30 April and 01 May, 2017
Ganga Cleanliness Pledge Day to be observed on May 2
i. The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) will
observe 'Ganga Cleanliness Pledge Day' on 02nd May
2017 at various places in the river's basin states to spread
awareness and ensure public participation in the program.
ii. The events will be organized in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur,
Allahabad, Varanasi, Hardoi, Bithoor and Vidhur
Kuti; Uttarakhand's Srinagar and Devprayag; Patna and
Bhagalpur in Bihar; Sahibganj (Jharkhand) and Kolkata (West
Bengal).
India to give Rs 35 cr to Bangladesh under 'Muktijodha
scholarship' scheme
i. India will give Rs 35 crore to children of freedom fighters in
Bangladesh in the next five years under the new 'Muktijodha
scholarship' scheme.
ii. India initiated the Muktijodha Scholarship Scheme in 2006
for descendants of the 1971 Freedom Fighters. Until now,
more than 10,000 scholarships worth Tk150 million have
been disbursed.
Former minister Ashwani Kumar to get Japan Imperial
Decoration
i. Former Union minister Ashwani Kumar has been selected
by Japan for this year's Spring Imperial Decorations, for his
contribution to the strengthening of bilateral ties and
promotion of friendship between the two countries.
ii. The Presentation Ceremony for the Investiture of the
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun will be held at
the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on May 9.
International Labour Day: 01st May
i. International Labour Day, also known as International
Worker's Day or May Day is observed on 01st of May every
year to promote and encourage the international labour
associations.
ii. The day marks the victory of workers' movement for eight
hours of work. It also aims to pay tribute to workers sacrifices
in achieving economic and social rights all over the world.
iii. In India, Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru
Dattatreya will chair International Labour Day function in
New Delhi.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip on visit to India
i. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was given the
ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
The visiting dignitary will hold delegation level talks with PM
Modi.
ii. A number of agreements will be signed in several areas
after the talks. The Turkish President is accompanied by
senior cabinet ministers and a 150-member business
delegation that will take part in a meeting of the India-Turkey
Business Forum.
Kerala's Aymanam Becomes Country's First Digitised
Panchayat ward
i. Aymanam ward in the Kerala district on became Indias
first digitalised panchayat ward. Union minister of state for
social justice and empowerment Krishan Pal
Gurjar inaugurated the website of the first digitalised
panchayat ward number 15 of Aymanam gram panchayat.
ii. The minister launched the
website www.digitalaymanam.com at the function.
Maharashtra CM inaugurated state's 1st automatic weather
station
i. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has
inaugurated the States first automatic weather station at
Dongargaon in Vidarbha region.
ii. With the installation of this station information from the
stations would help farmers plan and manage the sowing
process better.
ii. In the first phase, information will be shared using SMS,
and in the second, all gram panchayats will get half-hourly
information on weather conditions.
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016
(RERA) comes into effect from today (01st May 2017)
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016
(RERA) has come into force today, aimed to protect the
interests of homebuyers across the country and bring
transparency.
Here are some key features of the Act-
It aims to protect the interests of homebuyers across the
country and bring transparency.
The real estate developers will not be allowed to take
advances and booking amounts from customers in yet to be
launched projects till they are registered with RERA.
According to the current guidelines, developers have to
register their under-construction projects along with all the
relevant details with RERA by July 31.
In case a customer makes three consecutive defaults in
payments, the developer will have to give three weeks notice
to the customer, and if no response is received, the developer
can cancel the agreement.
So far around 13 states and Union Territories (UTs) have
reportedly notified their rules. These include Uttar Pradesh,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Delhi.
Google introduces 'Solve for India' campaign
i. Google has announced the new "Solve for India" initiative,
especially for tier-2 cities such as Pune, Jaipur, Hyderabad,
Kolkata, Kochi, Indore, Nagpur, Nashik, Madurai, Kanpur, and
Chennai.
ii. This program will aim to support entrepreneurs and
developers of the country. Entrepreneurs will now have the
opportunity to learn directly from Google engineers. Some of
the areas will include agri-tech, healthcare, transportation,
education, sanitation and more.
Yusra Mardini appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador
i. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) has appointed Syrian refugee and Olympic
athlete Yusra Mardini as a Goodwill Ambassador.
ii. Ms. Mardini, who has settled in Germany, participated in
the first ever Olympic refugee team at the Rio de Janeiro
games in 2016.
iii. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization
dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a
better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities,
and stateless people.
Russian Grand Prix 2017: Valtteri Bottas wins his first F1
race
i. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) claimed his first Formula One
victory, taking the flag at the Russian Grand Prix after a tense
final few laps as he was chased down by Ferraris Sebastian
Vettel.
ii. In the race, Sebastian Vettel finished in second and
Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton stood fourth.
Rafael Nadal Clinches his 10th Barcelona Open Title
i. Rafael Nadal won a record-extending 10th Barcelona Open
title by defeating Dominic Thiem of Austria. He collected his
second claycourt title in a row.
ii. Nadal, who won the Monte Carlo Masters for a 10th time
last week, romped to the title without dropping a set on the
newly renamed Rafa Nadal court at the Real Tennis Club in
Barcelona.
Pankaj Advani wins silver at Asian Snooker Championship
i. India's top cueist Pankaj Advani lost to China's Lv
Haotian in the summit clash of Asian Snooker Championship
held in Doha, Qatar.
ii. This is the first silver Advani has won this season, the rest
all gold medals at the National Championships of Billiards, 6-
red Snooker and 15-red Snooker, as well as the Asian Billiards
Championship.
Joshna Chinappa becomes first Indian to win Asian Squash
title
i. Joshna Chinappa scripted history by becoming the first
Indian to clinch the Asian Squash title with a thrilling win
over compatriot Dipika Pallikal Karthik in the women's final.
ii. The event was organized in Chennai.
iii. In the men's final, top-seeded Max Lee of Hong Kong kept
his tryst with glory, winning his maiden title beating India's
Saurav Ghosal.
Sufi legend Begum Yaman passes away at 52
i. Famous Sufi singer and daughter of legendary Sitar Maestro
(late) Ustad Vilayat Ali Khan, Begum Yaman K. Khan has
passed away after multiple organ failures.
ii. She was 52 years old.
iii. She was the recipient of Hasrat Amir Khusrao Award by
Urdu Press Club International.
02 May, 2017
India and Turkey agree to strengthen co-operation in
Combating terrorism
i. India and Turkey have strongly condemned the use of
double standards in combating terrorism and agreed to
strengthen cooperation in effectively dealing with the
menace both bilaterally and at multilateral fora.
ii. The joint statement was issued after extensive talks
between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New Delhi.
Centre launches 'One IP- Two Dispensaries' and 'Aadhaar
Based Online Claim Submission' Schemes
i. Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment, Shri
Bandaru Dattatreya launched two schemes One IP- Two
Dispensaries and Aadhaar based Online Claim
Submission on the occasion of International Labour Day
(1st May).
ii. Under One IP- Two Dispensaries scheme has given an
option to an Insured Person (IP) to choose two dispensaries,
one for self and another for the family through an employer.
iii. Under Aadhaar based Online Claim Submission scheme all
EPF Members who have activated their Universal Account
Number (UAN) and seeded their KYC (Aadhaar) with EPFO will
be able to apply for PF final settlement, Pension withdrawal
benefit and PF part withdrawal from their UAN Interface
directly.
HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar launched Vidya-Veerta
Abhiyan
i. Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash
Javadekar launched 'Students for soldiers- a nationwide
Vidya-Veerta Abhiyan' to encourage Universities to display
portraits of Param Veer Chakra-decorated soldiers.
ii. The aim of this Abhiyan is to instill a sense of patriotism
and nationalism among students.
iii. Mr. Javadekar launched the Vidya-Veerta Abhiyan to
create 'walls of heroes' - displaying the portraits of the
heroes in institutions of higher learning.
Mr. Anthony Lianzuala takes over as the New Controller
General of Accounts
i. Mr. Anthony Lianzuala took over as the New Controller
General of Accounts (CGA), Department of Expenditure,
Ministry of Finance with effect from May 1, 2017, in New
Delhi.
ii. He is the First person from the North-Eastern Region to
hold this position.
Shobana Kamineni is the new CII President
i. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has recently
announced new office-bearers for the year 2017-18. Ms.
Shobana Kamineni, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo
Hospitals Enterprise Ltd., has assumed office as the new
President of CII. She is the first woman President of CII. She
takes over from D. Naushad Forbes.
ii. Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman, Bharti
Enterprises, is the new President-Designate, CII.
iii. Mr. Uday Kotak, Executive Vice Chairman and Managing
Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited is the new Vice
President of CII.
Defence Minister hands over DRDO developed devices to
forces
i. Defence Minister (Additional Charge) Arun Jaitley handed
over a number of devices developed by the DRDO to National
Security Guard (NSG), Delhi Police and National Disaster
Response Force (NDRF).
ii. The devices handed over in New Delhi to NDRF included 'E-
Nasika', a hand-held equipment which is capable of rapid
detection of chemical agents well below their toxic limits.
iii. He also handed over to NSG an equipment called 'OTL-
300'. It can instantly detect partially camouflaged optical
elements, such as telescopes, binoculars and night vision
devices.
Dubai becomes first city in the world to get its own
Microsoft font
i. Dubai has become the first city in the world to get its own
Microsoft font.
ii. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Dubai's Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council,
launched the Dubai Font recently.
iii. The font, available in three styles as 'Dubai', 'Dubai
Medium' and 'Dubai Light', can be in italics, underlined and
bold.
Chandrababu Naidu bags USIBC award
i. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has
been selected for the Transformative Chief Minister Award
2017 in recognition for his role in advancing the US-India
partnership at the state level.
ii. The award by the US-India Business Council (USIBC) would
be presented to Mr. Naidu during the USIBC West Coast
Summit in Bengaluru (the Silicon Valley) on May 8.
iii. Last years recipient of this award was Amitabh Kant, CEO
of Niti Aayog.
Aamir Khan launches Asha Parekhs autobiography in New
Delhi
i. Bollywood actor Aamir Khan launched renowned actress of
her age, Asha Parekhs autobiography Asha Parekh: The Hit
Girl in New Delhi.
ii. 'The Hit Girl' has been penned down by the renowned film
critic Khalid Mohamed.
Bharti Enterprises appointed Soumen Ghosh as MD -
Financial Services
i. Bharti Enterprises, one of Indias leading business groups,
has appointed Soumen (Sam) Ghosh as Managing Director of
Financial Services.
ii. Prior to joining Bharti, Ghosh was heading the Financial
Services business at Reliance Capital as Executive Director
and Group Chief Executive Officer.
03 May, 2017
World Press Freedom Day: 03rd May
i. Every year, 3rd May is celebrated as the World Press
Freedom Day. It is celebrated by UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
ii. UNESCO, the Government of Indonesia, and the Press
Council of Indonesia co-organized the World Press Freedom
Day's main event and the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World
Press Freedom Prize Ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 1-4
May 2017.
4th National Standards Conclave held in New Delhi
i. Department of Commerce, Government of India in
collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII),
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the National
Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) has
organized the 4th National Standards Conclave on 1-2 May
2017 at New Delhi.
ii. The objective of the two-day Conclave was to bring
awareness and prepare Industries, Central Government
Ministries, State Governments, regulatory/standards-setting
and conformity assessment bodies on the
growing importance of Standards in the changing scenario
of global trade.
Madhya Pradesh becomes 1st state to shift to January to
December financial year
i. Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to switch to
the January-December financial year from the existing April-
March cycle.
ii. The move breaks a 150-year tradition as India started
adopting the April-March financial year from 1867. So, now
the Budget session of the next financial year will be held
either in December 2017 or January 2018.
Department of Telecom launches 'Tarang Sanchar' portal
i. Manoj Sinha, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for
Communications and Minister of State for Railways, formally
launched the 'Tarang Sanchar portal' in an event organized at
New Delhi.
ii. The web portal is for Information sharing on Mobile Towers
and EMF Emission Compliances. The portal aims to generate
confidence among the public about the effectiveness of the
EMF compliance process in India.
iii. Additionally, any person can request for EMF emission
measurement at a location by paying a fee of Rs 4000 online.
It is am an important move for Prime Ministers vision of
Digital India.
Mallikarjun Kharge appointed as new chairman of PAC
i. Mallikarjun Kharge is the new chairman of the 21-member
(14 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha) Public Accounts
Committee (PAC) of Parliament.
ii. Kharge has replaced Congress leader K V Thomas whose
term ended on April 30.
iii. The chairman of PAC is appointed by the speaker of Lok
Sabha.
Shabana Azmi starrer 'The Black Prince' awarded at film fest
in Houston
i. Hollywood film The Black Prince, featuring singer-poet
Satinder Sartaaj and veteran actress Shabana Azmi, was
awarded the Special Jury Remi Award at the 50th annual
Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival (WHIFF).
ii. The film is a historic biopic on the poignant life story of the
last king of Punjab - Maharajah Duleep Singh.
iii. The film is Directed by Kavi Raj.
Rajive Kaul gets diplomatic service award from South Korea
i. Chairman of Nicco group and past president of
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Rajive Kaul was
conferred with the Order of Diplomatic Service
Merit Sungnye Medal of the Republic of Korea for his
services rendered as honorary consul general of South Korea
in Kolkata.
ii. The award was conferred by the acting President and Prime
Minister of South Korea Hwang Kyo-ahn at a programme in
New Delhi recently.
The 44th Annual Daytime EMMY AWARDS 2017 announced
i. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
(NATAS) has announced the winners of the 44th
Annual Daytime Emmy Awards held in California, USA.
ii. The NATAS is a professional service organization
dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of
television and the promotion of creative leadership
for artistic, educational and technical achievements within
the television industry.
Here is the list of winners-
OUTSTANDING MORNING PROGRAM- Good Morning
America (ABC)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES-
Steve Burton, The Young and the Restless (CBS)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES-
Kate Mansi, Days of Our Lives (CBS)
OUTSTANDING GAME SHOW- Jeopardy
OUTSTANDING INFORMATIVE TALK SHOW- The Dr. Oz
Show (SYNDICATED)
OUTSTANDING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS PROGRAM-
Entertainment Tonight (CBS)
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES- General Hospital (ABC)
OUTSTANDING CULINARY PROGRAM- Eat the World with
Emeril Lagasse (Amazon).
04 May, 2017
Swachh Survekshan 2017: Indore is the cleanest city
i. The 'Swachh Survekshan 2017' survey results were recently
announced by Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah
Naidu. The total 434 cities of India were surveyed. Indore in
Madhya Pradesh is Indias cleanest city while Gonda in Uttar
Pradesh is the dirtiest.
ii. Gujarat has the maximum of 12 cities among the top 50
clean cities, closely followed by Madhya Pradesh with 11 and
Andhra Pradesh with eight. Uttar Pradesh accounted for half
of the bottom 50 cities in the cleanliness ranking.
Top 10 clean cities of India in 2017 are:
Indore (MP), Bhopal (MP), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh),
Surat (Gujarat), Mysuru (Karnataka), Tiruchirapally (Tamil
Nadu), New Delhi Municipal Council (New Delhi), Navi
Mumbai (Mumbai), Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Vadodara
(Gujarat).
Top 5 Dirtiest cities of India (with Rank) in 2017 are:
Gonda (UP)- 434, Bhusawal (Maharashtra)- 433, Bagaha
(Bihar)- 432, Hardoi (UP)- 431, Katihar (Bihar)- 430.
India to get world's highest railway bridge across Chenab
river in J&K
i. Around two years from now, the Chenab river in Jammu
and Kashmir will be spanned by the worlds highest railway
bridge that is expected to be 35 metres taller than Paris Eiffel
Tower.
ii. The massive arch-shaped structure, being constructed at a
cost of around Rs. 1,100 crores, will rise 359 m above the
river bed.
iii. The 1.315-km- long engineering marvel will connect
Bakkal (Katra) and Kauri (Srinagar). The bridge forms a
crucial link in the 111-km stretch between Katra and Banihal,
which is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link
project.
Cabinet approved Vijayawada Airport as International
Airport
i. Union Cabinet approved Vijayawada Airport as
International Airport recently.
ii. The decision has been taken as per the provisions
of Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act 2014. There will be
cargo handling facilities at the airport, which will encourage
agricultural exports which will be a boon to farmers.
Gadkari inaugurates The Highway Saga, SRISHTI exhibitions
i. Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin
Gadkari has inaugurated two exhibitions namely 'The
Highway Saga: Past Present and Future' and 'Safe Road and
Inter-State Highways Transforming India (SRISHTI) at Vigyan
Bhawan in New Delhi.
ii. The exhibitions are part of the three-day India Integrated
Transport and Logistics Summit (IITLS) being organized by the
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways from 3rd to 5th of
May, 2017.
iii. The Highway Saga is an exhibition depicting the evolution
of road transport in India and the pavilion on road safety
SRISHTI is a fun and interactive pavilion that seeks to
enhance one's awareness of road safety issues.
India expected to achieve 7.1% growth this year: UN report
i. As per the UN report, India is expected to achieve 7.1
percent growth this year.
ii. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
Pacific (ESCAP) launched its annual flagship report 'The
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2017'. iii.
The report said India's growth would edge up to 7.5 percent
for 2018.
Chhattisgarh auctions Indias most expensive limestone
block
i. Chhattisgarh successfully auctioned its third limestone
block, Kesla-II to Dalmia Cement with the highest bid
received 96.15% of IBM (Indian Bureau of Mines)
prices which are 20 times more than the reserve price.
ii. Kesla-II block is situated in the Tilda Tehsil of Raipur district
of Chhattisgarh and covers over 357 hectares of area with an
average grade of 43% CaO.
iii. In terms of percent of IBM prices, this deal has broken the
national record held by Rajasthan at 67.94 percent of IBM
prices for its limestone block of Nagaur District.
AIIB grants $160 mn for Andhra Pradesh power project
i. China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
(AIIB) has recently approved USD 160 million loan for a
power project in Andhra Pradesh, the first credit from the
bank for an Indian project.
ii. The AIIB, in which India is the second largest shareholder
after China, has approved the project with the objective to
strengthen the power transmission and distribution system in
Andhra Pradesh.
Braj Bihari Kumar appointed as the chairman of ICSSR
i. Braj Bihari Kumar, the editor of quarterly journals Dialogue
and Chintan Srijan, has been appointed as the chairman of
the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).
ii. He has succeeded famous economist S K Thorat.
iii. The HRD Ministry took the decision finalizing his name for
the top post for a period of three years.
05 May, 2017
Cabinet approves New Central Sector Scheme SAMPADA
i. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for
restructuring the schemes of the Ministry of Food Processing
Industries (MoFPI) under new Central Sector Scheme
SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and
Development of Agro-Processing Clusters) for the period
2016-20 coterminous with the 14th Finance Commission
cycle.
ii. SAMPADA with an allocation of Rs. 6,000 crore is expected
to leverage the investment of Rs. 31,400 crore will benefit 20
lakh farmers and generate 5,30,500 direct/ indirect
employment in the country by the year 2019-20. The
objective of SAMPADA is to supplement agriculture,
modernize processing and decrease agri-waste.
Cabinet approves National Steel Policy 2017
i. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi has given its approval for National
Steel Policy (NSP) 2017. It seeks to enhance domestic steel
consumption and ensure high-quality steel production
and create a technologically advanced and globally
competitive steel industry.
ii. The NSP 2017 aims to achieve 300 million tonnes of steel-
making capacity by 2030.
Key features of the NSP 2017:
1. Create self-sufficiency in steel production by providing
policy support & guidance to private manufacturers, MSME
steel producers, CPSEs
2. Encourage adequate capacity additions,
3. Development of globally competitive steel manufacturing
capabilities,
4. Cost-efficient production
5. Domestic availability of iron ore, coking coal & natural gas,
6. Facilitating foreign investment
7. Asset acquisitions of raw materials &
8. Enhancing the domestic steel demand.
India's 1st private small arms manufacturing unit opened in
Madhya Pradesh
i. In order to Strengthen defence ties, India has opened
its first private small arms manufacturing plant at Malanpur,
Madhya Pradesh in a joint venture with Israel. ii. The plant
has been set up as a joint venture Punj Lloyd Raksha Systems
between Indian defence conglomerate Punj Lloyd and Israel
Weapons Industries (IWI).
iii. This is the first opportunity for the country to get its own
'Made in India' small arms.
'South Asia Satellite' launched today- Important Points to
Ponder
i. India has launched the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle (GSLV-F09) carrying the GSAT-9 or the South Asia
satellite.
ii. The satellite was lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
iii. Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka agreed but Pakistan is not a part of the project that
was initially christened the SAARC satellite.
Important Points of the Satellite-
The lift-off mass of GSLV-F09 is about 2,230 kg which includes
the satellite and its launch vehicle.
The mainframe of the satellite is cuboid in shape, built
around a central cylinder.
The mission lifespan is 12 years.
The satellite is meant for providing communication and
disaster support and connectivities among the countries of
South Asia region
All participating nations will have access to at least one
transponder using which they can telecast their own
programming.
Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka are the part of project
The satellite will provide communication channels between
countries for better disaster management as the region is
prone to natural disasters.
IBBI constitutes Technical Committee to lay down Technical
Standards for the performance of core services
i. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has
constituted Technical Committee to lay down Technical
Standards for the performance of core services and other
services in accordance with Regulation 14 of the IBBI
(Information Utilities) Regulations, 2017.
ii. The committee will be Chaired by Dr. R. B. Barman and
the three members of the committee are Dr. Nand Lal Sarda,
Dr. Pulak Ghosh and Sh. V. G. Kannan.
iii. The Committee shall give its recommendation specifically
on the matters namely- the Application Programming
Interface; standard terms of service; registration of
users; unique identifier for each record and each user.
Madhya Pradesh Assembly declares Narmada living entity
i. The Madhya Pradesh government has passed a resolution
granting river Narmada the status of a living entity and
committed itself to the protection of its legal rights.
ii. A month ago, the Uttarakhand High Court had declared
Ganga, Yamuna and their tributaries living entities with the
status of a legal person.
Reliance, SAP launch 'SARAL GST' solution for taxpayers
i. Reliance Corporate IT Park Ltd. (RCITPL) has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with enterprise
application software major SAP SE to launch 'SARAL GST'
solution for taxpayers.
ii. According to the subsidiary of Reliance Industries, the new
offering will enable taxpayers to be GST compliant and
smoothly access the government's GST System, once GST is
rolled out from July 1, 2017.
Know About: The NABARD (Amendment) Bill, 2017
i. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
(Amendment) Bill, 2017
Minister of Finance, Mr. Arun Jaitley in Lok Sabha on April 5,
2017. The Bill seeks to amend the National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981. The 1981 Act
provides for the establishment of the National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). NABARD is
responsible for providing and regulating facilities like credit
for agricultural and industrial development in the rural areas.
Click Here to read more
India break into top 100 of FIFA rankings for 1st time in 21
years
i. The Indian mens national football team has made it into
the top 100 of the FIFA (International Federation of
Association Football) world football rankings for the first
time in 21 years.
ii. This upward movement is the result of away wins against
Myanmar and Cambodia.
iii. As per the updated rankings on May 4, India, with a total
of 331 points, have climbed a spot and are now placed 100th.
iv. The last time India had been in the top 100 of the rankings
was way back in 1996, with the 94th spot in February 1996
being the countrys best ever FIFA ranking.
06, 07 May, 2017
MoUs Worth Rs 2 Lakh Crores Signed in the India Integrated
Transport & Logistics Summit
i. Thirty-four MoUs amounting to about Rs 2 lakh
crores were signed in the three-day India Integrated
Transport and Logistics Summit that was concluded in New
Delhi. The Summit was attended by around 3000
delegates from India and abroad, which included central and
state government organizations, international organizations
like World Bank and ADB, delegates, global transport and
supply chain experts and representatives of private
companies.
Haryana govt to offer meals at subsidized rates for workers
i. The Haryana government has decided to open canteens
offering meals at subsidized rates to registered construction
workers under the "Antyodaya Anna Yojana" at 23 locations
in the state. Besides, mobile food vans would be started at 23
convenient sites with a large number of workers.
The promulgation of the Banking Regulation (Amendment)
Ordinance, 2017
i. The promulgation of the Banking Regulation (Amendment)
Ordinance, 2017 inserting two new Sections (viz. 35AA and
35AB) after Section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949
enables the Union Government to authorize the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) to direct banking companies to resolve
specific stressed assets by initiating insolvency resolution
process, where required. The RBI has also been empowered
to issue other directions for resolution, and appoint or
approve for appointment, authorities or committees to
advise banking companies for stressed asset resolution.
ii. This action of the Union Government will have a direct
impact on the effective resolution of stressed assets,
particularly in the consortium or multiple banking
arrangements, as the RBI will be empowered to intervene in
specific cases of resolution of non-performing assets, to bring
them to a definite conclusion.
iii. The Government is committed to the expeditious
resolution of stressed assets in the banking system. The
recent enactment of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC),
2016 has opened up new possibilities for time-bound
resolution of stressed assets. The SARFAESI and Debt
Recovery Acts have been amended to facilitate recoveries. A
comprehensive approach is being adopted for the effective
implementation of various schemes for timely resolution of
stressed assets.
Cabinet committee approves seven top-level changes in
various banks
i. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved
seven top-level changes in various public sector banks. Usha
Ananthasubramanian, MD, and CEO, Punjab National
Bank, has been appointed as MD & CEO of Allahabad Bank.
Sunil Mehta, Executive Director, Corporation Bank, has been
appointed as MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank. The
committee has also approved the appointment of
Dinabandhu Mohapatra, Executive Director at Canara Bank,
as MD and CEO of Bank of India.
ii. G Rajkiran Rai, Executive Director at Oriental Bank of
Commerce, has been appointed MD & CEO of Union Bank of
India, for a period of three years with effect from July 1. R
Subramaniakumar, Executive Director, Indian Overseas Bank,
has been elevated as MD & CEO of the bank. RA Sankara
Narayanan, ED, Bank of India, has been appointed MD & CEO
of Vijaya Bank with effect from September 1. MO Rego, MD
& CEO of Bank of India, has been appointed MD & CEO of
Syndicate Bank with immediate effect.
08 May, 2017
World Red Cross Day: 8th May
i. World Red Cross Day is observed on May 8 every year to
commemorate the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the
founder of the Red Cross as well as the founder of
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
ii. The theme for this year (2017) is Less Known Red Cross
Stories
PM Modi addresses Indian heads of mission meet in New
Delhi
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed an Indian heads
of mission meet in New Delhi, which is brainstorming key
foreign policy issues and challenges including Indias
engagement with major powers as well as strain in ties with
Pakistan and China.
ii. The four-day conference, was formally inaugurated by
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Country's 1st bio refinery plant inaugurated in Pune
i. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highway Nitin
Gadkari inaugurated the country's first bio-refinery plant
which produces ethanol from the variety of biomass.
ii. The project is situated at Rahu in Pune district. Mr. Gadkari
stated that Plant can produce one million litre of ethanol per
annum by processing a variety of agro-residue like rice and
wheat straw, cotton stalk, cane trash, corn cobs with superior
product yields.
Odisha to introduce boat ambulances in four districts
i. Odisha will introduce boat ambulance service in four
districts where people face difficulties in getting health
service.
ii. The boat ambulance service will be available in the districts
of Koraput, Malkangiri, Kendrapara and Kalahandi where
people face problems in availing 108 ambulance service due
to intervening large water bodies in the form of rivers and
dams disrupting road communication, stated by Health and
Family Welfare secretary P K Meherda.
India organized festival in Egypt to mark Tagores birth
anniversary
i. India has organized a cultural festival in Egypt to mark
the 156th birth anniversary of the famous Indian poet,
Rabindranath Tagore.
ii. The Tagore festival is being organized by the Maulana Azad
Centre for Indian Culture, the cultural wing of the Indian
Embassy in Cairo which is conclude on May 12 with
Rituranga -Play of Seasons and will be performed by
members of the Indian community at the Hanager Theatre.
iii. Rabindranath Tagore received the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1913. He was the first non-European to win this
prestigious award, in recognition for his collection of poems,
Gitanjali.
Hinduja brothers top UK's rich list
i. The Hinduja brothers have topped the 2017 list of the
richest 1,000 people in the UK with an estimated fortune of
16.2 billion pounds, a massive 3.2 billion pound hike in their
fortunes over the previous year.
ii. Besides brothers Srichand and Gopichand Hinduja there
are over 40 Indian-origin super-rich in this year's (2017) list
which also includes a record number of British
billionaires with 14 new ones emerging over the last year.
3 Indian scientists elected fellows of Royal Society
i. Three Indian Scientist have been elected as the Fellows
of The Royal Society, a premier scientific academy of the
United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, for their
outstanding contributions to science.
ii. Krishna Chatterjee from Cambridge University has been
recognised for his discoveries of genetic disorders of thyroid
gland formation.
iii. Subhash Khot from New York University has been credited
for throwing insight into unresolved problems in the field of
computational complexity.
iv. Yadvinder Malhi from Oxford University is recognised for
his works on understanding the functioning of terrestrial
ecosystems and its response to the pressures of global
change, including climate change, degradation and loss of
large animals.
Prabhat Kamal bezboruah 1st non-IAS to head tea board
i. Renowned tea planter from Assam Prabhat Kamal
Bezboruah has been named the new chairman of the Tea
Board of India by replacing Shri Santosh Sarangi, stated by the
Union government.
ii. With this, Bezboruah becomes the first non-IAS and an
industry insider to be at the helm of the Kolkata-
headquartered Tea Board, the governing body of the
industry.
Facebook Launches Express Wi-Fi in India
i. Facebook has launched its 'Express Wi-Fi' commercially in
India and the service is now available via 700 hotspots across
four states of Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan and
Meghalaya.
ii. For the expansion of service, Facebook has announced a
partnership with Bharti Airtel for setting up an additional
20,000 hotspots covering millions of Indians over the next
few months
Emmanuel Macron elected as President of France
i. Pro-European centrist leader Emmanuel Macron has been
elected as President of France.
ii. Mr. Macron will also become the first President from
outside the two traditional main parties since the modern
republics foundation in 1958.
Sachin Tendulkar conferred with Fellowship Award in UK
i. Indias cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar plans to support
charities and various initiatives to help the under-privileged
people.
ii. He has received the Fellowship Award at the 7th annual
Asian Awards in UK. Indias playback singer Adnan Sami won
the award for 'Outstanding achievement in Music'.
Saqib Majeed wins 2016 Wisden-MCC Cricket 'Photograph
of the Year' award
i.Kashmir based freelance photographer Saqib Majeed has
bagged prestigious 2016 Wisden-MCC (Melbourne Cricket
Council) Cricket Photograph of the Year for capturing a
stunning image of boys playing cricket at the Nishat
garden in the outskirts of Srinagar. ii. With this Saqib Majeed
has become the first Kashmiri and second Asian after Atul
Kamble to receive the prestigious award.
Justice Leila Seth: First Woman Chief Justice of a State High
Court Passed Away
i. Leila Seth, the first woman judge of the Delhi high court and
member of the Justice J. S. Verma committee that was set up
to re-look at rape laws in India died of a cardiac arrest.
Pakistani sitarist Ustad Raees Khan dies
i. Legendary sitar player Ustad Raees Khan Passed awayd. He
was 77.
ii. Ustad Raees was born in 1939 in Indore, India in a family
of musicians. He belonged to the Mewati Gharana of Indian
classical music.
Shiva thapa wins silver at Asian Boxing Championship
i. Indian boxer Shiva Thapa ended up with a silver medal in
the 60-kg category at the Asian Boxing Championships in
Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
ii. Thapa also became the first boxer from the country to win
medals at three consecutive championships. He lost the final
match to Elnur Abduraimov from Uzbekistan as he got injured
at the beginning of the Match.
Great Britain wins Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey
tournament
i. Great Britain beat Australia 4-3 in a thrilling hockey final of
the 26th edition of the Azlan Shah Cup at Ipoh, Malaysia.
ii. This victory came to Great Britain in the Azlan Shah Cup
after 23 years. Australia is the world champions and had won
the Azlan Shah title nine times. Great Britain becomes the
first team from the British Isles to win the Azlan Shah title
since 1994.
09 May, 2017
India unanimously elected as President of UN-Habitat
i. India has been unanimously elected as the President of
UN-Habitat, an organ of the United Nations Organisation.
ii. Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation M
Venkaiah Naidu is chairing the four-day meeting of the 58-
member Governing Council of UN-Habitat at Nairobi in Kenya
that began on 8th May 2017.
iii. The theme of the 26th meeting of the council
is 'Opportunities for effective implementation of the New
Urban Agenda'
Haryana to start door-to-door survey to collect data of every
resident
i. Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar has decided to gather a
detailed data of every resident and issue a sleek identity for
every house in Haryana.
ii. The objective of this two-month long data generating
exercise, to be launched on June 15, 2017 is to get details of
land holdings and status of facilities.
iii. The facilities includes social security pension, scholarship,
MGNREGA, loans and LPG connection. During the
survey, address of each house, location, details of owner of
the house, bank account numbers, IFSC code and Aadhaar
and personal details will be gathered.
Techmagnate acquires BlogX, the largest blog conference in
India
i. Techmagnate, Indias leading Digital Marketing Agency
acquired BlogX, Indias largest blog conference where
bloggers and content managers connect.
ii. In the event, top bloggers from across the country share
their experiences and stories of journey towards becoming
successful bloggers. The bloggers meet emphasizes on
content, relationship and brand building.
Ola ties-up with Airtel to roll out integrated digital offerings
to customers
i. India's largest cab aggregator Ola has partnered with Bharti
Airtel to launch a range of integrated digital offerings to
customers.
ii. As part of the partnership, Ola will integrate Airtel
Payments bank to its app and Airtel will integrate Ola's
mobile wallet Ola Money as a payment solution on Airtel
website and MyAirtel app for mobile recharges and bill
payments.
Oracle signs MoU with Jharkhand for cloud-based citizen
services
i. The Government of Jharkhand and Oracle signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) intended to improve
cloud-based citizen services and to make Jharkhand an
attractive destination for start-ups.
ii. Oracle will offer its support to the state through its vast
portfolio of technology solutions, including Oracle Cloud.
iii. As part of the MoU, the Government of Jharkhand and
Oracle will jointly explore and identify areas in which Oracles
latest cloud-based technologies can be used to deliver
improved citizen services and to address the states citizen
and business requirements.
DIPP & WIPO to set up Technology and Innovation Support
Centers
i. The Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP) and World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) have signed an agreement to establish
Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC).
ii. WIPOs Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC)
program provides innovators in developing countries with
access to locally based, high-quality technology information
and related services, helping them to exploit their innovative
potential and to create, protect, and manage their
intellectual property (IP) rights.
India to grow at 7.7 per cent in 2018-19: IMF
i. India's growth is expected to rebound to 7.2 percent in the
2017-18 fiscal and 7.7 percent in 2018-19 after disruptions
caused by demonetization, as per the IMF (International
Monetary Fund) report.
ii. According to the report, growth in Asia is forecast to
accelerate to 5.5 percent in 2017 from 5.3 percent in 2016.
Growth in China and Japan is revised upward for 2017
compared to the October 2016 World Economic Outlook.
Sohail Mahmood to replace Abdul Basit as Pakistans envoy
to India
i. The government of Pakistan has approved the appointment
of Sohail Mahmood as Pakistans next high commissioner to
India.
ii. Mahmood is a top diplomat of Pakistan and will replace the
incumbent envoy to India Abdul Basit this month.
Edelweiss Tokio launches India's first life insurance Product
i. Edelweiss Tokio launched India's first and the simplest life
insurance product that can be bought at a point of sale (PoS)
has finally been launched.
ii. Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance has recently launched PoS
Saral Nivesh the first product to be approved by the
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India's
(IRDAI) guidelines on point of sale-life insurance products.
iii. PoS Saral Nivesh is a non-linked, non-participating
endowment life insurance plan which offers both protection
and saving.

Jordan, US launch Eager Lion military exercise
i. Jordan and the United States kicked off Eager Lion, an
annual military exercise in Jordan with about 7,400 troops
from more than 20 nations taking part.
ii. Jordan is a key recipient of US financial aid and a partner in
the US-led coalition battling Islamic State group jihadists in
Syria and Iraq.
Venu Rajamony appointed Indias Ambassador to
Netherlands
i. Press Secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee and senior
diplomat Venu Rajamony has been appointed Indias
Ambassador to the Netherlands.
ii. Mr. Rajamony will also be Indias Permanent
Representative to the Organisation for Prevention of
Chemical Weapons based in The Hague and cover the
International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of
Arbitration and other international organisations based in the
Netherland.
Emma Watson bags first ever genderless award
i. Hollywood actor Emma Watson picked up the first-ever
Genderless Acting Award for the Best Actor category
for "Beauty and the Beast" at the MTV Movie and TV
Awards.
ii. The star, who first became known for her role as Hermione
in the Harry Potter films, is a feminist campaigner and UN
Women Global Goodwill Ambassador. "Beauty and the Beast"
also won movie of the year.
'Lion' actor Sunny Pawar named Rising Star at Asian Awards
i. Child actor Sunny Pawar, best known for his performance in
the Oscar-nominated film Lion, has been chosen for the
Rising Star Award.
ii. The award will be presented to Sunny at the 7th Annual
Asian Awards. He portrayed young Saroo Brierley in the film.
Adil Hussains Mukti Bhawan wins the Best Film award at
the New York Indian Film Festival
i. Mukti Bhawan, a movie about a man who accompanies
his father on a journey to Varanasi, has won the Best Film at
the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF).
ii. NYIFF was held in New York between April 30-May 7, 2017.
Logo and mascot of Asian Athletics Championships unveiled
in Odisha capital
i. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has unveiled the
logo and mascot of the 22nd Asian Athletics
Championships scheduled to be held at the Kalinga Stadium
in Bhubaneshwar from July 6 to 9, 2017.
ii. Mr. Patnaik also formally announced Bhubaneswar as the
host for the sports event. The mascot, named Olly
Turtle, depicts the Olive Ridley turtles.
Heena Sidhu wins bronze in Grand Prix of Liberation Plezn
2017 Shooting championship
i. Heena Sindhu claimed a bronze medal in the women's 10m
Air Pistol as India ended the Grand Prix of
Liberation Plezn 2017 Shooting championships in Czech
Republic with seven medals.
ii. On the final day of the championship, Heena shot 218.8 in
the eight-woman final, won by Greek shooter Anna Korakaki
claimed gold medal sot 246.3 to finish ahead of Germany's
rising star, Michelle Skeries took silver with a score of 237.8.
10 May, 2017
World Migratory Bird Day: 10th May
i. The World Migratory Bird Day is observed every year on 10
May.
ii. The theme of WMBD 2017 is Their Future is Our Future
A Healthy Planet for Migratory Birds and People.
Supreme Court becomes paperless, digital court
i. The Supreme Court has taken its first step towards
becoming a paperless, digital court.
ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the digital filing
system at a function in New Delhi where the Integrated Case
Management System will be connected with the Supreme
Court website.
SAMADHAN: Rajnath Singh coins an acronym to wipe out
left-wing terror
i. Presiding over a review meeting of the states affected by
Left-Wing Extremism (LWE). Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh announced a new strategy against the Maoists
SAMADHAN.
ii. The Minister explained the acronym as S-smart leadership,
A-aggressive strategy, M-motivation and training, A-
actionable intelligence, D-dashboard-based KPIs (key
performance indicators) and KRAs (key result areas), H-
harnessing technology, A-action plan for each theatre and N-
no access to financing.
DIPAM launches online investor facilitation platform
i. The Finance Ministry has set up an Investor Facilitation
Platform that will provide information about stocks of public
sector units.
ii. Set up by the Department of Investment and Public Asset
Management (DIPAM), the platform will be an interactive
forum for all stakeholders, including investors, investment
banks, law firms, public sector units and administrative
ministries that are involved in stake sales.
Cashkaro.com ties up with YES Bank to launch card-linked
offers
i. Banking on the Government's drive to promote a cash-
less economy, cashback portal Cashkaro.com has tied up
with YES Bank to launch card-linked offers as part of its
loyalty programme for both offline and online shoppers.
ii. The offer will be currently available on all YES BANK
debit cards, and will be extended to all other payment
products of YES Bank in the near future.
Oracle launches cloud computing service for India
i. Technology giant Oracle has launched its cloud computing
service for India, which aims to support the government's
GST rollout in July and plans to open data centres in the
country.
ii. In an effort to simplify the tax regime in India and to ensure
higher compliance with tax laws, Oracle's ERP solution aims
to provide support for GST Network integration, statutory
reporting, payment processing, among others.
Moon Jae-In began his five-year term as president of South
Korea
i. South Korea's liberal leader Moon Jae-In took the oath as
president, tasked with navigating the country out of rising
tensions over North Korea's nuclear program and the risk of a
rift with the United States.
ii. The National Election Commission said Moon, of the
Democratic Party, took 41.1 percent of the votes, far ahead
of Conservative Hong Joon-Pyo, his closest rival on 24.03
percent.
Apple tops $800 bn market cap for first time
i. Apple Inc became the first US company to top the $800
billion mark in market capitalization slightly more than two
years after it crossed the $700 billion thresholds.
ii. The iPhone maker's shares have gained 33 percent this
year and almost 50 per cent since the US election in
November 2016 and the company now represents about 4
percent of the $21.7 trillion that makes up the entire S&P 500
index.
Jhulan Goswami becomes world's highest wicket-taker in
ODIs
i. Jhulan Goswami, Indias fast bowler, is now the leading
wicket-taker in Womens ODIs, going past Australias Cathryn
Fitzpatrick record of 180 wickets.
ii. She now has 181 wickets in 153 matches at an average of
21.76 with two five-wicket and 4 four-wicket hauls. She won
the ICC Womens Cricketer of the Year award in 2007.
N'Golo Kante named Football Writers' Footballer of the Year
i. N'Golo Kante has been voted Footballer of the Year by the
Football Writers' Association.
ii. Kante is the fifth player in six seasons to complete the
awards double having last month been named Player of the
Year by the Professional Footballers' Association.
11 May, 2017
India celebrates National Technology Day: 11th May
i. On 11th May 1998 India achieved a major technological
breakthrough by successfully carrying out nuclear tests
at Pokhran, Rajasthan.
ii. Technology Development Board, Ministry of Science and
Technology is celebrating 19th National Technology Day, at
Vigyan Bhawan. The theme of the function is Technology for
inclusive and sustainable growth.
PM launches integrated case management system of
Supreme Court
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the integrated
case management system of the Supreme Court in the
presence of the Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar.
ii. The system will help litigants access data and retrieve
information online and will be a step towards a paperless
Supreme Court.
iii. It will help usher transparency, reduce manipulation and
help the litigant know about the progress of the case on a
real-time basis.
Government sets up a high-level task force to compute
timely data on employment
i. The government of India has set up a high-level task force
to compute timely data on employment in the country, a
move that will go a long way to help government frame
policies and take steps that can create jobs in the country.
ii. The task force has been created under the chairmanship
of NITI Aayog's vice chairman Arvind Panagariya. The other
members of the task force are labor secretary Sathiyavathy,
secretary statistics T.C.A. Ananth, Pulak Ghosh of NITI Aayog
and Manish Sabharwal (member RBI Board).
India, Russia agree to work closely in various sectors
i. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dimitry Rogozin arrived in
New Delhi recently on a one-day visit to attend IRIGC-TEC
meeting.
ii. India and Russia agreed to work closely in various sectors,
including security, nuclear energy, and disaster management.
IFSC at GIFT inks pact with GNLU to start course on IFSC
regulations
i. India's first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at
Gujarat International Finance-Tec City (GIFT) entered into an
agreement with Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) to
collaborate on efforts for Skill Development in the field of
International Financial Services & Regulations.
ii. Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), GNLU
will introduce a new course on International Financial
Services Centre from its June 2017 Semester. It will also
organize a program for Lawyers covering IFSC,
International Arbitration and related fields.
Dena Bank classifies Videocon loan as bad
i. Dena Bank has become the first lender to classify Videocon
Industries as a bad loan. With the default on payments, Dena
Bank has declared Videocon Industries account as non-
performing asset (NPA) in the fourth quarter ended March
2017.
ii. The total exposure of lenders to the electronic goods
maker has pegged at approx Rs 40,000 crore.
Sebi allows investors to buy mutual funds via digital wallet
i. Markets regulator Security and Exchange board of
India (Sebi) allowed investors to buy mutual fund schemes for
up to Rs 50,000 through digital wallets, making it easier for
them especially the young generation to purchase these
instruments.
ii. The move is part of the efforts to promote digital payments
in the MF industry and channelise household savings into the
capital market.
29th edition of CORPAT between India-Indonesia begins in
Port Blair
i. The 29th edition of Co-ordinated Patrol (CORPAT) between
India-Indonesia commenced in Port Blair.
ii. The Indonesian Naval Ship KRI Sutedi Senoputra has arrived
at Haddo Wharf, Port Blair to mark the commencement of
the INDINDO CORPAT. The closing ceremony of the CORPAT
is scheduled at Belawan, Indonesia from 22 25 May 2017.
Indian Navy ships; INS Karwar and Kakinada
decommissioned
i. Two minesweepers of the Indian Navy INS Karwar and INS
Kakinada were decommissioned after being in service for
over 30 years.
ii. The two ships were bid adieu at a ceremony in the Naval
Dockyard in Mumbai in the presence of Navy chief Admiral
Sunil Lanba.
iii. INS Karwar was the first of the Natya class minesweepers
acquired from the erstwhile Soviet Union. The ship
was commissioned on July 14, 1986.INS Kakinada was the
second of the class and was commissioned on December 23,
1986.
India, US officials discuss strengthening maritime security
cooperation
i. Top Indian and American officials discussed ways to
strengthen maritime security cooperation during the two-day
India-US Maritime Security Dialogue in Rhode Island.
ii. The implementation of the decisions taken at the first
Maritime Security Dialogue between the two countries.
IRCTC launches cash-on-delivery for train tickets
i. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is
now offering home delivery of rail tickets and will allow
passengers to make payment through any payment mode,
including cash.
ii. Broad-basing the customer service, the Indian Railway
Catering and Tourism Corporation has now introduced pay-
on-delivery (PoD) service, allowing passengers to book train
tickets online and pay at the time of delivery.
Railways to acquire EoTT system to run trains without
guards
i. The Indian Railways will float global tenders worth over
100 crore for acquiring End of Train Telemetry
(EoTT) equipment to run 1,000 trains without guards.
ii. This equipment is used to establish communication
between the locomotive driver and the last wagon of the
train to ensure that the train is running with all
coaches/wagons as a complete unit.
iii. EoTT system comprises two units one unit called cab
display unit (CDU) fitted on the locomotive and the other is
sense and brake unit (SBU) fitted on the last coach or wagon
of the train.
Sanjay Mitra appointed as Defence Secretary
i. The government has named Road Transport and Highways
Secretary Sanjay Mitra as its new defence secretary in a top-
level bureaucratic reshuffle.
ii. Mitra will take over as the secretary after the present
incumbent, G Mohan Kumar, completes his tenure on May
24,2017 an order issued by the Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT).
Twitter elevates Taranjeet Singh as Country Director for
India
i. Microblogging platform Twitter has elevated Taranjeet
Singh as its Country Director for India. Mr. Singh was earlier
leading the charge for sales and marketing support for
Twitters advertisers in India.
ii. Recently, Twitter had launched a lighter version of its
platform 'Twitter Lite' for users in India.
Konkona bags Best Director and Best Actress awards at New
York Indian Film Festival
i. Konkona Sensharma has been named the best director for
her directorial debut A Death in the Gunj and the best
actress for Lipstick Under My Burkha at 2017's New York
Indian Film Festival (NYIFF).
ii. Presented by the Indo-American Arts Council, the film
festival took place from April 30 to May 7, 2017.
NBA inaugurates academy in India
i. In a promising step for Indian basketball, the national
Basketball Association (NBA) inaugurated its first ever
academy in Greater Noida.
ii. This is latest of the several steps that the National
Basketball Association (NBA) the governing body of the game
in US has taken to promote the game in India over the past
few years.
Senior NCP leader A T Pawar Passes away
i. Senior NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Arjun
Tulshiram Pawar passed away after prolonged illness.
ii. The leader, who had for many years represented Kalwan, a
constituency reserved for Scheduled Tribes in Nashik district,
lost the 2014 state Assembly election.
12 May, 2017
PM Modi visits Sri Lanka
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on the two-day visit to
Sri Lanka which is a sign of strong relationship between the
two countries and brings to the fore the shared heritage of
Buddhism.
ii. During his two-day visit, he will participate in the
International Vesak Day celebrations, the biggest festival of
Buddhists, inaugurate a hospital built with Indian assistance
and address the Indian-origin Tamil community, besides
attending some other programs.
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister launch e-
Krishi Samvad
i. Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister for Agriculture
and Farmers Welfare launched e-Krishi Samvad an online
interface at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi.
ii. It is an internet-based interface and is a unique platform
that will provide direct and effective solutions to the
problems faced by farmers and stakeholders in the
agriculture sector.
Nitin Gadkari launches NHAI's Masala Bond in UK
i. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin
Gadkari launched the National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) Masala Bond at the London Stock Exchange, UK.
ii. The initially benchmarked issue of Rs. 1,500 crore was
upsized to Rs. 3,000 crore at a price yielding 7.30 percent
annually in view of the highly positive response from the
investor market.
iii. The transaction marks the largest ever in the five-year
issuance and the largest inaugural transaction in Masala Bond
market.
India to replace Maitri station in Antarctica, expand
research activity
i. India has decided to replace the Maitri research station in
Antarctica with a new one in the next three to four years.
ii. The country is also drafting laws to safeguard its interest in
Antarctica and is poised to expand its research activity in the
coldest continent with the special ice-cutting facility will be
procured for the purpose.
SBI revises service charges; to charge ATM withdrawals at
Rs. 25
i. State Bank of India (SBI) has announced another revision in
service charges with effect from June 1, 2017. All cash
withdrawals through ATM will now be charged at Rs. 25 per
transaction. Only RuPay classic card will be issued for free.
ii. State Bank of India has clarified that the proposed hike in
ATM withdrawal charges will be applicable only to
customers of its mobile wallet State Bank Buddy.
Few major changes done by SBI are as follows-
1. Limit of four ATM withdrawals in a month only applies to
the Basic Savings Banks deposit account.
2. All Normal Saving Bank accounts will continue to get eight
free ATM transactions (5 SBI ATMs + 3 other bank ATMs) in
Metros & 10 free transactions in Non-Metro (SBI ATM + 5
Other Bank ATMs) free apart from the bank transaction.
3. Anyone making upto Rs 1 lakh transfer on IMPS will be
charged with Rs 5 per transaction plus service tax.
4. Between Rs 1 lakh Rs 2 lakh and Rs 2 lakh Rs 5 lakh,
service charges are at Rs 15 and Rs 25 each plus service tax.
5. On Basic Savings Bank Deposit (BSBD) account, no charged
will be levied for four withdrawals, more than that Rs 50 plus
service tax will be charged at any SBI branch, while at any
other bank Rs 20 plus tax.
LIC Housing Finance launches new home loan product
i. LIC Housing Finance launched a new product `Griha
Siddhi' which will offer loans for construction, purchase of
the house or flat and repairs or renovation to the existing
properties.
ii. Under the new product, borrowers will be offered the
interest rate of 8.40% up to Rs 25 lakh and for loans up to Rs
1 crore the interest rate will be 8.50% per annum. For women
borrowers, the mortgage lender is offering a special interest
rate of 8.35% for loans up to Rs 25 lakh.
 Justice Mukul Mudgal elected head of FIFA Governance
Committee
i. Justice (Retd.) Mukul Mudgal was elected as head
of International Federation of Association Football (FIFAs)
governance committee at the world football governing
bodys 67th Congress in Bahrains capital city of Manama.
Bengaluru ranked 20th in world's most affordable tech city
Index
i. Bengaluru has been named the worlds most affordable
tech city in the new Savills Tech Cities Index 2017. The Indian
technology hub is the most affordable out of 22 cities that
were graded on different parameters.
ii. Overall, Bengaluru ranks 20th among tech cities in the
world while Austin topped the list, followed by San Francisco
and New York. But when it comes to the cost of living index,
Bengaluru tops the charts with a weekly residential rent for
tech employees and household.
Chanda Kochhar receives Woodrow Wilson Award
i. ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar has become the first
Indian woman to be conferred with the
prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Global Corporate
Citizenship.
ii. She received the annual award which was instituted in
1998 by the prestigious Wilson Center to felicitate individuals
whose actions and accomplishments either in their careers or
through service.
13 May, 2017
Election Commission of India Launches National Contact
Centre
i. The Election Commission of India has added feather to its
cap with the launch of National Contact Centre with a toll-
free No. 1800111950.
ii. Now any citizen from any part of the country can call 24*7
on the toll-free in English or Hindi with any query or
complaint at any time of the day.
iii. The National Contact Centre is operated on a National
Grievance Redressal System Software.
Aadhaar not mandatory for PAN, ITR in J&K, Assam &
Meghalaya: Govt
i. The government has exempted the residents of Jammu and
Kashmir, Assam, Meghalaya and citizens above 80 years
from mandatory quoting of Aadhaar to obtain PAN cards and
file tax returns.
ii. As per the official notification of the Finance Ministry, the
exemption has been given to an individual who does not
possess the Aadhaar number or the enrolment ID. The
exemption will also apply on non-residents and non-citizens.
Telangana first state with logo for hearing impaired drivers
i. Telangana has introduced a logo for identifying vehicles
driven by persons with hearing impairment and has become
the first state in the country to do so.
ii. The states transport department has finalized the logo
designed by Hyderabad-based graphic designer Manikanta
Annapragada, who incidentally is the first person to obtain a
driving license in the hearing impaired category.
Ahmedabad to host biggest ever International Yoga Day
event on June 21
i. Ahmedabad in Gujarat will host biggest ever International
Yoga Day event on the 21st of June announced by Yoga Guru
Baba Ramdev.
ii. Chief Minister of Gujarat Mr. Vijay Rupani will inaugurate
the event.
iii. The program will be conducted in partnership with Gujarat
government which will also involve various social
organizations.
Rajnath Singh launches mobile app for paramilitary forces to
lodge grievances
i. Union home minister Rajnath Singh launched a mobile
phone app 'MHA Mobile Application' to remain just a click
away from troopers of all central forces to address their
grievances.
ii. Rajnath Singh also launched a dedicated app for BSF
personnel named 'BSFMyApp'. The app provides the
mechanism to address issues related to pay, provident fund,
leave or deputation of the personnel. The app will also help
troopers with financial literacy.
Vinay Mohan Kwatra named Indias new ambassador to
France
i. Vinay Mohan Kwatra currently a joint secretary in the
Prime Ministers Office has been appointed as the next
ambassador to France.
ii. Mr. Vinay Mohan Kwatra has succeeded Mohan Kumar
Amitabh Bachchan appointed WHO Goodwill Ambassador
for Hepatitis
i. Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has been
appointed by the World Health Organisation as its Goodwill
Ambassador for Hepatitis in South-East Asia Region to spread
awareness about the disease.
ii. This is the first formal association between WHO and
Amitabh Bachchan, who served as UNICEF Goodwill
Ambassador for Polio in India.
Light Combat aircraft Tejas successfully test-fires air-to-air
missile
i. Light combat aircraft 'Tejas' has successfully demonstrated
an Air-to-Air Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile firing
capability by releasing Derby Air-to-Air BVR missile in RADAR
guided mode.
ii.The objective of the test was to assess the Derby
integration with aircraft systems on-board Tejas including the
aircraft avionics, fire-control radar, launchers and Missile
Weapon Delivery System and to verify its performance. The
test was conducted on a Manoeuvrable Aerial Target at the
Interim Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha.
India test-fires Spyder surface-to-air missile from Odisha
test range
i. India test fired a surface-to-air missile Spyder from a test
range at Chandipur in Odisha as part of missile launch
practice of a series of tests of the short-range quick reaction.
ii. Spyder ( Surface-to-air PYthon and DERby) is an acquired
missile system from Israel which is a short-range quick
reaction surface-to-air missile to neutralize enemy targets up
to a distance of 15 km and at heights between 20-and-9,000
meters.
Bahamas elects Hubert Minnis as new prime minister
i. The Bahamas has elected Free National Movement's Hubert
Minnis as its new Prime Minister, defeating incumbent
Progressive Liberal Party's leader Perry Christie in a 34-5
parliamentary split.
Forbes Middle East lists top 100 Indian business leaders
i. Retail Mogul Yusuff Ali and Pepsico executive Sanjeev
Chadha are among the top 100 Indian business leaders in the
Arab World 2017, according to a Forbes ranking for the
Middle East.
ii. Ali, managing director of Lulu Group International topped
the Indian business owners category and Chadha CEO of
Asia, Middle East and Africa at PepsiCo International led the
Indian executives category.
VVS Laxman awarded honorary life membership by MCC
i. VVS Laxman awarded with an honorary life membership by
the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
ii. The elegant Hyderabad batsman becomes the fifth
Indian to receive the honour after fellow stalwarts, Sachin
Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan.
14, 15 May, 2017
International Day of Families: 15 May
i. The International Day of Families is observed on the 15th
of May every year.
ii. The theme of 2017 is Families, education and well-
being.
iii. This years observance focuses on the role of families and
family-oriented policies in promoting education and overall
well-being of their members.
Govt revised base year of WPI, IIP to 2011-2012 from 2004-
05
i. The government has revised the base year of Wholesale
Price Index, WPI and Index of Industrial Production,
IIP to 2011-2012 from 2004-05.
ii. As per the new series, April WPI inflation stood at 3.85
percent and March IIP at 2.7 percent. The Consumer Price
Index-based inflation in April stood at 2.99 percent.
Kerala tops, Bihar last in public affairs index
i. Two South Indian States - Kerala and Tamil Nadu -
secured first and second rankings for the second year in a
row while poll-bound Gujarat gained two positions rising
from five in 2016 to three in 2017 and Bihar stayed at
the bottom in public affairs index (PAI) in governance in
States.
India-UK agree on MoU in urban transport sector
i. India and the UK agreed to sign an MoU in the urban
transport sector for cooperation in policy planning,
technology transfer and institutional organisation.
ii. Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping
Nitin Gadkari was on a three-day visit, finalised the bilateral
cooperation arrangement between the Transport for London
(TfL) and the India's Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
to cover a wide range of transport mobility solutions and
associated activities in urban environments.
Telangana hosted first Videsh Sampark
i. Telangana hosted the first outreach program of the
Ministry of External Affairs Videsh Sampark to engage the
State governments in creating awareness about various
programmes of the Ministry.
ii. It was inaugurated by the Minister of State for External
Affairs, Gen. V.K. Singh.
iii. Also, Telangana has become the first state in the country
where the pilot e-Sanad project for online attestation of
documents, was rolled out.
RBI puts restriction on Uco Bank's business
i. Reserve Bank of India has put restriction on Kolkata-based
PSU UCO Banks lending and branch expansion plans as the
state-run lender made net losses for the two successive fiscal
amid severe stress on asset quality.
ii. RBI has initiated 'Prompt Corrective Action' (PCA)
framework on UCO bank on account of high bad loans
and negative return of assets.
iii. UCO has become the second lender to face business
restrictions after IDBI Bank.
 IIT Kharagpur collaborates to turn Varanasi into smart city
i. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has
collaborated with the British Geological Survey to
turn Varanasi into a smart city.
ii. 3D geological modeling of the geology under Varanasi will
be prepared to help improve the building of new transport
and service infrastructure.
iii. It would be the first major 3D subsurface urban study and
planning of its kind in India.
ISKCON's Govardhan Eco Village wins Smart Village Award
i. Govardhan Eco Village, set up by the ISKCON in adjoining
Thane district, has won a Smart Village award for being a
sustainable project in rural Maharashtra.
ii. The award, "Smart Village," has been instituted by the India
Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO).
India ranks 26 in World Banks electricity accessibility list
i. India moved up to the 26th spot in the global electricity
accessibility rankings of the World Bank's Ease of Doing
Business index 2016.
ii. India was at the 99th position in 2014, it jumped 73 ranks
in 2016. The compounded annual growth in electricity prices
in 2014-16 stood at 3.27% compared to 5.97% in 2004-14.
Palestine President arrives on 4-day visit to India
i. President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas arrived in India on
a four-day State visit.
ii. The visit of President Mahmoud Abbas will provide an
opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral
relations, regional and international issues.
iii. This is his third State visit to India.
Rafael Nadal wins 5th Madrid Open title
i. Rafael Nadal beat Dominic Thiem to win his fifth Madrid
Open title held in Spain and move into the world's top four.
ii. In Madrid he battled past a determined Dominic Thiem of
Austria to win the crown in straight sets 7-6, 6-4.
iii. For the 14-times Grand Slam Winner, it was also the 72nd
tournament win of his career.
India win 1 gold, 5 silver & 4 bronze in Asian Wrestling
Championship
i. India finished their Asian Wrestling
Championship campaign on a resounding note with Sumit
winning a silver medal in the 125 kg category on the
concluding day of the continental event held in New Delhi.
ii. Bajrang Punia defeated Lee Seung-chul of Korea to win
the gold medal in the mens 65 kg freestyle category at the
Asian Wrestling Championship.
iii. The Indian wrestlers overall bagged 10 medals comprising
a gold, five silver, and four bronze.
16 May, 2017
PM Modi launches river conservation project in Madhya
Pradesh
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Narmada Seva
Mission for the conservation of the crucial river, which is a
lifeline of Madhya Pradesh.
ii. Narmada river captured the attention of the nation when it
became the center of a decades-long struggle to stop the
raising of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
iii. Narmada Seva Yatra was launched on December 11, 2016,
projecting it as the worlds biggest river conservation
campaign with public participation. It was concluded on 15th
May 2017.
HM Rajnath Singh inaugurates 2nd meeting of NPDRR in
New Delhi
i. The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated
the second meeting of National Platform for Disaster Risk
Reduction (NPDRR) in New Delhi.
ii. The Second meeting of NPDRR will be held over two days,
i.e. 15-16 May 2017 on the theme 'Disaster Risk Reduction
for Sustainable Development: Making India resilient by
2030'.
Maa committee to check mid-day meal quality in UP
schools
i. A Mother's Day gift has been given to lakhs of children in
schools of Uttar Pradesh in the form of 'Maa' by forming
the 'Maa Committee'.
ii. It will be a committee of six mothers, from all sections of
society stated by Uttar Pradesh basic education
minister Anupma Jaiswal.
India-Chile expanded PTA comes into effect
i. The expanded Preferential Trade Agreement, PTA between
India and Chile has come into effect.
ii. Under this trade agreement, both the countries have
offered to lower or eliminate duties on a number of items
traded with each other. Chile has offered duty concessions on
about 1800 goods.
iii. On the other hand, India has offered concessions to Chile
on 1,031 products including vegetable oil, processed food,
pharma, plastic, and pearls as against 296 earlier.
HDFC Life inks distribution tie-up with Catholic Syrian Bank
i. HDFC Life has entered into a bancassurance tie-up
with Catholic Syrian Bank to distribute its individual life
insurance products to the private lenders customers.
ii. With this partnership, HDFC Life will offer its leading range
of individual life insurance, health and pension products to
the Catholic Syrian Banks 1.5 million customer base across all
its branches over a period of time.
Indias GDP projected to grow 7.4% in 2017-18: FICCI survey
i. In a survey conducted during March and April
2017, FICCI predicted Indias gross domestic product (GDP)
growth will be around 7.4% for fiscal 2017-18, with a
minimum and maximum level of 7% and 7.6% respectively.
ii. Agricultural sector is estimated to clock 3.5% growth in
2017-18, the pick-up in overall GDP growth will also be
supported by an improvement in industry and services sector
growth. The industry and services sector are expected to
grow by 6.9% and 8.4% respectively in 2017-18.
Pawan Kumar Chamling conferred with first BS Shekhawat
award
i. Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling was
conferred with the first Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Lifetime
Achievement Honour in Public Service by President Pranab
Mukherjee.
ii. The award was conferred during the first Bhairon Singh
Shekhawat memorial lecture delivered by the President.
IIT-Hyderabad professor bags INSA Young Scientist award
i. Assistant Professor in Department of Biomedical
Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad
(IIT-H) Aravind Kumar Rengan has been awarded the
prestigious Indian National Science Academy (INSA) medal in
the Young Scientist category for 2017.
ii. The INSA Young Scientist Medal award carries a bronze
medal and a cash prize of Rs25,000.
Nepalese woman breaks world record for most Everest
summits
i. A 44-year-old Nepalese mountaineer Lhakpa Sherpa has
broken her own world record for the most Everest summits
by a woman after scaling the world's tallest peak for the
eighth time.
ii. She bettered her own record of scaling Mt Everest seven
times.
Emmanuel Macron names Edouard Philippe as French Prime
Minister
i. France's newly-elected President Emmanuel Macron has
named Edouard Philippe as Prime Minister of France.
ii. The 46-year-old lawmaker and mayor of Le Havre is from
the conservative Les Republicans party.
iii. It is the first time in modern French political history that a
president has appointed a Prime Minister from outside his
camp without being forced to by a defeat in parliamentary
elections.
Former Puducherry Chief Minister S Ramaswamy passes
away
i. Former Puducherry Chief Minister S Ramassamy died after a
brief illness, family sources said. He was 80 .
ii. He became chief minister in 1974 heading the AIADMK-CPI
coalition ministry for a brief period.
Arjun Maini became first Indian to win a GP3 race
i. Arjun Maini, driving for Jenzer Motorsports, created
history by becoming the first Indian driver to win a GP3 race.
ii. The 19-year old scored his first win in two years while
finishing six seconds ahead of Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci
and teammate Alessio Lorandi of Italy.
Lewis Hamilton Wins Spanish Grand Prix
i. Lewis Hamilton has won the Spanish Grand Prix from pole
position in the Formula One championship.
ii. This is Hamiltons 55th career win and second win of the
season.
iii. Mercedess Hamilton finished 3.4 seconds ahead of
Ferraris Sebastian Vettel. The event was currently held at the
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona.
17 May, 2017
Indias Ujala to light up homes in the United Kingdom
i. India has taken a new initiative to supply cheap LED
bulbs for the citizens of London in the United
Kingdom. Taking this process to the final stages India will
launch UJALA scheme in the United Kingdom.
ii. UJALA is globally one of the largest efficiency programs and
being run by Energy Efficiency Services Ltd, an energy services
company promoted by Indian state-run power majors.
Andhra Pradesh ropes in Singapore firms to develop start-up
area in Amaravati
i. Singapore-based Ascendas-Singbridge Pvt
Ltd and Sembcorp Development Ltd were awarded a
contract by the Andhra Pradesh government to act as the
master developer for a start-up area in the capital city
of Amaravati.
ii. For the speedy implementation of the project, a high-level
joint implementation steering committee (JISC) will also be
formed.
iii. The JISC will be co-chaired by the AP CM chief minister N.
Chandrababu Naidu and Minister of trade and industry of
Singapore govt S.Iswaran.
IIEST creates India's first smart grid project
i. IIEST has successfully created the country's first smart grid
project, which will generate power from renewable sources
of energy.
ii. The project will be inaugurated by President Pranab
Mukherjee.
iii. The smart grid will be synchronized to generate power
from solar, wind and vegetable waste resources, depending
on the weather conditions and availability of waste products.
It is the first of its kind in the country.
India ranked second in renewable energy attractiveness
index
i. India has moved up to the second spot from third position
in this year's (2017) 'Renewable energy country
attractiveness index' released by EY (Earnest and Young).
ii. China, which has been ranked first in the index and India
have surpassed the US, which fell for the first time since 2015
to third place in the ranking of top 40 countries.
Ovais Sarmad Appointed Deputy Executive Secretary in
UNFCCC
i. Ovais Sarmad, an Indian has been appointed by the U.N.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the post of Deputy
Executive Secretary, which is a key post in the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Admiral Sunil Lanba attends international maritime review
in Singapore
i. Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba attended Singapore's first
International Maritime Review (IMR) held at the country's
prime Changi Naval Base.
ii. Mr. Lanba attended the review along with navy ships INS
Sahyadri and INS Kamorta.
iii. The INS Sahyadri was part of the land review INS Kamorta
was part of the sea review.
Indian Navy signs MoU with Space Application Centre
i. The Indian Navy and Ahmedabad- based Space Application
Centre (SAC) inked a pact on data sharing and scientific
cooperation in the field of meteorology and oceanology.
ii. The pact provides for the creation of a common platform
for sharing expertise achieved by SAC with the Navy in a
number of areas, including satellite data acquisition
technology.
iii. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Vice
Admiral S N Ghormade, Director General Naval Operations,
and SAC Director Tapan Misra at an event in Ahmedabad.
ISRO, NASA to jointly inspect 'oldest civilization' site in
Haryana
i. Teams of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) of the United States and the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would inspect the
excavation being carried out at an archaeological site
in Haryana's Fatehabad district to verify claims of it being the
oldest civilization in the world.
ii. Archaeologists have recovered artifacts pre-dating the
Harappan Civilisation from the site, located in village Kunal in
Fatehabad district.
SpaceX launches Inmarsat communications satellite
i. The USA based SpaceX has launched a communications
satellite for Inmarsat, marking its first launch for the London-
based mobile broadband company.
ii. The Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite, built by Boeing, blasted off atop
Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Deepti Sharma, Poonam Raut create cricket history with
record 320-run stand
i. India womens cricket team openers Deepti Sharma and
Poonam Raut became the first-ever pair to share a 300-run
stand in a One-Day International.
ii. This feat was accomplished in a match against Ireland at
Potchefstroom during the quadrangular series in South Africa.
18 May, 2017
Cabinet Minister inaugurates 15th National Meeting for
Persons with Disabilities
i. Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and
Empowerment inaugurated the 15th National Meeting of
the State Commissioners for Persons with Disabilities (PwD)
to review Implementation of the Persons with Disabilities
(Equal Opportunities, Protection of rights and Full
Participation) Act-1995.
ii. The two-day meeting has been organized by the Office of
the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities under
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
CCEA approves new coal linkage policy 2017
i. Cabinet approve signing of Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA)
with Letter of Assurance (LoA) holders of Thermal Power
Plants(TPPs), and Introduces a new more transparent coal
allocation policy for Power Sector, 2017-SHAKTI (Scheme for
Harnessing and Allocating Koyala (Coal) Transparently in
India).
ii. The approved framework ensures that all projects with
linkages are supplied coal as per their entitlement. This will
ensure the rights of coal supplies for FSA holders and signing
of FSA with LoA holders.
Cabinet approves agreement between India and Tajikistan
i. Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing and
ratifying, an agreement between India and Tajikistan on
Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters.
ii. The agreement will help in the availability of relevant
information for the prevention and investigation of Customs
offenses.
iii. The Cabinet also gave its approval for the Multilateral
Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to
Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting.
Cabinet approves construction of 10 units of Indias
indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors
i. In a significant decision to fast-track Indias domestic
nuclear power program, and give a push to countrys nuclear
industry, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for construction of
10 units of Indias indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water
Reactors (PHWR).
ii. The total installed capacity of the Plants will be 7000 MW.
The 10 PHWR project will result in a significant augmentation
of nuclear power generation capacity. It would be one of the
flagship Make in India projects in this sector.
J&K to host 14th GST Council meet in Srinagar
i. The Jammu and Kashmir government is hosting the 14th
Goods & Services Tax (GST) Council meeting in the summer
capital Srinagar beginning today (18th May 2017). ii. The
State administration is gearing up for the meeting of the GST
Council headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
iii. The GST is a value added tax and is proposed to be a
comprehensive indirect tax levied on the manufacture, sale,
and consumption of goods as well as services by the Central
and State governments. J&K is among 8 States which are yet
to ratify the GST.
Naidu announces 24x7 DD channel for Jharkhand
i. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah
Naidu announced a round-the-clock Doordarshan channel for
Jharkhand.
ii. Jharkhand has been given the most film-friendly award by
the National Film Awards.
iii.The Union Minister stated in order to set up a film city in
the state, assistance will be taken from the National Film
Development Corporation and the Satyajit Ray Film and
Television Institute in Kolkata.
Paytm get final nod to launch Payment Bank
i. Digital payment and commerce company Paytm has
received the final nod from the Reserve Bank of India and is
set to launch Paytm Payments Bank on May 23, 2017.
ii. Paytm is the third company from the 11 other applicants to
launch payments bank after Airtel and IndiaPost. Mumbai-
based Finopay Tech is also likely to launch its operations by
next month (June).
Shri Bandaru Dattatreya launches EPFOs Citizens Charter
2017 & e-court management system
i. The Minister of State for Labour & Employment(IC), Shri
Bandaru Dattatreya launched EPFOs Citizens Charter
2017 and e-court management system in Bangalore. ii. The
citizens charter has been launched with the vision of social
security coverage to all employees as well as implementation
of policies for benefit of all stakeholders with adequate
support level of social security.
iii. EPFO e-court Management System has been launched
with the vision of transparent and electronic case
management system which will cater to aspirations of all
stakeholders the employers, the employees, litigants and
CBT.
iv. Also, Retirement fund manager EPFO has reduced the
stipulated period for settlement of various claims such PF
withdrawal, pension and insurance to 10 days from 20 at
present.
M S Boje Gowda takes over as Coffee Board Chairman
i. M S Boje Gowda, a third generation planter from the
country's key coffee growing region of Chikmagalur, took
over as the Coffee Board Chairman after a gap of almost 70
years.
ii. Gowda became the first grower to assume
Country's first ornamental fish park to come up at Chennai
i. India's first Aquatic Rainbow Technology Park, an ultra
modern exclusive facility for ornamental fish equipped with
multi-species hatchery and live feed culture units, will
become operational at Chennai in coming three months.
ii. The facility was being developed by Fisheries College and
Research Institute (FCRI), Ponneri in Tamil Nadu the second
largest exporter of ornamental fish after West Bengal.
Indian teen has developed world's smallest satellite for
NASA
i. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) will launch the worlds smallest satellite named
'KalamSat', it will be the first time ever that it would be
piloting an experiment by an Indian student.
ii. Developed by Rifath Sharook, an 18-year-old boy, from
Tamil Nadus Pallapatti town, KalamSat weighs only 64 grams.
KalamSat, named after India's nuclear scientist and former
President, APJ Abdul Kalam, will be launched from a Nasa
facility in Wallops Island.
Mukesh Ambani tops Forbes list of 'Global Game Changers'
for bringing internet to masses
i. Forbes magazine has named Reliance Industries (RIL)
Chairman Mukesh Ambani as the topmost among its "Global
Game Changers" who are transforming their industries and
changing the lives of billions around the world.
ii. The American magazine referred to the Ambani-led
Reliance Jio mobile network's efforts to spread internet
penetration in India.
Union environment minister Anil Madhav Dave dies
i. Union environment minister Anil Madhav Dave has passed
away. He was 60. He was born in Barnagar in Madhya
Pradesh.
ii. He was a Rajya Sabha MP representing Madhya Pradesh,
Anil Dave took charge as Minister of State for Environment,
Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge) on July 06,
2016 following a reshuffle in the Narendra Modi Cabinet.
Actress Reema Lagoo passes away
i. Veteran actress Reema Lagoo, known for her performance
in movies like Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Kal Ho Na Ho,
died due to a cardiac arrest in Mumbai. She was 59.
ii. Her acting career spanned over four decades and she was
last seen on the television show Naamkaran, aired on Star
Plus.
Mohammad Anas Breaks 400m National Record; Qualifies
For World Cships
i. Kerala quartermiler Mohammad Anas smashed the national
record in men's 400m race on route to winning a gold medal
at the third leg of the Indian Grand Prix Athletics Meet in New
Delhi.
ii. He also qualified for the World Championships to be held in
London in August.
19 May, 2017
Recent Important Cabinet Approvals- May 2017
i. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi has given its approval in the various fields and
has also approved some important MoUs.
ii. The important approvals of the Cabinet are as follows-
The Cabinet has approved-
Signing of the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax
Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit
Shifting by India.
Construction of 10 units of Indias indigenous Pressurized
Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR).
MoU between India and Australia on Cooperation in
Combating International Terrorism and Transnational
Organized Crime.
Faculty Exchange Agreement between National Defence
College, New Delhi and National Defence College, Dhaka,
Bangladesh.
Pan-India implementation of Maternity Benefit Program-
Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers who are eligible will
receive a cash benefit of Rs.5,000/- in three installments.
Agreement between India and Tajikistan on Cooperation and
Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters.
Everything you need to know about GST rates declared so
far
i. On day one The Goods and Services Tax (GST) meeting in
Srinagar has caught the attention of the market given its
implications on earnings of companies.
ii. The nine rules finalized by the council pertain to
composition, valuation, transition, input tax credit, invoice,
payment, refund, registration and return.
iii. The government categorized 1211 items under various tax
slabs. Here is a lowdown on the tax slab these items
would attract-:
No tax
No tax will be imposed on items like fresh meat, fish chicken,
eggs, milk, buttermilk, curd, natural honey, fresh fruits and
vegetables, flour, besan, bread, salt, stamps, judicial papers,
printed books, newspapers, bangles, handloom etc.
5%_Items such as fish fillet, cream, skimmed milk powder,
branded paneer, frozen vegetables, coffee, tea, spices, pizza
bread, rusk, sabudana, kerosene, coal, medicines, stent,
lifeboats will attract tax of 5 %.
12%_Frozen meat products , butter, cheese, ghee, dry fruits
in packaged form, animal fat, sausage, fruit juices, namkeen,
Ayurvedic medicines, tooth powder, colouring books, picture
books, umbrella, sewing machine, and cellphones will be
under 12 % tax slab.
18%_Most items are under this tax slab which includes
flavored refined sugar, pasta, cornflakes, pastries and cakes,
preserved vegetables, jams, sauces, soups, ice cream, instant
food mixes, mineral water, notebooks, steel products, printed
circuits, camera, speakers and monitors.
28%_Chewing gum, molasses, chocolate not containing
cocoa, waffles and wafers coated with choclate, pan masala,
aerated water, paint, deodorants, shaving creams, hair
shampoo, dye, sunscreen, wallpaper, ceramic tiles, water
heater, dishwasher, weighing machine, washing machine,
ATM, vending machines, automobiles, motorcycles, aircraft
for personal use, and yachts will attract 28 % tax the highest
under GST system.
PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate Indias longest river bridge
in Assam on May 26
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Indias
longest river bridge 'Dhola-Sadiya bridge' in Assam on May
26.
ii. It will bolster the road connectivity in the Northeast as the
bridge will be used by people of Assam and Arunachal
Pradesh besides defence forces extensively.
All you need to know about Indias longest river bridge:
The length of the Dhola-Sadiya bridge is 9.15 km and is built
cross river Lohit at the easternmost tip of Assam.
Dhola-Sadiya bridge will be the longest bridge in India
overtaking the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai.
Lohit is one of three rivers the others are Dibang and Siang
that meet to form the Brahmaputra downstream of the site
of the bridge.
The bridge, designed to facilitate the movement of battle
tanks will help the movement of troops to the border with
China in the Wallong-Kibithu sector in southern Arunachal
Pradesh.
The project was started in 2011. It will reduce the travel time
for people on either bank of river Lohit by at least eight
hours.
Start up India Summit to be held in Dubai
i. CGI (Consulate General of India) Dubai and Embassy of
India in Abu Dhabi in partnership with iSPIRIT, a nonprofit
think tank will host a two-day Start-up India
Summit in UAE on 23rd and 24th of May 2017.
ii. This is the first such Start-Up Summit being held in the
UAE. The aim is to provide a shared platform for the Start-
up ecosystem in both India and UAE for greater collaboration,
exchange ideas, interact with academia, investors and
industry.
NITI Aayog holds the first Samavesh meeting
i. With an aim to bring together 32 premier educational and
policy research institutions to catalyse the countrys
development process, government think-tank NITI
Aayog hold the first Samavesh meeting.
ii. In pursuance of the PM call for a New India 2022, the
meeting comes under the co-chairmanship of Shri Amitabh
Kant, CEO and Shri Ratan P Watal, Principal Adviser of NITI
Aayog.
Harsh Vardhan gets additional charge of Environment
Ministry
i. Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan was
given additional charge of the Environment
Ministry following the death of Union Environment
Minister Anil Madhav Dave.
ii. It was in accordance with the President of India Shri
Pranab Mukherjee.
PM to inaugurate Annual Meetings of African Development
Bank
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Annual
Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) on May
23, 2017.
ii. This is the first time in the history of AfDB Group that
India would be hosting the Annual Meetings of the bank.
iii. The meetings are to be held from May 22 to 26 at
Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The core theme of the event
is "Transforming Agriculture for Wealth Creation in Africa".
Indian Army gets its first modern artillery gun almost 30
years after Bofors
i. The Indian Army received two 155mm/39 caliber Ultra
Lightweight Howitzer artillery guns from BAE Systems in the
United States of America.
ii. The Army had test-fire the guns at Pokhran, Rajasthan,
recently. This comes after almost 30 years the Bofors
howitzers were introduced in the late 1980s.
Japan's SoftBank Invests Rs 9,000 Crore in Paytm
i. Softbank has made its biggest investment in an Indian
digital enterprise by sealing a funding round of Rs 9,000 crore
($1.4 billion) in mobile payments provider Paytm.
ii. This is the largest fund infusion by a single investor in an
Indian start-up and also Softbank's largest investment in a
single company in India.
Paytm Payments Bank names Renu Satti as the new CEO
i. Paytm has announced its long-time executive and vice
president Renu Satti will be the CEO of its Paytm payments
bank.
ii. India's leading digital wallet player Paytm has recently
received the final licence from the Reserve Bank of India for
its payments bank entity.
19 May, 2017
India betters ranking in international tourist arrivals
i. India has jumped 16 places in the revised United Nations
World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) rankings to settle at
24th for 2014 and 2015. Earlier, India was ranked 41st and
40th in 2014 and 2015 as per the global ranking, respectively.
ii. UNWTO is the United Nations agency managing promotion
of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism
and its barometer ranks countries in terms of their ITAs-
comprising both foreign tourist arrivals as well as non-
resident arrivals.
Static Takeaways-
Headquarter of UN World Tourism Organization is in Madrid,
Spain
Mr. Taleb Rifai is Secretary-General of the UNWTO
Hyderabads Turbo Megha Airways first private airline to get
UDAN licence
i. Turbo Megha Airways has become the first private airline to
get a licence to fly under UDAN, the government scheme for
subsidized regional flights.
ii. The Hyderabad-based airline which flies as TruJet stated
that it will launch flights on Hyderabad-Cuddapah,
Hyderabad-Nanded and Nanded-Mumbai routes.
iii. The five airlines awarded the rights to fly UDAN flights so
far are Air India, SpiceJet, Turbo Megha, Air Odisha and G.R.
Gopinath led Deccan Air.
Static Takeaways-
Full form of UDAN is 'Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik'
UDAN scheme was declared by civil aviation ministry of India
in October 2016. The scheme was launched in January 2017
Under this yojana traveler can buy tickets at Rs. 2500.Only
50% of the seats in a flight belonging to this scheme.
Visakhapatnam railway station cleanest, Darbhanga dirtiest
says survey
i. The Visakhapatnam railway station is the cleanest, followed
by Secunderabad, among the 75 busiest stations in the
country. According to a survey, the report of which was
released by railway minister Suresh Prabhu, the Jammu
railway station occupied the third spot, while the New Delhi
station was ranked at 39 among the busiest stations.
ii. The survey was carried out by the Quality Council of India.
The Darbhanga railway station in Bihar was the dirtiest
among the busiest stations.
iii. The railway station in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency
of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was ranked at 14th
position.
Static Takeaways-
Railway Minister of India is Suresh Prabhu
First Railway Minister of India is John Mathai.
BSNL signs pacts with Facebook, MobiKwik
i. State-owned telecom operator BSNL has inked a clutch of
agreements with Facebook and MobiKwik as its looks to
popularize the internet and its value added services among
customers.
ii. The pacts were signed to commemorate the World
Telecommunication and Information Society Day (17 May).
iii. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Facebook, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will provide
connectivity for the social networks 'Express Wi-Fi Program.
iv. The third MoU of BSNL with Disney India will provide
premium online gaming services to mobile customers of the
telecom operator.
Static Takeaways-
Director of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is Shri Anupam
Shrivastava
Founder of Facebook is Mark Zuckerberg
Founder of Mobikwik is Bipin Preet Singh.
ISRO receives 2014 Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
i. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented now
the 2014 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace to the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO).
ii. The award was announced by a jury headed by Vice
President Hamid Ansari in 2014, consists of a trophy and a
cash prize of Rs 1 crore.
iii. The Prize was awarded to ISRO in recognition of its path-
breaking achievements culminating in the Mars orbiter
mission and its significant contributions in strengthening
international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space.
Static Takeaways-
ISRO Chairman is A. S. Kiran Kumar and its headquarter is in
Bengaluru
Bilateral Exercise Between Indian & Republic Of Singapore
Navy SIMBEX-17 Commences
i. As part of 'SIMBEX-17', the ongoing Bilateral Naval Exercise
between Navies of the Republic of Singapore and India,
Indian Naval Ships Shivalik, Sahyadri, Jyoti and Kamorta are
participating.
ii. SIMBEX is an acronym for "Singapore-India Maritime
Bilateral Exercises". Bilateral cooperation between Singapore
and India was first formalized when RSN ships began training
with the Indian Navy in 1994.
iii. This years edition of SIMBEX-17 being held in the South
China Sea would be the 24th in the series.
Static Takeaways-
Sunil Lanba is the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) of Indian Navy
Japan cabinet approves bill allowing emperors abdication
i. Japan's cabinet approved a bill that would allow Emperor
Akihito to step down, paving the way for the first abdication
by a Japanese emperor in nearly two centuries.
ii. Abdication must take place within three years of the bill
becoming law.
iii. In August 2016, he publicly cited age and declining health,
which was interpreted as his wish to hand the crown to his
eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito.
Static Takeaways-
Shinzo Abe is the current Prime Minister of Japan
Currency of Japan is Yen and its capital is Tokyo
Central bank of Japan is named Bank of Japan
2020 summer Olympic games are going to be held in Tokyo
and its Ambassador is GOKU (Character of a cartoon show).
Purnima Barman & Sanjay Gubbi Win The Prestigious Green
Oscars Award
i. Sanjay Gubbi of Karnataka and Purnima Barman of Assam
have won the prestigious Whitley Award, popularly known as
Green Oscars, for their efforts in wildlife conservation.
ii. The awards are instituted by the U.K.-registered charity
Whitley Fund for Nature Conservation. While Mr. Gubbi has
been awarded for his work to protect tiger corridors in
Karnataka.
iii. Ms. Barman has won the award for her work in
conservation of Assams Greater Adjutant Stork and its
habitat.
Static Takeaways-
The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is the UK registered
charity offering Whitley Awards and ongoing support to
outstanding nature conservationists around the developing
world
21, 22 May, 2017
1. May 21st is observed as Anti-Terrorism Day in the
memory of former Indian PM Mr. Rajiv Gandhi
i. All over India, May 21st is observed as Anti-Terrorism
Day in the memory of former Indian PM Mr. Rajiv Gandhi
who passed away on this day.
ii. On this day in the year 1991, former Indias PM Rajiv
Gandhi was killed brutally by terrorist attacks. Rajiv Gandhi,
the former Prime Minister of India, while conducting an
election campaign in Sriperumbudur (located near Chennai)
in Tamil Nadu was assassinated by a suicide bomber on 21
May 1991.
Static Takeaways-
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi (20 August 1944 21 May 1991) was
Prime Minister of India, serving from 1984 to 1989.
He took office after the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi, his mother, to become the youngest Indian
premier.
2. Arunachals Anshu Jamsenpa is the first woman to scale
Mt Everest twice in 5 days
i. Arunachal Pradesh mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa has
become the worlds first woman to scale Mt Everest twice in
five days.
ii. Her ascent of the worlds tallest peak in the Himalayas at
7.45 am on 21st May 2017 was her fifth overall and the
second after 16th May 2017.
Static Takeaways-
Mount Everest height is about 8,848 meters above sea level
First Persons to climb Mt Everest in 1953 are Sir Edmund
Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
3. NASA names bacteria after Abdul Kalam
i. Scientists at NASA have named a new organism discovered
by them after the much-loved A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
ii.The name of the bacterium is Solibacillus kalamii, the
species name is after Dr. Abdul Kalam and genus name is
Solibacillus which is a spore-forming bacteria.
Static Takeaways-
Dr. Kalam was the 11th President of India became on 25th
July 2002
APJ Kalam also known as Missile Man of India and his full
name is Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3) was
developed by Dr. APJ Kalam for ISRO
NASA headquarter is in Washington, D.C. USA.
4. Tejas Express to make its debut on Mumbai-Goa route
i. Indias state-of-the-art high-speed train Tejas Express,
which can run up to the speed of 200km per hour, has made
its trip between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, and
Karmali, North Goa.
ii. The train will cover a distance of 579km in 8.5 hours with
halts at Dadar, Thane, Panvel, Ratnagiri and Kudal.
iii. The 15-coach train has two classes chair car and executive
chair car and is equipped with facilities like secured
gangways, automatic doors, LCD screens, Wi-Fi, tea-coffee
vending machines, magazines, bio-toilets, hand dryers etc.
Static Takeaways-
Railway Minister of India is Suresh Prabhu
First Railway Minister of Independent India is John Mathai.
5. Tata Sons appoints Saurabh Agrawal as Group CFO
i. Tata Sons has appointed Saurabh Agrawal, an investment
banker who was formerly with the Aditya Birla Group, as its
Group Chief Financial Officer. He will join the company from
July 2017.
ii. Agrawal, among Indias most successful investment
bankers, brings with him over two decades of experience in
the capital markets.
Static Takeaways-
Chairman of Tata Sons is N. Chandrasekaran
Founder of Tata is Jamsetji Tata and it was founded in 1868.
6. Cochin Port Trust bags two awards
i. Cochin Port Trust has received two Best Performance
Awards from Ministry of Shipping for the highest growth
in operating surplus and also for achieving third highest
growth in cargo traffic among the major ports in the year
2016-17.
ii. The awards were received from Union Minister for Road
Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari by P
Raveendran, Chairman, and A V Ramana, Deputy Chairman,
Cochin Port Trust at a function held at Goa Port Trust.
Static Takeaways-
CM of Kerala is Pinarayi Vijayan and governor is P.Sathasivam
Periyar Tiger Reserve is situated in Kerala.
7. India's Prashant Ranganathan wins top intel International
science award in US
i. An Indian boy has won the worlds largest pre-college
science competition, The Intel International Science and
Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) in the US in the environmental
engineering category for his project on biodegradation of
pesticides.
ii. The name of his project was Biodegradation of
Chlorpyrifos using native bacteria which was based on the
theme that farmers should not use pesticides.
Static Takeaways from above News-
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel
ISEF) is a program of Society for Science & the Public (the
Society)
This is the worlds largest international pre-college science
competition.
8. Deveshwar, Soumitra Chatterjee conferred Bengal's
highest civilian award
i. Thespian Soumitra Chatterjee and Y.C. Deveshwar were
conferred the Banga Samman, West Bengal's highest civilian
award, by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
ii. The Banga Samman awards were instituted in 2011 after
Banerjee came to power. Celebrated artists, singers,
sportspersons, filmmakers, intellectuals have
been honored with these awards in the past.
Static Takeaways-
CM of West Bengal is Mamta Banerjee and governor is
Keshari Nath Tripathi
The Buxa Tiger Reserve is situated in West Bengal.
9. Karnataka Bank inks pact with LIC
i. Karnataka Bank Ltd has entered into a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Life Insurance Corporation
(LIC) of India for selling life insurance products of LIC.
ii. The bank signed the corporate agency agreement with LIC
in Mangaluru, Karnataka. The bank will be able to provide the
vast choice of life insurance products to its customers across
all its 769 branches with this MoU.
Static Takeaways from above News-
Mr.Mahabaleshwara M.S is the Managing Director & Chief
Executive Officer of Karnataka Bank
V. K. Sharma is the current chairman of LIC
LIC is Headquartered in Mumbai.
10. Hassan Rouhani wins Presidential Re-election in Iran
i. Hassan Rouhani was re-elected as the President of
Iran after winning Iranian presidential elections 2017.
ii. This is his second term as Iran's President. He was first
elected as Iran's President in 2013.
iii. In the Iranian Presidential Elections, Hassan Rouhani
defeated his Conservative opponent Ebrahim Raisi by winning
57% of the total seats. The elections were labeled as the
most competitive ever.
Static Takeaways from above News-
Tehran is the Capital of Iran and its Currency is Iranian rial.
11. Alexander Zverev win Italian Open title by defeating
Novak Djokovic
i. Alexander Zverev defeated the world no. 2 ranking player
Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 to win the Italian Open, 2017. The
final was held in Rome, Italy.
ii. The 20-year-old Zverev became the youngest player to win
a Masters 1000 event since Djokovic won in Miami a decade
ago at 19.
iii. The Italian Open women's Singles Title 2017 was won by
Ukraine's Elina Svitolina.
Static Takeaways from above News-
Alexander Zverev is the professional German tennis player
Italian open is also known as Rome Masters and Italian
Championship
Rome is the Capital city of Italy
The currency of Italy is Euro.
12. Bengaluru FC wins Federation Cup
i. The Bengaluru FC defeated Mohun Bagan (2-0) to lift 38th
Federation Cup football tournament at the Barabati Stadium
in Cuttack, Odisha.
ii. In the tightly contested tussle befitting a final, BFC
overcame a bit of hard luck to ride on C.K. Vineeths extra-
time brace and bag the prestigious title despite the
unavailability of two of key players, Sunil Chhetri and
Cameron Watson.
Static Takeaways from above News-
Bengaluru FC is currently owned by Mumbai-based Company,
JSW Group
The Club was formed in July 2013
Federation Cup was started in the year 1977
13. Mumbai Indians win IPL title for the third time
i. In Cricket, Mumbai Indians lifted the 10th Indian Premier
League trophy for the third time, as they recorded a
scintillating 1-run win against Rising Pune Supergiant in the
title clash at Hyderabad during final.
ii. Mumbai successfully defended a total of 129 and restricted
Pune to 128/6 to lift their third IPL trophy. Krunal Pandya
from Mumbai Indians was named the man of the match.
Static Takeaways-
Orange Cap in IPL 2017 refers to the most runs taken by a
batsman which is David Warner from Sunrise Hyderabad
team has taken 641 runs in 2017 tournament.
Purple Cap in IPL 2017 refers to the most wickets taken by a
bowler which is Bhuvneshwar Kumar from Sunrise Hyderabad
team has taken 26 overall wickets in 2017 tournament.
Hyderabad team was the winner of 9th IPL tournament in
2016.
23 May, 2017
PM launches various projects of Kandla Port Trust, Gujarat
i. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has launched
various projects of Kandla Port Trust at Gandhidham in
Gujarat.
ii. He unveiled plaques to mark the laying of Foundation
Stone for the construction of the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
Convention Centre and the development of the 14th and
16th General Cargo Berth.
iii. He handed over Letters of Award for Construction of
Interchange-cum-ROB (Railway Bridge) at Kutch Salt Junction,
Deployment of two Mobile Harbour
Cranes and Mechanization for the handling of fertilizers at
Kandla Port.
Static Takeaways-
Kandla was constructed in the 1950s as the chief seaport
serving western India.
CM of Gujarat is Mr. Vijay Rupani and its governor is Mr. Om
Prakash Kohli.
Shri.Ravi M Parmar is the Chairman of Kandla Port Trust.
India becomes second largest steel producer in the world
i. India overtook Japan to become the second-largest steel
producer in the world after China in 2016, according to data
released by the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF).
ii. Indias stainless steel production rose to 3.32 million tons
for 2016 showing an impressive growth of about 9% over 3.0
million tons achieved in 2015.
iii. The data were released at ISSF annual conference in
Tokyo, Japan.

Static Takeaways-
The International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) is a non-profit
research and development organization which was founded
in 1996
Roeland Baan is the Chairman of ISSF
The Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA) is
the unifying point for the growth and development of
stainless steel usage in India and it was Founded in 1989.
Shri Chaudhary Birender Singh is Union Minister of Steel since
July 2016.
Free Wi-Fi Facility to be provided at 28 Railway Stations
i. Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has
inaugurated the WiFi facility from Kudal Railway
Station at 28 Railway Stations of Konkan Railway.
ii. Indian Railways has tied up with M/s SYSCON/JOISTER for
provision of 2 Mbps peer to peer 24 hrs FREE Wi-Fi INTERNET
bandwidth at 28 stations of Konkan Railway.
iii. This facility will help travelling public, commutes & tourists
on Indian Railways to access essential information and they
could use their time productively while waiting for trains at
railway stations. This initiative of corporation is a steps
towards making a smarter India.
Static Takeaways-
First Railway Minister of Independent India is John Mathai
HDFC Life launches AI-based insurance email bot 'SPOK'
i. HDFC Life announced the launch of an artificial intelligence-
based application 'SPOK' that can automatically read,
understand, categorize, prioritize and respond to customer
emails sent to the private insurer.
ii. 'SPOK', an insurance email bot, can read customer queries
within milliseconds and respond to them.
iii. The deployment of SPOK will improve customer
experience, while providing the support staff with the
bandwidth to focus on customer satisfaction.
Static Takeaways-
HDFC Bank MD is Aditya Puri
Headquarter of HDFC Bank is Mumbai.
Federal Bank launches new trading platform
i. Federal Bank, in association with Geojit, has launched a
new trading platform called Selfie for customers.
ii. Designed and managed by Geojit, the trading platform will
give its users absolute control over their investments with
timely research inputs to make sound investment decisions.
Static Takeaways-
Federal Bank Headquarter is in Kochi, Kerala and its CEO is
Shyam Srinivasan.
Israel aerospace industries signs $630 million deal with India
i. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has closed another major
deal worth 630 million US dollar with India to supply
advanced long-range air and missile defense systems for four
ships of the Indian Navy.
ii. According to State-owned IAI, the contract is for
supplying Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM)
systems.
iii. The LRSAM is a joint development by IAI and Indias
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The system provides the ultimate protection against a variety
of aerial, naval and airborne threats. The deal, a major boost
to the Make in India campaign.
Static Takeaways-
Mr. Joseph Weiss is the President & CEO of IAI
Israel Aerospace Industries was established in 1953 as Bedek
Aviation Company.
Israel is the Country in the Middle East and its Capital is
Jerusalem.
First draft of nuclear ban treaty released by UN
i. A United Nations-backed panel has publicly released a
draft treaty banning the possession and use of all nuclear
weapons.
ii. The draft treaty is the culmination of a sustained campaign,
supported by more than 130 non-nuclear states, to prohibit
nuclear weapons and persuade nuclear-armed states to
disarm.
iii. Nine countries that are known to possess nuclear
weapons are- the US, UK, Russia, China, France, India,
Pakistan, North Korea and Israel has not supported the draft
plan.
Static Takeaways-
The United States dropped nuclear weapons on the Japanese
cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945,
respectively.
World Biodiversity Day.
i. Every year, May 22 is observed as International Day for
Biodiversity or World Biodiversity Day. This date
commemorates the date of Adoption of the Agreed Text of
the Convention on Biological Diversity at UNEP Headquarters,
Nairobi on 22 May 1992.
ii. The theme for 2017 for World Biodiversity Day
is Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism
Static Takeaways-
UNEP full form is United Nations Environment Programm
UNEP headquarter is in Nairobi, Kenya.
India's Rohan Chakravarty won WWF International
Presidents Award 2017
i. Rohan Chakravarty, a wildlife and environment cartoonist
from India, has won WWF International Presidents Award
2017 for his efforts to change attitudes towards nature.
ii.The award is the top accolade given by WWF (World
Wildlife Fund) to recognize leadership in young
conservationists who are under the age of 30 from around
the world. The award ceremony was held recently
in Manado, Indonesia.
Static Takeaways-
Carter Roberts is the President & CEO of WWF (World
Wildlife Fund)
Green Humour is the first Indian comic strip to be distributed
internationally
Indian-born woman elected to City of London Corporation
i. A 43-year-old UK entrepreneur has become the first India-
born woman to be elected as a councillor to a ward in the
UK.
ii. Rehana Ameer, who was born and raised in Chennai,
contested from Vintry ward in the City of London county as
an independent candidate.
Static Takeaways-
UK capital is London and its currency is British Pound
PM of UK is Theresa May.
Mathunny Mathews, the Real-life Hero of 'Airlift' passes
away
i. Indian businessman Mathunny Mathews died aged 81 in
Kuwait after being part of the tiny emirate's fortunes and
trials for over six decades.
ii. He was known as one of the heroes who made possible the
largest civilian evacuation in known history and the main
inspiration behind the 2016 Bollywood historical
drama Airlift.
Static Takeaways-
Airlift movie was directed by Raja Krishna Menon.
India's Vaishali wins gold in Asian Blitz Chess Championship
i. India's R Vaishali won the women's title with eight points
from nine rounds in the Asian Continental Blitz Chess
Championship in Chengdu, China.
ii. Vaishali drew her final round game against Uurtsaikh
Uuriintuya of Mongolia to finish half-a-point ahead of Iran's
Sarasdat Khademalsharieh and clinch the gold medal.
iii. The Chennai player with an ELO rating of 2203 had
finished third in the Asian Championship event.
Static Takeaways-
Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports is Vijay Goel.
24 May, 2017
Piyush Goyal launches mobile app 'SEVA' for quick tracking
of coal dispatch
i. Union Minister of State (I/C) for Power, Coal, New &
Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal launched
the Saral Eindhan Vitaran Application (SEVA), in News Delhi.
ii. The app is developed in-house by Coal India Limited (CIL)
for power sector consumers.
iii. SEVA is a part of Digital India initiative, which is aimed at
increasing the Consumer Connect as well as the Transparency
and Accountability in Coal dispatch.
Static Takeaways-
Shri Piyush Goyal is the Union Minister of State (I/C) for
Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines
Jharkhand is the largest producer of Coal in India
The nationalization of coal mine was done in two phases, the
first with the coking coal mines in 1971-72 and then with the
non-coking coal mines in 1973.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' resigned as Nepal Prime
Minister
i. Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has
resigned paving way for Nepali Congress President Sher
Bahadur Deuba to become the next Prime Minister.
ii. The resignation is to honor an accord signed in August 2016
when Prachanda was elected the prime minister with Deuba's
support.
Static Takeaways-
Pushpa Kamal Dahal was 39th prime minister of Nepal
Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal
Bidhya Devi Bhandari is the President of Nepal
Good morning squads to tackle open defecation in
Maharashtra
i. The Maharashtra government has decided to form good
morning squads to monitor and prevent open defecation in
villages and districts across the state.
ii. These squads will comprise representatives of local bodies,
self-help groups, NGOs, students and social workers working
in the area of sanitation and cleanliness.
Static Takeaways-
CM of Maharashtra is Devendra Fadnavis and governor is
C.Vidyasagar Rao
Melghat Tiger Reserve and Bor Tiger Reserve is situated in
Maharashtra
Tadoba National Park is situated in Maharashtra.
Bank of Baroda, IFFCO roll out co-branded debit card for
farmers
i. Bank of Baroda (BOB) and IFFCO rolled out their first set
of co-branded debit cards for farmers as part of a novel
initiative to push digitalisation and cashless economy.
ii. The co-branded debit cards, with inbuilt overdraft of Rs.
2,500 in special savings bank account, could be used
for purchase of various agri products at IFFCO sale counters.
iii. Two lakh co-branded debit cards will be issued initially to
the farmers beginning with the States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. These co-branded debit
cards will be exclusively used for the purchase of IFFCO
products only.
Static Takeaways-
Chairman of BOB is Mr. Ravi Venkatesan and CEO is Mr. P.S.
Jayakumar
BOB headquarter is in Vadodara, Gujarat and its tagline is
'India's International Bank'
IFFCO full form is Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative
Limited.
Karnataka Bank pact with HDFC Asset Management
i. Karnataka Bank Ltd has entered into a distribution
agreement to sell the mutual fund products of HDFC Capital
Asset Management Ltd (HDFCAML) during exchanged the
memorandum of understanding in Mangaluru, Karnataka.
ii. Investment in mutual funds will provide an opportunity to
those customers who are uncomfortable about investing
directly in stock markets as this tie-up will give HDFCAML an
opportunity to expand its base in these centers.
Static Takeaways-
CEO of Karnataka Bank is Mahabaleshwara MS and its
headquarter is in Mangaluru, Karnataka
MD of HDFC Bank is Aditya Puri.
Tata appoints new legal chief
i. A day after appointing a new Chief Financial Officer Saurabh
Agrawal, Tata Sons has appointed a new legal head.
ii. The group has appointed Shuva Mandal as the Group
General Counsel after incumbent Bharat Vasani quit the role.
iii. Mandal will assume in July 2017. Vasani will continue with
the group as Legal Adviser to the Chairmans office.
Static Takeaways-
Chairman of Tata Sons is Natarajan Chandrasekaran
Founder of Tata was Jamsetji Tata.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the new WHO Chief
i. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a former Ethiopian health
minister, has been chosen to head the World Health
Organisation (WHO) and is the first African to do so since the
creation of the United Nations agency in 1948.
ii. He will begin his five-year term on 1 July 2017. Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus has replaced Margret Chan who
steps down after ten years as the WHO chief.
Static Takeaways-
WHOs Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948, a date
which is celebrated every year as World Health Day
WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr B. Chisholm was the first Director-General of WHO
Japan to build war museum in Manipur
i. Japan is going to build a war museum at the hillock at
Maiba Lokpa in Bishnupur district in Manipur where a
Japanese camp was located during World War II.
ii. The Japanese ambassador Kenji Hiramatsu, has stated that
about 70,000 Japanese soldiers had died in battles from
March to June 1944 in Imphal and Kohima.
Static Takeaways-
PM of Japan is Shinzo Abe and its capital is Tokyo
Currency of Japan is Yen
Union Home Minister releases the book India 2017
Yearbook
i. The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh has released
the book India 2017 Yearbook authored by the Union Home
Secretary, Shri Rajiv Mehrishi.
ii. The CEO, NITI Aayog, Shri Amitabh Kant was also present
on the occasion. The book was published by the Mc Graw Hill
Education India.
Static Takeaways-
Chairman of NITI Aayog is Prime Minister of India
Current chairman of NITI Aayog is Shri Narendra Modi
Kiren Rijiju unveils world's first philosophical novel on God
i. In a rare feat, a young Indian IAS officer, Haulianlal
Guite, who hails from Manipur state has recently published a
book titled "Confessions of a dying mind: the blind faith of
atheism" in New Delhi.
ii. The book was unveiled by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in
presence of David Syiemlieth, Chairman, UPSC
in august gathering at Civil Services Officers' Institute.
Static Takeaways-
Dr. Najma Heptulla is the governor of Manipur
Nongthobam Biren Singh is the present CM of Manipur
Loktak Lake is situated in Manipur which is the largest fresh
water lake in the North-East.
Roger Moore, Who Played James Bond 007 Times passes
away
i. Actor Sir Roger Moore, best known for playing James
Bond, has died at age 89.
ii. He played the famous spy in seven Bond films including
Live and Let Die and A View to a Kill.
iii. Sir Roger was also well known for his humanitarian work
he was introduced to UNICEF by the late Audrey Hepburn and
was appointed as a goodwill ambassador in 1991.
Static Takeaways-
UNICEF full form is The United Nations Children's Fund and its
headquarter is in New york City, USA
Executive Director of UNICEF is Anthony Lake.
23 May, 2017
Important Cabinet Approvals- 24 May 2017
i. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi has given its approval in the various fields
and has also approved some important MoUs. The important
approvals of the Cabinet are as follows-
The Cabinet has approved-
MoU between India and Bangladesh on cooperation in the
peaceful uses of outer space.
Raising of Bonds of Rs. 2360 crores for Renewable Energy.
Joint Declaration of Intent between Germany and India
regarding cooperation in the sector of alternative medicine.
Phasing out Foreign Investment Promotion Board.
MoU between Spain and India on cooperation in the field of
Organ Transplant Services.
Setting up of new AIIMS in Kamrup, Assam.
The allocation of 2.5 per cent of Central Road Fund for
development and maintenance of National Waterways (NWs)
by amending the Central Road Fund Act, 2000.
Govt launches eSanad for online document verification
i. The Human Resource Development Ministry and
the External Affairs Ministry launched an online verification
portal 'e-sanad' to make the document verification process
easier for students who planning to study abroad.
ii. 'e-Sanad' is an initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA), in association with two other ministries with the help
of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
iii. CBSE becomes the first Board to partner with MEA for e-
Sanad.
Static Takeaways-
Human Resource Development Minister of India is Prakash
Javedkar
External Affairs Minister of India is Sushma Swaraj
CBSE Chairman is RK. Chaturvedi.
BSNL launches satellite phone service using Inmarsat
i. State-owned BSNL started satellite phone
service through INMARSAT which will be initially offered to
government agencies and later opened for others citizen in
phased manner.
ii. The service will cover areas where no networks are present
and be provided by INMARSAT which has 14 satellites.
Agencies handling disasters, state police, railways, Border
Security Force and other government agencies will be given
the phones in the first phase
Static Takeaways-
BSNL Chairman and Managing Director is Anupam Shrivastava
Full form of BSNL is Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and its
headquarter is in New Delhi.
BSNL was founded in 2000.
INMARSAT full form is International Maritime Satellite
EDII and ITC bags Porter Prize 2017
i. Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India
(EDII), Gujarat and ITC Ltd have won the Porter Prize 2017.
ii. ITC bags for Excellence in Corporate Governance and
Integration and for its contribution in Creating Shared Value.
iii. The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of
India (EDII), is an autonomous body and not-for-profit
institution, set up in 1983, is sponsored by apex financial
institutions, namely the IDBI Bank Ltd, IFCI Ltd. ICICI Ltd and
State Bank of India (SBI).
Static Takeaways-
Porter Prize is named after Michael E. Porter, an economist,
researcher, author, advisor, speaker, teacher.
Two Indian peacekeepers honoured posthumously with UN
medal
i. Two Indian peacekeepers Rifleman Brijesh Thapa and Ravi
Kumar were among 117 military, police and civilian personnel
honoured by the United Nations with a prestigious UN medal
awarded posthumously for courage and sacrifice in the line of
duty. ii. They received the Dag Hammarskjld Medal on the
Ocassion of International Day of UN Peacekeepers which was
observed on 29 May, 2017.
Static Takeaways-
Antnio Guterres is the ninth Secretary-General of the United
Nations.
United Nations headquarter is in New York City, USA.
IIT-Kharagpur signs MoU with Madhya Pradesh for
measuring Happiness Index
i. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur's Rekhi
Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness has
signed an MoU with Madhya Pradesh government to
collaborate on the development of a Happiness Index for
measuring the well-being of the people of the state.
ii. The MoU was signed with MP government's 'Rajya
Anandam Sansthan' (Department of Happiness) in the
presence of MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and IIT-
KGP Director Prof P P Chakrabarti at Bhopal recently.
Static Takeaways-
Prof P P Chakrabarti is the Director of IIT Kharagpur
Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh is Mr. Shivraj Singh
Chouhan
Om Prakash Kohli is the Governor of Madhya Pradesh
Kanha National Park is situated in Madhya Pradesh famous
for Tigers
Socialist Lenin Moreno sworn in as Ecuador president
i. Lenin Moreno was sworn in as Ecuador's president
following a tight electoral race that the former vice president
won on promises of maintaining the social programs of his
leftist predecessor, Rafael Correa.
ii. The 64-year-old Moreno, a socialist, last month won a
runoff vote in the oil-exporting country, bucking a shift to the
right in South America as leftist governments struggle to
maintain support.
i. A new book Winning like Virat: Think & Succeed like
Kohli by Abhirup Bhattacharya, unravels the secrets of the
cricketers consistent form, while attempting to decode his
philosophy towards life.
ii. In the book, the writer etches Virats success curve by
using statistics that chart his performances and anecdotes
from his predecessors and contemporaries in the game.
Static Takeaways-
Virat Kohli was awarded the Polly Umrigar Award at the
BCCI award ceremony 2017.
P V Sindhu Elected to Badminton World Federation Athletes'
Commission
i. Olympic silver medalist P.V. Sindhu became a member of
the BWF Athletes' Commission after voting closed for the four
places on the representative body.
ii. The 21-year-old Indian topped the ballot with 129 votes as
she led a trio of women onto the BWF Athletes'
Commission. She will serve for four years term.
Static Takeaways-
BWF was initially called as The International Badminton
Federation (IBF), was established in London, on 5 July 1934
with nine founding member associations
The BWF is a federation of 188 members globally
BWF is headquaretered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Ashwin wins International Cricketer of the Year award
i. India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin won the
coveted International Cricketer of the Year award at the
CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) International awards 2017.
ii. The award was presented to Ashwin by former India
skipper Sunil Gavaskar and Harsh Goenka, Chairman of RPG
Enterprises, at a function held at the Cricket Club of India.
Static Takeaways-
Ravichandran Ashwin won both the ICC Cricketer of the Year
2016 and the ICC Test cricketer of the Year 2016 award.
26 May, 2017
Uttar Pradesh Govt. launches JE vaccination drive in 38
districts
i. In Uttar Pradesh, a massive immunisation drive has been
launched in 38 districts to eradicate Japanese Encephalitis
(JE). Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has launched the drive
from Kushinagar district. The government also launched a
toll-free number to get or provide any information about
encephalitis. The number is 18001805544. His several cabinet
colleagues also participated in the launch programmes in
different districts. Drive will be continued by June 11th, 2017.
ii. Initiating the drive from a slum locality in Kushinagar
district, Mr Yogi issued an appeal to all the public
representatives starting from MPs to village Pradhans to give
their full cooperation in the drive.
Static Takeaways-
Ram Naik is Governor of Uttar Pradesh
Dudhwa National Park is a national park in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state.
As per details from Census 2011, Uttar Pradesh has the
population of 19.98 Crores.
Mumbai is second most crowded city in the world: WEF
Mumbai is second most crowded city in the world: WEF
i. Two Indian cities Mumbai and Kota have been named
among the worlds most crowded in a list topped by Dhaka,
according to World Economic Forum (WEF) citing UN-Habitat
data. With a population density of 44,500 people per square
kilometre, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is the most
crowded city on the planet, followed by Indias financial
capital Mumbai, home to 31,700 people per square kilometre
at the second place.
ii. Kota in Rajasthan with 12,100 people per square kilometre
was ranked seventh. Others in the list include Medellin in
Columbia ranked third with 19,700 people per square
kilometre, Manila, Philippines (4th, 14,800), Casablanca,
Morocco (5th, 14,200), Lagos, Nigeria (6th, 13,300),
Singapore (8th, 10,200) and Jakarta, Indonesia (9th, 9,600).
Static Takeaways-
World Economic Forum (WEF) was established in 1971.
WEF is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Gateway of India is a monument built during the 20th
century in Mumbai City of Maharashtra state in Western
India.
PM Modi inaugurates India's longest bridge in Assam
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated
the countrys longest bridge - the Dhola-Sadia Bridge in
Assam on. Mr Modi walked a short distance over the bridge
and enjoyed two minutes of solitude amidst his hectic
schedule, with a strong wind above him and gushing waters
below him as his companions.
ii. Mr Modi named the bridge after legendary singer Bhupen
Hazarika. This three-lane, the 9.15-kilometre bridge has been
built over the Brahmaputra river. It links Dhola to Sadia, both
in Assam. The bridge will reduce the distance from Rupai on
NH- 37 in Assam to Meka-Roing on NH-52 in Arunachal
Pradesh by 165 KM. The travel time between the two places
will come down from the current six hours to just one hour, a
total five-hour reduction.
Static Takeaways-
Banwarilal Purohit is Governor of Assam.
Sarbananda Sonowal is Chief Minister of Assam.
The Kamakhya Temple also Kamrup-Kamakhya is a Hindu
temple dedicated to the mother goddess Kamakhya is in
located in Kamakhya, Guwahati in Assam.
Bhupen Hazarika was an Indian playback singer, lyricist,
musician, singer, poet and film-maker from Assam.
US Senate confirms Indian-American Amul Thapar to key
judicial post
US Senate confirms Indian-American Amul Thapar to key
judicial post
i. The United States Senate has confirmed Indian-American
Judge Amul Thapar to a key judicial position on the powerful
US court of appeals. Thapar, the first Indian-American to be
nominated by US President Donald Trump for the 6th US
Circuit Court of Appeals, was confirmed by the Senate 52-44,
a vote on party lines.
ii. With this, 48-year-old Thapar will become the second
South Asian judge to be on the US Circuit Court of Appeals,
which hears appeals from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and
Michigan. Thapar, currently a US District Court Judge, was
nominated by Trump on 21st March. Thapar received his
undergraduate degree from Boston College and his law
degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Static Takeaways-
Since 1976 the US Senate Historical Office has conducted
interviews with senators and staff.
Office of Senator is in Washington, D.C.
Donald John Trump is the 45th and current President of the
United States.
The Federal Reserve System is the central banking system of
the United States.
President receives book on PM Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat'
i. President Pranab Mukherjee has received the first copy of
two books 'Mann Ki Baat-A Social Revolution on Radio' and
'Marching with a Billion-Analysing Narendra Modis
Government at Mid term' at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New
Delhi. Speaker of Lok Sabha, Sumitra Mahajan formally
released the books at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan. The
book Mann Ki Baat: A Social Revolution on Radio by Rajesh
Jain is a compilation of Prime Minister Modis addresses to
the nation on All India Radio every month under the
programme Mann Ki Baat.
ii. It contains a comprehensive, qualitative and academic
analysis of programme - the themes, the choice of topics, the
salient features. It illustrates how this programme has
connected with the New India - the youth in particular. It also
presents a coherent narrative about the manner in which
'Mann Ki Baat' has created mass movements, including
cleanliness, safer roads, and drugs free India.
iii. The book Marching with a Billion- Analysing Narendra
Modis Government at Mid-term written by eminent
journalist Uday Mahurkar analyses the monumental changes
that PM Narendra Modi has brought on multiple fronts as
Prime Minister on India's governance landscape by ushering
in an unprecedented culture of transparency to create a level
playing field.
Static Takeaways-
Mann Ki Baat is a unique initiative of the Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi to reach the masses across the country
through the Radio.
PM Modi's Mann Ki Baat programme was first aired on
October 03rd 2014.
Google India head Rajan Anandan appointed IAMAI
chairman
i. Googles vice-president for South East Asia and India, Rajan
Anandan has been appointed the new chairman of Internet
and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
ii. He will take over from FreeCharges co-founder and chief
executive officer Kunal Shah. MakeMyTrip Chairman & Group
CEO Deep Kalra has taken over as vice-chairman from music
app Saavn co-founder and president Vinodh Bhat; Facebooks
managing director - India & South Asia, Umang Bedi has been
elected as the new treasurer of the association, while Subho
Ray continues to be the president. The tenure of the new
Council is for two years.
Static Takeaways-
The Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is a not-
for-profit industry body registered under the Societies Act,
1896.
Founded in January 2004 by leading portals in India, IAMAI is
the only specialised industry body in India representing the
interests of online and mobile value added services industry.
27, 28 May, 2017
India announces $500 mn assistance to Mauritius
i. India announced a $500 million line of credit to Mauritius
as the two countries resolved to deepen ties in a range of
areas including the maritime domain. The two countries also
signed a maritime security agreement after extensive talks
between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian
counterpart Pravind Jugnauth.
ii. In a statement, Modi stated he and Jugnauth agreed that
effective management of conventional and non-conventional
threats in the Indian Ocean is essential to pursue economic
opportunities.
Goldman, Citigroup among 5 bankers selected for IOC stake
sale
i. The government has selected five merchant bankers,
including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, to manage the
government's 3 per cent stake sale in IOC (Indian Oil
Corporation) which could fetch about Rs 6,000 crore to the
exchequer. The other bankers who have been selected by
the Department of Investment and Public Asset
Management (DIPAM) for managing the stake sale are
Deutsche Equities, SBI Capital Markets and ICICI Securities.
ii. As many as 10 merchant bankers had made presentations
before the DIPAM yesterday, out of which five were selected.
Apple opens first official store in Southeast Asia
i. Apple opened its first Southeast Asia store in Singapore,
drawing hundreds of excited fans to the swanky two-storey
site in the citys upmarket shopping district. Located on the
affluent Orchard Road, the new shop easily distinguished
by its iconic glass facade is expected to be one of the most
popular Apple stores in the world according to the US tech
giant.
ii. Merchandise such as the iPhone and MacBook were
strategically placed on display across the spacious first floor,
while the upper level acted as a classroom for customers to
participate in hands-on sessions.
Nagpur gets India's first fleet of electric vehicles
i. The Orange City (Nagpur) has become Indias first city to
have electric mass mobility system. It will have a fleet of 200
electric vehicles including taxis, buses, e-rickshaw and
autorickshaws, all of which will be fully owned by cab
aggregator Ola.
ii. Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, along
with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has
inaugurated Indias first multi-modal electric vehicle project
at the Nagpur Airport Complex.
India-Mauritius sign four agreements
i. Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth is on a
three-day visit to India. This is his first port of call after
assuming office and India laid out a red carpet welcome to
make it a truly historic and memorable first visit. Apart from
announcing a 500 million USD line of credit, India offered
unconditional cooperation in the key area of maritime
security in the Indian Ocean region.
ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured Mauritius of
continued Indian support in other important sectors including
skill development and human resource development. Prime
Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth had extensive
delegation level talks with Indian PM Narendra Modi. At the
conclusion of the talks, both the countries inked four
important agreements in the field of education, maritime
security, marine science and technology.
29 May, 2017
PM Narendra Modi to embark on 4-nation tour today
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a four
nation tour beginning today. He will visit Germany first. Trade
and commerce, economic cooperation and counter terrorism
will be high on the agenda during the Prime Ministers visit
to Germany, Spain, Russia and France.
ii. He will take part in the 4th Indo-German Inter-
governmental Consultations. Mr. Modi will be the first Indian
Prime Minister to visit Spain in almost 30 years.
Static Takeaways-
Capital of Germany is Berlin and its President is Frank-Walter
Steinmeier
Madrid is the Capital of Spain and its PM is Mariano Rajoy
The Capital of Russia is Moscow its Currency is Russian
rubleand President is Vladimir Putin
The Capital of France is Paris, its President is Emmanuel
Macron and Prime minister is Edouard Philippe.
International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers: 29th
May
i. 29 May is celebrated as the International Day of United
Nations Peacekeepers.
ii. The day was established to Honour the memory of the UN
peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace
and pay tribute to all the men and women who have served
and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations for
their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage.
iii. The theme for the 2017 International Day of UN
Peacekeepers is Investing in Peace Around the World".
Static Takeaways-
The first UN peacekeeping mission was established in 1948
The name "United Nations", coined by United States
President Franklin D. Roosevelt was first used in the
Declaration by United Nations of 1 January 1942
On 24 October 1945, The United Nations officially comes into
existence
Antonio Guterres is the Secretary-General of United Nations
United Nations is headquartered in New York.
Vadodara creates Guinness record for most people
sweeping street
i. Vadodara, which was declared the 10th cleanest city in the
country made a new Guinness world record for the maximum
number of people sweeping a single venue.
ii. About 5,058 residents of the city came together to achieve
the feat at the venue which was a bridge that
connected Akota, an urban area.
iii. The large-scale event saw about 50,000 people in
attendance as they cheered and rendered their support to
the participants. The event was organised as a tribute to
prime minister Narendra Modis Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
initiative.
Static Takeaways For SBI PO Mains Exam-
Indore was the the Cleanest city in India
Gonda was the dirtiest city in India
The capital of Gujarat is Gandhinagar
Om Prakash Kohli is the current governor of Gujarat.
Pune city police receive FICCI Smart Policing Award 2017
i. The Pune city police have received the Federation of Indian
Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) Smart Police
Award for the year 2017.
ii. Pune Police Commissioner Rashmi Shukla received the
award from BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi during a program
organized by FICCI and Vivekanand International Foundation
on Homeland Security in Delhi.
iii. The program focused on the use of modern technology for
countering internal security issues.
Static Takeaways-
FICCI full form is Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce
and Industries
President of FICCI is Pankaj R Patel.
Dailong village in Manipur declared Biodiversity Heritage
Site
i. The Manipur government has declared Dailong village of
Tamenglong district as a Biodiversity Heritage Site of the
state. Dailong village, covering an area of 11.35 sq km, has
been declared as Biodiversity Heritage Site under Section
37(1) of Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
ii. The declaration was made after the recommendation of
Manipur Biodiversity Board, the state government has stated
in the notification.
Static Takeaways-
CM of Manipur is N. Biren Singh and the governor is Dr.
Najma Hptulla
The Keibul Lamjao National Park is situated in Manipur.
ISRO set to launch monster rocket into space
i. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to
launch its most powerful launch vehicle, Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III into space.
ii. ISRO will be launching the GSLV Mark III, earlier
named Launch Vehicle Mark (LVM)-3, a heavy launch
capability launcher, on June 5, 2017 from Sriharikota, Andhra
Pradesh.
Important Points about GSLV-Mark-III:
1. GSLV Mark-III enables ISRO to launch from India heavier
communication spacecraft to geostationary orbits of 36,000
km.
2. GSLV Mark III will launch the GSAT-19 satellite, which is a
high throughput communication satellite. It will help in
Indias efforts to increase internet connectivity in the
country.
3. The GSLV is a three-stage vehicle with two solid motor
strap-ons, a liquid propellant core stage (L110) and a
cryogenic stage (C25).
4. GSLV-Mk III-D1 is the first developmental flight carrying the
GSAT-19 satellite.
China launches satellite navigation positioning system
i. China launched a national satellite
navigation and positioning system which will provide
positioning service to transportation, emergency medical
rescue and city planning and management. It is the largest in
the country and boasts the widest coverage.
ii. The system consists of 2,700 base stations, a national
database centre and 30 provincial level database centers.
iii. The system, featuring faster speed, higher accuracy and
wider coverage, will be compatible with other satellite
navigation systems, such as the BeiDou Navigation Satellite
System and Global Position System (GPS).
Static Takeaways-
PM of China is Li Keqiang and President is Xi Jinping
Currency of China is Renminbi and Capital is Beijing
The Great Wall of China is situated at Huairou in China.
IOC overtakes ONGC to become India's most profitable PSU
i. Indian Oil Corporation has overtaken Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation (ONGC) to become Indias most profitable state-
owned company.
ii. IOC, which has for decades been Indias biggest company
by turnover, posted a 70 per cent jump in net profit to Rs.
19,106.40 crore in the financial year ended March 31, 2017.
iii. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries retained the
crown of being Indias most profitable private company for
the third year in a row, posting a net Rs. 29,901 crore in
financial year 2016-17. Tata Consultancy Services, Indias
largest software services exporter, with a net profit of Rs.
26,357 crore was the second most profitable private
company in the country.
Static Takeaways-
Mr. B. Ashok is Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
Dinesh K. Sarraf is the Chairman & Managing Director of Oil
and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran is the Chairman of TCS.
Defence Minister inaugurates DRDOs Aeronautical Test
Range in Karnataka
i. Union Defence and Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley inaugurated the Defence Research and Development
Organisations (DRDO)s new Aeronautical Test Range
(ATR) in Karnataka.
ii. The ATR is a facility under the Aeronautical Development
Establishment (ADE) which works on a range of UAVs
(unmanned air vehicles). It will be an integrated test center
for the DRDOs cluster of aeronautical laboratories, most of
them based in Bengaluru.
Static Takeaways-
CEO of DRDO is S. Christopher and its headquarter is in New
Delhi.
Satyabrata Rout gets Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar
i. Satyabrata Rout, a professor from the Department of
Theatre Arts, S N School of Arts and
Communication, University of Hyderabad (UoH) has been
awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar for the year
2016.
ii. He is one of the pioneers of visual theater in India, and
has Scenography: An Indian Perspective.
Static Takeaways-
The Sangeet Natak Akademi created by a resolution of the
Ministry of Education, Government of India on 31 May 1952.
BSF officer summits Mount Everest a record 6th time, 1st
Indian to clinch feat
i. Uttarakhand Mountaineer Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu has
become the first Indian to summit Mount Everest a record
six times.
ii. Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, the premier institute
of mountaineering under the ministry of defence in
Uttarkashi, has confirmed that Dharmshaktu is the first Indian
to summit the peak six times.
Static Takeaways for SBI PO Mains Exam-
Mount Everest, also known in Nepal as Sagarmth and in
China as Chomolungma, is Earth's highest mountain.
Mount Everest height is about 8,848 meters.
Sudirman Cup 2017: South Korea beat China to clinch the
title after 14 years
i. South Korea won Badminton's Sudirman Cup for the first
time in 14 years with 3-2 victory over 10-time champions
China at Australia's Gold Coast.
ii. Before 2017, South Korea won the Sudirman Cup in 1991
and 1993, fought back from 2-1 down in the final to claim
victory.
Static Takeaways-
South Korea capital is Seoul and currency is South Korean
Won.
Priyanka Chopra bags Dadasaheb Phalke Award
i. Actress Priyanka Chopra will be honoured with the
Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award for being an
international icon. 'Internationally Acclaimed
Actress' category at a ceremony.
ii. The board of trustees for Dadasaheb Phalke Academy
Awards include Johny Lever, Pahlaj Nihalani, Mithun
Chakraborty and TP Agrawal. The award ceremony will be
held on June 1, 2017 in Mumbai.
Static Takeaways-
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in
cinema and it was established in 1969.
The first recipient of this award was Devika Rani.
30 May, 2017
Govt to launch new campaign called Darwaza Band
i. The government launched new campaign called Darwaza
Band for promotion of toilet usage in the rural areas across
the country.
ii. Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, who leads the
campaign, is proposed to be joined by Union Minister for
Drinking Water and Sanitation Narendra Singh Tomar and
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the formal
launch event to be held in Mumbai.
iii. The campaign also features actor, Anushka Sharma, who
will be seen encouraging women to stand up for this issue in
their villages and assume a leadership role.
Static Takeaways-
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a campaign by the Government of
India to clean the streets, roads and infrastructure of the
country's 4,041 statutory cities and towns.
It is launched on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti 02nd
October 2014.
Prakash Javadekar launches UGC App to fight ragging
i. Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Prakash
Javadekar launched an Anti-Ragging Mobile App introduced
by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in New Delhi.
ii. This mobile app will help students register complaints to
counter the menace of ragging.
iii. This app will work on android system on which students
can log in and register their complaints immediately.
Accordingly all concerned will be informed immediately and
action will start immediately.
Static Takeaways-
The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory body
set up by the Indian Union government in accordance to the
UGC Act 1956.
It comes under the Ministry of Human Resource
Development.
EPFO gives nod to hike in stock investment to 15 per cent
i. The Employees Provident Fund Organisation has
approved hike in investment limit in exchange traded funds
(ETFs) to 15%, from the existing 10%, Union Labour Minister
Bandaru Dattatreya stated it.
ii. The decision was taken during the meeting of the Central
Board of Trustees (CBT). In 2016, the investment was raised
to 10%.
Static Takeaways-
EPFO came into existence under the pormulgation of the
Employee's Provident Fund Ordinance on the 15th
November,1951.
It was replaced by the Employee's Provident Fund Act, 1952.
Banks Board Bureau gets 2 more members
i. The government has expanded the Banks Board Bureau
(BBB) headed by former comptroller and auditor general
Vinod Rai by adding two more members.
ii. Former Allahabad Bank chairperson and managing
director Shubhalaxmi Panse and private equity player Pradip
Shah have been inducted into the board as independent
members.
Static Takeaways-
Banks Board Bureau (BBB) headed by Vinod Rai
The Bureau started functioning from April 01, 2016 as an
autonomous recommendatory body.
Prasar Bharati signs MoU with Morocco's SNRT
i. Government-run Prasar Bharati has got into an agreement
with Morocco's Societe Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de
Television (SNRT) to step up cooperation in the broadcasting
sector.
ii. The MoU was signed during the fifth India Morocco Joint
Commission Meeting (JCM) in Rabat, Morocco's capital.
Static Takeaways for Dena Bank PO Exam-
SNRT full form is Societe Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de
Television
Morocco currency is Moroccan Dirham and its capital is
Rabat.
Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla appointed Jamia Millia
Islamia Chancellor
i. Manipur Governor and former Minority Affairs
Minister Najma Heptulla has been appointed as the
Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
ii. 77-year old Heptulla succeeds Lt. Gen. (Retd.) M.A. Zaki,
who completes his five-year term this month. Ms. Heptulla
will also serve for the term of five-years.
Static Takeaways-
Talat Ahmad is the Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia, an institution originally established at
Aligarh, in 1920 it became a Central University by an act of
the Indian Parliament in 1988
In Urdu language, Jamia means University, and Millia means
National.
Amul inks MoU with ISRO for fodder acreage estimation
i. Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation
(GCMMF) has signed an agreement with ISRO for fodder
acreage assessment using satellite observation and space
technology.
ii. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), ISRO
will help in identification between food crops and fodder
crops at village level and also locate suitable areas of current
fallows and cultivable wastelands at village level for green
fodder cultivation.
Static Takeaways-
Managing Director of GCMMF is R S Sodhi
Chairman of ISRo is A S Kiran Kumar
ISRO was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Bengaluru,
Karnataka
Vikram Sarabhai was the founder of ISRO
India is second most complex tax jurisdiction: Deloitte
i. Indian tax laws are perceived to be second most complex in
the Asia-Pacific region, becoming even less predictable over
the last three years, according to Deloitte survey.
ii. India ranks only after China in having most complex
jurisdiction for taxation and most complicated requirements
of tax, the Asia Pacific Tax Complexity Survey conducted by
Deloitte.Japan, Australia, Indonesia and South Korea trail
India in the complexity index.
Static Takeaways-
CEO of Deloitte is Punit Renjen.
Former Greek Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis dies
i. Constantine Mitsotakis, a former prime minister of Greece
remembered for fierce confrontations with Greece's liberal
and socialist parties has died.
ii. He served in several Cabinet posts, including finance
minister, in liberal governments in 1951-52 and 1963-65.
Static Takeaways-
Greece Capital is Athens and its Currency is Euro
PM of Greece is Alexis Tsipras.
Fencer Bhavani Devi, First Indian to win gold in International
Event
i. Indian fencer C A Bhavani Devi struck gold in the Turnoi
Satellite Fencing Championship at Reykjavik (Iceland).
ii. Bhavani Devi, who hails from Chennai, defeated Great
Britains Sarah Jane Hampson 15-13.
iii.With this win, Bhavani Devi has also become the first
Indian to win a gold medal in an international fencing event.
She had previously won a silver medal.
Static Takeaways-
Fencing, also called Olympic fencing, is a sport in which two
competitors fight using 'rapier-style' swords.
Sebastian Vettel wins Monaco Grand Prix
i. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel won the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix
at the Circuit de Monaco, La Condamine and Monte Carlo,
Monaco.
ii. The second place in the race was secured by
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, while the third place was
secured by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.
Static Takeaways-
Sebastian Vettel is a German racing driver currently driving in
Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari.
31 May, 2017
World No Tobacco Day: 31 May
i. World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world every
year on May 31. The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2017
is "Tobacco a threat to development."
ii. This theme has been set by the World Health
Organization, WHO. The campaign aims to demonstrate the
threats that the tobacco industry poses to sustainable
development, including the health and economic well-being
of citizens in all countries.
Static Takeaways-
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will be the New head of
WHO after replacing Margaret Chan.
Headquarter of WHO is in Geneva, Switzerland.
The member States of the World Health Organization (WHO)
created World No Tobacco Day in 1987.
India and Fiji Sign MoU on Defence Cooperation
i. The Minister of Defence and National Security of Fiji, Ratu
Inoke Kubuabola accompanied by his delegation signed a
MoU with the Minister of Defence, Finance and Corporate
Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley in New Delhi.
ii. An MoU on defence cooperation envisaging several areas
of cooperation including in defence industry, military training
and humanitarian assistance & disaster management was
signed.
Static Takeaways-
Fiji Capital is Suva and its Currency is Fijian Dollar.
Frank Bainimarama is the PM of Fiji.
India, Germany sign 12 agreements
i. India and Germany inked twelve memoranda of
understanding and agreements following bilateral
delegation-level talks presided over by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel.
ii. The agreements inked included nine joint declarations of
intent (JDIs) and three memoranda of understanding. The
agreements include collaboration in the field of
digitalization, skill development, and cooperation in cyber
policy. Besides, the two nations also agreed to resume the
free trade talks between India and the European Union.
Static Takeaways-The Capital of Germany is Berlin and its
Currency is Euro.
43rd G7 Summit held in Sicily, Italy
i. 43rd G7 Summit was held on 26-27 May, 2017 in Taormina,
Sicily, Italy. The 43rd G7 summit was the first summit for
British Prime Minister Theresa May.
ii. The Group of 7 (G7) is a group consisting of Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the
United States. The European Union is also represented within
the G7. The theme of the Italian G7 Summit 2017 is-"
Building the Foundation of Renewed Trust."
Static Takeaways-
The first occasion of G7 Summit was in 1980 in Venice, Italy
Next G-7 Summit will be held in Canada in 2018.
This is the sixth time that Italy has taken over the rotating G7
Presidency
PM of Italy is Paolo Gentiloni and the capital and
currency is Rome and Euro respectively.
New pink-green one rupee notes to be in circulation soon
i. The Reserve Bank of India will soon put into circulation
currency notes in one rupee denomination. New one rupee
notes with predominantly pink-green on obverse and reverse
in combination with other colours will be soon put into
circulation.
ii. The notes bearing the rupee symbol have been printed by
the Government of India. At present, one rupee coins are
minted. The note will bear signature of Shaktikanta Das,
Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.
iii. The numbering will be in black at right-hand bottom
portion of the note. On the reverse side, the year 2017 is
mentioned. There is also a representation of One Rupee coin
with rupee symbol having floral design and the surrounding
design consists of the picture of Sagar Samrat the oil
exploration platform.
Static Takeaways-
BP Kanungo is the New Deputy Governor of RBI after
replacing of R Gandhi
Urjit Patel is the 24th Governor of RBI and its headquarter is
in Mumbai
RBI was nationalised in 1949.
India ranks 120th among 131 nations in women workforce:
World Bank report
i. According to India Development Report released by World
Bank, India had one of the lowest female participation in the
workforce, ranking 120th among 131 countries.
ii. As per the report, the participation level has been dropping
since 2005, despite having 42% women who are graduates.
Jobs for Indian women remain primarily in the agriculture
sector.
iii. The share of women in services and industry is less than
20%. Indian womens workforce participation is closer to
Pakistan (24.6 percent) and the Arab world (23.3 percent)
while neighboring Countries Nepal (79.9 percent) and China
(63.9 percent) are leagues ahead.
Static Takeaways-
World Bank President is Jim Yong Kim and its headquarter is
in Washington D.C. USA
World Bank was founded in 1944.
Pentagon successfully tests ICBM defense system for first
time
i. United States has for the first time successfully tested its
defence system against an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
(ICBM).
ii. A ground-based interceptor was launched at a California air
base and shot down a mock ballistic missile. As per the
Pentagon, the test comes after Pyongyang fired its ninth
missile this year.
iii. It was the first live-fire test against a simulated ICBM for
the Ground-Based Missile Defense.
Static Takeaways-
The Pentagon headquarters in Washington, D.C. U.S.A.
The Pentagon is situated across the Potomac River.
Indias Health Minister JP Nadda gets WHOs special
recognition for tobacco control
i. World No-Tobacco-Day is observed on 31st May globally.
On this day people are encouraged to observe abstinence of
24 hours from all forms of tobacco consumption.
ii. This year Union Health Minister of India Jagat Prakash Static Takeaways-
Nadda is chosen for WHO Director-General Special Lionel Andrs "Leo" Messi is an Argentine professional
Recognition Awards for accelerating Indias tobacco control footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC
initiatives and taking bold measures to protect people against Barcelona and the Argentina national team.
hazards of tobacco use.
Static Takeaways-
The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2017 is "Tobacco a
threat to development"
India to have its own GPS system from 2018
i.Coming next year, you won't have to rely on heavily
accented lady for directions on Google Maps. Instead India
will be having its own GPS system. 'NavIC' will be operational
early 2018.
ii. NavIC or 'Navigation with Indian Constellation' the name
given by PM Narendra Modi after the launch of Indian
Regional Navigation Satellite System IRNSS-1G, is designed to
provide accurate position information to users within the
country.
Static Takeaways-
Full Form of NavIC is Navigation with Indian Constellation.
Harmanpreet Kaur become the first Indian woman to play in
Kia Super League
i. Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of India's T20 team has
become the first Indian Women cricketer to play in Kia Super
League, the England T20 League.
Static Takeaways-
The Kia Super League is also known as the Women's Cricket
Super League.
Kohli only Indian in top 10 of ICC ODI rankings
i. India captain Virat Kohli is the lone cricketer from the
country to feature in the top 10 of the ICC Players Rankings
for ODIs as he managed to hold on to his third spot in the
batsman's chart.
ii. The top three batsmen South Africa's AB de Villiers (874
rating points), Australian David Warner (871) and Kohli (852)
are separated by just 22 points.
Static Takeaways-
Virat Kohli received the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award
during BCCIs International Cricketer of the Year awards 2017.
Virat Kohli is the first to receive the Polly Umrigar
Award award thrice. He had won the award in 2011-12 and in
2014-15.
Lionel Messi wins fourth Golden Shoe
i. Barcelona striker Lionel Messi won the European Golden
Shoe for a record-equaling fourth time having scored 37 goals
in the Spanish league.
ii. He drew level with Real Madrids Cristiano Ronaldo with
the fourth honor