1 December 2014

1) Due to continued decreased in international oil prices the

price of petrol in India was slashed by 91 paise per litre on 30
November 2014 while that of diesel was reduced by 84 paise.
The revised prices came into effect from the midnight of 30
November and 1 December 2014. What significant international
price level was broken for crude oil recently? The price of
Brent crude oil went down below $70 per barrel on 28
November, which is its lowest level since 2010
Explanation: The price of international crude oil, called Brent
crude, went below $70 per barrel level mark following decision
made by the 12 members of the Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) on 27 November 2014 to keep daily
oil output at 30 million barrels. The step was taken despite a
major oversupply that has caused oil prices to fall more than
30%. This also meant that the cost of January futures fell by
4.47%, to $66.07 per barrel.
.
2) On 30 November 2014 who became the first Indian
footballer to be inducted into Asian Football Confederation
(AFCs) Hall of Fame? Baichung Bhutia
Explanation: The Asian Football Confederation inducted 10
continental superstars in its Hall of Fame in Manila on 30
November 2014. The awards were awarded by FIFA Chief Sepp
Blatter. Bhutia joined Irans legendary Ali Daei and Saudi
Arabias Sami Al Jaber in the Hall of Fame. Other prominent
players to be inducted in AFCs Hall of Fame included Harry
Kewell, regarded as one of Australias finest football exports to
Europe, thanks to a successful career with Englands Leeds
United and Liverpool.
.

3) How much cable is proposed to be laid over next three and a

half years to provide broadband in every village of the country,
as revealed by the Minister for Communications and
Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on 29 November
2014? 7,50,000 KM
Explanation: Under Union Governments Digital India project
7,50,000 KM of fiber optical cable is proposed to be laid over
next three and a half years to ensure digital empowerment of
people. Digital India project envisages bringing all the existing
initiatives such as the Ebiz project, E-kranti, virtual classroom,
e-visas and the National Optical Fibre Network project under a
single umbrella. Other programmes include implementation of
e-office to make Government departments paperless,
encouraging domestic manufacturing of electronic products and
kick starting Research & Development and entrepreneurship
development fund. The project was unveiled in the Budget
2014-15 and is being directly monitored by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
.
4) Indian woman badminton player P.V. Sindhu won which
Grand Prix tournament on 30 November 2014, which was her
first title of the season? Macau Grand Prix Gold Trophy
Explanation: World No. 11 Sindhu was the defending
champion of this trophy and she prevailed over 91st-ranked
Kim Hyo Min of Korea, defeated her 21-12, 21-17 in the final.
This was the first title for her in 2014 season. She had lost the
Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold final to fellow Indian Saina Nehwal in
January this year.
.
5) Thailands crown prince Maha Vajiralongkorn on 28
November 2014 revoked the royally-assigned family name of
his wife Princess Srirasmi. Her royal-appointed surname

Akharaphongpreecha was revoked due to which reason? Due

to the arrest of several of her relatives in a high-profile
corruption case
Explanation: Three people with the Akharaphongpreecha
name were among 19 arrested in a crackdown on alleged police
corruption this month in raids that netted tens of millions of
dollars in assets. Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is the first
in line for the Thai throne. His father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej,
who is widely revered by Thais, is 86. The Thai monarchy can
bestow honorary names to families in return for service under a
1915 law.
.
2 December 2014

1) The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP20)

started on 1 December 2014 at which city? Lima (Peru)
Explanation: COP20 the 20th yearly session of the Conference
of the Parties (COP 20) to the 1992 United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 10 th session
of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP10) to the 1997 Kyoto
Protocol. COP20 is being organised to negotiate on a new
ambitious and binding deal to cut global carbon emissions, in
the last chance to reach on a historic deal to be signed next
year in Paris. Officials from 190 nations, including India, are
participating in this 12-day summit. During the summit

countries will put forward what they plan to contribute to the

2015 pact in the form of Intended Nationally Determined
Contributions (INDCs) by the first quarter of 2015, well in
advance of the Paris conference in December. Environment
Minister Prakash Javadekar leads Indias 17-member delegation
to negotiate terms for the final agreement to be signed in Paris,
which will take effect in 2020.

2) At least 13 CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel

were killed and many were injured in a Maoist ambush in
Chhattisgarh on 1 December 2014. This incident took place in
which Maoist-infested district of south Chhattisgarh? Sukma
Explanation: The ambush took place near Kasalpara village of
Sukma district. Kasalpara village is the same place where the
CRPF had claimed to have killed 15 alleged Maoists on 21
November 2014 in an encounter.

3) A referendum held in Switzerland on 30 November 2014

rejected the proposed curbs on immigrations in the country.
What was the specific issue that was addressed by holding this
referendum? To cut net immigration to no more than
0.2% of the population
Explanation: The referendum was conducted to know the
opinion of countrys 26 cantons about the proposal to cut net
immigration into the country to not more than 0.2% of the
population. About 74% of the people rejected the proposal.
Supporters of the measure argued that it would have reduced
pressure on the countrys resources. Opponents said it would
have been bad for the economy. It is worth mentioning that
around a quarter of Switzerlands eight million people are
foreigners. The issue addressed in this referendum would have

required the government to reduce immigration from about

80,000 to 16,000 people a year.

4) Who won the Presidential elections held in Uruguay on 30

November 2014? Tabare Vazquez
Explanation: Tabare Vazquez is a former President of the
country who led the country from 2005 to 2010. He won
comfortably with 52.8% support while his center-right
challenger, Luis Lacalle Pou, trailed with 40.5% votes. Returning
to power, he will succeed President Jose Mujica, an ally and
former guerrilla whose straight-talking style won him
widespread affection in the country. Vazquez is a respected
oncologist who helped heal rifts inside the Broad Front in the
late 1990s and led it to power in 2005, ending two decades of
conservative rule that followed a military dictatorship.

5) Which application software company was chosen by the ICC

as its exclusive Analytics and Cloud Partner for the ICC Cricket
World Cup 2015 as announced on 1 December 2014?- SAP SE
Explanation: SAP SE is a worldwide leader in enterprise
application software services. The partnership, which starts
immediately and runs through to the end of the tournament,
will see SAP utilise its HANA platform to power numerous live
match experiences across the ICCs network of Web sites, to
enhance the experience for fans and media with real-time data,
statistics and performance analysis that will help them get
closer to the action and tell more insightful and informed
stories. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is hosted jointly by
Australia and New Zealand.

6) Which film won the coveted Golden Peacock award for Best
Film at the 45thInternational Film Festival of India (IFFI), which
concluded on 30 November 2014? Leviathan (Russian
film)
Explanation: Leviathan is a survival drama directed by
Russian director Andrey Zvyaginstev. Ek Hazaarchi Note, set
against the backdrop of farmers suicide in Vidharba region of
Maharashtra, created history at IFFI by winning the centenary
and special jury award (for debutante director Shrihari Sathe).
Leviathan star Alexel Serebriakov shared the best actor award
with Dulal Sarkar of Chotoder Chobi. Cuban actress Arina
Rodriguez won the Best Actress award for her role in the CubanSpanish movie Behaviour while Israeli actress Sarit Larry
shared the trophy with Rodriguez for her role in The
Kindergarten Teacher. The award for best director went to
Nadaf Lapid for The Kindgarten Teacher.

7) Who was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at

the 45th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI)?
Wong Kar-Wai (Hong Kong)
Explanation: Wong Kar-Wai is one of Hong Kongs most
celebrated filmmakers. Some of his world-acclaimed films
include Days of Being Wild (1990), Ashes of Time (1994),
Chungking Express (1994), Fallen Angels (1995), Happy
Together (1997), 2046 (2004) and The Grandmaster (2013).
My Blue berry Nights is Wong Kar-Wais only English language
Film and In the Mood for Love is by far his most universally
loved film.

3 December 2014

1) 3 decades (30 years) of the Bhopal tragedy of 1984 were

completed on 2 December 2014. This disaster, which took
place on 2 December 1984 due to accidental leakage of
poisonous gas from the factory owned by the U.S. multinational
Union Carbide Corp in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal, is known
as one of the worlds worst industrial disasters ever. Which
poisonous gas had leaked from this plant resulting in death of
over five thousand people? Methyl Isocyanate
Explanation: The Union Carbide plant in Bhopal was
established in 1969 for manufacture of a range of pesticides
used by farmers. On the night of 2 December 1984 almost 40
tonnes of highly poisonous Methyl Isocyanate gas was released
and carried by the wind to the surrounding densely populated.
The government recorded 5,295 deaths, but activists claim
25,000 people died in the aftermath and following years.
Another 100,000 people who were exposed to the gas continue
to suffer today with sicknesses such as cancer, blindness,
respiratory problems, immune and neurological disorders.
Some children born to survivors have mental or physical
disabilities. Union Carbide was sued by the Indian government
after the disaster and agreed to pay an out-of-court settlement
of $470 million in damages in 1989. Union Carbide was later
acquired in 2001 by Dow Chemical Company.
.
2) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) presented its 5 th Bi-monthly
Monetary Policy review for 2014-15 fiscal on 2 December 2014.
Despite pressure to cut interest rates from industry as well as
some quarters of the government, RBI kept the major rates
unchanged as it kept its focus on tackling inflation. What are
the major projections and rates coming out of this review?
- GDP growth rate projected at 5.5% for current fiscal
- Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation projected
to remain at 6% by March 2015

- Repo rate (short term lending rate) unchanged at 8%

- Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) unchanged at 4%
- Statutory Liquidity Ratio (used for unlocking banking
funds) retained at 22%
.
3) The RBI in its 5th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy review for 201415 fiscal presented on 2 December 2014, kept the most
important repo rate unchanged at 8%. The last time this rate
was changed was January 2014
Explanation: In January 2014 the RBI had increased the repo
rate by 25 basis points to 8%. Since then this rate has been
unchanged.
.
4) Deven Verma, Bollywood film actor, who was known for his
comic roles, passed away on 2 December 2014 at Pune at the
age of 77 years. He had won how many Filmfare Awards for
best comic roles? Three
Explanation: Deven Verma won three Filmfare Awards
respectively for Chori Mera Kaam (1976), Chor ke Ghar Chor
(1978) and Angoor (1982). Angoor, directed by Gulzar and
featuring Sanjeev Kumar in main role, is still considered one of
the best Hindi comedy films ever made.
.
5) Abdul Rahman Antulay (A.R. Antulay), who passed away on 2
December 2014, was a former Chief Minister of which state of
India? Maharashtra
Explanation: Antulay was the first and only Muslim Chief
Minister of Maharashtra during the years 1980 to 1982.
However he had to resign from his post following allegation of

corruption. He was convicted in an extortion case by the

Bombay High Court. He passed away at the age of 85 years.
.
6) Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayees birthday (25
December) would be observed as which national day, as
announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2 December
2014? Good Governance Day
Explanation: Addressing party MPs at the meeting of the BJP
Parliamentary Party Narendra Modi made this announcement.
On the occasion the national Good Governance Day all
government officials will make the day symbolic of good
governance.
.
7) Who was appointed as the new Director of the Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 2 December 2014? Anil
Sinha
Explanation: Anil Sinha is the Bihar cadre IAS officer of the
1979 batch and is presently the Special Director with the CBI.
He replaced Ranjit Sinha, who relinquished office on
superannuation on the same day. The appointment was made
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Appointments Committee
of Cabinet (ACC). Earlier name of Anil Sinha was shortlisted by
the three-member selection committee consisting of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition leader in Lok Sabha
(Congress) Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Justice of India H.L.
Dattu.
.
8) Who was named as the next Director General of National
Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) on 1 December 2014? O P Singh

Explanation: O P Singh is an Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer of

the 1983-batch. Singh is serving presently as additional DG
(Airport) in Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). He will now
be the full-fledged NDRF chief in the rank of additional DG for
his remaining period of central deputation till 15 January 2018.
NDRF is a disaster response agency under National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA) created by the Ministry of Home
Affairs, Government of India, in 2009.
.

4 December 2014
1) In an unprecedented move, the Chief Justice of India during
December 2014 constituted which Special Bench that would
meet every Friday to handle cases associated with it? The
Social Justice Bench
Explanation: The Social Justice Bench of the Supreme Court
was constituted to handle Public Interest Litigations (PILs) and
other petitions on social issues. This newly constituted bench
would meet every Friday afternoon. The issues associated
under this bench would range from the availability of night
shelters for the homeless to whether children in government
schools are being provided free mid-day meals and the efficacy
of the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS) which is meant to
provide poor families access to subsidized grain. The two
judges who will handle these cases every Friday are Justice
Madan B Lokur and Justice UU Lalit.
.
2) During December 2014 Indian Railways issued guidelines for
constituent railway zones to invite tenders to offer three-year
maintenance contracts to professionals for managing Indias
railway stations. Under this proposed exercise, contracts would
be given for cleaning and managing cover key station areas,

such as tracks, platforms, buildings, concourses, approach

roads, and parking areas. How many railway stations are being
made available under this initiative? 50
Explanation: 50 railway stations made available for privatized
clean-up are Nasik Road, Solapur, Jalgaon, Howrah, Sealdah,
Bhagalpur,
Patna,
Mughalsarai,
Gaya,
Visakhapatnam,
Bhubaneswar, Puri, New Delhi, Delhi, Varanasi, Lucknow,
Ludhiana, Allahabad, Kanpur, Jhansi, Gorakhpur, Lucknow Jn,
Kathgodam, Rangiya, New Bongaigaon, Kishanganj, Jaipur,
Jodhpur, Ajmer, Chennai Central, Egmore, Trivandrum Central,
Secunderabad, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Kharagpur, Tatanagar,
Ranchi, Raipur, Bilaspur, Drug, Hospet, Vasco-Da-Gama,
Belgaum, Mumbai Central Main, Bandra Terminus, Vadodara,
Bhopal, Jabalpur and Kota. The Railways have stipulated the
contract should be given to a single agency and there should
be no mixed system of management, a move to help fix
accountability. The work will also cover rag-picking, disinfection,
pest and rodent control, garbage collection, and segregation of
waste and disposal.
.
3) Recently arguments have been given in favour of
implementing
the
M.S.
Swaminathan
Committees
recommendation on assessment of agricultural costs. Punjab
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Urban Development
Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu have pushed for implementing this
committees recommendation. What is the basic formula for
estimating agricultural costs as recommended by M.S.
Swaminathan
Committee?
Procurement
prices
of
agricultural produce should be set as the entire cost of
production with a 50% profit quotient
Explanation: Renowned agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan
led a committee on minimum support price (MSP) for farmers.
This committee came out with its recommendations during the
UPA-1 regime. The basic recommendation of this committee

was that the MSP for farmers should be calculated as cost of

production plus a 50% margin. Parkash Singh Badal
recommended that the Indian Government fix minimum
support prices of paddy and wheat keeping in mind rising input
costs. On the other hand M.Venkaiah Naidu called for the
Government to seriously consider implementing the M.S.
Swaminathan
Committees
recommendation
at
the
th
10 National Conference of Farmers.
.
4) What was Indias rank in the list of corrupt countries
released by graft watchdog Transparency International India
(TII) on 3 December 2014? 85th
Explanation: Indias rank has improved from 94th last year to
85th this year in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report by
TII. Indias score stood at 38 as compared to 36 last year. In
Indias neighbourhood, China moved to 100 th place, down from
80th last year, while Pakistan and Nepal were at 126 th position.
Bangladesh was 145th and Bhutan 30th in the ranking. Sri Lanka
was ranked 85thwith India. Afghanistan was at a bleak 172.
Denmark retained its position as the least corrupt country in
2014 with a score of 92 while North Korea and Somalia shared
the last place, scoring just 8.
.
5) Which university was ranked no.1 in Times Higher Education
BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings 2015, covering 18
countries, that was released on 4 December 2014? Peking
University, China
Explanation: China topped this prestigious list with as many
as 27 universities in the top 100 list. India now has four
universities in the top 40 IISc, Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) Bombay, IIT Roorkee and Punjab University, Chandigarh
and seven more in the top 100. Punjab University, ranked

13th last year, however, has fallen to 39 th in the rankings.

Chinas Peking University and Tsinghua University occupied the
first and second positions.
.
6) During December 2014 who was appointed as the Secretary
General of the Lok Sabha, an appointment that was protested
by the Congress as it alleged that procedures were not followed
in this appointment? Anoop Mishra
Explanation: Anoop Mishra is a senior bureaucrat from Uttar
Pradesh and a formal announcement about his appointment
was made by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on 1
December 2014. Congress alleged that procedures were not
followed in this appointment as it was not consulted during the
procedure of this appointment. Congress also wanted to know
whether none of the secretariat officials of the Lok Sabha were
competent for the post.
.
5 December 2014

1) Eminent jurist and former Supreme Court judge Justice

Krishna Iyer passed away on 4 December 2014 at the age of
100 in Kochi. Apart from being one of the foremost legal
luminary India has produced, what was a special fact
associated with him? In between his legal practice he
also joined politics and became an MLA of Kerala
Assembly
Explanation: He became a member of the Madras Legislative
Assembly in 1952. He held portfolios such as law, justice,
home, irrigation, power, prisons, social welfare and inland
navigation in the first Communist government in Kerala headed
by E.M.S. Namboodiripad that came to power in 1957. He was

instrumental in passing several pieces of people-oriented

legislations during his tenure as minister in the Communist
government. Later in 1959 he resumed his legal practice. He
was sworn in as the judge of the Supreme Court on 17 July
1973 and retired at the age of 65 on 14 November 1980. His
landmark judgments include the Shamser Singh case which
interpreted the powers of the Cabinet vis--vis the President,
Maneka Gandhi case which gave a new dimension to Article 21,
Ratlam Municipality case and Muthammas case.
.
2) Government of India is kicking off its ambitious divestment
programme for the current fiscal year from 5 December 2014
with the sale of a 5% stake in a PSU. Govt. is expected to raise
$275 million through this stake sale. Which PSU is this? Steel
Authority of India Ltd (SAIL)
Explanation: SAIL thus becomes the first PSU to be divested
for meeting the proposed budget deficit target. The
government, which owns an 80% stake in SAIL, plans to sell up
to 206.5 million shares through an auction on the stock
exchanges on 5 December. The floor price for the share auction
of SAIL has been set at 83 rupees apiece. Union Govt. had
planned to raise $9.5 billion from divestments in the fiscal year
ending in March 2015. However, it is likely to miss this target
due to slow speed of the divestment programme.
.
3) Union Govt. on 3 December 2014 constituted a high level
committee with the objective of bringing about clarity on tax
laws. Who is heading this committee? Ashok Lahiri (Former
Chief Economic Advisor)
Explanation: This committee has been constituted in line with
Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys announcement during the 201415 Budget speech pertaining to bringing about clarity in tax

laws in the country. This committee will interact with trade and
industry to ascertain where clarity on tax laws is required.
Other members of the committee include retired Settlement
Commission Member Sidhartha Pradhan and Gautam Ray,
retired Director General (Audit) of Customs and Central Board
of Excise and Customs (CBEC).
.
4) During December 2014, what important decision was taken
by the Union Govt. in the area of FDI in construction sector?
The lock-in period for foreign investments in the
construction sector has been diluted
Explanation: A note released on 3 December 2014 by DIPP
stated, while foreign investment cannot be repatriated before
three years following completion of minimum capitalisation, an
investor may be allowed to exit earlier by getting approval from
the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). This decision
has been taken following Union Cabinets nod to allow FDI in
construction development in October 2014.
Following are the important points associated with above
decision:
The minimum capital requirement for such projects (for
joint ventures with Indian partners) has been halved
from $10 million to $5 million. For wholly owned
subsidiaries of foreign companies, the requirement is
$10 million.
At least 50% of each project must be developed within a
period of five years from the date of obtaining all
mandatory clearances. The investor would not be
allowed to sell under developed plots.
The minimum area to be developed is 10 hectares of
land area for serviced housing plots and 50,000 sq
meters of built-up area for construction development

projects. For combined projects, any one of the two

conditions is sufficient
.
5) During December 2014 India signed a multilateral
agreement admitting Indias participation in the development
of the Worlds largest telescope the Thirty Metre Telescope
(TMT). This telescope will be established at which place?
Hawaii (US)
Explanation: Institutions from the USA, India, Canada, Japan
and China are participating in the construction of the worlds
largest telescope on Mount Mauna Kea. This telescope, 4207 m
above sea level, may cost more than $1.47 billion. TMT will
contain 492 hexagonal mirror segments of 82 different kinds.
These will behave like a single mirror with an aperture of 30
metre diameter. This large collecting area of 650 square metres
is thrice as sensitive as the Hubble Space Telescope. Indias role
will primarily be to create the control systems and software that
keep the mirrors aligned and collects the data. This project was
rapidly cleared by the Union Cabinet and India has agreed to
spend Rs. 1299.8 crores over the next decade for this project.
Besides learning about the universe, India will gain the
technology to manufacture fine aspherical mirror segments
from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
.
6 December 2014

1) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 5 December 2014 gave

what relaxations in norms for White Label ATM (WLA)
operators? They can now accept international cards and
also source cash supply from other than banks
Explanation: The RBI provided a breather to WLA operators by
allowing them to accept international credit/debit/prepaid
cards. The cards issued under card payment network schemes
(authorized under the PSS Act 2007) will be allowed for the
purpose. The WLA operators have to ensure that they have
established technical connectivity with the respective card
network operators either directly or through their sponsor
banks. In addition, RBI enabled delinking of cash supply from
sponsor banks. WLA operators would now be able to tie up with
other commercial banks for cash supply at WLAs. Earlier, the
cash supply had to be managed only through a sponsor bank
which limited the scope of cash management for the
operators. During 2012 the RBI had allowed corporates to set
up white label ATMs to increase the penetration of ATMs in
several areas of the country. These ATMs are being operated by
non-banking corporates and organisations and are providing
ATM services to customers of all banks.

2) 13 security personnel including eight Army men and five

policemen were killed in a major militant attack in Jammu and
Kashmir on 5 December 2014. In the retaliatory strike six
militants were killed. This attack was carried at which army
camp situated in the Uri area in north Kashmir? Mahura
Army camp
Explanation: 6 Six terrorists entered the Mahura Army camp in
Rampur area of Uri at early morning of 5 December and
attacked the camp. All six terrorists were killed in the encounter
while eight of Army soldiers, including a Lt. Colonel and five
policemen lost their lives too. The attack happened four days
before Uri goes to the Assembly elections on 9 December. This
was one the biggest attacks by the militants in the recent past.

3) During December 2014 Union Govt. took an important

decision to decrease subsidy load by scrapping the supply of
subsidised kerosene through the Public Distribution System
(PDS). Under this decision, from now on subsidised kerosene
would be supplied to only one category of households. Which
category
is
this?
Households
without
electricity
connection
Explanation: According to information given by Union Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley the Centre is in the process of writing to
States asking them to provide subsidised kerosene only to unelectrified households. States which have achieved near 100%
electrification will be incentivised to become kerosene-free. In
the remaining States, un-electrified households will be given
the choice between cash subsidy in lieu of kerosene allocation
and upfront subsidy for greener solar lighting systems. This
decision comes close on the heels of cuts in the Centres social
sector spending allocations aimed at aligning plan expenditure
with subdued revenue collections. The allocation of kerosene
subsidy will now be in accordance with Census 2011 data,
which shows that its no longer a fuel of choice for cooking but

is used for lighting purposes. The Census showed that kerosene

has been almost completely replaced by LPG in urban and
semi-urban areas and biomass is the cooking fuel of choice in
the rural areas. Less than 2% of Indias rural households use
kerosene as cooking fuel, according to the Census.

4) The Indian Air Force (IAF) on 5 December 2014 sent supplies

of drinking water to which of its neighbouring country?
Maldives
Explanation: Indian Air Force (IAF) pressed the services of its
IL-76 aircrafts and the C-17 Globemaster to provide drinking
water to the people of Maldives. Water was cut off to more than
100,000 residents in the Maldives capital Male because of a
fire in the citys water treatment plant. Maldives had made a
request to India for supplying drinking water. Following this, the
Centre asked the Defence Ministry to provide assistance. The
Ministry in turn directed the IAF to ship the drinking water in IL76 aircrafts to Maldives. India would supply 400 tonnes of
packaged drinking water under this initiative. An offshore patrol
vessel in the ocean with a water treating facility was also
diverted to Maldives.

5) The Union Govt. has recently made amendments in Indian

Medical Council Regulations 2002 pertaining to prescribing
generic medicines. What has been done under this
amendment? Physicians have been directed to prescribe
drugs with generic names in legible and capital letters
Explanation: The Central government has approved to amend
Indian Medical Council Regulations, 2002, providing therein that
every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names in
legible and capital latter and he/she shall ensure that there is a
rational prescription and use of drugs. This amendment has

been done as it was felt by a section of parliamentarians that

illegible prescription by doctors may lead to serious
implications and even death in certain cases.

7-8 December 2014

1) What is the name of the Indian communication satellite that

was placed in orbit by Ariane 5 rocket on 6 December 2014
from the space port of Kourou in French Guiana? GSAT-16
Explanation: GSAT-16 is the 11thamong GSAT series of Indian
communication satellites, and will have estimated lifespan of
12 years. It will support civil aviation services apart from
backing up the services provided by other communication
satellites. The satellite is aimed as a replacement for satellite
INSAT-3E. It was launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
(GTO) by European Space Agencys Ariane 5ECA rocket. This
launch was initially planned for 4 December 2014, but was
postponed due to inclement weather.
.

2) What important recommendation was given by a committee

constituted in 2010 to design future currency notes as disclosed
by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 5 December 2014?
No other national leaders image should be put on
banknotes except Mahatma Gandhi
Explanation: The committee in its report said that it would be
improper to put image of other national leader on countrys
currency notes as no other personality could better represent
the ethos of India than Mahatma Gandhi. On the advice of the
Government, the RBI had, in October 2010, constituted a
Committee to design future currency notes.
.
3) Due to iron ore crunch Tata Steel recently underwent a
situation for the first time in the over 100 years of its glorious
history. What was this situation? For the first time in its
history the company operated its Jamshedpur plant with
raw material bought from domestic sources besides
imports
Explanation: This was done as all the mines of Tata Steel are
closed. The company is now operating its 9.7 million tonnes per
annum facility in Jamshedpur with raw material bought from
domestic sources besides imports. The company bought iron
ore from state-run NMDC besides importing the key steel
making raw material from Australia. While it has bought around
0.8 million tonnes from NMDC, the remaining is imports from
Australia. One of the first steel units in the country, the
Jamshedpur facility of Tata Steel was founded in 1907 and the
plant has been running on captive source of iron ore. Apart
from Tata Steel, state-run steelmaker Steel Authority of India
(SAIL) enjoys the benefit of having captive iron ore sources.
Others depend upon the market purchase. The problem of Tata
Steel started following a notification of the Mines Ministry in July
amending the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960 which provides a

period of two years for execution of the renewal lease deed

Post expiry of lease, for the first renewal.
.
4) What is the name of the powerful typhoon which struck
through the central Philippines on 7 December 2014 resulting in
1 million people fleeing their homes? Typhoon Hagupit
Explanation: Typhoon Hagupit was not as powerful and on the
same scale as last years deadly Typhoon Haiyan but it still
toppled trees and power lines and cut off communication lines
across the central Philippines. More than 1 million people fled to
shelters away from coastal areas and landslide-prone villages
by the time Typhoon Hagupit slammed into the town of Dolores,
on the eastern coast of Samar island.
.
5) What is the name of the book written by President Pranab
Mukherjee to be released on 11 December 2014, that has been
caught between brick-and-mortar retailers and e-retailers as it
is being released exclusively on Amazon.in? The Dramatic
Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years
Explanation: The book published by Rupa & Co., will be
released exclusively on Amazon.in on 11 December 2014 and
will be available for sales in book stores only after 31
December. Traditional bookstores have now decided to boycott
this book saying competition in the Indian publishing industry
has been upset by such exclusive sales.
.
6) The 2014 Mens Champions Trophy started on 6 December
2014 at Bhubaneswar. This is which edition of Champions
Trophy? 35th

Explanation: Champions Trophy is one of the most prestigious

hockey tournaments and includes the top hockey playing
nations. The 35th edition of mens Champions Trophy is being
played at Kalinga Stadium in Odishas capital Bhubaneswar. 8
countries are taking part in this tournament. These 8 countries
include Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, Germany, the
Netherlands, Pakistan and hosts India. The tournament will
conclude on 14 December 2014.
.
7) The marketing approval of 25 generic drugs of which Indian
pharma company was suspended on 6 December 2014 by drug
regulators of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg due
to concerns over the quality of data from clinical trials? GVK
Biosciences
Explanation: French watchdog ANSM had inspected GVK
Biosciences site in Hyderabad and found anomalies in the way
electrocardiograms were monitored during the bioequivalence
studies. It said the inspection raised serious concerns over
whether the company complied with good clinical practices.
GVK was given approval based on clinical trials meant to show
that these generic drugs were equivalent to the original
branded versions conducted by GVK between 2008 and 2014.
All of the drugs being suspended, several of which are
manufactured by Mylan Inc. and Abbott, have brand name
equivalents that can be used instead, so patients will not have
to interrupt their treatment. The quality of Indian
pharmaceuticals has come under fire this year, with regulators
in Europe and the United States citing problems ranging from
data manipulation to sanitation and banning the import of
certain products from several firms.
.
8) Tennis great and 17 time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer
(Switzerland) made his historic debut in India on 7 December

2014 by participating in the International Premier Tennis

League (IPTL). He is representing which team of IPTL?
Micromax Indian Aces
Explanation: IPTL is a brainchild of Indian tennis player
Mahesh Bhupathi. Modeled after the IPL, IPTL is comprised of
four teams in its inaugural edition. These four teams are from
India (Indian Aces), the Philippines (Manila Mavericks),
Singapore (Singapore Slammers) and the United Arab Emirates
(UAE Royals). It features some of the legends of tennis world
including Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Andy
Murray and Sania Mirza. In his opening game Federer led his
team to defeat Singapore Slammers.
.
9 December 2014

1) Andhra Pradesh Government on 8 December 2014 signed an

MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with which country to
assist it in developing master plan for the new proposed capital
city? Singapore
Explanation: Andhra Pradesh (AP) has to develop its own
capital following formation of Telangana in June 2014 and
subsequently Hyderabad becoming its capital. The AP Govt.

had earlier proposed to develop its new capital in the GunturVijayawada region. Following this the govt. wants to take the
experience and expertise of Singapore in developing its capital.
AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu wants to develop a
capital city which would be better than the best city anywhere
in the world. The proposed capital is being touted as a smart
and environmentally sustainable city. The master plan for the
same is expected to be prepared within 6 months.

2) US-based news and blogging platform Huffington Post

launched its Indian edition on 8 December 2014. The India
edition of Huffington Post thus becomes its 13 thedition
worldwide. This edition has been launched in association with
which Indian media company? The Times of India Group
Explanation: Huffington Post is the first major global entrant
into a fast growing digital news space in India. Owned by AOL,
it has 119 million multi-platform visitors per month in the US
and has over 80,000 bloggers. Huffington Post has editions in
the UK, Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, Maghreb, Germany,
Brazil, South Korea and Greece apart from the US.

3) Which Indian private airline is presently going through rough

weather and an emergency board meeting was held on 8
December 2014 to take important decisions pertaining to
airlines recapitalization and payment plans for vendors?
SpiceJet
Explanation: SpiceJet is the second largest budget airline in
India and is operating its passenger services in all important
sectors of the country. Its problems arose after it continued to
cancel flights over the last few days in many sectors. Company
claimed that it is being done to restructure airlines operations.
However, many analysts claimed that it is going through same

conditions as the bankrupt Kingfisher Airlines had before its

closure. Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation
(DGCA) on its part asked the airline to prepare a payment plan
by 15 December 2014. The airline reportedly owes Rs. 700
crore to creditors and Rs. 400 crore to other vendors.

4) According to the recently released Global Wealth Databook

2014 by Swiss banking entity Credit Suisse, how much of
Indias wealth is held by countrys 10% rich people? Around
75%
Explanation: This databook has come out with some
staggering data on the wealth gap and disparity between the
rich and the poor in India. It states that Indias richest 10%
holds 370 times the share of wealth that its poorest hold.
Indias richest 10% have been getting steadily richer since
2000, and now hold nearly three-quarters of total wealth. It also
states that India thus dominates the worlds poorest 10%, while
China dominates the global middle class and the United States
the worlds rich. The worlds super-rich the top 1% is
overwhelmingly American. Indians make up just 0.5% of the
worlds super-rich.

5) Which private sector bank on 8 December 2014 announced

hiking of ATM usage charges for its saving account holders from
1 January 2015? ICICI Bank
Explanation: ICICI Bank announced that from 1 January 2015
the number of free transactions in a month has been fixed at
five using own ATMs, while it has been capped at three for
other banks machines. Thus banks customers would be able
to enjoy only five free transactions, including financial and nonfinancial, at the banks own ATMs. After exceeding the free
transaction limits, customers will have to pay Rs. 20 per

financial transaction excluding service tax and Rs. 8.50 for

every non-financial transaction. For transactions at non-ICICI
Bank ATMs, the number of free financial and non-financial
transactions have been reduced to three per month at six
metros of Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and
Hyderabad, after which the customer will have to pay Rs. 20 for
a financial transaction and Rs. 8.50 per non-financial
transaction. In case of usage in non-metro areas, a customer
can enjoy five free transactions per month at non-ICICI Bank
ATMs, after which the same charges apply.

6) The Delhi government on 8 December 2014 banned all

operations by private cab service Uber with immediate effect
and blacklisted it from providing any transport service in the
national capital in the wake of the alleged rape incident in a
taxi plying for it. Uber is hire-a-cab firm of which country? The
US
Explanation: The Delhi transport department banned all
activities related to providing of any transport service by
www.uber.com with immediate effect. The department also
blacklisted the company from providing any transport service in
the NCT of Delhi in future. It was alleged that the cab firm
misled the commuter (rape victim) about the nature of the taxi
service offered by its App. The alleged rape incident took place
on 5 December 2014 when the victim, who works for a finance
company in Gurgaon, was headed back to her home in north
Delhi.

10 December 2014

1) Which Indian dug company launched in India the first

biosimilar
version
of the anti-inflammatory medicine
Adalimumab, the worlds top-selling drug, at a fifth of its U.S.
price on 9 December 2014? Cadila Healthcare Ltd
Explanation: Adalimumabs branded version is sold under the
name Humira by U.S. firm AbbVie Inc, and costs $1,000 for a
vial in the United States. Cadila Healthcare launched cheaper
copy of this drug at a price of $200 a vial in India and named it
Exemptia. Adalimumab is used for treating diseases such
as rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic
arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Biosimilars are cheaper
copies of biotech drugs medicines made from proteins and
other large molecules. Several hundred companies around the
world are chasing the biosimilars market, including Indian
generic drugmakers Dr Reddys Laboratories Ltd, Cipla Ltd and
Lupin Ltd.
..
2) Which ally of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
announced quitting the alliance on 8 December 2014?
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK)
Explanation: MDMK a regional party of Tamil Nadu and is and
is led by pro-Tamil leader Vaiko. It joined the six-party grand
alliance led by BJP in Tamil Nadu ahead of Lok Sabha elections

held in May 2014. Though the party contested seven seats out
of 39, it could not win any. BJP and PMK, another partner of the
NDA alliance, managed to win a seat each. MDMK alleged that
the BJP government at the Centre was acting against Tamils and
betrayed the people of the state.
..
3) Union Govt. on 9 December 2014 put out an official list of six
radio cab services that have the requisite licenses to operate in
the national capital Delhi. Which are these six radio cab
services? Easy Cab, Mega Cab, Meru Cab, Chanson Cab,
Yo Cab and Air Cab
Explanation: These 6 radio cab services are licensed with the
Delhi Transport Department for operating radio taxis in the
National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and apart from these all
other radio cab services have been banned. The Delhi
government on 8 December banned Uber taxi services, after a
27-year-old MNC executive, who used its mobile app to book a
cab on 5 December, was raped allegedly by the driver.
..
4) Which Southeast Asian country on 8 December 2014 ordered
U.S. online taxi booking company Uber to cease operations, on
the same day taxi apps were banned in Delhi where an Uber
driver is under arrest for suspected rape? Thailand
Explanation: Thailands Department of Land Transport said
drivers picking up fare-paying passengers via Ubers app were
neither registered nor insured to drive commercial vehicles, and
that Ubers credit-card payment system did not comply with
regulations. Taxi booking apps have irked drivers at traditional
taxi firms across the globe. Consumers are increasingly using
the smartphone software to find people willing to drive them,
rather than booking a cab by phone.
..

5) Jet Airways joined hands with which international banking

entity to launch a first-of-its-kind airline co-branded corporate
card for owners of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and
their employees, as announced by Jet on 9 December 2014?
American Express
Explanation: The card is named Jet Airways American Express
Corporate Card and will help SMEs and their executives to
drive substantial savings on business travel and associated
expenses. Any SME with an annual turnover of Rs. 5 crore or
more can apply for the card, which allows them to make the
most of every business expense they incur on either travel,
hotel stays or dining with business associates. It allows SMEs to
get accelerated rewards and discounts on purchasing tickets
from Jet Airways and also on Taj Group of hotels.
..
6) The Competition Commission of India (CCI) during December
2014 approved the Sun Pharma-Ranbaxy merger with some
conditions. What is the main condition applied for this? The
merged entity will have to divest seven drug
formulations in which its combined market share goes
up to 95%, resulting in a monopoly
Explanation: Acknowledging that the CCI approval was a step
ahead, the companies said these products constitute less than
1% of the combined entitys revenues in India. The CCI had
received a notice from Sun Pharmaceuticals and Ranbaxy
Laboratories for the proposed merger of Ranbaxy with Sun
Pharma on 6 May 2014. It then sought opinion from the public
on this mega-merger which is the largest merger in Indias
corporate history. This $4-billion agreement is the first merger
deal where CCI had sought opinion from the public. According
to the terms inked between Ranbaxy and Sun Pharmaceuticals
in April 2014, each Ranbaxy shareholder will get 0.8 shares of
Sun Pharmaceuticals for every share of Ranbaxy.

..
11 December 2014

1) The Lok Sabha on 9 December 2014 passed the Payments

and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill. What is the main
objective of this bill? To bring Indias banking payment
system in sync with international practices
Explanation: The Bill seeks to improve the payment and
settlement systems by increasing transparency and stability of
Indian financial market. Amendment to the Payment and
Settlement Systems Act, 2007 was proposed to update the
regulations in line with globally accepted standards. The
amendment seeks to protect funds collected from the
customers by the payment system providers and to extend the
Act to cover trade repository and legal entity identifier issuer. A
Legal Entity Identifier is a unique ID associated with a single
corporate entity. It was felt that numerous obsolete laws exist in
the Indian financial system and they are needed to be rectified.
..
2) Which Indian bank has become the first in India to have
developed its own economic index on lines of HSBC India
Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) and HSBC India
Manufacturing PMI? State Bank of India (SBI)

Explanation: SBIs economic index has been named SBI

Composite Index and will be released in January 2015. It will
have both monthly and yearly indices. The short-term report, to
be released in the first week of every month, will forecast the
state of the economy two months down the line. The annual
index will make year-on-year forward predictions. This index
has gone through eight years of back-testing (2007-2014) and
during this index accurately predicted economic direction 72%
of the time. SBI Composite Index will take into account the
credit demand and other indicators of economic activity like
consumer spending, mining activity, interest rates, inflation,
exchange rate and other thematic indices and service and
manufacturing activities.
..
3) Worlds longest train journey was completed on 9 December
2014 when a train covering record 13,052 km long journey
reached Spanish capital Madrid. This train had started its
journey from which country? China
Explanation: The train named Yixinou had started its journey
from Chinese city of Yiwu. The train comprised of 40 wagons,
carrying 1,400 tons of cargo, consisting of stationary, craft
products and products for the Christmas market and it will
return to China filled with luxury Spanish produce such as cured
ham, olive oil and wine. The marathon journey crossed China,
Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France,
before arriving in Spain. The results of this first historic journey
which will then be evaluated with the aim of opening a regular
two-way rail link between China and Spain, which could
commence operations in early 2015. The 13,052 kilometers
between Madrid and Yiwu is a greater distance than that
between the North and South Pole, although the distance was
not covered using the same crew, nor the same engine.
..

4) 3-day Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF) kicked off on

10 December 2014 that features more than 400 online retailers
and companies offering deals and discounts to fast-growing
online shopping fraternity in India. Who is organising GOSF?
Google
Explanation: GOSF is in its third edition and was initially
launched in 2012 by Google to boost the adoption of online
shopping in India. GOSF 2014 features numerous exclusive
launches including Googles Nexus 6 smartphone. Google India
has partnered Aditya Birla Money My Universe as a preferred
partner for this years event. Last year, GOSF saw tremendous
response from consumers in India and the company claimed it
attracted 2 million visitors. The company had also claimed that
its GOSF 2013 partners (over 200 e-commerce websites) saw
daily sales jumping 3 to 4 times.
..
5) Who was confirmed as the next US Ambassador to India by
the US Senate on 9 December 2014 and would thus become
the first Indian-American to hold this post? Richard Rahul
Verma
Explanation: Richard Rahul Verma has served as assistant
secretary of state for legislative affairs at the State Department
in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2011. He is currently
a senior counsellor at Steptoe & Johnson law firm and the
Albright Stonebridge Group, a business advisory company, led
by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. He had
earlier played an important role in the Congressional passage
of Civil Nuclear Deal. The very fact that Verma was confirmed
by a voice vote in a bitterly divided Senate with more than fifty
ambassadorial nominations pending, signify the bi-partisan
support to India-US relationship.
..

6) Which country was rated as the Most Dangerous Country in

the World in the Country Threat Index (CTI) released on 9
December 2014 by IntelCenter, a Washington-based company
working for intelligence agencies? Iraq
Explanation: The index were prepared after examining the
volume of terrorist and rebel alerts, messaging traffic, videos,
photos, incidents and the number of killed and injured in a
country over the past 30 days. The other countries in the top
10 are Nigeria (second), Somalia (third) followed by Afghanistan
(fourth), Yemen (fifth), Syria (sixth), Libya (seventh), Pakistan
(eighth), Egypt (ninth) and Kenya (tenth). There are a total of
45 countries with a CTI greater than zero.
..
12 December 2014

1) The United Nations Organisation (UNO) on 11 December

2014 declared which day as World Yoga Day, for which the
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged the world
community three months ago? 21 June
Explanation: The announcement to declare 21 June as World
Yoga Day is being seen as a huge diplomatic win for India.
Narendra Modi had asked the UN members to celebrate Indias
Yoga as World Yoga Day during his address to the UN General

Assembly during September 2014. Yoga is the 5,000-year-old

Indian physical, mental and spiritual practice that aims to
transform body and mind.

2) Union Govt. on 10 December 2014 decided to repeal Section

309 from the Indian Penal Code (IPC) claiming support of 18
states and 4 Union Territories. This Section is associated with
which subject? Attempt to commit suicide being
declared a crime
Explanation: Section 309 of IPC makes the act punishable with
jail term of up to one year and fine. The Law Commission in its
210th report on Humanization and Decriminalisation of Attempt
to Suicide had recommended that Section 309 of IPC needs to
be effaced from the statute book. The Commission had said
Section 309 needs to be deleted because the provision is
inhuman, irrespective of whether it is constitutional or
unconstitutional. On 10 December, Union Govt. claimed that 18
states and 4 union territory administrations have supported
that Section 309 of the IPC may be deleted.

3) According to the announcement made by Union Finance

Minister Arun Jaitley on 10 December 2014, the Centre has
proposed to release how much money to the States towards
Central Sales Tax (CST) compensation, as part of consensus
building for GST rollout? Rs. 11,000 crore
Explanation: CST compensation is one sticky issue that has
been holding up agreement on introduction of the Goods and
Services Tax (GST) regime to replace all indirect taxes.
Clearance of CST compensation arrears has been a bone of
contention between the Centre and States, as the States still
wait for Rs 13,000 crore arrears pending till 2010. CST, a tax
imposed on the inter-state movement of goods, was reduced

from 4% to 3% in 2007-08 and further to 2% in 2008-09 after

the introduction of Value-Added Tax (VAT). The Centre had then
promised the states that it would bear losses due to reduction
of CST. The Centre collects CST and distributes it among states.
Rs.11,000 crore is one-third of the total CST compensation
proposed to be paid to the States.

4) Mukesh Ambani led-Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)

announced selling 49% stake in its iconic textile brand Vimal
to which Chinese textile company? Shandong Ruyi Science
& Technology Group
Explanation: Shandong Ruyi Science & Technology Group is $3
billion Chinese textile major and it is purchasing 49% stake in
Vimal for an undisclosed amount. It has its own major
worldwide brands such as Harris Tweed and Taylor & Lodge.
Selling this stake would be nostalgic for RIL as it was the first
business under Reliance group. Reliance founder late Dhirubhai
Ambani had established the Vimal manufacturing plant at
Naroda in Ahmedabad in 1966. The brand Vimal was named
after his elder brother Ramaniklals son. Vimal started as a
saree brand and later focused on suiting fabrics in the earlynineties. But it got swamped by competition such as Raymond,
Siyaram, S Kumars, Digjam and OCM. These players notched
up better brand recall with more ad spending. The stake sale is
being done as the focus of RIL shifted to its other businesses
with much higher margins and the original business with which
the group had started, contributed less than 1% to its revenues.
The Vimal brand now accounts just $300-350 million of RILs
total revenues of around $65 billion.

5) Who was named Time Magazines Person of the Year for

2014 as announced by magazines managing editor Nancy
Gibbs on 10 December 2014? Ebola Fighters

Explanation: While announcing this decision, Time said These

men and women did the hard and dangerous work in treating
patients and protecting the rest of us. The magazine
applauded the fighters for demonstrating an exceptionally
great amount of courage and kindness and bravery. Other
finalists this year included Russian President Vladimir Putin,
singer Taylor Swift, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Apple CEO
Tim Cook and President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq Massoud
Barzani. The magazine also considered larger news stories,
including the protestors in Ferguson, Missouri, following the
killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. Chosen by the
magazines editors each year, Times Person of the Year is an
individual or group of individuals who have had the greatest
impact on news that year.

6) The Delhi High Court in an interim order on 11 December

2014 banned which Chinese mobile company from importing
and selling its mobile phones in India due to charges of patent
infringement? Xiaomi
Explanation: The High Court granted an ex parte injunction
order against Xiaomi for allegedly infringing on Ericssons
Standard Essential Patents (SEPs). Flipkart, online e-commerce
site, was also restrained from selling Xiaomi through its
website. The ex parte injunction against Xiaomi, reported by
SpicyIP, stops the Chinese manufacturer from selling,
advertising, manufacturing or importing devices that infringe
upon
Ericssons
patents.
Ericsson has
been
fighting
manufacturers to protect its SEPs in the Indian legal
system, including a lawsuit against Micromax last year.

7) What history was created by the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K)

cricket team in Ranji Trophy on 10 December 2014? It

defeated 40 time Ranji Trophy champion Mumbai at

their home
Explanation: J&K team, led by Parveez Rasool, defeated
Mumbai in their Group A Ranji Trophy cricket opener at the
Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai by successfully chasing the
target of 237 runs. They won the match before lunch with more
than a session to spare. This was the first clash between the
two teams in 80 years of Ranji Trophy.

8) Virat Kohli, who made a brilliant 115 on 11 December 2014

against Australia in the first Test being played at Adelaide,
achieved which feat with this Test century? He became the
fourth Indian to smash a hundred in his first Test as
captain
Explanation: Virat Kohli is leading India for the first time in a
Test match in the absence of Mahendra Singh Kohli. He scored a
fighting century on the third day of the Test match against
Australia. He thus became the fourth Indian to smash a
hundred in his first Test as captain after Vijay Hazare (164 not
vs England at Delhi in 1951-52), Sunil Gavaskar (116 vs New
Zealand at Auckland in 1975-76) and Dilip Vengsarkar (102 in
the second innings vs West Indies at Delhi in 1987-88).

13 December 2014

1) Iconic Hindi film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge completed its

1,000 week at a cinema hall in South Mumbai on 12 December
2014. Which cinema hall is this, which also recorded its name in
history books with this feat? Maratha Mandir
Explanation: Yash Chopras Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge,
popularly known as DDLJ, was released at Maratha Mandir on
20 October 1995. The film, featuring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol
in lead roles, has been running uninterrupted at this singletheatre cinema hall at its usual playing time slot of 11:30 am
for the last 19 years. DDLJ is by far the longest running film in
Indian cinema. Located just opposite the Mumbai Central
railway station, offering it an advantageous location, Maratha
Mandir is one of the few single screen theatres that have
survived the onslaught of the multiplexes. It first caught the
limelight when it ran Mughal-e-Azam for eight years at a
stretch. However, with DDLJ it caught international attention.

2) What was the consumer price or retail inflation in November

2014 as announced by the govt. on 12 December 2014?
4.38%

Explanation: 4.38% consumer inflation recorded during

November 2014 is a record low and was substantially lower
than Octobers 5.52%. A cooling off in food prices accompanied
by a sharp drop in global crude oil prices and high base effect
contributed to the fall in inflation. But on the other hand the
industrial output in October 2014 fell sharply by 4.2%.
Novembers inflation data and slowing of factory output in
October will be a shot in the arm for those who want the RBI to
cut rates quickly to stimulate growth. Despite the improvement
in inflation, the data suggests a lack of momentum in Indias
recovery from its weakest phase of economic growth since the
1980s.

3) The Lok Sabha on 12 December 2014 passed the Coal Mines

(Special Provisions) Bill. What is the objective of this Bill? It
provides for fresh auction of 204 coal blocks deallocated by the Supreme Court in September 2014
Explanation: The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill also
replaces the Ordinance promulgated by the Union Govt. in
October 2014 to put in to acquire the land of those 214 coal
blocks mines the allocations of which the Supreme Court had
quashed. The Bill provides for allocation of coal mines and
vesting of the right, title and interest in and over the land and
mine infrastructure, together with mining leases, to successful
bidders and allottees through a transparent bidding process. It
is expected to ensure continuity in coal mining operations and
production of coal. The Union Govt. also allayed the
apprehensions of some parties that the legislation would lead
to privatisation of the sector.

4) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 12 December

2014 senior Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal
Minister Madan Mitra in the multi-crore Saradha scam case. The

arrest comes as a major embarrassment to the West Bengals

ruling party which had already suffered a battering of its image
on account of several of its leaders involved in various Ponzi
scams. Madan Mitra is holding which portfolio in West Bengal
Govt.? Transport Minister
Explanation: CBI stated that Madam Mitra was arrested on
prima facie evidence of criminal conspiracy, cheating and
misappropriation as well as deriving undue financial benefits
from the Saradha Scam. Mitra was earlier summoned by the
agency on 21 November 2014. However, since he was admitted
to a city hospital he sought exemption from appearing before
the CBI. His arrest comes three weeks after the CBI arrested
Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Bose in the Saradha scam.

5) Which Crimean leaders presence on the occasion of Russian

President Vladimir Putins state to India created buzz with the
Ukrainian President and some Western leaders flaying his
presence? Sergey Aksyonov
Explanation: Sergey Aksyonov, previously an obscure
nationalist politician, was elected leader of Crimea in a closed
session of the regional parliament after Russian forces in
February 2014 took control of the Crimean peninsula in a
bloodless operation. He masterminded a quickfire referendum
to join Russia that was recognised by Moscow. Kiev and the
West felt that this referendum was rigged. Aksyonovs presence
in India created a flutter in diplomatic circles with the Ukrainian
President Petro Poroshenko lashing out at India on 12
December 2014 a day after he was seen in India. Critics argued
that his visit enjoyed Russias full diplomatic backing. It is worth
mentioning that India does not back Western sanctions against
Russia.

6) What is the objective of the Authorisation for Use of Military

Force (AUMF) bill, which was passed by a key US Congressional
committee on 11 December 2014? To authorise the use of
military force against the dreaded Islamist State (IS)
militant group
Explanation: The Authorisation for Use of Military Force
(AUMF) bill allows the President to use military force against
ISIS for up to three years. AUMF would, however, require a
report on the comprehensive strategy for this campaign after
60 days. The US is contemplating using force against IS that
has seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.

7) What is the name of the political party founded by Telugu

actor Pawan Kalyan which was recently recognized by the
Election Commission of India paving the way for its foray into
electoral politics? Janasena Party
Explanation: Janasena Party was announced by Pawan Kalyan
earlier this year. Pawan Kalyan, younger brother of former
Union Minister and actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, is a topranking hero in the Telugu film industry. He had campaigned
extensively in support of the TDP-BJP combine in undivided
Andhra Pradesh for the general elections earlier this year. His
campaign is believed to be one of the key factors in the success
of the TDP-BJP combine in the elections.

8) Born Again on the Mountain, the book released by

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 December 2014, is a book
on the life struggle of which personality? Arunima Sinha, first
female amputee to climb Mt. Everest
Explanation: Arunima Sinha is the first female amputee and
first Indian woman amputee to climb Mount Everest. The book
describes her struggle to become mountaineer after starting

her career as a volleyball player. She was a national level

volleyball player who was pushed out of a running train by
thieves on 11 April 2011 while resisting them. One of her legs
had to be amputated below the knee as a result. But this never
deterred her. Two years later, she retrained as a mountaineer
and became the first female amputee to scale Mount Everest
on 21 May 2013.

14-15 December 2014

1) Which country won the 35th Champions Trophy Hockey

(Mens) by winning the final held on 14 December 2014?
Germany
Explanation: Germany defeated Pakistan in the final by 2-0 to
win their tenth Champions Trophy title. This edition of
Champions Trophy was held at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar
(Odisha) and eight teams took part in it. Australia has won
Mens Champions Trophy for the highest 13 times followed by

Germany (10 times). Champions Trophy is one of the most

prestigious tournaments of mens hockey as all the top teams
take part in it. It was founded by Pakistans Air Marshal Nur
Khan in 1978.
.
2) What was Indias position in 35th Champions Trophy Hockey
(Mens) that concluded on 14 December 2014? Fourth
Explanation: Australia defeated India by 2-1 in the
classification match held for third and fourth position. India thus
once again finished at fourth position, the same position it
achieved in 2012 Champions Trophy held in Melbourne
(Australia). Indias best performance in Champions Trophy is
third position it got in the 4 th edition held at Amstelveen
(Netherlands) in 1982. The Netherlands finished at a
disappointing fifth place followed by Argentina (sixth), England
(seventh) and Belgium (eighth and last place).
.
3) Negotiators from over 190 countries, including India, on 14
December 2014 adopted a format for national pledges to cut
global carbon emissions at the United Nations Climate Change
Conference (COP20) held at Lima (Peru). This ended a deadlock
between rich and poor countries to agree on a new ambitious
and binding deal to be signed in Paris in 2015. The proposed
climate control deal is to come into effect from which year?
2020
Explanation: The deal, dubbed the Lima Call for Climate
Action, paves the way for what is envisioned as the historic
agreement in environmental history. The draft approved in the
deal mentioned only that all pledges would be reviewed a
month ahead of December 2015 Paris summit to assess their
combined effect on climate change. Consistent with India and
other developing countries push, a separate paragraph was

added regarding differentiation the principle of categorising

countries based on their ability to pay for climate action
measures. The last portion was lifted directly from the US-China
climate agreement announced in November this year.
.
4) Which leading financial luminary of the country recently
came to news for apparently rejecting Prime Minister Narendra
Modis highly ambitious Make in India and suggesting Make
for India strategy instead? Raghuram Rajan, RBI Governor
Explanation: Raghuram Rajan gave stress on Make for India
instead of Make in India on the occasion of the Bharat Ram
Memorial Seminar on Indias Growth Trajectory in a Fractured
World Economy: Opportunities and Challenges, organised by
FICCI in Delhi on 12 December 2014. He said that India should
focus on domestic demand and create a unified market with a
view to reducing transaction costs. His message was clear
what worked for China may not necessarily work for India too.
He elaborated that when India pushes manufacturing exports, it
will have to compete with China, and an export-led growth will
not be as easy as it was for the East-Asian economies. We
warned that the strategy of import substitution has been tried
and it has not worked because it ended up reducing domestic
competition, making producers inefficient, and increasing costs
for consumers.
.
5) The Supreme Court-backed Special Investigation Team (SIT)
on black money lead by Justice M.B. Shah recently made what
important recommendation pertaining to high value purchases?
Quoting of permanent account number (PAN) in
addition to submitting an identity proof such as Aadhaar
should me made compulsory for purchases over Rs. 1
lakh

Explanation: The SIT recommended that quoting of PAN and

Aadhaar should be made mandatory for purchases over Rs. 1
lakh and should cover purchases made by cash as well as
cheque. It further recommended that a central Know Your
Customer (KYC) database be set up which captures details of
PAN, passport number or driving licence number, which are
often quoted for transactions. Other important SIT
recommendation is that the amount of cash in possession
should be capped at Rs 10 or 15 lakh and any amount beyond
the threshold should be confiscated.
.
6) Russia has proposed to establish a manufacturing facility in
India to produce as well as export which two helicopters during
President Vladimir Putins state visit to India? Mi-17 and KA226
Explanation: Mi-17 is a medium lift helicopter (MLH) while KA226 is light utility helicopter (LUH). The proposed
manufacturing facility, to be put up in collaboration with an
Indian partner, will also aim at exporting helicopters to other
countries. The KA-226 had competed in the Indian militarys
global LUH tender before the Indian Defence Ministry cancelled
the process and decided to source the helicopters through the
Make in India project. Indias ambitious Make in India
campaign is expected to gain momentum with Russian decision
to establish helicopter manufacturing unit in India.
.
7) The Union Home Ministry recently proposed to add a new
category to the list of notified disasters eligible for assistance
from national and state disaster relief funds. Which natural
disaster is this? Lightning
Explanation: The Union Home Ministry has moved a proposal
to the 14th Finance Commission, suggesting inclusion of

lightning in the list of notified disasters eligible for assistance

from national and state disaster relief funds. India accounts for
an average 400 deaths due to lightening every year. India has
unusually high death toll due to lightning every year, mostly
during monsoon season. On an average, three people die in
Britain each year due to lightning strikes, while in the US, an
average 30 people die following these strikes.
.
8) What is the name of the warship manufactured in India that
would soon become the first to be exported by the country?
Coast Guard Ship Barracuda (CGS Barracuda)
Explanation: CGS Barracuda has been designed and built by
the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders. It is currently on
its way to be exported to Mauritius for Rs. 350 crore. It would
thus become the first warship to be exported by India. The offshore patrol vessel will be used to police Mauritian waters,
spread over 1.9 million square km, against piracy, smuggling,
illegal fishing and drug trafficking. It will also provide logistical
support, including search and rescue operations. Unlike in the
past, India no longer needs to look to foreign manufacturers for
warships. All its boats are now being manufactured in Indian
shipyards.
.
9) What is the name of the Indian-origin woman who is poised
to become the first woman to head a major British bank, the
Santander UK? Shriti Vadera
Explanation: Shriti Vadera Vadera was a Labour minister in the
Cabinet Office, Business Department and International
Development Department from 2007 to 2009 and served in the
House of Lords. She will join the board of Santander UK as joint
deputy chairman in January 2014. She will also join a very
exclusive club of just three FTSE 100 firms, listed on the London

Stock Exchange with the highest market capitalisation, with

women as their chair.
.
10) Who was chosen as the new Director of the Intelligence
Bureau (IB) on 13 December 2014? Dineshwar Sharma
Explanation: Dineshwar Sharma is presently Special Director
in the Intelligence Bureau. He will take charge on 1 January
2014 succeeding Syed Asif Ibrahim. He is a 1979 batch IPS
officer from Kerala cadre and will have two-year tenure. Sharma
has served at various desks in IB since he was posted in the
organisation in 1991 which includes Kashmir, Northeast besides
stints in Lucknow.
.
16 December 2014

1) What was the name of the lone heavily-armed man of

Iranian-origin who held 17 people hostage at a caf in Sydney
for around17 hours on 15 December 2014 before being killed in
the police attack? Man Haron Monis
Explanation: Man Haron Monis was killed along with 2
hostages in this hostage drama as the police attacked the caf

in the early hours of 16 December. Monis had held 17 people

hostage in the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydneys commercial
district at around 9:45 am on 15 December. He had tried to link
himself with the ISIS with two hostages holding a black flag with
Arabic script similar to the ISIS. 11 hostages had escaped the
caf before the police raided it at 2:10 am on 16 December.
Monis, who arrived in Australia as a refugee in 1996,
notoriously sent letters to the families of Australian soldiers
who lost their lives in Afghanistan, accusing them of being
murderers. He was a self-styled Muslim cleric and was
described as an isolated figure, who was acting alone. Two
Indian nationals, Vishwakant Ankit Reddy and Pushpendu
Ghosh, were among the hostages involved when Monis began
his siege. However both escape unhurt in this hostage drama.
..
2) Which company was ranked at the top place in the Fortune
500 list of Indian companies for 2014 that was released on 15
December 2014? Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)
Explanation: The Fortune 500 list ranks companies according
to their revenues. Indian Oil Corp (IOC) topped this list with an
annual revenue of Rs 5,00,973 crore, while Mukesh Ambani-led
Reliance Industries Ltds (RIL) full-year revenue is Rs 4,44,021
crore. Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) was placed at the third spot
with a revenue of Rs 2,67,718 crore. Hindustan Petroleums
(HPCL) Rs 2,36,797 crore revenue earned the fourth place for
the company. Others in the top 10 list include Tata Motors (5 th in
the ranking, with a revenue of Rs 2,36,502 crore. State Bank of
India (Rs 2,26,944 crore), ONGC (Rs 1,82,084 crore), Tata Steel
(Rs 1,49,663 crore), Essar Oil (Rs 99,473 crore) and Hindalco
Industries (Rs 89,175 crore). This years list, compiled by global
business magazine Fortunes Indian edition, said there has
been a 9.5% annual growth in total revenues, while in terms of
profit it is 4.5%.
..

3) Wholesale price inflation (WPI) in India hit the zero level in

November 2014 as stated in data released by the Union Govt.
on 15 December 2014. This was mainly on account of a decline
in prices of food, fuel and manufactured items. When WPI was
lower than this level? July 2009
Explanation: This is probably the first time when WPI inflation
has hit the exact zero level. In July 2009, the WPI-based
inflation was (-) 0.3% (negative 0.3%). The inflation rate thus
recorded during November 2014 was the lowest in about fiveand-a-half years. The WPI-based inflation was at 1.77% in
October 2014 and 7.52% in November 2013.
..
4) Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group on 15 December 2014
announced selling its multiplex business to South India based
Carnival Group. What is the name of cinema chains owned by
Reliance Groups Reliance MediaWorks which would be sold
under this deal? BIG Cinemas
Explanation: The deal will make Carnival the third largest
multiplex operator with nationwide presence and over 300
screens. The transaction will reduce Reliance Capitals overall
debt by Rs. 700 crore and is part of Reliance Capitals strategy
to exit minority investments. Reliance Capital had recently
announced its plans to focus on core business and is in the
process of encashing its minority investments. Reliance Capital
is the parent firm of Reliance MediaWorks, which operates one
of the largest cinema chains, under the brand BIG Cinemas
with over 250 screens pan-India.
..
5) Which Indian politician was recently appointed as a member
of United Nations Environment Programmes (UNEPs) advisory
board? Jairam Ramesh

Explanation: Ramesh recently accepted the offer to serve as a

member of the International Advisory Board (IAB) which gives
strategic policy advice to the Executive Director of United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on the programmatic
direction of International Environmental Technology Centre
(IETC). The IETC, based in Osaka, Japan, was established with
the mandate of providing support to developing countries in
transition with environmentally-sound technologies. In the short
and medium term, IETC is focusing on support for waste
management.
..
6) 22-year old Rolene Strauss was adjudged the Miss World
2014 at the Miss World beauty pageant held in London on 14
December 2014. Rolene Strauss is from which country?
South Africa
Explanation: Hungarys Edina Kulcsr came second and
Elizabeth Safrit, representing the United States, came third.
This years Miss World beauty pageant was the 64 th edition of
Miss World but it was marred by tragedy after a Honduran
beauty queen was found shot dead in a suspected crime of
passion days before she was due to take part.
..
7) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes coalition cruised to a
big win in the parliamentary elections held in the country on 14
December 2014. The win ensured that he will stick to
reflationary economic policies and a muscular security stance.
What is the name of Abes party which is leading the ruling
coalition in Japan? Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
Explanation: Liberal Democratic Party is leading Japan with its
junior partner the Komeito party. The coalition was assured
more than the 317 seats in the 475-member lower house
required to maintain a two-thirds majority that smoothes

parliamentary business. However, the final turnout of 52.4%

was below 59.3% in a 2012 poll that returned Abe to power for
a rare second term on pledges to reboot an economy plagued
by deflation. Abe had called for this snap poll in November
2014.
..
8) Which northeastern state signed agreement with a Russian
power company for collaborating in hydropower projects in the
state on the sidelines of Russian President Vladimir Putins visit
to India during December 2014? Arunachal Pradesh
Explanation: Arunachal Pradesh Govt. signed agreement with
RusHydro International, a company partly owned by the Russian
government. This was done mainly to explore collaboration
prospects in creating manpower for the several hydro-electric
projects coming up in the state. Arunachal also wants the
Russian company to design hydro-electric projects in the state.
RusHydro International is one of Russias largest power
generating companies with 38.2 GW installed electricity
generation capacity distributed over 70 renewable energy
source facilities across the country. The company had earlier
designed Tehri dam, said to be one of the safest dams in the
world.
..
9) Who was named as Australias captain for the second cricket
Test against India, replacing an injury-ravaged Michael Clarke,
and thus became countrys 45th Test captain? Steve Smith
Explanation: 25-year old Steve Smith is an all-rounder and he
was appointed vice-captain of the Australian Test team by
Cricket Australia (CA) and will thus lead the Australian side in
the absence of Michael Clarke. Current vice-captain Brad
Haddin, who led the Australian side on the final day of the
Adelaide Test, will serve as Smiths deputy in Brisbane. He will

thus become Australias 45th Test captain and at the age of 25

will also be one of countrys youngest captains.
..
10) Which company was ranked first in the 2015 50 Best
Places to Work list released during December 2014 by
Glassdoor, a US-based website that provides insider ratings and
information from employees about the companies they work
for? Google
Explanation: Extra attention to ensuring a balance between
work and family responsibilities for its employees nudged
Google to the No.1 spot this year. At No.2 is Bain & Company,
an
American
global
management
consulting
firm
headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and at third spot is
Nestle Purina PetCare, a St. Louis, Missouri-based subsidiary of
Nestle that produces and markets pet food, treats and litter.
Micro-blogging site Twitter, which was placed second last year,
has fallen off the grid and is out from the list. Social networking
site Facebook has slipped to 13thposition from fifth last year
while business-oriented social networking service LinkedIn has
dropped from third position to the 23 rd spot. This list includes
companies of the United States and Britain.
..
Photo Courtesy : The Australian (AP)

17 December 2014

1) In an important development, a major deadlock between the

Centre and the States was broken on the issue of Goods and
Services Tax (GST) on 15 December 2014 paving the way for
the GST Bill to be introduced in the current session of
Parliament. To break the deadlock, the Centre agreed to which
major demand of the States? To keep petroleum out of the
GST regime
Explanation: While on its part, the Centre agreed to the
demand of the States to keep petroleum out of the GST regime,
the States on their part agreed to entry tax being subsumed in
the new tax regime which is proposed to be introduced from
April 2016. Compromise was reached after an over hour-long
meeting between Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and finance
ministers of seven states Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Tamil
Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Jammu and Kashmir.
Concerns of other states have already been addressed. It was
agreed that petroleum goods would be kept out of the Goods
and Services Tax (GST) Bill for initial few years and a decision to
include in the new tax regime would be taken later. States,
which earn over 50% of their revenue from taxes on petrol and
other petro products, wanted it to be out of GST so they could
continue with levying different tax rates on these products.

2) Which terrorist organisation of Pakistan carried out a

horrendous attack on a school in Peshawar on 16 December
2014 killing more than 130 people including a very large
number of school children? Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
Explanation: The gunmen of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (which is
also known as Taliban Pakistan), carried out one of the most
ghastly attacks in recent times by storming the Army Public
School in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on 16
December. The attack began in the morning hours, with the
gunmen entering the school, a military-run facility with
students in grades 1-10 and shooting randomly. Pak Army

commandos quickly arrived at the scene and exchanged fire

with the gunmen. Later TTP spokesman Mohammed Khurasani
claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone call to media,
saying that six suicide bombers had carried out the attack in
revenge for the killings of Taliban members at the hands of
Pakistani authorities. 3 day of national mourning was declared
by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later. Whole
international community condemned this attack.

3) The 14th Finance Commission submitted its report to the

President on 15 December 2014. The commission headed by
former RBI Governor Y.V.Reddy has been constituted for which
period for which it submitted its report? 1 April 2015 to 31
March 2020
Explanation: The 14th Finance Commission was constituted by
the President on 2 January 2013 and was to give its report by
October 31 this year. But its tenure was extended till 31
December. In this report the commission gave its views on the
devolution of tax receipts from the Centre to the states
between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2020. The Commission had
sought two more months to examine financial projections and
carry out consultations with the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
governments. It was also asked to look into the issue of Goods
and Services Tax (GST). The commissions terms of reference
also included the pricing of public utilities such as electricity
and water in an independent manner and the sale of nonpriority public-sector units.

4) Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar flagged off the first

nuclear-powered submarine manufactured indigenously in India
for its sea trials from Vishakhapatnam on 15 December 2014.
What is the name of this submarine? INS Arihant

Explanation: INS Arihant is a 6000-tonne vessel and has 83

Megawatt Indian designed and built pressurised water reactor.
All systems on board will be tested during this sea trial. If all
trials go as planned, the submarine can be inducted within the
next two years. It is worth mentioning that India presently
operates another nuclear submarine, the INS Chakra, a nuclear
attack submarine of the Akula-2. But it was manufactured in
Russia.

5) Whose appointment as the 19th Surgeon General of the

United States was confirmed by the Senate on 15 December
2014 and he would thus become the first person of Indian
origin to hold this prestigious post? Vivek H. Murthy
Explanation: Vivek H. Murthys appointment was confirmed by
the upper house of US Congress by 51 votes to 43. This
confirmation came more than a year after President Barack
Obama had nominated him to this top administration post on
public health issues in November 2013. 37-year old Murthy
would also become the youngest person to hold this post. He
was born to parents who are originally from South India. He
came to the United States when he was three years old and
grew up in Miami, Florida. Murthy is a Hospitalist Attending
Physician and Instructor in Medicine at Brigham and Womens
Hospital at Harvard Medical School, a position he has held since
2006.

6) Vistara, the airline joint venture between Tata Sons and

Singapore Airlines, on 15 December 2014 received the Air
Operator Permit (AOP) from aviation regulator Directorate
General of Civil Aviation or DGCA. With this Vistara would
become the full service air carrier in India when it
starts its operations Third

Explanation: Vistara would become Indias third full service

carrier after state-run Air India and Jet Airways. Tata Sons holds
a 51% stake in Vistara while the remaining 49% is with
Singapore Airlines. Headquartered in New Delhi, Vistara will
begin operations with its fleet of Airbus A 320-200 aircraft and
will soon make an announcement on the start of sales, routes
and schedules.

7) Indian Railways has identified eight stations where reverse

osmosis (RO) drinking water units will be put up on
experimental basis very soon. Which 8 railway stations are
these? Bhopal, Dwarka, Gadag, Guwahati, Hazrat
Nizamuddin, Madurai, Patna and Tirupati
Explanation: Railways have identified the provision of RO
water units at these 8 railway stations. As per guidelines,
maximum retail price per bottle of package drinking water
other than Rail Neer of 1000 ml is Rs. 15 only. The RO process
involves substantial wastage of water depending upon its
quality and will require uninterrupted power supply.

8) Which website was the most searched one on Google in

India during 2014 as revealed in the data released by the
search engine on 16 December 2014? IRCTC(The official
website of Indian Railways for reservations)
Explanation: According to statistics released by Google, the
most trending topic of 2014 in India was Election 2014,
followed by FIFA 2014, iPhone 6, GATE 2015 and Narendra
Modi. E-commerce website Flipkart, PSU lender SBI Online, etailer Snapdeal and PNR status were other most searched
words. Bollywood actress Sunny Leone was the most searched
person in 2014 pushing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the

second spot. Low-cost mid-end smartphone MotoG tops the

most searched Tech devices, followed by Apple iPhone 6.

18 December 2014

1) What important decision pertaining to curtailing terrorism in

the country was taken by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
on 17 December 2014 a day after his country was at the
receiving end of the deadliest terror attack in its history that
saw over 130 children being killed? The moratorium on
capital punishment was lifted for terrorists
Explanation: Nawaz Sharif announced lifting up of the
moratorium on capital punishment and approval for the
implementation of death penalty to any and all of captives who
have been involved in terrorism or militancy. The
announcement was made in an all party meet held in the
Governor House that was led by the PM Nawaz Sharif and
attended by all parties like PML-N, PTI, PPP, ANP, MQM and
also Jamaat-e-Islami. 3 day national mourning is being
observed in the country after Taliban militants killed over 130
people nearly all of them children, at a school in the
northwestern city of Peshawar.
..

2) Which
prominent
countrys
currency
came
under
tremendous crisis on 16 December 2014 as the price collapsed
almost 11% against US dollar on this day? Russian Ruble
Explanation: Russian currency Ruble (also called Rouble) hit
record low on 16 December due to numerous reasons low oil
prices, looming recession and Western sanctions over
the Ukraine crisis. It lost almost 11% of its value against the US
dollar on this single day, which was its steepest one-day fall
since the Russian financial crisis of 1998. It has fallen 20%
since the start of the week and more than 50% this year. The
price however stabilized to some extent on 17 December. For
the Russian economy, the currency crisis means a deeper
recession is more likely next year as high interest rates will
crimp growth. For businesses, it means more uncertainty and
less access to funding. For the Russian central bank, it means a
credibility crisis. It is also expected to shake President Vladimir
Putins grip over power.
..
3) The Lok Sabha on 17 December 2014 passed the Companies
(Amendment) Bill 2014 through a voice vote. This bill has
proposed how many amendments to the existing company law
enacted in 2013? Thirteen
Explanation: While some amendments were intended at
improving the ease of business, some were focused on
addressing the drafting errors. There were also amendments
being introduced to tackle the oversight issues and those
provisions seen to be oppressive for doing business.
..
4) Flight operations of cash-strapped SpiceJet were grounded
on 17 December due to which reason? Non-supply of jet
fuel by oil marketing companies

Explanation: Not a single flight of SpiceJet could take-off in the

morning of 17 December 2014 as PSU oil supply companies did
not supplied fuel to airlines planes. However, some flights
took-off in the evening as oil companies resumed supply. Earlier
on 16 December the airline had won a crucial reprieve from
clamouring creditors after the government asked airport
operators and fuel suppliers to give the carrier more time to
pay its bills. The Civil Aviation Ministry had also said that airport
operators would be asked to give the airline 15 days to make
payments, while state oil companies would be ask to give credit
for up to 15 days. SpiceJet, which has been in the red since last
year, has already cut the size of its fleet by a third since
September 2014 and cancelled more than 70 flights a day for
the rest of this year.
..
5) What punishment was given to Indian woman boxer Sarita
Devi by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) on 17
December 2014 for refusing to accept Asian Games bronze
medal during Asian Games 2014 held in South Korea? Ban of
one year
Explanation: The AIBA also handed down a two-year ban on
Indias foreign coach B.I. Fernandez (Cuba), while clearing
national coach G.S. Sandhu. Sarita Devi lost in the semifinals of
the womens lightweight competition at Incheon, and had tried
to give her medal to her opponent at the presentation
ceremony.
..
6) Former Supreme Court judge KS Radhakrishnan was given
PETA Indias People of the Year award by animal rights
organisation PETA as announced on 17 December 2014. Why
this award was conferred on him? KS Radhakrishnan
headed the bench which had imposed a ban on Jallikattu
bull races

Explanation: Justice Radhakrishnan headed a bench that

passed a landmark judgement in favour of PETA India and the
Animal Welfare Board of India, clarifying that bulls must not be
used in jallikattu, bull races, bullfights or any other type of
performance and called for animals to be respected in many
other ways. Jallikattu is the traditional bull-fighting festival held
in Tamil Nadu during Pongal festivities. PETA on 17 December
named Justice (retd) Radhakrishnan as Man of the Year and
actress Jacqueline Fernandez as Woman of the Year. In 2013,
Fernandez took to Twitter to call for the release of a formerly
abused elephant Sunder, who was finally moved from his life of
misery to a forested park where he has room to roam and the
companionship of other elephants.
..
7) According to the latest report released by Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on 17
December 2014, which country has the best work-life balance
in the World? Denmark
Explanation: According to this OECD report, 2% of employees
work very long hours in Denmark, much less than the OECD
average of 9%. An important aspect of work-life balance is the
amount of time a person spends at work. The two main
indicators used to determine work-life balance were time
devoted the leisure and personal care and employees working
very long hours. In Denmark, full-time workers devote 16.1
hours, or 67%, of their day on average to personal care (eating,
sleeping, etc.) and leisure (socialising with friends and family,
hobbies, games, computer and television use, etc.) more
than the OECD average of 15 hours. According to the report,
Turkey has the worst work-life balance, according to the study.
In Turkey 43% of the employees work very long hours. India is
not among the 34 member countries of OECD.
..

18 December 2014

1) What is the name of the heaviest next generation rocket

launched by ISRO on 18 December 2014 that marked first step
towards Indias manned missions? Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV Mark-III)
Explanation: The 630-tonne GSLV Mark-III and standing 43.43metre tall is the heaviest rocket launched till date by ISRO. The
launch was done from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at
Sriharikota (AP). With successful launch of this rocket ISRO is
now hoping this will become the main stay rocket in the future,
which later will be suitably equipped for ferrying Indian
astronauts into space. Once ISRO masters this rocket, there
may not be any need for India to send its heavy-duty
communications satellites to space using expensive foreign
launchers. It can also hope to make a dent in the multimilliondollar commercial launch market of the world. The mission cost
Rs. 155 crore and its main purpose was to test the rockets
atmospheric flight stability with around four tonne luggage. The
second objective was to study the re-entry characteristics of
the crew module called Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry

Experiment its aero braking and validation of its end-to-end

parachute system.
..
2) In a historic development United States and Cuba on 17
December 2014 agreed to restore diplomatic ties that
Washington severed more than 50 years ago. President Barack
Obama called for an end to the long economic embargo against
its old Cold War enemy. Which US hostage was released by
Cuba on 17 December, which made this development possible?
Alan Gross
Explanation: 65-year old Alan Gross, a U.S. international
development professional, had been imprisoned in Cuba for five
years. He was prosecuted in 2011 after being accused of crimes
against the Cuban state for bringing satellite phones and
computer equipment. He was released by Cuba on 17
December 2014. His case had been a major obstacle to
improving relations. After 18 months of secret talks, Obama and
Cuban President Raul Castro agreed in a phone call on 16
December on a breakthrough prisoner exchange, the opening
of embassies in each others countries, and an easing of some
restrictions on commerce. The two leaders made the
announcement in simultaneous televised speeches. Cuba and
the United States have been ideological foes since soon after
the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power. US
broke diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 as it steered a
leftist course that turned it into a close ally of the former Soviet
Union.
..
3) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 17 December 2014
imposed fines on state-run Bank of Baroda (BOB) and ICICI
Bank the largest private bank in India. What was the charge
on these two banks? Violation of KYC and anti-money
laundering norms

Explanation: RBI imposed fines worth Rs.50 lakh and Rs.25

lakh on ICICI Bank and Bank of Baroda, respectively, for
violations of its instructions on know-your-customer (KYC) and
anti-money laundering norms. Three other banks including
State Bank of India, Axis Bank and State Bank of Patiala, were
cautioned to put in place appropriate measures and review
them from time to time to ensure strict compliance of KYC
requirements in future. This RBI action came after it received a
complaint in this regard. It cautioned these banks to put in
place appropriate measures and review them from time to time
to ensure strict compliance of KYC requirements in future. The
fraudsters had managed to open fictitious accounts in the
name of the statutory organisation in the above five banks and
operated the accounts mainly for encashing cheques/demand
drafts/postal orders of which they were not the rightful owners,
for periods ranging from one month to two years, without being
detected by the banks.
..
4) What is the name of the top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
commander accused of plotting the 26/11 terror attack on
Mumbai in 2008, who was granted bail in the same case on 18
December 2014 by Pakistans Anti-Terrorism Court? Zakiur
Rehman Lakhvi
Explanation: Lakhvi, who was the operational head of the
banned Laskhar-e-Taiba, was one of the key planners of the
Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. The court observed that
the prosecution has been unable to provide evidence against
him. He and six others had applied for the bail on 17 December.
Granting of bail to Lakhvi came as a big shock to India,
especially just a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
had pledged to root out terrorism from his country. It is worth
mentioning that the seven accused Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid,
Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil
Ahmed and Younis Anjum are facing trial at the Adiala Jail in
Rawalpindi.

..
5) Which West Indian cricketer hit six sixes in an over on 16
December 2014 during a trial match for Australia s Big Bash
season? Kieron Pollard
Explanation: Kieron Pollard smashed six sixes in an over in a
trial game for the Big Bash team Adelaide Strikers. He thus
joined the elite league of 5 players Sir Garfield Sobers (1968),
Ravi J. Shastri (1985), Herschelle Gibbs (2007), Yuvraj Singh
(2007) and Jordan Clark (2013) to achieve this feat. Big Bash
season started from 18 December.
..