2016

Fire Dekha 2016 Current Affairs Pocket PDF
Collected & Mixed By Sankar Chakraborty
Current Affairs January Pocket PDF 2016
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs increase in the budget amount for grid-connected solar
rooftop systems to Rs. 5,000 crore from Rs.600 crore for 2019-2020.
Amaravati will get Indias first ever underwater tunnel under the river Krishna -3km long.
Pakistans Singer Adnan Sami gets Indian Citizenship
Goa set up Investment Promotion Board (IPB) for fast approvals to industrial proposals -
cleared 62 proposals with investment of Rs 5,200 crore.
Government decided to merge the ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA) with the external
affairs ministry.
Telangana becomes the first state in the country to legally accept Electronic motor insurance
policies
e-Vahan Bima -under Motor Vehicle Act 1988
Alstom the French transportation equipment maker rolled out the first set of railway coaches for
the Kochi Metro project - Chennai metro the first.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 103rd Indian Science Congress in Mysore,Karnataka
Theme Science & Technology for Indigenous Development in India
5 key bills assented by Prez Pranab Mukherjee - Article 111
1. Atomic Energy (Amendment) Act
Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Act, 2015
2. Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2015
3. Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015
4. Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts
Act
A friendship bus service between India and Nepal via Champawat in Uttarakhand resumed
after a gap of 27 years.
State election commissioner (SEC) Ashok Kumar Chauhan announced that toilets will be
mandatory requirement for eligibility to contest panchayat elections in Bihar.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh approved 33% of constable-rank personnel in paramilitary Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and 15% in the border
guarding forces for being filled up by women.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the road projects worth Rs
41,000 crore for Telangana.
Union Minister of State for Development of North-Eastern Region (MDoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh
released MDoNER Calender-2016.
Theme Rising North East
Odisha gov increased the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel by 3% each.
Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Shri. Y. S. Chowdary laid Foundation
for the building complex of the International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography (ITCO-
Ocean) at Hyderabad.
BHEL has commissioned 600 MW unit at Kakatiya Thermal Power Project, Telangana.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh approved the allocation of Additional Central Assistance
(ACA) of Rs.1000 crores to 7 states.
Jharkhand,Chhattisgarh,Bihar,Odisha,Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the River
Information System (RIS) in New Delhi.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways decided to directly shift from BS-IV to BS-VI Emission
norms directly by 01.04.2020 -Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin
Gadkari.
Ministry of Urban Development approved the Atal Mission plans for Punjab(720cr) and
Uttarakhand(267cr) for 2015-16.
Kerala Gov implement the Sampoorna Arogya Keralam - Families with annual income below Rs.3
lakh - OutlayRs.20 crore
Ministry of Urban Development has commissioned Quality Council of India (QCI) to make Report
Card of Swachh Bharat Mission
President promulgated Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2016 to make
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Current Affairs Pocket PDF
amendments to the Enemy Property Act, 1968.

Operation Green Hunt to hunt Maoists in Sukma district of south Chhattisgarh.
Maharashtra CMDevendra Fadnavis unveiled Laman Diva as the logo of the first Make in India
(MII) Week scheduled to be held in Mumbai between February 13 and 18.
Gove approved the set up of fifth Greenfield electronics manufacturing cluster in Raipur,
Chattisgarh worth Rs.89 crore
International Kite Festival began at Surat and Rajkot in Gujarat.
Human Resource Minister Smriti Irani unveiled the 43rd New Delhi World Book Fair
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas launched an Online Initiative to engage the LPG Consumers
and Citizens of India.
Governors rule imposed in Jammu & Kashmir under Article 92 (1) after death of Jammu & Kashmir
Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Railway Board chairman AK Mittal inspected first luxury Make in India railway coaches at
Habibganj railwaystation(Bhopal).
Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated Implementation of E-enabled Track
Management System (TMS) & Mobile Application of TMS on Indian Railway and Track Inventory
Management System on Northern Railway at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi .
Telangana became the first State to make gender education compulsory
Kerala became the first state in the country to achieve the status of 100% primary education
declared by Vice-President Hamid Ansari.
Scientists at Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) in Hisar have successfully produced
a cloned buffalo offspring Cirb Gaurav.
CIRB becomes worlds third and Indias second institute to produce cloned buffalo.
20th National Youth Festival has commenced in capital city of Chhattisgarh, Naya Raipur.
Theme India Youth for Skill, Development and Harmony
BHEL commissions 520 MW thermal power unit in Andhra Pradesh in successful operation
at Simhadri Super Thermal Power Station of NTPC.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar approved major changes to the Defence Procurement Procedure
- modernize defence acquisitions
India Meteorological Department (IMD) changed the languages and also redefined many of its
terms.
BSF starts Operation Cold along international border Covering Sriganganagar, Bikaner, Barmer
and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan
14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas held in New Delhi, Organised by External Affairs Ministry
Nitin Gadkari-led Road Ministry announced Rs 11,000 crore for a plan to reduce the number of
road fatalities and to fix 726 black spots .
Supreme Court stayed the Centres notification lifting ban on controversial bull taming sport
Jallikattu during the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar launched two initiatives
SAMEEP(Safety Alert Messages Exclusively For Passengers) is an effort towards instant
communication with railway passengers
B-Safe is a prolonged multi-media awareness campaign.
Union Cabinet gave its nod for India becomes a member country of International Energy Agency
Ocean Energy Systems (IEA-OES) by signing the Implementing Agreement (IA).
Supreme Court suggested Parliament to enact separate law for child rape - rape of infants and
children below 10 years of age
Sikkim turned out to be the Indias first fully organic state by implementing organic practices -
75,000 hectares
Union Human Resource Development Minister Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani inaugurated the permanent
campus (Phase I) of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) at Vithura
Indias Grid-linked solar generation capacity crosses 5,000 MW mark
Jharkhand to set up fast track courts for trial of witchcraft-related attacks relating to witchcraft
incidents.
President Pranab Mukherjee given his assent to the Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2015 -Rs 25 to
Rs 200 per quintal under Sugar Cess Act, 1982
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 with special provisions to tackle
child offenders in the age group of 16-18 years committing heinous offences.
First Mahila Troop inducted for High-Altitude Posts of IC Border - 500 women labor force
The countrys first water tourism will begin in Madhya Pradesh on February 12 to February 21
in Hanuwantiya at Indra Sagar Dam.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) sanctioned 791 crore rupees to the drought
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affected Telangana.
Worlds largest Tricolour hoisted at the Pahari temple in Ranchi - 99 by 66 feet and height of 293
feet.
Pranab Mukherjee launched the Pulse Polio programme for 2016
1st phase six States - Assam, Gujarat, Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Union government released draft for the right of transgender person bill, 2015
Issue the certificate for the identification of the transgender persons
Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh
inaugurated the Hall of Nuclear Power in New Delhi.
For the first time in 10 years, sex ratio in Haryana shown a mounting crossing the 900 mark
with 903 girls per 1,000 boys.
BHEL commissioned the second 660 MW supercritical unit of Lalitpur Super Thermal Power
Project (STPP) in Uttar Pradesh.
Kalraj Mishra released Laghu Udyog Samachar Magazine on Startup India theme in 13th Meeting
of the NBMSME
National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers Welfare was chaired in Sikkim
Chief Guest PM Narendra Modi
Central Information Commission has ruled the Universities and examining bodies for not to charge
more than Rs 2 per page for providing copies of evaluated answer scripts to students.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the results from the first phase of the National
Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16
Improvements in maternal and child health and nutrition and Better care for women during
pregnancy
IIT-Kharagpur has launched an innovation centre to promote the culture of innovation
Union Cabinet approved National Tariff Policy for Electricity to tightening regulations for setting
power rates and promotion of clean energy.
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurate d
the 19th National Conference on e-Governance in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Telangana Gov is set to introduce Course Credits in Secondary education for students to take part
in certain programmes.
Bihar Gov approved 35 per cent reservation for women in government jobs
Cabinet approbated 50000 crore rupees for Infrastructure Projects in TN
Four-lane National Highways projects in Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Tirupur and 2
flyovers in Marthandam and Parvathipuram.
Policy on Promotion of City Compost approvrd by the Union Cabinet to lower the maximum retail
price of city compost for farmers -Rs 1,500 per tonne
Rs 4,918-crore approved for Highway Project in Bihar - 222 kms
Gov granted infrastructure status to the shipyard industry to enable shipyards to avail flexible
long-term funding at lower costs under Income Tax Act, 1961
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs given its nod for setting up over 5,000 MW of Grid-
Connected Solar PV Power Projects - Rs 30,000 crore
Andhra Pradesh has reestablished the Andhra Pradesh Commission for Backward Classes by
exercising the rights vested in the section 3 of Andhra Pradesh Commission for Backward Classes
Act, 1993.
Indias first radio taxi service for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) was flagged off in
Mumbai.
France returns head of Hindu statue taken 130 years ago taken from the Phnom Da temple in
southern Takeo territory by French researchers in 1882-1883.
Union Ministry Environment, Forest and Climate Change had notified stricter environment rules for
sugar industries in various states of the country to minimize water pollution
400 liter per ton limited to 200 liter per ton
The first free Public Wi-Fi service launched by Indian Railways telecom wing RailTel in partnership
with Google at Mumbais central railway station.
Union Tourism Ministry consented fund under Swadesh Darshan scheme, to create infrastructure
for Beating Retreat - Rs 99 crore
On the 119th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, PM Modi publicized the 100 secret
files
Maharashtras first Solar Power operated Mini-Water Supply Plant commissioned in Hingna village
of Mouda Taluka in Nagpur district
Corporate affairs ministry under the initiative of Government Process Re-engineering (GPR) has
initiated the Central Registration Centre (CRC) -to provide speedy incorporation-related services.
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Maharashtra govt given its consent to new maritime policy for port development to create better
facilities around 720 km coastal region of the state.
India commemorated and honoured the 67th birth anniversary of its Constitution as Republic day
French President Francois Hollande was the chief guest of 67th Republic Day
French Marching Contingent 76 member French Army contingent
Army Dog Squad After 26 long years.
For the first time, a women only stunt contingent demonstrated their motorcycle riding skills
The celebration this year was 25 minute shorter than usual.
For the first time, Dhabalu Sisa (41) and Samari Sisa (46) a couple from Odisha attended the
Republic Day function as PM Narendra Modis guests.
For the first time, the parade saw an ex-servicemen tableau
Indian and Chinese troops meet on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh sector of Jammu
and Kashmir for the ceremonial Border Personal Meetings
The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act came
into force for prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
India has donated 40 ambulances and 8 buses to various hospitals, non-profit charitable
organisations and educational institutions in Nepal.
French President Francois Hollande visit to India
Chief guest of the Republic Day parade.
Modi met Hollande at the Rock Garden
16 agreements signed during Business summit regarding Smart Cities, Urban Sector
Development,Solar Photovoltaic Projects,partnership for helicopters
India, France sign Rafale fighter plane accord
India, France ink pacts for cooperation in space technology
Indias first international &inter-governmental organization headquartered in India
Mr. Hollande Bollywood Meet Actors Aishwarya Rai & Shahrukh Khan, Designer Ritu Beri &
filmmaker Aditya Chopra
Indian Railway flagged off Indias first blind friendly train, from Mysuru to Varanasi.
Railway broadband reaches 500,000 households through its Railwire network.
Union Cabinet has publicized the names of the first 20 urban areas that will be developed as smart
cities
Sr. no City State Sr. no City State
1 Bhubaneswar Odisha 11 Indore Madhya Pradesh
2 Pune Maharashtra 12 NDMC New Delhi
3 Jaipur Rajasthan 13 Coimbatore Tamil Nadu
4 Surat Gujarat 14 Kakinada Andhra Pradesh
5 Kochi Kerala 15 Belagavi Karnataka
6 Ahmedabad Gujarat 16 Udaipur Rajasthan
7 Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh 17 Guwahati Assam
8 Vishakapatnam Andhra Pradesh 18 Chennai Tamil Nadu
9 Sholapur Maharashtra 19 Ludhiana Punjab
10 Davangere Karnataka 20 Bhopal Madhya Pradesh
CCEA Approves Hybrid Annuity Model for Highway Projects - provide 40% of the project cost to the
developer
Union Cabinet approved the plan of rising 17 India Reserve Battalions (IR Bns) in Jammu &
Kashmir and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected States.
Aparna Kumar UP cadre IPS officer become the countrys first civil servant to scaled Mount Vinson
Massif.
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced to impose ban on polythene in entire state
from January 2017.
GOI to create Khadi Gramudyog network announced at the 68th death anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi and a book titled Nathuram Godse The Story of an Assassin is also released on the
occasion.
Wings Rainbow in Mumbai and Kerala is to launch G-Taxi (Gender Taxi) operated
owned and operated by members of the LGBT
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
India will no longer receive financial aid from the UK, from January 1, 2016.
New coins featuring William Shakespeare, Beatrix Potter, the Army and the Great Fire of
London are released in 2016.
India and Pakistan exchanged the list of their nuclear installations for the 25th consecutive
year under a bilateral agreement.
Saudi Arabia announced the end ceasefire agreement with Yemens Houthi involve fighters and
their allies.
3 post-graduate courses of Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru ranked top in Central
Asia - Paris-based international agency Eduniversal,
Sri Lanka and Pakistan agreed to expand their bilateral free trade agreement by inclusion of
services and investment and 8 MoUs and defence deal signed
Forbes annual list of achievers under the age of 30
Ritesh Agarwal Neel Rai Anoop Jain
Gagan Biyani and Vishal Lugani Ashish Kumbhat
Neeraj Berry Ashish Patel Dipayan Ghosh
Karishma Shah Nisha Chittal Anisha Singh
Lily Singh Amit Mukherjee Sanjam Garg
Nila Das Sampriti
Divya Nettimi Bhattacharyya
Vikas Patel Saagar Govil
Chinas first lawsuit on same-sex marriage rights has been accepted by a court
Worlds happiest countries- 1. Fiji(beautiful islands) 2.Colombia and 3.Saudi Arabia became third
country - Greece is the third most unhappy country
Nepal elected to the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) executive board, representing the
group of Asia-Pacific countries for the term 2016-2018.
Sri Lanka government proposes new constitution - aimed at devolving power and preventing the
sort of ethnic tensions
Kenya published new broadcast regulations to place strict limits on sexual content and ban
preachers from soliciting money on air.
2016 outsourcing index - top 10 India includes China, Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, The
Philippines, Mexico, Chile and Poland
India and Philippines - greatest priority in case of outsourcing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping reshuffles military headquarters in major revamp 4 HQ
US and Jordan signed a Joint Action Plan (JAP) to improve efforts against nuclear and radiological
smuggling
India has largest diaspora population followed by Mexico and Russia - UN report Trends in
International Migrant Stock
India Tourism Year in China in 2015 andChina Tourism Year in India in 2016 announced by
China National Tourism Administration (CNTA)
Conference of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) on Afghan Peace and Reconciliation
process held in Islamabad
Nepal gov proposed formation of 4-member Eminent Persons Group to review the existing
bilateral agreements with India
Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad after 25 years
WHO announced that the Ebola epidemic that has ravaged West Africa for two years
United Nations reduced its GDP growth forecast for India for 2016 to 7.5% from 8.2% - report
by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
India marked as 2nd largest fruit producer in Global List - handbook, published by the Oxford
University 1. China and 2.Brazil
US removed a wide range of sanctions against Iran
Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTC) India - 89th position.
Switzerland followed Singapore, Luxembourg,United States and Denmark.
Indian business leaders emerged as the most optimistic lot globally about economic recovery in
2016 - Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR).
French President Francois Hollande declared a state of economic emergency to redefine
Frances economic and social model.
India and Israel agreed to intensify coordination to deal with the menaceof terrorism
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USA, China, Germany, the UK and India - most promising markets globally: PwC survey
4 Indian Magnificoes among Worlds 62 Super-Rich -Oxfam report An Economy for the 1%
Mukesh Ambani,Azim Premji,Dilip Shanghvi and Hinduja Brothers
India ranked 4thamong the top five Asia Pacific countries with 2.36 lakh - Asia Pacific 2016 Wealth
Report, by New World Wealth 1.Japan, 2. China and 3.Australia
Indias growth projection unchanged at 7.3% in the current fiscal - International Monetary Fund
(IMF)
World tourism numbers hit record 1.18 billion in 2015 - United Nations World Tourism
Organisation
India and the UK agreed to strengthen economic cooperation in infrastructure financing,
addressing issues of cross-border tax evasion and avoidance.
India ranked 22nd among worlds best countries - World Economic Forum
Top 5 countries - Germany, Canada, the UK, the USA and Sweden
Denmark crowned as Worlds Best Country for Women - US News and World Report.
Second Sweden,Third Canada and Algeria and Pakistan are the worst countries for
females
India submitted its first Biennial Update Report (BUR) to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Global Human Development Report (HDR) 2015 by UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Bangaldesh tops in SouthAsia.Sri Lanka, Iran-69th, Maldives-104th, India- 130th
World Economic Forum (WEF) accredited World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and Salesforce
CEO Marc Benioff to its Board of Trustees.
Indias National capital New Delhi(20th ) and Financial capital Mumbai(12th ) among the top Asia
-Asia Pacific 2016 Wealth Report. First - Tokyo
Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga approved the lifting of sanctions on Iran.
India become the third largest steel producer in the world after China and Japan with a
production of 6 million tonne (mt) in 2015
IIM Ahmadabad, IIM- Bangalore; and the ISB in top 100 on FTs global MBA list by Financial
Times Global MBA Ranking for 2016
Pakistan plans its first mega nuclear power plant - 2,000 megawatts.
Japanese automaker Toyota emerged as the worlds biggest automaker for the 4th straight year.
India at 76th place in its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2015 - Denmark-topped in the list
Danish parliament approved a controversial law allowing authorities to seize refugees cash and
valuables
International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced to implement long due quota reforms - more
voting rights to India and China.
Bill Gates topped the list of 50 Worlds Wealthiest People - Wealth-X
Amancio Ortega(Inditex) 2nd and Warrant Buffett(Berkshire Hathaway) - 3rd
US Agency for International Developments (USAID) extends the funds for the TB-free India
project - USD 7.5 million
India ranks 4th on the list of nations with the most number of think tanks after US, China and UK
Japan unveiled countrys first stealth fighter aircraft X-2
BANKING & FINANCE
RBI asked State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) banks to identify villages with population
above 5,000 without a bank branch
SEBI rejects Sahara plea to restore portfolio manager licence because it was Not fit and proper
for this business
Punjab National Bank launched host of digital banking solutions including green PIN and
enrichment of its mobile app.
Among all Asian and BRICS currencies, Rupee turned out to be one of the best performers in
2015 excluding yen.
LIC introduced a limited premium paying, non-linked with-profits Endowment Assurance
plan Jeevan Labh.
RBI imposes Rs 1 cr fine on State Bank of Travancore
Andhra Bank launched Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) at all its branches max Rs. 2 lakh
India Index Services & Products (IISL) launched the Nifty Private Sector Bank Index.
India to grow robust at 7.8% in 2016-17 - World Banks latest Global Economic Prospect (GEP)
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report
Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance launched micro term insurance plan Bajaj Allianz Bima Dhan
Suraksha Yojana with return of premium option.
Kotak Life launches Premier Life Plan -about 35 to 40 per cent up to 99 years of age
ICICI Bank partnered with FINO PayTech to venture into the payments bank space 30%
SBT to sponsor NeFMS Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MNREGA)
scheme.
HDFC targets fund size of Rs. 5000 crore for HCARE-1 12years
HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company set up a wholly-owned reinsurance company at the
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) -USD 12.33 million.
Indian Bank to raise Rs 1,100 crore from bonds to fund business growth.
Bank of Baroda timely paid over Rs 95 crore as interest to the beneficiaries of its additional tier-I
Basel-III compliant bonds issue of Rs 1,000 crore.
BankBazaar.com launches One Loan Two Homes program to help the flood-affected citizens of
Chennai.
Asian Development Bank extend a $625 million loan to the proposed $840 million
Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor.
SEBI tightened the rules on mutual fund-sector-specific exposure limit 30% of the NAV to 25%.
IndiaFirst Life Insurance joint venture with Bank of Baroda, Andhra Bank enter into pension space
to launches retirement plan
Asian Development Bank extend a $625 million loan to the proposed $840 million
Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor.
India (1945-2015): Largest recipient of loans from World Bank -$102.1 billion
Countrys largest lender SBI opened a branch in Seoul, South Korea
SBI launches dedicated branch for start-ups in Bengaluru-wealth management offering centre -
Exclusif
Bank of India (BOI) acquired 49% stake from BSE Ltd in their joint venture BOI Shareholding
Ltd for an undisclosed amount.
RBI raises shareholding in NHB by pumping in Rs 1,000 crore -Rs 450 crore to Rs 1,450 crore
GOI and WB sign agreement for Neeranchal National Watershed Project -Rs.2142 crore
Chinas Xi Jinping launches Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank-India and 56 countries have
joined as founding members
World Bank released its annual World Development Report (WDR) titled Digital Dividends with
a focal point on the impact of the Internet, mobile phones and communication technologies
on economic development.
Banks to issue 2nd tranche of sovereign gold bonds -915.95 kg amounting to Rs. 246 crore.
Suresh Prabhu announced that World Bank would be the anchor investor in the new Railway
Development Fund.
World Bank to extend $20 million for reconstructing Visakhapatnam's Indira Gandhi Zoological
Park (IGZP).
Somnath Temple is all set to become Gujarats first temple to deposit its idle gold in the Gold
Monetisation Scheme as its trustees 35kg
Bombay Stock Exchange launched a new service for algorithm trading test environment in
partnership with Symphony Fintech Solutions Pvt Ltd.
State Bank of Travancore tied up with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to provide
customers of the state utility online facility for remittance of electricity charges.
Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project got a financial succor of US$ 250 million from World Bank
ICICI Bank inaugurated its first full service branch at Sandton in Johannesburg in South Africa
RBI instructed banks to cease Rs 1,000 notes lacking Security Thread
FreeCharge teamed up with MasterCard & Yes Bank to launch Virtual Card
Gold Monetisation Scheme gets Simplified - depositors to deposit their gold directly with
the refiners .
Deposits in Jan Dhan accounts cross Rs 30,000 Crore
Gov announced that under the monetisation scheme, so far 900 kg of idle household
RBI shortlisted 5 companies for Audit and Risk Monitoring Mechanism (AMRMS)
Auditime Information Systems Pvt Ltd-Mumbai,NCSSoft Solutions Pvt Ltd-Chennai, PWC Pvt
Ltd- Mumbai,Quadrant 4 Software Solutions Pvt Ltd,Chennai and Thomson Reuters Pvt Ltd
Mumbai.
ADB 2nd tranche $80 Million assistance for urban reforms in Agartala & Aizwal
RBI governor Raghuram Rajan joins World Economic Forum (WEF) task force to study the global
finance system
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Bank of Japan has imposed a negative interest rate of -0.1% on accounts it holds for commercial
banks.
State Bank of India and Bank of Baroda are creating stricter norms on anti-money laundering
(AML) framework for their branches outside India.
Gov revised down its annual economic growth for the fiscal year that ended in March 2015
to 7.2% from 7.3%.
RBI increased the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for all states to Rs 32,225 crore for the
current and next financial years.
BUSINESS
Indias Petronet LNG ink revised contract with RasGas of Qatar to import gas at a significantly
lower price.
PM Narendra Modi laid foundation stone of the new plant for the construction of new helicopter
manufacturing unit of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Tumkur district in Karnataka
Oasis Group to invest Rs 500 crore for establishing a wheat-based ethanol plant - at Zira
district, Ferozepur in Punjab.
Union Government abolishes export duty 5% export duty on pellets, 10% on bauxite and 30% on
chromite and iron ore.
Gov decided to shut three units of HMT including HMT Watches, HMT Chinar Watches and HMT
Bearings
Bhel commissioned two 220/20kV substations in Afghanistan to expand its footprint in the strife-
torn nation.
PayPal ties-up with Shopmatic for cross-border transactions -first tie-up with an Indian partner.
IndusInd Bank tied up with online payment solution firm payU India to provide customers the full
suite of consumer banking products online
Flipkart,Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd has entered into an arrangement with Flipkart for online
booking of Mahindra KUV100.
Microsofts charity arm is set to donate $1 billion in cloud computing services over the course of
the next three years
India initiated a probe into alleged dumping of rubber variants used for leather goods by
the EU, South Korea and Thailand
SoftBank invests Rs 100 cr more in Housing.com for premier developers called BRAND FALCON
MRF Tyres and the International Cricket Council (ICC) becomes global partner for four-years deal.
FDI flows into India nearly doubled in 2015 -United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD)
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) gets environmental clearance for a project in
the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin -53,000 crore.
Coca Cola launched milk-based beverages under the brand name Vio.
India has outpaced Thailand as the worlds largest rice exporter in 2015 - Thai Rice Exporters
Association
Ratan Naval Tata the Indian businessman and the Chairman of Emeritus Tata Sons have invested
in the start-up Teabox
Apollo Munich ties up with Axis Bank for offering bank customers a paperless customized
insurance policies.
Dr Reddys Laboratories (DRL) received an approval from the US Food and Drug Administration
(USFDA) for ZembraceSymTouch injection.
Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) are
to collaborate to develop a battery for passenger cars using technology .
Iran, Airbus has signed a deal to buy 118 Airbus jets worth $27.
Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro have joined US President Barack Obamas
ambitious computer science for all
Alibabas first Indian trade facility centre opens in Jaipur and a Hindi portal, aimed at connecting
small and medium businesses
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AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
DAVA (Drug Authentication and Verification Application) project won the 2015 eASIA Award
Sanjay Subrahmanyam conferred with the2015 Sangita Kalanidhi award.
Delhi Police entered into the Limca Book of Records for solving the biggest cash heist case of the
the country in November 2015.
Corporation Bank has bagged three awards at the National Payments Excellence Awards 2015
Flipkart has been named the overall winner of the Website of the Year India 2015
IRCTC has won the Most Popular Website of the Year India 2015 Award
Amputee Mountaineer Arunima Sinha added another feather to her cap by conquering Mount
Aconcagua, Argentina.
Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxmans (41) masterly innings of 281 against Australia at the Eden
Gardens in Kolkata
Costa novel award
Category Author Book
Costa First Novel Award Andrew Michael Hurley The Loney
Costa Novel Award Kate Atkinson A God in Ruins
Costa Poetry Award Don Paterson 40 Sonnets
Costa Children Book Award Frances Hardinge The Lie Tree
Costa Biography Award Andrea Wulf The Invention of Nature: The
Adventures of Alexander Von
Humboldt, The Lost Hero of Science
2015 US bestseller list - Go Set a Watchman written by Harper Lee
Defense Department awarded with Pentagon Award.
Priyanka Chopra won the Favourite Actress in New TV series award at the 42nd Peoples Choice
Awards 2016
Raghuram Rajan conferred with the Central Banker of the Year Award (Global and Asia
Pacific) for 2016 by The Banker.
Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Ananth Kumar gave away the 1st India Pharma
awards during India Medical Expo 2016 in Bengaluru
Category Winner
Overall India Pharma Excellence Award Cadila Healthcare Ltd
India Pharma Leader Award Shri Glenn Saldana, CMD, Glenmark
Pharmaceutical Ltd
Company of the Year Lupin Limited
Bulk Drug Company of the Year SMS Pharmaceutical Ltd
Innovation of the Year Cadila Healthcare Ltd
Research & Development Achievement Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd
Corporate Social Responsibility Programme of the Abbott India Ltd
Year
Medical Devices Company of the Year Harsoria Healthcare Pvt Ltd
Export Company of the Year Campus Pharma Pvt Ltd
Bulk Drug Export Company of the Year SMS Pharmaceutical Ltd
Medical Devices Export Company of the Year Scope Medical Devices Pvt Ltd
Special Award: PSU Company of the Year Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceutical Ltd
Azim Premji has come out as the most generous Indian in the Hurun India Philanthropy List 2015
Balkrishna Garg awarded with the second Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award 2015
CEO of e-commerce giant Snapdeal Kunal Bahl has bagged the Entrepreneur of the Year Award,
2015
BAFTA nominated He Named Me Malala, a documentary on Malala Yousafzai(18) in the upcoming
awards Documentary category for 2016.
Tata Steel Limited bagged eighth time Prime Ministers Trophy for being the Best Performing
Integrated Steel Plant for 2013 2014.
Mangaluru Airport conferred as best in the country
73rd Golden Globe Awards 2016
Category Winner
Picture
Best Motion Picture (Drama) The Revenant
9|Page
Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) The Martian

Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) Leonardo DiCaprio
Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama) Brie Larson
Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) Matt Damon
Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) Jennifer Lawrence
Best Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Best Animated Feature Film Inside Out
Best Foreign Language Film Son of Saul (Hungary)
Television
Best Series (Drama) Mr. Robot
Best Actor in a Television Series (Drama) Jon Hamm
Best Actress in a Television Series (Drama) Taraji P. Henson
Best Series (Musical or Comedy) Mozart in the Jungle
Best Actor in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) Gael Garcia Bernal
Best Actress in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) Rachel Bloom
Best Miniseries Wolf Hall
Best Actor in a Miniseries Oscar Isaac
Best Actress in a Miniseries Lady Gaga
Golden Globes 2016 Winners
Denzel Washington received Cecil B. DeMille award
Best Motion Picture, Drama: The Revenant
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama: Brie Larson, Room
Best Motion Picture, Comedy: The Martian
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul, Hungary
Lionel Messi conferred with the FIFA Ballon dOr award
Kullu folk dance Nati- participation of 20,000 dancers during Kullu Dussehra festival on October
26 2015 entered into the Guinness book of world records.
Amitabh Bachchan bestowed honorary life membership of Kolkatas famed soccer
outfit Mohammedan Sporting
Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) conferred with National Award on e-Governance
2015-16
PepsiCos CEO Indra Nooyi becomes most generous graduate of Yale B-School
David Beckham bestowed with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award
Sonam Kapoor presented the Neerja Bhanot Award to Bangalore-based Subhashini
Vasanth(Vasantharatna Foundation)
Suket Dhir won the Rs 48.5 lakh (A$100,000) worth prestigious International Woolmark Prize.
Shri Narendra Modi presented the Times Now Amazing Indians Awards 2016
Category Winner
Incredible Innovators Chintakindi Mallesham
Young Indians, Big Achievements Damini Sen
Young Indians, Big Achievements Malavath Poorna
Ordinary Indians, Extraordinary Achievements Murugan S
Energising India Mathews K Mathew
Indian at Heart Timothy
Global Indians Yashraj Khaitan
Grassroots Soldier Late Kallen Pokkudan
Grassroots soldier Popatrao Pawar
Educators of India Ruma Roka
Stree Shakthi Sunita Aralikar
Unstoppable Indians S Ramakrishnan
Writer Ankita Anand won the Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for work on Khap panchayats
Largest bollywood dance performance of students held at Khalsa College in Amritsar placed
in Guinness Book of World Records-8,726 students from 40 schools .
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan awarded with Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship in
Singapore
2016 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature conferred upon Anuradha Roy for her novel Sleeping
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on Jupiter
61st Britannia Filmfare Awards 2015
Category Winner
Best Film Bajirao Mastani
Best Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) Ranveer Singh
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) Deepika Padukone
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male) Anil Kapoor
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) Priyanka Chopra
Best Playback Singer (Male) Arijit Singh
Best Playback Singer (Female) Shreya Ghoshal
Best Costume Anju Modi and MaximaBasu
Best Choreography Pt Birju Maharaj
Best Film Piku
Best Actor (Male) Amitabh Bachchan
Best Actor (Female) Kangana Ranaut
Lifetime Achievement Award Moushumi Chatterjee
RD Burman Award Armaan Mallik
Best Debut (Male) Sooraj Pancholi
Best Debut (Female) Bhumi Pednekar
Best Debut Director Neeraj Ghaywan
Dr Jancy James- first woman Vice Chancellor of Kerala selected for the Prof MV Pylee Award
Easterine Kire from Nagaland, won The Hindu Prize, 2015 for When the River Sleeps
Director Joshua Oppenheimer's "The Look of Silence", based won the Top Documentary Award at
the 9th Annual Cinema Eye Honours.
Graphic Design Award: Stefan Nadelman and Hisko Hulsing
Outstanding Debut Award: Crystal Moselle
Short Film Award: "Hotel 22" and "Buffalo Juggalos"
National Bravery Awards 2015
Category Winner
Bharat Award (Highest of the National Kawduji Sahastrabuddhe(15)
Bravery awards)
Bharat Award Shivansh Singh (13)
Geeta Chopra award Shivampet Ruchitha (8)
Sanjay Chopra Award Arjun Singh (16)
Bapu Gaidhani Award Ramdinthara (15)

Bapu Gaidhani Award Rakeshbhai Shanabhai Patel (13)
Bapu Gaidhani Award Aromal SM (12)
National Bravery Awards Kashish Dhanani(Gujarat), Maurice
Yengkhom andChongtham Kuber Meitei
(Manipur), Angelica Tynsong (Meghalaya) Sai
Krishna Akhil Kilambi(Telangana), Joena
Chakbraborty andSarwanand Saha
(Chhatisgarh) , Dishant
Mehndiratta (Haryana),Beedhovan, Nithin
Philip Mathew, Abhijit KV, Anandu Dillep,
Muhammad Shamnad (all from Kerala), Mohit
Mahdenrda Dalvi, Nilesh Revaram Bhil,
Vaibhav Ramesh Ghangare (all from
Maharashtra),Abinash Mishra (Odisha)
and Bhimsen from Uttar Pradesh.
Govt inducted new category of award for Most Film Friendly State/UT
Prime Minister NarendraModi has become second most followed Indian on social media site
Twitter after Shah Rukh Khan.
National Award for Technology Innovation in Petrochemicals 2015-16 presented by Ananth Kumar
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Category Winner
Innovation in Polymeric Material
Industry Indian Oil Corporation Ltd
Ester Industries Ltd
Academic and R&D Institution IIT Guwahati
Innovation in Polymeric Products
Industry Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd
Innovation of Polymer processing Machinery & Equipments
Industry Kabra Extrusiontechnik Ltd
Academic and R&D Institution IIT Madras
Innovation in Polymer waste Management & recycling technology and green polymeric material &
products
Industry Supreme Industries Ltd
Academic and R&D Institution Defence Institute of Advanced Technology
Polymers in Agriculture & Water Conservation
Mr. S Dinesh Kumar & Mr. MJ Giridharan
Polymers in Public Health Care
Industry Sahajanand Medical Technologies Pvt Ltd
Research in the field of Polymer Science & Technology
Industry Reliance R&D Centre
Academic and R&D Institution Indian Oil Corporation Ltd
Adeles (UK) recent hit song Hello reached a staggering one billion views - enters Guinness
Book of World Records
Jodhpurs Umaid Bhawan Palace named as Worlds Best Hotel - Travel site TripAdvisor
Padma Awards 2016
Padma Vibhushan awardees
Winner Name Winners Field
Rajinikanth Actor
Ramoji Rao Media baron
Girija Devi Classical vocalist
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Spiritual guru
V K Aatre Former DRDO chief
Avinash Dixit IndianAmerican economist
Jagmohan Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor
Yamini Krishnamurthi Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dancer
Dr V Shanta Cancer specialist and chairperson of Adyar Cancer
Institute
Padma Bhushan awardees
Anupam Kher Actor
Udit Narayan Singer
Hafeez Contractor Architect
Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry Industrialist
Vinod Rai Former CAG
Sania Mirza Tennis Star
Ram Sutar Indian sculptor
Saina Nehwal Badminton star
Late Swami Dayanand Spiritual leader
Saraswati
Swami Tejomayananda Spiritual leaders
Heisnam Kanhailal Theatre personality
R C Bhargava Maruti Suzuki chairman
Indu Jain Chairperson of Bennett, Coleman & Co
Robert Blackwill Former US Ambassador to India
Barjinder Singh Hamdard Ex-parliamentarian, editor of Punjabi
Newspaper
Prof N S Ramanuja Tatacharya Sanskrit Scholar
Prof D Nageshwar Reddy Asian Institute of Gastroenterology
Venkata Rama Rao Alla Drug technology
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Padma Shri awardees

Ujjwal Nikam Senior lawyer
Saeed Jaffrey (posthumous) Actor
Priyanka Chopra Actor
Ajay Devgn Actor
SS Rajamouli Filmmaker
Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards 2015
Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak
Winner Place from winner belong
Ullas Unnikrishnan (Posthumous) Kerela
Munna alias Ramdars Sisodiya(Posthumous) Madhya Pradesh
Ankit Kumar Mishra (Posthumous) Uttar Pradesh
Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak
Shivakumar R. Karnataka
Laldinpuia Mizoram
Shaitan Singh (Posthumous) Rajasthan
Jitendra Kumar Soni Rajasthan
Shourya Veer Singh (Posthumous) Madhya Pradesh
Riya Chaudhary (Posthumous) Uttar Pradesh
Monika alias Manisha (Posthumous) Uttarakhand
Gaurav Kumar Bharti (Posthumous) Uttar Pradesh
Ravindra Pal Singh (Posthumous) Uttar Pradesh
Gallantry Awards 2016
Ashok Chakra-Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami
Kirti Chakra-Subedar Mahendra Singh and Sepoy Jagdish Chand (Posthumous)
Shaurya Chakra
1. Colonel Santosh Yashwant Mahadik (Posthumous)
2. Sepoy Dharma Ram (Posthumous)
3. Major Praphul Kumar Bhardwaj
4. Lieutenant Harjinder Singh
5. Naik Kheem Singh Mehra
6. Major Anurag Kumar
7. Major Sandip Yadav
8. Naik Satish Kumar
Melbourne based Sajeev Koshy honoured with the Order of Australia to recognise his services to
dentistry in Victoria, Australia.
Bollywood actress Rekha honored with the third Yash Chopra Memorial Award in Mumbai -
presented by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao
Indian origin person Cottalango Leon selected for the2016 Technical Achievement Award of
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Parrikar presented Rakshamantri Award for excellence for 2012-13 and 2013-14
For year 2012-13
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) won the award for Excellence performance, Innovation and
Indigenization.
Award for Best performance in Exports was given to BEML
For Best performing Shipyard award was given to GRSE
Best performing Factory of OFB was given to Ordnance Factory, Kanpur
Best Performing Division of DPSUs was given to BEL,(S&CS) Bengaluru
Award for Systems of IACCS Networks was given to BEL, Ghaziabad
Award for Indigenization of Special Tools Test Equipments & fixtures for Milan-2T
warhead to Milan Group, BDL Hyderabad
For year 2013-14
Award for Excellence in performance to BEL
Award for Best performance in Exports to BEL
Best Performing Division of DPSUs to HAL, Avionics Division Hyderabad
Best performing Factory of OFB to Ordnance Equipment Factory Kanpur
Best performing Shipyard to GRSE Kolkata
Award for EOFCS U1 for Control of Medium Calibre 76 mm Gun Mount and High Rate of Fire
AK 630 Gun Mount to D&E, FCS/SBU-NS (Radar & FCS) Group BEL Bengaluru.
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Allan Border Medal 2016 presented to David Warner

Category Winner
One Day International Player of the Year Glenn Maxwell
Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year Alex Ross
State Player of the Year Adam Voges
Womens International Cricketer of the Year (Belinda Clark Ellyse Perry
Award)
USD 5,000 William E Colby Award 2016 conferred upon book Midnights Furies: The Deadly
Legacy of Indias Partition authored by Nisid Hajari.
Wildlife film maker & Padma Shri awardee Naresh Bedi honoured with V Shantaram Life Time
Achievement Award
Indian activist and lawyer Henri Tiphagne selected for Amnesty International Germanys human
rights award 2016.
Abhinav Bindra honored by ISSF(International Shooting Sport Federation)
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar selected for the K Veeramani Award for Social Justice 2015 for
his contribution towards social justice.
Prince Mahidol Awards awarded to Professor Morton M Mower and Sir Michael Gideon Marmot
Hindi writers Amlendu Tiwari and Om Nagar selected for the 11th Navlekhan award of the
Bharatiya Jnanpith.
veteran actress Waheeda Rehman honoured with a special award at the 6th Yashwant
International Film Festival 2016 in Mumbai.
Director of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (NPP) Ramayah Shanmuga Sundar has been
conferred with Order of Friendship by Russia
Tom Hanks has been named Americas most popular movie star for the fifth time
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
United Nations appointed Lionel Messi and pop sensation Shakira to promote eradication of
poverty by 2030.
Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria took over as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff of IAF.
Atul Sobti charged as chairman and managing director (CMD) of BHEL
Javed Ahmed appointed DG of Police of Uttar Pradesh -replace vacant Jagmohan Yadav
D.K.Hota appointed as CMD of defence PSU BEML Ltd .
Syngene International appointed Jonathan Hunt as CEO-designate after Peter Bains
Wipro appointed Abidali Z Neemuchwala as chief executive officer (CEO), succeeding T K Kurien
Shekhar Saran assumed charge as CMDof Ranchi-based Central Mine Planning & Design Institute
Ltd
Mary Barra first Woman to chair General Motor as CEO succeedor of Tim Solso
Novo Nordisk announced Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar as brand ambassador for the
disease awareness campaign Changing Diabetes
Filippo Grandi (58) appointed as the new High Commissioner for the UN Refugee Agency
(UNHCR)- succeedor of Antonio Guterres,
LinkedIn named Akshay Kothari its India head - succeedor of Nishant Rao.
Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) appointed Kunal Shah, as the new chairman.
Vishal Suri CPO in Thomas Cook appointed as managing director - succeedor of Rajeev Wagle.
Aditya Birla Group appointed Sushil Agarwal group CFO and Ashish Adukia as the deputy CFO the
groups telecom venture, Idea Cellular
Vedanta Ltd appointed Samir Cairae as CEO of the Metals division in India
Telecom engineer and inventor Sam Pitroda designated as the Technical Advisor to the Odisha
Gov
Thilanga Sumathipala,President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC)become the head of the Asian Cricket
Council.
Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra replaces Aamir Khan as Incredible India ambassador
Centre has appointed AB Khare as the Chairman and Managing Director of the state-run Madras
Fertilizers Ltd succeedor of I Vijay Kumar.
Dr. Achyuta Samanta has been elected as the general president for the 105th Indian Science
Congress Association (ISCA)
Gurbir Grewal appointed as the top prosecutor in New Jersey - first South Asian
Devender Kumar Sikri appointed as chairman of Competition Commission of India (CCI)
14 | P a g e
succeedor of Ashok Chawla

Gajendra Chauhan designated as the chairman of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)
Wipro appointed Bhanumurthy B. M. as the President and Chief Operating Officer
Sailesh appointed as Registrar General and Census Commissioner (RGCC) of India by
Appointments Committee of Cabinet
Flipkart.com named Binny Bansal as its CEO-succeedor of Sachin Bansal.
Economist Paul Kaba Thieba named as the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso by the President Roch
Marc Christian Kabore
Micromax appointed VikasThapar as new senior vice president for finance.
Airbus Group designated Ashish Saraf as its Vice-President of Industry Development, Strategic
Partnerships and Offsets.
French IT services firm Capgemini appointed Srinivas Kandula as the CEO of its India operations
succeedor of Aruna Jayanthi
DHL Express designated Ken Lee as its Chief Executive Officer for Asia Pacific region succeedor
of Jerry Hsu
R Shivakumar, Chairman of Kumar Group of companies, Bengaluru appointed as the Chairman of
Assocham Karnataka Regional Council.
Bhaskar Bhat appointed as chairman of Tata-SIA joint venture Vistara
Ronaldinho appointed as Brand Ambassador of Nagjee International Club Football Tournament
Taiwan elected its first female president Tsai Ing-wen succeedor of Ma Ying jeou
HSBC appointed Ravi Menon as the chief executive of its asset management arm - succeedor of
Puneet Chaddha
Dinesh Sharma elected into the 12-member board of directors of AIIB
Tata Motors appointed Guenter Butschek as its Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director
Ola has appointed Raghuvesh Sarup as its chief marketing officer
Lalu Prasad Yadav elected as president of his party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for the ninth
consecutive term
Mindtree appointed RostowRavanan as CEO and Managing Director and Krishnakumar Natarajan
moved on to the role of Executive Chairman.
ICSI(Institute of Company Secretaries of India) appointed Mamta Binani as its President
Shri Sanjiv Ranjan designated as the next Ambassador of lndia to Republic of Argentina.
Parliament of Moldova accredited Pavel Filip as the 3rd Prime Minister of European nation
10 new EDs appointed in public sector banks
Name Previous Bank Now
Mayank K Mehta Union Bank of India Bank Of Baroda
Dina Bandhu Mohapatra Bank of India Canara Bank
Vinod Kumar Kathuria Punjab National Bank Union Bank of India
R Subramania Kumar Punjab National Bank Indian Bank
Rajkiran Rai G Central Bank of India Oriental bank of Commerce
Nageswaro Rao Y Vijaya Bank Vijaya Bank
A S Rajeev Indian Bank Indian Bank
Ramesh S Singh Central Bank of India Dena Bank
G Subramaia Iyer Canara Bank UCO Bank
Sunil Mehta Allahabad Bank Corporation Bank
Ravi Chellam designated as the executive director of NGO Greenpeace India - succeedor of
Samit Aich.
Government has designated Atulesh Jindal as the Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes
succeedor of Arun Kumar Jain.
Amit Shah was elected as the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa elected as President of Portugal succeedor of Anibal Cavaco Silva
Alice Vaidyan appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of General Insurance Corporation of
India (GIC Re) first women
Lava International ltd promoted Navin Chawla as chief operating officer
Sachin Tendulkar appointed as the brand ambassador of a newly-launched pleasure cruise
Twitter designated Leslie Berland as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
Gurdeep Singh appointed as chairman and managing director (CMD) of central PSU National
Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)
SC of India has accredited Justice Sanjay Mishra as the Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh.
Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Pandey is appointed as the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities
15 | P a g e
(CCPD)
Ten Non-Official Directors appointed in banks
Name of Appointee Bank Name
Girish Kumar Ahuja & Pushpendra Rai State Bank of India
Amit Chatterjee & G Gopalkrishna Dena Bank
Archana Ravindrarai Dholakia Bank of Maharashtra
V V R Sastry & M Bhagavantha Rao Vijaya Bank
Prof Radha R Sharma Allahabad Bank
Satyanarayana Dash NABARD
Atanu Sen Punjab and Sind Bank
Department of Telecommunications has designated J.S. Deepak as its Secretary succeedor of
Rakesh Garg.
Blue Star Ltd has designated Vir S Advani as its Managing Director and B Thiagarajan as Joint
Managing Director
P. Harish appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Mexico
Vice-Admiral Sunil Lanba designated as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Naval
Command.
SCHEMES
Gov will unveil Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for kerosene from 1st April 2016
TN Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa launched the scheme Amma Seeds available through Amma
Service Centres across the state
Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti
launched Ganga Gram Yojana at Village Puth in Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh 1600 villages
Union Cabinet approved the Stand Up India Scheme to promote entrepreneurship
among SC/ST and Women entrepreneurs.
Mission Indradhanush added Four new vaccines -adult Japanese Encephalitis vaccine, Rotavirus
vaccine and Measles Rubella vaccine - Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Jagat
Prakash
TN Chief J Jayalalithaa launched a round-the-clock call centre for ensuring fast response to
grievances.
Nai Manzil Scheme is an integrated Education and Livelihood Initiative for the Minority
Communities launched in Jammu and Kashmir
Union Government decided to extend the Scheme Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao to 61 more
districts in 2016
SEEMA DARSHAN - to provide an opportunity for the children to experience the border
environment and to encourage patriotism and nationalism among the students - Ministry of
Human Resource Development
Andhra Pradesh Gov launched Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam Scheme to support the tribal
women
Cabinet approves Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana - new crop insurance scheme,
having premiums as low as 1.5% of the sum insured.
Start Up India, Stand Up India launched in Thane by Deepak Ghaisas - Rs 10,000 crore 4
years
MoUs
PM Narendra Modi given its ex-post facto approval for the approach adopted by India at the
10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya- Nairobi Package.
India and Bahrain signed an agreement to strengthen their ties in key areas like trade and
counter-terrorism.
Maharashtra gov signed an MoU with private helicopter service company Pawan Hans - to
boost tourism
31 countries signed Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) to
increase the transparency in functioning of multinational enterprises (MNEs)
GOI,Jharkhand and the JBVNL (Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited)signed the first MOU for
operational & financial turnaround of Discoms under the Scheme UDAY
GOI signed MOU under the Scheme Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) with the State
of Uttar Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL).
GOI, Chhattisgarh and CSPDCL (Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company
16 | P a g e
Limited) signed a MoU for operational & financial turnaround of Discoms under the
Scheme UDAY
Rajasthan gov signed MoU with the Central Government of India to join Ujwal DISCOM
Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme.
GOI signed a MOU under the Scheme Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) with the State
of Uttar Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL).
Union cabinet given its ex-post-facto approval to MoU with Bangladesh for Mode of Operation
of Border haats on India-Bangladesh Border
Union Cabinet apprised the protocol signed earlier between India and Czech Republic in the
field of heavy industry
India-Australia Social Security Agreement comes into operation toenabling people of both
nations to avail retirement benefits
Reliance Defence Ltd signed an MOU with Andhra Pradesh gov to set up a naval facility along
the countrys eastern coast
20,000 crore
Sri Lanka and Pakistan agreed to expand their bilateral free trade agreement - 8
MoUs and defence deal signed
Haryana Gov signed eight MoUs with top companies of China to set up a USD 10
billion industrial park and smart cities
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) signed a MoU with National
Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) for web-based monitoring of watershed projects.
RINL - Visakhapatnam Steel Plant inked an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh Gov - Rs 38500
Crores
Union Cabinet chaired given its ex-post facto approval for the MoU between India and
Maldives cooperation in the field of Health
Government signed a loan agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) for
pollution abatement of River Mula-Mutha under National River Conservation Plan - Rs. 1000
crore
NHAI has signed MoU with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) under Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) and North East Centre for Technology Application and Research
for monitoring and managing national highways.
Madhya Pradesh and the Singapore government have signed four MoUs
1,000-megawatt wind energy plant
MoU on urban planning
MoU on skill training
MoU on food processing
Exim Bank and the Andhra Pradesh have signed MoU for promoting exports
Maharashtra and Tata Trust signed MoU for a skill training programme for the youth
MoU inked between the Department of Space / Indian Space Research Organization
(DOS/ISRO) and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR) to cooperate & use of outer
space for peaceful purposes.
Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) inked MoU with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the
Department of Space for monitoring mining activity
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) inked MoU with Department of
Telecommunication (DoT) for the implementation of National Action Plan for Skill Development in
Telecom Sector.
GOI and Armenia inked the protocol to amend the existing Double Taxation Avoidance
Convention
Indian and Russian researchers signing an agreement for a period of six months in the areas of
basic and Exploratory Sciences.
The Union Cabinet has recently settled an approval for cyber security pacts signed with Malaysia,
Singapore and Japan - CERT-In.
Union Cabinet approved the MoU between India and Singapore on cooperation in the field of civil
aviation.
COMMITTEES
Gov constitutes Committee for Holistic interpretation of the provisions of the Cinematograph Act/
Rule - Headed by Filmmaker ShyamBenegal
Gov has formed a committee to review pay structure and social security benefits provided
to Gramin Dak Sevaks headed by Kamlesh Chandra
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Justice R MLodha panel submits report to SC for reforms in BCCI

Recommended suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals due to their
involvement in illegal betting and spot-fixing
Arvind Panagariya panel to fast-track bullet trains to accelerate the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-
Speed Rail Corridor,
Gov decided to set up a high-powered panel headed by cabinet secretary P K Sinha to process
the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission
Kamal Hassan and Gautam Ghosh are inducted in the Shyam Benegal committee to holistically
look into the functioning of controversy ridden Central Board of Film Certification.
Union Ministry of Finance released the draft report of 10 member committee headed by Justice R
V Easwar (Retd) Committee to simplify the provisions of Income-tax Act, 1961.
Legislative Department of Union Law Ministry initiated an expert committee to review
the Specific Relief Act, 1963.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda set up a Central monitoring team which constitutes a technical
group to monitor the Zika situation.
SC instructed the Union Government to set up a committee to investigate the living
conditions and salary structure of over 3 lakh nurses.
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
Reliance capital gets CCI nod to acquire Goldman Sachs fund arm -Rs.243 crore in cash.
Airtel acquires 100 per cent stake in Augere Wireless - Rs 3,314.36 crore.
Union Cabinet approved a proposal for the formation of a joint venture companies between
Indian Railways and state governments - Rs 100 crore
SBI buy four premium flats in the citys tony Peddar Road area from the loss-making Air India -
Rs 90 crore.
Paytm acquires Shifu for $8mn to enrich customer experience
Nokia announced acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent(French firm) for 15.6 billion euros i.e. USD 16.6
billion.
Zydus Group acquired select brands and the manufacturing operations in Haridwar of Zoetis
Quikr to acquire Commonfloor - $200 million
Abraaj Group is set to acquire a majority stake in Quality CARE India Ltd - 72% for 2,000 crore.
Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. Ltd. acquired major stake i.e. 51% in India Circus Retail Pvt.
HCL Technologies Ltd acquired oUKs Point to Point Ltd and Point to Point Products Ltd for Rs 78
crore.
Cognizant has acquired KBACE Technologie for an undisclosed amount.
Airtel and Axiata to merge Bangladesh operations - $2 billion
Apple Inc. acquired San Francisco-based education-technology startup LearnSprout
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd launched a web-based portal for registrars and share transfer agents
(RTAs)
worlds largest blue star sapphire, weighing 1404.49 carats found in a mine in the city of
Ratnapura, in southern Sri Lanka
Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das inaugurated the states land bank web portal jharbhoom.Nic.In
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) decided to open a 100 acre Space Park in Bengaluru
NASA discovers five superstars in other galaxie which are parallel to Eta Carinae - using data
from NASAs Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes.
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) officially confirmed the permanent
addition of four new elements to the periodic table
Atomic number 113, 115, 117 and 118
Mylan Pharmaceuticals Private Limited has launched their generic Hepatitis C medicine under
brand name MyHep LVIR in India
Chinas country code domain .cn has become worlds most commonly used in the internet
Microsoft launched the Surface Pro 4 in India in three variants
Pune based research labs of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)have
developed new ammunition
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A team of scientists led by an Indian-American professor discovered a new method that may help
in detecting dwarf galaxies dominated by dark matter
NASA successfully tested driverless car using at NASA Centre in California
Researchers at a university in Britain developed viruses that could halt the decline of Muga
caterpillar in India
Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated implementation of E-enabled Track Management System
(TMS) and Mobile Application of TMS on Indian Railway at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi.
Illumina announced the launch of the startup named GRAIL to develop blood-based cancer tests.
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda launched m-Health initiatives
Kilkari means babys gurgle delivers free, weekly, time-appropriate 72 audio
messages about pregnancy, child birth and child care
Mobile Academy - It is a free audio training course designed to Accredited Social Health
Activists (ASHAs)
M-Cessation -It aims at reaching out to those willing to quit tobacco use
TB Missed Call initiative -A helpline with a toll free number will provide information,
counselling and treatment support services for TB.
NASA declared spacecraft Juno became the farthest travelled solar powered spacecraft
Second largest black hole in the Milky Way discovered by Japanese astronomers - CO-0.40-0.22
NASSCOM (The National Association of Software and Services Companies) 10K Start-up
Program in partnership with the Telangana government inaugurated the T-Hub NASSCOM Start-
up Warehouse in Hyderabad.
Zinnia became the first flower that has finally bloomed in outer space - Veggie lab aboard
International Space Station (ISS)
SPACEX Launching NASA Jason-3 Ocean Surveillance Satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base,
California
Chinese scientists develop new bio-artificial liver to help recover patients liver functions
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Siodia launched DVAT BILL App to boost Delhi Governments tax
collection
ISRO launched PSLV-C31 rocket successfully, carrying IRNSS 5th , IRNSS-1E from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota
TranServ launched Indias 1st Social Mobile Wallet, Udio - enables squaring of dues, sharing
dinner bills or a cab ride a hassle free task
Largest Prime Number discovered - 274,207,281-1 dubbed M74207281
India will set up a satellite tracking and imaging centre in southern Vietnam that will give Hanoi
access to pictures from Indian earth observation satellites.
Union Government launched Sahaj Scheme for online booking of LPG cylinders. The booking can
be done through the unified web portal www.mylpg.in
In Latin America countries the Mosquito-borne Zika virus has created a panic over thousands
birth defects
Intelsats next generation satellite Intelsat 29e was successfully launched from French Guiana
aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle.
Astronomers of Royal Astronomical Society (RSA) have discovered the largest known solar
system 2MASS J2126-8140
GOI launches National Job Portal for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) Thaawarchand Gehlot
Stockholm becomes the worlds first city to get the ultra high speed 5G mobile network.
Puducherry Lt Governor AK Singh launches MITRA(Mobile Initiated Tracking and Rescue
application) app to ensure safety and security of women, children and the elderly during
emergency.
Customs Department initiated its first-of-its-kind mobile application in the world dubbed Indian
Customs Guide to Travellers to inform people about all Indian customs rules
DEFENCE
North Korea successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test marking a stunning step
forward in its nuclear development.
15th edition of bilateral exercise between India and Japan titled Sahayog-Kaijin 2016 -
Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the Bay of Bengal.
Indian and French troops commenced their 8 days counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency
joint exercise at the Mahajan field firing range in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
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10th edition of the bilateral Indian Navy-Royal Omani Navy biennial exercise take place in the
Arabian Sea
INS Kadmatt - second ship of Project 28 (P28) class anti-submarine warfare
Israel gets fifth German-made nuclear-capable submarine INS Rahav - built in Kiel, Germany -
$500 million
An indigenously-built third generation anti-tank missile, Nag successfully hit in the Mahajan Field
Firing Range, Rajasthan.
Three Mi-25 gunship helicopters manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) were supplied
by India are officially join the Afghan Air Force.
Akash the medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile was successfully test fired from complex-3
of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipuri in Odisha
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASAs) revamped planet-hunting Kepler
spacecraft has discovered more than 100 planets orbiting other stars
A British woman Sue York became the first person in the world to have a pancreas transplant
ENVIRONMENT
The oceans will contain more plastics than fish by 2050 - World Economic Forum (WEF) and Ellen
MacArthur Foundation.
Global warming causes $1.5 trillion loss on middle-class - Swiss financial services major UBS
report, titled Climate change: A risk to the global middle class,
Worlds largest canyon far larger than the Grand Canyon in the US(in the picture) has been spotted
by Chinese scientists.
Seven Buddhist caves discovered at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivli (Mumbai) in India.
The Oldest Christian monastery St Elijahs monastery in Iraq destroyed by the jihadist
group Islamic State (IS).
A team of scientists from India, Sweden, China, the US and Russia discovered a new bird species
Zoothera salimalii in Himalayan Forest Thrush in northeastern India .
Indian biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju with his team discovered a new genus of tree hole-breeding
frogs named Frankixalus in the forests of northeast India and bordering parts of China.
Tea Board of India launched the 5th version of its ambitious Plant Protection Code for the Indian
Tea industry.
SPORTS
ICC ranking - India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as the number one Test bowler and all-
rounder.
Top-10 Test batsmen:
1.Steve Smith (Aus) 899 points 6.Younus Khan (Pak) 826
2.Kane Williamson (NZ) 889 7.Angelo Mathews (SL) 808
3.Joe Root (Eng) 888 8.Hashim Amla (SA) 774
4.AB de Villiers (SA) 877 9.Misbah-ul-Haq (Pak) 764
5.David Warner (Aus) 827 10.Alastair Cook (Eng) 764
Top-10 Test bowlers:
1.Ravichandran Ashwin (Ind) 871 points 6.Ravindra Jadeja (Ind) 789
2.Dale Steyn (SA) 867 7.Trent Boult (NZ) 787
3.Stuart Broad (Eng) 859 8.Josh Hazlewood (Aus) 752
4.Yasir Shah (Pak) 846 9.Vernon Philander (SA) 739
5.James Anderson (Eng) 838 10.Tim Southee (NZ) 731
Top-5 Test all-rounders:
1. Ravichandran Ashwin (Ind) 406 points
2. Shakib Al Hasan (Ban) 384
3. Stuart Broad (Eng) 326
4. Vernon Philander (SA) 293
5. Ravindra Jadeja (Ind) 259
National Wrestling Championship
Womens 48kg
Mens 65kg
Gold RituPhogat
First Bajrang
Silver AprnaBishni
Second Rajneesh
Bronze Pooja and Nirmal
Third Manoj and Bhagat Singh
20 | P a g e
Mens 57kg
Gold SandeepTomar
Silver Ravinder
World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the Qatar Masters Chess Open 2015
2015 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) championship clinched by India 7th time
Rajsamman won the P.T Rajan Gold Cup ridden by jockey Tanveer Alam
Mumbai teenager Pranav Dhanawade hits world record by scoring 1009 runs at school level
tournament
Apurvi Chandela won Gold with a world record in the 10m Air Rifle at the Swedish Cup Grand
Prix.
Silver - Astrid Steffensen and bronze medal Stine Nielsen
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation won 26th Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey tournament and defeated
Indian Railways
Oxigen Wallet announced as the Title Sponsor for the upcoming Masters Champions League
(MCL).
Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings
Mens Singles Womens Singles
First: Siril Verma(Indai) First: Carolina Marin(Spain)
Second:TomaJunior Popov(France) Second: Saina Nehwal(India)
Third: Chirag Sen(India) Third: Li Xuerei(China)
Ninth: Kidambi Srikanth(India) Twelfth: PV Sindhu(India)
Indian National football team has climbed 3 steps above & reached at 163rd on the ladder of FIFA
world rankings.
Belgium is the top,Bhutan-192nd,Nepal-196th and Thailand- 121st.
Australia pulled out of the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh due to threat to Australian
interests.
Wayne Rooney England Player of the Year (POTY)for 2015, retaining the title for the second
successive year.
Miguel Tabuena from Philippines won the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Month for December.
First: Miguel Tabuena, Second: Phachara Khongwatmai(Thailand),Third: Himmat
Rai(India)
Sania Mirza(India) and Martina Hingis(Swiss) won their sixth title in line by lifting the WTA
Brisbane trophy defeating German wildcards Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic
Qatar Open 2016
Category Winner Runner up
Singles Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Rafael Nadal (Spain)
Doubles Feliciano Lopez (Spain) Philipp Petzschner (Germany)
Marc Lopez (Spain) Alexander Peya (Austria)
Nick Kyrgios secured the Hopman Cup for Australia Green by beating Alexandr Dolgopolov
Sloane Stephens claimed her second WTA title after defeating Julia Goerges
Stanislas Wawrinka from Switzerland won the 2016 Chennai Open title of tennis after defeated
the Borna Coric of Croatia
Tennis WTA rankings:
Sania and Martina, the world number one womens doubles team,
Man Double Ranking - Marcelo Melo of Brazil, followed by Horia Tecau of Romania and
Netherlands Jean-Julien Rojer.
Mens Singles -Novak Djokovic of Serbia tops the chart ahead of Andy Murray of Great
Britain and Swiss Roger Federer.
The new IPL franchise, Pune appointed Stephen Fleming as their coach
Queens Turf won the Queen Elizabeth Commemoration Cup
ICC and MoneyGram International announced an eight-year deal as an event partner for ICC
occasions from 2016-2023.
Indias Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis broke a 22 year old world record by
winning their 29th womens doubles match in WTA Sydney International, in Sydney.
The Auckland Aces shot maker Colin Munro hit a 14-ball 50 to send the Black Caps to a
comfortable nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka - 2nd-fastest 50 in T-20
Rene Holten Poulsen named Denmarks sportsperson of 2015
FIFAs emergency committee has dismissed Jerome Valcke from the position of FIFA Secretary
21 | P a g e
General
Former World No.1 tennis player Marat Safin of Russia has joined the International Tennis Hall of
Fame, the Russian Tennis Federation.
Mesut Ozil voted as Germany national team player of the year for the fourth time.
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis are continued to lifted their second trophy of the season with the
WTA Apia International title
Indian batsman Virat Kohli broke AB de Villiers record to become the fastest batsman to
reach 7000 runs in One Day Internationals.
2016 Apia international title of tennis
Mens Singles Viktor Troicki of Serbia defeated Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria Womens Singles
Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia defeated Monica Puig of Puerto
Mens Doubles Jamie Murray of UK/Bruno Soares of Brazil defeated Rohan Bopanna of
India/Florin Mergea of Romania
Womens Doubles Martina Hingis of Switzerland/Sania Mirza of India defeated Caroline
Garcia of France/Kristina Mladenovic of France
Indian Test team led by Virat Kohli climbed to the top of the ICC Test Rankings after South Africa
crashed, defeat against England in Johannesburg.
Russias Ivan Popov bagged the title 14th Parsvnath Delhi International Chess Festival in New
Delhi
Ronnie OSullivan won his 6th 200,000 Snooker Masters title after defeating Barry Hawkins at
the Alexandra Palace in London.
Delhi Acers were crowned the champions of the inaugural edition of the Premier Badminton
League after they defeated the Mumbai Rockets
BCCI imposed a life time ban on Haryana off-spinner bowler Ajit Chandila due to his involvement
in the IPL spot-fixing scandal 2013.
Stuart Broad become the first England bowler since Steve Harminson in 2004 to top the ICC
player ranking for the test bowlers
Jehan Daruvala won the New Zealands most prestigious events, the Lady Wigram Trophy
Chris Gayle Equals Yuvraj Singhs Fastest T20 Fifty Record in a Big Bash League semifinal.
Syed Mushtaq Ali title bagged by the Suresh Raina-led Uttar Pradesh by defeating Irfan Pathan-
led Baroda in Mumbai.
Roger Federer clinched his 300th win in grand slams after defeating his Bulgarian
challenger Grigor Dimitrov in Australian Open.
International Cricket Council (ICC) appointed the Channel 2 Group as its global audio rights
partner
Malaysia Masters Grand Prix
Category Winner
Mens Singles Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia)
Womens Singles P. V. Sindhu (India)
Mens doubles Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Indonesia) & Markus Fernaldi Gideon
(Indonesia)
Womens doubles Ayaka Takahashi (Japan) & Misaki Matsutomo (Japan)
Mixed doubles Zheng Siwei (China) & Li Yinhui (China)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul Veteran West Indies batsman ends 22-year international career
Sourav Kothari from Kolkata defeated Siddharth Parekh in the final of the National Billiards
Championship in Indore.
Rohit Sharma,Mumbai batsman claims a career-best 5th position in the ICC batsman rankings
India defeated Pakistan to win the first ever blind T20 Asia Cup at the Nehru Stadium, Kochi.
Japans Izumo Takuto and Hong Kongs Zhu Chengzhu became champions at the
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Junior Circuit Finals in the boys and girls
categories
2015 FIH Awards
Category Winner Country
Player of the Year (Men) Robert Van der Netherland
Horst
Player of the Year (Women) Lidewij Welten Netherland
Rising Star of the Year award (Men) Chrisopher Ruhr Germany
Rising Star of the Year award (Women) Lily Owsley Great Britain
Goalkeeper of the Year award (Men) David Harte Ireland
Goalkeeper of the Year award (Women) Joyce Sombroek Netherland
22 | P a g e
Indian Test team return to the top of the International Cricket Council (ICCs) Test Rankings after
South Africa beat against England in Johannesburg.
Australia is at 2nd and England is at 3rd
Indias top pistol shooter Heena Sidhu secured an Olympic quota for the country by clinching gold
medal in womens 10-m air pistol at the Asia Olympic Qualifiers for Shooting.
In the latest BWF ranking P V Sindhu to World No. 11 and wala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa were
placed at World No. 14.
Tenniss governing bodies constituted an Independent Review Panel for safeguard integrity in
tennis that was headed by Adam Lewis.
Graham Xavier Ford designated as the chief coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team for his second
stint succeedor of Marvan Atapattu
Australian Open 2016
Category Winner Runner up
Mens Singles Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Andy Murray (UK)
Womens Singles Angelique Kerber (Germany) Serena Williams (US)
Mens Doubles Jamie Murray (UK)/Bruno Soares (Brazil) Daniel Nestor (Canada)/Radek
Stepanek (Czech Republic)
Womens Doubles Martina Hingis (Switzerland)/Sania Mirza Andrea Hlavackova (Czech
(India) Republic)/Lucie Hradecka
(Czech Republic)
Mixed Doubles Elena Vesnina (Russia)/Bruno Soares Coco Vandeweghe (US)/Horia
(Brazil) Tecau (Romania)
34th National Rowing Championship

Category Winner
Senior Women
Open single sculls Navneet Kaur (Pun)
Double sculls Harpreet Kaur & Navneet Kaur (Pun)
Coxless fours Odisha (Pramila Prava Minz, Pratima Puhana, Sanjukta Dung, Manjula
Xess)
Pairs Sanjukta Dung & Manjula Xess (Odi)
Senior Men
Single sculls Sandeep Kumar (All India Police)
Lt wt double sculls G. Vishnu Prasad & Arjun B. Panicker (Ker)
Coxless four Punjab (Lachhman Singh, Sushil Kumar, Robin Mangar, Rohit Kumar)
Lt wt coxless fours All India Police (Dharmendra Choudhary, Nitesh Kumar Lall,
Ravinderjit Singh, Jagsir Singh)
Pairs Gurwinder Singh & Karamjeet Singh (Pun)
Reigning Olympic champion Jenn Suhr of the US broke her own womens world indoor pole vault
record by clearing 5.03 meters at the Golden Eagle Invitational meet.
OBITUARY
Founding member and singer in the British heavy metal band Motorhead Ian Fraser Lemmy
Kilmister(70) passed away
Grammy-winning singer best known for the songs Unforgettable, Inseparable and This Will Be
Natalie Cole passed away
Veteran Communist Party of India leader A.B. Bardhan, 92, passed away
English cricketer Matthew Hobden(22) passed away
Former Wigan Athletic defender Steve Gohouri(34) passed away
Former Chief Justice of India Sarosh Homi Kapadia(68) died
6th Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away
Noted Gujarati writer Labshankar Thakar(80) passes away
Phantasm star Angus Scrimm passed away at 89 - Alias
First female F1 driver Maria Teresa de Filippis(89) passes away
Noted Hindi writer and journalist RavindraKalia(78) passed away.
The one-time Grammy nominee Otis Clay inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013 passed
away
23 | P a g e
The iconic singer David Bowie passed away at 69

The Hero of 1971 war with Pakistan, Lieutenant-General J.F.R. Jacob passed away at 92
British actor and Director Alan Rickman, a classically trained stage star passed away at 69.
Noted filmmaker Anil Ganguly passed away at 82
Television actor Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay-popular character of Guran in Bollywood blockbuster,
Lagaan passed away at 66
Veteran journalist Gopal Krishna Roy passed away at 82.
Former Sikkim Governor and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ventrapragada Rama Rao
passes away at 81
Noted Punjabi folk singer Manpreet Akhtar passed away at 55
Noted Sandalwood film-maker and lyricist Geethapriya (84) passed away.
Yasutaro Koide, the worlds oldest man, a Japanese, died at the age of 112.
Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey has died at the age of 67
Senior journalist and scholar Aroon Tikekar passed away at 72
Noted danseuse and Padma Bhushan recipient Mrinalini Sarabhai passed at the age of 97.
Ravindra Reddy founder Chairman of MTAR passes away at the age of 77
Legendary tabla player Shankar Ghosh died at the age of 80
Ms Nirmala Gajwani the former Deputy speaker of Gujarat Assembly passed away - first lady
Deputy Speaker
Malayalam film actress Known for comic roles Kalpana Ranjani aka Kalpana passed away
Marvin Minsky, a mathematician, computer scientist and pioneer in the field of artificial
intelligence (AI) passed away at 88
American actor Abe Vigoda known for roles in The Godfather and Barney Miller, passed away at
94
Former India basketball captain Ranbir Chopra died
TOI managing editor Arindam Sen Gupta passed away
Former minister and freedom fighter Maheswar Baug passed away at 85
The former Army Chief General and a former Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland,
Manipur and Tripura, K.V. Krishna Rao
Jefferson Airplane guitarist and co-founder Paul Kantner passed away at 74
Noted Telugu litterateur Nayani Krishnakumari passes away at 86
TN Gopakumar Editor-in-Chief of Asianet News and Veteran journalist at the age of 58 passes
away
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Anything But Khamosh Shatrughan Sinhas biography released by BJP veteran LK Advaniat in
New Delhi.
Narendra Modi released a book titled MARU BHARAT SARU BHARAT(My India Noble India)
through a video conference in Mumbai- authored by Jain Acharya Ratnasundersuriswarji Maharaj
Vice President Hamid Ansari released the book Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian Polity In
Perspective - edited by former police officer P.J. Alexander
The Minister of State (MoS) for Railways Manoj Sinha released a book titled Objective Railway
Engineering-Track, Works & Others authored by a well known Civil Engineer MM Agarwal.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, released a book named The Z Factor written by Shri
Subhash Chandra.
PM releases unique illustrated version of Shri-Durga-Saptashati compiled by Dr. Sandeep Joshi
Union Minister of Human Resource Development Launches Veer Gaatha Series of Books on Param
Veer Chakra Awardees
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee released ten books including a book on Tolerance at the 40th
Kolkata International Book fair.
Vice President Hamid Ansari released the second volume of memoirs of President Pranab
Mukherjee titled The Turbulent Years 1980-1996 at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
24 | P a g e
IMPORTANT DAYS
Jan 1 : World Braille Day

Jan 10: World Hindi Day
Jan 12: National Youth Day - Theme: Indian youth for development skill and harmony
Jan 15: Indian Army Day
Jan 24: National girl child day
Jan 25: National Voters Day, National Tourism Day
Jan 26: 67th Republic Day - Theme of Parade : Swachh Bharat' and 'Digital India
Jan 26: International Customs Day - Theme: Digital Customs: Progressive Engagement
Jan 27: International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust
Theme: From Words to Genocide: Antisemitic Propaganda and the Holocaust
Jan 30: Martyrs Day
Jan 31: World Leprosy Day
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25 | P a g e
Current Affairs February Pocket PDF 2016
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Union governments Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) agreed to set
up Indias first defense industrial park at Ottappalam - 231.25 crore
30th Surajkund International Crafts Mela celebrated at Faridabad in Haryana
Theme State - Telangana
Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalitha laying the foundation stone for the states first 800-MW supercritical
coal-based power plant at Athipattu in Tiruvallur district
Meghalaya becomes the Indias fastest-growing state with a growth rate of 9.7% in 2013-14 and
MP 9.5%
Government set up a Tax Policy Research Unit (TPRU) and Tax Policy Council by replacing Tax
Research Unit and Tax Policy and Legislation
2016 National Pension System (NPS) - 11,459,555 subscribers with total corpus of Rs. 90, 327
crore.
Indias first underwater restaurant Real Poseidon(20 feet below ground level) initiated
in Ahmedabad
Union Health Ministry issued detailed guidelines for fighting against Zika virus
Mumbai Metropolitan Metro- highest potential for modern retail in the country at Rs 1.05 lakh
crore - Think India. Think Retail. 2016 report
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Counter-Terrorism Conference 2016 at Jaipur
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 3rd edition of Global Ayurveda Festival at Kozhikode, Kerala
Instrument of Ratification of the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear
Damage, 1997 submitted by India to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - Rajiva
Misra
Invest Karnataka 2016, the first Global Investors Meet (GIM)
Theme where the future is made at Bengaluru.
147 projects with a commitment to invest Rs 1.33 lakh crore.
Ministry of Finance in partnership with SBI Caps is organized an India Investment Summit in New
Delhi
Maharashtra rolled out a deradicalisation programme for the minority community in wake of IS
threat
Odisha government lifted the restrictions on visit of foreign tourists to certain tribal areas in the
State after 3 years
Gov approved highway projects worth Rs 17,000 crore for 9 states.
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh and Punjab.
Union Government to set up National Organic Farming Research Institute in Sikkim
PM Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation - Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited, a
petrochemical complex at Lepetkata.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visit to Sri Lanka
9th session of Joint Commission meeting was co-chaired by Sushma Swaraj and Sri Lankan
foreign affair minister Mangala Samaraweera.
Both Nations signed MoUs on education and health sectors
Both Nations agreed to find an innovative and lasting solution to the fishermen issue.
Right of Minority Tamils
India offers succored to Sri Lanka in IT sector
Sushma Swaraj inaugurates Rise of Digital India exhibition - Sangam festival of India in
Sri Lanka 2015-2016.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,urban development ministry given its stamp of approval to the
projects worth of Rs. 12 crore.
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Project Sunrise on for prevention of AIDS in
the 8 North-Eastern states
Kerala Literature Festival Kozhikode, key topics like spirituality, social media, womens issues,
Dalit issues, freedom of expression, environment issues and media activism
National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) at Bhubaneswar, Odisha dedicated
to nation by PM Modi.
India has more than 15 lakh registered companies but only 10.7 lakh of them were active -
1|Page
Corporate Affairs Ministry

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav launched a new UP Revenue Code - code 39 Acts
Indias first fully solar-powered educational institute by Sri Aurobindo International Centre for
Education Puducherry.
GOI global development agencies launch a programme to eliminate malaria in 11 years
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) raising a squad of 162 dogs for their specialised Urban
Search and Rescue (USAR) tasks
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 15 million tonne per annum Indian Oil Corporation 11th
refinery at Paradip, Odisha.
Under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, PM Narendra Modi approved Rs 1 lakh crore loans to
small entrepreneurs
India will host the first Global Maritime Summit in April announced at the International Fleet
Review 2016 by the president of India.
TRAI issued the Prohibition of Discriminatory Tariffs for Data Services Regulations, 2016.
To ensure that consumers get an unobstructed and non-discriminatory access to the
internet.
Mumbai plans to set up Indias first international arbitration centre
Home minister Rajnath Singh approved new norms on disaster management to take care of all
emergencies arises
Very harsh type of disaster is categorised as Red, moderate type is categorised
as Orange and low type is designated as Yellow.
Petroleum and Natural Gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan released the North East Hydrocarbon
Vision-2030 in Guwahati.
State covered under Vision Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram,
Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
5 Pillars of Vision:People,Policy,Partnership,Projects and production
Internet Readiness Index Maharashtra followed by Karnataka, Gujarat, Telengana and Tamil
Nadu
Ministry of External Affairs and Railway will lay the Rail Line to connect Agartala with Akhaura in
that country by 2017
GOI is easing rules for real estate business by giving construction permits around airports and
monuments by developing colour-coded maps.
Indian Railways Launched 3 IT enabled projects
Paperless unreserved ticketing mobile application.
Hand Held Terminals for TTEs.
E-booking of disposable linen on trains.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change finally notified wild pig as vermin for a year
in Uttarakhand
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi unveiled a draft document Vision Assam 2030.
Theme - Everything for Everyone
Sikkim gov will construct Mini Sikkim for showcasing the states diverse and rich culture - fifteen
ethnic communities
The Tithal beach in Valsad district of Gujarat - Indias first disable friendly beach in the country -
Rs.5 crore
Health Ministry initiated National Framework for Malaria Elimination 2016-2030 - J P Nadda
Elephanta Island to get electricity from Independence Day 2016 - Rs 25 crores.
Madhya Pradesh gets its First Mega Food Park promoted by M/s Indus mega Food Part Pvt. Ltd -
Rs. 127.70 crore
Dr Jitendra Singh and Shri Kiren Rijiju inaugurate the festival Destination North-East-2016 -
Mumbai and Bangalore
Gujarat Gov announced a new IT Policy and Incentive Scheme (2016-21), -Rs. 25 crore
To promote the sector by providing subsidies to investors and create 10 lakh new jobs.
States can clampdown mobile internet access under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code
(CrPC) as ruled by the Supreme Court.
Vizag port in Hyderabad will be the first major port to run on solar energy - Rs. 60 crore
PM Narendra Modi instigated Make In India Week at MMRDA ground in Mumbai on 18 February.
India is blessed with three Ds: Democracy, Demography and Demand
Maharashtra signed MoUs with 3 companies worth Rs.21, 400 crore.
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has completed its 100 years of foundation
Established in 1916 by freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya.
The national bird of India Peacock termed as vermin and collected in Goa.
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J Jayalalithaa CM of Tamil Nadu inaugurated a series of projects worth Rs 1,002.02 crore - five
bridges and five railways over bridges
Minister of Urban Development M.Venkaiah Naidu released the results of Swachh Survekshan-
2016 of 73 major cities
Rank City State/UT
1 Mysore Karnataka
2 Chandigarh Chandigarh
3 Tiruchirapalli Tamil Nadu
4 New Delhi Municipal Corporation New Delhi
5 Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh
6 Surat Gujarat
7 Rajkot Gujarat
8 Gangtok Sikkim
9 Pimpri-Chinchwad Maharashtra
10 Greater Mumbai Mumbai
GOI sanctioned Rs 4,100 crore as a disaster relief fund to seven states.
Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Tamil
Nadu.
Uttar Pradesh amended the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reform
It replaces Land Revenue Act of 1901, Zamindari Abolition and Land Reform Act 1950
and Land Revenue Act, 2015.
BHEL commissioned a 101 MW gas-based Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) in Tripura.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) are
collaborating for joint research, exchange of faculty and students
Ravi Shankar Prasad announced to increase number of common service centres in the country to
cover 250,000 gram from 150,000
GOI unveiled the National Capital Goods Policy - first ever policy for the capital goods sector -
230,000 Cr in 2014-15 toRs. 750,000 Cr in 2025
Food Processing Sector in Jharkhand gets its first Mega Food Park in the State - 114.73 crore
Ministry of Culture with Nehru Memorial Museum and Library organized a Special Lecture and a
National Conference as part of Commemoration of Tatya Topes 200th Birth Anniversary.
Union Cabinet given its stamp of approval to ink a concord in the area of Traditional
Medicine between Ministry of AYUSH, GOI and World Health Organization, Geneva.
Samej village in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh becomes smokeless by the Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC)
International Cricket Council (ICC) and United Nations Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
launched the Team Swachh clinics in partnership with BCCI
Cabinet on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the construction of 6 railway lines and a railway
bridge at an estimated cost of Rs 10,700 crore.
Awas Yojana (Urban) - Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation accredited construction
of 81,757 houses for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in urban areas in 7 states.
West Bengal, Telangana, Bihar, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand
Indian Railway Project Management Unit (IRPMU) initiated a computer-based signalling system at
Khurja junction, a city famous for pottery in Uttar Pradesh.
Tamilnadu(Venkatamangalam) And West Bengal To Invest 150crores In Waste
Management under the Swachh Bharat mission
Union Cabinet given nod to Election laws (Amendment) Bill 2016
Section 11 of the Delimitation Act, 2002 and Section 9 of the Representation of the
People Act
The first phase of Keralas dream project jointly initiated by states CM Oommen Chandy and UAE
Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Al Gergawi - Rs 400 crore
PM Narendra Modi gave its assent to the Amendments of Delimitation Act,2002 -
100thAmendment
Gov gave its approval for clearance of 8 highway projects worth 6000 crores.The total length of
the project is about 350 kms.
Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab ,Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh
Tricolour to fly high at all central universities - Smiriti Zubin Irani - 207 Feet high mast
BHEL commissioned a 270-MW coal-based thermal power project of GVK Power & Infra Ltd in
Tarn Taran District of Punjab
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Maharashtra Gov decided to formulate policy on Green Corridor to transport organs within the
stipulated time.
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh leading the charts in establishing the Special Purpose Vehicles
(SPV) for the implementation of smart city plans.
200 crore for the 20 selected cities
Gujarat Restricts Mobile For Women -Mehsana near Suraj has restricted unmarried women to use
mobile Rs 2100 fine
Katni in Madhya Pradesh to have Indias longest railway bridge of 14 km -Rs.200cr
President of Himimachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) and BCCI secretary announced the
launch of Swachh Himachal Campaign Padhai bhi, Safai bhi in Dharmashala.
creating awareness and better understanding among youth about the current sanitation
situation
Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma
Bharati to inaugurate Jal Manthan 2 in New Delhi.
Theme : Integrated Approach for sustainable water Management
Mahamaham - Hindu religious festival celebrated in Kumbakonam once in twelve years during the
full moon of Tamil month Maasi (Feb-March)
Kasaragod district of Kerala has been declared as the second zero landless district, after Kannur -
Ramesh Chennithala
The 42nd Khajuraho Dance Festival begun in Khajuraho, Chhatrapur District in Madhya Pradesh
Exhibition on history of Indian coin & currency in the Great Hall of North Block, New Delhi -
inaugurated by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
Assam Cabinet approved Mass Rapid Transit System and given green signal to Detailed Project
Report of Guwahati Metro Rail Corporation Limited - 203 Km
India to host 3rd Asian Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation -April 12
Mizoram launched National Food Security Act, 2013 - Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer
Affairs Minister John Rotluangliana at Aizwal
India has shown a mounting in sex ratio from 933 females in 2001 to 943 in 2011 for every
1,000 males - Office of Registrar General of India(RGI)
Union cabinet approved to incentivize cashless transactions by providing support in various ways
President inaugurates Indias first gender park Thantedam Gender Park at Vellimadukunnu in
Kozhikode
Seismic Microzonation reports for Delhi and Kolkata has been released by Union Minister for
Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Entire country classidfied into 4 major groups from Zone-V (High intensity) to Zone-II
(Low intensity).
13th world spice congress-an event conducted by spices board, the cochin
Slogan: Target 2020: clean, safe and sustainable supply chain
Kerala becomes Indias first Digital State in the country by President Pranab Mukherjee -Digital
Empowerment Campaign
Kerala E- Literacy, E-governance in Kerala, Digital Literacy Campaign and NOFN Project
Government to mobilise Rs. 10 crore investment under Ambitious Sagarmala Project, the
mobilization includes 4 crore in the Infrastructure alone
Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru - first in the nation to receive Green-Co platinum
certificate from Confederation of Indian Industries(CII) - Green-Co rating system
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated UL Cyber Park under the Uralungal Labour Contract
Cooperative Society in Kozhikode, Kerala.
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the first phase of Kerala Tourisms Muziris Heritage
Project at the International Research and convention Centre, Kodungalloor.
Punjab gov imposed a ban on the sale of Army uniform in the state without proper identification.
Jharkhand State Budget 2016-17 publicized to read more click here
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das presented Rs 63,502 crore budget for 2016-17
with strong focus on agriculture, curbing tax evasion and women.
Prabhus Era: Rail Budget 2016-17

On 25th February 2016, Railway Budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 has been presented by Union
Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu.
The key budget document dubbed Annual Financial Statement aka Budget Statement,
showing estimated receipts and expenditure, has to be laid before Parliament in respect of every
financial year which runs from 1st April to 31st March w.r.t Article 112 of the Constitution.
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Here are the complete Highlights of Railway Budget

Slogan for all Sabka saath sabka vikas
3Rs of Budget Restructure, Reorganize and Rejuvenate
Capital expenditure Rs 1, 21,000 crore
Expected Operating Ratio 92%
Expected Revenues Rs 1,84,820 cr next year
Budgetary support from Govt Rs 40,000 crore
Saving from last years estimates Rs 8,720 crore
Innovation grants to start-ups Rs 50 crore
Head of innovative council of Indian Railways Ratan Tata
Insurance company agreed to fund Rs 1.5 lakh LIC
Expenditure on Modernization of railway infrastructure in 5 years Rs 8.5 lakh crore
Elimination of unmanned level crossing By 2020
Proposed freight corridors Delhi-Chennai, Kharagpur-Mumbai, Kharagpur-Vijayawada
Location of Indias first rail auto hub Chennai
New name for coolies Sahayaks (will be trained in soft skills)
North East India states to be connected through broad gauge Mizoram & Manipur
Cabinet approval for joint ventures with state govts 6 MoUs signed with state govts
Sub-quota for women in each of the reserved categories in catering 33%
Increase in seat quota for senior citizens 50%
Number of bio toilets & additional toilets in 475 stations 17,000
Publishing of magazine in all regional languages Rail Bandhu
Initiation of WiFi services 100 stations this year
Commissioning of new tracks 2800 km
Electrification 1,600 km in this year and 2,000 km proposed for the next year.
For Unreserved Passenger:
Antyodaya Express A long-distance, fully unreserved, superfast train service to be
operated on dense routes.
Two to four Deen Dayalu coaches will be introduced in some long distance trains for
unreserved travel to enhance our carrying capacity for the masses.
For the reserved passenger Humsafar, Tejas and UDAY:
Humsafar Fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals.
Tejas Will showcase the future of train travel in India by operating at speeds of 130
kmph and above, it will offer onboard services such as entertainment, local cuisine,Wi-Fi,
etc.
UDAY Utkrisht DoubleDecker Air-conditioned Yatri (UDAY) Express on the busiest
routes, expected to increase carrying capacity by almost 40%.
SMART Coaches:
New SMART (Specially Modified Aesthetic Refreshing Travel) coaches would cater to
emerging needs of customers and also ensure lower unit cost of operations due to higher
carrying capacity.
Ticketing facilities:
Plan to introduce bar-coded tickets on pilot basis to tackle menace of ticketless travel.
Ticket vending machines Initiating sale of platform tickets through ticket vending machines which
would be made compatible with cash and credit/debit cards
Intend sale of tickets through hand-held terminals for short-distance travellers.
Introduced 1,780 automatic ticket vending machines.
E-ticketing facility Railways will open the e-ticketing facility to foreign debit/credit cards for foreign
tourists and NRIs.
Enhanced capacity of e-ticketing system from 2000 tickets/min to 7,200/min.
E-booking ticket facility on the concessional passes available to journalists.
Facility of cancellation of tickets through 139 telephone line.
Improving customer interface:
FM Radio stations for providing train borne entertainment by installing PA systems in trains.
GPS based digital displays inside coaches to provide real time information regarding
upcoming halts.
Wireless enabled Rakshak devices to intimate gangmen about approaching train.
Drones to be used for remote monitoring of ongoing projects.
2,500 water vending machines at railway stations have been provided.
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Swachh Rail:
Clean my Coach Service A passenger can request cleaning of his/her coach/toilets on
demand through SMS.
Installation of additional 30,000 bio-toilets in the next financial year.
IRCTC services & food availability:
IRCTC will extending e-catering services from existing 45 large stations to all 408 A-1 and
A class stations.
Local cuisine of choice will be made available to passengers.
Railwats will look at pilot availability of childrens menu items on trains.
Baby foods, hot milk and hot water would be made available on stations andchanging
boards for babies would be provided in train toilets.
Rail Mitra Sewa & Accessible India:
Expanding of Sarathi Seva in Konkan Railway to help the old and disabled passengers
requiring assistance at stations.
To provide at least one Divyang friendly toilet at each platform in A1 class stations.
To ensure availability of wheelchairs in sufficient numbers at A1 class stations.
Battery operated cars and paid porters services for specially able people.
Union Budget 2016 17

On 29th February 2016, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented his third Union Budget for 2016-17
citing the acceleration of GDP growth to 7.6%. CPI inflation has come down to 5.4%.
Union Budget comes into effect from April 1.
Highlights of Union budget
Nine pillars of budget Governance and ease of doing business, fiscal discipline, tax
reforms, Agriculture and farmers welfare , Rural sector with focus on employment,social sector with
healthcare, Educational skills and job creation, Infrastructure and investment & financial sector reforms.
Tax Proposals No changes have been made to existing income tax slabs
Tax relief
Taxpayers with income below Rs. 5 Lakh per year Relief of 3000 p.a. under section 87A.
Taxpayers living in rented houses HRA deduction up from Rs. 24, 000 to 60,000 p.a.
under section 80 GG.
Corporate tax
Corporate IT rate for companies not exceeding Rs. 5 crore turnover has been
decreased to 25% plus surcharge.
New manufacturing companies incorporated on or after 3.2016 to be taxed at 25% plus
cess plus surcharge.
Start up
100% deduction of profits for 3 out of 5 years for startups setup during April, 2016 to
March, 2019 except MAT.
Affordable Housing
100% deduction for profits to an undertaking in housing project for flats upto 30 sq. metres
in four metro cities and 60 sq. metres in other cities approved during June 2016 to
March 2019 and completed in three years. MAT will apply.
First time home buyers get additional Rs 50,000 deduction for housing loans up to35
lakh, provided cost of house is not above Rs. 50 lakh.
Service Tax Exemption
For houses built less than 60 square metres.
Services provided under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana and by
Assessing Bodies empanelled by Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
On general insurance services provided under Niramaya Health Insurance
Scheme launched by National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy,
Mental Retardation and Multiple Disability.
Exemption from service tax for Annuity services provided by NPS and Services provided
by EPFO to employees.
National Pension Scheme
40% of withdrawal at the time of retirement under NPS to be tax exempt.
Tax on rich
Surcharge on income tax for those with incomes exceeding 1 crore per annum
increased from 12% to 15%.
Tax on Car
1 % infra cess on small cars, 2.5 % on diesel and 4% high capacity tax for SUVs.
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1% service charge on purchase of luxury cars over 10 lakh and in cash purchase of
goods and services over Rs. 2 lakh.
MSME Category
Increase the turnover limit under Presumptive taxation scheme under section 44ADof the
Income Tax Act to 2 crores to bring big relief to a large number of assessee in the MSME
category.
Others
Rs 1,000 crore allocated for new EPF (Employees Provident Fund) scheme.
Krishi Kalyan Cess @ 0.5% on all taxable services, w.e.f. 1 June 2016.
Clean Energy Cess levied on coal, lignite and peat renamed to Clean Environment
Cess and rate increased from 200 per tonne to 400 per tonne.
Excise on readymade garments with retail price of 1000 or more rose to 2% without input
tax credit or 12.5% with input tax credit.
Excise duty of 1% without input tax credit or 12.5% with input tax credit on articles of
jewellery.
10% rate of tax on income from worldwide exploitation of patents developed and
registered in India by a resident.
Non-banking financial companies shall be eligible for deduction to the extent of 5% of its
income in respect of provision for bad and doubtful.
Infrastructure and agriculture cess to be levied.
Commitment to implement General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR) from 4.2017.
Excise duty on tobacco increased by 10-15% except beedi.
Basic custom and excise duty on refrigerated containers reduced to 5% and 6%.
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Rs 35,984 crore
Govt will reorganize agricultural policy to double farmer income in five years. Here is the allocation:
Category Allocation
Agri credit Rs 9 lakh crore
Crop Insurance Scheme (PM Fasal Bima Yojana) Rs 5,500 crore
Interest subvention for agriculture loans and creation of Rs 15,000 crore
Accelerated Irrigation Programme Benefit (AIPB) Rs 17,000 crore
Long Term Irrigation Fund will be created in NABARD Rs 20,000 crore
Sustainable management of ground water resources Rs 6,000 crore
Enhancing of Dairy Farming Rs 850 crore

4 new schemes Pashudhan Sanjivani, Nakul Swasthya Patra, E-Pashudhan Haat andNational
Genomic Centre for indigenous breeds have been introduced to enhance dairy farming in India at Rs
850 crore.
Other Proposals under Irrigation
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana to be implemented in mission 28.5 lakh hectares will
be brought under irrigation.
Promote organic farming through Parmparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and Organic Value
Chain Development in North East Region.
5 lakh farm ponds and dug wells in rain fed areas and 10 lakh compost pits for
production of organic manure will be taken up under MGNREGA
Soil Health Card scheme will cover all 14 crore farm holdings by March.
2,000 model retail outlets of Fertilizer companies will be provided with soil and seed
testing facilities during the next three years
Unified Agricultural Marketing e-Platform to provide a common e-market platform for
wholesale markets.
Rural Economy Rs 87,765 crore
Below Poverty Line (BPL) Families Rs 2000 crore allocated for 5 years
Government is launching a new initiative to provide cooking gas to BPL families with state support. LPG
connections to be provided under the name of women members of family.
Other Proposals:
87 lakh crore will be given as Grant in Aid to Gram Panchayats and Municipalitiesas per
the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission.
Every block under drought and rural distress will be taken up as an intensive Block under
the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Mission.
A sum of Rs 38,500 crore allocated for MGNREGS.
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300 Rurban Clusters will be developed under the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban
Mission
100% village electrification by 1st May, 2018.
District Level Committees under Chairmanship of senior most Lok Sabha MP from the
district for monitoring and implementation of designated Central Sector andCentrally
Sponsored Schemes.
A new Digital Literacy Mission Scheme for rural India to cover around 6 crore additional
household within the next 3 years.
National Land Record Modernization Programme has been revamped.
New scheme Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan proposed with allocation of 655 crore.
Hub to support SC/ST entrepreneurs.
Investments and Infrastructure Rs. 2, 21,246 crore
Total allocation for road construction including PMGSY Rs 97,000 crore
27,000 crore to be spent on roadways.
65 eligible habitats to be connected via 2.23 lakh kms of road.
55,000 crore for roads and highways.
Other Proposals:
100% FDI in marketing of food products produced and marketed in India.
Shops to be given option to remain open all seven days in a week across markets.
New Greenfield ports to be developed on east and west coasts
Revival of underserved airports Centre to Partner with States to revive small airports for
regional connectivity
of Disinvestment to be renamed as Dept. of Investment and Public Asset
Management.
Govt will amend Motor Vehicle Act in passenger vehicle segment to allow innovation.
Banking Rs 25,000 crore towards recapitalization of PSBs
Banking Board Bureau will be operationalised.
Target of disbursement under MUDRA increased to 1, 80,000 crore.
Process of transfer of government stake in IDBI Bank below 50% started (currently its
80%).
General Insurance companies will be listed in the stock exchange.
Govt to increase ATMs, micro-ATMs in post offices in next 3 years.
Amendments in the SARFAESI Act 2002 to enable the sponsor of an ARC to hold up
to100% stake.
A Financial Data Management Centre to be set up.
Nuclear Power Sector Rs 3000 crore
Govt drawing comprehensive plan to be implemented in next 15-20 years for exploiting
nuclear energy.
Govt to provide incentive for deep-water gas exploration.
Education and Skill Development
Higher Education Financing Agency to be set-up with initial capital base of Rs 1000
Crores.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to increasing focus on quality of education.
Scheme to get 500 cr for promoting entrepreneurship among SC/ST.
Digital repository for all school leaving certificates and diplomas.
1,700 crore for 1500 multi-skill development centres.
62 new navodaya vidyalayas to provide quality education
10 public and 10 private educational institutions to be made world-class.
Digital literacy scheme to be launched to cover 6 crore additional rural households.
Objective to skill 1 crore youth in the next 3 years under the PM Kaushal Vikas Yojna.
100 Model Career Centres to operational by the end of 2016-17 under National Career
Service.
National Skill Development Mission has imparted training to 76 lakh youth.
Health
A new health protection scheme for health covers upto 1 lakh per family. Senior
citizens will get additional healthcare cover of Rs 30,000 under the new scheme.
National Dialysis Service Prog with funds through PPP mode to provide dialysis at all
district hospitals.
PM Jan Aushadhi Yojana to be strengthened and 300 generic drug store to be opened.
Governance and Ease of Doing Business
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Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Programme

It will be launched to link States and Districts in an annual programme that connects people through
exchanges in areas of language, trade, culture, travel and tourism.
Other Proposals:
A Task Force has been constituted for rationalisation of human resources in various Ministries.
Bill for Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services by using the
Aadhaar framework to be introduced.
Automation facilities will be provided in 3 lakh fair price shops by March 2017.
Amendments in Companies Act to improve enabling environment for start-ups.
Price Stabilisation Fund with a corpus of 900 crore to help maintain stable prices of
Pulses.
Madhya Pradesh presented State budget of 2016-17 click here to read more
Finance minister Jayant Malaiya proposed the Madhya Pradesh state budget in legislative
assembly in Bhopal on Friday. The budget estimates for 1.58 lakh crores.
City Momentum Index 2016: The Rise of the Innovation-Oriented City, Bengaluru is ranked first
in the Asia Pacific region
Top 3 :London, Silicon Valley Dublin, Bengaluru
Top 10 cities in Asia Pacific:Sydney, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Tokyo, Nanjing,
Hyderabad, Melbourne and Seoul.
WHO declared the Zika virus outbreak as an International Emergency.
Bangladesh gov given its clearance for a new law that will expand the scope for dual
citizenship for Bangladeshis - Bangladesh Citizenship Act 2016
Bangladeshis cannot go for dual citizenship with SAARC countries and Myanmar.
Nielsens consumer confidence index
India(131) is followed by Philippines (117), Indonesia (115), Thailand (114)
and Vietnam (112).
Vietnam initiated the worlds longest three-rope cable car system with a total length of 6,292.5
metres in the Northern Province of Lao Cai.
Infosys is all set to build the worlds tallest free-standing clock tower at its 345-acre global
education centre in Mysuru 135meter
Brand Finances Brand Strength Index - Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as the worlds most
powerful IT services brand its
India beaten the US to become the worlds second largest smartphone market in the world
Top brand of smartphone makers Samsung, Micromax and Apple
17th edition of Laureus World Sports Awards 2016 will be hosted by Berlin, Germany on April 18.
European Union consented 3.3 billion Euros of succor for Turkey to cope with the issue of Syrian
migrants.
WHO accorded PQP (Pre-qualification of Medicines Programme) certification to the GreenSignal
Bio Pharma Pvt. Ltd.
Hamid Ansari visit to Brunei and Thailand
Brunei: 3 agreements have been signed between the two nations:
Defence Cooperation Health Cooperation and Youth Affairs & Sports Cooperation
Thailand - first visit by an Indian Vice-President to Thailand after a gap of 50 years-
confirmed Indias participation in the Cobra Gold 2016
BHEL launched a 500 Mw Kosti thermal power plant in Sundan
Indian to be on UN panel on womens economic Renana Jhabvala, social worker from Ahmedabad
had invited to serve as a panelist.
United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) released a set of six dedicatory stamps on Lesbian
Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) issue.
President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe declared rural parts of the country as state of
disaster after being hit by draught.
France become the first country in the world to ban food waste by supermarkets.
Pakistan Hindu minority community have a marriage law as a parliamentary panel has
unanimously approved the Hindu Marriage Bill after decades of delay and in action - Chaudhry
Mahmood Bashir Virk
Sindh become the first Pakistani Assembly to adopt the Hindu Marriage Bill by allowing the
minority community to register their marriages.
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US President Barack Obama unveiled a new cyber Security National Action Plan aims to increase
security awareness - requested $19 billion
One Humanity: Shared Responsibility report publicized by UN
For a global campaign on the sidelines of World Humanitarian Summit
in Istanbul, Turkey.
Theme of the summit will be One Humanity: Shared Responsibility.
International IP Index -US Chamber of Commerce India ranked 37th
Top 3 US, UK and German
3rd India- Australia energy security dialogue held in Australia
Proposed to set up a virtual reality training centre at ISM, Dhanbad.
coal mining sector will provide help to India in improving the safety, production and
productivity of coal mines
The worlds largest concentrated solar power plant will be opened in Morocco - 760,000 tons per
year.
Pakistan launched projects worth $500 million in Afghanistan covering different sectors
including education, health and infrastructure.
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi visit to India
Bilateral Meeting UAEs ADNOC to store crude in India
Both nations have signed 9 agreements
Disaster hit countries of 2015 - United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)
China, US and India
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned US Ambassador Richard Verma to expressed
disappointment over US administrations decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jet to Pakistan
Canada, the US and Mexico signed a MoU to cooperate on climate change in Winnipeg, Canada.
Malcolm Turnbull the Australian Prime Minister announced a cabinet reshuffle after the departure
of five ministers in five months.
US state of Colorado had honored the life of Mahatma Gandhi.
The first Silk Road train arrives in Tehran to connect China and Iran arrived in Tehran - carrying
32 containers
Worlds largest producers of oil, Saudi Arabia and Russia consented to freeze oil output at near-
record levels but producer Iran and Iraq stood out of this agreement.
WHO Issues $56 Million Plan To Combat Zika Virus including fast-tracking vaccines and
diagnostics.
U.S -Southeast Asian summit session held at the historic Sunnylands Center in Rancho Mirage,
California.
UN and the Colombian government jointly launched the new trust for peace building
activities especially in the conflict areas of FARC-EP 8 million US dollar
South Korea decided to build an IT park in Islamabad - $50-million.
The Ontario(Canada) delegates inked various agreements with India in diversified fields
prominently the cleantech sector 13 agreements 300 cr
Pakistan parliament became the first of its kind to run entirely on solar power. It was inaugurated
by Pakistan Prime minister Nawaz Sharif - $55 million
India to extend $1 million in immediate assistance to the Island Nation Fiji after Devasting
cyclone Winston hits.
David Cameron led United Kingdom has been granted Special Status in the 28 Nation union.
Nepal PM KP Oli visit to India
Both the nations has signed 7 agreements
Hurun Report 2016 China 1st, US 2nd ,India ranked 3rd
Indians list topped by Mukesh Ambani - $26 billion, followed by Sun Pharmas Dilip
Shanghvi ($18 billion) and Pallonji Mistry ($13 billion)
Indian Governments Power purchase Agreements with solar firms were inconsistent with
international Norms - World Trade Organization
Bolivian president Evo Morales lost his fourth term referendum to continue in office.He came into
reign in 2006.
Anti-terrorism bill being passed in the South Korean Parliament the opposition party spoke
continuously for more than 115 hours making it the longest filibuster.
Indian permanent representative to UN, Syed Akbaruddin approached New Zealand
Ambassador Gerard Jacoubus van Bohemen, the Chair of the 1267 al-Qaeda Sanctions
Committee to include Masood Azhar in the list.
Worlds Best City to Live In - 18th Mercer Quality of Life study
10 | P a g e
Baghdad was named as the worst city in the world.

List of topbest places List of Indian cities made
Rank City Country Rank City State
1 Vienna Austria 139 Hyderabad Telangana
2 Zurich Switzerland 144 Pune Maharashtra
3 Auckland New Zealand 145 Bangalore Karnataka
4 Munich Germany 150 Chennai Tamil Nadu
5 Vancouver Canada 152 Mumbai Maharashtra
6 Dusseldorf Germany 160 Kolkata West Bengal
7 Frankfurt Germany 161 New Delhi New Delhi
An Independent report by Ernst & Young - Britain as the first among FinTech cities of the world.
Major FinTech cities: Australia, California, Newyork, Hong Kong, Germany and Singapore
Iranians will cast vote on February 26, 2016 to choose a new parliament and for the top clerical
body Assembly of Experts
BANKING & FINANCE
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) launches its e-services to access policy related
information
RBI gives nod for the appointment of Independent Director B Swaminathan as the Non- Chairman
of the Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) for three years.
State Bank of India (SBI) launched a new home loan scheme for young working executives.
6th bi-monthly monetary policy review - repo and reverse repo rate unchanged
at 6.75% and 5.75%and CRR 4% respectively.
HDFC bank is using its ATM network to clutch new customers by extending its branch services
through ATMs -to sell loans to non-customers
Gov infuse about Rs 5,000 crore capitals in the Public Sector Banks (PSB) in the current fiscal to
strengthen balance sheet.
BSE and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) jointly developed a corporate governance
scorecard
Mahindra Asset Management Company received a stamp of approval from SEBI to initiate
its mutual fund business.
RBI survey - The real Gross Value Added at basic price (GVA) is expected to increase to 7.8% in
the next fiscal (2016-17) from 7.4% expected in 2015-16.
CAMS launched Aadhar based eKYC for setting up an instant (MF) mutual fund account
Bandhan Bank has instigated an international debit card in association with Visa also kicked
off NRI banking services.
Corporation Bank had signed a pact with Universal Sompo General Insurance Co Ltd for insurance
cover
Death cover of Rs 10 lakh to its Corp Signature and Rs 5 lakh
Reserve Bank of India released the Report of the Working Group on Introduction of Interest Rate
Options in India - headed by PG Apte
Minimum lot size for IROs on exchanges will be Rs. 2 lakh.
In OTC, the minimum lot size will be kept at Rs. 5 crore.
Indian economy will be growing at a 5-year high of 7.6 per cent in fiscal year 2015-16 as per
the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Department of Electronics & IT (Deity) in a company with Canbank Venture Capital Fund is all set
to initiate the Electronics Development Fund (EDF) in Mumbai PM Modi
RBI is changing the profile of the government securities (Gsecs), it is buying from bond investors
under its open market operations (OMOs).
Bank of Baroda publicized its net loss of Rs 3,342 crore for the December quarter in comparison
with Rs 332 crore profit last year
Monster Salary Index (MSI) report, Information Technology sector in
India is the highest paying sector with a median gross hourly salary of Rs 346.42.
Reserve Bank of India announced the liquidity measures for March 2016 for a combination of
appropriate instruments and for adequate additional liquidity infusion.
India GDP likely to clock 7.8% growth in 2016 Nomura
Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has
marginally mounted the PF interest rate to 8.8% from 7.75%
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State Bank of India (SBI) launched Japan Desk, a first-of-its-kind initiative to facilitate Japanese
corporates looking to invest with banking and advisory services.
Punjab National Bank (PNB) declared United Breweries Holdings, Kingfisher Airlines and Vijay
Mallya as willful defaulter.
Supreme Court directed the RBI that it seeks the list of companies, which have defaulted bank
loans of over Rs. 500 crore.
Interest on short-term post office saving deposits was cut by 0.25 percent and the rate on
employees provident fund was increased marginally to 8.8 percent.
Axis Bank made partnership with Suvidhaa to offer loan to urban poor.
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) - India will go on with durable
growth at 7.4% in the next financial year
Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd and Idea Cellular obtain payment bank license.
Our government is all set to proffer banking services in every village with the succor of
technology and the network of Common Services Centres (CSCs).
World Bank pledged to lend to Rajasthan gov on energy reforms - meeting between World Banks
country Director in India Mr. Onno Ruhl and Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje.
Public Investment Board(PIB) Clears Rs. 800 Crore proposal from India Post to set up Payment
Banks.
Srei ram winvest 2000 crores for India Vision Fund which will buy the stressed assets, loans &
properties of corporate, NBFCS and companies
RBI has extended thecurrency swap arrangement to SAARC nations till mid November 2017 - US
$ 2 billion
Mr. Babul Supriyo informed in LokSabha that HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development
Corporation) have sanctioned 90Crores to APCRDA.
SBI launches new branch for e-commerce loans
SBI ESmart SME to offer E-Commerce startups, this is the first of its kind.
Macro Economic Survey 2015-16 - Finance minister Arun Jaitley tabled the Macro-Economic
Survey 2015-16 in Parliament
In accordance with survey, Indian economy is growing at a pace of 7-7.5% and it is
expected to accelerate at 8% in the next couple of years.
Indias macro-economy is sturdy and it is likely to be the fastest growing major
economy in the world in 2016 as it shows an expansion from 7.2% in 2014-15 to 7.6% in
current fiscal.
Deficit -3.9% ,Inflation -4.5 to 5% ,Current account deficit -1-1.5% of GDP.
India ranks first in milk production, accounting for 18.5% of world production.
RBI included the National Bank of Abu Dhabi PJSC (NBAD) in second schedule of RBI Act, 1934
Birla Sunlife Mutual funds officially launched 100 % paperless Aadar based EKYC facility
EPFO has tightened norms for withdrawal of Provident Fund as well as investment in Varishtha
Pension Bima Yojana attain the age of 54and wait up to 57 Years.
Govacquired a staggering 1, 131 Kg of gold that 3014 crore under the Gold Monetisation Scheme
SEBI has given its nod to IDBI bank to raise capital of 3771 crores by issuing shares
through Qualified Institutional Players(QIP)
State Bank of India got approval from its shareholders to raise capital of 15000 crores by public
issue or overseas assurance of shares.
BRICS Bank to provide its first loan to India on Solar project green projects
BUSINESS
Chinese energy company Sunshine Kaidi New Energy Group planned to invest about 1 billion
euros ($1.1 billion) in a new biodiesel plant in northern Finland.
India exported six metro train coaches to Australia - 75 feet long and weighing 46 tonnes
Govt banned duty- free import of capital goods for power generation and transmission
projects under the EPCG Scheme.
Vietnam had lifted the ban on import of groundnut from Indian after nine months.
Japans ShinMaywa Industries will set up a plant for the manufacturer of US-2 amphibious
aircraft in India.
Chinese technology company ZTE has inked a pact with the Andhra Pradesh government to work
on smart city projects in the state.
State Bank of India (SBI) tied up with Thomas Cook for inflation proof holiday.
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SEBI instigated a task force to review the risk management norms for national-level commodity
bourses following the suspension of futures trading for castor seed on NCDEX.
Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) approved the Geographical Indications Registry (GI)
tag .
Gov imposed minimum import price (MIP) on 173 steel products ranging from $341 to $752 per
ton.
Chettinad cotton saree won the India Handloom tag for its unique designs and identity.
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) tie up with a leading tea cafe chain
Chaayos to provide tea and snacks in trains.
India had topped the record of milk production which is of 146.31 million tonnes in 2014-15
Top 3 : India, US, China
YES Bank tied up with Smartbox Ecommerce Solutions for solving challenges related to last mile
delivery for e-commerce players.
IIT Madras partnered with Nokia to enhance broadband connectivity in rural India by enabling the
government vision Digital India.
HeyBiz announced its association with Su-Kam Power Systems Limited to digitise its dealers and
distributors network
Indias demand for gold recovered to increase by 2.5% in 2015 as reported by The World Gold
Council (WGC).
Coca-Cola India had stopped manufacturing in three Indian Plants.
Jaipur, Vishakhapatnam and Meghalaya
Vedanta Groups owner Anil Agarwal set up the countrys first LCD panel manufacturing
plant in Maharashtra.
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M) had approved a plan to transfer the agri-business of the
company to its subsidiary.
Apple will be going to set up its first technology development centre in Hyderabad India.
Hyderabad
Kstart had announced to have technology partnership with Google for its seed-stage portfolio
companies.
Tata Teleservices announced that its subsidiary mRUPEE tied up with e-commerce IRCTC to
provide an additional payments gateway.
Big Bazaar Direct had tied up with Oxigen Services a payment service provider.
Tata Motors-Bharat Forge Tie Up For $ 11 Billion FICV Bid replace 2,610 Russian designed
Sarath BMP-II
Terra Motors launched an electric rickshaw for the Indian market Rs.1.5lakh
Gujarat State Fertilizers Commission proposed to set up a manufacturing unit of Nylon -6 Plant
near Baroda at an estimated cost of Rs.140 Crores.
US Department of Commerce decided to initiate Antidumping and Countervailing duties
investigations on imports from Pneumatic off -Road Vehicle tyres from India, China and Sri
Lanka.
4 Bengali sweets to come into possession of GI tag
Moa of Jainagar, Sarpuria of Krishnagar and SitabhogandMihidana of Burdwan.
MoU signed between CII and Dubai exports will simplify the export process between the countries
SIPIR (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) Report- India in the topmost position of
Arms import in the world between 2011-2015.
Top 3 : India, China and Australia
Ricoh India,Japan got an order worth Rs.344 Crores from Kerala State Electronics Development
Corporation to supply hardware for Government schools in Odisha.
Google is winding down operations of unfamiliar tool called Compareand will terminate the
services by March 23 from U.S and UK services.
FINO Paytech has tied up with Reliance Commercial Finance to provide credit to rural areas of
Maharastra and Madhya Pradesh.
Johnson & Johnson to pay fine of $ 72 million in the case of ovarian cancer that cost a woman life
who used a companys talcum powder.
Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilessh yadav Signed Pact with Taxi Giant OLA to create over
50, 000 entrepreneurs opportunities across the state.
Times Internet enters into a strategic partnership with Investopedia.com to create a blend of
local and international information, knowledge to grow the brand in India
Vedanta Limited wins Indias first-ever auction of a gold mine to curb the overseas purchase of
the metal that cost $36 billion last year in Chhattisgarh.
Gov decided to raise the Minimum Support Price of Raw Jute by 18.5 % to Rs.3200 from Rs.
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2700 for 2016-17

42% of the illicit medicines supplied to Swiss are from India - Swiss customs officials
Forbes 30 under 30 Asia - 56 Indians feature in the list

Sports Apart from Sania Mirza, Virat Kohli and Saina Nehwal, Arunima Sinha
Entertainment Chaitanya Tamhane (28) Shraddha Kapoor (26)
Retail and e-commerce category Raghav Verma (29),Nitin Saluja and Mehul
Agrawal (29).
Social entrepreneurship Kanika Tekriwal (27)
Consumer tech category Ritesh Agarwal (22)
Avinash Chander Former Director General of the DRDO honored with Aryabhata Award of
Astronautical Society of India
EEPC (Engineering Export Promotion Council, Eastern Region)s Gold Trophy for outstanding
export performance during 2013-14 conferred upon National Aluminium Company Limited
(NALCO).
Yes Bank received prestigious Green Bond Pioneer Award Ceremony held in London.
Alphabet Inc. becomes the worlds most valuable company after overtaking the Apple.
Indian filmmaker Kanu Behl won the Best First Foreign Film Award conferred by the French
Syndicate of Cinema Critics 2016 (FSCC) for his directorial film Titli.
Kerala University conferred with first-ever chancellors award with a prize money of Rs 5 crore.
Golden Conch Award for the best documentary has been conferred upon Manipuri documentary
film Phum Shang at 14th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF).
Other Awards
Category Movie Director
Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Far From Home Nitesh Anjan (Based in
Best Debut Film of a director Denmark)
Animation category Chhaya Debanjan Nandy
Best short fiction film Agli Baar Devashish Makhija
Best student film Going Home Niranjankumar Kujur
Sarangi maestro Pandit Ram Narayan selected for the prestigious Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen
Joshi Classical Music Award 2015-2016.
Keralas all-women taxi cab service She-Taxi bagged the prestigious Chief Ministers Award for
Innovation in Public Policy 2014.
The Reserve Bank of India awarded with the extensible Business Reporting
Language (XBRL) International Award
UNESCO Medals conferred upon the 8 eminent scientists to recognize their contribution in the
development of nanoscience and nanotechnologies in Paris
Winner Country
Professor Isamu Japan
Professor Lei Jiang China
Professor Philippe Pernod France
Professor Nicholas Kotov USA
Academician Gennady Russia
Professor Igor Ashurbeyli Russia
Doctor Mikhail Dubina Russia
Doctor Natalya Mikhaylova Russia
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) conferred English singer and
songwriter Adele with its global artist of the year prize
Indian Martial Arts trainer KJ Joseph set a new world record for the most pushups in a minute -
82 pushups in a min.
Karnataka mobile One m-governance model won the gold medal at world Government Summit in
Dubai UAE
Pharmaceutical company Lupins CEO and MD bestowed with EY Entrepreneur of the Year
2015 award - Vinita Gupta and Nilesh Gupta
Award Category Winner Company
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Lifetime Achievement FC Kohli Former Vice-Chairman of TCS

Start Up Vijay Shekhar Sharma Paytm (CEO)
Business Transformation Siddhartha Lal Eicher Motors (CEO and MD)
Retail and Consumer Products R S Agarwal Emami (Executive Chairman)
Life Sciences and Health Care Samir Mehta Torrent Pharmaceuticals
Manufacturing Ramachandra N Galla Amara Raja Batteries (Chairman)
Services Krishnakumar Natarajan Mindtree (CEO and MD)
Financial Services Chandra Shekhar Ghosh Bandhan (CMD)
Entrepreneurial CEO Romesh Sobti IndusInd Bank (CEO and MD)
Indias Anirban Lahiri has been voted as the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Year
Lionel Messi named as La Liga player of the month for January. For the first time he has won the
award.
Bollywood actress Vidya Balan awarded with the Pride of Kerala award by the World Malayalee
Council and Kairali TV.
2016 BAFTA Awards
Category Winner
Academy Fellowship Sidney Poitier
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Angels The Costumiers
EE Rising Star Award John Boyega
Best Film The Revenant
Best Documentary Amy
Best Animated Film Inside Out
Best Short Film Operator
Best Film Not in the English Language Wild Tales Argentina
Best Director Alejandro G. Inarritu (The Revenant)
Best Actor in a Leading Role Leonardo DiCaprio
Best Actress in a Leading Role Brie Larson
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Mark Rylance
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Kate Winslet
Best Cinematography Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant)
Outstanding British Film Brooklyn
Best Original Music The Hateful Eight
Best Sound The Revenant Lon Bender, Chris Duesterdiek,
Best Costume Design Mad Max: Fury Road Jenny Beavan
Best Makeup and Hair Mad Max: Fury Road Damian Martin and Lesley
Best Editing Mad Max: Fury Road Margaret Sixel
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director Naji Abu Nowar (Writer/Director) and Rupert
or Producer Lloyd (Producer) Theeb
Nagaland is changing. But a documentary movie clinched the Golden Beaver Award
at 6th National Science Film Festival in Mumbai.
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Infosys Prizes in New Delhi for the year 2015.
Umesh Waghmare, Jonardon Ganeri, Amit Sharma, Mahan Maharaj, G. Ravindra Kumar
and Srinath Raghavan.
58th Grammy awards 2016
General
Record of the Year Uptown Funk (Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars)
Album of the Year 1989 (Taylor Swift)
Song of the Year Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge)
Best New Artist Meghan Trainor
POP
Best Solo Performance Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran)
Best Duo/Group Performance Uptown Funk (Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars)
Best Traditional Vocal Album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern
Best Vocal Album 1989
Dance/Electronic
Best Dance Recording Where Are U Now (Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber)
Best Dance/Electronic Album krillex and Diplo Present Jack U (Skrillex and Diplo)
Rock
Best Rock Performance Dont Wanna Fight (Alabama Shakes)
Best Metal Performance Cirice
15 | P a g e
Best Rock Song Dont Wanna Fight

Best Rock Album Drones
R&B
Best R&B Performance Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey) The Weeknd
Best Traditional R&B Performance Little Ghetto Boy (Lalah Hathaway)
Best R&B Song Really Love
Best R&B Album Black Messiah
Best Urban Contemporary Beauty Behind the Madness
Rap
Best Rap Performance Alright (Kendrick Lamar)
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration These Walls (Kendrick Lamar featuring Bilal, Anna Wise &
Best Rap Song Alright
Best Rap Album To Pimp a Butterfly
Others
Best World Music Album Sings
Best Childrens Album Home
Best Comedy Album Live at Madison Square Garden
Best Musical Theater Album Hamilton
Best Music Video Bad Blood
Best Music Film Amy
Best Contemporary Instrumental Sylva
Swachh Sarvekshan-2016
Rank City State/UT Category
1 Mysore Karnataka Overall best performing city
2 Chandigarh Chandigarh Best performer in North Zone and Best in
Citizen feedback category
3 Tiruchirapalli Tamil Nadu Best performer in behavior change
communication
4 New Delhi Municipal New Delhi Best performer among Smart Cities and Best in
Corporation Service Level Status
5 Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh Best Performer in South Zone and Best in
Independent Observation
6 Surat Gujarat Best Performer in West Zone
7 Rajkot Gujarat Best performer in door-to-door collection and
transportation of Solid waste and sweeping
8 Gangtok Sikkim Best performer in North-East and Best
performer among capitals
9 Pimpri-Chinchwad Maharashtra Best performer among satellite cities
10 Greater Mumbai Mumbai Best Performer among mega cities
11 Allahabad Uttar Pradesh Top mover in North Zone (improved the rank
by maximum number)
12 Nagpur Maharashtra Top mover in West Zone
13 Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh Top mover in South Zone
14 Bhubaneswar Odisha Top mover in East Zone
15 Imphal Manipur Top mover in North-East
Professor David Shulman the renowned Indologist awarded the prestigious Israel Prize for his
infiltrate studies in fields like religion and philosophy.
Indian-origin Ishaan Patel honoured in the US for his charity work.
Lyricist Sameer Anjaan (Shitala Pandey) had been entered in the Guinness Book of World
Records for writing the most inexhaustible number of songs in Bollywood - 3,524 songs
Command Hospital (Eastern Command) Kolkata gets Raksha Mantris Trophy for Best Service
Hospital.
Karnataka Bank Ltd bagged IBA Banking Technology Award in the category of Best Risk and
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Fraud Management Initiative Runner Up among the small banks.

Fashion designer Manish Arora conferred with the Chevalier de la Legion dHonneur (Knight of the
Legion of Honor) Frances highest civilian honor.
US President Barack Obama will confer 6 Indian-Americans with the highest US government prize
for young independent researchers
Vikram Shyam, Milind Kulkarni, Kiran Musunuru, Shwetak Patel, Rahul Mangharam, Sachin
Patel
World Press Photo of the Year 2015 award conferred upon Australian photographer Warren
Richardson during the 59th annual World Press Photo Contest.
Sachin Tendulkars autobiography Playing It My Way entered in Limca Book of Records.
Robin Chaurasia the founder of NGO kranti in the top 10 finalist for Global teacher award
Malayalam film Ottaal (The Trap) directed by Jayaraj Rajasekharan Nair bestowed with Crystal
Bear award in the Generation KPlus section during Berlin International Film Festival.
India Sports Awards 2015
Category Winner
Best company promoting sports (public sector) Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.
Best company promoting sports (private sector) YES Bank Pvt Ltd.
Best professional services company Technology Frontiers (India) Pvt Ltd.
Best NGO promoting sports STAIRS
Best sports start-up HotFut Sports Infrastructure Pvt Ltd
Best national sports federation Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India
Sportsperson of the year Lalita Babar (Athletics)
Breakthrough sportsperson of the year Dipa Karmakar (Gymnastics)
Coach or support staff of the year Kuldeep Handoo (Wushu)
Lifetime achievement award Balbir Singh
Best state Gujarat
Kanavu Variyam, a Tamil movie directed by a Chennai based techie Arun Chidambaram selected
for Remi Award in the US 49th WorldFest Houston International Film Festival
The rice Bag of India Gates Classic Basmati Rice weighing 550 kg has recorded as Heaviest Bag
of Rice.
Indian Origin Ismail Mahomed from South Africa has been conferred with Knighthood by French
government.
GVK Biosciences conferred with the Global CSR Excellence & leadership Award by world CSR
Congress on World CSR Day.
Federal Republic of Germanys prestigious Cross of the Order of Merit bestowed upon the
Padma Shri awardee Goverdhan Mehta - researcher in Chemical Sciences & former Vice-
Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad.
Afghanistans National Cyclist team nominated for Nobel Peace prize by members of Italian
Parliament according to Total cycle team.
Dinanath Mangeshkar prize conferred upon filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actor Ranveer
Singh.
Greater Noida based Father Agnel School is awarded with Indias greenest School in the Nation.
1. Father Agnel School Greater Noida
2. Queens Valley School Delhi.
3. Government senior Secondary School Shimla
Indian Express listed PM Narendra Modi as the lead of 100 most powerful Indians 2016
Rank Name Designation
2 Amit Shah (50) BJP President
3 Mohan Bhagwat (64) RSS chief
4 Arun Jaitley (62) Finance and I&B Minister
5 Sonia Gandhi (68) Congress President
6 Pranab Mukherjee (79) President of India
7 Arvind Kejriwal (46) Chief Minister (Delhi)
8 Rajnath Singh (63) Union Home Minister
9 Sushma Swaraj (63) External Affairs Minister
10 H L Dattu (64) H L Dattu (64)
TripAdvisor, three Indian beaches have been listed in the top 10 Asias Travellers Choice Award
Winning Beaches.
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Agonda beach (Goa),Palolem beach (Goa),Radhanagar Beach (Andaman)
Rank Beach Name Country

1 Ngapali beach Myanmar
2 Nacpan Beach Philippines
3 Kata Noi Thailand
4 Agonda beach India
5 Yapak beach Philippines
6 Nai Harn beach Thailand
7 Sunrise beach Thailand
8 Palolem beach India
9 Otres beach Cambodia
10 Radhanagar India
Academy Awards aka Oscar Awards 2016

Category Winner
Best Picture Spotlight
Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio
Best Actress Brie Larson
Best Direction Alejandro G Inarritu for The Revenant
Best Original Song Writings on the Wall from Spectrex
Best Original Score Ennio Morricine for The Hateful Eight
Best Foreign Language Film Son of Saul (Hungary)
Best Live Action Short Film Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage for Stutterer
Best Documentary Feature Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees for Amy
Best Documentary Short Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy for A Girl In the River: The Price of
Best Supporting Actor Mark Rylance
Best Animated Feature Pete Doctor and Jonas Rivera for Inside Out
Best Animated Short Gabriel Osorio Pato Escala for Bear Story
Best Visual Effects Andrew Whiteburst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington andAra
Best Sound Mixing Chris Jenkins, Greg Rudloff and Ben Osmo for Mad Max: Fury
Best Sound Editing Mark Mangini and David White for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Film Editing Margaret Sixel for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Cinematography Emmanuel Lubezki for The Revenant
Makeup and Hairstyling Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martinfor Mad
Best Production Design Colin Gibson and Lisa Thompson for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Costume Design Jenny Beavan for Mad Max Fury Road
Best Actress In A Supporting Role Alicia Vikander
Best Adapted Screenplay The Big Short for Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Oscar winner Resul pookutty won the Global Reel Award for his sound design work in the
film Indias Daughter first asian

Atulesh Jindal was appointed as the Chief of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) succeedor of
A K Jain.
Kalikho Pul sworn in As 9th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh succeedor of abam tuki
Actress Kajo appointed as part time members of Prasar Bharati Board
Datta Padsalgikar IPS named as Police Commissioner of Mumbai- succeedor of Ahmed Javed
J K Garg appointed as Managing Director and CEO of Corporation Bank succeedor of S R
Bansal.
Archana Ramasundram is appointed as the Director General (DG) of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)
Name Department
K Durga Prasad Director Generals of CRPF
K K Sharma Director Generals of BSF
M K Singla Special Secretary, Internal Security Home Ministry
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Arvind Mediratta appointed as the Managing Director of German wholesale major Metro Cash &
Carry India succeedor of Rajeev Bakshi
Saroj Kumar Jha appointed to a key position in the World Bank with President Jim Young Kim.
Virender Sehwag was appointed mentor of the Kings XI Punjab team for the upcoming Indian
Premier League (IPL).
S N Prasad designated as the Director (Marketing), Coal India Ltd succeedor of B K Saxena.
Major General Jai Shanker Menon of India is appointed as the Head United Nations
Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Government designated Aruna Sethi as the head of Indian Cost Accounts Service (ICoAS),
becoming the first lady ICoAS officer.
Amit Singhal Google search chief Singhal to replaced by AI head John Giannandrea
Satender Kumar concurrently accredited as the next High Commissioner of India to Saint Lucia
D J Pandian appointed as the vice-president and chief investment officer of the newly-
created Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
IDFC Mutual Fund has designated the Anoop Bhaskar as its head of equities succeedor of
Kenneth Andrade.
Army Lieutenant General John Nicholson has been designated as the commander of the NATO
forces in Afghanistan- succeedor of US General John Campbell
GOI has accredited World Banks water and sanitation specialist Parameshwaran Iyer as the
new Secretary of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department.
Singapore Airlines has designated David Lim as the General Manager India succeedor of David
Lau.
Tea Associations national committee re-elected Ashok Kumar Bhargava, Azam Monem and Vivek
Goenka as chairman, vice-chairman and additional vice-chairman respectively of the association.
Yogeshwar Sangwan appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Armenia -
succeedor of Dr. T. Suresh Babu
Indian-origin Singaporean Vishal Mehta appointed as the President of the International Grown
Diamond Association (IGDA).
Brijbhushan Sharan Singh appointed as the president of the South Asian Wrestling Federation
U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has primed the 4 Indian-Americans to be a part of
its new list of 80 members for their valuable contributions to the society.
Anil K. Jain, Dr. Arati Prabhakar, Ganesh Thakur,Dr. K.R. Sridhar
Indian-origin lawyer in Singapore Davinder Singh named as vice-chairman of
International Chamber of Commerce Commission(ICC).
Indian-origin Harinder Sidhu appointed as the countrys next Australian High Commissioner to
India.
Mukesh Bansal the head of commerce and advertising business at Flipkart, co founder Binny
Bansals and Chief Business Officer Ankit Nagori resigned from Flipkart
Tamar Hahn of Israel appointed as the Director of United Nations Information Centre in Buenos
Aires by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Justice Dhirendra Hiralal Waghela appointed as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
Former Forwards Markets Commission (FMC) chairman Ramesh Abhishek appointed secretary in
the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP).
Succeedor of Amitabh Kant.
GOI designated Nagendra Kumar Saxena as the High Commissioner of lndia to Solomon lslands
Facebook India Managing Director Kirthiga Reddy stepped down from her current role and
will relocate the headquarters to US.
Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) designated Vilas A. Tonapi as its director.
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) board had sent its Executive Vice Chairman Dr RK
Pachauri on indefinite leave
Ajay Mathur as the new Director General
Assistant Chief of Air Staff in charge of the air warfare strategy cell Air Vice Marshal Rajiv Dayal
Mathur has been promoted to the rank of Air Marshal
Devaraja Reddy as appointed as the president of Institute of Chartered Accountants of
India (ICAI)
Chads president appointed a new prime minister, Albert Pahimi Padacke succeedor of
Kalzeube Pahimi Deubet
Sri Srinivasan become the first Indian-American to be on the bench of the US Supreme Court -
succeedor of Justice Antonin Scalia
PM Narendra Modi given its approval to nomination of Chief Executive Officer NITI Aayog as part-
time member of the Telecom Commission
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Nitin Seth appointed as Indias biggest online marketplace Flipkart Chief People Officer.
Senior IPS officer Alok Kumar Verma will be the next Commissioner of Delhi Police succeedor of
B S Bassi
MRF Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) K.M. Mammen elected as the Automotive Tyre
Manufacturers Association (ATMA) Chairman.
National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) designated railway officer Vinay Kumar
Singh as its Managing Director.
Jayant Misra appointed as Director General of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
Sujan R Chinoy ppointed as Indias Ambassador to republic of the Marshall Islands , presently he
is serving ambassador to Japan.
Dr.Ketan Shukla is appointed as the new High Commissioner to the Republic of Bostwana
succeedor of Ms.Hemalata , C. Bhagirath
Former Prime Minister of Central African Republic and Mathematics Professor Fausti-Archange
Touadera of National Convergence party.
Amar Singh from Indian-origin Sikh Community has been appointed the Police Commissioner of
the Capital city of Malaysia.
Ri Myong Su appointed to head the Korean Peoples Army general staff after his predecessor Ri
Yong.
Justice Vineet Saran appointed as Chief Justice of Orissa High Court by the President of India
Pranab Mukherjee.
Justice Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu designated as the Chairperson of the National
Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for a period of 5 years succeedor of K G Balakrishnan.
United Nations Development Programme announced Mashrafe Bin Mortaza as its
National goodwill ambassador for Youth in Bangladesh.
Shri.K.N.Vyas Eminent Scientist and Associate Director, Reactor Projects Group of BARC on -
succeedor of Dr.Shekar Basu.
Infosys named Michael Pesch as CEO of consulting business arm
Japanese Car major Honda India removes CEO Katsushi Inoue from office one year his induction
into the company.
NDA led Centre appointed three retired civil servants as Information Commissioner of Central
Information Commission they are,
Amitava Bhattacharyya (IAS) -Gujarat -1980.
Bimal Julka (IAS) -Madhya Pradesh -1979.
Divya Prakash Sinha (IPS) -Manipur -1979.
Japanese Car maker Nissan announced a new line up of cricket talent in partnership with the
International cricket Council as Global Ambassadors.
Rohit Sharma, Andre Russell and Suzie Bates
Rahul Taneja is appointed as the new Chief People Officer of Jet Airways India
Justice Dinesh Maheshwari will be the new Chief Justice of the Meghalaya succeededor of Uma
Nath Singh
Gov appointed Rajendra Singh as the Director General of Coast guard- first person to be
appointed not from a Navy background.
Vijay mallya resigned from Chairman of United Spirits Limited and Mahindra Kumar Sharma an
Independent Director of the Firm to replace him.
Subhro Kamal Mukherjee took oath as the Chief Justice of Karnataka High court in the presence
of Governor Vajubhai Vala at Raj bhavan
European Football Administrator Gianni Infantino as FIFA president Succeedor of Swiss Sepp
Blatter
Dinesh Sharma accredited as the Chairperson of the Governing Council of International Fund for
Agriculture Development (IFAD), Rome.
Banks Board Bureau all set to have its first Chairman VinodRai, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi
approved the appointment
N Sinor (Former ICICI Banks Former Joint Director)
Anil Khandelwal (Former Chief of Bank of Baroda)
RupaKudwa (Chief of CRISIL).
Ashwini Nangia appointed as Director of CSIR- National Chemical lab, Pune.
Ajay kumar Sharma currently the Indian ambassador to the Republic of Mali concurrently
accredited to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania .
Tsewang Namgyal presently the Ambassador of Cuba is concurrently accredited as the
Ambassador to the Republic of Haiti
Odisha CM, Naveen patnaik elected as the president of Biju Janata Dhal for the seventh
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consecutive time.
Rozle Prezelj elected as the nw chairman of the International Association of Athletics Federations
Athletes Commission.

CraftsVilla an online marketplace for Indian products acquired the on-demand shipping service
provider Sendd for $4.5 million
Cabinet approves JV with states for rail projects initial 100 crore
Microsoft acquired software keyboard and SDK application maker SwiftKey - 250 million USD.
Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Entertainment joint venture with film-maker producer duo Neeraj
Pandey and Shital Bhatias Friday Filworks for production of movies.
Cisco Systems Inc publicized to acquire Jasper Technologies that connect devices to internet
for $1.4 billion in cash and equity awards.
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure inked a concord to sell its cement business wing Reliance
Cement to Birla Corporation for Rs. 4,800 crore.
Chhattisgarh gov will be forming a joint venture company with the Ministry of Railways.
MoU signed between Ministry of Railways and State Government of Telangana
Wipro signed an agreement to acquire the US-based HealthPlan Services from Water Street
Healthcare Partners for $460 million
Railways joined hands with the Chhattisgarh gov for laying of 762 km-long rail line in the state as
part of the rail infrastructure development plan.
Kedaara the local private equity firm partners with American fund Partners Group JV to buy
the Au housing finance for Rs 950 crore.
Google owned YouTube acquired BandPage for $8 million - delivering photos
and band info for more than 500,000 artists.
Time Inc. acquired the social networking ghost town Myspace, by taking ownership of Myspace as
part of a larger acquisition of parent company Viant.
HCL Technologies had acquired the Volvo Groups external IT business.
$1.75 billion (Rs 11,900 crore).
Cipla has acquired two US Drug companies namely InvaGen and Exelan pharmaceuticals for $550
million
Gov decided to divest 5% of its share that raised Rs. 5030 crore in NTPC through the Offer for
Sale route as per the disinvestment plan of 2015-16.
SCHEMES
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) completed its ten
years of achievement - US$15 billion.
Maharashtra State Cabinet announced the Babasaheb Ambedkar Special group Incentive
Scheme for the economically backward Dalit entrepreneurs
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship,Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
(PMKVY) has completed 10 lakh enrolments
States with maximum enrolment under scheme Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,Madhya
Pradesh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh
Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh launched Udyam Aakansha Scheme for promoting micro, small
and medium enterprises in the state.
Facilitating online registration and self-certification
Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje launched the mobile library-cum-school on wheels - NGO, Tabar
Society
Jayalalithaa the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had announced Amma Kudineer Thittam a new
scheme for supplying drinking water - 20 liters of pure water every day.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has released funds under its ambitious Target Olympic
Podium Scheme NSDF
West Bengal government launched the Utkarsh Bangla Scheme for school dropouts at the Netaji
Indoor Stadium in Kolkata
Odisha government introduced a self-certifying scheme for non-hazardous industries to set up
units.
Tamil Nadu government announced free bus travel for senior citizens in Chennai metropolitan
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areas.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojanas guidelines released at Kisan Mela
2% for Kharif crops and1.5% for Rabi crops and annual commercial and horticultural
crops will be 5%
PM Narendra Modi launched the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission to transform the rural
areas to get an urban look - 5100 crore 300 clusters in next 3 years
Slogan Rural Soul, Urban Amenities
Bihar is the sixth state to join this UDAY scheme - 3110 crores
To save 9000 crores in the next 3 years
Atal Innovation Mission and Self Employment Talent Utilization set up National Institution for
Transforming India Rs 500 Crore and Rs. 1, 000 crore
Gov will extend the e-tourist VISA to 37 more countries - total 150 countries
Karnataka government announced housing scheme for transgenders - 600 houses
National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) which is now renamed as Deen Dayal Antyodaya
Yojana-NULM - 4,041 statutory urban local bodies
Components - Employment through Skill Training and Placement,Social Mobilisation and
Institution Development,Subsidy to urban poor and Shelters for urban homeless
Atal Pension Yojana replaced the National Pension System now will be eligible for the tax benefits
as it was provided for National Pension System.
Tax benefits comes with additional deduction of Rs. 50,000 - gained 20 Lakh beneficiaries
MoUs
Haryana government signed an agreement with Indo-UK Healthcare Private Limited with
proposed investment of Rs 1,000 crore.
Haryana and Ontario in Canada had signed a Pact to enhance commercial and cultural ties.
Haryana and South Korean state of Chungcheongbuk agreed to collaborate on technology and
development.
Union Railway ministry instigated the Personalised take away bedrolls scheme for Chennai
Central Railway Station and Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station of Southern Railway.
Type 1 - Rs.140 and Type 2 - Rs.110.
Israel and Turkish energy firms signed an agreement to sell $1.3 billion worth of gas to Edeltech
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Indo-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol (IMCOR)
signed between Indian Navy and Myanmar Navy.
National Investment and Infrastructure fund (NIIF) the Indias maiden sovereign wealth signed
MoU with Russias Rusnano OJSC to set up high technology private Equity fund in India.
Labour Ministry signed agreements with employment & career activities orgs
8 agreements with Uber, Quikr, Monster, Tech Mahindra, Babajobs,India Staffing
Federation, Buzzmatic Ventures and GoldFish
MoU signed between the ministry of railways on and the gov of Sweden on technical cooperation
in Rail Sector for getting best international technology along with investment
India signed an agreement with the United Kingdom (UK) on exchanging information about
criminals.
Union Cabinet gave its ex-post facto approval for signing of a MoU between India and Singapore
Cabinet apprised about signing of MoU with on cooperation in the fields of Science, Technology
and innovation (STI).
Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE) and Andhra University had signed a MoU to start
the IIPE sessions during the academic year 2016-17.
India and Armenia ratified MoU on Agricultural Cooperation- trade and investment prospects also
sharing Knowledge that both countries gained erstwhile.
The Department of bio-technology of Ministry of Science & Technology and UKs top research
institute signed a MoU for collaboration for research on Crop Sciences
Establishment of Indo-UK plant science centre in India
The cabinet approved $150 million for development of Chabahar port in Republic of Iran which
will facilitate trade route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan.
Rajasthan Govt has inked 51 memorandums of understanding worth Rs 11,531.21 crore with
various companies - Rs 3.21 lakh crores
Prasar Bharati signed a MoU with Empressa de communicacao to the broadcast related endeavors
Exchange of News Programmes and co-production.
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BML Munjal University had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Axis Bank.
Aims to aware the students about Banking Sector
National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) signed MOU with Indian Institute of
Chemical Biology to promote entrepreneurship.
Jharkhand gove and Adani Group inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a 1600
MW capacity thermal power plant for investment of 15000 crore rupees
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) signed two bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements
(APAs) with United Kingdom
India and US signed an agreement to improve the system at Directorate General of Civil
Aviation (DGCA) - fund $808
National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) had inked Memorandum of Agreement
(MoA) with Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) in Kolkata for technology
Transfer at IACS.
Union Cabinet approved the proposal for notification of commitments under the Trade Facilitation
Agreement (TFA) of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Part of the WTOs Bali ministerial package of 2013
PM- Narendra Modi and his cabinet approved the agreement which will avoid double taxation for
International airline enterprises in Maldives and India.
India and United States of America has set up bilateral mechanism for sharing information for
tracking movements of satellites, avoiding collisions and identifying potential threads to space
and ground assets.
The worlds biggest multinational trade deal signed by 12 member nations of the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TTP) in Auckland, New Zealan
Cover 40 percent of the world economy
India and Afghanistan inked a pact for visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders of the two
countries.
India signs an Agreement to Become an Associate Member State of (EMBO)Associate Member
State European Molecular Biology Organisation
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) had signed an
agreement on cyber defence to improve cooperation.
US and Russia enter into a New deal to stop Bloodshed in Syria came as a joint statement from
US and Russia.
This ceasefire excludes Islamic state, al-Nusra Front and the other deemed terrorist
groups.
Manipal University had signed a MoU for academic cooperation with University of Chicago USA in
Manipal.
COMMITTEES
Empowered Group of State Transport ministers Headed by Rajasthan Transport Minister Yunus
Khan formed to suggest measures on ailing transport sector.
Companies Law Committee submitted its report to the Government for examining and making
recommendations on changing of the Companies Act, 2013.
Committee formed in Nashik to Rejuvenate Godavari - Deepak Naik(Head), Rekha Somalia,
Deepak Naik - rejuvenated nearly 78 rivers
Committee framed under T.S.R Subramanian to evolve the New Education Policy
Consider the various suggestions received from online portal, various educational pioneers
and experts and frame a Draft of the New Education Policy
Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP)s expert committee
To examine the possibility of replacing multiple prior permissions with pre-existing
regulatory mechanism has submitted its recommendations aimed at promoting ease of
doing business
Headed by Ajay Shankar
Economist and West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra appointed as the chairman of
empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Service tax.
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French space agency Centre National dtudes spatiales (CNES) signed a letter of intent with
the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in the next Mars mission 2018
Smartphones app MyShake turns the Android phones into an earthquake detector.
Worlds first fully automated farm with robots handling almost every step of the process from
watering seedlings to harvesting crops will be open in Japan announced by Kyoto-based Spread
India and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) joined hands to explore the
environment of Ladakh under NASAs Spaceward Bound programme.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) launched Indias first ayurvedicanti-
diabetic drug named BGR-34 for type two Diabetes mellitus.
Reliance Defense had announced to set up Dhirubhai Ambani centre for research, development
and innovation in aerospace technology.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched the official YouTube channel for the Ministry of finance.
CRMNEXT had launched Indias first cloud based digital CRM platform to provides commutable
cloud CRM solutions.
The first artificial graphene-like structure had been created by the University of Arkansas. The
team of researchers was headed by an Indian-origin researcher.
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has initiated an EMI scheme which will help them in their continuation
of the treatment and meet the high cost of medication.
The first machine harvestable chickpea variety, NBeG 47 has been released in Andhra
Pradesh suitable for the states variable climate.
Paper waste is turned into the non toxic green Aerogel for the first time by the experts of the
Singapore.
Dr. Mahesh Sharma launched the 247 Toll Free Tourist Infoline in 12 International
Languages including Hindi and English.
HCL had launched an Internet of Things (IoT) Incubation Center with Microsoft which will be
stationed at Redmond Washington, USA.
North Korea successfully launched the Kwangmyongsong-4 a communications satellite into space.
The Crime Mapping, Analytics and Predictive System (CMAPS) is being operationalised by Delhi
Police in partnership with ISRO - predictive policing mechanism
International physicists association detected gravitational waves for the first time in the world
YouTube launched its first original movies and series for YouTube Red subscriber
Indian Space Research Organasion (ISRO) launched the Cryogenic mark-III based GSLV
satellite launch vehicle in December.
US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is going to launch a smooth 132-foot
unmanned ocean drone from Portland on 17 April - 140-tonne Anti-Submarine
RailYatri.inlaunched a medical emergency app. It will enable train travelers to check for vital
information regarding medical facilities in the surrounding area of their location.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) launched a mobile application for cargo operations that will
help reduce paper work and track movement of shipments on real time basis.
Indian-origin scientist Ashutosh Tiwari with his team had discovered a fast Tin Monoxide
conductor to replace silicon.
Arun Jaitley the Union Finance Minister inaugurated the Non-Tax Receipt Portal (NTRP).
Developed by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) office - Rs 2 lakh crores.
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Javadekar launched a website and mobile application for
integrating its Environment Information System(ENVIS) centres -69
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its in principle
approval to the LIGO-India mega science proposal for research on gravitational waves 8km
Amazon announced the launch an initiative that enables small and medium businesses (SMBs) to
go online and sell products Amazon Tatkal.
Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari launched a website dedicated to the union governments
Maritime India Summit 2016
Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd a Noida based company had launched Freedom 251 possibly the worlds
cheapest Smartphone Rs.251
Japan space agency Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched ASTRO-
H space observation satellite to study the black holes.
Scientists have discovered five new exoplanets coining them hot Jupiters
WASP 119b, WASP 114b,WASP 126 b, WASP 129 b and WASP 133 b.
Googles Project Loon had crashed down in Sri Lanka in a tea plantation - crashed during
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its first test flight.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had found a super-Earth with an
atmosphere for the first time.
Indian Space Research Organisation successfully hot tested Cryo CE 20 Engine for flight
duration of 640 seconds at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.
The union minister for science and technology Harsh Vardhan dedicated the Ksheer Scanner
system for people
Used to detect Adulteration in Milk. It was developed by CSIR-CEERI.
Ministry of Tourism initiated the Swachh Parayatan Mobile App by Mahesh Sharma
Google Search Engine as Swachh Paryatan
Haryana to become the first state in India to have Aquifer mapping -to find out the exact location
of the Aquifer rocks
US Inter Continental Ballistic Missile Minuteman 3 was launched from Vandenberg Air force Base
in California.
Rabishield the first monoclonal antibody drug that is a fast acting anti-rabies vaccine is launched
in India.
Developed by Serum Institute of India and US-based Mass Biologics of the University of
Massachusetts Medical School.
Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDT) issued an order excluding
software patents in its revised guidelines for Computer Related Inventions (CRIs) - Patents
Act, 1970
ISRO has planned to launch the first solar mission Aditya-L1 in this year - first solar mission
and known as Aditya-L1
Scientists at McGill University created an energy efficient model Biological Super computer that
can process the information using very little energy.
It use energy from Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
New Doppler radar to be commissioned in the cyclone prone eastern coast in Gopalpur district of
Odisha by the Indian Meteorological Department next month.
DEFENCE
India has participated in the 35thedition of Cobra Gold multilateral exercise as an observer plus
country hosted by Thailand.
India and China held their first joint tactical exercise (JET) codenamed Sino-India Cooperation
2016in the Chushul-Moldo, Jammu and Kashmir
9th Indo-Nepal Combined Battalion level Military Training Exercise Surya Kiran has been started
off today at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.
IBSAMAR is a joint naval exercise between India, Brazil and South Africa - Exercise to
commence from Goa Coast
Indian Army and Seychelles Peoples Defence Forces (SPDF) had joint the 7th joint military
exercise in Victoria.
The Indian Navy conducted an International Fleet Review (IFR) at Visakhapatnam.
The state government had decided to set up the countrys first Aviation Park in Gujarat.
Indian Coast Guard planned to induct 38 more aircraft and helicopters into navy by 2020
INS Viraat an Airrcraft carrier will be developed as a tourism centre in the Navy, Andhra Pradesh.
Ishapore Rifle factory in west Bengal - designed Indias lightest revolver Nidar
weighing 250gm
Indias indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile had been successfully test-fired from
the Chandipur, Odisha.
Captive flight trials of an advanced state-of-the-art Anti-Radiation Missile (ARM) are planned
for April-May this year 100 to 125km
ENVIRONMENT
Birds of 11 rare species have been found in Jharkhand during a survey of the water bodies.
25 dams, in the state is nearly about 71,134 as recorded by the Asian Bird Survey 2015.
Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) had released seven new varieties of field crops
wheat, rice, chickpea, pigeon pea and mustard.
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The first global greenhouse gas emissions standard for aircraft has been recommended by United
Nations panel.
International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), the plan could diminish the fuel
consumption in new aircraft by an average of 4%
Central Pollution Control Boards (CPCB) has released its latest report National Air Quality
Indices (AQI)
Delhi is not the pollution capital of India but still it has been ranked with very poor score
of 362.
Varanasi and Muzaffarpur are leading the list with severe pollution
Parts of southern Britain lashed by heavy rain and winds of up to 96 mph afterstorm
Imogen swept .
New species of Hydroid Polyps emitting green fluorescence in the Red Sea discovered by
international team of biologists
Hydroid polyps are also called hydrozoas.
Google will launch a public flood alerts feature in India.The feature will be available through
Google Public Alerts.
Neem extract may help treat Pancreatic Cancer - scientists from the Texas Tech University Health
Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso).
The Department of forest and Animal Keepers at Arignar Anna Zoological Park has carried out
long day census of birds and came to the conclusion that 31 species of birds in Vandalurs Otteri
Lake.
Greenpeace analysis data taken by NASA satellites alarmed that the average particulate matters
of population increased in India overtaking China for the first time in 21st century.
Birders in Goa sighted rare Falcated Duck in Goa - verity in Goas Bird list.
High sediment mercury levels reported in Arctic region - Kottayam Kerala school of
Environmental sciences Kongsfjorden
A group of scientists from Massachusetts Institute of technology have discovered that sea
sponges were the first animal to have appeared on earth
Government comes out with draft norms for Euro VI emission standard - Central Motor Vehicles
(Amendment) Rules, 2016 as the draft of certain rules aims at amending the Central Motor
Vehicles Rules, 1989.
SPORTS
2016 Syed Modi Badminton Title Lucknow
Mens singles category - Indian Kidambi Srikanth defeating Huang Yuxiang the chines
player
Womens singles category - Sayaka Sato from Japan by defeating Sung Ji Hyun from
South Korea
Mens doubles category - Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong from Malaysia Indian pair of
Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar
Womens doubles category - Jung Kyung-eun and Shin Seung-chan from South
Korea defeating Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek from Netherlands
Mixed Doubles Title - Indonesian pair Praveen Jordan and Deby Susanto
defeated Thai pair Puavaranukroh Dechapol and Sapisree Tairattanchai
Japanese city of Fukuoka will host the 2021 World Aquatics Championships
Pietro Fittipaldi Brazil racing driver has won the 2015 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 held in
Tamilnadu
Virat Kohli rewarded for his stupendous performance in Indias clean sweep against Australia in
the T20 internationals as he replaced Aaron Finch
National Snooker Championship Aditya Mehta won 2016 Championship by defeating Manan
Chandra by 6-3 in the mens final round Indore, MP
Rajkot franchise has been named as the Gujarat Lions after an online survey Suresh Raina
Kerala won the 61st National School Athletics championship - held at Olympian Rahman Stadium
in Kozhikode, Kerala.
BWF Ranking
K Srikanth sat again on World No. 9 and P V Sindhu dropped a place to be No. 12.
In mens double pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar World No. 34,
while Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy ranked at World No. 20.
P Kashyap slipped to World No. 15 while H S Prannoy ranked at 27th spot.
26 | P a g e
The duo of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa ranked at 13th.

ICC removed India, England and Australia as the permanent members of its decision-making
executive committee.
IIFL Wealth Mumbai International Open Chess tournament title clinched by Grandmaster Swapnil
S Dhopade of Maharashtra.
Yasir Shah Pakistan leg-spinner banned for three months for breaching the International Cricket
Councils (ICCs) anti-doping code.
New Zealand captain Brendon Barrie McCullum had been retired from all forms of international
cricket
Quinton De Kock the wicketkeeper and batsman of South Africa became the fastest to make10
One Day International (ODI) centuries.
The hallowed Lords will host the final of the Womens Cricket World Cup in 2017 in London.
Brendon McCullum skipper of New Zealand cricket team had played recode 100th consecutive
Test - 153 successive tests
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had banned Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf was for five
years.
Sania Mirza the Indian tennis star and Martina Hingis from Swiss won the St. Petersburg Ladies
Trophy in St. Petersburg, Russia.
West Indies had won the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2016 in Mirpur against India.
India has won the three match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka at VIsakapatnam
12th South Asian Games 2016 title clinched by India, which were held at Guwahati and Shillong
Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 India 185 90 30 305
2 Sri Lanka 25 60 98 183
3 Pakistan 12 37 55 104
4 Afghanistan 7 9 19 35
5 Bangladesh 4 15 54 73
6 Nepal 3 23 32 58
7 Maldives 0 2 1 3
8 Bhutan 0 1 15 16
Dominic Thiem an Austrian tennis player wins the Buenos Aires Title over the Nicolas Almagro a
Spanish professional tennis player in the Argentina Open.
Sridhar of Short Dena Bankshad been selected as Umpire (Table Tennis) for the comingRio
Olympic Games 2016.
Indian Railways won The National Chess team Championship for the first time at the 36th
Championship was held at Bhubaneswar
Indias leading denim brand Numero Uno will be the official clothing supplier of ICC World
Twenty20.
Rio Haryanto becomes Indonesias first Formula 1 driver after signing a deal with Manor Racing
going to be held in Melbourne, Australia.
Suhaania lohi created history when she was ranked 6 among her co-players in chess.
Brendon McCullum the New Zealand skipper sets a new record with his 54 ball ton in his farewell
innings against Australia
Punjab Warriors defeated Kalinga Lancers to win 2016 Hockey in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
India Bags 9 medals at the Asian Wrestling Championship held at Bangkok, Thailand.
India 7th and Iran 1st
Former world No. 4 Francesca Schiavone from Italy won her 7th WTA career title in Rio de
Janeiro beating Shelby Rogers of America
36th edition of the Sait Nagjee Football Tournament was held at Kozhikode, Kerala. FC
Dnipro Reserves of Ukraine had grabbed the tournaments trophy by defeating Atletico
Paranaense Reserves of Brazil.
Australia Reclaims No.1 in ICC Test rankings after defeating the Kiwis in Christchurch test match
won the series
India 2nd position and South Africa 3rd position
Gurmeet Singh from Uttarkhand created record that he clocked 1:21:24:57 to clinch Gold
Medal against the Rio Olympics Qaulifying Standard in Jaipur, Rajasthan
Mumbai won the Ranji trophy title beating Saurashtra by an innings and 21 runs winning the title
for 41st time.
2016 Qatar Total Open
27 | P a g e
Singles Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia has clinched the title by defeating Carla Suarez
Navarro of Spain.
Doubles Taipei Chan Hao-ching / Taipei Chan Yung-jan of China defeated Sara of Italy/
Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.
Dubai ATP title of 2016
Swiss tennis great Stan Wawrinka defeated Marcos Baghdatis of Cypriotto claim Dubai
ATP title of 2016
Womens Singles: Sara Errani from Italy won 2016 defeated Barbora Strycova of Czech
Republic.
Mens Doubles: Simone Bolelli and Andreas seppi from Italy defeated Feliciano Lopez and
Marc Lopez pair from Spain to Clinch the Title.
Womens Doubles: Chuang Chia Jung from Chinese Taipei and Darija Jurak from
Croatia defeated French pair of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic.
OBITUARY
The British actor Frank Finlay who nominated as Oscar winner in 1966 passed away
The worlds best Chef Benoit Violier passed away at 44
Dan Hicks Americas singer-songwriter had passed away
A theatre-turned-cinema-actor Kollam G K Pillai is known for his character and comedy roles in
dramas, movies and TV serials passed away
S.S. Tarapore, an economist and former Central Bank Deputy Governor passed away in Mumbai
at 80.
Former Lok Sabha speaker and Congress veteran Balram Jakhar passed away at the age of 92.
Famous Urdu fiction writer, novelist, columnist and poet Intizar Husain passed away
Padma Shri awardee, eminent cartoonist Sudhir Tailang passed away
Edgar Mitchell - one of 12 men and sixth man to walk on the Moon passed away
The leading Urdu poets Nida Fazli had passed away
Sushil Koirala the former Prime Minister of Nepal passes away
UP Panchayati Raj minister and MLA from Ghazipur - Kailash Yadav passed away
Veteran film director Aurobindo Mukherjee passed away
Leslie Bassett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer known for his lush sonorities and ecumenical
instrumentation passed away at 93
Siachen braveheart Lance Naik Hanamanthappa passed away
Soviet football legend Anatoly Ilyin died at the age of 84
Indias Ambassador to Tajikistan Biraja Prasad passed away.
Padma Vibhushan awardee, eminent Malayalam poet, lyricist, professor and environmentalist O
N V Kurup passed away at 84
Popular southern composer Rajamani has passed away at 60
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat, who helped negotiate his countryslandmark
peace deal with Israel passed away at 93
Noted Malayalam novelist and short story writer Akbar Kakkattil passed away at 62
The former West Indies cricketer Andy Ganteaume passed away
Veteran singer Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan had passed away
Andrzej Zulawski, Polish director who spent most of his professional life in France passed away
at 75
Harper Lee American novelist whose first novel To Kill a Mockingbird passed away at 89
The famous Odissa singer Bhubaneshwari Mishra passed away at the age of 67
Umberto Eco, the philosopher cum novelist who is renowned for his work The Name Of The Rose
passed away at 84
B K Garudachar the oldest living cricketer of India passed away at 99
Socialist leader Nihal Ahmed Maulavi Mohammed Usman died at the age of 90
The famous Malayalam director Rajesh Pillai passed awy at the age of 41
Legendary Actor comedian Kumarimuthu passed away at 77
BOOKS & AUTHORS

Sentinels of Raisina Hill authored by Mohan Joseph (Controller General of Accounts) Dhirendra
Singh (former Home Secretary)
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Indian Paper Money penned by Shri Razack

Transendence - Former President APJ Abdul Kalam
Amar Chitra Katha has launched its first romance title A Kingdom For His Love the fiction co-
authored by Vani Mahesh and Shinie Antony
Information & Broadcast Minister (I&B) had released the India 2016 and Bharat 2016 Reference
Annual books
Anything but Kamosh: The biography of Shatrughan Sinha - Shatrughan Sinha biography
IMPORTANT DAYS
Feb 2: World Wetland Day Wetlands for our Future Sustainable Livelihoods
Feb 4: World Cancer Day We can I can
Feb 6: International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.
Achieving the new Global Goals through the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation by 2030
Feb 7: 68th Nowshera Day
Feb 11: International Day Women and Girls in Science Transforming the World: Parity in Science
Feb 13: World Radio Day - Radio in Times of Emergency and Disaster
Feb 20: World Day of Social Justice A Just transition environmentally sustainable economies and
societies.
Feb 21: International Mother Language day Quality education, language(s) of instruction and
learning outcomes
Feb 22: World thinking day Connect Activity Pack
Feb 24: Central Excise Day
Feb 28 National Science day Scientific issues for Development of the Nation
Current Affairs
Current Affairs PDF
Study Materials PDF
Reasoning Questions
English Questions
Computer Questions
General Aptitude
Reasoning
Letter Writing
Math Tricks
Computer Awareness

29 | P a g e
Current Affairs Pocket PDF: March 2016
Current Affairs March Pocket PDF 2016

INDIAN AFFAIRS
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) introduced two prime projects
NationalWaterway No 2 - Brahmaputra River between the Bangladesh
border and Sadiya (Assam) - Rs 50.76 crore
Ro-Ro ferry service between Dhubri & Hatsingimari
Haryana government announced to rename Mustafabad village as Saraswati nagar.
Knight Frank Wealth Report 2016 - Mumbai, with 1094 billionaires(21st )followed by Delhi at
545(23rd )
Chennai gets first smart self cleaning toilets in India 183 by Eram scientific solution
Carriage by Air amendment bill to empower Union government to revise the limits of liability for
airlines and compensation as per the Montreal Convention which India accepted in 2009.
Telengana government to replace the existing bulbs with LED in 25 municipalities within 100
days - G Jagadish Reddy
12th South Asian Games decided to set up Tikhor Park (Games Mascot) in Guwahati and Shillong
with Rs. 2 Crore
PM Narendra Modi Launches Setu Bharatam Project to ensure our highways without railway
crossings, the Setu Bharatam Project.
Outlay: Rs. 50,800 cr and Target: 2019
Allepey, the Venice of the East, and a favourite tourism spot in Kerala- Indias first 75-seater
Solar Ferry - built by NavAlt
Raisina-Dialogue - the three day Flagship Programme on Geopolitics and Geo-economics began
in New Delhi - Sushma Swaraj
Sri Arun Jaitley introduced the Aadhaar (Target Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits
and other Services) Bill, 2016.
Japan International Cooperation Agency has pledged Rs. 5700 crore to up gradation of National
Highway projects in North East India.
NH 54 in Mizoram and NH 51in Meghalaya.
Election Commission of India announced Assembly Elections dates for Kerala, West Bengal,
Tamilnadu, Assam, and Puduchchery - April 4 and May 16 and May 19.
Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT) signed a MoA with the Union Government to get
a loan of Rs. `1000 crores.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited owned Commissions Supercritical Thermal Unit - 700 MW at
Bellary Thermal Power Project in Karnataka.
The traditional Spring Festival of Mizoram, Chapchar Kut, was celebrated across the state on
March 5, 2016.
Nagaland Information Commission regarded as one of the best of its kind in the entire country.
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the National conference of Women legislators at Vigyan
Bhawan - 33% reservation for women in legislation
Indian Railways to set up special wing for research SRESHTA - Special Railway Establishment for
Strategic Technology and Holistic Advancement
UP gov passed the UP revenue code amendment bill that facilitates Dalits to sell their land to
Non-Dalits.
Pre-British era revenue law was replaced by UP Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill, 2016
GOI will digitalise all the 1.29 lakh rural post offices by 2017 - Rs. 4909 crore
Gov started the second edition of Gyan sangam and in the third phase of Gyan sangam it has
planned to focus on Consolidation of banks - Jayant sinha
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan laid out the foundation stone for Octomax unit in the oil
refinery at Mathura
First high octane gasoline production unit - Rs 5,000 crore novel technology.
The Sex ratio in Gujarat(22nd) fallen significantly from 920 in 2001 to 919 in 2011.
Union Government proposes to launch a River Information System (RIS), the system is similar
to Air Traffic Control.
Mumbai to host BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave in April involving top Urban Policy makers and
Planners from BRICS Nations April 14-16
Germany partnered with Indias flagship program Smart City Mission to develop Bhubaneswar,
Kochi, and Coimbatore as smart Cities.
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Womens Day News box

ICICI bank announced a work-from-home programme for the women workers iWork @
home platform
Air India flew its first worlds longest all women flight from New Delhi to San Francisco.
Tata housing tying up with SBI to provide special home loan part of Her Ghar scheme
SBI life insurance launched the Smart Women Advantage scheme for life cover, savings
and female-specific critical illness benefits
Indias rank in women representation has slipped from 117 to 144.
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Sanjay Gandhi launched Mahila
e-Haat portal in New Delhi to enable women to sell their products across the nation
Indias air force will induct its first female fighter pilots in June - Bhawna Kanth, Avani
Chaturvedi and Mohana
Haryana Global Investors Summit 2016 - Gurgaon
Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit-2016 - 25 lakh crore
48-year-old Enemy Property Act to allow the custodians to continue to hold sway over enemy
properties
To amend the Enemy Property Act, 1968.
Gujarat govt.topped the list of states with most investment potential
Report released by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
Top 5: Gujarat, New Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra
Govt. mulls Wind Energy Potential to promote wind energy projects - interest discount of 0.25 %
Saudi Arabia and India hold talks on regional and global issues of mutual interests.
Sushma Swaraj and Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir in New Delhi.
Rajya Sabha passes Bureau of Indian Standards bill to make BIS, a national standards body.
The first Maritime summit to be held at India - 57 countries from the world.
Rajya Sabha passed National Waterways Bill 2015 by the Minister of Road Transport and
Highways and Shipping, Mr. NitinGadkari.
Cycling event of Indian Army with theme Cycle to Recycle flagged off from Pangsau Pass in the
India-Myanmar border.
Theme: Cycle and Recycle
National Anthem compulsory in all schools - West Bengal Gov
Real Estate Regulation and Development Bill - the favour of protection of Home buyer 70%
sale proceeds
Union Cabinet approved the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP).
It will enhance domestic oil and gas production,
Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs to amend the Sikh
Gurdwaras Act, 1925
Union Cabinet gave its approval for the BIMSTECConvention on mutual legal assistance in
Criminal Matters.
7 countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand
IMF will establish a knowledge-sharing centre in India,
Technical support and assistance to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
and Bhutan.
Cabinet approved amendment to mining law-Mines and minerals (Development and Regulation)
Amendment Bill 2015 to transfer of mining lease for captive mines.
Lok Sabha passes Aadhaar bill 2016 - to avail the subsidies and schemes of the Government
Kakrapar atomic power Plant in Gujarat was shut down after leakage developed of heavy water.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated three Railway projects at Bihar Rs.7200 cr
Patna Rail-cum-road Bridge
Mokama double line Railway bridge
Munger rail-cum-road Bridge
Govt to computerise all ration shops by 2019 by installing electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices
Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat has conducted a honey festival in Mangaluru
Foreign Minister of the Government of Mexico, H.E. Ms Claudia Ruiz Massieu Salinas, visited India
on two day visit to India
Mexico in the international context and its relations with India - lecture
Allahabad High Court(1866) celebrates its 150th Foundation Day on 14th March 2016 -
Conference Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future held in New Delhi by Government of
India and the IMF
UP Govt approved a policy for senior citizens monthly pension from Rs. 300 to Rs. 400.
Indias First Education Focused Accelerator Programme Edugild Started At MIT,PUNE
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Edugild CEO - Rishi Kapal

Jammu & Kashmir adopted new industrial policy 2016 to attract an investment of Rs.2000
crores - Governor N N Vohra
Maharashtra gov passed the prohibition of social Boycott bill - 7 years in prison or fine up to 5
lakh rupees or both
International Childrens Film Festival The Golden Elephant for the North East Region began in
Gangtok
Order Amendment Bill, 2016 passed in Lok Sabha to amend the Constitution Scheduled Castes
Order 1950.
5 states: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Odisha and West Bengal,
The largest fair on Food & Hospitality Sector AAHAR 2016 - 31st edition
was inaugurated by Harsimrat Kaur Badal
Under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana Loans worth Rs1.09 lakh crore have been sanctioned to
small entrepreneurs
Loan between Rs.50, 000 and Rs.10 lakh
The Centre has released 609 crore rupees for upgrading prisons in eight States
Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh,Maharashtra, Mizoram, Tripura and
Arunachal Pradesh.
Union Government given final approval for setting up a Mega Food Park in Khammam District of
Telangana- Rs. 108.95 crore
India signed Social Security Agreement Pact with Australia(14th country)
India and China Exchange Tariff Cut Offers to liberalise trade ties as they exchange offers on
tariff cuts in goods imports.
Punjab Assembly passed the Punjab Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal land bill-2016.
Contradiction of the construction of contentious Sutlej Yamuna Link.
Career Guidance Counselling Centres launched in Delhi to improve employment opportunities for
women
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 5th edition of the India Aviation 2016 in Hyderabad
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan- Ek Kadam Swachhta Ki Aur Survey
Surat Cleanest Railway Station and Varanasi Dirtiest railway station
Cisco to set up Internet of Everything (IoE) innovation centre in Visakhapatnam
Part of the inauguration of Indias first statewide broadband project-AP Fiber Net in
Visakhapatnam
PM Modi inaugurated the first World Sufi Forum- Bain-ul-Aqwami Sufi Conference in New Delhi.
Indian Airforce to conduct day-night exercise Iron-fist at Rajasthans Pokhran firing range
Gov of Goa declared Feni as Heritage spirit of Goa. under the Goa Excise Duty Act, 1964.
SC allowed photographs of CMs, Governors & Ministers in Public advertisements - Justice Ranjan
Gogoi bench
Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu unveiled Model Building Bye-Laws, 2016 for
granting permission for construction of buildings -
Narendra Modi inaugurated three-day Krishi Unnati Mela in New Delhi
To provide information on new farm schemes and technologies for farmers
Krishi Karman Awards for 2014-15: Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Meghalaya, Haryana,
Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal
Commendation awards: Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa
Union Health Minister J P Nadda, launched Bedaquiline new anti-TB drug for Drug Resistant TB
Mumbais Wilson College adopts railway station for cleanliness as a part of the Swachch Bharat
Abhiyan
BHEL commissioned another 270 MW unit at Goindwal Sahibcoal-fired power project in Punjab
India will host the 8th BRICS Summit from 15 October to 16 October 2016 in Goa announced by
External affairs ministry
Punjab Assembly has passed a bill Punjab Settlement of Agricultural Indebtedness Bill, 2016 to
provides relief to the farmers
The Union ministry of Health & Welfare launched a study on Longitudinal Ageing of Indians
termed as LASI(Longitudinal Ageing Study in India)
6% of the total population of India is elderly people
340 million of 60+ aged people in 2050
India Post released customised commemorative stamp on HAL to recognize the companys 75
years services to the nation
Government clears new Defence Procurement Policy to make equipments locally and fund
private-sector R&D t
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NTPC commissioned a 250 MW Unit-I of its arm at Bihar.

PM Inaugurates Power transmission line between India & Bangladesh from Agartala
Bangladesh providing 10GB Internet Bandwidth to India
Himachal, Mumbai to have electric buses from Tata motorsunder its flagship scheme Faster
Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India).
Gov approved 11 highway projects with a total length of about 453 km and worth of Rs 6,284
crore
Swachh Bharat rankings Cleanest building
Rashtrapati Bhavan, UPSC Building, Hyderabad House, Jawaharlal Nehru Bhavan and
Vigyan Bhavan
110 gram panchayats in Chhattisgarh were declared open defecation-free under the Swachh
Bharat Abhiyan
Mehbooba Mufti elected as first woman chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir
Andhra Pradesh gov inaugurates Indias first lift irrigation project at Pattiseema village
It connects river Godavari with Krishna
BHEL commissions 600 MW unit of Singareni project in Adilabad
Ayurveda, Arogya fair is a four day programme which began in Goa.
Organised by AYUSH ministry and Confederation of Indian Industry
Objective is to popularize the Indian Medicinal system
India decided to provide electricity operated cars at zero down payment making it as a 100% e-
vehicle nation by 2030 said by Piyush Goyal
4th unit of 195 Mw of Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Station (MTPS) was successfully synchronised
with the national grid.
Madhya Pradesh to have its first Indo Tibetan Border Police weapon training centre at Batiagarh,
Damoh Rs 2100 crores
The Union Minister of health and welfare J P Nadda launched Rota virus vaccine in Bhubaneshwar
Maharashtra gets its first set of Women Commanders to protect forest - a batch of 20 women
Common Yoga protocol revealed for 2nd International day of Yoga(June 21) by the AYUSH
minister Shripad Yesso Naik
The President rule imposed in Uttarakhand when the congress ruled government faced the
opposition from the 9 rebel MLAS.
The Economic Advisor of Himachal Pradeep Chauhan released Sixth Economic Census of Himachal
Pradesh - 100 per cent establishments
First state in the country to complete the census and release the report
Adapting homes for the differently-abled scheme
6 months pension would be given in advance to persons
BHEL commissioned 40 MW hydropower generating unit at the Teesta low dam hydro electric
project (HEP) in West Bengal.
Haryana gov approved the Jat reservation bill to provide reservation to Jats and four other
castes(Sikhs, Rors, Bishnois and Tyagis)
Gov reconstituted the Board of trade headed by the commerce minister and first meeting will be
held on April,6
Narendra Modi
Madhya Pradesh to join National Agri Market platform
PM Modi to launch it from the state on April 14 to mark B R Ambedkars birth anniversary.
Haryana becomes 1st to launch Injectable Contraceptive - Salamati
To maintain a healthy balance between the births of children by using injectable
contraceptive
Gujarat to set up a University exclusively focussed Organic Farming - Rs 10 crore
Gov notified the new Aadhaar Act, 2016 - the numbers assigned by it a statutory backing for
transfer of subsidies and benefits
Telengana CM Chandrasekhar Rao passed the bill Payment of Salaries and Pensions and Removal
of Disqualifications(Amendment) Bill-2016 for hike in salary of MLAs and MLCs.
Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla Launched Innovative Entrepreneurship & Skill
Development Programme of MANAS through Renowned Experts in Different Skill Sets
Finance minister Arun Jaitley launched the Make in India conference in Sydney.
Gov will share the results of government recruitment exams and PSUs which will be shared with
private player for job opportunity
Kachabali village in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan become the first in state to vote in support of
closing down the only liquor shop in the village.
Financial capital of India Mumbai to get its first Arbitration Centre for dealing the financial
4|Page
disputes.
Government Unveils unified building bye laws proposed by Venkaiah Naidu
Amended after a gap of 33 years and it enables the single window approval
The permissions time 14 from 40 and time limit come down from 60 to 30 days
BHEL commissioned 250 MW coal-based thermal power plant in Bihar.
The national anthem must be sung by the Students every day in the primary schools of Uttar
Pradesh UP CM Akilesh Yadav
STATE BUDGET 2016-17

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh presented the State Budget for the fiscal year 2016-17.
Uttarkhand Government presented the 40422 crores State budget 2016-17
Telengana Government to present 1.30 Lakh crore Budget 2016-17
Goa CM Laxmikant Parsekar Presented State Budget for 2016-17
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Government presented its State Budget for the year 2016-17
Haryana gov proposed a tax free budget for the financial year 2016-17.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia presented a Rs 46,600 crore annual budget for 2016-
17
Strategic dialogue between US and Pakistan after the controversial deal of F-16 jets
Peru government has declared state emergency after a major oil pipeline burst affecting two
rivers Chiriaco and Morona rivers
Global Energy Architecture Performance Index Report WEF.India - 90th place
Top 3: Swizerland, Norway and Sweden
Japanese government will stipulate a long-term goal of cutting green house emissions by 80 per
cent by 2050
EU releases 252 million euros in aid for Palestinians to support the Palestinian Authoritys health
and education programmes
London is the most expensive city to live in, by overtaking Hong Kong, New York -Savills survey
China launched its first self propelled floating dock, giving it the ability to repair warships from
the coast.
Worlds Costliest Train Station Opened in New York,connects New York to New Jersey.
UN Security Council adopts tough sanctions against North Korea Over Nuclear Test
Japan signed an agreement with the Philippines to supply defence equipment, the first such pact
by Japan in the South Asian region.
India Signs Agreement With IEA(International Energy Agency) in the fields of energy data and
forecasting.
Pakistans upper house of Parliament rejected National Airline privatization bill- PIA (Pakistan
International Airlines) Corporation Conversion Bill 2015 - Zahid Hamid.
US religious commission seeking to investigate the declining religious independence in the
country denied the Indian Visa.
UN Refugee Agency and UNICEF are setting up special support centres Blue Dot hubs to protect
children & families on move across Europe.
Women at Work: Trends2016 -International Labour Organizations Report.
Womens wages remain unchanged in 20 years
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Childrens Emergency
Fund(UNICEF) jointly launched the Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage.
12 countries across Africa and Asia.
34 countries, nearly 80 percent of them in Africa, dont have enough food - UN report
Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, and the Central African Republic.
Pakistan Government initiated probe into Karachi-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)
partys Alleged ties with based Research Analysis Wing (RAW)
Mumbai and Bangalore are among the cheapest cities in the world - London forecast group (EIU).
Most expensive city: Singapore, London(6th) and New York(7th )
Serbian government has proclaimed a state of emergency as heavy rains are causing extensive
flooding.
India Inc. is set to formally adopt the United Nations (UN) agenda for the worlds sustainable
5|Page
development and 17 goals have been identified for its implementation.

The Arab League has declared Lebanese movement Hezbollah a terrorist group, the decision
came during an Arab League foreign ministers visit in Cairo.
Ireland arrived new constitutional territory after its parliament failed to elect a prime minister
Enda Kenny remains as prime minister
Chinas Supreme Court is setting up its own international maritime judicial centre to
handle territorial disputes.
UNESCO joined hands with CJ Welfare to start an animation program named Rainbow Ruby.
Support for Better Life for Girls campaign
100 Global Venture Capitalists - Top 10
S.no NAME COMPANY GLOBAL RANK
1 SAMEER GANDHI ACCEL PARTNERS 25
2 PROMOD HAQUE NORWEST VENTURE PARTNERS 32
3 SALIL DESHPANDE BAIN CAPITAL VENTURES 35
4 NAVIN CHADDA MAYFIELD FUND 45
5 ASHEEM CHANDNA GREYLOCK PARTNERS 47
6 DEVEN PAREKH INSIGHT VENTURE PARTNERS 52
7 JAI DAS SAPPHIRE VENTURES 59
8 HEMANT TANEJA GENERAL CATALYST PARTNERS 67
9 NEERAJ AGGARWAL BATTERY VENTURES 68
10 KRISHNA KOLLURI NEW ENTERPRISE ASSOCIATES 73
Mauritania has ratified the 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930
Mauritania, Niger, Norway and the United Kingdom (Europe)
Happiness Index India ranked 118
Top 3: Denmark, Switzerland and Iceland
Narendra Modi is set to join the league of the most prominent world leaders at the World
famous Wax Museum Madame Tussauds in London.
4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves was inaugurated in Lima, Peru
The worlds first fully electric-powered double-decker bus unveiled in London
US presidential hopeful Donald Trump, Author J K Rowling,Former Olympic athlete Caitlyn
Jenner,Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo,Cristiano Ronaldo,Lily Singh and Josh Ostrovsky
Bangkok is to impose a curfew during the worlds biggest water festival - Songkran festival
FIFA acknowledged that tens of millions of dollars bribe money seized by U.S. federal
prosecutors in past World Cup hosting contests for the first time.
13th meeting of Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development was held on 14 March 2016
in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
eAtlas of Gender Inequality in Education released by the UNESCOs Institute for Statistics (UIS).
Gender inequalities highest in the Arab States, sub-Saharan Africa and South, and West
Asia
India provided 265 million grant for constituting Tagores memorial Auditorium in Srilanka
Britains top 101 richest Asians :
Hinduja brothers emerged as the richest Asian-origin entrepreneurs in Britain for the
fourth consecutive year
Others - Lakshmi Niwas Mittal, Sri Prakash Lohia and Arora brothers
EU struck a deal with Turkey to allow all refugees and migrants arriving in Europe.
IKEA pledged Rs 92.84 crore to provide safe water and sanitation to one million people in India
and Indonesia through Water.Org.
Barrons top global 30 CEOs
Top 3 - Warren Buffet(Berkshire Hathaway), David Cote(Honeywell),Jamie Dimon(JP
Morgan Chase)
Indians - Anand Mahindra(M&M) and Aditya Puri(HDFC).
Nepal to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) as a dialogue partner.
TIMEs Most Influential people - PM Modi, tennis player Sania Mirza and Bollywood actress
Priyanka Chopra
Others - Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Aziz Ansari
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) made a standardised electronic
format for the exchange of Country-by-Country (CbC)
Fortune 50 leaders listed by Fortune magazine - Arvind Kejriwal(42nd)
Indian origin -South Carolinas governor Nikki(17th) and Resham Saujani(20th )
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Women Saujani, Angela Merkel,Aung San Suu Kyi ,Christine Lagarde and Sheik Hasina
US congress passed the bill in senate to allow India to be a member of APEC.
Radovan Karadzic imprisoned for 40 years for war crimes in Bosnian war 1992-95
Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment for 2015 UN Report
The contribution by India, China & Brazil in 2015 in renewable energy - $156 billion
India has decided to appeal against WTO verdict in solar panel case
Demanding equal market for domestic as well as foreign traders
Security Council has decided to extend the UN assistance provided to Somalia till March,2017
US President, Barack Obama made a historic visit to Cuba in 88 years
Signed a first business deal in Cuba since the 1959 revolution
British gov lifted the ban on the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF)
Syrian Army(mortal blow) recaptures historic city of Palmyra from IS
EgyptAir Flight MS181 hijacked to Cyprus.
The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) launched a series of animated films Unfairy Tales Of Refugee
And Migrant Children to help frame positive insights toward the tens of millions of children and
young people.
Ebola threat comes to an end in West Africa declared by WHO
France long military operation Sangaris(2013) in Central African comes to an end
India institute its first Chair in the Arab world at Egypts third largest university Ain Shams
University (ASU) in Cairo.
BANKING & FINANCE
IFClaunched its first Uridishi masala bond in India to mobilize 300 million rupees from Japanese
household investors to promote private sector investment .
World Bank, India and Government of Madhya Pradesh inked a credit concord worth of US $300
million for the Madhya Pradesh (MP) Higher Education Quality Improvement Project.
RBI announced relaxation of certain norms in the balance sheet - unlock 40,000 crores to support
the capital requirement
Nomura report that Indias GDP growth will rise from 7.6% to 7.8% in the year 2016-17.GDP
Government cancelled the contract for the RS. 10,050 crore Zojila Pass Tunnel Building Project -
Jammu & Kashmir
RBI Released the Non Banking Financial Company- Account Aggregator Directions, 2016
To allow a separate category of Non Banking Financial Company to emerge as an Account
Aggregator.
Foreign Banks Get Myanmar Licence
Vietnams Bank for Investment and Development
Taiwans E.SUN Commercial Bank
South Koreas Shinhan Bank
State Bank of India
Capital Local Area Bank Limited got first small finance bank licence.
Axis bank is better placed than ICICI and other public sector bank in terms of corporate book
profitability - Nomura
Government may look into merging the twenty seven PSBs into just six -Gyan Sangam bad
loan issue
The growth forecast for India is at 7.5 per cent this fiscal and sees higher growth over
the next two financial years Fitch
Soft Bank group Corp plans to split its domestic and overseas business - Nikesh Arora
Department of Revenue sets up dedicated structure for monitoring taxpayer Services - Tax
Administration Reforms Commissions (TARC) report
YES Bank starting its first All women operated branch in Bengaluru Yes Grace
RBI share its FDI details with the Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing to prevent
the entry of Black money
Govt removed proposed tax on EPF withdrawals
To make up to 60 per cent of savers corpus withdrawn from the EPF tax-free if invested in
annuity and 40% tax free
ICICI Bank launched credit-linked subsidy scheme under PMAY(Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana)
HDFC Bank tied up with 5 start ups
Senseforth Technologies,Tagnpin,Safe 2 Pay,Bugclipper and Taptis Technology
Employee Provident Fund Organisation announced an incentive for the employees who register
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between January and December 2016 - 5 to 10%

116 central public sector enterprises spent an amount of Rs 2447.59 crore on Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) in 2014-15
The GDP growth of India at 7.9% for the fiscal year 2016 - Crisil
India Post Picked Deloitte as Consultant for Payments Bankto advise it on setting up a payments
bank Rs.800cr
ICICI signed a pact with Italian luxury sports car manufacturer Ferrari to issue co-branded credit
cards Visa platform.
Kotak Mahindra Bank Group signed an agreement up with Canadian Pension Plan Investment
Board (CPPIB) to launch a $525 million fund.
RBI is likely to pay the government Rs 57,000 crore in dividends in the fiscal year 2016-17.
SBI released arrears worth Rs.1, 465 crore to about 7.75 lakh defence beneficiaries under OROP
scheme
RBI asked banks to credit interest on savings accounts every quarter or shorter than that of the
fiscal.
ICICI Bank launched a new NFC-based mobile payment system iTap enabling contactless
transactions via its Pockets app.
IDBI allowed its customers to invest in bonds through its ATMs.
G-Sec through ATM is an extension of Banks Samriddhi G-Sec Portal
Gov slashed the interest rates of Public Provident Fund (PPF) scheme - will be cut to 8.1 per cent
from 8.7 per cent
Five-Year National Savings Certificates - 1 per cent as against 8.5 per cent
Five-year Monthly Income Account - 7.8 per cent as opposed to 8.4 per cent
Two-year time deposit -2 per cent instead of 8.4 per cent,
Five-year recurring deposit will earn 4 per cent instead of 8.4 per cent
Chhattisgarh gov disbursed Rs 1,821-crore loans to several beneficiaries under the Pradhan
Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY)
HDFC Bank launched banking solution for start-ups after SBIs InCube and RBL Banks India
start-up Club.
IRDA gave nod to allow LIC to invest in the Public Sector Banks.
Government canceled Recognition of Delhi Stock Exchange following the serious irregularities in
its demutualization functioning
Indias current account deficit fell further to 1.3% of the gross domestic product.
Indias GDP growth has been projected at 7.7% - ICRA
Bajaj Finance has entered into the Rs 20,000-crore life care segment
World Bank proposed a $ 1.5 billion dollar to the clean India campaign Swachh Bharat in rural
areas.
RBI soften the rules on Liquidity measurement accordance with the new Basel III norms
Notice period is greater than 30 days for Cash outflows of retail term deposit
Lakshmi Vilas Bank tied up with NBHC(National Bulk Handling Corporation Private Limited) for
collateral management & warehousing
South Indian Bank got the ISO 9001:2008 certification.
Indian economy is fast growing which has been projected at 7.2% in 2015-16 by the BMI
research 8% in 2016-17
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) gave its nod to 49% FDI in Insurance
and Pension Sector
RBI revised the Rules for rehabilitation of MSMEs to reform the banking sector and bring down
the NPAs. Loan limits -25 crores
RuPay plans to issue 100,000 credit cards in September this year.
IOB(Indian Overseas Bank) has become the first bank issuing the gold coins in 5,10 and 20 gms.
World Bank approved $100 million loan to Jordan for job creation.
World Bank approved $250 million loan to Support Electricity Distribution Sector Reforms in
Rajasthan.
Federal Bank plans to set up incubation centers for startups in Bangalore and Ernakulam 25cr
RBI announced the private placement of securities for UDAY scheme
Applicants to apply through private placement approach and securities issued by
governments of Bihar, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Punjab and Rajasthan
Bharat Bank ties up with Chillr to make payments easier.
RBI signed Currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka
To draw up to $700 million over a maximum period of three months
Asian Development Bank brought down the forecast of growth of Asia to 5.7% for the financial
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year 2016-17.
Central Board of Direct Taxes(CBDT) department signed 11 Advance Pricing Agreements with
taxpayers overseas to reduce litigations.
European Investment Bank Provide loan to Lucknow Metro Project of 450 million (about Rs.
3,300 crore)
Gov allowed 100% FDI in e-commerce through automatic route in marketplace model of retailing.
RBI has cancelled the certificate of registration of 22 NBFCsunder Section 45-IA (6) of the
Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
SEBI has raised the FPI (Foreign Portfolio Investors) investment limit in government securities
to 1,40,000 crore from April,4
Japan has been providing support to India both financially and technically for the
various infrastructure projects - worth 242.2 billion yen
BUSINESS
Delhi Metro started cargo Services on Airport Express Line from March 1, 2016.
Infosys to collaborate with Microsoft on analytics solution to offer Healthcare Analytic Solutions
on Microsoft Intelligent Cloud Technology.
Reliance Brands limited inked long term licensing and distribution deal with Kate Spades
fashion to bring its fashion in Indian market.
Amazon emerged as a most trusted online Brand in Indian market followed by India
based Snapdeal and Flipkart.
Freecharge Partnered With Mexico-Based Movie Theatre Chain Cinepolis to provide secure and
easy digital payments.
Thomas cook India signed pact with Western Union Business Solutions and DCB bank to enable
international trade payments by small and medium sized enterprises.
Ford Motors got approval from government to set up Global Technology and business Centre in
an IT/ ITES Special Economic Zone in Tamilnadu.
Reliance-Jio group has announced to offer free Wi-Fi services across 6 stadiums in the country
ahead of the T-20 World cup.
Feroz Shah Kotla(Delhi), Eden Gardens(Kolkata), Wankhede Stadium(Mumbai),
Chinnaswamy Stadium(Bengaluru), IS Bindra Stadium(Mohali) and HPCA
stadium(Dharamshala)
Bajaj Power inked agreement with Indian Railways for Lalitpur- Udaipura rail section
electrification project - nearly 47 crore
Tata Motors signed Tri Partite Partnership with Bharat Forge and US based General Dynamics
Land Systems for Rs. 50 K crore future infantry combat Vehicle project.
DIPP gave its clearance to 12 industrial licenses to Reliance Defence for manufacturing of
Defence equipments in India and Overseas
Quikr launched its Quikr Doorstep service to offer its customers buying and selling in India.
Maruti Suzukis hatchback model Baleno - Make in India model is now launched in Japan.
Gov approved a new price formula for their undeveloped gas discoveries in difficult areas- USD
7 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu)
Mahindra Aerospace mulling to set up operations in Abu Dhabi
The California-based Uber services opened its first Asian engineering centre in Bengaluru.
BSNL signed MoU with Tata Sky to offer video-on-demand services to their 2 crore customers
across India.
Gov decided to relax procurement norms related to experience and turnover for micro, small and
medium start-ups with a view to enabling these ventures to be part of its public procurement.
Union Government notified maximum sale price of Bt cotton seed for 2016-17.
BG-I version at 635 rupees and BG-II version was fixed at 800 rupees
J P Nadda launched Project Clean Street Food in New Delhi
Food vendors received Smart Skill cum Registration cards.
French based tyre maker Michelin joined hands with E-Commerce major Snapdeal to sell its
products through Snapdeal.
Government banned the manufacture and sale of more than 300 combination medicines including
cough syrups, and Vicks Action 500.
The metals and mining, automobile and construction materials sectors lead in sustainable
business practices - Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
9|Page
Gov imposed anti-dumping duty of up to 44.7 percent on import of plastic-processing

machines from Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
SBI tied up with Taxi Aggregator, Uber to provide instant vehicle finance to driver partners on
the latters platform.
Spain Major Gamesa Wind Turbines won the solar energy order from LAUGFS Power Ltd in Sri
Lanka to provide solar power in Baruthankanda village in Sri Lanka.
India is the second biggest investor in London after USA.
Top 25 best workplaces in Asia
Best workplace in the world for MNC- DHL
Best workplaces in the world for small & medium industry- Salesforce
Best workplace in the large industry- Atlassian
WHO suspended the approval of tuberculosis (TB) drugs made by Indias Svizera
Labs,Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Taxi app Ola launched its new service called Micro to overtake its rival Uber in terms of a
number of rides in a months time.
Paytm ties up with PVR cinemas to sell Movie tickets through the Paytm platform.
Cisco Systems to invest $100 million over the next 18 to 24 months in India and to train over
250,000 students by 2020.
Sachin Tendulkar became a shareholder and brand ambassador of Smartron.
India has overtaken China in terms of direct equity allocation by US investors.
Microsoft shut its artificial intelligence robot Chat program Tay.
Ola Cabs tied up with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance to provide motor insurance to its drivers -
accident cover of Rs 2 lakh.
The first direct container MV Harbour-1 Vessel between India and Bangladesh carrying cotton was
flagged off from Krishnapatnam of Andhra Pradesh to Chittagong.
Tata Power SED and Cranfield University signed an agreement to explore possibility of entering
into a strategic partnership through research and development (R&D).
FreeCharge and Snapdeal partnered with a payment gateway CCAvenue to strengthen its offline
offerings.
Reliance Defence entered into a deal with Israel based Rafael Defence to manufacture air to air
missile systems, air defence and observatory balloons - $ 10 billion
Gujarat and Maharashtra contribute nearly 46% of the Indian exports occupying the topmost
place ASSOCHAM Study
Top 5 -Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
Adanigroup Alpha Design Technologies Pvt Ltd has tied up with the Israeli company Elbit
Systems for Unmanned Aircraft Systems - $10 billion
Supreme Court approved the central governments guidelines to protect Good Samaritans
Given by bench comprising justices Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra
5 Indian International Airports conferred with Airport Service Quality Awards (ASQ) 2015
Best Airport by Region - Mumbai and New Delhi
Best Airport by Size -Mumbai and New Delhi , Jaipur,Lucknow and Hyderabad
TCShas been awarded the Global Top Employer award by Top Employers Institute.
Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda honoured in Australia by Melbourne based South Asian
community members.
Sataparna Mukherjee from West Bengal selected for NASA Scholarship
It is Goddard Internship Programme to study in Goddard Institute of Space Studies.
Indian Accent in New Delhi bags the best restaurant award in India in the Asias best 50
Restaurants event sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua panna.
TIMEs Most Influential People On Internet Modi tops in the list.
Armaan Ebrahim won Motorsports Man of the Year Trophy organized by Federation of Motor
Sports Clubs of India
Forbes 2016 Worlds Billionaires List
Rank Name Net Worth Source Country
1 Bill Gates (60) $75 B Microsoft United States
2 Amancio Ortega (79) $67 B Zara Spain
3 Warren Buffett (85) $60.8 B Berkshire Hathaway United States
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Here is the list of top 10 Indian Billionaires:

Rank Name Net Worth Source
36 Mukesh Ambani (58) $20.6B Reliance
44 Dilip Shanghvi (60) $16.7 B Sun Pharmaceuticals
55 Azim Premji (70) $15 B Wipro Ltd
88 Shiv Nadar (70) $11.1 B HCL
133 Cyrus Poonawalla (74) $8.5 B Serum Institute of India
135 Laxmi Mittal (65) $8.4 B Steel
184 Uday Kotak (56) $6.3 Kotak Mahindra
B
196 Kumar Birla (48) $6.1 B Aditya Birla group
219 Sunil Mittal (58) $5.7 B Bharti Airtel
Tim Bliss, Graham Collingridge and Richard Morris have won the Grete Lundbeck European Brain
Research prize
Windham-Campbell Prizes
Drama Fiction Non- fiction
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (US) Tessa Hadley (UK) Hilton Als (US)
Hannah Moscovitch (Canada) E. Morgan (US) Stanley Crouch (US)
Abbie Spallen (Ireland) Jerry Pinto (India) Helen Garner (Australia).
Noted Scientist Pallava Bagla was conferred with the national award for Outstanding Efforts in
the Field of Science and Technology Communication on Electronic Medium
Ratan Thiyam a veteran playwriter and a director is conferred with Lifetime achievement award
2016 at 11th META function
Bhagwathi Lal Vyas conferred with Bihari Puraskar Prize in the year 2015 for his anthology
poems Katha Sun Aawe Hai Sabad
Manoj Kumar awarded with highest award in Cinema - Dada Saheb Phalke Award
Whitfield Diffie And Martin Hellman Won Acm 2015 A M Turing Award - Nobel Prize for
Computing
American Musician Little Stevie Wonder honoured with Global Green Hero award at the 13th
Annual Global green
The Innovation Award 2016 to Prof. Sirshendu De by the Indian Desalination Association (South
Zone) for developing Low CostEco-friendly Laterite based Arsenic Filter for Providing Safe
Drinking Water.
Dr Amrita Patel conferred with the Mahindra Samriddi India Agri Lifetime Achievement Aear-
Krishi Shiromani Samman
Dogri Writer and Poetess, Padma Sachdev has been awarded the 2015 Krutitava Smagra
Samman.
She was the first modern woman poet of Dogri
Saudi Arabian prince Muhammad bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz conferred with the prestigious The
Legion of Honour award
NTPC Ltd conferred with Research Investor Communication Award among the Large Corporates
category
Pranab Mukherjee presented Stree Shakti Puraskars and Nari Shakti Puraskars for the year 2015
Stree Shakti Puraskar Award Winners The Nari Shakti Puraskar Awardees
AnyayRahitZindagian RashmiAnand
Seema Prakash Dr.Nandita Krishna
AsthaSansthan DrLaxmiGautam
ChandraprabhaBokey NehaKirpal
P Bhanumati LatikaThukral
Mariola Dr.Sailakshmi Balijepally, Kausalya and DrSwarajVidwan
Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinhagot entered her name into the Guiness world book of records
for most people painting their nails simultaneously Inglet event
French Ambassador to India Frano is Richier conferred the Knight of the Legion of Honour on
Anand Mahindra
Tezpur University won the annual Visitors Award for the Best University
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) won the Visitors Awards for Research and Innovation
United States-India Educational Foundation formally launched U.S.-India Fulbright-Kalam Climate
Fellowship
Kerala Tourisms campaign on tourism bagged the New world Golden City Gate Award at the
travel trade show ITB in Berlin.
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Palestinian Hanan Al Hroub Won 2016 Global Teacher Prize after beat Indias Robin Chaurasiya
Jagron Group CEO and the Editor Sanjay Gupta chosen for the Editor of the Year at the
fourth Indian Advertising Association Awards in Mumbai.
United Nations honoured the founder of India-based Miavy Systems Abdulqadir Rashik for the
Unite Ideas #LinksSDGs Data Visualization Challenge.
The founder of the Missionaries of Charity Mother Teresa is set to attain sainthood on September
4, as confirmed by Pope Francis.
Sir Andrew wiles awarded the 2016 Abel Prize, regarded as mathematics equivalent of the Nobel
Prize, for his stunning proof of Fermats Last Theorem which baffled the Mathematicians for more
than 300years.
10th Asian film awards were presented in Macau, China.
Assassin wins more than half of the 15 awards presented in the Asian film awards
Best Film The Assassin
Best Director Hou Hsiao-Hsien for The Assassin
Best Actress Shu Qi for The Assassin
Best Supporting Actress Zhou Yun for The Assassin
Best Cinematography Mark Lee Ping-bing for The Assassin
Best Production Design Hwarng Wern-ying for The Assassin
Best Original Music Lim Giong for The Assassin
Best Sound Chu Shih-yi, Tu Duu-chih and Wu Shu-yao for The Assassin
Other Awards presented
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun for The Inside Men
Best Newcomer Jessie Li for Port of Call
Best Supporting Actor Tadanobu Asano for Journey to the Shore
Best Screenplay Jia Zhangke for Mountains May Depart
Best Editing William Chang Suk-ping, Chu Ka-yat, Liao Ching-sung, Wong Hoi, Philip
Yung for Port of Call
Best Visual Effects Prasad Sutar for Bajirao Mastani
Best Costume Design Lee Ji-yeon and Shim Hyun-seob for The Throne
Priyanka Kakodkar and Raksha Kumar were named as joint winners of the 2015-16 Chameli Devi
Jain Award
Union urban Development minister M Venkaiah Naidu was conferred with the Skoch Lifetime
Achievement Award at 43rd SKOCH summit
Tikka Shatrujit Singh conferred with the Chevalier de la Legion dHonneur (Knight of the Legion of
Honour).
Geetakshi Arora of SOAS South Asia Institute won the first Noor Inayat Khan Prize in London
PM Narendra Modi conferred Himachal Pradesh with the Krishi Karman Award for its landmark
achievement in showing highest production of food grains in year 2014-15.
Malayalam writer M Sukumaran chosen for the CV Kunhiraman Literary Prize.
5th National Photography Awards held in New Delhi
Bhawan Singh Life Time Achievement Award
Javed Ahmed Dar- Professional Photographer Award
Himanshu Thakur- Amateur Photographer
Hockey India second annual awards 2015
DhruvBatra Player of the Year PR Sreejesh and Deepika
Lifetime Achievement Award Captain Shankar Laxman
Upcoming Players of the Year Harjeet Singh and Preeti Dubey
Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year Savita
Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year Kothajit Singh
Ajit Pal Singh Award Midfielder of the Year Ritu Rani
DhanrajPillay Award for Forward of the Year Rani
JamanLal Sharma Award for Invaluable Baldev Singh
Contribution
Hockey India Presidents Award for Outstanding Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy
Achievement
The milestone awards Dharamvir Singh, Kothajit Singh, BirendraLakra
and SushilaChanu
Famous playback singer P.Susheela enters into the Guiness world book of records for singing
highest number of songs - 17,695 solo, duet and chorus
Pallavi Fauzdar entered into the Limca book of records for crossing the Mana pass as a solo
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motorcyclist.
63rd National Film Awards
Best actress KanganaRanaut for Tanu Weds Manu ReturnsKanganaRanaut
was adjudged the Best Actress last year for VikasBahls
Queen, which also emerged as the Best Film. Kangana had
earlier won the Best Supporting Actress award for Fashion in
2008.
Best actor Amitabh Bachchan for Piku, this is fourth National Award for
Amitabh Bachchan who had earlier won for Agneepath, Paa
and Black
Best Film BaahubaliThe Beginning
Best Director Sanjay LeelaBhansali for BajiraoMastani
Best popular film BajrangiBhaijaan
providing wholesome
entertainment
Best Film Friendly State Gujarat (special mention to UP and Kerala)
Award
APPOINTMENTS& RESIGNS
Hashim Thaci elected as President of Kosovo by Kosovo Lawmakers
Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain took over as Chief of staff, Eastern Naval Command from Vice
Admiral Bimal Verma.
Micromax CEO Vineet Taneja resigns from his post
A former UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres nominated for UN
Secretary General by Portugal
Sanjiv Kapoor appointed as Chief strategy and commercial officer succeeds Giam Ming Toh
Indo-American Independent Investor Sunil Sabharwal confirmed by the US Senate to take up
charge as the International Monetary Funds Alternate Executive Director
The Multi Commodity Exchange MCX appointed Mrugank Paranjape as MD & CEO
Union of European Football Associations named Theodore Theodoridis as interim general
secretary succeedor of Gianni Infantino
Justice Ajit Singh sworn in as chief justice of the Guwahati High Court by Assam
Governor Padmanaba Balakrishna Acharya
SanjivKohli concurrently appointed as the High Commissioner of India to the Independent State
of Samoa.
Three non-official members include Sudhir Mankad, Bharat Narotam Doshi and Natarajan
Chandrasekaranto the board of RBI
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited appointed Indian Cricketer and Captain MS Dhoni as
the Brand ambassador
S Rao will take over as the new public interest director and chairman of BSES Successor of
Ramadorai
IAS officer Shakuntala Doley Gamlin appointed as Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh
successor of Ramesh Negi
Tapan Kumar Chand elected as the President of the metal governing body.
Balbir Singh Chauhan, the former Supreme court Judge appointed as the 21st Law
commissioner of India.
Myanmar selects its first Civilian President, Htin Kyaw, in fifty years of military rule
Egypt officially nominates Ahmed Aboul-Gheit to head Arab League replace Egyptian Nabil El-
Ara
Reebok India announced Bollywood actress Kangana Ranautas the brand ambassador under the
brand title of Be More Human.
Ajit Singh& Satish Mittal sworn-in as Guwahati & Rajasthan HC Chief judge announced by the
president
Chief of the Armys Northern Command, Lt Gen N P S Hira appointed as Deputy Chief of Army
Staff
Vishvas ViduSapkal appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Fiji.
Anil Wadhwa, Ambassador of India to Italy accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the
Republic of San Marino
R. Ravindra appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Cote dIvoire
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successor of Dinesh Bhatia

H Deep Saini appointed the next Vice Chancellor of the prestigious University of Canberra
Successor of Stephen Parker
Altico capital named veteran banker Naina Lal Kidwai as its new independent non-executive
director on its board
Nepal appointed first woman Chief JusticeSushila Karkiby the Prime Minister, K P Oli successor
of Kalyan Shreshtha
The governor of Bangladeshs central bank Atiur Rahman resigned after $81 million cyber
theft from the countrys official account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Fazle Kabir appointed as Governor of Bangladeshs Central Bank.
UN formally suspended relationship with Russian Tennis great Maria Sharapova as a goodwill
ambassador
Michelle Yeohhas been appointed as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill
ambassador.
President Barack Obama selected the nations 113th chief justice - Merrick Garland for the U.S.
Supreme Court
American actress Ashley Judd has been appointed as their latest Goodwill Ambassador by United
Nations.
AirAsia India announced that Amar Abrol will succeed Mittu Chandilya as the CEO of AirAsia India
Pharmaceutical major Pfizer appointed S Sridhar as its new Managing Director (MD)
Honeywell Automation India Ltd (HAIL) appointedformer Wipro CFO Suresh Senapaty as
its Chairman successor of Surendra L. Rao
Lori Robinson named as first female army combatant by the US President Barack Obama.
Vijay Mallya resigned as Director of Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL)
Indian Professor Thazha Varkey Paul appointed as the 56th President of International Studies
Association (ISA).
UN appointed Angry bird-Red as the honorary ambassador of Climate change
Huawei appointed Lionel Messi as its Global ambassador for its mobile products.
Ritu Beri appointed as theadvisor to the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)
Ali Mohamed Shein of Tanzania ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) become the winner of
the presidential elections.
Paytm appointed Bhusan Patil as its new President.
Justice Permod Kohli appointed as Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal
Former Malaysian PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi named as an adviser for state oil firm Petroleum
Nasional Bhd (Petronas)
Tata Steel Europe CEO Karl Koehler stepped down and Hans Fischer appointed as the new CEO.
Indian Professor Surya Deva has been appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council
as an adviser
Nationalist party of Taiwan has chosen Hung-Hsiu-chu as its first female leader.
Indian-American Nandita Bakshi has been appointed the President and Chief Executive
Officer of Bank of the West successor of Michael Shepherd
Former RBI Deputy Governor Rakesh Mohan join Nestle India Board as an independent director
Zaheer Khan was appointed captain of Delhi Daredevils for 2016 IPL season
Htin Kyaw from the National League for Democracy (NLD) sworn in as Myanmars new president
Faustin-Archange Touadera sworn in as the president of the Central African Republic
Jitendra Jagota Has Appointed As the Chairman of IDSA succeedor of RajatBanerj
Wipro appointed Patrick Dupuis as new independent board member of WIPRO
Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan appointed as its first female speaker of Vietnam

Hinduja group acquired the famous 1,100 room Old War Office Building of Britain in central
London
Cabinet Committee on security gave nod to acquire two advanced Israeli Phalcon
AWACS(Airborne Warning and Control System) from Israel - Rs. 7500crore
Pincon Spirit acquired Singapore based Company, Orbitol Solutions
InnerChef, a food tech startuphas acquired two startups Bengaluru-based EatonGo and
Gurgaon-based Flavour Labs.
South Asian bank DBS acquired the on shore operations of RBS in India for a deal of 1000 crores.
Bharti Airtel acquired Videocon Telecoms spectrum in six circles for Rs 4,428 crore
14 | P a g e
Magic Bricks acquired property analysis startup Properji.com of Invact Technologies for an
undisclosed sum
Ola acquired payment technology solutions Qarth technologies to strengthen its money base.
Inox Wind Infrastructure Services Limited acquired Sarayu Wind Power
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd has agreed to buy Alliance Tire Group for $1.2 billion
ITC acquired Technico Agri Sciences Ltd (TASL) for Rs 121 crore.
Japan based NTT has acquired the IT arm of PC manufacturer Dellat $ 3 billion
Russia approved a deal of ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) to acquire 15% stake in Vankor oilfield from
Rosneft - 1.3 billion US dollars
Sun Pharma buys Novartis 14 brands for $ 293 mn in Japan
SCHEMES
Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav implemented Food Security Act 2013 in 47 more districts of the
state.
Punjab has become the seventh state to join the scheme Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana
(UDAY) Rs.20,838 crores
Haryana become 8th state to join UDAY scheme
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)released a new Four-
colour Classification Scheme for industries based on their pollution level.
Red category: PI score of 60 and above.
Orange category: PI score of 41 to 59
Green category: PI score of 21 to 40
White category: PI score below and upto 20.
Narendra Modi selected his own Varanasi constituency,Nagepur village for development
under Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana after Jayapur village.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah launched Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojana for free treatment
to accident victims for the first 48 hours in the nearest hospital.
Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwal Yojana a scheme for providing LPG to
households Below Poverty Line Rs.8000 crores
NITI Aayog as a part of International Womens Day launched the Women Transforming India
initiative in partnership with the UN in India and MyGov.
PM Narendra Modi launched the scheme to provide LEDs - UJALA(Unnat Jyoti by Affordable
LEDs for All) is the name given for the LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme(DELP)
RUSA(Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan) - to improve the Quality of Higher education in India
Minister of HRD
Funding in the ratio of 65:35 for general category States and 90:10 for special
category states
Gov mobilizes 370 crore for Swachh Bharat Khosh to support the various cleanliness programmes
across the nation
Gov amended Atal Pension Yojana (APY) to give an option to the spouse to contribute for balance
period on premature death of the subscriber.
Government proposed to hike the wages of NREGS workers by 6%.
Committee dropped the new wage calculation formula
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched Fasal Bima Yojana and Unified Package Insurance scheme
Uttarkhand is the first state in the nation to implement the scheme at 2% premium
Cabinet given its approval for extension of time period of the Udaan Scheme for Jammu &
Kashmir till 2019-20 from the earlier time period of 2015-16.
Cabinet approved Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana to provide houses for all people in the rural area
1 crore houses in the year 2016-17 to2018-19
MoUs
India and Bangladesh signed a new $2 billion credit agreement to implement socio-economic
development projects in Bangladesh.
MoU signed between Telangana and Maharashtra government on river Godavari Water
Projects in Mumbai.
NTPC signed pact with Indian Institute of Technology Delhi - for Research and Development.
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Jammu and Kashmir Government has signed MoU with Union Ministry of Power - Rs.9800 crore
UDAY
MS Swaminathan Research Foundation has signed MoU with Bhubaneswar based Kalinga Institute
of Social Sciences.
Union cabinet apprised the MoU signed by the Railway ministry with Japan and Russia for
technical cooperation in the railway sector.
MoUsigned between India and Bahrain on cooperation for prevention of human trafficking
especially trafficking in women and children, rescue, recovery, repatriation and re-integration of
victims of trafficking
Ministry of Tourism, Government of India signed a MOU with the Ecotourism Society of India
(ESOI) to take its commitments to Responsible and Sustainable tourism.
Ministry of Railways has signed a MoU with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
for developing Remote Sensing and geographic information system (GIS) for Remote Sensing at
unmanned railway crossing.
India and Bangladesh began a new era of petroleum trade with a special goodwill train loaded
with High speed diesel from India to Bangladesh.
Siliguri station to Parbatipur - first major petroleum consignment from India
World Bank approved USD 35 million credit agreement to Madhya Pradesh for the Citizen Access
to Responsive Services Project.
Reserve Bank of India signed a pact with Bank of Israel for Information Exchange and Banking
supervision.
Yes Bank signed pact with the India Brazil Chamber of Commerce for cooperation in knowledge
sharing, consultancy, skill and technology.
ONGC Videsh Ltd, Oil India Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and Bharat Petro Resources and
Russias Rosneft signed two separate MoU- worth $2 billion
RITES (Public Sector Enterprise under Ministry of Railways) signed a contract to supply 18 Meter
Gauge 1350 HP Diesel Electric Locomotives to Myanmar Railways.
TATA motors signed agreement with the Indian Army to supply 619 more highly mobilized
trucks to the Indian Army.
AYUSH ministry signed agreement with World Health Organisation in research field of
Cancer through Ayurveda medicines.
Consumer Affairs Department signed MoUs with Industry bodies to promote consumer interests
and a Joint Working Group will monitor the implementation of agenda.
India and France signed MoU to create 6 Nuclear Reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra.
India and Lithuania signed MoU in the field of agriculture and the agreement proposed to include
horticulture, etc.
India signed MoU with UAE in fields of Infrastructure development with the NIIF(National
Investment and Infrastructure Fund)
Union government given its approval to the Ashgabat agreement which facilitates transport of
goods between Central Asia and Persian Gulf.
India and Russia will join hands to minimize the consequences of Natural calamities like Flood
and Earthquake.
Telangana industries department principal secretary Arvind Kumar and Aerocampus Aquitaine
general manager Jerome Verschave to provide training to the aviation fraternity and aerospace
Nepal signed pact with China to build a strategic railway link between the two
countries through Tibet to reduce land-locked.
Iran signed a confidential oil agreement with France total company to develop the Azadegan oil
field.
Iran signed agreements with Pakistan to boost trade and security.
Mizoram and Japanese International Cooperative Agency(JICA) signed pact on Capacity
Enhancement for Sustainable Agriculture and Irrigation Development.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
signed MoU to collaborate on supporting Indias expansion plans for clean energy infrastructure
COMMITTEES
Maharashtra Gov formed a committee headed by Chief secretary Swadhi Kshatriya to ensure the
MoUs signed during the make in India week - 2500 MoUs
Centre to set up Mahesh Kumar Singla committee constituted to consider ST status to 6
communities of Assam
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Moran, Koch Rajbongshi, Muttuck,Sootea,Tai Ahom and Adivasis

National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC) wound up with immediate effect as it
has fulfilled the mandate for which it was constituted.
Indian Railways formedSpecial Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to implement the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High
Speed Bullet Train project - named the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited.
Akhilesh Ranjan Committee was constituted by the Central Board of Direct Taxes to examine
the business models for e-commerce, and identify the direct tax issues.
Former Chief Justice H.L.Dattu appointed as member of the International Coordinating Committee
Bureau of National Human Rights Institutions Bureau in Geneva.

NASA invites India to jointly explore Mars, send astronauts for 5-6 missions to Mars.
Delhi gov launched the first HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccine in the state to prevent cervical
cancers.
American Astronaut Scott Kelly returned to earth after spending almost a year at International
Space Station 340 days
Union Tribal Affairs Minister JualOram launched revamped website - http://www.ncst.gov.inof
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
Indian Scientists developed a herbal drug for Dengue.
Iran test fired several ballistic missiles in silos across the country as part of a military exercise.
Five health care ATMs have come up in four states - handled by a multipurpose public health
worker (MPHW)
Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh under a health
Ministry
China plans to land a probe on Mars in 2021 that coincide with the 100th anniversary of founding
of the ruling communist Party of china
Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) launched its Sixth Navigation Satellite IRNSS-1F by
the PSLV C-32 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
NASAs new exploration InSight mission that will begin on May 5, 2018, with a landing scheduled
for November 26
Ministry of Culture has initiated Project Mausam which is to be implemented by the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
To explore the multi-faceted Indian Ocean world collating
archaeological and historical research
Plastic Decaying Bacteria discovered that can decompose Plastics, by the Japan researchers -
Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6
Railways launched mobile app called Clean My Coach for all long-distance trains - SMS to
58888 by typing CLEAN < Space >< 10-digit PNR number>
Google is previewing the next version of its Android operating system - Android N
Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice Kurian Joseph asked the Telecos to not to exceed the
call drops limit over 2%
Defence ministry will be introducing an interactive web portal Kendriya Sainik Board; itwill be
under the Department of Ex-Serviceman Welfare.
BSNL to offer free Wifi services at the Srinagar International Airport for first 15minutes.
Europe and Russia launched an unmanned spacecraft named ExoMars 2016 to explore that if life
once existed on the Red Planet
Haryana govt.s building became the only building in India to have an Earthquake Warning
System installed onsite.
Wikimedia Sweden partnered with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden to develop
the crowd-sourced speech engine in order to make more accessible to the visually impaired
users.
UNICEF launched the first test for the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles-drones with Malawi
government - decreasing waiting period for HIV testing of infants.
Webportal Launched for allocation and monitoring of Coal resourcesby State Distribution
agencies.
Meteorology Department (IMD) has indigenously developed Drishti, an instrument that will
provide real time visibility information to pilots.
Drishti was introduced first at the Indira Gandhi International Airport
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Depot Online System of state run Food Corporation of India (FCI) has been launched by the
Union Government to carry transparency and minimize storage losses of food grains.
Health Ministry banned the repeat animal testing of new drugs which have been already tested in
abroad.
Income Tax department got a new technology platform Income Tax Business Application-
Permanent Account Number (ITBA-PAN) to check the duplication of PAN cards.
Gurgaon-based Baxi mobile app allowed its users to book rides on the app without using Internet.
ISRO established the Gadanki Ionospheric Radar Interferometer (GIRI) at National Atmospheric
Research Laboratory (NARL) near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
South Korea tops the world in high Internet speed report by Akamei technologies
Sweden followed by Norway and India at 114th position
Malaysia Prime Minister NajibRazak announced that Malaysia will set up its first counter-
messaging centre to fight IS in cyberworld
Countrys first cyber security public organisation launched by China Org will focus on promoting
self-discipline
China discovered New Lightweight, low cost batteries Aluminium-Graphite Dual-Ion
Battery (AGDIB) to replace the Lithium ion batteries.
PM Narendra Modi launched KisanSuvidha mobile app to prove information such as weather,
market prices, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and agriculture machinery.
Researchers have developed a new Gravity Map of Mars with three NASA spacecraft
ISRO set to launch 22 satellites in Single mission and create new history.
India Govto adopt 112 as the national emergency number in place ofall numbers such as at
present, a person dials 100, 101, 102 and 108.
India rankedthird in terms of Trojan infections Symantec Report
China launched its navigation satellite BeiDou(22nd) from Xichang Satellite launching centre.
Uber launched bike sharing service called uberMOTO in Guragon - charges Rs 3 per kilometre
Indias media and entertainment industry will reach a net worth of 2.20 lakh crores by the year
2020 - FICCI-KPMG report
Narendra Modi launched Asias Biggest telescope Aries(Aryabhatta Research Institute for
Observational Sciences) in Nainital
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda has launched two major Digital initiatives
GIS-enabled HMIS(Health Management Information System) application
The self-printing of e-CGHS card
Telangana Road Transport Authoritys Mobile App M-Wallet launched by IT minister KT Rama Rao
and transport minister P.Mahender Reddy
DEFENCE
Ministry of Defence (MoD) approved a Rs 13,000 crores weapons and sensors package for the
seven new stealth frigates
Indian Army kicked off a week long Multinational Field Training Exercise (FTX) Force 18in
Pune at headquarters of the Indian Armys Southern Command.
Theme Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) and Peacekeeping Operations (PKO)
South Korea and US Begin Military Exercise - a day after the North Koreas threat to US
India and Indonesia begin their Joint Military Exercise Shakti IV from March 10-23 in Indonesia.
Sixth ship of LCU MK IV project, was launched on 12 March 2016 at an exciting ceremony at
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd, Kolkata.
India successfully test fired nuclear-capable intermediate range Agni-I ballistic missile in Odisha -
700 km
US Navy ship USS Conestoga tug boat was discovered after 95 years at the San Francisco coast.
Indian Coast Guards fast patrol vessel (FPV) Arnvesh ship commissioned at Visakhapatnam by
the Eastern Naval Command, Vice-Admiral HCS Bisht.
Indian Army gets its first Thermal based RADAR technology Divyachaksu (divine eye) that will
enable to look through the walls developed by DRDO
Indian Navy deployed a P8I maritime Aircraft to Seychelles for monitoring purpose
Indian Coast Guard re-based one ship and six boats from Chennai to Andaman and Nicobar
Region to rebase the assets
C-407, C-412, C-414, C-416, C-417 and C-428
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Singapore Navy (RSN) test-fired a Barak missile from its Victory-class missile corvette RSS
Vigour during Fleet Exercise conducted in the South China Sea
Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar flagged off Indias first indigenous composites sonar
dome in Goa
ENVIRONMENT
Researchers discovered a new snake species in the Western Ghats in Kolhapur and Sindhudurg
districts
The climate changes can affect the people worldwide. A recent study shows that it is likely to
cause 500,000 deaths by 2050 - China and India report by The Lancet
Union Government signed an important Raptor MoU for the Conservation of Migratory Birds of
Prey in Africa and Eurasia.
UP Government announced to conduct a sparrow campaign at school levels to create awareness
about the conservation of birds Gauraiya Diwas
Zoological Survey of India.
Over 50 animal species have been judged as critically endangered and 310
asendangered out of 96, 000 animal species present in India
Fossil of 250 million year old reptile species discovered in Brazil - Teyujag paradoxa
A group of Scientists led by Matias Jones of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile have
discovered four enormous planets
HIP8541b, HIP74890b, HIP84056b and HIP95124b
A new species of pale-gold colored frog discovered in Andes in Colombia by Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute (STRI) research
British astronomers have discovered a cluster of nine monster stars R136. 30 million
times brighter than the Sun
Biosphere reserve shared by Kerala and Tamil Nadu Agasthyamala placed in the new 20
Biosphere reserves list released by UNESCO
Gov notified new norms aimed at curbing the over 6,000 tonnes of uncollected plastic waste
generated daily by industries
Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified new environment
standards for Gensets running on various kinds of fuels
Most disasters & Vulnerable - Study
The largest number of people affected by natural disasters - Asia
The largest number of people affected by political, instability, corruption, poverty and
inequality - Africa
CSIR(Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants) discovered L-Menthol derived
from Mentha plant that can be used as anti-cancer drugs.
Union environment ministry notified new plastic waste management rules, The Plastic Waste
Management (PWM) Rules 2016 - replace the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules
2011
Thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 microns to 50 microns.
One of the most active volcanoes in the heart of Alaska region Pavlof Volcano erupted.
Sand-eating tadpoles Micrixalidae discovered by scientists from the Various Universities in the
Western Ghats
SPORTS
Rahul Sachdev clinched first All India open invitational snooker championship after defeating
Pushbender Singh- held in Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
Walk Race in National Championships
50km walk rcae Junior Women category of 10 Km Race
Basant Bahadur Singh Rana (Gold) Walk Neena(gold)
Chandan Singh (Silver) Bhawna Jat(Silver)
Jitender Singh Rathore (Bronze) Priyanka Patel(bronze)
Aaron Phangiso suspended from bowling in Domestic cricket for suspect bowling action.
Meghalaya Gov decided to bid for 2022 National Games after the successful host of 12th south
Asian Games.
Mumbai U 23 team clinched CK Nayudu Trophy 2015-16 title,by beating Madhya Pradesh at
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the MPCA Stadium in Indore

National level Hockey Umpire Napoleon Singh promoted to the International Outdoor Umpire
by International Hockey Federation.
Lionel Messi hat-trick steered FC Barcelona to unbeaten 35 game records to become the first
Spanish club to play 35 consecutive matches without loss.
Third season of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi league Patna Pirates beat U Mumbai held at Indira
Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
World Table Tennis Championship - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Indian women table tennis team lifted their game by several cuts and won gold - first
time in12 years - Mouma Das
Mens Table Tennis team defeated Brazil
PepsiCo entered into a four year partnership with BCCI as an associate sponsor for all
its International Matches played at home Rs.150cr
Indian Team Chased down Bangladesh to win the Asia Cup for the sixth time,
Serbian Novak Djokovic suffered his first Davis Cup defeatin five years .
Indian Golfer Anirban Lahiri finishes 28th at World Golf Championship
Australian Golfer Adam Scott(1st) and Bubba Watson from the USA(2nd)
Jindal Panther defeated sona Polo to lift the Amity Polo Cup trophy
Russian Tennis great Maria Sharapova officially suspended from March 12 after failing drug test
at Australian Open.
Rest of India wins 2015-16 Irani Cup Cricket Title after defeating Mumbai.
Indian Shooter Jitu Rai bagged gold at ISSF World cup held in Bangkok, Thailand
Hyundai Motors entered into a four-year partnership with the BCCI as an associate sponsor for all
international matches played in India.
Vijender Singh clinched his fourth successive professional win by thrashing Hungarys Alexander
Horvath - Asia title
All England Badminton Championships Title 2016
Mens Singles Lin Dan won by defeating TianHouwei
Womens Singles NozomiOkuhara of Japan won by defeating Wang Shixian.
Mens Doubles Ivan Andreyevich Sozonov of Russia with compatriot
VladimirIvanov defeated Japan pair Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa
Mixed Doubles Indonesia pair Praveen Jordan and his partner Debby Susanto
defeated Denmark pair Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen
70th Santosh Trophy Football Championship Tournament Services beat Maharashtra - fifth time -
SEC Railway Stadium Nagpur
Llyod Pro-Am Championship trophy won by Delhi by defeating Mumbai New delhi
First Paralympic Games in Arunachal Pradesh began at the SangayLhaden Sports Academy
Complex, Chimpu, Itanagar
Wheelchair race - Techi Talla
Boys 100 meter race - Tabam Tatak
Girls100 meter race - LiterOri
Mens 100 meter race - Thasang Ajay
Shweta Rathore, the silver medalist in Asian Championship in 2015 won the gold medalat the
national body building Championshipheld at New Delhi.
Chris Gayle became second player to hit century in 2016 T20 World Cup after Tamim Iqbal.
TCS announced a partnership with the Virgin Money London Marathon for three years.
Faf du Plessis became the second fastest player to reach 1,000 T20 runs after Virat Kohli
Yogeshwar Dutt secured an Olympic quota place for India with a gold-medal in the mens 65kg
freestyle category in Asian Olympics qualification tournament at Astana.
Gurmeet Singh became the first Indian athlete to clinch a gold medal in the Asian 20km race
walk championships
Mens: Silver - Japans Isamu Fujisawa and Bronze - Kazakhstans Georgiy Sheiko
Womens:Gold - Chinas Rui Lian, Silver- Japans Kumiko Okada and Bronze - South
Korean Jeongeun Lee
International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Bangladesh left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny and
pacer Taskin Ahmed from bowling in international cricket.
Australian grandprix won by Nico Rosberg(15th Victory) overtaking Sebastian Vettel and Lewis
Hamilton.
BNP Paribas Open titles 2016
Mens Singles Serbian Novak Djokovic beat Milos Raonic of Canada
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Women Singles Victoria Azarenka of Belarus beat world number one Serena Williams of US
Mens Doubles Pierre Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut of France defeated Vasek Pospisil of
Canada and US Partner Jack Sock
Womens Doubles US Pair Bethanie Sands and Coco Vandeweghe defeated Julia Gorges of
Germany and Karolina Pilskova of Czech Republic
Chennai girl Hepziba won three medals, including a gold, at the Street Child Games in Rio She
held in Brazil
Australia all-rounder Shane Watson to quit international cricket after World T20
Quick Enough Clinched the Dr.Gnani Laksumanan Memorial Cup trained by R Foley and ridden by
jockey N. Rupa in Chennai.
9th Edition of International Abilympics was held at Bordeaux, France
HS Prannoy won the mens singles title after defeating Marc Zwiebler of Germany at the
2016 Swiss Open in Basel, Switzerland
SSP Chawrasia clinched the Hero Indian Open 2016 title at the Delhi Golf Club after defeating
Anirban Lahiri
India is going to host under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017 as announced by PM Modi
California Chrome won a Kentucky Derby and a Horse of the Year title.
Virat Kohli became number one batsman after his Performance at the semifinals of the World
Twenty20 after defeating Australia
Number one Bowler:Samuel Badree
Number One Team:India and New Zealand(2nd) and England(5th)
Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin won the FIDE World Chess Candidates Tournament held in
Moscow.
OBITUARY
US actor Geroge Kennedy passed away at 91

Former New Zealand cricket captain Martin Crowe passed away
Former Lok Sabha speaker and Politian PurnoAgitok Sangma passed away - Meghalayas Tura
constituency
Tony Warren the coronation street creator and writer passedaway at 79
Paramesh Krishnan Nair the founder and director of the National Film Archive of India passed
away.
All India Forward Bloc Leader, Ashok Ghosh passed away at 93
Legendary Novelist Pat Conroy served as an unending sources of inspiration for his fiction notably
the novels The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline and the Princes of Tides passed away at 70
E-Mail Inventor Ray Tomlinson passed away at 74
Nancy Davis Reagan, the veteran American actress and the former First lady of US passed away
at 94
Mani Raman better known for his stage name Kala Bhavan Mani Popular Malayalam actor passed
away
Eminent Percussionist, vocalist and Berimbau player Nana Vasconcelos passed away at 71
Legendary Producer Sir George Martin Known as the fifth Beatle passes away at 90
Legendary Musician Keith Emerson, Lakeand Palmer keyboardist passed away at 71
The World famous Mathematician ,Economist and Nobel laureate Lloyd S Shapeley passed away
at 92
British award-winning novelist and art historian Anita Brookner passed away at 87
The 77 year old Shehnai maestro, Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan passed away
Newton Edward Daniels TV Magician passed away at 77
Meir Dagan, a former chief of Israeli intelligence agency Mossad passed away at 71
American singer, songwriter, and conductorFrancis Wayne Passed Away at 72
Former Danish Prime Minister Anker Joergensen passed away at 93
Former Chairman and CEO of Intel Andrew Grove passed away at 79
The famous story telling Kadhaprasangam artist and Malayalam Actor V D Rajappan passed
away at 70
The Holland football legend Johan Cruyff passed away at 70
American actor and comedian Garry Shandling passed away at 66
Veteran Bihar BJP leader and Politician Lal Muni Chaubey passed away at 73
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Mother Mary Angelica, a folksy Roman Catholic nun who used a monastery garage to begin a
television ministry passed away at 92
Veteran lyricist, Poet, Essayist and Novel writer Jim Harrison passed away at 78
Former USC(University of Southern California) President Steven Sample passed away at 75
Oscar winning US actress Patty Duke passed away at 69
BOOKS & AUTHORS

Who was Shivaji ? authored by Sri Govind Pansare
The Culture Heritage of Trans Himalayas-Kinnaur authored by Shri P.S. Nagi Loktus.
An Illustrated Biography: Gandhi was authored by Pramod Kapoor
IMPORTANT DAYS
Mar 1: Zero Discrimination Day

Mar 3: World Wildlife Day The future of wildlife is in our hands
Mar 3: National defence day Its My Turn
Mar 4: National Security Day
Mar 8: International womens day Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality
Mar 10: World Kidney Day Kidney Disease & Children: Act Early to Prevent It
Mar 15: World Consumer Rights Day Antibiotics off the menu
Mar 18: World Sleep Day Good Sleep is a Reachable Dream
Mar 19: Earth Hour [8:30 PM 9:30 PM]
Mar 20: World Sparrow Day Rise for the SPARROW Experience the power of One
International Day of Happiness
Mar 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Challenges and Achievements
of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
World Down syndrome Day (WDSD) My friends, My Community
International Day of Forests Forests and water
World Poetry day
Mar 22: World Water Day Water and Jobs
Mar 23: World Meteorological Day Hotter, drier, wetter. Face the Future
Martyrs day
Mar 24: World Tuberculosis Day Unite to End Tuberculosis
International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and
for the Dignity of Victims
Mar 25: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
and International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members
Mar 27: World Theatre Day
22 | P a g e
Current Affairs
Current Affairs PDF
Study Materials PDF
Reasoning Questions
English Questions
Computer Questions
General Aptitude
Reasoning
Letter Writing
Math Tricks
Computer Awareness
Suggestions are welcomed; Contact us any time at

Affairscloud@gmail.com&AffairsCloud1@gmail.com
23 | P a g e
Current Affairs April Pocket PDF 2016
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan aka Inclusiveness and Accessibility Index has been instigated by the
Government in partnership with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to
promote the empowerment of persons with disabilities.
Haryana Assembly passed Haryana Municipal (Amendment) Bill, and Haryana Municipal Corporation
(Amendment) Bill 2016 to provide civic amenities in unauthorized residential colonies in the Budget
Session
Minimum Qualification for men class VII and Women - V
Indias first semi-high speed train Gatimaan Express flagged off from Delhis Hazrat Nizamuddin
station by Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) touched the historic point in a range of five and
a half years by producing the 100th crore Aadhaar.
Panama Papers: Prime Minister Narendra Modi mulling to set up a group which would be composed
of agencies like CBDT, RBI and FIU.
Illegal assets worth around Rs 6,500 crore - 500 Indians
Telangana has unveiled a new ICT policy along with four other policies to support innovation, gaming
and animation, rural tech centres and growth of electronics
Union Minister of State for Ministry of Textiles, Shri Santosh Gangwar initiated three mega textile
projects in Nagaland
1. Eri Silk Development Project
2. Apparel and Garment Making Centre in Dimapur
3. Muga P3 Basic Seed Station Kobulong in Mokokchung district
Odisha Adarsh Vidyalaya (OAV) project has been initiated covering 14 districts to provide modern
schools in the underdeveloped rural areas and to fill up vacant teacher posts
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy launched Transnational Skill
Standards in India.
Government appointed The Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar to endorse the I Support Skill
India campaign to build awareness on the importance of skill development.
Target : To skill 2 crore youth by 2022
Union Cabinet given its approval to replace the existing policy on crude oil import by Oil PSUs.
Companies are authorised to go forward to their own policies and get them approved by the respective
boards.
Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan dedicated 36 new CNG stations
located in Delhi and NCR to the public.
Cabinet given its approval for promulgation of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Anatomy
Regulation, 2016 to lay down procedures for providing supply or availability of unclaimed of dead
bodies to the Medical College
Mission Indradhanush 3rd phase begins on 7th April
Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh - 216 Districts
Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated Namma Toilet in New Delhi
Government to issue universal identity cards to the physically challenged people to access various
benefits being extended by the Government.
Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal laid the foundation stone for underground cabling work under
Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) in Varanasi- Rs. 432 crores
Kashi-IPDS Mobile App for project monitoring of IPDS Work
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UP Government will provide electricity to all villages in Uttar Pradesh and aims to provide
electricity 24/7 to every household in India by 2019.
Jharkhand government reserve two per cent employment in various departments for meritorious sports
persons of the state announced by CM Raghubar Das.
Salam hailed Devi is the first transgender person in Tamil Nadu to contest the assembly elections in
the RK Nagar constituency in Chennai
Union Railway Minister, Suresh Prabhu inaugurates fitment of CCTV in Shan-E-Punjab Express
(Amritsar-New Delhi). It Becomes the First Train Fitted with CCTV Surveillance Cameras in India.
Maharashtra passed the dance bar regulation bill with regulations against the violators.
Time : 6 pm and 11.30 pm and Punishment: 5 years in jail and fines of up to Rs 25,000
Maharashtra Assembly lead by Devendra Fadnavis passed the Prohibition of Social Boycott Bill
2016 to becoming the first State to enact such a law.
Gov has reconstituted Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) board and Ram Bahadur Rai,
Senior Journalist has been appointed as Chairman of the Board.
Delhi Government has banned the production, storage, distribution and sale of pan masala, gutkha and
all forms of chewable tobacco for one year.
Googles free WiFi service now extended to 10 railway stations such as Pune, Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal,
Ranchi, Raipur, Vijayawada, Kacheguda (Hyderabad), Ernakulum Junction (Kochi) and
Vishakhapatnam.
Government has renamed the Panagarh Airbase Base as Air Force Station Arjan Singh in honour of
the Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh on the 97th birthday of Arjan Singh, Marshal of the Indian
Air Force.
Netajis Driver Colonel Nizamuddin becomes oldest human alive at 116 years
Union Gov to compensate of Rs 8.5 lakh for SC/ST victim of gang rape, murder or an acid attack
including 47 offences to get the compensation from a state government
The Kohinoor Diamond was gifted to the Britain by Maharaja Ranjith Singh said by the Government
to the Supreme Court
Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma released a Commemorative Coin of Rs. 200/ and a
Circulation Coin of Rs. 10/- on Tatya Tope on the occasion of his Martyr Day.
Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (CGRBMS) launched in New
Delhi by Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation with Indian
Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK)
Maharashtra has facing water crisis in many parts of the State. The State Gov has stepped up to
contain the loss and decided to ban digging of bore wells beyond 200 feet.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma unveiled the restored 18 feet tall Finial at Humayuns
Tomb, New Delhi
Union cabinet gave nod to amend the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill-2015 to enable the
distribution of around 42,000 crore among all states to encourage them to plant forests.
Union Cabinet approved Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) to function from
a temporary campus in Tirupati - Initial cost of Rs. 137.30 Crore
Indian Navy decided to grant permanent commission to seven women officers belonging to the Short
Service Commission (SSC) batch of 2008-09.
The Department of Disinvestment renamed as Department of Investment and Public Asset
Management or DIPAM announced by Arun Jaitley
Union government has notified the new rules on the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Act, 1989 was amended by Parliament in Dec 2015.The police to file charge sheet within 60 days after
a complaint is lodged
Cancer Care campaign launched in Northeast by the Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh in Shillong
Panchayati Raj Divas is celebrated on April 24th at Jamshedpur in Jharkhand and PM addresses
Panchayati Raj Sammelan
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda inaugurated the first of its kind Current
Good Manufacturing Practise (CGMP) compliant facility for manufacture of DPT and TT vaccine at
2|Page
the Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh.

Government hikes minimum wage for contract workers to Rs 10,000 per month based on a Supreme
Court Verdict announced by Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatrey
Union government gave approval for Gurdwaras Amendment Bill 2016 to provide the rights to
Sahjhardi Sikhs to vote (above 21 years) in the elections to Member of the Board and the committees.
The Lok Sabha passed the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016 to establish a Regional
Centre for Biotechnology, an study centre of Education, Training and Research
Department of Telecommunications(DoT) issued the notification regarding Panic Button and Global
Positioning System in Mobile Phone Handsets Rules 2016
With effect from 01.01.2017 All feature phones will have configuration of Panic buttons using 5 or 9
Buttons
Operation Sulaimani is an initiative of Kozhikode district administration to eradicate poverty and to
avoid food wastage in the district.
Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar announced that free laptops to 500 meritorious students who secure
a minimum of 95 per cent marks in Class X Board examination this year.
Uttarakhand Gov to be first stable to buy short term power procurement through e-auction with nine
biddings - 100-200 Megawatt
Ministry of Railways has pledged to set up a 1 lakh crore rupees safety fund called Rashtriya Rail
Sanraksha Kosh to strengthen safety measures on the rail network to prevent accidents.
Haryana Gov has notified Water Audit Scheme for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to
fillip water harvesting and conservation in industrial units.
Bihar becomes the fourth state in India to impose a total prohibition of alcohol.
President Pranab Mukherjee has implemented the Uttarakhand Appropriation (Vote on Account)
Ordinance, 2016 which sanctions expenditure that has come under direct federal rule.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the Green Delhi programme by planting trees at the
Triangular Park at New Delhi.
Gujarat Assembly cleared amendments in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement-Gujarat
Amendment Bill- 2016.It empowers the authorities to exempt projects vital to defence of national
security, infrastructure and electrification project or affordable housing or industrial corridors set up
by the State and infrastructure projects under PPP model.
Union cabinet decided to allow States to impose and enforce stock limits on sugar to verify its market
price rise.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik inaugurated 100 piped water supply projects for rural areas and pledged to
make piped water provision in all gram Panchayats by 2017.
North - Eastern states Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh to implement the National Food
Security Act(NFSA)
Maharashtra Gov has pledged to increase the punishment for chain snatching up to 5 years of rigorous
imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 25,000.
Minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the Department of Biotechnology funded Biotech Infrastructure
Facility (BIF) at ICAR-National Research Centre on Mithun (ICAR-NRCM), Jharnapani in Nagaland.
Minister for Science and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan launched government funded Twinning
Network Program on Chemical Ecology of North East Region in Kohima
Union Government and National Socialist Council of Nagaland, under the leadership of N. Kitovi
Zhimomi and M.B Neokpao Konyak have mutually agreed to extend the Cease Fire
Agreement by another year
Vasundhara Raje - led Rajasthan government has passed the Rajasthan Urban Land (Certification of
Titles) Bills 2016
Constitution (Schedule Caste) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016 passed in Parliament. The Bill amends
the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950. The Indian Constitution authorizes the President to
state the Scheduled Castes in various states and union territories.
Parliament passes Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015. The bill amends
the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951.
3|Page
Union government is mulling to make it mandatory to allot 1 per cent of total cost of any highway
project for road safety. India witnesses as high as 5 lakh road accidents per annum.
J & K CM Mehbooba Mufti sanctioned a grant of 5% interest subvention with the effect from 1st
April, 2016 with a limit of Rs 5 Lac per unit for a period of four years.
Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Ministry will earmark Rs 33,000 crores for
development of the north-eastern states during the present fiscal.
Union Government nods Rs. 9,005 crore investment in reasonable housing of 73,205 houses in 3
States for Economically Weaker sections under Prime Ministers Awas Yojana
3 States: Maharashtra, Punjab and J&K
Union Urban Development Minister Venkaih Naidu, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah flag off
South Indias First Underground Metro in Karnataka
East-West corridor of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL)
Anandiben Patel led Gujarat government declared 10% reservation for the economically backward
among upper castes the move likely to benefit all upper caste families with annual income less than Rs
six lakh.
NITI Aayog, Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) and Temasek Foundation jointly to launch
Urban Management Programme for Capacity Building of officials of State Governments and ULBs in
implementing the Urban Rejuvenation Mission.
7 States namely Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar
Pradesh & Assam) would be taking part in this Programme.
Railway Ministry to set up two new Directorates & Dial 139 for Cancelling Train Ticket
PLACES IN NEWS
125-foot tall Ambedkar statue to come up in Hyderabad
PM Modi inaugurated a 230 bedded Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Super specialty Hospital
in Katra in Jammu and Kashmir.
Trimbakeshwar temple located in Nashik, Maharashtra bars entry for all men and women
Shani Shingnapur temple allows to go into the inner Sanctum after the Bombay High Court had ruled
that women cannot be barred from entering the temple
The Trimbakeshwar Devasthan Trust in Maharashtra to allow women into the sanctum sanctorum of
Shiva temple.
Prime Minister visited the Puttingal Devi temple at Kollam, following fire mishap occurred on the last
day of the seven-day Meena Bharani festivities.
Bhubaneswar - top of the first batch of 20 smart cities selected by the Ministry of Urban Development
also became the first to get its Special Purpose Vehicle.
AAP government has decided to build a permanent memorial to APJ Abdul Kalam at DilliHaat in INA
The first ever air-conditioned local train flagged off from Mumbai into it local areas
Union Agriculture and farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh laid the Foundation stone
of first Horticultural Sciences at Karnal, Haryana.
Gudi Padwa the Hindu New Year celebrated in Maharashtra
Central Government gave its stamp of approval to the nations first Metrino Pod project A Personal
Rapid Transit (PRT) network in Gurgaon, Haryana - Rs 850 crore
Cheiraoba also called Sajibu Cheiraoba is an annual and religious festival celebrated in Manipur
Simhastha Kumbh Mela, largest congregation of Hindus began in Ujjain. It was celebrating every 12
years
Kerala celebrating the Harvest Festival, Vishu across the state
Uttar Pradesh has directed all the district magistrates for plantation of 5 crore trees at 6,500 sites in 24
hours under the Green UP Clean UP initiative.
Wooden Charkha - spinning wheel which is largest in the world is planned to be installed at Terminal
3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Ahmedabad
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The three day Curtain Raiser International Yoga Fest inaugurated by Shri Shripad Yesso Naik in New
Delhi
Dual capital of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh to host International Yoga day on June 21st of 2016
Mumbai - Ahmedabad bullet train to travel under the sea near Thane creek - 21 km long tunnel
PM lays foundation stone for Indias biggest power plant in Jharkhand and addresses Panchayati Raj
Sammelan on 24th April.
Almost thousand years old Keralas Thazhathangady Juma mosque opens doors to women for the first
time
Indian Navy set up a new naval detachment at Androth islands of Lakshadweep
Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Uma Bharti inaugurated
Water Film Festival at Water Expo-2016 in New Delhi.
Indias poorest district Nabarangpur in Odisha will get its first Government model degree college. It
was funded by the Centre and the state government in the ratio 65:35.
Andhra Pradesh government to set up Rs 1K Crore for Agri-Plastic Park in Vijayawada
Haryana Gov decided to rename Gurgaon district as Gurugram and also decided to change the name
of Mewat district to Nuh.
Capital of Nagaland Kohima city was declared a smoke-free area by Deputy Commissioner Rovilatuo
Mor
Rahuri Municipal Council of Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra became the first municipality
to attain the status of integrated with digital locker for the issuance of all essential Documents.
Britains Royal Mail has issued a set of special postage stamps to mark the 400th death anniversary of
William Shakespeare.
The 125th birth anniversary Dr. Ambedkar was commemorated on 13th April 2016 at the UN
headquarters in New York
Theme: Combating inequalities for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals
Bronze bust of Aryabhatta unveiled at UNESCO Headquarters by the HRD Minister Smriti Irani in an
international conference on the zero in Paris, France.
A copy of William Shakespeares original First Folio discovered on Scottish island
The statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh will be installed in Saint-Tropez town, France
Saudi Arabias has announced a pact with Egypt to build bridge over Red Sea- $1.7bn
China and Sri Lanka decided to redefine the Colombo Port City project by making it an international
financial outpost in the Indian Ocean, as part of the 20-year framework - US$1.5 billion.
Dubai plans to build a tower that will stand higher than its Burj Khalifa, currently the worlds tallest
skyscraper
South Pacific island nation Nauru has become the 189th member of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and the World Bank.
South Koreas main opposition party won in general election, ending the 16-year parliamentary
majority
New York City declared this years April 14 as Bindeshwar Pathak Day in recognition of the
contributions made by the Indian social activist Bindeshwar
WADA revoked the accreditation of the Moscow Antidoping Center of Russia due to non-compliance
with the International Standard for Laboratories
European Union lawmakers approved a scheme, to share Airline passenger information to track
foreign fighters travelling to and from conflict areas like Syria.
World level leading researchers and Economists in Nutrition fields have initiated
thorough researches on Nutrition and reiterate the Governments and Businesspersons to invest in
Nutrition to accelerate progress for Nutrition.
Union Government has accorded its approval for expansion of the India Chile Preferential Trade
Agreement
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Europe become the worlds first region to eliminate malaria recorded with zero cases
India, China agrees for peaceful negotiations to settle border issue. This negotiation was decided
during the annual 19th round of boundary talks between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his
Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi
Anti Slavery Crusader Harriet Tubman to be first African-American on Official Currency of
the United States and its insular territories US Dollar
India officially signed the World trade organizations trade facilitation agreement to make easier at
customs procedures to boost commerce. The Instrument of Acceptance handed over by the Indias
WTO ambassador Anjali Prasad to WTO director General Roberto Azevedo.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy Piyush
Goal Jointly launches programmes under International Solar Allicance along with Ms. Segolene
Royal, French Minister of Environment & President of COP21 in New York
Two thousand year old Syrian architectural landmark Palmyra Arch unveiled by Mayor Boris Johnson.
Cuban Gov adjusted its migration policy and lifted a restriction that prevented Cubans from entering
or leaving the country by cruise ship or commercial vessel
India lays foundation stone for 4000 houses under the third and final phase of Housing Project in
Central and Uva Provinces of Sri Lanka.
Saudi Arabia kingdom has approved the Vision 2030, along term economic reform plan.
Bangladesh Gov passed a draft of the Bangladesh Supreme Court Judge (Investigation Act) 2016 to
empower the Parliament to impeach the Supreme Court judges
Indian Air Force top pilots and jets participating in the Exercise Red Flag in USA
UNICEF and Indian Medical Associations Kerala wing joined hands to promote safe and healthy
practices across the state for improving maternal and child health.
FOREIGN VISIT BY GOV OFFICIALS

PM Modi visit to Belgium, USA and Saudi Arabia
Modi participated in
1.13th Summit between the European Union and India took place in Brussels on 30 March
2016.Summit has endorsed the EU-India Agenda for Action 2020 as a common road map for the
strategic partnership in the next five years.
2. 2016 Nuclear Security Summit was held in Washington, D.C
NaMo announced security plans in the US as a part of the Summit
India and the US on inked MoU for setting up a new Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave
Observatory (LIGO) in India that will act as catalyst in the research of various aspects of gravitational
wave astronomy.
3.5 MoUs were signed between India and Saudi Arabia and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was
bestowed with Saudi Arabias highest civilian order award dubbed King Abdulaziz Sash
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on a 10-day itinerary to the US to attend the Spring Meetings of
the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, a UN session on the drugs problem, and an
interaction with American investors.
FM Arun Jaitley addresses World Bank in Washington
Arun Jaitley participated in the Sixth Annual Ministerial Meeting of India and US Economic &
Financial Partnership
The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, chaired the BRICS FMs and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG)
meeting
India has joined the G20 leadership in fighting money laundering, tax evasion and terror financing.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on 4-day visit to Iran, Moscow
India has been eying deeper energy ties with that country and has already lined up 20 billion US
dollar as investment in oil and gas also in petrochemical and fertilizer projects in Iran.
She attend the annual Foreign Ministers meeting of Russia, India and China in Russia
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Three nations Finalised the Trilateral Chabahar Agreement

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Lundeg Puresvsuren Visit to India
India extended a line of credit (LoC) of USD 1 billion to Mongolia and agreed to exchange of
sentenced prisoner
Mongolia confers highest honour to two Indians - Lokesh Chandra and Mansura Haider
President Pranab Mukherjee boards 5 day visit on two nation-tour to Papua New Guinea and New
Zealand
MoU between India and Papua New Guinea
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Papua New Guinea on cooperation in the field of health
area and medical science
India awarded $100 million line of credit for development of infrastructure and acceded to jointly
develop new avenues of cooperation to explore and develop the Pacific nations vast oil and gas
resources.
India inks agreements and MoUs with New Zealand in the field of Air Connectivity and Education and
Bilateral relation
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES
National Family Planning Summit 2016 inaugurated by Union Health Minister P. Nadda in New
Delhi. Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan is the brand ambassador and anchor for the new
communication approach.
North East-ASEAN Business Summit 2016 commenced in Imphal, Manipur
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the three-day 3rd Edition of Asia Ministerial
Conference on Tiger Conservation in New Delhi. Government has allotted 380.00 crore to the Project
Tiger
Maritime India Summit 2016 Inaugurated by Narendra Modi in Mumbai
India, South Korea signed MoU for cooperation and mutual assistance in development of Ports
signed by Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road, Transport and Highways and Shipping,
Government of the Republic of India
PM Modi pitches for Rs. 1 Lakh Crore investment for Port Development
A total of 141 MoUs and Business Agreements were signed by various players in maritime sector
Sagarmala National Perspective Plan Released
Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi inaugurates Regional Conference of North Eastern States on Child
Adoption in Shillong, Meghalaya
Prime Minister inaugurates Joint Conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices in New Delhi
The Army Commanders six-day Conference inaugurated by Union Defence Minister Manohar
Parrikar in New Delhi
Heart of Asia Conference for the year 2016 held in New Delhi
Participating countries - Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz
Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and UAE
International Defence Expo opens in Malaysia. Around 1000 defence companies from 29 countries
taking part in the exhibition
India hosts Asia-Pacific Remote Sensing Symposium from April 4 to 7 to discuss on the applications
of remote sensing technologies for disaster mitigation and to better monitor global climate change
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RANKINGS & REPORTS
India Rankings 2016 released by National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

University
Rank Name City State
1 Indian Institute of Science Bangalore Karnataka
2 Institute of Chemical Technology Mumbai Maharashtra
3 Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi Delhi
Engineering
1 IIT M Chennai Tamil Nadu
2 IIT B Mumbai Maharashtra
3 IIT K Kharagpur West Bengal
Management
1 IIM B Bangaluru Karnataka
2 IIM A Ahmedabad Gujarat
3 IIM C Kolkata West Bengal
Pharmaceutical
1 Manipal College of Pharmacy Manipal Karnataka
2 University institute of Chandigarh Chandigarh
pharmaceutical sciences
3 Jamia Hamdard New Delhi Delhi
India has become the worlds fourth largest spender on defence by US research firm IHS Inc
report. Top 3 are USA, China and UK
A report titled Global report on urban health: equitable, healthier cities for sustainable
development, 2016 released by World Health Organisation (WHO) in collaboration with United
Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) showing the health in equities between the
richest and poorest urban populations.
India ranked at 6th Position in the 2015 report on Trends in world military expenditure released
by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI),
World Health Day 2016 was celebrated on April 7 with theme Halt the rise: Beat Diabetes.
WHO has released its first Global Report on Diabetes.
Indias Maharajas Express has been ranked among the top rated trains in the world and Plaza
New York was rated among the best hotels for the super - rich. Singapore Airlines topped in the
favourite list.
India ranks 44 in 2016 Global Connectivity Index by Huawei.
Delhi ranked 44th among worlds 50 future-ready cities by Dell
Top cities: San Jose, San Francisco, Singapore and London
Forbes Releases First Ever Global Game Changers List
Top 3: Marc Benioff (USA), Jeff Bezos (USA) and Rahul Bhatia (IND)
Indians in the list: Rahul Bhatia(3), Cyrus Poonawalla(23) and Sunny Varkey (26)
India ranked at 133 among 180 countries in the recent annual meeting of World Press freedom
Index. Top 3 nations are Finland, Netherlands and Norway
TIMEs 100 influential People List released by News Magazine TIME
Six Indians in the list are RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, Hindi Actress Priyanka Chopra,
Tennis Player Sania Mirza, Environmentalist Sunita Narain , Flipkart Founders Binny Bansal
and Sachin Bansal, CEO of Google Sundar Pichai
Mumbai based Indias largest IT Company TCS has been recognized as one of the UKs leading
employers for women in a list published by The Times.
Most influential brand in India: Top 5 brands are Google, Facebook, Gmail,
Microsoft and Samsung and Flipkart ranked 7th.
World Health Organisation reported that 21 nations including Six African region and four of
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Indias Neighbouring countries: Bhutan, China, Nepal and Malaysia could be free from Malaria
by the year 2020
India ranked 3rd in worldwide dope violation in new WADA report. Top 4 countries are Russia,
Italy, India followed by Belgium.
Fairness for Children report released by UNICEF. Top 4 countries are 1.Denmark 2. Finalnd
3.Norway 4.Switzerland
BANKING & FINANCE
Micro-pension scheme Swavalamban, Subscribers can switch to the Atal Pension Yojana (APY).APY
is applicable only to workers in the age group of 18-40 years
National Stock Exchange (NSE) introduced a new index to its broad market indices Nifty Mid
Smallcap 400.It comprise of 400 companies
German Governments Development Bank KFW provide a loan assistance of EUR 500 million (about
Rs.3,750 crore) for the modern and sustainable metro system for Nagpur. It is the first metro
rail project.
DCB Bank has started an Aadhaar - based ATM Which is the first ATM in the country which operates
using the Aadhaar data
SBI launched State Bank of India NO Queue app. It is a mobile-based virtual queuing application for
customers to book an instant queue ticket for select services at select branches within a configured
radius of 15 kms
Indias first cash giving app CASHe launched in Mumbai by TSLC Pte Ltd
RBI has announced the first Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement for 2016-17. It cuts the Repo rate
by 25 basis points to 6.5% and kept the Cash Reserve Rate (CRR) unchanged.
Union Government has tripled the funding for exports to Iran to Rs 3,000 crore through the Export
Development Fund (EDF) of the EXIM Bank.
Cabinet approves recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission on Fiscal Deficit target
of 3% of gross state domestic product (GSDP) for states for the 2015-20 period.
Global Growth will come to 8 percent this year, lower than a previous forecast of 3.9 percent
according to World Trade Organization (WTO)
World Bank presented its ambitious climate action plan that will help nations to create an
additional 30 Gigawatts of renewable energy, early warning frameworks and in creating climate smart
agriculture investment plans for at least 40 nations.
India sat again on the top of the Credit Suisse Emerging Consumer Scorecard 2016 by Credit Suisses
Other Countries position are China(2), Saudi Arabia(2),Indonesia (4th), Turkey (5th), Mexico (6th),
Brazil (7th), South Africa (7th) and Russia (8th).
Kochi based Federal Bank signed pact with Phillip Capital, for managing the NRI Portfolio Investment
Scheme (PIS).
India has offered to invest up to $20 billion in Iran announced by Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradha
during his two day visit to Iran. This was the first visit by an Indian minister to Iran.
Bharti Airtels payments bank venture Airtel M Commerce Services Ltd has become the first entity to
receive final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to start a payments bank.
The Corporate Affair Ministry has exempted housing finance companies from filing financial
statements in XBRL format. Banking, insurance, power sector and non-banking finance companies are
already exempted.
Kochi based Federal Bank with Chillar Payment Solutions Ltd Launched Campus Wallet in Kerala to
promote the start-ups technology.
India, growth is projected to notch up to 7.5 per cent in 2016-17, as forecast in October according to
Economic Outlook IMF
India named as the worlds largest remittance recipient in 2015 despite experiencing a $ 1 billion
drop from the previous year according to the World Bank
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RBI (Raghuram Rajan) and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI- adviser Nandan Nilekani)
launched the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) to encourage electronic payment systems for ushering
in a cashless society in India.
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) President
Jin Liqun signed the first co-financing framework agreement.
New Development Bank (NDB) sanctions $ 250 million funding to Canara Bank for a renewable
energy project in India
RBI has reduced the minimum tenure of Masala bonds to three years from the previously stated five
years. Masala Bond is used to refer to rupee-denominated borrowings by Indian entities in overseas
markets.
Government to allow Pakistani Hindus to buy property, open bank accounts and also offer reduction in
fees for registration as citizens of India from Rs.15,000 to as low as Rs.100.
Oriental Bank of Commerce will raise over 178 crore by issuing share to Life Insurance
Corporation on a preferential basic and allot 2, 15, 48,758 equity shares of the bank
Uttar Pradesh(15%) has claimed the most favoured investment destination of PPP Projects followed by
Maharashtra and Gujarat, followed by Maharashtra and Gujarat, According to the ASSOCHAM-SREI
Asian Development Bank (ADB) clears $300-million loan for upgradation of UP roads connectivity of
about 400 Kms in major district of Uttar Pradesh
Banks were advised to share all the transactions details in standard format so that Revenue Intelligence
and Central Security agencies to probe the money laundering and financial fraud Cases.
Govt relaxes norms for partial PF withdrawal. Now EPF members have three more months to
withdraw the entire balance in their EPF accounts, until an employee attains the age of 58.
RBL becomes first private sector bank to open dedicated branch for Startups in Bengaluru. It will offer
banking services like foreign exchange, remittances and cash management.
IFMR capital has enabled the first capital market transaction for MUDRA which emphases on
providing low cost loans to microfinance and non-banking financial institutions. This will be a short
term transaction with tenure of 1.5 years
Railways have finished the financial year 2015-16 with a record high capital expenditure of Rs 94,000
crore, an increase of Rs 37,000 crore over the previous fiscal.
RBI issued the master direction for merger of private sector banks and also between NBFCs and
banks. The decision of amalgamation should be approved by respective boards by two-thirds majority
and all accounts should be KYC compliant.
CAPITAL LOCAL AREA BANK introduced the nations first Small Finance bank Capital Small
Finance Bank Limited in Punjab
HDFC Standard Life Insurance has tied up with India bulls Housing Finance Ltd for a corporate
agency agreement.
Indias nuclear power agency Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has cleared
insurance policy for all 21 reactors. India plans to build around 60 nuclear reactors with an aim to
produce 63,000 megawatts (MW) of power by 2032
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned a loan of 1000
crore rupees to Haryana State Warehousing Corporation (HSWC) for the purchase of wheat during the
ongoing Rabi marketing season.
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) - The Income Tax Department planned to add interest to
delayed refunds made against excess TDS deductions and will also not litigate with the deductor on
this issue in the future.
Information services company Experian launched Hunter Fraud Score a new scoring mechanism that
measures the probability of fraud in a credit application across the banking and insurance industries
Mountaineer and Explorer Sir Edmund Hillary is featured on face of the $5 bill currency note named
best Banknote of the year. It was Designed by Canada Banknote Company
All the Banks mandated to report to the central government within two days any information on NGOs
getting foreign funds.
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Union government given its approval for the MoU that links Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority of India (IRDAI) and the Insurance Authority of United Arab Emirates. The agreement pave
the way for enhanced cooperation in the field of insurance supervision
DBS Development Bank launched a mobile-only bank in India. It will provide customer service via a
247 artificial intelligence-driven assistant networks
Canada based Mobilephone maker BlackBerry and Digitsecure a payments platform launched BBM
Money in India
Central Board of Direct Taxes has released a hard data on the total number of taxpayers in the country
for first time
Worlds fastest Bombay stock exchange has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with
Korea Exchange (KRX) of South Korea for listing S&P BSE Sensex-based derivatives contracts on
the latter.
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) joint venture with German
government for a special programme on Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security
Small Industries Development Bank of India and SAARC Development Fund (SDF) has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for mutual cooperation and collaboration.
BUSINESS
India is expected to buy 145 M777 Howitzers for $750 million from UK based BAE Systems to
prepare its Mountain Strike Corps
A US grand jury slapped $ 940 million fine on Indias Tata group namely Tata Consultancy Services
(TCS) and Tata America International Corp
Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) initiated the hot trial of the new state of the art 1.2 MTPA
(million tonne per annum) Universal Rail Mill (URM) from its flagship entity, the Bhilai Steel Plant
(BSP).
Union finance ministry imposed the Safeguard duty of up to 20 percent on steel imports until March
2018 to protect domestic manufacturers from cheap Chinese imports.
Adani won mining leases for controversy-hit USD 21.7 billion Carmichael coal project in Premier
Annastacia Palaszczuk in Australia.
The Reliance Asset Management Company has been listed among the best employer brands by Aon
Hewitt
The worlds largest crude exporter with crude reserves of about 265 billion barrels
Company Aramco is planning to make a major investment in India
Xiaomi has made the first investment$25 million investment in digital media firm, Hungama, India
Navratna Company has commissioned a record Rs 30,300 crore projects in the last fiscal and also
achieved a planned capex of Rs 22,500 crore. It includes the establishment of two new international
inter-connections one with Nepal and the other with Bangladesh
Bhubaneswar based The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has become the largest freight loading railway
zone of Indian Railways, the board with 49 million tonnes of freight.
EMC Corporation has opened its second R&D centre in India at Pune. The company already has a
Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned a season wise tiltable canal top solar PV
plant at Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh.
NTPCs 2,100 MW Farakka Super Thermal Power Station in West Bengal had to stop generation,
given a declining availability of cooling water from the Farakka feeder canal
E-commerce giant Snapdeal has initiated Snapdeal Sunshine, a program that allows users to donate to
the associated NGOs
India and shareholders of the Turkmenistan - Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Pipeline Company
Limited inked an accord to invest $200 million in studies and engineering for the $10 billion project
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Micromax teams up with Visa and Tran Serv to promote digital payments. Users will be able to use
mobile-based push payments using mVisa and make eCommerce payments on merchant and social
media applications
Polaris has tied up with the popular e-commerce website Snapdeal to sell its ATV (All Terrain
Vehicles).
Golden Tobacco Ltd. has become the first company in India to implement the rule of Union Health
Ministry.85% pictorial health warnings in tobacco products
Union Government imposes anti-dumping duty on N-Butyl Alcohol from European Union,
Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and the US for five years
Apollo Hospitals group has tied-up with search giant Google in providing health information as part of
the Googles launch of Health Card in India.
Noble Travels has launched its online visa assistance portal, Visaforsure to offer information and
facilitation services to customers who are applying for visas, be it for tourist or business.
Panasonic along with US-based sustainable energy provider, AES would install a joint project of 10
MW energy storage array at Jhajjar, Haryana. This is the first large-scale battery-based energy storage
project of India.
Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) and Public company Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) are
planning a joint venture to bring 2600 MW Raghunathpur thermal power project.
Competition Appellate Tribunal (Compat) set aside Rs 258-crore penalty on Jet Airways, IndiGo,
SpiceJet
US think-tank Atlantic Council has launched an India-US trade initiative to strengthen economic ties
and meet the two countries bilateral trade target of $500 billion.
IMF, WB, UN and OECD are set to join with other International organizations to jointly work on tax
related issues and develop new policies and standards to stop tax base erosion and evasion
Indias ranks first in FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) overtaking the US and China. India attracts $63
billion value FDI projects
No 1. Gujarat attracted $12.4 billion
No. 2 Maharashtra brought $8.3 billion
Mumbai based Mahindra & Mahindra has become the first Indian company to join a global energy
campaign EP100 headed by an international non-profit group the Climate Group
US IT major Accenture plans to expand its global security presence by opening a cyber centre in
Bengaluru. It will be the largest cyber security facility in Accentures global delivery network
Union Gov has decided to provide subsidy of Rs 24.4 crore for 10,000 Million Tons of pulses such
that 8000 Million Tons of Tur Dal and 2000 MT of Urad being allocated to the States
Vistara announced a long term strategic partnership with TCS for a broad range of information
technology services including application maintenance services and airport infrastructure support.
Department Of Telecom Approves Spectrum Sharing (800Mhz Spectrum) deal between Anil Ambani-
led RCom and Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd.
Uber has entered into a partnership with Gujarat Tourism and FICCI in Ahmedabad to facilitate soft
skill training for Uber driver-partners.
RIL, worlds biggest refining complex at Jamnagar in Gujarat has bought crude oil from Iran after a 6-
year break.
India has banned import of milk and milk products, certain mobile phones and a few other items from
China as their quality was unacceptable announced by Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
Environment ministry has given environmental clearance and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)
clearance to the Rs 694 crore BPCLs project in West Bengal.
Taxi operator Uber has partnered with Election Commission in Tamil Nadu to support the
#TN100percent initiative to spread awareness on voting among the electorate for the upcoming
election
Cadbury chocolates maker Mondelez inaugurated a Rs 1,265-crore plant largest Asia-Pacific facility in
SriCity, Andhra Pradesh.
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Videocon d2h has partnered with Vodafone M-Pesa, now customers can recharge their d2h
service using Vodafone m-pesa.
Union Gov in line to sell 36% of stakes through offer for sale mode in Faridabad based Hydropower
generation company NHPC
Japanese automobile maker Isuzu has opened its new factory at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh paving the
way for a position in the Indian light commercial vehicle (LCV) and utility vehicle (UV) markets.
Union Cabinet approved an increase in investment in Bharat Oman Refineries to a maximum of Rs
3,000 crore.
Mumbai based integrated power company Tata Power has commissioned its 44 MW Lahori windfarm
project in Shajapur of Madhya Pradesh.
Mumbai based Reliance Defence has inked a pact with three Ukrainian state-owned firms namely
Ukroboronprom, Spetstechno Exports and Antonov to collaborate on a range of military products.
Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh conferred with Maharashtrian Of The Year award lifetime
achievement award was bestowed with singer Asha Bhosle by Maharashtra CM Devendra
Fadnavis at a ceremony held at Mumbai.
Egyptian author and journalist, Ahmed Naji conferred with the prestigious PEN/ Barbey Freedom to
Write Awardpresented by PEN America
Other awardees are J.K. Rowling, Dr. Mona Hanna Attisha and LeeAnne Walters and Michael
Pietsch
Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL) has formally set the Guinness World Record for at the same
time planting 208,751 saplings at a solitary area in under 60 minutes. in Mansa, Punjab
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the National Geoscience Awards 2014 to 33 geoscientists at
Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Professor Ashok Kumar Singhvi was conferred with the highest honour National Geoscience
Award for Excellence
Dr Indra Sekhar Sen have awarded with Young Scientist Award
Chess maestro Viswanathan Anand honoured with the Hridaynath Award receive by the Maharashtra
governor C Vidyasagar Rao.
2016 Asias 50 Power Businesswomen released by American magazine Forbes
Indian businesswomen who have made the cut in the latest list
Rank Name Company
1 Nita Ambani Reliance Foundation Chairperson
2 Arundhati Bhattacharya Chairperson of State Bank of India
14 Mu Sigma CEO Ambiga Dhiraj
16 Dipali Goenka CEO Welspun India
18 Vinita Gupta CEO Lupin
22 Chanda Kochhar ICICI Bank Managing Director
26 Vandana Luthra VLCC Health Care Founder
28 Kiran Mazumdar Shaw Biocon Founder
The saint of the gutters, Mother Teresa has been posthumously conferred with the United
Kingdoms prestigious Founders Award 2016.The award was received by niece, Agi Bojazhiu
Tamil descendent Judge Navanetham Pillay, South Africas first non-white woman has been convened
upon the highest French civilian the Legion of Honour.
Priyadarshini Chatterjee from Delhi was announced as the winner of FBB Femina Miss India World
by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan during a star-studded ceremony.
Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova awarded with UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press
Freedom Prize 2016 during the celebration of World Press Freedom Day hosted by Finland.
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Actress Priyanka Chopra will be bestowed with Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundations Best Actress of
the Year Award on the 147th Dadasaheb Phalke Jayanti in Mumbai on April 24.
Soni Chaurasiya a Kathak dancer from Varanasi has broken the world record of longest dance
performance of Mohiniattam by continuously dancing for 123 hours and 30 minutes.
IIT-Kharagpur conferred with National Intellectual Property (IP) Award in the academic institutes
category by Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the celebration of World IP Day
Bollywood star Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won the Global Indian of the Year award and
Eminent tennis player Sania Mirza honoured at the NRI of the Year Award 2016 at NRI of the Year
award function held in Mumbai.
J & K born poet and novelist Padma Sachdev chosen for the prestigious Saraswati Samman for the
year 2015 for her autobiography named Chitt-Chete written in Dogri language.
American Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders won the TIME 100 reader poll with 3
percent of the vote, ahead of Hilary Clinton. PM Narendra Modi,
Bollywood Actress Priyanka Chopra and Tennis great Sania Mirza and are also among the probable
contenders named by the magazine for its annual list.
T N Ninan, Chairman and Editorial Director of Business conferred with Mumbai Press Clubs lifetime
achievement award by the Governor of Maharashtra C Vidyasagar Rao
Serbia, Novak Djokovic won Sportsman of the year Trophy and United States, Serena
Williams bagged the Womens top honour Sportswoman of the year
Laureus World Sports Awards
Team of the Year 2016 Rugbey Team, New Zealand
Comeback of the Year 2016 Dan Carter, New Zealand Union Player
Breakthrough of the Year 2016- Jordan Spieth, American Golf Star
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee gave away the Hindi Sevi Samman Awards for the
years 2012, 2013 and 2014 in New Delhi.
Ge Fuping, who was given George Grierson prize for his remarkable works done for the
propagation of Hindi in foreign
Alka Dunputh (from Mauritius) and Shichiro Soma (from Japan) were also given the George
Grierson award by the President.
The 2016 Pulitzer Prize Won by the Associated Press in Journalism public Service Category
Indian Diplomat in the United Kingdom Mr. Amitav Banerji honoured with highest awards of Cyprus
Commander of the Order of Merit for the contribution of work towards major roles in
Commonwealth Secretariat for 20 years by Cyprus Foreign Minister Loannis Kasoulides
Mahatma Gandhis granddaughter Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee has been awarded with one of Frances
highest honour The Order of Arts and Letters by French Ambassador Francois Richier.
In the 6th edition of Randstad Award 2016, Google India emerged as the most attractive employer for
a second consecutive year followed by Mercedes-Benz
Bollywood Actress Radhika Apte Wins Best Actress award at Tribeca Film Fest for her contribution in
the Film Madly
Other Winners:
Best US narrative feature award Dean directed by Demteri Martin
Best International narrative feature award Junction 48
Best Actor award in an international feature to his work in The Tenth Man Alan Sabbagh
Best Actor in a US narrative feature film Dominic Rains
Best Actress in a US narrative feature film Mackenzie Davis
Indian Documentary film, Undercover Asia: Girls for Sale has won a bronze world medal at the New
York Festivals 2016 in the Social Issues category.
Jennifer Aniston (47) was named as the Worlds Most Beautiful Woman for 2016 by
People magazine,
Veteran Actor Manoj Bajpayee will be awarded with the Dadasaheb Phalke award in the Best Actor
Category (Critics Choice) for his contribution in Hansal Mehtas Biographical drama, Aligarh.
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Eminent three Odisha Artists Prefulla Kar, Alok Kanungo and Sadasiv Pradhan have been selected for
prestigious Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi Samman announced by Dhirendranath Mallick, Secretary,
Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi.Artists will be awarded by the Honourable president in a function to be
conducted in New Delhi
A food engineering research scholar K Ashok Kumar from IIT Kharagpur wins
prestigious International Plant Nutrition Scholar Award on Plant Nutrition.
A Burundian activist Marguerite Barankitse awarded with First Humanitarian Prize with saving
thousands of children during a 12-year civil war by Hollywood actor and Activist George Clooney
Jagendra Singh honoured posthumously with RedInk Veer Patrakar Puraskar by Maharashtra
Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao in Mumbai
NDTV Indias senior Executive Editor Ravish Kumar awarded with the Journalist of the year
award.
Pakistani radio journalist Misha Euceph selected for prestigious White House Correspondents
Association (WHCA). The scholarship would be presented by US President
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta Acquires EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS)
Accreditation and becomes the first Indian business school to achieve the Triple Crown in
accreditation
Politician NK Singh will be awarded with Japans Second Highest national award The Order of the
Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. The award will be presented by Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
on May 10th in Japan.
Odisha hailed eminent sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has won gold medal for his Mahatma Gandhi
sculpture for non-violence and peace in an International Sand Art Championship held at Russia.
Pakistani activist Tabassum Adnan, who fights for womens rights, has won the Nelson Mandela
Graa Machel Innovation Award 2016 in the individual activist category.
Indira Nooyi, Satya Nadella, Bhavesh Patel among highest paid Chief Executive Officers in world
Three Indian born persons are among 100 highest paid CEOs globally
PepsiCos Indra Nooyi was ranked sixth
LyondellBasells Bhavesh Pate was ranked Eighth
Microsofts Satya Nadella was ranked 26th
Rankings:
1. Oracle Coporation CEOs Mark V Hurd and Safra A Catz $53.2 millio
2. Robert A Iger of Walt Disney $43.5 million
3. David Cote of Honeywell International $33.1 million
4. Jeffrey R Immelt of General Electric $26.4 million
5. Rupert Murdoch of Twenty-First Century Fox $22.2 million
6. James P Gorman of Morgan Stanley $22 million
A fossilised skeleton of a hadrosaur also called duck-billed dinosaur has been recognized by Guinness
World Records as the largest hadrosaurid skeleton on displayin Shandong province of China
Simplice Sarandji - Prime Minister of Central African Republic

Davio Gunnlaugsson - Prime minister of Iceland resigned
Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson - Prime minister of Iceland
Nguyen Xuan Phuc Prime minister of Vietnam
Arseniy Yatsenyuk - Prime minister of Ukrainian resigned
Volodymyr Groysman - Prime minister of Ukraine
Temir Sariyev - Kyrgyzstan Prime Minister resigned
Bounnhang Vorachit President of Laos
Idriss Deby - President of Chad
Clement Mouamba Prime Minister of Congo
Lobsang Sangay - Prime minister of Tibet
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Riek Machar - Vice president of South Sudans

Radha Kumar - University Council United Nation
Ajay Singh Banga US member of the Commission on Enhancing National Cyber security.
Geeta Pasi US envoy to Chad
C.P. Gurnani - Chairman of NASSCOM
J Geeta Reddy - Public Accounts Committee Chairperson of Telangana
Vasu - Director of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA)
Meeran Borwankar - DG of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D)
S. Ravindran - Chairman of Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB)
Deepak Kashya - Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of BSNL.
Ratan Wattal - Liaison officer with Jammu and Kashmir
Soumen Mitra - Kolkata Police Commissioner
Susmita Pande - Chairperson of National Monument Authority (NMA)
Vijay Shekhar Sharm- chairman of Industry body Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
Deepak Mishra - Additional Director General in the Central Reserve Police Force
Judge N K Agarwal - Haryanas Lokayukta
P.K.Mishra - Goas Lokayukta
Subramanian Swamy - Nominates members of Rajya Sabha
Navjot Singh Sidhu - Nominates members of Rajya Sabha
Narendra Jadhav - Nominates members of Rajya Sabha
Suresh Gopi - Nominates members of Rajya Sabha
Swapan Dasgupta - Nominates members of Rajya Sabha
Mary Kom - Nominates members of Rajya Sabha
Ajith Kumar Chief of Rubber Board
Bhupendra Kainthola - Director of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
Pankaj Kumar - Ambassador for Girl Child (AFGC)
Surender Kumar Bhagat - DGof Railways Protection Force (RPF).
Jaspal Bindra Chairman of Centrum Group
Amitabh Coomar CEO of GoJavas
Manish Sharma - CEO of Panasonics India
Sharad Agarwal India Head, Lamborghini
Hugh Johnston Twitter board of directors
Tausif Monif - President of Lambda
Dhoni - Brand Ambassador of Amrapali resigned
Punit Soni - Flipkart Chief Product Officer resigned
Virat Kohli - Brand ambassador of Premier Futsal
Bimlendra- CEO of Tata Steels Europe
MS Dhoni - Brand Ambassador of LAVA International
Ajay Devgn and Kajol - Brand ambassadors of Andhra Pradesh tourism
Debraj Pradhan - Ambassador of India to Norway
Masakui - Ambassador of India to the Republic of Zimbabwe
Nandini Singla - Ambassador of India to Portugal
Satender Kumar - Ambassador of India to the Republic of Barbados
T. Suresh Babu - Ambassador of India to Mongolia
Bishwadip Dey - High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Rudra Gaurav Shresth - High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Mozambique
Geetha Johri - Gujarats first woman DGP
Mahesh Iyer COO of Thomas Cook
Inzamam-ul-Haq - Chief selector of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Rahul Johri CEO of BCCI
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Salman Khan - Goodwill ambassador for India at Rio Olympics

Nandu Nateka - CCIs Legends Club (First non-cricketer)
Rick Osterloh - Google new hardware division as Senior Vice-President
Charles Borromeo - Tata Steel sports department has resigned
Ram kumar leaves ICICI; Vijay Chandok made ED
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given approval for the proposal of ATC Asia
Pacific Pte Ltd, Singapore to acquire 51% shareholding in Viom Networks Ltd by method of transfer
from existing shareholders.
Flipkart has acquired a Bengaluru-based mobile payments company PhonePe
Noida based IT company HCL Technologies acquire all of the business of Geometric Limited.
Pune based Computer services firm Persistent Systems acquire US-based Genwi for an undisclosed
amount
Alaska Air Group acquires Virgin America in a friendly takeover worth around $4 billion including
debt to create the USs fifth-largest airline.
Private equity firm Blackstone India entered into an agreement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
to buy a majority stake in Mphasis Limited in a deal valued between $825 million and $1.1 billion.
Gurgaon - based carpooling app Orahi has acquired Odd-Even.com to find partners to commute during
the odd-even rule, for an undisclosed amount.
Kishore Biyanis Future Group acquires Rocket Internets FabFurnish for Rs. 20 Crore
Bharti Airtel has announced the acquisition of 20 MHz spectrum in eight circles from Aircel for Rs
3,500 crore.
New York based Microblogging platform Twitter has acquired employee and manager feedback startup
Peer.
Chennai-based customer support platform Freshdesk has acquired New Delhi-based Memetic Labs
Technologies for an undisclosed sum
New Delhi based JK Asia Pacific group has acquired of Cavendish Industries Ltd for Rs 2200 crore
Finnish mobile network equipment maker Nokia to buy Frances Withings S.A. for 170 million
Euros ($191 million)
SCHEMES
Gov launched Gram Uday to Bharat Uday Abhiyan from 14th to 24th April, 2016 to generate nation-
wide efforts to increase social harmony across villages, strengthen Panchayati Raj, promote rural
development, and foster farmers progress.
Government of Punjab to begin the process of issuing 303074 pre-active cashless Farmers Health
Insurance Cards under Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojna .It will enable farmers to get health
cover up to Rs 50,000 for their treatment and compensation of Rs 5 Lakhs in case of death
Union Minister for Women & Child Development Maneka Sanjay Gandhi initiated a project Swadhar
Greh scheme to construct 100 special Home for widows at Vrindavan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel launched the state-wide implementation of Centres National Food
Security Act Maa Annapurna Yojna. People will get wheat at Rs 2 per kilo and rice at Rs 3 per kilo
under this scheme
Jammu & Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti announced to launch Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Food
Entitlement Scheme (MMSFES) to supplement the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from July 1,
2016.States public distribution system will get additional 5 kgs of ration per person.
Jharkhand Government launched Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for widows on 125th birth
anniversary of B R Ambedkar. Construct a home for Widows and Pensions. Rs 75,000 will be granted
to build a house in districts in hilly terrains and Rs 70,000 in plains areas
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Uttarakhand has become the 10th state to join the UDAY (Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana). Net
benefit of about Rs 962 crore would accrue to the state.
Eight states have issued bonds worth over Rs.98,959.96 crore under UDAY (Ujwal DISCOM
Assurance Yojana) scheme in 2015-16.The special bonds (non-SLR special securities) issued by RBI.
Gov has approved Goas coastal circuit project under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. Sum of Rs. 99.99
crores given by the central assistance is a record highest allocation received by Goa Tourism since
2010.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the Stand up India scheme and a Web portal for the scheme
in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Composite advance between 10 lakh and upto Rs.100 lakh.The process would
be led by SIDBI, Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) and NABARD
Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal with Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister Andhra Pradesh to
launched National Energy Efficient Agriculture Pumps Programme and National Energy Efficient Fan
Programme in Vijayawada , Andhra Pradesh
Ministry of Rural Development has released a central share of Rs. 12,230 Crore to the States in
connection with the implementation of its flagship programme Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act. The Ministry planned to maintain 60:40 wage-material ratio at the District
level.
Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Union Minister of women and Child Development launched Beti Bachao
Beti Padhao Scheme in additional 61 districts
Haryana Gov has notified the Affordable Plotted Housing Policy 2016 for low and medium standard
towns under Deen Dayal Jan Awas Yojana. All the projects are be required to be completed within
seven years from the date of license granted
Gov has merged Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan with Khelo India.Aim of the scheme is to Construct
Sports Complexes in each block and exclusively both for outdoor and indoor sports discipline for 5
years and conducting summer camps every year to enhance the sports spirits
Union government allots Rs. 800 crore to clean up polluted lakes in Bangalore under AMRUT scheme
to rejuvenate lakes especially the Bellandur Lake
Union Sports Ministry has decided to provide Rs. One lakh per month as Out of Pocket allowance to
the sports persons under the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme. Till date, 77 Indian athletes in
eight disciplines have qualified for the Olympics
MoUs
Indian Oil Corporation inked an MoU with Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation to scrutinize the
possibility of jointly working on setting up a LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) import terminal
at Chittagong port and other downstream infrastructure in that country.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Mumbai based Sun Pharma have joined into an
agreement for research and innovation in preventive health announced by Union Health Minister JP
Nadda
MoU has been signed by the 25 ministries comprising human resource development to encourage
research in premier technical institutions through IMPRINT (Impacting Research Innovation and
Technology)
Maharashtra (Devendra Fadnavis) first state to signed MoU with the Tata Trusts (Ratan Tata) to link all
government colleges and medical colleges to the national cancer grid for uniform cancer profiling and
quality treatment. The initiative targets to have 50,000 bone marrow donors.
The Department of Space (DoS) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) signed a pact to
deliver scientific considerations for airports construction in India.
Union Cabinet approved a MoU signed between India and Sweden for technical cooperation in the rail
sector.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom signed signed
6 agreements in the fields of defence, tourism, taxation, space research, and conservation of mosques.
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Union Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved for signing the Paris Agreement
adopted at the 21st Conference of Parties held in Paris in last December. Environment Minister Prakash
Javadekar signed the agreement from India side on 22 April 2016 in UN
Central Council for Research in homoeopathy (CCRH) has signed two MOUs with College of
Homeopaths of Ontario, Canada and another between CCRH and Yerevan State Medical University,
Armenia during two day International Convention on World Homoeopathy Day organized at Vigyan
Bhawan, New Delhi.
United Nations Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and GITAM University signed a MoU to
empower the adolescents 10-19 years and address the adolescent issues in the district of
Visakhapatnam. Kerala
An agreement has been signed for Ganga Rejuvenation under the Namami Gange Programme in New
Delhi between the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and
German International Cooperation.
Union Cabinet given its approval for signing of a MoU between India and UAE on preventing all forms
of human trafficking, especially women and children.
Union Cabinet was approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and
Bangladesh to promote development of cooperation in fisheries and aquaculture and allied
sectors through mutually agreed activities and procedures.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its nod for India adopting the statute of the South Asia Wildlife
Enforcement Network (SAWEN) which will help in checking cross border wildlife crimes. Now India
become a formal member of SAWEN
Bhubaneswar based Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) and Educational Consultants India
Limited, a central PSU, jointly signed a MoU to work in areas of education and human resource
development.
Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley and US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew have agreed to enhance
collaboration on tackling offshore tax evasion and increase cooperation in sharing of cross-border tax
information.
Indian School of Business (ISB) and Singapore Management University (SMU) signed a MoU for
collaboration in innovation, entrepreneurship and research for five years.
Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health & Family Welfare Shri Shripad Yesso
Naik and Mauritius Government inks MoU to promote cooperation in the field of Traditional Medicine
and Homoeopathy
Narendra Modi apprised the MoU signed with Bahrain, Kuwait, Nepal, South Korea, Sri Lanka,
Vietnam and BRICS Nations on Organizing Youth Exchange Programmes with these countries.
Union Cabinet approved for signing of a MoU between India and Bhutan on technical cooperation in
the field of capacity building, benchmarking and bilateral exchange in infrastructure engineering.
India and Sri Lanka signed MoU to supply 150 Boats to Mullaitivu fishermen. The total cost of the
project of Rs. 100 million.
Trilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed among Sri Lanka, Japan and India
for collaboration in Science & Technology
Khaled Al-Aboodi, CEO of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and Tarun Sharma, regional head on
behalf the EXIM Bank signed a MoU with ICD for a possible $100 million line of credit to simplify
exports to IDBs member countries.
FICCI inked a MoU with Australia Indian Business Council (AIBC) to strengthen and
promote business ties with Australia
Tata Trusts signed MoU with the Odisha government to achieve elimination of Malaria from the state
by 2030.
COMMITTEES
Information and Broadcasting Ministry has formed a three-member Committee to oversee the
guidelines set for government advertisements by the Supreme Court are followed. The committee
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headed by the former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) B B Tandon.

Union Minister of Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal released Report of the
Technical Committee on Large Scale Integration of Renewable Energy in India. The Committee has
published a 15 point Action Plan for facilitating large scale integration of renewable in the country, in
a secure and reliable manner.
Haryana government set up a two-member Commission of Inquiry headed by Retired Justice S N
Jha, former Chief Justice of Jammu to probe the sequence of events leading to violence during
the Jat agitation for reservation in February.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chairs High Level Committee meeting for Central assistance to
Karnataka, Puducherry and Arunachal Pradesh affected by drought and floods.
Rs 842.7 crore to Karnataka, Puducherry and Arunachal Pradesh affected by drought and
floods.
The finance minister Arun Jaitley formed a sub-committee headed by former Chief Economic Adviser
Ashok Lahiri panel to interact with the trade and industry on the imposition of central Excise duty on
jewellery. The committee has to submit report within 60 days.
Union Government has set up a panel to make a blueprint for doubling farmers income by 2022.The
Panel was headed by Agriculture Ministry Additional Secretary Ashok Dalwai,
Film maker Shyam Benegal headed committee constituted by the Information and Broadcasting
ministry panel submits its report on censor board. Children and adults are protected from potentially
harmful or unsuitable content while audiences, particularly parents, are authorized to make informed
watching decisions
Parliamentary Standing Committee has been formed to tackle misleading advertising as well as to fix
liability on endorsers/celebrities. The committee was headed by MP J C Divakar Reddy .
The violator may be penalised with either a fine of Rs 10 lakh or imprisonment up to two years
or both.

PM Narendra Modi launched National Agriculture Market portal that will have 21 mandis from 8
States to connect e-mandis in several state on the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar.
States include Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Rs.200Cr
GOI released Indian Intellectual Property (IP) Panorama in New Delhi by offering a single window
interface for information and guidance on intellectual property
Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) Headed by Ramesh Abhishek launched Startup
India portal and mobile app In New Delhi.
Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal launched a mobile application
Vidyut PRAVAH Mobile application to empower common people to demand 24X7 power from the
states.
Indias smartest app based cab company Ola has introduced electric rickshaws on its platform at the
Start-up India event held in Noida
The Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has launched a new service, Twitter Seva,
to address issues and grievances of startups, exporters and importers, and other stakeholders.
HRD Minister Smriti Zubin Irani launched a portal for registration and allotment of International
Standard Book Number (ISBN) in New Delhi
Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched the Low Cost and
Environment-friendly solar lighting device, Surya Jothi.
Photo-Voltaic Integrated Micro Solar Dome costs about Rs.1200 and the Non Photo-
Voltaic version around Rs. 500.
DIPP has launched web-based dashboard for monitoring commitments of ministries under Make in
India
Maharashtra Government has decided to use hologram technique to check every alcohol bottle
20 | P a g e
manufactured and sold in the State.

Intel India has inaugurated UnnatiKendras across 10 towns in Telangana to create a blueprint for the
digitization of non-urban India. The company to set up the first Unnati Kendra at Nadimpalli village.
BSNL has started testing of WiFi based network to connect 1lakh panchayats under rural broadband
project of Government in three villages Karenda, Phalsa and Bahadri in Alwar district of Rajasthan.
BSNL launched data sharing facility for pre-paid customers across the country. It will allow four
users to share data among themselves
Supercomputer Param Kanchenjunga was formally unveiled by Sikkim Governor Shrinvas Patil in
Sikkim based National Institute of Technology.
Indian Railway used drone for the first time to inspect Dedicated Freight Corridor project. It was be
tested in Bihar State.
Infosys cofounder S Gopalakrishnan launched a new app Itihaasa that chronicles the fascinating
journey of the Indian IT Industry.
Delhi Government announced app based premium bus service scheme in order to encourage private
car owners to switch to public transport. The registration for it would start from June 1 this year.
Minister of State of Culture and Tourism (I/C) and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Dr. Mahesh
Sharma launched the National Monuments Authority (NMA)s Web Portal called NOC Online
Application and Processing System (NOAPS)
Mr. Piyush Goyal, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable
Energy launched DEEP (Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price) an online portal for the acquisition of
short-term power by DISCOMs
Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai launched PoochhO Carpool app to help people during odd-even
scheme(April 15 to 30)
Indias first open source encyclopedia to the Art and culture Sahapedia has launched. The Meaning of
Saha in Sanskrit meant as Together with
Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL) has become the first e-
office electricity distribution company among all power utilities in India.
Election Commission has launched mobile application eVoters with comprehensive details about the
coming May 16 assembly polls in Kerala.
University of Georgia (UGA) and Israels Ben-Gurion University has created the worlds smallest
diode using a single DNA molecule.
India is going to start its online platform, Hotstar in other countries over the next few months.
California based giant HP unveiled worlds thinnest HP Spectre Notebook weighing 1 kg and as thin as
10.4 mm
Chinese researchers introduced a new approach for making an all-weather solar cell developed a highly
efficient dye-sensitized solar cell.
Solar Impulse 2, solar-powered aeroplane has landed in Silicon Valley, California, after a three-day
flight across the Pacific Ocean.
Purdue University Researchers in Indiana in the US have come up with the first 3D map of the virus
structure. The virus is built similar to other flaviviruses, like that of dengue
Team of Scientists from Institute of Advance Study in Science & Technology in Assam have
developed an eco-friendly Nano technology for water-softening applications Chitosa
Chinas first security robot AnBot unveiled at the ongoing China Chongqing Hi-Tech Fair. It was
jointly developed by the National University of Defence Technology and a robotics company in central
Chinas Hunan Province.
The worlds first licensed vaccine Dengvaxia against a mosquito-bo disease dengue has been
launched by Philippines. It is the first public immunization program for dengue fever
ISRO and NASA are jointly operated mission NISAR a satellite that helps studying earthquake and its
patterns .The satellite is called NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, or NISAR
ISRO Scientists Scientists in Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre lab recently manufactured the worlds
lightest material called silica Aerogel or blue air.
ISRO developed PSLV-C33 is carrying Indias seventh navigation satellite IRNSS-1G which is
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launched off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

China has successfully launched a retrievable scientific research satellite SJ-10to study Micro-gravity
China has launched a sounding rocket also called Research Rocket Kunpeng-1B was launched from
Danzhou by the National Space Science Center (NSSC).
US based aerospace company SpaceX has successfully landed a reusable rocket Falcon 9 rocket into
orbit.
Pakistan and China jointly to launch of a special satellite to monitor the development of the $46 billion
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project by June 2018.
Russia has launched its maiden rocket Soyuz-2.1A from a new cosmodrome
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has abandoned its efforts to reinstate the operations of
costly satellite Hitomi that was used to probe the black holes using X-Ray Telescopes.
America based space Company Blue Origin successfully accomplished the third launch and vertical
landing of its reusable New Shepard rocket, the BE-3 engine in Texas
US Researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics have discovered a rare triple-star
system KELT-4Ab with a gas giant planet that is similar in size to Jupiter.
NASA engineers tested a 3D printed rocket engine turbo pump with liquid methane for NASAs
journey to Mars and other deep-space missions
NASA has unveiled the launch of the New Aviation Horizons initiative in NASAs 2017 budget
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly retired from the NASA, but he will continue to participate in the ongoing
research related to his one-year mission.
Mobile POS solutions company ePaisa launched its digital wallets business into a new mobile
application Master-Wallets. Payments would be made into the merchants verified bank account.
OED Technologies of China has developed the worlds first graphene electronic paper, the new
material has been adjudged as the worlds first of its kind.
Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao launched Online App called AdiPraman which will enable the
tribal populace of the state get the caste validity certificates online. This is the first of its kind in India.
Finance Ministry governing Central Board of Excise and Customs has launched mobile app
calledIndian Customs Guide to Travellers.The app is available on mobile platform such as Android
Play store, Apple Store and Windows Store.
DEFENCE
13 the Edition of bi-annual exercise Tat Suraksha began in Andaman and Nicobar from April 5.
India and the United States have agreed in principle to share military logistics. Union Defence
Minister Manohar Parrikar announced this agreement
Indian Armys elite STRIKE 1 corps is to conducting a major exercise Shatrujeet in the deserts of
Rajasthan to evaluate the capability of the Army.
Indian military has completed an amphibious exercise Jal Prahar in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
All three wings of the armed forces Army, Air Force and Navy are participated.
Indias indigenously developed surface-to-air Akash missile was test fired for second consecutive day
from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near Balasore in Odisha.
India has conducted a secret test of the nuclear-capable undersea ballistic missile K-4 SLBM in the
Bay of Bengal from INS Arihant from the Vishakhapatnam coast in Andhra Pradesh.
INS Karmuk and a Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft are participating in the 22nd Indo-Thai
Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) in the Andaman Sea.
US Navy is leading 30-nation maritime exercise across Middle East Waters The International Mine
Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX) started in Bahrain.
The 11th Indo-Mongolia joint training exercise Nomadic Elephant -2016commenced at Mongolia.
Chinas air force joint training exercises with Pakistan Shaheen 5 began in China
The Pakistan Navy has successfully conducted a test launch of the shore-based anti-ship Zarb Missile
in the Arabian Sea
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Russian Military test-fired a cruise missile named Iskander tactical missile system from the Kapustin
Yar practice range in the Astrakhan Region as part of drill.
Indian Naval Ships namely Veer and Nipat, served for the defence operations under illustrious 22nd
Killer Squadron decommissioned from the Indian Navy
ENVIRONMENT
High Court of Himachal Pradesh issued notices on the matter of declaring monkey as vermin for 6
months
Worlds first White Tiger Safari opened at Mukundpur in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. The
Safari has been inaugurated by the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Ministry of Environment and Forests notified new Hazardous Waste Rules will ensure resource
recovery and disposal of hazardous waste in environmentally sound manner.
Endangered bird spoon-billed sandpiper was spotted in tropical island of Chinas Hainan area
Worlds longest-ever captured python weighing 250 kg and eight-metre length dies in Malaysia
The Central American country of El Salvador has declared a water shortage emergency. It was
the first drought emergency in its history.
In south western Japan two powerful earthquakes hit a day killed at least 29 people and 1,500 people
injured
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have combined the best features of a lobster
and a fish to create an artificial eye that can see in the dark
Scientists have identified three new species of mouse lemurs Ganzhorns mouse lemur, Microcebus
manitatra and Microcebus boraha in the South and East of Madagascar
Mumbai Noisiest city and Delhi may be the dirtiest city according to the report released by Central
Pollution Control Board
Taiwan Archaeologists have discovered a 4,800year old human fossil of a mother holding an infant
child in her arms
Endangered Asiatic wild dogs spotted in nature reserve in Chinas Gansu province have spotted at
least nine such dogs or dholes on camera.
SPORTS
Australian medium-pacer Clint McKay(33) announced his retirement from international and Australisa
first-class cricket
Pakistans head coach Waqar Younis resigned from his position after his team exit from the World
Twenty20 tournament.Shahid Afridi appointed as Pakistans T20 captain
England middle order batsman James Taylor (26) retired from International Cricket
Sri Lankan veteran cricketer Rangana Herath has announced his retirement from limited-overs cricket.
International Hockey Federation has promoted Durga Thakur of India as the international outdoor
umpire after her good performance at the recently-culminated Hawkes Bay Cup in Hastings New
Zealand.
Hong Kong all-rounder Irfan Ahmed has been suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC)
for two and a half years
India cricket team will play its Day-Night Test against the New Zealand this year announced by BCCI.
BCCI decided to waive off the financial penalty of USD 97 million that was levied on the West Indies
Cricket Board for withdrawal of their 2014 series against India in the halfway.
A seven-year-old girl Tajamul Islam is set to become the first Indian to represent the country at the
World Kickboxing Championship in Andria, Italy
India to host 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships in Jaipur, besides organising the Asian
Cadet and Asian Junior Judo Championships in September in Kerala this year.
23 | P a g e
The International Hockey Federation pronounced a new annual tellurian home and divided league to be
implemented in 2019
Mother Dairy has partnered with IPL cricket team Delhi Daredevils as its principal sponsor.
Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd has signed up with the Gujarat Lions franchise as associate sponsor for the
ninth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL)
International Cricket Council (ICC) has extended its contract with Emirates Airline for another seven
years
Indian boxer Shiva Thapa bagged silver medal and Thailands Chatchai Butdee won gold at the
Asian/Oceania Qualifying event in China
Miami Open 2016 held in Florida, United States
Category Champions Runner
Mens Singles Novak Djokovic Kei Nishikori
Womens Singles Victoria Azarenka ( Belarus ) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
Mens Doubles Pierre Hugues (France ) Tmea Babos (South Africa) and
And Herbert Nicolas (France) Yaroslava Shvedova (USA)
Womens Doubles Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) Tmea Babos (Hungary) and
and Lucie afov (Chezh Republic) Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan)
West Indies Womens Clinched their maiden Womens World Twenty20 against Australia at Eden
Gardens in Kolkata
West Indies won ICC world Twenty20 against England at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia wins world title with record-setting free stake score by winning a world
championship.
Ashley Wagner of USA wins silver.
Anna Pogorilaya of Russia wins bronze.
Kenyas Visiline Jepkesho and Cyprian Kotut were winners at the 40th edition of the Paris Marathon.
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg claimed the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix towin his fifth straight
race.Second KimiRaikkonen, Finland followed by Lewis Hamilton, England, Mercedes
Indias duo Chitra Magimairaj and Varshaa Sanjeev won the seniors and under-21 gold
medals respectively at the WLBS World snooker championship in Leeds.
India won the Asian Nations Cup chess team championship defeating Vietnam in Abu Dhabi
FIFA World Rankings 2016- India dropped two places to the 162nd position in the latest FIFA
rankings
Rank(Mens) Country Rank(Womens) Country
1 Argentina 1 United States
2 Belgium 2 Germany
3 Chile 3 France
4 Colombia 4 England
5 Germany 5 Australia
New BWF Ranking

Category Player Rank
Mens Singles Kidambi Srikanth 14
ParuPalli Kashyap 18
Womens Singles Saina Nehwal 8
Pusarla V Sindhu 10
Men Doubles Manu Attri 19
B Sumeeth Reddy
Womens JwalaGutta 15
Doubles AshwiniPonnappa
24 | P a g e
WTA rankings
Womens Singles Womens Doubles Rank
Serena Williams (USA) Martina Hingis (Swiss) 1
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) Sania Mirza (India) 2
Angelique Kerber (GER) Bethanie Mattek- Sands (US) 3
Garbine Muguruza (ESP) Yaroslava Shvedova (Kzh) 4
Victoria Azarenka (BLR) Lucie Safarova (CZR) 5
Malaysian Open 2016
Category Champions
Mens Singles Lee Chong Wei ( Malaysia)
Womens Singles Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand)
Mens Doubles Kim Gi-Jung( South Korea ) and
Kim Sa-rang ( South Korea)
Womens Doubles Tang Yuanting (China) and
Yu Yang (China)
Mixed Doubles Tontowi Ahmed ( Indonesia) and Liliyana Nastir (
Indonesia )
India beat Canada to earn first win at Hawkes Bay Cup in Hastings, New Zealand
Britains Anthony Joshua won the International Boxing Federation heavyweight title in London
Danny Willett has won the Masters at Augusta National to become the first Briton to claim US
Masters title in 20 years
S.P. Chawrasia of India was honoured with the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of the Month for March.
Indias mens and womens teams have each won their respective titles at the Third edition of khokho
championships in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
Cricket Legend Sachin Tendulkar released the teaser poster of Sachin: A Billion Dreams his upcoming
biopic. It was directed by British director James Erskine.
The Top Five Players in the Wisden 2016
Player Role Country
Jonny Bairstow Wicket Keeper & Batsman. England
Brendon McCullum Batsman. New Zealand
Steve Smith Batsman. Australia
Ben stokes All Rounder England
Kane Willamson Batsman New Zealand
Bombay High Court ordered all IPL matches after April 30 to be shifted from drought
affected Maharashtra.
Indian Paddlers Soumyajit Ghosh and Manika Batra booked their Olympic tickets by winning their
respective groups in the Asian Qualifiers in Hong Kong.
Manipuri boxer MC Mary Kom has been named as one of the brand ambassadors of the forthcoming
World Championships by the International Boxing Association (AIBA).
Australia thrash India to win Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Malaysia
Nico Rosberg of Mercedes claimed a dominant win in Chinese Grand Prix over Mercedes team mate
Lewis Hamilton
Monte Carlo Masters title
Mens Singles: Spain Maestro Rafael Nadal won his ninth Monte Carlo Masters title by
defeating Gael Monfils of France
Mens Doubles - French Pair Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut won the title,
defeating UKs Jamie Murray and Brazilian Bruno Soares
Agartala hailed Dipa Karmakar will be the first Indian women gymnast in the history to qualify for
Olympics
Hockey India to withdraw the National junior team from the annual Sultan of Johor Cup to be held this
year due to injury concerns.
25 | P a g e
Former national champion Vishnu Vardhan put his name into the record books by becoming the first
champion of the Asian Tennis Tour (ATT) after he beat Sidharth Rawat in New Delhi.
Indian ace shooter Jitu Rai ended with sixth spot in the mens 50m pistol event on the International
Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup being held at Rio de Janeiro.
Spain based Rafael Nadal clinches 49th Clay court cup and equalled the record with Guillermo Vilas in
Barcelona Open Tennis. Doubles Winners title clinched by United States Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan
French pair of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic won womens doubles final of the Stuttgart
Grand Prix tournament and womens singles title was won by Angelique Kerber of Germany
Indias Mairaj Ahmad Khan bagged the silver medal in the mens Skeet event at the International
Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup
Marcus Svennson-Gold and Tamarro Casandro-Silver
Indian Football Striker Jeje Lalpekhlua won the Football Players Association of India (FPAI) Indian
Player of the year award at Cooperage Football Stadium in Mumbai.The award was presented by
FPAI President Renedy Singh
Indian Wrestler Sandeep Tomar and Indian Rower Dattu Bhokanal booked a berth for the Rio
Olympics
Riyad Mahrez of Algeria was adjudged as the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) Player of
the Year. He is the first African to receive the award.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic organizers released a new snake-eye logo featuring an indigo coloured check in
the design
TVS Racing group has signed with its first woman rider Shreya Sunder Iyer in the Indian National
Rally championship for 2016
International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) due to
government intervention in the cricket board due to that a vacuum has been made in the cricket
leadership.
Indian archer Deepika Kumari equals the world record in the womans recurve event South Korean
archer Ki Bo-Bae at the Archery World Cup in Shanghai.
Explosive former Srilankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya as the chief selector and will serve a two-year
term for the Sri Lanka Cricket.
New Zealand batsman Kane Stuart Williamson has been named as the Black Caps captain in all
the three formats of the game of cricket.
Former South Africa pacer Allan Donald is set to join the Australian team as temporary bowling coach
Indian judok as players Avatar Singh and Thoudam Kalpana Devi are qualified for the Rio Olympics
after their impressive performances in Asian Championship in Tashkent.
Garima wins gold at Commonwealth Judo Championship Rajwinder Kaur won a silver at the 2016
Commonwealth Judo Championship held in South Africa
Sprinter Sudha Singh has booked berth for Rio Olympics by finishing second in the 3000m
steeplechase event at the FederationCup in New Delhi.
OBITUARY
Zaha Hadid - Iraqi-British architect

Ronnie Corbett - UKs Entertainer
Larry Drake Actor
Cesare Maldini - Italian football manager and player
Barbieri - Latin Jazz saxophonist
Barbara Turner- US screenwriter and producer
Merle Haggard US Musician
David Gest US Entertainer, Producer
Arnold Wesker - British playwright
Malick Sidibe - Eminent African photographer
26 | P a g e
Doris Roberts US actress

Bill Campbell - Former Ivy League football coach
Chyna (Joan Laurer) - Former WWE Womens Champion
Prince Roger Nelson - Rock artist and musician
Guy Hamilton - British Film Director
Papa Wemba - Africas greatest music legend
Banharn Silpa - Veteran Thai politician
Harry Wu - China human rights campaigner
Babu Bharadwaj - Eminent journalist from Kerala
RanjanBaindoor - Ranji Trophy player from Mumbai
M.H.P.Rao - Father of Madras Atomic Power Station
Yogendra Bali - Veteran journalist
C Silvera - Former Union Minister of Mizoram
Veenu Paliwal - Indias first woman biker
J.S. Sekhon - Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge
Satyanand Munjal- Co-founder of Hero Cycles group
D.Ravinder - Finance Ministers PRO & Former Journalist from Telangana
Ismael Quintana - Pioneer of salsa music
Shaktiman - Indian police horse, Uttarkhand
Amanullah Khan - Founder of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF),
Thoppil Thomas - Eminent cartoonist from Kerala
BOOKS & AUTHORS

The Kiss of Life How a Superhero and my son defeated cancer authored by Bilal Siddiqui and Co-
authored by Emraan Hashmi.
A State in Denial Pakistans Misguided and Dangerous Crusade authored by veteran journalist BG
Verghese
NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly will write a book titled Endurance: My Year in Space and Our Journey
to Mars.
The Making of India: The Untold Story of British Enterprise authored by KartarLalvani
IMPORTANT DAYS
Apr 2: World Autism Awareness Day Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and Neurodiversity
Apr 4: International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action Mine Action is
Humanitarian Action
Apr 5: National Maritime Day Ease of doing business in the maritime sector
Apr 6: International Day of Sport for Development and Peace Lets play for Sustainable
Development Goals
Apr 7 : World Health Day Halt the rise: beat diabetes
Apr 8 : International Romani Day
Apr 10 : World Homeopathy Day
Apr 11 : National Safe motherhood day
Apr 12 : International Day of Human Space Flight
Apr 14 : Bhimrao Ambedkar 125th Birth Anniversary
Apr 17 : World Hemophilia Day Treatment for All The Vision of All
Apr 18 : World Heritage Day The Heritage of Sport
Apr 21 : Civil Services Day
27 | P a g e
Apr 22 : World Earth Day Trees for the Earth

Apr 25 : World Malaria Day - End malaria for good
Apr 23 : World Book and Copyright Day
Apr 26 : World Intellectual Property Day Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined
Apr 29 : International Dance Day
International Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
Apr 30 : International Jazz Day
STATIC GK - APRIL
New Delhi:
New Delhi itself was not established until 1912 when the British moved Indias capital city from Calcutta to
Delhi in 1911.
Odisha
Capital: Bhubaneswar
Governor: S.C. Jamir
Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
Jharkhand:
Capital: Ranchi
Chief Minister: Shri Raghubar Das
Haryana
Capital: Chandigarh
Governor: Kaptan Singh Solanki
Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
Bihar:
It is the Third largest State by population.
Bihar has 40 lok Shaba and 16 Rajya Shaba seats.
Odisha:
Chilka lake of Odisha is the biggest for Brackish Water (Saline) lagoon, it is set to be Indias biggest and world
second biggest coastal lagoon.
Maharashtra:
Mumbai is a financial capital of India, Indias first train in India ran between Mumbai and Thane in 1953.
Nagaland:
Nagaland is the 16th State it was established in 1963, As per Census 2011, Nagaland is the smallest state in
India.
Festivals of Maharashtra:
Makar Sankrant, Nag Panchami, Gudhi Padwa, Pola, Narali Pournima, Gokul Ashtami, Dussehra, The
Banganga Festival, The Elephanta Festival and The Ellora Festival
Famous Temples in Maharashtra

Siddhivinayak Temple
Mahalakshmi Temple
Bhimashankar Temple
Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple
28 | P a g e
Kailash Temple
Walkeshwar Temple
Uttar Pradesh:
Uttar Pradesh is by far the most populated state in India.
Varanasi is one of the worlds oldest living
The Kumbha Mela that is held every 12 years is another attraction of Uttar Pradesh.
NSE:
Established in 1992
MD & CEO Chitra Ramkrishna
NPCIL :
NPCIL was created in September 1987 under the Companies Act 1956
HQ: Mumbai, Maharashtra
CMD: K.C. Purohit
NABARD:
Mumbai based NABARD was established on the recommendation of Sivaraman Committee in 1982.
Airports in India:
The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi is the busiest airport in India.
India has a total of 132 Airports, including 24 International Airports, 7 Customs Airports, 78 Domestic Airports
and 26 civil enclaves at Military Airfields.
Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia possesses about 16% of the oil reserves It is the worlds largest exporter of petroleum liquids and
the industry relies on almost half of its GDP.
Saudi Arabia was a founding member of OPEC in 1960
Capital: Riyadh
Currency: Saudi Riyal.
South Korea:
Capital: Seoul
Currency: Won
WADA:
Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
President: Craig Reedie
Cuba:
Capital: Havana
Prime minister: Ral Castro
Currency: Cuban peso
Bangladesh:
East Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1971 after a war of independence against Pakistan.
Bangladesh has the third largest Muslim population in the world next to Indonesia and Pakistan.
Iran:
Capital: Tehran
Currency: Iranian Rial
29 | P a g e
The word Iran means the land of Aryans in Persian.

Persia in olden times.
WTO:
HQ: Geneva, Switzerland
Founded: 1995
World Bank HQ: Washington D.C, USA
AIIB HQ: Beijing, China
New Zealand:
Location: Island nation in the south - western Pacific Ocean
Capital city: Wellington
Prime Minister: John Key
Currency: New Zealand dollar ($)
USA:
Capital: Washington, D.C ; Currency: Dollar
President: Barack Obama; Indian Ambassador to the US: Arun Singh.
China:
Capital: Beijing
Currency: Renminbi
President: Xi Jinping
Oman:
Capital: Muscat
Currency: Omanian Rial
France:
Capital: Paris
Currency: Euro
PM: Manuel Valls
Jordan
Capital and largest City of Jordan Amman
Currency Jordanian Dinar
Prime Minister of Jordan Abdullah Ensour
Portugal:
Capital and largest City of Portugal Lisbon
Currency Euro
Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Coasta
President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
Barbados
Capital and largest City of Barbados Bridgetown
Currency Barbadian Dollar
Prime Minister of Barbados Freundel Stuart
Central African Republic

Capital: Bangui
30 | P a g e
Currency: Central African CFA franc
Vietnam:
Vietnam is the largest exporter of cashews in the world, and the second largest exporter of rice.
Vietnam has a literacy rate of 94%.
Capital: Hanoi
Currency: Vietnamese dong
Iceland
Capital: Reykjavik
Currency: Icelandic krna
Norway:
Prime Minister of Norway Erna Soleberg
Capital Of Norway Oslo
Currency Norwegian Crone
UNICEF:
HQ: New York
CEO: Anthony Lake
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is known as The Land of Bengal
The independence of Bangladesh was declared on 26 March 1971
Capital: Dhaka
Currency: Taka
PM : Sheikh Hasina
Pakistan:
Capital: Islamabad
Prime Minister: Nawaz Sharif
President: MamnoonHussian
Currency: Pakistani rupee
El Salvador
Capital: San Salvador
Currency: US Dollar
President: Salvador Snchez Cern
Taiwan:
Capital: Taipei
Currency: New Taiwan Dollar
International Cricket Association:

Headquarters: United Arab Emirates
President: Zaheer Abbas
CEO: Dave Richardson
Mongolia:
Bordered by China and Russia
31 | P a g e
Capital: Ulaanbaatar
Currency: Mongolian tgrg
President: Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
Prime minister: Chimed Saikhanbileg
Madhya Pradesh:
It is the second largest state by area and 5 th largest state by population.
Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Governor: Ram NareshYadav
SIDBI:
SIDBI is an independent financial institution s established in 1990, it is a wholly owned subsidiary
of Industrial Development Bank of India.
ICICI:
HQ: Mumbai
CEO: ChandaKochhar
Tagline:Hum Hai Na, KhyalApka
Judo Federation of India(JFI)
Man Mohan Jaiswal, General Secretary of Judo Federation of India (JFI).

Headquarters: New Delhi
32 | P a g e
Current Affairs
Current Affairs PDF
Study Materials PDF
Reasoning Questions
English Questions
Computer Questions
General Aptitude
Reasoning
Letter Writing
Math Tricks
Computer Awareness

33 | P a g e
Current Affairs May Pocket PDF 2016
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Andhra Pradesh will become First Open Defaction Free State to make 100% free from Open
Defaction by October 2.
Real Estate Act comes into force with effect from 1st May after 8 year long efforts to make operational
Rules, Setting up regulatory authorities and Appellate tribunals.
Border Security Force(BSF) to set up the tallest national flag(356 feet) near Attari-Wagah Joint Check
Post famously known as the Wagah border.
The world largest telescope called Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) project will be set up at Hanle in
Ladakh.
Odisha Skill Development Authority becomes operational from May 1 announced by Chief
Minister Naveen Patnaik
Madhya Pradesh High Court terms reservation in promotions in the State as unconstitutional.It
reserve 16% posts for scheduled castes and20% for scheduled tribes
Union gov launched an initiative named MICE(meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) for
the upgradation of tourism sector in India
Rajya Sabha approved an amendment to the mining law that allows Transfer of captive mines in cases
of mergers and acquisitions said by Mines minister Narendra Singh Tomar
Lok Sabha passed Compensatory Afforestation Fund bill, 2015 to create special funds like National
Compensatory Afforestation Fund and also a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund.
Lok Sabha passes Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill, 2016 that will help improve Indias ranking
in the World Banks Ease of Doing Business index.
India is the third largest online market with 1.3 million learners Out of Courseras 18
million registered learners, First US followed by China report by Coursera
Bengaluru emerged as the top city in India , followed by Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and
Hyderabad.
DRDOs laboratory Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences(DIPAS) in collaboration
with Department of AYUSH organised a training program on Yoga for the Defence Wing Staff.
PM Narendra Modi officially approved the adoption of UN Fundamental Principles of Official
Statistics to formulates the data collection process.
Fundamental Features:
i. Professional independence, ii. Impartiality, iii. Accountability,iv. Transparency in methods of
collection, v. Compilation, vi. Dissemination of official statistics and vii. Equal to the international
standards
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared to increase by 500 to 600 for amendment to the Gram
Panchayat Act
Lok Sabha approved the Finance Bill 2016. Bill retaining the contentious 1% excise duty on non-silver
jewellery, though only jewellers with more than `12 crore annual turnover will have to pay the duty.
Projects worth Rs. 2446 Crore approved under Namami Gange Programme to improve the facilities
of Ghats and crematoria for reduction of pollution load into river Ganga.
Haryana Gov has launched a scheme to grant financial assistance of up to Rs 25 lakh to MSME for
registration of patents for products and processes announced by Industries Minister Captain
Abhimanyu
Haryana to enact Act to accord statutory status to Sports Council announced by Haryana Health
Minister Anil Vij
The single emergency number 112 will be functioning throughout India from January 1, 2017
approved by Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
1|Page
Union Railways Ministry launched the Bharat Darshan Tourist train for pilgrims to visit and bookings
are being done by IRCTC .Rs 830 per day for each person.
Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti launched the first trash skimmer for River Yamuna for
skimming of solid waste material and Rs.850 crore rupees approved for the third phase of Yamuna
action plan
Union Gov to provide mobile connectivity in 55,669 villages by 2019 in a phased
manner.BharatNet project to connect all 2.50 lakh gramPanchayats
Gujarat gov announced a government resolution (GR) granting minority status to the Jain
community.Poor people among the Jain community can avail of various scholarships, gov welfare
schemes as per Article 30 of Indian Constitution.
Telangana gov to set up a monkey rescue and rehabilitation centre will come up in a large simian
population bound Adilabad district of the state, which costs Rs.2.21 crore.
Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti
initiated nine projects for rural sanitation projects under Namami Gange Programme for conservation
of river Ganga in Jharkhand
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu sets up directorate to generate funds via
advertisements.Special wing will be headed by a Director-NFR-Finance.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma released a Commemorative coin of Rs. 100/- and
a Circulation coin of Rs. 10/as a part of 475th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Maharana Pratap in
New Delhi.
Gujarat govt is now all set to launch its grid-connected Rooftop Solar Power Project with an aim of
scaling up the present solar power generation(50 megawatt) in Gujarat.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL) completed Rs 4.77 crore Kumudvathi river rejuvenation project
near Nelamangala in Bengaluru rural district.
Chhattisgarh gov has relaxed the labour law which will help MSME players to avoid regular
inspection from labour department officials.
The Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Kalraj Mishra inaugurated the
Harmukh Khadi Gram Udyog Sansthan-spinning and weaving centre in Srinagar
Parliament approved the Anti-Hijacking Bill that award death penalty to the criminals in case of death
of hostages or security personnel.It will Amend Anti-Hijacking Act, 1982
Gujarat Government announced its Agri Business Policy in order promotes food processing and
agriculture waste management during the festival of 2016 Krishi Mahotsav
Parliament passed the Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015 with Lok
Sabha approving some technical amendments to transfer from the Centre to states the control over
industries engaged inthe production of potable alcohol.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat won the Assembly floor test.It will revoke Presidents Rule
in the state.
Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav approved the 200 Km Long bicycle highway from Agra to the
Lion Safari in Etawah to promote Eco-Tourism in the surroundings of the Taj Mahal
Rajya Sabha passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 as it is the biggest economic reform
that will make easier to do business.
Rajya Sabha passed The Indian Trusts (Amendment) Bill 2015. The Amended Indian Trusts
bill removes certain outdated clauses from the Indian Trusts Act.
Banaras Hindu University founded by Madan Mohan Malaviya has completed 100 years of its
eventful journey.
NDA Gov led by Prime Minister decided to liberate of the Nehruvian five year plans and replace the
plans with 15 year vision credentials.
The first 15-year vision document will start from 2017-18, along with a seven-year National
Development Agenda
Union Cabinet approved the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) policy with a view to
promoting creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. This is to create public awareness about the
economic, social and cultural benefits of IPRs among all sections of society.
2|Page
Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved widening of the crucial UP Gate to Dasna stretch of
the Delhi-Meerut Expressway to be made at an estimated cost of Rs 1,984 crore to reduce the traffic
congestion in the national capital
Supreme Court directed budget airline Spicejet to pay Rs 10 Lakh as damages to a disabled flyer, who
was forcibly offloaded disabled Jeeja Ghosh in 2012.
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) launched an initiative to enroll left over population
for Aadhaar enrolments in four States and Union Territories such as Haryana, Goa, Chandigarh and
Puducherry.
The Supreme Court upholds the validity of the criminal defamation law of the 156-year-old penal
laws.The court gave its verdict on a batch of petitions filed that challenging the constitutional validity
of sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code providing for criminal defamation.
Uttar Pradesh gov set to launch the Dial-100 across the state on October 2 in Lucknow, Agra,
Kanpur, Jhansi and Ghaziabad. The projects headquarters at Lucknows Shaheed Path.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has notified the Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation
in Services and Admission in Educational Institutions) Act, 2016 to provide reservation in services and
admission in educational institutions to persons belonging to backward classes in the State.
Indian Postal Department enhanced their services to Hi-tech by geo-tagging the post offices and
started to monitor the timely clearance of the letter boxes through a mobile application called
BHUVAN
Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda laid the foundation stones of three medical colleges
at Rajouri in Jammu,Anantnag in south Kashmir and Baramulla in the north Kashmir.
Union gov approved the Odisha Governments proposal to set up Kalinganagar National Investment
and Manufacturing Zone project as part of Ease of Doing Business inJajpur district.
Rajasthan becomes Indias first state to issue newspaper advertisements to select vice-chancellors for
state universities.
Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) of 1973 had been deployed in Chandigarh.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik has coined a special scheme named Green Passage for orphan
students. This proposed scheme will function under the Higher Education Department.
Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi drafted the National Policy for Women
2016 for Women to deal the issues against the Women. National policy on women already framed
in 2001 and noting that the policy was come into effect after 15 years.
Union government has opened a Tatkal window to fast-track patent proposals. Application fees for
individuals and start-ups have been kept at Rs 8,000 while for companies, is Rs 60,000.
Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated an Intelligent Operations Centre and launched a Mobile App Monitor
for transformation of Presidents Estate into a smart township
Indigenously developed fecal incontinence management system Qora launched by Minister of State
for Science & Technology, Shri Y.S.Chowdary in New Delhi. QoraTM technology under DBTs
ownership granted in key markets, including US, EU, Canada, Singapore, Australia, and Japan.
The union government will launch a hub and spoke model to set up science cities and science centres
to support science and technology (S&T) incubators .Five Zones would be operated that each zone
should have a science City
Indias Red line campaign was launched in February this year to curb over-the-counter use
of antibiotics is finding recognition, and could be adopted on a world scale.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda launched the Centre for Environmental Health to judge the impact of
environment-linked health problems like air pollution, climate change, pesticide use and sanitation.
Odisha gov to build 100 model schools in addition to the existing similar number of schools
functioning in in backward areas of the state on a priority basis during 2016-17 fiscal
Union Cabinet decided to set aside the Supreme Courts order on NEET that made a pan Indian
common medical entrance test mandatory.National Eligibility cum Entrance Test that outlaws the
states to go with their own entrance exams
3|Page
Bihar gov has decided to prohibit the distribution, manufacture, storage, distribution, consumption,
transportation, display of any type of gutka and pan masala for a period of one year with effect from
21st May 2016 under Section 30 (2) (a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Himachal Pradesh gov in a bid to prompt the fisheries department asked to make an artificial
propagation programme for its rehabilitation and conservation.
Union Government has formed a six-member Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority under
the Companies Act, 2013
Gujarat Gov announced that totally 6,000 villages in the state becomes open defecation
free under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Union Minister of State in PMO with IC of North Eastern States and Youth Services and Sports, Dr
Jitendra Singh has laid the foundation stone of bridge at Ujh Bridge which costs Rs.44 Cr in Kathua
district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated five new activities
New AC Weekly Express train between H. Nizamuddin-Pune
Expansion of VIKALP Scheme of Alternate Train Reservation to Delhi-Howrah, Delhi-
Chennai, Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Secunderabad Circuits,
Hand Held Terminals that makes Sale of Unreserved Tickets in Pilot Basis.
Launching of Ergonomically Redesigned & Optimised Tools for Track Gangs, Keymen &
Patrolmen
Improving Safety at Unmanned Level Crossing in pilot basis.
National Green Tribunal(NGT) banned light and heavy diesel vehicles, which are passed more than 10
years old, in six major cities in Kerala
Odisha Governor SC Jamir promulgated Odisha Official Language (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016 for
use of Odia language as a tool for communication in official matters.Gov to formulate laws to
implement the Odisha Official Language Act 1954.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved National Capital Goods Policy 2016.It is the First
ever policy for Capital Goods sector.
Increasing production of capital goods from 2,30,000 crore in 2014-15 to Rs.7,50,000 crore in
2025
The Union Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to establishment of the National Institute of
Technology, Andhra Pradesh under National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and
Research (Amendment) Bill, 2016
Women and Child Development Ministry Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi released Draft Model Rules
under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
Provisions for children who commit offences in the age group of 16-18 years
The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities named as Divyangjan Sashaktikaran
Vibhag in Hindi, after leaving the word viklangjan from its previous terminology.
Gujarat Governor O P Kohli released Gujarat, Diu & Daman and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Volume of
the Peoples Linguistic Survey of India Series
UGC has approved a set of Regulations in its Commission in a meeting to reduce subjectivity and
government interference and focus more on quality for deemed Universities.
Amenities Built up Area
Administrative Building 1000 square metres
Academic Building & Library 2000 square metres
Lecture theares and laboratories 15,000 square metres
The Floor Area Per Student 10 square meters
Assembly Elections 2016 Results: 5 states

West Bengal:
i. Mamta banerjee retains the position
ii. Mamata Banerjee -led TMC is heading for a continuous victory in the Assembly elections
iii. TMC Won 211 out of 294
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Puducherry:
i. Congress and DMK alliance succeed over N.R Congress
ii. Congress alliance made 17 successes out of 30 seats
Cabinet clears Railway projects worth Rs 11,000 crore.
Cabinet gives nod to six new IITs; Upgrades Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad to IIT.
Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to Amendments in Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launches 20 Nirbhaya buses with safety measures for women.
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu launched Dial 139 service for RAC and wait-listed tickets to
cancel their tickets, Earlier only confirmed ticket holders could cancel their tickets through 139 service
and IRCTC website.
Union Cabinet waived off loans worth over Rs 9,079 crore in a bid to restructure the PSU that owed
by Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Ltd (HFCL).
HRD Minister launches Bharatavani Portal, Indias largest online repository of dictionaries at
Lucknow.
NITI Aayog Launches 500 Tinkering Labs for Schools and 100 Incubation Centres.
GAIL reconfigures Rs 12,000 crore Jagdishpur-Haldia gas pipeline.
Union I&B Ministry frames Policy guidelines for Online Central Government advertisements
Centre approves Rs 4241 cr National Investment and Manufacturing Zone(NIMZ) in Odisha
Govt approves over Rs 5500 Cr investment to improve infrastructure in six states
Centre allocated Rs 6000 crore for welfare of people in mining areas
T.S.R Subramanian Committee for Evolution of a National Education Policy submits report to
Ministry of HRD.
Gujarat CM launches state-wide campaigns against malnutrition
PM to inaugurate Ujjwala Yojana in Davangere district of Karnataka
NGT imposes Rs.50 lakh fine on East Coast Railway
Sushma Swaraj inaugurates six language versions of PMO India website
PM Narendra Modi to flag off trains to Mizoram, Manipur including Kamakhya-Vaishno Devi Katra
weekly train
EC cancels polls to two Tamil Nadu Assembly seats
Narayanasamy stakes claim to form government in Puducherry
Trial Run Of High-Speed Spanish Talgo Train Conducted In India.
WCD Minister, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi releases Draft Trafficking of Persons (Prevention,
Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2016
Govt to rename 'Mission Indradhanush', adds four new vaccines to immunisation drive
Prime Minister approves retirement age of doctors of Central Health Services to 65 years
Indian Railways, PEC sign MoU to set up Kalpana Chawla Chair on geospatial technology
Delhi Govt Launches 'DVAT M SEWA' Mobile App
Ministry of Railways launches RAIL HAMSAFAR SAPTAAH a Week Long Celebration to
showcase Railway Achievements during 2014 2016.
PLACES IN NEWS
PM Narendra Modi launched solar powered boats - 11 and distributing 1,000 e-rickshaws to people in
Varanasi
The world largest to be built called Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) project may be set up at Hanle in
Ladakh.
Telagana CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao performed the Bhoomi Puja for the Kaleshwaram Project to
Connect the Godavari River through a series of barrages, reservoirs and enhanced irrigation schemes
Telangana Gov to set up Spices Park in in Padigal in Nizamabad with investment of Rs. 31 Crore
5|Page
Karnataka gov decided to establish the Asias first Rice Technology Park at Gangavati in Koppal
district and a Maize Technology Park at Ranebennur in Haveri district.
Manamadurai-Rameswaram rail track in Tamlinadu to become first green corridor to make rail tracks
discharge free zones
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat inaugurated the 3-day Vichaar Mahakum international conference, during
Simhastha Kumbh is underway in Ujjain, MP.
Indian Railways conduct trials of its first solar panel-powered train which will have its lights & fans
run on solar energy in Jodhpur
Worlds largest single rooftop stretch of 42 acre solar power plant of 11.5 Mw capacity was installed
in Amritsar, Punjab with an Investment of Rs 82 Crore (2012) to Rs. 10,000 Crore
Mandalay Bay Resort Convention Centre, Las Vegas in the United States is next biggest solar
photovoltaic power station
Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal flagged off
the countrys first driverless-metro train was tested on track in New Delhi. The train brought
from South Korea.
The worlds largest cargo carrier aircraft Antonov An-225 Mriya landed at the Rajiv Gandhi
International airport in Hyderabad.
Indias first ever Passenger Satisfaction Survey at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
RTI gets a memorial in Rajasthan.
Lakshadweep became first Union Territory (UT) to sign 24x7 Power for All document.
Iraq gov has declared a state of emergency after supporters of Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr
stormed parliament
A state of emergency declared in the Canadian region of Alberta as firefighters continue to
battle raging wildfires
Wipro joined with Oil major Saudi Aramco and Princess Nourah University (PNU), inaugurated Saudi
Arabias first all women business and technology park (WBP) in Riyadh.
Rich tributes were poured to former defence minister and Indias first high commissioner to the UK V
K Krishna Menon on his 120th Birth Anniversary in London.
Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from Japan, China, South Korea and the Association
of South East Asian Nations are agreed on the requisite to address downside risks to global economic
improvement in Frankfurt, Germany
Zimbabwes central bank to introduce its own version of US dollars Known as bond notes in order to
ease a cash shortage in the country.
The festival held to mark the 155th birth anniversary of poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore on May 8-
12, Egypt.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon initiated the constitution of the UN Zika Response Multi-Partner
Trust Fund (MPTF) to finance unfunded priorities in the response to the Zika outbreak.
Greeces Parliament has approved a bill that would reform the countrys pension and tax systems
to increase social security and pension contributions and raise taxes for most people.
US President Barack Obama signed into law new import restrictions on Syrian cultural artifacts in a
move to stop the Islamic States trade in looted antiquities.
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published online detailed data that covers nearly
40 years, from 1977 through the end of 2015
US India Defence Cooperation Act introduced in Senate to elevate the status of the Indo US
defence relationship on par with that of Americas closest allies like NATO and Israel.
Bangladesh executed Islamist party Chief MotiurRahman Nizami for convicted criminal during the
1971 war of independence from Pakistan
Kenyan government will close Worlds biggest refugee camp Dadaab refugee camp for national
security.
6|Page
President Barack Obama signed to make US bison as its national mammal.It will a symbol for
Americas heritage.
The Oxford English Dictionary(OED) added 19 Singaporean terms and 13 Hong Kong terms in its
latest update and also includes about 500 new words and phrases from around the world.
International Fund for Agricultural Development an arm of UN Nations will provide grants
worth $150 million to India in the next three years to aid the farm sector.
A four minute documentary film Beti screened at the 42nd Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF),
Washington DC. The short films the only film from India to be featured amongst 421 films
representing 85 countries
The worlds first artificial intelligence lawyer installed by Law Firm Baker Hostetler in the United
State and named as ROSS.
Italian Parliament passed legislation legalizing same-sex civil unions, with 372 voting in favour, 51
against and 99 abstaining.
The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the European Union launched the #Emergency
Lessons campaign on education in countries like Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia
and the United Kingdom
US House of Representatives gave nod to a bilateral legislative move to strengthen defence ties with
India
First metro line to the sea opens from Los Angeles to Santa Monica marks the return of commuter
train service to the sea for the first time since 1950s
India, Thailand, Myanmar to be connected with a 1400-km highway which will link India with
Southeast Asia by land for the first time in decades.
Indian External Affairs Ministry has banned Indian nationals from travelling to Libya.
Dubai opened the worlds first functioning 3D-printed office building in a bid to enhance Gulfs main
tourism and business development.
Bihar Govt, UNICEF And MDM Join Hand To Curb Malnourishment.
IAF Participation in Ex Desert Eagle II at UAE
China sign two agreements with Sudan to build nuclear reactor.
FOREIGN VISIT BY GOV OFFICIALS

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena came to India on a two day itinerary. Sirisena will address
the valedictory session at the Vaicharick Mahakumbh.
The Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar visits Oman from 20 to 22 May 2016
Defence Cooperation - Indian Defence Ministry and the Ministry of Defense of Sultanate of
Oman.
Marine Crime Prevention at Sea-Royal Oman Police (Coast Guard) and the Indian Coast Guard
Maritime Issues-Government of the Sultanate of Oman and the Government of India
Flight Safety information Exchange- Sultanate of Oman represented by Royal Air Force of
Oman and the Indian Air Force.
Prime Minister first visit to Iran from May 21 23
India and Iran sign 12 bilateral agreements including Chabahar port development
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi inked a three-way transit agreement on Irans southern port of Chabahar
The Persian service of All India Radio has launched a multimedia website and mobile app
launched by PM Modi in Iran.
President Pranab Mukherjee visited China from May 24 27 to expand Indias civilian nuclear
programme.
7|Page
A six-day long global conference on women empowerment with a theme of Women:Uplifting and
Uniting the World.
Landmark meeting of SAARC Countries on protection of Children held in Delhi.The eight
nations(Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) composing
the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC) are assembled.
India, US hold first Maritime Security Dialogue in New Delhi to promote the partnership in
the Maritime Field, India and US made the successful first round of discussion under the Maritime
Security Dialogue
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Department of Animal Husbandry,
Dairying & Fisheries organized a day-long national conference on Gaushalas cowsheds in New
Delhi.
49th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held from May 2-5 at Frankfurt,
Germany.The Asian Development Outlook 2016 predicts the growth rates to 5.7% each in 2016 and
2017, from 5.9% projected last year.
Theme : Asian Economic Outlook 2016
16th edition of the Airport Show with participation of more than 300 companies from 55 countries
including India held in Dubai from May 9 to 11 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition
Centre.
International Buddhist conference held in Nepal to remember the 2560th Buddha Birthday Anniversary
Theme: Lumbini, Nepal: the birth place of Lord Buddha and the fountain of Buddhism and
world peace
Beijing-New Delhi Yoga Conference opens in China
Chinese yoga practitioners gathered in large numbers over 1,000 for a group performance in
Kunming
The five day conference to be held between May 18 and 22
First World Conference on Tourism for development to promote the tourism in lifting people out of
Poverty and Building peace held in Beijing, China from 18 to 21 May 2016
Theme: Tourism for Peace and Development
ALL Ladies League (ALL) organised the Women Economic Forum (WEF) from May 16-21, 2016
in New Delhi, India
Theme: Women: Uplifting and Uniting the World
G7 finance summit begins at Sendai in Japan to give fillip for balancing the growth of the global
economy amid the slowing down of the Chinese economy and those of other emerging countries.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon inaugurated the first world humanitarian summit in Istanbul,
Turkey. The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) announced the launch of a new fund
Education Cannot Wait fund - $3.85 billion over five years.
42nd G7 summit held in Japan & Obama makes historic visit to Hiroshima.
RANKINGS & REPORTS
India ranks at third position after the United States and China in the category of Renewable Energy
Country Attractiveness Index reported by EY
Registrar General and Census Commissioner released the Census Data 2011 on Households by
religion, sex of head of household and household size
Religious Communities Total no. of households Percentage to Total
(in million) households
1 2 3
Total Households 248.8 100.0
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Hindu 202.4 81.3

Muslim 31.2 12.5
Christian 6.3 2.5
Sikh 4.1 1.7
Buddhist 1.9 0.7
Jain 0.9 0.4
Protecting People through Nature was released by World Wildlife Fund as main title and Natural
World Heritage sites as Drivers of sustainable Development as Sub title.96 countries, around 229
natural and mixed World heritage sites including Western Ghats facing Threats
75 million children in desperate need of education support UNICEF Report
According to MIALs data Mumbais international airport The Chhatrapati Shivaji International
airport four times more assemblages than other airports
To End AIDS Epidemic By 2030 needed more funding and leadership UN report released by U.N.
Secretary General Ban Ki Moon .Being tackled the epidemic has been inspiring, with a 42 % decline
in AIDS-related deaths since a peak in 2004.Report shows that urgent action is needed to end the
AIDS epidemic by 2030.
WHO report -Two out of top 5 worlds most polluted cities in India, Delhi ranks 11th.Gwalior 2nd
and Allahabad 3rd . The dirtiest air was recorded at Zabol in Iran
United Nations released World Cities Report 2016 Urbanisation and Development: Emerging
Futures report.India is planned to add 300 million new urban residents by 2050
China, India and Brazil have become major sites for business investment, presenting global
companies with unprecedented opportunities for research and development
Most Iconic wonders of the world, The Taj Mahal has been surveyed as top five tourist spots in the
world and Second in Asia by Travel Planning and Booking site TRIP advisor
Machu Picchu in Peru- 1st and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi 2nd
World Health Statistics 2016: Monitoring Health for the Sustainable Development Goala report by
World Health Organization. Global life expectancy for children born in 2015 was 71.4 years (73.8
years for females and 69.1 years for males). Healthy life expectancy 63.1 years globally (64.6 years
for females and 61.5 years for males)
Highest Life Expectancy 86.6 years Women in Japan
Highest Life Expectancy 81.3 years Men in Switzerland
Lowest Life Expectancy 50.8 years Women in Sierra Leone
Lowest Life Expectancy 49.3 years Men in Sierra Leone
Maharashtras cultural capital Pune followed by Jaipur has emerged as the best five star
hotels destination in 2015.
World Top 5- Florence ( Italy), Tokyo, London, New York and Venice (Italy )
According to the UN environment report over 40 million people in India will be put at risk from
rising sea levels by 2050. Mumbai and Kolkata having the maximum exposure to coastal flooding
in future due to rapid urbanisation and economic growth.
Country Estimated People Under Risk
India 40 million
Bangladesh 25 million
China 20 million
Philippines 15 million
IIM-A, IIM-B climb 57 positions and 67th positions on Financial Terms Executive Education
th
rankings . IIM-B top ranked among Indian B Schools

India has secured ninth position in the 2016 Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index.Top 3
1.US, China; 2. Canada and 3.Germany
India is ranked at ninth position in crony-capitalism with crony sector wealth accounting for 3.4 per
cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) by Forbes.
Top 3: Russia, Malaysia and Philippines
Germany is the cleanest with least number of crony capitalists.
9|Page
Russia fares worst in the index

Report by OECD - India ranks fifth position in the exports of Fake goods globally, while china is
No.1 in the list followed by Turkey and Singapore.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) releases Actions on Air Quality Report.
India becomes 5th largest producer of e-waste in world: ASSOCHAM-KPMG study.
India among top 10 steel importers in 2015: WSA.
Indian economy may see 7.8 % growth in FY17: Credit Suisse
Indian economy to grow 7.7% in FY17: FICCI Survey
India tops global slavery index with 18.35 million people enslaved
India climbs to 41st slot on competitiveness ranking
BANKING & FINANCE
Employers Provident Fund Organisation has launched One Employee One EPF Account system on
labours day(May 1) and also launched a software named EPFO-E-samkisha launched for centralized
processing that will transfer and consolidate accounts with ease
Mobile payments major Paytm joined hands with Wipro Ltd to create the requisite technology
infrastructure for its payment bank
National Stock Exchange launched a trading platform for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This
is the first dedicated exchange for micro SMEs. This is a joint initiative of NSE and Small Industries
Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
The International Monetary Fund is forecasted constant growth for India at 7.5%.The growth was
driven Private consumption, Weak Exports and Sluggish credit growth weight on the Indian Economy
Kotak Mahindra Bank has opened IFSC Banking unit at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City
(GIFT) City.
Banking sector has increased the number of wilful defaulters of PSBs from 5,554 to 7,686 in three
years said by Minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha.
MCB Capital Markets introduces Worlds first Exchange Traded Fund focused on Indias sovereign
bonds with a typical maturity between 8 and 13 years.
Union Gov approved the MoU between Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Central Bank of United Arab
Emirates (UAE) on co-operation concerning currency swap agreement.
NASSCOM has signed a MoU with Facebook to build a product design initiative to help young
entrepreneurs into becoming problem solvers and solution builders.
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) may be converted into a Green Bank to
enable it to access funding from overseas banks.This will be supported by the Union Power
Ministry as this conversion would pave the way to avail of certain benefits.
ICICI Bank is the first financial institution in the country to tie up with the BRICS Grouping promoted
New Development Bank to create a platform for sharing knowledge and deepening network
connectivity between NDB and ICICI Bank
Federal Bank joined with Transfast Remittance LLC for facilitating online inward remittance to India
in Rupees for their NRI customers based in USA.
Central Bank of Europe is mulling to decide the fate of the 500-euro banknote at the end of 2018, as
these denominations associated with money laundering, the black market and terrorist financing.
Asian Development Bank raise granting India to USD 3 billion to enhance its lending to India to USD
3 billion this year to support robust growth in the country.
IDBI Bank decided to open an international banking unit (IBU)at the International Financial Services
Centre (IFSC) in Gandhinagar.
Securities market regulator SEBI has gave in-principle approval to YES Bank for it to act as custodian
of securities.
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Indias largest urban co-operative bank Saraswat has donated of Rs one crore towards relief work
drought conditions in various parts of Maharashtra.Vice Chairman Gautam E Thakur handed over a
cheque of Rs 50 lakh to Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis
The banks in Telangana state will provide 6000 crore rupees loans to the poor under Mudra Yojana
said by Union Labour Minister Bandaru dattatreya
South Indian Bank has tied-up with National Australia Bank (NAB) for online inward remittance from
Australia at competitive rates.
RBI releases draft norms for universal bank licences on tap
Allowing individuals with 10 years of experience in banking and finance to apply for a licence
successful track record for at least 10 years are eligible to apply for a licence.The initial
minimum paid-up voting equity capital required is Rs.500 crore.
RBI is mulling to issue banknotes of 1000 rupees denominations with inset letter R in both the
number panels. It will also have the year of printing 2016 printed on the reverse side.
ICICI in association with Jet Airways launched the countrys first contactless credit cards for small
and mid-sized enterprises and their employees
RBI has directed that entities from Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and four other regions including Sri
Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran and Hong Kong or Macau will require its prior approval to establish branch
office or project office in India
SEBI is likely to tighten the norms for participatory notes (P-Notes) to curb round-tripping and restrict
money laundering to follow recommendations made by Special Investigation Team on black
money.Bringing P-Notes under know-your-customer and anti-money laundering norms.
New Delhi based non-profit Economics think tank NCAER projected Indias economic growth rate to
grow marginally to 7.7 percent in 2016-17.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that the Income Declaration Scheme 2016 will remain
functioning till September 30 for filing of Declarations and Payments
RBI authorises 29 agency banks to accept payments of I-T dues , sufficiently in advance of the due
date to avoid last minute rush.
IDFC Bank launched Twitter campaign dubbed #IDFCTwitterResume which will help in applying
for a new job as simple as sending out a tweet.
DBS Bank decided to set up its biggest technology hub outside its headquarters in Hyderabad.Mohit
Kapoor as the head of its Technology Development Centre in Hyderabad.
Royal Bank of Scotland(RBS) is to shut its banking operations in India having given up on efforts to
find a buyer as the planned to reduce its international operations to 13 countries from the current 38.
State Bank of India has planned to merge its five associate banks and also to merge Bharatiya Mahila
Bank.
Nepal SBI Bank has launched payment gateway to facilitate online trade and non-trade transactions
between the Himalayan nation and India.The lender handed over a cheque for Rs 5.21 crore to Nepal
Prime Minister K P Oli for PM Natural Disaster Relief Fund.
Punjab National Bank(PNB) reported a net loss of Rs 5,370 crore in the March quarter, the biggest
ever quarterly loss in Indias bank history.
Honda Motors Scooter India (HMSI) has partnered with IndusInd Bank to cater retail finance to
buyers.
Nomura financial Services Company has wholly withdrawn its mutual fund joint venture with LIC of
India.LIC holds a 45 per cent stake and LIC Housing Finance a 20 per cent stake in the venture
World Bank announced Pandemic Insurance plan to organize funds quickly against virulent disease
outbreaks
Under the programme the 77 least developed countries will be covered by the insurance
Bank is setting up separate emergency Cash Window and other outbreaks not covered
Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation(HSBC) Holdings will shut halve the number of branch
in India to 26 from the present 50 and keeping focus on retail banking over digital channels.
India signs loan agreement with World Bank for IBRD loan of US$ 100 million for Karnataka Urban
Water Supply Modernization project.Four key components such as (i) Capital Investment Program
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(ii) Institution Building (iii) Technical Assistance for Sector Development and (iv) Project
Management.
India Posts payments bank will start functioning from March 2017 announced by IT &
Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Gov has approved the revision in guidelines of the Performance in Credit Rating Scheme to increase
its credibility and effectiveness for both borrowers and banks
Turnover Fee reimbursed by the MSME Ceiling Amount

Up to Rs 50 lakh 75 percent of the fee charged by the Rs 15,000
rating agency
Between Rs 50 lakh and 2 crore 75 percent of the fee charged by the Rs 30,000
rating agency
Above Rs 2 crore 75 percent of the fee charged by the Rs 40,000
rating agency
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi granted ex-
post facto approval to the proposal of Yes Bank for scale up in the foreign investment limit to 74%
from the present foreign equity limit of 41.87%.
Islamic Development Bank to open its first branch at Ahmedabad.
EPFO doubles insurance for subscribers to Rs 6 lakh.
Union Bank of India launches e-SBTR to facilitate stamp duty and registration on property purchases.
Coverfox announces tie up with Oriental Insurance Company.
HDFC among world's top 10 consumer financial services firms.
Indias growth to rise to 8 percent in FY2019: Fitch.
Tea Board has designated Bank of India as the new settlement bank for PanIndia E-auction from sale
number 25.
BUSINESS
Bharti Airtel Business and GBI entered into a strategic partnership to increase Airtels direct reach to
many new countries in the Middle East.
Zone Startups to launch empower to support women entrepreneurs who are building technology
ventures.
Apollo Hospitals has signed a MoU with William Osler Health System aims to positively impact the
health and wellness of the patients
Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright has publicly identified himself as Bitcoin creator Satoshi
Nakamoto
American Online cab aggregator Uber and chinas e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has announced a
global partnership for payment platform Alipay.
IT major Mphasis and Tone Tag a sound-based proximity communication company entered into a
strategic partnership to provide a range of digital banking solutions for the banking and retail
industries.
Capgemini jointly with Nasscom has launched their digital literacy centre at the Helen Keller Institute
of Deaf and Deaf & blind dedicated to training individuals in Digital Literacy in Panvel and
surrounding areas of Navi Mumbai
Reliance power is all set to setup a 3,000 MW LNG-based power plant in Bangladesh.The first Phase
of 750MW gas-based power plant established at Meghnaghat near Dhaka
Union government has approved the proposal of Infosys to set up an IT/ITeS special economic
zone in Bengaluru.
Flipkart launch its Maps service with Social Technology Lab by Dr. Ashwin Mahesh
MapUnity. MapUnity started TechNagara social network for Smart Cities mission
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Snapdeal in collaboration with UrbanClap inventory in its Android mobile app to launch a personal
services category to help consumers book services ranging from beauty services at home to wedding
photographers.
Gov has started the process for issuance of Unique Business Identification Number (UBIN) to
facilitate potential entrepreneurs set up their business without any delays
National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority(NPPA) fixed the ceiling price of 54 drug formulations used
for treatment of cancer and other diseases it also fixed the retail price of 11 drugs.
National Aluminium Company(NALCO) signed an MoU with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
(BARC), Mumbai, for research and development cooperation in the fields of mutual interest.
FPL partnered with America based Nokero Solar Equipment maker to launch off-grid solar products
and soon plans to manufacture in India.
ASSOCHAM Reported that Indian e-commerce sector growth triples or grew by 209% past 5 years
Tata Trusts and Nudge Foundation entered into a strategic partnership to help alleviate poverty
through product innovation and capacity building
NTPC signed a joint venture agreement with state-owned miner Coal India to revive plants of the
Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL).
Ola signed a MoU with National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation
(NSKFDC) to focus on building a sustainable framework by supporting entrepreneurship, skill
development training and self-defence courses for Safai Karamcharis and Scavengers.
Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board and Solar Energy Corporation of India signed a pact to form
a 50:50 Joint Venture for implementation of solar power projects in the state.
Tech giant Apple has opened a new development center in Hyderabad which will focus on
development of Maps for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.
Microsofts Finland mobile makers Nokia mobile device business, has decided to sell branding rights
to Finnish firm HMD Global and contract manufacturer Foxconn for the next 10 years.
Apollo Health and Lifestyle is planning to raise $135 million from World Bank arm International
Finance Corporation (IFC).This includes equity investment of around $68 million.
BHEL bagged order worth of Rs 1,600-crore from a joint venture company of NTPC and SAIL to set
up a coal-based thermal power project inOdisha.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) announced the commissioning of a 600 MW coal-based thermal
power plant in Madhya Pradesh.
BHEL has commissioned 500 MW thermalpower unit at Bokaro Thermal Power-AStation of Damodar
Valley Corporation (DVC) in Jharkhand.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd has commissioned the first 800 MW supercritical thermal unit in
Raichur, Karnataka
Bharat Heavy Electricals successfully commissioned 250 MW thermal unit in Maharashtra.
Aditya Birla Fashion enters into binding MoU with Forever 21.
56 Indian firms feature in Forbes 'Global 2000'.
Mahindra inks brand licence agreement with Pininfarina.
Indian Artist Anjali Chandrashekar won award at UN poster contest on N-Disarmament and
appreciated by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.First Prize won by Ivan Ciro Palomino Huamani
from Peru for his Spinning Peace
Former ISRO scientist and Professor Udupi Ramachandra Rao will be honoured with the 2016 IAF
Hall of Fame Award by the International Astronautical Federations for his immense contribution to the
progress of astronautics.
Kerala has been awarded the best family destination in the country in the Lonely Planet Magazine
India Travel Awards 2016.
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Uday Kotak added in the Forbes list of 40 of the most powerful people in the financial world as an
Indian.He ranked 33rd . Blackstone Groups CEO Stephen Schwarzman on the top .PMorgan Chase
CEO Jamie Dimon on the third rank
Indian-American journalist Neela Banerjee and Terrence McCoy were awarded by US President
Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle and her colleagues were awarded with a prestigious award
Edgar A Poe award and Misha Euceph, a Pakistani radio journalist from Rawalpindi selected for
WHCA annual scholarship
Indian Born scientists Sriram Ramaswamy, Ramanujan Hegde and Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan are
listed in the fifty scientists elected as Fellows of the Royal Society,
63rd National Film Awards presented by President Pranab Mukherjee
Category Film/Technician
Best Feature Film Baahubali The Beginning
Best Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Bajirao Mastani
Best Actor Amitabh Bachchan for Piku
Best Actress Kangana Ranaut for Tanu Weds Manu Returns
Best Supporting Actor Samuthirakani for Visaaranai
Best Supporting Actress Tanvi Azmi, Bajirao Mastani
Best Hindi Film Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film Neeraj Ghaywan, Masaan
Of A Director
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Entertainment
Best Choreography Remo DSouza, Deewani Mastani song in Bajirao Mastani
Best Female Playback Singer Monali Thakur, Moh Moh Ke Dhage
Best Cinematography Sudeep Chaterjee, Bajirao Mastani
Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film Nanak Shah Fakir
on National Integration
Best Screenplay Writer (Original) Juhi Chaturvedi (Piku) and Himanshu Sharma (Tanu Weds
Manu Returns)
Best Screenplay Dialogues Juhi Chaturvedi (Piku) and Himanshu Sharma (Tanu Weds
Manu Returns)
Best Malayalam Film Pathemari
Best Film on Social Issue Niranayakam
Best Music Direction M Jayachandran for Song Kaathirunnu Kaathirunnu for the
Ennu Ninte Moideen
Best Music Direction- Background Score Ilaiyaraaja, Thaarai Thappattai
Best Film on Environment Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal
Conservation/Preservation
Best Tamil Film Visaaranai
Best Telugu Film Kanche
Best Childrens Film Duronto
President of India, Pranab Mukherjee honored the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Federation of
Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) and presented the Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards(52 )
Niryat Bandhu Awards: Canara Bank Gold, Bank of India Silver and Punjab National Bank
Bronze
Maharashtras businessman-politician Pankaj Parakh called The Man With The Golden Shirt has
secured a place in the Guinness World Records (GWR).
Andhra Pradesh agriculture project developed by The Centre for Development of Advanced
Computing (CDAC) wins international information prize.International Telecommunications Union
(ITU) Secretary-General Houlin Zhao announced the prize in Geneva.
Thirty seven Indian researchers shared among Special Breakthrough Prize for LIGO - for the detection
of Gravitational waves
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India Author Prashar Kulkarni won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2016, for the Asia region
for his politically grounded fiction Cow and Company
Benins Grammy Award winner Angelique Kidjo along with: Three African youth activist Yen a
marre, Le Balai Citoyen and Lucha wins human rights award
Corporation Bank awarded with Excellence Award on Empowering MSMEs 2016. Bank MD
and CEO Jai Kumar Garg received the award from Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister for MSMEs, in New
Delhi.
Bollywood director Yash Chopra has been honoured with a special statue at the heart of Interlaken,
inside the Kursaal area by the Swiss government
SMS-based Vehicle Monitoring System of Nagaland police bagged the National Award for Smart
Policing instituted by Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
BAFTA TV Awards 2016
Award Presented to
Entertainment Programme Strictly Come Dancing
Drama Series Wolf Hall
Single Documentary My Son the Jihadi
Mini-series This Is England 90
Current Affairs Outbreak: The Truth About Ebola
Factual The Murder Detectives
News Coverage Channel 4 News: Paris Massacre
Live Event Big Blue Live
Female Performance in a Michaela Coel
Comedy Programme
Sport The Ashes
International Transparent
Male Performance in a Comedy Peter Kay
Programme
Single Drama Dont Take My Baby
Supporting Actor Tom Courtenay
Reality & Constructed Factual First Dates
Comedy and Comedy Have I Got News for You
Entertainment Programme
Specialist Factual Britains Forgotten Slave Owners
Soap & Continuing Drama EastEnders
Features The Great British Bake Off
Scripted Comedy Peter Kays Car Share
Entertainment Performance Leigh Francis
Leading Actress Suranne Jones
Leading Actor Mark Rylance
BAFTA TV Fellowship Ray Galton & Alan Simpson
Recipients
Madhya Pradesh Tourism received the Best Indian Destination for Wildlife award by the Lonely
Planet Group
Indian scientist Manvendra K Singh has been awarded a grant of SGD 3 million by National Research
Foundation to research in congenital and adult cardiovascular diseases.
Indian Born American woman Elementary teacher Revathi Balakrishnan honoured
with Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year by US President Barack Obama for her contribution work
in the Education.
Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra been recently named in the list of 10 Millennial Leaders around
the Globe. Malala Yousafzai, Kim Jong Un, Mark Zuckerberg, Prince William, Mary-Kate and Ashley
Olsen, Rafael Nadal, Sonita Alizadeh and Mhairi Black are also included in this list.
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American mission in India won the prominent Greening Diplomacy Initiative Award of the US State
Department for its innovative approach to greening throughout the country.The award was presented
on Earth Day.
Four Indian peace keepers Shubhkaran Yadav, Manish Malik, Havildar Amal Deka, Rakesh Kumar
and a civilian Gagan Punjabi honored with Dag Hammarskjold Medal
IIT-Kharagpurs PhD student Nandini Bhandaru bagged the European Materials Research Societys
Young Scientist Award for her contribution to materials science.
South Korean Novelist Han Kang has been awarded with the Man Booker International Prize for his
Novel The Vegetarian.
India American Scientist Rakesh K Jain honored with US Prestigious National Medal of
Science from the US President Obama for his contribution towards Engineering field
Category Winners
Behavioral and social science Albert Bandura
Biological Sciences Stanley Falkow, Rakesh K. Jain, Mary-Claire King, Simon
Levin
Chemistry A. Paul Alivisatos, Geraldine Richmond
Mathematical, Statistical, and Michael Artin
Computer Sciences
Physical Sciences Shirley Ann Jackson
Indian-American Syamantak Payra won the prestigious Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award for
developing a low-cost electronically-aidedknee brace that enables a person with a weakened leg to
walk
Eminent Harry Potter Series Author JK Rowling honored with the highest French civilian
honour French Legion of Honour.
Indian born American biotechnologist Rupa Iyer honored with University of Houstons highest
teaching award for her continuous and significant contributions to education in United States.
US President Barack Obama honored an Indian American scientist named Rakesh K Jain and a
Pakistani American doctor named Humayun with the nations top honoured with National Medals of
Science and National Medals of Technology and Innovation.
Chemical Heritage Foundation honored the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman and
Managing Director Mukesh Ambani with prestigious Othmer Gold Medal for his entrepreneurial
leadership
US-based Nepali Lhakpa Sherpa climbed Mount Everest for the seventh time , breaking her own
record for the most summits of the worlds highest mountain by any woman.
India-Pakistan school Students Exchange Program to shared the history of the two neighbours before
Partition gets innovation award. It is organised by City-based NGO Routes 2 Roots.
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was honoured withYug Kavi Siddhicharan Award by the
Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma.
British director Ken Loach has won his second Palme DOr at the 69th Cannes film festival for best
picture
Award Winner Work

Palme dOr Ken Loach for I, Daniel Blake
Grand Prix Xavier Dolan Its Only The End of the World.
Jury Prize Andrea Arnold American Honey
Best Actress Jaclyn Jose Ma Rosa
Best Actor Shahab Hosseini The Salesman
Best Director Olivier Assayas Personal Shopper & Cristian Mungiu, Graduation.
Best Screenplay Asghar Farhadi The Salesman
Camera dOr Houda Benyamina Divines
Queer Palm (Feature) Sbastien Lifshitz Les Vies de Thrse.
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Queer Palm (Short) Anna Cazenave- Gabber Lover.

Cambet.
31,697 people sets a Guinness World Records for mass plaza dancing in multiple location in China
US hailed biochemical engineer Frances Arnold is the first woman in its 12-year history to win a $1.1
million international technology prize for her innovative work, a method of creating specific traits in
enzymes.
Indian-American Rishi Nair wins 28th annual National Geographic Bee Competition
Sunil Bharti Mittal receives this year's Harvard Alumni award
Pakke Tiger Reserve of Arunachal Pradesh bags biodiversity award.
Telangana survey enters Limca Book
Indian author Aditi Krishna kumar won Scholastic Asian Book Award
Indian-American Scientist Arnab De Wins Springer Theses Award
President of India Presents Malti Gyan Peeth Puraskars
Prime Minister Narendra Modis mother Heeraben was presented with the Nari Jagran Samman 2016
award by the Nari Jagran magazine in Varanasi.
AR Rahman conferred with Japan's Fukuoka prize 2016
Virat Kohli named T20 Player of the year, Ashwin best bowler at Ceat Award event
Pope Francis Awards Medals to Richard Gere, George Clooney, Salma Hayek
Murali Pillai Singapore parliament from suburban Bukit Batok constituency.

Harmeet Kaur Dhillon(First Women) Californias Key Republican Position
Patricia Espinosa Cantellano - Executive secretary of UNFCCC
Sadiq Khan - Mayor of London
Enda Kenny - Prime minister of Ireland
Michel Temer - Brazil president
Tsai Ing-wen - President of Taiwan
Philip Abraham - Deputy Mayor of Loughton in U.K.
Rodrigo Duterte - Presidential Election in the Philippines
Manjit Singh Member of US Presidents Advisory Council
Mary Robinson, Macharia Kamau - Special envoys for El Nino, climat
Fatma Samoura - FIFAs first Female Secretary General
Markus Kattner(Dismissed) - FIFAs acting Secretary General
Jayalalithaa- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
Sarbananda Sonowal - Assam Chief Minister
Pinarayi Vijayan - Kerala Chief Minister
Kiran Bedi - Lt Governor of Puducherry
Rakesh Kumar Mishra - Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).
S K Saini - commandant of Indian Military Academy (IMA)
S K Sharma - CMD of NPCIL
Ratan P Watal - Principle Adviser for social sector in Niti Aayog
S. Mahalingam - Non-executive chairman of City Union Bank
Sanjiv Misra - Non-Executive Chairman of Axis Bank
Ashok Chawla - Chairman of NSE
Hindupur Pradeep Rao - Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)
Radha Binod Barman - Part-time Chairperson of the National Statistical Commission(NSC)
Sunil Lanba - Chief of Naval Staff
Sudhir Yadav - Director General (DG) of Tihar.
Atma Ram Nadkarni - Additional Solicitor General
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Tinlianthang Vaiphei - Tripura High Court

Deepak Kumar Gupta - Chhattisgarh High Court
Justice Navin Sinha - Rajasthan High Court
Ved Prakash Vaish - Meghalaya High Court
Satish Kumar Agnihotri - Sikkim High Court
Manzil Saini(First Women) - Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP)
GC Mitra(Resigned) - Archaeological Survey of India technical core committee chairman
Sudhakar Rao - Independent Director of USL
Kumar Rajesh Chandra - Chief of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
Sanjay Kaul - Manager for Apple India operations.
DilipTuli - seniorvice president of Housing.Com
Sameer Chadha - Partner and CEO of KPMG Global Services (KGS)
Kishore Biyani - Managing Director of Bharti Retail
Mayank Ashar - Cairn India MD and CEO
Nitin Prasad Head of Shell India
Rajiv Bhalla - MD of Barco India
Sankaran Naren Executive Director of ICICI Prudential
Mrugank Paranjape - MD and CEO of MCX MD & CEO
Shashank Manohar(Resigned) - President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
Shashank Manohar - Chairman of the International Cricket Council(ICC)
Anil Kumble - ICC Cricket Committee Chairman
Claire Furlong ICC General Manager
Anurag Thakur - BCCI president
Mukul Mudgal - Chairman of FIFA governance committee
Michel Platini(Resigned) - UEFA President
Matthew Fleming - Marylebone Cricket Club president.
Mickey Arthur(South Africa) - Pakistan cricket teams head coach
Somnath Ghosh - Ambassador of India to the Republic of Tajikistan
A V S Ramesh Chandra - High Commissioner of India to Uganda
Abhinav Bindra, Sachin Tendulkar, A R Rahman - Goodwill ambassador for Indias Rio contingent
Rohit Sharma - Brand Ambassador for Hublot.
Brett Lee - brand ambassador for F45.
Baciro Dja - Guinea Prime Minister
Mamata Banerjee - Chief Minister of West Bengal.
Sanjay Bangar - India's head coach for Zimbabwe tour.
Choudhury - pro-tem Speaker of Assam Assembly
Sadhguru leader of yoga session at UN on 2nd Int'l Yoga Day.
Vice Admiral AR Karve - Southern Naval Command
A V S Ramesh Chandra - next Ambassador of India to Romania.
Vice Admiral Girish Luthra - Western Naval Command
Actor Madhavan - Goodwill ambassador for LEPRA India
Vinod K Dasari - Managing Director of Ashok Leyland.
Former Delhi Police commissioner B S Bassi - UPSC member
Admiral Sunil Lanba - 21st Navy chief
Google acquired a Toronto-based business technology start-up Synergyse to scale training offerings
for Google Apps to its customers and customers users.
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Jaipur-based Girnar Software groups CarDekho has acquired virtual reality company Volob
Technologies in an all-cash deal
Alibaba backed E-commerce giant Snapdeal has acquired Targeting Mantra to enhance personalization
of shopping experience of customers.
Cloud telephony company Knowlarity has announced it has acquired Delhi-based customer
engagement platform Smartwards to provide enterprise software solutions to small & medium
businesses.
Quikr India has acquired on-demand beauty service provider Salosa, owned by Beawel Tech Pvt.
New York based global Pharmaceutical Corporation Pfizer Inc will buy California based Anacor
Pharmaceuticals in a deal valued at $5.2 billion to increase access to Anacors experimental gel for
treating eczema.
Singapore Technologies Telemedia has acquired a 74 per cent stake in Tata Communications data
centre business in India and Singapore
German pharmaceutical and chemical giant Bayer AG has offered to buy U.S. seeds company
Monsanto for $62 billion .
Mahindra & Mahindra has incorporated its agricultural equipment rental services arm Trringo.com as
a wholly-owned subsidiary.
Cabinet approves takeover of Hindustan Steel Works Construction Ltd by NBCC.
Tech Mahindra buys UK fintech firm in deal valued at more than 112 million pounds
SCHEMES
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated an insurance scheme
Chandranna Bima Yojana for the working class people with an initial investment Rs.132 Cr.
5 Lakh would be paid if the Insurer worker met with an accidental fatal
5 Lakh for Permanent disability and Rs. 3 Lakh for Partial disability
Prime Minister launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana at Ballia to provide 5 crore Cooking gas
connections to beneficiaries in three years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Rs. 8,000 crore
scheme to provide 5 crore free LPG connections to Below Poverty Line (BPL) using the money saved
from 1.13 crore cooking gas users pledge on Give it Up compaign.
Union Government released the funds(16 Crore 79 Lakh Rupees) under various sections of Swachh
Bharat Mission to enhance the quality of Sanitation of Urban areas of Punjab state
The Union minister for Rural Development Minister Birender Singh gave his nod to relax the norms
in Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana to boost rural road connectivity for landlocked hilly Arunachal
Pradesh state.
Union government has released 9,367 crore to drought-hit States under MGNREGA in 2016-17.
Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti
initiated nine projects for rural sanitation projects under Namami Gange Programme for conservation
of river Ganga
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launched the Direct Benefit Transfer scheme for farmers and pledged
digging of at least one lakh bore wells to improve irrigation facilities
Telugu film actor Mahesh Babu has adopted a village in Andhra Pradeshs Guntur district
village Burripalemunder the Smart Village-Smart Ward programme
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah inaugurate the second phase of Pradhan
mantri Ujjwala Yojana at Dahod district of Gujarat - Rs 8,000 crore
Urban Development Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu launched a 15-day special Swachh Office Drive for
ensuring cleanliness at all Government offices across the country as an intensive thematic campaign
under Swachh Bharat Mission.
Maharashtra Ex-servicemens Corporation launched the Veer Yatra that aims to spice up a vacation
with on-locale narratives of real-life dare-devilryand heroism.
HP Chief Minister launched PEHAL to empower women for Raising Education Standards in Shimla
Theme: Raising Education Standards
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He rejoiced for the identification of 100 primary schools across Shimla for implementing the
scheme called PRERNA.
Union Health Minister, J P Nadda launches Kayakalp Fortnight(20th May to 3rd June, 2016) at
AIIMS, New Delhi in order to set protocols for hygiene and sanitation at government health facilities.
Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel launched Smart Village program in Gandhinagar
Government will select 300 villages for Smart Village program that will get 80 lakh to 2
crore rupees cash assistance to improve public facilities in the villages.
Urban Development Ministry announced 13 cities as Smart Cities
13 Cities : Lucknow, Warangal , Panaji, Dharamsala, Chandigarh, Raipur, New Town Kolkata,
Bhagalpur, Port Blair, Imphal, Ranchi, Agartala and Faridabad
HRD Ministry is set to launch Shala Asmita Yojana.It would probably be the worlds largest student
tracking system for both private and government schools.
MoUs
Odisha gov signed a MoU with Sulabh International Social Service Organisation (SISSO) for
construction and maintenance of hybrid toilet complexes in its nine cities.
Jammu and Kashmir Higher Education Secretary Hemant Kumar Sharma and Director, IIT Delhi
Prof. V Ramgopal Rao signed a MoU with Delhi IIT to establish Indian Institute of Technology in the
Jammu & Kashmir
MoU was inked between Department of Posts and United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) in
February this year for HeForShe stamp, as Union Cabinet apprised the joint issue of UN
Women HeForShe postage stamp.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved MoC between Ministry of Women & Child
Development (MWCD) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
Haryana & Punjab Forest Department inked MoU with Ministry of Railways to plant the trees
alongside Railway Track on Railway Land Boundary. Signed between Pankaj Saxena, Chief Engineer
/P&D, Northern Railway on behalf of Minister of Railways and Dr. (Mrs.) Amrinder Kaur, Principal
Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) on behalf of Minister of State (IC) for Environment, Forest and
Climate Change
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the bilateral agreement signed
between India and Qatar to seeks active engagement and cooperation in field of IT and Telecom
sector.
Union government has given nod for renewal of agreement between the research institutions of
European Union member-countries and India for scientific and technological cooperation for another 5
years.
National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), under Science Ministry has entered into
Licence Agreements with Nabagram Resham Shilpa Unnayan Cooperative Society Ltd of West
Bengal and Dariapur Rural Development Society of West Bengal for the commercialization of Ghar
Sodhon.This agreement called Ghar Sodhon is to form a room disinfectant for silkworm rearing
houses and appliances.
India and Japan are in close collaboration on several focus areas Science & Technology and also
agreed to exchange sportspersons, coaches, experts and administrators to improve the standard of the
game in both nations.
Infosys Foundation signed a pact with Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER.,
Pune) to pursue high quality education for economically weaker section students.
Ayush ministry will sign a pact with the World Health Organization (WHO) to spread the importance
of Ayurveda and Ayush across the world
India will start imposing capital gains tax on investments routed through Mauritius from April 2017
under a revised tax treaty
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Textile Ministry has signed a pact with NDTV Ethnic Retail Ltd for popularizing India Handloom
textiles as a fashionable product for youth at Udyog Bhawan New Delhi
Indian ambassador to Slovenia Sarvajit Chakravarti, and Slovenian Finance Minister Dusan
Mramor on behalf of Slovenia have signed a protocol to amend an existing double taxation avoidance
treaty.
Telangana gov IT Minister K T Rama Rao has signed a MoU with US-based healthcare tech firm Eclat
Health Solutions, which will invest USD 15 million in the state to provide 1,000 jobs.
Canada, Iceland, India, Israel, New Zealand and the Peoples Republic of China singed pact on tax
information sharing in order deal with issues related to taxes.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved for signing of an Inter-
Governmental Agreement between India and Mauritius on cooperation in cooperatives and related
fields.
Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH Ajit M Sharan and Assistant Director General, Health Systems and
Innovations WHO Dr. Marie Kieny signed Project Collaboration Agreement for Cooperation on
promoting the quality, safety and effectiveness of service provision in traditional and complementary
medicine in Geneva
Minister of External Affairs and Bangladesh Department of Science and Technology inked
a 21st century nuclear agreement with Bangladesh to engage the bilateral neighbourhood relationship
between two nations. The core of the Agreement are Energy, Connectivity and Security
State of Victorias Swinburne University in Australian declared two agreements with India in the area
of medical technology to figure out major health challenges in India.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which runs under the Space Department has signed MoU/
Cooperative agreements for exploration and use of outer space with 37 countries in recent times.
India and the US have formed a Brain Trust intended at deepening and strengthening cooperation
between the brightest in the scientific community of the worlds two largest democracies.
Union Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to the MOU between India & Japan for power
development
Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding between India and
Maldives for strengthening cooperation in the field of tourism
Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi apprised a MoU signed between Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA) in New
Delhi on February this year.
India and Australia sign MoU to enhance R&D capabilities in biotech.
COMMITTEES
Union government has set up a new panel under the chairmanship of S Ayyapan to prepare a draft
national policy on marine fishery after ascertaining the current status of exploitation of the resources.
Union Finance Ministry has set up a new committee to review the governments fiscal
roadmap headed by NK Singh and review the working of the related Fiscal Responsibility and Budget
Management Act that was enacted in 2003
Union government has appointed the 11-member committee led by Lt Gen D B Shekatkar(retd) to
relook defence expenditure.
Committee on Yoga Education in Universities submitted its report. It has recommended seven
programmes for implementation in universities.
Union government has set up a three-member committee, headed by Sanjay Mitra to frame a policy
framework for taxi aggregators and other transport operators.
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The smallest in the world microscopic engine ,invented by German Mechanical engineer Rudolf
Diesel and German Engineer Nicholas otto.
Scientists have developed Smallest Thermometer in the world using DNA structures that can fold and
unfold at specifically defined temperature functions.
Researchers have discovered three potentially habitable, Earth-like planets orbiting an
ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 that is nearly 40 light-years away in another star system.
Scientists claim to have developed the worlds first holographic flexible smartphone called
the HoloFlex that lets users interact with 3D videos and images without any headgear or glasses
Kepler space telescope helped NASAs discovery that results with 1284 new planets outside our solar
system, more than doubling the number of known exoplanets.
A driverless SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Florida then lands on ship at sea.It was the second
successful landing after similar attempts were made in last month.
China has successfully blasted off a Yaogan-30 remote-sensing satellite into orbit to carry out land
surveys and assist with disaster relief efforts from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in north western
Chinas Gobi desert.
NASA has successfully launched a 532,000 cubic metres sized super pressure balloon from New
Zealands South Island Wanaka Airport.
Indigenous technology demonstrator of reusable launch vehicle RLV-TD tested successfully from
Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. It is an Indias own space shuttle
Japan based Osaka University Scientists have used sunlight to powerfully convert seawater into
hydrogen peroxide(H2O2) that may be used in fuel cells to generate electricity.
Los Angeles based California University scientists discovered and definite about the faintest early-
universe galaxy ever furthest galaxy that is 13 billion light years far from Earth.
University of Newcastle, Austrlaia in collaboration with scientists from Englands University of
Cambridge have built the worlds first Scanning Helium Microscope to examine materials without
disturbing them
Google launches Group-Sharing App Spaces to let out users easily share content and commentary,
group-messaging style, on any topics they wish.
US scientists from the University of Texas at Galveston have cloned the Zika virus that could fast
track a vaccine against the deadly disease.
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin discovered a new form of light that go against predicted
qualities of light it could totally change the way we realize the electromagnetic spectrum.
Union Government has announced that currently 34 Indian satellites are operational in the space,
Which 13 are for communication, 12 for the purpose of earth observation and seven for navigation
purpose
Nozzle Testing laboratories (NTL) that were inaugurated by ISRO Chairman Kiran Kumar at Vikram
Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.
Punjabs Golden Temple will now have free Wi-Fi internet access for the devotees visiting within the
temple complex and its peripheral area.It will be provided by Videocon.
Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu launched an application called Project Management and
Information System (PMIS) used for proper monitoring of all the Railway projects across the country
in Rail Bhawan ,New Delhi.
The Income Tax department has launched electronic grievance redressal portal called e-nivaran to
clear taxpayers grievances and ensure early resolution of their complaints in fast track route.
Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a dashboard on EXIM Analytics to
provide easy access to the public on export and import trends of the country.
Power Minister Piyush Goyal launched a portal of Coal India Limited (CIL) called Contract Labour
Payment Management System in New Delhi. This portal will be made fully functional within 45 to 60
days.
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Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar launched a web-based application on Integrated Waste

Management System (IWMS) for better management of waste also to provide an opportunity to all the
industries dealing in hazardous waste to apply online
Reliance Jio has launched digital wallet service called JioMoney for common people. With this users
can do mobile and DTH recharges, send/receive money, make bill payments, pay insurance and other
premiums etc.
Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha has launched Electronic Maintenance Management
System (e-MMS)Project, an automated military maintenance system which will ease the system by
keeping paper works and heavy logbooks away.
Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi inaugurated the e-Archive website and the e-Learning portal of WCD
Ministry - nipccd-earchive.wcd.nic.in and nipccd-elearning.wcd.nic.in
Women and Child Development Minister SmtManeka Sanjay Gandhi Launched Common Application
Software and ICT enabled Real Time Monitoring System of ICDS
Shri Nitin Gadkari Launched initiatives for all Stakeholders to Use International Best Practises in
Road Building and Demanding stakeholders to make use of innovations and successful best practices
from round the world in engineering and construction of roads.
ePACE - Acronym of E Projects Appraisal & Continuing Enhancements and it is an
online Integrated Management Information System
INFRACON National Portal for Infrastructure Consultancy Firms and Key Personnel -
Connection between consultancy firms working in the road engineering and construction sector
and domain experts
INAM PRO - Web-based application (www.inampro.nic.in) for Infrastructure and Material
Providers
AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik has launched the new website of the Ministry of AYUSH and
web portal for International Day of Yoga (IDY) in New Delhi.
FSSAI bans potassium bromate,cancer-causing chemical found in bread.
Maharashtra Mantralaya's 150 Computers Attacked By Locky Virus.
Special Webpage on two years of NDA Government unveiled by PIB.
Sea ice cover around Antarctica is rising: NASA-led study.
Google wins Java copyright case versus Oracle.
BrahMos supersonic cruise missile test-fired
Portal launched to promote Net Zero Energy Buildings.
NASA successfully deploys space station's inflatable room
DEFENCE
United States has activated a land-based $800 million missile defence station in Romania, which sees
as vital to defend itself and Europe from alleged rogue states.
US Navy tested worlds largest unmanned Surface Sea Hunter, As it pave the way for the first step
toward sending unmanned cargo vessels between countries
Israel has successfully tested a maritime missile interception system that can shoot down short-range
missiles. The missile also called Iron Dome of the Sea.
Australian military jointly with United States Military research team successfully blasted off a
hypersonic technology Scramjet Engine in the Australia.Researchers were tested a series of 10 trials of
the hypersonic technology at the worlds largest land testing range located at Woomera in Australia
Indian Army is conducting a major military training exercise Chakravyuh-II to validate battle
readiness and operational effectiveness in Suratgarh Rajasthan.
Indigenously built Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile successfully test fired from the
launch complex of Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.This was 12th test of the interceptor missile.
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India has successfully blasted off its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile as part
of a user trial by the army from a launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur
in Odisha.
A team of six Indian Army mountaineers successfully climbed the summit of Mount Everest led by
seasoned climber Lt. Col. Ranveer Jamwal.
The Naval Ship (INS) Airavat of India arrived at Brunei and take part in the ADMM Plus (ASEAN
Defence Ministers Meeting Plus) Exercise on Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism.In a bid to
Indias Act East Policy and Indian Navys regular endeavour to enhance maritime security in the Indo-
Pacific regions
Three Southeast Asian nations namely Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines is set to conduct
coordinated maritime patrols to face the rising kidnappings and security challenges in the waters
bordering the three countries.
Indian Air Force (IAF) team successfully concluded their four-week Red Flag aerial combat exercises
at Alaska in the U.S.
Indian Navys first indigenous Scorpene-class stealth submarine Kalvari has been sailed out of
Mumbai Harbour for sea trials.
Goa Shipyard Limited has launched indigenously designed Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Shaurya at
Vasco, It will be commissioned into service in early 2017
Indian Navy has launched Harbour Defence Systems at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.
The Iconic Sea Harriers decommissioned from the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam after 30 years of
glorious service for the countrys various mission.
Indian Navy commissioned indigenously built Fast Attack Craft INS Tarmugli for deployment of
coastal patrol and surveillance operations along the East Coast of India. This is the first Follow-on
Water Jet Fast Attack Craft.
Indian Coast Guard Ship ARUSH Commissioned
Manohar Parrikar releases booklet on defence production works in 2 yrs.
Government to cancel all defence tenders bagged by Finmeccanica: Manohar Parrikar.
ENVIRONMENT
Scientists from University of Georgia in the U.S. and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro have
discovered a new reef system at the mouth of the Amazon River
A rare and colourful bird Amur Falcon was spotted at the Umred Karhandla WildlifeSanctuary near
the Pench Tiger Reserve near Nagpur.
A stick insect bug over half a metre long discovered in southern China has been declared the worlds
longest insect.
The first global digital elevation model of Mercury has been released by the NASAs Messenger
Mission that provide the detail topography across the entire innermost planet.
NASAs Stratospheric Observatory for Infra-red Astronomy detects atomic oxygen in Martian
atmosphere for the first time since the last observation 40 years ago
Scientists have counted how many plant species are known to science and estimated that 390,900
plants are known according to Kew Report
2,034 new species of plant were discovered in the year 2015
21% of plants are at risk of extinction due to climate change, habitat loss, disease and invasive
species
Worlds first plant-eating marine reptile named Atopodentatus found which is unique strangely
toothed and had a bizarre hammerhead-shaped body.
J&K Wildlife Department has spotted eight Himalayan brown bears in Kargils Drass Sector, where
the 1999 war had bring about destruction with their habitats.
Ohio University and the Natural History Museum of Utah researchers
24 | P a g e
have discovered a new species of 77-million-year-old horned dinosaurs in the United States that have
distinctive facial horns and spiked neck shields.
An active cyclonic Storm Roanu in the Bay of Bengal has hit the eastern coast of India.India sends two
ships Naval Off Shore Patrol (NOPV) INS Sunayna and one survey vessel INS Sutlej with 30-40
tonnes of relief material. It also battered the coast of southern Bangladesh that kills 23 people in floods
and rain-triggered landslides
SPORTS
Archery World Cup 2016 at the Yuanshen Stadium in Shanghai, China
Indian mens recurve team of Atanu Das, JayantaTalukdar and Mangal Singh
Champia defeated the British team to bag the bronze
The mixed pair of Deepika and Atanu from India defeated Koreans in shoot-off to end with
another bronze.
Indian Boxer Vijender Singh notched up his fifth consecutive knockout win by
battering Matiouzeroyer of French in London
ISSF Junior World Cup held at Suhl, Germany
Gold in the mens 25m standard pistol - Rituraj Singh, Shivam Shukla and Arjun Das
Gold in team events of Womens 50m Rifle Gaayathri , Nithyanadam ,Sonika and Ayushi
Podde
Gold in Mens 25m Standard Pistol by Rituraj Singh
womens 25m Pistol event - Sanjana Sehrawat, Chinki Yadav and Gauri Sheoran
won bronze medal
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany wins F1 Russian Grand Prix to take top position in his
fourth consecutive victory in a row this season.
English football club Leicester city FC secured its first Premier League title short of playing after
second-place Tottenham drew 2-2 at Chelsea
MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings
1.Australia, 2.India and 3. Pakistan followed by England
Englands world number one Mark Selby beat Chinas Ding Junhui to win World Championship title.
With this he clinches Championship for the second time.
Seven Indian shuttlers qualify for Rio Olympic
Category Players
Womens Singles Saina Nehwal & PV Sindhu
Womens Doubles Jwala Gutta & Ashwini Ponnappa
Mens Singles Kidambi srikanth
Mens Doubles Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy
BWF rankings 2016
Players Category Rank
K Srikanth Mens Singles 12
HS Prannoy 25
Ajay Jayaram 21
Manu Attri and Mens Doubles 20
B Sumeeth Reddy
Saina Nehwal Womens Singles 8
PV Sindhu 10
Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa Womens Doubles 14
Pakistan clinched 2016 Asia Kabaddi Championship Cup by defeating India at Wah Cantonment
in Pakistan.
25 | P a g e
Mumbai hailed cricketer Rohit Sharma Unveiled Pune International Sports expo Agricultural Ground
in Presence of Indian shooter Gagan Narang.
Indian Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik secured berth for Rio Olympics in their respective
48 kg and 58 weight divisions at the second World Olympic Qualifying tournament in Istanbul.
2016 Mutua Madrid Open
Champions Category
Serbia Novak Djokovic Mens Singles
Netherlands Jean-Julien Rojer / Mens Doubles
Romania Horia Tecu
Romania Simona Halep Womens Singles
France Caroline Garcia / France Womens Doubles
Kristina Mladenovic
Asian Youth Cship held in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan
Champions Category Medal
Ankush Dahiya 60 Kg Silver
Ashish Kulhirya 64kg Silver
Reyal Puri 81kg Silver
Manjeet Singh +91kg Bronze
Indian Wrestlers Ravinder Khatri and Babita Kumari have booked berth for the upcoming Rio
Olympics .The total number of quota places from India to eight.
England womens Cricket captain Charlotte Edwards announced retirement from international cricket
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry was named the NBAs Most Valuable Player for the second
straight year.
Vijender Singh beats Andrzej Soldra to win sixth pro fight for a WBO sanctioned title fight in New
Delhi.
Rwandas Cricket captain Eric Dusingizimana has set a new Guinness world record by batting out a
longest individual net session of straight 51 hours
Italy Open 2016 held at Manchester United Stadium, UK
Category Winner
Mens singles final United KingdomAndy Murray
Womens Signles final United StatesSerena Williams
Mens doubles finals United States Bob BryanUnited States
Mike Bryan
Womens doubles Switzerland Martina Hingis India Sania
finals Mirza
Indian womens squash team ended with a silver medal its Asian Team Championship in Taipei.Gold
medal won by Malaysia team
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen became Formula Ones youngest race winner aged 18 by winning the
Spanish Grand Prix.
Former Olympic gold medallist Shooter Abhinav Bindra clinched the silver in the mens air rifle in the
International Shooting Competition of Hannover in Germany.
Category Indian Represent Place
Men: 10m air rifle Abhinav Bindra 3 (Bronze)
Women: 10m air rifle Apurvi Chandela 11
10m air pistol Heena Sidhu 2-(Silver)
Indian womens archery team that qualified for the Rio Olympics comprising Deepika Kumari,
Bombayla Devi and Laxmirani Majhi was named for the Rio Olympics
Eminent England Cricket Batsman Joe Root has been honored with Englands Test and One Day
International Cricketer of the year during England Cricket Board Annual Awards
Somersets Anya Shrubsole England womens cricketer of the year award
26 | P a g e
Indian womens relay team Comprising Dutee Chand, Srabani Nanda, HM Jyoti and Merlin Joseph in
4x100m category broke the 18-year-old National record to finish in 4th position at the IAAF World
Challenge in Beijing China.
Five time world champion M C Mary Kom and Asian Games bronze medallist L Sarita Devi failed to
qualify for the Olympics
Mohun Bagan clinched Hero Federation Cup by defeating Aizawl Football Club at the Indira Gandhi
Stadium in Ghuwhati, Assam
ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers issued
Rank Bowler Batsman All Rounders
1 Stuart Broad Steve Smith R Ashwin
2 R. Ashwin Joe Root Shakib Al Hasan
3 James Anderson Kane Stuart Broad
Williamson
4 Yasir Shah Hashim Amla Ben Stokes
5 Dayle Steyn Younus Khan Vernon Philander
Pankaj Advani made history by clinching the Asian 6-Red Snooker title in Abu Dhabi.Pankaj has
become the first in the world to hold both world and continental titles at the same time
Denmark team defeated Indonesia team to bagged the 2016 Thomas Cup badminton tournament
played at Kunshan, China.
Uber Cup was won by China and Indian womens team won bronze title at the Uber cup
Championship.
Para athlete Saroha wins gold in record breaking performance.
Suspended Sharapova named on Russian Olympic team.
Discus thrower Seema Punia qualifies for Rio Olympics
Real Madrid FC wins 2016 UEFA Champions League.
Sunrisers Beat RCB By 8 Runs To Win IPL Trophy
Lewis Hamilton wins Monaco Grand Prix
Alastair Cook Becomes Youngest Cricketer To Score 10000 Test Runs
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu becomes first Indian to play in top flight European League game
OBITUARY
Balraj Madhok - Former Jan Sangh president, Gujarat

Romesh Sharma - Former Jammu and Kashmir Minister from Nowshera Constituency
Nihal Bitla - Countrys first reported case of progeria, Mumbai
Praveen Rashtrapal - Gujarat Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member
Baba Hardev Singh - Nirankari spiritual leader
Deepak Shodhan - Gujarat-born Former Test cricketer
Diwaliben Bhil - Gujarati folk singer
K Anirudhan - Former Communist party leader and Member of Parliament from Attingal
constituency, Kerala
S.M. Seenivel - MLA from Tiruparankundram constituency
Reg Grundy Australian television producer and businessman
Khurram Zaki - Pakistans Human right activist
Chennamaneni Rajeswara Rao - Former Sircilla MLA from Vemulawada
William Schallert - Former SAG president and US TV Actor
Tony Cozier - West Indian Cricket Commentator and journalist
Andre Brahic - French astrophysicist who discoverer of Neptunes rings
Morley Safer - Canadian CBS News Reporter
27 | P a g e
John Berry - Beastie Boys founding member

Alan Young - English-Canadian-American actor
Sandor Tarics - worlds oldest Olympic champion
Mullah Akhtar Mansour Taliban Leader
Burt Kwouk - British actor.
KC Mathew - Veteran Communist leader
R G Jadhav - Marathi literary critic
Suresh Chatwal - Actor
D Javare Gowda - Kannada writer
Rudra Madhab Ray - BJP leader and former MP
BOOKS & AUTHORS

Param Vir Diary authored by Manju Lodha
Novel named No Time to Pause authored by Pavithra Ramesh
Biography Shashi Kapoor the Householder, the Star authored by Aseem Chhabra
India vs Pakistan: Why Cant We Just Be Friends authored by Husain Haqqanito
Tagores Vision of the Contemporary World and Tagore and Russia
My Favourite Nature Stories and The World outside My Window are authored by Ruskin Bond
Making it Big: The inspiring Story of Nepal's first billionaire in his own words authored by
Binod Chaudhary.
Book Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up authored by Rana Ayyub
IMPORTANT DAYS
May 1: International Workers Day Theme - Celebrating the international labour movement
May 3 : World Press Freedom Day Access to Information and Fundamental Freedoms This Is Your
Right
World Asthma Day - 'Reduce The Burden Of Asthma'
May 5: International Midwives Day Women and Newborns: The Heart of Midwifery
May 8 : Mothers Day
World Red Cross day Together for Humanity
May 10 : World Migratory Bird Day Stop the illegal killing, taking and trade of migratory
May 11: National Technology Day Technology enablers of Startup India
Mar 12 : International Nurses Day Nurses: A Force for Change: Improving Health Systems' Resilience
Mar 15 : International Day of Families Families, healthy lives and sustainable future
May 16: National Dengue Day
May 17: World Telecommunication and Information Society Day-Information and Communication
Technology(ICT) entrepreneurship for social impact
World Hypertension Day - Know your Numbers for the year
May 18 : World AIDS Vaccine Day
International Museum Day Museums and Cultural Landscapes
May 20 : World Metrology Day Measurements in a Dynamic World
May 21 :International Buddha Poornima Diwas 2016/UN Day of Vesak
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
May 21 : Anti-Terrorism Day
May 22 : International Day for Biological Diversity-Mainstreaming Biodiversity; Sustaining People and their
Livelihoods
May 23 : International day to end obstetric fistula End fistula within a generation
28 | P a g e
World Turtle Day

May 25 : International Missing Children's Day
May 29 : International Day of UN Peacekeepers Theme - Honouring Our Heroes
May 31: World No Tobacco Day Theme- Get ready for plain packaging
STATIC GK - MAY 2016

Madhya Pradesh Jawaharlal Nehru
Three sites in the state have been declared World First Minister of Planning: Gulzarilal Nanda
Heritage Sites by UNESCO Draft outline of a plan of development for the
1. Khajuraho Group of Monuments(1986) period of five years, starting from April 1951.
including Devi Jagadambi temple,
2. Rewa,Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi(1989) Department of Post Office
3. Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (2003). Headquarters Bengaluru
Secretary A. S. Kiran Kumar
Uttarakhand:
Uttarakhand is the only state in India with Karnataka:
Sanskrit as one of its official languages. Karnatakas annual Kodava Hockey Festival is
Two of Indias largest rivers, the Ganges and the largest hockey tournament in the world.
the Yamuna, originate in the glaciers of the state
BHEL:
Indian Parliament: CEO: AtulSobti
Indian Parliament was designed by Sir Edwin Headquarters: New Delhi
Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker. The total cost of Inception: 1964
construction was Rs 83 lakh.
Himachal Pradesh:
Odisha: Chail is the cricket ground and a polo ground
The Gahirmatha beach which is there at an altitude of 2,250 m. It is the
in Bhitarkanika is the worlds worlds highest cricket ground.
largest nesting site foro live ridley sea turtles.
Chilika Lake is the largest coastal lagoon in India NASSCOM
and the second largest lagoon in the world. Inception: 1988
IRCTC: Chairman: C P Gurnani
IRCTC Won Website of the Year Award for
2015. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited:
The portal with Indian e-Retail Awards 2015, in Founded: 1987
the category Leisure and Travel eRetailer of the Headquarters: Mumbai.
Year.
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited: Limited(IREDA)
Inception: 1940 IREDA is comes under a Mini Ratna of Indian
Headquarters: Bangalore. Enterprise under the administrative control of
Chairman& Managing Director: T Suvarna Raju Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
IREDA is a Public Limited Company
Tea board of India established in 1987.
Headquarters: Kolkata
Inception: 1953 Indian Navy:
Chairman: Santosh Sarangi The Indian Navy is the fifth largest in the world.
The Indian Navy is headquartered in New Delhi.
Planning Commission: Indian Naval Academy atEzhimala in Kerala
Established in 1951 established in 2009, it is the largest naval academy
Founder and first Chairman: First Prime Minister in Asia
29 | P a g e
International Fund for Agricultural Headquarters:Nairobi, Kenya.

Development: Head:Germany Achim Steiner
The agency was established in 1977 which is
specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated Kodak Mahindra Bank:
to eradicating rural poverty in developing CEO: Uday Kotak
countries. Headquarters: Mumbai
The President of the IFAD is Kanayo F. Nwanze. Founded: 2003
UNICEF: Federal Bank:

Founded: 1946 Founded: 1945
Headquarters: New York, United States. Headquarters: Kochi
CEO: Anthony Lake CEO: Shyam Srinivasan
Slogan: Your Perfect Banking Partner
SAARC Countries
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, European Central bank:
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka Founded: 1998
Headquarters: Kathmandu Headquarters: Frankfurt, Germany
The Central European Bank is for the euro and
China: administers monetary policy of the Eurozone,
Capital: Beijing which consists of 19 EU member
Currency: Renminbi
President: Xi Jinping Yes Bank:
Founded: 2004
G7 Countries: Headquarters: Maharashtra
Japan, the US, Germany, Britain, France, Italy CEO: Rana Kapoor
and Canada. The bank received Asia-Pacific Quality
The G7 countries represent more than 64% of the Organisation-Adjudged as World Class
net global wealth ($263 trillion). Organisation in 2014. Only Indian bank to win
this prestigious global award.
UNICEF:
Headquarters: New York City, New York, RBI:
United States HQ:Mumbai
CEO: Anthony Lake Governor: Raghuram Rajan
World Wildlife Fund: IDFC Bank:

Established in 1961 Founded: 2015
Headquarters: Gland, Switzerland Headquarters: Mumbai
CEO: Marco Lambertini Managing Director& CEO: Rajiv B. Lall
Tagline: Banking Hatke
UN:
UN had 51 member states; there are now 193. DBS Bank:
The headquarters of the United Nations is in Headquarters: Singapore
Manhattan, New York City CEO: Piyush Gupta.
Secretary-General:Ban Ki-moon
Royal Bank of Scotland:
WHO: Founded: 1727
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland Headquarters: Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Founded: April 7, 1948
Head: Margaret Chan State Bank of India:
Headquarters: Mumbai
United Nations Environment Programme: Founded: July 1, 1955
Formation:1972 Chairperson: Arundhati Bhattacharya
30 | P a g e
Punjab National Bank: Headquarters: Mumbai

Headquarters: New Delhi Tagline: Badhti ka nam zindagi.
CEO: Usha Ananthasubramanian.
Slogan: The Name you can Bank Upon. National Stock Exchange:
Founded: 1992
Induslnd Bank: Headquarters: Mumbai
Founded: 1994 CEO: Chitra Ramkrishna
CEO: Romesh Sobti Google:
CEO: Sundar Pichai
LIC: Founded: 1998
Founded: September 1, 1956. Headquarters: California, United States.
Headquarters: Mumbai,
Chairman: S.K Roy. FIFA:
Founded: 1904.
HSBC Bank: Headquarters: Zrich, Switzerland.
Founded: 1865 President: Gianni Infantino
Headquarters: London Membership: 211 National Sides
CEO: Antnio Pedro dos Santos Simes
Archaeological Survey of India
Snapdeal: Inception: 1861
Founded: 2010 Headquarters: New Delhi.
Headquarters: Okhla, New Delhi The Indian government agency runs under
CEO: Kunal Bahl. Cultural Ministry which is responsible for
archaeological research and the conservation and
Apple: preservation of cultural monuments in the country.
Headquarters: California,
CEO: Tim Cook Uganda:
Capital: Kampala
Microsoft: Currency: Ugandan shilling.
Inception: 1975
CEO: Satya Nadella Turkey:
Headquarters: Washington Capital: Ankara
Currency: Turkish lira
IFC: President: Recep Tayyip Erdoan
The International Finance Corporation is an Prime minister: Binali Yildirim
international financial institution that offers
investment, advisory, and asset management Taiwan
services to encourage private sector development Capital: Taipei
in developing countries. Currency: New Taiwan dollar
HQ : Washington, D.C., United States
CEO: Philippe Le Hourou United Kingdom:
Capital: London
ICC: Currency: Pound sterling
International governing body of cricket Prime minister: David Camerona.
Headquarters: United Arab Emirates
CEO: Dave Richardson Switzerland:
President: Zaheer Abbas The country with a total of 113 Nobel Prize
Founded: June 15, 1909 winners in all fields stand in relation to
Switzerland and the Peace Prize has been awarded
Axis Bank: nine times to organisations that based in the
CEO: Shikha Sharma country.
The country is the home to international
31 | P a g e
organizations for more than a century. It has Isreal:

concluded a headquarters agreement with 25 Capital: Jerusalem
international organizations: 22 organizations have Currency: Israeli new shekel
their headquarters in Geneva, two in Berne and one
in Basel. Russia:
Capital: Moscow
United Kingdom Currency: Russian Ruble
Capital: London
Currency: Pound sterling Rwanda:
Prime minister: David Cameron. Capital: Kigali
London is a world cultural capital. Currency: Rwandan franc
President: Paul Kagame
Ireland:
Capital: Dublin Iraq:
Currency: Euro Capital: Baghdad
Currency: Iraqi Dinar
Tajikistan:
Capital: Dushanbe Zimbabwe:
Currency: Tajikistani somoni Capital: Harare
President: Emomali Rahmon Currencies: US Dollar, Euro, Pound sterling,
South African rand.
Philiphines:
Capital: Manila Canada:
Currency: Philippine peso Capital: Ottawa
Currency: Canadian dollar
Qatar: Prime minister: Justin Trudeau
Capital: Doha
Currency: Qatari riyal Singapore:
Singapore has ranked eighth in the latest
United Arab Emirates Corruption Perceptions Index 2015 released by
Capital: Abu Dhabi Berlin-based watchdog Transparency International.
Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham In the Asia-Pacific region the country was ranked
President: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan the second least corrupt nation behind New
Zealand.
Slovenia
Capital: Ljubljana Greece:
Currency: Euro Capital: Athen
Currency: Euro
Mauritius: Prime Minister: Alexis Tsipras
Capital: Port Louis Greece is the birthplace of Olympic Games, first
Currency: Mauritian rupee recorded in 776 BC in Olympia, and hosted the
President: Ameenah Gurib modern Olympic Games twice, the inaugural 1896
Prime minister: Anerood Jugnauth Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer
Olympics.
Australia:
Capital: Canberra United States of America:
Currency: Australian dollar The USA is the largest producer of oil in the world,
Prime minister: Malcolm Turnbull as well as its second largest importer. Also the
worlds largest consumer of petroleum.
China:
Capital: Beijing Kenya:
Currency: Renminbi Capital: Nairobi
President: Xi Jinping Currency: Kenyan shilling
32 | P a g e
Union of European Football Associations: Currency: Libyan dinar

Formation: 1954 Prime minister: Fayez al-Sarraj
Headquarters: Switzerland.
Oman
United Arab Emirates: Capital: Muscat
Capital: Abu Dhabi Currency: Omani rial
Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham
President: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Iran:
Capital :Tehran
Libya Currency :Rial
Capital: Tripoli President :Hassan Rouhani
Current Affairs
Current Affairs PDF
Study Materials PDF
Reasoning Questions
English Questions
Computer Questions
General Aptitude
Reasoning
Letter Writing
Math Tricks
Computer Awareness

33 | P a g e
Current Affairs June Pocket PDF

Indian Affairs
Power Minister Piyush Goyal has launched Surya Mitra mobile Application to
the operative catalyst increasing demand for solar products and in offering employment
and business opportunities in the country.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced new Indian 17 new reserve battalions for
Jammu and Kashmir and Left Wing Extremism affected areas named after Maharana
Pratap On the occasion of the 475th birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap.
Google, Tata Trusts launch `Internet Sathi in West Bengal to empower rural women to
focus on training women and larger communities in the state to learn and explore
various uses and benefits of the Internet.
On the World Environment Day Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off Tiger Trail Circuit
Train from Delhis Safdarjung Station through video conferencing between Delhi and
Mumbai.
State run Bharat Heavy Electricals has commissioned all the 3 supercritical units
of 660 MW each at the 1980 MW coal-based Lalitpur Super Thermal Power Project
(STPP), in Uttar Pradesh.
All train coaches will have bio-toilets by 2019 announced Indian railways.
The Maharashtra government has decided to celebrate the 21st day of every
monthas Yoga Day across all schools, colleges and universities in the State.
Union Government released the Road Accidents in India 2015 Report inNew Delhi. The
report named Road Accidents in India 2015 and insisted to lower down the number of
road accidents and fatalities by 50 % by 2020.
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off Champaran Satyagrah
Express train at a function in Motihari, Bihar. This train will play between Bapudham,
Motihari to Anand VIhar, Delhi.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal set up a high level committee headed by PWD Minister
Satyendra Jain to look into the issues pertaining with water bodies in the capital.
Information and Broadcasting Ministry has announced new Print Media Advertisement
Policy for Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity to Promote transparency and
accountability in issuing of advertisements in Print Media.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched Child Labour Tracking System (CLTS) in
patna, in the view to protect against the Child labour named as Child Labour Tracking
System.
Sikkim to become the First state in India by having Open Government Data Portal for
updating data regarding Organic and agricultural and other activities in the portal.
Gujarat government is set to launch the mobile app Digital Gujarat by August 15
that aims to put most of the services on the fingertips of citizens.
Kashmiris celebrated annual Kheer Bhawani Festival on the eighth day of the lunar
fortnight of Jaishthamonth in the Hindu almanac.
Union Government initiated grid-connected wind energy projects targeted at
producing1,000 MW clean power that is organised by The Solar Energy Corporation
of India (SECI).
Union Cabinet approved civil aviation policy upon this India should stand the third
largest position among civil aviation market by 2022.
Ministry of Railways signed a Joint Venture Agreement with Government of Odisha for
improving Railway Infrastructure in the State.
The Union Cabinet gave nod to Rs 2,070-crore highways project in Punjab under its
hybrid annuity mode to for faster movement of traffic between Chandigarh and
Ludhiana.
Andhra Pradesh is working on the Telephone Service which will operate on Internet
Platform, in fact AP is the first State to have obtained a telecom license and it can issue
phone numbers starting with the 797 series later this year.
1|Page
Union HRD Minister Smriti Zubin Irani launched a new initiative Vidyanjali to involve
volunteers into co-scholastic activities of schools in New Delhi across 21 states in pilot
basis.
Lt. Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi has launched a mobile App named HelpAge SOS
App for to provide one-click emergency services to senior citizens at Raj Nivas in
Puducherry.
Review and planning meeting of Indo-EU Water4crops9 Million Euro project held in New
Delhi.
Union Government Singed Agreement with International Seabed Authority for handling
exploration and other activities related to Poly metallic Sulphides over the Term of
Contract of 15 years.
Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off countrys first timetabled freight
train, named Cargo Express, from Delhi to Bengaluru which will have transit time of
70 hours on either side.
Centre gave its final approval for setting up of a Greenfield Electronic Parkwhich is a
dedicated IT hub near Bhubaneswar under Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC)
scheme of the Centre at a cost of Rs 205 crore.
HRD Minister Smriti Irani announced during the National Seminar on Yoga that
government has decided to open Yoga departments in six central universities of the
country during 2016-2017. These universities are Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal
University of Uttrakhand, Visva Bharati University of West Bengal, Central University of
Rajasthan, Central University of Kerala, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University of
Amarkantak, and Manipur University.
Union government cleared decks for formation of 10 coastal police stations in the
coastal states of the country with jurisdiction over Exclusive Economic Zone.
Punjab Government had initiated a special fund named as Mukh Mantri Punjab
Hepatitis C Relief Fund by Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal with this Punjab
became the first State in the Country to afford free treatment to Hepatitis C affected
Person.
Union Government allowed 100% FDI in Civil aviation, Defence and Food processing
Changes in Foreign Direct Investment
Sl
Sector Approved FDI
No
1 Defence 100%
Pharmaceuticals
2 74%
(Brownfield)
3 Airports (Brownfield) 100%
100% (49% Automatic &
4 Civil Aviation
51% Govt Approval)
Cable Networks, DTH
5 100%
and Mobile TV
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated liberalized comprehensive Parcel
leasing policy, liberalized policy for Parcel cargo express trains, Social Media Platforms
such as Facebook and Twitter for grievance redressal, and flagged off first train service
from Domestic Container Terminal, Okhla (Delhi) to Whitefield (Bengaluru). Also
announcement of Implementation of policy allowing Differently Abled Persons to avail
concession while travelling without escort.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley put down the foundation stone for a new campus
of IIM-Amritsar. The new is reported to be the smallest among the 14 existing IIMs
and would be the 15th IIM in the country,
2|Page
Haryana state cabinet approved a proposal to upgrade Shri Krishna Government

Ayurvedic College, Kurukshetra as a university, which will bring the Countrys first
AYUSH University. This is the first of its kind in the country.
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Chief Minister N Chandrababu
Naidu tonight flagged off the new superfast intercity express train
between Vijayawada and Secunderabad with just one stop in less than 6 hours.
Andhra Pradesh village Mori to be developed as Smart Village. The Mori village in
East Godavari district is known for cashew-exporting to turn smart by mid-December
2016 using digital tools, real time information and uninterrupted internet connectivity.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has released commemorative silver coin to mark
the 300th Martyrdom Day of Banda Singh Bahadur. Bahadur is regarded as the first
sovereign ruler of Punjab.
Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC), along with India Post launched
a postal cover featuring Sikh general Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, to commemorate his
300th death anniversary.
Expert Committee set on examining Specific Relief Act, 1963 submits its Report to Union
Law & Justice Minister.
Union Government approved the Mega auction of 2300 MHz Spectrum under the
Initiative of Digital India Programme to connect rural areas with high-speed internet
networks. The cabinet also approved Rs 10000 crore funds for startups.
Andhra Pradesh Postal circle on behalf of the International Day of Yoga released the
Information booklet for public and stamps on yoga for Philatelists.
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a 6000 crore for
domain of textiles and apparels in New Delhi.
The cabinet also approved Protocol amending the Agreement for avoidance of double
taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with Belgium.
The Union Cabinet has given it nod for the proposal of extending the deadline for
implementing the Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) by a year to March
31, 2017.
Maharashtra became the second State after West Bengal to award minority status
to the Jewish community in the country.
According to the 2016 Cost of Living Survey by New York-based human resource
consultancy Mercer Indian financial capital Mumbai has emerged as Indias
most expensive city for expatriates also globally, Hong Kong topped the list of most
expensive cities for expatriates, pushing Luanda, Angola, to second position.
Union government directed all State governments to link Aadhaar with caste and
domicile certificates to be issued to school students, to avoid difficulties faced by SC
and ST students when they are studying in Class V or VIII.
Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar
launched a programme to run two wheelers on Compressed Natural Gas in New
Delhi to give options to reduce pollution on pilot basis in New Delhi.
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off a new train service
between Danapur and Saharsa in Bihar over video-conferencing in New Delhi
targeting to connect every region of the country with the rail network.
Union Government approved setting up of District Level Advisory and
Monitoring Committees to promote people centric planning and execution of new
urban development schemes.
Union government is planning to make the Assam as a hydrocarbon hub to meet
petroleum requirements of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and other Southeast Asian
countries by 2030.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the centers flagship Smart City mission in 20
cities across the country from Pune, involving 83 projects at a cost of 1,770
crore in the country.
Union Defence Ministry gives nod for purchase of 145 Ultra-Light Howitzers
guns from the US about USD 750 million, from the US and also approved bulk
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production of 18 Dhanush artillery guns, the first acquisition of such weapon

systems.
Nagaland Governor P B Acharya launched women helpline 181 at the District
Hospital Dimapur in Nagaland and also inaugurated Sakhi, a one stop
Centre, envisioned to support women affected by violence.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu along with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar
initiated maiden train between Sonepat Jind in Chandigarh having distance of 81 km.
India has become the 35th member of the Missile Technology Control Regime which will
make Mutual benefits in intensifying global non-proliferation norms and to enlighten in
high end missile technology.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated train service between Patna to Ara.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh headed the 22nd meeting of eastern zonal
council in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The Zonal council comprising Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha
and West Bengal.
Union Government amended RBI Act -1934 regarding constitution of MPC into force so
that statutory basis of Monetary Policy Committee is made effective.
Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced an aid of Rs 25 crore
over the next couple of years for the infrastructure development of Assams famous
Kamakhya Temple.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the newly built headquarters of
Jharkhands special anti-Maoist force Jharkhand Jaguar which has got permanent
place since its inception in 2008.
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh launched Crop
Manager for Rice-based Systems (CMRS) App for better crop and Nutrient
management for Bihar farmers in a program organised at ICAR-RCER in Patna.
First Meeting of National Committee on Ramayana Circuit & Krishna Circuit under
Swadesh Darshan Scheme held in Uttar Pradesh.
Government Sanctions Rs. 164 Crore for Rajasthan, Rs. 156 Crore for
Telangana for Compensatory Afforestation.
Microsoft & AICTE signed agreement to build app for HRD Ministrys SWAYAM platform
for Online Courses named SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring
Mind).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena,
jointly inaugurated the newly renovated Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna through video-
conferencing from New Delhi.
High-Speed Spanish Talgo Train initiated the experimental Run in India between Bareilly
and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, which has speed of 115 km/hr.
Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar inaugurated a submarine assembly workshop
(Mazagon Dock Limited) in Mazagaon, Mumbai. It was built at a cost of153 crore rupees.
Women and Child Development Minister, Maneka Sanjay Gandhi released Draft
Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2016.
India with the highest number of people in the world ensnared in slavery with 18.35
million according to the Global Slavery Index report, which estimated that around 46
million enslaved globally, the report Released by: Australia-based Human rights group
Walk Free Foundation.
The Union health ministry to revamp its flagship immunisation programme Mission
Indradhanush to include four new vaccines forrotavirus, measles rubella, inactivated
polio vaccine biavalent and Japanese Encephalitis for adults.
Prime Minister approves retirement age of doctors of Central Health Services to 65 years
Delhi Government has launched DVAT M SEWA mobile app through which city traders
can register themselves with the VAT department of the state government.
Union cabinet has given its approval for setting up the India Post Payments Bank
(IPPB) as a Public Limited Company under the Department of Posts with 100%
Government of India (GOI) equity share of Total Expenditure incurred: Rs. 800 Crore.
Odisha becomes first state to give social welfare benefits to transgender community.
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Union cabinet gave its approval for the three agreements between India and Qatar.
Former Mumbai Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has agreed to feature a campaign against
drug and liquor abuse in the state after a request of CPI-M LDF government in Kerala.
Cabinet approved higher Minimum Support Price and bonus for pulses, oilseed,
sesamum and bonus amounts are: Rs. 425 per quintal for pulses, Rs. 100 per quintal
for oilseed, Rs. 200 per quintal for sesamum.
PM Narendra Modi released countrys first National Disaster Management Plan to make
nation disaster resilient and considerably reduce the loss of lives and assets.
UP Govt. approves detailed project report of Varanasi Metro Rail which comes
with the 29.23 km Metro will come with 26 stations, 20 underground and six
elevated in the two corridors at 13133 crore rupees.
India jointly consolidated Hague Code of Conduct in opposition to Ballistic Missile
Proliferation which was apprised by HCoC Central Contact which is situated in Vienna.
IIT Kharagpur Research suggests Indus Valley Civilization is 8000 years old.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Dr Ashraf Ghani jointly
inaugurated the Afghan India Friendship Dam or Salma Dam that with the Capacity
of 42 MW.
India and Singapore had the first dialogue between their defence ministers and they
agreed to enhance the scale and complexity of existing bilateral military interaction.
The State of Assam Assembly has passed Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2016 to make
ease of doing business and to attract fresh investment through an easy computerised
clearance system across the state.
The Haryana government launched Asias First Gyps Vulture Reintroduction
Programme at Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore of the state.
India and Qatar signed seven agreements to boost bilateral ties also discussed about
bilateral ties with an important Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member.
Himachal Pradesh to have a Rs 58-crore State Data Centre designed using green data
centre concept, to provide 101 people-concerned with service online through an
integrated data base. This is the first state to do so in the country.
On the eve of World Environment Day Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara
Rajelaunched a mobile app RajVayu for sharing information about air quality index
of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur. Another app Drishti for monitoring of pollution levels in
industrial regions.
Chief Minister launched the Bihar Public Grievance Redressal Act enabling people to
get their grievances redressed within a specific time period in the State.
Former Union Minister and Congress party leader V Narayanasamy was sworn in as
Puducherry Chief Minister Along with Narayanasamy, five Congress legislators will be
sworn-in as ministers.
Bollywood actress Dia Mirza Sangha has been appointed as the ambassador for
Swachh Bharat Missions Swachh Saathi programme for youth-based student
internship.
The Delhi Government has taken a significant step towards approval of Solar Policy aims
to form the capital an Environment-friendly solar city through Rooftop solar System.
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel has initiated the Information Technology and
Electronics Start Up policy to support and provide financial assistance to 2,000 start
ups in the state over next five years with an estimated Investment of Rs. 7000 Crore.
In a rare move Assams Guwahati became the first city in the India to have its own city
animal with the district administration announcing the Gangetic river dolphin as the
symbol.
GOI and ADB sign $120 Million Loan Agreement to Modernize Irrigation and Improve
Water Management in Odisha.
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International Affairs
2 Indian-origin women in Forbes self-made American womens viz,India-born Neerja
Sethi, who is a co-founder of IT consulting and outsourcing firm Syntel with her
husband Bharat Desairanked 16th on Americas Richest Self-made Women list while
president and CEO of Arista Networks Jayshree Ullal is ranked 30th.
According to a Global Renewables Report 2015 India being ranked among the top five
nations in new investments, and in the top four as regards creating jobs in the green
energy sector. The list is topped by China.
Chinese Academy of Sciences would launch its first experimental quantum
communication satellite whose communications cannot be intercepted.
China has successfully launched a new civilian high-resolution
mapping satellite along with two other foreign satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite
Launch Centre in Shanxi of China.
The worlds longest and deepest rail tunnel has opened in Switzerland, named
Gotthard Base Tunnel after. The 57km twin-bore Gotthard base tunnel will deliver a
high-speed rail link under the Swiss Alps between northern and southern Europe.
Sweden raised its standard by acclaiming best country in World which is named in
theGood Country 2015 index. While India positioned at the 70th position among 163
nations.
The three day long 15th edition of Asias largest annual security forum Shangri-La
Dialogue was inaugurated in Singapore to discuss various security issues in the Asia-
Pacific region.India represented by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
India has moved 13 positions to rank 2nd among 30 developing countries in 2016 on
ease of doing business and China is topped in the list.
2016 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI): Listed top 30 developing countries for
retail investment worldwide.
Indias largest lenders Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya, have been ranked as the
5th powerful women in finance in the latest Forbes list of 100 most powerful people in
the world. The Finanace list topped by IMF chief Chirstine Lagarde. However in the list
of The Worlds 100 Most Powerful Women, German Chancellor Angela Merkel
maintained in the top spot.
In 2016 Forbes list, Four Indian women newly joined including SBI Managing director
Arundhati Bhattacharya, ICICI Bank Managing director Chanda Kochhar, Ms. Mazumdar-
Shaw and Ms. Bhartia.
The US government returned over 200 cultural artifacts valued over USD100
millionto India at a ceremony in Washington attendedby PM Narendra Modi.
India ranked 141 in Global Peace Index, Iceland most peaceful nation. India jumped
from 143rd during last year to 141st position but the countrys performance has not
been increased.
World Bank has decreased its forecast for the global growth to 2.4% for the year 2016
and stated that world economy is challenging opposing forward motion.
Thailand becomes first Asian country to eliminate mother to child HIV declares WHO.
According to BP Statistical Review of World Energy report 2015 India has exceeded
Japan to become the worlds third-largest oil consumer, with its oil demand
galloping 8.1 % in 2015. The list is topped by US followed by China.
The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund inked Memorandum of
Understanding with Qatar Investment Authority to encourage Infrastructure
Investments in India for one year.
Pakistan tops in 2016 Malware Infection Index. India is place at the eighth spot.
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry publicized that the proposed
names for the newly discovered elements are nihonium, moscovium,
tennessine and oganesson, respectively.
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Norway announced a complete ban on deforestation, with this the first country to put
azero deforestation policy.
India to provide financial grand of Rs 48.84 million to Nepal for the construction of
a college. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae laid foundation stone of the building
forKoteshwor Multiple Campus in Kathmandu district.
China has blasted off a 23rd satellite in the BeiDou Navigation Satellite
System (BDS) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province, by a Long
March-3C carrier rocket.The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System which is being
developed as an alternative to US GPS and also to support its global navigation and
positioning network.
Chinas first high orbit remote sensing satellite, Gaofen-4 became
operational after six months in-orbit testing. The Satellite said to be the worlds most
sophisticated one.
India and Bangladesh initiated trans-shipment operations at Ashuganj Port.
Union Tourism minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma inaugurated the Ganges-Danube
Cultural Festival of India at Vigado Theatre in Budapest in Hungary.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Boses statue unveiled in Malaysia at the Indian cultural centre
premises.
Food Safety Standards Authority of India has banned use of potassium bromate as a
food additive following a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) study that found its
presence in bread causing cancer.
HP launches the worlds thinnest laptop, Spectre 13 with a thickness of 10.4mm, its
thinner than both the12-inch MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Air. It has been priced
starting at 1,19,990 in India.
The International Astronomical Union has named the crater after Langtang which is also
a popular trekking site that was worst hit by the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.
Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari inaugurated two day international conference
onYoga for Body and Beyondin New Delhi.
A Yoga centre founded by Indian Mohan Singh Bhandari and his Chinese
wife Yinyanhas been selected by Chinas Peking University to conduct research in
the ancient Indian exercise form. This is first time a Chinese university has come
forward to do research in Yoga.
North Korea has test fired two midrange ballistic missiles from its eastern coast under
the guidance of Leader Kim Jong Un to elevate the maximum range of missile.
United Kingdom voters have polled to exit from the European Union in a historic
referendum with around 52 % saying yes to leave the European Union. UK Prime
Minister David Cameron announced the resignation as he is actively campaigned for the
membership in EU.
Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Jinan of china inked the agreement to be sister
cities that allows for exchange of ideas and technology in the fields of education, sports,
youth affairs, urban planning among other areas.
India and Switzerland have signed an agreement to establish formal cooperation in the
fields of skills development and vocational and professional education and training.
The Colombian government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC)rebels signed an armistice and demilitarization agreement in Cuba.
The Himalayan Nation Nepal to suspend issuing labour permits to Nepalese nationals for
Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya.
Panama officially opened its revamped 80-kilometer long canal to far bigger cargo ships
after nearly a decade of expansion work aimed at boosting transit revenues and global
trade. The expansion is estimated to have cost USD 5.5 billion.
An archaeological site in Bogra Bangladesh, Mahasthangarh (3rd century BC site)
has been declared as the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SARRC)
cultural capital for the year 2016-17.
State-run Power giant BHEL has commissioned two units of 14 MW each at Salma
Hydro Electric Project in Afghanistan.
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Iceland elected Gudni Johannesson as their first new president in 20 years, amidst
distrust of politicians and business leaders after the2008 global financial crisis and
the Panama papers scandal.
According to Human Capital Index, India ranked at 105th position globally among
130 countries and topped by Finland.The Report Released by World Economic Forum,
Geneva.
The International Monetary Fund cleared decks for the payment of USD 501 million for
Pakistan taking the total amount given to the country to USD 6.1 billion in the last few
years.
The Environmental crime extended largely upto 26% from the previous record in 2014.
Says The Rise of Environmental Crime Report released by UNEP and INTERPOL.
Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Joo Hyunghwan, the Minister of
Trade, Industry & Energy, Korea launched an iniative called Korea Plus to promote and
facilitate Korean Investments in India.
Indias indigenous basic trainer aircraft, Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT
40) developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited made its inaugural flight in
Bengaluru in the presence of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the HAL Airport in
Bengaluru.
Cochin Shipyard handed over the Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS Aryaman to Indian Coast
Guard which will be operated from the Coast Guard Station at Kochi.
Appointments & Resigns

Senior IPS officer Navin Agarwal was appointed chief of National Anti-Doping Agency
(NADA), working for dope-free sports for five years.
Surajit Kar Purkayastha Appointed Director General of West Bengal Police.
Indian Cricket Administrator BCCI has appointed Rahul Johri as the first ever CEO of
the body in Mumbai.
Keralas Ruling LDF candidate and two-time legislator P Sreeramakrishnan was elected
as the Speaker of the 14th Assembly of the state.
N.K.Chari took charge as the new Managing Director of State Bank of Mysore.
Reliance Foundations Founder and Chairperson Nita Ambani has just been nominated as
a member by the International Olympic Committee. She will become the first Indian
woman ever to be recommended for the esteemed position.
CR Sasikumar took charge as the Managing Director of State Bank of
Travancore which is one of the five associate banks of State Bank of India.
AIADMK candidates P Dhanapal and V Jayaraman were unanimously re-elected as
Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively of the 15th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
Dhanapal is the first Speaker to be re-elected unanimously for a second successive time.
Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse resigns following corruption
charges. He is a six-time MLA from Muktainagar constituency in Jalgaon Maharashtra.
Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar took charge as the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff. He is
an alumnus of Pune National Defence Academy, he was commissioned into the Executive
Branch in 1982.
Chennai based Everstone Capital and Solmark owned Servion Global Solutions Ltd
appointed Sameet Gupte as its new CEO and Member of Board. Sameet replaces
Balakrishnan K who has been elevated to Executive Vice-Chairman of Servions Board.
California headquartered Adobe Systems appointed Kulmeet Bawa as Managing
Director for South Asia operations. He will fill the shoes of Umang Bedi who is set to
leave the company.
Indias largest wireless operator Bharti Airtel appointed Ashok Ganapathy as Director
Airtel Business of its Mumbai, Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat circles with effective from
the 1st of July 2016. He succeeds Manish Prakash.
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Social Media major Facebook has appointed Umang Bedi as Managing Director, India
operations. Bedi will lead in building and maintaining strategic relationships with top
clients and regional agencies in the country.
British multinational food manufacturer United Biscuits president Jayant Kapre has quit
after leading the maker of McVities biscuits.
New Delhi Headquartered Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia has
appointed communication technology specialist Dr Shahid Rasool as the new director of
the institute.
Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal has been re-elected to trade association of the
worlds airline body IATAs Board of Governors for the three-year term.
Japanese Automaker Suzuki Motors Chief Executive and Chairman Osamu Suzuki will
step down as CEO after revealing its use of wrong mileage testing methods. However
Suzuki will stay on as chairman.
Senior IAS officer Rama Mohan Rao has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of Tamil
Nadu he will fill the shoes of K. Gnanadesikan.
Major General per Gustaf Lodin, also a logistics expert, was appointed by United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as the Chief Military Observer and Head of Mission for
the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).
New Delhi based State-run firm MTNL Chairman and Managing Director Narendra Kumar
Yadav has resigned on completion of his tenure.
Deputy Chief Executive, G.Kalyana krishnan has taken over as Chief Executive of
Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), Hyderabad. He succeeds N Saibaba, who has retired on
completion of two years of extended period of service.
Dubai based Emaar MGFs Executive Vice Chairman & Managing Director Shravan
Gupta has resigned from the post after the two joint venture partners Emaar Properties
and Indias MGF Development had decided to part ways and restructure the companys
business.
Congress leader and former Chief Minister V. Vaithilingam was elected unopposed as
the Speaker of the14th Puducherry legislative Assembly.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Additional Solicitor General of India and former
Parliamentarian Satya Pal Jain was appointed as a part-time member of the 21st Law
Commission of India.
Ranu Langthasa was unanimously appointed as the chairperson of the NC Hills
Autonomous Council in Assam.
Peruvians for Change party candidate Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has been confirmed
as President-elect of Peru after making a narrow victory against Keiko Fujimori in the
Peruvian presidential elections, 2016.
IAS officer Dr. M Beena, has been appointed as Managing Director of the Kerala
Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA), a statutory body of
the Kerala Government.
An Additional Secretary rank Officer Suresh Chandra was appointed as Union Law
Secretary. He is currently Additional Secretary in the department.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) elected Peter Thomson, a permanent
Representative of tiny Pacific Island nation Fiji, as President of its upcoming 71st
session. He defeated Andreas Mavroyiannis of Cyprus.
Peter will watch over the process of searching for a new U.N. secretary-general to
replace Ban Ki-moon, who will complete his second five-year term in the post at the
end of 2016.
Bharti Enterprises founder& chairperson Sunil Bharti Mittal has been elected as the
head of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), based in Paris, France. He is the
third Indian business leader to head ICC in its near-hundred year history.He
succeeds Terry McGraw, chairman emeritus of S&P Global, who will now become
ICCs honorary chairperson.
Oscar-winning Hollywood actor Anne Hathaway appointed as UN Women
Goodwill Ambassador
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Senior IAS officer Supriya Sahu has been appointed as Doordarshans Director
General, a post lying vacant since 2014.
Indian-origin woman Kamala ShirinLakhdhir nominated as US Ambassador to Malaysia.
Former cricketer and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, Chetan Chauhan, has been
named the chairperson of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in New
Delhi.
Virginia Raggi has been elected as Romes first female mayor in a victory for the
populist Five Star Movement (M5S), expressive a blow to Matteo Renzi, Italys prime
minister.
Softbank President and COO Nikesh Arora has resigned from the company with
immediate effect.
India Limited formats Cricket Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been appointed
asbrand ambassador for Exide Life Insurance Companywith immediate effect.
ITC chief Yogi Deveshwar to step down and continue as non-executive
chairman till 2020
Vijay Mallya is quitting as the Chairman of German pharma major Bayer
CropScience Ltd after over 12 years of holding the office in the company with effect
from June 30.
Olympian Anju Bobby George has decided to resignfrom the post of the president of
the Kerala State Sports Council after an alleged face-off with the states new sports
minister.
Tokyo headquartered IT firm NEC India has appointed Takayuki Inaba as its Managing
Director. Inaba replaces Koichiro Koide, who has been leading NEC India for last two
years.
Syrian Baath Party President Bashar al-Assad appointed electricity minister Imad
Khamis as the new prime minister of the war-bound nation.
US-based payment System Company PayPal appointed Anupam Pahuja as the
Managing Director and Country Manager for its India operations.
Japanese telecommunications major Softbank appointed Ken Miyauchi as the Head of
the groups, that meant he would be the president and chief operating officer to replace
Nikesh Arora.
State-run life insurance Company LICs chairman SK Roy has resigned nearly two years
ahead of completion of his five-year term.
Nokia India appointed Sanjay Malik as the head of Indian market, effective August 1,
He succeeds Sandeep Girotra.
The BCCI appointed former Spinner Anil Kumble as the new Head Coach of Indian
Cricket Team. The decision was announced in the annual conclave in Dharamshala,
Himachal Pradesh. His tenure would be for One year.
Aveek Sarkar resigned as the Editor-in-Chief of Ananda Bazaar Patrika (ABP) and
The Telegraph. On the other hand, he is set to continue as the chairman of the group.
Former BCCI boss N Srinivasan has been re-elected President of the Tamil Nadu Cricket
Association (TNCA) during the state bodys Annual General Meeting held in Chennai.
Former Indian cricketer Lalchand Rajput was named head coach of the Afghanistan
National Cricket Team. He succeeds ex-Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Mr. Sujoy Bose appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National
Investment and Infrastructure Fund(NIFF).
Brussels based North Atlantic Treaty Organization has appointed U.S. Under Secretary of
State Rose Gottemoeller as its next deputy secretary-general. She is the highest-
ranking woman and second highest-ranking civilian official in its history to be named for
the post also the first woman to hold the job.
Two womens Noor Huda Roslan and Nenney Shuhaidah Shamsuddin have been
appointed as judges of Malaysias Islamic Shariah High Court for the first time in the
history of the judiciary of the Muslim-majority country.
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Switzerland based Nestle has selected health care executive Ulf Mark Schneider as
its new CEO, as the food and drinks giant seeks to evolve into a nutrition, health
and wellness business.
Union government has cleared decks for the appointment of NS Vishwanathan as the
Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He would succeed H R Khan.
Maharashtra based Small sized private lender RBL Bank announced that the Royal Bank
of Scotland (RBS) India chief Brijesh Mehra will be joining the company as head
of corporate banking.
Bharti Airtel names Shashi Arora as new CEO, MD of Airtel Payments Bank
Gopal Rai Resigns As Delhi Transport Minister, Satyendra Jain Takes Over
Justice Rakesh Ranjan Prasad takes charge of Chief Justice of Manipur HC
Singapore based DBS Banks Indian Arm has appointed Niraj Mittal as the Managing
Director and Head of Institutional Banking for the country.
Deutsche Bank Asia Pacific Chief Executive Officer Gunit Chadha is set to relieve from
the bank.
Vice Admiral Girish Luthra assumed office of Mumbai based Western Naval Command as
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief from Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba at a ceremonial parade
held at INS Shikra.
Bollywood Actor R Madhavan appointed as the goodwill ambassador for the the
LEPRA India organisation that fights against diseases.
Ashok Leyland re-appoints Vinod K Dasari as Managing Director for five years
Former Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi has been appointed the member of Union
Public Service Commission which is a Constitutional post, with a five year tenure.
Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba assumed charge as the new chief of the Naval Staff as
thecurrent CNS Admiral R.K.Dhowan retired after four decade of service. Lanba will
have a full three-year-term.
First batch of three female fighter pilots commissioned in the Indian Air Force
First batch of three female pilots:
Avani Chaturvedi
Bhawana Kanth
Mohana Singh
Major General Sanjeev Kumar Sharma is set to take over as a General Officer
Commanding (GOC) of the Jammu-based Tiger Division. He succeeds Maj Gen Sanjeev
Narain.
VISITS From India & to India

Prime Minister visited USA & Mexico in the list of 5 Nations visit
Highlights:
India-US inked 8 MoUs to bolster economic growth & sustainable development
PM Narendra Modi addresses US Congress
Indias membership of NSG dominates meet between PM Narendra Modi and US
President Barack Obama
India, US agree to initiate domestic processes to ratify Paris climate deal
UN chief welcomes Indo-US commitment to join Paris agreement
India, Mexico to elevate ties to strategic partnership
India-Mexico Joint Statement during the visit of Prime Minister to Mexico.
President Pranab Mukherjee made visit to three-nation tour to Ghana, Cote dIvoire
and Namibia.
Pranab Mukherjee became the First Indian President to Visit Ghana and Cote
dIvoire and became the second Indian President to visit Namibia after a gap of
21 years.
Highlights of Three Nations Visit:
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India and Ghana signed three bilateral agreements to tighten co-operation in various fields
Opened a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in the University of Ghana and conferred a Joint
Business Forum to highlight Brand India
Enhance scholarship in ITEC slots from 250 to 300 and ICCR scholarships from 16 to
40 and announced of 1 million USD for the India Ghana Kofi Annan Centre for IT
excellence
Indian President has been conferred with the highest national honour of the Grande Croix
Commandeur by Cote dIvoire Country
The Agreements were approved between CII & CEPICI and Tata Motors & SUTRA for supply
of 500 buses.
EXIM Bank inaugurated representative office in Abidjan.
Indias EXIM Bank to provide loan of $176.3 million to Ivory Coast
India, Namibia signed two MoUs on capacity building for civil servants, centre of
excellence in ICT.
Foreign secretary S. Jaishankar made an unannounced visit to China to gain support
for Indias for membership into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan visited St Petersburg, Russia to
represent India at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). SPIEF is
an annual international conference dedicated to economic and business issues.
India and the UAE will constitute a joint panel of parliamentarians to enhance relations
and simplify their visits to promote cooperation to combat security issues in the region.
Vice President Hamid Ansari visited Morocco and Tunisia from June 1 to June 3to
discuss the issues of terrorism, UN Security Council expansion, investments in private
sector and to strengthen Africa and regional matters.
Prime Minister Narendra modi made a visit to Switzerland to ask support for Indias
Membership in Nuclear suppliers Groups and to raise the issues related to black money
invested by Indians in Swiss Banks.
Thailand Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ochas is on three day maiden
visit to India, upon which both the sides are set to firm up cooperation to combat
terrorism, and boost maritime security, defence ties and trade.
Nepals Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa landed in New Delhi made a three day
visit to India. This is the fifth Visit to India by Nepal Minister.
Thailand Prime Minister Chan-o-cha made visit to India and arrived in New Delhi to
enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of Trade and Investment, Defence, Security,
Tourism between two nations. Also Axis Bank of India and Kasikorn Bank of
Thailand inked pact for trade and investment.
PM Modi announced new Visa rules for Thailand tourists to facilitate double entry e-
tourist visas in order to attract more tourists.
BANKING
Reserve Bank of India announced Second Bi-Monthly Monetary policy for the year
financial year 2016-17 and keeping unchanged the Policy rates and Reserve ratios.
Rate
Current Rates
(Remarks)
Policy Rates
6.5%
Repo Rate
(Unchanged)
Reverse Repo Rate 6%
12 | P a g e
(Unchanged)
7%
Marginal Standing Facility Rate (MSF)
(Unchanged)
7%
Bank Rate
(Unchanged)
Reserve Ratios
4%
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)
(Unchanged)
21.25%
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)
(Unchanged)
Union Government and the World Bank has signed a 9.2 million US dollar grant
agreement under the World Bank-Global Environment Facility Programme.
Shanghai Based New Development Bank of the BRICS countries is set to issue its first
Yuan denominated bonds with plans to release more bonds in local currencies including
in Indian Rupee.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has accorded a USD 1.5 billion loan to Sri
Lanka with USD 168 million is transferred as the first Instalment with immediate effect
to support the countrys economy.
Mumbai based Axis Bank has announce the launch of Indias first internationally-listed
certified green bond to finance climate change solutions around the world at London
Stock Exchange (LSE).
SBI and Spains Caixa Bank have signed a MoU to fund Indo-Spanish Joint Ventures&
local businesses.
Manila based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $100 million (around Rs
660 crore) loan to strengthen a key irrigation system and improve water management
in the Vennar sub-basin of Cauvery Delta in Tamil Nadu.
The Department of Posts launched a logo and tagline design contest on the MyGov
portal on June 10. The best entry will be awarded Rs 50,000/. An expert panel will help
shortlist 20 best entries which will thereafter be put up for voting on the MyGov
platform to choose the winner.
Market Watchdog Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has put in place
astricter KYC (Know Your Customer) norms and disclosure regime for Participatory
Notes(P-Notes). This comes after receiving recommendation from SIT on black money
to ensure this route is not used for money laundering.
Hyderabad based SKS Micro-finance has changed its name to Bharat Financial
Inclusion Ltd. It is the only listed company on BSE in the Micro financing space in the
country.
Pompano Beach-based Stonegate Bank is set to issue the first credit card that can be
used in Cuba since Washington and Havana normalized relations. The card will be a
limited-edition MasterCard. Stonegate will issue only 1,000 cards initially.
The Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the
takeover by State Bank of India (SBI) of several subsidiaries and BMB Bank to
consolidate the countrys struggling public sector banks.
Centre accorded a bill looking for to enhance the debt recovery laws and approved ex
facto -The Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws and
Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, 2016.
Reserve Bank of India has granted in-principle nod to the common service centres
(CSCs) as Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit to make bill payments at centres in
rural bands.
Mumbai Based Reserve Bank of India has taken steps to simplify the registration
process for new Banking Financial Companies.Upon revised norms number of supporting
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documents to be attached with Application form has been reduced from 45 to 7-8
documents.
The two day conference named Rajswa Gyansangam is Annual Conference of Tax
Administrators-2016 concluded in New Delhi to mark a new height in the generation of
innovative ideas and opened new frontiers for the tax administrators.
Indias largest lender State Bank of India has been named in a Hall of Shame list of
158 banking and financial institutions worldwide that have invested billions of dollars in
enterprises making cluster bombs.
Income Tax Department is set to block Permanent Account Number (PAN) of wilful
defaulters and their LPG subsidy and take measures to ensure that they are not
sanctioned loans.
The Finance Ministry has announced new rules allowing for premature withdrawal of
the Public Provident Fund (PPF) account deposit scheme account has completed five
years. A subscriber shall be allowed premature closure of his account or account of a
minor of whom he is the guardian on ground that the amount is required for treatment
of serious ailments or life-threatening diseases also for higher education.
Switzerland based United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
released the World Investment Report stated that India is the fourth largest
recipient of Foreign Direct Investment in Asia and ranked tenth Position in
World. In Inflow of Indias FDI, Singapore and Mauritius majority accounted for
nearly 60% of total FDI.
World Bank released India Development Update report to earmark the Indian
economy and its prospects for the financial year 2016. India maintained 7.6 per
cent growth rate in 2016-17 and it will be expected that 7.7 per cent in 2017-18
and 7.8 per cent in 2018-19.
Thrissur based Kochi South Indian Bank Limited has announced the launch
ofits Remit2India Service a secure online money transfer service for NRIs from
Europe, Australia, UAE and Singapore.
Reserve Bank announced the cap under Market Stabilisation Scheme has been fixed at
Rs 30,000 crore for the current fiscal.
Union Government has decided to amend the Income Tax Rules to end the
improbability over the General Anti Avoidance rules as it is expected to start with
effective from 01.04.16
Indias Central bank RBI has released Payment and Settlement Systems in India:
Vision-2018 document aims at building best of class payment and settlement systems
for a Cash Less India and ensuring access of mobile banking services to even basic
phone users.
Asian Development Bank accorded $500 million to build bridge over Indias longest
river bridge is in Bihar having distance of 9.8 km road.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Participated in the First Annual General Meeting of
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to discuss about the investment in
Infrastructure and accorded the approval to establish the Regional Office of AIIB in
New Delhi.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank approved first loans for projects in Four
Countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Tajikstan. Total Loan
Allocated: $509 Million, as Bangladesh Loan Allocated: $165 million, Indonesia
Loan Allocated: $216.5 million, Pakistan Loan Allocated: $100 million, Tajikistan
Loan Allocated: $27.5 million
Indias largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) and American multinational financial
services major MasterCard jointly to launch a distribution alliance with travel prepaid
cards distributor Centrum.
Indias largest public sector lender State Bank of India has created IT innovations and
startup fund and have allotted Rs 200 crore for investment in promising startups. The
fund would be covering up to Rs 3 crore for any India registered entity for their business
promotion in India using information technology for banking.
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HDFC Standard Life and Max Life and Max Financial Services are entered into merger
agreement that will create the largest private player in Indias insurance sector. The
proposed merger between the companies will create an entity with assets worth over Rs
1 lakh crore.
FICCIs Economic Outlook survey said growth in 2016-17 is forecasted 7.6 % growth
for the current fiscal due to favorable monsoon.
Business
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India have launched an app named DND

Services that will help mobile users to manage unsolicited commercial communications
to curb the pesky call menace.
American multinational firm Johnson & Johnson would acquire personal-care products
company Vogue International for about $3.3 billion in all cash deal.
New Delhi based Energy and Resources Institute and a subsidiary of Indian Farmers
Fertilizer Cooperative Limited Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL) inked a pact to work
together in empowering farmers.
Indias fourth largest private sector general insurer HDFC ERGO General Insurance
arm of mortgage lender HDFC has acquired L&T General Insurance Co. Ltd in an all-cash
agreement worth of Rs.551 crore.
Tata Trusts and Madhya Pradesh government jointly signed an agreement on
implementing interventions in healthcare areas like nutrition, mental health and
cancer care in the state.
US based Walmart held the top in the Fortune 500 list for the fourth consecutive year
released in 2016. While Apple made the progress in the profit, with $53 billion jumped
from No.5 to No. 3 in 2016.
New Delhi based Food Corporation of India (FCI) has entered into an agreement with
Adani group for construction of two silos to store wheat capacity of 75,000 tonnes, at
an estimated cost of about Rs 80 crore.
Power major Tata Power Ltd late has agreed to acquire renewable energy company
Welspun Renewables Energy Pvt. Ltd. The acquisition is at an enterprise value of
Rs. 9,249 crore.
American Software major Microsoft has announced that it is set to acquire professional
social platform LinkedIn for $196 per share. The deal would in all cash transaction
valued at $26.2 billion. The deal would be the largest in Microsofts history.
German engineering company Siemens AG has bagged an order worth 130 million
euro (over Rs 978 crore) to set up a high voltage direct current (HVDC) link to connect
power supply networks of India and Bangladesh.
Cab Aggregator Uber has entered into an agreement with Tata group to help its drivers
own Indica and Indigo cars with less hassle. The pact will only be valid for Hyderabad
city in a trial basis.
Information technology giant Microsoft acquired California-based IIT alumnus Start-
up Wand Labs for an undisclosed amount.
The move by the Microsoft is to strengthen companys build up companys position
in the emerging era of combining the power of human language with advanced machine
intelligence.
Tata Power Renewable Energy, a wholly owned Tata Subsidiary has bagged 30 MW
solar grid connected photovoltaic project in Maharashtra under the National Solar
Mission.
Microblogging major Twitter has announced to buy artificial
intelligence startupMagic Pony to help it enhance video and live services on its
platform.
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Oil India Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petro Resources Ltd agreed to
buy a 23.9% stake in Russian Company Rosnefts Vankor project.
Technology services provider Tech Mahindra Ltd has acquired UK-based BIO for 40
million pounds in an all-cash deal to develop its digital group.
Defence News
Three Indian naval ships reached Vladivostok in Russia on a four day visit as part of
efforts to enhance maritime cooperation between the navies of both countries.The ships
representing Indian Navy namely INS Sahyadri, Shakti and Kirch.
BrahMos Aerospace successfully demonstrated the integration of most daunting
supersonic cruise missile system BrahMos on Su-30MKI front-line strike fighter aircraft
of the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), in Nasik.
India, Japan and the US navies kicked off the 20th edition Malabar-16 Exercise, a naval
exercise near Okinawa Island near Japan. In the exercise Indian ships participating are
from the Eastern Fleet and include INS Sahyadri and INS Satpura, indigenously built
guided missile stealth frigates, INS Shakti, and INS Kirch.
Indian Coast Gaurd and their Korean Counterpart are taking part in a joint exercise
codenamed Sahyog-Hyeobleod-2016 is being scheduled in the Bay of Bengal in
Chennai. These exercises are scheduled every year alternately between the two
countries.
Nato countries biggest ever joint military exercises Anaconda-16 was launched in
Warsaw, Poland. This Exercise is managed by Polands Lt Gen Marek
Tomaszycki and around 31,000 Polish, US and other troops are participating in the
land, sea and air exercises.
Science & Technology
Harvard University Scientist developed the bionic Leaf to create Liquid Fuels using
Sunlight.
The worlds smallest pacemaker was successfully implanted in a 92-year-old man at
Gurugram based Medanta Medicity Hospital. With this the hospital to become
the first hospitals in the country to offer such a heart device.
NASA scientists have located 39 unreported and major human-made sources of toxic
sulphur dioxide emissions.
The worlds first 3D-printed aircraft was kept on display in the Airbus booth at the
International Aerospace Exhibition in Berlin Germany.
Researchers in Assam Agricultural University developed two rice variants for submerged
areas such as Barak Valley in order to yield during the monsoon season whereas the
valley is liable to periodical floods.
Scientists from Iceland developed a method in which CO2 is pumped into the volcanic
rock and sped up a natural process where the basalts react with the gas to
form carbonate minerals (limestone).
NASAs Kepler Space Telescope discovered a Jupiter-like planet orbiting a system of
two stars, making it the largest such cosmic body ever found. The
planet Kepler1647b, located in the constellation Cygnus, which is 700 light-years away
and about 4.4 billion years old, was discovered by astronomers from NASAs Goddard
Space Flight Centre and San Diego State University (SDSU) in in the US.
Russia has launched the Nuclear-powered icebreaker Ship named Arktika which is
the largest and the most powerful vessel of the typein the world.Russias the only
country with such ice breakers.
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American Scientists have grown a living bone in the lab to repair large defects in the
head and face of patient. This marks for the first time in modern medical history.
US Scientists has developed worlds first microchip called KiloCore that equipped with
1,000
processors and is thought to be the fastest chip designed in a university lab.
Europes Ariane 5 rocket launcher successfully took off with two telecoms
satellites into space from KOUROU, in French Guiana, one for an US based
communications service provider and one for an Indonesian bank.
The South Pole of the Earth carbon dioxide levels exceeded 400 parts per
million(ppm) for the first time in 4 million years.
An International Space Station team including an American, a Briton and a Russian has
landed safely in the Kazakhstan also the team reported feeling fine after spending 186
days in space since their launch in 2015.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) unveiled the iconic X-57
Hybrid Electric Research Plane called as Maxwell aimed to demonstrate technology to
reduce fuel use, emissions, and noise.
Chinese supercomputer using domestic chip technology named Sunway
TaihuLight with 93 petaflop/second speed was declared as the worlds fastest
supercomputer.The system was publicized in the TOP500 list of supercomputers released
at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) in Frankfurt, Germany.
Indian Space Research Organisation made a victory milestone by successfully
launched20 satellites by PSLV C-34 in a single mission including Two Indian
Universities Student Satellites and Four Foreign Countries.
Satellites:
CARTOSAT -2 INDIA
12 DOVE SATELLITES USA
GHGSat-D CANADA
SkySat Gen2 USA
M3MSat CANADA
BIROS GERMANY
LAPAN-A3 INDONESIA
SWAYAM College of Engineering, Pune, India
SATHYABAMASAT Sathyabama University
American Scientists with the help of NASAs Kepler Space Telescope, have discovered
the youngest fully formed exoplanet which is 5 to 10 million years old that make to
understand how planets system form.
Scientists have developed ultrathin photovoltaic cells using the semiconductor
material, gallium
Arsenide.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) planned to test Advanced Technology
Vehicle (ATV), comprising indigenously-developed & based on air-breathing propulsion
scramjet engine hitched to a two-stage sounding rocket (RH- 560).
University of Bristol scientists have revealed a new Bio-Ink for 3D printing using
stem cells that allows printing of living tissue called as Bio-Printing.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has launched an anti-diabetic
ayurvedic
Capsule priced at Rs. 5 per tablet.The Capsule named BGR-34, abbreviated name
for Blood Glucose Regulator that designed for type 2 diabetes.
Scientists from Temperate Sericulture Research Institute of SKUAST, Srinagar
Jammu and Kashmir has successfully introduced Sericulture in Poyen
Village of Kargil.
China has established countrys first dark sky reserve for astronomical observation
to limit light pollution and preserve sites for making astronomical observations in
the Tibetan prefecture of Ngari, bordering Nepal and India.
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NASA Hubble telescope spots mysterious solitary dwarf galaxy UGC 4879. In
fact Hubble Space Telescope was launched jointly by NASA and ESA in 1990 in low
Earth Orbit. It is the largest telescope present in space.
California headquartered Aerospace Company SpaceX successfully deployed two
satellites but the Falcon 9 rocket that carried them into orbit then crashed into its drone
ship while touching down in the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Canaverals Complex 40
launch pad.
E-Commerce major Snapdeal has established a data sciences centre in San Carlos,
California to get top global talent and build high-value solutions.
The five day long Asias largest technology trade show COMPUTEX was held in Taipei,
Taiwan. The show has been organized by Taiwan External Trade Development Council
and TCA (Taipei Computer Association) with 1,602 exhibitors, from more than 1,600
companies from 30 countries.
Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias and the University Scientists have discovered
one of the most symmetrical Einstein rings created by a galaxy located 10,000 million
light years away that is hidden behind a more massive galaxy.
Japanese scientists developed a new tool that can predict the risk of Zika virus
importation and local transmission across the world.
Schemes Launched
AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik announced International Yoga Award Scheme with a
view to promote yoga and it will start giving the award from 2017 while inaugurating the
National Health Editors Conference with the theme of Yoga for Holistic Health Recent
Researches in New Delhi.
Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal Launches Ujala Scheme in Goa and Vidyut Pravah &
Urja Mobile App on the side-lines of ongoing two day Conference of Power Ministers at
Cansaulim in South Goa.
Assam Government decided to launch Maitree Ek Gyan Yatra Scheme to link Primary
Schools to colleges in Sivsagar District.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik initiated a new Scheme called as Kalinga
Siksha Sathi Yojana to afford education loan at 1% interest to students for
pursuing higher studies.The CM set aside Rs. 500 Crore for this purpose.
Railways launched the Optional Catering Scheme as well as Janani Sewa on test mode.
Union Government initiated a step to launch e-Nivaran Scheme to deal with Tax
related issues of the public on test mode in Rajasva Gyan Sangam, held at New Delhi.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has come up with the Scheme for Sustainable
Structuring of Stressed Assets to further strengthen the lenders ability to deal with
stressed assets and to put real assets back on track valid for those projects that have
started commercial operations and have outstanding loan cap of over 500 crore rupees.
The Finance Ministry launched the scheme that Non Resident Indians can open
National Pension System Accounts online if they bear Aadhaar Card or PAN Card.
MoUs Signed
Cabinet appraisal of MoU between ISRO and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) on
cooperation in the field of outer space.
South Delhi Municipal Corporation signed MoU with SECI to install solar panels around
10 MW on the rooftops of 440 buildings and 10MW on the spare vacant land.
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Union Government approved MoU between India and Germany in Technology resourcing
in manufacturing and enclosed with sub sectors of Capital Goods.
MoU singed between RD Ministry & ISRO for geo-tagging assets
under MGNREGA in each gram Panchayats.
Andhra Pradesh government inked a MOU with a three nation consortium of China
Huanqin Contracting and Engineering Corporation, LEPL Ventures Private Limited and
Isomeric Holdings to set up a gasbased fertilizer project at Krishnapatanam with an
investment of Rs 10,183 crore.
The Union Railways Ministry signed a MoU with Chandigarh-based PEC University of
Technology to set up Kalpana Chawla Chair on geospatial technology for her contribution
to aerospace engineering.
India & USA Signs MoU To Enhance Cooperation on Energy Security, Clean Energy &
Climate Change
Union Cabinet approves MoU between US and India to enhance cooperation in
wildlife conservation also the MoU seeks cooperation in the following areas:
Wildlife Forensics and Conservation Genetics, Natural World Heritage Conservation and
Nature Interpretation and Conservation Awareness.
India and United States inked Memorandum of Understanding for exchange of
information on terror.
India inked Memorandum of Understanding with United States to facilitate hassle free
entry of Indians into the United States at Selected airports i.e providing for immediate
security clearances.
Cabinet approves signing of Air Services Agreement between India and Taiwan,
also it clears ex-post facto approval of the Memorandum of Understanding between
India and Taiwan for cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Allied Sector.
Cabinet approved Memorandum of Understanding between the Directorate General of
Civil Aviation of India (DGCA) and the French Civil Aviation Authority.
The Indian Inland Waterways Authority has signed an agreement with India Ports
Global Private for a Rs 476-crore project to simplify connectivity and trade.The MoU
will pave the for the implementation of additional works on the Kaladan Multimodal
Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) in Myanmar that bolster ties with Myanmar.
Union Government signed MoU with the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German
Research Centre for geosciences which is government funded and Public Law
Foundation of the State of Brandenburg, Germany.
Committees in the NEWS
The U.N. General Assembly elected Israel will head one of the world bodys six
permanent committees, since joining the U.N. in 1949 this is first time that country
is Chairing the committee.
The Union government had formed a selection committee headed by cabinet secretary
P.K. Sinha for shortlisting candidates for RBI governorship.
South African Indian-origin lawyer Yasmin Sooka has been named as the chairman of
three member UN commission (committee) to monitor the human rights situation in
South Sudan.
The committee was constituted by the United Nations Human Right Council (UNHRC)
also the other two members of the committee are Kenneth R. Scott (US) and
Godfrey M. Musila (Kenya).
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Awards & Recognition

IIT-Kanpur professor Sanjay Mittal awarded 2015 GD Birla Award, This is the 25
Th edition of the honor.
Social entrepreneur Zubaida Bai bagged UN honour for Corporate Sustainability
Initiative.
17th International Indian Film Academy Awards was held in Spain:

Best Picture Award Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Best Direction Award Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Best Performance in a Leading role (Male) Award Ranveer Singh for Bajirao Mastani
Best Performance in a Leading Role (Female) Award Deepika Padukone for Piku
Best Performance in a Comic Role Award Deepak Dobriyal for Tanu Weds Manu Returns
Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been conferred with an Honorary Fellowship by
an Indian students wing in the UK for his contributions to world peace and culture.
Five Time Chess World Champion Viswanathan Anand has been conferred with the
Honorary Degree Doctor of Science by Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
Two Indians are Kartik Sawhney and Neha Swain have won the 2016 Queens Young
Leaders award for their exemplary work, the award will presented by Queen Elizabeth at
the Buckingham Palace.
Kerala Tourism bags four awards at FilmAT International Film Festival in Poland.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis mother Heeraben was presented with the Nari Jagran
Samman 2016 award by the Nari Jagran magazine in Varanasi.
Legendary Oscar winning musiccomposer A.R. Rahman was named the recipient of
the Fukuoka Prize-2016 of Japan for his outstanding contribution towards creating,
preserving and showcasing South Asian traditional fusion music.
Pope Francis awarded medals to American Hollywood actors Richard Gere and George
Clooney and actress Salma Hayek at an event held at the Vatican.
The CEAT Cricket Awards 2015-16 was presented in Mumbai.
The Award winners
International Cricketer of the Year Joe Root
International Batsman of the Year Joe Root
International Bowler of the Year R Ashwin
Test Cricketer of the Year Kane Williamson
ODI Cricketer of the Year Martin Guptill
T20 Player of the Year Virat Kohli
Indian Cricketer of the Year Rohit Sharma
Domestic Cricketer of the Year Shreyas Iyer
Young Player of the Year Rishabh Pant
Special Award Ajinkya Rahane.
Lifetime Achievement Award Dilip Vengsarkar.
Qatar based Doha Banks CEO Dr. R Seetharaman has been honoured with the 2016
Green Economy Visionary Award for his contribution in environment-friendly activities
and thereby promoting green economy for nearly two decades.
Tuticorin based V.O. Chidambaranar Port in Tamilnadu has bagged National Award for
Excellence in Cost Management for the year 2015 from The Institute of Cost Accountants
of India under the category of Public Service Sector- Small.
The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has been conferred with Amir Amanullah
Khan Award, which is the Afghanistans highest civilian honour.
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Eminent sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik of Odisha has won gold medal in peoples
choice prize at world championship festival in Bulgaria.
The International Olympic Committee has conferred the highest award of the Olympic
Movement Olympic Order to Indian Olympic Association president N. Ramachandran
for his outstanding services.
Distinguished Indian-origin professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya has been conferred
with the prestigious Regius Professorship in Manufacturing by Queen Elizabeth II for his
outstanding contribution in manufacturing.
Akhil Sharma wins 100,000 Dublin International literary award in English. He was
awarded for his novel named Family Life.
Tata Power Solar has bagged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in the
Channel Partner/EPC contractor category at the National Excellence Awards 2016 for
rooftop solar power projects.
Bollywood Star Priyanka Chopra has been nominated for 2016 Teen Choice Awards
for her debut stint as FBI trainee Alex Parrish role in American TV series Quantico in
the Choice TV Breakout Star category.
President Pranab Mukherjee was conferred with the highest civilian award of Ivory
Coast, the National Grand Crois(the National Order of the Republic of Ivory Coast),
The award was given during his two days visit to the West African nation.
Margaret Atwood has been awarded with Pen Pinter Prize for the year 2016 for her
contribution towards Political activism and speaks & act against violation of Human
Rights.
Guinness Book Recognizes the largest Karma Naach Dance by 3049 people in
MP.
Mangaluru based Karnataka Bank was awarded with the CFBP Jamnalal Bajaj Award for
Fair Business Practices under the category Service Enterprises Large in Mumbai.
Indian Diabetes specialist Shashank S Shah wins Vivian Fonseca Scholar Award 2016 at
the ADAs 76th Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Former Indian football team coach Syed Nayeemuddin to get Mohun Bagan Ratna
Kannada film Thithi wins best film award at Shanghai International Film
Festival in Shanghai. The film Thithi was directed by Raam Reddys and it is about 3
generations reacting to the death of the oldest in the clan.
Britains Foreign and Commonwealth Office has launched a new digital archive telling the
exciting stories of war heroes, including six Indians.
War Heros State
Risaldar Badlu Singh Punjab
Sepoy Chatta Singh Uttar Pradesh
Naik Darwan Singh Negi Uttarakhand
Rifleman Gabar Sing Negi Uttarakhand
Lance-Daffadar Gobind Singh Rajasthan
Lance Naik Lala Himachal Pradesh
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been honoured with Russias Order of Friendship
by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the honour was published on the Russian official
legal information site.
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Sports
Jamaican Sprinter Usain Bolt won the 100m in 9.88sec, the second-fastest time in the
world this year at the inaugural Jamaica National Racers Grand Prix at the National
Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.
Serbian Top seed Novak Djokovic became the first professional tennis player to earn
$100 million in prize money after he made his 10th French Open quarter-finals beating
14th seed Spain`s Roberto Bautista Agut.
Sri Lankan pace bowler Nuwan Kulasekara has announced retirement from
Test cricket after being a part of 21 Test matches.
Indian boxer Sonia Lather won the silver medal at the AIBA Womens World
Championships after she lost the womens 57 kg category in the Title clash
in Astana.
The Indian licensing body for professional boxers Indian Boxing Council (IBC) has
been officially granted affiliation by the Commonwealth Boxing Council (CBC).
Punjab hailed top Indian judoka Avtar Singh has qualified for the Rio Olympic
Games under 90kg weight category.
Indian Mens football team is captained by Sunil Chhetri have dropped a place in the
latest FIFA rankings with the Blue Tigers ending the month of May ranked 163 in the
rankings. The list is topped by Argentina.
French Open 2016 Overview
Category Winner Runner
Mens Singles Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Andy Murray(United Kingdom)
Womens
Garbine Muguruza (Spain) Serena Williams (United States)
Singles
Feliciano Lpez (Spain) / Marc Bob Bryan (United States ) / Mike
Mens doubles
Lpez (Spain) Bryan (United States)
Womens Caroline Garcia(France) / Kristina Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) / Elena
Doubles Mladenovic (France) Vesnina (Russia)
Martina Hingis(Switzerland)/ Sania Mirza (India) / Ivan Dodig
Mixed Doubles
Leander Paes (India) (Croatia)
The Seventh Edition of World Carrom Championship to be hosted by the United Kingdom
Carrom Federation at Birmingham from November this year.
Bangalore hailed Tennis star Rohan Bopanna officially secured a direct entry into the
mens doubles event of the Rio Olympic Games by returning to top-10 in the ATP
ranking Mens doubles chart.
Serena Williams to become the worlds highest-paid female athlete, according to
Forbes as she has overtaken Maria Sharapova as the worlds highest-paid woman. She
has earned $28.9m in prize money and endorsements over the past year dethroning
Russias Sharapova who held the top Position for 11 years.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced that the mens Hockey Junior
World Cup 2016 will be played in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.
Kerala hailed track and field athlete Tintu Luka bagged a silver medal in 800
metersmaking seasons best of 2:00.61 in the Josef Odlozil Memorial Athletics Meet in
Prague, Czech Republic.
Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova was banned for two years by the International
Tennis Federation.ii. The ban comes after the Russian tested positive at the Australian
Open 2016 for using the banned substance meldonium.
Forbes Magazine have released the top 100 highest-paid athletes for 2016. The list has
been topped by soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo comes as a fresh face at No 1 with
earnings of 88 million US dollars.
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The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has recognized the Paralympic Committee
of India (PCI) led by Rao Inderjit Singh as the president.
Australian Open Badminton:

Indian Badminton Star Saina Nehwal clinchd her second Australian Open title after she
notched up the win in final against Sun Yu of China at Australian Open Super Series badminton
tournament in Sydney.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) pronounced a reward of Rs. 10 lakh for Saina
Nehwal for winning the Australian Open Super Series.
Category Winner Runner
Mens Singles HansKristianVittinghus (Denmark) JeonHyeok-jin(South Korea)
Womens Singles : SainaNehwal (India) Sun Yu (China)
Markus Fernaldi Gideon
AnggaPratama / Ricky
Mens Doubles (Indonesia) and Kevin
KarandaSuwardi(Indonesia)
SanjayaSukamuljo (Indonesia)
BaoYixin (China) and Chen NityaKrishindaMaheswari /
Womens Doubles
Qingchen (China) GreysiaPolii(Indonesia)
Lu Kai (China) and Huang Yaqiong ZhengSiwei / Chen
Mixed Doubles
(China) Qingchen(China)
Lewis Hamilton wins Canadian GP after feisty fight with Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton dedicated the win his fifth in Canadian GP victory to the late Muhammad
Ali.
The USA Womens Senior National Team has won gold by defeating Spain at the FINA
Women Water Polo World League Super Final in Shanghai, China.
The sports governing body Association Mundial de Futsal (AMF) invited India to
participate in the Under 17 Futsal World Cup to be held next month. This is set to make
their maiden appearance for the side as a wild card the event.
India made complete 3-0 sweep over Zimbabwe ODI Series with the visitors dominant
in the all the departments over the hosts in all three games that held at Harare Club is
a cricket ground in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The Indian mens 4x400m relay team created a new national record,
clocking 3:02.17 that also break the 18-year-old record at the International Sprint
and Relay Teams Cup at Erzurum, Turkey.The record bound quartet, comprising of
Asian Games Bronze medalist Arokiya Rajiv, Mohd. Anas, A Darun and Mohd
Kunhu.
Navy Officer and Commodore Ashutosh Pednekar has become the first Indian in
history to participate and win international tournaments in the sport of racketlon at
the recently concluded competitions in Denmark and Belgium.
The Rio Olympics 2016 organising committee revealed the official slogan for the
firstOlympic and Paralympic Games in South America A new world while also unveiling
days from the start of the quadrennial extravaganza.
Indian mens hockey team is set to make a maiden appearance in the final of the
prestigious 36th Hero Champions Trophy Hockey tournament against daunting Australia
after hosts Great Britain held Belgium to 3-3 draw in a final round robin match.
106 year old Aida Gemanque also called extreme granny became the oldest Olympic
torch bearer when she carried the flame in the Amazonian city of Macapa.
Germanys Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg has won the 2016 European Grand Prix of
Formula One 2016 in Azerbaijan.
The Indian mixed recurve team of Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das has bagged silver
after conceding loss to South Korea 1-5 in the final inKonyaalti Beach Park at the
Archery World Cup in Antalya.
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Sri Lanka Pacer Shaminda Eranga has been suspended from bowling in international
cricket with immediate effect after his action found illegal in the test conducted at the
National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough, England.
In the ICC Rankings for ODI bowlers list West Indiesspinner Sunil Narine has returned
to his number-one position. The batsman list is topped by AB De Villiers of South Africa.
Britains Second Top seed Andy Murray defeated Milos Raonic of Canda by 6-7 (5/7), 6-
4, 6-3 managed to retain the Queens title and lift the trophy for a record fifth time.
Indian Cricket Administrator BCCI has suspended two senior Goa Cricket Association
officials Chetan Desai and Vinod Phadke for alleged misappropriation of over Rs 3
crore belonging to the organisation.
US Golfer Dustin Johnson clinched his maiden Major golf title US Open registering a
three-stroke victory in the 116th US Open in the fourth and final round at Oakmont
Country Club in Pennsylvania.
Arjuna Award Winner and Grand Master Harika Dronavalli won the best womens
player award in the Eurasian Blitz chess tournament in Kazakhstan.
India wrapped up a successful tour of Zimbabwe with a 2-1 T20 series win after posting
a 3-0 whitewash in the preceding ODI series to the same opponent.All the three T20
internationals have played at Harare Club, Harare.
Highlights:
Player of the Match: Kedar Jadhav
Player of the Series: Barinder Sran.
Five-time world champion Mary Kom has been denied by a wild card entry by
International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the upcoming Rio Games, after she had
failed to secure a berth through the qualification round in the past month.
Indian boxer Vikas Krishan (75kg) settled for a bronze medal in the International
Boxing Associations (AIBA) World Qualifying Tournament in Baku Azerbaijan.
However the Indian won 3-0 to make the semifinal and assured himself of an Olympic
quota berth.
Russian Hockey Player Artemi Panarin Wins NHL Calder Memorial Trophy
Odisha sprinter Dutee Chand has qualified for the womens 100 metres for the
Rio Olympics after she clocked 11.30 seconds beating the Olympic qualifying mark of
11.32 seconds in the womens 100m heats at a meet in Kazakhstan.
Indian shooter Jitu Rai has settled with a silver medal and Brazilian sport shooter Felipe
Almeida Wu of Brazil who clinched gold at the Mens 10m Air Pistol Event at the
ISSF World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.
India at Rio:
Making Indians qualifying for the Rio Olympics to three-digit figures for the first time, as
Four Indian athletes qualified for the Rio Olympics to be held in August this year.
The List of Qualifiers:
Qualifier Game Category
Atanu Das Archer mens individual recurve
Srabani Nanda Sprinter womens 200m
Mohammad Anas Sprinter mens 400m
Ankit Sharma Long Jump mens long jump
Indias sole athletics World Championship medal winner Anju Bobby George and chief
national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand have been enrolled as members of Khelo
India.
In Copa Amrica- 2016 tournament Chile has bagged Copa America Title formerly
known as the South American Football Championship In the final clash played at
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MetLife Stadium. In the Title Clash Chile defeated Argentina 4-2 through penalties
shootout.
Important Awards:
Golden Ball: Alexis Sanchez (Chile)
Golden Boot: Eduardo Vargas (Chile)
Golden Glove award: Claudio Bravo (Chile)
Fair Play Award: Argentina
Argentinas marque Football Player Lionel Messi announced his retirement from
international football after his side crashed to an upset defeat against Chile in the title
clash of the Copa America League.
The Argentina womens team has claimed a record seventh Champions Trophy title
with a 2-1 win over Netherlands the World and Olympic champions side in the title clash
at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London.
Ace Indian shooter Sanjeev Rajput bagged silver medal in mens 50-metre rifle 3
position event of the ISSF World Cup in Baku Ajerbaijan.
India finished with Silver Medal in the 36th edition of the Hockey Champions Trophy
after losing to Australia. As they won their 14th title after a penalty shoot-out at the Lee
Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London.
The apex body for hockey in India, announced a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh each for the
players and Head Coach Roelant Oltmans and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh for all other
coaches and support staff on the account of brilliant performance finish in the
tournament and winning a silver medal. With this reward the body
announced additional prize of Rs 1 Lakh for Harmanpreet Singh as he was
adjudged as the Best upcoming Junior Player of the Tournament.
Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight runs to win their maiden
Vivo-Indian Premier League title in the title clash held at Chinnaswamy Stadium in
Bangalore.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton took a superb victory in a Monaco Grand Prix to re-
ignite his title campaign as he has his first win of the season.
England Test captain Alastair Cook, who became the first English batsman to score
10,000 runs in his 128th Test.
Indian national team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu achieved a historic feat by
becoming the first Indian to feature in a top-tier league match in Europe, by turning out
for Norwegian side Stabaek FC.
Growth Projection:
India's GDP Rate (NCAER) --- 7.7 per cent in 2016-17.

Indias GDP growth likely to be 7.7% this fiscal: Citigroup
GDP growth likely at 7.4% this fiscal: HSBC
IMF has declared the India's growth is projected to notch up to 7.5% in 2016-17.
India To Clock 7.4% GDP Growth This Fiscal, Says Stanchart.
Fitch, the global rating agency has maintained India's growth forecast for India at 7.5
% for this fiscal (2015-2016) and also sees higher growth around 7.7 % and 7.9 %
over the next two financial years.
World Bank retains 7.6% growth rate for India in 2016-17
Indian GDP growth to pick up to 7.8 per cent in 2016-17: Nomura
India`s GDP growth will be 8 percent in 2016-17: CII
Finmin expects GDP growth to improve to 8 pc in 2016-17
The Reserve Bank had retained its growth projection for 2016-17 at 7.6 percent.
ADB cuts India's growth forecast for 2016-17 to 7.4%
ICRA foresees 7.7% growth for India in 2016-17
25 | P a g e
Environment
Australian rodent named the 1st mammal to go extinct due to human-caused
climate change.
National Aquarium in Baltimores announced its plan to create an Oceanside first
sanctuary for Bottle nose dolphins in North America after a long research.
Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has decided to implement Swachhta Mission
in 10 Wildlife Sanctuaries, Tiger reserves and National Parks and make visitors to use
Jute bag.
The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) in West Bengals Darjeeling
will get a two-year-old male snow leopard named Makalu from Dudley Zoological
Gardens (DZG) in Britain.
Scientists discovered that bone tools were used for hunting, and even as poison
arrow tips partly due to the slender and short nature of the arrow heads, in eastern
Africa over 13,000 years ago.
Obituary
Veteran Bollywood comedian Razak Khan has passed away after suffering a cardiac
arrest in Mumbai. He was 62-year-old.
Former Cricket Association of Bengal pitch curator Prabir Mukherjee has passed away
after a prolonged illness at Kolkata. He was 86.
Famous Tamil actor and director, Balu Anand has died due to a massive heart attack in
Coimbatore. He was 61 years old.
American Legendary professional boxer Muhammad Ali, considered as the greatest of
all time by many, passed away after a 32-year battle with Parkinsons disease. He
was 74 year old.
Legendary Indian body builder Manohar Aich Who is the first Indian to win the
Mr Universe title has passed due to age-related complications in Kolkata. He was 104.
Eminent Indian-origin teacher-turned journalist and administrator Santokh Singh Grewal
has passed away in Singapore. He was 57. He breathed his last after dinner time as he
watched the football match.
Veteran Marathi film actor Sulabha Deshpande has breathed her last at her Mumbai
residence after a prolonged illness. She was 79.
Well-known journalist KK Katyal passed away after a brief illness. He was 89 year old.
Veteran musician and Nepals national anthem composer Ambar Gurung has passed
away. He was 79 year old and was suffering from diabetes and Parkinsons disease.
Russian chess master Viktor Korchnoiregarded as one the greatest chess players, passed
away in, Switzerland. He was 85 year old.
Former minister, speaker and Kerala Congress (Secular) Party leader T S john has
breathed his last at a private hospital at Chertala in Alapuzha Kerala. He was 76 year
old.
BJP MLA Rajendra Dadu passed away in a road accident in Madhya Pradeshs Sehore
district on his way to Bhopal to attend the BJPs legislature party meeting. He died on
the spot. He was 53 year old.
Canadian hockey star Gordie Howe has passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 88
years old.
The former Chairman of Karnataka Bank MS Krishna Bhat has died in Mangaluru. He was
78.
Veteran journalist Inder Malhotra passed away in Delhi after a brief illness. He was 86.
Veteran Actor Achyut Lahkar has breathed his last at his resident, Pathsala in Barpeta
district of Assam. He was 85 years old.
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Former England captain and Derbyshire batsman, Donald Carr has passed away, at
the age of 89. Beside Donald Carr was also one of the most prominent administrators
of the post-war era.
Renowned Hindi novelist and critique Mudraraks has passed away after a
prolonged illness in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He was 82.
President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Anjan Dutta has died
following cardiac failure at AIIMS in New Delhi. He was 64 years old.
Eminent Television Actress Ann Morgan Guilbert has passed away after a long battle with
cancer at the age of 87.
Veteran Odia film actress Manimala Devi passed away after prolonged illness in at
Bhubaneswar, Odisha. She was 86 year old.
Erstwhile Maharashtra Director General of Police Suryakant Jog passed away in
Mumbai. He was 90 year old.
Well known politician turned educationist Jeppiaar passed away after he complained for
chest congestion in Chennai. He was 85-year-old.
Renowned telengana poet and lyricist Guda Anjaiah passes away
Former Lok Sabha and West Bengal Assembly member Neil OBrien has passed away in
Kolkata on 24 June 2016. He was 82 year old.
Noted Malayalam theatre artist Kavalam Narayana Panicker passes away
Naga Insurgent Leader Isak Chishi Swu passes away
Founder of Titan, Xerxes Sapur Desai has passed away.He was 79 year old.
Eminent film and television actor Suresh Chatwal has passed away after
prolonged illness in Mumbai.
Noted Kannada writer D Javare Gowda passes away
BJP leader and former MP Rudra Madhab Ray passes away
Books in the NEWS
The President Pranab Mukherjee received the first copy of a book The Education
President from Vice President, Mohammad Hamid Ansari at a function held at
Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal released book titled The World in 2050- Striving for a
More Just, Prosperous and Harmonious Global Community penned by Harinder S. Kohli.
The book titled A Life in Diplomacy was in news that was written by former Indian
diplomat Maharajakrishna Rasgotra.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released a book named The Birds of Banni
Grassland in New Delhi. The book, which was presented to the Prime Minister by the
Scientists of Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GUIDE).
A new book titled The Unseen Indira Gandhi authored by Dr KP Mathur was in the news
as this was released this month. The Book was published by Konark Publishers.
Important Days:
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Date Day Theme

June 1 World Milk Day -
The Global Day of Parents
June 4 The International Day of Innocent -
Children Victims of Aggression
June 5 World Environment Day Go Wild for Life (Zero Tolerance for
the Illegal Wildlife Trade).
June 8 World Oceans Day Healthy oceans, healthy planet
June World Day against Child Labour End child labour in supply chains
12 Its everyones business
June International Albinism -
13 Awareness Day
June World Blood Donor Day Blood connects us all
14
June World Elder Abuse Awareness -
15 Day
June International Day of Family -
16 Remittances
June World Day to Combat Inclusive cooperation for achieving
17 Desertification (WDCD). Land Degradation Neutrality
June International Day for -
19 the Elimination of Sexual
Violence in Conflict
June World Refugee Day --
20
June International Day of Yoga -
21 UN Public Service Day
June The International Widows Day -
23 International Olympic Day
June The Sea farer Day At Sea for All.
25
June International Day against Drug Listen First
26 Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
June UN International Day in support of -

26 Victims of Torture.

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Current Affairs Pocket PDF : July 2016
Current Affairs July Pocket PDF 2016
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu launched Nivaran portal for employees Grievances redressal in Rail Bhawan
in New Delhi.
President Pranab Mukherjee Inaugurates Smart Model Village Pilot Project in New Delhi for restructuring the
rural infrastructure and redefining the rural economy.
Punjabs deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal Flagged off an intense rural patrolling system, RRPRS
Rapid Rural Police Response System, in order to ensure the safety of the rural areas of Punjab, which comprises
of around 12,000 villages.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has launched its official internet speed test app
called MySpeed. TRAIs My Speed App is free and measures the download and upload speed of your internet
connection, for both Wi-Fi and Cellular connectivity
Ahead of the upcoming polls in Uttar Pradesh, Narendra Modi led NDA Government cleared the tracks for the
setting up seven regional airports in Uttar Pradesh. The government sets aside Rs 400 Crore for developing
airports.
Javadekar Inaugurates IIT Goa Temporary Campus HRD Minister inaugurates IIT Goa Campus.
India will host a crucial global summit 7th session of the Conference of the Parties(COP7) to the WHO
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) in November this year at the Indian Exposition
Mart in Noida.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off the Run for Rio also released the brochure of the Indian History at
Olympics so far at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi
Union government is set to host the Make in India Conference in the Odishas Capital Bhubaneswar in the
month of December this year. India received US$63 billion in FDI last year.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the first broad gage train service from Agartala to Delhi also laid
foundation stone for Agartala-Akhaura international rail Project. The new Broad gauge train named Tripura
Sundari Express will ply weekly between Agartala and New Delhi.
Madhubabu Pension Scheme extended to 50 lakh beneficiaries with the latest addition of 3 lakh people
Odisha Govt
The Union Cabinet has given its in essence approval to setting up of a major port at Enayam near Colachal in
South Tamilnadu. (Chennai port trust, Kamarajar port trust, V.O.C Chidambaram port trust)
Union government announced the formation of District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee
(DDCMC) to be named Disha.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the Mission Harita Andhra Pradesh, with
the theme green cover for a happy living to increase the green cover in the state to 50 per cent by the year 2029.
Cochin Chamber Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and IIT Madras backed Myeasydocs jointly launched the
Aadhaar-based e-certificate of origin to prove the actual origin of their products to the customers abroad. This is
the first of its kind.
American storage and data management company NetApp has signed a MoU with
Varanasi and Karnal Municipal Corporation to develop Smart City Developments.
The two-day long meeting also first meeting of BRICS Employment Working Group(BEWG) meet concluded
in Hyderabad.
Rajasthan State Government Labour Department has introduced a new system of introducing minimum
wages to the part time workers under the jurisdiction of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. As per this
notification, it is compulsory to pay 50 percent of a day minimum wage to a person who works less than four
hours a day.
1|Page
The Union Cabinet in its meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the chair approved the introduction of
a bill to rename High Courts named after cities they are located in, consequent to cities name being
changed. The High Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016 will facilitate the changing of the names of Bombay
High Court to Mumbai High Court and Madras High Court to Chennai High Court respectively.
Namami Gange A cleaning spree of the Holy river Ganga is set out to action in various states aiming to give a
major boost to Namami Gange Programme Worth: Rs.1500 Crore, 231 projects inaugurated at over
100 locations in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Haryana and Delhi.
Tourism Department of West Bengal plans to set up a tourist hub at Bhorer alo aka Gajoldoba. Total estimated
cost of the project is Rs.300 crore, of which Rs 200 crore would be spent to improve the infrastructure.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expanded his council of ministers, inducting 11 ministers,
including 10 new faces. With the new faces the state ministers has reached 41, two short of the maximum limit.
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh launched an online portal designed to monitor nearly
645 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) of Rs.300 crore across the country.
3rd Meeting of the Joint Committee at the Secretary Level under the India-Japan CEPA held in New Delhi.
Government of Himachal Pradesh, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and National Hydel Power
Corporation signed an MoU to establish first hydro engineering college in Bilaspur to boost regional
development.
Union government has sanctioned nearly Rs. 620 crores to Uttar Pradesh as assistance for the recent drought
situation in the state. The centre also set aside Rs. 80 crores for Rajasthan which was affected by hailstorm and
Rs. 15 crores to Manipur that was affected by earthquake.
Union government has exempted Strategic Forces Command upon providing information under Right to
Information Act -2005 without citing any reason for exempting.
Gujarats Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED) has selected the Ahmedabad-based e-commerce
major Infibeam as knowledge partner for its e-commerce training and development programme.
Suresh Prabhu in the presence of Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh laid the foundation stone of new
railway station at Yurembam in Manipur with an Outlay of Rs.90 Core
MoS I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore inaugurates European Union Film Festival in New Delhi
The new government of Kerala is planning to boost up the tax revenue this year by imposing a fat tax of 14.5
% on food such as burgers, pizzas, donuts, sandwiches and pasta, sold through branded restaurants.
Union government has constituted a cyber-cell to check the online abuse and harassment of women and children
on social media platforms.
Kerala Government today announced a Rs 12,000-crore rescue package for the state in view of the Gulf crisis
and recessionary trends in the state.\
Auto Ingress, Manufacturing Company of automatic sensor doors has set up its first assembly unit at Chennai
(Maraimalai Nagar) with an investment of about Rs 12 crore.
Maharashtra Police Launches Four Apps To Strengthen Public Security System. The four applications
Pratisaad Ask,
Police Mitra,
Vahanchoritakrar,
A Railway helpline app.
Indian Revenue Department has slapped anti-dumping duty of up to USD 168.76 per tonne on import of a
chemical used in textile industry from five countries, including China and Iran, to protect domestic
manufacturers.
The imports of the chemical from the five countries (China, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan) will attract
anti-dumping duty in the range of USD 83.08 per tonne to USD 168.76 per tonne.
Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda launched nationwide Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight
(IDCF), in New Delhi. This drive focuses to make ORS available in the household when needed at the time of
diarrhoea.
2|Page
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, has approved the disinvestment of
15% paid up equity of National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC) out of Government of
Indias 90% shareholding that will make Rs.1,706 crore approximately to the Government.
Cabinet approves the revised plan for Punatsangchhu-II Hydroelectric Project in Bhutan
Union Cabinet approves revitalization of inoperative Fertilizer Units in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
These three Fertilizer Units are as follows:-
COMPANY PLACE STATE
Fertilizer Corporation India Ltd FCIL Sindri Jharkhand
Hindusthan Fertilizers Corporation Ltd HFCL Barauni Bihar
Fertilizers Corporation India Ltd Gorakhpur Uttar Pradesh
These Three Fertilizer units are going to be revitalized with the help of SPV Special Purpose Vehicle
of the following Public Sector Units:-
National Thermal Power Corporation
Coal India Limited
Indian Oil Corporation
FCIL and HFCL
Central Cabinet nods for renaming the Rajendra Central Agricultural University to Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central
Agricultural University.
Union Cabinet Ministry approved the extension of facilities to people from Minority communities
of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians staying
on Long Term Visa (LTV) in India.
The central Cabinet has formed a supreme Committee to select the new chairperson for the Unique
Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
The Supreme Court of India restored the Congress-led Nabam Tuki government in Arunachal Pradesh spelled
out by the Centre in January.
Famous Mumbai Square is renamed after Jyotirmoy Dey, A Journalist who has been shot dead in this same
square in 2011. J Dey Chowk Newly named square was unveiled by the Mumbai Mayor Snehal Ambekar.
The Central Human Resource Development Ministry is now underwriting a scheme in order to assist IIT
Students to overcome their financial burden by providing them a Interest Free Loans. This will help those
students to pay their fees easily.
Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad, launched,
a new website Transforming India in New Delhi.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavislaunched the new facilities of virtual and digital classrooms in
32 ITIs across the state on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day.
The traditional annual Ramayana Month began in Kerala with temples and Hindu houses resonating with the
chanting of the epic Ramayana.
Pema Khandu was sworn in as the 10th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh marking the culmination of fast-
paced political developments in the State. In the sidelines Chowna Mein was sworn in as the Deputy Chief
Minister. The 37-year-old Pema who became the youngest Chief Minister in the country
Union Commerce Ministry has launched an e-marketplace for online purchase of goods and services by various
central government ministries and departments that will help aggregate demand also lead to lower prices, better
choices and faster procurement.
Indias first multi-city marathon The Great India Run was flagged off by Sports Minister Vijay Goel, Union
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and former World Championship bronze medallist Anju Bobby George
at the at the Amar Jawan Jyoti India Gate in New Delhi.
Karnataka joins Andhra and Telangana, to tap NRIs for start-ups
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a live interactive programme named TalkToAK, to make
directly engaging with the Delhiites.
3|Page
Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) to be 1st launched in AP and TELEGANA

With focus to curb greenhouse emissions Central Railway Ministry adopted the idea of installing solar panels in
all railway buildings across India.
Following the authorization by the voice note of Rajya Shaba, the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016
was passed by the parliament.
Lok Sabha passed the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2015, that seeks to check generation
of black money on July 27.The bill provides for confiscation of benami properties and assets held in the name
of another person or under a fictitious name to avoid taxation and conceal ill-gotten wealth.
Parliament has passed the much talked about Compensatory Afforestation Fund bill, 2016 that seeks for the
disbursement of nearly Rs 41,000 crore, reserved for forest land and lying unexpended for four years.
The Union Cabinet led by Shri Narendra Modi has afforded its approval for raising foreign shareholding limit
from 5% to 15% in Indian Stock Exchanges.
Union Cabinet chaired by the PM has approved the amendment in relevant clauses of the Central Agricultural
University Act (CAU), 1992. This amendment is proposed to include the State of Nagaland under the
jurisdiction of Central Agricultural University, Imphal.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the revised cost estimate
for Rs. 3727.30 crore for the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRIP).
Union Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to theBilateral Investment
Treaty (BIT) between India and Cambodia. The agreement is intended to promote and protect investments from
either country in other country that also increasing bilateral investment flows.
Union Cabinet has given nod for the establishment of a new AIIMS at Bhatinda in Punjab under the Pradhan
Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
The tax department inked seven one-sided advance pricing agreements (APAs) with taxpayers in the various
sectors of the Indian economy like banking, information technology and automotives in order to minimize
judicial proceedings by providing certainty in the domain of transfer pricing.
Indian Railway Ministry has originated an offer to introduce TRI-NETRA systems on locomotives in order to
enhance the vision of Locomotive Pilots in merciless weather conditions.
Election Commission of India has launched the SVEEP Portal in Hindi language along with two other
releases in the sidelines of the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers of States by the Chief Election
Commissioner Nasim Zaidi.
The Series of Launches
1. Sveep Portal in Hindi
2. Matdaata Mahotsav Document and Film
3. Nerp Handbook
Gujarat based Sardar Sarovar Dam at Kevadia in Narmada district have become operational that with six power
producing turbines at its full capacity after 65,000 cusec of water was released.
Child Labor law which emphasizes to permits children below 14 to work in family enterprises after school and
on holiday has been amended by the Rajya Sabha.
For the well being of the Indian Medical Industry, two important bills namely The Indian Medical Council
(Amendment) Bill, 2016 and the Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2016 were passed by the parliament. Health
Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda introduced both the bills in the Lower House of Parliament.
The newly amended bill aims at declaring ISM Dhanbad as an institute of national importance and to integrate it
with the IIT system and it would be called IIT (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad.
The union environment ministry revealed a shocking fact that almost all Indian glaciers, including Gangotri, are
melting at a rate of 5 to 20 meters per year owing to the worst global warming issues.The studies carried out
by ISRO, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIGH), Dehradun and other institutions have revealed that a
majority of the glaciers are retreating at varying rates from 5 meter to 20 meter per year.
New Delhi based Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) successfully commissioned the Teesta Low Dam
hydroelectric project stage-IV of third unit West Bengal.
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With the desire of introducing in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, the Union cabinet approved
the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2015.
PM Narendra Modi Cabinet has given approval for the establishment of a new All India Institutes of Medical
Sciences AIIMS at Gorakhpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana
(PMSSY).
The Union Cabinet chaired by Narendra Modi approved The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill
2016 . This Bill has evolved as a mechanism for the social, economic and educational empowerment of
transgender persons in India.
Giving a boost of modernizing port infrastructure Sagarmala programme, the Union Cabinet approved
incorporation of Sagarmala Development Co. (SDC) under the Companies Act, 2013.
The Sagarmala Project includes the following ports in India,
West Bengal Sagar Island
Tamil Nadu Colachel
Gujarat Wadhwan
Karnataka Tadadi
Andhra Pradesh Machilipatnam
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved setting up of a new dry dock within the
existing premises of Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval for the proposal of Election
Commission to procure Ballot Units.
Food Safety Regulator of India FSSAI announced draft guidelines for standards of instant noodles fortified atta,
fortified maida, durum wheat maida, quinoa, fortified rice, tapioca sago or palm sago and pearl millet flour.
Under the Operation Muskan Railway Police from Mumbai city has traced 4,804 missing children and
reunited 4,386 of them with their family.
West Bengal government to set up a cyber-security centre to address the mounding threat of cyber-crimes
across the state.
New High Museum to come up at Rastrpati Bahvan in New Delhi, The project is expected to be completed in
two years.The Arts center will represent the story of the planning and construction of Rashtrapati Bhavan, is
expected to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina on Thursday
jointly inaugurated the Petrapole Integrated Check Post (ICP) through video-conferencing. Chief Minister of
West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee also participated from Kolkata in the video-conference.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the National Electoral Roll Purification (NERP)-2016
programme across the country to correct errors in electoral rolls and enrolment of all eligible citizens, among
other things.
New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has signed an agreement with National Environmental Engineering
Research Institute (NEERI) to develop 12 sewage treatment plants (STP) in order to develop and restructure the
green area big and small parks.
Lok Sabha passed the National Institute of Technology, Science, Education and Research (Amendment)
(NITSER) Bill, 2016 to establish a National Institute of Technology in Andhra Pradesh With an estimate of 226
crores.
Odisha government set up a one-member judicial commission to make reforms in the management of the Lord
Jagannath temple in Puri. Former High Court Justice Bimal Prasad Das will be the head of the commission.
The Antonov An-32 Airforce Plane disappeared after the plane has lost Radar Signal, on the way to the
Andaman Nicobars Port Blair over Bay of Bengal.
Haryana has announced ban on 15 year old petrol vehicles and 10 year old diesel vehiclesto curb air pollution
from plying in NCR Region. The Ban will is effective in the National Capital Region that consist of
(NCR): Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonepat, and Jhajjar.
In order to give a boost to the Startup India initiative, A Startup India States Conference is being held in New
Delhi on July 22, 2016.
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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat decided to install the statue of Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar in the
lawns of Haridwars Mela Bhawan on the bank of the Ganga.
Kerala CM Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan launched the Indias first ever water Metro project in the city of Kochi. This
water metro project is a part of the ongoing Kochi Metro Rail Limited.
Newly Renamed Divyangjan (Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities) organised a
Motorcycle Rally named Ride 4 Accessibility was hit the road in Delhi.The Rally was flagged off by Prakash
Javadekar Union Minister- Human Resource Development and Science & Technology Minister Dr. Harsh
Vardhan.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a pilot project of e-complaint system on an trail
basis in the concluding ceremony of 14th Maharashtra Police Duty Meet at SRPF ground at Ramtekdi Pune.
Lok Sabha amended a bill providing for opening six new IITs, Under the Institutes of Technology
(Amendment) Bill 2016 on July 26. This bill enables the setting up of Indian Institute of Technology in
Palakkad, Goa, Dharward, Bhilai.,Jammu and Tirupati.
This new bill also seeks to bring the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, within the ambit of this Act.
The Karnataka government has set up a dedicated Start-up Cell to fuel the implementation of the initiatives
under the Start up policy.
Indian Agriculture Ministry and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) jointly inaugurated
the second phase of the Feed the Future -India triangular training programme in New Delhi.
Rajasthan state government aiming to raise the farmers income by double within six years, i.e by 2022.
The Union government issued notification for the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission
recommendations related to the hike a month after the union cabinet gave its nod for the same. The move will
benefit 4.8 million central government employees and 5.2 million pensioners will get the increased by 2.57
times hike in basic pay payout from their August salaries.
On commemorating the first death anniversary of the former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the Ministry of
Defence has unveiled a life-size statue of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at his burial site in Peikarumbu, Rameswaram
Island.
In order to remember APJ forever in our minds and hearts and his thoughts continue to be with us all the
time Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar Inaugurated the bronze statue
of APJ Abdul Kalam.
Lok Sabha passed the Lokpal and Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2016 which allows extension of the time given
to public servants, trustees and board members of NGOs receiving government funds of more than Rs. 1 crore
or foreign funding of more than Rs 10 lakh to declare their assets and those of their spouses.
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016 passed by the Lok Shaba for the
absolute prohibition of employment of children below the age of 14 but allowing minors to work in family
enterprises.
Central government has approved construction of over 2.4 lakh houses for the poor under the Pradhan Mantri
Awas Yojana (Urban) at an estimated cost of Rs 16,600 crore.
The Central Government has decided to distribute eight lakh newer varieties of seed of pulses free of cost to the
farmers by the end of this financial year in order to enhance the production of pulses.
i. According to Minister of State for Agriculture, S.S Ahluwalia Rs.20 crore have been approved for 12 ICAR
institutes and State Agricultural Universities for this purpose.
ii. 534 Krishi Vigyan Kendras has been allotted with 31 thousand hectares of cluster frontline demonstrations of
pulses for 2016-17.
iii. An incentive of 25 rupees per kg is being provided for pulses seed production.
The Odisha governments approved three projects after the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority
(SLSWCA).These three projects with an investment of Rs 874 croreand employment potential of 630 persons.
1. P & A Bottlers Limited Rs 102 crore
2. Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited Rs 500 crore.
3. Bharat Petroleum Limited Common User Facility CentreRs 272 crore.
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Union government has approved a sum of Rs. 1601 crore for the skill development initiative named Himayat
Programme.
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh announced that centre is mulling to set
up National Research Centre for Banana would at Goraul in Bihars Vaishali district.
2nd unit of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant achieves criticality- Nuclear Power Corporation of India
Chairman and Managing Director S K Sharma announced.
PLACES IN NEWS
Mumbais Jawaharlal Nehru Port becomes the first port in the country to implement logistics data
tagging of containers. This is the first of its kind facility.
Newly formed LDF led Kerala government has decided to ban Electronic-Cigarettes alias e-
cigarette in the state keeping the studies in mind that claiming that its use can cause various health
issues, including cancer and heart ailments.
This is the only time in the entire year that the devotees will see Lord Jagannath leaving the Puri
Jagannath temple with his brother Balram and sister Subhadra. Devotees from all over gather in Puri,
Odisha for the annual Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) Okayed a plan to set up a thermal power plant
at Ghatampur in the state of Uttar Pradesh. This plant is able to generate 1,980 mw thermal energy and
this project is figured to cost Rs 17,238 crore.
Union Railway Minister Flagged off Indias First ever Green Rail Corridor between Rameshwaram
Manamadurai in TN. The nations first Green Rail Corridor, a 114-km long Rameswaram-
Manamadurai extent in Tamil Nadu was inaugurated by Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu.
India in partnership with Nigerian government is planning to set up an apparel training centre in
Nigeria to support textiles industry of the West African country. This is a first of its kind centre in
Nigeria.
The maiden direct bus service between Pokhara (Nepal) and New Delhi (India) was launched
following the signing of a Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) during Prime Minister Narendra
Modis visit to Nepal in 2014.
Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan has launched SV.CO, ostensibly worlds firstdigital student
incubator, as a digital makeover of theStartup Village in Kochi.
As a First of its Kind move in India, Uttarakhand Government is going to set up an Industrial
Park completely and exclusively dedicated to the Women entrepreneurs.
Indias first Commercial Court and Commercial Disputes Resolution Centre inaugurated in
Chattisgarh
Worlds largest charkha by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)
unveiled at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker BBL Butail today said that a National E-Vidhan Academy will
be set up in Tapovan in Dharamsala, where Himachal Pradesh is situated.
As part of Swachh Bharat Mission to clean and sanitize the entire country, the Ministry has
identified 10 such iconic places to start cleanliness drive as part of the pilot project under this mission.
These 10 places includes Taj Mahal, Vaishno Devi temple and Ajmer Sharif.
PLACE STATE
Vaishno Devi temple Jammu and Kashmir
Taj Mahal Uttar Pradesh
Tirupathi temple Andhra Pradesh
Golden Temple Punjab
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Ajmer Sharif Rajasthan

Jagannath Temple Orissa
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Maharashtra
Manikarnika Ghat Uttar Pradesh
Meenakshi Temple Tamilnadu
Kamakhya Temple Assam
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh to set up the first-ever modern and exclusive seed
processing unit in Jammu and Kashmir will be set up at Kathua.
The Union government has set to extend support to the countrys first smart grid project to be set up at
Gurgaon in Haryana under UDAY, The state has been a performing state under the debt restructuring
programme for state-owned power distribution companies.
Madhya Pradesh is all set to become the first state to set up Happiness Department, with Chief
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan saying it will work to ensure happiness in the lives of common people
on the lines of Bhutan.
.Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones of an All India Medical Institute of Medical
Sciences (AIIMS) and a fertiliser plant in Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for an MSME
technology centre under a World Bank-funded programme at Visakapatinam.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launched the State governments
prestigious Smart Pulse socio-economic survey at his residence in Undavalli, Guntur district on
Friday. This survey is flagged off to collect socio-economic data of 1.48 crore households in the state.
International Solar Alliance Cell and World Bank Signed Declaration for Promoting Solar Energy.
Indian-American Girl Sruthi Palaniappan Becomes Youngest Delegate At Democratic National Convention
which is a symposium of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United
States Democratic Party.
The Two-Day long 3rd India Education Fair has kicked off in Dhaka that is staged participants with over 35
premier Indian educational institutions including schools, colleges, and technical institutes adeshi youths.
Prime Minister signed $1 billion deal with United States for Four Poseidon- 8I Long range Surveillance and
antisubmarine warfare aircraft. The Four Poseidon aircraft built with radars and weapons will be joined with the
first eight such aircraft introduced by the Navy in 2013-15 under a $2.1 billion deal.
India became the destination of largest number of stunted malnutrition to 48 million children in world in
terms of volume of the living population. This pathetic face is revealed by the international charity organization
called Water Aid. India ranks at first position followed by Nigeria, Pakistan and China in the hall of shame list
The Two Week long Indo-Thailand Military Exercise Maitree2016 is came to end at Krabi, Thailand. The
exercise had commenced on 15 July 2016.
State owned Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) has supplied 60 broad gauge passenger
coaches (LHB type) to Bangladesh Railway (BR) upon a contract agreement of 120 coaches.
Worlds largest international Biennial maritime exercise named RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) 2016 kicked off
in Pacific Ocean at Hawaii, United States.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau created history by marching with tens of thousands of people in
Torontos Gay Pride parade, becoming the nations first sitting prime minister to participate.
In order to revive the Indias jet engine project France has decided to invest 1 Billion Euros. This project aims
at installing Kaveri Indigenous gas turbines powering Tejas Fighters by 2020.
The maiden meeting of BRICS Working Group meeting on Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency held
in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was apprised of a joint issue of postage
stamps between Department of India Posts and Portugal Post. Department of Posts and Portugal Post will issue
joint postage stamps on the theme of folk dances (Dandiya of Gujarat)
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Indias biggest gas importer Petronet LNG Ltd is planning to set up Rs 5000 crore LNG import terminal at
Kutubdia islands in Bangladesh.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the controversial anti-terrorist legislation adopted by the lower and
upper houses of parliament in late June, despite the flurry of criticism from opposition-minded circles and the
serious concerns expressed by Russian telecom and internet companies in Russia.
China has successfully completed Asias longest 16-km single tunnel that has double tracks for high-speed
trains in northwest Shaanxi province of the country.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, held a bilateral meeting with Sajid Javid,
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, UK, in New Delhi.
India is the partner country for INNOPROM 2016, one of the largest annual international industrial trade fairs
of Russia. Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will led a delegation which comprises of
over 110 Indian companies. The 4-day fair started in Ekaterinburg. Russia is the first country to have agreed to
invest under the Make in India umbrella in two key strategic sectors nuclear and defence.
A legislation, has been introduced to reform H-1B and L-1 Visa in the House of Representatives by a bipartisan
group of US lawmakers. The bill, if passed, will have huge effect on Indian firms.
The tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague (Netherland) refused Chinas claims to historic
and economic rights in the South China Sea as the country have no legal basis, and hinders Chinas efforts to
establish its control by force.
VK Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs left for South Sudan leading the governments Operation
Sankat Mochan to evacuate over 600 Indians stranded in the war-trapped African country.
After confirming that 102 people have been infected with the virus, Peru has officially declared a Zika health
emergency across the northern half of their country.
As a significant marking in Public Health Protection, India has been declared as YAWS FREE country by
the World Health Organization (WHO). It is stated that India is the First ever country to become free from
YAWS and declared it free from Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNTE).
The 5th Century ancient seat of learning, Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) has been declared as a
Heritage Site by UNESCO finally. This will be 33rd site to get this tag. This would be the second UNESCO
heritage site in Bihar after Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya.
Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari has unveiled a stone statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Pethub Monastery in the
Ulaanbaatar that is seen as symbol of India-Mongolia cultural and spiritual ties.by Indian Vice President
Krishan Kant.
Four Indian women motorcyclists are campaigning against female foeticide and raising awareness by taking a
trip around Asia covering 10 nations and over 10,000km in about 40 days. Psychologist Sarika Mehta, headed
the team.
The Lifeline Express, the worlds first hospital on a train, aka the Magic Train of India, today celebrates 25
years of service.
For the first time World Heritage Committee (WHC)announced the adding of three new Indian heritage sites of
Historical importance to the World Heritage List by the WHC A separate wing governed by UNESCO on in a
single session. During the 40th session of the WHC, this committee has come up with new added listings as
follows:-
1. Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP), Sikkim
2. Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) Bihar
3. The Capitol Complex, Chandigarh.
The United Nations cultural agency UNESCO has named musician Kudsi Erguner, as an Artist for Peace in
recognition of his efforts to promote the universal values of music, his contribution to the protection of musical
heritage.
UNESCO listed Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusiers work among its World Heritage Sites. His works include
the Indian city of Chandigarh which he planned in the 1950s.
Sheikh Hasina led Bangladesh Cabinet has approved Indias proposal to simplify the extradition process.
This extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India took effect on October 23, 2013.
Liberal Party Leader Malcolm Turnbull elected as the Prime Minister of the Australias jumbo cabinet for the
second term.
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A Canadian university is going to conduct the worlds first Zika vaccine test on humans as health authorities
scramble to counter the explosively spreading virus.
Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov has broken the record for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth in a
hot air balloon in just over 11 days, landing safely in West Australias Wheat belt.
In order to sort out problems at border, a three-day meeting between Border Guard=Bangladesh (BGB) and
Border Security Force (BSF) of India is started in Agartala, the capital city of Tripura.
India and Mexico are drafting out a new path in bilateral trade and investment ties with a focus on areas like
Renewable Energy, Telecom and Medical Devices. This decision was taken by the bilateral High Level Group
(HLG) on Trade, Investment and Economic Cooperation at the recent meeting in Mexico.
Being a front runner among the peace keeping nations, India has contributed US $100,000 (RS 67,14,945) to a
trust fund set up for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers and by doing so, India is the first
country to make a contribution to the fund.
A Yazidi temple is under construction in Armenian village, is set to bet the world largest Yazidi Temple is
expected to be completed next year.
Sixteen statues of Thiruvalluvar, the author of Thirukkural, will be installed across Sri Lanka.
Brazil is free of measles after no new cases of the disease the World Health Organisation announced. The WHO
is set to issue a certification for the same.
US presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wins Democratic nomination for US President; Clinton makes history
as the first woman to become presidential nominee of a major US political party.
FOREIGN VISITS
PM Narendra Modi visited Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya highlights
Visit to Mozambique
3 agreements were inked and three announcements were made including gifting 100 ton medicines and medical
equipment
India has handed over 30 SUVs to Mozambique
He attended the Indian community reception in Maputo.
India, Mozambique agreed to cooperate to meet strategic, security challenges.
Under long-term agreement India will buy pulses from this African nation to meet its recurring shortfall and contain
prices of this commodity.
Visit to South Africa
MoU on Information and Communication technology (ICT).
Signed Programme of Cooperation in Arts and Culture.
MoU on Tourism. Country Capital President
MoU on Grass root innovation (Science and Technology) Mozambique Maputo Filipe Nyusi
South Africa Pretoria, Jacob Zuma
Visit to Tanzania Tanzania Dodoma John
He meets members of Indian diaspora in Dar es Salaam
Kenya Nairobi Uhuru
Modi inspected the Guard of Honour at the Ceremonial Reception in
Dar es Salaam
Visit to Kenya
India-Kenya signed 7 agreements
Modi received Guard of Honour during Ceremonial Reception at State House in Nairobi
Modi laid wreath at the Mausoleum of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, First President of Kenya in Nairobi
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will pay a weeklong visit to Unites States to at
attracting billions of dollars in Foreign Direct Investment. This is his maiden visit to the US in his capacity as Union
Minister. The visit aimed at consolidation and expanding Indias relations with the US by improving bilateral
cooperation in infrastructure sector.
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SUMMITS &CONFERENCES
Vadodara in Gujarat to host World Electrical Buyers Summit named as SWITCH which is a two-day meet
of State Power Ministers under the leadership of Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal.
The BRICS Policy Planning Dialogue concluded in Patna, Bihar ahead of the eighth BRICS Summit to be held
in Goa. The Goa Summit will be chaired by India.
The second Edition of BRICS Youth Summit concluded in Guwahati of Assam State that focused on enhancing
people-to-people contacts of BRICS member states viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
NATOs Summit in Warsaw concluded following two days of decisions to strengthen the Alliances deterrence
and defence, and plans to project stability in the wider neighbourhood.American President Barack
Obama announces stationing of forces to bolster eastern flank of Nato, one of four new battalions, at Warsaw
meeting.
The 11thedition of Asia-Europe Meeting Summit (ASEM11) or ASEM2016 began with World leaders
including from the leaders of 51 member countries and the representatives of European Union and Asian held in
Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Indian delegation is led by Vice President Mohmmad Hamid Ansari .
A 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations Finance Ministers meet have begun in
the Laotian capital of Vientiane.
Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurates the second anti-drug Working Group meeting of Heads of
Drug Control Agencies of BRICS countries in New Delhi. The meeting is being organized by the Narcotics
Control Bureau (NCB).
In the annual meet of the New Development Banks board of directors held in Shanghai, financing needs of the
five BRICS countries used for Infrastructure was the at stage as the key matter.
RANKING &REPORTS
The Market Research Division of Ministry of Tourism has released report on Domestic and foreign Tourist
visits to States and Union Territories for the year 2015.
Trend in Domestic tourist visits
In 2015, number of domestic tourist visits: 1432.0 million
In 2014, number of domestic tourist visits: 1282.8 million
% growth in 2015 compared to 2014: 11.63%
Top 5 states in terms of number of domestic tourist Visits during 2015
S. No States Domestic visiters (in mn)
1 Tamilnadu 333.5
2 Uttar Pradesh 204.9
3 Andhra Pradesh 121.6
4 Karnataka 119.9
5 Maharashtra 103.4
Trend in Foreign tourist visits
In 2015, number of foreign tourist visits: 23.3 million
In 2014, number of foreign tourist visits: 22.3 million
% growth in 2015 compared to 2014: 4.4%
Top 5 states in terms of number of foreign tourist Visits during
S.No States Foreign tourist visitors
2015
(mns)
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) a New
1 Tamilnadu 4.68
Delhi-based research and advocacy organization, has
2 Maharashtra 4.41
released the 10 cleanest cities of the country in a survey
3 Uttar Pradesh 3.1
conducted by this organization.
4 Delhi 2.8
The top 5 places go to the following cities,
5 West Bengal 1.49
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1. Alappuzha, Kerala.
2. Panaji, Goa
3. Mysuru, Karnataka.
4. Boobli, Andhra Pradesh
5. Aizawl, Mizoram.
India slips to third place on business optimism index: Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR).
India has played the important role on The efficiency of customs and Border management clearance and
improved the ranking to 35th position in World Banks Logistics Performance Index
India listed down to 75th place in terms of money held by its citizens with banks in Switzerland, while the list is
topped by UK as per the latest annual update released by Switzerlands central bank SNB (Swiss National
Bank).
Steeping down into the bottom of the table, India ranked 91among the rest of the countries in terms of their
readiness for transition to a digitised economy and society. The list is topped by Singapore. This readiness index
has been released by the World Economic Forum (Headquarter Geneva, Switzerland)
Indian companies rank among the best in the Asia Pacific region for corporate transparency, trust, and access to
top executives, according to new research released today by Institutional Investor. In India, the most honoured
companies in Institutional Investors All-Asia Executive Team rankings 2016 are
1. Motherson sumi Systems (Autos and Auto Parts),
2. Maruthi Suzuki India (Autos and Auto Parts),
3. HDFC Bank (Banks)
4. Indusind Bank (Banks),
5. Kotak Mahindra Bank (Banks),
6. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (Health Care and Pharmaceuticals)
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that Indias Air passenger market in India grew at
the fastest pace in the world in 2015 and India topped the domestic air passenger growth rankings. With annual
growth of 18.8% (in a market of 80 million domestic passengers), Indias performance surpassed that of Russia
(11.9% growth, in a market of 47 million domestic passengers).The number of domestic fliers in India stood at
80 million, compared to Russias 47 million, Chinas 394 million and the USs 708 million.
o The top five airlines ranked by total scheduled passengers carried (domestic and international) were:
1 American Airlines 146.5 million
2 Southwest Airlines 144.6 millions
3 Delta Airlines 138.8 millions
4 China souther Airlines 19.3 millions
5 Ryanair 101.4 millions
The top five international/regional passenger airport-pairs within the Asia-Pacific region were
1 Hong Kong-Taipei 5.1 million
2 Jakarta-Singapore 3.4 million
3 Bangkok Suvarnabhumi 3 million
Hong Kong
4 Kuala LumpurSingapore 2.7 million
5 Hong Kong-Singapore 2.7 million
India ranks second on the global list of shark fishing nations as fishing of the species in the country has
progressed from being incidental to targeted fishing. The list is topped by Indonesia.
FORTUNE 500 2016: 7 Indian Companies among the 500 International Entries
Famous Business Magazine Fortune has released the top 500 lisitngs of the world biggest companies for the
year 2016.
The Fortune list for 2016 was released on July 21. The top runners of this listing are as follows,
1. Wal-Mart with revenue of $482,130
2. Exxon with revenue of Mobil$246,204
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3. Apple with revenue of $233,715

4. Berkshire Hathaway with revenue of $210,821
5. McKesson with revenue of $181,241
Indian companies among the listings:-
Indian Oil Corp is ranked highest at 161st among Indian firms, at the same time another state-run firm ONGC has
moved out of the rankings for 2016. This time we have a new entry of famous Private gems and jewellery major Rajesh
Exports at 423rd position.
IISc top Indian institute in 2016 BRICS rankings:
According to the higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds, Bengaluru based IISC secured Sixth Rank.
Also the institute is the Indias top representative in the BRICS ranking list.
Top Indian universities
Rank Universities
6 Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
13 IIT, Bombay
15 IIT, Delhi
19 IIT, Madras
22 IIT, Kanpur
India ranks 110 on the Sustainable Development Goal Index of the United Nations has released the ranking of
149 nations assessed on where they stand with regard to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The list
is topped by Sweden.
The Council of Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR) has moved two places ahead to take 12th best government
institution in the world. However in the overall list the Institute ranked 99. The list is topped by Frances
National Centre for Scientific Research and Chinese Academy of Science, China follows it.
India ranks fifth position in the exports of Fake goods globally, while china is No.1 in the list with a huge 63 %
share in the estimated half-a-trillion dollar worldwide imports of forged and pirated goods. Listed by: OECD
(Organisation Economic Cooperation and Development) and the European Unions Intellectual Property Office
Ranking of Countries affected by global Trade in fake foods
1. US
2. Italy
3. France
4. Switzerland
5. Japan
ASSOCHAM Reported that Indian e-commerce sector growth triples in five years
The Indian E Commerce sector tripled or grew by 209% past 5 years. From $4.4 billion in 2010 to $13.6 billion
in 2014.
Tamil Nadu and UP tops the list in Urban and Rural Internet Connectivity Index list respectively. It is found
that Tamil Nadu tops the report with around 21 million urban internet subscribers, which is about 9% of the
total 231 million urban internet subscriber of India.
Urban Internet Subscribers List:-
. The top five list as on March 2016 as follows:-
State No. of users in Million
Tamil Nadu 21
Maharashtra 19.7
Delhi 19.6
Karnataka 17
UP 12
Rural Internet Connectivity:-
The top lists of the rural internet connectivity are:-
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Andhra Pradesh with 9 million users.

Maharashtra with 9.7 million users.
UP with 11.2 million users.
NASSCOM ranks TCS Top Employer in IT Industry
The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) has released the annual rankings of
top IT-BPM (business process management) employers in the country for 2016. According to this report, IT
major TCS grabs the top spot with 362, 079 employees followed by Infosys.
BANKING& FINANCE
State Bank of India has signed agreements with the World Bank for $625 million to support grid connected
rooftop solar programme in the Country
Reliance Industries Limited went into partnership with banking major State Bank of India have signed the
shareholder for the payment Bank. Upon this Agreement that was signed by RIL as promoter with a 70 per cent
equity contribution and SBI as joint venture with a 30 per cent equity contribution.
Axis Bank has signed an agreement with Life Insurance Corporation to distribute policies of the countrys
largest life insurer. This is the largest bancassurance partnership after the IRDAI allowed banks to sell policies
of more than one company.
The Income Tax Department has unearthed undisclosed income of Rs 43,000 crore from investigations during
the past two fiscal years according to the Union Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia.
Japanese electric and electronic manufacturing company OKI, completed the installations of 600 sets of cash
recycling ATMs of ATM-Recycler G7 kind to the State Bank of India. This is the second large deployment of
the cash recycling ATM in India.
Reserve Bank of India has imposed a whooping penalty of 27 crores on 13 private and public sectors banks
including PNB and Bank of Baroda following a major crackdown of FEMA regulations and KYC lapses.
Union Cabinet has approved $318 million loan for Sri Lanka Railways to upgrade the countrys rail
communications system and rolling stock.
State Bank of India has donated Rs 1.15 crore for ophthalmic equipment for non-paying patients and surgery
instrument for an operation theatre to L V Prasad Eye Institute. According to SBI Chairman Arundhati
Bhattacharya, the bank spends 1 per cent of its net profit towards corporate social responsibility(CSR) activities
every year
Indias Central Bank Reserve Bank of India mulling to set up a committee to study the use of Blockchain
technology. It will be used to reduce the use of paper currency. The Technology is made by distributed
database that maintains a continuously-growing list of data records secured against tampering and revision.
Countrys largest lender State bank of India launched a social media banking platform for Facebook and Twitter
users, called SBI Mingle to help the customers with a host of banking services on their social media accounts,
at their own convenience.
Indias Largest Bank State Bank of Indias subsidiary arm SBI Card has launched a premium credit card by the
name ELITE with host of facilities targeting high networth customers.
HDFC bank launched a full-fledged digital banking service for small and medium enterprises (SME). This will
help the customers to utilize a complete set of services on their choice at anytime and at anywhere in India.
In order to boost the fast growing Indian economy several schemes have been introduced by the Central
Government. One among that is the extension of 3% interest subvention on crop loans. As per this scheme, now
Farmers can avail loan up to 3 lakh rupees at 4 % rate of interest. The interest subvention rate has slashed from
5% to 3% up to one year for loan amount upto 3lakh rupees.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved
increased limits in foreign investment in Axis Bank from 62% to 74% of the total paid up share capital of the
Axis Bank on a fully commodity basis.
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Reserve Bank of India (RBI), sanctioned a semi closed wallet license to Yeldi Softcom. A semi-closed wallet is
a payment instrument that is accepted by a predefined set of merchants that have been contracted specifically by
the issuer of the semi-closed wallet.
Indias first insurance policy covering public liability to an atomic power plant operator has been issued to
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited(NPCIL). The total premium of such policy is Rs 100 crore for a
risk cover of Rs 1,500 crore.
SIDBI(Small Industries Development Bank of India) entered into a partnership with YES Bank to
guarantee 75% of loans of up to Rs 15 crore extended to energy efficiency projects under the World Bank
initiative.
ICICI Securities has topped the Initial Public Offering (IPO) league table in the first half of 2016. ICICI
Securities is ICICI Banks investment banking arm. According to data provided by Bloomberg, ICICI Securities
has managed five IPOs to help rise around Rs 1,216 crore for companies getting listed. The overall equity
league table for the first half of 2016 is topped by US-based Citibank, which has handled a total of six deals
worth nearly Rs 7,000 crore.
To facilitate orderly trading in sovereign gold bonds, top stock exchange NSE has introduced online bid
collection facility for such issuances.
A USD 290-million credit agreement signed by Centre, Bihar government and World Bank to help improve
livelihood opportunities for poor rural households across 300 blocks and 32 districts of the eastern state.
Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Ltd is planning to raise about Rs.3,000 crore by issuing the
first unrated Synthetic Indian Rupee (INR) Notes to overseas investors. It is the first Indian public issuer of the
Synthetic INR Notes. Our countrys largest private sector mortgage lender HDFC, plans to raise Rs 3,000 crore
through these synthetic bonds. These bonds will bear a fixed coupon and will have a incumbency period of 3
years and 1 month.
The New Development Bank (NDB) of the BRICS countries is set to issue green bonds in Chinese yuan to raise
funds for clean energy and infrastructure projects. The bank plans to issue 3 billion yuan worth of five-year
bonds denominated in Chinese currency on July 18 also bond proceeds will be used to finance green projects in
BRICS Nations.
Paperless SIP (systematic investment plans) which allows mutual fund investors to make transactions through
various modes of payments has been unveiled by the leading Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
On a first of its kind of move, IDFC Bank Ltd is going to acquire a Tamil Nadu based microfinance institution
(MFI) called Grama Vidiyal, A small unit financing scheme in rural villages of Tamil Nadu.This Acquisition
offers the bank access to 1.2 million households apart from adding 319 points of presence in seven states
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Puducherry, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
State Bank of India (SBI), one of the leading public sector banks in India has signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
(SINE), (IIT) Bombays technology business incubator, in order to promote the innovation by startups in the
financial sector.
Guragon based Indias fastest developing air carrierVISTARA ties up with AXIS bank to release a
contactless Vistara credit card using the VISA platform.
In order to fortify and develop the important Irrigation and Drainage management system in the Cauvery Delta
of Tamil nadu, GOI AND ADB has signed a pact on July 14 which estimates around $100 million (670 Crores
approx.). This system is going to revitalize the mounds and hills of the six major Irrigation systems in the
Vennar system and also to renovate the existing Pumping stations. The loan from ADBs ordinary capital
resources has a 25-year term.
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDB has chosen eight venture funds to invest in start-ups as
defined under the Start-up India Action Plan and will support them with a corpus amount of Rs 428 crore.
Mumbai based Indian new generation lender IndusInd Bank has opened its IFSC Banking Unit (IBU) at the
Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) to meet the requirements of offshore banking. It became the
sixth bank to open an IBU at GIFT.
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Dewan Housing Finance has launched a short-term Corporate Deposit Scheme, which offers interest rates
ranging from 7.55 % to 8.40 %, depending on the tenure.
A former Google engineer Paul Taylor launched speech recognition software is used in more than a billion
Android smartphones, that uses block chain technology to build a new operating system for banks.
In a bid to make taxpayers hassle free the Income Tax department has widened the ATM-based validation
system for filing of online Returns by taxpayers. The department has included Axis Bank to enhance the
paperless regime of filing the annual Income Tax returns and the dept also launched the bank account-based
validation facility in this regard for those who have not availed the internet banking facility.
Reserve Bank of India advised banks to exchange up to 20 pieces of soiled Indian currency notes with a cap
value of Rs 5,000through the counter without any processing fee in order to improve the customer service.
In order to trace the Black and illegal Money, Special Investigation Team (SIT) has advocated for the ban of
cash transactions above 3 lakh rupees and also restrict the Money Holding Capacity to 15 Lakhs in order to curb
the Black Money in the nation.
Reserve Bank has allowed foreign investors to up their stakes in Axis Bank and IDFC Bank to up to 74 per cent
and 46 per cent, respectively under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS).
The Mumbai based BSE is planning to trade currency, metals and energy at its upcoming international
commodity exchange at the International Finance Tec-City (Gift City) which will power the global growth story
for the Indian Banking Financial Services (BFSI) sector in Gandhinagar.
IndiaFirst Life Insurance announced a partnership with Nainital Bank for distribution of its products and also to
provide life insurance solutions to the customers of the bank and enhance our distribution footprint in northern
India. IndiaFirst Life Insurance is a joint venture between Bank of Baroda, Andhra Bank and Legal and
General (UK).
In order to boost lending and shore up economic growth, the government has provided Rs22,915 crore capital to
13 state-run banks. SBI gets 7575 crore out of the whole sum.
RBI is all set to monitor the issues related to the customer rights in the five broad areas of banking soon. This
step is adopted by the bankers bank to enhance the banking experience of the customers. The five core areas to
be monitored by the RBI are:-
Right to privacy,
Right to fair treatment & transparency,
Fair and honest dealing,
Right to suitability and
Right to grievance redress & compensation.
IRCTC and SBI join hands to promote UTS and E-Ticketing System to ease the Service for Passengers
Kochi based Federal Bank have announced partnership with Reliance Jio Money for One-Click payment service
that will make payment ease for their customers.
HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company and Mumbai based Shamrao Vithal Co-operative (SVC) Bank
bancassurance tieup to offer wide range of non-life insurance produts to the customers of the bank.
Indias largest Private Sector lender ICICI bank has conducted a coin exchange mela during Rath Yatra
festival at the RBI financial literacy camp in Puri. The mela was organised upon the suggestion from RBIs S.
P. Mohanty, General Manager, Issue Department of RBI. It was inaugurated by the SP.Mohanty.
Mangalore based Karnataka Bank has started a programme to offer solar lights in the non-electrified houses of
students in rural zones. This is joint iniative of lender with the Manipal-based non-governmental organisation
Bharatiya Vikas Trust (BVT) under its corporate social responsibility(CSR) route.
Following Rs 6,000-crore forex related irregularities, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary
penalty on HDFC and Bank of Baroda. In October 2015, BOB, a total of 5,853 outward foreign remittance
transactions for a sum of $546.10 million (Rs.3,500 crore) for advance remittance for imports and for other
purposes were remitted through 38 current accounts to various overseas parties numbering about 400 in Hong
Kong and one of them in the UAE. RBI penalized HDFC bank for lapses in adhering to KYC/AML (know your
customer / anti-money laundering) guidelines.
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Global payments leader SWIFT, which already has over 70 other leading banks globally now signs up
with ICICI and Axis Bank, thereby become the first domestic leaders to enter the international payment group.
Indias biggest lender SBI has announced that it is going serve as banking correspondents through Indian Oil
Corporation owned 6500 Kisan Seva Kendras. The KSK centres that offers access to various agricultural inputs
like diesel services to the farmers across the country.
State Bank ATMs are launched with a new payment system, which will allow the account holders to transfer
money using mobile phone number as a key identifier and this system is based on the instant money transfer
(IMT) platform.
Tata AIG General Insurance has launched an integrated travel product, for all Axis Bank customers through the
banks one stop solution called Happy Holidays Package. The Happy Holidays Package offers multiple
travel benefits to globe surfers such as aMulti-Currency Forex Card and can be utilized up to 16 currencies.
Cabinet cleared changes in the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill, dropping 1 per cent manufacturing tax and
providing guarantee to compensate states for any revenue loss in the first five years of roll out of the proposed
indirect tax regime.
BUSINESS
Indias biggest Telecom Giant Bharti Airtel Business and GBI have entered into a strategic partnership to
increase Airtels direct reach to many new countries in the Middle East.
Mumbai based Zone Startups to launch empoWer to support women entrepreneurs who are building technology
ventures. Zone Startups India is supported by Department of Science and Technology.
Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright has publicly identified himself as Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. He
has decided to make his identity known to stop the spread of misinformation about the virtual currency. Craig
Wright is the man previously known by the Satoshi Nakamoto.
Union government has signed pact with the Boeing Company to buy four maritime spy planes worth about $1
billion, to bolster the Indian Navy.
Power major Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) announced the commissioning of a 600 MW coal-based
thermal power plant in Madhya Pradesh..
Hyderabad based Hetero Healthcare has announced that the company will set up three units in Andhra Pradesh,
Sikkim and Telangana to expand the business.
American Online cab aggregator Uber and chinas e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has announced a global
partnership for payment platform Alipay,
Reliance power is all set to setup a 3,000 MW LNG-based power plant in Bangladesh as its Government of has
granted in-principle approval for the first phase of Reliance Powers project in the country.
Public Sector undertaking, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltdhas commissioned 500 MW thermal power unit at
Bokaro Thermal Power-AStation of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) in Jharkhand.
Union government has approved the proposal of Infosys to set up an IT/ITeS special economic
zone in Bengaluru. The board has also approved application of Unitech Realty Project.
Bengaluru based Flipkart all set to launch its Maps service with Social Technology Lab by Dr. Ashwin Mahesh
MapUnity.
New Delhi based E-commerce major Snapdeal in collaboration with UrbanClap inventory in its Android mobile
application to launch a personal services category to help consumers book services ranging from beauty
services at home to wedding photographers.
Union Government has started the process for issuance of Unique Business Identification Number (UBIN) to
facilitate potential entrepreneurs set up their business without any delays.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority fixed the ceiling price of 54 drug formulations used for
treatment of cancer and other diseases it also fixed the retail price of 11 drugs.
Chennai-based FPL has partnered with America based Nokero Solar Equipment maker to launch off-grid solar
products and soon plans to manufacture in India.
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The Supreme Court struck down the TRAI regulation making it mandatory for telecom companies to
compensate subscribers for call drops levied by the Telecom Regulator.
Vodafone M-Pesa, a digital wallet service from Vodafone that offers Money Transfer, Bill and Utility Pay, has
announced its partnership with Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to offer easy-to-use digital
option to pay electricity bills instantly.
New Delhi based E-commerce major Snapdeal has announced its partnership with e-ticketing
platform BookMyShow and extended its service offerings.
Tata Trusts and Bangalore-based non-profit Nudge Foundation entered into a strategic partnership to help
alleviate poverty through product innovation and capacity building.
Power major NTPC signed a joint venture agreement with state-owned miner Coal India to revive plants of the
Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL). Under this joint venture company will take up the resumption
of FCIL plants at Sindri in Bihar and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh by setting up an ammonia urea plant at each
location..
Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board and Solar Energy Corporation of India signed a pact to form a 50:50
Joint Venture for implementation of solar power projects in the state.
Tech giant Apple has opened a new development center in Hyderabad which will focus on development of
Maps for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. This move from the company will make an investmentof $25
million and accelerate Maps development and create up to 4,000 jobs.
State-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals has successfully commissioned 250 MW thermal unit in Maharashtra.
This is the eighth coal-based unit commissioned by BHEL at Parli Power Station, in Maharashtra.
Washington based technology major Microsofts Finland mobile makers Nokia mobile device business, has
decided to sell branding rights to Finnish firm HMD Global and contract manufacturer Foxconn. The deal size
is about $350 million also Microsoft transaction is expected to close in H2 of 2016.
Chennai-based Apollo Hospitals arm Apollo Health and Lifestyle is planning to raise $135 million from World
Bank arm International Finance Corporation (IFC).This includes equity investment of around $68 million.
Hero Moto Corp Ltd. (HMCL) has inked a wage settlement pact with its permanent workers at Gurgaon Plant
Trade body National Association of Software and Services Companies unveiled Indias first centre of
excellence focused on Internet of Things (CoE IoT). The centre of excellence is set up at the Nasscom Start-
ups Warehouse in Bengaluru.
Avast Software will acquire AVG Technologies for $1.3 billion in a deal which is going to re-shuffle the
security software deck.
The Rajasthan government has joined hands with business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce firm Applicate IT
Solutions to enable 35,000 e-mitra kiosks in the state for traders and retailers to procure products directly from
manufacturers.
Telecom ministry is learnt to have cleared the Rs.3, 500 crore 4G spectrum trading dealbetween service
providers Bharti Airtel and Aircel. Airtel has entered into an agreement with Aircel to acquire rights to use 4G
spectrum of Aircel in eight telecom circles for Rs.3,500 crore.
Worlds largest cement producer Lafarge Holcim has entered into an agreement with Nirma Ltd to sell its entire
100% holding in cement maker Lafarge India for an enterprise value of $1.4 billion.
A contract has been awarded to Mahindra Aero structures to make air frame parts for the AS565 MBe Panther
by the renowned Airbus Helicopters. Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Defence are in the process of forming a
joint venture to target Indias military helicopter programmes such as the Naval Utility Helicopter, the Naval
Multi-Role Helicopter and the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and Frances Safran Helicopter Engines is set to jointly establish a helicopter
engines maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre to service Indian and foreign customers using Safrans
aero engines.
British oil and gas major Cairn Energy limited has raised a $5.6 billion compensation demand from the Indian
government for a breach in an investment treaty arising out of the retrospective tax demand of Rs. 29,047 crore.
Indias fifth-biggest carrier GoAir announced an agreement with European plane maker Airbus to buy 72
A320neos in a deal worth about $7.7 billion.
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Power major BHEL has commissioned another 250 MW unit coal based using low quality coal (lignite) as the
primary fuel. This plant uses ecofriendly Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion (CFBC) technology, that has
been commissioned at Bhavnagar Energy Company (BECL) 2250 MW thermal power project, located atPadva
village in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat.
Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Bell Helicopter has signed an agreement to manufacture
helicopters under Make in India initiative in order to meet civil and military requirements.
Hinduja Groups Ashok Leyland to set up a bus assembly plant in Kenya with an investment of Rs 70 crore as
part of its global expansion plans. This plant will have an annual capacity of 1,200 buses.
Detroit-based Ford Motors Indian arm pledged to invest Rs.1,300 crore in a technology and business centre in
Chennai to provide support services for the parents offices spread across the globe.
Local services marketing portal Mydala.com in partnership with Viacom 18 to release the Star Trek Beyond,
which is the third part of the iconic Star Trek Reboot Series.
Indian smartphone brand Karbonn Mobiles has setup of a new mobile manufacturing plant in Bawal,
Haryana.The manufacturing facility has 22 assembly lines and is expected to manufacture 30 million mobile
units per year.

Indian Artist Anjali Chandrashekar won award at UN poster contest on N-Disarmament and appreciated by UN
Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.
Former ISRO scientist and Professor Udupi Ramachandra Rao will be honoured with the 2016 IAF Hall of
Fame Award by the International Astronautical Federations for his immense contribution to the progress of
astronautics.
Kerala has been awarded the best family destination in the country in the Lonely Planet Magazine India Travel
Awards 2016. The state Tourism Director U V Jose received the award at a function in Mumbai in an annual
awards showcase the best travel experiences available to Indians and anoint the best service providers the
magazine observed.
Bharti Airtel, a Leading telecom services provider with global operations in around 19 countries across Asia
and Africa has been ranked first in a listing of 100 emerging market multinational companies as part of a study
on corporate transparency and reporting by Transparency International.
Indian Students Scientist team named Screwdrivers comprising 13 students, including four girls, has won the
team spirit award in NASAs prestigious global competition to build and design remotely operated vehicles
from scratch. The team is from Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management, Mumbai, won Aloha Team
Spirit award at the Mate International ROV Competition at the NASA Johnson Space Center, Neutral
Buoyancy Lab.
Sikkims Khangchendzonga National Park has been announced as the Indias first mixed world heritage site by
the Paris based UNESCO that will help the state to attract the tourists to the eco spot. With this the list of
UNESCO heritage sites in India moves 35 as on date.
President Pranab Mukherjee gave away the Dr BC Roy national awards for 2008, 2009 and 2010 at Rashtrapati
Bhavan in New Delhi.
The Awardees:
2010- Awardees 2009-Awardees 2008-Awardees
Nikhil C. Munshi KH Sancheti Mammen Chandy
O.P. Kalra Atul Kumar Prof. Rajeshwar Dayal
Tejinder Singh Renu Saxena Rohit V. Bhatt
Subash Gupta Kanan A. Yelikar Neelam Mohan
Amrinder Jit Kanwar Kriplani Prof. Mohan Kameswaran
Rajendra Prasad G.V. Rao Harsha Jauhari
Glory Alexander Moti Lal Singh Gopal H. Badlani
C.N. Purandare Yash Gulati
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C.V. Hari Narayan

H.S. Bhanushali
Odishas Eminent Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik is making an attempt another world record by carving 100 sand
chariots at the Puri beach in Odisha on upcoming Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath.
SA writer Lidudumalingani Wins 17th Caine Prize for African Writing for African Writing for his short
story Memories We Lost, published inIncredible Journey: Stories That Move You. He received the prestigious
award at Oxfords Bodleian Library.
Dipa Karmakar becomes the first Indian gymnast to secure World Class Gymnast award, Gymnaste de Classe
Mondaile by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). She is also the first Indian woman gymnast
to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The Odisha government has decided to double the prize money of Unesco Kalinga Prize-2017 to $40,000. The
Kalinga Prize was established in 1951 by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO) with a generous grant from Biju Patnaik, the founder-president of the Kalinga Foundation Trust.
Rio-bound Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal was honored by Hyundai Motor India Ltd by gifting her the 1st
anniversary edition of Indian Car of The year Creta.
Keralas Radhika Menon, who became the first woman in the world to receive the Award for Exceptional
Bravery at Sea from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
Cookbook author and food blogger Nimi Sunilkumar has bagged the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for
2015-16. She was conferred with this award for her cookbook 4 oclock Temptations of Kerala. It is
famously known as the Oscar award in the field of cookery. This is the only international award in this
particular field. The award is organized to honour the best food and wine books either printed or digital.
Four New Writers Get Jnanpith Navlekhan Award
Bharatiya Jnanpiths 11th Navlekhan award which constitutes of a cash awards of Rs.50,000 each along with a
certificate of merit and an idol of Vagdevi is awarded to the following
Awardees Book Name
Amlendu Tiwari Parityakt
Balram Kawant Sara Morila
Om Naagar Nib Ke Chire Se
Tasneem Khan Yeh Mere Rahnuma
Srinivasan K. Swamy. The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) will, present him with the
Lifetime Achievement Award in Mumbai. This award is the highest honor to be given to an individual in India
for their outstanding contribution to the advertising industry.
Government plans to institute awards for corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities across sectors as part
of efforts to incentivise companies to take up work towards social welfare.
Aditya Puri, the chief executive and managing director of the second largest private sector lender HDFC Bank
has been named as the best banking CEO in Asia by the investor community.
The forest department of Uttar Pradesh has set a world record for orchestrating the largest state-wide plantation
drive in 24 hours mission to plant 5 crore saplings.
President confers the 51st Jnanpith Award to the famous writer, Dr. Raghuveer Chaudhari from Gujarat at a
function held at Parliament Library Building in New Delhi. The Jnanpith Award is one of the highest Indian
literary awards.
FORBES Top Paid Celebrity List
SRK and Akshay Kumar grab Top Spots.
The top ten list as follows:-
Rank Celebrity Earning in Millions
1 Taylor swift $170
2 One Direction $110
3 James Patterson $95
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4 Dr. Phil McGraw $88

4 Cristiano Ronaldo $88
6 Kevin Hart $87.5
7 Howard stern $85
8 Lionel Messi $81.5
9 Adele $80.5
10 Rush Limbuagh $79
International Business magazine, FORBES has released the list of Top Paid Celebrities across the globe. Indian
entertainers Shah rukh khan and Akshay Kumar grabs their seats in this list. The list is topped by the famous
singer Taylor Swift with earnings of around 1160 crores.
Shah Rukh grabbed 86th spot with earnings of $33M and Akshay Kumar grabbed 94th spot with earnings of
$31.5M.
Forbes Heroes of Philanthropy List 2016 Five Indians grabbed Top Spots.
This list comprises of the people from 13 countries, which accounts for 40 philanthropists. Indians among these
40 in the list are:-
1. Vineet and Anupama Nayar, founders of the Sampark Foundation,
2. Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India,
3. Bain India CEO Amit Chandra and his wife Archana Chandra,
4. CEO of Jai Vakeel Foundation.
The worlds best airline for this year is Emirates, according to a survey of millions of airline passengers
conducted by Skytrax World Airline Awards 2016. This is the fourth time Emirates has won the top accolade
since inception. The Dubai based Fly Emirates has won the top honors at Skytrax World Airline Awards
ceremony at the Farnborough International Airshow in England.
The top 5 best airlines according the Skytrax:
Emirates
Qatar Airways
Singapore Airlines
Cathay Pacific
ANA All Nippon Airways
Indian-origin Ex-President of Singapore S R Nathan has been awarded with the Outstanding Member of the
South Asian Diaspora award for his contribution in shaping ties with India.
Nigerian journalist journalist Didi Akinyelure has bagged this years BBC World NewsKomla Dumor Award.
Chennai hailed Advay Ramesh has bagged the prominent Google Community Impact Award from Asia for
creating a device that enhances fishermens safety and productivity.
Adding to its telling portfolio of citations, Kerala Tourism has secured two Gold Awards at the prestigious
Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) awards witnessing its trendsetting marketing initiatives to develop the
field of tourism.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mahanayak Samman awards were given away to the filmmaker Goutam Ghose and
composer-singer Bappi Lahiri.
The Mahayanak Samman 2016
Composer-singer Bappi Lahiri.
Paran Bandyopadhyay and Jishu Sengupta best actor (male) awards while
Sohini Sarkar Best actor (female) award.
Dakshayani, 86 years old female Elephant from Kerala is all set to enter the Guinness World Records as
the oldest living elephant.
Bezwada Wilson, a renowned campaigner against manual scavenging, and Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna from
Chennai were named for the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award 2016.
City football giants East Bengal announced that this years Bharat Gaurav award (Pride of India) will be
conferred on legendary athlete Milkha Singh.
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National Tourism Awards for the year 2014-2015

Award Winner Category
Madhya Pradeshfollowed by Gujarat and Karnataka Best state for comprehensive development of
respectively tourism
Rajasthans Sawai Madhopur railway station Best Tourist Friendly railway station award
Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Best Airport award
Telanganas Warangal Best Heritage City award
Monuments of Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh. Best maintained and disable-friendly monument
Taj Exotica, Salcette, Goa Best hotel award under the five star deluxe category
Fateh Prakash Palace in Udaipur, Coconut Lagoon at Best heritage hotel awards in three different
Kumarakom in Kottayam and Gajner Palace in Bikaner. categories
The Lalit in New Delhi received an award under the Hotel providing best facilities for the differently-
category of abled guests.
Kerala Tourism in the Tourism Promotion and Publishing Most Innovative use of Information Technology
category social media/mobile app.
The Wayanad initiativeKerala Responsible Tourism category
Sargaalaya Arts and Crafts Village at Iringal, a small but Kerala Tourism in the Rural Tourism project
thriving village in KozhikodeKerala category
KeralaInvis Multimedia and social media managed by Tourism Promotion and Publishing category
Stark Communications
Turtle on the Beach, KovalamKerala Best hotel in the Five Star category
Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom Best Heritage Hotel in Classic Category
Coconut Creek Farm and Homestay, KumarakomKerala Best Incredible India Bed and Breakfast
Establishment
Somatheeram Research Institute and Ayurveda Hospital Pvt Best Wellness Centre
Ltd, Thiruvananthapuram
19 New Ministers inducted in the expansion of the council of Ministers A Consummate List
For the second time the Narendra Modi lead NDA government expanded its council of ministers by
inducting 19 new Minister of State (MOS) in order to exercise the various schemes and services promised
through the Union Budget 2016.
Highlights:
Prakash Javadekar Promoted to HRD Minister, Replaces Smriti Irani

Smriti Irani Textiles
Arun Jaitley Loses Information & Broadcasting retains Finance Ministry,
Corporate Affairs
Sadananda Gowda Statistics and Programme implementation
SS Ahluwalia MoS Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Parliamentary Affairs
Vijay Goel MoS Youth Affairs, Sports
Ramdas Athawale Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry
M J Akbar Minister of State for External Affairs
Ananth Kumar Parliamentary Affairs Minister
Venkaiah Naidu I&B Minister
Ravi Shankar Prasad Law Minister
Anil Madhav Dave Environment Minister
Babul Supriyo Urban Development Minister
Krishna Raj an MP from Shahjahanpur. With her, the number of women in PM Modis cabinet is seven
5 Ministers, Nihal Chand, Ram Shankar Katheria, Sanwar Lal Jat, Manuskhbhai D Vasva and M K
Kundariya dropped from PM Narendra Modis council of Ministers.
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The entire list of the newly appointed ministers is listed below:-
S No. Ministers Name State Constituency

1 Mr. Ajay Tamta Uttarakhand Almora
2 Mr. Anil Madhav Dave Madhya Pradesh Rajya Shaba MP
3 Mr. Arjun Ram Meghwal Rajasthan Bikaner
4 Mr. Chottu Ram Chaudry Rajasthan Nagaur
5 Dr. Subhash Bhamre Maharashtra Dhule
6 Mr. Faggan Singh Kulaste Madhya Pradesh Mandla
7 Mr. Jasvantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor Gujarat Dahod
8 Mrs. Krishna Raj Uttar Pradesh Shajahanpur
9 Mr. Mahendra nath pandey Uttar Pradesh Chanduali
10 Mr. Manshuk L MMandaviya Gujarat Rajya Shaba
11 Mr. MJ Akbar Madhya Pradesh Rajya Shaba
12 Mr. PP Choudhary Rajasthan Pali
13 Mr. Parshottam Rupala Gujarat BJPs Vice President
14 Mr. Rajen Gohain Assam Nowgong
15 Mr. RC Jigajinagi Karnataka Bijapur
16 Mr. SS Ahluwalia West Bengal Darjeeling
17 Mr. Vijay Goel Rajasthan Rajya Shaba
18 Mr. Ramdas Athawale Maharashtra Leader of RPI Party
19 Mrs. Anupriya Patel Uttar Pradesh Leader of Apna Dal
Name of the Persons Name of the Posts

India-born Rajesh Agrawal Londons deputy mayor for business.
Ravi Shastri (resigned) International Cricket Councils cricket committee-
media representative
For Telengana - Devendra Surana Industry Body Federation of Indian Chambers of
For Andra Pradesh - M. Prabhakar Rao Commerce (FICCI) has appointed new Chairpersons
for its Telangana and AP State Councils.
Indrajith coomaraswamy New Governor to its central bank CBSL ( Central
Bank of Sri Lanka).
Mr N S Vishwanathan Reserve Bank of Indias Deputy Governor
Linda Burney First Indigenous woman elected to Australias lower
house
Tejinder Kalra Indus towers- Chief Operating Officer.
Eminent scientist Madhav Dhekane Directorat ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU),
Department of Space, at Vattiyoorkavu in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
R Thiruppathi Venkatasamy Accountant General(AG), economic and revenue
sector audit, of Tamil Nadu.
Juergen Hase Reliance Group- CEO for its IoT Business.
Deepak Singhal. Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh
Vishal Kapoor IDFC Mutual Fund-- chief executive officer
S K Kohli Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA).
NCP leader Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar Chairman of Maharashtra Legislative Council.
Srini Gopalan (Resigns) Bharti Airtels Consumer business director
Phiroz Vandrevala (resigned) Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced
that its Non-Executive Director
Kevin Turner (resigns) COO post at Microsoft
Ramesh Negi Delhis acting Chief Secretary
Sanjay Gupta Chairman and Managing Director of Konkan
Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL).
D Rajkumar & Utpal Bora Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Bharat
Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Oil India
23 | P a g e
Ltd, respectively.
K V R Murthy chairman-cum-managing director of the Jute
Corporation of India Limited
Tathagata Roy Acting Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. He is the
Governor of Tripura.
Najma Heptullah and Gowdara Mallikarjunappa Minority Affairs Minister and Minister of State for
Siddeshwara (resigned) Heavy Industries respectively.
Theresa May Britains new prime minister
An Indian-American professor Dr. Kinshuk Dean of University of North Texas College of
Information in the U.S.
IPS officer Ashok Patnaik the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the National
Intelligence Grid (NATGRID).
Raghu Reddy Xiaomi - online sales head for India
Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary
Education (CBSE) for a five-year term.
C. Vijay Kumar HCL Technologies Ltd- president will take on
additional responsibility aschief operating officer.
Rudra Gaurav Shresth High Commissioner of India to the Kingdom of
Swaziland
BJP leader in Punjab, Navjot Singh Upper House-MP
Sidhu( resigned)
Guruprasad Mohapatra new Chairman of the AAI Airport Authority of
India.
Eminent Economist Mr. Paul Romer Chief Economist of the World Bank
Sohini Rajola Regional Vice President-- Western Union
Former South Africa pacer Steve Elworthy Managing Director of the ICC Cricket World Cup
2019
Sarvita Sethi Vice-President Finance for India and South West
Asia -- Coca-Cola
Ajay Bhushan Pandey Chief Executive Officer of Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI).
BJP MP Ganesh Singh Singh Chairperson of the Joint Committee of Parliament
examining the Land Acquisition Bill.
Dr. Sanjiv Mishra Additional Director and Non-Executive (part time)
of the Axis Bank control board.
Mohandas Pai. National Stock Exchange of Indias 3 new public
Naved Masood interest directors
Dinesh Kanabar
Sanjiv Puri Chief Operating Officer, a newly created portfolio
of ITC Limited.
Tetsuya Takano( resigned ) Ricoh India Chairman
Khadga Prasad Oli ( resignation) Nepals Prime Minister
Sharad Pawar (to step down- within six months ) Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president
Ghanshyam Singh General Manager, Eastern Railway, Kolkata.
Dr Buddha Rashmi Mani, Director General of the National Museum
Sunil Munjal (Step Down) Joint managing director of Hero MotoCorp
Madhuri Dixit Brand ambassador for its consumer durable
products- Intex echnologies
Michel Barnier EUs chief Brexit negotiator
Shambhu Singh Yadav Deputy Lokayukta of the Uttar Pradesh
Central government Reshuffle at the secretarial Level
Aruna Sharma Secretary of Ministry of Steel
Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information
Aruna Sundarajan
& Technology.
Bhanu Pratap Sharma Department of Personnel and Training as Secretary.
Department of Youth Affairs as Officer on Special
AK Dubey
Duty and will take charge as Secretary
24 | P a g e
Secretary in Ministry of Labour and Employment as

M Sathiavathy
Officer on Special Duty
Department of Land Resources as Officer on Special
Dinesh Singh,
Duty. Singh will take over as Secretary
Secretary of Ministry of Water Resources, River
Amarjit Singh,
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation,
Secretary, National Commission for Backward
Rakesh Srivastava,
Classes.
Secretary, Department of Social Justice and
Latha Krishna Rao
Empowerment
Secretary Department of Health and Family
C K Mishra,
Welfare,
Secretary and Director General, National AIDS
NS Kang
Control Organisation
Secretary, National Commission for Denotified,
B K Prasad
Nomadic & Semi-Nomadic Tribes.
Secretary Tariff Commission under Department of
Smita Chugh
Industrial Policy and Promotion
Secretary- Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy
Rajeev Kapoor
of Administration, Mussoorie
Amarjeet Sinha Secretary, Department of Rural Development
chairman of Gujarat-based National Dairy
T Nanda Kumar (resigned)
Development Board (NDDB)
Anurag Thakur Territorial Army Officer
Chief Justice Of Patna High Court
Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari
Satish Mathur Maharashtra DGP
A K Mital(extended)
Railway Board Chairman
Chief Secretary of Gujarat
Dr. J.N. Singh
R Seshasayee (resigns) Ashok Leyland non-exec vice chairman
Rani Nair CBDT Chairperson
Yuriko Koike Tokyo gets it first Woman Governor
Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale CJ of Allahabad HC
Vishvas Vidu Sapkal High Commissioner of India to the Cook Islands
B N Reddy High Commissioner of India to the Republic of
Cameroon
E-fashion store Myntra Designs Pvt. Ltd has acquired Bangalore-based Cubeit to gain access to its employees
also to expand Myntras technology team. However the financial details of the acquisition werent disclosed.
E-travel agent Yatra has signed a deal to merger its business with the Nasdaq-listed Terrapin 3 Acquisition
Corporation (TRTL).The deal values the travel Indian portal at $218 million (Rs 1,465 crore).
Oracle acquires Net suite for $9.3 Billion, indicating its growth in cloud computing business.
Indias leading FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) Dabur International has acquired South Africa-based
manufacturing and trading cosmetic company Discaria Trading Ltd on July 14.
IT major Cognizant Technology Solutions has acquired Idea Couture to boost its digital technologies offering.
While the deal size did not disclosed.
California based application delivery controllers Specialist A10 Networks acquired the Software
Company Appcito based in California will help the A10 to become a comprehensive secure application services
provider.
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Google has acquired Paris-based Moodstocks, a startup that has developed machine learning technology to
bolster the image recognition features on smartphones.
SoftBank Group Corp., A Japanese internet and telecommunications conglomerate acquired the global chip
industry on July 18 with a whopping $32 billion deal to acquire ARM Holdings PLC, the U.K.-based
designer of the microprocessors that power more than 95% of the worlds smart phones.
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) is all set to acquire American fast fashion retailers Forever 21 in the
Indian market for USD 26 million, which is around Rs 175.52 crore.
Verizon Communications Inc. and Yahoo! Inc. mutually declared that they have entered into a formularized
agreement under which Verizon will acquire Yahoos operating business for about approximately $4.83 billion.
Myntra, a Flipkart Group company, acquired Jabong from Global Fashion Group (GFG) for$70 million.
SCHEMES
With a massive target of training 50 lakh apprentices, The Union Cabinet presided over by Mr. Narendra Modi
approved the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme. This scheme has a disbursal of about 10,000 crores
in order to achieve its vast target of training 50 lakh apprentices.
Meghalaya Governor V.Shanmuganathan inaugurated the launch of Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva
Abhiyan (PMSMA) in the East Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya at a programme organized by the office of the
District Medical & Health Officer, East Khasi Hills District, under the aegis of the National Health Mission
Cabinet approves Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) with an outlay of Rs.12000 crore to impart
skilling to One Crore Indian population in the next four years.
.Government of India liberated Rs. 100 crore as its contribution to the Atal Pension Yojana Scheme. .This
additional contribution is offered to those who enrolled before march 31,2016 as 50% of the user contribution
with a cap value of Rs.1000.
Parliament was informed by Minister of State for Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav that this year over Rs.
28,000 crore has been released Union government to States under MGNREGA Scheme to disburse last years
accountabilities and for running the programme in the ongoing year.
M/O Tourism approves projects of Rs. 275 crore for development of Krishna & Heritage circuit of State of
Haryana, Rajasthan & Gujarat under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
Tourism Ministry has sanctioned 25 projects under the Swadesh Darshan scheme worth Rs. 2048 Crore to 21
States and Union Territories. 21 States and Union Territories include Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand,
Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerala, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Bihar,
West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura.
An insurance Scheme for the cattle breeders has been announced by the BJP led Haryana Government
named Jokhim Prabandhan Aur Pashudhan Bima Yojana. The Scheme is the result of recommendations made in
Swaminathan Report.
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is set to launch the facility of travel insurance
for passengers from September.This can be availed at a premium of Re 1.
The scheme offers compensation
i. In the event of death or permanent total disability upto Rs 10 lakh
ii. For permanent partial disability Rs 7.5 lakh
iii.For hospitalisation expenses Rs 2 lakh
o North Eastern state Manipur has joined the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme. It is the 14th
state to join the UDAY.. The state will get benefit of around Rs 263 crore upon joining and can improve the
state efficiency of the Discoms. The state also the first in Northern states to join in Scheme.
Government of India made a pact of Allowing four Public Sector Insurers in PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal
Bima Yojana). Along with the existing 11 private sector Insurers now Government allowed Four PSUs
namely LIC(life Insurance Corporation of India), General Insurance Corporation of India, National Insurance
Co. ltd, Oriental Insurance Co. ltd. to increase the agricultural insurance cover to a great extent.
Union Finance Ministry has launched the fourth Tranche of Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB) for resident
individuals and institutional investors. It will be open for investment from July 18 to 22.The issue price of
26 | P a g e
the 4th tranche has been fixed at Rs. 3119 per gram of gold based on average of last week prices of physical
gold.
The investment in SGB is also eligible investment for Statutory Liquidity Ratio of Banks. The SGB is eligible
to be converted into Demat form and can be used as collaterals for availing loans.
MoUs
Haryana Governemnt set up a board for Developing new industrial township in Guragon District of Haryana.
Government of Haryana signed a MoU With China Fortune Land Development (CFLD) company for $5
Billion fund assistance for setting up this township.
Bihar government signed a MoU with Bangkok-based Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) to
implement the Roadmap for Disaster Risk Reduction in Bihar (2015-30). The move will help reduce disaster
risk management in the state.
Akilesh Yadav led Uttar Pradesh Government signed an Memorandum of Understanding with Netherland in
order to set up a new Skill Development Centre for Famers of UP. This MoU ensures procedure about how
modern techniques can be also used for better production of sugarcane, potato, dairy development and flowers
apart from getting information of food processing.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) which was signed between India and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and
Innovation of the Switzerland Confederation for cooperation in skill development.
The Union Cabinet approved signing of the Air Services agreement between India and Mozambique. This
Agreement intends as a move to regulate and advance air connectivity between the two countries.
The Union Cabinet sanctioned a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and
Tunisia. This MoU is signed between both the countries both the countries for toning up bilateral cooperation
in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Digital Economy.
As a platform to promote Afghan products and to boost trade relations between both nations, a conference
named Made in Afghanistan was held in New Delhi.Made in Afghanistan: Harnessing the Economic
Potential was the theme of this neighboring conference.
Cabinet nods for the approval of MoU between India and Mauritius in the field of rural development and
poverty alleviation
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between India and Tanzania in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and
Homeopathy.
A (MoU) has been signed between the Karnataka Region Economic and Trade Organization (KRETO) and
Sanya People Municipal Government of China in order to nurture the trade between Sanya City and Karnataka.
An agreement was signed with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), India to build the 1,320MW coal-
fired power plant at Rampal of Bagerhat, near the Sundarbans mangrove forest.
An agreement was signed between Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and US Secretary of Energy Dr Ernest
Moniz in Washington. According to this agreement, the two countries agreed to enhance institutional and
technical cooperation in specific areas such as assessment and unconventional hydrocarbon reserves in
India both onshore and offshore; new technologies in development of second generation bio-fuel and
development of Petroleum storage.
India and Japan have entered into a social security agreement and benefit thousands of Indian and Japanese
professionals and skilled workers working in the both the countries. The Agreement will come into force on 1
October.
Chennai based Apollo Hospitals has signed a MoU with William Osler Health System aims to positively impact
the health and wellness of the patients they serve.
Bhubaneswar based National Aluminium Company has signed an MoU with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
(BARC), Mumbai, for research and development cooperation in the fields of mutual interest.
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Cab aggregator Ola has signed a MoU with National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation
(NSKFDC) to focus on building a sustainable framework by supporting entrepreneurship, skill development
training and self-defence courses for Safai Karamcharis and Scavengers.
India based largetst FMCG Company Dabur signed an MoU with DIHAR Defense Institute of High Altitude
Research, A regulatory body governed by DRDO. This MoU is agreed to establish sustainable cultivation of
rarefied medicinal plants in Ladakh, one of the most difficult tracts in the world.
Indian AYUSH Ministry has inked Pact with World Health Organisation for promotion the systems Indian
medicines that encompasses Yoga and Ayurveda, Worldwide.
The Agreement four main categories namely
1. Yoga,
2. Ayurveda,
3. Unani medicine and
4. Panchkarma.
A two-year statement of intent (SOI) signed between NITI AAYOG and tech giant Intel India to set up the first
10 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs).
Indian Government signed a deal with Thyssennkrupp marine systems, Germany in Mumbai to retrofit the anti-
ship American Harpoon Missiles (AHM) on two shishumar class submarines namely Ins Shankush and INS
Shalki at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.
COMMITTEES
Government has constituted a four-member committee to examine the desirability and feasibility of having a
new financial year. This Four-Member committee, headed by former Chief Economic Adviser Shankar
Acharya.
Union government set up a high-level committee headed by Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian to
consider a reasonable increase in minimum support price (MSP) for pulses and bonus for farmers.
A committee has been constituted to gear up the guidelines for the desiltation (clearing odd the silts) of the river
Ganga by the Union Ministry of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
The committee will work under the chairmanship of Madhav Chitale (Expert Member, NGRBA)
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted a seven-member expert committee for exploring the
other possible alternatives to pellet guns can be lethal, when sensitive parts like eyes are hit. The Committee
will be headed by Joint Secretary in the MHA T V S N Prasad.
In order to study regulatory issues relating to financial technology and digital banking in India, the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) set up an inter-regulatory working group. This idea is executed as suggested by the sub-
committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC). This enacting group is chaired
by Sudarshan Sen, Executive Director of RBI, and also comprises of 12 members.

China launched its second Shijian-16 series satellite for space research and experiments that was carried by
a Long March-4B rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. The first Chinese satellite, Shijian-
16 was launched in 2013.
National University of Singapore Scientists, including Indian origin have designed and built the worlds lightest
electric paraglider trike, that can take off and land with wheels. It operates on battery also can reach 6 Km. It is
named Delta.
Scientists have developed a non-invasive method which can kill cancer cells in twohours, an advance that may
considerably help people with inoperable tumours, as well as young children stricken with the deadly disease.
Reliance Jio Company will provide Wi-Fi connectivity to all Government Colleges in Puducherry under its
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. It will extend to the tourist hot spot Beach Promenade.
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Worlds largest and sensitive radio telescope, FAST (Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope) Has
been installed in Pingtang county, South west China. The final Installation finished on 3rd july,2016. As the
name indicates, it will have a diameter of 500 metres.
Kerala, being an abode of biodiversity & wildlife numerous plants and creatures are living in its dense forests.
In evidencing such a rich multifariousness, a new species of Ant-Mimicking Spider was found in the Wayanad
Wildlife Sanctuary of Kerala.
A supercomputer running on a dynamical model will make Indias annual summer monsoon forecast probably
from next year.The dynamical model has been used on an experimental basis in the past few years,Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) scientists in Pune.
Indias first elevated taxiway will be set up in Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. This new
infrastructure add-on will get the help the Airport operator to cut down on the time taken by an aircraft to reach
a runway and lead to fewer delays.
Nasas Juno space probe embraced yet another milestone in space exploration.
An international team of researchers led by Ivo Stassen and Rob Ameloot from KU Leuven, Belgium has
developed an Electronic nose that smells pesticides and nerve gas. It is a very sensitive electronic nose with
metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).
West Bengal Tourism Department has launched a mobile app based on the theme of Experience Bengal aiming
to attract the tourists across the world
Indias Oil Ministry and the US Geological Department has jointly discovered the highly enriched
accumulations of natural gas hydrate Reserve in the Bay of Bengal. This is the first of its kind in the Indian
Ocean.
In order to monitor blood glucose in patients with diabetes an automatically adjusts levels of insulin entering the
body, researchers found how to make artificial Pancreas in 2018.
A new species of tarantula has been identified near the home town of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the late Nobel
literature laureate. The newly researched Kankuamos marquezi is named for both Garcia Marquez and the
indigenous Kankuamo group who live in the area of Caribbean Colombia where the writer was born.
China has inducted its largest indigenously-built transport aircraft Y-20, that allows the worlds largest force to
transport cargo and troops over long distances in diverse weather conditions.
In order to map the contours of the Earths atmosphere to discover how much pollution exists in the most
remote corners of the planet and assess how the environment has changed, NASA is going to unveil a new
airborne mission.
An international team of astronomers have announced the discovery of a strange planet in a faraway solar
system that contains not just only one sun, but three. The distant planet, named HD 131399Ab, by far the widest
known orbit within a multi-star system. The discovery is published online by the journal Science.
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) on Saturday signed an agreement with IIT-
Bombay and Madras to establish a binodal Centre of Propulsion Technology (CoPT) at the two institutions.
Pharmacy Major Sun Pharma introduced anti-cancer product named Gemcitabine InfuSMART, used in
treatment of cancer, in Europe to build a meaningful and differentiating presence in global oncology therapy
Bengaluru based start-up Cooey Technologies has released Indias first IOT Glucometer that wirelessly syncs
data with a smartphone by combining user-centric design and smart technology.
Nano technologists at Tel Aviv University have created a new adhesive Electronic Tattoo that can read
emotions and also can improve muscle control of amputees and patients with brain injuries.
Astronomers has discovered a new dwarf planet dubbed 2015 RR245 in the icy realms of space beyond
Neptune. The system is 120 times farther from the Sun than the Earth at its farthest orbital point.
Spanish-made Talgo is the fastest train in the country by clocking a speed of 180 km/hr by covering 84 km in 38
minutes in a trial conducted by Railways on Mathura-Palwal route, surpassing the record of Gatimaan Express
whose speed is 160 km/hr.
Boston Scientific Company has launched its first integrated facility in India to develop and sell minimally
invasive technologies also to train physicians in using them.
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Couple of Chinese made trains running at world-record speeds in opposite direction scrossed each other on
parallel tracks, in the latest feat achieved by China in high-speed rail network. The two trains Golden
Phoenix and Dolphin Blue travelling at 420 km per hour crossed on lines between Zhengzhou in the central
Henan Province and Xuzhou in the eastern Jiangsu Province.
US Scientists have developed a new robot that can imitates the walking motion of humans, making it more
energy-efficient and better at navigating uneven terrain.
SpaceX rocket blasted off from Florida to direct a cargo ship to the International Space Station, then returned
around and landed itself at the launch site.
Astronomers has confirmed a treasure trove of new worlds with over 100 new planets by the help of
Nasas Kepler spacecraft on its K2 mission.\
NASA announced that 40 years ago spacecraft of it named Viking 1 landed on the surface of Mars that had a
view of the Red Planet (Mars). The 90-day operation of the NASA was pushed into a six-year mission, paving
the way for later Mars rovers like Opportunity and Curiosity.
American Space Agency NASA has established a new institute for research and development of innovative
approaches to reduce risks to astronauts.
Facebook has successfully tested the first flight of a high-altitude solar plane to bring internet access to remote
parts of the world. The Aquila drone has the wingspan of an airliner but weighs less than a car.
Durgapur based CSIR run-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CMERI) developed Solar
Power Tree harnesses solar energy for producing electricity with an innovative vertical arrangement of solar
cells.The development named Solar Power Tree was launched by Science and Technology Minister Dr. Harsh
Vardhan in New Delhi.
Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute of Plant Sciences, Kozhikode, has joined hands with Bharat Petroleum
Corporation Limited (BPCL) for field trials to establish the oil-degrading properties of three new strains of
bacteria.in order to clean up petroleum pollutants from the environment.
China brings out an amphibious aircraft cum seaplane which is the largest of its kind in the world, used for
marine rescues and to prevent forest fires. This double character airplane named AG600 merely about the size
of a Boeing 737 and its built to plane built to take off and land on water.
Solar Impulse 2, the first plane powered by renewable energy has completed the first round world trip. The
solar-powered plane finally arrived at Al-Bateen Executive Airport located in Abu Dhabi, where it had started
its journey 505 days ago.
Culex mosquito strain that carries ZIKA Virus is found by Brazil Researchers. Zika virus is a member of the
virus family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus. It is spread by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes, such as A.
aegypti and A. albopictus. Its name comes from the Zika Forest of Uganda, where the virus was first isolated in
1947.
Digital Attic a new masterpiece in the field of Data Storage revealed by a Scientist in Washington.
NASA is set to launch a new spacecraft in the month of September that will travel to a near-Earth asteroid
known as Bennu and bring back a sample of surface material which may contain building blocks of life.
DEFENCE
Indias majestic aircraft carrier, INS Viraat akaGrand Old Lady of Indian Navy set sail for one last time
from Mumbai to Kochi which will be decommissioned later this year. The 750-feet long giant served the
Indian Navy with distinction for almost three decades. The ship holds the Guinness Record for being the oldest
serving warship.
The first squadron of indigenously designed and manufactured Light Combat Aircraft(LCA) Tejas was inducted
into Indian Air Force (IAF).
The Indian Navy launched the last of the series of the Water Jet Fast Attack Craft(WJFAC) ship at a ceremony
in Kolkata.
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India successfully blasted off twice a medium-range surface-to-air ballistic missile, developed in collaboration
with Israel, from launch pad 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district off
the coast of Odisha.
The Chinese navy conducted combat drills near its southern island province of Hainan and the Paracel islands in
the South China Sea.
Indian Navy launched a dedicated base for its Special Operation Forces MARCOS (Marine Commandos)
named INS Karna was commissioned in Visakhapatnamby Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba.
DRDO successfully test fired the purely indigenous 155 mm x 52 caliber Advanced Towed Artillery Gun
System (ATAGS), which the Indian Army is all set to get the much needed weapon for user trials by early 2017.
Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri, Shakti and Kirch under the Command of the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern
Fleet, Rear Admiral S V Bhokare, YSM, NM have made a visit at Port Kelang on a four day visit.
ENVIRONMENT
The Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) has been declared as the critically endangered according to
the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This change means that both species of orangutan
now face an exceptionally high risk of extinction in the wild.
The Environment Ministry of the central government has allowed companies located in Special Economic
Zones (SEZs) to import solid plastic waste. As per this pact now SEZ units can import plastic or mixed plastic
waste prepared to a specification
SPORTS
Sprinter Nirmala Sheoran in the womens 400 metres category has just clocked 51:48seconds at the 56th
National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships at Hyderabads G.M.C. Balayogi Stadium.
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) blanket ban on the Russian weightlifters to compete in
the Rio Olympics. This is the Second Sports outfit to ban Russians after the track & field team effected ban few
days back.
International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) announced that India will host the Kabaddi World Cup this year,
featuring 12 countries. The mega Event will be hosted this October the regulator added.
Luke Aikins became the first skydiver to leapt into the sky from an airplane at 25,000 in a operation
named Heaven Sent, without any parachute or wing suit and landed safely on the ground in a net. He leapt in
free fall using only the air currents around him to land safely on a high-tech 10,000-square-foot net.
Germans midfielder and captain bastian Schweinsteiger has announced his retirement from international
football. He retires as countrys fourth most-capped player with 120 appearances for the nation.
Amir Khan to host worlds first mixed martial arts league in bid to inspire youngsters to sport.
Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal progressed up one place to occupy the fifth spot while P V Sindhu remained
unchanged at 10th in the latest Badminton World Federation Rankings. The womens singles list topped
by Spains Carolina Marin.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports grants recognition to Paralympic Committee of India.
Proteas Opener Hasim Amla and West Indies All-rounder Dwayne Bravo set a new world record for a fifth-
wicket stand in Twenty 20 cricket of 150 in 92 balls for the Trinbago Knight Riders against the Barbados
Tridents at Queens Park Oval in the Caribbean Premier League.
Ace British Formula One Racer Lewis Hamilton has bagged the famous Austrian Grand Prix Title 2016 by
defeating Nico Rosberg and Max Vestereppan in Austria.
The Union Sports minister Dr Jitendra Singh announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh for sickly Olympic gold
medallist Mohammed Shahid, who is undergoing treatment for serious liver and kidney ailment at Medanta
Medicity in Gurgaon. However later he passed away.
Canada Open Badminton: Indian shuttlers bag twin crowns
Indian Shuttler B Sai Praneeth defeated Koreas Lee Hyun il in a nail biting match to bag the title of the
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o Canada open badminton grand prix. Indian Men Doubles team Manu Attri and Sumeeth reddy toppled
over Adriand liu and Toby Ng to notch up the Men Doubles Title.
Bengaluru hailed para swimmer Niranjan Mukundan has bagged eight medals, that covers three golds, at the
recently-concluded IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports) U-23 World Games in Prague, Czech
Republic.
Saudi Arabia turned into the 39th Associate Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) after being
unanimously elected during the Full Council meeting in Edinburgh.
OAI An Official Voice Of Indian Olympian Community 2016
In order to bring harmony and to look after the former & current Olympic athletes, A maiden Non-Profit
organization named Olympians Association of India has been introduced in New Delhi.
This organization is directly affiliated to World Olympians Association (WOA) under the International Olympic
Committee (IOC).
OAI has been founded by Olympians namely
Shiva Keshavan (luge),
Viren Rasquinha (hockey),
Malav Shroff (sailing),
Adille Sumariwalla (athletics),
Ashwini Nachappa (athletics),
Saina Nehwal (badminton),
Hakimuddin Habibulla (swimming) and
MC Mary Kom (boxing)
Javeline thrower Annu Rani, the Incheon Asian Games bronze medalist, sets national mark at National Inter-
state Athletics Championships.
The Major Dhyanchand Hockey Ground in Rajkot, has received recognition from the International Hockey
Federation (FIH).
Top Indian squash player Joshna Chinappa rose to a career high 10th position in the latest PSA world rankings,
becoming the second Indian to break the top-10 barrier after longtime India teammate Dipika Pallikal.
Serena Williams won a historic 22nd Grand Slam title defeating German professional tennis player Angelique
Kerber by 7-5, 6-3 in the Wimbledon held at London.
Indian womens hockey team captain Ritu Rani has been dropped from the Rio Olympics squad owing to lack
of performance and attitude problems.
Indian Wrestlers Sandeep Tomar and Narsingh Yadav has bagged the silver andbronze medals in 74kg and
57kg respectively at the Spanish Grand Prix Wrestling championship held in Madrid.
Wimbledon 2016 Championships Overview
Lewis Hamilton of Britain finished with a dominant victory in a British Grand Prix to cut team-mate Nico
Mens Singles Andy Murray (Britain) Milos Raonic (Canada). This is Andy Murrays
2nd Wimbledon Title.
Womens Singles Serena Williams (US) Angelique Kerber Williams bagged 22nd Grand
(Germany) Slam and 7th Wimbledon
Title.
Mens Doubles PierreHugues Herbert Julien Benneteau (France)
(France) and Nicolas Mahut and douardRogerVasselin
(France) (France)
Womens Serena Williams (US) and TmeaBabos The pair has bagged their
Doubles Venus Williams (US) &YaroslavaShvedova sixth Wimbledon doubles
title.
Mixed Doubles Henri Kontinen (Finland) Robert Farah (Colombia)
and Heather Watson (UK) and AnnaLenaGrnefeld
(Germany)
Rosbergs championship lead to one point.
Indias Grand Master Harika Dronavalli has bagged Fide Womens Grand Prix trophy in Chendu in China. In a
game against Russias Olga Girya. It has her maiden career GP title.
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Pakistan captain MisbahulHaq became the oldest player to score a Test century for 82 years when he reached
the three-figure mark against England at Lords.
Portugal were crowned as Euro 2016 champions by defeating France in the title clashheld in Paris. It was the 15
the edition of the major tournament. Also Portugal win the trophy for the first time. The team will get money
award for participating: 8 million while Champions get 8 million and the Runners-up pocketed 5 million.
o Facts to be noted:
Teams Participated: 24
Venue(s) 10 (in 10 host cities)
Runners-up France
Top scorer(s): France Antoine Griezmann (6 goals)
Best young player: Portugal Renato Sanches.
Hockey India named senior goalkeeper PR Sreejesh as the captain of the national team for the Rio
Olympics, axing long time captain Sardar Singh. While SV Sunil, who is also a key player in the side, has been
named vice-captain. He was Sreejeshs deputy in the Champions Trophy.
In the latest ICC rankings Ravichandran Ashwin topped the all-rounders list besides being placed second in
bowling. However India held the second position with third-placed Pakistan, while the Australia remains on top.
Six more Indians qualify for Rio Olympics
Qualifier Game Note
Renjith Maheswary Jumper
Dharambir Singh 200 meter race first Indian to run in an Olympics 200m race
after 36 years
Jinson Johnson 800 Meters Second fastest ever 800 metres race toqualify.
race
Anirban Lahiri Golf These golfers qualifies after crossing the mark
Shiv Shankar Prasad Golf of rank 60 in world rankings
Chawrasia
Aditi Ashok Golf
Indias Junior Mens Hockey team has just clinched the EurAsia Cup 2016 after defeating DynamoStroitel 3-2
in a close contest held at Yekaterinburg in Russia.
Hockey India named Defender Sushila Chanu as the skipper in place of Ritu Rani who was dropped from the
squad by the selectors due to poor form and attitude problems. Sushilas colleague Deepika named as the vice-
captain.
Indian Pro boxer Vijender Singh clinched the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title with a dominating
win over former WBC European champion Kerry Hope in New Delhi. Also this was his 7th straight pro-career
win.
Indian football team has climbed 11 places in the latest FIFA rankings and reached 152nd spot. This progress
comes after two successive win over Laos in the AFC Asian Cup qualification playoffs. The Ranking is topped
by Argentina.
Pakistani Wrist spinner Yasir Shah has reached the number spot in the MRF ICC Test rankings, becoming the
first Pakistani bowler to do so since Mushtaq Ahmed achieved the feat two decades back.
Nineteenth seed Dipika Pallikal Karthik dethroned defending champion Joshna Chinappa to regain the womens
title in the 73rd Senior National Squash Championship held in Mumbai. While in the mens event was seized
by title holder and top seed Saurav Ghosal, who created history by winning it for the 11th time, defeating fourth
seed Harinderpal Singh Sandhu.
Indian Tennis Star Rohan Bopanna defeated Hong Chung by a 3-6 6-4 6-4 to win against Chung his 10 th Davis
Cup Singles win.
Popular actor and model, Rohit Khandelwal is the first Indian to clinch the most desired Mr World title.
33 | P a g e
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommends for Russia ban from all international competition, including
Rio Games. Also International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that it is mulling for legal optionsfor
banning Russia from the Games.
Global premier nutrition company Herbalife International India has to be the official nutrition sponsor of the
Indian Olympic contingent to Rio de Janeiro by signing a two-year exclusive partnership with Indian Olympic
Association.
India womens hockey team led by Sushila Chanu battled to make a 2-1 win over hosts USA in their second
game of the America tour in Manheim, Pennsylvania.
Kendra Harrison of America set a 100m hurdles world record of 12.20 seconds at the London Diamond League
meeting in London. This was one hundredth of a second faster than the previous world record of 12.21 had
stood since 1988 and was held by Yordanka Donkova of Bulgaria.
India test Skipper Virat Kohli has become the first Indian captain to score a double century outside India.
Beside he is the fifth Indian Skipper to score a double century in a Test match.
Indian Batting great Sachin Tendulkar is set to appear in the world of digital gaming with the
proposed launch of his official game named Sachin Saga. Sachin Saga being developed by PlayIzzOn
Technologies at its studios. PlayIzzOn firm is a gaming arm of JetSynthesys.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made attendance at Reliance Foundation Youth Sports event in New Delhi.
Haryana hailed Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra made a history by becoming the first Indian athlete to become a
world champion after he clinched a gold medal at the U-20 World
Championships held in Bydgoszcz, Poland. To encourage the feat of the young Chopra Union Sports
Minister Vijay Goel announced a cash reward of Rs. 10 lakh.
Indian Shooter Manavaditya Rathore won bronze medal in trap event of Champion of Championsmatch at
the Junior World Cup in Porpetto, Italy. Manavaditya Son of Athens. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
Anant Naruka bagged a bronze in Champion of Champions battle in skeet.
Netherlands Robin Haase. He becomes the Sixth Spaniard to win an ATP World Tour title in 2016.
Mercedes Driver Lewis Hamilton wins Hungarian Grand Prix after some feisty driving on the track.
According to National Anti-Doping Agency Director General Navin Agarwal, Rio Olympics-bound wrestler in
74 kg category Narsingh Yadav, tested positive for a banned steroid.
Indian Shot putter Inderjit Singh, the second Rio Olympics-bound athlete to fail a dope test after wrestler
Narsingh Yadav.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has moved to the top spot of the MRF Tyres ICC Rankings for
Test Bowlers. The Chennai hailed spinner has replaced Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah.
Six women from Odisha have qualified for the Rio Olympics. These Rio Qualified athletes will receive Rs 10
lakh each as a special incentive.
Sprinters Srabani Nanda(200-m) and Dutee Chand(100-m run,)
Women Hockey players Deep Grace Ekka, Namita Toppo, Lilima Minz and Sunita Lakra
Parveen Rana will represent India in the Rio Olympics in place of Narsingh Yadav in the 74kg
freestyle category after the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has sent an official request to
United World Wrestling (UWW). This replacement of Rana comes as not to lose quota in the mega event.
Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan has been officially inducted into the ICC Hall of fame. He
becomes the first Sri Lankan player to be inducted
The Hall of Fame Inductees:
Inductees Country
Muttiah Muralitharan Sri Lanka
Arthur Morris Australia
Karen Rolton Australia
George Lohmann England
34 | P a g e
After a long wait, the names of the swimmers set to represent India at the Rio Olympics 2016 have been
revealed by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI). As per the decision of SFI Swimmers Sajan Prakash and
Shivani Kataria will represent India at the Rio Olympics.
FC Barcelonas Superhero Lionel Messi his father Jorge have been sentenced to 21months in prison for tax
fraud, but the Barcelona forward is not expected to spend any time behind bars.
OBITUARY
Renowned Marathi literary scholar R C Dhere no more.
Writer and futurist Alvin Toffler dies United States.
American Film Director Michael Cimino has passed away at Los Angeles, California.
Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard dies
Romanian-born American Jewish writer, professor, political activist Elie Wiesel has breathed his last at his
home in New York City.
Former president of World Peace Council, Romesh Chandra passed away
US actor Noel Neill, the first actress to play the role Lois Lane on the Adventures of Superman television
series passed away
Veteran music director Om Prakash Sonik passed away
Bengali eminent writer Mahasweta Devi has passed away of cardiac arrest due to multiple-organ failure at a
nursing home in Kolkata. She was 90 years old.
Eminent Agricultural Scientist Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao has passed away following a brief illness in
Hyderabad. He aged 89.
Renowned Afro-American writer James Alan McPherson Passed away
Rajjat Barjatya, MD and CEO of Rajshri Media suffered from Leukemia, passed away at a hospital in Mumbai.
Renowned Tabla Player Lachhu Maharaj Passed Away in Varanasi.
Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi passed away.
Former India footballer and the countrys first full time diamond coach Amal Dutta has passed away at his
residence following age related illness in Kolkata.
Indias Olympic Silver Medalist Joe Antic Passes Away Aged 90.
Renowned Vocalist Mubarak Begum Passed Away
Hockey legend Mohammed Shahid has passed away owing to a severe liver condition and kidney failure in
Gurgaon.
Former French cyclist Dominique Arnaud has passed away after following a cancer in a hospital in Dax.
Veteran Indian painter and a well-known Modern Artist, S.H.Raza passed away
Former Indias ambassador to the UN Arundhati Ghose was passed away following abattle with cancer at her
residence in Palam in New Delhi.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

The book named Ringside with Vijender, which was published online was in the news as Beijing Olympics
bronze medallist pugilist Vijender Singhs move to turn Pro featured in the book. The book authored by senior
journalist Rudraneil Sengupta.
Bollywoods star Shah Rukh Khan launched tennis star Sania Mirzas the autobiography, Ace Against Odds, in
Hyderabad.
The biography titled Who moved my interest rate? Mr. Subbarao penned about his five years at the countrys
central bank, between 2008 and 2013.
A book titled Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography by Margaret Alva was in news. Alva pensher forty-
year career under four Prime Ministers.
Book titled The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable, was in the news that has explains
information about climate change. The book was writer Amitav Ghoshs latest one.
35 | P a g e
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received a copy of a book Indias Most Powerful Women at
Rashtrapati Bhavan. The book has been written by Mrs. Prem Ahluwalia.
JK Rowlings eighth Harry Potter story,Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been released in bookstores
across the globe. The script is written by Jack Thorne, from an original story JK Rowling.
IMPORTANT DAYS
Date Day Theme
July 01 National Doctors Day (India)
July 01 International Joke Day
July 02 World Sports Journalists Day
July 04 International Day of Cooperatives
July 06 World Zoonosis Day
July 11 World Population Day Investing in teenage girls
July 12 Malala Day
Skills Development to Improve Youth
July 15 World Youth Skills Day
Employment
July 17 World Day for International Justice
July 18 Nelson Mandela International Day
July 26 Kargil Vija Divas (India)
July 28 World Nature Conservation Day
July 28 World Hepatitis Day Prevent Hepatitis: Its up to you
July 29 Global Tiger Day
July 30 International Day of Friendship
World Day against Trafficking in
July 30
Persons
July 31 136th Birth Anniversary of eminent writer Munshi Premchand being celebrated
STATIC GK July 2016

UNESCO: IMO has 171 Member States and 3 Associate
Headquarters: Paris, France Members
Formation: 16 November 1945
Membership: 195 member states World Bank:
President : Jim Yong Kim
BRICS New Development Bank: Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
Formation: July 2015 World Bank Group:
Headquarters: Shanghai, China World Bank Group has five international organizations:
President: K.V. Kamath International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD)
BRICS: International Development Association (IDA)
BRICS, an association of five major emerging International Finance Corporation (IFC)
economies comprising of Brazil, Russia, India, China Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
and South Africa, had started as a forum for future International Centre for Settlement of Investment
economic cooperation and for reforming Financial Disputes (ICSID)
Institutions.
The seventh BRICS summit was held in July, 2015 in New Development Bank:
Russia and India shall be hosting the eighth BRICS President: K.V. Kamath
summit in October, 2016 in Goa. Founded: July 15, 2014
It was jointly founded by the BRICS (Brazil, India,
IMO: China and South Africa) and headquartered in
Shanghai.
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Secretary General : Ki Tack Lim
36 | P a g e
NATO: got a banking license from the RBI in 2014 along with
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Bandhan Bank
Establishment April 4, 1949
HQ Brussels, Belgium. AXIS Bank:
CEO Shikha Sharma
ASEAN: HQ Mumbai
Name The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Establishment 1990
Establishment August 8, 1967
Member countries Indonesia, Malaysia, Federal Bank
Philippines, Singapore, Headquarters: Kochi
Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), CEO: Shyam Srinivasan
and Vietnam. Slogan: Your Perfect Banking Partner
WHO ICICI Bank:

i.Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland Name Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of
ii.Founded: April 7, 1948 India Bank
iii.Head: Margaret Chan HQ Mumbai
CEO Chanda Kochhar.
IFC: About AXIS Bank:
The International Finance Corporation is an HQ Mumbai,
international financial institution that offers investment, Establishment 1990
advisory, and asset management services to encourage CEO Shikha Sharma
private sector development in developing countries.
HQ : Washington, D.C., United States Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation
CEO: Philippe Le Hourou Establishment 1999
CEO A.K. Manocha
Asian Development Bank HQ New Delhi
HQ Philippines
CEO Takehiko Nakao TRAI:
Establishment 1966 Formation: 1997
Headquarters: New Delhi,
Payment Bank: Chairman: Ram Sewak Sharma
Payment banks can accept deposits restricted to Rs. 1
lakh per customer, and are allowed to pay customers Airtel:
interest on the money that is being deposited. HQ: New Delhi
The minimum paid-up equity capital for payments The Sunil Mittal founded Airtel Global network
banks shall be Rs. 100 crore. spanning across 50 countries across 5 continents
These banks should have a leverage ratio of not
less than 3 per cent, i.e., its outside liabilities should not National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority:
exceed 33.33 times its net worth (paid-up capital and The NPPA is formed 1997 headquartered In New Delhi,
reserves). which is a government regulatory agency that controls
the prices of pharmaceutical drugs in India.
About NSE:
NSE National Stock Exchange Snapdeal:
HQ Mumbai Founded: 2010
Establishment 1992, Headquarters: Okhla, New Delhi
CEO Chitra Ramakrishna CEO: Kunal Bahl.
IDFC: BHEL:
Name Infrastructure Development Finance CEO: AtulSobti
Company, Headquarters Chennai, India Headquarters: New Delhi
CEO Vikram Limaye Inception: 1964
Establishment 1997
IDFC Bank Headquarters Mumbai
IDFC Bank CEO Rajiv B Lall HDFC
IDFC Bank started banking operations on 1 October HDFC Housing Development Finance Corporation
2015, converting from an infrastructure focused lender HEADQUARTERS Mumbai
into a universal bank. IDFC was one of two entities that Establishment 1994
37 | P a g e
BSF: Cook Islands:

Name- Border Security Force, Capital: Avarua
Establishment 1995 Currencies: New Zealand dollar, Cook Islands dollar
Governed by Union Ministry of Home Affairs
Cameroon:
PERU: Capital: Yaound
Capital Lima Currency: Central African
Currency Peruvian nuevo sol CFA franc President: Paul Biya
Armenia Swaziland
Capital: Yerevan Capitals: Lobamba, Mbabane
Currencies: Armenian dram Currencies: Swazi lilangeni, South African rand
Mongolia: International Kabaddi Federation:

Capital: Ulaanbaatar Formation: 2004
Currency: Mongolian tgrg President: Janardan Singh Gehlot
President: TsakhiagiinElbegdorj Membership: 31 Countries
Prime minister: Chimed Saikhanbileg
International Union for Conservation of Nature
Bangladesh Headquarters: Gland, Switzerland
Capital Dhaka, Founded: 1948
Currency Bangladeshi taka CEO: Inger Andersen
Official language: Bengali
PM- Sheikh Hasina Kerala:
President: Abdul Hamid Capital Thiruvananthapuram
Nicknames Gods Own Country, Spice Garden of
Australia India, Land of Coconut Trees
Capital Canberra, CM Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan
Currency Australian Dollar Governor P. Sathasivam.
PM Malcolm Turnbull Language Malayalam
Some Wildlife Sanctuaries in Kerala:
Netherland 1. Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary
Language Dutch 2. Begur Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad
Currency Euro 3. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Idukki
Capital Amsterdam 4. Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary,
Thiruvananthapuram
Afghanisthan 5. Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, Palakkad
Capital Kabul, 6. Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary
Currency Afghan afghani 7. Chimmony Wildlife sanctuary
President Ashraf Ghani. 8. Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary
38 | P a g e
Current Affairs
Current Affairs PDF
Study Materials PDF
Reasoning Questions
English Questions
Computer Questions
General Aptitude
Reasoning
Letter Writing
Math Tricks
Computer Awareness

39 | P a g e
Current Affairs August Pocket PDF 2016

INDIAN AFFAIRS
Bihar government-led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has lifted the Ban on the toddy (palm wine)
consumption and selling in the state.
Lok Shaba has passed two bills favoring the National Eligibility cum Entrance Exam
(NEET) examination, for its constitutional status as promulgated by the government of India, which is
to be mandated from next academic year.
In the evolving financial sector, Government leaped into the next step for collecting the bad debts and
bad loans by passing two key bill amendments in the Lok Shaba namely Securitization and
Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, and the
debt recovery tribunal (DRT) Act.
Lok Shaba passes The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 for the betterment of
transgender which attempts to define a transgender person and also to prohibit the discrimination
against the transgender.
Lok shaba passed The National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research
(Amendment) Bill, 2016to establish the renowned National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Andhra
Pradesh.
A rigorous Bihar Excise and Prohibition Bill, 2016, was passed in the state Assembly of Bihar by
voice vote.
The Odisha government has initiated the process of recruiting transgender people as prison wardens in
order to impart a social boom in their abandoned life style.
A month-long Swachh Bharat special campaign with the theme of Freedom from Open Defecation
is being organized by The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (Cabinet Minister Narendra
Singh Tomar) throughout this August.
Arunachal Pradeshs ninth Chief Minister Pema Khandu expanded his Cabinet by including 10
ministers. Upon the move the state governor Tathagata Roy administered the oath of office and
secrecy to the newly appointed ministers.
The Rajya Sabha passed a bill to amend the Constitution that would facilitate thestraitening of the
Goods and Services Tax (GST) backing the governments assurance that the tax rates would be kept
as low as possible. It is noted that The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 was approved by
the Upper House with 203 votes in favor and none against and a rare affableness was witnessed among
the ruling and the opposition parties of the central Government.
In the Latest Amendment:-The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposed the GST which will enacts that
presently 80% of goods attract 12.5% of Central excise duty while at the state level 55% of items are
charged with 14.5% VAT or sales tax. The weighted average of the two in 65% of the items comes to
27%. Adding cess and entry tax takes the figure to 30%.
The Union Cabinet led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the Motor Vehicle
(Amendment) Bill 2016. In the present Motor Vehicle Act, there are 223 Sections out of which the Bill
aims to amend 68 sections whereas Chapter 10 has been deleted and a Chapter 11 is being
replaced with new provisions in order to simplify third party insurance claims and settlement process.
The Union Cabinet has given nod for making suitable amendments in the Central List of OBCs to
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana upon recommendations by the National Commission for Backward
Classes (NCBC). The amendment done by way of inclusion/correction/deletion of castes/communities
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applicable. The Commission in its series of recommendation gave 35 changes in respect of Andhra
Pradesh and 86 New Entries in respect of Telangana.
Gujarat High Court has quashed governments ordinance to offer 10 % quota for the
economically backward among upper castes in education and admission.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik opened 100 multi-purpose shelter houses to the people of
Odisha for use during natural calamities like floods and cyclones.
Goa government will implement the 7 th pay commission recommendations in the state
form November 1 this year, Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has informed in the state
Assembly.
The Delhi High Court dismissed its set of petitions on the legal brawl with the Centre over control
of administrative issues and distribution of power in Delhi to the Lt Governor, thereby setting a major
prorogue to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi Government. The High Court pronounced the
verdict on a set of 11 petitions challenging various decisions of the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi
government and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and the interpretation of Article 239A of the
Constitution.
A start-up in the online legal documentation business, LegalDesk announced the launch of an
electronic signing feature called eSignDesk a platform takes digital signatures to the masses beyond
companies and corporates. With this All Aadhaar holders can now sign documents remotely as a legal
documentation startup has launched an electronic signing feature, taking digital signatures outside the
domain of only companies.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje laid the foundation of 14 projects worth Rs 2,229 Crore to
make the Jaipur city as a Wonder City within next two years.
Goa State Assembly unanimously passedGoa Succession, Special Notaries and Inventory Proceeding
Bill, 2012 which will replace the Portuguese-era civil code with regards to property matters and notary
laws.
Union government is mulling to roll out the ambitious GST Bill from next fiscal i.e. by April
2017 says Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
Tamilnadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa have granted cash prize of Rs 1.45 crore to five Sports
Persons who has won international Sports honors. Rs 25 lakh to Jenitha Anto of Tiruchirappalli. And
Rs. 55 lakh to C Ajith Kumar. The list also includes R Naveen of Chennai who received Rs 25
lakh for winning gold in medley relay while Womens medley relay player L Samayasri and S
Priyadarshini were given Rs 20 lakh each for winning silver title.
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has inaugurated College of Veterinary Sciences and
Animal Husbandry in Peren District of Nagaland under Central Agricultural University (CAU) Imphal
MP. The Minister also inaugurated Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) farm science centre in Peren. He
also said that one Seed Hub is being established in ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Tripura
Centre in Agartala.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will address the 71st session of the United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA) on September 26 in New York. For the first time in his reign, Mr. Narendra Modi
will miss this General Assembly Session.
State government of Himachal Pradesh has come up with a target of planting over one crore
saplings this year to increase green cover in the state. It is the first state to earn carbon credit. The state
has received from the centre Rs 1.93 crore as the first installment for this purpose, which was
distributed to self-help groups.
The Parliament passed a bill to amend debt recovery laws and make them more time-bound and
effective in yet another step to address the problem of rising bad loans on August 9.
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In Lok Sabha Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya proposed and passed theEmployees
Compensation (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The Bill amends the Employees Compensation Act, 1923.
Lok shaba passes bill to include Nagaland under Central Agricultural University of Imphal, the Central
Agricultural University (Amendment) Bill, 2016 that provides for bringing the northeastern state of
Nagaland under the jurisdiction of Imphal-based Central Agriculture University in neighboring
Manipur was passed by the Lok Sabha.
The Lok Sabha on passed the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill on August 10. This bill will
help unlock value of VSNL land, boost textile and marble sector.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin dedicated Kudankulam Nuclear
Power Projects (KKNPP) first unit to the country today. Both the leaders, along with Tamil Nadu
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa spoke through video conferencing and jointly inaugurated the Unit-I of the
plant.
The Lok Sabha passed the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016. It creates the way for employers in
the textile sector to avail of the income tax benefit on additional employment provided the employee.
This applies for the employee who has worked for 150 days and not 240 days as mandated earlier.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its ex-post facto approval for
amendments to the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 by introducing the Maternity Benefit (Amendment)
Bill, 2016 in Parliament. The amendments include increasing maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26
weeks for two surviving children and 12 weeks for more than two children, 12 weeks maternity leave
to a Commissioning mother and Adopting mother.
The cabinet gave ex-post facto approval to a proposal to amend the Lokpal Act to exempt Central
government employees sand NGOs executives from filing details of assets of their spouses and
children.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave
its nod for a proposal of R&D project for development of Advanced Ultra Super Critical (AUSC)
Technology for thermal power projects with an estimated cost of Rs 1,554 crore. They are as follows,
1.Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL),
2.Indira Gandhi Centre of Atomic Research (IGCAR) and
3.NTPC have proposed a R&D project for development of AUSC technology.
Bihar Cabinet led by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar gave its nod to increase VAT on petrol and
diesel by 1.5 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. The cabinet also approved to waive the
entertainment tax on a Hindi documentary Guturgu-guturgu.
After Odisha State Cabinet has given nod for the Odisha Official Language Rules- 2016, to frame
rules for proper implementation of the Odisha Official Language Act-1954 that came the came to the
force with immediate effect.
Nagaland has announced the decision to conducts polls to Urban Local Bodies (ULB) by granting 33%
women reservation. It was announced by the chief Minister TR Zeliang on the state level Watershed
Conference held in Kohima.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) headed by Shri M. Venkaiah
Naidu approved construction of 37,013 houses for the urban poor in Karnataka and Haryana with
central assistance of Rs 569 crore.
Total Outlay :
i. Rs 1,468 crore to construct 36,254 houses in Karnataka
ii. Rs 23 crore to construct 759 houses in Haryana
Later Central government will provide Rs 558 crore to Karnataka and Rs 11 to Haryana
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From the next fiscal, the 92-year-old practice of presenting a separate Rail Budget is set to come to an
end as the Finance Ministry accepted to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhus proposal for merging it
with the General Budget.
Assam Assembly passed the Assam Amusements and Betting Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2016. This bill
will reduce the service charge of cinema tickets with an aim to give a fillip to the local film industry
but, government raised the entertainment tax on cinema tickets by up to ten percentile points
70th Independence Day August 15, 2016,-----Marking the Independence Day, Nehru Yuva Kendra
Sangathan organized a candle-light TIRANGA MARCH in 100 prominent District Headquarters of
several States/ UTs.
A week-long Colors of Independence campaign has been launched by the Jute Corporation of
India JCI marking the 70th Independence Day of India.
Our Lady of Assumption Church of the Succoro village, near Panaji in Bardez Taluka celebrated
Patolleanchem Fest, a unique salute to the jaggery-based sweet dish called Patolleo on the eve of
the Indolence Day of India.
Union Minister launches M Venkaiah Naidu lauched the Special Version Webpage on the mark of
70th Indian Independence Day
Goa Tourism presents an exclusive bike rally called Freedom Ride, which held on 15 August
2016. The Rally will be very enjoyable and give bikers an experience of Goa while
exploring its treasures packed with churches, rivers, beaches, temples, villages and much more.
Independence Day Film Festival unveiled by M Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi
Union Urban Development Minister, M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the Independence Day Film
Festival in Delhis Siri Fort Auditorium.
M Venkaiah Naidu Unveils Tiranga Yatra Indian Independence Day Theme Song
As part of Independent Day celebrations, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar inaugurated Bharat
Parv festival at India Gate lawns and the inauguration ceremony of the festival, which will conclude
on August 18, is also attended by Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Mahesh Sharma.
A commemorative postage stamp on Tourism in Indiaon the occasion of 70th Independence Day has
been released by the Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha.
On the occasion of the 70th Indian Independence Day, a total of 948 central and state forces police
personnel were awarded gallantry and other service medals.
Havildar Hangpan Dada honored with Ashok Chakra posthumously
Among the above stated award distributing ceremony, Telangana State has received the highest
number of gallantry medals for police personnel in the country on the eve of Independence Day and it
is noted that it was the only State unit to secure the Presidents police medal for gallantry (PPMG).
The following two policemen, who lost their lives trying to catch two StudentsIslamic Movement of
India (SIMI) operatives in Nalgonda district were the recipients of the PPMG
Sub-Inspector Duddekula Siddaiah
Constable Chougoni Nagaraju
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces 20% hike in freedom fighters pension
On a final breath, Odia will be used as the official language in all transactions of the Odisha
government from August 16, 2016. According to the amendment of the Orissa Official Language Act
1954, all government letters, files will be carried in Odia language.
The renewed relationship between Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and the National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) was evident once again, when the Bihar assembly ratified the Constitution
amendment bill needed to roll out the proposed goods and services tax (GST).
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The Jharkhand Assembly passed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill and became the third state to
ratify the bill after Assam and Bihar on august 17.
India and Bangladesh jointly set to produce a documentary on the 1971 War of Independence of
Bangladesh to mark the 100th birth anniversary of its Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman in 2020.
AIR- Radio Service (Akashvani Maitree):
It is decided after the meeting that All India Radio would be launch service for Bangladesh and
Bengali diaspora on the name of Akashvani Maitree on August 23.
The Quota bound Gujarat comes with another news that its High Court partly quashed a government
ordinance abolishing all NRI quota in colleges offering medical courses offered in the state.
The central government has allowed online authentication using Aadhar
for new mobileconnections. The guidelines for Aadhaar Electronic-Know Your Customer e-
KYC, were issued to make the online process of application and authentication faster and simpler for
subscribers.
In response to an appeal by the African nation for help to deal with severe drought caused by El Nino
phenomenon, India has provided an aid of USD one million to Zimbabwe.
Gujarat state Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has approved to implement the 7th pay
commission recommendations at a meeting in Gandhinagar.
Mental Health Care Bill, a bill which seeks to decriminalise suicide and provide better healthcare for
people suffering from mental illness was passed by the Rajya Sabha.
Mental Health Care Bill 2013:-
The Mental Health Care Bill 2013, which provides for protection and promotion of rights of persons
with mental illness during the delivery of health care in institutions and in the community, was passed
unanimously by a voice vote.
Trade Body ASSOCHAM puts Uttarakhand on the top on its study in terms of growth in the industry
and service sectors in the last ten years. The study also highlighted the states economic growth and
industrial development as it has recorded the highest Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
of 16.5 per cent and12.3 per cent respectively in during the last ten years from 2004 to 2015.
Maharashtra government has launched the Quit India Movement 2 against various social ills, the
launch is in line with commemorating the Platinum Jubilee anniversary of the Quit India Movement at
the historic August Kranti Maidan inMumbai
India Bangladesh signed a short-term route agreement to allow transport of petroleum goods
from Assam to Tripura through Bangladesh due to the heavy monsoon damaged roads and made the
transportation between the two states difficult.
Maharashtra government has launched the countrys first comprehensive Crime Criminal Tracking
Network System CCTNS) on the eve off of the 70th Independence Day in Mumbai. The System was
unveiled by the state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on launching he also pledged good
governance in the state.
The National Film Archive of India NFAI has acquired surviving footage of the Indian silent film
Bilwamangal (1919) from the Cinema the que Francaise, France. This acquisition is considered an
important for NFAI at a juncture when they are in the process of implementing prestigious National
Film Heritage Mission to safeguard Countrys cinematic heritage.
The Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry jointly with the Ministry of Water Resources, River
Development & Ganga Rejuvenation and Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports as well as Government of Uttar Pradesh, organized a National Convention of Gram Pradhans in
Alaahabad.
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The Kerala government approved a new debt relief scheme for low income and poor people who face
the threat of revenue recovery proceedings after they fail to repay loans taken from various financial
institutions under the government. As a one-time relief, interest and penal interest pending would be
written off or relaxed for loans up to Rs 5 lakh subject to the amount repaid.
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) have approved a wage hike along with a hike in
Market Development Assistance. The KVIC has informed that spinners will now earn 5.50 rupees
instead of 4 rupees per hank with an additional 10 percent Market Development Assistance.
The Union Woman and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi inaugurated The Animal Birth
Control Centre at Kedarpuram Uttarakhand. The centre was developed at a cost about 1.5 crore.
Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is set launch a service in which commuters will be able to pay
bus fares using their metro smart card from October. The Service will run on a trial mode on this
ambitious project.
Andhra Pradesh Police launched DNA Index System (DIS) that allows generation of DNA profiles
from live samples like saliva and blood stains to establish a proactive policing model in the country.
This is the first-of-its-kind initiative by the state.
The famous Sreekrishna temple in Guruvayur has been included in the Union Tourism Ministrys
Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive(PRASAD).
India has pledged financial aid worth Nepali Rs 39.97 million for the construction of a new building
and a hostel facility at a Sanskrit school in eastern Nepal.
A study conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India has found that child
sex ratio i.e number of girls per 1,000 boys is all set to fall drastically to a little over 800 by 2021
census. In India, the Child Sex Ratio is defined as the number of females per thousand males in the age
group 06 years in a human population.
The worlds largest bloc of Muslim countries Organisation of Islamic Cooperation have expressed
concern over alleged human rights violations in Kashmir. The valley has seen month long clashes
between Protesters and police.
Maharashtra government has enacted a stringent law Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security
Act to deal with the challenges of terrorism, insurgency, communalism and caste violence.
MPISA -Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act, A new internal security Act, envisaged by
the states police department, is expected to put this in black and white, thereby bridging the gap and
plugging loopholes in the existing security arrangements. It is noted that Maharashtra is the first state
in the country to have its own internal security Act.
The Chhattisgarh and Gujarat state Assembly passed the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Constitution
Amendment Bill, becoming the fifth and sixth state to pass the bill respectively. These states ratify
GST bill after Himachal Pradesh.
The Indian Air Force is set to build new Aerospace Museum in New Delhi, focusing to showcase and
to create awareness in general public about Indias rich Aerospace heritage.
Indias Food Regulator FSSAI organised a function commemorate 10 years of the enactment of Food
Safety and Standard Act (FSSAI Act) on August 23rd 2016 in New Delhi.
The Odisha state cabinet headed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik approved the Odisha startup policy
to promote entrepreneurship among youths. The policy envisages ushering in an innovative start-
up ecosystem through creation of world class incubation centres, funding and supporting incentives
structure at par with other states. A Start-up Capital Infrastructure Fund (up to Rs 25 crore) would be
provided by the state government to the Department of MSME through budgetary provision.
Indian Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu
commissioned a new railway line between Nandyala and Yerraguntla in the presence of Union Urban
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Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. This railway line described as the dream of (late Prime
Minister) PV Narasimha Rao.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for
introduction of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 on August 24, 2016.
After Goa and Delhi, Telangana has become the third state to inaugurate south Indias first Childrens
Court was inaugurated in Hyderabad. This court is a child friendly court and sixth in the country 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.
ii. The child friendly courtroom was jointly inaugurated at the Nampally Criminal Courts Complex
in Hyderabad by Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan of High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad
and Director General of Telangana Police Anurag Sharma.
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has launched the Akashvani Maitree Bengal dedicated Channel
at a function organised at Raj Bhawan in Kolkata to strengthen ties between India and Bangladesh.
The President is on a three-day visit to West Bengal which he concluded on 24 August 2016. President
Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated a mega food park at Murshidabad and to attend the convocation of
Management Development Institute in Murshidabad at Jangipur.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved nine projects worth about Rs 24,000 crore on
24th August 2016 in nine states for expansion of railway network and connectivity across the country.
The Madhya Pradesh and Delhi Assembly ratified the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Constitution
Amendment Bill, With this MP and Delhi became the seventh and eighth State to ratify the historic tax
amendment bill. The AAP led Delhi become the third non-BJP-ruled state and overall the eighth to
clear the proposed tax regime after Bihar and Himachal to ratify the bill.
Union Labour Ministry signed Memorandam of understanding (MoUs) with companies such as job
portals Indeed, First Job and HT Shine to enhance the quality and reach of its employment generation
services.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to
proposal for dissolution of Central Inland Water Transport Corporation Limited (CIWTC).
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post-facto
approval for the FDI policy amendments announced by the Government.
Jharkhand became the first state in the country to have implemented Public Fund Management System
(PFMS).
The Ministry of Home Affairs had constituted a Committee under Shri Madhukar Gupta, Retd. Home
Secretary for strengthening border protection and addressing the issue of gaps and vulnerability in
border fencing along Indo-Pakistan Border.
An Expert committee of seven-members under the chairmanship of Shri T V S N Prasad, Joint
Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs for exploring the other possible alternatives to Pellet Guns as
Non-lethal Weapons submitted its report to the Union Home Secretary Shri Rajiv Mehrishi here today
The Minister of Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu signed a deal with popular comic book series
Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) to bring out a comic book on the Swachh Bharat Mission
A MoU was signed between Goa Government and Google India to promote digital literacy, develop
internet safety education for students, and promote android development and
makegovernment websites mobile friendly.
Goa becomes the 15 th state to sign the legislation, the Goa CM Laxmikant Parsekar underlined that it
would help sectors like service and tourism, bringing in more revenue.
Gujarat becomes first state to distribute 2 crore LED bulbs under UJALA scheme
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Indian President Pranab Mukherjee night re-promulgated an Ordinance to amend the Enemy Property
Act Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants Act of 1971 pending ratification by Rajya Sabha.
Newly elected Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy, who holds the finance portfolio, presented
a tax-free Rs 6,665 crore budget for the financial year 2016-17.
BJP led Maharashtra and Haryana government has ratified the Tax reform bound GST Constitution
(122nd) Amendment Bill 2016 in a move that makes tenth and eleventh states to pass the bill after a
debate in their respective State Assemblies.
Union Human Resource Development MinisterPrakash Javdekar formally launched IIT
Dharwad chapter in Dharwad in Karnataka. Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad (IIT Dharwad) is
an autonomous premier engineering and technology university located in Dharwad.
Indian Navy has set-up a high level committee to find out the extent of Scorpene submarine data leak
and the damage to the Navy. The committee will be headed by Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Admiral
Ashok Kumar and based on the report of the committee; Navy will see what mitigation measures need
to be taken.
West Bengal Legislative Assembly (WBLA) passed a resolution in favor of changing the name of the
state from West Bengal to Bangla. The resolution was passed during the special session of the House
which was convened exclusively for the purpose of changing the name of the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of SAUNI Saurashtra Narmada Avataran
for Irrigation Project at Sanosara village near Dhroll in Gujarats Jamnagar district. Under the
project, nearly 10 dams and reservoirs of Rajkot, Jamnagar and Morbi, would be filled up with the
water of Narmada River.
Myanmar President Htin Kyaw visit to India
Following the invitation of Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw and
his wife Daw Su Su Lwin made a State Visit made to India.
Four pacts signed :-
India and Myanmar signed four pacts in the field of infrastructure development and for the cooperation
in renewable energy. They are as follows,
1. Agreement I Construction of 69 bridges on the Tamu-Kalewa section of the trilateral
highway connecting India, Myanmar and Thailand.
2. Agreement II Upgrading the Kalewa-Yargi section of the trilateral highway.
3. Agreement III Cooperation in the field of renewable energy,
4. Agreement IV cooperation in the field of traditional medicines.
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda launched the Mera Aspataal (my hospital)
initiative. This move seeks to empower the patients by seeking their views on quality of experience in
a public healthcare facility.
The Haryana Vidhan Shabha has unanimously passed the Haryana Sports Council Bill, 2016 to
constitute statutory sports councils at state, district, block and municipal levels. The Bill was tabled by
the state Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anil Vij. The bill was passed after a long debate that also
seen adjournment of house.
The Telangana and Mizoram State Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution of Constitutional
Amendment Bill on 30 August 2016.
On the 55th All India Wheat & Barley Research Workers meet which concluded in Hissar Haryana.
Agriculture scientists revealed that eight varieties of wheat and one of barley have been identified
across the country.
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The government is all set to announce an Rs 2,000 crore package for displaced people
of Pakistan occupied Kashmir living in India amid Prime Minister Narendra Modis approaches to
people of PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan.
Indias first Electropreneur Park is inaugurated by the Minister for Electronics and Information
Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad at Delhi University.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has unveiled a detailed plan for the Mumbai-Nagpur Super
Communication Expressway, a 706-km link that seeks to connect 24 districts and improve access from
rural communities in the east to commercial hubs in the west.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley suggested creation of a task force of experts and officials to deliberate
on the challenges in international arbitration in the BRICS countries and put in place institutional
mechanisms to establish arbitral centers in these nations.
Gujarat government is planning to set up Indias first textile university at Surat with an investment of
about Rs 800 crore. The ultimate aim of the university is to provide all kind of support including
technology, research and development (R&D), skilled manpower.
The 22nd edition of the Delhi Book Fair has kick started to promote literacy and higher education
among children and the youth at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
The seventh edition of the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival 2016 Kicked off in the capital city of the
Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan Thimbu on 26 August 2016.
Nagaland Assembly ratifies GST bill & Nagaland welcomes Childrens film festival. The state of
Nagaland also welcomes Childrens Film Society of India (CFSI), has been organised in Nagaland.
Titled CFSI Film Bonanza commenced on August 23. The Festival will last for a week.
IT-BT capital of the country, Bengaluru, will host the 2017 Bharatiya Pravasi Divas. It is scheduled to
take place on February 7, 8 and 9 of 2017.
Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has launched an online
complaint box named POCSO e-Box for reporting child sexual abuse in New Delhi on 26 August
2016.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis unveiled the State government plans to transform
1,000 villages with the help of corporate sector, and the civil society over the next few years.
PLACES IN NEWS
The Tamil Nadu State Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution asking the union government to
rename it as the High Court of Tamil Nadu. The Decision from the state is against the centre, as it
proposed High court of Chennai is been passed by the assembly.
The UP Police launched Operation Vishwas in Lucknow following a slew of rape cases, including
the horrific Bulandshahr gangrape, on 5 August. The month-long operation will run in 10cities
including Lucknow.
Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister, Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the Indian
Institute of Technology transit campus in Jammu. In the inauguration function the Minister earmarked
Rs 100 crore for NIT, Srinagar under a special plan this year to facilitate research and development.
Union Minister of Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) Prakash
Javadekar inaugurated Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Raipur at the campus of Chhattisgarh -
Government Engineering College. The IIT Bhilai is the first IIT in Chhattisgarh and 23rd in India. It is
being mentored by IIT Hyderabad.
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The12-day long Krishna Pushkaralu festivalthat comes once in every 12 years, begins at the Krishna
River in Vijayawada, The twin Telugu states made all the Precautionary measures to avoid any
mishap.
A first-of-its-kind, Initiative for a touch and feel garden for the visually impaired people in the country
was inaugurated in the premises of Calicut University.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal inaugurated the Punjabs first Sewa Kendra in order to
provide efficient and transparent governance to the people at their doorsteps, where people will be able
to avail 243 services under one roof.
Akhilesh Yadav led cabinet meeting of Uttar Pradesh government approved a Metro Rail project for
Allahabad on August 17. This metro trainWork is already underway on the Metro Rail in Lucknow
and the Detailed Project Report for Varanasi and Kanpur have already been approved Akhilesh
Yadav.
Vasundhara Raje led BJP government in the Rajasthan becomes the first state in the country to give
nod to sewage and waste water policy. This is the first of its kind policy.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated the India International Footwear Fair (IIFF) on August 5 in
New Delhi. The quantum of business generated from the fair was Rs 1,200 crore. However, we expect
business to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore to be generated this year.
Assam has become the first state to ratify Constitution Amendment Bill related to the Goods and
Services Tax (GST), following its passage by both houses of Parliament.

The Two day long first technology meet under the targets of the ambitious Hydrocarbon Vision
2030 for Northeast India started in Guwahati Assam.
The four day long Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF) Summit 2016 conducted in Bali,
Indonesia with cream of experts to collectively develop regional solutions to critical terrorism
financing issues and risks.
Global Social India Foundation announced that it is set to host the Tomorrows India Global
Summit, for the proposal the Embassy of India in the Republic of Korea has offered its support during
the five-day event in Seoul from September 25-29.
A three-member Parliamentary delegation attended the first SAARC Young Parliamentarians
Conference (YPC) on `Peace and Harmony for Development which held from August 16 to 18 in
Islamabad, Pakisthan.
In recognizing the Indian development, World Economic Forum(WEF), will host its
annual India Economic Summit at New Delhi on October 6-7. This summit is expected to attend by
over 500 business and political leaders including top policymakers and CEOs.
AAI to host a Global Conference on Aluminum in Bubhaneshwar in February, 2017.
The first National Conference of Investigation Agencies was held on 12-13 August, 2016, at Vigyan
Bhawan in New Delhi. It is jointly organized by the Bureau of Police Research and Development
(BPR&D) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India.
The 7th meeting of SAARC Immigration Authorities was held in Islamabad, Pakistanon August 2. The
meeting was chaired by Pakistans Director General Immigration and Passports Usman A. Bajwa.
The two-day meeting of the BRICS Womens Parliamentarian Forum was begun in Jaipur on August
20, in which 42 delegates from member countries participated.
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A two-day conference of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Finance
Ministers has been kicked off in Islamabad.
Union minister of state for home Shri Kiren Rijiju inaugurates the BRICS meeting on Disaster Risk
Reduction in Udaipur.
INTEANTAIONAL AFFAIRS
India hosted the three-day(August 29-31,2016) Eighth meeting of SAARCSTAT and delegates from
SAARC Member States and other international organizations viz., FAO, PARIS 21, and ADB
attended the Meet.Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation, Shri. D.V. Sadananda
Gowda inaugurated the 8th Meeting of Heads of SAARC Statistical Organizations (SAARCSTAT) in
New Delhi. The theme of this Meeting is Trade Statistics Merchandise & Services.
East Asian nation China in the Qinghai province has commissioned its first solar thermal power plant
with the capacity of 10 megawatt which is the third such power plant in the world has been
commissioned
The United States Postal Service will commemorate the festival of Diwali with a Forever stamp on
Oct 5 and on behalf of this a dedication ceremony to be hosted at Consulate General of India in New
York.
The first Asian Science and Technology (S&T) Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR
2016-DRR) was organised by United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Regional Office
for Asia and Pacific (UNISDR AP)held at Bangkok in Thailand.
The 19th Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) summit will be held in
Islamabad on 9 and 10 November.
The Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-VI) was held from 27 to
28 August 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya. The Office of the Special Advider on Africa (OSAA) is currently
working closely with all the other TICAD co-organizers and the Government of Kenya towards a
successful organization of the momentous TICAD-VI Summit.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe committed to provide $30 billion as public and private support
for infrastructure development, education and healthcare expansion in the African Continent.
The United States and India signed LEMOA(Logistics Exchange Memorandum
of Agreement) governing the use of each others land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply. This
is considered as a step toward building defense ties in order to counter the growing maritime
assertiveness of China.
Turkey has launched a major military intervention in Syria as a part of Operation Euphrates, sending
tanks and warplanes across the border in a coordinated campaign with Syrian opposition fighters, who
seized an Islamic State-held village in the area in the first hours of fighting.
World Population to hit 9.9 Billion in 2050, PRB report says
According to the projections of the 2016 World Population Data Sheet from the Population Reference
Bureau (PRB),the world population will reach 9.9 billion in 2050, up 33 percent from an estimated 7.4
billion now.
Rate of Growth :-
As per the expected rate of growth, the expected population of the top populous countries in 2050 as
follows:-
1. India 1,708 Million (1,329 in 2016)
2. China 1,344 Million (1,378 in 2016)
3. US 398 Million (324 in 2016)
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4. Nigeria 398 Million (197 in 2016)

5. Indonesia 398 Million (259 in 2016)
According to Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, (CIMA), India ranks third in the world
in implementing robotic automation in their core business processes.CIMA is an UK based
organization that conducted the global survey across European, African and Asian countries.
With a new study published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal declared a proposal that would remove
the decades-old assignment, World Health Organization is making the move to declassify transgender
identity as a mental disorder on its international list of medical conditions. A study led by the National
Institute of Psychiatry in Mexico suggested that transgender people struggled to access health care
services due to this classification.
Nepal Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda is all set to become the Prime Minister of
Nepal for the second time as he filed his nomination.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled a new economic stimulus package worth more
than $275 billion in order to get the conking economy back to form.
The United States has added the Pakistani militant group Jamaat-ur-Ahrar to its list of global terrorists,
triggering sanctions against a faction that has staged multiple attacks on civilians, religious minorities
and soldiers. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) is a splinter group of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) based
in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.
Keralas classical Indian dance Kaathakali has been performed by troupe (group of dancers) that
wooed the audience during its performances in different cities of Egypt for the first time.
Worlds longest hunger strike ended on August 9 when Irom Chanu Sharmila ended her 16-year-long
fast. Manipurs Iron Lady Irom Chanu Sharmila was on a hunger strike for 5757 days and was being
force-fed through a nasal tube to keep her alive at a prison-turned-hospital in Imphal.
Russian President Vladimir after meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Saint Petersburg
has agreed to work toward restoring full relations with Turkey and also added that rebuilding trade ties
will be time consuming. Its the first time the two leaders have met since Turkish interceptors blasted a
Russian warplane out of the skies over Syria in November.
Brazil launched the first public immunization programme in the Americas against dengue fever,
where 500,000 people to be injected with the worlds first authorized vaccine against the disease.
The 430-metre long and six metre wide Glass Bridge set to be the worlds longest and highest glass
bridge will open to visitors in Hunan province of China. Besides it set 10 world records spanning its
design and construction.
United Kingdom Ministers approved the second phase of the worlds biggest offshore wind farm.
Hornsea Project Two will include 300 turbines spread across 300 square miles, 55 miles off the cost of
England in the North Sea. With an estimated energy capacity of 1.8 gigawatts, the project could
provide enough power for 1.6 million homes.
China and ten members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations [ASEAN] have agreed to form a
framework for a code of conduct to ease tension in the disputed South China Sea.
Colombias government has secured a groundbreaking peace deal with leftist Farc rebels promising
to end a war that wracked the country for more than half a century, killing tens of thousands and
displacing millions.
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RANKING & REPORTS

Forbes comes up with a list of Americas top wealth advisors with 200 members altogether manage
USD 675 billion with four Indian-origin persons as a part of the list. It is noted that Morgan Stanley,
Merrill Lynch and UBS secured multiple advisors in the top 20 spots, led by Greenwich,
1 Conn.-based Jeff Erdmann of Merrill
2 Manhattan-based Morgan Stanleys Brian Pfeifler
3 UBS Christopher Errico.
Verisk Maplecroft has released a list of countries for the business opportunities based on the civil
unrest and peace prevalence in the countries called the Civil Unrest Index. Pathetidally India ranked
4th in this list preceded by Syria, Yemen and Libya. The Top 5 pathetic Rankings are as follows,
Rank Country Civil Unrest Status
1 Syria Extreme Civil Unrest
2 Yemen Extreme Civil Unrest
3 Libya Extreme Civil Unrest
4 India Extreme Civil Unrest
5 Burundi Extreme Civil Unrest
According to the latest Bloomberg Misery Index which combines the inflation and unemployment
rates in 74 countries, Singapore is the second happiest place in the world. The is topped Thailand
followed by Singapore
After 2010, now in 2016 India is expected to remain the number one most strategic region in the
global plans of the Wikipedia, the free Internet encyclopedia that allows its users to edit most of its
content.
India became the largest, most popular general reference work on the Internet, and among the top 10
most-visited sites in the world.
Forbes has released its first ever list of the 100 richest people in the technology field. This list is as
usually dominated by Americans with Microsoft founder Bill Gates at the top. Two Indian tech
tycoons, Wipro chairman Azim Premji and HCL co-founder Shiv Nadar bagged their spots in this
prestigious list.
The 100 Richest Tech Billionaires In The World 2016 list has been topped by Microsoft founder Bill
Gates with an estimated fortune of USD 78 billion. Azim Premji ranks 13th on the list with a networth
of USD 16 billion and Shiv Nadar comes in on the 17th spot with USD 11.6 billion of net worth. The
list is topped by Bill Gates.
According to the sixth edition of TripAdvisors TripIndex Cities, Mumbai has been ranked the most
expensive city in India but the second least expensive in the world to visit, after Hanoi, Vietnam.
According to the rankings released by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO), India climbed 15 spots, from 81 last year, to 66 in the Global Innovation Index
(GII) and maintained the top spot in the Central and South Asia regions. The list is topped by
Switzerland. India, 66th is the top-ranked economy in Central and Southern Asia.
The Global Liveability Ranking, released by The Economist declared Australias Melbourne city as the
worlds most liveable city for the sixth consecutive year.
A special institution named Corporate Knights created the Carbon Clean 200 (Clean200TM) a list of
the 200 largest companies worldwide ranked by their total clean energy revenues as an invitation to a
larger discussion of how we can invest in a clean energy future. Among Indian companies are Suzlon
Energy at 68 rank for its wind farms, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd at 106 for its wind electric generators
and solar cells,
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Brand Finance rating agency has ranked TCS as the 58th most valuable brand in the US and as one of
only four global IT services companies recognised as a top 100 brand in the US, with 78.3 points,
earning an AA+ rating, and as per the Brand Finance report, Major IT giant Apple bagged the top spot
The W20: The 20 Wealthiest Countries in the World report by Johannesburg-based The New World
Wealth, India is ranked 7th among the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of private wealth held
by individuals. The list is topped by USA.
Indias pharmaceutical giant Cipla Ltd and consumer goods conglomerate Godrej have been
recognized by Fortune magazine in a list of global firms changing the world for the good and having a
positive social impact through their activities.
o Cipla is ranked 46th in the list of 50 followed by Godrej on the 48th spot, the only Indian
companies in the list.
o The Fortune 2016 Change the World list recognizes companies that have had a positive social
impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy.
According to a report made by ASSOCHAM, India is home to the third largest number of technology-
driven start-ups in the world, following the US and the UK occupying the top two positions.
Forbes magazine ranked out the worlds highest paid actresses and Hunger games star Jennifer
Lawrence has topped the list for the second time in a row. Indian star Deepika Padukone is also among
the top 10 highest-paid actresses in the world.
Rank Actress Earning in Million $

1 Jennifer Lawrence 46
2 Mellissa Mccarthy 33
3 Scarlett Johansson 25
4 Jennifer Aniston 21
5 Fan bingbing 17
6 Charlize thereon 16.5
7 Amy Adams 13.5
8 Julia Roberts 12
9 Mila Kunis 11
10 Deepika Padukone 10
BANKING & FINANCE

SBI unveiled a new cheaper home loan scheme for defense and other government employees. New
Housing Loans:-
SBI Privilege Home Loan government employees,
SBI Shaurya Home Loan defence personnel.
The government employees are relaxed with installment tenure extending up to 75 years of age and
lower EMI burden post retirement and 0.05 percent concession over the home loan interest.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked to grand loans to Women Self-Help Group (SHG)up to Rs 3
lakh at 7 per cent interest rate per annum. The Revised Scheme comes from RBI after it god approval
from Rural Development Ministry.
The Finance Ministry led by Arun Jaitley has set up a committee to consider incentives such as cash
back schemes and tax rebates for promoting card and digital payments in a step towards discouraging
cash transactions.
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Mangaluru based Karnataka Bank has come up with a mobile application named KBL-SMARTz built
on the unified payments interface (UPI) platform of the National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI).
The World Bank has announced a funding of Rs 980 crore to dredge the Brahmaputra as an initiative
to develop waterways to Bangladesh and to other South East Asian countries which is give fillip to
trade and industry in the Area.
Market Watchdog Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has lined up wide-ranging
relaxations to its norms for REITs and InvITs and an easier set of listing rules for startups. SEBI will
consider these regulations in its board meeting next month.
Qatar based Doha Bank has opened a branch, the Keralas Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
inaugurated the branch at Lulu International Shopping Mall in Edapally.
Reserve Bank of India predicts India to clock at 7.6 per cent in 2016-17 in the wake of near-term
growth outlook for India seems brighter than last fiscal.
Mumbai based National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) with 26 Bharat Bill Payment
Operating Units (BBPOUs) launched the pilot project for Bharat Bill Payment System(BBPS).
Indian non-banking financial institution PTC India Financial Services (PFS) has tied up with banks to
provide loans to companies working on renewable energy (RE) Generation.
Bangalore based Canara Bank has launched Unified Payment Interface [UPI] App named
empower, at its board of directors meet held at Bengaluru.
Mumbai based private sector bank Yes Bank has launched Yes Pay, a digital wallet which does not
require that both the transacting parties be registered on it.
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned a loan of Rs 204.67
crore under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for rural infrastructure in Haryana.
Raghuram Rajan released the consolidated norms of On-Tap Licensing process to enact reform in the
Banking Industry
Tata Capita Housing Limited announced a Comprehensive Housing finance scheme called Prapti with
an attractive 4% interest rate for people earning less than Rs 6 lakh a year. The Scheme categorizes
two group upon their annual income.viz
1.People earning Rs 3 lakh to Rs 6 lakh a year are recognised as low income group
2.People earning less than Rs 3 lakh are considered as economically weaker segment.
Indias largest private sector bank, ICICI Bank reduces its Marginal Cost Lending Rate by 0.05% to
8.90 from previously 8.95%.
Markets Watchdog SEBI unveiled its first phase of its new enterprise portal to offer timely
dissemination of information to all its stakeholders be it internal or external.
Vadodara headquartered Public Sector lender Bank of Baroda has entered into partnership with a
fintech start-up Fisdom for personal wealth management services. The lender also entered into pact
with six other fintech companies.
Indias largest private banking lendor, ICICI banks teamsup with US based Apollo India Credit
Opportunity Management LLC to launch an asset reconstruction company (ARC).
Reserve Bank of India slapped penalty of five lakh each on two cooperative banks based in
Chhattisgarh under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. The two banks namely,
1.Zila Sahakari Kendriya Bank Maryadit, Raipur
2.Raipur Urban Mercantile Cooperative Bank Limited
The Reserve Bank of India has launched a website sachet.rbi.org.in in a bid to curb illegal and
unauthorized pooling of funds by unscrupulous firms. It was launched by RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan.
15 | P a g e
Reserve Bank has constituted a panel to study the various facets of household finance in India and to
benchmark Indias position visav is both in other major world markets and advanced economies. The
panel headed by Financial Economics Professor Tarun Ramadorai at Oxford University.
In a pilot basis, Corporation bank has launched group credit life insurance scheme in Mangalore on
August 4. This move attributes to increase the insurance cover of the growing population and also
strengthen its borrowing community.
The Union government have come with the notification that tabled in the Lok Sabhaintends 4 per
cent inflation with the tolerance of 2 percent () for the next five years till March 31, 2021
Mumbai based Private sector lender Axis Bankhas announced tie up with the Mobile recharging
platform Freecharge and also said the bank is ready with Unified Payments Interface (UPI) app. The
Application powered by UPI architecture called Axis Pay App can be used by any other banks
customer also would make the transactions easier.
Japan has recorded the largest current account surplus in the first half of 2016 that quantify the
international trade of goods, services and investments in and out marked a surplus of 10.63 trillion yen
($104 billion) in the duration which is up 31.3 per cent from a year earlier.
As expected The Reserve of India (RBI) in its third bi-monthly monetary policy review kept the repo
rate unchanged at 6.50 per cent citing upside risk to March 2017 inflation target.
The boards of HDFC and Max Financials groups have given their nod to merge their respective life
insurance entities. This will pave the way for more consolidation in the life insurance space.
Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd, Non-life insurer declare a bancassurance tie-up
with Shamrao Vithal Co-operative Bank (SVCB) on August 9.
Market Regulator SEBI has stated that Ponzi schemes do not fall under the regulatory purview of
SEBI, such schemes were banned under the Prize Chit and Money Circulation (Banning) Act,
1978 and the State government concerned is the enforcement agency and responsible to protect
investors.
The Union Government has announced that the Non-Performing Assets (NPA) of commercial banks
have increased by around 4% in the from March 2015 to March 2016.
The National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned Rural
Infrastructure Development fund of Rs 26.06 crore to the state of Punjab also upon this the total grand
stood at Rs 7,826.17 crore so far.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched an online finance facilitation portal for the micro, small and
medium enterpris (MSMEs) to facilitate ease of doing business at New Delhi.
RBI has come up with a Draft Circular for public comments on Limited Liability for customers in
case of frauds in Internet Banking and Card transactions. RBI has also proposed zero liability on the
customer if the loss is reported within three working days even if the cause is not directly linked to
deficiency on the part of the lender and the fault lies elsewhere in the system.
Limited Liability of a Customer:
Time taken to report the fraudulent transaction from Customers liability ( )
the date of receiving the communication
Within 3 working days Zero liability
Within 4 7 working days of receiving the The transaction value or 50
-,
communication whichever is lower
Beyond 7 working days of receiving the As per banks Board approved
communication policy
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Indias largest public sector bank, State bank of India (SBI) and Korea Development Bank
(KDB) have signed an MOU to develop business synergies in the domains of corporate finance,
project finance and asset finance.
Syndicate Bank has adopted a large scale transformation program called Project Ananya that focuses
on improved customer service and offering latest indigital banking services.
Mumbai based Bombay Stock Exchange has got approval from the Corporate Affairs Ministry to
establish BSE International Exchange and BSE International Clearing Corporation at Gujarat
International Finance Tec-city (GIFT).
Mumbai based Private sector lender Kodak Mahindra Bank has tied up with the E- Commerce Market
Place Flipkart by expanding the Banks in-app shop, mStorewhich was used to book air tickets, hotels
and bus tickets.
Kochi Based leading private sector Lender South Indian Bank and Indias Largest lenderState Bank of
India has joined hands for their co-branded credit card for the South Indian Bank customers.
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) ties up with Union Bank of India to launch an USSD
based *99# mobile application for their customers.
Hyderabad based Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority(IRDAI) has imposed Rs 35
lakh fine on Bharti Axa General Insurance Co Ltd for violation related with an inspection finding
during December 2012 to March 2013.
The first National Association of Software and Services (Nasscom) warehouse has launched
at Rushikonda, Visakhapatnam. It is the 9th warehouse of NASSCOM.
Times of India Groups Times Internet in cooperation with Mortgage lender HDFC launched co-
branded debit cards. It will have a daily shopping limit of Rs 2.75 lakh and an ATM withdrawal
limit of Rs 1 lakh.
Insurance regulator PFRDA has substantially lowered the minimum annual contribution to Rs 1,000 to
keep the account active in order to encourage more people to join the National Pension System.
A joint-venture between S&P Dow Jones Indices and BSE, Asia Index launched a new index to
measure the performance of Collateralized Borrowing and Lending Obligation (CBLO) rate one of
most liquid rates in India.
Mumbai based Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed penalties on four cooperative banks for
violation of various norms. This 4 cooperative banks are
1.Cooperative City Bank, Guwahati Rs 5 lakh
2.Indapur Urban Cooperative Bank, Indapur Rs 2 lakh
3.Shri Dadasaheb Gajmal Cooperative Bank, Pachora Rs 1 lakh
4.Model Cooperative Urban Bank, Hyderabad Rs 1 lakh
Kerala based private sector lender, Federal Bank has tied up with MMTC for distribution of Indian
Gold Coins (IGC), the first-Ever national gold offering by the government.
Federal Bank announced its partnership with Chillr, a mobile banking application, to provide cashless
transactions. Chillr, Indias first and only multi-bank mobile application, allows users to connect
seamlessly with multiple bank accounts and manage all their banking needs on a single platform,
making money transfer between bank accounts easier, faster and safer than sending a text message.
India Post Payments Bank has come into existence after it received certificate of incorporation from
the Registrar of Companies, setting the stage for the new bank to begin operations in 2017. The India
Post Payments Bank has received the Certificate of Incorporation from the Registrar of Companies,
Ministry of Corporate Affairs yesterday under the Companies Act 2013.
Leading Indian private banks namely HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank along with their
Chinese peers China Construction Bank Corp (CCB), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
17 | P a g e
(ICBC) and Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) occupy the top six slots among global banks on key
return ratios, namely return on equity (RoE) and return on assets (RoA).
In an attempt to create global size bank, the board of State Bank of India approved scheme of merger
of five associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with itself while protecting the interest of
the existing staff.
Indias largest Private Sector lender ICICI Bank has launched a payment service using a smartphone
keyboard named iMobile SmartKeys to make mobile payments easier. This solution was developed by
one of the winners of the banks app developing competition ICICI Appathon.
Andhra Bank government jointly with Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services has launched a three-in-
one online investment and trading platform christened AB eTrade which integrates savings and demat
accounts with online trading.
The government has selected four investment banks namely Nomura, SBI Caps, ICICI Securities and
IDBI Capital for the proposed share sale in HUDCO Housing & Urban Development Corporation
Limited. Also the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), the nodal
agency under the finance ministry that co-ordinates government disinvestment programme has
selected these four investment banks for the proposed share sale in HUDCO.
Indias foreign exchange reserves surged by USD 73.2 million to touch a life-time high of USD
365.82 billion in the week ended. It was surged by USD 253.6 million to touch USD 365.75 billion.
Mumbai based container port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port has signed an agreement with State Bank of
India and Development Bank of Singapore for External Commercial Borrowing to the tune of USD
400 Million under External Commercial Borrowings. It the first Major Port to finalize the terms of
ECB.
Indias premier container port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust has signed a pact with State Bank of India
and Singapores DBS for a loan of Rs 2,600 crore), to double its annual capacity.
Mahindra Asset Management Company has announced the launch of open ended scheme Mahindra
Mutual Fund Kar Bachat Yojana to generate long-term capital appreciation through a diversified
portfolio of equity and equity related securities.The Kar Bachat Yojana comes with a three year lock-
in period. The New Fund Offer would close on October 7 and will reopen for continuous sale and
repurchase from October 19, 2016.
Pune based motorcycle finance firm Bajaj Finance Limited has joined hands with India Post to
facilitate purchase of vehicles in Karnataka.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has permitted foreign investment
through automatic route in other financial services, that are comes under regulators like Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) and State bank of India (SBI) and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development
Authority (PFRDA) or government agencies. At present regulations on Non-Banking Finance
Companies (NBFCs) stipulate that 100 per cent FDI through automatic route permitted for only 18
specified NBFC activities such as merchant banking, under writing, portfolio management services.
In the next move to clamp down on black money in the economy, the government is set to ban cash
transactions over Rs 3 lakh. The Rs 3 lakh-limit is aimed to ensure that transactions are made
using credit or debit cards, cheques or drafts which can be easily tracked.
American multinational banking firm Goldman Sachs says Indian economy is likely to grow 7.9 per
cent in this year 2016-17,growth in the current fiscal driven by better monsoon, government pay hike,
key reforms and FDI inflows.
Mumbai based retail payments organisation National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has
announced that customers of 21 banks can use Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for sending and
collecting money via a smart phone using a Virtual Payment Address (VPA) soon.
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Private sector lender IndusInd Bank has tied up with IBM to use its Cloud commerce solutions to
transform customer engagements and enhance its cross-sell platforms.
BUSINESS
American Business Software maker Oracle India has joined with Indias largest lender State bank of
India to corporate citizenship collaboration and unveiled the D-Change programme to support
education and learning, womens empowerment and rural skills development.
Drug pricing regulator -National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revised the ceiling
prices of drugs used for cancer, HIV, bacterial infections, anxiety and cardiac conditions by25% in
average under Drugs (Price Control) Amendment Order, 2016.
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion,DIPP, will launch a nation-wide awareness campaign
on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
Murugappa Group owned Carborundum Universal (CUMI) announced the inauguration of
its Research and Development centre at its industrial ceramics division in Hosur Tamilnadu. However
the Firm was tightlipped about the investment details.
China has set up a state-owned aircraft engine maker with registered capital of 50 billion yuan ($7.5
billion). It is considered as the next step in the latest effort to develop home-grown, high-tech
businesses to compete in international markets.
The second 1,000 MW unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu
was connected to the grid for power supply.
E-rickshaws and E-cards are not required to get permission to ply on the roads as per the notification
issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) on August 31 2016 announced that to acquire TEN Sports
Network its subsidiaries for $385 million from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEE).It was
announced by CEO of Sony Pictures Networks India NP Singh.
Forbes has released a list of 100 The Worlds Most Innovative Companies. These 100 companies
ranked on the list are based on their creative disruption, potential for innovation and investor interest.
The List is topped by TESLA MOTORS INC. USA and Asian Paints is the highest-ranked Indian
company on the list, featuring on the list for the fourth time in a row.
Mumbai-based automobile maker Mahindra and Mahindra Limited has launched DiGiSENSE, an
integrated technology platform that connects cars, trucks, tractors and construction equipments for
cloud computing.
Reliance Jio Infocom, the telecom arm of Mukesh Ambani Groups Reliance Industries (RIL), has
cleared the table for building the Indian part of the 20,000 km submarine cable, which is set to Africa
to South Asia from the Asia Africa Europe One (AAE-1) cable system. This is one of the World
Largest Sub-Sea Cable system which connects Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar,India, Pakistan, Oman,
the UAE, Qatar, Yemen, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Italy and France.
Snapdeal Owned e-commerce website Freecharge entered into partnership with Gurgaon based
payment gateway solution provider PayUbiz to tab online business.
Alibaba and Ant Financial Services made an agreement with AXA Insurance to engage in a global
strategic partnership to explore opportunities to distribute AXA Insurance products and services
through Alibabas global e-commerce platform.
State run Power major Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited has successfully commissioned 500 MW
thermal power unit in Marwa Power Station in Chhattisgarh. This is the second unit in the plant.
19 | P a g e
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into a Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreement
(APA) with the Indian subsidiary of a Japanese trading company. This is the first APA agreement with
a Japanese entity with rollback provision.
IT giant Infosys is investing $4 million(Rs 27 crore) in Cloudyn, an Israeli corporation. This Israeli
Corporation is providing software as a service (SAAS) solutions for the management and optimization
of hybrid, multi-cloud deployments.
American tech majors IBM and Apple jointly launched a global development hub calledGarage for
iOS apps in Bengaluru to work with their Design locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Cupertino in the US
and Toronto in Canada.
Gujarat Industries Power Company (GIPCL) has signed pact with the Solar Energy Corporation of
India by power purchase agreements (PPAs) mode for solar power projects in Gujarat.
The medium 20-tonne transport aircraft that have been planned to replace the An-32s to be jointly
developed by India and Russia, seems uncertain as the delay persists.
The first-ever pizza vending Machine has been installed on the campus of Xavier University (XU) in
Ohio, USA that can hold seventy 12-inch pizzas and dispense in just three minutes.
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and the Manipur government have signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). By making joint use of their capabilities and facilities,
IRCTC mulls to provide improved hospitality and tourism services to their customers.
State run Power major NTPC has entered into a collaboration with Australias Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research in low emission technologies.
India imposed anti-dumping duty on certain hot-rolled steel products from six nations including China
and South Korea with an aim to guard domestic players from cheap imports. An anti-dumping duty of
USD 474-557 per tonne was imposed on hot-rolled flat products of alloy or non-alloy steel import
from China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Brazil and Indonesia.
American photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers Indian subsidiary First Solar Power India announced the
commercial operation of 80 MW and 50 MW as part of the 260 MW project portfolio solar power
plants in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Hindustan Copper Limited inaugurates Indias first facility as the first facility in India to produce
Nickel metal of LME grade from primary resource in Indian Copper Complex, Ghatsila, and
Jharkhand. It is the only unit in India to produce nickel metal of (London Metal Exchange) LME
grade.
Cab aggregator Ola has launched Ola Rentals which will simplify intra city travel with affordable
hourly packages on Ola Lux, Ola Prime Sedan & SUV vehicles as well as OLA mini.
Netherlands based IKEA who designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture appliances and home
accessories worldwide has laid the foundation in Hyderabad for its first store in India.
Dehradun based Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) has launched Rs 100-crore start-up
fund on its Diamond Jubilee year. The company started operations back in 1956. The initiative,
named ONGC Start-up which also in tune with governments flagship programme Start-up India to
foster, nurture and incubate new ideas related to oil and gas sector.
Pune based Primove Engineering Private Limited Commissioned Indias first Bio-CNG plant which
will use agricultural residue to generate CNG which in-turn can be an alternate fuel to the
Automobiles that run CNG.
State-run General Insurance Corporation of India in association with non-life insurance companies
unveiled the Nuclear Suppliers Insurance Policy (NSIP). It is first of its kind in India. The policy was
launched by Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman Sekhar Basu in Mumbai.
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According to the study conducted by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry Indias exports are
better placed in terms of product diversification as the top ten export products account for 58 per
cent of the total export items accounted. India placed 19th place in the list of exporters with
merchandise exportsvalued at $262 billion.
The 100 MW project was commissioned using domestically manufactured cells and modules, thus
fitting in with the governments Make in India mission, and makes a huge addition to Tata Power
Solars PV portfolio in India.
Larsen & Toubro to be the implementation partner to make Nagpur as Smart city. It is the countrys
first large-scale integrated smart city. L&Ts business unit Smart World and Communication will
execute the project that entails laying of 1200 km of optical fiber network.
Reliance Brands, a part of Reliance Industries Group declared a long-term master franchise agreement
with Amsterdam-based fashion brand Scotch & Soda.
The Central Government has slapped an additional penalty of $380 million Rs 2,500 crore on
Reliance Industries and its partners for producing less than targeted natural gas from eastern offshore
KG-D6 fields.
Chinese E-commerce giant Alibaba Group launched a book donation drive named Mission Million
Books in India, inviting people to donate textbooks and educational material to empower those who
are underprivileged. The initiative will last till September 16.
Chinas largest high speed train maker has its first $63.4 million joint venture plant in India to repair
and manufacture railway locomotive engines has started operations.
Gurugram-based companys e-commerce website AskMe has shut down and is in the process of which
resulted its 4000 odd staff in jobless.
State run PSU Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and Tech giant Microsoft India signed a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) to provide telecom & IT solutions for big businesses to leverage the domain
capability and strategic position in the Industry to garner more business.
Indias largest state-owned natural gas processing and distribution company GAIL Ltd signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with California-based Bloom Energy for developing natural
gas-based fuel cell power generation. The MoU was inked between GAIL chairman and managing
director B C Tripathi and Bloom Energy chief executive K R Sridhar.
Bharti Airtel and Vodafone has started rolling out Aadhaar based e-KYC solution following the
notification by the Department of Telecom, Government of India.
Kolkata based Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) for promoting renewable energy.

West Bengal has been selected for the prestigious All India Coordinated Rice Improvement Award
2015 for the first time. 51st committee from the Indira Gandhi Krishi Bikash Kendra has selected West
Bengal for this award.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named Uefas Best Player in Europe for the second time after winning the
Champions League and Euro 2016. It is noted that the Real Madrid forward beat team-mate Gareth
Bale and Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann were in the voting
Well-known UP hailed singer Shubha Mudgal named for 23rd Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna
Award for her exceptional contribution in the areas of communal harmony, peace and goodwill.
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Wrestler cum actor Dwayne Johnson topped a Forbes magazine list of the worlds highest paid
actors with an estimated 2016 payday of $64.5 million.
1 Dwayne Johanson $64. 5 Mn
2 Jackie Chan $61 Mn
3 Matt Damon $55Mn
4 Tom Cruise $53 Mn
5 Johnny Depp $48 Mn
6 Ben Affleck $43 Mn
7 Ven Diesel $35 Mn
8 Shah Rush Khan $33Mn
9 Robert Downey Jr $33 Mn
10 Ahskay Kumar $31. 5 Mn
Anita Gopalan, A Bangalore based Translator and artist has been awarded the 2016 PEN/Heim
Translation Fund Grant for her English translation of Geet Chaturvedis Hindi novel Simsim . It is
noted that Anita Gopalan is the second Indian writer and First Woman translator to be titled the winner
of the PEN/Heim Translation Fund.
Om Swaroop Gowda, A 7 years old young lad from Karnataka has entered the Guinness World Record
for longest distance limbo skating under the cars.
Nellore Railway Station topped in cleanliness ranking in Vijayawada division and the
Secunderabad based South Central Railway zone in implementing Swachh Bharat guidelines.
Chinese Beer Festival witnessed the World Biggest Robot Dance Show, setting a new Guinness
Record
Jammu-based Novelist Padma Sachdev was awarded the prestigious Saraswati Samman 2015 for her
autobiography Chitt-Chete written in Dogri language.
Steeplechase specialist Lalita Babar, who finished a creditable 10th in the Rio Olympics, have been
chosen for the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbais (SJAM) Golden Jubilee Annual Awards
2016. Chess Maestro GM Shardul Gagare will receive the Sportsman of the year award and Lalita
Babar will be the Sportswoman of the year award.
Bollywood filmmaker N Chandra or Chandrashekhar Narvekar was honored with the Lifetime
Achievement award during the 8th Goa State Film Festival held at Goa between August 5-8.
American Crime Story the People vs OJ Simpson has topped in the Television Critics
Association Awards 2016. The Crime Storys Sarah Paulson received Individual Achievement in
Drama.
The Indian Film Festival Melbourne 2016 kick started at Melbourne Recital Centre, Australia.
Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2016 (IFFM) Award winners:
Best Actor (Male) Nawazuddin Siddiqui for Raman Raghav 2.0
Best Actor (Female) Sonam Kapoor for Neerja
Best Director ShakunBatra
Best Indie Film Thithi
Best Film Award Kapoor & Sons
Diversity Award for Contribution in Indian Cinema Fawad Khan
Indian Film Festival Excellence in Cinema Award(lifetime achievement award) Rishi Kapoor.
22 | P a g e
Bangalore based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has bagged the 5 Medals for Young Scientists
award 2016.It was awarded by the Indian National Science Academy (INSA).
Winners : Prabeer Barpanda, Sai Siva Gorthi , Praveen Kumar, Anshu Pandey and Chandan Saha
12 Indian Biomedical Scientists bags the Prestigious ICMR Young Biomedical Scientist Fellowship
Award 2016-17
Legendary carnatic vocalist M. S. Subbulakshmi honoured at the United Nations on Indias 70th
Independence Day by a performance by Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman .UN also releasing
Postal Stamp of MS Subbulakshmi to mark her 100th Birth Anniversary.
The Chief Minister gave away Abdul Kalam award, Kalpana Chawla Award during the 70th
Independence Day at Fort St George in Chennai.
APJ Abdul Kalam award: This Award presented to the Principal Scientist P Shanmugam, Central
Leather Research Institute Chennai, The award comprising a certificate, Rs five lakh cheque and
eight gram gold medal.
Kalpana Chawla Award:
The Kalpana Chawla Award which is given for Courage and Daring Enterprise was bestowed to
Jayanthi from Namakkal District. The award carries Rs 5 lakh cash, certificate and gold coated medal.
Presidential Award for Certificate of Honour and Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman to Sanskrit, Pali,
Prakrit, Arabic and Persian Scholars for the Year 2016.
Bangalore based Bangalore Baking Buddies has entered their name in Guinness World Records
2016 after making a world largest dirt that weighed a whopping 1,078 kg was unveiled at The Park
hotel in Bangalore.
Sursagar Society of Dilli Gharana has announced that Santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar
Sharma will be conferred upon with the annual Sangeet Martand Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime
Achievement Award 2016.
Oscar-winning music maestro A.R. Rahman has been honoured by the America Tamil Sangam with its
Tamil Ratna Award.
Well-known Hindi scholar and writer Sunita Jains poetry collection Kshama has been selected for the
prestigious Vyas Samman 2015 for her poetry collection Kshama.
India based American woman academic Dr Renu Khator is to be inducted into the Texas Womens
Hall of Fame for making significant contribution for the benefit of the Texas state.
The monogrammed suit worn by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi during his meeting with American
President Barack Obama in 2015, which resulted in huge controversy, entered Guinness Book of
World Records as the most expensive suit sold. This monogrammed suit was sold to the highest
bidder, Laljibhai Patel, a diamond baron and private airline owner based in Surat, Gujarat for
whooping Rs 4.31 crores.
New Delhi based Indo Global Business Council (IGBC), a policy think-tank based has awarded SK
Sharma Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Electronics Limited as theMost Enterprising CEO
in Electronics Sector.
Actor Kamal Haasan has been chosen for the famous French honor of Chevalier Award. Kamal
Haasan has been appointed Chevalier de lOrdre des Arts et Lettres (Knight in the National Order Arts
and Letters) by the Minister of Culture and Communication, France.
IOA President N. Ramachandran was awarded with the Olympic Order
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President N. Ramachandran was awarded the Olympic Order for
his outstanding services to the Olympic movement.
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Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs have been inducted into the International Photography
Hall of Fame, in recognition of Jobs invaluable contributions to the world of photography.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna for P.V. Sindhu, Sakshi Malik, Dipa Karmakar and Jitu Rai
List of 2016 National awards are
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ranta 2016
Name of the awardee Discipline
Ms. P.V. Sindhu Badminton
Ms. Dipa Karmakar Gymnastics
Shri Jitu Rai Shooting
Ms. Sakshi Malik Wrestling
Dronacharya Awards 2016
Shri Nagapuri Ramesh Athletics
Shri Sagar Mal Dhayal Boxing
Shri Raj Kumar Sharma Cricket
Shri Bishweshwar Nandi Gymnastics
Shri S. Pradeep Kumar Swimming (Lifetime)
Shri Mahabir Singh Wrestling (Lifetime)
Arjuna Awards 2016
Shri Rajat Chauhan Archery
Ms. Lalita Babar Athletics
Shri Sourav Kothari Billiards & Snooker
Shri Shiva Thapa Boxing
Shri Ajinkya Rahane Cricket
Shri Subrata Paul Football
Ms. Rani Hockey
Shri Raghunath V.R. Hockey
Shri Gurpreet Singh Shooting
Ms. Apurvi Chandela Shooting
Shri Soumyajit Ghosh Table Tennis
Ms. Vinesh Wrestling
Shri Amit Kumar Wrestling
Shri Sandeep Singh Mann Para-Athletics
Shri Virender Singh Wrestling (Deaf)
Dhyan Chand Award 2015
Ms. Satti Geetha Athletics
Shri Sylvanus Dung Dung Hockey
Shri Rajendra Pralhad Shelke Rowing
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Punjabi University,
Trophy 2015-16 Patiala
The Telangana Aarogyasri Healthcare Trust bagged Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce &
Industry (FICCI)s healthcare excellence award for 2016.
Late Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami has been selected for the Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award
at the Busan International Film Festival beginning October 6.
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The Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister G Satheesh Reddy has been conferred with theIEI-
IEEE Award for Engineering Excellence-2015 Award for his significant national contribution towards
Missiles and Aerospace technologies.

Appointee Designation
P Kumaran Ambassador to the State of Qatar
Sharmila Tagore, theatre activist Arundhati Nag Members of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council
and film studies academician Ira Bhaskar (BCCC)
Punit Misra Chief Executive Officer-- Zee Entertainment Enterprises
SN Subrahmanyan Larsen & Toubro chief
Mukesh Mehta President of bullion and jewellers body IJBA
Amit chandra Non-Executive director of Tata Sons Board
Ashok Kumar Pradhan Chief General Manager of State Bank of Travancore
PV Sindhu brand ambassadorCRPF&honorary rank of Commandant
Usain Bolt Digicel Caribbean Ltd-- Chief Speed Officer (CSO)
R. Ravindra Ambassador of India to Republic of Liberia
Rattan Kapur New President of Automotive Component Manufacturers
Association of India (ACMA)
Lt Gen Bipin Rawat VCOAS of the Indian Army
Anandiben Patel (resigns) Gujarat chief minister
Air Marshal S Neelakantan. Southern Naval Command Chief
Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale CJ of Allahabad HC
Dilip Rath Additional charge as the Chairman of NDDB National
Dairy Development Board
Ashish Vohra Reliance Life- CEO
Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat General Officer Commanding in Chief of Pune based
Southern Command
Anant Maheshwari President of Microsoft India
Bhaskar Khulbe PM Narendra Modis Secretary
Angela Ruggiero Chair person for the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) athletes commission
Deepak Iyer Mondelez India managing director
Markandey Katju BCCI appointed to interact with Lodha Panel
Mr. D.K. Gayen East Central Railway gets its new General Manager
V.S. Achuthanandan chairman of fourth Kerala Administrative Reforms
Commission
Sudhansu Mani General Manager of ICF, Chennai
Abu Musab al-Barnawi Boko Haram new leader
Yousef Chahed New PM of Tunisia
Mr. Deepak Premnarayen TATA International Limited --NonExecutive Director
Vijay Thakur Singh Ambassador of India to Ireland

Nita Ambani first Indian woman to be elected as IOC member
Vinao Rai (steps down) IDFC bank board
Anand Sinha IDFC Board as an independent director.
Rajesh Mokashi Credit Analysis and Research Ltd (CARE Ratings)
Managing Director & CEO.
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Michael Jopp. Mercedes Benz India as vice president, sales and

marketing
Manish Tandon CSS corporarion- Chief Executive Officer
Ravindra Prabhakar Marathe CEO- Bank ofMaharashtra.
Takehiko Nakao (re-elected) Asian Development Bank Board --multilateral funding
agencys president
KK Khurana Head of BHEL Corporate R&D
Pawan Munjal (reappoints) Hero Moto Corp MD & CEO
Pawan KumarBajaj Managing Director of Union Bank Of India
K M Hanumantharayappa Chairman of Central Silk Board
Akhil Joshi Director (Power), BHEL
Dinesh Kumar Khara Managing Director of State Bank of India (SBI)

Ashok Kumar Garg ED of Bank of Baroda
Raj Kamal Verma ED of United Bank of India.
Gopal Murli Bhagat ED of Corporation Bank
Himanshu Joshi ED on board of Oriental Bank of Commerce
Bill Maris (leaves) Founder of Google Ventures
Birender Singh Yadav High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Ghana
Umang Vohra Pharmaceutical Giant Cipla-- MD and Global CEO
Saina Nehwal Savlon Health care gets it New Brand Ambassador
Gautam Eknath Thakur Saraswat Cooperative Bank new Chairman
Manjula Chellur New Chief Justice of Bombay High Court
Ms. Anitha Nayar Indias next ambassador to Chile
Skahti Sinha New Director of NMML, New Delhi.
Najma Heptulla State of Manipur Governor
V.P. Singh Badnore. State of Punjab Governor
Banwarilal Purohit. State of Assam Governor
Jagdish Mukhi. Lieutenant- Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Shri Vishvas Vidu Sapkal High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Kiribati
Urjit R. Patel Reserve Bank of Indias 24 th Governor
Shri Yogeshwar Sangwan Indias new Ambassador to Georgia
Sunil Bharti Mittal re-appointed as the Chairman of Bharti Airtel
Deepika Padukone Vistaras New Brand Ambassador
Amul MD, RS Sodhi Board of India Post Payment Banks
Indo-Candian Sikh MP Bardish Chagger Canadas 1st Woman House Leader
Ashok Chawla YES Bank non-executive chairman

Two Indo American Women Astrophysicist Anjali Qualified for the prestigious for the White House Fellow
Tripathi from California and physician Tina R Program
Shah from Chicago
P D Gupta NV of Homi Bhabha National Institute
Anand Krishnamurthy (resigned) MD and chief executive of Catholic Syrian Bank
Sakshi Malik Haryanas Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Campaign Brand
Ambassador
Deepika Padukone Indian Psychiatric Societys new Brand Ambassador
Shri Ravi Shankar Indias next High Commissioner to Republic of Uganda
Pankaj Harjai Lenovo SMBs New Head
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Amit Sanan Yes Bank head Mid Corp Banking

Global Healthcare Provider Zydus group acquired Melgain from Issar Pharma.
Mahindra Inter trade Ltd., a part of the Mahindra Partners Division of the $17.8 billion Mahindra
Group, and MSTC Ltd. (a Government of India enterprise) signed a formal joint venture agreement to
set-up Indias first-of-its-kind Greenfield auto shredding and recycling capability.
Dutch based human resources services provider Randstad has acquired US-based job portal Monster
Worldwide Inc for $429 million in all cash deal which is likely to close in Q4 2016.
Amsterdam based global financial network TerraPay has acquired UK-based Pay2Global for an
undisclosed amount following regulatory approvals.
The US tech major Apple has announced the purchase of US based machine-learning startup Turi for a
reported $200m to boost artificial intelligence.
American technology major Intel Corporation has announced that it has acquired California-
based deep learning start-up Nervana Systems. The deal size but according to a Re/Code report, the
software giant is paying more than $400 million.
Aditya Birla Nuvo to merge with Grasim Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd tanked close to 24.63% during
intraday trade as analysts and minority investors disapproved of its proposed merger with Grasim
Industries Ltd.
Tech Giant Microsofts Xbox Acquires seattle based Live Streaming Platform Beam
The Pune-based Tata AutoComp Systems, the Tata group-promoted auto component firm, is set to
acquire TitanX, a global engine-cooling solutions firm that caters to commercial vehicle
manufacturers.
The US based Pharmacy Major Pfizer is all set buy a San Francisco-based Medivation a cancer drug
firm, which will will give a boost to Pfizers consolidation effort through a series of acquisitions. The
Deal size valued about $14bn (10.7bn).
Chicago based Global professional services company Accenture is set to acquire Australia based
security company Redcore. The Deal size is not disclosed.
MoUs
Andhra Pradesh government has inked a MoU with Japans Agriculture Ministry and Foresty and
Fisheries Dept to develop food chain value.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto
approval for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and South Africa for cooperation
in the field of Tourism.
Rajasthan Govt. ties up with ITEC Dubai for the promotion of Tourism Sector in the State.
Government has notified the revised tax treaty with Mauritius under which India will impose capital
gains tax on investments routed through the Mauritius from April 1 next year in a bid to curb tax
evasion.
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Chennai based Fifth Generation Technologies has entered into an agreement with Anna University,
Chennai, for conducting research to study about the remaining life of critical equipment that are
working in high temperature environments.
A MoU was signed between National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and Indian Oil Corporation
(IOC). This MoU helps in the establishment of STP in Mathura which will provide treated water for
industrial use.
The Union Railways Ministry, Gujarat state government and Surat Municipal Corporation went into
tri-party agreement to develop Surat station under the Public Private Partnership model.
The Ministry of Railways and the Chhattisgarh government have signed an agreement to form a joint
venture as said in the Union Railway Budget 2016 announcement.
Telangana Irrigation Department signed a MoU with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of
the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to avail Water Resources Information System (TWRI)
online with ISROs Bhuvan geo-platform to monitor the depth and quantity in all water sources.
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with IIT
Kanpur for developing tools for strengthening cybersecurity and advising the stock exchange on
current and future cyber related issues.
Mumbai based Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and SreeChitraTirunal Institute for Medical
Sciences& Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram mutually agreed to develop Deep Brain
Stimulator (DBS) by singing MoU in this regard.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing
and ratification of an agreement between India and Croatia on Economic Cooperation.
Sri Lanka and China has entered into a tripartite agreement to go ahead with construction of a mega
multi-billion dollar port city project that initially began construction in September 2014 in capital
Colombo. The tripartite agreement was signed between Sri Lankas Urban Development Authority,
the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development and the China Harbour Engineering Company.
Moving a step closer to set up a portal to host all the data related to energy sector in the country, NITI
Aayog inked a pact with US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
India and Germany signed an agreement that aims to foster conditions that will help create and
improve workplace-based vocational training in Indias industrial clusters in order to deepen the
collaboration on skill development.
The Maharashtra State government, Civil Aviation Ministry and Airports Authority of India signed
a tri-partite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 23-August-2016 at Mumbai.
The Union cabinet approved an MoU with Myanmar for cooperation in the field of traditional systems
of medicine
The Union Cabinet led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing of
an Agreement and the Protocol between the India and Cyprus for the Avoidance of Double Taxation
and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income.
Cabinet approves an agreement between India and Fiji in the field of Air Service to any point in the
island nation.
Union Cabinet approves an MoU between India and South Africa in the field of Grassroots
Innovation, as per this MoU, both countries will jointly organise various programmes such as forums,
seminars, workshops, and training on matters related to innovation.
Maharashtra and Telegana joins hand for three inter-state Irrigation Projects in Godavari River
Central Tool Room and Training Centre (CTTC), Bhubaneswar, has signed an agreement with ISRO
for technology transfer and a contract for supply of spacecraft component.
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SCHEMES
Nitish Kumar-led Bihar Government is agreed to implement the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima
Yojana on an experimental basis in Kharif season with immediate effect.
Union Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Uma Bharti and Urban
Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu launched Smart Ganga City Scheme in 10 cities located
along Ganga to set up Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and improve drainage.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda inaugurated the Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for
Treatment (AMRIT) outlet at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. It is the tenth AMRIT outlet centre.
The countrys first AMRIT outlet opened at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
Maharashtra renovated and re launched girl child development scheme as Majhi Kanya Bhagyashri in
order to achieve its objective of improving the skewed girl child ratio in the state.
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar adopted Donja Village of Maharashtra under Sansad Adarsh Gram
Yojna
IIT-Kanpur has adopted five villages to restrict the flow of sewage into the river under the Namami
Gange programme . It will be done by the institutes civil engineering department
Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu Unveils Swachh Survekshan-2017 for 500 cities.
He also launched Asli Tarakki campaign highlighting the need for construction of toilets.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched phase-1 of a flagship project of Telangana government
called Mission Bhagiratha, which is aimed at providing piped drinking water to every household in
the state.
Odisha State Government has launched a new scheme for elderly weavers in the state to mark the
National Handlooms Day. Named as Baristha Bunakar Sahayata Yojana, the scheme is aimed
at providing financial assistance to the elderly weavers in the state. Under this scheme the state
government would provide Rs 500 pension to the weavers, on the occasion of National Handloom
Day.
Odisha Cabinet accords in-principle approval to implementation of Kalinga Siksha Sathi Yojna that
will provide education loans at interest of just 1 percent per annum to the poor students.
Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar has approved a proposal of the State Transport department to
implement a new NCR Taxi Scheme 2016 in 13 districts of the state falling in the National Capital
Region.
Madhya Pradesh and Union territory Puducherry joined Centres Power deft revitalizing power
discoms UDAY scheme that will save the state Rs 17,515 crore and for the UT it is expected to be
around Rs.72 crore. With this Puducherry is the first union territory to formally join the scheme. Also
this marks the number of states/UT that have joined UDAY goes up to 16.
The Union Cabinet led by Narendra Modi approved the introduction of pension and post-retirement
medical schemes for the 22,000 existing employees of Food Corporation of India (FCI) as per the
guidelines of Department of Public Enterprise.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced a bunch of development projects and
schemes regarding the seven resolves adopted by his government for the next five years. On the 70th
Independence Day, Nitish Kumarannouncedthe launch of Student Credit Card scheme from October 2
and this scheme promises Rs. four lakh interest free loan to students for pursuing higher education.
Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma
Bharti launched various Projects on the Bank of Ganga worth Rs. 560 crore under Namami Gange
programme at Ganga Barrage in Kanpur.
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COMMITTEES
Centre has constituted a high-level committee to examine enhancement of Constant Daily
Allowance that benefits retired employees with 100 per cent disability. The Committee would also
look into the fitment formula on revision of pension. The Committee chaired by Finance Secretary and
Secretary (Expenditure), and will have members from Secretaries of Home Affairs, Defence, Posts,
Health & Family Welfare, Personnel & Training and Chairman, Railway Board.
Union government has formed a committee to monitor and coordinate the development of technology
for indigenous manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicles.
Union government is mulling to constitute a committee to review e-commerce rules on foreign direct
investment norms. The committee will be headed by the NITI Aayog CEO, Amitabh Kant, it will have
representatives from four states including Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Centre has constituted a National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF) to develop the pan-India
road map for trade facilitation. The Committee comprises inter ministerial body and will be headed
by Cabinet Secretary of India Pradeep Kumar Sinha on trade facilitation that will facilitate domestic
co-ordination and implementation of TFA provisions.
Central Board of Direct Taxes CBDT has constituted a new committee to review the existing
media policy for communicating the activities of the board and the income tax department to the
public. The nine-member committee has been created under Central Board of Direct Taxes member
Gopal Mukherjee and mandated to draft new set of guidelines for regulating the interaction of the
department with journalists and media organizations.
Rajya Sabha named 10 of its members to the Joint Committee of Parliament that will study on the
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The members of the panel was chosen by a voice vote.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched a web portal of the Home department at the
Secretariat in Bhubaneswar.
American multinational technology company Yahoo has come up with the new online abuse detector
for detecting and eventually curbing rampant online abuse.
Union Communication Minster launches Twitter Sewa to address the Comman Man complaints and
needs and concerns of common man and other stake-holders in the telecom and postal sectors.
Chinas Sichuan University to perform worlds first genetic editing trial on humans aiming to cure
lung cancer. The university oncologists will inject cell that are modified using the CRISPR (Clustered
regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas9 gene-editing technique into the humans to
perform the trial.
Indias first military heritage website, colours of glory.org was launched by Glory Foundation at
Chennai. A veteran of the 1971 Indo Pak war, city based Captain D.P.Ramachandran who is also the
executive trustee of the foundation declared the war heroes of South India held great significance to
the history of India.
In order to regularize the deviations based on the suggestions given by the people and public
representatives, Himachal government is going to amend the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country
Planning Act during the upcoming Vidhan Sabha session of its state assembly.
On its attempt to introduce space tourism,Virgin Galactic has received its operator license from the US
Federal Aviation Administrations Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA-AST).
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the new PMO app at a function organised by MyGov in New
Delhi and the app would correspond to the website of the Prime Ministers Office (PMO).
NASAs solar-powered Juno mission has successfully executed first of 36 orbital flybys of Jupiter our
solar systems most massive planet passing 4,200 kilometres above the planets clouds.
MIT scientists have discovered a new green and less expensive method to produce metals without
causing air pollution. The discovery could lead to metal-production systems that are much less
expensive and that virtually eliminate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with most traditional
metal smelting.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully tested its own scramjet engines from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
Tech giant Microsoft has announced a new dedicated web form for reporting hate speech on its hosted
consumer services and a separate online form for petitions to reconsider and reinstate content.
State Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh Thakur mobile application for availing
ambulance services with the launch of 108 Mobile App. By doing so, Himachal became thefirst state
to start mobile application for medical services. The app named 108 HP can be downloaded on any
Smartphone.
Shri Ananth Kumar Stresses Upon The Need For Affordable Medicines; Launches Pharma Sahi
Daam Mobile App
China successfully launched the first satellite for mobile telecommunication named the Tiantong-
01 satellite at Southwestern Chinas Xichang Satellite Launch Center, with the Long March-3B carrier
rocket.
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research run CSIR-Central Food Technological
Research Institute Mysuru jointly with Bengaluru based Oleome Biosolutions and M/s Dairy Classic
Ice Creams Pvt. Ltd., has developed Nutrice Cream.
Japan researchers found a tremor known as an S wave microseism, using seismic equipment on land
and on the seafloor that usually detects the Earths crust crumbling during earthquakes.
Astronomers have found a galaxy as big as the Milky Way that consists almost entirely of dark matter
accounts 99.99 percent of the stuff in this galaxy that cant be seen.
Union Government unveils Indias first e-Market place for Online selling of goods and services by
Govt. Departments.
For the first time, Indian researchers have found that mice and rats exposed to endosulfan suffer from
DNA damage and genomic instability and impaired DNA damage response.
China launched a new high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging satellite which provides
accurate pictures of earth with ability to photograph detailed scenarios of its specific
areas. The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, called Gaofen-3, was launched from the Taiyuan
Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province.
Union Minister of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences, Harsh Vardhan Launched
I Feel Safe- A mobile application aimed at helping women ensure their safety in the national capital
was launched at Delhi University on August 10.
Educational Service provider Millionlights in partnership with DEN Manoranjan Satellite has rolled
out a first and only Indian TV Channel focused on higher education and skill development in Pune.
A team of Scientists form the Pune-based National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) have succeeded in
isolating cancer stem cells that cause skin cancer. The study results were published in the Journal of
Investigative Dermatology.
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Googles video chatting app dubbed Duo, represents Googles response to other popular video
calling options, including Apples FaceTime, Microsofts Skype and Facebooks Messenger app. Duo
was announcedat Google I/O in May and rolled out globally onAndroid and iOS 9 in 78 languages.
The US researchers used a metal compound called tungsten diselenide, which was fashioned into
Nano-sized flakes to maximize the surface area and to expose its reactive edges.
A team of researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST) in South
Korea has developed a new electrical immunosensor for swift and reliable diagnosis of heart Attack.
China launched the worlds first quantum satellite, which will help it establish hack-proof
communications between space and the ground, which is the latest advance in an ambitious space
programme. Quantum communication encryption is a unique method of encoding the content of a
message.
Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal launched the process of tariff-based reverse auction in the
transmission sector and also inaugurated a portal for electronic bidding for transmission projects. The
Minister also launched Tarang mobile App, e-Trans and DEEP (Discovery of Efficient
Electricity Price) e-bidding web portals developed by Rural Electrification Corp which reverse auction
is being introduced in transmission sector on the lines of coal sector in order to facilitate better price
discovery in such projects.
The Indian Council of Historical Research will document stories and legends relating to villages and
towns across India into an encyclopedia.
Union Ministry of Mines launches web portal for star rating of major mineral mines which will prompt
miners to quickly adopt sustainable practices for a higher rating.
Cyberabad Commissionerates launch mobile app to involve people in curbing crime. The Move
endowing public to be citizen police as part of policing actions.
The External Affairs Ministry launched an app integrating the websites and social media handles of
over 170 Indian missions abroad on a common platform.
The app is a one stop shop to find social media handles twitter, youtube and websites of all Indian
missions abroad.
Scientists at the Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) Bhavanagar, Gujarat
cracked the complete degrade three industrial dyes methyl orange, methylene blue and reactive
black-5 in the presence of sunlight.
According to a study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, U.S. researchers have found evidence
that a certain kind of brain cell present in newborns that remains in some amounts in adulthood can be
susceptible to Zika infection.
Intel has unveiled a Virtual Reality headset to take on Oculus, HTC and Microsoft. This headset,
called Project Alloy, will offer mixed reality bridging the gap between VR headsets such as the
Oculus Rift and AR headsets such as the Microsoft Holo Lens, which projects holographic data onto
the wearers field of vision.
For the first time researchers were able to decode and predict the brain activity patterns of word
meanings within sentences which will help brain injury and stroke patients communicate better.
Chinese scientists have discovered a small molecule, XMU-MP-1 that can regenerate tissue. It can
promote repair and regeneration in the liver, intestines and skin.
For the first time scientists have developed laser from fluorescent jellyfish proteins that were grown in
bacteria.
Chinas unmanned submersible(underwater drones-vehicles which can operate underwater without a
human) has dived to a depth of10,767 metres at the worlds deepest ocean point. The submersible
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named Haidou-1 set the record at the Mariana Trench in the West Pacific, the deepest area in the
world, during a scientific expedition carried out.
An online library for persons with visual disabilities Sugamya Pustakalaya was launched by Ravi
Shankar Prasad, Minister for Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology at a function
organized by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, on 24 Aug. 16 in New Delhi.
China has launched its first Tibetan-language search engine which will serve as a unified portal for all
the Tibetan-language websites in China.
Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal launched a mobile app, Kisan Suvidha (farmers
service), in the state. The app developed by the Union governmentsagriculture department will
provide basic information on weather updates, crop prices and expert advice.
The Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) & Parliamentary Affairs Shri
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched new Hindi website and updated and revamped English website of the
Minority Affairs Ministry.
Astronomers have discovered an Earth-like planet that orbiting the star closest to our sun using
instruments such as the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) and the High Accuracy
Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS).
Singapore based NuTonomy announced the first autonomous vehicles available for public hire in
Singapore starting on 25 August 2016.
DEFENCE
China has held its first comprehensive nuclear security emergency drill Code-named as Fengbao-
2016 to expand the nuclear power generation.
China has successfully tested its largest solid-fuel motor that can be used in heavy space rockets for
future deep space missions in the northwest city of Xian.
North Korea blasted off a ballistic Missile for the first time that landed in Japanese-controlled waters
posing a grave threat to the Japan. The tested ballistic missile was launched off the Norths east coast
that landed in Japan Sea after travelling about 1,000km.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman A S Kiran Kumar inaugurated the C Band
Polari metric Doppler Weather Radar to be installed in the southern states at the Vikram Sarabahi
Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. This is the first of its kind.
ENVIRONMENT
According to the study published in the journal BioScience, many mammoth animals will go extinct by
2100.
Owing to a battering typhoon Nida people in the the region large areas of southern China are on
emergency alert in order to reduce the damage to life and properties in case of any natural hit. Typhoon
Nida brought Hong Kong to halt with high winds and rains and many schools, businesses and transport
services remained shut.
One of the worlds largest one-horned rhino horns was found in central Assams Nagaon treasury during
the ongoing verification of the horns in Assam.
The World Risk Report 2016, published by the UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security
(UNU-EHS) and Bundnis Entwicklung Hilft, analyses the role that infrastructure plays in shaping a
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countrys disaster risk. India has been ranked 77th on the World Risk Index, topped by Island state of
Vanuatu.
US Government has created the worlds largest marine protected area by expanding an existing ocean
reserve off Hawaii to cover 582,578 square miles that will provide critical protections for more than
7,000 marine species.
A team of archaeologists spots the ancient tribal fire pit with tools, a spear tip and tobacco seeds that is
12,300 years old on a military testing range in northern Utah in the United States.
Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change run Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will establish
repository on tigers, under its new Tiger Cell in Dehradun. This is first such repository in India.
Legal protection has been provided to wild animals against hunting and commercial exploitation under
the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
16 rare frog species and 3 snake species found in the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala
In to check genuineness and updating the complete inventory of horns, verification of rhino horns which
were kept in various treasuries in the custody of Assam government since 1980 has started in Golaghat,
Assam.
Supreme Court(SC) allowed the sale of diesel cars and SUVs with engine capacity of2,000cc or more in
Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) on payment of 1% ex-showroom cost as environment levy.
One of SpaceXs Falcon 9 rockets successfully landed on a floating drone ship, after the vehicle
launched a Japanese communications satellite into orbit. The feat marks the fourth time SpaceX has
landed one of its vehicles at sea and the companys fifth rocket recovery overall in 2016.
A new bio-optical algorithm has been developed to provide accurate assessments of
chlorophylla(Chla) concentration for detection and mapping of algal blooms from satellite data in
optically complex waters, where the presence of suspended sediments and dissolved substances can
interfere with phytoplankton signal and thus confound conventional band ratio algorithms has been
developed by a team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.
San Francisco based Hello Network, Inc which was founded by orkut creator Orkut Bykkkten come
up with new social network called Hello, which is available on mobile only.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered an ancient camping site dating 8500 BC in
Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, indicating humans were camping in thearea 10,500 years ago. The site
was found at an altitude of 14,000 feet on the way from Saser La to Ladakh in Nubra valley the ASI
team had a section work over there.
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre has developed a simple, user friendly, quick and cost effective kit for
onsite determination of Cr (VI), which meets IS10500 as well as EPA criterion.
The worlds largest aircraft Airlander 10 has embarked on its maiden flight to the skies and applause
from crowds gathered at an airfield in Cardington England. The Aircraft was developed by United
Kingdom maker Hybrid Air Vehicles. Its successful flight comes 85 years after another airship the ill-
fated R101 took off in October 1930 from the same airfield before crashing in France.
Machli tigress known popularly as the Queen of Ranthambore perhaps Indias most iconic big cat and
the face of the countrys tiger conservation programme, died at Ranthambore National Park in
Rajasthan.
A Venus-like exoplanet GJ 1132b, located 39 light-years from Earth may have atmosphere with oxygen
but not life, even though it is being baked to a temperature of around 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a major finding, scientists have discovered a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, including a very complete
skull, vertebrae, ribs, hips and jaw bones, which they estimate to be about 20 per cent of the dinosaur.
34 | P a g e
Scientists from have discovered Gymnothorax indicus, a new species of eel (a snake-like fish) in the
northern Bay of Bengal region along the West Bengal coast. It was discovered after it was collected in a
trawl net by fishermen in northern Bay of Bengal, about 70 km off the coast.
About 250 people, including children, have fallen sick and hundreds of residents have been evacuated
from their homes after a toxic gas leak from a fertilizer unit in Bangladeshs port city of Chittagong. Di-
ammonium phosphate (DPA) leaked from the DAP Fertilizer Company Limited on the bank of
Karnaphuli river last night and fire-fighters battled until late morning to plug the leakage.
Awards for Nine New Germplasm of Indigenous Farm Animals Registered as Breeds by ICAR
A team of scientists from Fauna and Flora International spotted a new group of critically endangered
primates in Vietnam. The Delacours langur also called Delacours lutung, black and white with a full
face of whiskers, is indigenous to Vietnam. It is named after French-American ornithologist Jean
Thodore Delacour.
A powerful earthquake hit the Central Italy Amatrice overnight with a magnitude 6.2 that remain
relatively rare that killed at least 73 people.
SPORTS
Novak Djokovic bags the renowned Rogers Cup title held in Toronto, Canada. Winners of 2016
Rogers Cup
Men singles Novak Djokovic defeated K. Nishikori
Women Singles S. Halep defeated M. Keys
Lewis Hamilton wins 2016 German Grand Prix of F1

Patna Pirates won in the season 4 finals of the Pro Kabaddi League by defeating Jaipur Pink
Panthers. Being a winner of season 3, Patna again proved its ability in the Kabaddi league by winning
this season.
The BCCI submitted the first Compliance Report to the Supreme Court-appointed Justice RM Lodha
Panel in regards to the implementation of reforms as per the apex court verdict.
The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) awarded the title sponsorship rights to Paytm for the upcoming two
T20 International matches between India and West Indies to be played in Florida, USA.
With the closure of the Rio Olympics, Thai legend Thongchai Jaidee has been voted as the Hilton
Asian Tour Golfer of the Month for July, 2016.
Veteran Sri Lanka Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan is expected to retire from illustrious international
career after ODI series against Australia.
After Indias dismal show in the concluded Rio Olympics 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi said
about constituting a task force, which will make various suggestions to the roadmap for the next
three quadrennial Games 2020 (Tokyo), 2024 and 2028.
Ace Tennis star Sania Mirza with Monica Niculescu of Romania clinched a Womens doubles title
after taking victory at the Connecticut Open in the U.S.
In the 82nd All India Railway athletic Championship Mumbai based Western Railway won the overall
team championship held at Tiruchirapalli Tamil Nadu.
Indian Olympic medallist and wrestler Yogeshwar bronze medal, which he clinched the podium by
finishing third against Russias Besik Kudukhovs, who finished second in the 60-kg freestyle event in
the 2012 Olympics is set to be upgraded to silver.
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Nico Rosberg rekindled his bid for the drivers world championship by steering his Mercedes to a
convincing victory in chaotic crash-hit Belgian Grand Prix, as Lewis Hamilton fought back to finish
third.
A Mobile App has been developed by Arhan Bagati. He is 16 years old and athlete based Gurgaon.The
App will assist the Indian contingent in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Darren Lehmans tenure has been extended as the head coach of Cricket Australia till 2019 World Cup
In order to cheer up the Olympic mood in India, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports
Shri Vijay Goel along with the renowned sports star Mary Kom unveiled the Wall of Wishes at India
Gate Lawns.
Indian right-arm off break bowler Ravichandran Ashwin slipped one place down to third in the
International Cricket Council (ICC) list for Test bowlers. The list is topped by South African speedster
Dale Steyn
100-year-old Mann Kaur from Chandigarh clinched Gold medal in the 100-metre dash clocking one
minute and 21 seconds at the American Masters Games in Vancouver Canada.
Five new games including Karate finds place in Olympics 2020, Tokyos Agenda. The games list of
Japan Olympics gives way for five new entrants
namely,1.Baseball/softball,2.Karate,3.Skateboard,4.Sports climbing 5.Surfing.
Mumbai-based India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA) came with an announcement that
Indian medal winners at the Rio 2016 Olympics will be granded with 500 gms Sovereign Gold Bonds
and silver. The Bullion association said Gold Medal winners will be given Sovereign Gold Bonds of
500 gms and 1 kg silver will be awarded to Silver Medal winners.
Communications Minister Manoj Sinha and Sports Minister Vijay Goel joinly released the four set of
commemorative stamps featured with sportsmen engaged in Badminton, Shooting, Wrestling and
Boxing where India got medal in the London Olympics.
Indias martial arts hero and rising star Vivek Teja bagged the World Karate Champion (All Styles)
at the Martial Arts World Championships in Sydney, Australia.
The National Anti-Doping Agency has given a clean chit to wrestler Narsingh Yadav from doping
charges, with this he will be eligible to take part in Rio Olympics. The wrestler had tested positive for
a banned steroid in an out of competition test conducted by the Doping Agency.
The Rio Games launched with a flamboyant spectacle headlined by supermodel Gisele Bundchen on
August 5 as a doom-laden Olympic build-up gave way to an energetic party atmosphere at the
fabled Maracana stadium.
2016 Rio Olympic Theme: Peace and Environment
Minister Suresh Prabu announced an Rs 1 crore cash award for Indian athlete who wins a gold medal
in the Rio Olympics. In total, 35 athletes from Indian Railways will take part in the Rio Olympic.
The Indian Olympic Association announced an Rs 50 lakh cash award for the gold medal-winning
athletes in the Rio Olympics and Rs 30 lakh silver and Rs 20 lakh bronze.The coaches will be
awarded an equivalent of 50 per cent of the amount that the athletes receive.
The International Olympic Committee has approved 271 Russian athletes to compete in the Summer
Games in Rio de Janeiro, after a doping scandal put Russian participation in this years games in doubt
and this doping review eliminated 118 competitors.
Four South African cricketers have been banned for allegedly involving in fixing the matches. The
Ban varies form 7 years to 12 years. The banned Proteas players include former Test
wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile, Pumelela Matshikwe, Ethy Mbhalati and Jean Symes who were
banned for accepting money from ex-international Goolam Bodi .
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In the latest MRF player Rankings for Test Bowlers England Speedster James Andersonhas topped the
list. The English cricketer replaces India off Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Former world junior Chess champion Abhijeet Gupta has won the 20th Commonwealth Chess
championship crown 2016 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is the third Indian to win this prestigious
championship, after Viswanathan Anand and Pentala Harikrishna.
World No. 1 Mixed Doubles pair Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis have mutually agreed to end their
partnership after the pair showed poor performances in recent times.
American professional golfer Jim Furyk aged 46 made a record after he shot a record 12-under-par 58
at the Travelers Championship following a third round 72, Furyk retreated to the range, the lowest
round ever on the PGA Tour.
Qatars seed Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi and Indian squash queen Dipika Pallikal are the 2016
Australian Open, Mens and Womens crowned champions after they won the title clashes at the
Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre in Australia.
Oil majors ONGC team was the crowned Champions in the PSG Trophy by beating the Tamil Nadu
State team by 84-72, in title clash of the 52nd All India Basket Ball Championship held in Coimbatore.
In the Nehru trophy Kumarakam Vembanad Boat Club maneuvered Karichal Chundan were the
crowned Champions of the 64th Nehru Trophy in the electrifying race held at Punnamada lake in
Alappuzha Kerala.
After Indian team has victorious campaign against West Indies which is underway, Virat Kohli led
side have become the number-one ranked side on the ICC MRF Tyres Test Team Rankings, while
Pakistan have moved into the second position.
Indian Batting Great Virender Sehwag has been honored with the honorary life membership of the
Marylebone Cricket Club.
Indian tennis Mens doubles pair Divij Sharan and Purav Raja clinched ATP title at the Abierto
Mexicano Mifel in Los Cabos, Mexico. This is the second title for the Duo.
ii. The unseeded pair has defeated Israeli-British pair of Jonathan Erlich and Ken Skupski 7-6(4), 7-
6(3) in the summit clash of this hard-court event.
iii. On the other hand Mens Singles in the Croatian man Ivo Karlovi defeated SpainsFeliciano
Lpez, by 76(75), 62.
Rio bound India wrestler Narsingh Yadav has been banned a four-year by Court of Arbitration for
Sports following an appeal by WADA. Yadav was due to compete in the mens freestyle -74kg at the
Rio Olympic Games.
Hero Indian Super League promoter Football Sports Development Ltd have awarded Guwahati to host
the opening ceremony and the season opener match of Hero ISL 2016.
Chennai hailed Vikash Anand won a double to clinch the title in the MRF Formula 1600 category and
a ticket for the Mazda Road to Indy shootout as the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI
Indian National Racing Championship concluded in Chennai.
The International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) announced that the 2016 World Cup will be held in
Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Indian mens hockey team slipped one place to occupy sixth in the FIH rankings after their lusterless
show in Rio Olympics while their Women Hockey team surprisingly gained one position to be at 12th
in the latest charts.
Indias PV Sindhu remained in the 10th spot in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings
despite getting a silver in the womens singles competition at the recently-concluded Olympics. The
list is topped by Carolina Marin of Spain.

37 | P a g e
2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics Overview

Rio Medal Tally-2016
Country G S B Total
United States(1) 46 37 38 121
Great Britain(2) 27 23 17 67
China (3) 26 18 26 70
Russia (4) 19 18 19 56
Germany (5) 17 10 15 42
India (67) 0 1 1 2
Indias Olympic gold-medallist Abhinav Bindrahas been named as the Chairman of a five-
memberNational Rifle Association of India review committee to probe the shooters dejected show in
the Rio Games.
OBITUARY
Indian-American Professor Emeritus Braj B Kachru passes away
Renowned Actor and singer Gloria DeHaven dies at the age of 91 in Las Vegas.
Egyptian-American Ahmed Zewail, a renowned Nobel Prize recipient for chemistry and the first US
science envoy to the Middle East passed away at the age of 70 on August 2.
Gene Wilder, the star of comedy classics such as The Producers and Blazing Saddles, has died at the
age 83 from complications from Alzheimers disease.
Veteran Congress leader and former Governor of Madhya Pradesh Mohammad Shafi Qureshi has
passed away in Delhi. He was 87 years old.
Eminent painter, writer and art historian Dinanath Pathy passed away following a cardiac arrest at a
hospital in Bhubaneshar and he was 74.
Best ever formula one race chris amon died at the age of 73on august 3 in New Zealand.
Well known Assam litterateur Mahim Bora has passed away due to old age related ailments in a
private nursing in Guwahati Assam. He was 93 year old.
West Bengal hailed Senior CPI(M) leader Jiban Maitra, passed away following a cerebral attack in a
nursing home in Malda. He was 71 year old.
Kannada comedy actor Sanketh Kashi died of a heart attack at a private hospital in Mandalpalya,
Bangalore.
Tamil Script writer and director Vietnam Veedu Sundaram died in Chennai.
Australias first surfing championBernard Midget Farrelly has passed away following a stomach
cancer. He was 71 years old.
Former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul allegedly hanged himself on Tuesday morning
at his residence in Itanagar and it is found that he has been suffering from depression.
TKV Desikachar, son of Indian yoga master T Krishnamacharya , passed away in Chennai on August
8 and He was 78 while he breathed his last breath.
Odishas legendary Journalist and Columnist Barendra Krushna Dhal passed away following a
prolonged illness at his residence in Bhubaneswar.
Veteran Tamil writer and filmmaker Panchu Arunachalam has passed away due to age-related
ailments at his residence in Chennai. He was 75 years old.
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Veteran Tamil and Telugu actress Jyothi Lakshmi passed away after had long battle with blood cancer
at a hospital in Chennai. She was 63 year old.
SudhanshuBhusan Mishra who was a chief Secretary of Odisha has passed away at his residence in
Bhubaneswar. He was 77 years old.
Hanif Mohammad, Legendary former Pakistan batsman died at the age of 81 after a battle against
cancer and respiratory problems.
Founder of Akshardham temples and a saint of the Swaminarayan sect Pramukh Swami passed away
Famous Tamil lyricist-poet-columnist Na Muthukumar, who has written songs for more than 1000
films, passed away due Jaundice. He was 41 years old.
Renowned educationist Prof B P Kesri of Jharkhand state has passed away in Ranchi district in his age
of 80s.
Malayalam scriptwriter T A Razzaq, 58 passed away at Kochi while undergoing treatment for liver
ailment at a private hospital in Kochi on August 16.
Former speaker of the Delhi Assembly Charti Lal Goel passed away. He was 89.
Prominent Punjabi writer and Jnanpith awardee Gurdial Singh passed away in Bathinda.
Former FIFA President Joo Havelange has passed away at Samartino Hospital, Rio de Janeiro. He
was 100 years old. He was 7th head of international footballs governing body FIFA from 1974 to
1998.
Canadian-American director and former Academy president Arthur Hiller has passed away in Los
Angeles of natural causes. He was 92 years old.
Renowned Odia filmmaker, actor and director Gobind Tej died in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar at
the age of 88.
Bengals leading international cricket umpire Subrata Banerjee died at the age of 71 at a
South Kolkata hospital after battling cancer.
Eminent Mexican writer Ignacio Padilla has died in a car accident in the central state of Queretaro. He
was 47 years old.
Joyce Carol Thomas, a prize-winning childrens author and champion of multiculturalism, has died at
the age of 78.
Prominent African-American journalist and publisher George Curry has passed away of heart failure at
Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland. He was 69 years old.
Singapores Indian-origin president Sellapan Ramanathan at a hospital after suffering a stroke passed
away on 22 August 2016.
Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi former Editor K K Sreedharan Nair passed away
Former Governor of Bihar, West Bengal and Haryana A R Kidwai Dies.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

A book titled Grassroots Innovation was released which was authored by professor Anil K Gupta of
IIM Ahmedabad.
Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul released a book titled Uttarakhand: Fifteen Years of
Development which is narrating the states journey since its inception in 2000. The book was edited by
former state chief secretary R S Tolia, takes stock of the achievements made and shortcomings in the
area of development of the state since its inception.
The banker-turned-writer Chetan Bhagat, announced the title of his upcoming fiction One Indian Girl
through his twitter handle which was accompanied with a link to a video teaser.
39 | P a g e
A book titled The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History has hit the news as
it is released on 10 August 2016. It is a first-of-its-kind attempt by the author.
IMPORTANT DAYS
Date Day Theme

August 1-7 World Breast Feeeding week on raising awareness of the links between
breastfeeding and the Sustainable
Development Goals
August 6 Hiroshima Day, Anti Nuclear Day
August 8 World Senior Citizen Day
August 9 International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples Right to Education
Indigenous People
Nagasaki Day
Quit India Day
August 12 International Youth Day The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty
and Achieving Sustainable Consumption
and Production
August 13 International Left Handers Day
August 14 Pakistans Indipendence Day
August 15 Indias Independence Day, International
Mourning Day
August 19 World Humanitarian Day One Humanity
August 20 National Sadbhavna Divas or Birthday of
Rajiv gandhi, World Mosquito Day,
Indain Akshay Urja Diwas or day
August 21 National Senior Citizen Day
August 23 International Day for the Remembrance
of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition
August 29 National Sports Day or Dhyanchand's
Birthday
August 30 International day of the victims of
enforced Disappearances
STATIC GK August
Odisha : Gandhi Zoological Park are located in
Bhitarkanika National Park Visakhapatnam.
Simlipal National Park
Nagpur :
Visakhapatnam: It is the third largest city in Maharashtra.
Visakhapatnam is also known as The Jewel of Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, Sitabuldi Fort are
the East Coast located in Nagpur
Visakhapatnam Port is one of 13 major ports in
India and the only major port of Andhra Pradesh. It Prime Ministers office:
is Indias second largest port by volume of cargo The office headed by the Principal Secretary,
handled currently Nripendra Misra.
Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary, Indira
40 | P a g e
The office comprises of two Private secratries , Currency Yen

one joint Secretary and National Security Adviser. PM Shinz Abe.
Lao Peoples Democratic Republic Indonesia

Capital: Vientiane Capital: Jakarta
Currency: Lao kip Currency: Indonesian rupiah
President: Joko Widodo
WEF :
Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland Sri Lanka:
Founder: Klaus Schwab Capitals: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo
Founded: 1971 Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
Leader: Klaus Schwab Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe
President: Maithripala Sirisena
UNGA :
Name United Nations General Assembly China:
HQ New York Capital: Beijing
Establishment 1945. Currency: Renminbi
President: Xi Jinping
CBDT :
Name Central Board of Direct Taxes Republic of Ghana
HQ New Delhi Capital: Accra
Establishment 1944 Currency: Ghanaian cedi
President: John Dramani Mahama
Croatia :
Capital Zagreb Bhutan:
Currency Croatian kuna. Capital: Thimphu
President: Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovi Currencies: Bhutanese ngultrum, Indian rupee
Prime minister: Tihomir Orekovi Prime minister: Tshering Tobgay
Mauritius : Chile :
Capital Port Louis, Capital Santiago,
Currency Mauritian Rupee Currency Peso
Zimbabwe :
Capital Harare Tunisia:
Currency US dollar, Rand Capital Tunis,
President Robert Mugabe. Currency Tunisian dinar
Bangladesh :
Capital: Dhaka
WHO : Currency: Bangladeshi taka
Name World Health Organization, Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina
Establishment 1948,
Head Margret Chan
HQ Geneva, Switzerland CANADA :
Capital Ottawa
Currency Canadian Dollar,
Nepal: PM Justin Trudeau
Capital: Kathmandu Germany :
Currency: Nepalese rupee Capital: Berlin
President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari Currency: Euro
Japan (Land of Rising Sun):
Capital Tokyo
41 | P a g e
Vietnam HDFC :
Capital: Hanoi Name Housing Development Finance
Currency: Vietnamese dong Corporation
HQ Mumbai
Columbia : Establishment 1994
Capital Bogota, CEO Adithya Puri.
Currency Peso,
President Juan Manuel Santos. NABARD:
Inception: 12 July 1982
Myammar : HQ: Mumbai
Capital Naypyidaw, Chairman: Harsh Kumar Bhanwala
Currency Kyat The Bank was set up on the
State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi recommendations from B. Sivaraman
committee which was formed by RBI.
Myanmar : Government of India holds 99% stake in
Capital Naypyidaw NABARD.
Currency Kyat
SBI :
Cyprus : HQ: Mumbai
Capital: Nicosia Tagline : With you all the way ,Pure banking
Currency: Euro nothing else,The nations bank on us
Governor : Raguram Rajan
Fiji :
Capital: Suva ICICI Bank
Currency: Fijian dollar CEO: Chanda Kochhar
South Africa : Tagline: Hum Hai Na, Khyal Apka.
Capitals: Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein
Currency: South African rand Syndicate Bank :
HQ Manipal
SEBI: Establishment 1925
Formed: 12 April 1992 CEO Arun Shrivastava
Chairman: U K Sinha,
Headquarters: Mumbai Bombay Stock Exchange:
Founder: PremchandRoychand
Bank of Baroda Inception: July 9, 1875
Headquarters: Vadodara Headquarters: Mumbai
CEO: P. S. Jayakumar CEO: Ashish Chauhan
Slogan: Indias International Bank
UBI:
Corporation Bank Name- Union Bank of India,
HQ Mangalore Establishment 1919
Establishment 1906 HQ Pune
CEO Jai Kumar Garg CEO Arun Tiwari.
Parental Organization GOI
BOM :
RBI : Name Bank of Maharashtra
Governor : Raghuram Rajan Establishment 1935
Nationalised Year :1955 HQ Mumbai
HQ: Mumbai
First Indian RBI Governor: C. D. Deshmukh Kotak Mahindra Bank
Founder: UdayKotak
42 | P a g e
Founded: 2003 Infrastructure Development Finance Company

Slogan:Lets make money simple. Establishment -1997
HQ Chennai
IndusInd Bank : CEO Vikram Limaye.
HQ Mumbai,
CEO Ramesh Sobti, UN :
Establishment 1994. HQ New york, US
Establishment 1945
Karnataka Bank
Founded: 1924 ADB :
Headquarters: Mangalore Name Asian Development Bank,
CEO: Polali Jayarama Bhat Establishment 1966
President Takehiki Nakoa
HQ Philippines.
Doha Bank:
Inception: 1978 World Anti-Doping Agency:
Headquarters: Doha, Qatar Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
The Bank received Best Regional Commercial President: Craig Reedie
Bank Award from Banker Middle East in 2015,
also bagged Environmental Award from The Arab UNESCAP :
Organization for Social Responsibility organisation The Economic and Social Commission for Asia
in the same year. and the Pacific (UNESCAP or ESCAP), is one of
the five regional commissions of the United
YES Bank Nations Economic and Social Council, under the
Founded: 2004 administrative direction of the UN.
CEO: Rana Kapoor Head : Ms. Shamshad Akhtar
Headquarters: Maharashtra HQ : Bangkok, Thailand
Slogan: Experience our expertise
IRDAI : Organisation of Islamic Cooperation:
Chairman : T.S. Vijayan Inception: 1969.
HQ: Hyderabad, Telangana Members: 57 members bloc.
Bima Bemisaal is the brand name Headquarters(Administrative centre): Jeddah,
for IRDAs insurance awareness campaign Saudi Arabia.
PFRDA : HUDCO :
Name Pension Fund Regulatory and Establishment 1970,
Development Authority HQ New Delhi,
Establishment 2003 MD & Chairman Dr. Medithi Ravi kanth.
Chairman Hemant Contractor
CSB,
Name Central Silk Board
National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority: HQ Bangalore
Formed: 1997 Establishment 1948.
Agency executive: Bhupendra Sing Intel Corporation:
CEO: Brian Krzanich
National Thermal Power Corporation Headquarters: California
Founded: 1975 Twitter :
CEO: Gurdeep Singh Owner Jack Dorsey
NTPC was conferred Maharatna status by the HQ San Francisco, US
Union Government of India in 2010. Establishment 2006
43 | P a g e
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB): Headquarters: Mumbai

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of Founded: December 1928
India is a statutory organisation under the Ministry
of Environment, Forest and Climate Change World Bank
(MoEF&CC). Headquarters: Washington, D.C
It was established in 1974 under the Water Founded: December 27, 1945
(Prevention and Control of pollution) Act, 1974 President: Jim Yong Kim
BEL:
Founded:1954 NABARD:
Headquarters Bengaluru, Karanataka, HQ Mumbai
Chairman and MD: S K Sharma Founded 1982
Chairman Dr. Harsh Kumar Bhanwala
GAIL
CEO: Sh B. C. Tripathi The Energy and Resources Institute:
Established 1974
BCCI : Headquarters: New Delhi
President: Anurag Thakur Director General: Dr. Ajay Mathur
Secretary: Ajay Shirke
44 | P a g e
Current Affairs
Current Affairs PDF
Study Materials PDF
Reasoning Questions
English Questions
Computer Questions
General Aptitude
Reasoning
Letter Writing
Math Tricks
Computer Awareness

45 | P a g e
Current Affairs September Pocket PDF 2016

INDIAN AFFAIRS
The Goods and Services Passage and Implementaion:
With Tripura becoming the 23rd state to ratify the goods and services tax (GST) bill, the legislation has got
presidential assent. The approval from 16 states has come far ahead of the Centres targeted deadline of
rolling out the new taxation system from April 1, 2017.
The constitutional 122 nd amendment bill was first ratified by Assam State Assembly.
As on date 22 states are ratified the GST bill Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal
Pradesh ,Gujarat , Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Nagaland, Maharashtra, Haryana, Sikkim , Mizoram,
Telangana , Goa , Odisha, Rajasthan, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh , Meghalaya,
Punjaband Tripura.
First State Ratified the Bill: Assam
First Union Territory Signed: New Delhi
President -Assent
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the GST constitution amendment bill .
The enactment of the bill sets the stage for setting up of the all-powerful GST councila representative
body comprising state finance ministers and the Union finance ministerwhich will finalize the design
of GST.
The council will decide on contentious issues such as the tax rates and sharing of administrative
control between the centre and the states, as well as the revenue threshold for traders below which they
will be exempt from GST.
The States and the Centre are working overtime and talking to stakeholders to draft theCentral GST,
State GST and Integrated GST laws, which are to be passed in the winter session of Parliament.
The CGST and IGST will be drafted on the basis of the model GST law. The States will draft their
respective GST (SGST) laws with minor variation, incorporating State-based exemptions. The IGST law
would deal with inter-State movement of goods and services
Creation of GST Council
The Cabinet approved setting up of the GST Council, which would decide on the rate of tax under the new
Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime likely to start from April 1, 2017.
1.Creation of the GST Council as per Article 279A of the amended Constitution
2.Creation of the GST Council Secretariat, with office at New Delhi
3.Appointment of the Secretary (Revenue) as the Ex-officio Secretary to the GST Council
4.Inclusion of the Chairperson, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), as a permanent invitee (non-
voting) to all proceedings of the GST Council.
5.Create one post of Additional Secretary (at the level of Additional Secretary to the Government of India),
and four posts of Commissioner(at the level of Joint Secretary to the Government of India).
THE GST COUNCIL:
Union Finance Minister Chairperson
Revenue Secretary- Hasmukh Adhia Ex Offcio Secretary
Arun Goyal -- Additional Secretary
The Union Minister of State,in-charge of Revenue of finance Member
The Minister In-charge of finance or taxation or any other Minister nominated by each State
Government Members
Goods and Service Tax (GST) Council hold its first meeting in the national capital.
The Central Government has proposed that small traders, having annual turnover of up to 20 to 25 lakh
1|Page
rupees, could be exempted from the GST, but state Governments have demanded that the limit be kept at 10
lakh rupees.
Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurates/ launches various facilities/ services
as mentioned in the Budget Announcements 2016-17.
a. The slew of facilities includes nominating train superintendent who will be the single
person responsible for all facilities on train.
b. retiring rooms hourly booking
c. expanded commodity basket for container traffic
d. liberalized siding policy
e. optional travel insurance for train passengers
The Ministry of Defence, Government of India has sanctioned the construction of a National War
Memorial and National War Museum in New Delhi. The National War Memorial will honour the
memory of all soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the
nation.
Kerala has decided to enter into joint venture agreement with Railways for rail projects in the state
under the 51:49 equity partnership arrangement.
The Allahabad High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 1 Crore on Uttar Pradesh government in a land
acquisition matter of Loni, Ghaziabad.
Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi launched Shramdaan movement as part of Swachh Bharatand
Swachh Puducherry initiative at Seliamedu village in Bahoor.
Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress has been granted national party status by the
Election Commission of India. The party becomes the seventh national political party in India.
Union Minister of Railways, Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, launched and dedicated a number of services
to the nation during a function held at Rail Bhawan as a part of fulfilment of Budget Announcements
2016-17.
Various Services,
Liberalized station to station special freight rates policy
Policy providing sub quota of 33 % to women within reserved categories for the allotment in
catering units.
Policy giving preference to local domicile holders for commercial licenses at stations.
New system of allocating vacant berths after final charting to wayside stations.
Launch of the new Train at a Glance and new Time Table effective from 1st October 2016.
The 10 Humsafar Express trains and 7 Antyodaya express trains will run between various cities
announced.The 3 Tejas trains and The three UDAY Trains also announced.
CM & Union Petroleum Minister launch Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in J&K
CSIRs Platinum Jubilee Celebrations kicked off by PM Narendra Modi. During the event, Prime
Minister Modi released seven new plant varieties developed at CSIR laboratories and also interacted
with farmers of five states through video conferencing. The plants include new varieties
of lemongrass, citronella, vetiver and canna lily plant.
Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh inaugurates Krishi Unnati Mela in Mathura
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated six major Railway projects in Kerala including the
dedication of the newly-built 9.6-km long Tiruvalla-Chengannur double line which would ease the
heavy rail traffic congestion in the Ernakulam-Kottayam-Kayamkulam section.
The Spice Route Culinary Festival held in Kochi from September 23 to 26, 2016 .This festival was
organised by the Tourism Department in association with the UNESCO and the the Union Tourism
Ministry.
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The Second meeting of High Level Group of Eminent Experts from South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries held on September 22-23, 2016 in New Delhi.
Rajasthan became the first state to adopt centres Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) in all
its urban local bodies (ULB). Almost 5 lakh conventional street lights were replaced with LED street
lights across the state.
Uttar Pradesh and Bihars populations have the lowest median ages or youngest populations in
India while Kerala and Tamil Nadu have the highest median ages, according to Census 2011 data,
compiled by Bengaluru-based think tank Takshashila Institution.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the day long INDOSAN India Sanitation Conference, which is
meant for taking stock of the progress made under the Swachh Bharat mission. 19 States and the
Union Territory of Chandigarh were rewarded with performance incentive for promoting urban
reforms under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) during 2015-16.
Rs.400 cr was earmarked for reform incentive during 2015-16. 23 States/UTs applied to the Ministry
of Urban Development. After verification of claims States/UT scoring 70% marks were identified for
giving reform incentive. Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir and A & N Islands could not qualify.
The Union Minister for Rural Development, Drinking Water & Sanitation and Panchayati RajShri
Narendra Singh Tomar addressed that by 2nd October, 2016, one lakh villages will become Open
Defecation Free, ODF and 40 Districts will achieve the status of ODF Districts in this financial Year.
Sikkim is the only State which has achieved the ODF status, and Kerala, Haryana, Gujrat and
Maharashtra will soon achieve the ODF status.
A two-day international conference on empowering handloom and Khadi held in Vadodara. This two
day conference is organised by Consortium of Green Fashion (CGF) in association with the
department of clothing, textiles of Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) of Baroda.
The 18th edition of World Congress of Criminology would be held in India from December 15-19
in Sonipat, Haryana.Theme : Urbanization, Globalization, Development and Crime: Opportunities
and Challenges of the XXI Century.
Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads across LoC
The West Bengal Chief Minister Ms.Mamata Banerjee has decided to install monorail from Budge in
South 24-Parganas to Ruby Connector in Kolkata at a cost of 4,216 crore rupees. The 14-kilometre-
long monorail route would connect Budge Budge to Ruby via Taratala, New Alipore and Prince
Anwar Shah Road and would come up at a cost of 4216 crore rupees.
The Centre would launch Progress Panchayat, an outreach campaign to create awareness about its
programmes for the welfare of religious minorities and remove theirfear and misconceptions about
the NDA government.
The Patna high court quashed the government notification completing banning liquor in the state by
saying it was ultra vires to the Constitution.The government decided to suspend Indus water
commission talks with Pakistan. This decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to review the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan amid a heightening tension
between the two countries.
The 16 trees located in Aravali and NCR to be notified as protected natural heritage, on the lines of
recognising special monuments in Delhi, announced by Delhi Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra. Some of
the tree in the list are banyan, ailanthus, mango, arjuna, and ashok.
Union governmnet approved the name change of Gurgaon. This city as well as the district of Gurgaon
would be known as Gurugram, which is located in the state of Haryana.
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Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal approved the inclusion of Gosai/Goswami, Yadav/Aahir
and Rabari Communities in the list of Backward Classes of the state on the recommendations of the
state Backward Classes Commission
The government approved signing of an MoU with Singapore in order to give boost to innovation,
creativity and technological advancement in both countries.
Union Cabinet approves an Undertaking between India and Korea on Mutual Recognition of
Certificates for Seafarers, 1978.
The Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-
post facto approval for the Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana (VPBY). This scheme was launched on
14th July, 2003 and Varistha Pension Bima Yojana (VPBY) 2014 launched on 14th August, 2014.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has
approved Project SAKSHAM.
Parliamentary panel led by Veerappa Moily to examine merger of budgets. Besides the budget, the
panel has also selected to review the disinvestment policy, banking sector in the country, Reserve
Bank of Indias emerging role and its framework
The Indira Gandhi International Airport had become Asia-Pacifics only and one of the worlds few
airports to achieve a carbon neutral status.
BRICS Labour & Employment Ministerial Meeting held in New Delhi. Ministers would deliberate to
adopt the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministerial Declaration. The Two day Meeting dedicated
sessions on key thematic areas, Employment Generation, Social Security and Inclusive Development
Including Formalization.
Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communication of the Telangana government
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ISROs Development & Educational
Communication Unit (DECU) to improve services of its educational channel Mana TV.
Narendra Modi unveils a special package worth Rs. 200 crore for sporting activities in J&K.
Goa is all set to host three-day bird festival from November 11 to 13, in the view of attracting
audiences from both national and international.
The Postal Department released a commemorative stamp to honor the Mother Teresas canonization in
Mumbai. Union Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha released the stamp at a function
organised at Divine Child High School in Mumbai. The commemoratives Vaswanis design
represents the classic pose of Saint Terasa.
The Adi community dwelling in the Arunachal Pradesh has celebrated their annual socio-religious
festival Solung with traditional gaiety. The CM Pema Khandu took part in the celebration and also
announced the sanction of Rs 600 crore which would be equally spread to all the 60 Assembly
constituencies of the state to carry out development works.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated first Wifi hotspot Service from Chandigarh
With this Haryanas Gumthala Garhu village became the first Wifi hotspot in the Haryana telecom
circle under the bulk plan of BSNL.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh cleared the file for use of Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide
(PAVA) also called Nonivamide as an alternative to the pellet guns. The recommended chilli-filled
grenade which will be used in the rarest of rare cases. A seven member committee headed by Joint
Secretary in the Home Ministry T.V.S.N. Prasad was constituted by the centre to find alternative to the
Pellet guns which was introduced by the state police in 2010.
Haryana Government has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with the US-based Apio Inc.
for processing and packaging of horticultural products.
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Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the Bharat Ratna Dr A P J Abdul Kalam
Learning Resource Centre in NIT, Silchar and start up centre in NIT Silchar under the start up India
campaign launched by Prime Minister. The world class library is established with the help
of University of Illinois, USA.
The Central Government launched the biggest Leprosy case detection campaign in India.32 crore
people, across 19 states and union territories, will be screened under the campaign.The objective is to
detect the disease early so that those affected can be saved from physical deformity.
Himachal Pradesh cabinet decided to amend the Hydropower Policy 2006 in respect to transfer of
shares by Himachalis to non-Himachalis. So that now Himachalis can sell or transfer 49% equity
shares to non-Himachalis at any stage after allotment of projects upto 2 MW capacity and full
disinvestment after two years of commissioning of the projects.
People across western Odisha are celebrating Nuakhai the agrarian festival of the region with
religious fervor and devotion.
The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region DoNER has gone live on e-office following a
innovative initiative by the department. The e-office platform would not only digitize the entire office
correspondence and file noting but also ensure an audit trail of all entries and correspondence, thus
providing an unprecedented level of accountability.
Centre launches National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI)for nurturing
ideas & innovation into start ups worth $15 Mn
(INR 100 Cr) programme to support startups in India.
Vasundhara Raje lead Rajasthan government signed MoU with an educational institutes, which will
adopt 50 Adarsh and Utkarsh Vidyalayas in the state for developing education sector infrastructure.
United Nations, has included Sanskrit, the most ancient and traditional language of India into its
charter. A charter binds the assembly of nations. The charter being translated into the Sanskrit
language is the first of its kind attempt to make it to such an important international document.
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Gas4India campaign, aimed at promoting the
use of natural gas in the country and aim towards a gas-based economy.The campaign includes social
engagement via Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, and its official blogsite, as well as hyper local,
offline events to directly connect with consumers through discussions, workshops and cultural events.
Government launches dedicated pan-India Urja Mitra Helpline 14401 launched by Department of
Telecom (DoT) to provide theinformation about outages from power distribution companies to
customers.In future consumers can also get the information through the Urja mobile app.
Bihar School Examination Board(BSEB) become the first state board in India to link students
examination forms with their Aadhaar numbers to avoid duplication and facilitate easy access to
documents announced by BSEB chairman Anand Kishor.
Railways to implement Flexi Fare system in Rajdhani, Shatabdi & Duronto trainsunder the new flexi
fare system, usually which is followed by airlines, the base fare of tickets will increase with the rising
demand. The new fare structure will, however, not be applicable to 1 AC and executive class coaches.
Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu formally launched his new political front Awaaz-e-
Punjabin Chandigarh.
The Central government agreed to provide special assistance for five years along with full funding of
the Pollavaram irrigation project and tax concessions to Andhra Pradeshannounced by Finance
Minister Arun Jaitely.
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya inaugurated the first phase
of Tele-medicine services of Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) for providing specialist
medical services at a distance to insured workers.
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Sikkim has been awarded the cleanest state in the list depend on the condition of sanitation in rural
areas of 26 states in which Prime Minister Narendra Modis home state Gujarat is ranked 14th and
Jharkhand comes last.The survey carried out last year by National Sample Survey Office
(NSSO) under the words of Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. Sindhudurg in
Maharashtra emerged as the cleanest district in the country.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani dedicated 2 mbps downloadand 512 kbps upload digital
connectivity through BSNL to 6,000 villages in Gujarat.
Union Government launched a new service integration of DigiLocker with Driving Licenses (DL) &
Vehicle Registration Certificates (RC) in New Delhi.
The 5-day Youth Voters Festival held in Nagaland under the directives of the Election Commission of
India (ECI).It aims at increasing the electoral participation through voter registration and turnout to
increase the qualitative participation in terms of ethical and informed voting and to provide a
continuous electoral and democracy education to the people.
Government of India has launched a registration module for them so that they can be reached in an
emergency. Students Registration Module has been started on madad.gov.in/ for Indian students
studying abroad.
The Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry sanctioned Rs.359.52 for the welfare ofdalits as part of
its special assistance scheme under the scheme of Special Central Assistance (SCA) to Scheduled
Class Sub Plan(SCSP) for the year 2016-17, the amount of Rs.359 crore has been released to 18
states.
Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma declared that there would be a complete ban on use of polythene
in all national monuments and tourist destinations to carry forward the Swachh Bharat Mission, the
government chose the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi from 2nd October.The ban would be
applicable to the protected zone or 100-m radius of the monuments.
All women PCR(Police Control Room) Vans flagged off by Delhi Police commissionerAlok Kumar
Verma in five primary areas Vigyan Bhawan, Jesus & Mary College, Khan Market Metro Station,
American Centre at Kasturba Gandhi Marg, and Moti Lal Nehru Marg .
The Department of Post (DoP) has launched a toll free helpline number 1924 that will allow users
across the country to register their grievances.
Union Cabinet, chaired by the PM Narendra Modi, has approved the creation of the Higher Education
Financing Agency (HEFA) to give a major push for creation of high quality infrastructure in premier
educational institutionswith an authorised capital of Rs.2,000 crore and the Government equity would
be Rs.1,000 crore.
Himachal Pradesh government had notified the guidelines for transparent auction and scientificmining
and hiked the penalty for offences under mining act. Imprisonment up to two years or fine up
to Rs.25,000 orboth has been made for those involved in illegal mining of minerals, their
transportation and holding.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has
approved the proposal for initiation of the Third Phase of Technical Education Quality Improvement
Programme (TEQIP).
Haryana government approved a Rs 143 crore project for re-construction of Jawahar Lal Nehru (JLN)
Canal system to achieve the goal of Har Khet Ko Pani (water to every field).
India offers additional developmental assistance of one billion dollars to Afghanistan.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched a website to provide information on the celebration
of 350th Prakash Utsav of the Sikh guru in 2017. The website has been developed by tourism
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department. Guru Nanak Gurpurab, also known as Guru Nanaks Prakash Utsav and Guru Nanak
Jayanti, celebrates the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak.
The possession of Aadhaar number of an individual by Agencies should not be allowed to publish or
display the information publicly and would have to ensure security and confidentiality of the 12-digit
resident identification number under the Aadhaar Act. Based on the offence, the penalty could go up
tothree years imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh or both. The Act specified a severe penalty of
at least Rs.10 lakh for unauthorized access to CIDR.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar launches re-designed website of Department of Defence
Production (DDP) which is more user friendly, universally accessible and less vulnerable to cyber-
attacks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the water supply and irrigation projects worth ofRs 4800
crore under the Gujarat Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojna at Limkheda in Dahod district, Gujarat on his 66th
birthday anniversary celebrations.
Indian Railways marked the Swachh Paryavaran Diwas (Clean Environment Day) by launching
the SwachhtaSaptah (Cleanliness Week). The programme was launched by Union Railway Minister
Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has announced funds for renovation of churches and mosques
under the Waqf board. She has ordered release of Rs. 3 crore for the corpus fund.
A petition asked Centre to take steps to declare Hindi as Indias national language. This was
withdrawn from Delhi High Court after it declared that the constitution did not provide for a national
language.Under Article 351 (of the Constitution), Union Government is duty bound to promote and
propagate Hindi language so that it might serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the
composite culture of India and to secure its enrichment.
This judicial innovation, formalised by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the Rajiv
Gandhi killers case in December 2015, helped get rid of death penalty and addressed the genuine
concerns of the society. A three-judge Bench led by Justice J. Chelameswar observed the judgment.
The innovation involved substituting death penalty with a special category of life
imprisonment without the benefit of release on remission for prolonged periods ranging from 25 to 30
years, if not more.
The Union Cabinet decided to merge the Railway budget with the General budget and agreed in-
principle to advance the date of its presentation in Parliament from the usual February end.
Cabinet approves provision of submarine optical fiber cable connctivity between Chennai and
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
The Union Cabinet has given its approval to the proposal of Ministry of Shipping to enact Admiralty
(Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill 2016 and to repeal five archaic admiralty
statutes.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved shutting down of Hindustan Diamond
Company Pvt Ltd (HDCPL). This company is a joint venture between the Centre and De Beers
Centenary Mauritius Ltd (DBCML) which supplies rough diamonds to the processing industry.
Government approves highway projects worth Rs 2,600 crore in 5 states. The states namely Uttar
Pradesh ,Nagaland, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa announced the Amma Two-Wheeler Service Training Centre across
the state.
The Department of Pharmaceuticals in association under the project title Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi
Yojana (PMJAY) ensured the availability of generic medicines at affordable prices for all by
with Central Pharma Public Sector Undertakings.
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Lutyens Delhis iconic Race Course Road, where the Prime Ministers residence is located, would be
known as Lok Kalyan Marg.A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting of the New
Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), presided by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. A notification would
be issued to complete the process of renaming the road.
The Gujarat High Court rejected the governments notification granting 10 percent quota for
EBCs (economically backward classes) in educational institutions. The Anandiben Patel government
had approved the reservation to placate the Patidar community.
Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bhartireleased Rs 315
crore to Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation for building toilets under Swachh Bharat campaign
(Gramin) during 2016-17 along Ganga river. Till date 14,500 toilets have been constructed under this
scheme
PLACES IN NEWS
The Guinness World Records has declared Majuli in Assam as the largest river island in the world.
The beautiful river island is situated on the Brahmaputra River. It has toppled Marajo in Brazil to
clinch the record. Mjuli or Majoli is the world biggest river island in the world in the Brahmaputra
River, Assam, India.
The Rajasthan High Court launched the e-stamp facility in its Jodhpur and Jaipurbenches
simultaneously. Rajasthan has become the fourth state in the country to provide the facility.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari laid
foundation stone of Patanjali Mega food park in Mihan
The Much Awaited Spanish made Talgo train has successfully completed its speed trial in less than 12
hours between national capital Delhi and financial capital Mumbai which is four hours less than
the fastest Rajdhani Express.
An agriculture museum inaugurated at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV) in
Raipur. Chhattisgarh Governor Balramji Das Tandon, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan
Singh, Chief Minister Raman Singh and state agriculture minister Brijmohan Agrawalhave
participated at the inauguration ceremony.
Arunachal Pradeshs first Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Store inaugurated by MoS Shri Mansukh
Mandaviyaat Naharlagun, Itanagar.
Keralites all over the world celebrated the auspicious 10-day-long harvest festival of the state. It was
being celebrated by people of all religions in the Malayalam month of Chingam every year.
Andhra Pradesh became the second state in the country after Gujarat to achieve 100 per cent
electrification of households by the latest report. JM Financials published the report based on a
national-level survey on electrification in various states.
Puducherry Governor Kiran Bedi launched Coastal Clean Up as part of the 31nd International Coastal
Clean Up Day. The drive was being carried out in all coastal pockets in Puducherry.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced a district status for Dadri, the biggest sub-
division in the state.Now number of districts in the State rised to 22 from 21.It is the biggest sub-
division in the state.
Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singhinaugurated the e-
VMS (e-Visitor Management System) at the Krishnapatnam port in Nellore as part of the Ease of
Doing Business initiatives.
Three Guinness World Records were created at Samajik Adhikarita Shivir and Scheme of Assistance
to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fittings of Aids/Appliances (ADIP) Camp in Navsari, Gujarat. Prime
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Minister Narendra Modis 66th birthday was marked by these three world records set at events held at
Navsari.
Kohima police recovered two bombs of the World War II era from PR Hill Colony.The bombs of the
World War II era that lasted from 1939 to 1945.
Airports Authority of India(AAI) has given its approval to a proposed site for the Pune International
Airport at Purandar in Pune announced by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis.
A grand spiritual gathering that happens once in 12 years and is referred to as theKumbhMela of the
Himalayas had begun in Ladakhs biggest monastery, Hemis, to commemorate the millennial birth
anniversary of the scholar saint Naropa.
The Jamaat-e-Islami party figure Mir Quasem Ali, at Kashimpur Central Jail on the outskirts of the
capital Dhaka has been executed for war crimes including murder, confinement, torture and incitement
to religious hatred during the war which he committed in 1971.
Sri Lanka has been certified as malaria-free island country by World Health Organisation (WHO), the
island nation is the second in the WHO South-East Asia Region to eliminate malaria after Maldives.
Mexico has set up consultate in Chennai to explore Free Trade Agreement with India.It is Mexicos
third consulate in India and first consulate in south India that will cater to Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Ramkumar Varadarajan was appointed as Honorary
Consul of Mexico for Southern India
Worlds longest bullet train network length of 2000kms established by China Railway. Construction of
the line started in December 2012. The line has 9 stations and trains run at a speed of up to 300 kph.
The Surgeons at John Radcliffe Hospital in the UK used Robot to remove a membrane and restore
sight of Bill Beaver for the first time. He is 70.The Preceyes surgical robot was developed by a Dutch
company, a spin-out of Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands.
Yogalates is one of the 1,200 new words added in the latest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary
(OED). OED is one of the largest and longest-running language research projects in the world said by
chief editor of the OED, Michael Proffitt
China completes the worlds highest bridge standing 1,850 feet above the ground. This Bridge was
named Beipan River, the waterway it crosses, the incredible structure has a 720-metre-wide span
(2,363 feet) and is a part of the Hangrui Highway, a 3,405-kilometre-long (2,115 miles) national
motorway linking Hangzhou city in southern China with Ruili city on the China-Myanmar border.
India had complained to the World Trade Organization about support given to therenewable energy
industry in eight U.S. states.
The Indian government declared that the country wasfree from the contagious avian influenza (H5N1),
also known as bird flu.The Department of Animal Husbandryunder the Agriculture Ministry reported
to theWorld Organization for Animal Health. However, the ministry stressed the need for continued
surveillance.
The deployment of a U.N. political mission to monitor a cease-fire between the government of
Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC was approved by the Security
Council.
US President Obama designated the first marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean, protecting
fragile deep-sea ecosystems off the coast of New England as theNortheast Canyons and Seamounts
Marine National Monument.
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Worlds largest permanent shiplift designed by Chinese and German engineers on ChinasThree
Gorges Dam began its trial. It is the largest and most sophisticated shiplift in the world.The worlds
biggest water project is located in central Chinas Hubei province .
President Vladimir Putins United Russia party won parliamentary election. With this Putin cemented
his supremacy over Russias political system when his rulingUnited Russia party took three quarters of
the seats in parliament in a weekend election, paving the way for him to run for a fourth term as
president.
The 10-week long festival Confluence: Festival of India was inaugurated by Union Tourism and
Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma in Sydney to showcase the countrys rich and diverse culture was
kicked off in iconic Sydney Opera House .
The European Union Agency for Railways launched a Safety Alert IT tool(SAIT) at the Inno Trans
fair in Berlin in an effort to increase transparency in rail safety incident.
India, the US and Afghanistan have reaffirmed their shared interests in combating terrorism and
advancing peace and security in the region.
India business, culture festival held in Chinese city Yangzhou
UNSC adopts a resolution to reinforce the objectives of a major treaty banning nuclear testamid
growing nuclear threat posed by the Democratic People s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan had moved out of the Saarc summit in Pakistan in November,
citing an unsuitable environment for the annual gathering of South Asian leaders.
Pakistans lower house of Parliament has passed a landmark bill giving its small Hindu minority the
right to register marriages, the last major hurdle on the way to enacting a law aimed at protecting
womens rights
The US and Vietnam navies began their 7th annual Naval Engagement Activity NEA, Vietnam
2016 at Tien Sa Port in Da Nang.
Colombias center-right government and the Marxist FARC(Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia) rebel group signed a peace deal on Monday to end a half-century war that killed a quarter
of a million people
China for the first time had deployed a robot to maintain security at one of its busiest airports in
Guangdong Province. The Anbot, a security robot hired for its first job at the Shenzhen airport where
it was making round-the-clock patrols through the departure hall in Terminal 3, state-run.
India and China hold a high level dialogue, where they discussed ways to enhance security and
cooperation to combat terror as officials from the two sides exchanged information on policies and
legislation to deal with terrorism at the first high-level dialogue and they reached important
consensus in Beijing, China.
SAARC have released an operation plan running through to 2025 on September 27, 2016. SASEC OP
(operational plan) is the programs first comprehensive long-term plan to promote greater economic
cooperation among members.
India dubbed Pakistan as a country with terror as its calling card and urged the United Nations to
isolate such countries which permit terrorists to carry on their activities unimpeded.
A 26-year-old woman Kate McWilliams from UK become the worlds youngest ever commercial
airline captain of easy jet. She first became interested in planes after attending an air show at age four.
India has secured the 39th rank, climbing 16 places from last year, on the annual Global
Competitiveness Index prepared by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The list is topped by
Switzerland.
Cuba, Russia signed Agreement on Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation
10 | P a g e
Measles has been eradicated from the Americas due to decades of vaccination efforts, making it
the first region of the world to rid itself of the disease was announced by global health authorities.
FOREIGN VISITS
PM Visit to Vietnam and China
India and Vietnam signed 12 agreements, signalling a strong upward push in their strategic ties in the
field of defence, IT, space, double taxation and sharing white shipping information.
India grants $500 million to Vietnam to bolster defence ties andIt is noted that the Prime Minister also
announced a grant of $5 million for the establishment of a Software Park in the Telecommunications
University in Nha Trang.PM Modi presented with a hand-painted oil-painting of himself by a Chinese
painter and Chinese translations of ancient Indian texts including Bhagavad Gita and essays of Swami
Vivekananda.
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Sri Lanka and Canada Visit:
Sri Lanka Visit September 26-27
During the visit, a meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Business Forum was held which was attended by
the Commerce and Industry Minister and Mr Malik Samarawickrama, Minister of Development
Strategies and International Trade of Sri Lanka.
India will invest up to $2 billion in Sri Lanka over the next four years in a range of sectors
including real estate, energy and infrastructure.
Canada Visit September 29 - 30:
The Minister attended 3rd Annual Ministerial Dialogue held on 29th September 2016 at Toronto, Canada.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi Arrives in India for Three-Day Visit
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on a three-day visit to India and to hold talks with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi with an aim to step up engagement in areas of security, counter-terrorism and
trade. It is noted thatIndia and Egypt have a strong economic relationship.
PM Modi & Egyptian President signed maritime transport agreement and India and Egypt decided to
step up their overall defence and security cooperation to tackle the twin challenges of terrorism and
radicalisation besides enhancing economic and trade engagements thereby signalling a major shift in
ties.
Nepal PM Prachanda On a three day visit to India
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachandaarrived in New Delhi for a three-day state visit to
India. The major agreements sealed between the Indian and Nepali delegations included upgrade of road
network in Nepal and two line of credit agreements between Nepal and the Exim Bank.
India, Nepal sign three agreements including improvement of road network
India and Nepal signed three agreements including improvement of road network to cement ties
between the two neighbors.
The two countries signed MoU for project management consultancy services for up gradation and
improvement of road infrastructure in Terai area of Nepal.
India also gave 750 million dollar line of credit for post earthquake reconstruction of the Himalayan
nation.
Nepal PM visited Jhakri town to inspect Nathpa-Jhakri hydro-power project
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda is visited Jhakri town in Shimla district
of Himachal Pradesh to inspect Asias biggest underground Nathpa-Jhakri hydro-power project.The
project has a power generation capacity of 1500 megawatt.
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Shri Radha Mohan Singh Concluded 3 Days Israel Visit

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh concluded his three day Israel
Visit. The Union Minister led a four member official delegation to Israel to deepen bilateral engagement in
agriculture.

The two-day BRICS Convention on Tourism was flagged off on September 1 in Khajuraho Madhya
Pradesh. The BRICS nations were represented by the Minister of Tourism, South Africa Mr. D.A.
Hanekom and delegations from Russia and China.
The Environment Ministers of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries
meeting held on September 16, in Goa to strengthen mutual cooperation.
The sixth meeting of BRICS High Representatives responsible for security held at New Delhi. Shri
Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser, Government of the Republic of India presided over the
meeting.
India hosted the sixth Brics meeting on Agriculture and Agrarian Development and deliberate on
priority areas of cooperation between the five countries of the bloc. The two-day conference started
with an official-level meeting to be followed by ministerial meeting the next day.
5th BIRAC Innovators Meet kick started with the theme Biotech Innovation Ecosystem
Strategizing the Next Leapin New Delhi. The event was attended by Chief Guest Honble Union
Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhanand Guest of Honour,
Honble Minister of State (MoS), Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri YS Chowdary.
The Union government was organised a two-day BRICS Wellness workshop in Bengaluru. The
workshop to be held at Hotel Shangrila will be attended by delegates from Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa (BRICS) to explore areas of mutual co-operation.
Two days India US economic summit began in New Delhi on September 14 to provide a valuable
opportunity to assess developments across India-US trade relationship, economy and society. The
summit is hosted by the chambers of North India council.
The three-day Investment Summit (IITIS) 2016 is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism,
Government of India in association with Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI) and
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated the summit
in New Delhi.
The three day International Seafood Show held to discuss the challenges and strategies for the Indian
fishing industry which is on the road to achieving USD 10 billion exports by
2020 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
The third Northeast Connectivity Summit held at the Pragya Bhavan at Agartala, Tripura to discuss
connectivity of the landlocked Northeast region that is surrounded by several foreign nations.
The 2016 G20 Hangzhou summit was the eleventh meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20). It was held
on 45 September 2016 in the city of Hangzhou. It was the first ever G20 summit to be hosted
in China and the second Asian country after 2010 G20 Seoul summit was hosted in South Korea.It is
noted that Barack Obama and Xi Jinping announced the ratification of the Paris Agreement of
the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference by their countries. After they did it, it is 26
countries which have ratified the agreement so far; the United States and China represent respectively
18 percent and 20 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.
4th ASEAN-India Summit and the 11th East Asia Summit held in Vientiane, Laos PDR with the
invitation of H.E. Mr. Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister of Lao PDR. The Summits was attended
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by Heads of State/Government of the 10 ASEAN and 18 East Asia Summit Participating Countries
respectively. In the margins, Prime Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with several leaders.
The 6th Edition of IUCN World Conservation Congress 2016 held in the Hawaiian capital, Honolulu
is hosted by the State of Hawaii with the support of the Department of State of the USA.
The 2016 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Congress will focus on the
theme Planet at the Crossroads.
17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM summit) held in Venezuela. Vice President Hamid Ansari held
talks with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on a host of issues of mutual interest.
The US government had decided to become a partner country for the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat
Global Summit, which was prepared to be held in January 2017.
UN organized first-ever summit on movement of 65.3 million refugees and migrants. Global leaders
gathered for the first of two high-profile days of meetings on the issues of migration and refugees at
the U.N. headquarters in New York. This meeting attempted to forge a global response to the plight of
the 65.3 million people forcibly displaced worldwide.
The two-day meeting is arranged by the Indian Petroleum Companies to deliberate the need for an
LPG-enabled household and use of traditional cooking fuels in Bhubaneswar.
Tea Board of India and The United Planters Association of Southern India (Upasi) were jointly
conducted the India international Tea convention at Ooty in Nilgiris.The highlight of the convention
would be the business session in which around 500 delegatesfrom around the world were expected to
participate. There would be a special focus on south Indian teas. The tea that won the12th edition of
golden leaf awards held in Dubai was featured at the event.
Sri Lankan Prime minister Ranil Wickremsinghe inaugurated the five day long 69th session of
WHO (World Health Organisation) Regional committee meeting at Colombo on 5 September 2016.In
the Regional meeting all the 11 countries of South East Asia including Indias Health and Family
Welfare Minister JP Nadda took part in the event.
Shri J P Nadda led the yoga session at the 69th session of the WHO Regional Committee of South-
East Asia Region at Colombo, Sri lanka.Nadda was accompanied by Health Ministers of several
nations in the Yoga session and more than a hundred participants.
Sri Lanka worked with The South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organization (WHO-
SEARO). It is the first of WHOs six regional outfits. WHO SEARO provided leadership on health
matters and relevant policy options and technical support.
Union Minister for Chemicals and Petrochemicals Anant Kumar has inaugurated INDIA-CHEM
2016 International Conference in Mumbai. The 3-day 9th Biennial International Exhibition and
Conference begun in Mumbai includes 23 countries, 282 exhibitors alone. The Largest event of
chemicals and petrochemicals industry in India in its 9 st rd edition, i.e. India Chem 2016, would be
organized from 1 3 September 2016, jointly byDepartment of Chemicals and Petrochemicals,
Government of India and FICCI.
The Odisha government in association with International Labor Organization(ILO) organised a two-
day national conference on laborin Bhubaneswar.Union minister of state for labour and
employment Bandaru Dattatreya and ministers and chairpersons of labour welfare boards of 29
states attended the conference.
First International Sikh Conclave started in Bihar, ahead of 350th birth anniversary celebration of
Guru Gobind Singh. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced that the state government was
organised this conclave ahead of the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh,
the 10th Sikh guru, in Patna Sahib.
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The IoT(Internet Of Things) India Congress 2016 is Indias first completely integrated IoT
platform hosted in Benglore that aims to bring together the key stakeholders across the value chain and
verticals to collaborate, ideate and share a common road map for IoT implementation.
RANKINGS & REPORTS
Mandi in Himachal Pradesh is the cleanest district in the hilly areas of rural India whereas Sindhudurg
in Maharashtra is the cleanest among districts situated in the plains; according to Swachh
Survekshan or the Cleanliness Index for Rural India released by rural development minister Narendra
Tomar.
The World Bank has recently released a Logistics Performance Index (LPI) 2016 report titled
Connecting to Complete 2016. The Logistics Performance Index Report is published by World Bank
every two years. India has now been ranked 35 amongst 160 countries compared to rank of 54 in LPI
2014. The list is topped by Germany.
According to the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), almost 50 million children throughout
the world have been uprooted from their homes by war, violence or persecution. Around 28 million
children around the globe have been driven from their homes byviolent conflict, with nearly as many
abandoning their homes in search of a better life.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have
maintained their spots among the top 15 varsities in the world, according to Quacquarelli Symonds
(QS) global university rankings for 2016/2017. Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
emerged top in this years global rankings, while Stanford University overtook Harvard University to
take second place. In Indian Insitutions Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Bombay placed on the
top with the rank of 219.
India has slipped by 10 positions to 112th, as it fared badly across categories including legal system
and regulation, according to the Economic Freedom of the World: 2016 Annual Report. Hong Kong
and Singapore, once again, occupy the top two positions. Next comes New Zealand and Switzerland,
two countries almost always in the top five.
A recent survey among the travelers revealed that Five Indian museums featured among the best 25 in
Asia while Lehs Hall of Fame has topped the India list as a must-visit place.
The Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horse in China topped the Asia list.Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York City tooped the overall list.
According to a new report by Google and KPMG , the Indian digital classifieds industry is projected to
grow three times to $1.2 billion by 2020. Google and KPMG the Digital Classifieds in India 2020
report, which says the next phase of growth of such ads will be driven by the rapid growth of e-
services, real estate and automobiles.
For the first time in the history, 31 Indian institutes have found a place in the Times Higher Education
World University Rankings 2016-17. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore is Indias top
institution in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2016-17 list. The
Overall list is topped by University of Oxford in the UK.
The CBS comedy claimed TVs four best-paid actors, according to the annual list released by Forbes
Magazine. Jim Parsons, star of American humorous drama The Big
Bang Theory, had been named the highest-paid TV actor of 2016 by Forbes magazine for the second
year running.
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The City of Kolkata has entered into the top 100 in the sixth annual Mastercard Global Destinations
Cities Index. Five Indian cities have made it to the top 100 destination cities for 2016.Mumbai,
Chennai, Delhi and Pune are the four other cities in the list. Kolkata ranks 62nd in the index.
According to the study, Bangkok is projected to receive 21.47 million international overnight visitors
in 2016.
A new index developed to assess each countrys achievement on a range of health indicators
ranks India at 143 in a list of 188 countries. This first global analysis to assess countries on sustainable
development goal (SDG) health performance was launched at a special event at the UN General
Assembly. The Health Index 2016 is topped by Iceland.
The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of Singapore declared Maharashtra as ranked highest
according to a broad measure of Ease of Doing Business (EDB) in Indian states. It is noted that the
new index has given 21 major states entirely different ranks when compared with the World Banks
Ease of Doing Business Index.
According to the latest RBI Report,Andhra Pradesh had emerged on the top among all other states
in attracting industrial investments in 2015-16, pushing the previous years topper Maharashtra to the
third spot. Andhra Pradesh attracted an investment of Rs.21,914crore out of the Rs.1,38,700
crore gross investments across India, the state government officially released, quoting a report by the
Reserve Bank of India was 8.1 per cent.
State Bank of India (SBI) chief Arundhati Bhattacharya, ICICI Bank CEO and MD Chanda Kochhar
and Axis Bank CEO Shikha Sharma entered the list of 50 most powerful women based outside the
United States by Fortune magazine. Banco Santander group executive chairman Ana Botn repeats as
No. 1, in a time of economic and political volatility for all.
Priyanka Chopra has become the first Indian star to enter theForbes list of highest paid television
actresses in the world. Colombian-American actress Sofia Vergara topped Forbes magazines annual
list of best paid television actresses for the fifth year in a row, earning $43 million.
Indias 100 Richest People : Forbes
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani has topped Forbess annual list of Indias
100 richest tycoons with a net worth of $22.7 billion. The combined net worth of Indias 100
wealthiest is $381 billion, a rise of 10 percent from $345 billion in 2015. In the Womens list Savitri
Jindal ranked 19 th with an earnings of $5.3Bn
Fortune has released its Fortune 51 Most Powerful Women Rankings. PepsiCo CEO and chairman
Indra Nooyi is the only Indian-origin woman in Fortunes 51 Most Powerful Women list that is topped
by Mary Barra, CEO and chairman of General Motors. The list comprises of22 CEOs of major
companies and many more corner office contenders in all industries. Nine newcomers and one
return. Over $1.1 trillion in market capitalization.
BANKING & FINANCE
Eventhough the Finance Ministry is still optimistic of close to 8 per cent growth this fiscal, the Central
Statistics Office on Wednesday said the countrys GDP grew at 7.1 percent in the first quarter.
The Canadian Province of British Columbia becomes the first foreign governmententity to issue
a Masala bond, choosing London, the global home for Masala bonds, for its listing.Initial price
guidance for the benchmark-sized offering with a tenor of three years and four months is 6.68-6.73
percent.
Govt Notifies Constitution Of Monetary Policy Committee Under RBI Act
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The appointments committee of the cabinet approved the names of Chetan Ghate, a professor at Indian
Statistical Institute, Pami Dua, director at Delhi School of Economics (DSE); and Ravindra Dholakia,
professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad,
The Government has decided to raise the Employees Provident Fund ( EPF) investment in Exchange
Traded Funds from present 5 per cent to 10 per cent.
Interest rates on small savings schemes have been reduced marginally by 0.1 percent for the October-
December quarter of 2016-17, leading to lower returns on Public Provident Fund, Kisan Vikas Patra,
Sukanya Samriddhi Account, among others.
Karnataka Bank has inked a memorandum of understanding(MoU) with Birla Sun Life Asset
Management Company for distribution of mutual fund products.
Maharashtra based DCB Bank launched its Unified Payment Interface (UPI) application. The UPI
interface was billed as a revolutionary of sorts in digital banking by the NCPI.
ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund was appointed by the government to manage the second CPSE
exchange traded fund (ETF) comprising stocks of PSUs in the current fiscal with an estimated corpus
of Rs.6,000 crore. The appointment criteria and evaluation process comprises both technical and
financial parameters. The competitors were Reliance, HDFC SBI, UTI, Kotak and Birla Sunlife.
The RBI has given approval toRs 26,000-crore cash credit limit (CCL) for purchasing paddy in poll-
bound Punjab. The state government will seek approval of the Centre by sending the RBIs approval
letter for the release of funds for the purchase of paddy
The first meeting of the GST Council, the tax department today came out with three draft rules and
their formats relating to registration, invoice and payments which would be finalised by week-end.
The World Trade Organization lowered its global trade forecast, warning that anti-
globalisation rhetoric and Brexit were pushing trade growth to its slowest pace since the financial
crisis. The WTO announced that global trade was now estimated to expand by just 1.7 percent this
year, compared to its April projection of 2.8 percent.
According to New World Wealth, Indias financial capital Mumbai, home to 45,000 millionaires and
28 billionaires, is the wealthiest city in the country with total wealth of $820 billion.
DCB Bank, an emerging new-generation private sector bank, announced the launch of mVisa, a
mobile based payment solution that will make payments at retail outlets much easier.Now Customers
can pay now through their smartphones by scanning the unique Quick Response (QR) code at the
retail outlet.
MobiKwik, fin-tech player has launched one-step offline payments with Bubble Pin.The pin is a
combination of numbers and alphabets. Bubble pin also makes the transaction more secure as no
phone number is required to be shared.
ICICI Bank has announced the deployment of Software Robotics for business processes across various
functions of the bank. The bank said that the software robots have reduced the response time to
customers by up to 60% and have increased accuracy to 100%.
Reserve Bank has allowed foreign investors to buy up to 100 per cent in Crompton Greaves Consumer
Electricals Ltd. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs)/Registered Foreign Portfolios Investors (RFPIs)
can now invest up to 100 per cent of the paid up capital of Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals
Limited under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS).
HDFC ERGO, a leading Private sector non-life insurer has implemented Weather Based Crop
Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) in Assam, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh.
World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kimand New Development Bank President K.V.
Kamath signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) to strengthen their cooperation in addressing
global infrastructure needs in Washington D.C on Sept. 9, 2016.
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Electricity generator Tata Power and ICICI Venture grouped together to take over stressed power
assets in India. Tata Power holds a 26 per cent stake and ICICI Ventures holds 74 per cent stake in
Resurgent Power Ventures.
BSE Ltd, Indias second-biggest stock exchange filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in order to
list its shares on larger rival National Stock Exchange (NSE). Earlier BSE filed draft papers with
markets regulator Sebi to raise an estimated Rs 1,200 crore to Rs 1,300 crore through initial public
offering (IPO).
FreeCharge partnership with Axis Bank and launched Unified Payments Interface (UPI) that allows
instant transactions from a smartphone using a virtual payment address (VPA)
e-nivaran(electronic resolution) for online redressal of taxpayers grievances launched
by CBDT(Central Board of Direct Taxes). Taxpayers can register complaints related todelay in
refunds, filing of e-returns, Tax Deducted at Source (TDS), PAN issues, and those pertaining to their
Assessing Officer (AO).
India is among the 10 richest countries in the world with total individual wealth of USD 5,600
billion India is among the top prospective markets for luxury brands worldwide according to the study
by New World Wealth, India, along with Sri Lanka, Vietnam, mauritius and China, offered strong
opportunity for growth in luxury and wealth management space.
Private sector Bank, Axis has tied up with Banaras Hindu University (BHU) to offer specialised
banking courses.The partnership will offer courses like Masters in Commerce (MCom), Master of
Financial Management (MFM), Master of Financial Management (Risk & Insurance) MFM RI,
Master of Foreign Trade (MFT).
The National Highways Authority (NHAI) reported that the State Bank of India,Punjab National
Bank, IDFC Bank and the digital wallet PayTM would also start issuing the tags, which were required
for electronic toll collection.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced Indias foreign exchange reserves went up to$371.27
billion as on September 9. According to data released by the RBI, the reserves stood at $371.27 billion
as on September 9, as against $367.76 billion as on Sep 2.
Tata AIG General Insurance Company Limited had joined hands with mobile payments
company Paytm to provide health insurance to cab and auto drivers.
Federal Bank, Kochi-based Private Sector Bank has launched its second Federal Skill Academy at
Coimbatore, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) initiatives. The first one being
inaugurated last year at Ernakulam.
Infrastructure Development Finance Company(IDFC) Limited has issued commercial Papers of
Rs.700 crore. The company issued Commercial Papers for an aggregate amount of Rs 700 crore on
September 12, 2016 having maturity date ofSeptember 29, 2016.
BSE Sensex collaborate with Twitter to provide live updates of S&P to its investors.. It is the first
collaboration in Asia between a stock exchange and a social networking site.
Moodys reported that the reform process was slow and gradual with muted private investment and
NPAs posing a challenge and announced that it could upgrade Indias rating in 1-2 years if it was
convinced that reforms were tangible.Moodys, which has a Baa3 rating with a positive outlook,
reported evidence of policymakers working towards a faster fiscal consolidation, reducing the debt-
GDP ratio and addressing infrastructure and monsoon volatility challenges would determine an
upgrade.
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance IPO opens. ICICI Bank owns 68 percent of the company and decided
to sell 12.65% stake though this IPO.At the upper end of the price band, IPO would raise over Rs 6000
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Cr. Britains Prudential PLC, which owns nearly 26% of the company, was not selling any of its stake
in the IPO.
Multilateral funding agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a loan of $631
million or Rs.4228.9 crore (at Tuesdays exchange rate) for building Indias first coastal industrial
corridor between Visakhapatnam and Chennai.
World Bank will invest nearly 1,000 crore rupees in Assam for the betterment of the inland
waterways. The amount will be utilised to develop inland waterways including ghats.
Public sector lender Vijaya Bank had launched e-deposit facility to facilitate term deposits by
customers in its bid to ramp up deposit base of the bank. E-deposit would facilitate the existing Vijaya
Bank customers to open term deposit accounts through e-banking facility. The three innovative
information technology products had launched VPAYQWIK, Vijaya *99# and V-eConnect+.
Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) has launched an application, Kotak Now that would allow new
customers to open an account. It is an end-to-end application wherein a customer will be able to open
a bank account within 10 minutes.
Public sector lender Andhra Bank announced that it had entered into agreements with private
insurers Cigna TTK and Reliance General Insurance to provide health and general insurance services
to its customers.
HDFC, Airtel and State Bank of India named in the Top 50 valued brands by the The third annual
BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indian Brands report released by WPP and Kantar Millward Brown.
The list is topped by Moratge lender HDFC.
Mobile payments and loans start-up ftcash in association with ICICI Bank is the first fintech start-
up to launch Unified Payment Interface (UPI) to provide flexibility to our 5,000-plus merchants to
accept electronic payments at a lower cost and better convenience.
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority(IRDAI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh and
another penalty of Rs 5 lakh has been imposed on SBI Life Insurance. For violations of various norms,
including guidelines on accepting business from a corporate agent after the expiry of licence. It had
done 621 policies after expiry of licence
Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar and Chairperson of Samruddhi Cooperative
Bank Kanchan Gadkari launched the Banks first-ever RuPay Card in central India.
BUSINESS
Digital payments platform, MobiKwik andSamagra, an NGO serving urban poor launchedM-
Gullak in Pune to promote the habit of savings among Urban Poor.
Tech giant Microsoft is setting up a cyber security centre in the heart of New Delhi to arm
governments and private agencies with all-round intelligence on cyber attacks within India.
South Koreas LG Electronics Inc is partnering with Amazon.com Inc on smart-home services,
enabling the Amazon services such as the Alexa virtual assistant on some of the electronics makers
devices.
Infosys , a global leader in consulting, technology and next-generation services, announced the launch
of Skava Commerce, a modern, mobile-first and modular e-commerce platform that delivers
engaging omni-channel experiences.
HCL and IBM have entered a 15-year partnership for automation and development and operations.
This partnership will enable the both companies to focus their technical teams on native cloud and
cognitive solutions, as well as industry-specific opportunities.
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Tech giants Microsoft and Adobe announced a major partnership to promote the use of each others
cloud-computing tools among their mutual customers.
Sun Pharma signs deal with ICGEB to develop Indias first dengue vaccine
Facebook, Amazon, Google, IBM and Microsoft have joined hands to announce a historic
partnership on AI and machine learning.
Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval
for closure of Hindustan Cables Limited (HCL), Kolkata as per the provisions of the Companies Act,
1956/2013, Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and other relevant Acts.
The Competition Commission of India fined 11 cement companies and their lobby group Cement
Manufacturers Association (CMA) to a sum of Rs 6,714 crore for alleged cartelization. These cement
companies includes ACC, Lafarge, Ultratech, Jayprakash Associates, Binani and their trade
association the Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) on charges of cartelization in the sector.
BHEL has commissioned the fourth and last unit of the 440 MW Teesta Low Dam Hydro Electric
Project (HEP) Stage-IV in West Bengal.
US based tech giants Microsoft, Google and Sales force have officially adopted the EU-US Privacy
Shield framework which enables these majors to receive personal data from the European Union (EU)
in agreement with the new standards.
TCS has partnered with Thanjavur-based SASTRA Deemed University to train over 2,000 teachers
from Tamil Nadu on digital teaching methods.
TCS unveils new unemployment insurance system to provide unemployment insurance by the
Mississippi, Rhode Island and Maine Consortium to help unemployed individuals. Mississippi is
the first state to launch this kind of Unemployment Insurance System.
A major big defence corruption probe is prepared to come to India. Its a joint US Brazil
investigation into bribery charges against Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer that has been
expanded to include the sales made to India.
The first Cyber security Index launched by Kaspersky Lab to measure the current cyber threat
levels faced by Internet users.The Kaspersky Cyber security Index is based on the data, collected from
thousands of users across the globe in 21 countries in August 2016.The index will combine three
indicators which will be measured every six months to assess the level of risk.
Government has issued fresh flexi-fund guidelines that is given more freedom to states in spending
money under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) to meet local developmental
requirements. Under the new norms, flexi-funds in each CSS has been increased from the
current 10%to 25% for states and 30% for Union Territories.
BankBazaar.com, Indias leading financial marketplace, had launched the worlds first multi-brand,
paperless e-KYC platform for instant loan approval
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, had
approved the proposal of Department of Consumer Affairs on enhancing the buffer stock for pulses up
to 20 lakh tonnes.
The Punjab Cabinet today decided to abolish the stamp duty of 2% levied on immovable
property while awarding the power of attorney.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been conferred the prestigious membership of the Asia-
Pacific Aerospace Quality Group (APAQG) under the category Full Member with voting
rights. India, the seventh nation to join the APAQG under TRHE International Aerospace Quality
Group (IAQG).
Union Government had notified new import policy for marble & travertine blocks with effect
from October 1, 2016. The Minimum Import Price (MIP) for marble blocks had been reduced to 200
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US dollar per metric ton. The basic customs duty on import of marble and travertine blocks had been
increased from 10% to 40% to address the interest of domestic producers.
NTPC has signed a pact with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) to implement energy efficient
LED lighting solutions for all its projects, stations and offices across the country. EESLis the
implementing agency for both the programmes Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP)
and Street Lights.
Rays Power Infra will set up a 100 mw solar power plant in Uttarakhand under Uttarakhand
Renewable Energy Development Agencys (UREDA) competitive bidding for 2015-16.
Adani Green Energy Ltd is connected the 648 mega watt (MW) solar power plant to 400 KW
substation of Tantransco at Kamuthi in Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu.
Indias largest e-commerce company Flipkart currently had 100 million registered users to becomes
the first company to reach this milestone in a single country outside the US and China.
Two Indians Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna and campaigner for eradication of manual scavenging
Bezwada Wilson were among six persons who received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award for
2016 in Manila.
Irrfan Khan was honored with the Entertainer of the Year award by CNBC in New Delhi and he was
felicitated by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
Aishwaryaa ,Rajinikanth and Dhanush appointed as UN Womens Advocate for Gender Equality and
Womens Empowerment in India.
Lopamudra Raut has bagged the second runner-up spot at Miss United Continents, which was held in
Guayaquil, Ecuador. Jeslyn Santosfrom Philippines won the title of Miss United Continents.
Renowned Dalit personality, poet and Telugu writer Prof.Kalakaluri Enoch was conferred with the
prestigious Moortidevi Award of Bharatiya Jnanpith for the year 2015.
Tirupati Airport was awarded with Best Tourist Friendly Airport under the category for State
Annual Excellence Awards (2015-16) by Andhra Pradesh Tourism.
A new Guinness World Record for the largest Lego sculpture has been set in the UK, where a 13-
metre high replica of the Londons iconic Tower Bridge was created using an astounding 5,805,846
individual pieces. This huge 13-metre high LEGO version of Londons Tower Bridge created for Land
Rover to launch their New Discovery car has set a new world record.
A nearly 1,000-year-old wooden pagoda in Chinas northern Shanxi province, was declared
the worlds tallest wooden pagoda by the Guinness World Records.
Music Director Uttam Singh honoured with Lata Mangeshkar Award for Lifetime Achievement
Indian NGO Slum Soccer won the inaugural FIFA Diversity Award in Manchester on September 27,
2016 in Manchester, UK. It was received by Abhijeet Barse, CEO of Soccer.
Odisha based Eminent sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has bagged the peoples choice prize for his sand
sculpture named Mahatma Gandhi World Peace at the 9 th Moscow Sand SculptureChampionship
2016.
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has selected Human
Resource and Development Ministrys Jan Sikshan Sansthan (JSS) project implemented in
Malappuram for the international UNESCO Confucius Prize for literacy 2016.
Hong Kong-born Action star Jackie Chan to receive Lifetime Achievement Oscar Award 2016.
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Renowned Odia poet Dr Hrushikesh Mallick to be honoured with the 37th edition of prestigious Sarala
Award for his outstanding poetry. This prestigious Sarala Puraskar, an award instituted by the Indian
Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT), an organisation established by the IMFA Group, at a
special function to be held on October 26. This award has a cash award of Rs 1,50,000 along with
citations.
A Kerala-based NGO, The Jan Sikshan Sansthan (JSS) received the prestigious UNESCO Confucius
Prize for Literacy for its literacy-linked skill development activities at a ceremony in Paris.
Assam-based ecologist and conservation activist Bibhuti Lahkar has become the first Asian to be
awarded the prestigious Heritage Heroes Award by the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN).
Mother Teresa St. Teresa was formally canonized thus by Pope Francis at Vatican City. She was
canonized 19 years after her death. India Post released Commoration stamp to tribute this feat.
The Worlds largest LEGO ship named Jubilee Seaways has created Guinness world record for set in
Denmark, where employees of a shipping company successfully constructed the incredible 2,860 kg
boat using over one million interlocking plastic bricks.
Renowned film maker K.G. George won the prestigious J.C. Daniel Award 2016for his overall
contribution to the Malayalam film industry.
1st BRICS film festival A five day filmy conference held in New Delhi. Many amazing films
from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa as part of the BRICS film festival in New Delhi
from September 2-6. Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor was felicitated at the opening ceremony of the 1st
BRICS Film Festival. Raam Reddys Kannada film Thithi was conferred the Best Film .It is noted that
Filmmaker Jianqi Huo from China won the best director award for his film Xuan Zang. Russias Yulia
Peresild received the best actress honour for The Battle for Sevastopol. Thabo Rametsi of South Africa
bagged the best actors trophy for his role in Kalushi,
Priyanka Yoshikawa, whose father is an Indian and mother a Japanese crowned Miss Japan furthering
racial equality in the country .
Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang has received Pangkor Dialogue Award 2016 inMalaysia for the
efforts made by the people of the state for environmental preservation and promotion.
Stuart Blackburns book Into the Hidden Valley wins MM Bennetts Award for historical fiction.
Renowned Odia cine actress Jharana Das and renowned Odishi dance guru Kishore Kumar Mohanty
were honored with the prestigious Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award 2016for lifetime achievement.
Harnaam Kaur, a 24-year-old British Sikh model-cum- campaigner sporting a six-inch-long facial hair
has entered the Guinness World Records as the youngest female with a beard.
Jharkhand was awarded with the 45th Skoch Merit Award and Skoch Smart Governance Gold Award,
2016 which was held in Hyderabad.
Four prominent Indo-Americans awarded by Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater
Houston (IACCGH)
2016 Awardees:-
1. The Young Professional of the Year Malisha Patel
2. Woman entrepreneur award Revati Puranik, CFO, Worldwide Oilfield Machine
3. Business leader of the year Bhavesh Patel, CEO LyondellBasell while entrepreneur of the year
was given to Abezaar S Tayabji, founder and CEO Shipcom Wireless.
Odisha bagged 9th Global Agriculture Leadership Award 2016 and Haryana has bagged Best
Horticulture State award for increasing the income of the farmers in horticulture at the National Level
gathering of important stake-holders in agriculture development at the Agriculture Leadership Summit
at New Delhi.Haryana bagged Best Horticulture State award.
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BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has been honoured with Tamil Ratna award by a body of Tamil
diaspora in America for fighting corruption and working for more transparency in the functioning of
the government.
A nearly four-hour long movie about a womans thirst for revenge and her feelings of forgiveness after
30 years in jail for a crime she did not commit won the Venice Film Festivals top prize. Director Lav
Diaz had described Ang Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left)as a testimony to the struggles
of the Philippines after centuries of colonial rule.
Indian Writer Meghna Pant to be honored with Kumaon Literary Festivals FON Fellows of Nature
South Asia Short Story Award in Nature writing in October for her short story People of the Sun.
Shristi Sharma(12) from Nagpur has created history by by ice skating for 10 metres under 11 bars
placed a metre apart at a height of 33 centimetres from the ground at the iSkate rink in Gurgaon on 9th
September 2016 at the iSkate rink in Gurgaon, Shristi made history. She also campaigns actively
for Save the Girl Child.
An Indian born scientist Ramesh Raskar has bagged the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Prize worth
$500,000.
ActorEwan McGregor to Receive Humanitarian Award at 2016 British Academy Britannia Awards.
Kunwar Bai, a 105-year-old woman who was felicitated by PM Narendra Modi for building toilet by
selling off her goats, has been chosen as the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan mascot.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar would be honoured with a humanitarian award by a Jewish human rights
organisation for promoting human dignity, interfaith relations and tolerance among people.
Indo-American Abraham Verghese to be honored by Barack Obama with 2015 National Humanities
Medal
Indian-born researcher Dinesh Bharadia at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had won
the prestigious Young Scholar award of the US-based Marconi Society for his contribution to radio
waves.
Karnataka VikasGrameena Bank won awards from Skoch Grou. The bank, which operates in nine
districts ofKarnataka covering 57 taluks, had brought28 lakh people under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan
JyotiBimaYojna, PM Suraksha BimaYojna and PM Jan DhanYojna.
7 women get M.S. Subbulakshmi Award in Mumbai. Each of the awardees was given a shawl, a cut-
out of Ms Subbulakshmi, a cheque of Rs. 1 lakh and a CD with a collection of her songs.
Vocalists Girija Devi, Kishori Amonkar, Aruna Sairam and Vishaka Hari
Dancers Yamini Krishnamurthy, Vyjayantimala Bali
Pandavani exponent Teejan Bai
India batsmen, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma were awarded with the prestigious Arjuna Award
for 2016 and 2015 respectively, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.It is instituted in
1961; the award carries a cash prize of Rs. 500,000, a bronze statue of Arjuna and a scroll.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Bollywood actors Katrina Kaif and Juhi
Chawla bagged the prestigious Priyadarshini Global Awards 2016 in Mumbai.
Eminent Malayalam critic and academician Dr M Leelavathi has been chosen for the prestigious N
Mohanan Suvarna Mudra Award 2016.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi (ahngsahnsoochee) of Myanmar would be honored
as the 2016 humanitarian of the year by students and faculty at the Harvard Foundation.
The scripts of Adil Hussain-starrers Sunrise and Parched have been archived at the library of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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Member of the UK Parliament Lord Narendra Babubhai Patel(78) honoured with the Lifetime
Achievement Award at the Asian Achievers Awards in Britain by a leading publishing group for his
work in the medical profession and being incredible role model for social justice, equality and those
less fortunate.
Bollywood Fame Abhishek Bachan had become a Guinness World Record Holder for Most Public
Appearances Made By A Film Star In 12 Hours. He travelled 1,800 kms in total through his private jet
and car on Feb 22, 2009, to make this possible. He beated actor Will Smith who made three public
appearances in two hours in the year 2004 for his filmI, Robot.
68th EMMY AWARDS 2016Winners 2016:-
The winners were announced at an awards ceremony hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.With five awards, The People
v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story took the most wins.
The two main television program categories, drama and comedy, were won by the same programs as the
previous year.
In the acting categories, there were debut dramatic wins for Rami Malek in Mr. Robot and Tatiana
Maslany in Orphan Black. The main comedic acting awards went for a second time to Jeffrey
Tambor in Transparent, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep for a fifth consecutive year.
WB to conferred Banga Bibhushan award to Lata Mangeshkar
The Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo set a world record for creating a
Canadian flag measuring about one one-hundredth the width of a human hair.
Guinness World Records granted the inaugural award for smallest national flag to the Institute for
Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo in Canada for the flag measuring 1.178
micrometers in length. It is invisible without the aid of an electron microscope.
2015-Better Performing Project Award won by Virbhadra Singh lead Himachal Pradesh government
for development of infrastructure by tourism department under the ADB Funded Project.
Govardhan Eco Village (GEV) of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) had
received the Green Apple Awards for Built Environment and Architectural Heritage Award 2016 in
UK.
The Tamil movie Visaranai written by M. Chandrakumar was chosen as Indias official entry for Best
Foreign Language film at the 89th Academy Awards to be held in 2017.
Bollywood Filmamaker Sajid Nadiadwala conferred with Frances prestigious Chevalier dans lOrdre
des Arts et des Lettres
Hindustani classical singer Shubha Mudgal would be honoured with the annual Lalit Arpan
Samman this year. Mudgal, a Padma Shri recipient was known for her singing in genres of Khayal,
Thumri and Dadra.
Chairman of Godrej Group Adi Godrej was conferred with the 10th Annual Clinton Global Citizen
Award for leadership in business and philanthropy in New York.
Syrian aid group White Helmets wins Right Livelihood Award 2016
Two Indian-American scientists are among 23 scientists who have won this years prestigious
MacArthur Fellowship for showing exceptional creativity in their respective fields. The Indian-
Americans Manu Prakash and Subhash Khot are alumunus of Indian Institiute of Technology (IIT)
in Kanpur and Bombay respectively.
2 Indians selected for 2016 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards, they were Assistant
Conservator RiteshSarothiya of Madhya Pradesh State Forest Service and Range officer Sanjay
Dutta of Belakoba Forest Range Jalpaiguri in West Bengal
The first Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award would recognize the late Muhammad Ali.
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The leading newspaper The Hindu has been awarded the Silver and Bronze awards in the Best
Reader Engagement category of the South Asian Digital Media Awards at the WAN-IFRA (World
Association of Newspapers and News Publishers) India 2016 conference in Kolkata.
The Delhi government would now have its own bravery awards and these awards would be given out
on Independence Day and Republic Day every year
Biocon MD Kiran Mazumdar Shaw appointed as Chevalier de lOrdre National de la Legion
dHonneur
Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao Additional charge of the stateTamil Nadu (Konijeti
Rosaiahs Departs )
Governor of Gujarat Om Prakash Kohli Additional charge of Madhya Pradesh ( Ram Naresh Yadav
Departs)
Ajei Gopal CEO of US company ANSYS
Sushil Muhnot (Sacked) Bank of Maharashtras Chairman and Managing Director
Ravindra Marathe-Appointed Bank of Maharashtras Chairman and Managing Director
Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha Next High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom
Jeffrey De Laurentis USs -first Cuban Ambassador in 55 years
IPS officer OP Singh New Director General of CISF
Vinod Sivappa President of UPASI
Mohit Kampani CEO of Aditya Birla Retail
Riyadh Mathew Chairman of PTI
Shakti Sinha Head of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
R Subramania Kumar ED Of Indian Overseas Bank
Michel Temer Brazils New President
Ashok Chawla Chancellor at Teri university
Anuradha Rao MD, CEO of SBI Mutual Fund
K K Aggarwal New National President of the Indian Medical Association.
Deep Kumar Upadhyay Nepals Envoy To India
Anil Khanna Honorary Life President of the All India Tennis
Association
Kerala govt appoints Sachin Tendulkar brand ambassador for anti- liquor & anti-drug campaign
Shri Jawed Ashraf, IFS New High Commissioner of India to the Republic of
Singapore.
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project R S elevated to the post of Distinguished Scientist
Sundar
Mukund Chaudhari (elevated) Chairman and Managing Director of MOIL
Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting brand ambassador of Tasmania
Rio medallist Sakshi Malik Wrestling Director of Rohtak University
John Abraham Arunachal Pradesh Tourisms brand ambassador
Henkel elevates Shilip Kumar president of its India business
Nicholas Hopton UK-first ambassador to Iran in five years
Satbir Singh Ambassador of India to the Peoples Democratic Republic
of Algeria
Shri J Satyanarayana Part-time Chairman of UIDAI
Abid Qureshi Obama nominates First Muslim-American Judge to federal
judiciary
C.K Asnani UCIL Chairman
Bakytzhan Sagintayev Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
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Dilip Mandal MD & CEO of IDBI AMC(Asset Management Company)

Vidya Balan Brand ambassador of Samajwadi Pension Yojana
Anoop K Sharma CMD of Shipping Corporation
Sunny Verghese board member of Business Commission
Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa (sacked) Arunachal Pradesh Governor
Vishvas Vidu Sapkal High Commissioner of India to the Kingdom of Tong
Hiroshi Nakagawa Chairman of Isuzu Motors India
Jim Yong Kim second term of World Bank President
Nawazuddin Siddiqui Brand ambassador of UP farmers scheme
Narayana Murthy Director of Research Centre Imarat
Former Home Minister Chidambaram Parliamentary panel on home affairs
Mukul Roy Chairperson of the Committee on Transport, Tourism and
Culture.
Sudip Bandyopadhyay Chairperson of the Committee on Railways.
Virender Kumar Par.Committee on Energy
Somaiya Par.Committee on Labour.
Young Yazidi UN Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of
Human Trafficking
Atul Kumar Goel Executive Director in Union Bank of India
VK Sharma LIC chairman
Lt Gen Surinder Singh General Officer Western Command
Alka Sirohi UPSC Chairman
Monika Kapil Mohta Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Sweden.
Virat Kohli Brand ambassador- Punjab National Bank
Ravi Reddy Head of the International Society of Blood Transfusion
ISBT
PV Bharathi Canara Bank Executive Director
The Indians named Trisha Shetty , Ankit For the UN Young Leaders for Sustainable Development
Kawatra , Karan Jerath Goals
Anandi Ramalingam First woman director of Bharat Electronics Limited(BEL)
Sevala Naik High Commissioner of India to the Cayman Islands
Sambhajiraje Bhosale Tourism Brand Ambassador of Maharashtra
Mallikarjuna Rao Syndicate Bank Executive Director
Alibabas Chairman Jack Ma Adviser to UN trade body
Jubilant FoodWorks CEO Ajay Kaul resigns
Anand Chandrasekaran -Facebook Messenger platform
Bangladeshs Junaid Ahmad World Bank Head In India
ISSDA K K Pahuja as its new president
Natvaj Sarna Indian Amba`ssador to US
Mohan M Shantanagoudar Chief Justice of Kerala High Court
Girish Chandra Gupta J. Chief Justice of Calcutta
Satish Kumar Agnihotri J Chief Justice of Sikkim
Tinlianthang Vaiphei J Chief Justice of Tripura
Rakesh Ranjan Prasad J Chief Justice of Manipur
Vijay Kelkar president of Indian Statistical Institute.
Madhusudan Sahoo bankruptcy board chiefof India
Anurag Srivastava Ambassador of India to the Republic of Djibouti
Sanjiv Singh New Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd
Arun Goyal Additional Secretary of GST Council
Ajay Singh Boxing Federation of India President
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Infosys entered into a joint venture with the Saudi Prerogative Company to offer IT services in the
middle eastern country.The investment in the Joint Venture will be a little over $300,000 in the equity
share capital of the proposed joint venture company, Infosys.
Intel has acquired California based Movidius, a computer vison firm that has worked with DJI, Google
and Lenovo to give 3D vision to devices.
The Cabinet gave its nod to a consortium of IOC, Oil India and BPCL buying stakes in two Russian
oilfields for a total of USD 3.14 billion.
HP Inc. agreed to buy Samsung Electronics Companys printer business for $1.05 billion. This
transaction is expected to close within 12 months.
Online payments service provider, PayU owned by South Africas Naspers Group has agreed to buy
Mumbai based rival Citrus Pay for $130 million (Rs 865 crore).
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has cleared proposals worth 1,900 crorerupees(close to $3
billion). All these approved proposals would be executed under Buy India by Indian contractors .
Aircel to be Merged with Reliance Communications to create the countrys 4th-biggest mobile phone
operator. The merged entity will also rope in a third partner by diluting about 25% equity to raise
around Rs 6,000 crore.
Quikr has acquired the largest and highest quality players in beauty services Staygandfor
an undisclosed sum announced on September 13,2016. It was the Quikrs 8thacquisition in 2016.
German based chemical company Bayer announced to acquire the U.S basedMonsanto for $66 billion
including debt. The deal will be the largest ever involving a German buyer, beating Daimlers tie-up
with Chrysler in 1998
Ashok Leyland Board has approved a proposal to merge Hinduja Foundries Ltd (HFL)with itself. HFL
has an accumulated loss of about Rs.1,100 crore and debt of Rs.512 crore.
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) arm APO acquire the Australian firm APB from
Glencore Coal Queensland Pty Limited for AUD 19.25 million
Apple has bought Hyderabad-based machine learning and big data start-up Tuplejump. This is the
Apples first acquisition in India and fourth machine learning acquisition in a year.
SCHEMES
The central Government has notified National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme to offer financial
incentives to employers for the first time. The Scheme has an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore with a target of
50 Lakh apprentices to be trained by 2019-20.
The government has approved projects worth about Rs 450 crore under Swadesh Darshan scheme for
five states, including Uttar Pradesh. This scheme was launched with an objective to develop 13 theme-
based tourist circuits in the country and the approval for five was given in a meeting of the central
sanctioning and monitoring committee (CSMC).
As part of his three-day visit to Kerala, Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari inaugurated the
fourth phase of the Vidyadhanam project, piloted by Prof. K. V. Thomas Vidyadhanam Trust at
St.Teresas College. The project offers financial incentive and scholarship to Government and aided
school students, but also encourages cultivation of life skills, such as thrift and financial inclusion.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the Biju Kanya Ratna Yojana (BKRY) and
inaugurated 1,000 anganwadi buildings here as part of the celebration marking birth centenary of
legendary Biju Patnaik.
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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti launched the CM Scooty Scheme for college
girls. The scheme was launched in Srinagar and flagged off with the Chief Minister taking a ride on
pillion seat of a scooter
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik declared all registered construction workers above60 years of
age will get pension of Rs 300 per month while workers above 80 years of age will get pension of Rs
500 per month. The rule requiring a construction worker to be registered for a minimum of five years to
benefit from the pension scheme has also been waived...
Government has adopted a comprehensive and integrated coastal security schemeto strengthen the
countrys coastal network, was stated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh after commissioning
Coast Guard ship Sarathi in Goa in the presence of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Model guidelines were issued for states in order to protect consumers from Ponzi frauds, to
regulate direct selling and multi-level marketing businesses while prohibiting pyramid structures as
well as money circulation schemes. Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan released
the Direct Selling Guidelines 2016 framework and has been sent to the states and Union Territories
for adoption.
Chief Minister Raman SinghStart-up Chhattisgarh by announcing a number of sops and tax
exemptions to attract budding entrepreneurs and investors to the state.
Free bus rides for Haryana girl school students announced by Haryana Transport minister Krishan Lal
Panwar. Free travel facility also extended to girl students on the state roadways buses
The Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) chaired by Union Tourism Secretary Shri
Vinod Zutshi for the Swadesh Darshan Scheme has approved projects of worth Rs. 500 Crore
for Jammu and Kashmir.
The Ludhiana District Administration has started the Selfie with my Shauchalya campaign to make
the Swachh Bharat Mission successful and encourage people to use clean toilets.Under the initiative,
beneficiaries of toilets provided by the Punjab government andBharti Foundation had been urged to
click a selfie with their toilets.
Government planned to double the number of schemes under DBT to 147 by March and had launched
pilots for paying subsidy on food, kerosene and fertiliser directly via bank accounts of
beneficiaries. Benefits and subsidies in as many as 74 schemes of 17 government
departmentsand ministries were paid directly to beneficiaries under DBT. Government planned to
extend DBT to 147 schemes by March 2017.
Central Government has announced 27 new Smart Cities from the 63 cities. The announcement was
made by Union Minister Shri Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi.
27 New Cities :
The Golden Temple city of Amritsar topped the list of 27 new smart cities and eight other cities of
pilgrim and tourism importance that made to the third list of smart cities are ; Ujjain, Tirupati, Agra,
Nashik, Madurai, Thanjavur, Ajmer and Varanasi. With this the number of cities selected under Smart
City Mission for financing implementation of smart city plans has gone up to 60.
The new 27 smart cities have proposed an investment of Rs.66,883 cr under smart city plans including
Rs.42,524 cr under Area Based Development.
Railways to introduce Yatri Mitra Sewa to book wheelchair cum porter services. This service could be
booked on IRCTC e-ticketing website and 139 or through a mobile. The responsibility of providing the
Yatri Mitra Sewa has been entrusted with IRCTC.
The Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval to enhancement of Pension for Freedom
Fighters and for the spouses, eligible daughters and dependent parents of deceased Freedom
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Fighters, under the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme (SSSPS), 1980.The revised scale of
pension has taken effect from 15.O8.2016.
The rural housing scheme Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), started by former Prime MinisterRajiv
Gandhi, has been restructured and renamed as Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana(PMAY), which would be
launched next month.
Tamil Nadu government had allotted Rs.204 crore towards the implementation of enhanced gold
scheme under a marriage assistance programme.
Shri J P Nadda, Minister of Health and Family Welfare going to launch Mission Parivar Vikas in 145
districts for intensive and improved family planning services to reach the replacement level fertility
goals of 2.1 by 2025
Jayalalitha lead government issued orders to set up Amma Free Wi-Fi zones in 50 places across the
Tamil Nadu. In the first phase, 50 schools will be covered at a cost of Rs 10 crore.
MoUs
Gujarat government signed an MoU with the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the Regional
Connectivity Scheme
HP government signs MoU with Singapore Government for a Smart Township Project
Chhattisgarh Govt. inked a MoU with Ministry of Civil Aviation to boost regional air connectivity.
Jagdalpur, Ambikapur, Raigarh and Bilaspur will get connected to state Raipur through air services.
The Union Cabinet approved the signing and ratification of an extradition treaty between India and
Afghanistan.It is noted that Indiaand Afghanistan will soon sign an extradition treaty to hand over
each others wanted terrorists and other criminals with the Union Cabinet today giving its nod for the
pact.
The Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing of the
Technical Arrangement between India and Switzerland on the identification and return of Swiss and
Indian Nationals and its implementation.The conclusion of the BTA has been linked to the visa free
agreement for holders of diplomatic passports as a package deal.
The Union Cabinet approved extension of a contract between the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the
International Seabed Authority for exploration of Polymetallic Nodules upto 2022.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Kenya on cooperation in the field of National Housing
Policy
India and South Africa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for promoting bilateral
cooperation in the field of Information and Communication Technologies.
Cabinet apprised of the MoU between India and Mozambique on cooperation in the field of Youth
Affairs.
The Union Cabinet allowed the government to offer deeper concessions on tariffs while trading with
APTA countries comprising Bangladesh, China, India, Lao PDR, Republic of Korea, and Sri Lanka.
Union Water Resources Ministry signs MoU with Agriculture Ministry to take up organic farmingto
encourage farmers of over 5,000 villages along the Ganga to take up organic farming.
Chief Minister of Goa Laxmikant Parsekar and Telangana IT minister K T Rama Raosigned an
memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work together in IT development. ii. It is mutual cooperation
between both this two States
The Cabinet gave approval for signing and ratification of an agreement between India and Samoa for
exchange of information to curb tax evasion.
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Chandigarh Administration Secretary K K Jindal and Director of French Development Agency

(AFD), Nicolas Fornage are signed a memorandum of understanding (MoUs) on Chandigarh Smart
City Project and Technical Cooperation in the field of Sustainable Urban Mobility during an Indo-
French workshop.
The union cabinet signed an agreement with Chile to expand the India- Chile Preferential Trade
Agreement (PTA) which was approved in April under which 86 per cent of Indias exports to Chile
will get concession .It is a step towards tapping the Latin American and Caribbean Nations (LAC)
market.
India and Greece have signed an MoU for Air Services Agreement (ASA) under the open sky policy
that proposes to allow unlimited points of call for domestic airlines in the European nation.
According to Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey, this is the first MoU with a country under the
provisions of the new civil aviation policy.
India and Canada have agreed to combat climate change through innovation and deployment of low-
carbon solutions according to provisions of the 2015 Paris Agreement under the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
India and Mauritius on September 13 explored greater collaboration in the area of defence and
security even as discussions on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Agreement
(CECPA) between the two countries restarted.
US And Israel Sign MoU For Largest-Ever Military Aidin the US State Department Treaty held in
Washington attended by US National Security Advisor Susan Rice and Israeli Ambassador to the US
Ron Dermer.
India and Sri Lanka Signed MoU to support livelihood of the fishing and farming communities by
providing them equipment worth USD 2 million in the countrys southern Hambantota district.
The 193 countries of the United Nations (UN) had signed a landmark declaration to rid the world of
drug-resistant infections or Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or superbugs.
Afghanistan and second-biggest militant group Hekmatyars Hizb-e Islami Gulbuddin signed the
peace deal agreement to seek a peaceful resolution through political dialogue and negotiation at a press
conference in Kabul.
Rajasthans education department has partnered with US-based technology firm Cisco to promote
digital learning across the state using virtual digital room solutions.
An agreement was signed between the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and M S Swaminathan
Research Foundation in Chennai for a USD 2 million project supported by the Australia-India
Strategic Research Fund.
Gionee mobile phones signed an MoU(Memorandum Of Understanding) with theHaryana state
government to set up its phone manufacturing hub in Haryana with an initial investment of Rs 500
crore.
Praj Industries, a Pune-based global process solutions leader, was partnered withIndian Oil
Corporation, Indias flagship National Oil Company, for setting up multiple second Generations (2G)
bio-ethanol plants based on indigenously developed technology.
Telangana unveils four IT sectoral policies & Telangana government, Cisco ink pact for tech
initiatives to create more employment opportunities.
Indian Oil Corp and GAIL signed MoU for taking equity stake in upcoming Dhamra LNG terminalfor
taking equity in the 5 MMTPA capacity LNG Receiving, Storage and Regasification Terminal being
set up at Dhamra Port, Odisha
With its objective of providing safe, environment friendly and economical mode of transportation
through National Waterway-1 (NW-1), the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI),Ministry of
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Shipping signed a contract with DST, Germany to design vessels, especially suited to navigate
the 1620 km stretch of NW-1.
India and France signed the 7.87 billion deal for Rafale fighter jets, equipped with latest missiles and
weapon system besides multiple India-specific modifications that will give the IAF cutting edge
capability over arch rival Pakistan.
Government of India and the AfDB signed MoU to host the next annual meetings of the African
Development Bank (AfDB) Group at Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre, Ahmedabad from May 22
to May 26, 2017.
COMMITTEES
The Central Government has constituted an expert committee of four members to study the silt in the
river. The Centre will send a team to Bihar to study silt in river the river. Member of Ganga Flood
Control commission A .K. Sinha has been made Chairman of the committee.
The 22-member panel formed to look into 7th Pay Commission anomalies.The panel will be headed
by DoPT(Department of Personnel and Training) secretary.
The Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Arvind Subramanian -led panel asked the Centre to immediately
announce higher minimum support price (MSP) of gram (chana) to for Rs.4,000 a quintal rabi
2016 and Rs.6,000 a quintal for both urad and tur for kharif season 2017.
Centre to set up a committee to deal with complaints regarding Waqf properties. The Committee to be
set up at Central level will be headed by a retired Supreme Court Judge or retired High Court Chief
Justice.
For the 100th birthday of Deendayal Upadhyay, Prime Minister Narendra Modi constituted two
committees for Commemoration of the centenary of BJPs ideologue. Modi headed the 149 member
National Committee while Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the 23 member Executive
Committee.
The Government appointed three members on the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), who
along with RBI nominees to review with a view to contain retail inflation at the targeted level of 4 per
cent.The named three academics Indian Statistical Institute professor Chetan Ghate, Delhi School of
Economics director PamiDua andRavindra H Dholakia of IIM-Ahmedabad as members on interest-
rate setting Monetary Policy Committee.

NASA Scientist discovered young cryovolcano in isolated mountain, analysis of images from NASAs
Dawn mission has revealed. The Scientists believe that it would have spewed freezing. The discovered
volcano to be expected less than 1 billion years old, much more recent than scientists thought possible.
The cryovolcanic formation on Ceres is named Ahuna Mons.
Indo-Mauritius defence co-operation got another fillip with the delivery of first fast patrol vessel,
Mcgs Victory, designed and built in-house by Goa Shipyard Ltd for Mauritius Coast Guard GSL. The
ship was handed over by R Adm. ShekharMital, NM (Retd), CMD, Goa Shipyard Ltd, to K. Jhugroo,
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mauritius Police Force, Government of Mauritius, in the
distinguished presence of senior officials from Mauritius and India.
The PSLV C35 Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, carrying three satellites from India, three from Algeria,
and one each from Canada and the US, lifted off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh and the launch
was 100 per cent successful.
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The worlds first child with genes from three people was born to a Jordanian couple. The baby was
delivered in Mexico as there are no laws in the country that could block the revolutionary technique.
An unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket busted out on the launch pad during a trail destroying a satellite
that Facebook scheduled to use to beam high-speed internet to Africa at SpaceXs Cape Canaveral
Space Launch Complex 40 resulting in loss of the vehicle in Florida.
Worlds first Driverless minibuses began taking passengers in the eastern French city of Lyon after a
year-long experiment. Two electric minibuses with a capacity of 15 passengers each are now operating
a 10-minute route with five stops in the city centre at an average speed of 6 miles (10km) per hour.
Indian researchers have made a major discovery by understanding the mechanisms by which preterm
births (between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation) occur.
Scientists have for the first time discovered tiny magnetic particles from air pollution lodged in human
brains which could be a possible cause of Alzheimers disease.
Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) successfully conducts test flight of Light Utility Helicopter
The Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO successfully placed INSAT-3DR, an advanced
weather satellite in the GSLV-F05 rocket into the intended orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. GSLV-F05 is the tenth flight of Indias Geosynchronous Satellite
Launch Vehicle (GSLV), launching INSAT-3DR, an advanced weather satellite, weighing 2211 kg
into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) Lab that was given the in-principle
approval by the Union Cabinet to come up in Maharashtras Hingolidistrict. It would be third one in
the world and the first one outside the United States. The total worth of the project is 1200-1300
Crore.
Scottish university has unveiled the fossil of a mysterious Jurassic sea monster, half a century after it
was discovered. The skeleton of the creature was found on the Isle of Skye in 1966 and has been
dubbed the Storr Lochs Monster.
NASA set to launch of its first ever mission to collect dust from an asteroid that may have delivered
life-giving materials to Earth billions of years ago. This $800 million solar-powered spacecraft
mission will travel for two years on a journey to Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid about the size of a small
mountain.
Uttar Pradesh became the first state in the country to launch the ambitious Twitter Seva project,
when in one go 122 Twitter handles were unveiled in the state capital.
Regional News Units Facebook page Chhattisgarh Newsonair was officially released by Raman
Singh
A Chinese firm has reportedly developed and tested a radar system that is capable of beating
the stealth technology of modern military craft. The first Chinese quantum radar was developed by the
Intelligent Perception Technology Laboratory of the 14th Institute in CETC. The radar was tested in
mid-August.
Researchers from MIT and Georgia Tech had built a device that could see through
paper and distinguish ink from blank paper to determine what is written on the sheets.
Telemedicine app VISIT launches doctor on call service. VISIT is a platform that connects patients
with practitioners anytime, anywhere through smartphone or computer. The telemedicine app was
launched earlier this year by four BITS Pilani graduates Anurag Prasad, Vaibhav Singh, Chetan
Anand and ShashvatTripathi.
The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Shri Arun Jaitley launched a Web
Responsive Pensioners Service to help in speedy redressal of pensioners grievances on September
14, 2016 in New Delhi.
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The official website of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana pmujjwalayojana portal launched to curb a
number of fake websites which have connection with the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana(PMUY).
Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning departments Hindi website was launched
by Himachal Pradesh TCP Minister Sudhir Sharma. Himachal Pradesh become Indias first state to
provide all TCP department services online.
Uber launches first driverless car service in the Steel City, Pittsburgh, USA.& Uber partners NSDC,
Maruti to skill 1 million by 2018.
A team of researchers at Jadavpur University developed a green energy from raw fish scales that
possess a piezoelectric property. The study was published in the journal Applied Physics Letters.
Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharati would launch a website and mobile app for All India Radios
Balochi service to reach out to the people who speak the language across the globe. The Balochi
website and mobile app would be launched by PrasarBharati Chairperson A Surya Prakash.
China launched Tiangong-2 its space lab, which is part of an ambitious plan, stretched along
several phases, to establish a manned space station around 2022.
Aarambh Initiative has launched the countrys first-ever hotline to curb child pornography.
After studying Saturn, its rings and moons for more than 12 years, NASAs Cassinispacecraft had
entered the final year of its epic voyage during which it would make the closest-ever observations of
the planet.
HRD Minister Praksh Javadekar launched PARAM-ISHAN supercomputer at IIT, Guwahati.
PARAM-ISHAN has power of 250 Teraflops and three hundred tera bites capacity.
American Scientists including those of Indian origin had successfully grown three-dimensional (3D)
lungs in the lab, using stem cells. The 3D lungs or organoids was created by coating tiny gel beads
with lung-derived stem cells and then allowing them to self-assemble into the shapes of the air
sacs found in human lungs.
The government had developed a scientific tool based on a UN model which would usesatellite
imagery and on-ground assessments to measure direct and indirect damages besides the opportunity
cost lost due to disasters.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)scientists have developed a novel spectroscopic
technique that may help NASAs new Mars rover, to be launched in 2020.
Amsterdams iconic canals might soon see the worlds first driverless boats, doing everything
from moving people and goods to providing pop-up bridges and cleaning up thousands of dumped
bicycles. The first prototypes of the so-called Roboat would launch next year.
Google has launched its messaging app Allo, which likes WhatsApp and Facebook
Messenger.Google also launched a new mobile application called Google Trips that serves as a trip
planner and travel guide for anyone. Earlier it has launched video calling app Google Duo for
Android and iOS.
Researchers from Punes National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) and Indian Institute of Science
Education and Research (IISER) had used a simple, cost-effective and quick process to convert
sugarcane bagasse into anode-grade porous, conducting, activated carbon material for use in Li-ion
batteries
Chinas online marketing giant Alibaba planned to launch the worlds first e-commerce satellite next
year to provide people with the best vegetables after analyzing agricultural cultivation and harvesting
data.
Scientists have confirmed that some of the X-ray emissions in our universe originate from a huge
bubble of hot ionised gas enveloping our solar system, a finding that strengthens our understanding of
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the solar neighbourhoods early history.

China commissioned the worlds largest radio telescope which can search for more strange object,
help in better understanding the origin of the universe and boost global hunt for extraterrestrial life.
Scientists Teleport Particle Of Light Over Six Kilometres, Set Record
DEFENCE
The Coast Guard was prepared an air enclave to step up aerial surveillance of Karnataka coast for
helping in search and rescue operations and also to check maritime crimes in Mangaluru.
The Indian Army has set up Army Design Bureau (ADB) with an aim to indigenize procurements and
reduce dependence on imports. ADB will be part of the governments Make in India initiative and
integrate various stake holders in its long-term requirements.
A permanent facility of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) named Prakampana-the first
Joint Disaster Management Exercise was inaugurated in Visakhapatinam. This program is aimed at
synchronising the resources and efforts of all agencies involved in such exercises.
The Government has given its approval for operation of helicopter services in the State of Jammu and
Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh on a pilot basis in 10 sectors, as per the stipulation that the most
inaccessible destination points should be chosen.
Indo-US defence co-operation, a joint military training exercise, YudhAbhyas 2016 was prepared to
be conducted in Uttarakhand from September 14 to 27.The exercise inChaubattia was being conducted
by the headquarter Central Command. This is the 12th edition of the exercise hosted alternately by
both countries.
India Kazakhstan Joint Exercise, PRABAL DOSTYK-16 is being conducted in Karaganda region of
Kazakhstan and will conclude on 17 Sep 2016 to enhance interoperability while undertaking Counter
Terrorism & Counter Insurgency Operations in rural & semi-urban environment under the umbrella of
United Nations.
Chinese and Russian naval forces began joint naval exercises in the South China Sea, This added a
new twist to ongoing tensions over Chinese island-building in the region. The 8 day exercises would
highlight marine corps units in live-fire drills, sea crossingand island landing operations and island
defense and offense exercises was reported from Chinas official Xinhua News Agency.
8th edition of India-Russia Joint Military Exercise Indra-2016 Begins in Vladivostok, Russia for
Counter-Terrorism Operations in semi mountainous and jungle terrain under United Nations Mandate.
The two Cold War enemies Russia and Pakistan joined together for their first-ever joint military
exercise called Friendship 2016 to strengthen and developing military cooperation with Pakistan
in Pakistan in at the bases of Rattu.
Disaster Relief Exercise Ex SAHAYATA was inaugurated by Air Marshal RK Dhir AVSM VM
ADC Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Air Command at IAF headquarters in
Gandhinagar, Gujarat on September 14, 2016.
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) handed over the Water Jet Fast Attack
Craft (WJFAC), TIHAYU to Indian Navy. TIHAYU is the second ship of the Follow-on Series of
WJFACs while INS Tarmugli is the first ship of the same series.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikarcommissioned the 105
metre vessel ICGS Sarathi into the force in Goa. The vessel, which would be commissioned in the
presence of Coast Guard Director General Rajendra Singh, is the third vessel of the Sarathi Class
vessels being designed and built indigenously by Vasco-based Goa Shipyard Limited.
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The Indian Navy launched an advanced indigenously built guided-missile destroyer, Mormugao,
in financial capital of the country (Mumbai). Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, who was present when
the vessel was released into the Arabian Sea, announced that the stealth destroyer was at par with the
best vessels in the world.
India successfully test fired a new surface-to-air missile Barak-8, from a defense base in its eastern
sate of Odisha, was reported by state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR). The missile was
successfully launched. from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) launch pad at Chandipur in Balasore
district.
The Indian Air Force had successfully fired recently acquired long range air-to-air MICA missile on a
maneuvering target from Mirage-2000 Upgrade combat aircraft. A Defence Ministry release
announced that the missile achieved a direct hit on a target which was much smaller than an actual
aircraft and flying at a low altitude.
ENVIRONMENT
Coal India Limited (CIL)& ICFRE Signs MoU for Environment Related Issues in Coal Mining
Projects. The MoU will also help in improving the rehabilitation and reclamation of the mined out
areas.
A team of Scientists led by the University of Wollongongs (UOW) Professor Allen Nutman have
discovered the worlds oldest fossils which is about 3.7 billion years old. The discovery which further
dates back with the previous record by 220 million yearsand captures the earliest history of our planet.
According to the study published in the journal PeerJ, A team of scientists has discovered a new
species of pterosaur which is an extinct group of flying reptiles from the early Jurassic period in the
Patagonia region in Argentina.
Indonesia volcano erupted at Mount Barujari in Lombok island. The volcano, also known as the
Child of Rinjani because it sits within the Mount Rinjani caldera.
A massive typhoon named Megi made landfall in eastern China, a day after carrying strong winds
over Taiwan that felled trees and scattered debris, killing at least four people and injuring more than
260.
According to the WHO Report on Ambient Air Pollution 2016Turkmenistan has the highest rate of
deaths per capita due to ambient air pollution in the WHOs classification. India alone accounting for
over 75 per cent of the casualties caused by cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer. The three Indian
cities, New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, are in the list of 11 most-polluted mega cities, the most for
any country.China has only 2 cities in the top 10 list.
Scientists and wildlife conservationists were seeing red over the threat posed to Gangetic river
dolphins by the National Waterways project. The animal was protected under Schedule I of the Indian
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and was a declared endangered speciesUnionGovernment of India
signed a15-year contract with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for exploration of polymetallic
sulphides (PMS) in Indian Ocean.
New lizard species named as Cyrtodactylus Varadgirii discovered in Mumbai.
The Karnataka State Wildlife Board, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has decided to declare
Ankasamudra tank in Hagari Bommanahalli taluk as a bird conservation reserve. The
A tiny fish species discovered near Hawaii has been named after President Obama. This maroon and
gold animal was found 300 feet deep in the coral reef off Kure Atoll in June. Its a very special fish
because as far as we know, it is the only fish species, so far, that is endemic to
the Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument.
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The worlds largest gorillas are included in the IUCN Red list. It was announced at theInternational
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) global conference in Honolulu. Gorillas population decline
of more than 70% in 20 years. Just 5,000 Eastern gorillas left on Earth and Chimpanzees and bonobos
are listed as endangered.
West Bengal has reported the highest number of dengue deaths in the country. The State has 23
dengue-related deaths with 5,639 people affected by it from January to August 31. West Bengal is
followed by Odisha and Kerala, both recording nine deaths each. Karnataka has registered six deaths
due to dengue, while two people died in Delhi.
Scientific Researchers have identified a new species of extinct reptiles that lived 212 million years ago
in US. The fossils of the reptile named Vivaron haydeni was found in Ghost Ranch of New Mexico
during an excavation in 2009, co-led by Sterling Nesbitt, who was at University of Texas at Austin in
the US during the research.
According to a study by World Conservation Society scientists , the worlds wilderness had reduced
by a tenth in the past two decades. The research findings published in the journal Current Biology last
week noted the wild areas that vanished were mostly in South America and Africa, and only about
20%of the worlds land area was sorted as wilderness.
Iceland was named as the best adventure destination for luxury travel by an international network of
luxury travel specialists Virtuoso.
The Top 10 adventure travel destinations in the world:
Iceland, Galapagos Islands/Ecuador, Costa Rica and Chile/Patagonia (tie), New Zealand,
Peru, Cuba, Antarctica, Arctic/North Pole, South Africa and Australia
Zurich is the most sustainable city in the world and had unbeatable environmental credentials,
according to new research. The Swiss city drove away strong competition to take first place in
the 2016 Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index, announced Monday, which ranked 100 major cities on 32
indicators across three aspects of sustainability: people, planet and profit.
Invasive Giant African Land Snail(GALS)(Scientific name Achatina fulica) was sighted at Goa
University campus.GALS is listed as one of the worlds 100 most invasive species by the international
union of conservation of nature and natural resources(IUCN).
Indias first inter State river interlinking project Ken-Betwa project was approved by the National
Board for Wildlife (NBWL) with an Outlay of Rs.10,000 crore.This project will irrigate not only
Bundelkhand region but also submerge about 10% of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
UN Trade reported that the India and China might shielded them from the worst of the adverse
external environment was by Expanding domestic markets and enough forex reserves.
Sikkim Daughter Makes a Scientific Breakthrough Nishma Dahal Discovers a New Pika Species in
Himalayan.
SPORTS
Indian pacer Zaheer Khan made as honorary life member of the Marylebone Cricket Clubbecoming
the 24th Indian cricketer to be bestowed the honor.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) named former Sri Lankan middle-order batsmanThilan Thusara
Samaraweera as their batting consultant for next months home series against England.
After the Rio Olympics debacle, the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) is hoping for a change of
mind with the return of Italian Massimo Costantini, who takes charge as chief coach of the national
team.
International Thailand Open: ChavviKohli defeated Thai fencer and won gold medal.
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India No. 1 mens singles shuttler Kidambi Srikanth claiming his place back in the top 10 of the latest
BWF World Rankings released. He is ranked ninth. In womens singles, both Saina Nehwal andP V
Sindhu climbed up the ladder despite not playing in any recent tournaments.
The Swimming Federation of India and Jharkhand Swimming Association conducted the Glenmark
70th Senior National Aquatic Championship at the Veer Budhu Bhagat Aquatic Stadium, Mega
Sports Complex, Hotwar, Ranchi. Olympian Sajan Prakash of Railways set a national record in mens
200m butterfly en route to winning the gold in the event at the 70th Senior National Aquatic
Championships in Ranchi.
Aditi Dhumatkar wins gold medal :
Aditi Dhumatkar wins gold medal in the 100m Freestyle Senior Womens category at the 70th
Glenmark Senior National Aquatic Championship.
India made a historic win in the 500th test match against New Zealand at Kanpur. Indias match against
New Zealand was the the countrys 500th, a feat achieved only by England, Australia and the West
Indies. India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the 30-year-old surpassed legends Waqar Younis and
Dennis Lillee to become the second fastest bowler to claim 200 Test wickets in his 37th Test
match, bettering Waqar and Lillee, who both took 38 Tests.
St Petersburg Open 2016 Overview
The part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2016 ATP World Tour took place at the Sibur
Arena in Saint Petersburg,Russia.
Winner list :
Title Winner Runner
Mens Single A. Zverev S. Wawrinka
Menss Double D. Inglot / H. Kontinen A. Begemann / L. Paes
Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Vijay Goel unveiled BRICS football tournament logo at
the Bambolim Stadium, Goa on September 26, 2016. The first BRICS Under-17 football tournament
will be begin in Goa on October 5, 2016.
Gaurav Gill of Team MRF won the 2016 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship fourth time in
the 2016 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship held at Obihiro, Japan.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran has become only the second Indian table tennis player to win an ITTF event as
he clinched the mens singles title of the Belgium Open.
Young Indian shuttler Rituparna Das clinched the Polish Open after defeating fellow Indian Rasika
Raje in the womens singles final of the International challenge badminton event. Womens doubles
pair of Sanjana Santosh and Arathi Sara Sunil also clinched the title after defeating top seeds Natalya
Voytsekh and Yelyzaveta Zharka in the final that lasted more than an hour.
Japan will host the Asian Games for the third time in 2026 after Aichi prefecture and its capital
Nagoya were confirmed as the venue. The country Japan, hosts of the 2017 Asian Winter Games, 2019
Rugby World Cup and 2020 Summer Olympics.
The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 unveiled
the Official Emblem for the countrys first international football event.
PV Sindhu bags massive 50 cr deal with sports management com after historic Silver medal at Rio
Olympics 2016.
German Formula One racing driver Nico Rosberg won the Italian Grand Prix after close battle with his
teammate Lawis Hamilton who also drive for the Mercedes AMG.
Tamilnadu based tennis player Sriram Balaji who ranked 546 restrained top seed Seong Chan Hong of
Korea by 6-4, 7-6(3) for the title in the $10,000 ITF mens Futures tennis tournament held in Hua Hin
Thailand.
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The 33 year old shooter Abhinav Bindra officially announced his retirement from shooting after
2016 Summer Games. Indias first and only individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra started
his Olympic journey started in Sydney in 2000.
India A rode on a solid all-round performance clinched the Quadrangular one-day series, thrashing
Australia by 57 runs in the final match. Mandeep Singh who was named Player of the Match
combined with captain Manish Pandey.
Indian mixed doubles pair of Sikki Reddy and Pranaav Jerry Chopra defeating the Canadian pair of
Toby Ng and Rachel Honderich 21-15, 21-16 to clinch the mixed doubles title at the Brazil Grand Prix
in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil.
Agra based Young Racer Shahan Ali Mohsinhas become the first Indian to win the Asian Karting
Championship held in Malaysia.
Indias Test captain Virat Kohli retained his second spot while opener Rohit Sharma slipped a place to
seventh in the latest One-day International (ODI) cricket batting rankings.
The Indian wushu team won four silver and five bronze medals in the 6th Asian Championship held in
Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Minakshi of CISF has created a new record in the Womens Hammer Throw at the 65th All India
Police Athletics Championship in Hyderabad.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the cash prize for five athletes from
Maharashtra who took part in Rio Olympics. Lalita Babar from Maharashtra, who finished a creditable
10th at the Rio Olympics will get a cash reward of Rs 75 lakh, while her coach will get Rs 25 lakh.
Five athletes from Maharashtra, who took part in Rio Olympics will get Rs 50 lakh each. They
are, Ayonika Paul, Prarthana Thombare, Dattu Bhonkanal, Devraj Walmiki and Kavita Raut.
Mahindra and Mahindra honoured Indias Rio Olympics women medallists, shuttler P V Sindhu and
wrestler Sakshi Malik by gifting them its true blue 4X4 off-roader, the Thar.
Swimmer Ryan Lochte(32) from USA has been banned for 10-month following his bogus gunpoint
robbery story during a drunken night out at the Rio Olympics.It was officially announced by United
States Olympic Committee (USOC).
Anjum Chopra First Indian woman cricketer for honorary life membership of the Marylebone
Cricket Club (MCC).
Pankaj Arjan Advani became the first cueist from India to win a medal at the prestigious Sangsom 6
Red Snooker World Championship as he settled for a bronze after losing the semifinal to
Chinese Ding Junhui. He became the first in the world to hold both world and continental titles in 6-
Red snooker at one time.
Manav Thakkar, Varuni Jaiswal and Ishhita Gupta won three singles gold medals, apart from the
Junior Boys doubles gold, to lift the sagging morale of the hosts in ITTF 2016 India Junior and Cadet
Open Table Tennis Championships.Indians finish with 4 gold medals.
In Womens Ranking Indian squash player Joshna Chinappa rose to 10th while Deepika Pallikal
remained at 19th in the latest Professional Squash Association (PSA) rankings.
US OPEN 2016 Overview
It was the 136th edition of the US Open, the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year. It took
place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The winners and runners list
Mens Singles
Winner Stan Wawrinka, Runner Novak Djokovic
Womens Singles
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Winner Angelique Kerber Runner Karolina Pliskova

Mens Doubles
Winner Jamie Murray, Bruno Soares Runner Garreno busta, Garcia-lopez
Womens Doubles
Winner Mattek-sands, Lucia Safarova Runner Caroline Garcia, Kristina Madenovic
Mixed Doubles
Winner Laura Siegemund Croatia Mate Pavi Runner Coco Vandeweghe United States Rajeev
Ram
Army Green beat Neroca FC 6-5 to lift Durand Cupin the final of Asias oldest football
tournament in New Delhi.
Pakistan had appointed the former wicketkeeper-batsman Wasim Bari team manager for their
upcoming series against West Indies in the UAE. Bari will replace Intikhab Alam, whose contract with
the PCB is set to expire this month.
Sikkim girl Sushmita Rai won bronze at the World Martial Arts Mastership 2016 held at Cheongju in
South Korea.
Indian Railways Men Hockey Team won MCC Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament
defending champion Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) 2-1 to win the Trophy.
Railways received Rs.5 lakhs and IOC received Rs.2.5 lakhs. A. Vellayan, Chairman, Murugappa
Group, issued the prizes.
Track Asia Cup 2016 Overview
29-member Indian team participated in the third edition of Track Asia Cup 2016 from September 14 to
16 at the Indoor Cycling Velodrome at IG Sports Complex
The Asian Cycling Championships (ACC) is an annual continental cycling championships for road
bicycle racing and track cycling since 1963, exclusively for Asian cyclists selected by the national
governing body (member nations of the Asian Cycling Confederation).India ended their campaign in
the Track Asia Cup at second position
Hong Kong (18) 11 Gold 4 Silver and 3 bronze.
India 16 medals) 5 gold 4 Silver and 7 bronze
The Indian football team placed at 148th spot from 152nd in the latest FIFA rankings released on
15th September 2016. Now Indias position in top-150 for the first time since April 2015 after India
had beaten Puerto Rico 4-1 in an international friendly in Mumbai earlier this month. The list is topped
by Argentina
Indian football giants East Bengal on 16 September 2016 won the Calcutta Football League (CFL) for
the seventh consecutive time.
Rio Paralympics 2016 Overview
15th Summer Paralympic Games for athletes with disabilities governed by the International
Paralympic Committee held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from September 7 to 18, 2016
23 Paralympic sports and 528 events held in the 11 days of competition to yield 225 medals for women,
265 for men and 38 mixed medals.
4359 athletes from 163 countries participated in the Summer Paralympic Games 2016.
Theme Todo Mundo tem um Coracao (Everybody Has a Heart).
19 competitors (16 Men & 3 Women) participated in Rio 2016 paralympic games for India in 5 sports.
Indias flag bearer - opening ceremony - Devendra Jhajharia
Indias flag bearer -closing ceremony - Thangavelu Mariyappan
2016 Summer Paralympics medal tally :
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Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total

1 China 105 81 51 237
2 Great Britain 64 39 44 147
3 Ukraine 41 37 39 117
4 United 40 42 30 112
States
5 Australia 21 29 29 79
43 India 2 1 1 4
Ankur Dhama is the Indias first blind athlete in 30 years to participate at Paralympics this year in Rio
De Janeiro, Brazil. At the age of six, Ankur became completely blind when he was in Baghpat in Uttar
Pradesh.
Mariyappan Thangavelu (Tamilnadu ) became only the third Indian ever to clinch a Paralympic gold,
while Varun Bhati (UP) secured a bronze as the duo scripted history for the country in the mens T42
high jump event of the Rio Games.
Indian archer Pooja Khanna has finished the ranking round at the 29th spot with a total of 513 points
in the Womens Individual Recurve event of the Rio Paralympics Games in Brazil. Pooja is a lone
representative from India in archery event.
Indias Deepa Malik, a wheelchair-bound athlete, etched her name in the record books by
winningsilver in the shot-put F-53 category at the Rio Paralympics. She is the first Indian women to
win medal.She will receive a cash award of Rs 4 crore under the Haryana Sports Scheme for her feat.
Indias Devendra Jhajharia bettered his own world record to win gold in the mens javelin throw F46
event at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
New Zealand sprinter Liam Malone broke the mens 200-metre T44 Paralympic Games record held
by South Africas Oscar Pistorius.
An Iranian Para-cyclist has died after a crash during the mens C4-5 road race at the Rio Paralympics.
Paralympic weightlifter Le Van Congs final attempt in the mens 49kg paralympic weightlifting
competition made history for Vietnam as he secured the countrys first ever paraylympic gold medal at
the 2016 Rio Paralympics in Brazil.
Priyesha Deshmukh, 23-year old hearing-impaired shooter from Pune won bronze in the 10m air rifle
category at the 1st World Deaf Shooting Championships held in Kazan, Russia. She scored 180.4 in
the final to secure the third spot.
The Indian mens basketball team upstaged Chinese Taipei 80-68 in the final classification match to
finish seventh in the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 in Tehran.
German Formula One driver Nico Rosberg won the 2016 Singapore Grand Prix on September 18,2016
and re-take the lead of the Formula One Drivers World Championship from Lewis Hamilton in
Singapore.
Ankita Raina with Emily Webley Smith of Britain won the $50,000 ITF womens doubles title in
Egypt by defeating Hanyu Guo and Xinyu Jiang of China .It was the second doubles title for Ankita in
partnership with Emily
Pakistan Test captain MisbahulHaq had received Test mace by International Cricket Council (ICC)
at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been named the captain of the all-time India Test XI chosen by cricket
magazine Wisden. The players of this all-time India XI.
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Former wicketkeeper MSK Prasad has been selected to lead as the chairman of Indias selection panel.
The decision was taken at the BCCIs 87th annual general meeting in Mumbai, after the board had
invited applicants for the selection job for the first time.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) joins hand with Janalakshmi Financial Services
(Jana) as an Official Partner for a period of three years.
BPCL lifted title of Obaidullah Khan Heritage Cup Hockey Tournament. In an interesting match
between BPCL and Railway, BPCL won the match with 3-0 bagging the Obaidullah Khan Heritage
Hockey Cup 2016. Minister of Sports and Youth Welfare Yashodhra Raje Scindia awarded the
winning team with the prize money of 51 lakh.
ISSF Junior World Cup 2016 India shooters finish second, Indian Shooters Lakshaya, Kismat
Chopra and Manavaditya Singh Rathore bagged the team bronze in the mens trap event as India
ended their campaign at the ISSF Junior World Cupwith a total of 24 medals to grab the second place
in the overall standings.
Venue : Gabala, Azerbaijan
The latest medal tally of ISSF 2016 as follows,
Country Gold Silver `Bronze Total
Russia 12 9 4 25
India 9 5 10 24
Norway 4 1 5
China 3 4 1 8
ISSF 2016,
India finished with a total of nine gold, five silver and 10 bronze medals as the years second and final
Junior World Cup concluded.
Former Indian womens hockey captain Ritu Rani has retired from international hockey. Indian
womens hockey team qualified for the Rio Olympics after a gap of 36 years under Ritus captaincy.
India were placed third while mainstay ViratKohli held the second position in thebatting chart due to
away from the 50-over format for a while, in the latest ICC ODI rankings released.India were
positioned third with 110 points behind Australia (124)and New Zealand (113).
Indias Squash player Velavan Senthilkumar defeat Jordans Mohammad Al-Sarraj to won the U-19
Asian Junior Individual squash championship title in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on September 24, 2016.
He is the second Indian to win the title after Ravi Dixit in 2010.
Governments think-tank Niti Aayog had devised to invent a plan, system, object, etc., using your
intelligence or imagination,a short-term and medium-to-long term action plan to help India achieve 50
medals in 2024 summer Olympics.
Indian golfer Vani Kapoor clinched the 13th leg of the womens Professional Golf Tour after
scoring another 1 under 71 on the final day at the Jaypee Greens. This is Vanis sixth title in nine
appearances this season. Gursimar Badwal finished runner-up with a total score of 222, followed by
Saaniya Sharma in third place.
Indian amateurs ended the week in tied 31st position at the end of 30th World Amateur Team
Championship (WATC) at the par-71, 6,771-yard Mayakoba El Camaleon Golf Club..
WTA Toray Pan Pacific Open An Overview
Indias Sania Mirza and her Czech partner Barbora Strycova posted a comfortable straight-set win
over unseeded Chinese pair of Chen Liang and Zhaoxuan Yang to lift the Toray Pan Pacific Open title
in Tokyo.
Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki beat Japans Naomi Osaka 7-5 6-3 to win the Singles
title in the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo for the second time.
40 | P a g e
In the Doubles Category Indias Sania Mirza partner with Czech partner Barbora Strycova won
Womens double title in Toray Pan Pacific event by defeating Chinese pair of Chen Liang and
Zhaoxuan Yang.
OBITUARY
Sharad Rao - Veteran trade union leader (Mumbai)

Nalinidhar Bhattacharya- Eminent Assamese poet
Len Maddocks - Australias oldest surviving Test player
Islam Karimov - Uzbekistans President
Vera Caslavska - Czech Olympic champion gymnast
Jon Raymond Polito - American actor and voice artist.
Jerry Heller--Former N.W.A Manager (American)
Arif Beg -- Two-term Lok Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh
Hugh OBrian --The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp star
Sachin Kheda - Television Journalist (Faridabad)
Ramsewak Shrivastava - Veteran Journalist
CaptAyub Khan - Former Union Minister and War Hero of 1965
Edward Albee US playwright
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi - Italys Former President
Narottam Mohanty - First Football Referee Of Odisha
Lindsay Tuckett -Worlds oldest cricketer (South Africa)
Swapan Mukherjee Senior CPI(ML) leader
Curtis Hanson--- Oscar-winning director of LA Confidential
Reoti Saran Sharma Hindi and Urdu writer
S K Mahajan - The chairman of Film Certification Appllate Tribunal . He was the Former Delhi High
Court judge.
Max Walker- Former Australian cricketer
K Madhavan- Freedom fighter
Shimon Peres- former Israeli president
Shamsul Haq -Eminent Bangla poet
Arnold Palmer -US golf legend
Herschell Gordon Lewis- The horror filmmaker known as Godfather Of Gore
Vaishnavacharya Goswami Indirabetiji - Spiritual leader.
Yuvraj Singh --Veteran socialist leader and former MP
BOOKS & AUTHORS

AB de Villiers to share his life in AB: The Autobiography which was released by Pan Macmillan
across the UK, Australia, New Zealand and India.
The biography of Bollywoodactor and politician Shatrughan Sinha titled Anything but Khamosh was
launched inNepal. The book on Sinha written by journalist Bharti Pradhanhighlights life and struggle
of the actor-turned BJP MP in the field of film as well politics.
13th-century Mayan document The Grolier Codex is one of the rarest books in the world. The
document was founded in a cave in Mexico in the 1960s by Josue Saenz.
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A Jamaican cricketer Chris Gayle has penned down his life story in an autobiography called Six
Machine. His autobiography was published by Viking Penguin UK.The book was unveiled
by Anurag Singh Thakur, President of the BCCI and Virendar Sehwag at a gala event in Delhi.
A book titled Shanti ki Talaash mein Zindagi written by author and journalist Radhika Nagrath
released by Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul in Dehradun. Shanti ki Talaash mein Zindagi was
written in Hindi language by Radhika Nagrath.
The Consul General of Malaysia in India EldeenHusaini Muhammad Hashim released the translated
version of Sai CharitraGranth, a book on the life of Sai Baba.Sri Sai Gurucharitra is a biography on
the life of Sai Baba of Shirdi, written by hisdevotee Ganpatrao Dattatreya Sahasra-buddhe, better
known as Das Ganu Maharajto divine consciousness, would lead the disciple through the jungle of
spiritual training
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Dr
Jitendra Singh released the NEC Coffee Table Book, 2016 North Eastern Council: A Story of
Sagacity and Success. This book describes the achievements of the NEC engaged in all round
development of the North-Eastern Region (NER).
The book Citizen and Society written by Vice President Shri Mohd Hamid Ansari released by
President Pranab Mukherjee at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
IMPORTANT DAYS
Date Day Theme

Sep 1-7 National Nutrition Week Poshak Aahar, Desh ka Aadhar
September 2 World Coconut Day Coconut for Family Nutrition, Health and
Wellness
September 5 National Teachers Day or Dr.
Radhakrishanan's Birth Day, Sanskrit Day
September 5 International Day of Charity
September 8 World Literacy Day Reading the Past, Writing the Future
September 10 World Anti-Suicide Day, World First Aid Day
September 12 South-South Cooperation
September 14 Hindi Diwas or Hindi Day
September 15 International Day of Democracy, International
Engineers Day
September 16 World Ozone Day Ozone and climate: Restored by a world
united
September 20 RPF Foundation day
September 21 World Peace Day or International day for Peace The Sustainable Development Goals:
and Non-violence (UN) Building Blocks for Peace
September 21 World Alzheimers Day Remember Me
September 22 World Cancer Free Day or Rose Day
September 25 International Day of the Deaf
September 25 World Rivers Day
September 25 World Pharmacists Day Pharmacists: Caring for you
September 26 World Contraception Day
September 26 World Environmental Health Day Tobacco Control a response to the
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global tobacco pandemic

September 26 International Day for the Total Elimination of
Nuclear Weapons
September 27 World Tourism Day Tourism for All promoting universal
accessibility
September 28 World Rabies Day Rabies: Educate. Vaccinate. Eliminate.
September 28 109th birth anniversary of revolutionary socialist Shaheed Bhagat Singh

September 29 World Heart Day Heart-healthy environments
September 29 World Maritime Day Shipping: indispensable to the world.
September 30 International Translation Day Translation and Interpreting:
Connecting Worlds
Current Affairs
Current Affairs PDF
Study Materials PDF
Reasoning Questions
English Questions
Computer Questions
General Aptitude
Reasoning
Letter Writing
Math Tricks
Computer Awareness

43 | P a g e
Current Affairs October Pocket PDF 2016
INDIAN AFFAIRS
The Haryana state government was launching its e-kharid portal for procurement of paddy in the upcoming
procurement season starting this month.
The Centre has constituted a four-member Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India(IBBI) under the
Chairmanship of Madhusudan Sahoo.
Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani inaugurated a 34-ft long Lamp of Humanity in Ahmedabad, as part of the
Vibrant Navratri celebrations. The lamp is made up of stainless steel34-feet long and has a diameter of 15.8
feet, with the authorities claiming that the initiative has already entered the Guinness Book of World Records,
as the worlds biggest lamp.
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).
Abu Dhabi Crowned Prince to be Chief Guest on 2017 Republic Day
The Supreme Court charged a cost of Rs.25,000 on Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jainfor failing to file an
affidavit naming the officials allegedly not cooperating in checking the menace of dengue and chikun gunya
in the national capital.
Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 has come into force from October 2 in the state. This new Act has
strict provisions. As per one of the provision, every adult of a family would be pretended to be aware of the
offence if alcohol is consumed, manufactured, sold or distributed in premises one occupies.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated a number of new projects in Ganjam district, Odisha. He
opened an OPD centre in Sheragada hospital and a panchyat building.He also inaugurated the new urban
water supply project for the Hinjili Notified Area Council(NAC) area readied at an estimated cost of Rs 6.14-
crore.
Centre approves a grant of Rs. 515 Crores for the development of Sagar Port Project in West Bengal
The Cabinet approved amendments to the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014 in a meeting
chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The bill makes antiretroviral treatment a legal right of HIV/AIDS
patients.
The government has notified that Aadhaar is mandatory for availing cooking gas (LPG) subsidies but has
given two months grace period for citizens to get the unique identification number.
The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has constituted a high-level
technical team, headed by Central Water Commission (CWC) Chairman GS Jha, to visit the Cauvery basin
area and assess the ground.
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.
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.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated 100 urban piped drinking water supply projects
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.
The Union Minister of Human Resource and Development, Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the Green
building and Shatabdi Krishi Bhawan at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in the wake of holding a review
meeting VCs of Central Universities.
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.
The Election Commission issued directions barring political parties from using or allowing the use of public
funds, public space or government machinery for carrying out activities that amount to advertisement for the
parties or propagating their election symbols.
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Not only men, but women can also be prosecuted under the Protection of Women
against Domestic Violence (DV) Act. The Supreme Court had struck down the words adult male from
the pertinent provision in the DV Act to lay down that a woman could also file a complaint against another
woman, accusing her of domestic violence.
Maharashtra government has allocated 40.68 hectare land in Hingloi to Department of Atomic Energy(DAE)
for LIGO India Project. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) project that was
given the in-principle approval by the Cabinet planned to construct in Hingoli district, Maharshtra. 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.
The Centre had approved projects worth Rs.350 crore for developing infrastructure at heritage sites
Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Urban Development inaugurated a two day conference on Heritage
Cities. The conference was being jointly organised by Ministry of Urban Development and Indian Heritage
Cities Network (IHCN).
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated first Model Skill Development Centre Pradhan
Mantri Kaushal Kendra at Panjabari, Guwahati.
The government would completely seal the India-Pakistan border by December 2018, was announced by
Union home minister Rajnath Singh as part of an extensive plan to monitor the countrys frontier security.
The National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) had been reconstituted with P S Raghavan, former
Ambassador to Russia, as its head. The NSAB deals with internal and external security, foreign
affairs, defence, science and technology and economic affairs and normally meets at least once in a
month.
India would have 100 % electrification for all by May 1, 2017 was the announcement made by the
Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal. He has the confident that 100 per cent electrification in
rural, Left-Wing Extremism(LWE) districts and dense forests would be achieved by May 1, 2017, a
year ahead of the schedule Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India, through its company Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), has performed exceedingly
well in terms of vastly improving access to LED lighting while reducing their cost drastically.
Supreme Court has widened the scope of the Domestic Violence Act by ordering deletion of the
words adult male from it, paving the way for prosecution of women and even non-adults for
subjecting a woman relative to violence and harassment.The apex court has ordered striking down of
the two words from section 2(q) of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005,
which deals with respondents who can be sued and prosecuted under the Act for harassing a married
woman in her matrimonial home.
India donated Rs.9.3 million (ZAR 2 million) to the Nelson Mandela Foundation to help it in its
welfare work for the people of South Africa.
The Union Government is going to commemorate the birth centenary of social activist and former
RSS leader Nanaji Deshmukh from October 11, 2016 to October 11, 2017. It was announced by the
Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma during inaugural programmeorganised on the eve of the
birth centenary celebrations.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
has approved the construction of a new link between Sahibganj bypass in Jharkhand to Manihari
bypass in Bihar, including a four-lane bridge on river Ganga. A highway project worth Rs 1,955
crore for construction of a road link between Sahibganj in Jharkhand to Manihari in Bihar, including
a bridge on the Ganges, received Cabinet clearance.
Raising the slogan Haryana ek Haryanvi ek, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar urged people of
the state to help eradicate casteism from the society for the development of the state.
The Centre has brought final draft of the National Water Framework Bill, 2016, that stresses
managing water at basin-level and right measurement of States contribution to river system to
resolve conflicts.
The Centre government decided to utilise the vast network of post offices across the country to
sell subsidised pulses to ensure that there is no shortage of the item during this festival season.
A decision to this effect was taken by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on prices of essential
commodities, headed by Consumer Affairs Secretary Hem Pande.
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Arunachal Pradesh officially became a part of the Peoples Party of
2|Page
Arunachal government with the induction of senior BJP MLA TamiyoTaga in the council of
ministers. Arunachal Pradesh is the 14th State under a coalition government. The PPA is a
constituent of the North East Democratic Alliance.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh would inaugurate the 10-day Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM) at
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi.
Number of Deaths Due To Japanese Encephalitis Rises To 54 In Odisha
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) released new standards on fortification
on food. The guidelines are meant to regulate the fortification of food, especially packaged food,
with essential micronutrients to counter risingmal nutrition in the country.
Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Culture and Tourism chaired
the First Meeting of the Re-constituted Central Advisory Board on Culture (CABC) in new Delhi.
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 man-made limbs and other implements to more than 8000
Divyangs (disabled persons) in the city.
The triple talaq was a highly misused custom and it should be scrapped to protect the rights of
Muslim women said by Lalitha Kumaramangalam, Chairperson of National Commission of Women
(NCW).
The Centre formed a three-member committee to keep a close watch on the bird flu situation which
has so far killed 24 birds in New Delhi on October 22, 2016.It was announced by Union
Environment minister Prakash Javadekar.
The City Corporation has launched the Swacch Bharat Swacch Vidyalaya campaign in60 elementary
and middle schools.
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.He dedicated the 520 Megawatt
generation capacity third phase of Parbati hydro power project, 412 Megawatt Rampur project and
800 Megawatt Kol Dam power project to the nation.
After visiting Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Punjab
Agricultural University in Ludhiana and he launched two schemes-National SC/ST Huband Zero
Defect Zero Effect scheme.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed 500 traditional wooden chark has to women spinners
belonging to the five local Khadi institutions.
Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh submitted a 13-point memorandum to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on October 18, 2016 at Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
The practice of using the mass appeal of religious leaders to canvas votes for candidates is
questioned by the Supreme Court asked whether it amounts to a corrupt electoral practice to rope in
clerics or priests to flex their religious sway over their flock to swing votes
Indias second eco-friendly airport in Vadodara is all set to open its doors to passengers.The facility
has also been rated by Green Ratings of International Habitat Assessment, the highest national rating
for green buildings considered by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
In a major setback to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh States, the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal on sharing
of Krishna waters (Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II) has made it clear that it would not take a
relook into allocation of water among the riparian States but would take up distribution of water
allocation to combined AP to Telangana and residuary AP States.
Activist Irom Sharmila formed a new political party named Peoples Resurgence and Justice
Alliance (PRJA) ahead of the Assembly polls in Manipur in 2017.
Supreme Court has appointed an independent auditor to monitor the financial transactions of BCCI
and set a threshold beyond which the board will have to take permission from the Lodha Panel.
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 Ministry of Shipping ratified the Capital Dredging Project for Ro Pax Ferry Services between
Gogha & Dahej, in Gulf of Cambay in Gujarat. The Ministry released Rs.58.50 Crore as first
3|Page
installment of grant-inaid to Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB). The total project cost is estimated to
be Rs.234 Crore and of which 50% would be funded byCentre Government under the Sagarmala
programme.
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a logo of a Cell for the IPR
Promotion and Management (CIPAM).
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.
Centre is planning to fast-track four projects in Indus river basin to increase irrigation area in Jammu
and Kashmir by nearly 2.05 lakh acres. PM Modi had chaired a meeting to review the 56-year-old
Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)last month.
The first meeting of National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF) was held in New Delhi. The
meeting was chaired by Cabinet Secretary P.K.Sinha.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley released first instalment of special assistance of Rs 1,093.34 crore out
of Rs.2000 crore to Jammu & Kashmir for repair and permanent restoration of damaged public
buildings such as such as schools, colleges, hospitals, bus stations under Prime Minister
Reconstruction Plan which was announced on November 7, 2015
Govt to invest Rs.1 Lakh Crore to boost road, Inland, Water Transport in Assam to improve
connectivity.
Election Commission of India (ECI) unveiled three IT based Systems Samadhan, Suvidha, and
Sugam to make the election process smooth, effective and transparent.
The Centre has changed the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 enabling service voters, including
armed forces personnel, to cast their vote in elections through e-postal ballot.
The Supreme Court gave the final decision that it wouldnot re-examine its1995 verdict on
Hindutva at this stage as it is not the reference for hearing electoral malpractice issues. The 1995
judgment defined Hindutva as a way of life and not a religion. SC mentioned it that it wasnt keen
to revisit the debate about philosophy of Hinduism but made it clear religion shouldnt be used in
elections.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched the SMS alert service for quarterly Tax Deducted at
Source (TDS) for salaried class and also be sent to deductors who have either failed to deposit taxes
deducted to e-file their TDS returns by the due date.
Akshat Prakash, student of Delhi Public School(DPS) has launched an initiative Bagit challenge to
involve schools in the national mission towards cleanliness. Prakash from Indirapuram, Ghaziabad.
The Union Cabinet has cleared 2 percent hike in dearness allowance (DA). The hike will be effective
from July 2016.Ahead of Diwali, this move is likely to bring some cheers to around 50 lakh
employeesworking with the central government as well as 58 lakh more pensioners.
The Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the
establishment and operationalization of a National Academic Depository (NAD), which is aimed at
bringing another dimension and enhancement of the vision of Digital India.
The cabinet gave in-principle approval to strategic stake sales in some state-owned companies on the
recommendations of the government think tank NITI Aayog. The strategic sale will involve a
management control transfer as the shareholding of the government would come down to below 50
per cent.
The pensioners identity cards given to retired employees would have national emblem as the Home
Ministry has cleared a proposal in this regard. The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and
Pensions has been considering a proposal of issuing identity cards to all the pensioners.
Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav announced to remove upper age limit for widows and divorced
women who are all applying for government jobs. The age limit for government exam is-in general
the maximum age limit for Non-Gazetted Posts is 28 years and for Gazetted Posts upper age limit is
26 years.
The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has laid the foundation stone of National Institute of
Archaeology at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh
Union Cabinet given its ex-post facto approval on October 27, 2016 to formation of the Indian
4|Page
Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) at Berhampur in Odisha under the Societies
Registration Act, 1860.
First Workshop on the use of International Household Survey Network Toolkitwas inagurated
by D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation in New Delhi.
He also launched the new Website of the Ministry.
The Delhi government has announced a three-tier air treatment system to deal with rising air
pollution in city. It includes setting up of wind purification units, mist fountains and virtual chimney
at five major traffic intersections on trial basis.
The Union Government has ratified a fund of Rs.100crore for various road development works in
Vijayapura District under Central Road Fund was announced by Union Minister for Drinking Water
and Sanitation Ramesh Jigajng.
The Inter-State Council has been reconstituted by PM Narendra Modi to facilitate coordination
between states and the centre.The new list excludes Smriti Irani, D.V. Sadananda Gowda and HRD
Minister Prakash Javadekar is included in the list. The standing committee of the Inter State Council
was also reconstituted. It was Chaired by the Home Minister, this committee has SushmaSwaraj,
Jaitley, Naidu, and Gadkari, along with chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Chattisgarh,
Tripura, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
PLACES IN NEWS
Abhaneri festival would be held at the Abhaneri village in Dausa district, Rajsthan 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.
A major step was taken towards ensuring safety of bridges in the country, when the Minister of Road
Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari formally launched the Indian Bridge Management
System (IBMS) in New Delhi.
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.
Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi in the presence of Chief Minister V Narayansamy declared Velrampet
lake and surrounding area as open defecation free.
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.
Madhya Pradeshs diamond mineral block had been auctioned. The block was believed to have a precious
stone deposit worth Rs 106 crore .This is the first diamond mineral block of the country which has gone under
the hammer. Hatupur Diamond mineral block was successfully auctioned at Panna district in the Madhya
Pradesh.
The five-day long Durga Puja was celebrated by the Hindu community throughout the state
of Nagaland. The Puja celebration began with Sasthi Puja, followed by Mahasaptami, Mahaashtami,
Mahanavami, and the Bijaya Dashami, when the celebration would culminate.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched the Mumbai Centre for International
Arbitration (MCIA), spread over 7,000 square feet at Nariman Point in south Mumbai.
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.
The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of an Indian Institute of Management school in
Jammu among other approvals that were cleared. The announcement of the establishment of an IIM
in Jammu comes as part of PM Narendra Modis development package for Jammu and Kashmir. The
project will involve a cost of Rs.61.90 crore in temporary campus for the initial four years from 2016
to 2020.
Petroleum and Natural Gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the National Seismic
Programme(NSP) at Taranga in Baleswar district of Odisha. The NSP aimed to undertake a fresh
appraisal in all sedimentary basins across India, especially where no/scanty data is available, to have
a better understanding of the hydrocarbon potential of India.
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Odisha celebrated Kumar Purnima festival. It is celebrated on the last day of the Ashwin month, the Kumar
Purnima festival is the occasion to observe the birthday of Lord Kartikeswara, the son of Lord Shiva and
Goddess Parvati.
Suresh Prabhu inaugurated and dedicated the Okha-Kanalus and Porbandar-Wansjaliya Sections in Gujarat
of Western Railways as Green Corridor Sections.
Arunachal Pradesh is one of the land of tribes. The festivals here are abound with zest and life
based on aspects related to nature and agriculture. Dance is the soul of all the festivals here;
performed with pride and belief.
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.
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.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that the state government has decided to
observe 2017 as the Garib KalyanVarsh, with schemes to be spread next year for the poor.
After Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh became Open Defecation Free (ODF) state said by Chief Minister
Virbhadra Singh on October 29, 2016. The hill state of Himachal has become the first large state has
successfully achieved a total rural sanitation coverage of 100 per cent in the state in its all 12
districts.
Haryana become the first state to give the benefit of 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) to its
employees with effect from January 1, 2017 said by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.After
Haryana, Odisha Government announces to implement recommendations of 7th Pay Commission for
its employees from January next year
Railway Minister launches a new train service between AnandVihar to Ballia in Uttar
Pradesh through video-conferencing in New Delhi.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the function to mark the 50th anniversary of the
establishment of the High Court of Delhi. The theme of the Golden Jubilee Celeberations has been
fixed as Justice for all
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)
FOREIGN VISITS
Vice President Hamid Ansaris five-day tour of Nigeria and Mali

Vice President Hamid Ansari had a five-day tour of Nigeria and Mali in order to further strengthen
Indias bilateral engagements with these two West African nations.
Nigeria Visit 26-29, 2016 :
It is estimated that the Indian investments have exceeded USD 10 billion so far, and another USD 5
billion are committed. Indian investments are in diverse sectors such as communications, power,
pharmaceuticals, healthcare, automotive sector and oil, among others.
Mali Visit 29-30 September 2016 :
After Nigeria, Mr. Ansari then went to Mali, the first high-level visit by any Indian leader. Two
MoUs were also signed between India and Mali, one on standards and the other on cultural
exchange.
Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong visit to India An Overview
During the visit, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong was hosted for lunch by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and the two leaders hold bilateral talks to explore ways to bolster ties
between the two countries.
Besides that, two more MOUs will be exchanged on cooperation on
Establishment of a North East Skills Centre in Assam between the Assam Government and the
Institute of Technical Education Education Services, and
Cooperation in skills development between the National Skill Development Corporation and
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Singapores Institute of Technical Education Education Services.

India and Singapore signed three agreements, including two in the area of skill development,
following delegation-level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singapore PM Lee
Hsien Loong.
One memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Singapores Institute of Technical
Education (ITE) Education Services (ITEES) and Indias National Skill Development
Corporation on collaboration in technical and vocational education and training.
Another MoU was signed between the Assam government and ITEES Singapore also on
collaboration in technical and vocational education and training.
A third MoU was signed in the field of industrial property cooperation.
Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe 3 Day visit to India
Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would arrive in New Delhi for a three-day visit to
India. During his stay, he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discuss issues of mutual
interest. The visiting dignitary would also call on President Pranab Mukherjee.
Both the sides had decided to conclude an enhanced bilateral economic partnership by the end of this
year to allow the free flow of services, investments and technology, in addition to the existing Free
Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two nations.
FM Arun Jaitley embarks on 7-day official visit to Canada,US
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley embark a 7-day official(October 3 to October 10) visit to Canada and
the US to attend the annual meetings of World Bank and IMF and hold talks with global investors.
He is accompanied by Dr. Urijit Patel, Governor RBI, Mr. Shaktikanta Das, Secretary Economic
Affairs, Dr. Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor and other officials.
In Canada, he met top official and review progress made in the proposed Comprehensive Economic
partnership agreement (CEPA) and Foreign Investment and Protection Agreement (FIPA).
USA - four-day official visit
Arun Jaitley along with Shri Shaktikanta Das, Secretary (EA) participated in the 2016 IMF-World
Bank Annual Meetings Plenary on October 7, 2016 at the historic DAR Constitution Hall,
Washington DC. He has said that 80% of the 240 million new accounts opened under the Pradhan
Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana are now functional with cash balances.
Jaitley, who is on an official visit to the US, chaired the Commonwealth Finance Ministers meeting
at the IMF headquarters.
BRICS contingent reserve arrangement (CRA) is now operational in India to deal with anyshort-
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 .
Aung San Suu Kyi to embark on three day-visit to India
Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese statesperson, politician, diplomat and author who serves as the First and
incumbent State Counsellor and Leader of the National League for Democracy.
She is also the first woman to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs ofMyanmar, the Minister of
the Presidents Office, the Minister of Electric Power and Energy, and the Minister of
Education in President Htin Kyaws Cabinet, and from 2012 to 2016 was a Pyithu
Hluttaw MP for Kawhmu Township.
India and Myanmar have agreed for close security coordination in border areas keeping in view
the sensitivity of each others strategic interests.
The two countries also agreed to enhance engagement in several areas including agriculture,
power, and renewable energy and the two sides will also work to develop a mutually beneficial
arrangement for trade in pulses.
As a part of efforts to improve ties between India and Myanmar, the two countries signed 3 MoUs
in the presence of Narendra Modi and Aung San Suu Kyi.
India and Myanmar signed three MoUs for cooperation in insurance, power and banking sectors
Vice President Hamid Ansari five-day visit to Hungary, Algeria
Vice President Hamid Ansari was on a five-day visit to Hungary and Algeria, where he raised the matter of
cross-border terrorism and a host of other bilateral issues. Hungary is a parliamentary constitutional
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republic in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the
north, Romania to the east, Serbia to the south, Croatia to the southwest, Slovenia to the west, Austria to the
northwest, and Ukraine to the northeast.
Hungary is a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrd Group, and
the Schengen Area.
The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in
Europe.
The countrys capital and largest city is Budapest and Currency is Hungarian forint
India and Hungary also signed two MoUs, including one on water management, during the three-day
trip to the central European country.
New Zealand PM John Key visit to India An Overview
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New
Zealand National Party since 2006.
Indias entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is among the gamut of issues that are expected
to figure during the meeting.
India and New Zealand have signed three agreements in the areas of double taxation avoidance, food
security and sports.
A MoU was signed between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India andSport New
Zealand on cooperation in the field of youth affairs and sports.
Rajanath Singh 3 days visit to Bahrain
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has announced that India and Bahrain, both the countries, are
vulnerable to the sufferings of terrorism during his bilateral meeting with Interior Minister of Bahrain Lt.
General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa in capital Manama. Singh stated that the terrorism should be
dealt in a comprehensive manner. Segmented and partial approaches as adopted by some of the countries
have been failed in countering terrorism.
Pakistan officially postponed the SAARC Summit to be held here next month after India along with four other
member states of the regional grouping decided against attending the meet.
India formally joined the Paris Climate Change Agreement. It is been done by submitting its instrument of
ratification at UN headquarters in New York on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.The language of the
agreement was negotiated by representatives of 195 countries at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the
UNFCCC in Paris and adopted by consensus on 12 December 2015. India accounts for about 4.5% of global
greenhouse gas emissions.
European Union ministers approved the ratification of the Paris Agreement at a historic meeting of the
Environment Council in Brussels.The 28 EU member nations together account for close to 12 per cent of
global greenhouse gas emissions.
Colombian voters appeared to have shocked their government by blasting away its hopes for a historic peace
deal with communist FARC rebels near-complete referendum results showed. With votes more than 99 per
cent of vote polling stations counted, 50.2 per cent opposed the accord while 49.8 per cent supported it a
difference of less than 63000 votes out of 13 million ballots.
Chinas yuan joined the International Monetary Funds basket of reserve currencies in a significant event for
the governments campaign for recognition as a global economic power. 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.
With the passage of a new law, which was aimed at combating climate change, Francehas become the first
country in the world to completely ban disposable plastic cups, plates and other utensils.
India protested against the blocking of its latest bid to have Jaish-i-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar put on a
United Nations terror blacklist following a deadly attack on an Indian air force base.
President Barack Obama had lifted US economic sanctions on Myanmar, terminating an emergency order that
deemed the policies of the former military government a threat to US national security.
The moderate Islamist Party of Justice and Development had won Moroccos national elections,
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despite frustration with its handling of the economy in its five years leading the government and a
challenge from a party close to the royal palace.
The Russian and Turkish leaders had agreed to intensify military and intelligence contacts after a
meeting in Istanbul. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir
Putin assented on the need for aid to get to the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has now included Aiyoh and Aiyah in its latest addition
this September. The OED does four updates every year.
Beijing rapped Washington for its interventions in Asia, as tensions grow between the two powers
over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and to handle increasingly erratic North Korea.
Speaking at the 7th annual Xiangshan regional defence forum in Beijing, Chang Wanguan, Chinas
defence minister, levied thinly veiled criticism at recent US involvement in Asias trouble spots.
Israel suspended cooperation with the UNESCO, a day after the U.N. cultural agency adopted a draft
resolution on the Temple Mount and Western Wall.
The Maldives announced that it would leave the Commonwealth, weeks after the organisation
warned it could be suspended because of its lack of progress in promoting therule of law and
democracy.
Bangladesh, China agreed to elevate their ties to strategic partnership. They have agreed to enhance
the alignment of the development strategies of the two countries, fully tap the potentials of
cooperation in various areas, work on the Belt and Road Initiative so as to realize sustainable
development and common prosperity of the two countries
Brazil has opened the first sanctuary with Guida and Maia in in the central Brazilian state of Mato
Grosso for elephants to provide a home for an estimated 50 circus animals from across the
region.The first phase of the project will host up to six animals.
Pakistan warned appropriate action if India violated the Indus Water Treaty and it was closely
monitoring the situation, amid reports that New Delhi might revisit the key water sharing accord.
BIMSTEC Leaders Retreated 2016 Outcome commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms.
The BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation) countries have expressed commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations.
Kuwaits Emir Sabah bin Ahmed al-Sabah announced the dissolution of parliament and early
elections on Nov. 26. This came hours after an appearance on Al-Rai Television by parliament
speaker Marzouk al-Ghanim calling for such elections to take place.
India and Algeria have reiterated their resolve to fight against the terrorism which has become a
serious threat to global peace and security. During the separate meetings with President of the
National Peoples Assembly MohamedLarbi Ould Khalifa and President of Council of
Nation Abdelkader Bensalah in Algiers.
A Saudi Arabian Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabir was executed in October 2016 for shooting a
man, Adel al-Mohaimeed, dead. He Prince shot the man during a noisy fight three years ago in the
capital Riyadh.
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) decided to enforce a complete ban on
Indian TV and radio contents from October 21, 2016.The ban extends to all Indian content on cable
and radio being aired in Pakistan.
Iraqs Parliament passes law to ban the sale, import and production of alcohol in the country
under Article 14. It was also passed by MPs in Baghdad. It was announced by a veteran Christian
MP, Yonadam Kanna.
The government of Kyrgyzstan resigned after the presidents party quit the ruling coalition, inducing
fears the Central Asian country could plunge into instability.
Gambia has announced that it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court, the third African
country to declare its departure. The announcement came after similar decisions this month by South
Africa and Burundi.
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. It is
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renovated by the Government of India at a total cost of SLR 38 million.

Some 300 million children live with outdoor air so polluted it can cause serious physical damage,
including affecting their developing brains ,a study was released by the United Nations.
A UN General Assembly committee voted to launch negotiations on a new treaty banning nuclear
weapons despite strong opposition from the worlds nuclear powers. A declaration presented
by Austria, Ireland, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa and Brazilwas adopted by a vote of 123 to
38, with 16 abstentions following weeks of lobbying by the nuclear powers for no votes.
Diwali was respected for the first time at the United Nations, with the world bodys imposing
headquarters here lit up especially on the occasion of the Indian festival of lights.

The 4th Meeting of BRICS Education Ministers Conference held in New Delhi to promote education
cooperation and people to people exchanges among the BRICS countries.
Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma inaugurated the 5th International Buddhist Conclave in
Varanasi-Sarnath. Buddhism originated in India, from where it spread through much of Asia, where after
it declined in India during the middle ages.
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
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling was conferred with the Sustainable Development Leadership
Award by President Pranab Mukherjee in recognition of his leadership in making the northeastern state the
first and only organic state in the country.
In order to minimise the risk of loss of life and damage to property during natural calamity like earthquake,
tsunami and floods, India would be hosting going to host the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk
Reduction (AMCDRR) next month in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk
Reduction (UNISDR).
2016 World Economic Forum (WEF) India Economic Summit held in New Delhi
The India Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum (WEF) was held in partnership with the
Confederation of Indian Industry in New Delhi with the theme The Great Transformation: Shaping New
Models.
The 20th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Heads of Defence Universities / Colleges / Institutions Meet
(HDUCIM) held in New Delhi.The meeting was hosted by the National Defence College (NDC), New Delhi
under the aegis of Ministry of Defence.
PM Modi inaugurated the conference that will be held in New Delhi on November 3-5 in collaboration with
the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). India will host the Asian ministerial
conference for disaster risk reduction next month which will focus on partnership with governments and
stakeholders to imbibe the practices in the regions development narrative.
A high level delegation of Indian officials and industry leaders led by Secretary in the Department of Heavy
Industry, Mr Girish Shankar with Czech Republic officials attended the 4th meeting of Indo-Czech joint
working group at Brno, Czech Republic.
Haji Syed Salman Chishty of Dargah Ajmer Sharif is addressed at the ICYF-DCs Third Islamic Conference
of Youth and Sports Ministers opening in Istanbul on October 4, 2016.It is the first time, indian addressed at
the conference of the Organisation of Islamic Countries Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and
Cooperation (ICYF-DC). Theme : Empowering Youth for Peace, Solidarity and Development
4th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial Meeting was held at Jaipur,
Rajasthan on 8 October, 2016 to strengthen the collaboration amongst the BRICS countries in the
areas of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). Theme Building, Responsive Inclusive and
Collective Solutions.
The first BRICS Trade Fair and Exhibition began in New Delhi, ahead of the BRICS ahead of the
BRICS summit in Goa, the first BRICS Trade Fair and Exhibition begins in Delhi. The fair will be
a platform for the BRICS countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to exhibit state-
of-the-art technologies and advances made in industrial development.
The 2nd Meeting of Heads of Export Credit Agencies of BRICS (BRICS ECAs) was held at New
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Delhi , as part of a series of events being organised under the chairmanship of India
of BRICS Forum.
The Minister of Women & Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi inaugurated Women of
India Festival 2016 of organic products by women at Dilli Haat at INA, New Delhi. It
promotes women entrepreneurs from across India. Participants from the remotest areas of the country
will travel to Delhi for the entire duration of the festival and sell their unique products in the capital.
Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated the India International Silk Fair in New Delhi to promote
production and marketing silk across the country. India International Silk Fair showcasing wide
range of silk & silk blended products will give an insight on Indias silk industry to overseas buyers.
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.
The most strategically important decision is the inter-governmental agreement for the purchase of S-
400 Triumf long-range air defence missile system which has the capability to destroy incoming
hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to400 km.
India and Russia on October 15 signed 16 agreements across multiple sectors following delegation-
level talks co-chairedd by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in
Goa.
Among the agreements signed were,
Procurement of the S-400 air defence system and construction of four Admiral Grigorovich-class
(Project 11356) guided-missile stealth frigate in India.
Another agreement was signed to set up a joint venture to manufacture 200 Kamov 226T helicopters.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed for setting up an investment fund of $1 billion.
Agreements were also signed for developing smart cities in Andhra Pradesh and Haryana, and for
developing transport logistics systems for such cities.
Another important agreement was signed for the joint study of a gas pipeline to India from Russia.
8th BRICS Summit held in Goa

Member countries -Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The summit held from 15 to 16 October 2016 at the Taj Exotica hotel in Benaulim, Goa, India. India will
hold the chair of the BRICS from February 2016 to December 2016.
The BRICS Rating Agency will be formed based on market-oriented principles to strengthen the
global governance architecture.
Theme of the Event: Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions.
The BRICS Summit 2016 adopted the Goa Declaration which unanimously hit out at the growing
threat of terrorism, among other issues. India was the host nation of the 8th Summit and the 9th will
be organised by China
Narendra Modi added that the most serious direct threat to regional security was terrorism,
whose mothership was a country in Indias neighbourhood
On the New Development Bank, which completed a year, Modi said BRICS nations agreed that it
should continue to focus on infrastructure, technology and renewable energy sectors.
He further added that in order to further bridge the gap in the global financial architecture, we
agreed to fast track the setting up of a BRICS Rating Agency.
BRICS-BIMSTEC Summit :The first ever BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit held in Goa under
the chairmanship of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Jaipur Sufi festival held at the Diggi palace in Jaipur from October 14-16, 2016. It is organised
annually by the Foundation of SAARC Writers And Literature (FOSWAL), in association with
the Rajasthan government.
The Indian Silk Export Promotion Council organized 5th India International Silk Fair at Pragati
Maidan, New Delhi. The Fair showcased the world renowned Indian silk products like scarves,
shawls, carpets, home furnishings, etc. in different patterns of designs and colours.
The three-day Air Force Commanders Conference held at Air force Headquarters, New Delhi. The
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Air Force Commanders briefed the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on various
issues relating to operational capability, maintenance and HR. Future plans for enhancing IAFs
capability were also discussed.
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 28th Accountants General
Conference in New Delhi.The founding drafters of our Constitution had envisaged a prominent role
for public audit in our countrys governance and accountability framework.
Indian Railways organizes Conference on Heritage Rail Tourism jointly with Asia Pacific Heritage
& Rail Tourism Organisation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Bhopal, where he inaugurated the newly built war
memorial- Shaurya Samarakand address a meeting of ex-servicemen at Lal Pared ground.
Three day long Global Conference to Make India the Centre for Arbitration held in New Delhi. The
three day long conference titled, National Initiative on Strengthening Arbitration and Enforcement
in India from October 21st to 23rd, 2016 is being launched by the Government and Judiciary as a
major initiative to change the face of dispute resolution in India.
The 22nd meeting of the Western Zonal Council was held in Mumbai, Maharashtra.The meeting was
held under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh.The meeting was attended
by the Chief Ministers and Ministers of these States and Administrators of Union Territories as well
as senior officers of Central and State Governments.
The 19th World Peace Conference was inaugurated by Maharashtra Governor ChVidyasagar
Rao at Nashik in Maharashtra on October 24, 2016 to strengthen people to search truth and utilise
education for development of the society.
The 64th Meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) was held under the
Chairmanship of Union Human Resource Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar.It was held at New Delhi.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated First National Tribal Carnival-2016 in New Delhi. The four day
long carnival has been organised by Ministry of Tribal Affairs to promote a sense of inclusiveness
amongst the tribals.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG)
held a 6th joint Experts Meeting on Corruption in Paris, France. The meeting was chaired jointly by
the FATF President, Mr. Juan Manuel Vega-Serrano (Spain) and the G20 ACWG Co-Chair, Mr.
Creon Butler (United Kingdom).
More than 100 students and entrepreneurs from Indian and Chinese businesses took part in the 5th
edition of the India-China Cooperation Forum in Shanghai to boost bilateral trade and increase
investments in crucial sectors.
India and Russia would hold detailed discussions on deeper military cooperations, specifically on
joint production of fifth generation fighter aircraft, upgradation of Su-30 MKI planes and firming up
the contract for the S400 Triumf air defence system.
Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, the Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment attended the 23rd
Rehabilitation International World Congress at Edinburgh, Scotland, being held from 25-27 October,
2016. The Theme of the Congress is, Create a More Inclusive World.
RANKING & REPORTS

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal released the Assam Human Development Report 2014 and the
Vision and Strategic Architecture Document on SDGs, namely, Assam 2030: Our Dream, Our Commitment
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 Serbia and Slovenia. India scored a total of 128 out of
150 points.
Interbrand100 most Valuable Brands :
Microsoft Corp., Toyota Motor Corp., IBM Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Amazon.com Inc.,
Mercedes-Benz and General Electric Co. were also on the Top 10 list, according to Interbrands 2016 Best
Global Brands report.The combined value of the top 100 brands stood at $1,796.3 billion, up 4.8% from 2015.
India has been ranked No. 19 in a 28-nation survey of biomedical investment attractiveness of countries, with
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an overall score of59 out of 100.The US, UK and Switzerland lead, with the US at No. 1 with a score of 86.
Indian biosimilars market may reach USD 40 bn by 2030: Report
Forbes Richest American List Five Indians featured in the List
Five Indian-Americans are among the 400 richest people in the US, according to a Forbes list. This
list is topped by Microsofts co-founder Bill Gates for the 23rd year in a row.
5 Indians in the list :
1.Symphony Technology founder Romesh Wadhwani,
2.Co-founders of outsourcing firm Syntel Bharat & Neerja Desai,
3.Airline veteran Rakesh Gangwal,
4.Entrepreneur John Kapoor and
5.Silicon Valley angel investor Kavitark Ram Shriram
India ranked 97th out of 118 countries on the International Food Policy Research Institutes
(IFPRI) Global Hunger Index (GHI) in 2016.
The new Global Tuberculosis Report 2016 released by the World Health Organisation. New data
published by WHO in its 2016 Global Tuberculosis Report show that countries need to move
much faster to prevent, detect, and treat the disease if they are to meet global targets.
WHO updated the estimate of incidence that is, the number of new tuberculosis cases in a year
from 1.7 million cases to 2.8 million in 2015.
The most important structural reform by the Modi government, S&P Global Ratings released the
report that the passage of the indirect tax law gives it additional conviction of India clocking 8 per
cent growth in the next few years.
Indias investments in US government bonds reached 123.7 billion dollars, making it the 12 largest
holder of American bonds. While Chinas exposure(first) to US bonds stood at 1.22 trillion dollars,
and Japans exposure(second) stood at 1.15 trillion dollars.
India is expected to become the second largest coal producer and US as the worlds biggest coal
producer after China by 2020 according to BMI research.
Union Minister for Steel Birender Singh stated that India would become the second biggest steel
manufacturer in the world by year-end Currently, China is the largest steel manufacturing country
followed by Japan and produces five times more steel than India.
India is at the second position among countries with the highest increase in their contribution to high-
quality scientific research, according to a new report which shows that the growth of research in the
country is only behind Chinas.
Finland is rated the mostsafe country while El Salvador was named as the least safe and secure
country in the world in the Global Travel and Tourism Report 2016. In the rankings India has been
Rated 13 th least country in the world released by the World Economic Forum.
According to the 2016 Global Power City Index (GPCI) report, 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. Total wealth held worldwide
amounts to $185 trillion (as of June 2016). Globally, there are 13,300,000 millionaires and 1,940
billionaires in total.
As per the forecast by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), India will become the
third largest aviation market in the world displacing the UK by 2026. It is expected to be the source
of more than half the new passengers over the next 20 years. China will displace the US as the
worlds largest aviation market around 2029. India will displace the UK for third place in 2026,
while Indonesia enters the top ten at the expense of Italy.
According to the data given by the Registrar General of India (RGI), Jammu and Kashmirhas
surpassed Kerala as the state with the highest life expectancy in India for all ages, barring life
expectancy at birth.
The World Giving Index (WGI) released by the Charity Aid Foundation (CAF) reported that Indias
overall position (percentage of population) in global generosity jumped
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to 91 in 2015 from106 in 2014. Myanmar tops the world with 70 per centoverall generosity,
where 63 % people helped strangers, 91 % people donated money and 55 % people volunteered time.
India is ranked 130 out of 190 countries in World Bank Groups annual report on the ease of doing
business, Doing Business 2017: Equal Opportunity for All. India has moved up only one rank on the
World Banks ease of doing business ranking this year while in the 2016 edition, India had been
downgraded to 131 from 130.The list is topped by New Zealand.
India has climbed 21 spots to rank 87th on the World Economic Forums Global Gender Gap Report
2016 while in 2015, it was ranked 108th. With this jump in ranking, India has now overtaken China
which is ranked 99th out of 144 countries.Iceland tops the latest rankings followed by Finland,
Norway and Sweden.
Indias school education system was indicated as under-performing in terms of quality in female
literacy in comparison with neighbouring countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.The
ratio of women who completed five years of primary schooling in India and were literate was 48 per
cent, much less than 92 percent in Nepal, 74 per cent in Pakistan and 54 per cent in Bangladesh.
India ranks 133 in Global Youth Development Index compiled by Commonwealth Secretariat. The
ranking is topped by Germany. One in five young people in the world today live in India, which
makes it one of the most youthful countries on the planet.
According to UN refugee agency United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 2016
has been the deadliest year for migrants with a total of 3,740 people have died since January in the
Mediterranean sea in the boat journey to Europe.
India has emerged as the third largest startup base and such ventures are poised to grow 2.2 times to
reach 10,500 by 2020. According to Indian Startup Ecosystem Maturing 2016 report by
Nasscom-ZINNOV, India is in the third position just behind US and UK.
Indias bio-pharma major Biocon Ltd has been ranked among the worlds top 10 employers in the
biotechnology industry by an international science magazine.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have jointly topped the ease of doing business ranking in the list
prepared by the World Bank and the Indian governments department of industrial policy and
promotion for 2016. Gujarat has slipped to the third position in the list and Chhattisgarh, Madhya
Pradesh and Haryana occupied the fourth, fifth and sixth slots in the index based on the degree of
implementation of the governments 340-point Business Reform Action Plan.
In the latest Forbes Fab 40 2016 list of the biggest sports brands in the world, Dhoni is slated at No
10th spot in the top 10 athletes and he remains the most valued Indian athlete in 2016. The list is
topped by tennis legend and 17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer.
According to NITI Aayogs index on reforms in the farm sector, Maharashtra has been adjudged the
most farmer friendly state in the country followed by Gujarat and Rajasthan. Top 5 states :
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajsthan, MP and Haryana and the bottom 5 states : Puducherry, Delhi, J & K,
Lakshwadeep and Meghalaya
RGI releases Census 2011 data on Disabled Population in the age-group 5-19 by their Attendance
Status in Educational Institutions and type of Disability. The study unveiled that there were
about 65.7 lakh disabled population in age-group 5-19 at Census 2011 in India out of which 40.2
lakh (61.2%) are attending educational institutions, 8.0 lakh (12.1%) attended educational
institutions earlier and 17.5 lakh(26.7%) never attended any educational institutions.
BANKING & FINANCE
SBI announced the launch of a special financing scheme Hope Loans, under which customers
could avail credit facility at lower rates.
Black money worth Rs.65,250 crore disclosed under Income Declaration Scheme: Arun Jaitley
Kotak Mahindra Bank has acquired Karnataka-focused BSS Microfinance for Rs 139.2 crore.
RBI Governor Urjit Patel cuts interest rates, bats for growth in first monetary policy
In order to ease the inflation, the Reserve Bank of India cut policy rate (repo rate) by 25 basis points
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to 6.25% from 6.5%.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised projections for Indias economic growthby 0.2
percentage points to 7.6 per cent for 2016-17 and 2017-18.
SBI has announced its entry into Myanmar by opening a branch in the Yangon, former capital city of
Myanmar. The Yangon branch is the 54th foreign branch of the SBI.
According to the World Bank Indias GDP Growth Would Be 7.6% This Year, 7.7% In 2017.
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.
Union Finance Ministry constituted a Public Debt Management Cell (PDMC). The cell was created
to streamline government borrowings and better cash management with the overall objective of
deepening bond markets.
Financial services company MasterCard rolled out Selfie Pay app in Europe .This app will use facial
biometrics for payment authentication. It will supports both selfies and fingerprint
biometrics, offering users a choice of authenticating a mobile payment at the point of purchase.
The Reserve Bank of India issued separate operating guidelines for payments banks and small
finance banks in view of their differentiated nature of business and focus on financial inclusion. As
per the guidelines, PBs could accept deposit only up to Rs.1 lakh. Small Finance Banks would have
to follow norms relating to minimum balance, inoperative accounts, nominations, and cheques/drafts.
PBs would have to maintain a minimum investment to the extent of not less than 75 per cent of
demand deposit balances as on three working days prior to that day, in Government
securities/Treasury Bills with maturity up to one year that were recognised by RBI as eligible
securities for maintenance of Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR).
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had asserted that adoption of GST (Goods and Services) tax
would boost Indias medium-term growth. Indias GDP growth is projected at 7.6 per cent in
both 2016/17 fiscal year (ending in March 2017) and 2017/18 fiscal year, up 0.1 percentage point
relative to the April 2016 World Economic Outlook, a survey conducted and published by the IMF.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed a ban on unauthorised trading
tips through social media platforms like SMS, WhatsApp and Facebook
The Government came out with another set of draft rules, including for liquidation of insolvent
corporate persons, under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.
ICICI Bank has successfully executed transactions in international trade finance and remittances
using blockchain technology in partnership with Emirates NBD.
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.
Foreign lender Standard Chartered Bank announced a tie-up with Uber under which its credit
cardholders, across six countries, will get a cash-back of up to 25 per cent for hailing cabs from the
app.
Securities and Exchange Board of India, SEBI has banned 21 entities in a case related totax
evasion and illegal gains through misuse of stock exchange mechanism. Sebi in an interim order
dated June 1 had barred Dhyana Finstock and 75 other entities, including the above 21, from the
market for using the securities system to artificially bump up volume and price of the scrip to
provide illegitimate gains to preferential allottees.
According to a data released by the RBI shows that India banking system reported total deposits
of Rs100 lakh crore for the first time ever in September. Demand deposits crossing R10 lakh
crore and time deposits crossing the Rs 90 lakh crore mark, the month saw the highest-ever monthly
rise of Rs 5.32 lakh crore more than the total deposits in the banking sector 20 years back.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the launch of a new initiative
Catalyst: Inclusive Cashless Payment Partnership. The multi-stakeholder partnership is designed to
scale up digital payments systems in India which will act as a catalyst in the increase of cashless
payments in select locations.
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RBI has launched the survey to seek quantitative information on order books, inventories and
capacity utilisation of companies in the manufacturing sector, a key input for monetary policy
formulation.
Insurance Regulator IRDAI has imposed a penalty of Rs 6 lakh on Shriram Life Insurance for
casual approach towards certain norms, among other violations.
Andhra Pradesh government signed an agreement with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
to promote innovation in financial services in their respective markets.
The Union Government has signed $650 million loan agreement with the World Bank for
construction of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC)-III project. EDFC is 1,840 km
long and extends from Ludhiana in Punjab to Kolkata in West Bengal as a series of projects with
three sections.
The Finance Ministry announced the sixth tranche of sovereign gold bonds. Applications for the
bonds will be accepted from October 24 to November 2 and the bonds will be issued on November
17
Mortgage lender HDFC has raised Rs.500 crore through rupee-denominated bonds from overseas
investors. With reference to the earlier letter dated October 12, 2016, informing about the opening of
the fourth issue of rupee-denominated bonds to overseas investors, aggregating an amount up to
Rs.500 crore.
Banks in India will either replace or ask users to change the security codes of as many as3.2 million
debit cards because several victims have reported unauthorised usage from locations in China.
SBI has declared Silchar as its 5th zone in North East after Guwahati, Shillong, Dibrugarh and
Jorhat, which will cater to the banking needs of the people of Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur along
with the Barak Valley.
World Bank president Jim Yong Kim announced USD 2 billion loans for Bangladesh to help
Bangladesh to fight climate change. The USD 2 billion for climate change is in addition to USD 1
billion pledged by world Bank to end childhood stunted growth.
The RBI relaxed foreign investment norms in financial services firms, start-ups and in investments
by foreign regulated capital investors.Foreign Venture Capital Investors (FVCIs) can invest in Indian
start-ups without prior permission of the RBI.
The Reserve Bank of India has allowed banks to approve extension of external commercial
borrowings on their own provided the debt is unpaid and has not defaulted before.
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development(NABARD) has sanctioned Rs 19,702 crore
loan to National Water Development Agency (NWDA) for 50 irrigation projects. The loan is
sanctioned under Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF), announced by Finance Minister ArunJaitley
during the Budget 2016-17.
About$2.5 billion were made to the three lenders as part of the first tranche of the repayment
schedule. The $13-billion sale of Essar Oil to Russias Roseneft has helped lenders, including ICICI
Bank, Axis bank and StanChart, recover a combined $2.5 billion in part payment of their exposure to
the Essar Group.
BSE has introduced a paperless SIP(Systematic Investment Plan) facility for mutual fund (MF)
investors. It will extremely cut the registration time and also allow subscribers to transact through
different payment modes including net banking.
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
HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has entered into a tie-up with Maruti Insurance Broking
Pvt Ltd (MIBL) to offer motor insurance to buyers of Maruti Suzuki cars.
State-run trading firm MMTC has tied up with seven banks, including ICICI and HDFC Bank, to sell
government minted Indian Gold Coin. The coins are currently available at all MMTC outlets across
India along with select branches of seven banks Indian Overseas Bank, Vijaya Bank, Federal Bank,
Yes Bank, Andhra Bank, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank.
YES Bank has tied up with ToneTag, a Mobile payment solutions start-up to integrate and deploy
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sound based contactless payments on its mobile wallet YES Pay.

The British subsidiary of ICICI Bank, ICICI Bank UK Plc. announced the launch of online money
transfer services to facilitate transaction from any bank accounts in Sweden, Norway and
Denmark to any recipient account based in India. The service called Money2India Europe verifies
the credentials of the customers over video call from Money2India Europe website.
The Goods and Services Network (GSTN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) for sharing of foreign exchange realisation and
Import Export code data.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued rules permitting these to raise External Commercial
Borrowings (ECBs) per start-up was capped at $3 million per financial year to support financing for
start-ups
Indias forex reserves rose by USD 1 billion to USD 367.14 billion. In the reporting week, Foreign
Currency Assets (FCAs), a major component of the overall reserves, increased by USD 1.015 billion
to USD 341.923 billion.
The State Bank of India announced a cut of 0.15% in its benchmark lending rate under a new system
of calculation, signalling a further implement in borrowing costs ahead of the busy season.
BUSINESS
Oil India (OIL) has signed Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Houston (USA) to
collaborate in the fields of Improved Oil Recovery & Enhanced Oil Recovery for production
enhancement from matured fields, seismic interpretation & reservoir characterisation studies,
improvement of drilling and well intervention practices and unconventional hydrocarbon studies.
The BJP-led Centre had integrated 250 mandis in 10 states in the first phase of its
ambitious electronic national agriculture market (e-NAM), established to provide
transparent and profitable trade facilities to farmers and buyers.
OPEC agreed on modest oil output cuts in the first such deal since 2008, with the groups leader
Saudi Arabia softening its stopped the flow on arch-rival Iran amid mounting pressure from low oil
prices. The OPEC is an intergovernmental organization of 14 oil-exporting developing nations that
coordinates and unifies the petroleum policies of its member countries.
Dassault Aviation of France had entered into a partnership with Reliance group to execute offsets for
the recently concluded deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets.This is the largest offset contract to be executed
by any defence company in India till date. As per the contract, Dassault Aviation prepared to
invest 50 % of its revenue, up toRs.300 billion ($4.51 billion), in the Indian defence industry to boost
technological innovation and capacity building.
Indian pharmaceuticals sector seeked major support from the Japanese market, Commerce
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the share of India in the Japanese drug market.The
demand for generic medicines in Japan and Indias capability to meet this demand can prove a win-
win for both countries
Indias biggest-ever spectrum auction ended with the Centre garnering Rs.65,789 crore in
revenue. An upfront payment of Rs.32,000 to be received by the government in the current year is
the highest in four years. Still the figure fell short of the budgetary target of Rs.64,000 crore for the
current financial year.
Indian Oil Corporation(IOC) has announced a start-up scheme with a corpus amount of Rs.30 crore.
Doordarshan and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) had entered into an agreement
for transmission of four Gyan Darshan educational channels. Gyan Darshan ran successfully till June
2, 2014, but was shut down by ISRO to facilitate its migration from INSAT 3C to GSAT-10.
Revenue department has extended anti-dumping duty on import of certain Chinese products, used
in garment, footwear and toys manufacturing, for another five years.The anti-dumping duty on
narrow woven fabrics hook and loop velcro tapes would be charged at the rate of USD 1.87 per
kilogram.
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India based airlines IndiGo has introduced child-free zones on all of its flights. According to this
rows 1 to 4 and 11 to 14are designated quiet zones so that business travelers can do their work
without interruption.
New Delhi based BHEL is commissioned another 660 MW coal-based supercritical thermal power
unit in Uttar Pradesh. It has added 4,300 MW of power generation capacity in the state of Uttar
Pradesh in December 2015
Ministry of Commerce & Industry to provide easy access to the public with regard to Indias export,
import and balance of trade data in an analytical format, over time and space, Commerce & Industry
Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launched a new enhanced Dashboard on Foreign Trade Data.
The Centre would invest Rs.15,000 crore to increase the capacity of Panipatrefineryfrom 15 million
tonnes (MT) to 25 MT to create jobs was the announcement made by Dharmendra Pradhan, Union
Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Indian Oil Corp (IOC) planned to construct the nations longest LPG pipeline(1,987 kilometer) from
Gujarat coast to Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh to supply to growing demand for cooking gas in
the country.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi,
has approved the mechanism for revision of ethanol price for supply to Public Sector Oil Marketing
Companies (OMCs)
India has received the first parcel of Iranian oil to partly fill its strategic storage in southern
India, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd, which imported the very large crude
carrier (VLCC).MRPL shipped in 2 million barrels of Iranian oil in the very large crude carrier Dino.
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications Ltd. (RCom) has signed a non-binding term sheet with
Canadian Brookfield Infrastructure Group (Brookfield) to sell a majority 51 per cent stake of its
nationwide tower assets and related infrastructure for Rs. 11,000 crores. It is one of the largest FDI in
infrastructure sector.
TCS is Indias most valuable company with a market capitalization of Rs.4.66 trillion, followed by
Reliance Industries Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd and ITC Ltd at Rs.3.49 trillion, Rs.3.21 trillion and Rs.2.90
trillion.Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd (ONGC) beat Indias second largest software exporter, Infosys
Ltd to become the fifth most valuable company in India by market capitalization.
Government has formally granted a licence to BP, Europes third-biggest oil company, to set
up 3,500 petrol pumps in India.It is a UK-based firm.BP granted licence to market Motor
Spirit (petrol) and High Speed Diesel (diesel) another milestone for BP in India.
The Hinduja flagship Ashok Leyland has launched its first locally designed, engineered and
produced battery electric bus series Circuit. A zero-emission, non-polluting vehicle created
specifically for Indian road and passenger conditions, the bus has a seating capacity ranging from 35
to 65.
In a deal reportedly worth close to $2 billion, India is set to acquire a second Akula2 nuclear-
powered attack submarine from Russia. The lease deal for the second nuclear submarine was
finalised at a summit-level meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
Azure Power Global Limited become the first Indian solar company to be listed on NYSE after it
announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 3,409,091 equity shares at the New York Stock
Exchange (NYSE).
US based Microsoft has set up a cyber-cyber security engagement centre (CSEC) in New Delhi to
work with partners in identifying and responding to cyber threats in India.
Former HCL Technologies Ltd chief executive officer (CEO) Anant Gupta launched a Rs.100 crore
investment fund TECHCELX to invest in start-ups focused on digital technologies such as machine
learning, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and analytics.
After eight years of harnessing olive saplings brought from Israel, Rajasthan is all set to launch next
month its own brand olive oil, which it claims, will be the countrys first indigenously-produced
brand. The state would be launching its olive oil under the brand Raj Olive Oil at the Global
Rajasthan Agri-tech Meet (GRAM) was announced by state Agriculture Minister PrabhuLal Saini.
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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recommended a large sum of penalty ofRs.3, 050
crore on top three telcos Airtel, Vodafone and Idea, for violating their license agreement and denial
of interconnection to new player Reliance Jio.
The Cofounder launches itself as Indias first startup magazine that will help boost the
entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country through its stories. The Cofounder, founded by Adhish
Verma and Arunraj Rajendran, is the first startup magazine that will talk about real stories behind the
early stage startups and entrepreneurs.
Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla pledged an investment of Rs. 20,000 crore for
the state of MP in sectors like retail, telecom and cement.
Kolkata-based Srei launched iQuippo, a digital marketplace for construction equipment machinery
and services.The construction equipment market is envisaged to grow to Rs.50,000 crore by 2020.
Reliance Industries Ltd has received the delivery of worlds first very large ethane carrying
ships Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLECs) from Samsung Heavy Industries shipyards in Korea.
RIL inaugurated its very first two VLECs named Ethane Crystal and Ethane Emeraldwhich are the
first in a series of six VLECs ordered by RIL in 2014.
Two of the five major Swachh Bharat awards to be presented by the Centre are likely to go
to Gujarat.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. Gujarats 900-year-old World Heritage Site Rani ki Vav beat 10 other iconic heritage
structures across the country to bag an award for the Cleanest Iconic Place at the Indian Sanitation
Conference (INDOSAN) 2016 at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi The monument was felicitated at the
conference, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendea Modi.
The Nobel Prize in medicine has been awarded to a Japanese cell biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi, for
discoveries on how cells break down and recycle their own components (autophagy).
Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao (KTR) was awarded with the Global Champion of Digital
Literacy Award by Certiport. Certiport found the work done by Rao deserving of a Global Champion
of Digital Literacy Award.
The 29 year old Prineet Grewal from Pune was crowned with Mrs India Earth 2016 at a gala
ceremony amid members of the fashion industry in Dwarka.
The tenth edition of the SiGNS digital video festival, which would be remembered for recording the
highest-ever participation, concluded.
2016 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz
for their work on exotic states of matter.
Elephant researcher Prajna Chowta awarded with Chevalier de lOrdre National du Mrite, one of
the highest civilian recognitions of the French government.
The prestigious P.L. Roy Award instituted by HelpAge India has been presented on SJVN for
its outstanding contribution in providing free & quality medical care to the communities as one of its
many CSR initiatives
Indian-origin South African Kiara Nirghin won a $50,000 scholarship at the annualGoogle Science
Fair for her project titled No More Thirsty Crops which was aimed at tackling the severe drought
plaguing South Africa.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2016 has been awarded to Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart
and Bernard L. Feringa for developing molecular machines.
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.
Nayanjot Lahiri of Ashoka University has been selected as the winner of the 2016 John F. Richards
Prize for her book Ashoka in Ancient India.
President of India presented Sangeet Natak Akademis Fellowships and Akademi Awards for 2015.
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Eminent Malayalam novelist and short story writer U K Kumaran is selected for prestigious Vayalar
award 2016 for his novel Thakshankunnu Swarooopam.
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.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2016
to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos for his resolute efforts to bring the countrys more than
50-year-long civil war to an end, a war that has cost the lives of at least 220 000 Colombians and
displaced close to six million people.
An Indian-origin South African businessman AB Moosa has been honoured with a prestigious award
by an international humanitarian organisation in recognition of his charitable work.
According to the Delhi International Airport Limited, Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airports
(IGIA) Terminal 3 (T3) has achieved Platinum rating from Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
Sprinter Srabani Nanda has bagged the 24th Ekalabya Award for the year 2016 in recognition of her
sporting excellence. Hockey players Deep Grace Ekka and Dipsan Tirkey will receive a cash prize of
Rs 50,000.
Nobel Prizes 2016
Field Winner Discovery / Contribution
Physics David J. Thouless, F. Duncan M. For theoretical discoveries of topological phase
Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz transitions and topological phases of matter
Chemistry Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser For the design and synthesis of molecular
Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa machines
Physiology or Medicine Yoshinori Ohsumi For his discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy
Literature Bob Dylan For having created new poetic expressions within
the great American song tradition
Peace Juan Manuel Santos For his resolute efforts to bring the country's more
than 50-year-long civil war to an end
Economic s Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmstrm For their contributions to contract theory
For the first time, four-legged soldiers who accompany troops in combat zones for sanitisation
exercises and logistical tasks will be decorated with special medals instituted exclusively for them on
lines of those given to troops.
The Telangana government organised the Guinness Record entrants traditional state festival of
Bathukamma on a grand scale at the Lal Bahadur stadium in Hyderabad. With participation
of 9,292 women, surpassed the Onam dance organised in Kerala in 2015 in which 5,015 women had
participated, the festival entered the Guinness Record Book.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan recently received the Outstanding Celebrity Woman of the Year award
while featuring among Outlook Business 19 outstanding women.
The new integrated terminal building of Chandigarh International Airports Limited (CHIAL) has
bagged the 2014-15 India Building Congress (IBC) Award for Excellence in Built Environment.
Veteran actor Ian McKellen was honoured at the UK Theatre Awards that took place on October 9 in
London for his individual contributions to British theatre.
Former Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank conferred with a prestigious award by
the Ugandan government for promoting human values through his literature in Uganda on October
12 2016.
The prestigious V Krishnamurthy Award for Excellence was presented to eminent scientist and
former Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, RA Mashelkar.
Actress Priyanka Chopra added another feature to her cap. The Quantico star has joined media
mogul Oprah Winfrey and pop star Jennifer Lopez in Variety magazines Power of Women Impact
List.
Indias hockey captain PR Sreejesh bagged Jimmy George award. The award carries a purse
of Rs.25,000 and a citation that would be presented to Sreejesh in December 3,at Peravoor. Peravoor
in this district of Kerala is the birthplace of Jimmy George,who was the first professional volleyball
player to represent the nation.
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Satish Pathak from Pune has been awarded the the Excellence in Technical Innovation by
the International Society of Automation for Digital Controlled Valve for Precise Liquid Dispensing
by Gravity flow, has the capacity of saving for the industry and is a step change technology in
industrial valves.
Former Minister Veeranna (76) awarded with the Sri Maharshi Valimiki Jayanti Award for the year
2016-17 by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh and
a citation.
Kirtiraj Kundlik Gaikwad, an Indian scientist with the Department of Packaging, hasbeen awarded
the prestigious IAFP Young scientist scholarship award. This is awarded for his research work on
development of novel oxygen absorbing package in the field of active packaging for oxygen
sensitive food products.
Juventus Gianluigi Buffon has won prestigious Golden Foot award in Monaco. The 38-year-old,
Juventus legend has been one of the standout performers for the Turin club in the last decade.
Renowned writer C Radhakrishnan has been selected for the Mathrubhumi Literary Award
Mizorams Pachuau declared Indias oldest working journalist
The Mangalore international airport here has been rated the best in southern regionand won the third
spot among all the 52 airports from across the country. The performances of all the airports are rated
on the basis of overall customer satisfaction.
Actress Sonam Kapoor has been honoured with the Trendsetter Award 2016 by ET Panache to
recognises the efforts of entrepreneurs, innovators, newsmakers and athletes whose stories "inspire
millions and whose services transform lives.
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.
The Maharajas Express, the worlds most luxurious train owned and operated by Indian Railway
Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), received the 2016 Seven Star Luxury Hospitality and
Lifestyle Awards at Marbella in Spain.
Robert De Niro to award with 44th annual Chaplin Award at the annual Chaplin Awardgala
announced by The Film Society of Lincoln Center. He is selected for for a four-decade acting
career that stretches from early work including Mean Streets, Raging Bull and The Godfather
Part II to more recent projects such as Silver Linings Playbook.
Dubais Burj Khalifa: Worlds tallest tower is now the worlds tallest Lego structure.It is designed
and built using 4,39,000 lego bricks with a height of 17 metres.
The Sustainable Manufacturing of Make in India Award won by Tata Steel at theMake in India
Awards 2016. The award was received by T V Narendran, Managing Director of Tata Steel India
from the Union Minister for Steel, Mr Birendra Singh in New Delhi on October 19 2016.
State Bank of Patiala has been conferred Special Award for Excellence in MSME lending for its
performance in lending to the MSME sector during the year 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the National
Award Function held at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana.Prime Minister of India,
Narendra Modi was the chief guest of this function
Mumbai based Nayan Khanolkar got the one shot that would go on to win him the
prestigious Wildlife Photographer Award, 2016 by the BBC and Natural History Museum in
London.
The Milan city council bestowed honorary citizenship on His Holiness the Dalai Lamadespite strong
objections from Chinese government.The Nobel Peace Prize laureate accepted the honor inside a
theatre at the University of Milan-Bicocca campus before an audience of mostly students.
The Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai (SJAM) named cricket legend Sunil Manohar
Gavaskar for its Lifetime Achievement award. The award will be presented at the golden jubilee
celebrations of SJAM on December 11, 2016 in Mumbai
Air India has become the first ever flight to flown over the Pacific Ocean from Delhi to San Fransico
(SFO), instead of the Atlantic. Air India flew non-stop over the Ocean making the record of
operating the worlds longest nonstop flight.The Pacific route is almost 1,400km longer than the
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Atlantic one, and the flight covered 15,300 kilometres in 14.5 hours.
Almatti dam, one of the largest reservoirs in Karnataka, was chosen for the World Banks Award of
Excellence for best utilisation of funds for renovation to enhance the strength of the dam. The World
Bank had granted Rs.72 crore to the Krishna BhagyaJal Nigam Limited to prevent seepage which
could damage the dam.
RandeepGuleria, Head of Pulmonology, and CS Yadav of department of orthopaedics, from the All
India Institute of Medical Sciences have been chosen for Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy Award Roy Award
for excellence in the field of medicine.Arvind Kumar also chosen for the Eminent Medical Person
category.
Former Brazilian footballer Edson Arantes do Nascimento known as Pel holds the Guinness World
Record for the most number of goals scored by an individual in a specified period. The total goal
scored by him was 1,279 goals from 7 September 1956 to 1 October 1977 in 1,363 games.
G. Balakrishna(25) from Ramagondanahalli was crowned as Mr. Asia 2016 at the 5th Phil-Asia
bodybuilding championships held in Philippines. He is trained by champions SangramChougla from
Mumbai and Munish Kumar from Punjab.
AIR Allahabad Programme Executive Abhinay Srivastava won the first prize in the Community
Service Announcement category Diary of a Tiger on dwindling forests and gradually decreasing
habitats of tigers at the Asia-Pacific Broadcast Union (ABU) Prizes 2016 at Bali, Indonesia.
MalaikaVaz has won the 2016 Wildscreen National Geographic Roar Talent Bursary Award for her
short-film Waghoba at Wildscreen festival which was held at Bristol, UK . She became the first
Indian to bag this award.
Paul Beatty has become the first US author to win the Man Booker Prize with hisracial satire The
Sellout. His novel tells the story of a young black man who tries to reinstate slavery and racial
segregation in a suburb of Los Angeles.
Finolex Industries Ltd, one of the famous suppliers of PVC pipes & fittings for the agriculture and
non-agricultural sectors in India, has been bestowed with the national record certificate by The
Limca Book of Records for conducting the largest number of plumbers meets organised
simultaneously across 26 states and 58 cities.
The Government of Uttar Pradesh announced the names of 54 eminent personalities who have been
selected for the award in recognition of their contributions in their respective field.
The Uttar Pradeshs highest honour Yash Bharti award will be given to 54 personalities.Among
them, nine Muslims were conferred the award by Chief Minister AkhileshYadav in presence of
Mulayam Singh Yadav. The award is given annually by Culture Department of UP government.Yash
Bharti comes with a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh, citation and a shawl. The awardees are also eligible for
a monthly pension of Rs 50,000 for their life.
Nadia Murad and LamiyaAji Bashar, two young Iraqis who escaped sexual slavery by the Islamic
State and became advocates for womens rights were honored with the Sakharov Prize for Freedom
of Thought, the European Unions top human rights award.
Three women from Maharashtra Suvarna Lokhande, Sangeeta Awhale & ChiataliRathod were
conragulated&honored by MC granting title of Swachhatadoot.
Indian National Award winning documentary Daughters of Mother India won the first prize in the
Documentary Film category at the sixth CAM International Film Festival.
Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches from Portugal has won the European Golden Boy
award.He will receive the award on October 31, 2016.He was also named the best young player of
Euro 2016.
Ravindra - Ambassador of India to the Republic of Guinea

Somesh Sharma - INS President
Dipanjan Basu - Chief Financial Officer -Myntra
Arundhati Bhattacharya (1 year extension) -SBI chief
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S SIVAKUMAR Full time member of 21st Law Commission

Dr. Vinaya Manchaiah-class of Jerger Future Leaders of Audiology.
Anoyara Khatun -International Child Rights Activist
Vinod Sawhny (steps down) - Reliance Communications CEO
M. Sevala Naik - High Commissioner of India to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas
Ashish Vohra - CEO - Reliance Nippon Life Insurance
Rajeev Sharma - Power Finance CMD
K J Yesudas - brand ambassador of Haritha Keralam project
Jawhar Sircar (resigns)- Prasar Bharati CEO
Kersti Kaljulaid New President of Estonia
Parvez Ahmed -J&K Bank Chairman & CEO
Sushil Chandra- Chairman of CBDT
Justice Mohanty - CJ Of Jharkhand HC
B.V.R Mohan Reddy -honorary consul of Germany
Rajeev Rishi -IBA Chairman for 2016-17
Rafeeque Ahmed as President- South India Chamber of Commerce and Industry(SICCI)
P V Sindhu -New Brand Ambassador Of Vizag Steel.
Luo Zhaohui - China envoy to India
Renu Pall appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Austria
Lieutenant General AK Sharma assumed command of the White Knight Corps (16 Corps) from
Lieutenant General RR Nimbhorkar.
Indian-origins Valerie Vazand and Shami Chakrabarti appointed to UK shadow cabinet
Moroccan king reappoints Abdelilah Benkirane as PM
Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalithaas portfolios allocated to FM O. Panneerselvam
NBA Player Yao Ming Appointed as Chinese Ambassador to Mars
G Mahalingam - Whole-Time Member of markets regulator SEBI.
Raghunathan Elected National President Of AIMO
Antonio Guterres Next Secretary General for UN
Bank of Baroda appoints P V Sindhu and K Srikanth as brand ambassadors
Amrit Lugun concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to the State of Eritrea
Asha Kharga - Marketing head of Brooke Bond and Lipton, joins Axis Bank
Valvoline Ropes In Virat Kohli As Brand Ambassador
Ajay Kumar Bhalla - New Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
Rajeev Misra - Head of Softbanks S100 billion tech fund,
Amandeep Singh - next Ambassador/PR of India to the UN Conference on Disarmament, Geneva
James Parker-- president of global sales- Tata Communications
Roopa Ganguly, Ganeshan --- Rajya Sabha MP
Sanjay Singh --Member Secretary, Law Commission
BCCI President Anurag Thakur - ICCs Finance and Commercial Affairs committee
Navdeep Singh Suri --envoy to UAE for India
Visa CEO Charles Scharf to resign, ex-AmEx president to take over. He will be replaced by Alfred
Kelly.It is
effective from December 1, 2016.
Ex-Sri Lankan cricket skipper Jayasuriya - brand ambassador of the Stairs School Football League
(SSFL)
Saina Nehwal - member of IOCs Athletes Commission
S.P Yadav-new President of Urology Society of India
Indian woman wrestler Geeta Phogat -- DSP in Haryana Police
Tariq Hameed Karras (Resigned)-- LS Speaker PDP MP
Japans Morinari Watanabe -President of International Gymnastics Federation
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The United Nations (UN) has celebrated Wonder Womans 75th birthday by naming the comic book
character as its new honorary ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls, despite
frustration from both inside and outside the world organisation that the spot should go to a real and
less-sexualised woman.
D. Bala Venkatesh Varma --Ambassador of India to Spain
Former Google Search Head Amit Singhal--Joins Paytm Board of Directors
P. S. Raman -World Free Zones Orgnisation (World FZO) Regional Representative for SAARC
countries
Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Bilal Nazki- chairperson of Jammu &Kashmir Human Rights
Comission.
Dr. Ajay M. Gondane-Next High Commissioner of India to Australia
Ratan Tata replaces Cyrus Mistry as Tata Sons chairman
SalimGangadharan to replace AmitabhaGuha as non-executive chairman in South Indian Bank
Flipkart CFO Sanjay Baweja(resigns)
Sunil Bharti Mittal Becomes The First Indian to be Elected Chairman of GSMA
Sunil Gavaskar- Stroke Ambassador for India
Jason McCracken- New CEO of International Hockey Federation (FIH)
BorjeEkholm- Ericssons Boards new President and CEO
Ananthakrishna-- Non-Executive Chairman Karnataka Bank (retires)
Karnal Singh -Chief of Enforcement Directorate
World Bank appointed first adviser to tackle LGBTI discrimination
MadhukarJetley- UP Ambassador of Indian Diaspora Council (IDC)
KristalinaGeorgieva as chief executive officer of World Bank
Mariano Rajoy-Spanish Prime Minister (re-elected)
Deep Kumar Upadhyayas -Nepals envoy to India (re-appointed)
Ashok Chawla -Non-Executive Chairman Of Yes Bank
Michel Aoun - Lebanons president
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday gave its nod to the acquisition of 11 per
cent stake in Russias Vankor oil fields by ONGC Videsh Ltd(OVL) from Rosneft Oil Company for
$930 million, which will take its overall stake in the project to 26 per cent.
Homegrown online travel company MakeMyTrip announced to acquired rival Indiantravel
company Ibibo at an undisclosed amount to form the countrys biggest online travel company.
One of the largest startups Freshdesk has announced to acquire a social chat platformChatimity to
developed artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbot technology at an undisclosed amount.
Wipro Ltd will spend $500 million to buy Appirio Inc., an Indianapolis, US-based cloud services
firm. Appirio helps companies move applications to hosted servers offered by Amazon, Google and
Salesforce.com.
HCL Technologies announced to acquire Butler America Aerospace for USD 85 million to
strengthening its position in the aerospace and defence engineering services space.
Mahindra & Mahindra has acquired UK-based two-wheeler maker BSA Company for Rs 28 crore.
This acquisition will enable CLPL acquire/obtain license of brand and utilise the same for selling,
marketing, distributing motorcycles globally
Telecommunications giant AT&T agreed to buy Time Warner for about $85.4 billionto expand
beyond its wireless and Internet service into programming.
American technology giant, IBM has acquired home-grown Sanovi Technologies to support its cloud
offerings for an undisclosed sum. Bangalore based Sanovi provides hybrid cloud recovery, cloud
migration and business continuity software for enterprise data centers and cloud infrastructure.
The countrys largest pharma company Sun Pharma acquired 100 per cent equity in the US-based
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eye care specialist Ocular Technologies for a front payment of $40 million.
SCHEMES
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar 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.
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.
Maharashtra became 17th State to join UDAY: an overall net benefit of Rs. 9725 crores to accrue to
the State
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan decided to launch a scheme-Lalima
Abhiyan to make Madhya Pradesh anaemia-free. It will be effective from November 1, 2016.
A new study brought in first conclusive evidence of the role played by Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)
in reducing socioeconomic disparities existing in maternal care. The JSY was launched in 2005 as
part of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to improve maternal and neonatal health by
promotion of institutional deliveries (childbirth in hospitals).
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.
Devendra Fadnavis lead Maharashtra government decided to extend fee waiver to students for
professional and higher education courses, including medical and engineering. Before SC/ST
students had 100 per cent fee waiver while OBC students had 50 per cent concession. Now it is
extended to all students with income limit of Rs 6 lakhs and who have secured more than 60 per cent
marks at the time of admission. Those with income limit upto Rs 2.5 lakhs will have no condition
Under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme, Andhra
Pradesh has released Rs.99.62 crore to AP-Urban Finance and Infrastructure Development
Corporation Limited (AP-UFIDC) for the year 2016-17.
Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the presence of CM Devendra Fadnavis launched
the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in Maharashtra to provide free LPG connections.
The 'Farm Tourism' scheme launched by Haryana Tourism Minister Rambilas Sharma to attract people to
villages. Under this scheme, farm owners can host tourists under holiday packages.
Maharashtra government launched Kaushalya Setu, its skill development programme for students. The state
will play a leading role in fulfilling PM Narendra Modis Skill India Mission-2020.
The Election Commission of India hold the first ever International Conference on Voter Education in New
Delhi. The topic of the Conference is Voter Education for Inclusive, Informed and Ethical Participation.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation took a major step today towards making flying a reality for the small town
common man. The Civil Aviation Minister Shri P Ashok Gajapathi Raju launched the Ministrys much
awaited Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) in New Delhi. This first-of-its-
kind scheme globally will create affordable yet economically viable and profitable flights on regional
routes so that flying becomes affordable to the common man even in small towns.
PM launched several schemes including Urja Ganga gas pipeline project in Varanasi. 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.
The Ministry of Science and Technology has started two new initiatives namely Biotech-KISAN
(Krishi Innovation Science Application Network)and Cattle Genomics.Under the scheme, fellowship
will be given to women farmers for training and education in the farm practice.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announced a new scheme Madhubabu Aain Sahayata Sibirto provide
legal assistance to the deprived sections of the society at the grassroots level in all its 6,812 gram
panchayats across the state. The scheme was named after great Odia lawyer, Madhubabu Aain
Sahayata Sibir
UP CM AkhileshYadav inaugurated dedicated power supply for at least 18 hours to every nook and
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corner of the state

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.
MoUs
Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of Puducherry and Airports Authority of India signed MoU
to Promote Regional Connectivity Scheme
The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the signing of Memorandum of Understanding(MoU)
between India and African-Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO) for capacity building
programmes in the rural development sector.
The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the signing of MoU between India and European Union in
the field of water resources.
The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh met the visiting Minister for Justice and Police of Swiss
Confederation, Ms. Simonetta Sommarug in New Delhi on October 6, 2016. The two sides signed
three agreements including :
1.Mutual Visa Exemption Agreement for Holders of Diplomatic Passports,
2.Technical Arrangements on Identification and Return of Illegal Migrants and Arrangement for
Dependent Person of Diplomatic, Consular, Technical and
3.Administrative Staff of Diplomatic and Consular Mission to Perform Gainful Employment.
Arunachal Pradesh government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with theNational Institute
of Electronics and Information Technology for skill development of local people in presence of
Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu in New Delhi.
According to World Bank, India accounted for the largest number of people living below
international poverty line in 2013, with 30 per cent of its population under the $1.90-a-day poverty
measure.
Arunachal inks MoU with AP Ruchi Soya Industries for development of Oil Palm in the state
Cabinet approved MoU between Exim Bank on General Cooperation with NDB, along with other
Development Financial Institutions of BRICS nations to enhance trade and economic
relations among the BRICS countries. There was no financial implication involved with signing of
the MoU.
Cabinet apprised of the MoU between India and Qatar on cooperation in the field of Youth and
Sports. The MoU would help in expanding knowledge and expertise in the areas of sports science,
sports medicine and coaching techniques. This would result in improvement in performance of our
sports persons in international tournaments and strengthening of bilateral relations between India and
Qatar.
Cabinet approved MoU between India and Hungary on cooperation in the field of water management
The Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its
approval for signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the Russian
Federation on Expansion of Bilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation.
Ministry of Railways signed MoU with Government of Odisha for cost sharing of two new railway
line projects. The Mou was signed in the presence of Union Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhakar
Prabhu and Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik.
India and Russia signed a pact to set up 25 integrated infrastructure centers for irradiation treatment
of perishable food items. At least 7 centers will be set up in Maharashtra.
The Economic Development Board of Andhra Pradesh signed a pact with Russias JSC United
Shipping Corporation for setting up a ship-building unit in the state.
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and FieldFresh Foods, a joint venture between Bharti
Enterprises & Del Monte Pacific Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to
carry out a corn productivity research programme.
An apex society of entities in the Hydrocarbon sector, PetroFed signed a Memorandum of
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Understanding (MoU) with TERI(The Energy and Resources Institute) to undertake study
onClimate Change Risks: Preparedness for Oil and Gas Sector.in the presence of Sh. Dharmendra
Pradhan, Minister of State (I/C), Petroleum & Natural Gas and Sh. K.D. Tripathi, Secretary in New
Delhi.
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari announced that India
and Germany would work on projects, worth Rs.1 lakh crore, for improving rail connectivity of
Indian ports, being implemented by the Indian Port Rail Corporation Ltd(IPRCL).
Transportation app Uber has signed MoU with Ministry of Electronics and ITs CSCs(Common
Services Centres) for skilling drivers on its platform.
Railways & Urban Development Ministries signs MoU to redevelop stations under smart city
plans. According to this MoU , initially 10 cities could be taken up for the proposed redevelopment
with the involvement of public sector construction company NBCC (India) Ltd.
Infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has signed MoU with the Maharashtra government for
Nagpur smart city project.
The Indo-Italian Joint Committee established under the Scientific and Technological Cooperation
Agreement re-launch cooperation in the sectors of science, technology and innovation. The original
agreement was signed between Italy and India in 2003.
Negotiators from nearly 200 nations have clinched a historic deal to phase down emissions of
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) potent greenhouse gases used in air conditioners and refrigerators. The
agreement a major expansion of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which eliminated the use of the ozone-
depleting chlorofluorocarbons was finalized during a United Nations meeting in Kigali, Rwanda.The
deal, received with a round of applause in the early hours of Saturday, has delivered on most of the
promises made by the member countries last week, getting the world on track to avoid almost 0.5C
warming by 2100.
Indian pharmaceutical major Cipla has signed a memorandum of agreement for South Africas first
biosimilars manufacturing facility to be set up at a cost of nearly $91 million.
Mizoram government and Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) inked a Memorandum
of Cooperation called Record of Discussionson Capacity enhancement for sustainable Agriculture
and Irrigation Development in Mizoram on October 26, 2016.
India has notified the revised double tax avoidance agreement with South Korea on October 26,
2016. It will effect from April 1, 2017. It provides for reduction in withholding tax rates to 10 per
cent on royalties or fees for technical services from 15 per cent and to 10 per cent on interest income
from 15 per cent.
Cabinet approves the new Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit between India and Bhutan
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing and
ratification of an agreement between India and Estonia on the transfer of sentenced persons.
Canada and EU sign a long-delayed landmark trade deal at a summit in Brussels
India and Russia have given nod for the proposal to double the range of the BrahMos, worlds first
supersonic cruise missile at the 16th Russia-India intergovernmental commission on military
cooperation meeting.
MOU signed between India and Palestine for setting up of Palestine-India Techno Park in Ramallah.
COMITTEES
Mata Prasad committee appointed by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission has suggested
an overhaul in transmission planning to facilitate transfer of power on economic principles.
The Saraswati river based on traditional stories existed a government-constituted expert committee
has found. Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti stated that the government would take
action on the report, which according to her, cannot be challenged. Professor K S Valdiya, who led
the panel, explained that they had reached a conclusion that river Saraswati existed, it flowed.It
originated in the Himalayas and met gulf at the western sea.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has appointed a three-member panel to look
into National Spot Exchange (NSEL) scam. The initial probe in the case had revealed that some
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brokers involved in the NSELs Rs 5,574 crore payments crisis had mis-sold products.
Capital Markets Regulator, SEBI has re-constituted its committee which advises the regulator on
issues related to disclosure requirements and accounting practices for various entities in the securities
market. The 17-member Committee on Disclosures and Accounting Standards will continue to be
chaired by Tata Sons Director (Finance) Ishaat Hussain.
Telecom Ministry has formed a committee to look into the regulator TRAIs recommendation of
a Rs.3,050 crore penalty on top three telcos Airtel, Vodafone and Idea.
The Central Government had appointed the committee under the Chairmanship of Justice L
Narasimha Reddy, retired Chief Justice of Patna High Court to look into the anomalies, if any,
arising out of implementation of OROP.
Surgeons using robots to conduct keyhole surgery would now be given the sense of touch thanks to
a game-changing innovation. The Hero Surg robot is a major breakthrough to current technology,
which now limits robotic surgery to the sense of sight, and mean slaparoscopic or keyhole/micro
surgery would be safer and more accurate than ever before by reducing trauma and lowering risk of
blood loss and infection.
Medtronic Plc would bring to market the worlds first artificial pancreas, after U.S. regulators
cleared the device for diabetics to automatically monitor blood sugar and supply insulin, replicating
what a healthy version of the organ does on its own.
Toyota Motor Corp unveiled a doe-eyed palm-sized robot named Kirobo Mini designed as a
synthetic baby companion in Japan as number of childless couple grows
Kirobo Mini. It is equipped with artificial intelligence and a camera so it can recognise the face of
the person speaking to it and respond.
Election Commission has launched a mobile application for more transparency and effective
monitoring of the ongoing revision of voters list before the 2017 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.
Indias latest communication satellite GSAT-18 was successfully launched from Kourou, Guiana.
The spacecraft and launch service cost about US$153 million.
Researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have developed the smallest transistor reported to date,
breaking a major size barrier with a gate only one nanometre long.The laws of physics had set a 5-
nanometre threshold on the size of transistor gates among conventional semiconductors, about one-
quarter the size of high-end 20-nanometre-gate transistors now on the market.
A researcher from Punes Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) has
successfully produced a stable, high-efficiency, all-inorganic perovskite nanocrystal solar cells.
NASAs Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has detected Great Balls of Fire (GBF), a
mysterious super-hot blobs of gas seen near a dying star. These plasma balls were moving so fast
through space that it would take only 30 minutes for them to travel from Earth to the moon. The
observations suggest that these balls of fire had been appearing every 8.5 years for at least the last
four centuries.
The glaciological research lab inaugurated by M. Rajeevan, Secretary to the Ministry of Earth
Sciences at Himansh in the Spiti Valley on October 10, 2016. It was located at an altitude of nearly
13,500 feet.
A new high-tech material named polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or electroactive
bandage developed by NASA that uses electricity to promote healing of injured wounds.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Kolkata had
used human hair to produce cost-effective, metal-free cathodes for use in solar cells.
Self-powered UV photodetector charges energy storage devices developed by IISc researchers
The central mines ministry launched a satellite-based illegal mining detection system, which will
receive tip offs in the form of pictures taken from a mobile phone, automatically generate
complaints to state authorities and publish the outcome of a probe in a mobile application.
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Indian Immunological Ltd (IIL), a subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has
unveiled a vaccine to fight against tapeworms in pigs. It is the first in the world to fight tapeworms in
pigs
The Indian Coast Guard Ships Aryaman and Atulya, the eighteenth and nineteenth in the series of
twenty Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs), designed and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, were
commissioned at Kochi by Financial Advisor to Defence Services Shri Sunil Kumar Kohli.
The Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA), a Supreme Court-appointed pollution
watchdog, launched a mobile app HawaBadlo, aiming to improve air quality with public
participation.
China successfully launched a spacecraft carrying two astronauts, in its longest-ever manned space
mission.This team would later join its experimental space lab orbiting the Earth as the country
moved a step closer to establish its permanent space station by2022.
A group of students from the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur is developing drones using
indigenous hardware and software. The drones being developed under the institutesAerial Robotics
Kharagpur (ARK) initiative and funded by the Sponsored Research & Industrial Consultancy
(SRIC) facility of the Institute.
Positive Shift International launched the skill development digital platform UNO Learn to offer
skill development courses from industry experts and universities.It will offer500+ courses now.
Scientists have developed a new world-first optical sensor that could quickly detect vitamin B12
deficiency, a condition linked to an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimers disease. The device
would enable the tracking of vitamin B12 levels in high-risk patients and early intervention to top
up vitamin B12 levels when low and help overcome the limitations of current testing methods
which are time-consuming and costly.
Scientists from Delhis National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have developed a novel way of
producing electricity from water at room temperature without using any power or chemicals. A team
led by Dr. R.K. Kotnala used nanoporous magnesium ferrite to split water into hydronium (H3O)
and hydroxide (OH) ions and used silver and zinc as electrodes to make a cell that produces
electricity.
Microsoft have developed the firsttechnology that recognises the words in a conversation as well as
humans do.A team of researchers and engineers in Microsoft Artificial Intelligence and Research
created a speech recognition system that makes the same or fewer errors than professional
transcriptionists.
Qualcomm announces the worlds first 5G Modem, called the Snapdragon X50.The chip could
theoretically support download speeds on your smartphone of up to 5 gigabits per second.
Mothers milk from the marsupials known as Tasmanian devils could help the global fight against
increasingly deadly superbugs which resist antibiotics was identified by Australian researchers.
Superbugs are bacteria which cannot be treated by current antibiotics and other drugs, with a recent
British study saying they could kill up to 10 million people globally by 2050.
Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS Rani Gaidinliu was commissioned into the Indian Coast Guard here by
Director-General of Coast Guard Rajendra Singh.The vessel is named after freedom fighter and
famous Naga spiritual and political leader Rani Gaidinliu, who belonged to the Heraka cult of
Manipur.
Scientists from University of Oklahoma have discovered the oldest known planet-forming disk a
45 million-year-old ring of gas and dust that orbits around a young star, from which planets can form
as the material collides and aggregates.
Chinas space lab Tiangong-2 orbiting the Earth with two astronauts on board has successfully
launched a micro-satellite which weighs 47 kilograms and is the size of a printer.
The Indian Space Research Organization started a series of ground and aerial tests linked to the
critical Moon landing of Chandrayaan-2 at Challakere in Chitradurga district. This Place is 400
km far away from Bengaluru.
A new species of millipede found lurking in the unexplored dark marble caves of Sequoia National
Park in California. This new species of millipede has been named Illacmetobini.
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Researchers from University of Idaho unveiled that the Uranus might have two tiny, previously
undiscovered moons orbiting near two of the planets rings.
The Employees Online (EO) App launched by Dr.Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State
(Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel,
Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space.
The landing module of the Russian spaceship Soyuz MS-01 successfully placed in the steppes of
Kazakhstan with three crew members on board was stated by Russian Mission Control Centre.
DEFENCE
India and Indonesia commenced their second coordinated patrol and bilateral maritime exercise in
the Andaman Sea.
Sixteen countries are slated to participate in the 5th Physical Agility and Combat Efficiency System
military exercises began on October 18, 2016 in Lahore. The countries will take part in the six-day
drills aimed at enhancing physical and military capabilities of troops.
The Indian and Chinese armies held Second Joint Exercise Sino India Cooperation 2016, as a
sequel to the first Joint Exercise held in the area of Border Personnel Meeting Hut at Chushul
Garrison of Eastern Ladakh, along with Chinese troops of Moldo Garrison under the provisions
of Border Defense Cooperation Agreement, 2013.
Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, NM takes over as Director General of Naval Operations on October 21,
2016. He was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 Jan 1984.
US Navy has commissioned its largest, most expensive and technologically advanced
destroyer, Zumwalt. The 610-foot-long ship, commissioned in Baltimore also has an advanced power
plant and weapon systems.
India is finally close to operationalizing its long-awaited nuclear weapons triad the capability to
launch nukes from land, air and sea. India has recently become a nuclear triad with INS Arihant,
which has been officially commissioned as of August 2016. INS Arihant will either carry 12 K-15
missiles with a range of 750 km or 4 K-4 missiles with an extended range of 3500 km.
The Indian Navy commissioned the newest Car Nicobar-class fast attack craft INS Tihayu at the
Eastern Naval Command. INS Tihayu, specifically built for meeting needs of extended coastal and
offshore surveillance and patrol, has a length of 49.9 metres and maximum breadth of 7.5
meters. Named after an island in Nicobar, the vessel has an endurance of 2,000 nautical miles at 12
to 14 knots of economical speed.
Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS Rani Gaidinliu was commissioned into the Indian Coast Guard here by
Director-General of Coast Guard Rajendra Singh.The vessel is named after freedom fighter and
famous Nagaspiritual and political leader Rani Gaidinliu, who belonged to the Heraka cult of
Manipur.
The fourth meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Commission began in New Delhi was setting the tone
for the minister-level meeting scheduled.
India Army team has won a gold medal at Exercise Cambrian Patrol which was organised by the
British Army in Wales.The Indian Army team presented a tradition khukri as a memento to the
British Army.
The fourth edition of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Military Exercise MITRA SHAKTI 2016 is being
conducted at Sinha Regimental Centre in Ambepussa, Sri Lanka from October 24 to November 6
Rear Admiral Vennam Srinivas took charge as the Flag Officer Submarines on October 24, 2016. He
will replace Rear Admiral Sanjay Mahindru.
INS Viraat, the worlds oldest aircraft carrier, was accorded a grand send-off from the port city in
Kochi, after over five decades of its service to the Navy.
A 14-day India-Nepal joined military exercise, named Surya Kiran IX, began at Pithoragarh. The
exercise would end on February 21. The aim of this exercise is to conduct battalion level joint
training with special importance on Counter Terrorism in mountainous terrain.
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ENVIRONMENT
Tamil Nadu accounts for the highest number of species with 410, followed by Kerala with 357
and Maharashtra with 278 in a recent Publication by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).Scientists of
the BSI have listed at least 37 species of Black plum Syzyguim (Jamun), 10 varieties of Musa
(banana), along with 274 species of orchids, which are found only in the country.
Mexicos Colima volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the country and Central America has
erupted, spewing a large plume of ash and thick black smoke into the sky and forcing the evacuation
of two nearby villages.
Scientists have discovered a bunch of ancient Roman and Ottoman coins from the ruins of an old
castle in Japan. Since 2013, archaeologists from Uruma Board of Education in Japan have been
excavating the Katsuren castle a UNESCO world heritage site located in Okinawa.
Nearly Sixty red-crowned cranes were hatched this year in Chinas Zhalong National Nature
Reserve in Heilongjiang Province, the worlds largest captive breeding centre for endangered birds.
Australian Scientists have discovered a new species of green treefrog named Litoria bella, or the
Cape York Graceful with distinctive orange hands and feet and iridescent purpleinner thighs.
A new species of fish named Scomber Indicus in Kerala waters by a team of CMFRI (Central Marine
Fisheries Research Institute)scientists led by E M Abdussamad
At least six people have been killed after Typhoon Chaba battered South Korea with strong winds
and heavy rain. The southern cities of Busan and Ulsan were worst affected, as well as the resort
island of Jeju.
Brazilian scientists announced the discovery largest dinosaurever found in South Americas biggest
country.Researchers announced their discovery after analysing fossilised bones of the giant, long-
necked herbivore, which faded in a storage cupboard for 60 years.
The Supreme Court stayed the commercial release of the genetically modified (GM) variety of
mustard till October 17 following a petition as this could have severe consequences on the
environment and human health
A new termite species, Glyptotermes Chiraharitae, has been discovered at Kakkayam in the Malabar
Wildlife Sanctuary. The species are named Chiraharitae, after the tropical evergreen forests of the
Western Ghats, where the termite was spotted.
Floridians along the Atlantic coast were coping with rising water as Hurricane Matthew drenched the
state with rain and as strong winds pushed waves over beaches.
Scientists had discovered a major group of organisms contributing to climate change, the second
major breakthrough in 12 months towards mapping the tree of life.
Taking the lead on tackling climate change, India will eliminate the use of HFC-23, a greenhouse gas
that harms the ozone layer, by 2030.
Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake situated in North America. Fresh water is naturally
occurring water on Earths surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, icebergs,
bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground
streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and
other total dissolved solids.
The magnificent Kashmiri Red Stag or Hangul could finally get some protection with
the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) all set to declare it
a critically endangered species.
Typhoon Sarika battered wide areas of the countrys main island of Luzon, killed at least two people
and isolated hundreds of villages due to floods, cutting off communication lines, felling down
trees and electric posts as well as inflicting heavy damage on farms was reported by the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council(NDRRMC)
According to data provided by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), under the United
States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), the month of September 2016 was
the hottest September on record.
31 | P a g e
The Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has made it mandatory for all automobile
manufacturers to provide emission and noise pollution details for every vehicle they produce
by April 2017.
Delhis air quality worsened on last two days with the six stations that monitor particulate
matter(PM) 2.5 and 10 falling in the very poor category. The overall levels of PM 2.5 (particulate
matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometres) and PM 10 (particulate matter with diameter less
than 10 micrometres), were settled at 120.8 and 248 micrograms per cubic metre, as per System of
Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).
A protein-enriched rice variety has been developed by the Indira Gandhi Krishi
Vishwavidyalay (IGKV) here and researchers hope it would serve as a boon for malnourished
population, especially children, in the tribal-dominated Chhattisgarh.
Smooth-coated otter was sighted for the first timein the mangrove forest near the Krishna wildlife
sanctuary (KWS) in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh.
Typhoon Haima made a landfall in south Chinas Guangdong Province triggering sudden downpours
in several cities. At least five counties and cities in Guangdong experienced heavy rain fall on
October 22, 2016
The World Bank and other global development lenders and other financial institutions must help
countries such as India to finance the shift of their coal production to more efficient technologies so
they can meet their COP21 commitments said by Benjamin Sporton, World Coal Association Chief
Executive
Globally averaged concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 400 parts per
million for the first time in 2015 and increased again to new records in 2016 due to the very powerful
El Nio event.
Delegates from 24 countries and the European Union have agreed that the Ross Sea in
Antarctica will become the worlds largest Marine Protected Area (MPA). This is the first large scale
MPA on the high seas.
US scientists say they have shocked upon an economically practical and highly efficient way of
converting a greenhouse gas largely reasoned for global warming into an environmentally friendly
fuel a development that could increase the renewable energy industry.
A fishing cat (Prionailurusviverrinus) was identified walking through the moderately dense
mangrove surrounding the Gilalakalandi harbour near Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh
Scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) have developed a new arhar (pigeon-
pea) variety that matures in 120 days, gives the same 20 quintal-per-hectare yields of normal 160-
180 day plants and is, moreover, amenable to mechanical combine harvesting.
Two-thirds of wild animals may go extinct by 2020, warnsreport by the Living Planet assessment by
the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
Bangladesh has introduced temporary ban on catching Hilsa Fish in an effort to save the hugely
popular fish.Before Bangladesh government banned fishermen from catching young hilsa at certain
times of the year.
SPORTS
The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports Affairs had moved a proposal for inclusion of Sports in the
harmonized master list of infrastructure sub-sectors due to the deficit of sports infrastructure
Annu Rani became the first Indian woman javelin thrower to cross the 60m mark on the third day of
the 56th Open National Athletics Championships by smashing her own national record. She
represented Railways and created her fourth national record in two years. The 23-year-old hails
from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) became the first full member of the BCCI to adopt the
MoA and Rules and Regulations as recommended by the Supreme Courtappointed Justice Lodha
Committee.
India lifted the 4th mens Under-18 Asia Cup hockey trophy by defeating Bangladesh 5-4 in
32 | P a g e
the Under-18 Asia Cup hockey trophy in Dhaka.

Manikandan Kumar, countrys most successful para climber won the Gold medal in IFSC Para
Climbing Cup in the United Kingdom.
Kieren Dsouza became the first Indian to complete Worlds toughest race, Spartathlon
ICC Test rankings: India backed to No 1 after beating New Zealand at Eden Gardens. Pakistan are
now at second place, followed by Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies,
Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
Australian and Red bulls driver Daniel Ricciardo wins 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix
Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar fired an impressive 67 for a four-day total of 269 at the Bears Best
Cheongna Golf Club, winning the 2016 million-won ($196,000) cash prize
5th Asian Beach Games An Overview
Vietnam has taken the top spot at the fifth Asian Beach Games that concluded in Da Nang, however
local experts are more concerned than thrilled as it gave little indication about the development of the
countrys high performance sports stars.
Top 3 : Vietnam , Thailand and China
India at the 16th place with 24 medals(2 Gold, 4 Silver , 18 Bronze)
The Fifth Asian Beach Games was held in Danang, Vietnam
In 5th Asian Beach Games, Pinky Balhara of India has won bronze medal in womens 52kg Kurash
category. The games were held at Da Nang, Vietnam.
India added another medal in the 5th Asian Beach Games with Harish Banghel winning asilver in the
mens middleweight Muay.
India bagged their first gold medal beating Thailand by 41-31 at the 5th Asian Beach Games with
the womens beach kabaddi team winning the title for the record fifth time in succession in Danang,
Vietnam.
Indias Deepa Gawale won a silver medal in the womens single, Long Ho Quyen, Vovinam event in
the fifth Asian Beach Games.
The 12-nation Kabaddi World Cup started this week in Ahmadabad, with a row over a decision to
bar arch-rivals Pakistan from competing threatening to overshadow the tag-wrestling sports
showcase event Feeling the heat of being isolated following the Uri attacks and supporting terror
groups announced by International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) chief Deoraj Chaturvedi.
World No. 3 Siddharth Parikh clinched the gold medal at the inaugural Asian billiards 2016,
defeating Aung Htay (Myanmar) 4-2 (26-100, 2-100(90), 100(88)-21, 100-47, 100(63)-60, 100(61)-
60) in the final of the billiards.
Maria Sharapovas two-year doping ban has been reduced to 15 months following her appeal to the
Court of Arbitration for Sport.
15-year-old Indian girl Aakanksha Hagawane scripted her name in the history books when she won
the girlsunder-16 title in the World Youth Chess Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. She
added her name to an exclusive list of Indians to win a World Chess Championship title.
Nico Roseberg of Germany and Mercedes GP won the Japan Grandprix at Suzaka Circuit in Suzaka.
Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli becomes First Indian Test Captain to Score Two Double
Centuries. He completed his second Test double century at Indore on Day 2 of the third Test vs New
Zealand.
Russian Open badminton 2016
Title Winner Runner
Mens singles Zulfadli Zulkiffli Siril Verma
Womens Gadde Ruthvika Shivani Evgeniya Kosetskaya
singles
Mens doubles Vladimir Ivanov/ Ivan Sozonov Abramov K./Zinchenko A.
Womens Anastasia Chervyakova/ Olga Morozova Kosetskaya E./Polikarpova
doubles K.
Mixed doubles Pranaav Jerry Chopra /N. Sikki Reddy Ivanov V./Sorokina V.
ISSF World Cup 2016 An Overview
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This year ISSF World cup held at the TSN Shooting Range in Bologna, Italy. The Champions
Trophy sponsored by SIUS.
Ace Indian shooter Jitu Rai shrugged off the disappointment of a poor Olympic campaign by
clinching a silver medal in the 50m pistol event of the ISSF World Cup Final.
Ace Indian shooter Jitu Rai finished sixth in the mens 10m air pistol event of the ISSF World Cup
Final.
Veteran marksman Sanjeev Rajput, ended his ISSF World Cup Finals campaign in the mens Rifle 3
Positions event in 10th place, falling short of qualifying for the eight-man final with a score of 1161.
Indias ace pistol shooter Jitu Rai made the country proud yet again when he won the International
Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Champions Trophy beating Serbias Damir Mikec, 29.6 to 28.3 in
the final, held in the 10m Air Pistol finals.
2016 China Open Overview
Title Winner Runner
Mens Singles Andy Murray Grigor Dimitrov
Womens Singles Agnieszka Radwaska Johanna Konta
Mens Doubles Pablo Carreo Busta / Rafael Nadal Jack Sock / Bernard Tomic,
Womens Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Lucie Caroline Garcia / France Kristina
Doubles afov Mladenovic
Virat Kohli was presented with the prestigious ICC Test Championship mace, following Indias win
over New Zealand in the third Test at Indore, for leading his team to the top of the ICC Test Team
Rankings. India beat New Zealand by 321 runs in the third Test to clean sweep the series 3-0.India
was guaranteed number-one spot on the ICC Test Team Rankings after they took a 2-0 lead in
Kolkata.
Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reclaimed the number one spot in Test rankings for
bowlers.
Goa Tourism department added another attraction for tourists in the coastal state with the launch of a
vessel, Duck Boats that could run on both land and water.
Aditi Ashok becomes first female Indian golfer to record 3 consecutive top 10 European Tour
finishes.
Italys Olympic Committee had officially withdrawn its bid to stage the 2024 Games in Rome after
the city council voted to oppose the candidacy committee chief Giovanni Malago.
Blistering Opener Tamim Iqbal has become the first Bangladeshi to score 5000 runs in One-Day
International cricket.The success came for during his innings against England in the third and final
ODI match of the series at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.
Former F1 driver Mark Webber announced retirement
Manipuri player Yengkhom Jason defeated his Chinese contender in straight rounds and bagged the
yellow medal in the 52 Kg category, overcoming the 30 years drought. 17 year old Jason announced
Indias arrival in Wushu at the world stage.
Brazil Crowned Champions Of BRICS U-17 Football Tourney defeating South Africa 5-1 in the
Finals at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa on October 15, 2016.
Jessica Ennis-Hills coach has announced that the 2012 Olympic heptathlon champion has chosen
the right time to retire after a glittering career that also saw her crowned world champion twice.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to organise the first ever ICC Womens World
T20 event in 2020. A decision to this effect was taken at the ICC Board meetings which concluded
in Cape. Cricket Australia, hosts for the mens and womens ICC World Twenty20 in 2020,
proposed holding the womens tournament as a stand-alone event six months ahead of the mens
edition.
Worlds fastest man, Usain Bolt will retire after 2017 IAAF World Championship in
London. Jamaican athlete is the first athlete in history to claim 3 consecutive Olympic gold medals in
the 100, 200 and 4X100m relay events.
Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat out punched Australias Ben Kite to retain the WBC welterweight Asia
title in New Delhi.
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23-year-old from Madhya Pradesh, Sourabh Varma defeated Malaysias Daren Liew 11-4 11-7 11-
9 to clinch the mens single title in the summit clash of the $55,000 Grand Prix tournament
in Taipei. Sourabh, who is on a comeback trail after being on the sidelines with multiple injuries.
Indias ODI against New Zealand at Dharamshala is the teams 900th making it the world first side
to achieve a milestone. India played its first ever ODI in 1974 against England at Leeds which ended
in a victory for the hosts. The match was part of a series that would be famously known as the
summer of 42.
Indian wrestlers in October 2016 clinched four medals, including a gold medal, at the sixth edition of
the TAFISA World Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic retained the top spot with 12.900 points in the Association of
Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings released recently.Djokovic lost 640 points after he was
defeated by Spains Roberto Bautista in the Shanghai Masters semi-final clash.Scotish player Andy
Murray garnered 640 points after winning Shanghai Masters to be at second spot with 10.485 points.
Indian spinner Amit Mishra has completed his 50 ODI wickets in Indias 900th One Day
International match(India vs New Zealand 1st ODI) and it was his 32nd ODI match.
The Indian Boxing Council, a licensing body for the countrys professional boxers, has been
inducted into the World Boxing Organisation with voting rights in the WBOs annual convention at
Puerto Rico.
A 23-member high-level delegation comprising FIFA experts ratified Kochi as venue after visiting
Jawarharlal Nehru International Stadium. Kochi became the first Indian city to be officially declared
as one of the venues for hosting the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup
First time Western Railways Team won the 15th USIC- International Shooting World
Championship with 10 medals(5 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze) held at Saint Mandrier, France.The
team won Gold in 50 Meter Rifle Event, defeating Germany and France and Swapnil Kusale and
Tejaswini Muley won Gold and Silver medal respectively.
The Indian football team ranked 137th from 148 in the latest FIFA ranking in over six years after
India defeated Puerto Rico in an International Friendly in Mumbai lat month. India were
ranked 137th in 2010 which stayed Indias best ever FIFA Ranking. The list is topped by Argentina.
Next year, India will host the Under-17 FIFA World Cup.
India created history at the IWF Youth (Boys & Girls) World Weightlifting Championships
at Penang, Malaysia, bagging a silver and a bronze medal in the 56kg weight category.
Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag is the only captain in ODI history to score adouble ton,
while leading India against the West Indies in 2011. Sehwags 149-ball 219, the then highest
individual score in ODI cricket, helped the Men in Blue post their best ever ODI total of 418.
Goa joined Kochi and Navi Mumbai as one of the venues to host next years FIFA U-17 World
Cup after it received the green signal from a high-level delegation of footballs world body.
A wolf named Zabivaka has been chosen as the official mascot of the upcoming FIFA football World
Cup which will be held in Russia in 2018, gaining more than 53 percent of a nationwide vote
India beat Iran 38-29 in the title clash to lift the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in Ahmedabad on October
22 2016.India won the Kabbadi World Cup against Iran in Ahmedabads Trans Stadia Arena, which
is Indias first convertible stadium.
JhulanGoswami, fast bowler and former captain of Indian womens cricket team, has once again
earned an honour. She has achieved the ICC number one bowlers rank, having earned 730 points.
Jhulan has already been ICC number one bowler a couple of years ago. She was named ICC player
of the year.
North Koreas womens U-17 team has been a powerhouse for nearly a decade and now they are U-
17 World Cup champions for the second time. The North Koreans beat Japan in penalty kicks to win
the 2016 FIFA U-17 Womens World Cup capping an undefeated tournament held in Jordan
Grandmaster and Commonwealth champion Abhijeet Gupta created history at theHoogeveen
International chess tournament by becoming the first player ever to win the title twice in a row in the
FIDE Open that concluded at the Dutch hamlet.
MS Dhoni becomes fifth Indian to cross 9000 runs, breaks Sachin Tendulkars record of 195 sixes in
35 | P a g e
ODIs
Lewis Hamilton from Britain won the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas on October 23, 2016.It was
Hamiltons 50th career victory and seventh win of the current season and his third consecutive
triumph on the Texas circuit.
Guwahati became the fifth Indian city to be ratified as a venue for next years Under-17 football
World Cup.
A WADA report on the anti-doping methods employed at Rio 2016 has highlighted serious
failings. The ot be found.
(IANS) Punjab Directorate became champions in the National Cadet Corp (NCC) National Games.
Government has recognized Boxing Federation of India (BFI) as the National Sports Federation
(NSF) for Boxing.The step will give a boost to the sport of boxing which suffered due to absence of
an NSF in the discipline since 2012.
India wins first ever international team roller skating medal at Asian Championships in China. The
trio of Dhanush Babu, VikramIngale and Nikhilesh Tabhane have won Indias first ever senior
international roller skating medal in the Asian Championship in China.
India defender Surender Kumar would not play any further role in the fourth Asian Champions
Trophy hockey tournament after being suspended for two matches following a deliberate foul during
the game against Malaysia.
Alastair Cook has become the first Englishman to reach 10,000 Test runs after scoring the five runs
he needed on day four of the second Investec Test against Sri Lanka at Emirates Riverside.
The Indian mens hockey team lead by PR Sreejesh defeated Pakistan 3-2 in the final of the 4th
Asian Champions Trophy at the Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium in KualaLumpur, Malaysia on
October 30, 2016.
India won 4th Women Asian Champions Trophy hockey against Korea. Striker Rani scored Indias
first goal and Deepika scored second goal in the 54th minute.
Indias tennis star Sania Mirza retained her numerouno status in womens doubles for the second
consecutive year.
OBITUARY
Renowned painter, sculptor and veteran of the contemporary art, Yusuf Arakkal passed away at his
residence morning in Bengaluru
Manipur theatre legend Kanhailal passes away
Veteran socialist leader Ram Ekbal Singh passes away
Oscar-winning Polish film director Andrzej Wajda whose movies defied communist-era censors died
at the age of 90
Philanthropist, Businesswoman Parmeshwar Godrej Passes Away
Boxing Hall of Famer Aaron Pryor died in Los Angels. He was 60.
Senior National Conference leader and former MP Mohammad Shafi Bhat died at his residence after
prolonged illness.
Nobel Prize Winning Italian Playwright Dario Fo Dead.
Renowned writer and litterateur Dayanand Anan passed away in Bhowali, Uttarakhand.
Pakistani footballer Shahlyla Baloch passes away in Karachi car accident.
Rwandas Last King, Kigeli V, Died At Age 80
Octogenarian Freedom Fighter Jhanwar Lal Harsh Dies
Coal India Director N Kumar Passes Away
S African Struggle Stalwart And Gandhian Activist Dies
Eminent Assamese journalist Tilak Hazarika passes away
Mehar Mittal, legend of comedy in Punjabi movies passes away
Junko Tabei, first woman to climb Everest, died at 77.
Marathi actress Ashwini Ekbote dies after collapsing on stage during performance
36 | P a g e
The Pulitzer Prize winning Author Lucia Perillo has died in Olympia. He was 58.
Qatars former ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani passes away at 84
Tom Hayden, famed anti-Vietnam war activist, dies aged 76
Brazil World Cup hero Carlos Alberto passed away
Freedom Fighter Chandrakant Kenkre passed away in Shirodi in Goa. He was 87.
Legendary Kashmiri Singer Raj Begum Dies At 89
Five-time MLA Rajpati Devi passes away due to age-related ailments at a hospital in Kanpur.
Worlds Oldest Royal, Prince Mikasa of Japan, Dies at 100
Goas first woman CM Shashikala Kakodkar passes awayafter a brief illness. She was 81.
Bengali Actor Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay Passes Away
Former Asiad Gold Medallist Goalkeeper Burman Passed Away
Cambodias first post-Khmer Rouge prime minister dies at 80.
The wife of Russian actor Vladimir Zeldin, who has been described as the worlds oldest working
actor stated that he has died in Moscow. He was 101.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Minister for Information and Broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu along with Minister for Railways
Shri Suresh Prabhu and Shri Tarun Vijay, Former Member of Parliament released the book titled
Modis Midas Touch in Foreign Policy in New Delhi on October 4, 2016. The book has been
authored by Ambassador Surendra Kumar.
After a long gap of 20 years of her Booker win, Arundhati Roy has announced her next novel, The
Ministry of Utmost Happiness which was prepared tor elease inJune 2017.
The photo-biography on Mahatma Gandhi titled Mahatma Gandhis Life in Colour launched by
Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharmain New Delhi. Another book titled Untouchability No
More was also released by Mahesh Sharma.
Former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi authors e-book on RTI. The 81-page e-
book named RTI Act- Authentic Interpretation of The Statute has been uploaded
on www.Satyamevajayate.info
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a series of works dedicated to the philosophy of Pandit Deendayal
Upadhyay in New Delhi on October 9 2016.
Twinkle Khanna, who after a stint as an actress, has established herself as an interior designer, author and
popular columnist, on Wednesday announced her second book titled The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad.
The Book titled The Sleepwalkers Dream authored by Dhrubajyoti Borah, President of Asam
Sahitya Sabha. The book narrates the journey of a group of militants towards an elusive freedom and
an uncertain future.
The book on Cricket Player Virat Kohli titled Driven: The Virat Kohli Story was published in the
presence of Coach Raj Kumar Sharma, Virender Sehwag, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Ravi Shastri,
Ashish Nehra, Ajay Jadeja, Karthik Murali, Hari Gidwani and Anjum Chopra in New Delhi. The
book was authored by senior journalist Vijay Lokapally and published by Bloomsbury India.
BJP President Amit Shah released the book Andhere se UjalekiAur authored by Union Finance
Minister ArunJaitley. The book is a compilation of blogs and articles
IMPORTANT DAYS
Date Day Observed Theme

Oct 1 International Day of Older Persons Take A Stand Against Ageism
World Vegetarian Day
Oct 2 International Day of Non-Violence
Oct 3 World Habitat Day (First Monday of Housing at the Centre
October)
Oct 4 World Animal Day
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Oct 4 to 10 World Space Week Remote sensing: Enabling Our Future

Oct 5 World Teachers Day Valuing Teachers, Improving their Status
Oct 7 World Smile Day(First Friday of October)
Oct 8 84th Air Force Day
Oct 9 World Post day Innovation, Integration and Inclusion
Oct 10 World Day Against the Death Penalty Terrorism

World Mental Health Day Dignity in Mental Health Psychological &
Mental Health First Aid for All.
Oct 11 International Day of the Girl Child Progress = Goals Progress: A Global Girl
Girls Data Movement
Oct 13 World Sight Day Stronger Together
International Day for Disaster Reduction Live To Tell: Raising Awareness, Reducing
Mortality
Oct 14 International standards day Standards Build Trust
Oct 15 International Day of Rural Women Climate is changing. Food and agriculture
must too
World Students Day
Oct 15-21 Safe Motherhood Week
Oct 16 World Food Day Climate is changing. Food and
agriculture must too
Oct 17 International Day for the Eradication of Moving from humiliation and exclusion to
Poverty participation: Ending poverty in all its forms.
Oct 20 World Statistics Day Better Data, Better Lives
World Osteoporosis Day Love Your Bones Protect your Future
Oct 21 Police Commemoration Day
Oct 24 United Nations Day Freedom First
World Development Information Day
World Polio Day
55th raising day of Indo Tibetan Border
Police
Oct 27 World Day for Audiovisual Heritage Its Your Story Dont Lose It
Oct 28 National Ayurveda Day Ayurveda for Prevention and Control of
Diabetes.
Oct 29 International Internet Day
World Stroke Day Face the Facts: Stroke is Treatable with the
tagline of: Livescan improve with better
awareness, access, and action.
Oct 31 Rashtriya Ekta Diwas(National Unity Integration of India
Day)
World Savings Day or World Thrift Day Grabbing Hold of Your Financial Future
World Cities Day Inclusive Cities, Shared Development
Static GK - October 2016
Assam : Bihar :
The state Assam shares international borders Bihar has become first non-BJP ruled state to
with Bhutan and Bangladesh give its consent to the GST Bill on 16th August .
Kaziranga, Manas are two World Heritage Sites The Bihar plain is split by the river Ganges
in Assam which flows from west to east
Bramhaputra rivers flows in Assam
38 | P a g e
Jharkhand: has no pre-Constitution history

Jharkhand is represented by 14 seats in the Lok Mandi is one of the districts in Himachal
Sabha and 6 in the Rajya Sabha. Pradesh.It is known as Chhota Kashi bacause of
Jharkhand become the first state to sign MoU large number of pilgramage sites located in the
with Centre for power scheme UDAY district.
Lahaul and Spiti is the largest district .
Odisha :
Odisha is known as Utkala and is mentioned in National Commission of Women (NCW) :
Indias national anthem Jana Gana Mana. The National Commission for Women (NCW) is
The term Odisha is derived from the ancient a statutory body of the Government of India.
Prakrit word Odda Visaya It is concerned with advising the government on
all policy matters affecting women.
Manipur : It was established in January 1992 under the
Manipur is also known as Kangleipak or provisions of the Indian Constitution
Sanaleibak International Energy Agency (IEA)
Movie theatres were first introduced in Manipur Headquarters: Paris
in 1920. Executive Director: Fatih Birol
Capital : Imphal
BCCI:
Lahore : The Board of Control for Cricket in India
Lahore is the capital city of the Pakistani (BCCI) was formed in December 1928 as a
province of Punjab. society, registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies
It is the 32nd most populous urban city in the Registration Act.
world President: Anurag Thakur
Secretary: Ajay Shirke
Greater Noida : Headquarters: Mumbai
Greater Noida is located in the Gautam Budh Sponsor: Star India (formerly STAR TV India)
Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh.
It is a part of the National Capital Region
(NCR). SAARC
Taj International Airport is located in this city Member states: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri
Maharashtra : Lanka.
Nagpur is the second capital of Maharashtra
The Krishna is second largest river in peninsular IMF:
India. It originates in Maharashtra and Headquarters: Washington.
passesthrough Karnataka. Head: Christine Lagarde.
Nagpur Orange is known as the Orange City Founded:1945.
for being a major trade centre of oranges
cultivated in the region. BIMSTEC :
BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative on Multi
Madhya Pradesh National Park : Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
Kanha National Park, Van Vihar National members sare India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Park, Sanjay National Park, Pench National Park Sri Lanka (from South Asia) and Myanmar,
and Satpura National Park Thailand (from South East Asia).
Established:6 June 1997 through the Bangkok
Nagaland Festivals : Declaration.
Hornbill Festival, Tuluni festival and Sankarni Headquarters: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Festival and Chairmanship: Nepal(Since 2014)
Himachal Pradesh : International Criminal Court :

The Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh Headquarters : The Hague, Netherlands
39 | P a g e
President : Silvia Fernndez de Gurmendi Nigeria and Gabon (from Africa); Indonesia, Iran,
Iraq, Saudi Arabia (the de facto leader) Kuwait,
World Economic Forum : Qatar, United Arab Emirates (from Asia); Ecuador
Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland and Venezuela (from Latin America).
Founder: Klaus Schwab
Founded: 1971 SBI:
G20 : The Imperial Bank of India was nationalized
The G20 is an international forum for the in 1955 and was renamed a State Bank of India.
governments and central bank governors from 20 Tagline: With you all the way ,Pure banking
major economies. nothing else,The nations bank on us.
Founded: 1999
Headquarters : Cancn, Mexico
Members : Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Jammu and Kashmir Bank:
China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Founded : 1938
Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Headquarters: Srinagar
Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom
and United States along with the European Union Indian Banks Association (IBA) :
(EU). Indian Banks Association, formed on 26
September 1946 as a representative body of
Bank Of Maharashtra: management of banking in India.
Bank of Maharashtra is a major public sector Headquarters : Mumbai
bank in India. Government of India
holds 81.61% of the total shares. Axis Bank:
Headquarters: Pune It is the third largest private-sector banks in
Tagline: One Family One Bank India
CEO: Shikha Sharma
IRDAI :
Chairman: T.S. Vijayan
Headquarters : Hyderabad Softbank:
Headquarters: Minato, Tokyo
RBI : Founder: Masayoshi Son
RBI Governor: Urjit Patel Founded: September 3, 1981
Founded: April 1, 1935
Headquarters : Mumbai World FZO :
The World FZO is an international multilateral
HDFC : organisation registered in Geneva to supporting
CEO: Aditya Puri management and continuous development of Free
Headquarters: Mumbai Zones,
Founded: August 1994 Its headquartered in Dubai.
NABARD:
The initial corpus of NABARD South Indian Bank :
was Rs.100crores. Headquarters : Kerala
Chairperson: Harsh Kumar Bhanwala Founded: 1929
Headquarters: Mumbai CEO: V. G. Mathew
Founded: July 12, 1982, India
Sponsor: Government of India World Bank :
The World Bank and the IMF are twin
OPEC : intergovernmental pillars supporting the structure
Established:1960 in Baghdad, Iraq. of the worlds economic and financial order.
Headquarters: Vienna, Austria. Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
OPEC Members: Algeria, Angola, Libya,
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Founded: December 27, 1945 Czech Republic :

Motto: Working for a World Free of Poverty Capital: Prague
Currency: Czech koruna
Yes Bank : Indias Ambassador to Czech Republic Mr
Headquarters: Maharashtra Krishan Kumar
CEO: Rana Kapoor
Estonia :
ICCI : Capital: Tallinn
Founded : 1909. Currency: Euro
Headquarters: Dubai, UAE. President: Kersti Kaljulaid
Chairman: Dave Richardson. France :
Capital: Paris
WBO: Currencies: Euro, CFP franc
Headquarters:San Juan, Puerto Rico. President: Franois Hollande
President: Francisco Varcarcel.
Germany :
Australia : Capital: Braslia
Capital: Canberra Currency: Brazilian real
Currency: Australian dolla President: Michel Temer
Prime minister: Malcolm Turnbull
Hungary:
Austria : Capital: Budapest.
It is one of the country in Europe Currency: Hungarian forint.
Capital: Vienna President: Janos Ader.
Currency: Euro
Indonesia:
Capital: Jakarta
Algeria:
Currency: Indonesian rupiah
Capital: Algiers
President: Joko Widodo
Currency: Algerian dinar
President: Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Iraq :
Bahrain: Capital: Baghdad
Capital: Manama Currency: Iraqi dinar
Currency: Bahraini dinar Prime minister: Haider al-Abadi
Prime minister: Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Alcohol companies in Iraq Farida beer or
Brazil : Asriya arak.
Capital: Braslia
Currency: Brazilian real Israel :
President: Michel Temer Capital: Jerusalem
Currency: Israeli new shekel
Canada: Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu
Capital: Ottawa.
Currency: Canadian Dollar.
Prime Minister: Justin Trudeau Japan :
Capital: Tokyo
Commonwealth of The Bahamas : Currency: Japanese yen
The Bahamas is a coral-based archipelago in the Prime minister: Shinz Abe
Atlantic Ocean
Capital: Nassau Kuwait:
Currency: Bahamian dollar Capital: Kuwait City
Currency: Kuwaiti dinar
41 | P a g e
Lebanon : Republic of Guinea :

Capital: Beirut Capital: Conakry
Currency: Lebanese pound Currency: Guinean franc
President: Alpha Cond
Maldives:
Capital: Mal Russia :
Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa Capital: Moscow
President: Abdulla Yameen Currency: Russian ruble
President: Vladimir Putin
Mali :
Capital: Bamako Singapore :
Currency: West African CFA franc It is one of the Country in Asia
President : Ibrahim Boubacar Keta Capital : Singapore
Currency: Singapore dollar
Morocco :
Capital: Rabat Sri Lanka :
Currency: Moroccan dirham Capitals: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo
Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
Myanmar: Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe
Capital: Naypyidaw President: Maithripala Sirisena
Currency: Burmese kyat
President: Htin Kyaw Spain :
New Zealand : Capital : Madrid
Capital: Wellington Currency :Euro
Currency: New Zealand dollar Prime Minister : Mariano Rajoy
Nepal: State of Eritrea

Capital: Kathmandu Capital: Asmara
Currency: Nepalese Rupee Currency: Eritrean nakfa
Prime Minister: Pushpa Kamal Dahal President : Isaias Afwerki
Nigeria : South Korea :

Capital: Abuja Dialing Capital: Seoul
Currency: Nigerian Naira Currency: South Korean won
Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari President: Park Geun-hye
Prime minister: Hwang Kyo-ahn
Pakistan :
Capital : Islamabad Switzerland :
Currency : Pakistani rupee Capital : Bern
Prime Minister : Nawaz Sharif Currency: Swiss franc
Palestine : Turkey:
Capital: East Jerusalem Capital: Ankara.
Currencies: Jordanian dinar, Egyptian pound, Currency: Turkish lira.
Israeli new shekel President: Tayyip Erdogan.
Prime minister: Rami Hamdallah UAE:
Capital: Abu Dhabi.
Qatar: Currency: UAE Dirham
Capital: Doha.
Currency: Qatari riyal. UK :
Head: Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Capital: London
Currency: Pound sterling
42 | P a g e
Prime minister: Theresa May Vietnam :

Capital: Hanoi
USA : Currency: Vietnamese dong
Capital: Washington, D.C. President: Trn i Quang
Currency : USA Dollar
President: Barack Obama. Wales :
Capital: Cardiff
Currency: Pound sterlin
Current Affairs
Current Affairs
Current Affairs PDF
Study Materials PDF
Reasoning Questions
English Questions
Computer Questions
General Aptitude
Reasoning
Letter Writing
Math Tricks
Computer Awareness

43 | P a g e
Current Affairs November Pocket PDF 2016
INDIAN AFFAIRS
President Pranab Mukherjee has given his consent to payment of a 2 per cent dearness allowance (DA)
to central government employees. The move would benefit about 50.68 lakh employees and 54.24 lakh
pensioners. The DA would result in an annual burden of Rs.5,622.10 crore.
Online platform Nyaaya India Grid for Learning, launched by INGEGNO, is an education marketplace
andIdentity Access Management (IAM) platform in India, that aims at creating a continuous
synchronised teaching and learning experience for educators, institutions and schools.
AfterOperation Calm down in South Kashmir, Army is now aiming on another operationSchool
Chalo, under which it identifies areas and provides students with free coaching and make them
participate in extra-curricular activities.
Odisha Signs Agreement to Set Up 4 More STPI Centres & Odisha To Get Gems & Jewellery
Industrial Park. The agreement was signed to set up STPI centres at Angul, Jajpur, Jeypore in Koraput
and Sambalpur. After this proposal Odisha would have the highest number of such centre in the
country.
The three day Buddha Mahotsava celebration kicked off in Arunachal Pradesh on November 4 2016
with vibrant cultural display from Monpa, Sajolang(Miji) Aka, Sartang, Bugun and Sherdukpen tribes
of the region at Buddha Park, Bomdila.
National Green Tribunal(NGT) given its approval for the week-long annual Baliyatra festival from
November 14 at the designated ground if the same was not located on Mahanadi riverbed as was
alleged in the original application (OA).
The 5 Day National Conference on Tropical Parasitology held in Puducherry. Over 200
representatives from India and abroad will attend a five day national meet on tropical parasitology
began on November 2, 2016 in Puducherry and evolve strategies to improve the perspective on the
drug resistance scenario in parasitic diseases
The three day Indian Languages Festival (ILF) Samanvay, focusing on the themes of Language as
Public action commenced with the noted Gandhian Ela Bhat in New Delhi on November 5 2016.
Andhra Pradesh tops World Banks energy-saving rankings. The ranking of the states were released in
the World Banks study report titled Indias State Level Energy Efficiency Implementation
Readiness.Andhra Pradesh topped with overall score of 42.01 followed
by Rajasthan (41.89), Karnataka (39.34) and Maharashtra (39.29).Kerala, Gujarat, Delhi (UT), Punjab,
Odisha and Uttar Pradesh are the other states in the top ten ranking in that order.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee distributed 43,000 bicycles to class eleventh students of
state-run, aided and sponsored schools under Sabuj Sathi at Jamboni in West Midnapore.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal implemented the state governments programme
of Aware and Care by flagging off 100 Information Education Communication (IEC) mobile vans.
The National Food Security Act, which implemented an act to subsidise food grain for about 810
million people, now covers the whole country, more than three years after it was formally
notified. Kerala and Tamil Nadu have also rolled out the NFSA from November. With this, now the
Act has been implemented in all the States and Union Territories was announced by Food Minister
Ram Vilas Paswan.
The GST Council approved a four-tier GST tax structure of 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%, with lower rates
for essential items and the highest for luxury and de-merits goods that would also attract an additional
cess. The lowest rate of 5% would be for common use items while there would be two standard rates
of 12% and 18% under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime targetted to be rolled out from April
1, 2017.
Maharashtra become First state to launch Cyber Police Stations in each Districts
The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu launched Jana Chaitanya
Yatra in Andhra Pradesh to highlight the welfare and developmental initiatives of the government.
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Google has associated with Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI) for 360 degree virtual tour of 280-odd
monuments across the country.
The Indian government and three state-run firms would jointly prepared an equity fund of up to $2
billion for renewable energy companies to help New Delhi meet its clean energy goals.
I & B Ministry prepared promotional funds for Indias entry to Oscars ,other festivals.The
announcement was made at the press conference of 47th edition of International Film Festival of
India (IFFI).The financial support would be provided to the filmmakers to promote their films at
international film festivals across the world.
The Delhi government has launched the Yamuna riverfront Project at the second annual Yamuna
Aarti event aarti at the Dhai Pusta, in Sonia Vihar in the presence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
on November 1, 2016to beautify the riverfront in the next one-and-a-half years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Haryanas year-long golden jubilee celebrations of Haryana
in Gurugram. PM Modi kicked-off Haryanas Swarna Jayanti celebrations from Gurugrams Tau
Devi Lal stadium on November 1, 2016.
The Income Tax department announced that the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act,
2016 (BTP Amendment Act), came into force from 1st November 2016 in order to give more teeth to
the authorities to curb benami transactions.
Centre notified the rules for Real Estate Act, that seeks to regulate the housing sector besides bringing
transparency and ensuring timely completion of projects.
Government has decided to fix the minimum wage at Rs 350 per day for unskilled agricultural labour
in C-class towns in central sphere.It was announced by Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya. It will
effective from November 1, 2016.
The Centre is working on formulation of a national policy to speak about the emerging challengeof
alcohol dependency in the country, especially among youth.
International Forum on Adopting an ICT Perspective to Education and Learning held in New Delhi
Southern state of Kerala became the third state overall and the largest state so far to be declared Open
Defecation Free (ODF) under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM- Gramin). The state Kerala also
declared as drought-hit state.
The government has established a committee to review fire safety measures at various Central
government hospitals and directed it to submit a report within 15 days.
Shri Prakash Javadekar, Union Human Resource Development Minister, inaugurated the worlds
largest digital national building initiative Smart India Hackathon 2017 by handing over a torch to
technology students over the country. The Hackathon will have nearly 500 problem statements in all
which will be published on http://mygov.in.
A notification has been issued by the centre to extend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act
(AFSPA) in three districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Uttarakhand High Court ordered all hill stations and glaciers in the state to be declared as eco-
sensitive within three months as well as put a ban on any kind of construction within 25 km radius of
the glaciers.
Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labor and Employment
launched the Kahin-Bhi-Kabhi-Bhi medical facilities for The Employees
StateInsurance Corporation (ESIC) beneficiaries of Delhi and Inaugurated the 6 bedded Day Care
Unit of ESI Dispensary on November 8 at Dwarka.
Indian Navy is considering to select candidates into the 10+2 B Tech cadet scheme through JEE
(Main) ranks, instead of class 12th.
The Centre on November 10, 2016, announced the construction of a 12-km-long elevated railway
corridor inside Guwahati, worth Rs 5,000 crore, as a part of the smart city project.
A Friendship Motor Car Rally between India, Myanmar and Thailand (IMT) was flagged off by the
Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Chemical Fertilizers Mansukh Lal
Mandaviya from India Lawns in New Delhi.
2|Page
A high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by the Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley,
recommended to impose heavy fine and ban on celebrities who endorse products making unrealistic
and unreliable claims.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal launched Safe City Project in Ludhiana which cost
Rs 80 crore. He also inaugurated an indoor stadium, built along the Pakhowal road at a cost of Rs 85
crore.
A five-judge Constitution Bench led by Justice Anil R. Dave ruled that Punjab Termination of
Agreements Act 2004 was invalid and that Punjab was bound to share the water of Ravi-Beas river
with Haryana and complete the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal for water sharing.
The government of Kerala launched four projects under Nava Kerala Mission for comprehensive
development in the fields of health, education, housing and sanitation.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa announced increasing motherhood leave period for women
government employees from six to nine months, the state government issued an order to implement it.
The government approved the policy to blacklist defence companieswhich are involved in corruption
and wrongdoing related to arms purchase.The government has decided to impose heavy fine on the
blacklisted companies instead of blanket blacklisting, and complete banning would be the last option
with no other choice left.
The one-day ban on NDTVs Hindi channel, widely condemned, has been put on hold by Information
and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu. The decision comes after the Supreme Court agreed to
hear NDTVs application for a stay on the ban.
To protect the 968 glaciers of Uttarakhand spread in the area of 2,857 kma division bench of The
Uttarakhand High Court comprising Justices Rajiv Sharma and Alok Singhimposed a complete ban on
any type of construction within 2 km radius of major lakes of the State and also on any
construction within 25 km from the edges of all glaciers in the State.
The Indian Army successfully completed the task of laying an irrigation pipeline for the villagers
in Demchok region of Eastern Ladakh. The project was undertaken under the Mahatma
Gandhi0020National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for the purpose of linking the village with
a hot spring.
Janwaar is a sleepy little village in rural Bundelkhand, and is one of 57 hamlets located in the
moderate zone of the Panna National Tiger.
The Centre has planned to open Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Kendra in every to offer skill training
to the people and make them employable.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to be the mascot of Incredible India campaign with the tourism
ministry finally deciding to do away with plans to rope in any Bollywood stars, including Amitabh
Bachchan, for the role which was lying vacant after ouster of Aamir Khan earlier this year.
E-Court software launched by Home Minister to enable speedy disposal of Appeals/Complaints
After the confirmation of existence of the mythical SaraswatiRiver in Indias North-West, scientists at
the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur claim they have found evidence of another lost Indian
river.
The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurated the Rail Vikas Shivir at Surajkund
(Faridabad, Haryana) through video conferencing on November 18, 2016.
India and the UK have signed 3 Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) on November 18,
2016, to have a smooth taxation system between the two and reduce differences arising between the
two due to transfer pricing issues. With these 3 agreements, India and the UK have signed five
bilateral APAs till date and some more would be concluded in the near future.
A revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion
(DTAA) with respect to taxes on income, along with its protocol, was signed between India and
Cyprus on November 18, 2016 in Nicosia (Cyprus).
The Global Citizen Festival has been organized on November 19, 2016, at the MMRDA grounds in
suburban Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai. Global Citizen Festival, which is a charitable
event, is one of the biggest international music events to be held in the India.
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik announced that The
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Government has approved the establishment of National Institute of Sowa Rigpa at Leh (Jammu &
Kashmir). Sowa Rigpa (Amchi) is commonly known as The Tibetan system of Medicine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, visited Ghazipur district in eastern Uttar Pradesh on November 14,
2016 launched several rail projects.During his visit, the Prime Minister laid the foundation of a rail-
road bridge over the Ganga that will connect Mau with Tadighat and also the doubling of the Ghazipur
city-Ballia Rail section.
Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu laid foundation stone of a railway doubling
project, 16 limited height subways and dedicated the newly doubled Mansa-Bathinda rail line to the
nation on November 13, 2016 in Punjab with an outlay of Rs 1251.25 crore.
Gujarat Government inaugurated 52 generic medicine stores across the state on November 14, 2016.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurated one of the generic stores named as Deendayal Pradhan
Mantri Jan Aushadhi Store inside Civil Hospital premises.
Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar after a meeting with the Rajasthan Education Minister, on
November 14, 2016 informed about the decision of the Government to reintroduce compulsory class X
board examination for Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE) schools from the 2017-18
academic year which was scrapped 6 years ago.
Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on November 15, 2016 inaugurated a Kiosk
System, which is a touch screen portable device that runs with power supply and provides all the
necessary information relating to Lohit District.
Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti launched the Jhelum-Tawi Flood Recovery
project on November 14, 2016, for which World Bank has funded an amount of US $250 million (Rs.
1,600 crore).
The Bhartiya Janata Party led NDA Government announced to present the Union budget on February
1 while the Budget session is likely to begin in January 2017.
Anirood Jugnauth, Prime Minister of the Republic of Maritius inaugurated Ayur Herbarium
project in North Goa on November 16, 2016 at the property of Sandu Pharmaceuticals Ltd at Saligao
village, 10 kms from North Goa.
The government on November 15, 2016 decided to declare a 5 year ban on a Non-Governmental
Organisation (NGO), Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), promoted by controversial Islamic
preacher Zakir Naik under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for its alleged terror activities.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar launched Har Ghar Bijli Lagataar (uninterrupted power supply to each
home) scheme and promised free electricity connection to each household in the state in the next two
years. Around 40 lakh above poverty line (APL) households would be provided free power connection
under the schemes. The below poverty line (BPL) households are covered under other schemes.
TANGEDCO has decided that the 45-year-old Ennore Thermal Power Station in Tamil Nadu will shut
down forever when the coal stock is exhausted on November 16, 2016. Ennore thermal plant
comprises two 60 mw units and three 110 mw units, which were commissioned between 1970 and
1975.
Government approved the cancellation of Gitanjali Gems special economic zone (SEZ) project in
Maharashtra on November 18 2016.The decision was taken by the Board of Approval (BoA), headed
by Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia.
With the growing use of Aadhaar in transactions related to services like Banking, Government Welfare
Schemes, etc., the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), launched a revamped version of
its Toll-free helpline number: 1947, to help residents get quick access to information about Aadhaar.
Supreme Court has ordered the search engines Google, Yahoo and Microsoft on November 17, 2016,
to delete the advertisements, hosted by them, related to pre-natal sex
determination in India within 36 hours. For this a bench of two Justices Dipak Misra and Amitava
Roy has directed the Centre of India to appoint a nodal agency to monitor the websites.
The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition filed by Tamil Nadu government to review the judgment
of the Apex Court that banned Jallikattu in 2014. Jallikattu is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu
on Mattu Pongal day as a part of Pongal celebrations i.e. harvest festival.
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The Supreme Court on, November 17, 2016, regulated that a child who is adopted by a Hindu
widow would not have any rights on the property of the womans expired husband and could only lay
claim over the property inherited by his mother. As per the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, the
court said.
ICICI Banks Adopted Akodara Village in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat has become the first Digital
Village in India.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has been nominated by the Central
Government to head the sub-committee of Chief Ministers of five States constituted to deal with the
situation arising out of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes. Chief Ministers Sivaraj Singh
Chauhan (Madhya Pradesh), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), NarayanaSwamy (Puducherry)
and ManikSirkar (Tripura) will be the other members.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister AkhileshYadav has inaugurated Indias first and Asias longest bicycle
highway between Agra and Etawah in UP.
10 day long festival named Losar festival has begun in Ladakh region of J&K to mark the beginning
of New Year in this Himalayan region. Losar is Tibetan word for new year and this festival is an
important social and religious celebration in Ladakh.
As many as 78 schemes including JhanDhan and MGNREGA being implemented by 17 ministries and
departments are covered under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.
Manipur Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh flagged off World War II Vintage Jeep Rally from Koirengei
Old Air Field as a part of the Manipur Sangai Festival on November 27, 2016.
Telangana village renamed Kavithapuram after CMs daughter, TRS MP KalvakuntlaKavitha.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
(UNCITRAL), UN organised the two day conference Global Standards for Rule-based Commerce at
VigyanBhavan in New Delhi from November 28, 2016.
In the Ongoing Winter Session Union Finance Minister ArunJaitly has introduced a bill in the
LokSabha to amend the Income Tax rules levying a tax of 60 per cent on undisclosed income or
unaccounted credits in the bank accounts. The amended bill introduced comes with a new Pradhan
MantriGarib Kalyan Yojana, 2016 (PMGKY) which allows people to deposit money in their accounts
till April 1, 2017.
Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA), a Bengaluru based NGO, haslaunched a 16-day
campaign Every8Minutes to create awareness against child trafficking and missing children in the
city.
Son irrespective of his marital status has no legal right in parents house, can stay at their mercy: Delhi
high Court
The Supreme Court on November 30, 2016, made it mandatory for cinema halls to play National
anthem before screening of a film in theatres across the country.
Mumbai poetry festival to feature 51 poets from 5 countries. It was the culmination of a two-year-long
Indo-German literary exchange project to address the issues of identity politics.
Pune-based company, Finkick Adventures is organizing the Indias First Underwater Festival at the
Finkick Adventures SCUBA Diving Center, Divisional Sports Complex, Rahim Shaikh Road,
Yerawada, Pune on November 27, 2016.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Humsafar train between Gorakhpur and Delhi`s
AnandVihar terminus from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh on November 27, 2016.This train will run
between this two station thrice in a week. Humsafar train will have several new features,
including LED screen display, vending machines for tea, coffee and milk, hot, refrigerated pantry and
ports for charging electronic devices such as mobiles and laptops.
The Government of Jharkhand headed by Chief Minister Raghubar Das has introduced a bill
named Jharkhand NiziNiyozanAbhikaran and GhareluKamgar (viniyam) vidheyak 2016 (Jharkhand
private employment agency and domestic employee bill) against placement agencies to control those
agencies from exploiting people in the name of giving employment outside the state.
Indian Railways and IRCTC have included transgender as third gender in the option alongside male
and female in ticket reservation and cancellation forms both online and offline.
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A special counter-terror unit of NSG commandos conducted a three-hour-long mock drillat a Delhi
Metro station located on the airport express line on November 19, 2016. The mock drill was
named intervention of rail coaches and countering of terrorist elements.
The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 was introduced by Health Minister J P Nadda in the LokSabha
on November 21, 2016 to ban commercial surrogacy to protect women from exploitation and ensure
the rights of the child born through surrogacy.
The Indore-Patna Express train derailed in Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh early morning about
3.10am on November 21, 2016.It is one of Indias worst train accidents in six years with nearly 146
people killed and more than 200 injured when 14 coaches of the express train derailed
near Pukhrayan,about 100 km from Kanpur.In 2010, a passenger train crashed into a freight train in
Bengal, killing 146
The income-tax (I-T) department department has signed a contract with L&T Infotech Ltd
to launch Project Insight in May 2017 from May 2017.The project will be rolled out in three phases.
Prime Minister of Portuguese, Antonio Costa will be the Chief Guest at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas (PBD) Convention which will be held in Bengaluru from January 7 to 9, 2017. The vice
president of the Republic of Suriname, Michael AshwinSatyandre Adhin, will be the Special Guest at
the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) which will be held on January 7, 2017 in Bengaluru.
The Supreme Court on November 21, 2016, directed the Central Government to frame model rules
related to administration, selection and appointments of members, infrastructure etc. for all consumer
courts constituted under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 within 4 months.
Government is setting up Higher Education Financing Agency(HEFA) to provide funds for creating
infrastructure and promoting research facilities in the Centrally-aided institutions of higher learning. It
was announced by Dr.MahendraNath Pandey. The Center will provide equity of Rs.1000Cr for
establishing HEFA.
Haryana Government mandates Fitting Auto-Dipper in 4-Wheeled motor Vehiclesaccording to
the Rule 106 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
PM Modi lead Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gave its nod to buy 12 upgraded Dornier
surveillance aircraft for Indian Navy at a cost of about Rs 2,500 crore on November 23, 2016.
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu has launched the Smart Water Distribution
Monitoring web portal on November 23, 2016, which will enable the people to track the status of
drinking water in the nearby water tanks.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on
November 23, 2016, gave approval for opening of JawaharNavodayaVidyalaya (JNV) in each of
the 62 uncovered districts for which an amount of Rs.2,871 crore has been allocated.
The Union Defence Ministry released new policy Guidelines of the Ministry of Defence for penalties
in business dealings with entities on November 21, 2016, to relook at the list of the companies that
are banned from doing business in India.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the introduction of Merchant
Shipping Bill, 2016 in the Parliament on November 23, 2016 in New Delhi. The Merchant Shipping
Bill, 2016 is a revised version of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and will abolish the Merchant
Shipping Act, 1958 as well as The Coasting Vessels Act, 1838.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Punjab on November 25, 2016 to attend a function marking
the 350th birthanniversary of tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh ji at Sri Anandpur Sahib in Rupanagar
district.
A study was conducted by Swiss researchers on the impact of climate change in the Himalayas.The
study analyzed the Himalayan Glaciers and their possible future impact on lives of the people in States
across the region. The study was conducted on 129 hydro projects from India.
Shri Narendra Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Culture released a Commemorative Non-
Circulation Coin of Rs.500 and a Circulation Coin of Rs.10 on November 25, 2016, to mark a year-
long celebration of 500th Anniversary of Shri Krishna ChaitanyaMahaprabhus Coming to
Vrindavan .
Indian Railways all set to launch Tri-Netra(Terrain Imaging for diesel drivers infrared, enhanced
6|Page
optical and radar assisted system) to check collisions between tracks.

The Supreme Court on November 25, 2016, banned the sale of firecrackers in Delhi and the NCR
region.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 51st Annual Conference of Directors General and
Inspectors General of Police of States and UTs and Heads of Central Police Organisations at the
SardarVallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad.
Chief Justice of High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, N Paul Vasanthakumar inaugurated the full-
fledged Bench of the AFT at the Sunjuwan Military Station in Jammu Kashmir on November 25,
2016.
PLACES IN NEWS
Chinese Buddhist pilgrim and scholar XuanZang stayed in Vijayawada to study Buddhist scriptures
Minister of Railways Shri Suresh PrabhakarPrabhu has inaugurated the International Conference on
Decarbonisation of Indian Railways Mission Electrification in New Delhi on November 3, 2016. It
was organised by Institution of Railways Electrical Engineer (IREE) in partnership with ASSOCHAM
India
The Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) runs the World Wide Web and
has begun its 7days annual general meeting in Hyderabad. This is the second time India host the
meeting after 2008.
The 10th Command Level Navy Coast Guard (COMNAVGUARD) meeting was held
in Visakhapatnam on November 2, 2016 to discuss inter-operatability issues between Navy and Coast
Guard.
First LNG Fuelled Bus in the Country launched by Shri DharmendraPrdhan in Kerela.
A three-day international event of Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet (GRAM) was conferred at the
Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Center (JECC) at Sitapura in Jaipur from 9 to 11 November 2016 to
highlight the best global practices and technologies suitable for farmers.
The three day Buddha Mahotsava celebration kicked off in Arunachal Pradesh on November 4 2016
with vibrant cultural display from Monpa, Sajolang(Miji) Aka, Sartang, Bugun and Sherdukpen tribes
of the region at Buddha Park, Bomdila.
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inugurated the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations
i.e. 60th Anniversary of Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Limited (ECGC) on November
8, 2016 in New Delhi.
PM Modi visited Goa to lay foundation stone for two projects: Greenfield airport in North
Goa and Tuem Electronic city. The PM Modi also visited Pune on November 13, 2016 to inaugurate
the International Conference and Exhibition on Sugarcane Value Chain Vision 2025 Sugar organised
by Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI) at Manjari.
The mineral-rich Chhattisgarh state has become the first state in the country to conduct e-auction of
minor mineral. The Bharda dolomite mine having an estimated reserve of about 1.5 million tonnes and
spread across 3.80 hectare area in Bilaspur district of Chhatisgarh was e-auctioned by the State
Government.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma inaugurated the four day Cherry Blossom Festival in
Shillong, Meghalaya. This is aimed to attract tourists to this hill state in autumn to witness cherry
blossoms blooming at every corner of the Shillong.
Thiruvananthapuram has been termed as the countrys breast cancer capital the Kerala Chapter of
Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA) Conference. The city holds a record high of 40
per lakh of population.It is noted that 50 per cent of breast cancer is occurring in the age group of
under 50 years.
Maharashtra has become the first state to adopt Fly Ash Utilisation Policy announced by Maharashtra
CM Devendra Fadnavis on November 15, 2016. This policy would paving way for prosperity by
generating wealth from waste, and environment protection.
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, AkhileshYadav launched a state-wide integrated emergency
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service UP-100 in Lucknow on November 19, 2016. The UP-100 is the official name for Uttar Pradesh
Police Emergency Management System which was previously called dial 100 project.
The 10-day-festival Sangai Festival 2016 inaugurated by Manipur CM OkramIbobi Singh on
November 21. It will continue till November 30 2016 with the theme of Destination Manipur.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister AkhileshYadav on November 21, 2016, inaugurated the six-lane
Greenfield Agra-Lucknow Expressway at Bangarmau in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh in presence of
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. The Lucknow-Agra Expressway is Indias longest
expressway, with a length of 302-km and its construction has been completed in 23 months.
The Palampur Assembly Constituency in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh has adopted E-Vidhan
system and became the first e-assembly constituency of the country which, making the House
Business paperless.
Garotribals People of Meghalaya celebrated the harvest festival of Wangala to marks the end of a
period of toil for farmers wanting a good output from their fields. This festival is also known as
Annual 100-drum Festival.
The second edition of Windmill Festival Indias First International Childrens Festival is scheduled
to be held on January 14th and 15th, 2017 at Reliance Jio Garden, BKC in Mumbai. The festival is a
joint initiative of Event Capital and Tribe Asia.
Anurag Bhushan unveiled Mahatma Gandhi statue in Dubai. Consulate General of India, Dubai
preferred to install the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, at its premises, and
celebrate the 141st Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, popularly known as the Iron Man of
India.
India and China have agreed to maintain the pace of their high-level exchanges in counter- terrorism
and other fields.
The Paris agreement on climate change entered into force, marking the first time that governments
have agreed legally binding limits to global temperature rise.The aim of more than two decades of
often complex international negotiations on combating climate change was hailed by nations and
observers around the world.
Freedom of the Press Report 2016 is release by the US based NGO. The report says, only 13 percent
of the worlds population enjoys a free press,which means places where coverage of political news is
robust, the safety of journalists is guaranteed, state intrusion in media affairs is minimal, and the press
is not subject to onerous legal or economic pressures. Theme: The Battle for the Dominant Message.
RCEP is the proposed big-regional Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between 16 Asia-Pacific
countries including India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and other 10 countries.
The Australian government announced 19 grants worth $6,30,000 dollars for several projects in the
field of education, science, sports, arts and culture. Sri Lankan government has decided to obtain10
diesel engines from RITES India ltd under credit line facility provided by Indian government.
Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull has ratified the Paris climate change agreement, on 10
November 2016 to curb carbon emissions and reduce the risk of dangerous climate change.
China once again blocked Indias effort to join NSG in a meeting in Seoul on November 4 2016. Out
of 48 members of NSG 47 supported India except China.China wants India to sign the non-Nuclear
Proliferation Treaty (NPT) first before joining the NSG.
Colombias government and its largest rebel group signed a new, modified peace accord on 12
November 2016. The accord is a modification of the agreement signed between President Juan Manuel
Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) inked on 26 September 2016, which
was however rejected by the voters in a referendum on 2 October 2016.
Colombo Declaration adopted at the High Level Meeting of Interior Ministers of the Indian Ocean
Region to Counter Drug Trafficking in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
India has pledged to contribute about USD 10.95 million to the United Nation (UN) for the year 2017
for the development activities across several UN bodies.
Pakistan become the 104th country to ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change after Australia.
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China adopted a new Cyber security Law, which Human Rights Watch (HRW) told that a regressive
measure that strengthens censorship, surveillance, and other controls over the Internet.
India and Sri Lanka have consented to prepare a Joint Working Group on Fisheries (JWG) and
a hotline between their Coast Guards to speak about the long-standing issue of fishermen from Tamil
Nadu being arrested.
The twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), the twelfth session of the Conference of the
Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 12), and the first session of
the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 1)
were held in Bab Ighli, Marrakesh, Morocco from 7-18 November 2016. About 200 countries,
including India, adopted a work plan, on November 18, 2016, for the implementation of Paris climate
agreement by 2018 at the UN summit.Britain on November 17, 2016, ratified the Paris agreement on
climate change. Foreign Secretary of Paris, Boris Johnson signed the Paris Agreement at the UN
Summit, in Morocco.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced in an online press conference on November 19,
2016, that the Zika Virus occurrence will no longer poses a world public health emergency.
Australia announced an online program for its pre-schools to learn foreign languages, including Hindi
from 2017. In order to teach foreign languages in Australia a program named Early Learning
Languages Australia (ELLA), was launched in the 2015-16, with five languages namely Chinese
(Mandarin), Japanese, Indonesian, French and Arabic. These were taught to the children using seven
apps.
A Festival of India began in Oman from November 15, 2016 to March 24, 2017 to showcase the
countrys diverse culture. The festival was scheduled to be held in four cities namely Muscat, Sur,
Sohar and Salalah
The United States,has announced two financial projects worth USD 95 million in India to bring more
energy-efficient appliances to rural sector in India, as part of its efforts to continue the global transition
to zero-and-low carbon energy sources.
UAEs first UNESCOs World Heritage site Al Ain Oasis was opened by Shaikh Tahnoun Bin
Mohammad Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Rulers Representative in the Eastern Region.
Pakistans Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated a trade route linking south-western Gwadar
port to Kashgar city in China as part of $46 billion project to jumpstart economic growth in the South
Asian country on November 14, 2016.
Russias President Vladimir Putin, has signed an executive order announcing Russias withdrawal
from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. This means crimes committed by Russian
citizens will no longer fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC.
Oxford Dictionaries has named post-truth as its 2016 international word of the year
ii. The adjective, post-truth, is defined as- relations to circumstances in which facts are judged to be
less important than emotion and public opinion.
56 years old NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson became the oldest female astronaut to travel to space at
3:20 pm on November 17, 2016.This will be the third ISS mission for Whitson.
India is not inclined to automatically grant the coveted Market Economy Status (MES) to China
under World Trade Organisation (WTO) norms in December 2016. Under WTO norms, once a
country gets MES status, exports from it are to be accepted at the production costs and selling price as
the benchmark. Prior to this status, country is considered as a Non Market Economy (NME).
World Economic Forum reports-Indias Ranks 102th among 136 economies in terms of enabling cross
border trade. The list is topped by Singapore.
An international benchmarking study, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
(TIMSS) released a report on November 29, 2016 that, Singapore students are the worlds best
in Mathematics and Science.
A chartered plane, The British Aerospace 146 carrying 77 people, including a top Brazilian football
team, crashed on its approach to the city of Medellin in Colombia late night on November 28, 2016.
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Nepals government registered the new Constitution amendment bill in Parliament on November 29,
2016, aimed at carving out a new state in southern Nepal to meet the demands of
agitating Madhesis and other ethnic groups whose protests for bigger federal state last year left more
than 50 people dead.
In a meeting on November 24, 2016, the World Health Organisation (WHO) settled a long standing
dispute and battle between India and the European Union (EU) about labeling of drugs by clarifying
that counterfeit will now be used by member States with respect to protection of Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR). This decision to drop the term counterfeit and retain falsified to describe
medicines of inferior quality was taken by a WHOs technical working group on draft to find a perfect
definitions of substandard/spurious /falsely-labelled/falsified/counterfeit (SSFFC) medical products.
Zimbabwe launches bond notes currency in bid to ease cash crunch. Currency hold its value against
the U.S. dollar.
Aniruddha Roy Chowdhurys first Bollywood movie Pink has been invited to screened at United
Nations(UN) headquartes in New York, US announced by Bollywood superstar Amitabh
Bachchan who plays a lawyer role in the film.
China has launched a 712-km quantum communication line, on November 20, 2016.
This quantum communication line is the worlds longest secure telecommunications network, with
ultra-high security which makes it impossible to tap, intercept or crack the information transmitted
through them.
Swiss Parliament have rejected a plan to force their government to accelerate the countrys exit from
nuclear energy after it received a majority from Swiss council of states.
Worlds first Bollywood theme park was inaugurated in Dubai on 17 November 2016. The name of
the park is Bollywood Parks, and it is a part of Dubai Parks and Resorts (DPR) which is the largest
integrated theme park resort of Dubai.
India to Become Associate Member State of European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)to
make India an Associate Member State of the research organization.
The 2017 Energy Club of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will be chaired
by Turkey which is the first non-SCO country to do so.
FOREIGN VISITS
President Pranab Mukherjee 3-day state visit to Nepal

The visit is first by an Indian Head of State in 18 years. The Presidents visit is seen as an extension of
intensive engagement by India with Nepal, which adopted its democratic Constitution last year.
The Kathmandu University conferred an Honorary Doctorate on the President of India.
He also announced that from 2017 onwards, Nepali students will have the opportunity to pursue
graduate and post-graduate courses in Indian Institutes of Technology on a regular basis.
British Prime Minister Theresa May Visit to India:
British Prime Minister Theresa May arrived in Delhi on a three-day visit (November 6-8, 2016) aimed
at enhancing Indo-UK ties in the key areas of trade, investment, defense and security.
May and PM Modi witnessed the signing of the two Memorandums of Understanding one
on intellectual property (IP) and another for bilateral cooperation on raising ease of doing business.
India and the United Kingdom have agreed to enhance defence ties with a view to expanding military
trade and industrial collaboration.
Prime Ministers 3 Days Visit To Japan Overview
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Visited Japan from November 10 to 12, 2016 to attend the Annual
India-Japan Bilateral Summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo to strengthen the
bilateral ties between the two states.
During the visit Prime Minister Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe inked a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) in the field of civil nuclear deal and nine other agreements in various fields.
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Modi also attended an India-Japan Business Leaders Forum and addressed a formal meeting
organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Japanese Business Federation.
Israeli President, Reuven Rivlins, Six days Visit to India
Israeli president Reuven Rivlin visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs
Minister SushmaSwarajalong with several sites of co-operation and joint projects between the two
nations.
The Israeli leader paid a visit to Chandigarh and Karnal as part of his plan to highlight agri-
cooperation.
In Chandigarh, he inaugurated Agro Tech 2016 along with President Mukherjee and in Karnal he
visited the Centre of Excellence of Indo-Israeli Agricultural Project.
Mr.Rivlins visit focuses on agriculture cooperation between the two countries. He was accompanied
by Michael Mirilashvili, chairman of Watergen, one of the most important futuristic companies of
Israel that specialises in optimal use of water resource.
India and Israel on November 15, 2016 inked pact to intensify its already strong defence partnership to
combat radicalisation and extremism and act tough against terror networks and states supporting
terrorism.
The two countries also agreed to deepen their cooperation in a variety of areas including trade and
investment, agriculture, water resources and cyber crime
India is Israels largest buyer of military hardware and the Israel has been supplying various weapons
systems, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles over the last few years.
India and Israel have inked two agreements in the field of water resources management and
agriculture. The agreements were signed in New Delhi on November 15, 2016.
The two nations also signed agreement to enhance their cooperation against the growing threat of
terrorism and radicalization.

12th International Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition to be held in New Delhi. The 3 day
International Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition PETROTECH-2016 inaugurated by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
The 5th IEF-IGU Ministerial Gas Forum to be held in New Delhi on 6 December 2016.It is supported
by GAIL (India) Limited and the Natural Gas Society of India with the Theme: Gas for Growth;
improving economic prosperity and living standards.
PM Modi inaugurates Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction in New Delhiand
called on the world community to work united on disaster risk reduction.
International Conference on Brucellosis 2016 and the 69th meeting of the International Society on
Brucellosis was inaugurated in New Delhi from November 17 to 19, 2016. The three day conference
was organized by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in collaboration with Indian Council for
agriculture Research (ICAR).
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 36th India International Trade Fair (IITF) at Pragati
Maidan in New Delhi on November 14, 2016. The theme of this years IITF is Digital India. South
Korea is the Partner Country for this years fair, while Belarus is the Focus Country.
Similarly, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand is the Partner States and Haryana the Focus State.
About 500 corporate heads gathered at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on November 17, 2016, for
a conference to discuss on topic business with a purpose in order to inculcate the sense of giving
back to society.
The 3rd World Internet Conference began in Chinas Wuzhen on November 16, 2016 and the event
will continue till November 18, 2016. The theme of this years conference is Innovation-driven
Internet Development for the Benefit of All Building a Community of Common Future in
Cyberspace.
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee launched the National Student Startup Policy at
the second Visitors Conference on November 16, 2016 at Rashtrapati Bhavan New Delhi.
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The fifth edition of International Tourism Mart began in Imphal on November 23, 2016. The three-day
event organized in the capital of Manipur was inaugurated by Chief Minister of the state, OkramIbobi
Singh, and will be held between November 23 25 2016.
2016 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit or the APEC Economic Leaders Week
which started on 14 November 2016 came to an end on 20 November 2016 in Lima, Peru. The theme
of the meet was Quality growth and human development.
51st Annual Conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police 2016 began in
Hyderabad.The 3-day national conference began on November 25 and will continue till November 27,
2016.This is the third time that the conference is being organized outside Delhi.
RANKINGS & REPORTS
According to the latest Grant Thornton International Business Report, India was ranked second on the
optimism index during the third quarter. India improved its ranking by one spot in a global index of
business optimism, with policy reforms and Goods and Services tax (GST) expected to become a
reality soon. Indonesia topped the list.
World Bank released a report titled South Asias Turn: Policies to Boost Competitiveness and Create
the Next Export Powerhouse. The report that suggested a set of policy actions in four sectors
agribusiness, apparel, electronics and automotive suggested India to adopt right set of productivity-
enhancing policies and necessary steps to improve its ports and logistics and frame policies to reduce
farm subsidies to emerge as an export powerhouse.
17 Indian families among Forbes Asias 50 Richest Families, Ambani Family top among Indian. The
17 entries from India have a combined wealth of $153.61 billion. Lee family of South Korea, topped
the list for the second year in a row. Its combined wealth grew to $29.6 billion, up from $26.6 billion
last year. The family owns Samsung group. Among Indian the top place is occupied by Ambani
family. Overall Ambani family is at number 3 with Net Worth of 25.8 billion.
A report was released by Resonance on 2017 Worlds Best City Brands at World Travel Market in
London on November 8, 2016.According to the report London ranked first in the Resonance
Consultancy 2017 Worlds Best City Brands Report.
HDFC Banks Managing Director, Aditya Puri, has been ranked 36th in the US magazine
Fortunes Top 50 Business Persons List for 2016. He is the only Indian among three persons of Indian
origin in the global rankings list. However, Facebooks Mark Zuckerburg leads the list with top
ranking.
India has been ranked 20th on Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2017 according
to Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe Publication.
National Geographic Traveler magazine announced its annual Best of the World list in 3 categories
such as Cities, Nature, or Culture.
India has been ranked 138th in global rank Index 2016 with a score of 2.69 while it has been
ranked 26th in the Regional Rank Index 2016.India is among 9 countries in the region which falls
within the least connected countries LCC in the ranking.It was ranked 135th in the global rank Index
2015 with a score of 2.50
According to the QS Graduate Employability Ranking for 2017, IIT Kharagpur has been ranked as the
top institution in the country for the second successive year. The IITKharagpur has been placed at the
highest position among Indian Institutions with a rank ranging between 81-90, from a list of 300
Universities from all over the world. The list is topped by the Stanford University of USA.
The Financial Capital of India, Mumbai has been ranked among the Worlds top Tourists destinations
for 2017.The Booking.com analyzed the top 300 destinations based on growth in
search and bookings to find the most upcoming places to visit in 2017.
According to the report of commercial Real-estate agent Cushman & Wakefield, New Delhis Khan
Market has moved by down 2 spots on its global retail ranking to become the worlds 28th most
expensive retail location globally.
The 7th Global Wealth Report, issued by the Credit Suisse Research Institute says that global
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wealth has risen by 1.4% i.e. USD 3.5 trillion to USD 256 trillion. However in India the household
wealth has decreased by 0.8% i.e $26 billion to $3,099 billion in 2016.Japan registered the highest
increase in global wealth among all countries, USD 3.9 trillion increase was registered by Japan.
While the United Kingdom registered biggest loss in global wealth of USD 1.5 trillion.
BANKING & FINANCE
Economic think-tank NCAER has pegged Indias GDP growth at 7.6% for 2016-17,following a pick-
up in rural demand and positive signals on the manufacturing front.
USAID and RBL Bank Announce $75 million in Loan Guarantee for clean energy
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Mumbai-based RBL Bank announced a
new loan portfolio guarantee that will facilitate up to $75 million for lending to small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) operating in off-grid, solar rooftops, and energy efficiency sectors.
Indias gross-value increased growth is expected to quicken to 7.6% this year from 7.2% in 2015-16,
driven by sustained support from public capex spending was reported by DBS.
YES BANK, Countrys 5th largest private sector lender has launched its YES MOBILE 2.0 mobile
Banking app with multiple industry first features, and extensive support for Banking transactions on
Apple and Android based Smart Watches.
Reserve Bank of India has given an approval to British payments company Earthport for outbound
cross-border payment services to banks in India. The company is already into facilitating the inbound
payments into the country.
Five new banks have joined the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) bandwagon, thereby taking the total
number of banks using UPI to 26. It include public sector lenders, State Bank of India, Allahabad
Bank and Bank of Baroda and two private banks HDFC Bank and IDFC Bank.
SEBI granted in-principle approval to BSE fo global exchange.
Top stock exchange Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE) has decided to impose transaction charge in a
phase manner from this month on trades done in currency futures and options contracts. The exchange
has increased the transaction charge to Rs.12 per Rs.1 crore of returnon both active and passive trades
done on its currency future contracts. Earlier, Rs.10 per crore transaction fee was imposed on such
contracts.
State Bank of India has slashed its home loan rate to a six-year low to 9.10%. Under
this scheme woman borrowers will be able to get home loans at 9.10% while other borrowers will be
able to get loans at 9.15%.
ICICI Bank has launched home loan overdraft facility for salaried customers against their home
loans. Under the ICICI Bank Home Overdraftscheme a salaried customer can avail loans from Rs 5
lakh to Rs. 1 crore for personal needs against his/her property.
US-based ATM manufacturer NCR Corporation has bagged the single largest order from SBI to install
over 7,000 cash-vending machines said by SBI Deputy Managing Director and Chief Information
Officer Mrutyunjay Mahapatra. It is the single largest ATM order in the country and it will worth Rs
334 crore.
The RBI has opened a second office of the Banking Ombudsman in New Delhi, taking into account
the significant increase of the banking network. The first office of the banking ombudsman at RBI,
New Delhi, would have jurisdiction over Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir. The second office would have
jurisdiction over Haryana(except Panchkula, Yamuna Nagar and Ambala districts)
and Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar districts of Uttar Pradesh.
With high level frauds involving industrialists such as Vijay Mallya loan default case revealed,
the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has now made it compulsory for the public sector banks to
report to it all such matters involving funds over Rs.1 crore.
Kumbakonam based City Union Bank has introduced a robot on pilot basis to improve customer
service. The robot is named CUB-LAKSHMI. The robot has been introduced in Thyagaraya Nagar
branch of Chennai.
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Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited,(TAFE) the worlds third largest tractor maker, with the
cooperation and support of the Rajasthan government, has set up a Centre of Excellence JFarm
Rajasthan and a Custom Hiring Centre in six zones in Rajasthan at a total outlay of Rs.970 crore.
Swiss based Molinari Rail AG has entered into a strategic agreement with government of India to
design, manufacture and deliver the auxiliary power units (APUs) for 1,000 diesel locomotives to be
built in India for Indian Railways.
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Limited, subsidiary of the Company, Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd has
been issued licence (the licence no. MUM 122) from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on November
11, 2016 to set up Small Finance Bank.
Indias first small finance bank Capital Small Finance Bank Ltd, has commenced operations with 10
branches from November 12 2016 in Jalandhar, Punjab. The bank ceases to exist with effect from
April 24, 2016.
With the banning of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 note, Government has further announced that depositing
cash above 2.5 lakh rupees in any account between 10 November to 30 December 2016 will be
subjected to tax with a 200 percent penalty in case of income mismatch. Also new denomination of Rs.
50 has been introduced by the Reserve Bank of India that can be withdrawn from ATMs from
November 11, 2016.At Present, the lowest denomination note a customer can get at an ATM is Rs.
100.
Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the nation on November 8 2016, made a
historical announcement that the Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes currently in use will no longer
be legal tender from midnight 8th November 2016 that is these notes will not be accepted for any kind
of transactions from midnight onwards.
Standard Chartered Bank launched Unified Payments Interface (UPI) solution for its corporate and
financial institutional and commercial banking customers.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued clarifications on hedging of currency for external commercial
borrowings (ECBs) in a notification on its website. The ECB borrower will be required to cover both
principal as well as coupon payments through the hedges done, starting from the day of borrowing.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $48 millionloan deal on 7
November 2016 to help Assam improve its electricity power distribution system.
Public Sector lender UCO Bank told that it would raise Rs.271 crore from Life Insurance Corporation
of India in preferential allotment of equal shares at Rs.37.74 apiece.
Indias third largest private sector bank Axis Bank has announced its partnership with Flipkart to
launch Axis Bank Buzz Credit Card.
Construction major HCCs Rs.5, 000-crore debt recast has become the first case to get approval from a
high-level panel organize under Reserve Bank of Indias new Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of
Stressed Assets (S4A).
Life Insurance Corp., has been the countrys most attractive brand in the banking and financial
services segment for the third year.
Union Bank of India has launched a New loan scheme to support and promote start-ups at its 98th
Foundation Day celebrations. Under this new scheme, the bank will provide the finance up to Rs.5
crore with no processing fee.
Worlds oldest central bank, Central Bank of Sweden is taking step to launch a national digital
currency e-krona to solve the problem of a dramatic drop in the domestic use of cash. The digital
currency may be introduced within two years. Sweden become the first major country to give
consumers direct access to virtual money issued by a central bank.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modis demonetisation scheme was effective from November 8,
2016. This move will have adverse impact on farmers as a large number of them do not have accounts
in any other bank.
Federal Bank has received Reserve Bank of India (RBI)s permission to open its first international
branch at the Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a 3 year loan program of $12 billion for Egypt,
which is the largest such package in the record of Middle East nation. The loan will help Egypt to
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restore investors confidence and help revive the African nations economy by boosting Egypts
foreign currency inflows, which declined since the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.
A new Rs 500 notes was rolled out first by State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Bhopal.Some branches
like SBI Main branch in Delhi have started distribution of Rs 500 notes.
Global payments & technology company Mastercard launched Masterpass QR in India on November
16, 2016. Masterpass QR is a quick response (QR) mobile payments solution to help mobile banking
users to safely pay for face-to-face purchases using their smartphones or feature phones without the
need to carry Cash or Card.
Mahasrashtra based Yes Bank has partnered with Crownit, amerchant discovery and privileges
platform to launch a digitised meal vouchers. It is the app based digital meal wallet and it can be
linked with a Meal Debit MasterCard to enables employees to avail unlimited food, beverage &
grocery redemption options, both online and offline.
Federal Bank has tied up with Oxigen to expand the banks e-collection facility to the about 3 lakh-
retail outlets of Oxigen. The agreement was exchanged between Chief Operating Officer, Federal
Bank, Shalini Warrier, and Pramod Saxena, Founder and Chairman of Oxigen, in the New Delhi on
November 17, 2016.
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (KAT) Zone of Bank of Baroda (BoB)organised an
online Light up a Smile Campaign at the SOS Children Village at Bengaluruto bring smiles on the
faces of more than 150 children residing in the village.
Canara Bank has introduced mobile ATM to lower the burden of the people due to the demonetisation
of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. The mobile ATM van has started its services at Kolar district and in
Bangalore rural district.
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan announced that people can get cash at
select petrol pumps with SBI machines by swiping their debit cards from November 18 2016.
Public banks have seen an increase of almost Rs. 80,000 Crore in gross non-performing assets
(NPAs) in the three months ended September 2016. This works out to an increase of Rs.79,977 crore
on quarter on quarter basis.
The Mahindra Group and IBM joined together to develop blockchain solution. It is the first projects of
its kind in India outside of banking industry. ICICI Bank executes Indias first banking transactions on
blockchain in partnership with Emirates NBD in October, 2016.
To encourage people to deposit valid currency notes in banks, RBI on November 29, 2016 allowed
bank customers to withdraw the deposits made in current legal tender notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 2000
beyond the current withdrawal limits of Rs. 24,000 per week. For current accounts, the withdrawal
limit is Rs 50,000 a week for small traders.
Mumbai based ICICI Bank announced to transform 100 villages into ICICI Digital Villages in 100
days to enable villagers go in cash less banking and payments transactions.
American Morgan Stanley has lowered its growth forecast for FY17 to 7.3% from 7.7% earlier on
account of currency replacement programme. As global growth accelerates to 3.4% in 2017 from 3%
in 2016, Morgan Stanley expect Indias exports to support overall recovery in 2017 after being a drag
in 2016.
As per the latest data released by Oxford Economics, Delhi has dislodged Mumbai as the economic
capital of India.
Maharashtra based RBL Bank has tied up with non banking finance company Bajaj Finance to launch
a series of co-branded credit cards for Indian customers.
After Ujjivan Small Finance Bank got final license from RBI for its set up in November, Utkarsh
Micro Finance has also received final license from RBI to start operations as Small Finance Bank
(SFB). It is one of the 10 entities that got in-principle approval to set up Small Finance Bank in
September last year.
HSBC has rolled out Unified Payments Interface(UPI) solution for corporates in India. This UPI
offering will provide improved collection solution to corporates, enabling them to drive sales through
increased digitization of flows.
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Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA) has lowered Indias economic growth estimates by 30 basis
points to 7.1 per cent for the current fiscal after the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.
Earlier, BofA had estimated GDP growth at 7.4 per cent for 2016-17 and 7.6 per cent for 2017-18.
The Reserve Bank of India increasing 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.The RBI move will require all excess deposits that banks in India are getting
estimated to be about Rs 3.25 lakh crore by Friday.
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board set up two advisory panels headed by Mohandas Pai
and UdayKotak. Four-member Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) constituted under the
Chairmanship of MS Sahoo on October 1, 2016.
Indias largest ride-hailing service Ola cabs has tied up with lenders like State Bank of India (SBI) and
Punjab National Bank (PNB)to set up mobile ATM in the cab to help people withdraw cash easily.
Centrum Direct launched CentrumPay payment Solution to Help Foreigners from Cash Crunch.
Telangana government joined hands with Mumbai based IDFC Bank to enable cashless transactions
and to solve the change problem.
Leading stock exchange BSE has opened its regional investor service centre in Shimla on November
19, 2016 to expand its operations and conform to SEBIs directives.
The RBI has planned to open Islamic window in conventional banks with Gradual introduction of
Sharia-compliant (interest-free banking) in the country.Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system
based on the principles of not charging interest, which is prohibited under Islam. Conventional Bank
on the other hand earn their money by charging interest and fees for services.
Due to increasing bad loans in the banking sector, 16 Public sector banks in India out of 22 skipped
paying dividends in 2015-16 to the government. The government of India received Rs 1,444.6 crore as
dividend from PSB. This amount is 67% less than that the government received in the previous fiscal
which was Rs 4,336.22 crore.
Canadas export credit agency Export Development Canada (EDC) sanctioned the first-ever masala
loan of Rs. 340 crore($50 million) to Indian firm Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services(IL&FS).
This is the first lending of EDC in Indian Rupees. In a masalaloan the borrower saves on the hedging
cost because the repayment is in rupees.
Airtel Payments Bank Ltd (Airtel Bank), a subsidiary of the countrys largest telecom operator Bharti
Airtel, started its first pilot banking services in Rajasthan from November 23, 2016.
NABARD has sanctioned Rs. 21,000 crores to the District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) to
help farmers in Rabi agricultural seasons. The DCCBs will disburse loans to farmers through the
network of Primary AgriculturalCooperative Societies (PACS). Government has chosen DCCB for
loan disbursal because 40% of the small-scale farmers go to co-operative banks.
Bruneis largest bank Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam Berhad has signed a deal with Indias Ramco
Systems to integrate its business processes across HR and enterprise resource planning functions with
Ramco Systems Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).
The Reserve Bank of India on November 23, 2016 declared to 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.
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board (IBBI) of India on 23 November 2016 notified three sets of
regulations directing the eligibility criteria of becoming a professional member of an Insolvency
Professional Agency or for registering with the IBBI as an Insolvency Professional Agency. The
regulation is applicable to
1.Insolvency Professionals,
2.Insolvency Agencies and
3.Model Bye-Laws and Governing Board of Insolvency Professional Agencies..
According to National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), 30 private and foreign banks were
joined the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to allows money transfer between any two bank accounts
by using a mobile phone.
Maharashtra based YES Bank, announced a partnership with Gujarat State Road Transport
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Corporation (GSRTC) on November 24, 2016 to digitise payment of bus tickets for Gujarat People.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on November 23, 2016, has relaxed the rules
for angel funds in order to boost more investment for new start-ups in the country. Angel investors are
financiers who put money in new companies at the early stage of start-up of companies, mostly in
exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. The market regulator has raised the total number of
angel investors to invest in a start-ups to 200 from 49 and reduced the minimum investment amount
to Rs. 25 lakh from the previous Rs. 50 lakhs.
Indias largest microfinance providers ESAF selected FIS as the banks technology partner to
launch ESAFs small finance bank. The Small Finance Bank was created to serve micro- and small-
credit needs for women in parts of India
Kerala based South Indian Bank has launched contactless debit card which is based on Near Field
Communication (NFC) technology on November 2, 2016.
Public sector bank Canara Bank has signed a corporate agency agreement Bajaj Allianz General
Insurance for the distribution of Bajaj Allianzs general insurance products through its branches.
INOX Leisure, multiplex chain in India has parterned with State Bank of India(SBI) to enable cash
withdrawal of Rs 2000 at their multiplex. The initiative has been taken to reduce the loads on ATMs
and banks for cash withdrawal and ease the process of cash withdrawal and support the
demonetization move of government.
BUSINESS
India among worlds top 3 countries for launching new start-up swith the total venture
investment in start-ups in 10 years is estimated at Rs 1,11,700 crore, India has emerged as one of the
top three global countries in terms of the number of start-ups founded.
The Central Government has fined Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and its partners BP and
Niko nearly slapped a nearly Rs.10,000 crores for pumping out gas that flowed to the Krishna
Godavari-D6 Block from an adjoining field owned by ONGC.
Google Capital the companys venture arm that focuses on growth-stage companies as opposed to
earlier-stage startups is now CapitalG. The domain name looks to have been acquired a few
weeks ago. The domain was owned by anorganization called GDiapersback in 2014 and then it moved
to privacy. It transferred from Go Daddy to Mark Monitor.
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) provided Guidelines for transparent bidding process
for implementation of Scheme for setting up of 1000 MW Wind Power Projectconnected to inter-state
transmission system (ISTS).
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) launched Startup Mentorship Circle in Mumbai to mentor
startups, connect them to the global marketplace and their think-tanks for them to scale up and succeed
in an exponential way on November 5, 2016
Global drug maker Abbott is setting up an innovation and development center (I&D) in Mumbai to
develope new drug formulations, new indications, dosing, packaging and other differentiated
offerings.
The plant one and only in the country and the first titanium project of India being established by Saraf
Group in Ganjam district of Odisha started its test production, , would be ready for inauguration in the
next few months.
Central Government has canceled the three licenses of over 11,000 NGOs under the Foreign
Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) for failing to apply for their renewal within the deadline.
Centre has levied anti-dumping duty on imports of steel wire rods from China to protect domestic
manufacturers from cheap in-bound shipments.
The Tata group decreased in ranking on Indias most attractive brands index, which has been topped
by South Korean consumer electronics maker LG. Tata, which was at number 4 in 2015 and number 5
in 2014, is ranked at number 7 in Indias Most Attractive Brands 2016 study, carried out
by Trust Research Advisory (TRA) and based on primary research conducted on close to 3,000
consumers across 16 cities.
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Russias state atomic energy corporation Rosatom has invited India to join in developing next-
generation nuclear reactors and to participate in itsfast neutron reactor, also known simply as a fast
reactor, is a type in which nuclear fission chain reaction is sustained by fast neutrons.
NHPC, Indias largest hydropower generation company announced that it has approved its 50
Megawatt (MW) wind power project (WPP) in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The project consists of 25 Wind
Turbine Generators each of 2 MW capacity, which has been successively linked with grid in the month
of October, 2016.
The surprising announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to ban all Rs. 500 and Rs.1000
currency note for any kind of transaction, made many e-commerce sites to halt their cash on delivery
services.
Twitter India, along with website India Spend, launched #Breathe service to enable users to get real-
time information about the pollution levels in their areas with a tweet.
Apollo tyres will start a manufacturing facility at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh with an investment
of Rs.525 crore. The plant will have a capacity to roll out 5 lakh tyres per month which can be
extended up to 30 lakh in future.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu announced a joint venture project worth 5000 crore with Assam
government for the construction of four elevated railway tracks between Kamakhya and New
Guwahati.
Infrastructure Company Adani Enterprises Ltd announced that it commissioned Indias largest tracker-
based solar power plant at Bhatinda in Punjab.The 100 megawatt plantis also the largest solar project
in Punjab.
The Ministry of Commerce had imposed anti-dumping investigation on import of low ash met coke
from Australia and China last year. The imposition of anti dumping duty resulted in an increase in the
cost of finished steel by Rs.700 to Rs.1500 per tonne.
Ministry of Steel is planning to set up Steel Research & Technology Mission of India (SRTMI), to
enable joint collaborative research projects in the iron & steel sector in India to enhance the R&D
investments in the iron and steel industry to the international levels.
Iran has exceeded Saudi Arabia to become Indias top crude oil supplier.Till 2010-11 Saudi Arabia,
was the largest supplier of crude oil in India while Iran was the Indias second biggest supplier of
crude oil.
Drug major Sun Pharma signed tri-party agreement between Indian Council of Medical Research,
Government of Madhya Pradesh and Foundation for Disease Elimination and Control of India (FDEC-
India) to launch the malaria-free India demonstration project in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh.
Reliance group partnered with Cisco Jasper for a new venture named UNLIMIT to provide Internet
of Things (IoT) services to customers across India. Unlimit is designed solely for enterprise customers
in India, for providing them IoT services.
Japanese carmaker, Suzuki Motor Corporation is to set up an industrial training institute Japan-India
Institute for Manufacturing (JIM) at Mehsana district, Gujarat to cooperate on the human resource
development in the manufacturing sector.
An Online Portal Hind-Iran portal (hindirantrade.org) for facilitating trade between India and Iran was
launched by Dr. Inder Jit Singh, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce in the presence of
H.E. Mr. Gholamreza Ansari, Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Khaleel Rahim and other
Directors of STC.
BBC World Service will launch 11 new language services as part of its biggest expansion since the
1940s, due to the funding boost. The new languages will be Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Gujarati, Igbo,
Korean, Marathi, Pidgin, Punjabi, Telugu, Tigrinya, and Yoruba.
Vodafone Indias enterprise arm, Vodafone Business Services (VBS) has joined hands with Google
Cloud to offer G Suite to corporate customers. The new tie-up follows a partnership with technology
major Microsoft for enterprise-grade productivity and collaboration services.
Reliance Communications international calling service Reliance Global Call launched an app RGC
India. It will allows international calling at Rs 1.4 a minute. This app will enables direct-dialing of
international contacts, without the need to enter toll-free number or PIN numbers.
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According to the data of the Office of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, under
the Commerce and Industry Ministry, 272 products includes Sangli raisins, Banaras metal repousse
craft and Beed custard apple have been registered so far as geographical indications since September
2003 to enjoys the specific reputation. Under Geographical Indication (GI) law, a product is identified
as a good or an item manufactured or produced in a particular region. It is a legal right under which the
GI holder can prohibit others from using the same name.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
on 15 November 2016, approved the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for rabi crops of 2016-17. Rabi
crop are those which are sown in winter season. Owing to this approval Minimum Support Price
(MSP) of Wheat has been increased by Rs 100, to Rs 1,625 per quintal for the 2016-17 from Rs 1,525
per quintal as in 2015-16. (Increase of 6.6%).
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurates the 55,000-tonne per annum (TPA) ferro-chrome
plant set up by Tata Steel at a cost of Rs 542 crore in its Gopalpur Industrial Park in Ganjam district.
The telecoms tower provider Indus Towers planned to invest Rs 100 crore in India to set up 500 new
sites within a year. Out of 500 sites, 100 sites are already setup in 50 by the company.
Union government lead by PM Narendra Modi has approved six proposals from four developers to set
up new special economic zones (SEZs) IT and biotechnology across Telangana, Haryana and
Karnataka.
The government has proposed to revisit the existing National Steel Policy, the work on which is at
conceptual stage said by Minister of State for Steel Vishnu DeoSai on November 28, 2016.
Mobiwiki launched mobile app MobiKwik Lite to make life easier for small business holders which
will work on basic Internet connection.
Government removed excise duty on goods for manufacturing of POS (Point of Sale) machines that
are in great demand as merchants are being compelled to use them in the wake of currency crisis. POS
machines will be exempted from 12.5 per cent excise duty and 4 per cent SAD (Special Additional
Duty) till March 31, 2017.
According to the new GST law, E-commerce giants Flipkart and Snapdeal will have to deduct 2%
TCS(Tax Collected at Source) while making payments to their suppliers and deposited TCS amount
with the government.
Himachal Pradesh State Industries Minister MukeshAgnihotri announced that Himachal Pradesh has
emerged as a hub of drug manufacturing units and meets 35 % of Pharma products demands in Asia.
The announcement was made at the 45th conference of the Federation of Corrugated Box
Manufacturers of India at Zirakpur.
An announcement has been made by the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), to
elect India as the vice chair for the year 2018 and chair for the year 2019 of Kimberly Process
(KP) Certificate Scheme.The announcement was made at the KP Plenary Meeting which was recently
held in Dubai.
Google with the help of its cultural arm Google Arts & Culture launched a virtual artwork and
exhibition on November 19, 2016, showcasing the achievements of the Indian women in the country.
Women in India: Unheard Stories, is a special project consisting of about 50 artworks and virtual
exhibitions on the life of Indian women in history from past 2,500 years and from 26 cultural
institutions across the country with more than 1,800 artworks, photographs and videos, captures the
stories of Indias unsung heroines ranging from goddesses to leaders, artists and doctors.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu commissioned a 5 MW solar power plant on the
Polavaram right canal bund at Gollagudem village in West Godavari district. The plant was set up at a
cost of Rs 37.58 crore in 37 acres. It will produce 8.06 million units of power annually.
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has announced the launch of
self-regulation code of conduct for the e-pharmacy sector.
China has confirmed its decision to import rice from 17 registered mills in India to ensure market
access to Indian products in China. China will import both basmati and non-basmati rice from the
mills located in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
BHEL commissioned a second unit of the 493 MW steam turbine-based captive power plant (CPP)
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for Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on November 23, 2016 at Hazira in Gujarat.
Talcher Thermal Power Station of NTPC on November 23, 2016 generated 11.496 Million Units of
electricity at 104.13% capacity utilization which is the highest single day generation among all power
stations. The station had topped the national ranking for Highest Capacity Utilization which has an
installed capacity of 460 MW, four units of 60 MW and two units of 110 MW each.
Government of India has imposed a safeguard duty on import of certain steel products effective from
effect from November 23, 2016 till May 22, 2019.
Europes largest manufacturer of home appliances, BSH Household Appliances Grouphas opened
Indias first technology centre at Adugodi in Bengaluru on November 25, 2016.
Google announced the seven Indian startups that will join the third edition of Launchpad
Accelerator programme at Google Headquarters in Silicon Valley, California.The seven Indian
startups selected to be a part of the programme includes Flyrobe, HashLearn, Rentomojo,
KaptureCRM, Curofy, Happy Adda Studios, and Playment.
A 26-year-old Uppma Virdi, hailing from Jalandhar and living in Melbourne, received theBusiness
woman of the Year Award at the India Australia Business Community Awards (IABCA) held in
Sydney, for taking the aroma of fresh Indian tea to Australian households.
Taylor Swift with earnings of $170m has topped Forbes magazines list of the highest-earning female
solo artists in music, with more than twice the income of the second-placed artist, Adele.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley awarded the Haryana government was conferred with the award
for outstanding work in the field of e-governance at the State of the States Conclave 2016 in New
Delhi.
Saudi Arabia has awarded eight scientists the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for
Water at the United Nations headquarters in New York .
Indian-origin researcher Shamik Chowdhury won the German Green Talent award was among 25
scholars awarded for their innovative green ideas by the German Federal Ministry of Education and
Research.
Meryl Streep, considered as the finest actress of her generation, would get the Golden Globes lifetime
achievement award at the annual ceremony in January was announced by the organizers.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi awarded the Ramnath Goenka Awards for excellence in
journalism on November 3, 2016 in New Delhi. Ramnath Goenka Award was instituted by
the Ramnath Goenka Foundation in 2005to celebrate the legacy of the founder of The Indian Express
Group.
Veteran journalist S Nihal Singh has been awarded with Raja Ram Mohan Roy Awardfor his
outstanding contribution to journalism which is presented by the Press Council of India.The award will
be presented on November 16 to Nihal Singh and carries a cash component of Rs 1 lakh.
Union Ministry of Urban Development has given Awards of Excellence to 8 cities in 5 states and 1
Union Territory for their initiatives to promote Public Transport, Non-Motorized Transport and Road
Safety..
The prestigious Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Governance for this year has been granted upon
the Maharatna firm, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
Solar Bones author Mike McCormack had won the Goldsmiths Prize. He stated that it was payback
for his publishers Tramp Press and his agent who had backed him during his long and difficult
adventure as a writer.
Fortune magazine has named the co-founder and CEO of the biggest social networking site
Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg as Business Person of the Year, 2016.
Pune girl Anvita Prashant Telang wins Google Indias doodle competition. Her Doodle submission on
the theme titled If I could teach anyone anything, it would be.
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Short film The Guest, which emerged as the winner in the Large Short Films category at
the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) Film Festival. The short film has been directed by
Ayappa KM and stars Avinash Tiwari and Yana Mistry.
Indian-origin humanitarian, Imtiaz Sooliman gets Global Citizen Award. Sooliman was honoured at
the end of the 10th annual Global Residence and Citizenship Conference in London.
Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award bagged by Roger Federer for 12th time
Marta Jakimowicz Lifetime Achievement 2016 by the Karnataka Lalithakala Academy
Former CM ND Tiwari awarded with Uttarakhand Ratna Award
The 39th Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation Award was awarded on 7 November 2016 in Mumbai,
Maharastra.This year, the receivers of the award were Mohan Hirabai Hiralal and BonBehari Vishnu
Nimbkar from Maharashtra, Dr. Nannapaneni Manga Devi from Andhra Pradesh and Sheikh Rached
Ghannouchi from Tunisia.
Professor Raj Bisaria to get Madhya Pradesh government govts Kalidas Samman
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented IGNITE Awards. About 55,000 applicants from
458 districts of the country participated in the competition out of which 31 students were awarded for
the innovative ideas.
Hadi Abdullah, Syrian freelance journalist was awarded with Reporters without Borders (RSF)-TV5
Monde prize for reporting from some of the most hazardous places in Syrias five years old war.
Mohanlal starrer adventure film Pulimurugan has become the first Malayalam film to enter the Rs
100 crore club. This movie is made with a budget of Rs 25 crore, deals with man animal conflict with
Mohanlal in the lead role of Murugan, a hunter.
Dr Sonam Wangchuk, a famous Educationist and Social Scientist from Secmol (Ladakh) has been
awarded the 40th Rolex Global Enterprise Award at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on November
17, 2016.
Ralph Fiennes, A 53-year-old actor, won the best actoraward for two plays, at the 2016 London
Evening Standard Theatre Awards.The ceremony, presented by Rob Brydon, was held at Londons
Old Vic theatre.The actor was awarded for his performances in both The Master Builder and
Richard III at a star-studded bash held at Londons Old Vic Theatre.
The list of winners of the 62nd London Evening Standard Theatre Awards:
Best Actor Ralph Fiennes The Master Builder (Old Vic) & Richard
III (Almeida)
Natasha Richardson Award For Best Actress Billie Piper Yerma (Young Vic)
Best Play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child co-written by Jack
Thorne, JK Rowling & John Tiffany (Palace)
Best Musical Performance Glenn Close Sunset Boulevard (Coliseum)
Evening Standard Radio 2 Audience Award Jesus Christ Superstar Regents Park Open Air Theatre
For Best Musical
Milton Shulman Award For Best Director John Malkovich Good Canary (Rose Kingston)
Best Revival No Mans Land (Wyndhams)
Best Design Gareth Fry with Pete Malkin (sound design) The
Encounter (Edinburgh International Festival/Barbican)
Charles Wintour Award For Most Promising Charlene James Cuttin It (Young Vic/Royal Court)
Playwright
Emerging Talent Award Tyrone Huntley Jesus Christ Superstar (Regents Park
Open Air Theatre)
Beyond Theatre Sir David Attenborough
Editors Award Good Chance Theatre
Lebedev Award Sir Kenneth Branagh
Veteran lyricist, writer and filmmaker Gulzar has been awarded Poet Laureate award 2016 at the
Mumbais literary festival Tata Literature Live on November 17, 2016.
Air New Zealand has been awarded the best airline in the world for the fourth consecutive year in the
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global rankings according to AirlineRatings.coms Airline Excellence Awards.

Noted flutist Pandit Hari Prasad Chourasia was awarded the 2016 Sumitra Charat Ram Award for
lifetime achievement in the field of Indian classical music at Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra in the
presence of Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi, Shekhar Sen on November 17, 2016.
Winner of the 17th annual Latin Grammy Awards
Record of the Year Carlos Vives & Shakira for La Bicicleta
Album of the Year Juan Gabriel, Los Do 2
Song of the Year La Bicicleta, Andrs Castro, Shakira & Carlos Vives, songwriters
(Carlos Vives & Shakira).
Best New Artist Manuel Medrano
Best Contemporary Pop Jesse & Joy, Un Besito Ms
Vocal Album
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Juan Gabriel, Los Duo 2
Album
Best Urban Yandel, Encantadora
Fusion/Performance
Best Urban Music Album J Balvin, Energia
Best Urban Song Encantadora, Egbert Rosa Cintrn, Farruko, Eduardo A. Vargas Berrios
& Yandel, songwriters (Yandel)
Best Rock Album Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, La Salvacin De Solo Y Juan
Best Pop/Rock Album Julieta Venegas, Algo Sucede
Best Rock Song La Tormenta, Flavio Cianciarulo, songwriter (Los Fabulosos Cadillacs)
Best Alternative Music Illya Kuryaki & The Valderramas, L.H.O.N.
Album
Best Alternative Song Vez Primera, Carla Morrison, songwriter (Carla Morrison)
Best Salsa Album India, Intensamente India Con Canciones De Juan Gabriel
Best Cumbia/Vallenato Fonseca, Homenaje (A La Msica De Diomedes Daz)
Album
Best Contemporary Tropical Guaco, Guaco Histrico 2
Album
Best Traditional Tropical La Sonora Santanera, La Sonora Santanera En Su 60 Aniversario
Album
Best Tropical Fusion Album Gente De Zona, Visualzate
Best Tropical Song Vine A Buscarte, Omar Alfano, Fonseca & Yadam Gonzlez Crdenas,
songwriters (Fonseca)
Best Singer-Songwriter Manuel Medrano, Manuel Medrano
Album
Best Banda Album Banda El Recodo De Cruz Lizrraga, Races
Best Tejano Album Michael Salgado, Por Cielo Y Tierra
Best Norteo Album Los Tigres Del Norte, Desde El Azteca
Best Regional Song Atad, Erika Ender, Manu Moreno & Mnica Vlez, songwriters (Los
Tigres Del Norte)
Livingstone Foundation Hr. Sec. School (LFHSS) has won the Best Science Project Award for their
Eco-friendly usage of Bio-Degradable Plastic at the first ever National Science Concours of Sikkim
Manipal Institute of Technology (SMIT).
TCS and Vedanta, leading Indian Companies, have been awarded care at the 3rd annual Asia Corporate
Excellence and Sustainability Awards (ACES) for their leadership in sustainability, corporate social
responsibility, eco consciousness and community. TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) was
named Industry Champions in the Leadership category.TCS was also named Most Socially
Responsible Company of the Year for its deep commitment to its corporate social responsibility
(CSR) responsibility role
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Four leading India-born CEOs have been named in Fortunes Businessperson of the Year list that is
topped by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Notably Microsofts SatyaNadella ranked 5th among
50 global corporate heads.
Sachin Tendulkars autobiography Playing it my Way has won the Crossword Book of the Year
Award (Autobiography category). The book is penned by renowned cricket historian and Tendulkars
close friend BoriaMajumdar.
The sixth Esquire Man at His Best Awards 2016 was held on November 29, 2016 in Dubai.
The Award comprised of 19 awards. Some of the major awards are:
International Woman of the Year Award: Actress DeepikaPadukone
International Man of the Year: Bollywoods Ranveer Singh
Humanitarian of the Year: Omar Samra
Athlete of the Year: Qatari high-jumper MutazBarshim,
Esquires Man of the Year: founder of the Mara Group, Ashish J Thakkar.
As per the report of Forbes, the co-founder brothers of Stripe Inc., Patrick Collison and John Collison,
are officially the worlds youngest self-made billionaires after a fresh funding round nearly doubled
their San Francisco-based companys valuation to US $9.2 billion.
47th Edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2016
The 47th Edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), 2016 was held from 20-28
November, 2016 at DrShyama Prasad Mukherjee indoor stadium at Talegao on the outskirts of Panaji,
Goa.
The festival screened over 300 films including 4 premieres, 6 international premieres, 26 Asian
premieres 104 Indian premieres and Oscar-winning entries from nearly 90 countries. The Republic of
Korea was the focus country of IFFI 2016.
The ceremony ended with veteran filmmaker SubhashGhai felicitating all the award winners and
performers on the grand stage.
Award Categories At the IFFI 2016 :
Category Name of the Awardee
Lifetime Achievement Award South Korean film director and writer, Im Kwon
Taek
Centenary Award For Indian Film Veteran singer SP Balasubrahmanyam
Personality of the Year
Best Film Iranian film Daughter, directed by Reza
Mirkarimi
Best director Soner Caner and Baris Kaya for Turkish
film Rauf
Best Actor (Male) FarhadAslani for Daughter
Best Actor (Female) ElinaVasca for Latvian film Mellow Mud
Special Jury Award South Korean director Lee Joon-ik for The
Throne
Centenary Award for the Best Debut Spanish film Chile Rara directed by Pepa San
Film of a Director Martin from Argentina
Azadi 70 Saal YaadkaroQurbani
IFFI 2016 also featured the National Film Archives of Indias (NFAI) exhibition with theme: Azadi 70 Saal,
YaadKaroQurbani (70 Years of Independence, Remember the Sacrifices) to commemorate 70 years of
Indian Independence.
IFFI Nominated 8 movies for ICFT Unesco Gandhi Medal
The 47th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) nominated 8 films for the ICFT UNESCO
Gandhi Medal Prize. All 8 films were screened at the IFFI in Panaji, Goa. Film named Allama from India also
was in that list.
Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs andInternational
Cooperation, has been conferred the prestigious Mother Teresa International Award by the Mumbai-
based NGO Harmony Foundation.
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Toonz Media Groups short film Magical Piano won the short film award at the UNSECO Salon
Youth Video Competition 2016 in Marrakech, Morocco.
Indian-American author Amitav Ghosh has been named for the 2016 Tata Literature Live! Lifetime
Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Indian literary space.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh honoured Spiritual guru Sri SriRavishankar with DrNagendra Singh
International Peace Award for his efforts in ensuring world peace on November 20 2016 at
VigyanBhawan in Delhi.
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has recognized
Princess MahaChakriSirindhorn of Thailand with the first World Sanskrit Award for the
year 2015while American linguist and IndologistProf. George Cardona with World Sanskrit Award for
the year 2016 for their exemplary contribution for the promotion of the Sanskrit language.
Azamgarh-born Indian-American philanthropist Frank Islam felicitated with the Interfaith Leadership
Awardat the Interfaith Leadership Award Concert on November 20, 2016
Senior journalist at the Times of India AkshayaMukulhas been awarded the Shakti Bhatt First Book
Prize 2016. He has been awarded for his book Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India.
The Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) announced the winners of the 8th Infosys Prize in 6 categories
Engineering and Computer Science, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical
Sciences and Social Sciences. Everyone will receive a purse of Rs. 65 Lakhs, a 22 karat gold
medallion and a citation certificate at the Awards Ceremony which will be held on January 7, 2017 in
Bangalore.
Infosys Prize 2016 winner list :
1.Engineering and Computer Science : Prof. V. Kumaran, Professor, Department of Chemical
Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore,
2.Humanities Prof. Sunil Amrith, Mehra Family Professor of South Asian Studies, Professor of
History, Harvard University, US
3.Life Sciences: Dr.Gagandeep Kang, Executive Director of Translational Health Science and
Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad.
4.Mathematical Sciences: Prof.AkshayVenkatesh, Professor, Department of Mathematics, Stanford
University, US
5.Physical Sciences: Dr. Anil Bhardwaj, Director, Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space
Centre, Thiruvananthapuram
6.Social Sciences: Prof.Kaivan Munshi, Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics, Faculty of
Economics, University of Cambridge, UK
President Barack Obama awarded the United States highest civilian award Presidential Medal of
Freedom to 21 outstanding actors, musicians, athletes and innovators who inspired him over the years
on November 22, 2016 in the White House East Room.
The famous Bollywood Actor Sunny Leone and 4 other Indian women have been named in the BBCs
list of 100 most influential women 2016.
Malini Subramaniam, an Indian journalist has been conferred with the International Press Freedom
Award by the Committee to Protect Journalists(CPJ) for her reporting from the Naxal-hit Bastar area,
in Chhattisgarh.
Australias former womens captain Karen Rolton has been inducted into the ICCs Hall of Fame on
November 24, 2016 at a ceremony during the dinner break on the opening day of the third day/night
Test between Australia and South Africa.
Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee on November 24, 2016 won the Best Performance Award by an
Actor at the 10th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, held in Brisbane.Manoj was awarded for his role
as Professor Siras in Aligarh, directed by Hansal Mehta, a powerful and personal drama based on
true events. Besides, Nawazuddin Siddiqui also received a Special Mention in the Best Performance
category for his role in Anurag Kashyaps Raman Raghav 2.0.
M C Mary Kom, a celebrated Indian boxer, will be honored with the Legends Award from
the International Boxing Association (AIBA) on its 70th anniversary ceremony which is to be held
in Switzerland on December 20, 2016.
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Eminent Journalist and Author Sebastian Mallaby has won the Financial Times & McKinsey Business
Book of the Year 2016 for his The Man Who Knew: The Life and Times of Alan Greenspan on
November 22, 2016 at a ceremony in London.
Bangladesh will honour 1,668 members of the Indian Army, who were martyred during the
Bangladesh Liberation War. Each family will receive a Rs. 5 lakh as a mark of respect from the Prime
Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina who will be in Delhi between 18-20 December to give away
the money, in Indian currency, to the martyrs family members.
BJPs Avinash Khanna - NHRC member

KPMG India CEO Richard Rekhy to retire
B Nagabhushana Reddy concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Benin
Bishwadip Dey concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to the Commonwealth of
Dominica
Kamala Harris set to become first Indian-American US Senator
Twitter India MD Parminder Singh resigns
Young Indian lawyer Aniruddha Rajput has won a seat in the hotly-contested United Nations (UN)
General Assembly elections for membership its top body of legal experts, garnering the highest
number of votes in the Asia-Pacific group.
Equitas SFB ropes in R Ashwin as brand ambassador
Actor Ranveer Named Indian Ambassador For Switzerland Tourism
Eicher Polaris appoints Pankaj Dubey as CEO
Kolkata-born Sarabjit Singh Marwah becomes Canadas first Sikh Senator
Lebanons president names Saad Hariri new prime minister
Lt Gen Satish Dua takes over as Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC)
Kim Byong-Joon is the new Prime Minister of South Korea
Sanjiv Arora appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Lebanon
Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly quits after 4-year stint
Saptarshi Roy takes charge as Human Resource Director of NTPC
Bindheswar Pathak appointed as Brand Ambassador Of Swachh Rail Mission
Lieutenant General J S Sandhu takes charge as GoC of Chinar Corps
R. Subramania Kumar was given additional charge of the post of Managing Director and Chief
Executive Officer of Indian Overseas Bank for three months.
Rahul Dravid Appointed Brand Ambassador for T20 World Cup for Blind to create awarness about the
tournament.
Ishaat Hussai named interim chairman of TCS, replaces cyrusmistry
Mahindra and Mahindra appointed PawanGoenka as Managing Director and Anand Mahindra was
redesignated as executive chairman.
B. Nagabhushana Reddy concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Chad
Narinder Batra elected as new president of International Hockey Federation
Meng Hongwei elected the President of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
The United States presidential election of 2016, held on November 8, 2016, was the 58th U.S.
presidential election. Donald Trump the Republican nominee defeated the Democratic
nominee Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump, age 70, became the oldest person ever to be elected as
president. He was born in 1946. Trump will assume the office as the 45th President from January 20,
2017.
Vani Venkatesh -New chief executive for Bharti Airtel Retail Operations.
S Gopakumar - MD Of GIC Housing Finance
Lt Gen DevrajAnbu -Chief Of Northern Command
Former Comptroller and Auditor General of India VinodRai-- chairman FTAC, Kerela.
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M Rajeshwar Rao -new Executive Director of RBI

Praveen Kumar Sharma - MD and CEO of Central Registry of Securitisation Asset Reconstruction and
Security Interest of India (CERSAI).
Ratnesh Kumar - MD & CEO of Bank of Baroda Capital Markets
Catholic Syrian Bank appoint C.V.R. Rajendran as MD & CEO
Jagdish Singh Khehar appointed as Executive Chairman of NALSA
Michael Flynn appointed NSA by Donald Trump
Bulgarian PM resigns after losing presidential election
Donald Trump names Reince Priebus chief of staff, Stephen Bannon chief strategist
Yes Bank Appoints Amresh Acharya As Head Global Indian Banking
Guy Ryder re-elected as Director-General of International Labour Organization
A team of women commandos has been inducted for the first time in Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF) to counter Naxal insurgency in Jharkhand.The 135 women belonging to the 232 battalions
Delta Company, included in the operation, are currently undertaking operations under the close
supervision of CRPFs 133battalion in Naxal-infested forests on the outer area of Ranchi near Khoonti
area.
Rishi Jaitly appointed CEO of Times Global Partners
Israel names first ambassador to Turkey since 2010. Eitan Naeh was formally selected by a
government committee, said foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon.
Cyrus Mistry out of Tata Global Beverages; Harish Bhat named new Chairman
Debbie Hockley first Woman to be elected president of New Zealand Cricket Board
US President-elect Donald Trump nominated a second Indian-American woman, Dr. SeemaVerma to
a top administration position as in charge of a federal agency within the health department.
Susan Kiefel become Australias first woman highest ranking judge
Lt General AK Bhatt appointed as new DGMO, Lt General Ranbir Singh promoted to GOC 1 Corps.
Myntra appoints Ajit Narayanan as its new CTO
Cipla appoints IreenaVittal as independent director
GautamKumra elected McKinsey & Companys India managing director.
Lt Gen QamarBajwa has been appointed as the chief of Pakistan Army by the Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif. He will replace Gen Raheel Sharif who will retire on November 29, 2016.
UmaroSissocoEmbalo sworn in as the PM of Guinea-Bissau
Siby Sebastian Appointed As CEO Of SBM Bank (Mauritius), India
Mahesh Bhalla Appointed As Chief Mentor Of StartupsClub India.
ZydusCadila CMD Pankaj Patel elected as FICCI president
Sebi officials Parmod Kumar Nagpal and Amarjeet Singh to chair spain based International
Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) panels
Government appoints Yudhvir Singh Malik as new Chairman of NHAI
N V Srinivasan appointed as Indo-American Chamber of Commerce President
Indian-American Nikki Haley picked by Donald Trump as US Ambassador to UN.
Nalanda University Chancellor George Yeo resigns from post
Former IAS officer UpmaChowdhary was appointed as the Director of LalBahadurShastri National
Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) at Mussoorie.
Mariamma Koshy was appointed as President of Hockey India (HI) during the 41st Hockey India
Executive Board meeting on November 25, 2016 in New Delhi.
Cyrus Mistry removed as Tata Steel chairman during board meeting held in Mumbai on November 25,
2016. He was replaced by former head of SBI, O P Bhatt.
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Biyanis Future Retail to acquire Chandrababu Naidu owned Heritage Foods retail business for 300
crore.
Online payments and ecommerce marketplace Paytm acquired Delhi-based Shopsity to strengthen its
offline retail network.
Indias largest direct-to-home (DTH) player, Dish TV and Videocon d2h (Vd2h) have decided to
merge operations to form the single largest pay TV operator with 27.6 million net subscribers.
Tesla bought German automation firm Grohmann
South Korean company Samsung Electronics to acquire auto-systems maker Harman International
Industries for USD 8 billion. It would be the Samsungs biggest ever acquisition.
Facebook has acquired FacioMetrics, an emotion detection start-up, to help its artificial intelligence
(AI) research into building facial gesture controls. FacioMetrics developed an app called Intraface that
can detect seven different emotions in peoples faces.
India based Bharti Airtel Ltd (Airtel) has completed the merger with Bangladesh based Robi Axiata
Ltd (Robi Axiata) of Axiata Group Berhad (Axiata).Now it will operate under the Robi Axiata brand
in Bangladesh. After Merger, it will be the second largest mobile operator in Bangladesh with around
32.2 million customers.
American multinational corporation Cognizant will acquire Mirabeau BV for an undisclosed amount
to expand Cognizants digital business capabilities in the Netherlands and across Europe.
Bangalore-based pharmaceutical company Strides Shasun announced to acquire Swedish Moberg
Pharmas brand PediaCare for $5 million.
Oracle signed an agreement to acquire US-based Dynamic Network Services Inc, or Dyn. Oracle has
not disclosed the deal amount.
An Indian classified advertising platform Quikr announced to acquire an online home rental solutions
provider, Grabhouse in an all-stock deal giving investors Sequoia Capital and Kalaari Capital stake in
Quikr to strengthen its own service.
The largest drug firm of India, Sun Pharma, has entered into an agreement with Russian pharma
company JSC Biosintez to acquire 85.1 percent equity stake in the Russian firm for $60 million.
PepsiCo Inc. announced to acquire probiotic and kombucha beverage maker KeVitaInc on November
22, 2016. PepsiCo was paying $200 million to KeVitaInc expand its health and wellness offerings.
Reliance group has entered into a deal with Zee group to sell its 100% stake in TV channels and
sell 49% stake in radio business to Zee group. The total deal will cost Rs 1890.4 crore($283 million) to
Zee group.
SCHEMES
Central Government of India launched the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)
to provide free health check-ups to pregnant women at government health centers and hospitals.
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has given its approval for implementation of Price
Support Scheme(PSS) for procurement of Groundnut in Gujarat during the Kharif season 2016-17
Prime Minister Narendra Modis launched the Saur SujalaYojana in Chhattisgarh in order to provide
solar powered irrigation pumps to farmers at a subsidized price. Chhattisgarh was the first state to
implement the Saur Sujal Yojana .Under the scheme, solar powered irrigation pumps of 3HP and 5HP
capacity worth Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 4.5 lakh respectively would be distributed to the farmers by March
31, 2019
The Himachal Pradesh cabinet approved Mukhya Mantri Shikshak Samman Yojana in a meeting
chaired by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. The scheme applied to Trained Graduate Teachers (TGT),
Post Graduate Teachers (PGT), Headmasters and Principals.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launched the Pradhan Mantri YUVA
Yojana, MSDEs flagship scheme on entrepreneurship education and training, marking the 2nd
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Foundation Day of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The scheme spans over five
years (2016-17 to 2020-21) with a project cost of Rs. 499.94 crore, and will provide entrepreneurship
education and training to over 7 lakh students in 5 years through 3050 Institutes.
The number of rural households were distributed with free LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri
Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has crossed the 1 crore.
Chhattisgarh has become the first state in the country to adopt a resolution of supporting the
demonetization of high-value currency notes decision of the central government.
The government, on November 17, 2016, approved a scheme to construct 1 crorehouses in next 3
years from 2016-17 to 2018-19 under Housing for All by 2022.To pursue the objective of Housing
for All by 2022, the Union Cabinet approved re-structuring of the former rural housing scheme
Indira Awaas Yojana into Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) all over the country.
Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar inaugurated projects worth Rs 6 crore at his adopted village
of Puttamrajuvari Kandriga in Andhra Pradesh. On this occasion he was adopted Gollapalli villagein
the same state under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana .It would be developed with an amount of Rs 3.05
crore
Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani distributed PAHCHAN identity cards to artisans
of Gujarat belonging to Jamnagar, Naroda, Surendranagar, Amreli and Kalol at Ahmedabad Haat,
Vastrapur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat on November 19, 2016. The cards will enable the artisans to take the
benefit of any government scheme.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch Pradhan MantriGrameenAwas Yojna, an ambitious
housing scheme for rural poor, in Agra. Pradhan MantriGrameenAwasYojna which was previously
known as Housing For All, was launched on June 25, 2016 with an aim of constructing about 2 crore
houses across the nation to provide affordable housing to all Indian citizen below poverty line by the
year 2022
Haryana government launched a Voluntary Disclosure Scheme (VDS) 2016 and Surcharge Waiver
Scheme 2016 on November 19, 2016.This scheme shall remain in operation from November 20 to
December 31, 2016. VSD Scheme for declaring tampered or defective meters for all categories of
consumers having sanctioned load up to five KW
Rajasthan Govt to launch Annapurna rasoi programme to provide cheap food to weaker sections.
Motto of Annapurna rasoi: Food to All and Respect to All
MoUs
Assam govt inks MoU with Civil Aviation Ministry for Regional Connectivity Scheme
India and Venezuela sign deals to increase oil production worth $1.45 billion
India, Sweden agree to enhance collaboration in energy sector
Ministry of HUPA and Common Services Centre e-Governance Services India Limited of the Ministry
of Electronics and Information Technology signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for
enabling online submission of applications under PMAY(Pradhan MantriAwasYojana)
Latvia has become the first country in the Baltic Sea area to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to
link up with Chinas One Belt and One Road (OBOR) Initiative.
US based LinkedIn has signed an agreement with Ministry of Human Resource Development to create
more job opportunities in India.
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Army and Corporation Bank
on the Defence Salary Package.
NSDA Signs MoU with British Council to Collaborate for Joint Research in Skills Sector
BSE Institute Ltd (BIL) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Telangana
Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) at the ongoing CII Global Skill Summit, in Telangana, to
set up a center of excellence for financial education centre in the state.
Indias branded network of hotels, Yatra has ratified a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) to systematize and promote accommodation in
Uttarakhand and develop tourism infrastructure.
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Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi to establish a Joint Advanced Technology
Centre (JATC).
India and Britain signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs)on intellectual property rights (IPR)
and ease of doing business following delegation-level talks led by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and
Theresa May.
Maharashtra government signed an agreement with Canada to implement a joint action plan on urban
infrastructure development in the State.
India, Bhutan sign new bilateral trade agreement. The first Agreement on Trade and Commerce
between Bhutan and India was signed in 1972.
The framework agreement of International Solar Alliance (ISA) was opened for signatures on
November 15, 2016, at the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), at Marrakech, in Morocco. Over 20 countries became the
signatories to it soon after the process started, including India, France and Brazil. ISA was launched
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly with French President Francois Hollande at CoP21 in Paris
in November 2015.
Telangana IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan and Microsoft India (R&D) Managing Director Anil
Bhansali signed an MoU with Microsoft Corporation India to explore cloud, machine learning and
mobile-based solutions in the state aimed to promote the states effort to incorporate Information and
Communication Technology (ICT).
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $500 million loan to
build Indias longest river bridge, a 9.8 km long road bridge across the Ganges River to improve
transport connectivity between North and South Bihar for a better link between the State Capital,
Patna, and the surrounding areas.
National Institute of Technology (NIT) Agartala has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), North Eastern Electric Power Corporation
Ltd (NEEPCO) and iBuild.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between India and Switzerland for a joint
project on energy efficiency of buildings in November 2011, for duration of five years.
Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Ltd (CMPDI) the consultancy arm of Coal India Ltd has
signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mumbai based SBI Capital Markets to increase
their market share in the rapidly growing consultancy area.
Arunachal Pradesh and Thailand signs MoU to promote cooperation and collaboration.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas sign
MoU to boost to skill initiatives in the Hydrocarbon Sector
India & Switzerland Sign Joint Declaration for the implementation of Automatic Exchange of
Information (AEOI). From now India will be possible to receive the financial information of accounts
held by Indian residents in Switzerland for 2018 and subsequent years from September 2019onwards.
Japan and South Korea signed a controversial agreement to share defence intelligence on North Korea.
In 2012 both counties were signed an intelligence-sharing deal, but Seoul backtracked at the time
itself.
The worlds largest online homestay marketplace Airbnb signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with the Self-Employed Womens Association of India (SEWA) to promote tourism in rural
areas. This initiative will begin in Gujarat and later expand to other states.
COMMITTEES
Anil Madhav Dave, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has constituted a five-
member team for conservation and management of Loktak Lake in Manipur.
The Supreme Court constitute the committee headed by former Delhi High Court judge
Justice Kailash Gambhir to verify the availability of night shelters. Four month has given to this
committee to submit its report regarding night shelters.
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The Union Cabinet has given its approval to the constitution of Special Committee for Inter-Linking
of Rivers in compliance with Supreme Court judgment 2012. The committee will be responsible for
the monitoring of the precious Inter-linking of River Projects to be carried out under National
Perspective Plan 1980 of Government of India.
The government has formed an inter-ministerial committee on November 17, 2016, to solve
the queries of NRIs, tourists from abroad and foreign missionsover demonetization issue.
A Special Task Force has been formed by The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to speed up the process of
recalibration of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) to dispense the new denomination notes. The Task
Force headed by S.S Mundra,Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will work to speed up
work on ATMs to dispense higher denomination notes.
The Central Government has formed a committee on November 22, 2016, comprising Additional
Secretaries, Joint Secretaries and Directors to know about the status of implementation of its recent
decision of scrapping 500 and 1000 rupees currency notes.
Center to form Committee to Develop Digital Payment Platform for Government-Citizen
Transactions. The Committee of Officers, headed by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, will identify
and operationalise the user-friendly digital payment options in all sectors of the economy, as early as
possible
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY India has failed on being the destination for the worlds largest
telescope. There was a lot of expectation that the giant Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) would get
housed at a remote high- altitude site in the cold desert of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.
China has developed a high-speed, intelligent unmanned sea vessel which could be used for a host of
applications including submarine detection. According to Xinhua, the SeaFly-01completed a test
at Nanhu Lake in Wuhan. The 10.25-meter-long vessel could acquire a maximum speed of 45 knots.
Magnetospheric Multiscale mission (MMS) has set the Guinness World Record for highest altitude fix
of a GPS signal at 70,000 kilometres above the surface of the Earth by NASA ( National Aeronautics
and Space Administration).
Chinas powerful new heavy-lift rocket glided on its first flight bringing the nation one step closer to
building its own space station in Earth orbit. The rocket is particularly wider at five meters in
diameter and capable of a payload of 25 tons in low earth orbit, more than double Chinas previous
rockets payload.
Japan launches next-generation geostationary meteorological satellite Himawari-9 to further improve
weather services in the Asia-Pacific region.
TRAI,has made it mandatory for all the Broadband providers to at least give a minimum speed
of 512Kbps after users consumed their initial data quota.
Recovering marine oil spills might soon become simple, efficient and cost-effective, thanks to a
compound (gelator) developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and
Research (IISER). A team headed by Dr. Kana M. Sureshan from the School of Chemistry used
glucose as a starting material and through several chemical reactions produced compounds
(gelators) that selectively congeal oil, including crude oil, from an oil-water mixture.
NASA completes construction of largest space telescope James Webb Space Telescope one that
is 100 times powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope.
China, has taken a step forward to incease its charisma in space research segment by launching an X-
Ray Pulsar Navigation satellite into space which is designed to identify signs of pulsar ray. Named as
XPNAV-1, this all-new powerful asteroid will carry out in-orbit researchers by means of pulsar
detectors to reveal new technologies for space mapping.
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda launched a mobile app No More Tension to
manage the stress level and released a magazine Healthy India Initiative/Swastha Bharat-ekpehal on
November 9, 2016 in New Delhi.
The Maharashtra government along with the State Child Rights Protection Commission launched
CHIRAG mobile application on November 9 2016 to enable the submission of complaints related to
violation of child rights.
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The Indian Space Research Organsiation (ISRO) Chairman A S Kiran Kumar, on November 11, 2016,
revealed that ISRO has started to conduct the test for its second moon mission, Chandrayaan-II at its
center in Challakere, Karnataka.
The Sub1 Reloaded robot successfully solved the famous puzzle Rubiks Cube in the fastest ever time
of 0.637 seconds in just 21 moves at the Electronica trade fair in Munich on November 9, 2016.
Archaeologists in India are planning to use exclusively high-end scanning lasers on airborne platforms
to conduct survey of the archaeological evidence, flora and fauna in the Rajgir hills, Bihar under
the Rajgir Archaeological Survey Project (RASP).
A team of researchers headed by Dr.Jinyao Tang of the Department of Chemistry, the University of
Hong Kong, has developed the worlds first light-seeking synthetic Nano robot.
Delhi has become the first state in the country to launch Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
vaccination as a public health programme for preventing cervical cancer among young girls. As part
of the programme, girls aged between 11-13 years would be vaccinatedfree of
cost at Delhi State Cancer Institute (DSCI) through its setups in east and west Delhi.
Scientists have indicated the presence of water on Psyche, the largest metallic asteroid in our solar
system and the target of a proposed NASA mission.
Facebooks Connectivity Lab set a world record transmitting at nearly 20 Gbps for 13.2
kilometers with MMW (Milli Meter Wave) technology. This will be used as a terrestrial backhaul
network to support access solutions such as Terragraph and Project ARIES.
A group of researchers from Hyderabad have identified Helicobacter pullorum bacterium in
chicken that may be source of transmission of the multidrug resistance pathogen to humans.
According to the American Space Agency NASA, November 14, 2016, moon will be the biggest and
brightest it has been in the 68 years.This moon will be a rare supermoon making an appearance early
morning just before dawn.
China has topped in the list of the worlds fastest supercomputers for the eight consecutive years for
its Sunway TaihuLight.TaihuLight is capable to perform 93 million billion calculations per
second(petaflop/s).
Doctors of Netherlands have performed the first-ever brain implant on a 58-year-old
woman paralysed by disease named Lou Gehrigs. The implantation has enabled her to communicate
in day-to-day life with the help of a speech computer.
Taiwanese electronics multinational company Acer launched its lightest, thinnest and the most
portable laptop Swift 7 in Indian market.Acer Swift 7 is the thinnest laptop in the World till now. The
Acer SWIFT 7, priced at Rs 99,999, will be available for purchase from 18th November via
exclusive Acer stores and other multi brand outlets and will also be available on e-commerce
outlet Flipkarts.
Google launched a new app called PhotoScan which has been designed to scan and digitise old
printed photos. The app detects edges, straightens the image, rotates it to the correct orientation, and
removes glare.Then the final image is stored at a specified location.
Scientists genetically modifies photosynthesis process, increase crop yield by 15%
Scientists in Israel has developed the worlds first water-wave laser, that generates laser radiation
through the interaction between light and water waves.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) chairman R K Chaturvedi has launched its digital
portal named ParinamManjusha to provide easier access to academic documents online.
US space agency NASA will work with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Space Agency Mars Hope
spacecraft which will reach the Mars in 2021 under an umbrella agreement said by Dr Gale Allen,
NASAs Deputy Chief Scientist on November 27, 2016.
NASA has successfully launched the A next generation US advanced weather satellites GOES-
R from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US on November 20, 2016.
Researchers from University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston,Texas in collaboration
with Southwest University in Chongqing, China, and the University of Leuven in Belgium created a
tool for studying the Zika virus.. The tool named Zika Replicon System creates a versions of the
Zika virus that are stripped of genes (Simpler form of Zika virus) that make them less infectious from
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the original virus, so that researchers can work safely.

China has successfully launched its 4th data satellite, Tianlian I-04, on November 22, 2016.
to provide a global network that will provide data relay, measurement and control services for Chinas
manned spacecraft, space labs and space stations as well as nations Earth-orbiting resources satellites.
NASA Scientists are developing a variety of food bars for the astronauts in the Orion spacecraft so that
they can eat breakfast during their travel beyond the Moon to explore deep space destinations.
Civil Aviation Minister Ashok GajpathiRaju has launched the AirSewa portal and mobile app on
November 25, 2016 in New Delhito offer convenient and hassle-free air travel experience to people.
A team of researchers from Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic have developed
an artificial human lung. The team was lead by scientist MiroslavJicha. The lung model has been
developed using series of latest technologies including 3D Printing.
DEFENCE
India and Bangladesh defence cooperation, a joint military training exercise SAMPRITI 2016 is being
started at Tangail in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 05 to 18 November 2016.
China displayed its Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter in public for the first time on the function of opening
the countrys biggest meeting of aircraft makers and buyers with a show of its military power.
Pakistan conducted military exercise Raad ul Barq (Strike of Thunder) in an area located
in Punjab province, bordering India. It was a joint exercise carried out jointly by Pakistan Army and
Air Force to reflect the preparedness of their armed forces to respond to any threat to its national
security.
The sixth annual joint training exercise Hand in Hand 2016 between Indian and Chinais being
hosted by India.The India-China Joint Training Exercise between the Indian Army and the Peoples
Liberation Army of China began in Pune on November 15 and will end on be November 27.
An all-women crew of the Indian Navy was set off in the Indian Navy Sailing Vessel Mhadei for the
Cape 2 Rio Yacht Race 2017 on November 9, 2016. The vessel was flagged off from Goa to Cape
Town, South Africa by Rear Admiral Monty Khanna, Commandant Naval War College on 09 Nov 16
in a ceremony held at the Boat Pool of INS Mandovi, Goa.
Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) developed by DRDO named Rustom-2 completed its first
flight on 15 November 2016 in Challakere, Chitradurga district, Karnataka.The drone can be used by
Indian Army, Navy and Air Force to keep an eye on enemy territory and carry a variety of cameras
and radar for surveillance.
The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar will hand over Four Naval Systems developed by
DRDO to the Indian Navy at a function on November 18, 2016 in New Delhi. Chief of the Naval Staff
Admiral Sunil Lanba will formally take over the systems from the Defence Minister.
The Four naval Systems include:
1.ABHAY Compact Hull Mounted SONAR for Shallow Water Crafts,
2.HUMSA UG Upgrade for the HUMSA SONAR System,
3.NACS Near-field Acoustic Characterisation System, and
4.AIDSS Advanced Indigenous Distress SONAR System for submarines.
India conducted Twin Trail of nuclear capable Prithvi-IImedium-range ballistic missiles, back-to-back
in quick succession, as part of training exercise, from a defence testcenter Chandipur in Odisha.Both
the medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) have a strike range of around 350 km and a tendency to
carry about 500 kg to 1,000 kg of weapons. The Prithvi missile project have three variantsfor use by
the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.
Prithvi I: Indian Army
Prithvi II: Indian Air Force
Prithvi III: Indian Navy
Defence Minister ManoharParrikar commissioned INS Chennai, the third indigenously built guided
missile destroyer in Kolkata class on November 21, 2016.
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Scientists from the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) and the University of La Laguna (ULL)
have discovered a new super Earth planet GJ 536 b with a mass around 5.4 times that of the Earth.
The Strategic Forces of Command (SFC) of the armed force successfully test-fired Agni-I missile. The
missile was test fired at at 10.08 a.m. on 22 November 2016 from launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test
Range (ITR) at
Abdul Kalam Island (Wheeler Island) Odisha coast. The missile took 10 minutes to reach its targeted
destination in Bay of Bengal.
Indian Navy launched the seventh ship of the LCU MK IV project, LCU-L57 on 24 November 2016 at
a ceremony at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata.
ENVIRONMENT
A new variety of rice seed that is light green in colour was discovered in Chhattisgarh(Rice Bowl of
India) said by A K Sarawgi, head of department of genetics and breeding in Indira Gandhi Agriculture
University
The year 2015 made history, with exhausted temperature records, intense heatwaves, unusual rainfall,
destructing drought and unusual tropical cyclone activity, according to the World Meteorological
Organization. That record-breaking trend has continued in 2016.
India NGT Defined Environmental Emergency For 5 States; Limits PM 10 & 2.5 Marks. The
Tribunal has also issued directives to Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on
measures to be undertaken when air pollution crosses severe levels.
The President of Mauritius, Ameenah Gurib Fakim, inaugurated a Genetic Garden of naturally
occurring Salt-Tolerant Plants called halophytes at the coastal town of Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu on
November 18, 2016 through video-conference. The garden set up by the M S Swaminathan Research
Foundation (MSSRF).
According to researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK and the Global Carbon
Project, Indias carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels increased by 5.2 per cent .This was
published in the journal Earth System Science Data. China, the biggest emitter of CO2 emissions
decrease by 0.7 per cent in 2015, USs CO2 emission is decrease by 1.7 per cent in 2016 and
The EUs CO2 emissions went up 1.4 per cent in 2015, in contrast with longer term decreases.
A powerful earthquake hit New Zealand early morning on November 14, 2016, that triggered
landslides and a small tsunami, cracked apart roads and homes, caused some damage to buildings. The
USGS estimated the magnitude of the earthquake to be 7.8.
A research fellow from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Xu
Guanghui discovered new species of fish in China. The new fish is named as eltopleurus nitidus
sp. This was published by Science Bulletin on November 14.
Chinas weather department issued first blue alert warning of snow in northern part of the country. The
rain and snow are forecast to last more than 40 hours, with a blizzard possible for the western and
northern areas of the city.
Australian Scientists revealed that Great Barrier Reef suffered its worst coral die-off ever
recorded. The report stated that warm seas around Australias Great Barrier Reef in less accessible
north have lost two-thirds of a 700-km (435 miles) stretch of coral in the past nine months.
An earthquake of magnitude 6.9rocked the Fukushima region of Japan on 22 November 2016 at about
5:59 a.m.(local time). The metrological agency of Japan had first estimated the magnitude of
earthquake to be 7.3 but later lowered it to 6.9 on Richter scale.
Egypt Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Egyptian city and 15 graveyard that belongs 5300
BC announced by antiquities minister Mahmoud Afifi.
Two natural disasters including a powerful hurricane and an offshore earthquake hit the Central
America simultaneously on November 24, 2016 in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica.
33 | P a g e
SPORTS
Filipino star Manny Pacquiao reclaimed the World Boxing Organization welterweight title for
the third time with a unanimous decision victory over former champion Jesse Vargas.
Air Force Club, Iraq has lifted the Asian Federation Cup by defeating Bengaluru Football Club 1-0
at Doha. Bengaluru FC had become the first Indian club to qualify for the final after they defeated
defending champions Johor Darul Tazim 4-2 on aggregate in the semifinals
A 15-year-old Bastab Tapan Bordoloi from Assams Jorhat district made the nation proud by catching
ive gold medals and a silver at the recently concluded South Asian Aquatic Championship (SAAC)
in Sri-Lanka.
Andy Murray became world number one after Raonic withdraws from paris masters. Djokovic had
been No 1 since June 2014 a 122-week run at the top of the list but his quarter-final defeat to
Marin Cilic on Friday paved the way for Murray, who now becomes the 26th man to top the rankings
and the first Britain to top the listing since the system was introduced in 1973.
India wins 29 medals at Commonwealth Wrestling Championships
Rio Olympian Sandeep Tomar, Amit Dhankar and Satyawart Kadian bagged gold medals in their
respective mens freestyle categories , totally India has won 29 medals at the Commonwealth
Wrestling Championships in Singapore.
Winners from India :
Mens Freestyle 57kg Sandeep Tomar (Gold)
Mens Freestyle 70kg Amit Dhankhar (Gold), Vinod (Silver)
Mens Freestyle 97kg Satyawart (Gold), Roubaljeet (Silver)
Female Wrestling 48kg Ritu Phogat (Gold), Priyanka (Silver)
Female Wrestling 55kg: Lalita (Gold), Diyanshi (Silver)
Female Wrestling 58kg: Mannu (Gold), Somali (Silver)
Female Wrestling 60kg: Sarita (Silver), Manish (Bronze)
Female Wrestling 63kg: Reshma (Gold), Gargi (Silver)
Female Wrestling 69kg: Pinki (Gold), Kavita (Silver)
Female Wrestling 75kg : Jyoti (Silver), Nikki (Bronze).
Greco-Roman 66kg: Manish (Gold), Ravinder (Silver)
Greco-Roman 75kg: Gurpreet (Gold), Dinesh (Silver)
Greco-Roman 80kg: Harpreet Singh (Gold), Ravinder Khatri (Silver)
Greco-Roman 85kg: Prabhpal (Gold), Yashpal (Silver)
Greco-Roman 130kg: Naveen (Gold), Manvir (Silver)
The Indian womens hockey team The Indian registered a 2-1 victory over China to claim the
womens Asian Champions Trophy title in Singapore. Hockey India announced a cash prize of Rs 2
lakh each for the players and chief coach Neil Hawgood. It also announced Rs 1 lakh for the other
support staff of the team.
Madhya Pradeshs 20-year-old Nuzhat Parveen aka Khushboo inducted into Indian cricket team. She
became the first woman from the Rewa division to get selected in the Indian cricket squad.
Palpreet Singh, winner of National Finals of ACG-NBA Jump, Indias first national basketball talent
search program, was selected 11th in the fourth Round of the NBA D-League Draft held in New
York.
Young Indian shuttler Pratul Joshi grabbed his maiden international title by achieving a hard-fought
win over Aditya Joshi in the finals of the USD 17,500 Bahrain International
Challenge badminton tournament at Segayya in Bahrain.
Lewis Hamilton kept his title hopes alive with a comfortable victory from Mercedes team-mate Nico
Rosberg in the Mexican Grand Prix.
The German soccer federation declared that the striker and the top scorer in World Cup history
Miroslav Klose was ending his playing career and will train as a coach.
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India have won all five bilateral ODI series against New Zealand in India. They have won all five
series in 1988-89, 1995-96, 1999-2000, 2010-11 and 2016-17.
India kept its position of most important spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test team
rankings while top-ranking off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also continued to top the bowlers list.R
Ashwin maintained his top position with 900 points
The 18 year old Indian golfer Aditi Ashok became the first Indian woman to win a Ladies European
Tour title by clinching the Hero Womens Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club in
Gurgaon on November 13, 2016.
Vandana Katariya to Lead Indian Womens Hockey Team in Australian Series
PRINCE Harry of Britain declared that the International Sports Competition for wounded veterans,
the Invictus Games 2018, will be held in Sydney, Australia.
Eight-year-old Kashmiri girl, Tajamul Islam, created history by winning a Gold Medal for India in The
World Kick Boxing Championship of Under- Eight Players.
Indias womens carrom team defeated Sri Lanka to win the gold at the 7th World Carrom
Championship in Birmingham (UK). Indias Apoorwa and KajolKumari also won gold in the
womens doubles event.
Former South Africa spinner Robin Peterson announces retirement from all cricket.
Delhi boy Tejaswin Shankar smashed the 12-year-old national senior record in high jump with an
effort of 2.26m while winning the gold on the opening day of the 32nd National Junior Athletics
Championships at Nehru Stadium, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.
Mumbais Western Railways womens team grabbed the title in the 33rdIndian Oil Servo Surjit
Hockey Tournament by defeating Haryana XI 4-2 in the title clash played at the Olympian Surjit
Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar.
Delhis young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant entered into the record books as he scored the
fastest ever hundred by an Indian in a first-class game by hitting a 48-ball ton against Jharkhand in a
Ranji Trophy encounter.
Indian wushu team has won an impressive five medals, including four silver and one bronze, in
the eighth Sanda World Cup held at Xian, China.
2016 BNP Paribas Open Overview
Title Winner Runner
Mens Single A. Murray J. Isner
Mens Double H. Kontinen / J. Peers P. Herbert / N. Mahut
Czech Republics Petra Kvitova November 2016 won the 2016 WTA Elite Singles Trophy. She
defeated Ukrainian ElinaSvitolina 6-4, 6-2 to grab the title at Zhuhai, China
Lewis Hamilton, British Formula One racing driver from England, won the Brazilian Grand Prix. This
race was his ninth win of 2016 with several high-speed accidents, two stoppages and five safety cars.
Indian golfer SSP Chawrasia(38) win the USD One million Resorts World Manila Masters
in Philippines. It is his first Asian Tour title outside India.
Viswanathan Anand won the 2016 Champions Showdown against Hikaru Nakamurainin St Louis,
USA on November. The tournament was played across five days, each competitor faced 24 matches.
Anand won seven matches and drew 16.
Padmini Rout, the International chess Master has won the 2016 National Women Premier Chess
Championship for the third consecutive year.
India are to host the T20 Cricket World Cup for the Blind at nine different centres from January 31 to
February 12, 2017.
Dharambir Singh, a Haryana sprinter, who was recently barred from representing the country in
the Rio Olympics at the last minute for failing a dope test, has been sentenced a ban of eight years by
the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
The International Olympic Committee has disqualified 10 athletes of medals achieved from the 2008
Olympics after banned substances were found during retests of samples from the
games. Although no Gold medalists were among the 10 but there were 3 silver medalistsfrom
weightlifting and wrestling whose report were positive.
35 | P a g e
The Indian Boxing Council (IBC) and Sporty Solutionz have signed a 5-year deal under which
the Sporty Solutionz will provide IBC Rs. 100 crore to boost professional boxing in India. The aim of
the investment is to make India the global hub of professional boxing over the next five years.
A 13-year-old boy Mritul has set a new world record in free style swimming. He covered nine
Kilometers in three hours. Mritul has achieved a target attempting the longest swimming medley over
a period of five hours.
International Association of Athletics Federations has launched an online portal for reporting
suspicions of doping. The secure portal on its home page is available in six languages and offers full
confidentiality.
Virat Kohli has moved up to a career-best third spot in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for
Test Batsmen after coming up with a useful contribution in his teams eight-wicket win over England
in the third Test in Mohali.
Seven-year-old HashimMansoor from Kashmirs Bandipora district has won a gold medal at
the Asian Youth Karate Championships, being held at New Delhi.
Indian teen golfer Aditi Ashok defeated NannaKoerstz Madsen to win the inaugural Qatar Ladies
Open in Doha, Qatar on November 26, 2016. It is her second successive victory on the Ladies
European Tour.
IAS officer Suhas LY from Uttar Pradesh cliched gold medal after defeating Indonesian player Harry
Susanto in the Asian Para-Badminton Championships in Beijing, China
Fifteen-time world champion PankajAdvani suffered a 2-7 loss in the semifinals against Andrew
Pagett of Wales to settle for a bronze medal at the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Doha Qatar.
Argentina defeated Croatia to win their first ever maiden Davis Cup tennis title in Zagreb, Croatia on
November 28, 2016.. Del Potro and Federico Delbonis are layed a remarkable play to win the title.
Out of 450 teams, team High Voltage from India (Gurugram) won a silver in the Regular Junior
High category in the 13th World Robot Olympiad (WRO) that concluded at India Expo Mart
in Greater Noida.
Indian Hockey team defeated Malaysia 4-1 in the third-place playoff match to secure bronze in the 4
Nations Tournament in Melbourne.
Indian golfer from Kolkata, SmritiMehra played clinched her maiden Hero womens Professional Golf
Tour title with a total score of 208 after 54 holes at the Palms Golf Club and Resort in Lucknow, Uttar
Pradesh on November 27, 2016.
NicoRosberg wins F1 title as Lewis Hamilton wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2016 Hong Kong Super Series Overview 12th Superseries tournament was held in Kowloon, Hong
Kong from November 2227, 2016.
2016 Hong Kong Super Series winner list :
Title Winner Runner
Mens Single Ng Ka Long (Thailand) Sameer Verma(India)
Womens Single Tai Tzu-ying(Taiwan) P.V. Sindhu(India)
Mens Double Takeshi Kamura & Keigo Mathias Boe & Carsten
Sonoda (Japan) Mogensen(Denmark)
Womens Double Kamilla Rytter Juhl & Huang Dongping & Li Yinhui(China)
Christinna
Pedersen(Denmark)
Mixed Doubles Tontowi Ahmad & Liliyana Praveen Jordan & Debby
Natsir(Indonesia) Susanto(Indonesia)
As per the latest rankings released by the Badminton World Federation(BWF), Six Indian male
shuttlers ranked amongst the Top 50 in World. Notably KidambiSrikanth (12) and Ajay Jayaram (19).
Reigning Olympic marathon champion EliudKipchoge from Kenya won the mens race of Delhi Half
Marathon in a fast time while WorkneshDegefa from Ethiopia clinched the womens title on
November 20, 2016 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
China Open Super Series:
2016 Winner List:
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Title Winner Runner

Womens Singles Indias PV Sindhu Chinas Sun Yu
Women's Doubles South Korea pair Chang Ye - China pair Li Yinhui and
na and Lee So hee Huang Dongping
Mens Singles Denmarks Jan . Jrgensen Malaysias I Z Zainuddin
Mens Doubles Chinese pair of Chai B and Indonesian pair of M F Gideon
Hong W and K S Sukamuljo
Mixed Doubles Indonesian pair Tontowi South Korean pair of Choi S-g
Ahmad and LiliyanaNatsir and Chae Y- j
Indian Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin become the first bowler to complete 50 wickets in two
consecutive years after his 5-wicket haul against England in the Visakhapatnam Test on November
20, 2016. Ashwin, with four instances of a fifty and five wickets in an innings in the same Test match,
has equalled KapilDevs Indian record.
Former World No.1 Trap shooting champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu clinched the gold medal
defeating Raninder Singh in mens trap event at the 60th National Shooting Championship for
Shotgun in Jaipur on Saturday.
Gaganjeet Bhullar of India won the Indonesia Open on November 21, 2016 with a four-under-par 68
in Jakarta for the second time in his career.Before this,Bhullar won the event in 2013.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel has indicated that India will bid for
the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2019 to be hosted in India.
Indian test cricket captain Virat Kohli attained the 4 spot in ICC Test cricket ranking. This is his best
ranking in test cricket till date. On the top of the board is Steve Smith of Australia with 897 points in
the same format. Cheteshwar Pujara, moved one spot up to 9th spot with his century in the match
against England.
The 13th World Robot Olympiad(WRO) will be held at the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, India
from 25 to 27 November 2016. The theme for the event this year is Rap the Scrap. This year a new
robot football game named WRO Football has been included in the Olympiad.
24 year old Indian professional boxer Neeraj Goyat has made a place in World Boxing Council
(WBC) rankings. Currently he is ranked at 35th spot in the welterweight category. He is the first
Indian boxer to enter into the ranking.
The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu, on November 24, 2016, adopted a decision
to rename the Chief Ministers Trophy for Football and Volleyball (mens and womens) after
martyr Hangpan Dada.
P.V Sindhu has been ranked 9th in the latest BWF World Badminton Women ranking. She jumped 2
positions from 11th rank to reach 9th spot. While former world number 1 Saina Nehwal, slipped 5
places to reach 11th spot in the ranking. The ranking has been topped by Olympics gold medal
winner Carolina Marin of Spain.
Maha Haddioui a golfer from Morocco turned professional golfer in 2011. She is the first professional
golfer from Arab region who will play in the Ladies European Tour in the Qatar Ladies Open 2016 to
be held between 23 November 2016 and 26 November 2016 in Doha, Qatar.
Sachin Singh (49kg) wins Gold Medal at the Aiba Youth World Boxing Championships St Petersburg
2016 held at St Peterburg, Russia on 26 November 2016. He defeated Jorge Grinan of Cuba.
OBITUARY
Iconic Pakistani TV producer Yawar Hayat Khan passes away

Gandhiji kin, ex-NASA scientist Kanubhai passed away
Former J&K Deputy CM Mangat Ram Sharma passes away
Sri Lankan music legend Pandit Amaradeva dies
Football World Cup trophy designer Silvio Gazzaniga dies at 95
Broadway Star Tammy Grimes Died
37 | P a g e
Winning actress would go on to star in a mass of Broadway productions, such as Rattle of a Simple
Man, High Spirits and The Only Game in Town. Grimes won her second Tony Award
for 1969s revival of Nol Cowards Private Lives.
Noted Hindi Writer Hridyesh Mehrotra Passes Away at Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh on November
1, 2016. He was 86.
U.S. first female Attorney-General Janet Reno passes away.
Former Union minister of state Jayawantiben Mehta passes away
Hollywood Sensation Robert Vaughn Died At 83
Former Spanish world boxing champ Perico Fernandez dies
Noted geophysicist JanardhanNegi passes away
Legendary Singer-Songwriter Leonard Cohen passed away
Indian missions oldest employee Maureen Travis passes away in UK
Firebrand Odisha Congress leader Lulu Mohapatra dies at 52.
Mota Singh, an Indian-origin Sikh, who became UKs first-ever ethnic minority judge to sit on the
English Bench wearing a turban instead of a horse-hair wig, died.He was 86.
RSS Leader Pravin Maniar Passes Away
Former Himachal Pradesh minister and six-time BJP MLA I D Dhiman passed away on November 15,
2016 at his native village Dialri, 25 km from from Hamirpur, due to age-related ailments.
Famous cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley died
Chinas First Female J-10 Pilot Yu Xu Dies
Former J-K Governor Lt Gen S KSinha Passes Away
Tony winning- American actor Fritz Weaver dies at 90
Iran novelist William Trevor dies at 88
Veteran Carnatic music exponent M Balamurali Krishna passed away at 86
Former UP Chief Minister Ram Naresh Yadav passes away
Renowned Hindi & Bhojpuri writer Dr VivekiRai passes away
Former ICRA CEO Pranab Choudhury passed away
Eminent physicist and ex-ISRO chief Prof MGK Menon passes at 88
Renowned Pakistani mountaineer Hassan Sadpara passes away
Tamil film-director K. Subaash passed away in Chennai on November 23, 2016.
Former Editor of Times of India Dileep Padgaonkar passes away
Eminent freedom fighter Bhikari Charan Mohanty passed away in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Revolutionary Cuban leader, Fidel Castro passes away at 90.
Marathi Litterateur Anand Yadav Passes Away
Famous Russian aircraft designer and co-creator of the MiG-29 fighter jet Ivan Mikoyanwas passed
away in on November 25, 2016. He was 89.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

Vice President M. Hamid Ansari Releases the book An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India
authored by Dr. Shashi Tharoor.
Actor Shah Rukh Khan launched his biography SRK- 25 Years of a Life by Samar Khan at an event
in Mumbai.
Back To The Roots, A definitive Guide To Grassroots & Football Development- launched by,
ShajiPrabhakaran.
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee will receive the first copy of book CHARAIVETI,
CHARAIVETI from the Vice President of India, Mohd Hamid Ansari who will formally release it at a
function to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Writer and former actress Twinkle Khanna launched her second book The Legend of Lakshmi
Prasad in the presence of Shabana Azmi, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in Mumbai
Penguin India has acquired SunitaNarains Conflicts of Interest: My Journey through Indias Green
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Movement, a personal account of one of Indias foremost environmentalist experts. The book
includes an environmental manifesto in which Narain lays out a blueprint for the direction India
must take, if it is to deal with the exigencies of climate change and environmental degradation.
An autobiography of NaliniSriharan, titled Rajiv Gandhi assasin, hidden truths, Priyanka meeting
Nalini was released on November 24, 2016 by MDMK founder Vaiko in Chennai in the presence of
various pro-Tamil leaders including VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan.The book has been compiled
and penned by journalist and writer Pa Ekalaivan.
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People held on November 29 to mark the
anniversary of resolution 181.
National Cadet Corps (NCC), the largest uniformed youth organisation in the world, celebrated
its 68th Raising Day on 27th November 2016.
The Universal Childrens Day is celebrated worldwide on November 20 to promote awareness in the
society for international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving childrens
welfare.The theme of the day this year is Stop Violence against the Children.
Environmentalist KehkashanBasu has been announced one of the three finalists for the International
Childrens Peace Prize 2016.A UAE-based teen, 16, was named by international child rights
organisation Kids Rights on November 17, 2016.
World Television Day is celebrated every year on November 21st 2016 to mark thedate on which the
first World Television Forumwas held in 1996.
Every year on November 25, 2016 is celebrated as the International Day for the Elimination of
Violence against Women to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world.
India on November 26, 2016 observed its Constitution Day, as it was on this day in 1949 that the
Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution, which, it came into force in 1950.The Prime Minister,
Narendra Modi releases two books an updated version of the Constitution of India; and Making of the
Constitution to commemorate Constitution Day. Gujarati edition of a book on the late RSS
leader Lakshmanrao MadhavraoInamdar, co-authored by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi
also released on November 26, 2016.
Every year National Milk day is observed on 26th November in the memory of Father of the White
Revolution VergheseKurien on his birth anniversary.VergheseKurien is a Co-founder of Amul and
founder NDDB(National Dairy Development Board ) and IRMA( Institute of Rural Management
Anand). It is to be noted that Dairy Brand Amulsponsored Indian contingent for Rio 2016
Olympic Games.
Quami Ekta Week or National Integration Week is observed every year across India from November
19 to the November 25, to promote the unity in the country of diversity with around 66 languages, 22
religions, 28 states and numerous tribes.
World Toilet Day November 19 2016. Theme : Toilets and Jobs
14th November (birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru) is celebrated as childrens day all over the India.
The Day marks the birth date of the first Indian Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
World Diabetes Day was observed on November 14th to raise awareness about diabetes. The theme of
World Diabetes Day 2016 is Eyes on Diabetes.
International Day of Tolerance November 16 2016
National Press Day is observed on November 16 2016. The Press Council of India was first set up in
the year 1966 by the Parliament on the recommendations of the First Press Commission with the
object of preserving the freedom of the press and of maintaining and improving the standards of press
in India.
World Philosophy Day November 17 2016.
World Kindness Day November 13 2016
World Pneumonia Day November 12 2016. Theme--Keep the Promise, Stop Pneumonia Now.
39 | P a g e
Public Service Broadcasting Day is being observed On 12 November, 1947, the Father of the Nation
Mahatma Gandhi visited the studio of All India Radio, Delhi for the first and last time.
Every year 11th November is celebrated as National Education Day to commemorate the birth
anniversary of freedom fighter and independent Indias first Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad.
World Science Day for Peace and Development celebrated on November 10 2016. Theme for the year
2016: Celebrating Science Centres and Science Museums.
International Day of Radiology November 8 2016. Theme - Breast Imaging
National Cancer Awareness Day November 7 2016
128th birth anniversary of CV Raman November 7 2016
International Day for Preventing Exploitation of Environment in War and Armed Conflict November
6, 2016.
The First World Tsunami Awareness Day was observed on November 5, 2016 in the Asian Ministerial
Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016 with the theme of Effective Education and
Evacuation Drills
5th annual global celebration of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week observed from 31
October to 6 November, 2016 with the Theme of Media and Information Literacy: New Paradigms for
Intercultural Dialogue.
The United Nations (UN) declared November 2 as International Day to commemorate the
assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.
The Punjab government observed November 1 as No Tobacco Day in an effort to discourage tobacco
use in the State. The sale of loose cigarettes, tobacco and e-cigarettes are banned in Punjab.
World Vegan Day November 1 2016.
STATIC GK November 2016
Australia : Currency: Canadian dollar

Capital: Canberra Prime minister: Justin Trudeau
Currency: Australian dollar
Cuba :
Bangladesh: Capital: Havana
Capital: Dhaka Currencies: Cuban peso, Cuban convertible
Currency: Bangladeshi taka peso
Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina
President: Abdul Hamid China :
Capital :Beijing
Benin : Currency:Renminbi
Capital: Porto-Novo
Currency: West African CFA franc Dominica :
President: Patrice Talon Capital: Roseau
Currency: East Caribbean dollar
Bhutan :
Capital: Thimphu Egypt :
Currencies: Bhutanese ngultrum, Indian Capital: Cairo
rupee Currency: Egyptian pound
Prime minister: Tshering Tobgay President: Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
Bulgaria : Germany :
Capital: Sofia Capital: Berlin
Currency: Bulgarian lev Currency : Euro
President: Joachim Gauck
Canada :
Capital: Ottawa
40 | P a g e
Guinea-Bissau: South Korea :

Capital: Bissau Capital: Seoul
Currency: West African CFA franc Currency: South Korean won
President: Jos Mrio Vaz
Srilanka :
Iran : Capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte,
Capital: Tehran Colombo
Currency: Iranian rial Currency: Srilankan Rupee
President: Hassan Rouhani President: Maithiripala Srisena.
Israel: Sweden :
Capital: Jerusalem Capital: Stockholm
Currency: Israeli new shekel Currency: Swedish krona
President: Reuven Rivlin
Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu Switzerland :
Capital : Bern
Japan : Currency: Swiss franc
Capital: Tokyo
Currency: Japanese yen Turkey
Capital: Ankara
Lebanon : Currency: Turkish lira
Capital: Beirut President: Recep Tayyip Erdoan
Currency: Lebanese pound
UAE:
Maritius : President : Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Capital: Port Louis Capital : Abu Dhabi
Currency: Mauritian rupee Currency : United Arab Emirates dirham
New Zealand : United Kingdom (UK) :

Capital: Wellington Capital: London
Currency: New Zealand dollar Currency: Pound sterling
Portugal: Venezuela :
Capital: Lisbon Capital: Caracas
Currency: Euro Currency: Venezuelan bolvar
Oman : Zimbabwe :
Capital: Muscat Capital: Harare
Currency: Omani rial Currencies: United States Dollar, Euro,
Botswana pula, Pound sterling, Renminbi,
Qatar : Indian rupee, South African rand
Capital: Doha President: Robert Mugabe
Currency: Qatari riyal
ECGC Limited :
Republic of Chad :
ECGC Ltd, was established in July, 1957
Capital: NDjamena
Currency: Central African CFA franc Headquarter : Mumbai, Maharashtra
President: Idriss Dby Chairman cum Managing Director : Geetha
Muralidhar
Republic of Suriname Minister of State (I/C) for Commerce and
Capital: Paramaribo Industry : Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman
Currency: Surinamese dollar.
UNODC :
Russia : UNODC headquarter: Vienna,Austria
Capital: Moscow Head : Yuri Fedotov
Currency: Russian ruble Defence Research and Development
President: Vladimir Putin Organisation (DRDO ):
41 | P a g e
Director General: Dr. S Christopher World Bank :

Headquarters: New Delhi Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United
Founded: 1958 States
CEO : Dr. Jim Yong Kim
The National Security Guard (NSG):
NSG is an Indian special forces unit under SEBI:
the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for The Securities and Exchange Board of
combating terrorist activities with a view to India (SEBI) is the regulator for
protect states against internal disturbances. the securities market in India.
Formed: 1984 Chairman: Upendra Kumar Sinha
Headquaters: New delhi Formed: 12 April 1992
Headquater: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Indian Railways :
Minister of Railways : Suresh Prabhu National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Headquarters: New Delhi Development (NABARD)
Founded: 1853 Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Established: 1982(on the recommendations
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation of B.Shivaraman Committee)
(APEC) : Chairman: Dr. Harsh Kumar Bhanwala
It is a group of 21 nations of Asia-Pacific
region which together work in the direction of National Payments Corporation of India
liberalizing trade and investment, facilitate (NPCI) :
business and promote economic cooperation, The National Payments Corporation of India
achieve prosperity among member (NPCI) was set up in 2009
economies. Aim : To allow all Indian citizens to have
Founded: 1989 unrestricted access to e-payment services.
Headquarter : Singapore Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Executive Director, the APEC Secretariat, MD & CEO: AP. Hota
Singa
Yes Bank :
United Nations Commission on CEO: Rana Kapoor
International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Headquarters: Mumbai
The United Nations Commission on Founded: 2004
International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) was Tagline : Experience our expertise
established by the United Nations General
Assembly in 1966 to promote the progressive ESAF Microfinance :
harmonization and unification of international Headquarters : Thrissur, Kerala
trade law. Founder & CMD : K. Paul Thomas
Headquarters : Vienna
South Indian Bank :
UNESCO : Headquarters : Thrissur City, Kerala
Headquarters : Paris, France MD and CEO: V.G. Mathew
Formation: 1945 Tagline: Experience next generation banking
Head: Irina Bokova
Canara Bank :
International Organisation of Securities Headquarter : Bangalore, Karnataka
Commissions(IOSCO) : Canara Bank MD and CEO : Shri Rakesh
IOSCO is an association of organisations Sharma
that regulate the worlds securities and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Chairman :
futures markets. Sanjiv Bajaj
Headquarters Madrid, Spain
Secretary General: Mr. Paul P. Andrews UCO Bank :
Headquarters: Kolkata
NASA (The National Aeronautics and CEO: Ravi Krishan Takkar
Space Administration ) :
Headquater: Washinton,D.C Axis Bank :
Established in 1958 CEO: Shikha Sharma
Managing Director Chairperson: Dr. Sanjiv
42 | P a g e
Misra Director (Part Time) which is a wholly owned subsidiary and the
Headquarters: Mumbai investment banking arm of State Bank of
India.
Federal Bank : Headquarters: Mumbai
Founded: 1945 Founded: August 1986
Headquarters: Kochi
CEO: Shyam Srinivasan NHPC :
NHPC Limited (National Hydroelectric Power
IDFC bank : Corporation) is an Indian Hydropower
Founded :October, 2015 generation company that was incorporated in
Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra the year 1975 with an authorized capital
Managing Director & CEO: Dr. Rajiv B. Lall of Rs.2000 million and with an objective to
plan, promote and organize an integrated and
IMF : efficient development of hydroelectric power
Headquarters : Washington, D.C, US in all aspects.
Members : 189 countries Founded: 1975
CEO : Christine Lagarde Headquarters: Faridabad, India
Chairman: K.M.Singh.
City Union Bank
Headquarter : Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu Federation of Indian Chambers of
C.E.O and M.D : Dr N. Kamakodi Commerce & Industry (FICCI) :
Tag Line : Trust and Excellence The FICCI is an association of business
organizations in India.
Mastercard : It is the largest, oldest and the apex
Mastercard Incorporated or Mastercard business organisation in India.
Worldwide is an American multinational Established :1927
financial services corporation
CEO: Ajaypal Singh Banga Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of
Headquarters: New York, United States Administration (LBSNAA):
It is a research and training institute on
Federal Bank public policy and public administration in
Founded : 1945 India.
Headquarters: Kochi Headquarters : Mussoorie, Uttarakhand
CEO: Shyam Srinivasan Established: 1959
Bank of Baroda : Asian Development Bank :

Headquarters: Vadodara Headquarter : Manila, Philippines
CEO: P. S. Jayakumar President : Takehiko Nakao
Slogan: Indias International Bank Total member countries :67
Established : December 1966
Canara Bank
Headquarters:Karnataka Corporation Bank :
CEO:Rakesh Sharma Headquarters: Mangalore
Slogan:Its easy to change for those who CEO: Jai Kumar Garg
you love, Together we Can
RBI :
RBL Bank : Governor : Urjit Patel
Headquarters: Maharashtra Headquarters :Mumbai
CEO: Vishwavir Ahuja Founded: April 1, 1935, Kolkata
Founded: August 1943
NTPC :
ICICI Bank : National Thermal Power Corporation
Headquarters : Mumbai Limited(NTPC) is an Indian PSU Public Sector
Founded: June 1994, Vadodara Undertaking company under the Ministry of
MD and CEO: Chanda Kochhar Power.
SBI Capital markets :
CEO: Gurdeep Singh
SBI Capital Markets is an investment bank
43 | P a g e
Headquarter: Singapore
CERSAI : Chairman : Mr. KingHui Law (Malaysia)
Central Registry of Securitisation Asset
Reconstruction and Security Interest of India World Boxing Council
(CERSAI)is a central online security Headquarters: Mexico City, Mexico
interest registry of India. It was primarily President: Mauricio Sulaimn
created to check frauds in lending against Founded : 1963
equitable mortgages.
Headquarters : New Delhi BWF:
Founded March 11, 2011 Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
President: Poul-Erik Hyer Larsen
Interpol : Membership: 176 member associations
The International Criminal Police
Organization or ICPO or INTERPOL, is an Hockey India(HI):
intergovernmental organization facilitating Hockey India is the governing body of field
international police cooperation. hockey in India. It was formed in 2008 by
It was established as the International IOA(Indian Olympic Association)
Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) Headquarters: New Delhi, India
Its annual budget is around 78 million and
headquarters is located in Lyon, France ICC :
Chairman: ShashankManohar.
International Labour Organization(ILO) :
Headquarters: Dubai.
ILO is also known as known as the
Founded: June 15, 1909.
parliament of labour.It organizes the
International Labour Conference in Geneva
FIFA: The Fdration Internationale de
every year in June
Football Association :
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
President: Gianni Infantino
Membership : 187 countries
Headquarter: Zrich, Switzerland
Founded: May 21, 1904
Loktak Lake :
It is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast
AIFF:
India, located in Manipur.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is
KeibulLamjao National Park located at the
the organisation which manages the game of
south western part of the lake. It is the association football in India.
worlds only floating national park. President: Praful Patel
Headquarters: Dwarka, Delhi, India
NASA(National Aeronautics and Space
Administration) : Google :
Founded : July 29, 1958 CEO Sundar Pichai
Headquaters : Washington, D.C. Founders: Larry Page, Sergey Brin
Administrator: Frederick D. Gregory Headquarters: Mountain View, California,
United States
WMO :
Membership : 191 Member Twitter :
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
CEO: Jack Dorsey
Head: Petteri Taalas
Headquarters: San Francisco, California,
Formation: 1950
United States
Indian Boxing Council(IBC) :
Oracle :
IBC president : Brig. (retd.)
Oracle Corporation is an American
P.K.Muralidharan Raja
multinational computer technology corporation
IBC Headquater : New Delhi
Headquarters: California, United States
Sporty Solutionz chief executive : Ashish
Founders: Ed Oates, Larry Ellison, Bob Miner
Chadha
Quikr :
WRO
Founded: 2008
The official name of the WRO is now World
Robot Olympiad Association Ltd.
44 | P a g e
Founder & CEO : Pranay Chulet Paytm :

Headquarters: Bengaluru Founder & CEO : Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Headquarters: Noida
PepsiCo Inc
PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational Self-Employed Womens Association of
food, snack and beverage corporation India (SEWA) :
headquartered in Purchase, New York Self-Employed Womens Association (SEWA)
Founders: Donald M. Kendall, Herman Lay is a trade union based in Ahmedabad, India
Founder : Ela Bhatt
Founded : 1972
Current Affairs
Current Affairs PDF
Study Materials PDF
Reasoning Questions
English Questions
Computer Questions
General Aptitude
Reasoning
Letter Writing
Math Tricks
Computer Awareness

45 | P a g e
Current Affairs December Pocket PDF 2016
INDIAN AFFAIRS
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the negotiating position
adopted by the Government of India at the 28th Meeting of Parties(MoP) to the Montreal Protocol of the
Vienna Convention for Protection of Ozone Layer that took place during 6-14 October, 2016, in
Kigali, Rwanda. The negotiations at Kigali were aimed at including Hydrofluoro Carbons (HFCs) in the list of
chemicals under the Montreal Protocol to regulate their production and consumption and phase them down
over a period of time with financial assistance from the Multilateral Fund created under the Montreal Protocol.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has approved a Central Assistance of Rs.
2000 crore for 36,384 displaced families from Pakistan occupied areas of Jammu
&Kashmir (POJK) and Chhamb based on an announcement of Prime Ministers Development Package for
Jammu & Kashmir-2015 in November, 2015.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the liberalisation, simplification and
rationalisation of the countrys visa regime to stimulate economic growth and ease travel for foreigners.
The Union Cabinet approved inclusion of 15 new castes and modification in 13 other castes in the Central list
of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).The National Commission of Backward Classes (NCBC) had
recommended a total of 28 changes in respect of 8 states Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand.
The Union Cabinet has approved the Mumbai Urban Transport Project Phase-III.The estimated cost of project
is Rs.8679 crore with completion cost of Rs.10947 crore. The project is expected to be completed in the next
five years during 13th Five Year Plan period.
The Cabinet Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 7, 2016, gave the approval
for the development of the Phase-I of the Rs 11,420 crore Pune metro rail project. The project will cover a
length of 31.254 km and consist of two corridors.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 7, 2016 gave the approval to
the reforms to boost employment generation and exports in the Made-ups Sector to improve competitiveness
and generate large scale dirct and indirect jobs in the textile sector through labour reforms employing upto 11
lakh persons over the next three years in the made-ups sector.
The government approved provision of additional subsidy of 10 per cent to be given for made-
up garments through the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS).
The Cabinet also increased government funding for provident funds of new employees to boost hiring.
The Pradhan Mantri Paridhan Rozgar Protsahan Yojana (PMPRPY) scheme has been extended in the made-
ups sector that will require additional 3.67 per cent share of employers contribution along with earlier 8.33
per cent of the employers contribution for the first three years to every employee.
Government also simplified labour laws by increasing permissible overtime up to 100 hours per quarter in
made-up manufacturing sector.
The opening ceremony of the Uttar Pradesh governments Lucknow Metro Service was held at Transport
Nagar Metro depot, near Amausi airport in Lucknow. The trial run of the metro was flagged off up to 8.5 km
stretch Charbagh station by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar launched a campaignVittiya
Saksharata Abhiyan (VISAKA) in New Delhi with all Higher Education Institutions at National Informatics
Centre (NIC) to make people aware about the cashless economic system.
To carry out the search operations for black money centre has clarified the exemption limits for seizure of
gold jewellery and ornaments. A reference to instruction No.1916 is also invited by the Finance Ministry
which provides that during the search operations, no seizure of gold jewellery and ornaments to the extent
of 500 grams per married lady, 250 grams per unmarried lady and 100 grams per male member of the family
shall be made.
Indian Railways has taken steps to make railway travel bookings digital and asked the State Bank of
India and ICICI Bank among others to provide around 15,000 point of sale (PoS) machines at reservation
counters.
Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Customer Awareness
Campaigns at Auto Care Centre, a flagship HPCL Retail Outlet at Niti Marg, New Delhi and also at BPCL
Outlet at Moti Bagh, New Delhi to promote digital transactions.
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The Finance Ministry made it mandatory on December 5, 2016 for all Government Departments to
make Electronic Payments to suppliers, contractors or institutions if the order value exceeds Rs 5,000, to give
a boost to Digital Payment System. To attain the goal of complete digitization of government payments, the
ministry has lowered the amount for making such payments from Rs 10,000 to Rs 5,000.
To encourage digital payments for day to day financial transactions without fear in the villages, the NITI
Aayog has taken an initiative to transfer Rs.5 lakh to each district to implement the move aimed to give a
boost to cashless digital payment systems across districts, talukas and panchayats.
Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar has given administrative approval for implementation of
the Rs 50-crore National Hydrology Project to be set up in the state with 100 per cent assistance from the
Centre.
The Haryana government made an official announcement on December 5, 2016 to ban carrying of arms at
wedding functions. The ban was imposed under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and as per an
official release firing in the air is also an offence, which is punishable by six months imprisonment.
Railway Ministry has come up with a decison to implement Aadhaar-based ticketing system for senior
citizens.The programme will be implemented in a two-phased manner.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched AP Purse mobile app in Vijayawada to
promote digital transaction among people. The application has 13 mobile banking and 10 mobile
wallet options. The application can be used to pay bills and carry out cashless transactions.
A training program has been organized by Election Commission of India on Election Management of SAARC
Countries, at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) under the
sponsorship of Union Ministry of External Affairs, Government of Indiato conduct free, fair, peaceful and
inclusive elections in the country.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on launched Haritha Keralam Mission in Thiruvananthapuram on
December 8, 2016 to clear and remove waste from all the water bodies in the state, ensure disposal of solid
waste and removal of waste water and measures to increase the area of land under cultivation.
The Lifeline Express, worlds first hospital train was equipped with two new coaches in addition to the
existing five on December 8, 2016. The new coaches were inaugurated by the Union health minister JP
Nadda and railways minister Suresh Prabhu.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu launched a website of National Rail Plan, 2030 (NRP-2030) on
December 8, 2016 Rail Bhawan, New Delhi to develop the Indian Railways in terms of service in travelling
and freight across the country. The website is available for access at http://www.nationalrailplan.in.
To promote digital transaction in the country, Union Government announced various incentives on December
8, 2016, in New Delhi which will be effective from January 1, 2017.Following 11 incentive measures were
announced by the Finance Minister Which includes discount of 0.75 % on petrol and diesel by the petroleum
companies and various other measures.
Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar flagged off a
special train, Gita Jayanti train from Kurukshetra Railway Station as a part of Gita Mahotsav which is being
held in the state.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on December 7, 2016 announced its decision to
ban the use of newspapers for wrapping or packing of food items. Printing inks used in newspaper contains
bioactive materials, harmful colors and other hazardous items that may affect the health of common people.
The Hazrat Nizamuddin-Visakhapatnam train is renamed as Vizag Steel Samta Express to promote its brand
Vizag Steel which was flagged off at Nizamuddin station by Mr. Prabhu and Mr. Singh in the presence of
RINL Chairman-cum-Managing Director P. Madhusudan. The Samata Express or Samta Express is a Super
Fast Express train plying between Visakhapatnamand Hazrat Nizamuddin near New Delhi.
The Ministry of Electronics and IT, led by Shri Ravishankar Prasad, launched a campaign, Digi Dhan
Abhiyan, on December 9, 2016, to promote awareness about cashless transactions. As a part of the campaign,
the IT Minister also launched a free to air TV Channel named DigiShala that will educate the rural people
about digital payment by demonstrating the various payment mode such as UPI, USSD, Aadhar Enabled
Payment System, E-Wallets, Card, etc.
The Rajasthan High Court on December 9, 2016, cancelled the Rajasthan Special Backward Classes (SBC)
reservation Act 2015 that allowed for 5% quota to Gujjars and five other communities of the state.
The First India-China Think-Tanks Forum which started on December 9, 2016, concluded in New Delhi on
December 10, 2016. The forum was based on the theme Towards a Closer India-China Developmental
Partnership.
The 2016 India International Science festival (IISF) was organized at CSIR-National Physical Laboratory
(NPL) Campus in New Delhi from December 7 -11 by the Department of Biotechnology and Ministry of
Science & Technology. The theme of the festival was Science for the masses.
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In order to promote Digital Transaction after demonetization of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 currency note,
the Indian Railways has started to give free accidental insurance coverto the passengers who booked their
tickets through online mode, from December 10, 2016. The move was implemented after, Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley announced a free accident insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh for passengers who buy railway tickets
online, to promote the cashless transaction.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched Narmada Seva Yatra at Amarkantak on
December 11, 2016. The five months long Yatra which will continue till May 11, 2017 aims to turn
the Narmada river pollution free.
President Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of his 81st birthday on December 11, 2016 inaugurated a
museum for vintage tapestries and carpets in the Marble Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav led Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved the recommendations of the Seventh Pay
Commission on December 13, 2016.The pay hike will be applicable from January 1, 2017.
The Union Cabinet on December 14, 2016, gave its ex-post facto approval to Indias approach to Climate
Change Negotiations at the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCC), held in Marrakesh, Morocco on November 7-18, 2016.
Cabinet Approves Replacing Major Port Trusts Act, 1963 by the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2016. The
number of sections in the new Bill has been reduced to 65 from 134 by eliminating overlapping and obsolete
Sections compared to the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, which aims at securing and enhancing the rights and
entitlements of disabled persons was passed with amendments in the Rajya Sabha on December 14, 2016. The
Bill states that any individuals suffering from at least 40 per cent of a disability will be defined as Person with
Disability and will be entitled to get the benefits like reservations in education and employment, preference in
government schemes and others.The 1995 Act provided only 3 per cent reservation for the disabled in higher
education institutions and government jobs, 1% each for the physically, visually and hearing-impaired
persons but the 2014 Bill has raised the limit to 5 per cent by adding 1 per cent each for mental illnesses and
multiple disabilities.
A ban was imposed by the National Green Tribunal on December 14, 2016 on the procurement, sale and use
of glass powder coated manja and other dangerous strings for flying kites.
Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, on December 14, 2016, inaugurated a solar battery station and
a community development centre at Bindhakata Tengapukhuri village in Dibrugarh.
Centre sanctions Rs 30 crore for 21 states and union territories under the Solar Cities Development
Programme.
The Government announced that it has extended the facility of e-Tourist Visa for citizens of 161
countries. The number of foreign tourist arrivals on e-Tourist Visa (e-TV) during January to November 2016
was 9,17,446, registering a growth of 168.5 per cent over same period of 2015.
The Supreme Court on December 15, 2016, passed an order to ban all liquor shops on national as well as state
highways across the country as a measure to control the road mishaps that takes place every year.
Cabinet Approves 100% Disinvestment of Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd based in New Delhi. At present, the
Centre owns 51 percent stake in Pawan Hans, which was incorporated in 1985. Pawan Hans is a joint venture
between the Central government and state-owned ONGC, having a fleet size of 46 helicopters.
The Gujarat government on December 15, 2016, approved an order to ban hookah bars across the state. The
decision was taken at a meeting of the State Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.The state
was informed that the penalty for running the bar would be imprisonment of 1-3 years and fine between
Rs Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 50,000.
Gujarat government on December 15, 2016, proposed an order to take more strict action against bootleggers,
tipplers and unscrupulous officials who help criminals in escaping from situations of raids on liquor dens in
the prohibited area.
Indian Railways new train, Humsafar Express, was flagged off from Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh by
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu via video conferencing in Rail Bhawan, New Delhi on December 16, 2016.
In a move to boost Swachh Bharat mission started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central
government has planned to deploy around 600 young professionals in each district of India. The
professionals will be called Zila Swachh Bharat Preraks (ZSBPs).
Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh inaugurated two new districts Pherzawl and Noney on December
16, 2016.Now, the total number of district is 11.
The Union Environment minister, Anil Madhav Dave, on December 16, 2016, announced the notification of
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2016. As per the rules, it will be mandatory for all pet
shop owners to register themselves with the State Animal Welfare Board of the respective State Government.
Such a registration will only happen after inspection by the representatives of State Board, a veterinary
3|Page
practitioner and a representative of Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The Supreme Court on December 16, 2016, passed an order that stated that the state governments can impose
property tax on mobile towers as the tax was not on the use of the plant and machinery but on the land and
building.
The Union government has decided to launch a toll-free number 1955 in order to take a feedback from
the telecom subscribers on call drop issue. The code has been allotted for Interactive Voice Response System
(IVRS) on call drops.
Centre has announced Rs 207 crore project for protection and development of worlds biggest river island
Majuli, located along river Brahmaputra in Assam.
Union Cabinet Approves Ordinance to amend Payment of Wages Act, 1936to empower states and enable
industries to pay wages by cheque or by direct credit into bank accounts of workers earning up to Rs. 18,000 a
month, without taking their explicit consent.
The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) gave its approval for doubling of Rajpura-Bhatinda
railway line at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,251.25 crore.
The Union Cabinet on December 21, approved the sale of part of surplus and vacant land of 87.70 acres at
Pimpri in Pune, Maharashtra to meet Rs. 821.17 crore net liabilities of Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd (HAL).
Hindustan Antibiotics Limited, based in Pimpri, India, is the first public sector drug manufacturing
companies set up by the Government of India. It was the first company in India to launch a recombinant DNA
product, rHU-Erythropoietin in 1993.
The elite counter-terror force, National Security guard (NSG) may participate in the Republic
Day celebrations on January 26, 2017 at Rajpath for the first time in the history.
The union government will soon set up a toll-free number 10588 to provide relevant information and guidance
directly to the pregnant women.
Vijay Rupani lead Gujarat government announced Aerospace and Defence Policy-2016 on December 21,
2016.
CBSEs governing body has unanimously approved a proposal on December 20, 2016, to make Board exams
for Class X compulsory for all CBSE schools from the academic session 2017-18. Currently, it is optional for
CBSE students to choose either the Board exam or a school-based examination.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis while addressing the concluding-session of Kunbi Mahotsav
at Shahapur in the Thane district of the state on December 20, announced that a separate ministry would be
created for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) which would be headed by an independent minister.
To promote cashless transaction in the state, the Haryana government on December 21, 2016, issued petro
cards to drivers working with the state government for cashless payments of fuel. The government has
shortlisted two companies for this purpose: Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum.
The Ministry of Textiles has planned to set up a BunkarMitra-Handloom Helpline Centre where
professional experts would solve the queries of the weavers.
Indo Tibetan Border Police to procure local yaks and ponies to sustain troops at Indo-China Frontier
In an attempt to seek the favour of the backward castes ahead of Assembly polls in 2017, the Uttar Pradesh
state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister AkhileshYadav passed a resolution to include 17 sub-castes of Other
Backward Castes (OBCs) into the Scheduled Castes (SC) category.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council headed by Finance Minister ArunJaitley, approved the primary
drafts of Central GST and State GST laws on December 23 at the 7th meeting of GST Council in New
Delhi.Under GST, the states and the Centre will collect identical rates of taxes on goods and services. For
instance, if 18 percent is the GST rate on a good, the states and the Centre will get 9 percent each called the
CGST and SGST rates.
President Pranab Mukherjee on December 22 approved re-promulgation of The Enemy Property
(Amendment) Fifth Ordinance for the fifth time in a year but at the same time expressed his displeasure to the
centre over using this route repeatedly for promulgating law.
A new set of rules were announced by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on December 23, 2016,
to streamline, liberalise and ease the process of issue of passport to benefit the citizens of India applying for a
passport.The total number of Annexes prescribed in the Passport Rule, 1980, has been reduced to 9 from the
present 15.
Performance on Health Outcomes index has been launched by the government think-tank NITI Aayog along
with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on December 23, 2016 to encourage states to take transformative
action in the Health sector. The index will rank the states on the basis of their performance on measurable
health indicators.
The state government of Karnataka has removed restrictions on allowing women to work in night shifts in all
sectors in a move to provide equal opportunities for women in all sectors.The Shops and Commercial
4|Page
Establishments Act, 1961 and the Factories Act 1948 have been amended to make provision for women to
work in night shift.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on December 23 launched a live customer service resolution
platform, Twitter Seva, to provide speedy resolution to visa and passport queries of the customers.
Chhattisgarh CM dedicates countrys first cashless bazaar to people in Raipur. This Smart bazaar consist of
nearly Over 900 shops which are providing the facilities of cashless payments using POS, UPI and
other digital systems to its customers.
The 12-foot-tall stone statue of renowned Tamil poet and philosopher-saint Thiruvalluvar was inaugurated at
Mela Bhawan premises in Haridwar, Uttarakhand by Chief minister Harish Rawat on December 19, 2016.
The Madras High Court on December 19, 2016 declared a ban on all unauthorised Sharia courts functioning
on premises of mosques in Tamil Nadu, to safeguard the interests of a large number of innocent Muslims
whose fate was being decided by such illegal Sharia courts and councils in the state.
The ninth edition of World Confluence of Humanity, Power and Spirituality,organised by ASSOCHAM in
association with Srei Foundation and Times Foundation was held in New Delhi from December 16- December
17, 2016. The theme of the convention was Sach Bharat: Spirituality at Work
To conform with the concept of Skill India Campaign, and make India the Skill Capital of the World, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi laid down the foundation stone of the first ever Indian Institute of Skills at Kanpur,
Uttar Pradesh on December 19, 2016, which would empower the youths to be more employable and self-
sustainable.
The Prime Minister also announced the launch of 31 Pradhan MantriKaushalKendras (PMKKs)
and KaushalPradarshini (Skill Exhibition) for the youth of Uttar Pradesh.
The Centre has planned to set up a single, permanent Tribunal to adjudicate all Inter-State River Water
Disputes, subsuming existing tribunals, to resolve grievances of states in a speedy manner.
The Center is planning to merge Cyber Appellate Tribunal (CyAT) with the Telecom Disputes Settlement and
Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to avoid identical functions.
Union Environment Ministry has approved Rs. 40 crore proposal of Puducherry government, to treat water
from Ousterilake, a major water body in puducherry, and supply it to meet the water requirements
in Puducherry and Oulgaret Municipal limits.
The Supreme Court rejected the Jammu and Kashmir High Courts claim that the states sovereignty cannot
be challenged or altered, stating that the state has no vestige of sovereignty outside the Constitution of India.
Himachal Pradesh has become the sixth state in the country to achieve 100 percent Aadhar saturation based on
population data collected till 2015 in the state. The Aadhar number was generated for 72, 52,880 residents in
the state. An official of IT department informed on December 17, 2016.The five states which already have
achieved 100 percent Aadhar saturation are Delhi, Telangana, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh.
After launching free-to-air channel DigiShala and CashlessIndia website, the government is now set to
launch a Cash Mukt Bharat AbhiyanHelpine number to educate people about digital transactions. A
nationwide toll-free helpline number 14444 will be launched soon to educate people and provide support
related to cashless mode of transactions.
The three-day Judima Festival begin at Haflong in Assam on December 18, 2016.The festival seeks to
establish the only hill station of Assam, Haflong into the tourism map of the Northeast.
AYUSH Ministry headed by ShripadYassoNaik has launched SwasthyaRakshan Program to promote health
and health education in villages.
Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh inaugurated the states first Cyber Crime Police Station was
inaugurated at the state police headquarters, Shimla.
The Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan launched a mobile App Smart Consumer and an Online
Consumer Mediation Centre (OCMC) to provide speedy redressal of consumer grievances in New Delhi on
the occasion of National Consumer Day on December 24, 2016. He also launched the Microsite based on the
theme Digitally Safe Consumer Campaign to help consumers for being vigilant and not falling prey to cyber
frauds.
The Supreme Court on December 9, 2016, modified its order of November 30 to exempt physically
handicapped persons from standing up in cinema halls when the national anthem is played before film
screenings.
The Supreme Court given its approval to the Centres Graded Response Action Plan to tackle different levels
of pollution in Delhi-NCR. A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice A K Sikri & Justice S A
Bobde has also directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to upgrade its existing infrastructure and
set up additional monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR within six months.
The Supreme Court has ruled that horse racing as such is not animal cruelty. A Bench of Justices A.M.
Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, issued a notice to the Rajasthan government on a petition challenging a
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High Court order banning Tonga Races in the State, observing that Horse racing as such is not cruelty, but
tonga races on metal roads are.
The Delhi High Court on December 1, 2016 agreed with pharmaceutical companies to set aside the ban on
344 fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs like Corex cough syrup, Vicks Action 500 extra and DCold. The
FDC is banned under Section 26A (Power to Prohibit Manufacture of Drugs and Cosmetics in Public Interest)
of Drugs and Cosmetics Act,
The Allahabad high court on December 7, 2016, passed an order, over the Islamic practice of divorcing a
woman by saying the word talaq three successive times, that it is completely unconstitutional and violates
the rights of Muslim Women.
Uttarakhand High Court on December 8, 2016 directed the State Government to impose complete ban on
liquor in three districts namely, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, where Chardham is located, from next
financial year to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living in the society.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the Nation on December 31, 2016, on the New Years Eve,
In his address to the nation, PM Modi also made a series of announcements aimed at the welfare of the entire
Citizen of the Country with main focus on the senior citizens, farmers, rural housing, women and small
entrepreneurs to lighten the burden of demonetization.
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani launched Indias first laser technology-based advanced AVMS RTO
check-post and also laid foundation stones of various developmental works worth Rs 30 crore at Shamlaji of
Aravalli district in Gujarat.
China announced a plan to ban all ivory trade and processing activities by the end of 2017, to prevent the mass
killing and threat of extinction of African elephants.
The Centre released Rs 1,982 crore for the multipurpose Polavaram irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh .The
funding is being done through NABARD, which has now started funding irrigation projects. NABARD
sanctioned the long term irrigation fund under Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayee Yojana. Mr Jaitley also
handed over cheques for Rs 463 crore rupees to Gujarat and Rs 756 crore rupees to Maharashtra for state
projects.
Centre releases special stamp on freedom fighters & Hardayal Municipal Heritage Public Library
The registration fees for Hindus and other minority community people from three neighboring countries
comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, to register as Indian citizens have been reduced drastically
to Rs 100 from Rs 15,000.
The State Government of Odisha has decided to launch a new malaria control programme, Durgama
Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMAN), to control malaria in inaccessible areas, with a total spending of 120
crore rupees for five years.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas
Pariyojna in Uttarakhands Dehradun on December 27, 2016. The Prime Minister also addressed a public rally
at the citys Parade Ground.The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs. 12000. The entire project is
likely to be completed by 2018.
Gujarat government lead by Vijay Rupani introduced the Biotechnology Policy-2016 to establish Gujarat as
a preferred destination for manufacturing of biotechnology products.
Ministry of Shipping Inaugurates Sagarmala Development Companys office in New Delhi to promote port-
led development.
The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) gave its approval for the Ken-Betwa inter-linking of rivers (ILR)
project which will benefit Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in terms of meeting irrigation, drinking
water and electricity needs of people across six districts in the two states. The project worth Rs 9,000
crore had got the Union Cabinet clearance in July 2014 but work could not begin since it required clearance
from the NBWL who were opposing the project citing its impact on tiger reserve and wildlife sanctuaries.
The Cabinet on December 28, approved promulgation of an ordinance to make possession of a large number
of scrapped banknotes a penal offence beyond March 31, imposing a penalty and a possible jail term.As per
the ordinance holding of old Rs. 1,000 and 500 notes in excess of 10 notes after March 31st will attract
suitable monetary fine along with a jail term of up to 4 years in certain cases. However, the detail of the penal
provision is still awaited.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
December 28, 2016, approved a Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely Road Connectivity Project for Left
Wing Extremism (LWE) Affected Areas to improve the rural road connectivity in the worst LWE affected
districts from security angle.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on December 28, gave its ex post
facto approval to the proposal of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy for ratification of the International
Solar Alliances (ISA) Framework Agreement by India.
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The Centre has approved the re-designation of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project Implementation
Trust Fund as National Industrial Corridor Development & Implementation Trust (NICDIT).
The Ministry of Urban Development has approved the Annual Action Plan of Delhi for 2016-17 under Atal
Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme. It has approved an investment of Rs
266 crore for improving water supply and sewerage networks.
The State Government of Maharashtra on December 27, 2016, decided to create a new ministry for welfare
of Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT) OBCs and Special Backward classes.
The Kerala State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) under chairmanship of CM Pinarayi Vijayan held a meeting on
December 27 to decide over a proposal of using antlers of spotted deer and sambar for Ayurveda medicines.
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, laid the foundation stone for Film Television and Liberal
Arts Institute on December 27 in Lucknow. A token amount of Rs 10 crore has been allotted by the
state government for the institute and 14 acres has been allotted for the institute under Awadh Vihar
Yojna near Lucknow Haat on Shaheed Path.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development is setting up a new Regional Institute of Education
(NIE) at Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. HRD Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar laid down the foundation stone on
December 27 jointly with Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu, the Union Urban Development Minister.
The Union Government launched an initiative, Swachh Swasth Sarvatra, on December 29, 2016, to strengthen
health centers in open defecation-free blocks. The initiative was launched by the Union Health Ministry in
collaboration with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and Human Resource Development.
Bihar government approved an overall reservation of 50% in both, subordinate and superior judicial services,
in the state after consulting with Bihar Public Service Commission and Patna High Court.
The State Government of Andhra Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian
Railways on December 30, 2016, for setting up a Joint Venture for taking up major Rail Projects in the state.
The Centre has sanctioned Rs. 200 crores to the Tirupur Dyeing Industry in Tamil Nadu on December 28,
2016, which was on the verge of closure due to severe financial crisis as a result of their huge investments in
the first ever Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) projects in the country.
The Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) of IAF at Tuting, which had been abandoned after the 1962-India-
China war has once again become operational.
A Committee appointed by the Government has suggested the Union Government to set up a Financial Data
Management Centre (FDMC) for managing the repository of financial regulatory data to ensure stability in the
economy. The head of the Committee, Ajay Tyagi (additional secretary in finance ministry), submitted the
report and a draft bill titled The Financial Data Management Centre Bill 2016 in this regard.
Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti launched School Management Information System
(SMIS) on December 30, 2016, to provide a complete database of all the government schools spread across
the state.
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee approved the promulgation of the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation
of Liabilities) Ordinance, 2016 on 30th December, 2016. According to the Ordinance, holding of old 1,000
and 500 rupee notes after 31st of March 2017 will considered as an offence and attract a fine of Rs. 10,000 or
5 times the cash held, whichever is higher. Also not more than 10 notes of demonetized currency can be held
after December 30.
Madhya Pradesh has plan to develop 1,100 climate-smart villages n a period of next 6 years to prepare
farmers to manage the climate change risks timely and ensure good productivity said by state Farmer Welfare
& Agriculture Development Department Principal Secretary Dr Rajesh Rajora
PLACES IN NEWS
Himachal Pradesh, Governor Acharya Devvrat has directed the Raj Bhawan staff in Shimla to adopt cashless
system or cheque in all kind of payments to ensure that all transactions are made online.
The 10-day long Hornbill Festival began at the Naga Heritage village Kisama on December 1, 2016, which is
coinciding with the Statehood Day of Nagaland to revive, protect and preserve the richness and uniqueness of
the Naga heritage.
Dhasai village in Thane district of Maharashtra has become the first cashless villagein the state on December
2, 2016.
The 10-days Tripitak Sutrapath Mahotasava has begin at Bodhgaya in Bihar on December 2, 2016. It will end
on December 11, 2016.
In order to promote eco-tourism in Uttar Pradesh and to declare it as an international bird watching
destination, UP Eco-tourism has organized a three-day international festival on birds from 2nd to 4th December
2016 at the National Chambal Sanctuary in the Bah tehsil, Agra.
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Hailakandi has become the first district in Assam to pay wages to Tea Garden Workersthrough individual bank
accounts before the December 15 deadline set by the state government for cashless transactions to the plantation
workers.
President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the first ever International Gita Mahotsav at The
Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra, Haryana on December 6, 2016.
Larsen & Turbo (L&T) has bagged a contract from Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) to make Sardar Patel
Cricket Stadium of Gujarat the worlds biggest cricket stadium in terms of seating capacity. Melbourne Cricket
Ground has a seating capacity of 100,024 people while the renovated Sardar Patel Stadium will
have 1,10,000 seats as against 54,000seats.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan on December 10, 2016, inaugurated the
programme to distribute Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojna claim worth 4 thousand 416 crore rupees to 20
lakh 46 thousand farmers of the state from Ujjain district.
Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti flagged off fortnightly special train Vaadi ki sair (Tour of the
Valley) on December 11, 2016, for children that will run between Banihal to Baramulla.
The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, attended a programme organized by the Banaskantha
Cooperative Milk Producers Union (Banas Dairy) at Deesa in Gujarat on December 10, 2016 to celebrate
the Golden Jubilee year of the Dairy.
The Punjab government launched first of its kind, amphibious bus project Harike Cruise at the Harike
wetland near Amritsar on December 12, 2016, almost after two years of announcing the launch.
Assam government has initiated a project on December 14, 2016, to make river island Majuli the countrys first
ever Carbon Neutral district by 2020.The project titled Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient Development
in Majuli.
Serendipity, Indias first interdisciplinary arts festival, kicked off in the capital of Goa, Panaji on December 16,
2016.
Haryana on December 14, 2016 adopted the Mahila Police Volunteer initiative which is a joint initiative with
the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. It became the first state to adopt the scheme in two of its districts
namely Karnal and Mahindergarh.
Sahaj International School will be the first residential transgender school in the country. The school to be
inaugurated with 10 transgenders by transgender rights activist and artist Kalki Subramaniam in Kochi on
December 30, 2016
The Thal Favang Kut festival of Mizoram, which marks the completion of weeding of the farmland by
cultivators in the state, was held in Aizawl with enthusiasm and fervor from December 15-17, 2016
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah formally launched the state's first air ambulance H130 helicopters at
HAL Airport in Bengaluru on December 16, 2016.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone for Pt Mohan Malviya Cancer Centre and a 150-bed ESIC
super speciality hospital in his LokSabha constituency, Varanasi on December 22, 201Prime Minister Narendra
Modi was on a-day-long visit to Maharashtra on December 24, 2016, where he laid the foundation stone
of Shiv Smarak, the grand memorial of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati ShivajiMaharaj in the Arabian Sea
off Mumbai coast.The Shivaji memorial is proposed to be build on around 15-hectare Island with as high as 192
metres tall statue of the iconic Maratha king.PM also laid the foundation stone of Mumbai Metro Projects & Pune
Metro Rail Project.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) in Mumbai.
The Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), a Central Government Public Sector Undertaking, is
setting up Indias first 2G (Second Generation) ethanol bio-refinery at village Tarkhanwala in Bathinda, Punjab.
Sikkim has emerges as the Indias first fully organic state by converting around 75,000 hectares of agricultural
land into sustainable cultivation.
Mori village under Sakhinetipalli mandal in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh placed on Indias digital
map by transforming completely into a Smart Digital Village said by Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu.
Mori has bagged the Swachh Village award recently at the national level.
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has launched 25 bio-diesel buses on December 25,
to reduce pollution level emitted by diesel buses. 25 luxury multi-axle Scania buses were flagged off by the
state Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy at the KSRTC depot.
In order to promote cashless economy, the state government of Haryana organized the countrys first Digi Dhan
Mela in the Gurugram, Haryana on December 26, 2016 post demonitization. The centre has planned to organise
as many as 100 such melas throughout the country up to April 14, 2017 for educating the people.
Haryana Government has decided to set up a pilot corridor for an innovative concept of Caterpillar Train that
will fly over citys traffic, in Gurgaon city. The concept of Caterpillar Train, also known as C-Train, was co-
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developed by an Indian Railways engineer Ashwani Kumar Upadhyaya along with Emil Jacob, both
PhD scholars at MIT, for which they won a global award at the MIT in the United States earlier in 2016 for this
innovative idea.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated the Digital Investigation, Training and Analysis
Centre (DIATC) on December 28 at a function at Gurugram to boost the state polices capabilities to solve
cyber crime cases.
FOREIGN VISITS
Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Abdullah on His Two Day Visit to India
Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani arrived in New Delhi on December 2,
2016 on a two day visit to India to hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral, regional and
multilateral issues of common interest.
During the visit, India and Qatar signed 5 agreements
1. Visa-free travel between the two countries that allows holders of diplomatic, special and official passports.
2. Cyberspace-technical cooperation in cyber space and combating cyber crime was signed between the Ministry
of Home Affairs of India and the Ministry of Interior of Qatar.
3. Investment-A MoU was also signed between Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of Qatar and
Confederation of Indian Industry.
4. The MoU will provide a framework for project experts for Indian companies in Qatar, including participation
in infrastructure projects in Qatar undertaken for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
5. Another MoU was signed for encouraging greater collaboration and exchange in the field of national ports
management.
Manohar Parikar Arrived Bangladesh on Two-Day Visit for Defence Ties
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on November 30, 2016 arrived in Dhaka on a two-day visit
to Bangladesh to meet the top civil and military leadership to strengthen defence ties between the two
countries.
Parrikars Visit aimed to deepen security ties and Boost up a Defence Cooperation Agreement that is likely to
be signed when Hasina visits India in December.
President of Indonesia, Joko Widodoi Visit India
This was the first visit of President Joko Widodo to India after coming to power in October 2014.
India and Indonesia signed three agreements in various areas to enhance strategic partnership.
i.MoU on Youth Affairs and Sports Cooperation.
ii.MoU on Standardization Cooperation.
iii.Joint Communiqu on on Ilegal and Unauthorised Fishing.
To improve direct connectivity between India and Indonesia, Indonesian airlines Garuda Indonesia,
commenced direct flights from Jakarta to Mumbai on December 12, 2016.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 3 Day Visit to Mauritius
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was on a three days visit to Mauritius from December 10 to December 12,
2016 to strengthen close political and bilateral strategic ties between the two countries.
During the visit Defence Minister will commission a fast patrol vessel, CGS Victory,for the Coast Guard of
Mauritius and hand over two upgraded Cheetah helicopters to the local police of the country.
Parrikar will also board INS Darshak which is a hydrographic survey ship of the Indian navy and at present is
in Mauritian waters.
Kyrgyzstan Presidents Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev 4-day visit to India
This was Atambayevs first visit to India after being appointed as the President.India and Kyrgyzstan signs six
Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs)
1. Cooperation in the field of Tourism
2. Cooperation in the field of Youth exchange
3. Cooperation in the field of Youth development
4. Cooperation between the Foreign Service Institute and the Diplomatic Academy of the Kyrgyz Republic for
exchange of information on training programmes of diplomats.
5. Cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Food Industry
6. Cooperation in the field of Broadcasting and exchange of audiovisual programmes.
Tajikistan Presidents 5 Day Visit to India
President of Tajikistan EmomaliRahmon was on a five-day visit to India from December 14-18, 2016.
4 agreements signed between India and Tajikistan
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A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on cooperation in the exchange of financial

intelligence related to money laundering, related crimes and financing of terrorism.
The two sides signed a protocol amending avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion.
Another MoU was signed regarding cooperation on broadcasting in exchange of audio-visual
programmes.The two sides also signed a document on bilateral investment treaty.
China and Pakistan launched the direct rail & sea freight service between Kunming and Karachi as a part of
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project (CPEC) which was launched in 2015. The first cargo train loaded
with 500 tonnes of commodities left Kunming, capital of Yunnan, an inland province in south-west China
departed for Karachi
British scientists gave green signal to the use of three-parent baby fertility treatments, thus becoming the first
in the world to officially introduce the procedures.
64 year old Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has become the king of Thailand, on December 1, 2016, 50
days after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He will succeed his father, King Bhumibol
Adulyadej, who reigned for 70 years, from 1946, through 10 military coups and dozens of prime ministers, until
his death Oct. 13 at 88.
Emirates on December 1, 2016, launched the worlds shortest scheduled service on an Airbus A380, flying it
from Dubai to Doha within 80 minutes and 70 minutes in return journey.
The South American nations has suspended Venezuela on December 2, 2016 from the Mercosur trade bloc for
violating the blocs democratic principles and failing to meet its basic standards.
India on December 7, 2016, has pledged to contribute USD 1.25 million to the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), PK-661 flight which was carrying 48 passengers including 5 crew
member and one ground engineer, crashed on the way to Islamabad from Chitral on December 7, 2016.
The worlds longest rail tunnel, Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT), began operating on regular basis in Switzerland,
on December 11, 2016, to provide service to the passengers.The 57 km GBT took 17 years to build at a cost of
over 12 billion Swiss francs ($11.8 billion, 11.2 billion euros).
India is looking forward to provide Tsunami Early Warning-System to South China Sea (SCS) countries such as
Vietnam, Malaysia and Philippines as a part of a soft-diplomacy effort. The warning system has been developed
by the scientists at Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and uses mathematical
modelling to estimate if an earthquake, in Indias oceanic neighbourhood, will result in a tsunami.
India will contribute $500,000 to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for the year 2016-17
announced by Indian diplomat Anjani Kumar a counsellor at Indias UN Mission at the pledging session held at
UN. 29 countries promised contributions totalling $273 million to the CERF and till now 50 countries provided
its fund to CREF
The Marvelous City or Rio de Janeiro officially entered into the UNs list of world heritage
sites while UNESCO status was announced in 2012 in recognition of its soaring granite cliffs, urban rainforest
and beaches.
Labour Minister of Qatar, Issa bin Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi on December 13, 2016, formally announced the end
of its controversial kafala system, which was the biggest ever labour reform in Qatar.
The World Bank has paused the Indus Waters Treaty processes initiated by India and Pakistan to allow the two
countries to consider alternative ways to resolve their disagreements.It was announced by Secretary-General of
the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon.
Navy of China has seized an Underwater drone of US Navy on 15 December 2016 from northwest of Subic
Bay which is an extension of South China Sea. The unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) drone that the
Chinese Navy has seized had to return to USNS Bowditch (an oceanographic survey ship). But before that it
was seized.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has given one year extension to the Peacekeeping mission of
South Sudan. The UN adopted Resolution 2326 (2016) unanimously.
A political term Brexit, YouTuber, glam-ma, tombstoning and rag-doll are among the 500 new words added in
the Oxford English Dictionary which is updated four times a year in March, June, September and December.
President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani on December 19, 2016, unveiled a landmark bill of rights, guaranteeing
freedom of speech, protest, fair trials and privacy for the citizens of the nation.
The United Nations Security Council on December 19, 2016, unanimously approved a resolution to deploy UN
observers to the Syrian city of Aleppo. The observers would be carrying out adequate, neutral monitoring and
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direct observation on evacuations from eastern Aleppo and the safety of civilians who remain in the Syrian
city.
Hong Kong has decided to withdraw visa-free facility for Indians. Indians can enter with a valid passport for a
period up to 14 days without a visa.
The government of Japan approved a 1.4 percent increase in military spending on December 22, 2016 in order
to counter the military power of North Korea and China. With this the total military budget of Japan has now
reached a record level of $43.6 billion or 5.13 trillion Japanese Yen for the year starting April 1.
The worlds first solar panel road was inaugurated in a small town of Normandy village of France. The 1-km
(0.6 mile) project was funded by the French Ministry of the Environment to test whether solar panels can be
implemented effectively at a large scale.
Frances airspace regulator, General Directorate for Civil Aviation, has approved the plan to launch drone
delivery program, making France the worlds first national postal service to use drones regularly.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on December 23, 2016 informed that a prototype vaccine
for Ebola may be up to 100 percent effective in protecting against the deadly virus. The new vaccine was
initially developed in Canada by public health authorities before being taken over by pharmaceutical giant
Merck.
India has been ranked 4th in the Global Wind Power Installed Capacity index after China, USA and
Germany with cumulative installed wind power generation capacity of 28,279 MW in 2016.
India has signed an Open Skies Agreement with six countries at the International Civil Aviation Negotiations
(ICAN), 2016 which were held in Nassau, Bahamas from December 5-9, 2016. Open Skies Agreement was
signed with Jamaica, Guyana, Czech Republic, Finland, Spain and Sri Lanka to allows unlimited number of
flights to six metro airports namely Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai.
As per a study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) survey of 33 countries, the
developing African nation is developing a deadly lifestyle disease owing to modern city life and bad habits.
The five day India-Nepal Folk Crafts Festival (INCF-2016) begins in Kathmandu, Nepal on December 19, 2016
to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries.
The British Library is set to digitize 4,000 early printed Bengali books amounting to more than 800,000 pages
as a part of a project under the UK India Year of Culture plans for 2017.
A 2,700-square-meter skating space has recently opened at the Grand Palais in Paris, France. It is the worlds
largest non-permanent indoor ice rink.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on December 23, 2016, passed a resolution demanding Israel to
stop building settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.It states that Israeli settlements have no legal validity
and are dangerously imperiling the viability of the two-state solution.
China on December 25, 2016, passed a new law to levy environment tax on polluters, especially on heavy
industries.The environment tax law was adopted by the legislature, the National Peoples Congress
(NPC) standing committee at a meeting in Beijing. The law will be implemented on January 1, 2018.
A Russian plane on its way to Syria with 92 people onboard, including members of the world-famous Russian
army choir, crashed into the Black Sea on December 25, minutes after taking off. The Tu-154 plane crashed
shortly after taking off from the southern city of Adler, south of the Black Sea resort city of Sochi. The plane
was conducting a routine flight to Russias Hmeimim airbase outside the coastal Syrian city of Latakia.
As per the report of Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations 2008-2015 released
by Congressional Research Service (CRS), India has emerged as the second largest purchaser of arms among
developing nations after Saudi Arabia.
China has started the operations of the longest east-west high-speed railway, which connects eastern coast to the
less-developed southwestern part of the country.It is one of the worlds longest high-speed
railways. The Shanghai-Kunming line is 2,252 km in length with the maximum speed of 330 kmph and
traverses the five provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan and cuts travel time from
Shanghai to Kunming from 34 to 11 hours.
In an effort to ease the process of securing Indian Visas for Bangladesh visitors, the High Commission of India
will now allow all Bangladesh travelers with confirmed air, train or bus travel tickets to submit their tourist visa
applications directly without prior appointments from January 1, 2017.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the Chinese-Assisted 340 MegaWatt Chashma-III nuclear
power plant in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on December 29, 2016
The Beipanjiang Bridge of China is now open for public travel. The height of the bridge is 1,854 feet(565
metres) above the sea level. It overtook the Si Du River Bridge of Hubei to become the worlds highest bridge.
The Colombias Congress headed by President Juan Manuel Santos, in an historical move, passed a law on
December 28 to grant amnesty to FARC rebels as part of the countrys peace deal.
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France Government has raised a terror tax on property insurance policies after a series of terror attacks in 2015
and 2016. The French government requires insurers to help finance a fund for victims of the extremist
attacks that have recently hit the country.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has announced plans to expel 35 US diplomats from the country in a tit-for-tat
response to a similar act by United States of America. President Barack Obama earlier had ordered to
expel 35 Russian diplomats, suspecting case spies and sanctioned two Russian intelligence agency believing
them to be involved in cyber hacking and alleging Moscow to interfere with the US presidential election.

The 6th Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference was jointly inaugurated by the Prime
Minister Narendra Modiand Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Amritsar, Punjab on December 4, 2016.The
theme for this years conference is Addressing Challenges, Achieving Prosperity.
The 7th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) has been organized at Science City, Kolkata from December 1 to
December 4, 2016 by the World Ayurveda Foundation with support of Ministry of AYUSH, and the State
Government of West Bengal.
Two days meet of The India-UK Conference on Ease of Doing Business began at New Delhi on 8 December
2016. The conference will allow India to learn from the UK as UK ranks 7th in Doing Business Report, 2017
while India ranks 130th in the same ranking.
The 28th State Information Ministers Conference (SIMCON), 2016, was organised by the Ministry of
Information & Broadcasting from December 9 to December 10, 2016 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The two
day conference was chaired by Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri M. Venkaiah
Naidu.Theme: Reform, Perform & Transform A New Dimension of Communication.
The Sixth Ministerial Conference on Heart of Asia- Istanbul process of Afghanistan adopted the Amritsar
declaration, on December 4, 2016, which puts focus on the concerned countries to address terrorism and
enhancing regional economic cooperation.
The BRICS countries Heads of Revenue held a meeting in Mumbai aimed to discuss the potential areas of
cooperation and exchange opinions and views based on their existing commitment to openness, solidarity,
equality, mutual understanding, inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation.
PETROTECH-2016,
PETROTECH-2016, the 12th International Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition was held at Pragati
Maidan in New Delhi from December 4 to 7, 2016.Theme of the conference: Hydrocarbons to fuel the
future Choices & Challenges.
The three Firms IOCL, BPCL and HPCL signed a pact to build Indias biggest oil refinery and mega
petrochemical complex at a cost of $30 billion on the west coast of India in the State of Maharashtra.The
total capacity of the project will be 60-million tonne a year.
MoU signed between OIL and Technology Incubation Centre, IIT Guwahati, will serve as an incubator
for mentoring start-ups set up under OIL Start-Up Initiative.
Several MoUs were inked in the confeerrence which includes MoU between ONGC and IIT Mumbai.
Under this MoU, IIT, Mumbai would support ONGCs Start-Up Initiative,ONGC launched a Rs. 100
crore start up fund on its diamond Jubilee year. This MoU aims at working on the problems of ONGCs
Start Up Initiative related to the energy sector and for enhancing the operational capabilities of ONGC.
Kailash Satyarthi Childrens Foundation organized a Laureates and Leaders Summit for Children at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi which was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee and launched a
campaign named 100 Million for 100 Million involving participation of about 5000 children.Aim of the
campaign to deploy 100 million youth and children each for 100 million underprivileged children across the
world to end child labour, child slavery, violence against children.
Sixth Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development Held in New Delhi. Theme of
the conference: Emerging Urban Forms Policy Responses and Government Structures.
The two-day 6th BRICS Health Ministers Meet was held in New Delhi.The meeting was attended by the
health delegates of BRICS nation-Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa along with other Senior Officers
of representative department.
The fifth edition of the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCSS) to be hosted by India in 2017.
The 77th Indian History Congress was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee at Thiruvananthapuram in
Kerala on December 29, 2016 at the Kerala University Golden Jubilee Auditorium at Kariavattom campus.
The Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the 24thNational Childrens Science
Congress (NCSC) at Vidyapratisthans Institute of Information Technology in Baramati, Pune on December
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27, 2016.
The four-day World Bhojpuri Conference began in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on December 29, 2016 and will
continue till January 1, 2017. High Commissioner of Mauritius to India, Jagdishwar Goburdhun informed that
participants from over 18 countries are participating in the conference.
The 27th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council was chaired by the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath
Singh at Thiruvananthapuram on December 28, 2016
RANKING & REPORTS

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has become the first Indian institute to be placed in the top 15
universities among top 300 universities in the latest Times Higher Educations (THE) BRICS and Emerging
Economies University Rankings 2017.
Hindi language has been listed at the 10th position in the Power Language Index Ranking by The World
Economic Forum (WEF). English was placed at the 1st position and Mandarin at 2nd position followed
by French
According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), 2016,released by a Sydney-based think-tank, Institute for
Economics & Peace, India has been ranked 7th among top 10 countries which were most impacted by
terrorism in 2015.The 2016 index features top 50 countries ranked by the global terrorism index. The Index
places Iraq at the top.
The latest 2016 Empathy Global Index lists nine Indian companies at the bottom 10 among 170 companies of
the world.The list of Least Empathetic Companies of India. However the global list is topped by Facebook.
1.Bharat Petroleum 6.Larsen & Toubro
2.Sun Pharma 7.Indian Oil
3.ICICI Bank 11.State Bank of India
5.Bharti Airtel, 13.Reliance Industries
24.Aditya Birla Group
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won the Online Readers Poll for TIME Person of the Year 2016, beating
off other world leaders like US President-elect Donald Trump, incumbent US leader Barack Obama and
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Flipkart founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal have been chosen for the 2016 Asian of the
Year by Straits Times of Singapore as part of a group called the The Disruptors.
US President elect Donald Trump was chosen as the TIMEs Person of the Year 2016on December 7, 2016,
for his outstanding victory in the US election.
Google parent Company, Alphabet has been named as the Company Of The Year by Fortune magazine in its
annual Blue Ribbon ranking.
Michael Jordan, former basketball player, has been named as the highest-paid athlete of all times by Forbes,
with $1.7 billion total wealth.
According to the Social Development Report (SDR) 2016, in India, 45 percent of Persons with Disability
(PWD) are illiterate. The theme of the report for 2016 is Disabilities Rights Perspectives
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has been named among the top 100 global thinker by the US based
Foreign Policy magazine.Swaraj was named in the Global Thinkers of 2016 Listunder the Decision-makers
category along with the Democratic nominee for US President Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-
Moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch among others.
India has emerged as the tops most country in Asia for innovation while third biggest country globally
according to a research done by Capgemini Consultings Digital Transformation Institute in collaboration with
Fahrenheit 212 and in partnership with Brian Solis of Altimeter.
Indian Origin Apoorva Mehta, Vivek Ramaswamy Listed In Forbes List Of US Richest Entrepreneurs Under
40. The list is topped by Zuckerberg, whose Facebook shares and net worth is now worth USD 50 billion.
Gujarat-born activist, Jayaben Desai on BBCs most influential women of the past 70 years list.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi ranked 9th on the Forbes list of 74 Most Powerful People in the World.
Forbes said that Indias populist prime minister is hugely popular in his country of 1.3 billion people.
Alphabets Larry Page Ranked Top in Forbes Most Powerful CEO
ForbesTop 5 Most Popular People List
Rank Name Country
1 Vladimir Putin Russia
2 Donald Trump United States
3 Angela Merkel Germany
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4 Xi Jinping China
5 Pope Francis Roman Catholic Church
As per a survey conducted by Amazon India the national capital, Delhi, has emerged as the most well-read
city in India for the fourth consecutive year followed by Bengaluru and Mumbai taking the second and third
spot, respectively.
According to the Global Wage Report 2016-17 released by the International Labour Organisation
(ILO), India is among one of the Worlds worst gender gaps in wages.The report showed that men earned
more than women in similar jobs, with the gap exceeding 30 percent. Women are paid 33% less than men in
hourly wages in India.Among the major economies, Singapore had among the lowest, at 3 per cent
while South Korea fared worse than India, with a gap of 37 per cent.
Based on the 2016 Forbes India Celebrity 100 list released by Forbes, Salman Khan has bagged the top
position in the coveted list leaving behind Shah Rukh Khan at second place. Player Virat Kohli was placed
third.
Top 5 Celebrity in the list
Rank Name Earning
1 Salman Khan 270.33
2 Shah Rukh Khan 221.75
3 Virat Kohli 134.44
4 Akshay Kumar 203.03
5 M.S Dhoni 122.48
According to latest released annual report of the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the tribal population in
India lags behind other social groups on various social parameters such as child mortality and infant mortality
and womens health, education, poverty etc.As per the report a vast majority of tribal population is engaged in
agricultural labour and women face higher incidence of Anaemia when compared to other social groups.The
community also had the highest child mortality and infant mortality rates, when compared to other social
groups.
BANKING & FINANCE

Private sector lender Yes Bank has launched a new digital transaction service through mobile
phones named SIMsePAY, that allows any account holder to do money transfers, pay utility bills and other
mobile banking services, without the need for smart phones or internet. The service is based on a sim-sleeve
technology, in association with Taisys Technologies, who holds global patent for the same, and has
implemented the same successfully in other countries including Kenya and China.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the merger of Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd
(BMBL) with the countrys largest lender State Bank of India. The SBI board in August confirmed the merger
of Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd (BMBL) and that of five associate lenders with itself.
Maharashtra based private sector lender RBL Bank has launched Aadhaar Payment Bridge System (APBS) on
November 30, 2016, for small ticket micro-finance loan disbursements. According to bank Head Rajeev
Ahuja, it is the first bank to launch the APBS on its platform to implement the governments idea of digital
banking.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Indian economy has grown at the rate of 7.3% in the second quarter of
2016-2017, which is up from the 7.1% recorded in the previous three months. The GDP was 7.6% in the
second quarter of last fiscal.
According to a United NNations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacifics (ESCAP) year-
end Report, Indias economy is slowly gaining momentum and is projected to grow by 7.6 per cent in 2017.
Kochi based Federal Bank has tied up with Spice Digital for cash management services through the banks e-
collection facility.
Aditya Birla Financial Services Group (ABFSG) launched new insurance arm under Aditya Birla Health
Insurance (ABHICL) to be the most preferred customer partner by 2020
The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has been decided to extend the time for deployment of Aadhaar-enabled
devices till June 30, 2017. The time was extended by six months because of the rate of deployment of
acceptance infrastructure has slowed down owing to the mismatch between demand and supply of such
Aadhaar-enabled devices.
Private sector lender DCB Bank launched its own mobile and tab based digital wallet Cippy Wallet app on
December 2, 2016 in New Delhi to encourage consumers to experience cash free purchases from the mobile
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phone for day-to-day needs. The app offers a Split-Bill feature which anables any payment made using
Cippy Wallet or other modes such as card or cash can be easily split between users to share it with friends and
family with a single click on the mobile phone.
The Reserve Bank of India made an announcement on December 4, 2016 that it will shortly issue new Rs 50
and Rs 20 notes bearing the signature of new Governor Urjit Patel, however, existing banknotes of both
denominations will continue to be legal tender. The year 2016 will be printed on the reverse of the
banknotes.
In order to manage the extra liquidity from the system after the demonetisation, government and the Reserve
Bank of India has sharply raised the Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS) ceiling to Rs. 6 lakh crore from Rs.
30,000 crore on December 2, 2016.
The Central Government is planning for the speedy implementation of Public Financial Management System
(PFMS) in the country. There are about Rs.1-1.5 lakh crore of idle funds lying with the government.
India has achieved the status of being a safe and dynamic investment destination in the world after it crossed
the $ 300 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) between April 2000 and September 2016. 33% of the
FDI came through the Mauritius route, because the investors wanted to take advantage of Indias double
taxation avoidance treaty with the island nation.
Indias largest public sector trading body MMTC(Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation ) tie-up with
the State Bank of India (SBI) to sell government-minted Indian Gold Coin(24 Karat)which will be available in
denominations of 5gm, 10gm and 20 gm bar.
Maharashtra based Yes Bank has partnered with Indias smartest cab service Ola to set up mobile ATMs
across 30 locations across 10 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata,
Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Jaipur.
The Reserve Bank of India, on December 1, 2016, authorised the Receivables Exchange of India
(RXIL), promoted by SIDBI and NSE, to launch the countrys first trade receivables exchange
platform, TReDS, for MSMEs, buyers and financiers.
Life insurance provider HDFC Life has launched two micro-insurance scheme named Jeevan Suraksha and
Credit Suraksha to provide financial security to its customers
AP government with Tata Trusts has launched a health insurance scheme, Swatha Kutumbam in Vijayawada
which became Indias first constituency to have health insurance for all people include new born for a year
from December 1, 2016 to November 30, 2017. Under this insurance scheme every individual has to pay Rs 1
per day or Rs 120 per month per family as premium.
The RBI Governor Urjit Patel led six-member MonetaryPolicy Committee (MPC) on December 7, 2016,
announced the fifth bi-monthly monetary policy statement of 2016-2017.
Major highlights of the RBI Monetary Policy Statement
1.Repo rate remained unchanged at 6.25%
2.Reverse Repo at 5.75%
3.Cash reserve ratio or CRR unchanged at 4%
4.Due to demonetization, the central bank has lowered the GDP growth forecast from 7.6 per cent to 7.1 per
cent for the current fiscal.Inflation target remains 5 percent for March 2017 with risks tilted to the upside.
In order to boost small value online transactions, the RBI relaxed norms for 2-factor authentication for
payments up to Rs. 2,000 on December 7, 2016.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed the Additional Factor Authentication(AFA) norms for online
transactions up to Rs. 2,000 to save time transaction time of customers and also promote governments digital
payment program.
Indian e-commerce website Paytm launched its toll-free number 180018001234 to enable transaction through
mobile phones without an internet connection on December 7, 2016.
100 banks have joined the National Financial Switch (NFS) network as direct members established ATM
networks, now NFS network comprise of 745 members said by Maharashtra based National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI) on December 7, 2016
BSEs INDIAINx has signed an agreement with largest Rupee-Dollar (INR-USD) market Dubai Gold and
Commodity Exchange (DGCX) on December 6, 2016 to reach out to the global traders in a wide range of
products including the trading in INR-USD contract.
The Women and Child Development Ministry has tied up with India Post and State Bank of India to offer
more payment options to buyers and simplify shipping of products bought from Mahila E-haat.
Stockholders of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and First Gulf Bank on December 7, 2016, approved to
merge into the biggest bank of all Gulf Countries with an asset of $ 178 billion.
An online insurance broking portal Coverfox.com has inked an partnership with Uber in India to facilitate car
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insurance solutions for the latters driver partners on December 8, 2016

To promote digital transaction in rural areas of the country, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) made an announcement on December 8, 2016 to provide monetary support of Rs
228 Crore to the responsible banks to install PoS Machines and EMV based Debit Cards for Farmers.
Civil rights activist Viola Desmond has emerged as the first Canadian Woman to be featured on the nations $
10 Currency note.
Government on December 9, 2016, informed the Parliament about its decision to print plastic currency notes
for which the process of procurement of material has been initiated.
The Reserve Bank of India made an announcement on December 9, 2016 that the currency notes worth
over Rs 4.27 lakh crore have been issued to public through banks and ATMs after the demonetisation Rs 500
and Rs 1,000 currency notes. The Apex Court also announced that about Rs.11.85 lakh crore demonetized
notes have already been returned in the banking system.
Kolkata based United Bank of India has adopted Patunagar and Sachindranagar Colony in the state of Tripura
to implement schemes in the line of digital India program.UBI will make necessary steps to change the
villages into truly cashless villages.
LIC Mutual Fund Asset Management Company announced its readiness on Unified Payment Interface
(UPI) in partnership with Standard Chartered Bank as mode of payment for its investors to invest in its
schemes.
Yes Bank has tied-up with e-grocer Grofers to deliver cash at doorstep, allowing customers to get cash of up
to Rs 2,000 when they order grocery online.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has signed an emergency order to ban countrys largest banknote 100
bolivars banknote to be taken out of circulation in the next 72 hour.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) lowered the 2016 growth estimate for India to 7 per cent from the
previous 7.4 per cent on December 13, 2016, due to demonetisation, weak investment and agricultural
slowdown. However, Indias growth forecast for 2017 remained unchanged at 7.8 per cent.
India on December 13, 2016, signed a Grant Agreement of USD 5.19 million with International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) for Additional Financing for Financing Energy Efficiency at
MSMEs Project- Programmatic Framework for Energy Efficiency.
India and ASEAN have set a target of trading at 100 billion dollar to be achieved by 2020 while current
trading between India and ASEAN is 57 billion dollars.
The Electronics and IT Ministry, on December 16, 2016, informed that electronic transactions for
availing government service increased by 33 per cent in 2016, crossing over Rs. 1000 crore.
To encourage digital transactions, the Reserve Bank has directed the banks to cut MDR charges on payments
made through debit card. The Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) for debit card payments, including for
payments made to government, will be capped at 0.25 per cent for transactions up to Rs 1,000 and 0.5 per
cent between Rs 1,000-2,000. The existing MDR cap is 0.75 per cent for transactions up to Rs 2,000 and 1 per
cent for over Rs 2,000. However, there is no RBI cap on MDR on credit card payments. RBI has also asked
banks and prepaid payment instrument issuers not to levy any charges for transactions up to Rs 1,000 using
Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), USSD-based *99# and Unified Payment Interface (UPI) systems from
January 1 to March 31, 2017.However, these measures will not apply to ATM transactions.
RBI on December 15, 2016, imposed restrictions on withdrawal & deposit if more than Rs 2 lakh has been
deposited after November 9 in an account which has a balance of over Rs 5 lakh.
As per a RBI notification, withdrawal or transfer of funds will not be permitted in accounts without
giving PAN number or submission of Form 60 for those persons who do not have PAN.
The Reserve Bank of India on December 19, 2016, announced that it is issuing a new batch of Rs 500
notes in Mahatma Gandhi (New) series with the inset letter R in both the number panels bearing the signature
of Dr Urjit R Patel Governor, Reserve Bank of India, with the year of printing 2016.
Bank of Baroda has become the first Indian company to sign up as a National Supporter for the FIFA U-17
World Cup India 2017, which will be held from 6 to 28 October 2017. This will be the first time that India
will be hosting FIFA international football competition. FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 will see
participation from 24 countries including India and matches will be played at six different venues.
The New Development Bank, jointly found by the BRICS countries approved USD 75 million (525 million
yuan) loan for a solar power project in Shanghai, China on December 20, 2016.
The Union Government on December 19, 2016, decided to provide additional grace period of 60
days to farmers, whose crop loan dues fall between November 1 and December 31, 2016. This decision was
taken in view of constraints faced by the farming community in repayment of loans due to demonetization of
high value notes.
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The Finance Ministry on December 21, 2016 directed the state-owned banks to reduce fees on payments made
through Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in order to further
promote digital and card payments.
The Reserve Bank of India imposed penalty on five foreign banks on December 21, 2016, for violating the
instructions of RBI on reporting requirements of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA). The
bank including Deutsche Bank has been imposed a fine of Rs. 20,000 while other banks including Standard
Chartered Bank, Bank of America, Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi and The Royal Bank of Scotland have been
fined Rs. 10,000 each.
ICICI Bank has launched a mobile application, eazypay, for merchants, which includes all modes of
payments, including digital wallets, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), QR code, and credit & debit cards. The
app is first of its kind that introduces an all-in-one acceptance platform for merchants.
Public sector Allahabad Bank has merged its wholly owned subsidiary All Bank Finance(ABFL) with itself on
December 23, 2016. The merger was finalized at the Board of Directors meeting who gave the in-principle
approval for merger of loss making AllBank Finance with the bank.
Indias central banking institution, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has opened its 17th banking ombudsman
office in Dehradun, Uttarakhand on December 23, 2016.It is the third such office in North India after Kanpur
and Chandigarh. RBI also announced that ombudsman office opens in Ranchi, Jharkhand on the same
day. With this, the total number of RBI ombudsman offices have increased to 18 in India.
Indias public sector banking giant State Bank of India(SBI) has adopted a village Shirki in Maharashtra to
make the entire village will turn cashless within 30 days said by SBI deputy managing director and CIO
MrutyunjayMahapatra.
The domestic rating agency ICRA has forecasted Indias gross value added (GVA) growth to be at 6.6 per cent in
2016-17. This is because the economic activity would take more time to normalise due to the governments
move to demonetise high-value notes.
According to a report published in Forbes magazine, India has overtaken United Kingdom in terms of the size
of the economy, first time in 150 years. With this major shift in world economy, India has now become
the fifth largest country in terms of the size of the economy after the United States, China, Japan and
Germany.
Privat Bank, Ukraines largest private bank, was nationalized by the Government of Ukriane on December 18,
after being declared insolvent by the National Bank of Ukraine.
Weeks after demonetization of high currency notes in India, Pakistans Senate on December 19, 2016, passed
a resolution to withdraw high denomination Rs 5,000 currency notes to curb the flow of black money in the
country.
No political party can accept donations in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes: FM ArunJaitley
Retirement fund body, Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on December 19, 2016, reduced
interest rate on employee provident fund (EPF) deposits to 8.65 per cent for 2016-17 from the current 8.8 per
cent.
YES Bank, Ola tie up to provide cash at your doorstep. Customers can swipe their debit cards to withdraw an
amount of up to Rs.2,000 per card. Customers no need to book the cab ride to avail this service.The Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has opposed the view of Digital Payment Committee to establish a separate entity to
regulate payments and settlements. In September, the Centre had set up an 11-member committee on Digital
Payments headed by Finance Secretary RatanWatal, and including the RBIs former deputy governor H.R.
Khan and Executive Director Chandan Sinha as its members.
The State Bank of India (SBI), countrys largest lender, has launched its mobile wallet application State Bank
MobiCash in partnership with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on December 17, 2016.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on December 16, 2016, announced that the Foreign exchange reserves of
India has declined by 887.2 million dollars to 362.987 billion dollars in a week from December 9 due to fall in
foreign currency assets.
The insurance regulator IRDAI has approved the R3 application and granted certificate of registration to five
global reinsurers to opens shops in India. The R3 is the final approval from the regulator to begin branch
operations.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has taken a relief providing decision for the Non-Resident Indian and Indian
Citizens who were staying abroad since November 9 to December 31post demonetization decision. As per the
decision, the Indian Citizens can exchange their demonetized notes up to RBI March 31, 2017 while the Non
Resident Indian (NRIs) citizens can avail this facility up to June 30, 2017. The bank informed that there would
not be any limit for Indian residents while for the NRIs the maximum limit would be Rs 25,000 as per the
FEMA regulations 2015.
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The Central government had infused a sum of Rs 25,000 crore in 19 PSBs during FY 2015-16.In this Rs.
22,915 crore was allocated to 13 PSBs on July 19, 2016.
Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank Launches Bank Sakhi Scheme to ensure greater participation in financial
inclusion in rural areas, the Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB) has come out with an innovative method
of employing women in villages to promote and popularize cashless transaction.
Pune based public sector lender Bank of Maharashtra, has adopted the village of Malangaon, in Sangli district,
Maharashtra, with the help of District Collector and several government officials to make it a completely
cashless village.
The Government of India announced the first set of Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana
awards at the Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on December 25. A total of 15000 winners were selected under 4
broad categories (USSD, UPI, AEPS, RuPay) from the 8 crore digital transactions that took place between 9th
November 2016 to 21st December 2016.
Social Networking Service Twitter and Mumbai based ICICI Bank announced a partnership to
enable customers with direct online response to their queries and feedback in real-time. With this ICICI Bank
become the first bank in India to implement the Twitter based customer serives @ICICIBank_Care.
The Nedumkayam tribal colony in Malappuram district of Kerala has become the first fully-digital tribal
colony in the country. The district collector, Amit Meena on December 27 officially declared the colony as
the first digital and cashless colony at a function held in the colony.
Jaipur-based Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC), Au Financiers (India), received final approval of
the Reserve Bank of India on December 27 to start operations as Small Finance Bank in India.
MobiKwik, a mobile wallet firm has received an in-principle approval from the RBI on December 28 to set up
a Bharat Bill Payments Operating Unit (BBPOU). The company will now be integrated in Bharat Bill
Payment System (BBPS), a bill payment system by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), to offer
interoperable and accessible bill payment service to customers through a network of agents.
Reserve Bank of India has issued notification allowed foreign portfolio investors to transact in non-
convertible debentures/bonds issued by Indian companies either directly or in any manner as per the
prevalent/approved market practice.
Kerala headquartered South Indian Bank has launched a full-fledged NRI-focused mobile banking application
called SIB Mirror+ across major mobile platforms. SIB Mirror+ enables the customers to perform almost all
banking transactions from their smart phones.
To further provide some relief to people hit by demonetisation, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on December
28 gave borrowers another 30 days in addition to 60 days for repayment of housing, car, farm and other loans
worth up to Rs 1 crore. So, borrowers together get 90 days to get relief from getting the account classified
under non-performing asset (NPA) category.
World Bank has approved a USD 235 million credit for the Bihar Rural Roads Project to upport the
construction of about 2,500 km of rural roads in Bihar under the Mukhiya Mantri Gram Sampark
Yojana (MMGSY). The fund is allocated from the International Development Association (IDA) with a
maturity of 25 years, including a 5-year grace period.
Vadodara based Bank of Baroda signed Memorandum of Understanding(MoU)
with Heritage Foods Ltd (HFL) to provide dairy loans to farmers through the lenders branches across the
country on December 29, 2016.
State Bank of India and real estate portal magicbricks.com on 29 December 2016 entered into a tie-
up. According to the tie-up the projects of those 500 real estate builders whose projects are approved and
rated by State Bank of India, will be available for buyer on the portal of magicbricks.com.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has signed two new unilateral advance pricing agreements
(APAs) with Indian taxpayers on 29 December 2016. With this the total number of APAs entered into by
CBDT has increased two 117. This includes 110 unilateral APAs and 7 bilateral APAs.
Central Government has invited the views of general public and stakeholders on the report on the Report of
the Financial Redressal Agency latest by 31st January 2017.The concept of Financial Redressal Agency
(FRA) was introduced in the Budget Speech of 2015-16 by Shri Arun Jaitley from the recommendations of the
Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC)of 2013. The role defined for FRA is to address
the grievances of retail consumers against all Financial Service Providers (FSPs).
Delhis per capita income 3 times national average and highest among all states. The per capita income of
New Delhi is Rs 2,80,142 during 2015-16. The figure is approximately 3 times the national average per capita
income for 2015-16 which stands at Rs 93,293 during 2015-16 as per the official statement.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has informed that post demonetization, the usage of
RuPay Card has been increased to over 2.1 million from 3 lakh per day, at the PoS terminals, which is seven
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times more since the announcement of the demonitization.

Private sector lender Lakshmi Vilas Bank has launched Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) to raise
over Rs. 599.88 Crore by issuing 4.25 crore shares in domestic or international markets.
Indian state-owned banking and financial services company Bank of Baroda has launched an agricultural
investment credit for the farmers in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan on December 31, 2016 to help the farmers in
doubling their income by the year 2022
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the period of enhanced Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI)
limit of Rs 20,000 to meet the needs of people to perform digital payments.
The Reserve Bank of India has relaxed the daily ATM withdrawal limit to Rs 4500 from the limit of Rs 2500.
The new limit would be applicable from January 1, 2017. However, the weekly withdrawal limit of Rs
24,000 remains unchanged.
The Centre on December 30 announced that it has extended the last date for availing the Direct Tax Dispute
Resolution Scheme to January 31, 2017 from the earlier deadline of December 31, 2016. The scheme aims
to settle the retrospective tax disputes with the Government.
BUSINESS
New Delhi based BHEL has commissioned the first unit of the 430 MW Pulichintala Hydroelectric
project (HEP) on December 1, 2016 in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh on the river Krishna.
Indian online transportation network company Ola has partnered Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL)
and Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) to accept payment through Ola Money in petrol pumps.
India has come up with its first online flea market, Yappily Bangalore based start-up Yappily was co-founded
by Rohit Kumar, Kamonasish Aayush Mazumdar and Rashmi Ranjan Padhy in 2016.
Netherland based KPMG and US based Microsoft announced a strategic Internet of Things (IoT)
Advisory partnership to accelerate the digital transformation of large and mid-market enterprises in the
country on December 5, 2016
An electronic commerce company Amazon launched its startup programme Launchpad in India to
support Indian startups and scale up their business. Launchpad will help startups launch, market, and
distribute their products to Amazon customers across India and around the world via a dedicated store.
The drugs technical advisory board has recently recommended one-time licensing for manufacture and sales
of drugs, with a condition that there should be at least one annual inspection and in cases where risk is high,
more inspection should be conducted.
To protect Domestic Steel Industry from cheaper imports, the government on December 4, 2016 extended
the Minimum Import Price (MIP) on 19 products further for two months, till February 4,
2017. The MIP ranges between USD $643-$752 per tonne.The 19 products include semi-finished products of
iron or non-alloyed steel, flat-rolled products of different widths, bars and rods.
Pakistan has removed an undeclared ban on import of ginned cotton from India.
ii. Earlier from November 23, The Department of Plant Protection (DPP) of the Ministry of National Food
Security and Research had banned the cotton imports from India through Wagah and Karachi port as the
shipments did not fulfil phyto- sanitary conditions.
In order to enhance cooperation in education sector between India and Egypt, Center has decided to set up
a center of Excellence in Information Technology at the Al-Azhar University which is the oldest and most
prestigious University of Egypt.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, has partnered with the US
Technology Giant Intel on December 8, 2016, to conduct research on water and air quality monitoring.
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC Russia, on December 10,
2016, reached a mutual agreement on their first deal since 2001, to jointly restrict oil production to control the
excess global availability of the oil and thus boost oil prices. It is the first time in 15 years that a global pact
has been struck.
Akhilesh Yadav lead Uttar Pradesh Government has tied up with Tata Trusts to acquire digital platforms to
strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) in the state.
Under the Agreement, Tata Trusts have installed electronic Point of Sale devices(ePOS) in various urban
region shops of Lucknow, to ensure operation of an Aadhaar-enabled Public Distribution System (AePDS) at
fair price.
The government on December 8, 2016, scrapped the 10 percent import duty on wheatdue to the rising
domestic prices and shortage in the buffer stocks arising out of the consecutive drought in the years 2014 and
2015.
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ONGC is setting up a new basin in Agartala which would be completed by the end of the year 2017 to
increase focus on exploration of oil and gas in the North-East region.
The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) has recommended imposing definitive
anti-dumping duty on China for imports of steel tubes and pipes from the country.
US Technology giant Microsoft has launched its first full-scale Cybersecurity Engagement Centre (CSEC) in
Delhi.
Indian e-commerce website Paytm has announced partnership with National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) to enable cashless payments at all national and city toll plazas.
Vodafone India launched Vodafone M Pesa Pay to enable merchants and retailers to receive payments from
their customers on December 13, 2016. It will also enable to M Pesa customers. M Pesa Pay replaces the need
for point of sale (PoS) machine.
Noted television journalist and talk show host Arnab Goswami announced the launch of his 'new venture'
called Republic, on December 15, 2016, a month after resigning as editor-in-chief of Times Now.
Central PSUs, National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco) and NTPC Limited signed a MoU in New
Delhi on December 16, 2017, to set up a 2400 MW (8x300 MW) power plant at Gajmara in Dhenkanal
district, Odisha.
To increase the digital inclusion in India, Paytm, a digital wallet, has announced a campaign, Each one, teach
one, under which consumers and merchants across the country with Paytm knowledge will be required to
teach others to use Paytm.
The Government on December 21, 2016, approved the cadre review and formation of the Indian Enterprise
Development Service (IEDS) in the Office of the Development Commissioner, Ministry of Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises.
Union government plans to launch its second centre of excellence for sericulture in Bengaluru.The first such
centre was set up in Ranchi, Jharkhand, The Central Silk Board has set up the centre to boost the silk industry.
Gujarat based Indian dairy cooperative comapnay, Amul to set up its Centralised Milk Processing Plant at
Sankrail Food Park in Howrah, West Bengal with an outlay of Rs.200 Cr.
India has imposed minimum import price (MIP) on imports of certain iron and steel
products. The country has also imposed anti-dumping duties on certain steel products to guard domestic
players from cheap imports.
Japan has dragged India to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against certain measures taken by New
Delhi on imports of iron and steel products.
India has agreed to give Nepal additional 240 MW of electricity. An agreement has been signed
between Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and state-owned NTPC VidyutVyapar Nigam (NVVN).
Google India in collaboration with Ministry of Consumer Affairs has announced a nationwide Digitally Safe
Consumer campaign to raise awareness about online safety and protect the interest of the consumers against
online fraud. Besides, Google would conduct Digital Literacy, Safety & Security workshops with the help of
partner agencies to provide training and information on online safety tools.
To make essential drugs more affordable for the public, prices of over 50 essential drugs has been lowered by
NPPA, leading to a price cut in the range of 5 per cent to 44 per cent. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing
Authority (NPPA) under Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers has also fixed the retail prices of 29
formulations.
The Government has revised North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIP), 2007 to
stipulate mandatory disbursal of subsidies to all industrial units in northeast through Direct Benefit Transfer
(DBT) mechanism by Chief Controller of Accounts (Industry).
Iran has finalized an agreement with Airbus to acquire 100 jetliners. The timing of the first delivery of
the Airbus A321 is expected to arrive before the January 20.
US based Amazon India launched the wallet Amazon Pay Balance in a bid to increase cashless orders and it
is limited to Amazon-based transactions.
Indias largest LNG importer Petronet has signed an MoU with Petrobangla on December 30, 2016, to set
up $950 million liquefied natural gas import project of 7.5 million tonnes a year in Bangladesh.
The U.S. e-commerce giant, Amazon has been awarded a patent for launching a giant flying warehouse that
would acts as a launch pad for drones to deliver items within minutes.
Digital payments platform, Paytm, has launched a 100 member Merchant Helpdesk to educate merchants
across India on digital literacy. The E-Commerce Company has also announced that it will invest Rs 50
crore towards educating merchants.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on December 27 announced that the Centre has cancelled the licences of nearly
20,000 NGOs since 2015 for violating various provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
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Indias second largest coal mining company Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (Bhel) on December 29
informed that it has successfully commissioned second 600 MW coal-based thermal power
plant in Telangana. The first unit of the project was commissioned in March 2016.
The central government removed the minimum export price (MEP) of potato from December 29, 2016. MEP
of USD 360 per tonne on potato had imposed to increase domestic availability and cool prices in July 2016
Chinese major e-commerce entity, Alibaba is to set up its first Indian office at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC)
in Mumbai, to take the advantage of the growing e-commerce market in the city.
Inter-ministerial body Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approved six investment proposals out of
17 Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) proposals. It includes Sanofi Synthelabo India, Star Den Media Services
and Idea Cellular Infrastructure Services, envisaging foreign investment of Rs 1,200 crore.
Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt Ltd was introduced Aadhar enabled payment system in its booths and
Safal retail stores. The new payment system was commissioned in association with CSC e-Governance
Service India Ltd under the aegis of Department of Electronics and Information Technology (Deity).

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added Cubas rumba
dance and Belgian beer to its coveted list of intangible cultural heritage at the meeting held in the Ethiopian
capital Addis Ababa on November 30, 2016.
Yoga, one of the ancient practices of India, has now been included as an element in the UNESCOs List of
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during the 11th session.
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the second ICCR Distinguished Indologist Award
to Prof. Yu Long Yu of the Peoples Republic of China on December 1, 2016 at a function held at Rashtrapati
Bhavan in New Delhi.
Forbes Asia Names Co-founder and Chief Executive of Chinas largest ride-sharing service provider Didi
Chuxing (Didi)Cheng Wei As Businessman Of The Year In 2016
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Katy Perry and Philanthropist Moll Anderson were honoured for their
extraordinary commitment to put children first at the 12th Annual UNICEF Snowflake Ball in New York,
USA
All India Football Federation (AIFF) has won the AFC Developing Member Association of the Year Award at
the Asian Football Confederations (AFC) Annual Awards held in Abu Dhabi on December 1, 2016.
Kolkata and 10 other cities from across the globe, has been honoured with the Best Cities Of 2016 Award in
recognition of its inspiring and innovative programme with regard to solid waste management during the C40
Mayors Summit held in Mexico City from November 30 to December 2, 2016.
Jamaicas Usain Bolt and Ethiopias Almaz Ayana have been named the male and female World Athletes of
the Year at the IAAF Athletics Awards 2016, held at Sporting Monte Carlo on December 2, 2016.
Mangaluru girl, Srinidhi Shetty, was crowned Miss Supranational 2016 at a grand ceremony in Krynica Zdroj,
Poland on December 2, 2016. She also won the title of Miss Asia-Oceania. Srinidhi became the second Indian
to win the title after Asha Bhat in 2014.India is the first country to win Miss Supranational twice in three
years.
Eminent Hindi poet Leeladhar Jagoori will be honoured with the prestigious Gangadhar National Award for
the year 2015 by the Sambalpur University on the occasion of the foundation day of the University in January
2017.
Vijaya Bank has been honored with Best Bank for SME Lending award at the fourth SMEs Excellence
Award function held in New Delhi. The Best MSME Bank Award 2016 was given to The Corporation
Bank by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM)
UK artist Helen Marten was named as the winner of the 2016 Turner prize. He received award with 25,000
prize by the writer Ben Okri at a ceremony at Londons Tate Britain gallery. The Turner Prize is an annual
prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50
Bharat Earth Movers Limited Ltd (BEML) Ltd has been awarded the CII National Quality 2016 Award for
practicing various EFQM Models (European Foundation for Quality Management).
The Indian filmmaker Onir won the Hollywood Independent Documentary Awards for his Indo-Australian
documentary, Raising the Bar which was selected as the Best Foreign Documentary Feature. The film was
premiered at Indian Film Festival Melbourne in August 2016.
US Secretary of State John Kerry was honored with the highest French civilian award, Legion of Honor, on
December 11, 2016 for his contribution in the favor of peace.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid, beat rival Lionel Messi to win the prestigious Ballon dOr award for a
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fourth time.
Rio Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu awarded with Badminton World Federation (BWF) Most Improved
Player of the Year award at the Players Reception and Gala Dinner in Dubai on December 12, 2016. The
Sporting body also announced Male Player of the Year award Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia
Female Player of the Year award Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi from Japan
The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad operated by GMR Hyderabad International
Airport Ltd (GHIAL), has achieved neutral status with regards to carbon emission.
Madonnas biopic, titled Blond Ambition, has been named the most admired unproduced film script of 2016
in the Hollywood system by Black List.
The United Nations World Meteorological Organization on December 13, 2016, announced that a 19-metre-
high (62.3 ft) wave in the North Atlantic Ocean has set a world record for being the highest-ever measured by
a buoy.
SIES-Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati National Eminence Award
The awardees have been selected for different categories of award.
1.Devendra Fadnavis: Public Leadership
2.A S Kiran Kumar: Science & Technology
3.Hari Katha exponent Kamala Murthy: Social Thinkers, Philosophers and Pravachana Karthas
4.John Ralston Marr: will be felicitated for his work in the International category.
VIT University, Vellore, has become India's first academic institution to be certified with QS 4-star rating due
to its excellence in fields of teaching, innovation and employability.
The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation(CCMC) in Tamil Nadu has been selected for Digital India Silver
Award instituted by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in the category of "Most Innovative
Citizen Engagement".
The Global Agriculture Leadership Award 2016 was awarded to Tata Sons interim Chairman Ratan Tata by
pioneer of Indias Green Revolution M.S. Swaminathan in Mumbai by Indian Council of Food and
Agriculture (ICFA) on December 15, 2016.
ICAF Awards 2016:
Best Agriculture State-2016 Odisha
Best Horticulture State 2016 Haryana
Mumbai-based writer Jerry Pinto, Tamil author Vannadhasan, Hindi writer Nasira Sharma are among 24
writers named for the prestigious SahityaAkademi Awards 2016.The awards have been given out to books
first published between January 2010 and December 2014. All winners will be given a casket containing a
cheque of Rs 1 lakh, a shawl and an engraved copper plaque.
RavichandranAshwin wins Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after being named ICC Cricketer of the Year and Test
cricketer of the Year.
List of Awards by ICC
ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) RavichandranAshwin (India).
ICC Test Cricketer of the Year RavichandranAshwin (India).
ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year Quinton de Kock (South Africa).
ICC Womens ODI Cricketer of the Year Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
ICC Womens T20I Cricketer of the Year Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
ICC T20I Performance of the Year Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies )
ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)
ICC Associate/Affiliate Cricketer of the Year Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan)
ICC Spirit of Cricket Award Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan)
ICC Umpire of the Year (David Shepherd Trophy) Marais Erasmus
The 2016 SASTRA-Ramanujan award for mathematics was presented jointly to MaksymRadziwill of McGill
University, Canada and KaisaMatomaki of University of Turku, Finland at the inauguration of
the International Conference on Number Theory at SASTRA University at Kumbakonam. The two were
facilitated for their revolutionary collaborative work on short intervals in number theory.
The Jnanpith Selection Board named the eminent modern Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh for the 52nd Jnanpith
Award for 2016 on December 23, 2016.Shankha Ghosh is regarded a leading authority on Nobel Laureate
Rabindranath Tagore in addition to being one of the most prolific poet, critic and academician.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare lead by Jagat Prakash Nadda has won gold in the Web Ratna
category in the Digital India awards 2016.
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Andy Murray was honored with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2016 for a record third time on
December 18, 2016. The award was presented by Jessica Ennis Hill and Prince William at a ceremony
in Birmingham.
Stephanie Del Valle from Puerto Rico was crowned the Miss World 2016 at the events grand finale held at
the MGM National Harbor near Washington DC on December 18, 2016.
The weekly magazine The Week and Varun Bhatt of daily hindi magazine Rajasthan Patrika have been named
for the International Press Institutes (IPI) India Award for Excellence in Journalism, 2016, for outstanding
journalistic work done during 2015.
Academy award winning musician A R Rahman has been nominated for the 89th Academy Awards and once
again stands a chance to win the double Oscar for his work on sports biopic Pele: Birth of a Legend.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos honoured with the Lampara peace prize or Catholic Nobel for his
efforts to reach the FARC deal on December 18, 2016 in Assisi, Italy.

Former CBEC head Praveen Mahajan --All India Tennis Association President
Chitra Ramkrishna quits as ---CEO & MD of NSE, J Ravichandran to take charge for interim period
Rakesh Asthana - interim chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI)
Salman Khan - BMCs Swachh Bharat Mission
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi Resigns after losing referendum on constitutional reform
New Zealand Prime Minister and National party leader John Key resigns Unexpectedly
Airtel appoints Sunil Taldar as CEO & Director of DTH arm
Justice TS Thakur Recommends Justice JS Khehar as 44th Chief Justice of India
Bernard Cazeneuve appointed as the New French PM
O Panneerselvam sworn in as new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Shavkat Mirziyoyev Wins Uzbekistan Presidential Election, replaces Islam Karimov
AirAsia India appoints Amar Abrol as Managing Director
Alexander Van Der Bellen Sworn in as Austrian president
BS Bhullar appointed chief of aviation regulator DGCA
Vistaar appoints ex-Sebi chief C B Bhave as non-exec Chairman
Adwaita Gadanayak to head National Gallery of Modern Art
IDFC Bank appoints Veena Mankar as Non-Executive Chairperson
US based carbonated soft drink producer Coca-Cola named James Quincey as new CEO of the company on
December 10, 2016. He will replace Muhtar Kent who will be the chairman of the board.
Nana Akufo-Addo Wins Presidential Election of Ghana
Rajendar Kumar Appointed New Central Board of Direct TaxesMember
Paolo Gentiloni - Prime minister of Italy
Rafia Qaseem Baig becomes first Pak woman to join Bomb Disposal Unit
Cyrus Mistry removed as Director of Tata Industries
Akshaykumar Kale elected President of 90th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan
Bill English Sworn in as New Prime Minister of New Zealand
Googles Pulkit Trivedi joins Facebook India as new Industry Director
Priyanka Chopra is UNICEF global ambassador, joins David Beckham and Jackie Chan.
Akbar Ebrahim elected as the president of based Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).
Malaysia government has been installed its 15th king Sultan Muhammad V in the Istana Negara in Kuala
Lumpur(KL) on December 14, 2016.
V G Kannan took charge as Chief Executive of the Indian Banks Association (IBA) on December 14, 2016.
He replaced M V Tanksale.
Managing Director of state-owned Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), V K Sharma was on December 14,
2016, appointed as the Chairman (LIC) for five years by the Government of India.
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi inducted into USs advisory council
German Automaker Audi India appoints Rahil Ansari as India head
Sunil Arora Appointed as Director General and CEO of IICA
For the first time, an Indian-American woman, Savita Vaidhyanathan, was elected the new mayor of
Californian city Cupertino, globally famous for its Apple headquarters.
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Indian-American Vijay Sazawal along with 38 members were appointed to the Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory
Committee of the US Department of Commerce by US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.
Amina Mohammed appointed as UN Deputy Secretary-General
Deepak Agarwal-Noida CEO Authority
PV Sindhu -Brand ambassador of APIS India
GirijaVaidyanathan-Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu
Najeeb Jung (Resigns)-Lieutenant Governor of Delhi
Mahinder Pal Singh -First Sikh cricketer in Pakistan to join national cricket academy
Virat Kohli -Brand ambassador of American Tourister
Nusli Wadia (Removed)-Tata Motorsfrom Board of Directors
Actor Priyanka Chopra -brand ambassador for Assam tourism under Awesome AssamCampaign.
Anil Dhasmana-Chief of RAW.
Rajiv Jain -Chief of Intelligence Bureau (IB)
Air Marshal B.S. Dhanoa-Chief of Air Staff
Lt. Gen Bipin Rawat-Chief of Army Staff
Queen Elizabeth II , queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, is stepping down as
patron of Wimbledon.
Justice Mian Saqib Nisar -25th Chief Justice of Pakistan
Indian-origin Shaikh Rafik Mohammed-Major General of Kyrgyzstan
Dr Barbara Jatta -first ever female director of Vatican Museums
Actor Mithun Chakraborty(resigns)-Rajya Sabha MP
Akshay Kumar -Tata Motors- Brand Ambassador For Commerical Vehicles
Viral V. Acharya -Fourth Deputy Governor of RBI
Soli Sorabjee (re-elected)-India International Centre (IIC) president
SP Vaid -Jammu and Kashmir Police Chief
Anil Bajaj -Delhis Lieutenant Governor
Thomas Bossert -Counterterrorism adviser by Donald Trump
Ranveer Singh becomes -New ambassador of Thums Up campaign
Suresh Kalmadi -Declines IOAs Life Time Presidency Proposal
Arunachal CM Pema Khandu -suspended from PPA Party
Grindeanu New prime minister of Romania

Bengaluru based Strides Shasun Ltd has announced to acquire the US-based Perrigos APIs manufacturing
facility in Ambernath, Maharashtra for Rs 100 crore.
Mahindra Agri Solutions Ltd (MASL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company acquired Netherlands-
based OFD Holding BV for 5 million euros.
Berlin-based Delivery Hero signed an agreement on December 10, 2016 to acquire
competitor Foodpanda for an undisclosed amount.
Tata Steel has announced an agreement on December 23, 2016 to acquire 100 % equity shares of the
Brahmani River Pellets Limited (BRPL) from Aryan Mining and Trading Corporation Private Limited
(AMTC) and other companies associated with the Moorgate Industries Group (MIG).
The virtual reality company of Facebook, Oculus has acquired eye-tracking software company The Eye
Tribe for an undisclosed amount on December 29, 2016
SCHEMES
The Government of Goa is set to launch its ambitious scheme Goa Yuva Sanchar Yojana on December 5,
2016, providing Limited Free Talktime and Internet Data to the youth in the state to comply with the central
governments Digital India initiative.
Virbhadra Singh lead Himachal Pradesh government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with Government of India for operational and financial turnaround of the DISCOM under the Ujwal DISCOM
Assurance Yojana (UDAY). HP has become the 18th state to join UDAY, a central scheme for revival of debt
stressed power distribution companies, availing a net benefit of about Rs 823 crore.
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Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, Kiran Bedi on December 11, 2016 announced the decision about the
selection of Thimmanaicken Palayam village in the Manaveli Assembly constituency under Model Village
Scheme.
Scheme Lucky Grahak Yojna Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojna (Merchants)
Eligible This will include all forms of transactions viz. UPI, USSD, AEPS and RuPay Cards but
Platform will for the time being exclude transactions through Private Credit Cards and Digital
Wallets.
Daily Prize Daily reward of Rs 1000 will be given

to 15,000 lucky consumers for a period
of 100 days.
Weekly Prize weekly prizes worth Rs 1 lakh, Rs Under the scheme, merchants will get
10,000 and Rs. 5000 weekly prizes worth Rs. 50,000, Rs
5,000 and Rs. 2,500
Mega Prize 3 Mega Prizes for consumers worth Rs 3 Mega Prizes for merchants worth Rs 50 lakhs,
1 cr, 50 lakh, 25 lakh for digital 25 lakh, 12 lakh for digital transactions
transactions conducted conducted between 8th November, 2016 to 13th
between 8th November, 2016 to April, 2017 to be announced on 14th April,
13th April, 2017 to be announced 2017.
on 14th April, 2017.
This scheme is applicable for those who This scheme is applicable for those merchants
make use of the said platform to carry who make digital transaction at merchant
out their transactions. establishments.
The National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) shall be the implementing agency for this scheme. The
estimated expenditure on the first phase of the scheme, up to 14th April 2017, is likely to be 340 Crores. The
Government will simultaneously carry out a review for further implementation.
The government on December 16, 2017, announced a second income disclosure scheme named The Pradhan
Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana to give another chance to tax evaders to come clean after paying 50% tax on
depositing junk currencies in bank account which will start from December 17 and will run till March 31, 2017.
The scheme will allow people to deposit money in their accounts by paying 50 per centof the total amount. Out of
the 50% tax paid, 30 per cent will be used as tax, 10 per cent as penalty and 33 per cent of the taxed amount that
is 10 per cent as Garib Kalyan Cess.The scheme is a part of the Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016,
passed by the Parliament on November 29 to amend the income tax laws to provide more strict penal tax after
demonetization announced on November 8.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on December 22, launched BijuSishuSurakshya Yojana for care and
protection of HIV positive orphan children in the state.
Important aspects of the scheme. Under the scheme, the children would get financial support from the
stategovernment for their studies till higher secondary along with Rs. 20,000 reward after passing higher
secondary.
Odisha government added 25 lakh new beneficiaries under the Mamata Yojana and electronically transferred Rs
1,100 crore to the bank accounts of these beneficiaries. This has become the largest Direct Benefit Transfer
programme in the country aimed at pregnant and expectant mothers.
The Centre has decided to step down the usual practice of annually sanctioning the action plans under the Atal
Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and has given a one go clearance for the
scheduled plans for the remaining three years of the five-year scheme.
The state government of Assam on December 25 launched an ambitious health insurance scheme Atal-Amrit
Abhiyan which will provide coverage against several critical illnesses. The scheme was launched by Assam
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a function in Guwahati, to mark the 92nd birthday of former prime
minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.The total financial outlay of the scheme is around Rs 200 crore and would entitle
the poor to receive coverage of Rs. 2 Lakh annually.
The State Cabinet of Odisha on December 24 named the Mega Lift Irrigation Scheme worth Rs. 7,600 crore, after
the noted freedom fighter and social reformer Parbati Giri as a mark of respect for her immense contribution to
the freedom movement and service to the poor and needy.
The three-phase campaign Nagar Uday Abhiyan has been launched in all 378 urban bodies of Madhya Pradesh
on December 25, the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
According to data released by the Ministry for Petroleum & Natural Gas on December 29, 2016, Government has
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achieved its target of providing 1.5 crore free LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
(PMUY) to the BPL households in less than 8 months
MoUs
India and Bhutan has signed an agreement for bilateral technical cooperation in infrastructure engineering.Under
the MoU, CPWD will assist Bhutan in green and sustainable construction of infrastructure in Thimpu.
The state Government of Haryana signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Andhra Pradeshon December 29
to assist the state in compiling a centralised databaseof its population to ensure efficient and effective
implementation of welfare programmes.
Indian Army has inked an agreement with IIT Gandhinagar to set up a research and development (R&D) cell at
the IIT campus to identify problems and possible solutions for the Indian Army.
India and Singapore signed a Third Protocol on December 30, 2016, for amending the Double Taxation
Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect
to taxes on income.
India and Vietnam signed a Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (N-Pact) in New Delhi on December 9, 2016,
in the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and President of Vietnams National Assembly Nguyen
Thi Kim Ngan.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) signed a MoU with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
on December 1, 2016, for cooperation in the area of zoonoses, anti-microbial resistance, nutrition and pesticide
residues.
In order to further boost to its growing defence ties with Vietnam, India has agreed to train the southeast
nations Sukhoi-30 fighter pilots.
The Union Cabinet on December 7, 2016, approved MoU between India and Vietnam on Cooperation in the field
of IT.
Unoin Cabinet approved MoU between India and Afghanistan on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer
Space
Union Cabinet approved MoU between India and UK to support Ease of Doing Business in India
Government announced the Zero Effect Zero Defect (ZED)certification scheme which will guide and assist
MSMEs across the country in Make in India sectors through quality control cells and rate them after carrying out
assessment of their products.
Bangalore-based space tech firm TeamIndus on December 1, 2016 signed a verified commercial launch contract
with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for its mission to land a spacecraft on the moon.
India and United States (US) has signed a deal to buy 145 M-777 Ultra-Light Howitzers worth $750 million (Rs
5,000 crore) under the Foreign Military Sales programme that will be deployed in high-altitude areas in
Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, bordering China.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on December 14, 2016, approved the
Memorandum of Understanding signed between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and United States
Geological Survey (USGS) that was signed on July 9, 2016 at Bengaluru, for cooperation in the exchange and use
of U.S. Land Remote Sensing Satellite Data.
Cabinet Approves Signing MoU between India and Kyrgyzstan to Strengthen cooperation in Tourism.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval of
the MoUs signed between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and College of Banking and
Financial Studies (CBFS), Oman in 2008 and 2011 as well as the renewal of Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU).
Cabinet Approves Signing Revised Air Services Agreement between India and Nigeria. The revised Agreement
with strengthen the civil aviation relations between India and Nigeria and has the potential to encourage greater
trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
The European Union has signed an agreement with the Malian government on December 11, 2016, to enable the
return of strucked Malian migrants who have reached Europes shores and whose asylum requests have been
refused.
The European Union (EU) and Cuba signed a deal in Brussels on December 12, 2016, to normalize relations,
change interaction on human rights issues and increase already existing business ties between Europe and
Cuba. Cuba was the only Latin American country that had no dialogue and cooperation deal with the 28-nation
EU covering issues such as trade, human rights and migration.
Google and the government of Cuba signed a deal on December 12, 2016, that will enable Cuba to have faster
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access to internet content from the US technology giant. Google had no direct data link to the Cuba island.
The 5th India-Arab Partnership Conference was held on December 14-15 2016 in in Muscat, Oman.Theme of the
conference: Partnership towards innovation and cooperation in IT.
COMITTEES
Committee headed by Ratan P. Watal submitted its report to Finance Minster to boost Digital Payment. The
committee has recommended to bridge the gaps between those are digitally active and those are not, by
promoting competition, open access & interoperability in payments.
Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Ajit
Mohan of Hotstar to fight against the problem of online piracy and develop suitable business standards and best
practices for the digital entertainment industry.
Government forms high-level task force on Indus Water Treaty headed by Nripendra Mishra with Pakistan The
Centre has reconstituted a committee that was tasked with assisting the Krishna River Management Board
(KRMB). The new committee will be headed by A.K. Bajaj, former chairman of the Central Water Commission.
Central government has formed a high level committee under the Ministry of Law and Justice to make arbitration
a preferred mode for settlement of commercial disputes and review the present system of arbitration mechanism
in India and make it strong. The 10 member committee headed by Justice BN Srikrishna.

Indian Space Research Organisations (ISRO) Shillong-based North-Eastern Space Applications Centre (NE-
SAC) has tested Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS) to map various problems and disasters ranging from
measuring diseased paddy fields to damage caused by frequent landslides in the north eastern region of the
country.
On November 30, 2016, the periodic table got larger after four new elements were officially named and added
to the chart, including nihonium which is the first ever element to be discovered by Japanese
scientists. Newly included elements are: nihonium, moscovium, tennessine and oganesson.
The Russian Space Agency reported that Unmanned cargo spacecraft Progress MS-04, which was delivering
2.6 tonnes of supplies to the International Space Station crashed shortly after takeoff on December 1, 2016 due
to a malfunction.
A mobile application, Stanpan Suraksha, developed by an NGO Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India
(BPNI) to promote breast feeding and check on inappropriate promotion of baby food items, was launched
by Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on December 2, 2016 in New Delhi.
Russian Scientists have developed a unique, low-cost method of producing high-quality nuclear fuel by using
electricity. Main type of fuel required by Nuclear Power Reactors is the uranium oxide pellet composition. It
is produced from a powder by granulation, pressing, and sintering with proper control over the quality and size
of the pellets.
Tasmania-based Womens Legal Service in collaboration with TRS Law
Offices, India has launched a website, www.Girlsgottaknow.in, for women in India to educate them about
their legal rights.
A study published in the journal PNAS revealed that American scientists of US National Institute of
Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, for the first time have successfully tracked human thought by
imaging rapidly fluctuating brain activity.
Search engine giant Google has launched a personal safety app Trusted Contacts to give your nearest
location to your selected contacts.
According to a report published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Researchers from
the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Delhi have found a novel route
to discover new drug targets and potential drugs for parasites that cause several diseases such as Loa
loa nematode (roundworm) and Schistosoma mansoni platyhelminths (flatworm).
The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched the Remote Sensing Satellite, Resourcesat-
2AonDecember 7, 2016 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
A team of researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, have discovered
that bismuth semi-metal in bulk form becomes a superconductor when the temperature is lowered to 530
microKelvin (about -273 degree C).
General Dalbir Singh, Chief of the Army Staff, launched a mobile app called Veterans Outreach App on
December 6, 2016, at Manekshaw Centre, to connect with all Army veterans, and create an interactive
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mechanism
Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Ravi Shankar Prasad, launched a TV
channel named DigiShala on December 9, 2016 to promote cashless transaction in rural areas. Apart from
the channel, the government also initiated Digi Dhan Abhiyan to achieve the objective of educating,
enabling and informing citizens about cashless economy.
Researchers from University of Illinois, US have discovered the presence of hot atomic hydrogen (H) atoms in
the second-highest layer of Earths atmosphere known as thermosphere.
Japans space agency, JAXA, on December 9, 2016, successfully launched a spacecraft for the International
Space Station (ISS), carrying a large magnetic space junk collector to divert the space junk toward Earths
atmosphere. JAXA designed the space junk collector with the help of a fishnet company.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the mobile applications ArisingKerala and Whistle
Now on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day.
Scientists have created a nanoceramic material which will be used to produce safer and economical nuclear
reactors. This can be used at higher temperatures and radiation fields, producing energy efficiently and the
material becomes tougher under radiation.
China launched a new weather satellite, Fengyun-4 satellite, in the geostationary orbit, on December 11, 2016,
from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province . Long March-3B carrier
rocket took the satellite into orbit. 14 weather satellites have been launched by China till now, seven of which
are still in orbit.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed a contract with a consortium of six companies on
December 9, 2016, to build two navigation satellite jointly with private firms by March 2017. The contract
was signed between M. Annadurai, Director of ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), and the consortium lead Alpha
Design Technologies P Ltd.
Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), identified a specific protein
called CD36 which is responsible for spreading cancer. CD36 is found in the cell membranes of tumour
cells and are dependent on fatty acids.
German scientists have detected ammonia in the upper troposphere layers for the first time above India and
China.
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandababu Naidu launched the website of the Andhra Pradesh
Economic Development Board (AP-EDB).The website, apedb.gov.in will provide the information about
the policies of various sectors of the state, help to track the areas of investment in Andhra Pradesh and enable
investor to determine various investment opportunities available in the state.
China on December 15, 2016, launched its first fully-owned satellite ground station abroad near the North
Pole. The facility, located in Sweden about 200 kms north of the Arctic Circle, would allow China to collect
satellite data anywhere on Earth at speeds that was fastest in the world.
Eight mini-satellites were launched by NASA on December 15, 2016 to measure the surface wind deep in the
heart of hurricanes. The $157 million Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS), is meant to
improve hurricane forecasting.
A team of researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have developed a safe and
effective vaccine for Chikungunya fever made from an insect-specific virus.
According to a new study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, scientists for the first time have
discovered a huge jet stream of molten iron deep within the Earths core, around 1,860 miles (3,000km) below
the surface.
Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on December 20, 2016, launched the tri-
lingual website www.haj.gov.in relating to Haj matters. The website is in Hindi, Urdu and
English languages.The website www.haj.gov.in is a one stop facility to provide all necessary information
relating to Haj management in one place. It provides link for the prospective applicants to enable them to
apply online for Haj.
A global carbon dioxide monitoring satellite, TanSat, was launched by China on December 22, 2016, to
understand climate change in the country. The 620-kg satellite TanSat was put into orbit by Long March-2D
rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest Chinas Gobi Desert.
US-based scientists for the first time have witnessed at the sub-micrometer scale, the birth of crystals that
come up together to form atmospheric ice clouds in the laboratory. The researchers replicated the stages of ice
formation in the lab to show what happens moment by moment.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu launched google map toilet locator on December 22,
2016 to help people find access to clean public restrooms in New Delhi.
He also released the Government of India calendar 2017 with the theme of this calendar is Mera Desh Badal
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Raha Hai, Aag eBadh Raha Hai and the annual report on Print Media Press in India 2015-16.
UK-based researchers have found that stem cells harvested from pregnant womans amniotic fluid can be used
to strengthen weak bones.
Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, PiyushGoyal launched a
web portal Coal Mitra on December 21, in New Delhi for allowing flexibility in utilization of domestic Coal.
Japans space agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched a solid fuel rocket
named Epsilon-2 on December 20, 2016 from the Uchinoura Space Centre in southern Japan.
The Aadhaar Payment App is all set to launch on December 25, 2016 to eliminate the fee payments for
service providers like card companies such as Mastercard, Visa etc. The app was developed by IDFC
Bank along with UIDAI and National Payments Corporation of India(NPCI).
Scientists from Imperial College London, UK have identified materials that can withstand temperatures of
nearly 4,000 degrees Celsius. The two materials, Tantalum carbide (TaC) and hafnium carbide (HfC) are
refractory ceramics, meaning they are extraordinarily resistant to heat.
Scientists from the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, at Toronto, Canada have developed the very
first functional pacemaker cells using human stem cells as per the findings published in the Nature
Biotechnology, the scientists generated sinoatrial node (SAN) cardiomyocytes, the biological pacemaker
from human pluripotent cells.
A free instant messaging service for work and business environments, Flock has launched worlds first chat
operating system FlockOS by BhavinTurakhia, Flock CEO on December 20, 2016.
China on December 20, 2016, commissioned its first seven-tonne helicopter, to mark a new development in
the Chinas helicopter industry, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
Scientists from US based Harvard Universitys John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
(SEAS) have developed the worlds smallest radio receiver using atomic-scale defects in pink diamonds. The
study was published in the journal Physical Review Applied.
Power Ministry to Launch GARV-II Mobile App to Monitor electrification Programme in six lakh Villages.
Telecom Ministry to Launch Portal Tarang Sanchar to test Towers radiation Level
Bengaluru-based TeamIndus has announced an agreement to carry Japanese team Hakutos robotic rover in
the Google Lunar XPRIZE, to the moon aboard TeamInduss spacecraft in late 2017.
A research team of astronomers from Australia, South Africa, and Europe has discovered one of the
universes biggest super clusters of galaxies, Vela super cluster, near the Milky Way. It was undetected for
long as it was hidden by stars and dust in the Milky Way. The Vela is massive and is at a distance of 840
million light-years from Earth. It is estimated to carry 100,000 galaxies with trillions of stars.
China successfully tested the Fifth Generation twin-engine radar-evading stealth fighter, FC-31 Gyrfalcon, on
December 23, 2016. FC-31 Gyrfalcon, an upgraded version of the J-31 stealth fighter, made its maiden flight
in the northeastern city of Shenyang.
Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has launched an Integrated Voice Response System (IVRS)
system in Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab, UP, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Goa. It will be extended to others
states.Subscribers will receive an IVRS call from the short code 1955.
China successfully launched two High-Resolution Remote Sensing Satellites on December 28, 2016 from
the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi Province to get commercial images.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched UPI based mobile payment application called BHIM (Bharat
Interface for Money). BHIM a rebranded version of UPI (Unified Payment Interface) and USSD
(Unstructured Supplementary Service Data), at the Digi Dhan Mela event in Talkatora stadium in New Delhi.
DEFENCE
British and Indian Navy Exercise KONKAN-2016 begin at Mumbai.
US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter along with Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar finalised
the Major Defence Partner status to India.
The 9th edition of the annual bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Russian Navy, INDRA
NAVY, started off in the Bay of Bengal on December 14 and will continue till 21 December 2016.
The Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur informed that Indian Air Force (IAF)
officers do not carry beard.
Seventh edition of India and Maldives bilateral Exercise EKUVERIN began at Kadhdhoo, Laamu Atoll,
Maldives on December 15, 2016.
The Pakistan Army successfully test-fired an enhanced version of an indigenously-designed cruise missile
Babur. The missile is named after the first Mughal emperor and founder of Mughal dynasty. It incorporates
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advanced aerodynamics and avionics that can hit targets at 700 kms both at land and sea with high accuracy.
India and Russia have agreed to undertake joint technical development work to extend the range of Brahmos
supersonic cruise missiles beyond the range of current 300 km. The agreement was reached after India joined
the Missile Technology Control Regime MTCR in June as a full member.
The eighth and the last ship of LCU MK IV project, an amphibious ship, was launched at a ceremony
at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata.
The Defence Ministry led by Manohar Parrikar approved four defence proposals worth over Rs 7,000 crore in
a meeting on December 23, 2016. The Defence Acquisition Council approved purchasing six multi-mission
maritime aircraft for the Indian Coast Guard to keep an eye on the 7,500 km-long coastline worth Rs 5,500
crore. The DAC also gave its approval to purchase one more C-17 Globemaster Mk-III aircraft from the US
manufacturer Boeing at an undisclosed price. This will add to the existing inventory of 10 aircraft that New
Delhi purchased at a price of $4.1 billion.
Nepal has announced to hold its first ever joint military exercise with China on February 10, 2017 to begin a
new level of bilateral military engagement with China. The focus of the military exercise, named Pratikar-1,
will be on training Nepali forces in dealing with hostage scenarios involving international terror groups.
US President Barack Obama has signed a $618 billion defence policy bill for 2017 on December 23, 2016,
in Honolulu, Hawaii, to enhance security cooperation with India. The National Defence Authorization
Act (NDAA), which was passed by both the House and the Senate with veto-proof majorities earlier in
December.
Telanganas Warangal police have set world record by conducting the largest self-defence class at a single
venue earlier this week said by Warangal police commissioner G SudheerBabu. In this class 21,276 college
girls, working women and some from foreign countries were took part at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
India successfully test-fired its long range subsonic cruise missile, Nirbhay, from the launch complex 3
of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha coast at 11: 56 hours on December 21, 2016. The state-
of-the-art surface-to-surface missile is developed by the DRDO which is capable of carrying conventional and
nuclear warheads and has a range of more than 1000 km with a weight of about 1500 kg and has a length of 6
metres.
The Defence and Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully tested an indigenous Smart
Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) from an Indian Air Force aircraft on December 24, 2016. Weight: 120
kg, Range: 100km & Project Outlay: Rs.56.58 Cr
India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable, Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), the Agni V, on
December 26, from Dr Abdul Kalam island, formerly known as Wheeler Island, off the coast of Odisha.The
Agni V is Indias indigenously developed intercontinental surface-to-surface nuclear capable ballistic
missile with a range of 5,500 to 5,800 km.
The Cochin Shipyard delivered ICGS AYUSH, the 20th Fast Patrol Vessel, to the Indian Coast Guard.
ENVIRONMENT
Cyclone Nada passed off peacefully through the Karaikal coast of Puducherry at 5 am on December 2, 2016.
Scientists from the University of Waterloo in Canada, and colleagues found evidence of early pollution caused
by the combustion of copper in the now dry riverbed in the Wadi Faynan region of southern Jordan
contaminated about 7,000 years ago by Neolithic humans who may have been producing copper metals from
ores.
A release issued by the culture ministry states that an ancient camping site has been found near Saser La in
the Nubra Valley, Ladakh at an altitude of about 4,200 metresthat was used by pre-historic man and belonged
to circa 8500 BCE.
To better understand the science of fog formation over New Delhi, the Ministry of Earth Sciences inaugurated
the Winter Fog observational Campaign at the New Delhi Airport.
A strong 6.5 magnitude earthquake hits Aceh province on Indonesias Sumatra island on December 7, 2016
said by the US Geological Survey(USGS).
The central zonal bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Rajasthan government to cancel
allotments of salt pans in Sambhar Salt Lake that fall within the wetland and run against to the order
of Wetland Rules, 2010.
Cyclone Vardah Hits Tamil Nadu, Kills Seven People.
US Scientists have discovered a Mutated fish in the east coast of the US, which has evolved to be 8,000 times
more resilient to toxic waste. The small striped mud minnow, or killifish, is known for living in heavily
polluted estuaries such as New Jerseys Newark Bay and Virginias Elizabeth River.
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The Desert National Park (DNP) in Jaisalmer has records the successful birth of 11 Great Indian Bustards
or Godawn which is the state bird of Rajasthan. Rajasthan government has started Project Godawan for its
conservation.
National Green Tribunal (NGT) passed an order on December 20, 2016, directing the countrys aviation
regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to issue instructions to all airlines, whose aircraft
empties toilet tanks on air, to pay Rs 50,000 as environmental compensation.
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology headed by RajyaSabha MP Renuka
Choudhary, submitted its report recently to Parliament. The committee was formed after a series of
devastating forest fires and the prolonged one that charred 4,000 hectares of forest land across 13 districts of
Uttarakhand.
Super Typhoon Nock-ten made landfall on the eastern province of Philippines on Christmas Day. Known in
the Philippine as Nina, Nock-Ten hit the coast near Catanduanes island at 18:30 local time with wind speed
up to 255km/h (158mph). But there are no reports of damage or casualties yet.
According to a World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature report published on December 19, 2016, scientists have
discovered 163 new species in the Greater Mekong.
A 60,000 square kilometres dead zone was founded in the Bay of Bengal by Researchers from the Council
of Scientific and Industrial Researchs National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Goa.
The worlds first cloned goat with superfine Cashmere wool was born in north Chinas Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region.
Scientists at the OSUs Hatfield Marine Science Center have discovered the source of a strange sound
recorded near the Mariana Trench. The metallic sound has been dubbed as Western Pacific Biotwang.
According to a study published in the journal Nature Communications, birds with larger brain better adjust in
the fluctuating and harsh climate for finding food, shelter and protection from predators than the ones with
smaller brains.
SPORTS
World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the world Chess championship which was played in New
York City, USA between 11 and 30 November, 2016 by defeating Russian challenger Sergey Karjakin.
International Tennis Federation (ITF) has given its approval to host a Davis Cup tie against Iran in Islamabad
in February 3-5, 2017 announced by Pakistan Tennis Federation secretary Khalid.
Formula One champion Nico Rosberg announced his shocking retirement from racing on December 2, 2016,
five days after earning his first world championship.
Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu, has jumped two places to achieve her career-best ranking of Seven in the
latest BWF World Ranking. Sindhu, has a total of 68,699 ranking points. She won China Open and reached
the finals at the Hong Open. She has also qualified for the Dubai Super Series Final.
Indian women cricket team lead by Harmanpreet Kaur defeated rivals Pakistan by 17 runs in the Asia Cup
Twenty20 final tournament held at the Asian Institute of Technology Ground in Bangkok on December 4,
2016.
Indian Golfer Mukesh Kumar became the oldest golfer to win an Asian Tour title on December 4, 2016
at Delhi Golf Club (DGC) after winning the Panasonic Open India.
Australian captain Steven Smith smashed a career-best 164 (157) in the first ODI against New Zealand on
04th December 2016, to equal Ricky Pontings record for the highest individual score by an Aussie skipper.
Former Spain international footballer Alvaro Dominguez Soto announced his retirement due to health
problems on December 7, 2016.
Argentina womens hockey team defeated Netherlands womens team to win the womens Hockey Junior
World Cup 2016 in Santiago, Chile.
Captain of the senior National Mens Hockey Team and one of the finest hockey goal-keeper in the world, PR
Sreejesh has been roped in as the Goalkeeping Mentor of the India Under-21 Hockey Team from December 8,
2016.
Peter Gilchrist of Singapore defeated Sourav Kothari to win the 2016 IBSF World Billiards Long Up title on 8
December 2016.
South African swimmer Chad le Clos broke his own world record in the mens 100m butterfly final of FINA
short course world swimming championships held at Windsor, Ontario.
Indian Cricketer, Virat Kohli completed his careers 4,000 Test runs on December 10, 2016, at the Wankhede
stadium in Mumbai. Kohli completed 4,000 runs in 89 innings batting against England during the third day of
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the fourth match and became sixth fastest Indian batsman to do so. Virendra Sehwag was the first Indian to do
so.
The International Olympic Committees executive board on December 6, 2016, has granted provisional
recognition to cheerleading and the martial art of muaythai as Olympic sports.
Iqbal Sayed of Mumbai won the silver medal at the Mr Olympia amateur event held in Hong Kong, beating
participants from 20 countries under the Olympia Amateur Asia 2016s Classic Bodybuilding category.
Faf du Plessis the new test captain of South Africa as AB de Villiers steps down
Indias Pankaj Advani beats Singapores Peter Gilchrist to clinch his 11th World Billiards Championship in
Bengaluru.
Cricket Australia (CA) has announced that the first ever Day and Night Ashes test match will be played
at Adelaide Oval from 2-6 December 2017. Out of the 5 match test series this will be the 2nd test match which
will be the first day and night Ashes.
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) announced that Russia will not host the 2017
Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships.
Shiva Thapa won Gold Medal in lightweight (60kg) National Boxing Championships held on 13 December
2016 in Guwahati. He defeated Ankush Dahiya. Manoj Kumar also won a Gold medal in 69 Kg category. He
represented Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB)
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) named Andy Murray of Great Britain and Angelique Kerber of
Germany as the 2016 ITF World Champions. They will receive the award at the 2017 ITF World Champions
Dinner on 6 June 2017 in Paris.
Indian batswoman Smriti Mandhana has been named in the Womens Team of the Year 2016 by
the International Cricket Council (ICC) on December 14, 2016 in Dubai.
New Zealand cricketer Suzannah Wilson Bates became the first woman cricketer to win both
the ICC Womens ODI and T20I Player of the Year awards.
AIBA has voted unanimously to grant full membership to the recently-formed Boxing Federation of India
(BFI) at a meeting on the sidelines of its 70th anniversary gala in Montreux, Switzerland.
Arjun Bhati bagged the first position in the Kids Golf World Championship after defeating South
AfricasMethuDenish during the three-level final match in Malaysia.
India surpassed South Korea 3-0 to finish with the bronze medal at the 4th Womens U18 Asia Cup
2016 hockey tournament in Bangkok on December 22, 2016
Argentina topped in the FIFAs Team of the 2016 Year title with 1634 points. Argentina won 10 wins out of
15 games this season has earned them 179 points this year, to end 2016 with 1634 points. However India
jumped two places to finish 2016 at 135.This is Indias six-year highest annual ranking after 2009 when India
finished at 134.
Shiva Keshavan, the only professional luger from India, won his third gold in Asian Luge Championship at
Nagano, Japan, on December 23, 2016.
MohunBagan and Chennaiyin FC striker JejeLalpekhlua was nominated as the 2016 All India Football
Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year on December 21.
India beat hosts Sri Lanka by 34 runs in the finals and cinched the Under-19s Asia Cup title on December 23,
2016 at the R Premadasa Stadium, Srilanka.
Sixteen-time world champion, PankajAdvani bagged the National title in 6-red Snooker, the shorter format of
the game.Advani is the only player in the world to win all titles National, Continental and World in 6-
red Snooker.
Lords Cricket Ground has released its top 20 players for this calendar year. Indian test skipper Virat
Kohli got the number 1 spot in the ranking owing to his marvelous performance in all format of the game. 4
Indians got place in the ranking. Apart from Virat the other 3 are off spinner RavichandranAshwin at 3rd spot,
AjinkyaRahane at 13th and CheteshwarPujara at 18th spot.
ICC has granted Shaheed Vijay Singh Parthik(SVSP) Sports Stadium in Greater Noida approval for
conducting International cricket matches between full time member countries of the game.
India has been ranked as the No.1 team in the ICC Test Championship after posting a 4-0 wins over
England in the five-match series, which ended with an innings and 75 runs victory in Chennai on December
20, 2016. The side at the topof the rankings on April 1, 2017 will receive USD 1 million.
Atletico de Kolkata wins 2016 Hero Indian Super League beating Kerala Blasters 5-4. The final match was
held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on 18 December 2016.
Match Awards:
1.Club award: Atltico de Kolkata
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2.ISL Emerging Player of the Match: LalrindikaRalte (Atltico de Kolkata)

3.Hero of the Match: Henrique Sereno Fonseca (Atltico de Kolkata)
India Beat Belgium 2-1 to Win 2016 FIH Junior Hockey World Cup at Lucknows Major Dhyan Chand
Stadium and reclaimed the crown after 15 long years.
Karun Nair scores triple century in test against England, He is the second Indian to do so after Virendra
Sehwag. This was his 3rd test match.
Indian boxing star Vijendra singh Defeats Francis Cheka to Retain WBO-Asia Pacific Super Middleweight
Title in New Delhi.
Rafal Nadal Defeats David Gsoffin to win 2016 Mubadala World Tennis Championship held at the Abu
Dhabi International Tennis Complex at the Zayed Sports City.
31 year old professional Indian tennis player Somdev Kishore Devvarman popularly known as Somdev
announced his retirement from professional tennis on 01 January 2017.
Argentine Star Lionel Messi was chosen as the Worlds Best Playmaker for the year 2016 on December 29,
2016, by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS). Messi topped the list with
172 points followed by Andres Iniesta at second spot with 66 points and Toni Kross third with 45 points.
Indian Tennis Player Yuki Bhambri, clinched $10000 ITF Hong Kong F4 Futures title on 25 December 2016.
It was his 11th title on the ITF Pro Circuit. He defeated Shintaro Imai of Japan 6-4, 7-5 who has been placed
at second position.
Sports Ministry derecognizes Yoga 15 months after being declared a sport. The sports ministry communicated
to all the National Sports Federations and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) that Yoga cant be termed as a
sport.
Indian Test cricket captain Virat Kohli has been named as the captain of Cricket Australias ODI team of the
year. He was preferred over Australian captain Steve Smith. Recently he was also named the captain of ICCs
ODI team of the year. Another Indian cricketer who got place in the Cricket Australias ODI team is Jasprit
Bumrah. The unorthodox pace bowler had a great first year in international cricket.
Gujarats opening batsman Samit Gohel made history on December 27 by scoring 359 runs not out during his
teams Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Odisha being played in Jaipur and thus taking his teams total to
641.
Meghalaya to host National Games 2022. Only two states in North East have hosted the National
Games, Manipur in 1999 and Assam in 2007.
Azhar Ali became the first Pakistan batsman to score a double century in a Test in Australia and also became
the fourth batsman to score a double ton at the MCG.
Former Serbian professional tennis player Ana Ivanovic announced her retirement from Tennis at the age of
29, she has career earnings of over $15 million.
Gujarat based Pruthviraj Ayachi, won the gold medal in the finals of junior mens 50M Rifle Prone event at
the National Shooting Championship in Pune.
Sir Bradley Wiggins a professional road and track racing cyclist has announced retirement from cycling on 27
December 2016. With this his 16 years of professional career in which he won Tour de France 2012 and total
8 Olympic medals came to an end.
The Union Ministry of Sports has suspended the Indian Olympic Association until it quits its decision to make
politicians Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Chautala life presidents.
Olympian Sivalingam Sathish Kumar of Railways won the gold for the sixth consecutive year in the
mens 77kg category at the 69th men and 32nd women senior National weightlifting championships at
Nagercoil in Tamalinadu. Sathish lifted total of 317kg with 141kg in snatch and 176kg in clean & jerk.
Mumbais Kush Bhagat made history on December 29 after winning three gold medals in the 1st
Western Asia Youth Chess Championship held in Al Ain Chess Club, UAE.
OBITUARY
Marathi cinema veteran Shriram Gojamgunde no more
Tamil poet Makkal Pavalar Inkulab passes away
Former Hockey Umpire Phulel Singh Sujlana Died in Mumbai
Former MP governor Bhai Mahavir passed away
Renowned Poet and former Rajya Sabha MP Bekal Utsahi passes at 88
Sammy Lee, First Asian-American Man to Win Olympic Gold, Dies at 96 in Newport Beach.
Tamil Nadu CM and AIADMK Supremo Jayalalithaa Passed Away at 68
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Journalist, political analyst and comedian Cho Ramaswamy passed away in Chennai. He was 82.
US National Football Player Rashaan Salaam found dead in Colorado, US on December 6, 2016. He was 42.
Famous American astronaut John Glenn, who became the first American to orbit the Earth, passed away at the
age of 95.
Legendary Horse Trainer and Jockey Swinburn dies at 55
Eminent Economists Thomas Schelling Dies in Maryland at 95
Bewitched and Titanic actor, Bernard Fox dies at 89
Russian ambassador to TurkeyAndrei Gennadyevich Karlov Shot Dead in Ankara
Former Bihar Minister S P Tarun Passes Away
British-born NASA astronaut Piers Sellers dies at 61
Co-Artist of national emblem Dinanath Bhargava dies at 89 in Indore
Renowned Kannada Actor Chetan Ramarao dies at 76
Creator of Heimlich maneuver, Dr Henry Heimlich, died.
Veteran Malayalam Actor Jagannatha Varma Passes Away
Renowned Hollywood actress and Socialite ZsaZsa Gabor died
Former Planning Commission Member and noted Economist Saumitra Chaudhuri Passed away at 63
MASH Actor William Christopher dies at 84
Imtiaz Ahmed Pakistans First Test Team Member Dies At 88
Ex-Union Minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil passed away in Maharashtra.
English Pop superstar George Michael died in England
Sri Lankan Politician and Two Time Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Passes Away
American Astronomer Vera Rubin Dies at 88
Iconic Star Wars Actress Carrie Fisher Dies at 60
BJP Leader and Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Sunderlal Patwa Dies at 92
BOOKS & AUTHORS

The biography of Dipa Karmakar who is the first Indian female gymnast ever to compete in the Olympics to be
written by Vimal Mohan, Digvijay Singh Deo and her coach Bishweshwar Nandi. The book titled Dipa
Karmakar: The Small Wonder which will be published by Fingerprint! in August 2017.
President Pranab Mukherjee Releases Three Books Based on Rashtrapati Bhavan
i. President Pranab Mukherjee released three books at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on the occasion of his
81st birthday.The three books include: Life at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Indradhanush-2 and Rashtrapati Bhavan
From Raj to Swaraj.
Ravindra Kumar, the first IAS officer as well as the first Seafarer of India, to climb the Mount Everest has written
a motivational book for students, which was released by the Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha on December 12, 2016
in New Delhi. The book titled Many Everests: An Inspiring Journey of Transforming Dream into Reality is
penned by Ravindra Kumar, a 2011 batch IAS officer.
The book titled Courts of India Past to Present released by the Supreme Court of India.
The book is a comprehensive history of courts and judicial system in India. It was authored by the Editorial
Board comprises members of both the Bench and the Bar.
Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment released the first issue of a National
Newspaper SaanjhiSaanjh, dedicated to Senior Citizen, in the National Capital on December 19, 2016. The
Newspaper is edited by Ms. J.V Manisha Bajaj, Secretary, Harikrit, an NGO for elderly people.
Gujarat based dairy cooperative company Amul launched the updated edition of Amuls India 3.0 covering
topical grounds and popular incidents from the contemporary context and the book takes on fifty years of Indias
history. The book has written by Santosh Desai, Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Tharoor, Jug Suraiya, Indrajit Hazra,
Jai Arjun Singh, Naresh Fernandes, Agnello Dias, Arnab Goswami and Karan Johar.
IMPORTANT DAYS
Day Observance Theme

December 1 World AIDS Day Hands up for #HIVprevention
December 2 International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
on
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The Border Security Force (BSF) celebrated

its 51st Raising Day at Chhawla camp in New
Delhi.
December 2 National Pollution Control Day
December 3 International Day of Persons with Disabilities Achieving 17 Goals for the Future
We Want.
December4 45th Navy Day The day is observed every year to
celebrate the magnificence,
achievements and role of the naval
force to the country.
December 5 International Volunteer Day for Economic and Global Applause give volunteers a
Social Development hand.
December 5 World Soil Day Soils and pulses, a symbiosis for life
December 6 Birthday of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar to To commemorate the great
be celebrated as Water Day contribution of the Dr. Bhimrao
61th Dr. Ambedkar Mahaparinirvan Ambedkar towards the country.
Diwas
December 7 International Civil Aviation Day observed on Working together to ensure no
country is left behind
December 8 Plastic-free day observed in Kochi The Kochi Corporation as a part of
the Haritha Keralam Mission.
December 9 International Anti-Corruption Day United against corruption for
development, peace and security
December 10 Human Rights Day Stand up for someones rights today
December 11 International Mountain Day observed with the Mountain Cultures: Celebrating
theme Mountain Cultures: Celebrating diversity and strengthening identity
diversity and strengthening identity
December 12 WHO marks Universal Health Coverage Day
with new data portal
December 14 World Energy Conservation Day
December 16 45th anniversary of Vijay Diwas(Victory Day)
December 18 International Migrants Day
December 20 International Human Solidarity Day
December 22 National Mathematics Day
December 23 KisanDiwas (Farmers Day)
December 24 National Consumer Day
December 25 Good Governance day
Static GK - December 2016

HPCL FSSAI
Headquarter: Mumbai Founded: August 2011
CEO: Mukesh Kumar Surana Headquarter: New Delhi
Chairman: Ashish Bahuguna
BPCL
Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra. Ukraine
Chairman & MD: D Rajkumar Capital: Kiev
Currency: Ukrainian hryvnia
SAARC:
Headquarter : Kathmandu. Egypt :
Members: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Capital: Cairo
Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Currency: Egyptian pound
President: Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
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Colombia: Prime minister: Theresa May

Capital: Bogot
Currency: Colombian peso European Union :
Headquarters: City of Brussels, Belgium
Puerto Rico : Founded: November 1, 1993
Capital: San Juan
Currency: United States Dollar Mali
Capital: Bamako
Japan: Currency: West African CFA franc
Capital: Tokyo Prime minister: Modibo Keita
Currency: Japanese yen President: Ibrahim Boubacar Keta
Prime minister: Shinz Abe
Cuba
Oman Capital: Havana
Capital: Muscat President: Raul Castro
Currency: Omani rial Currencies: Cuban peso, Cuban convertible peso
Maldives :
Italy : Capital: Male
Capital: Rome Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa
Currency: Euro President: Abdulla Yameen
New Zealand : Indonesia :

Capital: Wellington Capital: Jakarta
Currency: New Zealand dollar Currency: Indonesian rupiah
Uzbekistan : Philippines
Capital: Tashkent Capital: Manila
Currency: Uzbekistani som Currency: Philippine peso
President: Rodrigo Duterte
Malaysia :
Capital: Kuala Lumpur China
Currency: Malaysian ringgit Capital: Beijing
Currency: Renminbi
Vietnam : President: Xi Jinping
Capital: Hanoi
Currency: Vietnamese dong Tajikistan
President: Tran Di Quang Capital: Dushanbe
Prime minister: Nguyen Xuan Phuc Currency: Tajikistani somoni
President: Emomali Rahmon
Romania: Bangladesh :
Capital: Bucharest Capital: Dhaka
Currency: Romanian leu Currency: Bangladeshi taka
Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina
Afghanistan:
Capital: Kabul Indonesia
Currency: Afghan afghani Capital: Jakarta
President: Ashraf Ghani Currency: Indonesian rupiah
UK : Kyrgyzstan
Capital: London Capital: Bishkek
Currency: Pound sterling Currency: Kyrgyzstani som
36 | P a g e
Colombia
Pakistan : Capital: Bogot
Capital: Islamabad President: Juan Manuel Santos
Currency: Pakistani rupee Currency: Colombian peso
Prime minister: Nawaz Sharif
President: Mamnoon Hussain France
Capital: Paris
Thailand President: Franois Hollande
Capital: Bangkok Prime minister: Bernard Cazeneuve
Currency: Thai baht Currencies: Euro, CFP franc
Prime Minister: Prayut Chan-o-cha
Russia
Qatar Capital: Moscow
Capital: Doha Currency: Russian ruble
Currency: Qatari riyal President: Vladimir Putin
Prime minister: Dmitry Medvedev
South Sudan
Capital: Juba Nepal :
President: Salva Kiir Mayardit Capital: Kathmandu
Currency: South Sudanese pound Currency: Nepalese rupee
Prime minister: Pushpa Kamal Dahal
IRAN
Capital: Tehran Switzerland :
Currency: Iranian rial Capital : Bern
President: Hassan Rouhani Currency: Swiss franc
Japan RBI
Capital: Tokyo Governor: Urjit Patel
Currency: Japanese yen Founded: 1 April 1935
Prime minister: Shinzo Abe Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra
China : SBI
Capital: Beijing State Bank of India (SBI) is an Indian government-
Currency: Renminbi owned multinational, public sector banking
President: Xi Jinping and financial services company.
Founded: June 2, 1806
Russia Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Capital: Moscow Chairperson: Arundhati Bhattacharya
Currency: Russian ruble
YES BANK
Bangladesh : Headquarter: Maharashtra
Capital: Dhaka CEO: Rana Kapoor
Currency: Bangladeshi taka
Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina NPCI:
President: Abdul Hamid Founded: 2008
Headquartered: Mumbai, Maharashtra
China
Capital: Beijing DCB Bank
Currency: Renminbi Headquarter: Maharashtra
President: Xi Jinping CEO: Murali M. Natrajan
Founded: 1930
37 | P a g e
NDB:
SIDBI: Headquarter: Shanghai
Founded: April 2, 1990 Founded: July 2015
CEO: Dr. Kshatrapati Shivaji President: K.V. Kamath
Paytm : ICICI Bank :.

CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Headquarters: Noida MD & CEO: Mrs. Chanda Kochhar
Founded: 1994
WHO
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland Allahabad Bank
Founded: April 7, 1948 Headquarters: Kolkata, India
Head: Margaret Chan Chairman and MD: Rakesh Sethi
United Bank of India : IRDAI

CEO: P. Srinivas Headquarter: Hyderabad, Telangana
Headquarters: Kolkata Chairman: T.S Vijayan
Founded: 1950 KVGB :
Standard Chartered Bank : Head office at Dharwad under the sponsorship
Founded: 1969 of Syndicate Bank.
Headquarter: London KVGB has 614 branches
Chairman: Sir John Peace
Bank of Maharashtra
ADB Bank Headquarters: Pune
Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines Motto: One Family One Bank
President: Takehiko Nakao Founded: 1935
Founded: December 19, 1966 MD and CEO: Ravindra Prabhakar Marathe
IBRD : South Indian Bank

Headquarters: Washington, D.C. Headquarters: Thrissur City, Kerala
Founded: 1944 Managing Director & CEO: Sri. V.G. Mathew
Leader: Jim Yong Kim
Bank of Baroda :
Bank of Baroda Headquarters: Vadodara
Headquarter: Vadodara, India CEO: P. S. Jayakumar
Founded: 20 July 1908 Tagline: Indias International Bank
CEO & MD: P. S. Jayakumar
Lakshmi Vilas Bank
World Economic Forum : Headquarters: India
Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland CEO: Parthasarathi Mukherjee
Founded: 1971
Leader: Klaus Schwab Microsoft :
Founders: Bill Gates and Paul Allen
NABRAD : Founded: April 4, 1975
Chairperson: Harsh Kumar Bhanwala
Headquarters: Mumbai Amazon :
Founded: July 12, 1982 CEO: Jeff Bezos
India Head : Amit Agarwal
38 | P a g e
OPEC : foremost investigative police agency in India.

Founded :1960 Established : 1941
Headquarters Vienna, Austria Headquarters: New Delhi
Mother Diary :
Headquarters: Noida IDFC Bank :
CEO: S. Nagarajan Headquarters: Mumbai
CEO: Rajiv Lall
UNICEF : Founded: 2015
Headquarters: New York City, United States
President: Sven Jrgenson Indian Banks Association (IBA) :
Founded; 26 September 1946
IAAF : Headquarters: Mumbai.
Headquarters: Monaco Chairman: Rajeev Rishi
President: Sebastian Coe
LIC
Vijaya Bank Headquarters: Mumbai
Headquarter: Bengaluru, Founded: September 1, 1956
CEO: Shri. Kishore Kumar Sansi
Slogan: A Friend You Can Bank Upon. Indian Olympic Association
Headquarters: New Delhi, India
Corporation Bank: Founded: 1927
Headquarter: Mangalore President: N Ramachandran
CEO: Jai Kumar Garg
AIBA:
EXIM Bank : Headquarters Lausanne, Switzerland
Headquarters: Mumbai President Dr Wu Ching-kuo
Chairman & Managing Director: Yaduvendra
Mathur IAMAI :
BWF : Founded: 2004
Formation:1934
Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia UNSC
Headquarter: New York City
Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) : Founded: 1945
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the President: Romn Oyarzun Marchesi
39 | P a g e
Current Affairs
Current Affairs
Current Affairs PDF
Study Materials PDF
Reasoning Questions
English Questions
Computer Questions
General Aptitude
Reasoning
Letter Writing
Math Tricks
Computer Awareness

40 | P a g e

2016

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Fire Dekha 2016 Current Affairs Pocket PDF

Collected & Mixed By Sankar Chakraborty

Current Affairs January Pocket PDF 2016

amendments to the Enemy Property Act, 1968.

BANKING & FINANCE

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) The Martian

Bapu Gaidhani Award Ramdinthara (15)

Padma Shri awardees

Allan Border Medal 2016 presented to David Warner

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

succeedor of Ashok Chawla

Justice R MLodha panel submits report to SC for reforms in BCCI

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

34th National Rowing Championship

The iconic singer David Bowie passed away at 69

Jan 1 : World Braille Day

AffairsCloud Important Page Links

Current Affairs Sections

Subject-Wise Question Sections

Study Guide Sections

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS!!!

Suggestions are welcomed; Contact us any time at Affairscloud@gmail.com &

Current Affairs February Pocket PDF 2016

Corporate Affairs Ministry

Prabhus Era: Rail Budget 2016-17

Here are the complete Highlights of Railway Budget

Union Budget 2016 17

Enhancing of Dairy Farming Rs 850 crore

Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Programme

Baghdad was named as the worst city in the world.

BANKING & FINANCE

2700 for 2016-17

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Forbes 30 under 30 Asia - 56 Indians feature in the list

Lifetime Achievement FC Kohli Former Vice-Chairman of TCS

Best Rock Song Dont Wanna Fight

Fraud Management Initiative Runner Up among the small banks.

Agonda beach (Goa),Palolem beach (Goa),Radhanagar Beach (Andaman)

Rank Beach Name Country

Academy Awards aka Oscar Awards 2016

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

its first test flight.

The duo of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa ranked at 13th.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Indian Paper Money penned by Shri Razack

AffairsCloud Important Page Links

Current Affairs Sections

Subject-Wise Question Sections

Study Guide Sections

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS!!!

Current Affairs March Pocket PDF 2016

Womens Day News box

Edugild CEO - Rishi Kapal

NTPC commissioned a 250 MW Unit-I of its arm at Bihar.

STATE BUDGET 2016-17

development and 17 goals have been identified for its implementation.

BANKING & FINANCE

between January and December 2016 - 5 to 10%

Gov imposed anti-dumping duty of up to 44.7 percent on import of plastic-processing

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS