Gyanm Magazine July 2105 Edition

GENERAL AWARENESS
JULY 2015
Vol. 4, Issue 01
A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION &

TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.
SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH
Contents
CURRENT AFFAIRS
MARCH TO MAY 2015
BULLET NEWS
DEC 2014 TO FEB 2015
NATIONAL NEWS
MAY 2015
01-32
MODI VISITS THREE NATIONS
33-50
LATEST 100 GK MCQS
51-58
SBI PO PRELIM PAPER
59-66
SSC CORNER / QUIZ
67-73
6 MONTHS GK BYTES
74-100
FIGURES TO REMEMBER
REPO RATE (04.03.2015)
7. 50%
REVERSE REPO RATE
6.50%
MARGINAL STANDING
FACILITY RATE
STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO
8.50%
CASH RESERVE RATIO

BANK RATE
4.00%
8.50%
BASE RATE(s)
(of various banks)
21.5%
10 to
10.25 %
INDIAS RANK IN
Motherhood Index
140th
Environmental Democracy Index
24th
Human Capital Index
100th
Global Resilience Index
119th
Global E-Waste Monitor
5th
World Happiness Report
117th
Global Networked Readiness
89th
Social Progress Index
101st
Open Government Index 2015

Press Freedom Index 2015
Talent Competitiveness
37th
136th
78th
Travel and Tourism Index
65th
Corruption Perceptions Index
85th
The Web Index 2014
48th
Global Terrorism Index 2014

Global Slavery Index 2014
Gender Gap Index
Ease of Doing Business (WB)
Global Hunger Index 2013
GENERAL AWARENESS JULY 2015
6th
1st
114th
142nd
55th
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a six day (May 14-20) visit to three
countries China, Mongolia and Soutah Korea.
May 14 - Reached Xi'an city, home town of Chinese President in Shaanxi
province. Breaking the protocol, President Xi Jinping received him in Xian city
and accompanied him on his local sightseeing. Modi visited the famous
Terracotta Warriors Museum, which has a large collection of clay sculptures
depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.
May 15- He met Chinese Premier (Prime Minister) Le Keqiang. The two
leaders launched the State and Provincial Leaders Forum in Beijing. Mr Modi
announced to extend electronic tourist visas to Chinese nationals.
India and China signed 24 agreements to strengthen bilateral relationship in
several fields including trade and commerce, railways, education, skill
development, human resource and other areas.
May 16-17 - Arrived in Mongolian capital Ulaan Baator, making the first ever
visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Mongolia. He met Prime Minister Chimed
Saikhanbileg and announced a $1-billion credit line to Mongolia for
infrastructure development. He received a brown race horse named Kanthaka
as gift.
President: Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj Currency: Togrog
Parliament: State Great Khural
May 18-20 - Arrived in Seoul, capital of South Korea. A slew of agreements
were signed, including one on Double Taxation Avoidance Convention,
cooperation in shipping and logistics, audiovisual co-production, transport,
highways and electric power development in new energy industries.
South Korea agreed to provide $ 10 billion to India for infrastructure,
development of smart cities, railways, power generation.
President: Park Geun-hye
Parliament: National Assembly
Currency: South Korean Won
PRESIDENT VISTS RUSSIA

President Pranab Mukherjee visited Russia from May 7
to 10. He was conferred with honorary Doctorate by the
Russian Diplomatic Academy. He attended the
magnificent celebrations of the 70th Victory Day Parade.
Eight agreements in the field of science and
technology and higher education were signed during the
visit. The Institutions of higher learning in India and
Russia signed eleven Memorandum of Intent to
establish the Network of Institutions of Higher
Education
The ban, however, would not cover late national leaders,

while the President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India
(CJI) were free to use or not to use their photographs in
such advertisements.
INDIA RANKS 140TH IN MOTHERHOOD INDEX
50 YEARS OF CONQUERING MOUNT EVEREST

Indian Mountaineering Foundation celebrated 50 years
of first climbing by Indian team, of Mt. Everest, the
worlds highest peak, on 20 May 1965. Indian team was
led by Captain Mohan Singh Kohli of Indian Navy and
teams Sherpa, Nawang Gombu was the first person to
reach the peak.
CABINET NOD FOR EXCHANGE OF ENCLAVES

The Union cabinet approved on May 5 the Constitution
(119th Amendment) Bill 2013 to implement the land
boundary agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh. Once
approved by Parliament, the law will enable exchange of
identified territories (enclaves) between the two
countries. Enclaves are tiny landlocked territories that
each country has within the borders of the other nation.
DELHI AIRPORT RANKS FIRST IN WORLD
Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi has

been adjudged the world's best airport for the year
2014, under the category of handling 25 to 40 million
passengers per annum by the Airports Council
International of Canada.
SC BANS USE OF PHOTOS IN GOVT ADs

The Supreme Court issued guidelines to place a ban on
the use of photographs of ministers and party leaders in
the advertisements released by government institutions,
public sector undertakings, local bodies and other
autonomous bodies established under a statute to
prevent ruling politicians from misusing tax payers
money to enhance their image or of their parties.
Further, official advertisements cannot carry the name
of any political party, political symbol, logo or flag.
Save the Children's 'State of the World's Mothers' report

for 2015 shows that India ranks at 140th place in a study
of 179 countries to assess risk of maternal death, underfive mortality rate, expected number of years of formal
schooling, the gross national per capita income and
participation
of
women
in
government.
Norway was ranked first, followed by Finland.
INDIA RANKS POOR IN ENVIRONMENT CARE

India has ranked 24th out of 70 countries in the first
Environmental Democracy Index that evaluates nations'
progress in enacting laws to promote transparency,
accountability and citizen engagement in environmental
decision making. Lithuania tops the list released by the
Washington-based World Resources Institute and
Access Initiative.
India ranks 100th on 124 nations Human Capital
Index, which measures countries on development and
deployment of human capital. Finland topped the list.
A commemorative coin released to mark the birth
centenary of Swami Chinmayananda to honour his
work in the field of education and social reform.
World Bank to offer $ 250 million to Bihar govt as
part of a programme to help improve effectiveness of
elementary school teachers in the state
India and Vietnam signed a Joint Vision Statement
on Defence Cooperation in New Delhi to promote
the mutual cooperation in maritime security.
6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy was
held in New Delhi on 15 May 2015.
The 10th World Hindi Conference will be held from
10 September to 12 September 2015 in Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh.
You are always a student

Never a master
You have to keep moving forward.
2
APRIL 2015
NEPAL DEVASTATED BY EARTHQUAKE
A massive earthquake struck Nepal with a devastating
impact, killing over 5000 persons and injuring double
this number. The quake left several landmark sites, like
the Durabl square and the 203 feet high Dharahera
Towers completely flattened.
India responded quickly, under its Operation Maitri by
dispatching several National Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) teams, along with tonnes of relief supplies.
The earthquake was a typical Himalayan tremor caused
due to the collision of the Indian and the Eurasian
plates. The epicenter of the earthquake that measured
7.9 on the Richter scale lay at a depth of 30 km, at
Lamjung, around 80 km northwest of Kathmandu.
Tremors were felt in several Indian states especially
Bihar, NCR, Punjab and Haryana.
17 AGREEMENTS SIGNED WITH FRANCE

During PM Modis 3-day visit to France, an agreement
was signed for the supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets in
flyaway condition as quickly as possible under a
government-to-government deal. An agreement was
also reached to promote the stalled nuclear power
project in Jaitapur in Maharashtra where French
company Areva, in collaboration with Indian company
Larsen and Toubro, is to set up six nuclear reactors with
a total power generation capacity of about 10,000 MW.
OPERATION RAHAT RESCUED 5600 PERSONS

The Indian Navy conducted Operation Rahat for about
ten days to dramatically evacuate Indians and several
other persons from war-torn Yemen. Over 5,600
persons were evacuated, including 4,640 Indians and
about 960 foreigners from 41 countries.
People were evacuated from Aden, a port in Yemen and
brought safely to Djibouti (a nearby country) on board
ship INS Sumitra, from where the Indian Air Force and
Air India aircraft flew them to Mumbai and Kochi.
Yemen has been witnessing a fierce battle between the
Saudi-led coalition and Shiite rebels, who have battled
their way into various cities including capital town
Sanaa, the former stronghold of President Abedrabbo
Mansour Hadi, who has fled overseas.
MODI, INDIAs REFORMER-IN-CHIEF - OBAMA

PM Narendra Modi was featured in the Time magazines
list of 100 most influential people for this year with an
article by U.S. President Barack Obama, who titled it
Indias Reformer-in-Chief. Today, he is the leader of
the worlds largest democracy, and his life story from
poverty to PM reflects the dynamism and potential of
Indias rise, Mr. Obama wrote.
Dr. NASIM ZAIDI IS THE NEW CEC
MODI INAUGURATES HANNOVER FAIR

During his three Germany visit, PM Modi jointly, with
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, inaugurated the
worlds largest industrial technology fair - Hannover
Fair in Hannover. He said India had a huge potential to
become a global manufacturing hub and invited the
whole world to partner with the fastest growing
economy in the Make in India mission. He highlighted
the 3D strengths of India as under:
Democracy ensuring fair and equal opportunity to
everyone
Demand refers to the huge demand in the country for

almost anything
The President has appointed Election Commissioner Dr.

Nasim Zaidi as the new Chief Election Commissioner of
India. He assumed charge after the present incumbent
Hari Shankar Brahma demitted office upon his
retirement. Zaidi will have tenure up to July, 2017 when
he attains the age of 65.
The CEC has tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65
years, whichever is earlier. He is appointed by the
President, on the recommendations of the Union
Government. He enjoys the same official status, salary and
perks as available to the Judges of the Supreme Court and
the High Courts.
CANADA AGREES TO SUPPLY URANIUM
FIRST PRIVATE BILL PASSED IN RAJYA SABHA
Demography refers to the huge, young manpower in

the country
The Prime Minister during his three-day visit to Canada

inked 13 agreements on skill development with the host
country. Canada also agreed to supply 3,000 metric
tonnes of uranium to India from this year under a $254
million five-year deal. Only two other countries - Russia
and Kazakhstan supply uranium to India. PM Modi also
announced the inclusion of Canada in the list of nations
receiving a visa-on-arrival from India.
The Rajya Sabha has unanimously passed the Rights of

Transgender Persons Bill, 2014, which seeks to protect
the rights of the transgender community, making it the
first Private Members Bill to be cleared by the House in
46 years (the last private members bill was passed in
the year 1968). The bill now will be moved in the Lok
Sabha. The Bill envisages a comprehensive national
policy to ensure the development and welfare of the
transgender community.
Ms. SWARAJ VISITS INDONESIA
INDIA LOW IN BUSINESS RESILIENCE
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj paid a 5-day

visit to Indonesia to attend the 60th commemoration of
the 1955 Asian-African Conference and to attend the
10th anniversary celebrations of the New Asian-African
Strategic Partnership.
India has been ranked 119th out of 130 countries on

the 2015 FM Global Resilience Index which measures
business resilience based on economic, risk quality and
supply chain factors. Norway tops the index for being
the best suited for companies seeking to avoid
disruptions in their global supply chain.
INDIA ELECTED TO FOUR UN AGENCIES

India has been elected to four key subsidiary bodies of
the United Nations' Economic and Social Council
including the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
The other three bodies are - Executive Board of the
World Food Programme, Commission on Crime
Prevention and Criminal Justice and Governing Council
of the UN Human Settlements Programme.
INDIA 5TH IN PRODUCING E-WASTE
FREE TREATMENT FOR ACID VICTIMS

The Supreme Court has asked all private hospitals in
India to provide full free treatment to acid attack
victims,
including
medicines
and
expensive
reconstruction surgeries.
The order came on a public interest litigation petition
filed by Laxmi, an acid attack victim, following a nine year
fight for the rights of acid attack victims.
LAW COMMISSION REPORT ON LEPROSY

The 20th Law Commission headed by Justice (retd.) Ajit
Prakash
Shah
has
submitted
its
report
titled Eliminating Discrimination against Persons
Affected by Leprosy to the Union Ministry of Law and
Justice. It recommended the repealing of The Lepers
Act, 1898 and removal of the word leper from various
statutes as it was considered derogatory.
GREENPEACE FACES HEAT FROM THE GOVT
The Global E-Waste Monitor 2014 report by the United

Nations University says that India is the fifth biggest
producer of e-waste in the world, discarding around 1.7
million tonnes of electronic equipment in 2014. The list
is topped by USA, followed by China, Japan and
Germany.
INDIA RANKS BELOW PAK IN HAPPINESS

As per the 2015 World Happiness Report published by
the Sustainable Development Solutions Network of UNO,
India comes at the 117th spot out of 158 countries,
faring below even Pakistan (81) and Bangladesh (109).
The index takes into account per capita GDP, life
expectancy, social support and freedom to make life
choices as indicators of happiness. Switzerland claimed
the first rank, followed by Iceland, Denmark and
Norway.
INDIA RANKS 89TH IN USAGE OF ICT
The government has frozen the bank accounts of the

international environment campaign group- Greenpeace
India for six months by invoking the Foreign
Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), accusing it of
encouraging anti-development protests in the country.
The Home Ministry said it was a threat to national
economic security.
It is suspected that foreign-funded NGOs were blocking
the expansion of nuclear power and the introduction of
genetically modified products.
India has slipped six places to rank 89th in Global

Networked Readiness Index compiled by the World
Economic Forum, showing a "widespread" weakness in
its
potential
to
leverage
information
and
communications technologies (ICT) for social and
economic gains.
INDIA BELOW NEPAL IN SOCIAL PROGRESS

Out of the 133 countries rated in the Social Progress
Index on indicators of well-being such as health, water
and sanitation, personal safety, personal freedom and
choice, India ranks at the 101st place. Even Nepal and
Bangladesh rank higher than India. Norway has bagged
the first rank on the index.
India Post released special commemorative stamps to
MODI, SATYARTHI AMONG TOP 50 LEADERS
mark 50 years of Indo-French co-operation in space

research at a function held in Puducherry.
Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan President
arrived in New Delhi on April 27 on a 3 day visit.
The 5th meeting of the Health Ministers of SAARC
countries held in New Delhi in April 8.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (5th) and Nobel laureate

Kailash Satyarthi (28th) have been named among the 50
greatest leaders in the world by Fortune magazine in its
annual list of extraordinary men and women
transforming business, government and philanthropy.
MARCH 2015
The President of India, breaking away from the

protocol, conferred the Bharat Ratna on Shri Atal Bihari
Vajpayee on March 27 in New Delhi in a simple
ceremony held at the residence of Shri Vajpayee, on
account of his poor health condition.
PM VISITS SEYCHELLES
With a view to expanding its footprint in the strategic
Indian Ocean, India signed four agreements with
Seychelles for cooperation in hydrography, renewable
energy, infrastructure development and maritime
security during the visit of Indias Prime Ministers visit
on March 11.
He also launched a Coastal Surveillance Radar
project to boost security cooperation with the island
nation. India promised to give one Dornier aircraft and
free visa on arrival for three months to the citizens of
Seychelles.
PM VISITS MAURITIUS
Prime Minister visited Mauritius on March 12 and inked
five MoUs with Mauritius to give new impetus to
bilateral co-operation. The agreements signed included
one on Ocean economy which will help utilise the rich
marine resources of Mauritius.
PM VISITS SRI LANKA
BHARAT RATNA CONFERRED UPON VAJPAYEE
Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya was accorded Bharat Ratna

posthumously during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan
on March 30th.
INDIA AND QATAR SIGN SIX AGREEMENTS

The Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani visited
India and held extensive talks with the Prime Minister.
The two countries inked six pacts for cooperation in
energy sector and boosting trade and investment. An
agreement was also signed on the transfer of sentenced
persons allowing the Indian convicts in Qatar to
complete their balance sentence in India and vice versa.
S C CANCELS RESERVATION FOR JATS

The Supreme Court of India has nullified the Central
Government's decision to include Jats in the Other
Backward Classes (OBC) category. The top court said
that caste can't be the sole factor to decide
backwardness, maintaining that Jats don't form socioeconomic backward class. The decision will prevent the
Jat population in India from availing of the special
benefits of reservation in jobs and educational
institutions.
AADHAAR NOT MUST FOR AVAILING SUBSIDY

India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements during Mr.
Modi's maiden visit to the island nation on March 13-14.
The agreements are on visa, customs, youth
development and building Rabindranath Tagore
memorial in Sri Lanka.
Facility of Tourist Visa on Arrival and Electronic
Travel Authorization Scheme to Sri Lankan citizens
to start from April 14, 2015.
India to cooperate in developing a Ramayana Trail
in Sri Lanka and a Buddhist Circuit in India.
The Supreme Court has given a landmark ruling,

confirming that the Aadhaar card is not compulsory for
availing of various government subsidies and any other
benefits, and warned that officials ignoring this would
be taken to task.
CONFERENCE ON COUNTER TERRORISM
P M PAYS HOMAGE TO MARTYRS

On March 23, PM Narendra Modi visited Hussainiwala
on Indo Pak border in Punjab's frontier district of
Ferozepur and paid homage to freedom struggle
martyrs Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.
The three revolutionaries were cremated here on March
23, 1931. They were awarded death sentence for shooting
a British Police Officer Mr Saundras on the 17th
December, 1928. In their honour, March 23 is observed
every year as Martyrs Day ( Shaheed Diwas).
A 3-day International Conference on Counter Terrorism

2015 was held at Jaipur in March. It was organised by
India Foundation in association with the Sardar Patel
University of Police Security and Criminal Justice,
Jodhpur to develop an integrated approach to counter
terrorism around the world.
S C RULES AGAINST SECTION 66A

The Supreme Court has struck down the controversial
2009 amendment to India's Information Technology Act
known as section 66A as it was unconstitutional and a
restriction on freedom of speech. Section 66A makes
the sending information of "grossly offensive or
menacing character" punishable by up to 3 years in jail.
NEWS FROM STATES

MAY 2015
BLUE WHALE FOUND NEAR MAHARASHTRA
ATTORNEY GENERAL IS PUBLIC AUTHORITY

The Delhi High Court has ruled that the Attorney
General is not merely a lawyer for the government, but
is a constitutional authority and thus falls under the
ambit of the RTI Act.
The High Court reversed the 2012 decision of the Central
Information Commission in which a full bench had ruled
that the AG is only a person and can't be considered an
"authority" under the Act.
INDIA UNFURLS WORLDs TALLEST FLAG

The worlds largest and tallest Indian national flag was
unfurled in Faridabad, Haryana. The flag has dimensions
of 96 feet by 64 feet and weighs 48 kilograms. The flag
was hoisted at a height of 250 feet (75 meters), thus,
making it the worlds largest and the highest hoisted
Indian flag.
WORLDS 1st SOLAR AIRCRAFT LANDS IN INDIA
Solar Impulse, claimed to be the worlds only solarpowered aircraft, made a stopover in Ahmadabad on its
maiden global journey. The Swiss aircraft can fly day
and night without a drop of fuel, propelled solely by the
suns energy. The single-seater aircraft made of carbon
fibre has a 72 metre wingspan, larger than that of
Boeing-747 and weighs just 2,300 kg.
The 58th All India Ayurvedic Congress was held at

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

in New Delhi March 16.
A three-day conference for strengthening maritime
trade and security among Indian Ocean Rim
countries held at Bhubaneshwar March 20-22.
The government has announced that India's first
National Skill Development University will be
established in Chhattisgarh.
In the World Justice Project's Open Government
Index 2015 report, India was ranked 37th amongst
102 countries. Sweden was placed at first position.
A group of researchers has spotted for the first time,

two Blue Whales (mother-calf pair) and four Brydes
whales near Kunkeshwar off the Sindhudurg coast in
Maharashtra. This is for the first time after 100 years
that the Blue Whales were sighted off the coast of
Maharashtra.
Punjab becomes first state to issue Soil Health Cards
to all its farmers. The cards will show the details of
the soil composition for every farm.
In Gujarat, the number of Asiatic lions in Gir
sanctuary and its surrounding areas has gone up to
523, registering 27 percent increase since 2010.
Worlds largest solar power plant is to be set up at
Gurh tehsil in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh
to produce 750 megawatt (MW) of electricity.
Govt of Tripura withdrew on May 27 the Armed
Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 from the
remaining areas of the state with immediate effect.
Among Indian states, Maharashtra attracts largest
number of foreign tourists followed by Tamil Nadu.
APRIL 2015
SUBODHAM PROJECT LAUNCHED IN KERALA
The Kerala government, supported by UNICEF, has
launched a major campaign Subodham, to wean people
away from liquor addiction. The project aims to free
one lakh persons each year from alcohol addiction,
through
comprehensive,
systematic
awareness
campaigns.
GIFT CITY LAUNCHED IN GUJARAT

The Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, GIFT
City was inaugurated near Gandhinagar, Gujarat. It is
intended to be a global financial hub. The domestic
banks will be allowed to open, for the first time in India,
International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) as
offshore banking units. They will be exempted from the
SLR and CRR requirements and but will not be allowed
to handle cash transactions.
THANE WINS RENEWABLE ENERGY AWARD
HARYANA MOVES TO BAN COW SLAUGHTER
An 11-member international jury has declared Thane, a

city in Maharashtra as the Indias National Earth Hour
Capital as it won the Earth Hour City Challenge held in
Seoul, South Korea.
Seoul was declared the Global Earth Hour Capital 2015.
The year-long competition among cities is aimed at
promoting renewable energy and preparations for
climate change.
The Haryana Legislative Assembly passed the Gauvansh

Sanrakshan and Gausamvar-dhan Bill, 2015, which bans
cow slaughter, sale of beef and prescribes rigorous
punish-ment for violations, ranging from punishment of
up to 10 years with a fine up to one lakh rupees.
20 WOOD SMUGGLERS SHOT DEAD IN ANDHRA

At least 20 labourers hired by suspected red sanders
wood smugglers were shot dead on in a violent
encounter with the task force of the Andhra
Pradesh police in the Seshachalam forests on the
outskirts of the temple town Tirupati, district Chitoor.
The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to

name its new capital as Amravati, considering its
historic, mythological and spiritual significance.
Punjab has launched Padho Punjab-Khedo Punjab
Mission to provide school students a separate period
40-50 minute period exclusively for playing games.
The Kudermukh National Park, Karnataka and Rajaji
National Park, Uttarkhand declared tiger reserves
by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Assam to erect bio-fences with thickets of thorny
bamboos to replace the electric fences, to ward off
straying elephants.
THREE STATES EXEMPTED FROM PAP

In a written reply to a query, the Rajya Sabha was
informed that Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland have
been excluded from the Protected Area Permit (PAP)
regime for foreign tourists till December 31.
GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES
MAY 2015
KISSAN CHANNEL LAUNCHED FOR FARMERS
MARCH 2015
FIRST COMMERCIAL COURT SET UP IN DELHI
In March, the Delhi high court became the first court in
India to set up dedicated commercial divisions within it,
in line with the recommendation of the Law
Commission. These special benches will hear
commercial matters relating to intellectual property
rights, arbitration, insurance, banking, taxation,
company cases etc.
A farmer-centric 24 hour TV channel by Doordarshan

named DD Kissan was formally launched on May 26. The
channel programmes would focus on promoting
development of agriculture sector and rural India. It
will be mandatory for every cable and DTH operator to
relay this channel.
'AAPKI BETI HUMARI BETI' SCHEME LAUNCHED
Prime Minister launched three social security schemes

at Kolkata on May 9. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima
Yojana for accidental insurance cover of Rs two lakh for
a premium of Rs.12. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima
Yojana for life insurance cover of Rs two lakh for a
premium of Rs. 330. Atal Pension Yojana to address old
age income security needs.
The Haryana government has launched 'Aapki Beti

Humari Beti' programme to provide cash assistance of
Rs 21,000 to first-born girl child of Scheduled Caste (SC)
and Below Poverty Line families and all second girl
children born on or after Jan 22, 2015 of all families.
OLIVE RIDLEY BEGIN MASS NESTING

The mass nesting of Olive
Ridley sea turtles, an
endangered
species,
started in March near
river Rushikulya mouth in
Odisha's Ganjam district.
On the first day, over
10,000 female turtles laid
eggs in the over 3-km-long sandy beach.
THREE SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES LAUNCHED
ANTI BLACK MONEY BILL PASSED

Seeking to unearth unaccounted funds and assets
stashed by Indians abroad, Parliament on May 13th
passed the historic Undisclosed Foreign Income and
Assets (Imposition of New Tax) Bill, 2015. For the first
time, unlawful, undisclosed income abroad has been
taxed under this law at a tax rate of 30 per cent with an
additional 30 percent penalty. Further, it provides for
120 % tax and penalty in addition to 10-year jail term.
LOK SABHA CLEARS GST BILL

The Goods and Services Tax Bill was passed by the Lok
Sabha on May 6, clearing its way to Rajya Sabha. The
GST is proposed to be implemented from 1st of April
next year. It seeks to create a new indirect tax regime
which will replace various central and state levies like
sales tax, excise and services tax except taxes on the
supply of alcohol for human consumption and
petroleum products.
WHAT GST IS ALL ABOUT
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
A constitutional amendment is needed to allow states and
the Centre to concurrently have powers to tax goods and
services and also make relevant laws. At present States
cannot tax services while the Centre cannot impose levies
similar to sales tax
ARTICLE 246A
The bill will introduce a new article that says Parliament,
and subject to some conditions, the legislature of every
state will have power to make laws with respect to goods
and services tax imposed by the Union or the state
2) WHO WILL ADMINISTER THE LEVY?
The bill provides for a GST Council, a joint body of the
states and the Centre for monitoring the implementation of
GST.
GST COUNCIL
Chairperson: Union Finance Minister
Other Member from Centre: Minister of State for Finance
The government is set to introduce a bill in parliament to

amend the constitution to pave the way for the introduction
of the goods and services tax (GST), a levy that was to have
been in place five years ago. ET takes a look at what this
much-anticipated indirect tax reform is all about and why
you should
WHAT IS GST?
It is a tax levied when a consumer buys goods or services.
This is how what consumption is taxed in most developed
countries.
1) CUTTING THROUGH THE COMPLEXITY:
The goods we buy include a number of taxes. GST will
replace these taxes with a single levy. The taxes that will go
are:
CENTRAL TAXES
1) Central Excise Duty
2) Additional Excise Duties
3) Excise duty levied under the Medicinal and Tollet
Preparations (Excise Duties) Act. 1955
4) Service tax
5) Additional customs duty. Commonly known as
countervalling duty
6) Special additional duty of customs
7) Central surcharges and cesses that relate to the supply of
goods & services
STATE TAXES
1) Value added tax/sales tax
2) Taxes on lotteries, betting and gambling
3) Entertainment tax, excluding such taxes levied by local
bodies
4) Central sales tax, Octroi and entry tax, Purchase tax,
Luxury tax
5) State cesses and surcharges that relate to goods and
services
Vice-Chairperson: One of the state finance ministers

Members: State finance ministers
VOTING STRENGTH IN COUNCIL
Centre: 1/3 vote in council
States: 2-3 weight in council
Decision to be taken by 75% vote support
3) SOME CONCERNS OF STATES

COMPENSATION TO MANUFACTURING STATES
1) GST will be levied on buyers of goods and services or
where the service is consumed
2) This means big consumer states such as Uttar Pradesh,
West Bengal and Kerala will get a high share of taxes
3) Manufacturing states such as Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra
and Gujarat fear they will lose revenues
4) The bill provides for 1 percentages point extra tax on
goods for at least two years
5) This extra revenue will go the state from which the goods
originated, or where it was manufactured
COMPENSATION FOR LOSS OR REVENUE
There are fears that states may lose some revenue because
of the introduction of GST. However, the bill allows for
compensation for revenue loss to states for a period of 5
years.
Source: Economic Times: 5th May 2015
SOCIAL SECURITY FOR MNREGA WORKERS
20,000 CR FOR NAMAMI GANGE PROGRAMME
The Centre has asked all the states to enroll all MNREGA
workers under the three newly-launched social security
schemes and open bank accounts for each worker under
the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. The three schemes
include Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana,
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Atal Pension
Yojana.
CABINET APPROVES SMART CITIES MISSION

Union Cabinet on April 29 approved the Smart Cities
Mission for development of 100 smart cities with an
outlay of Rs. 48,000 crore. It also approved the Atal
Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation
(AMRUT) for 500 cities with outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore
to replace the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban
Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
The Union Cabinet approved a massive Rs 20,000 crore

budget for the Namami Gange Programme for the next
five years. The amount is a five-fold increase over the
money spent in the last three decades towards the
conservation of the river. The government plans to
involve people living on the banks of the river to attain
sustainable results.
GOLD MONETISATION SCHEME LAUNCHED
LOK SABHA PASSES JUVENILE JUSTICE BILL

After elaborate discussions on the merits of trying
juveniles as adults in case of grave offences such as the
2012 Delhi gang rape, the Lok Sabha passed on May 7
the controversial Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection
of Children) Bill, 2014 which allows 16 to 18 year old
child offenders in heinous crimes to be tried like adults.
The law defines heinous offences as IPC offences with
minimum punishment of seven years. These include rape,
murder, dacoity, kidnapping, and even attempted murder.
LOK SABHA PASSES N I ACT AMENDMENT

The government on May 19 unveiled the draft of the
Gold Monetisation Scheme aimed at getting goldhoarding Indians to deposit their holdings with banks in
return for an interest payment. The finance ministry
has sought the comments from the public on the scheme
by June 2. A minimum 30 grams of gold could be
deposited and Banks will decide the rate of interest.
Minimum deposit period is one year, after which the
customer may ask for gold or cash.
GOVT TO START HIGHWAY RADIO

In a move to keep highway commuters updated about
road blocks, crashes, bad road condition and even
weather forecast, government plans to start Highway
Advisory Radio (HAR) system like a radio channel.
Besides broadcasting music/ songs, it will also provide
uninterrupted real-time information on traffic
condition, local points of interest, suggest alternate
routes etc.
USTAAD SCHEME FOR BANARAS WEAVERS

Union Government formally launched USTAAD
(Upgrading the Skills and Training in Ancestral
Arts/Crafts for Development) Scheme in Varanasi, Uttar
Pradesh in order to improve degrading conditions of
world famous Banarasi Saree weavers and other
artisans of the state.
The Lok Sabha passed the Negotiable Instruments

(Amendment) Bill, 2015, on May 13. The amendment
aims at easing the process of lodging court cases for
cheque-bouncing. Now all such cases can only be filed at
the place where the account of beneficiary is there i.e.
place where the cheque is deposited for clearance.
CHILDREN BELOW 14 ALLOWED TO WORK

The government has approved a proposal for allowing
children below 14 years of age to work only in family
enterprises or entertainment industry with certain
conditions, while completely banning their employment
elsewhere. It also says that children up to 18 years of
age will not be allowed to work in the hazardous
industries.
FIPB POWERS RAISED TO 3,000 CRORE

With an aim to expedite FDI clearance process, the govt
has enhanced FIPB's powers to recommend foreign
investment proposals of up to Rs. 3,000 crore, against Rs
1,200-crore limit at present. The FIPB recommended
proposals are cleared by the Finance Minister and any
investment beyond the new ceiling of Rs. 3,000 crore will
go to Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
headed by the Prime Minister.
FIPB: Foreign Investment Promotion Board
CHANGES TO COMPANIES ACT NOTIFIED
E-SAMIKSHA LAUNCHED BY RAILWAYS
New amendments to the Companies Act have done away

with the norms of minimum capital requirement of Rs 1
lakh for private limited company and Rs 5 lakh in case of
a public sector unit. Besides, the concept of company
seal has also been done away with.
The Railways has launched a new web portal ESamiksha to focus on Budget Review, Board Meetings,
Zonal Railway Review, Infrastructure Targets and
Project Implementation Review.
PAN CARD MUST FOR EXCISE REGISTRATION
The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) of the

Labour and Employment Ministry will now be
implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare. The scheme provides IT-enabled and smart
card-based cashless health insurance, including
maternity benefit cover up to Rs. 30,000 per annum on a
family floater basis to the BPL families.
Ministry of Finance has made quoting the Permanent

Account Number (PAN) mandatory for private firms
seeking central excise registration to facilitate efficient
online collection of excise duty. Applicant shall also
quote his or her e-mail address and mobile number in
the application form for quick and online
communication with the department.
Govt launched Kayakalp scheme for awarding
public health facilities to encourage improvement in

keeping the facilities clean and hygienic.
Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for SC
launched to finance to the SC entrepre-neurs. The
scheme will be implemented by the IFCI Ltd.
Doordarshan News has launched an app to enable
live streaming of DD news channel by lakhs of smart
phone users in the country.
Govt approves continuation of minimum monthly
pension at not less than Rs 1000 for pensioners under
the Employees' Pension Scheme
Amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act,
1988 approved for enhancing the penalty under it to
a maximum of 7 years imprisonment from 5 years.
A 10-member panel formed under Vijay Kelkar to
revisit and revitalise public private partnership mode
of infrastructure development.
APRIL 2015
P M LAUNCHES AIR QUALITY INDEX
In a concerted effort to tackle the menace of air
pollution, PM Modi has launched India's first Air Quality
Index. The index will provide information on the quality
of air / air pollution in 10 major cities in the country on
a daily basis.
Delhi's air pollution has been in focus in recent months, as
the city has surpassed Beijing as the most polluted city in
the world.
RSBY SHIFTED TO HEALTH MINISTRY
LAND RECORDS TO HAVE FIELD FOR GENDER

The government has asked the states to introduce a
"gender" field for land owners in their property records.
The move has been undertaken as part of the central
government's National Land Records Modernisation
Programme. Once the share of women in land
ownership is ascertained, the data will be used to direct
policy initiatives in this area.
NJAC ACT NOTIFIED

The Government has the notified the National Judicial
Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, also known as
constitution (99th Amendment) Act, 2014, which will
replace the 23-year-old collegiums system for
appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and the
High Courts.
Under the Act, the SC and HCs will have judges appointed
by a six-member panel headed by the Chief Justice of India
and comprising two senior most SC judges, the Union Law
Minister and two eminent persons.
NEW e-TOURIST VISA SCHEME LAUNCHED

The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to change the
name of the scheme 'Tourist Visa on Arrival-Electronic
Travel Authorization' to 'e-Tourist Visa' (eTV). The
scheme will be extended to more countries and airports
in a phased manner.
GOVT TO PROMOTE ECO FRIENDLY VEHICLES
CABINET AMENDS JUVENILE JUSTICE ACT

The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal to try
juveniles, who are 16 to 18 years and are accused of
heinous crimes, under the laws meant for adults. The
Juvenile Justice Board will have the power to assess
whether the perpetrator of a heinous crime aged
between 16 and 18 should be tried under the regular
laws or not.
Union Government has launched Faster Adoption and

Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME)
India Scheme. The scheme was launched as part of the
National Mission for Electric Mobility to boost ecofriendly vehicle sales in the country.
10
RESTRICTIONS ON GIFTS TO IAS/IPS OFFICERS
PRADHANMANTRI JEEVAN JYOTI BIMA YOJANA
According to the recently amended all India Services

Rules, the IAS and IPS officers now will have to take
prior permission from the Central Government before
accepting gifts worth more than Rs 5,000. They also
need to inform the government, if they accept gifts of
over Rs. 25,000 from their relatives or friends on
customary occasions like weddings, anniversaries,
birthdays etc.
The scheme will be offered by Life Insurance

Corporation and all other life insurers who are willing to
join the scheme to offer life insurance cover.
Eligibility: Available to all persons in the age group of
18 to 50 and having a bank account.
Premium: Rs.330 per annum to be debited from the
applicants account.
Risk Coverage: Rs.2 Lac in death on any ground.
APP LAUNCHED FOR RAIL TICKETS BOOKING
ATAL PENSION YOJANA
The Railway launched the UTS on mobile (unreserved

ticket system) app to relieve suburban train passengers
from the serpentine queues for getting tickets. The new
service allows the travellers to produce e-tickets or
carry the ticket image on their mobile phones for
suburban train services.
P & S BILL PASSED BY THE PARLIAMENT

The payments and settlements systems amendment bill
2014 was passed by the Parliament on April 27. The bill
aims to address the problem of insolvency in the
payment and settlement system by increasing
transparency and stability.
TRANSPORT ALLOWANCE EXEMPTION RAISED

With effect from April 1, 2015, the transport allowance
exemption for employees has been raised to Rs 1600
per month from Rs 800 for the purpose of Income tax.
The exemption limit for the blind and orthopedically
handicapped employees has been raised to Rs 3200 per
month from the earlier Rs 1600.
The Govt. has set up a task force chaired by B N
Navalawala to examine relevant issues to expedite
the work on the interlinking of rivers in the country.
This scheme will be launched from 1st June, 2015 and

will be administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory
and Development Authority. The scheme will focus on
the unorganised sector workers and will replace the
previous Swavalamban - NPS Lite scheme.
Eligibility: The scheme is open to all bank account
holders between 18 years and 40 years, who are not
members of any statutory social security scheme.
Benefit: Pension ranging between Rs.1000 - Rs.
5000 is payable after the age of 60.
Govt Funding: The government would co-contribute
50% of the subscribers contribution or Rs. 1000 per
annum, whichever is lower, for a period of 5 years
from 2015-16 to 2019-20, to those who join the
scheme before 31st Dec, 2015 and are not tax payers.
TWITTER SAMVAD LAUNCHED BY THE PM

As part of the government's Digital India campaign, a
new service Twitter Samvad was launched in New
Delhi by the Prime Minister. Everyday, a set of curated
tweets will be delivered as SMS from the government
and leaders' accounts to those mobile users across the
country, who register for this service. Mr Modi and
several state Chief Ministers have joined the scheme.
LAND BILL PASSED BY LOK SABHA

The controversial Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill
was approved by the Lok Sabha in March despite a
walkout by all opposition parties. The bill has been
allowed to lapse as the government lacks majority in
Rajaya Sabha. The ordinance in this regard is expected
to be re-promulgated.
ANTI BLACK MONEY BILL PASSED BY CABINET
MARCH 2015
PRADHAN MANTRI SURAKSHA BIMA YOJANA
The scheme will be offered by all Public Sector General
Insurance Companies for giving insurance cover against
death by accident.
Eligibility: Available to all persons in the age group
18 to 70 years, having a bank account.
Premium: Rs.12 per annum to be directly debited by
the bank from the subscribers account.
Risk Coverage: For accidental death and full
disability-Rs.2 Lac and for partial disabilityRs.1 Lac.
In a bid to unearth black money and illicit assets stashed

abroad, the Union Cabinet has approved the Undisclosed
Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of New Tax) Bill,
2015 with stringent provisions for prosecution of such
offences with rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years.
Penalty at the rate of 300 % of taxes will be levied,
besides the applicable tax, on the concealed income.
11
P M KAUSHAL VIKAS YOJNA LAUNCHED

The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri
Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) with an outlay of Rs
1,500 crore to provide skills training to youth, including
Class 10 and 12 drop outs. The scheme will cover 24
lakh persons. It will be implemented by the Ministry of
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
33% RESERVATION FOR WOMEN IN POLICE

The Central government has announced 33 per cent
reservation for women in police forces of union
territories, including Delhi, for posts ranging from
constables to sub-inspectors, in a move aimed at making
police more gender-sensitive.
KAYA KALP COUNCIL TO OVERHAUL RLYs.

The Ministry of Railways has constituted the Kaya Kalp
council and appointed Ratan Tata its head to
recommend innovative methods and processes for the
improvement, betterment and transformation of the
Railways. The council will have two railway union
leaders also.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
MAY 2015
UN REPORT PUTS INDIAs GROWTH AT 8.1%
Indian economy is likely to clock 8.1 per cent growth in
the current financial year, spurred by strong consumer
spending amid low inflation, infrastructure projects and
government's reform measures, says a UN report.
INDIA TO GROW BY 7.5 % - MOODYs

Global rating agency Moody's says that India will grow
at a strong pace of 7.5 per cent in 2015-16, the highest
among G20 economies, helped by the reforms drive and
lower oil prices.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION DOWN BY 5.25%
PHARMA JAN SAMADHAAN SCHEME LAUNCHED

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

Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has
launched a new web portal, www.inampro.nic.in to
monitor the supply of cement at all India level. It will
benefit the bulk users like developers of big infra
projects as they can view the asking price as well as the
nearest factory.
INAM-PRO stands for platform for infrastructure and
materials providers
BACHCHAN TO LEAD WAR AGAINST HEPATITIS

The government has again roped in Amitabh
Bachchan as brand ambassador, this time for its
campaign against Hepatitis B. According to the latest
WHO data, Hepatitis B is responsible for 1.4 million
deaths every year globally. India has over 40 million
hepatitis B patients.
Bharat-Nepal Maitri Bus Seva started between

Varanasi and Kathmandu from March 5 as per
Motor Vehicle Agreement signed with Nepal.
The first Kisan Call Centre in N-E India was opened
in Agartala, Tripura to give information to farmers
for agriculture, fisheries and plantations etc.
The Lok Sabha has passed the Motor Vehicles
(Amendment) Bill, 2015 to bring e-rickshaws into
the ambit of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
As per the third advance estimates released for 201415, Indias foodgrain production is estimated to decline
by 5.25 per cent to 251.12 million tones. Production of
most of the Kharif crops fell because of the poor
monsoon last year and Rabi crops due to the recent
unseasonal rain and hailstorms. The country had
registered a record foodgrain production of 265.04
million tonnes in 2013-14 crop year.
EXPORTS CONTINUE TO SINK

Continuing its declining trend, Indias exports shrank by
about 14% in April to $22 billion, registering a
contraction for fifth straight month. The slump is
mainly due to global slowdown, decline in crude oil
prices and rupee appreciation. Imports too declined by
7.48% to $33 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $11
billion.
Industrial production growth as measured by the

Index of Industrial Production (IIP), slowed to 2.1 per
cent in March, compared to 5 per cent a month ago.
8 core industries shrinked 0.1 per cent in March, the
lowest in 15 months, due to a decline in production of
steel, cement and refinery products.
12
APRIL 2015
ECONOMY & INDUSTRY
M STANLEY PUTS INDIAs GROWTH AT 7.9%

Multinational financial services corporation Morgan
Stanley says that India's economy will grow at 7.9 per
cent this fiscal and 8.4 per cent in financial year 2016-17
due to government's determined efforts to implement
policy actions, reviving productive investment and
cutting back less effective policies.
INDIAs GDP SET TO GROW BY 7.5% - IMF

The International Monetary Fund, in its latest World
Economic Outlook says that India will overtake China as
the fastest growing emerging economy in 2015-16 by
clocking a growth rate of 7.5 per cent on the back of
recent policy initiatives, pick-up in investments and
lower oil prices.
MAY 2015
NORTH EAST GETS ITS FIRST MEGA FOOD PARK
The first mega food park of the North East was
inaugurated on May 28 at Nathkuchi in Nalbari distt. of
Assam. The park has 27 food processing units spread
over 50 acre of land. The park will prevent wastage of
local farm produce and find ready customers.
NGT IMPOSES SEWAGE CESS IN DELHI
INDIA TO GROW BY 7.5% - WORLD BANK

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

Rating agency Moody's has raised the rating outlook for
India from stable to positive, saying that there is a
higher probability that the policy initiatives will
enhance the country's economic strength and, in turn,
the sovereign's financial strength in future.
MARCH 2015
ADB PUTS INDIAS GROWTH AT 7.8 %
The Asian Development Outlook Report from the Asian
Development Bank says that Indias growth rate is
expected to surpass China and improve to 7.8 per cent
in next fiscal and further to 8.2 per cent in 2016-17 on
the back of government's structural reform agenda and
improved external demand.
INDIA TO GROW BY 7.7% - OECD

According to a recent OECD report, India is poised to
grow 7.7 %this year and 8 per cent in 2016 to become
the "fastest growing major economy" in the world,
beating even China which is expected to grow by 7%.
PER CAPITA INCOME UP BY 37.6%

As per a reply submitted in Parliament, India's per
capita annual income rose by 37.6 per cent in the last
four years to Rs 88,533 in 2014-15. It was Rs. 71,593 in
2012-13 and Rs 80,388 in 2013-14.
The National Green Tribunal has directed every

household in Delhi that is generating sewage, to pay a
monthly charge proportionate to their property tax or
water bill and, in the case of unauthorized colonies, a
minimum of Rs.100 per family, on the polluters pay
principle. The collected funds shall be utilized for
cleaning of drains and Yamuna River.
MoU SIGNED WITH IRAN FOR CHABAHAR PORT

India and Iran have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding for the development of the strategically
important Chabahar Port in Iran. The port will be used
to ship crude oil and urea, saving India transportation
costs. India will get sea-land access route to Afghanistan
bypassing Pakistan.
BIG BAZAAR MERGES WITH BHARTI RETAIL

Owners of Big Bazaar retail chain, Future Retail Ltd have
agreed to merge its retail operations with rival Bharti
Retail Ltd to create one of India's biggest retail chain
with more than 570 stores across the country.
INFOSYS JOINS RE100 GROUP

The Climate Group, the global NGO working for climate
change has announced that Indian IT giant Infosys has
become the first Indian company to join RE100, a global
platform for corporates committed to use 100%
renewable power.
SEBI has replaced the three colour risk code with a

'riskometer' that will help investors to better
understand the risks involved in mutual funds.
Asian Development Bank signed a 31 million US
dollars loan agreement to boost water availability in
selected river basins in Karnataka.
13
Government has cleared the lone bid of Airbus-TATA
consortium for replacing Indian Air Force's ageing

fleet of Avro transport aircraft for Rs 11,930 crore.
P M dedicated the Rs 16,000-crore revamped IISCO
Steel plant at Burnpur, West Bengal to the nation. It
now has largest blast furnace in India.
The RBI has done away with the mandatory calendar
of reviews for boards of banks in order to make their
functioning of more effective.
Govt decides to sell 10% stake in Indian Oil
Corporation and 5% in NTPC to mop up Rs 13,600
crore in this fiscals first disinvestment approval.
Finance Ministry has clarified that LPG subsidy
received by individuals in their bank accounts will
continue to be exempt from income tax.
Reliance Industries tops the 56 Indian companies
listed in the world's 2000 largest and most powerful
public companies list compiled by the Forbes.
APRIL 2015
FOREIGN TRADE POLICY ANNOUNCED
The government has announced its Foreign Trade Policy
(FTP) for the period 2015-20. The policy aims to push
manufacturing and services exports, simplification of
procedures, focus on the ease of doing business and
integrating programmes like Make in India with the
export push.
It aims to increase exports to USD 900 billion by 2019-20,
from USD 466 billion in 2013-14 and raise India's share in
world exports from 2 percent to 3.5 percent.
WOMEN DIRECTOR MUST FOR LISTED COs.

Taking to task the companies without a woman dire
ctor, the SEBI has announced a penalty of a minimum Rs
50,000 on such companies for non-compliance beyond
September, 2015. The fine will be levied by the stock
exchanges as it violates the Listing Agreement.
Around 1,000 companies on the BSE and nearly 200 on
the NSE are guilty of non-compliance with the rule. The
SEBI rules require every listed company to have at least
one woman director on their board.
ROURKELA STEEL PLANT EXPANDED
TARGET SET FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY
The conference of Power, Renewable Energy and Mines

ministers of all states and union territories of India was
held in Guwahati. A target of generating 1 lakh 75
thousand megawatt of renewable energy in the next 5
years has been set by the Central Government
I GATE ACQUIRED BY CAPGEMINI

The Paris based IT giant Capgemini has acquired the
New Jersey-based IT company I-GATE, for $4 billion in
cash. The deal, one of the largest in the Indian
information technology sector, will see the exit of IGATE
co-founders Ashok Trivedi and Sunil Wadhwani.
PPF INTEREST RATE REMAINS 8.7%

The government has decided to keep the rate of interest
on General Provident Fund and Public Provident Fund
(PPF) contributions unchanged at 8.7 per cent for 201516. The interest rates for senior citizens savings
schemes will now be 9.3 per cent and for the Sukanya
Samriddhi Account for the girl child, 9.2 per cent, w.e.f.
April, 2015
MoC ON TRANSPORTATION WITH USA

India and USA have signed a Memorandum of
Cooperation on transportation to enable India to use the
world's latest technology available with the USA for
projects like development of waterways and multimodal hubs. It would cover highways, urban
transportation, safety and environmental protections,
vehicle and behavioral safety, fuel efficiency, rail
transportation and maritime shipping.
MOBILE TARRIFS REDUCED BY TRAI

Starting May, mobile calls made during roaming will be
cheaper by up to 23 per cent while a local SMS will cost
only 25 paise, a steep cut of 75% from the present Re 1,
as regulator TRAI has slashed ceiling tariffs.
TRAI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
INDIA NOT YET READY FOR E-COMMERCE

India has been ranked 83rd on a new index compiled by
the UN trade body UNCTAD for assessing the readiness
of countries for electronic commerce. In terms of the
number of complaints made against companies selling
online, India ranks pretty high at the 4th place.
The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation an
expansion and modernization project worth Rs 12,000
crore at Rourkela Steel Plant, Odisha.
It is the first Integrated Steel Plant of India set up in the
public sector. It was set up in the 1960s with German
collaboration.
Snapdeal.com has picked up a majority stake in

digital financial products platform, RupeePower to
enter Rs 4,500 crore online financial services market.
As per a World Bank report, India tops in receiving
remittances from its global migrant workforce,
receiving around $ 70 billion in 2014.
14
MARCH 2015
P M TO MONITOR HELD UP PROJECTS
To give impetus to stalled projects and ensure their
timely execution across the country, the Prime Minister
plans to have a regular direct interaction with officials in
the states and the central ministries. Titled Pragati, an
acronym for Pro-active Governance and Timely
Implementation, the programme will be conducted
through video conferences.
CABINET APPROVES SAGARMALA PROJECT

At least 12 smart cities at ports and several coastal
economic zones will come up under the ambitious
Sagarmala project approved by the Union Cabinet. The
project will include smart cities which will have
affordable housing, wind & solar power and green
industry, 1,208 islands to be developed for attracting
tourists and 189 light houses also.
WB AID FOR GANGA SAGAR DEVELOPMENT

The World Bank has sanctioned 100 crore rupees for all
round development of Sagar Island in South 24
Parganas District of West Bengal. Every year, lakhs of
pilgrims from India and abroad offer prayers at
Gangasagar on Sagar Island on the occasion of Makar
Sankranti.
LIC TO INVEST 1.5 TRILLION IN RAILWAYS

In the biggest ever funding for the Railways, the Life
Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) committed Rs 1.5
lakh crore for development of various railway projects
over the next five years. The investment would be made
through bonds issued by the Railways.
MACAU/HK BANNED FROM BUYING PROPERTY
NEW CPI TO COVER 460 ITEMS

The Central Statistics Office released the new Consumer
Price Index with revised base year as 2012. The new
index will reflect any increase in prices of items like
mineral water or potato-chip as well as changes in data
usage charges as the number of items in the CPI basket
has been increased to 448 from 437 in rural areas and
to 460 from 450 in urban areas.
The CPI tracks inflation at the consumer level and has
become the key measure of inflation used by the Reserve
Bank of India for monetary policy action.
Rs 1.10 TRN FROM SPECTRUM AUCTION

The government has fetched about 1.10 lakh crore
rupees after rigorous bidding in the auctioning of
telecom spectrum. The auction was conducted for 800
MHz, 900 Mhz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz covering both
mobile telephony and broadband, including 4G.
NGT PULLS UP RLYs FOR CLEANLINESS

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has announced a
fine of Rs 5,000 on individuals spotted littering or
throwing waste on the railway platforms and tracks.
The tribunal directed the Railways to collect, transport
and treat the waste at the treatment plants instead of
directly releasing the garbage into sewer system.
AGRI PRODUCTION TO EXCEED 257 MT

As per the second advance estimates for 2014-15, the
foodgrain output in the country is estimated at 257.07
million tonnes, far more than the projected requirement
of 249 million tonnes for the year. The average annual
increase in the overall foodgrain production has been
3.48 per cent during the period 2009-10 to 2014-15.
The RBI has included Macau and Hong Kong in the list of
countries whose citizens are prohibited from acquiring
or transferring immovable property in India. The other
prohibited countries include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Nepal and Bhutan.
RELIANCE IS NO 1 CORPORATE IN INDIA

Among top 10 corporates in terms of assets, compiled
by the Corporate Affairs Ministry, Reliance Industries
Ltd is the largest corporate with assets worth 3.68 lakh
crore rupees, followed by the state-owned Indian Oil
Corporation with assets worth 2.52 lakh crore rupees.
CAIRN INDIA SERVED 20 CR TAX NOTICE

Income Tax Department has slapped a Rs. 20,495-crore
tax demand notice on Cairn India for failing to deduct
withholding tax on alleged capital gains made by its
erstwhile promoter, Cairn Energy.
JOINT EFFORT FOR GREENER INDIA

The government has decided to merge the National
Mission for a Green India (GIM) and the Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employ-ment Guarantee Act
(MGNREGA) to facilitate afforestation on 10 million
hectares of land over the next decade. This would, in
turn, help provide forest-based livelihood income to
three million households.
India and Kyrgyzstan signed an MoU to strengthen

bilateral cooperation in textiles and clothing.
15
BANKING & FINANCE

MAY 2015
BANKS TO HAVE THEIR OWN OMBUDSMAN
The Reserve Bank has asked all public sector banks and
large private and foreign banks to appoint internal
ombudsman for resolution of customer complaints. The
internal ombudsman would be designated Chief
Customer Service Officer (CCSO) and he should not be
from the same bank in which he is being appointed.
NFC PAYMENTS ALLOWED UP TO Rs 2000

The Reserve Bank has relaxed the additional factor of
authentication (AFA) requirement for transactions by
cards up to Rs.2,000 per transaction to facilitate contactless payments (without PIN authentication) through
NFC (Near Field Communications technology). Further,
banks were free to facilitate their customers to set lower
per transaction limits.
EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR BANK LOANS

To check the rising instance of frauds in the banking
system, the Reserve Bank has asked banks to put in
place early detection and prompt reporting mechanism
in place. The early warning signals in a loan account
should immediately put the bank on alert regarding a
weakness or wrong doing which may ultimately turn
out to be fraudulent.
Besides, the central bank will set up a Central
Fraud Registry that can be accessed by all banks to
identify borrowers having committed frauds with any
bank in the past.
A new concept of a Red Flagged Account (RFA)
is being introduced. An RFA is one where a suspicion of
fraudulent activity is thrown up by the presence of one
or more early warning signals.
NFC CARDS LAUNCHED BY SBI
State Bank of India has launched the contactless debit

and credit cards- SBIinTouch. These cards are more
secure and hassle-free to use at merchant outlets or
ATMs as they use the NFC technology to enable users to
make payments by waving or tapping the card near the
contactless reader instead of swiping or dipping it.
SBI LAUNCHES PLATINUM DEBIT CARD

State Bank of India in association with National
Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched State
Bank RuPay Platinum Debit Card targeting the affluent
segment. It offers a range of value added benefits such
as 5 % cash-back on utility bill payments, up to one per
cent fuel surcharge waiver and complimentary airport
lounge access.
BANKS PENALIZED FOR VIOLATING KYC NORMS

RBI imposed a penalty of Rs 1.5 crore each on Bank of
Maharashtra, Dena Bank and Oriental Bank of
Commerce for violation of Know Your Customer (KYC)
norms and anti-money laundering norms.
IDBI Bank plans to roll out e-huts to provide services
to people in rural areas. E-hut is a western concept

set up at relatively populated areas, such as malls.
RBI has asked banks to issue only chip-based and
PIN-enabled debit/credit cards from September 1
onwards to protect customers from frauds.
RBI has advised that the urban coop banks can issue
only general purpose cards to their customers and
not allowed to issue co-branded credit cards.
The Reserve Bank has dropped the condition of its
prior permission for distribution of mutual fund
products by non-banking finance companies (NBFCs).
Indias largest private sector bank, ICICI Bank opened
its branch in Shanghai, China. It was inaugurated by
the Prime Minister Modi on May 16.
Scheduled commercial banks' credit grew at 10.16%
to Rs 66.32 trillion in the fortnight ended May 15, and
deposits were up by 11.85% to Rs 87.39 trillion.
ICICI Bank launched a service where customers can
make transactions using just their voice, without
using other means of authentication like a password.
APRIL 2015
PRIORITY SECTOR LENDING NORMS MODIFIED
The Reserve Bank has revised the Priority Sector
Lending norms and has asked the banks to give 8 per
cent of their total credit to small and marginal farmers.
It will be within the overall target of 18 per cent for
agricultural loans. Further, new segments like medium
enterprises, social infrastructure and renewable energy
firms have been brought under the ambit of priority
sector lending.
Housing loans to individuals, up to Rs. 28 lakh in metros
and up to Rs. 20 lakh in other centres will be covered
under priority sector lending, provided the overall cost
of the house does not exceed Rs.35 lakh and Rs. 25 lakh,
respectively.
The banks are required to give 40 per cent of their total
loans to the priority sector.
16
RBI MAKES NO CHANGES IN KEY RATES

The RBI has not changed any key policy rate in its first
bimonthly monetary policy statement in April. It
projected the GDP growth rate in 2015-16 at 7.8 per
cent, up from 7.5 per cent in 2014-15 and expected
retail inflation to be stabilize between 5 -5.5 per cent in
2015-16.
The bank will have three main loan schemes - Shishu for
loans up to Rs 50,000; Kishor for loans above Rs 50,000
and up to Rs 5 lakh and Tarun for loans above Rs 5 lakh
and up to Rs 10 lakh.
ICICI LAUNCHES TAP-N-PAY SERVICE
RBI TURNS 80 ON APRIL 1

Addressing the 80th anniversary celebrations of the RBI
in Mumbai, the Prime Minister asked the RBI to prepare
a 20-year road map for financial inclusion and asked
the banks to be considerate in giving loans to the poor.
DIFFERENTIAL INTEREST ON BANK DEPOSITS

The Reserve Bank has advised that now the banks will
have the discretion to offer differential interest rates for
term deposits of above Rs.15 lakh and these deposits
can be made without the option of premature
withdrawal as well. However, all term deposits of Rs.15
lakh and below should, necessarily, have premature
withdrawal facility.
KYC NORMS RELAXED FOR PROPRIETORS

The Reserve Bank has relaxed the Know Your Customer
norms for sole proprietor firms and has allowed them to
open accounts in co-operative banks by submitting a
single proof of their business. Earlier, they were
required to submit two such documents.
INTEREST SUBVENTION TO CONTINUE
The ICICI Bank, in arrangement with Tech Mahindra has

launched a contactless payment service based on
the Near Field Communications (NFC) technology.
Called, Tap n Pay, it is a pre-paid facility open to all,
wherein the users need to just tap the NFC- enabled tag
or mobile phone at the merchants point-of-sale device
to make payments.
CENTRAL BANK WORST IN TERMS OF NPAs

The latest RBI data places the Central Bank of India on
the top of the public sector banks having a high
percentage of bad loans including restructured assets as
21.5 % of its total loans are NPAs. The other banks
suffering from high gross NPAs include the United Bank
of India - 19.04 %, Punjab & Sind Bank - 18.25% and
Punjab National Bank - 17.85 % as on December, 2014.
GOOD GROWTH IN BANK LOANS & DEPOSITS

Recent RBI data show that the Bank loans grew at a
healthy rate of 11.47 per cent to Rs 68,30,965 crore in
the fortnight ended April 3, from Rs 60,64,660 crore in
the same fortnight last year and the deposits rose 12.63
per cent to Rs 89,11,484 crore from Rs 79,01,619 crore
in the same period last year.
The RBI has instructed the banks to continue the
existing interest subvention scheme till June 30.
Currently, an interest subvention of 2 per cent is
available for short-term crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh per
farmer, subject to conditions. Further, an additional
interest subvention of 3 per cent is available to the
farmers, who repay their loans on time.
PM LAUNCHES MUDRA BANK

PM Modi has launched the Pradhan Mantri Mudra
Yojana, wherein MUDRA (Micro Units Development and
Refinance Agency) with a corpus of Rs 20,000 crore. It
will give credit to small businesses and regulate microfinance institutions, to promote their growth and
creating more jobs.
To facilitate bank account opening by the

transgenders, RBI has directed banks to include a
column 'third gender' in their forms/ applications.
The RBI has penalized 16 central co-operative banks
with a fine of 5 lakh rupees each for non-adherence to
KYC and Anti-Money Laundering guidelines.
MARCH 2015
REPO RATE SLASHED TO 7.5 %
Citing better fiscal consolidation, the Reserve Bank of
India cut its main lending rate known as repo rate by
0.25 percentage points to 7.5% w.e.f. 04.03.2015. It
raised hopes of lower EMIs for home loan borrowers
and cheaper bank finance for companies.
17
LOANS TO DISABLED UNDER PRIORITY SECTOR
RRBs ASKED TO CUT ON STAFF DEPLOYMENT
The RBI has decided that priority sector loans to

persons with disabilities will now be eligible for
classification under weaker sections category of Priority
Sector lending. The RBI guidelines require the banks to
lend 10% of their total loans to the weaker section.
The government has directed the regional rural banks to

become slim by cutting jobs and by outsourcing noncore functions such as IT maintenance, cash remittance
and house-keeping.
The move, based on the
recommendations of the SK Mitra Committee on HR
policy for RRBs, is aimed at improving the productivity
and profitability of RRBs.
India has 56 RRBs with 19400 branches which have a
collective business volume of Rs 4.50 lakh crore. They lend
primarily to small farmers and artisans.
NEW RUPEE ONE NOTE RELEASED

After a gap of over 20 years, Re 1 note has been released
in the country and it bears the signature of Finance
Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi. The note was released at
Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, on March 6.
The notes will be printed by the Government of India as
provided in The Coinage Act 2011. Printing of one rupee
notes was discontinued in November 1994 due to higher
printing costs.
EASIER HOUSING LOANS UP TO Rs 10 LAKH
NPA SALE NORMS EASED

The RBI has allowed the banks to reverse the excess
provision on sale of bad loans to their profit and loss
account, provided the transaction took place before
February 26, 2014 and the cash received by way of sale
assets is higher than the NBV (net book value)of the
NPAs sold to a securitisation company or an asset
reconstruction company (ARC),
LENDING BAN LIFTED FROM UNITED BANK
Giving a boost to affordable housing, the Reserve Bank

of India eased the norms for home loans for up to Rs 10
lakh by allowing the banks to include stamp duty and
registration charges in the cost of a house. As per the
current practice, the banks do not include stamp duty,
registration and other documentation charges in the cost
of housing property.
The Reserve Bank has removed the lending restriction

on United Bank of India as the bank demonstrated an
ability to arrest bad loans after its chairman's exit last
year amid record non-perfoming assets. The UBI will
have to maintain a CRAR (capital to risk weighted assets
ratio) above 9.5% and a credit to deposit ratio not
exceeding 70%.
'SUKANYA SAMRIDHI SCHEME'
RBI GIVEN INFLATION TARGET @ 6%

The government and the Reserve Bank of India have
signed an agreement on Monetary Policy Framework
whereby the government has set a target for RBI to
bring down inflation below six per cent by Jan. 2016.
As per the agreement, if the RBI fails to meet the target,
it will have to report to the government the reasons for
the failure to achieve the target, what remedial action it
proposes to take and estimate of the time period within
which the target would be achieved.
Currently, the Centre and the RBI give inflation estimates,
but dont set targets. Inflation targeting was suggested by
Urijit Patel Committee as per the practice adopted by
central banks in developed countries
BANKS TO GIVE MORE LOANS TO MINORITIES

The government has advised the PSU banks to step up
lending to minorities with a view to ensuring that they
get loans in proportion to their population. In terms of
population, the Muslims make up the largest
community, followed by Christians and Sikhs, besides
Parsis, Buddhists and Jains.
As many as 1.80 lakh accounts have been opened under

the 'Sukanya Samridhi Scheme' in less than two months
after the launch of the special programme for girl child,
with the maximum number of accounts being opened in
Karnataka.
The National Payments Corporation of India reached

a major milestone of successfully linking 15 crore
bank accounts with the Aadhaar number.
The Reserve Bank has directed all NBFCs to get
themselves rated by March 2016 and only investment
grade rate NBFCs will be allowed to accept deposits.
The Reserve Bank will issue Rs 5 coins to
commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of
Jawaharlal Nehru that fell on Nov 14, 2014.
RBI and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka signed a
Currency Swap Agreement of 1.5 billion dollar to help
keep the Sri Lankan rupee stable.
18
DEFENCE, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
MAY 2015
MIRAGE 2000 LANDS ON HIGHWAY
LHC CREATES NEW WORLD RECORD

The worlds largest particle smasher- the Large Hadron
Collider [LHC] broke the record for energy levels on May
20 when it successfully collided protons at the recordbreaking energy of 13 TeV for the first time. The LHCs
previous highest energy for collisions was 8TeV,
reached in 2012.
NEW SUPER METAL DISCOVERED

Scientists in Japan have discovered a new state of
matter called the Jahn-Teller-metal that appears to be
an insulator, superconductor, metal and magnet all
rolled into one. The research could help develop new
molecular materials that are superconductors at even
higher temperatures.
SCIENTISTS LOCATE FARTHEST GALAXY

In a first in the history of Indian Air Force, a Mirage
2000, supersonic fighter jet of Indian Air Force landed
successfully on Yamuna Expressway in U P on May 21as
part of developing road runway for emergency landing.
NAVY GETS NEW SUBMARINESINDHUKIRTI

INS Sindhukirti, the Russia made diesel electric
submarine of Indian Navy, was launched for sea trials on
May 21, after successful completion of retrofitting at
Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam.
JOINT NAVAL EXERCISE WITH SINGAPORE

Indian Navy along with The Republic of Singapore
Navy conducted the annual Singapore-Indian
Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX), from 23 to 26
May in sea east of Singapore.
AKASH JOINS INDIAN ARMY

The Army inducted on May 5 its first regiment of the
indigenously-developed Akash surface-to-air missile
system, capable of targeting a multitude of aerial threats
up to a range of 25 km.
Astronomers have found the most distant exceptionally

luminous galaxy, EGS-zs8-1, located some 13.1 billion
light-years away from Earth. This is the largest distance
ever measured between Earth and another galaxy.
The light from distant galaxies we see via today's
advanced telescopes travels for billions of years before it
reaches us - so we're seeing what those galaxies looked
like billions of years ago.
MESSENGER CRASHES IN TO MERCURY

NASA's Messenger spacecraft has ended a four-year
mission to Mercury by crashing into the planet after
running out of fuel. Messenger (an acronym for MErcury
Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and
Ranging) was launched in 2004 and travelled more than
6 years before it started orbiting Mercury in March,
2011. It was the first spacecraft to orbit the planet
closest to the sun.
FIRST FULLY WARM-BLOODED FISH
INS Sardar Patel, new naval base commissioned in

Porbandar, Gujarat for better coordination of ships,
submarines deployed in coastal regions of Gujarat.
Indian Navy's latest anti-submarine warfare class
stealth corvette, the INS Kavaratti was launched on
May 19 at Kolkata
ISRO MAKES INDIAs GPS- GAGAN

ISRO and Airports Authority of India have implemented
the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation-GAGAN
project as a Satellite Based Augmentation System
(SBAS) for the Indian Airspace. It will be also be useful
for intelligent transportation, maritime, highways,
railways, surveying, geodesy, security agencies, telecom
industry, personal users of position location
applications etc
OPAH FISH
Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, USA, discovered the worlds first fully
warm-blooded fish species named Opah. These fish are
found in the deep waters off the US, Australia and
several other countries.
India has reached to sixth position, up from 10th last

year, in terms of publishing scientific research papers
in different journals in the world.
Microsoft launched Edu-Cloud, a cloud computingbased offering to enhance digital learning and
teaching in schools and higher education institutions.
19
APRIL 2015
JOINT INDO-FRENCH NAVAL EXERCISE
MARCH 2015
ASTRA MISSILE TEST FIRED SUCCESSFULLY
14th
The
Indo-French Naval Exercise named VARUNA-15
commenced off the coast of Goa. The French Navy will
be led by the Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle and the
Indian Navy by the Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat.
INS VISAKHAPATNAM LAUNCHED

INS Visakhapatnam, the Indian Navy's most powerful
indigenously built stealth destroyer was launched into
water at Mazagaon Dock in Mumbai. The Kolkata class
warship will be inducted in Navy for operations in 2018.
INDIA TO TAKE PART IN TALL SHIPS RACE

INS Tarangini, the sail training ship of the Indian Navy
left Kochi on an eight-month-long voyage through
Europe to participate in the annual Tall Ships Races and
other events organised under the aegis of Sail Training
International.
AKRAMAN II CONDUCTED IN RAJASTHAN

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

Two Russian-made Mi-17 V5 military helicopters,
capable of withstanding small arms fire and operating in
a nuclear disaster, were inducted into the Border
Security Force. The helicopters will be used mainly in
operations in the Maoist-affected areas and along the
India-China border.
INDIA GETS ITS FIRST SCORPENE SUBMARINE

The first of the six India-France joint venture Scorpene
stealth submarines was launched for sea trials from the
Mazagon Docks Limited in Mumbai. It has been named
INS Kalvari, after a deep sea tiger shark. It will be
formally inducted into the Indian Navy in 2016.
India test-fired its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface

Agni-III ballistic missile, with a range of over 3,000
km, from the ITR near Chandipur in Odisha.
India successfully test-fired the nuclear-weapon
capable Dhanush missile for its full range of 350
kms, off the Odisha coast.
An integrated Indian Army-Air Force operational war
exercise code named Bramhshira was conducted in
the Suratgarh area in Rajasthan in last week of April.
Japan's state-of-the-art Maglev train clocked a new
world speed record in a test run, smashing through
the 600 kilometre per hour mark it had made earlier.
The indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR)

air-to-air missile, Astra, was successfully launched from
a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft to hit a simulated target at
the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha.
The all-weather missile developed by DRDO can engage
and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speed (1.2
Mach to 1.4 Mach) in head-on (up to 80 km) and tailchase (up to 20 km) modes.
NAVY CONDUCTS TROPEX 2015

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

heavy machine guns, were commissioned by the
Indian Navy at Vishakhapatnam.
INS Alleppey, the coastal minesweeper purchased
from Russia in the 1970s, was decommissioned in
March, after nearly 35 years of service
Pakistan tested its Shaheen-III Surface to Surface
Ballistic Missile, having a strike range of 2750 kms.
IRNSS 1D LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY

On March 29, India took another step towards putting in
place an alternative to the American GPS by putting in
orbit IRNSS-1D (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite
System), the fourth of the seven satellites that would
form a navigation satellite network.
The IRNSS -1D weighing 1,425kg was placed in a subgeostationary orbit by the Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle (PSLV-C27) launched from Satish Dhawan
Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
INDIAs POLAR REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE

India's first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle (PROVe),
indigenously built by National Insti-tute of Ocean
Technology (NIOT), was made operati-onal for research
in Marchin "Priyadarshini lake" on the Schirmacher
Oasis in North Antarctica.
20
ROTAVAC
VACCINE
AGAINST
DIARRHOEA
Indias first indigenously developed and manufac-tured

rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac, was launched in New Delhi.
The vaccine will boost efforts to combat infant mortality
due to diarrhoea. Rotavirus is the most common cause
of severe diarrhoea among infants and young children
WIRELESS TRANSFERR OF ELECTRIC POWER

In a breakthrough, Japanese researchers have successfully transmitted electric power wirelessly to a
pinpointed target using microwaves, an advance that
brings space-based solar power closer to reality.
JAPAN TO INVEST $100 BILLION IN ASIA

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced a
$110 billion investment plan for infrastructure projects
in Asia in an apparent counter to China's move to launch
a new development bank - Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank.
A PAINTING SOLD FOR Rs 1,155 CRORE
NASA's Opportunity Rover on Mars has become the

first human-made vehicle that has completed 11
years marathon in a record time.
INTERNATIONAL
MAY 2015
USA TOPS IN COMPETITIVENESS
A study of 61 countries by the Swiss business school
IMD on the parameters of competitiveness shows that
the USA continues to enjoy top position, followed by
Hong Kong, Singapore and Switzerland. The rankings
were based on four aspects - Economic performance,
government efficiency, business efficiency and
infrastructure.
IRELAND APPROVES SAME SEX MARRIAGE

The Republic of Ireland became the first country in the
world to legalise same-sex marriage through popular
vote, passing a referendum on May 23 on the issue with
a resounding 62.1 per cent Yes, despite the fact that 84
percent of countrys population is Catholic.
U K GETS ITS 4th HEIR TO THE THRONE
A painting from Pablo Picasso set a world record for

auction of a work of art, selling for $179.4 million (about
Rs. 1,155 crore) at an auction by Christies at New York.
The oil painting is a vibrant, cubist depiction of nude
courtesans
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY

May 3 is observed every year as the World Press
Freedom Day to assert that freedom of the press and
freedom of expression are fundamental human rights.
This years theme is Let Journalism Thrive!
China overtook the United States as the world's top
Prince William of UK Royalty was blessed with his

second baby as his wife Kate Middleton, the Duchess of
Cambridge gave birth to a baby girl on April 2 at a
London hospital. The new baby is fourth-in-line to the
throne, behind her grandfather Prince Charles, father
Prince William and brother Prince George. The baby
named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana will be known as Her
Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.
importer of crude oil for the first time in April, and its
purchases are expected to grow further.
The 68th World Health Assembly held in Geneva,
Switzerland from 18 to 27 May, 2015. India was
given the Presidency of the Assembly.
Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands, 1500 kms
east of African mainland, became the 161st member
of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
NATO forces launched the Arctic Challenge Exercise
in the Arctic sea north of Europe on May 26, involving
115 fighter planes & 3600 troops from nine countries.
The United States economic growth slowed sharply in
the first quarter of the year to just 0.2% due to the
slowdown by unusually foul winter weather.
68th Cannes Film Festival held at Cannes, France
from 13 to 24 May
World Asthma Day observed on 5 May 2015. This
years theme is You Can Control Your Asthma
21
APRIL 2015
LANDMARK IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL SIGNED
After marathon talks in Lausanne, Switzerland, world
powers and Iran have agreed on the framework of a
historic deal aimed at curbing Irans nuclear drive.
It marks a major breakthrough in a 12-year standoff
between Iran and the Western powers that have long
feared of Iran wanting to build a nuclear bomb.
Iran agreed to the deal in return for lifting tough
sanctions. The outline agreed now has to be finalized in a
highly complex agreement by June 30.
W B TO FOCUS ON AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
Air Canada to resume direct flights between Toronto
and Delhi from the coming winter season. The flights

were discontinued in 2005.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was honoured with the
Nishan-e-Pakistan, highest Pak civilian award, during
his recent official visit to Pakistan.
Around 900 illegal migrants trying to reach Europe
were feared killed after their boat capsized in the
Mediterranean sea, off the Libyan coast.
Official data released by China shows that the
countrys GDP grew at its slowest pace in six years in
the first quarter of 2015, at just 7 per cent.
Palestine formally joined the International Criminal
Court (ICC), raising hopes of a possible prosecution of
Israelis for alleged war crimes.
MARCH 2015
150 KILLED IN GERMAN PLANE CRASH
Flight 4U 9525 of Germanwings went crashing into a
mountainside in French Alps on March 24, killing all 150
persons aboard as apparently its pilot Andreas Lubitz
deliberately sent the aircraft crashing as a case of
suicide and mass murder.
The World Bank launched Pollution Management and
Environmental Health (PHEM) program on Global
Citizen Earth Day (April 18) to focus primarily on air
quality management in countries facing rapid
urbanization and on tackling water and land pollution.
EBOLA CLAIMS 10,800 LIVES

The World Health Organisation has said that more than
26,000 people have been infected with Ebola since the
outbreak began in December, 2013 and more than
10,800 have died, almost all of them in Guinea, Liberia
and Sierra Leone.
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TO JOIN ASIAN BANK

France, Germany and Italy have followed the UK in
joining the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB). With their joining it, the total
number of the bank's member states, including India,
has gone up to 30.
The AIIB is an international financial institution formed
to provide support to infrastructure projects in Asia. It is
expected to be formally established by the end of this year.
INDIA IS LARGEST IMPORTER OF WEAPONS
GLOBAL FINANCIAL INCLUSION REACHES 62%

As per Global Findex, a global database to study
financial inclusion, the percentage of adults with an
account increased from 51 per cent to 62 per cent
between 2011 and 2014, a trend driven by rise in
account ownership in developing countries and the role
of technology.
WORLD TRADE TO GROW BY 3.3%

A World Trade Organization (WTO) forecast says that
the global goods trade will grow by 3.3 percent in the
year 2015 and by 4.0 percent in 2016, mainly due to
sluggish economic growth caused by falling oil prices,
currency volatility and the slowdown in major emerging
economies.
World Haemophilia Day was observed globally on
17th April, 2015 with the theme Building a Family of
Support.
A report by Sweden-based think-tank Stockholm

International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reveals
that India has is the worlds largest buyer of weapons
and military equipment, accounting for 15% of all such
international imports during 2010-14. Saudi Arabia,
China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan, are
the next four biggest global importers.
22
GANDHI STATUE UNVEILED IN LONDON

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

Once again, no Indian university made it to the list of top
100 most prestigious global universities in the latest
world reputation ranking of the 100 most prestigious
universities by Times Higher Education of UK. The
rankings placed Harvard University, USA at the top,
followed by the University of Cambridge and the
University of Oxford in the second and third place
respectively.
RECORD FALL IN WORLD FOOD PRICES

Global food prices fell to a nearly five-year low in
February this year on increased supply of key food
items and strong US dollar, says a report from Food and
Agriculture Organisation-FAO. Food prices averaged at
179.4 points in February, down from 208.6 points in
February 2014.
The FAO's Food Price Index is a trade-weighted index that
tracks prices of five major food commodity groups on
international markets - cereals, meat, dairy products,
vegetable oils and sugar.
INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY

International Womens Day was observed across the
world on 8 March 2015. United Nations declared this
years theme as Make it Happen to encourage effective
action for advancing and recognizing women.
Food and Agriculture Organisation observed March

21 as the International Day of Forests, with the
theme Forests and Climate Change.
PERSONS IN NEWS
MAY 2015
ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA: SBI
Chairperson and ICICI Banks MD
Chanda Kochhar figure at 30th and
35th place in the worlds top 100
powerful women list by Forbes. Two
other Indian women in the list are
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD of
Biocon Ltd and Shobhana Bhartia,
Chief of the Hindustan Times Group at 85th and 93rd
rank, respectively.
The list is topped by German chancellor Angela Merkel,
followed by Hilary Clinton and Milinda Gates.
ARUNA SHANBAUG: A former nurse who lived in a

vegetative state for the past 42 years after being
brutally sexually assaulted at KEM Hospital, Mumbai
died on May 18. She became the face of the debate on
euthanasia in India.
MANABI BANDOPADHYAY: She became the first
transgender in India to head an educational institute
when she took over as principal of Krishnagar Women's
College in Nadia district, West Bengal.
BARACK OBAMA: On 20 May 2015, he entered
Guinness Book of World Record for reaching a million
followers in a span of mere 5 hours after going live on
Twitter, @POTUS account named for the in-house
acronym derived from President of the United States.
MOHAMMED MORSI: Deposed Egyptian President was
in news as he along with his 100 supporters was
sentenced to death by a court in Cairo in connection
with a mass jail break in 2011.
APRIL 2015
VISWANATHAN ANAND, the
Chess Grand Master of India now
has a planet named after him,
called '4538 Vishyanand'. The
planet is a minor one discovered
by Kenzo Suzuki of Japan in
Toyota Observatory in 1988 but
it was unnamed until now.
A minor planet is an astronomical
object which is neither a planet nor a comet. They are
dwarf planets which have been archived by the Minor
Planet Centre.
MALALA YOUSAFZAI: Pakistan's teenage education
activist and the worlds youngest Nobel Peace Prize
winner was in news as an asteroid-316201, orbiting the
sun between the Mars and the Jupiter, discovered by a
US astronomer, has been named after her.
RAJA RAJESWARI: She is the first India-born woman to
be appointed as a criminal court judge in the New York
City.
MOHAMMED MORSY: Ousted President of Egypt was in
news as an Egyptian criminal court sentenced him 20
years in prison over the killing of protesters in 2012.
MUSTAFA KAMAL: He resigned from the post of
President of the International Cricket Council. He is also
the President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
ANA JARA: Prime Minister of Peru was sacked after she
lost the vote of confidence in Congress. She was
censured for alleged spying of several key personalities.
23
MARCH 2015
VENKATRAMAN RAMAKRISHNAN:
The
Indian-American
scientist,
whose pioneering work in molecular
biology won him the 2009 Nobel
Prize in Chemistry, has been elected
to head Britain's prestigious Royal
Society, an association of the world's
most distinguished scientists.
APPOINTMENTS
MAY 2015
PRADEEP KUMAR SINHA: New
Cabinet Secretary. Usually senior most
IAS officer is appointed to this post.
Dr. S CHRISTOPHER: Director General of DRDO. He is
also the Secretary, Department of Defence Research
K.V. KAMATH:
Eminent
banker was appointed as
head of the 50 billion dollars
New Development Bank
being set up by the five
emerging economies of
BRICS
group,
with
SMRITI IRANI: Union HRD Minister has been named the

Young Global Leader from India by the World Economic
Forum (WEF), Switzerland
M. C. MARY KOM: Veteran boxer
from Manipur has been appointed a
brand ambassador for north-east
India to promote the region in the rest
of the country and abroad.
headquarters at Shanghai
ARUN SHRIVASTAVA: Managing Director & CEO of
Syndicate Bank.
SAIF ALI KHAN: Visit Britain, the national tourism

agency for Britain, has announced the appointment of
the Nawab of Pataudi, Saif Ali Khan, as the spokesperson
for the Bollywood Britain tourism campaign in India.
G MOHAN KUMAR: Union Defence Secretary
AZIZ QUERESHI: Governor of Mizoram was sacked By

the President without assigning any specific reasons.
NEW GOVERNORS APPOINTED
TIM COOK: CEO of the IT giant Apple Inc has

announced to donate his entire wealth totalling to $ 785
million to charity.
CHRISTINE LAGARDE: Managing Director of the
International Monetary Fund was in news as she visited
India in March.
M J JOSEPH: Appointed as the Controller General of

Accounts (CGA) in the Union Ministry of Finance.
Tathagata Roy: Governor of Tripura

Draupadi Murmu: Governor of Jharkhand, first tribal
women to become Governor
V Shanmuganthan: Governor of Meghalaya
J P Rakkhowa: Governor of Arunachal Pradesh

Lt Gen (retd) Nirbhay Sharma: Governor of Mizoram
MOHAMED NASHEED: Former Maldivian President was

sentenced to 13-year imprisonment by a criminal court
of Maldive over the detention of a judge in 2012.
Syed Ahmed: Governor of Manipur
MARK LIPPERT: The US ambassador to South Korea

was in news as he suffered a knife attack by a pro-North
Korean activist.
ACHAL KUMAR JYOTI: appointed as the new Election

Commissioner (EC), he is a retired IAS officer from
Gujarat.
BILL GATES: stands atop Forbes magazine's annual list

of the world's richest people, with a net worth of 79.2
billion dollars.
MUKESH KHANNA: Appointed as the Chairperson of

the Children's Film Society of India (CFSI). He is popular
for his role of super hero Shaktimaan and also
remembered for his portrayal of Bhishma Pitamah in
tele serial Mahabharat
K V THOMAS:
Re-nominated as Chairman of
Parliaments Public Accounts Committee
SURENDER SINGH: Appointed new Director General of

Central Industrial Security Force, CISF.
ANDRZEJ DUDA: New President of Poland
DAVID GRANGER: New President of Guyana (South
America)
24
APRIL 2015
H L DATTU: Chairman, National
Judicial Appointments Commission.
He is the Chief Justice of India.
Dr. NASIM ZAIDI: New Chief Election Commissioner of
India
SITARAM YECHURY: Elected General Secretary of the
Communist Party (Marxist) of India
MOHAN KUMAR: Appointed the next Ambassador of
India to France.
SUMIT MAZUMDER: President of CII (Confederation of
Indian Industries) for 2015-16. He is the CMD of
Tractors India Ltd.
BVR MOHAN REDDY:
Elected
Chairman of NASSCOM -The
National Association of Software and
Services Companies for 2015-16. He
is the Chairman, Cyient Ltd.
VIRAT KOHLI: Goodwill Ambassador of Uttarakhand.
PEDRO CATERIANO BELLIDO: New Prime Minister of
Peru
OMAR AL-BASHIR: Re-elected as President of Sudan
NURSULTAN NAZARBAYEV: Re-elected as President of
Kazakhstan
MUHAMMADU BUHARI: Elected
President of Nigeria. A former
military ruler, he is the first
opposition candidate to win a
presidential election in Nigeria.
MARCH 2015
KSHATRAPATI SHIVAJI: Chairman and Managing
Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India.
ARUN KUMAR SINGH: Indias next Ambassador to the
USA, An Indian Foreign Service officer, currently
Ambassador to France.
JAGMOHAN DALMIYA: President of the BCCI
VIKAS SWARUP: The new spokesperson for the
External Affairs Ministry.
K M MANI: Kerala Finance Minister has been appointed
Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State
Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Re-elected Prime Minister of
Israel.
AWARDS & HONOURS

MAY 2015
THE ORDER OF THE RISING
SUN, GOLD AND SILVER
STAR: Japan's highest civilian
award was conferred on
eminent scientist CNR Rao for
his outstanding contributions
to Science and Indo-Japan
Science cooperation. Shri Rao
was honoured with Bharat
Ratna in 2013.
Pt. HARIDUTT SHARMA AWARD: To senior T V
journalist Anuradha Prasad for her contribution in the
field of Journalism
NATIONAL FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE AWARDS: 35
Nurses selected from all over India were honoured with
this prize by the President of India on International
Nurses Day May 12, birthday of Florence Nightingale,
founder of modern nursing.
COMMONWEALTH SHORT STORY PRIZE 2015:
Srinagar-born novelist Siddhartha Gigoo won the prize
for Asia region for his work Umbrella Man, a tale of
surreal meditation on mental health and the
environment
WHITLEY AWARDS: (also known as Green Oscar)
won by two Indians, Dr Ananda Kumar and Dr Pramod
Patil for their contribution to wildlife conservation.
PALME d'Or: Award for best
feature film at the Cannes Film
Festival won by the French
thriller Dheepan, directed by
Jacques Audiard, spotlighting the
plight of traumatised refugees
from Sri Lanka.
Neeraj Ghaywans directorial debut Masaan, won two
awards at the Cannes Film Festival, - International Jury
of Film Critics prize and Promising Future prize in the
Un Certain Regard section.
MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE 2015: Laszlo
Krasznahorkai, Hungarian writer has won Britains
prestigious life time achievement award for literature.
This prize is given once in two years.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION COURAGE AWARD: won
by the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. The
award is given by the PEN American Center.
25
APRIL 2015
FBB FEMINA MISS INDIA WORLD 2015 RESULTS
The finals were held in Mumbai in March, 2015
Miss World:
Aditi Arya
First Runner-up:
Aafreen Rachel Vaz
Second runner-up: Vartika Singh
GOLDEN PEACOCK NATIONAL QUALITY AWARD:
Delhi International Airport Limited. The award is given
for corporate excellence by the Institute of Directors,
India.
Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award:
Balbir Singh Senior, legendary hockey player, member
of three Olympic gold medal winning teams. The award
was given by the apex sports body i.e. Hockey India.
The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015: won by
the Bharatiya Mahila Bank at Hong Kong
HEINZ AWARD IN TECHNOLOGY: Sangeeta Bhatia, an
Indian-origin scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), USA.
INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD: Dr
Subadhra Devi Rai, an Indian-origin nurse in Singapore.
The award is given by the Florence Nightingale
International Foundation (FNIF) of the International
Council of Nurses.
'Margarita with a Straw', a disability based Indian film,
directed by Sonali Bose has bagged the best feature film
honour at the recently concluded Washington DC
International Film festival in USA
MARCH 2015
62nd NATIONAL FILM AWARDS, 2014
Best Feature Film: Court (multilingual) by Chaitanya
Tamhane
Best
Popular
Film
providing
Wholesome
Entertainment: Mary Kom by Omung Kumar
Best Hindi Film: Queen by Vikas Bahl
Best Director: Srijit Mukherjee for Shotushkone
Best Actor: Vijay for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada)
Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut for Queen
DADA SAHEB PHALKE AWARD: Actor-filmmaker
Shashi Kapoor (77), who has starred in over 100 Hindi
films and best known for his powerful portrayals in hits
like Namak Halaal, Deewar and Kabhie Kabhie.
The Award consists of a Swarn Kamal (Golden Lotus), a
cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs and a shawl.
INTERNATIONAL GANDHI PEACE PRIZE 2014:
awarded to ISRO for their contribution in bringing space
to the service of the common man and in the service of
the nation. The award was instituted by govt of India in
1995 on the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of
Mahatma Gandhi. The Award comprises an amount of Rs.
one crore and a citation.
SARASWATI SAMMAN 2014: M. Veerappa Moily,

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader for
his Kannada poem Ramayana Mahanveshanam.
FOLIO PRIZE 2015: Novelist Akhil Sharma for his
novel Family Life. The prize is given by the Folio
Academy of UK.
GOLDEN GATE AWARD: Kerala Tourism at the
Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB-Berlin)
2015, Germany for its global multimedia campaign to
promote its backwaters.
KNIGHT OF THE ORDER OF ARTS AND LETTERS:
Artist Bharti Kher of India was conferred the Chevalier
dans lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres in French, the
highest cultural award of France.
STOCKHOLM WATER PRIZE: Rajendra Singh, eminent
environment activist from Rajasthan for his innovative
water restoration efforts and extraordinary courage to
empower communities in Indian villages.
The prize is awarded by the King of Sweden and carries a
cash prize of $ 150000 and a specially designed sculpture.
ABEL PRIZE for 2015: US mathematician John F Nash
Jr and Canada-born American national Louis Nirenberg,
for their contributions to mathematical sciences.
GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE: Nancie Atwell, a teacher
from the USA. It is the worlds first $1 million prize set up
by the Varkey Foundation of USA to recognise one
exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding
contribution to the profession.
MO IBRAHIM PRIZE: Hifikepunye Pohamba, ex
President of Namibia for excellent leadership. The five
million dollar award is given each year to an elected
leader who governed well, raised living standards and
then left office.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

MAY 2015
A Practitioners Diary by Pradip Baijal
Me Hijra Me Laxmi by Laxminarayan Tripathi,
autobiography of a transgender, a crusader for rights of
LGBT community.
Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar,
Gandhi at First Sight by Thomas Weber
India Central Asia Relations by Amiya Chandra
More Bad Time Tales by Humra Quraishi.
Unbelievable Delhi to Islamabad by senior Advocate
Prof. Bhim Singh
26
Worlds Best Boyfriend by Durjoy Datta

Your Dreams are Mine Now by Ravinder Singh
The Past Before Us by Romila Thapar
At Home in India- The Muslim Saga by Salman
Khurshid
Green Signals: Ecology, Growth and Democracy in India
by Jairam Ramesh, ex Union Minister for environment
APRIL 2015
Water, Peace, and War Confronting the Global
Water Crisis by Brahma Chellaney;
No Free Left The Futures of Indian Communism
by Vijay Prashad
KP: The Autobiography by Kevin Pietersen.
India Shastra Reflections on the Nation in Our
Time by Shashi Tharoor
Secularism, Identity, and Enchantment by Akeel
Bilgrami
At The Helm A Memoir by V. Krishnamurthy
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Mightier Than the Sword by Jeffrey Archer
MARCH 2015
On Religion by Late Khushwant Singh
God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the
Vatican by Gerald Posner
Prince of Gujarat by Rajmohan Gandhi
Sahib: the British Soldier in India by Richard Holmes
Scion of Ikshvaku by Amish Tripathi. He is the author
of the immensely popular Shiva Trilogy. His next series
is on Lord Rama and this one is the first in the new
series.
Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy- Speaker's Persp-ective
by Smt. Meira Kumar, former Speaker, Lok Sabha
'The Modi Effect: Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign to
Transform India' by Lance Price
OBITUARY
MAY 2015
AMITABHA CHOWDHURY: Veteran journalist, writer
and renowned Tagore researcher passed away in
Kolkata on May 2 at the age of 88. He was associated
with three leading Bengali dailies Anandabazar Patrika,
Jugantar and Aajkal for more than three decades.
AMALENDU GUHA: Noted historian, social scientist,
academician and author passed away in Guwahati on
May 7 at the age of 91 after a protracted illness.
SUDHA SHIVPURI: Popular Indian stage, film and
television actress died on 20 May at the age of 77. She
was very popular for her role as Baa in the longest
running TV show Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi,
B.B. KING: One of the most famous electric guitar
players of all time, died in Las Vegas, USA at the age of
89. Famous as the King of the Blues, he won 15 Grammy
awards.
JOHN FORBES NASH JR: A
mathematical genius whose
struggle with schizophrenia
was chronicled in the 2001
movie "A Beautiful Mind,"
died along with his wife in a
car crash in New Jersey, USA.
He was 86. He won the Nobel
Prize in Economics in 1994
for his work in game theory.
He won Abel Prize for Mathematics for 2015.
MICHAEL BLAKE: The Oscar-winning US author passed
away; famous for his novel Dances with Wolves
APRIL 2015
JANAKI BALLABH PATNAIK: Senior Congress leader,
former 3-time Odisha Chief Minister and ex-Assam
Governor passed away at the age of 89.
MALLI MASTAN BABU: World famous ace mountaineer
from Hyderabad, who had gone missing in the Andes
Mountains ranges in Chile, South America during a
climbing mission, was found dead.
KAILASH VAJPEYI: Renowned Hindi poet passed away
at the age of 79. He was editor of the popular Hindi
magazine Dharmyug.
JAYAKANTHAN: Tamil novelist and short story writer
(81), Gyanpith awardee, died in Chennai.
27
HRUSHIKESH MOOLGAONKAR: Retired Air Chief

Marshal, recipient of Param Vishisht Seva medal and
Mahaveer Chakra, passed away in Pune at the age of 95.
GUENTER GRASS: German novelist, the Nobel Prizewinning author of The Tin Drum, an epic treatment of
the Nazi era, died at the age of 87.
RICHIE BENAUD: Former Australian captain and
legendary cricket commentator
CHRISTOPHER ALAN BAYLY: An eminent historian
and teacher, known for his work on colonial and postcolonial India, died in Chicago.
MARCH 2015
VINOD MEHTA: Distinguished editor and commentator
who successfully launched a number of newspapers and
magazines, including the Outlook. He wrote his
autobiography Lucknow Boy: A Memoir.
D.K. RAVI: A young IAS officer was found dead under
mysterious circumstances at his apartment in
Bengaluru. The huge crowd of mourners bore testimony
to the goodwill he had earned by taking on the powerful
land mafia when he was Deputy Commissioner of Kolar
district till 2014.
LEE KUAN YEW: Great statesman and founding father
of modern Singapore passed away in March, after
dominating the politics of Singapore for over 50 years.
TERRY PRATCHETT: Famous British author, creator of
the science fantasy Discworld novels. He won worldwide
fame and a cult following his Discworld novels about a
flat, parallel universe balanced on the back of four
elephants which stand on the shell of a giant turtle.
PLACES IN NEWS
MAY 2015
PALMYRA: Ancient city in Syria was in news as the
militants of the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
seized its full control on May 21. It is an oasis in the
Syrian Desert and is a World Heritage Site because of its
ancient architecture.
MARIA ELENA SOUTH: Place in the Atacama Desert in
Chile has been discovered as the driest place on the
Earth. This site is dry as Mars and has a mean
atmospheric Relative Humidity (RH) of 17.3 percent and
a soil RH of a constant 14% at a depth of one meter.
BUENOS AIRES: According to a recent study by the
World Cities Cultural Forum, this capital city of
Argentina, with around 700 bookstores has more
bookstores per capita than any other major city in the
world.
APRIL 2015
PURNIA: The city in Bihar was in news as around 70
persons were killed there and in surrounding areas due
to a sudden cyclone that left over 2,000 people injured.
NIMRUD: Historical city of Syria was in news as the
Islamic State militants have been destroying rare
ancient relics there, dating back to the 13th century BC,
saying that they promote idolatry which violates their
fundamentalist interpretation of the Islamic law.
GARISSA: The town in Kenya was in news as at least
150 students were massacred there when Somalia's Al Shabaab Islamist militant group raided the Garissa
University campus.
CALBUCO VOLCANO of Chile erupted twice on 22 April
and 23 April 2015 after 42 years. Tonnes of ash rained
down following two volcanic eruptions leading to
declaration of state of emergency by the govt.
TURRIALBA VOLCANO in Costa Rica, South America,
erupted, producing a column of ash, gas, and water
vapor that reached some 6,500 feet over the volcanos
crater, forcing the closure of the airport in the capital
city San Jose.
MARCH 2015
BACHHRAWAN: The town near Rae Bareli, UP was in
news as two coaches of the Dehradun-Varanasi Janta
Express derailed there, killing around 40 persons and
injuring over 150 others.
HYDERABAD: According to the Mercer Quality of Living
Rankings 2015, Austrian capital Vienna is the city with
the best quality of living in the world, while Hyderabad,
ranked 138th, was the best Indian city to live in.
DIMAPUR: The city in Nagaland was in news as
thousands of protesters stormed the central jail there
and dragged out Syed Sarifuddin Khan, accused of
raping a 20-year-old Naga student, and lynched him to
death, after brutally thrashing him.
ZOKHAWTHAR: The small town in Champhai district of
Mizoram was in news as a land customs station was
inaugurated there at the Indo-Myanmar border.
SANAA: The capital of Yemen was in news as over 150
persons, mainly Shia muslims were killed there in the
bomb attacks by the Sunny militants of the IS group.
TUNIS: The capital of Tunisia was in news as Islamic
militants stormed its Bardo National Museum killing 17
foreign tourists and three Tunisians.
CYCLONE PAM: A super cyclone slammed the south
Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, east of Australia, leaving
complete devastation in its wake.
28
SPORTS WORLD
MAY 2015
19th FEDERATION CUP National Senior Athletic
Championships held in Mangalore, Karnataka.
Mens team title won by the Indian Army team and
Kerala won in the womens category.
The event is dubbed as a selection trial for the Asian
Athletics Championships at Wuhan (China).
5th National women hockey championship:
Railways won the title by beating Jharkhand at Saifai,
Uttar Pradesh
VIKAS GOWDA: Ace Indian discus thrower won gold in
the Jamaican International Invitation meet in Kingston,
capital of Jamaica with a throwing distance of 65.14 mts.
He also won a bronze medal in the IAAF Diamond
League series in Shanghai.
JITU RAI: Ace marksman was declared the
Sportsperson of the Year' by the Times of India Sports
Awards
Geeta Phogat and Lalita Sherawat, each won a bronze
medal in the women's freestyle category in the Senior
Asian Wrestling Championship held at Doha, UAE.
International Shooting Competition: India's top rifle
shooters have won a rich haul of three gold and two
bronze medals at this competition held in Hannover,
Germany. Chain Singh, Abhinav Bindra and Gagan
Narang won the gold and Apurvi Chandela along with
Gagan Narang won the bronze.
Indian boxers completed a brilliant run at the Doha
International Boxing Tournament, winning four gold,
one silver and two bronze medals in the event.
Gagan Narang won the bronze medal in the 50 metre
Rifle Prone Event of the ISSF World Cup at Fort Benning
in the USA
Tejaswini Sagar, Indian school girl won her maiden
world title by bagging the gold in the under-15 category
of World School Chess Championships held in Pattaya,
Thailand.
Mumbai Indians won their second IPL title defeating
Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs at Eden Gardens in
Kolkata on May 24.
Womens World Team Chess Championship: won by
Georgia beating China at Chengdu, China. India's D
Harika and K Humpy won the silver and bronze medal
respectively, in individual category.
Kumar Sangakkara, former Sri Lanka captain was
named as the CEAT International Cricketer of the Year
2015
Ajinkya Rahane, Indian batsman was named as the

CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year 2015.
Nico Rosberg of Germany won the Monaco Grand Prix
Formula 1 World Championship held in Monaco on May
24. He also won the Spanish Grand Prix F1
championship at Barcelona, Spain
MONEY WINS THE FIGHT OF THE CENTURY
American boxer Floyd
Mayweather Jr. (Money) of
USA
defeated
Manny
Pacquiao from Philippines
to win the unified World
Welterweight title. The
legendary bout termed as
Fight of the Century took
place on May 2 at Las
Vegas, USA. This was one of the most hyped fights in
the history of boxing, generating revenues of around
$400 millions. Mayweather is expected to take home
$180 million and Manny $ 120 million as prize money.
A welterweight boxer's weight is greater than 63.5 kg
(140 lb), but less than 67 kg (147 lb).
Novak Djokovic won the Rome Masters Tennis title
with beating Roger Federer in Rome, Italy. Womens
singles title was won by Maria Sharapova by beating
Carla Suarez of Spain.
Madrid Masters Men's Singles Title: Andy Murray
beats Rafael Nadal to win the title.
Women's Singles title: Czech player Petra Kvitova
defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia
World Team Chess Championship-Mens: China won
the championship leaving Ukraine at second place at
Tsaghkadzor, Armenia
Australian Open Badminton tournament begins in
Sydney from May 26
APRIL 2015
Sania Mirza created history by becoming the first
Indian female tennis player to achieve the world
number one rank in doubles, following her stupendous
title win at the WTA Family Circle Cup with partner
Martina Hingis, at Charleston in the USA.
India won the bronze in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
(Hockey) at Ipoh in Malaysia by beating Korea. The
tournament was won by New Zealand
Jitu Rai of India won the bronze medal in the men's 10metre air pistol event at the ISSF Shooting World Cup at
Changwon, S Korea. Apurvi Chandela won the bronze
in womens 10-metre air pistol event.
Rakesh Kumar and Harpal Singh won gold in mens
category and S Sarjubala and Pinki Jangra clinched
gold in womens category at the 22nd President's Cup
Open International Boxing Tournament in Indonesia.
29
Dronavalli Harika, Indian Grandmaster won the

bronze medal in the World Women's chess
championships in Sochi, Russia.
Badminton Asia Championship: Lin Dan of China won

the cup by beating compatriot Tian Houwei at Wuhan,
China.
India won Gold and a Bronze at the Asian Indoor

Rowing Championship held in Pattaya, Thailand.
Shamkir Chess Tournament: Magnus Carlsen of

Norway won the tournament by defeating Rauf
Mamedov in Shamkir city of Azerbaijan on 26 April
2015.
5th Senior Mens National Hockey Championship won

by Railways team beating Uttar Pradesh in Pune,
Maharashtra.
SACHIN TENDULKAR: Indian batting legend was
inducted into the prestigious Laureus Sports Academy
in a glittering ceremony at Shanghai.
Three Indian race walkers, Khushbir Kaur, Manish
Rawat and Sandeep Kumar have qualified for 2016 Rio
Olympics.
The 8th edition of the grand cricket extravaganza IPL
2015 began with a grand opening ceremony at the Salt
Lake Stadium, Kolkata in April.
The Chinnaswamy cricket stadium in Bengaluru has
become the first cricket venue in the country to have a
roof top solar power plant.
Sim Bhullar has become the first player of Indian
descent to play in the high-profile National Basketball
Association (NBA) league in the USA, making his debut
for Sacramento Kings. The 22 years old 7-foot-5-inch
Sim was born in Toronto, Canada.
Laureus Sportsman of the Year, 2015: Serbian tennis
star Novak Djokovic
Laureus Sportswoman of the Year, 2015: Ethiopian
sprinter Genzebe Dibaba.
Laureus is an international academy devoted to
recognizing and honouring sportspersons at the global
level, just like the Nobel Prizes. Every year, these honours
are given in seven categories.
Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine successfully defended
his world heavyweight boxing title for the 18th time in a
row by defeating his American challenger Bryant Jenn
ings in New York.
MIAMI MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP, Florida, USA
Mens singles: Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beats Andy
Murray (Britain)
Womens singles: Serena Williams (USA) beats Carla
Suarez Navarro (Spain)
Womens doubles: Sania Mirza and her Swiss teammate Martina Hingis beat Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina
Makarova, both of Russia.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Monte-Carlo Masters
title of Tennis by beating Tomas Berdych in Monaco.
Daniel Vettori: New Zealand left-arm spinner has
announced his retirement from international cricket.
Lewis Hamilton: Formula One world champion won

the Bahrain Grand Prix for the second year in a row.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes Formula 1 driver from
Britain won the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, China.
MARCH 2015
AUSTRALIA LIFTS WORLD CUP FOR 5TH TIME
Lead by Captain Michael Clark Australia beat New
Zealand by seven wickets to lift their fifth World Cup
trophy on Final played on March 29 at Melbourne,
Australia.
TOP ACHIEVERS
Man of the Tournament: Mitchell Starc, bowler from
Australia.
Man of the Match (final): James Faulkner,Australia
Top scorer Martin Guptil (New Zealand) 547
Best strike rate: B Mc Cullum (NZ) 188.5
Top wicket taker Trent Boult (NZ) and Mitchell Starc
(Aus), both 22 each
Best economy rate: Mitchell Starc (Aus) 3.5
HIGHLIGHTS OF WORLD CUP 2015

M S DHONI: By beating Bangladesh in Melbourne, he
became the first Indian captain and third in the world
history to win 100 ODI matches. He reached this
milestone in 178th ODI. The other two achievers are
Australian pair of Ricky Ponting (165 wins) and Allan
Border (107 wins).
MARTIN GUPTILL of New Zealand made the highest
score in the World Cup history with 237 not out against
West Indies in the match played at Wellington,
Australia.
KUMAR SANGAKKARA of Sri Lanka became the first
cricketer to score four successive one-day international
centuries as he scored 124 against Scotland at a World
Cup match played at Hobart, Australia. Also, he is the
only batsman having scored 4 centuries in one world
cup tournament.
Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara of Sri
Lanka have announced their retirement from the One
Day International (ODI) format of Cricket.
Pakistan cricketers Misbah-ul-Haq and Shaid Afridi
have also bid adieu to One Day International cricket.
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup will be hosted by
England and Wales in June 2019.
30
RANJI TROPHY: Defending champions Karnataka

clinched their eighth title as they thrashed Tamil Nadu
in the final played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.
SEBESTIAN VETTEL of Germany won the Malaysian

Grand Prix on March 29 at Sepang, Malaysia, beating
World Champion Lewis Hamilton of Britain.
KARNATAKA LIFTED THE IRANI CUP after beating the

Rest of India team in the finals played in Bengaluru.
DAYS AND DATES
The 69th National Football Tournament for Santosh

Trophy held at Ludhiana. The Services team won the
trophy beating the Punjab team.
The Indian team won the Women's Hockey World
League Round Two competition title by beating Poland
in New Delhi.
SAINA INDIAs FIRST WORLD NO 1

Saina Nehwal created history on March 28 as she
became the first Indian woman shuttler to attain the
world number one ranking after her closest challenger
for the spot, Spain's Carolina Marin, lost in the India
Open Super Series semifinal played in Delhi.
Later on March 29, she won the prestigious India Open
Badminton Championship at New Delhi beating
former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.
KIDAMBI SRIKANTH became the first Indian to win
the Swiss Grand Prix Gold badminton championship
beating Viktor Axelsen in Basel, Switzerland. He again
defeated Axelsen to win the India Open at New Delhi
WONDER KID CREATES ARCHERY RECORD
Two-year-old girl Cherukuli Dalli Shivani from
Vijaywada has achieved a stunning feat by setting a new
record in Archery and entering her name into the India
Book of Records. She became the youngest Indian to
score 200 points over five and seven-metre distances.
VIV BEATS SACHIN TO RANK NO 1 ODI PLAYER
West Indian star batsman Viv Richards has been voted
as the greatest ODI player in the history of cricket,
ahead of Sachin Tendulkar (second) in an online poll
conducted by ESPN cricinfos magazine Cricket
Monthly and a jury of 50 eminent cricketers.
Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic to win the
Dubai Championship title for Tennis at Dubai.
MAY
World Labour Day, Maharashtra Day
International Energy Day, World
Asthma Day
Coal Minor's Day
World Midwives Day
World Red Cross and Red Cresent Day
National Technology Day
International Family Day
World Telecom Day
National Anti Terrorism Day
World No Tobacco Day
01st May
03rd May
04th May
05th May
08th May
11th May
15th May
17th May
21st May
31st May
JUNE
International Childrens Day
World Naturist Day
World Environment Day
Fathers Day
International Yoga Day
International Olympic Day Rath Yatra
International Anti-Drugs day
World Diabetes Day
01st June
03rd June
05th June
16th June
21st June
23rd June
26th June
27th June
JULY
Architecture day / Doctors day
World Sports Journalists Day
Free 4th of July
World Zonnosis Day
International day of Co-Operatives
World Population Day
Man Walks on the Moon
Kargil Vijay Divas
01st July
02nd July
04th July
06th July
07th July
11th July
20th July
26th July
ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED

FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES
Rafael Nadal won the Argentina Open title for Tennis

defeating Juan Monaco of Argentina at Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
BNP PARIBAS OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP:
Novak Djokovic won the Men's Singles at Indian Wells,
Californea (USA) beating Roger Federer.
Womens singles title was won by Simona Halep
beating Jelena Jankovic.
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the womens
doubles title.
LEWIS HAMILTON of Britain won the Australian Grand
Prix Formula 1 race held in Melbourne, Australia.
31
32
(December 2014 February 2015)

For details please visit our website: www.gyanm.in
NATIONAL NEWS
FEBRUARY 2015
Govt has accepted the recommendations of the 14th
Finance Commission for devolution of revenue

collection from the Centre to the states
A three day Heads of the Missions Conference was
held in New Delhi from Feb 7 to 9 in New Delhi.
The 10th edition of Aero India Show concluded in
Bengaluru.
Bharti Airtel tied-up with UNICEF to provide health,
education and youth-focused content to its
customers in 17 African countries.
PETA will create India's first fenced elephant
sanctuary within the Bannerghatta Biological Park
in Karnataka.
India ranks 136TH in terms of press freedom in the
180 nations World Press Freedom Index produced
by Reporters without Borders.
Rajya Sabha was informed that 76.83 crore Aadhaar
cards have been generated till 15 February 2015
out of a total population of 121.01 crore
Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam, President of Singapore
visited India on Feb. 10 and inaugurated the
Singapore Festival in New Delhi.
18th National Conference on e-Governance held in
Gandhinagar, Gujarat from 30 to 31 January 2015.
Three postage stamps on the theme of Swachh
Bharat Mission were released on 30 January 2015
to mark the Martyrdom Day of Mahatma Gandhi.
The first National Tribal Festival VANAJ-2015 held
at New Delhi from 13 to 18 Feb., 2015.
India and Sri Lanka have agreed to explore avenues
for enhancing cooperation in oil and gas sector.
JANUARY 2015
Barrack Obama became the first U.S. President to be
the Chief Guest at the Republic Day and the first U.S.
President to visit India twice during his tenure.
For the first time an all-women contingent from the
three defence forces-Army, Air Force and Navy,

marched down in the parade.
India and the US signed MoUs for formulating action
plans for development of smart cities in Allahabad,
Ajmer and Visakhapatnam.
15 persons were conferred with Pravasi Bharatiya
Samman Award at the three day Pravasi Bhartiya
Diwas, Jan 7 to 9, held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Coins and stamps bearing images of Mahatma
Gandhi were released on Jan 8 at Pravasi Bhartiya
Diwas
Number of tigers in India increased from 1,706 in
2010 to 2,226 in 2014 where Karnataka tops the list
with 406 tigers.
India to provide Rs 6.90 crore support to Nepal for
fighting against the Iodine Deficiency Disorder
Control Programme for goitre control.
ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival, Asias biggest literary
event was held at Jaipur from 21st to 25th Jan 2015.
DSC Prize for Literature: The $50,000 prize won by
Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri for her
book, The Lowland.
Arunadhathi Subramaniam won the Khushwant
Singh Memorial Prize for poetry for her work
When God is a Traveler.
The 19th National Youth Festival began in Guwahati
on Jan 8.
In a list of 93 countries compiled by INSEAD
Business School, India has been ranked 78th in
terms of talent competitiveness of its human capital
India will provide 60 million dollars Line of Credit
to Guyana for its road infrastructure projects.
Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan came

to India on a weeklong visit.
The 13th Pune International Film Festival held at

Pune in Maharashtra from January 8 to 15.
102nd Indian Science Congress was held at Mumbai

University, Maharashtra.
Coins of Rs 100 and 5 released in the honour of Tata

Group founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata to mark
his 175th birth anniversary.
33
January 12 observed as National Youth Day on the
The first Arabic translation of the Indian
birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher

and thinker Swami Vivekananda.
Constitution launched by the Arab League in Cairo,

Egypt.
India signed an agreement on transfer of prisoners
Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid arrived in
who are completing their sentence, with Hong Kong

The first Border Haat along Tripura-Bangladesh
frontier was opened at Srinagar (Tripura) - Purba
Madhugram (Feni, Bangladesh).
Indian Railways to run an additional weekly trip of
Maitree Express train between Kolkata and Dhaka.
Kolkata on a two-day visit to West Bengal.
NEWS FROM STATES
DECEMBER 2014
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party on Feb
FEBRUARY 2015
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and

Late Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya honoured with
Bharat Ratna-country's highest civilian award.
Putin Opens Economic Doors For India: Russian

President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi to
attend the India-Russia annual summit on Dec 11.
The two leaders unveiled the Druzhba (friendship in
Russian)-Dosti' vision to strengthen the bilateral
partnership over the next decade
As per the 2014 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness
Index, India has been placed at 65th position. The

index was topped by Switzerland.
India is one of the top 3 countries that witnessed

highest outflow of black money in 2012 with about
$94.76 billion going out of the country.
As per the Corruption Perceptions Index 2014

released by the Transparency International, India
stands at 85th position among 175 countries
UNO has declared June 21 as International Yoga

Day, recognising the ancient Indian science's
"holistic approach to health and well-being."
Focusing on improving connectivity to the northeast, Central govt plans to provide Rs 28,000 crore
for laying new railway lines in the region
The Web Index 2014 which measures the internet's

contribution to social, economic and political
progress ranks India at 48th place and topped by
Denmark.
The birthday of the former Prime Minister Atal

Behari Vajpayee on the 25th of December will be
observed as National Good Governance Day.
Mahaparinirwan Diwas observed on 6 December

2014, death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.
The Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings 2015

of UK has placed Bangalore-based IISc at No. 25 in
the overall 100, topped by China's Peking
University.
Indias most prestigious Indian classical music

function The Tansen Sangeet Samaroh held at
Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
10 swept to power with 67 seats in the 70-member

Delhi Assembly, leaving only three to BJP.
Uttarakhand govt launched on Feb 7 its ambitious
Himalaya Darshan programme as part of its
ongoing efforts to boost tourism in the state.
Haryana to set up Gram Sachivalayas to bring
Gram Panchayat and village level functionaries of all
departments under one roof for better functioning.
The ten day long annual Taj Mahotsava, a cultural
extravaganza, began in Agra, UP from 18th February.
Gujarat govt. has decided to set up Plast India
International University in Vapi in partnership
with University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA.
Madhya Pradesh won the 10th National Award for
excellent work in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA).
Haryana launched e-registration of properties in all
the 130 tehsil and sub-tehsils of the State on Feb 04.
The First World Ocean Science Congress (WOSC)
was held in Kochi, Kerala from 5 to 8 February
2015.
JANUARY 2015
The Punjab state has banned the sale of loose
cigarettes (as single sticks) and loose tobacco,
becoming the first State to do so.
Jammu and Kashmir won the National eGovernance Award 2014-15 for the best districtlevel initiative for their project e-Panchayat
Scientist say that Jorhat, Assam can emerge as the
only place in the world after Kenya to become a
producer of health-rich medicinal purple tea.
Amitabh Bachchan appointed as the Brand
Ambassador for health sector in Andhra Pradesh.
Hampi Utsav Jan 9 11, cultural festival of dance,
drama, art and music held at Hampi, the erstwhile
seat of the Vijayanagar Empire in Karnataka.
Haryana has appointed yoga guru Ramdev as the

state's brand ambassador to promote yoga and
ayurveda in a big way.
34
DECEMBER 2014
Govt launched Consular Grievances Monitoring
The New Year festival of Tibetans known as Losar
System named MADAD-Because You Are Us- to

register grievances pertaining to the Consular
Services
Govt plans to construct over two crore toilets in
select villages across the country under a
programme of making India free from open
defecation by 2019.
The government plans to launch a new scheme
'Krishi Daak Service' to distribute improved seed
varieties to farmers at their doorstep, through postoffices.
Govt has constituted a three-member Special
Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Pramod
Asthana for re-investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh
riot cases.
festival is celebrated mainly in Lahaul Distt. It

denotes the start of winter session in the valley.
JANUARY 2015
Maharashtra to observe the year 2015 as Year of
Prime Minister launched the nationwide 'Beti
Digitised and Time-Bound Services to standardise,

simplify and deliver the services electronically.
Bachao-Beti Padhao' (save girl child, educate her)

campaign from Panipat in Haryana on Jan 22
Noted film actress Madhuri Dixit was roped in as
the brand ambassador of the campaign.
A special savings scheme by the name Sukanya
Samriddhi Account launched to encourage savings
for girl child.
India set a new world record on Dec 7 for forming

the largest human flag, when over fifty thousand
volunteers formed the Indian Tricolour in Chennai.
Karnataka launched Mobile one app to enable
public to access 4000 govt and a few private
services on their mobile phones just by dialling 161.
On Nov 29, Meghalaya got its first rail link when PM
Modi flagged off a train from Maligaon, Guwahati to
Mendipathar in Meghalaya, a distance of 131 kms.
Andhra govt. signed a MoU with Singapore for the

development of its new capital that is set to come
up near Vijawayada region.
Arunachal Pradesh won the Krishi Karman Award

for the year 2013-14 for showing exemplary agriperformance in 14 different categories.
Manipur to set up a Cultural University to promote
its rich cultural heritage, like Russias Moscow State
Art and Cultural University.
Militants of the National Democratic Front of
Bodoland (Songbijit) gunned down over 80 persons
in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts of Assam.
GOVT INITIATIVES
FEBRUARY 2015
In the first meeting of the Governing Council of NITI
Aayog in New Delhi, three sub groups were formed

for improved functioning of Team India.
First to study the 66 centrally-sponsored schemes
and recommend which schemes should continue,
and which to discontinue.
Second to focus on skill development and creation
of skilled manpower within states.
Third to promote implementation of the Swachh
Bharat Abhiyaan
Further, two task forces to be formed to focus on
poverty alleviation and development of agriculture.
The nationwide Soil Health Card scheme was
launched by the Prime Minister from Suratgarh,
Rajasthan on Feb 19
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched
the first National Deworming Day on Feb 10 to
reduce the threat of parasitic worm infections in
children.
To promote entrepreneurship among the Scheduled

Castes, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
launched two schemes on Jan 16:
Venture Capital Fund to provide financial
assistance up to Rs.15 crore for up to six years to SC
entrepreneurs.
Green Business Scheme to provide loans up to
Rs.1 lakh at concessional rate of interest to SCs for
running e-rickshaw, solar pumps etc.
Govt launched the Heritage City Development and

Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) to preserve and
rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country.
On Jan 1, the govt announced that the Planning

Commission has been restructured as the NITI
(National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog.
Govt plans to set up a Price Stabilisation Fund to

check price volatility through procurement of
selected perishable horticulture produce.
Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
has launched a toll-free helpline (1800-11-0031) to
assist the alcoholic and drug-dependent persons.
Govt has allowed SEZs to set up social infrastructure
like schools, hospitals and hotels also in SEZs which
can be accessed by outside people also.
Under a new initiative by North Central Railway,

rail passengers will now be able to lodge an FIR in
the train itself.
35
The Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL) scheme,
Justice G P Mathur committee set up to examine the
now called Pratyaksh Hanstantarit Labh (PAHAL),

launched in 622 districts w.e.f. Jan 1, 2015.
Govt launched 'Green India Mission' for undertaking
eco-friendly development of the rural areas.
Scheme launched for LED (light emitting diodes)
bulb distribution under Domestic Efficient Lighting
Programme (DELP) in Delhi on 5th January.
ICRISAT launched a customised low-cost
combination of phone and tablet computer
greenphablet for small farmers.
The device is powered by GreenSIM and is dust- and
shatter-proof, readable under bright sunlight;
operates from -20C to +60C.
ICRISAT: International Crops Research Institute for
the Semi-Arid Tropics. HQ: Hyderbad, Telangana
possibility of forming a Special Investigation Team

for re investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases.
India's first integrated mobile application for

women safety called Himmat' was launched in
Delhi on Jan 1.
Countrys first compressed natural gas (CNG) powered train was flagged from Rewari, Haryana on
Jan 13.
Indias first International Institute of Music will be

set up in Kerala by a trust headed by Sarod Maestro
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his family.
Department of Disability Affairs has been renamed

as Department of Empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities (Viklangjan Sashaktikaran Vibhag).
President signed the Citizenship Ordinance to

merge Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas
Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes
DECEMBER 2014
Prime Minister launched a Rs 900-crore scheme
"Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on
Teachers and Teaching" at Varanasi.
Government has decided to set-up Grahak Suvidha
Kendras (Consumer care centres) to provide
counseling to consumers in redressal of their
grievances
Mission Indradhanush launched to cover all
unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children
against seven vaccine preventable diseases
The government has decided to repeal Section 309

from the Indian Penal Code, for decriminalizing
attempt to commit suicide.
A new train - The Sushaasan (good governance)

Express launched on Dec 25, from Gwalior , the
birth place of Mr. Vajpayee, to Gonda in Uttar
Pradesh.
Govt has decided to pay 8.75 per cent interest on

provident fund deposits of Employees Provident
Fund Organisation (EPFO) for the year 2014-15.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
FEBRUARY 2015
India's monthly per capita income is likely to be at
Rs 7,378.17 this financial year
India grew 7.5 per cent in the October-December

quarter, to become the fastest growing major
economy in the world.
The Central Statistics Office has revised its base
year to 2011-12
JANUARY 2015
India's GDP growth has averaged 6.5 per cent over
the last 25 years, while in the last two years it
averaged 4.9% alongside very high inflation.
The Expenditure Management Commission, headed

by Bimal Jalan says that the govt should cut fiscal
deficit to 3.6 per cent of the GDP during 2015-16.
Base year for the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
changed from 2010 to 2012 for computing retail
inflation rate from January 2015 onwards.
As per a Labour Bureau survey, unemployment rate
in the country rose to 4.9 per cent in 2013-14,
mainly on account of increase in joblessness in rural
areas.
DECEMBER 2014
Moodys Projects Indias Growth @6%: Global
rating agency Moodys has projected that Indian
economy is expected to pick up pace in 2015 and
grow in the range of 5 to 6 per cent, helped by
strong domestic demand.
ECONOMY
FEBRUARY 2015
Government has notified the rules for Indian
Accounting Standards (Ind AS) which are converged
with global standards IFRS.
The ADB has inked two loan agreements worth $
350 million with India to upgrade district roads in
Madhya Pradesh
India reclaimed its position as the leading consumer
of gold in 2014 with an estimated consumption of
880 tonnes against Chinas 866 tonnes.
World Bank agrees to grant $ 8 million loan to India
for sustainable livelihoods and adaption to climate
change project of National Rural Livelihoods
Mission.
36
JANUARY 2015
Government has asked PSUs to ensure that they

procure 20% of their requirements from the
products manufactured by MSMEs, w.e.f. April 01,
2015.
India has allowed duty free access to Afghanistans
export products in Indian markets under the

Agreement of South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA).
Leading IT company - Infosys has assured govt that
they will spend USD 250 million to fund innovations
in software and services in India.
Government has prohibited imports of all kind of
mobile handsets with fake or duplicate Unique
Identity Numbers.
Film PK recorded gross collection of Rs. 500 crore
worldwide within 2 weeks of its release, becoming
first ever Indian movie to have such huge collection
Connaught Place in New Delhi has become the
worlds sixth costliest office destination, with an
annual occupancy cost of around $ 160 per square
feet,
Snapdeal.com has announced the launch of Agri
IRDA has been renamed as Insurance Regulatory

and Development Authority of India after the
promulgation of Insurance Laws (Amendment)
Ordinance, 2014.
European Union has decided to lift a seven-month-
Store, offering online products like seeds, fertilizer

and irrigation tools, among others, to farmers.
World Bank will lend Rs 475 crore ($75 million) to
the Andhra Pradesh Government for implementing
a rural growth project.
Government has fixed an export target of $340
billion for the current fiscal. Actual exports last
year were $312.6 billion.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will extend
$200 million loan to Punjab to improve the state's
fiscal situation.
India Germany sign loan pact for euro 625 million
for the Green Energy Corridors project under the
Indo-German bilateral development cooperation.
The World Bank has approved $130 million credit
for the Nepal Grid Solar and Energy Efficiency
Project to minimize energy shortages in Nepal.
long ban on the import of mangoes from India.
Sun Edison USA and Indias Adani Group will invest
BANKING
Rs.25,000 cr in setting up one of the worlds largest

solar photovoltaic manufacturing unit in Gujarat.
FEBRUARY 2015
ADB to give $ 75 million loan and $1.8 million grant

to Karnataka for Integrated
Management Investment Program.
Urban
Water
On Feb 3, the RBI cut the statutory liquidity ratio
India and Israel have signed a joint agreement to

implement the third phase of the agriculture
cooperation project for next three years, 2015-18.
To boost the jute sector, govt has directed

packaging of sugar and food grains in jute bags to
minimum extent of up to 90 % of production.
To meet the fiscal deficit, the government sold 10

per cent stake in state owned Coal India Ltd to raise
about Rs 24,000 crore.
Union Cabinet approved the hike of govt stake in

Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Ltd.
to 51 % from around 48 % at present.
DECEMBER 2014
India has inked a US $1100 million IBRD Direct

Lending pact with the World Bank for phase two of
the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC).
Union government mopped up around 1715 crore

rupees with the sale of 5 percent stake in SAIL at a
floor price of 83 rupees per share
The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal for setting

up of a 500 crore rupees Credit Guarantee Fund for
Factoring for MSMEs
(SLR) by 50 basis points to 21.5 per cent of their

total deposits from February 7
RBI has estimated that the real GDP in 2015-16 is
expected to rise by 6.5 percent.
RBI has doubled the annual overseas investment
ceiling for individuals to $250,000 per person per
year
under
the
Liberalised
Remittance
Scheme (LRS).
The RBI has allowed banks to offer deposit schemes
up to Rs 1 crore which cannot be broken
prematurely so-called non-callable deposits
Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana has entered the
Guinness Book of World Record for opening over
12.5 crore bank accounts
RBI has advised that the overdrafts extended by
banks up to Rs.5,000 in PMJDY accounts will be
eligible for classification under priority sector
advances
Govt will infuse Rs. 6,990 crore in nine public sector
banks for enhancing their capital to meet the global
risk norms under Basel III guidelines
As per an agreement reached between IBA and bank
unions, public sector banks will remain closed on
second and fourth Saturdays.
37
RBI has allowed banks to install Cash Deposit
Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched Jifi Saver, a
Machines at locations selected by them (banks)

without getting its prior permission.
ICICI Bank has launched Pockets, a digital banking
service, enabling users to instantly send money to
any e-mail id, mobile number, friends on Facebook
etc.
HDFC Bank raised about Rs 8,000 crore by selling
American Depository Receipts in USA
Reserve Bank has asked all credit institutions to
become members of all Credit Information
Companies.
RBI has lifted the ban on import of gold coins and
medallions by banks but the sales will be permitted
against upfront payment only.
R Gandhi, Dy. Governor RBI to head the committee
formed to review the structure and functioning of
the Urban Cooperative Banking Sector.
HDFC Bank is set to introduce a new app, Chillr,
which will allow users to send money to any contact
in their phone books, 24X7.
social savings bank account which can be

seamlessly managed via Twitter and Facebook
The government has allowed certain eligible
branches of Post Offices to issue ATM cards for their
Savings bank accounts
Yes Bank signed an agreement with U.S. govts
Overseas Private Investment Corporation for $220
million loan for on-lending to MSMEs.
JANUARY 2015
The Reserve Bank of India on 15th January, 2015 cut
down repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.75 percent

from 8 percent, with immediate effect
RBI has asked banks to notify the Base Rate, or the
minimum lending rate, at least once in every three
months, based on the cost of funds
India's top PSU bankers meet 'Gyan Sangam held at
Pune for a brainstorming session to give a facelift to
PSU banks.
RBI has clarified that business houses with assets
above Rs 1,000 crore and having finance companies
will not be eligible to apply for a small bank license.
RBI said that RRBs with assets less than $175
million need not register with the US Internal
Revenue System under FATCA- Foreign Account Tax
Compliance Act.
The RBI has signed an information sharing
agreement with US banking regulators for better
coordination in supervising financial institutions.
RBI has asked banks to display on their website the
total fees and charges applicable on various types of
loans and tell the same to the borrower also
ICICI Bank launched countrys first contactless
debit/ credit cards based on the near-field
communication technology
RBI signed a MoU on Supervisory Cooperation and
Exchange of Supervisory Information with Banco
Central do Brasil, central bank of Brazil.
RBI has allowed banks to act as brokers for
insurers, set up their own subsidiaries, undertake
referral services for multiple companies.
RBI and the European Central Bank signed MoU for

cooperation in the area of central banking.
RBI has allowed Indians to carry high value notes of

Rs 500 /1000 while travelling to Nepal and Bhutan
with a cap of Rs 25,000 on the total amount.
DECEMBER 2014
The Reserve Bank released a charter of customer
rights on Dec.3 that lays down five basic rights that
bank customers enjoy.
Right to Fair Treatment with no discrimination on
any basis
Right to Transparency, Fair and Honest Dealing
Right to Suitability of products and services
Right to Privacy of customers' personal
information
Right to Grievance Redressal and Compen-sation
RBI has defined the non-cooperative borrower as

one who does not engage constructively with his
lender by defaulting in timely repayment of dues
A bill to raise the authorised capital of Regional
Rural Banks to Rs 2,000 crore, from Rs 5 crore at
present was passed by the Lok Sabha on Dec 22.
Government has approved the continuation of
interest subvention for short-term crop loans up to
Rs 3 lakh to farmers.
RBI has increased RTGS business hours to 12 hours

from 8 am to 8 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to
3.30 pm on Saturday.
State Bank has launched two indices namely the SBI

Monthly Composite Index and the SBI Yearly
Composite Index for manufacturing sector.
RBI has doubled the limit for pre-paid payment

instruments (PPI) to Rs. 1 lakh from Rs. 50,000 at
present.
RBI issued final guidelines for the Bharat Bill

Payment System to help consumers pay multiple
bills like electricity, telephone etc at a single point.
HDFC Bank launched its mobile banking initiative 'Bank Aap Ki Muththi Mein' that works on both
smartphones as well as the basic phones
The deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency
notes, including 500 and 1,000 rupees, has been
extended by six months till June 30, 2015.
38
Yes Bank has raised $200 million loan from Asian
Apple Inc earned profit of $18 billion in quarter
Development Bank for onward lending to small

farm households and rural women self help groups
(SHGs).
RBI has imposed penalty of Rs. 5 million and 2.5
million, respectively, on ICICI bank and Bank of
Baroda for violation of KYC norms.
Money supply rose by Rs 31,400 crore to Rs
101,950 crore ($1.61 trillion) in the fortnight to
December 12, growing by 10.2 per cent on year on
year basis.
ending December 2014, largest ever made by a

public company in the corporate history worldwide.
DEFENCE, SCIENCE &

TECHNOLOGY
FEBRUARY 2015
The 8th India-Nepal Battalion level Combined
Scientists discovered a powerful new antibiotic

Teixobactin which can kill an array of germs
without the bugs easily becoming resistant to it
Indian Immunologicals Limited launched a vaccine

Raksha-Blu for countering for the first time the
viral blue tongue disease among cattle.
The year 2014 was the hottest on record, with

global average temperature increasing about 0.8
degrees Celsius since 1880, according to US
scientists.
Indias Mars Orbiter programme team has won the

2015 Space Pioneer Award from the US based
National Space Society (NSS).
DECEMBER 2014
Military Training named Exercise Surya Kiran-VIII,

held at Saljhandi, Nepal.
India test fired its ICBM Agni-V, for the first time
from a canister mounted on a Tatra truck, from the
Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast.
India test-fired the supersonic BrahMos cruise
missile from warship INS Kolkata, in Arabian Sea. It
has a range of 290km and a top speed of Mach 2.8.
Indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II
surface-to-surface missile with a range of 350 kms,
tested at a test range at Chandipur in Odisha.
The DRDO has established the worlds highest
research station at an altitude of 17,586 feet at
Chang La, about 80 km east of Leh, J&K.
Researchers in Australia have developed the
world's first 3D-printed jet engine that could pave
the way for cheaper, lighter and more fuel-efficient
aircraft.
DRDO has successfully tested Panchi, wheeled
JANUARY 2015
Sikorsky of the United States has been selected for
The first of the indigenously-built Light Combat

Aircraft, LCA Tejas was handed over to the Indian
Air Force on Jan 17 at Bengaluru.
Countrys first geothermal heating plant was

launched successfully by the Snow and Avalanche
Studies Establishment of DRDO at its Manali (HP)
campus.
Idukki district in Kerala became the first district in

the country where all gram panchayats are
connected through National Optical Fiber Network
Microsoft has announced that its new operating

system - Windows 10 will also bring its voicecontrolled assistant Cortana to PCs.
version of the unmanned aerial vehicle Nishant. It

can take off from and land on small airstrips.
Nuclear-capable strategic ballistic missile Agni-IV,
with a strike range of 4,000 km, test fired
successfully from a test range off the Odisha coast.
For the first time, India exported a war ship to a

foreign country. The ship is CGS Barracuda offshore
patrol vessel, purchased by Mauritius.
India has tested a 1,000 kg indigenously-developed

glide bomb, which successfully hit a target 100 kms
away, off the Odisha coast.
The indigenous nuclear-powered submarine, INS

Arihant, for the first time sailed out for sea-trials on
Dec 16, from its base at Visakhapatnam.
INS Circars, the oldest naval establishment on the

Eastern seaboard in Visakhapatnam celebrated its
Platinum Jubilee on Dec 12.
supply of 16 multirole helicopters for the Indian
Navy in a contract worth Rs. 6,000 crore.
Russia successfully test fired its Angara-A5 rocket
from Plesetsk in northern Russia on 23 December.
NATO forces formally ended their role in
Afghanistan, after 13 years of conflict that left the
country in the grip of worsening insurgent violence.
Indias communication satellite GSAT 16 was
launched successfully from Kourou in French
Guiana on Dec. 7.
ISRO launched from Sriharikota its heaviest rocket

till date - the 630-tonne three-stage rocket GSLV
Mark III, capable of carrying satellites up to four
tonne.
39
Carbon-dioxide emissions from burning of fossil

fuels reached a high of 35.3 billion tonnes in 2013
where top 2 countries were China and USA
NASAs Kepler has discovered a super-Earth
located 180 light-years from Earth - HIP 116454b,
which is 2.5 times the diameter of Earth
Nasa's Curiosity rover has detected methane on

Mars, a gas that could hint at past or present life on
the planet.
Japan launched asteroid explorer Hayabusa 2 to

explore one of the C-type asteroids called 1999
JU3 and retrieve materials and bring them to Earth.
NASA launched Orion spacecraft atop a Delta IV

Heavy rocket for a four-hour test flight, after which
it safely splashed down in to Pacific Ocean.
American geologists have named the earths most

abundant mineral as Bridgmanite. It makes up
about 70 percent of the earths lower
The International Ocean Discovery Program has

analysed life in the deepest ever marine drilling
expedition- microbes living 2,400 meters beneath
the seabed off the Japanese coast.
International journal Science has declared the
European space mission spacecraft Rosetta as most
important scientific Breakthrough of the Year 2014.
JANUARY 2015
Militants attacked the Paris offices of the satirical
weekly Charlie Hebdo, for publishing cartoons
lampooning Muslim leaders
The World Economic Forum's five-day annual
jamboree of the global elite held at Davos,
Switzerland, attended by over 2500 VIPs.
Boko Haram militants killed over 2000 persons in a

multi-day attack in the northeast of Nigeria,
focusing on the town of Baga
Encouraged by the Indias Make in India initiative,

Britain announced 'Great Collaborations campaign
to forge collaborations with Indian companies.
AirlineRatings.com, has announced Quantas, the

national airline of Australia as the safest airline for
2015, from the 449 airlines.
Australia has launched an Online Visa Pilot

Programme to make it easier for Indian business
and tourism visitors to apply online visa
The biggest cultural festival of the Mahayana sect of

Buddhism in Nepal - Tamu Lhochhar, observed to
mark the New Year, celebrated in Kathmandu.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who will be 89 in April

this year, is now the world's oldest monarch
following the death of King Abdullah (90) of Saudi
Arabia.
INTERNATIONAL
Lithuania becomes 19th country to adopt Euro as
FEBRUARY 2015
DECEMBER 2014
China has overtaken the United States as the top
destination for foreign direct investment for the

first time since 2003.
Britain has become the first country in the world to
allow a "three-parent" IVF (in vitro fertilization)
technique
Apple Inc has set a world record by becoming the
first US Company to be worth more than $700
billion in terms of market capitalization
More than 3,000 flights were cancelled in North
East USA as winter storms dumped snow, sleet and
freezing rain across the region.
The Nepal has started a massive cleanliness
campaign in 33 municipalities of the country in
order to promote environment-friendly governance
Summit of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank
Governors held in Istanbul, Turkey on 9-10 Feb.
2015
The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine
met in Minsk, capital of Belarus to find solution to
end fighting in eastern Ukraine
Musicians from around the world will gather this
April in Paris to celebrate the International Jazz Day
which is observed on April 30.
its currency w.e.f. Jan 1, 2015.
A treaty laying down international rules for the $85

billion global arms trade came into force from Dec
24, after being signed by the USA
USA announced a series of steps for normalising
relations with communist-ruled Cuba with which it
had severed diplomatic ties decades ago.
Tehrik-e-Taliban gunmen stormed a school in

Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 140 students and nine
staff members on Dec 16.
Hong Kong police forcefully ended the more than

two month old street demonstration - Occupy
Central
Russian economy is in deep trouble due to sanctions

and slumping oil prices, leading to deep fall in value
of its currency against the US dollar.
According to the World Economic Situation and

Prospects 2015 report by UNO, the global economy
will grow by more than 3 percent in 2015 and 2016.
The countless doctors, nurses and caregivers

fighting the outbreaks of the Ebola virus, have been
collectively named as Time magazine's 2014
'Person of the Year'.
40
112nations gathered in Lima, Peru on Dec 1 for the

12-day Lima Climate Change Conference under the
UN Framework Convention on Climate ChangeUNFCCC
World AIDS Day observed on December 01. The
theme for this year is, 'Focus, Partner, Achieve: An
AIDS-free Generation'.
HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection
AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome;
(advanced stage of HIV infection)
Singapore launched a new National Day song in
Tamil to celebrate its 50 years of independence.
Tamil is 4th official language of Singapore.
United Nations General Assembly on 5 December

2014 declared 2015 as the International Year of
Soils
Bhutan became 181st member of Multilateral

Investment Guarantee Agency a branch of the
World Bank Group.
An Airbus A320-200 of Air Asia flight QZ8501 with
162 persons aboard disappeared on Dec 28 on way
from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore.
Ukraine has decided to join North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (NATO), signalling its movement away
from Russia, towards western powers.
Latvia will hold the Presidency of the Council of the
European Union in the first half of 2015. The
Presidency changes every six months.
An Italian Ship - Norman Atlantic, carrying 478

passengers caught fire in mid sea, near Italian port
Ancona. Rescue teams could save 471passengers.
Malaysias worst flooding in decades forced some

1,18,000 people to flee to safer places. Kelantan, in
north east Malaysia, was worst-affected area.
PERSONS IN NEWS
FEBRUARY 2015
AMARTYA SEN: 81 year old Nobel laureate economist
was in news as he resigned as the Chancellor of Nalanda
University, alleging political interference in the affairs of
the University.
DEEPIKA MISRA: Squadron Leader of Indian Air Force
became the first and the only woman pilot to make it to
the helicopter acrobatic display team Sarang of the
Indian Air Force.
SUMITRA MAHAJAN: Lok Sabha Speakers name was
included in the LIMCA book of records for being the only
woman of the country to represent the same Lok Sabha
constituency on the same party ticket for eight times in
a row.
SALONI DALAL: A 12 year old school girl from
Karnataka became the youngest medal winner in the
35th National Games in Kerala by winning a Bronze

medal in the 200 meter breast stroke swimming event.
RICKY KEJ: Bengaluru-based musician was in news as
his collaborative album 'Winds of Samsara' with African
flautist Wouter Kellerman won the Best New Age
Album award at the 57th Grammy Awards announced
in Los Angeles, USA
NEELA VASWANI: won the Grammy in the Best
Children's Album category for rendering audio version
of the book 'I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For
Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai.
AJAY BANGA: President and Chief Executive Officer of
MasterCard and the Chairman of the US India Business
Council, has been appointed as a member of the
Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
by the US government.
ANGELINA JOLIE: Cine actress -director of America has
been named the most admired woman in the world in a
survey by the British website dailymail.co.uk., leaving
behind ladies like Malala Yousafzai, Hillary Clinton.
JANUARY 2015
POOJA THAKUR: A Wing Commander from Indian Air
Force became the first woman to lead the ceremonial
tri-service guard of honour inspected by U.S. President
Barack Obama at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Jan. 25, 2015.
VIKRAM CHANDRA: Indian origin Novelist was named
among the finalists for prestigious National Book Critics
Circle (NBCC) Awards of USA for his non-fiction work
Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty.
MS. LEELA SAMSON: She resigned as Chairperson of
Central Board of Film Certification, CBFC to protest the
clearance of the controversial film Messenger of God by
the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT).
BHAKTI SHARMA: India's 24 year old open water
swimmer has set a world record by swimming 2.25 kms
in 52 minutes in one degree temperature in the
Antarctic Ocean. She is the first Asian girl and youngest
in the world to have achieved this feat.
AVINASH CHANDER: Secretary, Defence Research and
Development cum Director General, DRDO and Scientific
Advisor to the Defence Minister was in news as he was
removed 15 months before his contract was to end.
NARENDRA MODI, REKHA: Our Prime Minister and
veteran Bollywood actress, both were crowned hottest
vegetarian celebrities by animal rights organisation
PETA India for making plant-based foods more popular
than ever in 2014.
41
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: Former Premier of Thailand

was impeached on Jan 23 for corruption charges.
Countrys first woman Premier and the sister of former
leader Thaksin Shinawatra, suffers an automatic fiveyear ban from politics.
DECEMBER 2014
DR. K. RADHAKRISHNAN: Chairman of the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been selected
as one of the top ten scientists in 2014 chosen by the
prestigious science journal of UK-Nature.
PRIME MINISTER MODI: has been rated as the worlds
top policy maker, according to a new report of Harvards
prestigious Kennedy School of Government.
PAWAN CHAMLING: Sikkim Chief Minister, on 12
December 2014 became longest serving Chief Minister
of India as he completed his 20 years in the office.
TASHI MALIK AND NUNGSHI MALIK: The twin sisters
from Dehradun scaled Mount Vinson, Antarcticas
highest mountain at 4,892 metres to become the worlds
first twins and siblings to climb the highest peaks on the
seven continents.
SARITA DEVI: The International Boxing Association
(AIBA) banned Indian boxer for one year for refusing to
accept the Asian Games bronze medal.
VIVEK MURTHY: The 37 year old Indian origin doctor
has been confirmed as the youngest ever Surgeon
General of the United States.
APPOINTMENTS
FEBRUARY 2015
L C GOYAL: New Union Home Secretary
Ms. ZOE KONSTANTOPOULOU: New President of

Greece, from the left wing party Syriza.
SERGIO MATTARELLA: Italys new President
JANUARY 2015
APPOINTMENTS IN NITI AAYOG
The following appointments have been made by the
Prime Minister to the various positions in the Aayog:
Chairman: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Vice-Chairman: Arvind Panagariya (Economist)
CEO: Sindhushree Khullar
FULL TIME MEMBERS:
Bibek Debroy, Economist
Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Former Secretary Defence R&D
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS:
Rajnath Singh, Union Minister
Arun Jaitley, Union Minister
Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister
Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister
SPECIAL INVITEES:
Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister
Thawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister
Smt. Smriti Irani, Union Minister
PAHLAJ NIHALANI: Chairman, Central Board of Film
Certification, CBFC. He is a noted film producer
A S KIRAN KUMAR: Chairman of Indian Space
Research Organisation- ISRO and Secretary of the
Department of Space, Govt of India
AZIZ QURESHI: Governor of Mizoram (transferred
from Uttarakhand).
SHEKHAR SEN: Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi; he

is a renowned music composer and actor
K K PAUL: Governor of Uttarakhand (shifted from

Meghalaya), with additional charge of Manipur
KRISHNA CHAUDHARY: Director General, Indo-Tibetan

Border Police (ITBP).
K N TRIPATHI: Governor of West Bengal will take

additional charge as the Governor of Meghalaya
KSHATRAPATI SHIVAJI: New CMD of SIDBI
KALYAN SINGH: Governor of Himachal Pradesh

(Additional Charge); He is Governor of Rajasthan
AJIT
KUMAR:
Ambassador
and
Permanent
Representative of India to the United Nations Offices
NITISH KUMAR: Chief Minister of Bihar, 4th time
KAPTAN SINGH SOLANKI: Governor of Punjab

(Additional Charge); He is Governor of Haryana
ARVIND KEJRIWAL: Chief Minister of Delhi
S. JAISHANKAR: Union Foreign Secretary
MOHAMMAD SAYEED MUFTI: Chief Minister of J & K

KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIC: First female President
of Croatia
MALINI
PARTHASARATHY:
veteran
journalist
appointed the Editor of The Hindu, the first woman
editor of the century-old newspaper
42
H S BRAHMA: Chief Election Commissioner

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

FEBRUARY 2015
R KOTEESWARAN: MD & CEO, Indian Overseas Bank

ANIMESH CHAUHAN:
Commerce
MD & CEO, Oriental Bank of
Best film:
Best Director:
Best Actress:
Best Actor:
KISHORE KUMAR SANSI: MD & CEO, Vijaya Bank

P SRINIVAS: MD & CEO, United Bank of India
LEE WAN KOO: New Prime Minister of South Korea
SALMAN BIN ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD: New king of Saudi
Arabia
ALEXIS TSIPRAS: Prime Minister of Greece, from the
anti-austerity Syriza party
KOLINDA
GRABAR-KITAROVIC:
President of Croatia
First
women
MODIBO KEITA: Prime Minister of Mali, a West African

country.
DECEMBER 2014
RAGHUBAR DAS (BJP): New Chief Minister of
Jharkhand
JYOTSNA SURI: President of the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
RAJINDER KHANNA: Chief of Research & Analysis
Wing (R&AW),
PRAKASH MISHRA: Director General of Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF).
DINESHWAR SHARMA: Director, Intelligence Bureau
Director,
Central
Queen by Vikas Bahl

Vikas Bahl for Queen
Kangana Ranaut for Queen
Shahid Kapoor for Haider
THE 87th ACADEMY AWARDS, popularly known as

Oscars were presented by the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences on February 22, 2015, at
Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA.
Best Picture: Birdman by Alejandro G Inarritu
Best Director: Alejandro G Inarritu for Birdman
Best Actress: Julianne Moore for Still Alice
Best Actor:
Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of
Everything
GRAMMY AWARDS
MAITHRIPALA SIRISENA: 6th President of Sri Lanka,

from Sri Lanka Freedom Party - SLFP
ANIL Kr. SINHA:

Investigation
60th FILMFARE AWARDS ANNOUNCED
Bureau
KLAUS IOHANNIS: President of Romania

BEJI CAID ESSEBSI: President of Tunisia
ANEROOD JUGNAUTH: Prime Minister of Mauritius
TABARE VAZQUEZ: President of Uruguay
SHINZO ABE: Re elected as Prime Minister of Japan
Announced on Feb 8 at Los Angeles, California, USA

Some major winners are as under:
Record of the Year - "Stay with Me," Sam Smith
Song of the Year - "Stay with Me" (Darkchild Version)
Album of the Year - Morning Phase, Beck
Best R&B Performance - "Drunk in Love," Beyonc
Best Rock Album - Morning Phase, Beck
Best Pop Vocal Album - In the Lonely Hour, Sam
Smith
Best Pop Solo Performance - "Happy," Pharrell
Williams
Best Rap Album - The Marshall Mathers LP2,
Eminem
BAFTA
(British Academy of Film and Television Arts)
Awards announced on Feb 8 at London.
BEST FILM: Boyhood by Richard Linklater
of
BEST DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST ACTOR: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of
Everything
BEST ACTRESS: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
50th JNANPITH AWARD - 2014: Bhalchandra Nemade,
Marathi novelist, known for his famous novels Kosala,
Hindu.
STHREE SHAKTI AWARD: conferred upon Irom
Sharmila, Human rights activist from Manipur who has
been on an indefinite fast since November 4, 2000,
ASHTON CARTER: US Defence Secretary

43
demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special

Powers) Act, 1958.
BEST MARCHING CONTINGENTS Trophy for Republic
Day Parade 2015 won jointly by the Brigade of The
Guards and the Sikh Regiment awarded jointly the
PADMA SHRI 2015 (75)

S. Name
of
No. Awardee
the Discipline
State/Domicile
1.
Mithali Raj
Sports Cricket
Telengana
2.
P.V. Sindhu
Sports
Badminton
Telengana
3.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Art Films
Maharashtra
4.
Prasoon Joshi
Art Films
Maharashtra
5.
Tarak Mehta
Art TV
Gujarat
PADMA AWARDS 2015 ANNOUNCED

PADMA VIBHUSHAN 2015 (9)
6.
Jean-Claude Carriere
Literature and
Education
France
S.
No.
Name of the
Awardee
Discipline
7.
Late Pran Kumar

Sharma alias Pran
Art Cartoonist
Delhi
1.
Lal Krishna Advani
Public Affairs
Politician
2.
Amitabh Bachchan
Art - Cinema
Maharashtra
3.
Prakash Singh
Badal
Public Affairs
Punjab
4.
Dr. D V Heggade
Social Work
Karnataka
5.
Dilip Kumar
Art - Cinema
Maharashtra
6.
Jagadguru
Ramanandacharya
Swami
Rambhadracharya
Others - Hindu
Scholar
Uttar Pradesh
DSC Prize for Literature: The $50,000 prize won by

Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri for her book, The
Lowland at the Jaipur Literature Festival
M. R. Srinivasan
Science and
Engineering Nuclear Scientist
Tamil Nadu
Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for poetry won by

Arunadhathi Subramaniam for her work When God is a
Traveller, at the Jaipur Literature Festival
AMARTYA SEN: Eminent Indian economist and Nobel

laureate has been named as the first winner of a newly
established Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes
Prize in the UK, in recognition of his work on welfare
economics.
JANUARY 2015
7.
8.
9.
K. K. Venugopal
Public Affairs Constitutional

Lawyer
State/Domicile
Gujarat
SOCIAL MEDIA PERSON of the Year Award 2015:

Amitabh Bachchan, conferred by the Internet and
Mobile Association of India
Delhi
Karim Al Hussaini Trade and Industry France/UK

Aga Khan
PADMA BHUSHAN 2015 (19)

S.
No
Name of the
Awardee
Discipline
State/
Domicile
1.
Shri Jahnu Barua
Art Films
Assam
2.
Dr. Subhash C.
Kashyap
Public Affairs Constitutional

Expert
Delhi
"GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR": Raghuram Rajan,

Governor, RBI was selected by the British magazine
Central Banking for this award at the global level.
AWARD FOR THE BEST BANK: bagged by the Canara
Bank at the "MSME Banking Excellence Awards-2014" at
Bengaluru.
72ND GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS 2015
Announced at Beverly Hills, California, USA
3.
Harish Salve
Public Affairs
Advocate
Delhi
4.
Rajat Sharma
Media (India TV)
Delhi
5.
Manjul Bhargava
(NRI/PIO)
Science & Engg,

Mathematician
USA
6.
Bill Gates
Social Work
USA
7.
Melinda Gates
Social Work
USA
ASHOK CHAKRA: The highest peacetime military

honour awardaed posthumously to Major Mukund
Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh, the two
Army personnel who laid down their lives combating
militants in Kashmir Valley.
Best Motion Picture-Drama: Boyhood

Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Best Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
MISS UNIVERSE 2015: Paulina Vega of Columbia at
Miami, USA.
44
Martin Luther King Jr. Award: Frank Islam, an

eminent
Indian-American
entrepreneur
and
philanthropist for his contribution to the promotion of
the civil rights in USA.
Giraffe Hero Award 2015: Renowned Indian RTI
activist Subhash Chandra Aggarwal was conferred with
the by a US-based NGO The Giraffe Heroes Project.
FIFA Ballon d'Or Award- 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo of
Portugal, earning the title of world's best football player
for the third time.
DECEMBER 2014
THE GOLDEN PEACOCK: Award for the best film at the
45th International Film Festival of India, Goa won by the
Russian film Leviathan directed by Andrey
Zvyagintsev. The award carries a cash prize of 40 lakh
Wong Kar Wai: The Chinese filmmaker was conferred
the lifetime achievement award at IFFI.
Swiss Ambassador's Award: Azim Premji, Chairman of
Wipro for inspirational and socially responsible
leadership.
Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards for 201011 given at Delhi for outstanding performance in
exports.
Canara
Bank
won
the
Niryat
Bandhu Silver Trophy, Banks
Yash Chopra Memorial Award: Amitabh Bachchan
Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014: Ruhi Singh
of India at Beirut, Lebanon.
Miss Intercontinental 2014: Wang Patraporn, from
Thailand at Magdeburg, Germany.
Miss World 2014: Rolene Strauss, from South Africa at
London
Olof Palme Human Rights Prize: Xu Youyu, Chinese
pro-democracy activist. It is an annual prize worth USD
75,000 granted by the Swedish labour movement.
OBITUARY
FEBRUARY 2015
D. RAMANAIDU: Veteran film producer from Andhra
Pradesh, Padma Bhushan and Dada Saheb Phalke Award
winner, holder of the Guinness Book of World
Records for the most films produced by an individual,
having produced more than 150 films in 13 Indian
languages.
R.R. PATIL: Former Maharashtra Home Minister and
senior Nationalist Congress Party leader (16th Feb 2015)
RAJINDER PURI: Popular cartoonist, veteran columnist
and political activist (16th Feb 2015).
GAUR HARI SINGHANIA: Chairman, J K Group of
Industries that includes JK Tyres, JK Cements.
CHARLES H. TOWNES: American noble prize winner
scientist, inventor of laser Light Amplification by
Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
JANUARY 2015
R K LAXMAN: Full name Rasipuram Krishnaswamy
Iyer Laxman, legendary cartoonist, creator of the iconic
"The Common Man" cartoon published regularly for
several years in The Times of India, Padma Vibhushan
awardee. He wrote his autobiography titled The
Tunnel of Time.
B G VERGHESE: Eminent journalist, a Ramon
Magsaysay award winner and former editor of the
Hindustan Times and The Indian Express.
RAJNI KOTHARI: Noted political scientist, founder of
The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
JASWANT SINGH RAJPUT:
winning hockey Olympian
Two-time gold medal
SUBASH GHISING: Former chief of Gorkha National

Liberation Front, who gave birth to the Gorkhaland
movement
Confucius Peace Prize: Fidel Castro, Former Cuban

leader. It is known as China's version of the Nobel Prize.
SAIYID
HAMID: Noted Muslim
academician,
educationist, reformist and author. He was Chancellor
of Jamia Hamdard University, ex-Chancellor Jamia Millia
Islamia and former Vice Chancellor Aligarh Muslim
University
Queens Gold Medal for Poetry 2014: Noted Pakistanborn poetess Imtiaz Dharker for her poetry collection
Over the Moon. This award is given by British Queen.
ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ: King of Saudi Arabia
Turner Prize: Duncan Campbell, film artist from UK for

a video that reflects on African art. It is a popular UK
prize for art work.
DECEMBER 2014
K. BALACHANDER: Eminent South Indian filmmaker
and Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner from Chennai.
45
V.R. KRISHNA IYER: Legendary jurist, a Supreme Court

judge and post-retirement, a human rights activist
DEVEN VERMA: noted Bollywood comedy actor,
famous for his roles in films Chori Mera Kaam, Chor Ke
Ghar Chor and Angoor.
A R ANTULAY: Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra
and former Union Minister, veteran Congress leader
CHUNIBHAI VAIDYA: A veteran Gandhian and freedom
fighter from Ahmadabad, Gujarat.
JARBOM GAMLIN: Former C M of Arunachal Pradesh
JOE COCKER: Legendary rock singer from Colorado,
USA.
DAVID JOHN RYALL: Veteran British actor
PLACES IN NEWS
FEBRUARY 2015
MELBOURNE & CHRISTCHURCH: Cities in Australia
and New Zealand, respectively were in news as they
were host to the cricket extravaganza ICC World Cup.
JANUARY 2015
PERIYAR TIGER RESERVE: Sanctuary in Kerala won
the National Tiger Conservation Authority award for
encouraging local public participation in managing the
reserve.
MALIHABAD: Area of Lucknow was in news as around
50 lives were lost their due to a hooch tragedy that
occurred in its nearby villages. Hooch is a type of local
liquor, usually of inferior quality.
BAGA: A town in north east Nigeria was in news as the
Islamic militant group Boko Haram executed over 2000
persons there and in adjoining villages.
DECEMBER 2014
CHINTAGUFA, SUKMA: place in Chattisgarh was in
news as 14 CRPF personnel were killed there by
naxalites.
TYPHOON HAGUPIT: hit the eastern Philippines
creating misery for millions following a barrage of
deadly disasters.
Education is the most powerful

weapon which you can use to change
the world.
SPORTS
WORLD
FEBRUARY 2015
35TH NATIONAL GAMES

The 14 day sports extravaganza The 35th National
Games that started on 31st January, came to an end on
14th Feb. at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
In all, sportspersons competed for the 1334 medals
comprising of 405 Gold, 406 Silver and 523 Bronze
medals.
Services created a record by topping the medal tally
for the third consecutive time. The group won 159
medals that included 91 golds. They won the Raja
Bhalendra Singh Trophy for best performance.
Amongst states, Kerala topped the tally with 162
medals, including 54 gold.
National Games mascot Ammu, the Great Hornbill,
has been selected for entry in to the Limca Book of
Records.
The 36th National Games will be hosted by Goa in
2016.
Anirban Lahiri won his second European Tour title at
the Hero Indian Open Golf Championship on Feb 22 in
New Delhi.
Anil Kumble, former India Captain and ace Leg Spinner
has been chosen to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall
of Fame with all times greatest cricketers
Hero Hockey India League 2015: Ranchi Rays won the
championship by defeating Jaypee Punjab Warriors in
the finals played at New Delhi.
All India Football Federations (AIFF) has declared Sunil
Chhetri and Bala Devi as Player of the Year 2014 in
men and women category, respectively.
Paul van Ass of Netherland was appointed Head Coach
of Indias mens Hockey team.
67th National track cycling championship held at
Thiruvananthapuram
A glittering opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World
Cup 2015 was held on Feb 12 at two places - at
Christchurch New Zealand and at Melbourne, Australia.
France has become the first team in handball history to
win World Handball Championships for the 5th time
beating the Qatar at Doha, Qatar.
Omega Dubai Desert Classic: World No. 1 Rory
McIlroy of UK won the prestigious golf cup.
Simona Halep of Romania won the WTA (Women's
Tennis Association) championship in Dubai.
Nicol David: World Womens Squash champion from
Malaysia has set a new record for topping the world
rankings for the 106th month.
46
AUSTRALIAN OPEN held at Melbourne, Australia

Mens: Novak Djokovic of Serbia won his 5th Australian
Open title beating Andy Murray of Britain
Womens:
Serena Williams of USA beats Maria
Sharapova of Russia. It was her 19th Grand Slam title.
She is tied for third on a list of the most Grand Slam
singles won by women.
Mixed Doubles: Leander Paes of India and Martina
Hingis of Switzerland won the title.
JANUARY 2015
The Sports Ministry revised its Scheme of Special
Awards to medal winners in international events by
increasing the award money in Olympic and
Paralympics Games (summer and winter) from Rs 50
lakh to 75 lakh for gold, Rs 30 lakh to 50 lakh for silver
and Rs 20 lakh to 30 lakh for bronze.
Sania Mirza along with her American partner Bethanie
Mattek-Sands won doubles title at the Sydney
International Tennis Tournament.
Anirban Lahiri, Indian professional golfer voted as the
2014 Players Player of the year in Asian Tour.
National Billiards Championship: Pankaj Advani won
the national title in Kolkata beating Dhruv Sitwala.
Arantxa Sanchis won the womens title.
Senior National Snooker Championship: Pankaj
Advani won the title defeating Varun Madan at Kolkata.
Amee Kamani won the womens title.
Youth National Weightlifting Championship: Jimjang
Deru of Arunachal Pradesh created national record by
lifting 238 kilograms under the 56 kilograms category in
Yamuna Nagar, Haryana.
Bengaluru FC won the Federation Cup football title at
Margao, Goa, beating Dempo Sports Club
76th Table Tennis National Championship:
Petroleum Sports Promotion Board team won both men's and women's titles at Puducherry.
The 79th Senior National Badminton Championship
held in Vijayawada from January 29 to February 5.
Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland won the ATP
Chennai Open Tennis Singles title beating Aljaz
Bedene of Slovenia in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni Indian cricket captain has
decided to retire from Test cricket, citing strain of
playing all formats. He would prefer to concentrate on
ODI and T20 formats.
India will host the 2016 Twenty 20 World Cup from

11th of March to 3rd of April 2016.
Stephen Constantine appointed head coach of Indian
men's football team.
O P JAISHA: Indian runner broke the 19-year-old
national record of women marathon at the 12th
Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in Mumbai,
clocking a time of 2:37:29.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has won the FIFA Ballon
d'Or award for 2014, earning the title of world's best
football player for a third time.
Brett Lee: Australian cricketer, rated as third fastest
bowler in world, announced his retirement from all
forms of cricket after a 20-year career.
AB de Villiers, South Africa's cricket captain hit the
fastest century in one-day internationals cricket history,
31 balls to 100 against the West Indies in Johannesburg,
South Africa. He scored 149 runs off 44 balls.
Roger Federer of Switzerland reached the 1,000 ATP
Tour wins milestone as he won the Brisbane
International title on Jan 11, defeating Canada's Milos
Raonic at Brisbane, Australia. He becomes the third man,
after Jimmy Connors (1253) and Ivan Lendl (1071), to
secure 1,000 ATP wins. ATP: Association of Tennis
Professionals
Sean Abbott, the Australian bowler has been named
Australia's young cricketer of the year, winning the Sir
Bradman Award. He is the same bowler whose delivery
led to the death of Phillip Hughes.
\
DECEMBER 2014
Blind Cricket World Cup: India lifted the Cup on Dec 7

after defeating Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa.
P V Sindhu: Won the Macau Grand Prix Gold trophy at
Macau, China, beating Kim Hyo Min of Korea
Viswanathan Anand won his maiden London Classic
title after defeating British Grandmaster Michael Adams
Ankita Raina won ITF singles tennis title defeating
British Katy Dunne in Pune, Maharashtra. She is the
first Indian to win this title in past 14 years.
M S Dhoni broke the world record for most number of
stumpings in international cricket after he claimed his
134th victim Mitchell Johnson of Australia at
Melbourne, Australia.
Baichung Bhutia: Former Indian football captain
conferred with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
Hall of Fame Award in Manila, Philippines.
47
Sachin Tendulkar has been named as the brand

ambassador for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
Arjun Atwal has won the Inaugural edition of Dubai
Open Golf Championship.
Pragyan Ojha, The left-arm spinner has been banned by
BCCI from bowling in competitive matches as his
bowling action was found illegal, flexing elbow beyond
15 degrees.
India beats Turkey to win the World Youth Under-16
Chess Olympiad at Gyor in Hungary.
17th Asian Luge Championships: Shiva Keshavan
won Silver Medal at the Spiral Olympic Sliding Centre in
Nagano, Japan.
Indian Super League football tournament: Atletico de
Kolkata won the championship beating Kerala Blasters.
Champions Trophy: Germany beats Pakistan to win
the hockey trophy at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Deodhar Trophy: East zone beats West zone to lift
cricket trophy in Mumbai.
58th National Shooting Championships held in Pune,
Maharashtra
VINICIUS & TOM MASCOTS FOR RIO OLYMPICS
Brazil has declared Vinicius as the mascot for the Rio
2016 Olympics to be held at Rio de Janeiro.
International Tennis Federation (ITF) has declared
following as the Player of the Year 2014
Mens:
Novak Djokovic from Serbia
Womens:
Serena Williams from USA
Hillel Oscar: An international umpire and former
captain of Israel's national cricket team died on Nov 30
after being hit in the jaw by a ball at Ashdod, Israel.
ASIAN GAMES -- INDIAN HIGHLIGHTS

Yogeshwar Dutt ended a 28-year gold drought for India
in wrestling after winning Gold
Jitu Rai, shooter won India's 1st gold in the 50m event.
MC Mary Kom became the first Indian woman boxer to
clinch a gold medal at the Asian Games
India won the Hockey gold medal beating Pakistan
Indian Kabaddi Teams, both men and women, beat
Irans teams to win the Gold.
Varsha Gautam and Aishwarya Nedunchezhiyan
made history by becoming the first Indian women to
win a sailing medal Bronze in Dinghy event at the
Asian Games.
Khushbir Kaur won the countrys first-ever silver in
the womens 20 kms race walk in Asiad.
With an aim to increase India`s medal tally in 2016 and

2020 Olympics, the Sports Ministry has decided to start
a "Target Olympic Podium Scheme"
The Indian Super League (ISL) heralded a new dawn for
football in India on 12 October, at the Salt Lake Stadium
in Kolkata.
Sharath Gayakwad, the para-swimmer made history at
the Asian Para-Games in Incheon, South Korea, by
winning six medals.
Anirban Lahiri won the Venetian Macau Open Golf Cup.
Pankaj Advani:
Won World Billiards Point Format Championship at
Leeds, UK. He also won the World title in time format
beating Robin Wilson of UK.
World junior Chess title 2014
Lu Shanglei of China defeated Aleksander Indjic of
Serbia to win the title in Pune, Maharashtra.
35th Senior National Archery Championship held in
New Delhi, won by Punjab.
Champions League Twenty 20
Chennai Super Kings won the trophy by defeating
Kolkata Knight Riders at the M. Chinn aswamy Stadium,
Bengaluru.
The multi-sport Paralympic Games 2015 will be held
in India in February 2015.
4th Sultan of Johor Cup (hockey) for under 21 won by
India beating Great Britain at Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
James Tull: A club cricketer in Australia created history
by scoring a triple ton 341 runs - with 25 sixes and 34
fours
Shanghai Rolex Masters (Tennis) 2014 won by
Roger Federer (Switzerland) beating Gilles Simon
(France) in Shanghai, China.
KOHEI UCHIMURA: Japans gymnast won his fifth
straight all-around world title at the Gymnastics World
Championships in Nanning, China.
ATP CHINA OPEN Tennis Cup 2014, Beijing
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beats Tomas Berdych (Czech)
to win mens singles title.
Maria Sharapova (Russia) beats Petra Kvitova(Czech)
to win womens singles title
Serena Williams (USA) beat Simona Halep (Romania)
to lift the WTA Finals cup at Singapore.
Sania Mirza and Cara Black (Zimbabwe) won the WTA
finals women's doubles tennis title at Singapore.
48
BOOKS & AUTHORS

BOOK
AUTHOR
Editor Unplugged: Media,

Magnates, Netas and Me
Vinod Mehta
The Ever After of Ashwin

Rao
Padma Viswanathan
The Bookmans Tale

Go Set a Watchman
Charlie Lovett
Harper Lee, author of world
famous novel To Kill a
Mockingbird
Recasting India: How

Entrepreneurship is
Revolutionizing the
Worlds Largest
Democracy
Hindol Sengupta
'Neither a Hawk nor a

Dove'
Khurshid M Kasuri,
Pakistan's Ex-Foreign
Minister
The Red Sari
The Indian Parliament A

Critical Appraisal
Javier Moro; the book is the

story of Sonia Gandhi,
originally written in Spanish
Sudha Pai and Avinash
Kumar
At Home in India: The

Muslim Saga
Salman Khurshid
The Tunnel of Time
R. K. Laxman
(autobiography)
The Last Illusion

Adultery
Life is What You Make it
In Gods Hands
Family Life
Born Again on the

Mountain
2014: The Election That
Your Dreams are Mine

Now
Pandit Prabodh Kumar

Mishra.
Paulo Coelho
Preeti Shenoy
Desmond Tutu Templeton
prize winner
Akhil Sharma, the book has
been selected by The New
York Times Book Review as
one of the ten Best Books of
2014.
Arunima Sinha, the first
Indian female amputee to
climb Mount Everest.
Rajdeep Sardesai
Ravinder Singh
Dev Dutt Pattnaik
The Dramatic Decade: The

Indira Gandhi Years
Pranab Mukherjee,
President of India
The Scatter Here is Too

Great
Truth Always Prevails
The Narrow Road to the

Deep North
Bilal Tanweer of Lahore

won the 2014 Shakti Bhatt
First Book Prize
Sadruddin Hashwani
John Kampfner
Dilip DSouza
Richard Flanagan
A Man and A Motorcycle,

How Hamid Karzai Came
to Power
Bette Dam
Worthy Fights: A Memoir

of Leadership in War and
Peace by Leon Panetta
Jim Newton
Sons of Brahama
The divided Island
And then One Day: A
Memoir
The Highlights
Odyssey of My Life
Harish Khare
Porochista Khakpour
Gen. Sundarajan
Padmanabhan, former
Indian Army Chief
7 Secretes of the Goddess
Final Test: Exit Sachin

Tendulkar
John Green
How Modi Won It
Next China-India War World's First Water War

2029
The Rich
The Fault in Our Stars
Vande Bharatam
Changed India
Playing It My Way My
Autobiography
Gods of Antarctica
The Lives of Others by

Neel Mukherjee, Kolkataborn British author.
Heaven is for Real
The Boys in the Boat
Orange is the New Black
The Book of Life
Dhruba Hazarika
Samanth Subramanian
Autobiography of noted film
artist Naseeruddin Shah
Frank Keating
Autobiography of former
Union Home Minister
Shivraj Patil
cricket legend Sachin
Tendulkar
Yashwardhan Shukla, a 13
year old school boy from
Delhi
The book has been
shortlisted for the
prestigious Booker Prize
2014
Todd Burpo & Lynn Vincent
Daniel James Brown
Piper Kerman
Deborah Harkness
49
50
Latest MCQs
ON CURRENT AFFAIRS
MAY GK TEST-01
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Who among the following was in news on

becoming the first-ever Indian judge in the
New York court?
A. Bobby Jindal
B. Rajat Gupta
C. Preet Bharara
D. Raja Rajeswari
E. None of these
The epicenter of the massive earthquake that
shook Nepal last month was
A. Tibet
B. Shin Kiang
C. Lumjong
D. Kabul
E. Gorkha
The proposed Atal Mission for rejuvenating
the Indian cities is going to replace the earlier
A. JRY
B. MNREGA
C. RGAY
D. PMRY
E. JNNURM
The energy released by an earthquake is
measured in terms of
A. Megatons
B. Tons
C. Watts
D. Joules
E. Ergs
Which of the following IS/ ARE true with
regard to the companies listed in India?
1. A listed company must have at least 2 women
on the Board of Directors.
2. A listed company must have a minimum 25%
shareholding with the general public.
3. All listed companies must have a minimum FII
shareholding of 10%.
A. 2 Only
B. 1 and 2
C. 1, 2, 3
D. 1 Only
E. None of these statements is correct.
iGATE, a software company, has been
acquired by
A. Grant Thornton
B. Progeon
C. Wipro
D. Capegemini
E. Du Pont
Statins are the medicines used to
A. Treat common childhood infections
B. Treat Ebola
C. Prolong the lives of AIDS patients
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
D. Treat kidney problems

E. Dilate narrow arteries that lead to the heart
In the context of the proposed amendments to
the Prevention of Corruption Act, which of the
following statements IS/ ARE CORRECT?
A. The bribe-giver will be equally culpable as is
the bribe-taker
B. The convicted person shall be debarred from
holding any public office in future.
C. The jail term in corruption cases has been
raised to 7 years
D. Both A and C
E. None of these
The book Half Rupee Stories is authored by
A. Neil Mukherjee
B. Javed Akhtar
C. Ravinder Singh
D. Sudha Murthy
E. Gulzar
The movie Margarita With Straw, which won
the best movie honour at a German Film
Festival recently, stars in the lead role of
a cerebral palsy patient.
A. Divya Dutta
B. Kalki Koechlin
C. Sonam Kapoor
D. Vidya Balan
E. Radhika Apte
The new capital city of Telangana is coming
up in/ near
A. Hyderabad
B. Amravati
C. Seemandhra
D. Guntur
E. Bellary
The phenomenon of S and P waves pertains to
A. Heat waves
B. TV Transmission
C. Sound waves
D. Earthquakes
E. Tsunamis
Pick out the wrong pair.
A. Kiran Mazumdar: Biocon
B. Sheryl Sandberg: Facebook
C. Chanda Kochhar: ICICI Bank
D. Kanchan Chaudhry: ITBP
E. Shikha Sharma: Axis Bank
Operation Maitri refers to the
A. Earthquake rescue and relief efforts mounted
by India in Nepal
B. Joint military exercises launched by Nepal and
India
C. Treaty signed between Mauritius and India for
mutual cooperation
51
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
D. Joint anti-terrorist operations by India and

Bangladesh
E. None of these
Which of the following days does NOT fall in
the month of May?
A. World Book Day
B. No Tobacco Day
C. Labour Day
D. Anti-Smoking Day
E. All these days are observed in the month of
May
Select the WRONG pair from the following
groupings.
A. Meetings with Remarkable Women --- Karan
Singh
B. On Hinduism --- Wendy Doniger
C. Crusaders or Conspirators?: Coalgate and
Other Truths --- Dr. Sanjay Baru
D. Manmohan and Gursharan: Strictly Personal --Ms. Daman Singh
E. The Election That Changed India --- Rajdeep
Sardesai
Which of the following acronyms can be
expanded to mean a tax avoidance treaty?
A. DTAA
B. GAAR
C. GST
D. NCPCR
E. IPCC
Assertion (A): The collegium system of
appointing judges to the High Courts and the
Supreme Court has been abolished by the
government.
Reasoning (R): The government has enacted a
new Judicial Accountability Act to deal with the
appointment of judges to the High Courts and the
Supreme Court.
Select your answer using the following codes:
A. Both A and R are correct and R is the correct
explanation of A.
B. Both A and R are correct but R is not a correct
explanation of A.
C. A is correct while R is incorrect.
D. A is incorrect while R is correct.
E. Both A and R are incorrect
Nick Wallenda, who was in news recently, is a
well-known
A. Hollywood actor
B. climber
C. photographer
D. adventurist
E. bungee jumper
Ethanol Blending refers to
A. Blending ethanol and denatured spirit
B. Mixing 20% ethanol with kerosene to reduce
dependence on diesel
C. Mixing 20% ethanol with petrol to reduce
dependence on petrol
D. Mixing ethanol in LPG for better fuel efficiency
E. None of these
The government has decided to amend the
Juvenile Justice Act to
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
A. try juveniles, accused of committing heinous

crimes, as adults
B. provide for more stringent punishment than
before to all juveniles
C. provide for death punishment in case of
serious crimes
D. provide for the rehabilitation of juvenile
criminals
E. modify the definition of juvenile as given in the
law
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) invested
a record in India during FY 2014-15.
A. $ 270 billion
B. Rs. 70, 000 Crore
C. Rs. 1,70, 000 Crore
D. Rs. 5, 70, 000 Crore
E. Rs. 2, 70, 000 Crore
Assertion (A): The government has entered
into an inflation targeting arrangement with
the Reserve Bank, whereby the RBI has
agreed to contain inflation within 6% by
2016.
Reasoning (R): The government would like to
ensure better accountability in inflation
management by fixing such a target.
Select your answer using the following codes:
A. Both A and R are correct and R is the correct
explanation of A.
B. Both A and R are correct but R is not a correct
explanation of A.
C. A is correct while R is incorrect.
D. A is incorrect while R is correct.
E. Both A and R are incorrect
The Public Debt in India is managed by
A. Public Debt Management Authority
B. Reserve Bank of India
C. Union Cabinet
D. Securities and Exchange Board of India
E. Finance Ministry
The national-level counter-terrorism body in
India, which coordinates all relevant
activities, is the
A. NTRO
B. NSAC
C. RAW
D. ANTER
E. NATGRID
Among the Indian states, attracts
the largest number of foreign tourists
followed by .
A. Kerala, Goa
B. Maharashtra, Kerala
C. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu
D. Kerala, Punjab
E. Kerala, Maharashtra
The latest member nation in the World Trade
Organization (WTO) is
A. Seychelles
B. Mauritius
C. Mali
D. Fiji
E. The West Indies
52
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India

has replaced the mandatory three colour
codes on all mutual fund literature with
A. A riskometer to help investors understand
better the risks in mutual fund investments.
B. A graphical representation of the risk involved
in mutual funds vis a vis other investment
options
C. A warning printed in bold capital letters to
inform the investors of the risks they face.
D. Both A and C
E. None of these
Future Retail, which owns the Big Bazaar
stores, will merge with .. to create a
big retail chain with more than retail 570
stores.
A. Bharti Retail Ltd
B. Reliance Retail
C. Spencer Retail
D. Walmart Retail
E. Westside Retail
Amitabh Chowdhury, who passed away
recently, was a renowned
A. Journalist, writer and Tagore researcher
B. Painter
C. Playwright
D. Environmental activist D. Musician
The World Welterweight boxing match
termed Fight of the Century took place in Las
Vegas, USA which saw . defeat
. of .. .
A. Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, The
Philippines
B. Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, The USA
C. Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, The
Philippines
D. Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Indonesia
E. None of these
Which among the following Indians has been
honoured with The Order of the Rising Sun,
Japan's highest civilian award for promoting
Indo-Japanese scientific cooperation?
A. Dr. AS Paintal
B. Manmohan Singh
C. Dr. Anil Kakodkar D. Prof CNR Rao
E. Dr. RA Mashlekar
The government has decided to launch a new
urban renewal mission called the to
transform 500 cities at a cost of Rs. 50000
Crore.
A. Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban
Transformation (AMRUT)
B. Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission
(JNNURM)
C. PMs Shehri Vikas Karyakram (PMSVK)
D. Deen Dyal Upadhyaya Urban Development
Mission (DDUUDM)
E. Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban
Improvement (AMRUI)
34.
Which NASA spacecraft recently finished a

four-year mission to Mercury by crashing into
the planet after it had run out of fuel?
A. Mercury Rover
B. Discovery
C. Messenger
D. Challenger
E. Curiosity
35.
The government has approved a minimum

monthly pension of for pensioners
under the EPFO beyond the financial year
2014-15.
A. Rs 1500
B. Rs 2000
C. Rs 500
D. Rs 10000
E. Rs 1000
The new Chairperson of Children's Film
Society of India (CFSI) will be
A. Shabana Azmi
B. Nandita Dass
C. Gulzar
D. Anupam Kher
E. Mukesh Khanna
A private members bill in Parliament is one
which is
A. passed by a voice vote, without electronic
voting
B. not allowed without the Presidents consent
C. proposed by a non-MP, who has been granted
special permission by the Speaker to move it
D. proposed by an MP, who does not belong to the
ruling party
E. initiated by the main Opposition party in the
respective House
Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code, which
has been in news of late, deals with
A. Murder
B. Abetment to suicide
C. Culpable homicide, not amounting to murder
D. Suicide
E. Common intention
The title Oracle of Omaha is given to
A. Carlos Slim
B. Warren Buffett
C. Jack Maa
D. Bill Gates
E. Steve Jobs
With which neighbouring country has India
signed a Land Border Agreement (LBA) for
exchange of land enclaves?
A. Myanmar
B. Nepal
C. Pakistan
D. China
E. Bangladesh
The Goods and Services Tax Bill will become a
law
A. After at least 50% of all Indian states pass it
subsequent to the Presidential assent after
parliamentary approval
B. Once both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha
pass it
C. After at least 3/4th of Indian states pass it
subsequent to its passage by the Rajya Sabha, Lok
Sabha and the Presidential assent
D. Once the Rajya Sabha passes it
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
53
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
E. If Lok Sabha passes it, even if Rajya Sabha

rejects it
Choose the correct descending order of the
top civilian awards given by the Indian
government.
A. Bharat Ratan, Padma Vibhushan, Padam Shri,
Padam Bhushan
B. Bharat Ratan, Padam Bhushan, Padam Shri,
Padma Vibhushan
C. Bharat Ratan, Padam Shri, Padma Vibhushan,
Padam Bhushan
D. Bharat Ratan, Padma Vibhushan, Padam
Bhushan, Padam Shri
E. None of these
Which of the following is/ are NOT true of the
Land Border Agreement signed by India
recently?
1. The Land Border Agreement (LBA) was passed
by
Parliament
as
119th
Constitutional
Amendment Act.
2. The agreement proposes to transfer certain
land enclaves to Bangladesh in return for similar
land enclaves from it.
3. The agreement would need approval by at least
half of the Indian states.
A. 1 and 2
B. 1 Only
C. 2 and 3
D. 3 Only
E. All these statements are correct
The best feature film at the 61st National Film
Awards was
A. Pagdi - The Honour
B. Mary Kom
C. Court
D. Queen
E. None of these
Very often, the Wholesale Price Index and the
Consumer Price Index figures published in
India in the past showed discrepancy in the
level of inflation they report. Given below are
some possible reasons behind it. Study them
carefully and choose the set of CORRECT
statements according to the codes given
thereafter.
1. Services like housing, healthcare, education
and entertainment are part of the Consumer Price
Index (CPI) but they do not figure in the
Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
2. The Consumer Price Index for a certain period
is released much later than the Wholesale Price
Index.
3. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) tracks the
producer-level prices while the Consumer Price
Index (CPI) computes the retail-level prices.
A. 1, 3
B. 2, 3
C. 1, 2
D. All are correct
E. 1 only
Ram Chandra Guha is a prominent
A. film maker
B. painter
47.
48.
49.
50.
C. photographer
D. theologian
E. historian
If you are not satisfied with the grievance
redressal mechanism of a bank, the topmost
appellate authority you can approach, is the
A. Governor, Reserve Bank of India
B. Chairman, National Consumer Forum
C. Chairman of the Bank concerned
D. Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India
E. Finance Ministry
Which of the following corporates is not
headed by a lady?
A. Axis Bank
B. ICICI Bank
C. HDFC Bank
D. PepsiCo
E. Biocon
A bank acts as a/an in relation to the
money lying with it.
A. Landlord
B. Safekeeper
C. Financial intermediary D. Both B and C
E. Owner of the funds
The provisions of the SARFAESI Act DO NOT
apply if
A. When the case is pending in the court of law.
B. 80% or more of the loan amount has been
recovered
C. The Act does not apply in any of these cases
D. The asset in question is agriculture land
E. Both B and D
MAY GK TEST-02
1.
2.
3.
Match the following pairs.

1. UNDP
P. Global warming
2. UNCTAD
Q. Human rights violations
3. WTO
R. Global trade
4. UNHRC
S. Human Development
Index
5. IPCC
T. Anti-dumping duties
Select your answer using the codes given below:
P
Q
R
S
T
A.
5
4
2
1
3
B.
5
4
1
2
3
C.
4
5
2
1
3
D.
3
2
4
1
5
E. None of these is correct
The Right to Compulsory, Free Elementary
Education is contained in which article of the
Indian Constitution?
A. Art 32
B. Art 21 A
C. Art 14
D. Art 19
E. Art 17
The primary deficit in the Union Budget 201516 was pegged at
A. 0.7%
B. 2.7%
54
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
C. 3.9%
D. 1.8%
E. 3.7%
Which of the following schemes has/have
been launched by the government recently?
1. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana
2. Atal Pension Yojana
3. Pradhan Mantri Surakasha Beema Yojana
A. 1, 3
B. 2, 3
C. 1 Only
D. 1, 2
E. All of these
In American parlance, if someone has been
Bangalored, he/she
A. has been promoted fast
B. has lost his/her job due to outsourcing
C. has been demoted
D. has suffered a pay cut
E. has been transferred to Bangalore
Which of the following is/are NOT within the
domain of SEBI in India?
A. Hawala cases
B. Public debt management functions
C. Insider Trading
D. Portfolio Management Schemes (PMS)
E. Both A and B
Select the wrong pair.
A. Not A Nice Man To
1. Khushwant
Know
Singh
B. Not Just An Accountant 2. Vinod Rai
C. Neither Hawk Nor Dove 3. Farid Zakaria
D. Scion of Ikshvaku
4. Amish Tripathi
E. Manmohan and
5. Ms. Daman Singh
Gursharan: Strictly
Personal
The biggest litigant in India, as per a Law
Commission report, is the
A. Farmers
B. Government employees
C. Labourers
D. Government
E. Corporates
In the world of technology, efficiency doubles
and prices halve every 18 months---- This wise
saying is also known as
A. Laffers axiom
B. Moores law
C. Murphys law
D. Says law
E. Parkinsons law
Significant remains of the Harappan
civilization have been discovered recently in
A. Rakhigarhi
B. Banawali
C. Kalibangan
D. Dholavira
E. Sanghol
Which of the following statements regarding
euthanasia in India is/ are CORRECT?
1. The Supreme Court has ruled that the Right To

Die is an intrinsic part of the Right To Life under
Article 21 of the Constitution.
2. The Supreme Court, in the Aruna Shanbaug
case, had allowed passive euthanasia, with the
consent of the terminally ill patients family.
3. The Supreme Court, in the Aruna Shanbaug
case, had allowed both passive and active
euthanasia, with the consent of the terminally ill
patients family.
A. 1 only
B. 1, 2
C. 2 only
D. 1, 3 only
E. None of these
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Which country recently conducted a

referendum on allowing gay marriages?
A. The USA
B. Iceland
C. The UK
D. Ireland
E. France
India has extended a $ 1 billion credit line to
A. Mauritius
B. Nepal
C. Seychelles
D. South Korea
E. Mongolia
Pick the wrong pair.
A. Yingluck Shinawatra: Thailand
B. Park Gun-hye: South Korea
C. Xi Jinping: China
D. Kim Jong Un: North Korea
E. All these pairs are correct
Near Field Communication is a technology
employed in
A. Communication in space travel
B. Making missiles
C. Contactless ATM Debit Cards
D. Mines
E. Mobile phones
Which of the following statements about the
proposed Gold Monetization Scheme is/ are
WRONG?
1. The scheme seeks to make productive use of
the idle gold lying in households.
2. The scheme offers a fixed rate of interest on the
gold deposited with the bank by customers.
3. The gold deposited under it can be used by the
bank as part of its Statutory Liquidity Ratio
requirements.
A. None of these
B. 3 only
C. 1 and 2
D. All statements given above are wrong
E. 2 only
The term play off is quite popular in
A. Hockey
B. Boxing
C. Golf
D. Cricket
E. Tennis
55
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
The proposed Whistleblowers Act deals with

which of the following?
A. Financial system frauds
B. Black money lying abroad
C. Creation of a Jan Lokpal
D. Corruption in government offices, PSUs and
other public bodies
E. None of these
Which of the following countries tops the
latest Human Development Index report
issued by the UNDP?
A. The USA
B. Luxembourg
C. Denmark
D. Norway
E. Canada
USTAAD is a scheme announced by the
government for the promotion of
A. Traditional religious education in Madrasas
B. Urdu in schools and colleges
C. Financial literacy across India
D. music and dance
E. Traditional arts and crafts
John Nash, who passed away recently, was
most well-known for his contribution to
A. Fundamental Particles B. Welfare Economics
C. Science Fiction writing
D. Total Quality Systems E. Game Theory
Jayalalitha, the 5th time Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu was recently acquitted of the
charges of by a Karnataka court.
A. Money Laundering
B. Electoral Malpractices
C. Disproportionate Assets
D. Bribery
E. None of these
Which of the following statements is CORRECT
in the context of the National Capital Territory
of Delhi?
A. The National Capital Territory of Delhi is
governed by the Central Government through a
Lieutenant Governor in all respects.
B. The National Capital Territory of Delhi is a fullfledged state in all respects just like other states
in India.
C. The National Capital Territory of Delhi is a
limited state, with many important powers on
law and order, land etc. lying with the Central
Government.
D. The National Capital Territory of Delhi is
similar to other Union Territories (UTs) in terms
of its administrative system and the relationship
with the Central Government.
E. None of these
Which of the following is/ are WRONG in
respect of the Gold Monetization Scheme?
1. People can deposit their idle gold with the
banks in return for an interest payment.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
2. A minimum 30 grams of gold can be deposited

on which the Banks will decide the rate of
interest.
3. The minimum deposit period is one year, after
which the customer may ask for gold or cash.
A. 2 Only
B. 3 Only
C. 1, 2, 3
D. 2 and 3
Which of the following has become the first
country to legalise same-sex marriage
through popular vote by passing a
referendum?
A. The UK
B. The Netherlands
C. Ireland
D. Switzerland
E. Iceland
Palmyra was in news recently as
A. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has
seized its full control.
B. It has been declared a World Heritage Site
because of its ancient architecture.
C. It has been made the new capital of the Islamic
Caliphate in Syria.
D. The worlds tallest tower has been inaugurated
here.
E. None of these
Sudha Shivpuri, who passed away last month,
was active in the field of
A. Entertainment, films and television
B. Literature, especially poetry
C. Classic vocal music, especially thumri
D. Sports, especially athletics
E. Wildlife Protection
Name the process by which appointment of
judges to High Court and Supreme Court is set
to be made?
A. Collegium system
B. Committee consisting of Prime Minister,
Speaker of Lok Sabha and Leader of opposition.
C. National Judicial Appointment Commission
D. President of India
E. None of these
E-huts are designed to
A. Act as a one-prominent contact for all banking
needs of high net worth customers
B. Provide banking services to people in rural
areas
C. Provide insurance services to people in rural
areas
D. Provide safety locker services to rural
customers
E. Provide all financial services to rural
customers
Maria Elena South was in news recently as
A. It has been found to be the deepest point in the
Pacific Ocean.
56
31.
32.
33.
34.
B. It has been found to be the highest point on the

Earth.
C. It has been found to be the wettest place on the
Earth.
D. It has been found to be the driest place on the
Earth.
E. None of these
Which of the following statements is/are
TRUE in respect of some recent legislations/
plans approved by the government/
Parliament?
1. The new Undisclosed Foreign Income and
Assets Act 2015 seeks to tax unlawful,
undisclosed income abroad @ 30 per cent, with
an additional 30 percent penalty. Further, it
provides for 120 per cent tax and penalty besides
a 10-year jail term.
2. The Namami Gange Programme has been
allocated Rs. 20000 Crore and will involve people
living on the banks of the river to attain
sustainable results.
3. The amended Negotiable Instruments
(Amendment) Act provides for filing the case
against the issuer of the cheque at the place
where cheque is deposited by the beneficiary
(payee).
A. 2 Only
B. 1, 2, 3
C. 1, 3
D. 1, 2
E. 1 Only
The newly appointed CEO of the 50 billiondollar New Development Bank set up by the
BRICS group, with its headquarters in
Shanghai, is
A. Chanda Kochhar
B. Shikha Sharma
C. Naina Lal
D. KV Kamath
E. Deepak Parekh
Which of the following is TRUE with regard to
the latest changes in child labour laws?
A. Children below 14 years can work in family
enterprises, entertainment industry and even in
hazardous industries, with certain conditions.
B. Children below 14 years can work only in
family enterprises.
C. Children below 18 years can work in the
entertainment industry with certain conditions,
while completely banning their employment
elsewhere.
D. Children below 14 years have been completely
banned from employment anywhere, including
family enterprises and entertainment industries.
E. None of these is correct.
Find the wrong pairing.
A. Unbelievable Delhi to Islamabad: Prof. Bhim
Singh
B. Worlds Best Boyfriend: Durjoy Datta
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
C. Your Dreams are Mine Now: Ravinder Singh

D. The Past Before Us: Romila Thapar
E. The Scion of Ikshvaku: Preeti Shenoy
The Man Booker International Prize 2015 was
bagged by
A. Hillary Mantel
B. Robert Flangan
C. Laszlo Krasznahorkai D. Gunter Gross
E. None of these
Pick the wrongly matched pair out of the
following.
A. Dr. Nasim Zaidi: Chief Election Commissioner
B. Surinder Singh: D-G, Central Industrial Security
Force
C.
Deepak
Sandhu:
Chief
Information
Commissioner
D. KV Thomas: Chairman, Public Accounts
Committee
E. Dalbir Singh Suhag: Chief of Army Staff
The following are some of the decisions said
to be taken by the Reserve Bank recently.
1. Appointment of internal ombudsman in every
bank for complaint resolution.
2. Abolition of priority sector guidelines to banks
due to high NPAs
3. Abolition of Base Rate for the purpose of
computing the interest rates chargeable on bank
loans.
Select the CORRECT ones and mark your answer
accordingly.
A. 1 only
B. 2, 3
C. 2 only
D. 1, 3
Which of the following is/ are INCORRECT
regarding the farm output figures for the year
2014-15?
A. Indias foodgrain production is estimated to
decline by 5.25 per cent to 251.12 million tones.
B. The production of most Kharif crops fell due to
poor monsoons last year and Rabi crops due to
unseasonal rain and hailstorms.
C. India had recorded a record foodgrain output
of 265.04 million tons during the year 2013-14.
D. The government plans to dig up network of
tubewells throughout the country in the next 10
years to minimize the farmers dependence on
monsoons.
E. None of these
Tejaswini Sagar, an Indian girl was in
headlines recently for
A. Bagging a gold in the under-15 World School
Chess Championships in Pattaya.
B. Getting a gold in the under-15 Para-Olympics
held in Spain.
C. Becoming the youngest Chess Grandmaster in
the world.
D. Crossing the English Channel in record time.
57
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
E. Creating a new world record in under-15 100metre race competition.

Which of the following is the largest private
sector bank in India, as per recent media
reports?
A. IDBI Bank
B. ICICI Bank
C. Kotak Mahindra Bank D. Axis Bank
E. HDFC Bank
Who among the following was named
International Cricketer of the Year 2015?
A. AB de Villiers
B. Chris Gayle
C. Kumar Sangakkara
D. Virat Kohli
E. Shane Warne
The AFSPA, a piece of legislation, which
hogged the headlines recently, deals with
A. Dowry deaths
B. Special powers given to the armed forces in
areas declared as disturbed
C. Divorce laws
D. Child labourers
E. Protection of childrens rights against violence
of all kinds
Which company was in news due to
allegations of excess Lead in one of its food
items, leading to withdrawal of its batches?
A. Nestle India
B. Tata Sons
C. PepsiCo
D. Adani Wilmar Enterprises
E. Hindustan Unilever
The Cannes Film Festival, an iconic event that
showcases the best in world cinema, recently
concluded in
A. Canada
B. Germany
C. The UK
D. France
E. The USA
John Nash, who died recently in an accident,
was a well-known
A. Car designer
B. Welfare economist
C. Abstract painter
D. Mathematician
E. Management expert
Effective June 1, all payments beyond
Rs.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, made for buying immovable
property will have to be in the form of
cheques.
A. 100, 000
B. 10, 000
C.5, 000
D. 50, 000
E. 20, 000
Pick the wrong pairing.
A. World Human Rights Day: December 10
B. No Tobacco Day: May 31
C. World Environment Day: June 5
D. World Book Day: April 23
E. World Press Freedom Day: May 5
48.
49.
50.
The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver

Star is awarded by which government to
honour men of merit?
A. The USA
B. Britain
C. Japan
D. Russia
E. France
Mohammed Morsi, who has been awarded a
death sentence along with hundreds of others
accused of a mass jail break, is the ex ruler of
A. Egypt
B. Pakistan
C. Yemen
D. Bangladesh
E. The UAE
The sweetest substance known so far is
A. Saccharine
B. Glucose
C. Lactose
D. Sucrose
E. Fructose
ANSWER KEY
TEST 1
Q.
1
6
11
16
21
26
31
36
41
46
A.
D
D
B
C
A
C
A
E
A
E
Q.
2
7
12
17
22
27
32
37
42
47
A.
C
E
D
A
E
A
D
D
D
D
Q.
3
8
13
18
23
28
33
38
43
48
A.
E
C
B
C
A
A
A
C
E
C
Q.
4
9
14
19
24
29
34
39
44
49
A.
A
E
A
D
B
A
C
B
C
D
Q.
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
A.
A
B
A
C
E
A
E
E
D
E
Q.
4
9
14
19
24
29
34
39
44
49
A.
E
B
E
B
E
B
E
A
D
A
Q.
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
A.
B
A
C
E
C
D
C
B
D
A
TEST 2
Q.
1
6
11
16
21
26
31
36
41
46
A.
A
E
C
A
E
A
B
C
C
E
Q.
2
7
12
17
22
27
32
37
42
47
A.
B
C
D
D
C
A
D
A
B
E
Q.
3
8
13
18
23
28
33
38
43
48
A.
A
D
E
D
C
C
B
D
A
C
58
SBI PO PRELIM
Model Test Paper
QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE
8)
3001 x 749 1001 1399 = ?

1) 650
2) 700
3) 950
4) 850
5) 1000
9)
2642 - 1156 + 459 = ?

1) 50
2) 90
3) 40
4) 20
5) 30
1-5): What will come in place of question mark (?) in

the following questions?
1)
12
of 25% of 1020 120 ?
17
1) 60
3) 80
5) None of these
2)
2) 40
4) 120
4321 9241 + 5642 + 3220 = ? + 1203

1) 2649
2) 2769
3) 2639
4) 2749
5) None of these
3)
52 X 26 169 32 = ? - 42
1) 65
2) 57
3) 55
4) 67
5) None of these
4)
54 x 5 + 150 + 21 = (?)2
1) 21
2) 21
3) 4412
4) 441
5) None of these
5)
72 x 492 = 7? X 343
1) 4
3) 6
5) None of these
2) 3
4) 2
6 10): What approximate value will come in place

of the question mark (?) in the following questions?
(You are not expected to calculate the exact value.)
10)
901 91 51
?
29 301 599
1) 140
3) 60
5) 30
2) 110
4) 20
11 15): What will come in place of the question

mark (?) in the following number series?
11) 11 15 31 67 131 ?
1) 233
2) 221
3) 243
4) 231
5) None of these
12) 483 471
?
1) 183
3) 185
5) None of these
435
375
2) 184
4) 186
13) 5
7 13 25 45 ?
1) 67
2) 75
3) 65
4) 55
5) None of these
6)
465.84 + 764.86 211.99 = ?

1) 1100
2) 1080
3) 1000
4) 1020
5) 1060
14) 4
11 25 53 109 ?
1) 221
2) 234
3) 212
4) 222
5) None of these
7)
149.9% of 149.9 + 149.9 = ?

1) 375
2) 400
3) 350
4) 425
5) 450
15) 15 21 33 51 75 ?
1) 113
2) 103
3) 105
4) 115
5) None of these
291
59
16-20): In the following questions two equations

numbered I and II are given. You have to solve both
the equations and _____
Give answer if
1)
x>y
2)
xy
3)
x<y
4)
xy
5)
x = y or the relationship cannot be established
16) I) x2 1200 = 244
II) y + 122 = 159
17) I) 14x 25 = 59 7x
II)
18) I) 144x2 16 = 9
II) 12y + 4 = 49
19) I) x2 - 9x + 20 = 0
II) y2 13y + 42 = 0
20) I)
x 3 x
1
5
10
x
II)
y 222 - 36 = 81
10
2
4 y
y
y
21-25): Each of the questions below consists of a

question and two statements numbered I and II are
given below it. You have to decide whether the data
provided in the statements are sufficient to answer
the question. Read both the statements and ____
Give answer 1)
If the data in statement I alone are
sufficient to answer the question,
while the data in statement II alone
are not sufficient to answer the
question.
Give answer 2)
If the data in statement II alone are
while the data in statement I alone
are not sufficient the question.
Give answer 3)
If the data in statement I alone or in
statement II alone are sufficient to
answer the question.
Give answer 4)
If the data in both the statement I
alone or in statement II alone are
not sufficient to answer the
question.
Give answer 5)
If the data in both the statements I
and II are together are necessary to
21) In how many days will five women complete a
work?
I) Two women, five boys and three men together
complete the work in eight days.
II) Six women complete the same work in sixteen
days.
22) What is Sonus monthly income?

I) Ritas monthly income is Rs. 5,000/-more than
Sonus monthly income.
II) Sonus monthly income is Rs. 8,000/- more than
Sohans monthly income.
23) What will be Pravins age after 4 years?
I) The ratio between Pravins and Shekhars
present age is 2 : 3 respectively.
II) Shekhar is six years older than Pravin.
24) What is the area of a circle?
I) The radius of the circle is equal to length of a
rectangle
II) The breadth of the rectangle is equal to 22 cms.
25) What is the average speed of a car?
I) Average speed of the car is four times average
speed of a truck which covers 220 kms in 11 hours.
II) Average speed of the truck is half the average
speed of a train whereas the average speed of a
jeep is 40 km/hr.
26) A man sold a wristwatch for Rs. 2,400/- at a loss
of twenty five percent. At what rate should he
have sold the wristwatch to earn a profit of
twenty five percent?
1) Rs. 3,600/2) Rs. 4,000/3) Rs. 3,500/4) Rs. 3,800/5) None of these
27) The average of five numbers is 56. If the
average of first four numbers is 54. What is the
value of the fifth number?
1) 68
2) 72
3) 56
4) 64
5) None of these
28) If a number is added to seven-ninth of thirty
five percent of 900, the value so obtained is
325. What is the number?
1) 60
2) 120
3) 90
4) 180
5) None of these
29) The ratio between the three angles of a
quadrilateral is 1 : 4 : 5 respectively. The value
of the fourth angle of the quadrilateral is 60.
What is the difference between the value of the
largest and the smallest angles of the
quadrilateral?
1) 120
2) 90
3) 110
4) 100
5) None of these
60
30) What least number should be subtracted from

1740, so that it will be completely divisible by
88?
1) 156
2) 68
3) 58
4) 146
5) None of these
31-35): Study the following table carefully to answer
the questions that follow.
Number of flights (in hundreds) cancelled in five
different sates during six different years
Years
Punjab
Haryana
States
Rajasthan
Assam
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
1.4
1.3
0.5
2.7
1.4
2.7
3.2
4.1
1.7
2.6
1.5
1.3
0.3
0.7
0.2
1.8
2.2
2.1
1.1
0.8
1.3
2.7
1.3
1.4
West
Bengal
1.5
2.1
3.5
4.3
5.5
6.0
31) What was the respective ratio between the

number of flights cancelled in Rajasthan in the
year 2006 and number of flights cancelled in
West Bengal in the year 2009?
1) 1 : 6
2) 15:2
3) 1 : 30
4) 30 : 7
5) None of these
32) What was the average number of flights
cancelled in all the state together in the year
2008?
1) 278
2) 232
3) 238
4) 272
5) None of these
33) What is the difference between the number of
flights cancelled in Assam in the year 2007 and
the total number of flights cancelled in
Rajasthan in the year 2005, 2007 and 2008
together?
1) 200
2) 230
3) 210
4) 240
5) None of these
34) In which state the number of flights cancelled
continuously increased during the years 2004
to 2009?
1) Punjab
2) Haryana
3) Rajasthan
4) Assam
5) West Bengal
35) Number of flights cancelled in Haryana in the

year 2004 was what percent of the total
number of flights cancelled in Punjab over all
the years together?
1) 12
2) 32
3) 36
4) 24
5) None of these
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Directions (Q. 36-45): Read the passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it.
July 15, 2010 turned out to be a historic day, as
the Indian Rupee got the much-awaited symbol, just like
other leading currencies of the world, viz Dollar, Euro,
Pound Sterling and the Yen. The new symbol ` is an
amalgamation of Devanagri Ra and the Roman R
without the stem. Till now, the Rupee was written in
various abbreviated forms in different languages.
The new symbol designed by IIT Bombay
postgraduate Shri D Udaya Kumar was approved by the
Union Cabinet on July 15. Its a big statement on the
Indian currency. The symbol would lend a distinctive
character and identity to the currency and further
highlight the strength and global face of the Indian
economy, said Information and Broadcasting Minister
Smt Ambika Soni, while briefing the media on the
Cabinet decision.
The new symbol will not be printed or
embossed on currency notes or coins, but it would be
included in the Unicode Standard to ensure that it is
easily displayed and printed in the electronic and print
media. The encoding of the rupee symbol in the Indian
Standards is estimated to take about six months while
encoding in the Unicode and ISO/IEC10646 will take
about 18 months to two years. It will also be
incorporated in software packages and keyboards for
use in India.
On March 5, 2009 the Government announced a
contest to create a symbol for the Rupee, inviting entries
for the symbol, which would reflect and capture the
Indian ethos and culture. Over 3000 entries were
received, which were evaluated by a jury headed by the
Deputy Governor, RBI, which also included experts from
three reputed art and design institutes. The Jury
selected five entries and also gave its evaluation of these
five entries to the Government to take a final decision.
Shri Udaya Kumars entry was the Best of Five.
He will get an award of Rs. 2.5 lakh and more than that
an incredible fame, as the designer of the Rupee symbol.
My design is a perfect blend of Indian and Roman
letters capital R and Devanagri Ra which represents
rupaiah, to appeal to international and Indian audiences.
It is based on the tricolor, with two lines at the top and
white space in between, a visibly-happy Kumar said.
61
The genesis of the word rupee is in the

Sanskrit word raupya which means silver. Indian
Rupee is variously called rupaya in Hindi, rupiya in
Gujarati, roopayi in Telugu and Kannada, rubai in
Tamil and rupyakam in Sanskrit. However in Eastern
India it is called Taka/Toka in Bengali and Assamese
and Tanka in Oriya.
Indian stands among the earliest to issue coin,
and as a result it has seen a wide range of monetary
units throughout its history. There is some historical
evidence to show that coins may have been introduced
the first time some time between 2500 and 1750 BC.
42) What is the genesis of the term rupee?

1) It has been derived from the Sanskrit word
Raupya.
2) It finds its origin in the term Rupaya of Hindi.
3) Rupiyo in Gujarati
4) Roopayi in Tamil and Kannada
5) None of these
36) Who is the Union Information and Broadcasting

Minister?
1) Smt Sushma Swaraj 2) Smt Meera Kumar
3) Smt Pratibha Devsingh Patil
4) Smt Ambika Soni
5) None of these
44) What is Rupee called in Oriya?

1) Taka
2) Toka
3) Rupyakam
4) Tanka
5) None of these
37) What is the importance of 15 July in the history

of Indian rupee?
1) The new Rupee symbol replaced the old.
2) The international community approved the
Rupee symbol.
3) The Cabinet approved the much-awaited Rupee
symbol.
4) Both (1) and (3)
5) None of these
38) Which of the following countries has a currency
symbol?
1) China
2) France
3) Singapore
4) Germany
5) Not mentioned in the passage
39) Who has designed the newly approved Rupee
symbol?
1) A teacher posted at IIT Bombay
2) Mr Uday Kumar of Maharashtra
3) Mr D Udaya Kumar, a postgraduate
4) Information and Broadcasting Minister
5) None of these
40) The new design `finds its origin in
1) Devanagari
2) Roman
3) Devanagari and Sanskrit
4) Devanagari and Roman
5) None of these
41) What is the importance of the new Rupee
symbol?
1) It highlights the strength of the Indian economy.
2) Now Indian rupee gets value like Dollar, Pound,
Euro Yen.
3) Now most of the foreign countries will maintain
their foreign exchange reserves in Rupee.
4) Now it will be a fully convertible currency.
5) None of these
43) What does Raupya mean in Sanskrit?

1) Gold
2) Diamond
3) Silver
4) Bronze
5) None of these
45) When was the first coin introduced?

1) Between 250 and 750 BC
2) Between 2500 and 1750 AD
3) Between 250 and 759 AD
4) Between 2500 and 1750 BC
5) None of these
Directions (Q. 46-50): Read each sentence carefully
and detect the error which may be in any one of the
parts 1, 2, 3 or 4. In case of No error, 5 will be the
answer.
46) 1) To hit a man/ 2) when he is down/ 3) is a
contemptuous /4) thing to do. /5) No error
47) 1) The climate on this / 2) altitude is cool and dry
/3) but down in the valley /4) it is very sultry. /5)
No error
48) 1) Since her mother /2) died when she /3) was
young /4) she did lack maternal care. / 5) No error
49) 1) In 1665 a /2) great pestilence caused /3) the
death of 63000 persons /4) in the city of London. /
5) No error
50) 1) Because of his /2) lack of interest in the /3)
affairs of the society, the members /4) decided to
depose the president. /5) No error
Directions (Q. 51-55): Rearrange the sentences
given below in a way which would make an
appropriate and meaningful paragraph. Mark the
correct order of sentences and answer the questions
given below.
A. But in most of the tourist destinations of the valley,
the sombre environs greet the visitor.
B. But the turmoil has restricted most of the pilgrims
only to visit the Amarnath Shrine.
62
C.
Besides, most of the Amarnath Yatris too used to

visit the valleys tourist spots after their pilgrimage
to the holy Amarnath cave shrine.
D. The tourism industry was expecting a booming
business this summer.
E. The unrest has dashed the hopes of those associated
with this industry, the mainstay of Kashmirs
economy.
F. The industry was expecting at least ten lakh visitors
this season.
51) After rearrangement which of the following
sentences will come FIRST?
1) A
2) B
3) C
4) D
5) E
sentences will come THIRD?
1) A
2) B
3) C
4) D
5) E
sentences will come FOURTH?
1) E
2) F
3) D
4) C
5) A
sentences will come FIFTH?
1) B
2) C
3) D
4) E
5) F
sentences will come LAST?
1) F
2) E
3) D
4) B
5) A
Directions (Q. 56-60): Fill up the blanks with the
most suitable pair of words from the options given
to make a meaningful sentence.
56) Were late. The film _______ have already started
by the time we ______ the cinema hall.
1) shall, arrive
2) would, reach
3) will, get to
4) should, approach
5) may, go
57) The fire spread through the building ______ but
everybody was ______ escape.
1) fast, enable to
2) instant, managed to
3) quick, able
4) immediately, safe
5) quickly, able to
58) I am thinking ____ a house; _________ you think
thats a good idea?
1) buying, what
3) taking, what
4) for, will
2) of buying, do
5) of, do
59) I am tired. Id rather ______ out this evening, if

you dont ______.
1) go, feel
2) not, accompany
3) not be, worry
4) never go, annoy
5) not go, mind
60) I must ______ now. I promise not _____ late.
1) leave, being
2) reach, of being
3) go, to be
4) do it, for being
5) get in, of been
Directions (Q. 61-65): Replace the word/ words
given in bold by one of the given options to make the
sentence correct and meaningful. In case of no
correction required (NCR), 5 will be the answer.
61) It was not long for I discovered that he could
neither read nor write.
1) long before
2) long since
3) longer than
4) long then
5) No correction required
62) The death toll in the train accident went to six
hundred.
1) increased to
2) rose to
3) spread to
4) counted to
63) While walking on the road, a dog bit one man.
1) a dog had bitted a man
2) the man was dogged 3) a dog did bit a man
4) the man was bitten by a dog
64) He promised that he will deliver the letter within
two days.
1) will must deliver
2) would deliver
3) will be delivering
4) will have delivered
65) The negotiations faced a doldrum with neither
side ready to move even an inch.
1) a hanger
2) a crisis
3) a hold
4) an abortion
REASONING ABILITY
66 70) Study the following information to answer
the given questions:
In a certain code ge ji zo means had horrible
dream. lit zo pit means realize your dream and ge ze
pat ze means very very horrible experience.
63
66) Which of the following is the code of your?

1) lit
2) zo
3) pit
4) Cannot be determined
5) None of these
72) How is N related to M?

I) O is the husband of N
II) Z who is the sister of brother M is the daughter
of N.
67) ji ze pit lit may represent ___

1) very horrible you realize
2) you had realize your 3) had realize your very
4) your very realize dream
5) None of these
73) B is the sister of A. How is A related to B?

I) A is the only son of his parents.
II) A has two sisters B and F.
68) dream had horrible experience can be coded

as _
1) zo ge ji ze
2) pat ge zo ji
3) zo ji ge pit
5) None of these
69) Which of the following is the code of very?
1) ge
2) pat
3) ze
5) None of these
70) Which of the following is the code of had?
1) ge
2) ji
3) zo
5) None of these
71-75): Each of the questions below consists of a
question and two statements numbered I and II
given below it. You have to decide whether the data
provided in the statements are sufficient to answer
the question. Read both the statements and:Give answer 1)
if the data in statement I alone are
while the data in statement II alone
question.
Give answer 2)
if the data in statement II alone are
while the data in statement I alone
question.
Give answer 3)
if the data either in statement I
alone or in statement II alone are
sufficient to answer the question.
Give answer 4)
if the data even in both statements I
and II together are not sufficient to
Give answer 5)
if the data in both statements I and
II together are necessary to answer
the question.
71) Who among Meera, Jyoti, Pinki and Sadhana is
the tallest?
I) Meera is not as tall as Pinki or Sadhana
II) Jyoti is taller than Sadhana.
74) How is X related to W?

1) V is the husband of X.
II) W is the brother of Z and Zs mother is X.
75) Is this college co-educational?
I) There are more female teachers than male
teachers in this college.
II) A girl known to me was the topper from this
college.
76-79): In each question below is given a statement
followed by two assumptions numbered I and II. An
assumption is something supposed or taken for
granted. You have to consider the statement and the
following assumptions and decide which of the
assumptions is implicit in the statement.
Give answer 1) if only assumption I is implicit.
Give answer 2) if only assumption II is implicit.
Give answer 3) if either assumption I or assumption II is
implicit
Give answer 4) if neither assumption I nor assumption II
is implicit.
Give answer 5) if both assumptions I and II are implicit.
76) Statement
Job rotation helps employees get an overview of
the organization.
Assumptions
I) Job rotation is the only method to get an
overview of the organization.
II) It is required to have an overview of the
organization.
77) Statement
Let us appoint Ms. X as the CEO of our company so
that the companys products are also perceived to
be genuine.
Assumptions
I) CEO can change the perception of products.
II) Perception is same as the actual reality.
78) Statement
An advertisement The new model has been
launched with K-series engine.
Assumptions
I) People know about K-series engine.
II) Engine type/series is important for buyers.
64
79) Statement
Mohan tells Nita, Let us meet over lunch
tomorrow.
Assumptions
I) Lunch timings are known to both.
II) Both are aware of the venue for lunch.
As per the rules followed in the above steps, find out in

each of the following questions the appropriate steps for
the given input.
Input for the questions
Input : when 11 given fine 37 provide zero 90 over
45 is 29 team 89
(80-83) Study the following information to answer

the given questions.
V, U and T are seated in a circle facing the centre. A,
B and C are also seated in the same circle but two of
them are not facing the centre (facing opposite direction
of the centre). V is second to the left of C. U is second to
the right of A. B is third to the left of T. C is second to the
right of T. A is seated next to V.
84) Which of the following would be the step I?

1) Fine given when 11 37 provide zero 90
45 is 29 team 89
2) Fine when 11 given 37 provide zero 90
45 is 29 team 89
3) Zero when 11 given fine 37 provide 90
45 is 29 team 89
4) Fine given when 90 89 11 37 provide
over 45 is 29 team
5) None of these
80) Which of the following are not facing the

centre?
1) BA
2) CA
3) BC
5) None of these
81) Which of the following is Ts position with
respect to B?
1) Third to the right
2) Second to the right
3) Third to the left
4) Fourth to the left
82) Which of the following is Vs position with
respect to C?
1) Second to the right
2) Third to the left
3) Fourth to the right
4) Fourth to the left
83) Which of the following is true regarding the
seating arrangement?
1) A, B and C are seated adjacent
2) V, U and T are seated adjacent
3) There are two persons whose seating
arrangement cannot be ascertained
4) Those not facing the centre are seated adjacent
5) There are only two persons seated between V
and T
Directions (Qs. 84-90)
A word and number arrangement machine when
given an input line of words and numbers rearranges
them following a particular rule. The following is an
illustration of input and rearrangement.
Input
: mix 12 in form 35 are 20 with 47 given
Step I
: are form mix 12 in 35 20 with 47 given
Step II
: are form given in mix 12 35 20 with 47
Step III : are form given in mix with 12 35 20 47
Step IV : are form given in mix with 47 35 12 20
Step V
: are form given in mix with 47 35 20 12
And step V is the last step of the rearrangement
of the above input as the intended arrangement is
obtained.
over
over
over
zero
85) Which word/number would be on 4th position

(from left) in step II?
1) given
2) is
3) when
4) 11
5) None of these
86) How many steps would be needed to complete
the arrangement?
1) V
2) VI
3) VII
4) IV
5) None of these
87) In step IV, which of the following word/number
would be on 8th position (from left)?
1) zero
2) when
3) 11
4) provide
5) None of these
88) Which step number would be the following
output?
Fine given is over provide team when 11 37 zero
90 45 29 89
1) IV
2) III
3) II
4) V
5) None of these
89) Which of the following would be step V?
1) fine given is over provide team when zero
89 45 37 11 29
37 90 45 29 89
3) fine given is over provide team when 11
zero 90 45 29 89
29 37 45 89 90
5) None of these
90
11
37
11
65
90) Which of the following would be the final

arrangement?
1) Zero when team provide over is given five 90
89 45 37 29 11
2) Fine given is over provide team when zero 90
89 45 37 29 11
89 45 37 11 29
29 37 45 89 90
5) None of these
91-95): In these questions, relationship between
different elements is shown in the statements. These
statements are followed by two conclusions.
Mark answer if
1) Only conclusion I follows.
2) Only conclusion II follows.
3) Either conclusion I or II follows
4) Neither conclusion I nor II follows
5) Both conclusions I and II follow
91) Statements : A = B C < D = E F
Conclusions : I) F > B
II) B D
97) Which pen is Harshs preference?

1) Lamy
2) Pointer
3) Lexi
5) None of these
98) Which watch is Harshs preference?
1) Samay
2) Fastrack
3) Timex
5) None of these
99) Whos preference is Swift?
1) Harsh
2) Amit
3) Veena
5) None of these
100) Which watch is Veenas preference?
1) Samay
2) Fastrack
3) Titan
5) None of these
ANSWER KEY
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
92) Statements : P > M > Q, Q > Z > N

Conclusions : I) M Z
II) N < P
10
93) Statements : X > Y, Y Z , Z = V, V < W

Conclusions : I) Y = V
II) Y > V
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
95) Statements : B < C, D > B, C > K, K N,

Conclusions : I) C > N
II) B > K
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
96-100): Study the following information to answer

the given questions.
In a group of 5, each person has an exclusive and
different preference (has/likes) for a pen, a watch and a
car. Pen preferences are parker, lamy, pointer, lexi and
Cello. Car preferences are Wagon R, Swift, Santro, Mica
and Honda City. Watch preference are Timex, Titan,
Fastrack, Samay and Citizen.
Suman has Mica and Parker but does not prefer
among watches Titan or Fastrack. The one who has
Swift, likes Fastrack. Mrudula has preference for Honda
city, Cello and Citizen. Amit has preference for Lamy and
Timex. Veena prefers WagonR and Lexi. Harshs
preference for a watch is not Titan.
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
94) Statements : D > B, C > K, K N, B < C,

Conclusions : I) D > N
II) C K
96) Which watch is Sumans preference?

1) Titan
2) Fastrack
3) Samay
5) None of these
66
GETTING WORD WISE

How much do you know about the huge variety of professions
available, apart from your own? Take the quiz below to find
out for yourself and also learn some new words as a BONUS!
DIRECTIONS: On the left side in COLUMN 1 are certain
situations, each of which should remind you of a profession
mentioned in COLUMN 2 on the right. Pick the right code for
each situation and mark your answer accordingly.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
COLUMN I
You are over-anxious for
no reason
A constantly crying 2-year
old does not let you sleep
Hari has a fractured left
arm
The CBI officer would like
to get two handwriting
samples matched
Raju wants to compute the
age of a tree axed by him
Rashes on the skin
Expecting a baby very soon
Floating, coloured circles
in front of eyes
Would like to get a foot
massage
A kid keen on commanding
a space flight
What lies inside the
nucleus of a cell?
My heart is palpitating
Getting X-ray done of my
left leg
Want to know which acid
helps digestion?
Taking care of standing
crops
Athletic competitions are
held in a
Bees are kept in an
Gas is stored in a
Guns are kept in an
Scientific experiments are
conducted in a
A.
COLUMN II
Astronaut
B.
Dermatologist
C.
Podiatrist
D.
Obstetrician
E.
Orthopedist
F.
G.
H.
Ophthalmologist
Dendrochronologist
Psychiatrist
I.
Graphologist
J.
Pediatrician
K.
Biochemist
L.
M.
Radiologist
Agronomist
N.
Cytologist
O.
Cardiologist
P.
Laboratory
Q.
R.
S.
T.
Armory
Stadium
Apiary.
Cylinder
SALIENT FEATURES
OF SBI PO EXAM
1)
2)
Candidates will be tested in two stages:

Phase I and
Phase II
3)
Phase I: English / Quant / Reasoning 30

/ 35/ 35 marks. Duration: 60 Min.
4)
Phase I is of qualifying nature only with

sectional cut off
5)
Marks of Phase I will NOT be added for

final selection
6)
Phase II: to be conducted 2 / 3 weeks

after Phase I.
Only candidates clearing Phase I will be
eligible for Phase II
7)
Phase II: It will have four sections of 50

marks each
(i)
English
(ii)
GK / Marketing / Computers
(iii)
DI and Data Analysis
(iv)
Reasoning High Level
Duration 120 minutes with sectional cut
off.
8)
9)
ANSWER KEY
Q.
1
6
11
16
A.
H
B
N
R
Q.
2
7
12
17
A.
J
D
O
S
Q.
3
8
13
18
A.
E
F
L
T
Q.
4
9
14
19
A.
I
C
K
Q
Q.
5
10
15
20
There is no change in syllabus
A.
G
A
M
P
Descriptive Test, (Letter and Essay) 50

Marks. To be checked only if objective
test is cleared.
Marks of descriptive test will be included
in final merit
Knowledge of computer typing /
formatting will be required as the
descriptive test will be conducted online
Phase III:
GD and Interview 20 / 30 Marks
10)
Final Selection score of Phase II out of 250

marks to be converted out of 75 marks
11)
Marks of GD and Interview to be

converted into 25 marks
67
SSC CORNER
FOOD AND NUTRITION
Human diet contains substances called proximal
principles, which are essential for maintenance of life
and health. These proximal principles are:
CARBOHYDRATES, PROTEINS AND VITAMINS
Carbohydrates supply energy to our body for the
necessary internal and external activities. The internal
body parts require energy for constant functioning,
which is supplied by carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are
found in abundance in wheat, rice, potato, banana as
sugars and starches, etc.
Proteins (origin from proteus, which means first
or most important), are essential for building new
tissues and repairing old ones. Thus, they are called
body builders for a reason. Proteins can be found in
eggs, meat, pulses, beans, milk and cheese.
Vitamins are complex chemicals required for
certain essential bodily reactions and processes.
FATS, MINERALS AND WATER
Fats are found in oils, ghee and butter. Unsaturated fats
are good from the viewpoint of health and are advised
for heart patients. Saturated fats create cholesterol in
the arteries, which can block them, thereby leading to
heart problems.
Minerals are inorganic substances present in
very small or trace quantities in different foods. They
are essential to regulate normal body processes e.g.
Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Sulphur,
Phosphorus etc.
Water is of utmost importance for biochemical
reactions, which cannot occur in its absence.
A balanced diet is one which contains all the
necessary proximal principles in the right proportion
for the maintenance of health. We cannot get all these
elements together in a single food item. Therefore, to get
them in the right proportion, we need to mix certain
articles in our diet and have a balanced diet.
VITAMINS AND DEFICIENCY DISORDERS
Vitamins, discovered by Funk, are found naturally in
certain foods and their absence may cause one or the
other deficiency disease. Vitamins can be both watersoluble and fat-soluble in nature.
VITAMIN A
It is a general health-giving vitamin and improves
resistance to infection and tones up the entire body
system. It ensures good appetite and promotes growth.
Its deficiency causes night blindness and skin disorders.
Found in milk, butter, egg yolk, ghee, carrot,
tomatoes, fresh, leafy and yellow vegetables, fresh
fruits and cod liver oil.
VITAMIN B
Present in cereals, peas and beans. Protects the body
from beriberi, pellagra and cures pernicious anemia,
degeneration of sex glands and enlargement of liver
and adrenals.
VITAMIN C
Ensures healthy teeth, bones, and protects against
scurvy. Present in fresh vegetables, orange, lemon,
lettuce, tomato, cabbage and turnip.
VITAMIN D
Present in milk, butter, ghee, cod liver oil, egg yolk. It is
also produced under the skin in the presence of
ultraviolet rays of the sun. It promotes bone formation
and prevents rickets.
VITAMINS E
It has vital influence on reproductive organs. Its absence
can cause sterility. This vitamin is present in
germinated wheat.
VITAMIN K
Found in fish, oats, and wheat. It helps in proper
clotting of blood in case of injuries.
VITAMINS SOURCES AND DEFICIENCY DISEASES
Vitamin A
Vitamin B1
(Thiamine)
Vitamin B2
(Riboflavin)
Vitamin B6
(Pyridoxine)
Niacin (Nicotinic
acid)
Folic Acid
Milk, carrot, egg

Cereals, pulses
Night blindness
Beriberi
Dermatitis
Vitamin B12
Liver, kidney,
milk
Yeast, cereals,
liver
Peas, tomato,
eggs
Green leafy
vegetables, egg
Kidney, meat,
yeast
Milk, liver, meat
Vitamin C
Citrus fruit
Vitamin D
(Calciferol)
Vitamin E
Sun rays, eggs,

fish, milk
Milk, Soyabean,
egg yolk
Fish, peas, green
vegetables
Pantothenic Acid
Vitamin K
Anemia
Polyneuritis
Anemia
Dermatitis
Pernicious
anemia
Scurvy, Common
cold
Rickets
Reproductive
disorders
Delayed clotting
of blood
68
Profit And Pleasure

Port Trust but his mathematical genius was
spotted by a British professor, who brought him
to England on a scholarship. Unfortunately, he
died young due to TB but left behind a rich legacy
of contributions to the Number Theory. In fact,
the number 1729 is named after him but can you
name him?
ON PEOPLE
Starting
this
issue
onwards, we will have a
regular feature Profit and
Pleasure. Not only will it
tickle your brain cells but will also make you learn
interesting facts about the world. This time around, we
are focusing on some people and what they did. Here we
go!
1.
The Chipko Movement is frequently associated

with Sunder Lal Bahuguna, who did great work
against illegal tree felling in the hilly areas of
Uttar Pradesh. But the movement had originated
with some villagers sticking to the trees, which
the tree mafia wanted to axe for profit. Can you
name the simple village woman who started it?
2.
This man was called the Ambassador of Hindu

Muslim Unity by Sarojini Naidu in undivided
India. Ironically, he did the most for the creation
of a separate Pakistan. Whom are we talking
about?
3.
He did not won the Nobel Prize for his most

famous contribution i.e. the Theory of Relativity
which only two people in the world could
understand when it was announced. He got it for
another scientific contribution, which is very
little known in the world. Can you name this man
and his contribution?
4.
This man, who brought about a revolution in milk

output in India, never drank milk himself as he
did not like it. He, after returning from the USA,
set up the cooperative model for milk production,
which improved the dairy framers incomes and
transformed their lives, so beautifully captured in
the 1970s Smita Patil- starrer Manthan. Can you
name this revolutionary man?
5.
Besides Gulzar, he is the only other lyricist to get

the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Prize for
overall cinematic contributions. Initially, he was a
hakim but discovered his true calling in
Bollywood. He teamed up with the iconic R D
Burman for some of his most glorious songs,
which are popular till date. Do you remember
him?
6.
He is the man regarding whom it is said that he

knew infinity. He worked as a clerk in the Madras
7.
The Pakistanis lovingly call him Father Teresa on

account of his humanitarian work, which covers
rescue and relief work during calamities. His
foundation has a vast fleet of ambulances and
relief vans to help people in any kind of distress
situation. What is his real name?
8.
The famous economist and former American

ambassador to India once described India as a
functioning anarchy. Can you recall his name?
9.
The movie A Beautiful Mind portrays the life and

work of this great mathematician, who struggled
with schizophrenia, a severe mental disorder. His
contributions to the Game Theory are wellrecognized and find applications in many fields.
Can you identify him?
10.
No modern book on psychology is complete

without repeated references to this Austria-born
psychiatrist, who explored the unconscious mind
and its workings. He wrote extensively on dreams
and what they mean. His ideas on the human
instincts of violence and sex sparked great
controversy. Can you identify him?
ANSWER KEY
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Gauri Devi
Mohammed Ali Jinnah
Albert Einstein, Law of Photoelectric Effect
Dr. Verghese Kurien
Majrooh Sultanpuri
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Abdus Sattar Eidhi
J K Galbraith
John Nash
Sigmund Freud
69
GYANM QUIZ - 02
How much do you know about the world around you?
Take the quiz below to find out for yourself and WIN
some exciting prizes as rewards.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
The country which tops the Human

Development Index report of the UNDP for
2014, is
A. The USA
B. Switzerland
C. Luxembourg
D. Canada
Goitre is caused by the deficiency of
A. Protein
B. Iron
C. Iodine
D. Vitamin C
The 119th Constitutional Amendment Act
deals with
A. Goods and Services Tax
B. Judicial Appointments
C. NITI Aayog
D. Creation of Telangana
The Prime Ministers Jan Dhan Yojana is
meant for
A. Manual scavengers
B. Giving scholarships to needy students
C. Self-employed women
D. Financial inclusion
The Cannes Film Festival was held in
A. The USA
B. Sweden
C. Germany
D. France
The efficiency of a computer is measured by
A. Hertz
B. Decibel
C. Angstrom
D. None of these
The first metal used by man was
A. Copper
B. Gold
C. Iron
D. Silver
Which state recently saw an ongoing tussle
between its Chief Minister and its Governor/
Lt. Governor?
A. Puducherry
B. Goa
C. Mizoram
D. Delhi
The most widely spoken language in the
world is
A. Hindi
B. Chinese
C. French
D. English
The Periyar Sanctuary is located in
A. Andhra Pradesh
B. Kerala
C. Telangana
D.Tamil Nadu
Heartiest congratulations to the winners of Gyanm

Quiz-01 !
1.
Nanduswamy Periyar, Coimbtore
2.
Harmanpreet Singh, Patiala
The winners are being informed by post.
Name: ______________________________________
Address: ____________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
PIN: _____________________
Mobile: ___________________________________ _
My answers to Gyanm Quiz - 01 are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Signature _______________
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1.
2.
3.
3.
4.
5.
Please send your responses to the quiz, along with

your COMPLETE ADDRESS and PIN CODE, by 25th
June, 2015. The responses can be sent
By e-mail to gynam.college@gmail.com OR
On Whatsapp mobile number 09646888377 OR
By post to Gyanm College of Competitions,
SCO 13-15, 2nd Floor, Above Dominos, Sector 34-A,
Chandigarh-160034
ONLY the residents of India are eligible to
participate.
In case of multiple correct entries, a draw will be
held to decide the winner/s.
The Prize/s CANNOT be exchanged for cash.
The decision of the jury shall be FINAL and
BINDING on all the participants.
The winners names shall be announced in the
August, 2015 issue.
70
Financial
Glossary
BANKING FRAMEWORK
Besides, banking has three unique features not

available to any other organisation.
WHAT IS A BANK?
a) The deposits are repayable on demand. It means

that one has to make a demand for repayment and
whenever it is made, the banker has to repay the
amount. No company other than a bank can accept
deposits payable on demand.
A Bank is a financial institution which acts as an

intermediary between those who have surplus funds
and those who need it. Persons with surplus funds keep
their deposits with the banks, out of which the banks
give loans to those people who require them. Thus, the
Banks help in mobilising the savings and put these idle
savings to productive use. Thus, banks act as levellers of
wealth not only between persons but also among
different areas by mobilising funds from surplus areas
and investing them in deficit areas, thereby leading to
distribution of wealth. Therefore, banks are also known
as financial intermediaries.
DEFINITION OF BANKING
Banking is a legally defined activity, which means that it
is governed by strict rules and regulations. The Banking
Regulation Act, 1949 defines and governs the banking
activities in India. As per Section 5(b) of this act,
banking has been defined as the accepting, for the
purpose of lending or investment, of deposits of
money from the public, repayable on demand or
otherwise, and withdrawal by cheque, draft, order or
otherwise. In simple words, banking is related to
a) Accepting deposits of money from the public.
b) For the purpose of lending, i.e. making loans, and
making investments (in approved govt. securities).
c) Withdrawal of money on demand or through
cheque.
The above three are the most basic functions of
the banks. Other than this, banks are allowed to
undertake several other functions like bill business,
foreign exchange business, bonds/debentures, bank
guarantees, letter of credit etc. as mentioned in sec 6 of
the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
However, modern banking covers a large
number of other activities, like issuance of debit / credit
cards, providing safe custody of valuable items, locker
facility, ATM services, Transfer of funds, etc. apart from
accepting deposits and making loans.
b) The Banks are allowed to issue cheques and no

company other than a bank can issue its own
cheques.
c) For the Banks, it is necessary to incorporate words
like bank, banking, banker etc. in their name. No
other organisation is allowed to use such words as
part of its name.
BANKING COMPANY
A company which transacts the business of banking as
defined in Banking Regulation Act is known as banking
company.
BANK LICENCE
To undertake the banking activities in India, it is
compulsory, by law, to obtain a licence from the Reserve
Bank of India (Sec.22 of Banking Regulation Act, 1949).
Even the foreign banks have to obtain such a licence
from the RBI before opening a branch in India. The RBI
also has the powers to cancel the licence, if it is not
satisfied with the banks functioning.
Minimum capital required to start a banking
company is Rs. 500 crore.
REGULATION OF BANKS
The Banking Regulation Act, 1949 authorises the
Reserve Bank of India to regulate and control the banks
in India. As per section 35(a) of this law, the RBI is fully
authorized to issue any instructions / directions to the
banks as it deems fit, as and when considered necessary.
It is mandatory for all the banks (including foreign
banks) to comply with directions of the RBI.
71
TYPES OF BANKS
The Banks can be classified on a number of basis.
Depending upon the criterion selected, a given bank can
be classified into more than one category also.
Banks and Foreign Banks. The Banks registered in India

are called Indian Banks while those with their
registered office outside India are called Foreign Banks.
ICICI Bank Ltd is the largest private sector bank and
Standard Chartered Bank is the largest foreign bank in
India.
CLASSIFICATION OF BANKS
RBI ACT
Scheduled
Bank
Non
Scheduled
Bank
OWNERSHIP
Public Sector
Bank
Private Banks
1. Indian
2. Foreign
Cooperative
Banks
CONSTITUTION
Statutory Bank
Nationalized
Bank
NATURE
OF
BANKING
Payment
Banks
Small
Banks
Regional Rural
Bank
SCHEDULED BANK
A bank whose name appears in the second schedule of
the RBI Act 1934 is called a scheduled bank. Whenever
the RBI is not satisfied with the functioning of a bank, it
may delete the name of that bank from the second
schedule. Barring a few small banks, almost all banks
(including foreign ones) in India are Scheduled Banks.
The bank whose name does not appear in the 2nd
schedule is called a non- scheduled bank.
STATUTORY BANK
The banks which have been constituted under a
separate Act of Parliament are called Statutory Banks.
Examples of such banks are Reserve Bank of India
(Reserve Bank of India Act-1934), State Bank of India
(State Bank of India Act 1955), IDBI Bank (Industrial
Development Bank (Transfer of Undertaking and
Repeal) Act, 2003).
PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS

All those banks where the government share holding is
51% or more are called Public Sector Banks. Thus all
nationalized banks, SBI, IDBI Bank and RRBs are Public
Sector Banks. The State Bank of India is the largest
public sector bank in India.
NATIONALISED BANKS
The banks which were nationalised in 1969 and 1980
vide Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of
Undertaking) Act are called nationalised banks. In all, 14
banks were nationalised in 1969 and 6 in 1980. Of the 6
banks nationalised in 1980, New Bank of India was
merged with Punjab National Bank in 1993. (These
banks now fall in the category of public sector bank).
Punjab National Bank is the largest nationalised bank in
India.
PRIVATE BANKS
All banks other than public sector banks are called
Private Banks. These banks are registered under the
Companies Act, 1956. They are of two types Indian
REGIONAL RURAL BANKS - RRBs

The Narasimhan Working Group (1975) proposed the
establishment of RRBs as special purpose, low cost
banks which were started in 1976 to serve the banking
needs of rural areas. These banks were formed under
the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976. An RRB cannot be
formed of its own; it has to be sponsored by a public
sector bank.
The capital structure of the RRB is jointly subscribed
by the Central Government - 50%, State Government
15% and Sponsoring Bank 35%.
Recently govt. has decided to increase the authorized
capital of RRBs from Rs. 5 crore to Rs. 2000 crores.
COOPERATIVE BANKS
These banks are co-operative societies registered under
the respective State Cooperative Societies Act. For their
organisational structure, they are governed by the State
Cooperative Societies Act and for their banking
functions they are governed under Banking Regulation
Act.
Both RRBs and Cooperative Banks are supervised by

NABARD as well.
Inspection of RRBs and Cooperative Banks is

conducted by NABARD under the Banking Regulation
Act, 1949.
DIFFERENTIATED BANKING
According to the Reserve Bank of India, India needs
variety of Banks to cater to different strata of society.
The Nachiket Mor Committee constituted by the RBI has
proposed a Differentiated Banking system with
Payments Banks for Deposits and Wholesale Banks for
credit with relaxed entry points for financial inclusion.
The Reserve Bank has released the guidelines for
payment banks and small banks.
Payments banks can receive deposits and remittances,
but cannot lend; focus on migrant labour and low
income households.
Small banks will lend to un-served and under-served
sections, including small business units, small and
marginal farmers, and micro and small industries.
To Be Continued
SOURCE: FINANCIAL GLOSSARY,

A GYANM PUBLICATION
72
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Latest G.K. Bytes

MAY 2015
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Union cabinet has launched a new scheme to replace

the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal
Mission (JNNURM). What is its formal name: Atal
Mission
for
Rejuvenation
and
Urban
Transformation (AMRUT)
Union Cabinet on April 29 approved the Smart Cities
Mission for development of ________ smart cities with
an outlay of Rs. 48,000 crore: 100
Messenger spacecraft has ended a four-year mission
to Mercury by crashing into the planet after running
out of fuel. The space craft was managed by which
country: USA
The Union cabinet has decided that the minimum
monthly pension under the Employees Pension
Schemes will not be less than Rs. ________: 1000
The Union Cabinet approved amendments to the
Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for enhancing
the penalty under it to a maximum of ________years
imprisonment from the present five years: seven
___________ has been appointed as the Chairperson of
the Children's Film Society of India: Mukesh
Khanna
Mukesh Khanna, a renowned TV / Film artist is
known for his role of which Super Hero:
Shaktimaan
Name the book for which Siddhartha Gigoo won the
Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2015 for Asia
region: Umbrella Man
As per recent RBI guidelines, urban co-operative
banks are not allowed to issue ________ credit cards:
Co branded
Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Money) recently won
the $180 million prize money by securing World
Welterweight title. He is from which country: USA
Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge from UK
Royalty gave birth to a baby girl who is _________in
line to the throne. 4th
What is the name of the over all trophy for the
national senior athletics championships held in
Mangaluru, Karnataka: The Federation Cup
Recently, two Indians, Dr Ananda Kumar and Dr
Pramod Patil won the Whitley Award for their
contribution to wildlife conservation. What is its
popular name: Green Oscar
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Surender Singh has been appointed new Director

General of which paramilitary force: Central
Industrial Security Force, CISF
5th National women hockey championship was held
at which place: Saifai, Uttar Pradesh
20)
Who won the 5th National women hockey

championship: Railways
21)
Among Indian states, ______________ attracts largest

number of foreign tourists followed by Tamil Nadu:
Maharashtra
Which city has a unique distinction of having more
bookstores per capita than any other major city in
the world: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Which country became the 161st member of the
World Trade Organization (WTO): Seychelles
SEBI has replaced the mandatory three colour risk
code with a new pattern that will help investors to
understand better the risks involved in mutual fund
investments. What is its name: Riskometer
Which Indian airport has been adjudged the world's
best airport for the year 2014, under the category of
handling 25 to 40 million passengers per annum:
Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi
At which international event India's top rifle
shooters have won a rich haul of three gold and two
bronze
medals:
International
Shooting
Competition
May 3 is observed every year as the World Press
Freedom Day. What is the theme for this year: Let
Journalism Thrive
Name the two big names in the Indian retail
operations who have joined hands to create one of
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Which country won the World Team Chess

Championship (Mens) leaving Ukraine at second
place at Tsaghkadzor, Armenia: China
Indian chess players __________ and _________ won the
silver and bronze medal respectively, in individual
category at World Chess Championship: D Harika
and K Humpy
Which country conferred its highest civil award The
Order of The Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star
recently on an Indian scientist: Japan
Name the Indian scientist honoured recently by the
Japan Govt. with its highest civilian award: CNR Rao
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India's biggest retail chain with more than 570

stores across the country: Future Retail Ltd. And
Bharti Retail Ltd.
Worlds largest solar power plant is proposed to be
set up at Gurh tehsil in Rewa district of which state
to produce 750 megawatt (MW) of electricity:
Madhya Pradesh
Name the veteran journalist, writer and renowned
Tagore researcher who passed away in Kolkata on
May 2 at the age of 88: Amitabha Chowdhury
The Reserve Bank has imposed a penalty of Rs 1.5
crore each on Bank of Maharashtra, Dena Bank and
Oriental Bank of Commerce for violation of which
rules: KYC norms
The Goods and Services Tax Bill was passed by the
Lok Sabha on May 6. Once it becomes an act, it will
replace which type of taxes: Indirect Taxes like
sales tax, excise and service tax
India and Iran have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding for the development of which
strategically important port in Iran: Chabahar
President of India visited recently which super
power: Russia
The 119th amendment bill to the Indian constitution
refers to
which matter:
Land boundary
agreement with Bangladesh
Name the indigenously-developed missile whose
first regiment was inducted in the Indian army on
May 5: Akash
Akash is which category of missile and what is its
range: Surface to air, 25 Kms
Name the ex Union Minister for environment who
wrote the book Green Signals: Ecology, Growth and
Democracy in India: Jairam Ramesh
What is the name of the cloud computing-based
offering by Microsoft that will enhance digital
learning and teaching in schools and higher
education institutions, in India: Edu-Cloud
Name the Oscar winning US author, famous for his
novel Dances with Wolves, who died recently:
Michael Blake
The Lok Sabha passed on May 7 the Juvenile Justice
(Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014 which
allows _____ to _______ year old child offenders in
heinous crimes to be tried like adults: 16 to 18
Achal Kumar Jyoti, a retired IAS officer from Gujarat
has recently been appointed to which important
national level post: Election Commissioner
Geeta Phogat and Lalita Sherawat, each won a
bronze medal in women's category of which sports:
Wrestling
Name the satirical French weekly that won the
Freedom of Expression Courage Award by the PEN
American Center: Charlie Hebdo
Govt. has launched Credit Enhancement Guarantee
Scheme for Scheduled Castes to provide easy finance
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to the upcoming SC entrepreneurs. The scheme will

be implemented by which financial institution:
Industrial Finance Corporation of India Ltd.
Which Indian company figures at the top of the 56
Indian companies listed in the world's 2000 largest
and most powerful public companies list compiled
by the Forbes's magazine, USA: Reliance Industries
The Union Cabinet has approved the renewal of the
existing double taxation avoidance agreement
(DTAA) with which country: South Korea
The Reserve Bank has asked banks to issue only
_____________ and PIN-enabled debit and credit cards
from September 1 onwards, a move aimed at
protecting customers from frauds: Chip-based
World Asthma Day is observed on which date: 5th
May
What is the theme of this years World Asthma Day:
You can control your Asthma
Name the Indian politician who has written the Book
At Home in India- The Muslim Saga: Salman
Khurshid
Prime Minister launched three social security
schemes at Kolkata on May 9. Name these schemes:
1) Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, 2)
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, 3) Atal
Pension Yojana
What is the age group of the persons in eligible
under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana: 18-70
years
Name the politician who has been re-elected as the
Prime Minister of UK: David Cameroon
Which particular party regained power in the recent
general elections held in Britain: Conservative
Party
Which major political party of Britain is popularly
known as Tories: Conservative Party
What is the name of the parliament of UK:
Parliament
What is the name of the lower house of the British
parliament to which MPs are elected: House of
Commons
As per the 'State of the World's Mothers' report for
2015, which country tops the list: Norway
India has been placed at which rank in the 'State of
the World's Mothers' report for 2015: 140th
The Reserve Bank has recently issued a set of early
warning signals to monitor the performance of
which banking product: Loans
With an aim to expedite FDI clearance process, the
FIPB's powers to recommend foreign investment
proposals have been hiked to Rs. _____ crore, against
Rs 1,200-crore limit at present: 3000
The abbreviation FIPB stands for: Foreign
Investment Promotion Board
Asian Development Bank signed a 31 million US
dollars loan agreement to boost water availability in
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selected river basins of which State: Karnataka

Prime Minister released a commemorative coin on
May 8 to mark the birth centenary of Swami
Chinmayananda. Swami ji worked in which field:
Education and Social Reform
The National Green Tribunal has directed every
household of which city to pay a monthly charge
proportionate to their property tax or water bill as
Sewage Cess: Delhi
Which Indian state is home to the largest gathering
of Asiatic lions: Gujarat
Name the tennis star who won the Madrid Masters
Men's Singles Title: Andy Murray
68th Cannes Film Festival was held at which place:
Cannes, France
Name the MP who has been re-nominated as
Chairman of Parliaments Public Accounts
Committee: K V Thomas
INS Sardar Patel is the name of a new _____________ of
the Indian navy: Operational Base
The new naval base INS Sardar Patel is located at
which city: Porbandar
Name the noted historian, social scientist,
academician and author who passed away in
Guwahati on May 7 at the age of 91: Amalendu
Guha
__________________, ace marksman was declared the
Sportsperson of the Year' by the Times of India
Sports Awards: Jitu Rai
Who is the author of the book, Unbelievable Delhi
to Islamabad : Prof. Bhim Singh
President of India recently honoured 35 persons
from which field with the National Florence
Nightingale Awards: Nursing
Name the eminent banker who was appointed as
head of the 50 billion dollars New Development
Bank: K V Kamath
The New Development Bank has been setup by
which international organization: BRICS
Headquarters of the New Development Bank are to
be located in which city: Shanghai
In a recent global study, __________ overtook the
United States as the world's top importer of crude oil
for the first time in April 2015: China
Nico Rosberg won which international sports event
held at Barcelona, Spain: Grand Prix F1
championship
Formula 1 car racing champion Nico Roseberg is
from which country: Germany
Name the Ace Indian discus thrower who won gold
and a bronze medal recently at two international
meets: Vikas Gowda
Prime Minister dedicated revamped IISCO Steel
plant at Burnpur with largest blast furnace in India
to the nation on May 10. It is located in which State:
West Bengal
The government has approved a proposal for

allowing children below _____ years of age to work
only in family enterprises or entertainment industry
with certain conditions: 14
86) As per the law, children up to ________ years of age are
not to be allowed to work in the hazardous
industries: 18
87) With reference to the office of the Ombudsman, what
are the recent directions of the RBI: Banks asked to
appoint their internal Ombudsman
88) A painting by which artist set a world record for
auction of a work of art, selling for $179.4 million
(about Rs. 1,155 crore) at an auction by Christies at
New York: Pablo Picasso
89) Which Indian state recently got its 1st tribal women
governor: Odisha, Draupadi Murmu
90) Tathagata Roy has been appointed as governor of
which State: Tripura
91) Name the city of China which was the first stop over
of Prime Ministers recent visit to China: Xian city
92) Xian city of China is famous in the world for which
monument: Terracotta Warriors Museum
93) Prime Minister Modi met the Chinese Premier
_________ in Beijing: Le Keqiang
94) Tejaswini Sagar, Indian school girl won her maiden
world title by bagging the gold in the under-15
category in which sports: Chess
95) Parliament on May 13 passed the historic anti black
money bill to curb the menace of black money. What
is its formal name: Undisclosed Foreign Income
and Assets (Imposition of New Tax) Bill, 2015
96) The Union Cabinet approved a massive Rs. ________
crore budget for the Namami Gange Programme for
the next five years: 20,000
97) As per a recent amendment to the Negotiable
Instruments Act, the court case for taking action
against the issuer of the bounced cheque can only be
filed at ___________: Place where the cheque is
deposited
98) Government has cleared the lone bid of _____________
consortium for replacing Indian Air Force's ageing
fleet of Avro transport aircraft for Rs 11,930 crore:
Airbus-TATA
99) State Bank of India has launched the contactless
debit and credit cards- SBIinTouch based on NFC
technology.
What
is
NFC:
Near
Field
Communications
100) To facilitate contact less payments through NFC
technology, RBI has relaxed the additional factor of
authentication (AFA) requirement for transactions
upto which amount: Rs. 2000
101) Union government recently launched USTAAD
scheme in which city of Uttar Pradesh: Varanasi
102) The acronym USTAAD stands for what: Upgrading
the Skills and Training in Ancestral Arts / Crafts
for Development
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103) Recently launched USTAAD schemes focuses on the
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problems of which particular category of artisans:

Banarasi Saari weavers
PM Modi visited ____________, the capital of Mongolia
on May 16: Ulaan Baator
Pandit Haridutt Sharma Award for excellence in
journalism has been won this year by which person:
Anuradha Prasad
B.B. King, one of the most famous electric guitar
players of all time, winner of 15 Grammy Awards
died recently. He was from which country: USA
________ has become the first state in India to issue
Soil Health Cards (SHCs), to its all farmers: Punjab
In the recently compiled 124 nation Human Capital
Index India has been placed at which rank: 100th
Name the central government initiative for awarding
public health facilities to encourage improvement in
keeping the facilities clean and hygienic: Kayakalp
Scientists in which country have discovered a new
state of matter called the Jahn-Teller-metal that
appears to be an insulator, superconductor, metal
and magnet all rolled into one: Japan
Central govt plans to start Highway Advisory Radio
for what purpose: To keep highway commuters
updated about road conditions
Aruna Shanbaug, a nurse by profession, who died at
the age of 67, was in news for what reasons: She
lived in a vegetative state for the past 42 years
During his visit to South Korea, Prime Minister Modi
met the President of South Korea. What is her name:
Park Geun-hye
Which artificial line forms the international border
between South Korea and North Korea: 38th North
Latitude
Name the deposed Egyptian President who was in
news as he along with his 100 supporters was
sentenced to death by a court in Cairo in connection
with a mass jail break in 2011: Mohammed Morsi
Arun Shrivastava has been appointed Managing
Director & CEO of which bank: Syndicate Bank
6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy was held
in which city: New Delhi
Scientists have discovered the worlds first fully
warm-blooded fish species. What is its name: Opah
Which private sector bank recently opened its first
branch in Shanghai, China, that was inaugurated by
the Prime Minister Modi on May 16: ICICI Bank
____________ ____________ won the Rome Masters Tennis
title with beating Roger Federer in Rome, Italy:
Novak Djokovic
Womens singles title of the Rome Masters was won
by which player: Maria Sharapova
As per the 70 countries Environmental Democracy
Index, India has been placed at which rank: 24th
Indian Mountaineering Foundation celebrated 50
years of first climbing by Indian team, of Mt. Everest.
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This team was led by which person: Captain Mohan

Singh Kohli
Which city will host the 10th World Hindi Conference
in Sept. 2015: Bhopal
The 68th World Health Assembly held in which city
of Switzerland: Geneva
Laszlo Krasznahorkai, Hungarian writer has won
Britains prestigious life time achievement award for
literature. What is its name: Man Booker
International Prize 2015
Name the Indian Navy's latest anti-submarine
warfare class stealth corvette, that was launched on
May 19 at Kolkata: INS Kavaratti
Which Bank plans to roll out e-huts to provide
services to people in rural areas: IDBI Bank
World Bank will offer a credit of 250 million US
Dollar to Bihar government for what purpose: To
promote primary school teachers
Name the popular Indian stage, film and television
actress who died on 20 May at the age of 77: Sudha
Shivpuri
What type of vessel is INS Sindhukirti which was
launched for sea trials on May 21: Submarine
What is Indias rank in terms of publishing scientific
research papers in different journals in the world:
6th
The worlds largest particle smasher- the LHC broke
the record for energy levels on May 20. What is the
full form of LHC: Large Hadron Collider
Which is the first Indian company to join RE100, a
global platform for corporates committed to use
100% renewable power: Infosys Ltd.
Name the supersonic fighter jet of Indian Air Force
that landed successfully on Yamuna Expressway in U
P on May 21as part of developing road runway for
emergency landing: Mirage 2000
Name the world leader who entered Guinness Book
of World Record for reaching a million followers in a
span of mere 5 hours after going live on Twitter,
@POTUS account: Barack Obama
Which famous big fish specie has been spotted for
the first time of the Maharashtra Coast: Blue Whale
Name the ancient city in Syria that was in news as
the militants of the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria
(ISIS) seized its full control on May 21: Palmyra
Which Asian country has announced a $110 billion
investment plan for infrastructure projects in Asia:
Japan
What is the minimum amount of gold that can be
deposited under the recently announced Gold
Monetisation Scheme: 30gm
Gold deposited under the Gold Monetisation Scheme
has to be kept in the bank at least for a period of
_____________: One year
Which country has become the first country in the
world to legalise same-sex marriage: Republic of
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Ireland
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143) Which award is given for the best feature film at the
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Cannes Film Festival: Palme d'Or

Which film won the Palme dOr award for the best
feature film at the Cannes film festival: Dheepan
Which team won the IPL title 2015 defeating
Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs at Eden Gardens in
Kolkata on May 24: Mumbai Indians
Indian boxers completed a brilliant run at which
international event, winning four gold, one silver
and two bronze medals: The Doha International
Boxing Tournament
Name the film from India that won two awards at
the Cannes Film Festival: Masaan
Name the naval exercise conducted jointly by
Indian Navy along with Singapore Navy: SIMBEX
2015
What is the full form of SIMBEX: SingaporeIndian Maritime Bilateral Exercise
The joint naval exercise conducted jointly by
Indian navy along with Singapore Navy
SIMBEX 2015 was held at which place: In Sea
East of Singapore
Which bank has launched a service where customers
can make transactions using just their voice, without
using other means of authentication like a password:
ICICI Bank
G Mohan Kumar has been appointed to which
important national level govt. office: Union Defence
Secretary
Andrzej Duda has been elected as the new
_________________ of Poland: President
The book More Bad Time Tales has been written by
which person: Humra Quraishi
Laxminarayan Tripathi, author of the book Me Hijra
Me Laxmi is known for which activity: He is a
crusader for rights of LGBT community
David Granger has been elected as the new President
of which South American country: Guyana
Central Govt. has taken what steps recently to
enhance the social security of MNREGA workers:
They are to be enrolled for three recently
launched social security schemes
ISRO launched its own GPS system by the name
GAGAN. What is the full form of GAGAN: GPS Aided
Geo Augmented Navigation
Which organization is the first user of the recently
launched GAGAN project: Airports Authority of
India
As per the New amendments to the Companies Act,
what is the minimum capital requirement for
starting a Pvt. Ltd. and Public Ltd. company: No limit
The central govt. has asked all the state governments
to enroll which category of workers into the recently
launched three security schemes. MNREGA
Workers
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IMD on the parameters of competitiveness, which

country enjoys the top position in terms of
competiveness: USA
The first mega food park of the North East was
inaugurated on May 28 in which state: Assam
Which Indian Business women has been ranked as
no. 1 in India and 30th in world by the Forbes list of
most powerful women in world: Arundhati
Bhattacharya
What is the name of the new TV channel launched by
the doordarshan to focus on promoting development
of agriculture sector and rural India: DD Kissan
Which international organization launched the
Arctic Challenge Exercise in the Arctic sea north of
Europe on May 26, involving 115 fighter planes and
3600 troops from nine countries: NATO North
Atlantic Treaty Organization
Manabi Bandopadhyay, a transgender educationist
was in news recently for what reasons: She became
the first transgender in India to head a college
With which country India signed a Joint Vision
Statement on Defence Cooperation for 2015-2020 in
New Delhi on May 25 to promote the mutual
cooperation in maritime security: Vietnam
Government has constituted a 10-member panel
under former finance secretary ______________ to
revisit and revitalise public private partnership
(PPP) mode of infrastructure development: Vijay
Kelkar
Australian Open Badminton tournament was held at
which place: Sydney
Who is the author of the book A Practitioners
Diary: Pradip Baijal
Name the former Sri Lanka captain who was named
as the CEAT International Cricketer of the Year
2015: Kumar Sangakkara
Which Indian batsman was named as the CEAT
Indian Cricketer of the Year 2015: Ajinkya Rahane
Which state has decided to withdraw the Armed
Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 from the
remaining areas of the state with immediate effect:
Tripura
Dr. S Christopher has been appointed to which
important national office: Director General of
DRDO
APRIL 2015
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__________ has been crowned as the FBB Femina Miss

World: Aditi Arya
In the FBB Femina Miss India World contest, letters
FBB represents what: Fashion at Big Bazaar
Name the legendary hockey players honoured with
Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award:
Balbir Singh Senior
India has been ranked a lowly ______ on a new index
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compiled by the UN trade body UNCTAD for

assessing the readiness of countries for electronic
commerce: 83rd
What action is planned under Punjabs special
project named as Padho Punjab-Khedo Punjab
Mission: A separate period only for playing
games
RBI has penalised 16 central co-operative banks
with a fine of 5 lakh rupees each for what laps:
Non-adherence of the Know Your Customer
norms
Daniel Vettori, the left-arm spinner has announced
his retirement from international cricket. He is
from which country: New Zealand
Prime Minister dedicated to the nation an
expansion and modernisation project worth Rs
12,000 crore for which steel plant: Rourkela Steel
Plant
Indias 1st integrated steel plant established at
Rourkela in early 60s was setup with which
countrys collaboration: Germany
Muhammadu Buhari has recently been elected as
President of which African country: Nigeria
Name the President of Bangladesh Cricket Board
who was in news as he resigned from the post of
President of International Cricket Council: Mustafa
Kamal
Govt. has decided to shift implementation of the
Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) from the
Labour and Employment Ministry to which
ministry: The Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare
What is the amount of health insurance cover
available under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima
Yojana: Rs. 30,000
Ana Jara, Prime Minister of Peru was in news for
what reasons: She was removed by the
parliament
Who is the author of the book God's Bankers: A
History of Money and Power at the Vatican: Gerald
Posner
What is the name of the book written by Rajmohan
Gandhi about a famous prince of Gujarat: Prince of
Gujarat
What is Indias rank the 2015 FM Global Resilience
Index: 119th
As per 2015 FM Global Resilience Index, _______ is
the best country for companies seeking to avoid
disruptions in their global supply chain operations:
Norway
Recently the government announced its Foreign
Trade Policy (FTP)for which period: 2015-20
FTP policy 2015-20 aims to Increase exports to USD
_______billion by 2019-20, from USD 466 billion in
2013-14: 900
FTP policy 2015-20 aims to raise India's share in
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world exports from 2 percent to ____ percent: 3.5

What is the proposed name for new capital of
Andhra Pradesh: Amaravati
Name the renowned Hindi poet (79) passed away
on April 1: Kailash Vajpeyi
Which country formally joined the International
Criminal Court (ICC) on April 1, raising the hopes of
the possible prosecution of Israelis for their alleged
war crimes: Palestine
Headquarters of International Criminal Court (ICC)
are located at which place: The Hague, Netherland
What was the name of the gigantic rescue operation
conducted by Indian Navy to evacuate over 5600
persons stuck in the war torn Yemen: Operation
Rahat
Which Indian naval ship played a critical role in the
Operation Rahat: INS Sumitra
The book Scion of Ikshvaku by Amish Tripathi has
been written about which famous Hindu god: Lord
Rama
In which country Somalia's Shebab Islamist group
raided the campus of Garissa University, killing
over 150 students: Kenya
In which place marathon talks were held between
the world powers and Iran to reach a historic deal
aimed at curbing Irans nuclear drive: Lausanne,
Switzerland
Which apex financial institution of India celebrated
its 80th anniversary on April 1: RBI
Speaking on 80th anniversary of RBI, the Prime
Minister asked the bank to prepare a 20 year road
map for what purpose: Financial Inclusion
Dr. Subadhra Devi Rai was honour with
international achievement award for excellence in
which field: Nursing
Recently a minor planet was named after a
legendary sports person of India. Who is he:
Viswanathan Anand
What is the name of the index that has been
launched to provide information on the quality of
air / level of air pollution in 10 major cities in the
country on daily basis: Air Quality Index
_____ is the most polluted city in India: New Delhi
_____ is the most polluted city in the world : Beijing
Malli Mastan Babu, world famous ace mountaineer
from Hyderabad was in news recently for what
reasons: He went missing in an expedition and
was found dead later.
The Reserve Bank has relaxed the Know Your
Customer norms for which type of firms to allow
them opening of account by submitting a single
proof of their business: Sole proprietor firms
Miami Masters Tennis Championship were held in
which state of USA: Florida
________ won the mens single title of the Miami
Masters Tennis Championship: Novak Djkovic
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________ won the womens single title of the Miami

Masters Tennis Championship: Serena Williams
In its first bimonthly monetary policy statement
made on April 7, the RBI changed which policy rate:
No change
Name the Indian Grandmaster who won the bronze
medal in the World Women's chess championships:
Dronavalli Harika
The World Women's chess championship was held
at which place: Sochi, Russia
__________ has been appointed as the good will
ambassador of Uttarakhand: Virat Kohli
What is the name of the first Scorpene Submarine
launched for sea trial in India on April, 6: INS
Kalvari
Scorpene Class Submarines are being built in India
in collaboration with which country: France
Which national organization is undertaking the
building of scorpene class submarines in India:
Mazagon Docks Ltd., Mumbai
Pedro Cateriano Bellido has been elected as the
new Prime Minister of which south American
country: Peru
Golden Peacock National Quality Award is given for
excellence in which field: Corporate governance
Union Government on 1 April 2015 launched Faster
Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric
vehicles (FAME) India Scheme for what purpose:
To boost eco-friendly vehicles sales in the
country
Prime Minister launched the Pradhan Mantri Mudra
Yojana on April 8. The acronym MUDRA stands for
what: Micro Units Development and Refinance
Agency
What is the amount of corpus with which MUDRA
Yojana has been started: Rs. 20,000 crore
What is the objective of starting the Pradhan Mantri
Mudra Yojana: To extend credit to small
businesses
and
regulate
micro-finance
institutions
The proposed MUDRA bank will have three main
loan schemes, named as _______: Shishu, Kishore
and Tarun
The proposed MUDRA bank can give loans upto a
maximum amount of Rs. _________ : 10 lac
Which international rating agency has raised the
rating outlook of India from stable to positive:
Moodys
____________has become the first player of Indian
descent to play in the high-profile National
Basketball Association (NBA) league of USA: Sim
Bhullar
Which index has ranked India at 101st place in
terms of indicators of well-being such as health,
water and sanitation, personal safety, personal
freedom: Social Progress Index
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_________ has been elected as the President of CII

(Confederation of Indian Industries) for 2015-16:
Sumit Mazumder
B V R Mohan Reddy has been elected as Chairman
of which national level business body: NASSCOM
Who has been appointed as the New Chief Election
Commissioner of India: Dr. Nasim Zaidi
The 5th meeting of the Health Ministers of SAARC
countries held in which place: New Delhi
Opening match of the 8th edition of the grand
cricket extravaganza IPL 2015 was held in which
stadium: Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata
During his recent foreign visit to Europe, PM Modi
visited which city first of all: Paris
As per recent data from RBI, ____________ ranks first
in the public sector banks having highest
percentage of bad loans, at 21.5 % of its total loans:
Central Bank of India
As per SEBI guidelines, it is mandatory for every
listed company to have at least __________ woman
director on their board: One
Name the international environment campaign
group whose bank accounts were recently frozen
by the Indian govt.: Greenpeace India
For what reasons Govt. of India froze the bank
accounts of Greenpeace India: For their alleged
encouragement of anti-development protests
in the country
Who is the appointing authority for the Chief
Election Commissioner of India: President of India
Chief Election Commissioner of India can hold the
office up to the age of maximum ___________ years: 65
Status of the Chief Election Commissioner is
equivalent to that of which official: Judge of the
Supreme Court
The CEC has tenure of __________ years, or up to the
age of 65 years, whichever is earlier : Six
Recently two hi-tech Mi-17 V5 military combat
helicopter were inducted in which paramilitary
force of the first time: Border Security Force
(BSF)
Hi-Tech Mi-17 V5 military combat helicopter have
been sourced from which country: Russia
Name the retired Air Chief Marshal, recipient of
Param Vishisht Seva medal and Mahaveer Chakra,
who passed away recently: Hrushikesh
Moolgaonkar
Legendary cricket commentator Richie Benaud who
died recently, was from which country: Australia
India successfully test-fired the nuclear-weapon
capable Dhanush missile recently. What is its full
range: 350 km
Which Indian state proposes to setup bio-fences
with thickets of thorny bamboos to ward off
straying elephants: Assam
Gyanpith awardee Jayakanthan passed away
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recently. He was from which field: Tamil Novelist

The 20th Law Commission in its report on Leprosy
has recommended removal of which word from
various statutes as it was considered derogatory:
Leper
Which Indian city won the Earth Hour City
Challenge held in Seoul, South Korea for best
champion of renewable energy: Thane
With which country India signed a Memorandum of
Cooperation on development of waterways and
multi-modal hubs in India: USA
The Supreme Court has asked all private hospitals
in India to provide full treatment free to _____________
victims, including medicines and expensive
reconstruction surgeries: Acid attack
The conference of Power, Renewable Energy and
Mines ministers of all states and union territories of
India was held at which place: Guwahati
India has been elected to four key subsidiary bodies
of the which forum of the United Nations:
Economic and Social Council
Which French company has agreed to restart the
work in the nuclear power project at Jaitapur,
Maharashtra: Areva
France has agreed to supply 36 __________ fighter jets
to India in a flyaway condition: Rafale
Indias first hi-tech financial city GIFT has been
launched in which state: Gujarat
What is the full form of acronym GIFT: Gujarat
International Finance Tec-City
Govt. has allowed banks to open for the first time in
India, IFSC as offshore banking units. What is IFSC:
International Financial Services Central
In the context of electronic fund transfers,
abbreviation IFSC stands for what: Indian
Financial System Code
The World Bank has predicted that the GDP growth
in India is expected to accelerate to ________percent
in the FY 2015 -16, supported by investment
growth: 7.5
_____________ created history by becoming the first
Indian female tennis player to achieve the world
number one rank in womens doubles: Sania Mirza
__________ won the Sultan Azlan shah cup of hockey:
New Zealand
Sultan Azlan shah cup of hockey was held at which
place in Malaysia: Ipoh
__________of India won the bronze medal in the men's
10-metre air pistol event at the ISSF Shooting
World Cup: Jitu Rai
The ISSF Shooting World Cup was held at _________
South Korea: Changwon
In which sea around 900 illegal migrants trying to
reach Europe were feared killed after their boat
capsized: Mediterranean Sea
A report by IMF says that India is likely to overtake
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_______ as the fastest growing emerging economy in

2015-16 by clocking a growth rate of 7.5 per cent:
China
Name the worlds largest industrial technology fair
held in Germany that was recently inaugurated by
the Indian Prime Minister: Hannover Fair
To promote Make in India mission in Germany, Mr.
Modi highlighted the 3D strength of India. What is
repressed by 3D: Democracy, Demography,
Demand
Guenter Grass, ______ novelist, the Nobel Prizewinning author of The Tin Drum, died recently:
German
In terms of usage of Information Communications
Technologies (ICT), India stands at _____ rank as per
an index compiled by the World Economic Forum:
89th
A World Trade Organization (WTO) forecast says
that the global goods trade will grow by ____percent
in the year 2015 and by ____percent in 2016: 3.3,
4.0
Name the historical city of Syria that was in news as
the Islamic State militants have been destroying
rare ancient relics there dating back to the 13th
century BC: Nimrud
Malala Yousafzai, Pakistan's teenage education
activist and the worlds youngest Nobel Peace Prize
winner was in news recently for what reasons: An
asteroid has been named after her
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes Formula 1 driver who
won the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, China,
hails from which country: Britain
The Government has set up a task force chaired by
__________ to examine the relevant issues to expedite
the work on the interlinking of rivers in the
country: B N Navalawala
India test-fired its nuclear-capable surface-tosurface Agni-III ballistic missile from the ITR near
__________in Odisha: Chandipur
________ has been declared as the Laureus
Sportsman of the Year, 2015: Novak Djokovic
Genzebe Dibaba has been declared as the Laureus
Sportswoman of the Year, 2015. She is from which
field and country: Sprinter, Ethiopia
Which country has recently agreed to supply
uranium to India, becoming third such country:
Canada
An interest subvention of ___% is available for
short-term crop loans up to Rs. ___ lakh per farmer,
subject to conditions. 2, 3
Indian batting legend_______, was inducted recently
into the prestigious Laureus Sports Academy:
Sachin Tendulkar
In a article written by Mr. Barack Obama in Time
Magazine, he described Prime Minister Modi as
_______ of India: Reformer in Chief
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RBI has allowed banks to offer differential interest

rates on term deposits of above what amount:
Rs.15 lakh
Mohan Kumar has been appointed the next
Ambassador of India to which country: France
What is the short name of a book written by India
by the Indian Parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor:
India Shastra
Mightier Than the Sword is a popular novel written
by _________: Jeffrey Archer
Total exports of India during 2014-15 fell short by
$29.5 billion of its annual target of $ ________ billion:
340
The government has asked the states to introduce a
new field for indicating _______ of the land owners in
their property records: Gender
After a gap of almost a decade, Air Canada will
resume direct flights between _______ and Delhi from
the coming winter season: Toronto
The Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in _______ has
become the first cricket venue in the country to
have a roof top solar power plant: Bengaluru
World Haemophilia Day is observed globally on
which date: 17th April
As per a global study on financial inclusion, roughly
_______ per cent of world population has a bank
account: 62
The Kerala government, supported by UNICEF, has
launched a major campaign Subodham to wean
people away from which addiction: Alcohol
________ has been elected General Secretary of the
Communist Party (Marxist) of India, at the partys
21st Congress held in Visakhapatnam: Sitaram
Yechury
As per new rules, IAS and IPS officers have to take
prior permission from govt. before accepting gifts
worth more than Rs. _______: 5,000
IAS / IPS officers need to inform the government, if
they accept gifts of over Rs. ______from their
relatives or friends on customary occasions like
weddings, anniversaries, birthdays etc: 25,000
In terms of production of e-waste, India ranks _____
in the world: 5th
____ is the largest producer of the e-waste in the
world, followed by China and Japan: USA
J. B. Patnaik, a senior congress leader and ex-Assam
Governor passed away at the age of 89. He was
elected 3 times the Chief Minister of which state:
Odisha
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj paid a 5day visit to ________ to attend the 60th
commemoration of the 1955 Asian-African
Conference: Indonesia
Name the Indian Navy's most powerful
indigenously built stealth destroyer was launched
into water at Mazgaon Dock in Mumbai: INS
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Visakhapatnam
Which bank has launched a contactless payment
service based on the Near Field Communications
(NFC) technology: ICICI Bank
What is the name of the new contactless payment
service launched by the ICICI bank: Tap-N-Pay
_______, Formula One world champion won the
Bahrain Grand Prix for the second year in a row:
Lewis Hamilton
KP, the Autobiography is the life story of which
famous cricketer: Kevin Pietersen
Sukanya Samriddhi Account for the girl child will
earn interest @ _____per cent, w.e.f. April, 2015: 9.2
The Railways has launched a new web portal
named ________ to focus on Budget Review, Board
Meetings, Zonal Railway Review, Infrastructure
Targets and Project Implementation Review: ESamiksha
________ train clocked a new world speed record in a
test run, smashing through the 600 kilometre per
hour: Maglev, Japan
Christopher Alan Bayly was an eminent _____ known
for his work on colonial and post-colonial India:
Historian
The Kudermukh National Park in Karnataka and
Rajaji National Park in Uttarkhand have been
declared _________ by the National Tiger
Conservation Authority: Tiger Reserves
Chinese President Xi Jinping was honoured by
Pakistan with the________, the highest Pak civilian
award, during his recent official visit to Pakistan:
Nishan-e-Pakistan
______________ has been appointed as the Chairman of
National Judicial Appointments Commission: H. L.
Dattu
Mohammed Morsy, ousted President of ______ was
in news as a criminal court sentenced him 20 years
in prison over the killing of protesters in 2012:
Egypt
The New York Times won this years Pulitzer Prize
for journalism for its courageous coverage of which
international event: Ebola outbreak in West
Africa
_______ of Serbia won the Monte-Carlo Masters title
of Tennis by beating Tomas Berdych in Monaco:
Novak Djokovic
With effect from April 1, 2015, the transport
allowance exemption for employees has been
raised to Rs. _______ per month from Rs 800 for the
purpose of Income tax: 1600
The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal to try
juveniles, of age _______ years and are accused of
heinous crimes, under the laws meant for adults:
16 to 18
Outbreak of deadly disease ebola has claimed over
10,800 lives till date, mainly in three African
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countries. Name the countries: Guinea, Liberia

and Sierra Leone
Which international financial giant has launched
Pollution Management and Environmental Health
(PHEM) program on Global Citizen Earth Day:
World Bank
As per revised Priority Sector Lending norms banks
have to give _____ per cent of their total credit to
small and marginal farmers: 8
Housing loans to individuals, up to Rs. ___ lakh in
metros and up to Rs. ____ lakh in other centres are
now covered under priority sector lending: 28, 20
As per revised Priority Sector Lending norms, the
foreign banks will have to make ______ per cent of
their total loans under priority sector in the near
future: 40
The Rajya Sabha, for the first time in 46 years
passed a private members bill to protect the rights
of which particular community: Transgender
As per the 2015 World Happiness Report, India has
been placed at ___ spot out of 158 countries
surveyed for level of happiness among the citizens:
117th
In terms of general happiness level of the citizens,
____ is the best country in the world, followed by
Island and Denmark: Switzerland
The railways has launched a new app called _____
for booking of sub-urban train tickets through
mobile phones: UTS on mobile
The 14th Indo-French Naval Exercise named ______
commenced off the coast of Goa: VARUNA-15
Which city in Bihar was in news as around 70
persons were killed there and in surrounding areas
due to a sudden cyclonic storm: Purnia
In which country of South America, sudden violent
eruption of Turrialba Volcano forced closure the
San Jose airport: Costa Rica
Indian boxers Rakesh Kumar and Harpal Singh in
Mens category and S Sarjubala and Pinki Jangra in
womens category, won the gold medals at which
international boxing tournament: 22nd Presidents
Cup, Indonesia
The Chetak Corps of the Army held its major battle
exercise named _________
in the deserts of
Rajasthan: Akraman-II
Indian women's hockey team lifted the Hero
Hockey World League Round Cup defeating which
country at New Delhi: Poland
The Reserve Bank has directed banks to include a
separate column for which particular community in
all their account opening forms and applications:
Transgender
Name the Indian origin scientist who recently won
the prestigious Heinz Award in Technology:
Sangeeta Bhatia
___________ of Ukraine successfully defended his
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world heavyweight boxing title for the 18th time in

a row: Wladimir Klitschko
Who is the author of the book Water, Peace, and
War Confronting the Global Water Crisis:
Brahma Chellaney
Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, President of ______
arrived in New Delhi on April 27 on a three day
visit: Afghanistan
Omar Al-Bashir has been re-elected as President of
which country: Sudan
Bhartiya Mahila Bank has won which prestigious
award recently at Hong Kong: The Asian Banker
Achievement Award 2015
Name the European IT giant that acquired the New
Jersey-based I T company I-GATE, for $4 billion in
cash: Capgemini
India won Gold and a Bronze at the Asian Indoor
Rowing Championship which was held at
____________: Pattaya, Thailand
5th Senior Mens National Hockey Championship
won by _______________ team beating Uttar Pradesh in
Pune, Maharashtra: Railways
Name the Chinese player who won the Badminton
Asia Championship held at Wuhan, China: Lin Dan
In which country severe eruption of Calbuco
volcano took place, forcing its president to declare a
state of emergency: Chile
Indian navys ship INS Tarangini which is going to
take part in the annual Tall Ships Races is what
type of ship: Sail training ship
MARCH 2015
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Kshatrapati Shivaji has been appointed Chairman

and Managing Director of which bank: Small
Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
Mo Ibrahim Prize is given for what achievement:
for excellence in public governance
Mo Ibrahim Prize is given in which part of the
world: Africa
Who has been elected as the new President of the
BCCI: Jagmohan Dalmiya
What is the full form of the BCCI the apex body
governing the game of cricket in India: Board of
Control for Cricket in India
The government has, for the first time, fixed a
inflation target for the RBI, at what level: 6% by
January 2016
RBI has been given inflation target as per the
recommendation of which committee: Dr. Urjit
Patel Committee
Arun Kumar Singh has been appointed Indias next
Ambassador to which country: USA
As per the Forbes magazine's annual list of the
world's richest people, ___________ has topped the list
for the 8th year: Bill Gates
Growth of core sector was lowest in January in past
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13 months at 1.8 per cent. How many industries are

there in the core sector: Eight
As per recent data the per capita annual income in
India has been recorded at Rs. __________in 2013-14:
Rs. 80,388
Which wing of defence forces recently conducted
its operational exercise TROPEX 2015: Navy
Write the full form of the abbreviation TROPEX:
Theatre Level Readiness and Operational
Exercise
Indian navy recently conducted TROPEX 2015
exercise in which area: Arabian Sea
Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic to win
which title in Dubai: Dubai Championship
the Argentina Open title of Tennis was won by
__________ beating Juan Monaco of Argentina: Rafael
Nadal
Reserve Bank of India cut its main lending rate--the
repo rate by _______ percentage points to 7.5% on
Mar 4, 2015: 0.25
At which place worlds largest and tallest Indian
national flag was unfurled on March 3: Faridabad,
Haryana
The Lok Sabha has passed the Motor Vehicles
(Amendment) Bill, 2015 to bring which category of
vehicles into the ambit of the Motor Vehicles Act
1988: e-rickshaws and e-carts
Name the popular news magazine that was founded
by Vinod Mehta, the eminent journalist who passed
away recently: Outlook
What is the name of the autobiography of Vinod
Mehta: Lucknow Boy
Reserve Bank of India eased the norms for home
loans for up to which amount: Rs. 10 lac
What are the expenses that now can be included in
the amount of home loan as permitted by RBI:
Stamp duty and registration charges etc
Name the new scheme that will be offered by all
Public Sector General Insurance Companies for
giving insurance cover against death by accident:
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)
The PMSBY is available to all persons in age
group_________ years, having a bank account: 18 to
70
What is the annual premium amount payable for
joining PMSBY: Rs. 12
What is the amount of cover available under PMSBY
in case of accidental death: Rs. 2 lac
Name the new scheme that will be offered by Life
Insurance Corporation and all other life insurers for
providing life insurance: Pradhan Mantri Jeevan
Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)
The PMJJBY is available to all persons in age
50
What is the annual premium amount payable for
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joining PMJJBY: Rs. 330

What is the amount of cover available under
PMJJBY in case of death by any reason: Rs. 2 lac
Name the new proposed pension scheme to be
launched by the Pension Fund Regulatory and
Development Authority, focussing the unorganised
sector workers: Atal Pension Yojana (APY)
The APY is available to all persons in age
40
Name the badminton player who became the first
Indian woman to reach the finals of the All-England
Badminton Championship: Saina Nehwal
Which Indian organization reached a major
milestone of successfully linking 15 crore bank
accounts with Aadhaar number: National
Payments Corporation of India
According to the Mercer Quality of Living Rankings
2015, which Indian city has been selected as the
Best Indian City to live in: Hyderabad
Name the three states that have recently been
excluded from the Protected Area Permit (PAP)
regime for foreign tourists till December 31:
Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland
International Womens Day was observed across
the world on which date: March 8
United Nations declared this years theme for
womens day as _________ to encourage effective
action for advancing and recognizing women: Make
it Happen
Govt has decided to converge which national
programme with the Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to
facilitate afforestation on 10 million hectares of
land over the next decade: National Mission for a
Green India (GIM)
Name the special bus service that has been started
between Varanasi and Kathmandu from March 5:
Bharat-Nepal Maitri Bus Seva
What was the name of the worlds only solarpowered aircraft which made a stopover in
Ahmadabad on March 11: Solar Impulse
Name the Indias first indigenously developed and
manufactured rotavirus vaccine which was
launched in New Delhi: Rotavac
Rotavirus is the most common cause of
severe ________ among infants and young children:
Diarrhea
Ambassador of which country to South Korea was
in news as he suffered a knife attack by a pro-North
Korean activist: USA
Saraswati Samman is given for excellence in which
field: Literature
Saraswati Samman for 2014 has been awarded to
which eminent author: M. Veerappa Moily
Which state tourism won the silver prize of Golden
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Gate award at the Internationale Tourismus-Borse

Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2015, Germany. Kerala
Which country tested its Shaheen-III Surface to
Surface Ballistic Missile, having a strike range of
2750 kms: Pakistan
In which city first Kisan Call Centre (KCC) in NorthEastern India was opened on 9 March 2015:
Agartala
Which is the top corporate in the list of top 10
corporates in terms of assets, compiled by the
Corporate Affairs Ministry: Reliance Industries
Ltd.
Which is the largest public sector corporate entity
in India in terms of its assets: Indian Oil
Corporation
A recent Delhi High Court has clarified about which
high public office that it is covered under the RTI
Act: Attorney General of India
Which state government has launched 'Aapki Beti
Humari Beti' programme to provide cash assistance
of Rs 21,000 families having girl child: Haryana
National tourism agency of which country has
appointed film star Sai Ali Khan as its brand
ambassador in India: Britain
Name the three countries that were visited by the
Prime Minister Mr. Modi in the second week of
March 2015: Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Seychelles
Name the country that was visited first of all by the
Prime Minister Modi on his recent visit of Indian
Ocean Country: Seychelles
Name the Sri Lankan Cricket Star who became the
first cricketer to score four successive one-day
international centuries: Kumar Sangakkara
Which international organization has raised India's
growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.2 per cent
taking into account the revised methodology
adopted by India earlier this year for calculating the
GDP figures: International Monetary Fund
Which Indian organization has committed Rs 1.5
lakh crore for development of various railway
projects over the next five years: Life Insurance
Company of India
Which two countries have been prohibited by RBI
from acquiring or transferring immovable property
in India: Macau & Hong Kong
Which cricketer has been voted as the greatest ODI
player in the history of cricket by recent survey: Viv
Richards
The new Consumer Price Index released by the
Central Statistics Office, number of items in the CPI
basket has been increased to _____ from 450 in
urban areas: 460
The base year for the Consumer Price Index has
been revised from 2004-05 to ________: 2011-12
After a gap of over 20 years, Re 1 note has been
released in the country and it bears the signature of
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which government official: Finance Secretary,

Rajiv Mehrishi
Name the university that has topped the list of the
100 most prestigious universities compiled by
Times Higher Education of UK: Harvard
University, USA
The final match of Ranji Trophy (Cricket) was
played on March 12 at which place: Mumbai
Which team won the prestigious Ranji Trophy on
March 12: Karnataka by beating Tamil Nadu
58th All India Ayurvedic Congress was held in which
place on March 14: Chandigarh
Which Union Ministry has launched a new web
portal, www.inampro.nic.in to monitor the supply of
cement at all India level: Road Transport &
Highways
Name the tool that is used by Central Statistics
Office to measure the level of industrial production
in the country: Index of Industrial Production
(IIP)
Terry Pratchett who passed away recently was a
famous science fantasy novelist from which
country: Britain
Name the new scheme that has been launched for
redressal of grievances of consumers related to
drug pricing and availability of medicines: Pharma
Jan Samadhaan Scheme
Which Indian ministry has launched the Pharma Jan
Samadhaan Scheme: Chemicals and Fertilizers
A former President of which country was sentenced
to 13-year imprisonment by a criminal court:
Maldives
In which country India has agreed to build a
Rabindranath Tagore memorial: Sri Lanka
Which Indian organization has agreed to enter into
a currency swap Agreement of 1.5 billion dollar to
help keep the Sri Lankan rupee stable: RBI
Name the super cyclone which slammed into the
south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, east of
Australia, leaving complete devastation in its wake:
Pam
Indian navy decommissioned the INS Alleppey on
March 13. It was what type of ship: Coastal
Minesweeper
On which corporate the Income Tax Department
recently slapped a tax demand notice of Rs. 20,495
crore: Cairn India
The 5th National Community Radio Sammelan held
in which city: New Delhi
Santosh Trophy is awarded for winning which
national tournament: Football
Name the winner of the 2014 Santosh Trophy:
Services Team
A historic bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi was
unveiled on March 14 at Parliament Square in
which international city: London
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Name the Indian sports star who clinched the Swiss

Grand Prix Gold badminton championship title
beating Viktor Alexson in Basel, Switzerland:
Kidambi Srikanth
Which state has opened the largest number of
Sukanya Samridhi Account in last two months:
Karnataka
As per RBI guidelines, loans to which new category
of persons will now be included in the priority
sector lending: Persons with disabilities
RBI has said that loans to persons with disabilities
can now be classified in loans to _______ category
under priority sector lending: Weaker Section
As per RBI guidelines, banks are required to make
_____ per cent of their loans to the weaker section:
10
Priority sector lending target for all banks in India
is fixed at ____ per cent of their total loans: 40
Name the Chief of International Monetary Fund
(IMF) who visited India recently: Christine
Lagarde
Headquarters of IMF are located in _____________ in
USA: Washington DC
___________ is known as the currency of IMF: SDR
Lewis Hamilton who won the Australian Grand Prix
Formula 1 race held in Melbourne, Australia is from
which country: Britain
Name the team that won the Women's Hockey
World League Round Two competition title: India
Final match of the Women's Hockey World League
Round Two competition was held in which city:
New Delhi
As per a recent international report, _________ has
emerged as the worlds largest buyer of weapons
and military equipment, accounting for some 15%
of total imports: India
What is the content of a landmark ruling by the
Supreme Court of India on the issue of Aadhaar
Cards: They are not compulsory for availing
various government subsidies and any other
benefits
The worlds first $1 million prize Global Teacher
Prize is given in which country: USA
Which State has passed The Gauvansh Sanrakshan
and Gausamvardhan Bill, 2015 to ban cow
slaughter and sale of beef: Haryana
Supreme Court has reversed central government
decision to include Jats in the ____________ category:
Other Backward Classes (OBC)
Out of France, Germany, Italy and Spain, which
country has not decided to join Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank: Spain
_______ is the main promoter country of the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank: China
Union cabinet recently approved the Undisclosed
Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of New Tax)
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Bill, 2015 for which objective: To unearth black

money and illicit assets stashed abroad
Which Indian State is famous for mass nesting by
Olive Ridley: Odisha
Olive Ridley, known for their mass nesting practices
are which type of animal: Sea Turtle
M.C. Mary Kom, Veteran boxer has been appointed
brand ambassador for north-east India to promote
the region in the rest of the country and abroad. She
hails from which state of India: Manipur
Capital of which country was in news as Islamic
militants stormed its Bardo National Museum
killing 17 foreign tourists and three locals: Tunisia
Which judicial authority has announced a fine of Rs
5,000 on individuals spotted littering or throwing
waste on the railway platforms and tracks:
National Green Tribunal
According to a recent report by the global thinktank OECD, India is poised to grow 7.7 per cent this
year. What is the full form of OCED: Organization
for Economic co-operation and Development
Name the indigenously developed Beyond Visual
Range (BVR) air-to-air missile that
was
successfully tested recently: Astra
The Astra missile is launched from which type of
platform: Aircraft
Which Union Minister has been named Young
Global Leader from India by the World Economic
Forum (WEF) of Switzerland: Smriti Irani
_________ has been re-elected as the Prime Minister
of Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu
A three-day conference for strengthening maritime
trade and security among Indian Ocean Rim
countries was held at which place: Bhubaneshwar
Name the Nobel Laureate who has been elected to
head Britain's prestigious Royal Society:
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan
Ministry of Railways has constituted the________
council to recommend innovative methods and
processes for the improvement, betterment and
transformation of the Railways: Kaya Kalp
Name the prominent industrialist who has been
asked by the government to head the Kaya Kalp
council of railways: Ratan Tata
M S Dhoni became the first Indian captain to score
victory in 100 ODI matches. He achieved this fete in
the match played against which country:
Bangladesh
Capital of which country was in news as over 150
persons, mainly Shia muslims were killed there in
the bomb attacks: Yemen (Sanaa)
The Central government has announced ___ per cent
reservation for women in police forces of union
territories, including Delhi: 33
Name the team that won the Irani Cup after beating
Rest of India in the finals played in Bengaluru:
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Karnataka
Government has directed regional rural banks to
cut down on which aspect of their operations: Staff
Strength
Name the scheme that aims to provide skills
training to youth, including Class 10 and 12 drop
outs: Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
Which union ministry has been assigned the task of
aggregating all the stake holders linked with
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana: Ministry of
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Reserve Bank will issue Rs. ____ coins to
commemorate 125th birth anniversary of
Jawaharlal Nehru that fell on Nov 14, 2014: 5
The government has roped in _______ _________as
brand ambassador for its campaign against
Hepatitis B: Amitabh Bachchan
Name the author of the book Indian Parliamentary
Diplomacy- Speaker's Perspective: Smt. Meira
Kumar, former Speaker, Lok Sabha
_________ of New Zealand made the highest score in
the World Cup history with 237 not out against
West Indies: Martin Guptill
Which UN organization is associated with
observing March 21 as the International Day of
Forests: Food and Agriculture Organization
What is the theme of this years International Day
of Forests: Forests and Climate Change
Lee Kuan Yew, a great statesman who passed away
on March 23 was credited with development of
which country: Singapore
BNP Paribas Open Tennis Championship 2015
Mens singles title was won by which player: Novak
Djokovic
BNP Paribas Open Tennis Championship 2015
Womens singles title was won by which player:
Simona Halep
Which country is associated with the awarding of
Stockholm Water Prize: Sweden
Name the eminent Indian environment activist who
has been selected for Stockholm Water Prize:
Rajendra Singh
A three day International Conference on Counter
Terrorism 2015 was held at which place: Jaipur
Stockholm Water Prize winner Rajendra Singh
works in which part of India for promoting
conservation of water resources: Rajasthan
Prime Minister has launched Pragati programme to
give impetus to stalled projects and ensure their
timely execution across the country. What is the full
form of Pragati: Pro-active Governance and
Timely Implementation
The Supreme Court on March 24 struck down the
controversial section 66A of which Act:
Information Technology Act
The Asian Development Bank says that Indias
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growth rate is expected to surpass China and

improve to _____ per cent in next fiscal: 7.8
Name the film that won the National Award for Best
Feature Film: Court
The Hindi film Mary Kom was honoured with Best
Film in which category of National Film Awards:
Best Popular Film providing Wholesome
Entertainment
Which film won the National Award for Best Hindi
Film: Queen
Name the male actor who won the National Award
for Best Actor: Vijay
Name the female actor who won the National
Award for Best Actor: Kangana Ranaut
Veteran actor-filmmaker Shashi Kapoor (77), who
has starred in over 100 Hindi films has been
honoured recently with which National Award:
Dada Saheb Phalke Award
What is the amount of cash prize given in Dada
Saheb Phalke Award: Rs. 10 lacs
India's first National Skill Development University
will be established in which State: Chhattisgarh
Indian navy recently inducted 3 ISVs at
Vishakhapatnam. What is ISV: Immediate Support
Vessel
What is the name of the new service that has been
launched by the government through which anyone
can get the tweets directly from the Prime Minister
/ Chief Ministers in form SMS messages: Twitter
Samvad
Name the author who is the only Indian among 10
authors finalized for this years Man Booker
International Prize for English literature: Amitav
Ghosh
In collaboration with which bank railways has
launched the RuPay debit card service to facilitate
online booking of rail tickets, payment of shopping
bills and other service bills: Union Bank of India
Who has been appointed as the Chairman of the
Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers
on Goods and Services Tax: K M Mani
For the development of which popular pilgrimage
centre, world bank has sanctioned a fund of Rs. 100
crore: Ganga Sagar Tirath, West Bengal
After a rigorous bidding in the auctioning of which
item the government recently fetched about Rs.
1.10 lac crore: Telecom spectrum
The Reserve Bank signed a $400 million currency
swap agreement with the Central Bank of which
country for a period of three years: Sri Lanka
Two-year-old girl Cherukuli Dalli Shivani from
Vijaywada was in news for her exceptional record
achievement in which field: Archery
With which country India recently signed 6 pacts
including one for the transfer of sentenced Indian
convicts in that country to complete their
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remaining sentence in India: Qatar

Which international prize given in the field of
Mathematics is popular as the Nobel of Maths: Abel
Prize
Zokhawthar, a small town in Champhai district of
_________was in news as a land customs station was
inaugurated there at the Indo-Myanmar border
trade centre: Mizoram
Who has been appointed as the new spokesperson
for the External Affairs Ministry: Vikas Swarup
By which country Indian artist Bharti Kher has
been honoured with Knight of the Order of Arts
and Letters: France
Which high court became the first court in India to
set up dedicated commercial divisions within it, in
line with recommendation of the Law Commission:
Delhi
India's first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle
(PROVe), was made operational at which place in
North Antarctica: Priyadarshini Lake
Name the ambitious project that aims to develop 12
smart cities at ports and several coastal economic
zones to promote tourism and economic growth:
Sagarmala
The Reserve Bank on March 25 removed the
lending restriction on which bank to allow it to
restart normal lending operations: United Bank of
India
At which place Prime Minister Modi paid homage to
3 great revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and
Sukhdev on March 23, 2015: Hussainiwala,
Ferozepur, Punjab
For which offence the British govt. awarded the
death sentence to the revolutionaries Bhagat Singh,
Rajguru and Sukhdev: Killing British Police
Officer Mr. Saundras.
International Gandhi Peace Prize 2014 is given for
what purpose: For promoting peace and
harmony in public life
What is the amount of cash award in the
International Gandhi Peace Prize: Rs. 1 cr
Which organization has been selected for the
international Gandhi peace prize 2014: ISRO
Name the two Indians who have been named
among the 50 greatest leaders in the world by
Fortune magazine in its annual list of extraordinary
men and women transforming business,
government and philanthropy: Narendra Modi
and Kailash Satyarthi
Name the airlines whose aircraft went crashing into
a mountainside in French Alps on March 24, killing
all 150 persons aboard: Germanwings
Name the space vehicle that became the first
human-made vehicle that has completed 11 years
marathon on a planet: Opportunity Rover of NASA
Final match of Cricket World Cup 2015 was
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played in which stadium: Melbourne Cricket

Ground (MCG)
Name the cricketer who scored highest runs in the
Cricket World Cup 2015: Martin Guptil (NZ) - 547
Which cricketer declared as the Man of the
Tournament in Cricket World Cup 2015: Mitchell
Starc (Aus)
_______________ was declared as the Man of the
Match in the final match of Cricket World Cup
2015: James Faulkner (Aus)
Name the women badminton player of India who
created history by becoming the first Indian women
to be ranked as No. 1 in world: Saina Newal
Saina
Nehwal defeated world champion
_______________ to win the womens singles title in the
India Open Badminton Championship: Ratchanok
Intanon
Name the male Indian badminton player who won
the recently held India Open Badminton
Championship: Kidambi Srikanth
The
prestigious
India
Open
Badminton
Championship was held in March 2015 at which
place: New Delhi
_____________ will host the 2019 ICC Cricket Word
Cup: England and Wales
FEBRUARY 2015
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The first Grand Slam of the tennis for 2015

Australian Open was held at which place:
Melbourne, Australia
Name the winner of mens singles title at the
Australian Open tennis tournament: Novak
Djokovic
Name the winner of womens singles title at the
Australian Open tennis tournament: Serena
Williams
Name the Indian tennis player who won the mixed
doubles title at the Australian Open: Leander Paes
Name the Indian Union Minister who recently
visited China on a four day official visit, to launch
the Visit India Year in China: Sushma Swaraj
Nicol David, World Womens Squash champion has
set a new record for topping the world rankings for
the 106th month. She is from which country:
Malaysia
Countrys GDP growth rate was revised upwards to
________ per cent for 2013-14, as against 4.7 per cent
estimated earlier: 6.9
The base year for measuring National Accounts has
recently been revised to _______ from 2004 05
earlier: 2011-12
India test fired its Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile
(ICBM), __________ for the first time from a canister
mounted on a Tatra truck, from the Wheeler Island,
off the Odisha coast: Agni-V
What is the approximate range of Indias ICBM Agni
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V: 5000 kms
Sergio Mattarella has been elected as the new
President of which country: Italy
Rory McIlroy is the worlds no. 1 player in which
sports: Golf
Rory McIlroy is from which country: Britain
_______ has been appointed Head Coach of Indias
mens Hockey team: Paul Van Ass
18th National Conference on e-Governance was
held in which city: Gandhinagar, Gujarat
Name the film that won the Filmfare Award for the
best film for 2014: Queen
The Filmfare award for the best actor for 2014 was
won by _________: Shahid Kapoor for Haider
The Filmfare award for the best actress for 2014
was won by _________: Kangana Ranaut for Queen
The Filmfare award for the best director for 2014
was won by _________: Vikas Bahl for Queen
Krishna Chaudhary has been appointed Director
General of which paramilitary force: Indian
Tibetan Boarder Police (ITBP)
Name the renowned music composer and actor
who has been appointed Chairman of Sangeet
Natak Akademi: Shekhar Sen
Which bank has introduced a new app, Chillr,
which will allow users to send money to any
contact in their phone books, 24X7: HDFC Bank
Charles H. Townes, American noble prize winner
scientist passed away recently. He was known for
which popular invention: Laser lights
What is the full form of the word laser: Light
Amplification by Stimulated Emission of
Radiation
A high powered committee chaired by R Gandhi,
has been formed to review the structure and
functioning of the Urban Cooperative Banking
Sector. Who is R. Gandhi: Dy. Governor, RBI
India's first fenced elephant sanctuary is to be
setup in which Biological Park in Karnataka:
Bannerghatta
The RBI recently slashed the statutory liquidity
ratio by how many basis points: 50
What will be the impact of recent reduction of SLR
by 50 basis points on the inflation front in the
country: It may go up
by 50 basis points on the growth of the economy of
the country: It may go up
by 50 basis points on the bank loans: It may go up
What will be the impact of this reduction of SLR by
50 basis points on the interest rates of the bank
loans: It may go down
Which is the only country to win the Handball
World Championships for the record five times:
France
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Which country secured the no. 1 position in world

in consumption of gold in 2014: India
India overtook which country in becoming the top
consumer of gold in the world: China
Which American celebrity has been elected as the
most admired women in the world in a recent
survey: Angelina Jolie
Winner of the Most Admired Women title,
Angelina Jolie is from which field: Cinema
The Reserve Bank on Feb. 3 doubled the annual
overseas investment ceiling for individuals to
$_________ per person per year under the Liberalised
Remittance: 250,000
The deposit accounts in the banks in which there
are no transactions for 10 years or more are called
_______ accounts: Unclaimed
Under which project Govt plans to construct over
two crore toilets in select villages to make India
free from open defecation by 2019: MNREGA
The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to install
which type of machines at locations selected by
them (banks) without getting its prior permission:
Cash Deposit Machines
Which country has overtaken the United States as
the top destination for foreign direct investment for
the first time since 2003: China
According to the UNCTAD, foreign firms invested
128 billion dollars in China and 86 billion in the US
last year. Write the full form of UNCTAD: United
Nations Conference of Trade and Development
Which country has become the first country in the
world to allow a "three-parent" IVF (in vitro
fertilization) technique: Britain
Who is the author of world famous novel To Kill a
Mockingbird: Harper Lee
Saloni Dalal, a 12 year old girl became the youngest
medal winner in the 35th National Games in Kerala
by winning a Bronze medal in which field: 200
meter breast stroke swimming event
Which state won the 10th National Award for
excellent work in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA):
Madhya Pradesh
Which state launched e-registration of properties in
all the 130 tehsil and sub-tehsils of the State on Feb
04: Haryana
Who has been appointed as the new Union Home
Secretary: LC Goyal
Gaur Hari Singhania, a noted industrialist passed
away recently. He was associated with which
corporate group: J K Group of Industries
________ has been appointed as member of the
Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and
Negotiations by the US government: Ajay Banga
Which state has decided to set up Plast India
International University in partnership with
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University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA: Gujarat

Who is the author of the book The Bookmans
Tale: Charlie Lovert
Which Indian Bank raised about Rs 10,000 crore by
selling American Depository Receipts in the largest
follow-on offer by a private sector firm: HDFC
Bank
Ms. Zoe Konstantopoulou has been elected as the
new President of which country: Greece
In which country Shiite Houthi rebels dissolved the
Parliament and took over the reins of the
impoverished nation: Yemen
Noted novelist Bhalchandra Nemade has recently
been honoured with which prestigious literary
award: Jnanpith Award
Jnanpith Award winner Mr. Nemade writes in
which language: Marathi
Name the Indian musician who won the Best New
Age Album award at the 57th Grammy Awards:
Ricky Kej
Name the Indian who won the Grammy in the Best
Children's Album category for rendering audio
version of the book 'I Am Malala: Neela Vaswani
The Grammy award for the record of the year and
song of the year went to which song: Stay with me
BAFTA awards are given for excellence in which
field: Cinema
The abbreviation BAFTA stands for what: British
Academy of Film and Television Arts
Which film won the BAFTA award for the best film:
Boyhood
Government has decided to infuse Rs. 6,990 crore
in nine public sector banks to comply with which
international norms / guidelines: Basel III
Basel III guidelines have been issued for what
purpose: To ensure capital adequacy in banks
Basel III guidelines have been issued by which
international authority: Bank for International
Settlements
Name the politician whose name name was
included in the LIMCA book of records for being the
only woman of the country to represent the same
Lok Sabha constituency on the same party ticket for
eight times in a row: Sumitra Mahajan
Which state launched the Himalaya Darshan
programme as part of its ongoing efforts to boost
tourism in the state: Uttarakhand
Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam who visited India recently
is the President of which country: Singapore
National Deworming Day is observed on which
date: Feb 10
Medicine Albendazole is orally administered to preschool and school-going children between one and
nineteen years for what purpose: For de-worming
Which Indian economist has been named as the
first winner of a newly established Charleston-EFG
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John Maynard Keynes Prize in the UK: Amartya

Sen
Which bank has launched Pockets, a digital
banking service, enabling users to instantly send
money to any e-mail id, mobile number, friends on
Facebook and bank account: ICICI Bank
The RBI has allowed banks to offer extra interest on
deposit schemes up to Rs 1 crore which cannot be
broken prematurely. Such deposits are called
_________ deposits: Non Callable
Reserve Bank has given the directions that all credit
institutions, banks and NBFCs should become
members of all the CICs in the country. The
abbreviation CIC stands for: Credit Information
Company
Summit of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank
Governors held in _______ on 9-10 February 2015:
Istanbul
The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and
Ukraine met in Minsk, capital of Belarus to find
solution to which international problem: Fighting
in Eastern Ukraine
What is the name of the mascot of the 35th National
Games: Ammu
Which animal has been made the mascot for the
35th National Games: The Great Hornbill Bird
Which marching contingents were awarded jointly
the Best Marching Contingents Trophy for Republic
Day Parade 2015: The Brigade of The Guards and
the Sikh Regiment
The First World Ocean Science Congress (WOSC)
was held in ______, Kerala from 5 to 8 February
2015: Kochi
Govt. has constituted a three-member Special
Investigation Team (SIT) headed by _________for reinvestigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases:
Pramod Asthana
The opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World
cup 2015 was held on Feb 12 at which two places:
Christchurch and Melbourne
Which US Company has created a world record by
crossing the mark of $700 billion in terms of
market capitalization: Apple Inc
RBI has decided to put in circulation currency note
in One Rupee denomination. These notes are
printed under which Act of Govt. of India: Coinage
Act 2011
In terms of freedom of press, the World Press
Freedom Index puts India at which rank: 136th
All India Football Federations (AIFF) has declared
which sports person as the player of the year 2014:
Sunil Chhetri
Name the champions who won highest number of
medals 159 in the national games 2015: Services
Raja Bhalendra Singh Trophy is awarded for which
achievement: Sports Contingent that wins
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highest medals in national games

The 36th National Games will be hosted by which
state in 2016: Goa
For which national programme World Bank has
agreed to grant $ 8 million loan to India for
sustainable livelihoods and adaption to climate
change: National Rural Livelihoods Mission
India successfully test-fired the naval version of the
supersonic BrahMos cruise missile from which
naval ship: INS Kolkata
Name the first National Tribal Festival that was
held at New Delhi from 13 to 18 Feb., 2015.
VANAJ-2015
Which national scheme recently launched by the
govt. of India has been listed in Guinness Book of
World Records for largest coverage: Pradhan
Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
Which state has set up Gram Sachivalayas to bring
Gram Panchayat and village level functionaries of
all departments under one roof for better
functioning and coordination: Haryana
Name the former Maharashtra Home Minister and
senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader who
passed away recently: R. R. Patil
Name the Popular cartoonist, veteran columnist
and political activist who passed away in Feb 2015:
Rajinder Puri
The 67th National track cycling championship was
held at which place: Thiruvananthapuram
Name the veteran film producer, holder of the
Guinness Book of World Records for the most films
produced 150, by an individual, who passed away
recently: D Ramanaidu
What is the strike range of recently tested nuclear
capable Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile: 350
kms
The nationwide Soil Health Card scheme was
launched by the Prime Minister from which place in
Rajasthan on Feb19 : Suratgarh
Which Indian telecom major has tied-up with
United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) to
provide health, education and youth-focused
content to its customers in 17 African countries:
Bharti Airtel
Government has launched MADAD-Because You
Are Us system for what purpose: Consular
Grievances Monitoring
Name the former India Captain and ace Leg Spinner
has been chosen to be inducted into the ICC Cricket
Hall of Fame: Anil Kumble
What is the short name for the recently notified
Indian Accounting Standards which are converged
with global standards IFRS: Ind AS
The Indian Accounting Standards Ind AS will be
mandatory for companies from which date: 1st
April 2016
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Which organization compiles the weekly figures for

India's foreign exchange reserves: RBI
Name the Indian golfer who won the European
Tour title at the Hero Indian Open on Feb 22 in New
Delhi: Anirban Lahiri
Who has been elected as the new Chief Minister of
Bihar: Nitish Kumar
Amartya Sen, 81 year old Nobel laureate economist
was in news recently for what reasons: He
resigned as the Chancellor of Nalanda
University
The famous international Nalanda University is
located in which State: Bihar
The 10th edition of Aero India Show was held in
which place: Bengaluru
The government plans to launch a new scheme
'Krishi Dak Service' for what purpose: To
distribute improved seed varieties to farmers at
their doorstep, through post-offices
ADB has agreed to grant $350 million loan to
Madhya Pradesh for what purpose: To upgrade
district roads
Which organization has reached an agreement with
the bank unions to keep the banks closed on 2nd and
4th Saturday: Indian Banks Association (IBA)
The Academy Awards are given for excellence in
which field: Cinema
What is the popular name for prestigious US
Academy Awards: Oscars
Which picture won the Oscar for best picture:
Birdman
Name the actor who won the Oscar for best actor:
Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything
The Oscar for the best actress for 2014 was won by
which lady: Julianne Moore for Still Alice
What is the name of the recently conducted Indo
Nepal Joint Military Exercise: Surya Kiran-VIII
The military exercise Surya Kiran VIII was
recently held at which place: Saljhandi, Nepal
Who has been appointed as the Ambassador and
Permanent Representative of India to the United
Nations Offices in Geneva: Ajit Kumar
The Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) has established the worlds
highest research station at which place: Chang La,
Ladhakh
What type of research activities shall be carried out
at the worlds highest research station at Chang La:
To develop and validate cold weather
technologies for agriculture and allied fields
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had
amended the rules to introduce MNP on nationwide
basis from May 3. What is MNP: Mobile Number
Portability
Musicians from around the world will gather this
April in which city to celebrate the International
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Jazz Day: Paris

International Jazz Day is celebrated on which date:
April, 30
Irom Sharmila, Human rights activist has been
conferred Sthree Shakti Award for her fight against
imposition of Armed Forces (Special Powers Act,
1958). She is from which state: Manipur
Hero Hockey India League 2015 was played in
which city: New Delhi
Which team won the Hero Hockey India League
2015 Championship: Ranchi Rays
JANUARY 2015
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13th
The
Pune International Film Festival was held
at Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra
from January 8 to 15. What was the theme this
year: War against War
Name the biggest cultural festival of the Mahayana
sect of Buddhism in Nepal, observed to mark the
beginning of the New Year: Tamu Lhochhar
The famous new year festival of Nepal Tamu
Lhochhar is held at which place: Kathmandu
ADB has agreed to give $ 75 million loan and $1.8
million grant to which state in India for Integrated
Urban Water Management Investment Program for
improving the water resource management:
Karnataka
Name the top Indian cricketer who has decided to
retire from the Test Cricket: MS Dhoni
Name the country that has recently adopted the
Euro as its currency: Lithuania
How many countries in Europe have adopted Euro
as their currency: 19
President gave his assent to the NJAC Act, nearly
ending the two-decade-old Collegium System for
appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and 24
high courts. NJAC stand for what: National Judicial
Appointments Commission
The NJAC will be headed by ___________ and will have
______ other members: Chief Justice of India, Five
Name the India's first integrated mobile application
for women safety launched in Delhi on Jan 1:
Himmat'
Saiyid Hamid, noted Muslim academician,
educationist, reformist and author passed away
recently. He was Chancellor of which educational
institution: Jamia Hamdard University and Jamia
Millia Islamia
What is the new name of the Insurance Regulatory
and Development Authority (IRDA) after the
promulgation of Insurance Laws (Amendment)
Ordinance, 2014: Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India
On Jan 1, the government announced that the
Planning Commission had been revamped and
rechristened as NITI Aayog. What is the full form of
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NITI: National Institution for Transforming

India
_____________ is the Chairman of the NITI Aayog:
Prime Minister
Name the newly appointed vice chairperson of the
NITI Aayog: Arvind Panagariya
Ms Sindushree Khullar has been appointed CEO of
which important national level office: NITI Aayog
In which development financial institution
government has decided to increase its stake to
51% from around 48% at present: Industrial
Finance Corporation of India IFCI
Which is the only state in India that has the
potential to grow the rare purple tea: Assam
______________ is the only country in the world that
produces unique purple tea: Kenya
India's top PSU bankers and select policy makers
gathered in Pune for a two-day (Jan 2-3) retreat
that was named ______________: Gyan Sangam
102nd Indian Science Congress was held at which
place: Mumbai
Who is the author of the book The Fault in Our
Stars: John Green
Name the senior politician who has authored the
book titled, At Home in India: The Muslim Saga:
Salman Khurshid
The RBI has signed an information sharing
agreement with which country for better
coordination in supervising financial institutions:
Unite States of America
As per revised norms, NBFCs have been asked to
review KYC norms in their high risk category
accounts every _________ years: Two
Two commemorative coins of Rs 100 and five were
released in the honour of Tata Group founder
________________ to mark his 175th birth anniversary:
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata
Indian railways runs the Maitree Express train
between which two stations: Kolkata Dhaka
Name the project launched by government for
under taking eco friendly development of the rural
areas: Green India Mission
Govt. has launched domestic efficient lighting
programme in Delhi. What is the highlight of this
project: LED bulbs to be supplied at an initial
payment of Rs. 10
What is the full form of LED: Light Emitting
Diodes
What is the name of the customized low-cost
combination of phone and tablet computer
launched for farmers by ICRISAT: Greenphablet
Write the full form of the abbreviation ICRISAT:
International Crops Research Institute for the
Semi-Arid Tropics
Headquarters of ICRISAT are located at which
place: Near Hyderabad, Telangana
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India is on way to join the global high-end scientific

Neutrino Club as the government has approved a
high level research laboratory in __________ field in
Tamil Nadu: High energy physics
Amitabh Bachchan has been appointed as the brand
Ambassador for health sector by which State:
Andhra Pradesh
The theme for 19th National Youth Festival
is_______________: Youth for Clean, Green and
Progressive India
Name the satirical weekly of France whose office
was attacked recently by Islamic militants, killing
over 12 persons: Charlie Hebdo
Millions of people around the world expressed their
solidarity with the slain French journalists by using
the hash tag # Je Suis Charlie on Twitter. What is its
meaning: I am Charlie
Name the senior Indian diplomat who has been
named as the new Under-Secretary-General,
Department of Field Support (DFS) in UNO: ATUL
KHARE
Which bank recently launched the countrys first
contactless debit and credit cards that use the nearfield communication (NFC) technology, enabling
customer to make payments by just waving the
card near merchant terminals instead of swiping
the same: ICICI Bank
India has agreed to provide 60 million dollars Line
of Credit LoC to Guyana for its road infrastructure
projects. Where is it located: On Northern border
of Brazil
Modibo Keita has been elected as Prime Minister
of which country: Mali
The country Mali is located in which part of the
world: West Africa
Hampi Utsav 2015 a three-day mega cultural
festival of dance, drama, art and music was held in
which State: Karnataka
Ancient town of Hampi in Karnataka was the capital
of which empire: Vijayanagar Empire
Scientists have discovered a powerful new
antibiotic which can kill an array of germs without
the bugs easily becoming resistant to it. What is its
name: Teixobactin
India will provide Rs 6.90 crore support to Nepal
for fighting against the Iodine Deficiency Disorder
Control Programme (IDDCP) for control of which
ailment: Goitre
In which country militants of Boko Haram
massacred over 2000 persons in towns around
Baga: Nigeria
Tshering Tobgay, who recently visited India is the
_________ of Bhutan: Prime Minister
Who has been elected as new President of Sri
Lanka: Maithripala Sirisena
15 prominent NRIs were conferred which honour
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at the recently held Pravasi Bharatiya Divas:

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award
In whose honour, the coins of the denomination of
Rs. 100 and Rs. 10 and the stamps of value of Rs 25
and Rs 5 were released at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas:
Mahatama Gandhi
National Youth Day is observed on which date: 12th
January
Why January 12 is observed as National Youth Day:
It is birthday of Swami Vivekananda
Name the star footballer who won the FIFA Ballon
d'Or award for 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo
Name the ace tennis player who reached the 1,000
ATP Tour wins milestone as he won the Brisbane
International title on Jan 11: Roger Federer
In the field of tennis, the abbreviation ATP stands
for: Association of Tennis Professional
Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of
the Indian Space Research Organization: A S Kiran
Kumar
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has been elected as the
first women President of which country: Croatia
Which airline has been selected as the safest airline
in the world for 2015: Quantas
Quantas is the official air carrier of which country:
Australia
A new vaccine Raksha Blue has been launched to
counter which deadly disease in farm animals:
Bluetongue
Golden Globe awards are given in which field:
Cinema
Golden Globe award are given in which country:
USA
Which film won the Golden Globe 2015 for the best
motion picture: Boyhood
Name the Secretary, Defence Research and
Development cum Director General, DRDO and
Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister who was
in news as he was removed by the govt. from his
seat, 15 months before his contract was to end:
Avinash Chander
Raghuram Rajan, Governor, RBI was selected as the
Governor of the Year by international magazine
Central Banking. This magazine is from which
country: Britain
Countrys first compressed natural gas (CNG) powered train was flagged on January 13 from
which place: Rewari, Haryana
Encouraged by the Indias Make in India initiative,
the United Kingdom announced which campaign to
forge collaborations with Indian companies: Great
Collaborations
Nabard has signed an MoU with which Indian
Institute of Management, to set up a Chair to
encourage research in climate change, rural
livelihood and financial inclusion, among others:
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IIM, Ahmedabad
Which bank bagged three awards, including the
award for the best bank at the annual flagship
event "MSME Banking Excellence Awards-2014" at
Bengaluru: Canara Bank
Which Bank on Jan 13 launched a savings bank
account christened as Jifi Saver, which can be
managed via Twitter and Facebook: Kotak
Mahindra Bank
Which Indian space project has won the 2015 Space
Pioneer Award in the science and engineering
category from the US based National Space Society
(NSS): Mass Orbiter Mission
Which district in Kerala became the first district in
the country to have all its gram panchayats
connected through National Optical Fibre Network
(NOFN) - hi-speed rural broadband network:
Idukki
The first Border Haat (market) along with
Bangladesh frontier was opened on 13 January
2015 in which State: Tripura
Which country has launched an Online Visa Pilot
Programme to make it easier for Indian business
and tourism visitors to apply online visa: Australia
Name the Indian professional golfer who has been
voted as the 2014 Players Player of the year in
Asian Tour: Anirban Lahiri
Bank Rate of Reserve Bank of India is calibrated
with which other policy rate: Marginal Standing
Facility
Which top IT company of India has promised the
Prime Minister to invest $250 million for funding
innovations in software and services in India:
Infosys
Who is the appointing authority for Chief Election
Commissioner: President of India
What is the tenure of Chief Election Commissioner:
6 years
The official status of Chief Election Commissioner is
equivalent to which other post: Judge of Supreme
Court
Which area of Uttar Pradesh was in news as around
50 lives were lost there due to a hooch tragedy that
occurred in its nearby villages: Malihabad,
Lucknow
Bhakti Sharma, India's 24 year old open water
swimmer has set a world record by swimming 2.25
kms in 52 minutes in one degree temperature in
which ocean: Antarctic Ocean
76th Table Tennis National Championship was held
at which place: Puducherry
The Red Sari by Javier Moro is a book return about
which Indian political celebrity: Sonia Gandhi
Chairperson of the Central Board of Film
Certification recently resigned from her post. What
is her name: Ms. Leela Samson
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Which Bollywood celebrity has been conferred

Social Media Person of the year award 2015 by the
Internet and Mobile Association of India: Amitabh
Bachchan
Name the new indigenously built fighter aircraft
recently inducted in the Indian Air Force: Tejas
Tejas is a LCA acquired by the Indian Air Force.
What is the full form of LCA: Light Combat Aircraft
Stephen Constantine has been appointed head
coach of which Indian sports team: Men's Football
Sania Mirza along with her American partner
Bethanie Mattek-Sands won doubles title at which
international tournament in Australia: Sydney
International Tennis Tournament
Giraffe Hero Award is given for excellence in which
field: Social Work
Which State has appointed yoga guru Ramdev as
the state's brand ambassador to promote yoga and
ayurveda in a big way: Haryana
Which state has banned the sale of loose cigarettes
(as single sticks) and loose tobacco, becoming the
first State to do so: Punjab
Which State has been selected, for the first time, for
National e-Governance Award 2014-15 for the best
districtlevel initiative in the country: Jammu &
Kashmir
In a bid to promote entrepreneurship among the
Scheduled Castes (SCs), which Ministry launched
two schemes for funding ventures setup by them:
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
Name the Australian cricketer, rated as third fastest
bowler in world, who announced his retirement
from all forms of cricket after a 20-year career:
Brett Lee
Name the cueist who won the National Billiards
Championship held at Kolkata: Pankaj Advani
Name the cricketer who recently hit the fastest
century in one-day internationals cricket history:
AB de Villiers
_________ state to host the 35th National Games:
Kerala
Asias biggest literary event was recently held in
which city: Jaipur
Name the Indian-American author who won the
coveted DSC Prize for Literature at the Jaipur
Literature Festival: Jhumpa Lahiri
_________ was declared as the winner of inaugural
Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize Literature at the
Jaipur
Literature
Festival:
Arunadhathi
Subramaniam
Name the film producer who has been appointed as
the Chairman, Central Board of Film Certification:
Pahlaj Nihalani
A report by the IMF says that India is expected to
grow at 6.3 per cent this year and 6.5 per cent in
2016 by when it is likely to cross growth rate of
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which country: China

The 79th Senior National Badminton Championship
held in ________ from January 29 to February 5:
Vijayawada
Name the Indian runner who broke the 19-year-old
women marathon national record at the 12th
Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in Mumbai:
O P Jaisha
In which country the Houthi rebels seized the
Presidential palace in the capital Sanaa, forcing the
President to resign: Yemen
As per the recent tiger census in India, ________ State
has highest number of tigers: Karnataka
As per a study by Edelman, India has been placed
at _____ rank in world in terms of faith reposed by
its citizens in its institutions: 2nd
Name the noted political scientist, founder of
Centre for the Study of Developing Societies who
passed away recently: Rajni Kothari
With which country India signed an agreement on
transfer of prisoners who are completing their
sentence there: Hong Kong
Name the author of the book Geek Sublime: The
Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty: Vikram
Chandra
The prestigious National Book Critics Circle (NBCC)
Awards are given in which country: USA
Jimjang Deru of Arunachal Pradesh recently created
national record in which sports: Weight Lifting
Which international organization has decided to lift
a seven-month-long ban on the import of mangoes
from India: European Union
Veteran journalist Malini Parthasarathy has been
appointed as the first women editor of a century
old national news paper: The Hindu
The government has launched HRIDAY to preserve
and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the
country. Write full form of HRIDAY: Heritage City
Development and Augmentation Yojana
What is the name of the Microsofts voice controlled
assistant to be introduced in its new operating
system - Windows 10: Cortana
India has allowed duty free access to which
countrys export products in Indian markets under
the Agreement of South Asia Free Trade Area
(SAFTA): Afghanistan
Name the scheme launched by the Prime Minister
to save and empower the girl child: Beti BachaoBeti Padhao
Which Bollywood celebrity has been appointed as
brand ambassador of Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao
campaign: Madhuri Dixit
A special savings scheme by the name ________ has
been launched to encourage special savings for girl
child: Sukanya Samriddhi Account
What is the rate of interest payable in the Sukanya
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Samriddhi Account: 9.1% per annum

A maximum amount of Rs. ______ can be deposited in
a financial year in the Sukanya Samriddhi Account:
1,50,000
Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, King of Saudi Arabia was in
news recently for what reasons: He passed away
Indias first International Institute of Music will be
set up in _____ by a trust headed by Sarod Maestro
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his family: Kerala
In which country its first women premier was
impeached on Jan 23 for corruption charges:
Thailand
Lee Wan Koo has been appointed new Prime
Minister of which Asian country: South Korea
The Reserve Bank has allowed Indians to carry high
value notes of Rs 500 /1000 while travelling to
_______ and _____with a cap of Rs 25,000 on the total
amount: Nepal, Bhutan
The World Economic Forum's five-day annual
jamboree of the global elite started on Jan 20
at______, Switzerland: Davos
Which Ministry has launched a new organisation
National
Highways
and
Infrastructure
Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) to
promote the road construction: Road Transport
and Highways Ministry
Name the controversial Australian bowler who has
been named Australia's young cricketer of the year,
winning the Sir Bradman Award: Sean Abbott
In a major boost to the jute sector, govt. has
approved mandatory packaging of _____ and _____ in
jute material to minimum extent of up to 90 per
cent of production: Sugar and Foodgrains
RBI has advised that RRBs with assets less than
$175 million need not to register under the US law
FATCA. Write the full form of FATCA: Foreign
Account Tax Compliance Act
Govt plans to set up a Price Stabilisation Fund
(PSF), with a corpus of Rs 500 crore for what
purpose: To control price fluctuations in fruits
and vegetables
The proposed price stabilization fund will initially
focus on which two commodities for their price
regulation: Onions and Potatoes
With which country India signed MoUs for
formulating action plans for development of smart
cities in Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam: USA
Govt plans to introduce a new Consumer Price
Index with ________ as base year for computing retail
inflation rate: 2012
India has been ranked _______ globally in terms of
talent competitiveness of its human capital,
indicating acute shortage of skilled workforce: 78th
The Expenditure Management Commission, headed
by_______, has recommended to the government that
it cut fiscal deficit to 3.6 per cent of the GDP during
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2015-16: Bimal Jalan

Which Bank has launched Jifi Saver, a social savings
bank account which can be seamlessly managed via
Twitter and Facebook: Kotak Mahindra Bank
Who has been appointed as the new Union Foreign
Secretary of India: S. Jaishankar
Countrys first geothermal heating plant was
launched successfully by the Snow and Avalanche
Studies Establishment of DRDO at its _____(HP)
campus: Manali
R K Laxman, the legendary cartoonist who passed
away recently is known for the iconic cartoon
character named ________:The Common Man
Veteran cartoonist R K Laxman was associated with
which news paper: The Times of India
Name the highest peacetime military honour
awardaed posthumously to Major Mukund
Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh on
Republic Day: Ashok Chakra
Paulina Vega of Columbia has been crowned with
which international beauty pageant: Miss Universe
Name the new national champion of snooker in
mens category: Pankaj Advani
The Reserve Bank signed a Memorandum of
Understanding on Supervisory Cooperation and
Exchange of Supervisory Information with central
bank of which country: Brazil
Which Indian bank signed an agreement with U.S.
governments Overseas Private Investment
Corporation for $220 million loan for on-lending to
micro, small and medium enterprises: Yes Bank
Pooja Thakur, the first woman to lead the
ceremonial tri-service guard of honour inspected
by Mr. Obama is from which wing of Indian Defence
Forces: Air Force
Which MNC recorded highest ever quarterly profit
of $18 billion in quarter ending December 2014:
Apple Inc.
Name the legal luminary, a senior advocate who has
been awarded Padma Bhushan recently: Harish
Salve
Mr. Subhash Kashyap who has been honoured with
Padma Bhushan is an authority in which field:
Constitutional Expert
Name the noted philanthropist couple honoured
recently with Padma Bhushan: Bill Gates and
Melinda Gates
Name the noted TV journalist honoured with
Padma Bhushan this year: Rajat Sharma
Name the veteran politician, a serving Chief
Minister who has been decorated with Padma
Vibhushan this year: Prakash Singh Badal
Name the two noted bollywood actors who have
been honoured with Padma Vibhushan this year:
Amitabh Bachhan and Dilip Kumar
Name the UK businessman and spiritual leader who
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has been honoured with Pamda Vibhushan this

year: Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan
Sportsperson Mithali Raj has been honoured with
Padma Shri. She is from which sports: Cricket
Name the women badminton player honoured with
Padma Shri award this year: PV Sindhu
Noted film personality Prasoon Joshi who has been
awarded Padma Shri is from which field of film
industry: Lyricist
Jhumpa Lahiri has been awarded DSC Prize 2015
for literature for her book : The Lowland
India's FDI increased by 26 per cent in 2014 to an
estimated 35 billion US dollar. Maximum FDI was
attracted by which sector of economy: Services
To meet the fiscal deficit, the government sold 10
per cent stake in which state owned company to
raise about Rs 24,000 crore: Coal India Ltd
Which country will host the 2016 Twenty 20
World Cup from 11th of March to 3rd of April
2016: India
Name the Former chief of Gorkha National
Liberation Front, who gave birth to the Gorkhaland
movement, who died recently: Subash Ghishing
As per revised guidelines, winners of Gold medal in
international sports events will now get Rs.
__________: 75 lacs
Jaswant Sing Rajput who won two times gold medal
for India in Olympics, passed away recently. He was
from which Sports: Hockey
The Payment Banks are not allowed to undertake
which major banking function: Giving Loans
The payment banks are not allowed to accept
deposits beyond Rs. ___________: One lac
DECEMBER 2014
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Name the Russian film that won the Golden Peacock

for the best film at the International Film Festival of
India: Leviathan
The Golden Peacock Award for the best film carries
a cash award of __________ rupees: 40 lac
Noted film maker Wong Kar Wai was conferred the
lifetime achievement award at IFFI. He is from
which country: China
Worlds Aids Day is observed on which date:
December 1st
What is the full form of HIV infection: Human
Immunodeficiency Virus Infection
In the abbreviation of AIDS, the letter S stands for
what: Syndrome
Which Southeast Asian country has launched a
Tamil version of National Day Song: Singapore
Name the Indian footballer who has been given Hall
of Fame Award in Manila: Baichung Bhutia
Name the Indian woman badminton player who
won the Macau Grand Prix Gold trophy at Macau,
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China: PV Sindhu
Jarbom Gamlin who passed away recently was a
formal Chief Minister of which State: Arunachal
Pradesh
Govt. has deiced to observe 25th December as which
day: National Good Governance Day
National Good Governance Day is observed in the
honour of which national leader: Atal Behari
Vajpayee
A R Antulay, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra
passed away recently. He was from which political
party: Congress
Tabare Vazquez has been elected as President of
which South American country: Uruguay
Who has been appointed as the new Director of
Central Bureau of Investigation: Anil Kumar Sinha
The international prize for art Turner Prize is
given in which country: UK
Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards are given
in which field: For excellence in exports
Which bank won the Niryat Bandhu Silver Trophy
for excellence in exports: Canara Bank
American geologists have named the earths most
abundant ________as Bridgmanite: Mineral
The world climate change conference was held at
which place: Lima, Peru
The recent world climate change conference was
organized by UNFCCC. What is the full form of
UNFCCC: UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change
As per the Corruption Perceptions Index2014
released by the Transparency International, India
stands at ___ position among 175 countries: 85th
As per the Corruption Perceptions Index2014,
which country is least corrupt in world: Denmark
Name the Indias recently tested nuclear capable
strategic ballistic missile having a range of about
4000 kms: Agni IV
Name the system launched by RBI to help
consumers pay multiple bills like electricity,
telephone and school fees at a single point of
transaction: Bharat Bill Payment System
Which organization has been appointed as the
nodal body for implementing Bharat Bill Payment
System: National Payment Corporation of India
India recently launched GSAT-16 satellite for what
purpose: Communications
The communication satellite GSAT-16 was
launched at which place: Kourou in French
Guiana
United Nations has declared which day as
International Yoga Day: June 21
Why June 21 has been selected as World Yoga Day:
This is the longest day thus having maximum
energy
Which state recently launched Mobile one e-
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governance initiative to enable public to access

4000 govt/ private services on their mobile phones
just by dialing 161: Karnataka
Blind Cricket World Cup was recently held at which
place: Cape Town, South Africa
Name the country that won the Blind Cricket World
Cup 2014: India
RBI has hiked the limit for pre-paid payment
instruments (PPI) to Rs. _________ from Rs. 50,000 at
present: One Lac
Deodhar trophy is related to which place: Cricket
Deodhar trophy 2014 was lifted by which team:
East Zone
Which US firm has been selected for supply of 16
multirole helicopters for the Indian Navy: Sikorsky
Who has been appointed as the new US Defence
Secretary: Ashton Carter
On December 5, NASA launched Orion spacecraft
atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket. It is what type of
spacecraft: Returnable Spacecraft
Name the author of the book 2014: The Election
That Changed India: Rajdeep Sardesai
Which Indian state got its first rail link on Nov. 29,
2014: Meghalaya
Death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar 6
December
is
observed
as
what
day:
Mahaparinirwan Divas
United Nations General Assembly has declared
2015 as the International Year of _______: Soils
Japan recently launched explorer Hayabusa 2 for
what purpose: For exploring asteroids
With which country Andhra Pradesh signed a MoU
for development of new capital: Singapore
The UNICEF has said that 2014 has been
devastating for some 15 million ______caught up in
violent conflicts around the world: Children
Ms. Wang Patraporn has been selected as Miss
Intercontinental 2014. She is from which country:
Thailand
The government has decided to decriminalise
attempt to suicide by deleting which section of
the Indian Penal Code: 309
The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal for
setting up of a 500 crore rupees Credit Guarantee
Fund for Factoring for MSME units. What is
factoring: Collection of receivables of business
units
The first Arabic translation of the Indian
Constitution has been launched recently in which
country: Egypt
Name the entity that has been selected as the
Person of the Year 2014 by Time magazine: Ebola
Fighters
Which Indian bank has launched two indices to
track manufacturing activity and offer forward
looking economic trends: State Bank of India
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Which country has become the 181st member of

Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA):
Bhutan
As per the Web Index 2014 India has been placed at
which rank in terms of internet's contribution to
social, economic and political progress: 48th
Noted corporate personality Azim Premji has been
awarded Swiss Ambassador's Award. He is
chairman of which company: Wipro Ltd.
The Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC)
links Ludhiana in Punjab to __________ near Kolkata:
Dankuni
Indias most prestigious Indian classical music
function The Tansen Sangeet Samaroh was held at
which place: Gwalior, MP
INS Circars, the oldest naval establishment on the
Eastern seaboard celebrated its Platinum Jubilee. It
is located at which place: Visakhapatnam
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India to
attend which important meeting: 15th IndiaRussia annual summit
Who is Arunima Sinha, writer of the book Born
Again on the Mountain: First Indian female
amputee to climb Mount Everest
The Druzhba Dosti concept relates to
strengthening of the bilateral partnership of India
with which country: Russia
Name the book by Akhil Sharma that has been
selected by The New York Times Book Review as
one of the ten Best Books of 2014: Family Life
In which country police forcefully ended the more
than two month old street demonstration - Occupy
Central: Hong Kong
The 14th Finance Commission submitted its report
on December 11 to which authority: President of
India
Who is the head of the 14th Finance Commission: Y
V Reddy
What is the purpose of setting the finance
commission: To decide the devolution of tax
receipts from the Centre to the states
The recommendations of the 14th Finance
Commission shall be applicable from ______ to 31st
March, 2020: 1st April, 2015
To promote electronic payments, the Reserve Bank
of India has increased the Real Time Gross
Settlement (RTGS) business hours to 12 hours from
________ to _____ on weekdays: 8 am, 8 pm
Name the recent international chess title won by
Viswanathan Anand: London Classic
Name the indigenous nuclear-powered submarine
that for the first time sailed out for sea-trials on Dec
16: INS Arihant
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Name the beauty queen that has been selected as

Miss World 2014: Rolene Strauss
Miss World 2014, Rolene Strauss is from which
country: South Africa
National Energy Conservation Day is observed on
which date: Dec 14
Who is the author of the book In Gods Hands:
Desmond Tutu
Who is Desmond Tutu, winner of Templeton Prize:
Archbishop from South Africa
Name the new chief of the Intelligence Bureau:
Dineshwar Sharma
Who has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of
Japan: Shinzo Abe
Champions Trophy is related to which sports:
Hockey
Champions Trophy 2014 was won by which
country: Germany
Champions Trophy 2014 was held at which city in
India: Bhubaneswar
Confucius Peace Prize, also known as China's
version of the Nobel Prize, has been given to which
person for 2014: Fidel Castro, Former Cuban
leader
Vivek Murthy, the 37 year old Indian origin doctor
in USA was in news for what reasons: He has been
appointed Surgeon General of USA
Olof Palme Human Rights Prize is given in which
country: Sweden
Nasa's Curiosity rover has recently detected
methane on which planet: Mars
Government has approved the continuation of
interest subvention for short-term crop loans up to
Rs _______ to farmers: 3 lakh
Which state has won the Krishi Karman Award for
the year 2013-14 for showing exemplary agriperformance in 14 different categories: Arunachal
Pradesh
Which bank has launched its mobile banking
application by the name Bank Aapki Muththi Mein:
HDFC Bank
Name the heaviest ever rocket, weighing 630
tonnes launched by ISRO on Dec 18: GSLV Mark III
GSLV Mark III carried CARE as its payload which is
an Indian-made unmanned crew module. What is
full form of CARE: Crew Module Atmospheric Reentry Experiment
USA has announced a series of steps aimed at
normalising relations with which country: Cuba
Name the two banks that have been fined recently
by the RBI for violation of KYC norms: ICICI Bank
and Bank of Baroda
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Union Cabinet recently approved a constitutional

amendment bill on which important tax issue:
Goods and Services Tax
Name the super power whose economy is in deep
trouble due to economic sanctions imposed on it
and huge loss on account of steep fall in oil prices:
Russia
Opening ceremony for the International Cricket
Council (ICC) World Cup 2015 shall be held at
which place: Melbourne, Australia
Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik, the twin sisters
from Dehradun were in news for what reasons:
They completed scaling highest peaks
Name the beauty queen selected as the Miss
Universal Peace & Humanity 2014: Ruhi Singh
Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014 contest was
held at which place: Beirut, Lebanon
What is the name of the new Prime Minister of
Mauritius: Anerood Jugnauth
Among the chief ministers serving currently, who is
the Chief Minister with longest tenure of 20 years:
Pawan Chamling
Pawan Chamling, who completed 20 years as Chief
Minister on Dec 12. He is from which State: Sikkim
In India the record for longest tenure as Chief
Minister, 23 years, 4 months is held by which
person: Jyoti Basu
Chunibhai Vaidya, a veteran Gandhian and freedom
fighter passed away recently. He is from which
state: Gujarat
Rajinder Khanna has been appointed head of which
national intelligence agency: Research and
Analysis Wing
Prakash Mishra has been appointed head of which
paramilitary force: CRPF
The festival of Losar celebrated to mark the
beginning of new year is observed at which place in
India: Ladakh, J & K
Which Indian cricketer has been named as the
brand ambassador of ICC cricket world cup 2015:
Sachin Tendulkar
Name the Indian golfer who won the Inaugural
edition of Dubai Open Golf Championship title:
Arjun Atwal
Name the winning team of the Indian Super League
Football Championship: Atletico De Kolkata
Beji Caid Essebsi has been elected as President of
which African Country: Tunisia
Which Indian State has decided to set up a Cultural
University to promote its rich cultural heritage:
Manipur
Klaus Iohannis has been elected as __________ of
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Romania: President
Govt. has decided to pay __ % interest on provident
fund deposits of Employees Provident Fund
Organisation: 8.75%
International Tennis Federation (ITF) has declared
__________ as the mens player of the year 2014:
Novak Djokovic
_______ has been named as the women player of the
year 2014 by International Tennis Federation:
Serena Williams
The authorize capital of the Regional Rural Banks
has been raised from Rs.5 crore at present to Rs.
_______ crore: 2000
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has advised that
the new IFRS norms shall be applicable from April
1, 2015. What is the full form of IFRS:
International Financial Reporting Standards
Recently RBI has released a new set of norms
defining which type of borrowers: Non
Cooperative Borrowers
Jyotsna Suri has recently been elected as President
of the prominent national trade body FICCI. What
is the full form of FICCI: Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Name the President of Bangla Desh who visited
Kolkata recently: Abdul Hamid
Name the NASAs planet-hunting spacecraft which
discovered a super-Earth located 180 light-years
from Earth: Kepler
As per a recent survey which are the two top
culprits for highest global carbon-dioxide emissions
from burning of fossil fuels: China and United
States 29 and 15 per cent
British Queen has honoured noted Pakistan-born
poetess Imtiaz Dharker for her poetry collection
Over the Moon with which award: Queens Gold
Medal for Poetry 2014
Joe Cocker who died recently was a famous ________
from the Colorado, USA: Rock Singer
Name the Indian player who won silver medal at
the 17th Asian Luge Championship: Shiva
Keshavan
58th National Shooting Championships was held in
which place: Pune
Vinicius the cat, has been declared as mascot for
which international sports event: 2016 Rio
Olympics
Name the European space mission spacecraft that
has been declared as the most important scientific
Breakthrough of the Year 2014: Rosetta
Bharat Ratna Award is given on recommendation of
which authority: Prime Minister
The declaration for Bharat Ratna Award is made by
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which authority: President

The deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency
notes of various denominations, including 500 and
1,000 rupees, has been extended upto which date:
June 30, 2015
The World Youth Under-16 Chess Olympiad at Gyor
in Hungary was won by which country: India
For the first time, India exported an indigenously
built war ship to which country: Mauritius
Name the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand:
Raghubar Das
Govt. has launched which programme to cover all
those children by 2020 who are either
unvaccinated or partially vaccinated against seven
vaccine
preventable
diseases:
Mission
Indradhnaush
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Government has decided to set-up _______________to

provide counseling to consumers in redressal of
their grievances and assist them in registering their
complaints in the appropriate consumer forums:
Grahak Suvidha Kendras (Consumer care
centres)
Union Cabinet opened the medical devices sector to
foreign investment by allowing ______per cent FDI in
these devices: 100
Which private sector bank has raised $200 million
loan from Asian Development Bank for onward
lending to small farm households and rural women
self help groups (SHGs): Yes Bank
Name the head of the committee setup to examine
the possibility of forming a Special Investigation
Team for re investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot
cases: Justice G P Mathur
Who has been selected as one of the top ten
scientists in 2014 chosen by the prestigious science
journal of UK-Nature: Dr. K. Radhakrishnan
A new train - The Sushaasan (good governance)
Express was launched on Dec 25, from which place
to which place: Gwalior to Gonda
Ankita Raina won ITF singles tennis title becoming
the first Indian to win this title in past 14 years.
This match was played at which place: Pune
Name the cricketer who broke the world record for
most number of stumpings in international cricket
after he claimed his 134th victim: M S Dhoni
Which country has been assigned the Presidency of
the Council of the European Union for the first half
of 2015: Latvia
Which southeastern country suffered worst
flooding in decades forcing some 1,18,000 people
to flee to safer places: Malaysia
Name the wheeled version of the unmanned aerial
vehicle (UAV) Nishant, recently tested by DRDO:
Panchi
Name the mission that aims at creating an
environment for producing high quality teachers:
Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission
on Teachers and Teaching
Name the country that has decided to join North
Atlantic Treaty Organization: Ukraine
World Bank will lend Rs 475 crore ($75 million) to
the ___________Government for implementing a rural
growth project: Andhra Pradesh
The Reserve Bank released a charter of customer
rights on Dec.3 that lays down ____________basic
rights that bank customers enjoy: Five
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Gyanm Magazine July 2105 Edition

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GENERAL AWARENESS

A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION &

MODI VISITS THREE NATIONS

LATEST 100 GK MCQS

SBI PO PRELIM PAPER

SSC CORNER / QUIZ

REVERSE REPO RATE

CASH RESERVE RATIO

Environmental Democracy Index

Human Capital Index

Global Resilience Index

Global E-Waste Monitor

World Happiness Report

Global Networked Readiness

Social Progress Index

Open Government Index 2015

Travel and Tourism Index

Corruption Perceptions Index

The Web Index 2014

Global Terrorism Index 2014

PRESIDENT VISTS RUSSIA

The ban, however, would not cover late national leaders,

INDIA RANKS 140TH IN MOTHERHOOD INDEX

50 YEARS OF CONQUERING MOUNT EVEREST

CABINET NOD FOR EXCHANGE OF ENCLAVES

DELHI AIRPORT RANKS FIRST IN WORLD

Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi has

SC BANS USE OF PHOTOS IN GOVT ADs

Save the Children's 'State of the World's Mothers' report

INDIA RANKS POOR IN ENVIRONMENT CARE

You are always a student

17 AGREEMENTS SIGNED WITH FRANCE

OPERATION RAHAT RESCUED 5600 PERSONS

MODI, INDIAs REFORMER-IN-CHIEF - OBAMA

Dr. NASIM ZAIDI IS THE NEW CEC

MODI INAUGURATES HANNOVER FAIR

Demand refers to the huge demand in the country for

The President has appointed Election Commissioner Dr.

CANADA AGREES TO SUPPLY URANIUM

FIRST PRIVATE BILL PASSED IN RAJYA SABHA

Demography refers to the huge, young manpower in

The Prime Minister during his three-day visit to Canada

The Rajya Sabha has unanimously passed the Rights of

Ms. SWARAJ VISITS INDONESIA

INDIA LOW IN BUSINESS RESILIENCE

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj paid a 5-day

India has been ranked 119th out of 130 countries on

INDIA ELECTED TO FOUR UN AGENCIES

INDIA 5TH IN PRODUCING E-WASTE

FREE TREATMENT FOR ACID VICTIMS

LAW COMMISSION REPORT ON LEPROSY

GREENPEACE FACES HEAT FROM THE GOVT

The Global E-Waste Monitor 2014 report by the United

INDIA RANKS BELOW PAK IN HAPPINESS

INDIA RANKS 89TH IN USAGE OF ICT

The government has frozen the bank accounts of the

India has slipped six places to rank 89th in Global

INDIA BELOW NEPAL IN SOCIAL PROGRESS

India Post released special commemorative stamps to

MODI, SATYARTHI AMONG TOP 50 LEADERS

mark 50 years of Indo-French co-operation in space

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (5th) and Nobel laureate

The President of India, breaking away from the

PM VISITS SRI LANKA