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News Around The World in Few Pages
Sportz Newz
Appointments in India
You were born to
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Days in December
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Books and Authors
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Obituaries

Compiled by:

Anubhab Lahiri
 Monthly Current Affairs PDF

Finance/Industry/Economy/Banking
RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan kept the key policy rate Types Current Rate
unchanged but affirmed the Central Banks commitment to ease Repo 6.75% (Unchanged)
it as and when room is available, saying inflation is likely to
perform better than expected. Accordingly, the repo rate at Reverse Repo 5.75 %
which the Reserve Bank lends to the system will continue at 6.75 Bank rate 7.75%
per cent. The cash reserve ratio (CRR) or the amount of deposits MSF 7.75%
banks park with RBI has also been unchanged at 4 per cent. The
status quo was widely expected. Though the RBI Governor noted CRR 4% (UNCHANGED)
that second-quarter GDP numbers indicate early signs of SLR 21.50%
recovery, he chose to stick to the earlier projection of 7.4 per
cent for the fiscal with a marginal downward bias.

The Reserve Bank of India on 23 December 2015 extended the deadline for exchanging pre-2005
currency notes of various denominations by another six months to 30 June 2016. The decision to extend
the deadline was notified by the apex bank in a statement issued in Mumbai. RBI in an official statement
said that the notes can be exchanged for their full value. It has also clarified that all such notes continue
to remain legal tender.

Tech Mahindra Limited on 23 December 2015 launched Indias first contactless digital payment
ecosystem, branded MoboMoney. The company claims that MoboMoney is the country's first
commercial rollout of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which allows radio communication
between two NFC enabled devices.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 22 December 2015 created a dedicated helpline (Email) for start-ups
in India in order to offer assistance on Forex matters to them for undertaking cross-border transactions
within the ambit of the regulatory framework.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 22 December 2015 gave its approval for
investment of 5000 crore rupees by Oil and Natural Gas Company Limited (ONGC) into the equity share
capital of ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) by conversion of existing loan of equivalent amount into equity.

Idea Cellular on 23 December 2015 became the third mobile operator in India to launch 4G services in
India. Earlier, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India had launched 4G services in India.

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Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 22 December 2015 gave its approval for
implementation of an umbrella scheme for integrated development and management of fisheries. The
scheme will be implemented at an outlay of 3000 crore rupees, for a period of five years.

The Lok Sabha on 22 December 2015 passed The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The Bill will
allow doubling of wage ceiling for calculating bonus of factory workers. It seeks to raise the eligibility limit
for payment of bonus from a salary of 10000 rupees to 21000 rupees a month. It seeks to raise this
calculation ceiling of bonus to 7000 rupees per month or as per the minimum wage notified for the
employment under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (whichever is higher).

The Reserve Bank of India on 28 December 2015 released the Report of the Committee on Medium-term
Path on Financial Inclusion. The committee was constituted on 15 July 2015 by the RBI with the objective
of working out a medium-term (five year) measurable action plan for financial inclusion. The 14-member
committee was headed by RBI Executive Director Deepak Mohanty.

Salient recommendations of the committee

Banks have to make special efforts to step up account opening for females, and the Government
may consider a deposit scheme for the girl child Sukanya Shiksha - as a welfare measure.
Given the predominance of individual account holdings (94 per cent of total credit accounts), a
unique biometric identifier such as Aadhaar should be linked to each individual credit account.
Account lined Aadhaar and the credit information should be shared with companies to enhance
the stability of the credit system and improve access.

The Union Ministry of Finance on 28 December 2015 released the report of the Committee on Revisiting
and Revitalising Public Private Partnership (PPP) Model. The 9-member committee was headed by
former Finance Secretary Vijay Kelkar and submitted its report on 19 November 2015.

State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) on 29 December 2015 commissioned a 660 MW unit of
Prayagraj Super Thermal Power Project at Bara in Allahabad district of Uttar Pradesh.

Russia's Rostech State Corporation on 29 December 2015 tied up with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
(HAL) to manufacture at least 200 Kamov 226T light helicopters. The Kamov will replace the ageing fleet
of Cheetah and Chetak.

The World Bank signed a credit agreement of $50 million with the government for education and skill
training for minorities. The project will support the government's national Nai Manzil (New Horizon)
scheme, which was launched in August this year. The project will reach out to the disadvantaged youth

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from minority communities and support their enrolment in open schooling as well as provide hands-on
vocational training.

The Andhra Pradesh Government on 30 December 2015 decided to hike the wages of Anganwadi workers.
The wages of the Anganwadi workers will be increased from 4200 rupees to 7000 rupees and the wages
of Anganwadi helpers will be hiked to 4500 rupees.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 30 December 2015 approved the introduction of
Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS) in place of the existing Revised Restructured
Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (RR-TUFS), for technology upgradation of the textiles industry.

Bharat Petroleum on 28 December 2015 commissioned a new 6-million tonne Crude Distillation Unit
(CDU) at its Mumbai refinery, which will take the capacity of its oldest facility to 12 million tonne per
annum.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 30 November 2015 included China's Yuan into its elite reserve
currency basket. Yuan's entry into the basket takes effect from 1 October 2016. Yuan also known as the
Chinese Renminbi (RMB) was included in the basket after it met the existing criteria for its inclusion. The
action was taken after the executive board at IMF completed the regular five-yearly review of the basket
of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right (SDR). Yuan will be a freely usable currency and will
be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the US Dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen and British
Pound. Launching the new SDR basket on 1 October 2016 will provide sufficient lead time for the Fund,
its members and other SDR users to adjust to these changes.

Country's third largest private sector lender Axis Bank has launched a 'display variant' debit card which
does away with the hassles of generating one time password (OTP) over SMS while transacting. The card,
which is being made available for high-value NRE customers, has an embedded EMV chip, a display screen
and a touch-sensitive button which helps generating the OTP on the card itself.

The Reserve Bank has signed an agreement with the UK's Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial
Conduct Authority for supervisory cooperation and exchange of information.

Maharashtra is the biggest economy within India at Rs 16.87 lakh crore in terms of gross state domestic
product (GSDP), according to the latest report by credit rating agency Brickwork Ratings. The state is
followed by Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

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Wipro, India's third largest Information technology services company has signed an agreement with
German-based Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg (LBBW) to acquire cellent AG for 73.5 million Euros
(about Rs 517 crore or $77 million).

Tata group holding firm, Tata Sons and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) have formed a long-
term partnership, under which ICBC will become a strategic banking partner to the Tata group.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) kept its economic growth forecast for India unchanged at 7.4 per
cent for the current financial year and 7.8 per cent for the next fiscal.

Online commerce giant Flipkart has acquired a strategic minority stake in navigation and tracking
solutions provider MapmyIndia to strengthen its supply chain management.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 3 December 2015 announced revised Priority Sector Lending (PSL)
norms for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs). Among other things, the PSL target was increased to 75 percent
of total outstanding from the existing 60 percent. The revised target will be effective from 1 January
2016. The PSL norms have been revised considering the growing significance of RRBs in pursuit of financial
inclusion agenda As on March 2015, there were 56 RRBs operating in the country with a network of 20059
branches. They cover 644 notified districts in 26 states and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Medium enterprises, social infrastructure and renewable energy were included under PSL category.

Delhi Assembly on 3 November 2015 passed the Members of the Legislative Assembly of the National
Capital Territory of Delhi (Salaries, Allowances, Pension, etc) (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The bill seeks
around 400 percent hike in the salaries of the MLAs. The Bill is based on the recommendations of three-
member PDT Achary panel.

With a view to bring all relevant information regarding health insurance policies at one place, IRDAI
launched a portal 'Registry of Hospitals in Network of Insurers' (Rohini).

The Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG or PAHAL scheme, has been acknowledged by the Guinness Book of
World records as the largest cash transfer programme in terms of number of households. The scheme
won the achievement on June 30 when it crossed 12.57 crore households. As on December 3, 14.62 crore
households are part of the scheme. As on April 1, 2015, there were 18.19 crore registered LPG consumers
and 14.85 crore active consumers implying a gap of 3.34 crore connections that were either duplicate,
fake or inactive accounts and have now been blocked under PAHAL.

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Singapore replaced Mauritius as top source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India during April-
September of 2015-16 financial year. An announcement in this regard was made by the Department of
Industrial Policy and Promotion of Ministry of Commerce and industry in the first week of December 2015.

The Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian led panel on 4 December 2015 submitted its report on
Possible Tax rates under Goods and Services Tax (GST) to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The commission
recommended standard rate for GST at 17 to 18 percent, the rate at which most products would likely
be taxed. The Committee has suggested doing away with a proposal to levy a one percent inter-state tax
on transfer of good. Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR) proposed at 15-15.5% (Union and states combined).
Include petroleum and alcohol in GST regime.

Rajya Sabha on 7 December 2015 passed the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The Bill
provides for filing of cheque bounce cases at the place where a cheque is presented for clearance and
not the place of issue. It amends the Act to state that cases of bouncing of cheques can be filed only in a
court in whose jurisdiction the bank branch of the payee (person who receives the cheque) lies. If a
complaint against a person issuing a cheque has been filed in the court with the appropriate jurisdiction,
then all subsequent complaints against that person will be filed in the same court.

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited on 7 December 2015 joined Zero Routine Flaring by 2030
Initiative of the World Bank on the sidelines of Conference of Parties-21 (COP-21) of UNFCCC in Paris.
With this joining, ONGC has become the first oil company from India to join the global initiative that is
aimed at curbing routine gas flaring at oil production sites around the world by 2030.

Indias National Stock Exchange (NSE) has entered into an agreement with London Stock Exchange Group
(LSEG) to ensure close collaboration between the two bourses for setting up a research centre.

The government has established a mechanism to be known as SETU (SelfEmployment and Talent
Utilisation) under NITI Aayog to support all aspects of startup businesses and other self-employment
activities, particularly in technologydriven areas.

Software market in India is expected to grow at 12.8 per cent to reach $5.3 billion in 2016, research firm
Gartner said.

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Goldman Sachs pegs India's GDP growth at 7.9% in FY17

Yes Bank Limited on 8 December 2015 announced to mobilize 5 billion US dollars from 2015 to 2020 for
climate action through lending, investing and raising capital towards mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
The announcement was made on the occasion of COP 21 climate summit in Paris.

Luxembourg on 8 December 2015 became the 10th country to ratify the Articles of Agreement (AoA) that
will lay the legal framework for the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

The Union Cabinet on 9 December 2015 approved a 4000 crore rupees proposal for introducing measures
to encourage Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Industry in India. The proposal will give a big boost to the
shipbuilding and ship repair industry and will facilitate the Make in India initiative of the Union
Government.

Multilateral lending agency Asian Development Bank will provide $1 billion loan to central transmission
utility Power Grid Corp for renewable energy transmission and grid expansion in India.

Union Government on 10 December 2015 slashed the Minimum Export Price (MEP) of onions to 400 US
dollars per tonne from 700 dollars a tonne. The decision to slash the MEP on Onions was taken at a
meeting chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Union Government on 14 December, 2015 appointed Justice L. Narasimha Reddy, former Chief Justice of
Patna High Court to head the one-man judicial committee, which will look into the implementation of
One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme.

IT major Infosys has invested USD 3 million in U.S.-based wearable device startup firm WHOOP to pick up
a minority shareholding in the company.

Rajasthan has become the first state to submit smart city plan to the Urban Development Ministry.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that to counter domestic black money, the Centre will make it
mandatory to furnish PAN (Permanent Account Number) for cash dealings above 2 lakh. The Revenue

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Secretary, Hasmukh Adhia, said later in the evening that the Finance Ministry has changed the reporting
requirements of PAN, making it mandatory for all transactions of over 2 lakh effective January 1, 2016.

Starting from the New Year, quoting of PAN will be mandatory for all transactions of immovable
property of over 10 lakh, from the earlier threshold of 5 lakh.
It will also be required for all term deposits of over 50,000 in not only banks but also in co-
operative banks, post offices, nidhis, and non-banking finance companies.
Further, PAN will also be mandatory for opening an account (except basic account) in any bank,
including cooperative banks.
Cash payments to settle hotel bills and for foreign travel, such as purchase of tickets or buying
foreign exchange of over 50,000, will also require quoting of PAN, the earlier limit was 25,000.
Opening of demat accounts, buying shares of listed companies which are worth more than 1
lakh, or purchasing debentures, RBI bonds, life insurance policies, and mutual funds of over
50,000 will also require PAN.

Marking its debut in the Indian solar industry post its investment announcement of $20 billion, Japans
SoftBank won its first 350 Mw solar power project in Andhra Pradesh through its joint venture company
- SBG Cleantech. SBG Cleantech bid the lowest tariff of Rs 4.63 per unit to win the entire tendered capacity
of 350 Mw. This is the lowest bid in this year for solar power. Last month, US SunEdison won 500 Mw solar
power park in Andhra Pradesh at the same tariff rate. SoftBank tied up with Foxconn and Bharti
Enterprises in June this year to invest in the Indian solar energy sector committing a whooping $20 billion.

Tech Mahindra and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, part of the Mahindra Group, on 14 December 2015
acquired Italian car designer Pininfarina SpA for 165 million US dollars in an all-cash deal. Pininfarina is
well-known for designing cars for Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-Royce and Cadillac.

The Maharashtra government on 11 December 2015 constituted a task force for setting up an
International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) in Mumbai. The task force will be headed by Union Minister
of State for Finance Jayant Sinha.

World Bank Group and FIRST Initiative on 14 December 2015 launched Principles for Public Credit
Guarantee Schemes (CGSs). The principles provide a generally accepted set of good practices that can
serve as a global reference for the design, execution and evaluation of public CGSs that serve small and
medium enterprises (SMEs).

The Supreme Court today held that RBI should take rigid action against those banks and financial
institutions which have been indulging in "disreputable business practices" and said it cannot withhold
information on defaulters and other issues covered under the RTI Act.

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The Union Ministry of Finance on 15 December 2015 raised the monetary limit for filing appeals to 10 lakh
rupees in Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) and 20 lakh rupees in High Courts. With this, the ministry
seeks to reduce tax litigation by about 50 percent.

The World Bank on 15 December 2015 approved a 1.5 billion US dollar loan for the ambitious Clean India
Campaign (Swachh Bharat Mission). The loan was granted to support the government in its efforts to
ensure all citizens in rural areas have access to improved sanitation and end the practice of open
defecation by 2019. The loan will be used for Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Support Operation Project.

The countrys largest software exporter TCS has been chosen by German aviation major Deutsche
Lufthansa AG to set up a test factory to support its IT transformation initiative in a multi-million dollar
deal.

Online marketplace Snapdeal.com on 15 December 2015 launched its mobile website in Hindi and Telugu
language. With this platform, Snapdeal will now cater to 270 million users in India.

The Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the USA, on 16 December 2015 increased
interest rate by 0.25 percent. A decision in this regard was approved by the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System chaired by Janet L Yellen. With this, the interest rates in the US are now in the
range of 0.25 0.50 percent as compared to zero to 0.25 percent rage earlier. This is the first rate increase
since 2006. In December 2008, three months after the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers
Holdings Inc, the interested was kept in the near zero range to stimulate the economy and consequently,
tide over the financial crisis.

In the last one decade, emerging economies in general and India in particular benefitted in the form of
higher investments especially into the capital market. The comparatively high interest rates attracted
capital inflows which helped in increase of production and also domestic consumption. The present hike
in interest rate might affect the capital flows into developing economies like China, India, Malaysia,
Indonesia, South Korea, etc. As per an estimate of the Institute of International Finance (IIF), the net
capital flows for global emerging markets will be negative in 2015, the first time that has happened since
1988.

The Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Entertainment and acclaimed Hollywood director Steven Spielbergs
DreamWorks announced formation of Amblin Partners a new film, television and digital content
creation company.

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Andhra Pradesh Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on 16 December 2015 decided
to abolish VAT (Value-added tax), CST (Central Sales Tax) on Sugar factories.

The Maharashtra Government on 16 December 2015 announced a 10512 crore rupees relief package for
more than 15000 drought-hit villages in 14 districts of the states Marathwada and Vidarbha regions. The
package was announced by state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the assembly in Nagpur during a
discussion on the drought situation.

Ekolog, a Polish company in the clean technologies, plans to set up a plant in Karnataka. In the wake of
the upcoming Invest Karnataka 2016, a MoU was signed between Karnataka Department of Commerce
and Industries and Ekolog of Poland with the initiative budget of $50 million as private investments in
clean technologies sector, cutting edge solutions for ecology related investments.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai is India's most-searched for business leader in 2015.

The government today lowered its economic growth forecast for 2015-16 to 7-7.5 per cent from 8.1-8.5
per cent, but said budget deficit target will be met as higher tax revenues offset a shortfall in PSU stake
sale.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 17 December 2015 released the final guidelines on computing interest
rates on advances based on the Marginal Cost of Funds Methodology. The guidelines will come into effect
from 1 April 2016. The new methodology is aimed at bringing uniformity among BRs of banks so that they
will be more sensitive to any changes in policy rates of the RBI like Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), Statutory
Liquidity Ratio (SLR), etc.

Hindustan Unilever (HUL) on 17 December 2015 announced that it signed an agreement with Mosons
Group to acquire its flagship brand Indulekha for 330 crore rupees.

The Senate of United States (US) on 19 December 2015 ratified reforms to boost the representation of
emerging economies at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of Budget Bill. The legislation will
now go to President Barack Obama. If adopted, it will allow emerging economies and industrial
powerhouses like India and China to have a greater say in how the IMF is managed.

Changes under the Reforms

China's voting rights will rise to 6 percent from 3.8 percent and the nation will become the third-
largest shareholder, from its previous sixth position.
It would also double the IMF resources to about 660 billion dollars.
As China's voting rights rise, the US will see its share drop from 16.7 percent to 16.5 percent.

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India's voting rights will also rise to 2.6 percent from the current 2.3 percent.
The biggest losers are European economies which will see their voting rights diminished.
The US retains its veto power.

INDIA and Its States

Government of Andhra Pradesh on 28 December 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

with Microsoft India on a range of technology initiatives. The MoU was signed after a meeting between
the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Microsofts CEO Satya Nadella in Hyderabad.

India and Russia on 24 December 2015 signed 16 Agreements/Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs)

to deepen bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, security, technology, etc. The pacts were signed
after the conclusion of the 16th India-Russia Annual Summit in Moscow. After the summit, which was
attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, both the leaders issued
a joint statement with the theme Shared Trust, New Horizons.

List of Agreements/MoUs Energy Corporation "Rosatom for

Localization of Manufacturing in India
1. Protocol amending the agreement,
for Russian-Designed Nuclear Reactor
which was signed on 21 December 2010,
Units.
between India and Russia on
6. Memorandum of Understanding
simplification of requirements for
between the Ministry of Railways of
mutual travels of certain categories of
India and the Joint Stock company
citizens of the two countries.
"Russian Railways on technical
2. Protocol amending agreement between
cooperation in railway sector.
India and Russia on mutual travel regime
7. MoU between Solar Energy Corporation
for holders of Diplomatic & Official
of India and Russian Energy Agency
Passports of 3 December 2004.
regarding construction of solar energy
3. Agreement between India and Russia on
plants in the Republic of India.
Cooperation in the field of Helicopter
8. MoU for cooperation between HEC &
Engineering Plan for Cooperation
CNIITMASH for development of Centre
between the Federal Customs Service of
of Excellence for heavy engineering
the Central Board of Excise and Customs,
design at HEC.
4. Department of Revenue, Ministry of
9. MoU for cooperation between HEC &
Finance, India and the Russian
CNIITMASH for upgradation and
Federation for combating Customs
modernization of HECs manufacturing
violations in 2015 2017.
facilities.
5. Programme of Action Agreed Between
10. Memorandum of Understanding
the Department of Atomic Energy of
between Prasar Bharati and Digital
India and the Russian State Atomic

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Television Russia on Cooperation in the Limited and Ministry for Development of

field of Broadcasting.
11. Tripartite Memorandum
Understanding between Centre for
Development of Advance Computing
(CDAC), Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore (IISc) and Lomonosov
Moscow State University (MSU).
12. Tripartite Memorandum
Understanding between Centre for
Development of Advance Computing
(CDAC), OJSC "GLONASS and GLONASS
Union.
13. MoU in the field of investment
cooperation in the Russian Far East
between The Tata Power Company
the Russian Far East.
of 14. MoU for Cooperation for geologic
survey, exploration and production of
hydrocarbons onshore and on the
continental shelf of the Russian
Federation.
15. Confirmation of successful completion
of of the first stage pre-completion actions
in relation to the creation of a Joint
Venture in JSC VankorNeft.
16. MoU for Cooperation for geologic
survey, exploration and production of
hydrocarbons onshore the Russian
Federation between Rosneft oil
company, Oil India Limited and Indian Oil
Corporation Limited.

Indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Astra, was on 25 December 2015
successfully test fired. The test was conducted by the Indian Air Force off the coast of Odisha near the
Integrated Test Range (ITR), Balasore.

Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on 21 December 2015 received certification to build LNG-transporting
ships for any client world-wide making it the first shipyard in India to get the nod.

The Odisha Government on 21 December 2015 launched Anwesha scheme to provide free education to
scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students. Under the scheme, 5000 SC and ST children will annually
be enrolled into Standard I in leading private schools in urban areas of the state.

The Union Minister of Human Resource Development Zubin Irani on 21 December 2015 launched the 6th
All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) in New Delhi.

Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 December 2015 approved the Lucknow
Metro Rail Project Phase-1 A. To be developed at an expenditure of 6928 crore rupees, the project will
cover a length of 22.878 km with 22 stations.

Pandorum Technologies Private Limited in the third week of December 2015 developed Indias first
artificial liver tissue with the help of 3-D printing technology.

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For the benefit of farmers, Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh on 23
December 2015 launched two mobile apps namely Crop Insurance and AgriMarket Mobile.

The Basohali town which is located in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir was in news on 24 December
2015 as the Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar dedicated the first cable-stayed bridge of North
India to the nation.

Indias first indigenously designed and built warship Indian Navy Service (INS) Godavari was on 23
December 2015 decommissioned in Naval Dockyard Mumbai. It was commissioned into the Navy on 10
December 1983.

Reliance Defence of Reliance Infrastructure Limited on 24 December 2015 entered into a partnership with
Russias AlmazAntey for producing Air Defence Missile Systems.

The Civil Aviation Ministry on 28 December 2015 gave clearance for four greenfield airports. The three
airports will be located in Andhra Pradesh and one international airport at Dholera, Gujarat.

The Union Cabinet, presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 30 December 2015 gave its approval
for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for conservation of migratory birds of prey in Africa
and Eurasia. The MoU, also called as Raptor MOU, will help India gain knowledge in effectively managing
the habitats of the raptors.

The Union Cabinet, presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 30 December 2015 approved the
construction of 69 bridges including approach roads on the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa (TKK) road section of
the trilateral highway in Myanmar.

The Union Government on 30 November 2015 launched the injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) as
part of its commitment to the Global Polio Endgame Strategy. It is part of next step in India's universal
immunization programme to fight against polio in the country. The first phase this vaccine will be
introduced in six states, viz Assam, Gujarat, Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

India and France on 30 November 2015 launched the International Solar Alliance in Paris. The alliance
was launched jointly by PM Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande during the United
Nations climate change conference (COP21). The alliance also invited all countries located fully or partly

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between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn to join the group. It will function from the National Institute
of Solar Energy in India, Gurgaon.

In a major leap forward for Telangana in the aerospace sector, Minister for IT K.T. Rama Rao, top
executives of Boeing India and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) have announced setting up of a
facility on the outskirts of the city to make the fuselage for Apache helicopters.

President Pranab Mukherjee on 1 December 2015 gave assent to Factories (Amendment) Bill, 2015 of
Maharashtra. Among other things, the bill amends Section 66(1)(c) of the Factories Act, 1948 that restricts
women from working at a factory between 7 PM and 6 AM. Workers to be eligible for paid leave after
working for 90 days in a year instead of the existing 240 days or more.

Idea Cellular, Aditya Birla Group's telecom company, signed a memorandum of understanding with
Akshaya Patra Foundation in Odisha for providing mid-day meals to school students in the state.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and climate change department (CCD) has awarded
an environment clearance to the proposed Dholera airport in Ahmedabad district.

The Union Cabinet on 2 December 2015 approved setting up of six new Indian Institutes of Technology
(IITs) in Andhra Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Goa, Jammu, Kerala and Karnataka.

The Union Cabinet on 2 December 2015 approved the signing of the agreement between India and Iran
on visa facilitation for Diplomatic, Official/Service and Ordinary passport holders.

Himachal Pradesh on 3 December 2015 became the first state of India to launch Rotavirus vaccination
project. The vaccine will help in controlling the child mortality rate (under five years of age) due to
diarrhoea.

GAIL (India) Limited in collaboration with National Remote Sensing Centre, a unit of Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO), has launched a surveillance geo-portal Bhuvan-GAIL Portal that utilises
space technology for its pipeline safety application.

The first India International Science Festival (IISF) began on 4 December 2015 at IIT-Delhi.

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National Textile Corporation (NTC) Limited on 3 December 2015 signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with Transparency International India (TII) for adopting Integrity Pact (IP). With
this signing, NTC became the 51st Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) and 49th Central PSU to sign a MoU
with TII.

The Lok Sabha on 3 December 2015 passed the Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 to establish the
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as a National Standards Body. The bill seeks to establish harmonious
development of standardization and assessment and quality assurance of goods, processes and services.

Union Minister of Finance, Arun Jaitley, and Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Thaawarchand
Gehlot, on 3 December 2015 launched Accessible India Campaign or Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan. Accessible
India Campaign is a nationwide campaign that aims at enabling persons with disabilities to gain universal
access, equal opportunity for development, independent living and participation in all aspects of life in an
inclusive society.

The Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on 4 November 2015 released the India State of
Forest Report (ISFR) 2015. The report states that Indias forest and tree cover has been increased by 5081
sq km. The total forest and tree cover is 79.42 million hectare, which is 24.16 percent of the total
geographical area. While the total forest cover of the country has increased by 3775 sq km, the tree cover
has gone up by 1306 sq km.

India has the "dubious honour" of being the second most ignorant nation in the world after Mexico,
according to a survey which posed questions on issues like inequality, non-religious population, female
employment and internet access. The survey conducted by Ipsos MORI, a London-based market research
firm, polled 25,000 people from 33 countries and found that while people "over-estimate what we worry
about", a lot of major issues are underestimated.

Tata Trusts announced it will be supporting US-based non-profit Khan Academy to provide free online
education to Indians through one of the biggest open-access online platforms.

Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu on 6 December 2015 flagged off the first Goa to Mumbai doubledecker
Shatabdi train through video conference from Panaji, Goa. The fully air-conditioned double-decker train
is the first-of-its-kind in India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 December 2015 released two commemorative coins of 125 rupees
and 10 rupees, as part of the 125th birth anniversary year celebrations of Dr. Babasaheb Bhim Rao
Ambedkar.

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The public sector Cochin Shipyard Ltd has launched the nineteenth of the 20 Fast Patrol Vessels being
built for Indian Coast Guard. The vessel was named ICGS Atulya and launched by Hema Subramaniam,
wife of Commodore K. Subramaniam, Chairman & Managing Director, CSL.

India on 4 December 2015 received its first uranium consignment of about 2730 tonnes from Canada.
The uranium is shipped to India for the countrys nuclear power reactors. The consignment consists of
uranium mined and milled at Cameco's McArthur River and Key Lake operations in northern
Saskatchewan.

Andhra Pradesh on 5 December 2015 became the first state of India to join the Union Governments
Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY). The scheme aims at reviving debt-stressed power distribution
companies.

Indo-Russia bilateral maritime exercise Indra Navy 2015 commenced on 7 December 2015 in
Vishakhapatanam. The exercise epitomises the strategic relationship between the two nations. The 8th
edition of Indra Navy was conducted in the Bay of Bengal till 12 December 2015.

India on 7 December 2015 launched the Indian Long Term Ecological Observatories (I-LTEO) programme
to scientifically monitor eight different biomes (natural landscapes) across the country. The initiative was
launched on the sidelines of the Conference of Parties-21 (COP-21) of UNFCCC in Paris.

The Union Ministry of Textiles, Union Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) and National
Textile Corporation (NTC) on 8 December 2015 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up
a Technology Centre (Tool Room) at Kanpur.

Hyderabad-based Hetero Drugs on 8 December 2015 announced that it received the approval of Drug
Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch fixed-dose combination therapy Ledipasvir-Sofosbuvir. The
product will be available under the brand name Ledisof in India. With this approval, Hetero became the
first company in the country to get approval from DGCI to launch hepatitis C medicines.

Delhi Government on 4 December 2015 announced vehicle rationing scheme to curb air pollution in the
city. A decision in this regard was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The primary objective of the initiative is to halve the vehicular population in the city and thereby to bring
pollution levels under control. In the first phase of the scheme, vehicles with odd and even number plates
would be allowed to run on alternate days between 1 January and 15 January 2016 in the capital city.

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While the odd-numbered vehicles will ply on odd dates, the even-numbered vehicles would ply on even
dates.

Singapores Changi Airport Group will soon start managing Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, opening up
airport management operations for a foreign player for the first time in the country. The group will be
managing the terminal operations and parking at the two airports.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 16 December 2015 successfully launched 6 satellites of
Singapore into Space. The satellites were launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C29
from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikotta in Andhra Pradesh.

TeLEOS-One: It is the major payload and is a remote sensing satellite weighing 400 kg. Its mission life is
of five years and It can be put to use for disaster monitoring and urban planning for the city state.

The Supreme Court (SC) on 16 December 2015 banned the registration of all diesel SUVs and luxury cars
with engine capacity of 2000 cc or more in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) region till 31 March 2016.
The landmark ruling was aimed at curbing the alarming pollution level in Delhi.

India and United Kingdom on 9 December 2015 launched a joint initiative 2016: UK-INDIA Year of
Education and Research in New Delhi. It was launched by visiting Secretary of State, Business Innovation
and Skill of the UK Sajid Javid along with Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Smriti Irani.

Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research declared National Data Recovery
Centre for telemedicine.

The Supreme Court on 9 December 2015 asked the Union Government to operationalise the Organised
Crimes Investigating Agency (OCIA) by 1 December 2016. OICA will probe human trafficking cases across
the nation.

India ranks 135 among 147 nations on women empowerment as per United Nation's Human Development
Index, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said.

Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate collaboration between emerging research
universities in South Asia for teaching, academic and research activities.

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India and Japan on 12 December 2015 7. MoU on technological cooperation

exchanged 16 bilateral documents including
agreement on civil nuclear energy cooperation.
The documents were exchanged in New Delhi
during the state visit of Prime Minister of Japan
to India.
Besides, both the sides issued Joint Statement on
India and Japan Vision 2025: Special Strategic
and Global Partnership Working Together for
Peace and Prosperity of the Indo-Pacific Region
and the World.
Following is the list of documents exchanged:
1. Agreement on Civil Nuclear
Cooperation: Memorandum
concerning the Agreement on
Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of
Nuclear Energy
2. Memorandum of Cooperation
(MoC) on High Speed Railways:
Between Mumbai and Ahmedabad
with financial and technical
assistance from Japan
3. Agreement concerning transfer of
Defence Equipment and Technology
Cooperation
4. Agreement concerning security
measures for the protection of
classified military information
5. Agreement on Amendment Protocol
of Double Taxation Avoidance
Agreement
6. MoC between Ministry of Railways
and MLIT on Technological
Cooperation in Rail Sector
between Research Designs and
Standards Organization (RDSO) and
Japan Railway Technical Research
Institute (JRTRI)
8. Letter of Intent on the Strategic
International Cooperative Program
between Department of Science and
Technology of India and the Japan
Science and Technology Agency
9. Letter of Intent toward establishing
a young researchers exchange
program between the DST, India and
the Japan Society for the promotion
of Science
10. MoC on Medical Products
Regulation Dialogue and
Cooperation Framework
11. MoC in the field of Education
12. Statement of Intent between NITI
Aayog and Institute of Energy
Economics, Japan (IEEJ)
13. MoU on cooperation between State
Government of Andhra Pradesh and
Toyama Prefecture
14. MoU between State Government of
Kerala and Lake Nakaumi, Lake Shinji
& Mt. Daisen area Mayors
Association
15. MoU between Indian Institute of
Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA)
and National Graduate Institute for
Policy Studies (GRIPS)
16. MoC in the field of forests and
forestry

India and Japan on 12 December 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation
and assistance in the Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project (Bullet Train project).

Both the countries on 11 December 2015 also entered into two comprehensive technological cooperation
agreements for modernization and upgradation of Indian Railways.

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MoU on cooperation and assistance in the Mumbai Ahmedabad HSR Project

Japan offered an assistance of over 79000 crore rupees for the project.
The loan is for a period of 50 years with a moratorium of 15 years, at an interest rate of 0.1
percent.
The project is a 508 Kilometer railway line costing a total of 97636 crore rupees.
The project will be implemented in a period of seven years.
Shinkansen Technology will be adopted for the project.
The cooperation of Japan will be fixed on transfer of technology and Make in India.
Japan will assist India in training of personnel for HSR.
Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between Ministry of Railways and MLIT, Japan on technological
cooperation

Any other areas jointly determined by both Sides within the scope of this MoC

MoU on technological cooperation between RDSO and Railway Technical Research Institute Japan

The main directions of cooperation between the parties will be the development of rail-related
technical cooperation in which the parties may have mutual interest, performance of consultation
and other services.

The Union Government on 12 December 2015 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and
documentation for establishing three Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs) at Ranchi, Nagpur
and Pune. These IIITs are operated on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode with participation of State
Government and Industry, apart from the Union Government.

Losar, the biggest Tibetan Buddhist Festival began on 12 December 2015 in Ladakh region of Jammu and
Kashmir. The festival marks the beginning of New Year for Buddhists.

National Commission for Safai Karamcharis presented its Annual Report 2014-15 to the Union Minister
for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot on 11 December 2015.

Two Indian cities, Varanasi and Jaipur, on 11 December 2015 have made it to the Creative City Network
of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the first time ever.
Varanasi and Jaipur made it to the network in the categories, City of Music and City of Crafts and Folk
Art respectively. India had applied for the first time to UNESCO in these categories in 2015.

Union Government on 14 December 2015 requested the states and Union Territories (UT) to start
Operation SmileII from 1 January 2016. The operation will end on 31 January 2016.

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The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on 18 December 2015 approved the purchase of Russian advance
S-400 Triumf Air Defence Missile Systems from Russia at an estimated cost of 40000 crore rupees. The
approval was given by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar during DAC meeting in New Delhi.

The West Bengal Government on 18 December 2015 cleared the proposal for setting up five new districts
in the state. These five new districts will increase the number of districts of West Bengal to 25. Kalimpong,
Basirhat, Sunderbans, Jhargram, Burdwan Industrial and Burdwan Rural are the new districts.

Around The World in Few Pages

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 December 2015 inaugurated Afghanistans newly-built Parliament
House in Kabul. The house was entirely built by Indias government-owned construction agency Central
Public Works Department (CPWD) at an estimated cost of 90 million US dollars. A block in the
Parliament House was named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

China on 17 December 2015 launched the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) Satellite to shed light
on mysterious dark matter. It was the country's first space telescope and launched on a Long March 2-D
rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

Search engine giant Yahoo on 21 December 2015 named Cow as the Personality of the Year 2015. The
animal managed to top the list over other high-profile contenders for the spot in Yahoo's list of 2015
Year in Review (YIR) for India.

The Philippines on 22 December 2015 became the first Asian country to approve the sale of the world's
first-ever dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.

Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa on 21 December 2015 announced that the country has
planned to adopt the Chinese Yuan as legal tender. It will be done in return for debt cancellation worth
40 million dollars in the second week of December 2015.

Guinea was declared Ebola free by the WHO two years after the virus' deadliest-ever outbreak began in
the country, killing more than 11,000 people in the west African region.

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Japan and South Korea on 28 December 2015 reached an Agreement on Issue of Comfort Women.

The United States Congress has raised the "outsourcing fee" imposed on highly qualified Indian IT
professionals to $4,000 from $2,000 after it lapsed on September 30 this year. The $2,000 outsourcing
fee for H-1B visas and a $2,250 fee for some L-1 visas, which are used for intra-company transfers was
adopted by the United States in August 2010. It was valid for five years, and was not renewed by the US
Congress after it lapsed in September this year.

The IMF approved nearly USD 500 million in its latest tranche of financial assistance to Pakistan, bringing
the total amount of money released to revive the country's economy to USD 5 billion. A decision in this
regard was taken by the International Monetary Fund Executive Board which completed the ninth
review of Pakistan's economic performance under a 36-month programme supported by an Extended
Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement.

World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 17 December 2015 unanimously approved Afghanistans WTO
membership at the WTOs Tenth Ministerial Conference (MC10) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. With
this, Afghanistan will become the 163rd WTO member and the ninth least-developed country to
become a WTO member since the organization was established in 1995.

The three-day long 2nd World Internet Conference was concluded on 18 December 2015 at Wuzen in
China. Wuzen is located in Zhejiang Province in eastern China.

The United Nations (UN) Chief Ban Ki-moon along with the agencies of the UN system on 30 November
2015 launched initiative titled Anticipate, Absorb, Reshape to build climate resilience in the worlds
most vulnerable countries.

China's first domestically developed electricity-powered aircraft known as RX1E was on 4 December
2015 approved for production by Civil Aviation Administration of China. RX1E electric light-sport aircraft
was developed by Shenyang Aerospace University and it will be China's first manned electric light
aircraft.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V (401 configuration) rocket carrying the OA-4 Cygnus cargo spacecraft
with much needed supplies blasted off towards the International Space Station (ISS) on 6 December
2015.

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The five-day long 10th World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference concluded on 19
December 2015 in Nairobi, Kenya. The conference concluded with the adoption of the Nairobi Package
that is aimed at benefitting organizations poorest members.

In a major breakthrough, researchers at Columbia Engineering have harnessed the molecular machinery
of living systems to power an integrated circuit. They achieved this by integrating a conventional solid-
state complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit with an artificial lipid bilayer
membrane containing adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-powered ion pumps.

Authorities in Chinese capital Beijing on 7 December 2015 issued its first-ever red alert on air pollution
ordering schools to close due to hazardous air quality. Red alert is the highest possible state of caution.

World's 1st anti-dengue vaccine 'Dengvaxia' approved in Mexico

The prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Banglore on 9 December 2015 bagged a US military
contract for research and development on solar powered micro-grid.

Myanmar on 9 December 2015 inaugurated a new stock exchange, named Yangon Stock Exchange (YSX),
with plans for six companies to start trading in March 2016.

The United Nations agencies and partners on 9 December 2015 launched the Sahel humanitarian appeal
for 2016. The purpose of the initiative is to mobilise international support to tackle triple crisis of
poverty, insecurity and climate change that plagues the Sahel region in Africa.

Myanmar on 11 December 2015 launched its first UNSECO Biosphere Reserve Inle Lake in Shan state.
The Inle Lake was designated as UNESCO Biosphere reserve in Paris in June 2015.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd on 11 December 2015 announced that it has agreed to buy the 112-year old
English newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP) for an undisclosed amount.

Merriam-Webster declares ism as word of the year for 2015.

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Sportz

Virat Kohli received Polly Umrigar Trophy for Cricketer of the Year in BCCI Awards.

Mithali Raj was presented with the M.A. Chidambaram Trophy for the best womens cricketer.

Former wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani was presented the Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla, former Indian cricketer and Bengal all-rounder, on 30 December 2015 announced
his retirement from all forms of cricket. However, he might continue playing for his club Mohun Bagan.

Sweden's Bjorn Isberg on 30 December 2015 was appointed as the Tournament Director of Coal India
Hockey India League (HIL), the premier league for hockey in India.

Rakhi Haldar and Kavita Devi on 29 December 2015 bagged gold in their respective weight categories in
the Senior National Weightlifting Championships held in Patiala, Punjab.

Andy Murray of the UK on 20 December 2015 received the 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year
award in London. The Scottish tennis-player was presented the award by Irish boxing legend Barry
McGuigan.

New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum on 22 December 2015 announced retirement from all
forms of international cricket. He will retire after the two home test series against Australia, which will
begin in February 2016.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on 23 December 2015 announced the winners for the 2015 ICC
Awards in Dubai, the UAE. The awards were based on performance of individuals and teams, both men
and women, between 18 September 2014 and 13 September 2015.

Among the 10 awards announced,

1. The Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year were
conferred on Australian captain Steve Smith.

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2. AB De Villiers was conferred with ICC ODI Cricketer of Year award.

3. Josh Hazelwood of Australia was conferred with ICC Emerging Cricketer of the year award.
4. Brendon McCullum was conferred with ICC Spirit of Cricket Award.

The adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee on 21 December 2015 banned FIFA President Sepp
Blatter and Vice-President and member of the Executive Committee of FIFA and President of UEFA
Michel Platini.

The Globe Soccer on 27 December 2015 presented the sixth edition of Globe Soccer Awards 2015 to the
winners at a ceremony held in Dubai, UAE.

Best Player of the Year - Lionel Messi

Best Club of the Year - F.C. Barcelona

Shiva Keshavan on 27 December 2015 grabbed a silver medal in the 18th edition of the Asian Luge
Championship held in Nagano, Japan.

Gujarat on 28 December 2015 clinched the Vijay Hazare Cricket Trophy. It is the first time that Gujarat
won the trophy. In the final of the limited overs tournament, Gujarat defeated Delhi by 139 runs at M
Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

Star India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has ended 2015 as the No. 1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings.

ICC Test Team of the Year 2015: David Warner, Alastair Cook (captain), Kane Williamson, Younis Khan,
Steven Smith, Joe Root, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Trent Boult, Yasir Shah, Josh
Hazlewood, Ravichandran Ashwin

ICC ODI Team of the Year 2015: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Hashim Amla, Kumar Sangakkara (wicketkeeper)
AB de Villiers (captain), Steven Smith, Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, Mohammed Shami, Mitchell Starc,
Mustafizur Rahman, Imran Tahir, Joe Root.

Indias Thakur Anoop Singh on 28 November 2015 won gold medal in the 7th WBPF World
Bodybuilding and Physique Championships. He won the medal in the fitness physique category.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan became a co-owner of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL)
team OUE Singapore Slammers.

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The November edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings was released on 3 December 2015. In the
final rankings of 2015, While Belgium topped the list, Indian team jumped six places to reach the 166th
spot. In the October 2015 edition, India was at the 172nd position due to five consecutive defeats in
2018 World Cup qualifiers.

India on 7 December 2015 won the four-match Test series against South Africa 3-0. In the fourth and
final match played at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, India defeated South Africa by 337 runs. Man of the
Series: Ravichandran Ashwin for his brilliant bowling in the entire series.

Australia on 6 December 2015 defeated Belgium by 2-1 to win 2014-2015 Mens Hockey World League
Final, which was held at Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Stadium, Raipur. India defeated world number two
and defending champions Netherlands by 3-2 in the penalty shootout, and clinched the bronze medal
in the tournament.

Maharashtra on 6 December 2015 defeated Punjab to win the 2015 National Wheelchair Basketball
Championship.

Pune and Rajkot on 8 December 2015 became the interim franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL)
till 2017. The will take place of the suspended teams of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals
(RR). CSK and RR are facing two-year suspensions which were imposed by the Supreme Court-mandated
RM

Chinas Chen Long and all England and World champion Carolina Marin on 7 December 2015 bagged the
Badminton World Federation (BWF) Male and Female Player of the Year Awards respectively in Dubai.

Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma on 9 December 2015 became the co-owner of the Pro Wrestling League
team, UP Warriors. The team includes celebrated Indian wrestlers like Sushil Kumar and Joginder
Kumar.

Bengaluru Yodhas, the JSW Group owned franchise in the Pro Wrestling League, has announced India's
Test captain Virat Kohli as the co-owner of the team.

Afghanistan cricket team has shifted its home base from Sharjah to the UPCA stadium in NOIDA where
they will play their matches and practice after a MoU was signed in this regard.

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced an exciting new global partnership with OPPO, a
leading mobile telephone device companies, on a four-year deal which runs from 2016 until 2020.

Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene on 9 December 2015 was awarded with an honorary life
membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

Orgnaising committee of 12th South Asian Games (OC-SAG) on 13 December 2014 unveiled mascot of
the games and logo at ITA Cultural Center Machkhowa in Guwahati, Assam. The mascot Tikhor is a one
horned rhino and is the brand ambassador of the games carries the message of peace, stability, amity
and progress in the South Asian region. On the other hand, the logo has eight petals representing the
countries participating in the mega event.

Japanese shuttlers Kento Momota and Nozomi Okuhara on 13 December 2015 won Men's singles and
Womens singles title respectively at the BWF World Superseries finals held at the Hamdan Sports
Complex, Dubai.

Vijay Kumar on 13 December 2015 won the centre fire pistol gold in the 59th National shooting
championship at the Dr Karni Singh Range in Tughlakabad in New Delhi. The 15 day event began on 1
December 2015.

Keralas Elizabeth Susan Koshy on 11 December 2015 won the Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Gold at
the 59th National Shooting Championships held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting range in New Delhi.

Indian cyclist Deborah Herold on 11 December 2015 became the first Indian female cyclist to be ranked
fourth in the World Elite Women Ranking for the 500m time trial event. The ranking was issued by
cycling world body International Cycling Union (UCI).

IPL 2016 Auction

Team Pune

M.S. Dhoni (Rs. 12.5 crore)

Ajinkya Rahane (Rs. 9.5 crore)
Ravichandran Ashwin (Rs. 7.5 crore)
Steven Smith (Rs. 5.5 crore)
Faf du Plessis (Rs. 4 crore)
Team Rajkot

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Suresh Raina (Rs. 12.5 crore)

Ravindra Jadeja (Rs. 9.5 crore)
Brendon McCullum (Rs. 7.5 crore)
James Faulkner (Rs. 5.5 crore)
Dwayne Bravo (Rs. 4 crore)

Apurvi Chandela gave a firm indication that her Rio preparations were on the right track when she won
the Women's 10M Air Rifle event on the last day of the 59th National Shooting Championship.

Serena Williams is Sports Illustrateds Sportsperson of the Year the first female athlete honoured on
her own by the magazine in more than 30 years.

Rory McIlroy has been voted European Tours Player-of-the-Year for 2015, winning the award for the
third time in the past four seasons.

Four Indian boxers, namely Shiva Thapa, Mandeep Jangra, Gaurav Bidhuri and Sumit Sangwan on 15
December 2015 were selected by the International Olympics Committee (IOC) for a scholarship.

The state-owned Coal India has become the title-sponsor for the next three editions of the Hockey India
League beginning 2016. Promoted by Hockey India, the IPL-styled HIL had three editions in the past
beginning 2013.

Cricketer Rohit Sharma along with Graphic India, UK-based ISM Komix and Cornerstone Sport are set to
launch a new environmental superhero team called 'Hyper Tygers.

Chennaiyin FC was crowned as the champions of the 2nd Indian Super League (ISL) Football tournament
on 20 December 2015. In the final played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, Chennaiyin
defeated the hosts FC Goa, 3-2. Mendoza, who finished as the tournament's highest scorer with 13
goals, bagged the 'Golden boot' as well as the 'Hero of the League' award.

Kane Williamson, 25, on 21 December 2015 became the first cricketer from New Zealand to top the
International Cricket Councils (ICCs) Test rankings. He clinched the spot after guiding the Black Caps to
a series-clinching fivewicket win in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Hamilton.

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FC Barcelona on 20 December 2015 won the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup. To win the title, Barcelona
defeated Argentinas River Plate by 3-0. The final match was held at the International Stadium in
Yokohama, Japan.

The host Singapore Slammers on 20 December 2015 beat the table toppers Micromax Indian Aces in the
final to win the crown of the Indian Premier Tennis League (IPTL) 2015. They defeated Indian Aces 26-
21 in the final played at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Bengaluru FC (BFC) midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh and striker Bala Devi on 20 December 2015 was
named the 2015 All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player-of-the-Year and woman Footballer-of-the-
Year respectively. The awards were announced at the AIFF Annual General Body Meeting held in
Margao, Goa.

Indias Abhay Singh on 20 December 2015 won the Under-19 Singapore Squash Open. In the final of the
Old Chang Kee Singapore Open, he defeated second seed Alwin Chai of Malaysia.

Appointments 9. Mumbai Police Commissioner

Ahmad Javed appointed as
Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
10. NIIT Tech appoints Amit Kumar Garg
India
as CFO
1. Justice Tirath Singh Thakur sworn in 11. Delhi Government appointed Gopal
as 43rd Chief Justice of India Subramanium Commission on DDCA
2. AK Jain appointed Chairman of scam
Central Board of Direct Taxes 12. Jet Airways appointed Amit Agarwal
3. Kaher Kazem appointed General as Chief Financial Officer.
Motors India head 13. Pawan Kumar Agarwal appointed as
4. Ola appointed Joy Bandekar as CEO of FSSAI
Corporate President 14. Gautam H Bambawale appointed as
5. Sanjeev Mohanty takes over as India's High Commissioner to
Jabong CEO Pakistan
6. FreeCharge appoints Anshul 15. Amitabh Kant got additional charge
Kheterpal as CFO of CEO of NITI Aayog
7. Prakash Kumar Singh takes charge as 16. Karan Adani appointed as CEO of
SAIL Chairman Adani Ports and SEZ
8. ABB India appoints Sanjeev Sharma 17. Satyavati Berera became first woman
as MD COO at Big 4 in India

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18. Madhu S Nair assumes charge as
CMD of Cochin Shipyard
19. Jetha Bharwad elected as first Vice-
Chairman of Gujarat Cooperative
Milk Marketing Federation
20. Dr Gyanendra D Bandgaiyan
appointed DG of National Centre for
Good Governance
21. Former Defence Secretary R K
Mathur appointed new Chief
Information Commissioner (CIC)
22. Supreme Court appointed Virendra
Singh as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh
23. Justice Reva Khetrapal took oath as
Delhi's Lokayukta
24. Kwality appoints Akshay Kumar as
brand ambassador
25. Tata Starbucks appoints Sumi Ghosh
as CEO
26. K K Maheshwari appointed as new
MD of UltraTech Cement
27. Emami ropes in Sania Mirza as brand
ambassador of Kesh King
28. Parthasarathi Mukherjee appointed
as MD and CEO of Lakshmi Vilas Bank
World
1. Roch Marc Christian Kabore elected
president of Burkina Faso
2. Dr Henk Bekedam named new WHO
representative to India
3. Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan
assumed Presidency of the Royal
Society
4. Indian-American Dr Vijay M Rao
named as Chairperson of RSNA
5. Kapil Chopra, President, The Oberoi
Group, has been appointed as the
Chairman of World Travel & Tourism
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Council, India Initiative (WTTCII) for
2016
6. Mauricio Macri Blanco sworn in as
President of Argentina
7. Jeff Williams appointed as Chief
Operating Officer of Apple Inc
8. Indian-origin official Sanjay Pradhan
to lead Open Government
Partnership
9. Giorgi Kvirikashvili elected as Prime
Minister of Georgia
Resignations
1. Chief Information Commissioner Vijai
Sharma completed his tenure
2. Latvias first female Prime Minister
Laimdota Straujuma announced her
resignation on 7 December 2015.
3. Jet Airways CEO Cramer Ball
Resigned.
Days
1. World AIDS Day observed on 1st
December
2. International Day for the Abolition
of Slavery Observed on 2nd
December
3. International Day of Persons with
Disabilities observed 3rd December
4. 44th Navy Day observed on 4
December
5. International Volunteer Day
observed on 5 December
6. Armed Forces Flag Day was observed
on 7 December
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7. International Day of 11. UN adopted resolution to observe 5

Commemoration and Dignity of November as World Tsunami
Victims of Crime of Genocide Awareness Day
observed on 9 December 12. 30th National Consumers Right Day
8. International Anti-Corruption Day observed on 24 December
observed on 9 December 13. Good Governance Day observed on
9. Human Rights Day observed on 10 25 December
December 14. Vijay Diwas observed on 16
10. National Mathematics Day observed December
on 22 December to commemorate 15. International Migrants Day
birth anniversary of Srinivasa observed on 18 December
Ramanujan 16. UN launched 2016 International
Year of Pulses

Books & Authors

On My Terms: From the Grassroots to the Corridors of Power, an autobiography of Sharad
Pawar was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 December 2015.
The Bose Brothers and Indian Independence An Insiders Account authored by Madhuri Bose

Awards & Honors

Eminent Gujarati litterateur Raghuveer Chaudhary was on 29 December 2015 selected for the
51st Jnanpith award for his contribution to the Indian literature.

Playwright and novelist Cyrus Mistry's English novel Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer and K R Meera's
Aarachar in Malayalam are among the works that have won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi
award for this year.
The Akademi also announced Bhasha Samman to writer and scholar Shrikant Bahulkar in
recognition of his contribution to classical and medieval literature (western region).

The husband-wife duo of Claude and Norma Alvares on 18 December 2015 were honoured with
the 2015 Lifetime Service Award by Sanctuary Asia magazine. On the other hand, Ashok Kumar,

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one of the pioneers of the fightback against wildlife crimes in India and chairman emeritus of the
Wildlife Trust of India, was named the Sanctuary Legend. It is a new category in the list of
Sanctuary Wildlife Awards for 2015.

Miss Spain Mireia Lalaguna Royo crowned Miss World 2015. Miss India Aditi Arya represented
India.

Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach crowned Miss Universe 2015. Urvashi Rautela
represented India.

Miss Iraq beauty pageant held for the first time since 1972. In the final event of the pageant,
Shaymaa Qasim Abdelrahman was crowned Miss Iraq. She is a 20-year-old from multi-ethnic city
of Kirkuk which is situated in the north of Iraq.
Shajil Kumar of Malayala Manorama has been chosen for this year's International Press
Institute (IPI) India Award For Excellence in Journalism for his outstanding work on "endangered
tribal communities" who live on the slopes of Western Ghats in Kerela.

Indian American professor Rakesh K Jain was on 22 December 2015 selected for the National
Medal of Science 2015 of United States (US).

A top Indian-origin cancer research expert Harpal Singh Kumar has been conferred Knighthood
by Queen Elizabeth II for being "hugely influential" in his work on prevention and treatment of
cancer.

Hinduja Brothers on 29 November 2015 were honoured with the prestigious Lifetime
Achievement Award at the annual Asian Business Leadership Forum (ABLF) Series in Dubai.

Polish professional footballer Robert Lewandowskis nine-minute, five-goal haul for German
Football Club Bayern Munich against Wolfsburg was officially recognised on 30 November 2015
by Guinness World Record.

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Internationally co-produced adventure drama film Embrace of the Serpent on 30 November

2015 was awarded with the Golden Peacock Award for the Best Film at the 46th International
Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa.

The ICFT UNESCO Fellini Medal was awarded to Kaushik Gangulys Cinemawala that focuses
on the sad state of single screen cinema halls in West Bengal.

Renowned violinist Lakshminarayana Subramaniam will be honoured with the Sangeet Samman
at the ITC Sangeet Sammelan 2015 beginning on 4 December 2015 at the Victoria Memorial Hall,
Kolkata.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) was on 1 December 2015 awarded with the E-India
Award for adopting technology to serve the public better and using resources efficiently through
mobile applications.

Pulin Kumar, Group Senior Legal and Compliance Director of Adidas India, on 26 November 2015
was conferred with the Indian National Bar Association's (INBA) General Counsel of the year 2015
- Retail Award in New Delhi.

Punjabi film "The Fourth Direction" was honoured with the Best Film Award here at the 26th
Singapore International Film Festival.

Time magazine named German Chancellor Angela Merkel its "Person of the Year 2015", saying
her leadership has helped preserve and promote an open, borderless Europe in the face of
economic turmoil and an ongoing refugee crisis.

Two Indians have won the Queen's Young Leaders award in the UK for their exceptional work
in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in their communities. Kartik
Sawhney, 21, and Neha Swain, 28 from India are among 60 others who won the Queen's Young
Leaders award 2016 which will be presented by the British monarch at a gala ceremony in
Buckingham Palace in June next year. Neha, a youth facilitator and co-founder of NGO Rubaroo
provides an inclusive space for young people, irrespective of their socio-economic background,
to develop their leadership skills through interactive workshops.

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Frank Islam, an Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist, will be conferred with Uttar
Pradesh Ratna Award on 4 January 2016 at the inaugural UP Pravasi Diwas in Agra.

Naseeruddin Shah honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award at Dubai International Film
Festival

Salman Rushdie receives Mailer Prize for lifetime achievement

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was conferred with an honorary doctorate in International
Relations by Jawaharlal Nehru University for Japan's role in India's economic development.

Legendary actor Dilip Kumar conferred with Padma Vibhushan

Indian-origin writer J M Sali won 2015 South East Asian Write Award for Singapore

Wipro won 2015 Aegis Graham Bell Award for innovation in IoT

Renowned Israeli-US violinist Itzhak Perlman on 14 December 2015 was announced as the 2016
Genesis Prize Laureate for his accomplishments as a musician, teacher and advocate for people
with disabilities.

The West Bengal Government on 14 December 2015 honoured music composer Bappi Lahiri and
singer Kumar Sanu with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Lists and Reports Released

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 30 November 2015 released the Measuring the
Information Society Report 2015. It was launched on the first day of the World Telecommunication/ICT
Indicators Symposium (WTIS) 2015 in Hiroshima, Japan.

Top 5 countries with higher ICT development are South Korea (1), Denmark (2), Iceland (3), the UK (4)
and Sweden (5). Compared to its 125th rank in 2010, India was placed at the 131st position in the

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overall ranking with 2.69 IDI score. In terms of IDI access and IDI use categories India was placed at the
135th position.

UNICEF, UNAIDS and partners on 30 November 2015 released a report on prevalence of HIV/AIDS in
AsiaPacific region. It was entitled Adolescents: Under the Radar in the Asia-Pacific AIDS Response and
was being released to mark the World AIDS Day observed on 1 December 2015.

In 2012, while HIV prevalence in the age group younger than 25 years old was 3.5 percent, it was 4.9
percent among above 25 years age population. In India, 40 per cent of the estimated 3 million females in
the sex industry are under 18, with 17 per cent under 15.

India ranks fourth in black money outflows with a whopping USD 51 billion siphoned out of the
country per annum between 2004 and 2013, a US-based think-tank's report said. Notably India's
defence budget is less than USD 50 billion. China tops the list with USD 139 billion average outflow of
illicit finances per annum, followed by Russia (USD 104 billion per annum) and Mexico (USD 52.8 billion
per annum), according to the annual report released by Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington-
based research and advisory organisation.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on 8 December 2015 released
Handbook of Statistics 2015. The annual publication provided a collection of statistics and indicators
relevant to the analysis of international trade, investment and development for 2014.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 8 December 2015 released a report entitled Asian Economic
Integration Report 2015: How Can Special Economic Zones Catalyze Economic Development? The
report examined current trends in trade, finance, migration, remittances and other economic activities
in the region, with a special chapter on the role of special economic zones (SEZs).

Shah Rukh Khan has regained his position as India's top-earning celebrity with estimated earnings of
Rs 257.5 crore this year, pushing Salman Khan to the second position in the latest Forbes list. Shah
Rukh had lost his top rank to 'friend and archrival' Salman last year and had slipped to the third position,
Forbes said in its annual India Celebrity List for 2015.

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda on 10 December 2015 released the India Health
Report: Nutrition 2015. The report by Transform Nutrition consortium offers a critical analysis of the
current situation with nutrition at the national and state levels in India.

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Quick Estimates of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and Use-Based Index with the base year 2004-05
for the month of October 2015 were released on 11 December 2015. It was released by Central Statistics
Office (CSO) of the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. IIP for October 2015
stood at 181.3, which is 9.8% higher as compared to the level in October 2014. In September 2015
(month-on-month), IIP growth rate stood at 3.6 percent.

Indias ranking on Human Development Index (HDI) rose by a notch in 2014 to 130th from 131st a
year earlier according to the 2015 edition of the Global Human Development report, released by the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). From 2009 to 2014, the country moved six positions
up in the HDI ranking.

Norway was ranked 1 with 0.944 HDI in 2014 followed by Australia and Switzerland.

Niger was ranked last at 188th with 0.348 HDI in 2014.

World Bank in December 2015 released a report entitled Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate
Change on Poverty. The report examines the two-way relation (interplay) between climate change and
poverty and concludes that climate change is one of the primary contributing factors for growing
poverty scenario across the world.

Green Peace India on 15 December 2015 released a report on National Air Quality Index (NAQI) of 17
cities. The report is the first analysis of air pollution levels in Indian cities carried out by Green Peace
using the NAQI system. Delhi was most polluted followed by Patna.

India has been ranked a low 97th out of 144 nations, behind Kazakhstan and Ghana, on Forbes annual
list of the best countries for doing business in 2015, scoring poorly on metrics like trade and monetary
freedom and tackling challenges like corruption and violence. Denmark topped the list of the 144
nations on the Best Countries of Business in 2015 list by Forbes. The US has dropped four spots to
number 22, continuing a six-year descent since 2009 when it had ranked second overall.

United Nations International Labour Organisation (ILO) on 16 December 2015 released a report titled
Global Estimates on Migrant Workers. The report is a statistical study that estimates the proportion of
labour migrant workers among the total number of migrants worldwide.

Tata Motors on 20 December 2015 made it to the Top 50 in the annual Industrial R&D Investment
Scoreboard for 2015. Prepared by the European Commission, the annual Industrial R&D Investment
Scoreboard for 2015 was topped by the German automaker Volkswagen. In the top five R&D spenders,
Volkswagen was followed by Samsung, Microsoft, Intel and Novartis. In terms of the number of
companies on the list, India was overall placed at 15th position.

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World Bank Groups Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD) initiative
on 18 December released the Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016.

Obituaries
Veteran actor Sadhana Shivdasani passed away
Former CJ of Karnataka & Kerala High Courts Justice VS Malimath died
Former Army Chief O P Malhotra Dies at 93
Ian Fraser Lemmy Kilmister, founding member of metal band Motorhead, died
Veteran singer Subir Sen passed away
Iconic Marathi poet Mangesh Keshav Padgaonkar passed away
Singapore's Indian-Origin Blind Champion of Disabled Ron Chandran-Dudley Dies at 81
Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek died
Veteran Communist leader Noorul Huda passed awayMusician Adam Roth Dies at 57
British Novelist Peter Dickinson passed away
Veteran CPI leader and former MP Ramashraya Prasad Singh died
Yossi Sarid, a former Israeli government minister who was among the most vocal to
advocate Israeli territorial concessions to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians, has
died at age 75
Renowned agro-economist and farmers leader Sharad Joshi died

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