August Edition

BREXIT
HOW IT HAPPENED
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
After the devastation of World War II, European
countries were in state of shock and so serious efforts
were being made to find out the ways and means as to
how to ensure that conflicts do not raise their ugly
heads once again and how can a peaceful living be
ensured in future. As a result, a number of treatises
were signed in next several years among the European
countries for strengthening mutual interests.
In 1948, Treaty of Brussels was signed by UK and
four other countries to form a combined defence to
counter communism.
In 1957, Treaty of Rome was signed to form the
European Economic Community, forming basic
frame work of the future European Union.
In 1992, Treaty of Maastricht was signed to form
European Community EC, laying the foundation of
European Union and introduced European
citzenship.
In 2002, common currency Euro was established.
Finally, in 2007, Treaty of Lisbon was signed to give
the present structure and shape to the European
Union, having 28 members.
Although EU with 28 member countries has only
7.3% of the world population, it contributes roughly
24% of global GDP.
Almost all member countries rank very high
in Human Development Index.
It has been so effective in its mission of peaceful
coexistence that it was awarded Nobel Peace Prize
in 2012.
PRESENT DEVELOPMENT - BREXIT

Due to a prolonged slowdown in the economy of UK in
recent years and increasing inflow of migrants both
from smaller European countries and from West Asian
countries, the radical forces in UK, of late, have been
raising demand for a Britain independent of EU so that it
can survive on its own terms and conditions. The
movement was given the nick name Brexit Britains
exit from the EU.
This compelled present Prime Minister David
Cameron to announce holding of a referendum on
June 23 to decide whether Britain wants to Leave
EU or it wants to Remain in EU.
Cameron lead the Remain campaign but the results
of the referendum shocked the entire world and
gave a big jolt to European unity.
GENERAL AWARENESS AUGUST 2016
51.9% voters supported Leave, leaving 48.1% with

idea of remaining with EU.
It was also a massive victory for UKIP leader Nigel
Farage, who has campaigned for the UK to leave the
EU for a quarter century.
Respecting the mandate of people, Cameron offered
to resign from the post of Prime Minister.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

The British Pound plunged to the lowest since 1985
and global markets trembled with fear, leading to
crash of stock markets.
The EU is in shock as till date no member has ever
left and so there is no precedence to follow or learn
from. Article 50 of the EU treaty, which sets out
how a state can exit the bloc, offers little detail
except that a two year notice period is required to
quit.
An array of laws and EU entitlements will cease to
apply to British business and citizens, creating what
Brexit campaigners say will be opportunities for
more growth and more selective immigration.
The result widens fissures in the UK by raising the
prospect of another push for Scottish independence.
Beyond Britains shores, it will fan speculation that
more countries could withdraw from the EU
IMPACT ON INDIA
So far India is concerned, a statement by our Finance
Minster, Arun Jaitley sums up the situation.
.. we are well prepared to deal with the short and
medium term consequences of Brexit. Our macroeconomic fundamentals are sound with a very
comfortable external position, a rock-solid commitment
to fiscal discipline, and declining inflation. Our aim will
be to smooth this volatility and minimize its impact on
the economy in the short term.
EFFECTS ON INDIAN ECONOMY

Rupee may depreciate because of the double effect
of foreign fund outflow and rise in dollar price
This will increase petrol and diesel prices to an
extent
Prices of gold, electronic goods, among others will
increase
Cheaper Pound will benefit Indian exports,
including IT and ITeS.
GENERAL AWARENESS
AUGUST 2016
Vol. 5, Issue 02
A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION &

TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.
SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH
Contents
NATIONAL NEWS
JUNE 2016
CURRENT AFFAIRS
APRIL TO JUNE 2016
BULLET NEWS
JAN 2016 TO MARCH 2016
01-34
MODI MAKES FIVE NATION VISIT

35-58
LATEST 100 GK MCQs
59-64
SSC CORNER
65-71
FIVE MONTHS GK BYTES
72-100
FIGURES TO REMEMBER
REPO RATE (05.04.2016)
6.50%
REVERSE REPO RATE
6.00%
MARGINAL STANDING
FACILITY RATE
STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO
7.00%
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a five-nation visit to Afghanistan, Qatar,

Switzerland, the US and Mexico, starting from June 4. The visit aimed at
broadening bilateral trade, energy and security cooperation and push for
India's bid to become a member of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
In Afghanistan, he was conferred with Amir Amanullah Khan Award, countrys
highest civilian honour. He also inaugurated the Friendship Dam in Herat
province in Western Afghanistan.
In Qatar, seven MoUs were signed to promote assistance on matters pertaining
to customs administration through exchange of information and intelligence.
In USA he addressed the special session of Congress.
21.25%
CASH RESERVE RATIO

BANK RATE
4.00%
7.00%
BASE RATE(s)
(of various banks)
9.30 to
9.70%
INDIAs RANK IN
Global Retail Development Index
02nd
Ranking in Total Wealth
07th
Ranking in Attracting FDI
10th
Global Peace Index
141st
US APPLAUDS MODI DOCTRINE
Good Country Index
70th
Renewable Energy Index
3rd
US administration has termed the Prime Minister Modis vision of Indo-US ties
that has overcome the hesitations of history and working for the betterment
of the global good as Modi Doctrine. It envisages a joint effort by India and
USA in promoting peace, prosperity and stability from Asia to Africa, from the
Indian Ocean to the Pacific, including safety and freedom of navigation on the
seas.
World Press Freedom Index
133rd
Rank in Manufacturing Countries
6th
World Happiness Index

Intellectual Property Index -2016
Overall Growth Prospectus
118th
37th
5th
Global Talent Competitiveness Index
89th
Nuclear Security Index
21st
Ease of Doing Business (Forbes)
97th
Human Development Index

ICT Development Index
Rank in Brand Value
Legatum Prosperity Index
Global Terrorism Index
130th
131st
7th
99th
06th
PRESIDENT VISITS AFRICA

President Pranab Mukherjee made a six-day trip to Ghana, Ivory Coast and
Namibia to boost trade ties with these countries. The trip began with Ghana
where he signed three agreements for mutual cooperation.
In Cote DIvoirie (Ivory Coast), he was awarded the highest honour of that country
- Grand Cross National Order of the Republic of Cote DIvoirie.
MODI ATTENDS SCO SUMMIT

Prime Minister Modi visited Tashkent, Uzbekistan to attend the two-day
summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The summit approved
India and Pakistans case for the full membership of the SCO.
ANSARI VISITS MOROCCO, TUNISIA
INDIA RANKS 7TH IN TOTAL WEALTH
Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari visited

Morocco and Tunisia. He arrived in Rabat, capital of
Morocco on May 30. He launched the India-Morocco
Chamber of Commerce and Industry to promote trade
between two countries.
Later, he visited Marrakech, main economic center of
Morocco. He met King Mohammed VI and Prime
Minister Benkirane.
According to the report by New World Wealth, India has

been ranked seventh in the list of top 10 wealthiest
countries in the world, with total individual wealth of
$5,200 billion. Total wealth is more because of large
population.
USA with total individual wealth of USD 48,700 billion is
at the top, followed by China and Japan.
INDIA 10TH IN ATTRACTING FDI

As per the World Investment Report 2016 by the United
Nations Conference for Trade and Development
(UNCTAD), India is the 10th largest receiver of FDI in the
world, with inflow of $44 billion in 2015. USA tops the
ranks by attracting $380 billion.
INDIA WORST IN HUMAN SLAVERY
On June 2 he reached Tunis, capital of Tunisia, and met

Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid. He met President
Beji Caid El Sebsi on June 3. A number of MoUs were
signed on mutual cooperation between the two
countries.
INDIA JOINS MTCR GROUP

India has been admitted as the 35th member of the
elite 34 nations group on the Missile Technology Control
Regime (MTCR).
This would make it possible for India to buy and sell
missile technology to other nations, including the
supersonic Brahmos missile. It will also enable India to
buy the state-of-the-art surveillance drones, such as the
US predator.
MTCR is an anti-proliferation group of 34 nations that
aims to limit the spread of ballistic missiles and other
unmanned delivery systems that could be used for
chemical, biological, and nuclear attacks.
INDIA FAILS TO ENTER NSG, DESPITE SUPPORT

The plenary meeting of the 48-member Nuclear
Suppliers Group, NSG was held in Seoul, South Korea on
June 23. A large number of countries supported Indias
request for membership to NSG. However, the same
could not be approved as a few countries led by China
objected to Indias membership because she has not
signed the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty, NPT.
INDIA SECOND IN RETAIL DEVELOPMENT

According to 2016 Global Retail Development Index
(GRDI), which ranks top 30 developing countries for
retail investment worldwide, India has jumped 13
positions from last year to rank second, next only to
China. A pick-up in GDP growth and a better clarity
regarding FDI regulations have helped India achieve the
second ranking.
According to the Global Slavery Index 2016 of 167

countries, India has largest number of people in modern
slavery, around 18.4 million people, accounting for
about 40 per cent of worlds slave population.
The modern slavery refers to practices like forced labour,
bonded labour, human trafficking, child labour and
exploitation of migrant workers in situations where a
person cannot leave because of threats, violence, coercion
and abuse of power or deception.
General Prayut Chan-O-Cha, Prime Minister of
Thailand arrived in New Delhi for a three day visit to

India with a high level delegation.
India signed two agreements with Thailand for
boosting cooperation in culture and educational
sectors.
India and USA have signed an agreement for
exchange of terrorist screening information, in wake
of the recent terror attacks.
A special commemorative silver coin was released by
the govt to mark the 300th martyrdom day of Sikh
General Banda Singh Bahadur.
As a goodwill gesture, the US has returned over 200
stolen cultural artifacts to India, some dating back
2,000 years, valued at around $100 million.
All India Radio celebrated completion of 80 years of
its existence on June 8. On this day in 1936, the
Indian State Broadcasting Service became All India
Radio.
Ex-Cabinet Secretary T S R Subramanian submitted
its report on the New Education Policy to the Ministry
of HRD.
Champaran Satyagrah Express train has been started
from Bapudham, Motihari (Bihar) to Anand Vihar,
Delhi.
Gandhiji started his first Satyagrah in April 1917
from Champaran to support the cause of Indigo
growers of the region.
MoU signed with Switzerland for cooperation in the
100 CR PENALTY FOR WRONG INDIA MAP
fields of skills development and professional

education and training.
Mumbai is the most expensive city in India though
ranked 82nd in world, according to the 2016 Cost of
Living Survey by Mercer of USA.
Globally, Hong Kong topped the list of most
expensive cities.
According to the draft 'The Geospatial Information

Regulation Bill 2016', wrong depiction of the map of
India could land the violators in jail with a maximum
term of seven years and fine up to Rs 100 crore.
MAY 2016
LODHA COMMITTEE TO REVIEW MCI
The Supreme Court has appointed a three-member
panel headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha
to review the functions of the Medical Council of India the regulator of medical profession and education in
India.
SOLAR TRAIN TRIAL IN JODHPUR

The Indian Railways plans to conduct trial of its first
solar panel-powered train in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
Though the train would be pulled by conventional
diesel-run engines, the solar energy will be used for
internal electricity gadgets.
INDIA HAS 248.8 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS

A latest release of the Census 2011 data shows that
there are total 248.8 million households in the country
of which 202.4 million are of Hindus, 31.2 million belong
to Muslims, 6.3 million belong to Christians, 4.1 million
of Sikhs and 1.9 million belong to Jains.
WORLDs LARGEST AIRCRAFT LANDS IN INDIA
4 INDIAN CITIES IN TOP 5 POLLUTED CITIES

Of the five cities in the world with the worst air
pollution, four are in India, says a report by the World
Health Organisation. These four cities are Ludhiana,
Khanna, Amritsar and Gobindgarh. The dirtiest air was
recorded at Zabol in Iran while Delhi was ranked at 9th
place.
President Pranab Mukherjee visited China from May
24 to 27, starting his trip from the highly
industrialised Chinese city Guangzhou.
President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena arrived in
New Delhi on May 13 for a two day visit.
International Vichar Mahakumbh was held in Ujjain
in Madhya Pradesh from May 12 to 14.
The H.R. Nagendra Committee on Yoga Education in
Universities has recommended seven programmes for
implementation in Indian universities.
To mark the 155th birth anniversary of Rabindranath
Tagore, India organized a cultural festival in Cairo,
Egypt from May 8 to 12.
A study by Assocham-KPMG shows that India is the
fifth largest producer of e-waste, discarding roughly
18.5 lakh metric tonnes of electronic waste each year.
Govt has granted status of classical language to six
languages - Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam,
Sanskrit and Odia.
APRIL 2016
]
INDIA HOLDS MARITIME SUMMIT

The First Maritime India Summit was held in Goregaon,
Mumbai, from April 14 to 16 to focus on port based
economic growth of the country. India has a coastline of
over 7500 kms that offers vast opportunities for growth
oriented investment.
The worlds largest cargo aircraft, Ukraines Antonov AN
-225 Mriya or the Dream, made its first landing in
India on May 13 at the Rajiv Gandhi International
Airport at Hyderabad. The wide body aircraft is
powered by six turbofan engines and is the longest and
heaviest airplane ever built, with a maximum takeoff
weight of 640 tonnes.
RAIL HUMSAFAR SAPTAAH

The Ministry of Railways launched Rail Humsafar
Saptaah from May 26 to June 1 to highlight significant
achievements made by Indian Railways in all spheres.
Every day of the week will be devoted to a particular
aspect of passenger service.
AMBEDKAR JAYANTI AT UNO
INDIA SUFFERS HIGH TROJAN ATTACK
For the first time, United Nations observed the birth

anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar on April 14 at its
headquarters in New York. It was organised by
Permanent Mission of India to the UN in association
with the Kalpana Saroj Foundation and Foundation for
Human Horizon to focus on the empowerment and
inclusion of excluded groups, reform of labour laws, and
promotion of education for all.
As per a report from the security solutions firm

Symantec, India ranks third among countries with high
number of financial Trojan infections, where
cybercriminals defraud customers of online banking
services.
Globally, the financial sector was the highest targeted
sector in January with 40.2 per cent of all spear-phishing
attacks.
INDIA 6th IN MANUFACTURING
GERMANY TO HELP IN NAMAMI GANGE

India has joined hands with Germany to attain pristine
status of Ganga by adopting river basin management
strategies used for cleansing German rivers like Rhine
and Danube, under the Indian mission Namami Gange.
APEX COURT ALLOWS NEET
India has been ranked sixth among the world's Top-Ten

largest manufacturing countries. Previously, India was
9th rank in the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO) report. China tops the list
followed by US, Japan, Germany and Korea. Indonesia
was at the bottom.
AADHAAR CROSSES HUNDRED CRORE MARK

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has
generated 100 crore Aadhaar numbers, touching a
historic milestone in a span of five-and-a-half years.
Aadhaar is now the largest digital platform in the world
for good governance and transparent delivery of
services of subsidies and services.
INDIA SIGNS PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT

India signed the historic Paris Climate Agreement at
United Nations in New York on April 22, along with 175
nations, marking a significant step ahead for combating
global warming.
In the agreement, all countries agreed to work to limit
global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius,
and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The Supreme Court has allowed the holding of the

National Eligibility Entrance Test, NEET for medical
courses across the country. The top court set aside its
2013 order by which the common entrance test for
admissions to MBBS, BDS and PG courses in all medical
colleges was quashed.
TOP EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES OF INDIA

The HRD ministry released first-of-its-kind National
Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for ranking the
higher education institutions in the country. Results of
the rankings are:
Top Management Institute: IIM Bangalore, followed
by IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta
Top Engineering Institute: IIT Chennai, followed by
IIT Mumbai and IIT Kharagpur.
Best University: The Indian Institute of Science,
Bangalore
Top Pharmacy Institute: Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal
W B LOAN FOR SWACHH BHARAT MISSION
RAJYA SABHA GETS 6 NEW MEMBERS

President nominated the six personalities from different
fields to the Rajya Sabha (House of Elders) following the
recommendations of the Central government. The six
persons include BJP leaders Subramanian Swamy and
Navjot Singh Sidhu and Narendra Jadhav, Malayalam
actor Suresh Gopi, journalist Swapan Dasgupta and
boxer Mary Kom.
President is empowered to nominate 12 prominent
persons from various walks of life to the Rajya Sabha.
World Bank has agreed to provide a $1.5 billion loan for

the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). SBM is the country's
largest-ever campaign to improve sanitation. It aims to
end open defecation and improve the management of
liquid and solid wastes.
INDIA GETS FIRST LOAN FROM NDB

The newly started development bank by the global
group BRICS, New Development Bank NDB has started
giving loans. India is among the first four countries to
get a loan. The $ 250 million loan will be routed through
the Canara Bank for a renewable energy project.
3rd Asia Ministerial Conference on the Tiger

Conservation was held in New Delhi on April 12.
First National Tribal Carnival held in Delhi from April
INDIA NOT SAFE FOR JOURNALISTS
A study of 180 countries by the Paris-based Reporters

Without Borders to study the functioning of journalists
has placed India at a lowly 133rdplace.
It says that media in India continues to be under stress
as the government is "indifferent" to threats against
scribes. They are attacked frequently for reports that
may not be palatable to particular groups. The 2016
World Press Freedom Index is topped by Finland,
followed by the Netherlands and Norway.
The index measures media pluralism, independence, the
legal framework and the safety of journalists in 180
countries.
MODI NOT IN WORLD TOP 100

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, tennis star Sania Mirza,
actress Priyanka Chopra and founders of Flipkart Binny
Bansal and Sachin Bansal are the Indians that have been
named by Time magazine in its list of the '100 Most
Influential People in the World'. Surprisingly, Mr Modi
does not figure in the list.
President Pranab Mukherjee went on a six-day trip to
29 to May 02, 2016 to showcase and promote various

facets of tribal culture on a large scale.
India and South Korea have signed a MoU for
cooperation and mutual assistance in port related
matters and their developments.
India has signed an agreement with the Islamic
Development Bank for a $100 million line of credit to
facilitate exports to IDB's member countries.
Govt has released a Commemorative Coin of 200
rupees and a Circulation Coin of 10 rupees to mark
the 200th Martyrdom Day of Tatya Tope, a war hero
of 1857 war of Independence.
A statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh will be installed in
France's Saint-Tropez town in September this year.
The town is birth place of French General J F Allard
who served in the army of Maharaja.
NEWS FROM STATES

JUNE 2016
NAGPUR SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH JINAN
Nagpur and the Chinese city of Jinan (capital of
Shandong Province) have signed the agreement of
'sister cities' for the exchange of ideas and technology in
the field of education, urban planning, youth affairs, and
sports.
Kerala Tourism won four awards at FilmAT, one of
the biggest international film festivals dedicated to
tourism, art and ecology, held in Poland.
Andhra Pradesh has become the first State to have
obtained a telecom license from the Telecom Ministry.
Now the state can issue phone numbers starting with
the 797 series from August this year.
Papua New Guinea and New Zealand on April 27.
Britains Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton,
the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visited India on

a weeks goodwill tour.
India and France have launched a programme with
$1 trillion Potential Solar Programme under the
International Solar Alliance (ISA).
India, Afghanistan and Iran have agreed for joint
work on development of Chabahar port in Iran.
India and Mauritius have signed an MoU on
cooperation in the field of traditional system of
medicine and Homoeopathy.
The first ever two day North East-ASEAN (Association
of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Summit was
inaugurated in Centre in Imphal, Manipur.
Sikkim has become the first state in India to have an

open government data portal to facilitate free usage of
govt data by general public.
Maharashtra government has decided to celebrate the
21st of every month as Yoga Day across all schools,
colleges and universities in the state.
Odisha has become first state in the country to give
social welfare benefits - such as a pension, housing and
food grains to transgender people.
Lakshadweep has become first Union Territory in India
to assure 24x7 power to its residents.
MAY 2016
The Uttar Pradesh government has directed all the
5 STATES ELECT THEIR CHIEF MINISTER

Tamil Nadu: Jayalalitha reelected leading the AIADMK All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam.
West Bengal: Mamta Banerjee reelected leading the

Trinamool Congress.
Assam: Sarbananda Sonowal becomes the first BJP

Chief Minister.
Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan of the CPI (M) led the left

democratic front LDF to become the Chief Minister.
Puducherry: V. Narayanasamy of Congress elected as
the new Chief Minister.
The Worlds largest Single Rooftop Solar Power
Plant with capacity of 11.5 MegaWatt (MW) has been
installed at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh of Radha Swamis at
Beas, in district Amritsar, Punjab.
Madhya Pradesh Tourism has won the award for the

Best Indian Destination for Wildlife. The state has 25
wild life sanctuaries including nine National Parks.
Rajasthan State Transport Corporation has launched
20 Nirbhaya buses with multiple safety measures to
better protect women passengers.
APRIL 2016
HOUSING SCHEME FOR WIDOWS
district magistrates for plantation of 5 crore trees at

6,500 sites in 24 hours on a date fixed in month of July
under the Green UP - Clean UP programme.
Worlds maiden white tiger safari was opened up at
Mukundpur in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. The
first whtite tiger was spotted in MPs Vindhya region
in 1915. It is a rare breed of tiger, found only in India.
Rajasthan has become the first state to pass land title
bill to verify land documents with landowners with
the state records.
To promote the Swachh Bharat Mission, 20 Namma
toilets were established at different points in
Delhi. The mission targets to establish 2.56 lakh
public toilets by 2nd October 2017.
Bihar has become the fourth state in the country to
ban sale and consumption of liquor. The other three
states are Mizoram, Nagaland and Gujarat.
The European Investment Bank has agreed to give
Euro 450 million (Rs. 3,300 crore) towards
constructing a 23-km long Lucknow Metro rail line.
Germanys Development Bank KfW will provide loan
assistance of 3750 crore rupees for the development
of metro system for Nagpur city.
Asian Development Bank has approved a project loan
of $300 million for upgradation of over 400 km of
major district roads in Uttar Pradesh.
GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES
JUNE 2016
SMART CITY PROJECT LAUNCHED IN PUNE
Prime Minister Modi formally launched the Smart City
Project in Pune Maharashtra. Total 69 Smart City
projects will be launched in 20 cities with a total
investment of about Rs. 1,770 crore.
These projects are related to solid waste management,
water supply projects, sewage treatment plants, housing
projects for urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojana.
Jharkhand govt launched the Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas

Yojana for construction of houses for widows. The
beneficiaries will get Rs 75,000 support for constructing
houses in hilly areas and Rs. 70,000 in plain areas.
EDUCATION BAR FOR ULB SEATS

Any male person desiring to contest for Urban Local
Bodies in Haryana will now have to be matriculate and
have a functional toilet at home while a woman and a SC
candidate will be required to be at least 8th standard
pass. Minimum educational qualification for SC women
candidates will be 5th standard pass.
NEW AVIATION POLICY NOTIFIED
Government has approved the National Civil Aviation

Policy 2016, capping fares at Rs 2,500 for one-hour
flights and Rs 1200 for flights up to 30 minutes. It also
waived the 5/20 norm for new airlines to fly abroad.
The 5/20 Rule says that an airline can fly to international
destinations only if it has served within the country for
five years and has a 20-aircraft fleet.
AADHAAR TO BE LINKED WITH STUDENTS

Government has asked all state governments to link
Aadhaar number with caste and domicile certificates of
school students studying either in Class V or VIII. This is
to ensure that the scholarships to the SC/ST students
are granted in time without any harassment.
DLAMC TO MONITOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT

To promote people centric planning, execution and
monitoring of new urban development schemes, govt
has approved setting up of District Level Advisory and
Monitoring Committees with the elected representatives
of the people across the country. Senior most MP of the
area will head the committee.
DELEGATION POWERS OF MINISTERS HIKED

Making changes in the delegation of financial power
rules, 1978, the Finance Ministry has advised that now
the Ministers can approve non-plan expenditure
proposals of up to Rs. 500 crore as against the earlier
limit of Rs. 150 crore.
Proposals up to Rs. 75 crore can be approved by the
secretary of the administrative ministry or department.
Proposals beyond 500 crore and up to 1,000 crore rupees
shall be sanctioned jointly with Finance minister.
Proposals exceeding 1000 crore will be sanctioned by the
Union Cabinet.
SURYA MITRA APP FOR SOLAR ENERGY

Government has launched a GPS based mobile app
named Surya Mitra developed by National Institute of
Solar Energy to facilitate repair and maintenance of
solar equipments, awareness about availability of solar
power capacities and other related issues. The app will
be supported by the trained Surya Mitras to support
the users of the app.
IRCTC LAUNCHES TIGER EXPRESS

Indian Railway Catering
and Tourism Corporation
IRCTC launched a special
tourist train - Tiger
Express
to
spread
awareness among people
regarding
tiger
conservation. It will take
tourists to various Tiger Parks on a six day trip.
VIDYANJALI TO SUPPORT GOVT SCHOOLS
TRAI has launched a mobile app for telecom
To boost community participation in government

schools, HRD Ministry has launched Vidyanjali scheme
inviting volunteers to hold public speaking, storytelling,
acting sessions and participate in other co-scholastic
activities.
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN

Indias first ever NDM plan, which aims to make the
country disaster resilient and reduce loss of lives was
released on June 1. The plan is based on the four priority
themes of the Sendai Framework.
PPF WITHDRAWAL ALLOWED AFTER 5 YEARS

The Finance Ministry has allowed the subscribers of the
Public Provident Fund (PPF) to prematurely close their
account after completing five years for reasons such as
higher education or expenditure towards medical
treatment.
THE UNION MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS has launched
three passenger service initiatives namely- a Janani
Sewa for mothers, optional catering in Rajdhani and
Shatabdi trains, and a childrens menu on trains.
subscribers to register their complaints against pesky

calls and SMSs to tighten the noose on telemarketers.
Govt has decided to enhance the age of retirement of
all doctors of the Central Health Service to 65 years
with immediate effect.
Railway has started India's first timetabled freight
train, named Cargo Express, from Delhi to
Bengaluru.
Government has launched a pilot programme to run
two-wheelers on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in
New Delhi to curb air pollution in cities.
The government has exempted PF withdrawals of up
to Rs. 50,000 from tax deduction at source.
Government has launched a campaign Swachh Yug
to make villages located along Ganga free from open
defecation by motivating people to achieve this goal.
Govt plans to raise a new Indian Reserve Police
Battalion in Rajasthan named after Maharana
Pratap, the great Rajput warrior of Mewar region.
Govt has sanctioned Rs. 10,000 crore 'Fund of Funds
for Startups' to boost self-employment in the country
by supporting the Startup India Action Plan.
MAY 2016
MULTILINGUAL PORTAL BHARATAVANI
NITI AAYOG TO LAUNCH 15 YEAR PLAN

Govt has decided to replace the five year plans with 15
year vision documents. The NITI Aayog has been
directed to prepare a vision document for this purpose.
It will be implemented after the 12th five year plan
which is ending in March, 2017.
UNIQUE BUSINESS IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
Ministry of HRD has launched the portal Bharatavani the largest online repository of dictionaries in India. It
is a single point source for multiple language learning,
content and technology in 22 scheduled languages,
which eventually will be extended to 100 more
languages.
NATIONAL IPR POLICY ANNOUNCED

The govt has approved the National Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR) policy with a view to promoting
creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. The policy
aims to push IPRs as a marketable financial asset,
promote innovation and entrepreneurship.
UJJWALA TO GIVE LPG TO BPL FAMILIES

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was
formally launched by the Prime Minister at Ballia, Uttar
Pradesh. The scheme aims to provide cooking gas
connections to five crore below-poverty-line
beneficiaries over the next three years. The connections
will be given in the name of women beneficiary.
The Government plans to issue a UBIN for budding

entrepreneurs to start up their new businesses without
any delay.
The number will be issued by the
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.
LOK SABHA PASSES BANKRUPTCY BILL

The Lok Sabha has passed the Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code Bill 2016. The bill aims to improve
conditions for Ease of Doing Business.
Broadly speaking, Insolvency is a financial
situation where a person or business entity is not in a
position to repay its debts. When this status is confirmed
by courts, it is called Bankruptcy, a legal status.
SINGLE EMERGENCY NUMBER - 112

Govt has approved the single emergency number 112
to help people access directly emergency services like
police, ambulance and fire fighting. The number will be
operational throughout India from January 1, 2017.
COMMITTEE FOR TAXI OPERATORS
UJALA SCHEME LAUNCHED FOR LED BULBS

Union Minister of State for Energy and Coal Piyush
Goyal formally launched the energy-efficient LED bulbs
distribution scheme UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable
LEDs for All) at Bhopal for the state of Madhya Pradesh
and Maharashtra.
The scheme aims to replace all the conventional bulbs
with the LED bulbs for reducing drastically power
consumption and emission of carbon gasses.
PORTAL LAUNCHED FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS

The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development
(HRD) has decided to launch ASMITA, an online student
tracking system for 25 crore students of India from class
I to XII. ASMITA is acronym for All School Monitoring
Individual Tracing Analysis and shall be launched under
Shala Asmita Yojana (SAY).
COMMITTEE TO REVIEW FRBM

Govt has constituted a five Member Committee headed
by former Revenue and Expenditure Secretary N.K.
Singh to comprehensively review and give
recommendations on the Fiscal Responsibility and
Budget Management (FRBM) road map for the future.
The Union Government has constituted a committee

headed by Sanjay Mitra, Secretary of Union Ministry of
Road Transport & Highways to prepare a policy
framework for taxi and other transport operators.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee headed by J C

Divakar Reddy, MP has been formed to tackle
misleading advertising as well as to fix liability
on endorsers/celebrities.
Parliament has passed two Bills- The Appropriation
Acts (Repeal) Bill 2015 and The Repealing and
Amending (Third) Bill, 2015 to repeal outdated 1053
old laws which had become redundant legislations.
The trial run of India's first ever Metro train equipped
to run in the driverless mode was conducted in New
Delhi on May 18 by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
Union Cabinet has approved a national policy on
capital goods which aims at creating more than 2

crore new jobs and tripling the production of capital
goods to Rs 7.5 lakh crore by 2025.
The Department of Empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities will now be known as 'Divyangjan'
Sashaktikaran Vibhag in Hindi, dropping the word
'viklangjan' from its previous nomenclature.
Govt has constituted the Investor Education and
Protection Fund Authority to strengthen the
framework for safeguarding the interest of investors.
The Income Tax department has launched an
electronic grievance redressal system named enivaran to fast track taxpayers complaints..
Government has selected 13 more cities for the smart
cities mission. The list is topped by Lucknow. Already
20 cities have been selected for this mission.
Moving towards environment friendly solutions,
Prime Minister Modi launched e-rickshaws and solar
powered boats in Varanasi.
EPFO has decided to increase benefits under the
Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance scheme from Rs
3.60 lakh to Rs 6 lakh.
INDIAs FIRST SEMI-HIGH SPEED TRAIN

The Nizamuddin-Agra Gatimaan Express that started on
April 5 is the first semi-high speed train in India. It will
run at a speed of 160 kilometer per hour and is expected
to cover the 200 km distance between Delhi and Agra in
100 minutes.
COMMITTEE FOR DOUBLING OF FARM INCOMES
APRIL 2016
PROGRAMME FOR VILLAGE UPLIFTMENT
The Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan (Village Self
Governance Campaign) was launched on April 14, the
125th Birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar,
to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages, empowerment
of women and upliftment of farmers.
The
campaign concluded on April 24.
25 MINISTRIES JOIN IMPRINT INITIATIVE

25 Ministries and Departments of the Union
Government signed a MoU to join IMPacting Research
Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) initiative. It was
launched on 5 November 2015 to establish a single
window mechanism to shortlist research projects by
leading research and technology institutes.
'VIDYUT PRAVAH' FOR 24X7 POWER SUPPLY
Govt has set up a committee headed by Ashok Dalwai,

Additional Secretary at the Agriculture Ministry to
suggest ways to double farm incomes by 2022. The
committee will focus on finding the means for
enhancing productivity and reducing costs of
cultivation.
STAND-UP INDIA LOAN SCHEME LAUNCHED

Govt has launched the Stand-up India scheme to give a
push to financial inclusion programme. Under the
scheme, 1.25 lakh bank branches will provide loans up
to 1 crore rupees to SC/ST and women entrepreneurs.
The scheme will help in creating 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs as
every bank branch will be required to provide two such
loans ranging from 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore without
collateral, for setting up a new enterprise.
3RD PHASE
OF
MISSION
INDRADHANUSH
The Union Health Ministry launched third phase of

universal
vaccination
programme
Mission
Indradhanush to cover 216 districts across several
States including Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
Under the mission, the children are vaccinated against
seven preventable diseases.
PANIC BUTTON MUST FOR MOBILE PHONES

Govt has launched the mobile application 'Vidyut
Pravah' to empower common people to demand 24x7
power from the State. The app will provide the
highlights of the electricity availability in the country on
the real time basis.
In a bid to improve women security, the government has

made it mandatory that no mobile can be sold
in India without an in-built panic button, starting
January 1, 2017. Besides, in-built GPS navigation system
would be mandatory for all phones with effect from
January 1, 2018.
10
GOVT LAUNCHES ANMOL AND E-RAKTKOSH
I P PORTAL LAUNCHED FOR SMEs

The government has launched a portal The Indian IP
Panorama which will act as a single window interface
for information on intellectual property and provide
guidance on leveraging it for competitive advantage. It is
a customised version of IP Panorama Multimedia toolkit,
developed by World Intellectual Property Organisation
(WIPO).
The Indian IP Panorama has 5 modules: (i) Importance of
IP for SMEs, (ii) Trademark, (iii) Industrial design, (iv)
Invention and Patent and (v) Patent Information.
Govt has launched a tablet-based application ANMOL

that allows ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) to enter
and update data for the beneficiaries.
Another web-based mechanism launched is ERaktKosh that interconnects all the Blood Banks of the
State into a single network.
E- MARKET LAUNCHED FOR FARM PRODUCE

To facilitate online trading of commodities in 21
markets from 8 states, an E-National Agriculture Market
was launched on April 14, 125th birth anniversary of Dr.
B R Ambedkar. The eight states are Haryana, UP, MP,
Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, HP and Telangana.
ISBN PORTAL LAUNCHED

The Union HRD Minster Smriti Irani launched a portal
for registration and allotment of International Standard
Book Number (ISBN) at a function held in New Delhi.
The portal will facilitate publishers and authors to
register for ISBN online. It is a 13 character
identification number allotted by International ISBN
Agency based in UK.
INDIA TO JOIN SAWEN
RULES FOR PREVENTION OF ATROCITIES

Union Government notified the Scheduled Castes (SC)
and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) (Prevention of Atrocities
(PoA)) Amendment Rules, 2016 to enlarge scope of
rules to cover several more violations against SC/ST
persons as cognizable offences.
Govt has launched its first online interactive heritage
Union cabinet has approved Indias formal membership

of the regional group Sawen.
SAWEN (South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network) is a
regional network comprising of eight countries in South
Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives,
Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka for combating wildlife
crime and illegal trade in the region.
portal Sahapedia to serve as one point resource for

collaborative knowledge on the arts, culture and
heritage of India.
The Department of Disinvestment has been renamed
as Department of Investment and Public Asset
Management or 'Dipam' under the Finance Ministry.
Railways to create a 1 lakh crore rupees Rashtriya
Rail Sanrakshan Kosh to strengthen safety measures
on the rail network to prevent accidents.
Govt has launched a Twitter Seva Service, a special
Twitter cell to respond to queries from start-ups,
exporters and importer, within 48 to 72 hours.
The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme has been
extended to 61more districts with low Child Sex Ratio
across 11 States/UTs. Already there in 100 districts.
Govt has decided to increase minimum wages of
contract workers to Rs 10,000 taking into
consideration the CPI and Dearness Allowance.
Govt plans to construct five lakh ponds under
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana by next year.
Govt has formed a committee headed by former
Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta to suggest ways to
improve protection along the Pakistan border.
Union government plans to lay more emphasis on
promoting Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and
Events (MICE) tourism in India.
Govt has launched a low cost micro solar
device, Surya Jyoti, to light up homes without
electricity and save millions of units of power.
Govt has issued a new set of income tax return forms
that require people with an income of Rs 50 lakh and
above per annum to disclose their assets.
11
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
JUNE 2016
Global rating agency, Moody's has forecast a growth

rate of about 7.5 percent for the Indian economy in
2016 and 2017, driven largely by private
consumption growth.
APRIL 2016
GDP GROWTH RATE JUMPS TO 7.9%
RBI MAINTAINS GROWTH RATE AT 7.6%

The Reserve Bank in its first policy review of the year
expects the economy to grow by 7.6 per cent in the
current fiscal on the back of favourable monsoon,
slightly lower than the upper end of governments
projected rate of 7-7.75 per cent.
ADB PUTS INDIAs GROWTH AT 7.6 %

Data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO)
shows that the economy grew at an accelerated pace of
7.9% in the fourth quarter of 2015-16, taking the overall
GDP growth to a five-year high of 7.6% for the year
ended March 31, 2016.
Indias per capita income rose by 7.4% to Rs 93,293 in
2015-16 from Rs 86,879 in 2014-15.
The industrial production as measured by IIP

contracted 0.8% in April, dragged down by a sharp
plunge in production of capital goods and consumer
wares.
Growth in the country's 8 core sectors surged to an
over four-year high of 8.5 per cent in April mainly due
to good growth in refinery products and electricity.
MAY 2016
INDIA POISED TO GROW BY 8%
In its latest Global Economic outlook, Fitch Ratings, USA
has said that it expects India's real GDP growth to rise to
8 percent by 2018-19, from 7.9 percent in 2017-18 and
7.7 percent in 2016-17 driven by the gradual
implementation of structural reforms, higher disposable
income and improvement in economic activity.
UN REPORT PUTS INDIAS GROWTH AT 7.3%

A UN report The World Economic Situation and
Prospect says that notwithstanding delays in domestic
policy reforms, Indias economy is slowly gaining
momentum and is projected to grow by 7.3 per cent
this year and is expected to achieve a growth of 7.5 per
cent in 2017.
IMF KEEPS INDIAs GROWTH RATE AT 7.5%

The IMF has retained its growth forecast for India at
7.5% for the year 2016-17, largely driven by private
consumption even as weak exports and sluggish credit
growth weigh on the economy. It said structural
reforms, including GST and in areas like land and labour,
will be the key to boost Indias economic growth.
With the failure of the government to push through the

Goods and Services Tax and the Land and Labour
Reforms, the Asian Development Bank has lowered
Indias growth forecast to 7.4 per cent from an earlier
estimate of 7.6 per cent for the financial year ending
March 31, 2017.
NO BPL POPULATION BY 2032 - KANT

In a presentation made by Niti Aayog Chief Executive
Officer Amitabh Kant, it was stated that India will
achieve growth of 10% by 2032 to become a $10-trillion
economy, creating 175 million jobs and leading to zero
per cent of Below Poverty Line (BPL) population.
ECONOMY & INDUSTRY

JUNE 2016
MSP HIKED FOR KHARIF CROPS
On the recommendations of Commission for
Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), government has
hiked the minimum support price (MSP) of pulses by up
to Rs 425 per quintal for the coming season 2016-17,
effective from Oct 1, 2016.
Crop
Rs/qtl
hike
Paddycommon 1470
60
Paddygrade A
1510
60
Jowar
1625
55
Bajra
1330
55
Maize
1365
40
Tuar daal
5050
425
Moong daal
5225
375
Urad
5000
375
Groundnut
4220
190
Sunflower
3950
150
Sesamum
5000
300
Cotton
3860
60
The MSP is the assured rate at which the government
buys the grain from farmers. Paddy is the main crop
grown in the kharif (summer) season.
12
The Japan International Cooperation Agency has
NEW AVENUES FOR 100% FDI

With an aim to give impetus to job creation and ease of
doing business in the country, Government has
approved 100 per cent FDI in Aviation, Defence and ecommerce sectors under the government approval
route.
RAJASVA GYAN SANGAM HELD IN DELHI

A high level summit of the top brass of the two revenue
collection arms of the governmentCBDT and CBEC
was held in New Delhi by the name Rajasva Gyan
Sangam. Addressing the summit, Prime Minster Modi
appealed the officers to widen the tax payers base to 10
crore.
WORLD BANK FUNDING FOR CITY TRANSPORT

The World Bank has agreed to provide a $ 9.2 million
grant for financing the Efficient and Sustainable City Bus
Service Project in selected Indian cities like Chandigarh,
Jaipur and Mira Bhayandar in Thane, Maharashtra.
PURCHASES OF OVER 2 LAKH TO ATTRACT TCS

Payment in cash for buying goods and services worth
more than Rs 2 lakh with the exception of jewellery will
attract 1 per cent tax collected at source (TCS) wef June
1. In case of jewellery, the cut off is at Rs 5 lakh and
over Rs 2 lakh for bullion.
SERVICES TO COST MORE WEF JUNE 1

The Krishi Kalyan Cess of 0.5 per cent on the service tax,
announced by Finance Minister in the current budget,
became effective from June 1. The consumers will now
have to pay an extra 50 paise per Rs 100 or Rs 5 per Rs
1,000 spent on any taxable item like various utility bills,
parlours, restaurants, AC rail tickets, etc.
TRIAL RUN OF HIGH SPEED TALGO TRAIN

Trial of the lighter and faster Spanish train Talgo, with
speed up to 115 km per hour, was conducted between
Bareilly and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh as part of the
Railways' strategy to increase the speed of trains.
LOANS GRANTED BY ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
Loan
amount
(in $
million)
120
Granted to
Odisha
100
Tamil
Nadu
200
500
Jharkhand
Bihar
Purpose
granted a loan of Rs. 1,548 crore to Tamil Nadu for

improving the quality of urban healthcare services.
Work has started on the 'Jal Marg Vikas' (National
Waterway-1) for developing a 1620 km waterway
between Allahabad and Haldia in West Bengal.
Railways have started a new weekly train from
Kamakhya (Seat of Black Magic), Assam to Vaishno
Devi Katra (J&K), linking the prominent pilgrimage
centers.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India and the US
firm Westinghouse have agreed to begin engineering
work for six nuclear power plant reactors in India.
India has surpassed Japan to become the worlds
third-largest oil consumer, consuming 4.1 million bpd
in 2015, after USA and China. Bpd= barrels per day
To promote and facilitate South Korean Investments
in India, the two countries have launched a joint
forum named Korea Plus.
MAY 2016
WB LOAN FOR ROOFTOP SOLAR POWER
The World Bank has approved $625 million loan to
India to support the rooftop solar power generation
across the country. The project will be implemented
through the State Bank of India, which will on-lend the
funds to solar photovoltaic developers and end-users.
FSSAI BANS USE OF POTASSIUM BROMATE

After the alert raised by the Centre for Science and
Environment (CSE) that 84 per cent of the 38 popular
brands of breads contained cancer-causing chemicals,
the Food Safety and Standards Association of India
(FSSAI) has recommended banning Potassium Bromate
as a food additive.
PRESIDENT HONOURS EXPORTERS

President Pranab Mukherjee presented Niryat Shree
and Niryat Bandhu Awards in New Delhi to honour
exporters for their excellent business achievements.
Both Awards were instituted by the Federation of Indian
Export Organization (FIEO) in the year 1995-96 with the
aim to motivate exporters.
to improve irrigation and water

management infrastructure
to strengthen and improve water
management in the Vennar subbasin of Cauvery Delta
to upgrade 176-kms of rural roads
to build a 9.8 km long bridge
(longest in India) across the
Ganges River
13
INDIA RANKS 9TH IN CRONY CAPITALISM
Union cabinet has approved Rs.1,983 crore package

for widening of the 19-km stretch between DelhiUttar Pradesh border of the Delhi-Meerut
Expressway.
APRIL 2016
COMPANIES TO OBSERVE IFRS NORMS
A study by the leading financial magazine, The

Economist shows that in terms of crony capitalism,
India is ranked at ninth position with crony sector
wealth accounting for 3.4 per cent of the GDP. Russia
tops the list where wealth from the country's crony
sectors amounts to 18 per cent of its GDP.
Crony capitalism is a kind of economy where success in
business depends on close relationships between business
people and government officials as the later shower
favours on the selected few corporates.
DHAN WAPSI SCHEME wef JUNE 1
Companies with a net worth of Rs 500 crore or more

will have to follow new Indian Accounting Standards
(Ind AS) from April 1. The new standards have been
converged with the globally followed International
Financial Reporting Standards - IFRS.
BLACKSTONE ENTERS INDIA

In one of the largest private equity deals in the IT
industry, Blackstone, the New York based MNC in
investment and financial services has signed a deal to
buy 60.5 per cent stake in Mphasis, a Bengaluru based
IT services major.
INDIA TOPS IN INWARD REMITTANCES
The govt has announced The Income Declaration

Scheme, 2016 Dhan Wapsi, an amnesty scheme for
declaring domestic black money, from June 1 till Sep 30.
Individuals willing to declare their black money in the
country will have to pay tax and a penalty, totalling 45
per cent.
INCOME TAX DATA MADE PUBLIC

In a landmark development towards greater
transparency, the income tax department has released
its key data, though after a lapse of 16 years. Taxpayers
account for just about one per cent of India's population.
Total income tax collections in 2015-16 were 2.86 lakh
crore rupees.
NEW DTAA SIGNED WITH MAURITIUS

India and Mauritius have signed a protocol amending
the double tax avoidance arrangement between the two
countries. Now India gets the right to tax capital gains
on investments routed through Mauritius, from April 1,
2017.
MMTC has launched in collaboration with Swiss gold

company Pamp, a new gold coin Tola of 11.6639
grams on the occasion of Akshya Tritya, May 9.
World Bank has agreed to provide $ 100 million loan
to support Karnataka Urban Water Supply
Modernization project.
The Tata Group has made a foray into the ecommerce market through TataCLiQ.com to sell
apparel, electronics and footwear, etc.
India and Slovenia have signed a protocol to amend
the double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) to
include exchange of information to curb tax evasion.
As per a recent World Bank report, India remained the

world's largest remittance recipient in 2015 despite
experiencing a one billion US dollar drop from the
previous year, attracting $69 billion, followed by China
at $64 billion.
India has offered to invest up to $20 billion in new
petrochemicals, fertiliser and liquefied natural gas

(LNG) facilities in Iran and sought land and cheaper
natural gas for this.
The Shan-E-Punjab Express, countrys first train with
CCTV cameras in all coaches, for safety of passengers,
started from Delhi for Amritsar.
The Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. has become the number
one coal producer in the country by producing a
record 137.90 million tonne of coal in 2015-16.
The East Coast Railway has become the largest
Freight Loading Railway Zone in 2015-16 with
handling of 173.49 million tonnes of freight.
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched a
new index Nifty Mid Smallcap 400 representing 150
midcap and 250 small cap companies.
Govt. has extended safeguard duty of 20 per cent on
steel imports till March 2018 to protect Indian
industry from cheap China steel
14
BANKING & FINANCE

JUNE 2016
CABINET NOD FOR INDIA POST BANK
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for setting up
the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) as a Public Ltd
Company under the Department of Posts.
Banks 100% equity will be held by the Government of
India. The Bank is likely to get license from RBI by March
2017 and plans to operationalise 650 branches by
September 2017.
RBI AIMS AT LESS-CASH INDIA
The merged entity will create a banking behemoth, which

can compete with the largest in the world with an asset
base of almost Rs 37 trillion, 22,500 branches and 58,000
ATMs as on December 2015.
AXIS BANK LAUNCHED GREEN BONDS

Axis Bank raised $500 million at the London Stock
Exchange after it launched Indias first internationallylisted certified green bond to finance climate change
solutions around the world.
Green bonds are the one where funds raised are used
exclusively for renewable energy projects or some other
clean energy project.
Latest RBI data shows that banking transactions

through mobile apps have increased seven-fold in
three years, between 2013 and 2016.
RBI plans to put into circulation Rs.10 coins bearing
the portrait of Swami Chinmayananda to
commemorate his birth centenary.
MAY 2016
BANKS ASKED TO SHIFT TO EVM CARDS
RBI has released the Payment and Settlement Systems
in India: Vision-2018 that aims at building best of class
payment and settlement systems for a less-cash India
and ensuring access of mobile banking services to even
basic phone users. The document focuses on 5 Cs coverage, convenience, confidence, convergence and
cost.
SCHEME FOR HIGH VALUE BAD LOANS

RBI has announced the Scheme for Sustainable
Structuring of Stressed Assets, S4A, to handle the high
value bad loans. Under the scheme, a portion of the debt
will be converted into equity under supervision of
Indian Banks Association. The scheme will be applicable
to those projects which have started commercial
operations and have outstanding loan of over 500 crore
rupees.
The Reserve Bank of India has instructed banks to shift

from magnetic stripe based ATM and debit cards to EMV
chip and Pin based cards to ensure protection of cards
from cloning, skimming and other forms of frauds which
can happen on a magnetic strip.
WILFUL DEFAULTERS OWE Rs. 66,190 CRORE

As per a written statement made in Rajya Sabha by
Union Minister of state for Finance, there were 7,686
wilful defaulters owing Rs 66,190 crore to state-owned
banks as of December 2015.
The cumulative gross NPAs of 24 listed public sector
banks, including SBI group, stood at Rs.3,93,035 crore as
on 31 December 2015.
As per RBI, an asset becomes non-performing when it
ceases to generate income for the bank or the repayment
due is delayed for more than 90 days.
INDIAs FIRST MOBILE ONLY BANK
NRIs ALLOWED TO OPEN NPS ACCOUNTS

Government has allowed non resident Indians (NRIs) to
open National Pension Scheme (NPS) accounts online if
they have Aadhaar Card or PAN card. Till now, NRIs
could open NPS accounts only through paper
applications by approaching Bank offices.
SBI TO MERGE ASSOCIATE BANKS

The Union Cabinet has approved the merger of State
Bank of India (SBI) and its five subsidiaries State
Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Travancore,
State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Mysore and State
Bank of Hyderabad.
The DBS, Singapore's largest bank, has launched Indias

first mobile only bank named digibank. It uses
technologies such as bio metrics and artificial
intelligence, to enable paperless, signature less and
branch less banking.
15
NEW DEVELOPMENT BANK SELECTS ICICI

The ICICI bank has become the first financial institution
in the country to be selected by the BRICSs New
Development Bank to explore opportunities around
bond issuance, co-financing, treasury management and
human resources in India.
Union Bank of India has launched e-SBTR (Electronic
Secured Bank Treasury Receipt), a single window

facility for payment of both - stamp duty and
registration fee for home purchase in Maharashtra
Saudi Arabia based Islamic Development Bank has
announced to open its first branch in India at
Ahmadabad, Gujarat to offer interest free banking
services as per the Muslim law Shariat.
UK based banking giant, HSBC Holding Plc has
decided to close its 24 branches in India, out of total
50.
The RBI has released Draft Guidelines for on tap
Licensing of Universal Banks in the Private Sector to
receive comments / suggestions from the public.
A commemorative coin of 100 rupees and a
circulation coin of ten rupees have been released on
the 475th birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap.
APRIL 2016
REPO RATE LOWERED TO 6.50%
The RBI announced a 25 basis cut in its policy interest
rate on April 5, lowering it to more than five-year low.
The new repo rate now stands at 6.50 per cent.
However, the reverse repo rate has been hiked by 25
basis points to 6 per cent. The new Marginal Standing
Facility and Bank Rate stand at 7.00 percent.
BANKS ADOPT MCLR FOR LOWER RATES

Short-term working capital loans are set to get cheaper
as banks start adopting the marginal cost of funds-based
lending rate (MCLR) from 1 April. The new framework
requires banks to set rates based on their marginal cost
of funds rather than their average cost of funds. MCLR is
expected to improve transmission of policy rate cuts to
bank loan rates.
INDIAs FIRST PAYMENTS BANK

Airtel M Commerce Services Limited (AMSL), a
subsidiary of Bharti Airtel (Airtel) has been granted
the Indias first payments bank license by RBI. The
company already offers mobile money services under
the brand name Airtel Money.
16
DEFENCE, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
JUNE 2016
FIRST WOMEN FIGHTER JET PILOTS
India has joined The Hague Code of Conduct against

Ballistic Missile Proliferation, a voluntary legally nonbinding multilateral body in Vienna, for preventing
the spread of ballistic missiles.
A joint military exercise named Malabar was held
between the naval forces of India, Japan and the US
off the Okinawa coast in Japan.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization members
and partners launched their biggest ever joint
military exercise in Poland, named Anaconda-16
Exercise.
Shangri-La Dialogue, Asias largest annual security
meet held in Singapore to discuss the security issues
in the Asia-Pacific region.
ISRO LAUNCHES RECORD 20 SATELLITES

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) created
a record on June 22 by launching 20 satellites in one go,
including 17 foreign ones, using its flagship rocket Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C34 from the Satish
Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradeshs Sriharikotta.
The Indian Air Force crossed another milestone on June
18 when for the first time three women fighter jet pilots
- Bhawana Kanth, Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh were commissioned in the operations in Air Force.
DEAL OKAYED FOR 145 ARTILLERY GUNS

Ministry of Defence has approved the purchase of 145
artillery guns meant especially for deployment in the
Himalayas by the upcoming Mountain Strike Corps of
the Indian Army. The 155 MM, M777 ultra light
howitzer (ULH) will be supplied by The BAE systems of
USA and will be assembled in India in collaboration with
Mahindra Defence Systems.
BRAHMOS INTEGRATED WITH SUKHOI-30

BrahMos Aerospace successfully tested the integration
of the supersonic cruise missile system BRAHMOS on
the supersonic fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30. This is for the
first time in the world that a supersonic cruise missile
has been integrated with a supersonic fighter aircraft.
NEW RICE VARIETIES DEVLOPED

Researchers at Assam Agricultural University have
developed two rice varieties, namely Ranjit Sub-1 and
Bahadur Sub-1 that can be grown successfully even in
submerged conditions that are frequent in Assam due to
common flash floods.
CHINA HAS WORLDs FASTEST COMPUTER

Chinese supercomputer Sunway TaihuLight has been
declared as the worlds fastest supercomputer,
achieving a speed of up to 93 petaflop/second. The
selection
was
made
by
the
International
Supercomputing Conference held in Frankfurt,
Germany.
MICROSOFT TO ACQUIRE LINKEDIN

In one of the largest acquisitions in the social media
space, Microsoft has announced to acquire professional
networking website LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. LinkedIn
with its over 430 million users will retain its distinct
brand, culture and independence.
Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40), the twoseater basic trainer aircraft designed and developed
by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited made its
inaugural flight successfully.
It will be used for the first-stage training for all flying
cadets of the three services.
Govt has taken a considered decision to allow export
of 'Akaash' missile systems to 'certain' countries that
have friendly relationship with India.
Exercise Desert Eagle II was held between Indian
Air Force and United Arab Emirates Air Force in Abu
Dhabi in last week of May.
17
FIRST ANIMAL TO BE DECLARED EXTINCT
IAF LAUNCHES E-MAINTENANCE SYSTEM

Indian Air Force launched an Electronic Maintenance
Management System (e-MMS), one of the biggest
automated military maintenance systems in the world,
at the Air Force Station in Pune. The system would
seamlessly connect all the squadrons, wings, commands
with the Air Headquarters, after its implementation.
PRITHVI II MISSILE TESTED BY DRDO

A small rodent (rat) named the Bramble Cay
Melomys found only on a single island off Australia
is the world's first mammal to be declared as extinct
as none of them has been sighted by the locals after
2009.
Main reason for this is the abnormal rise in sea level
due to global warming, submerging parts of Bramble
Cay Island
India successfully test fired its indigenously developed

nuclear weapon capable Prithvi-II missile from the
Abdul Kalam Island, off Odisha coast. It has a strike
range of 350 kilometer.
NAVY SAYS GOOD BYE TO SEA HARRIERS
China launched its 23rd satellite to support its global
navigation and positioning network- BeiDou

Navigation Satellite System.
Google has tied up with Tata Trusts to launch
Internet Saathi programme to empower rural
women by enabling them to use Internet in their daily
lives.
Russia launched the worlds biggest nuclear
icebreaker ship 22220 Arktika. It has a two-reactor
power unit of 175 MW with a displacement of 33,540
tonnes.
US scientists team has created the world's first
microchip that has 1,000 processors and is thought to
be the fastest chip designed in a university lab.
Asias largest technology trade show COMPUTEX
started in Taipei, capital of Taiwan on May 31. More
than 1,600 companies from 30 countries took part.
MAY 2016
NAVAL EXERCISE WITH ASEAN FORCES
The ADMM-Plus (ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting
Plus) Exercise on Maritime Security and Counter
Terrorism (Ex MS & CT) was held in Brunei. The nine
day naval exercise aims to strengthen the strong
bilateral ties and extensive maritime interactions
between India and ASEAN countries.
The Indian Naval Air Squadron 300- White Tigers, bid

farewell to the British Sea Harriers fighter aircrafts on
May 11. They will be replaced by the new generation
MiG 29K/Kub fighters. Sea Harriers joined the Indian
Navy in 1983.
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha became the first Chief of
INDIA TEST FIRES ANTI-BALLASTIC MISSILE

India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed
supersonic
interceptor
missile,
capable
of
destroying any incoming hostile ballistic missile. The
Advance Air Defence (AAD) missile dubbed as Ashwin
was fired from the Adbul Kalam Island (formerly known
as Wheeler Island), off the Odisha coast.
Air Staff to fly the indigenously designed and

produced Light Combat Aircraft Tejas in Bengaluru.
Indian Army conducted its major military training
exercise Chakravyuh-II in Suratgarh, Rajasthan.
INS Kalvari (sea tiger shark), the first of the six
indigenous Scorpene-class submarines set out for sea
trials off the Mumbai coast.
India signed 4 MoUs for cooperation in defence sector
with Oman in Muscat.
The indigenously built Offshore Petrol Vessel ICGS
Shaurya joined the Indian Coast guard at Vasco, Goa.
ICGS = Indian Coast Guard Ship
Indigenously built Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS Arush
joined the Indian Coast Guard at Cochi, Kerala.
The 27th edition of the India-Indonesian CORPAT
(Coordinated Patrol) between their navies was held
off the coast of Belawan, Indonesia.
Indias first indigenously built fast attack waterjet
craft INS Tarmugli was inducted in Indian Navy at
Visakhapatnam.
The Indian Navy has decided to decommission two of
its warships INS Veer and INS Nipat.
18
ISRO TESTS RE-USABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE
DEAL FINALISED FOR 36 RAFALE JETS

India has finalised the deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter
jets from Dassault Aviation of France for 7.89 billion
euros (Rs. 59,000 crore). The Indian team managed to
bring down the deal price by 11 billion euros. The first
set of jets would be delivered within 18 to 20 months.
K-4 MISSILE TESTED SUCCESSFULLY

India has successfully tested its most ambitious weapon
system - a long range submarine-launched ballistic
missile, codenamed K-4, capable of striking targets upto
3,500 kilometres away. The missile was tested 40 kms
off the Vishakhapatnam coast.
India successfully tested its first-ever indigenously built
space shuttle - the Re-Usable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator or RLV-TD on May 23 from
Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Re-usable technology
aims to help reduce the cost of launching satellites by 10
times.
INDIA MAKES FIRST SONAR DOME

Indias first indigenous composite sonar dome, a ships
underwater eyes and ears, was launched at Goa.
Designed and produced by DRDO, it is a rare
achievement as very few companies in the world have
technology to make sonar domes.
INDIA 4TH IN DEFENCE SPENDING
WHO TO PROMOTE AYUSH

India and the World Health Organization have signed
an agreement in Geneva for cooperation in promoting
quality, safety and effectiveness of service provision in
traditional Indian systems of medicine, called AYUSH.
India has become the worlds fourth largest spender on

defence, following a 13.1% increase in its 2016-17
defence budget of Rs. 2,58,000 crore, according to US
research firm IHS Inc. USA is the largest spender in the
world, followed by China and Saudi Arabia.
GOOGLE CHROME IS TOP BROWSER
INDIA US TO SHARE MILITARY LOGISTICS
As per a global market research, Google Chrome,

claiming 41.7 per cent of desktop browser share has
become the top Internet browser, ending the long reign
of Microsoft Internet Explorer. Mozillas Firefox browser
stands at third place.
In the first global assessment of the world's flora by

the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (London), it is
estimated that there are about 390,900 plants.
In a rare astronomical phenomenon, planet Mercury
was seen as a moving dot on the solar disc, from
various places of India, on May 9.
University of Cambridge researchers have built the
world's smallest working engine. The device, powered
by light, is just millionths of a millimeter in size.
China successfully launched its remote sensing
satellite Yaogan-30 into space atop a Long March
2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
To counter the growing maritime assertiveness of China,

India and the United States have agreed in principle to
share their military logistics.
IAF TO TAKE PART IN NATO EXCERCISE

12 IAF aircrafts will take part in the prestigious 'Red
Flag' air exercise alongside NATO forces from April 28
to May 13 in skies over Alaska. It is seen as a complex
and advanced network centric operation -- the toughest
test for flying machines and men.
APRIL 2016
ARMY RAISES NEW GORKHA BATTALION
The Army has raised a new Gorkha battalion comprising
entirely of Gorkha troops of Indian domicile. The new
battalion, the Sixth Battalion of the First Gorkha Rifles
(6/1GR), christened Kanchi Paltan, has been raised at
Sabathu in the Shivalik foothills near Shimla, that houses
the 14 Gorkha Training Centre.
19
ICGS Shoor, an offshore patrol vessel was inducted in

the Indian Coast Guard at it Mangalore base.
The 11th Indo-Mongolia joint army training exercise,
titled Nomadic Elephant - 2016 commenced on 25
April in Mongolia to share skills for handling Counter
Insurgency and Counter Terrorism events.
The 22nd Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT)
was held from 19-27 April in the Andaman
Sea. Missile Corvette INS Karmuk and Dornier
Maritime Patrol Aircraft took part in this exercise.
The Indian Army conducted its major war exercise
named Shatrujeet (winning the enemy) in the Thar
Desert of Rajasthan.
SUPERCOMPUTER PARAM KANCHENJUNGA
INTERNATIONAL
JUNE 2016
BRITAIN VOTES TO LEAVE EUROPEAN UNION
In the referendum held on June 23 in Britain to decide
whether Britain should remain with European Union or
leave it, British people voted to leave the European
Union to take greater control of its economy and its
borders, shattering the stability of the continental unity
forged after World War II.
The Leave side secured 51.9 per cent votes as against
48.1 per cent vote for Remain.
Prime Minister David Cameron, a passionate supporter of
remain announced that as a measure of respect for the
will of the people he would be stepping down as prime
minister in October.
ICELAND IS THE MOST PEACEFUL COUNTRY

In a ranking of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index
compiled by Institute for Economics and Peace, Syria
has been named as the least peaceful country, followed
by South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. On the
other hand, Iceland was ranked as the worlds most
peaceful country, followed by Denmark and Austria.
India ranks a low at 141.
The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Sikkim has
secured a rare distinction of having a supercomputer
named Param Kanchenjunga, which is said to be the
most powerful and fastest among all the 31 NITs.
LIGHTEST EVER SYNTHETIC MATERIAL

Scientists at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (of
ISRO), Thiruvananthapuram, have developed the
world's lightest ever synthetic material called silica
aerogel or blue air or frozen smoke. It has an
excellent thermal resistance and if used as filler in
uniforms, it can save many lives at the Siachen Glacier.
SWISS REJECT FREE INCOME

In a referendum held in Switzerland, 77 per cent Swiss
voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to introduce
a guaranteed basic income for all. The proposal had
called for adults to be paid an unconditional monthly
income, whether they worked or not.
SWEDEN IS THE BEST COUNTRY
INDIA GETS ASIA's BIGGEST TELESCOPE

Asia's biggest telescope has been launched in India. Built
by the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational
Sciences (ARIES) with the assistance of Belgium, the
telescope is located at a height of 2,500 metres at
Devasthal in Nainital district.
The Airports Authority of India has signed an MoU

with ISRO to provide scientific parameters for
construction of airports across the country.
India and the USA have signed an agreement for a
new Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave
Observatory (LIGO) project in India.
According to the 'Good Country' Index 2015 which

surveyed 163 countries to measure how countries
contribute to the global good, Sweden is the worlds best
country, followed by Denmark and Netherlands. India
was placed at 70th spot.
20
WORLDs LONGEST RAIL TUNNEL
Global aircraft company Airbus has unveiled the
The worlds longest rail tunnel, Gotthard Base Tunnel,

57 kms long under the Alps Mountain in Switzerland,
was opened on June 1 for running of trains. Set of two
tunnels, it is also the deepest train tunnel of world,
going up to 2300 mts below the surface. It will reduce
the train journey from Zurich (Switzerland) to Milan in
northern Italy down to two hours and 40 minutes,
roughly an hour less than it currently takes.
world's first 3D-printed aircraft THOR - Test of Hightech Objectives in Reality.

The World Health Organization on June 01 has
declared the end of Ebola virus transmission in
Guinea, one of the three West African countries
hardest hit by the epidemic in 2014.
Norway has become the first country in world to
prohibit deforestation of rain forest to preserve the
balance of ecosystem.
Colombia signed a historical ceasefire agreement
with the guerrilla organization FARC to put an end to
more than 50 years of bloodshed.
FARC: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
STRAY SHOOTING KILLS 50 IN USA
MAY 2016
KENYA DESTROYS HUGE STOCK OF IVORY
A gunman armed with an assault rifle killed 50 persons

at a packed gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, USA in one
of the worst mass shootings in the US history. The
shooter, identified as Omar S Mateen (29), was killed by
the police on the spot.
AIIB APPROVES FIRST GLOBAL LOANS

Bangladesh has become one of the first countries to get
a loan from the China-led Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank. The country will get $165 million for a
power distribution system upgrade and expansion
project. The other three borrowers are Pakistan,
Indonesia and Tajikistan.
In one of the largest stockpile of elephant tusks (ivory)

destroyed in Africa, Kenya's president set fire to 105
tonnes of elephant ivory and more than one tonne of
rhino horn, seized from smugglers and poachers. The
ivory is reported to be worth over $150 million in the
open market and the rhino horn could raise as much as
$80 million.
WB LAUNCHES EMERGENCY FUND FOR ZIKA

World Bank Group has launched the Pandemic
Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) to protect and
support poorest countries against deadly pandemics
like Ebola, Zika. The PEF will ensure fast disbursement
of global financing.
ROYAL CAMPAIGN FOR MENTAL HEALTH
PAK TOPS IN MALWARE THREATS

Malware Infection Index 2016 released by the Microsoft
Asia to identify the key malware threats in Asia Pacific
region has revealed Pakistan as the location with the
highest malware encounters followed by Indonesia,
Bangladesh. India stands at no. 8 in region.
World Health Organisation has recognised Thailand,

Armenia, Belarus and Moldova for eliminating
mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis.
The Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women in the world
list 2016, topped by German Chancellor Angela
Merkel, includes SBI Chief Arundhati Bhattacharya at
25th rank.
The World Bank has slashed its 2016 growth forecast
for the world by 0.5 per cent to 2.4 per cent, citing
disappointing growth in major emerging market
economies including China and Brazil.
British Royals Prince William, Princess Kate and Prince

Harry launched the Heads Together campaign in
London to spread and promote public awareness about
mental health and wellbeing.
Heads of state from G-7 nations, USA, Britain, France,

Germany, Italy, Canada and host Japan held their
meet in the Japanese city of Ise Shima.
Finance ministers and central bank governors meet
of G-7 nations held in Sendai, Japan.
A two day International Buddhist conference was
held at the birth place of Lord Buddha, Lumbini,
Nepal to celebrate his 2,560th birth anniversary.
21
The first-ever World Humanitarian Summit was held
in Istanbul from 23 to 24th May.

The First World Conference on Tourism for
Development was held in Beijing from May 18-21.
Harmony of the Seas, worlds biggest-ever cruise ship,
capable of accommodating more than 8,000
passengers and crew in the most luxurious conditions,
was unveiled in France.
USA decided to fully lift its embargo on sales of lethal
weapons to its one-time arch enemy, Vietnam, after a
gap of over 32 years.
Kenya to close World's biggest refugee camp in
Dadaab, citing threat to internal security. About
3,28,000 refugees, mostly from Somalia are staying in
this camp.
USA has approved selection of animal Bison as the
first national mammal of the country. This is in
addition to the present national symbol - Bald Eagle.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has decided to stop
printing of the 500 euro banknote by the end of 2018
with a view to curb illicit activities.
It is one of the highest value (Rs 380,000
roughly) circulating banknotes in the world.
The International Bank Note Society has declared
New Zealands five-dollar note as the Banknote of the
Year for 2015 in a study of 40 notes from 20
countries.
APRIL 2016
WORLDs WHOs WHO IN PANAMA LEAK
SAN JOSE - THE MOST FUTURE READY CITY
In a study of 50 cities conducted by the IT firm Dell Future-Ready Economies Model, city of San Jose in
California, USA has been placed at top, followed by San
Francisco, Singapore.
From India, Delhi ranks at 44th place.
AUSTRALIA SUFFERS LOSS IN REEF TOURISM

Australian scientists have reported that over 90 per cent
of the Great Barrier Reef has been affected by mass
bleaching that is likely to destroy half the coral. Reef
tourism generates around $4 billion every year for
Australia.
Bleaching occurs when the water is too warm, forcing
coral to expel living algae and causing it to calcify and
turn white.
IMF & WB TO WORK FOR TAX IMPROVEMENT

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank
have joined hands with the United Nations and the
Organization
for
Economic
Cooperation
and
Development, to form a new group which will work for
building effective tax systems in developing countries
and avoiding tax base erosion.
WTO LOWERS TRADE GROWTH TO 2.8%
A massive leak of 11.5 million documents from a law

firm in Panama reveals how the world's current rich
people, politicians and celebrities hide their money in
Panama. The documents, dubbed the Panama Papers,
were obtained by a Munich-based daily newspaper.
The names figuring in the leak included aides to Russian
President Vladimir Putin, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib
Razak's son Nazifuddin, family of Chinese President Xi
Jinping, Amitabh Bachchan.
USA TOPS IN ICT USAGE

A study of 50 nations by Chinese IT giant Huawei for
investment and deployment of Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) has placed USA at
top, followed by Singapore, Sweden. Huawei Global
Connectivity Index 2016 places India at 44th rank.
The World Trade Organization has revised its 2016

global trade forecast downward by more than one
percentage point to 2.8 per cent, warning that a
slowdown in China and broad market volatility
continued to threaten growth.
In September last, the WTO estimated global trade to rise
by 3.9 per cent in 2016.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ZERO - ICZ

ICZ was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France
to promote the knowledge of Maths for greater global
good. A bronze bust of ancient Indian mathematician
and astronomer Aryabhatta was also unveiled there on
the occasion.
WORLD DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS

The World Bank released the 2016 edition of the World
Development Indicators (WDI). It includes 1400
indicators for over 200 economies to measure the 169
targets of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
set by UNO.
22
TOP 'GLOBAL GAME CHANGERS'

American business magazine Forbes has ranked some of
the biggest names in business as the 'Global Game
Changers'. The selected 30 businessmen have exhibited
growth and innovation, and their examples have had
been adopted and copied by rivals the world over.
The list is topped by Marcs Benioff, CEO of
Salesforce.com, followed by Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com.
It includes three Indians - Rahul Bhatia of Inter Globe
Enterprises, Cyrus Poonawalla of Serum Institute of India,
and Sunny Varkey of GEMS Education at 3, 23 and 26
positions respectively.
The annual Spring Meeting of IMF & WB was held at
Washington. Finance Ministers and Governors of
Central Banks from G-20 nations attended the meet.
Heads of about 53 countries took part in the
4th Nuclear Security Summit held in Washington, USA.
Nauru, the tiny South Pacific island nation has become
the 189th member of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and the World Bank.
Summit of the foreign ministers of the G-7 countries
was held at Hiroshima, Japan on April 11.
Japan has become fourth country in world to
successfully test its first stealth fighter jet X 2, the
other three being USA, Russia and China.
The latest World Malaria Report from WHO says that
Europe has become the worlds first region to wipe out
malaria with zero cases reported last year.
The 13th Islamic Summit Conference was held in
Istanbul, Turkey. This years theme was Unity and
Solidarity for Justice and Peace.
The worlds first public dengue vaccination
programme was launched in the Philippines.
In UK, Britain's Royal Mail has launched a set of
special postage stamps to mark the 400th death
anniversary of the great playwright William
Shakespeare.
Bangladeshs top court has rejected a 28-year-old
petition to remove Islam as official religion of the
country, disappointing the activists who wanted the
country to remain secular.
UNICEF launched a series of animated films, called
Unfairy Tales, to help frame positive perceptions
towards the millions of refugees.
A US grand jury has slapped a $ 940 million fine on
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Tata America
International Corp. in a trade secret case.
British Petroleum has agreed to pay over $20 billion to
the American government as damages over the 2010
oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Venezuela has ordered a two-day working week for
public sector workers as a temporary measure to help
it overcome a serious energy crisis.
PERSONS IN NEWS
JUNE 2016
NIKESH ARORA: One of the highest paid CEO of the
world heading the SoftBank Group Corp. was in news as
he resigned abruptly just after two years stay at the
corporation.
S. K. ROY: Chairman of public sector insurance giant
was in news as he resigned nearly two years ahead of
completion of his five-year term. Mr. Roy, who has been
with LIC since 1981, took charge as chairman in June
2013.
NITA AMBANI: The chairperson and founder of
Reliance Foundation, has become first Indian woman to
be nominated to the International Olympic Committee
(IOC), the governing body of the Olympic Movement.
HILLARY CLINTON
Democratic Party candidate
for US Presidential elections
created history by becoming
the first woman to lead a
major American political
party for Presidents post in
the 240 years of democracy in
USA.
MAY 2016
UDAY KOTAK: Kotak Mahindra Bank Chief, is the only
Indian in Forbes' 'Money Masters: The Most Powerful
People in the Financial World' list of 40 persons.
Lt. Col. RANVEER JAMWAL:
An officer in the Jat
regiment of Indian Army successfully completed his
third Everest expedition, the earlier ones being in 2012
and 2013.
YASH CHOPRA: A life size bronze statue of the late
film-maker was installed by the govt of Switzerland in
Kursaal area to honour the film maker who shot most of
his romantic dramas in the lush mountains of
Switzerland.
RISHI NAIR: A 6th grade Indian American student won
the prestigious National Geographic Bee competition
2016 at Washington DC, USA.
NIHAR JANGA & JAIRAM HATHWAR: Two IndianAmerican students scripted history by becoming the
joint winner of the US Scripps National Spelling Bee
Contest. Nihar, a 5th grader, is the youngest winner of
the 91 year old contest while Jairam is in 7th grade. Each
will get a prize of $ 40,000.
23
FATMA SAMOURA: The Senegalese UN diplomat was

named as the first ever female Secretary General of the
international football body, FIFA.
DILMA ROUSSEFF: 68 years old Brazilian President
was suspended on May 12 after several weeks of
nationwide protests for her removal. Senate has
decided to initiate impeachment proceedings against
her on charges that she broke budget accounting laws.
CRAIG WRIGHT: The Australian entrepreneur has
publicly identified himself as creator of virtual
cash/currency Bitcoin, under the fake name of Satoshi
Nakamoto.
LHAKPA SHERPA: A 42-year-old Nepalese woman of
USA climbed Mount Everest for the seventh time on May
20, creating a record for the most summits of the
worlds highest mountain by a woman.
APRIL 2016
SACHIN TENDULKAR: The Ministry for Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has named
cricket icon as brand ambassador of the 'Skill India'
campaign.
P SUSHEELA MOHAN: Renowned playback singer has
been recognized by the Guinness World Records for
singing the most number of songs in Indian languages 17,695 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs in 12 Indian
languages.
NITA AMBANI: Reliance Foundation Chairperson has
been named the most powerful businesswoman in Asia
by Forbes, leading a list of 50 women leaders from the
region that includes only eight from India.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: A host of celebrations were
held in England and several other parts of the world to
observe 400th death anniversary of legendary
playwright, also known as The Bard of Avon. His
famous works include masterpieces like Othello,
Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet.
APPOINTMENTS
JUNE 2016
ASHOK LAVASA: Appointed as the new Union Finance
Secretary
Ms SUPRIYA SAHU: Appointed as the Director General
of Doordarshan
DIA MIRZA: Bollywood actress has been named the
ambassador for Swachh Bharat Mission's youth-based
'Swachh Saathi' (student internship) programme.
SUNIL MITTAL: Chairman of Bharti Enterprises
(Airtel), elected as the Chairman of International
Chamber of Commerce (ICC) based in Paris.
ANNE HATHAWAY: Famous US actress and singer has
been appointed as global Goodwill Ambassador for the
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women.
PETER THOMSON: Permanent Representative of Fiji,
was elected as the President of the upcoming
71st session of UN General Assembly.
PEDRO PABLO KUCZYNSKI: Elected new President of
Peru
HANI Al MULQI: Appointed as new Prime Minister of
Jordan.
MAY 2016
3 NEW CHIEF MINISTERS
Sarbananda Sonowal: Assam, from BJP
Pinarayi Vijayan: Kerala, from CPI (M)
V. Narayanasamy: Puducherry, from Congress
QUEEN ELIZABETH II: The worlds oldest-serving

royal and the longest-reigning and longest-lived British
monarch turned 90 on April 21, receiving the greetings
of thousands of British citizens as well as wishes from
all over the world.
KIRAN BEDI:
Appointed as the new Lieutenant
Governor of Union Territory of Puducherry.
ARSENIY YATSENYUK: Ukrainian Prime Minister

announced his resignation in the wake of a month-long
political crisis that paralysed his government and frozen
the release of vital Western aid.
S K BHAGAT: Appointed as Director General of the

Railway Protection Force (RPF).
Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson: Icelands Prime

Minister resigned reportedly after his name figured in
the mushrooming worldwide scandal over hidden
offshore financial dealings exposed in the so-called
Panama Papers leak.
VICE ADMIRAL SUNIL LANBA: Appointed as the next

Chief of Indian Navy, in the rank of Admiral.
S K SHARMA: Renowned scientist has been appointed

the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Nuclear
Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
ANURAG THAKUR: The BJP M P from Hamirpur in
Himachal Pradesh, was elected as the President of the
Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).
24
SHASHANK MANOHAR: Former BCCI President, who

resigned recently, was elected unopposed as the first
independent Chairman of International Cricket Council,
for two years.
ATMA RAM NADKARNI: Appointed as the Additional
Solicitor General in Supreme Court for a period of three
years.
BINALI YILDIRIM: Elected as the new Prime Minister
of Turkey.
Ms. TSAI ING-WEN:
President of Taiwan
elected as the first women
BACIRO DJA: Appointed as the new Prime Minister of

Guinea Bissau, a small country in Western Africa.
RODRIGO DUTERTE: Elected as the New President of
the Philippines. He is the Mayor of Davao City in
Philippines. He is very popular and is known as Digong.
ENDA KENNY: Re elected as the Prime Minister of
Ireland
APRIL 2016
JUSTICE (retd.) PERMOD KOHLI: Appointed as the
new Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
C P GURNANI: Elected as the new Chairman of the
National Association of Software and Services
Companies (Nasscom) for 2016-17. He is the MD & CEO
of Tech Mahindra.
HASHIM THACI: Elected as the President of Kosovo, a

small country in southeast Europe.
SIGURDUR INGI JOHANNSSON: Elected as the new
Prime Minister of Iceland after the earlier Prime
Minister resigned due to his name coming in Panama
Leaks.
NGUYEN XUAN PHUC: Elected as the new Prime
Minister of Vietnam.
TRAN DAI QUANG: Elected as the new President of
Vietnam.
FAUSTIN ARCHANGE TOUADERA: Elected as the new
President of Central African Republic.
Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr: Appointed as the new Prime
Minister of Yemen
AWARDS & HONOURS

JUNE 2016
INTERNATIONAL INDIAN FILM ACADEMY (IIFA)
awards festival held in Madrid, Spain on June 23.
Best Feature Film: Bajrangi Bhaijaan by Kabir Khan
Best Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Bajirao
Mastani
Best Actor: Ranvir Singh for Bajirao Mastani
Best Actress: Deepika Padukon for Piku
GD BIRLA AWARD FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: won
by IIT-Kanpur professor Sanjay Mittal
MEHBOOBA MUFTI: Elected as the first woman Chief

Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
INDIA BIODIVERSITY AWARD: Won by the Pakke

Tiger Reserve is in East Kameng district of Arunachal
Pradesh.
LOBSANG SANGAY: Re-elected as the Prime Minister

of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharmsala,
Himachal Pradesh.
ASIA NEW TALENT AWARDS: Thithi, a Kannada film

won the best film award and best script writers award
at the19th Shanghai International Film Festival.
CLEMENT MOUAMBA: Appointed as the new Prime

Minister of Republic of Congo.
INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD: won

by Akhil Sharma for his novel 'family life'.
IDRISS DEBY: Elected for the 5th time as

President of Chad, a country in Central Africa.
PEOPLEs CHOICE PRIZE: Gold medal won by the

renowned Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik at the
world championship festival of sand sculpting in
Bulgaria.
BOUNNHANG VORACHIT:
President of Laos
Elected
as
the
the
new
THONGLOUN SISOULITH: Elected as the new Prime

Minister of Laos
VOLODYMYR GROYSMAN: Elected as the new Prime
Minister of Ukraine
SOORONBAI JEENBEKOV: New Prime Minister of
Kyrgyzstan.
FUKUOKA PRIZE: Awarded to renowned Indian music

composer A. R. Rahman for his outstanding contribution
towards creating, preserving and showcasing South
Asian traditional fusion music.
This prize is given by city of Fukuoka in Japan.
SCHOLASTIC ASIAN BOOK AWARD: won by Aditi
Krishnakumar for her manuscript Love of Indian
History".
25
MAY 2016
ORDER OF THE RISING SUN, GOLD AND SILVER:
Former bureaucrat and parliamentarian N. K. Singh was
selected for Japans highest civilian honour, for
promoting economic, educational and cultural ties
between India and Japan.
MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE: South Korean
author, Han Kang, has won the prestigious prize for her
novel 'The Vegetarian'. The writer and her British
translator Deborah Smith will share the $72,000 prize
money.
This prize is given every year for the best book translated
in English and published in U K.
MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGY PRIZE: US engineer
Frances Arnold has become first woman to win this
prize for pioneering directed evolution.
The award, given by the Technology Academy, Finland,
carries a cash prize of Euro one million.
DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD: won by renowned

actor Manoj Bajpayee for the movie Aligarh.
Please note that this is NOT the national award
rather it is the regional award in Maharashtra, given
by Dada Saheb Phalke Foundation.
'Officier de l Ordre national de la Legion d
Honneur: (Officer of the Legion of Honour), highest
French civilian honour conferred upon Former Army
Chief General (retd) J J Singh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Saudi
Arabias highest civilian honour- the king Abdulaziz
Sash. The award is named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, the
founder of the modern Saudi state.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

JUNE 2016
Zindaginama by Krishna Sobti
Palme d'Or: Award for the best film at Cannes Film

Festival won by the film I, Daniel Blake by British
director Ken Loach.
PENs LITERARY SERVICE AWARD: Won by British
author J.K. Rowling for her dedication to free speech and
social justice. The award is given by PEN, a USA based
NGO for excellence in promoting peace, harmony and
human rights through literature.
Favourite Ghost Stories From Around The World by

Ruskin Bond.
Old History New Geography: Bifurcating Andhra
Pradesh by Jairam Ramesh
A Life in Diplomacy by M K Rasgotra
The Age of Genius: The Seventeenth Century and the
Birth of the Modern Mind by AC Grayling.
COMMONWEALTH SHORT STORY PRIZE: (for Asia

region) won by Prashar Kulkarni for his story Cow and
Company.
The Spy by Paulo Coelho
NORTH STAR": Highest civilian award of Mongolia

conferred upon two noted Indian scholars-Lokesh
Chandra and Mansura Haider for their contribution to
Mongolian studies.
The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf.
Sudarsan Pattnaik: Renowned sand artist won the gold

medal at the 9th Moscow Sand Sculpture Championship
in Russia.
APRIL 2016
SARASWATI SAMMAAN: Prestigious prize for
literature given to the Jammu-born poet and novelist
Padma Sachdev for her autobiography Chitt-Chete
written in Dogri language. The award carries award
money of 15 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque.
FBB FEMINA MISS INDIA WORLD 2016
Winner: Priyadarshini Chaterjee
First runners-up: Sushruthi Krishna
Second runners-up: Pankhuri Gidwani
The Unseen Indira Gandhi by Dr. K P Mathur

Muslims Against Partition by Shamsul Islam.
MAY 2016
Vanishing Shangri La by K N Raghavan.
The Drowned Detective by Neil Jordan,
Blood on my Hands: Confessions
Encounters by Kishalay Bhattacharjee
of
Staged
The Outside Lands by Hannah Kohler

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
APRIL 2016
An Economist in the Real World by Kaushik Basu,
Chief Economist at World Bank
Swimmer Among the Stars by Kanishk Tharoor
Mercedes-Benz - Winning by Adil Jal Darukhanawala
26
Friends in Wild Places by Ruskin Bond.

Safeguarding India by NN Vohra.
The Making of India: The Untold Story of British
Enterprise by Kartar Lalvani
Advantage India From Challenge to Opportunity by
APJ Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh.
A State in Denial by B G Verghese
The Kiss of Life by Imraan Hashmi
The Mountain of Shiva by Dr Karan Singh. He is a
member of Rajya Sabha.
OBITUARY
JUNE 2016
NEIL O'BRIEN: An Anglo-Indian community icon and
former Lok Sabha member, credited with pioneering the
quiz in the country, died in Kolkata. He was 82. His son
Derek O'Brien is also a famous quiz master.
MUDRARAKSHASA: Distinguished Hindi writer and
veteran intellectual passed away at the age of 82 in
Lucknow, following a prolonged illness.
INDER MALHOTRA: Veteran journalist passed away at
a Delhi hospital at the age of 68. He was associated with
The Statesman and The Times of India.
SULABHA DESHPANDE: Eminent actor and theatre
personality passed away in Mumbai. She was 79.
SURESH CHATWAL: Veteran TV and film actor passed
away in Mumbai after a brief illness.
MAY 2016
BABA HARDEV SINGH: Spiritual leader and Head of
Nirankari Mission was killed in a road accident in
Montreal, Canada. He was 62.
BALRAJ MADHOK: Former President of Bharatiya Jan
Sangh (BJS) and veteran RSS leader died in Delhi. He
was 96.
TONY COZIER: Famous West Indian cricket writer,
commentator and journalist passed away at the age of
75.
APRIL 2016
POORNIMABEN PAKVASA: Great social worker from
Gujarat, known for her exceptional work towards
educating tribal girls, passed away at the age of 103.
SATYANAND MUNJAL: The co-founder of Hero Cycles
group, a great philanthropist, passed away in Ludhiana,
Punjab. He was 99.
PRATYUSHA BANERJEE: TV actress, known for her
role of Anandi in the popular serial Balika Vadhu,
allegedly committed suicide at her Kandivali residence
in Mumbai.
GUY HAMILTON: Veteran British movie director, who
directed four hugely popular James Bond films, passed
away at the age of 93.
ROGERS NELSON: Pop music superstar, popularly
known as Prince in USA, died aged 57. He won seven
Grammy Awards and earned 30 nominations.
VICTORIA WOOD: Popular comedian, singer and
writer from BBC in United Kingdom, died at 62 after a
short but brave battle with cancer.
MANOHAR AICH: India's first Mr. Universe (1952)

passed away in Kolkata at the age of 104. Famous as the
Pocket Hercules due to his short height 4 11, he was
a very popular figure in the world of body building.
DORIS ROBERTS: The popular TV actress from USA

who delighted audiences as the meddling mother next
door on the popular TV soap Everybody Loves
Raymond, died at the age of 90. She won the popular TV
award Emmy five times.
RAZAK KHAN: Veteran comedy actor who worked in

films like Hera Pheri, Raja Hindustani and
Baadshah among others, died in Mumbai. He was 65.
BILL CAMPBELL: Silicon Valleys veteran adviser who

mentored technology heavyweights like former Apple
CEO late Steve Jobs and co-founder of Google, Larry
Page, died at age 75.
MUHAMMAD ALI: The three-time world heavyweight

boxing champion who ruled the boxing world in late
sixties, died at the age of 74 in Phoenix, USA. Famous as
the greatest, he was suffering from Parkinson disease.
Before accepting Islam, his name was Cassius Clay.
ZAHA HADID: Renowned Iraq-born British architect

passed away due to heart attack. She was 65. She was
worlds most famous female architect and was known
for her neofuturistic design which was her signature
architectural style.
VIKTOR KORCHNOI: Four-time Soviet chess champion,

Grandmaster, died aged 85 in Switzerland where he had
lived since 1976 after defecting from the Soviet Union.
IMRE KERTESZ: Hungarian author, 2002 Nobel

Literature Prize winner, died aged 86 in Budapest, after
a long illness.
27
PLACES IN NEWS
APRIL 2016
JUNE 2016
UJJAIN: The month-long Simhastha Kumbh mela, one of

the largest congregations of Hindus, began in Ujjain on
April 22 on the banks of Kshipra River.
PULGAON: The Central Ammunition Depot of Indian

Army in Pulgaon, Maharashtra was in news as a massive
fire in one of its bunkers destroyed huge quantity of
precious ammunition. It also claimed 16 lives including
two Army officers and left 17 persons injured.
LATUR: City and district in Marathwada region of

Maharashtra was in news as it faced severe water crisis,
especially in the villages. The district with a population
of around 2.45 crore has suffered one of the worst
drought in recent years.
MAHASTHANGARH: The 3rd century BC archaeological

site in Bogra, Bangladesh, has been declared as the
South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation
(SARRC) cultural capital for the year 2016-17.
KOLLAM: In the worst-ever pyrotechnics tragedy to

strike Kerala, 110 persons were killed and close to 400
injured, many of them grievously, when a huge dump of
firecrackers stored for celebrations, exploded near the
Puttingal Devi Temple near Kollam, causing extensive
damage to nearby buildings.
GUWAHATI: It became the first city in the country to

have its own city animal. The city has adopted the
Gangetic River Dolphin as its mascot.
MATHURA: The temple town of UP was in news as
about 3,000 members of a little-known sect that has
encroached upon 280 acres of government land Jawahar
Bagh clashed with the police. The massive violence on
June 3 claimed 29 lives, including an SP and SHO and the
sect head, Ram Vriksh Yadav.
ORLANDO: City in Florida, USA was in news as it
witnessed one of the worst mass shootings in the US
history as a solo gunman killed 50 persons in a gay night
club.
PARIS: Days of torrential rain forced river Seine in
France to burst its banks causing heavy flooding in city
of Paris. Floodwaters have forced thousands of people
to evacuate their homes and claiming several lives.
MAY 2016
CYCLONE ROANU: A strong cyclone lashed the coastal
areas of Andhra and Odisha causing heavy rains coupled
with gusty surface winds affecting the normal life
seriously.
SRI LANKA: Severe flooding has forced half a million
people to flee their homes in Sri Lanka as the torrential
rains and landslides claimed over 100 lives. The worsthit areas were in Colombo's north-eastern suburbs
along the Kelani River.
FORT MCMURRAY: City in state of Alberta in Canada
was in news as it suffered one of the worst wildfires,
torching over 1,600 homes and other buildings and
forcing more than 80,000 residents to flee. The local
govt has declared state of emergency to handle the
situation effectively.
TRIMBAKESHWAR TEMPLE: Famous temple of Lord

Shiva in Nashik, Maharashtra was in news as trustees of
the temple decided that even men devotees will not be
allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple,
reportedly to avoid the entry of women devotees.
KUMAMOTO: Town in south-western island of
Kyushu in Japan was devastated by several rounds of
earthquake tremors leading to death of over 41 persons
and injuring hundreds of others. Around two lakh
persons were affected in the severe earthquake.
PEDERNALES: City in Manab Province in Ecuador was
destroyed in a severe 7.8 magnitude earth quake.
Reportedly, around 654 persons were killed and several
hundreds were injured. Coastal city of Manta was also
very badly affected.
SPORTS WORLD
JUNE 2016
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal won the Australian
Open Super Series Badminton tournament title by
defeating Chinese Sun Yu in Sydney.
Grand Master Harika Dronavalli won the best
women's player award in the Eurasian Blitz chess
tournament in Kazakhstan.
Anil Kumble: Former spinner has been selected as the
new coach of Indian Cricket Team for one year.
Tintu Luka won a silver medal in 800 metres in the
Josef Odlozil Memorial Athletics Meet in Prague, Czech
Republic.
Seema Punia won a gold medal in the womens discus
throw at the Pat Youngs Throwers Classic in California,
USA, securing her quota in Rio Olympics.
28
The Indian recurve team of Deepika Kumari and Atanu

Das won the silver medal at the Archery World Cup in
Antalya, Turkey.
Dinesh and Tarkeshwari Rathod have become the
first Indian couple to climb the Mount Everest on May
23. Both are Constables in Maharashtra Police.
Novak Djokovic: World number one tennis player from

Serbia became the first tennis player in the history to
cross the $100 million prize-money mark in his career
of 13 years. The record was created in a match in French
open in Paris by beating Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.
Ceat Lifetime Achievement Award: Former Indian

Captain, Dilip Vengsarkar.
Cristiano Ronaldo: Star footballer from Real Madrid,

captain of Portugal team, has become the first athlete
from a team sport in almost 20 years to top Forbes
annual list of the World's 100 Highest Paid Athletes,
earning $88 million in 2015-16. There is no Indian in
top 100.
Hero Hockey Champions Trophy Tournament:

Australia defeated India 3-1 in the final played in
London.
Lewis Hamilton (Britain) of Mercedes team won the

Formula 1 Canada Grand Prix title at Montreal, Canada
and also the Monaco Grand Prix.
India won the three-match One-Day International (ODI)

cricket series against Zimbabwe 3-0 and also the three
day T-20 series by 2-1.
Nico Rosberg won the European Grand Prix at the

Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan.
Ceat T20 Player of the Year - 2016: Star batsman

Virat Kohli
NATIONAL RECORD BY MENs RELAY TEAM

The Indian men's 4x400m relay team created a new
national record in relay race at the International Sprint
and Relay Teams Cup at Erzurum, Turkey. The team
surpassed the 18 year old record created at Asian
Games, Bangkok in 1998 by clocking 3:02:17 minutes
against 3:02:62 of old record.
The Indian womens 4x400m relay quartet of Jauna
Murmu, Ashwini Akkunji, Anilda Thomas and MR
Poovamma won the gold medal at the PTS athletics
Grand Prix in Samorin, Slovakia.
IXth Indian Premier League: Sunrisers Hyderabad
defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore to clinch their
maiden title in the finals played at the Chinnaswamy
stadium in Bangalore.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has chosen
Olympic champion shooter Abhinav Bindra as the flagbearer of the Indian contingent at the Rio Games
opening ceremony on August 5.
The junior men's hockey World Cup will be hosted by
Lucknow from the 8th of December this year.
Rahul Johri: Appointed first ever chief executive officer
(CEO) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
in Mumbai on the recommendations of the Justice Lodha
Committee.
N Ramachandran, the President of Indian Olympic
Association (IOA) was awarded the prestigious Olympic
Order by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for
his outstanding services to the Olympic movement.
All India Football Federation plans to launch Mission
11 Million in 30 Indian cities with the support of FIFA
to engage more than 11 million children in footballrelated activities.
England captain Alastair Cook became the first

English cricketer and also the youngest one to reach the
10,000 runs milestone in Test cricket on May 30, playing
against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street, England. Earlier,
this record was in Sachins name.
Copa America Football Championship: won
by Chile by defeating Argentina in the finals played at
East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA). It is the popular
most sports event of USA.
Shocked with the defeat, the Argentine star player
Lionel Messy announced his retirement from the
international football.
FRENCH OPEN CONCLUDES

Mens singles: won by Novak Djokovic of Serbia by
beating Britain's Andy Murray
Womens singles: Garbine Muguruza of Spain defeated
Serena Williams of USA to clinch her maiden French
Open title.
Mixed doubles: won by Leander Paes with Swiss
partner Martina Hingis
Latest FIFA rankings have placed Argentina at top,
followed by Belgium and Colombia at 2nd and 3rd rank,
respectively.
The Rio 2016 Olympic organizing committee released
the official slogan for the forthcoming Olympic Games A new world.
A cheerful white tiger cub, named Soohorang has been
selected as the official mascot for South Koreas 2018
Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Euro 2016: Europe's biggest football extravaganza
began in Stade de France, Saint Denis (France) on June
10.
Wimbledon Tennis Championships begin in London
on June 27. This is the 130th edition of the third Grand
Slam of the season.
29
MAY 2016
Amit Kumar Saroha, Indian para athlete from Haryana
won the gold medal in men's club throw (F-51) at the
French Open Athletics Championship in Paris.
Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam has been selected to
captain Indian women's hockey team for a four-nation
tournament in Darwin, Australia.
India's ace cueist Pankaj Advani has created history in
Abu Dhabi by clinching the Asian 6-Red Snooker title,
becoming the first in the world to hold both world and
continental titles in 6-red snooker at the same time.
Garima Chaudhary won gold medal at the 2016
Commonwealth Judo Championship finals at Port
Elizabeth in South Africa.
Indian boxer Sonia Lather won a silver medal at the
AIBA Women's World Championships in Astana,
Kazakhstan.
Max Verstappen: 18 year old F1 driver from

Netherlands representing the Red Bull team has become
the youngest formula 1 winner as he won the title in
Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, Spain.
Thomas Cup: Denmark won the mens badminton title,
overcoming record champion Indonesia in the final
played in Kunshan, China.
Uber Cup: (women badminton), China claimed the cup
14th time by routing South Korea in Kunshan, China.
French Open, Second Tennis Grand Slam started in
Roland Garros in Paris on May 22. This is the only grand
slam played on clay court.
Italian Open Tennis Championship: Andy Murray
defeated Novak Djokovic to win Men's Singles title.
7th Asian Youth Championships: Indian boxers
bagged three silver and one bronze medal in the games
held in Kazakhstan.
Sprinter Dutee Chand bagged two gold medals by

winning the women's 100m and 200m race at the
Taiwan Open Athletics Championships.
Madrid Open Tennis: Novak Djokovic of Serbia

defeated Andy Murray of Briton to win the finals.
Womens title was won by Simona Halep defeating
Dominika Cibulkova
The Indian womens 4x100m relay team broke the 18year-old national record, though they stood fourth at the
IAAF World Challenge in Beijing.
World Snooker Championship title was won by Mark

Selby of England by defeating Chinas Ding Junhui in
finals played at Sheffield, UK.
Indian women's squash team won the Silver medal in

the Asian Team squash Championships at Taipei,China,
losing gold to Malaysia.
Asia Badminton Championships at Wuhan, China:

Malaysias Lee Chong Wei defeated the world No. 1 Chen
Long of China in the finals.
Indian shooters claimed three gold medals and a

bronze in the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany.
Tobago batsman Iraq Thomas created a record by

scoring 21-ball century in the Tobago Cricket
Associations T20 tournament at Louis D'or, Tobago
(West Indies)
Federation Cup: Football, Mohun Bagan clinched the

title for the 14th time by defeating Aizawal FC in the
Final played in Guwahati.
IOA APPOINTS 4 GOODWILL AMBASSODORS
The Indian Olympic Association has appointed four
Goodwill Ambassadors for Rio Olympics. They are Renowned music composer A R Rahman,
Bollywood actor Salman Khan,
Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra and
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
India and Japan have agreed for mutual exchange of
sports persons, coaches, experts and administrators to
improve the standard of the sports between the two
nations.
Nico Rosberg, the Formula One champion from
Germany, won his seventh race in a row at the Russian
Grand Prix in Sochi, Russia.
Eric Dusingizimana: Captain of cricket team of
Rwanda has set a new Guinness world record by batting
out a straight 51 hours, the longest individual net
session, beating the record set last year by India's Virag
Mane, who had batted a straight 50 hours.
The International Cricket Council has suspended the

Cricket Association of Nepal due to a vacuum of cricket
leadership in the country.
APRIL 2016
CARIBBEANS WON THE T-20 IN STYLE
The West Indies lifted the World T-20 title in both the
men's and women's section. Mens team defeated
England and womens team routed the Australian team.
The finals were played at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.
The West Indies team is popularly known as Caribbeans,
after the name of the group of island countries which
jointly form this team.
Virat Kohli was named as the Player of the Tournament
M C Mary Kom: Indian woman boxer was named one of
the eight ambassadors for the upcoming World
Championships by the International Boxing Association
(AIBA).
30
Dipa Karmakar, 22 year old girl from Agartala, Tripura

created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to
qualify for the Olympics and to win the gold in vaults
event at the test event of the Rio Games in Brazil.
She performed the Produnova vault the extremely
difficult and most dangerous form that involves a front
handspring on the horse and two front somersaults.
Deepika Kumari equalled the world record in women's
recurve event at the Archery World Cup in Shanghai,
China.
India's star batsman Virat Kohli has maintained his
number one position in the ICC T20 batsmen
rankings and team India is also ranked at top.
Asian Kho-Kho championship: both, mens and
womens title were won by India by defeating respective
teams from Bangladesh at Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
The Commonwealth Judo Congress has allotted the

2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships to India. The
games will be held in Jaipur.
SPORTSPERSONS TO GET Rs ONE LAKH PM

Union Sports Ministry has decided to provide one lakh
rupees per month as out of pocket allowance to the
sports persons under the Target Olympic Podium (TOP)
scheme in their preparation for the Olympics and
Paralympics Games at Rio de Janeiro.
Government has decided to merge the Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Abhiyan with the Khelo India programme.
Britain's Anthony Joshua won the IBF world
heavyweight title by stopping American champion
Charles Martin in London, becoming the first boxer in
history to hold the Olympic super-heavyweight crown
(2012) and a version of the world heavyweight title
simultaneously.
National Badminton Championship: Mens title won

by Samir Verma and womens title won by P C Thulasi in
Chandigarh.
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes driver of Germany won the

Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir,
Baharin and also the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.
9th season of the popular Indian Premier League

opened on April 9 in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The first match was won by Rising Pune Supergiants
against Mumbai Indians.
Danny Willett of UK won the US Masters Golf

Championship for the year 2016 at Augusta National
Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, USA.
31
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS

Best Sportsman of the year: Novak Djokovic, Serbia
Best Sportswoman of the year: Serena Williams, USA
Both of them won three grand slams in Tennis in 2015
Best Disabled Sportsperson: Paralympic swimmer
Daniel Dias of Brazil
Best Sports team: New Zealand's Rugby World Cupwinning team
Laureus World Sports Awards, known as the Oscars of
Sports, honour the notable sporting personalities and
their achievements of the previous year.
Asian Nations Cup Chess tournament won by
the Indian mens team in Abu Dhabi
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: Australia beats India to win
the prestigious Hockey Tournament held in Ipoh,
Malaysia.
Singapore Open Badminton Championship: Mens Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia
Womens - Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, world no 1.
Malaysian Open Badminton title won by Lee Chong
Wei of Malaysia against world number one Chen Long of
China in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
MIAMI OPEN (tennis) IN FLORIDA, USA
Mens title: Novak Djokovic (Serbia) won by beating
Japan's Kei Nishikori
Womens title: Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) won by
routing Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia.
BARCELONA OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP

Rafael Nadal of Spain won the title defeating Kei
Nishikori of Japan in the finals played in Barcelona,
Spain.
Monte Carlo Masters: Rafael Nadal Spain of won the
title defeating Gael Monfils of France.
TORCH LIGHTED FOR 31ST RIO OLYMPICS

The official countdown to this year's Rio de Janeiro
Olympics began on April 21 when the actress Katerina
Lechou performing as the high priestess lit up the
Olympic Torch at the Temple of Hera in ancient
Olympia, Greece.
The torch will be carried by prominent sportspersons in a
relay run culminating at Rio on August 5, the opening day
of the XXXI Olympic Games. This is for the first time that
Olympics are being held in South American continent.
ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED
FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES.
DAYS & DATES

JUNE
JUNE 1: WORLD MILK DAY
Observed across the world to increase awareness on use
of milk and to promote activities connected with milk
and the milk industry. It is supported by Food and
Agriculture Organisation of UNO.
JUNE 5: WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
Observed globally to promote awareness for
preservation of environment. The theme for this
environment day is "Go Wild For Life - Zero tolerance
for the illegal wildlife trade."
JUNE 8: THE WORLD OCEANS DAY
Observed globally to raise awareness of the current
challenges faced by the international community in
connection with the oceans. The theme this year is
Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet.
JUNE 12: THE WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR
Observed globally with the patronage of International
Labour Organisation to spread awareness about the
abuse of child labour. This years theme is End child
labour in supply chains - It's everyone's business!
JUNE 14: WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY
Observed across the world to raise the awareness about
the need for safe blood donation. The theme for the year
2016 is - Blood connects us all.
JUNE 20: WORLD REFUGEE DAY
Observed around the world supported by the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to
raise the public awareness about refugees. According to
UNHCR, number of refugees rose by 5.8 million last year
to reach 65.3 million.
JUNE 21: INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY
Millions of people around the world celebrated Yoga
Day by organising mass yoga sessions at various places.
In India, main function was held in Chandigarh where
Prime Minister Modi himself led a gathering of over
30,000 people for a mass yoga session.
JUNE 21: WORLD HYDROGRAPHY DAY
Observed world over to highlight the role of oceans and
seas in human life. This years theme was Hydrography
- the key to well-managed seas and waterways. It is also
the establishment day of International Hydrographic
Organization 95 years ago.
JUNE 23: UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE DAY;
Celebrated at the United Nations Headquarters in New
York with a high-level knowledge sharing panel
on Leaving No One Behind: Innovative Institutional
Approaches and Public Service Delivery.
32
JUNE 23: THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC DAY

Celebrated every year on 23 June to mark the occasion
of the commencement of modern Olympic Games on this
day in 1894 at Sorbonne in Paris.
JUNE 23: INTERNATIONAL WIDOWS DAY
Supported by the United Nations to raise public
awareness on the hardships faced by the widowed
women.
MAY
MAY 01: INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY
Observed across the world to promote and protect
interests of labour class., supported by the ILO. The
theme for 2016 is Celebrating the international labour
movement.
MAY 03: WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
Observed across the world to celebrate freedom of press
and defending the media from attacks on their
independence. This years theme is Access to
Information and Fundamental Freedoms - This Is Your
Right!
Supported by UNESCO, this day was proclaimed by the
UN General Assembly in December 1993, on the
anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, Namibia.
MAY 11: NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DAY
Observed all over India to hail the technological
achievements and developments in the country. This
years theme is Technology enablers of Startup India.
It was on this day in 1999 that the first, indigenous
aircraft Hansa-3 was test flown at Bangalore and the
Trishul missile was test fired successfully. On the same
day in 1998, three successful nuclear tests were carried
out at Pokhran, Rajasthan.
MAY 12: INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY
Celebrated all over the world to commemorate Florence
Nightingales birthday. President of India honoured 35
nurses with the National Florence Nightingale
Awards on this day.
MAY 17: WORLD HYPERTENSION DAY
This years theme is "Know Your Numbers", with the
goal of increasing awareness about high blood pressure.
Normal blood pressure is defined as an average reading
no higher than 120/80 mm Hg. A readings of 140/90 or
higher is considered high blood pressure.
APRIL
APRIL 2: WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY
Observed across the globe, supported by the UNO. The
theme for this year is "Autism and the 2030 Agenda:
Inclusion and Neurodiversity".
Autism is a serious developmental disorder in children
that impairs their ability to communicate and interact.
APRIL 5: NATIONAL MARITIME DAY

Observed in India to commemorate the sailing of Indias
first steamship Loyalty on April 5, 1919 from Mumbai to
London. All major ports observe this day celebrating
Indias seafaring traditions and journeys.
APRIL 7: WORLD HEALTH DAY
Observed across the globe to disseminate knowledge
and awareness about human health and promoting
healthier living habits across the globe. This year the
theme of the Day is Beat Diabetes.
APRIL 8: NEW YEAR CELEBRATAIONS
It marked the beginning of the New Year for a number of
communities in India. For Hindus in North India, it was
Vikram Samvat 2073, first day of the month Chaitra,
beginning of the auspicious Navratras.
In Maharashtra, it was observed as Gudi Padwa
In Andhra and Karnataka; it was observed as Ugadi.
Sindhis observe this day as Cheti Chand.
APRIL 10: WORLD HOMOEOPATHY DAY
Observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr.
Samuel Hahnemann, a German Physician who
developed system of Homoeopathy.
APRIL 14: FIRE SERVICES DAY
Observed every year in India in memory of the sacrifices
made by the firemen during the devastating fire on SS
Fort Strikine ship in Mumbai Dock in the year 1944.
The theme of this years fire services day is prevent fire
accident, promote nations development.
APRIL 14: NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS
People in several parts of India celebrated beginning of
their new year on April 14.
In Assam and Northeastern states, it is observed as
Rongali or Bohag Bihu.
In Tamil Nadu side, it is celebrated as Puthandu.
In Kerala, people celebrate Vishu festival.
In North India, it is observed as Baisakhi, a festival of
gaiety to mark the harvesting of wheat crop.
In West Bengal, people celebrate it as their Poila
Baisakh.
APRIL 17: WORLD HEMOPHILIA DAY
Observed in the memory of Frank Schnabel, the founder
of the World Federation of Hemophilia as this day is his
birth day.
Hemophilia is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn't
clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting
proteins.
APRIL 18: WORLD HERITAGE DAY
Observed with an aim to create awareness among the
people towards conserve and protect the valuable assets
and cultural heritage across the world.
33
APRIL 21: "CIVIL SERVICE DAY"

Observed by all Indian Civil Services to re-dedicate and
re-commit themselves to the cause of the people.
On this day in 1947, Sardar Patel, then Home
Minister, addressed the first batch of civil servants in
independent India.
APRIL 25: WORLD MALARIA DAY

Observed to create awareness among the people about
this vector borne disease. The theme this year is End
Malaria For Good.
APRIL 26: WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DAY
Observed across the world to spread awareness about
the role that intellectual property rights (patents,
trademarks, industrial designs, copyright) play in
encouraging innovation and creativity.
This years theme is Digital Creativity: Culture
Reimagined.
APRIL 22: EARTH DAY

Observed all over the world to demonstrate support for
environmental protection. The theme for this year is
"Trees for the Earth" with the aim of mobilizing nearly
eight billion plantings over the next five years.
APRIL 23: WORLD BOOK DAY
Celebrated all over the world, supported by the UNESCO
to promote the reading, publishing and copyright among
the public worldwide.
APRIL 29: INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY

Supported by UNESCO, it is observed to attract the
attention of general public towards various dance forms.
ANSWER KEY TEST - 1

Q.
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Bullet News
(JAN 2016 MARCH 2016)
For details visit www.gyanm.in
NATIONAL NEWS
MARCH 2016
Union Ministry of Shipping will host Maritime India
A new direct shipping service launched between
Krishnapatnam in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh and

Chittagong in Bangladesh.
India will host the eighth annual summit of BRICS
from October 15-16 in Goa
Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for a three nation tour to Belgium, the US and Saudi
Arabia from March 30 to April 2.
Air India on March 6 flew the worlds longest allwomen operated and supported flight, nonstop,
from New Delhi to San Francisco, USA.
The first World Culture Festival, a three-day event
celebrating cultural diversity was held on Yamuna
bank in New Delhi on March 11-13.
Supreme Court has now allowed use of pictures of
Chief Ministers, Governors and Cabinet ministers in
the government's media advertisements.
The Raisina Dialogue, a joint initiative of the
Ministry of External Affairs and a leading think tank,
Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi on March
2.
India lags behind China, Pakistan and Bangladesh,
ranking 118th in a study of 156 nations, according to
The World Happiness Report 2016
As per the Grant Thorntons Women in Business
2016 report of 36 countries, Russia topped with
45% of senior-business roles occupied by women.
Global Energy Architecture Performance Index
compiled by the WEF placed India pretty low at
90th rank and Switzerland at top.
Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
nations was held Pokhara, Nepal.
Summit at Mumbai from 14 to 16 April, with

Republic of Korea as the partner country.
India hosted a three-day conference in New Delhi
with IMF on the theme of 'Advancing Asia: Investing
for the Future' from March 12 to 14.
6th National Community Radio Sammelan held in
New Delhi. The theme was Community Radio in
India: Towards Diversity and Sustainability.
National Conference of Women Legislators held in
New Delhi, March 5-6, with theme Women
Legislators-Building Resurgent India.
India signed a MoU with Bahrain on cooperation for
prevention of human trafficking, especially in
women and children, their repatriation and
rehabilitation.
India has signed an agreement with Maldives for
avoiding double taxation of income from
international air transport.
First meet of World Sufi Forum was held in New
Delhi from March 17-20. Sufi leaders from over 20
countries took part in it.
The India Aviation 2016, an international exhibition
on civil aviation held in Hyderabad, Telangana with
over 200 participants from across the globe.
Parsi Zoroastrians of India celebrated their Navroz
festival on March 21to mark beginning of their new
year.
Germany has assured its support for developing
three Indian cities as smart cities. The selected
cities are - Kochi, Bhubaneswar and Coimbatore.
Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi ranked
first in 25-40 million passengers per annum
category by the Airports Council International.
35
FEBRUARY 2016
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin
Zayed Al Nahyan visited India.

Swachh Survekshan-2016 conducted by the Quality
Council of India has ranked Mysuru at number one,
followed by Chandigarh and Tiruchirapalli.
Vice President Hamid Ansari paid a five day (Feb 15) visit to South East Asia covering Brunei and
Thailand.
The 4-day National Arogya Fair organised by the
central and state government in collaboration with
CII was held in Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Govt sanctioned Rs.580 crore for the vital Agartala
(India)-Akhaura (Bangladesh) rail link, a project
that was finalized in January 2010.
First National Deworming Day observed on Feb 10
in schools and anganwadis to combat parasitic
worm infections among children.
Free Albendezole deworming tablets were
provided to children across the country.
The eighth Delhi Dialogue was held in New Delhi to
discuss politico-security, economic and sociocultural engagement with ASEAN.
Govt released a commemorative coin of 150 rupees
and a circulation coin of 10 rupees on the occasion
of 150th birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai.
The Road to Resilience, an initiative of the World
Bank to survey the entire Indian coastline was
completed on 15 February 2016.
A group of students of Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Delhi raised anti national slogans, leading to
arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar, President of JNU
students union.
Number of billionaires in India has risen to 111,
placing India third, after China and the US,
according to Hurun Global Rich List 2016.
Birdwatchers from all over India took part in four
day annual Great Backyard Bird Count and shared
the information online.
In a survey of top 38 countries to assess the
protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR),
India ranked 37th
Anti-Leprosy Day was observed on 30 January
nationwide in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, who
attained martyrdom on 30 January 1948.
Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli arrived in New
Delhi on Feb 19 on a six-day visit to India. The two
countries signed 7 agreements for cooperation.
India and Afghanistan have agreed to allow visafree travel for diplomatic passport holders of the
two countries.
India has extended one million dollars assistance to
cyclone-hit Fiji. The category five cyclones Winston
had wind speed of upto 325 km per hour.
Global brand valuation firm Brand Finance has
rated Tata Consultancy Services as the Worlds Most

Powerful Brand in IT Services.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) completed ten years in
first week of February.
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) founded by
Freedom fighter Pt Madan Mohan Malviya has
turned 100 years old on 13th February 2016.
The 42nd Khajuraho Dance Festival, a world famous
annual classical dance festival, was held in the
temple town of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.
The biennial automotive show Auto Expo was held
in Greater Noida in the National Capital Region.
The 47th two-day Conference of Governors of all
Indian states and Lt. Governors of UTs was hosted
by the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
India and Pakistan have agreed to extend the rail
communication agreement by mutual consent for
three years from 19 January 2016.
The 6th National Science Film Festival &
Competition was held at Nehru Science Center in
Mumbai.
13th World Spice Congress was held in Ahmadabad
from Feb 27-29 with the theme 'Target 2020: Clean,
Safe and Sustainable Supply Chain'.
JANUARY 2016
President of France, Francois Hollande arrived in
Chandigarh on Jan 24 for a threeday visit to India.

He was the honourable Chief Guest at the
67thRepublic Day Parade at New Delhi.
For the first time, a military contingent of a foreign
country France took part in the Republic Day
Parade on January 26.
According to a global CEO survey, the top five
markets most important for overall growth
prospects are USA, China, Germany, UK and India.
India sends the largest number of engineers and
scientists to the US, about 950,000 of them.
In the Corruption Perceptions Index -2015 by the
Transparency International, India has been ranked
at 76th position out of 168 countries. The Index is
topped by Denmark, followed by Finland, Sweden.
6th National Voters Day was celebrated across the
country on Jan 25.
The Mysuru-Varanasi Express has become the
countrys first blind friendly Braille-embedded
train.
36
Indias diaspora population is the largest in the
India-Nepal Bus Service between Banbasa border in
world with 16 million people from India living

outside their country in 2015.
The 153rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda
on January 12 was observed as National Youth
Day across the country.
Supreme Court stayed the Central government
notification allowing Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu.
Mumbai has been ranked 22nd and Delhi 24th in the
top-30 list of the worlds most powerful, productive
and connected cities. The list is topped by Tokyo.
The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of
69 bridges on the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa (TKK)
road section of the trilateral highway in Myanmar.
World Bank will provide a $ 50 million loan for Nai
Manzil'Education and Skills Training for
Minorities.
Youth in BPL category in the age group of 17-35
years will be the main beneficiaries of the project.
The Global Talent Competitiveness Index has placed
India at 89th rank on the basis of ability to attract
talent. The index is topped by the Switzerland.
A Nuclear Security Index has placed India at 21st
rank among the 24 countries having one kg or more
of the weapon grade nuclear material.
A four day cultural festival 'Bharat Partv' was held
at the Red Fort lawns in Delhi from Jan 26-29 to
highlight the rich cultural heritage of India
The World Meteorological Organisation has
nominated India as the Regional Climate Centre to
provide information about El Nino.
Make in India Week was held in Mumbai during
February 13-18, 2016 to hold investors meet for the
manufacturing sector.
Indias share in IMF has increased to 2.75% making
it the 8th largest shareholder. Its voting rights now
will rise to 2.6% from 2.34%.
The World Bank will give $ 250 million loan for
Jhelum-Tawi Flood Recovery Project
India and Armenia signed an amended Double
Taxation Avoidance Treaty (DTAA) to share
information on banking and financial transactions.
The largest tricolour (66 x 99 feet) in the country
was hoisted atop the Pahari Mandir in Ranchi,
Jharkhand on the tallest pole standing 293 foot.
Union Ministry of Finance released the draft report
of Justice R V Easwar (Retd) Committee to simplify
the provisions of Income-tax Act, 1961.
The child sex ratio in India now stands at 918 (per
thousand male babies), dipping further from 927 in
2001, and reaching the lowest level since 1961.
Govt has decided to merge the Ministry of Overseas
Indian Affairs with the Ministry of External Affairs
to avoid duplication of work and to improve
efficiency.
Uttarakhand and Kanchanpur in Nepal started on

4th January, after a gap of 27 years.
The 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) was held
on 9 January 2016 in New Delhi. It was a limited
edition as now it will be organised once in two
years.
National Conference on e-Governance held in
Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Indias first World Music Festival will be held in
Udaipur on Feb 12-13. Over 100 artistes from over
12 countries will take part in the festival.
103rd Indian Science Congress held at University
of Mysore, Karnataka.
International Kite Festival held at Sabarmati River
front in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
The Jaipur Literature Festival held at Hotel Diggi
Palace, Jaipur (Rajasthan) from January 21 to 25.
NEWS FROM STATES

MARCH 2016
UNESCO has included Agasthyamala biosphere
reserve located in the Western Ghats, in its World
Network of Biosphere Reserves.
Indias largest heritage conservation project Muziris Heritage Project opened in Trissur in
Kerala. An ancient port city, it has up to 3000 years
old monuments.
Kerala has been declared as the first digital state of
India for achieving digital connectivity of all villages
and panchayats.
37
Delhi has become the first state in the country to
For the first time, on camera evidence has been
launch the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine as

a public health programme for school children.
Surat, Rajkot railway stations in Gujarat stood first
and second in terms of cleanliness, as per a survey
conducted by the Ministry of Railways.
Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh is celebrating
150 years of its existence.
Kerala has started Indias first Gender Park to
promote the gender equality in development to
promote participation of women.
Kerala has taken first of its kind initiative by
launching the Air Ambulance in the state.
captured of the endangered Snow Leopard

inhabiting the high mountains of northern Sikkim.
The 14th edition of Mumbai International Festival
for Documentary, Short and Animation Films was
held in Mumbai from Jan 28 to Feb 03.
The Ardh Kumbh mela formally started at
Haridwar on Jan 12.
Kerala has become the first Indian state to achieve
100 per cent primary education (up to class IV) by
implementing the programme Athulyam.
World Bank to provide $ 250 million loan for the
Bihars Kosi Basin Development Project.
Bihar government has decided to give 35%
reservation for women in all state government jobs.
Bihar govt has announced that no one can contest
the panchayat elections scheduled in 2016 in the
state, without having a toilet at their home.
Telangana has become the first state in the country
to officially accept electronic motor insurance
policies by the name e-Vahan Bima.
FEBRUARY 2016
Haryana suffered big loss due to widespread violent
agitation by its Jat community demanding

reservation for Jats in government jobs.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has
approved construction of Indias longest 14 km
railway bridge on Katni Bina route in Madhya
Pradesh.
As per the National Air Quality Indices (NAQI) for
24 cities, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and
Muzzafarpur in Bihar topped the list for the worst
air quality.
Haryana to become the first state in the country to
have aquifer mapping done for its groundwater
resources by May 2016.
30th Surajkund International Crafts Mela began at
Surajkund in Faridabad, Haryana on Feb 1.
Telangana is the Theme State this time.
The World Bank to give $ 35 million credit for
the Citizen Access to Responsive Services Project
of Madhya Pradesh.
Haryana and the Province of Ontario in Canada have
signed a MoU for enhancing commercial and
cultural ties between the two states.
JANUARY 2016
Mumbai Central has become the first ever railway
station in India to have free high-speed Internet
facility
Sikkim has become India's first fully organic state
by converting around 75,000 hectares of
agricultural land into sustainable cultivation.
Nati folk dance of Kullu district has entered the
Guinness Book of World Records as the folk dance
by largest number9,892 women.
Govt has launched Ganga Gram Yojana in Uttar
Pradesh to minimize/stop pollution of the river
from 1600 villages on the bank of Ganges.
GOVT INITIATIVES
MARCH 2016
The NITI Aayog has launched the Women
Transforming India initiative in partnership with
the UN in India and MyGov.
Govt has launched the Setubharatam project to
make all national highways free of railway crossings
by 2019.
Govt has launched the new four colour scheme for
re-classification of industries based on the Pollution
Index (PI) scores.
Pollution Category
P I Score
Red
Orange
Green
White
60 and Above
41 to 59
21 to 40
Up to 20
No. of industries
covered
60
83
63
36
The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of

one crore houses in next three years in rural areas
under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Gramin
Union Ministry of Tourism has launched the
Paryatak Mitra programme to inculcate
appropriate tourism traits and knowledge amongst
the college students.
The Rajya Sabha passed the landmark Real Estate
(Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 on March
38
10 to address corruption and inefficiency in the

sector.
Government has allowed women to be inducted as
officers in combat roles in the Indo-Tibetan Border
Force (ITBP), the last paramilitary force to do so.
Union Health Ministry has started, on trial basis,
five healthcare ATMs in four states Madhya
Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra
Pradesh.
The Aadhaar (Target Delivery of Financial and
Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016
has been passed by the Parliament.
The UGC has asked varsities and colleges to launch
a special page on their websites for checking
discrimination against SC/ST students.
Lok Sabha passed a bill to amend the Enemy
Property Act, 1968 to cover properties left behind
by people who became Chinese or Pakistani after
leaving India .
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) has launched the 'Clean Street Food
Project' in Delhi to sensitise the street food vendors
about health and hygiene aspects of food.
Railways launched an online clean my coach
service that allows travellers to get their
compartments cleaned by sending an SMS to 58888
or by using an app or a designated website.
Government has decided to digitally connect all the
Post Offices in rural areas by March 2017. There
are about 1,55,000 Post Offices in the country.
The Telecom Commission has approved the idea of
having a common number for emergencies such as
police, fire, ambulance, etc. all over India. The
proposed number is 112.
FEBRUARY 2016
Central government has announced the names of
the first 20 urban areas that will be developed as

smart cities.
The ambitious Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban
(rural-urban) Mission was launched from
Chhattisgarh's Dongargarh block.
The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Self Employment
and Talent Utilisation (SETU) in NITI Aayog.
A mobile app Swachh Paryatan has been launched
to facilitate the public to communicate their
complaints about any unclean area/garbage piles in
and around 25 listed prime tourist destinations.
Govt has decided to extend E-Tourist visa facility to
37 more countries from Feb 26, making the total
count of countries under the scheme 150.
Govt has decided to halve the threshold for
coverage of firms under the EPFO from 20 at
present to 10 workers.
Finance Ministry has launched its official YouTube
channel with a view to disseminate information to

the public on a real-time basis.
Government has launched Project Sunrise for
prevention of AIDS in the 20 districts of eight NorthEastern states.
Union Ministry of Tourism has launched the 24x7
Toll Free Tourist Infoline in 12 International
Languages including Hindi and English in New Delhi
Government plans to set up Special Unit for
Transportation Research and Analytics (Sutra)
headed by Ratan Tata for improvement in railways.
National Disaster Response Force has raised a
squad of 162 dogs for rescuing people trapped
under debris in natural calamities like earthquake.
Indias first-ever Aviation Park will come up near
Bagodara village in Ahmadabad to strengthen the
aviation sector.
National Framework for Malaria Elimination 20162030 released to define the strategy for elimination
of the disease by 2030, in a phased manner.
The National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-2031
unveiled by the environment ministry to focus on
rehabilitation of threatened species of wildlife.
JANUARY 2016
Govt. has started a 19 point Start-up Action Plan
with a Rs. 10,000 crore fund for funding of Startups.

The new ventures will be exempted from
paying income tax on their profit and visit of
inspectors for 3 years.
They will enjoy 80 per cent exemption in patent
fee.
Government has launched the Pradhan Mantri
Fasal Bima Yojana", under which the premium will
be paid by central and state govt.
Farmers will have to pay only a token premium
of 2% for kharif, 1.5% for rabi and 5% for
commercial crops.
Govt has approved 33% reservation for women in
Central Armed Police Forces such as CRPF and CISF
at constablelevel positions.
14-15% reservation has been done at the constable
level in BSF, SSB and ITBP.
Govt has decided that all central ministries and
public sector units will have to float e-tenders for
procuring goods and services exceeding Rs 2 lakh.
India and Australia have agreed to allow people of
both nations to avail retirement benefits in each
other's country.
Health Ministry has decided to use the services of
Global Vaccine Alliance, a global NGO working for
promotion of vaccination in poor countries.
39
Operation Green Hunt refers to an all-out offensive
by Indias paramilitary forces against the Naxalites

in the Naxal affected five states.
River Information System - the first of its kind in
India launched to facilitate safe and accurate
navigation on National Waterway-1 (Ganga River).
Union Govt and J&K have launched Wattan ko
Jano project to familiarize the local youth with the
development of the country in other states.
Sahaj Scheme launched for online booking of LPG
cylinders through the unified web portal
www.mylpg.in, available in 13 languages.
Government has decided to institute a new award
category under the National Film Awards titled The
Most FilmFriendly State/UT.
The Union Ministry of Shipping has started Project
Green Ports to make Major Ports across India
cleaner and greener.
Eight states have agreed to implement direct benefit
of transfer of subsidy in kerosene in 26 districts
w.e.f. April 1, 2016.
Finance Ministry to organise the India Investment
Summit from Feb. 4 in New Delhi to attract global
investors to promote Indian infrastructure sector.
The government has constituted a committee
headed by noted film-maker Shyam Benegal to look
into revamp of Censor Board.
A new luxury super fast express train 'Mahamana
Express' named after Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya
has been started between Varanasi to Delhi.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
3
MARCH 2016
FEBRUARY 2016
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has marginally
revised downward the GDP growth for 2014-15 to
7.2% from the earlier estimate of 7.3%
JANUARY 2016
The Global Economic Prospect by the World Bank
has projected a robust 7.8 per cent growth for the
Indian economy in the current year.
UNCTAD says that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
inflows into India nearly doubled to $ 59 billion in
2015 as against 36 per cent rise at the world level.
ECONOMY
MARCH 2016
The government has allowed 100% foreign direct
Fitch Ratings has lowered Indias economic growth

forecast for next fiscal to 7.7%, but maintained the
GDP growth for current 2015-16 at 7.5%.
investment (FDI) in the marketplace format of ecommerce via the automatic route
To curb the menace of willful defaulters, the SEBI
has barred them from making a public issue or
acquiring another listed entity.
Railways have signed a contract to supply eighteen
Meter Gauge 1350 HP Diesel Electric Locomotives
to Myanmar Railways.
International Finance Corporation launched its first
Uridashi Masala Bonds (Japanese bonds) to
mobilise Rs 30 crore from Japanese retail investors.
The government has decided to invest Rs. 69,575
crore towards increasing Indias quota in the
International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Indias quota increased from 2.44% to 2.75% to
have increased voting rights of 2.6% from the
previous 2.34%.
India signed its biggest ever overseas credit line,
extending $2 billion loan facility to Bangladesh,
repayable over 20 years.
Marutis hatchback Alto has achieved cumulative
sales of three million units in the Indian market in
15 years and 6 months.
Mahindra& Mahindra launched Trringo a digital
app, to start online tractor rental business.
The U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) and the A have signed a MoU to provide $
848 million to develop solar parks across India.
As per the Brand Trust Report, e-retailer Amazon
has been ranked as India's most trusted online
shopping brand, followed by Snapdeal and Flipkart.
The World Bank to provide $250 million loan for
improving the performance of electricity
distribution in Rajasthan.
40
The government has formally withdrawn the
Govt has cut interest rates by 0.25% on short-term
recognition of Delhi Stock Exchange (DSE) after it

was de recognised by SEBI "serious irregularities".
The govt has allowed 49% FDI in insurance sector
without prior approval, as against 26% earlier.
Railways have tied up with the ISRO to use space
technology for providing the passenger information
in all trains and to explore new route alignments.
India and France have signed a MoU for
construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur in
Maharashtra.
World Bank to provide $ 35 million loan for Madhya
Pradesh citizen access to responsive services
project.
World Bank to grant $ 300 million loan for the
Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Quality
Improvement Project
post office deposits, Kisan Vikas Patras and other

small saving schemes below five years of maturity.
Govt to set up the National Organic Farming
Research Institute in Sikkim as the state is country's
first organic farming State.
Govt about Rs 5,030 crore from sale of its 5% stake
in the Maharatna PSU National Thermal Power
Corporation-NTPC, through OFS (offer for sale).
South Arabia emerged as the largest exporter of
crude oil to India in Jan. 2016, exporting 9.4 lac
barrels per day, followed by Iraq at 9.3 lac bpd.
Apprehensive of the name Zika, the virus, Tata
Motors have decided to rename their latest
hatchback model as Tiago instead of Zika.
Asian Development Bank will provide a $80 million
loan for improving the infrastructure in the two
North-Eastern cities of Agartala and Aizawl.
FEBRUARY 2016
JANUARY 2016
In a bid to kick start manufacturing in the
electronics sector, government has launched a Rs.

10,000-crore Electronic Development Fund.
P M Modi inaugurated the Make in India Week in
Mumbai. India is blessed with 4D - Democracy,
Demography, Demand and Deregulation.
As per the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the total
number of companies registered in the country rose
to more than 15.27 lakh in January 2016.
The Intellectual Property Appellate Board has
directed Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai
to issue GI tag for basmati rice to 7 states.
These states are Punjab, Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, parts of Uttar Pradesh
and Jammu & Kashmir.
Brahmaputra Cracker & Polymer Ltd started the
Assam Gas Cracker project, the first ever
Petrochemical project in the North East India.
Union Cabinet has approved Trade Facilitation
Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO),
becoming 71st country to do so.
Indian Oil Corporations latest oil refinery in
Paradip, Odisha started production of petrol from
the Rs. 34,555-crore facility.
The TRAI has barred telecom companies from
charging differential rates for data services,
prohibiting Facebooks Free Basics and Airtel Zero
platform.
India has approved a $150 million credit line for the
development of Irans Chabahar port.
Bajaj Auto has launched a 150-cc motor bike named
V that contains metal sourced from Indias first
aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.
For the first time, 6 metro coaches, each 75 feet
long, were shipped to Australia from Mumbai port
as the first installment of 450 such coaches.
India is home to the fourth largest population of
millionaires in the Asia Pacific region, with 2.36 lakh

such high net worth individuals
The Inland Waterways Authority of India plans to
set up a Waterways Hub at Haldia, West Bengal to
attract more investment in the state.
3 loss-making subsidiaries of HMT Ltd, (Hindustan
Machines Ltd) namely HMT Watches Ltd, HMT
Chinar Watches Ltd, and HMT Bearings Ltd. Closed.
Govt has decided to implement strict emission
norms of Bharat Stage (BS) VI from April 1, 2020, by
skipping BS-V altogether.
World Bank has agreed to provide Rs 1071 crore
funding for the Neeranchal National Watershed
Project
41
India has overtaken Thailand as the world's largest
SBI has launched "FlexiPay Home Loan", offering
rice exporter in 2015, shipping 10.23 million tonnes

as against 9.8 million tonnes by Thailand.
The Asian Development Bank to extend a $625
million loan for the proposed $840 million
Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor.
higher amount and up to five years of interest

moratorium to professionals in the age group of 21
to 45 years.
Govt to infuse Rs 5,000 crore as capital in the public
sector banks to strengthen their balance sheet for
compliance of Basel III capital norms.
RBI has extended the $2 billion currency swap
arrangement to SAARC nations till mid-November
2017 to enhance economic cooperation.
State Bank of India has started an exclusive Japan
Desk as a single nodal point for attracting FDI
worth $30 billion from Japan.
BANKING
MARCH 2016
RBI has asked banks to pay interest on savings
accounts on a quarterly basis or a shorter duration

as against half yearly intervals at present.
The government has reduced interest rates payable
on small savings including PPF, NSC to 8.1% and
7.8% on KVP wef 1st April.
The two day meet of public sector banks and
insurance companies - Gyan Sangam, was held in
Gurgaon, Haryana on March 5-6
RBI has come out with a draft regulatory framework
for new kind of Account Aggregator Non-Banking
Financial Companies (NBFC)
They would act as an account aggregator to
help people view their accounts across financial
institutions in a common format.
ICICI Bank has launched iWork@home that uses
technology to enable women employees to work
from home for an extended period
NPCI, issuer of Rupay card, plans to venture into the
credit card space by September 2016. It plans to
issue 100,000 such cards in the first year.
The RBI has signed a pact with Bank of Israel for
exchange of information pertaining to banking
supervision.
The Reserve Bank granted the first license for the
Small Finance Bank on 4 March to the Capital Local
Area Bank Ltd to start operations as Indias first
SFB.
Indian Overseas Bank has become the first bank to
commence the sale of Indian Gold Coin. The coins
are available in the 5, 10 and 20 gram category.
JANUARY 2016
RBI introduces new banknotes of 500 rupees and
FEBRUARY 2016
RBI has asked banks to follow accounting standard
Ind AS converged with International Financial
Reporting Standards (IFRS) from April 1, 2018.
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance
headed by M. Veerappa Moily submitted the report
on the Net NPAs of Public Sector Banks (PSBs).
As per the report, PSBs had gross NPAs of Rs
369,990 crore and net NPAs of around 205,024
crore rupees, till September 2015.
100 rupees denominations with enhanced security

features.
Reserve Bank has started the process of issuing
'Master Directions' on various regulatory issues in
its bid to simplify the communication process.
Reserve Bank has asked banks to ensure that every
village with a population over 5,000 should have a
bank branch by March 2017
RBI has permitted banks to sell India Gold Coins of 5
and 10 grams, minted by Metals and Minerals
Trading Corporation of India (MMTC)
RBI has advised that the government will pay 2.5%
commission to banks for attracting more gold in the
Gold Monetisation Scheme
The RBI has asked banks to provide loans of up to
Rs 3 lakh at 7 per cent interest rate to Women SelfHelp Group (SHG)
RBI has decided to dispense with the requirement
of physically forwarding paid central government
cheques to the departments for clearance.
From Feb 1, 2016, cheques will be paid
through Cheque Truncation System (CTS), without
their physical movement.
The Union Cabinet has approved conversion of
MUDRA Ltd, an NBFC, into MUDRA Bank to promote
loans under the MUDRA Yojana.
MUDRA:
Pradhan Mantri Micro Units
Development Refinance Agency
RBI has granted operational freedom to banks to
offer all their products and services through the
ATM channels provided technology permits the
same.
RBI has hiked its shareholding in National Housing
Bank by contributing Rs 1,000 crore towards paid
capital, bringing the total capital to Rs 1450 crore.
RBI has asked banks not to issue such 1000 rupee
notes which, by mistake, were printed without
security thread.
42
SBI has become the first public sector bank to

launch wealth management service SBI Exclusif to
cater to fast-growing affluent segment.
The country's largest private sector lender ICICI
Bank became the first private bank to achieve the
milestone of Rs 1 lakh crore in housing loan.
DEFENCE, SCIENCE &

TECHNOLOGY
MARCH 2016
The multinational mega Military Exercise Force 18
was held in Pune, Maharashtra from March 2 to 8.
ICGS Arnvesh, the Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) built by
the Cochin Shipyard was commissioned in the

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in Visakhapatnam.
Iron Fist 2016 - Indian Air Force conducted its
biggest fire power combat exercise at Pokhran in
Rajasthan on March 18.
Indian army test-fired indigenously built nuclearcapable Agni-I ballistic missile with a range of 700
kms from Abdul Kalam Island on the Odisha coast.
Garuda Shakti, the 4th edition of joint army
training exercise between India and Indonesia was
held at Magelang, Indonesia, from March 11 to 23.
Defence Ministry has issued the order for purchase
of transport helicopters CH-47 Chinook and attack
helicopter AH-64 Apache, from the Boeing, USA.
A new 30MHz radar system, Gadanki Ionospheric

Radar Interfereometer (GIRI) has been established
at National Atmospheric Research Laboratory
(NARL) at Gadanki in Andhra Pradesh
ExoMars 2016, an unmanned spacecraft was
launched jointly by Europe and Russia on a Russian
Proton rocket from Baikonur cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan
Australian scientists have created the worlds
thinnest lens which is 2,000 times thinner than
human hair, a breakthrough set to revolutionise
nanotechnology.
FEBRUARY 2016
Indian President and the Prime Minister inspected
the International Fleet Review 2016 held on 4 Feb
to 8 Feb at Visakhapatnam coast.
The Indian Navy's first locally developed nuclear
submarine INS Arihant is now ready for full fledged
operations.
After nearly 60 years of sailing across the oceans,
the Indian Navy's aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat is
destined to be decommissioned in June, 2016.
It was inducted in Indian Navy in May 1987 as

refitted British warship HMS Hermes.
Andhra govt has agreed to base the ship off
Visakhapatnam coast, converting it into a
luxury hotel for promotion of tourism.
A study by the Stockholm-based think-tank SIPRI
states that India is the worlds largest importer of
arms, accounting for 14% of global arms imports.
Indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile, capable of
carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads up to 350
kms, was tested successfully
'Exercise IBSAMAR' (India, Brazil, South Africa
Maritime) between the navies of Brazil, India and
South Africa was held off the Goa coast
Indias first indigenously developed lightest
revolver Nidar, weighing just 250 grams, was
launched by the state-run Ishapore Rifle Factory in
West Bengal.
Indian Army participated in the Cobra Gold 2016
the biggest military exercise hosted by Thailand,
along with its counterparts from 35 countries
Indian and Chinese troops held their first joint
tactical exercise Sino-India Cooperation 2016 in
Chushul-Moldo area of Ladakh border with China.
BAE Systems, UK has announced selection of
Mahindras as its Indian partner for the supply of
145 M777 ultra light howitzers to the Indian Army
LAMITYE 2016, the 7th joint military training
exercise between the Indian Army and the
Seychelles Peoples Defence Forces (SPDF) was held
in Seychelles.
The 9th edition of India-Nepal Combined Military
Exercise Surya Kiran IX was held in Pithoragarh
district of Uttarakhand.
The Ministry of Defence to locally produce 106
upgraded Light Combat Aircraft Tejas Mark 1-A
jets to replace the ageing fleet of MiG aircraft.
The 4th India-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol(corpat)
was conducted by both navies in the Andaman Sea.
Japan joined the US, Russia, and China as one of the
only countries to produce its own fifth-generation
stealth fighter jet- X-2-Shinshin
Saudi Arabia launched a massive military exercise
North Thunder that included troops from 20
nations in King Khalid Military City in Saudi Arabia.
Govt has launched a device developed by the CSIR
CEERI, named Ksheer-Scanner that detects the
adulterants like urea, salt, detergent, soda etc in
milk.
YouTube has launched its YouTube Red service to
offer original movies and shows without ad breaks
to the public.
43
Scientists
working with the LIGO [Laser

Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory],
USA, have detected for the first time, signals of
gravitational waves.
These signals are emanating from two merging
black holes 1.3 billion light years away.
These ripples in space-time were predicted by
Albert Einstein, some 100 years ago.
Union Cabinet has given in principle approval for a
proposal to have a gravitational wave detector in
India under LIGO-India Project.
The Japanese space agency has successfully
launched a new X ray astronomy satellite AstroH
to study the origin of black holes.
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has
launched the country's first anti-diabetic ayurvedic
drug BGR -34 for Diabetes type 2 patients.
Hyderabad-based biotechnology research company
Bharat Biotech has announced that it has developed
the worlds first vaccine for Zika virus.
Mobile messaging app WhatsApp crossed the one
billion user milestone globally on Feb 02.
JANUARY 2016
Indigenously designed and built advanced light
helicopter (ALH) Rudra made its debut at the

Republic Day parade.
Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata successfully testfired long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM)
Barak NG developed in collaboration with Israel.
15th January observed as Army Day. On this day in
1949, Lt.Gen. Cariappa became the first Indian
Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.
The 15th edition of bilateral exercise by the Indian
Coast Guard and its Japanese counterpart began off
the coast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the Bay of
Bengal.
The DRDO successfully test-fired Nag anti-tank
missile at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in
Rajasthan.
INS Kadmatt, the second indigenous stealth AntiSubmarine Warfare (ASW) Corvette, was inducted
in Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam.
India and France began their eight-day counterterrorism
and
counter-insurgency
joint
exercise Shakti-2016 in Rajasthan.
India has supplied three Mi-25 gunship helicopters
to Afghan Air Force.
A new variant of Thrush bird named as the
Himalayan Forest Thrush has been found in the
northeastern India and parts of Tibet, Nepal and
China.
A class of frogs that grows in tree holes who as
tadpoles feed on eggs laid by their mother, has been
discovered in the north-east region.
Bengaluru-based technology startup has

developed Indias first artificial liver tissue with the
help of 3-D printing technology.
Global streaming pioneer Netflix (of USA) has
launched its service in India, allowing viewers to
access unlimited TV and cinema content online
The NASA successfully launched Falcon 9 rocket
made by SpaceX Company, from California to place
ocean monitoring satellite Jason-3 in orbit.
Scientists have discovered the most energetic light
ever detected in the universe from the centre of a
supernova known as Crab pulsar
Astronomers have discovered the largest known
solar system, consisting of a large planet that takes
nearly a million years to orbit its star.
The periodic table of elements in Chemistry has
added four new chemical elements - 113, 115, 117
and 118, discovered by scientists in Japan, Russia
and US.
Scientists in Singapore have developed a humanlike social robot named Nadine, with soft skin and
flowing brunette hair
China successfully launched Gaofen-4 Earth
Observation Satellite from the Xichang Satellite
Launch Centre in Sichuan, China.
INTERNATIONAL
MARCH 2016
The United Nations to set up 20 child and family
support hubs known as "Blue Dots" as special

support centres for migrant children and families in
Europe.
US President Barack Obama scripted history by
becoming first US President to visit its island
neighbour Cuba, after 88 years of strained relations.
The World Trade Center Transportation Hub
was opened to public on March 3 at New York. Built
at a cost of $ 4 billion, it took 12 years to complete.
World Congress of Biosphere Reserves was held at
Lima in Peru from 14-17 March 2016
The US continued to dominate the world of
innovation and inventions by filing 57,385 patent
applications last year, followed by Japan and China.
Microsofts co-founder Bill Gates continues to be the
worlds richest person with a net worth of $75
billion, according to Forbes annual ranking of
billionaires.
According to a new law in Uganda, parents who fail
to vaccinate their children will face six months in
jail.
9th International Abilympics started at Bordeaux in
France. It is a global work skills competition of
disabled persons, held every four years.
44
Changi Airport in Singapore has been voted the
A survey of 230 cities for assessing quality of life by
Worlds Best Airport for the fourth year in a row at

the 2016 World Airport Awards
The 59th Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs
was held in Vienna, Austria
World's first fully electric double decker bus service
was launched by London's transport authority. The
buses have been made by China automaker BYD.
the global consulting firm Mercer has placed Vienna

at the top, followed by Zurich.
Finance ministers and central bankers from the
Group of 20 major rich and developing economies
began a two-day meeting in Shanghai on Feb 26.
A two day summit between leaders from the ASEAN
and the United States was held in California to dwell
upon maritime security in the South China Sea.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and
the European Union (EU) have signed an agreement
to improve cooperation in cyber defense.
Apple notched a record $18.4 billion in profit for the
quarter ending 31st Dec 2015, the largest ever profit
recorded by a single company in world's history.
A Twin Otter plane of Tara Air crashed on Feb 24 in
Dana of Myagdi district of Nepal, killing all 23
people aboard.
On Feb 23, Pakistans parliament became the
worlds first parliament to run fully on solar power.
World Radio Day was observed globally by UNESCO
on 13 February 2016 with the theme Radio in
Times of Emergency and Disaster.
The UN World Day of Social Justice observed on
February 20 to encourage people to look at how
social justice affects poverty eradication.
World Cancer Day was observed across the world
on 4th February. This years theme was We can, I
can.
China's National People's Congress has set the

country's growth target at 6.5 to 7 % for 2016.
FEBRUARY 2016
On Feb 1 MPs of National League for Democracy
party lead by Aung San Suu Kyi joined the

parliament, marking end to the military rule since
1962.
A landmark UN-backed ceasefire came into effect in
Syria at midnight of 26 Feb, supported by both
USA and Russia.
This is the first major truce in five years of civil
war that has claimed more than 2.7 lakh lives.
WHO has declared Public Health Emergency of
International Concern over the explosive spread of
the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon has
released a report called 'One Humanity: Shared
Responsibility'.
The report calls for a global campaign to
prevent the destruction of humanitarian laws
and to protect civilians in conflict.
France has become the first country in the world to
legally ban supermarkets from throwing away or
destroying unsold food.
The three day annual World Government Summit
was held in Dubai.
The Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex, worlds largest
solar power plant started operations on February 4
in the Souss-Massa-Dra area in Morocco.
The first cargo train under Beijing led-Belt and Road
connectivity initiative along the New Silk Road from
China to Iran completed its first journey.
The 10,400 kms trip from Yiwu near Shanghai
to Bander Abbas port in Iran took just 14 days,
a full 30 days shorter than the maritime voyage.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, lead by USA, one
of the biggest trade deals in history, was signed in
New Zealand on Feb 4.
Bank of Japan has imposed, for the first time, a
negative interest rate of minus 0.1 per cent for
certain bank deposits placed with it.
Alphabet, the company that owns Google, has
overtaken rival Apple Inc in terms of value of
market capitalisation on Feb 1
JANUARY 2016
A monster blizzard named Snowzilla paralysed the
entire US East Coast on Jan 24 with hurricane-force

winds and record snow
In a survey to compile Best Country Report
Germany was ranked as the best country, followed
closely by Canada. India was placed at the
22nd place.
The data released by China's the National Bureau of
Statistics shows that China's economy grew 6.9 per
cent in 2015, the slowest pace in last 25 years.
Countries like Brazil, Colombia and El Salvador are
facing the threat of the highly infectious Zika virus
spread by mosquito bite.
It is particularly harmful for pregnant ladies as it
affects the foetus growth adversely.
The Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes species
mosquitoes, which also spread dengue and
chikungunya viruses.
Crude oil prices plunged to 12 year low at $ 29.93 a
barrel, due to abundant oversupply and the ongoing
row between key producers Iran and Saudi Arabia
France has announced a Euro 2 billion state of
economic and social emergency" plan to revive job
creation and catch up with the worlds economy.
45
Digital Dividends, a report by World Bank explores
the impact of the internet, mobiles and related

technologies on economic development in the
world.
A report by U N World Tourism Organization states
that the international tourist arrivals grew by 4.4 %
in 2015 to reach a total of 1184 million in 2015.
The number of international migrants reached 244
million in 2015 for the world as a whole, a 41 per
cent increase compared to 2000.
World Economic Forums prestigious annual
meeting held at Davos, Switzerland, from January
20 to 23.
The World Health Organization has declared Liberia
free of Ebola virus. Now there is no other country
officially reporting Ebola cases.
Asia's largest underground railway station, covering
a total area of 147,000 square metres, opened in
Futian in Shenzhen city in south China.
Toyota continues to be the worlds biggest
automaker selling 10.15 million vehicles in 2015,
closely followed by Volkswagen and General
Motors.
World Economic Forums prestigious annual
meeting held at Davos, Switzerland, from January
20 to 23.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens became the world's
fastest film to make one billion dollars at the global
box office.
PERSONS IN NEWS
MARCH 2016
Lumpur, the first Sikh to achieve the top police post in

the Muslim-majority country.
SCOTT KELLY: The commander of the International
Space Station, returned to earth on March 1, completing
340 days stay in space, becoming the American with
longest stay in space.
FEBRUARY 2016
U K SINHA: The government has extended Sinha's term
as the Chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of
India (Sebi) till March 01, 2017.
SAMEER ANJAAN: Bollywoods popular lyricist has
made into the Guinness Book of World Records for
writing the most number 3524, songs for Bollywood
films.
NEYMAR: Iconic football player from Brazil was in news
as Courts in Brazil issued warrants to freeze his assets
worth almost $ 50 million.
GEN. RAJENDRA CHETTRI: Nepalese Army Chief was
conferred the honorary rank of General of the Indian
Army by the President Pranab Mukherjee.
JANUARY 2016
RAGHURAM RAJAN: RBI Governor was named Global
and Asia-Pacific Central Bank Governor of the Year
2015 by the prestigious UK magazine The Banker
AZIM PREMJI: Chairman of Wipro has been ranked as
the most generous Indian of the year for the third time
in a row with donations worth Rs. 27,514 crore
ARVIND KEJRIWAL has been ranked 42nd among the

worlds 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine. He is
the sole Indian on the list, topped by Amazon CEO Jeff
Bezos.
PM NARENDRA MODI is among The 30 Most
Influential People on the Internet list compiled by the
Time magazine, USA, describing him as an Internet star
who often uses social media to conduct diplomacy.
MOTHER TERESA: The Nobel Laureate was in news as
the Pope Francis, religious chief of Christians,
announced to confer Sainthood on her on Sep 4, 2016.
ATIUR RAHMAN: Governor of Bangladesh Bank,
countrys beleaguered central bank, resigned after
hackers stole over $100 million from its accounts
maintained with the Federal Reserve Bank, New York.
AMAR SINGH: An Indian-origin Sikh has become the
Police Commissioner of Malaysia's capital Kuala
46
APARNA KUMAR, IPS: She is the first woman officer of

any All-India Services to scale the Mount Vinson Massif,
the highest peak in the Antarctic sub-continent.
SHEIKH NIMR AL-NIMR: A prominent Shia cleric,
highly critical of the ruling Al Saud dynasty, was
executed by the Saudi Arabian govt for his alleged
involvement in shooting policemen.
APPOINTMENTS
MARCH 2016
RAJENDRA SINGH: Appointed as the new Director

General of the Indian Coast Guard.
KALYAN SINGH: Governor of Rajasthan given the
additional charge of Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
K N VYAS: Appointed new Director of Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai
AMIT MITRA: West Bengal Finance Minister has been
appointed as the new chairman of the Empowered
Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and
Services Tax (GST).
KALIKHO PUL: New CM of Arunachal Pradesh.
VINOD RAI: Former Comptroller and Auditor General

(CAG) has been appointed as the first Chairman of Banks
Board Bureau (BBB).
PARAMESHWARAN IYER: Appointed as the new

Secretary of the Drinking Water and Sanitation
Department to steer the Swachh Bharat Mission. He is
the World Banks water and sanitation specialist.
JUSTICE BALBIR SINGH CHAUHAN: appointed as the

chairperson of the 21st Law Commission.
ARUNA SETHI: Appointed as the first women head of

the Indian Cost Accounts Services
HTIN KYAW: elected as the first civilian President of

Myanmar to lead the country after 53 years of military
rule.
D J PANDIAN: Former chief secretary of Gujarat has

been appointed vice-president and chief investment
officer of the newly formed Asia Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB).
H DEEP SAINI: Noted Indian scholar and plant

physiologist has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor
of the prestigious University of Canberra, Australia.
JAI KUMAR GARG: appointed MD and CEO of

Corporation Bank
ASHLEY JUDD: The American actor and activist has

been appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the
United Nations Population Fund - UNFPA, (formerly
the United Nations Fund for Population Activities).
MICHELLE YEOH: Famous action heroine of MalaysiaChina has been appointed as United Nations
Development
Programme
(UNDP)
Goodwill
Ambassador.
AHMED ABUL GHEIT: Veteran Egyptian diplomat and
former Foreign Minister has been named as new
Secretary General of the Arab League.
ALI MOHAMED SHEIN: Re-elected as the President of
Zanzibar.
MAHAMADOU ISSOUFOU: Re elected as the President
Niger for a second term
HASHIM THACI: Elected as the President of Kosovo, a
tiny country in southeastern Europe.
FEBRUARY 2016
JUSTICE H L DATTU: Former Chief Justice of India has
been appointed as the Chairman of the National Human
Rights Commission.
ARCHANA RAMASUNDRAM, IPS: Appointed as the

Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal, SSB.
She is the first woman to head a paramilitary force. SSB
guards Indian borders with Nepal and Bhutan.
K DURGA PRASAD, IPS: Appointed Director General of
Central Reserve Police Force.
K K SHARMA, IPS: Appointed Director General of the
Border Security Force.
GURDEEP SINGH: Appointed as the Chairman and
Managing Director (CMD) of NTPC Ltd. For the first time
a Maharatna company chief has been selected through a
search committee route.
Amitava Bhattacharyya, IAS, Bimal Julka, IAS and D
P Sinha, IPS have been appointed as the Information
Commissioners in the Central Information Commission
GIANNI INFANTINO: Elected as the new President of
world Football body FIFA. He is a Football
administrator from Switzerland and is Chief of
European Football body UEFA.
FAUSTIN ARCHANGE TOUADERA: Elected as the new
President of Central African Republic (CAR)
YOWERI MUSEVENI: Elected new President of Uganda,
for the fifth time.
47
ALBERT PAHIMI PADACKE: New Prime Minister of

the Central African country Chad.
AWARDS & HONOURS
CHRISTINE LAGARDE: Re-appointed as the Managing

Director of the International Monetary Fund for a
second five-year term.
MARCH 2016
JANUARY 2016
SAILESH: A senior IAS officer, appointed as the new
Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
AMIT SHAH: Re-elected unopposed as the President of
the Bharatiya Janata Party
63rd NATIONAL FILM AWARDS

Best Feature Film: Baahubali - The Beginning by S S
Rajamouli
Best Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali for 'Bajirao
Mastani'
Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan for 'Piku'
ATULESH JINDAL: Appointed as the Chairman of the

Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)
Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut for 'Tanu Weds Manu

Returns'
DINESH SHARMA: Elected to the 12-member board of

directors of the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB).
DEVENDER KUMAR SIKRI: Appointed as Chairman of
fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of India
Best Hindi Film: Dum Laga Ke Haisha by Sharat

Katariya
AMITABH KANT: Given additional charge of Chief

Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog. He is Industry
Secretary at present.
URJIT PATEL: Reappointed as Deputy Governor of
Reserve Bank of India, for a second three-year term.
Dr. GYANENDRA D BANDGAIYAN: Appointed as the
Director General of the National Centre for Good
Governance.
MARCELO REBELO de SOUSA: Elected as the new
President of Portugal
PAVEL FILIP: Appointed as the Prime Minister of
Moldova, small poorest European country
TSAI ING-WEN: Elected as the new President of Taiwan
GIORGI KVIRIKASHVILI: Elected as the Prime Minister
of Georgia, Europe.
Best
Popular
Film
Providing
Wholesome
Entertainment: Bajrangi Bhaijaan by Kabir Khan
Most Film- Friendly State Award: Gujarat
DADA SAHEB PHALKE AWARD - 2015: Awarded to
veteran actor and film maker Manoj Kumar who played
the patriotic Indian in most of his films, becoming
famous as Bharat Kumar.
KRISHI KARMAN AWARD:
Given to Himachal
Pradesh for its landmark achievement in showing
highest production of food grains in year 2014-15,
despite adverse weather conditions and rain-fed
farming in the state.
CHAMELI DEVI JAIN AWARD: Priyanka Kakodkar and
Raksha Kumar won the award for 2015-16 for their
excellent work in journalism to highlight social issues.
The award is given only to women journalists.
SKOCH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Union
Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu for his
contributions to inclusive growth and towards poverty
alleviation in India.
KAYAKALP AWARD: The PGIMER, Chandigarh won
the award for best hospital cleanliness and infection
control, winning prize money of Rs 5 crore
ABEL PRIZE (for maths): Sir Andrew Wiles, an Oxford
University professor has won the 5,00,000 pounds prize
for cracking a 300-year-old mystery mathematical
theorem.
GOLDEN CITY GATE AWARD: Prestigious award from
the world's leading travel trade show Internationale
Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2016 won by
Kerala Tourism's campaign on responsible tourism.
48
88TH OSCAR AWARDS

Los Angeles, USA, Feb 29, 2016
Given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences, USA to recognize excellence in cinematic
achievements, they are regarded as the highest
recognition in world of cinema.
Best Picture: Spotlight by Tom Mc Carthy
Best Director:
Alejandro Irritu (The Revenant)
Best Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
Best Actress:
Brie Larson (Room)
GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE: The one million dollar prize
for innovative teaching has been won by Hanan Al
Hroub of Palestine for her innovative approach in
teaching.
Chevalier de la Lgion d'Honneur: (Knight of the
Legion of Honour), one of the highest civil honour by the
French government was conferred upon Anand
Mahindra, CMD, Mahindra & Mahindra.
FEBRUARY 2016
ARYABHATA AWARD 2013: The prestigious honour by
Astronautical Society of India given to Dr Avinash
Chander, former Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister
and ex-DRDO chief.
Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Classical Music
Award for 2015-2016: (by Maharashtra government)
won by Sarangi maestro Pandit Ram Narayan, a Padma
Vibhushan awardee.
Khuswant Singh memorial prize for poetry: awarded
to Arundhathi Subramaniam for her poetry book 'When
God is Traveller'.
E&Y ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR 2015: Won by
Vinita Gupta, CEO and Nilesh Gupta, MD of Lupin Ltd, a
leading Pharma company of India.
GOLDEN CONCH AWARD: (for the best documentary
film) won by Manipuri documentary film Phum-Shang
about the environmental problems of Loktak Lake, at
the 14th Mumbai International Film Festival
V SHANTARAM LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Conferred upon veteran wildlife filmmaker Naresh Bedi
BEST FIRST FOREIGN FILM AWARD: won by Titli, a
feature film by Kanu Behl. Award is given by the French
Syndicate of Cinema Critics.
GREEN BOND PIONEER AWARD: won by Yes Bank for
being the Pioneers in Emerging Markets-India. Yes
Bank had issued Indias first ever Green Infrastructure
Bonds for Rs. 1000 crore in 2015
CROSS OF THE ORDER OF MERIT:

Germanys
prestigious honour conferred upon Goverdhan Mehta,
renowned researcher in Chemical Sciences.
HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD: (by Amnesty International)
won by Indian lawyer and human rights defender Henri
Tiphagne, founder of NGO Peoples Watch.
Chevalier de la Legion dHonneur: (Knight of the
Legion of Honour), one of the France's highest civilian
honour was given to Fashion designer Manish Arora
from New Delhi.
ORDER OF FRIENDSHIP: Russia's top civilian awards
given to Ramayah Shanmuga Sundar, Director of
the Kudankulam nuclear power plant.
CRYSTAL BEAR AWARD: Best film award in children
category at the Berlin film festival won by Malayalam
film Ottaal (The Trap) directed by Jayaraj Rajasekharan.
GOLDEN BEAR AWARD: Berlin film festivals top prize
won by the Italian film Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea), a
harrowing documentary about Europes refugee crisis.
DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA AWARD: (for best
feature film) won by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for the
film The Revenant
58th GRAMMY AWARDS, Los Angeles, USA, Feb 15
These are the highest awards given in the field of music.
Category
Album
Artist
Record of the
Uptown fund
Mark Ronson
year
Album of the year
1989
Taylor Swift
Song of the year
Thinking Out
Ed Sheeran &
Loud
Amy Wadge
Best Rock
Don't Wanna
Alabama Shakes
Performance
Fight
Best World Music
Sings
Angelique Kidjo
Album
Best Music Video
Bad Blood
Taylor Swift
69th BAFTA AWARDS, London, Feb 14

British Academy of Film and Television Awards are the
top film awards for Films screened in Europe.
Best Film:
The Revenant
Best Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant
Best Actress: Brie Larson for Room
Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Mexico) The Revenant
Outstanding British film: Brooklyn
49
JANUARY 2016
PADMA AWARDS ANNOUNCED
India's highest civil awards after Bharat Ratna for the
year 2016 were announced on the eve of Republic Day
(25th January). These awards carry no cash component.
Total 112 awards were announced which included 10
Padma Vibhushans, 19 Padma Bushans and 83 Padma
Sris. Some of the famous winners are given below:PADMA VIBHUSHAN - 10
Sr.
Person
Field
From
No.
1
Tamil Superstar
Art-Cinema
Tamil Nadu
Rajinikanth,
2
Founder of the
Trade &
Maharashtra
Reliance empire
Industry
late Dhirubhai
Ambani,
3
Art of Living
OthersKarnataka
founder Sri Sri Ravi
Spiritualism
Shankar
4
Cinema baron
Literature &
Andhra
Ramoji Rao
EducationPradesh
Journalism
5
Former Jammu and Public Affairs
Delhi
Kashmir Governor
Jagmohan,
6
Former DRDO chief
Science &
Karnataka
VK Aatre,
Engineering
7
Cancer specialist
MedicineTamil Nadu
and chairperson of
Oncology
Adyar Cancer
Institute Dr V
Shanta
8
Eminent
Art-Classical
Delhi
Bharatnatyam and
dance
Kuchipudi dancer
Yamini
Krishnamurthi
9
Classical vocalist
Art-Classical
West Bengal
Girija Devi
Vocal
10
Indian-American
Literature &
USA
economist Avinash
Education
Dixit
PADMA BHUSHAN - TOTAL 19
Sr.
No.
1
2
3
4
5
7
8
9
10
Contractor
R C Bhargava
Ms Saina Nehwal
Ms Sania Mirza
Pallonji Shapoorji
Mistry (NRI/PIO)
Architecture
Public Affairs
Sports-Badminton
Sports-Tennis
Trade & Industry
UP
Telangana
Telangana
Ireland
PADMA SRI TOTAL 83

Sr.
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Person
Field
From
Ajay Devgn
Ms Priyanka
Chopra
S S Rajamouli
Art-Cinema
Art-Cinema
Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Art-Film Direction
and Production
Art-Film Direction
and Production
Literature &
Education
Literature &
EducationJournalism
Others-Advertising &
Communication
Public Affairs
Sports-Archery
Karnataka
Madhur
Bhandarkar
Dhirendra Nath
Bezbaruah
Prof Pushpesh
Pant
Piyush Pandey
8
9
Ujjwal Nikam
Ms Deepika
Kumari
Dilip Sanghvi
10
Trade & Industry
Maharashtra
Assam
Delhi
Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Jharkhand
Maharashtra
ASHOKA
CHAKRA: Nation's
highest
peacetime
gallantry award, , has been awarded posthumously to
Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami of 9 Para (Special
Forces) for his acts of most conspicuous gallantry in
eliminating 10 terrorists in 11 days before laying down
his life in the line of duty in Sep 2015 in Kupwara sector
of Jammu & Kashmir.
JNANPITH AWARD FOR 2015: Noted Gujarati writer
Raghuveer Chaudhari became the 56th writer to be
conferred with India's highest literary honour. His most
noted works include novels 'Amruta' and 'Uparvas.
61ST FILMFARE AWARDS DECLARED
Best Actor: Ranveer Singh for Bajirao Mastani
Best Actress: Deepika Padukone for Piku
Best Film: Bajirao Mastani
Best Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Bajirao Mastani
Lifetime Achievement: Moushumi Chatterjee
Person
Field
From
Anupam Kher
Udit Narayan Jha
Art-Cinema
Art-Playback
Singing
Art-Sculpture
Civil Service
Literature &
Education Journalism
Others-
Maharashtra
Maharashtra
THE HINDU PRIZE, 2015: (for best novel) won by

Easterine Kire, poet, novelist and childrens writer from
Nagaland, for her novel When the River Sleeps.
UP
Kerala
Punjab
DSC Prize for South Asian Literature: Anuradha Roy

for her novel Sleeping on Jupiter.
Ram V Sutar
Vinod Rai
Dr. Barjinder
Singh Hamdard
Hafeez
Maharashtra
YASH CHOPRA MEMORIAL AWARD: Given to veteran

actress Rekha for her contribution to the film industry.
50
KNIGHTHOOD HONOUR IN UK: conferred upon Dr

Harpal Singh Kumar, an Indian-origin cancer research
expert for his influential work on prevention and
treatment of cancer.
RAY TOMLINSON: inventor of E-mail, passed away in

Washington, USA at the age of 74. He invented direct
electronic messages between users on different
machines on a certain network in 1971.
Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for 2015 (Asia-Pacific):

Ankita Anand journalist for sensitive portrayal of life for
young women facing the threat of the diktat of khap
panchayats in Haryana.
MARTIN
CROWE: Pioneering
cricketer, widely
acknowledged as New Zealands greatest batsman who
laid the foundations for Twenty20 cricket, died of
cancer at the age of 53.
PEN - Allen Foundation Literary Service Award

(USA): Won by the Harry Potter author J K Rowling for
her support for free expression and charitable causes.
FEBRUARY 2016
WINNERS OF 73RD GOLDEN GLOBES 2016

Held on Jan 10 at Los Angeles, California, USA
Best Motion Picture (Drama): The Revenant
Best Actor (Drama): Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Best Actress (Drama): Brie Larson for Room
Best Director: Alejandro Inarritu - The Revenant
OBITUARY
MARCH 2016
PARAMESH KRISHNAN NAIR: Indian film archivist and
film scholar died on 4 March 2016. He was 82.
P A SANGMA: Former Lok Sabha Speaker passed away
at the age of 68. He was co-founder of the Nationalist
Congress Party and ex-Chief Minister of Meghalaya
KUMARIMUTHU: Famous Tamil Comedy actor died in
Chennai. He was 77.
Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan: Eminent Shehnai
exponent died in Kolkata. He was 77.
LLOYD S. SHAPLEY: Veteran Mathematician from USA,
winner of Nobel Prize in Economics for his study of
strategic decision-making called game theory, died in
Tucson, USA. He was 92.
JOHAN CRUYFF: The Netherland's soccer legend died
of lung cancer in Barcelona, Spain. He was 68. He is
credited with some of the greatest triumphs of the
famous Barcelona Football Club.
GEORGE HENRY MARTIN:
The legendary music
producer, popular as the "Fifth Beatle", passed away in
England. He was 90. Winner of 6 Grammy Awards, he
held Guinness World Records for the most successful
producer ever with more than 50 Numbers.
PAT CONROY: US novelist whose best-selling novels
include 'Prince of Tides' and 'Water is Wide', died at the
age of 70 in South Carolina, USA.
USTAD ABDUL RASHID KHAN: The oldest performing

vocalist of Hindustani Music, Padma Bhushan awardee,
a descendant of Tansen, passed away in Kolkata at the
age of 107 years.
GEN. K V KRISHNA RAO: Former Army Chief who
played a key role in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation
War, died of a cardiac arrest in New Delhi. He was 92.
JASWANT SINGH RAJPUT: Two time Olympic gold
winner in Hockey, passed away at the age of 90 years.
O N V KURUP: Jnanpith award winning, very popular
and most respected Malayalam poet from Kerala passed
away at the age of 84. He was honoured with Padma Sri
in 1998 and Padma Vibhushan in 2011.
SUDHIR TAILANG: Well-known cartoonist, passed
away in New Delhi at the age of 55. He was suffering
from brain cancer.
NIDA FAZLI: Renowned poet and lyricist, known for
compositions like Kabhi kisi ko mukamil jahan nahi milta
and Hosh waalon ko khabar kya, died in Mumbai due to
heart failure. He was 78.
S.S. TARAPORE: Former Deputy Governor of the
Reserve Bank of India died at Mumbai at the age of 80.
BALRAM JAKHAR:
Veteran Congress leader and
former Lok Sabha Speaker, four times M P, passed away
in New Delhi. He was 92.
AKBAR KAKKATTIL: Noted Malayalam novelist and
short story writer passed away at the age of 62.
HARPER LEE: One of America's most celebrated
novelists whose 1960 masterpiece "To Kill a
Mockingbird" was read by millions worldwide, died at
the age of 89. Equally popular was his second novel Go
Set a Watchman, published in 2015. In fact, it was the
original manuscript of her first novel.
BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI: Former UN Secretary
General, the Egyptian diplomat who became the first
Secretary General from Africa in 1992, died in Cairo. He
was 93.
51
SUSHIL KOIRALA: Former Prime Minister of Nepal and

President of Nepali Congress passed away in
Kathmandu after prolonged illness. He was 78.
EDGAR MITCHELL: NASA astronaut, who was the sixth
man to walk on the Moon from Apollo 14 mission in Feb
1971, died in West Palm Beach, Florida at age of 85.
JANUARY 2016
MRINALINI SARABHAI: Veteran dancer and Padma
Bhushan recipient passed away in Ahmedabad. She was
97. She was proficient in Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and
Mohiniyattam.
LtGen. J F R JACOB (retd): Ex Governor of Goa and
Punjab and war hero of 1971 Bangladesh war, passed
away in New Delhi after a brief illness. He was 92.
GENERAL O P MALHOTRA: Former Punjab Governor
and ex-Chief of Army Staff passed away in Gurgaon due
to old-age complications on Dec 29. He was 93.
V. RAMA RAO: Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
leader and former Sikkim Governor passed away in
Hyderabad after prolonged illness. He was 80.
RAJESH VIVEK UPADHYAY: Noted film/ TV artist died
in Hyderabad. He was 66. Rajesh was mainly known for
his roles in films like Lagaan (Guran) and Swades.
MUFTI MOHAMMAD SAYEED: Jammu and Kashmir
Chief Minister died in New Delhi. He was 79.
SAROSH HOMI KAPADIA: Former Chief Justice of India,
68, passed away in Mumbai.
A.B. BARDHAN: Veteran Communist Party of India
leader, 92, passed away after a long illness at New
Delhi.
PLACES IN NEWS
MARCH 2016
BAGHMARA: The first-ever auction of a gold mine in
the country was held in Baghmara, Chhattisgarh. The
auction was won by Vedanta ltd., a unit of global mining
giant Vedanta Resources.
BRUSSELS: A series of bombings ripped through
Brussels airport and the Maelbeek metro station in
Belgium, killing around 38 people and injuring 130
others. Terror group - Islamic State claimed the
responsibility for the attacks.
FEBRUARY 2016
KUMBAKONAM: Temple town of Thanjavur district in
Tamil Nadu was the venue for the famous Mahamaham
festival on Feb 22.
ELEPHANTA ISLAND: Located near Mumbai, a UNESCO
world heritage site, famous for its Hindu cave sculptures
depicting the cult of Shiva, was in news because the
island, which was dependent upon diesel-powered
generators for electricity until now, will be completely
electrified by August, 2016.
MURUD-JANJIRA BEACH: A picnic along the Arabian
Sea went horribly wrong for a group of collegians from
Pune when 13 of them drowned off the Murud-Janjira
beach in Maharashtras Raigad district.
CYCLONE WINSTON: One of the most powerful storms
recorded in the southern hemisphere tore through the
Pacific island nation Fiji, killing over 44 persons,
flattening
remote
villages
and
cutting
off
communications.
DAVID BOWIE: One of the most influential recording

artists of all time in UK, passed away due to throat
cancer. He was 69.
MARVIN MINSKY: Noted mathematician and the
computer scientist, pioneer of artificial intelligence, died
at the age of 88 in Boston, USA.
NATALIE COLE: Grammy-winning US singer passed
away in Los Angeles. She was 65. She gave super hits
like Our Love and This Will Be.
HASKELL
WEXLER:
Oscar
winning
US
cinematographer died in California. He was 93. He was
one of the Americas most influential cinematographers.
YASUTARO KOIDE: The worlds oldest man died in
Nagoya, Japan at the age of 112
52
JANUARY 2016
PATHANKOT: A group of 6 suspected Jaish-eMohammad (JeM) terrorists attacked the Pathankot Air
Force base in Punjab on January 2. All the attackers
were killed, claiming martyrdom of 7 defence personnel
India clinched the Asia Cup T20 trophy for a record

sixth time after beating Bangladesh by eight-wickets in
the final at Mirpur, Bangladesh.
Col C K Nayudu Trophy won by Mumbai by beating
Madhya Pradesh in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Nayudu
was the first Indian captain of Indian test match team
KALIACHAK: A small town 25 kms southwest of Malda

in West Bengal was in news as more than a dozen
policemen were injured and police station was set on
fire in mob fury in an incident of communal violence.
1st All India Open Invitational Snooker

Championship won by Rahul Sachdev in Aurangabad,
Maharashtra.
UMAID BHAWAN PALACE: in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, has

been adjudged the best hotel in the world based on
reviews and opinions collected by travel site Trip
Advisor for its Travellers Choice awards for Hotels'.
National Race Walking Championships, Jaipur:

Gurmeet Singh and Khushbir Kaur won the gold in
20kms event for men and women, respectively.
CHARSADDA: At least 25 persons were killed and

several other were seriously wounded when Taliban
suicide attackers stormed the prestigious Bacha Khan
University in Charsadda, near Peshawar in Pakistan.
MAZAR-e-SHARIF: City in Afghanistan was in news as
the Indian Consulate there was attacked by the heavily
armed terrorists. An intense 25-hour gun-battle
between security forces and terrorists ended in the
killing of all attackers.
RAMADI: City in Iraq was declared liberated from the
Islamic State group after clinching a landmark victory
against the jihadists. The city was lost to IS in May, 2015.
SPORTS WORLD
MARCH 2016
Gurmeet Singh created history by becoming the first
Indian athlete to clinch a gold medal in the Asian 20 km
Race Walk Championships in Nomi, Japan.
S S P Chawrasia, ace Indian golfer won the European
Tour Hero Indian Open title in Delhi.
Dhruv Sitwala won the Asian Billiards Championship
held at Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Indian shooter Jitu Rai clinched the 50m pistol gold at
the ISSF World Cup in Bangkok,Thailand.
Deepika and PR Sreejesh won the Dhruv Batra Player
of the Year Award for Women and Men respectively at
the Hockey India Annual Awards.
Santosh Trophy National Football Championships:
Services retained the title after beating hosts
Maharashtra in the summit clash in Nagpur.
Irani Cup Cricket championship: Rest of India team
won the title by beating Mumbai team in the finals
played in Mumbai.
Pro Kabaddi League Season 3: Patna Pirates beat the

U Mumba to emerge as Champions in the finals played in
Delhi.
Russias Sergey Karjakin won the World Chess
candidates tournament in Moscow
Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton Tournament:
won by India's H S Prannoy in Basel, Switzerland.
World Table Tennis Team Championship: China
defeated Japan in both, mens and womens category, to
win both the championships at Kuala Lumpur.
In the second division, both, men's and women's team
titles were bagged by Indian teams.
All England Open Badminton Championship: Lin Dan
of China won the finals by beating his own teammate
Tian Houwei in the finals played in Birmingham, UK.
BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament: Novak
Djokovic of Serbia and Victoria Azarenka of Belarusia
won the mens and womens singles title, respectively, in
the finals played at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in
Southern California.
UCI Track Cycling Championship 2016 held in
London.
Dubai Tennis Championships: Stanislas Wawrinka of
Switzerland won the title by defeating Marcos Baghdatis
of Cyprus
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Former world number one tennis
star failed a drugs test at the Australian Open. As a
result, the 28 year old Russian star, a five time Grand
Slam champion, was suspended from sports, pending
further action.
FEBRUARY 2016
Dutee Chand, ace sprinter set a new national record in
the 60m dash in 7.28 seconds at the 7th Asian Indoor
Athletics Championships in Doha.
53
Kidambi Srikanth won the Men's Singles title of the

Syed Modi International Badminton Championships
held in Lucknow, U P.
Anirban Lahiri, Indias top golfer has been voted as the
Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Year by fans in an online
poll.
Rishabh Pant, Wicketkeeper-batsman in India U-19
team created world record for fastest 50 playing against
Nepal in the ICC U-19 World Cup in Mirpur, Bangladesh.
Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis won
the St. Petersburg Ladies Doubles Trophy.
12th South Asian Games came to an end on Feb 16 at
Guwahati. India finished at the top with a record 308
medals - 188 Gold, 90 Silver and 30 Bronze. Shooter
Chain Singh won record 6 Gold medals. Hosted city was
Shillong and Guwahati.
13th SAG will be hosted by Nepal in Kathmandu in 2019.
Ranji Trophy: Mumbai won the prestigious cricket
championship
defeating
Saurashtra
in
Pune,
Maharashtra.
The Indian women's cricket team lead by Mithali Raj
won the three-match Twenty20 International series
against Sri Lanka 3-0 in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
Hockey India League: Jaypee Punjab Warriors won the
championship by beating Kalinga Lancers in Ranchi,
Jharkhand.
36th National Chess team Championship was won by
the Indian Railways in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Punjab defeated Mizoram to lift the Dr BC Roy Trophy
for the National Junior Football Championship at
Hoshiarpur, Punjab.
34th
Senior National Rowing Championship held at

Hussainsagar Lake, Hyderabad.
83rd Senior National Snooker Championship: Aditya
Mehta won the title by defeating Manan Chandra in
Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
Kerala won the 61st National School Athletics
championship held in Kozhikode, Kerala
India achieved a rare 3-0 clean sweep in the T20
International against Australia in Sydney to emerge on
the top of the ICC T20 rankings.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN concludes in Melbourne,

Australia. First of the four grand slams of tennis
Mens Singles: World Number One Novak Djokovic of
Serbia beats Andy Murray of Britain
Womens Singles: Germany's Angelique Kerber got her
maiden grand slam title by beating defending champion
world no 1, Serena Williams of USA
Mens Doubles: Jamie Murray of UK and Brazils Bruno
Soares won the title
Womens Doubles: Sania Mirza of India Martina Hingis
of Switzerlandwon the title
Quinton De Kock, batsman from South Africa became
the quickest and the youngest batsmen to score 10
centuries in ODIs. He notched it up in just 55 innings,
beating the record of Hashim Amla who had notched up
10 tons in 57 innings. He scored his 10th century in
Centurion, SA, playing against England.
Brendon McCullum, New Zealand Skipper has smashed
the fastest ever Test century in just 54 balls, playing
against Australia at Christchurch.
Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: won by Sean
Abbott, the bowler from Australia.
ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup: The West Indies
won the cup for the first time, beating three time
champions India in Mirpur, Bangladesh.
Badminton Asia Team Championships: China and
Indonesia won the womens and mens categories,
respectively, in Hyderabad.
2021 World Aquatics Championships will be hosted
by Fukuoka city of Japan and by Doha, Qatar in 2023.
The first ever Asia Cup in its T-20 format started from
February 24th in Bangladesh.
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 will be
hosted by England in June 2017.
Helmet for Umpires: Concerned about the safety of its
on-field officials, the ICC has decided to provide
specially designed helmets to umpires in the upcoming
World T20 in India to ensure their safety.
JANUARY 2016
The Indian womens cricket team made history on Jan

29 by clinching its maiden T20 series win over threetime world champions Australia in Melbourne.
DHANWADE SCORES RECORD 1009 RUNS

Mumbai teenager Pranav Dhanawade scripted history
by becoming the first batsman ever to notch up a fourfigure score by smashing an unbeaten knock of 1009
including 59 sixes and 129 fours in 6 hours 35 minutes.
Fittipaldi of Brazil won the MRF Challenge Formula

2000 race in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.
Ravichandran Ashwin, Indias off-spinner was ranked

as the No. 1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings for 2015.
54
PV Sindhu won the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold

Badminton title beating Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour in the
final at Penang, Malaysia.
Jehan Daruvala of India won the New Zealand's most
popular motor race the Lady Wigram Trophy.
Siril Verma, young Indian badminton player was
declared number one in junior men's singles category in
the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.
APURVI CHANDELA broke the world record on 5
January 2016 to grab a gold medal in the women's 10
metre air rifle event with a score of 211.2 at the Swedish
Cup Grand Prix in Savsjo, Sweden.
Later, she won her second gold in 10 metre tri series
event, thereby also winning the title of Shooter of the
Tournament
V V S Laxman's classy innings of 281 against Australia
at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 2001 has been rated
as the greatest Test performance of the last 50 years in
an online survey by the Cricket Magazine.
ONGC won the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hockey tournament
by beating Railways in New Delhi.
Rakhi Haldar and Kavita Devi won gold in their
respective weight categories in the Senior National
Weightlifting Championships held in Patiala, Punjab.
Arunima Sinha, the amputee mountaineer who set a
record by climbing the Mount Everest, conquered Mount
Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest mountain outside
Asia, at 6960.8 metres.
India won the first T20 Asia cup Cricket for
Blind beating Pakistan by 44 runs in the finals held at
Kochi, Kerala.
Senior National Wrestling Championship, New Delhi

Gold won by Bajrang Punia in Men's 65kg and Ritu
Phogat in women's 48kg Freestyle categories.
Priyanka Phogat won the gold in the womens 55kg
category.
Overall championship was won by Railways in mens
category and by Haryana in womens category.
Vijay Merchant (U-16) Trophy: Punjab won the
cricket trophy after beating Mumbai in Bengaluru.
Premier Badminton League: Delhi Acers won the title
by beating Mumbai Rockets in New Delhi.
Indian women boxers won 4 gold, 9 silver and 9 bronze
medals at the 5th Amateur International Boxing
Association (AIBA) Nations Cup in Ruma, Serbia.
The 61st National School Athletic Meet held at
Kozhikode, Kerala from Jan 29.
Justice (Retd) R M Lodha committee appointed by the
S C to look into the affairs of BCCI has recommended
sweeping reforms that include a bar on ministers from
occupying positions, putting a cap on the age and tenure
of the office-bearers and legalising betting.
Japan's Izumo Takuto and Hong Kong's Zhu
Chengzhu won the boys' and girls' table tennis titles,
respectively, in the 11Even Sports 2015 ITTF World
Junior Circuit Finals in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
FIFA Ballon d'Or award: Lionel Messi of Argentina
won the World Player of the Year Award for the fifth
time.
FIFA Womens World Player of the Year: Carli
Lloyd, US midfielder claimed her first award.
Delhi International Chess Tournament started in

Delhi on Jan. 9
BCCI ANNUAL HONOURS
'Cricketer of the Year' - Men: Virat Kohli, Indian Test
captain
'Cricketer of the Year' - Women: Mithali Raj, 1st Indian
woman and 2nd in world to complete 5,000 runs in ODI
India beat defending champions Afghanistan 2-1 in the
final of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF)
Cup in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Chennai Open Tennis: Stanislaus Wawrinka (Swiss)
won the cup for the third time in row, beating Borna
Coric of Croatia.
The 76th All-India Inter-University Athletics
Championship was held in Patiala and the Punjabi
University emerged as the overall champions for the
sixth year in a row.
55
INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY FEDERATION

ANNUAL AWARDS 2015
Player of the Year (men): Robert Van der Horst, The
Netherlands
Player of the Year (women): Lidewij Welten, The
Netherlands
World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the
Qatar Masters Open Chess Tournament.
Ronnie O'Sullivan of Britain won his sixth World
Snooker Masters title after defeating Barry Hawkins in
London.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul: The West Indies batsman
announced his retirement from international cricket
Veteran tennis star Marat Safin became the first
Russian player to enter the prestigious International
Tennis Hall of Fame, USA.
2015 BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL Tennis Tournament

at Brisbane, Australia.
Mens Singles: Milos Raonic of Canada defeated Roger
Federer
Womens Singles: Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beats A
Kerber
Mens Doubles: Henri Kontinen & John Peers
Womens doubles: Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis
Australia has declined to take part in forthcoming
Under-19 World Cup Tournament in Bangladesh citing
security reasons.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

MARCH 2016
BOOK
East of Suez
Buddhist Biology
Standing GuardA Year in
Opposition
Our Impossible Love
The Girl on the Train
Life Mantras
Gandhi: An Illustrated
Biography
Fixed: Cash and Corruption
in Cricket
Indigo Selected Stories
A Handbook for My Lover
AUTHOR
Alice Perrin
David P. Barash
P Chidambaram.
Durjoy Dutta
Paula Hawkins
Subrata Roy Sahara
Pramod Kapoor
Shantanu Guha Ray
Satyajit Ray
Rosalyn DMello.
Who Was Shivaji

An Economist In The Real
World
Bullets and Bylines
Lal
Bahadur
Shastri:
Netritva ke Sutra
Dial D for Don
Inside Stories
of
CBI
Case Missions
Ancestral Affairs
Why We Love the Way We
Do
The Bestseller She Wrote
In Other Words
Nathuram Godse - The
Story of an Assassin
Transendence a book
Azad Bachpan ki Aur

The Turbulent Years 19801996
Indias Foreign Policy
The Z Factor: My Journey as

the Wrong Man at the Right
Time
Maru
Bharat
Bharat (My India
India) written
Saru
Noble
Go Set a Watchman, the

second novel
A God in Ruins
Govind Pansare
Kaushik Basu
Shyam Bhatia, noted
journalist
Anil Shastri and Pawan
Chowdhary
Neeraj Kumar, former
Police Commissioner of
Delhi
Keki Daruwalla.
Preeti Shenoy
Ravi Subramanian
Jhumpa Lahiri
Anup Sardesai
Former President APJ
Abdul Kalam based on his
spiritual experiences with
Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel
Peace prize winner
Pranab Mukherjee,
President of India
Muchkund Dubey, a
former Indian Foreign
Secretary
an autobiography of
Subhash Chandra, media
moughal, founder of Zee
TV.
Jain Acharya
Ratnasundersuriswarji
Maharaj. This is the
300th book written by
Maharaj ji.
Harper Lee, topped the US
bestseller list in 2015,
selling 1.6 million copies.
Kate Atkinson - The book
won the novel-of-the-year
prize at Britain's Costa
Book Awards 2015.
'Anything But Khamosh'

Bharathi S Pradhan.
biography of Shatrughan
Sinha written
The Bose Brothers and Madhuri Bose, the grandIndian Independence An
niece of Netaji Subhas
Insiders Account
Chandra Bose.
56
On My Terms: From the

an autobiography of
Grassroots to the Corridors
Sharad Pawar
of Power
This Unquiet Land
Barkha Dutt
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Jeff Kinney
See Me
Nicholas Sparks
Rogue Lawyer
John Grisham
Combating Hunger and
M.S. Swaminathan
Achieving Food Security
Chronicles of Time and
Raymond Francis Isar
Chance
Because We Say So
Noam Chomsky
Why India Is Not A Great
Bharat Karnad
Power (Yet)
My Gita
Devidutt Pattnaik
The Mare's Trap
Wendy Doniger.
What Happened to Netaji
Anuj Dhar
Rebooting India: Realizing a Nandan Nilekani and Viral
Billion Aspirations
Shah
India-Myanmar Relations
Rajiv Bhatia
The Clintons' War on
Roger Stone and Robert
Women
Morrow
Mrs Funnybones
Twinkle Khanna
To the Brink and Back:
Jairam Ramesh.
Indias 1991 Story
A Childrens History of India
Subhadra Sen Gupta.
The Country of First Boys
Amartya Sen
Baat Niklegi toh Phir
Sathya Saran
Dreaming Big: My Journey to
an autobiography of
Connect India
Sam Pitroda, noted
technocrat who brought
telecom revolution in
India.
The Chinar Leaves
veteran Congress leader
and close aide of the
Gandhi family M L
Fotedar
Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri,
An Insiders Account of
ex Foreign Minister of
Pakistans Foreign Policy
Pakistan.
The Courage to Act - A
Ben S. Bernanke. The
Memoir of a Crisis and Its author is the ex governor
Aftermath by
of the Federal Reserve of
USA and the book is about
the lessons learnt from
the recessions like 2008
Financial Crisis.
The Outsider: My Life in
an autobiography of
Intrigue
Frederick Forsyth, noted
thriller novelist.
Two Years Eight Months and
Salman Rushdie.
Twenty Eight Days

The Monsoon War: Young
Capt Amarinder Singh
Officers Reminisce 1965
and Lt. Gen. Tajindar
India-Pakistan'
Shergill
The Curse of Surya
Dev Prasad.
Hubris: Why Economists
Meghnad Desai.
Failed to Predict the Crisis
and How to Avoid the Next
One
The Power of Meow
David Michie
Muslim Cosmopolitanism in
Seema Alavi
the Age of Empire
Portrait of a Serial Killer
Khushwant Singh (edited
by Mala Dayal)
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58
Latest MCQs
ON CURRENT AFFAIRS
JUNE GK TEST 01
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The __________ has made it mandatory for

Participatory Note (P-Note) users to follow
Indian anti-money laundering laws.
A. Reserve Bank of India
B. Securities and Exchange Board of India
C. Export-Import Bank of India
D. Industrial Finance Corporation of India
E. Finance Ministry
Which of the following is the Indias first
reusable space shuttle, successfully launched
from Sriharikota?
A. SLV-TD
B. MLV-TD
C. PLV-TD
D. RLV-TD
E. GSLV-TD
Which committee has recently submitted its
report on the New Education Policy?
A. Ashok Dalwai committee
B. JS Rajput committee
C. T S R Subramanian committee
D. Sudhir Mankad committee E. None of these
A locker holder in a bank is the same as a/an
______ is to a _______ .
A. owner, building
B. tenant, building
C. creditor, debtor
D. debtor, creditor
E. partner, another partner
Prime Minister Narendra Modis maiden visit
to Iran resulted in
A. A pact on developing the Chabahar Port
B. A trilateral transit pact including Afghanistan
C. The launch of a multimedia website and mobile
app
D. All of these
E. Only A
Pick the odd one out.
A. Piyush Goyal
B. General VK Singh
C. Suresh Prabhu
D. Uma Bharti
E. Sarbanand Sonowal
Find the wrong pair.
A. GST: Taxation
B. FRBM: Fiscal deficit
C. GAAP: Accounting norms
D. FATCA: Taxation compliance
E. GAAR: International trade
The tropical cyclone Roanu had recently hit
A. Russia
B. India
C. The United States D. Japan E. The Philipines
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
The Pench National Park is located in which

state of India?
A. Rajasthan
B. Madhya Pradesh
C. Uttar Pradesh
D. Gujarat
E. None of these
Which of the following is NOT true of a
Reverse Mortgage Loan?
A. The borrower has the right to dispose of the
mortgaged property.
B. The bank pays the borrower regular EMIs of a
pre-determined amount as part of the loan deal.
C. The mortgaged asset in case of such a loan has
to be a residential unit.
D. The borrower can occupy, use and maintain
the mortgaged property as per his will.
E. All of these are true.
Which IPL franchise took home the winners
trophy in 2016?
A. Kings XI Punjab
B. Mumbai Indians
C. Hyderabad Sunrisers
D. Kolkata Knight Riders
E. Rajasthan Royals
Which TV serial recently earned a place in the
Guinness Book of World Records?
A. Siya Ke Ram
B. Balika Vadhu
C. Devon Ke Dev Mahadev D. Naagin
E. Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlaata Hai
The 42nd G7 summit was held in
A. Japan
B. Canada
C. France
D. Germany
E. Russia
Which state ranks first in the implementation
of MGNREGA?
A. Goa
B. Meghalaya
C. Punjab
D. Tripura
E. Himachal Pradesh
The book Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover
Up has been written by
A. SK Mishra
B. Hari More
C. Amrish Tripathi
D. Rana Ayyub
E. Teesta Setalvad
Mt. Sinabung volcano, which erupted recently,
is located in
A. Indonesia
B. Japan
C. Mexico
D. The USA
E. The Phillipines
59
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Which is the first Union Territory in India

have signed a 247 Power for All document
with Government of India?
A. Daman and Diu
B. Puducherry
C. Chandigarh
D. Lakshadweep
E. New Delhi
Which of the following defines the role of a
bank most appropriately?
A. Financial intermediary
B. Custodian of public money
C. Financial services provider
D. Provider of loans
E. Depository of excess money
The topmost authority for customer
complaint redressal within a bank is the
A. CEO
B. Chairman
C. Internal Ombudsman
D. RBI Ombudsman
E. Managing Director
Hotlisting a credit card implies
A. Cancelling the credit card
B. Declining a card due to its exceeding the credit
limit
C. Disabling a card as it has been lost/ misplaced
by its owner
D. Giving preferential treatment to a credit card
owner
E. None of these
The acronym EMV refers to a technology used
in
A. Medical science
B. Computers
C. Construction
D. Banking
E. Stock markets
The new name given to India Post will be
A. Post Bank of India
B. India Post Payment Bank
C. Ind Post Bank
D. Post India
E. India Post Bank
ASHA, Kilkari, NRHM all these programmes
are meant for
A. a cleaner India
B. financial aid to SC/STs
C. health promotion
D. newborn children
E. None of these
Which of the following is/are true of Savings
Bank Accounts and Current Accounts in India?
1. The use of cheque book is allowed in both the
types of accounts
2. Both the accounts can be run as long as the
customer wants to
3. The KYC requirement can be waived off for
certain categories of savings accounts.
A.1 only
B.1 and 3
C. 2, 3
D. 2 only
E.1, 2 and 3
Which one is NOT a popular stock market
index?
A. Kospi
B. NASDAQ
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
C. NYMEX
D.CAC 40
E. Mid Dax
The acronym FCCB refers to the
A. Money raised through domestic bonds
B. Money raised abroad through rupee bonds
C. Money raised abroad through bonds
D. Money raised using equity
E. Full convertibility of rupee
Which of the following words/expressions
denotes paperless trading in shares?
A. CDSL
B. ASBA
C.T + 2
D. Trading ring
E. Demat
Which one does NOT gel with the rest of the
group?
A. Virtual banking
B. Internet banking
C. Branchless banking
D. Brick and mortar banking
E. Mouse and Click banking
The loan/s to which of the following is/are
NOT priority sector loan/s in India?
1. Farmers
2. Minorities
3. Exporters
4. Big industries
A.1, 2
B.1, 3
C. 4
D.1, 4
E. All of these
Which sportsperson was caught in a legal
wrangle over his selection for the Indian
contingent to the Rio Olympics?
A. Yogeshwar Dutt
B. Saina Nehwal
C. Laxmi Narain Maanjhi
D. Geeta Phogat
E. None of these
The Indian economy grew by _______% in the
last financial year.
A. 8.9
B. 7.9
C. 7.4
D. 7.6
E. 8.6
Which Indian actress is playing a lead role in
the popular American TV serial Quantico?
A. Deepika Padukone
B. Anushka Sharma
C. Priyanka Chopra
D. Shabana Azmi
E. Kangana Ranaut
Mohammad Ali, who died recently, was a
professional boxer from
A. United States
B. Pakistan
C. India
D. Kazakhstan
E. Iraq
What is the Indias rank in the 2015 Good
Country index?
A. 106th
B. 70th
C. 111th
D. 119th
E. 117th
The boxer Mohammed Ali was originally
named
A. Jude Flyod
B. Cassius Pellen
C. Robert Flangen
D. Cassius Clay
E. None of these
60
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
The newly set up Bank Board Bureau is

designed to
A. Help with top level appointments and strategic
management in public sector banks
B. Grant new bank licenses in India
C. Make top level appointments in banks
D. Suggest ways to handle the problem of rising
NPAs in banks
E. Both A and C
If I am a male and if I start earning salary
income during the financial year 2016-17, my
income up to ________ would be totally exempt
from income tax. But if it crosses this
threshold, I need to pay slab-wise income tax
@ ________ on my income, as is the case.
A. 3 lakh, 10%, 20%, 30%
B. 3 lakh, 5%, 20%, 30%
C. 2.5 lakh, 10%, 20%, 30%
D. 2.5 lakh, 10%, 15%, 20%
E. 3.5 lakh, 10%, 20%, 30%
Which two new cesses have been imposed
over and above the service tax, making it
15%?
1. Beti Padhao cess
2. Swachh Bharat cess
3. Krishi Kalyan cess
4. Mahila Suraksha cess
A. 2, 4
B. 2, 3
C. 1, 2
D. 3, 4
E. 1, 4
In the acronym IPR, the letter I stands for
A. Intellectual
B. Indian
C. Internal
D. International
E. Interest
Which movie ran into troubles with the
Censor Board recently?
A. Saade CM Sahib
B. Udta Punjab
C. Once Upon A Time In Amritsar
D. Qaum De Heere
E. Jinda
Debt-to-equity ratio implies the ratio of
A. Paid up capital to authorized capital
B. Loan of share capital to capital
C. Loan amount to share capital
D. Rate of interest to dividend rate
E. Share capital to loan amount
Which player faces a 2-year ban on doping
charges?
A. Lance Armstrong
B. Maria Sharapova
C. Sebastian Vettel
D. Tiger Woods
E. None of these
Which of these signifies a demand loan?
A. Durable loan
B. Home loan
C. Cash Credit Limit
D. Personal loan
E. Education loan
What is the approximate contribution of
agriculture to Indias GDP?
A.7%
B. 9%
C. 16%
D. 25%
E. 20%
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
Which of the following best exemplifies a

footloose industry?
A. Nanotechnology
B. Coal
C. Cement
D. Oil refinery
E. Steel
Match the following pairs.
1. Templeton Prize
P. Sports coaching
2. Abel Prize
Q. Mathematics
3. Dronacharya Award
R. Journalism
4. Chameli Devi Jain Prize S. Spirituality
5. Magasasay Award
T. Public service
A. 1 -S, 2-Q, 3-P, 4-R, 5-T
B. 1 -S, 2-Q, 3-P, 4-R, 5-T
C. 1 -P, 2-S, 3-P, 4-R, 5-T
D. 1 -S, 2-P, 3-Q, 4-R, 5-T
E. 1 -S, 2-T, 3-P, 4-R, 5-Q
Which of the following is/are major
achievement/s of PM Narendra Modis visit to
the USA?
1. Indias entry in MTCR
2. Indias inclusion in NSG
3. Permanent membership of UN Security Council
4. Supply of Uranium
A. 2, 3
B. 1, 2, 3
C. 1, 2, 3, 4
D. 2, 3, 4
E. 1, 2
The interest rates of Fixed Deposits in India
are fixed by the
A. Reserve bank of India B. Bank itself
C. Banking Department
D. Finance Ministry
E. None of these
If a cheque is returned due to insufficient
funds, its issuer can be prosecuted under the
A. Payment and Settlement Systems Act
B. Banking Regulation Act
C. Payment Instruments Act
D. Reserve Bank of India Act
E. Negotiable Instruments Act
Assertion (A): India has faced two consecutive
agricultural droughts in the past two years.
Reasoning (R): The emergence of El Nino, an
oceanic phenomenon, created conditions
which led to scanty rainfall.
A. Both A and R are correct and R correctly
explains A.
B. Both A and R are correct but R does not
correctly explain A.
C. A is correct but R is wrong.
D. R is correct but A is wrong.
E. Both A and R are wrong
You practice and

you get better.
It's very simple..!!
61
JUNE GK TEST 02
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
SPM, the amount of which is a prime indicator

of air quality, stands for
A. Simple Particulate Matter
B. Sulphurous Particulate Matter
C. Suspended Particulate Matter
D. Subordinate Particulate Matter
E. Superfine Particulate Matter
Which of the following is/ are TRUE of
MUDRA, a new financial institution launched
recently?
1. It has a corpus of Rs 20,000 crore to give credit
to small businesses.
2. Three main loan schemes - Shishu for loans up
to Rs 50,000, Kishor for loans of Rs 50,000 - 5
lakh and Tarun for loans between Rs 5 lakh-10
lakh.
3. It will regulate micro-finance institutions to
promote their growth and job creation.
A. 1, 3
B. 1, 2
C. 1 only
D. None of these
E. 1, 2, 3
The Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC) is a global
initiative to
A. prevent ballistic missile proliferation
B. control the spread of nuclear weapons
C. charter to eliminate malnutrition
D. treaty to enforce the CoP21 targets
E. None of these
The acronym NADA refers to
A. National Anti-Doping Agency
B. New Anti-Dowry Act
C. National Anti-Dowry Agency
D. National Anti-Drug Agency
E. National Action on Doping Act
Inflation targeting refers to
A. Fixing producer prices to contain inflation
B. Change the fiscal policy to contain inflation
C. The Central Bank trying to tinker with the
monetary policy to maintain the inflation rate
within a target range
D. Controlling money supply to contain inflation
E. The Central Bank fixing a target for inflation in
agreement with the government for a particular
period and trying to stick to it
Which of the following cities has become
Indias first to have its own City Animal?
A. Shillong
B. Guwahati
C. Lucknow
D. Hyderabad
E. Chandigarh
Where are the headquarters of National Film
Archive of India (NFAI) located?
A. Pune
B. Chennai
C. Bangalore
D. Mumbai
E. Mysore
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
The G7 summit in 2016 was held in

A. Japan
B. Canada
C. France
D. Germany
E. Russia
Match the following sensitive index-stock
exchange pairs:
P. Dow Jones
1. New York
Q. Bolsa
2. London
R. FTSE
3. Tokyo
S. Nikkei
4. Frankfurt
T. Mid Dax
5. Mexico
P
Q
R
S
T
A.
1
5
2
3
4
B.
3
5
2
1
4
C.
2
3
2
5
4
D.
4
3
1
4
5
E.
3
4
1
4
5
Which state assembly DID NOT go to elections
in 2016?
A. Tamil Nadu
B. Puducherry
C. Kerala
D. West Bengal
E. New Delhi
Which one has become the first Indian state to
give pension and food benefits to the
transgender community?
A. Rajasthan
B. Odisha
C. Uttar Pradesh
D. Gujarat
E. West Bengal
The Net Asset Value (NAV) of a mutual fund
unit is calculated in terms of
A. (Total assets) / number of units
B. (Value of assets Total liabilities) / number of
unit holders
C. (Total fund value Liabilities) / number of
units
D. (Total assets) / number of unit holders
E. (Total value of all shares + Total liabilities) /
number of units
Who has been named an ambassador for
Swachh Bharat Missions youth wing Swachh
Saathi?
A. Dia Mirza
B. Sania Mirza
C. Saina Nehwal
D. Priyanka Chopra
E. Vidya Balan
Which one of the following is NOT a banking
term?
A. Scheduled bank
B. Net Interest Margin
C. Private equity
D. Spread
E. Foreclosure
The Human Development Index report is
issued every year by
A. IMF
B. World Bank
C. UNCTAD
D. UNO
E. UNDP
The Triple Vaccine commonly administered in
India DOES NOT cover which of these
illnesses?
62
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
1. Diptheria
2. Tetanus
3. Whooping Cough (Pertussis) 4. Polio
A. 1 only
B. 4 only
C. 2 only
D. 3 only
E. All these diseases are covered
Which of the following is a west-flowing river
in India?
A. Godavri
B. Jamuna
C. Cauvery
D. Ganga
E. Narmada
Janani Sewa is a newly introduced scheme by
the
A. Ministry of AYUSH
B. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
C. Ministry of Railways
D. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
E. None of these
Who has been ranked No.1 according to the
Forbes 2016 list of worlds 100 highest-paid
athletes?
A. Roger Federer
B. Novak Djokovic
C. Christiano Ronaldo
D. Lionel Messi
E. Maria Sharapova
Which of the following was/were the reasons
for India not being a part of the NSG till now?
1. India did not sign the CTBT
2. India did not sign the NPT
3. India had carried out nuclear tests in 1998.
A. 1, 3
B. 2
C. 1, 2
D. All of the above
E. None of these
Factoring is
A. An easy way of raising capital from a factoring
company by small business
B. Selling of account receivables on a contract
basis for cash payment to a factor before it is due
C. An arrangement for raising short term money
against prepaid expenses
D. A method of discounting long term bills
E. Basically asset reconstruction.
What happens if a cheque is post dated?
A. The Bank on which it is drawn will not honour
the cheque before the date of the cheque
B. The Bank on which it is drawn has to honour
the cheque before the date of the cheque
C. The Bank on which it is drawn has to refer to
the RBI to honour the cheque before the date of
the cheque
D. The Bank on which it is drawn has to refer to
court to honour the cheque before the date of the
cheque
E. The cheque will be encashed immediately.
What is the expanded form of the term ALM
used in the banking sector?
A. Asset Liability Maintenance
B. Asset Liability Management
C. Asset Liability Manipulation
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
31.
D. Asset Liability Maximization

E. Asset Liability Momentum
Subprime Lending is a term applied to the
loans made to
A. Those borrowers who do not have a good
credit history
B. Those borrowers who have a good credit
history
C. Those borrowers who do not have a good debit
history
D. Those borrowers who have a good debit
history
E. Those borrowers who want small loans
The micro finance company that became the
first to start operation as a commercial bank
was
A. PayTm Bank
B. Vodafone m-Paisa Bank
C. Yes Bank
D. Bandhan Bank
E. India Post
In which year was the Banking Regulation Act
passed?
A. 1949
B. 1955
C. 1959
D. 1969
E. 1980
Which was the first bank to be established in
India?
A. Bank of Calcutta
B. Bank of Hindustan
C. General Bank of India D. State Bank of India
E. Punjab National Bank
President Pranab Mukherjee embarked on a
six day visit to 3 African nations
A. Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone
B. Ghana, Mozambique, Madagascar
C. Ghana, Ivory Coast and Namibia
D. South Africa, Ivory Coast and Namibia
E. None of the above
Name the Orlando Florida shooter involved in
the gay nightclub attack in June 2016.
A. Oman Ali
B. Oman Shahzad
C. Oman Maneet
D. Onam Mateen
E. Ittehad Muslmeen
30. The USA has recognised India as a major
defence partner following its entry into the
MTCR regime. What does MTCR stand for?
A. Missile Technology Control Regime
B. Missile Technology Competence
Regime
C. Mission Technology Counter Regime
D. Marginal Technology Control Regime
Which Maharashtra Minister resigned
following allegations of corruption in land
dealings?
A. Eknath Khadse
B. Narayan Rane
C. Chhagan Bhujbal
D. Both A and C
63
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
The voters of which country rejected a

proposal for a minimum government guaranteed pay irrespective of whether they
work or not?
A. Norway
B. Switzerland
C. Sweden
D. Norway E. Luxembourg
Indias per capita income rose by what
percent to INR 93, 293?
A. 7.3
B. 7.4
C. 7.5
D. 7.6
E. None of these
Which renowned music composer won the
Fukoka prize 2016?
A. AR Rahman
B. Illyaraja
C. Anu Malik
D. Suleiman Merchant
E. KJ Yesudas
The government has enhanced the age of
superannuation for all government doctors to
A. 64 years
B. 65 years
C. 66 years
D. 67 years E. 32 years
What is Indias current position in terms of
crude oil consumption worldwide as per the
BP Statistical review of World Energy?
A. Third
B. Fourth
C. Fifth
D. Sixth
E. Second
Which of the following countries has become
the first one in the world to ban
deforestation?
A. Paraguay
B. Norway
C. Bolivia
D. Argentina E. None of these
If many banks allow credit facilities to a party
in coordination with each other, the process is
called
A. Amortization
B. Consortium
C. Moratorium
D. Subvention E. Escrow
Which major IT company has acquired the
professional networking website LinkedIn?
A. Apple
B. IBM
C. Microsoft
D. Dell
E. None of these
What is the full form of LIBOR?
A. Local Indian Bank Offered Rate
B. London-India Bureau of Regulations
C. Liberal International Bank Official Ratio
D. London Inter Bank Offered Rate
E. None of these
Which ace Indian shuttler won the Australian
Open 2016?
A. PV Sindhu
B. Raina Sen
C. Saina Nehwal
D. Geeta Phogat
E. None of these
Share price x Number of outstanding ordinary
shares of a company will equal its
A. Market Capitalization
B. Market Price
C. Market Trend
D. Treasury Stock
E. EBIDTA
What does 'Nomination' for a deposit account
in the bank mean?
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
A. Mandate given by the close relatives of the

depositor to settle the death claim in case of
death of the depositor
B. Mandate decided by the bank to settle the
death claim of its depositor
C. Mandate of the depositor in favor of one or
more persons to claim the amount on death of the
depositor
D. Mandate of the depositor in favor of a close
relative who can claim the amount on death of
the depositor
E. None of these
What does the second 'M' in the acronym
MSME mean as used in financial jargon?
A. Maximum
B. Medium
C. Market
D. Mutual
E. Mobilization
Which city in India is actually located on
Elphinston Islands?
A. Mumbai
B. Kolkata
C. Kochi
D. Trivandrum
E. Bengaluru
An Orange Alert refers to
A. excessive atmospheric pollution
B. excessive noise pollution
C. infiltration
D. circulation of fake currency
E. Terrorist attack
As a customer of the locker facilities offered
by a bank, you pay an annual charge called
A. Locker Management Fee
B. Rent
C. Storage Fee
D. Subvention
E. Custodial charge
Which one of the following is the special
drawing right given by the International
Monetary Fund to its member countries?
A. Cold money
B. Hot money
C. Paper gold
D. Line of Credit
E. None of these
Punjab National Bank was established in
A. 1881
B. 1895
C. 1913
D. 1917
E. 1935
Which of the following is/are true regarding
an Office of Profit, which was embroiled in a
controversy of late?
1. An Office of Profit is defined in the
Representation of People Act, 1951.
2. The Parliament can change rules and laws to
allow its members to hold certain offices of profit.
3. A person holding such an office is not eligible
for elections in India.
A. Only 1
B. Only 2
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2
E. Both 2 and 3
For answer key see page no. 34
64
SSC CORNER
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
INTRODUCTION
The framers of the Indian Constitution provided some
Fundamental Rights for Indian citizens. The inclusion of
Fundamental Rights prevents the government from
becoming despotic. Fundamental Rights are essential for
moral and material development of the people. Though
these rights are guaranteed by the Constitution, the
state can take back these rights temporarily during an
emergency to maintain public order, security and so on.
At the same time, these rights are justiciable. The courts
can protect and safeguard them, if they are violated.
MEANING OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

Fundamental Rights fulfill some basic conditions of good
life for human progress. These are constitutionally
protected and guaranteed to the citizens while ordinary
rights are protected by the ordinary law of the country.
Fundamental Rights are inviolable in ordinary situations
and only under reasonable circumstances can these
rights be suspended temporarily. If anyones
Fundamental Rights are violated, he or she can go to the
court seeking legal assistance. The Fundamental Rights
are contained in Part III of the Constitution.
IMPORTANT FEATURES
Fundamental Rights are not absolute. Therefore, within
some reasonable restrictions, the citizens can enjoy
them. Fundamental Rights are suspendable during an
emergency and the rights of the citizen are curtailed
temporarily except the right to life and personal liberty
(article-20-21)
Fundamental Rights are justiciable i.e. a citizen can go to
the court for the enforcement of his Fundamental
Rights. Under Article 32 and Article 226, a citizen can
approach the Supreme Court and High Courts
respectively in this regard.
Some Fundamental Rights are limited to citizens only,
such as freedom of speech, assembly, and cultural and
educational rights, but others like equality before the
law, religious freedom etc. are available to both citizens
and aliens.
TYPES OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

I.
Right to Equality (Art 14 18)
II.
Right to Freedom (Art 19 22)
III.
Right against Exploitation (Art 23 24)
IV.
Right to Religion (Art 25 28)
V.
Right to Culture and Education (Art 29 30)
VI.
Right to Constitutional Remedies (Art 32)
The Right to Property, earlier a fundamental right, has
been deleted from the list by the Forty-Fourth
Constitution Amendment Act, 1978.
The six categories of Fundamental Rights are:

I.
RIGHT TO EQUALITY ((Art 14 18)

It implies equality before the law and equal
protection of the laws within India. Every
person is subject to the ordinary law and
amenable to the jurisdiction of ordinary
tribunals. Any discrimination is prohibited and
equality of opportunity in public employment
under the state is ensured. There is no
distinction between officials and private
citizens and no discrimination on caste, creed,
religion, sex etc. But the right to equality does
not mean absolute equality or universal
application. Some exceptions allowed by the
Indian Constitution:
the President/ Governor of a state is not

answerable to any court for the power exercised or
the acts done by him.
no criminal proceedings shall be instituted against
the President or the Governor during their term of
office
exemption from taxes to certain classes of property
imposition of taxes on different trades and
professions
making special provisions for women and children
making special provisions for advancement of any
socially, economically and educationally backward
classes like SCs and STs including special
employment opportunities.
65
II.
RIGHT TO FREEDOM (Art 19 22)

This right is the most significant for the citizens.
This right confers some positive rights to
promote liberty. Article 19 guarantees six
freedoms to all citizens.
These are
19 (1) All citizens shall have the right
(a) to freedom of speech and expression;
(b) to assemble peacefully and without arms;
(c) to form associations or unions;
(d) to move freely throughout India;
(e) to reside and settle in any part of India; and
(g) to practice any profession, or to carry on
any occupation, trade or business
religious affairs, acquire movable and

immovable property and administer such
property in accordance with law. However, the
state can intervene if a religious activity creates
public disorder, immorality and so on.
V.
Article 20 and 21 guarantee the right to life,

dignity and status. Under Article 20, no person
accused of any offence shall be compelled to be
a witness against himself. Similarly, under
Article 21, no person shall be deprived of his
life or personal liberty except by law.
Article 22 provides safeguards against
arbitrary arrest and detention. Like the Right to
Equality, the Right to Freedom is also not
absolute. The state can impose reasonable
restrictions on these rights to maintain a
balance between individual liberty and overall
social good.
III.
RIGHT AGAINST EXPLOITATION (Art 23 24)

The right against exploitation prohibits traffic
in human beings and forced labour and
employment of children in factories, mines or in
any other hazardous employment. No child
below the age of 14 years shall be employed to
in any factory or mine or engaged in any other
hazardous employment (Art 24).
IV.
RIGHT TO RELIGION (Art 25-28)

The Indian Constitution adopts a secular
ideology and declares India a secular state,
which observes an attitude of neutrality and
impartiality towards all religions. There is no
state religion in India. The state will neither
establish a religion of its own nor confer any
special patronage upon any particular religion.
Every person is guaranteed the freedom to
profess, practice and propagate his own religion
subject to public order, morality and health.
Every religious group is free to manage its own
RIGHT TO CULTURE AND EDUCATION (Art

29 30)
The Constitution guarantees cultural and
educational rights for all sections irrespective
of religious, racial and cultural diversities. To
serve the religious and cultural interests of each
community, the Constitution incorporated these
cultural and educational rights under Articles
29 and 30. Article 29 guarantees to every
minority section the right to preserve its
language, script and culture.
The state shall not impose on a minority group
any culture other than the communitys own.
(Art 29(1). Article 30 provides that all
communities have the right to establish and
administer educational institutions of their
choice.
VI.
RIGHT TO CONSTITUTIONAL REMEDIES

(Article 32)
A right without a remedy is a meaningless
formality. To make them effective, there are
some remedies in the form of Right to
Constitutional Remedies under Article 32.
Article 32 guarantees to every citizen the right
to move the Supreme Court or High Courts for
enforcement of Fundamental Rights. Both the
Supreme Court under Article 32 and the High
Courts under Article 226 can issue necessary
writs for the purpose. When a citizens
Fundamental Rights are violated, he can move
the court for redressal. The Supreme Court and
High Courts may issue writs like habeas corpus,
mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and
certiorari to safeguard the Fundamental Rights.
The courts can enforce Fundamental Rights by
issuing these writs. The Constitution lays down
that any act of the executive or the legislature
which violates Fundamental Rights shall be
void and the courts are empowered to declare it
void (Art. 13). Thus, the judiciary is the
protector and guarantor of Fundamental
Rights. This Constitutional right is the heart
and soul of the Constitution as only this thing
can make Fundamental Rights effective.
66
GYANM QUIZ - 15
How much do you know about the world around you?
Take the quiz below to find out for yourself and WIN
some exciting prizes as rewards.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The country on the top of the Ease of Doing

Business Index 2015, is
A. Australia
B. Dubai
C. Singapore
D. Switzerland
1.
2.
Sachin Kumar Kanpur

Madhvi Lucknow
The winners are being informed by post.
The famous patriotic song Saare Jahan Se

Achha.. was penned by
A. Mohammed Ali Jinnah
B. Dr. Mohammed Iqbal
C. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
D. Rabinder Nath Tagore
Name: ______________________________________
The second most widely spoken language in

the world is
A. Mandarin
B. French
C. Hindi
D. English
____________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________
____________________________________________
PIN: _____________________
Mobile: ___________________________________ _
The Mahabharata was earlier known as

A. Santati
B. Jaya
C. Purana
D. Garuda
My answers to Gyanm Quiz - 15 are:

1.
2.
3.
The Supreme Court of India normally holds its

sittings in
A. Delhi
B. Delhi or any state capital
C. any part of India as decided by the Parliament
D. Delhi/ NCR
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Which of the following was voted as the Most

Important Invention of the 20th century?
A. Printing
B. Electricity
C. Computer
D. Television
7.
The sports activity that requires

maximum calories per minute is
A. Hurdle race
B. Marathon
C. Mountaineering
D. Swimming
8.
Which of the following structures is created

by a river in its upper course?
A. Canyon
B. Delta
C. Ox Bow Lake
D. Meander
9.
The Silicon Valley in America is, in reality, an

area called
A. Redmond Hills
B. Santa Clara
C. Alabama desert
D. Palo Alto
10.
Heartiest congratulations to the winners of Gyanm

Quiz-14!
the
To an astronaut in a spaceship, the Earth

appears to be
A. Brown
B. Black
C. White
D. Blue
Signature _______________
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Please send your responses to the quiz, along with

your COMPLETE ADDRESS and PIN CODE, by 25th
July, 2016. The responses can be sent
By e-mail to gynam.college@gmail.com OR
On Whatsapp mobile number 09646888377 OR
By post to Gyanm College of Competitions,
SCO 13-15, 2nd Floor, Above Dominos, Sector 34-A,
Chandigarh-160034
ONLY the residents of India are eligible to
participate.
In case of multiple correct entries, a draw will be
held to decide the winner/s.
The Prize/s CANNOT be exchanged for cash.
The decision of the jury shall be FINAL and
BINDING on all the participants.
The winners names shall be announced in the
September, 2016 issue.
67
Profit And Pleasure

INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS
6.
This organization, based in Geneva, works to create a

level-playing field for all member countries in terms
of international commerce. Its precursor GATT
(General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) had been
governing international business until it was formed
in 1995 after hectic negotiations and many
roadblocks.
Which organization are we talking about?
7.
This Paris-based international organization helps

track criminals wanted the world over upon a
request by the police forces of different countries.
Can you recognize this important law-enforcement
agency?
8.
Human rights violations anywhere in the world

always invite its attention. In particular, it works for
the cause of illegal detainees across the world. In
recognition of its good work, it received the Nobel
Peace Prize too.
Which organization has been referred to in the
preceding lines?
9.
The Brettenwood Twins were formed in the 1940s in

the backdrop of the Second World War to help wardamaged economies rebuild themselves. The two
institutions have played an important role in shaping
the present-day world economy.
Which two sister organizations are we talking about?
Profit and Pleasure not only tickles your nerve cells but
also makes you learn interesting facts about the world.
This time around, we are focusing on some organizations
and what they do. Here we go!
1.
This grouping represents the most highly advanced

economies in the world. These economies are among
the most prosperous and the richest in the world.
Heres a hint for you: India is not a part of this
grouping.
Which grouping are we talking of?
2.
This grouping of 28 countries shares a common

currency. The economically integrated union was
created after the Masstricht Treaty.
Most likely, the grouping in question is called .
3.
These countries (numbering five) are among the

fastest growing, emerging economies worldwide.
The focus of the next wave of global economic
growth, they also have large domestic populations,
which drive their consumption significantly.
Which grouping do the preceding lines talk of?
4.
5.
This body has been plagued by rumours of

corruption and other wrongdoings in the past 4-5
years. It is the richest and the most powerful
sporting body in the world and oversees a highly
popular game played in most of Europe and America.
Heres a hint for you: The police have arrested many
of its officials recently after the cash-for-games
scandal broke out.
Which sporting body has been referred to here?
This closed group of oil-producing nations can hold
the entire world to ransom as it has almost total
power to dictate crude oil prices globally. Based in
Vienna, it has the sole power to decide crude oil
prices at the global level, depending on demand and
supply variables.
Can you identify this one?
10. India has been an observer member of this powerful

regional grouping for long. But in all probability,
India will never become a full-fledged member of
this regional bloc.
Can you identify this one?
KEY
1. G-8
2. European Union
3. BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa)
4. FIFA
5. OPEC (Oil and Petroleum Exporting Countries)
6. World Trade Organization
7. Interpol
8. Amnesty International
9. International Monetary Fund, World Bank
10. ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations)
68
How much well-equipped are you with vocabulary to

express yourself in different situations? Take the quiz
below to find out for yourself and also learn some
new words as a BONUS!
Directions: Given below are certain words printed in
BOLD letters, followed by four choices in each case. Find
out the choice which best conveys the meaning of the
word in question. You will find the detailed solution to this
exercise in this issue only.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
VOCIFEROUS
A. Through voice
C. In disagreement
MUTE
A. Stay at a place
C. Closed
D. Change dramatically
B. Silent
14.
15.
GARRULOUS
A. Aged
C. Excessive talker
B. Abusive
D. Fond of writing
RETICENT
A. Speaking little
C. Connected
B. Decent
D. Related to eyes
BELLIGERENT
A. Trigger-happy
C. Peace-loving
B. Roundabout way
D. Pungent
7.
DELUGE
A. Going deep into a river
B. A bunch of some objects
C. Flexibility
D. Flood
PACIFIC
A. Broker
C. Peace-loving
B. Full of love
D. Related to oceans
APOCRYPHAL
A. Related to mythology
C. Of heights
B. Historical
D. Unproven
12.
13.
TERRIFIC
A. Horrible
B. Looking like a terrorist
C. Enjoyable
D. Highly commendable
9.
11.
B. Critical
D. Loud
6.
8.
10.
SUAVE
A. Sophisticated
C. Well-educated
B. Having holes
D. Practical
DILIGENT
A. Hardworking
C. Sensible
B. Lazy
D. Urgent
SPRIGHTLY
A. Swaying
C. Likely
B. Confused
D. Lively
REFLECTIVE
A. Shining
C. Thoughtful
B. Praiseworthy
D. Reckless
ASSIDUOUS
A. Persistent
C. Interesting
B. Dirty
D. Worthy of hatred
GERMANE
A. Smooth
C. Handsome
B. Relevant
D. From Germany
MY SCORE
0-3
4-7
8-11
12-15
RATING
Get going!
Work hard!
Great, youre almost there!
Wow!
SOLUTIONS
1.
Vociferous: adjective: loud, vocal, forceful

Popular synonyms: voluble, strident
Examples: A. The opposition MPs made a
vociferous demand for the Prime Ministers
resignation over the corruption scandal.
B. There is a vociferous opposition to the
government proposal to make the Aadhar card
compulsory.
2.
Mute: verb, adjective: silent, to silence

Popular synonyms: dumb
Derivation: Muted
Examples: A. We cannot become mute spectators
to this murder of democracy by the state.
B. The Ghadar leaders had come to gather the
Panjabis support but the peoples response to
the appeal was muted.
C. I put my TV set on the mute mode as the jarring
sound gave me a headache.
69
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Garrulous: adjective: excessive talker (esp. an

old man)
Popular synonyms: vocal, voluble
Examples: A. We failed to make any sense of the
garrulous speech made by the man in his 80s.
B. The garrulous address of the politician could
be safely cut down to half by a good editor.
Reticent: adjective: silent, speaking very little
Popular synonym: taciturn
Derivation: Reticence
Examples: A. Many people are recent at social
gatherings but you will find them very vocal with
their friends.
B. To become a public speaker, you need to get
rid of your reticence.
Belligerent: adjective: fighting, contentious
Popular synonyms: bellicose, pugnacious
Derivation: Belligerence
Examples: A. Belligerent nations like North Korea
always keep global tensions alive with their
nuclear threats.
B. The belligerent attitude she carried to the
meeting did not let reach a compromise with
others.
Terrific: adjective: great, highly commendable
Popular synonyms: superlative, first-rate
Examples: A. Nawazuddin Siddiquis terrific
acting helped the movie become a super hit.
B. The smartphone specifications look terrific on
paper but the users will reveal the truth about it.
Deluge: noun: great excess, abundance
Popular synonym: flood
Examples: A. The reputed college has received a
deluge of applications for admissions this year.
B. The deluge of 600+ TV channels gives the
viewers an unlimited choice to suit their tastes
and preferences.
Pacific: adjective: related to peace, peace-loving
Popular synonyms: serene, tranquil, pacifist
Derivation: Pacifism
Examples: A. The pacific global environment of
todays world has a lot to do with the formation
of UNO.
B. She was known to have a pacific nature and
often made peace between the warring parties in
her college.
Apocryphal: adjective: of doubtful origin, unhistorical
Popular synonym: legendary, unsubstantiated
Examples: A. Several apocryphal stories about
the freedom struggle are quite popular but most
historians do not accept them.
B. The great storyteller often narrates many

apocryphal incidents, which are often taken to be
true by lay people.
10.
Suave: adjective: sophisticated, well-bred

Popular synonym: debonair
Examples: A. A diplomat needs to display suave
manners at all times while dealing with his
foreign counterparts.
B. The girls suave nature greatly helped her bag
the job of an airhostess.
11.
Diligent: adjective: persevering, hardworking

Popular synonyms: industrious, sedulous
Derivation: Diligence
Examples: A. Her diligent managerial work was
finally recognized by her boss with a promotion.
B. One may be extremely intelligent, but without
diligent application of mind, one cannot hope to
get success.
12.
Sprightly: adjective: joyful, joyous, lively

Popular synonyms: gay, vivacious, animated
Examples: A. The flowers swayed in a sprightly
dance as the breeze swept the landscape.
B. Her sprightly manners had the potential to turn
every party into a super hit event.
13.
Reflective: adjective: serious, in a thinking mood

Popular synonyms: thoughtful, pondering,
cogitative
Derivation: Reflection
Examples: A. Newton was sitting under a tree in
a reflective mood as an apple fell into his lap.
B. As opposed to her reflective husband, who
mostly wore a serious look, she was an outgoing
friendly person.
14.
Assiduous: adjective: hardworking, persistent

Popular synonyms: sedulous, persevering
Examples: A. Every new business requires
assiduous planning and thorough execution of
projects.
B. The mantra of success in life is getting up after
every failure and doing assiduous hard work to
overcome weaknesses.
15.
Germane: adjective: related, relevant, to the

point
Popular synonyms: pertinent
Examples: A. Your ideas were rejected as they
were not germane to the discussions going on.
B. All the issues germane to better Indo-Pak
relations will be taken up at the summit-level
talks.
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JUNE 2016
Name the two African countries visited by the
Vice President Ansari in May end: Morocco and
Tunisia
_______________________ is the capital of Morocco:
Rabat
________ is same in Morocco as Mumbai, financial
capital of India: Marrakech
Recently Finance Ministry has hiked financial
powers of Ministers to sanction expenditures up
to Rs. _________ crore: 500
Muslims Against Partition is a book written by
which author: Shamsul Islam
Name the England captain who became the first
English cricketer and also the youngest one to
reach the 10,000 runs milestone in Test cricket:
Alastair Cook
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Name the high speed train which was tested in

India for speed up to 115 kph between Bareilly
and Moradabad in UP: Talgo
The proposed high speed Talgo train is being
provided by which country: Spain
Name the team that won the 9th Indian Premier
League: Sunrisers Hyderabad
Hani Al Mulqi has been appointed as the new
_________ of Jordan: Prime Minister
For what reasons Gotthard Base Tunnel was in
news recently: It is the world's longest rail
tunnel open for operations
Gotthard Base Tunnel has been opened in which
country: Switzerland
Seema Punia won a gold medal in the womens
__________ at the Pat Youngs Throwers Classic in
California, USA: Discus Throw
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___________ has become first Union Territory in

India to assure 24x7 power to its residents:
Lakshadweep
Railways have started a new weekly train
from____________, Assam to Vaishno Devi Katra
(J&K), linking the two very prominent pilgrimage
centers: Kamakhya
The T S R Subramanian committee has submitted
its report on which issue to the Ministry of HRD:
The New Education Policy
Aditi Krishnakumar won which award for her
manuscript Love of Indian History": Scholastic
Asian Book Award
_________ of Mercedes won the Formula 1 Monaco
Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton
Where in Maharashtra the Central Ammunition
Depot of Indian Army was in news due to a huge
fire: Pulgaon
Govt. has levied which new cess of 0.5 per cent on
the service tax: Krishi Kalyan Cess
On account of new Krishi Kalyan Cess, how much
extra money will have to be paid on any taxable
service for Rs. 1000: Rs. 5
Asias largest technology trade show COMPUTEX
was hosted by which country: Taiwan
According to the report by New World Wealth,
India has been ranked _______ in the list of top 10
wealthiest countries in the world: Seventh
According to the report by New World Wealth,
____________ is the richest country in the world:
USA
Retirement age of doctors in the Govt. service has
been hiked to ______ years: 65
Govt. has levied 1% TCS on cash purchases of
more than Rs. 2 lacs. What is TCS: Tax Collected
at Source
Data released by the Central Statistics Office
(CSO) shows that the economy grew at an
accelerated pace of _______in the fourth quarter of
2015-16: 7.9%
_______ is the capital of Tunisia: Tunis
Which Indian Statesman visited Tunisia on June
03: Vice President
Which country has been declared free from Ebola
by the WHO on June 01: Guinea
Which Indian authority has launched a mobile
application for telecom subscribers to register
their complaints against pesky calls and SMSs:
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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

(TRAI)
Recently the govt. hiked the Minimum Support
Price - MSP of which season crops: Kharif
(Summer crops)
________ is the main crop of the Kharif season:
Paddy
Which daal (Pulse) has been given the highest
MSP of Rs. 5225 per qtl: Moong
Govt. has approved setting up of a bank by the
Department of Posts. What is its name: India Post
Payments Bank
Razak Khan, a veteran Bollywood actor who died
recently was famous for which type of roles:
Comedy
_________ became the first tennis player in the
history to cross the $100 million prize-money
mark in his career: Novak Djokovic
The government has exempted PF withdrawals of
up to Rs. __________ from tax deduction at source:
50,000
The Japan International Cooperation Agency has
granted a loan of Rs. 1,548 crore to ____________ for
improving the quality of urban healthcare
services: Tamil Nadu
Ashok Lavasa has been appointed as the new
Union ________ Secretary: Finance
Fukuoka Prize is given in which country: Japan
Name the Indian Music composer who has been
honoured with Fukuoka Prize: A R Rahman
___________ has been declared the Ceat T20 Player
of the Year - 2016: Virat Kohali
Name the cricketer honoured with the Ceat
Lifetime Achievement Award - 2016: Dilip
Vengsarkar
Which FI has agreed to provide a $ 9.2 million
grant for financing the Efficient and Sustainable
City Bus Service Project in selected Indian cities:
World Bank
India has joined The Hague Code of Conduct
against Ballistic Missile Proliferation for what
purpose: For preventing the spread of ballistic
missiles
Name the author of the book "The Unseen Indira
Gandhi": Dr. K P Mathur
__________ has been appointed first ever chief
executive officer (CEO) of the BCCI: Rahul Johri
The Sendai Framework" is related with which
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activity: Disaster Management

June 1 is observed as the World ____ Day across
the globe: Milk
Which UN organisation promotes the World Milk
Day: Food and Agriculture Organisation
Name the world famous boxer, popular as 'the
greatest', who died in June: Muhammad Ali
In the recent five nations trip of Shri Modi, which
was the last country visited by him: Mexico
In the recent five nations trip of Shri Modi, in
which country he addressed the Parliament of
that country: USA
Which country honoured our Prime Minister by
the Amir Amanullah Khan Award: Afghanistan
What was the original name of the world famous
boxer Muhammad Ali: Cassius Clay
Name the veteran Indian tennis star who won the
mixed doubles in the French Open with Swiss
partner Martina Hingis: Leander Paes
According to the 'Good Country' Index 2015
__________ is the world's best country: Sweden
According to the 'Good Country' Index 2015, India
has been placed at which rank: 70th
In which city of UP took place the unfortunate
incidents of Jawahar Bagh Police clash: Mathura
In which European city heavy floods of river Seine
caused wide spread damage: Paris
Name the first Indian woman to be nominated to
the International Olympic Committee: Nita
Ambani
According to the Global Slavery Index 2016 of 167
countries, _______ has largest number of people in
modern slavery: India
Which country will be hosting 2018 Pyeongchang
Winter Olympics: South Korea
Soohorang, the official mascot for 2018 winter
Olympics represents which animal: White Tiger
cub
Latest FIFA rankings have placed which country
on top: Argentina
The Pakke Tiger Reserve that won the India
Biodiversity Award is in which state: Arunachal
Pradesh
Manohar Aich, A prominent sports person famous
as the 'Pocket Hercules' was associated with
which sports: Body Building
Why Mr. Manohar Aich was famous as the 'Pocket
Hercules': Because of his short height
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What is the popular name for the French Open

Tennis tournament: Roland Garros
Men's title in French open was won by which
player: Novak Djokovic
Garbine Muguruza who won the women's title in
French Open, is from which country: Spain
Jauna Murmu, Ashwini Akkunji, Anilda Thomas
and MR Poovamma represent India at the world
level in which sports event: Womens 4x400m
relay race
Name the special tourist train launched to spread
awareness among people regarding tiger
conservation: Tiger Express
Name the first Indian state to grant social benefits
to transgender: Odisha
Which global aircraft company has unveiled the
world's first 3D-printed aircraft THOR: Airbus
Sulabha Deshpande who passed away in Mumbai
was a eminent personality from which filed: TV
and Film Actor
Suresh Chatwal who passed away in Mumbai was
a eminent personality from which filed: TV and
Film Actor
World environment day is observed on which
date: June 05
In terms of retail development, in a world study,
India has been placed at which rank: 02nd
Dinesh and Tarkeshwari Rathod have become the
first Indian couple to achieve which milestone in
Mountaineering: Climbing the Mount Everest
Which Indian city has adopted Gangetic River
Dolphin as its mascot: Guwahati
ADB will provide a $200 million loan to upgrade
176-km roads in which state: Jharkhand
Name the Indian sand artist who won gold medal
at the world championship festival of sand
sculpting in Bulgaria: Sudarsan Pattnaik
Shangri-La Dialogue is the Asia's largest annual
summit on what issue: Security Scenario in
Asia-Pacific region
In which country 77 per cent voters
overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to introduce
a guaranteed basic income for all: Switzerland
N Ramachandran, the President of Indian Olympic
Association (IOA) was in news for what reasons:
He was awarded Olympic Order by the IOC
ADB has agreed to provide $ 12 crore loan to
improve irrigation and water management
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infrastructure in which state: Odisha

Tintu Luka won a silver medal in which event in
the Athletics Meet in Prague: 800 mts race
Name the lady who became first woman to lead a
major American political party for Presidents
post in the 240 years of democracy in USA:
Hillary Clinton
India has been admitted as the 35th member of
the elite 34 nations MTCR Group. What is MTCR:
Missile Technology Control Regime
India will get what major benefit by joining MTCR
group: India can now buy and sell missile
technology to other nations
Government has launched a campaign Swachh
Yug to make villages located along which river
free from open defecation: Ganga
Who has been named the ambassador for Swachh
Bharat Mission's youth-based 'Swachh Saathi'
(student internship) programme: Dia Mirza
Exercise Desert Eagle II was held between Indian
Air Force and which other country's Air Force:
United Arab Emirates
Name the four-time Soviet chess champion,
Grandmaster who died aged 85 in Switzerland:
Viktor Korchnoi
Which
Indian
broadcasting
organization
celebrated completion of 80 years of its existence
on June 8: All India Radio
The World Bank has projected a growth rate of
_______ per cent for the world in 2016: 2.4
The junior men's hockey World Cup will be
hosted by ________from the 8th of December this
year: Lucknow
Govt plans to raise a new Indian Reserve Police
Battalion named after Maharana Pratap in which
state: Rajasthan
The Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women in the
world list 2016 has been topped by which lady:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
India has surpassed which country to become the
worlds third-largest oil consumer: Japan
Government has launched a GPS based mobile
app named Surya Mitra for what purpose: To
facilitate repair and maintenance of solar
equipments
Which country returned over 200 stolen cultural
artifacts to India, some dating back 2,000 years,
valued at around $100 million: USA
105) World Oceans Day is observed on which date:

June 08
106) What is the theme of this year's World Oceans
Day: Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet
107) Which international organization has
recognised Thailand, Armenia,
Belarus and Moldova for eliminating mother-tochild transmission of HIV and Syphilis: WHO
108) As per the Global Peace Index 2016 _____ is the
most peaceful country: Iceland
109) As per the Global Peace Index 2016, what is
India's rank: 141st
110) Champaran Satyagrah Express train has been
started from _________ to Anand Vihar, Delhi:
Bapudham, Motihari (Bihar)
111) Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has been elected new
President of which South American country: Peru
112) Which French city is hosting Europe's biggest
football extravaganza, Euro 2016: Saint Denis
113) Who has been named highest paid sports person
in the Forbes annual list of the World's 100
Highest Paid Athletes: Cristiano Ronaldo
114) What was the name of the biggest ever joint
military exercise held recently by NATO
members: Anaconda-16
115) Ranjit Sub-1 and Bahadur Sub-1 are the names of
variety of which item: Two new rice varieties
116) A joint military exercise named ___________was held
between the naval forces of India, Japan and the
USA: Malabar
117) The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has chosen
___________ as the flag-bearer of the Indian
contingent at the Rio Games opening ceremony:
Abhinav Bindra
118) US administration has given what name to the
Prime Minister Modis vision of Indo-US ties for
promoting peace, prosperity and stability from
Asia to Africa, from the Indian Ocean to the
Pacific: Modi Doctrine
119) Which index is used in India to measure the level
of industrial production: Index of Industrial
Production - IIP
120) Which award was won by Akhil Sharma for his
novel 'family life': International Dublin Literary
Award
121) Internet search giant Google has tied up with Tata
Trusts to launch which programme to empower
rural women: Internet Saathi
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122) Which Indian bank raised $500 million at the

London Stock Exchange after it launched Indias
first internationally-listed certified green bonds:
Axis Bank
123) As per the Malware Infection Index 2016, which
country faces highest malware encounters:
Pakistan
124) For the first time in the history of the Indian Air
Force, 3 women pilots have been commissioned
into which stream: Flying fighter jets
125) China launched its 23rd satellite BeiDou
Navigation Satellite System for what purpose:
Strengthening of GPS
126) Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal recently won
which international title: Australian Open Super
Series
127) Which USA city was in news for having witnessed
one of the worst mass shootout in the history:
Orlando
128) Name the three African countries visited by our
President in second week of June: Ghana, Ivory
Coast and Namibia
129) Which African country conferred its highest civil
honour on our President: Ivory Coast
130) Name the veteran journalist who passed away at a
Delhi hospital at the age of 68: Inder Malhotra
131) ___________has become the first state in India to
have an open government data portal to facilitate
free usage of govt data by general public: Sikkim
132) Which is the first country in world to prohibit
deforestation of rain forest to preserve the
balance of ecosystem: Norway
133) International Labour Organisation observes June
12, as which global day: The World Day Against
Child Labour
134) The national summit by the name 'Rajasva Gyan
Sangam' was held for top brass of which two govt.
organization: CBDT and CBEC
135) RBI has announced the S4A scheme to handle the
high value bad loans. What is the full form of S4A:
Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of
Stressed Assets
136) Microsoft has announced to acquire which
professional networking website for $26.2 billion:
LinkedIn
137) Which athletics team from India created a new
national record at the International Sprint and
Relay Teams Cup at Erzurum, Turkey: Men's
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4x400m relay team

Lewis Hamilton who won the Formula 1 Canada
Grand Prix title at Montreal, Canada is from which
country: Britain
World Blood Donor Day is observed on which
date: June 14
What is the theme of this year's World Blood
Donor Day: Blood connects us all
Which Indian organization recently launched
three service initiatives, namely- a Janani Sewa
for mothers, optional catering and a childrens
menu: Indian Railways
Peter Thomson, Permanent Representative of Fiji,
was elected as the President of which important
UN forum: UN General Assembly
________ was a distinguished Hindi writer and
veteran intellectual who passed away at the age of
82 in Lucknow: Mudrarakshasa
Government has approved the National Civil
Aviation Policy 2016, capping fares at Rs _______
for one-hour flights: 2,500
In the context of National Civil Aviation Policy,
what is meant by 5/20 rule: Only airlines with 5
years of domestic flying and minimum 20
aircrafts, will be allowed to fly international
SBI has announced merger of its ___________
subsidiaries with itself: Five
'Jal Marg Vikas' (National Waterway-1) project is
for developing a 1620 km thorough waterway
between ________ in Uttar Pradesh and __________in
West Bengal: Allahabad, Haldia
Bramble Cay Melomys found only on a single
island off Australia is the world's first mammal
to be declared as extinct. What type of animal it
is: Small rodent (Rat)
General Prayut Chan-O-Cha, Prime Minister of
__________ arrived in New Delhi on a three day visit
to India: Thailand
__________ Chairman of Bharti Enterprises (Airtel),
elected as the Chairman of International Chamber
of Commerce (ICC) based in Paris: Sunil Mittal
What is the official slogan of the forthcoming Rio
Olympic games: "A new World"
Against which country India won the three-match
One-Day International (ODI) cricket series by 3-0:
Zimbabwe
Which country has launched the worlds biggest
nuclear icebreaker ship 22220 Arktika: Russia
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154) Railway has started India's first timetabled freight

train, named ___________ from Delhi to Bengaluru:
Cargo Express
155) HRD Ministry has launched Vidyanjali scheme for
govt. schools for what purpose: For participation
of volunteers from public for teaching
156) Who is Anne Hathaway who has been appointed
as global Goodwill Ambassador for the United
Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women: Famous US actress
and singer
157) Government has allowed which category of
persons to open National Pension Scheme (NPS)
accounts online if they have Aadhaar Card or PAN
card: Non Resident Indians (NRIs)
158) Hero Hockey Champions Trophy Tournament was
held at which place: London
159) In the finals of Hero Hockey Champions Trophy
Tournament, which country won the cup by
defeating India: Australia
160) The book 'The Spy' is written by which famous
author: Paulo Coelho
161) A Life in Diplomacy is a book written by M K
Rasgotra. Who is he: Former Foreign Secretary
of India
162) Old History New Geography is a book written
about bifurcation of which Indian state: Andhra
Pradesh
163) Name the two-seater basic trainer aircraft
designed and developed by the Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited made its inaugural flight
successfully: Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40
164) Government has approved 100 per cent FDI in
which three sectors under the government
approval route: Aviation, Defence and Ecommerce
165) Which UN organization supports the observation
of the World Refugee Day on June 20: United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR)
166) Name the first State that has obtained a telecom
license from the Telecom Ministry: Andhra
Pradesh
167) Ms Supriya Sahu has been appointed as the
Director General of which national organization:
Doordarshan
168) Which state's tourism corporation won four
awards at FilmAT, one of the biggest
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international film festivals dedicated to tourism,

art and ecology, held in Poland: Kerala
To promote and facilitate South Korean
Investments in India, a new forum named _________
has been launched: Korea Plus
The Government has taken a considered decision
to allow export of _______ missile systems to
'certain' countries that have friendly relationship
with India: Akaash
Main function of International Yoga Day on June
21 was held in which city in India: Chandigarh
Govt. has allowed premature closure of PPF
accounts after how many years: Five
Who has written the book titled "Favourite
Ghost Stories From Around The World": Ruskin
Bond
India signed two agreements with __________for
boosting cooperation in culture and educational
sectors: Thailand
In a recent study of super computers, which
country has been declared to have fastest super
computer: China
Scientists from which country created the world's
first microchip that has 1,000 processors: USA
Name the Kannada film that won the best film
award and best script writers award at the Asia
New Talent Awards in the 19th Shanghai
International Film Festival: Thithi
European Grand Prix F1 race is hosted by which
city in Azerbaijan: Baku
The Indian ___________team of Deepika Kumari and
Atanu Das won the silver medal at the Archery
World Cup in Antalya, Turkey: Recurve
ISRO created a record on June 22 by launching 20
satellites in one go. How many of them were
foreign satellites: 17
Prime Minister Modi visited___________, Uzbekistan
to attend the two-day summit of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation: Tashkent
The central government has sanctioned Rs.
____________ crore 'Fund of Funds for Startups' to
boost self-employment in the country: 10,000
Name the famous Sikh General of yore on whose
300th martyrdom day a special commemorative
silver coin has been released: Banda Singh
Bahadur
As per the World Investment Report 2016 by the
UNCTAD, what is India's rank in attracting FDI:
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10th
As per UNCTAD report, which country received
highest amount of FDI in 2015: USA
Which Indian city has signed a sister city
agreement with the Chinese city Jinan: Nagpur
All
India
Football
Federation plans
to
launch Mission 11 Million in 30 Indian cities with
the support of FIFA for what purpose: To engage
more than 11 million children in footballrelated activities
RBI plans to put into circulation Rs.10 coins
bearing the portrait of Swami _____________ to
commemorate
his
birth
centenary:
Chinmayananda
Chairman of which public sector insurance
company was in news for resigning nearly two
years ahead of completion of his five-year term:
LIC of India
The United Public Service Day is observed on June
23 for highlighting role of which segment of
society: Public Servants
World Hydrography Day is observed on June 21
to commemorate establishment of which
international organization, some 95 years ago on
this
day:
International
Hydrographic
Organization
Government has asked all state governments to
link Aadhaar number with caste and domicile
certificates of school students for what purpose:
To facilitate timely grant of scholarship
Name the CEO of the SoftBank Group Corp. who
was in news for resigning abruptly from the post,
despite being one of the highest paid CEO: Nikesh
Arora
In the referendum held on June 23 in Britain,
voters decided to come out of European Union.
What were the two options given to the voters:
Leave, Remain
The plenary meeting of the 48-member Nuclear
Suppliers Group, NSG was held in which place:
Seoul
Which country objected to India's membership to
NSG: China
What was China's objection to India's
membership to NSG: India has not signed the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT
RBI has released the Payment and Settlement
Systems in India: Vision-2018 for what purpose:
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To promote mobile banking services

Name the former spinner who has been selected
as the new coach of Indian Cricket Team for one
year: Anil Kumble
Prime Minister Modi formally launched the Smart
City Project from which city: Pune
BrahMos Aerospace successfully tested the
integration of BrahMos missile with which fighter
aircraft: Sukhoi - 30
Name the neighbours of India who were among
the first four countries to that a loan from Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank: Pakistan and
Bangladesh
Name the Anglo-Indian community icon credited
with pioneering the quiz in the country, who died
in Kolkata: Neil O'Brien
ADB to grant $500 million loan to build a 9.8 km
long bridge (longest in India) across the _______
River in, Bihar: Ganges
International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards
festival was held in_______, Spain on June 23:
Madrid
RBI data shows that banking transactions through
mobile apps have increased _________fold in three
years, between 2013 and 2016: Seven
Grand Master Harika Dronavalli won the best
women's player award in the Eurasian Blitz _______
tournament in Kazakhstan: Chess
Sanjay Mittal, Professor in IIT - Kanpur won
which award for scientific research: G D Birla
Award
Government has launched a pilot programme to
run two-wheelers on which gas in New Delhi to
curb air pollution: Compressed Natural Gas
(CNG)
IIFA award for the best feature film was claimed
by which movie: Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Deepika Padukon got the IIFA award for best
actress for which film: Piku
Ministry of Defence has approved the purchase of
145 artillery guns from which global arms
supplier: The BAE systems of USA
Which wing of Indian army plans to deploy the
proposed 145 artillery guns: Mountain Strike
Corps
The BAE systems of USA shall be producing
The 155 MM, M777 ultra light howitzer guns in
India in collaboration with which Indian
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company: Mahindra Defence Systems

Name the 3rd century BC archaeological site in
Bogra, Bangladesh that has been declared as the
SARRC cultural capital for the year 2016-17:
Mahasthangarh
Which country has signed a historical ceasefire
agreement with the guerrilla organization FARC
to put an end to more than 50 years of bloodshed:
Colombia
Why the International Olympic Day is celebrated
every year on June 23: First modern Olympic
Games were held on this day in 1894 at
Sorbonne in Paris
To promote people centric planning, execution
and monitoring of new urban development
schemes, govt has approved setting up of which
new committees: District Level Advisory and
Monitoring Committees - DLAMC
Which representative of people shall be heading
the proposed DLAMCs: Senior most local M P
_____________ is the most expensive city in India
according to the 2016 Cost of Living Survey by
Mercer of USA: Mumbai
Copa America Football Championship is hosted by
which country: USA
Argentina was defeated by which country in the
finals of Copa America Football Championship:
Chile
Wimbledon Tennis Championships are hosted by
which city: London
MAY 2016
Deepika Kumari equalled the world record in
women's recurve event in which sports: Archery
Archery world Cup was held at which place in
China: Shanghai
_________re-elected as the Prime Minister of the
Tibetan
government-in-exile
in Dharmsala,
Himachal Pradesh: Lobsang Sangay
Railways has decided to create a 1 lakh crore
rupees Rashtriya Rail Sanrakshan Kosh (RRSK)
for what purpose: To strengthen safety
measures on the rail network to prevent
accidents
IRNSS is a setup of how many satellites: Seven
________appointed as Director General of the
Railway Protection Force (RPF): S K Bhagat
The prestigious civil award Order of The Rising
Sun, Gold and Silver is conferred by which
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country: Japan
Which Indian bureaucrat was recently honoured
with Order of The Rising Sun, Gold and Silver
award: N. K. Singh
Which major step has recently been taken by the
Income Tax department to achieve more
transparency in its working: It made public the
data on tax payers
Renowned sand artist __________ won the gold
medal at the 9th Moscow Sand Sculpture
Championship in Russia: Sudarsan Pattnaik
The International Cricket Council has suspended
which country from its membership: Nepal
A Parliamentary Standing Committee headed by J
C Divakar Reddy, MP has been formed for what
purpose: To tackle misleading advertising as
well as to fix liability on endorsers/celebrities
Which foreign bank has launched Indias first
mobile only bank named digibank: DBS Bank,
Singapore
Garima Chaudhary won gold medal at the 2016
Commonwealth ______ Championship finals at Port
Elizabeth in South Africa: Judo
North Star is the highest civilian award of which
country: Mongolia
Name the author of the book Blood on my Hands:
Confessions of Staged Encounters: Kishalay
Bhattacharjee
The International Bank Note Society has declared
which countrys five-dollar note as the Banknote
of the Year for 2015: New Zealand
Batsman Iraq Thomas created a record by scoring
21-ball century. He is from which country:
Tobago
In which state massive forest fires in its 16-17
districts posed a serious problem: Uttrakhand
Indian shooters claimed three gold medals and a
bronze in the ISSF Junior World Cup held at which
place: Suhl, Germany
Name the first of the six indigenous Scorpeneclass submarines that was set out for sea trials off
the Mumbai coast: INS Kalvari
Name the Formula One champion from Germany
who won his seventh race in a row at the Russian
Grand Prix in Sochi, Russia: Nico Rosberg
Lee Chong Wei, winner of Asia Badminton
Championship, is from which country: Malaysia
Govt has launched UJALA scheme for what
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purpose: For distribution of LED bulbs

What is the full form of the acronym UJALA:
Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All
Which UN organization promotes the observance
of International Labour Day: International
Labour Organization (ILO)
Govt has launched Ujjwala scheme for what
purpose: For distribution of LPG connection to
BPL families
Govt has granted status of classical language to
how many languages: Five
Which are the five languages that recently have
been given the status of Classical Language:
Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia
Malayalam is spoken in which state of India:
Kerala
Telugu is spoken in which state of India:
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
Which UN organization supports the propagation
of World Press Freedom Day: UNESCO
We hear a lot about the term NPA these days.
What it is: Non Performing Asset
What is NPA: It is a loan account in default
where delay in payment of dues is more than
90 days
As per a global market research, _______, claiming
41.7 per cent of desktop browser share has
become the top Internet browser: Google
Chrome
World Snooker Championship title was won by
Mark Selby. He is from which country: England
The Supreme Court has appointed a threemember panel headed by former Chief Justice of
India RM Lodha to review the functions of which
apex professional body: Medical council of India
The European Central Bank (ECB) has decided to
stop printing of the _____ euro banknote by the
end of 2018 with a view to curb illicit activities:
500
Scientists of which university have built the
world's smallest working engine: University of
Cambridge
Who has been Appointed as the next Chief of
Indian Navy: Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba
Chief of the Indian Navy is appointed in which
rank: Admiral
What is the purpose of the proposed Geospatial
Information Regulation Bill 2016:To punish the
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wrong depiction of the map of India

A life size bronze statue of which Indian filmmaker was installed by the govt of Switzerland to
honour him: Yash Chopra
What is the main objective of recently passed
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill 2016: To
promote conditions for Ease of Doing
Business
Fort Mcmurray, city in state of Alberta in Canada
was in news for what reasons: A massive wild
fire around it almost destroy the city, forcing
more than 80,000 residents to flee
Name the public sector trading giant that recently
launched a new gold coin named Tola: MMTC
Which Indian bank has been selected by the New
Development Bank as its partner for operations in
India: ICICI Bank
Cow and Company, a story by Prashar Kulkarni
won which international award: Commonwealth
Short Story Prize
Enda Kenny has been re elected as the Prime
Minister of which country: Ireland
The H.R. Nagendra Committee has been
appointed by the govt. for which purpose: For
Yoga Education in Universities
In a rare astronomical phenomenon on May 09,
which planet was seen as a dot moving on the
solar disc: Mercury
As per a recent global study, India was ranked
_____ in terms of crony capitalism: 9th
Which country tops in promotion of crony
capitalism: Russia
The Indian Naval Air Squadron 300- White
Tigers, bid farewell to which fighter aircrafts:
The British Sea Harriers
Which are the new fighter aircraft that have
replaced the British Sea Harriers: MiG 29K
The Drowned Detective is a book written by
which author: Neil Jordan
With which country India has signed an MoU for
mutual corporation in the field of sports: Japan
According to Royal Botanic Gardens, world has
over 390,900 plant species. Where is this garden:
London
Which country hosted the 7th Asian Youth
Championship: Kazakhstan
Govt has approved the single emergency
number______ to help people access directly
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emergency services like police, ambulance and

fire fighting: 112
What is the full form of the acronym UBIN:
Unique Business Identification Number
What is the purpose of issuing UBIN: To expedite
establishment of new startups
A commemorative coin of hundred rupees and a
circulation coin of ten rupees have been released
on the 475th birth anniversary of which great
warrior: Maharana Pratap
Which national day is observed on April 11:
National Technology Day
Indian Army conducted its major military training
exercise Chakravyuh-II at which place:
Suratgarh, Rajasthan
Which country elected a dashing flamboyant
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as its President:
Philippines
Which Indian state has won the award for the
Best Indian Destination for Wildlife: Madhya
Pradesh
Atma Ram Nadkarni has been appointed as the
Additional ___________ in Supreme Court for a
period of three years: Solicitor General
Govt of America has approved selection of animal
________ as the first national mammal of the
country: Bison
The RBI has released Draft Guidelines for on tap
Licensing of which type of banks recently:
Universal Banks in the Private Sector
Name the President of Sri Lanka who visited India
for two days on May 13 - 14: Maithripala
Sirisena
In a global study by WHO of the cities with worst
air pollution, four of the five worst polluted cities
are in which country: India
Union cabinet has approved Rs.1,983 crore
package for widening of the 19-km stretch of
which expressway: Delhi-Meerut expressway
What is the name of this President: Dilma
Rousseff
Govt. has formed Sanjay Mitra Committee for
what purpose: To prepare a policy framework
for taxi and other transport operators
Why international nurses day is observed on May
12: It is the birthday of famous nurse Florence
Nightingale
Nursing community of India is honoured by the
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President on this day by which awards: Florence

Nightingale Award
Shashank Manohar has been elected as the first
independent Chairman of which international
cricket body: ICC-International Cricket Council
Name the four Goodwill Ambassadors appointed
by the Indian Olympic Association for the Rio
Olympics: AR Rahman, Salman Khan, Abhinav
Bindra and Sachin Tendulkar
Who is the only Indian in Forbes' 'Money Masters:
The Most Powerful People in the Financial World'
list of 40 persons: Uday Kotak
Who is Uday Kotak: Chief of Kotak Mahindra
Bank
Baba Hardev Singh, a spiritual leader who died in
a car accident, was the head of which sect:
Nirankari Mission
Name the worlds biggest ever cruise ship,
recently launched in France: Harmony of the
Seas
Govt has decided to replace the five year plans
with which new concept: 15 year vision
document
Country is going through the 12th five year plan.
When will it come to an end: 31st March, 2017
Govt. has recently approved the National IPR
Policy. What is IPR: Intellectual Property Rights
Which wing of the defence forces has launched
one of the biggest automated military
maintenance systems in the world: Indian Air
Force
The Electronic Maintenance Management System
of the Indian Air Force will be based at which air
force station: Pune
Max Verstappen, winner of the Spanish Grand
Prix F1 Championship was in news for what
reasons: He is the youngest (18 years) winner
of F1 championship
Name the Indias indigenously developed
supersonic interceptor missile, capable of
destroying any incoming hostile ballistic missile:
Ashwin
The First World Conference on Tourism for
Development was held in_______, China: Beijing
The Indian Railways plans to conduct trial of its
first solar panel-powered train in which place:
Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Eric Dusingizimana, captain of cricket team of
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Rwanda has set a new Guinness world record for

what achievement: Batting continuously for 51
hours
With which global organization India has signed a
MoU for promotion of traditional Indian system of
medicine: WHO World Health Organization
Man Booker International Prize is given for which
achievement: For the best book translated in
English and published in U K
Name the winner of the 2016 Man Booker
International Prize: Han Kang, South Korea
Which novel has been selected for the 2016 Man
Booker International Prize: The Vegetarian
The World Bank has approved $625 million loan
to India to support the rooftop solar power
generation. This loan will be disbursed through
which Indian bank: State Bank of India
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha was in news for
flying which air craft: Tejas
Which country launched its remote sensing
satellite Yaogan-30 May 2016: China
As per the Renewable Energy Country
Attractiveness Index' prepared by global firm E &
Y, India has been placed at which rank: 03rd
The Worlds largest Single Rooftop Solar Power
Plant has been established is in which city in
Punjab: Dera Beas (Amritsar )
Govt. has formed NK Singh committee for review
of FRBM road map. What is full form of FRBM:
Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management
Name the British author who won the PENs
Literary Service Award: J. K. Rowling
The acronym PEN stands for what: Poets,
Essayists and Novelists
Under the Dhan Wapsi scheme for declaration of
domestic black money, how much tax and penalty
is payable: 45%
The Asian team squash women championship was
won by which country: Malaysia
What was Indias rank in the Asian team squash
women championship: Second
Name the electronic grievance redressal system
recently launched by the Income Tax Department:
e-nivaran
World Hypertension day is observed on which
date: May 17
What is the theme of this years World
Hypertension Day: Know Your Numbers
335) Ms. Tsai Ing-wen has been elected as the first

women President of which country: Taiwan
336) On his recent visit to Iran, PM Modi signed an
agreement for development of which important
port in Iran: Chabahar
337) Which three countries have joined hands to
develop the Chabahar port: India, Iran and
Afghanistan
338) Name the Indian states that were hit hard by the
strong cyclone Roanu: Andhra Pradesh and
Odisha
339) Lhakpa Sherpa, the 42 year old mountaineer
created which new record: Climbing Mount
Everest by a Lady for maximum number of
times 7
340) Name the athlete who bagged two gold medals by
winning the women's 100m and 200m race at the
Taiwan Open Athletics Championships: Dutee
Chand
341) Federation Cup is associated with which sports in
India: Football
342) Federation Cup 2016 was won by which team:
Mohun Bagan
343) What is the popular name of the French Open,
second tennis grand slam: Roland Garros
344) Thomas Cup and Uber Cup are associated with
which sports: Badminton, Men and Women,
respectively
345) Name the country that won the Thomas Cup:
Denmark
346) Name the country that won the Uber Cup: China
347) Binali Yildirim has been elected as the new Prime
Minister of which country: Turkey
348) The 27th edition of the India-Indonesian CORPAT
was held in which country: Indonesia
349) Which wing of armed forces of India and
Indonesia took part in recent CORPAT: Navy
350) In which Indian city the trial run of India's first
ever Metro train equipped to run in the driverless
mode was conducted: New Delhi
351) Government has constituted the IEPF Authority to
strengthen the framework for safeguarding the
interest of investors. What is the full form of IEPF:
Investor Education and Protection Fund
352) With which mini European country India has
signed a protocol to amend the DTAA: Slovenia
353) India
successfully
tested
its
firstever indigenously built space shuttle RLV TD
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on May 23. Write full form of RLV-TD: Re-Usable

Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator
What is the main benefit of the space shuttle:
Heavy cost reduction in satellite launching
Who has been elected as the new President of
Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI):
Anurag Thakur
______ has been Appointed as the new Lieutenant
Governor of Union Territory of Puducherry:
Kiran Bedi
Palme dOr is the price for the best film at which
famous film festival: Cannes, France
Which film won the Palme dOr for 2016: I,
Daniel Blake
Who is the director of the film I, Daniel Blake: Ken
Loach, UK
Name the Indias ace cueist who won the Asian 6Red Snooker Title: Pankaj Advani
USA decided to fully lift its embargo on sales of
lethal weapons to its one-time arch enemy, _______
after a gap of over 32 years: Vietnam
World Bank Group has launched the Pandemic
Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) for what
purpose: To protect and support poorest
countries against deadly pandemics like
Ebola, Zika
Govt. has decided to replace the word Viklangjan
for disabled persons with which new word:
Divyangjan
Millennium Technology Prize is given in which
country: Finland
INS Tarmugli, recently inducted in Indian Navy is
what type of ship: Fast attack water jet craft
World Bank has agreed to provide $ 100 million
loan to support Urban Water Supply
Modernization project of which state: Karnataka
Government has selected _____more cities in the
first phase of the smart cities mission: 13
S K Sharma has been appointed the Chairman and
Managing Director (CMD) of which national
scientific
organization:
Nuclear
Power
Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
Heads of state of G-7 nations held their annual
summit at which place in Japan: Ise Shima
A joint study by Assocham-KPMG shows that
India is the ____largest producer of e-waste,
discarding roughly 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of
electronic waste each year: Fifth
371) ____ has been elected as the new and the first BJP
Chief Minister of Assam: Sarbananda Sonowal
372) Pinarayi Vijayan has been elected as the Chief
Minister of which state: Kerala
373) Recently FSSAI has recommended banning the
use of which chemical in the making of bread:
Potassium Bromate
374) What is the name given to the Indias new GPS
system: NAVIC
375) What is the full form of the acronym Navic:
Navigation with Indian Constellation
376) Employee Provident Fund Organization has
decided to increase benefits under the Employees'
Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) scheme from Rs
3.60 lakh to _____rupees: Six lakh
377) Amit Kumar Saroha won the gold medal in which
game at the French Open Athletics Championship
in Paris: Men's club throw
378) Recently approved national policy on capital
goods which aims to _____ the production of
capital goods to Rs 7.5 lakh crore by 2025: Triple
379) The Union Ministry of Human Resource
Development (HRD) has decided to launch an
online system ASMITA for what purpose:
Student tracking system programme
380) What is the full form of ASMITA: All School
Monitoring Individual Tracing Analysis
381) Name the new multilingual portal launched by the
ministry of HRD: Bharatavani
382) Which State Transport Corporation has launched
20 Nirbhaya buses with multiple safety measures
to better protect women passengers: Rajasthan
383) Which Saudi Arabia based bank has offered to
open Islamic banking branch in India: Islamic
Development Bank
384) First bank branch offering Islamic banking is
proposed to be opened by a foreign bank in which
city: Ahmadabad
385) Rishi Nair, a 6th grade Indian American student
won which prestigious competition in USA:
National Geographic Bee competition
386) The Ministry of Railways launched Rail Humsafar
Saptaah from May 26 to June 1 for what purpose:
To highlight significant achievements made by
Indian Railways
387) India recently tested air to land version of its
supersonic ballistic missile BrahMos at which
place: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
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388) Which type of bank borrowers have been

prohibited by SEBI from making public issue of
shares: Willful defaulter
389) The 148-year-old Tata Group has made a foray
into which new field recently by the name
TataCLiQ.com: E-commerce
390) The RBI has instructed banks to shift from
magnetic stripe based ATM and debit cards to
which type of cards: EMV chip and Pin based
cards
391) Which bank has launched e-SBTR (Electronic
Secured Bank Treasury Receipt) for payment of
both - stamp duty and registration fee for home
purchase in Maharashtra: Union Bank of India
APRIL 2016
392) A massive leak of 11.5 million documents from a
law firm in which country revealed how the
world's current rich people, politicians and
celebrities hide their money: Panama
393) Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr has been appointed as
the new Prime Minister of which country: Yemen
394) Where in India Worlds maiden white tiger safari
was opened up: Mukundpur, Madhya Pradesh
395) ____________elected as the first woman Chief
Minister of Jammu and Kashmir: Mehbooba
Mufti
396) India has been ranked ______ among the world's
Top-Ten largest manufacturing countries: Sixth
397) In terms of manufacturing level, which country is
ranked no. one in world: China
398) Name the cricketer who was named as Player of
the tournament in the world T-20: Virat Kohli
399) Who is Dr. Karan Singh, author of the book 'The
Mountain of Shiva': He is a member of Rajya
Sabha
400) Where in India the Army has raised a new Gorkha
battalion comprising entirely of Gorkha troops of
Indian domicile: Sabathu, Himachal Pradesh
401) The government has launched a portal The Indian
IP Panorama to act as a single window interface
for providing information on which subject:
Intellectual property maters
402) This portal is a customised version of IP
Panorama Multimedia toolkit, developed by
WIPO. What is WIPO: World Intellectual
Property Organization
403) Germanys Development Bank KfW has agreed to
provide loan assistance of 3750 crore rupees for
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the development of metro system for which

Indian city: Nagpur
World Autism Awareness Day was observed
across the globe on April 2. What is Autism: A
serious developmental disorder in children that
impairs the ability to communicate and interact.
The government has issued a new set of income
tax return (ITR) forms that require people with
an income of Rs. ______lakh and above per annum
to disclose their assets: 50 lakh
Which stock exchange has launched a new index
Nifty MidSmallcap 400 representing 150 midcap
and 250 small cap companies: National Stock
Exchange
The Airports Authority of India has signed an
MoU with ________ to provide scientific parameters
for construction of airports across the country:
ISRO
Name the new interest mechanism that requires
banks to set rates based on their marginal cost of
funds rather than their average cost of funds:
marginal cost of funds-based lending rate
(MCLR)
India has become the worlds _______ largest
spender on defence, following a 13.1% increase in
its 2016-17 defence budget: Fourth
Which country is the largest spender on defence
in world: USA
Zaha Hadid, renowned Iraq-born British __________
passed away due to heart attack: Architect
Name the campaign that was launched on April 14
to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages,
empowerment of women and upliftment of
farmers: Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan
As per a global study, India ranks third among
countries with high number of financial Trojan
infections. What is Trojan infection: Transactions
where cybercriminals defraud customers of
online banking services
UNICEF launched a series of animated films,
called Unfairy Tales to create awareness about
which group of people: Refugees
P Susheela Mohan, renowned playback singer has
been recognized by the Guinness World Records
for which achievement: For singing the most
number of songs in Indian languages - 17,695
Where in India Asia's biggest telescope has been
launched: Devasthal, Nanital
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417) The European Investment Bank has agreed to give

Euro 450 million towards constructing the metro
rail line in which Indian city: Lucknow
418) Name the India's first semi high speed train
launched on April 5: The Nizamuddin-Agra
Gatimaan Express
419) Which country conferred its highest civilian
honour- the king Abdulaziz Sash on the Prime
Minister Modi: Saudi Arabia
420) Govt has launched the mobile application 'Vidyut
Pravah' for what purpose: for information on
24x7 power from The States
421) The HRD ministry released first-of-its-kind NIRF
for ranking the higher education institutions.
What is NIRF: National Institutional Ranking
Framework
422) As per NIRF _______ has been declared as the no. 1
management institute in the country: IIM
Bangalore
423) The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has

been placed at No. 1 in which category by NIRF:
Best University
424) As per NIRF rankings, which is the top
engineering institute of India: IIT Chennai
425) Where in India a company of Vedanta Resources
set the Guinness World Record for planting
2,08,751 saplings at a single location in less than
an hour: Mansa, Punjab
426) With which country India signed an agreement
for a new Laser Interferometer GravitationalWave Observatory (LIGO) project in India: USA
427) Indias first indigenous composite sonar dome
was launched at Goa. What is its function: It acts
as ships underwater eyes and ears
428) The RBI announced a 25 basis cut in which of its
policy rates: Repo Rate
429) What is the new repo rate after April 5: 6.50%
430) On April 5, RBI hiked the reverse repo rate by 25
basis points to _______ per cent: 6%
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431) W.E.F. April 5, RBI has revised Marginal Standing

Facility and Bank Rate to ______ per cent: 7%
432) What is the likely impact of recent lowering of
repo rate on the rate of interest on bank loans:
They may be reduced
433) With a view to protect which Indian industry, the
government has extended safeguard duty of 20
per cent on import of this product till March
2018: Steel
434) Companies with a net worth of Rs. 500 crore or
more will have to follow new Ind AS from April 1.
What is Ind AS: Indian Accounting Standards
435) World Bank has agreed to provide a $1.5 billion
loan for implementation of which national level
mission: Swachh Bharat Mission
436) Which bank has launched 'NO Queue' Mobile app
to save its customers time to avail banking
services: State Bank of India
437) Under Stand-up India scheme banks have been
asked to provide loans up to _____ crore rupees to
SC/ST and women entrepreneurs: One
438) The loans under Stand-up India may be provided
without collateral. What is collateral: No need to
offer land or building or any other security
439) Britain's Royal Mail has launched a set of special
postage stamps to mark the 400th death
anniversary of which great playwright: William
Shakespeare
440) Which railway zone has topped in terms of largest
Freight Loading in 2015-16: The East Coast
Railway
441) Bihar has become the _________ state in the country
to ban sale and consumption of liquor: Fourth
442) In one of the largest environmental settlement in
the US history, which oil and gas company has
been asked to pay over $20 billion towards
damages: British Petroleum
443) The worlds first public dengue vaccination
programme was launched recently in which
country: Philippines
444) World Health Day is observed on which date:
April 07
445) World Health day this year shall be focusing on
control of with disease: Diabetes
446) Nguyen Xuan Phuc has been elected as the new
Prime Minister of which country: Vietnam
447) Name the team that won the Asian Nations Cup
Chess tournament: India
448) Govt has constituted a high-level committee

headed by former Home Secretary Madhukar
Gupta for what purpose: to suggest ways to
strengthen the border protection along the
border with Pakistan
449) Govt has launched a low cost micro solar
device, Surya Jyoti for what purpose: To meet
lighting needs in areas without electricity
450) International conference on zero was hosted by
which European city: Paris
451) According to Arvind Panagariya India is close to
achieving 8% GDP growth on the back of
satisfactory
progress
in
infrastructure
development. Who is he: Vice Chairman at Niti
Aayog, India
452) Name the lady who has been named the most
powerful businesswoman in Asia by Forbes
Magazine: Nita Ambani
453) Which global body has revised its 2016 global
trade forecast downward by more than one
percentage point to 2.8 per cent: WTO-World
Trade Organization
454) Who has been elected as the new Chairman of the
National Association of Software and Services
Companies (Nasscom) for 2016-17: C P Gurnani
455) Mission Indradhanush covers how many vaccine
preventable diseases: Seven
456) 25 Ministries and Departments of the Union
Government have joined IMPacting Research
INnovation and Technology (IMPRINT) for what
purpose: To establish a single window
mechanism to shortlist research projects
457) Name the countrys first train with CCTV cameras
in all coaches: Shan-E-Punjab Express
458) Hindus in north India observed April 8 as the
beginning of their traditional new year. Can you
name the year: Vikram Samvat 2073
459) In Andhra and Karnataka, April 8 was observed as
________ festival: Ugadi
460) In which Indian state April 8 was observed as
Gudi Padwa: Maharashtra
461) The first ever two day North East-ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business
Summit was hosted by which city: Imphal,
Manipur
462) Name the author of the book 'A State in Denial': B
G Verghese
463) Govt has launched a tablet-based application
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ANMOL that allows ANMs to enter and update

data for the beneficiaries. What is ANM: Auxiliary
Nurse Midwife
Which temple was in news due to a worst-ever
pyrotechnics tragedy claiming over 110 lives:
Puttingal Devi Temple near Kollam, Kerala
Govt plans to construct five lakh irrigation ponds
under which scheme: Pradhan Mantri Krishi
Sinchai Yojana
Malaysian Open Badminton title was won by Lee
Chong Wei of which country: Malaysia
"Advantage India - From Challenge to
Opportunity" is a book written by one of the exPresidents of India. Can you name him: APJ Abdul
Kalam
Name the winner of the FBB Femina Miss India
World 2016 contest: Priyadarshini Chaterjee
In the abbreviation FBB Miss India World, FBB
stands for what: Fashion at Big Bazaar
For which city in Maharashtra, in a first in the
history, a train was used to supply 25 lac liters of
water: Latur
A portal was launched in New Delhi for for
registration and allotment of ISBN. What is the
full form of ISBN: International Standard Book
Number
__________ has become the first state to pass land
title bill for verification of land records:
Rajasthan
A statue of which Indian Maharaja will be
installed in France's Saint-Tropez town in
September this year: Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Who has been named as the brand ambassador of
the Skill India Campaign: Sachin Tendulkar
Danny Willett who won the US Masters Golf
Championship for the year 2016 is from which
country: Britain
Why World Homoeopathy Day is observed on
10th April: It is the birthday of Dr. Samuel
Hahnemann, a German Physician who
developed system of Homoeopathy
To which country India has offered to invest up to
$20 billion in new petrochemicals, fertiliser and
LNG facilities and sought land and cheaper
natural gas for this: Iran
Saraswati Sammaan is given for excellence in
literature in which language: Any language
recognized by Indian constitution
479) Poet and novelist Padma Sachdev won Saraswati

Sammaan for her autobiography Chitt-Chete
written in which language: Dogri
480) Union government plans to lay more emphasis on
promoting MICE tourism in India. What is MICE:
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events
481) Which European country has offered to help in
Namami Gange project for cleaning of Ganges
like their rivers Rhine and Danube: Germany
482) The fire services day is observed on which day of
April: 14th
483) In which state people celebrate Vishu festival on
April 14th to mark beginning of their new year:
Kerala
484) As per a recent World Bank report, which country
received largest amount of inward remittances in
2015: India
485) Which country conferred its highest civilian
honour upon Former Army Chief General(retd) J J
Singh: France
486) A study of 50 nations for investment and
deployment of Information and Communications
Technology has placed which country at top: USA
487) India has successfully tested its K-4 ballistic
missile. What is the launch pad of this missile:
Submarine
488) India has decided to become a formal member of
the regional group SAWEN for what purpose: For
combating wildlife crime and illegal trade
489) What is the full form of SAWEN: South Asia
Wildlife Enforcement Network
490) Airtel M Commerce Services Limited (AMSL) has
been granted the Indias first _________ bank
license by RBI: Payment
491) Which National Institute of Technology in India
has developed the fastest super computer 'Param
Kanchenjunga': Sikkim
492) The recently launched E-National Agriculture
Market covers agriculture markets from how
many states: Eight
493) Which tiny South Pacific island nation has become
the 189th member of the IMF and the World Bank:
Nauru
494) India has finalised the deal to purchase 36 ________
fighter jets from Dassault Aviation of France:
Rafale
495) Jharkhand govt launched the Bhimrao Ambedkar
Awas Yojana for construction of houses for which
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category of persons: Widows

Which country in South America continent was
shaken by several rounds of severe earthquake,
claiming over 654 lives: Ecuador
Friends in Wild Places is a recent book written by
which famous author: Ruskin Bond
Which Indian bank got the first loan of $ 250
million from the newly established BRICS New
Development Bank: Canara Bank
In a study of 50 cities conducted by the IT firm
Dell - Future-Ready Economies Model, city of San
Jose was ranked no. 1. Where is this city:
California, USA
Satyanand Munjal, a great philanthropist and
industrialist, passed away in Ludhiana, Punjab at
the age of 99. He was the co-founder of which
industrial group: Hero Cycles
The annual Spring Meeting of the International
Monetary Fund and the World Bank was held at
which city in USA: Washington DC
World Hemophilia Day is observed on April 17.
Hemophilia is what type of ailment: Non-clotting
of blood
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is associated with which
sports: Hockey
City of Ipoh hosted the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in
which country: Malaysia
What was the rank of India in Sultan Azlan Shah
Cup: Second
Which country won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup by
beating India: Australia
Name the girl from Agartala, Tripura who created
history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to
qualify for the Olympics: Dipa Karmakar
Name the gymnastic feat preformed by Dipa
Karmakar as it is one of the extremely difficult
and most dangerous form: Produnova vault
Name the Indian who has been ranked third in the
Forbes list of top 30 Global Game Changers:
Rahul Bhatia of Inter Globe Enterprises
Govt has released a Commemorative Coin of 200
rupees and a Circulation Coin of 10 rupees to
mark the 200th Martyrdom Day of Tatya Tope.
Who was he: A war hero of 1857 war of
Independence
The 13th Islamic Summit Conference was held
in________, Turkey: Istanbul
IMF and world bank have joined hands with the
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United Nations and OECD for improvement of tax

systems world over. What is OECD: Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development
________ has been declared the Laureus Best
Sportsman of the year: Novak Djokovic, Serbia
________ has been declared the Laureus Best
Sportswoman of the year: Serena Williams, USA
Which sports team won the Laureus Best Sports
Team of The Year Award: New Zealand's Rugby
World Cup-winning team
Name the Silicon Valleys veteran adviser,
mentored of Steve Jobs, Larry Page, who died
recently: Bill Campbell
India, Afghanistan and Iran have agreed for joint
work on development of Chabahar port in which
country: Iran
With which country India has signed an MoU on
cooperation in the field of traditional system of
medicine and Homoeopathy: Mauritius
The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme has
been extended to additional 61 low CSR districts.
The term CSR stands for what: Child Sex Ratio
Which famous temple was in news for depositing
1,311 kg of gold in a public sector bank under
Gold Monetisation Scheme?: Tirupati Balaji
Temple, Andhra Pradesh
As per the 2016 World Press Freedom Index,
which country enjoys the number one position for
the functioning of journalist: Finland
As per the 2016 World Press Freedom Index,
what was the rank of India: 133rd
Scientists have reported that over 90 per cent of
the Great Barrier Reef has been damaged by mass
bleaching. It is in which country: off the
Australian coast
Rahul Johri has been appointed as the first Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of which major Indian
sports body: BCCI- Board of Control for Cricket
in India
As per the latest World Malaria Report from
WHO, ________ has become the worlds first region
to wipe out malaria with zero cases reported last
year: Europe
Which day is observed as the Earth Day all over
the world: April 22
What is the theme for the Earth Day this year:
Trees for the Earth
Name the leading Bollywood actress who has
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been named by Time magazine in its list of the

'100 Most Influential People in the World':
Priyanka Chopra
Civil servants all over India observe April 21 as
________ day to re-dedicate and re-commit
themselves to the cause of the people: Civil
Service Day
Why April 21 has been selected as the Civil
Service Day: On this day in 1947, Sardar
Patel addressed the first batch of Indian civil
servants
The Olympic Torch for the Rio de Janeiro
Olympics was ceremoniously lighted at the
Temple of Hera in which place: Ancient Olympia,
Greece
The Rio Olympics beginning on August 5 will be
the ____ edition of modern Olympic games: 31st
A statement by Amitabh Kant says that India will
be free of BPL population by 2032, attaining a
growth of 10%. Who is he: CEO of Niti Aayog
Rogers Nelson, pop music superstar, popularly
known as _________ in USA, died aged 57: Prince
Which Indian city is the host for the popular
religious event Simhastha Kumbh: Ujjain,
Madhya Pradesh
Simhastha Kumbh is being held in Ujjain on the
banks of which river: Kshipra
As per a report by The Financial Times Limited,
which country in world received highest FDI in
2015: India
Where in world, representatives of 175 nations
signed the historic Paris Climate Agreement: New
York
The Paris Climate Agreement aims at limiting
global temperature rise to well below ____ degrees
Celsius, and to strive for ______ degrees Celsius: 2,
1.5
Name the famous Malayalam actor who has been
nominated as a Rajya Sabha MP: Suresh Gopi
England and several other parts of the world are
celebrating 400th death anniversary of a legendary
playwright. Can you name him: William
Shakespeare
What is the popular other name for the William
Shakespeare: The Bard of Avon
Name any two famous master pieces written by
William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
and Hamlet
544) Name the worlds oldest-serving royal and the

longest lived monarch who turned 90 on April 21:
Queen Elizabeth II
545) The Department of Disinvestment has been
renamed as Department of Investment and Public
Asset Management or 'Dipam'. It is in which
ministry: Union Finance Ministry
546) With which country India launched a $1 trillion
Potential
Solar
Programme
under
the
International Solar Alliance: France
547) Name the Indias first online interactive heritage
portal launched recently: Sahapedia
548) Which UN agency organizes activities for
promotion of World Book Day on April 23:
UNESCO
549) Japan has become fourth country in world to
successfully test its first stealth fighter jet X 2.
What is stealth technology: Ability to avoid
detection by Radar
550) An Economist in the Real World is a book written
by Kaushik Basu. Who is he: Chief Economist at
World Bank
551) What is the full form of the word CORPAT:
Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai)
552) The joint army training exercise, titled Nomadic
Elephant - 2016 was held between which two
countries: India and Mongolia
553) Scientists at which Indian organization have
developed the world's lightest ever synthetic
material called silica aerogel: Vikram Sarabhai
Space Centre
554) Govt. has decided to increase minimum wages of
contract workers to Rs. _________ at the national
level: 10,000/555) Which country has ordered a two-day working
week for public sector workers as a temporary
measure to help it overcome a serious energy
crisis: Venezuela
556) Union Sports Ministry has decided to provide one
lakh rupees per month to sportspersons
preparing for Olympics under TOP Scheme. TOP
stands for what: Target Olympic Podium
557) Govt has set up a committee headed by Ashok
Dalwai, for what purpose: To suggest ways to
double farm incomes by 2022
558) The government has made it mandatory that no
mobile can be sold in India without an in-built
________button, starting January 1, 2017: Panic
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Indigo Selected Stories is a collection of stories
by which famous film maker: Satyajit Ray
88TH Oscar Awards, 2016 were held in which city
of USA: Los Angeles
The Oscar for the best director was won by the
film The Revenant. Name the director:
Alejandro Irritu
Film ____________ won the 2016 Oscar for the best
feature film: Spotlight
The Oscar for the best actor has been won by
___________ for the film The Revenant: Leonardo
DiCaprio
Gurmeet Singh and Khushbir Kaur won the gold
in the national championship for which event:
Race Walking
According to Forbes annual ranking of
billionaires, __________ has been ranked at No. 1 in
the world with a net worth of $75 billion: Bill
Gates
__________ has been declared as the worlds number
one airport in its category by the Airports Council
International: Indira Gandhi International
Airport, Delhi
Rahul Sachdev recently won the all India
championship in which event: Snooker
Defence Ministry has issued an order worth Rs
22,000 crores for purchase of Chinook and
Apache helicopters from which country: USA
What type of helicopter is CH-47 Chinook: Heavy
transport
What type of helicopter is AH-64 Apache:
Multirole Attack
Vinod Rai, Former Comptroller and Auditor
General (CAG) was in news recently for what
reasons: He has been appointed as the first
Chairman of Banks Board Bureau
What is the basic objective of the newly formed
organization Banks Board Bureau: To approve
the appointment of banks top executives and
improve their governance
On which date we celebrate National Science Day:
Feb 28
The National Science Day is observed on Feb 28
as on this day discovery of __________ was made in
1928: Raman Effect
Name the Indian scientist who won the Nobel
prize for discovery of Raman Effect: Sir C. V.
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________ has been declared as the first digital state
of India for achieving digital connectivity of all
villages and panchayats: Kerala
Indias largest heritage conservation project Muziris Heritage Project is located at which place:
Trissur, Kerala
Govt. has launched _________ project to make all
national highways free of railway crossings by
2019: Setubharatam
The UGC has asked varsities and colleges to
launch a special page on their websites for
checking discrimination against which category of
students: SC/ST students
Which Union Ministry organized The Raisina
Dialogue, a project to explore prospects and
opportunities for Asian integration: Ministry of
External Affairs
Name the mega military exercise that was held
jointly by Indian and armies of ASEAN countries:
Force 18
Mega military exercise Force 18 was held at
which place: Pune, Maharashtra
World Bank has agreed to grant $ 300 million
loan for the Higher Education Quality
Improvement Project in which state: Madhya
Pradesh
In a recent study of energy effectiveness of the
countries, India was placed at 90th rank. Which
was the best country: Switzerland
Name the veteran actor and film maker who has
been awarded Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2015:
Manoj Kumar
What is the amount of cash prize given to the
winner of Dada Saheb Phalke Award: Rs. 10 lac
Col C K Nayudu Trophy is associated with which
sports: Cricket
___________ won the 2016 C K Nayudu trophy:
Mumbai
Finals of C K Nayudu trophy were held in
___________, Madhya Pradesh: Indore
Indian shooter ___________clinched the 50m pistol
gold at the ISSF World Cup in Bangkok,Thailand:
Jitu Rai
Worlds costliest railway station was opened to
public on March 3 in which city: New York
Who Was Shivaji is a book written by which
author: Govind Pansare
90
593) The United Nations has decided to set up 20 Blue

Dots in Europe for what purpose: As child and
family support hubs for refugees
594) Which two UN organizations have been given the
task of lookin after of Blue dots: UNHCR and
UNICEF
595) On March 03 we celebrate which day associated
with the wild animals: World Wildlife Day
596) Which animal is the main focus of 2016 World
Wildlife Day: Elephant
597) Which UN body organizes the Zero Discrimination
Day on March 1 across the world: UNAIDS
598) India observes National Safety Day on March 04
to promote which aspect of life: Safety
awareness among people
599) Uridashi Masala Bonds are issued in which
country: Japan
600) Which Indian state has taken first of its kind
initiative by launching the Air Ambulance in the
state: Kerala
601) Ray Tomlinson, a veteran IT expert of USA passed
away recently. He is known for invention of which
IT application: E-mail
602) Which country won the both, mens and womens
category in the World Table Tennis Team
championship: China
603) Which country has agreed to promote three
Indian as smart cities: Germany
604) Germany has assured help for promoting which 3
cities as smart city in India: Kochi, Bhubaneswar
and Coimbatore
605) Air India on March 6 flew the worlds longest
all-women operated and supported flight,
nonstop, from New Delhi to____________, USA: San
Francisco
606) In terms of women occupying top positions in
business in 36 countries, what was Indias rank:
34th
607) __________ occupies the top spot in terms of women
occupying top positions in business: Russia
608) Name the former world number one tennis star
who failed a drugs test at the Australian Open:
Maria Sharapova
609) Chevalier de la Lgion d'Honneur is one of the top
civil honour of which country: France
610) Name the Indian industrialist who has been
honoured with Chevalier de la Lgion d'Honneur:
Anand Mahindra, CMD
611) International Women's Day was observed across

the world on which date: 8 March
612) _________ is the first bank to get the licence for the
small finance bank: Capital Local Area Bank Ltd.
613) Govt has launched the new ____ colour scheme for
re-classification of industries based on the
Pollution Index (PI) scores: Four
614) In the context of score on pollution index, ______
colour shows the highest level of pollution: Red
615) In the context of score on pollution index, ______
colour shows the lowest level of pollution: White
616) In a recent survey of 133 cities for cost of living,
which two Indian cities figure among the most in
expensive cities: Bengaluru and Mumbai
617) Lok Sabha passed a bill to amend the Enemy
Property Act, 1968. It relates to properties of
which persons: People who became Chinese or
Pakistani nationals, after leaving India in the
wake of wars fought with these countries
618) ISRO launched IRNSS 1 F satellite for what
purpose: To provide GPS facility
619) Indian GPS system-IRNSS is a setup of _________
satellites: Seven
620) India signed its biggest ever overseas credit line,
extending $2 billion loan facility to which country:
Bangladesh
621) Which Indian bank will look after the $2 billion
loan line to Bangladesh: Exim Bank
622) Scott Kelly who returned to earth on March 1,
completing 340 days stay in space, created which
record: American with longest stay in space
623) As per new rules, unreserved train ticket for
travelling upto 199 kms will no longer be valid
after _____ hours of purchase of the ticket: Three
624) The first-ever auction of a gold mine in the
country was held in Baghmara. It is in which
state: Chhattisgarh
625) Indias first gender park has been started in which
state to promote the participation of women in
development: Kerala
626) __________ has become the first state in the country
to launch the HPV vaccine as a public health
programme for school children: Delhi
627) What is the full form of HPV: Human Papilloma
Virus
628) March ___ is commemorated as National Security
Day to praise the work of security forces: 4
629) Ahmed Abul Gheit, veteran Egyptian diplomat has
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been named as new Secretary General of which

international body: The Arab League
Irani Cup is associated with which sports: Cricket
Irani Cup 2016 was lifted by __________ team by
beating Mumbai: Rest of India
Govt. has launched Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana
for what purpose: To provide free LPG
connections to women in BPL households
Justice __________ Chauhan has been appointed as
the chairperson of the 21st Law Commission:
Balbir Singh
What is the purpose of setting up the law
commission: To review the existing laws for
improvement
The government has decided to invest Rs 69,575
crore towards increasing Indias quota in which
international organization: IMF-International
Monetary Fund
Garuda Shakti was the joint army training
exercise between ________ and India: Indonesia
Garuda Shakti joint military exercise was hosted
by which country: Indonesia
Govt. has started which new technological
initiative for primary health care in four states:
Healthcare ATMs
George Henry Martin, popular as the "Fifth
Beatle", passed away in England. He was a
prominent figure from which field: Music
Name the bill recently passed by the Parliament
that aims to protect house buyers from the widely
prevalent opaque and fraudulent practices in the
real estate sector: Real Estate (Regulation and
Development) Bill, 2015
What is the name of the online service launched
by the railways to facilitate passengers for
cleaning of their coaches: Clean My Coach
The one million dollar prize for innovative
teaching- Global Teacher Prize has been won by
Hanan Al Hroub. She is from which country:
Palestine
Santosh trophy is associated with which sports:
Football
Santosh Trophy 2016 was won by _________ team:
Services
All England Open Badminton Championship was
hosted by which city in UK: Birmingham
___________ of China won the All England Open
Badminton Championship: Lin Dan
647) Government has recently allowed women to be

inducted as officers in combat roles into which
paramilitary force: ITBP
648) What is the full form of ITBP: Indo-Tibetan
Border Police
649) SEBI has disallowed which type of borrowers
from making a public issue or acquiring another
listed entity: Willful defaulters
650) Golden City Gate Award is given for excellence in
which field: Tourism
651) Which Indian body won the Golden City Gate
Award-2016: Kerala Tourism
652) 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves was
held at Lima in ______from 14-17 March: Peru
653) ________ elected as the first civilian President of
Myanmar to lead the country after 53 years of
military rule: Htin Kyaw
654) ExoMars 2016, an unmanned spacecraft has been
launched jointly by Europe and Russia for what
purpose: To study the Mars' atmosphere
655) FSSAI has launched the 'Clean Street Food Project'
in Delhi to sensitise the street food vendors about
health and hygiene aspects of food. What is FSSAI:
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
656) World's first fully electric double decker bus
service has been launched in which international
metro: London
657) Governor of the Central Bank of which country
recently resigned as the bank's account in USA
were hacked causing a loss of over $100 million:
Bangladesh
658) In which country an Indian-origin Sikh has
become the Police Commissioner of its capital:
Malaysia
659) Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography is a book
written by which author: Pramod Kapoor
660) Chameli Devi Jain Award are given for excellence
in which field: Journalism by women
661) Which bank has launched a contactless mobile
payment solution Touch & Pay: ICICI Bank
662) What was the theme of this year's World
Consumer Rights Day: Antibiotics off the Menu
663) The World Consumer Rights Day is observed
across the globe in March on which date: 15
664) World Kidney Day is observed globally on which
date: March 10
665) The 59th Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs
was held in________, Austria: Vienna
92
666) Which global prize is famous as Nobel for

Mathematics: Abel Prize
667) Abel prize is given by which country: Norway
668) In a study of 156 nations in the World Happiness
Report 2016, India has been ranked as ________
place: 118th
669) As per the World Happiness Report 2016 which
country is the happiest in the world: Denmark
670) Indian Air Force conducted its biggest fire power
combat exercise at Pokhran in Rajasthan on
March 18. What was its name: Iron Fist 2016
671) The Pope Francis, religious chief of Christians, has
announced to confer Sainthood on the social
worker who spent 45 years serving the poor and
sick on the streets of Kolkata. Name her: Mother
Teresa
672) Name the hospital that bagged the top
government award Kayakalp for best hospital
cleanliness and infection control, winning a prize
money of Rs. 5 crore: PGIMER, Chandigarh
673) Michelle Yeoh has been appointed as United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Goodwill Ambassador. Who is she: Famous
action heroine of Malaysia-China
674) Name the American actor and activist who has
been appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of
the UNFPA: Ashley Judd
675) What is the full form of UNFPA: United Nations
Population Fund
676) Which railway station has stood first in India in
terms of cleanliness, as per a survey conducted by
the Ministry of Railways: Surat, Gujarat
677) The government has reduced interest rates
payable on small savings w.e.f. April 01, 2016.
Name two small savings schemes: Public
Provident Fund, National Savings Certificate
678) __________Airport in Singapore has been voted the
Worlds Best Airport for the fourth year in a row
at the 2016 World Airport Awards: Changi
679) Railways have tied up with which organization to
leverage the space technology for providing the
passenger information in all trains: ISRO
680) Parsi Zoroastrians of India celebrated their
___________festival on March 21to mark beginning
of their new year: Navroz
681) Who created history by becoming the first Indian
athlete to clinch a gold medal in the Asian 20 km
Race Walk Championships: Gurmeet Singh
682) UNESCO has included Agasthyamala biosphere

reserve in its World Network of Biosphere
Reserves. Where is it in India: In the Western
Ghats
683) Which Bank has become the first bank to
commence the sale of Indian Gold Coin (IGC) in
the domestic market: Indian Overseas Bank
684) What are the three weight categories in which
India Gold Coins are available: 5, 10 and 20 gram
685) US President Barack Obama scripted history by
becoming first US President by visiting which
country after 88 years of strained relations: Cuba
686) The United Nations appointed 'Red' as an envoy
to inspire climate action toward a sustainable and
happier future for all. Who is 'Red': Leader of the
"Angry Birds" mobile game characters
687) March 21 was observed as the ___________ day
across the world to promote the importance of
forests and trees in our lives: World Forestry
Day
688) March 22 was observed as the __________ day with
the theme Water and Jobs: World Water Day
689) The World Sparrow Day is observed across the
world on which date: March 20
690) The World Meteorological day is observed on
March 23 for what purpose: To spread
awareness about climate change
691) 9th International Abilympics started at Bordeaux
in France. Who are the participants in this:
Skilled persons with disabilities
692) Which Indian city will host the eighth annual
summit of BRICS from October 15-16: Goa
693) Which flower has been selected in a symbolic
form as the logo for the 8th Brics Summit: Lotus
694) _________ won the Krishi Karman Award for its
landmark achievement in showing highest
production of food grains in year 2014-15:
Himachal Pradesh
695) The government has formally withdrawn the
recognition of which Stock Exchange after it was
de recognised by SEBI: Delhi
696) Govt has launched the new drug Bedaquiline to
combat drug resistant form of which disease:
Tuberculosis (TB)
697) _______was observed as the World Tuberculosis
day: March 24
698) Subrata Roy Sahara, promoter of Sahara Group
who is in Tihad Jail, has written a book about his
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experiences. What is the name of this book: Life

Mantras
The Girl on the Train is a famous novel written by
___________: Paula Hawkins
Which country signed a MoU for construction of
six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra:
France
Name the govt. scheme that aims to achieve the
objective of Housing for All: Pradhan Mantri
Awaas Yojana
A financial assistance of Rs.__________ lakh will be
provided for construction of pucca houses to
homeless families in plain areas: 1.20
A financial assistance of Rs.__________ lakh will be
provided for construction of pucca houses to
homeless families in hilly and difficult area: 1.30
RBI has asked banks to pay interest on savings
accounts on a ______basis or a shorter duration:
Quarterly
Rate of interest on savings bank accounts in banks
in India is decided by which authority: Banks
themselves
Indias number one tractor producer, Mahindra&
Mahindra plans to launch Trringo a digital app
for what purpose: To start online tractor rental
business
Which country has made a law to jail the parents
who fail to vaccinate their children: Uganda
Who is the only Indian leader in the worlds 50
greatest leaders list compiled by Fortune
magazine: Arvind Kejriwal
RuPay, the domestic card payment service
provider by NPCI plans to issue which new type of
card: Credit Card
Which Indian state was put under President's rule
in last week of March, 2016: Uttarakhand
Name the famous ancient city of Syria that was
recently recaptured by Syrian troops: Palmyra
ISRO has establish world's second largest
Ionospheric Radar at which place in Andhra
Pradesh: Gadanki
Who is the director of the film 'Baahubali' that
won the national award for best feature film: S S
Rajamouli
The film Bajrangi Bhaijaan won the national
award for best film in which category: Most
popular film
Name the three countries visited by prime
716)
717)
718)
719)
720)
721)
722)
723)
724)
725)
726)
727)
728)
729)
730)
minister modi in the last week of march:

Belgium, USA and Saudi Arabia
India has started a new direct shipping service to
Chittagong in Bangladesh from which port in
India: Krishnapatnam in Nellore, Andhra
Pradesh
The World Bank has agreed to provide $250
million loan for improving the performance of
electricity distribution in which state: Rajasthan
H Deep Saini, noted Indian scholar and plant
physiologist has been appointed as the Vice
Chancellor of which global university: University
of Canberra, Australia
Which bank has announced an initiative called
iWork@home that uses technology to enable
women employees to work from home for an
extended period: ICICI Bank
The first World Culture Festival, a three-day event
celebrating cultural diversity was held on the
bank of which river: Yamuna
The World Cultural Festival was organized by
which organization: Art of Living
Which e-retailer has been ranked as the most
trusted online shopping brand in India: Amazon
According to the latest figures released by the
Geneva-based World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO), ___________ is the top most
country in filling patents: USA
The Telecom Commission has approved which
number as a common number for emergencies
such as police, fire, ambulance, etc. all over India:
112
The U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) and the Asian Development Bank have
signed a MoU to provide $ 848 million for which
purpose: To develop solar parks across India
FEBRUARY 2016
First Grand Slam of Tennis 2016 was held at
which place: Melbourne, Australia
_____________ won the Mens Singles title of
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic
_____________ won the Womens Singles title of
Australian Open: Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber, winner of Womens title in
Australian Open, is from which country: Germany
Which Union Ministry has decided to reduce the
threshold for coverage of firms under the EPFO:
Labour Ministry
94
731) What is the full form of EPFO: Employees

Provident Fund Organization
732) The threshold for coverage of firms under the
EPFO has been reduced to _________ workers from
20 at present: 10
733) ICC has decided upon what new measures for the
safety of the umpires: They will be provided by
specially designed helmets
734) The Indian womens cricket team made history by
clinching its maiden T20 series against which
country: Australia
735) Name the author of the book Why we love the
way we do: Preeti Shenoy
736) Nathuram Godse - The Story of an Assassin is a
book written by which author: Anup Sardesai
737) What is the name of the book by Former
President APJ Abdul Kalam based on his spiritual
experiences with Pramukh Swami Maharaj:
Transendence
738) What is the name of the indigenously developed
Light Combat Aircraft which is about to replace
the MiG fighters: Tejas Mark 1-A
739) The GDP growth for 2014-15 has been scaled
down to 7.2% from the earlier estimate of 7.3%,
by which Government organization: Central
Statistics Office (CSO)
740) As per latest CSO data, per capita income during
2015-16 is likely to be above ________ thousand
rupees: 77
741) As per a list compiled by Wealth-X in
collaboration with Business Insider, _______ is the
2nd richest person in India: Ajim Premji
742) Henri Tiphagne, founder of NGO Peoples Watch
was recently awarded which international
honour: Human Rights Award
743) Human Rights Award is given by which global
organization: Amnesty International, Germany
744) Anti-Leprosy Day is observed on 30 January in the
honour of which national leader: Mahatma
Gandhi
745) What is the full form of NTPC Ltd: National
Thermal Power Corporation Ltd.
746) Which country has produced the fifth-generation
stealth fighter jet- X-2-Shinshin: Japan
747) Which paramilitary force of India has appointed,
for the first time a woman as its Director General:
Sahastra Seema Bal
748) Name the newly appointed Director General of
749)
750)
751)
752)
753)
754)
755)
756)
757)
758)
759)
760)
761)
762)
763)
764)
Sashastra
Seema
Bal
(SSB):
Archana
Ramasundaram
Sahastra Seema Bal looks after the security of
which part of border of India: Nepal and Bhutan
K Durga Prasad, a senior IPS officer has been
appointed Director General of which paramilitary
force: CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force)
__________ has been appointed as the Director
General of Border Security Force: K K Sharma
Which global social networking application
recently crossed the one billion user milestone:
WhatsApp
President of India recently conferred the
honorary rank of General of the Indian Army to
Chief of Army of which country: Nepal
Which state won the 61st National School
Athletics championship: Kerala
Dial D for Don is a book written by former Police
Commissioner of Delhi. Name him: Neeraj Kumar
Ancestral Affairs is a book written by which
author: Keki Daruwalla
World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared
Public Health Emergency of International Concern
over the explosive spread of which disease: Zika
Virus
As per recent market reports, which is the largest
company of the world in terms of market
capitalization: Alphabet
2021 World Aquatics Championships will be
hosted by _______city of Japan: Fukuoka
Which company has launched a 150-cc bike
named V that contains metal sourced from
Indias first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant: Bajaj
Auto
Mens Singles Title in the Syed Modi International
Badminton Championships was won by which
player: Kidambi Srikanth
Name the veteran wildlife filmmaker who won
the V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award:
Naresh Bedi
Name the Indian film that won the Best First
Foreign Film Award given by the French
Syndicate of Cinema Critics: Titli
D J Pandian, former Chief Secretary of Gujarat has
been appointed vice-president and chief
investment officer of which newly formed global
financial institution: Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank
95
765) Which govt organization has launched the

country's first anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug BGR 34 for Diabetes type 2 patients: Council for
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
766) For what purpose the Government has decided to
infuse about 5,000 crore rupees capital in the
public sector banks: To strengthen their
balance sheet for compliance of Basel III
capital norms
767) Hyderabad-based
biotechnology
research
company Bharat Biotech has announced that it
has developed the worlds first vaccine against
which major disease: Zika Virus
768) Name the major employment scheme run by govt.
that completed 10 years in February: Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act (MGNREGA)
769) Name the state that won the Dr BC Roy Trophy for
the National Junior Football Championship:
Punjab
770) The Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, led by ______,
one of the biggest trade deals in history, was
signed in New Zealand on Feb 4: USA
771) The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
has barred telecom service providers from
charging differential rates for data services. This
is in promotion of which concept: Net neutrality
772) The eighth Delhi Dialogue was held in New Delhi
to discuss politico-security, economic and sociocultural engagement between the ________ and
India: Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN)
773) Reserve Bank has decided to undertake which
step to check handling of customer complaints
and how banks have implemented Charter of
Customer Rights: Incognito visits to bank
branches
774) Which country won the highest number of medals
in the 12th South Asian Games: India
775) India emerged number one in the 12th South
Asian Games by winning total _______ medals: 308
776) Name the ace Indian Shooter who won record six
medals in the 12th South Asian Games: Chain
Singh
777) 13th SAG will be hosted by Nepal in Kathmandu in
which year: 2019
778) As per Swachh Survekshan-2016 conducted by
the Quality Council of India to rank the Indian
cities on the basis of cleanliness, _________ has been
779)
780)
781)
782)
783)
784)
785)
786)
787)
788)
789)
790)
791)
792)
793)
794)
ranked no. one: Mysuru

Central Bank of which major economy has
imposed, for the first time, a negative interest rate
of minus 0.1 per cent for certain bank deposits
placed with it: Japan
BAFTA awards 2016 were given away in London
on Feb 14. What is the full form of BAFTA: British
Academy of Film and Television Awards
Which film won the BAFTA award for the best
film: The Revenant
Worlds longest train route, running for 10,400
kms, starts from and ends at which place: Yiwu
(China) and Bander Abbas (Iran)
What is the formal name given to this 10,400 kms
rail route: Belt and Road connectivity initiative
Mr. Modi has been highlighting the 4D blessings of
Indian economy. What are these 4Ds:
Democracy, Demography, Demand and
Deregulation
World famous Grammy Awards are given for
excellence in which field: Music
58th Grammy Awards ceremony was held on 15th
February at which place: Los Angeles, USA
Grammy for Record of the Year was won by
Uptown Funk by which artist: Mark Ronson
Taylor Swift won the Grammy for the Album of
the Year. What is the name of the Album: 1989
Taylor Swift
What is the title of the latest book written by
Shyam Bhatia, noted journalist: Bullets and
Bylines
Leading gun-maker BAE Systems, the UK based
multinational company has selected which Indian
corporate as their partner for manufacturing
M777 howitzers in India: Mahindras
M777 howitzer guns will be used as major
weapon by which proposed army formation:
Mountain Strike Corps
Govt. proposes to assign the security of which
border area to Mountain Strike Corps:
Mountainous borders with China
National Arogya Fair was organized to showcase
and promote the strengths, efficacy and
affordability of the AYUSH. What is the full form of
AYUSH: Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy,
Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy
First phase of worlds largest solar power plant,
with a capacity to produce 580 mw was started in
96
795)
796)
797)
798)
799)
800)
801)
802)
803)
804)
805)
806)
807)
808)
809)
810)
811)
which country on Feb 4: Morocco

Name the batsman from South Africa who became
the quickest and the youngest batsmen to score
10 centuries in ODIs: Quinton De Kock
Which global organization has released a report
called 'One Humanity: Shared Responsibility':
UNO
Which deworming tablet is provided free to
school and pre-schools children who fight worm
infections: Albendezole
The Reserve Bank of India has released the
Report of the Working Group (Chairperson: Prof.
P.G. Apte) on which topic: Introduction of
Interest Rate Options in India
What is the name of the 9th edition of India-Nepal
Combined Military Exercise: Surya Kiran IX
Surya Kiran IX military exercise was held in which
area: Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand
Indian and Chinese troops held their first joint
tactical exercise Sino-India Cooperation 2016
for what purpose: For joint operation on
humanitarian aid and disaster relief
Which ministry has launched the 24x7 Toll Free
Tourist Infoline in 12 International Languages to
facilitate tourists: Union Ministry of Tourism
Government
has
launched
____________for
prevention of AIDS in the 20 districts of eight
North-Eastern states: Project Sunrise
Indian Oil Corporations latest oil refinery started
production in Paradip in which state: Odisha
Government has decided to set up the National
Organic Farming Research Institute in which
state: Sikkim
Indian Army participated in the Cobra Gold
2016 the biggest multilateral military exercise.
It was hosted by which country: Thailand
Golden Conch Award is given for excellence in
which field: Documentary Films
Golden Conch Award is given at which film
festival: Mumbai International Film Festival
What was this years theme for the World Cancer
Day: We can, I can
In a global survey by Brand Finance for brand
power, which Indian firm has been rated as the
Worlds Most Powerful Brand in IT Services: TCS
Tata Consultancy Services
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) has launched the BGR-34, country's first
812)
813)
814)
815)
816)
817)
818)
819)
820)
821)
822)
823)
824)
825)
826)
ayurvedic drug for treatment of which major

disease: Diabetes type - II
In the anti-diabetic drug, acronym BGR stands for
what: Blood Glucose Regulator
Aruna Sethi has been appointed as the first
women head of the which all India administrative
service: Indian Cost Accounts Services
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Classical Music Award for
2015-2016 was conferred on Pandit Ram
Narayan. He is a master player of which
instrument: Sarangi
Parameshwaran Iyer, a World Banks water and
sanitation specialist has been selected by the
Indian govt. to head which major national
mission: Swachh Bharat Mission
The app myCAMS has been launched for what
purpose in context of mutual fund business: To
facilitate paperless eKYC
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has
raised a special squad of which animal to boost its
rescue efforts in earthquake hit areas: Dogs
Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai has
issued Geographical Indication tag for which
item to 7 states in the Indo-Gangetic Plains:
Basmati Rice
The first ever Petrochemical project in entire
North East India was started in February in
Dibrugarh in which state: Assam
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 will be
hosted by ________________ in June 2017: England
The Indian government has finally sanctioned
Rs.580 crore for the vital Agartala-Akhaura rail
link with which country: Bangladesh
Indias first-ever Aviation Park will come up near
Bagodara village in which state: Gujarat
What is the objective of setting up aviation park:
To promote special units to manufacture
spare parts for aircrafts
Scientists have detected for the first time, signals
of ________________waves emanating from two
merging black holes 1.3 billion light years away:
Gravitational
Prediction about gravitational waves was made
about 100 years ago by which great scientist:
Albert Einstein
The gravitational waves have been discovered
after decades of research by scientists at LIGO,
USA. Expand LIGO: Laser Interferometer
97
827)
828)
829)
830)
831)
832)
833)
834)
835)
836)
837)
838)
839)
840)
841)
Gravitational-wave Observatory
U K Sinha, the Chairman of Securities and
Exchange Board of India (Sebi) was in news for
what reasons: He has been given extension for
one year
Name the Indias first indigenously developed
lightest revolver weighing just 250 gms: Nidar
Name the Bollywoods popular lyricist who made
into the Guinness Book of World Records for
writing the most number3524 of songs for
Bollywood films: Sameer Anjaan
Government has launched a Rs. 10,000-crore
Electronic Development Fund for what purpose:
To promote manufacturing in the electronics
sector
Which country launched a massive military
exercise North Thunder that included troops
from 20 nations: Saudi Arabia
_____________ has been appointed as the new Chief
Minister of Arunachal Pradesh: Kalikho Pul
Name the America's celebrated novelist whose
1960 masterpiece "To Kill a Mockingbird" was
read by millions worldwide: Harper Lee
Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director of the
International Monetary Fund was in news
recently for what reasons: She has been reappointed for a second five-year term
Amit Mitra has been appointed as the new
chairman of the Empowered Committee of State
Finance Ministers on GST. Who is he: West
Bengal Finance Minister
Name the New Zealand cricketer who smashed
the fastest ever Test century in just 54 balls:
Brendon McCullum
_____________, ace sprinter set a new national record
in the 60m dash in 7.28 seconds at the 7th Asian
Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha: Dutee
Chand
_____________, has been appointed as the new
Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
(BARC), Mumbai: K N Vyas
What is the title of the recent book by Jhumpa
Lahiri: In Other Words
An Economist in the Real World is a book written
by the Chief Economist of the World Bank. Name
him: Kaushik Basu
Name the Indian film that won the 2016 Crystal
Bear Award: Ottaal (The trap)
842) Berlin Film Festivals top prize for the best feature
film is named as ______________: Golden Bear
Award
843) The Golden Bear Award for 2016 was won by an
Italian film. What was its name: Fuocoammare
(Fire at sea)
844) The Mahamaham festival, celebrated once in 12
years, also known as Kumbh Mela of South is held
at which place: Kumbakonam
845) The book Playing It My Way has entered the
Limca Book of Records in the category of bestselling books, with 1,50,289 copies sold. This is
the autobiography of which person: Sachin
Tendulkar
846) Government has launched a device developed by
the CSIR CEERI, Pilani, Rajasthan, named
Ksheer-Scanner for what purpose: To detect
adulteration in milk
847) The Road to Resilience, a survey of the entire
Indian coastline for promoting six coastal disaster
management projects is an initiative of which
global organization: World Bank
848) The survey of 230 cities for assessing quality of
life by the global consulting firm Mercer has
placed _____________at the top: Austrias capital
Vienna
849) Name the former Chief Justice of India who has
been appointed as the Chairman of the National
Human Rights Commission: Justice H L Dattu
850) Mobile app Swachh Paryatan has been launched
by which ministry to promote cleanliness of
prime tourist destinations: Ministry of Tourism
851) As per a global study, India is the top importer of
arms. Which is at the 2nd rank: China
852) Parliament of ___________ has become the worlds
first parliament to run fully on solar power:
Pakistan
853) RBI has extended the $2 billion currency swap
arrangement to __________nations till midNovember
2017
to
enhance
economic
cooperation: SAARC
854) What is the full form of the term IBSAMAR: India,
Brazil, South Africa Maritime
855) The Indian Navy's first locally developed nuclear
submarine _____________is now ready for full
fledged operations: INS Arihant
856) Aryabhata award 2013, the prestigious honour by
Astronautical Society of India has been conferred
98
857)
858)
859)
860)
861)
862)
863)
864)
865)
866)
867)
868)
869)
870)
871)
upon which scientist: Dr. Avinash Chander,

former chief of DRDO
Goverdhan Mehta,
renowned researcher in
Chemical Sciences, has been honoured with the
prestigious Cross of the Order of Merit by which
country: Germany
Which Indian bank has won the Green Bond
Pioneer
Award
for
promoting
Green
Infrastructure Bonds: Yes Bank
_________ has been elected as the new President of
world Football body FIFA: Gianni Infantino
__________won the prestigious Ranji trophy cricket
championship defeating Saurashtra: Mumbai
Government plans to set up a dedicated, cross
functional team called Special Unit for
Transportation Research and Analytics (Sutra) for
improvement in which area: Railway
The innovative team Sutra is proposed to be
headed by which person: Ratan Tata
The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of
AIM and SETU in which organization to encourage
innovations and entrepreneurship in the country:
NITI Aayog
The acronyms of AIM and SETU stands for: Atal
Innovation Mission and Self Employment and
Talent Utilisation
Jnanpith Award is given for excellence in which
field: Literature
Jnanpith Award is given for excellence in
literature in which language: All 22 Indian
languages approved by the Constitution
Name the winner of the Jnanpith Award 2015:
Raghuveer Chaudhary
Shri Raghuveer Chaudhary is a noted novelist of
which language: Gujarati
Vijay Hazare Trophy is associated with which
sports: Cricket
Government has announced that taxpayers with
an annual income of more than Rs. ______ lakh will
not get subsidised LPG cylinders from January,
2016: Ten
Dr. Harpal Singh Kumar was conferred with
Knighthood Honour in UK for what achievement:
For his influential work on prevention and
treatment of cancer
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