Current Affairs

From January 2011 to August 2011

This file is a compilation of all major current affairs starting from the January till the end of August. I tried my best to cover all topics which can be helpful for exams like Bank PO. All the current affairs presented here are as short as possible but for some events the details were required because they could not be completed in just 2 or 3 lines so wherever it was necessary I gave a short link for that particular news. All the points used here are taken from www.jagranjosh.com so there is no copyright from my side. You can use it as you want. I have started a page on Facebook just after the completion of this document so if you want to continue to get current affairs in brief, you can like this page:
https://www.facebook.com/GKPathshala Ill be happy to see you there

Happy Learning Pratik Agrawal

Lakshman Gugolothu, chief executive of the BSEs new SME exchange. Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Vinod Rai. South Indian Bank (SIB) on 27 December 2010 bagged India's Best Bank-2010 award in the 2010 edition of the Businessworld-PricewaterhouseCoopers Best Banks Survey. The Chairman and Editorial Director of Business Standard, T.N. Ninan was elected president of the Editors Guild of India. Ninan succeeded Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN as the President. ACU (Asian Clearing Union) involves the central banks of India, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Myanmar, Iran, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Uttar Pradesh state government and THDC India Ltd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the first week of January 2011, to set up Khurja Super Thermal Power Plant of 1320 MW in Bulandshahar District of Uttar Pradesh. THDC India Ltd. is a joint venture between Government of India and government of UP.

Nagesh Pydah has been appointed as Chairman & Managing Director of Oriental Bank of Commerce. Pamela Anderson, famous for Baywatch serial was on 31 December 2010 named the Person of the Year by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Cricket World Cup 2011 official theme song composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy was released on 31 December 2010. The song is titled De Ghumaa Ke and has been composed in three versions - Bengali, Hindi and Sinhalese. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and GAIL India (GAIL) on 3 January 2010 declared that they reached landmark agreement to ensure mutual business growth in the areas of natural gas as well as petrochemicals. India on 1 January 2010 joined the United Nations Security Council as its non-permanent member for a two-year term after a gap of 19 years. Along with India Germany, Portugal, South Africa and Columbia also became one of the five nonpermanent members of this 15-member body.

The 98th Indian Science Congress was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Chennai on 3 January 2011. The theme of the 98th Science Congress is Quality Education and Excellence in Science Research in Indian Universities. To enhance efforts in order to promote sustainable management, conservation and development of forests worldwide, the UN General Assembly on 20 December 2010 adopted a resolution declaring the year 2011 as the International Year of Forests.

23-year old dictatorship government in Tunisia came to an end on 14 January 2011 when the dictator of Tunisia, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted from his post and he fled to Saudi Arabia. The speaker of Tunisian Parliament, Foeud Mebazaa took over as the interim president of Tunisia backed by the army.

India and South Korea, on 20 January 2011, agreed to set a 30 billion US dollars bilateral trade target by 2014. At present, India-South Korea bilateral trade is 15.6 billion US dollars. The NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) of USA announced on 20 January 2011 its earth-observing research mission, named as Glory mission. IMImobile, a value-added service for telecom companies in January 2011 entered into a tie-up with Aircel to offer Make My Tunes. Lt. P K Rath guilty of involvement in the Sukhna land scam was court martialed on 21 January 2011. Export-Import Bank of India and (EXIM) the Export-Import Bank of Korea signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in New Delhi on 17 January 2011. The MoU was signed between the Exim Banks of both countries for realizing business opportunities and facilitating increased trade and investment flows between the two countries.

Francesca Schiavone defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in the longest Grand Slam women's match during the Australian Open on 23 January 2011. The longest women's tennis match was played at Hisense Arena, Melbourne Park's second-biggest court. The longest women's tennis match lasted 4hr 44min outstripping the previous record by 25min.

2|P ag e

First DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2011 was won by H M Naqvi for his novel Home Boy. DSC Prize for South Asian Literature was introduced in 2010 by infrastructure conglomerate DSC Limited, who also sponsors the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Anjali Bhagwat finished first in the Sahara National Shooting Championship at the Karni Singh Shooting range. The first ever Indo-Bhutan Friendship Mela ended on 22 January 2011 at Subankhata in Baska district in Assam under Bodoland Territorial Council. Indo-Bhutan Friendship Mela was an initiative to boost the bilateral relations between India and Bhutan.

National Girl Child Day is celebrated on 24 January every year since 2009. The theme for the National Girl Child Day 2011 was Adolescent Girls: Issues and Challenges. Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, named as SABLA was launched which through the use of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) platform work to empower the adolescent girls. Dhanalaksmi scheme is also operational under which cash transfers are made to the family of the girl child on fulfilling certain specific conditions relating to birth and registration, immunization, school enrolment and retention up to Class VIII.

Sachin Tendulkar was on 23 January 2011 roped in by Coca-Cola as its ambassador (three-year endorsement deal for close to Rs 12 crore). The Election Commission observed first National Voters Day on 25 January which is also the formation day of EC. President and CFO Umesh Sethi of Ranbaxy Laboratories quit his job on 26 January 2011. A.R. Rahman from India won the Crystal Award of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on 26 January 2011. Rahman was given the award for his work for the welfare of children. The Crystal Award of the World Economic Forum (WEF) is conferred upon outstanding artists who use their talent for social and charitable work.

The Indian government conferred the Padma Awards on 25 January 2011 on the eve of India's 62nd Republic Day. However no one was named as the winner of the Bharat Ratna Award. Padma Awards are divided in three categories namely- Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

List of Padma Awardees: http://goo.gl/STwMc Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva was elected for a second term according to the election results declared on 23 January 2011. According to the NASA research analysis released on 12 January 2011, the year 2010 was recorded as warmest on record since 1880. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the President of Indonesia, came to India on three-day visit from 24 January 2011 to 26 January 2011 as the Chief Guest at the 62nd Republic Day in India. The Jammu and Kashmir state government announced the launching of Maa Tujhe Salaam free hospital services for pregnant women and children of the state on 26 January 2011, Republic Day of India. Under Maa Tughe Salaam, free hospital services will be provided to all pregnant women and children up to the age of 5 years.

Additional district collector of Malegaon Yashwant Sonawane was on 25 January 2011 burnt alive by suspected members of oil mafia at Manmad in Nashik district after detected pilfering of kerosene. Indian junior team Led by Chikkarangappa, won the Asian Juniors Golf team championship. Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) declared on 25 January 2011 that it produced first shale gas in the India at Icchapur in Durgapur district of West Bengal. It is a significant breakthrough as India became the first Asian country where gas was discovered from shale outside USA and Canada.

South Sudan referendum results (99.57 percent people voted to secede from the nations northern part, North Sudan) were announced on 30 January 2011, according to which South Sudan became the new and the 54th nation in the Continent of Africa.

3|P ag e

Novak Djokovic of Serbia (defeated Andy Murray of Britain) & Kim Clijsters of Belgium (defeated Li Na of China) won the Australian Open tennis championship 2011 in the men's and women's category respectively. India won boys' title in the final of the Asian junior squash championship for the first time in January 2011. Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB), on 31 January 2011, agreed to provide an aid of 7.4 billion US dollars to India for developing its infrastructure for a three-year period from 2011 to 2013. POSCO, the South Korean steel company, got the approval of the Union Environment Ministry of India to construct iron and steel plant at Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa. Carbon foot print calculator for the use of manufacturers was launched by UK-based Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) South East in the last week of January 2011. Prime minister of Tunisia, Mohamed Ghannouchi, announced a new government named National Unity Government. Myanmars new parliament opened on 31 January 2011 in Naypyitaw, the capital of Myanmar. Udaan won most number of awards at the 56th Idea Filmfare awards. The list is here: http://bit.ly/oobQo3 Yasi, one of the most powerful cyclones on record smashed into the sea coast of Australia on 3 February 2011. Yasi is category five Storm. The planning commission of India on 2 February 2011 launched a website to get views and suggestions of the people to formulate 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017). Maruti Suzuki India on 2 February 2011 launched its luxury sedan Kizashi. Jhalanath Khanal, on 3 February 2011, was elected the new and the 34th prime Minister of Nepal. Tahrir Square, the epicentre of mass protests in Egypt against its President Hosni Mubarak U. K. Sinha was appointed the eighth Chairman Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 3 February 2011. Bharti Airtel in February 2011 entered into an exclusive relationship with global enterprise IT solutions provider Savvis for offering managed and cloud services to enterprise customers. Airtel recently struck alliances with a number of global players including VMWare, Cisco and EMC to enhance product offering.

IIT professor-turned-activist Sandeep Pandey on 2 February 2011 turned down a union government sponsored NREGS Achievement Awards prize money. He refused to accept Rs 44000 citing the government's failure to curb rampant financial bungling in a village. He had also previously turned down the prize money of the prestigious Magsaysay Award.

Digital Drishti Workshop conducted by IIT-B & IGNOU to provide basic computing skills to the visually-challenged. The Indian Government appointed Shashikant Sharma as Secretary of the Department of Financial Services in the Finance Ministry in February 2011. He succeeded R. Gopalan who has been recently elevated as Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Finance Ministry.

Thomas Bjorn became the first Danish-born golfer to capture the Qatar Masters in February 2011. TIME magazine's list of Top 25 Political Icons includes two great Indian political icons- Mahatma Gandhi and Mughal emperor, Akbar. Popular Bengali folk singer, Utpalendu Chowdhury expired on 7 February 2011. He was primarily responsible for popularising Bengali folk songs all over the world. Dilip Shanghvi, Chairman and Managing Director of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year 2010. The life-time achievement award of 2010 was given to Brijmohan Lall Munjal, Chairman and Whole-Time Director of Hero Honda Motors.

U.K. based Indian writer and broadcaster Kishwar Desais novel, Witness the Night was awarded Britain's prestigious Costa prize. Australian cricketer Shane Watson won the Australian cricket's top individual award, the Allan Border Medal. Rajasthan Government signed MoU with BPCL for marketing of refined petroleum products.

4|P ag e

The Union cabinet secretariat on 8 February 2011 set up a high powered committeeheaded by former finance secretary Ashok Chawla to suggest a roadmap for efficient and transparent distribution of scarce natural resources such as telecom spectrum.

The Union Ministry of Commerce on 8 February 2011 launched a set of new initiatives to reduce transaction cost with an objective to boost exports. The Indian Government on 10 February 2011 appointed a two member committee to review the controversial deal which ISRO's commercial arm Antrix had struck with Devas for lease of scarce S-band spectrum. The two-member Committee is headed by B K Chaturvedi, Member, Planning Commission and will also include Professor Roddam Narasimha, Member, Space Commission.

The Indian Union Cabinet on 10 February 2011 approved the Rs. 1100 Cr for recaptalisation of regional rural banks with an objective to improve their capital to risk weighted assets ratio. Shivraj Patil Committee Report on spectrum allocation emphasised on the need of a comprehensive legislation for the telecom sector. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down on 11 Feb 2011 following an eighteen day protest. BHEL bagged $ 436 million contract from Yemen for setting up a gas-based power project in Yemen. Delhi Cabinet approved setting up of a 750-MW Pragati-II project at Bamnauli by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited. Inter-ministerial task force to be set up under UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani to evolve a suitable mechanism for direct subsidies to those who are entitled to kerosene, LPG and fertilizer. Need You Now by Lady Antebellum won the most number of awards at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards. A Grammy Award (originally called Gramophone Award) is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. Established in 1958 it is the music equivalent to the Emmy Awards for television, the Tony Awards for stage, and the Academy Awards for film.

Professor Arun Mohanty of JNU was awarded Pushkin Gold Medal by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for his contribution to studies on Russia and promotion of bilateral cultural ties and friendship. The Pushkin Gold Medal instituted in 1977 is the highest honorary award given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the promotion of the Russian language and culture.

Kings Speech directed by Tom Hooper won seven awards, including Best Film, Outstanding British Film at the 64th British Academy Film Awards. The list is here: http://bit.ly/p5sNnM Amul will sponsor the Netherlands cricket team during 2011 ICC World Cup as per its deal with Royal Netherlands Cricket Board (RNCB). Brazilian footballer Ronaldo Luis Nazario Lima on 14 February 2011 announced his decision to retire from the game. Sita Brahmachari won the 2011 Waterstone's Children's Book Prize for her childrens novel, Artichoke Hearts. Capital market watchdog Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in February 2011 proposed a new reporting system for mutual funds based on XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) technology. XBRL is a standardized business reporting tool that enables easy scrutiny of bulk documents without delay. XBRL Taxonomy is a classification system that can be considered as an electronic dictionary for business and financial terms. XBRL consists of a delineation of all the business and financial concepts along with their basic accounting and XBRL properties as well as the interrelationships amongst the concepts.

The Ministry of Food And Public Distribution estimated that the total food subsidy bill will increase to 110600 crore if entitlements recommended by the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council are incorporated into the Food Security Bill. NAC had estimated a total subsidy burden of 71837 crore in the initial phase and 79931 crore in the final phase. The Rangarajan panel had held that the subsidy burden is likely to be higher, at 85584 crore in the initial phase and 92060 crore in the final phase. The ministry's estimations assume 100% absorption of the scheme by states, while the NAC had assumed an 85% utilisation in their calculation. Ministry of Food And Public Distribution headed by Congress leader KV

5|P ag e

Thomas will be the nodal agency for implementing the ambitious flagship welfare programme on food security of the UPA government. Pharmaceutical group Sanofi-Aventis on 16 February 2011 announced its decision to buy Genzyme for $20.1bn. The Union Environment Ministry in February 2011 decided to drop its reservations about the Rs 90000 crore integrated steel plant and captive power plant by Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL). The ministry gave given a conditional green signal to the project coming up in Angul district of Orissa. India and Japan signed the bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Tokyo on 16 February 2011 in the presence of Commerce and Industry Minister Minister Anand Sharma held and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara. A two-way trade target of $25 billion by 2014 was proposed. Uttar Pradesh defeated Karnataka to win the boys title in the 37th junior National volleyball championships. Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra won the air rifle gold in the French GP in Paris in February 2011. The worlds second largest publicly-traded oil firm, BP Plc, signed a deal with Mukesh Ambani controlled Reliance Industries on 21 February 2011. The deal is believed to have paved the way for Indias largest ever foreign direct investment. According to the deal BP will acquire a 30% stake in Reliances 23 oil and gas acreages for $7.2 billion (Rs 32,400 crore) making it the third largest merger and acquisition deal in India. Apart from paying $7.2 billion (Rs 32,400cr) for stake in acreages BP will invest another $1.8bn (Rs 8,100 cr) if commercially viable oil and gas reserves found. Further investment of $10-11bn (Rs 50,000cr) will be jointly made. If all three legs of deal work out, BPs investment of $14.5 bn (Rs 65,000 cr) will be the largest FDI ahead of Poscos $13 bn. Weight lifter K Ravi Kumar Berhampur won gold by lifting a total of 286 kg at the National Games on 23 February 2011. SEBI permitted State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ) to raise up to Rs 800 crore through a rights issue. A commission on minority institutions on 22 February 2011 granted minority status to Jamia Millia Islamia. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 23 February 2011 released a draft strategy paper for doubling exports to $450 billion by 2014. President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, of the ruling National Resistance Movement party won the Presidential election for the fourth time according to the election results declared on 20 February 2011. SAVE (Saving Asias Vultures from Extinction) was launched in Kathmandu as a part of the Vulture Conservation efforts in Nepal and India. Author of several childrens literary pieces Anant Pie popularly known as Uncle Pai died on 24 February 2011. He played a crucial role in the launch of Amar Chitra Katha series which published tales from Indian history and mythology for children. The Prime Ministers Council on Climate Change on 22 February 2011 approved 46000 crore rupees National Mission for Green India. The Green India mission is aimed at increasing forest cover in the country by five million hectares by 2020. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to deploy Indonesian observers in both Cambodia and Thailand to resolve the border dispute. The formation of Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was announced to probe the 2G spectrum scam. Economic Survey of India 2010-11 Highlights: http://bit.ly/qTK1wG Railway Budget 2011-12 Highlights: http://bit.ly/oqTFtH One of New Zealand's biggest cities, Christchurch was on 22 February 2011 hit by a powerful earthquake of 6.3 magnitude. The Union Government decided to mint coins of Rs. 150 and Rs. 5 denomination to mark the number of years of taxation in India. The 34th National Games was played from between 12 to 26 February 2011 in Jharkhand. http://bit.ly/oACx7y Union Budget 2011-12 Highlights: http://bit.ly/o01dwM Mamata Banerjee while presenting the Union Railway Budget 2011 in the Lok Sabha on 25 February 2011 declared 2011-12 as the Year of Green Energy.

6|P ag e

India unveiled Operation Safe Homecoming to bring back thousands of Indians caught in the turmoil in Libya. Munjals-led Hero to buy out Japanese co-promoter Honda Motor's 26 per cent stake in Hero Honda. UN Women announced a new regional programme to address the needs of widows in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of International Womens Day. Indian companies for the first time shot ahead (7th) of their Chinese counterparts in acquiring overseas mineral assets as per the Ernst and Young study. The e-commerce portal of India Post, e-post office was launched by Union Minister Kapil Sibal on 9 March 2011. Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal (6th) overtook Mukesh Ambani (9th) to become the wealthiest Indian as per the annual Forbes list of World Billionaires for 2011. Nobel Peace Prize winner the Dalai Lama to step down as political leader of the Tibetan government in exile. Noted Hindi poet Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari was selected for the 20th Vyas Sammanfor his poetry collection, Phir Bhi Kuch Rah Jayega. France announced its official recognition for the Libyan National Council as the sole representative of the Libyan people and became the first western country to do so. The Supreme Court of India in its decision, on 7 March 2011, refused to bring an end to Aruna Shanbaugs life with euthanasia. Indias Strategic Forces Command (SFC) fired Dhanush and Prithvi-II missiles on 11 March 2011 thereby establishing the readiness of Indias nuclear deterrence systems. National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), a public sector undertaking under the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) was awarded Mini Ratna statusby the Indian government. The Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee increased the allocation under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLAD) Scheme from Rs.2 crore to Rs.5 crore per Member. President of Maldive, Mohamed Nasheed, was awarded one of the highest honour of Mauritius, Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and the Key of the Indian Ocean. Shahina KK of the Open magazine was conferred the Chameli Devi Jain Award 2010 for Outstanding Woman Mediapersons. Bahrains King, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, declared the 3-month state of emergency to quell an uprising in the nation. Union Cabinet approved the Constitution Amendment Bill thereby paving the way for the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to signal its policy stance, on 15 March 2011 recommended the use of the repo rate as a single policy rate. Union Cabinet of India, approved the PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority) Bill and the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Bank Laws) Amendment Bill. The Union Cabinet of India approved the setting up of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) in New Delhi. The Hindu's consultant V. Kalidas was given the Hall of Fame National Award for 2011 for his contribution to the media industry. The book Patrons of the Poor: Caste Politics and Policymaking in India by Narayan Lakshman was launched in mid March 2011 by M.S. Swaminathan. Rajasthani poet Girdhar Rathi was in March 2011 selected for the Bihari Puraskar for 2010 for his poetry collection, Anta Ke Sanshaya. Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 17 March 2011 pledged to provide a loan of $250-million as part of its infrastructure financing project in India.

7|P ag e

Indian government decided to declare 14 April 2011 as a holiday on account of the birthday of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the ATP Indian Wells title by defeating Spanish World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in March 2011. Bihar Utsav-2011 of Bihar organised by the Bihar Government to commemorate Bihar's 99th Foundation Day. IIFL (India Infoline) Group launched a financial education and awareness initiative, FLAME (Financial Literacy Agenda for Mass Empowerment). Indias ace badminton player Saina Nehwal won the Swiss Grand Prix on 21 March 2011 by defeating Ji Hyun Sung of South Korea. British-born legendary Hollywood actress and AIDS activist Elizabeth Taylor expired on 23 March 2011. The Union Cabinet of India, on 22 March 2011, approved 6% hike in DA (dearness allowance) to 51%. The Union Cabinet of India, on 22 March 2011, approved the Bureau of Indian Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2011. The objective of the bill is to empower the government to make hallmarking mandatory. Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates who visited India in March 2011 with his wife Melinda Gates decided to stop funding programmes aimed at controlling HIV/AIDS. Avahan, an initiative to reduce the spread of HIV was launched in 2003 with support of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Department of Telecommunications in March 2011 imposed a Managed by Indians norm to escalate security in mobile infrastructure. Indian government decided to keep the issue of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) outside the ambit of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill-Current Affairs 2011. Environment Ministry's expert appraisal committee gave conditional permission to Lavasa to complete pending construction work in the planned hill station township. Saeed Mirza appointed as the President of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) & Chairman of its Governing Council. Earth quake of 6.8 magnitude struck Myanmars borders with Thailand and Laos shaking the famous Golden Triangle region where Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet. The committee headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) V.K. Shunglu to probe corruption in organising the Commonwealth Games (CWG) on 23 March 2011 submitted its second report to the Cabinet Secretary. Ace Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal regained the number three ranking in the latest world ranking released by the Badminton World Federation (BFW) in March 2011. World Meteorological Organization & the worldwide meteorological community celebrate World Meteorological Day every year on 23 March. The theme of World Meteorological Day 2011 was Climate for you. Nirmal Gram Puraskar was awarded to 2808 Gram Panchayats from 21 States along with one Block Panchayat from Tamilnadu by President Pratibha Patil. Prime Minister of Portugal, Jose Socrates, on 23 March 2011 resigned after the Portuguese Parliament rejected the austerity budget presented by him. The Union Cabinet of India, on 22 March 2011, approved the amendments to the Indian Forest Act, 1927 to stop instances of unnecessary harassment and prosecution of forest dwellers and tribals for minor offences. The State government of Andhra Pradesh decided to introduce English as second language in government schools from first class itself. World Water Day is observed on 22 March. The theme for the 2011 World Water Day was Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge. The Indian government on 24 March 2011 constituted 11member Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) to examine the means of oversight on regulators and their autonomy from the government. The 11-member commission will be headed by Retired Supreme Court Justice BN Srikrishna.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) polit bureau member Sambashivudu, a former top Maoist leader murdered.

8|P ag e

The Indian government in end March 2011 announced its decision to create Rs 2500-crore corpus for technology modernisation of the micro, small and medium units by 2012. Currently only the textile sector get to avail benefits under the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS). The MSMEs account for 45 per cent of the country's manufacturing output and 40 per cent of exports. The sector employs 50 million people in 26 million units producing over 6000 products.

A commemorative postage stamp on freedom fighter Subhadra Joshi was released on 24 March 2011 by President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil. Eminent botanist and educationist Prof. V.S. Sundaralingam passed away on 27 March 2011. Prof. V.S. Sundaralingam was the former director of the Centre for Advanced Study (CAS) in Botany, Madras University. The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in March 2011 decided to give monthly updates of contributions instead of an annual statement in the backdrop of high defaults in provident fund contributions by employers. Sangeet Natak Akademi chairperson and renowned Bharatanatyam dancer and writerLeela Samson was appointed chairperson of the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC). Samson succeeded actor Sharmila Tagore who held the position for 6 years (two terms).

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper resigned after a no-confidence vote was passed by 156-145 vote against him in the Canadian Parliament on 25 March 2011. According to the tiger census 2010, the number of tigers in India is reported to have gone up from 1411 in 2006 to 1706 in 2010 which is a 16% percent increase. The tiger Census 2010 was carried out by the Dehradun based Wildlife Institute of India in collaboration with the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

Rajasthan Diwas was celebrated on 30 March marking the unification of the erstwhile princely states in the region into the State of Rajasthan. Prime Minister of Portugal, Jose Socrates, on 23 March 2011 resigned after the Portuguese Parliament rejected the austerity budget presented by its government which included cuts in spending and rise in taxes. The Indian government approved a short-term loan of Rs 5000 crore for Food Corporation of India (FCI) on 29 March 2011. CCL (Cash Credit Limit) is a secured working capital loan given by banks on the basis of turnover, debtors, creditors and stock in hand. Commodity exchange regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC) in March end 2011 finally agreed to give six more months to National Multi Commodity Exchange (NMCE) for restructuring its equity capital. According to the FMC guideline, the three bourses have to have networth of Rs 100 crore of which equity capital has to be Rs. 50 crore.

The New Delhi Railway Station received the National Tourism Award for the Best Tourist-Friendly Railway Station in India. Hyderabad-based Lanco Infratech became the largest independent power producer in India by attaining 3292 MW generation capacity. Lanco Infratech commissioned and made operational its 600 MW unit at Lanco Anpara Power, Uttar Pradesh.

National Optical Fibre Network (NFON) to be rolled out by Department of Telecommunication (DoT) is estimated to cost Rs.20000 crore for providing wireless broadband connection to every village panchayat. The Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, resigned along with his ministers after a non-confidence vote against him. Santokben Jadeja who rose to notoriety with her underworld gang in the 1980s and was known as the erstwhile godmother of Porbandar and a former MLA died on 31 March 2011 at Porbandar. Santokbens life inspired the Shabana Azmi-starrer Godmother in 1999. Shabana Azmi got a National Award for her performance in the film.

Market regulator SEBI raised the overall investment limit for foreign institutional investors in corporate bonds to $40 billion on 31 March 2011. The Indian Central Government on 31 March 2011 introduced a major policy reform to allow flexibility for Indian companies to raise funds from abroad. http://goo.gl/dpQB5

9|P ag e

The Gujarat Information Commission, on 31 March 2011 released in Gandhinagar a Braille version of the Right to Information Act (RTI) and its rules for the benefit of the visually challenged. Gujarat is the first Indian state to bring out a Braille version.

Madhya Pradesh state registered a more than 15% decline in its tiger population with the number decreased to 257 in 2010 from 300 in 2006. With this development, Madhya Pradesh lost its tag of tiger state to Karnataka. Karnataka has now more tigers than Madhya Pradesh.

Hotline between the Home Secretary of India and Pakistan Interior Secretary. The Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Nasser Mohammed along with his cabinet resigned on 29 March 2011 because of corruption charges against him. The Gujarat Government, on 30 March 2011, banned Joseph Lelyvelds controversial book, entitled Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and his struggle with India. It was alleged in the book that Mahatma Gandhi was a racist and bisexual. The seventh edition of the CII-Exim Bank conclave on India -Africa Project Partnership concluded on 29 March 2011 in New Delhi. The conclave was participated by largest ever participation of 650 delegates. U Thein Sein was appointed as the new President of Myanmar on 30 March 2011. Ajit Bhattacharjea, veteran journalist and editor died on 4 April 2011. He was the founder member of the Editors Guild of India. Bhattacharjea edited and wrote several books, including Dateline Bangladesh; Kashmir: the Wounded Valley; Jayaprakash Narayan: A Political Biography; Countdown to Partition; Tragic Hero of Kashmir: Sheikh Abdullah; and Social Justice and the Constitution.

At the 13th London Asian Film Festival, Onirs I AM bagged the Best Film award on 27 March 2011. Juhi Chawla bagged the Best Actress trophy for her performance as Megha in the movie. Serbias Novak Djokovic defeated World No. 1 Rafael Nadal to win the ATP Miami Masters crown on 3 April 2011 and thus remain unbeaten in 2011. Djokovic won all 24 matches he played in 2011. Kannada writer S. L. Bhyrappa was selected for the 20th Saraswati Samman for his novel Mandra on 5 April 2011. Saraswati Samman constituted by the K. K. Birla Foundation in 1991. is recognised as the most prestigious and the highest literary honour in the country.

Kazakhstans President Nursultan Nazarbayev was re-elected for another Presidential term according to the election results declared on 4 April 2011. Texas Instruments Inc (TXN.N) in April 2011 decided to buy National Semiconductor Corp (NSM.N) for $6.5 billion. The Department of Information Technology (DIT) on 5 April 2011 published a draft policy on mobile governance. The draft policy on mobile governance is aimed at enabling the government departments to provide services, including payment of utility bills and filing of tax returns from mobile phones. According to the draft policy a platform called Mobile Service Delivery Gateway (MSDG) will be set up, on which all ministries and departments will be able to start their services.

Outsourcing giant Genpact on 6 April 2011 signed an agreement to acquire consulting and IT services firm Headstrong Corporation headed by former HCL co-founder Arjun Malhotra for a cash consideration of $550 million. India hockey player Arjun Halappa was in April 2011 named captain of the Indian Hockey team the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup scheduled to be played at Ipoh, Malaysia from 5-15 May 2011. The former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Dennis A. La Fontaine expired on 6 April 2011 in Andhra Pradesh. Fighter pilot Chief Air Chief Marshal (retd) Denis Anthony Lafontaine played a key role in 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars. He was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (VSM), Ati-Vishisht Seval Medal and Param-Vishisht Seva Medal during his illustrious career.

A new product Buyer's Credit was launched by the Commerce and Industry Minister, Anand Sharma, on 6 April 2011 under the National Export Insurance Account (NEIA) to boost project exports from India. The Volkswagen Group company, Super luxury carmaker Bentley unveiled Continental GT sedan in India on 7 April 2011.

10 | P a g e

The Union Sports Ministry on 6 April 2011 formed a committee, headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal, retired Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana to fine-tune the draft National Sports Development Bill. Air India introduced mobile check-in facility for its domestic passengers from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bangalore on 7 April 2011. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on 7 April 2011 concluded two cluster projects benefiting over 15 MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from Vadodara. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development today on 8 April 2011 signed MoU with all cooperative banks in Punjab to launch core banking solution (CBS). The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and leading Swiss business organisation Economiesuisse on 8 April 2011 entered into MOU to co-operate in areas of mutual interest for the benefit of their member companies and regions.

The panel headed by Deepak Mohanty suggested that the short-term lending rate (repo) be made the single policy rate to signal the monetary policy stance in order to effectively deal with inflation without hurting growth. India on 5 April 2011 imposed a three-month blanket ban (complete ban) on all food imports from Japan, citing fears over radioactive contamination from the latters nuclear disaster. India and Japan on 8 April 2011 agreed to establish an India-Japan-United States trilateral dialogue on regional and global issues of shared interest. Social activist Anna Hazare was on 7 April 2011 announced the winner of the 2011 Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize by the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM). The 2010 Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize was won by social activist Irom Sharmila Chanu, the Iron Lady of Manipur.

The Indian Union Government on 9 April 2011 reconstituted the Central Supervisory Board set up under the Preconception & Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994 (PC & PNDT Act). The board was reconstituted in the grim picture of sex ratio reflected in the provisional Census figures.

State Bank of India Bengal Circle launched its financial planning centre in Kolkata. Another such centre was earlier inaugurated at Siliguri and two other centres at Durgapur and Bidhannagar are to be opened shortly. These are among the 50 such centres being planned by the State Bank of India.

Tata Steel vice-chairman B Muthuraman was on 11 April 2011 appointed the new president of industry association Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2011-12. Muthuraman was elected as the vice-chairman of CII in 2010 and this year he will takes over the baton from Jubilant Healthcare co-chairman Hari S Bhartia.

Telecom Policy 2011 http://goo.gl/nid3r The Indian Finance Ministry on 11 April decided to issue biometric PAN cards to taxpayers across the country to erase the problem of duplicate and fake ones. South African golfer Charl Schwartzel won the 75th U.S. Masters on 10 April 2011. Yasmeen Abrar, a member of National Commission for Women (NCW) since 2005 took charge on 8 April 2011 as the acting chairperson of NCW. Yasmeen Abrar was made acting chairperson on the completion of tenure of Dr. Girija Vyas. Indian Bank launched its 24 hour operating e-banking lounge on 11 April 2011 in Chennai. The e-banking lounge was inaugurated by C Rangarajan, Chairman, Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council. The new service will provide the customers of Indian Bank with the facility of cash deposit, cash withdrawal, cheque deposit with acknowledgement, internet banking, touch screen banking for all account related transactions. Dr. Rangarajan also launched two new tech products namely maestro enabled debit card for senior citizens and inter-bank mobile payment services. The senior citizen debit card will contain details like year of birth, blood group and photo of the senior citizen.

According to data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Indias growth in 2010 was higher than that of China. According to IMFs data Indias GDP grew 10.4 per cent in 2010 versus Chinas 10.3 per cent in 2010. http://goo.gl/fkOGR

11 | P a g e

Japan's nuclear crisis worsened on 12 April 2011 with the severity level at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant increasing to a maximum seven level bringing it at par with the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe in Russia. According to the Stillbirth series published in the British medical journal, The Lancet, India topped the list of 10 countries that have the highest number of stillbirths. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) proposed that mobile phone companies be mandated to source 80% of their network equipment and other related infrastructure from domestic manufacturers. Lewis Binford, a renowned archaeologist and founder of the New Archaeology movement died at the age of 80 on 11 April 2011. Ismail Omar Guellah was re-elected the President of Djibouti for the next five years. RAI proposed investments of over Rs.1-lakh crore for technical upgradation and improvement of manufacturing capabilities of the sector. TRAI recommended green measures to be inculcated as an integral part of the proposed National Telecom Policy 2011 and ensuring energy certification for all telecom products, equipment and services in the telecom network.

Wisden, regarded as the Bible of cricket on 13 April 2011 named Sachin Tendulkar as Wisdens Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2010. State-run Corporation Bank on 13 April 2011 launched the pilot mobile payment platform from eMudhra Consumer Services Ltd. (YpayCash) in Mumbai. The mobile payment platform will now enable customers to make purchases using a mobile handset.

The number of people covered by a bank branch is 14,000 compared to 65,000 at the time of nationalisation in 1969. However the government is of the opinion that a lot still remains to be done to achieve financial inclusion. Government directed public sector banks to provide appropriate banking facilities to habitations having population in excess of 2000 by March 2012. Also the need to take banking services to habitations with a population below 2,000 in an integrated manner over the next three to five years was also stressed upon.

A multi-lingual retail portal InsuringIndia.Com launched in April 2011 offers customers help in comparing varied products in the insurance sector and picking up the right one. British consumer products giant Reckitt Benckiser on 14 April 2011 named its global marketing head Rakesh Kapoor as its new Chief Executive Officer. Committee on Zonal Cultural Centres headed by Mani Shankar Aiyar presented its Report to the Union Culture Minister Kumari Selja on 11 April 2011. Seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) with their headquarters at Patiala, Udaipur, Nagpur, Thanjavur, Allahabad, Kolkata and Dimapur were set up by the Indian government back in 1985-86 to preserve, promote and disseminate the plurality of Indias culture and traditional arts of all the States.

The Supreme Court of India granted bail to tribal healthcare pioneer and civil rights activist Binayak Sen on April 15, 2011. Binayak Sen had been sentenced to life imprisonment by a lower court of Chhatisgarh on charges of sedition and having links with Maoist rebels.

The Mumbai-based model, Kanishtha Dhankhar won the Pantaloons Femina Miss India World 2011 title at the beauty pageant held on April 14, 2011 at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai. Ankita Shorey was crowned the Pantaloons Femina Miss India International 2011 (first runner-up) and Hasleen Kaur was crowned the Pantaloons Femina Miss India Earth 2011 (second runner-up).

Journalist Mrinal Pande remains as the head of Prasar Bharati for the second term, for the coming three years. BRICS Calls for the Reform of the UN and Its Security Council http://goo.gl/orFJE BRIC Becomes BRICS and Held its 2011 Summit in Sanya, China http://goo.gl/nNhjB India and Philippines Signed a Bilateral Cultural Exchange Programme for the Year 2011-13 Joint Drafting Committee Constituted to Prepare Draft Lok Pal Bill. The Chairperson of the Joint Drafting Committee shall be Pranab Mukherjee. The Co-Chairperson of the Joint Drafting Committee shall be Shanti Bhushan.

12 | P a g e

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton emerged victorious in the Chinese Grand Prix on 17 April 2011. His victory prevented Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel achieving his fifth win in a row. Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh, the last Maharaja of Jaipur died on 16 April 2011. Indias central tax collection including both direct and indirect taxes reached about Rs 7.92 lakh crore in 2010-11. New Income-Tax return form called SUGAM to be introduced for small business. The Supreme Court on 18 April 2011 banned the employment of children in circuses and directed the government to rescue those employed in the sector. It also asked the Government to formulate a rehabilitation programme for the children. The Court passed the order on a petition filed by NGO "Bachpan Bachao Aandolan".

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) put forth a proposal to allow sovereign wealth funds to pick up a 20 per cent stake in an entity without invoking an open offer. SEBI however pointed out that the stake buy should not lead to a change in management control.

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a not-for-profit company under the Ministry of Finance and Everonn Education Ltd (EEL) joined hands to launch International Skills School. Writer of nearly 1000 novels in Urdu Izhar Asar died at 82 on 15 April 2011. Asars repertoire included crime, pulp and science fiction. World Heritage Day is observed every year on 18 April. The theme of World Heritage Day 2011 was Cultural heritage of water. The Reserve Bank of India on 18 April 2011 formed a conglomerate cell within its supervisory set-up to keep a constant vigil on 12 large domestic and foreign banks. RBIs objective is to prevent any systemic fallout in case one of them falters. The banks that have been identified for consolidated supervision are: State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Bank of India, and Bank of Baroda (public sector banks); ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank (private sector banks); and Standard Chartered Bank, Citibank and HSBC (foreign banks).

India and Kazakhstan Signed Seven Agreements Including a Civil Nuclear Deal. http://goo.gl/P13Pg London-listed mining group Vedanta Plc on 19 April 2011 acquired 10.5 per cent stake in Cairn India from Malaysia's state oil firm Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas). Sesa Goa, a unit of Vedanta, bought 200 million equity shares at Rs 331 a piece. Jennifer Egan's novel A Visit from the Goon Squad won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction on 18 April 2011. The general nonfiction prize was given to The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. For more http://goo.gl/PW1Sm

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on 20 April 2011 launched India's remote sensing satellite Resourcesat2 from the spaceport of Sriharikota. It will collect data including those on ground water and mineral resources on land and fish density in the sea. The satellite will replace ResourceSat I which is in orbit since 2003.

The Supreme Court of India on 19 April 2011 declared Khap Panchayats (in UP) and Katta Panchayats (in TN) illegal and termed them as kangaroo courts. Former World junior champion and Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta defeated BPCL teammate Parimarjan Negi to win the Dubai International Open chess title on 19 April 2011. Abhijeet Gupta became the first Indian to win the Dubai Open title. The government of Syria passed a draft law on 19 April 2011 to lift 48 years of emergency rule (Since 1963) in the country. India's oldest credit information bureau, CIBIL on 20 April 2011 launched CIBIL TransUnion Score for retail consumers. http://goo.gl/trmly State Bank of India on 20 April 2011 decided to follow Reserve Bank of Indias norms on its much debated teaser' home loan scheme. SBI decided to discontinue the scheme from 30 April 2011. Teaser loans are advances offered at a comparatively lower rate of interest for the first few years, after which rates are re-set at higher rates.

The Indian government on 21 April 2011 ordered constitution of an inter-ministerial group (IMG) to review India's foreign direct investment (100% FDI in Pharma) norms in the Rs 47,000-crore pharmaceutical sector.

13 | P a g e

State-owned gas utility GAIL India Ltd on 21 April 2011 was honoured with the Outstanding PSU of the Year award by All India Management Association (AIMA). The Union Cabinet of India on 20 April 2011 approved the signing of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) by India. The Nagoya Protocol comprises a plan to protect biodiversity by setting targets for 2020. As per the protocol, nations agreed to make 10 percent of coastal and marine areas and 17 percent of the globes land area into protected areas.

Axis Bank on 22 April 2011 received the Reserve Bank of India's in-principle approval to merge the investment banking and equity capital market business of Enam Securities. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a notification on 22 April 2011 to put into force the norms on creation of the defence mechanism by banks. 41st Annual Earth Day observed on 22 April with the Theme- Billion Acts of Green. The Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world was released on 21 April 2011. http://goo.gl/Wxikg Japan on 22 April 2011 decided to cut its Official Development Assistance (ODA) during the financial year 2011-12. Japan took this decision as one of the measures for the reconstruction of areas destroyed by tsunami and earthquake. Significantly, India is among the largest recipients of the Japanese ODA.

CAG on 22 April 2011 passed strictures against Maharashtra government for giving injudicious aid of 118.50 crore Rupees to the Nanded District Central Cooperative bank. Sathya Sai Baba, one of India's most influential spiritual leaders expired on 24th April 2011 in his home town of Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh at the age of 85. Former Sony president Norio Ohga, who transformed the music industry with the development of the compact disc format died on 23 April 2011. Padma Shree Nawang Gombu, the first man to scale Mt. Everest twice died in Darjeeling early on 24 April 2011 at the age of 79. Market regulator, SEBI in April 2011 modified the norms for appointment of its internal auditor. SEBIs move enabled the capital market regulator to retain chartered accountants firm Chokshi & Chokshi for two more years. The earlier guidelines for appointment of internal auditor provided that the SEBI could hire an accounting firm for a maximum term of three years.

World number one Rafael Nadal defeated his Spanish compatriot David Ferrer to win a sixth Barcelona Open title in seven years on 24 April 2011. Confederation of Indian Industry demanded introduction of Corrosion Act in India. Freedom House in its report published on 23 April 2011 ranked India 14th among 37 countries that were assessed on the basis of free and unrestricted access to the web. Freedom House is a US-based organization that monitors democratic changes, human rights and freedom of speech. Estonia topped the list of countries ranked according to internet freedom they enjoy.

World Book Day is annually observed on 23 April. On 23 April 2011 the availability of the World Digital Library was announced. The pension regulator, PFRDA in April 2011 opposed any form of mandatory investments into infrastructure under the National Pension Scheme (NPS). PFRDA has put forth its opposition stance comes in the wake of the governments attempt to set up an infrastructure fund with retirement savings.

Union Minister for Environment and forests Jairam Ramesh launched on 23 April 2011 a Bio-remediation technology project in the Buddah Nallah of Ludhiana in Punjab. Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) bagged the prestigious Srishti Good Green Governance Award for 2010. Srishti Good Green Governance Award was given to RSP in recognition of its eco-friendly efforts to reduce pollutants and green house gas emissions.

14 | P a g e

National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) on 26 April 2011 announced the appointment of Rajendra S. Pawar (succeeded Harsh Manglik) as the new chairman of its Executive Council for the year 2011-2012. SEBI chairman, U.K Sinha was elected Chairman of Asia-Pacific Regional Committee (APRC) of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). The IOSCO is an association of organisations that regulates the world's securities and futures markets.

The Reserve Bank of India on 26 April 2011 fined 19 banks, including the country's top private and foreign banks for violating its guidelines on derivatives. http://goo.gl/ejnFG Bihar state government at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Agriculture in Patna on 26 April 2011announced the formation of Agriculture cabinet. Bihar became the first state in India to constitute an Agriculture cabinet to address the problems faced by the farmers.

To deal with the menace of terrorism effectively, the US signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Defence Research and Development Organization, DRDO, on 26 April 2011 for the use of an explosive detection technology. On April 27, 2011 Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) announced two new oil and gas discoveries in Gujarat. Teenager Padmanabh Singh, grandson of the erstwhile Jaipur ruler, late Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh ascended the titular throne of Jaipur. BCCI appointed Former England Cricket coach, Duncan Fletcher as the new coach of the Indian Cricket team on April 27, 2011. Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh, along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, on 27 April 2011 launched a programme giving tribals the right to harvest bamboo as a forest produce in Gadchiroli. Chawla Panel Gave Instructions for All Airwaves Allocations to be Done Through Auction in Future. http://goo.gl/6kBJu Reserve Bank of India Ordered Banks to Assess Basel-II Readiness. The Reserve Bank of India assures that banks can apply for migrating to the advanced approach from April 1, 2012 onwards. Russia Proposed a Plan to Strengthen Safety Standards in Nuclear Power Plants. http://goo.gl/ulhHC The Central Board of Direct Taxes was assigned by the Election Commission to probe the black money charges against the Election campaigns in West Bengal. CBDT was given the responsibility to look into the sources of cash worth over Rs.1 crore that the Trinamool Congress had directly paid to two nationalised banks for drawing several drafts. The Trinamool Congress was also alleged to have violated the Reserve Bank of India's guidelines as banks are not allowed to issue drafts through cash payment over the amount of Rs. 50,000.

United States Ambassador to India, Timothy Roemer resigned on 28 April 2011. The National Advisory Council (NAC) decided to put its draft on Communal Violence Bill in the public domain, with a wider ambit of vulnerable sections of the society on 28 April 2011. Indian mathematician and theoretical computer scientist Ravi Kannan was awarded the 2011 Knuth Prize. For research in computer science it is a prestigious international recognition. Prince William and Catherine (Kate) Middleton were married at Westminster Abbey, London on 29 April 2011. The Cabinet Committee on Economic affairs (CCEA) on 28 April 2011 cleared an intensified malaria control programme for the seven North-Eastern States. The cost of the programme is 417 crore rupees. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 28 April 2011 approved a 7000 crore rupees project to clean the Ganga. The project is to be implemented by the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA). The National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) towards the end of April 2011 signed a memorandum of understanding with IndusInd Bank thereby adding another bank under its Bank Credit Facilitation Scheme. CERSAI (Central Electronic Registry of Securitisation Asset Reconstruction and Security Interest of India) is a fraud prevention body, promoted by the Centre, that makes it mandatory for the borrower to register the title deed of transaction with it.

What is the takeout financing scheme? http://goo.gl/b0Lmw

15 | P a g e

Protests in Maldives against its President Mohamad Nasheed Libyan Strongman Muammar Gaddafis Son Killed in NATO Strike Former British boxing legend, Sir Henry Cooper has died aged 76 on 1 May 2011. He was one of the sport's biggest personalities and was a cult figure both in and out of the ring. S.C. Chetal took over as Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam on 29 April 2011. The Board of Directors of Infosys Ltd met on 30 April 2011 decided to appoint K.V. Kamath as Chairman of Infosys after N.R. Narayana Murthy, steps down from his position as Chairman on 20 August 2011. Director K. Balachander was declared the winner of Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2010 by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on 29 April 2011. Veteran Telugu film producer Dr. Daggubati Ramanaidu, who holds the Guinness Record for making the most number of films was awarded the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award for the year 2009.

L&T Infotech was chosen by IRDA to be an Implementation Agency to implement the Business Analytics Project aimed at providing data and information for analysing insurance companies and regulatory decision making. The Indian government on 2 May 2011 appointed Girish Chandra Chaturvedi as petroleum secretary and shifted incumbent S Sundareshan to the ministry of heavy industries. ISRO Unveiled Indias Fastest Supercomputer. http://goo.gl/HbfQI Novak Djokovic won the third edition of Serbia Open on 1 May 2011. Industry body Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) proposed setting up of National Knowledge Functional Hub (NKFH). Vanuatu, a small island nation in the South Pacific is set to become the 154th member of the World Trade Organisation. Russia and Algeria are the two main trade economies outside the WTO. Postal Department launched Service Discharge Benefit Scheme for Gramin Dak Sevaks. http://goo.gl/zECyJ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) capped bank investments into liquid schemes to 10 per cent of the banks net worth as of 31 March of the previous fiscal. http://goo.gl/NHHa0 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in May 2011 decided to accept the broad framework of regulations recommended by the Malegam Committee report on micro finance institutions (MFIs). http://goo.gl/fYf69 The Department of the Environment and Forests of India declared of setting up a National Environmental Appraisal and Monitoring Authority (NEAMA) as a part of efforts to bring in institutional reforms and improve environmental governance.

The new Foreign Contribution Regulation Act came into force on 1 May 2011. Under the new law, no political party can receive foreign funds as donation. According to the new law, in case, any organisation receives funds over Rs. 10 lakh, the bank will immediately inform the government to enable the agencies to track the funds.

LIC Housing Finance on 4 May 2011 launched a new floating rate scheme, Freedom under which the company will offer home loans at 300-385 basis points below its prime lending rate (PLR). Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Dorjee Khandu died in Pawan Hans Crash. The leaders of two main Palestinian-factions, Fatah and Hamas on 4 May 2011 signed a reconciliation agreement. The Annual Monetary Policy for 2011-12 was presented by RBI Governor D.Subbarao http://goo.gl/lEQm4 Portugal reached a deal with the European Union and the IMF on 3 May 2011 on a 78-billion 3-year bailout. Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 11 September 2001, terror attacks was slain on 1 May 2011 in his luxury hideout in Pakistan in a firefight with U.S. forces (Navy SEALs and CIA paramilitary forces). Sri Lanka to release Postal Stamp and First Day Cover on Nobel Laureate. SEBI decided to outsource an investor guidance helpline for its procedures. Arunachal Pradesh Power Minister Jarbom Gamlin was sworn in as the new Chief Minister on 5 May 2011. A three-day joint celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore by India and Bangladesh began in Dhaka on 6 May 2011.

16 | P a g e

Ajay Piramal, chairman of Piramal Healthcare Ltd (PHL), announced on 6 May 2011 his companys decision to foray into the financial services business through a 100 per cent subsidiary, Piramal Finance. Lobsang Sangay was on 27 April 2011 elected Prime Minister (Kalon Tripa) of the Tibetan Government-in-exile. He would take over the political duties relinquished by spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. A six-day joint exercise of the Indian Army and the Air Force, Vijayee Bhava began on 9 May 2011 in the deserts of Bikaner and Suratgarh near the Pakistan border. Vijayee Bhava aims at fine-tuning the concept of Cold Start doctrine. Cold Start was a military doctrine developed by the Indian Armed Forces in 2004 and involves joint operations between the three main services Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Star Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal was defeated by world number three Xin Wang of China in the finals to finish runner-up in the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton tournament on 8 May 2011 in Kuala Lumpur. Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh declared on 8 May 2011 that the Union government had approved two more tiger reserves in Karnataka. Following the governments approval, B.R. Hills in Chamarajanagar district and Kudremukh in Chikmagalur district became the 40th and 41st tiger reserves in the country.

The Indian Union Ministry of Environment on 6 May 2011 gave its approval Indias first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) specialising in infrastructure development in Himalayan region in Mandid district of Himachal Pradesh. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was on 9 May 2011 was chosen for the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding for 2009 for her enormous efforts toward sustainable and equitable development. Five-time World champion M C Mary Kom beating Asian champion Kim Myong Sim of North Korea in the final of the Asian Cup Women's Boxing tournament in Haikou, China on 9 May 2011. Supreme Court of India Stayed Allahabad High Court Judgement on Ayodhya Issue Supreme Court: Honour killings should be treated as Rarest of Rare Cases deserving death punishment. The Indian government set up a group of ministers (GoM) for media briefings. The group headed by home minister P Chidambaram, is also likely to include HRD minister Kapil Sibal, water resources minister Salman Khurshid and I&B minister Ambika Soni.

A forty member strong Steering Committee on Health (chaired by Syeda Hameed) of the Planning Commission has been constituted by the Indian Government. Public sector oil marketing companies sought Rs 30000 crore from the government as compensation to level up the revenue loss they suffered in 2010-11 by selling fuel at government-fixed cheaper rates. Super 30 founder Anand Kumar, whose initiative helped several students from underprivileged families make it to the IITJEE was chosen for the Education in Excellence Award-2011 to be awarded on Doha on 13 May 2011. Indias second-largest carmaker, Hyundai Motor India, launched a new version of itsVerna sedan on 10 May 2011. The cricket committee of the International Cricket Council recommended on 11 May 2011, the use of the controversial Decision Review System (DRS) in all international matches. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs partially opened LLP to Foreign Investments http://goo.gl/1zRhJ WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was awarded the Sydney Peace Foundation's top honour for exceptional courage in pursuit of human rights on 11 May 2011. Karnataka on 12 may 2011 became the first state in India to launch an e-payment system for commercial tax payers. The expert group on strategies for low carbon growth submitted its report on 9 May 2011. The expert group was headed by Kirit Parikh. Internet search engine giant, Google on 12 May 2011 launched Chromebooks, a Chrome operating system-based notebook PC. ICICI Bank launched Money 25 SriLanka (M2SL), an online remittance tracking facility in collaboration with Sampath Bank plc. India and Uzbekistan signed an action plan on tourism cooperation in New Delhi on 16 May 2011.

17 | P a g e

The income tax department finally provided tax exemption on the 9.5 per cent interest income on PF deposits for 2010-11. Pramod Bhasin, who founded BPO firm Genpact in 1997 decided to step down as president and CEO of the firm. He passed on the role of CEO of Genpact to the COO, N V Tyagarajan, popularly known as Tiger. The Reserve Bank of India tightened the norms for foreign exchange risk cover. The RBI mentioned that only companies with a networth of Rs 200 crore can use derivatives to hedge against risk of volatility in currency rates. The unstoppable Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in the Rome Masters final on 15 May 2011. J Jayalalithaa was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 16 May 2011 According to a World Bank report named Global Development Horizons 2011-Multipolarity: The new Global Economy released on 17 May 2011, India will be among six nations who will account for more than half of the global growth by 2025. As per the report, the six countries- China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Brazil and Russia is likely to grow on average by 4.7 percent annually between 2011 and 2025.

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) launched Space Shuttle, Endeavour on 16 May 2011 from the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida for its final mission. India on 13 May 2011 signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with the Republic of Colombia for the avoidance of double taxation and for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. Tarun Gogoi from the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) was sworn in Assam Chief Minister for the third consecutive term on 18 May 2011 Asian Games bronze medalist Indias Virdhawal Khade bagged eight medals, including three gold medals at the 54th Malaysia open swimming championship in May 2011. The Union Finance Ministry on 18 May 2011 declared that the tax rebate scheme DEPB (exporters get refund of duties on import content of their export products) would not be extended beyond 30 June 2011 as the government is losing Rs 8000 crore on account of the scheme every year.

International Museum Day (IMD) was observed on 18 May 2011. The theme for International Museum Day 2011 was Museum and Memory. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-assisted North Eastern State Roads Investment Programme (NESRIP). Information & Broadcasting Ministry announced the Winners of the 58th National http://bit.ly/pLQAw4 The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh on 19 May 2011 dedicated the world-class, 6-MMTPA Bina Refinery in Madhya Pradesh to the nation. The United States on 18 May 2011 imposed sanctions on Syrian President Basher al-Assad and six other top aides for Human rights abuses. Philip Roth was announced as the winner of the fourth Man Booker International Prize The Indian Government decided to award special duty medals to central paramilitary force personnel deployed in Maoisthit areas as well. Currently such medals are only meant for personnel working in the northeast and Jammu & Kashmir. Defending world champion Sebastian Vettel raced ahead of Lewis Hamilton to win the Spanish Grand Prix on 22 May 2011. India successfully test fired indigenously developed air-to-air Astra interceptor missile with an 80 km range from Chandipur in Orissa first on 20 May and then again on 21 May 2011. Astra is one of the smallest missiles developed by the DRDO in terms of size and weight.

The Reserve Bank of India on 20 May 2011 allowed foreign institutional investors (FIIs) to hedge foreign currency risks arising out of investment in IPOs made through Application Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA) route. India's advanced communication satellite GSAT-8 was successfully launched into its geosynchronous transfer orbit by Arianespace's launch vehicle Ariane-5 from Kourou inFrench Guyana on 21 May 2011. GSAT-8 is configured to carry 24 high-power transponders and a two channel GPS-aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload.

18 | P a g e

British-born Sierra Leonean novelist Aminatta Forna on 21 May 2011 won the 2011 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for her novel, The Memory of Love. Indias third largest private sector Bank, Axis Bank, on 23 May 2011 launched an innovative money management tool, My Money Card. The Card is a prepaid, re-loadable, rupee-denominated card on the Visa platform which enables parents to disburse money to their children staying away from home.

Renowned film critic, historian and a pioneer of the film society movement in India, Chidananda Dasgupta, died on 22 May 2011. India's middle-distance runner Ghamanda Ram won silver in 800m in the opening leg of the Asian Grand Prix meet in the Chinese city of Jiaxiang on 22 May 2011. RBIs Working Group suggested Holding Company Model for Financial Sector http://bit.ly/qezURV RBI recommended 2 Options to Warehouse the Government's Holding in Public http://bit.ly/n7ds59 Public sector lender Central Bank of India and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) entered into an agreement on 23 May 2011 in order to promote vocational training amongst the youth. The first such institute to be financed under this scheme is TalentSprint, Hyderabad.

The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) on 18 May 2011 shortlisted Western Ghats for inclusion in the World heritage List. India and Afghanistan on 24 May 2011 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for training and skilled development of media personnel. The Union Cabinet of India on 19 May 2011 gave approval for conducting the Below Poverty Line (BPL) Census in rural and urban areas. The Census would be conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development in association with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) and the Registrar General of India (RGI).

Indian Olympic Association Okayed Hosting of SAF Games but rejected the Sports Bill Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh on 24 may 2011 launched an elephant conservation programme, Hathi Mere Sathi on lines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Ajit Kumar Seth a 1974 batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre was on 23 May 2011 appointed the Cabinet Secretary of India (succeeded K M Chandrashekhar). RBI relaxed Eligibility Norms for Using Credit Default Swaps (CDS) on Corporate http://bit.ly/paih5V Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee declared on 24 May 2011 that salaried taxpayers who do not have other sources of income and whose income are below 5 lakh rupees per annum, are being exempted from filing income tax return. President of Uzbekistan Islam Abduganievich Karimov visited India on 17-18 May 2011. India and Uzbekistan signed more than 30 agreements. Anti-monopoly watchdog Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 25 May 2011 held National Stock Exchange (NSE) guilty of abusing its dominant position. NSE was accused in response to a representation filed by rival exchange MCX Stock Exchange Ltd (MCX-SX).

Eminent harmonium player and Padma Shri awardee Ustad Mahmood Dholpuri died in New Delhi on early morning on 25 May 2011. India signed two MoUs (Memorandum of Understandings) with Ethiopia to avoid double taxation and promote development of small industries. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 25 May 2011 decided to provide free nutritious food, transportation and treatment to all pregnant women who visit government facilities for delivery. Moreover, free health care services will also be given to the newborn babies.

Google launched its popular but controversial mapping service Street View in Bangalore, India on 26 May 2011. Microsoft unveiled the Latest Version of its Mobile Phone Software. The latest version of its Windows Phone operating system, code-named Mango offers more than 500 new features.

19 | P a g e

President Pratibha Patil on 26 May 2011 rejected the mercy petition of Khalistani terrorist Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in end of May 2011 reduced the time that banks take to resolve customers' complaints regarding ATM transactions to seven working days from 12 working days. The corporates can now borrow more overseas because the government has raised the overall limit for such borrowings substantially from $20 billion to $ 30 billion. India and the World Bank on 24 May 2011 signed IDA (International Development Association) credit of 162.7 million dollars for Rajasthan Rural Livelihoods Project, which will finance livelihood opportunities for some 400000 village households in 17 districts of Rajasthan.

Second Africa-India forum summit was held at Addis Ababa from 24 to 25 May 2011 under the theme: Enhancing Partnership: Shared Vision. Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia. Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel won the Monaco Grand Prix thriller for Red Bull on 29 May 2011. Spanish soccer club Barcelona led by Lionel Messi defeated Manchester United 3-1 to emerge winners of the Champions League on 28 May 2011. The Indian government on 28 May 2011 announced the setting up of a panel under CBDT chairman Sudhir Chandra to examine tightening of laws to curb the growth of black money as well as to suggest ways to declare illegally generated wealth as national asset.

MS Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore to winIndian Premier League (IPL) season 4 title. The Union government of India on 31st May 2011 ordered security audit of all important installations comprising nuclear stations, military bases and oil refineries across the nation. India and Pakistan held defence secretary level talks on Siachen on 30-31 May, 2011 in New Delhi. The Indian delegation was led by Pradeep Kumar, the Indian Defence secretary and the Pakistan delegation was led by its defence secretary Syed Athar Ali.

Record-breaking batsman Sachin Tendulkar received India's cricketer of the year award (Polly Umrigar award, named after a former India captain) for his outstanding performances in 2009-2010 on 31 May 2011. Prakash Chandra, a 1973-batch Indian Revenue Services (IT) officer took over asChairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 31 March 2011. He replaced Sudhir Chandra, a 1973-batch IRS officer. The World Health Organisation (WHO) observes the World No Tobacco Day on 31 May. In 2011 the World No Tobacco Day was celebrated with the theme of The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. A committee on allocation of natural resources headed by former finance secretary Ashok Chawla on 31 May 2011 opposed oil ministry's plan to subsidise costlier imported LNG by making users of domestic natural gas pay more. The telecom department unveiled a new security framework on 31 May 2011 http://bit.ly/qDKo1O India and Uzbekistan signed a total of 34 agreements during the visit of Islam Abduganievich Karimov(President of Uzbekistan) to India on 17-18 May 2011. http://bit.ly/ocSWMG Petronet signed Agreement with Russias Gazprom to buy 2.5 million tonnes LNG a year Delegates at FIFAs 61st congress re-elected Sepp Blatter as FIFA President on 1 June 2011. The Bihar state government on 30 May 2011 decided to video-record the process of coupon distribution for 1.45 crore BPL (Below Poverty Line) families with the objective to curb corruption in the Public Distribution System (PDS) system. The Union Government appointed Revenue Secretary Sunil Mitra as the new finance secretary on 1 June 2011. A prominent artist, Devi Prasad died in South Delhi on 1 June 2011. The Union Cabinet of India on 2 June 2011 approved inclusion of the names of some castes and communities in the Central list of other backward classes. Germany announced its decision on 30 May 2011 to phase out its all the nuclear plants by 2022. This decision, prompted by Japans Fukushima nuclear disaster, will make Germany the first major industrialized nation to go nuclear-free.

20 | P a g e

The World Bank on 1 June 2011 approved the loan of 1 billion dollars to support Indias efforts to clean up the River Ganga. The total cost of the National Ganga River Basin Project is 1.556 billion dollars. It also agreed for a credit worth approximately 24 million dollars for the two projects, i.e. strengthening Rural Livelihoods and Biodiversity Conservation of India.

The Maharashtra State Cabinet on 1 June 2011 approved the proposal to increase the minimum age for consumption of hard liquor from 21 to 25 years. Delhi state cabinet on 30 May 2011 approved trifurcation of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). MCD will be trifurcated into MCD-east, MCD-north and MCD-south. Punjab state government drafted a bill termed as the Right to Services Bill. It gives people right to demand services from government departments within a stipulated period. Failure to comply with this order will result into penalties for the defaulters.

The UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on 1 June 2011 launched the Janani-Shishu Suraksha Programme at Mewat in Haryana. Under the Janani-Shishu Suraksha programme, pregnant mothers can avail government health institutions for free deliveries. Both the mother and her child will get free treatment, free drugs and consumables, diagnostics, user charges besides free provision of blood and transportation.

President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, on 5 June 2011 left for Saudi Arabia for medical treatment and thus ended his 33year rule over the nation. SK Sharma, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance on 3 June 2011 launched an online grievance redressal portal for insurance policy holders in New Delhi. The portal would offer integrated grievance management system (IGMS).

Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement Between India and Mozambique Notified. Chinese tennis palyer Li Nas won the French Open women singles title on 4 June 2011 by defeating defending champion Francesca Schiavone. She became the first Asian to win grand slam singles title. Former finance secretary Ashok Chawla was selected by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs for the post of chairman of India's anti-trust watchdog Competition Commission (CCI). World No. 1 Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer at Roland Garros (French Open) and won the title for the sixth time on 5 June 2011. With the victory, the reigning U.S. Open, Wimbledon champ Nadal equaled former tennis great Bjorn Borgs six titles at Roland Garros.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 3 June 2011 permitted urban cooperative banks (UCBs) to give loans to self help groups (SHGs). The RBI mentioned that the maximum amount of loan to SHGs should not exceed four times of the savings of the group.

India was chosen the Host country for World Environment Day (anually observed on 5 June) 2011. The theme of 2011 World Environment Day (WED) was Forests: Nature at your service. The WED theme also supports this year's UN International Year of Forests.

Under the new guidelines for Public Financial Institutions notified by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, any company which has been in existence for more than three years and earns more than 50 per cent income from industrial and infrastructural financing can opt to be a Public Financial Institutions (PFI).

India on 3 June 2011 extended duty-free market access to Afghanistan as part of its economic package for LDCs (Least Developed Countries) under the duty-free tariff preference (DFTP) scheme. The Law Commission headed by Justice P. Venkatrama Reddi approved the proposed draft legislation, The Endangerment of Life and Liberty (protection, prosecution and other measures) Act, 2011 to prosecute persons or a group involved in honour killings.

Committee on Small Savings headed by RBI Deputy Governor Shyamala Gopinath on 7 June 2011 suggested raising interest rates on Post Office savings bank deposits to 4% (currently 3.5%). The committee recommended linking returns on other

21 | P a g e

small savings schemes with interest rates on government securities. It went on to suggest that Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) be withdrawn and the annual investment limit for the popular Public Provident Fund (PPF) be raised to Rs.1 lakh from Rs.70000 at present. Popular kuchipudi classical dancer Padma Shri Nataraja Ramakrishna known for reviving and introducing Andhra Natyam and Perini Shivatandavam, died on 7 June 2011. Prasar Bharati approved the Expansion of Doordarshans DTH Platform to 200 channels. Celebrated Indian artist (painter) Padma Shree M F Husain, died in London on 9 June 2011. The First Senior National Hockey Championship in Bhopal. Prithvi-II missile was successfully flight-tested on 9 June 2011 by the Strategic Forces Command personnel. It was flighttested at the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Orissa. According to RBI guidelines, Visa debit card-holders can withdraw up to 1000 rupees a day at any Barista Lavazza outlet. Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on 6 June 2011 gave its nod for National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID). The NATGRID will have access to 21 categories of database like air travel, railway, bank account details, income tax, credit card transactions, visa and immigration records. Shyam Sundar of Chennai retained his Asian junior title, in the Asian Chess championship which concluded in Sri Lanka on 8 June 2011. The Cabinet Committee on Security of India on 6 June 2011 cleared a proposal to buy ten C-17 heavy lift military aircraft from the USA. It is considered the biggest defence deal (worth of 4.1 billion US dollars) ever entered between the two countries. The Union Cabinet of India Lowered the Pension Age-limit for BPL to 60 from 65 and raises the rate of pension to persons of 80 years and above from 200 rupees to 500 rupees. Fast Attack Craft INS Kabra Commissioned in Indian Navy. The Kolkata Metro (as the 17th Zonal Railway) was included in the Indian Railways' logo on 13 June 2011, as the 17th star on the logo. India and Member of Euro Zone, Slovenia Signed Three Agreements: 1) cooperation in the field of education, science and technology and research. 2) Mutual promotion and protection of investments. 3) MoU between Bureau of Indian Standards and Slovenian Institute for Standards. Assam Govt. Declared Introduction of Social Audit of Assams Panchayats Twice A Year. 10th Anniversary Summit of The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation http://bit.ly/q4copO On 14 June 2011, Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot gave away the Anuvrat Ahimsa international peace award to noted Gandhian philosophy exponent Thomas Clough Daffern. Slovenian Prime Minister, Borut Pahor came to India for a four day visit. It was the first ever Slovenian top officials visit to India. The Government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $132 million loan agreement on 15 June 2011, for strengthening Bihars power sector. Survey claimed that 55 per cent of Bihars population was malnourished http://bit.ly/pRGJLj Germany Announced Easing of Export Control Laws for India. The new norms allow Germany to treat India just like any other EU countries. India and Japan Signed Agreement for Six Development Projects http://bit.ly/n61Og4 Turkey re-elected Recep Tayyip Erdogan as its Prime Minister for the third consecutive term after the poll on 12 June 2011. The government of India extended the tax incentive scheme for exporters, Duty Entitlement Pass Book (DEPB), from 30 June 2011 to 30 September 2011. Under the 14-year-old DEPB scheme, the government spends annually about 8,500 crore rupees for re-reimbursing exporters on the taxes paid on import equivalent content of export products.

22 | P a g e

The Election Commission of India launched the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management, IIDEM in New Delhi. Northern Ireland prodigy Rory McIlroy captured his first Major golf title with his victory in the 111th U.S. Open on 19 June 2011. Vice-president of FIFA Jack Warner resigned following Bribery Allegations. Guidelines for Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme revised http://bit.ly/oXM1Ol Annu Raj Singh 5th Indian Shooter after shooters Gagan Narang, Hari Om Singh, Sanjeev Rajput and Ronjan Sodhi to book her Berth for 2012 London Olympic. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas appointed former RBI Deputy Governor Usha Thorat, former Delhi University Vice-Chancellor, Deepak Nayyar and former Finance Secretary, Arun Ramanathan, as non-official part-time directors on the board of ONGC.

Singur Land Rehabilitation & Development Act came into effect following Governors assent to Bill. Union Government set up a High-powered Task Force headed by Naresh Chandra for the revamp of Defence management in India. UN General Assembly appointed Ban Ki-moon to Second Consecutive Term as Secretary-General The United Nations on 21 June 2011 launched a drive, Sustainable sanitation: The Five-Year-Drive to 2015 to accelerate progress towards the goal of halving the proportion of the population without access to basic sanitation by 2015. Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), India signed a MoU with Rosatom Nuclear Energy State Corporation, of Russia, for cooperation in the activities to be pursued at the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP) being set up by the DAE in Haryana.

Eminent Economist & Former Chairman of PMEAC, Prof. Suresh Tendulkar expired. Union Law Ministry decided to keep Navodaya Vidyalayas outside the ambit of RTE. Leading international business school INSEAD on 22 June 2011 honoured Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder, Chairman and Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises, with its Business Leader for the World Award. UNESCO removed the in-danger tag from the Manas National Park, a World Heritage Site in Assam. The in-danger tag was attached to Manas National Park in 1992 it was ravaged due to insurgency and political unrest. UP Government decided to notify Dalit Memorials as UP Heritage Zones. India's ace magician Gopinath Muthukad received the International Merlin Award also known as the magicians' Oscar for the year 2011. He is the second Indian to be chosen to receive the Merlin Award after PC Sorkar Jr. Setting Up of National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms http://bit.ly/ply6G7 US decided to pull-out Troops from Afghanistan & hand Security over to Afghan Authorities in 2014. The Central Employment Guarantee Council (CEGC) on 23 July 2011 rejected the suggestion of the Prime Ministers National Council on Skill Developments (NCSD) suggestion to include provision of skill development to unskilled wage seekers under the scheme. CEGC is the apex monitoring agency for the implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).

The Union Cabinet on 23 June 2011 approved extension of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) to all the registered domestic workers in India. http://bit.ly/q0WxD4 CCI directed NSE to pay a fine of Rs 55.5 crore for indulging in Unfair Market. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) committed to work closely with the Government of Nepal and other stakeholders in supporting the Nepals poverty reduction and development, critical for lasting peace and stability. Brazilian Jos Graziano da Silva was elected as the Director General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Red Bull's Formula One World champion Sebastian Vettel of Germany on 26 June 2011 won the European Grand Prix.

23 | P a g e

A high-powered committee of the steel ministry headed by additional secretary S Machendranathan suggested that the state-run mineral giant NMDC should fix its iron ore prices on a quarterly basis for its domestic buyers. Defending champion Saina Nehwal failed to complete the hat-trick of titles at the Indonesian Open Super Series after losing to Chinese World No. 3 Wang Yihan in the final on 26 June 2011. World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei thrashed Danish veteran Peter Gade to win the Indonesian Open for a third time in the mens category.

Salman Khan starrer Dabangg swept the Awards at 12th IIFA Awards in Toronto http://bit.ly/od9YV8 FMCG giant Unilever elevated Harish Manwani on 24 June 2011 to the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO). Hindi Litterateur Arvind Kumar presented with Hindi Academy Shalaka Samman. International credit rating agency DBRS in June 2011 upgraded Indias long term foreign and local currency debt outlook from negative to stable. N. Murali, Senior Managing Director of Kasturi and Sons Ltd re-elected president of the Music Academy, Chennai on 26 June 2011.. Meghdoot Awards conferred on Postal Employees for 2009 and 2010 by Kapil Sibal. The Best Post Office award was given to Chandragiri Head Post Office, Andhra Pradesh. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 27 June 2011 approved the appointment of 1974-batch IFS officer Ranjan Mathai, presently Ambassador in Paris, as Foreign Secretary. He will succeed Nirupama Rao. Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar became the first Indian to receive the Crans Montana Forum Award. Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha, an ace naval aviatorwas on 27 June 2011 appointed Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff (CISC). Maharatna Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) received the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award for the year 2011. French finance minister Christine Lagarde on 28 June 2011 was appointed as the chief of International Monetary Fund. India and Mozambique signed an agreement on maritime security to make the Indian Ocean a safe region for trade. The Union government on 28 June 2011 appointed M V Tanksale, executive director of the country's No. 2 state-run lender Punjab National Bank (PNB), as the new chairman and managing director of Central Bank of India. The Rajasthan Government's Social Justice and Empowerment Department established child protection units in each district in June 2011. Australian Michael Jack Nobbs was appointed India's new hockey coach for an unprecedented five-year period. He succeeded Spaniard Jose Brasa. The Fifth Statistics Day was celebrated at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 29 June 2011. Statistics Day is observed in India to commemorate Professor Mahalanobis birth anniversary. The India-Malaysia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) will be effective from 1 July 2011. IndiaMalaysia CECA is Indias fourth bilateral Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, after Singapore, Japan and South Korea.

The Parliament of Bangladesh, the Jatiyo Sangsad, passed the Constitution (15th Amendment) Bill, 2011 on 30 June 2011 to amend its constitution under which the caretaker government system for holding general elections was scrapped. Raj Kumar Singh took over as Union Home Secretary of India. Singh succeeded Gopal Krishna Pillai who completed his two-year tenure on 29 June 2011. All India Chess Federation (AICF) elected J.C.D. Prabhakar as president for the term 2011-2014. Kynan Chenai of India bagged silver medal (trap) in the 2011 International junior shotgun cup shooting championship in Orimattila (Finland) on 3 July 2011. The Honorarium for Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Was Doubled from Rs 1500 to Rs 3000 and from Rs 750 to Rs 1500 respectively. Value of Recoveries at the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple touched Rs 1 lakh crore.

24 | P a g e

Union Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, a 1972-batch Haryana cadre IAS officer was on 2 July 2011 appointed as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). The appointment followed quashing of the appointment of P J Thomas as CVC by the Supreme Court in March 2011.

Italian top seed Fabiano Caruana defeated Filipino Wesley to emerge winner of the AAI International Grandmasters chess tournament. Secretary of Sri Lalithakala Academy Foundation and an art critic, B.S.S. Rao died on 4 July 2011 in Saraswathipuram. Nishi Vasudeva on 4 July 2011 became the first woman in the history of state-owned oil company to join the board of directors. Vasudeva joined the board of Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), a Navratna PSU, as Director (Marketing). Yingluck Shinawatra poised to become Thailands First Female Prime Minister. The ATP rankings released on 4 July 2011 conferred the World No.1 position Novak Djokovic of Serbia who defeated Nadal in the Wimbledon final. RBI permitted Re-financing of Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds by applying for Fresh Loans http://bit.ly/pm3HPs The Reserve Bank of India on 4 July 2011 imposed a penalty of 25 lakh on Citibank for violation of anti money laundering (AML) and know your customer norms. Harun Rashid Khan took over as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on 4 July 2011 succeeding Shyamala Gopinath who retired in June 2011. People of Morocco Approved the Constitutional Reforms which is expected to bring democratic reforms in the country with a 98 Percent Vote. RBI extended 10 % ceiling of Bank Investment in Liquid Schemes of Mutual Funds The Sports Ministry on 5 July 2011 sacked India's athletics coach, Yuri Ogrodnik of Ukrain. Seven time international Billiards champion Pankaj Advani, National Champion Alok Kumar and former world Billiard champion Geet Sethi were selected to represent India in the World Billiards meet to be held at Carlow, Ireland from 23 to 30 August 2011.

The Union government unveiled a new remote sensing data policy called the Remote Sensing Data Policy 2011(RSDP2011) which allows all data of resolutions up to 1 metre to be distributed on a non-discriminatory basis. The new policy replaced the 2001 policy.

TRIFED and NSTFDC Signed MoU for Economic Development of Scheduled Tribes Artisans http://bit.ly/rqIcah Sudershan Reddy and Justice SS Nijjar on 5 July 2011 declared Salwa Judum as illegal and unconstitutional. 10th Asia-Europe (ASEM) Meeting Held in Godollo, Hungary. The Union government of India decided to bring 20 more districts in the Naxal-hit states for declaring more districts as extreme Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts. Development Funds Allocated to MPs Increased from 2 Crore to 5 Crore Rupees in MPLAD Scheme. Pyeongchang (South Korea) to be the Host City for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Shashikant Sharma, a 1976 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre on 7 July 2011 was appointed as the new defence secretary succeeding Pradeep Kumar. Shekhar Agarwal on 7 July assumed charge as Secretary, Department of Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence. Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran on 7 July 2011 resigned from the Union Cabinet. D.K. Sarraf, Director (Finance) of Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) was conferred the Best Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in Public Sector award by Union Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee at the Best CFO Awards function. Greening Chandigarh Action Plan launched on occasion of Van Mahotsav 2011. Union Government cleared Guidelines of the FM Radio Phase III Expansion. 2011 Wimbledon Championship marked the 125th Edition of the Championships http://bit.ly/nHvLS2 The Supreme Court of India on 5 July 2011 appointed SIT (Special Investigation Team), a committee of two of its retired judges to follow the trail of black money stashed in foreign banks.

25 | P a g e

USA announced on 10 July 2011 that it withheld the 800 million dollars aid to the Pakistans military. The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Laishram Bombayla Devi and Chekrovolu Swuro settled for a silver medal in the Archery World Championship. Fernando Alonso of Team Ferrari won the British Grand Prix. Solicitor-General Gopal Subramaniam resigned to save Dignity of Office. Eight Indian Companies featured in World's 500 Largest Companies compiled by Fortune Magazine. http://bit.ly/rtXnf7 Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy was unanimously elected chairperson of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). PHFI seeks to open many public health schools all over the country and impart training in various aspects of public health. Murthy will replace former McKinsey chief Rajat Gupta.

The Supreme Court of India held in its recent judgment that the prohibition imposed by the centre on non-iodised salt for human consumption is unconstitutional. The court however said that the ban will continue for six months. Neptune the eighth planet of the solar system completed its first orbit around the sun on 12 July 2011, 165 years after its discovery. Scottish explorer Cairn Energy on 11 July 2011 completed the sale of 10% stake in its Indian arm, Cairn India, to Anil Agarwals London-listed mining group Vedanta Resources for $1.5 billion. Boeing 787 Dreamliner made its India debut on 13 July 2011 when it landed in the Delhi Airport. Jack Nicklaus was winner of Golf Monthly magazines readers poll to find the greatest golf player of the last 100 years. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) elected Peter Thomson, its President on 14 July 2011. ISA was established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea held in the year 1982. The Oldest commissioned ship of the Indian navy, Sharabh was decommissioned on 14 July 2011 after 35 years of service. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released its third Financial Stability Report (FSR) in June 2011 http://bit.ly/oCEwuH United Nations Admitted South Sudan as its 193rd Member State. South Sudan became the new and the 54th nation in the Continent of Africa. The Capital of South Sudan is Juba. Darren Clarke at 44 became the Oldest Winner of the British Open. Final Report of Ashok Chawla led Panel did not suggest allocations of Airwaves through Auctions. The Bihar state government on 16 July 2011 cleared a bill named Bihar Chikitsa Seva Sansthan Aur Vyakti Surakha Vidheyak 2011 which would ensure doctors safety at their work places. The State Cabinet also approved Clinic Ki Sthapana (Nibandhan aur Niyaman) Vidheyak 2011, making registration for private clinics mandatory.

A tripartite agreement was signed between the Centre, West Bengal government and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha(GJM) at Pintail village near Siliguri on 18 July 2011 paving the way for the setting up of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration( GTA), an elected body for the Darjeeling hills.

India and the USA Agreed to Increase Science and Technology Coordination. Construction work on two more units of 700 MW each at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS) was inaugurated by Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Srikumar Banerjee on 18 July 2011. SAIL announced the Merger of Maharashtra Elektrosmelt (MEL) with itself. The ICCs list of Alltime Greatest Test team includes four Indian cricketers namely- batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag. BJP leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi has been appointed Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on GST. He replaced former West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta. Japan lifted the women's football World Cup by defeating USA in a dramatic final on 17 July 2011 in Frankfurt, Germany. The national register and national transport portal was launched on 20 July 2011 which will make detection of fake driving licenses and tracking stolen vehicles easier. India and US Signed Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA).

26 | P a g e

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C17) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which lifted off from the space station at Sriharikota on 15 July 2011, put the 1,410 kg GSAT-12 in a sub geo-synchronous transfer orbit (sub-GTO) with an apogee of 21,020 km and a perigee of 284 km.

The Government of India on 19 July 2011 appointed Usha Ananthasubramanian, former general manager of Bank of Baroda (BoB) as executive director of public sector lender Punjab National Bank (PNB). She replaced M V Tanksale, who was elevated to the position of Chairman and Managing Director of the Central Bank of India.

Hina Rabbani Khar from Pakistan Peoples Party (PP) on 19 July 2011 became Pakistans first woman foreign minister. Chaturvedi Committee suggested Clearing of Stranded Coal Projects on Merit Basis. In the backdrop of exposure of the doping scandal among Indian athletes, the Sports Ministry on 20 July 2011 announced the separation of National Institute of Sports (NIS) Patiala from Sports Authority of India (SAI).

Short-range surface-to-surface missile developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation, Prahar was successfully test-fired on 21 July 2011 from the Integrated Test Range in Balasore. On 20 July 2011 the United Nations declared a famine, occurring in the Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions of southern Somalia. The UN formally declared a famine in five districts in Southern Somalia. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was honoured with Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government on the Bastille Day which is the French National Day, celebrated on 14 July of each year. Andhra Pradesh is the most visited Destination in India recording 155.8 million Domestic Tourists. A female Pakistani DMG officer, Amna Imran Khan was on 19 July 2011 awarded the Ordre National du Merite by President Nicholas Sarkozy of France. Britain announced a new visa category to facilitate the immigration for exceptionally talented people from India and other non-EU countries in the fields of humanities, engineering, arts and science. According to international rating agencies like JM Financial and Merrill Lynch, BHEL's performance in supply of power equipment is higher and more efficient as compared to that of the Chinese companies. According to a latest World Trade organisation (WTO) report India achieved tenth rank in export of services worldwide and emerged as the 20th biggest merchandise exporter in 2010. The Indian Cabinet on 21 July 2011 approved the amendment to Customs Act, 1962 to help the exchequer safeguard its revenues. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 21 July 2011 issued guidelines allowing non-resident exporters and importers to either use overseas banks or those in the country to settle foreign trade transactions invoiced in the Indian rupee. India on 21 July 2011 accepted international norms for the prevention of air pollution emanating from ships. The norms were proposed under a 1997 protocol of the International Maritime organisation. Comptroller and Auditor-General of India constituted a new 15-member audit advisory board for a two-year term on 22 July 2011. CAG is the ex-officio chairman of the 15-member board.

27 | P a g e

Five coaches were chosen for the Dronacharya award. The awardees are as follows: Ram Phal (wrestling), Devendra Kumar Rathore (gymnastics), I. Venkateswara Rao (boxing), Rajender Singh (hockey) and Kunthal Kumar Roy (athletics). Padma Shree Awardee, Shooter Gagan Narang chosen for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2010. Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2010 presented by Vice-President, Hamid Ansari http://bit.ly/pw1KEj ITCs luxury hotels on 19 July 2011 was accorded the highest rating (Platinum Rating) of greenest luxury hotel chain in the World for their environment-friendly efforts. 17-Nation Emergency Euro Zone Summit Held in Brussels, Capital of Belgium http://bit.ly/npyVws Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi in Time magazines list of 10 Resolute Wives. Lewis Hamilton of McLaren secured a brilliant victory in the German Grand Prix on 24 July 2011. The President of India, Pratibha Devisingh Patil on 21 July 2011 released a commemorative postage stamp on Vitthal Sakharam Page (for his illustrious contribution in the field of social service, culture, education & literature, economics, philosophy etc).

British Singer and Song Writer Amy Winehouse found Dead in London. Union Government appointed Senior Advocate Rohinton Nariman as the Solicitor-General. The Central Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on 22 July 2011 approved Rs 30000-crore National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) for broadband connectivity to 2500 Panchayats in India. http://bit.ly/qhJD96 Bihar state government adopted a new policy called Aao Bihar (Come to Bihar) for acquiring land for industry and other ventures of public good under which it would act only as a link between landowners and investors. Moreover, the government also has created its own land bank.

The Second Annual Meeting of the India-US Strategic Dialogue Held in New Delhi http://bit.ly/mRad1z Brazil's Cesar Cielo and American Dana Vollmer won gold medals in butterfly events on 25 July 2011 at the 2011 World Swimming Championships in Shanghai. General Motors India launched the diesel version of Chevrolet Beat with a starting price of Rs 4.29 lakh on 25 July 2011. Vidya Pillai Tilakraj of Tamil Nadu won National billiards and Snooker Championship. Bt Cotton emerged largest Cotton Crop in all Major Cotton Producing States in 2010-11. Hockey in India to be managed by a Single Administrative Body. Joint Executive Board (JEB) will be setup from Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation. Vietnams National Assembly appointed Truong Tan Sang as Vietnams 9th President. Highest Bangladeshi Swadhinata Sammanona Award to Former Indian PM Indira Gandhi. Ashok Parija (succeeded Gopal Subramaniam) elected Chairman of Bar Council of India (BCI) Tata Teleservices to unify Two divisions offering Services based on CDMA and GSM I&B Ministry sanctioned Rs 142 crore for revamp of Six DD Channels The Union government on 26 July 2011 announced restoration of the popular duty entitlement pass book (DEPB) scheme for export of cotton. Indian striker Shabbir Ali became First Footballer to win the Prestigious Dhyan Chand Award The World Investment Report 2011 was released by UNCTAD on 26 July 2011. According to the report, Indias position among the top 20 FDI recipients fell to 14th position, from 8th in 2009. Indias FDI inflow went down to $25 billion in 2010 from $36 billion in 2009, according to a UN report.

India and Britain Confirmed Trade Deals Worth Billions of Pounds. Americas Michael Phelps won gold in the 200m butterfly event in the World Swimming Championship in Shanghai on 27 July 2011. The Central Board of Trustees (CBT) of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on 27 July 2011 approved the appointment of Standard Chartered Bank as the custodian of securities of the EPFO.

28 | P a g e

Indian swimmer Virdhawal Khade on 27 July 2011 became the second Indian swimmer to qualify for 2012 London Olympics. Two Indians -Nileema Mishra, a lender to the poor in Maharashtra and US-trained Indian engineer Harish Hande who revolutionized the use of solar lights were among six people to have received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2011. The President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil visited South Korea on 24-27 July 2011 as a part of her two-nation tour which also includes Mongolia. 1. Agreement between India and Korea for cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. 2. MoU signed between the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the Ministry of Culture, sports and tourism of Korea on Media exchanges. 3. Administrative Arrangement for Social Security arrangement.

India Signed Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement with Lithuania. 2011 declared as World Veterinary Year to celebrate History of Veterinary Profession. The first official World Health Organization-supported World Hepatitis Day being coordinated in partnership with the World Hepatitis Alliance was observed on 28 July 2011. The theme for the World Hepatitis Day was This is hepatitis. The slogan for World hepatitis Day 2011 was Know it. Confront it. Hepatitis affects everyone, everywhere.

India and Mongolia on 28 July 2011 signed three agreements which includes defence cooperation, media exchanges and cooperation between their planning commissions during the visit of Indian President Prtibha Patil to Mongolia. India also announced that it would extend a 20 million US dollars line of credit for setting up an India - Mongolia Joint Information Technology, Education and Outsourcing Centre in Ulaanbaatar.

The report stated that the estimated population of 1, 706 individual tigers represents a 20 per cent increase from the last survey in 2006, which estimated a number of 1,411 tigers. The Union Cabinet of India on 28 July 2011 gave its approval for setting up a national level security fund (NSSF) for unorganized sectors named as National Social Security Fund. Retired Punjab cadre IAS officer T.K.A. Nair was appointed Adviser to the Prime Minister on 28 July 2011. He had served as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for seven years. Nair was replaced by Pulok Chatterji as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister.

Dhrupad Maestro & Practitioner of Dagarvani Style of Music Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar died Accepting TRAC Recommendation SEBI okayed all-important Takeover Code http://bit.ly/qjdyV6 Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma took over as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) on 29 July 2011. Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court Justice PD Dinakaran resigned. Hina Rabbani Khar, the First Woman Foreign Minister of Pakistan Visited India. India and Maldives Agreed to Improve Bilateral Maritime Cooperation. Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne took charge as India's 23rd Chief of the Air Staff on 31 July 2011. He succeeded Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik. Naved Masood took over as Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. He replaced D.K.Mittal who was appointed as Secretary Department of Financial Services in the Ministry of Finance. Indian-American Mitul Desai appointed as Senior Adviser in the U.S. State Department Veteran Journalist &Politician Inder Jit instrumental in negotiating the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) Accord died. SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) board on 28 July 2011 decided to make it mandatory for all promoter entities to disclose any considerable purchase or sale of shares by them. McLaren's Jenson Button emerged Winner of Hungarian Grand Prix. The Madhya Pradesh government decided to provide bicycles to more than 50000 ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) offering their services in 52000 villages to boost the rural health services. BS Yeddyurappa resigned as Karnataka Chief Minister after Indictment in Illegal Mining Scam Sania Mirza won her Third WTA Doubles Title with her Victory in Citi Open.

29 | P a g e

Champion double-trap shooter and Asian Games gold medalist Ronjan Sodhi was ranked No.1 in the world, as per the latest rankings released by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) on 1 August 2011. Telecom Commission permitted Imposition of Uniform Licence fee of 8.5 per cent Securities and Exchange Board of India proposed Regulations for Alternative Investment Funds http://bit.ly/pdSDpr Union Territory of Dadara and Nagar Haveli celebrated its 58th Liberation day on 2 August Union Government directed PSBs to Boost Credit to Small Industry & Farmers http://bit.ly/oXzS6W Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council Report on Economic Growth Estimates http://bit.ly/p9CEZl D V Sadananda Gowda elected Karnataka's 26th Chief Minister by BJP's Legislators Tintu Luka coached by P. T. Usha opened her European tour with a victory in the Folksam Grand Prix meet at Karlstad, Sweden, on 2 August 2011. Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Shivraj V Patil (Succeeded Santosh Hegde) sworn in as New Lokayukta of Karnataka. Damodaran Panel suggested Solution to All ATM-card Related Problems http://bit.ly/qewZKQ SEBI approved of the single-window system with an objective to expedite the process of granting prior approval (in case of change of control). Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved Equity Infusion of Rs.1200 crore into Air India Italy Approved a Draft Law Banning Women from Wearing Veils in Public Reserve bank of India declared that prepaid payment instruments such as smart cards, magnetic stripe cards, mobile wallets paper vouchers, gift cards and travel cards could be issued by banks only to corporates listed in India. The Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 became effective in India from 5 August 2011 making it at par with the international standards. Aeronautical Engineer N.S. Prabhakar who flight-tested the first Indian Sail Plane Naidu died. The US credit rating was downgraded to AA+ from AAA by Standard and Poors on 5 August 2011. Aditya Mehta claimed his Maiden National Snooker Title by defeating Alok Kumar. Union Government accorded Two-year Extension to Reserve Bank of India Governor D. Subbarao. The Government Set up NATGRID to Access all Intelligence Data. Veteran Indian batsman Rahul Dravid on 6 August 2011 announced his retirement from both the versions of the game- Test and ODI. P.C. Alexander, who was at different times Principal Secretary to two Prime Ministers- Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, passed away. Alexander authored several books, including My Years with Indira Gandhi and The Perils of Democracy and Through the Corridors of Power.

Report of RBI panel to review Facilities for Individuals under FEMA published http://bit.ly/rr4p3h Union Cabinet approved Agriculture Ministrys Proposal for setting up AGRlNDIA. Jharkhand state government on 15 August 2011 launched the Dal Bhat scheme under which lunch will be given to a poor person at Rs 5. Google to Buy Motorola Cell Unit for 12.5 Billion Dollars. Chhattisgarh will have 9 new districts with effect from January 2012, taking the total number of districts in the state to 27. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed a hefty penalty of Rs.630 crore on real estate giant DLF on 16 August 2011. Veteran Actor and Leading Star of Bollywood of the 1960s, Shammi Kapoor died. The complete national anthem, Jaya Hey, with four additional and barely known stanzas was launched by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on 13 August 2011. Union Government suspended New India Assurance chairman M Ramadoss. According to a CRISIL report 55 million Additional Jobs needed by 2015 to maintain Ratio of Employed People to Total Population.

30 | P a g e

Novak Djokovic defeated American Mardy Fish to win the Montreal Masters. Lok Sabha Cleared the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Bill, 2011. The bill entails stringent punishment for those involved in organ trade. Coal India, a rank newcomer in the elite list of 30 companies that constitutes the sensex on 17 August 2011 replaced Reliance Industries Ltd as the most valued Indian company. SBI Mutual Fund, one of Indias largest mutual funds house launched Gold Fund. Two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp (formerly Hero Honda) on 18 August appointed Sunil Kant Munjal as Joint Managing Director of the company. Calcutta High Court Judge Justice Soumitra Sen impeached by the Rajya Sabha. 19th National Children's Science Congress to be organised in Jaipur in December. Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award for the year, 2010 was announced on 19 August 2011. The Selection Committee chose Mira Kagti (Assam), Dr. S.A. Thasleem Sulthana (Andhara Pradesh) and for Dr.Mallika Nadda (Himachal Pradesh) for conferment of the prestigious award.

The Programme called Himayat was launched by the Union ministry of Rural Development in Srinagar on 21 August 2011 for giving training and placement to over one lakh youth from poor families in Jammu and Kashmir. Historian RS Sharma who was Founding Chairman of Indian Council of Historical Research died. A Kolkata photographer, Debarshi Duttagupta was declared the Grand Prix winner among 60,000 entries in the 33 year old Nikon Photo Contest International. World No. 4 Andy Murray won the ATP's Cincinnati Masters title for the second time on 21 August 2011 after defeating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. In the doubles final, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won their third title of 2011 According to a study, India's gross domestic product (GDP) growth will make the Indian banking industry third largest in the world by 2025. China Completed a Comprehensive Satellite Study of Brahmaputra and Indus Rivers. West Bengal State was Renamed Paschim Banga. Former Indian No 2 snooker player Syed Habib passed away on 20 August 2011. The Jharkhand government on 23 August 2011 approved a draft of Right to Service Act 2011. Rebels Captured Muammar Gaddafi's headquarters in Tripoli in Libya. Ratings Agency Standard & Poors President Devan Sharma to step down by end of 2011. Douglas Peterson of Citi Bank will replace him. Sexual-assault Case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn dismissed by Supreme Court in Manhattan. Rohit Nandan, a joint secretary in the civil aviation ministry was appointed as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India for a three-year term on 12 August 2011. Nandan was appointed after removal of Arvind Jadhav from the position of Chairman and CMD.

Veteran Indian Footballer Baichung Bhutia announced his Retirement from International Soccer. Silicon Valley Legend Steve Jobs resigned as Chief Executive of Apple Inc. He will be replaced by COO and heir apparent Tim Cook. M.P. Veerendrakumar elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of Press Trust of India. He succeeded Vineet Jain, Managing Director of the Times of India Group. India Signed Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with Georgia. Bihar Government Decided to Reward Informers for Providing Information on Corruption. Centre Asked all States to Appoint Ombudsman to Redress Grievances Related to MGNREGA. Saudi Arabia Offered Additional 10000 seats for Haj 2011 to India. RBI in Annual Report for 2010-11 offered its Assessment of Indian Economy for 2010-11 http://bit.ly/r9pKhI http://bit.ly/oqZm5B http://bit.ly/pQSZph http://bit.ly/pFijMu

31 | P a g e