prepared by- sumit jaiswal general awareness page 1...sitara-i-imtiaz: eminent urdu litterateur...
TRANSCRIPT
General Awareness Page 1
Prepared By- Sumit Jaiswal
General Awareness Page 2
Hamid Ansari: UPA candidate Hamid Ansari re-elected as India's vice president. Ansari defeated
NDA candidate Jaswant Singh.
MC Mary Kom: India's wonder girl MC Mary Kom lost her semi-final bout to Nicola Adams of
Great Britain 6-11 and settled for the bronze medal in the 51 kg category of the London
Olympic 2012 women's boxing.
Sushil Kumar: Wrestler Sushil Kumar created history by becoming the first Indian to win back-
to-back Olympic medals when he won silver medal in 66 kg freestyle wrestling at London
Olympic 2012.
Ashoke Sen: Indian Scientist Ashoke Sen was honoured with Fundamental Physics Prize (FPP)
2012 on 31 July 2012. He is the only Indian who was honored with this award. This Prize was
started by the billionaire of Russia Yuri Milner.The prize was given to the physicists for their
remarkable contribution to the field of fundamental physics.
Rakesh Singh: Rakesh Singh was appointed as the 55th President of Institute of Cost
Accountants of India (ICAI) on 21 July 2012 for the year 2012-13. He succeeded M.
Gopalakrishnan. Rakesh Singh was the former Vice-President of ICAI.
Oak Creek (Wisconsin): The place came in spotlight after a gunman killed 6 worshipers at a Sikh
temple at Oak Creek in Wisconsin on 5 August 2012.
Oak Creek: Oak Creek is a city in Milwaukee County of Wisconsin state in United States of
America.
Wisconsin: Wisconsin is one of the 50 states of United States, located in the north-central part
of the country.
London Olympic 2012: The 30th Summer Olympics (London Olympics 2012) concluded in
London on 12 August 2012.
At the end of the game US topped the medal tally with a total of 104 medals (46 Gold+29
Silver+ 29 Silver) followed by China, which bagged a total of 88 medals (38 Gold+27 Silver+23
Bronze). India with a total of 6 medals (2 Silver+4Bronze) finished 55th on the medal tally.
V.V.S. Laxman: V.V.S. Laxman, on 18 August 2012 announced his retirement from international
cricket, ending a glorious career spanning 16 years. Laxman played 134 Tests, amassing 8781
runs at an average of 45.97. He scored 17 hundreds and 56 half centuries and earned the
sobriquet Very Very Special. Laxman made his Test debut in 1996 against South Africa at
Ahmedabad.
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Apple Inc: Apple Inc became the most valuable public company of all time after its market value
climbed beyond $620 billion to surpass a milestone set by Microsoft Corp more than a decade
ago. According to data of S&P Dow Jones Indices.
Ratu Epeli Nailatikau: President of Fiji who was in India on a private visit.
Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna Award: D. R. Mehta, the founder and chief patron of the
Jaipur based Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahayata Samiti, the makers of the world famous
JAIPUR FOOT was presented the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna award.
Sitara-i-Imtiaz: Eminent Urdu litterateur Professor Gopi Chand Narang’s name figures in the list
of civilian honours announced by Pakistan on the eve of its Independence Day. Prof. Narang has
been conferred Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence), the third highest civilian honour bestowed
by the nation.
Under 19 World Cup: India win the under 19 world cup, they have defeated Australia in the
final.
New WTO Member: Russia formally became a member of the World Trade Organisation(WTO)
on 22 August 2012 after 18 years of negotiations. Russia agreed to reduce import tariffs on
goods, including food and cars and to relax controls on overseas companies entering its
financial and telecom sectors. Russia will be the 156th member of the WTO.
Gruber Cosmology Prize 2012: Charles L Bennett, a professor of physics and astronomy at
Johns Hopkins University, US, was awarded with the Gruber Cosmology Prize 2012 in Beijing.
The 500000 dollar award was given to him acknowledging his immense contribution to the
world of physics.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2012: London Olympics silver medalist Vijay Kumar and Bronze
medalist Yogeshwar Dutt will be conferred with the country’s highest sporting honour Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for the year 2012.
No. 1 Test Cricket Team: South Africa replaced England as the World’s Number One Test
Cricket team. The feat was achieved after its 2-0 victory over England in the three Test-match
series, which ended at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on 21 August 2012.
PJ Kurien: Congress leader PJ Kurien was unanimously elected the Deputy Chairman of Rajya
Sabha
AK Hangal: Veteran actor Avatar Krishan Hangal, popularly called AK Hangal, passed away in
Mumbai on 26 August 2012 after prolonged illness. He was 97. In a career spanning nearly 40
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years Hangal worked in around 225 films. A devoted artist, he also worked in numerous theatre
plays and TV Series.
World,s most powerful women: Sonia Gandhi ranked number six in the Forbes magazine’s list
of the world’s 100 most powerful women. The other four Indian women in the list are Indira
Nooyi (12), Padmashree Warrior (58), Chanda Kochar (59) and Kiran Mazzomdar Shaw (80).
German Chancellor Angella Markel topped the list for a second successive year. She was
followed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
Eleventh Energy Efficient Sumit: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) held the eleventh
Energy Efficient Sumit in HICC, Novotel Hyderabad.
Neil Alden Armstrong: Neil Alden Armstrong, the US Astronaut, who got his name written in the
history of mankind after he became the first person on the Earth to walk on the surface of
moon, passed away on 25 August 2012. He was 82.
Lakshya-1: Micro-light pilot-less target aircraft Lakshya-1 was successfully test-flown from the
launch complex-2 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur on 23 August 2012.
Saina Nehwal: India's Saina Nehwal won the bronze medal in badminton singles at the London
Olympics 2012 after she was declared winner in the play-off match as her Chinese opponent
Wang Xin retired hurt.
Vijay Kumar: Armyman Vijay Kumar provided the silver lining for India at the Olympics,
clinching second place in the 25m rapid-fire event to lift the nation's spirits after a subdued
showing in the Olympics.
Sally Ride: Sally Ride, the first US woman to travel into space died in La Jolla, California on 23
July 2012. She was 61. She was suffering from pancreatic cancer.
Bradley Wiggins: Bradley Wiggins of Britain became the first cyclist of the country, to win the
coveted Tour de France Cycling race on 22 July 2012
Lakshmi Sehgal: Eminent Freedom Fighter and social activist Captain Lakshmi Sehgal passed
away in Kanpur on 23 July 2012.
Pranab Mukherjee: Pranab Mukherjee on 22 July 2012 recorded a landslide victory to be
elected as the 13th President of India.
Sudarshan Pattnaik: Indian Sand Artist Sudarshan Pattnaik won People's Choice Gold Medal
Award in Moscow on 18 July 2012.
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Mark Boucher: South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher has retired from international cricket
following the eye injury he suffered during a tour game.
ONGC: State-owned ONGC became the country's most-valued company with market
capitalisation of over Rs 2.42 lakh crore, surpassing Tata Group's software services company
TCS.
ND Tiwari: ND Tiwari, the top congress leader, is in news as he has done embarrassment for
himself as DNA test result is positive which has proved that ND Tiwari is the biological father of
Rohit Shekhar.
Hisham Kandil: Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi elected fifty year old Hisham Kandil as the
country’s Prime Minister.
India and Indonesia Double Taxation Pact: India and Indonesia signed an agreement to avoid
double taxation and prevent fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income on 27 July 2012.
Gagan Narang: Ace rifleman Gagan Narang put India into the medal bracket by shooting a
bronze in his pet 10 metre air rifle event at London Olympics 2012.
Anti-ragging website: The Government of India launched an anti-ragging website. Kapil Sibal,
the Union Human Resource Minister inaugurated the ‘Anti- Ragging Web Portal’ on 26 July
2012.
Brahmos supersonic cruise missile: Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)
successfully test-fired Brahmos supersonic cruise missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at
Chandipur, in Balasore district, Orissa.
BrahMos, which has a target range of 290-km, is the surface-to-surface cruise missile. It is
capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 200 to 300 kg. It is the world's fastest cruise
missile in operation. It can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land.
Hashim Amla: Hashim Amla is in news as he has become the first South African to score a test
triple-century. The bearded batsman made an unbeaten 311 against England.
Global Innovation Index (GII) 2012: India witnessed a drop in the global innovation index (GII)
ranking of this year to 64th position from 62nd last year. It stood lowest among the BRICS
nations in the 2012 index.
However, the country improved its position in innovation efficiency from 9th position to
second—just behind China. This index exhibits countries that are innovating despite a weaker
innovation environment.
Switzerland, Sweden and Singapore secured the top three places in the GII rankings.
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Derek Mitchell: Derek Mitchell on 11 July 2012 assumed the charge as the first US Ambassador
to Myanmar in the past 22 years.
Agni I: India successfully test-fired indigenously developed Agni-I ballistic missile from a test
range at Wheeler Island off Odisha coast.
Brett Lee: Australian fast bowler Brett Lee announced his retirement from all forms of
international cricket on 12 July 2012.
World Population Day: World Population Day was celebrated on 11 July 2012. It aims to make
aware people about the increasing population in the country.
Sunita Williams: A Russian Soyuz craft has launched from BAIKONUR (KAZAKHSTAN) carrying
three astronauts on their way to the international space station.
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko and Japan's Akihito
Hoshide will travel two days before reaching their three colleagues already at the permanent
space outpost.
Higgs Boson: Scientists have announced the discovery of an entirely new kind of particle that is
almost certainly the long-sought “God particle,” the Higgs boson.
Time Magazine Underachiever: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has long been lauded
for his pivotal role in liberalising the Indian economy, has been dubbed as an "underachiever"
by a top US magazine "Time" which says he appears "unwilling to stick his neck out" on reforms
that will put the country back on growth path.
The Shard: Europe's tallest building, the Shard on London's south bank, opened with a
spectacular light and laser show. The tower, is of 1,016 ft height.
Enrique Peña Nieto: New president of Mexico.
Rajesh Khanna: The first superstar of Indian Cinema, passed away at Ashirwad, his iconic
Mumbai residence, on 18.07.2012. He was 69.
Thomas Lubanga: Hague based International Criminal Court (ICC) awarded Thomas Lubanga, a
Congolese warlord, 14-year imprisonment on 10 July 2012.
Lubanga, who had used children as the soldiers during the violent struggle in Congo's eastern
Ituri region in 2002-2003 was convicted for war crime. He is the first person to be convicted by
the International Criminal Court (ICC) since it was established in 2002.
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New Guidelines for Tatkal Tickets: Amidst the increasing number of reports of the misuse of
tatkal scheme, the Indian Railways on 9 July 2012 introduced new guidelines for booking of
Tatkal tickets. Under the new guideline the Railways revised the time for booking the tatkal
tickets to 10am from earlier 8am.
Other Highlights are:
• Individual users can not book more than two tickets from 10 am to 12 noon.
• Booking clerks barred from carrying cellphones inside counters,
• Server capacity to be increased from 3.5 lakh bookings to about 5 lakh bookings per day in
about four months, which will eventually be increased to about 8 lakh bookings a day.
Serena Williams: Ace US tennis player Serena Williams beat Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-
1, 5-7, 6-2 in Wimbledon women’s singles Title 2012.
Dara Singh: Rustam-E-Hind, Dara Singh, who won India numerous accolades globally in
wrestling, passed away on 12 July 2012.
England beat Australia 4-0 to claim NatWest Cricket Series: England beat Australia in the fifth
and final one-day international cricket played at Old Trafford on 11 July 2012.
Jagadish Shivappa Shettar: Jagadish Shivappa Shettar was sworn in as the 27th Chief Minister
of Karnataka on 12 July 2012. Shettar was administered the oath of the office by Governor HR
Bharadwaj.
India - Singapore: India and Singapore signed three key bilateral agreements and a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 11 July 2012, New Delhi. The agreements were
signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong;
while the MoU was signed by Indian Labour Minister Malikarjun Kharge and Singapore
Education Minister Heng Swee Keat.
Highlights:
• Both the countries, in the memorandum of understanding have decided to renew the
bilateral arrangement between the Air Forces on joint training
• The military training agreement was signed between Indian Defence Secretary Shashi Kant
Sharma and Singapore’s Permanent Secretary for Defence Chiang Chie Foo. It stated that
the military training that Indian armed forces extend to their Singaporean counterparts shall by
all means continue.
• The other agreement focused on expansion of joint ventures, technological collaboration
both bilaterally and in third countries.
European Grand Pix 2012: Formula One (F1) racer Sebastian Vettel defeated Lewis Hamilton by
1minute 38.086 seconds and won European Grand Pix 2012, Valencia on 24 June 2012. Vettel
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became the first F1 repeat winner of the season. Vettel is from Red Bull’s team and Hamilton is
from McLaren.
Dress Code in Wimbledon: Dress Code was introduced for the first time in Wimbledon by the
organiser All England Club on 24 June 2012. All England Club has been hosting tennis
championships from last 150 years.
Rio+20: Rio+20 the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development took place in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, from 20 to 22 June 2012. The two-day conference was held with an objective
to renew political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date and
the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on
sustainable development, and address new and emerging challenges. Heads of 172 States and
Government marked their presence at the conference.
The themes for Rio+20 Conference were: (1) Green economy in the context of sustainable
development poverty eradication
(2) Institutional framework for sustainable development.
Raja Parvez Ashraf: Raja Parvez Ashraf, the senior Pakistan People’s Party leader, was
appointed the 17th Prime Minister of Pakistan on 22 June 2012.
Mohammed Mursi: Mohammed Mursi, leader of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), on 24
June 2012 was declared victorious in Egypt's historical presidential election.
E - voting: Market regulator SEBI on 26 June 2012 made it mandatory for top 500 listed
companies to hold e-voting with an objective to widen shareholder participation in key
decisions.
Fitch Ratings: International credit rating agency Fitch revised the credit outlook of India to
negative on 18 June 2012. The agency cited rampant corruption and stalled reform existing in
the country as the reason behind the move to downgrade the country's credit rating. The rating
agency, however, maintained the India's sovereign rating at 'BBB-'.
Shekhar Basu: Shekhar Basu was appointed as the Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
(BARC) on 19 June 2012.
Sequoia: Sequoia, the US super computer, was crowned the fastest computer in the world on
17 June 2012. Situated at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, Sequoia is able
to make 16.32 quadrillion calculations per second (16.32 petaflops/s). Developed by IBM, the
supercomputer belongs from IBM’s BlueGene family, which runs on Power processors, chips
that are made at IBM’s plant in East Fishkill.
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India - China Agreement: India and China on 21 June 2012 agreed to increase their defence and
security dialogue and work to take steps to ensure that the two countries achieve a 100 billion
dollars trade target by 2015.
Danish Kaneria: Pakistani Cricket player Danish Kaneria was banned by England and Wales
Cricket Board on 21 June 2012. He was given a lifetime ban because he was found guilty for
corruption. He is the third Pakistani player who is banned because of match fixing.
Euro Cup 2012: Spain beat Italy 4-0 to win UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Euro
2012.
Deepika Kumari: Ace archer Deepika Kumari has scaled a new peak at the global stage, bagging
the world number one ranking ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.
The 18-year-old became the third Indian woman archer after Dola Banerjee and Jayanta
Banerjee to achieve the top ranking.
Anup Sankar Bhattacharya: Anup Sankar Bhattacharya was appointed as the Director of the
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) on 2 July 2012. M Balachandran was the former
director of Institute of Banking Personnel Selection. After the abolition of Banking Services
Recruitment Board, IBPS plays a vital role for candidates who are interested in Bank Jobs.
Approximately, 15 million applications applied in the year 2011-12.
Western Ghats mountain chain: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO), the science and cultural body of UN, inscribed India's 1600-km long
Western Ghats mountain chain on the list of its world heritage sites on 1 June 2012.
Roger Federer downs Murray for seventh Wimbledon crown: Roger Federer defeated Andy
Murray to claim his 17th Grand Slam title with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 win.
The win gave Federer his seventh Wimbledon crown and the world No. 1 ranking, which will
take him past Pete Sampras' record of 286 weeks at the game's top.
BCCI Nominations: Rahul Dravid has been recommended by the BCCI for this year's Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest honour in sports. The board has also decided to
nominate allrounder Yuvraj Singh for the Arjuna award, an honour given by the Indian
government to recognise achievements in sports.
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi: A plaque in the honour of late India cricket legend Mansur Ali Khan
Pataudi was unveiled at the Oxford University pavilion in the presence of his family.
Mohammed Morsi: Mohammed Morsi declared Egypt’s first democratically elected president.
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U - 19 Cricket Asia Cup: Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Indian captain Unmukt Chand shared
the winner's trophy after they tied their match at 282 runs in the Asian Cricket Council Under-
19 Asia Cup final at Kinrara Oval in Kuala Lumpur.
Sekhar Basu: Sekhar Basu, Chief Executive, Nuclear Recycle Board of the Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre (BARC), Trombay, took over as Director of BARC from Ratan Kumar Sinha.
Philadelphia International chess tournament: National champion Abhijeet Gupta beat
International Master Dean Ippolito of United States to win the Philadelphia International chess
tournament, while M R Venkatesh became India's 28th Grandmaster at the event.
Hosni Mubarak: An Egyptian court awarded former President Hosni Mubarak with life
imprisonment on 2 June 2012.
Queen Elizabeth II: Queen Elizabeth II is in news as she completed 60 years of her reign in
Britain.
PM Myanmar Visit: India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently concluded a three-day
visit of Myanmar. It’s the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Myanmar in 25 years.
The Prime Minister of Myanmar is Thein Sein.
Charles Taylor: Former Liberian president Charles Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison by
an international court in The Hague, Netherlands.The first former head of state to be convicted
of war crimes since World War II.
Vikram Singh: Lt.Gen Vikram Singh became new Army Chief after the retirement of General
V.K.Singh.
Devender Kumar Joshi: Government of India on 5 June 2012 nominated Vice Admiral Devender
Kumar Joshi as the new Navy chief after Admiral Nirmal Verma retires on August 31
French Open 2012: Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi on 7 June 2012 won their second Grand
Slam title together and first French Open trophy after beating Santiago Gonzalez(Mexico) and
Klaudia Jans Ignacik (Poland) in the mixed doubles final, in Paris.
Veeravalli Sundaram Sampath: President Pratibha Patil appointed senior-most Election
Commissioner Veeravalli Sundaram Sampath as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of
India.
Mehdi Hassan: Pakistani ghazal maestro Mehdi Hassan passed away following a prolonged
illness in Karachi on 13 June 2012.
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World Bank,s Predictions: The World Bank in its report named Global Economic Prospects
released on 12 June 2012, projected Indian economy to grow by 6.9% in the financial year
2012-13.
Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa: Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of
Bahrain visited India on 30-31 May 2012.
Maria Sharapova : Maria Yuryevna Sharapova won French Open 2012 on 9 June 2012. She
defeated Saria Erani from Italy by 6-3 and 6-2.
Rafa Nadal: Spaniard Rafael Nadal on 11 June 2012 defeated Serbian Novak Djokovic to clinch
his seventh French Open Singles Title 2012.
Saina Nehwal: Ace Indian Badminton player Saina Nehwal clinched her 16th career title as she
defeated Thailand's Ratchanok Inathon in the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold title.
RBI mid quarterly Monetary Policy Review: The Reserve Bank of India in its mid-quarterly
monetary policy review on 18 June 2012, decided to keep the cash reserve ratio and the policy
repo rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent and 8.0 per cent respectively. The reverse repo rate
remain unchanged at 7.0 per cent. The marginal standing facility rate and the Bank Rate is to
stand at 9.0 per cent.
Harmeet Desai: Harmeet Desai won Under- 21 Men’s Final Brazil Open Table Tennis on 17 June
2012. He had defeated Belgian Cedric Nuytin by 4-2 to win the gold medal. He became the first
Indian to achieve such an accomplishment
World Food Prize 2012: Daniel Hillel won World Food Prize 2012 on 13 June 2012. He is a
scientist from Israel.
Saina Nehwal: Ace Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal clinched her third Indonesia Open
Super Series title after beating China's Xuerui Li in title clash in Jakarta.
Teofilo Stevenson: Legendary Cuban Boxer Teofilo Stevenson died of heart attack on 13 June
2012 at the age of 60.
The World Bank report: The World Bank in its report named Global Economic Prospects
released on 12 June 2012, projected Indian economy to grow by 6.9% in the financial year
2012-13.
India-China: India and China on 21 June 2012 agreed to increase their defence and security
dialogue and work to take steps to ensure that the two countries achieve a 100 billion dollars
trade target by 2015.
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Antonis Samara: The New Democracy Party leader Antonis Samara sworn in as the new Prime
Minister of Greece on 20 June 2012.
Shekhar Basu: Shekhar Basu was appointed as the Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
(BARC) on 19 June 2012.
Forbes List of Richest Sport Persons 2012: Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has
pipped the likes of 'Sprint King' Usain Bolt, tennis ace Novak Djokovic and team mate Sachin
Tendulkar in the latest list of world's 100 richest sportspersons, released by the Forbes
magazine.
According to the list, Dhoni is ranked 31st, which is way ahead of Djokovic (62nd), Bolt (63rd)
and Tendulkar (78th). Star footballers Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres are also behind
Dhoni in the latest list.
Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather topped the list with a total earnings of USD 85 million
while Fillipino pugilist Manny Pacquiao, with earnings of USD 62 million, and golf legend Tiger
Woods, with USD 59.4 million, are second and third.
Maria Sharapova is the richest among women's sportspersons at 26th with earnings of USD
27.9 million.
Los Cabos: Los Cabos, one of Mexico’s most luxurious beach destinations, played host to the
2012 G20 Summit. Each year, the heads of state of the world 20 largest economies meet to
discuss financial policies, global growth strategies and sustainable development.
What is G 20: The Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (also known
as the G-20, G20, and Group of Twenty) is a group of finance ministers and central bank
governors from 20 major economies: 19 countries plus the European Union, which is
represented by the President of the European Council and by the European Central Bank.
Himangini Singh Yadu: Himangini Singh yadu, who represented India at the Miss Asia Pacific
2012, has won the international title. She is the first one to win the crown in 12 years. The
beauty pageant was held in Busan, South Korea.
Sania Mirza: Sania Mirza recorded the 500th win of her professional career when she advanced
to the doubles quarterfinals of the WTA Brussels Open with American partner Bethanie Mattek-
Sands. It was Sania's 230th win in doubles. She has 270 singles victories to her credit.
G-8 summit: Thurmont, the sleepy mountain town near Camp David was in news as G-8 summit
was held here.
About G-8: The Group of Eight (G8) is a forum for the governments of eight large economies. (It
excludes some members of the actual eight largest, such as China, Brazil and India). The forum
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originated with a 1975 summit hosted by France that brought together representatives of six
governments: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, thus
leading to the name Group of Six or G6. The summit became known as the Group of Seven or
G7 the following year with the addition of Canada. In 1997, Russia was added to group which
then became known as the G8.
Oldest woman to climb Mount Everest: Tamae Watanabe breaks world record of her own,
Japanese alpinist Tamae Watanabe, 73, reached the summit of Mt. Everest, rewriting her own
record as the oldest woman in the world to scale the mountain.
Devdas: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Devdas has been named among '10 Greatest
Movies of the Millennium' by Time magazine which describes it as "a visually intoxicating
musical".
Meanwhile, Raj Kapoor's Awara (1951) features among the 20 new entries of the magazine's
all-time 100 list of the greatest films made since 1923.
Twitter Banned: Pakistan's government has imposed a countrywide ban on the social media
website Twitter.
Excellence in Cinema Award: Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal is all set to be conferred with
the South Asian Cinema Foundation's 'Excellence in Cinema Award' on June 9 in recognition of
his contribution to new wave Indian cinema.
Serbia's new president: Former nationalist opposition leader Tomislav Nikolic was inaugurated
as Serbia's new president, blasting his pro-European Union predecessor for the country's deep
economic and social problems and further fueling political turmoil after his surprise election.
World’s tallest communication tower: Tokyo, Japan (4E) – The Tokyo Skytree, the world’s
tallest communication tower and second-highest building at 2,080 feet, opened to the public on
Tuesday in the eastern part of Japan’s capital.
Sarah West: Sarah West has done what no other woman has accomplished in the last 500 years
as she now commands a major Royal Navy warship.
West, 40, who is from Middlesex, recently joined the Type 23 frigate HMS Portland, which
makes port in Rosynth, Fife, according to the BBC.
2 billion dollar swap facility: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 16 May 2012 decided to set up a 2
billion dollar swap facility for SAARC (South-Asian Association for Regional Co-operation)
member-nations.
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National Junior Boxing: Manjeet Singh Panghal defeated Gurleen Singh to clinch the 69kg title
in the 45th National junior boxing championship.
Junior Hockey World Cup 2012: Malaysia defeated Pakistan to win the Junior Hockey World Cup
2012.
Templeton Prize: The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, received the 1.7 million dollar
Templeton Prize on 14 May 2012 for his help in promoting links between spirituality and
science.
Cyber Crime: India, according to a report published by the Security and Defense Agenda (SDA)
and McAfee, ranked fifth in the list of countries affected of cyber-crime.
Arms Importer: According to a report published in March 2012 by the Stockholm International
Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India topped China as the largest importer of arms during
2007-11.
Rangarajan Committee: Union government formed the Rangarajan Committee to review the
existing production sharing contracts (PSCs).
Ranbir Kapoor: Chinese computer major Lenovo on 29 May 2012 roped in Bollywood actor
Ranbir Kapoor as the brand ambassador for its range of products in India.
Vishwanathan Anand: Ace Indian chess player Vishwanathan Anand on 30 May 2012 claimed
the FIDE ( Federation Internationale des Echec) World Chess Title for the record fifth time. The
defending champion Anand beat Israeli opponent Boris Gelfand in a rapid-chess tie-breaker.
Anand received 1.5 million dollar as the winning amount, while rival Gelfand bagged 1 million
dollar.
"The Sly Company of People Who Care": Rahul Bhattacharya, the Delhi-based author, on 29
May 2012 won the prestigious Ondaatje Prize 2012 for his book The Sly Company of People
Who Care. He is the first Indian author to have received the award. Bhattacharya was also
conferred with the Hindu Literary Prize for Best Fiction, 2011 for the same book.
Shouryya Ray: Shouryya Ray a 16-year-old Indian-origin student from Germany cracked a 350-
year old mathematics puzzle on 26 May 2012. The mathematics problems solved by Ray, had
perplexed mathematicians around the world for more than 350 years. The boy from Dresden
also solved two fundamental particle dynamics theories which physicists have previously been
able to calculate only by using powerful computers.
Shakeel Afridi: Shakeel Afridi, the man behind the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden
in Abottabad in Pakistan on 2 May 2011 sentenced to 33 years imprisonment.
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Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: New Zealand beat Argentina 1-0 to win Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey
tournament at Ipoh, Malaysia on 3 June 2012. Andy Hayward scored the only goal for New
Zeland in the summit clash, which prevented Argentina, the 2008 winner, to reclaim the trophy.
In a clash for the third spot and bronze medal, India defeated Great Britain 3-1.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar: Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar sworn in as the
member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament on 4 June 2012.
Justice Dalveer Bhandari: India's nominee, Justice Dalveer Bhandari, a sitting judge of the
Supreme Court, has been elected to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the first time an
Indian has managed to get this key international post in over two decades.
Samsung overtakes Nokia: South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co overtook Nokia as the world's
top handset maker for the first time in the first quarter, ending the Finnish firm's 14-year reign,
a report given by research firm Strategy Analytics.
RBI Directives: Apex Indian bank, the Reserve Bank of India on 21 April 2012 directed all
commercial banks to print the MICR and IFSE code on the passbook.
Trade Deficit: India surpassed the export target of $300 billion for 2011-12. Exports increased
by 21 per cent to $303.7 billion in 2011-12 powered by a strong growth in petroleum,
pharmaceuticals and engineering products
However, imports surged by 32.1 per cent to $488.6 billion thereby leaving the highest-ever
trade deficit of $184.9 billion.
UN Secretary Visit: United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki Moon visited India from 26
April to 29 April 2012. The UN Secretary General was accompanied by his wife, Madam Ban
Soon-taek and a high-level delegation.
Crisis in Pakistan: The Supreme Court of Pakistan convicted Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raja
Gilani for contempt of court for refusing to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali
Zardari.
Embarrassment for India: As per a recent World Health Organisation (WHO) study, Published in
the British medical journal, The Lancet, on 23 April 2012, India accounted for about 47 percent
of measles deaths in 2010, while Africa recorded 36 percent of deaths due to the same disease.
Pranab Mukherjee: Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on 4 May 2012 was elected as
Chair of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Board of Governors. India will host the 46th
annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank in New Delhi in 2013.
General Awareness Page 16
NTR Award: Noted Tamil writer Ashokamitran, known for his novel Thanneer and other works
was declared the recipient of the 6 NTR National Literary Award.
Stephen Hendry: Seven-time World snooker champion Stephen Hendry announced his
retirement 1 May 2012 after losing in the quarterfinals at the World Championships. The 43-
year-old legend called it a day after a 13-2 defeat to fellow Scot Stephen Maguire.
Vidya Balan: Union Rural development Ministry of India roped in National award winning actor
Vidya Balan as the brand ambassador for improving the state of sanitation in the country.
Mithun Chakravarti: Bollywood actor Mithun Chakravarti received the PC Chandra lifetime
achievement award in Kolkata on 29 April 2102.
Highest deaths due to premature birth: A new report by Save the Children, titled Born Too
Soon on Pre-term Birth revealed, India has the highest number of deaths due to premature
births.
28th Asian snooker title: India's top-seeded snooker player Aditya Mehta defeated compatriot
and seven-time world champion Pankaj Advani to win 28th Asian snooker title.
New Governor of Goa: BV Vanchoo was appointed the Governor of Goa on 28 April 2012.
India Open badminton Championship: Shon Wan Ho of Korea defeated Chinese defending
champion Lee Chong Wei in the final clash and clinch his maiden Super Series title, at the India
Open badminton on 28 April 2012.
In the women's singles final at India Open badminton Championship, Li Xuerui of China has
beaten Juliane Schenk of Germany to lift the winner's trophy.
Per Capita Income: Goa topped the list of the states with highest per capita income in the
country with a total per capita income of 192652 rupees.
Delhi with a total per capita income of 1.75 lakh rupees in 2011-12 secured second spot in the
list, followed by Haryana with per capita income of 109227 rupees.
The national average was estimated at 38005 rupees in 2011-12 against 35993 rupees in 2010-
11.
Achala Sachdev: Yesteryear actress Achala Sachdev, who featured in the popular song 'Ae Meri
Zohra Jabeen' from the film " Waqt", has died following a prolonged illness. She was 88.
Gandhi Statue Unveiled: President Pratibha Patil unveiled a new statue of Indian peace activist
Mahatma Gandhi at a former Johannesburg prison, during her six-day state visit to South Africa.
General Awareness Page 17
INS Teg: Armed with the surface-to-surface BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, a medium range
gun and anti-submarine rockets, guided missile frigate INS Teg commissioned into the Indian
Navy at the Yantar shipyard in Russia.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Actor Soumitra Chatterjee receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Hillary Clinton visit: Hillary Clinton, US Secretary State visited India, Hillary Clinton's 3-day India
visit is centered on pressuring India to cut further its oil imports from Iran.
Deepika Kumari: India's Olympic prospect Deepika Kumari won her first World Cup individual
recurve gold medal in archery on at Antalya, Turkey.
Francois Hollande: Francois Hollande became the president of France, taking over a country
worried about Europe's future and pledging to make it a fairer place.
Vladimir Putin: Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a six-year term as president of Russia.
Fortune 500 companies: Oil major Exxon Mobil has toppled Wal-Mart to become the biggest
American corporation in the Fortune magazine’s list of top 500 US companies that also features
as many as six entities led by Indian-origin individuals.
Parliament 60 Years: On May 13, 2012, the Indian Parliament completed 60 years since its first
sitting. To mark the occasion, a special sitting of both Houses was organised on the day.
Per Capita Income: Goa topped the list of the states with highest per capita income in the
country with a total per capita income of 192652 rupees.
Delhi with a total per capita income of 1.75 lakh rupees in 2011-12 secured second spot in the
list, followed by Haryana with per capita income of 109227 rupees.
The national average was estimated at 38005 rupees in 2011-12 against 35993 rupees in 2010-
11.
Goolam E. Vahanvati: President Pratibha Patil on 30 April 2012 re-appointed Goolam E.
Vahanvati Attorney-General for two more years with effect from 8 June 2012.
28th Asian snooker title: India's top-seeded snooker player Aditya Mehta defeated compatriot
and seven-time world champion Pankaj Advani to win 28th Asian snooker title.
Sushil Kumar: Ace Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar won the 66kg freestyle title at the World
Qualifying Tournament in Taiyuan.
16th Asian Squash Championship: Indian women squash team won its maiden gold at the 16th
Asian Squash Championship in Kuwait on 5 May 2012
General Awareness Page 18
Jean-Marc Ayrault: Jean-Marc Ayrault a moderate Socialist took over as the France’s new Prime
Minister on 16 May 2012.
Rahul Khullar: Commerce secretary Rahul Khullar has been appointed as the new chairman of
the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) for a three-year term.
Shah Rukh Khan: The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) slapped a five-year ban on actor Shah
Rukh Khan from entering the Wankhede Stadium over his alleged misbehaviour at the ground.
IPL Fixing Scam: Five Indian Premier League players were suspended from cricket on as fresh
fixing allegations hit the game.
The five — T.P. Sudhindra, Mohnish Mishra, Abhinav Bali, Amit Yadav and Shalabh Srivastava —
are all first-class players, but have yet to break into international cricket.
Shocking Hike in Petrol Price: In the steepest ever hike; petrol price was increased on
23.05.2012 by Rs. 7.50 a litre.
State-owned oil firms said they will raise petrol price by Rs. 6.28 per litre excluding local sales
tax or VAT. The hike translates into Rs. 7.50 per litre in Delhi.
IPL 2012: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are the new IPL champions now defeating the defending
champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 5 wicket.
Jim Yong Kim: US nominee Jim Yong Kim was chosen as the next president of the World Bank.
Kim, 52, will take over at the beginning of July, after the current president, Robert B Zoellick,
steps down at the end of his five-year term. Seoul-born Kim is currently president of Dartmouth
College.
RBI Cut: Reserve Bank of India, the apex Indian Bank, on 17 April 2012, cut the key policy rates
for the first time in the past three years. While the repo rate (the rate at which the RBI lends
money to banks) was cut down by 50 basis points from 8.50 per cent to 8.00 per cent, the
reverse repo rate (normally fixed at a spread of 100 basis points below the repo rate) was
reduced to 7.0 per cent.
Adi Godrej: Adi Godrej, Chairman of the Godrej Group, has been elected as the president of
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for the year 2012-13.
Pulitzer Prize 2012: The 2012 Pulitzer Prize was announced on 16 April 2012.
- The Associated Press won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting for documenting the New
York Police Department's spying on Muslims.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer was on the other hand honoured in the public service category for
General Awareness Page 19
its examination of violence in the city's schools.
- A second Pulitzer for investigative reporting was given to The Seattle Times for a series about
accidental methadone overdoses among patients with chronic pain.
- The New York Times won two Pulitzers, for explanatory and international reporting.
India-UAE: India and the UAE on 16 April 2012 signed an agreement in Abu Dhabi to amend the
double taxation avoidance treaty, paving the way for greater sharing of tax related information
between the two countries and also agreed to set up a joint committee to look after consular
issues.The India-UAE agreement on avoidance of double taxation was updated to bring it at par
with the internationally accepted standards.
Monte Carlo Masters: Ace tennis player Rafael Nadal on 22 April 2012 clinched his eighth
consecutive Monte Carlo Masters. The second seeded Nadal defeated Serbian Novak Djokovic
in the final.
Woori Bank: South Korean lender Woori Bank on 18 April 2012 opened its maiden Indian
branch in Chennai.
Risat-1: India successfully launched into orbit a microwave Radar Imaging Satellite (Risat-1).
The indigenous Risat-1, with a life span of five years, would be used for disaster prediction and
agriculture forestry and the high resolution pictures and microwave imaging could also be used
for defence purposes as it can look through the clouds and fog.
Tendulkar in Rajya Sabha: The Indian president has approved Sachin Tendulkar's nomination to
the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament.
Asian Badminton Championship: The third seeded China’s Chen Jin defeated fellow
countryman and fifth seeded Du Pengyu in the men’s finals of Asian Badminton Championship
in China's eastern city of Qingdao on 22 April 2012.
Sikkim Best State: Sikkim, on 24 April 2012, won the best state award for strengthening its
panchayati raj institutions. The north-eastern state bagged the five prestigious national awards
worth of 1.36 crore rupees.
S & P Rating: Standard & Poor's downgraded credit rating outlook for India to negative from
stable on 25 April 2012. The cut in credit rating is the reflection of India's widening fiscal and
current account deficits.
IMF Projections: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 27 April 2012 lowered India’s
growth projection to 6.9 per cent for 2012. The multilateral agency in January projected Indian
economy to grow to by 7 per cent for 2012. The slashed growth projection is broadly attributed
to the country’s poor performance on the front of economic reforms and slowing investment.
General Awareness Page 20
Fertility Rate: India's total fertility rate (TFR) - the average number of children expected to be
born per woman during her reproductive years - has fallen by19% over the past decade.
Dalai Lama Wins 2012 Templeton Prize: The Dalai Lama has received this year's $1.7 million
prize from the John Templeton Foundation, a Pennsylvania-based charity that supports
research in the sciences, philosophy, and theology aimed at understanding "big questions of
human purpose and ultimate reality.
Greatest Entrepreneurs of our Time: Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy is among the 12
"greatest entrepreneurs of our time" according to a Fortune magazine list that is topped by
Apple's late chief Steve Jobs.
It includes Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for turning
"concepts into companies" and changing the "face of business".
INS Chakra: The Indian Navy on 4 April 2012 inducted a Russian-origin nuclear submarine, INS
Chakra, into its flotilla. The nuclear submarine has placed India into the elite group of nations
which operate nuclear vessel.
ADB Loan: The Union Government of India, Asian Development Bank, and State Governments
of Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand on 2 April 2012 inked a 43.84 million dollar loan agreement
objected at promoting tourism in the states.
Pantaloons Femina Miss India World 2012: Chandigarh girl Vanya Mishra is crowned the
Pantaloons Femina Miss India World 2012 in a glittering grand finale of the 49th edition of the
beauty pageant. The Miss India Earth title went to 24-year-old Prachi Mishra of Pune, while
Chennai girl Rochelle Maria Rao, 23, is crowned as the Miss India International.
Padma Bhushan: Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi were conferred with the Padma Bhushan
award by President Pratibha Patil. The award ceremony took place in New Delhi.
Leander Paes: Indian tennis veteran Leander Paes became only the 24th player in the ATP
World Tour history to win 50 doubles titles after he and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek
clinched the Miami Masters, their second team trophy of the season.
NKP Salve: NKP Salve, who had been the president of the BCCI when India won the World Cup
in 1983, has died aged 91 in New Delhi. He is credited with helping India and Pakistan win rights
to hosting the 1987 World Cup.
Special Envoy to South Sudan: India in the last week of March 2012 appointed Amarendra
Khatua as its special envoy to South Sudan and Sudan to broker peace between the two
countries. This was done with the objective of strengthening India’s pursuit of oil and other
General Awareness Page 21
hydrocarbon resources in Africa. Amarendra Khatua is the MEA additional secretary. He handles
the passport division.
India-Germany pact: India and Germany on 10 April 2012 decided to promote bilateral
cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development through exploration of solutions to
problems of mutual concern. A joint declaration to this effect was signed at a meeting in New
Delhi between Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath and his German counterpart Peter
Ramsauer.
India-Qatar Pacts: India and Qatar on 9 April 2012 signed six agreements, including a pact on
cooperation in oil and gas exploration. The agreements were signed in New Delhi during the
visit of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al- Thani.
Online Tax Returns Mandatory for income above Rs. 10.00 lacs: The Union overnment on 11
April 2012 made it mandatory for individuals with income above Rs 10 lakh to file their tax
returns 2011-12 onwards electronically.
Vijender Singh: Vijender Singh (75kg) became the first Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympic
Games for a third successive time after reaching the semifinals of the Asian Olympic qualifiers
in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Mohammad Khalil Chishti (Pakistani Scientist): The Supreme Court granted bail to Pakistani
microbiologist Mohammad Khalil Chishti, undergoing life imprisonment in the Ajmer jail in a
murder case.
Joyce Banda: Joyce Banda was sworn in as Malawi's first female head of state.
Asif Ali Zardari: PAKISTAN president Asif Ali Zardari became his country's first head of state in
seven years to visit New Delhi.
Dinanath Mangeshkar Award: Bollywood actor Madhuri Dixit will be awarded the prestigious
Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award for 2012.
Agni V test: India entered the elite club of nations possessing the technological know-how to
produce an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) as it successfully test fired the nuclear
capable Agni-V missile from the Wheeler Island off the Odisha Coast.
Designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the
three-stage missile has a strike range of 5,000 km.
Shaheen 1A: Pakistan on 25 April 2012 test fired a nuclear capable ballistic missile, Shaheen-1A.
According to the Pakistani military the missile is an improved version of the Shaheen 1 with a
longer range. Shaheen 1 has a range of 750 kilometers (465 miles).
General Awareness Page 22
Mamata Banerjee: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was on named by Time
magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the world.
Saurav Ghosal: Top Indian squash player Saurav Ghosal won a 3-2 victory over Robbie Temple
of England at the $120,000 El Gouna International Open in El Gouna, Egypt on 9 April 2012.
Geeta Kumari: Geeta Kumari, the woman wrestler, won gold in 55kg category at the ongoing
Asian qualifying tournament in Astana, Kazakhastan. Geeta with this victory also made a
history, as she became the first Indian woman wrestler to have ever qualified for the Olympics.
Interest Rates Hike: Interest rates for small savings schemes such as public provident funds
(PPF), post office deposits and National Savings Certificate (NSC) have been increased by 0.2% –
0.5%.
Miami Masters: Fourth seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, on 31 March 2012, defeated Russian
Tennis star Maria Sharapova to clinch Miami Masters women singles Title.
ADB Growth Rate Prediction: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 11 April 2012 projected
moderate increase in growth rate for India to 7 percent in 2012-13. The government however
estimated a growth rate of 7.6 per cent for 2012-13 fiscal.
Arab League Summit: The Arab league summit was held in Baghdad from 27 March 2012 to 29
March 2012. The three-day summit was hosted by Iraq for the first time since 1990. The leaders
of the 22 Arab league states attended the summit. The Baghdad summit discussed the uprising
in Syria and the Iraqi debts to its neighbours. The previous Arab league summit was held in
Sirte.
Syria didn’t participate in the Summit. It was suspended in the midst of the uprising against the
Assad regime.
Miami Masters: Seventh seeded, Indo-Czeck pair of Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek claimed
the doubles title of Miami Masters.
D. Sarkar: Public Sector Lender, Union Bank of India, on 1 April 2012 appointed D. Sarkar as its
Chairman and Managing Director (CMD). The appointment is in effect from 1 April 2012.
Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi: Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi became the President of Yemen, a
West-Asian country, on 27 February 2012. Hadi, a General People's Congress party leader
replaced Ali Abdullah Saleh to the position.
Bank of Baroda: Bank of Baroda, the public sector lender, on 22 March 2012 launched 1001
ultra-small branches to provide banking services to the people of villages which don’t have
General Awareness Page 23
access to banling services. The bank launched the ultra-small branches under the financial
inclusion initiative.
Harsh Pati Singhania: Harsh Pati Singhania, Managing Director, JK Paper Ltd, on 23 March 2012
took over as the President of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), India. Singhania, 50,
was earlier the President of the industry body Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI).
Fourth BRICS (BRAZIL, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit: The Fourth BRICS
Summit was held in New Delhi on 29 March 2012. The theme of the Summit was BRICS
Partnership for Global Stability, Security and Prosperity. At the Summit, the Leaders of the
BRICS countries discussed political, economic and social issues of mutual and international
interest.
Interest Rate Hike: The Union government on 26 March 2012 raised interest rates on post
office-operated small savings like Monthly Income Scheme (MIS) and Public Provident Fund
(PPF) by up to 0.5%.
PM South Korea Visit: The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh visited South Korea on 25
March 2012. During his visit, India and South Korea agreed to set a new bilateral trade target of
40 billion US dollars by 2015.
Shyamala Gopinath: Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on 29 March 2012 appointed
Shyamala Gopinath as the Chairperson of the Advisory Board on Bank, Commercial and
Financial Frauds.
Nuclear Security Summit: The second nuclear security summit was held in Seoul, capital of
South Korea on 26-27 March 2012. 53 heads of state and government, as well as
representatives of the United Nations (UN), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
European Union (EU) and INTERPOL, attended the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.
Tusha Mittal: Tusha Mittal of Tehelka's Kolkata News Bureau has been chosen for the Chameli Devi Jain
Award, 2012.
Ms. Mittal has been chosen as the Outstanding Woman Mediaperson.
Union Budget Highlights:
Following are some of the key highlights of the Union Budget 2012-13, presented by Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Parliament:
* Tax burden for individuals to come down: Income tax exemption limit raised from Rs.
1,80,000 to Rs. 2,00,000; 10 per cent tax for 2-5 lakh income; 20 per cent for 5-10 lakh and 30
per cent beyond Rs. 10 lakh; Savings bank account interest up to Rs. 10,000 exempted from tax.
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* Large cars, imported bicycles, cigarettes, bidis and some imported jewellery to cost more;
branded silver jewellery may get cheaper.
* Economy expected to gain ground: GDP growth rate pegged at 7.6 per cent in 2012-13;
Subsidy Expenditure to be checked and higher tax revenues targeted; Rs. 30,000 crore to be
raised from disinvestment.
* Capital boost to financial and infrastructure sectors: Rs. 15,888 crore to be provided for
capitalisation of public sector banks and financial institutions;
* Farming for growth: Target for agricultural credit raised to Rs 5,75,000 crore; Interest
subvention for short-term crop loans to farmers at 7 per cent interest continues; additional 3
per cent for prompt paying farmers.
Financial Highlights of Budget 2012-12:
* Fiscal deficit targeted at 5.1 per cent of GDP in 2012-13, down from 5.9 per cent in 2011-12;
Central Government debt at 45.5 per cent of GDP.
* Defence services get Rs. 1,93,407 crore; any further requirement to be met.
World Bank Aid: The World Bank has announced $ 4.3 billion financial aid to India through a
new innovative and flexible financing arrangement to help the country fight poverty.
CRR Cut: The Reserve Bank of India on 9 March 2012 cut the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 75
basis points. The CRR was cut to 4.75 per cent of their net demand and time liabilities (NDTL)
effective the fortnight beginning 10 March 2012.
Tata Steel: A survey compiled by Fortune India and global management consultancy Hay Group
which was released on 13 March 2012, revealed Tata Steel as the most admired brand in India.
Economic Survey Highlights:
The Economic Survey was tabled by the Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on 15 March
2012. Indian economy was estimated to grow by 6.9% in 2011-12 mainly due to weakening
industrial growth.
- The services sector continued to be a star performer as its share in GDP climbed from 58% in
2010-11 to 59% in 2011-12 with a growth rate of 9.4%. Agriculture and allied sectors were
estimated to achieve a growth rate of 2.5% in 2011-12. Agriculture & allied sectors were are
estimated to achieve a growth rate of 2.5% in 2011-12 with foodgrains production likely to
cross 250.42 million tones as a result of increase in the production of rice in a number of states.
- Also in 2011-12 India’s external debt stock increased by US $ 20.2 billion (6.6 per cent) to US $
326.6 billion at end-September 2011 vis-à-vis US $ 306.4 billion at end-March 2011, primarily
due to higher commercial borrowings and short-term debt.
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Largest Arms Importer: As per the report released by Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute (SIPRL) on 19 March 2012, India emerged as the world’s largest importer of arms in
2007-2011. In fact, India accounted for 10 percent of global arms imports during 2007 to 2011
Swiss Open Grand Prix: Indian ace badminton player and World no five Saina Nehwal retained
the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold trophy by securing a victory over China's Shixian Wang in a 48-
minute summit clash at Basel, Switzerland on 18 March 2012.
Asia Cup Cricket: Pakistan defeated host Bangladesh to lift Asia Cup Cricket Trophy on 22
March 2012. Pakistan while batting first scored 236. Bangladesh while chasing the target
finished 2 runs short and scored 234.
Saraswati Samman 2011: The K K Birla Foundation announced on 22 March 2012 its decision to
honour Tamil writer A A Manavalan with the Saraswati Samman 2011 for his book on
Ramayana. Retired professor and head of the department of Tamil in Madras University,
Manavalan is be bestowed with the 21st Saraswati Samman for his work Irama Kathaiyum
Iramayakalum (Ramakatha and Ramayanas) published in 2005.
'Reliance Drishti': Reliance Foundation Chairperson Nita Mukesh Ambani launched India's first
registered national Braille newspaper in Hindi in association with CNN-IBN's Real Hero Swagat
Thorat.
Ricky Ponting: Australia's former captain Ricky Ponting announced retirement from One Day
International Cricket but would continue to be available for Test matches.
- The 37-year-old is the second most prolific batsman of all time in limited overs internationals,
scoring 13,704 runs in 375 matches since his debut in 1995.
Maldives: Maldives was suspended from the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group -- the
most powerful panel of the Commonwealth body -- following the recent developments in the
country including the ousting of its democratically-elected president Mohamed Nasheed.
Richard Levi: South Africa opening batsman Richard Levi smashed fastest international T20
century century off 45 balls against New Zealand in Hamilton.
Dinesh K. Patnaik: Dinesh K. Patnaik, presently Deputy Chief of Mission in Embassy of India,
Vienna, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Cambodia.
John Glenn: He is in news as he completed 50 years of becoming first person to orbit the earth,
50 years ago, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth.
Oscar Awards: The 84th Academy Awards ceremony/Oscars was hosted by the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
General Awareness Page 26
Best Picture - The Artist
Best Actor - Jean Dujardin for The Artist
Best Actress - Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady
Best foreign language film - A Separation ( Iran)
Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi: Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh hands over power to
the country's newly-elected President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi during a ceremony at the
presidential palace in Sanaa.
Ekta Kapoor:Ekta Kapoor has been voted into Forbes magazine’s ‘Asia Power Businesswomen’
list. At 36, she’s the youngest in 50 corporate game changers.
Rahul Bhatia: Rahul Bhatia, Managing Director of InterGlobe Enterprises group on 23 February
2012 was chosen for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2011.
Rahul Dravid Retirement: Batting great Rahul Dravid, the second most prolific batsman in the
game's history and India's middle order bulwark for years, bid adieu to Test cricket, bringing
down the curtains on a glorious 16-year career.
- Dravid ended his Test career with 13,288 runs -- behind only Tendulkar (15,470 in 188 Tests) --
in 164 matches, with 36 hundreds and 63 half centuries at an average of 52.31, the 270 against
Pakistan being his highest score.
- He scored 10,889 runs from 344 ODIs with 12 centuries and 83 half centuries at an average of
39.16.
59th National Film Awards: The Prestigious 59th National Film Awards were announced in New
Delhi on 7 March 2012.
- The Best Actor was given to Girish Kulkarni for film Deool (Marathi) and Best Actress to Vidya
Balan for the film The Dirty Picture (Hindi). Chillar Party (Hindi) won Best Children Film.
- The top honour in the Feature Film category, the Best Film was shared by films Deool
(Marathi) produced by Abhijeet Gholap& directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni and Byari (Byari
language) produced by T.H. Althaf Hussain& directed by Suveeram. The award carries Swarna
Kamal and cash prize of Rs. 250000/-.
Vladimir Putin: Vladimir Putin has been elected as president in the recently concluded elections
in Russia and is set to lead the county third time after defeating rivals by big margin.
Ravi: Veteran music director Ravi Shankar Sharma, popularly known as Ravi who gave several
hit songs like ChaudhvinKa Chand Ho” and “DilKeAarmanAansuBankey Rah Gaye”, expired
recently.
General Awareness Page 27
Akash missile: The indigenously developed advanced light-weight torpedo and the Akash
missile system was handed over to the Navy and the Indian Air Force recently.
China Defense Budget: China's official defence spending will rise by 11.2% in 2012, pushing it
above $100bn for the first time, the government has announced.
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final: Fourth seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and
RohanBopanna captured their first ATP World Tour doubles title together with victory in the
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final. The Indians overcame third-seeded Poles
MariuszFyrstenberg and MarcinMatkowski 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 in 69 minutes.
First women's Kabaddi World Cup: India clinched the first women's Kabaddi World Cup
championship title, defeating Iran 25-19 in the final played at Patlipura sports complex in Patna.
Forbes List: Forbes’ latest listing of the world’s billionaires puts Mexico’s Carlos Slim Helu and
family again on top, with a net worth of $69 billion. The 72-year-old is chairman of Mexico’s
Telmex.
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett of the U.S., who respectively have $61 billion and $44 billion, are
next on Forbes’ list. Gates’ fortune comes from Microsoft, the software giant that he founded.
Buffett’s comes from investment giant Berkshire Hathaway.
CB Series 2012 (Cricket): Australia narrowly defeated Sri Lanka by 15 runs in the third final, to
win the Commonwealth Bank Series.
Sachin Tendulkar:
Sachin hits 100th ton
Tendulkar, the leading run scorer in the history of both Test and one-day cricket, achieved the
most-coveted ton by taking a single off Shakib Al Hasan against Bangladesh in Asia Cup.
Tendulkar's century came off 138 balls and was studded with 10 fours and a six.
AkhileshYadav: Three-time MP from KanaujAkhileshYadav is the new chief minister of Uttar
Pradesh. Akhilesh, the parliamentarian son of SP chief and former chief minister Mulayam Singh
Yadav, is the youngest CM of U.P.
OkramIbobi Singh:OkramIbobi Singh became the chief minister of Manipur for the third
consecutive term.
Parkash Singh Badal:Parkash Singh Badal on became Punjab's oldest chief minister when he
was sworn in for a record fifth time.
ManoharParrikar:ManoharParrikar, who spearheaded BJP's emphatic win in assembly polls
with majority of its own for the first time, took oath as chief minister of Goa.
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Vijay Bahuguna: Congress MP Vijay Bahuguna was sworn in as the chief minister of
Uttarakhand after the Congress overruled a revolt by another MP Harish Rawat.
The 54th Annual Grammy Awards: The 54th Annual Grammy Awards were held on 12 February
2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The death of pop diva Whitney Houston the night
before the Grammy awards however cast a sombre mood at the awards.
- The British songstress, Adele swept the awards winning a staggering six golden gramophones
for her Album, 21.
- Album of the Year: 21 - Adele
- Song of the Year: Rolling in the Deep, Adele
- Best New Artist: Bon Iver
New Bowling Coach: BCCI decided to sack Indian Team’s bowling coach Eric Simons on 13
February 2012. The ongoing One day tri-series in Australia will be his last assignment as the
bowling coach of Indian Cricket Team. Joe Daves of Queensland will take the charge of new
bowling coach.
21st VyasSamman: Noted Hindi writer Professor Ramdarash Mishra was selected for the 21st
VyasSamman for his poetry collection AamKePatte.
Whitney Houston: Whitney Houston, one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold
over 170 million albums, singles & videos worldwide died on 11 February 2012.
2011 US National Humanities Medal: India's Nobel Prize-winning economist AmartyaSen
named for the 2011 US National Humanities Medal by the White House.
LataManageshkar award: Veteran Hindi film music composer Rajesh Roshan was honoured
with the LataManageshkar award by the Madhya Pradesh government.
Andrew Symonds: The former Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds has retired from all
cricket with immediate effect.
Christian Wulff: Germany's president, Christian Wulff, who has served as head of state since
2010, has resigned after being caught up in a corruption scandal.
Sania victorious: India's SaniaMirza and her Australian partner Anastasia Rodionova beat Hao-
ching Chan and Yung-jan Chan of Chinese Taipei to win the women's doubles event at the
Pattaya Open.
Microsoft Website: In the latest case of website defacing in the country, software giant
Microsoft India's retail website has been hacked, forcing the company to shut it down
temporarily.
General Awareness Page 29
According to reports, the company's retail website, which sells Microsoft products, was hacked
by a Chinese group called Evil Shadow Team.
Nancy J Powell: Nancy J Powell, a career diplomat with wide experience in South Asia, has been
named by US President Barack Obama as the next ambassador to India, the first woman to be
nominated for the coveted post.
SahityaAkademi Awards: Historian RamachandraGuha’s India After Gandhi and novels and
essays by GopalakrishnaPai, Kashinath Singh and ManikSitaramGodghate alias Grace are among
22 books which were awarded prestigious SahityaAkademi Awards for this year.
AmartyaSen: India-born Nobel laureate AmartyaSen was felicitated with the prestigious
National Medals of Arts and Humanities award by U.S. President Barack Obama for his efforts
to increase the understanding of fighting hunger and poverty.
Women's Champions Trophy: Argentina won the women's hockey Champions Trophy for the
fifth time with a 1-0 victory over Great Britain in the final. The Netherlands claimed the bronze
medal by defeating Germany 5-4.
ICC Hall of fame: Sunil Gavaskar has been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. The former India
captain and one of the game's all-time greats received his commemorative cap from fellow Hall
of Famer and team-mate Kapil Dev.
Pakistan Big Win: PAKISTAN'S bowlers sealed an emphatic 71-run win in the third and final Test
against England inflicting a 3-0 series whitewash humiliation in the process.
Maruti crosses 1 crore mark:Maruti Suzuki India said that it has crossed the 1-crore (10-million)
units milestone of cumulative sales in the domestic market since it started selling cars 29 years
back.
"The 10 millionth vehicle, a Red Swift Vxi, was dispatched to Coimbatore today morning from
the company's Manesar plant," the company said.
Maruti Suzuki India had rolled out its first car -- an M800 -- in December 1983 and attained five
million domestic sales in February 2006.
Army Chief Age Dispute: Indian army chief General VK Singh has dropped his case against the
government over his disputed age.
Maldives unrest: President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives resigned after weeks of
mounting protests and what appeared to be a police mutiny.
Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan took the presidential oath of office.
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The 47th Golden Camera (GoldeneKamera) Awards: The 47th Golden Camera
(GoldeneKamera) Awards were held in Berlin, Germany recently.
Important Winners' List:
Morgan Freeman - International Lifetime Achievement
Scarlett Johansson - Best International Actress
Denzel Washington - Best International Actor
Yuvraj Singh: Is in news as India's World Cup champion and man of the contest, Yuvraj Singh,
has lung cancer and is undergoing treatment in the United States.
Roy J. Bostock: Roy J. Bostock is an American businessman and has served as chairman of
Yahoo! Inc. since January 2008. He stepped down from his position on Feb. 7th 2012.
NavinchandraRamgoolam: Mauritius Prime Minister NavinchandraRamgoolam accompanied
by wife VeenaBrizmohun visits India recently.
ManishaMalhotra: Former Indian tennis player ManishaMalhotra on 16 February 2012
conferred upon a top International Olympic Committee Award for her contribution in
promoting sport among women.The award was presented by IOC President Jacques Rogge at
the fifth World Conference on Women and Sport.
Novak Djokovic: Serbian tennis star, Novak Djokovic was awarded with the highest Serbian
award, the Gold Star of Karadjordje on 15 February 2012.
Tea Output: Assam contributed more than 50 percent of the country’s total tea production in
2011. Assam produced around 509 million kg tea which also led the India’s total tea output to
988.32 million kg in this period.
India - EU Summit: The 12th India-EU Summit was held in New Delhi on 10 February 2012. The
Republic of India was represented by the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. EU was
represented by Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, and Mr. José Manuel
DurãoBarroso, President of the European Commission.
Successful Test by DRDO: DRDO on 10 February 2012 conducted a successful test launch of the
interceptor missile. DRDO’s Air Defence Missile AAD-05 successfully hit the ballistic missile and
destroyed it at a height of 15 kms off the Coast of Orissa near the Wheelers Island.
Thomas Cook selling its stake in Indian Subsidiary: Thomas cook, the travel company in its
announcement made on 8 February 2012 said it will sell its stake in its Indian subsidiary Thomas
General Awareness Page 31
Cook (India) Ltd (TCIL). Thomas Cook holds 77.1% stake in its Indian subsidiary. The gross
monetary value of 77% stake that the Thomas Cook holds in its Indian arm is Rs.879 cr.
Indonesia adopt CTBT: Indonesia became the 157th country to adopt the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty. Indonesia formalised ratification of the nuclear test ban treaty on 6 February 2012
at the United Nations.
E - stamp papers: Delhi became the first State in the country to issue e-stamp papers in all
denominations after the Cabinet decided to bring non-judicial stamp papers of Rs.500
denomination and below under the ambit of e-stamp mode on 6 February 2012. The complete
switchover to e-stamp mode is expected to prevent all fraudulent practices in this field.
Earthquake in Philippines: A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the central
Philippines in the narrow strait between the heavily populated islands of Negros and Cebu on 6
February 2012.
SDAT-WSF Under-21 Squash World Cup: Egypt defeated India 2-1 in the final of the SDAT-WSF
Under-21 Squash World Cup on 5 February 2012.
Whitney Houston: Whitney Houston, who reigned as pop music's queen until her majestic
voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to
singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.
Queen Elizabeth completes 60 years of accession: Queen Elizabeth marked the 60th
anniversary of her accession to the British throne with a message of thanks to her subjects.
NDTV announced Spirit of Sport awards:
- Indian tennis star Leander Paes, who recently completed his career doubles Grand Slam, was
chosen for 'Legend of Sport' award.
- Late cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and just retired footballer BaichungBhutia were given
Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Six sports-persons were chosen for India's Outstanding Achievers -- boxers Vijender Singh and
Mary Kom, footballer Sunil Chettri, racer Karun Chandhok, cueist PankajAdvani and
shuttlerSainaNehwal.
India - USA Mou: India and the United States of America on 3 February 2012 signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Washington to co-operate on Labour and
employment issues during the visit of labour and employment minister MallikarjunKhagre.
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V. Shantaram Life Time Achievement Award: Veteran environmental filmmaker Mike Pandey
was honoured with the prestigious V. Shantaram Life Time Achievement Award at the Mumbai
International Film Festival 2012 on 3 February 2012.
Tax Information Exchange Agreement: India signed TIEA with Guernsey in the third week of
December 2011.
This is the 13th bilateral TIEA for Guernsey with a G20 nation. The TIEA will help Indian tax
authorities get information on tax evasion cases.
SHADE- The pact signed by India, japan and China to achieve the most efficient use of Naval
forces present in the Indian ocean region.
India, Japan and China signed a pact to share data to achieve the most efficient use of Naval
Forces present in the Indian Ocean Region. This initiative is called the Shared Awareness and
Deconfliction (SHADE). The initiative began functioning from 1 January 2012.
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): As per the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin,
December 2011 released by the Registrar General of India (RGI), it is noted that Infant Mortality
Rate (IMR) has dropped further by 3 points from 50 to 47 infants deaths per 1000 live births
during 2010. The IMR for rural areas has dropped by 4 points from 55 to 51 infant deaths per
1000 live births while the Urban rate now stands at 31 from the previous 34/1000.
State of Goa still has the lowest IMR of 10 infant deaths followed by Kerala with 13.
Cairo: Capital of Egypt was in news as due to deadly clashes following a football match 74
people were killed.
Davos (Switzerland): The place was in news as Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum 2012
was organized here.
Facebook: The social networking site is in news as it filed papers to raise at least $5 billion in
one of the most hotly anticipated IPOs of the decade.
OSCAR Luigi Scalfaro: OSCAR Luigi Scalfaro, who has died aged 93, was Italy's head of state
from 1992 to 1999, and one of the great survivors of Italian politics.
Laxman Das:Laxman Das took over as the new chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes
(CBDT).
73rd Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships: A Amalraj showcased his
talent for a deserving maiden title triumph, upstaging A Sharath Kamal in the final of the 73rd
Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships.
In the women,s final, PoulamiGhatak exacted revenge of last year's loss in the final to K
General Awareness Page 33
Shamini, to maul her in four straight games for her seventh national crown. The event was held
at Lucknow.
Kazuo Hirai: Kazuo Hirai, president of the Consumer Products & Services Group at Sony, is the
Sony's new CEO and President.
Raj Kanwar: Famous Film Director Raj Kanwar, who launched several Bollywood actors
including Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan, expired.
57th Idea Filam fare Awards:
Best Actor: RanbirKapoor for Rockstar
Best Actress: VidyaBalan for The Dirty Picture
Best Film: Zindagi Na MilegiDobara
Best Director: ZoyaAkhtar for Zindagi Na MilegiDobara
Best Music Director Award: AR Rahman for Rockstar
Best Playback (Male) Award: MohitChauhan for 'Jo Bhi Mein' from Rockstar
Best Playback (Female) Award: RekhaBhardwaj and UshaUthup for 'Darling' of 7 KhoonMaaf
Nerpa Submarine: Russia has finally handed over the long-awaited Akula II-class K-152 Nerpa
nuclear-powered attack submarine to the Indian Navy after more than two years of delays.
The 110m-long, 8,140t submarine, to be renamed INS Chakra, was slated for delivery to India in
mid-2008, but this was rescheduled to June 2010 following an accident caused by the triggering
of the vessel's fire-suppression systems during a 2008 trial in the Sea of Japan. Following the re-
fit, Indian naval teams have undergone training for several months on the nuclear-powered
vessel.
Padma Awards - 2012: President PratibhaPatil has approved the conferment of Padma Awards-
2012. This year the President has approved 109 awards including one duo case (counted as
one) and 14 in the category of foreigners/ non-resident Indians/ Persons of Indian
Origin/Posthumous.
- These comprise five Padma Vibhushan, 27 Padma Bhushan and 77 Padma Shri Awards. There
are 19 women among the awardees.
- Among the five persons selected for the Padma Vibhushan award are late cartoonist Mario
Miranda and legendary musician DrBhupenHazarika for their contribution to the field of art.
- The others to be given the hounour are K G Subramanyan (art -- painting and sculpture),
KantilalHastimalSancheti (medicine) and T V Rajeswar (civil service).
- Actors ShabanaAzmi and Dharmedra, film director Mira Nair and renowned cardiologist Devi
Prasad Shetty have been awarded with Padma Bhushan on the eve of Republic Day.
General Awareness Page 34
USA cuts defense budget: The Pentagon unveiled a 2013 defense budget plan that would cut
$487 billion in spending over the next decade.
National Badminton Championship: Rising Indian shuttlerSourabhVarma notched up a straight-
game victory over B SaiPraneeth in the final to clinch the Senior National Badminton
Championship title on Wednesday.
- The ninth seeded PV Sindhu caused a major upset as she beat second seed NehaPandit 21-9,
21-14 in the women's singles final to lift the title.
Australian open 2012: Victoria Azarenka beat Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 Saturday night to win
the Australian Open and take over the women’s No. 1 ranking.
Australian open 2012: Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5-7), 7-5, in the
Australian Open 2012 Men’s Singles Finals to capture his second Aussie Open title and his third
consecutive grand slam wins over the Spaniard.
Australian open 2012: Veteran star Leander Paes created history by becoming the first Indian
to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open men's doubles title with
RadekStepanek, taming the dangerous top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan in straight sets.
AdaminteMakan Abu: Malayalam film 'AdaminteMakan Abu', India's official entry to the
upcoming Academy Awards, has failed to make it to the top nine shortlist for the best foreign
film Oscar for 2011.
PankajPachauri: Senior television journalist PankajPachauri was named communication advisor
to the Prime Minister's Office
Ranji Trophy: Rajasthan won the 78th Ranji Trophy defeating Tamil Nadu at the MA
Chidambaram stadium, on the basis of its mammoth 326-run lead in the first innings.
Laura Dekker: Dutch teeager Laura Dekker became the youngest sailor to complete a solo
circumnavigation of the world. The 16-year-old Dekker completed her solo round-the-world
journey when she sailed into harbour on the Caribbean island of St Martin, which is shared by
Netherlands and France.
69th Golden Globe Award Winners:
Best Picture: “The Descendants.”
Best Actor: George Clooney, “The Descendants.”
Best Actress: Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady.”
Jerry Yang: Jerry Yang, Yahoo's co-founder, has stepped down from his position on the
company's board after 16 years.
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HomaiVyarawalla: India’s first woman press photographer HomaiVyarawalla, passed away on
January 15, 2012 at the age of 98, she captured the last days of the British Empire in India.
Goa Elections: For the first time in the history of elections in India, an all-woman team of
general observers has been assigned the task of conducting free and fair polls in Goa.
Wikipedia: In news, Internet mega-site Wikipedia was closed for 24 hours as part of protests
against proposed anti-piracy laws in the USA.
Ma Ying-jeou: Taiwan's incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou has won a second term in office,
promising to further improve ties with neighbouring China.
Supreme Court Verdict on Vodafone: In a major victory to Vodafone International Holdings,
the Supreme Court set aside the Bombay high court judgement asking the company to pay
income tax of Rs 11,000 crore, holding that tax authorities do not have jurisdiction on an
overseas transaction.
Kodak declares bankruptcy: Eastman Kodak Co., the photography pioneering corporation that
helped capture the 20th century, filed for bankruptcy Thursday. Unable to keep up with the
21st-century transition from film to digital technology, Kodak listed a debt of $6.8 billion and
assets of $5.1 billion.
India - South Africa Hockey Series: India made a stunning comeback in the second half to hold
South Africa 3-3 in the fifth and final hockey Test on to clinch the five-match series 3-1.
The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2011: The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2011 has been ranked as
the world's top Road Running Competition in 2011 for men and women combined, as well as
for men and women separately, according to the All-Athletics.com Competition Rankings
released on January 19, 2012.
Satyendra S Huja: Satyendra S Huja, a Sikh American has been elected as mayor of historic city
of Charlottesville, Virginia. He was chosen by the five-member city council unanimously and
would be serving the council for three years.
YingluckShinawatra: Thailand's first woman Prime Minister YingluckShinawatra was the chief
guest at Republic Day parade celebrations on January 26, 2012.
AmadouToumani : President AmadouToumaniToure of Mali, the landlocked mineral-rich West
African country, visited India recently. to improve bilateral ties across the spectrum, including
the intensification of economic ties and developmental cooperation between the two
countries.
General Awareness Page 36
Sheikh Hasina: Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina was conferred an honorary
doctorate of Tripura University by Vice President Hamid Ansari.
Red Ribbon Express: Name of a train for awareness on AIDS, the third phase of National AIDS
Control Organisation's Red Ribbon Express was launched recently.
SoumitraDutta: IIT-Delhi alumnus SoumitraDutta has been named the new Dean of the Ivy
league Cornell University's business school, joining a growing list of noted Indian-origin
academicians assuming leaderships roles at prestigious global universities.
Interbrand's list: US beverage maker Coca Cola retained its top position in Interbrand's list of
the top 100 global brands in 2011. Coca Cola was followed by another US based company, IBM.
Software company Microsoft was placed third. The company held on to the position it stood at
in the previous year despite a three per cent drop in brand value.
New Editor of "The Hindu" : N. Ram stepped down as Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of The
Hindu , Business Line , Frontline , and Sportstar. SiddharthVaradarajan succeeded Ram, with
effect from 19 January 2012, as Editor of The Hindu responsible for the selection of news under
the Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act of 1867.
Most Innovative Countries: India was ranked the sixth most innovative country in the world in
multinational conglomerate GE's second Annual Global Innovation Barometer published on 18
January 2012. The report is based on a survey of 2800 senior business executives in 22
countries including Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Israel,
Japan. US topped the list.
KamlaPersadBissessar: Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago KamlaPersadBissessar visited India
from 5 January 2012 to 14 January 2012. She was the chief guest during the PravasiBhartiya
Divas held in Jaipur on 7-9 January 2012. The visit was the first one by any Trinidad and Tobago
Prime Minister in nearly 15 years.
CRR Cut: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 24 January 2012 cut the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by
50 basis points from 6 per cent to 5.5 per cent with effect from 28 January 2012. RBI thus
released Rs 32000 crore to banks through a half percentage point cut in the cash reserve ratio.
The RBI also kept the repo rate unchanged at 8.50 per cent for the second consecutive time. It
lowered its growth forecast to 7% from 7.6% earlier.
Free from Bird Flu: India became free from bird flu, H5N1. The government made a declaration
to this effect on 4 January 2012. The states were advised to have strict surveillance, especially
in the vulnerable areas bordering the infected countries and in areas visited by migratory birds.
General Awareness Page 37
NCTC: The Cabinet Committee on Security on 12 January 2012 approved the setting up of a
National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) to counter terrorism effectively. The NCTC was
proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. It will be a single window organization that will
gather and disseminate intelligence to central and state security organizations.
National Volleyball: Kerala men defeated Uttarakhand 25-22, 25-22, 25-13 to win the National
title for the fourth time, in the 60th senior National volleyball championship, at the BalbirJuneja
Indoor Stadium, Raipur on 11 January 2012. Kerala had last won its men's title by beating Tamil
Nadu in 2001 in Raipur. It repeated the feat a decade later after 72-minute final.
FIFA Award: Argentina’s Lionel Messi was awarded the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or on 9 january 2012
in Zurich. He won the award for the third consecutive year for the world's outstanding
footballer. Messi who plays for club Barcelona won 47.88 per cent votes and finished ahead of
Cristiano Ronaldo (21.6)%) and Xavi (9.23%).
Messi becomes only the second player, after current UEFA president Michel Platini, to win the
award for three consecutive years. He joined Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten as the
only men to have won the prize thrice.
Chennai Open: Canadian Milos Raonic won the ATP Chennai Open by defeating world number
nine JankoTipsarevic 6-7 7-6 7-6 in the final on 8 January 2012. Milos Raonic was named the
best newcomer in 2011 after he rose from 156 to 31 in the rankings.
PravasiBhartiya Divas: The 10th PravasiBhartiya Divas (PBD) was held on 7-9 January, 2012 at
Birla Auditorium, Jaipur. The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, KamlaPersadBissessar was
the Chief Guest of the event.
Nicaragua President: Daniel Ortega was on 10 January 2012 inaugurated as Nicaraguan
president for a second consecutive term. The leftist politician was re-elected with almost 63%
of the vote in November 2011.
MoU with ASEAN: India signed MoU with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) at
Manado, Indonesia on 12 January 2012, the MoU has been signed between India and ASEAN on
strengthening tourism cooperation.
15th World Sanskrit Conference:Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and International Asociation of
Sanskrit Studies jointly organised the 15th World Sanskrit conference from 5 to 10 January 2012
at VigyanBhavan in New Delhi.
Traders Freed: Twelve of the 22 Indian diamond traders, detained in China for nearly 2 years on
charges of smuggling, reached India on 5 January 2012 after they were let off following
deportation orders by a Chinese court.
General Awareness Page 38
Syed Modi India Open Grand Prix Gold badminton championship: Indonesia’s experienced
shuttler, TaufikHidayat, won his first Men’s Singles title of 2011 at the 2011 $120,000 Syed
Modi India Open Grand Prix Gold badminton championship when he defeated SourabhVerma
of India.
The women's singles final was won by third seed InthanonRatchanok of Thailand.
KiroGligorov:KiroGligorov, the first democratically elected president of Macedonia died in
Skopje on 1 January 2012
Export Duty on Iron Ore: The Union government raised the ad valorem duty (export duty) on
iron ore exports to 30 per cent from 20 per cent.
World Women's Team Chess Championship: The Indian team finished at the fourth position in
the World Women's Team Chess Championship at Mardin,Turkey on 27 December 2011.
China won the gold medal with 16 points while the silver was claimed by the Russians who
finished with 13 points in all. Georgia ended with the bronze while India and Ukraine were tied
for the fourth spot.
Ban on Gita rejected: A Russian court has rejected prosecutors’ calls to ban the Bhagavad Gita,
a case that provoked protests in India, by including it on a list of outlawed literature alongside
Hitler’s Mein Kampf.
Assembly elections: Assembly elections in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and
Uttarakhand will be held between Jan 28 and March 3, the Election Commission announced
recently.
100 years of National Anthem: On December 27, India’s national anthem, Jana GanaMana,
completes 100 years.
More on National Anthem: "Jana GanaMana" is the national anthem of India. Written in highly
Sanskritized (Tatsama) Bengali, composed and scored by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
It was first sung at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress on 27 December 1911.
"Jana GanaMana" was officially adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the Indian national
anthem on January 24, 1950. 27 December 2011 marked the completion of 100 years of Jana
GanaMana since it was sung for the first.
RBI tightened the prudential norms for NBFCs: The Reserve Bank on 26 December 2011
tightened the prudential norms for the non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) under which
the NBFCs will have to account for risks towards off-balance sheet items while computing
capital adequacy requirement.
General Awareness Page 39
Mahesh Gawli: Indian football team defender Mahesh Gawli announced his retirement from
international football on 26 December 2011.
Growth in Infrastructure Sector: The infrastructure sector recorded a growth of 6.8% in
November 2011 after touching five-year low of 0.3% in October 2011. The growth in this sector
was propelled by an impressive growth in cement, electricity and refinery products. The
infrastructure sector has weightage of 38% in the overall Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
National Mathematical Year: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 26 December 2011 declared
the birthday of the great mathematician SrinivasaRamanujan, 22 December as National
Mathematics Day. Singh also declared 2012 as the National Mathematical Year as a tribute to
the great mathematician SrinivasaRamanujan.
Kerala win: Kerala defeated Andhra Pradesh in straight sets to lift the men's title in the 10th All-
India Invitational volleyball tournament for the Vajpayee Cup on 25 December 2011. Kerala
won the game 25-20, 25-18, 25-18. Karnataka outdid Tamil Nadu to occupy the third position in
the men’s category.
India-Russia: The Prime Minister of India visited Russia on 15-17 December 2011 to participate
in the 12th Indo-Russian annual summit. India and Russia signed five major agreements during
this summit, which includes licensed production of an additional 42 Sukhoi combat planes and
to manage fly ash residue at thermal plants in Siberia.
Tea Board Data: According to the Tea Board data released in December 2011, tea imports
declined by 14 per cent to 9.91 million kg in the April-October period of 2011.
Airtel Delhi Half Marathon:LelisaDesisa of Ethiopia emerged victorious in the men's elite
category, while Kenya's Lucy Kabuu won the women's title at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon.
CMIE projections: Leading research firm, Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) in
November 2011 scaled down India’s GDP forecast to 7.8% for 2011-12 from the earlier forecast
of 7.9%.
Best cities:Pipping past the four metro cities of New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, the
southern technology hub Bangalore has emerged as the best city to live in India, as per the
report of a global survey. Despite its top Indian ranking, Bangalore's worldwide rank is very low
at 141st position in a list of 221 cities globally in terms of standard of living, compiled by the
'Quality of Living Survey - Worldwide Rankings, 2011' by the global HR (human resources)
consultancy major Mercer.
Vienna has been ranked as the world's best city to live in on the global list, which has five Indian
General Awareness Page 40
cities -- Bangalore (141st), New Delhi (143rd), Mumbai (144th), Chennai (150th) and Kolkata
(151st).
Vivek Express: Name of a new weekly train ‘Vivek Express' covering the country's longest rail
route from Dibrugarh in Assam to Kannyakumari in Tamil Nadu .
Transparency International Report: As per the latest report of "Transparency International" ,
India has become more corrupt a country, in a global survey India was ranked at 95th place, last
year India was at 87th place.
DevAnand: Legendary Actor DevAnand died in London at the age of 88 on 4 December 2011
due to a cardiac arrest.He was reportedly in London for a medical check.
Basava Sri Award: The Karnataka State government on 1 December 2011 announced its
decision to confer the prestigious Basava Sri Award for the year 2010 on noted environment
activist MedhaPatkar. Social activist and Narmada BachaoAndolan leader MedhaPatkar was
chosen for the Basava award for the year 2010 for excellence in service in the social sector.
CEO of the Year award: SAIL chairman C.S. Verma was conferred CEO of the Year award under
public sector category by Minister of State for Road Transport TusharChaudhary in New Delhi
on 2 December 2011. CEO of the Year award has been instituted by the Indian Institute of
Materials Management.
GDP Growth: As per the data released by the government on 30 November 2011, Gross
domestic product (GDP) growth in the first half (April-September) of financial year 2011-12
moderated to 7.3 per cent from 8.6 per cent in the first six months of 2010-11.
Lana Peters: Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s only daughter, Lana Peters, who had defected to the
US while in India at the height of the Cold War died on 22 November 2011 in Wisconsin. At her
birth, on 28 February 1926 she was named Svetlana Stalina, the only daughter and last surviving
child of the brutal Soviet tyrant Josef Stalin. In 1970, after her defection and an American
marriage, she became and remained Lana Peters.
Australia's ruling party OKs uranium sale to India: Australia's ruling Labor party on Sunday
backed Prime Minister Julia Gillard's bold move to overturn a longstanding ban on uranium sale
to India, paving the way for removal of a major irritant in bilateral ties.
Naveen Jindal: Former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presented the Justice P.N. Bhagwati Award
to O.P. Jindal Global University chancellor and managing director of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd,
Naveen Jindal on 6 December 2011. The award was conferred upon Jindal for his outstanding
contribution to legal education and corporate philanthropy. Justice P.N. Bhagwati Award has
been instituted by the Capital Foundation.
General Awareness Page 41
42nd edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI): The 42nd edition of International Film
Festival of India (IFFI) was held in Panaji, Goa from 23 November to 3 December 2011. Film star
Shah Rukh Khan inaugurated the 42nd edition of IFFI.
Socrates: Brazil's former football captain, Socrates who led Brazil in two World Cups died of
septic shock on 4 December 2011 in Sao Paulo. Socrates was also known as the Golden Hee and
the Big Thin One. He was renowned as one of the great playmakers of his generation.
Champions Challenge hockey tournament: Belgium defeated India 4-3 in the final of the
Champions Challenge hockey tournament in Johannesburg, South Africa on 4 December 2011.
The victory enabled Belgium, who are already through to the 2012 London Games, to qualify for
the next Champions Trophy in Australia. The Belgium sise was coached by Colin Batch.
Agni - I: India successfully test-fired its nuclear capable Agni-I strategic ballistic missile on 1
December 2011 from the test range at Wheeler Island off Odisha coast, as part of the Indian
Army's user trial. It was test-fired from a mobile launcher, from launch pad-4 of the Integrated
Test Range (ITR). The trajectory of the missile, which had an operational strike range of 700 km,
was tracked by sophisticated radars and electro-optic telemetry stations located along the sea
coast and ships positioned near the impact point in the downrange area.
TRAI Data: According to the data released by the regulator TRAI on 8 December 2011, mobile
subscriber base in India increased to 881.4 million by October 2011 from 873.61 million in
September 2011 registering a growth of 0.89%. The overall teledensity (telephones per 100
people) in India reached 76.03%.
Package for West Bengal: The cabinet committee on economic affairs on 7 December 2011
approved the special package of 8750 crore for West Bengal from the Backward Area Grant
Fund. The fund will be used for development of backward region in the state.
Champions Trophy: Australia defeated Spain 1-0 on to win a record fourth straight field hockey
Champions Trophy and their 12th title overall.
Virendra Sehwag: Is in news as he smashed 219 runs against West Indies in the 4th ODI, which
is the highest individual score in ODIs, and the second only double ton after Sachin Tendulakar.
Durban climate Talks: In the Durban climate , the world agreed to a new global climate change
regime that will come in to force starting 2020. India took over centre-stage as a force to reckon
with, regained its position as the leader and moral voice of the developing world as the EU and
the US were forced to address its demands.
General Awareness Page 42
SAFF Football Championship: Helped by a controversial penalty decision in the second half,
defending champions India overcame newcomers Afghanistan 4-0 to win their sixth SAFF
Championship title at the Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
Defense outlay: India will spend upwards of Rs 60,000 crore over the next five years on
developing military infrastructure and capabilities for the western and eastern fronts. If the cost
of raising the already-sanctioned new mountain strike corps in the north-east is pegged at
another Rs 60,000 crore and a conservative estimate of defence capital outlay in the 2012-2017
timeframe crossing Rs 4,00,000 crore are taken into account, it adds up to a staggering Rs
5,20,000 crore. This does not include the huge day-to-day cost of maintaining a 13-lakh armed
forces.
Fall in Industrial Production: Industrial production fell 5.1% in October - the first time since
June 2009 that it has entered negative territory. The drop, largely caused by a contraction in
manufacturing and mining output, has intensified fears of the economy entering a sustained
phase of slowdown.
Moncef Marzouki: Tunisia's veteran opposition leader Moncef Marzouki was elected president,
a month and a half after the north African country held its first post-revolution election.
National Child Rights Index: A report on child rights, India's Child Rights Index, a first-of-its-kind
report was released by the HAQ-Centre for Child Rights. Kerala topped the national child rights
index, followed by Karnataka. Arunachal Pradesh was found to be the worst performer in
protecting the rights of children.
Nancy Powell: US President Barack Obama has named Nancy Powell, a career diplomat who
has served as ambassador to Pakistan and to Nepal, to be the next ambassador to India and fill
a half-year vacancy.
Vijay Diwas: The celebrations for Vijay Diwas, commemorating liberation of Bangladesh, was
made on 16.12.2011. This day marks 40 years of India's greatest military victory ever- the Indo-
Pak war of 1971.
Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah: Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, an avid golfer and Frank Sinatra
fan, becomes oldest constitutional monarch in Malaysian history. An 84-year-old Malaysian
state sultan has ascended the throne to become the oldest constitutional monarch in the
country's history.
Russia membership of WTO: In Geneva, the WTO gave its second and final approval for Russia's
membership in the trade body after a record 18-year quest to join.
General Awareness Page 43
New Delhi 100 years: With a staggering population of 1.68 crore, New Delhi completed 100
years since it's birth on December 12, 1911.
Davan Maharaj: Indian-origin journalist Davan Maharaj has been named the new editor and
executive vice president of the Los Angeles Times in succession to Russ Stanton, who led the
paper to three Pulitzer Prizes, the paper announced. 49-year-old Trinidad-born Maharaj takes
over as the 15th editor of the paper and is currently the managing editor.
Musheer Khan: At the age of six and a half years, Musheer Khan, a student of Anjuman Islam
High School(Urdu) became India's youngest cricketer to take part in inter-school cricket.
Paes-Bhupati split: Leander Paes will now partner Serbian Janko Tipsarevic in the doubles draw
of the Chennai Open Tennis Championship 2012. Paes had won the Chennai Open doubles with
Mahesh Bhupathi as his partner last year when the Indian Express reunited after a gap of nine
years.
Junior Men's National hockey: Haryana defeated dark horse Orissa 3-2 in the penalty shoot out
for a 5-4 aggregate victory to lift the 1st Hockey India Junior Men's National hockey title.
Membership of UNESCO: Palestine won the membership of UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) on 31 October 2011 with 107 votes in favour
and 14 votes against.
Commonwealth Secretary General: Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma was
re-appointed to the coveted post on 30 October 2011. The Commonwealth Leaders agreed to
re-appoint him at the 21st Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth in
Australia. Sharma who served as a veteran Indian diplomat was re-appointed for a four-year
term beginning in April 2012.
Spot-fixing scam: Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were found guilty of
their part in a spot-fixing scam. A jury at London's Crown Court found Butt guilty of both
charges and Asif guilty of conspiring to cheat.
Human Development Index: A UN study ranked India at 134 out of 187 countries in terms of
Human Development Index. The study however observed that life expectancy at birth in India
has increased by 10.1 per cent a year over the last two decades.
Human Development Index (HDI)
The HDI is a measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human
development such as a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of
living.
The five countries who topped the Human Development Index study are as follows (The
General Awareness Page 44
countries'sequence follow their respective ranks): Norway, Australia, Netherlands, US, New
Zealand
G 20 summit: The 6th G20 (industrialist and developing countries) summit was held in Cannes,
France on November 3 and 4, 2011 to discuss key issues in the global economy. Eurozone debt
crisis dominated the Summit in Cannes. The other issues discussed in the summit were global
imbalances, financial transactions tax, tax evasion and reform of the international monetary
system.
Asha Bhosle: Legendary Bollywood playback singer Asha Bhosle on 20 October 2011 entered
the Guinness World Records for the most number of single studio recordings. Asha recorded up
to 11000 solo, duets and chorus backed songs and several others in over 20 Indian languages
since 1947.
Bhupen Hazarika: Legendary singer-composer and Padma Bhushan awardee Bhupen Hazarika
died in Mumbai on 5 November 2011. He is also known for his poetic compositions that
covered a variety of subjects ranging from politics to society and from love to eroticism.
Hazarika was a multi-talented personality. He was a poet, music composer, singer, actor,
journalist, author and filmmaker.
Miss World 2011: A human resources graduate from Venezuela, Ivian Sarcos was crowned Miss
World 2011 at the 61st Miss World contest at a glittering beauty pageant at Earls Court
exhibition Centre in London on 6 November 2011. She was crowned winner by Miss World
2010, Alexandra Mills, who competed for the United States.
Otto Perez Molina: Retired general and former intelligence director Otto Perez Molina of the
Conservative Patriotic Party of Guatemala won the presidential election on 6 November 2011.
Otto Perez Molina succeded Álvaro Colom as Guatemala’s President.
National Child Rights Index: A report on child rights, India's Child Rights Index, a first-of-its-kind
report was released on 9 November 2011 by the HAQ-Centre for Child Rights. Kerala topped the
national child rights index, followed by Karnataka. Arunachal Pradesh was found to be the
worst performer in protecting the rights of children.
Joe Frazier: Joe Frazier, the former heavyweight boxing champion died on 7 November 2011
after a battle with liver cancer. Frazier is most famous for defeating bitter rival and another
boxing legend Muhammad Ali in the 1971 Fight of the Century.
116th All India Beighton Cup: Indian Oil won the 116th All India Beighton Cup with a 2-0 win
over ONGC on 11 November 2011. Indian oil took the lead when Afan Yousuf scored the goal in
the 58th minute. Goalkeeper Baljeet Singh stood out with a man of the match performance.
General Awareness Page 45
Statue of Liberty: One of the most famous symbols of the United States, the Statue of Liberty,
celebrated its 125th birthday on 29.10.2011. The statue was given to the US by France in 1886,
in recognition of the friendship between the two nations forged during the American
Revolution. To mark the anniversary, 125 of America's newest citizens, originally from 46
different countries, took the oath of allegiance beneath her feet.
Michael D Higgins: Labour's Michael D Higgins has been officially elected to the office of
President of Ireland.
Almazbek Atambayev: Kyrgyzstan's acting prime minister is officially declared the winner of the
presidential race in Kyrgyzstan, the country's Central Election Committee chairman announced.
Sachin Tendulkar: Sachin Tendulkar achieved another milestone as he became the first
cricketer in the history of the game to cross 15000 runs mark in Test cricket. Playing in his
182nd match, Tendulkar reached the mark on the third day of the first Test against the West
Indies when he scored his 28th run in India's second innings with a single off leg-spinner
Devendra Bishoo.
Agni Missile: India on successfully tested a new-generation Agni missile with a strike range of
3,500 km and souped-up "kill efficiency", prompting excited defence scientists to proclaim it
would add "fantastic deterrence" to the country's nuclear weapons programme. The test of the
"most advanced" surface-to-surface missile called Agni-IV also launched the countdown for
India to test its most ambitious strategic missile Agni-V, which will have near ICBM
(intercontinental ballistic missile) capabilities with an over 5,000-km range, in December-
January.
Mayawati: UP chief minister Mayawati is in news as she has come up with a proposal to carve
up the Uttar Pradesh state into four new ones.
Syria: The country is in news as the Arab League confirmed the suspension of Syria from the
organization on and gave its government three days to halt the violence and accept an observer
mission or face economic sanctions.
Sun Drop: A 110-carat yellow jewel called the Sun Drop Diamond, thought the biggest of its
kind in the world, sold for a record 10 million Swiss francs ($10.9 million) at auction in Geneva.
Lucas Papademos: Former European Central Bank vice-president Lucas Papademos has been
named as Greece's new prime minister.
Market Capitalization: The HDFC Bank overtook the State Bank of India in market capitalization
on. SBI was earlier the number one bank on all parameters of size and profits.
General Awareness Page 46
Nehru Cup: ONGC won their maiden Nehru Cup title by defeating Punjab National Bank 1-0 at
the Dhyanchand Stadium in New Delhi on 25 November 2011.
WTA's Player of the Year: Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was voted WTA's Player of the
Year on 14 November 2011. In 2011 she claimed her debut grand slam title. In the 2011 season
she steered the Czech Republic to Fed Cup glory and shot up 32 places in the world rankings.
Chinese aid to Nalanda University: Chinese Ambassador to India, Zhang Yan on 17 November
2011 handed over the cheque of 1 million US dollars for construction of a library in Nalanda
International University (NIU) to highlight the Chinese art and architecture. China fulfilled the
commitment made by Premier Wen Jiabao during his Nalanda visit on 21 January 2011.
Exchange of culture through Nalanda International University is a major project for China.
20th Saraswati Samman: Eminent Kannada author S. L. Bhyrappa was presented with 20th
Saraswati Samman in literature for 2010 for his epic novel Mandra on 16 November 2011. The
Saraswati Samman is awarded by the K. K. Birla Foundation to a work published in the last 10
years, selected from among works published in 25 Indian languages. The award carries a prize
of Rs.7.5 lakh.
65th National aquatics meet: Karnataka emerged the overall champion of the five-day 65th
National aquatics meet which concluded on 20 November 2011 in Ranchi. Karnataka won men’s
team championship (swimming) with 164 points. Karnataka also won the women’s team
championship with 163 points.
PM,s Foreign Visits: The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Indonesia from 17 November
2011 to 19 November 2011 and Singapore on 19-20 November 2011. The Prime Minister
attended the 9th ASEAN-India and East Asia Summits at Bali in Indonesia. He also held bilateral
talks with US President Barack Obama, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. Manmohan Singh
also met Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard and
President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the sidelines of the Summits.
Sukh Ram conviction: A Delhi court on 18 November 2011 held former telecom minister Sukh
Ram guilty of misusing his official position when he was a member of the PV Narasimha Rao
Cabinet and giving undue favour to a cable supply company. Sukh Ram was awarded five years
of rigorous imprisonment for accepting a bribe of Rs. three lakh and showing undue favour to a
private firm in 1996.
Rahul Dravid: Veteran batsman Rahul Dravid was selected for the Polly Umrigar Award for
India's best cricketer of 2010-11 season. He will receive his award during the BCCI's annual
awards ceremony to be held on 10 December 2011 in Chennai. He will be honoured with a
trophy and prize of Rs 5 lakh.
General Awareness Page 47
Aamir Khan: Aamir Khan was chosen to be the latest celebrity face of UNICEF in India. The actor
is to be appointed the national ambassador of the United Nations International Children's
Emergency Fund on 30 November 2011. The actor-producer, known for his films like Taare
Zameen Par, Ghajini, 3 Idiots and Dhobi Ghat, will support UNICEF's work in promoting child
rights and nutrition of children under two years.
India - West Indies test Series: India won the 3 matches series 2-0. R Ashwin was the Man of
the Match and Man of the Series, but wasn't the man of the moment for India when they
needed two off the final delivery - he took a single, but didn't set off immediately for the tight
second that could have sealed the win, and the clean sweep for India.
26th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration: Former Union Minister Mr Mohan Dharia
was selected for the 26th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for his yeoman's service
in promoting and preserving spirit of national integration. Eighty-six-year-old Dharia, who
currently stays in Pune and is a Padma Vibhushan awardee, was selected for the 2010 award for
his work in promoting and preserving spirit of national integration in the country.
Prisoner Swap: The first ever prisoner swap between Israelis and the radical Palestinian group
Hamas took place at the Rafah crossing on 18 October 2011.
Best actor award at the Schlingel International Film Festival: Actor/director Amol Gupte's son
Partho Gupte, who delivered an excellent performance as the quick-witted Stanley in his
father's Stanley Ka Dabba won the best actor award at the Schlingel International Film Festival
that concluded in Chmnitz, Germany on 16 October 2011.
12th Senior Women's National Boxing Championships: Five-time world champion MC Mary
Kom won gold in the 51kg category by defeating Pinki Jangra in the summit clash on the final
day of the 12th Senior Women's National Boxing Championships in Bhopal on 16 October 2011.
The fifth IBSA (India Brazil South Africa) summit: The fifth IBSA (India Brazil South Africa)
summit concluded on 18 October 2011 in Pretoria. India, Brazil and South Africa, issued a joint
declaration at the end of the summit, which condemned terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations.
Krishna Poonia: Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Krishna Poonia produced an impressive
season’s best effort of 62.25m to win gold at Halloween Throws Meet at Portland, United
States on 17 October 2011. In the process, she also crossed the A qualifying standard for the
London Olympics (62m).
Durand Cup: The 2011 Durand Cup, the 124th edition of the Durand Cup which is the third
oldest association football competition in the world was won by the Churchill Brothers.
General Awareness Page 48
Churchill Brothers won the 2011 Durand Cup at the Ambedkar Stadium with a 5-4 tie-break win
over Prayag United on 15 October 2011 by defeating Prayag United.
Booker Prize: British novelist Julian Barnes on 18 October 2011 won the Man Booker prize for
his novella, The Sense of an Ending. Barnes' eleventh novel, The Sense of an Ending, published
by Jonathan Cape, was released on 4 August 2011.
India & Vietnam pacts: India and Vietnam signed six agreements on 12 October 2011 during
the visit of Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang to India. The agreements are as following:
• India and Vietnam signed an extradition treaty
• Oil exploration agreement in South China Sea
• Friendship pact to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the diplomatic relations in 2012
• Agreement in the field of agriculture and fisheries
• Cooperation in sports and tourism
• Agreement on Cultural Exchanges
Earthquake in Turkey: An earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale killed many people in
eastern Turkey on 23 October 2011. Approximately, 93 people died in Van province alone and
45 in the Ercis district.
President of Myanmar: U Thein Sein, the President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
visited India from 12 October 2011 to 15 October 2011. This was the first State visit of any
political head from Myanmar to India following the swearing in of a new government in
Myanmar in March 2011
Bobby Jindal: Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, won re-election on 22 October 2011. He is a
member of the Republican Party. Jindal won 66% of the vote with his nearest challenger, Tara
Hollis of the Democratic party, got 18%. On 20 October, 2007, Jindal was elected governor of
Louisiana for the first time.
India-England ODI Series: India won 5 matches one-day series by 5-0 by defeating England in
5th and final match played in Kolkata on 26 October 2011. India scored a challenging 271 for
eight and stopped England at 176 in 37 overs in the day-night match at the Eden Gardens.
Ravindra Jadeja grabbed 4-33 and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 3-28.
The Prime Minister of Nepal, Baburam Bhattarai visited India from 20 October 2011 to 23
October 2011. During the visit, India and Nepal signed following mou/agreement:
• Agreement between the two Governments for the Promotion and Protection of Investments
• MOU between the two Governments regarding Indian Grant Assistance for Goitre Control
Programme in Nepal
• Dollar Credit Line Agreement between Govt. of Nepal and Export-Import Bank of India
General Awareness Page 49
Muammar Gaddafi: Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled Libya for over 40 years, was killed on 20
October 2011. Muammar Gaddafi ruled Libya autocratically for 42 years after coming to power
in a coup.
7th Billionth Baby: Nargis Yadav of Dauraha village on the outskirts of the Lucknow was
declared the symbolic seven billionth resident of the world. Nargis was born at 7:20am at Mall
block's community health centre to farmer couple Ajay and Vinita Yadav and weighed 3kg at
the time of birth. Plan International, the UK-based civil society organization was behind the
identification exercise.
Saif Ali Khan: Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was appointed the tenth Nawab of Pataudi at a
ceremony at his ancestral palace here over a month after his father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
passed away.
Cristina Fernandez: President Cristina Fernandez, buoyed by Argentina's booming economy,
was re-elected by a landslide.
Perth: Queen Elizabeth II opened the 54-nation Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
(CHOGM) in Perth.
40th Dhanvantari Award: Dr M K Mani, pioneer of nephrology in India and currently chief
nephrologist at the Apollo Hospital was on 20 October 2011 declared the winner of the 40th
Dhanvantari Award. Mani pioneered innovative techniques and new regimen in management of
kidney disorders.
Nabam Tuki: Nabam Tuki was sworn in as the seventh Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on 1
November 2011. He replaced Jarbon Gamlin. Gamlin resigned from office on 31 October 2011.
Arunachal Pradesh Governor JJ Singh administered the oath of office and secrecy at the Raj
Bhavan in Itanagar.
Paris Hilton: International celebrity Paris Hilton was in news as she was on a 3 day trip to India.
'Adaminte Makan Abu': Director Salim Ahamed's 'Adaminte Makan Abu' (Malayalam film) has
been chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars by the Film Federation of India.
Sam Balsara: Sam Balsara, chairman and managing director, Madison World, has been
unanimously elected as the chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC).
Wangari Maathai: Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel peace prize, died
on Sunday night of cancer. She was 71. A towering figure in Kenya, Maathai was renowned as a
fearless social activist and an environmental crusader. Her Green Belt Movement, which she
founded in 1977, planted tens of millions of trees.
General Awareness Page 50
Wilson Greatbatch: Wilson Greatbatch dies at 92; he was the inventor of first practical
implantable pacemaker.
Patrick Makau: Long distance runner from Kenya created a world record in Berlin Marathon by
winning the race in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 38 seconds.
Mehtab Hussain: Inspirational East Bengal Football player Mehtab Hussain won a 'double' at
the Indian Football Awards organised by the Football Players Association of India; the Indian
midfielder won the 'Best India Player' award before winning the 'Fans Player of the Year'
through online voting.
Indian Football Awards:
THE AWARDEES:
Best Indian Player: Mehtab Hussain (East Bengal)
Best Foreign Player: Roberto 'Beto' Mendes Silva (Dempo)
Best Coach: Karim Bencherifa (Salgaocar)
Best Young Player: Jeje Lalpekhula (Pune FC)
Fans Player of Asian Cup (online voting): Subrata Paul (Pune FC)
Fans Player of the Year (online voting): Mehtab Hussain (East Bengal)
The world’s highest webcam: The world’s highest webcam was installed on Kala Patthar, a
smaller mountain facing the Everest. It is a solar-powered camera and set at 18618 feet (5675
metres).
Steve Jobs: Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc. died at age 56 from pancreatic cancer on 6
October 2011. Steve Jobs had stepped down as Apple’s chief executive on 24 August 2011.
Steve Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976 along with Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak. Steve also
co-founded and was the CEO of Pixar Animation Studios, which created animated films. He
became a member of the board of directors of the Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the
acquisition of Pixar by Disney. After leaving Apple, Jobs founded NeXT Computer in 1985. Steve
Jobs was from California, USA.
Hamid Karzai: Afghan president Hamid Karzai was on a two-day visit in India on 4 October and
5 October, 2011. The visit meant for both the countries to consolidate their strategic
partnership and discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Tablet Computer: The World's cheapest computer cum access device, Aakash was launched on
5 October 2011. Aakash is a part of the Indian Government's National Mission on Education's
Sakshat Project. It is one of the main agendas of the Mission which aimed to link all higher
education institutions in India.The software for the tablet was developed indigenously by the
Indian Institute of Technology, Rajasthan.
General Awareness Page 51
SBI ratings: The credit rating of the State Bank of India was downgraded by the Global ratings
firm Moody’s. The ratings agency took SBI's grading to D+ from C-.
Ban on Myanmar: Myanmar was banned from taking part in qualifying matches for the 2018
World Cup and fined 25000 Swiss francs (28000 US dollars) by FIFA on 30 September 2011. FIFA
(Fédération Internationale de Football Association) banned Myanmar because of the trouble
caused by the crowd in FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers against Oman on 28 July 2011.
First Ever India-Bangladesh Joint Military Exercise: A 14-day long India-Bangladesh joint
military exercise started on 9 October 2011 at Jalalabad Cantonment in Sylhet division, some
240 km northeast of capital Dhaka. The military exercise between the two nations was
codenamed Op Sampriti. Under the joint military exercise, counter-terrorism and counter-
insurgency operations will be practiced as per the UN mandate.
Social networking site Facebook acquired Friend.ly on 10 October 2011. Friend.ly is a social
question and answer service. Friend.ly designed an app for Facebook that helped users pose
questions to online friends.
Ukraine’s former PM in Jail: Ukraine’s former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko was sentenced
to 7 years in prison on 11 October 2011 on charges of abuse of office in signing a gas deal with
Russia in 2009. Tymoshenko currently the nation’s top opposition leader, denounced the trial
as rigged by president Viktor Yanukovych in order to get rid of a popular political opponent.
26th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration: Environmentalist, lawyer and former Union
Minister, Mohan Dharia was selected as the winner of the 26th Indira Gandhi Award for
National Integration in October 2011. Mohan Dharia was selected for the prestigious award for
his yeoman's service in promoting and preserving spirit of national integration.
New Chairman of Press Council of India (PCI): Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju
was appointed as the new chairman of media regulator Press Council of India (PCI) on 5
October 2011. The appointment of Justice Katju, who retired from the apex court on 19
September 2011 was cleared by a committee headed by Vice President Hamid Ansari and
included Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.
Jagjit Singh Expired: Veteran ghazal singer Jagjit Singh passed away on 10 October 2011 in
Mumbai. He was 70. The veteran singer, popularly known as the Ghazal King had gained
acclaim together with his wife Chitra Singh in 1970s and 1980s. He had sung in Punjabi, Hindi,
Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Sindhi and Nepali languages. Moreover, Jagjit Singh is the only singer
and composer to have composed and recorded songs written by former Indian Prime Minister
Atal Behari Vajpayee, in two albums, Samvedna in the year 2002 and Nayi Disha in the year
General Awareness Page 52
1999. His music became popular through films such as Prem Geet, Arth and Saath Saath and TV
serials Kahkashan and Mirza Galib.
First Woman Jawan: Another barrier has been broken in the Army with a mother of two
becoming the first woman jawan. Outperforming her male counterparts in the physical tests,
35-year-old Sapper Shanti Tigga joined the 969 Railway Engineer Regiment of Territorial Army
(TA).
King Jigme Khesar Nagyel Wangchuck: Bhutan,s king is in news as, the 31-year-old King Jigme
Khesar Nagyel Wangchuck tied the knot with Jetsun Pema, in the historic Punakha city.
Donald Tusk: Prime Minister Donald Tusk has become the first Polish leader to be reelected.
Nobel Prize Winners For 2011 Announced:
The WINNERS
Medicine
The Nobel Prize for Medicine/Physiology is being awarded jointly to Bruce A. Beutler and Jules
A. Hoffmann and to Ralph M. Steinman
Physics
The 2011 Physics Nobel Prize goes to Saul Perlmutter (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
UC Berkeley), Prof. Brian Schmidt (High Z Supernova search team) and Prof. Adam Reiss (High Z
Supernova search team).
Chemistry
The Nobel Prize for Chemistry is being awarded to Daniel Schechtman from Israel for the
discovery of quasi crystals, which was his Nobel citation. He is the sole winner for this year’s
prize.
Literature
The Nobel Prize for Literature goes to the Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer. He was awarded
the Prize because because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access
to reality.
Peace
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded jointly to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and
Tawakkul Karman for “their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s
rights to full participation in peace-building work”. Remember that this prize is not given in
Stockholm, but in Oslo, Norway.
Economics
The 2011 Economics Nobel, called the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences was jointly
awarded to Thomas Sargent and Christopher A Sims. Their citation says ”for their empirical
research on cause and effect in the macroeconomy”
General Awareness Page 53
"Controversially Yours": Former Pakistani Cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s autobiography,
Controversially Yours was launched. In the book, the temparamental Pakistan speedster
questioned the abilities of some of the India’s batting stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar and rahul
Dravid. He accused Tendulkar of being scared to face his scorching pace on a slow Faisalabad
track. He claimed that Tendulkar and Dravid were not match-winners nor did they know the art
of finishing games.
NHRC Data: According to data released by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on
23 September 2011, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana are the top three states from where
maximum cases of bonded labour have been reported in the past 18 years.
Vasant Sathe: Congress veteran and former Union minister Vasant Sathe died on 23 September
in Gurgaon. Vasant Sathe was a senior party leader known for his frank views . A lawyer by
training, Sathe was the Union minister for information and broadcasting in Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi's cabinet.
Presidency of the G-24 Group: India took over the presidency of the G-24 group of 24
developing countries after a gap of 28 years. Indian finance minister Pranab Mukherjee took
over the Presidency of the group from South African finance minister Pravin J Gordhan. Egypt
was elected the Vice Chair of the group. The last time India held the Presidency of the group
was in 1983-84
Rupee lowest against dollar after nearly two-and-a-half year: The rupee plunged by 124 paise
to close at nearly two-and-a-half year low of 49.57/58 against the dollar on 22 September 2011.
The depreciation is posing worries to policy makers on inflation front as a weak domestic
currency will make imports costlier.
'Prithvi-II' ballistic missile: India on 26.09.2011 successfully test-fired its nuclear capable
'Prithvi-II' ballistic missile, with a range of 350 kms, as part of user trial by the armed forces
from Chandipur off Orissa coast.
World's "50 most influential people": UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and industrialist Ratan
Tata were among the world's "50 most influential people" along with German chancellor Angel
Merkel, who was ranked No 1, according to a survey by UK-based magazine NewStatesman.
Rajiv Shukla: The IPL Governing Council has chosen current vice-president from central zone
and union minister Rajiv Shukla to be its new head following the decision of Chirayu Amin to
step down.
Mushfiqur Rahim: Bangladesh Cricket Board has appointed Mushfiqur Rahim captain of the
National Team. The new captain will be in charge initially for the upcoming series' against the
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West Indies and Pakistan at home. The Board also named 25-year old allrounder Mahmudullah
as the vice captain.
Geoff Marsh: Former Australian opening batsman Geoff Marsh will now work as the new head
coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team on a two-year deal, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLC) said.
Kochi Tuskers: IPL team is in news as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) terminated
its franchise contract with the Kochi Tuskers Kerala citing ‘irremediable breach of agreement by
the latter’. It effectively means that the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will have
only nine teams.
India, Pak set $6 bn trade target: India and Pakistan agreed to "normalise" their economic
relations, setting an ambitious target of more than doubling bilateral trade to $ 6 billion within
three years.
Agni-II Ballistic Missile: India successfully tested the over 2,000-km Agni-II ballistic missile, in an
important step towards bolstering the country's nuclear deterrence posture. The "user trial" of
the surface-to-surface missile, which is designed to carry a nuclear payload of 1,000-kg, was
conducted by the tri-Service Strategic Forces Command (SFC) from Wheeler Island off the
Orissa coast.
Navy,s Rs 2,176-crore contract: The Navy has inked the Rs 2,176-crore contract for the
manufacture of eight specialized vessels or LCUs (landing craft utility) by the Kolkata-based
GRSE shipyard to boost its amphibious warfare and island protection capabilities.
India and Bhutan signed a MoU: India and Bhutan signed a Memorandum of Understanding for
a period of five years to facilitate exchange of knowledge and experience, information,
material, expertise and technical knowhow, training of personnel and development of human
resources in electoral matters and also for taking up joint initiatives and providing assistance to
others. The MoU was signed during the visit of Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi to
Bhutan on 16-18 September 2011.
First Hridaynath Award: Legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar was honoured with the
first Hridaynath award for her contribution to Indian music on 28 September 2011. On 28
September, which also happened to be Lata Mangeshakar’s (82) birthday, she was presented a
cheque of Rs one lakh, a trophy and a shawl by megastar Amitabh Bachchan.
National Medal of Science, and for Technology and Innovation: Three distinguished Indian
Americans, two inventors and a researcher were named by US President Barack Obama on 27
September 2011 as recipients of National Medal of Science, and for Technology and Innovation.
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New York University’s Srinivasa SR Vardhan, Purdue University’s Rakesh Agarwal, and North
Carolina State University’s B Jayant Baliga were the three Indians selected to receive the
National Medal of Science, and for Technology and Innovation, the highest honor bestowed by
the United States government on scientists, engineers as well as inventors.
Gursharan Singh: Leading Punjabi playwright and theatre personality Gursharan Singh
popularly known as bhajji died on 28 September 2011. Gursharan Singh was known to have
developed the character of Bhai Manna Singh through his plays.
Rajiv Gandhi International Prize for Technology in Education and Development: The Indira
Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) on 28 September 2011 conferred the Rajiv Gandhi
International Prize for Technology in Education and Development on the Azim Premji
Foundation. The award instituted by the university in its silver jubilee year was presented to
Azim Premji by Communications and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal.
IBSF World Men's Snooker Championship: International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF)
aanounced on 28 September 2011 its decision to shift the venue for IBSF World Men's Snooker
Championship from Bahrain to Bangalore. IBSF World Men's Snooker Championship is
scheduled to be held from 28 November to 3 December 2011. Due to prolonged crisis in some
parts of Middle East Asia, the IBSF decided to move the tournament out of Bahrain and grant
the hosting rights to India.
Embarrassment for India: UNICEF in its finding for the year 2008 estimated that as many as
63.8 crore people In India practice open defecation due to inadequate sanitation. India
accounts for 58 percent of those who practice open defecation across the globe.
Indonesia is a placed second in the list with 5.7 crore people lacking toilet facilities, and it
accounts for 5 percent of the population which still are denied sanitation. China where 5.6
crore people have no other option but to defecate in the open comes third.
Ethiopia's condition is worse than India's - 60 percent of its population are put to discomfiture
against the 54 percent in India. Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are also
ranked in the list for poor sanitation, however they are still far better off than India in providing
sanitation to their population.
Tiangong-1: China on 29 September 2011 successfully launched its first unmanned space
laboratory Tiangong-1 from a site in the Gobi Desert. Tiangong-1 means heavenly palace. This
launch makes China the third country after Russia and USA to operate a permanent space
station. The space lab launched by China is expected to be operational by 2020.
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33rd Federation Cup: Salgaocar defeated East Bengal 3-1 in the final of the 33rd Federation Cup
at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on 29 September 2011. Salgaocar became the first non-
Kolkata club to win the premier domestic cup competition in Indian football since Mahindra
United in 2005.
PMEAC Growth Rate: The Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) on 29
September 2011 lowered its forecast for GDP growth to around 8 per cent in 2011-12, from its
earlier estimate of 8.2 per cent. The eastimate was lowered on account of persistently high
inflation, slowing industrial expansion and global uncertainties posing.