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GK Tornado for Bank Exams

Dear readers,

This GK Digest is a complete docket of important news and events that occurred in last 5 months (August 15 January 2017).
The GK Digest is important and relevant for all competitive exams like RBI Assistant, India Post Payment Bank, IBPS SO and
UPSC Exams.

RBI in News
1. RBI Keeps interest rate unchanged - On December 07, 2016, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its fifth bi-monthly
monetary policy review, kept key policy rates unchanged.

Current Policy & Reserve Rates

Repo Rate 6.25%

Reverse Repo Rate 5.75%
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) 4.00%
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) 20.75%
Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) 6.75%
Bank Rate 6.75%

Below are the basic definitions of the Policy Rates -

(i) Repo Rate It is the rate at which RBI lends money to commercial banks.
(ii) Reverse Repo rate It is the rate at which RBI borrows money from commercial banks.
(iii) Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) The share of net demand and time liabilities (deposits) that banks must maintain as cash
balance with the Reserve Bank.
(iv) Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) The share of net demand and time liabilities (deposits) that banks must maintain
in safe and liquid assets, such as, government securities, cash and gold.
(v) Bank Rate It is the rate at which the Reserve Bank is ready to buy or rediscount bills of exchange or other commercial
papers for long term.
(vi) Marginal Standing Facility Rate (MSF) The rate at which the scheduled banks can borrow funds from the RBI
overnight, against the approved government securities is termed as MSF.
Note: Basis points one Basis Point is a unit equivalent to 0.01% i.e. 1/100th of a percent.
2. RBI appoints Surekha Marandi as the new Executive Director. She will look after consumer education and protection
department, financial inclusion and development department.
3. RBI has approved increase in MSS ceiling to Rs. 6 lakh crore from Rs. 30,000 crore. The move aims to manage extra
liquidity after increase in deposits post demonetisation.
Note: MSS are securities issued with the objective of providing RBI with a stock of securities with which it can
intervene in the market for managing liquidity. These securities are not issued to meet governments expenditure.
4. Prof. Viral Acharya has been appointed as the New Deputy Governor of RBI. The other Deputy Governors include
R. Gandhi, N. S. Vishwanathan and S. S. Mundra.
5. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cuts Indias GDP growth forecast for FY 17 to 7.1% from 7.6 %. The move comes after
disruption in economic activity and demand compression because of demonetisation
6. RBI has opened a second office of the Banking Ombudsman in New Delhi, considering the significant increase of the
banking network. The first office of the banking ombudsman at RBI, New Delhi, would have control over Delhi
and Jammu & Kashmir. The second office would have jurisdiction over Haryana.
7. The Reserve Bank of India increase the limit of the Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) from Rs. 10,000 to Rs.
20,000 per month and Rs. 50,000 for Merchant Bank to facilitate digital transactions.
8. The Reserve Bank of India increased the Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) for incremental deposits between
September 16 and November 11 to 100% while the current CRR is 4%, effective from November 25, 2016
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9. The RBI has planned to open Islamic window in conventional banks. Aim: Gradual introduction of Sharia-compliant
(interest-free banking) in the country.
10. Construction company Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) became Indias first firm to get Reserve Bank of
India's (RBI) approval for debt recast under Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A).
11. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted start-ups to raise external commercial borrowings (ECBs) of up to $3
million in a financial year for three-year tenure.
12. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the Report of the Internal Working Group (IWG) on Rationalisation of Branch
Authorisation Policy. The Group is chaired by Lily Vadera, Chief General Manager, and Department of Banking
Regulation.
13. RBI had introduced new Rs. 2000 note the key features of the notes are as follows
The new note measures 166 x 66 mm, slightly smaller than the 1,000 denomination which was measured at
177 x 73 mm.
The color of the new note is magenta.
The denominational numeral 2,000 will be written in the Devnagari script and, in micro letters, RBI and 2,000 on the
left side of the banknote.
The new denomination will see the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi at the centre.
To celebrate India's Mars mission, the notes will carry an image of the Mangalyaan, depicting the country's first
venture into interplanetary space, and the logo and tagline of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The reverse side features
a motif of the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM).
There will be a windowed security thread with the inscriptions Bharat (in Devnagari), RBI and 2,000 on
banknotes with colour shift. The colour of the thread changes from green to blue when the note is tilted.
The guarantee clause, governor's signature with promise clause and RBI emblem have been shifted to the right in
the new notes, with the portrait and electrotype watermarks appearing right next to them.
There will be a ashoka pillar emblem to the right of the Mahatma Gandhi portrait and electrotype (2000)
watermarks. It will also have seven bleed lines and a rectangle as an identifying shape; as per the RBI guidelines,
these are the identification and salient features for the visually impaired.
The security features of the Rs 2,000 note include latent images, coloured strip security threads and watermarks.
There will also be a latent image with the denomination numeral that would be visible when the note is held at a 45-
degree angle at eye level.
14. The Reserve Bank of India has issued a new batch of Rs 500 notes in Mahatma Gandhi (New) series with the inset
letter R in both the number panels.
15. RBI constitutes Tarun Ramadorai Committee on Household Finance - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) constituted
a committee to look at various facets of household finance in India. The Committee will be chaired by Tarun Ramadorai,
Professor of Financial Economics, University of Oxford.
16. RBI formed single Financial Inclusion Fund (FIF) with Rs. 2000 crore corpus. The fund was formed by merging the
Financial Inclusion Fund (FIF) and Financial Inclusion Technology Fund (FITF). This fund will support the
developmental and promotional activities covered under the financial inclusion initiatives.
17. The Reserve Bank of India has extended the timeline for full implementation of the Basel III capital regulations from
March 31, 2018 to March 31, 2019.
18. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the deadline for deployment of Aadhar-enabled devices that process card
transactions using Aadhaar-based biometric authentication___30th June 2017.
19. Interest subvention scheme announced by RBI for Women Self-Help Groups Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
directed all commercial and Co-operative banks to provide loans to women self-help groups (SHGs) in rural areas at 7
percent per annum.
Key points
The loans will be provided for the financial year 2016-17 under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) in 250 districts.
All women self-help groups (SHGs) will be eligible for interest subvention on credit up to three lakh rupees at 7 percent
per annum.
All banks will be subvented to the extent of difference between the weighted average interest charged and 7%, subject
to the maximum limit of 5.5% for 2016-17.
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SBI Bank in News
1. The State Bank of India (SBI)recently launched its
mobile wallet application State Bank MobiCash in
partnership with ____Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(BSNL)
Note - MobiCash will allow users to deposit cash
through BSNL retail outlets and withdraw funds from
their account.
2. The bank has tied up with online portal
magicbricks.com to conduct joint marketing
activities___ State Bank of India
Note - To kick start the MOU, SBI and Magicbricks has
launched the Seal the Deal campaign. The campaign
will show case SBI approved projects on the
Magicbricks platform. This mega online property show
will be the first housing carnival in the industry at this
scale.
3. State Bank of India adopts Shirki Village in Pen
Taluka, Maharashtra to promote Aadhar based
Merchant payments.
4. Mahila e-Haat, an online marketing platform ties up
with India Post and SBI to offer more payment options.
5. SBI announced the launch of a special financing
scheme Hope Loans, under which customers could
avail credit facility at lower rates.
6. SBI became the first domestic bank of India to open a
branch in Myanmar. It has announced the opening of its
foreign branch in Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar.
The Yangon branch is the 54th foreign branch of the
SBI. This branch further extends the global presence of
Banking/Financial/Economy News
1. IMF has cut Indias growth rate for the fiscal year 2016
17 to 6.6% from its previous estimate of 7.6%.
2. The Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) It is a digital
payment app, rolled out by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, in an initiative to enable fast, secure and reliable
cashless payments through mobile phones. The app was
named after Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar.
Key features
BHIM is a digital payments solution app based on the
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) developed by the
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the
umbrella organisation for all retail payments systems in
India.
Transaction Limit: In a 24-hour cycle, a maximum
transaction not exceeding Rs 10,000 is allowed as well
as an upper limit of Rs 20,000 worth of transactions.
The payments through the new system (BHIM App) can
be made by just a thumb impression after the bank
account is linked with Aadhaar gateway.
Indias largest lender in 37 countries through 198
offices.
7. SBI declares Silchar as its 5th zone in North East - The
State Bank of India (SBI) has declared Silchar as its 5th
zone in North East to facilitate banking issues for the
customers of the region. The 5th zone will further help to
cater the banking needs of the people of Mizoram,
Tripura and Manipur along with the Barak Valley of
North east India.
5. SBI launches SBI Mingle, a social media banking
platform - State Bank of India (SBI) had launched SBI
Mingle, a social media banking platform for Facebook
and Twitter users.
The SBI Mingle will allow SBIs customers to access
various banking services via these social platforms.
8. SBI launches IT Innovation Start-up Fund to assist
start-ups SBI launched IT Innovation Start-up Fund to
support start-ups in the financial technology (fintech)
space. The fund has corpus of 200 crore rupees. It will
provide assistance of up to 3 crore rupees to a company
registered in India for promoting their business
innovations using information technology for banking
and related activities.
9. State Bank of India (SBI)'s point of sales terminal
(PoS) network is now the largest in the country after it
over took its private sector rivals in February. It plans to
add another 1 lakh PoS terminals in the current fiscal
year ending March 2017.
Indeed, the technology through BHIM will empower
poorest of the poor, small business and the marginalised
section.
3. CCEA (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) gives
approval for listing 5 general Insurance Companies in
Stock Exchange.
Note: The companies are - New India Assurance, United
India Insurance, Oriental Insurance, National
Insurance and General Insurance.
4. Indias first international stock exchange India
International Exchange launched in the city____
Gandhinagar (Gujrat).
Note - The new international exchange will provide
electronic trading platform for companies that are
going multinational. The new stock exchange will
trade in all the products like the other exchanges in
the world such as Singapore, Hong Kong, London,
New York in currency, equities, commodities
derivatives
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5. Assam State Government will launch its indigenously-
developed e-Wallet Tokapoisa.in to enable the people
of the state for hassle-free online transactions in local
language.
Note - The state government will launch its indigenously-
developed e-Wallet Tokapoisa.in to enable the people
of the state for hassle-free online transactions in local
language. The e-wallet is developed by the Assam
Electronics Development Corp. Ltd and is powered by
Amrton and ICICI Bank
6. Corporation Bank received the SKOCH silver award for
attaining the position of number one channel partner of
LIC of India for the past three financial years.
7. Current Interest Rate on Employees Provident Fund
(EPF) for FY 17 8.65%.
Note - Employee's Provident Fund (EPF) is a retirement
benefit scheme that's available to all salaried employees
This fund is maintained and overseen by the Employees
Provident Fund Organisation of India (EPFO) and any
company with over 20 employees is required by law to
register with the EPFO.
8. Government of India will contribute $500,000 to United
Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for
the year 2016-17.
Note - The CERF is a humanitarian fund to promote
early and coordinated action and response to save lives,
to increase response to time-crucial requirements based
on demonstrable needs.
9. This bank has partnership with Ola to provide cash-on-
demand at customers doorstep___ YES Bank.
10. HDFC Bank has launched a chatbot service HDFC
OnChat to allow users to make payments through
Facebook Messenger.
11. Mobile app launched by ICICI Bank for merchants as an
all-in-one acceptance payment platform____ EazyPay.
12. An aadhaar-linked cashless merchant solution Aadhaar
Pay has been launched by the bank ____ IDFC Bank.
The IDFC Aadhaar Pay will enable millions of merchants
across the country to facilitate cashless purchases for
customers in a cost-effective and scalable way.
13. Bank of Baroda (BoB) has signed Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with a private sector dairy
enterprises to provide dairy loans to farmers through the
lenders branches across the country____ Heritage Foods
Ltd (HFL)
14. ICICI Bank has launched home loan overdraft facility for
salaried customers against their home loans.
15. ICICI Bank: First bank to introduce Software Robotics
for power banking operations ICICI Bank has successfully
deployed Software Robotics for power banking
operations. With this, it becomes first bank in the
country and among few globally to deploy Software
Robotics.
16. Hailakandi district of Assam has become the first
district to pay wages to tea garden workers through
individual bank accounts.
17. The Public Financial Management System (PFMS) to be
implemented on full scale to help Union Government to
save a significant amount on interest costs.
18. Bharti Airtel Starts First Payments Bank Service in
Rajasthan.
19. YES Bank, Gujarat Roadways join hands to digitise bus
travel payments.
20. Amount per district to be provided by NITI Aayog to
encourage digital payment system____ Rs. 5 lakh
21. As per updated report Asian Development Outlook
2016 of Asian Development Bank (ADB) Indias
economic growth forecast for Financial year 2017 - 7.0%.
22. The first Indian state to launch crop insurance claim
distribution programme___ Madhya Pradesh.
23. The union Government has decreased the import duty on
wheat to zero from ___10%.
24. Who has become first Canadian woman to appear on
bank note____Viola Desmond.
25. Yes Bank has tied-up with a grocery delivery startup to
deliver up to Rs. 2,000 cash to customers when they
order grocery worth minimum Rs. 1,000
online_____Grofers.
26. Who has been adjudged Best Bank for SME Lending by
Associate Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India
(ASSOCHAM)____ Vijaya Bank.
27. Public sector company MMTC will tie-up with the State
Bank of India (SBI) to sell government-minted
____Indian Gold Coin.
28. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
and Mumbai-based RBL Bank announced $75 million
Loan Guarantee for clean energy.
29. YES BANK, countrys 5th largest private sector lender
has launched its YES MOBILE 2.0 mobile Banking app.
30. Indias third largest private sector bank Axis Bank has
announced its partnership with Flipkart to launch Axis
Bank Buzz Credit Card.
31. Banks to report frauds of Rs 1 crore and above to Central
Vigilance Commission (CVC) (Vigilance Commissioner -
TM Bhasin)
32. Standard Chartered Bank launched Unified Payments
Interface (UPI) solution.
This UPI solution will enable clients to send and receive
money through a Virtual Payment Address without
entering additional bank account details. UPI enables real
time push and pull of funds.
33. Kumbakonam based City Union Bank has introduced a
robot on pilot basis to improve customer service. The
robot is named CUB-LAKSHMI.
34. Federal Bank to open its first overseas branch in Dubai.
35. Global payments & technology company MasterCard
has introduced a safe and secure quick response (QR)
mobile payments solution in India - Masterpass QR (a
digital wallet service, which allows mobile banking users
to safely pay for face-to-face purchases using their
smartphones).
36. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (KAT)
Zone of Bank of Baroda (BoB) organised an online
Light up a Smile Campaign at Bengaluru to bring smiles
on the faces of children residing in the village.
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37. Axis Bank to launch intelligent banking chat bots to
make mobile banking services more conversational.
38. India has pledged how many dollar for development
activities across several UN (United Nation) bodies for
the year 2017 - about 10.95 million
39. The State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) Group has appointed
Chief Executive for its India operations - Siby Sebastian
40. The Union Government has signed the loan agreement to
improve Assams Power Distribution with - Asian
Development Bank.
41. Utkarsh Micro Finance gets final nod to set up Small
Finance Bank.
42. Interest rates on small savings schemes have been
reduced marginally by 0.1 per cent for the October-
December quarter of 2016-17, leading to lower
returns on Public Provident Fund, Kisan Vikas Patra,
Sukanya Samriddhi Account, among others.
I. Kisan Vikas Patra Saving scheme relaunched by
government of India.
Key points
Interest rate on Kisan Vikas Patra has been
brought down to 7.7 per cent from 7.8 per cent.
As a result, the KVP will now mature in 112
months instead of 110 months.
KVP will be available in denominations of Rs. 1,000,
Rs. 5,000, Rs. 10,000, and Rs. 50,000.
There will be no upper ceiling on investment.
Minimum lock-in period is 2 years and 6 months.
KVP can be encashed in eight equal monthly
installments after the lock-in period.
No KYC norms would be applicable at the time of
purchase of KVP, PAN details will not be required.
II. Public Provident Fund (PPF) Saving scheme
Key points
Public Provident Fund will fetch interest rate of
8 per cent in the third quarter of the current fiscal
as against 8.1 per cent in the previous three-
months period.
An individual can open account with Rs. 100/- but
has to deposit minimum of Rs. 500/- in a financial
year and maximum Rs.1.5 lakh.
Maturity period is 15 years but the same can be
extended within one year of maturity for further 5
years and so on.
III. Senior Citizens Savings Scheme
The rate of interest for the third quarter for 5-
Year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme is reduced
to 8.5%.
IV. National Savings Certificate
The rate of interest for the third quarter for 5-
Year National Savings Certificate has been
reduced to 8 per cent.
V. The Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, for girl
child, will now fetch 8.5 per cent interest rate. It was
8.6 per cent in July-September quarter.
43. Monetary Policy Committee - The Union
Government has notified the constitution of the six
members Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).
Key points The Union Finance Minister has used powers
designated under the section 45ZB of the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) Act, 1934 to constitute MPC.
Composition of MPC
1. Chairman - Urjit Patel: RBI Governor
2. Member - R Gandhi: Deputy Governor RBI in charge
of Monetary Policy
3. Member - Michael Patra: Executive Director of RBI
4. Member - Chetan Ghate: Professor, Indian Statistical
Institute (ISI)
5. Member - Professor Pami Dua: Director, Delhi
School of Economics (DSE)
6. Member - Ravindra H. Dholakia: Professor Indian
Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad
Note:
(i) The six member MPC has been entrusted with the
task of fixing the benchmark policy rate (repo rate)
required to contain inflation within the specified target
level.
(ii) It will help in determining the Monetary Policy which
in turn adds value and transparency to monetary policy
decisions.
(iii) The meetings of the MPC will be held at least 4
times a year and it will publish its decisions after each
such meeting.
44. The Centre has constituted a four-member Insolvency
and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) committee
under the Chairmanship of MS Sahoo. The main activity
of IBBI would be to regulate the functioning of
insolvency professionals, insolvency professional
agencies and information utilities under the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016.
45. Union Government set up Public Debt Management
Cell - The Union Finance Ministry has set up a Public Debt
Management Cell (PDMC) with the objective of deepening
bond markets in the country. PDMC will streamline
government borrowings and better cash management for
deepening bond markets.
46. Government pegs inflation target at 4% for 5 years
Government had recently, notified 4 per cent inflation
target with a range of plus/minus 2 per cent for the next
five years under the monetary policy framework
agreement with the Reserve Bank.
47. NTPC, lists worlds first Indian green Masala bond and
first masala bond by a quasi-sovereign issuer.
Note: - NTPC will invest the proceeds of the green Masala
bond in the renewable energy market as it seeks to add
more wind and solar power projects to its portfolio to
support the Indian governments ambition to generate
175GW of renewable energy by 2022.
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48. Assam becomes first state to ratify GST Bill - Assam
became the first state in the country to ratify the
constitution amendment bill on the Goods and Services
Tax (GST) as the assembly unanimously passed the bill.
49. Syndicate Bank launched a transformation program
called "Project Ananya" that focuses on improved
customer service and offering latest in digital banking
services.
50. South Indian Bank partnered with SBI Card to launch
co-branded credit card. With this partnership both
South Indian Bank and SBI Card will launch two variants
of credit card on VISA platform, namely South Indian
Bank Platinum SBI Card and South Indian Bank
SimplySAVE SBI Card.
51. Kotak Mahindra Bank has acquired Karnataka-focused
BSS Microfinance for Rs 139.2 crore.
52. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed Indias
GDP growth forecast to 6.6% from 7.6% as a result of
Demonetisation.
53. World Bank forecasts Indias GDP Growth to 7.0%
because of demonetisation.
54. Financial services company MasterCard rolled out
Selfie Pay app in Europe. This app will use facial
biometrics for payment authentication. It will support
both selfies and fingerprint biometrics, offering users a
choice of authenticating a mobile payment at the point of
purchase.
55. Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has renewed its corporate
agency tie-up with United India Insurance Company
(UIIC). Customers can buy the entire gamut of UIIC
products at any of the 1,896 branches of the bank across
the country.
56. The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP)
notified 100 per cent foreign direct investment in other
financial services carried out by Non-Banking Finance
companies(NBFCs) to attract foreign capital into India.
57. YES Bank has tied up with ToneTag, a Mobile payment
solutions start-up to integrate and deploy sound based
contactless payments on its mobile wallet YES Pay.
58. Canadas British Columbia becomes first foreign
government to issue masala bonds, a rupee-denominated
bond.
Note - It had issued Rs 500 crore rupee denominated
Current Affairs National News
1. Web portal for Sarv Sikhsha Abhiyan, ShaGun launched by
Union Human Resource Development Minister, Prakash
Javadekar. The portal can be accessed at
http://ssashagun.nic.in.
2. Rajyavardhan Rathore, Minister of State for Information
and Broadcasting inaugurates Indian Panorama Film
Festival at Siri fort auditorium in New Delhi.
3. Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Vijay Goel
inaugurated Khelo India Competitions at S. P. Mukherjee
Swimming Pool Complex in New Delhi.
overseas bonds (masala bond) on the London Stock
Exchange (LSE) and successfully raised $75 million
(about Rs 500 crore).
What are Green Bonds?
Masala bond is a term used to refer to a financial
instrument through which Indian entities can raise
money from overseas markets in the rupee, not foreign
currency. In other words, they are rupee-denominated
bonds issued to overseas buyers.
59. Federal bank becomes the first among the private sector
banks to offer Indian Gold Coins. The bank has tied up
with MMTC for distribution of Indian Gold Coins (IGC).
60. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for raising
foreign shareholding limit from current 5% to 15% in
Indian Stock Exchanges.
61. AIIB approves first loans for projects in four
countries - The China-led Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB) approved first set of loans
totalling US 509 million dollars to finance projects in four
countries viz. Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia and
Tajikistan.
62. India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to be set up as a
Public Limited Company under the Department of Posts,
with 100% Government of India (GOI) equity.
Note - These banks will be established at an expense of
800 crore rupees and rolled out in the entire country in a
phased manner. The IPPB will obtain banking licence
from RBI by March 2017 and by September 2017.
63. 56 Indian firms feature in Forbes Global 2000.
64. Reliance Industries Limited was the 1st in Indian Firm
Category. Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries Limited
ranked at 121st Position which improved from 142nd
Rank in 2015 on the Global List. State Bank of India
ranked 149th globally and was 2nd among Indian firms.
India Largest Private Banking Companies ICICI Bank held
266th rank and HDFC held 275th globally.
65. Axis Bank launched Indias first internationally-listed
certified green bond to finance climate change solutions
around the world at London Stock Exchange (LSE). It will
play important role in reinforcing Indias commitment to
produce 175,000 MW of renewable power by 2022.
4. Saksham 2017, Petroleum Awareness program
inaugurated by Dhramendra Pradhan, Minister of state for
Petroleum & Natural Gas.
5. 58th India International Garment Fair begins in New Delhi.
Fair was inaugurated at Pragati Maidan by Textiles
Minister, Smriti Zubin Irani.
6. North Eastern Frontier Railways has announced the
launch of Aastha Circuit Tourist Train from Guwahati
(Assam).
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7. The 20th Edition of the National Conference for e-
Governance 2016-17 has started in the city___
Visakhapatnam, (Andhra Pradesh). The theme of
conference is Internet of Things and e-Governance.
8. The 3rd edition of 2017 National conference Jal Manthan-
III was held in the city___ New Delhi. The focus of the
conference was to on refining policies of the Ministry to
make them more people friendly and responsive to the
needs of the states.
9. The worlds largest street light replacement programme of
India____ Street Lighting National Programme
(SLNP) implemented by the Energy Efficiency Services
Limited (EESL). Presently, the SLNP programme is
running in more than 14 states.
10. Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 8th Vibrant Gujarat
Global Investors Summit 2017 at Mahatma Mandir in
Gandhinagar. The purpose of the summit is to provide a
platform to debate global economic and social issues on
the lines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
11. Indias second Kalvari-class Scorpene stealth submarine
INS Khanderi has been launched in Mumbai,
Maharashtra. Khanderi is named after the Island fort of
Maratha forces, which played a vital role in ensuring their
supremacy at sea in the late 17th century.
12. Indias first-ever solar powered boat Aditya has been
launched in the Kerala. The 'Aditya' is the 75-seater boat
fitted with 78 rooftop solar panels. It will ferry along a 2.5
kilometre route between Vaikom and Thavanakkadavu 22
times a day.
13. Who has launched a " Fly For Sure" sceme ____ Air India
Note - The customer has to pay extra Rs. 2,000 while
booking the ticket and get to board any Air India flight on
the same day and same sector. The voucher will be non-
refundable and can be availed on all domestic routes
offered by AI
14. SEZ India mobile app has been launched by the Union
Ministry of Commerce and Industry for special
economic zones. The app would help the SEZ units and
developers to find information easily and track their
transactions on SEZ Online System.
15. The Chinese Mobile handset brand 'Gionee' has signed
Virat Kohli as the brand ambassador. He will be joining
Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt.
16. Union Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu flagging-off the
first freight train in New Delhi which featured a newly
developed guard van, which uses solar power to run fans
and lights at Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station.
17. Suresh Prabhu inaugurated and dedicated the Okha-
Kanalus and Porbandar-Wansjaliya Sections in Gujarat of
Western Railways as Green Corridor Sections.
18. First Happiness Junction of India was inaugurated in
Bihars Sonepur railway station of the East Central Railway
(ECR) by Sonepur Divisional Railway Manager (DRM)
Manoj Kumar Aggarwal.
19. Bharti Airtel has announced the completion of merger of
its subsidiary unit in Bangladesh with ____Robi Axiata
20. The union railway minister Suresh Prabhu has released an
Android-based mobile application app, IRCTC Rail
Connect app to promote ease of ticketing through digital
transactions.
21. India successfully test-fired the Guided Pinaka rocket from
Integrated Test Range launch pad at Chandipur
(Odisha).
22. Sumit Bose committee has submitted report on Socio
Economic and Caste Census (SECC) to the Union
Government. The committee was constituted to study the
objective criteria for allocation of resources to States and
identification and prioritization of beneficiaries under
various programmes using SECC data.
23. The union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has
inaugurated the three-day International Conference and
Exhibition on Reinforced Plastics (ICERP) at Bombay
Exhibition center.
24. The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs. has launched
OCMC to provide speedy redressal of consumer
grievances.
25. Aizawl has become the first free Wi-Fi city in the North-
East region. It is a pilot project of the Aizawl Municipal
Corporation.
26. The Chardham highway project will come up in
Uttarakhand.
27. Vittiya Saksharata Abhiyan (VISAKA) has been launched
by the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry
to make people aware about cashless economic system.
28. The 2016 National Children Science Congress (NCSC)
programme started in Pune.
29. The 2017 Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit will take place
in Gandhinagar. The 8th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global
Summit will be held at Mahatma mandir, Gandhinagar
from January 10th to 13th, 2017.
30. The 77th session of Indian History Congress (IHC) has
started in Kerala. The IHC is the largest professional and
academic body of Indian historians with over 10,000
members
31. India successfully test fired its home-grown long range
intercontinental surface-to-surface nuclear capable
ballistic missile, Agni-5.
32. The state government who will set up a pilot corridor for
an innovative concept of Caterpillar Train ___ Haryana.
Note: The C-train includes a citywide network of
lightweight, elevated train coaches running at about 100
kmph on a track supported by poles bent into arches.
33. The 2016 World Bhojpuri Conference was held in the
cities____ Varanasi.
Note: The 4-day conference will deliberate on culture,
religion, language and business among other issues, in
which over 18 countries will participate.
34. The union government will set up a toll-free number to
provide relevant information and guidance directly to the
pregnant women____10588.
35. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has
decided that Class X Board exams will be compulsory from
the academic session ___2017-18.
Note: The languages listed in schedule VIII of the
Constitution should be taught under the "Three language
formula" under which Hindi, English and Indian language
gradeup.co/banking-insurance
are taught could be extended till Class X and the Foreign
language might be treated as fourth and elective.
36. National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered to impose a
fine of how many Rs. on airlines, whose aircraft empty
toilet tanks in air while landing and splattering human
waste on houses___Rs. 50,000.
37. The 104th Indian Science Congress (ISC) has started in
the state ____Andhra Pradesh.
Note: The focal theme of 5-day annual ISC is Science and
Technology for National Development.
38. Indias first laser technology-based advanced Automatic
Vechime Monitoring System (AVMS) RTO check post has
set up at_____ Gujarat.
Note: The advanced AVMS RTO check-post will provide
transparent, sensitive, decisive and progressive
government to the people.
39. The 25th New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) wil be held
at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 7-15th January, 2017.
The 2017 theme is ______ Manushi Books Written on
and by Women.
40. The 2017 Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) will be hosted by
the city____Bengaluru.
41. Who has inaugurated the five-day annual Indian Science
Congress at the Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati
(Andhra Pradesh) ___ Narendra Modi.
42. Who has launched a Bunkar Mitra-Handloom Helpline
Centre where professional queries of weavers will be
answered by the experts in the field___Smriti Irani.
43. The International Conference on Yoga for diabetes has
been held in the city______New Delhi.
Note: The purpose of the conference is to generate
discussions on the role of Yoga in the prevention and
management of Diabetes and to draw up a roadmap to be
adopted for the control of Diabetes through Yoga.
44. The birth anniversary of 10th and last Sikh Guru, Guru
Gobind Singh being celebrated across country ____350th.
Note: The main function being held at "Takht Harmandar
Sahib" in Patna where Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
participated in the Prakash Parva.
45. The 2017 All India Conference of Waqf Boards has started
in the city______ New Delhi.
Note: The conference was inaugurated by Mukhtar Abbas
Naqvi, the Minister of State (I/C), Minority Affairs and
Parliamentary Affairs.
46. The Union Government has approved 26% strategic stake
sale in this public-sector undertaking ____ Bharat Earth
Movers Limited
47. Who has launched the web portal and a Mobile App for
the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY)_____Piyush
Goyal.
48. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced pan-
India expansion of this programme to benefit pregnant
and lactating mothers across the country ____Maternity
Benefit Programme (MBP).
49. The city is going to play host to the ninth edition of Jaipur
International Film Festival (JIFF)_____Jaipur.
50. India has test-fired long range intercontinental nuclear
capable ballistic missile Agni-IV_____Surface-to-surface
missile.
Note:
Agni-IV test is aimed at re-validating new technologies
incorporated in Agni-IV system and checking the
readiness of armed forces to launch the missile on its
own. Agni-IV is the 20-metre-long and weighs 17 tonnes
and carry a one-tonne nuclear warhead over a distance of
4,000 kilometre
51. The Department of Telecom (DoT) will soon launch
Tarang Sanchar portal that will let users check radiation
compliance status of mobile towers and transmitters
across country.
52. The Union AYUSH Ministry has launched Swasthya
Raksha Programme to promote health and health
education in villages.
53. Punjab Government has launched countrys first
amphibious bus project at the Harike wetland near
Amritsar. The amphibious bus named as Harike Cruise
travels on land and as well as in water. It was launched by
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
54. The tropical cyclonic storm Vardah over southeast Bay of
Bengal hit Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and
Kakinada. It is the third cyclonic storm of the season after
Cyclone Kyant and Nada, that were formed during the
Northeast Monsoon season.
55. The Union Government is going to observe birth
anniversary of the father of Indian Constitution B R
Ambedkar (April 14) as Water Day in the country.
56. The Hornbill Festival began in the Naga Heritage village
of Kisama. The festival coincides with the Statehood Day
of Nagaland which is observed on December 1.
57. Andhra Pradesh Government has launched AP Purse
mobile application to promote digital transactions
among the people. It was launched by Chief Minister N
Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada to solve the cash
crunch problem in the state following demonetization of
high value old currency notes.
58. The Indian Army has launched a Veterans Outreach
App in a bid to reach out to its ex-servicemen. The app
was launched by the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS)
General Dalbir Singh Suhag. It is dedicated to Army
Veterans and Veer Naris.
59. The Union Power Ministry to launch new mobile
application GARV-II to provide real time data of all six lakh
villages of the country. The purpose of the mobile
application is to ensure transparency in implementation of
rural electrification programme.
60. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone of the
countrys first Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) in Kanpur,
Uttar Pradesh to make India the Skill Capital of the World.
He also inaugurated the Kaushal Pradarshini (Skill
Exhibition) for the youth of Uttar Pradesh to portray major
skill development initiatives of the Union Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry.
61. State-owned power producer National Thermal Power
Corporation (NTPC) and aluminium producer National
Aluminium Co. Ltd (NALCO) have signed MoU to establish
a 2.4 giga watt (GW) Coal based power project at Gajmara,
Odisha.
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62. Haryana became the first state in the country to launch
Mahila Police Volunteer (MPV) initiative for safety of
women. It was launched by Chief Minister Manohar Lal
Khattar.
63. The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs is going to will launch
Vanjeevan, the National Resource Centre (NRC) for
Tribal Livelihood issues in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
64. President Pranab Mukherjee launched a 100 Million for
100 Million Campaign at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The
campaign was conceptualized by Nobel peace prize winner
Kailash Satyarthi and was organized by the Kailash
Satyarthi Childrens Foundation.The campaign aims to
mobilise 100 million youth and children for 100 million
underprivileged children across the world.
65. Madhya Pradesh Government has launched five months
long Narmada Seva Yatra to turn the Narmada river
pollution free. It was launched by Chief Minister Shivraj
Singh Chouhan at Amarkantak. The Narmada Sewa Yatra
aims to create awareness about the conservation of the
river.
66. The 2016 Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) will be held in
____ Goa.
67. Kerala Government has launched Haritha Keralam
Mission, a comprehensive programme for creating new
sustainable development perspectives in the state. It was
launched by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the state
capital Thiruvananthapuram. Singer K.J. Yesudas and actor
Manju Warrier are the mission ambassador.
68. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has become
the second airport in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve
carbon neutral status.
69. Vijayawada is Indias first parliamentary constituency to
have health insurance for all.
70. West Bengal CM distributes 43,000 bicycles to students
under SabujSathi.
71. The 2016 Great Indian Film and Literature Festival
(GIFLIF) will be held in Gurugram, Haryana.
72. The first Indian state to adopt the Fly Ash Utilization Policy
- Maharashtra
73. The app has been launched by Union Tribal Affairs
Minister Jual Oram to promote breastfeeding___ Stanpan
Suraksha.
74. International Energy Forum (IEF) - IGU Ministerial Forum
(5th Edition) has been started in the city____ New Delhi.
75. Smriti Irani inaugurated thematic handicrafts exhibition
and pehchanIdentity cards to artisans in Ahmedabad
(Gujarat).
76. The crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin
Zayed Al Nahyan will be the chief guest for the 68th
Republic Day celebrations on 26 January 2017.
77. PM Modi to become the mascot for Incredible India.
78. Asias biggest Jungle Safari will come up in Naya Raipur,
Chhattisgarh.
79. Kerala has become the third Open Defecation Free (ODF)
state in the country. Earlier, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim
had declared themselves Open Defecation Free.
80. Social networking site Facebook is collaborating with the
Election Commission of India in five states going to polls
next year to run a voter registration drive aimed at
encouraging youth to participate in the democratic
exercise. The five states are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa,
Manipur and Uttarakhand for the first time in the country
to run a voter registration drive.
81. The Union government has accepted the recommendation
of the 7th Pay Commission on Modified Assured Career
Progression (MACP) for Central employees which would
ensure one minimum promotion for every 10 years till 30
years of service.
82. Indian mountaineer Arjun Vajpai scaled worlds sixth
highest mountain Cho Oyu. The mountain is located on the
China-Nepal border at an altitude of 8188 meters above
the sea level.
83. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated
first Model Skill Development Centre Pradhan Mantri
Kaushal Kendra at Panjabari, Guwahati.
84. Union Government launched UDAN for Regional Air
Connectivity - Union Government unveiled the regional air
connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam naagrik),
which seeks to get more people to fly in the smaller towns.
The Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju who
launched the scheme in New Delhi, scheme is expected to
be rolled out by January 2017. Note: The scheme would be
in operation for a period of 10 years.
85. India, World Bank sign $650 Million agreement for Eastern
Dedicated Freight Corridor - India signed a 650-million US
dollar loan agreement with the World Bank for the Eastern
Dedicated Freight Corridor-III (EDFC-III) Project. The
project will benefit industries of Northern and Eastern
India, which rely on railway network for transportation of
material inputs and exports.
86. Jagat Prakash Nadda has launched the Healthy India
Initiative magazine and No More Tension mobile App
for promotion of health and to strengthen the health
communications programmes in New Delhi.
87. Dharmendra Pradhan - has launched Pradhan Mantri
Ujjwala Yojanain Punjab.
88. Prakash Javadekar - has inaugurated the worlds largest
digital national building initiative Smart India Hackathon
2017 by handing over a torch to technology students.
89. 36th edition of India International Trade Fair (IITF) has
been inaugurated at - Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
90. Union Government grants BP Plc licence to set up 3500
petrol pumps in India - The Union Government has
formally granted a licence to BP Plc to set up 3500 petrol
pumps in India.
Note: BP plc is a British multinational oil and gas
company headquartered in London, England. It was
formerly known as British Petroleum.
91. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA),
chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved
the construction of a new link between Sahibganj bypass
worth Rs 1,955 crore in Jharkhand to Manihari bypass in
Bihar.
92. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $631
million loan for building Indias first coastal industrial
corridor between Visakhapatnam (Vizag) and Chennai.
93. Union Cabinet approves setting up of Indian Institute of
Management (IIM) at Jammu.
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94. First Medipark to be setup in Tamil Nadu - The Union
Cabinet had approved setting up of a Medical Devices
Manufacturing Park (Medipark) at Chengalpattu,
Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu through a special
purpose Vehicle.
95. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the newly
built war memorial- Shaurya Samarakand in Bhopal.
96. The 19th World Peace Conference was inaugurated by
Maharashtra Governor Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao at
Nashik in Maharashtra on October 24, 2016 to strengthen
people to search truth and utilise education for
development of the society.
97. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated First National Tribal
Carnival-2016 in New Delhi.
98. Maharashtra government has allocated 40.68-hectare
land in Hingloi to Department of Atomic Energy(DAE) for
LIGO India Project.
Note: The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave
Observatory (LIGO) project that was given the in-
principle approval by the Cabinet planned to construct in
Hingoli district, Maharashtra. It is third LIGO laboratory
in the world and first laboratory outside the United
States. The existing laborataries are located in Hanford,
Washington, and in Livingston, Louisiana.
99. The government would completely seal the India
Pakistan border by December 2018, as announced by
Union home minister Rajnath Singh.
100. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Vadodara to
inaugurate the international terminal at Harni airport on
October 22 016. Harni is only the second green building
airport in country. He would also attend a programme to
distribute manmade limbs and other implements to more
than 8000 Divyangs (disabled persons) in the city.
101. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated three state-run
mega hydro power of 1,752 MW capacity in Himachal
Pradesh during his day-long maiden visit to the state.
102. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Punjab
Agricultural University in Ludhiana and he launched two
schemes-National SC/ST Hub and Zero Defect Zero Effect
scheme.
103. Indias second eco-friendly airport in Vadodara is all
set to open its doors to passengers.
104. Activist Irom Sharmila formed a new political party
named Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA)
ahead of the Assembly polls in Manipur in 2017.
105. The Central Government has proposed a four-slab
rate structure for the Goods & Services Tax, ranging from
zero to 26 per cent, at a meeting of the GST Council. The
tax slabs are fixed at 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent.
106. The Ministry of Shipping ratified the Capital Dredging
Project for Ro Pax Ferry Services between Gogha & Dahej,
in Gulf of Cambay in Gujarat.
107. PM Modi launched #Sandesh2Soldiers campaign
through which people can send their Diwali greetings and
messages to soldiers guarding the nations frontiers to
boost their morale.
108. Election Commission of India (ECI) unveiled three IT
based Systems Samadhan, Suvidha, and Sugam to make
the election process smooth, effective and transparent.
109. The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has laid the
foundation stone of National Institute of Archaeology at
Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
110. Union Cabinet given its ex-post facto approval to
formation of the Indian Institute of Science Education &
Research (IISER) at Berhampur in Odisha under the
Societies Registration Act, 1860.
111. Abhaneri festival would be organised at the Abhaneri
village in Dausa district, Rajasthan to promote rural
tourism in the area for two days. The festival would
witness artistes performing ShehnaiVaadan, puppet
show, Behrupia, Raavanhatha, among others at Chand
Baori and Harshat Mata temple.
112. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
declared Nagpur as the first digital district of India in
Mumbai. All 776 gram panchayats in Nagpur district have
been digitally transformed.
113. The Union Cabinet here approved Mini Ratna public
sector undertaking HLL Lifecare to sub-lease its land for
setting up the countrys first medical devices
manufacturing park in Chennai.
114. Telangana, carved out of Andhra Pradesh, came into
existence on June 2, 2014 as the 29th state of India with
10 districts. The state government carried out the biggest
administrative reform, creating 21 new districts. The
total number of districts in the state went up to 31 from
10.
115. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra
Pradhan inaugurated the National Seismic Programme
(NSP) at Taranga in Baleswar district of Odisha.
116. The Uttarakhand High Court ordered a complete ban
on the sale of whitener in the state following the death of
a teenager from sniffing an excess of it for a kick in the
district.
117. Indias first Design Yatra launched by the Institute of
Indian Interior Designer(IIID) in Kerala to spread
awareness and take designs to the masses, Indias first
Design Yatra, launched by the Institute of Indian Interior
Designers(IIID).
118. Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma
inaugurated the 5th International Buddhist Conclave in
Varanasi-Sarnath.
119. Indian Railways launches Yatri Mitra Sewa for
elderly, differently-abled Under this initiative,
differently abled and ailing travelers will get facilitate
access to wheelchairs, battery operated cars and porter
services.
120. The Women of India Festival 2016 of organic
products was inaugurated by the Union Minister of
Women & Child Development in New Delhi.
121. Himansh, Indias remote, high altitude station opens
in Himalayas - A high altitude glaciological research
station in Himalaya called Himansh (meaning a slice of
ice) began functioning above 13,500 ft (4000 m) in a
remote region in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. Researchers
will use this station as a base for undertaking surveys that
would digitize the glacier motion and snow cover
variations with exceptional precision.
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122. The International Energy Agency (IAE) is going to
partner with India to implement its Unnat Jyoti by
Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) initiative globally for
energy savings. Note: (i) IAE has been impressed with
performance of Indias UJALA programme in terms of
vastly improving access to LED lighting while reducing
their cost drastically. (ii) The UJALA scheme is
implemented by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited
(EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Union Ministry
of Power.
123. The first International Arbitration Centre of India was
inaugurated in Mumbai, Maharashtra to provide an
arbitration platform for Indian business houses to
negotiate commercial disputes.
124. 2016 Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk
Reduction (AMCDRR) will be held in New Delhi. This will
be second time India hosting AMCDRR. The conference
will be hosted by Union Government in collaboration with
the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
(UNISDR).
125. India declared itself free from the highly contagious
avian influenza (H5N1) or bird flu. The declaration was
made by the Department of Animal Husbandry under the
Agriculture Ministry.
126. The Union Government has launched a toll free
number 1924 to registered postal complaints. The service
has been launched Department of Posts (DoP). It was
launched after Government had introduced Twitter Sewa
for redressal of telecom and postal grievances.
127. The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister
Prakash Javadekar has inaugurated the super computer
PARAM ISHAN at IIT Guwahati campus.
Note: PARAM ISHAN is the fastest and most powerful
computer in North East, Eastern and Southern region of
India outside Bengaluru (Karnataka).
128. Indias first underground museum will be opened in
New Delhi.
Note: It will be opened at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New
Delhi on October 2, 2016. The museum showcases a
collection of relics associated with each of the past
presidents of India along with a range of vestiges reflecting
upon the history of Indias freedom struggle.
129. The worlds tallest girder rail bridge will set up in
Manipur.
Note: The new tunnel will be 11.55 km long, more than the
famous Pir Panjal tunnel on the BanihalQazigund line. The
rail bridge with height of 141m will surpass the existing
tallest bridge in Europe which has a height of 139m.
130. First tiger cell of India will set up in Dehradun.
Note: The cell will house a database of tigers as well as
DNA and stripes samples of the big cats from over 50 tiger
reserves. It will aid conservation efforts by preventing
poaching and providing an update on tiger numbers.
131. National Disaster Response Force Director General, OP
Singh laid the foundation stone for a permanent NDRF
station at Sudumbare village of Pune.
132. The Union Minister of Urban Development M.Venkaiah
Naidu has launched Swachh Suvekshan-2017 project in
New Delhi.
133. 70 Saal Azadi Yaad Karo Kurbani for Tiranga Yatra
theme song has been composed by___Kesiraju Srinivas.
Note: Srinivas popularly known as Ghazal Srinivas.
134. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has
signed Memorandum of Understanding with IIT
Kharagpur.
Note: IIT-Kharagpur will develop Paneled Cement
Concrete Pavements for highways.
135. Minister of state (Telecom), Manoj Sinha has launched
Twitter Sewa service to address the common mans
complaints regarding telecom and postal services. The
complaints will be lodge through Twitter handle
@manojsinhabjp.
136. Indian Railway joined hands with the forest
departments of Punjab and Haryana to plant five lakh trees
on rail land along tracks.
137. Maneka Gandhi has inaugurated the Uttarakhands
first animal birth control center (ABC) at Dehradun.
138. Tarang, Mobile app has been launched by Union
Government to monitor execution of the under
construction power transmission projects. Note: The
Union Ministry of Power launched the TARANG Mobile
App to Track power transmission projects.
139. Youth Voters Festival of 2016 held in Nagaland.
140. Sugamya Pustakalaya, an e-Library has been launched
by the Union government for divyang. Note: Sugamya
Pustakalaya is an online library for Divyang and houses
publications across diverse subjects and languages in
multiple accessible formats. Over 2 lakhs books are
available in Accessible formats for people with visual
impairment and other print disabilities.
141. A Bronze statue of B R Ambedkar will be installed at
the Ambedkar memorial at Indu Mill land in Mumbai. The
statue will be called Statue of Equality.
142. The first Children Court of South India has launched in
Hyderabad.
Note: This court is a child-friendly court and 6th in India
with features like separate waiting rooms for children and
a video camera trial for the accused, mandated under the
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act-
2012.
143. Abhinav Bindra has been named as the Chairman of a
5-member National Rifle Association of India (NRAI)
review committee.
144. Union Women and Child Development Minister has
launched Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses
(POCSO) e-box in New Delhi.
Note: POCSO e-box is an online complaint management
system under the POCSO Act, 2012.
145. The 4th edition of Mother Teresa International Film
Festival (MTIFF) 2016 was held in Kolkata.
146. Redefined Engagement with Indian Diaspora
Karnataka will host the 15th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas (PBS) 2017 in Bengaluru.
147. Indias first textile university will set up in Surat,
Gujarat.
148. Gujarat has become the first Indian state to distribute
two crore LED bulbs under the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable
LEDs for all (UJALA) scheme.
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Note: Gujarat has reached this milestone in just 96 days
and over 42 lakh households have already benefitted
from the scheme.
149. The Union Cabinet gave its approval to The High
Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016 to change names
of the High Courts based on the nomenclature cities they
are located.
International News
1. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has
signed pact with the countrys space agency on satellite
launch technology ____ France.
Note: The space programmes of both countries are
complementary in terms of comparable size and sharing
similar objectives. ISRO is the second partner of CNES, in
terms of volume, after NASA.
2. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has recently released
its 12th edition of the ____Global Risks Report 2017.
Note - This years report will provide an outlook on the
threats facing the world in 2017.
3. Who has become the worlds first country to shut-down
the Frequency Modulation (FM) radio broadcasting
network and started its switching to Digital Audio
Broadcasting (DAB) ____Norway.
4. India and Sri Lanka have signed a Memorandum of
understanding (MoU) to construct 3000 rainwater
harvesting system at a cost of 30 crore Sri lankan Rupees
in northern Jaffana District.
5. The International conference for peace talks between
Israel and Palestinians will be held in the city___ Paris
(France).
6. Who has become the first country in the world to officially
recognize parkour as a sport___ The United Kingdom.
7. The country has conferred national order of knighthood
honour on former Union Minister of State for External
Affairs Eduardo Faleiro ___ Portugal.
8. The Country who has test-fired the first submarine-
launched Cruise Missile Babur-3 ____Pakistan.
9. Who has become the first country in Europe to pay its
unemployed citizens a basic monthly income, amounting
to 560 euros (USD 587) ____Finland.
10. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is
sending first African-American space station crew
member to space station in 2018______ Jeanette Epps.
11. The Union Government has imposed an antidumping duty
ranging from 6.30 US dollars to 351.72 US dollars per
tonne on imports of jute and its products from____
Bangladesh and Nepal.
12. The company that launched the training program, named
Digital Unlocked, for Indian small and medium businesses
is _____ Google.
13. Who has lifted its three-year ban on import of some
vegetables (bitter gourd, snake gourd and aubergines)
from India___European Union (EU).
14. The worlds first chat operating system Flock OS has
been launched by ___Flock.
Flock is the free instant messaging service for work and
Note: The Bill facilitates changing of the names of Madras
High Court as Chennai High Court and Bombay High
Court as Mumbai High Court respectively. After the
enactment of this act, the High Courts of Bombay and
Madras will named after the names of the cities in which
they were located.
business environments. The FlockOS is an ultra-powerful
platform which enables developers to build apps, bots
and integrations on top of Flock.
15. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) links the
Pakistani port of Gwadar with Kashgar in ____China.
16. The first country in the world to use drones for national
mail service___ France. The French postal service has
announced a drone delivery program to deliver parcels on
a 14-kilometre route once a week to reach mountainous
regions.
17. Who will launch Digitally Safe Consumer campaign in
India ___Google.
Note - The Google India will launch Digitally Safe
Consumer campaign with the Ministry of Consumer
Affairs in 2017 to raise awareness and protect consumer
interest on the internet.
18. China has launched a global carbon dioxide monitoring
satellite to understand climate change____TanSat.
Note - It was put into orbit by Long March-2D rocket from
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in north west China's Gobi
Desert.
19. Who has successfully tested the newest version of the J-31
stealth fighter FC-31 Gyrfalcon ___ China.
20. The worlds highest bridge Beipanjiang Bridge is in the
country ___ China.
21. Worlds first Goat with superfine wool cloned in China.
22. The sixth edition of Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on
Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) held in New
Delhi.
23. India has become the worlds fourth largest defence
spender. United States, China, and the UK remain the top
three defence spender in the world.US tops with defence
spending of $622 billion. China is second with defence
spending of $191.75 billion.
24. The UN cultural body UNESCO has accorded world
heritage status to Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro
(nicknamed as Marvelous City). It has been registered as
Carioca Landscapes between Mountain and Sea on the
UNESCO world heritage list.
25. Software giant Microsoft India has launched its first full-
scale Cybersecurity Engagement Centre (CSEC) in New
Delhi.
26. The fifth edition of the India-Arab Partnership Conference
was held in Muscat, Oman. The theme of the conference
was Partnership towards innovation and cooperation in
IT.
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27. Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo (31) from
Portugal has won the prestigious 2016 FIFA Ballon dOr
Award. He has earned this title of worlds best football
player for fourth time. Earlier he had won the Ballon dOr
in 2008, 2013 and 2014. In this years competition,
Barcelonas Lionel Messi (Argentina) finished second and
Atletico Madrids Antoine Griezmann (France) third in the
vote.
28. The twin-bore GBT (Gotthard Base Tunnel) in Switzerland
is worlds longest and deepest railway tunnel with length
of 57-kilometer. It had overtaken Japans Seikan tunnel
(53.9 kilometers) as the longest rail tunnel in world.
29. The sixth edition of Heart of Asia- Istanbul Process of
Aghanistanconference, an annual regional gathering of
Asian and other countries was held in Amritsar, Punjab
(India).
30. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was placed at 9th position
among 74 of the worlds most powerful people list
released by the Forbes Magazine.
31. The 7th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) was held from
December 2 to 4, 2016 at Science City in Kolkata, West
Bengal.
32. E-commerce giant Amazon has launched its global startup
program Launchpad in India. The program will enable
Indian startups to sell their products overseas.
33. The Bollywood personality has been appointed as the
UNICEFs newest Global Goodwill Ambassador___
Priyanka Chopra.
34. The 2016 India International Science Festival (IISF) will be
held in ____ New Delhi.
35. India has become an Associate Member of the European
Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).
36. The 2016 World Internet Conference will kick off in
Wuzhen, China.
37. The 2016 World Travel Market (WTM), the leading global
event for the travel industry, has started in - London,
United Kingdom (UK).
38. The BBC World Service will launch how many language
services as part of its biggest expansion since the 1940s -
11 language.
39. The Company who has launched the photo scanning app
named PhotoScan Google.
40. Mission of NASA that created Guinness World Record for
highest altitude fix of GPS signal - Magnetospheric
Multiscale Mission.
State News
1. Pratibha - Parva observed in Madhya Pradesh. Three day
Pratibha parva is being observed to evaluate the academic
achievements of 78 lakh students pursuing studies in Class
I to VIII.
2. Indias largest public WiFi service has been launched by
Maharashtra government.
41. 2nd BRICS Communication Ministers meeting was held in
- Bengaluru.
42. Barack Obama designated first US Marine National
Monument (Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine
National Monument) in Atlantic Ocean.
43. BRICS contingent reserve arrangement (CRA) is now
operational in India to deal with any short-term balance of
payments pressures the groupings member nations face.
CRA was established in 2015 by BRICS member nations
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
44. The yuan joined the dollar, euro, yen and pound in the
IMFs special drawing rights(SDR) basket, which
determined currencies that countries could receive as part
of IMF loans.
45. Mr. Y.K. Sinha, High Commissioner of India inaugurated
the Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Library and Resource
Centre in Sri Palee College at Horana in Sri Lanka on
October 28, 2016.
46. France has become the first country in the world to ban
disposable plastic cups and plates.
47. World's first driverless bus service launched in French city
of Lyon.
48. The World Health Organisation certified Sri Lanka a
malaria-free nation.
Sri Lanka is the second country in the WHO South-East
Asia Region to eliminate malaria after Maldives.
49. World's first self-driving taxi service launched in
Singapore.
50. Tesla Motors tops Forbess Sixth Annual List of The
World's Most Innovative Companies 2016. At number 18,
Asian Paints is the highest-ranked Indian company on the
list.
51. As per the rankings in the report, India is the seventh
richest country in the world with a total individual wealth
of 5.6 trillion US dollars.
52. China has launched first mobile telecom satellite, The
Tiantong-01 satellite at southwestern Chinas Xichang
Satellite Launch Center with the Long March-3B carrier
rocket.
53. NITI Aayog has signed agreement to set up web portal on
energy data with US Energy Information Administration.
54. NITI Aayog has signed agreement to set up web portal on
energy data with US Energy Information Administration.
55. Worlds largest indoor theme park will open in Dubai.
56. Norway becomes Worlds First Country to Ban
Deforestation.
3. The 21st edition of National Youth Festival (to
commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami
Vivekananda) was held in ___ Rohtak (Haryana). The
2017 theme of festival is Youth for Digital India.
4. The worlds first "Gender literature festival" will be held in
the state of India___ Bihar.
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5. The first-ever Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU)
International Dance festival has been held in the ___
Hyderabad.
6. The Insurance company that tied up with Small Industries
Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for capital support to
enterprises_____ Life Insurance Corporation of India
(LIC).
7. The Bargarh Dhanua Jatra festival has started in the
state of Odisha.
8. Haryana and Andhra Pradesh state governments have
signed MoU to prepare State Resident Data Base (SRDB).
9. A new health scheme 'NTR Arogya Raksha' has been
launched by Andhra Pradesh.
10. Who has inaugurated 10-day Island Tourism Festival 2017
at Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar Islands___Lt.
Governor Jagdish Mukhi.
11. The city who hosted the International Conference on Yoga
for Diabetes ___ New Delhi.
12. Good Samaritan Policy has been launched by the state /
union territory ___Delhi government.
13. The first Second Generation ethanol bio-refinery will be
set up in Bathinda, Punjab by Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation Limited (HPCL),
14. India beat Sri Lanka to win the Asian Cricket Council
Under-19 Asia Cup title.
15. A new malaria control programme DAMAN will be
launch by Odisha government.
16. Madhya Pradesh government has launched Nagar Uday
Abhiyan in all 378 urban bodies.
17. Maharashtra government will create new ministry for
Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT), OBCs and SBCs.
18. Indias first transgender school Sahaj International has
started in Kerala.
19. Indias first cashless and digital tribal colony is located in
Nedumkayam, Kerala.
20. The Bihar state government has approved 50%
reservation in all its judicial services.
21. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has aid foundation stone
for Shivaji Memorial in the Arabian Sea off ___Mumbai
coast.
22. Assam government has launched Sustainable Action for
Climate Resilient Development in Majuli (SACReD, Majuli)
to make river island Majuli countrys first ever Carbon
Neutral district by 2020.
23. The Madras High Court has banned all unauthorised Sharia
courts in mosques across Tamil Nadu, saying centres of
worship were only to be used for religious purposes.
24. The National Institute of Sowa Rigpa will be established at
- Leh (Jammu & Kashmir).
25. The 2016 Global Citizen India festival organise in the city
Mumbai.
26. 'Har Ghar Bijli Lagatar scheme has been launched by the
state government - Bihar
27. Gujarat government - has started Deendayal generic
medicine stores to sell generic medicines in the state.
28. 1st Indian National Open Accuracy Paragliding takes off in
- Himachal Pradesh.
29. Indias first LNG-powered bus has been launched in the
state Kerala.
30. Maharashtra is the first state in the country which will
have a cyber police station in each district simultaneously.
31. Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani inaugurated a 34-ft long Lamp
of Humanity in Ahmedabad, as part of the Vibrant Navratri
celebrations.
32. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu flagged
off an all-women Mt Gorichen expedition. This would be
the first all women team attempting to summit the second
highest peak of the state, which is considered as a technical
peak and only seasoned climbers can make it to the top
(6,488 m).
33. Centre approves a grant of Rs. 515 Crores for the
development of Sagar Port Project in West Bengal.
34. Maharashtra government has launched Kaushalya Setu,
a skill development programme for students - Students of
Maharashtra State Board of Secondary & Higher
Secondary Education who failed to clear Class X or SSC
exam, will be accommodated in skill development courses.
35. Jharkhand has become the first state in the country to
implement Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in Kerosene
Scheme.
36. The worlds largest solar power plant with an installed
capacity of 648MW was commissioned at Kamudhi in
Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu.
37. Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to
approve sewage and waste water policy.
38. India's first e-court opened at Hyderabad High Court.
39. Assams Majuli (35th district of Assam) becomes first
island district of India. With this, Majuli became India's
first island district.
Note: Guinness World Records declare Majuli as the largest
river island
40. Gumthala Garhu near Pehowa became the first Wifi
hotspot village in Haryana circle under the bulk plan of
BSNL for the state.
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Awards & Honours
1. Shatrugan Sinha honoured with Lifetime Achievement
Award at the 62nd Filmfare Awards. Apart from this,
other awards included Dangal for Best Film, Nitesh
Tiwari (Dangal) for Best director, Aamir Khan (Dangal)
for Best Actor and Alia Bhatt (Udta Punjab) for Best
Actress.
2. Jacob Polley wins 2016 T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry. The
british poet has won this honour for his collection,
Jackself.
3. Kapil Dev inducted into Legends Club Hall of Fame.
4. Outgoing US President Barack Obama has awarded
"Presidential Medal of Freedom" at a ceremony in his
honor at the White House___ Vice President Joe Biden.
5. Who has won the prestigious Young Travel Photographer
of The Year (TPOTY) 2016___ Darpan Basak.
Note: The TPOTY is the premier annual international
travel photography awards for amateur, professional, and
young photographers.
6. The Government of India(GoI) has been awarded 'Scroll
of Honor' to promote cashless transactions___ Gaurav
Goyal.
Note: The district collector of Ajmer "Gaurav Goyal" has
been awarded Scroll of Honor by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in New Delhi for encouraging cashless
transactions in the district. Ajmer topped the 5 best
districts to promote cashless transactions.
The award was jointly given by Ministry of Information
and Technology (IT) and Niti Ayog.
7. The 7th edition of Yashwant International Film Festival
will be held from 20 to 26 January 2017 in ______ Mumbai.
8. Who has bagged the prestigious Sir Garfield sobers
Trophy ____Ravichandran Ahwin.
Note: He has become the 2nd Indian player after Rahul
Dravid to bag the two coveted prizes in the same year. In
2016, Ashwin has picked up 72 wickets in 12 test
matches at an average of 23.90 and scored 612 runs at an
average of 43.17
9. Who has won the 2016 Sastra Ramanujan award for
mathematics____Maksym Radziwill.
Note: The award citation and the shared prize money of
$5,000 were presented by Prof. Steven Weintraub from
Lehigh University who is also the Associate Secretary of
the American Mathematical Society.
10. Who has topped the 2016 Forbes India celebrity 100 List
____ Salman Khan.
Note: Shah Rukh Khan has been ranked second, followed
by Virat Kohli, actor Akshay Kumar and MS Dhoni. The
Forbes ranking is based parameters, estimates of
entertainment-related earnings and estimates of fame
during the period October 2015 to September 2016.
11. Bollywood personality has been conferred honorary
doctorate by the Maulana Azad National Urdu
University___ Shahrukh Khan.
Note: He has been conferred honorary doctorate at the
6th convocation of the Maulana Azad National Urdu
University in Hyderabad for extraordinary contribution
towards promotion of Urdu language and culture.
12. Who has been chosen for 2016 Bihari Puraskar____ Dr.
Satya Narayan.
Note: Dr. Satya Narayan is the well-known Rajasthani
litterateur. He has been chosen for the 26th edition of
Bihari Puraskar for 2016 for his Hindi book titled, Yeh Ek
Dunia.
13. Who has been chosen for the 2016 Navlekhan Award of
Bharatiya Jnanpith___ Shraddha and Ghyansham
Kumar Devansh
14. Indian city has bagged the C40 Award for best solid waste
management improvement project of 2016____ Kolkata.
15. Who has won the 2016 International Childrens Peace
Prize ____ Kehkashan Basu
16. Who has won the 2016 Miss Supranational crown____
Srinidhi Shetty
17. Who has been named as the Asian of the Year 2016
____Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal
18. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, ISRO chairman A S
Kiran Kumar, UK-based scholar John Ralston Marr and
Hari Katha exponent Kamala Murthy have been selected
for SIES-Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati National
Eminence Award.
19. Who has been bestowed with the Golden Jubilee Lifetime
Achievement Award by the Sports Journalists Association
of Mumbai (SJAM)_____ Sunil Gavaskar
20. The first Indian to win medal at the Mr. Olympia Amateur
Asia 2016s Classic Bodybuilding category___ Iqbal
Sayed.
21. Amitav Ghosh - will be honored with Tata Literature
Live! Lifetime Achievement Award.
22. Mark Zuckerberg - has been anointed as Business
Person of the Year for 2016.
23. SP Balasubrahmaniam - has been honored with the
2016 Centenary Indian Film Personality of the year
award at the 47th International Film Festival of India
(IFFI) 2016 at Panaji in Goa.
24. Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia - has conferred this years
Sumitra Charat Ram Lifetime Achievement Award for his
contribution in the field of Indian classical music.
25. Gulzar - will be honoured with the Tata Literature Live!
Poet Laureate Award for 2016.
26. Two of the five major Swachh Bharat awards to be
presented by the Centre are likely to go to Gujarat. Note:
UNESCO-approved Rani Ki Vav at Patan in Gujarat was set
to get thecleanest monument award while textile city
Suratwas likely to get the tag of the city with cleanest
railway station.
27. Mrs India Earth 2016 - Prineet Grewal from Pune
conferred with the award.
28. Murga has won the first prize at the Swachh Bharat Short
Film Festival (SBSFF). The short film was directed by
young filmmaker Katyayan Shivpuri from Maharashtra.
29. Swayam Shikshan Prayog has bagged the UN climate
award 2016 for clean energy project. The NGO trains
women to become clean energy entrepreneurs across
Maharashtra and Bihar.
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30. Eminent Malayalam novelist and short story writer U K
Kumaran is selected for prestigious Vayalar award 2016
for his novel Thakshankunnu Swarooopam.
31. Indias hockey captain PR Sreejesh bagged Jimmy George
award.
32. Mathrubhumi Literary Award 2016 Eminent writer C
Radhakrishnan chosen for Mathrubhumi Literary Award
2016 in recognition of his contribution to the field of
literature.
33. 24th Ekalabya Award - Sprinter Srabani Nanda won the
24th Ekalabya Award for the year 2016 in recognition of
her sporting excellence.
34. 2016 Sustainable Development Leadership Award -
Pawan Chamling, the Chief Minister of Sikkim, conferred
the prestigious 2016 Sustainable Development
Leadership Award.
35. Former ISRO chief U R Rao becomes first Indian to be
inducted into International Aeronautical Federation (IAF)
Hall of Fame
36. Saraswati Samman for year 2015 - Eminent author
Padma Sachdev conferred with the prestigious Saraswati
Samman for the year 2015 for her autobiography 'Chitt-
Chete' written in Dogri language.
37. Wildlife film-maker Prajna Chowta conferred
knighthood by France - Film-maker and elephant
researcher Prajna Chowta was recently appointed
Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mrite (Knight in the
National Order of Merit) by the French Government.
38. Indian-origin Kiara Nirghin wins Google Science Fair
prize 2016. She won this grand prize of 50000 US dollars
scholarship for using orange peel to develop a cheaper
super-absorbent material that helps soil retain water.
39. 29th Moortidevi Award - Noted Telugu writer Prof.
Kalakaluri Enoch conferred with Moortidevi Award of
Bharatiya Jnanpith for the year 2015 at function in New
Delhi. The award was given for his novel Ananta
Jeevanam.
40. Veteran music director and violinist Uttam Singh named
for the 2016 Lata Mangeshkar Award for Lifetime
Achievement of the Maharashtra Government.
41. Vyas Samman award 2015 - Hindi scholar and writer
Sunita Jain awarded with the prestigious 25th Vyas
Samman 2015 for her poetry collection Kshama.
42. National Sports Award 2016
(i) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna - P.V. Sindhu for Badminton,
Dipa Karmakar for Gymnastics, Jitu Rai for Shooting and
Sakshi Malik for Wrestling. Note: The award is given for
the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the
field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four
years.
(ii) Dronacharya Awards - Six sports coaches will be
honoured with Dronacharya Awards and they are
Nagapuri Ramesh for Athletics, Sagar Mal Dhayal for
Boxing, Raj Kumar Sharma for Cricket, Bishweshwar
Nandi for Gymnastics, S Pradeep Kumar for Swimming
(Lifetime) and Mahabir Singh for Wrestling (Lifetime).
Dipa Karmakar's coach Bishweshwar Nandi will receive
the award for Gymnastics. Note: The award is conferred
on coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious
international sports events.
(iii) Arjuna Awards - 15 sports person from different
discipline of sports were selected for the award and they
are Rajat Chauhan for Archery, Lalita Babar for Athletics,
Sourav Kothari for Billiards & Snooker, Shiva Thapa for
Boxing, Ajinkya Rahane for Cricket, Subrata Paul for
Football, Rani for Hockey, Raghunath VR for Hockey,
Gurpreet Singh for Shooting, Apurvi Chandela for
Shooting, Soumyajit Ghosh for Table Tennis, Vinesh for
Wrestling, Amit Kumar for Wrestling, Sandeep Singh
Mann for Para-Athletics and Virender Singh for Wrestling
(Deaf).
(iv) Dhyan Chand Award 2016 - Athlete Satti Geetha,
hockey player Sylvanus Dung Dung and Rower Rajendra
Pralhad Shelke. Note: The award is conferred for life time
contribution to sports development.
(v) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy: Punjabi
University, Patiala. The trophy is given to the overall top
performing university in interuniversity tournaments.
43. A R Rahman honoured with Tamil Ratna Award.
44. APJ Abdul Kalam award - Central Leather Research
Institute's (CLRI) Principal Scientist P Shanmugam
bagged the APJ Abdul Kalam Award for his meritorious
services in the Higher Education Department of Tamil
Nadu.
45. Sangeet Martand Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime
Achievement Award - Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. Note:
The Sursagar Society of Dilli Gharana will confer the
annual Sangeet Martand Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime
Achievement Award on santoor maestro Pandit Shiv
Kumar Sharma.
46. Bharat Gaurav Award - Kolkatas football club East
Bengal announced that the 2016 Bharat Gaurav Award,
also known as Pride of India Award, will be conferred on
legendary athlete Milkha Singh.
47. Sangita Kalanidhi Award 2016 Versatile violinist A.
Kanyakumari chosen for Sangita Kalanidhi Award for the
year 2016. The award will be presented by Madras Music
Academy.
48. N Chandra, bollywood film-maker honoured with the
Lifetime Achievement award at the 8th edition of Goa
State Film Festival 2016.
49. Shubha Mudgal honoured with the 23rd edition of 2016
Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award.
50. Radhika Menon becomes first woman to bag IMO Award
for Exceptional Bravery at Sea - Captain Radhika Menon
selected for the 2016 International Maritime
Organization (IMO) Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea.
Note: (i) She became the first female to receive the IMO
Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea. (ii) She is the first
woman captain in the Indian Merchant Navy
51. 2016 Caine Prize - South African writer, filmmaker and
photographer Lidudumalingani Mqombothi won the 17th
edition of prestigious Caine Prize 2016 for his short story
Memories We Lost.
Note: The Caine Prize is an annual literature prize
awarded to an African writer of a short story published in
the English language.
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52. International Indian Film Academy IIFA Awards 2016
presented - The 17th International Indian Film Academy
(IIFA) Awards 2016 were presented on 25 June 2016 in
Madrid, Spain. List of 2016 IIFA Awards
(i) Best Film - Bajrangi Bhaijaan
(ii) Best Director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali for
Bajirao Mastani
(iii) Best Actor - Ranveer Singh for Bajirao
Mastani
(iv) Best Actress - Deepika Padukone for Piku
International Awards
1. Indian film has won the best motion picture award at the
2017 Golden Globes awards____ Moonlight.
Note: The Golden Globe Awards is a major part of the film
industrys awards season, which culminates each year
with the Academy Awards or Oscars.
2. Indian-origin British professor has been honored with the
Queen Elizabeth II Knighthood____ Prof. Shankar
Balasubramanian.
Note: He has been honored with the Queen Elizabeth II
Knighthood for his work as a co-inventor of Next
Generation DNA sequencing, described as the most
transformational advance in biology and medicine for
decades.
3. The Social reformer who has been honoured by Google
Doodle on her 186th birth anniversary_____ Savitribai
Phule.
4. Who has been selected for the prestigious 2016 Jnanpith
Award___ Shankha Ghosh.
Note: He has earlier won the Sahitya Academy Award
and the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to Indian
literature. The Jnanpith Award is an Indian literary award
presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an
author for their 'outstanding contribution towards
literature'.
5. Nobel Prize 2016 -
Peace Prize Juan Manuel Santos.
Literature Bob Dylan
Physics David J Thouless, F Duncan M Haldane & J.
Michael Kosterlitz
Physiology & Medicine Yoshinori Ohsumi
Economic Sciences Oliver Hart, Bengt Holmstrom
Chemistry Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir James Fraser
Stoddart & Bernard L Feringa
6. UAE based Indian environmental activist Kehkashan
Basu (16) has won 2016 prestigious International
Childrens Peace Prize.
7. Who has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of
Italy____ Paolo Gentiloni.
8. Who has been named as the Time magazines Person of the
Year 2016___Donald Trump.
9. Who has been named as the 2016 Foreign Policy Global
Thinker for novel Twitter diplomacy____ Sushma Swaraj.
(v) Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Anil
Kapoor for Dil Dhadakne Do
(vi) Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Priyanka
Chopra for Bajirao Mastani
(vii) Best Story - Juhi Chaturvedi for Piku
53. G D Birla Award for Scientific Research for 2015 - IIT-
Kanpur professor Sanjay Mittal conferred with the award.
54. Mohun Bagan Ratna Award - Syed Nayeemuddin has
been selected for the Mohun Bagan Ratna award for his
overall contribution to the club and the country both as a
player and as a coach.
10. The International Astronautical Federation (IAF)
inducted renowned space scientist U.R. Rao into its Hall of
Fame for his contribution to development of Indias space
technology.
11. Robert De Niro to be honoured with Chaplin Award by
Film Society of Lincoln Center
12. Luis Suarez was awarded with the European Golden Shoe
after scoring 40 goals for Barcelona last season and it is the
second time hes won the prize, having shared it with
Cristiano Ronaldo two years ago.
13. Adi Godrej conferred Clinton Global Citizen Award
14. Aung San Suu Kyi honoured as 2016 Humanitarian of the
Year by Harvard Foundation
15. Honorary Academy (Oscar) Award - Action movie star,
writer, director and martial artist Jackie Chan selected for
an honorary Academy (Oscar) Award for his extraordinary
achievements in the movies.
16. Mister World title - Rohit Khandelwal won the coveted
Mister World 2016 title. The grand finale of Mr World
2016 was held at the Southport Theatre & Convention
Centre in Southport, U.K. Note: With this, Khandelwal has
become the first Indian and Asian to win the Mr World title
at the competition
17. Elephant researcher Prajna Chowta awarded with
Chevalier de lOrdre National du Mrite, one of the highest
civilian recognitions of the French government.
18. Knight of the National Order of the French Legion of
Honour - Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson and
Managing Director of Biocon Limited appointed Chevalier
de l'Ordre National de la Lgion d'Honneur (Knight of the
National Order of the French Legion of Honour). She was
honoured for her contribution to biosciences and research.
19. Google Community Impact Award from Asia - Advay
Ramesh, a Class 10 student from Chennai won the
prestigious Google Community Impact Award from Asia, a
theme based award part of Google Science Fair 2016
20. 2016 UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy - The Jan
Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) of Malappuram, Kerala conferred
with the 2016 Unesco Confucius Prize for Literacy.
21. Former Indian womens cricket team captain Anjum
Chopra awarded an honorary life membership of the
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Note: With this, Chopra became the first Indian woman
cricketer to get the prestigious life membership of MCC.
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22. Best Film Award at 19th Shanghai International Film
Festival - Kannada Movie Thithi won two awards - Best
Film and Best Script Writers - under the Asia New Talent
Awards Category at the 19th Shanghai International Film
Festival. Raam Reddy is the director of the film. Note: In
63rd National Film Awards, it won the National Film
Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada.
23. 2016 PEN Pinter Prize - Canadian poet, novelist and
environmental activist Margaret Atwood was conferred
with the 2016 PEN Pinter Prize.
Note - The PEN Pinter Prize is an annual literary award
launched in 2009 by English PEN. It was launched in
honour of the late Nobel Literature Prize-winning
playwright Harold Pinter.
Obituaries
National
1. Former governor of Uttarakhand, Surjit Singh Barnala
passed away.
2. Deepak Roy, National Award winning filmmaker passed
away. He was known for his movie, Limit to Freedom.
3. Veteran Film Actress, Geeta Sen passed away.
4. Senior Congress leader and former Tourism Minister of
Maharashtra has passed away in Pune ____Chandrakant
Chhajed. He became Pune mayor in 1987.
5. Imtiaz Ahmed, who passed away was the former cricketer
of _____Pakistan.
Note: He featured in Pakistan's first Test played in Delhi
against India in October 1952 and went on to play 41
matches as a wicket keeper-batsman.
6. Karnataka Minister has passed away while he was in
Chikkamagaluru to attend the silver jubilee celebrations of
the Transport Cooperative Society at Koppa _______ H S
Mahadeva Prasad.
7. Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, who passed away was the
famous musician of musical instrument____ Sitar. He was
regarded as one of the Sitar Trinity of India along with
Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan.
8. Veteran Kannada film actor has recently passed away in
Mysuru, Karnataka___ Chetan Ramarao.
9. The famous Malayalam actor, who passed away in
Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala_____ Jagannatha Verma. He is
known for his hit films like New Delhi, Pathram and Lelam.
10. An international fame painter, has passed away in Indore,
Madhya Pradesh____ Dinanath Bhargava.
11. Senior BJP leader and former chief minister of Madhya
Pradesh has passed away in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh___
Sunderlal Patwa.
12. Environmentalist Anupam Mishra passes away.
13. Noted journalist Cho S Ramaswamy passes away.
24. 2016 International DUBLIN Literary Award - American
author Akhil Sharma won the 2016 International DUBLIN
Literary Award for his novel Family Life.
Note: The book Family Life tells the story of eightyear-
old Ajay, whose family move from Delhi to America in
1978
25. Man Booker Prize for 2016 - South Korean author Han
Kang won the Man Booker Prize for 2016 for her novel
The Vegetarian
26. Lhakpa becomes first woman to climb Everest seventh
time - Nepalese woman Lhakpa Sherpa, breaks own record
to climb Everest a seventh time.
14. The legendary Tamil poet and activist has passed away at
Urappakkam in Chennai, Tamil Nadu - Makkal Pavalar
Inkulab.
15. International hockey umpire has passed away recently -
Phulel Singh Sujlana.
16. AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister passed
away at Apollo Hospital in Chennai - J Jayalalithaa
17. Noted geophysicist who passed away in Hyderabad -
Janardhan Negi
18. Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor has passed away at
the Army Research and Referral hospital in New Delhi- Lt.
Gen Srinivas Kumar Sinha
19. Pandit Amaradeva - Padma Shri singer and composer
passed away.
20. Mangat Ram Sharma - Former J&K Deputy CM passed
away.
21. Reoti Saran Sharma - Hindi and Urdu writer passed away.
22. Heisnam Kanhailal - Theatre legend of Manipur passed
away.
23. Nalinidhar Bhattacharyya - Noted Assamese poet,
literary critic and author, passed away.
24. Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai, Former Governor and
recipient of Padma Vibhushan passed away.
25. Kalikho Pul - Former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh
passed away.
26. K K Sreedharan Nair - Former editor of Mathrubhumi
passed away.
27. Xerxes Sapur Desai - Founder of Titan (watch) passed
away.
28. Neil O'Brien - Pioneer of Indian quizzing passed away.
29. Manohar Aich - Indias first Mr Universe passed away.
gradeup.co/banking-insurance
International
1. Former President of Iran has passed away in Tehran,
Iran____ Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. He served as
president from 1989 to 1997
2. The former President and prime-minister of Portugal has
passed away in Lisbon, Portugal___ Mario Soares. He
played a central role in the re-establishment of diplomatic
relations between Portugal and India in 1974.
3. The renowned sociologist of Poland has passed away at
Leeds, England____ Zygmunt Bauman. He was one of the
worlds most prominent and prolific European sociologists
writing on issues as diverse as modernity and the
Holocaust, postmodern consumerism and liquid
modernity.
4. English singer-songwriter has passed away in Sussex,
England____ Peter Sarstedt.
5. The former President of Germany who passed away
recently ____Roman Herzog. He served as President under
Chancellor Helmut Kohl and later under Gerhard Schroder
between 1994 and 1999.
6. Tyrus Wong, who passed away was the legendary Disney
artist of the country___United States. He was best known
for his sketches for the Walt Disney animated feature
'Bambi'.
7. John Berger, who passed away was the renowned author
of the country ____United Kingdom. His best-known work
was Ways of Seeing, a criticism of western cultural
aesthetics. He also won the Booker Prize for his novel G
and donated half the prize money to the radical African-
American movement.
Sports News
CRICKET
1. Karun Nair became second Indian to score triple
century in Tests. Earlier, Virendra Sehwag scored two
triple centuries in test matches.
2. India defeated England by 4-0 to win the Anthony De
Mello trophy 2016.
3. Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana named in ICC
Women's Team of the Year.
4. Virat Kohli is the fifth cricketer to score three double
test centuries in a calendar year.
5. India beats Pakistan to win 2016 T20 Women's Asia
Cup.
6. The worlds largest seating capacity cricket stadium
will be Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
8. The British pop superstar and founding member of Wham!
has passed away at Goring, England ___ George Michael.
9. Former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka has passed away in
Colombo, Sri Lanka___ Ratnasiri Wickremanayake. He
was the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2001 and
again from 2005 to 2010.
10. Henry Heimlich, inventor of Heimlich manoeuvre passed
away.
11. Legendary horse jockey Walter Swinburn passed away.
12. Astronaut John Glenn, the 1st American to Orbit Earth,
dies at 95.
13. Bhumibol Adulyadej - King of Thailand, passed away.
14. Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister of Israel, dies.
15. Edward Albee - Pulitzer-winning US playwright passed
away.
16. Lindsay Tuckett South African, Worlds oldest cricketer
passed away.
17. Islam Karimov, President of Uzbekistan passed away.
18. George E. Curry, Legendary journalist George E. Curry,
considered the dean of black press columnists passed
away.
19. Sellapan Ramanathan, Singapores longest serving
president, passed away.
20. Ahmed Zewail, Chemistry Prof and Nobel Laureate,
passed away.
21. Joao Havelange - Former FIFA president and IOC
member, passed away.
22. Braj B Kachru, Indian-American linguist and Jubilee
Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at the University of
Illinois passed away.
7. Ravichandran Ashwin has equalled Kapil Dev's
record of 23 five-wicket hauls.
8. New Zealands Suzie Bates has become the first
cricketer to clinch both the ICC Womens ODI and T20I
Player of the Year awards
9. Mahindra Singh Dhoni, Indian cricketer has
announced to step down as captain of Team India's
limited over cricket matches.
10. Gujarat has won the Ranji Trophy tournament 2016-
17.
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HOCKEY
1. Indian Junior Mens hockey team has won the 2016
Mens Junior Hockey World Cup tournament by
defeating Belgium in the final match by 2-1 in
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
2. The Womens Hockey World Cup 2018 will be held in
London, England.
3. The Mens Hockey World Cup 2018 will be held in
India.
4. PR Sreejesh Indian hockey player has become a
member of International Hockey Federation (FIH)
Athletes Committee.
FOOTBALL
1. The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 will be held in India.
2. The FIFA World Cup 2018 will be held in Russia.
3. The FIFA World Cup 2022 will be held in Qatar.
4. India ranks at 137 position in latest FIFA ranking.
5. Argentina tops the FIFA World Rankings, followed by
Germany and Brazil.
6. Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Best FIFA Mens
player award at the 2016 Best FIFA Football Awards in
Zurich.
BADMINTON
1. Rio Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu has won the
2016 Most Improved Player award by the Badminton
World Federation (BWF).
2. Indian shuttler Pratul Joshi has won the mens singles
title of the Bahrain International Challenge badminton
tournament.
3. Shuttler Pratul Joshi wins Bahrain International
Challenge title.
BOXING
1. M C Mary Kom has been honored with the Legends
Award by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) for
her trailblazing boxing career in Montreux, Switzerland.
2. Indian boxing star Vijender Singh knocked out former
world Francis Cheka and retain WBO-Asia Pacific Super
Middleweight title at Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi.
3. The first elite mens senior national boxing tournament
has started in Assam.
TENNIS
1. Andy Murray, Scottish professional tennis player has
won the BBC sports personality of the Year 2016.
2. Rafael Nadal, a Spanish professional tennis player has
won the 2016 Mubadala World Tennis
3. Novak Djokovic has won the 2017 Qatar Open Mens
singles tennis tournament.
5. PR Sreejesh takes charge as Goalkeeping Coach of
India Under-21 hockey team.
6. Indian womens hockey team defeated china to win
Womens Asian trophy.
7. Indian mens hockey team defeated Pakistan to win
Womens Asian trophy.
8. Argentina Women won 2016 Champions Trophy
Hockey title. Argentina defeated Netherlands in the
final.
9. Narinder Batra has become the first Indian to be
elected the President of the International Hockey.
10. Hockey India recommended Ritu Rani and VR
Raghunath for Arjuna Award.
7. Indian women football team has won the 2016 SAFF
Womens Championship defeating Bangladesh.
8. Atletico de Kolkata crowned 2016 Indian Super
League champions.
9. Jeje Lalpekhlua has won the 2016 All India Football
Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year
4. Saina Nehwal appointed member of International
Olympic Committee's (IOC) Athletes' Commission
Athletes' Commission.
5. Brazil Open Grand Prix - India's mixed doubles pair of
Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N Sikki Reddy won the title
after defeating Canadian combo of Toby Ng and Rachel
Honderich 21-15, 21-16 in straight games at Costa
Cavalcante.
4. Rajouri Abbu Ammaz, an eight-year old boy from Jammu
and Kashmir has won gold medal in Thai Boxing
Championship at the national level.
5. Sachin Singh bagged gold at AIBA & became the third
Indian boxer to bag gold medal at the AIBA Youth World
Championships.
4. Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan has won
the 2017 Aircel Chenni Open mens doubles tournament
5. Mubadala World Tennis Championship was organized at
the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex in United
Arab Emirates (UAE) between 29th 31st DECEMBER
2016.
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OTHER SPORTS
1. Farrukh Amonatov wins Delhi International Open
Chess Tournament. He defeated Dzhumaev Marat of
Uzbekistan.
2. Sergey Karjakin has won the gold in the 2016 World
Blitz Chess Championship in Doha, Qatar.
3. Magnus Carlsen wins 2016 World Chess
Championship.
4. Lewis Hamilton won both the 2016 Mexican Grand
Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix 2016.
5. Pankaj Advani won World Billiards title in Bengaluru
6. Mukesh kumar, Indian Golfer has become the oldest
golfer to win an Asian Tour title at Delhi Golf Club
(DGC).
7. Arjun Bhati has won the Kids Golf World
Championship 2016
8. Indias largest indoor sports arena will come up in
New Town area (Kolkata).
9. The highest-paid athlete of all time, according to
Forbes is Michael Jordan
Science and Defence News
1. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has
successfully launched remote sensing satellite
Resourcesat-2A into its dedicated orbit. It was
launched onboard of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
(PSLV)-C36 from first launch pad at Satish Dhawan
Space Centre in Sriharikota.
2. Indian Navys eight landing craft utility (LCU) L-58
was launched by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and
Engineers Ltd (GRSE) in Kolkata, West Bengal.
3. China has successfully launched Fengyun-4 satellite,
first of its new generation weather satellites into
geostationary orbit.
4. India successfully test fired its home-grown long range
intercontinental surface-to-surface nuclear capable
ballistic missile Agni-5.
5. The first-ever joint military exercise Pratikar-I will be
held between Nepal and China on 10th February
2017.The focus of the military exercise will be on training
Nepali forces in dealing with hostage scenarios involving
international terror groups.
6. The first country in the world to use drones for national
mail service France.
7. The Google India will launch Digitally Safe Consumer
campaign with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs in 2017
to raise awareness and protect consumer interest on the
internet.
8. China has launched a global carbon dioxide monitoring
satellite to understand climate change TanSat.
9. China has successfully tested the newest version of the J-
31stealth fighter FC-31 Gyrfalcon.
10. Usain Bolt has won the IAAF World Athlete of the Year
award for a record sixth time.
11. Nico Rosberg German Formula 1 racing driver has
announced his retirement from Formula1
12. LeBron James, Basketball player has been chosen as
the Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year.
13. Pankaj Advani, the Indian snooker player has won the
National title in 6-red Snooker.
14. Kush Bhagat has won all three gold medals in three
categories (Rapid, Blitz and Standard) on offer in the
1st Western Asia Youth Chess Championships at Al Ain
Chess Club in UAE.
15. The 2017 National Ice Skating Championship has
started in the Gurugram (Haryana).
16. Velavan Senthilkumar has won the Under-19 British
Junior Open Squash 2017 tournament.
17. Shreyas Mehta has won the 2017 Scottish Junior
Open Squash championship by defeating Colombias
Juan Jose Torres Lara in the final at Edinburgh,
Scotland.
10. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is
sending first African-American space station crew
member to space station in 2018 Jeanette Epps.
11. Indias second Kalvari-class Scorpene stealth
submarine INS Khanderi has been launched in
Mumbai.
12. The union railway minister Suresh Prabhu has released an
Android-based mobile application named IRCTC Rail
Connect app to promote ease of ticketing through digital
transactions.
13. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has
signed pact with the French Space agency (CNES) satellite
launch technology.
14. Pakistan Army has test-fired the first submarine-
launched Cruise Missile Babur-3.
15. India and Vietnam have signed a civil nuclear
cooperation agreement. With this, Vietnam became
14th country with which India has signed the civil nuclear
deal.
16. China has successfully launched a navigation satellite
XPNAV-1
17. India has become the first non-NPT country with
which Japan has signed a Civil Nuclear Agreement.
18. NASAs most powerful space telescope completed.
The James Webb Space Telescope will be the
successor to NASAs 26-year-old Hubble Space
Telescope. It will be 100 times more powerful than the
Hubble probe and may find the first galaxies that
formed in the early universe.
19. China launches Long March 5 Rocket.
20. Zumwalt - US Navy has commissioned its largest, most
expensive and technologically advanced destroyer,
gradeup.co/banking-insurance

Zumwalt. The 610-foot The 610-foot-long ship,
commissioned in Baltimore also has an advanced power
plant and weapon systems.
21. Barak-8 - surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) - India and
Israel jointly developed most advanced long range
surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) Barak-8 was successfully
test fired off the Odisha coast. The missile was test fired
from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range in
Chandipur in Balasore district in Odisha.
22. Akula II - India has signed agreement with Russia to
lease second Akula-II class nuclear attack submarine
(SSN). The deal is believed to be worth about $2 billion.
23. S-400 Triumf air defence systems - India has signed a
defence deal worth nearly Rs 39,000 crore with Russia to
purchase five state of art S-400 Triumf air defence
systems.
Note:
The S-400 Triumf- NATO names it Growler- is an
anti-aircraft weapon system. It has been developed
by Russias Almaz Central Design Bureau.
The system uses long range and medium range
missiles.
The S 400 is the latest of a long range of highly
successful air defence systems that have been the
biggest threat to western aircraft across the world.
24. INS Tihayu - Indian Navy has commissioned INS Tihayu,
a Car Nicobar Class water jet fast attack craft (WJFAC). INS
Tahiyu is the sixth WJFAC Car Nicobar Class vessel to be
commissioned and allotted to the Eastern Fleet of the
Indian Navy. It has been built by Kolkata-based shipyard
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).
25. Communication satellite GSAT-18 successfully launched -
India successfully launched the communication satellite
GSAT-18. The satellite was launched by a heavy-duty
rocket of Arianespace from the spaceport of Kourou in
French Guiana.
26. Sarathi - The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned
well-equipped offshore patrolling (OPV) vessel named
Sarathi. It was commissioned by
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Defence
Minister Manohar Parrikar at Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL)
shipyard at Vasco in south Goa.

Military Exercises

EXERCISE NAME COUNTRIES INVOLVED

INDRA India Navy-Russia Navy
JIMEX JAPAN Navy- INDIA navy
VARUNA FRANCE navy - INDIA navy
IBSAMAR India, Brazil&South African Navy
ELEPHANT Indo- Mongolia Militiary
HAND in HAND INDO - CHINA Militiary
MITRA SHAKTI INDo - SRILANKA Militiary
SLINEX Srilanka- India Navy
YUDDH ABHYAS INDIA - US Army
RED FLAG INDIA - US Air Forces
MALABAR INDIA, Japan and US Navy
COPE INDIA - US Air Forces
SAMPRITI INDIA - BANGALDESH Militiary
GARUDA SHAKTI Indo- Indonesia Militiary
GARUDA Indo- French Air Forces
SHADE India, japan and China Navy
SURYA KIRAN India - Nepal Militiary
KONKAN India- Britain navy
SIMBEX Singapore- India Maritime
EKUVERIN India- Maldives Militiary
SAHAYOG-KAIJIN India - Japan Coast Guard
AUSINDEX Australia- India Navy
DRUZHBA Russia- Pakistan Militiary
Naseem-Al- Bahr Oman - Indian navy
PRATIKAR-I Nepal - China
gradeup.co/banking-insurance
Important Agreements/ MoU Signed/ Deals: India & Abroad
1. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has
signed pact with the countrys space agency on
satellite launch technology ____ France.
2. India and Mauritius sign MoU for cooperation in
Agriculture.
3. India has signed a Protocol to amend the Double
Taxation Avoidance Convention in January 2017 ___
Kazakhstan.
4. The Union Cabinet of the country has agreed to
sign an agreement for cooperation in field of
agriculture and allied sectors ___ Portugal.
5. Union Cabinet approved to sign a MoU with this
country in the field of agriculture and allied
sectors ____ Kenya.
6. India and Kyrgyzstan sign 6 agreements - Tourism,
cooperation in youth exchange, Youth development,
Agriculture and Food Industry, Broadcasting and
exchange of audio visual programmes.
7. India and Indonesia have signed three agreements in
various areas to enhance strategic partnership.
8. The Union Cabinet has given its approval to
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India
and United Kingdom (UK) to support Ease of Doing
Business in India.
9. India and Qatar have signed five agreements including
in the field of visas, cyberspace and investments.
10. The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between India and Afghanistan
on cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
11. India and Tajikistan have signed four agreements in
areas including on double taxation avoidance, money
laundering and counter-terrorism.
12. During the Prime Ministers 3 Days Visit To Japan
Prime Minister Modi and Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe inked a Memorandum of understanding
Schemes/ Policy launched by State/ Union Govt. of India
1. NITI Aayog announces launch of the schemes - Lucky
Grahak Yojana and Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana - for
incentivising digital payments.
The primary aim of these schemes is to incentivize digital
transactions so that electronic payments are adopted by
all sections of the society, especially the poor and the
middle class.
The scheme became operational with the first draw on
25th December, 2016, leading up to a Mega Draw on
Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti on 14th April 2017.
a) Lucky Grahak Yojana [Consumers]: Daily reward of
Rs 1000 to be given to 15,000 lucky Consumers for a
period of 100 days, Weekly prizes worth Rs 1 lakh, Rs
10,000 and Rs. 5000 for Consumers who use the alternate
modes of digital Payments.
b) Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana [Merchants]: Prizes for
(MoU) in the field of civil nuclear deal and nine other
agreements in various fields.
13. India, Sri Lanka sign MoU to support fishermen in
Hambantota district of Sri Lanka.
14. India along with 10 other member countries of WHO's
South-East Asian Regional Committee decided to set
up a dedicated fund aimed at building preparedness
for health emergencies in the Sri Lanka.
15. India, Greece sign Air Services Agreement under Open
Sky Policy - India signed the bilateral Air Services
Agreement with Greece to allow unlimited points of
call for domestic airlines in Greece.
16. India, Egypt sign agreement in area of Maritime
Transport.
17. India and the United States signed Logistics Exchange
Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). The logistics
agreement will enable the forces of the two nations to
use each others bases for repair and replenishment of
supplies.
18. World Bank to provide $1 bn for India solar projects -
The World Bank on Thursday committed USD 1 billion
(about 625 million or Rs 6,750 crore) to support solar
energy programme in India, which is reducing
dependence on conventional energy sources to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
19. Bangladesh & India signed an agreement for the
construction of a 1,320 megawatt (MW) coal fired
power plant near Sundarbans.
20. Agreement between India & Tanzania in the field of
Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy.
21. Agreement between India & Mauritius in the field of
Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation.
22. India signed agreement with Mozambique for import
of pulses. The MoU aims to promote the production of
Tur (Pigeon Peas) and other pulses in Mozambique by
encouraging progressive increase in the trading of
these pulses.
Merchants for all digital transactions conducted at
Merchant establishments. Weekly prizes worth Rs.
50,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs. 2,500
c) Mega Draw on 14th of April (Ambedkar Jayanti) - 3
Mega Prizes for consumers worth Rs 1 cr, 50 lakh, 25 lakh
& 3 Mega Prizes for merchants worth Rs 50 lakhs, 25
lakh, 12 lakh for digital transactions between 8th
November, 2016 to 13th April, 2017 to be announced on
14th April, 2017.
2. The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY)
notified along with other provisions of Taxation Laws
(Second Amendment) Act, 2016 came into effect from 17
December 2016. It will remain open until March 31, 2017.
PMGKY is Union Governments second income disclosure
scheme (IDS) to allow tax evaders to come clean with
unaccounted wealth. It provides for 50 per cent tax and
gradeup.co/banking-insurance
surcharge on declarations of unaccounted cash deposited
in banks.
3. Vittiya Saksharata Abhiyan (VISAKA) was launched by
the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development
(HRD) to make people aware about cashless economic
system. It was launched by Union HRD minister Prakash
Javadekar in New Delhi. It is campaign by Higher
Educational institutions for digital economy.
4. Rajasthan Government has launched Annapurna Rasoi
Scheme to provide quality meal at cheap price to poor
and needy on lines with Tamil Nadu Governments Amma
canteens. The tagline for the scheme is: Sabke liye
bhojan, sabke liye sammaan (Food for all, respect for all).
5. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched Student
credit card scheme for the students passing Class 12th
exam on Oct 2, 2016. It will fecilaitate to get an interest
free loan of Rs four lakh for pursuing higher studies.
6. Jharkhand became the first state in the country to
implement Direct Benefit Transfer(DBT) in Kerosene. The
scheme would be implemented in four identified districts
of the state from 1st of October 2017. These districts are
Chatra, Hazaribagh, Khunti and Jamtara.
7. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
has decided to launch a scheme -Lalima Abhiyan to
make Madhya Pradesh anaemia-free.
Note: It will be effective from November 1, 2016.
8. UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav launched the portal of
Samajwadi Smartphone Scheme under which
smartphones will be distributed to people in the state
ahead of Assembly election.
9. The 'Farm Tourism' scheme launched by Haryana
Tourism Minister Rambilas Sharma to attract people to
villages.
Note: Under this scheme, farm owners can host tourists
under holiday packages.
10. Maharashtra government launched Kaushalya Setu, its
skill development programme for students.
Note: The state will play a leading role in fulfilling PM
Narendra Modis Skill India Mission-2020.
11. PM launched several schemes including Urja Ganga gas
pipeline project in Varanasi.
Note: Urja Ganga, 1500 km long gas pipeline project
which costing Rs 51,000 crore to provide piped cooking
gas to residents of Varanasi within two years.
12. The Ministry of Science and Technology has started two
new initiatives namely Biotech-KISAN (Krishi Innovation
Science Application Network) and Cattle Genomics.
Note: Under the scheme, fellowship will be given to
women farmers for training and education in the farm
practice.
13. The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has
given its approval to New Productivity Linked
Reward(PLR) Scheme for all Major Port Trusts and Dock
Labour Board employees/workers for the years 2015-16
to 2017-18.
14. Smart Ganga City Scheme in 10 cities The scheme was
launched by Union Minister for Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti and
Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
Key points: The scheme was launched in 10 ten
important cities through video conference. These cities
are 1. Haridwar, 2. Rishikesh, 3. Mathura-Vrindavan, 4.
Varanasi, 5. Kanpur, 6. Allahabad, 7. Lucknow, 8. Patna, 9.
Sahibgunj, 10. Barrackpore. These cities were chosen as
part of the Phase-I of the National Mission for Clean
Ganga (NMCG) for infrastructure development for sewage
treatment.
15. Odisha government has launched Madhubabu Aain
Sahayata Sibir (MASS) scheme to provide legal assistance
to deprived sections of the society at the grassroots level.
The scheme has been named after great Odia lawyer
Madhu Babu, who is considered as the first lawyer of
Odisha. Key Features of Scheme State government will
provide free legal consultations to deprived sections of
the society by setting up legal assistance cells in all 6,812
gram panchayats across the state. Legal assistance will
be given in shape of free legal aid in order to ensure that
opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any
citizen for economic and other reasons.
16. Swadesh Darshan scheme The scheme was launched
by Union Tourism Ministry with an aim to develop theme
based tourist circuits in the country. Key points: The
Union Government has approved 450 crore for the
scheme. The scheme was launched in 5 states for the
development of Heritage circuit in Madhya Pradesh and
Uttarakhand, Ramayana Circuit in Uttar Pradesh, North
East Circuit in Sikkim and Coastal Circuit of Tamil Nadu.
17. Biju Kanya Ratna Yojana (BKRY) - The scheme was
launched by the Odisha Government for the development
of girls in three districts of the state which are - Ganjam,
Dhenkanal and Angul. The objective the scheme is to
improve Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) and Child Sex Ratio
(CSR) in the three districts.
18. National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) The
scheme was announced by the union government which
aims to providing apprenticeship training to over 50 lakh
youngsters in order to create more jobs. Key points The
Scheme has an outlay of 10,000 crore rupees with a target
of 50 Lakh apprentices to be trained by 2019-20. Central
Government will also directly share 25% of the total
stipend (maximum of 1,500 rupees per month per
apprentice) payable to an apprentice with employers.
19. Indian Railway launched Insurance scheme for
passengers travelling on e- ticket
Note: The scheme was launched by Union Railway
Minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi.
Key points Person booking a train ticket through the
IRCTC website will be eligible for the travel insurance and
it is optional. To avail the facility, train passengers have
to pay 92 paisa premium. The insurance cover will not be
applicable for children upto 5 years of age and foreign
citizens. The facility will be available only for confirmed
and RAC ticket passengers. The scheme offers travellers
or nominees a compensation of 10 lakh Rupees in the
event of death or total disabilty, 7.5 lakh Rupees for
partial disability. Besides it will pay upto 2 lakh Rupees
for hospitalisation expenses and 10,000 rupees for
gradeup.co/banking-insurance
transportation of mortal remains from the place of a train
accident.
20. E-Library Sugamya Pustakalaya - The Union
Government has launched Accessible E-Library Sugamya
Pustakalaya for Divyang under Prime Ministers Sugamya
Bharat Abhiyan. It was jointly launched by Union
Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Prakash Javadekar and
Thawar Chand Gehlot at a fucntion in New Delhi.
Key points: Sugamya Pustakalaya is an online library for
Divyang and houses publications across diverse subjects
and languages and multiple accessible formats. In this
online library books will available in accessible formats
for people with visual impairment and other print
disabilities. It will house over 2 lakhs books in diverse
languages. It will also integrate libraries across India and
the Globe, including the largest international library
Bookshare.
21. Mission Bhagiratha, safe drinking water scheme
launched in Telangana The scheme was launched by
Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi. It was launched by state
Government at Komatibanda Village, Gajwel in Medak
District of Telangana.
Key points : Mission Bhagiratha is a water grid project
that aims to provide safe drinking water to all even to
remotest places in Telangana. The objective of the
scheme is to provide 100 litres of clean drinking water
per person in rural households and 150 litres per person
in urban households. Under it safe drinking water will be
provided to about 25000 rural habitations and 67 urban
habitations.
22. Baristha Bunakar Sahayata Yojana launched in Odisha
Note: A special assistance scheme for elderly weavers.
The scheme was launched by Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik on the occasion of the second National
Handlooms Day (observed on 7th August). The scheme
aims at improving the financial condition of over 8,000
weavers in the state.
23. DISHA scheme launched by govt. - The Union
Government has constituted the District Development
Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DDCMC) for
effective development and coordination of Central
Governments programme. It will be known as DISHA.
Key Points - It will monitor the implementation of 28
schemes and programmes of Union Ministry of Rural
Development and other Ministries to promote synergy
and convergence for greater impact. The main purpose of
the DISHA is to coordinate with Central and State and
local Panchayat Governments. It has been created for
effective coordination and development of Central
Governments programme for infrastructure
development or Social and human resource development.
24. Himayat programme launched in J & K The scheme
was launched in Jammu & Kashmir.
Note: The govt. had approved nearly 1,600 crore
rupees for the implementation of the Hinayat
Programme in the state.
25. Prime Minister launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala
Yojana at Ballia.
Note: It will provide 5 crore LPG connections to BPL
Families.
26. Interest Subvention Scheme for farmers - The scheme
will help farmers getting short term crop loan payable
within one year up to 3 lakhs Rupees at only 4% per
annum.
27. Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) - The Union
Cabinet has approved proposal of extending the deadline
for implementing the Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana
(UDAY) by a year to March 31, 2017. The UDAY scheme
aims at bringing ailing power discoms to a state of
operational efficiency, with state governments taking
over up to 75% of their respective debt and issuing
sovereign bonds to pay back the lenders.
28. Union Government launches UJALA Scheme - Unnat
Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) will help people
of Madhya Pradesh get subsidised 9W energy efficient
LED bulbs by paying just 85 rupees per LED bulb.
29. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: It is a small deposit scheme
for the girl child.
Key points of the scheme
In one family, a maximum of two accounts can be opened
for two girl children. The account can be transferred
anywhere in India from one Post office/Bank to another.
Age Limit: The upper age limit of the girl child for
opening this account is 10 years. The govt. has given a
relaxation of one year in the upper age limit for those
opening accounts till December 1, 2015.
Documents required - 1. Birth Certificate of the girl
child. 2. Address proof. 3. Identity proof.
Minimum & Maximum deposit: The minimum deposit
under the scheme is Rs. 1000/-. The maximum deposit is
Rs. 1.5 lakhs. There is no limit on the number of
investments one can make in an account either in a
month or in a year.
Interest rate: The revised rate is 8.6%.
Maturity period: The maturity period of the scheme is 21
years from the date of account opening, though deposits
need to be made only for the first 14 years. The minimum
lock-in in period under the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is
11 years.
30. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): The
scheme aims to impart skill training to youth with focus
on first time entrants to the labour market and class 10
and class 12 drop outs. The scheme will be implemented
by the Union Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship through the National Skill
Development Corporation (NSDC). It will cover 24 lakh
persons and skill training would be based on the National
Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) and industry led
standards.
31. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY): It
is a low premium insurance scheme which will link with
the Pradhan Mantri Jhan Dhan Yojna.
Key points of the scheme:
Eligibility: Minimum 18 years and maximum 50 years
and have bank account are eligible for the scheme. If the
account is opened before attaining the age of 50 years, the
life cover would remain intact up to the age of 55 years, if
gradeup.co/banking-insurance
premium is paid regularly. Premium - Rs.330 per year i.e.
less than Rs.1 per day. Risk coverage - Rs.2 Lakh in case
of death for any reason. The premium paid will be tax-
free under section 80C and also the proceeds amount will
get tax-exemption u/s 10(10D).
32. Atal Pension Yojana (APY): It is a scheme mainly for
workers in unorganised sector. The scheme will be
administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and
Development Authority (PFRDA) and replace the
previous government's Swavalamban Yojana NPS Lite.
Key points of the scheme:
The subscribers who will joined the scheme would
receive the fixed pension of Rs. 1000 per month, Rs. 2000
per month, Rs. 3000 per month, Rs. 4000 per month, Rs.
5000 per month, at the age of 60 years, depending on
their contributions.
Age limit: minimum 18 years and maximum age is 40
years.
A subscriber can contribute for minimum period of 20
years or more and pension payment will start at the age
of 60 years.
Appointments
National Appointments
1. New Chief Justice of India (CJI) - Justice Jagdish Singh
Khehar. He replaces Chief Justice TS Thakur.
2. New Executive Director (ED) of Reserve Bank of India
(RBI)____Surekha Marandi.
3. New chairman of Tata Sons _____Natarajan
Chandrasekaran
4. New Chief of Army - Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat.
Note: He succeeds Army Chief General Dalbir Singh
5. New Air Chief - BS Dhanoa
6. New Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tata
Consultancy Services(TCS)___ Rajesh Gopinathan
7. New chief executive officer of Flipkart___ Kalyan
Krishnamurthy
8. New chairman of the Union Public Service
Commission(UPSC)_____ Prof. David R. Syiemlieh.
9. DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) has elected party
treasurer as its Working President____M K Stalin.
10. New president of All India Football Federation (AIFF) for
the term 2017-2020____ Praful Patel.
11. Coca-Cola India has signed Bollywood actor as the brand
ambassador for its Thumbs Up brand___Ranveer Singh
12. Rajiv Jain has appointed as new chief of Intelligence
Bureau.
13. New Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu - O. Panneerselvam
14. New director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) -
Alok Verma
15. Non-executive Chairperson of IDFC Bank____Veena
Mankar.
16. Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National
Stock Exchange of India (NSE)____ J Ravichandran.
17. New chief of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation
(DGCA)___ B S Bhullar.
18. New Director-General of Military Operations - Lt.
General A K Bhatt.
19. First woman director of LBSNAA - Upma Chowdhary
The government of India has decided to co-contribute
50% of the subscriber's contribution or Rs. 1000 per
annum, whichever is lower, to each eligible subscriber
account, for a period of 5 years, i.e., from 2015-16 to
2019-20, who join the NPS before 31st December, 2015
and who are not income taxpayers.
33. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY): It is
an insurance scheme which covers death or disablement
of the policyholder caused due to accident or accidental
injuries.
Key points of the scheme: Age limit: Minimum 18 yrs
and maximum 70 years. The scheme will be a one year
cover, renewable from year to year and would be
administered through the Public Sector General
Insurance Companies in collaboration with Banks.
Risk coverage: Rs. 2 Lakh and for partial disability cover
of Rs. 1 Lakh.
Premium: Rs.12 per annum. The premium will be
directly auto-debited by the bank from the subscribers'
account.
20. New Chairman of NHAI - Yudhvir Singh Malik
21. Bindeshwar Pathak is the brand ambassador for Swachh
Rail Mission..
22. Chairman of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India
MS Sahoo.
23. Rajeev Rishi -Indian Banks Association Chairman for
2016-17.
24. Bilal Nazki appointed as chairperson of J&K Human
Rights Commission.
25. Karnal Singh appointed as Director of Enforcement
Directorate.
26. S Sivakumar full-time member of 21st Law Commission
of India
27. Junaid Ahmad appointed as the World Bank Country
Director for India.
Note: He will succeed Onno Ruhl who completed his four-
year term recently.
28. New Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) -
Sushil Chandra.
Note: He will replace Rani Singh Nair.
29. New Director General (DG) of counter-terrorism force
National Security Guard (NSG) Sudhir Pratap Singh.
30. R. K. Pachnanda appointed as Director General of
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
31. New Directors General of the Central Industrial Security
Force (CISF) OP Singh
32. New Governor of RBI Urjit Patel.
Note: He succeeds Raghuram Rajan. He assumes charge
as the 24th Governor of RBI.
33. New Chancellor of The Energy and Resources Institute
(Teri) University Ashok Chawla.
34. New Governor of Manipur Najma Heptullah.
35. New Chief Minister of Gujarat - Vijay Rupani.
Note: He succeeds Anandiben Patel.
36. New Governor of Punjab - V P Singh Badnore
gradeup.co/banking-insurance

37. New Governor of Assam - Banwarilal Purohit 41. New Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar
38. New Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Islands - Jagdish Mukhi.
Khandu. 42. Shashi Arora appointed new CEO, MD of Airtel Payments
39. New MD of SBI Dinesh Kumar Khara Bank.
40. Aishwaryaa R Dhanush appointed as UN Womens
Advocate for Gender Equality and Womens
Empowerment in India.

International Appointments
1. New Prime Minister of Romania____ Sorin 13. New President of the United States of America -
Grindeanu. Donald Trump.
2. Antonio Tajani elected as the new president of 14. New PM of Guinea-Bissau - Umaro Sissoco Embalo
European Parliament. 15. World Bank re-appoints Jim Yong Kim for second
3. New President of Nicaragua___ Daniel Ortega. term as President.
4. New chief justice of Pakistan_____ Justice Mian Saqib 16. Kristalina Georgieva appointed as the new CEO of
Nisar IBRD and IDA.
5. Who has won the 2016 Presidential election of 17. Sarabjit Singh Marwah becomes Canadas first Sikh
Haiti____Jovenel Moise from Haitian Tet Kale Party Senator.
(HTKP). 18. First female President of Estonia - Kersti Kaljulaid.
6. Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio 19. Abdelilah Bekirane re-appointed Prime Minister of
Guterres was sworn in as the 9th UN Secretary- Morocco.
General. 20. New President of Brazil - Michel Temer.
Note: He succeeds Ban Ki-moon. Note: Brazils Senate removed President Dilma
7. The British diplomat appointed as the United Rousseff from office for breaking budgetary laws.
Kingdoms ambassador to the European Union is 21. New PM of Nepal - Pushpa Kamal Dahal
____Sir Tim Barrow. 'Prachanda'.
8. New President of Republic of Ghana ____ Nana Akufo- 22. New PM of Tunisia Youssed Chahed.
Addo. 23. New Prime Minister of United Kingdom - Theresa
9. New Prime Minister of New Zealand___ Bill English. May.
10. New chief of Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI ____Lt Note: She succeeded David Cameron.
Gen Naveed Mukhtar. 24. Nepal's first woman Chief Justice - Sushila Karki.
11. New Prime Minister of France____ Bernard 25. Nita Ambani - first Indian woman to be nominated as
Cazeneuve. a member of the International Olympic Committee
12. US President-elect Donald Trump has announced (IOC).
National Security Adviser - Michael Flynn. 26. New Prime Minister of Iceland - Sigurdur Ingi
Johannsson

International Meets & Summits

1. The 24th edition of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit - Lima, Peru
Theme - Quality Growth and Human Development
Logo of the APEC summit - The architecture of Caral
The 23th edition of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit Philippines.
The 25th edition of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit - Vietnam.
2. Arun Jaitley - inaugurated Economic Editors
Conference-2016 in New Delhi.
3. 104th Indian Science Congress held in Tirupati, Andhra
Pradesh.
4. World Internet Conference 2016 Wuzhen, China.
Theme Innovation driven Internet Development for
the Benefit of All Building a Community of Common
Future in Cyberspace.
5. 8th BRICS Summit Goa, India
Note: - The logo for the Summit is a lotus having colours
from all the five member countries and a traditional
Namaste in the centre. The theme 2016 BRICS Summit is -
Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective
Solutions. 7th BRICS Summit 2015 held in the beautiful
city of Ufa, Russia.
The ninth BRICS Summit will be hosted by China in
2017.
6. 2016 BRICS Labour & Employment Ministerial Meet was
held in New Delhi.
7. The first meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Energy
Saving and Energy Efficiency held in Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh.
8. The 2016 BRICS Youth Summit held in Guwahati, Assam.
Note: The theme of the 2nd youth summit was Youth as
bridge for Intra-BRICS Exchanges.
9. BRICS Women Parliamentarians' Forum meet held in
Jaipur, Rajasthan.
10. The two-day meeting of Ministers of Disaster
Management (MDM) of BRICS countries concluded in
gradeup.co/banking-insurance
Udaipur, Rajasthan with the adoption of the Udaipur
Declaration.
11. The third edition of BRICS Urbanisation Forum Meet has
started in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
12. The first BRICS Wellness Workshop held in Bengaluru,
Karnataka.
13. The 2016 BRICS Convention on Tourism held at UNESCO
World heritage site Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh to
promote intra-regional tourism.
14. First BRICS Film Festival held in New Delhi.
Note: Indian film Thithi has won the best film award at
the first BRICS Film Festival concluded in New Delhi.
15. The first-ever meeting of BRICS Employment Working
Group (BEWG) was held in Hyderabad, Telangana.
16. The BRICS Policy Planning Dialogue was successfully
concluded in Patna, Bihar.
17. 17th India-Russia Annual Summit held in Goa -The year
2017 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic relations between the two countries. India and
Russia have finalised a general framework agreement for
unit 5 and 6 of Kudankulam nuclear plant.
18. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the first edition
of World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) in
New Delhi. It is organised by TERI with emphasis on the
need to limit the rise of climate change. Theme: Beyond
2015: People, Planet and Progress.
19. ASEAN Summit 2016 held in - Vientiane, Laos.
Note: The theme for the 2016 summit was - Turning
Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community.
20. The Jaipur Sufi festival held at the Diggi palace in Jaipur.
Note: It is organised annually by the Foundation
21. of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL), in
association with the Rajasthan government.
22. The first edition of IoT India Congress 2016 held in
Bengaluru, Karnataka.
23. 2016 G20 Summit held in - Hangzhou, China
Indias rankings in different indexes
Bengaluru emerged as the most dynamic city in the
world - According to recently released Jones Lang
LaSalles City Momentum Index (CMI), Bengaluru (capital
of Karnatak) has emerged as the most dynamic city in the
world.
Note: Top 5 cities in 2017 CMI: Bengaluru (India), Ho Chi
Minh City (Vietnam), Silicon Valley (US), Shanghai
(China), Hyderabad (India)
2017 Inclusive Development Index (IDI) - India ranked
60th among the 79 developing countries.
Note: Top 5 developing economies in 2017 IDI: Lithuania
(1st), Azerbaijan (2nd), Hungary (3rd), Poland (4th), Ro-
mania (5th), Uruguay
2017 Global index of talent competitiveness (GTI) -
India was ranked 92nd among 118 countries in the list.
Note: Top 5 Countries: Switzerland (1st), Singapore
(2nd), United Kingdom (3rd), United States (4th), Sweden
(5th).
Note: The theme of 2016 G20 Summit was - Toward an
Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive
World Economy. It was the first ever G20 summit to be
hosted in China and the second Asian country to host the
Summit. Before China, Seoul, South Korea, hosted the
2010 G20 Summit. The 2017 G20 Summit will be held in
Hamburg, Germany, under the leadership of Angela
Merkel. G20 Members: Argentina, Australia, Brazil,
Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy,
Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South
Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States of
America and European Union.
24. NATO Summit 2016 held in Warsaw, Poland.
Note: The organization comprises of 28 member
countries.
25. Asia Security Summit (ASS) - is an intergovernmental
security forum held in Singapore. It is attended by heads
of ministries and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific states
including India.
26. International Buddhist conference held in Nepal to
remember the Buddha Birthday Anniversary.
27. First world conference on tourism for development held
in Beijing to step up International Cooperation Venue:
Beijing, China
Theme: Tourism for Peace and Development 25. World
Humanitarian Summit held at Istanbul.
28. New fund Education Cannot Wait launched at UN World
Humanitarian Summit.
29. The 2016 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
summit concluded in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
30. The Group of Seven (G-7) summit for the year 2016 is to
be held in - Japan Note: The Group of 7 (G7) is a group
consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the
United Kingdom, and the United States. The next major
G7 summit will be held in Japan in 2016.
As per 2016 HSBC Expat Explorer Survey Indias rank in
offering highest salaries to expats____3rd.
Indias rank in the 2016 Global Wind Power Installed Ca-
pacity Index___4th.
Note - The index was released as part of Global Wind Re-
port, Annual Market, the flagship publication of the Global
Wind Energy Council (GWEC).
According to the study of ASSOCHAM, India ranked third
in number of technology driven startups in the world.
India ranked at 7th position among 10 wealthiest coun-
tries. As per the rankings in the report, India is the sev-
enth richest country in the world with a total individual
wealth of 5.6 trillion US dollars.
Note : According to the report US and UK has occupied
the top two positions.
Bengaluru ranked first in the largest share of technology
startups in the country which is followed by Delhi NCR
and Mumbai.
gradeup.co/banking-insurance
India has been ranked 141st out of 163 countries in the
2016 Global Peace Index (GPI), compiled by global think
tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
Indias rank in the 2016 Global Terrorism Index (GTI)____
7th.
According to the 2016 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) India
was ranked 7th among 163 countries in the list of most
impacted by terrorism in 2015. Iraq was the worst hit by
terror in 2015 followed by Afghanistan and Nigeria. Paki-
stan and Syria were ranked fourth and fifth respectively.
Global business optimism index report India ranked at
2nd spot.
Note - The report was released by - the Grant Thornton
International Business Report. In the report Indonesia
took the top spot and Philippines was placed third after
India.
Ease of doing business report: India ranks 130 out of 190
countries in ease of doing business. The report is pub-
lished by World Bank.
World Economic Forums Global Gender Gap Report - In-
dia ranked at 87th on the World 2016. Iceland tops the
latest rankings followed by Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Ease of Doing Business report - Andhra Pradesh and Tel-
angana have jointly topped the Ease of Doing Business
Reforms Ranking 2015-16. The ranking of the states was
conducted by the Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP) and the World Bank.
India ranks 78th in Global Passport Index. Germany
topped the list with a visa-free score of 157 while India
scored 46.
Global Youth Development Index - India ranks 133rd in
the index covering 183 nations. Germany topped the list
which is followed by Denmark & Switzerland.
Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) India rank 39th
among the 138 countries.
Note - The index was released as part of the World Eco-
nomic Forums (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report for
2016-17. Top 5 Countries: Switzerland (1st), Singapore
(2nd), United States 3rd), Netherlands (4th) and Germany
(5th).
2016 Global Power City Index (GPCI) - London has
topped for the fifth consecutive year with Mumbai ranked
39th on the list of the worlds leading global cities for
business, innovation and culture. New York experienced
no significant change in its ratings, retaining its No. 2 slot.
According to New World Wealth, Indias financial hub
Mumbai has been named among top 15 cities globally in
terms of total wealth held, while London topped the list.
Indias Right to Information (RTI) Act, that was passed in
the year 2005, is widely is ranked as 4th best in the
world. Mexico has topped the rankings, followed by Ser-
bia and Slovenia. India scored a total of 128 out of 150
points.
Biomedical investment Attractiveness - India has been
ranked No. 19 in a 28-nation survey of biomedical invest-
ment attractiveness of countries, with an overall score of
59 out of 100. Note: The US, UK and Switzerland lead,
with the US at No. 1 with a score of 86.
Most Safe country - Finland is rated the safest country
while El Salvador was named as the least safe and secure
country in the world in the Global Travel and Tourism Re-
port 2016. Note: In the rankings India, has been Rated
13th lowest country in the world released by the World
Economic Forum.
Global Hunger Index 2016 - India ranked at 97th posi-
tion among 118 countries.
2016 World Economic Freedom Index - India ranks at
112th. Note: Top 5 Countries in 2016 WEFI: Hong Kong
(1st), Singapore (2nd), New Zealand (3rd), Switzerland
(4th), Canada (5th).
India ranks 66th in 2016 Global Innovation Index Note:
Switzerland, Sweden, UK were ranked top 3 countries re-
spectively.
India has been ranked 77th out of 171 countries on the
World Risk Index 2016.
India ranks 10th in FDI inflows: UNCTAD report India
continues to be among the top ten countries in terms of
foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows globally and the
fourth in developing Asia, as per the World Investment
Report 2016 by the United Nations Conference for Trade
and Development (UNCTAD).
Note - The list is topped by United States followed by
Hong kong, China, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sin-
gapore, Brazil and Canada.
India ranks 35th in 2016 Logistics Performance Index:
World Bank Report - In the recently released bi-annual
Logistics Performance Index (LPI) 2016 of World Bank
Group, India ranked 35th among 160 countries. The index
was published in the World Bank bi-annual report Con-
necting to Compete 2016: Top 5 countries in 2016 LPI:
Germany (score: 4.23 points), Luxembourg (4.22), Swe-
den (4.20), Netherlands (4.19) and Singapore (4.14).
India ranks 91st in 2016 Networked Readiness Index
India was placed at 91st position in the recently released
2016 Networked Readiness Index (NRI) by the Geneva-
based World Economic Forum (WEF). Top-5 countries in
2016 NRI: Singapore (1st) Finland (2nd), Sweden (3rd),
Norway (4th), United States (5th),
India ranked 2nd position as per 2016 Global Retail De-
velopment Index (GRDI) - India has been ranked second
position as per 2016 Global Retail Development Index
(GRDI) released by London-based business consultancy A
T Kearney.
India ranks 70th on 2015 Good Country Index - In re-
cently released 2015 Good Country Index (GCI), India has
been placed at 70th position in the list of 163 countries.
The list has been topped by Sweden as the best country.
Top 5 Countries in 2015 GCI: Sweden, Denmark, Nether-
lands, United Kingdom, Germany.
India was ranked low at 105th position out of 130 coun-
tries globally on the 2016 Human Capital Index (HCI),
which was recently released in the World Economic Fo-
rum (WEF) report. Top 5 Countries in 2016 HCI: Finland
(1st position), Norway (2nd), Switzerland (3rd), Japan
(4th), Sweden (5th).
India becomes third largest oil consumer - According to
recently released BP Statistical Review of World Energy
gradeup.co/banking-insurance

India has surpassed Japan to become the worlds third-
largest oil consumer. US is the largest oil consumer in the
world which is followed by China.
India ranked at 9th position in crony-capitalism with
crony sector wealth accounting for 3.4 per cent of the
gross domestic product (GDP). Russia tops the list fol-
lowed by Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.
India tops global slavery index with 18.35 mn peple en-
slaved.
India ranked at 133 on World Press Freedom Index. Fin-
land, retained its top spot for the sixth consecutive year,
followed by Netherlands and Norway.
India ranked 118 in Worlds Happiness Index. Denmark
top spot as the happiest country in the world, displacing
Switzerland, according to The World Happiness Report
2016, published by the Sustainable Development Solu-
tions Network (SDSN), a global initiative for the United
Nations.
India ranked 141 in Global Peace Index - Iceland was
ranked as the worlds most peaceful country, followed by
Denmark and Austria.
India ranked third in attractiveness index of renewable
energy - Indias renewable energy sector has been ranked
third in the Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness In-
dex (RECAI) with China at second and the US on top.
India ranks 44 in 2016 Global Connectivity Index - In
terms of numbers, United States, Singapore and Sweden
top the rankings, while India is ranked 44. The report
sheds light on various global improvements in the field of
internet connectivity.

First in India
Maharashtra Forest Department will launch Indias
first 24x7 toll free number (1926) to lodge com-
plaints or get information about a variety of issues re-
lated to forests and wildlife.
In a first, an all-Indian crew will take part in a two-
week Mars-related research assignment between Jan-
uary 28 and February 12, 2017, at the Mars Desert
Research Station (MDRS) in Utah, US.
Indias first titanium project starts test production in
Odisha.
Indias first Civil Aviation park Gujarat.
Indias first Space park Bengaluru.
Indias first solar powered ferry Kerala.
Indias first IT co-operative UL CyberPark Kerala.
Indias first ever Gender Park Kerala.
Indias first LCD panel plant - Maharashtra.
Indias first railway university set up in - Vadodara,
Gujarat.
Indias first underwater restaurant - Ahmedabad.
Indias first National Organic Farming Research Insti-
tute Sikkim.

Art & Culture

The Bargarh Dhanua Jatra festival has started in the
state____Odisha.
Note - The 11-day gala event will set the stage for all
mythological places related to Lord Krishna based in
the ancient city itself. It is considered to be the
worlds largest open-air theatrical festival.
Who has inaugurated 10-day Island Tourism Festival
2017 at Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar Is-
lands___Lt. Governor Jagdish Mukhi.
The three-day International Kite Festival (fourth) -
New Delhi.
Note : Professional kite flying experts from across In-
dia like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jaipur, Chennai, Kerala,
Punjab, Delhi and the globe are taking part in the fes-
tival.
A special kite making demonstration has been also
organized where professional kite flyers will show-
case their expertise and demonstrate the art of kite
making.
The Tripitak Sutrapath Mahotasava-2016 has started
in the state - Bihar.
The first-ever International Gita Mahotsav held in the
state of India - Haryana.
Kerala celebrates Harvest Festival Vishu.
Gudi Padwa festival celebrated in Maharashtra.
Sajibu Cheiraoba festival celebrated in Manipur.
Simhastha Kumbh mela 2016 concluded in Ujjain.
Kerala, Thazhathangady Juma Mosque opens doors to
women for the first time.
Traditional Chapchar Kut Festival Celebrated Across
Mizoram.
Nagaland Information Commission Rated one of
the best.
Honey festival Celebrated in Mangaluru.
World Sufi Forum Inaugurated in New Delhi.
Arogya Fair held in Goa.
Kashmiri Pandits celebrated annual Kheer Bhawani
Festival.

Book and Authors

1. The book 'Scattered Souls' has been authored by -
Shahnaj Bashir.
2. The book Just Another Jihadi Jane has been authored by
- Tabish Khair.
3. The book Death Under The Deodars: The Adventures of
Miss Ripley-Bean has been authored by - Ruskin Bond.
4. The book The Untold Vajpayee: Politician and Paradox
has been authored by- Ullekh NP.
5. The author of the book The People's President: Dr APJ Ab-
dul Kalam is - SM Khan.
gradeup.co/banking-insurance
6. The book Bose: The Indian Samurai Netaji and the INA
Military Assessment has been authored by - G D Bakshi.
7. The book Magpie Murders has been authored by - An-
thony Horowitz.
8. The book My Odyssey: Memoirs of the Man behind the
Mangalyaan Mission has been authored by - Dr. K Ra-
dhakrishnan.
9. The book The Untold Story of Talking Books has been
authored by - Matthew Rubery.
10. The author of the book titled Jinnah Often Came to Our
House has been awarded with The Hindu Prize 2016 is -
Kiran Doshi.
11. The book An Unsuitable Boy is the autobiography of
which Indian personality- Karan Johar.
12. The book Parijat has been authored by - Nasira
Sharma.
13. Who has launched book series Tactabet for visually im-
paired children- Hrithik Roshan.
14. The book On the Front Line: The Collected Journalism
has been authored by - Marie Colvin.
15. The book India-US relations in the age of uncertainity:
An uneasy courtship has been authored by - B M Jain.
16. The book Emperor Chandragupta has been authored by
- Adity Kay.
17. The book Watership Sown was authored by - Richard
Adams.
18. The book I am a troll has been authored by journalist -
Swati Chaturvedi.
19. The book That thing called love has been authored by -
Tuhin A. Sinha.
20. The book The Secret Chord has been authored by -Ger-
aldine.
21. The book Dipa Karmakar: The Small Wonder has been
authored by - Bishweshwar Nandi.
22. The book The Other One Percent: Indians in America has
been authored by - Sanjoy Chakravorty.
23. The book Many Everests: An Inspiring Journey of Trans-
forming Dream into Reality has been authored by -
Ravindra Kumar.
24. The Indian actor has launched the book titled The Leg-
end of Lakshmi Prasad - Twinkle Khanna
25. The book authored by Shashi Tharoor has been launched
by Vice President M. Hamid Ansari - An Era of Darkness
The British Empire
26. The book Beyond the Last Blue Mountain: A Life Of J. R.
D. Tata has been authored - R M Lala.
27. Book titled Driven: The Virat Kohli Story - authored by
senior journalist Vijay Lokapally.
28. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness authored by
Arundhati Roy
29. Mike McCormack from Ireland has won the 2016 Gold-
smiths Prize for his novel - Solar Bones.
30. Book Andhere se Ujaleki Aurauthored by Union Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley.
31. Book The Adivasi Will Not Dance authored by Hansda
Sowvendra Shekhar
32. The book Water for Elephants has been authored by -
Sara Gruen
33. Modis Midas Touch in Foreign Policy: authored by
Surendra Kumar
34. The Sleepwalker's Dream - authored by Dhrubajyoti
Borah
35. Democrats and Dissenters authored by Ramachandra
Guha
36. The book Far and Away: Reporting from the Brink of
Change has been authored by Andrew Solomon.
37. The book Until the Lions: Echoes from the Mahabharata
has been authored by - Karthika Nair.
38. The book India Rising: Fresh Hope, New Fears has been
authored by - Ravi Velloor.
39. The book Grassroots Innovation has been authored by-
Anil K. Gupta.
40. The book R D Burmania: Panchamemoirs has been au-
thored by - Chaitanya Padukone.
41. Author of the book Gulbadan: Portrait of a Rose Princess
at the Mughal Court is - Margaret Rumer Godden.
42. Author of the book Police and Counter Insurgency-The
Untold Story of Tripuras COIN Campaign is - Kuldeep
Kumar.
43. Author of the book Police and Counter Insurgency-The
Untold Story of Tripuras COIN Campaign is - Kuldeep
Kumar.
44. Author of the book A Book of Light: When a Loved One
Has a Different Mind is - Jerry Pinto.
45. Author of the book The Orphanage of Words is - Shinie
Antony.
46. Author of the book The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian
Ocean Shaped Human History is - Sanjeev Sanyal.
47. Author of the book 'One Indian Girl' is- Chetan Bhagat.
48. Author of the book Theatres of Democracy: Between the
Epic and the Everyday Selected Essays is- Shiv
Visvanathan.
49. Author of the book ' book Life In Diplomacy ' is - M K Ras-
gotra.
50. Author of the autobiography Chitt-Chete written in
Dogri language is - Padma Sachdev.
51. Author of the book An Intimate History of Killing: Face to
Face Killing in Twentieth Century Warfare - Joanna
Bourke.
gradeup.co/banking-insurance
52. Book titled Who Moved My Interest Rate? authored by
the former Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Duvvuri Subbarao.
53. Book titled The Unseen Indira Gandhi authored by Dr
KP Mathur.
54. Book MS: A life in Music authored by T.J.S. George
55. Book titled Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography
by Margaret Alva
56. The book Ace against Odds is the autobiography of In-
dian tennis player- Sania Mirza
Important Committees
1. B N Srikrishna Committee - to review
institutionalization of arbitration mechanism in India_____
2. Ajit Mohan committee - to fight against the menace of
online piracy.
3. Nripendra Mishra Committee - on Indus Water Treaty.
4. Ratan Watal Committee for Digital Payments.
Note: The 11- member committee was notified in Sep-
tember 2016 by the Union Finance Ministry to review ex-
isting payment systems in country and recommend ap-
propriate measures for encouraging Digital Payments.
5. Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Ship-
ping Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stones for 17 road
projects at a cost of Rs 1152 cr in two functions held at
Jiribam and Imphal.
6. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and
Justice, has called for transparency in the appointments
process on the part of the judiciary and the government.
The committee was headed by Deputy Leader of the Op-
position (Rajya Sabha), Anand Sharma.
7. Committee on Demonetisation - Andhra Pradesh Chief
Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
8. Recalibration of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) -
Task Force headed by S.S Mundra, Deputy Governor, Re-
serve Bank of India (RBI)
9. Munialappa committee - to monitor the bird flu situa-
tion and help state governments take steps to contain the
disease.
10. K.S. Valdiya committee - The Saraswati river, so far con-
sidered mythical, did exist, a Governmentconstituted ex-
pert committee has found.
11. GS Jha committee - to visit the Cauvery basin area and
assess the ground.
12. Hem Pande committee - to sell subsidised pulses to en-
sure that there is no shortage of the item during this festi-
val season.
13. Mata Prasad committee - suggested an overhaul in
transmission planning to facilitate transfer of power on
economic principles.
57. Book titled "The making of India: The untold story of Brit-
ish Enterprises" authored by Kartar Lalvani.
58. Book titled 'Shashi Kapoor - the Householder, the Star'
authored by Aseem Chhabra.
59. Book titled 'Anything but Khamosh: The Shatrughan
Sinha Biography' authored by Bharathi S Pradhan.
60. Book titled 'Param Vir: A War Diary' authored by - Manju
Lodha.
61. Book titled Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography authored
by Pramod Kapoor.
14. Justice L Narasimha Reddy committee - to consider the
anomalies, if any, arising out of implementation of OROP.
15. Pradeep Kumar Sinha committee - to develop the pan-
India road map for trade facilitation
16. Ratan P Watal committee - to suggest steps to promote
card payments
17. Amitabh Kant committee (CEO of NITI Aayog) - to look
at easing the policy regime for e-commerce players, in-
cluding the rules for foreign direct investment (FDI).
18. Arvind Panagariya committee - to prepare a road map
for elimination of poverty. It has suggested setting up a
committee to identify people Below Poverty Line (BPL). It
also suggested participation from states in defining the
BPL population.
19. TVSN Prasad committee - to look into the alternatives to
pellet guns. It suggests that the pellet guns should be used
in rarest of rare cases. It suggests for use of other non-le-
thal weapons, like chilli grenade shells, for crowd control.
20. Ak Sinha committee - to study slit in river Ganga in Bi-
har.
21. Justice R.M. Lodha committee - to oversee the function-
ing of Medical Council of India (MCI)
22. NK Singh committee - to review and give recommenda-
tions on Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management
(FRBM) roadmap for the future.
23. Sanjay Mitra committee - to prepare a policy framework
for taxi and other transport operators in view of the ban
on diesel taxis in the National Capital Region (NCR).
24. NK Singh committee - to review the working of the 12-
year old Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management
(FRBM) Act.
25. DB Shekatkar Committee - on defence spending.
26. T S R Subramanian committee - New Education Policy.
27. Lt Gen D B Shekatkar panel - to relook defence expendi-
ture.
28. B BTandon Committee - to monitor Government Adver-
tisements
29. Akhilesh Ranjan committee - recommendations on Tax-
ation of e-commerce
gradeup.co/banking-insurance
Important Dates
1. The World Hindi Day (WHD) is observed every year on
____ 10th January.
Note: The day will promote Hindi across the world and to
mark the anniversary of first World Hindi Conference
(WHD)which was held in 1975.
2. National Youth Day is celebrated in India on ____12th Jan-
uary.
Note: The Union Government had declared to observe the
birthday of Swami Vivekananda as a National Youth Day
every year from 1985 onwards.The theme of this years
Festival is Youth for Digital India.
3. The World Braille Day (WBD) is observed on _____ 4th
January.
Note: The Day create importance of braille for those who
are blind and to commemorate the birth anniversary of
Louis Braille.
4. The United Nations has designated the year 2017 as
_____The International Year of Sustainable Tourism
for Development.
5. The World AIDS Day is observed on ____ 1st December.
Note: The theme for this year's World AIDS Day is Hands
up for HIVprevention.
6. The Raising Day of Border Security Force (BSF) is cele-
brated on - 1st December.
7. The National Pollution Control Day (NPCD) is observed
on - 2nd December.
8. International Day of Persons with Disabilities being ob-
served on - 3rd December.
Note: The theme for this year is Achieving 17 Goals for
the Future We Want.
9. The United Nations (UN) International Volunteer Day
(IVD) is observed every year on- 5th December.
Note: The 2016 theme is Global Applause give volun-
teers a hand.
10. The World Soil Day 2016 is observed every year on - 5th
December.
Note: The 2016 theme is Soils and pulses, a symbiosis
for life.
11. The Armed Forces Flag Day is celebrated annually in In-
dia on - 7th December.
Note: The day is dedicated towards collection of funds
from people for the welfare of the Armed Forces person-
nel.
12. The United Nations (UN) International Anti-Corruption
Day (IACD) is observed every year on ____9th December.
Note: The 2016 theme is United against corruption for
development, peace and security.
13. The Human Rights Day (HRD) is observed every year on
____ 10th December.
Note: The 2016 theme is Stand up for someones rights
today!.
14. The International Mountain Day (IMD) is observed every
year on ____11th December.
Note: The 2016 theme is Mountain cultures: Celebrating
diversity and strengthening identity.
15. The International Migrants Day (IMD) is observed on ___
18th December.
16. The United Nations (UN) International Human Solidarity
Day is observed on ____ 20th December.
17. National Mathematics Day is observed every year on -
22nd December.
18. Kishan Divas (Farmers Day) is observed every year on -
23rd Dec.
19. International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against
Journalists is observed globally on - 2nd November.
20. The first-ever World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD)
has been observed on - 5th November.
Note: The 2016 theme of WTAD is Effective Education
and Evacuation Drills.
21. International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the
Environment in War and Armed Conflict is observed glob-
ally on - 6th November.
22. The National Cancer Awareness Day is observed every
year in India on - 7th November.
23. The World Science Day for Peace and Development
(WSDPD) is observed - 10th November.
The 2016 WSDPD is celebrated with the theme Celebrat-
ing Science Centres and Science Museums.
24. The Public Service Broadcasting Day is observed in India -
12th November.
25. The World Pneumonia Day (WPD) is observed every year
on - 12th November.
The 2016 theme is Keep the Promise, Stop Pneumonia
Now
26. The International Day for Tolerance is being observed in
the world - 16th November.
27. World Philosophy Day is being observed worldwide on -
17th November.
28. The World Toilet Day is being observed across the world
on - 19th November.
Note: The theme for 2016 World Toilet Day is toilets and
jobs focusing on how sanitation or the lack of it can im-
pact peoples livelihoods.
29. The Universal Childrens Day was observed across the
world on - 20th November.
30. The United Nations' (UN) World Television Day is annu-
ally observed in many places around the world on - 21st
November.
31. The 2016 International Day for the Elimination of Vio-
lence against Women is observed every year on - 25th
November.
Note: The 2016 theme is Orange the World raise funds
to end violence against women in which orange colour
gradeup.co/banking-insurance

designated the UNiTE campaign to symbolize a brighter Note: The 2016 theme is Standards Build Trust.
future without violence. 43. The International day of Rural woman is observer across
32. The Constitution Day is celebrated every year on - 26th the world on - 15th October.
November. 44. Nations has declared his birthday as- World Students
33. The National Milk Day (NMD) is celebrated on - 26th No- Day.
vember. 45. World Food Day is celebrated every year around the
34. The World Vegetarian Day (WVD) is observed on - 1st world on - 16th October.
October. Note: The theme of 2016 is Climate change: Climate is
35. The World Habitat Day (WHD) is observed every year on changing. Food and agriculture must too.
- 3rd October. 46. The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is
Note: The 2016 WHD was observed on October 3 with observed on - 17th October.
theme Housing at the Centre. Note: The 2016 theme is Moving from humiliation and
36. The World Animal Day (WAD) is observed every year on - exclusion to participation: Ending poverty in all its
4th October. forms.
37. The Indian Air Force (IAF) Day is celebrated on - 8th Oc- 47. The World Osteoporosis Day (WOD) is observed every
tober. year on - 20th October.
38. The World Post Day (WPD) is observed each year on - 9th Note: The 2016 theme is Love Your Bones Protect your
October. Future.
Note: This day was first declared World Post Day at the 48. The Police Commemoration Day is celebrated every year
1969 UPU Congress in Tokyo, Japan. on- 21st October.
The 2016 theme is Innovation, Integration and 49. The United Nations Day is observed every year on - 24th
Inclusion. October.
39. The World Mental Health Day is being observed annually Note: The 2016 theme is Freedom First.
across world on - 10th October. 50. The Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has celebrated its
Note: The Day raise awareness about mental health is- raising day on - 24th October.
sues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support 51. The 2016 World Day for Audio Visual Heritage is ob-
of mental health. served every year on - 27th October.
40. The International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC) is observed Note: The 2016 theme is Its your story dont lose it.
every year across the world on - 11th October. 52. The first National Ayurveda Day is celebrated on - 28th
Note: The theme of 2016 is Girls Progress = Goals Pro- October.
gress: What Counts for Girls. Note: The theme Ayurveda for Prevention and Control of
41. The International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) is Diabetes to create awareness on peoples health.
observed every year on - 13th October. 53. Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed every year in India on -
Note: The 2016 theme is Live to Tell: Raising Awareness, 31st October.
Reducing Mortality, which targets to reduce mortality Note: The 2016 theme is Integration of India.
globally.
42. The World Standards Day (WSD) is observed every year
on - 14th October.

Best wishes for your exams!

gradeup.co/bankin
g-insurance