAARC - AmjadHussain B. Sail

Country – Nepal


Currency –Nepalese Rupee

India has featured among 60 nations on Digital Evolution Index 2017

India has featured among 60 nations on Digital Evolution Index 2017, exhibiting a high potential in terms of

digital payments. On the Digital Evolution Index 2017, India has been categorised under the ―break out‖

segment which refers to countries that have relatively lower absolute levels of digital advancement, yet remain

poised for growth and are attractive to investors by virtue of their potential. The report outlined that India has

been experiencing rapid strides of progress with an evolving payments landscape, catalysed by the

government‘s demonetisation decision.

Russia Launches 73 satellites in one go, second most ever






35

Russian space agency Roscosmos successfully launched ‗Kanopus-V-IK‘ Earth-imaging satellite and 72

microsatellites into orbit on a single rocket. This comes after ISRO launched a world record 104 satellites at

once earlier this year, breaking Russia‘s previous record of 37 satellites. The microsatellites include 62

CubeSats developed by US and others made by Japan, Germany, and Canada

Amitabh Bachchan's role as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador has been extended for two more years

Actor Amitabh Bachchan's role as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador has been extended for two more years. He

will now be working on spreading awareness regarding vaccination for MR (measles and rubella) infections for

children.

Useful Info

UNICEF – United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund

HQ – New York, US

CEO - Anthony Lake

APPOINTMENTS (NATIONAL)

New President of India Ram Nath Kovind (He is the 14th

President of India,

succeeds Pranab Mukherjee)

CEO and MD of Larsen & Toubro S.N. Subrahmanyan (Subrahmanyan is currently the

deputy managing director and president of L&T, now he

replaces AM Naik)

HQ of L&T – Mumbai

New Chairman of Tata Global Beverages Ltd.

(TGBL)

N. Chandrasekaran

About TATA Sons - Tata Sons Limited is the holding

company of the Tata Group and holds the bulk of

shareholding in these companies.

HQ – Mumbai

Chairperson - N. Chandrasekaran

new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Achal Kumar Joti (He is the Ex-Gujarat Chief

Secretary and will take charge after Nasim Zaidi retires

on July 6)

New DGP of Himachal Pradesh Somesh Goyal (He replaces Sanjay Kumar who has

been appointed as director general of the National

Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

About Himachal Pradesh:

Capital –Shimla

CM - Virbhadra Singh

Governor –AcharyaDevVrat

New Ambassador of India to Indonesia Pradeep Kumar Rawat (presently he serves as Joint

Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and

he succeeds Nengcha Lhouvum Mukhopadhaya)

About –Indonesia

Capital – Jakarta

Currency - Indonesian rupiah

New CEO of Vistara (The board of TATA SIA

Airlines Ltd, which owns and operates the full-

service airline)

Leslie Thng (former Silk Air head)

About Vistara:

Incumbent CEO of vistara - Phee Teik Yeoh

New CEO of vistara - Leslie Thng

Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and

Singapore Airlines

New Attorney General of India K K Venugopal

New Director General of Goods and Services Tax John Joseph






36

Intelligence (DG GSTI)

New Secretary of the Department of Economic

Affairs (DEA) in the Finance Ministry

Subhash Chandra Garg (He succeeds Shaktikanta

Das)

New director-general of the Directorate of Revenue

Intelligence (DG-DRI)

Debi Prasad Dash (He succeeds Jayant Misra)

New Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police

(ITBP)

R K Pachnanda

About Tibet:

Tibet is a region in China

Capital – Lhasa

Currency –Renminbi

New DG-ITBP – Shri R K Pachnanda

Preceded by - Shri Krishna Chaudhary

ITBP Headquarter – New Delhi

New Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister‟s Office Gopal Baglay (Senior diplomat and External Affairs

Ministry spokesperson, he has been appointed in place

of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been already named

as India‘s Ambassador to France)

new chief of the National Disaster Response Force

(NDRF)

Sanjay Kumar (He succeed R K Pachnanda, who was

has taken charge as DG the Indo-Tibetan Border Police

(ITBP).

New Secretary to Indian President, Ram Nath

Kovind

Sanjay Kothari (Chairman of Public Enterprises

Selection Board)

Useful Information:

1st President of India – Dr. Rajendra Prasad

1st Vice President of India – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

1st Women President of India - Pratibha Patil

14th President of India – Ram Nath Kovind

New spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs Raveesh Kumar (currently he is posted in Frankfurt,

Germany as Consul General of India, and will replace

Gopal Baglay, who was appointed the joint secretary in

the Prime Minister‘s Office)

New president of the National Rifle Association of

India (NRAI)

Raninder Singh

New MD & CEO of Oriental Bank of Commerce Mukesh Kumar Jain (He replaces Animesh Chauhan)

MD & CEO of Axis Bank Shikha Sharma was reappointed as the MD & CEO of

Axis Bank as her current term was to end in June 2018.

About AXIS Bank:

HQ – Mumbai

Tagline – Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi

MD and CEO - Shikha Sharma

New CEO of Janalakshmi Financial Services Ajay Kanwal (He is a veteran banker having 27 years

of experience in both consumer and commercial

banking sector)

About Janalakshmi Financial Services:

HQ – Bengaluru

Current CEO - V. S. Radhakrishnan

India‟s New Alternate Governor on the Board of

Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Subhash Chandra Garg (Economic Affairs Secretary)

About ADB - Asian Development Bank

Headquarters - Manila, Philippines

President of ADB - Takehiko Nakao

Administrative Manager of the Indian Cricket Team Sunil Subramaniam (former Tamil Nadu Ranji team






37

captain)

About BCCI - Board Of Control For Cricket In India

Headquarters of BCCI – Mumbai

Person who took additional charge of Ministry of

Information and Broadcasting (I&B)

Textiles minister Smriti Irani

part-time member on IRDAI board Ravi Mittal (additional secretary in the Finance

Ministry in place of Anil Khachi. Mittal has replaced N

S Rao at IRDAI)

About IRDAI –Insurance Regulatory & Development

Authority of India

HQ – Hyderabad, Telangana

Chairman - TS Vijayan

Rio Olympics silver medallist, who appointed as the

Group-I officer by the state‟s chief minister

P V Sindhu was appointed as the Group-I officer by the

Andhra Pradesh CM – Chandrababu Naidu

The new Chairman of Indian Institute of

Management (IIM) Amritsar

Sanjay Gupta

New Chairman of IIT-Kharagpur Sanjiv Goenka (Presently the Chairman of RP Sanjiv

Goenka Group)

New Chairperson of Broadcasting Content

Complaints Council (BCCC)

Vikramajit Sen (Former Supreme Court Judge Justice)

Chief Minister of Nagaland TR Zeliang

New Urban Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar (Presently he serves as Union

Minister for Rural Development)

new Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi

New head of the Indian consulate in

New York.

Sandeep Chakravorty (India‗s Ambassador to Peru)

APPOINTMENTS (INTERNATIONAL)

First Female Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic (She is an openly gay woman, and

succeeded Ivica Dacic)

About Serbia:

Capital – Belgrade

Currency - Serbian Dinar

WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Autism in South

Asia

Saima Wazed Hossain (a globally renowned champion

for the cause of autism spectrum disorder)

About WHO – World Health Organisation


Director–General - Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

new President of Mongolia Khaltmaa Battulga (Mongolian Business man and

Martial Arts expert)

About– Mongolia

Capital – Ulaanbaatar

Currency – Mongolian togrog

New President – Khaltmaa Battulga

Preceded by - Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj

New Chief Justice of Nepal Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli

About Nepal:

Capital –Kathmandu

Currency –Nepalese Rupee

President – Bidhya Devi Bhandari






38

PM - SherBahadurDeuba

New Chief Justice of Nepal - Gopal Prasad Parajuli

Preceded by – SushilaKarki

UK‟s first female President of the Supreme Court Brenda Marjorie Hale (She succeeds Lord Neuberger)

About United Kingdom:

Capital – London


PM – Theresa May

Newly included in the board of directors of Alphabet

(the search giant, Google‟s parent company)

Sundar Pichai (Google CEO)

About Google:

HQ – Mountain View, California, United States

Alphabet – Alphabet Inc. is an American multinational

conglomerate created in a corporate restructuring on

October 2, 2015. It is the parent company of Google.

HQ of Alphabet – Mountain View, California, United

States

Alphabet CEO - Larry Page

Interim Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (Presently He serves as the

Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources)

About Pakistan:



Ex-Prime Minister – Nawaz Sharif

New Interim Prime Minister - Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

The first woman chief executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam

Person who has been nominated by US President

Donald Trump as next secretary of the Army

Mark Esper

UNICEF‟s Global Good will Ambassador Lilly Singh (Indian- origin Canadian YouTube star)

About UNICEF - United Nations International

Children's Emergency Fund

HQ – New York

CEO - Anthony Lake

Person who has been nominated by US President

Donald Trump as the ambassador to Peru

Krishna R

AWARDS AND HONOURS

Awards Winners

Winner of prestigious 'Great Immigrants' annual

award on US's Independence day

Adobe Chief Shantanu Narayen and former US

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy both are Indian-

Americans,

Winner of Order of Australia for community work,

the highest civilian award in Australia.

Guruswamy Jayraman (a 69-year-old Glenwood

resident who migrated from Delhi to Australia in 1991)

About Australia:




Prime Minister‟s trophy for „Best Performing

Integrated Steel Plant‟

Tata Steel Ltd (Has won this for third consecutive

year)

About TATA Steel:

HQ – Mumbai






39

Founder - Jamsetji Tata

Winner of 2017 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report

Heroes Award

Mahesh Bhagwat (Presently he serves as the first

Commissioner of Police of Rachakonda.)

Nominated at the World Soundtrack Awards Music composer AR Rahman for his music in the film

'Viceroy's House' Director - Gurinder Chadha

„Golden Peacock Award‟ for Environment

Management

Danfoss India (Climate and energy efficiency solutions

company, the award was presented in Hyderabad during

the 19th World Congress on Environment Management‘

in the presence of Supreme Court Justice Kurien

Joseph.)

About Danfoss

HQ - Nordborg, Denmark

Present President of Danfoss India - Ravichandran

Purushothaman

Country – Denmark

Capital – Copenhagen

Currency - Danish krone

Honoured as world‟s first completely green metro

system

Delhi Metro

Young Leaders Award for 2017 Ankit Kawatra (Award presented by by Queen

Elizabeth II at a ceremony in the Buckingham Palace)

„Sportsperson of the Year‟ award P V Sindhu (Rio Olympics silver medallist was

bestowed with the 'Sportsperson of the Year' award

during the ‗Maruti Suzuki Sportsperson of the Year‘

Charity Gala Awards)

Useful Information:

P V Sindhu – Sportsperson of the Year

Sindhu‘s Coach P Gopichand – Coach of the Year

award

Milkha Singh – Living Legend of the Year award

Cricketer K L Rahul – Game changer of the Year award

Abhinav Bindra - Lifetime Achievement Award

Deepa Malik - Inspirational athlete of the year award

Gaurav Gill - Athlete of the year award

Honorary Membership from Jodhpur Guide

Association

Shah Rukh Khan

Winner of 2017 Mahanayak Samman Shakuntala Barua

Honoured as World's Best City in a survey by Travel

and Leisure magazine

San Miguel de Allende in Mexico

Top 5 in the List:

San Miguel de Allende (Mexico)

Charleston (US)

Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Kyoto (Japan)

Florence (Italy)

Indian city has been declared as a World Heritage

City (WHC) by UNESCO

Ahmedabad

Winner of Lifetime Achievement Award for his

contributions as a parliamentarian in the Lok Sabha

BJP leader L.K. Advani (JD-U leader Sharad Yadav

also received the Lifetime Achievement Award as a

Rajya Sabha)

The other awardees from the Lok Sabha:

• Best Parliamentarian- Revolutionary Socialist

Party MP N.K. Premachandran,






40

• Best Woman Parliamentarian- Congress leader

Kumari Sushmita Dev and

• Best Debut Woman Parliamentarian- BJP leader

Meenakshi Lekhi.

The awardees from the Rajya Sabha

• Best Parliamentarian- CPI-M leader Sitaram

Yechury,

• Best Woman Parliamentarian- Samajwadi Party

MP Jaya Bachchan and

• Best Debut Woman Parliamentarian- Congress

MP Rajni Patil.

Useful Info

• Present Speaker of Lok Sabha - Sumitra Mahajan

• Present Chairman of Rajya Sabha - Mohammad

Hamid Ansari

Honoured with a fellowship by the Department of

Culture, Government of India (GoI)

Nandakishore Kapote (Internationally-acclaimed

senior kathak dancer)

Winners of this year‟s Ramon Magsaysay Awards Yoshiaki Ishizawa, a Japanese historian who helped

Cambodians preserve the Angkor temples, and Gethsie

Shanmugam, a Sri Lankan teacher who counseled war

widows and orphans to overcome their nightmares, are

among the six winners of this year‘s Ramon Magsaysay

Awards. The other recipients named are

AbdonNababan, an Indonesian, a Singaporean

businessman Tony Tay, a Philippine theater group and

Lilia de Lima , a Filipino.

About the Award:

The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award

named after former Philippine President Ramon

Magsaysay.

It is regarded as Asia‘s version of the Nobel Prize and

was first awarded in the year 1958.

Country – Philippines

Capital –Manila

Currency –Philippine Peso

Winner of 2017 UNDP Equator Prize for sustainable

farming model

Swayam Shikshan Prayog (Indian NGO)

The Personality of the Year award by Skoch

Consultancy Services (SCS)-2017

Kishore Sansi (MD & CEO of Vijaya Bank)

Winner of Mohun Bagan Ratna for this year Subrata Bhattacharya.

Winner of Indian of the year award by Brands

Academy in New Delhi

Preeti Shenoy (Indian Writer)

Topped in the list of most Powerful Arab Women by

Forbes

Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi (UAE Minister of State for

Tolerance)

Honoured as World‟s Richest Man Jeff Bezos (Founder of Amazon with a fortune of over

$90.5 billion)

18th edition of the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) 2017:

• Best Film- Neerja

• Best Director-Anirudh Roy Chaudhary for Pink

• Best Actor (Male)- Shahid Kapoor for Udta Punjab

• Best Actor (Female)- Alia Bhatt for Udta Punjab






41

• Best Actor in Supporting Role (Female)- Shabana Azmi for Neerja

• Best Actor in Supporting Role (Male)- Anupam Kher for MS Dhoni: The Untold Story

• Best Debutant (Female):Disha Patani for M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story

• Best Debut (Male)- Diljit Dosanjh for Udta Punjab

• Best Lyricist- Amitabh Bhattacharya for the song Channa Mere Ya from Ae Dil Hai Mush kil

• Best Playback Singer (Male)- Amit Mishra for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

• Best Playback Singer (Female)- Kanika Kapoor for Udta Punjab and Tulsi Kumar for Airlift

• Best Music Direction- Pritam for AeDil Hai Mushkil

• Best Actor In Comic Role- Varun Dhawan for Dishoom

• Myntra Style Icon Award- Alia Bhatt

• IIFA Woman Of The Year- Tapsee Pannu

About 18th IIFA award 2017:

Venue - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

1st IIFA award 2000

Venue - Millennium Dome, London (UK)

Tamil Nadu government State Film awards for the Year (2009 to 2014)

Winners of Best Picture Category

• Pasanga (2009)

• Myna (2010)

• Vaagai SoodaVaa (2011)

• Vazhakku En 18/9 (2012)

• Ramanujan (2013)

• Kutram Kadithal (2014)

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

R-Cap arm invests 7 cr rupees in start-up Billionloans

Reliance Corporate Advisory Services Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Capital, has invested 7

crore rupees in Billionloans Financial Services, a start-up that focuses on facilitating loans. V. Balakrishnan,

former board member of Infosys, is currently the chairman of Billionloans. Billionloans would initially focus

on facilitating loans for education and affordable housing and personal loans.

Useful Info

Reliance Capital

HQ – Mumbai

Chairman – Anil Ambani

Nandan Nilekani, Helion's Sanjeev Aggarwal launch $100-million fund Fundamentum

Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani and Helion Venture‘s Sanjeev Aggarwal have launched an investment fund

called Fundamentum with a corpus of $100 million to back startups looking for growth capital. The corpus may

be extended to $200 million if the fund sees more opportunities, the two founders said. The fund, which has so

far closed $50 million, will see one-third of the corpus coming from Nilekani and Aggarwal. Fundamentum has

already brought on board six entrepreneurs who will also invest in the fund.

Samsung plans to launch smart speaker powered by Bixby

South Korean electronics maker Samsung plans to launch a standalone smart speaker powered by its own voice

assistant technology 'Bixby', according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The speaker, codenamed Vega,

has been in the works for over a year. If launched, the speaker will compete with Amazon Echo, Apple

HomePod, and Google Home.

Company: Samsung

Head quarters: Seoul, South Korea






42

Microsoft to equip 55000 Indian schools with digital classes:

Microsoft India signed a Memorandum of Understanding with National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA)

to equip 55,000 schools across 23 Indian states with digital classrooms. This partnership aims to create an

enabling ecosystem for schools to improve accessibility, affordability, and quality of education. NISA currently

caters to over 90 lakh students across the country

Company: Microsoft India

Head quarters: Gurugram

Telcos lost market share in 2016 due to Jio: TRAI report:

With Jio claiming 6.4% market share in 2016, telecom majors Airtel, Vodafone and Idea saw their market

shares drop, data by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) suggests. Country's largest operator

Airtel's market share dropped 0.49% reaching 23.58% even as its subscriber base increased 9.3%. Similarly

Vodafone's market share dropped 1% despite adding 1.1 crore new users.

Organisation: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

Headquarters: New Delhi

Chairman: R. S. Sharma

Japan‟s Tokio Marine raises stake in JV to 49%

Japan‘s Tokio Marine Asia raised its stake in a 17-year old general insurance joint venture with India‘s

fertilizer co-operative IFFCO from 26% to 49% at a cost of 2,530 crore rupees, in a transaction approved by the

IFFCO board.

Useful Info

IFFCO - Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited

HQ – New Delhi

Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc – It is a multinational insurance holding company

HQ – Tokyo, Japan

India has slipped by one spot to become the fourth-largest foreign investor into the UK

India has slipped by one spot to become the fourth-largest foreign investor into the UK, according to the

official figures released here today. The US remains on the top, investing in 577 projects in the UK, with China

(including Hong Kong) remaining in second place with 160 projects. India set up 127 new projects in Britain

last year and safeguarded 7,645 existing jobs as a result and created 3,999 new jobs in 2016-17. India shares

the fourth spot with Australia and New Zealand, which also set up 127 projects collectively.

Useful Info


Capital – London

Currency - Pound sterling

PM - Theresa May

MoUs and AGREEMENT

Agreement between BHEL and KHI (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd) for manufacturing coaches for metro

trains

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd has entered into a technology collaboration agreement with Kawasaki Heavy

Industries Ltd (KHI) of Japan for manufacturing of stainless steel coaches and bogies for metros. The

agreement covers establishing design, engineering and manufacturing facilities at BHEL using Japanese

technology. It will also entitle BHEL for all technological advances and upgrades.

Useful Info






43

BHEL - Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (It has been granted the prestigious Maharatna (big gem) status in 2013

by Govt of India for its outstanding performance and vast scale.)

HQ – New Delhi

MD & Chairman of BHEL - Atul Sobti

KHI - Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd

HQ - Minato, Tokyo, Japan

65 MoUs signed on second day of Textile India 2017

Union textiles ministry has inked 62 Memorandum of Understanding MoUs on the second day of Textile India

2017 in Gandhinagar- Gujarat. These include MoUs with Australia, China, and Bangladesh for silk research,

fashion technologies and knowledge transfer. Apart from these, the Gujarat government has also signed three

MoUs on textile sectors. The signing ceremony was presided over by Union textiles minister Smriti Irani and

Union minister of state for textiles Ajay Tamta.

Useful Info

Union Textile Minister – Smriti Irani


Union minister of state for textiles - Ajay Tamta

Constituency – Almora, Uttarakhand

MoU between Ministry of Health, Family Welfare and West Bengal Government to set up Centre of

Excellence in Transfusion Medicine at Kolkata

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare signed an MoU with the Government of West Bengal to formalize its

support to set up a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence in Transfusion Medicine at Kolkata. The Centre of

Excellence in Transfusion Medicine will be set up in Kolkata. The initiative helps in strengthening the blood

transfusion services in the State and the surrounding region. The government of India has approved this

important initiative with an outlay of approximately Rs.200 Crores towards equipment, manpower and running

costs. The land for this initiative will be provided free of cost by the State government.

Useful Info

State – West Bengal

Capital – Kolkata

CM – Mamta Banerjee

Governor – Keshari Nath Tripathi

Minister of Health and Family Welfare – J P Nadda

Constituency – Himachal Pradesh (Rajya Sabha)

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed an MoU for the financial year 2017-18 with the Ministry

of Defence

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed an MoU for the financial year 2017-18 with the Ministry of

Defence. The annual MoU was signed between Ashok Kumar Gupta, Secretary, Department of Defence

Production and T Suvarna Raju, CMD-HAL. The MoU has outlined targets on various performance parameters

of the company during the year 2017-18. The revenue from operations has been targeted at Rs. 17,900 crore,

the highest ever. HAL has also laid specific emphasis on capacity building, modernization, solar power plants,

aiming to achieve capital expenditure of Rs. 1,300 crore.

Useful Info

Minister of Defence – Arun Jaitley


HAL - Hindustan Aeronautics Limited

Chairman and Managing Director of HAL - T. Suvarna Raju

HAL Headquarter - Bengaluru






44

Agreement between Erode-based Five P Venture India Private Ltd and Central Silk Board (CSB)

Erode-based Five P Venture India Private Ltd and Central Silk Board (CSB) inked an agreement for

development and commercialisation of handloom silk products. This MoU signed at the first-ever mega trade

fair for the textile sector organised by the Ministry of Textiles at Gandhinagar. This step will also help revive

the heritage skills of the handloom weavers in Chennimalai belt.

Useful Info

Central Silk Board (CSB) HQ – Bengaluru

Digital payments company MobiKwik has partnered with Samsung Pay

Digital payments company MobiKwik has partnered Samsung Pay, under which consumers will be able to

make payments with a single tap using select Samsung handsets. Samsung had unveiled a 'Mini' version of the

platform that integrates UPI and mobile wallets to work on mid-range priced smartphones.

Useful Info

Samsung HQ – Seoul, South Korea

Mobikwik HQ – Gurugram

Mobikwik CEO - Bipin Preet Singh

India and Sri Lanka have signed a MoU to develop a village in Anuradhapura District (in Sri Lanka)

India and Sri Lanka have signed a MoU to develop a village in Anuradhapura District (in Sri Lanka) at a cost

of 30 crores Sri Lankan rupees. The village in the name of a famous Buddhist monk Sobitha Thero, envisages

construction of 153 new houses, a multi-purpose community building, internal water supply system and

renovation of monk‘s quarters & library. The project is in line with Government of Sri Lanka‘s policy of

rehabilitation of rural villages for economic development. It will benefit 153 families residing in the village.

Useful Info

Country – Sri Lanka

Capital – Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (administrative), Colombo (Financial)

Currency – Sri Lankan Rupee

President - Maithripala Sirisena

MoU between Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and Department of Defence Production

Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), a Miniratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) signed an MoU for the

financial year 2017-18 with Ministry of Defence. The annual MoU was signed between Secretary (Defence

Production) Shri Ashok Kumar Gupta on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Chairman and Managing

Director, GSL Rear Adm (Retd) Shekhar Mital. This year‘s MoU target for ‗Revenue from Operations‘ has

been set at Rs1150 crore, which is 43 percent higher than the financial year 2016-17 target of Rs800 crore.

Notably, in the financial year 2016-17, the Shipyard achieved historical high VoP of Rs1030 crore and PBT of

Rs177 crore. GSL was adjudged as ‗Best Performing Shipyard‘ by MoD.

Useful Info

Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) - Goa Shipyard Limited is one of India's best shipyards and designated "mini-

Ratna" by the Government of India.

HQ – Goa

Defence Minister of India – Arun Jaitley

Constituency – Gujarat, Rajya Sabha

Union Minister of State for Defence - Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre

Constituency – Dhule, Maharashtra

Bank of Baroda has entered into an agreement with Directorate General of Supplies & Disposal (DGS&D)






45

Bank of Baroda has entered into an agreement with Directorate General of Supplies & Disposal (DGS&D) for

extending various banking services to Government e-Marketplace (GeM). DGS&D has been mandated to set

up GeM, an initiative intended to bring greater transparency and efficiency in public procurements.

Useful Info

BOB - Bank of Baroda

HQ – Vadodara

Tagline – India‘s International Bank

CEO - P. S. Jayakumar

Karnataka Bank partnered with PNB MetLife, has launched Met Loan and Life Suraksha (MLLS)

Karnataka Bank, in association with its PNB MetLife, has launched Met Loan and Life Suraksha (MLLS), a

single premium plan covering the loan liability of a customer. The bank has also introduced KBL MLLS, an

app for its employees to instantly calculate the insurance cover and premium based on loan liability of the

borrowers.

Useful Info

Karnataka Bank HQ – Mangalore

MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank - Mahabaleshwara M.S

Director of PNB MetLife - Sameer Bansal

Airports Authority of India (AAI), has signed an MoU with Government of Uttarakhand on aviation

development

Airports Authority of India (AAI), has signed an MoU with Government of Uttarakhand and joined hands with

Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA). The MoU was signed by S. Ramaswamy, Chief

Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand and Anil Gupta, General Manager (Business Development), AAI. The

scope of the MoU is to identify relevant factors influencing the development of civil aviation infrastructure in

Uttarakhand, assessing the commercial potential of various airports of the State, and identifying technical

considerations for airport operations in the State.

Useful Info

AAI – Airports Authority of India

HQ – New Delhi

State – Uttarakhand

Capital – Dehradun, Nainital (Judiciary)

CM – Trivendra Singh Rawat

Governor - Krishan Kant Paul

Tax authorities of the five BRICS countries have signed a landmark document to facilitate taxation

cooperation

Tax authorities of the five BRICS countries have signed a landmark document to establish a mechanism for

taxation cooperation. The BRICS Taxation Cooperation Memorandum, signed at the fifth meeting of BRICS

Heads of Tax Authorities, is the bloc‘s first document that elevates taxation cooperation to the institutional

level. The authorities also agreed to cooperate on taxation information exchange, improve consultation

procedures efficiency, boost taxation capacities and plan paths for coordination of taxation policies and tax

collection. The meeting comes ahead of the 2017 BRICS Summit to be held in Fujian province‘s Xiamen city

from September 3 to 5.

Useful Info

BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa

BRICS was established in 2006

NDB – The New Development Bank, formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, is a multilateral

development bank established by the BRICS states.






46

HQ - Shanghai, China

President - K. V. Kamath

Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance have signed an agreement for the

distribution of insurance products

Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance have signed an agreement for the

distribution of insurance products through the branches. Under this agreement, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance

will offer personal lines of insurance products such as health, personal accident, home, motor and travel along

with commercial line of insurance products such as property, marine and engineering insurance, etc to the

bank's customers.

Useful Info

PNB - Punjab National Bank

HQ – New Delhi

MD of Punjab National Bank - Sunill Mehta

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance HQ – Pune

CEO - Tapan Singhel

BSE joined hands with Egyptian Exchange (EGX) for cooperation in exchange of information across

business areas

Leading bourse BSE joined hands with Egyptian Exchange (EGX) for cooperation in exchange of information

across business areas. Through this MoU a range of opportunities has been explored for the development of

their businesses, products and markets to share knowledge and strengthen international connectivity.

Useful Info

BSE – Bombay Stock Exchange

HQ – Mumbai

MD & CEO of BSE - Ashishkumar Chauhan

EGX - Egyptian Exchange

Country – Egypt

Capital – Cairo

Currency - Egyptian Pound

Sri Lanka, China sign $1.5 billion Hambantota port deal

Sri Lanka‘s government signed an agreement to sell a 70% stake in a $1.5 billion Hambantota port to China in

a bid to recover from the heavy burden of repaying a Chinese loan obtained to build the facility. The deal

document was signed between the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and China Merchants Port Holding Co. in

Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Useful Info

Country – Sri Lanka

Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

Currency: Sri Lankan rupee

President: Maithripala Sirisena

SCHEMES AND PROGRAMS

JIGYASA, a student- scientist connect program was jointly launched by CSIR & KVS in New Delhi

Jigyasa, a student- scientist connect program was officially launched in New Delhi recently. Council of

Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has joined hands with KendriyaVidyalayaSangathan (KVS) to

implement this program. MoU signing ceremony was held in the presence of Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of

Science & Technology and ShriPrakashJavadekar, Minister of HRD. The focus is on connecting school






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students and scientists so as to extend student‘s classroom learning with that of a very well planned research

laboratory based learning. ―JIGYASA‖ is one of the major initiative taken up by CSIR at the national level,

during its Platinum Jubilee Celebration Year.

Useful Info

Union Human Resource Development Minister – PrakashJavadekar

Constituency – Madhya Pradesh (Rajya Shaba)

President launches three digital initiatives over e-education

President Pranab Mukherjee has launched digital initiatives - Swayam, SwayamPrabha and National Academic

Depository - in New Delhi to push e-education in the country. The aim of the initiatives is to raise the Gross

Enrollment Ratio in the higher education from 24.5 to 30 by 2020. Massive Open Online Courses, Swayam

will host courses taught in classrooms from Class 9th to post-graduation, which can be accessed by anyone,

anywhere at any time. It will target those students who could not complete their studies and professionals who

wish to upgrade their knowledge. SwayamPrabha is the platform of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting

high-quality educational programmes 24X7 using GSAT-15 satellite. National Academic Depository will

facilitate online verification of certificates. All the courses are interactive and available free of cost.

Useful Info

DTH - Direct to Home

GSAT - Geosynchronous Satellites

First President of India – Dr. Rajendra Prasad

13th

President of India – PranabMukerjee

The government has started a story-telling contest named 'AadhaarHaiToAasaaniHai‟ to create awareness

about Aadhaar number

To create awareness about Aadhaar number, the government has started a story-telling contest named

'AadhaarHaiToAasaaniHai'. People willing to participate can send a 200-500 word-long story about Aadhaar

till August 8 midnight. The top five stories will be awarded Rs 20,000 each, while the next 20 stories will be

awarded Rs 5,000 each.

Vijay Goel and NitinGadkari flag off 10th 'Slum YuvaDaud' at Khichripur in New Delhi

Sports Minister Vijay Goel and Road Transport and Highways Minister NitinGadkari flagged off the 10th

Slum YuvaDaud at Khichripur in New Delhi. The Slum YuvaDaud is a part of the Adopt a Slum campaign of

the Sports Ministry and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan.

Useful Info

Minister of state (independent charge) for sports – Vijay Goel

Constituency – Rajasthan, RajyaSabha

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways – NitinGadkari

Constituency – Nagpur

Union Territory – New Delhi

CM – ArvindKejriwal

Governor – Anil Baijal

Government has implemented the “SeekhoaurKamao” scheme

Government has implemented the ―SeekhoaurKamao‖ scheme which encourages the youth from minority

communities to learn employment skills. The Minority Affairs Ministry has sanctioned over 460 crore rupees

to cover more than two lakh seventeen thousand minority youth.

Useful Info

Minister of State (Independent charge) for Minority Affairs - Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

Constituency – RajyaSabha, Uttar Pradesh

Arun Jaitley launches Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana pension scheme

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley formally launched Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), a pension

scheme exclusively for senior citizens with 8% fixed rate of interest on their savings. Under this scheme, there

will be an assured return of 8 per cent over a tenure of 10 years. It can be purchased offline as well as online

through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India which has been given the sole privilege to operate this

scheme.






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Useful Info

Union Finance Minister of India – Arun Jaitley

Constituency – Gujarat, Rajya Sabha

LIC - Life Insurance Corporation

HQ – Mumbai

Chairman of LIC - V K Sharma

Cabinet approves revision of guidelines of Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given approval for revision of

guidelines of Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB) Scheme with a view to achieve its intended objectives.

Two sets of changes have been made in the scheme:

Specific changes have been made in the attributes of the scheme to make it more attractive, mobilise finances

as per the target and reduce the economic strains caused by imports of gold and reduce the Current Account

Deficit (CAD).

Flexibility has been given to Ministry of Finance to design and introduce variants of SGBs with different

interest rates and risk protection / pay-offs that would offer investment alternatives to different category of

investors. Ministry of Finance (the issuer) has been delegated this power to amend / add to the features of the

Scheme with approval of the Finance Minister to reduce the time lag between finalizing the attributes of a

particular tranche and its notification.

Following specific changes in the scheme have been approved:

The investment limit per fiscal year has been increased to 4 kg for individuals, 4 Kg for Hindu Undivided

Family (HUF) and 20 Kg for Trusts and similar entities notified by the Government from time to time.

The ceiling will be counted on Financial year basis and will include the SGBs purchased during the trading in

the secondary market.

The ceiling on investment will not include the holdings as collateral by Banks and Financial institutions.

SGBs will be available 'on tap‘. Based on the consultation with NSE, BSE, Banks and Department of Post,

features of product to emulate 'On Tap' sale would be finalised by Ministry of Finance.

Useful Info

NSE – National Stock Exchange of India Limited

HQ – Mumbai

CEO - J. Ravichandran

BSE – Bombay Stock Exchange

HQ – Mumbai

CEO - Ashish Chauhan

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

The 10TH India-Jordan Trade and Economic Joint Committee (TEJC) Meeting was held in New Delhi

The 10TH India-Jordan Trade and Economic Joint Committee (TEJC) Meeting was held in New Delhi under

the co-chairs of Smt. NirmalaSitharaman, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry,

(India) and Mr. YarubQudah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply (Jordan). The two leaders also inked the

revised Economic and Trade Cooperation Agreement between India and Jordan, aiming at boosting and

diversifying bilateral trade relations, in addition to promote economic, trade and investment cooperation based

on the principle of equity, non-discrimination.

Useful Info

Country – Jordan

Capital – Amman






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Currency - Jordanian dinar

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry - NirmalaSitharaman

Constituency –Rajya Shaba Karnataka

India will host 8th edition of Theatre Olympics in 2018

India will host 8th edition of Theatre Olympics in 2018, the biggest theatre celebration of the world. The

greatest carnival will start from February 17-April 08, 2018. India is hosting this event for the first time.

Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma stated in New Delhi that the Theatre Olympics will put India firmly among

the top nations in the world theatre map. The Theatre Olympics will take place simultaneously in various cities

across the country. There will be five hundred plays and seven hundred ambiance performances from across the

world.

Useful Info

The first country to host the Theatre Olympics was Greece in 1995

The 7th Theatre Olympics were held in Wroclaw, Poland

The Telecom department has made GPS mandatory for all phones from January 1 2018

The Telecom department has made it mandatory for all phones, including feature phones, to install Global

Positioning System (GPS) from January 1, 2018. The order aims to ensure consumers' safety as GPS can help

locate them in emergency situations.

Useful Info

TRAI – Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

HQ – New Delhi

Chairperson – Ram Sewak Sharma

Secretary - Sudhir Gupta

India is going to host Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) 2017 in New Delhi, November 2017

For the first time India is going to host Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) 2017, the world‘s largest

conference on cyber space and related issues in New Delhi in November 2017. This is the 5th edition of the

conference. This is for the first time GCCS is taking place outside Organisation for Economic Co-operation

and Development (OECD) nations. Theme of GCCS 2017:‗Cyber4All : An Inclusive, Sustainable,

Developmental, Safe and Secure Cyberspace'.

MOBILE APPS AND WEB PORTALS:

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched mAadhaar app for mobile

UIDAI, which issues Aadhaar numbers, has launched mAadhaar app for mobile users that will allow users to

carry unique identification profile on mobile. A user can download Aadhaar number profile through their

smartphones and will therefore not require hard copies of the card, wherever applicable. It allows users to carry

their Aadhaar demographic information, i.e. name, date of birth, gender, address and the photograph linked

with their Aadhaar number, on their smartphones.

Useful Info

UIDAI - Unique Identification Authority of India

Chairman of UIDAI (Part Time) - J Satyanarayana

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a statutory authority established on 12 July 2016 by

the Government of India under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, under the provisions

of the Aadhaar Act 2016.

Union Government has launched the Mobile App for Road Maintenance “Aarambh”

Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, Drinking Water & Sanitation- ShriNarendra Singh

Tomarand Deputy Director General (Policy) of International Labour Organization (ILO) Ms. Deborah

Greenfield have launched the Mobile App for Road Maintenance ―Aarambh‖. This Mobile Phone App aims at

the use of GIS based mapping for making road inventories, condition surveys, and producing cost estimates

and other relevant data for preparation and monitoring of annual road maintenance plans. In addition, Tomar






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and Greenfield also launched a Concept Note and Guidance Note for Mobilizing Funds for Maintenance of

Rural Road. The Concept Note outlines innovative ways, which can be adopted by the State Governments for

mobilizing additional funds for road maintenance.

Useful Info

Union Minister for rural development, Panchayati raj, drinking water & Sanitation – Narendra Singh Tomar

Recently urban development ministry has been additionally handed to Narendra Singh Tomar.

Constituency – Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh

ILO - International Labour Organization

Headquarters of ILO - Geneva, Switzerland

Director-General of ILO - Guy Ryder

Microsoft has officially launched „Kaizala‟ app

Technology giant Microsoft has officially launched ‗Kaizala‘, a productivity app that has been designed to

enhance the collaboration and communication experience for Indian enterprises. The ‗Made for India‘ app is

designed for large group communications and work management and works even on 2G networks. The product

will make it possible for organizations to interact with people within the organization as well as outside like

partners and vendors in a seamless manner.

Useful Info

Microsoft HQ – Redmond, Washington, United States

CEO - SatyaNadella

Union Minister of Science & Technology Dr. Harshvardhan launched an app “India Quake”

Union Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Dr.

Harshvardhan launched an app ―India Quake‖ for Earthquake Parameter Dissemination on the occasion of

Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences. The App will make information dissemination faster with no

restrictions on the number of recipients. Any citizen can download this App and get the real time earthquake

location information on his/her mobile.

Useful Info

Earthquake is measured by Seismograph

Earthquake unit of measurement – Richter Scale

Richter Scale was developed by a seismologist named Conrad Richter

Harshvardhan launched an app “SagarVani” on the occasion of Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth

Sciences

Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Dr.

Harshvardhan launched an app ―SagarVani‖ on the occasion of Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences.

‗SagarVani‘ has been launched to disseminate ocean related information and alerts to the user community in

timely manner for their safety.

Useful Info

Union Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests & Climate Change - Dr.

Harshvardhan

Constituency – ChandniChowk (Delhi)

Ministry of Earth Sciences foundation day is celebrated on 27th July of every year

Google has launched 'Hire', a recruiting app for small- and medium-sized businesses

Google has launched 'Hire', a recruiting app for small- and medium-sized businesses that also integrates

seamlessly with G Suite. It is an move to compete with Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. "Hire makes it easy to

identify talent, build strong candidate relationships and efficiently manage the interview process end-to-end".

Useful Info

Google HQ – Mountain View, California, United States






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CEO – Sundar Pichai

Centre has launched an app – GST Rates Finder to verify the accurate tax rate on commodity and services

under the GST

Centre has launched an app – GST Rates Finder to verify the accurate tax rate on commodity and services

under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched the app in New

Delhi. Through this app, user can determine GST rate by entering the name of the commodity or service. The

search result will list all the Goods and Services containing the name which was typed in the search box. A

taxpayer can search for applicable CGST, SGST, UTGST rate and Compensation Cess on a supply. This

mobile app can be downloaded on any smartphone and can work in offline mode, once downloaded.

Useful Info

CGST – Central GST

SGST – State GST

UTGST – Union Territory GST

IGST – Inter-state GST

GST council is headed by Finance Minister of India Mr. Arun Jaitley

First Country to introduce GST – France, 1954

DEFENCE NEWS

DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) missile successfully test-fired

The Defence Research and Development Organisation on Monday successfully test fired an indigenously

developed Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air-Missile (QRSAM). It was flight tested from the Integrated Test

Range in Chandipur, off Odisha Coast at 11.30 a.m. This is the second test of the QRSAM. It was tested for the

first time on June 4.

Useful Info

DRDO - Defence Research and Development Organisation

HQ – New Delhi

Secretary - Dr.S.Christopher

The Malabar naval exercise involving Indian, American and Japanese navies will start on July 10

The Malabar naval exercise involving Indian, American and Japanese navies will kick start on July 10 in the

Bay of Bengal. A sizeable number of aircraft, naval ships and nuclear submarines of the navies of the three

countries will be part of the annual exercise, considered a major war game in the region. The aim of the

Malabar exercise is to achieve deeper military ties and greater interoperability among the three navies in the

strategically-important Indo-Pacific region. India and the US have regularly conducted the annual exercise

since 1992.

Useful Info

Defence Minister of India – ArunJaitley

Chief Naval Officer of Indian Navy – Sunil Lamba

Pakistan has successfully test-fired short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile 'Nasr'

Pakistan has successfully test-fired short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile 'Nasr'. NASR is a high-

precision weapons system with the ability for quick deployment and a range of 70 kilometers, or 43.5 miles.

Pakistan Army has conducted a series of training launches and tests during the current week for validation of

new technical parameters of 'NASR' with an enhanced range of 60-70 kilometers and flight maneuverability.

Useful Info







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Army chief of Pakistan is Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa

Chinese troops are headed to Djibouti to set up China's first overseas military base

Ships carrying Chinese troops are headed to Djibouti to set up China's first overseas military base in an effort

to enhance its global reach. The base will be used for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and West

Asia, China said. However, India believes the base would become another of China's "string of pearls" of

military alliances and assets.

Useful Info

Country – Djibouti

Capital – Djibouti city

Currency – Djiboutian franc

The U.S. Navy recently tested the world's first-ever active laser weapons system

The U.S. Navy recently tested the world's first-ever active laser weapons system, which is now deployed and

ready for war. The system has special materials that release photons and at the speed of light, it silently hits an

object, burning it to a temperature of thousands of degrees. Each strike travels 50,000 times the speed of an

incoming intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In the test, the system was able to destroy a drone in flight

and moving targets in the Persian Gulf. With its addition, USS Ponce becomes the first ship in the world to be

deployed with such an advanced weapons system.

Useful Info


Capital – Washington DC



Vice President – Mike Pence

Chief of Naval Officer of US Navy - Admiral John Richardson

Australia and US jointly launched multimillion hypersonic missile – HIFiRE

The US and Australia have jointly test-fired a hypersonic missile capable of moving at a speed eight times

faster than sound as part of a $54-million research project. The test was part of a project called the Hypersonic

International Flight Research Experimentation Program (HIFiRE) involving the US and Australian militaries,

Queensland University, Australia‘s Defence Science and Technology Group. A hypersonic glider capable of

moving at a speed eight times faster than sound has launched from a rocket range in the town of Woomera,

South Australia.

Useful Info





Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba had begun an eight-day-long two-nation tour of Mozambique and

Tanzania

Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba had begun an eight-day-long two-nation tour of Mozambique and Tanzania

with an aim of exploring new avenues of bilateral defence cooperation. Admiral Lanba, who also heads the

powerful Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), will visit first Mozambique. Later on his tour, Admiral Lanba

will begin his five-day-long visit to Tanzania on July 26. He is scheduled to meet President of Tanzania John

Magufuli, Defence Minister Hussein Mwinyi and other higher delegations. India and Mozambique have a Joint

Defence Working Group (JDWG) for defence and security cooperation.






53

Useful Info

Country – Mozambique

Capital – Maputo

Currency – Metical

President of Mozambique - Filipe Nyusi

Country – Tanzania

Capital – Dodoma

Currency – Tanzanian Shilling

President of Tanzania - John Magufuli

US Navy commissioned world‟s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford

US Navy commissioned world‘s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford into the fleet. The commissioning

ceremony was held at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia in presence of US President Donald Trump. USS Gerald

R. Ford is the first ship in this new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers for the U.S. Navy. The ship is

named after the 38th President of the United States Gerald Ford and has been built by Newport News Ship

Building Company. The massive 1,106-foot-long carrier displaces a staggering 100,000 tons fully loaded and is

powered by two new generation nuclear reactors.

Useful Info


Capital – Washington D.C



Vice President – Mike Pence

Chief of Naval Officer of US Navy - Admiral John Richardson

Sweden is going to hold its 'first and biggest' military exercise in over 20 years

Sweden is going to hold its 'first and biggest' military exercise in over 20 years, involving all of its military

branches as well as troops from several NATO countries. The drills are aimed at strengthening Sweden's

defence capabilities and creating a "credible and visible" deterrent to warn potential enemies against the risks

of attacking Sweden.

Useful Info

NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance

HQ - Brussels, Belgium

Country – Sweden

Capital – Stockholm

Currency - Swedish krona

China and Russia held their First Joint Naval Drill in the Baltic Sea

China and Russia held their First Joint Naval Drill in the Baltic Sea. This exercise involves anti-aircraft and

anti-ship defence measures coordinated from the Baltiysk base in Russia's Kaliningrad enclave.

Useful Info

Country – Russia

Capital – Moscow

Currency – Ruble

Baltic sea – The Baltic Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, enclosed by Scandinavia, Finland, the Baltic

countries, and the North European Plain.






54

RANKING & INDEXES:

TERI ranked among world‟s top think tanks

The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) has been ranked as the second best climate think tank in the world. The

rankings were released by the International Center for Climate Governance, which focuses on the design of

climate policy and related governance issues.

Useful Info

TERI - The Energy Resources Institute

Director General‎ - ‎Dr. Ajay Mathur

India has ranked 132nd out of 152 countries in Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index

India has ranked 132nd out of 152 countries on the inaugural ―Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index‖

released by international NGO Oxfam in association with Developmental Finance International. Sweden led

the index while Nigeria remained the worst performer. Among India‘s neighboring countries, China‘s rank is

87; Pakistan fared worse than India at 146 while Bangladesh ranked at 148.

Useful Info

The top 5 countries in the list are

1). Sweden

2). Belgium

3). Denmark

4). Norway

5). Germany

Raipur Airport Ranked First in Customer Satisfaction Index Survey

Raipur‘s Swami Vivekananda Airport was once again ranked first in Customer Satisfaction among 49 airports

in the country.

Raipur Airport achieved 4.84 score on a five point scale index in the latest CSI survey conducted by an

independent agency for the period of January-June 2017, followed by Udaipur, Amritsar and Dehradun airports

which have scored 4.75, 4.74 and 4.73 respectively.

India ranks 116 out of 157 nations on SDG index

India is ranked 116 out of 157 nations on a global index that assesses the performance of countries towards

achieving the ambitious sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The SDG Index and Dashboards Report produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)

and the Bertelsmann Stiftung shows that world leaders need to strengthen their joint efforts to realise the 17

global goals.

BILLS AND ACTS

The LokSabha has passed The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill,

2017

The LokSabha has passed The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

This Bill amends the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), 2009 to extend the

deadline for teachers to acquire the prescribed minimum qualifications for appointment.

PM Narendra Modi-led cabinet cleared the New Wage Code Bill

PM Narendra Modi-led cabinet cleared the New Wage Code Bill which will ensure minimum wage to 4 crore

employees across all sectors. The new minimum wage norms would be applicable irrespective of the pay

whereas it's presently applicable to workers getting up to 18,000 rupees monthly.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

PM releases photo book titled "President Pranab Mukherjee - A Statesman"

The Prime Minister NarendraModi has released a photo book titled "President Pranab Mukherjee - A

Statesman", at an event in RashtrapatiBhawan. He presented the first copy of the book to the President. The






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book is a comprehensive photographic record of India's 13th president. It covers Mukherjee's presidency and

documents his various roles, the statement said. Union ministers ArunJaitley, PrakashJavadekar and Vijay Goel

besides BJP veteran L K Advani were also present on the occasion.

Useful Info

1st president of India – Rajendra Prasad

1st prime minister of India – Jawaharlal Nehru

1st woman president of India – PratibhaPatil

1st woman Prime Minister of India – Indira Gandhi

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

China‟s new heavy-lift carrier rocket launch fails

China‘s ambitious space programme suffered a rare setback on Sunday as its new heavy-lift carrier rocket, the

Long March-5 Y2 failed to put the country‘s largest satellite into orbit. An anomaly occurred during the flight

of the rocket, which blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan.

Useful Info

Country – China

Capital – Beijing



Oracle picks Bengaluru for its first digital hub in Asia-Pacific

American tech giant Oracle has said it is opening its first digital hub in Asia Pacific, which will be based in

Bengaluru. The company, with annual revenue of more than $37 billion, said the hub would provide cloud

computing technology and resources to small and medium businesses to empower them in their digital

transformation.

Useful Info

Oracle Corporation - Oracle Corporation is a multinational computer technology corporation

HQ - Redwood Shores, California

Founder – Larry Ellison, Bob Miner, Ed oates

Adobe announced that it will stop updating and distributing Flash Player plug-in by the end of 2020

Adobe announced that it will stop updating and distributing Flash Player plug-in by the end of 2020. Flash

technology was once one of the most widely used ways to watch videos and play games online. In recent years,

browsers such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Safari have been deprecating Flash in favour of its

alternative HTML5.

Useful Info

Adobe - Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American multinational computer software company.

HQ - San Jose, California, United States

CEO - Shantanu Narayen

Facebook TV is set to launch online in mid-August

Facebook TV is set to launch online in mid-August. The social media giant has partnered with media

companies like Group Nine Media, BuzzFeed, ATTN, and Vox Media which would provide inexpensive, five

to 10-minute shows.

Useful Info

Facebook HQ – Menlo Park, California, United States

CEO - Mark Zuckerberg

Iran successfully launched its most advanced satellite-carrying rocket called „Simorgh‟ into space






56

Iran successfully launched its most advanced satellite-carrying rocket called ‗Simorgh‘ into space. The launch

took place at the Imam Khomeini National Space Station in Semnan. The development marks a significant step

forward for the Islamic Republic's young space program. It also raises alarm among the nation‘s adversaries

who fear that the same technology could be used to produce long-range missiles. The U.S. State Department

has termed the launch as "provocative."

Useful Info

The rocket is capable of carrying a satellite weighing 250 kilograms (550 pounds)

Country – Iran

Capital – Tehran

Currency – Iranian rial

Breakthrough Starshot successfully launch world's smallest spacecraft “Sprites”

The smallest spacecraft ever launched are successfully travelling in low Earth orbit and communicating with

systems on Earth, scientists have announced. Known as ‗Sprites‘, the miniature satellites are just 3.5cm x

3.5cm and carry radios, sensors and computers, with each device powered by sunlight and weighing just four

grams.While nanosatellites known as CubeSats have previously been sent into space, such systems have a mass

thousands of times that of the Sprites, weighing more than 1kg.

Useful Info

Breakthrough Initiatives is a program founded in 2015 and funded by Yuri Milner.

Yuri Borisovich (Bentsionovich) Milner - Russian entrepreneur, venture capitalist and physicist. Milner is

Russia's most influential tech investor.

China produces gas from methane hydrate, also known as„flammable ice‟ under South China Sea (SCS)

According to the Land and Resources Ministry China has successfully produced natural gas from methane

hydrate, also known as ―flammable ice‖, in an experimental project in the South China Sea (SCS).Under the

experiment, a drilling platform had produced a total of 309,000 cubic meters of natural gas from gas hydrate in

60 days. China has achieved theoretical, technological, engineering and equipment innovations and has made a

historical breakthrough. The methane hydrate is highly flammable and energy-intensive fuel as one cubic meter

of the compound can releases about 164 cubic meters of natural gas.

Useful Info

Country – China

Capital –Beijing

Currency –Renminbi– Yuan


India has declared itself free from highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 and H5N8)

India has declared itself free from highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 and H5N8) after surveillance in

the states showed no evidence of its presence. It has been notified to the World Organization for Animal Health

(OIE). The surveillance was carried out throughout the country since completion of the operation including

culling, disinfection and clean-up and surveillance in the states showed no evidence of the presence of Avian

Influenza Virus. India had reported outbreaks of influenza at various epicenters in different states across the

country between October 2016 and February 2017.

Useful Info

WHO – World Health Organisation

HQ – Geneva, Switzerland






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SPORT NEWS

Badminton

R. Karan Rajan became the champion of the Guatemala badminton future series

R. Karan Rajan of Chennai beat Hamblers Heymard of Guatemala 21-19, 21-12 in the final to emerge the

champion of the Guatemala badminton future series. Karan earlier upset the top-seed Ruben Castellanos in the

semifinals. He has now become the first player from Tamil Nadu to win an International singles event.

Useful Info

Country – Guatemala

Capital – Guatemala city

Currency – Guatemalan quetzal

Football

Germany has won their maiden Confederation Cup Football title

Germany have lifted their maiden Confederation Cup Football title. In the final played at St Petersburg, the

four-time World Cup winners defeated Chile by a solitary goal. Lars Stindl put Germany ahead in the first half

against the run of play, and Germany then held on to the lead.

Useful Info

Country – Germany

Capital – Berlin

Currency – Euro

Chancellor – Angela Merkel

Krestovsky Stadium - Saint Petersburg, Russia

India expresses interest in hosting FIFA U-20 World Cup 2019:

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has submitted an expression of interest to host the Under-20 FIFA

World Cup in 2019. Preparing to organise October's FIFA Under-17 World Cup, AIFF president Praful Patel

has said that hosting the FIFA Under-20 World Cup would be the next "logical step for the development of

football in India".

India has moved four places up to the 96th position in the FIFA World Ranking

India has moved four places up to the 96th position in the FIFA World Ranking released recently. This is the

country‘s second-best ranking and its previous best was the 94th position in February 1996.

Useful Info

FIFA - Fédération Internationale de Football Association

HQ - Zürich, Switzerland

President - Gianni Infantino

Italian football legend Francesco Totti anounced his retirement

Italian football legend Francesco Totti anounced his retirement from football after spending his 25- year-long

playing career with Seria A club Roma

Useful Info

Country – Italy

Capital – Rome

Currency - Euro

FIFA have lifted their ban on the Sudan Football Association

World football's governing body FIFA lifted the ban on the Sudan Football Association (SFA) imposed on it

for the failure to abide by agreements mentioned in articles 14 and 19 of the FIFA statute. The SFA and its

member officials are now eligible to benefit from the FIFA development program, course or training.

Useful Info

FIFA Headquarters - Zürich, Switzerland

Motto – ‎For the Game. For the World

President‎ - Gianni Infantino

Country – Sudan

Capital – Khartoum






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Currency - Sudanese pound

Indonesia to host AFC U-19 championship 2018

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Competition Committee officially awarded Indonesia the hosting of

the AFC Under-19 championship 2018. The AFC U-19 championship is scheduled to be held from October 18

to November 4 of 2018.

Useful Info

AFC - Asian Football Confederation

Headquarters of AFC - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Country – Indonesia

Capital – Jakarta

Currency – Indonesian rupiah

Country - Malaysia

Capital – Kuala Lumpur

Currency – Malaysian ringgit

Cricket

Sarfraz Ahmed named Pakistan Test team's captain

Pakistan's limited-overs captain Sarfraz Ahmed has been named the side's Test captain by the Pakistan Cricket

Board on Tuesday. Sarfraz recently led the Pakistani cricket team to its maiden Champions Trophy title. The

30-year-old wicketkeeper will take over from Misbah-ul-Haq, who stepped down as the Test side's skipper

after Pakistan's series.

Virat Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar‟s record

Indian captain Virat Kohli scored his 18th ODI hundred in run chases. With this he broke Sachin Tendulkar's

record and became the batsman with most number of hundreds in run chases in the history of One Day

Internationals.

Ravi Shastri has been appointed as the new head coach of Indian cricket team

Ravi Shastri has overcome Virender Sehwag to become Indian cricket team‘s new head coach. The

appointment was confirmed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Shastri will take charge from

India‘s upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka, starting July 26. Shastri, was chosen by the BCCI‘s

Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) that included former captains Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and

veteran batting star VVS Laxman. Zaheer Khan has been appointed as the bowling coach of Indian Cricket

Team.

Useful Info

Anil Kumble recently resigned from the post of Head Coach

New Head Coach – Ravi Shastri

Bowling Coach – Zaheer Khan

Batting Coach – Rahul Dravid

BCCI Chairman – Vinod Rai

Mithali Raj became the first women‟s player to reach 6000 ODI runs

Mithali Raj has been India‘s premier player ever since she made her debut in 1999. Her exploits in the

international stage in both Tests and ODIs have made her India‘s premier player. She created a world record by

smashing seven consecutive fifty-plus scores, making her the first woman player to achieve the feat. In the

crucial game against Australia, Mithali became the woman cricketer who has scored most runs in ODIs.

Mithali Raj became the first women‘s player to reach 6000 ODI runs. England‘s Charlotte Edwards was the

previous leading run-getter in ODIs with 5992 runs. 164 - Number of innings that has taken Mithali to achieve

this feat. She has 48 not-outs to her name, which is the most in women‘s cricket.

Useful Info

Present Indian Women‘s team Captain - Mithali Raj

Sri Lankan Cricket captain Angelo Mathews resigned

Following Angelo Mathews' resignation as Sri Lanka's captain from all three formats, the country's cricket

board has named: Dinesh Chandimal as the Side's Test captain. Upul Tharanga as the limited-overs captain.

BCCI has appointed Bharat Arun as Team India bowling coach






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Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed Bharat Arun as the Indian Cricket team‘s bowling

coach. BCCI‘s acting Secretary Amitabh Chaudhary announced that the cricket body has also decided to retain

Sanjay Bangar as an assistant coach and R Sridhar as fielding coach till the 2019 ODI World Cup. The

confirmation of their appointment came after newly appointed Indian coach Ravi Shastri met the four-member

committee comprising of acting president CK Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, BCCI CEO Rahul

Johri and Committee of Administrators member Diana Edulji in Mumbai.

Useful Info

BCCI‘s acting Secretary - Amitabh Chaudhary

BCCI CEO –Rahul Johri

India lose to England by 9 runs in ICC Women's World Cup final 2017 at Lord‟s, London

Indian eves lost to England by a narrow margin of nine runs in the ICC Women's World Cup final at Lord's in

London. Chasing a target of 229, Indian middle-order collapsed like a pack of cards, being bowled out for 219

in 48.4 overs. Opener Poonam Raut was top scored with 86, while Harmanpreet Kaur contributed 51. Earlier,

Natalie Sciver's 51 and Sarah Taylor's 45 laid the foundation for England's decent total of 228 for 7. For

England, it was their fourth Women's World Cup.

Useful Info

Final Match between India & England

Final Match at Lord‘s, London

ENGW 228/7 (50.0 Overs)

INDW 219-all out (48.4 Overs)

England Team Captain - Heather Knight

Indian Team Captain - Mithali Raj

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Anya Shrubsole (England)

PLAYER OF THE SERIES - Tammy Beaumont (England)

Winner – England

Runner – India

India skipper Mithali Raj was chosen as the captain of the ICC Women‟s World Cup 2017 team by the ICC

India skipper Mithali Raj was chosen as the captain of the ICC Women‘s World Cup 2017 team by the

International Cricket Council. The 34-year-old Indian was selected as captain after she led India to the final of

the just-concluded ICC Women‘s World Cup. Mithali led by example, scoring 409 runs during the 30- day

tournament. The side includes four players from England, three from South Africa, and Australia all-rounder

Ellyse Perry. Mithali has been picked in the Team of the Tournament for the second time in her career.

Useful Info

ICC - International Cricket Council

HQ – Dubai

President – Zaheer Abbas

CEO – Dave Richardson

Chairperson – Shashank Manohar

Rahul Dravid has extended his contract as the coach of the U-19 and „A‟ teams for a two year term.

Former India captain, Rahul Dravid, who has played a part in shaping the careers of India‘s junior teams from

2015 to 2017, has given his consent to continue as the coach of India under-19 and India ‗A‘ team for two more

years (2017-2019).

Snooker

India won the Asian snooker team championship at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

India‘s leading cueist PankajAdvani teamed up with LaxmanRawat to demolishPakistan in the final of

theAsian Team Snooker championship.

Useful Info

Country – Kyrgyzstan

Capital –Bishkek

Currency – Som






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I H Manudevhas won the first National Masters snooker tournament title in Chennai

I H Manudevhas won the first National Masters snooker tournament title in Chennai. Alok Kumar, a former

national men‘s champion, had been in fine form coming into the summit clash but found Karnataka‘s Manudev

a tough proposition. Manudev capitalized on the chances he got and kept scoring heavily and won the game by

four impressive frames.

Athletics

Manpreet Kaur, Govindan Laxmanan win gold in Asian Athletics Championships

India‘s Manpreet Kaur claimed the gold medal in the women‘s shot put on the opening day of the Asian

Athletics Championships 2017 at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Govindan Laxmanan emerged

triumphant in the men‘s 5,000 meters and has also won Gold Medal.

Useful Info

Kalinga Stadium – Bhubaneshwar

India has topped the medal tally for first time in Asian Athletics Championships history

India has topped the medal tally for the first time in the history of Asian Athletics Championships. In a

stunning show of dominance on the fourth and final day of competitions in Bhubaneshwar, India clinched five

gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze. With that, the hosts ended the championships on top with a haul of 29 medals

which included 12 gold, 5 silver, and 12 bronze. India‘s earlier best came way back in the 1985 Jakarta edition

where they had won 22 medals. India pushed China to the second spot (20 Medals). China ended this edition

with a tally of 8 gold, 7 silver, 5 bronze. Kazakhstan finished third (8 Medals) with 4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze

while Iran ended on fourth with 4 gold and 1 bronze.

Useful Info

22nd

Asian Athletics Championships, at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, odisha

Mascot – olly (Olive Ridley sea turtle)

Flag bearer – Tintu Luka

Oath taken by – Sravani Nanda

Special performance by famous singer – Shankar Mahadevan

Total 45 nations, 655 participants

1st India‘s Total Medal – 29

2nd

China‘s Total Medal – 20

3rd

Kazakhstan Total Medal – 8

Amit Saroha won silver medal at the World Para Athletics Championships 2017

Former national-level hockey player Amit Saroha, who met with an accident in 2007, clinched the Silver medal

in the club throw event in the F-51 category at the World Para Athletics Championships.

Useful Info

World Para Athletics Championships 2017 venue – London

Karamjyoti Dalal has won bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships 2017

India‘s Karamjyoti Dalal has won bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships 2017 in the discus-

throw. In the women‘s F55 category of discus-throw, she managed a throw of 19.02 m. Earlier, Sundar Singh

Gurjar had opened India‘s account at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships by winning gold medal in

the men‘s javelin throw event. Later, Amit Saroha won silver medal in the club throw event in the F-51

category.

Useful Info

World Para Athletics Championships 2017 – London

The first IPC Athletics World Championships were held in Berlin, Germany in 1994.

Ajay Singh has won the bronze medal in Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships at

Kathmandu

India‘s Ajay Singh has won the bronze medal in Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships at

Kathmandu, taking India‘s tally to three. Ajay got third place in 77 kgs men‘s junior category lifting 143 kgs in

snatch and 172 kgs in clean and jerk. S. Nirpupama Devi had won bronze in 69 kgs women youth category.

Konsam Ormila Devi had won gold in 44kg weight category on an opening day.

Useful Info






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Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships 2017 – Kathmandu

Country – Nepal


Currency – Nepalese Rupee

Prime minister of Nepal - Sher Bahadur Deuba

President of Nepal – Bidhya Devi Bhandari

20-year-old CaelebDressel becomes first ever Swimmer to win three gold medals in one night at worlds

Championship

The 20-year-old CaelebDressel established himself as America‘s newest star of the pool recently, becoming the

first swimmer to win three gold medals on a single night at either the worlds or the Olympics. CaelebDressel

accomplished this feat at 2017 FINA World Aqatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Not even Phelps

managed such an audacious feat. Dressel raced three times over the course of about two hours — and won

every time.

Useful Info

FINA World Aqatics Championships 2017, Budapest, Hungary

Country – Hungary

Capital – Budapest

Currency – Hungarian Forint

CaelebDressel – American Swimmer

Michel Phelps – He is the world‘s best swimmer from USA

Britain‟s Adam Peaty broke the 50m breaststroke world record for the second time

Britain‘s Adam Peaty broke the 50m breaststroke world record for the second time in a day as he reached the

World Aquatics Championships final in Budapest, Hungary. In medal tally US topped with 39medals (17 Gold,

12 Silver and 10 Bronze).

Useful Info

World Aquatics Championships 2017 – Budapest, Hungary

Adam Peaty – British Swimmer

Squash Sport

Harinder Pal Sandhu won the South Australian Open squash title

India‘s Harinder Pal Sandhu has defeated Rhys Dowling of Australia to lift South Australian Open squash title.

Useful Info

Winner - Harinder Pal Sandhu (India)

Runner - Rhys Dowling (Australia)

Harinder Pal Sandhu beat Rhys Dowling of Australia in the final of South Australian Open squash title

India‘s Harinder Pal Sandhu beat Rhys Dowling of Australia in the final to lift South Australian Open squash

title. He mounted a comeback to win it on extra points.

Useful Info

Dipika Pallikal was the Champion of 2016 South Australian Open title

Harinder Pal Sandhu wins Victorian Open squash tournament held at Melbourne, Austraila

India's Harinder Pal Sandhu has won the second title in two weeks, beating top-seed Rex Hedrick of Australia

in a 77-minute final of Victorian Open squash, a PSA Tour event, in Melbourne, Austraila. Third-seeded

Sandhu had recently won the South Australian Open. In the Women‘s PSA W10 final, Hong Kong‘s Tsz-Ling

showed every bit of her undoubted class in a straight games victory over fourth seed, Amanda Landers-

Murphy.

Useful Info





Neel Joshi, Ananya Dabke win Dutch Open Junior Squash Championship






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Mumbais Neel Joshi and Ananya Dabke bagged the under-15 boys and girls titles respectively in the Dutch

Open Junior Squash Championship in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Useful Info

Country – Netherland

Capital – Amsterdam

Currency - Euro

Golf

Atthaya Thitikul, a 14-year-old amateur from Thailand has won on the Ladies European Tour

Atthaya Thitikul, a 14-year-old amateur from Thailand has won on the Ladies European Tour, supplanting

Lydia Ko as the youngest champion on the circuit. She clinched a two-stroke victory at the Ladies European

Thailand Championship at Phoenix Country Club in Pattaya. New Zealander Ko held the previous record as the

youngest winner on the tour, after claiming the 2013 New Zealand Open at the age of 15 years, nine months

and 17 days.

Useful Info

The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women. It was founded in 1978.

Country – Thailand

Capital – Bangkok

Currency - Thai baht

Indian golfer Diksha Dagar won a Silver medal in Deaflympics in Samsun, Turkey

Indian golfer Diksha Dagar won a Silver medal in the women's individual golf event at the Deaflympics in

Samsun, Turkey. Diksha is the only Indian golfer (Under-18) to be ranked in the top 500 worldwide.

Useful Info

Deaflympics 2017 – Samsun, Turkey

Country – Turkey

Capital – Ankara

Currency – Turkish Lira

Tennis

Roger Federer won a record eighth Wimbledon title

Roger Federer won a record eighth Wimbledon title and became the tournament‘s oldest champion with a

straight-sets victory over Marin Cilic. Federer claimed his 19th Grand Slam title beating Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.

The 36-year old Federer is also Wimbledon‘s oldest men‘s winner of the modern era, succeeding Arthur Ashe,

who was almost 32 when he won in 1976. This was his 11th Wimbledon final and 29th title at the majors. With

this victory, Federer also became the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win Wimbledon without dropping

a set in the entire tournament.

Useful Info

Roger Federer – Switzerland

Wimbledon - The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis

tournament in the world, and is widely regarded as the most prestigious.

Founded – 1877

GarbineMuguruza of Spain won Wimbledon 2017

GarbineMuguruza of Spain came out with the spectacular performance as she defeated seven-time Grand Slam

Champion Venus Williams in straight sets to clinch her maiden Wimbledon title. The 14th-seeded Spaniard

defeated Williams 7-5, 6-0 in what eventually turned out to be a one-sided contest lasting one hour and 23

minutes on the Centre court.

Useful Info

Winner - GarbineMuguruza (Spain)

Runner – Venus Williams (USA)






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131st edition of the Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament – Winners List

131st edition of the Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament took place at All England Lawn Tennis and

Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom from 3rd – 16th July 2017. It was played on grass

courts, organised by the All England Lawn Tennis Club and the International Tennis Federation and is part of

the ATP World Tour, the WTA Tour, the ITF Junior tour and the NEC Tour. Here is the complete list of all the

winners in different categories of Wimbledon 2017.

Category Winner Runners-up

Men‘s Singles Roger Federer (Switzerland) Marin Cilic (Croatia)

Women‘s

Singles Garbine Muguruza (Spain) Venus Williams (USA)

Men‘s Doubles Lukasz Kubot (Poland) & Marcelo Melo

(Brazil) Oliver Marach (Austria) & Mate Pavic (Croatia)

Women‘s

Doubles

Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) & Elena Vesnina

(Russia)

Monica Niculescu (Romania) & Chan Hao-ching

(Chinese)

Mixed Doubles Jamie Murray (UK) & Martina Hingis

(Switzerland)

Heather Watson (UK) & Henri Kontinen

(Finland)

Useful Info

Wimbledon - The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis

tournament in the world, and is widely regarded as the most prestigious.

Founded – 1877

Boxing

AIBA has announced that India will host their first Men‟s World Championship in 2021

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has announced that India will host their first Men‘s World

Championship in 2021. The announcement was made after a two-day executive committee meeting that was

held in Moscow. The AIBA Men‘s World Championships 2019 will be held in Russia city of Sochi. The 2018

Women‘s World Championships will also be held in New Delhi.

Useful Info

AIBA - The International Boxing Association, originally the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur

and still referred to as the AIBA

HQ - Lausanne, Switzerland

President - Dr Wu Ching-kuo

Shiva Thapa and Manoj Kumarwon gold in Czech Republic tournament

Indian boxers have bagged a total of 8 medals at the 48th Grand Prix at Usti Nad Labem in Czech Republic.In

the tournament out of the eight, five were gold medals. The three other medals are two silver and one

bronze. The five gold medals for India were bagged by world championships bronze-medallist Shiva

Thapa(60kg), former Commonwealth Games gold-medallistManoj Kumar(69kg), AmitPhangal,

GauravBidhuri(52kg) and Satish Kumar(+91kg).The two boxers who finished with silver medals were

KavinderBisht in the 52kg category and Manish Panwar in the 81kg category.SumitSangwan has awarded

bronze medal at 91 kg.

Useful Info

Country - Czech Republic

Capital –Prague

Currency –Czech koruna

Boxer Sachin Siwach wins Gold at Commonwealth Youth Games

World Youth Champion Sachin Siwach clinched a gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games, Bahamas

after defeating Welsh boxer James Nathan Prober 4-1 in the final. Siwach, who won gold last year, was the

only one of the 103 boxers to have clinched a gold so far in the tournament, taking place in Bahamas. He had

stormed into the finals after defeating SA Kuse 5-0. The World Youth Champion was also the flag bearer of

India for the tournament.






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Useful Info

Commonwealth Youth Games 2017 – Bahamas

Country – Bahamas

Capital – Nassau

Currency - Bahamian dollar

Other Sport News

Virender Sehwag and P T Usha named in 12-member Committee to pick this year's Khel Ratna and

ArjunaAwardees

Virender Sehwag and P T Usha named in 12-member Committee which has been handed the job to pick this

year's Khel Ratna and ArjunaAwardees.

Useful Info

P T Usha - Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha, popularly known as P. T. Usha, is a retired Indian track and

field athlete.

Virender Sehwag – Former Indian Cricket Player

In early 2004, he became the only Indian to score a triple century in Test cricket, with 309 against Pakistan in

the First Test in Multan, beating V. V. S. Laxman's previous Indian record (281 against Australia)

―Sultan of Multan‖ is one of the nick name of Virender Sehwag

Kamal Haasan to be brand ambassador of Tamil Thalaivas

Tamil film actor Kamal Haasan has been appointed brand icon of Pro Kabaddi League franchise Tamil

Thalaivas, co-owned by India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.

Useful Info

The winner of the Pro Kabaddi League 2016 was Patna Pirates.

Valtteri Bottas won the Austrian Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas won the Austrian Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday with Ferrari‘s Sebastian Vettel finishing a

mere 0.6 of a second.

Useful Info

Valtteri Bottas – Russian Formula 1 driver

He drives for Mercedes

His first victory – Russian Grand Prix 2017

Mercedes‟ Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix for the fifth time

Mercedes‘ Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix for the fifth time – matching the record of Jim Clark

and Alain Prost to cut Sebastian Vettel‘s championship lead to just a single point. They allowed ValtteriBottas

to grab second from KimiRaikkonen to secure a Mercedes one-two, as Vettel trailed home seventh.

Useful Info

Lewis Hamilton – British Formula 1 Driver

He Drives for Mercedes

OBITUARY

Former ambassador to U.S. Naresh Chandra dies

Former Indian Ambassador to U.S., and Padma Vibhushan awardee, Naresh Chandra (82) died at Manipal

hospital at Dona Paula near Panaji on Sunday night due to multiple organ failure.

Useful Info

Present Indian Ambassador to U.S - Navtej Sarna

India's noted cartoonist Mangesh Tendulkar passed away

Mangesh Tendulkar (83), a regular contributor to various magazines and newspapers, was spreading awareness

about traffic issues through his cartoons for the last several years and some of his works were also used by the

city's traffic department.

Useful Info

Mangesh Tendulkar was born in Kolhapur






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China‟s most famous political prisoner, the Nobel laureate and democracy icon Liu Xiaobo, has died

China‘s most famous political prisoner, the Nobel laureate and democracy icon Liu Xiaobo, has died at the age

of 61. Liu was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental

human rights in China. The Chinese intellectual and activist is the first Nobel Peace Prize winner to die in

custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, the 1935 recipient, who died under surveillance after years

confined to Nazi concentration camps.

Useful Info

Country – China

Capital – Beijing



Nobel Prize - The Nobel Prize is a set of annual international awards bestowed in several categories by

Swedish and Norwegian institutions in recognition of academic, cultural or scientific advances. First Nobel

prize was awarded in 1901.

Former Sikkim CM Nar BahadurBhandari passes away

Nar BahadurBhandari, one of the longest-serving chief ministers of Sikkim has died recently. Mr. Bhandari, a

three-term former Chief Minister was 77 years old. He became the Chief Minister of Sikkim for the first time

in 1979 on a JanataParishad ticket and then again in 1984 and 1989 on a Sikkim SangramParishad ticket. The

founder of the SSP, Mr. Bhandari remained its President till his death.

Useful Info

State – Sikkim

Capital – Gangtok

CM – Pawan Kumar Chamling

Governor - ShriniwasPatil

MoU between Indian Army and DRDO to raise MRSAM defence system

The Indian Army has signed MoU with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to raise one

regiment of the advanced Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles (MRSAM) defence system. The MRSAM is

an advanced, all weather, mobile, land-based air defence system. It can shoot down enemy ballistic missiles,

aircraft, helicopters, drones, surveillance aircraft and AWACS aircraft. It is capable of engaging multiple aerial

targets at ranges of more than 50 km. The system will be jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)

and DRDO with the involvement of DPSUs and private sectors.

Useful Info

DRDO – Defence Research and Development Organisation

HQ – New Delhi

Secretary – Dr.S.Christopher

Chief of Indian Army - General Bipin Rawat

Indian Navy‟s second LCU Mark IV L52 ship was formally launched in Kolkata, West Bengal

Indian Navy‘s second LCU Mark IV L52 ship was formally launched in Kolkata, West Bengal. The LCU

Mark-IV vessels are designed for multipurpose amphibious operations jointly carried out Indian Navy and

Indian Army to ensure maritime security of Andamans and Lakshadweep islands. LCU L52 ship is the second

in series of the eight Mark IV LCU vessels built by GRSE for Navy.

Useful Info

State – West Bengal

Capital – Kolkata

CM – Mamata Banerjee

Governor – Kesari Nath Tripathi

The first ship of the series was commissioned in 2016.

LCU - Landing Craft Utility

American rock band Linkin Park's lead vocalist Chester Bennington (41) died by committing suicide.

Former ISRO Chairman Udupi Ramachandra Rao passed away






66

Eminent space scientist and former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Udupi Ramachandra

Rao passed away due to age related ailments. He was 85. He was currently serving as the chairman of the

governing council of the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad and the chancellor of the Indian institute

of science and technology in Thiruvananthapuram. Rao served as the chairman of ISRO for 10 years from

1984-1994.

Useful Info

ISRO - Indian Space Research Organisation

HQ – Bengaluru

Present Chairman - A. S. Kiran Kumar

Rao was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1976 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2017 for his contribution to Indian

space technology.

N. Dharam Singh, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, passed away

N. Dharam Singh, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, passed away following a heart attack. He was 80. He

was the 17th Chief Minister of the state. He headed the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government

from May 2004 to February 2006. Dharam Singh represented the Karnataka Legislative Assembly seven times

without a defeat and was a member of the Lok Sabha from Bidar constituency once (2009).

Useful Info

State – Karnataka


CM – Siddaramaiah

Governor - Vajubhai Vala

Bollywood actor Inder Kumar passes away

Bollywood actor Inder Kumar passed away recently. He was 44. Inder Kumar suffered a heart attack at his

residence in Andheri‘s Four Bungalows. He has worked in more than 20 films. He also shared the screen space

with Salman Khan in Wanted and Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge among others.

Freedom fighter K.E. Mammen passed away

Freedom fighter K.E. Mammen (96), who had participated in the Quit India Movement, passed away. He was a

pacifist and adherent follower of Mahatma Gandhi

Monthly Current Affairs Capsule for June 2017 in PDF

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