Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
2015-16
GK Power Capsule
for
Newstechcafe.com Readers
Rail Budget
Important Dates
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1. Reasoning - 50 marks
Note:- i) The above tests except the Test of English Language will be available bilingually, i.e. English and Hindi.
ii) A candidate has to qualify in each part of the Objective test separately. There will be negative marks for wrong
answers in the Objective tests. 1/4th marks will be deducted for each wrong answer. Candidates will have to pass in
each of the objective tests.
Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) became the world leader in Initial Public Offerings(IPO).
Former South African cricketer Allan Donald resigned as the bowling coach of South Africa Cricket
team.
PM Modi became the first Indian prime minister in over 42 years to visit Canada.
North Koreas Foreign Minister, Ri Su-yong, arrived in New Delhi,India on a three day visit.
The Union home ministry has renamed the tourist visa-on-arrival scheme as 'e-tourist visa' scheme.
India has slipped 6 places to rank 89th on a global Networked Readiness Index.
India and Canada signed an agreement on uranium supply.
BALCOs IT major Reena Srivastava won 2015's "INFOSEC MAESTROS Top 50
Most Promising CEO Award".
Meenakshi Madan Rai sworn in as the first lady judge of the Sikkim High Court.
Mohan Kumar has been appointed the next Ambassador to France.
India retained its No. 2 position in the ODI rankings.
Pakistan successfully test- fired a new ballistic missile, Ghauri missile.
Sachin Tendulkar was inducted as one of the five new members into the prestigious
Laureus Sports Academy.
Former Prime Minister of Nepal, Surya Bahadur Thapa passed away.
Nokia announced to acquire French telecommunications firm Alcatel-Lucent for around $16.6 billion.
Moodys pegged Indias growth at 7.5 percent for 2015.
Satya Nadella was honoured with the White House Champions of Change Award.
Satya Nadella is the first Indian-origin Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microsoft.
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Raja Rajeswari has become the first person of Indian descent to be named as a
criminal court judge in New York City.
Vivek Oberoi has been named for the prestigious 'Dada Saheb Phalke Pride Award 2015'.
India successfully test fired its nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile.
The UN peace envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has resigned.
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic was named the Laureus Sportsman of the Year.
Ethiopian sprinter Genzebe Dibaba was named the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year.
Gujarat government formed a task force to make strategy and provide suggestions
on poverty elimination in the state.
Supreme Court appoints CBI SP Vivek Priyadarshi to head team probing IPL scandal 2013.
India has clinched three awards in the annual awards given by Asian Squash Federation (ASF).
Mary Kom has been named best film at the Stockholm International Film Festival
Junior in Sweden.
Sitaram Yechury was unanimously elected CPI (M)s new General Secretary.
State Government of Kerala launched Subodham project, to help people in the state
to overcome addiction to liquor.
Shahrukh Khan was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Cinema award
at the 5th annual Asian Awards in London.
Britains swimmer Adam Peaty has broken the men's 100-meter breaststroke world record.
IPC) has suspended the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for indefinite period.
The annual trade deficit for India for fiscal year 2014-15 increased to touch $137 billion.
Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton won the Bahrain Grand Prix for the second year in a
row.
Indias Y. Pranjala has won the Asian Junior Tennis championship title.
Maharashtra Government announced the target of 14400 MW power generation by
2019.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced a new tournament to be known as the Africa T20 Cup.
Eminent historian Professor Christopher Alan Bayly died in Chicago. He was 70.
The government has retained the rate of interest for General Provident Fund (GPF) at 8.7 per cent for
the current fiscal.
Pakistan conferred its top civilian award 'Nishan-e-Pakistan' on Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Income Tax Department was awarded 'Prime Minister's award.
The Indian passport has been ranked 48th in a list of 50 most powerful travel documents in the world.
Metals and mining conglomerate Sesa Sterlite Ltd has changed its name to Vedanta Ltd.
Shah Rukh Khan has been conferred with Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award 2015.
Jaya Prada was conferred with Kalashree Award by the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Foundation.
World Bank established Pollution Management and Environmental Health (PHEM) program.
The New York Times won two prestigious Pulitzer prizes for coverage of the Ebola outbreak in West
Africa.
ICICI Bank launched a payment service 'Tap-n-Pay'.
Janaki Ballabh Patnaik, a three-time Odisha Chief Minister and former Governor of Assam, passed
away.
Loretta Lynch has been chosen as the new attorney general of America.
Indian-American Vivek Murthy was sworn-in as the U.S. Surgeon-General.
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Achanta Sharath Kamal will spearhead the Indian challenge in the World TableTennis Championship
(WTTC).
The Union Cabinet gave its approval for signing of a shipping agreement between India and Jordan.
Global Accounting company KPMG elected Lynne Doughtie as its CEO and Chairman.
Gopinath Pillai has been bestowed with 'Outstanding Service Award' for his services to Singapore.
The Indian Air Force received the first two upgraded Mirage-2000 aircrafts from France.
Japan has been appointed as host of the FIFA Club World Cup for the next two years.
India is at the 117th spot on Global Happiness Index 2015.
Russia and Argentina have signed a series of framework agreements on economic and energy cooperation.
India would become fourth largest infrastructure projects market in the world by 2025.
The government has allowed EPFO to invest 5% of its corpus in exchange traded funds (ETFs).
Len Blavatnik is Britain's richest man with a 13.17bn fortune.
Sangeeta Bhatia has won a prestigious USD 250,000 Heinz award.
India launched a relief and rescue Operation named Maitri in earthquake hit Nepal.
Actor Anil Kapoor was conferred the Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar Award.
State of Assam has been awarded as the Best e-Panchayat state.
Akhilesh Das Gupta was elected the vice-president of the Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC)
for a four year term.
Bhalchandra Nemade received 50th Jnanpith Award.
Togo's President Faure Gnassingbe has won a third term with 58.75% of the vote in polls.
Railway Sports Promotion Board has won the 5th Senior Mens National Hockey Championship 2015.
'Margarita With A Straw' has bagged the best feature film honour at Washington DC International Film
festival.
China won the World Men's Team Chess Championship held in Armenia.
Georgia won the World Women's Team Chess Championship held in Armenia.
India Ratings projected the Indias economic growth at 7.7 per cent this financial year.
Mukesh Ambani regained his position as the world's richest Indian with a networth of $19.6 billion.
Uttar Pradesh has signed two MoUs for establishing a solar and an ultra-mega solar power project in
the state.
Raja Rajeswari became first India-born woman to be appointed a judge in the New York City.
The government has raised the limit of FDI in pension sector to 49 per cent.
Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) has won the Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015.
India won for the first time the 22nd Presidents Cup Boxing Tournament in Palembang, Indonesia.
Eden Hazard has won the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award.
Lewis Hamilton has been named as the richest sportsman in Britain.
Kei Nishikori won Barcelona Open title.
China has for the first time overtaken the United States as Australia's largest source of foreign
investment.
Praful Patel was elected as vice-president, South Asian Football Federation (SAFF)Region.
Austrailias Russell Ford announced his retirement from international hockey.
Siddhartha Gigoo has won the 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
The International Table Tennis Federation has become the world's largest sports body in terms of
membership.
Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa of Bahrain was re-elected as the president of
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The Indian food and beverage sector is likely to touch Rs. 3.80 lakh crore by 2017.
Indias exports to China are expected to grow by around 14 per cent a year in the decade to 2030.
Anindo Majumdar has been appointed as the CMD of Delhi Finance Corporation.
Documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark passed away.
Pakistani spinner Raza Hasan was banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board from playing any form of
cricket.
The Spanish football club, Sevilla Football Club (FC) won Europa League title.
India has topped the world hunger list.
Eminent scientist Dr. Selvin Christopher has been appointed as the Director General of DRDO.
Mauritius President Kailash Purryag has resigned from office.
Coal India Limited has become the 6th-largest mining company in the world in terms of market
capitalisation.
ADB announced to give 3,200 crore rupees loan assistance to the West Bengal Government.
Nearly 300 deals worth USD 55 billion have been signed at the 3rd China-South Asia Expo in Kunming.
The National Union of Seafarers of India has bagged the 'Best Welfare Organisation of the Year Award2015'.
Former Union minister (Congress) and close relative of Jawaharlal Nehru Sheila Kaul passed away.
FDI inflows into the services sector grew to 3.2 billion dollars in 2014-15.
India is home to the fourth largest number of ultra-high-networth households.
India signed a motor vehicles pact with three SAARC nations, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
SEBI has barred Karvy Stock Broking from taking up new IPO assignments for one year.
An Egyptian court sentenced former President Mohamed Morsy to 25 years in prison.
India and Poland has set an ambitious trade target of USD 5 billion.
The Centre has approved an anti-chit fund bill passed by West Bengal Assembly in 2013.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is the world's richest self-made billionaire.
Australia signed a landmark Free Trade Agreement with China.
Narendra Kumar Yadav has taken over the charge of CMD of MTNL.
Viswanathan Anand lost to Magnus Carlsen in the Blitz Chess tournament.
Charles Correa, the face of modern architecture in India, passed away.
The UNGA elected Denmark's Mogens Lykketoft as its President for its 70th session.
China launched "Wu-14", a supersonic nuclear delivery vehicle.
Sunil Chhetri became the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals.
BSNL announced to set up 40,000 wi-fi hotspots across the country.
India's rank is 143th on Global Peace Index (GPI).
Iceland topped the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2015.
Mumbai is the most expensive city in India according to the latest Mercer survey for 2015.
Archana Ramasundaram was appointed as the Director of National Crime Records Bureau.
Sharad Pawar was re-elected as the President of Mumbai Cricket Association.
Asia has overtaken Europe as the worlds second-richest region in the world in 2014.
The Election Commission of India suspended the recognition of the National Peoples Party.
Asian Development Bank announced to increase about 50 percent loan to India to $12 billion by 2018.
Japan lowered the voting age to 18 years from 20 years.
Turkey's former president and prime minister Suleyman Demirel passed away.
South Korea's Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn was appointed as the country's new prime minister.
India has been ranked third in a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Report for 2013.
Russia topped World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Report for 2013.
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Journalist and writer Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty International (AI) India.
10th Bharatiya Jnanpith Navlekhan Price was awarded to Babusha Kohli and Upasana.
ONGC lifted the 42nd All India Goswami Ganesh Dutt Memorial Cricket Tournament 2015.
Hawaii becomes first US state to raise smoking age from 18 years to 21 years.
ISRO announced to provide navigational support to Indian Railways through GAGAN system.
Historian-author Ramachandra Guha has been selected for Japan's prestigious Fukuoka Prize.
Eminent scientist C.N.R. Rao was conferred Japan's highest civilian award.
China has manufactured the worlds first electric passenger aircraft BX1E.
SBI has launched Internet-based platform SBI eforex.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Narendra Modi Mobile App.
BJP MLA and former Madhya Pradesh Minister Tukojirao Puar passed away.
HDFC Bank launched a 10-second paperless instant loan plan for its existing customers.
India created two world records on the first International Yoga Day on 21st June 2015.
Serbia won the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015 by defeating Brazil.
Roger Federer defeated Andreas Seppi to win ATP Gerry Weber Open Halle Tennis title.
Bangladesh defeated Team India in the second ODI cricket match.
Benni Joseph Mavelil has been chosen for the V.K. Krishna Menon award.
German football club Colognes striker Patrick Helmes has announced his retirement.
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport has the world's fastest WiFi service.
Former Indian women hockey captain Shashi Bala and her son Agrim Thakur died in a road accident.
Indian mission in Sweden has launched India Unlimited platform.
India-born Nikesh Arora appointed the president of Japan's SoftBank Corp.
EPFO has made Universal Account Number (UAN) mandatory for all employers.
ICICI Bank has partnered with Alibaba.com, to launch a trade facilitation centre.
Carnatic vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyam selected for Sangitha Kalanidhi award of Madras Music
Academy.
Britains Andy Murray won the mens singles of the Aegon Championships.
Nico Rosberg won Austrian Grand Prix 2015 beating Lewis Hamilton.
Nagesh Kukunoor is the director of the film Dhanak.
China won the 2015 Nongfu Spring Snookers World Cup by defeating Scotland.
India has moved down to 61st place in terms of foreigners' money in Swiss banks.
Debendranath Sarangi elected as president of the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI).
K. Rajendiran elected as secretary-general of the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI).
Tennis legend Steffi Graf was appointed the Ayurveda brand ambassador of Kerala.
Railway Team defeated France in the 20th USIC- Tennis (World Railways)Championship.
Narayana Murthy conferred with Astronautical Society of India's Rocket and Related Technologies
Award.
'Sabar Shouchagar' project in West Bengals Nadia district won UN award for innovative public
services.
SIDBI has set up a Rs.1000 crore 'Make in India' fund for MSMEs.
Rajasthan topped the list of states commissioning grid connected solar power projects in the country.
Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas has been appointed President of ICC.
India is at 9th rank in terms recipients of FDI in 2014.
India has emerged as the third largest source of FDI for United Kingdom.
India would provide an assistance of $1 billion for quake-hit Nepal's reconstruction.
Australia announced that it would join the new China AIIB as a founding member.
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Prominent journalist, riter and anti-nuclear activist Praful Bidwai passed away in Netherlands.
Russia and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy.
HDFC Bank extended managing director Aditya Puri's tenure for another five years.
Famous writer of Sanskrit and Telugu Professor Pullela Srirama Chandraudu passed away.
Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first Indian basketball player to be drafted in America's NBA.
Asha Bhosle is declared the greatest Bollywood playback artist of all times by the U.K. based Eastern
Eye newspaper.
State Bank of India announced the appointment of Anshula Kant as its Chief Financial Officer.
Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been conferred with Colombia's highest civilian award.
Axis Bank has launched an EMV-chip-based debit card called Secure+.
Sachin Tendulkar has been voted the 'Best Test player' of the 21st century.
11 Indian companies are ranked in Forbes Asia's 'Best Under A Billion' list.
Dr. Vishwanath Tripathi has been choosen for the 28th Moortidevi Award 2014.
Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won the Canada Open Grand Prix women's doubles title.
Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hassan ranked the best all-rounder in ODI once again.
Ericsson has appointed Paolo Colella as the new head of its India operations.
Exim Bank has extended a loan of $268.35 million to Tanzania.
Russia's former prime minister Yevgeny Primakov passed away.
Pratap Pawar was awarded Punyabhushan Award 2015.
FIICI and Quality Council of India started a programme for 'Zero Defect, Zero Effect' products.
Railways is the 8th largest employer in the world.
U.S. Department of Defense is worlds largest employer.
India is at the top in Baseline Profitability Index (BPI).
Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia won the men's singles title of the Canada Open Badminton tournament.
Michelle Li of Canada won womens singles title of the Canada Open Badminton tournament.
IMF has approved USD 506.4 million loan tranche to Pakistan.
Justin Gatlin won the 200m title at the US athletics championships.
Ujjwal Batria was appointed as the CEO of French cement maker Lafarge's India operations.
Brazilian racer Nelson Piquet Jr won the FIA Formula E Championship title of the 2014-15 season.
IDFC appointed Indias former CAG Vinod Rai as independent director.
Y.C. Modi has been appointed as Additional Director in the CBI.
Nandkumar Saravade has been appointed as CEO of the Data Security Council of India (DSCI).
HDFC Bank launched '30-min auto' and '15-min 2-wheeler' loan schemes.
Khalin Joshi finished sixth at the USD 76,000 Bali National Golf Championship.
Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the Integrated Security System (ISS) at four railway stations in Mumbai.
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani for the first time nominated a female as judge in Supreme Court.
Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel has become the worlds third largest mobile operator.
Infosys has launched a mobile app, the 'Finacle SME Enable'.
Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta won the Commonwealth Chess Championship.
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area of 17,160.63 acres from India will be transferred to Bangladesh, while 51 enclaves of area
7,110.02 acres will be transferred to India.
India Netherlands Signed Agreements
India and the Netherlands on 5 June signed a number of agreements, including to collaborate in
building dredgers in India as part of the Make in India initiative and manufacture vaccines
against measles and rubella in India.The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Netherland Mark Rutte in New Delhi after the
two leaders held discussions on various issues related to the region and the world.
India Thailand Signed Double Taxation Avoidance Treaty
India and Thailand on 29 June signed the Double Taxation Avoidance Treaty (DTAT) and
exchanged instruments of ratification on the extradition treaty signed in 2013. The tax treaty
provides for the framework of avoiding double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with
respect to taxes so as to promote bilateral economic cooperation.
NATIONAL
Union Government Announced Rs 1500 crore INIP
Union Government on 13 June launched an Indian Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP) of 1,500 crore
rupees as per the mandatory provision under the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act
(CLND), 2010. This pool will be the 27th such market pool globally. This insurance pool was
launched to address the concerns of the clauses in the CLND Act, which give the operator the
Right to Recourse and allow it to sue the suppliers in case of any accident. General Insurance
Corporation of India (GIC Re) is the fund operator of this Rs. 1,500 crore Indian insurance pool
and it includes 11 other non-life insurers as associates of the pool.
Union Cabinet Approved Housing For All By 2022 Mission
The Union Cabinet on 17 June gave its approval for Housing for All by 2022 Mission aimed at
providing housing facilities to all eligible people in urban areas by 2022. It will be implemented
as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and the States and Union Territories (UTs) are given greater
autonomy in execution of the mission. Union Cabinet also approved increasing Indias solar
power capacity target under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) to 1 Lakh
Mega Watt (MW) by 2022.
Union Cabinet Approved Bureau of Indian Standards Bill 2015
The Union Cabinet on 17 June gave its approval to introduce Bureau of Indian Standards Bill,
2015 in the Parliament. It will repeal the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act, 1986.The bill is
intended to improve the quality of goods, services and systems in the country.
Union Cabinet Approved Six new IIMs In India
The Union Cabinet on 24 June 2015 approved setting up of six new Indian Institutes of
Management (IIMs) in the country. These new IIMs will be located at Amritsar (Punjab), Bodh
Gaya (Bihar), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Sambalpur (Odisha), Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh) and
Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). The Union Cabinet also gave its approval to the proposal of
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the Ministry of Culture for setting up of a National Memorial at Lala Ka Tola, Sitab, Diara,
District Chhapra (Saran) in Bihar the birth place of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan.
STATES
Maharashtra Govt Approved new Renewable Energy Policy
Maharashtra government has approved a new Renewable Energy Policy which aims at achieving
14,400 MW of installed capacity over a period of five years i.e. till 2020. The approval decision
of new policy worth 4,156.43 crore rupees was taken by state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief
Minister Devendra in Mumbai. The policy aims at achieving installed capacity of renewable
energy of 21,100 MW by 2020 from current installed capacity of 6,700 MW.
World Bank Approves $ 250 million Loan For Jammu & Kashmir
Multi-lateral lender World Bank on 3 June approved 250 million US dollars loan for Jhelum and
Tawi Flood Recovery Project in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The project will be funded by loan
credit from International Development Association (IDA), a World Banks concessionary with a
maturity of 25 years, including a 5 year grace period.
Haryanas Jind, Karnal & UPs Muzaffarnagar Included In NCR
Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on 9 June announced that Jind and
Karnal districts of Haryana and Muzaffarnagar of Uttar Pradesh have been included in the
National Capital Region (NCR). With this the total number of districts included in NCR has risen
to 22.
Kerala Govt Declares June 22 as Snake Bird Day
Kerala Government has declared June 22 as Snake Bird Day in a bid to protect the endangered
species which is also known as Indian darter.
CONFERENCES
41st G7 Summit Held In Germany
G7 Summit 2015 was held at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria, Germany from 7- 8 June 2015. This was the 41st
G7 summit and the theme for the summit was Think Ahead. Act Together. The Summit focused on the
global economy as well as on key issues regarding foreign, security, environment and development
policy. After the talks, the leaders of the G7 committed to raising a 100 billion US dollars fund through
public and private sources to combat the rising global temperatures and agreed to implement
international mechanisms to bolster global healthcare security by creating a financial instrument at the
World Bank to react better to pandemics. The Summit was attended by all the seven members viz.,
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States and the European
Commission (EC). EC is a permanently welcome participant in all meetings and decision-making since
1981.
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i)
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Discipline
Tennis
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(ii)
The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organized
function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29, 2015.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardee will receive medal, certificate and award money of Rs. 7.5
lakh and Arjuna Awardees will receive statuettes, certificates and award money of Rs.5 lakh
each.
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ECONOMY
RBI lowers Repo Rate To 7.25 per cent
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its second bi-monthly policy announced on 2 June has
reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from
7.5 per cent to 7.25 per cent with immediate effect. However, the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of
scheduled banks was kept unchanged at 4 percent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL).
The reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.25 per cent, and the marginal standing
facility (MSF) rate and the bank rate to 8.25 per cent.
India Joined MCAA on AEOI
India joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic Exchange
of Financial Account Information (AEOI) on 3 June in Paris, France, alongwith Australia,
Canada, Costa Rica, Indonesia and New Zealand.Earlier, Fifty-one countries had joined MCAA
on 29 October 2014, in Berlin. Switzerland became the fifty-second country on 19 November
2014. On 3 June 2015, 6 countries India, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Indonesia and New
Zealand joined MCAA by signing the agreement in Paris.
India Tops The World Bank Growth Chart
World Bank Groups latest Global Economic Prospects (GEP) report released on 10 June puts
India at the top of the growth chart of major economies. With an expected growth of 7.5 percent
this year, India is, for the first time, leading the World Banks growth chart of major economies.
According to the report China is likely to grow at 7.1 percent. The Bank expects developing
countries to witness a rise in growth to 5.2 percent in 2016 and 5.4 percent in 2017.
India Placed at 61st Position In Terms Of Foreigners Money In Swiss Banks
India was placed at 61st position in terms of foreigners money in Swiss banks. This was
revealed by latest data released by Swiss National Bank (SNB), the central bank of Switzerland
on 21 June 2015. As per the data, India now accounts for a meagre 0.123 per cent of the total
global wealth worth 1.6 trillion US dollars in Switzerlands banking system. Indians money in
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Swiss banks declined by over 10 percent to about 1.8 billion Swiss francs (1.98 billion US
dollars or 12615 crore rupees) in 2014.
PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
Petteri Taalas Appointed Secretary-General of WMO
Petteri Taalas, Director-General of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, was on 4 June appointed
as the next Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for a four-year
mandate starting 1 January 2016. He succeeds Michel Jarraud (France).
K.V.Chowdary is new Central Vigilance Commissioner
K V Chowdary, former chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), was on 10 June
sworn in as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Vijai Sharma, the senior most information commissioner, was also sworn in as the Chief
Information Commissioner (CIC) by the president.
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B)RESIGNS
FIFA President Sepp Blatter Resigned
President of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Sepp Blatter has
resigned on 2 June amid a corruption scandal which under investigation in United States. Earlier
on 30 May 2015, he was re-elected as the FIFA President for a fifth term by defeating his rival
candidate Prince Ali bins Al Hussein of Jordan.
C)DEATHS
Nobel Chemistry Winner Irwin Rose Died
Irwin Rose, a biochemist who shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering a way
that cells destroy unwanted proteins the basis for developing new therapies for diseases such as
cervical cancer and cystic fibrosis has died on 2 June in Massachusetts.. He was 88. Rose was
born on July 16, 1926 in New York, United States. He had shared this noble prize with Aaron
Ciechanover and Avram Hershko.
Chandigarhs Iconic Rock Garden Creator Nek Chand Died
Nek Chand Saini, creator of Chandigarhs iconic Rock Garden passed away on 12 June in
Chandigarh. He was 90. His creation Rock Garden of Chandigarh was opened for public on 24
January 1976. The garden is maintained by the Nek Chand Foundation, formed in 1996. Nek
Chand was awarded the Padma Shri in 1984. Born on 15 December 1924 in Shakargarh region,
now in Pakistan, Chand immigrated to India with his family and settled in Chandigarh in 1950.
D)VISITORS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Visited Bangladesh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh on 6 7 June 2015. During the visit,the two
sides held talks and signed 22 agreements. These includes the Land Boundary Agreement,
cooperation in maritime safety and agreement to curb human trafficking and fake Indian
currency. Narendra Modi along with her Bangladeshi Counterpart Sheikh Hasina and West
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee flagged off the Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati and KolkataDhaka-Tripura bus services. Modi received the Award of Liberation of War Honour on behalf of
former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who emphasized on strong ties with the neighboring
country.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
Bhutan Sets New Guinness Record For Tree Planting
A team of 100 volunteers in Bhutan has set a new world record by planting 49,672 trees in one
hour. They smashed the previous record by almost 10,000 trees. It had been set by an Indian
team three years ago.Bhutans planters gathered in the capital, Thimphu, for their feat, which
was confirmed by Guinness World Records on 5 June 2015.
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PLACES IN NEWS
3800 Year Old Statuettes Discovered In Peru
Researchers discovered a trio of mud statuettes inside a reed basket in a building, an important
archaeological site, in the ancient city of Vichama in northern Peru. They believe that it was
created about 3800 years ago by the ancient Caral civilization.
ABBREVIATIONS
CDRI Central Drug Research Institute
ESMA - Essential Services Maintenance Act
HDFC - Housing Development Finance Corporation
IFFI -
BOOKS IN NEWS
President Pranab Mukherjee Released Yogikaspars
President Pranab Mukherjee on 8 June released Yogikasparsh, a yoga manual in braille written
by Nivedita Joshi, at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Nivedita Joshi, daughter of
senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, suffered from a critical ailment some 19 years ago and
got fully cured with the help of Yoga.
COMMITTEES
Recommendations of Bibek Debroy Committee On Restructuring Of Indian Railways
The Bibek Debroy committee on the restructuring of Indian Railways (IR) has submitted its final
report to the Union Ministry of Railways on 12 June.Union government had constituted the highlevel committee in September 2014 to restructure the Railways and suggest ways for resource
mobilisation. It was seven-member panel headed by eminent economist and NITI Aayog
member Bibek Debroy.
Recommendations of Bibek Debroy committee:* Establishment of an independent regulator Railway Regulatory Authority of India (RRAI) with
a separate budget and to be independent of the Ministry.
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* No privatisation of Indian Railway but allowed participation of private sector in the railway
projects.
* Separation of activities like running of hospitals, schools, real estate development, catering,
manufacturing of locomotives, coaches and wagons from the core business of running trains.
* State governments should be asked to entirely fund the Government Railway Police (GRP).
* The recommended changes should be implemented only by Union Railways ministry in the
first five years including the resolution of the social cost issue.
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Children organisation and was launched in India by Union Minority Affairs Minister Najma
Heptulla in New Delhi on 6 May 2015. According to the report, India was placed at 140th
position out of 179 countries. Top 5 countries as per 2015 Mothers Index Norway (1st),
Finland (2nd), Iceland (3rd), Denmark (4th) and Swedan (5th).
India and China Signed 24 Agreements
India and China on 15 May signed 24 agreements to augment bilateral co-operation between the
two countries.The agreements were signed in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing, China. These agreements include protocol
for establishment of consulates in Chengdu and Chennai, agreement on the establishment of
sister states Sichuan and Karnataka, action plan between railways of the two countries, MoU on
education exchange programme, MoU between Indias between NITI Aayog and Development
Research Centre of China, etc.
India and Mongolia Signed 13 Agreements
India and Mongolia on 17 May signed 13 agreements, including an air services agreement and in
cyber security, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Mongolian counterpart
Chimed Saikhanbileg in Ulan Bator,the capital of Mongolia.
India Ranked 100th On Human Capital Index
India was on 14 May ranked at a low 100th position on a global Human Capital Index, which
measures the countries in terms of the economies leveraging their human capital, where Finland
has topped the 124-nation list.On the list, compiled by World Economic Forum (WEF), other
emerging economies such as Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa are ranked ahead of India.
NATIONAL
Lok Sabha Passed Goods and Services Tax Bill 2014
Lok Sabha on 6 May passed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, 2014 which is also known
as Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill. The Bill seeks to amend the Constitution in order to
introduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Consequently, the bill also seeks to carry out new
indirect tax regime in the country that will subsume various central and state levies like sales tax,
excise and service tax except taxes on the supply of alcoholic liquor for human consumption and
petroleum products.Transition from the traditional taxation to GST will boost Indias growth by
up to 2.5 percentage points.
PM Narendra Modi Launches Three Social Security Schemes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 May launched three mega social security schemes in
Kolkata, West Bengal. The schemes were launched simultaneously at 115 places in the country
with Central and State Chief Ministers and senior ministers attending the functions.
1) Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana (PMJJBY)
2) Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)
3) Atal Pension Yojana (APY)
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1) Atal Pension Yojana (APY) :- Under APY scheme, the pension subscribers will receive a
fixed minimum monthly pension ranging from 1,000 rupees to 5,000 rupees at the age of 60
years. The fixed minimum monthly pension will be depending on the contributions subscribers.
The minimum age of joining 18 years and maximum age is 40 years. Focus of APY To target
unorganised sector workers.
2) Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana (PMJJBY):- Under the PMJJBY, the insurance
subscriber will get an annual life insurance in case of death. Eligibility Available any person in
the age group of 18 to 50 years having a bank account. Risk Coverage 2 Lakh rupees in case of
death due to any reason. Payment Mode of premium 330 rupees per annum will be directly
auto-debited by the bank from the subscribers account.
3) Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY):- Under the PMSBY, the insurance
subscriber will get annual life insurance in case of accidental death, partial disability or full
disability. Eligibility Available to any person in the age group 18 to 70 years. Risk Coverage
For accidental death and full disability 2 Lakh rupees For partial disability 1 Lakh rupees.
Payment Mode of premium 12 rupees per annum will be directly auto-debited by the bank
from the subscribers account in case of long-term option.
Parliament Passed Black Money Bill
The Rajya Sabha on 13 May passed the Black Money Bill. It was earlier passed by the Lok
Sabha on 11 May 2015. According to the new Bill those who conceal income and assets, and
indulge in tax evasion in relation to foreign assets can face rigorous imprisonment of up to 10
years. They will also be liable to face a penalty of 300 per cent of taxes on the concealed income
and assets.
PM Narendra Modi Launched Doordarshans Farmer-Centric Kisan TV Channel
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 May launched Indias first television channel DD Kisan
dedicated to farmers in New Delhi. This 24-hour channel is initially in Hindi and is dedicated to
agriculture and allied sectors of India. It seeks to disseminate real-time inputs to farmers on new
farming techniques, water conservation and organic farming among other information.
STATES
BHEL commissioned 195 MW Thermal Unit of KBUNL In Bihar
State-owned electrical equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) on 4 May
commissioned a 195 MW thermal unit of Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited (KBUNL) in
Muzaffarpur, Bihar. This was the first 195 MW unit to be commissioned by BHEL at the 2195
MW Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Station (TPS) Plant of KBUNL.
PM Narendra Modi Inaugurated IISCO Steel Plant at Burnpur
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 May inaugurated the upgraded IISCO Steel Plant (ISP) in
Burnpur, West Bengal. The ISP houses the largest blast furnace of India. The ISP was
modernised by the Union Government at a cost of 16000 crore rupees.
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CONFERENCES
6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy
Nuclear Energy6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy was held in New Delhi on 15 May
2015. The Conference was organised by ASSOCHAM with the theme Nuclear Energy: a Clean
Energy option. The conference discussed the issue related to the status of Nuclear Energy in
India. India is on course to double its nuclear power generation capacity to more than 10,000
mega watts (MW) over the next five years i.e. 2020.Nuclear power plants account for 3.5% of
Indias current electricity generation, and its share in Indias future electricity generation will be
less than 10% even if the installed capacity is tripled.
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ECONOMY
56 Indian Companies Among Forbes Global 2000 List
US magazine Forbes on 6 May released Global 2000 Companies list. According to the list, India
is home to 56 of the worlds 2000 largest and most powerful public companies.The list is topped
by US (579 companies), followed by China (232 companies) and Japan (218 companies).
Reliance Industries, the topmost India company is ranked 142 on the list, down from last years
135th spot.
SBI launches RuPay Platinum Debit Card
Indias largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) on 7 May launched State Bank RuPay Platinum
debit card in association with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). Initially, the card
will be issued free to customers maintaining a quarterly balance of 50000 rupees. The RuPay
card is accepted at all payment channels like ATMs, PoS and eCommerce.
Forbes Worlds 10 Biggest Consumer Financial Services Firms
Mortgage lender HDFC has emerged as the only Indian company among the worlds 10 biggest
consumer financial services firms, after giants like American Express, Visa and Mastercard.
HDFC is ranked 7th on the list, compiled by business magazine Forbes, where American Express
is placed on the top followed by Capital One Financial, Visa, Discover Financial Services and
Orix in the top-five.
Four Indians Among Forbes worlds 100 Most Powerful Women
SBI Chief Arundhati Bhattacharya, ICICI bank head Chanda Kochhar, Biocon founder Kiran
Mazumdar-Shaw and HT Media Chair Shobhana Bhartia were listed in the 12th Forbes100
Most Powerful Women List, which was released on 26 May . Arundhati Bhattacharya ranked
30th on the list, followed by Kochhar on the 35th spot, Mazumdar-Shaw (85) and newcomer on
the list Bhartia is on the 93rd spot.The worlds most powerful woman in the list is German
Chancellor Angela Merkel who fetched the first spot.
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PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
KV Kamath Appointed as First President of NDB of BRICS nations
Eminent banker Kundapur Vaman Kamath was on 11 May 2015 appointed as the first President
of the New Development Bank (NDB) of BRICS nations. He will have of five year term after the
bank becomes operational within one year. He was conferred with Padma Bhushan Award in
2008. The Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) had meeting in
2014 and reached an agreement to establish the New Development Bank, with its headquarters in
Shanghai. As per the agreement, India got the right to nominate the first president.
Four New Governors Appointed
President of India Pranab Mukherjii on 12 May 2015 appointed four Governors and transferred
two others.
Following are newly appointed Governors :1) Jharkhand Draupadi Murmu
2) Tripura Tathagata Roy
3) Arunachal Pradesh J P Rakkhowa
4) Meghalaya V Shanmuganathan
Transferred Governors :* Syed Ahmed, Governor of Jharkhand was shifted to Manipur. He was appointed in September
2011. His tenure will end in September 2016.
* Lt General (retd.) Nirbhay Sharma, who was serving as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh since
May, 2011, was transferred and appointed as Governor of Mizoram for the remainder of his
term, which ends in 2018. He is the eighth Governor of the state since 2014.
B)RESIGNS
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Panneerselvam Resigned
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O Panneerselvam resigned on 22 May 2015. He was appointed as
the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 29 September 2014 as replacement of former AIADMK
chief J Jayalalithaa, who resigned after being convicted in the 18 year old disproportionate assets
case of over 66 crore rupees. She was awarded a four year prison term by Bangalore Special
Court after it found her guilty of amassing unaccounted wealth.
C)DEATHS
Oscar Winning Author Michael Blake Died
Michael Blake, the Oscar-winning writer of Dances With Wolves novel passed away on 3 May
in Tucson, Arizona. He was 69. The novel had sold over 3.5 million copies, and was translated
into 15 languages, and was later converted into film, which Kevin Costner directed and starred
in. The film bagged 7 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Screenplay for Blake, who also
won the WGA Award and Golden Globes for the novel.
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D)VISITORS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Visited China
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China from 14 16 May 2015. During his three day visit,
he met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Xian. In the visit, India and China signed 24 agreements
to augment bilateral co-operation between the two countries. 24 agreements worth over 10
billion dollars were signed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Chinese premier
Li Keqiang at Beijing. In the visit, Narendra Modi announced electronic or e-visas for Chinese
tourists. As many as 26 business agreements worth over USD 22 billion were signed on 16 May
between Indian firms including Adani group, Bharti Airtel and Welspun and thier Chinese
counterparts. Both the countries will also establish Additional Consulate General. Both the
countries have also agreed to establish China-India think tank forum and three sister cities.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
Pablo Picassos Women of Algiers Sells For World Record $179m at Auction
A painting by surreal Spanish artist Pablo Picasso has set a new world record for the most
expensive artwork to be sold at auction after reaching $179m (115m) in New York on 12
May.The previous world record was 92m, set for a triptych by British artist Francis Bacon
again at Christies in 2013.Picassos painting depicts nude and semi-nude women and is part of a
15-work series the artist created between 1954-55.
PLACES IN NEWS
Tunisians Unfurled Worlds Largest Flag
Worlds largest flag was unfurled at an event in Ong Jmel in the southern desert area of Tunisia.
Tunisian national flag of the size of 19 football pitches was unfurled in a bid to set a Guinness
World Record and promote patriotism in the face of Islamist extremism. The flag of 104,544
square metre was made using 80 kilometres of fabric and weighed arounf 12.6 tonnes.
ABBREVIATIONS
PMSBY Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana
PMJJBY Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana
APY Atal Pension Yojana
Wi-Fi Wireless Fidelity
DARPA Defense Advance Research Project Agency
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BOOKS IN NEWS
Vice President Released The Book China Confucius In The Shadows
A Book titled China Confucius in the Shadows was released by the Vice President M. Hamid
Ansari on 1 May 2015. Confucius was considered as the most efficient author in Chinese history.
Book has been written by Poonam Surie. Poonam Surie is an Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of
Chinese Studies, New Delhi.
COMMITTEES
Vijay Kelkar Committee To Revisit PPP infra Model
Union government on 26 May constituted a 10-member committee to review and revitalise
Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode of infrastructure development. The committee will be
chaired by under former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar and submit its report within a period of 3
months from the date of its Constitution. The Kelkar committee will review the PPP policy and
suggest a better risk-sharing mechanism between private developers and the government after
analysing such projects in different.
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coughing, wheezing, and feeling of tightness in the chest and shortness of breath.
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UNECOSOC (the United Nations Economic and Social Council) held at the UN headquarters
in New York, USA.
3. Canada To Supply Uranium To India For 5 Years
Canada on 15 April agreed to supply 3,000 metric tonnes of uranium to energy-hungry India
from this year under a $254 million five-year deal to power Indian atomic reactors, four
decades after bilateral cooperation in this sector was frozen over Indias nuclear programme.
The agreement for uranium supply, which came two years after protracted negotiations
following the 2013 civil nuclear deal between India and Canada, was signed after
comprehensive talks Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with his Canadian counterpart
Stephen Harper. Canada is the third country to supply uranium to India after Russia and
Kazakhstan.
4. India Ranks 5th On Global E-Waste Monitor 2014 List
According to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2014compiled by United Nation(UN)s think tank
United Nations University (UNU), India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world,
discarding 1.7 million tonnes (Mt) of electronic and electrical equipment in 2014.India came
in fifth, behind the US, China, Japan and Germany.
NATIONAL
1. PM Narendra Modi Launched Indias First National Air Quality Index
The National Air Quality Index (NAQI) was launched for the first time in India by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 6 April 2015 primarily for assessing the quality of air in major
urban centres across the country on a real-time basis. This National Air Quality Index will
provide information on the quality of air in 10 major cities in the country on a real-time
basis.The ten cities where the quality of air can be monitored are Delhi, Agra, Kanpur,
Lucknow, Varanasi, Faridabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
2. Union Government Notified NJAC 2014
The Union Government on 13 April 2015 notified the National Judicial Appointments
Commission (NJAC) Act, 2014 and the Constitution (Ninety-ninth Amendment) Act, 2014.
The NJAC Act and 99th Amendment Act were notified in exercise of the powers conferred by
sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Act. With this new law the collegium system to appoint
members to the higher judiciary has come to an end. Now President will appoint judges in the
Supreme Court (SC) and 24 High Courts (HCs) in consultation with the NJAC.
3. MHA renames Visa On Arrival Scheme To E-Tourist Visa
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on 14 April decided to rename Tourist Visa on
Arrival-Electronic Travel Authorization (TVoA-ETA) scheme as e-Tourist Visa (eTV)
scheme.
4. Rajya Sabha Passed Transgenders Rights Bill
The Rajya Sabha on 24 April passed a bill that seeks equal rights for the transgenders.The
Rights of Transgender Persons Bill 2014 was introduced by DMK MP Tiruchi Siva. It was
the first private members bill to be passed by the Upper House in 45 years. The last time the
Lok Sabha passed a private members bill was in 1970. In the Rajya Sabha a private
members bill was passed in 1969.
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STATES
1. Gujarat Launched Industrial Tourism To Showcase Development
Gujarat government has on 12 April launched industrial tourism package to promote its
development by showcasing its major industrial installations which have earned global
acclaim for state. It is a first of its kind initiative India, offered by Tourism Corporation of
Gujarat Ltd (TCGL) in collaboration with Ahmedabad based Akshar Travels Pvt Ltd. The
tour package is called as Industrial Tour of Gujarat will cover some of the major industrial
attractions of the state.
2. Indian Army Conducts AkramanII Defense Exercise In Rajasthan
Indian Army on 26 April conducted a major exercise Akraman-II in Rajasthan. The exercise
was conducted by the Chetak Corps, a part of South Western Command based in Bhatinda,
Punjab. The exercise aimed to test a new generation of weaponry and platforms which are
employed in the desert region to provide real time battle and situational awareness to its
commanders.
3. Kerala Govt Launched Subodham Project To End Liquor Abuse
State Government of Kerala on 19 April 2015 launched Subodham project, to help people in
the state to overcome addiction to liquor.The project was launched by Chief Minister
Oommen Chandy and Art of Living Foundation founder Sri Sri Ravishankar in Kochi.
4. BHEL commissioned 600 MW thermal Unit In Chhattisgarh
State-owned power equipment-maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) on 13 April
commissioned a 600 MW thermal unit at Dhabra in Janjgir Champa District of Chhattisgarh
for the Dainik Bhaskar Power Limited.This is the second unit of 2 600 MW power project,
commissioned by BHEL. The first 600 MW Unit was commissioned in 2014.
CONFERENCES
5th SAARC Health Ministers Meeting Held In New Delhi
The 5th meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Health Ministers
was held on 8 April 2015 in New Delhi. The meet ended with the adoption of Delhi Declaration on
Public Health Challenges.The declaration focuses on issues common to member nations of South
Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
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Dibaba of Ethiopia were named as the Laureus World Sportsman and Sportswoman of the
2015 respectively.
5. Novak Djokovic Won Monte Carlo Masters Title
Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Monte-Carlo Masters title of Tennis on 20 April. He
defeated Berdych of Czech Republic in the mens singles final. It was his second Monte-Carlo
Masters title of Tennis. With this win, Djokovic also became the first player to sweep the
opening three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events of a season. The previous two titles were
won at Indian Wells and Miami.
ECONOMY
1. Union Government Unveiled new FTP
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry on 2 April unveiled Foreign Trade Policy (FTP)
2015-2020. The new trade policy will incorporate government ambitious initiatives such as
Make in India, Digital India mission, Skill India programme, ease of business in order to
boost jobs and take Indias exports to 900 billion dollars by 2020. In the new policy FTP201520, two new schemes Merchandise Exports From India Scheme (MEIS) and Services Exports
From India Scheme (SEIS) were introduced.
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Launched MUDRA Bank
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 April launched the Micro Units Development and
Refinance Agency Ltd. (MUDRA) Bank in New Delhi.The bank will provide credit of up to
10 lakh rupees to small entrepreneurs and act as a regulator for Micro-Finance Institutions
(MFIs). The Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana will be the main support system for the bank
and will be the part of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). MUDRA Bank
has been started with an initial corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore. Apart from this, Rs. 3,000 crore
has been earmarked as credit guarantee corpus.
3. India Ranks 125th In the World For Fixed Broadband Penetration
According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) latest report, India ranks 125th
in the world for fixed broadband penetration with only 1.2 per 100 inhabitants and the global
average is 9.4 per 100 inhabitants.This rating puts India behind Sri Lanka and Bhutan. In the
wireless or mobile broadband segment, India is ranked at 113th with a penetration of 3.2 per
100 inhabitants.
4. India Fourth Largest Supplier of Generic Medicines To US
India has emerged as the fourth largest supplier of generic medicines to the United States. It
was announced by Minister of State (MoS) for Chemicals and Fertilizers Hansraj Ahir gave
this information in the Rajya Sabha in reply to a question. Indias generic medicines exports
have touched over US 4 billion dollars in 2013-14 in spite of stringent regulatory measures
imposed by US. Union Government also announced that Indian pharmaceutical companies are
already exporting generic medicines to Africa, West Asia and European countries.
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PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
Nasim Zaidi Takes Over as new CEC
Nasim Zaidi took over as the 20th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India on 19 April.He is
Indias 20th CEC and succeeded Hari Shankar Brahma, who had retired on April 18, 2015.
Loretta Lynch Sworn In As U.S. Attorney General
Loretta Lynch on 27 April 2015 was sworn-in as the United States 83rd Attorney General, the first
African-American woman to serve as the nations top law enforcement official. She succeeded former
attorney general Eric Holder, who left the position on 24 April 2015 after serving as Attorney General
for six years.
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B)RESIGNS
ICC president Mustafa Kamal Resigned
International Cricket Council (ICC) President A.H.M. Mustafa Kamal resigned from his post on 1
April.Mustafa Kamal is a Bangladeshi politician and cricket official. Apart from being the President
of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), he was also functioning as the President of ICC since 2014.
He resigned from this post as he was apparently hurt at not being given the opportunity to hand out
the World Cup trophy to champions Australia.
C)DEATHS
Nobel Laureate German Novelist Gunter Grass Died
German Nobel laureate novelist Guenter Grass was died on 13 April in Luebeck, Germany. He was
87. He was a novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor and recipient of the 1999
Nobel Prize in Literature. His writings mainly focused on the Nazi era, the horrors of the war and the
destruction and guilt that remained after defeat of Germany.
D)VISITORS
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Visited France
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited France from 9-11 April 2015. During the visit, Narendra Modi
met with French President Francois Hollande and had talks with business leaders of select French
companies in defence and infrastructure sectors. India and France signed 17 agreements in various
fields.These included deals on Rafale fighter jets, Jaitapur nuclear reactor, renewable sources of
energy, railways, smart city and several others. Among other agreements signed between India and
France , an important agreement was struck on both the countries proceeding forward on the stalled
nuclear project in Jaitapur in Maharashtra.Narendra Modi visited the CNES (National Centre for
Space Studies) and the Airbus A 380 Assembly Line Facility in Toulouse, France. He gifted a
painting titled Tree of Life, reflecting traditional societal respect for nature in India to the French
President Francois Hollande.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
Minor Planet Named as 4538 Vishyanand
Michael Rudenko, a committee member of the Minor Planet Center on 1 April officially named a
minor planet as 4538 Vishyanand, to honour Indias first chess grandmaster, Vishwanathan
Anand.The main-belt minor planet was discovered between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter by Kenzo
Suzuki in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on 10 October 1988. Since its discovery, the planet
remained unnamed.
PLACES IN NEWS
Thane Named As National Earth Hour Capital 2015 By WWF
Thane in Mumbai, Maharashtra was named as the National Earth Hour Capital 2015 on 9 April 2015.
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Thane city won the bid among the three finalists Thane, Pune and Rajkot in the Earth Hour City
Challenge (EHCC) 2015 conducted by World Wide Fund. Seoul city, the capital and largest
metropolis of South Korea, on 9 April 2015 was awarded the title of Global Earth hour Capital 2015
after it won the Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC) of World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
ABBREVIATIONS
BOOKS IN NEWS
Historical Documents Testify The Sovereignty of Senkaku Authored By Tadayoshi Murata
The book entitled Historical Documents Testify the Sovereignty of Senkakuauthored by
Tadayoshi Murata, an honorary professor at Japans Yokohama National University. The book
describes how the Japanese government illegally occupied the Chinese Diaoyu Islands step by step in
the 1890s. Japan has recently intensified its propaganda to claim several uninhabited islands disputed
with its neighbor in the East China Sea, but a Japanese historian refuted the claim and questioned
Tokyos reliability since it has manipulated evidence to mislead the rest of the world on the territorial
issue.
COMMITTEES
Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry Constituted Ajay Shankar committee To Simplify
Clearances
The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 8 April formed an expert committee under the
chairmanship of Ajay Shankar to suggest simplified compliance for establishing new industries. He is
a former Secretary to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The Expert
Committee has been constituted for examining the possibility of replacing multiple prior permissions
with pre-existing regulatory mechanism and to prepare draft legislation for this purpose.
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NATIONAL
Govt To Launch Atal Pension Yojna (APY) On 1 June
Atal Pension Yojna (APY), announced in the 2015-16 Budget , will be launched on 1st of June
2015 and will focus on all citizens in the unorganised sector entitling them to a pension of up to
Rs 5,000 per month after 60 years of age. The existing subscribers of Swavalamban Scheme
would be automatically migrated to the APY pension scheme, unless they opt out. The minimum
age of joining APY is 18 years and maximum age is 40 years.
Parliament Passes Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2015
Parliament on 4 March passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The bill was passed by
Lok Sabha on 2 March and was cleared by the upper house also called Rajya Sabha on 4 March
2015. The bill seeks an amendment in the Citizenship Act, 1955 and to merge the Person of
Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes.
Lok Sabha Passed Land Acquisition (amendment) Bill, 2015
Lok Sabha on 10 March 2015 passed the Land Acquisition (amendment) Bill, 2015. The bill was
passed by voice vote along with incorporated 9 new amendments moved by Union government.
The bill amends the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013.
Parliament Passed Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015
Parliament has passed Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015.It was first passed in Lok Sabha
on 4 March 2015 and later in Rajya Sabha on 12 March 2015. In both the houses the bill was
passed by voice vote. The amendment bill replaces ordinance promulgated in this regard and
aims to bring improvements and revisions in the existing laws relating to insurance business in
India.The amendment bill hikes Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) cap in the insurance sector to
49 percent from present 26 percent.
Parliament Passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill,
2015
Parliament has passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill,
2015. The bill was first passed in Rajya Sabha and later in Lok Sabha on 20 March 2015.The Bill
was passed in Rajya Sabha after the Union government had accepted the recommendations of the
Select Committee. The amendments in the bill were made in the bill passed by Lok Sabha on 4
March 2015.It seeks to amend the Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1957
and replace the ordinance promulgated in January 2015.
STATES
Aapki Beti Humari Beti Scheme Launched In Haryana
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on 8 March launched a scheme for girl child
Aapki Beti Humari Beti with an aim to combat the problem of declining child sex ratio in the
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state. The scheme will cover first-born girl child of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Below Poverty
Line (BPL) families and all second girl child born on or after 22nd January 2015 of all families
in the state.
Maharashtra Government Launched Bhagyashree Scheme
Maharashtra Government has launched Bhagyashree Scheme for girl child from Below Poverty
Line (BPL) families, on 8 March. Bhagyashree Scheme has replaced the state governments
previous Sukanya Scheme. Bollywood actress Bhagyashree is the brand ambassador of the
scheme. The Bhagyashree scheme aims at providing one lakh rupee on maturity after the girl
completes 18 years of age.
Assam Govt Launched Momai Tamuli Barbaruah Krishak Bondhu Scheme
Assam government has on 15 March launched the Momai Tamuli Barbaruah Krishak Bondhu
Scheme to increase agricultural production. Under the programme Momai Tamuli Barbaruah
Krishak Bondhu Scheme, facilities and assistance will be provided for double cropping in all the
crop areas which have so far been utilised for single cropping only.
Gujarat Legislative Assembly Passes Anti-Terror Bill
The Gujarat Legislative Assembly on 31 March 2015 passed Gujarat Control of Terrorism and
Organized Crime (GUJCOC) Bill, 2015. It is third time this controversial Bill being passed by
state assembly. Earlier, passed bill was rejected two times by the then Presidents in 2004 and
2008 for reconsideration.
CONFERENCES
International Conference On Counter Terrorism
Indias first conference on Counter-Terrorism was held from 19 21 March 2015 in Jaipur,
Rajasthan. The conference was named as International Counter-Terrorism Conference 2015 and
it was organised by India Foundation in association with the Sardar Patel University of Police
Security and Criminal Justice-Jodhpur. The central theme of the Conference is Integrated
Approach to Counter-Terrorism. The Conference was inaugurated by Union Home Minister
Rajnath Singh.The focus of the deliberations was on exploring the contours of 21st century
terrorism and sharing the Counter-Terrorism expertise. Some of the sub-themes on which the
conference focused include 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack, Talibanisation of Af-Pak region, New
Caliphate in West Asia, Maritime Terrorism and Piracy, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and
Nuclear (CBRN) Terrorism and Cyber and Space terrorism.
Page 41
achievement in African leadership for year 2014.Pohamba served as Namibian President two
terms. For first time he was elected in 2004 and again in 2009. The award is named after Mo
Ibrahim, a British-Sudanese mobile communications entrepreneur and philanthropist, who had
made billions of fortune from investing in Africa.
Veerappa Moily Selected For Saraswati Samman 2014
Former Union minister and senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily was on 9 March selected
for the prestigious Saraswati Samman for 2014 for his famous Kannada poem Ramayana
Mahanveshanam. Divided into five volumes, Ramayana Mahanveshanam was first published in
2007 in Kannada. Later the poem was translated into English, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.
Activist Rajendra Singh Won Stockholm Water Prize 2015
Rajendra Singh, an eminent environment activist, has been conferred the prestigious Stockholm
Water Prize 2015 for his innovative water restoration efforts and extraordinary courage to
empower communities in Indian villages. He is popularly known as Water Man of India.
Shashi Kapoor Selected For Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2014
Veteran actor and film producer Shashi Kapoor has been named for the prestigious Dada Saheb
Phalke Award 2014. He is the 46th winner of the honour, conferred by the government for
outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. The 2014 Dadasaheb
Phalke award to Shashi Kapoor made him the third member of Kapoor family to receive the
award after Prithviraj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor.
62nd National Film Awards 2014
The 62nd National Film Awards for year 2014 was announced on 24 March 2015. Court
directed by Chaitanya Tamhane was selected as the Best feature film. Mary Kom (Hindi)
directed by Omung Kumar was selected as the Best Popular film providing wholesome
entertainment. The 62nd National Film Awards in the various categories are as follows:* Best Actor Vijay for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada).
* Best Actress Kangana Ranaut for Queen (Hindi).
* Best Direction -Srijit Mukherji, Director of Chotushkone (Bengali).
* Best Hindi Film Queen
* Best Childrens Film - Kaakkaa Muttai (Tamil) and Elizabeth Ekadashi (Marathi).
* Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director Aditya Vikram Sengupta for
Asha Jaoar Majhe (Bengali).
* Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration Chotoder Chobi
(Bengali) directed by Kaushik Ganguly.
Page 42
the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.The man of the match was Karnatakas Karun Nair who had
scored 338 runs.
India Open Super Series Badminton 2015 Winners
Womens Singles :- Indias ace shuttler Saina Nehwal on 29 March won India Open Super
Series Badminton Womens Singles 2015 Title. She defeated Thailands Ratchanok Intanon in
the final match played at Siri Fort Indoor Complex in New Delhi.
Mens Singles :- Indias Srikanth Kidambi has won India Open Super Series Badminton Mens
Singles 2015 Title. In the final match he defeated Denmarks Viktor Axelsen.
Australia Won ICC Cricket World Cup For 5th time
Australia on 29 March 2015 won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 for the record fifth time. In
the final match Australia defeated co-hosts of the tournament, New Zealand by 7 wickets played
at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia. Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc
was named the Player of the Tournament who finished with a figure of 22 wickets in the
tournament. He was tied with New Zealand left-arm seamer Trent Boult for taking highest
wickets in the tournament. Australian all-rounder James Faulkner was adjudged man of the
match, while the man of the series award went to Mitchell Starc. He finished the tournament with
22 wickets.
Saina Nehwal Becomes First Indian Woman To Attain World No.1 Ranking
Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal on 28 March created history by becoming first Indian woman to be
ranked number one in the world in Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings in Womens
Singles category. She achieved this rare feat after Spains Carolina Marins lost her semi-final
match to Thailands Ratchanok Intanon in the Indian Open Super Series. Saina has overtaken
Chinas Li Xuerui to become the highest ranked player in the world. Saina Nehwal is the second
Indian badminton player to achieve this feat, after legendary shuttler Prakash Padukone. He had
achieved the top rank in 1980 in Mens Single Category.
ECONOMY
RBI reduced Repo Rate By 25 Basis Points To 7.5 percent
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 March reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.5
percent with immediate effect. This is the second time since January 2015 that RBI reduced the
repo rate by 25 basis points. With this, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.5
percent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank rate to 8.5 percent.
Indias Billionaires To Rise 104% By 2024
According to the latest Knight Frank Wealth Report, as of 2014,Wealth creation in India is likely
to accelerate significantly with the number of ultra-wealthy individuals expected to double to
3,371 by 2024. India is home to 1,652 ultra high net worth individuals (UHNWIs), which is
likely to swell to 3,371 by the year 2024, registering a jump of 104 per cent. The number of
UHNWIs in India has increased from 622 in 2004 to 1,652 in 2014, registering a rise of 166 per
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Page 43
cent over the past decade (2004-2014). At 0.1 UHNWI per lakh population, India ranks a distant
84 among 97 countries globally in terms of equitable distribution of wealth.
Indian Railways Signed MoU with LIC For Rs 1.5 lakh crore Investments
Indian Railways on 11 March signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Life
Insurance Corporation (LIC) to raise Rs 1.5 lakh crore for financing the development of its
various commercially viable infrastructure projects. Under this MoU, LIC will make available a
Financial Assistance of 150000 crore rupees to the Indian Railways for implementing Railway
projects over the next five years. The Financial Assistance will be available from the Financial
Year 2015-16.
India Becomes 3rd Biggest Steel Producer Over Takes US
India has become the third-largest steel producer in the world by overtaking United States (US)
in first two months of year 2015. It was revealed in the Data compiled by World Steel
Association (WSA) on 22 March.Indias production in first two months i.e. January- February of
2015 was 14.56 million tonnes (MT). This production growth was the highest during this two
month period at 7.6% as compared to the global average of just 0.6% at 127.6 MT.China tops in
steel production and accounts for nearly half of the global steel production. During this period
China has produced 65 MT steel.
Page 44
became the 9th country in the World to develop an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV)
domestically.
ISRO successfully Launched Fourth Navigation Satellite IRNSS 1D
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 28 March 2015 successfully launched fourth
navigation satellite Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) 1D. Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C27 injected IRNSS 1D into the designated orbit from the first launch
pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. This was the 28th
consecutive successful flight of PSLV. IRNSS is a navigation system that will cover India, and
also extend 1,500 kms from its boundaries. It will provide accurate position information to users
in India. Basically it will provide two kinds of services, Standard Positioning Services, which is
available to all users, and an encrypted service that is provided only to authorized users.
PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
Jagmohan Dalmiya Elected as BCCI president
agmohan Dalmiya was unanimously elected as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI) at Annual General meeting held in Chennai on 2 March.Dalmiya had served
BCCI as its President between 2001 and 2004. He also served as the President of International
Cricket Council (ICC) between 1997 and 2000.
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan Named as President of Britains Royal Society
Nobel laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan on 18 March was named as the President of
Britains prestigious Royal Society, a communion of the many of the worlds most distinguished
scientists. Ramakrishnan, who will take up the post on the 1 December 2015, will succeed
geneticist Sir Paul Nurse, also a Nobel Laureate.
B)RESIGNS
Union Minister Dadarao Danve Resigns
Union Minister Minister of State (MoS) for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Raosaheb Dadarao Danve on 5 March resigned from the office. Raosaheb Danve resigned from
the Union Council of Ministers following the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJPs) one-man, one-post
principle after he was appointed President of Maharashtra in January 2015. He took over as
Maharashtra BJP president after Devendra Fadnavis became the Chief Minister state who had led
the party to power in October 2014 Assembly elections.
C)DEATHS
Senior Journalist Vinod Mehta Died
Senior journalist and former editor of Outlook, Vinod Mehta died on 8 March in New Delhi. He
was 73. Mehta, who had founded the Outlook Magazine and served as its Editor-in-Chief, last
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Page 45
held the post of editorial Chairman of the publication. Vinod Mehta was born on May 31, 1942
in Rawalpindi, West-Punjab region of undivided India (now in Pakistan). He wrote the bestselling autobiography Lucknow Boy in 2011. He has authored a biography of Meena Kumari
(movie actress and poet) and Sanjay Gandhi- The Sanjay Story (2012).
D)VISITORS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Visited Sri Lanka
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Sri Lanka on 13 14 March 2015. The visit follows
President Maithripala Sirisenas first overseas visit to India in February 2015. During his two
day visit Narendra Modi met Srilankan President Maithripala Sirisena in Colombo.In the visit,
India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements. Narendra Modi also announced e-visa on arrival
services for Sri Lankans, a $ 318 million Line of Credit to upgrade Sri Lankas railways, and a
promise to build Trincomalee as a petroleum hub, while seeking movement on the 500 MW
Sampur power project, that has been delayed for years due to environmental concerns.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
PM Narendra Modi Among 30 Most Influential People On Internet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been named among the 30 most influential people on the
internet by Time magazine in a list which also features US President Barack Obama. The list,
which analysed social-media followings, site traffic and overall ability to drive news, also
includes British author of the Harry Potter series J K Rowling and singers Taylor Swift and
Beyonce. The list was released on 6 March 2015.
PLACES IN NEWS
Worlds Largest and Tallest Indian Flag Unfurled In Faridabad
Worlds largest and tallest Indian national flag was unfurled on 3 March 2015 at Town Park in
Faridabad, Haryana.It was unfurled by Bhartiya Janta Party President Amit Shah.The flag has
dimension of 96 feet by 64 feet and weighs 48 kilograms. Flag was hoisted at the height of 250
feet (75 meters). Thus, making it the worlds largest and the highest hoisted Indian flag in the
world.
ABBREVIATIONS
NABARD - National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development
BCCI Board of Control for Cricket in India
EPFO Employees Provident Fund Organization
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BOOKS IN NEWS
The Modi Effect Authored by Lance Price
Book titled The Modi Effect: Inside Narendra Modis Campaign to Transform India written
by Lance Price, former media advisor to the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair.The book
was published in the month of March 2015 in India by Hachette. The book is based on the
authors interviews with the prime minister, his Cabinet colleagues like Piyush Goyal, Prakash
Javadekar and Smriti Irani and his team of advisers and analysts.
COMMITTEES
Ajay Shankar Committee Constituted To Review The Existing PPP Cell In Railway Board
The Ministry of Railways appointed Ajay Shankar committee on 25 March to review the
performance of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) cell functioning under the Railway
Board.Ajay Shankar is a former Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
(DIPP) under Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
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Page 47
2. Monetary Policy Framework Agreement with RBI, to keep inflation below 6%.
3. GDP growth in 2015-16, projected to be between 8 to 8.5%
4. The fiscal deficit targets are 3.9%, 3.5% and 3.0% in FY 2015-16,
2016-17 & 2017-18 respectively.
5. Direct Transfer of Benefits to be extended further with a view to increase
the number of beneficiaries from Rs.1 crore to Rs.10.3 crore.
6. Target of Rs.8.5 lakh crore of agricultural credit during the year 2015-16
7. Rs.5,300 crore to support micro-irrigation, watershed development and the
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.
8. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna to cover accidental death risk of
Rs.2 Lakh for a premium of just Rs.12 per year.
9. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana to cover both natural and
accidental death risk of Rs.2 lakh at premium of Rs.330 per year for the age group
of 18-50.
10. 5 new Ultra Mega Power Projects, each of 4000 MW, in the Plug-and-Play mode.
11. Rs.1000 crores to the Nirbhaya Fund
12. Visas on arrival to be increased to 150 countries.
13. An IIT to be set up in Karnataka and Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad to be
upgraded in to a fullfledged IIT.
14. New All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) to be set up in J&K,
Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Assam. Another AIIMS like institutions
to be set up in Bihar.
15. A post graduate institute of Horticulture Research & Education is to be set up in
Amritsar.
16. 3 new National Institute of Pharmaceuticals Education and Research in
Maharashtra,
Rajasthan & Chattisgarh and one institute of Science and Education Research
is to be set up in Nagaland & Orissa each.
17. University of Disability Studies will be established in Kerala. 50
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Page 48
18. In Arunachal Pradesh, Centre of film production, animation and gaming will come
up.
19. For Infrastructure sector Rs. 70,000 crores allocated. Projects in rail road and
irrigation bonds will be tax free.
20. For Rural Infrastructure Development Bank, Rs. 25,000 crore allocated.
21. Target of renewable energy capacity revised to 175000 MW till 2022,
comprising 100000 MW Solar, 60000 MW Wind, 10000 MW Biomass and 5000 MW
Small Hydro.
22. Forward Markets commission to be merged with SEBI.
23. National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), to be established with an
annual flow of
Rs.20,000 crores to it. Tax free infrastructure bonds for the projects in the rail, road
and irrigation
sectors
BUDGET ESTIMATES:
>Gross Tax receipts are estimated to be Rs. 14,49,490 crore.
>Total Expenditure has accordingly been estimated at Rs.17,77,477 crore.
>Fiscal deficit will be 3.9 per cent of GDP and Revenue Deficit will be 2.8 per cent of
GDP.
TAX PROPOSAL:
>implement GST from next year.
>No change in rate of personal income tax.
>Proposal to reduce corporate tax from 30% to 25% over the next four years,
starting from next financial year.
>Wealth-tax replaced with additional surcharge of 2 per cent on super rich
with a taxable income of over Rs.1 crore annually
>PAN being made mandatory for any purchase or sale exceeding Rs. 1lakh.
>Evasion of tax in relation to foreign assets to have a punishment of rigorous
imprisonment upto 10 years, be non-compoundable, have a penalty rate of 300%
and the offender will not be permitted to approach the Settlement Commission.
>Non-filing of return/filing of return with inadequate disclosures to have a
punishment of rigorous imprisonment upto 7 years.
>General Anti Avoidance Rule (GAAR) to be deferred by two
years.GAAR to apply to investments made on or after 01.04.2017, when
implemented.
>Domestic transfer pricing threshold limit increased from Rs.5 crore to Rs.20 crore.
>Excise duty on footwear with leather uppers and having retail price of more than Rs.1000
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World Kidney Day (celebrated on 2nd Thursday of
15th March
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