TNPSC Current Affairs March 2015Miscellaneous

Important Appoinments Jagmohan Dalmia - elected as the new BCCI (Board of control for Cricket in India) President. Vikas Swarup - appointed as the new MEA Spokesperson. Important Days March 8th - InternationalWomen'sDay March 12th - World Kidney Day March 21st - World Forest Day Awards: Avvaiyar Award 2015 Santhi Ranganathan was given the Avvaiyar award for the year 2015. Bharat Ratna Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee was given the Bharat ratna award. Madhan Mohab Malviya - posthumously awarded the Bharat ratna. Ghandhi Peace prize 2014 ISRO (Indian Space research Organisation) was selected for the Gandhi peace prize 2014 award. Kutram Kadidhal Tamil film which won the national award for the best regional film of 2014. India's Daughter It is a documentary film directed by Leslee Udwin. It is based on the 2012 Delhi Gang rape and some more incidents. The broadcast of this documentary was banned in India by the Indian Government. Syeda Salya Fatima She is the only Muslim women in India to hold a commercial Pilot's Licence. She is from Hyderabad city. Mahatma Gandhi's Statue in London Mahatma Gandhi's Statue was unveiled at Parliament square in London by Finance minister Arun Jaitley. The Statue was made of bronze and 9 feet in height. Hindustan Shipyard Limited is located in Visakhapatnam. The finial of the Humayun's tomb (in New Delhi) which was struck by the storm (May 2014) was replaced by a new one. Jeevan Dhara The Rajasthan Government opened the first state run Mother's milk bank in India. Sokra Misawa Festival The Tiwa tribes of Assam celebrates the Sokra Misawa festival marking the welcoming of the Spring.Polity Mufti Muhammad Sayeed sworn in as the New CM of Jammu and Kashmir Belongs to the PDP Party Haryana Assembly passed the Haryaba Gauvanish Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill which prohibits the slaughter of cow. Garg Commission The Garg commission under the head of Justice T P Garg submitted the report on Sikhs massacre at Hondh Chillar Village in Rewari district of Haryana in 1984. It recommended an additional payment of 20 Lakh to the relatives of the victims. Rajasthan fixed minimum educational qualification for the panchayat elections Rajasthan assembly recently passed the Rajasthan Panchayat Raj Amendment Bill 2015 which provides the below minimum educational qualifications. A pass in 8th Std for contesting for the post of Sarpanch, with an exception to the tribal areas for which it is a pass in 5th Std A pass in 10th std for Zilla parishad and panchayat samiti elections. Through the above bill, Rajasthan state became the first state in India to fix a minimum educational qualification for contesting in local panchayat elections. Salvador do mundo, a village panchayat in Goa passed a resolution to ban kissing in public. Rajasthan Assembly passed the Rajasthan Camel Bill 2015, which prohibits slaughter of camel. Slaughter of camel becomes a punishable offence with a jail term of 5 years punishmentEconomy Budget 2015-2016 Highlights AIIMS institute to be set up in States: Jammu Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal pradesh, Bihar and Assam. IIT to be set up in Karnataka. IIM to be set up in Jammu Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh MUDRA bank to micro financing First generation SC/ST Entrepreneurs. Service Tax Increased to 14% from current 12.36% Wealth Tax abolished. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde visited India. Tamil Nadu has planned to host the Global investor meet in May 2015 in Chennai.Environment and Health Earth Hour The Earth hour initiative was started in the year 2007. The main aim was to create awareness about global climate change. Every year it is observed on March 28th. On that day all the lights will be switched off from 8.30 PM to 9.30 PM. Sania Mirza was selected as the Brand ambassador for the World wide Fund for the Earth hour Initiative. Cyclone Pam Attacked the island nation Vanuatu which is located in the south pacific region. Bandipur Tiger reserve (Karnataka) It is located in Karnataka Recently the forest department started using the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in Bandipur tiger reserve to monitor the forest area. UAV helps to monitor the unauthorized entry and detect the forest fires. Mission Indradhanush an immunization program launched by the union government. Aims to immunize all children against 7 vaccine preventable diseases which includes Diphtheria Polio TB Pertussis Tetanus Hepatitis B Measles

Science and Tech Solar Impulse 2 SI2 is the world's first solar powered airplane to undertake a journey around the earth. Solar impulse 2 is a Swiss made aircraft. Began its journey from Abudhabi. Recently it landed at Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) as it's second stopping and the first being at Muskat in Oman. The third stopping will also be in India at Varanasi. IRNSS 1 - D The fourth series of the Indian regional Navigational sattelite system IRNSS 1-D is scheduled to be launched on 28th March 2015 through the PSLV C-27 launceh Vechile It will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (Sriharikota). Periscope App Periscope is a video streaming app launched by Twitter.

Sports Dubai Open Tennis 2015 Rojer Federar won the Dubai Open Tennis Title beating Novak Djokovic in the Final. Swiss Grand Prix GoldChampionship(Badminton) K Srikanth (India) won the title by beating Victor Axelson in the final match Saina nehwal (Indian badminton player) moved to the world's number one spot after reaching the final game in Indian open. Indian Wells open / BNP Paripas Open 2015 Winners list Men's singles - Novac Djokovik (Serbia) Men's Doubles - Vasek Pospisil (Canada) & Jack Sock (US) Women's Singles - Simona Halop (Romania) Women's Doubles - Sania Mirza (India) & Martina Hingis (Switzerland)World Former Maldives president Mohammad Nasheed was sentenced 13 years for ordering an arrest to a judge during his term. Largest Arms Exporter 2010-20141. USA2. Russia3. China4. Germany5. France David Pearce - Winner of the UK's New 1 Pound () coin Design. David pearce was a 15 year old school boy who won the coin design competition conducted by the Royal Mint of Britain. German Airwings Airbus A320. German Airwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French alps region during it journey for the Barcelona(In France) to Duesseldorf(In Germany).. All the 150 were found dead. Lee Kuan Yew. Lee Kuan yewthe first Prime Minister of Singapore died.

TNPSC Current Affairs April 2015Miscellaneous Pesalam Vaanga Pesalam Vaanga is a campaign launched by Kolathur MLA M K Stalin to address the grievances of the people. Important Persons in News Malli Mastan Babu He was an Indian Mountaineer, found dead in the Andes mountain ranges in South America during his climbing mission. Nagore Hanifa: Singer died recently (97 year old) Jayakanthan Tamil Novelistdied recently (81 year old) Alan Turing British code breaker who cracked the almost unbreakable codes used by the Germans in the second world war. His notebook was auctioned recently. Vankadarath Saritha Became the first women bus driver of the Delhi transport Corporation. She is from the state of Telangana. Rajendra Singh Known as the water man of India. Chuhrim Sherpa First woman to climb the Mt.Everest twice in a week. Recently started climbing the Everest taking along with her the bat and jerseys used by the Australian cricketer Philip Hughes. Raja Rajeshwari Became the first Indian born woman to be appointed as a Judge in New york. Ponniyin Selvan It is a historical fiction written by Kalki Krishnamurthy. 32 hr animated movie was made based on this fiction. Kerala - KSRTC KSRTC -Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has planned to launch the accident insurance scheme for its passengers. Important Days April 18 - World Heritage Day. April 22 - Earth Day April 25 - World Malaria Day Nawab Wajid Ali Shah's calender - Object of the month Victoria memorial Hall, a museum in Kolkattaselected the Calender prepared by the Nawab wajid ali shah, the last king of Awadh as the object of the month. Awards Susanta Lahiri - was awarded the Hevesy Medal 2015 S Lahiri was a co creator of the super heavy element 117 Super heavy elements are those elements having atomic number greater than 114.Polity Important Appointments Nasim Zaidi: appointed as the 20th Chief Election commissioner of India after the end of the tenure of H.S Brahma. The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill 2014 The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on 24th April 2015. It was a private members' bill moved by Tiruchi N Siva.Economics The interest rate inSelvamagal Semippu Thittam Scheme was increased from 9.1% to 9.2% which came to effect from April 1st 2015. RBI's 80th Anniversary The Reserve bank of India celebrated the 80th anniversary year which was started on 1st April 1935. Green Bond Green bond is like the normal bond with a difference that in these Green bond the capital amount is raised to fund the green projects like renewable projects, etc.., Recently the Yes Bank and Exim Bank issued these Green bond. The first one to issue in India is the Yes Bank in rupee denomination. Exim bank became the first to issue India's first green bond in dollar denomination. MUDRA Bank MUDRA - Micro Units Development & Refinancing Agency Ltd MUDRA bank a subsidiary of SIDBI, was lanched by PM Nadenra Modi to finance the micro enterprises. Social Progress Index Social progress index is released by the Non profit organisation 'Social Progress imperative' India Ranks 101th in Social progress Index Ranks 93rd in GDP Per Capita Ranks 128th in Tolerance and inclusion Ranks 120th in health and wellness Norway ranks 1st in SPI. Flipkart has partnered with the Mumbai's Dabbawalas to deliver its goods. Gujarat government launched the Industrial tourism and became the first state in India to launch this. IMF forecasts India's growth rate to reach 7.5% in 2015 and 2016 from the present 7.2% in 2014.Environment and Health Typhoon Maysak Typhoon Maysak attacked islands in Micronesia in pacific ocean region and have the possibility of hitting Philippines. Top Solid wastes Producers in India Maharashtra statetops the list by producing 26,820 tonnes of solid wastes per day Uttarpradesh is in the second position. Silicosis It is an incurable respiratory disease which is caused by the inhaling of the silica dust mostly in the mining regions. The Rajasthan State Human Rights commission recently recommend the state government to set up an independent agency to conduct research occupational diseases. Telangana Crab Spider A new variety of spider was discovered in Telangana and was name Telangana Crab Spider. It looks like crab and can also walk sideways and hence it is named Crab spider. Earth Hour Capital 2015 Thane was declared the national Earth hour capital of India in 2015 In 2014, the coimbatore city was selected as the National earth hour capital of India (2014). Seoul was named the Global Earth hour capital 2015 National Green tribunal banned old Diesel Vehicles which are over 10 years old in DelhiScience and Tech TRAI recommended the use of '112' as a single common number for emergency services across the country as the similar to the US's 911 emergency number. India's Broadband position in the world India Ranks 125th position in fixed broadband penetration. India Ranks 113th in wireless broadband penetration. SMILE: SMall Incision Lenticule Extraction It is the latest LASER eye surgery technique becoming popular to treat refractive errors. SAMEER's 4th Research and Development Project in Vizagapatnam SAMEER - Society for Applied Microwave Electronic Engineering and Research is an autonomous body under the department of Electronics and information technology. SAMEER has planned to set up it's 4thResearch and Development Project, the centre for Electromagnetic Environment Effects in Vizagapatna. Other three projects were in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkatta.World Terror attack in Kenyan University Shebab Islamist group of Somalia attacked the Kenyan University and killed over 147 students France President: Francois Hollande Operation Raahat It is the evacuation mission by India to evacuate the people from the war affected regions of Yemen. Earthquake in Nepal A 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal. Death toll expected to cross over 10000 Operation Maitri It is the name of the rescue operation led by Indian Army in Earthquake hit Nepal.Sports Saina Nehwal - World's No 1 Indian Badminton player Saina Nehwah player reached the World' No 1 spot in the world women's list which was officially announced recently. She is the first Indian women player to reach this and the Second indian to do this. Prakash padukone is the first Indian player to reach the World's No 1 position. Serena Williams' - 700th Win By winning the recent match against Sabine Lisicki ( of German), Serena williams (of USA) in the WTA Miami Open recorded her 700th Win. And became the 8th player to win over 700 matches. Martina Navratilova tops the most matches winning list with 1442 matches. IPL Season 8 - 2015 The opening ceremony of the IPL Season was held at Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata. Leading cricketer in 2015 Kumar Sangakkara (Srilanka) and Meg Lanning (Australian women cricketer) were named as the Leading cricketers in the world in 2015 by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack (also called as bible of cricket) Sangakkara became the second player to be honoured, Sehwag being the first one to be namedLeading cricketers in the world.

TNPSC Current Affairs May 2015Miscellaneous 75-Foot Buddha Statue in Srilanka A 75 Foot height Buddha Statue was inaugurated at Rambadagalla Vidhyasagara Temple in Srilanka. It was made by M Muthiah Sthapathi (From Chennai). Important Days May 1 - International Labour Day May 5 - World Asthma Day Festival Yangli festival, a kind of harvest festival celebrated in Karbi Anglong district of Assam. Buenos Aires - World's Bookstore capital Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina is regarded as the World's bookstore capital as it have 25 bookstores for every 1,00,000 people. Hong kong is in the second position with 22bookstores for every 1,00,000 people. Awards Pramod Patil, ornithologist form pune was awarded Whitley Award for his efforts on the conservation of the Great Indian busturd. This Whitley Award is also called by the people as Green Oscar. Magazine Charlie Hebdo - was given the Freedom of Expression was by the PEN American Centre Charlie Hebdo is a French based Magazine. Shashi Kapoor - was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke award. Yaadhum - a documentary film on Tamil Muslims won the Bronze Remi Award at the 48th World Film Festival Houston. India's first Private Green Field Airport Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport is India's First private Green field Airport. It is located in West Bengal. PM Narendra Modi will be its first Passenger. Reang Tribe: Tripura Important Books In News 100 years of Solitude - by Gabriel Garcia Marquez A signed first edition book which was stolen during the International Book fair of Bogota 2015 was found. Contributions of Thanjavur Maratha Kings with a Brief History of Cholas and Nayaks - by Pratap Sinha Rajebhosle George Cross It is the highest British Military award for Gallantry. The George Cross which was awarded Posthumously to Naik Kirpa Ram (Indian Soldier) in 1946 was stolen. It was traced and it will handed over to his wife Brahmi Devi. Ninad Bedekar Historian who popularized the history of Maharashtra died recently. B B King Famous electric guitarist who died recently. Natanam Mural artist who passed away recently Sunil Nesarikar Chief fire officer in Mumbai fire department, died after sustaining injuries while fighting with fire in a building. Rajabai Clock Tower It is built in 1878 in the Mumbai University campus. It was reopened recently after a restoration work.Polity Important Appointments Justice Cyriac Joseph- was appointed as the Chairman of National Human Rights Commission succeeding Justice Balakrishnan V. Shanmuganathan - was appointed as the Governor of MeghalayaEconomy K V Kamath - to be appointed as the Head of the BIRCS Bank ICF - Integral coach Factory, sets a new record in production by producing 1704 coaches in the last fiscal year. ICF was established in 1952 in Chennai.

Science and Technology Messenger Spacecraft NASA's Messenger Spacecraft was launched on August 3, 2004 to study the Mercury planet. The Message Spacecraft ended its 11 year long journey after crashing into the surface of the Mercury Asia's First Google campus was opened in South Korean. Google has planned to set up its largest Asian Campus in Hyderabad at a cost of about 1000 crore rupees. Chandrayaan 2 India's second moon exploration mission. It is expected to be launched in 2017. India's first lunar exploration mission Chandrayaan 1 was launched in the year 2008. INS Vikrant It is India's First indigenously built Aircraft carrier. MOTR - Multi Object Tracking Radar Multi Object Tracking Radar was launched at the Satish Dhawan Space centre at Sriharikota. It can be used to track multiple objects (upto 10 different objects) moving in space with a range of 1000 Kms. With this technology India joins the list with USA, Japan, Israel and Canada. Shubham Banerjee A 13 year old boy of Indian Origin,who invented a low cost Portable Braille Printer. He is now working with Microsoft to integrate the Braille printer with the Windows.Environment and Health Ecological Engineering It is a new technology introduced by NIPHM - National Institute of Plant Health Management Hyderabad This new technology helps the farmers to control the pests and also in maintaining the biodiversity. WHO - Annual Health Statistics 2015 WHO released the status of Millennium development goals after the dead line of 2015. India achieved 4 targets successfully, 2 in progress and the remaining 4 in limited progress. Ngapang The local name of the fish in Manipur, which was recently discovered by the ZSI as the new species of catfish. It's scientific name isGlyptothorax senapatiensis.World President Pranab Mukherjee's Russia Visit President Pranab Mukherjee visited Russia in May 2015. He attends the victory day parade on 9th May 2015. This Victory day (May 9th 1945) marks the defeat of the Hitler's army. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's China Visit Sister city agreement was signed between "Chennai and Chingqing" UK Election 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron was reelected as PM after his Conservative party has won 331 seats out of 650. The Labour party won 232 seats. Anthony Brutto, a 94 year old American graduated from West Virginia University after a period of 75 years of enrolling. Ananta Bijoy Das He was a Bangladeshi blogger, who was killed recently. Gun Attack in Karachi 43 people from Shia ismalis sect were killed in a gun attack in Karachi. Kung Fu Yoga Film to be starred by Aamir Khan and Jackie Chan Amtrak Train 188 The train which derailed recently in USA during its journey from Washington to New York Sterile Mosquitoes In order to tackle the Dengue, more than half a million number of sterile mosquitoes were released in the Guangzhou region of China.

TNPSC Current Affairs February 2015Miscellaneous Vaibhav Shenoy Young artist from mangaluru was announced the winner of the national level Stamp design competition organised by Indiapost to mark the republic day with Clean India as the theme. Fr Alexis Premkumar A christian priest from Tamil nadu was released by the Taliban who was abducted eight month ago in Afghanistan. Important Days 4th Feb - World Cancer Day 28th Feb - National Science Day INS Sindhukosh It is an Indian Submarine which recently collided with a small fishing trawler off the Goan coast during an exercise. International Jazz Day It is a musical event. Paris in France will be the host city for the International Jazz Day April 2015. Amber Fort it is Jaipur (Rajasthan). Recently opened for viewing at night to promote night toourism.Polity NITI Aayog NITI - National Institution for Transforming India NITI is an institution that replaces the Planning commission of India aiming to involve the states in policy making. The first meeting of the NITI Aayog was held on 9th February 2015.Economy India is the largest consumer of Gold in 2014 with 880 tonnes of gold. China in the second position with 866 tonnes of gold. Liberalised Remittance Scheme RBI has now increased the forex remittance limit to 2.5 Lakh USD per individual in a year States to get 42% of Centre's net tax receipts The union cabinet accepted the recommendation of the 14th finance commission to increase the states' share from 32% to 42% in the centre's net tax receipts. The chairman of the 14th Finance commission is Y.V. Reddy. The AAP Government in Delhi reduced the electricity tariff by 50% for the household consumers upto 400 units per month. Railway Budget 2015-16 Highlights The railway bugdet was separated from the general budget in the year 1924 by the recommendation of the Acworth Committee. Railway Minister Suresh prabhu presented the Railway budget 2015-16. No increase in Passenger's fares. Operation 5 Minute: Passenger travelling unreserved can get the tickets within 5 minutes. No new trains instead the amenities will be enhanced. All India grievance readdress helpline 138 to be introduced. More general coaches in selected trains. JAM Number Trinity JAM - Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar Card and a Mobile Number The Economic Survey 2014-2015 states that theJAM Number Trinity - Accounts seeded with Aadhaar number and a valid mobile number helps the states' subsidies to reach the poor in well targeted and less distorted manner. Chief Economic Adviser: Arvind SubramaniamEnvironment and Health 2014 - warmest year : WMO World meteorological organisation recently published a report stating that the year 2014 is the warmest year on record. World meteorological organisation is located in Geneva (Switzerland). Vengurla-7 It is a cashew nut variety which was recently recommended to be cultivated in the coastal areas of maharashtra. International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List Critically endangered species Indian white backed Vulture Long billed Vulture Slender Billed Vulture Red Headed Vulture Forest Owlet Endangered species Egyptian Vulture Saker Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) It helps to cure blood diseases and cancers like myeloma or leukaemia.Science and Technology 18th National conference on E-Governance was held in Gujarat. Theme: Digital governance - new frontiers GAGAN GAGAN - GPS aided geo augmented navigation It is a navigation system recently launched by India. It provides more efficiency in air traffic. National wide mobile Number Portability commences from May 3rd 2015. TRAI amended the regulations to make the National Wide MNP.World Indian PM Modi's Srilanka Visit Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi has planned to visit Srilanka in the month of March 2015.. The previous Indian PM to visit Srilanka was Rajiv Ghandhi in 1987. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Visited China recently. UNICEF '7' It is a new fund launched by David beckham for the UNICEF. This new fund '7' is for helping children in warzones The number 7 was chosen as the name of the fund because it is the jersey number of David Beckham(Manchester united). Surya Kiran 8 (Feb 2015) It is a military exercise between India and Nepal. Surya kiran 8 was held at Saljhandi in Nepal SAARC Yatra S.Jaishankar (Foreign Secretary) to begin SAARC Yatra from March 2nd 2015. Bangladesh is the first country in the yatra list and next to Pakistan. Death Toll crossed 200 in Afghanistan in a series of Avalanches caused by the heavy snowfall. The 7th BRICS Summit 2015 will be hosted by Russia in July 2015. The 6th SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) summit 2015 will be hosted by Russia in July 2015.

TNPSC Current Affairs January 2015Miscellaneous Important Appointments Shailesh Nayak was appointed as the interim chairman of ISRO after the retirement of K Radhakrishnan A S Kiran Kumarwas appointed as the new chairman of ISRO. H S Brahma was appointed as the new Chief election commissioner of India Succeeding V S Sampath. S Jaishankar was appointed as the new Foreign secretary replacing Sujatha singh. Operation Smile To find missing children and reunite them with their parents. Recently launched by the Hyderabad Police Department. Also launched in Trichy by the TN Police Department. Camel Festival was celebrated every January in Bikaner (Rajasthan). Awards Leela Samson (Bharathanatiyam Artist) - was given the title Natya Kala Acharya. Padma Awards (Jan 2015) 104 persons were selected in total from various fields for Padma awards. Among them, Padma Vibhusan - 9 awardees Padma Bhusan - 20 awardees Padma Shri - 75 awardees Also includes 17 women. awardees from Tamil Nadu Malur Ramaswamy Srinivasan - Padma Vibhusan (Science and Engineering) Gopalaswami - Padma Bhusan (Civil Service) Sudha Raghunatha - Padma Bhusan (Art) Kanyakumari Avasarala - Padma shri (Art) P V Rajaraman - Padma shri (civil service) R Vasudevan - Padma shri (Civil service) Ashok chakra Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh Mukund Varadharajan Important Books in News Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoy - a play written by Pradeep Dalvi. Madhorubhagan - authored by Perumal Murugan Kailash Satyarthi Handed over his Nobel Medal to the President of India Pranab Mukherjee. The medal will be kept at the museum in the Rashtrapathi bhavan. Priya Pillai A Greenpeace activist who addressed to British Parliamentarians from India through Skype after being barred to leave India. She explained about her work in the Mahan region in Madhya Pradesh. Saudi Arabia's king Abdullah died and the kingship was passed to his brother Salman. Metro train services at Mantri Square station (In Bangalore) was stopped for 5 mins to rescue a Black Kite (a bird). Pooja Thakur became the first women to lead the guard of honour for US president Barrack Obama. R K Laxman -eminent Cartoonist passed away.Polity Non residential Indians can now cast their votes from abroad without being physically present in their constituencies through e-postal ballot systems or proxy voting. The representation of people act 2010, Section 20(A) stating that the NRI should be physically present in their respective constituencies to vote was repealed.Economics NITI Aayog The Planning commission was replaced by a new institution called NITI Aayog. The Abbreviation for NITI Aayog isNational Institution for Transforming India. Its main role will be formulation of policies. D K Mittal Committee D K Mittal Committee under the chairmanship of D K Mittal to suggest ways to increase the revenue of railways submitted its report. Kamarajar Port Limited Located at Ennore has planned to expand its cargo handling capacity to 100 million tonnes. HRIDAY HRIDAY - Heritage Development and Augmentation India Yojana. HRIDAY was launched by the central government to preserve and rejuvenate the cultural heritage of the 12 cities. The Kanchipuram and Velankanni was also among the list of cities. The government has allocated 500 crores for the project. India Post honored Mumbai's Dabbawalas with a release of a commemorative special cover on Dabbawalas. Disinvestment in Coal India Limited The central government sold 10% of its shares in Coal India Limited and raised Rs.22,555 Crores. The total disinvestment target for the current fiscal year 2014-2015 is Rs. 43,425 Crores.Health and Environment National biodiversity Congress 2015 The second edition of national biodiversity congress is to be held in Thiruvanthapuram (Kerala) in February 2015. Theme: "Biodiversity: Access and Benefit Sharing" 66 Tiger Deaths reported in 2014 Tamil Nadu tops the list with 15 tiger deaths followed by Madhya Pradesh (14), Uttarkhand (8). Kirloskar Vasundara International Film Festival KVIIF The only film festival of India dedicated to environmental issues. The 9th edition of this film festival is to be scheduled from 16th Jan 2014 in Pune. Theme: Zero Waste: Begins with us Sofosbuvir A drug used to treat hepatitis C virus which affects Liver manufacture by Gileads Sciences. Recently the Indian patent Office rejected its patent application. Mild tremors were recorded in several places of Andhra Pradesh with magnitude 1.8 in Richter scale. 18th Indian Birding Fair It was held at the Man sagar Lake in Jaipur(Rajasthan).Science and Technology India Based Neutrino Observatory - INO It is a proposed underground laboratory to study atmospheric neutrinos. To be constructed at Pottipuram in Bodi West hills of Theni District of Tamil Nadu Pamban Bridge It is the first cantilever bridge of India. 28 corroded old girders of Pamban bridge was replaced with new girders. Agni-V Recently test fired from a canister at the Wheeler Island. It is a nuclear capable intercontonental ballistic missile. Range: 5000 km Payload: 1100 kgWorld Hijab It means headscarf usually worn by muslim women Recently the Hijab law which implies compulsory wearing of Hijab is made unconstitutional in Iran. USA imposed new sanctions on North Korean Government officials and its defense industries for a cyberattack on Sony. Capital of North Korea - Pyongyang Three Gorges Dam It is the world's largest Hydroelectric Dam. It recently set a new record of highest annual power production. It is located on the Yangtze River (China). Terrorist Attack in Paris 12 people were killed in a terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine office in Paris. Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic - was elected as the first women president of Croatia. John F Kennady Airport (New york) The world's first dedicated terminal for animals is to be opened at the John F Kennady airport in New york. Miss universe Paulina Vegaof Columbia was crowned Miss Universe 2014 at Florida (US). MH370 Malaysia formallydeclared the MH370 disappearance an accident. The passengers and the crew members were presumed to be dead. K Sripavan - appointed as the new chief Justice of Srilanka. He was the second tamil to be appointed as the CJ of Srilanka.Sports 35th National Games 2015 The 35th edition of the national games began at the Greenfield statium in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala). Sachin Tendulkar was appointed as the Goodwill ambassador of the 35th national games.TNPSC Current Affairs December 2014Miscellaneous Kambala It is the name of traditional buffalo race, which is held annually in the coastal regions of Karnataka. Recently it was held in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka Moti Darwaza It is one of the entrances for the golconda fort (Hyderabad). The doors of the Moti Darwaza got damaged. Global Corruption Perception Index India ranks 85th in the list of 175 countries Global Corruption Perception index was released by transparency international. Books in News The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years - by Pranab Mukherjee (President of India) Important Persons in News V R Krishna Iyer -Former Judge of Supreme court of India died recently. Important days International Day of Yoga United Nations declared June 21st as the 'International Day of Yooga' December 25th - Good Governance Day(Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Birthday) Important Abbreviations in News SIPCOT -State Industries Promotion corporation of Tamil Nadu Dahi Handi Maharashtra government has announced Dahi Handi (Human Pyramid) Sport as an Adventure Sport. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas - 13th Edition 2015 Pravasi Bharatiya divas 2015 is scheduled to be held in Gujarat from 7th Jan 2015 to 9th Jan 2015. This year (2015) marks the 100th year of M K Gandhi's return in 1915 to India from South Africa. AirAsia QZ8501 The plane which take off from Surabaya (Indonesia) to Singapore went missing in its halfway to destination over the java Sea. Norman Atlandic A greek Passenger ship which caught fire recently during its journey from Patras( in Greece) to Anacona ( in Italy).Polity Important Appointments Anil Kumar Sinha - was appointed as the new CBI Chief. The Coal Mines (Special provisions) Bill 2014 The Coal Mines (Special provisions) Bill 2014, was passed in the Lok Sabha. It made some changes, so that the private company can took part in mining coals.Science and Technology Agni - IV A nuclear capable missile withRange - 4000 Km Test fired recently from the wheeler island off the Odisha coast. GSAT-16 A communication satellite was launched from French Guina on 6th December 2014. GSLV Mark - III ISRO has planned to launch its heaviest rocket (GSLV Mark III) at Sathis Dhawan space centre in sriharikota on 18th December 2014. Mobile One App Mobile One App was launched by the government of Karnataka as an initiative of e-governance. Through this app, an user can access more than 4000 services from anywhere at anytime. Web Index India Ranks 48th in the Web index ranking list. Web Index is released is World Wide Web Foundation.Economy Ease of doing business Index India ranks 142 out of 189 countries in ease of doing business. It is a report published by world bank Snapdeal has become a partner of India Post and set up facilitation centres at Varanasi to sell the local artisan products online.Environment and Health Silicosis It is a disease caused by silica dust. The people working in mining fields are most prone to this disease. Recently more number of cases has been confirmed in Dholpur disrtict in Rajasthan. Climate Change Performance Index 2015 India ranks 31st in the Climate change performance Index 2015 list. Climate change performance Index report is released by two NGO namely Germanwatch and Climate Action Network of europe. Rankings: 1. - Denmark 2. - Swedan 3. - U K 31 - IndiaWorld Zaporizhya plant It is a nuclear power plant in Ukraine. An electrical short circuit in the plant led to the power blackout. Bhutan PM Visits Bangladesh Bhutan Prime MinisterLyonchhen Tshering Tobgay visited Bangladesh to participate in the 43rd victory day anniversary which marks the Bangladesh' Independence and its liberation from Pakistan. Bangladesh's foreign secretary told that the Bhutan is the first country to recognise bangladesh as an independent nation followed by India. A Goods train from china completed the world's longest train journey of 13,000 km distance between Yuwi (China) and Madrid (Spain) passing through seven countries.Sports Phil Hughes Australian Criket playerwho died after injury when hit by a ball. Mahendra Singh Dhoni Indian Cricketer - announced his retirement from the Test matches.

TNPSC Current Affairs November 2014Miscellaneous Maitri (Meaning - Friendship) : a programme between India and China which includes art exhibition and workshops (Painting). It is planned to be held at Jaipur (The Pink City of India) this November. Warren Anderson - the CEO of the Union Carbide Corp at the time of the Bhopal Disaster (1984) died. Important Days November 14th - Children's Day (Jawaharlal Nehru's Birth anniversary) November 19th - National Integration Day (Indira Gandhi's Birth Anniversary) Heritage Marathan Heritage marathan was held at the Bidar district of Karnataka. Books in News: Playing it my way -bySachin Tendulkar [an autobiography] TRV 72 Indian Navy's ship which sank near the vishakapatnam coast. Appointments: Farhan Akthar (Bollywood Actor) - was appointed as the UN women Goodwill ambassador for south Asia. Punyakoti film This film will become the first sanskrit animation movie. It is based on the man-animal conflict. Music - Ilayaraja Kambala It is the name of traditional buffalo race, which is held annually in the coastal regions of Karnataka. Awards Neha Gupta - an Indian american, won the International children's peace prize. ISRO - won the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development award for the year 2014. Bilal Tanweer - won the Sakti Bhatt First Book Price 2014 for his novel 'The Scatter here is Too Great'. Mahamastakabhisheka Festival It is a Jain festival, which is held once in every 12 years. It is festival of Lord Bahubali, celebrated in Karnataka.Polity Mukul Mudgal Panel Mudgal panel headed by retired Justice Mukul mudgal, submitted its final report on IPL spot fixing scandals. Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung recommended the dissolution of Delhi assembly to the President. Important Appointments Laximakant Parsekar - was appointed as the 11th chief minister of Goa. The Delhi Special Police Establishment Bill, 2014was passed in the Lok Sabha.Economics Important Appointments Vijay Kelkar - was appointed as the new chairman of the NIPFP National institute of Public finance and Policy Jeevan Pramaan Scheme It was launched by the central government for the benefit of pensioners. Under this scheme Aadhar Based Digital life certificate will be created. This digital life certificate will replace the existing physical life certificate submission. Kisan Vikas patra It is an investment scheme relaunched by the central government. Under this scheme the investors can invest amount in denominations of Rs 1000, Rs 5000 and Rs 50000 without any upper ceiling limit and no tax benefits. The amount will double in 100 months that is 8 years and 4 months with a lock in period of 2 years and 6 months (30 months). Rajasthan government has planned to introduce self attestation of documents while dealing with government agencies from January 1, 2015.World Dosti XII It is a joint trilateral coast guard exercise among India, Maldives and Srilanka. The 12th edition of Dosti exercise (4 days) concluded on 31st October 2014 The 'Dosti' operation between India and Maldives started in the year 1991. Srilanka Joined the team in the year 2012. Mitra Shakti A joint military exercise between India and Srilanka conducted near colombo. World Trade Centre The new tower of World trade centre was reopened after 13 years after the 9/11 terror attack. WTC is a 104 storey building. It is located in New York. Maria Jose Alvarado who won the title Miss Hondurus, was found dead. International Film Festival of India The 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), began on 20th November 2014 in Goa. Rajinikanth was given the Indian Film personality of the year award 2014. The US President Obama was invited by PM Modi to be the Chief guest of the next Republic day Jan 26th 2015.Science and Tech Staphefekt A new drug developed as a replacement for antibiotics for treating antibiotic resistant infections. Agni II It was test fired recently from wheeler Island off the Odisha Coast. Agni II - is a nuclear capable ballistic missile. surface to surface missile. Its full range is 2000 km. Akash It is a surface to air missile, test fired by Indian Air force from Odisha Philae Lander Comet lander which landed safely on the cometnamedComet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko has sent its first image. Rosetta Space Probesent by the European Space Agency carried this comet lander. it becomes first ever robot landing on a comet. LRSAM It is a long range surface to air missile, jointly developed by Israel and India. It is called as Barrack 8 Missile in Israel. It was test fired recently in Israel. Raspberry Pi It is an ATM card sized chip which can be used as a computer when connected with a display unit and other input/output devices. Hysterectomy It is one of the sterilisation technique for women, in which the uterus will be removed. It was recently in news after the death of 11 women who had undergone hysterectomy surgery in Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) Vasectomy is a sterilisation technique for men. Non Scalpel Vasectomy It is one of the sterilisation technique available for Men. Li Shunquiang, a chinese doctor first developed this surgery technique. In India, Karimnagar district (Telengana State) was in the first position in the number of male sterilisation surgeries. L360 - Livlihood360 L360 is an app developed by Raghu Kanchustambham (Hyderabad), helps the farmers to estimate the quantity of their farm produce and sell it. This app was named 'the Best App in Asia' in the Telenor Digital Winners Conference held Oslo in Norway. Bio-mimicking It means imitating nature's behavior in new technologies. Mattaparthi srinath, a student from IIT hyderabad, developed a polymer structure replicating the water repellent nature (Lotus effect) of Canna Indica plant and its also absorbs light. Zero Gravity 3D Printer It is installed on the international space station by NASA. Arianescape It is a European Commercial Satellite launch service provider. Tianhe-2 It is a supercomputer of china, which retained the title 'World's fastest supercomputer', for the second consecutive year. Speed - 33.86 Petaflops. Tetekt It is an Anti surveillance software tool used to detect whether the surveillance software has been installed in a computer system or not.Sports Rohit Sharma Became the highest run scores in a ODI. He scored 264 runs from 173 balls, which includes 33-4s and 9-6s. He scored this record breaking score during the innings vs Srilanka in Kolkatta World ChessChampionship 2014 Magnus Carlsen (norway) won the World chess championship title 2014 by winning Viswanathan anand.

TNPSC Current Affairs October 2014Miscellaneous India's First Olive oil refinery was inaugurated at lukransar in Rajasthan. The oil produced in this refinery will be marketed under the brand name of 'Raj Olive oil'. Patna Stampede 33 people have been killed in a stampede at Gandhi maidhan in Patna during the Dasera celebration. Rajasthan Govt imposed restrictions for joining government jobs The tobacco users are barred to appear certain exams, The candidates having more than two children and those who have a second wife or husband without legally separated from the first will also be barred. Awards Nobel Prize Medicine British-American researcher John O'Keefe and a Norwegian couple, Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser have been awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery of Brain's GPS System, which helps us to navigate to different places. Physics Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura have been awarded Nobel Prize in Physics forinventing blue light-emitting diodes. Chemistry `Eric Betzig and William Moerner and Stefan Hell won the Nobel prize in Chemistry for finding the ways to make the microscope more powerful. Peace Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousufzai won the nobel peace prize. Economics Jean Tirole won the nobel prize in economics for his research onmarket power and regulation Literature Patrick Modianowon the nobel prize in literature Indian Actor Shah Rukh Khan has been awarded the Global Diversity Award 2014 by the British parliament. Sanjaya Rajaram has been awarded the World Food prize. Malala Yousufzaihas been awarded the 2014 Liberty medal. Books in News: I Shall Not Hear The Nightingale - by Khushwant Singh [A contest to rename this book has been announced recently] I am Malala: the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban - by Malala Yousafzai [This book is to be translated into four India languages like Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Marathi] The Narrow Road to the Deep North - by Richard Flanagan Australian writer [won the Man booker prize 2014] Final Test: Exit Sachin Tendulkar - by Dilip DSouza [about the final test macth of Sachin Tentulkar at wankhade stadium] Untold Story of the Indian Public Sector - by UD Choubey Important Days October 11th - International Day of the Girl Child. October 15th - Global hand washing Day October 16th - World Food Day October 17th -International Day for the Eradication of Poverty October 20th - World Osteoporosis Day October 31st - National Unity Day (Ekta Diwas) Kazhuperumbakkam A village near Puducherry which has banned bursting of crackers several years before to protect the fruit bats in their locality. ImportantAppointments Surya Prakash - was appointed as the new chairman of Prasar Bharti Board. Operation Neptune Spear A Military Operation (2011), in which Osama Bin Laden was killed.Polity Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana A scheme launched by PM recently, in which each MP will adopt 3 villages in their constituency and develop physical and institutional infrastructure by 2019. NDA government has planned to transfer theRashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) from the Labour ministry to Health ministry and merged with theUniversal Health Assurance Mission (UHAM). ImportantAppointments Manohar Lal Khattar-appointed as the 21st Chief Minister of Haryana. Devendra Fadnavis -appointed as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Sandeep Saxena to be appointed as the new Chief Election commissioner of Tamil nadu succeeding Praveen Kumar. Section 66-A (b) of the IT Act A hyderabad law student was arrested following his Facebook post on Hudhud cyclone under thesection 66-A (b) of the IT Act and Section 153 of IPC.Economy RBI's Monetary Policy released on September 30th 2014 CRR - 4 % [Unchanged] Repo Rate - 8% [Unchanged] Inflation target by January 2015 - 8 % Inflation target by January 2016 - 6 % Global Hunger Index (GHI) India Ranks 55th position in theGlobal Hunger Index (GHI) 2014 which was recently published by theInternational Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). India ranks 142nd in the latest World bank's 'Ease of doing Business report'. ImportantAppointments Arvind Subramanium - appointed as the new chief economic adviser. Rajiv Mehrishi - appointed as the new finance secretary. Universal Account Number A scheme launched by PM Modi which allows the PF account portability throughout India. An All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) - Delhi AIIA is India's First AIIMS like medical institute for Ayurveda to be inaugurated very soonat Jasola in Delhi. Vishwanathan committee Vishwanathan committee was constituted by the finance ministry to suggest bankruptcy code for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It will be headed by T. K.VishwanathanWorld US Pivot to Asia doctrine (Obama's rebalancing strategy) It envisages on deeper cooperation with Asian countries in military and economic fields. ImportantAppointments Khaled Bahah -selected as the new Prime Minister of Yemen Joko Widodo - become the new President of Indonesia. Canadian parliament was attacked by a terrorist, later he was shot down by the soldiers. Asian Infrastructure Investment bank (AIIB) India signed MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for the setting up of the AIIB. The head quarters of AIIB is in Beijing. Vietnam PM's India Visit Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to sign important MoU in the field of Defence and Oil exploration. The 10th World Islamic Economic Forum was held in Dubai.Sports Asian Games Varsha Gautam and Aishwarya Nedunchezhiyan won the bronze medal in Sailing, thus becoming the first indian women to win in this category at the Asian games. Dutch Open Grand Prix Badminton tournament Ajay Jayaram (India) defeatedIhsan Maulana Mustofa (Indonesia) in the final to win the title.Environment Hudhud cyclone Hudhud cyclone is expected to hit the coastal areas between vishakapatnam (Andhra pradesh) and Gopalpur (Odisha) with estimated wind speed of 170 - 200 kmph. It originated from a low pressure area over the Andaman Sea. The name 'Hudhud' was suggested by the country Oman and it means the bird hoopoe. TyphoonVongfong Typhoon Vongfongattacked Japan with wind speed upto 180 kmph. Hurricane Gonzalo Hurricane Gonzalo attacked Bermudawith wind speed about 180 kmph. WHO declared Nigeria an African nation as EBOLA Free nation recently. Cyclone Nilofar Cyclone Nilofar is expected to attack the coast of Gujarat.Science and Tech Windows 10 Microsoft, the software giant released the latest OS version named Windows 10. Antrix Corporation It is the commercial arm of ISRO, which was given the Miniratna status in 2008. It commercializes the space products to customers across the world. Dongfeng-31B China test fired itsDongfeng-31B, a 10,000 Km long range missile. Capable of delivering multiple nuclear war head. World's Largest Telescope World's largest 30 meter telescope to be constructed in Hawaiian island by five countries (India, US, Japan, China and Canada) in a joint collaboration at a cost of 1.4 Billion USD. Kerala State has decided to provide high speed internet connections to all panchayats. It might become the first state to provide such high speed connections to panchayats. Parikshit It is a nano satellite to be constructed by the students of MIT (Manipal Institute of Technology) which will be launched by the ISRO. The main objective of the Parishit satellite is to study the urban heat islands. Himadri - India's Station in arctic. Full Mobile Number Portability Department of Telecommunication (DoT) sets March 2015 as target to implement full Mobile number portability. Full MNP allows users to switch from one telecom circle to any other telecom circle within the country. IRNSS - 1C IRNSS - 1C, third of the IRNSS series was successfully placed in its orbit by the PSLV C26. GSLV Mark III - Planned to be launched in the December Month. Nirbhay A long range subsonic cruise missile which was test fired successfully from theIntegrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha. Range 1000 - 1500 km Developed by DRDO.