Gyanm General Awareness June 2015 Issue

GENERAL AWARENESS – JUNE 2015 1

GENERAL AWARENESS

JUNE 2015 Vol. 3, Issue 12

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

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

Contents

CURRENT AFFAIRS FEB TO APRIL 2015 01-33

BULLET NEWS NOV 2014 TO JAN 2015 34-53

SBI PO PRELIM PAPER 54-63

LATEST GK MCQs 64-75

6 MONTHS GK BYTES 76-100

FIGURES TO REMEMBER

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

8.50%

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

10 to 10.25 %

INDIA’S RANK IN

Global Resilience Index 119th

Global E-Waste Monitor 5th

World Happiness Report 117th

Global Networked Readiness 89th

Social Progress Index 101st

Open Government Index 2015 37th

Press Freedom Index 2015 136th

Talent Competitiveness 78th

Travel and Tourism Index 65th Corruption Perceptions Index 85th The Web Index 2014 48th Global Terrorism Index 2014 6th Global Slavery Index 2014 1st Gender Gap Index 114th Ease of Doing Business (WB) 142nd Global Hunger Index 2013 55th Global Competitiveness 71st Human Development Index 135th Global Innovation Index 76th

NATIONAL NEWS

APRIL 2015 NEPAL DEVASTATED BY EARTHQUAKE A massive earthquake struck Nepal with a devastating impact, killing over 5000 persons and injuring double this number. The quake left several landmark sites, like the Durabl square and the 203 feet high Dharahera Towers completely flattened. India responded quickly, under its “Operation Maitri” by dispatching several National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, along with tonnes of relief supplies. The earthquake was a typical Himalayan tremor caused due to the “collision” of the Indian and the Eurasian plates. The epicenter of the earthquake that measured 7.9 on the Richter scale lay at a depth of 30 km, at Lamjung, around 80 km northwest of Kathmandu. Tremors were felt in several Indian states especially Bihar, NCR, Punjab and Haryana. 17 MAJOR AGREEMENTS SIGNED WITH FRANCE During PM Modi’s 3-day visit to France, an agreement was signed for the supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets in flyaway condition as quickly as possible under a government-to-government deal. An agreement was also reached to promote the stalled nuclear power project in Jaitapur in Maharashtra where French company Areva, in collaboration with Indian company Larsen and Toubro, is to set up six nuclear reactors with a total power generation capacity of about 10,000 MW. MODI INAUGURATES HANNOVER FAIR During his three Germany visit, PM Modi jointly, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, inaugurated the world’s largest industrial technology fair - Hannover Fair in Hannover. He said India had a huge potential to become a global manufacturing hub and invited the whole world to partner with the fastest growing economy in the ‘Make in India’ mission. He highlighted the 3D strengths of India as under: – Democracy ensuring fair and equal opportunity to everyone – Demography refers to the huge, young manpower in the country – Demand refers to the huge demand in the country for almost anything


CANADA AGREES TO SUPPLY URANIUM The Prime Minister during his three-day visit to Canada inked 13 agreements on skill development with the host country. Canada also agreed to supply 3,000 metric tonnes of uranium to India from this year under a $254 million five-year deal. Only two other countries - Russia and Kazakhstan supply uranium to India. PM Modi also announced the inclusion of Canada in the list of nations receiving a visa-on-arrival from India. ‘OPERATION RAHAT’ RESCUED 5600 PERSONS

The Indian Navy conducted ‘Operation Rahat’ for about ten days to dramatically evacuate Indians and several other persons from war-torn Yemen. Over 5,600 persons were evacuated, including 4,640 Indians and about 960 foreigners from 41 countries. People were evacuated from Aden, a port in Yemen and brought safely to Djibouti (a nearby country) on board ship INS Sumitra, from where the Indian Air Force and Air India aircraft flew them to Mumbai and Kochi. Yemen has been witnessing a fierce battle between the Saudi-led coalition and Shiite rebels, who have battled their way into various cities including capital town Sana’a, the former stronghold of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who has fled overseas. MODI, INDIA’s REFORMER-IN-CHIEF - OBAMA PM Narendra Modi was featured in the Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people for this year with an article by U.S. President Barack Obama, who titled it ‘India’s Reformer-in-Chief.’ “Today, he is the leader of the world’s largest democracy, and his life story — from poverty to PM — reflects the dynamism and potential of India’s rise,” Mr. Obama wrote. Dr. NASIM ZAIDI IS THE NEW CEC

The President has appointed Election Commissioner Dr. Nasim Zaidi as the new Chief Election Commissioner of India. He assumed charge after the present incumbent Hari Shankar Brahma demitted office upon his retirement.

Zaidi will have tenure up to July, 2017 when he attains the age of 65.

The CEC has tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. He is appointed by the President, on the recommendations of the Union Government. He enjoys the same official status, salary and perks as available to the Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts. FIRST PRIVATE BILL PASSED IN RAJYA SABHA The Rajya Sabha has unanimously passed the Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014, which seeks to protect the rights of the transgender community, making it the first Private Member’s Bill to be cleared by the House in 46 years (the last private members bill was passed in the year 1968). The bill now will be moved in the Lok Sabha. The Bill envisages a comprehensive national policy to ensure the development and welfare of the transgender community. Ms. SWARAJ VISITS INDONESIA External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj paid a 5-day visit to Indonesia to attend the 60th commemoration of the 1955 Asian-African Conference and to attend the 10th anniversary celebrations of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership. INDIA ELECTED TO FOUR UN AGENCIES India has been elected to four key subsidiary bodies of the United Nations' Economic and Social Council including the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The other three bodies are - Executive Board of the World Food Programme, Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and Governing Council of the UN Human Settlements Programme. FREE TREATMENT FOR ACID VICTIMS The Supreme Court has asked all private hospitals in India to provide full free treatment to acid attack victims, including medicines and expensive reconstruction surgeries. The order came on a public interest litigation petition filed by Laxmi, an acid attack victim, following a nine year fight for the rights of acid attack victims. LAW COMMISSION REPORT ON LEPROSY The 20th Law Commission headed by Justice (retd.) Ajit Prakash Shah has submitted its report titled ‘Eliminating Discrimination against Persons Affected by Leprosy’ to the Union Ministry of Law and Justice. It recommended the repealing of The Lepers Act, 1898 and removal of the word ‘leper’ from various statutes as it was considered ‘derogatory.’


‘GREENPEACE’ FACES HEAT FROM THE GOVT The government has frozen the bank accounts of the international environment campaign group- Greenpeace India for six months by invoking the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), accusing it of encouraging “anti-development” protests in the country. The Home Ministry said it was “a threat to national economic security”. It is suspected that foreign-funded NGOs were blocking the expansion of nuclear power and the introduction of genetically modified products. INDIA LOW IN BUSINESS RESILIENCE India has been ranked 119th out of 130 countries on the 2015 FM Global Resilience Index which measures business resilience based on economic, risk quality and supply chain factors. Norway tops the index for being the best suited for companies seeking to avoid disruptions in their global supply chain. INDIA 5TH IN PRODUCING E-WASTE The ‘Global E-Waste Monitor 2014 report by the United Nations University says that India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world, discarding around 1.7 million tonnes of electronic equipment in 2014. The list is topped by USA, followed by China, Japan and Germany. INDIA RANKS BELOW PAK IN ‘HAPPINESS’

As per the 2015 World Happiness Report published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network of UNO, India comes at the 117th spot out of 158 countries, faring below

even Pakistan (81) and Bangladesh (109). The index takes into account

per capita GDP, life expectancy, social support and freedom to make life choices as indicators of happiness. Switzerland claimed the first rank, followed by Iceland, Denmark and Norway. INDIA RANKS 89TH IN USAGE OF ICT India has slipped six places to rank 89th in Global Networked Readiness Index compiled by the World Economic Forum, showing a "widespread" weakness in its potential to leverage information and communications technologies (ICT) for social and economic gains. INDIA BELOW NEPAL IN ‘SOCIAL PROGRESS’ Out of the 133 countries rated in the Social Progress Index on indicators of well-being such as health, water and sanitation, personal safety, personal freedom and choice, India ranks at the 101st place. Even Nepal and Bangladesh rank higher than India. Norway has bagged the first rank on the index.

India Post released special commemorative stamps to mark 50 years of Indo-French co-operation in space research at a function held in Puducherry.

Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan President arrived in New Delhi on April 27 on a 3 day visit.

The 5th meeting of the Health Ministers of SAARC countries held in New Delhi in April.

MARCH 2015 PM VISITS SEYCHELLES With a view to expanding its footprint in the strategic Indian Ocean, India signed four agreements with Seychelles for cooperation in hydrography, renewable energy, infrastructure development and maritime security during the visit of India’s Prime Minister’s visit on March 11. He also launched a Coastal Surveillance Radar project to boost security cooperation with the island nation. India promised to give one Dornier aircraft and free visa on arrival for three months to the citizens of Seychelles.

PM VISITS MAURITIUS Prime Minister visited Mauritius on March 12 and inked five MoUs with Mauritius to give new impetus to bilateral co-operation. The agreements signed included one on Ocean economy which will help utilise the rich marine resources of Mauritius.

PM VISITS SRI LANKA India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements during Mr. Modi's maiden visit to the island nation on March 13-14. The agreements are on visa, customs, youth development and building Rabindranath Tagore memorial in Sri Lanka. Facility of Tourist Visa on Arrival and Electronic

Travel Authorization Scheme to Sri Lankan citizens to start from April 14, 2015.

India to cooperate in developing a Ramayana Trail in Sri Lanka and a Buddhist Circuit in India.

P M PAYS HOMAGE TO MARTYRS

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


MODI, SATYARTHI AMONG TOP 50 LEADERS Prime Minister Narendra Modi (5th) and Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi (28th) have been named among the 50 greatest leaders in the world by Fortune magazine in its annual list of extraordinary men and women transforming business, government and philanthropy. BHARAT RATNA CONFERRED UPON VAJPAYEE The President of India, breaking away from the protocol, conferred the Bharat Ratna on Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee on March 27 in New Delhi in a simple ceremony held at the residence of Shri Vajpayee, on account of his poor health condition. Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya was accorded Bharat Ratna posthumously during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan on March 30th. INDIA AND QATAR SIGN SIX AGREEMENTS The Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani visited India and held extensive talks with the Prime Minister. The two countries inked six pacts for cooperation in energy sector and boosting trade and investment. An agreement was also signed on the transfer of sentenced persons allowing the Indian convicts in Qatar to complete their balance sentence in India and vice versa. S C CANCELS RESERVATION FOR JATS

The Supreme Court of India has nullified the Central Government's decision to include Jats in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. The top court said that caste can't be the sole factor to decide

backwardness, maintaining that Jats don't form socio-economic backward class. The decision will prevent the Jat population in India from availing of the special benefits of reservation in jobs and educational institutions. AADHAAR NOT MUST FOR AVAILING SUBSIDY The Supreme Court has given a landmark ruling, confirming that the Aadhaar card is not compulsory for availing of various government subsidies and any other benefits, and warned that officials ignoring this would be taken to task. CONFERENCE ON COUNTER TERRORISM A 3-day International Conference on Counter Terrorism 2015 was held at Jaipur in March. It was organised by India Foundation in association with the Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice, Jodhpur to develop an integrated approach to counter terrorism.

S C RULES AGAINST SECTION 66A The Supreme Court has struck down the controversial 2009 amendment to India's Information Technology Act known as section 66A as it was “unconstitutional” and a restriction on freedom of speech. Section 66A makes the sending information of "grossly offensive or menacing character" punishable by up to 3 years in jail ATTORNEY GENERAL IS PUBLIC AUTHORITY The Delhi High Court has ruled that the Attorney General is not merely a lawyer for the government, but is a constitutional authority and thus falls under the ambit of the RTI Act. The High Court reversed the 2012 decision of the Central Information Commission in which a full bench had ruled that the AG is only a person and can't be considered an "authority" under the Act. WORLD’S 1st SOLAR AIRCRAFT LANDS IN INDIA Solar Impulse, claimed to be the world’s only solar-powered aircraft, made a stopover in Ahmadabad on its maiden global journey. The Swiss aircraft can fly day and night without a drop of fuel, propelled solely by the sun’s energy. The single-seater aircraft made of carbon fibre has a 72 metre wingspan, larger than that of Boeing-747 and weighs just 2,300 kg. INDIA UNFURLS WORLD’s TALLEST FLAG The world’s largest and tallest Indian national flag was unfurled in Faridabad, Haryana. The flag has dimensions of 96 feet by 64 feet and weighs 48 kilograms. The flag was hoisted at a height of 250 feet (75 meters), thus, making it the world’s largest and the highest hoisted Indian flag. The 58th All India Ayurvedic Congress was held at

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

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

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

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

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


FEBRUARY 2015

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

Ms. SWARAJ VISITS CHINA External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj went to China on a four day official visit. She met the Chinese President Xi Jinping also. The visit focused on resolving the tensions on border issue. She also launched the Visit India Year in China at a function in Beijing.

INDIA FARES POOR IN PRESS FREEDOM India has been ranked 136TH in terms of press freedom in 2015, out of 180 nations in the World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters without Borders. Countries are ranked on the basis of media pluralism and independence, respect for the safety and freedom of journalists and the legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which the media operates. Finland, Norway and Denmark were on the top of the list.

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

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

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

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

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

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

NEWS FROM STATES

APRIL 2015

‘SUBODHAM’ PROJECT LAUNCHED IN KERALA

The Kerala government, supported by UNICEF, has launched a major campaign Subodham, to wean people away from liquor addiction. The project aims to free one lakh persons each year from alcohol addiction, through comprehensive, systematic awareness campaigns.


GIFT CITY LAUNCHED IN GUJARAT

The Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, GIFT City was inaugurated near Gandhinagar, Gujarat. It is intended to be a global financial hub. The domestic banks will be allowed to open, for the first time in India, International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) as offshore banking units. They will be exempted from the SLR and CRR requirements and but will not be allowed to handle cash transactions.

THANE WINS RENEWABLE ENERGY AWARD An 11-member international jury has declared Thane, a city in Maharashtra as the India’s National Earth Hour Capital as it won the Earth Hour City Challenge held in Seoul, South Korea. Seoul was declared the Global Earth Hour Capital 2015. The year-long competition among cities is aimed at promoting renewable energy and preparations for climate change.

20 WOOD SMUGGLERS SHOT DEAD IN ANDHRA At least 20 labourers hired by suspected red sanders wood smugglers were shot dead on in a violent encounter with the task force of the Andhra Pradesh police in the Seshachalam forests on the outskirts of the temple town Tirupati, district Chitoor.

The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to name its new capital as Amravati, considering its historic, mythological and spiritual significance.

Punjab has launched ‘Padho Punjab-Khedo Punjab Mission’ to provide school students a separate period 40-50 minute period exclusively for playing games.

The Kudermukh National Park, Karnataka and Rajaji National Park, Uttarkhand declared ‘tiger reserves’ by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

Assam to erect bio-fences with thickets of thorny bamboos to replace the electric fences, to ward off straying elephants.

MARCH 2015

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

OLIVE RIDLEY BEGIN MASS NESTING The mass nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles, an endangered species, started in March near river Rushikulya mouth in Odisha's Ganjam district. On the first day, over 10,000 female turtles laid eggs in the over 3-km-long sandy beach. 'AAPKI BETI HUMARI BETI' SCHEME LAUNCHED The Haryana government has launched 'Aapki Beti Humari Beti' programme to provide cash assistance of Rs 21,000 to first-born girl child of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Below Poverty Line families and all second girl children born on or after Jan 22, 2015 of all families.

HARYANA MOVES TO BAN COW SLAUGHTER The Haryana Legislative Assembly passed the Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvar-dhan Bill, 2015, which bans cow slaughter, sale of beef and prescribes rigorous punish-ment for violations, ranging from punishment of up to 10 years with a fine up to one lakh rupees. THREE STATES EXEMPTED FROM ‘PAP’ In a written reply to a query, the Rajya Sabha was informed that Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland have been excluded from the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime for foreign tourists till December 31.

FEBRUARY 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

APRIL 2015

P M LAUNCHES AIR QUALITY INDEX In a concerted effort to tackle the menace of air pollution, PM Modi has launched India's first Air Quality Index. The index will provide information on the quality of air / air pollution in 10 major cities in the country on a daily basis. Delhi's air pollution has been in focus in recent months, as the city has surpassed Beijing as the most polluted city in the world. CABINET AMENDS JUVENILE JUSTICE ACT The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal to try juveniles, who are 16 to 18 years and are accused of heinous crimes, under the laws meant for adults. The Juvenile Justice Board will have the power to assess whether the perpetrator of a heinous crime aged between 16 and 18 should be tried under the regular laws or not. ‘E-SAMIKSHA’ LAUNCHED BY RAILWAYS The Railways has launched a new web portal ‘E-Samiksha’ to focus on Budget Review, Board Meetings, Zonal Railway Review, Infrastructure Targets and Project Implementation Review. RSBY SHIFTED TO HEALTH MINISTRY The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) of the Labour and Employment Ministry will now be implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The scheme provides IT-enabled and smart card-based cashless health insurance, including maternity benefit cover up to Rs. 30,000 per annum on a family floater basis to the BPL families. LAND RECORDS TO HAVE FIELD FOR ‘GENDER’ The government has asked the states to introduce a "gender" field for land owners in their property records. The move has been undertaken as part of the central government's National Land Records Modernisation Programme. Once the share of women in land ownership is ascertained, the data will be used to direct policy initiatives in this area.

NJAC ACT NOTIFIED The Government has the notified the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, also known as constitution (99th Amendment) Act, 2014, which will replace the 23-year-old collegiums system for appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and the High Courts. Under the Act, the SC and HCs will have judges appointed by a six-member panel headed by the Chief Justice of India and comprising two senior most SC judges, the Union Law Minister and two eminent persons. NEW ‘e-TOURIST VISA’ SCHEME LAUNCHED The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to change the name of the scheme 'Tourist Visa on Arrival-Electronic Travel Authorization' to 'e-Tourist Visa' (eTV). The scheme will be extended to more countries and airports in a phased manner. GOVT TO PROMOTE ECO FRIENDLY VEHICLES Union Government has launched Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) – India Scheme. The scheme was launched as part of the National Mission for Electric Mobility to boost eco-friendly vehicle sales in the country. RESTRICTIONS ON GIFTS TO IAS/IPS OFFICERS

According to the recently amended all India Services Rules, the IAS and IPS officers now will have to take prior permission from the Central Government before accepting gifts worth more than Rs 5,000. They also need to inform the government, if they accept gifts of over Rs. 25,000 from their relatives or friends on customary occasions like weddings, anniversaries, birthdays etc. APP LAUNCHED FOR RAIL TICKETS BOOKING The Railway launched the ‘UTS on mobile’ (unreserved ticket system) app to relieve suburban train passengers from the serpentine queues for getting tickets. The new service allows the travellers to produce e-tickets or carry the ticket image on their mobile phones for suburban train services.


P & S BILL PASSED BY THE PARLIAMENT The payments and settlements systems amendment bill 2014 was passed by the Parliament on April 27. The bill aims to address the problem of insolvency in the payment and settlement system by increasing transparency and stability. TRANSPORT ALLOWANCE EXEMPTION RAISED With effect from April 1, 2015, the transport allowance exemption for employees has been raised to Rs 1600 per month from Rs 800 for the purpose of Income tax. The exemption limit for the blind and orthopedically handicapped employees has been raised to Rs 3200 per month from the earlier Rs 1600. The Govt. has set up a task force chaired by B N

Navalawala to examine relevant issues to expedite the work on the interlinking of rivers in the country.

MARCH 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘TWITTER SAMVAD’ LAUNCHED BY THE PM As part of the government's Digital India campaign, a new service ‘Twitter Samvad’ was launched in New Delhi by the Prime Minister. Everyday, a set of curated tweets will be delivered as SMS from the government and leaders' accounts to those mobile users across the country, who register for this service. Mr Modi and several state Chief Ministers have joined the scheme. LAND BILL PASSED BY LOK SABHA The controversial Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill was approved by the Lok Sabha in March despite a walkout by all opposition parties. The bill has been allowed to lapse as the government lacks majority in Rajaya Sabha. The ordinance in this regard is expected to be re-promulgated. ANTI BLACK MONEY BILL PASSED BY CABINET In a bid to unearth black money and illicit assets stashed abroad, the Union Cabinet has approved the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of New Tax) Bill, 2015 with stringent provisions for prosecution of such offences with rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years. Penalty at the rate of 300 % of taxes will be levied, besides the applicable tax, on the concealed income. P M KAUSHAL VIKAS YOJNA LAUNCHED The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) with an outlay of Rs 1,500 crore to provide skills training to youth, including Class 10 and 12 drop outs. The scheme will cover 24 lakh persons. It will be implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). 33% RESERVATION FOR WOMEN IN POLICE The Central government has announced 33 per cent reservation for women in police forces of union territories, including Delhi, for posts ranging from constables to sub-inspectors, in a move aimed at making police more gender-sensitive. ‘KAYA KALP’ COUNCIL TO OVERHAUL RLYs. The Ministry of Railways has constituted the Kaya Kalp council and appointed Ratan Tata its head to recommend innovative methods and processes for the improvement, betterment and transformation of the Railways. The council will have two railway union leaders also.


PHARMA JAN SAMADHAAN SCHEME LAUNCHED Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministry has launched the Pharma Jan Samadhaan scheme for redressal of grievances of consumers related to drug pricing and availability of medicines. It is a web based scheme created by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority NEW WEBSITE FOR CEMENT SUPPLY

Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has launched a new web portal, www.inampro.nic.in to monitor the supply of cement at all India level. It will benefit the bulk users like developers of big infra projects as they can view the asking price as well as the nearest factory. INAM-PRO stands for platform for infrastructure and materials providers BACHCHAN TO LEAD WAR AGAINST HEPATITIS The government has again roped in Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador, this time for its campaign against Hepatitis B. According to the latest WHO data, Hepatitis B is responsible for 1.4 million deaths every year globally. India has over 40 million hepatitis B patients.

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

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

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

FEBRUARY 2015

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

The first sub-group will study the 66 centrally-sponsored schemes and recommend which schemes should continue, which should be transferred to states, and which to discontinue.

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

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

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

ALL INDIA MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY From May 3, cell phone subscribers will be able to retain the same mobile number on relocating to anywhere in India. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India amended the mobile number portability (MNP) regulations for this purpose. At present, number portability is available only within a telecom circle.

PM LAUNCHES SOIL HEALTH CARD SCHEME The nationwide “Soil Health Card” scheme was launched by the Prime Minister from Suratgarh, Rajasthan on Feb 19, focusing on the health of soil to boost productivity and bring about increased prosperity. At least 14 crore cards are to be issued over the next three years. NATIONAL DEWORMING DAY ON FEB 10

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the first National Deworming Day on Feb 10 to reduce the threat of parasitic worm infections in children. Medicine Albendazole will be orally administered to pre-school and school-going children between one and nineteen years of age in 12 states to begin with. ‘MADAD’ LAUNCHED FOR CONSULAR SERVICES Government has launched Consular Grievances Monitoring System named MADAD-Because You Are Us- to register grievances pertaining to the Consular Services offered by the Indian Missions abroad. TWO CRORE TOILETS UNDER MNREGA Govt plans to construct over two crore toilets in select villages across the country under a programme of making India free from open defecation by 2019. The project will be implemented under MNREGA. Literate and active women MNREGA workers will be selected as the 'Sanitary Mates' to provide basic lessons about use of toilets to people living in villages.

http://www.inampro.nic.in


The govt has launched a single window e-Biz portal for 11 Central government services to bring transparency in the ease of doing business.

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

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

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

APRIL 2015

M STANLEY PUTS INDIA’s GROWTH AT 7.9%

Multinational financial services corporation Morgan Stanley says that India's economy will grow at 7.9 per cent this fiscal and 8.4 per cent in financial year 2016-17 due to government's determined efforts to implement policy actions, reviving productive investment and cutting back less effective policies.

MOODY’s PROJECT A GROWTH RATE OF 7.5% International credit rating agency Moody’s has predicted India’s growth to be 7.5 percent for the year 2015. The agency observed that on account of India's recent policy initiatives, pick-up in investments and lower oil prices, the economy is on a cyclical upswing.

INDIA’s GDP SET TO GROW BY 7.5% - IMF The International Monetary Fund, in its latest World Economic Outlook says that India will overtake China as the fastest growing emerging economy in 2015-16 by clocking a growth rate of 7.5 per cent on the back of recent policy initiatives, pick-up in investments and lower oil prices.

INDIA TO GROW BY 7.5% - WORLD BANK The World Bank has predicted that the GDP growth in India is expected to accelerate to 7.5 percent in the FY 2015 -16 and could reach 8 per cent in 2017-18, supported by investment growth. The report said that a strong expansion in the country, coupled with favorable oil prices, would accelerate this economic growth.

MOODY’s UPGRADES INDIA’s RATING Rating agency Moody's has raised the rating outlook for India from stable to positive, saying that there is a higher probability that the policy initiatives will enhance the country's economic strength and, in turn, the sovereign's financial strength in future. EXPORTS FAIL TO MEET TARGET Exports fell by a sharp 21% in March continuing the weak trend and the country missed the annual target ($340 bn) by $29.5 billion, reaching only $310.5 billion for the year 2014-15. Imports, too, dipped by 0.59% to $447.5 billion in 2014-15, leaving a trade deficit of $137 billion in the last fiscal. INDUSTRIES GROW BY HEALTHY 5 % Industrial production grew at a nine-month high of 5 per cent in February on improved mining and manufacturing activity, coupled with larger offtake of capital goods. The factory output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), had declined by 2 per cent in February last year.

Growth in eight core industries slowed to 1.4 % in February, due to output decline in five sectors, including crude oil and natural gas.

India's foreign exchange reserves rose by $2.78 billion to $343.20 billion in week ended April 17, 2015

MARCH 2015

ADB PUTS INDIA’S GROWTH AT 7.8 % The Asian Development Outlook Report from the Asian Development Bank says that India’s growth rate is expected to surpass China and improve to 7.8 per cent in next fiscal and further to 8.2 per cent in 2016-17 on the back of government's structural reform agenda and improved external demand. INDIA TO GROW BY 7.7% - OECD According to a recent OECD report, India is poised to grow 7.7 %this year and 8 per cent in 2016 to become the "fastest growing major economy" in the world, beating even China which is expected to grow by 7%. PER CAPITA INCOME UP BY 37.6% As per a reply submitted in Parliament, India's per capita annual income rose by 37.6 per cent in the last four years to Rs 88,533 in 2014-15. It was Rs. 71,593 in 2012-13 and Rs 80,388 in 2013-14.


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

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

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

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

ECONOMY & INDUSTRY

APRIL 2015

FOREIGN TRADE POLICY ANNOUNCED The government has announced its Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) for the period 2015-20. The policy aims to push manufacturing and services exports, simplification of procedures, focus on the ease of doing business and integrating programmes like Make in India with the export push. It aims to increase exports to USD 900 billion by 2019-20, from USD 466 billion in 2013-14 and raise India's share in world exports from 2 percent to 3.5 percent.

WOMEN DIRECTOR MUST FOR LISTED COs. Taking to task the companies without a woman dire ctor, the SEBI has announced a penalty of a minimum Rs 50,000 on such companies for non-compliance beyond September, 2015. The fine will be levied by the stock exchanges as it violates the Listing Agreement. Around 1,000 companies on the BSE and nearly 200 on the NSE are guilty of non-compliance with the rule. The SEBI rules require every listed company to have at least one woman director on their board.

ROURKELA STEEL PLANT EXPANDED The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation an expansion and modernization project worth Rs 12,000 crore at Rourkela Steel Plant, Odisha. It is the first Integrated Steel Plant of India set up in the public sector. It was set up in the 1960s with German collaboration.

TARGET SET FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY The conference of Power, Renewable Energy and Mines ministers of all states and union territories of India was held in Guwahati. A target of generating 1 lakh 75 thousand megawatt of renewable energy in the next 5 years has been set by the Central Government

IGATE ACQUIRED BY CAPGEMINI The Paris based IT giant Capgemini has acquired the New Jersey-based IT company I-GATE, for $4 billion in cash. The deal, one of the largest in the Indian information technology sector, will see the exit of IGATE co-founders Ashok Trivedi and Sunil Wadhwani.

PPF INTEREST RATE REMAINS 8.7% The government has decided to keep the rate of interest on General Provident Fund and Public Provident Fund (PPF) contributions unchanged at 8.7 per cent for 2015-16. The interest rates for senior citizens savings schemes will now be 9.3 per cent and for the Sukanya Samriddhi Account for the girl child, 9.2 per cent, w.e.f. April, 2015

MoC ON TRANSPORTATION WITH USA India and USA have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on transportation to enable India to use the world's latest technology available with the USA for projects like development of waterways and multi-modal hubs. It would cover highways, urban transportation, safety and environmental protections, vehicle and behavioral safety, fuel efficiency, rail transportation and maritime shipping.

MOBILE TARRIFS REDUCED BY TRAI Starting May, mobile calls made during roaming will be cheaper by up to 23 per cent while a local SMS will cost only 25 paise, a steep cut of 75% from the present Re 1, as regulator TRAI has slashed ceiling tariffs. TRAI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

INDIA NOT YET READY FOR E-COMMERCE India has been ranked 83rd on a new index compiled by the UN trade body UNCTAD for assessing the readiness of countries for electronic commerce. In terms of the number of complaints made against companies selling online, India ranks pretty high at the 4th place. Snapdeal.com has picked up a majority stake in

digital financial products platform, RupeePower to enter Rs 4,500 crore online financial services market.

As per a World Bank report, India tops in receiving remittances from its global migrant workforce, receiving around $ 70 billion in 2014.


MARCH 2015

P M TO MONITOR HELD UP PROJECTS

To give impetus to stalled projects and ensure their timely execution across the country, the Prime Minister plans to have a regular direct interaction with officials in the states and the central ministries. Titled Pragati, an acronym for Pro-active Governance and Timely Implementation, the programme will be conducted through video conferences. CABINET APPROVES ‘SAGARMALA’ PROJECT At least 12 smart cities at ports and several coastal economic zones will come up under the ambitious Sagarmala project approved by the Union Cabinet. The project will include smart cities which will have affordable housing, wind & solar power and green industry, 1,208 islands to be developed for attracting tourists and 189 light houses also. NEW CPI TO COVER 460 ITEMS The Central Statistics Office released the new Consumer Price Index with revised base year as 2012. The new index will reflect any increase in prices of items like mineral water or potato-chip as well as changes in data usage charges as the number of items in the CPI basket has been increased to 448 from 437 in rural areas and to 460 from 450 in urban areas. The CPI tracks inflation at the consumer level and has become the key measure of inflation used by the Reserve Bank of India for monetary policy action. Rs 1.10 TRN FROM SPECTRUM AUCTION The government has fetched about 1.10 lakh crore rupees after rigorous bidding in the auctioning of telecom spectrum. The auction was conducted for 800 MHz, 900 Mhz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz covering both mobile telephony and broadband, including 4G. NGT PULLS UP RLYs FOR CLEANLINESS The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has announced a fine of Rs 5,000 on individuals spotted littering or throwing waste on the railway platforms and tracks. The tribunal directed the Railways to collect, transport and treat the waste at the treatment plants instead of directly releasing the garbage into sewer system.

AGRI PRODUCTION TO EXCEED 257 MT As per the second advance estimates for 2014-15, the foodgrain output in the country is estimated at 257.07 million tonnes, far more than the projected requirement of 249 million tonnes for the year. The average annual increase in the overall foodgrain production has been 3.48 per cent during the period 2009-10 to 2014-15.

WB AID FOR GANGA SAGAR DEVELOPMENT The World Bank has sanctioned 100 crore rupees for all round development of Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas District of West Bengal. Every year, lakhs of pilgrims from India and abroad offer prayers at Gangasagar on Sagar Island on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

LIC TO INVEST 1.5 TRILLION IN RAILWAYS In the biggest ever funding for the Railways, the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) committed Rs 1.5 lakh crore for development of various railway projects over the next five years. The investment would be made through bonds issued by the Railways. MACAU/HK BANNED FROM BUYING PROPERTY The RBI has included Macau and Hong Kong in the list of countries whose citizens are prohibited from acquiring or transferring immovable property in India. The other prohibited countries include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Nepal and Bhutan.

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

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

JOINT EFFORT FOR GREENER INDIA The government has decided to merge the National Mission for a Green India (GIM) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employ-ment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to facilitate afforestation on 10

million hectares of land over the next decade. This would, in turn, help provide forest-based livelihood income to three million households.

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


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

NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS NOT LIABLE Govt has clarified that the U.S. suppliers of nuclear reactors and parts will not be directly liable in case of a nuclear accident, nor can they be sued by Indian nuclear operators unless the contract they sign clearly states it. Further, the immediate liability for any incident will be channelled only to the operator — in this case the public sector unit Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. There will be no changes in the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages (CLND) Act, 2011.

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

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

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

UNION BUDGET 2015 – 16 HIGHLIGHTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’ to be fully supported.

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

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

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

FUNDING THE UNFUNDED Micro Units Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

INFRASTRUCTURE National Investment and Infrastructure Fund to be

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

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

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

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

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

FINANCIAL MARKET Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) bringing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Additional deduction of Rs 25000 allowed for differently abled persons.

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

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

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

MAJOR BUDGETARY ALLOCATIONS

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

2,27,387

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

34699

National Livelihood Mission (Rural & Urban)

3343

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

12257

Micro, Small And Medium Enterprises 1350 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan 22000


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

4500

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

2100

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

9790

KEY BUDGET FIGURES – 2015-16

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

2 Tax Revenue (net to centre) 919842

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

5 Recoveries of Loans 10753

6 Other Receipts 69500

7 Borrowings and other

liabilities 555649

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

10 On Revenue Account - of

which, 1206027

11 Interest Payments 456145

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

14 On Revenue Account 330020

15 On Capital Account 135257 16 Total Expenditure

(9+13)(Budget Size) 1777477

17 Revenue Expenditure

(10+14) 1536047

18 Of Which, Grants for

creation of Capital Assets 110551

19 Capital Expenditure

(12+15) 241430

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

394472

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

283921

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

555649

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

99504

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

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

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

200 km High speed bullet train between Mumbai and

Ahmadabad Direct line from Delhi to Arunachal Pradesh

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

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

travelling unreserved can purchase a ticket within 5 minutes

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

Cleanliness in Railways highest priority under Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat

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

up to invite suggestions on improvements

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


BANKING & FINANCE

APRIL 2015

PRIORITY SECTOR LENDING NORMS MODIFIED The Reserve Bank has revised the Priority Sector Lending norms and has asked the banks to give 8 per cent of their total credit to small and marginal farmers. It will be within the overall target of 18 per cent for agricultural loans. Further, new segments like medium enterprises, social infrastructure and renewable energy firms have been brought under the ambit of priority sector lending. Housing loans to individuals, up to Rs. 28 lakh in metros and up to Rs. 20 lakh in other centres will be covered under priority sector lending, provided the overall cost of the house does not exceed Rs.35 lakh and Rs. 25 lakh, respectively. The banks are required to give 40 per cent of their total loans to the priority sector. RBI MAKES NO CHANGES IN KEY RATES The RBI has not changed any key policy rate in its first bimonthly monetary policy statement in April. It projected the GDP growth rate in 2015-16 at 7.8 per cent, up from 7.5 per cent in 2014-15 and expected retail inflation to be stabilize between 5 -5.5 per cent in 2015-16. RBI TURNS 80 ON APRIL 1 Addressing the 80th anniversary celebrations of the RBI in Mumbai, the Prime Minister asked the RBI to prepare a 20-year road map for “financial inclusion” and asked the banks to be considerate in giving loans to the poor as also while making recoveries from them, especially farmers. DIFFERENTIAL INTEREST ON BANK DEPOSITS The Reserve Bank has advised that now the banks will have the discretion to offer differential interest rates for term deposits of above Rs.15 lakh and these deposits can be made without the option of premature withdrawal as well. However, all term deposits of Rs.15 lakh and below should, necessarily, have premature withdrawal facility. KYC NORMS RELAXED FOR PROPRIETORS The Reserve Bank has relaxed the Know Your Customer norms for sole proprietor firms and has allowed them to open accounts in co-operative banks by submitting a single proof of their business. Earlier, they were required to submit two such documents.

INTEREST SUBVENTION TO CONTINUE The RBI has instructed the banks to continue the existing interest subvention scheme till June 30. Currently, an interest subvention of 2 per cent is available for short-term crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh per farmer, subject to conditions. Further, an additional interest subvention of 3 per cent is available to the farmers, who repay their loans on time. PM LAUNCHES MUDRA BANK PM Modi has launched the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, wherein MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) with a corpus of Rs 20,000 crore. It will give credit to small businesses and regulate micro-finance institutions, to promote their growth and creating more jobs. The bank will have three main loan schemes - Shishu for loans up to Rs 50,000; Kishor for loans above Rs 50,000 and up to Rs 5 lakh and Tarun for loans above Rs 5 lakh and up to Rs 10 lakh. ICICI LAUNCHES ‘TAP-N-PAY’ SERVICE The ICICI Bank, in arrangement with Tech Mahindra has launched a contactless payment service based on the Near Field Communications (NFC) technology. Called, ‘Tap n Pay’, it is a pre-paid facility open to all, wherein the users need to just tap the NFC- enabled tag or mobile phone at the merchant’s point-of-sale device to make payments. CENTRAL BANK WORST IN TERMS OF NPAs The latest RBI data places the Central Bank of India on the top of the public sector banks having a high percentage of bad loans including restructured assets as 21.5 % of its total loans are NPAs. The other banks suffering from high gross NPAs include the United Bank of India - 19.04 %, Punjab & Sind Bank - 18.25% and Punjab National Bank - 17.85 % as on December, 2014. GOOD GROWTH IN BANK LOANS & DEPOSITS Recent RBI data show that the Bank loans grew at a healthy rate of 11.47 per cent to Rs 68,30,965 crore in the fortnight ended April 3, from Rs 60,64,660 crore in the same fortnight last year and the deposits rose 12.63 per cent to Rs 89,11,484 crore from Rs 79,01,619 crore in the same period last year.

To facilitate bank account opening by the transgenders, RBI has directed banks to include a column 'third gender' in their forms/ applications.

The RBI has penalized 16 central co-operative banks with a fine of 5 lakh rupees each for non-adherence to ‘KYC’ and ‘Anti-Money Laundering’ guidelines.


MARCH 2015

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

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

NEW RUPEE ONE NOTE RELEASED

After a gap of over 20 years, Re 1 note has been released in the country and it bears the signature of Finance Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi. The note was released at Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, on March 6. The notes will be printed by the Government of India as provided in The Coinage Act 2011. Printing of one rupee notes was discontinued in November 1994 due to higher printing costs.

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

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

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

BANKS TO GIVE MORE LOANS TO MINORITIES The government has advised the PSU banks to step up lending to minorities with a view to ensuring that they get loans in proportion to their population. In terms of population, the Muslims make up the largest community, followed by Christians and Sikhs, besides Parsis, Buddhists and Jains. NPA SALE NORMS EASED The RBI has allowed the banks to reverse the excess provision on sale of bad loans to their profit and loss account, provided the transaction took place before February 26, 2014 and the cash received by way of sale assets is higher than the NBV (net book value)of the NPAs sold to a securitisation company or an asset reconstruction company (ARC), LENDING BAN LIFTED FROM UNITED BANK The Reserve Bank has removed the lending restriction on United Bank of India as the bank demonstrated an ability to arrest bad loans after its chairman's exit last year amid record non-perfoming assets. The UBI will have to maintain a CRAR (capital to risk weighted assets ratio) above 9.5% and a credit to deposit ratio not exceeding 70%. 'SUKANYA SAMRIDHI SCHEME' As many as 1.80 lakh accounts have been opened under the 'Sukanya Samridhi Scheme' in less than two months after the launch of the special programme for girl child, with the maximum number of accounts being opened in Karnataka.

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

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

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

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


FEBRUARY 2015

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

INDIANS CAN INVEST $2.50 LAC OVERSEAS Encouraged by foreign exchange reserves touching record peak levels, the Reserve Bank in its by monthly policy statement announced on Feb 3, doubled the annual overseas investment ceiling for individuals to $250,000 per person per year under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS).

RBI ALLOWS NON-CALLABLE DEPOSITS The RBI has allowed banks to offer deposit schemes up to Rs 1 crore which cannot be broken prematurely — so-called non-callable deposits — and they can earn different rates of interest. At present, all deposits accepted from individuals and a Hindu Undivided Family up to Rs 1 crore can be withdrawn prematurely, leading to asset-liability mismatches in banks.

PMJDY GETS IN TO GUINNESS BOOK Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana has got overwhelming response all over the country. It entered the Guinness Book of World Record for opening over 12.5 crore bank accounts through the public sector banks with around 10,500 crore rupees. The Rupay Debit Cards have been issued to over eleven crore account holders so far.

PMJDY OD TO BE PART OF PRIORITY SECTOR Reserve Bank has advised that the overdrafts extended by banks up to Rs.5,000 in PMJDY accounts will be eligible for classification under priority sector advances (‘others’ category) and also under ‘weaker sections’, provided the borrower’s household annual income does not exceed Rs.60,000 for rural areas and Rs.1.20 lakh in non-rural areas.

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

BANKS TO BE CLOSED ON 2ND/4TH SATURDAY As per an agreement reached between IBA and bank unions, public sector banks will remain closed on second and fourth Saturdays. However, they will work full-day on remaining Saturdays. At present banks work half-day on all Saturdays. BANKS TO DISCLOSE UNCLAIMED DEPOSITS In a bid to help people who have unclaimed deposits lying with banks, RBI has directed banks to prominently display such account holders' names on the websites and provide them with a "Find" option to locate the information easily. BANKS TO INSTALL CASH DEPOSIT MACHINES The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to install Cash Deposit Machines/ Bunch Note Acceptor Machines at locations selected by them (banks) without getting its prior permission. RBI, however, advised banks to install such machines with adequate security arrangements. BANKS NOT TO SEND FAKE NOTES TO POLICE The Union home ministry has asked the Reserve Bank to direct the banks that in case the number of counterfeit currency notes seized at a bank branch is up to four pieces in a single transaction, they need not send notes to the police but handle it themselves. Banks should not return counterfeit or fake note to the customers; instead, it should be cancelled & retained by the banks. INSTANT REMITTANCE APP FROM ICICI BANK ICICI Bank has launched ‘Pockets’, a digital banking service, enabling users to instantly send money to any e-mail id, mobile number, friends on Facebook and bank account. Anyone, including those who are not customers of ICICI Bank, can easily download the ‘e-wallet’ from Google Playstore, fund it from any bank account in the country and can start transactions immediately.

HDFC BANK RAISES 10,000 Cr FROM PUBLIC HDFC Bank raised about Rs 8,000 crore by selling American Depository Receipts in USA and another Rs. 2000 crore by selling India-listed shares to qualified institutional investors in India. It was the largest follow-on offer by a private sector firm. With this sale, HDFC Bank became one of the best capitalised lenders in the country with a capital adequacy ratio of 15.7 per cent.

CIC MEMBERSHIP COMPULSORY FOR LENDERS Reserve Bank has asked all credit institutions to become members of all Credit Information Companies. As per present rules, NBFCs are required to become member of at least one CIC and provide them credit data.


RULES FOR INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has said that a bank or an NBFC which proposes to undertake investment advisory services has to first obtain permission by Reserve Bank of India and then shall apply to SEBI for grant of registration.

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

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

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

DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

APRIL 2015 JOINT INDO-FRENCH NAVAL EXERCISE The 14th Indo-French Naval Exercise named VARUNA-15 commenced off the coast of Goa. The French Navy will be led by the Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle and the Indian Navy by the Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat. INS VISAKHAPATNAM LAUNCHED

INS Visakhapatnam, the Indian Navy's most powerful indigenously built stealth destroyer was launched into water at Mazagaon Dock in Mumbai. The Kolkata class warship will be inducted in Navy for operations in 2018. INDIA TO TAKE PART IN TALL SHIPS’ RACE INS Tarangini, the sail training ship of the Indian Navy left Kochi on an eight-month-long voyage through Europe to participate in the annual Tall Ships’ Races and other events organised under the aegis of Sail Training International.

AKRAMAN II CONDUCTED IN RAJASTHAN The Chetak Corps of the Army held its major battle exercise “Akraman-II” in the deserts of Rajasthan, along with the contingents of Indian Air Force to test the new generation of weapons and weapon platforms. BSF GETS HI TECH Mi-17 V5 HELICOPTERS

Two Russian-made Mi-17 V5 military helicopters, capable of withstanding small arms fire and operating in a nuclear disaster, were inducted into the Border Security Force. The helicopters will be used mainly in operations in the Maoist-affected areas and along the India-China border. INDIA GETS ITS FIRST ‘SCORPENE’ SUBMARINE The first of the six India-France joint venture Scorpene stealth submarines was launched for sea trials from the Mazagon Docks Limited in Mumbai. It has been named INS Kalvari, after a deep sea tiger shark. It will be formally inducted into the Indian Navy in 2016.

India test-fired its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-III ballistic missile, with a range of over 3,000 km, from the ITR near Chandipur in Odisha.

India successfully test-fired the nuclear-weapon capable Dhanush missile for its full range of 350 kms, off the Odisha coast.

An integrated Indian Army-Air Force operational war exercise code named ‘Bramhshira’ was conducted in the Suratgarh area in Rajasthan in last week of April.

Japan's state-of-the-art Maglev train clocked a new world speed record in a test run, smashing through the 600 kilometre per hour mark it had made earlier.

MARCH 2015

ASTRA MISSILE TEST FIRED SUCCESSFULLY The indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Astra, was successfully launched from a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft to hit a simulated target at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha. The all-weather missile developed by DRDO can engage and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speed (1.2 Mach to 1.4 Mach) in head-on (up to 80 km) and tail-chase (up to 20 km) modes.


NAVY CONDUCTS ‘TROPEX 2015’ Indian Navy’s Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise (TROPEX) exercise concluded on 27 February. The month long exercise aimed at validating the Indian Navy’s Concept of Operations and the area of operations spanned the Arabian Sea and Northern Indian Ocean. Three Immediate Support Vessels (ISVs), armed with

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

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

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

IRNSS – 1D LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY On March 29, India took another step towards putting in place an alternative to the American GPS by putting in orbit IRNSS-1D (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System), the fourth of the seven satellites that would form a navigation satellite network. The IRNSS -1D weighing 1,425kg was placed in a sub-

geostationary orbit by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C27) launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

INDIA’s POLAR REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE India's first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle (PROVe), indigenously built by National Insti-tute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), was made operati-onal for research in Marchin "Priyadarshini lake" on the Schirmacher Oasis in North Antarctica. ‘ROTAVAC’ VACCINE AGAINST DIARRHOEA India’s first indigenously developed and manufac-tured rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac, was launched in New Delhi. The vaccine will boost efforts to combat infant mortality due to diarrhoea. Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhoea among infants and young children WIRELESS TRANSFERR OF ELECTRIC POWER In a breakthrough, Japanese researchers have successfully transmitted electric power wirelessly to a pinpointed target using microwaves, an advance that brings space-based solar power closer to reality.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



INTERNATIONAL

APRIL 2015

LANDMARK IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL SIGNED After marathon talks in Lausanne, Switzerland, world powers and Iran have agreed on the framework of a historic deal aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear drive. It marks a major breakthrough in a 12-year standoff between Iran and the Western powers that have long feared of Iran wanting to build a nuclear bomb. Iran agreed to the deal in return for lifting tough sanctions. The outline agreed now has to be finalized in a highly complex agreement by June 30.

W B TO FOCUS ON AIR POLLUTION CONTROL

The World Bank launched Pollution Management and Environmental Health (PHEM) program on Global Citizen Earth Day (April 18) to focus primarily on air quality management in countries facing rapid urbanization and on tackling water and land pollution. EBOLA CLAIMS 10,800 LIVES The World Health Organisation has said that more than 26,000 people have been infected with Ebola since the outbreak began in December, 2013 and more than 10,800 have died, almost all of them in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. GLOBAL FINANCIAL INCLUSION REACHES 62% As per Global Findex, a global database to study financial inclusion, the percentage of adults with an account increased from 51 per cent to 62 per cent between 2011 and 2014, a trend driven by rise in account ownership in developing countries and the role of technology. WORLD TRADE TO GROW BY 3.3% A World Trade Organization (WTO) forecast says that the global goods trade will grow by 3.3 percent in the year 2015 and by 4.0 percent in 2016, mainly due to sluggish economic growth caused by falling oil prices, currency volatility and the slowdown in major emerging economies.

World Haemophilia Day was observed globally on 17th April, 2015 with the theme ‘Building a Family of Support’.

Air Canada to resume direct flights between Toronto and Delhi from the coming winter season. The flights were discontinued in 2005.

Chinese President Xi Jinping was honoured with the Nishan-e-Pakistan, highest Pak civilian award, during his recent official visit to Pakistan.

Around 900 illegal migrants trying to reach Europe were feared killed after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean sea, off the Libyan coast.

Official data released by China shows that the country’s GDP grew at its slowest pace in six years in the first quarter of 2015, at just 7 per cent.

Palestine formally joined the International Criminal Court (ICC), raising hopes of a possible prosecution of Israelis for alleged war crimes.

MARCH 2015

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

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


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

‘HARVARD’ IS BEST IN THE WORLD Once again, no Indian university made it to the list of top 100 most prestigious global universities in the latest “world reputation ranking” of the 100 most prestigious universities by Times Higher Education of UK. The rankings placed Harvard University, USA at the top, followed by the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford in the second and third place respectively.

RECORD FALL IN WORLD FOOD PRICES Global food prices fell to a nearly five-year low in February this year on increased supply of key food items and strong US dollar, says a report from Food and Agriculture Organisation-FAO. Food prices averaged at 179.4 points in February, down from 208.6 points in February 2014. The FAO's Food Price Index is a trade-weighted index that tracks prices of five major food commodity groups on international markets - cereals, meat, dairy products, vegetable oils and sugar. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY International Women’s Day was observed across the world on 8 March 2015. United Nations declared this year’s theme as ‘Make it Happen’ to encourage effective action for advancing and recognizing women.

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

FEBRUARY 2015

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

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

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

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

WINTER STORMS DISRUPT LIFE IN USA In the United States, more than 3,000 flights were cancelled as winter storms dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain across the northeastern region of United States. The worst affected airports were Chicago O'Hare International, Newark in New Jersey, New York's La Guardia and Boston Logan International.

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

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

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

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

PERSONS IN NEWS

APRIL 2015

VISWANATHAN ANAND, the Chess Grand Master of India now has a planet named after him, called '4538 Vishyanand'. The planet is a minor one discovered by Kenzo Suzuki of Japan in Toyota Observatory in 1988 but it was unnamed until now. A minor planet is an astronomical object which is neither a planet nor a comet. They are dwarf planets which have been archived by the Minor Planet Centre. MALALA YOUSAFZAI: Pakistan's teenage education activist and the world’s youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner was in news as an asteroid-316201, orbiting the sun between the Mars and the Jupiter, discovered by a US astronomer, has been named after her.


RAJA RAJESWARI: She is the first India-born woman to be appointed as a criminal court judge in the New York City. MOHAMMED MORSY: Ousted President of Egypt was in news as an Egyptian criminal court sentenced him 20 years in prison over the killing of protesters in 2012. MUSTAFA KAMAL: He resigned from the post of President of the International Cricket Council. He is also the President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board. ANA JARA: Prime Minister of Peru was sacked after she lost the vote of confidence in Congress. She was censured for alleged spying of several key personalities.

MARCH 2015

AMITAV GHOSH: He is the only Indian among 10 authors finalized for this year’s Man Booker International Prize for his contribution to English language writing. The prize is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction in English. VENKATRAMAN RAMAKRISHNAN: The Indian-American scientist, whose pioneering work in molecular biology won him the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has been elected to head Britain's prestigious Royal Society, an association of the many of the world's most distinguished scientists. SMRITI IRANI: Union HRD Minister has been named the Young Global Leader from India by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Switzerland M. C. MARY KOM: Veteran boxer from Manipur has been appointed a brand ambassador for north-east India to promote the region in the rest of the country and abroad. SAIF ALI KHAN: ‘Visit Britain’, the national tourism agency for Britain, has announced the appointment of the Nawab of Pataudi, Saif Ali Khan, as the spokesperson for the ‘Bollywood Britain’ tourism campaign in India. AZIZ QUERESHI: Governor of Mizoram was sacked By the President without assigning any specific reasons. TIM COOK: CEO of the IT giant Apple Inc has announced to donate his entire wealth totalling to $ 785 million to charity. CHRISTINE LAGARDE: Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund was in news as she visited India in March. She said that the recent policy reforms had given a boost to India's business climate and expected the Indian economy to grow by 7.5 per cent in the fiscal year 2015-16.

MOHAMED NASHEED: Former Maldivian President was sentenced to 13-year imprisonment by a criminal court of Maldive under the anti-terrorism laws. He was arrested over the detention of a judge in 2012. MARK LIPPERT: The US ambassador to South Korea was in news as he suffered a knife attack by a pro-North Korean activist Kim Ki-jong, during a breakfast meeting in Seoul on March 5 BILL GATES: stands atop Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's richest people, with a net worth of 79.2 billion dollars.

FEBRUARY 2015

AMARTYA SEN: 81 year old Nobel laureate economist was in news as he resigned as the Chancellor of Nalanda University, alleging political interference in the affairs of the University. DEEPIKA MISRA: Squadron Leader of Indian Air Force became the first and the only woman pilot to make it to the helicopter acrobatic display team - Sarang of the Indian Air Force. SUMITRA MAHAJAN: Lok Sabha Speaker’s name was included in the LIMCA book of records for being the only woman of the country to represent the same Lok Sabha constituency on the same party ticket for eight times in a row. SALONI DALAL: A 12 year old school girl from Karnataka became the youngest medal winner in the 35th National Games in Kerala by winning a Bronze medal in the 200 meter breast stroke swimming event.

RICKY KEJ: Bengaluru-based musician was in news as his collaborative album 'Winds of Samsara' with African flautist Wouter Kellerman won the ‘Best New Age Album’ award at the 57th Grammy Awards announced in Los Angeles, USA

NEELA VASWANI: won the Grammy in the Best Children's Album category for rendering audio version of the book 'I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education and Changed the World’ by Malala Yousafzai.

AJAY BANGA: President and Chief Executive Officer of MasterCard and the Chairman of the US India Business Council, has been appointed as a member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations by the US government.

ANGELINA JOLIE: Cine actress -director of America has been named the most admired woman in the world in a survey by the British website dailymail.co.uk., leaving behind ladies like Malala Yousafzai, Hillary Clinton.


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

APRIL 2015

H L DATTU: Chairman, National Judicial Appointments Commission. He is the Chief Justice of India.

Dr. NASIM ZAIDI: New Chief Election Commissioner of India

SITARAM YECHURY: Elected General Secretary of the Communist Party (Marxist) of India

MOHAN KUMAR: Appointed the next Ambassador of India to France.

SUMIT MAZUMDER: President of CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) for 2015-16. He is the CMD of Tractors India Ltd.

BVR MOHAN REDDY: Elected Chairman of NASSCOM -The National Association of Software and Services Companies for 2015-16. He is the Chairman, Cyient Ltd.

VIRAT KOHLI: Goodwill Ambassador of Uttarakhand.

PEDRO CATERIANO BELLIDO: New Prime Minister of Peru

OMAR AL-BASHIR: Re-elected as President of Sudan

NURSULTAN NAZARBAYEV: Re-elected as President of Kazakhstan

MUHAMMADU BUHARI: Elected President of Nigeria. A former military ruler, he is the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in Nigeria.

MARCH 2015 KSHATRAPATI SHIVAJI: Chairman and Managing Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India.

ARUN KUMAR SINGH: India’s next Ambassador to the USA, An Indian Foreign Service officer, currently Ambassador to France.

JAGMOHAN DALMIYA: President of the BCCI

VIKAS SWARUP: The new spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry. A 1986 batch IFS officer, he is known for his book on which the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire was made.

K M MANI: Kerala Finance Minister has been appointed Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Re-elected Prime Minister of Israel.

FEBRUARY 2015

L C GOYAL: New Union Home Secretary

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

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

KSHATRAPATI SHIVAJI: New CMD of SIDBI

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

NITISH KUMAR: Chief Minister of Bihar, 4th time

ARVIND KEJRIWAL: Chief Minister of Delhi

MOHAMMAD SAYEED MUFTI: Chief Minister of J & K

KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIC: First female President of Croatia

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

SERGIO MATTARELLA: Italy’s new President

AWARDS & HONOURS

APRIL 2015

FBB FEMINA MISS INDIA WORLD 2015 RESULTS The finals were held in Mumbai in March, 2015 Miss World: Aditi Arya First Runner-up: Aafreen Rachel Vaz Second runner-up: Vartika Singh

GOLDEN PEACOCK NATIONAL QUALITY AWARD: Delhi International Airport Limited. The award is given for corporate excellence by the Institute of Directors, India.

Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award: Balbir Singh Senior, legendary hockey player, member of three Olympic gold medal winning teams. The award was given by the apex sports body i.e. Hockey India.

The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015: won by the Bharatiya Mahila Bank at Hong Kong

HEINZ AWARD IN TECHNOLOGY: Sangeeta Bhatia, an Indian-origin scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA.

INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Dr Subadhra Devi Rai, an Indian-origin nurse in Singapore. The award is given by the Florence Nightingale International Foundation (FNIF) of the International Council of Nurses.


'Margarita with a Straw', a disability based Indian film, directed by Sonali Bose has bagged the best feature film honour at the recently concluded Washington DC International Film festival in USA

MARCH 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEBRUARY 2015

60th FILMFARE AWARDS ANNOUNCED

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

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

GRAMMY AWARDS

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

Smith Best Pop Solo Performance - "Happy," Pharrell

Williams Best Rap Album - The Marshall Mathers LP2,

Eminem

BAFTA

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

BEST FILM: Boyhood by Richard Linklater

BEST DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST ACTOR: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS: Julianne Moore, Still Alice


50th JNANPITH AWARD - 2014: Bhalchandra Nemade, Marathi novelist, known for his famous novels – Kosala, Hindu.

STHREE SHAKTI AWARD: conferred upon Irom Sharmila, Human rights activist from Manipur who has been on an indefinite fast since November 4, 2000, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958.

BEST MARCHING CONTINGENTS Trophy for Republic Day Parade 2015 won jointly by the Brigade of The Guards and the Sikh Regiment awarded jointly the

AMARTYA SEN: Eminent Indian economist and Nobel laureate has been named as the first winner of a newly established Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize in the UK, in recognition of his work on welfare economics.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

APRIL 2015

Water, Peace, and War— Confronting the Global Water Crisis by Brahma Chellaney;

No Free Left — The Futures of Indian Communism by Vijay Prashad

KP: The Autobiography by Kevin Pietersen.

India Shastra— Reflections on the Nation in Our Time by Shashi Tharoor

Secularism, Identity, and Enchantment by Akeel Bilgrami

At The Helm— A Memoir by V. Krishnamurthy

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Mightier Than the Sword by Jeffrey Archer

MARCH 2015

On Religion by Late Khushwant Singh

God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican by Gerald Posner

Prince of Gujarat by Rajmohan Gandhi

Sahib: the British Soldier in India by Richard Holmes

Scion of Ikshvaku by Amish Tripathi. He is the author of the immensely popular Shiva Trilogy. His next series is on Lord Rama and this one is the first in the new series.

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

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

FEBRUARY 2015

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

The Ever After of Ashwin Rao Padma Viswanathan

The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett

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

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

OBITUARY

APRIL 2015

JANAKI BALLABH PATNAIK: Senior Congress leader, former 3-time Odisha Chief Minister and ex-Assam Governor passed away at the age of 89.

MALLI MASTAN BABU: World famous ace mountaineer from Hyderabad, who had gone missing in the Andes Mountains ranges in Chile, South America during a climbing mission, was found dead.

KAILASH VAJPEYI: Renowned Hindi poet passed away at the age of 79. He was editor of the popular Hindi magazine ‘Dharmyug’.

JAYAKANTHAN: Tamil novelist and short story writer (81), Gyanpith awardee, died in Chennai.

HRUSHIKESH MOOLGAONKAR: Retired Air Chief Marshal, recipient of Param Vishisht Seva medal and Mahaveer Chakra, passed away in Pune at the age of 95.

GUENTER GRASS: German novelist, the Nobel Prize-winning author of “The Tin Drum”, an epic treatment of the Nazi era, died at the age of 87.

RICHIE BENAUD: Former Australian captain and legendary cricket commentator

CHRISTOPHER ALAN BAYLY: An eminent historian and teacher, known for his work on colonial and post-colonial India, died in Chicago.

MARCH 2015

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

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


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

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

FEBRUARY 2015 D. RAMANAIDU: Veteran film producer from Andhra Pradesh, Padma Bhushan and Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner, holder of the Guinness Book of World Records for the most films produced by an individual, having produced more than 150 films in 13 Indian languages. R.R. PATIL: Former Maharashtra Home Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader (16th Feb 2015) RAJINDER PURI: Popular cartoonist, veteran columnist and political activist (16th Feb 2015). GAUR HARI SINGHANIA: Chairman, J K Group of Industries that includes JK Tyres, JK Cements. CHARLES H. TOWNES: American noble prize winner scientist, inventor of laser –‘Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation’.

PLACES IN NEWS

APRIL 2015

PURNIA: The city in Bihar was in news as around 70 persons were killed there and in surrounding areas due to a sudden cyclonic storm that left over 2,000 people injured.

NIMRUD: Historical city of Syria was in news as the Islamic State militants have been destroying rare ancient relics there, dating back to the 13th century BC, saying that they promote idolatry which violates their fundamentalist interpretation of the Islamic law. GARISSA: The town in Kenya was in news as at least 150 students were massacred there when Somalia's Al - Shabaab Islamist militant group raided the Garissa University campus. CALBUCO VOLCANO of Chile erupted twice on 22 April and 23 April 2015 after 42 years. Tonnes of ash rained down following two volcanic eruptions leading to declaration of state of emergency by President Michelle Bachelet.

TURRIALBA VOLCANO in Costa Rica, South America, erupted, producing a column of ash, gas, and water vapor that reached some 6,500 feet over the volcano’s crater, forcing the closure of the airport in the capital city San Jose.

MARCH 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


SPORTS WORLD

APRIL 2015

Sania Mirza created history by becoming the first Indian female tennis player to achieve the world number one rank in doubles, following her stupendous title win at the WTA Family Circle Cup with partner Martina Hingis, at Charleston in the USA. India won the bronze in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (Hockey) at Ipoh in Malaysia by beating Korea. The tournament was won by New Zealand Jitu Rai of India won the bronze medal in the men's 10-metre air pistol event at the ISSF Shooting World Cup at Changwon, S Korea. Apurvi Chandela won the bronze in women’s 10-metre air pistol event. Rakesh Kumar and Harpal Singh won gold in men’s category and S Sarjubala and Pinki Jangra clinched gold in women’s category at the 22nd President's Cup Open International Boxing Tournament in Indonesia. Dronavalli Harika, Indian Grandmaster won the bronze medal in the World Women's chess championships in Sochi, Russia. India won Gold and a Bronze at the Asian Indoor Rowing Championship held in Pattaya, Thailand. 5th Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship won by Railways team beating Uttar Pradesh in Pune, Maharashtra. SACHIN TENDULKAR: Indian batting legend was inducted into the prestigious Laureus Sports Academy in a glittering ceremony at Shanghai. Three Indian race walkers, Khushbir Kaur, Manish Rawat and Sandeep Kumar have qualified for 2016 Rio Olympics.

The 8th edition of the grand cricket extravaganza – IPL 2015 began with a grand opening ceremony at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata in April.

The Chinnaswamy cricket stadium in Bengaluru has become the first cricket venue in the country to have a roof top solar power plant.

Sim Bhullar has become the first player of Indian descent to play in the high-profile National Basketball Association (NBA) league in the USA, making his debut for Sacramento Kings. The 22 years old 7-foot-5-inch Sim was born in Toronto, Canada. Laureus Sportsman of the Year, 2015: Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic Laureus Sportswoman of the Year, 2015: Ethiopian sprinter Genzebe Dibaba. Laureus is an international academy devoted to recognizing and honouring sportspersons at the global level, just like the Nobel Prizes. Every year, these honours are given in seven categories.

Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine successfully defended his world heavyweight boxing title for the 18th time in a row by defeating his American challenger Bryant Jenn ings in New York. MIAMI MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP, Florida, USA

Men’s singles: Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beats Andy Murray (Britain)

Women’s singles: Serena Williams (USA) beats Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain)

Women’s doubles: Sania Mirza and her Swiss team-mate Martina Hingis beat Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova, both of Russia.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Monte-Carlo Masters title of Tennis by beating Tomas Berdych in Monaco.

Daniel Vettori: New Zealand left-arm spinner has announced his retirement from international cricket.

Badminton Asia Championship: Lin Dan of China won the cup by beating compatriot Tian Houwei at Wuhan, China.

Shamkir Chess Tournament: Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the tournament by defeating Rauf Mamedov in Shamkir city of Azerbaijan on 26 April 2015.

Lewis Hamilton: Formula One world champion won the Bahrain Grand Prix for the second year in a row.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes Formula 1 driver from Britain won the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, China.


MARCH 2015

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

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF WORLD CUP 2015

M S DHONI: By beating Bangladesh in Melbourne, he became the first Indian captain and third in the world history to win 100 ODI matches. He reached this milestone in 178th ODI. The other two achievers are Australian pair of Ricky Ponting (165 wins) and Allan Border (107 wins). MARTIN GUPTILL of New Zealand made the highest score in the World Cup history with 237 not out against West Indies in the match played at Wellington, Australia.

KUMAR SANGAKKARA of Sri Lanka became the first cricketer to score four successive one-day international centuries as he scored 124 against Scotland at a World Cup match played at Hobart, Australia. Also, he is the only batsman having scored 4 centuries in one world cup tournament.

Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka have announced their retirement from the One Day International (ODI) format of Cricket.

Pakistan cricketers Misbah-ul-Haq and Shaid Afridi have also bid adieu to One Day International cricket.

The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup will be hosted by England and Wales in June 2019.

RANJI TROPHY: Defending champions Karnataka clinched their eighth title as they thrashed Tamil Nadu in the final played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.

KARNATAKA LIFTED THE IRANI CUP after beating the Rest of India team in the finals played in Bengaluru.

The 69th National Football Tournament for Santosh Trophy held at Ludhiana. The Services team won the trophy beating the Punjab team. The Indian team won the Women's Hockey World League Round Two competition title by beating Poland in New Delhi.

SAINA – INDIA’s FIRST WORLD NO 1 Saina Nehwal created history on March 28 as she became the first Indian woman shuttler to attain the world number one ranking after her closest challenger for the spot, Spain's Carolina Marin, lost in the India Open Super Series semifinal played in Delhi. Later on March 29, she won the prestigious India Open Badminton Championship at New Delhi beating former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.

KIDAMBI SRIKANTH became the first Indian to win the Swiss Grand Prix Gold badminton championship beating Viktor Axelsen in Basel, Switzerland. He again defeated Axelsen to win the India Open at New Delhi

WONDER KID CREATES ARCHERY RECORD

Two-year-old girl Cherukuli Dalli Shivani from Vijaywada has achieved a stunning feat by setting a new record in Archery and entering her name into the India Book of Records. She became the youngest Indian to score 200 points over five and seven-metre distances. VIV BEATS SACHIN TO RANK NO 1 ODI PLAYER West Indian star batsman Viv Richards has been voted as the greatest ODI player in the history of cricket, ahead of Sachin Tendulkar (second) in an online poll conducted by ESPN cricinfo’s magazine ‘Cricket Monthly’ and a jury of 50 eminent cricketers.

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

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

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

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

doubles title.


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

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

FEBRUARY 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hero Hockey India League 2015: Ranchi Rays won the championship by defeating Jaypee Punjab Warriors in the finals played at New Delhi. All India Football Federations (AIFF) has declared Sunil Chhetri and Bala Devi as Player of the Year 2014 in men and women category, respectively.

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

67th National track cycling championship held at Thiruvananthapuram

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DAYS AND DATES

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

MAY World Labour Day, Maharashtra Day 01st May International Energy Day, World Asthma Day 03rd May

Coal Minor's Day 04th May World Midwives Day 05th May World Red Cross and Red Cresent Day 08th May National Technology Day 11th May International Family Day 15th May World Telecom Day 17th May National Anti Terrorism Day 21st May World No Tobacco Day 31st May

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

ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED

FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES


CURRENT ISSUES

LAND ACQUISITION vs REHABILITATION

The suicide by a farmer at a rally called by Aam Aadmi Party has jolted the political class into ‘action’, providing them an easy handle to target the ruling combine over its insensitivity towards the emotive relationship of the farmer with his land. The government is hard put to prove that its proposal to amend the Land Acquisition Act is not anti-farmer; rather it will lead to faster industrialisation providing them more job opportunities and better compensation and accelerated growth. It is a fact that the country, if it need to develop at a faster pace, it needs land and skilled labour apart from investment (capital). But the owner is not ready to part with his land leading to the catch 22 situation, no land no development; no development no growth.

Here we are faced with a larger issue. To whom does the land belong; to the state or the person in whose name it is registered though he has no role in 'creating' it. Should the farmer stand in way of the development of the country or should he be ready to suffer and sacrifice for the 'nation'. In a country like China, it is the state that owns the land and if it needs the same, it just need to give notice and can take the possession of the land, albeit by paying some compensation. In India the situation under the erstwhile law framed by the British in 1894 (more than 120 years back) was almost the same. However, in 2013, the law was changed providing safeguards for the owner of the land. Now this law is supposed to be a major stumbling block in the development of the country by the government and it

has decided to make changes in it, to fast track the process of acquisition, eventually for the public good. The farmer feels otherwise. For him the public good may be one thing but what's good for him is something else. Already under distress, they fear displacement and uncertainty. They feel that all parties irrespective of their political affiliations represent the interest of the businessmen rather than that of the farmer. They are not wrong in forming such an opinion. According to government's own statistics, more projects are stuck not because of shortage of land but because of bureaucratic red tape. The farmer has seen that the fruit of development are enjoyed by the big business while the erstwhile owner is left stranded as a mute spectator. While no one will question the intentions of the government to make changes in the laws for the good of the nation, but it cannot do so overlooking the interest of the community, constituting seventy percent of the nation. The acquisition of land is required and people have to sacrifice even if it is their land, whether it is for construction of Bhakra dam or establishment of industry. But where does it leave the farmer, not only the provider of food but also votes to the ruling elite. It cannot afford to antagonise them beyond a particular point. The government instead of being in a hurry, should reach out to the farmers and make all sincere efforts to engage him in a dialogue about the proposed measures to find out a solution instead of pushing its own agenda. Moreover, the government has chosen the most inappropriate time. On one side the crops are failing, the farmers are committing suicide with the below par monsoon a distinct possibility, this is certainly not the right time to push for amendments to the Land Act.


CHANGES IN JUVENILE LAW According to dictionary, Juvenile means a person who has not reached adult form or sexual maturity. And the purpose of the Juvenile Justice Act is to provide care, protection and rehabilitation of delinquent juveniles. The present law provides that a person below eighteen years of age is a child or 'juvenile' and as such cannot be tried like an adult under Indian Penal Code. The Government has decided to amend the law whereby the persons above the age of 16 but below 18, will be tried in the criminal courts for heinous offences. The gruesome torture, rape and murder of 'Damini' in 2012, which involved a group of men including a boy who was below eighteen years of age led to a discussion in public domain about the desirability of retaining protection of Juvenile Act to those involved in serious criminal cases. But the moot question, what should be the cut off limit below which a person should not be tried in a criminal court. It is very difficult to say that a person who is above eighteen years of age cannot be led astray and a person below this age is incapable of a mature decision. This division though being artificial is important because law considers a person as adult at the age of eighteen and anyone below it is considered a minor. The law is sanguine about this demarcation between an adult and a minor, but should the same kind of differentiation apply in case of 'heinous crimes'. Here the definition of the word 'juvenile' is in itself a guide to the issue. It is beyond comprehension to say that a person below 18 is not informative of 'sexuality' or has not attained 'sexual maturity'. Seen in this context, the amendments to the law are an attempt in the right direction for many a cases have come up where they show the level of mentality is no different from those of adult offenders. However, the decision 'what is heinous' rendering the offender to tried be in a criminal court as an adult, should be handled with extreme care. The cardinal principle of law is 'deterrence' which demands that in extreme cases involving heinous crimes, law should set examples of exemplary punishments as deterrence to prevent such crimes in future. However, we should understand that ‘Harsh punishment is not always deterrent and this in turn could make the juveniles hardcore criminals’. In developed countries, the courts go into the issue whether the offender knew the difference between the right and the wrong and whether he was aware of what he was doing. The law can have provisions under which exceptions can be provided where there are mitigating factors but law should serve its purpose of punishing the guilty if the person committing the same is capable of understanding the implications of his act, be the person is eighteen or less than that.

NEPAL DISASTER WHAT lies beneath the earth, is difficult to fathom; but below the calm surface on which the man dwells, are plates of rocks which keep on shifting shaking the surface as if earth is balanced on horn of bulls and it trembles when the bull changes the horn as stated in our texts. The situation post the earthquake, as it is unfolding in Nepal makes one shiver, with thousands of persons killed and lakhs hurt and pauperized, having lost all their belongings.

There cannot be a silver lining in such a grim situation, but the alacrity with which the Indian government stepped in to assist Nepal is certainly a step, which needs to be applauded. Though International aid is pouring in, but India as a good neighbour has certainly shown magnanimity, aiding and assisting the rescue operations apart from providing relief without any condition. The tragedy in Nepal is a grim reminder to India that we should relook at own preparedness to meet any eventuality of this nature. What will happen in case we are faced with earthquake of this magnitude. Had the earth trembled not in Nepal but in the capital of India, half of Delhi would have been flattened with the number of causalities not in thousands but in lacs. AND, the scientists are on record stating that the big one is 'in the offing'. An earthquake of the magnitude of 9 on Richter scale can flatten the whole area with the level of destruction reaching almost 100 percent. The tsunami which is an earthquake under the sea, did visit Japan in 2011 moving the island of Japan by more than 8 feet and killing around 13000 people. Normally, the number of deaths could have been much more in a country like India, which does not have the preparedness to meet such situations. Though we cannot prevent the earthquake, the present day knowledge does provide us the method to anticipate the disaster, minimise its impact and control the damage. We need to revisit the regulations governing the construction of buildings and the process of urban planning. There should be strict monitoring of the buildings to make these quake proof, apart from critical infrastructures such as dams, water storage, roads and railway tracks. People must be counselled and drills should be conducted to make them aware of how to save themselves or to help others in case of an emergency.


(November 2014 – January 2015)

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

NATIONAL NEWS

JANUARY 2015

Barrack Obama became the first U.S. President to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day and the first U.S. President to visit India twice during his tenure.

For the first time an all-women contingent from the three defence forces-Army, Air Force and Navy, marched down in the parade.

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

15 persons were conferred with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award at the three day Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas, Jan 7 to 9, held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Coins and stamps bearing images of Mahatma Gandhi were released on Jan 8 at Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas

Number of tigers in India increased from 1,706 in 2010 to 2,226 in 2014 where Karnataka tops the list with 406 tigers.

India to provide Rs 6.90 crore support to Nepal for fighting against the Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme for goitre control.

ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival, Asia’s biggest literary event was held at Jaipur from 21st to 25th Jan 2015.

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

Arunadhathi Subramaniam won the Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for poetry for her work “When God is a Traveler”.

The 19th National Youth Festival began in Guwahati on Jan 8.

In a list of 93 countries compiled by INSEAD Business School, India has been ranked 78th in terms of talent competitiveness of its human capital

India will provide 60 million dollars Line of Credit to Guyana for its road infrastructure projects.

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

The 13th Pune International Film Festival held at Pune in Maharashtra from January 8 to 15.

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

Coins of Rs 100 and 5 released in the honour of Tata Group founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata to mark his 175th birth anniversary.

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

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2014

On Nov 11, P M Modi left India for a ten day foreign visit, starting from Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar where he attended the ASEAN-India Summit on 12th Nov. NOV 13: He attended the 7th East Asian Summit there. NOV 14: Modi reached Brisbane, Australia to attend Heads of Nations meet of G-20 nations (15-16 Nov.) NOV 17: Modi addressed Indian diaspora at Allphones Arena, Sydney. NOV 18: Modi addressed the Australian Parliament at Canberra, first Indian Prime Minister to do so. NOV 19: Modi reaches Fiji & addressed their Parliament, becoming 1st foreign dignitary to do so. NOV 20: Mr. Modi flied back to India.

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

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

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

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

As per the Global Terrorism Index 2014, Iraq continues to be worst affected where 6362 lives were lost in 2013 due to terrorism. India is 6th worst affected nation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


NEWS FROM STATES

JANUARY 2015

The Punjab state has banned the sale of loose cigarettes (as single sticks) and loose tobacco, becoming the first State to do so.

Jammu and Kashmir won the National e-Governance Award 2014-15 for the best district- level initiative for their project e-Panchayat

Scientist say that Jorhat, Assam can emerge as the only place in the world after Kenya to become a producer of health-rich medicinal purple tea.

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

GOVT INITIATIVES JANUARY 2015

Prime Minister launched the nationwide 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' (save girl child, educate her) campaign from Panipat in Haryana on Jan 22

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

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

To promote entrepreneurship among the Scheduled Castes, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched two schemes on Jan 16:

Venture Capital Fund to provide financial assistance up to Rs.15 crore for up to six years to SC entrepreneurs.

Green Business Scheme to provide loans up to Rs.1 lakh at concessional rate of interest to SCs for running e-rickshaw, solar pumps etc.

Govt launched the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) to preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country.

On Jan 1, the govt announced that the Planning Commission has been restructured as the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog.

Govt plans to set up a ‘Price Stabilisation Fund’ to check price volatility through procurement of selected perishable horticulture produce.

Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched a toll-free helpline (1800-11-0031) to assist the alcoholic and drug-dependent persons.


Govt has allowed SEZs to set up social infrastructure like schools, hospitals and hotels also in SEZs which can be accessed by outside people also.

Under a new initiative by North Central Railway, rail passengers will now be able to lodge an FIR in the train itself.

The Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL) scheme, now called ‘Pratyaksh Hanstantarit Labh’ (PAHAL), launched in 622 districts w.e.f. Jan 1, 2015.

Govt launched 'Green India Mission' for undertaking eco-friendly development of the rural areas.

Scheme launched for LED (light emitting diodes) bulb distribution under Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP) in Delhi on 5th January.

ICRISAT launched a customised low-cost combination of phone and tablet computer ‘greenphablet’ for small farmers.

The device is powered by GreenSIM and is dust- and shatter-proof, readable under bright sunlight; operates from -20°C to +60°C.

ICRISAT: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. HQ: Hyderbad, Telangana

India's first integrated mobile application for women safety called ‘Himmat' was launched in Delhi on Jan 1.

Country’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) - powered train was flagged from Rewari, Haryana on Jan 13.

India’s first International Institute of Music will be set up in Kerala by a trust headed by Sarod Maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his family.

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

President signed the Citizenship Ordinance to merge Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes

DECEMBER 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2014 National Education Day was observed on Nov 11 on

the 125th birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, independent India’s first Education Minister.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

JANUARY 2015

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

The Expenditure Management Commission, headed by Bimal Jalan says that the govt should cut fiscal deficit to 3.6 per cent of the GDP during 2015-16.

Base year for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) changed from 2010 to 2012 for computing retail inflation rate from January 2015 onwards.

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

DECEMBER 2014

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

NOVEMBER 2014 Rating agency Fitch says that India's economic

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

ECONOMY

JANUARY 2015 India has allowed duty free access to Afghanistan’s

export products in Indian markets under the Agreement of South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA).

Leading IT company - Infosys has assured govt that they will spend USD 250 million to fund innovations in software and services in India.

Government has prohibited imports of all kind of mobile handsets with fake or duplicate Unique Identity Numbers.

Film PK recorded gross collection of Rs. 500 crore worldwide within 2 weeks of its release, becoming first ever Indian movie to have such huge collection

Connaught Place in New Delhi has become the world’s sixth costliest office destination, with an annual occupancy cost of around $ 160 per square feet,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2014

The Government re-launched Kisan Vikas Patra scheme on Nov 18 to encourage the habit of small savings among the citizens.

The KVPs will be available in denominations of Rs. 1000, 5000, 10,000 and 50,000 with no upper limit for investment

The invested amount will become double in 100 months.

MSP FOR RABI CROPS FOR 2014-15 SEASON

CROP Rs./Qtl CROP Rs./Qtl

Wheat 1450 Gram 3175

Barley 1150 Rapeseed/ Musturd 3100

Masur dal 3075 Safflower 3050

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BANKING

JANUARY 2015 The Reserve Bank of India on 15th January, 2015 cut

down repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.75 percent from 8 percent, with immediate effect

RBI has asked banks to notify the Base Rate, or the minimum lending rate, at least once in every three months, based on the cost of funds

India's top PSU bankers meet 'Gyan Sangam’ held at Pune for a brainstorming session to give a facelift to PSU banks.

RBI has clarified that business houses with assets above Rs 1,000 crore and having finance companies will not be eligible to apply for a small bank license.

RBI said that RRBs with assets less than $175 million need not register with the US Internal Revenue System under FATCA- Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.

The RBI has signed an information sharing agreement with US banking regulators for better coordination in supervising financial institutions.

RBI has asked banks to display on their website the total fees and charges applicable on various types of loans and tell the same to the borrower also

ICICI Bank launched country’s first contactless debit/ credit cards based on the near-field communication technology

RBI signed a MoU on “Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information” with Banco Central do Brasil, central bank of Brazil.

RBI has allowed banks to act as brokers for insurers, set up their own subsidiaries, undertake referral services for multiple companies.

Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched Jifi Saver, a social savings bank account which can be seamlessly managed via Twitter and Facebook

The government has allowed certain eligible branches of Post Offices to issue ATM cards for their Savings bank accounts

Yes Bank signed an agreement with U.S. govt’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation for $220 million loan for on-lending to MSMEs.

RBI and the European Central Bank signed MoU for cooperation in the area of central banking.

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

DECEMBER 2014

The Reserve Bank released a charter of customer rights on Dec.3 that lays down five basic rights that bank customers enjoy.


Right to Fair Treatment with no discrimination on any basis

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

information Right to Grievance Redressal and Compen-sation

RBI has defined the ‘non-cooperative borrower’ as one who does not engage constructively with his lender by defaulting in timely repayment of dues

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2014

The Reserve Bank on Nov 27 released the guidelines for ‘payment banks’ and ‘small banks’.

Payments banks can receive deposits and remittances, but cannot lend; focusing on migrant labour and low income households.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

JANUARY 2015 The first of the indigenously-built Light Combat

Aircraft, LCA Tejas was handed over to the Indian Air Force on Jan 17 at Bengaluru.

Country’s first geothermal heating plant was launched successfully by the Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment of DRDO at its Manali (HP) campus.

Idukki district in Kerala became the first district in the country where all gram panchayats are connected through National Optical Fiber Network

Microsoft has announced that its new operating system - Windows 10 will also bring its voice-controlled assistant Cortana to PCs.

Apple Inc earned profit of $18 billion in quarter ending December 2014, largest ever made by a public company in the corporate history worldwide.


Scientists discovered a powerful new antibiotic – Teixobactin which can kill an array of germs without the bugs easily becoming resistant to it

Indian Immunologicals Limited launched a vaccine ‘Raksha-Blu’ for countering for the first time the viral blue tongue disease among cattle.

The year 2014 was the hottest on record, with global average temperature increasing about 0.8 degrees Celsius since 1880, according to US scientists.

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

DECEMBER 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2014

India test-fired the Prithvi-II missile from Chandipur, Odisha. Naval version of this missile – Dhanush was also tested.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

I N T E R N A T I O N A L JANUARY 2015

Militants attacked the Paris offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, for publishing cartoons lampooning Muslim leaders

The World Economic Forum's five-day annual jamboree of the global elite held at Davos, Switzerland, attended by over 2500 VIPs.

Boko Haram militants killed over 2000 persons in a multi-day attack in the northeast of Nigeria, focusing on the town of Baga

Encouraged by the India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, Britain announced 'Great Collaborations’ campaign to forge collaborations with Indian companies.

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

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

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2014 A treaty laying down international rules for the $85

billion global arms trade came into force from Dec 24, after being signed by the USA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


NOVEMBER 2014

The World Bank released a report on the impact of global warming titled “Turn Down the Heat: Confronting the New Climate Normal.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

International Buddhist Conference– Lumbini, Nepal.

PERSONS IN NEWS

JANUARY 2015

POOJA THAKUR: A Wing Commander from Indian Air Force became the first woman to lead the ceremonial tri-service guard of honour inspected by U.S. President Barack Obama at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Jan. 25, 2015.

VIKRAM CHANDRA: Indian origin Novelist was named among the finalists for prestigious National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Awards of USA for his non-fiction work Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty.

MS. LEELA SAMSON: She resigned as Chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification, CBFC to protest the clearance of the controversial film Messenger of God by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

NOVEMBER 2014 NARENDRA MODI: joined the Forbes list of the world's most powerful people at 15th rank. The list is topped by the Russian President Vladimir Putin

ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA: The Chairperson of country's largest bank- SBI, was named as the most-powerful business woman in India by Fortune Magazine.

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

FARHAN AKHTAR: Bollywood actor-director became the first man in the history of “UN Women” to be appointed as its Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia.

NIKKI HALEY: Governor of South Caorlina state, USA, the youngest of current US Governors (42) was in news as she visited Punjab

MALALA YOUSAFZAI: Pakistani teenage rights activist donated $50,000 to help rebuild UN schools in Gaza that have been damaged during the recent fight with Israel.

CHUCK HAGEL: U.S. Defense Secretary was in news as he resigned from his post.

VLADIMIR PUTIN: Russian President walked out of the G20 summit in Australia to protest the criticism from Western leaders over Russia’s interference in Ukraine.

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

JANUARY 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

S. JAISHANKAR: Union Foreign Secretary

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

H S BRAHMA: Chief Election Commissioner

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

R KOTEESWARAN: MD & CEO, Indian Overseas Bank

ANIMESH CHAUHAN: MD & CEO, Oriental Bank of Commerce

KISHORE KUMAR SANSI: MD & CEO, Vijaya Bank

P SRINIVAS: MD & CEO, United Bank of India


LEE WAN KOO: New Prime Minister of South Korea

SALMAN BIN ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD: New king of Saudi Arabia

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

KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIC: First women President of Croatia

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

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

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

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

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

DINESHWAR SHARMA: Director, Intelligence Bureau

ANIL Kr. SINHA: Director, Central Bureau of Investigation

KLAUS IOHANNIS: President of Romania

BEJI CAID ESSEBSI: President of Tunisia

ANEROOD JUGNAUTH: Prime Minister of Mauritius

TABARE VAZQUEZ: President of Uruguay

SHINZO ABE: Re elected as Prime Minister of Japan

ASHTON CARTER: US Defence Secretary

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

JUSTICE C K PRASAD: Chairman, Press Council of India

HASMUKH ADHIA: Union Financial Services Secretary

G S SANDHU: Chairman of National Chemical Weapon Convention.

LAXMIKANT PARSEKAR: Chief Minister, Goa

ANITA KAPUR:Chairperson, Central Board of Direct Taxes.

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

AWARDS & HONOURS JANUARY 2015

PADMA AWARDS 2015 ANNOUNCED PADMA VIBHUSHAN – 2015 (9)

S. No.

Name of the Awardee

Discipline State/Domicile

1. Lal Krishna Advani Public Affairs – Politician

Gujarat

2. Amitabh Bachchan Art - Cinema Maharashtra

3. Prakash Singh Badal

Public Affairs Punjab

4. Dr. D V Heggade Social Work Karnataka

5. Dilip Kumar Art - Cinema Maharashtra

6. Jagadguru Ramanandacharya

Swami Rambhadracharya

Others - Hindu Scholar

Uttar Pradesh

7. M. R. Srinivasan Science and Engineering -

Nuclear Scientist

Tamil Nadu

8. K. K. Venugopal Public Affairs - Constitutional

Lawyer

Delhi

9. Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan

Trade and Industry France/UK

PADMA BHUSHAN 2015 (19) S.

No Name of the

Awardee Discipline State/

Domicile

1. Shri Jahnu Barua Art – Films Assam

2. Dr. Subhash C. Kashyap

Public Affairs - Constitutional

Expert

Delhi

3. Harish Salve Public Affairs – Advocate

Delhi

4. Rajat Sharma Media (India TV) Delhi

5. Manjul Bhargava (NRI/PIO)

Science & Engg, Mathematician

USA

6. Bill Gates Social Work USA

7. Melinda Gates Social Work USA


PADMA SHRI – 2015 (75)

S. No.

Name of the Awardee

Discipline State/Domicile

1. Mithali Raj Sports – Cricket Telengana

2. P.V. Sindhu Sports – Badminton

Telengana

3. Sanjay Leela Bhansali Art – Films Maharashtra

4. Prasoon Joshi Art – Films Maharashtra

5. Tarak Mehta Art – TV Gujarat

6. Jean-Claude Carriere Literature and Education

France

7. Late Pran Kumar Sharma alias Pran

Art – Cartoonist Delhi

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

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

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

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

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

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

72ND GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS 2015

Announced at Beverly Hills, California, USA

Best Motion Picture-Drama: Boyhood Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything Best Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice

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

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2014

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

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

Swiss Ambassador's Award: Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro for inspirational and socially responsible leadership. Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards for 2010-11 given at Delhi for outstanding performance in exports. Canara Bank won the Niryat Bandhu Silver Trophy, Banks

Yash Chopra Memorial Award: Amitabh Bachchan

Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014: Ruhi Singh of India at Beirut, Lebanon.

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IPI – International Press Institute, Vienna (Austria)

WORLD’S CHILDREN PRIZE: Malala Yousafzai in Sweden

THE GRAND CORDON of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers: One of Japan’s top national awards, conferred on Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his contribution to Indo-Japan ties. He is first Indian to receive this honour.

SYDNEY PEACE PRIZE 2014: Julian Burnside, Human rights advocate and barrister from Australia.

SAKHAROV PRIZE for Human Rights: Denis Mukwege from Congo for treating victims of gang rape

OBITUARY

JANUARY 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ: King of Saudi Arabia

DECEMBER 2014

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

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

DEVEN VERMA: noted Bollywood comedy actor, famous for his roles in films Chori Mera Kaam, Chor Ke Ghar Chor and Angoor.

A R ANTULAY: Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and former Union Minister, veteran Congress leader CHUNIBHAI VAIDYA: A veteran Gandhian and freedom fighter from Ahmadabad, Gujarat.

JARBOM GAMLIN: Former C M of Arunachal Pradesh

JOE COCKER: Legendary rock singer from Colorado, USA.

DAVID JOHN RYALL: Veteran British actor

NOVEMBER 2014 RAVI CHOPRA: Veteran Bollywood film director famous

for his tele serial – Mahabharat and movie – Baghban.

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

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


SITARA DEVI: Eminent Kathak danseuse, Padma sri awardee.

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

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

KEN TAKAKURA: Noted Japanese film actor

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

P L A C E S I N N E W S JANUARY 2015

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

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

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

DECEMBER 2014

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

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

NOVEMBER 2014 JAYAPUR: A village near Varanasi was in news as it was adopted for development by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi under ‘Sansad Gram Yojna’. HAMPI: Place in Karnataka was in news as some 20 drawings of the Harappan (Sindhu) era in Gondi dialect were discovered there at a nearby hilltop.

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

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

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

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

S P O R T S W O R L D JANUARY 2015

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

\DECEMBER 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

Arjun Atwal has won the Inaugural edition of Dubai Open Golf Championship. Pragyan Ojha, The left-arm spinner has been banned by BCCI from bowling in competitive matches as his bowling action was found illegal, flexing elbow beyond 15 degrees.

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

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

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

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

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

58th National Shooting Championships held in Pune, Maharashtra

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

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

Hillel Oscar: An international umpire and former captain of Israel's national cricket team died on Nov 30 after being hit in the jaw by a ball at Ashdod, Israel.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to

change the world.”


ASIAN GAMES -- INDIAN HIGHLIGHTS

Yogeshwar Dutt ended a 28-year gold drought for India in wrestling after winning Gold

Jitu Rai, shooter won India's 1st gold in the 50m event. MC Mary Kom became the first Indian woman boxer to clinch a gold medal at the Asian Games

India won the Hockey gold medal beating Pakistan

Indian Kabaddi Teams, both men and women, beat Iran’s teams to win the Gold.

Varsha Gautam and Aishwarya Nedunchezhiyan made history by becoming the first Indian women to win a sailing medal – Bronze in Dinghy event at the Asian Games.

Khushbir Kaur won the country’s first-ever silver in the women’s 20 kms race walk in Asiad.

With an aim to increase India`s medal tally in 2016 and 2020 Olympics, the Sports Ministry has decided to start a "Target Olympic Podium Scheme"

The Indian Super League (ISL) heralded a new dawn for football in India on 12 October, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Sharath Gayakwad, the para-swimmer made history at the Asian Para-Games in Incheon, South Korea, by winning six medals.

Anirban Lahiri won the Venetian Macau Open Golf Cup.

Pankaj Advani: Won World Billiards Point Format Championship at Leeds, UK. He also won the World title in time format beating Robin Wilson of UK.

World junior Chess title 2014 Lu Shanglei of China defeated Aleksander Indjic of Serbia to win the title in Pune, Maharashtra.

35th Senior National Archery Championship held in New Delhi, won by Punjab.

Champions League Twenty 20 Chennai Super Kings won the trophy by defeating Kolkata Knight Riders at the M. Chinn aswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

The multi-sport Paralympic Games 2015 will be held in India in February 2015.

4th Sultan of Johor Cup (hockey) for under 21 won by India beating Great Britain at Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

James Tull: A club cricketer in Australia created history by scoring a triple ton – 341 runs - with 25 sixes and 34 fours

Shanghai Rolex Masters (Tennis) – 2014 won by Roger Federer (Switzerland) beating Gilles Simon (France) in Shanghai, China.

KOHEI UCHIMURA: Japan’s gymnast won his fifth straight all-around world title at the Gymnastics World Championships in Nanning, China.

ATP CHINA OPEN Tennis Cup 2014, Beijing

Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beats Tomas Berdych (Czech) to win men’s singles title.

Maria Sharapova (Russia) beats Petra Kvitova(Czech) to win women’s singles title

Serena Williams (USA) beat Simona Halep (Romania) to lift the WTA Finals cup at Singapore.

Sania Mirza and Cara Black (Zimbabwe) won the WTA finals women's doubles tennis title at Singapore.

NOVEMBER 2014 ROHIT SHARMA made history by scoring the highest

individual score of 264 runs (173b, 33x4, 9x6) in the world history of ODIs, playing against Sri Lanka in Kolkata’s Eden Garden Stadium on Nov 13.

C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2014: Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar. The Award is given by BCCI. Polly Umrigar Award 2013-14: Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar for being India’s best international cricketer of the year, given by BCCI.

ICC’s LG People's Choice Award 2014: Indian fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar

ABHINAV BINDRA: India’s ace shooter became the first Indian to be elected as Chairman of International Shooting Sport Federation's (ISSF) Athletes Committee.

Sachin Tendulkar was inducted into the Bradman Hall of Fame on 5th October at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia.

Ms Deborah, a tribal girl from Andaman and Nicobar Islands has created history in National Level by winning four Gold Medals in the Track Asia Cup Cycling Championship 2014 held at New Delhi.


54th National Open Athletics Championships held at New Delhi. Tintu Luka was adjudged the best female athlete and Ankit Sharma was named the best male athlete.

South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's Championship: India wins beating Nepal in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Indian cricket team won 5-match ODI series in a whitewash against Sri Lanka, winning all the five matches.

Saina Nehwal and K Srikanth clinched the women's and men's singles title (Badminton) of the China Open Super Series Premier in Fuzhou, China, on 15th Nov.

Duleep Trophy: Central Zone lifts the cricket cup after beating South Zone at New Delhi.

43rd Handball National Championship (women’s): Punjab beats Haryana to win the tournament at Mastuana Sahib, Punjab.

127th Durand Cup: Salgaocar FC won the prestigious Football championship in Goa, defeating Pune FC.

World Kabaddi League: United Singhs won the finals beating Khalsa Warriors at Mohali, Punjab.

68th Sr. National Aquatic Championship held at Kolkata.

Terry Walsh quits as the Head Coach of the National Hockey team.

Mitchell Johnson: Australia’s fast bowler won the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for the Cricketer of the Year award for 2014.

AB de Villiers: South Africa’s batsman was voted the ODI player of 2014.

Sarah Taylor: England’s wicketkeeper was named women’s player of 2014.

Lionel Messi: FC Barcelona superstar became the all-time highest scorer in La Liga history by scoring 253 goals, playing against Sevilla in Spain.

Lewis Hamilton of UK won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as well as the Formula 1 racing championship title of the year becoming the first British double world champion since Jackie Stewart in 1971.

Magnus Carlsen of Norway has retained his World Chess Championship title defeating five-time champion Viswanathan Anand in the 11th game at Sochi, Russia

Novak Djokovic (Serbia) won the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Nov 16 at London.

Switzerland won their first ever Davis Cup Tennis title at Lille, France, beating France.

World Women's Boxing Championships held in Jiju, South Korea. S Sarjubala and Saweety won the silver medals for India.

World Tour Golf Championship held at Jumeirah Golf states in Dubai is won by Henrik Stenson from Sweden.

2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships to be hosted by Doha, Qatar. 2015 and 2017 games will be hosted by Beijing and London, respectively.

Africa Cup of Nations 2015 - The 16 nation Football tournament will be hosted by Equatorial Guinea.

Seaways IBSF World Snooker Championship held at Bengaluru.

Lee Chong Wei: World number one in Badminton has been suspended by The Badminton World Federation due to an apparent anti-doping regulation violation.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

BOOK AUTHOR

'Neither a Hawk nor a Dove'

Khurshid M Kasuri, Pakistan's Ex-Foreign Minister

The Red Sari Javier Moro; the book is the story of Sonia Gandhi,

originally written in Spanish

The Indian Parliament – A Critical Appraisal

Sudha Pai and Avinash Kumar

The Fault in Our Stars John Green

At Home in India: The Muslim Saga

Salman Khurshid

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

Vande Bharatam Pandit Prabodh Kumar Mishra.

How Modi Won It Harish Khare

The Last Illusion Porochista Khakpour

Adultery Paulo Coelho

Life is What You Make it

Preeti Shenoy

In God’s Hands Desmond Tutu Templeton prize winner


Family Life Akhil Sharma, the book has been selected by The New York

Times Book Review as one of the ten Best Books of 2014.

Born Again on the Mountain

Arunima Sinha, the first Indian female amputee to climb

Mount Everest.

2014: The Election That Changed India

Rajdeep Sardesai

Next China-India War - World's First Water War – 2029

Gen. Sundarajan Padmanabhan, former Indian

Army Chief

Your Dreams are Mine Now

Ravinder Singh

7 Secretes of the Goddess

Dev Dutt Pattnaik

The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years

Pranab Mukherjee, President of India

The Scatter Here is Too Great

Bilal Tanweer of Lahore won the 2014 Shakti Bhatt First

Book Prize

Truth Always Prevails Sadruddin Hashwani

The Rich John Kampfner

Final Test: Exit Sachin Tendulkar

Dilip D’Souza

The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Richard Flanagan

A Man and A Motorcycle, How Hamid Karzai Came to Power

Bette Dam

Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace by Leon Panetta

Jim Newton

Sons of Brahama Dhruba Hazarika

The divided Island Samanth Subramanian

And then One Day: A Memoir

Autobiography of noted film artist Naseeruddin Shah

The Highlights Frank Keating

Odyssey of My Life Autobiography of former Union Home Minister Shivraj

Patil

Playing It My Way –My Autobiography

cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar

Gods of Antarctica Yashwardhan Shukla, a 13 year

old school boy from Delhi

The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee, Kolkata-born British author.

The book has been shortlisted for the prestigious Booker

Prize 2014

Heaven is for Real Todd Burpo & Lynn Vincent

The Boys in the Boat Daniel James Brown

Orange is the New Black

Piper Kerman

The Book of Life Deborah Harkness

The Goldfinch Donna Tartt

Half Girlfriend Chetan Bhagat

Simian Vikram Balagopal

One Life is Not Enough Natwar Singh

Not Just an Accountant Vinod Rai

Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi: An Inside Job

Faraz Ahmad

Strictly Personal, Manmohan and Gursharan

Ms Daman Singh

The Lives of Others Neel Mukherjee

Finding Neema Juliet Reynolds

Half a Rupee Stories Gulzar

The Substance and The Shadow

Udaya Tara Nayar, a biography of veteran actor Dilip Kumar

Innovation in India Shyama V. Ramani

Blood Feud: The Clintons vs. The Obamas

Edward Klein

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah

Hannah Kent Burial Rites

Audrey Magee The Undertaking

Eimear McBride A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing

“Intelligence plus character-that is the

goal of true education.”



SBI PO PRELIM Model Test Paper

QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE

1) Each dimension in metres of a rectangular

solid is an integer less than 17, the volume of the solid is 176 m3. If the length of the solid is 16m, what is the surface area (in m2) of the solid? a) 448 b) 384 c) 395 d) 424 e) 406

2) What will come in place of the question mark

(?) in the given question? 13.141 + 31.417 – 27.118 = ? a) 16.441 b) 17.543 c) 17.490 d) 17.440 e) 17.590

3) The sum of Shilpa’s age after 4 years and

Raghu’s age 4 years ago is 63 and the respective ratio between the Shilpa’s age four years ago and Raghu’s age after 3 years is 10 : 21. What is Shilpa’s present age? (in years) a) 25 b) 34 c) 24 d) 28 e) 39

4) Ravi ate in a restaurant and got a membership

discount of 30% on the original bill amount but he had to pay 10% as service tax and 8% service charge on the original bill amount. If Ravi paid Rs. 4,743, which included a tip of Rs. 200, how much money did he give as service charge? a) Rs. 324/- b) Rs. 314/- c) Rs. 296/- d) Rs. 413/- e) Rs. 272/-

5) From a vessel containing ‘X’ litres of milk,

20% of milk was taken out and replace with equal amount of water. Again, 20% of the mixture of milk and water was taken out and replaced with equal amount of water. This process was continued similarly for the third time and the quantity of milk left in the vessel

after the third replacement was 71.68 litres. What was the initial quantity of milk (in litres) in the vessel (value of X)? a) 120 b) 125 c) 160 d) 150 e) 140

Direction (6-10): In this question two equations numbered I and II are given. You have to solve mark the appropriate answer. 6) I. 4x2 + 16x + 15 = 0

II. 4y2 + 17y + 18 = 0 a) X Y b) X Y c) X > Y d) X < Y e) Relationship between X and Y cannot be established

7) I. x2 + 7x + 12 = 0

II. y2 + 5y + 6 = 0 a) X Y b) X Y c) X > Y d) X < Y e) Relationship between X and Y cannot be established

8) I. 64x2 – 64x + 15 = 0

II. 21y2 – 13y + 2 = 0 a) X Y b) X Y c) X > Y d) X < Y e) Relationship between X and Y cannot be established

9) I. 15x2 – 19x + 6 = 0

II. 45y2 – 47 y + 12 = 0 a) X Y b) X Y c) X > Y d) X < Y e) Relationship between X and Y cannot be established

10) I. 2x2 + 5x + 2 = 0

II. 12y2 + 7y + 1 = 0 a) X Y b) X Y c) X > Y d) X < Y e) Relationship between X and Y cannot be established


11) In a Zumba class, the average age of all the members was 43.5 years, 10 members left the class and 6 new members joined. If the average age increased by 2 years and the total age decreased by 110, what was the number of members in the class initially? a) 34 b) 36 c) 32 d) 40 e) 30

Direction (12 – 16): What will come in place of question mark (?) in the given number series. 12) 10 9 14 33 116 ?

a) 687 b) 428 c) 742 d) 555 e) 856

13) 189 148 119 100 89 ?

a) 78 b) 76 c) 67 d) 84 e) 61

14) 44 34 58 164 646 ?

a) 3820 b) 2644 c) 3640 d) 3220 e) 2856

15) 19 34 64 124 244 ?

a) 396 b) 358 c) 484 d) 328 e) 332

16) 161 163 169 181 ? 231

a) 218 b) 195 c) 129 d) 201 e) 207

17) A and B started a business by investing Rs.

21,600/- and Rs. 14,400/- respectively. After few months from the start of the business, C joined them by investing Rs. 18,000/-. If the total annual profit earned by them is Rs. 10,600/-, out of which C’s share is Rs. 2,120/-, after how many months from the start of business did C invest? a) 4 b) 2 c) 8 d) 3 e) 6

18) Rashmi had Rs. 4, 200. She invested some of it

in scheme A for 4 years and rest of the money she invested in scheme B for two years. Scheme A offers simple interest at a rate of 22% p.a. and scheme B offers compound interest (compounded annually) at a rate of 10% p.a. If the interest received from Scheme

A is Rs. 1,516 more that the interest received from Scheme B, what was the sum invested by her in scheme A? a) Rs. 2,600/- b) Rs. 2,000/- c) Rs. 2,200/- d) Rs. 2,400/- e) Rs. 1,800/-

19) A tank has 3 inlets X, Y and Z and 1 outlet, P. Y

fills the empty tank in 3 times the time taken by Z to fill the empty tank completely, X fills the empty tank completely in 1.5 times the time taken by Y to fill the empty tank completely. Also, Z fills the empty tank completely in half the time taken by P to empty the full tank completely. If the time taken to fill the empty tank completely when

all of them are opened simultaneously is 319

15

hours, how much time (in hours) will P take to empty the full tank completely?

a) 62

1 b) 6

c) 8 d) 4

e) 82

1

20) A box contains 14 eggs out of which 8 are

rotten. Two eggs are chosen randomly, What is the probability that none of the chosen eggs is rotten?

a) 915 b)

9115

c) 916 d)

918

Direction (21 – 24): Study the following information carefully to answer the question.

Percent Profit Earned By Two Companies Producing Electronic Goods over the Years

%Profit = 100Pr

investmentTotal

earnedofit

0102030405060708090

100

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Company A Company B


21) If the profit earned in 2006 by company B was Rs. 8,12,500/-, what was the total income of the company in that year?

a) Rs. 12,50,000/- b) Rs. 20,62,500/- c) Rs. 16,50,000/- d) Rs. 18,25,000/-

e) None of these 22) If the amount invested by the two companies

in 2005 was equal, what was the ratio between total income in 2005 of the companies A and B respectively?

a) 31 : 33 b) 33: 31 c) 34 : 31 d) 14 : 11

e) None of these 23) If the total amount invested by the two

companies in 2009 was Rs. 27 lakhs, while the amount invested by Company B was 50% of the amount invested by Company A, what was the total profit earned by the two companies together?

a) Rs. 21.15 lakhs b) Rs. 20.70 lakhs c) Rs. 18.70 lakhs d) Rs. 20.15 lakhs

e) None of these 24) If the incomes of company A in 2007 and 2008

were equal and the amount invested in 2007 was Rs. 12 lakhs, what was the amount invested in 2008?

a) Rs. 10,87,500/- b) Rs. 10,85,700/- c) Rs. 12,45,000/- d) Rs. 12,85,000/- e) None of these

Direction (25 – 28): Refer to the line graph and answer the given question.

Number of books (in hundreds) published by 5 Companies during the given years:

25) All the given companies publish only two types of books Academic and Non-academic. If in 2007, the respective ratio of academic books and non-academic books published by all the given companies together is 13:7, what was the total number of Non-academic books published by all the given companies together in 2007? (in hundreds) a) 1024 b) 936 c) 886 d) 994 e) 954

26) What is the difference between the average

number of books published by company N during all the given years and average number of books published by company Q during all the given status? (in hundreds) a) 240 b) 238 c) 249 d) 236 e) 420

27) Only 60% of the total number of books

published by company M during all the given years together were distributed among its distributors. Only 80% of the total number of books published by company O during all the given years together were distributed among its distributors. What is the respective ratio between total number of published books distributed by company M during its distributors during all the given years together and total number of published books distributed by company O among its distributors during all the given years together? a) 71:116 b) 69:112 c) 73:112 d) 75:116 e) 71:112

28) Total number of books published by company

P during all the given years together is what percent less than the total number of books published by company N during all the given years together?

a) 2613

12 b) 2413

9

c) 2313

8 d) 2113

6

29) What is the sum of th16

7of the total number of

books published by companies M, N & O

together in 2006 & th12

5of the total number


of books published by companies O, P and Q together in 2007? (in hundreds) a) 1240 b) 1180 c) 1260 d) 1200 e) 1320

30) If the number of books published by

companies M, O & Q increased by 25%, 18% & 30% respectively from 2008 to 2009, what was the total number of books published by companies M, O and Q together in 2009? (in hundreds) a) 1417 b) 1377 c) 1469 d) 1395 e) 1563

Directions (Q. 31-35): What should come in place of the question make (?) in the following questions? 31) (3)0.2 x (9)0.6 x (27)0.2 = 5 + ?

a) 3 b) 9 c) 4 d) 8 e) 12

32) If 7 = 2.65 then ?55.27

733

a) 11.5 b) 12 c) 14.5 d) 15 e) 16.5

33) 30% of 7

2of

9

2of

5

2of

3

2of 9450 = ?

a) 32 b) 36 c) 42 d) 48 e) 52

34) 5?343

1

1024

1 3

2

5

2

a) 65 b) 42 c) 13 d) 21 e) 2

35) 12.50 x 14 8.75 + 12 = 20 + ?

a) 10 b) 12 c) 14 d) 16 e) 18

Make the motto of your life, to never settle for anything but the best.

That’s the only way you’ll excel and leave behind the rest.

REASONING ABILITY 36) Two similar buildings were constructed in

City X and City Y by ‘Ashiyana’ builders ten years ago. While the building in city X continues to be in good condition, the one in city Y has already started to experience certain structural problems.

The residents of the building constructed in city Y have demanded an explanation from the builder regarding lack of uniformity in construction.

Which of the following statements would support the builder to some extent? a) Cost of construction of building in city X was higher than that of city Y owing to high labour costs in city X. b) Minor repair work is always required to be done in all buildings after minimum ten years of construction. c) Repair work which was done twice earlier in the building in city Y was completed in minimum possible time and within minimum possible budget. d) Unlike City X, humidity which is very detrimental to construction material such as iron, cement etc. is very high in city Y owing to its proximity to the sea. e) Expense of same repair work if done in both the building would be much higher in city X as compared to that in city Y.

37) Read the following information carefully to

answer the given question. A few days after the semester results of a private Commerce College were declared, all the professors of the college went on a strike. Which of the following may be a reason behind the professors going on strike? a) A few new professors were appointed last year at an equal salary even though they were not as qualified as others. b) None of the professors were allowed to be external examiner for other affiliated colleges this time. c) For the third time in a row, the teachers were blamed for low results despite their consistent efforts.

d) The salaries of the professors have not been increased since the past two years.

e) The result declaration was delayed by over a week for this semester.

Direction(s) (38-42): In this question relationship between different elements is shown in the statements. The statements are followed by two conclusions. Study the conclusions based on the given statement and select the appropriate answer.


38) Statement: M A > L = T E < D Conclusion I: L > D Conclusion II: E M a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Neither conclusion I nor II is true c) Both conclusion I and II are true d) Only conclusion I is true e) Only conclusion II is true 39) Statement: C R = A < W L; S A Conclusion I: R < L Conclusion II: L > S a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Neither conclusion I nor II is true c) Both conclusion I and II are true d) Only conclusion I is true e) Only conclusion II is true 40) Statement: C R = A < W L; S A Conclusion I: C > S Conclusion II: S = C a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Neither conclusion I nor II is true c) Both conclusion I and II are true d) Only conclusion I is true e) Only Conclusion II is true 41) Statement: V O < C = A L S Conclusion I: L < V Conclusion II: C S a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Neither conclusion I nor II is true c) Both conclusion I and II are true d) Only conclusion I is true e) Only conclusion II is true 42) Statement: M A > L = T E < D Conclusion I: E < A Conclusion II: M D a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Neither conclusion I nor II is true c) Both conclusion I and II are true d) Only conclusion I is true e) Only conclusion II is true Direction (43-48): In each question below are given two Statements followed by two conclusion numbered I and II. You have to take the two given statement to be true even if they seem to be at variance with commonly known facts and then decide which of the given Conclusions logically follows from the two given statement, disregarding commonly known facts. Give Answer: 43) Statement: All dancers are performers.

All performers are singers. Conclusion I: All dancers are singers.

Conclusion II: Atleast some singers are dancers. a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Neither conclusion I nor II is true c) Both conclusion I and II is true d) Only conclusion I is true e) Only conclusion II is true 44) Statements: Some pigeons are woodpeckers.

All eagles are woodpeckers. Conclusion I: Atleast some eagles are pigeons. Conclusion II: No eagle is a pigeon. a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Neither conclusion I nor II is true c) Both conclusion I and II are true d) Only conclusion I is true e) Only conclusion II is true 45) Statements: All shows are plays.

Some shows are movies. No movies is theatre. Conclusion I: All theatres being plays is a possibility.

Conclusion II: All movies are shows. a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Neither conclusion I nor II is true c) Both conclusion I and II are true d) Only conclusion I is true e) Only conclusion II is true 46) Statements: Some floors are walls.

No door is a wall. Conclusion I: Some floors are doors. Conclusion II: No floor is a door. a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Neither conclusion I nor II is true c) Both conclusion I and II are true d) Only conclusion I is true e) Only conclusion II is true 47) Statements: Some pigeons are woodpeckers.

All eagles are woodpeckers. Conclusions I: All woodpeckers being pigeons is a possibility.

Conclusion II: Some eagles are definitely not pigeons.

a) Either conclusion I or II is true b) Neither conclusion I nor II is true c) Both conclusion I and II are true d) Only conclusion I is true e) Only conclusion II is true 48) Statements: All shows are plays.

Some shows are movies. No movie is a theatre.

Conclusion I: All movies are plays. Conclusion II: Some shows are definitely not theatres.


a) Either conclusion I or II is true. b) Neither conclusion I nor II is true.

c) Both conclusion I and II are true d) Only conclusion I is true e) Only conclusion II is true Direction (49-54):Study the following information and answer the given question. Eight friends J, K, L, M, N, O, P and Q live on eight different floors of a building but not necessarily in the same order. The lower most floor of the building is numbered one, the one above that is numbered two and so on until the topmost floor is numbered eight. J lives on floor numbered six. Only one person lives between J and L. O lives on the floor immediately below L. Only one person lives between O and P. O lives above P. K lives on an even numbered floor but not on the floor numbered two. Q does not live on the lowermost floor. N lives on the floor above Q. 49) Which of the following is true about M? a) K lives immediately above M. b) All the given statements are true. c) Only two people live between M and Q. d) M lives on the lowermost floor. e) M lives on an even numbered floor. 50) Who amongst the following lives on the floor number eight? a) P b) N c) O d) M e) None of these 51) Four of the following five are alike in a certain

way based on the given arrangement and thus form a group. Which of the following does not belong to that group?

a) PL b) MQ c) OM d) LN e) QP 52) Who amongst the following lives on the floor numbered three? a) O b) P c) N d) L e) Q 53) Who lives exactly between the floors on which

J and L live? a) Q b) P c) N d) O e) M 54) If P and L interchange their places, who will

live between P and M? a) J b) N

c) O d) L e) Q Direction (55-60): Study the following information carefully and answer the given questions. A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H are sitting around a circular table facing the center. Each one of them has a different profession viz. Doctor, engineer, architect, teacher, clerk, shopkeeper, businessman and banker. A sits third to right of teacher. D sits second to left of G. G is not an immediate neighbour of Teacher. Only one person sits between B, who is shopkeeper, and teacher. The one who is an architect sits third to right of the shopkeeper. H sits between architect and engineer. E is not an immediate neighbour of H. Engineer sits third to the right of clerk. Only one person sits between businessman and F. E is neither a businessman nor a doctor. 55) Which of the following is true with respect to

the given sitting arrangement? a) E is an immediate neighbour of the engineer b) E is an architect

c) The clerk is an immediate neighbour of the banker

d) The teacher sits between H and the engineer e) shopkeeper sits second to the right of the teacher

56) What is the profession of H? a) Businessman b) Architect c) Shopkeeper d) Banker e) Teacher 57) What is the position of doctor with respect to

the banker? a) Immediately to the left b) Third to the left c) Second to the left d) Fourth to the left e) Second to the left 58) Who sits exactly between the architect and

the businessman? a) C and H b) Clerk c) Banker and shopkeeper d) Doctor e) C and teacher 59) Who amongst the following is the clerk? a) C b) D c) E d) F e) G 60) Who sits immediately right to the

businessman? a) Teacher b) Doctor c) Clerk d) banker e) Shopkeeper


Direction (61-62): Read the following information carefully T is the mother of L. L has only one brother, Q. Q is the son of Z. V is the only child of Q. M is the son-in-law of Q. Q is the brother of A. 61) Which of the following is/are required to

establish that L is the uncle of V? a) Z has only one daughter b) L is married to B c) T is the mother of both L and A d) Gender of L is required e) T has only four children. 62) Which of the following is true based on the

given relationships? a) M is the grandson of Z. b) L is the aunt of M. c) None of the given options is true d) A is the son of T e) V is the granddaughter of Z. Direction (63-67):Study the following information ad answer the question. Seven friends namely M, N, O, P, Q, R and S will participate in different sports events namely Running, Football, Basketball, Cricket, Long Jump, Golf and Badminton, not necessarily in the same order from Monday to Sunday (of the same week). R will participate on Wednesday. Only two people will participate between R and Q. M will participate immediately after the one who participate in Long Jump. Neither Q nor R will participate in Long Jump. Only one person will participate between M and the one who will participate in Basketball. P will participate immediately before N. Only one person will participate between P and the one who will play football. M will not participate in football. The one who will play cricket will participate immediately before the one who will participate in running. Only two people will participate in between Cricket and Badminton. S will not participate in Golf or Long Jump. 63) Four of the following five form a group as per

the given arrangement. Which of the following that does not belong to that group?

a) N-Long Jump b) P-Football c) Q-Basketball d) R-Cricket e) O-Running 64) As per the given arrangement N is related to P

in a certain way and Q is related to M in the same way. To which of the following is O related to in the same way?

a) S b) N c) R d) Q e) Other than those given as options

65) On which of the following days does M participate?

a) Sunday b) Saturday c) Thursday d) Monday e) Friday 66) Who amongst the following will participate in running? a) O b) R c) S d) P e) Other than those given as options 67) Which of the following pairs represent those

who will participate on Monday and Sunday? a) N, O b) O, P c) P, S d) S, N e) Other than those given as options Directions (68-70): Study the following information and answer the given questions In a certain code ‘8 2 9’ means ‘how art thou’, ‘9 5 8’ means ‘thou art good’ and ‘1 5 8 7 3’ means ‘thy good and thou bad’. 68) What may be the possible code for ‘thy’? a) 1 or 7 b) 7 c) 3 d) 5 e) 1 or 7 or 3 69) What is the code for ‘thou’? a) 9 b) 8 c) 2 d) 5 e) None of these 70) What is the code for ‘how’? a) 5 b) 8 c) 2 d) 5 e) None of these


ENGLISH LANGUAGE Directions (Q. 71-80): In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.

When sound 71 the world of cinema, mime made a gracious exit. 72 then, it stood proudly as a performing art in itself, independent and 73 in style, approach, treatment and performance not matched however, by 74 acceptance. During the silent era, actors in silent films had to 75 totally on mime as the only way of 76 their emotions, expressions, incidents, events and interactions between and among characters. German Expressionist cinema, the acting of classic performers like Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton used mime they had 77 as part of their theatrical 78 in their films with great effect. A French mime artist once said, “Mime is the poetry of silence”. But once talking 79 entered the scenario, mime was 80 ever used in films, even through a character introduced as a mime artist. 71) a) saw b) became

c) featured d) entered e) came

72) a) Since b) By c) Until d) From

e) So 73) a) dependent b) unique

c) treacherous d) single e) fair

74) a) opinion b) judgement

c) popular d) drama e) conclusion

75) a) rely b) depict

c) earn d) portray e) act

76) a) stimulating b) expressing

c) considering d) mentioning e) designing

77) a) qualified b) bought

c) invested d) worked e) learnt

78) a) vision b) distance

c) story d) experience e) showings

79) a) films b) people c) mimes d) toys e) worlds

80) a) then b) thus

c) for d) and e) hardly

Directions (Q. 81-85): Rearrange the following five sentences A, B, C, D and E in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them. A) A small wooden nest box is all it has taken to

rekindle all the romance of bringing sparrows and other birds back into our cities and halt them from fading into the past like a forgotten folktale

B) There is something wrong with a city that remains unperturbed even as its birds desert it.

C) Thankfully, the situation is not as hopeless as it seems.

D) Much as we try to defend the seemingly irreversible modern life of these cities, we can’t stop our hearts from crying when we realize that our rapidly degenerating urban eco-system isn’t generous enough to let these delicate winged creatures build tiny little nests in its nooks and crannies, sit in solitude, and rear offspring.

E) And this desertion seems to be true with most metros in India where house sparrows have almost become a thing of the past

81) Which of the following should be the FIRST

sentence after rearrangement? a) A b) B c) C d) D e) E

82) Which of the following should be the SECOND

sentence after rearrangement? a) E b) D c) C d) B e) A

83) Which of the following should be the THIRD

sentence after rearrangement? a) A b) B c) C d) D e) E

84) Which of the following should be the FOURTH

sentence after rearrangement? a) E b) D c) C d) B e) A


85) Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after rearrangement? a) A b) B c) C d) D e) E

Directions (Q. 86-90): Which of the phrases 1), 2), 3) and 4) given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold in the sentence to make it grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is given and no correction is required, mark 5) as the answer 86) Visiting the village is like be transported into

some other century. a) alike to transport b) like being transported c) likely to be transporting d) likes transport e) No correction required

87) Environmentalists has pay little heed to the

‘softer’ aspects of the movement, of which the need to change our culture is one of the most important. a) is paying little heed b) are paying little heeding c) has paid little heeds d) have paid little heed e) No correction required

88) Whichever reasons, there is no denying the

changing attitudes as well as livelihoods, and by implication to the environment as well. a) Whichever the reasoning b) Whichever reasoned c) Whatever reasoning d) Whatever the reasons e) No correction required

89) Even in a changing world, we cannot wishes

away the Indian nation and replace it with a world government overnight. a) cannot wish away b) can never wishing out c) cannot wish out d) never wishes out e) No correction required

90) After keeping a ten-year-old in detention for

around six days, the police finally registered a case of fraud against the child and sent him to jail. a) has finally register b) final registered c) is finally registration d) is final registering e) No correction required

Directions (Q. 91-95): Each question below has two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the set of words for each blank which best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole. 91) _______ their golden years of love and

togetherness, the couple _____ all their guests at their fiftieth wedding anniversary. a) Celebrating, welcomed b) Remembering, asked c) Rejoicing, promised d) Commemorating, brought e) Observing, greeted

92) A new law has been passed stating that no

actor would be allowed to shoot beyond twelve hours in a day and those who _____ this norm would henceforth be ______ for it. a) followed, punished b)accompanied, reprimanded c) flouted – penalized d) defied, applauded e) obeyed, disciplined

93) Since it does not have the ______ to do anything

beyond sending out notices, the corporation has now decided to take steps to attach movable properties such as cars so that people take the notices more _____. a) authority, appropriately b) influence, justly c) guts, sincerely d) pressure, gravely e) power, seriously

94) We can feel morally _____ when someone

insults us – as long as we do not ______ upon those feelings by burning down houses. a) challenged, stand b) outraged, act c) bound, build d) obliged, think e) violated, harp

95) Human beings are biological _______; they need

to be grounded in time and place or else they come _____. a) things, forward b) souls, back c) organisms, unhinged d) features, undone e) creatures, again

Directions (Q. 96-100): Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error or idiomatic error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The number of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is (e). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any.)


96) A time sheet diary is to be a)/ maintained by every actor, since b)/ producers constantly complain that they are c)/ forced shooting for late hours because actors come very late. d)/ No error e)

97) The actor, that was a) busy meeting and greeting

people b), made sure that this day became c)/ an extra special one for his parents. d) No error e)

98) Injected into the blood, a) tiny bubbles of gas can

ease b) the passage of vital stroke drugs into the brain, a) helping in prevent damage to the grey matter. d) No error e)

99) Since universities have more a) space on their

campuses, they b) have been asked to open fire detection control rooms c) as a mandatory measure. d) No error e)

100) The graceful folk dance had performed a) so

beautifully by a dance group that nobody b) seemed to notice that c) the show was two-and-a-half hours long! d) No error e)

ANSWER KEY Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 E 2 D 3 C 4 D 5 E 6 E 7 A 8 C 9 B 10 D

11 B 12 D 13 D 14 D 15 C 16 D 17 E 18 C 19 C 20 B 21 B 22 C 23 E 24 E 25 D 26 A 27 E 28 A 29 C 30 E 31 C 32 D 33 D 34 C 35 B 36 D 37 C 38 B 39 C 40 A 41 E 42 D 43 C 44 A 45 D 46 A 47 D 48 E 49 D 50 E 51 C 52 C 53 D 54 B 55 C 56 E 57 B 58 D 59 E 60 C 61 D 62 E 63 C 64 C 65 E 66 E 67 C 68 E 69 B 70 C 71 D 72 A 73 B 74 C 75 A 76 B 77 E 78 A 79 A 80 E 81 B 82 A 83 D 84 C 85 A 86 B 87 D 88 D 89 A 90 E 91 A 92 C 93 A 94 B 95 E 96 D 97 A 98 D 99 C 100 A

SALIENT FEATURES OF SBI PO EXAM

1) There is no change in syllabus 2) Candidates will be tested in two stages:

Phase I and Phase II 3) Phase I: English / Quant / Reasoning – 30

/ 35/ 35 marks. Duration: 60 Min. 4) Phase I is of qualifying nature only with

sectional cut off 5) Marks of Phase I will NOT be added for

final selection 6) Phase II: to be conducted 2 / 3 weeks

after Phase I. Only candidates clearing Phase I will be eligible for Phase II

7) Phase II: It will have four sections of 50

marks each (i) English (ii) GK / Marketing / Computers (iii) DI and Data Analysis (iv) Reasoning High Level Duration 120 minutes with sectional cut off.

8) Descriptive Test, (Letter and Essay) – 50

Marks. To be checked only if objective test is cleared. Marks of descriptive test will be included in final merit Knowledge of computer typing / formatting will be required as the descriptive test will be conducted online

9) Phase III: GD and Interview – 20 / 30 Marks 10) Final Selection score of Phase II out of 250

marks to be converted out of 75 marks

11) Marks of GD and Interview to be

converted into 25 marks


Latest MCQs ON CURRENT AFFAIRS

APRIL GK TEST -01 1. Operation Raahat, which was in news recently

refers to the? A. Army rescue efforts for flood victims in Jammu and Kashmir B. Evacuation of Indians stranded in worn-torn Yemen C. Special operation launched to catch sandalwood smugglers in Andhra Pradesh D. Special mission launched by the Army in Jammu and Kashmir to rehabilitate displaced Kashmiri Pandits. E. None of these

2. Which Indian sports icon has been given the rare honour of a minor planet being named after him/ her? A. Kidambi Srinath B. Kapil Dev C. Sachin Tendulkar D. Vishwanath Anand E. Saina Nehwal

3. The National Green Tribunal has issued which of the following directive/s recently? 1. Issue limited registration certificates for vehicles every year 2. Discontinue the use of all diesel vehicles 10 years old or older 3. Compulsory roadworthiness tests for all vehicles after every five years. A. 1, 2, 3 B. 1, 3 C. 2, 3 D. 2 Only E. None of these

4. Which institution has received the Golden Peacock Prize for Quality? A. Spice Jet Corporation B. Mumbai International Airport C. Delhi International Airport Ltd D. Airports Authority of India E. None of these

5. Find the odd man out. A. Dr. Nasim Zaidi: Chief Election Commissioner B. Lalitha Kumarmanglam: Chairperson, NCW C. Justice GP Mathur: Chairman, 7th Pay Commission D. Sumit Majumdar: CII E. BVR Mohan Reddy: NASSCOM

6. Which of the following missile-use pairs is WRONG? A. Dhanush: Surface-to-air missile B. Nag: Anti-tank missile C. Akash: Air-to-air missile D. Brahmos: Cruise missile E. Prithvi: Surface-to-surface missile

7. Scion of Ikshvaku is a new book by …….., who had earlier authored a popular Shiva trilogy. A. Ravinder Singh B. Ramchandra Guha C. Arvind Adiga D. Jhumpa Lahiri E. Amish Tripathi

8. Which country has signed a historic deal with major world powers to halt its nuclear programme in return for lifting economic sanctions against it? A. South Korea B. Iraq C. North Korea D. Iran E. Israel

9. Greenpeace is best defined as A. a non-government organization devoted to cleaning of polluted rivers in India B. a non-government organization working for the cause of environment C. a political party whose agenda is to work for a green earth D. a private group for promoting peace among nations. E. a non-government organization working for afforestation

10. Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, an accused in the Mumbai terror case, was in news recently as A. he was caught as an accused in the Peshawar massacre B. he has been sentenced to death punishment in the Mumbai terror case. C. he has been convicted by an Islamabad court D. he has been acquitted by a Pakistan court allegedly due to lack of evidence E. None of these

11. SPM, the amount of which is a prime indicator of air quality, stands for A. Simple Particulate Matter B. Sulphurous Particulate Matter C. Suspended Particulate Matter D. Subordinate Particulate Matter E. Superfine Particulate Matter


12. Which of the following is/ are TRUE of MUDRA, a new agency, launched recently? 1. It has a corpus of Rs 20,000 crore to give credit to small businesses. 2. Three main loan schemes - Shishu for loans up to Rs 50,000, Kishor for loans of Rs 50,000 - 5 lakh and Tarun for loans between Rs 5 lakh-10 lakh. 3. It will regulate micro-finance institutions to promote their growth and job creation. A. 1, 3 B. 1, 2 C. 1 only D. None of these E. 1, 2, 3

13. Mustafa Kamal, the man who resigned his job recently, was the chief of which global body? A. WWF B. ICC C. UNCTAD D. FIFA E. IOC

14. Global rating agency Moody's has recently revised India’s rating outlook A. from stable to negative B. from stable to positive C. from speculative to junk D. from stable to speculative E. from AA to AAA

15. The term additive manufacturing refers to A. 3-D printing technology B. reverse engineering C. total quality movement D. improvements in manufacturing quality E. None of these

16. Which of the following is/ are NOT true of the Chief Election Commissioner of India? 1. He enjoys an office tenure of 6 years or till age 65, whichever is earlier. 2. He is appointed by the President on Cabinet recommendation. 3. He gets the same official status, salary and perks as are given to Supreme Court and High Court judges. A. All the statements above are correct B. 3 only C. 1 and 3 only D. 1 only E. 2 only

17. As part of the listing agreement signed by the companies wanting to list their shares on the stock exchange, the companies must have at least …….. % public shareholding and at least …….. woman director/s on the board. A. 50, 2 B. 50, 1 C. 25, 1 D. 75, 1 E. None of these

18. Factory output data in India are computed in terms of ………., which is released by the ………… A. Index of Industrial Production, NSSO B. Gross Domestic Product, Finance Ministry C. Industrial Index, Planning Commission

D. Core Industrial Production, CSO E. Index of Industrial Production, CSO

19. The Supreme Court has asked all private hospitals across the country to provide free treatment to A. acid attack victims B. rape victims C. road accident victims D. BPL families E. None of these

20. Cloud Seeding is best described as A. Using chemical processes to induce rainfall B. Storage of data on remote computer servers C. Using clouds to bring about changes in weather D. Developing seeds using genetic engineering and storing their genetic blueprint on computers E. None of these

21. The 20th Law Commission has recommended the A. Creation of more district courts to accelerate the judicial process B. Deletion of the word leper from the law books as it is derogatory C. Abolition of several outdated laws D. Start of a double shift in all courts within India E. Deletion of the word lunatic from the law books as it is derogatory

22. Which of the following is/ are new developments ensuring a greener India? 1. Launch of Air Quality Index for 10 major cities 2. Disallowing all diesel vehicles older than 10 years 3. Launch of Bharat-VI norms for vehicular pollution Select your answer using the following codes. A. 1, 3 B. 1 only C. 1, 2 D. 1, 2, 3 E. None of these

23. Which of the following companies have been acquired by the online marketplace player Snapdeal.com? A. Freecharge, Wishpicker, Snapfish B. Wishpicker, RupeePower, ApnaLoan C. Freecharge, Wishpicker, ApnaPaisa D. Myntra, Wishpicker, Freecharge E. Freecharge, Wishpicker, RupeePower

24. TEDx is best described as A. a global idea exchange forum B. series of motivational seminars C. a group of venture capitalists D. an online community E. an online anti-suicide helpline

25. Which player of Indian origin has been chosen to play for the high-profile National Basketball Association (NBA) league in the USA? A. Sim Bhullar B. Monty Panesar C. Robin Singh D. Richard Bhullar E. Richie Verma


26. Inflation targeting refers to A. Fixing producer prices to contain inflation B. Change the fiscal policy to contain inflation C. The Central Bank trying to tinker with the monetary policy to maintain the inflation rate within a target range D. Controlling money supply to contain inflation E. The Central Bank fixing a target for inflation in consultation with the government for a particular period and trying to stick to it

27. Which of the following is the no. 1 farm item by value in India? A. Sugar B. Rice C. Tea D. Wheat E. Milk

28. A Ponzi scheme refers to A. a scheme for women only B. a get-rich-quick, money circulation scheme C. a scheme run for rich people in a country D. a direct marketing offer E. a scheme run for poor people in a country

29. Which of the following books/ columns was NOT authored by the Late Khushwant Singh? A. On Godmen and God B. On Religion C. In the Company of Women D. Train To Pakistan E. With Malice Towards One and All

30. Sukma, which has been scene of many deadly Naxalite attacks, is in A. West Bengal B. Bihar C. Chhattisgarh D. Andhra Pradesh E. Madhya Pradesh

31. The Reserve Bank of India recently fined many cooperative banks for their failure to follow 1. Know Your Customers norms 2. Prevention of Money Laundering Act 3. Basel norms 4. Liquidity norms Select your answer using following codes: A. Both 1 and 2 B. Only 1 C. Only 3 D. Both 1 and 4 E. All of these

32. Which Indian player has achieved the no. 1 rank globally? A. Ronjon Sodhi B. Sania Mirza C. Tania Sachdev D. Saina Nehwal E. Kidambi Srinath

33. Match the following sensitive index-stock exchange pairs: P. Dow Jones 1. New York Q. Bolsa 2. London R. FTSE 3. Tokyo S. Nikkei 4. Frankfurt T. Mid Dax 5. Mexico

P Q R S T A. 1 5 2 3 4 B. 3 5 2 1 4 C. 2 3 2 5 4 D. 4 3 1 4 5 E. 3 4 1 4 5

34. If a significant percentage of voters in a Lok Sabha election exercise “None of The Above (NOTA)” option, A. The election can be held illegal B. A re-election is ordered C. The Election Commission can decide the action to be taken, at its discretion D. It does not lead to any of the above actions E. None of these

35. The acronym F&O refers to the A. accounting activities B. hotel industry C. banking sector D. stock market E. software industry

36. Secrets documents related to whom were de-classified recently, which has created a great political storm? A. Subhas Chandra Bose B. Mahatma Gandhi C. BR Ambedkar D. Jawahar Lal Nehru E. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

37. The concept of Net Neutrality refers to A. Making the Internet available to all free of cost B. Putting out Internet content, which is free from racial, sexist and other biases C. A level playing field, which offers equal opportunity, speed and access to all Internet users D. Making no discrimination against any Internet user in terms of speed E. None of these

38. Which university campus in Africa was the scene of random firing recently, which killed 147 students? A. Cape Town, South Africa B. Istanbul, Turkey C. Nairobi, Kenya D. Cairo, Egypt E. Garissa, Kenya

39. Fierce fighting between the Saudi-led coalition forces and the Shiite rebels has been going on in A. Burundi B. Yemen C. Nigeria D. Eriteria E. Tunisia

40. The al Shabaab is a militant group active in A. Nigeria B. Yemen C. Kenya D. Iraq E. Pakistan

41. The acronym COAI stands for a body active in the field of A. Cinema B. Telecom C. Planning D. Health E. Sports

42. The Net Asset Value (NAV) of a mutual fund unit is calculated in terms of


A. (Total assets) / number of units B. (Total assets – Total liabilities) / number of unit holders C. (Total assets – Total liabilities) / number of units D. (Total assets) / number of unit holders E. (Total value of all shares – Total liabilities) / number of units

43. India has decided to buy the Rafael aircraft from A. The USA B. Germany C. France D. Canada E. The UK

44. The apex industry body, which looks after the interests of software companies in India is A. ASSOCHAM B. CII C. MAIT D. NASSCOM E. PHDCCI

45. Which of the following agencies celebrated its 80th birth anniversary recently? A. Punjab National Bank B. Industrial Finance Corp of India C. State Bank of India D. Reserve Bank of India E. Bombay Stock Exchange

46. The Human Development Index report is issued every year by the A. IMF B. World Bank C. UNCTAD D. UNO E. UNDP

47. An Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is one A. whose portfolio comprises the index shares B. whose units can be sold and bought on a stock exchange C. whose units can change in value at any point in time D. which is close-ended E. None of these

48. Which of the following states has/ have achieved 100% financial inclusion under the PM Jan Dhan Yojana? A. Kerala B. Sikkim C. Uttrakhand D. Both A and B E. Chhattisgarh

49. A Business Correspondent (BC) of a bank in India represents A. the last–mile connectivity tool in remote areas B. almost a bank branch for a person in a remote area C. a way to ensure financial inclusion D. All of the above are correct E. None of the above is correct

50. The Liquid Adjustment Facility (LAF) of the Reserve Bank consists of A. Repo facility B. Reverse Repo facility C. Both A and B D. Bank Rate facility E. Interbank Call Money Market facility

APRIL GK TEST -02 1. The book “Born again on the mountain”

describes the real life story of the first-ever Indian amputee mountaineer who successfully scaled the Everest. Can you identify him/ her? A. Malli Mastan B. Bachendri Pal C. Arunima Sinha D. Dicky Dolma E. None of these

2. This former English language teacher from China is now an e-commerce entrepreneur, who raised a record amount in an Initial Public Offer (IPO) recently. His company is now a role model for many Indian companies too, with many trying to follow its footprints. We are most likely talking about A. Xing Pew B. Lin Piao C. Xou Jing D. Lee Maa E. Jack Maa

3. The Prime Minister recently dedicated to the nation a steel plant in ……… upgraded at a cost of Rs. 12000 cr. A. Baildilla B. Bhilai C. Burnpur D. Rourkela E. Durgapur

4. Angela Merkel, who was in news recently, is a Head of the govt. in A. Switzerland B. Germany C. UK D. France E. Canada

5. The Large Hadron Collider, which re-opened recently in a more powerful avatar, is part of the A. TIFR, Mumbai B. CERN, Geneva C. IUCAA, Pune D. BARC, Mumbai E. NASA

6. The Triple Vaccine commonly administered in India DOES NOT cover which of these illnesses? 1. Diptheria 2. Tetanus 3. Whooping Cough (Pertussis) 4. Polio A. 1 only B. 4 only C. 2 only D. 3 only E. All these diseases are covered

7. India Before Gandhi is currently a popular book authored by A. KM Pannikar B. Bipan Chandra C. Aditya Mukherjee D. Mridula Mukherjee E. Ram Chandra Guha

8. My Choice, a video which went viral recently and also created great online debate, featured A. Sonam Kapoor B. Poonam Pandey C. Deepika Padukone D. Katrina Kaif E. Sunny Leone


9. India ranks …… on the e-commerce readiness index published by UNCTAD. A. 83rd B. 136th C. 3rd D. 142nd E. 14th

10. President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi of ……… had to flee from his capital …….. due to an attack by the rebels. A. Somalia, Kudo B. Egypt, Cairo C. Kenya, Garissa D. Yemen, Ougadouggeau E. Yemen, Sana’a

11. Alleged sandalwood smugglers were killed in a police encounter in A. Periyar forests B. Satyamangalam forests C. Madhya Pradesh forests D. Mudumalai forests E. Seshachalam forests

12. IPL 8 got off to a start in A. Green Park, Kanpur B. Salt Lake City, Kolkata C. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai D. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Chennai E. Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium, Delhi

13. Which NGO’s accounts have been frozen for alleged anti-development activities? A. Helpage B. Oxfam C. Give India D. Greenpeace E. CRY

14. The Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award has been given to A. Balbir Singh Senior B. Pargat Singh C. Cedric D’souza D. Dharam Singh E. None of these

15. A blue chip stock A. is a highly-priced, consistently dividend-paying stock of a highly profitable company B. is one which is part of SENSEX only C. belongs to a public sector company D. belongs to a company in the oil and refineries sector E. has a high market price

16. All of these are part of the Core Industries Group in the IIP EXCEPT A. Petrochemicals B. Cement C. Coal D. Banking E. Electricity

17. Pick the odd man out. A. Rashmi Bansal B. Chetan Bhagat C. Ram Chandra Guha D. Ravinder Singh E. Preeti Shenoy

18. Which of these companies is facing a number of regulatory issues and bans by the FDA in America? A. Sun Pharma B. Dr. Reddy’s Labs C. Torrent Pharma D. Ranbaxy

E. Biocon 19. Who among the following has been appointed

a Surgeon General in the USA? A. Rajat Gupta B. Dr. Richard Verma C. Bobby Jindal D. Dr. Preet Singh E. Dr. Vivek Murthy

20. Find the incorrect pairing: A. Indira Nooyi: Coca Cola B. Chanda Kochhar: ICICI Bank C. Shikha Sharma: Axis Bank D. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw: Biocon E. Renu Karnad: HDFC Bank

21. Which Indian state is the worst in terms of sex ratio? A. Bihar B. UP C. Haryana D. Punjab E. Goa

22. Which of the following is NOT one of the pillars of the Basel 2 Accord? A. Minimum capital adequacy B. Capital conservation buffer

C. Supervisory review D. Market discipline E. All these options are correct

23. The concept of One Rank One Pension (OROP) applies to A. All government employees in India B. Public sector bank employees C. Central government employees D. State government employees E. Defence forces personnel

24. A fall of one basis point in the repo rate brings it down by A. 0.1% B. 1% C. 0.01% D. 0.001% E. None of these

25. Which Hollywood movie created a new opening weekend collection record recently? A. Fast and Furious B. The Theory of Everything C. The Grand Budapest Hotel D. Still Alice E. Birdman

26. Which of the following is NOT true of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yjana? 1. The scheme provides IT-enabled and smart-card-based cashless health insurance. 2. The scheme includes a maternity benefit cover up to Rs. 30,000 per annum for BPL families. 3. The scheme is primarily meant for workers in farm sector. A. 1, 2, 3 B. 1, 2 C. 2, 3 D. Only 1 E. Only 3

27. Find the WRONGLY MATCHED pair out of the following book-author groupings. A. God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican: Gerald Posner


B. Prince of Gujarat: Rajmohan Gandhi C. Sahib: the British Soldier in India: Richard Holmes D. Life Is What You Make It: Preeti Shenoy E. Life At Sixty: Khushwant Singh

28. The new foreign trade policy for 2015-20 aims to 1. push manufacturing and services exports, simplify procedures, and facilitate doing business and integrating programmes like Make in India 2. increase exports to $ 900 billion by 2019-20, from USD 466 billion. 3. raise India's share in world exports from 2 percent to 3.5 percent. Select your answer using the following codes: A. 2 only B. 1, 2 C. 1 only D. 1, 3 E. All of the above statements are true

29. Which country tops the 2015 FM Global Resilience Index based on economic risk and supply chain factors? A. Norway B. Singapore C. Canada D. Luxembourg D. Sweden

30. The most unlivable city in India in terms of atmospheric pollution levels is A. Delhi B. Hyderabad C. Agra D. Kanpur E. Ludhiana

31. The acronym FAME stands for A. Faster Activation and Measurement of Economic Growth B. Forum for Adoption of Middle Economies C. Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles C. Fully Active Mode Economy E. None of these

32. Sitara Devi, who passed away recently, was a legendary A. photographer B. singer C. painter D. danseuse E. instrumentalist

33. Beyond which permissible sound level is noise pollution thought to begin, making it unsafe for human exposure? A. 50 decibel B. 85 decibel C. 120 decibel D. 100 decibel E. 200 decibel

34. Which of the following new laws IS/ ARE expected to be made operational soon? 1. Prohibition of Liquor Act 2. Financial Stability and Development Council Act 3. Real Estate Regulatory Authority Act A. 2, 3 B. 1, 3 C. 1 only D. 3 only E. All of these are correct

35. An impression of which of the following CANNOT be used in a bio-metric identification system? A. Teeth B. Finger C. Tongue D. Iris E. All of these can become valid identification tools

36. Genetically Modified (GM) crops are introduced in India after approval by the A. Foreign Investment Promotion Board B. Union Cabinet C. Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion D. Genetic Engineering Approval Committee E. Ministry of Agriculture

37. Which Indian public attorney, who is a part of the US judicial system, has initiated a series of legal cases against financial frauds? A. Preet Bharara B. Vivek Murthy C. Richard Verma D. Bobby Jindal E. Devyani Khobragade

38. The International Women’s Day was celebrated recently on A. March 29 B. March 23 C. March 15 D. April 8 E. March 8

39. Y.H. Malegam committee was constituted by RBI for what purpose? A. Marketing of financial products B. Financial inclusion C. Small industries D. Microfinance E. Insurance sector reforms

40. Gunter Gross, the Nobel winner litterateur, who passed away recently, was most well-known for his work A. Death of a Salesman B. The Alchemist C. The Tin Drum D. Road Deep Down The South E. Alchemy of Desire

41. The term Brettenwoods Sisters refers to the A. UNO and Security Council B. GATT and WTO C. USA and Canada D. World Bank and IMF E. None of these

42. A soft loan is one which usually comes with A. a low rate of interest B. a long repayment tenure C. a moratorium phase D. Both A and B E. no repayment obligation

43. Which of the following is NOT a literary honour? A. Kalidasa Samman B. Chameli Devi Jain Award C. Saraswati Samman D. Jnanpeeth Award E. All of them are literary honours


44. The President of India sends his resignation to the A. Prime Minister B. Union Cabinet C. Lok Sabha Speaker D. Chief Justice of India E. Vice President

45. If the Union Budget is passed by the Lok Sabha but is not passed by the Rajya Sabha, A. a joint sitting of both the houses can be called B. it can be sent again to the Rajya Sabah for re-consideration C. it is sent to the President for his assent D. it is modified by the Lok Sabha and is sent to the Rajya Sabha again E. it means the end of the bill

46. Find the odd one out. A. Bullet B. Shin Kansen C. Metro D. Tube E. Maglev

47. The topmost law officer of the Government of India is the A. Advocate General B. Attorney General of India C. Solicitor General of India D. Chief Justice of India E. Law Minister

48. Not Just An Accountant is a new book authored by A. Sanjay Baru B. Shashikant Sharma C. Pankaj Pachauri D. Vinod Rai E. Vinod Dua

49. Work expands itself to fill the time available --- This is known as A. Moore’s Law B. Murphy’s Law C. Taylor’s Law D. Parkinson’s Law E. Mayfair’s Axiom

50. Which country has joined the International Criminal Court recently? A. Yemen B. Israel C. Taiwan D. Iraq E. North Korea

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APRIL GK TEST -03 1. Which of the following countries did PM

Narendra Modi NOT visit during his foreign tour in April? A. France B. Canada C. Mauritius D. Germany E. He visited all these countries

2. The PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir is led by A. Mufti Mohammed Syed B. Mir Waiz C.Syed Shah Geelani D. Mehbooba Mufti E. None of these

3. Which of the following IS/ ARE part of the proposed new Land Acquisition Bill, which has sparked off great political debate? 1. Provision of land acquisition for hospitals and education sector, too. 2. Inclusion of the words private entity in the list of applicants eligible for acquiring land. 3. No resumption of the acquired land after 5 years even if no project work on it has been started. A. 1, 3 B. 2, 3 C. 1, 2 D. 1 only E. All these statements are correct

4. The level of river pollution at a place is mainly indicated by A. the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) B. the quality of aquatic life C. the number of fish present there D. the aquatic population density E. None of these

5. Social networking gaint Facebook has launched a zero charge Internet initiative called A. Internet.free B. Internet.org C. Internet.in D. Internet.com E. Internet.guv

6. “Chander and Sudha” is a new English rendering of the classic …….. by Dharmveer Bharati. A. Gharaunda B. Jheel Ke Us Paar C. Gunaahon Ka Devta D. Amaanush E. Pavittra Paapi

7. The concept of inflation targeting refers to A. The finance ministry trying to check inflation by having a pre-defined target B. Injecting fresh liquidity into the economy to meet a certain inflation target C. Both A and B D. The Central Bank agreeing to keep inflation within a specified range E. None of these

8. Pick the odd one out. A. Asma Jahangir B. Desmond Tutu


C. Nelson Mandela D. Dalai Lama E. Barack Obama

9. All of the following pairs are correct EXCEPT A. SBI: 1955 B. RBI: 1935 C. SEBI: 1992 D. NABARD: 1984 E. ICICI: 1975

10. Which of the following commissions were constituted by the government to probe the mysterious disappearance of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose? 1. Mukherjee Commission 2. Khosla Commission 3. Shah Commission A. 1 only B. None of these C. 2, 3 D. All of these E. 1, 2

11. India’s Biggest Cover Up, a research treatise on the mysterious disappearance of Netaji Subhash Bose is authored by A. Anil Dharker B. Anil Dhar C. Farrukh Dhondy D. Ashutosh E. Ashish Khetan

12. The acronym LGBT, which has hogged news headlines these days, stands for A. Love Gay, Bisexual, Transgender B. In Love With Gay, Bisexual, Transgender C. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender D. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite E. None of these

13. About 1000 migrants were killed in a boat tragedy off the coast of A. Libya B. Italy C. Germany D. Greece E. Malta

14. In view of the inflation targeting arrangement with the Reserve Bank and the consequent conflict of interest, the government is thinking of transferring its sovereign debt management functions to the A. Finance Ministry B. Forward Markets Commission C. Insurance Regulatory and Devp Authority D. Public Deb Management Agency E. Securities and Exchange Board of India

15. The municipal bonds has been okayed by the SEBI recently to A. help urban local bodies tide over their fiscal crisis B. help urban local bodies finance mass rapid transport systems (MRTS) in cities C. help state governments raise cheap money from the open market D. help urban local bodies raise money for smart cities E. None of these

17. The term Wi Fi implies A. Wireless Firing B. Wireless Filling of Waves

C. Wireless Finding D. Wireless Frequency E. Wireless Fidelity

18. Which of the following is NOT a refinance institution? A. National Housing Bank B. SIDBI C. Housing Development Finance Corporation D. NABARD E. All of these are refinance institutions

19. Who among the following has bagged the Editor of the Year honour? A. Sathya Saran B. Aroon Purie C. Sanjoy Narayan D. Gautam Adhikari E. Barkha Dutt

20. A Junk Bond is best described as A. a bond issued by a public sector company B. a bond issued by a poorly rated company, which is likely to default on repayment C. issued by a small, little known company D. like a gem lying in dirt E. None of these

21. Which political party saw a top-level leadership change recently? A. Congress B. BJP C. Akali Dal D. CPI (M) E. Both B and D

22. Sun Pharma has bought out the troubled firm Ranbaxy from A. its owners B. Fortis Healthcare C. Daichi Sankyo D. Sankyo E. None of these

23. The ………… phenomenon, which means a little boy in Spanish, stares India in its face this summer. Forecast by the Australian and Indian meteorological departments, it is thought to be responsible for weather fluctuations worldwide. In 2009, it caused the worst-ever drought in India in three decades, triggering a massive drop in food output. A. Monsoon deficit B. El Nino, La Nino C. Katrina cyclone D. La Nino E. El Nino

24. The Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) of International Monetary Fund are also called A. Paper money B. Paper treasure C. Book money D. Paper gold E. Book gold

25. This microbe was first discovered in Zaire (Congo) in 1976. It lay dormant for a number of years before it reared its ugly head again in the 1990s, causing widespread illness and deaths among humans. Of late, it has emerged again as a major heath challenge internationally. The microbe causes high fever, muscular pain and bleeding from various body organs. It responds to only limited medicines and is extremely fatal, with very few victims being able to survive.


Most likely, the above paragraph refers to A. H1N1 B. Alzheimer’s

C. AIDS D. Bovine flu E. Ebola

26. The current Vatican Pope belongs to A. Peru B. Greece C. Cuba D. Argentina E. None of these

27. Why I Am An Atheist was authored by …….. shortly before his death. A. Subhash Chandra Bose B. Mahatma Gandhi C. Jawaharlal Nehru D. Bhagat Singh E. Chandershekhar Azad

28. Find the odd man out. A. Nicole Kidman B. Oprah Winfrey C. Jennifer Lopez D. Jesse Owens E. Julienne Moore

29. Sister Euphrasia of Kerala was in news recently as A. she was nominated for the Olof Palme Peace Prize B. she was declared a saint by the Vatican C. she was chosen to represent India at the Vatican D. she passed away E. None of these

30. The Asset–Liability mismatch is major problem faced by the…. in India. A. Commercial banks B. Refinance institutions C. None of these

D. Reserve Bank of India E. central government

31. Which promising cricket player died in an on-field mishap in Kolkata? A. Saurav Ghosh B. Phil Hughes C. Ankit Choudhary D. No such incident took place E. Nabendu Ganguly

32. The Earth Day is observed on A. 1st December B. 6th June C. 23rd March D. 29th March E. 22nd April

33. The governor of which state is embroiled in a recruitment scam? A. Madhya Pradesh B. Bihar C. Chhattisgarh D. Jharkhand E. Uttar Pradesh

34. A massive doping scandal involving scores of players recently rocked the A. Indian Hockey Federation B. Indian Weightlifting Federation C. Lawn Tennis Association of India D. Indian Wrestling Federation E. Indian Athletics Federation

35. The nickname blue planet is given to the A. Venus B. Uranus C. Mars D. Earth E. Moon

36. Dumping refers to A. Fixing prices in collaboration with other players in the same industry B. Selling one’s products in a foreign country at less than the cost price C. Selling one’s goods at a low price so as to kill competition D. Flooding a market with excess supplies E. None of these

37. Brown label ATMs are A. brown in colour B. licensed to the Department of Posts C. licensed to the banks but managed by third party players D. those installed in rural areas E. licensed to Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)

38. Resul Pookooty, the Oscar laureate, belongs to which of the following fields? A. Film direction B. Art direction C. Script writing D. Film photography E. Sound engineering

39. The Algebra of Infinite Justice --– This book has been authored by A. Amartya Sen B. Jhumpa Lahiri C. Ramanujan D. Kiran Desai E. Arundhati Roy

40. Section 377 of Indian Penal Code, which has been in news of late and has been challenged in the Supreme Court, deals with A. Dowry deaths B. Juvenile crimes C. Rape D. Drunken driving E. Homosexuality

41. Who among the following is known as the Green Judge? A. Justice V Iyengar B. Justice MN Venkatcheliah C. Justice Kuldeep Singh D. Justice PN Bhagwati E. None of these

42. AB de Villiers plays which of the following sports? A. Rugby B. Snooker C. Cricket D. Golf E. Squash

43. Which of the following is NOT related to taxation in India? A. MODVAT B. SAT C. GST D. VAT E. DTC

44. In the Union Budget 2015-16, the wealth tax has been A. increased B. newly proposed for introduction C. decreased D. abolished and replaced with a 2% surcharge on the super rich with annual income of Rs. 1 cr. and more E. abolished


45. The acronym CSR, commonly found in newspapers, implies A. Companies Special Responsibility B. Corporate Securitization Rate C. Corporate Security Responsibility D. Cash Security Reserve E. Corporate Social Responsibility

46. Section 80 G of the Income Tax law deals with A. equity-linked savings schemes B. home loan repayments C. life insurance policies D. medical insurance E. donations to approved institutions

47. Baba Ram Dev has been appointed a state ambassador for yoga and ayurveda by the A. Haryana government B. Panjab government C. Himachal Pradesh government D. Central government E. UNO

48. Which country’s former Head of the Government was sentenced to 20 years in jail by a court? A. Syria B. Iraq C. Yemen D. Egypt E. Iran

49. The speed of a supercomputer is measured in terms of A. Bits B. Bytes C. Kilobytes D. Megaflops E. Teraflops

50. LHC discovered the sub atomic particle “Boson” . What is the full form of LHC? A. Large Hadron Collider B. Latest Hadron Collider C. Longest Hadron Collider D. Large Hydro Collision E. None of these

CAIIB (PART TIME)

CLASSES BY SENIOR EX-BANKERS WITH 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

DATE TOPIC TIMINGS 11 MAY – 22 MAY ABM 6 pm – 8 pm 23 MAY – 28 MAY BFM 6 pm – 8 pm 29 MAY – 31 MAY RETAIL BANKING 6 pm – 8 pm

SUNDAY 10 am – 7 pm SATURDAY 03 pm – 7 pm

GYANM COLLEGE OF COMPETITIONS S.C.O. 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, ABOVE DOMINO’S, SECTOR 34-A, CHD

PH: 0172-4052124, (M) 09646888377

ANSWER KEY

TEST – 1

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 B 2 D 3 D 4 C 5 C

6 A 7 E 8 D 9 B 10 D

11 C 12 E 13 B 14 B 15 A

16 A 17 C 18 E 19 A 20 A

21 B 22 C 23 E 24 A 25 A

26 E 27 E 28 B 29 A 30 C

31 A 32 D 33 A 34 D 35 D

36 A 37 C 38 E 39 B 40 C

41 B 42 C 43 C 44 D 45 D

46 E 47 B 48 D 49 D 50 C

TEST – 2

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 C 2 E 3 D 4 B 5 B

6 B 7 E 8 C 9 A 10 E

11 E 12 B 13 D 14 A 15 A

16 D 17 C 18 D 19 E 20 A

21 C 22 B 23 E 24 C 25 A

26 E 27 E 28 E 29 A 30 A

31 C 32 D 33 B 34 D 35 A

36 D 37 A 38 E 39 D 40 C

41 D 42 D 43 B 44 E 45 C

46 E 47 B 48 D 49 D 50 B

TEST – 3

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 C 2 A 3 E 4 A 5 B

6 C 7 D 8 A 9 D 10 E

11 B 12 C 13 A 14 D 15 D

16 E 17 C 18 C 19 B 20 B

21 D 22 C 23 E 24 D 25 E

26 D 27 D 28 D 29 B 30 A

31 C 32 E 33 A 34 B 35 D

36 C 37 C 38 E 39 E 40 E

41 C 42 C 43 B 44 D 45 E

46 E 47 A 48 D 49 E 50 A


GYANM QUIZ - 01 How much do you know about the world around you? Take the quiz below to find out for yourself and WIN some exciting prizes as rewards. 1. Who among the following is called the Father

of English Poetry? A. John Keats B. Lord Byron C. Geoffrey Chaucer D. William Shakespeare

2. The most widely spoken language in the

world is. A. Mandarin B. French C. Hindi D. English

3. The name Pakistan was coined by.

A. Mohammed Ali Jinnah B. Dr. Mohammed Iqbal C. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan D. None of these

4. The Mahabharata was earlier known as

A. Santati B. Jaya C. Purana D. Garuda

5. The Supreme Court of India can have its

sittings in. A. Delhi or any other place as decided by it B. Delhi or any state capital C. any part of India as decided by the Parliament D. Delhi

6. Which of the following was voted as the Most

Important Invention of the 20th century? A. Printing B. Electricity C. Computer D. Television

7. The sports activity that requires the

maximum calories per minute is. A. Hurdle race B. Marathon C. Mountaineering D. Swimming

8. Which of the following structures is created

by a river in its upper course? A. Canyon B. Delta C. Ox Bow Lake D. Meander

9. The Silicon Valley in America is, in reality, an

area called. A. Redmond Hills B. Santa Clara C. Alabama desert D. Palo Alto

10. To an astronaut in a spaceship, the Earth appears to be. A. Brown B. Black C. White D. Blue

Name: ______________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ PIN: _____________________ Mobile: ___________________________________ _ My answers to Gyanm Quiz - 01 are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Signature _______________

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1. Please send your responses to the quiz, along with

your COMPLETE ADDRESS and PIN CODE, by 25th May, 2015. The responses can be sent By e-mail to [email protected] OR On Whatsapp mobile number 09646888377 OR By post to Gyanm College of Competitions, SCO 13-15, 2nd Floor, Above Domino’s, Sector 34-A, Chandigarh-160034

2. ONLY the residents of India are eligible to participate.

3. In case of multiple correct entries, a draw will be held to decide the winner/s.

3. The Prize/s CANNOT be exchanged for cash. 4. The decision of the jury shall be FINAL and

BINDING on all the participants. 5. The winners’ names shall be announced in the July,

2015 issue.

mailto:[email protected]



Latest G.K. Bytes

APRIL – 2015 1) __________ has been crowned as the FBB Femina Miss

World: Aditi Arya 2) In the FBB Femina Miss India World contest, letters

FBB represents what: Fashion at Big Bazaar 3) Name the legendary hockey players honoured with

Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award: Balbir Singh Senior

4) India has been ranked a lowly ______ on a new index compiled by the UN trade body UNCTAD for assessing the readiness of countries for electronic commerce: 83rd

5) What action is planned under Punjab’s special project named as ‘Padho Punjab-Khedo Punjab Mission’: A separate period only for playing games

6) RBI has penalised 16 central co-operative banks with a fine of 5 lakh rupees each for what laps: Non-adherence of the Know Your Customer norms

7) Daniel Vettori, the left-arm spinner has announced his retirement from international cricket. He is from which country: New Zealand

8) Prime Minister dedicated to the nation an expansion and modernisation project worth Rs 12,000 crore for which steel plant: Rourkela Steel Plant

9) India’s 1st integrated steel plant established at Rourkela in early 60’s was setup with which country’s collaboration: Germany

10) Muhammadu Buhari has recently been elected as President of which African country: Nigeria

11) Name the President of Bangladesh Cricket Board who was in news as he resigned from the post of President of International Cricket Council: Mustafa Kamal

12) Govt. has decided to shift implementation of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) from the Labour and Employment Ministry to which ministry: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

13) What is the amount of health insurance cover available under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana: Rs. 30,000

14) Ana Jara, Prime Minister of Peru was in news for what reasons: She was removed by the parliament

15) Who is the author of the book God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican: Gerald Posner

16) What is the name of the book written by Rajmohan Gandhi about a famous prince of Gujarat: Prince of Gujarat

17) What is India’s rank the 2015 FM Global Resilience Index: 119th

18) As per 2015 FM Global Resilience Index, _______ is the best country for companies seeking to avoid disruptions in their global supply chain operations: Norway

19) Recently the government announced its Foreign Trade Policy (FTP)for which period: 2015-20

20) FTP policy 2015-20 aims to Increase exports to USD _______billion by 2019-20, from USD 466 billion in 2013-14: 900

21) FTP policy 2015-20 aims to raise India's share in world exports from 2 percent to ____ percent: 3.5

22) What is the proposed name for new capital of Andhra Pradesh: Amaravati

23) Name the renowned Hindi poet (79) passed away on April 1: Kailash Vajpeyi

24) Which country formally joined the International Criminal Court (ICC) on April 1, raising the hopes of the possible prosecution of Israelis for their alleged war crimes: Palestine

25) Headquarters of International Criminal Court (ICC) are located at which place: The Hague, Netherland

26) What was the name of the gigantic rescue operation conducted by Indian Navy to evacuate over 5600 persons stuck in the war torn Yemen: Operation Rahat

27) Which Indian naval ship played a critical role in the Operation Rahat: INS Sumitra

28) The book Scion of Ikshvaku by Amish Tripathi has been written about which famous Hindu god: Lord Rama

29) In which country Somalia's Shebab Islamist group raided the campus of Garissa University, killing over 150 students: Kenya

30) In which place marathon talks were held between the world powers and Iran to reach a historic deal aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear drive: Lausanne, Switzerland

31) Which apex financial institution of India celebrated its 80th anniversary on April 1: RBI

32) Speaking on 80th anniversary of RBI, the Prime Minister asked the bank to prepare a 20 year road map for what purpose: Financial Inclusion

33) Dr. Subadhra Devi Rai was honour with


international achievement award for excellence in which field: Nursing

34) Recently a minor planet was named after a legendary sports person of India. Who is he: Viswanathan Anand

35) What is the name of the index that has been launched to provide information on the quality of air / level of air pollution in 10 major cities in the country on daily basis: Air Quality Index

36) _____ is the most polluted city in India: New Delhi 37) _____ is the most polluted city in the world : Beijing 38) Malli Mastan Babu, world famous ace mountaineer

from Hyderabad was in news recently for what reasons: He went missing in an expedition and was found dead later.

39) The Reserve Bank has relaxed the Know Your Customer norms for which type of firms to allow them opening of account by submitting a single proof of their business: Sole proprietor firms

40) Miami Masters Tennis Championship were held in which state of USA: Florida

41) ________ won the men’s single title of the Miami Masters Tennis Championship: Novak Djkovic

42) ________ won the women’s single title of the Miami Masters Tennis Championship: Serena Williams

43) In its first bimonthly monetary policy statement made on April 7, the RBI changed which policy rate: No change

44) Name the Indian Grandmaster who won the bronze medal in the World Women's chess championships: Dronavalli Harika

45) The World Women's chess championship was held at which place: Sochi, Russia

46) __________ has been appointed as the good will ambassador of Uttarakhand: Virat Kohli

47) What is the name of the first Scorpene Submarine launched for sea trial in India on April, 6: INS Kalvari

48) Scorpene Class Submarines are being built in India in collaboration with which country: France

49) Which national organization is undertaking the building of scorpene class submarines in India: Mazagon Docks Ltd., Mumbai

50) Pedro Cateriano Bellido has been elected as the new Prime Minister of which south American country: Peru

51) Golden Peacock National Quality Award is given for excellence in which field: Corporate governance

52) Union Government on 1 April 2015 launched Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) – India Scheme for what purpose: To boost eco-friendly vehicles sales in the country

53) Prime Minister launched the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana on April 8. The acronym MUDRA stands for what: Micro Units Development and Refinance

Agency 54) What is the amount of corpus with which MUDRA

Yojana has been started: Rs. 20,000 crore 55) What is the objective of starting the Pradhan Mantri

Mudra Yojana: To extend credit to small businesses and regulate micro-finance institutions

56) The proposed MUDRA bank will have three main loan schemes, named as _______: Shishu, Kishore and Tarun

57) The proposed MUDRA bank can give loans upto a maximum amount of Rs. _________ : 10 lac

58) Which international rating agency has raised the rating outlook of India from stable to positive: Moody’s

59) ____________has become the first player of Indian descent to play in the high-profile National Basketball Association (NBA) league of USA: Sim Bhullar

60) Which index has ranked India at 101st place in terms of indicators of well-being such as health, water and sanitation, personal safety, personal freedom: Social Progress Index

61) _________ has been elected as the President of CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) for 2015-16: Sumit Mazumder

62) B V R Mohan Reddy has been elected as Chairman of which national level business body: NASSCOM

63) Who has been appointed as the New Chief Election Commissioner of India: Dr. Nasim Zaidi

64) The 5th meeting of the Health Ministers of SAARC countries held in which place: New Delhi

65) Opening match of the 8th edition of the grand cricket extravaganza – IPL 2015 was held in which stadium: Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata

66) During his recent foreign visit to Europe, PM Modi visited which city first of all: Paris

67) As per recent data from RBI, ____________ ranks first in the public sector banks having highest percentage of bad loans, at 21.5 % of its total loans: Central Bank of India

68) As per SEBI guidelines, it is mandatory for every listed company to have at least __________ woman director on their board: One

69) Name the international environment campaign group whose bank accounts were recently frozen by the Indian govt.: Greenpeace India

70) For what reasons Govt. of India froze the bank accounts of Greenpeace India: For their alleged encouragement of “anti-development” protests in the country

71) Who is the appointing authority for the Chief Election Commissioner of India: President of India

72) Chief Election Commissioner of India can hold the office up to the age of maximum ___________ years: 65

73) Status of the Chief Election Commissioner is


equivalent to that of which official: Judge of the Supreme Court

74) The CEC has tenure of __________ years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier : Six

75) Recently two hi-tech Mi-17 V5 military combat helicopter were inducted in which paramilitary force of the first time: Border Security Force (BSF)

76) Hi-Tech Mi-17 V5 military combat helicopter have been sourced from which country: Russia

77) Name the retired Air Chief Marshal, recipient of Param Vishisht Seva medal and Mahaveer Chakra, who passed away recently: Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar

78) Legendary cricket commentator Richie Benaud who died recently, was from which country: Australia

79) India successfully test-fired the nuclear-weapon capable Dhanush missile recently. What is its full range: 350 km

80) Which Indian state proposes to setup bio-fences with thickets of thorny bamboos to ward off straying elephants: Assam

81) Gyanpith awardee Jayakanthan passed away recently. He was from which field: Tamil Novelist

82) The 20th Law Commission in its report on Leprosy has recommended removal of which word from various statutes as it was considered ‘derogatory’: Leper

83) Which Indian city won the Earth Hour City Challenge held in Seoul, South Korea for best champion of renewable energy: Thane

84) With which country India signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on development of waterways and multi-modal hubs in India: USA

85) The Supreme Court has asked all private hospitals in India to provide full treatment free to _____________ victims, including medicines and expensive reconstruction surgeries: Acid attack

86) The conference of Power, Renewable Energy and Mines ministers of all states and union territories of India was held at which place: Guwahati

87) India has been elected to four key subsidiary bodies of the which forum of the United Nations: Economic and Social Council

88) Which French company has agreed to restart the work in the nuclear power project at Jaitapur, Maharashtra: Areva

89) France has agreed to supply 36 __________ fighter jets to India in a flyaway condition: Rafale

90) India’s first hi-tech financial city – GIFT has been launched in which state: Gujarat

91) What is the full form of acronym GIFT: Gujarat International Finance Tec-City

92) Govt. has allowed banks to open for the first time in India, IFSC as offshore banking units. What is IFSC: International Financial Services Central

93) In the context of electronic fund transfers,

abbreviation IFSC stands for what: Indian Financial System Code

94) The World Bank has predicted that the GDP growth in India is expected to accelerate to ________percent in the FY 2015 -16, supported by investment growth: 7.5

95) _____________ created history by becoming the first Indian female tennis player to achieve the world number one rank in women’s doubles: Sania Mirza

96) __________ won the Sultan Azlan shah cup of hockey: New Zealand

97) Sultan Azlan shah cup of hockey was held at which place in Malaysia: Ipoh

98) __________of India won the bronze medal in the men's 10-metre air pistol event at the ISSF Shooting World Cup: Jitu Rai

99) The ISSF Shooting World Cup was held at _________ South Korea: Changwon

100) In which sea around 900 illegal migrants trying to reach Europe were feared killed after their boat capsized: Mediterranean Sea

101) A report by IMF says that India is likely to overtake _______ as the fastest growing emerging economy in 2015-16 by clocking a growth rate of 7.5 per cent: China

102) Name the world’s largest industrial technology fair held in Germany that was recently inaugurated by the Indian Prime Minister: Hannover Fair

103) To promote ‘Make in India’ mission in Germany, Mr. Modi highlighted the 3D strength of India. What is repressed by 3D: Democracy, Demography, Demand

104) Guenter Grass, ______ novelist, the Nobel Prize-winning author of “The Tin Drum”, died recently: German

105) In terms of usage of Information Communications Technologies (ICT), India stands at _____ rank as per an index compiled by the World Economic Forum: 89th

106) A World Trade Organization (WTO) forecast says that the global goods trade will grow by ____percent in the year 2015 and by ____percent in 2016: 3.3, 4.0

107) Name the historical city of Syria that was in news as the Islamic State militants have been destroying rare ancient relics there dating back to the 13th century BC: Nimrud

108) Malala Yousafzai, Pakistan's teenage education activist and the world’s youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner was in news recently for what reasons: An asteroid has been named after her

109) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes Formula 1 driver who won the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, China, hails from which country: Britain

110) The Government has set up a task force chaired by __________ to examine the relevant issues to expedite the work on the interlinking of rivers in the country:


B N Navalawala 111) India test-fired its nuclear-capable surface-to-

surface Agni-III ballistic missile from the ITR near __________in Odisha: Chandipur

112) ________ has been declared as the Laureus Sportsman of the Year, 2015: Novak Djokovic

113) Genzebe Dibaba has been declared as the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year, 2015. She is from which field and country: Sprinter, Ethiopia

114) Which country has recently agreed to supply uranium to India, becoming third such country: Canada

115) An interest subvention of ___% is available for short-term crop loans up to Rs. ___ lakh per farmer, subject to conditions. 2, 3

116) Indian batting legend_______, was inducted recently into the prestigious Laureus Sports Academy: Sachin Tendulkar

117) In a article written by Mr. Barack Obama in Time Magazine, he described Prime Minister Modi as _______ of India: Reformer in Chief

118) RBI has allowed banks to offer differential interest rates on term deposits of above what amount: Rs.15 lakh

119) Mohan Kumar has been appointed the next Ambassador of India to which country: France

120) What is the short name of a book written by India by the Indian Parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor: India Shastra

121) Mightier Than the Sword is a popular novel written by _________: Jeffrey Archer

122) Total exports of India during 2014-15 fell short by $29.5 billion of its annual target of $ ________ billion: 340

123) The government has asked the states to introduce a new field for indicating _______ of the land owners in their property records: Gender

124) After a gap of almost a decade, Air Canada will resume direct flights between _______ and Delhi from the coming winter season: Toronto

125) The Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in _______ has become the first cricket venue in the country to have a roof top solar power plant: Bengaluru

126) World Haemophilia Day is observed globally on which date: 17th April

127) As per a global study on financial inclusion, roughly _______ per cent of world population has a bank account: 62

128) The Kerala government, supported by UNICEF, has launched a major campaign Subodham to wean people away from which addiction: Alcohol

129) ________ has been elected General Secretary of the Communist Party (Marxist) of India, at the party’s 21st Congress held in Visakhapatnam: Sitaram Yechury

130) As per new rules, IAS and IPS officers have to take

prior permission from govt. before accepting gifts worth more than Rs. _______: 5,000

131) IAS / IPS officers need to inform the government, if they accept gifts of over Rs. ______from their relatives or friends on customary occasions like weddings, anniversaries, birthdays etc: 25,000

132) In terms of production of e-waste, India ranks _____ in the world: 5th

133) ____ is the largest producer of the e-waste in the world, followed by China and Japan: USA

134) J. B. Patnaik, a senior congress leader and ex-Assam Governor passed away at the age of 89. He was elected 3 times the Chief Minister of which state: Odisha

135) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj paid a 5-day visit to ________ to attend the 60th commemoration of the 1955 Asian-African Conference: Indonesia

136) Name the Indian Navy's most powerful indigenously built stealth destroyer was launched into water at Mazgaon Dock in Mumbai: INS Visakhapatnam

137) Which bank has launched a contactless payment service based on the Near Field Communications (NFC) technology: ICICI Bank

138) What is the name of the new contactless payment service launched by the ICICI bank: Tap-N-Pay

139) _______, Formula One world champion won the Bahrain Grand Prix for the second year in a row: Lewis Hamilton

140) “KP, the Autobiography” is the life story of which famous cricketer: Kevin Pietersen

141) Sukanya Samriddhi Account for the girl child will earn interest @ _____per cent, w.e.f. April, 2015: 9.2

142) The Railways has launched a new web portal named ________ to focus on Budget Review, Board Meetings, Zonal Railway Review, Infrastructure Targets and Project Implementation Review: ‘E-Samiksha’

143) ________ train clocked a new world speed record in a test run, smashing through the 600 kilometre per hour: Maglev, Japan

144) Christopher Alan Bayly was an eminent _____ known for his work on colonial and post-colonial India: Historian

145) The Kudermukh National Park in Karnataka and Rajaji National Park in Uttarkhand have been declared _________ by the National Tiger Conservation Authority: Tiger Reserves

146) Chinese President Xi Jinping was honoured by Pakistan with the________, the highest Pak civilian award, during his recent official visit to Pakistan: Nishan-e-Pakistan

147) ______________ has been appointed as the Chairman of National Judicial Appointments Commission: H. L. Dattu

148) Mohammed Morsy, ousted President of ______ was in news as a criminal court sentenced him 20 years in


prison over the killing of protesters in 2012: Egypt 149) The New York Times won this year’s Pulitzer Prize

for journalism for its courageous coverage of which international event: Ebola outbreak in West Africa

150) _______ of Serbia won the Monte-Carlo Masters title of Tennis by beating Tomas Berdych in Monaco: Novak Djokovic

151) With effect from April 1, 2015, the transport allowance exemption for employees has been raised to Rs. _______ per month from Rs 800 for the purpose of Income tax: 1600

152) The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal to try juveniles, who are _______ years and are accused of heinous crimes, under the laws meant for adults: 16 to 18

153) Outbreak of deadly disease ebola has claimed over 10,800 lives till date, mainly in three African countries. Name the countries: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone

154) Which international financial giant has launched Pollution Management and Environmental Health (PHEM) program on Global Citizen Earth Day: World Bank

155) As per revised Priority Sector Lending norms banks have to give _____ per cent of their total credit to small and marginal farmers: 8

156) Housing loans to individuals, up to Rs. ___ lakh in metros and up to Rs. ____ lakh in other centres are now covered under priority sector lending: 28, 20

157) As per revised Priority Sector Lending norms, the foreign banks will have to make ______ per cent of their total loans under priority sector in the near future: 40

158) The Rajya Sabha, for the first time in 46 years passed a private members bill to protect the rights of which particular community: Transgender

159) As per the 2015 World Happiness Report, India has been placed at ___ spot out of 158 countries surveyed for level of happiness among the citizens: 117th

160) In terms of general happiness level of the citizens, ____ is the best country in the world, followed by Island and Denmark: Switzerland

161) The railways has launched a new app called _____ for booking of sub-urban train tickets through mobile phones: UTS on mobile

162) The 14th Indo-French Naval Exercise named ______ commenced off the coast of Goa: VARUNA-15

163) Which city in Bihar was in news as around 70 persons were killed there and in surrounding areas due to a sudden cyclonic storm: Purnia

164) In which country of South America, sudden violent eruption of Turrialba Volcano forced closure the San Jose airport: Costa Rica

165) Indian boxers Rakesh Kumar and Harpal Singh in Men’s category and S Sarjubala and Pinki Jangra in women’s category, won the gold medal’s at which

international boxing tournament: 22nd President’s Cup, Indonesia

166) The Chetak Corps of the Army held its major battle exercise named _________ in the deserts of Rajasthan: “Akraman-II”

167) Indian women's hockey team lifted the Hero Hockey World League Round Cup defeating which country at New Delhi: Poland

168) The Reserve Bank has directed banks to include a separate column for which particular community in all their account opening forms and applications: Transgender

169) Name the Indian origin scientist who recently won the prestigious Heinz Award in Technology: Sangeeta Bhatia

170) ___________ of Ukraine successfully defended his world heavyweight boxing title for the 18th time in a row: Wladimir Klitschko

171) Who is the author of the book Water, Peace, and War— Confronting the Global Water Crisis: Brahma Chellaney

172) Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, President of ______ arrived in New Delhi on April 27 on a three day visit: Afghanistan

173) Omar Al-Bashir has been re-elected as President of which country: Sudan

174) Bhartiya Mahila Bank has won which prestigious award recently at Hong Kong: The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015

175) Name the European IT giant that acquired the New Jersey-based I T company I-GATE, for $4 billion in cash: Capgemini

176) India won Gold and a Bronze at the Asian Indoor Rowing Championship which was held at ____________: Pattaya, Thailand

177) 5th Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship won by _______________ team beating Uttar Pradesh in Pune, Maharashtra: Railways

178) Name the Chinese player who won the Badminton Asia Championship held at Wuhan, China: Lin Dan

179) In which country severe eruption of Calbuco volcano took place, forcing its president to declare a state of emergency: Chile

180) Indian navy’s ship INS Tarangini which is going to take part in the annual Tall Ships’ Races is what type of ship: Sail training ship

MARCH – 2015 181) Kshatrapati Shivaji has been appointed Chairman

and Managing Director of which bank: Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

182) Mo Ibrahim Prize is given for what achievement: for excellence in public governance

183) Mo Ibrahim Prize is given in which part of the world: Africa

184) Who has been elected as the new President of the


BCCI: Jagmohan Dalmiya 185) What is the full form of the BCCI – the apex body

governing the game of cricket in India: Board of Control for Cricket in India

186) The government has, for the first time, fixed a inflation target for the RBI, at what level: 6% by January 2016

187) RBI has been given inflation target as per the recommendation of which committee: Dr. Urjit Patel Committee

188) Arun Kumar Singh has been appointed India’s next Ambassador to which country: USA

189) As per the Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's richest people, ___________ has topped the list for the 8th year: Bill Gates

190) Growth of core sector was lowest in January in past 13 months at 1.8 per cent. How many industries are there in the core sector: Eight

191) As per recent data the per capita annual income in India has been recorded at Rs. __________in 2013-14: Rs. 80,388

192) Which wing of defence forces recently conducted its operational exercise ‘TROPEX 2015’: Navy

193) Write the full form of the abbreviation TROPEX: Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise

194) Indian navy recently conducted TROPEX 2015 exercise in which area: Arabian Sea

195) Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic to win which title in Dubai: Dubai Championship

196) the Argentina Open title of Tennis was won by __________ beating Juan Monaco of Argentina: Rafael Nadal

197) Reserve Bank of India cut its main lending rate--the repo rate by _______ percentage points to 7.5% on Mar 4, 2015: 0.25

198) At which place world’s largest and tallest Indian national flag was unfurled on March 3: Faridabad, Haryana

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

200) Name the popular news magazine that was founded by Vinod Mehta, the eminent journalist who passed away recently: Outlook

201) What is the name of the autobiography of Vinod Mehta: Lucknow Boy

202) Reserve Bank of India eased the norms for home loans for up to which amount: Rs. 10 lac

203) What are the expenses that now can be included in the amount of home loan as permitted by RBI: Stamp duty and registration charges etc

204) Name the new scheme that will be offered by all Public Sector General Insurance Companies for giving insurance cover against death by accident:

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) 205) The PMSBY is available to all persons in age

group_________ years, having a bank account: 18 to 70

206) What is the annual premium amount payable for joining PMSBY: Rs. 12

207) What is the amount of cover available under PMSBY in case of accidental death: Rs. 2 lac

208) Name the new scheme that will be offered by Life Insurance Corporation and all other life insurers for providing life insurance: Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)

209) The PMJJBY is available to all persons in age group_________ years, having a bank account: 18 to 50

210) What is the annual premium amount payable for joining PMJJBY: Rs. 330

211) What is the amount of cover available under PMJJBY in case of death by any reason: Rs. 2 lac

212) Name the new proposed pension scheme to be launched by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, focussing the unorganised sector workers: Atal Pension Yojana (APY)

213) The APY is available to all persons in age group_________ years, having a bank account: 18 to 40

214) Name the badminton player who became the first Indian woman to reach the finals of the All-England Badminton Championship: Saina Nehwal

215) Which Indian organization reached a major milestone of successfully linking 15 crore bank accounts with Aadhaar number: National Payments Corporation of India

216) According to the Mercer Quality of Living Rankings 2015, which Indian city has been selected as the ‘Best Indian City’ to live in: Hyderabad

217) Name the three states that have recently been excluded from the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime for foreign tourists till December 31: Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland

218) International Women’s Day was observed across the world on which date: March 8

219) United Nations declared this year’s theme for women’s day as _________ to encourage effective action for advancing and recognizing women: Make it Happen

220) Govt has decided to converge which national programme with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to facilitate afforestation on 10 million hectares of land over the next decade: National Mission for a Green India (GIM)

221) Name the special bus service that has been started between Varanasi and Kathmandu from March 5: Bharat-Nepal Maitri Bus Seva

222) What was the name of the world’s only solar-


powered aircraft which made a stopover in Ahmadabad on March 11: Solar Impulse

223) Name the India’s first indigenously developed and manufactured rotavirus vaccine which was launched in New Delhi: Rotavac

224) Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe ________ among infants and young children: Diarrhea

225) Ambassador of which country to South Korea was in news as he suffered a knife attack by a pro-North Korean activist: USA

226) Saraswati Samman is given for excellence in which field: Literature

227) Saraswati Samman for 2014 has been awarded to which eminent author: M. Veerappa Moily

228) Which state tourism won the silver prize of Golden Gate award at the Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2015, Germany. Kerala

229) Which country tested its Shaheen-III Surface to Surface Ballistic Missile, having a strike range of 2750 kms: Pakistan

230) In which city first Kisan Call Centre (KCC) in North-Eastern India was opened on 9 March 2015: Agaartala

231) Which is the top corporate in the list of top 10 corporates in terms of assets, compiled by the Corporate Affairs Ministry: Reliance Industries Ltd.

232) Which is the largest public sector corporate entity in India in terms of its assets: Indian Oil Corporation

233) A recent Delhi High Court has clarified about which high public office that it is covered under the RTI Act: Attorney General of India

234) Which state government has launched 'Aapki Beti Humari Beti' programme to provide cash assistance of Rs 21,000 families having girl child: Haryana

235) National tourism agency of which country has appointed film star Sai Ali Khan as its brand ambassador in India: Britain

236) Name the three countries that were visited by the Prime Minister Mr. Modi in the second week of March 2015: Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Seychelles

237) Name the country that was visited first of all by the Prime Minister Modi on his recent visit of Indian Ocean Country: Seychelles

238) Name the Sri Lankan Cricket Star who became the first cricketer to score four successive one-day international centuries: Kumar Sangakkara

239) Which international organization has raised India's growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.2 per cent taking into account the revised methodology adopted by India earlier this year for calculating the GDP figures: International Monetary Fund

240) Which Indian organization has committed Rs 1.5 lakh crore for development of various railway

projects over the next five years: Life Insurance Company of India

241) Which two countries have been prohibited by RBI from acquiring or transferring immovable property in India: Macau & Hong Kong

242) Which cricketer has been voted as the greatest ODI player in the history of cricket by recent survey: Viv Richards

243) The new Consumer Price Index released by the Central Statistics Office, number of items in the CPI basket has been increased to _____ from 450 in urban areas: 460

244) The base year for the consumer price index has been revised from 2004-05 to ________: 2011-12

245) After a gap of over 20 years, Re 1 note has been released in the country and it bears the signature of which government official: Finance Secretary, Rajiv Mehrishi

246) Name the university that has topped the list of the 100 most prestigious universities compiled by Times Higher Education of UK: Harvard University, USA

247) The final match of Ranji Trophy (Cricket) was played on March 12 at which place: Mumbai

248) Which team won the prestigious Ranji Trophy on March 12: Karnataka by beating Tamil Nadu

249) 58th All India Ayurvedic Congress was held in which place on March 14: Chandigarh

250) Which Union Ministry has launched a new web portal, www.inampro.nic.in to monitor the supply of cement at all India level: Road Transport & Highways

251) Name the tool that is used by Central Statistics Office to measure the level of industrial production in the country: Index of Industrial Production (IIP)

252) Terry Pratchett who passed away recently was a famous science fantasy novelist from which country: Britain

253) Name the new scheme that has been launched for redressal of grievances of consumers related to drug pricing and availability of medicines: Pharma Jan Samadhaan Scheme

254) Which Indian ministry has launched the Pharma Jan Samadhaan Scheme: Chemicals and Fertilizers

255) A former President of which country was sentenced to 13-year imprisonment by a criminal court: Maldives

256) In which country India has agreed to build a Rabindranath Tagore memorial: Sri Lanka

257) Which Indian organization has agreed to enter into a currency swap Agreement of 1.5 billion dollar to help keep the Sri Lankan rupee stable: RBI

258) Name the super cyclone which slammed into the south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, east of Australia, leaving complete devastation in its wake:

http://www.inampro.nic.in


Pam 259) Indian navy decommissioned the INS Alleppey on

March 13. It was what type of ship: Coastal Minesweeper

260) On which corporate the Income Tax Department recently slapped a tax demand notice of Rs. 20,495 crore: Cairn India

261) The 5th National Community Radio Sammelan held in which city: New Delhi

262) Santosh Trophy is awarded for winning which national tournament: Football

263) Name the winner of the 2014 Santosh Trophy: Services Team

264) A historic bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled on March 14 at Parliament Square in which international city: London

265) Name the Indian sports star who clinched the Swiss Grand Prix Gold badminton championship title beating Viktor Alexson in Basel, Switzerland: Kidambi Srikanth

266) Which state has opened the largest number of Sukanya Samridhi Account in last two months: Karnataka

267) As per RBI guidelines, loans to which new category of persons will now be included in the priority sector lending: Persons with disabilities

268) RBI has said that loans to persons with disabilities can now be classified in loans to _______ category under priority sector lending: Weaker Section

269) As per RBI guidelines, banks are required to make _____ per cent of their loans to the weaker section: 10

270) Priority sector lending target for all banks in India is fixed at ____ per cent of their total loans: 40

271) Name the Chief of International Monetary Fund (IMF) who visited India recently: Christine Lagarde

272) Headquarters of IMF are located in _____________ in USA: Washington DC

273) ___________ is known as the currency of IMF: SDR 274) Lewis Hamilton who won the Australian Grand Prix

Formula 1 race held in Melbourne, Australia is from which country: Britain

275) Name the team that won the Women's Hockey World League Round Two competition title: India

276) Final match of the Women's Hockey World League Round Two competition was held in which city: New Delhi

277) As per a recent international report, _________ has emerged as the world’s largest buyer of weapons and military equipment, accounting for some 15% of total imports: India

278) What is the content of a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of India on the issue of Aadhaar Cards: They are not compulsory for availing various government subsidies and any other

benefits 279) The world’s first $1 million prize – Global Teacher

Prize is given in which country: USA 280) Which State has passed The Gauvansh Sanrakshan

and Gausamvardhan Bill, 2015 to ban cow slaughter and sale of beef: Haryana

281) Supreme Court has reversed central government decision to include Jats in the ____________ category: Other Backward Classes (OBC)

282) Out of estimates of 250, 257, 358, 389 million tonnes, ___________ is the correct figure for estimated food grain production during 2014-15: 257

283) Out of France, Germany, Italy and Spain, which country has not decided to join Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: Spain

284) _______ is the main promoter country of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: China

285) Union cabinet recently approved the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of New Tax) Bill, 2015 for which objective: To unearth black money and illicit assets stashed abroad

286) Which Indian State is famous for mass nesting by Olive Ridley: Odisha

287) Olive Ridley, known for their mass nesting practices are which type of animal: Sea Turtle

288) M.C. Mary Kom, Veteran boxer has been appointed brand ambassador for north-east India to promote the region in the rest of the country and abroad. She hails from which state of India: Manipur

289) Capital of which country was in news as Islamic militants stormed its Bardo National Museum killing 17 foreign tourists and three locals: Tunisia

290) Which judicial authority has announced a fine of Rs 5,000 on individuals spotted littering or throwing waste on the railway platforms and tracks: National Green Tribunal

291) According to a recent report by the global think-tank OECD, India is poised to grow 7.7 per cent this year. What is the full form of OCED: Organization for Economic co-operation and Development

292) Name the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile that was successfully tested recently: Astra

293) The Astra missile is launched from which type of platform: Aircraft

294) Which Union Minister has been named Young Global Leader from India by the World Economic Forum (WEF) of Switzerland: Smriti Irani

295) Bachhrawan, a town near Rae Bareli, UP was in news for what reasons: A severe train accident

296) _________ has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu

297) A three-day conference for strengthening maritime trade and security among Indian Ocean Rim countries was held at which place: Bhubaneshwar

298) Name the Nobel Laureate who has been elected to


head Britain's prestigious Royal Society: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

299) Ministry of Railways has constituted the________ council to recommend innovative methods and processes for the improvement, betterment and transformation of the Railways: Kaya Kalp

300) Name the prominent industrialist who has been asked by the government to head the Kaya Kalp council of railways: Ratan Tata

301) M S Dhoni became the first Indian captain to score victory in 100 ODI matches. He achieved this fete in the match played against which country: Bangladesh

302) Capital of which country was in news as over 150 persons, mainly Shia muslims were killed there in the bomb attacks: Yemen (Sanaa)

303) The Central government has announced ___ per cent reservation for women in police forces of union territories, including Delhi: 33

304) Name the team that won the Irani Cup after beating Rest of India in the finals played in Bengaluru: Karnataka

305) Government has directed regional rural banks to cut down on which aspect of their operations: Staff Strength

306) Name the scheme that aims to provide skills training to youth, including Class 10 and 12 drop outs: Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

307) Which union ministry has been assigned the task of aggregating all the stake holders linked with Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana: Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

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

309) The government has roped in _______ _________as brand ambassador for its campaign against Hepatitis B: Amitabh Bachchan

310) Name the author of the book “Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy- Speaker's Perspective”: Smt. Meira Kumar, former Speaker, Lok Sabha

311) _________ of New Zealand made the highest score in the World Cup history with 237 not out against West Indies: Martin Guptill

312) Which UN organization is associated with observing March 21 as the International Day of Forests: Food and Agriculture Organization

313) What is the theme of this year’s International Day of Forests: Forests and Climate Change

314) Lee Kuan Yew, a great statesman who passed away on March 23 was credited with development of which country: Singapore

315) BNP Paribas Open Tennis Championship 2015 Men’s singles title was won by which player: Novak Djokovic

316) BNP Paribas Open Tennis Championship 2015

Women’s singles title was won by which player: Simona Halep

317) Which country is associated with the awarding of Stockholm Water Prize: Sweden

318) Name the eminent Indian environment activist who has been selected for Stockholm Water Prize: Rajendra Singh

319) A three day International Conference on Counter Terrorism 2015 was held at which place: Jaipur

320) Stockholm Water Prize winner Rajendra Singh works in which part of India for promoting conservation of water resources: Rajasthan

321) Prime Minister has launched Pragati programme to give impetus to stalled projects and ensure their timely execution across the country. What is the full form of Pragati: Pro-active Governance and Timely Implementation

322) The Supreme Court on March 24 struck down the controversial section 66A of which Act: Information Technology Act

323) The Asian Development Bank says that India’s growth rate is expected to surpass China and improve to _____ per cent in next fiscal: 7.8

324) Name the film that won the National Award for Best Feature Film: Court

325) The Hindi film Mary Kom was honoured with Best Film in which category of National Film Awards: Best Popular Film providing Wholesome Entertainment

326) Which film won the National Award for Best Hindi Film: Queen

327) Name the male actor who won the National Award for Best Actor: Vijay

328) Name the female actor who won the National Award for Best Actor: Kangana Ranaut

329) Veteran actor-filmmaker Shashi Kapoor (77), who has starred in over 100 Hindi films has been honoured recently with which National Award: Dada Saheb Phalke Award

330) What is the amount of cash prize given in Dada Saheb Phalke Award: Rs. 10 lacs

331) India's first National Skill Development University will be established in which State: Chhattisgarh

332) Indian navy recently inducted 3 ISVs at Vishakhapatnam. What is ISV: Immediate Support Vessel

333) What is the name of the new service that has been launched by the government through which anyone can get the tweets directly from the Prime Minister / Chief Ministers in form SMS messages: Twitter Samvad

334) Name the author who is the only Indian among 10 authors finalized for this year’s Man Booker International Prize for English literature: Amitav Ghosh

335) In collaboration with which bank railways has


launched the RuPay debit card service to facilitate online booking of rail tickets, payment of shopping bills and other service bills: Union Bank of India

336) Who has been appointed as the Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax: K M Mani

337) For the development of which popular pilgrimage centre, world bank has sanctioned a fund of Rs. 100 crore: Ganga Sagar Tirath, West Bengal

338) After a rigorous bidding in the auctioning of which item the government recently fetched about Rs. 1.10 lac crore: Telecom spectrum

339) The Reserve Bank signed a $400 million currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of which country for a period of three years: Sri Lanka

340) Two-year-old girl Cherukuli Dalli Shivani from Vijaywada was in news for her exceptional record achievement in which field: Archery

341) With which country India recently signed 6 pacts including one for the transfer of sentenced Indian convicts in that country to complete their remaining sentence in India: Qatar

342) Which international prize given in the field of Mathematics is popular as the Nobel of Maths: Abel Prize

343) Zokhawthar, a small town in Champhai district of _________was in news as a land customs station was inaugurated there at the Indo-Myanmar border trade centre: Mizoram

344) Who has been appointed as the new spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry: Vikas Swarup

345) By which country Indian artist Bharti Kher has been honoured with ‘Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters’: France

346) Which high court became the first court in India to set up dedicated commercial divisions within it, in line with recommendation of the Law Commission: Delhi

347) India's first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle (PROVe), was made operational at which place in North Antarctica: Priyadarshini Lake

348) Name the ambitious project that aims to develop 12 smart cities at ports and several coastal economic zones to promote tourism and economic growth: Sagarmala

349) The Reserve Bank on March 25 removed the lending restriction on which bank to allow it to restart normal lending operations: United Bank of India

350) At which place Prime Minister Modi paid homage to 3 great revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on March 23, 2015: Hussainiwala, Ferozepur, Punjab

351) For which offence the British govt. awarded the death sentence to the revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev: Killing British Police

Officer Mr. Saundras. 352) International Gandhi Peace Prize 2014 is given for

what purpose: For promoting peace and harmony in public life

353) What is the amount of cash award in the International Gandhi Peace Prize: Rs. 1 cr

354) Which organization has been selected for the international Gandhi peace prize 2014: ISRO

355) Name the two Indians who have been named among the 50 greatest leaders in the world by Fortune magazine in its annual list of extraordinary men and women transforming business, government and philanthropy: Narendra Modi and Kailash Satyarthi

356) Name the airlines whose aircraft went crashing into a mountainside in French Alps on March 24, killing all 150 persons aboard: Germanwings

357) Name the space vehicle that became the first human-made vehicle that has completed 11 years marathon on a planet: Opportunity Rover of NASA

358) Final match of Cricket World Cup – 2015 was played in which stadium: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

359) Name the cricketer who scored highest runs in the Cricket World Cup 2015: Martin Guptil (NZ) - 547

360) Which cricketer declared as the ‘Man of the Tournament’ in Cricket World Cup 2015: Mitchell Starc (Aus)

361) _______________ was declared as the ‘Man of the Match’ in the final match of Cricket World Cup 2015: James Faulkner (Aus)

362) Name the women badminton player of India who created history by becoming the first Indian women to be ranked as No. 1 in world: Saina Newal

363) Saina Nehwal defeated world champion _______________ to win the women’s singles title in the India Open Badminton Championship: Ratchanok Intanon

364) Name the male Indian badminton player who won the recently held India Open Badminton Championship: Kidambi Srikanth

365) The prestigious India Open Badminton Championship was held in March 2015 at which place: New Delhi

366) _____________ will host the 2019 ICC Cricket Word Cup: England and Wales

FEBRUARY – 2015 367) The first Grand Slam of the tennis for 2015 –

Australian Open was held at which place: Melbourne, Australia

368) Name the winner of men’s singles title at the Australian Open tennis tournament: Novak Djokovic

369) Name the winner of women’s singles title at the Australian Open tennis tournament: Serena


Williams 370) Name the Indian tennis player who won the mixed

doubles title at the Australian Open: Leander Paes 371) Name the Indian Union Minister who recently

visited China on a four day official visit, to launch the “Visit India Year” in China: Sushma Swaraj

372) Nicol David, World Women’s Squash champion has set a new record for topping the world rankings for the 106th month. She is from which country: Malaysia

373) Country’s GDP growth rate was revised upwards to ________ per cent for 2013-14, as against 4.7 per cent estimated earlier: 6.9

374) The base year for measuring national accounts has recently been revised to _______ from 2004 – 05 earlier: 2011-12

375) India test fired its Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), __________ for the first time from a canister mounted on a Tatra truck, from the Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast: Agni-V

376) What is the approximate range of India’s ICBM Agni – V: 5000 kms

377) Sergio Mattarella has been elected as the new President of which country: Italy

378) Rory McIlroy is the world’s no. 1 player in which sports: Golf

379) Rory McIlroy is from which country: Britain 380) _______ has been appointed Head Coach of India’s

men’s Hockey team: Paul Van Ass 381) 18th National Conference on e-Governance was

held in which city: Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382) Name the film that won the Filmfare Award for the

best film for 2014: Queen 383) The Filmfare award for the best actor for 2014 was

won by _________: Shahid Kapoor for Haider 384) The Filmfare award for the best actress for 2014

was won by _________: Kangana Ranaut for Queen 385) The Filmfare award for the best director for 2014

was won by _________: Vikas Bahl for Queen 386) Krishna Chaudhary has been appointed Director

General of which paramilitary force: Indian Tibetan Boarder Police (ITBP)

387) Name the renowned music composer and actor who has been appointed Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi: Shekhar Sen

388) Which bank has introduced a new app, Chillr, which will allow users to send money to any contact in their phone books, 24X7: HDFC Bank

389) Charles H. Townes, American noble prize winner scientist passed away recently. He was known for which popular invention: Laser lights

390) What is the full form of the word laser: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

391) A high powered committee chaired by R Gandhi, has been formed to review the structure and

functioning of the Urban Cooperative Banking Sector. Who is R. Gandhi: Dy. Governor, RBI

392) India's first fenced elephant sanctuary is to be setup in which Biological Park in Karnataka: Bannerghatta

393) The RBI recently slashed the statutory liquidity ratio by how many basis points: 50

394) What will be the impact of recent reduction of SLR by 50 basis points on the inflation front in the country: It may go up

395) What will be the impact of recent reduction of SLR by 50 basis points on the growth of the economy of the country: It may go up

396) What will be the impact of recent reduction of SLR by 50 basis points on the bank loans: It may go up

397) What will be the impact of this reduction of SLR by 50 basis points on the interest rates of the bank loans: It may go down

398) Which is the only country to win the Handball World Championships for the record five times: France

399) Which country secured the no. 1 position in world in consumption of gold in 2014: India

400) India overtook which country in becoming the top consumer of gold in the world: China

401) Which American celebrity has been elected as the most admired women in the world in a recent survey: Angelina Jolie

402) Winner of the “Most Admired Women” title, Angelina Jolie is from which field: Cinema

403) The Reserve Bank on Feb. 3 doubled the annual overseas investment ceiling for individuals to $_________ per person per year under the Liberalised Remittance: 250,000

404) The deposit accounts in the banks in which there are no transactions for 10 years or more are called _______ accounts: Unclaimed

405) Under which project Govt plans to construct over two crore toilets in select villages to make India free from open defecation by 2019: MNREGA

406) The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to install which type of machines at locations selected by them (banks) without getting its prior permission: Cash Deposit Machines

407) Which country has overtaken the United States as the top destination for foreign direct investment for the first time since 2003: China

408) According to the UNCTAD, foreign firms invested 128 billion dollars in China and 86 billion in the US last year. Write the full form of UNCTAD: United Nations Conference of Trade and Development

409) Which country has become the first country in the world to allow a "three-parent" IVF (in vitro fertilization) technique: Britain

410) Who is the author of world famous novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”: Harper Lee


411) Saloni Dalal, a 12 year old girl became the youngest medal winner in the 35th National Games in Kerala by winning a Bronze medal in which field: 200 meter breast stroke swimming event

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

413) Which state launched e-registration of properties in all the 130 tehsil and sub-tehsils of the State on Feb 04: Haryana

414) Who has been appointed as the new Union Home Secretary: LC Goyal

415) Gaur Hari Singhania, a noted industrialist passed away recently. He was associated with which corporate group: J K Group of Industries

416) ________ has been appointed as member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations by the US government: Ajay Banga

417) Which state has decided to set up ‘Plast India International University’ in partnership with University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA: Gujarat

418) Who is the author of the book “The Bookman’s Tale”: Charlie Lovert

419) Which Indian Bank raised about Rs 10,000 crore by selling American Depository Receipts in the largest follow-on offer by a private sector firm: HDFC Bank

420) Ms. Zoe Konstantopoulou has been elected as the new President of which country: Greece

421) In which country Shiite Houthi rebels dissolved the Parliament and took over the reins of the impoverished nation: Yemen

422) Noted novelist Bhalchandra Nemade has recently been honoured with which prestigious literary award: Jnanpith Award

423) Jnanpith Award winner Mr. Nemade writes in which language: Marathi

424) Name the Indian musician who won the ‘Best New Age Album’ award at the 57th Grammy Awards: Ricky Kej

425) Name the Indian who won the Grammy in the Best Children's Album category for rendering audio version of the book 'I Am Malala’: Neela Vaswani

426) The Grammy award for the record of the year and song of the year went to which song: Stay with me

427) BAFTA awards are given for excellence in which field: Cinema

428) The abbreviation BAFTA stands for what: British Academy of Film and Television Arts

429) Which film won the BAFTA award for the best film: Boyhood

430) Government has decided to infuse Rs. 6,990 crore in nine public sector banks to comply with which international norms / guidelines: Basel III

431) Basel III guidelines have been issued for what

purpose: To ensure capital adequacy in banks 432) Basel III guidelines have been issued by which

international authority: Bank for International Settlements

433) Name the politician whose name name was included in the LIMCA book of records for being the only woman of the country to represent the same Lok Sabha constituency on the same party ticket for eight times in a row: Sumitra Mahajan

434) Which state launched the “Himalaya Darshan” programme as part of its ongoing efforts to boost tourism in the state: Uttarakhand

435) Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam who visited India recently is the President of which country: Singapore

436) National Deworming Day is observed on which date: Feb 10

437) Medicine Albendazole is orally administered to pre-school and school-going children between one and nineteen years for what purpose: For de-worming

438) Which Indian economist has been named as the first winner of a newly established Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize in the UK: Amartya Sen

439) Which bank has launched ‘Pockets’, a digital banking service, enabling users to instantly send money to any e-mail id, mobile number, friends on Facebook and bank account: ICICI Bank

440) The RBI has allowed banks to offer extra interest on deposit schemes up to Rs 1 crore which cannot be broken prematurely. Such deposits are called _________ deposits: Non Callable

441) Reserve Bank has given the directions that all credit institutions, banks and NBFCs should become members of all the CICs in the country. The abbreviation CIC stands for: Credit Information Company

442) Summit of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors held in _______ on 9-10 February 2015: Istanbul

443) The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine met in Minsk, capital of Belarus to find solution to which international problem: Fighting in Eastern Ukraine

444) What is the name of the mascot of the 35th National Games: Ammu

445) Which animal has been made the mascot for the 35th National Games: The Great Hornbill Bird

446) Which marching contingents were awarded jointly the Best Marching Contingents Trophy for Republic Day Parade 2015: The Brigade of The Guards and the Sikh Regiment

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

448) Govt. has constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by _________for re-


investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases: Pramod Asthana

449) The opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World cup 2015 was held on Feb 12 at which two places: Christchurch and Melbourne

450) Which US Company has created a world record by crossing the mark of $700 billion in terms of market capitalization: Apple Inc

451) RBI has decided to put in circulation currency note in One Rupee denomination. These notes are printed under which Act of Govt. of India: Coinage Act 2011

452) In terms of freedom of press, the World Press Freedom Index puts India at which rank: 136th

453) All India Football Federations (AIFF) has declared which sports person as the player of the year 2014: Sunil Chhetri

454) Name the champions who won highest number of medals – 159 in the national games 2015: Services

455) Raja Bhalendra Singh Trophy is awarded for which achievement: Sports Contingent that wins highest medals in national games

456) The 36th National Games will be hosted by which state in 2016: Goa

457) For which national programme World Bank has agreed to grant $ 8 million loan to India for sustainable livelihoods and adaption to climate change: National Rural Livelihoods Mission

458) India successfully test-fired the naval version of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile from which naval ship: INS Kolkata

459) Name the first National Tribal Festival that was held at New Delhi from 13 to 18 Feb., 2015. “VANAJ”-2015

460) Which national scheme recently launched by the govt. of India has been listed in Guinness Book of World Records for largest coverage: Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana

461) Which state has set up Gram Sachivalayas to bring Gram Panchayat and village level functionaries of all departments under one roof for better functioning and coordination: Haryana

462) Name the former Maharashtra Home Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader who passed away recently: R. R. Patil

463) Name the Popular cartoonist, veteran columnist and political activist who passed away in Feb 2015: Rajinder Puri

464) The 67th National track cycling championship was held at which place: Thiruvananthapuram

465) Name the veteran film producer, holder of the Guinness Book of World Records for the most films produced – 150, by an individual, who passed away recently: D Ramanaidu

466) What is the strike range of recently tested nuclear capable Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile: 350

kms 467) The nationwide “Soil Health Card” scheme was

launched by the Prime Minister from which place in Rajasthan on Feb19 : Suratgarh

468) Which Indian telecom major has tied-up with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide health, education and youth-focused content to its customers in 17 African countries: Bharti Airtel

469) Government has launched MADAD-Because You Are Us system for what purpose: Consular Grievances Monitoring

470) Name the former India Captain and ace Leg Spinner has been chosen to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame: Anil Kumble

471) What is the short name for the recently notified Indian Accounting Standards which are converged with global standards IFRS: Ind AS

472) The Indian Accounting Standards – Ind AS will be mandatory for companies from which date: 1st April 2016

473) Which organization compiles the weekly figures for India's foreign exchange reserves: RBI

474) Name the Indian golfer who won the European Tour title at the Hero Indian Open on Feb 22 in New Delhi: Anirban Lahiri

475) Who has been elected as the new Chief Minister of Bihar: Nitish Kumar

476) Amartya Sen, 81 year old Nobel laureate economist was in news recently for what reasons: He resigned as the Chancellor of Nalanda University

477) The famous international Nalanda University is located in which State: Bihar

478) The 10th edition of Aero India Show was held in which place: Bengaluru

479) The government plans to launch a new scheme 'Krishi Dak Service' for what purpose: To distribute improved seed varieties to farmers at their doorstep, through post-offices

480) ADB has agreed to grant $350 million loan to Madhya Pradesh for what purpose: To upgrade district roads

481) Which organization has reached an agreement with the bank unions to keep the banks closed on 2nd and 4th Saturday: Indian Banks Association (IBA)

482) The Academy Awards are given for excellence in which field: Cinema

483) What is the popular name for prestigious US Academy Awards: Oscars

484) Which picture won the Oscar for best picture: Birdman

485) Name the actor who won the Oscar for best actor: Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything

486) The Oscar for the best actress for 2014 was won by which lady: Julianne Moore for Still Alice


487) What is the name of the recently conducted Indo Nepal Joint Military Exercise: Surya Kiran-VIII

488) The military exercise Surya Kiran – VIII was recently held at which place: Saljhandi, Nepal

489) Who has been appointed as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Offices in Geneva: Ajit Kumar

490) The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established the world’s highest research station at which place: Chang La, Ladhakh

491) What type of research activities shall be carried out at the world’s highest research station at Chang La: To develop and validate cold weather technologies for agriculture and allied fields

492) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had amended the rules to introduce MNP on nationwide basis from May 3. What is MNP: Mobile Number Portability

493) Musicians from around the world will gather this April in which city to celebrate the International Jazz Day: Paris

494) International Jazz Day is celebrated on which date: April, 30

495) Irom Sharmila, Human rights activist has been conferred Sthree Shakti Award for her fight against imposition of Armed Forces (Special Powers Act, 1958). She is from which state: Manipur

496) Hero Hockey India League 2015 was played in which city: New Delhi

497) Which team won the Hero Hockey India League 2015 Championship: Ranchi Rays

JANUARY – 2015 498) The 13th Pune International Film Festival was held

at Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra from January 8 to 15. What was the theme this year: War against War

499) Name the biggest cultural festival of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism in Nepal, observed to mark the beginning of the New Year: Tamu Lhochhar

500) The famous new year festival of Nepal – Tamu Lhochhar is held at which place: Kathmandu

501) ADB has agreed to give $ 75 million loan and $1.8 million grant to which state in India for Integrated Urban Water Management Investment Program for improving the water resource management: Karnataka

502) Name the top Indian cricketer who has decided to retire from the Test Cricket: MS Dhoni

503) Name the country that has recently adopted the Euro as its currency: Lithuania

504) How many countries in Europe have adopted Euro as their currency: 19

505) President gave his assent to the NJAC Act, nearly ending the two-decade-old Collegium System for

appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and 24 high courts. NJAC stand for what: National Judicial Appointments Commission

506) The NJAC will be headed by ___________ and will have ______ other members: Chief Justice of India, Five

507) Name the India's first integrated mobile application for women safety launched in Delhi on Jan 1: ‘Himmat'

508) Saiyid Hamid, noted Muslim academician, educationist, reformist and author passed away recently. He was Chancellor of which educational institution: Jamia Hamdard University and Jamia Millia Islamia

509) What is the new name of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) after the promulgation of Insurance Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014: Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India

510) On Jan 1, the government announced that the Planning Commission had been revamped and rechristened as NITI Aayog. What is the full form of NITI: National Institution for Transforming India

511) _____________ is the Chairman of the NITI Aayog: Prime Minister

512) Name the newly appointed vice chairperson of the NITI Aayog: Arvind Panagariya

513) Ms Sindushree Khullar has been appointed CEO of which important national level office: NITI Aayog

514) In which development financial institution government has decided to increase its stake to 51% from around 48% at present: Industrial Finance Corporation of India – IFCI

515) Which is the only state in India that has the potential to grow the rare ‘purple tea’: Assam

516) ______________ is the only country in the world that produces unique purple tea: Kenya

517) India's top PSU bankers and select policy makers gathered in Pune for a two-day (Jan 2-3) retreat that was named ______________: Gyan Sangam

518) 102nd Indian Science Congress was held at which place: Mumbai

519) Who is the author of the book ‘The Fault in Our Stars’: John Green

520) Name the senior politician who has authored the book titled, ‘At Home in India: The Muslim Saga’: Salman Khurshid

521) The RBI has signed an information sharing agreement with which country for better coordination in supervising financial institutions: Unite States of America

522) As per revised norms, NBFCs have been asked to review KYC norms in their high risk category accounts every _________ years: Two

523) Two commemorative coins of Rs 100 and five were released in the honour of Tata Group founder


________________ to mark his 175th birth anniversary: Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata

524) Indian railways runs the Maitree Express train between which two stations: Kolkata – Dhaka

525) Name the project launched by government for under taking eco friendly development of the rural areas: Green India Mission

526) Govt. has launched domestic efficient lighting programme in Delhi. What is the highlight of this project: LED bulbs to be supplied at an initial payment of Rs. 10

527) What is the full form of LED: Light Emitting Diodes

528) What is the name of the customized low-cost combination of phone and tablet computer launched for farmers by ICRISAT: Greenphablet

529) Write the full form of the abbreviation ICRISAT: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics

530) Headquarters of ICRISAT are located at which place: Near Hyderabad, Telangana

531) India is on way to join the global high-end scientific Neutrino Club as the government has approved a high level research laboratory in __________ field in Tamil Nadu: High energy physics

532) Amitabh Bachchan has been appointed as the brand Ambassador for health sector by which State: Andhra Pradesh

533) The theme for 19th National Youth Festival is_______________: Youth for Clean, Green and Progressive India

534) Name the satirical weekly of France whose office was attacked recently by Islamic militants, killing over 12 persons: Charlie Hebdo

535) Millions of people around the world expressed their solidarity with the slain French journalists by using the hash tag # Je Suis Charlie on Twitter. What is its meaning: I am Charlie

536) Name the senior Indian diplomat who has been named as the new Under-Secretary-General, Department of Field Support (DFS) in UNO: ATUL KHARE

537) Which bank recently launched the country’s first contactless debit and credit cards that use the near-field communication (NFC) technology, enabling customer to make payments by just waving the card near merchant terminals instead of swiping the same: ICICI Bank

538) India has agreed to provide 60 million dollars Line of Credit – LoC to Guyana for its road infrastructure projects. Where is it located: On Northern border of Brazil

539) Modibo Keita has been elected as Prime Minister of which country: Mali

540) The country Mali is located in which part of the world: West Africa

541) Hampi Utsav – 2015 a three-day mega cultural festival of dance, drama, art and music was held in which State: Karnataka

542) Ancient town of Hampi in Karnataka was the capital of which empire: Vijayanagar Empire

543) Scientists have discovered a powerful new antibiotic which can kill an array of germs without the bugs easily becoming resistant to it. What is its name: Teixobactin

544) India will provide Rs 6.90 crore support to Nepal for fighting against the Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme (IDDCP) for control of which ailment: Goitre

545) In which country militants of Boko Haram massacred over 2000 persons in towns around Baga: Nigeria

546) Tshering Tobgay, who recently visited India is the _________ of Bhutan: Prime Minister

547) Who has been elected as new President of Sri Lanka: Maithripala Sirisena

548) 15 prominent NRIs were conferred which honour at the recently held Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award

549) In whose honour, the coins of the denomination of Rs. 100 and Rs. 10 and the stamps of value of Rs 25 and Rs 5 were released at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: Mahatama Gandhi

550) National Youth Day is observed on which date: 12th January

551) Why January 12 is observed as National Youth Day: It is birthday of Swami Vivekananda

552) Name the star footballer who won the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo

553) Name the ace tennis player who reached the 1,000 ATP Tour wins milestone as he won the Brisbane International title on Jan 11: Roger Federer

554) In the field of tennis, the abbreviation ATP stands for: Association of Tennis Professional

555) Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization: A S Kiran Kumar

556) Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has been elected as the first women President of which country: Croatia

557) Which airline has been selected as the safest airline in the world for 2015: Quantas

558) Quantas is the official air carrier of which country: Australia

559) A new vaccine ‘Raksha Blue’ has been launched to counter which deadly disease in farm animals: Bluetongue

560) Golden Globe awards are given in which field: Cinema

561) Golden Globe award are given in which country: USA

562) Which film won the Golden Globe 2015 for the best motion picture: Boyhood


563) Name the Secretary, Defence Research and Development cum Director General, DRDO and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister who was in news as he was removed by the govt. from his seat, 15 months before his contract was to end: Avinash Chander

564) Raghuram Rajan, Governor, RBI was selected as the ‘Governor of the Year’ by international magazine Central Banking. This magazine is from which country: Britain

565) Country’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) - powered train was flagged on January 13 from which place: Rewari, Haryana

566) Encouraged by the India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, the United Kingdom announced which campaign to forge collaborations with Indian companies: Great Collaborations

567) Nabard has signed an MoU with which Indian Institute of Management, to set up a Chair to encourage research in climate change, rural livelihood and financial inclusion, among others: IIM, Ahmedabad

568) Which bank bagged three awards, including the ‘award for the best bank’ at the annual flagship event "MSME Banking Excellence Awards-2014" at Bengaluru: Canara Bank

569) Which Bank on Jan 13 launched a savings bank account christened as Jifi Saver, which can be managed via Twitter and Facebook: Kotak Mahindra Bank

570) Which Indian space project has won the 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the science and engineering category from the US based National Space Society (NSS): Mass Orbiter Mission

571) Which district in Kerala became the first district in the country to have all its gram panchayats connected through National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) - hi-speed rural broadband network: Idukki

572) The first Border Haat (market) along with Bangladesh frontier was opened on 13 January 2015 in which State: Tripura

573) Which country has launched an Online Visa Pilot Programme to make it easier for Indian business and tourism visitors to apply online visa: Australia

574) Name the Indian professional golfer who has been voted as the 2014 Players’ Player of the year in Asian Tour: Anirban Lahiri

575) Bank Rate of Reserve Bank of India is calibrated with which other policy rate: Marginal Standing Facility

576) Which top IT company of India has promised the Prime Minister to invest $250 million for funding innovations in software and services in India: Infosys

577) Who is the appointing authority for Chief Election

Commissioner: President of India 578) What is the tenure of Chief Election Commissioner:

6 years 579) The official status of Chief Election Commissioner is

equivalent to which other post: Judge of Supreme Court

580) Which area of Uttar Pradesh was in news as around 50 lives were lost there due to a hooch tragedy that occurred in its nearby villages: Malihabad, Lucknow

581) Bhakti Sharma, India's 24 year old open water swimmer has set a world record by swimming 2.25 kms in 52 minutes in one degree temperature in which ocean: Antarctic Ocean

582) 76th Table Tennis National Championship was held at which place: Puducherry

583) The Red Sari by Javier Moro is a book return about which Indian political celebrity: Sonia Gandhi

584) Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification recently resigned from her post. What is her name: Ms. Leela Samson

585) Which Bollywood celebrity has been conferred Social Media Person of the year award 2015 by the Internet and Mobile Association of India: Amitabh Bachchan

586) Name the new indigenously built fighter aircraft recently inducted in the Indian Air Force: Tejas

587) Tejas is a LCA acquired by the Indian Air Force. What is the full form of LCA: Light Combat Aircraft

588) Stephen Constantine has been appointed head coach of which Indian sports team: Men's Football

589) Sania Mirza along with her American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands won doubles title at which international tournament in Australia: Sydney International Tennis Tournament

590) Giraffe Hero Award is given for excellence in which field: Social Work

591) Which State has appointed yoga guru Ramdev as the state's brand ambassador to promote yoga and ayurveda in a big way: Haryana

592) Which state has banned the sale of loose cigarettes (as single sticks) and loose tobacco, becoming the first State to do so: Punjab

593) Which State has been selected, for the first time, for National e-Governance Award 2014-15 for the best district- level initiative in the country: Jammu & Kashmir

594) In a bid to promote entrepreneurship among the Scheduled Castes (SCs), which Ministry launched two schemes for funding ventures setup by them: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

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

596) Name the cueist who won the National Billiards


Championship held at Kolkata: Pankaj Advani 597) Name the cricketer who recently hit the fastest

century in one-day internationals cricket history: AB de Villiers

598) _________ state to host the 35th National Games: Kerala

599) Asia’s biggest literary event was recently held in which city: Jaipur

600) Name the Indian-American author who won the coveted DSC Prize for Literature at the Jaipur Literature Festival: Jhumpa Lahiri

601) _________ was declared as the winner of inaugural Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize Literature at the Jaipur Literature Festival: Arunadhathi Subramaniam

602) Name the film producer who has been appointed as the Chairman, Central Board of Film Certification: Pahlaj Nihalani

603) A report by the IMF says that India is expected to grow at 6.3 per cent this year and 6.5 per cent in 2016 by when it is likely to cross growth rate of which country: China

604) The 79th Senior National Badminton Championship held in ________ from January 29 to February 5: Vijayawada

605) Name the Indian runner who broke the 19-year-old women marathon national record at the 12th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in Mumbai: O P Jaisha

606) In which country the Houthi rebels seized the Presidential palace in the capital Sanaa, forcing the President to resign: Yemen

607) As per the recent tiger census in India, ________ State has highest number of tigers: Karnataka

608) As per a study by Edelman, India has been placed at _____ rank in world in terms of faith reposed by its citizens in its institutions: 2nd

609) Name the noted political scientist, founder of Centre for the Study of Developing Societies who passed away recently: Rajni Kothari

610) With which country India signed an agreement on transfer of prisoners who are completing their sentence there: Hong Kong

611) Name the author of the book “Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty”: Vikram Chandra

612) The prestigious National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Awards are given in which country: USA

613) Jimjang Deru of Arunachal Pradesh recently created national record in which sports: Weight Lifting

614) Which international organization has decided to lift a seven-month-long ban on the import of mangoes from India: European Union

615) Veteran journalist Malini Parthasarathy has been appointed as the first women editor of a century old national news paper: The Hindu

616) The government has launched HRIDAY to preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country. Write full form of HRIDAY: Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana

617) What is the name of the Microsoft’s voice controlled assistant to be introduced in its new operating system - Windows 10: Cortana

618) India has allowed duty free access to which country’s export products in Indian markets under the Agreement of South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA): Afghanistan

619) Name the scheme launched by the Prime Minister to save and empower the girl child: Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao

620) Which Bollywood celebrity has been appointed as brand ambassador of Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign: Madhuri Dixit

621) A special savings scheme by the name ________ has been launched to encourage special savings for girl child: Sukanya Samriddhi Account

622) What is the rate of interest payable in the Sukanya Samriddhi Account: 9.1% per annum

623) A maximum amount of Rs. ______ can be deposited in a financial year in the Sukanya Samriddhi Account: 1,50,000

624) Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, King of Saudi Arabia was in news recently for what reasons: He passed away

625) India’s first International Institute of Music will be set up in _____ by a trust headed by Sarod Maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his family: Kerala

626) In which country its first women premier was impeached on Jan 23 for corruption charges: Thailand

627) Lee Wan Koo has been appointed new Prime Minister of which Asian country: South Korea

628) The Reserve Bank has allowed Indians to carry high value notes of Rs 500 /1000 while travelling to _______ and _____with a cap of Rs 25,000 on the total amount: Nepal, Bhutan

629) The World Economic Forum's five-day annual jamboree of the global elite started on Jan 20 at______, Switzerland: Davos

630) Which Ministry has launched a new organisation “National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited” (NHIDCL) to promote the road construction: Road Transport and Highways Ministry

631) Name the controversial Australian bowler who has been named Australia's young cricketer of the year, winning the Sir Bradman Award: Sean Abbott

632) In a major boost to the jute sector, govt. has approved mandatory packaging of _____ and _____ in jute material to minimum extent of up to 90 per cent of production: Sugar and Foodgrains

633) RBI has advised that RRBs with assets less than $175 million need not to register under the US law


FATCA. Write the full form of FATCA: Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

634) Govt plans to set up a ‘Price Stabilisation Fund’ (PSF), with a corpus of Rs 500 crore for what purpose: To control price fluctuations in fruits and vegetables

635) The proposed price stabilization fund will initially focus on which two commodities for their price regulation: Onions and Potatoes

636) With which country India signed MoUs for formulating action plans for development of smart cities in Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam: USA

637) Govt plans to introduce a new Consumer Price Index with ________ as base year for computing retail inflation rate: 2012

638) India has been ranked _______ globally in terms of talent competitiveness of its human capital, indicating acute shortage of skilled workforce: 78th

639) The Expenditure Management Commission, headed by_______, has recommended to the government that it cut fiscal deficit to 3.6 per cent of the GDP during 2015-16: Bimal Jalan

640) Which Bank has launched Jifi Saver, a social savings bank account which can be seamlessly managed via Twitter and Facebook: Kotak Mahindra Bank

641) Who has been appointed as the new Union Foreign Secretary of India: S. Jaishankar

642) Country’s first geothermal heating plant was launched successfully by the Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment of DRDO at its _____(HP) campus: Manali

643) R K Laxman, the legendary cartoonist who passed away recently is known for the iconic cartoon character named ________:The Common Man

644) Veteran cartoonist R K Laxman was associated with which news paper: The Times of India

645) Name the highest peacetime military honour awardaed posthumously to Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh on Republic Day: Ashok Chakra

646) Paulina Vega of Columbia has been crowned with which international beauty pageant: Miss Universe

647) Name the new national champion of snooker in men’s category: Pankaj Advani

648) The Reserve Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding on “Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information” with central bank of which country: Brazil

649) Which Indian bank signed an agreement with U.S. government’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation for $220 million loan for on-lending to micro, small and medium enterprises: Yes Bank

650) Pooja Thakur, the first woman to lead the ceremonial tri-service guard of honour inspected by Mr. Obama is from which wing of Indian Defence Forces: Air Force

651) Which MNC recorded highest ever quarterly profit of $18 billion in quarter ending December 2014: Apple Inc.

652) Name the legal luminary, a senior advocate who has been awarded Padma Bhushan recently: Harish Salve

653) Mr. Subhash Kashyap who has been honoured with Padma Bhushan is an authority in which field: Constitutional Expert

654) Name the noted philanthropist couple honoured recently with Padma Bhushan: Bill Gates and Melinda Gates

655) Name the noted TV journalist honoured with Padma Bhushan this year: Rajat Sharma

656) Name the veteran politician, a serving Chief Minister who has been decorated with Padma Vibhushan this year: Prakash Singh Badal

657) Name the two noted bollywood actors who have been honoured with Padma Vibhushan this year: Amitabh Bachhan and Dilip Kumar

658) Name the UK businessman and spiritual leader who has been honoured with Pamda Vibhushan this year: Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan

659) Sportsperson Mithali Raj has been honoured with Padma Shri. She is from which sports: Cricket

660) Name the women badminton player honoured with Padma Shri award this year: PV Sindhu

661) Noted film personality Prasoon Joshi who has been awarded Padma Shri is from which field of film industry: Lyricist

662) Jhumpa Lahiri has been awarded DSC Prize 2015 for literature for her book : The Lowland

663) India's FDI increased by 26 per cent in 2014 to an estimated 35 billion US dollar. Maximum FDI was attracted by which sector of economy: Services

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

665) Which country will host the 2016 Twenty 20 World Cup from 11th of March to 3rd of April 2016: India

666) Name the Former chief of Gorkha National Liberation Front, who gave birth to the Gorkhaland movement, who died recently: Subash Ghishing

667) As per revised guidelines, winners of Gold medal in international sports events will now get Rs. __________: 75 lacs

668) Jaswant Sing Rajput who won two times gold medal for India in Olympics, passed away recently. He was from which Sports: Hockey

669) The Payment Banks are not allowed to undertake which major banking function: Giving Loans

670) The payment banks are not allowed to accept deposits beyond Rs. ___________: One lac


DECEMBER – 2014 671) Name the Russian film that won the Golden Peacock

for the best film at the International Film Festival of India: Leviathan

672) The Golden Peacock Award for the best film carries a cash award of __________ rupees: 40 lac

673) Noted film maker Wong Kar Wai was conferred the lifetime achievement award at IFFI. He is from which country: China

674) Worlds Aids Day is observed on which date: December 1st

675) What is the full form of HIV infection: Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

676) In the abbreviation of AIDS, the letter S stands for what: Syndrome

677) Which Southeast Asian country has launched a Tamil version of National Day Song: Singapore

678) Name the Indian footballer who has been given Hall of Fame Award in Manila: Baichung Bhutia

679) Name the Indian woman badminton player who won the Macau Grand Prix Gold trophy at Macau, China: PV Sindhu

680) Jarbom Gamlin who passed away recently was a formal Chief Minister of which State: Arunachal Pradesh

681) Govt. has deiced to observe 25th December as which day: National Good Governance Day

682) National Good Governance Day is observed in the honour of which national leader: Atal Behari Vajpayee

683) A R Antulay, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra passed away recently. He was from which political party: Congress

684) Tabare Vazquez has been elected as President of which South American country: Uruguay

685) Who has been appointed as the new Director of Central Bureau of Investigation: Anil Kumar Sinha

686) The international prize for art – Turner Prize is given in which country: UK

687) Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards are given in which field: For excellence in exports

688) Which bank won the Niryat Bandhu Silver Trophy for excellence in exports: Canara Bank

689) American geologists have named the earth’s most abundant ________as ‘Bridgmanite’: Mineral

690) The world climate change conference was held at which place: Lima, Peru

691) The recent world climate change conference was organized by UNFCCC. What is the full form of UNFCCC: UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

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

693) As per the Corruption Perceptions Index–2014,

which country is least corrupt in world: Denmark 694) Name the India’s recently tested nuclear – capable

strategic ballistic missile having a range of about 4000 kms: Agni IV

695) Name the system launched by RBI to help consumers pay multiple bills like electricity, telephone and school fees at a single point of transaction: Bharat Bill Payment System

696) Which organization has been appointed as the nodal body for implementing Bharat Bill Payment System: National Payment Corporation of India

697) India recently launched GSAT-16 satellite for what purpose: Communications

698) The communication satellite GSAT-16 was launched at which place: Kourou in French Guiana

699) United Nations has declared which day as International Yoga Day: June 21

700) Why June 21 has been selected as World Yoga Day: This is the longest day thus having maximum energy

701) Which state recently launched “Mobile one” e-governance initiative to enable public to access 4000 govt/ private services on their mobile phones just by dialing 161: Karnataka

702) Blind Cricket World Cup was recently held at which place: Cape Town, South Africa

703) Name the country that won the Blind Cricket World Cup 2014: India

704) RBI has hiked the limit for pre-paid payment instruments (PPI) to Rs. _________ from Rs. 50,000 at present: One Lac

705) Deodhar trophy is related to which place: Cricket 706) Deodhar trophy 2014 was lifted by which team:

East Zone 707) Which US firm has been selected for supply of 16

multirole helicopters for the Indian Navy: Sikorsky 708) Who has been appointed as the new US Defence

Secretary: Ashton Carter 709) On December 5, NASA launched Orion spacecraft

atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket. It is what type of spacecraft: Returnable Spacecraft

710) Name the author of the book “2014: The Election That Changed India”: Rajdeep Sardesai

711) Which Indian state got its first rail link on Nov. 29, 2014: Meghalaya

712) Death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar – 6 December is observed as what day: Mahaparinirwan Divas

713) United Nations General Assembly has declared 2015 as the International Year of _______: Soils

714) Japan recently launched explorer Hayabusa 2 for what purpose: For exploring asteroids

715) With which country Andhra Pradesh signed a MoU for development of new capital: Singapore

716) The UNICEF has said that 2014 has been


“devastating” for some 15 million ______caught up in violent conflicts around the world: Children

717) Ms. Wang Patraporn has been selected as Miss Intercontinental 2014. She is from which country: Thailand

718) The government has decided to decriminalise “attempt to suicide” by deleting which section of the Indian Penal Code: 309

719) The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal for setting up of a 500 crore rupees Credit Guarantee Fund for Factoring for MSME units. What is factoring: Collection of receivables of business units

720) The first Arabic translation of the Indian Constitution has been launched recently in which country: Egypt

721) Name the entity that has been selected as the ‘Person of the Year 2014’ by Time magazine: Ebola Fighters

722) Which Indian bank has launched two indices to track manufacturing activity and offer forward looking economic trends: State Bank of India

723) Which country has become the 181st member of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA): Bhutan

724) As per the Web Index 2014 India has been placed at which rank in terms of internet's contribution to social, economic and political progress: 48th

725) Noted corporate personality Azim Premji has been awarded Swiss Ambassador's Award. He is chairman of which company: Wipro Ltd.

726) The Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) links Ludhiana in Punjab to __________ near Kolkata: Dankuni

727) India’s most prestigious Indian classical music function – The Tansen Sangeet Samaroh was held at which place: Gwalior, MP

728) INS Circars, the oldest naval establishment on the Eastern seaboard celebrated its Platinum Jubilee. It is located at which place: Visakhapatnam

729) Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India to attend which important meeting: 15th India-Russia annual summit

730) Who is Arunima Sinha, writer of the book “Born Again on the Mountain”: First Indian female amputee to climb Mount Everest

731) The Druzhba – Dosti concept relates to strengthening of the bilateral partnership of India with which country: Russia

732) Name the book by Akhil Sharma that has been selected by The New York Times Book Review as one of the ten Best Books of 2014: Family Life

733) In which country police forcefully ended the more than two month old street demonstration - Occupy Central: Hong Kong

734) The 14th Finance Commission submitted its report

on December 11 to which authority: President of India

735) Who is the head of the 14th Finance Commission: Y V Reddy

736) What is the purpose of setting the finance commission: To decide the devolution of tax receipts from the Centre to the states

737) The recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission shall be applicable from ______ to 31st March, 2020: 1st April, 2015

738) To promote electronic payments, the Reserve Bank of India has increased the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) business hours to 12 hours from ________ to _____ on weekdays: 8 am, 8 pm

739) Name the recent international chess title won by Viswanathan Anand: London Classic

740) Name the indigenous nuclear-powered submarine that for the first time sailed out for sea-trials on Dec 16: INS Arihant

741) Name the beauty queen that has been selected as Miss World 2014: Rolene Strauss

742) Miss World 2014, Rolene Strauss is from which country: South Africa

743) National Energy Conservation Day is observed on which date: Dec 14

744) Who is the author of the book ‘In God’s Hands’: Desmond Tutu

745) Who is Desmond Tutu, winner of Templeton Prize: Archbishop from South Africa

746) Name the new chief of the Intelligence Bureau: Dineshwar Sharma

747) Who has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of Japan: Shinzo Abe

748) Champions Trophy is related to which sports: Hockey

749) Champions Trophy 2014 was won by which country: Germany

750) Champions Trophy 2014 was held at which city in India: Bhubaneswar

751) Confucius Peace Prize, also known as China's version of the Nobel Prize, has been given to which person for 2014: Fidel Castro, Former Cuban leader

752) Vivek Murthy, the 37 year old Indian origin doctor in USA was in news for what reasons: He has been appointed Surgeon General of USA

753) Olof Palme Human Rights Prize is given in which country: Sweden

754) Nasa's Curiosity rover has recently detected methane on which planet: Mars

755) Government has approved the continuation of interest subvention for short-term crop loans up to Rs _______ to farmers: 3 lakh

756) Which state has won the Krishi Karman Award for the year 2013-14 for showing exemplary agri-performance in 14 different categories: Arunachal


Pradesh 757) Which bank has launched its mobile banking

application by the name ‘Bank Aapki Muththi Mein’: HDFC Bank

758) Name the heaviest ever rocket, weighing 630 tonnes launched by ISRO on Dec 18: GSLV Mark III

759) GSLV Mark III carried CARE as its payload which is an Indian-made unmanned crew module. What is full form of CARE: Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment

760) USA has announced a series of steps aimed at normalising relations with which country: Cuba

761) Name the two banks that have been fined recently by the RBI for violation of KYC norms: ICICI Bank and Bank of Baroda

762) Union Cabinet recently approved a constitutional amendment bill on which important tax issue: Goods and Services Tax

763) Name the super power whose economy is in deep trouble due to economic sanctions imposed on it and huge loss on account of steep fall in oil prices: Russia

764) Opening ceremony for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2015 shall be held at which place: Melbourne, Australia

765) Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik, the twin sisters from Dehradun were in news for what reasons: They completed scaling highest peaks

766) Name the beauty queen selected as the Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014: Ruhi Singh

767) Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014 contest was held at which place: Beirut, Lebanon

768) What is the name of the new Prime Minister of Mauritius: Anerood Jugnauth

769) Among the chief ministers serving currently, who is the Chief Minister with longest tenure of 20 years: Pawan Chamling

770) Pawan Chamling, who completed 20 years as Chief Minister on Dec 12. He is from which State: Sikkim

771) In India the record for longest tenure as Chief Minister, 23 years, 4 months is held by which person: Jyoti Basu

772) Chunibhai Vaidya, a veteran Gandhian and freedom fighter passed away recently. He is from which state: Gujarat

773) Rajinder Khanna has been appointed head of which national intelligence agency: Research and Analysis Wing

774) Prakash Mishra has been appointed head of which paramilitary force: CRPF

775) The festival of Losar celebrated to mark the beginning of new year is observed at which place in India: Ladakh, J & K

776) Which Indian cricketer has been named as the brand ambassador of ICC cricket world cup 2015: Sachin Tendulkar

777) Name the Indian golfer who won the Inaugural edition of Dubai Open Golf Championship title: Arjun Atwal

778) Name the winning team of the Indian Super League Football Championship: Atletico De Kolkata

779) Beji Caid Essebsi has been elected as President of which African Country: Tunisia

780) Which Indian State has decided to set up a Cultural University to promote its rich cultural heritage: Manipur

781) Klaus Iohannis has been elected as __________ of Romania: President

782) Govt. has decided to pay __ % interest on provident fund deposits of Employees Provident Fund Organisation: 8.75%

783) International Tennis Federation (ITF) has declared __________ as the men’s player of the year 2014: Novak Djokovic

784) _______ has been named as the women player of the year 2014 by International Tennis Federation: Serena Williams

785) The authorize capital of the Regional Rural Banks has been raised from Rs.5 crore at present to Rs. _______ crore: 2000

786) The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has advised that the new IFRS norms shall be applicable from April 1, 2015. What is the full form of IFRS: International Financial Reporting Standards

787) Recently RBI has released a new set of norms defining which type of borrowers: Non Cooperative Borrowers

788) Jyotsna Suri has recently been elected as President of the prominent national trade body – FICCI. What is the full form of FICCI: Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry

789) Name the President of Bangla Desh who visited Kolkata recently: Abdul Hamid

790) Name the NASA’s planet-hunting spacecraft which discovered a ‘super-Earth’ located 180 light-years from Earth: Kepler

791) As per a recent survey which are the two top culprits for highest global carbon-dioxide emissions from burning of fossil fuels: China and United States– 29 and 15 per cent

792) British Queen has honoured noted Pakistan-born poetess Imtiaz Dharker for her poetry collection ‘Over the Moon’ with which award: Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2014

793) Joe Cocker who died recently was a famous ________ from the Colorado, USA: Rock Singer

794) Name the Indian player who won silver medal at the 17th Asian Luge Championship: Shiva Keshavan

795) 58th National Shooting Championships was held in which place: Pune

796) Vinicius – the cat, has been declared as mascot for


which international sports event: 2016 Rio Olympics

797) Name the European space mission spacecraft that has been declared as the most important scientific Breakthrough of the Year 2014: Rosetta

798) Bharat Ratna Award is given on recommendation of which authority: Prime Minister

799) The declaration for Bharat Ratna Award is made by which authority: President

800) The deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes of various denominations, including 500 and 1,000 rupees, has been extended upto which date: June 30, 2015

801) The World Youth Under-16 Chess Olympiad at Gyor in Hungary was won by which country: India

802) For the first time, India exported an indigenously built war ship to which country: Mauritius

803) Name the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand: Raghubar Das

804) Govt. has launched which programme to cover all those children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated against seven vaccine preventable diseases: Mission Indradhnaush

805) Government has decided to set-up _______________to provide counseling to consumers in redressal of their grievances and assist them in registering their complaints in the appropriate consumer forums: Grahak Suvidha Kendras (Consumer care centres)

806) Union Cabinet opened the medical devices sector to foreign investment by allowing ______per cent FDI in these devices: 100

807) Which private sector bank has raised $200 million loan from Asian Development Bank for onward lending to small farm households and rural women self help groups (SHGs): Yes Bank

808) Name the head of the committee setup to examine the possibility of forming a Special Investigation Team for re investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases: Justice G P Mathur

809) Who has been selected as one of the top ten scientists in 2014 chosen by the prestigious science journal of UK-Nature: Dr. K. Radhakrishnan

810) A new train - The Sushaasan (good governance) Express was launched on Dec 25, from which place to which place: Gwalior to Gonda

811) Ankita Raina won ITF singles tennis title becoming the first Indian to win this title in past 14 years. This match was played at which place: Pune

812) Name the cricketer who broke the world record for most number of stumpings in international cricket after he claimed his 134th victim: M S Dhoni

813) Which country has been assigned the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first half of 2015: Latvia

814) Which southeastern country suffered worst flooding in decades forcing some 1,18,000 people to flee to safer places: Malaysia

815) Name the wheeled version of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Nishant, recently tested by DRDO: Panchi

816) Name the mission that aims at creating an environment for producing high quality teachers: Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching

817) Which country recently successfully test fired its Angara-A5 rocket: Russia

818) Name the country that has decided to join North Atlantic Treaty Organization: Ukraine

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

820) The Reserve Bank released a charter of customer rights on Dec.3 that lays down ____________basic rights that bank customers enjoy: Five

821) Pragyan Ojha was banned as his bowling action was found illegal, flexing elbow beyond ___degrees: 15

822) Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching was launched on 25th December at which place: BHU, Varanasi

NOVEMBER – 2014 823) Julian Burnside, Human rights advocate and

barrister from Australia was honoured recently with which international prize: Sydney Peace Prize 2014

824) Sydney Peace Prize is awarded by which organization: Sydney University

825) Mithra Shakthi, the three weeks Joint military exercise was conducted between India and which other country: Sri Lanka

826) Mithra Shakthi military exercise was held at which place: Sri Lanka

827) What was the name of the 4th Joint anti terrorism military exercise held by Indian and Chinese forces: Hand in Hand 2014

828) The 4th Hand in Hand 2014 joint exercise of Indian and Chinese forces was held at which place: Pune

829) Which state aims at construction of 10 lakh toilets by 2018 to make the state completely free from open defecation: Karnataka

830) The Union Government has decided on 29th October, to relax FDI norms in the ____________sector, allowing 100 per cent of foreign funds in building projects: Constructions

831) Govt has fixed rupees _______ per quintal as the Minimum Support Price for wheat for 2014-15 season: 1450

832) Name the Indian cricketer who was inducted into the Bradman Hall of Fame on 5th October at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia: Sachin


Tendulkar 833) Name the former Union Carbide chief, wanted in

India in connection with the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, who passed away recently: Warren Anderson

834) Name the India’s ace shooter who became the first Indian to be elected as Chairman of International Shooting Sport Federation's (ISSF) Athletes Committee: Abhinav Bindra

835) Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani teenage rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner was in news for donating $50,000 for what purpose: To help rebuild UN schools in Gaza

836) Name the Mumbai Cinema actor, winner of two Filmfare awards who passed away in November: Sadashiv Amrapurkar

837) Duleep Trophy 2014 was won by which zone: Central Zone

838) Duleep Trophy is for which sports: Cricket 839) 43rd Handball National Championship (women’s)

was held at which place: Mastuana Sahib, Punjab 840) The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia

Flowers is the high level national civilian award of which country: Japan

841) Name the Indian dignitary who was honoured with The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers: Manmohan Singh

842) World Trade Center, New York was in news recently for what reasons: It has been re-constructed and restarted

843) President Pranab Mukherjee recently visited which neighbouring country of India: Bhutan

844) Recently a warship of Indian Navy sunk off the Visakhapatnam coast during a naval exercise. What type of ship it was: Torpedo Recovery Vessel

845) The Central Government has allocated five thousand crore rupees under AYUSH Mission for what purpose: For promoting traditional methods of treatment in the country

846) Paris-based think tank, OECD has projected 5.4 percent growth for the Indian economy this year. What is the full form of OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

847) In the Forbes list of the world's most powerful people for 2014, Mr. Modi has been placed at which rank: 15th

848) As per the Forbes list of the world's most powerful people for 2014, who has been placed at the top of the list: Vladimir Putin

849) Who has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes: Anita Kapur

850) 54th National Open Athletics Championships held at which place: New Delhi

851) Who was adjudged the best female athlete in the 54th National Open Athletics Championships: Tintu Luka

852) Who was adjudged the best male athlete in the 54th National Open Athletics Championships: Ankit Sharma

853) Tintu Luka, winner of the best national athlete (female) is from which sport: Racing

854) Ankit Sharma, winner of the best national athlete (male) is from which sports: Long Jump

855) Name the batsman who became the quickest cricketer to reach 6,000 runs in ODIs: Virat Kohli

856) The Indian Army’s team of eight Garhwalis won the rigorous endurance competition Cambrain Patrol in which country: Wales, UK

857) Name the region of Spain which is agitating for its separation from Spain: Catalonia

858) Name the village near Varanasi that has been adopted for development by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi under ‘Sansad Gram Yojna’: Jayapur

859) Laxmikant Parsekar has been appointed as the new Chief Minister of which state: Goa

860) What is the strike range of recently test fired ballistic missile Agni – II: 2,000 kms

861) Name the India’s first indigenous Light Combat Aircraft’s two-seater trainer jet: Tejas

862) Recently Germany observed silver jubilee of demolition of which historical monument: Berlin Wall

863) With which country India signed a MoU for promoting the Nalanda University in Bihar: Bhutan

864) In collaboration with which country India has developed the long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) system with a range of 70 kms: Israel

865) Who has been named as the most-powerful business woman in India by Fortune Magazine: Arundhati Bhattacharya

866) RBI has made it mandatory for banks to send SMS alerts for which type of transactions: Cheque Transactions

867) Where in India country’s longest access controlled six lane expressway is being developed: Uttar Pradesh

868) Country’s longest access controlled six lane expressway shall be connecting which two cities: Lucknow–Agra

869) Lipulekh Pass through which border trade worth over Rs 3 crore took place between India and China this year lies in which state: Uttarakhand

870) India has inked a USD 200 million loan agreement with the World Bank to finance the setting up of technology centres to help MSMEs enhance their productivity. What is full form of MSMEs: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

871) The 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held at which place: Goa

872) Which was the focus country for this year’s International Film Festival of India: China


873) Which Cine Star was honoured with Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year at the 45th IFFI: Rajnikanth

874) Which two States have opened the bank accounts for all households in the state under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY): Kerala and Goa

875) 6th World Ayurveda Congress was held in which place: New Delhi

876) Durand Cup is related with which sports: Football 877) The 127th Durand Cup Championship was held at

which place: Goa 878) National Education Day is observed on which date:

November 11 879) Name the India’s first Education Minister in whose

honour National Education Day is observed on November 11: Maulana Abul Kalam

880) Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan has been launched for what purpose: To promote role of IITs/NITs in rural development

881) Name the portal launched to enable students for selecting the right college for their higher education: Know Your College

882) Govt. has launched SAMVAY to facilitate students to switch between education and jobs. The acronym SAMVAY stands for: Skill Assessment Matrix for Vocational Advancement of Youth

883) Name the two scholarship schemes launched for girls pursuing technical education at college level: Saksham and Pragati

884) ________ has been appointed Chairman of National Chemical Weapon Convention: G.S. Sandhu

885) National Cancer Awareness Day observed on which date: 7 November

886) At which place in India Suzlon Energy company installed the world’s tallest 120 meters high hybrid wind generator turbines: Kutch, Gujarat

887) As per recent reports from IMF, in October 2014, which country became the world’s largest economy in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP): China

888) Name the country who has become the first European Union (EU) country to officially recognise the State of Palestine: Sweden

889) Public Service Broadcasting Day is observed on 12th November to commemorate the first and only visit of which celebrity to All India Radio: Mahatma Gandhi

890) Gandhian Philosophy and Public Service Broadcasting Award 2014 has been won by which radio station: Radio Kashmir, Jammu

891) Name the world number one Badminton player who has been suspended due to an apparent anti-doping regulation violation: Lee Chong Wei

892) What was the name of the first ever manmade mechanical device landed on a comet: Philae Probe

893) In the 10 day foreign visit of Prime Minister Modi in

November, which was the first place visited by him: Nay Pyi Taw

894) How many members are there in the ASEAN group of nations: 10

895) Summit of ASEAN group of nations in November was held at which place: Nay Pyi Taw

896) Apart from 10 ASEAN countries, how many more countries are member of East Asian Summit: 8

897) ASEAN summit 2015 will be held in which country: Cambodia

898) At which place in Australia, Mr. Modi addressed the Australian Parliament: Canberra

899) Mr. Modi assured of life time visa to PIO and OCI card holders of Australia. What is the full form of PIO and OCI: Persons of Indian Origin; Overseas Citizens of India

900) Who is the constitutional head of Australia: British Monarch

901) __________ is the Prime Minister of Australia: Tony Abbott

902) __________ is the President of Myanmar: Thein Sein 903) Name the Oceanic Island country visited by Mr.

Modi in November: Fiji 904) ___________ is the capital of Fiji: Suva 905) Govt. has notified BIS mark for 15 electronic

products, including mobile phones, power banks and LED lamps. BIS stands for: Bureau of Indian Standards

906) Which two countries have agreed on a timetable to limit emission of greenhouse gases — ending a 20-year discord between them: China and USA

907) The net own funds – NOF requirements for NBFCs has been raised from Rs.25 lakh at present to Rs._____ by March, 2016: One crore

908) As per a recent study, which city in India has the largest number (16.4 million) internet users: Mumbai

909) Who has been appointed as the new Union Financial Services Secretary : Hasmukh Adhia

910) Name the winner of 2014 World’s Children Prize: Malala Yousafzai

911) Name the Bollywood actor-director who became the first man in the history of “UN Women” to be appointed as its Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia: Farhan Akhtar

912) The IPI India Award for Excellence in Journalism, 2014, was awarded jointly to which two publications: Hindustan Times and The Week

913) The Indian army recently test-fired the Prithvi-II missile. What is the name of its naval version: Dhanush

914) Name the cricketer who won the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for the Cricketer of the Year award for 2014: Mitchell Johnson


915) SAARC is a group of how many countries: 8 916) What is the theme of this year’s SAARC summit:

'Deeper Regional Integration for Peace and Prosperity'

917) First Commonwealth Science Congress was held in November 2014 at which place: Bengaluru

918) Who is the author of the book titled “The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years”: Pranab Mukherjee

919) The three organisations - World Toilet Organisation (WTO), WASTE and the Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation and Health (FINISH) have joined hands for what purpose: To end open defecation in India

920) World Fisheries Day is observed on which date: Nov 21

921) Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC): Deepak Gupta

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922) Mitchell Johnson, winner of the Cricketer of the Year award for 2014 is from which country: Australia

923) Name the cricketer who was voted the ODI player of 2014: AB de Villiers

924) AB de Villiers is the batsman of which country: South Africa

925) 68th Senior National Aquatic Championship was held at which place: Kolkata

926) Name the tennis star who won the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Nov 16 at London: Novak Djokovic

927) Name the state that has been chosen for union government’s Best State Award for Empowerment of Disabled for year 2014: Madhya Pradesh

928) Which country will host the 16 nation Football tournament Africa Cup of Nations 2015: Equatorial Guinea

929) Govt of India has relaxed Indian citizenship norms for Hindu and Sikh refugees from which two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan

930) Union Ministry of Minorities Affairs launched the Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills (MANAS) to impart training to youths in which sector: Health and Security Sector

931) Which UN organisation released first ever ‘Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality - Household Fuel Combustion’ to promote use of clean fuels at household level: World Health Organisation

932) 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit was held in which place: Beijing

933) The 2015 G 20 summit will be hosted by which country: Turkey

934) The 2016 G 20 summit will be hosted by which country: China

935) To help in its efforts to crack down on suspected black money stashed abroad, India signed which agreement with Saint Kitts & Nevis: Tax Information Exchange Agreement

936) With which country India has reached an agreement on public stockpiling of food in terms of Bali Package: USA

937) Which UN organisation is the coordinator for the Trade Facilitation Agreement: WTO

938) International Buddhist Conference was held in which place: Lumbini, Nepal

939) Men's singles title of the China Open Super Series Premier (Badminton) was won by: K Srikanth

940) Women’s singles title of the China Open Super Series Premier (Badminton) was won by: Saina Nehwal

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