GK Supplement PDF

SRIRAM CURRENT AFFAIRS SUPPLEMENT
Dear student,
Page | We are delighted to present the SRIRAM CURRENT AFFAIRS SUPPLEMENT updated up to
1 March 15, 2019.
The supplement will serve as a “ready reckoner” for current affairs which is of prime
importance to your G.K. Section of your exam. The current affairs happenings from July
2018 to February 2019 have been arranged topic-wise for your easy and quick
understanding.
Current Affairs consists of a vast array of information and hence students are at a loss to
decide which one is important for the examination. The faculty team at SRIRAM has
brought to you in this exclusive supplement the important current affairs happenings that
you should focus on.
Best wishes,
SRIRAM TEAM
SRIRAM CURRENT AFFAIRS SUPPLEMENT is brought to you by SRIRAM LAW ACADEMY

S.No Topic
1 WHO’S WHO 3-5
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2 2 APPOINTMENTS 2018-19 [NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL] 6-9
3 AWARDS 10 – 16
5 INTERNATIONAL SUMMITS 17 – 18
6 IMPORTANT NEWS - INDIA 19 - 39
7 IMPORTANT NEWS - INTERNATIONAL 40 – 44
8 EMINENT PERSONS WHO PASSED AWAY 45 – 46
9 IMPORTANT NEWS - SPORTS 47 – 53
10 NEW LEGISLATION PASSED 54 - 57
11 BOOKS AND AUTHORS – 2018-19 58 - 59
12 LIST OF MILITARY EXERCISES CONDUCTED IN 2018/19 60 - 61
13 SUPREME COURT JUDGMENTS [2018-19] 62 - 63
14 INDIA’S POSITION IN VARIOUS INDICES 64 - 65
Updated as on 15th March 2019.
Disclaimer: While every effort has been taken to present in this material authentic information,
some errors could have crept in. Sriram Law Academy is not liable for such errors.

WHO’S WHO
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3 As on 01.03.2019
NATIONAL
President of India Ram Nath Kovind
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi
Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu
Speaker of Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan
Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora
Chairman, UPSC Arvind Saxena
Attorney General of India KK Venugopal
Comptroller and Auditor General of India Rajiv Mehrishi
Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval
Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba
Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra
Finance Secretary A.N.Jha
Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale
Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian
Chairman, National Human Rights HL Dattu
Commission of India
Chairman, National Commission for Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi
Minorities
Chairman, National Commission for Ram Shankar Katheria
Scheduled Castes
Chairman, National Commission for Nand Kumar Sai
Scheduled Tribes
Chairman, National Commission for Bhagwan Lal Sahni
Backward Classes

Chairman, National Commission for Rekha Sharma
Women
Chairman, Chief Vigilance Commission K. V. Chowdhary
Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission of Sekhar Basu
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4 India
Chairman, Department of Space K. Sivan
Chairman, UGC D.P. Singh
Chairman, Chief Information Commission Sudhir Bhargava
Chairman, Competition Commission of Ashok Kumar Gupta
India
Governor, RBI Shakthikanta Das
Chairman, 15th Finance Commission NK Singh
Chairman, SEBI Ajay Tyagi
Chairman, SBI Rajnish Kumar
Chairman, NABARD Harsh Kumar Bhanwala
Chairman, LIC Hemant Bhargava
Chairperson National Green Tribunal Justice A.K. Goel
Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshall Birender Singh Dhanoa
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba
Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Lieutenant General P.S.Rajeshwar
Director General, National Investigation YC Modi
Agency
President of Indian Council of Cultural Vinay Sahasrabuddhe
Relations (ICCR)
Director CBI Rishi Kumar Shukla
Cabinet Secretary of India Pradeep Kumar Sinha

INTERNATIONAL
Antonio Guterres Secretary General of United Nations
Organization (UNO)
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5 Kristalina Georgieva President, World Bank
Christine Lagarde Managing Director, International Monetary
Fund (IMF)
Roberto Azevedo Director – General, World Trade Organization
(WTO)
Tedros Adhanom Director – General, World Health
Organization (WHO)
Choi Kyong-lim President, UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
Shashank Manohar President, International Cricket Council (ICC)
Moussa Faki Chairperson, African Union
Jose Graziano da Silva Director General, FAO
Audrey Azoulay Director – General, UNESCO
Michelle Bachelet United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights.
Kim Jong Yang President, Interpol

APPOINTMENTS 2018 - 19
[National and International]
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6
1. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Justice AK Goel as new
Chairperson of National Green Tribunal (NGT). He will have tenure of five years from date
he assumes office or till he reaches age of 70 years, whichever is earlier.
2. National Commission for women member Rekha Sharma has been appointed as the Chair-
person of the National Commission for Women.
3. Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet was appointed as next United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights.
4. Indian development economist and environment expert Satya S. Tripathi was
appointed as has been appointed assistant secretary general of United Nations. and will head
New York office of UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
5. On 9th August 2018, Harivansh Narayan Singh (Janata Dal United) was appointed as the
Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
6. Justice Gita Mittal became the first-ever woman Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir
High Court.
7. Satya Pal Naik was appointed as the new Governor of Jammu & Kashmir by the President
Ram Nath Kovind, to replace N.N. Vohra who held the post for over 10 years.
8. Ramon Laguart took over as the new CEO of Pepsico Inc’s CEO, after Indra Nooyi decided
to step down as CEO.
9. With the swearing-in of Justice Indira Banerjee, the Supreme Court for the first time has three
sitting women judges.
10. India’s ace sprinter Hima Das was appointed as Sports Ambassador of Assam to inspire
budding players of north eastern states to aim big and young generation.
11. Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has appointed renowned scientist Kamlesh Nilkanth
Vyas as chairman of Atomic Energy Commission.
12. ICICI Bank has named Sandeep Bakshi as the new MD & CEO. The Bank had appointed a
panel headed by retired S C Judge B.N. Srikrishna to probe the allegation.

13. Pankaj Sharma has been appointed as ambassador and India’s permanent representative
to United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
14. Tushar Mehta has been appointed as the new Solicitor General of India. He replaced Ranjit
Kumar, who had stepped down sometime back and shall hold office till June 30, 2020.
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7 15. The government appointed Pravin Srivastava, as the chief statistician of India (CSI). He
will be succeeding previous incumbent Mr. TCA Anant.
16. The Government has appointed Shekhar C Mande, the director of the Pune-based National
Centre for Cell Science as the Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) and Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Research (DSIR).
17. Arif Alvi, a close ally of P.M Imran Khan was elected as President of Pakistan.
18. Senior BJP leader L K Advani was re-nominated as Chairman of Ethics Committee of Lok
Sabha.
19. N. Ravi, Publisher and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu was unanimously elected Chairman
of Press Trust of India (PTI).
20. Justice Ranjan Gogoi has been appointed the 46th Chief Justice of India. He will have
a tenure of about 13 months from October 3, 2018 till his retirement on November 17, 2019. He
is the first Chief Justice of India from Assam.
21. Five-time world champion boxer MC Mary Kom has been named as the brand
ambassador of Tribes India, an initiative of Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
22. Kim Jong Yang of South Korea was elected Interpol President for two-year term by
member countries at 87th General Assembly of Interpol,
23. The Government took control of IL & FS by asking the National Company Law Tribunal [NCLT]
to appoint a new board with six government nominees. Kotak Mahindra Chairman Uday
Kotak will head the new IL & FS board with other five members.
24. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
appointed former IAS officer Ashok Kumar Gupta as Chairperson of Competition
Commission of India (CCI).
25. Union Government has appointed renowned scientist Nageshwara Rao Guntur as
Chairperson of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).
26. President Ram Nath Kovind appointed senior IAS officer Sunil Arora as the new Chief
Election Commissioner (CEC). He is the 23rd CEC.
27. President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Arvind Saxena as Chairman of Union Public
Service Commission (UPSC),

28. Engineering and construction major Larsen and Toubro’s (L&T’s) group chairman A.M. Naik
was on 28 November 2018 appointed as chairman of the National Skill Development
Corporation (NSDC).
29. Lt Gen P S Rajeshwar took over as 12th Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to
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8 Chairman, COSC. Government had established Integrated Defence Staff, headed by Chief of
Integrated Staff as Chairman (who enjoys status equivalent to that of Vice Ch Vice Chief of
Service.) to ensure high degree of synergy between Armed forces. It acts as point organisation
for integration of policy, doctrine, war fighting and procurement by employing best
management practices.
30. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, was appointed as the new Chief Economic Advisor (CEA)
for a period of three years by the Union Government on 7 December 2018.
31. Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Rajiv Mehrishi was elected as Vice-Chair of
United Nations (UN) Panel of Auditors at its annual meeting held in New York
32. Shaktikanta Das was appointed was appointed the new RBI Governor on 11 December 2018.
He is the 25th Governor of India’s central bank.
33. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has appointed Brijendra Pal Singh as the new
chairman and President of Film and Television Institute of India.
34. The Union government has appointed advocate Madhavi Goradia Divan as the Additional
Solicitor General (ASG) in the government of India.
35. The Union government has appointed Sudhir Bhargava the new Chief Information
Commissioner (CIC).
36. SoftBank hired Facebook executive Kirthiga Reddy as a partner at its $100 billion Vision Fund,
the first woman to join a group of just a dozen that oversees the world’s biggest pool of
technology investments.
37. Reserve Bank of India has formed a high – level committee under Aadhar architect Nandan
Nilkani to suggest measures to strengthen the safety and security of digital payments in India.
38. President Ram Nath Kovind has nominated Justice AK Sikri as Executive Chairman of
National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
39. Congress party has appointed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as general secretary in charge of
eastern Uttar Pradesh.
40. Suman Kumari has become the first Hindu woman to be appointed as a civil judge
in Pakistan. The country’s first judge from the Hindu community was Justice Rana
Bhagwandas, who served as the acting Chief Justice for brief periods between 2005 and 2007.

41. Gita Gopinath has joined International Monetary Fund as its chief economist. She is
the first woman to occupy the post of chief economist of IMF. She is the 11th chief economist of
the IMF. She is the second Indian to hold this position after former RBI Governor, Raghuram
Rajan
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9 42. The Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has recommended appointing
Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Sanjiv Khanna as judges of the Supreme
Court.
43. IPS officer Rishi Kumar Shukla has been appointed as the chief of the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) for a fixed tenure of two years.
44. The President has appointed Sushil Chandra as the new Election Commissioner.
45. Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has been appointed as an ambassador of Swasth
Immunized India campaign.
46. The United Nations has appointed Indian official Chandramouli Ramanathan to one of the
topmost positions in the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and
Compliance (DMSPC).
47. The Supreme Court appointed retired Supreme Court judge Justice D.K.Jain the first
ombudsman under the new BCCI Constitution.

Awards
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1. Mumbai-based eminent neurosurgeon Dr B.K. Misra was named for prestigious Dr B.C. Roy
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National Award for year 2018 as Eminent Medical Person of the Year. It is highest medical
honour of India.
2. Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wongchuk received the Ramon Magsaysay Award,
popularly known as the Asia’s Nobel Prize.
3. Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has chosen Japanese woman swimmer Rikako Ikee as
winner of Most Valuable Player (MVP) Trophy Award in 2018 Jakarta and Palembang
Asian Games. With this, she became first female winner of MVP award.
4. Viswanath Anand was conferred the “Order of Friendship” by the Russian
Federation at the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Chennai.
5. “Game of Thrones”, a fantasy epic won the coveted best drama series prize at
the Emmys. Game of Thrones won 9 awards. Matthew Rhys won for best drama actor
for spy thriller "The Americans," Claire Foy was named best drama actress for her portrayal
of Queen Elizabeth II in "The Crown".
6. All-women crew of INSV Tarini has bagged the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National
Adventure award for beating the odds in water with their enduring skills and sailing across
the world for eight months. The award is the highest national recognition for outstanding
achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea and air.
7. Major Aditya Kumar who fired on a stone throwing mob and rifleman Aurangzeb who
was abducted and killed by terrorists, both in Jammu & Kashmir were selected for the
Shaurya Chakra on the eve of Independence Day.
8. Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and world champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu
received the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. Star javelin thrower Neeraj
Chopra was among 20 sportspersons picked for the Arjuna Awards.
9. “Village Rockstars”, an Assamese language feature film by National Award-winning
filmmaker Rima Das, was selected as India’s official entry for the best foreign
language film category of the 2019 Academy (Oscar) Awards
10. PM Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron are among the six
leaders who jointly got the Champions of the Earth Award. Prime Minister Narendra

Modi has been awarded with the UN’s highest environmental honour, bestowed upon five
other individuals and organisations, for his leadership of the International Solar Alliance and
pledge to eliminate single use plastic in India by 2022.
11. The Fields Medal often described as the Nobel Prize of Mathematics is awarded once in four
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years. This year’s recipients include Akshay Venkatesh, an Indian-origin Mathematician,
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Peter Scholze, Caucher Birkar and Alessio Figalli. It was awarded at the International
Congress of Mathematicians in Rio de Janerio.
12. On 20th August 2018, former West Bengal Governor Gopalakrishna Gandhi was
awarded the 24th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award on the occasion of 74th birth
anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in New Delhi.
13. United States Government has awarded Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander)
to General Dalbir Singh Suhag (Retired) of Indian Army. The award was given to
Singh for his exceptionally meritorious service as Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) from August
2014 to December 2016.
14. Ace Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra and still India’s only individual Olympic gold
medallist was awarded coveted International Shooting Sport Federation. ISSF) Blue Cross.
With this, Bindra is the first Indian to be awarded the Blue Cross.
15. Noted English writer Amitav Ghosh has been selected this year’s Jnanpith Award, a
literary award given to an author for “outstanding contribution towards
literature”.
16. The central government has launched Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan
Puraskaar annual awards to recognise the excellent work done by individuals and
institutions in the country in the field of disaster management.
17. Kathak exponent Anindita Neogy Anaam has been honoured with the prestigious National
Nritya Shiromani award for her contribution towards preserving and promoting
the dance form across the world.
18. The Hindu Literary Prize 2018 was awarded to English writer Neelum Saran Gour,
author of Requiem in Raga Janki, bagged The Hindu Prize 2018 for Fiction. Activist
Manoranjan Byapari, author of “Interrogating my Chandal Life: An Autobiography
of a Dalit”, bagged The Hindu Prize 2018 for non-fiction.
19. This year, the President of India has approved conferment of 112 Padma Awards. The
list comprises 4 Padma Vibhushan, 14 Padma Bhushan and 94 Padma Shri

Awards. 21 of the awardees are women and the list also include 11 persons from the
category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI, 3 Posthumous awardees and 1 transgender person.
20. India’s highest peacetime gallantry honour, Ashoka Chakra was awarded to Lance
Naik Nazir Wani posthumously. Lance Naik Nazir Wani also holds the distinction of being
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the first Kashmiri to be conferred the Ashoka Chakra. Lance Naik Nazir Wani single-handedly
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killed two terrorists during the Shopian operation and injured a third one despite receiving
serious injuries.
21. Eminent writer Gita Mehta who is the sister of Odisha CM, Naveen Patnaik
declined to accept the Padma Shri award stating that the timing of the award
might be misconstrued.
22. Renowned Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam has been selected for 2018 Sangita Kalanidhi
award of Music Academy for her contribution to Carnatic music.
23. Delhi-based environment think-tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)
will be awarded Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development
2018 for its work in environmental education and protection.
24. Harvard University (US) has selected Nobel Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai for its
2018 Gleitsman Award in recognition of her work promoting girls’ education.
25. Chairman of IT major Wipro and philanthropist Azim Premji was bestowed with highest
French civilian distinction Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion
of Honour). He was awarded for his outstanding contribution to developing information
technology industry in India, his economic outreach in France and his contribution to society
as philanthropist through the Azim Premji Foundation and Azim Premji University.
26. Immunologists James Allison [US] and Tasuku Honjo [Japan] won the 2018 Nobel
Medicine Prize for research on cancer treatment. The award was specifically given for
their discovery of Immune checkpoint therapy i.e. cancer therapy by inhibition of negative
immune regulation. It was announced by Nobel Assembly at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
27. The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to William
Nordhaus and Paul Romer for integrating innovation and climate with economic
growth. While, Nordhaus was specifically honoured for integrating climate change into
long-run macroeconomic analysis, Romer won the prize for integrating technological
innovations into long-run macroeconomic analysis.
28. Arthur Ashkin [US], Gerard Mourou [France] and Donna Strickland [Canada] who
invented lasers used in corrective eye surgery instruments won the Nobel Prize for Physics.

Strickland became the third woman to win a Nobel Physics Prize after Marie Curie
and Maria Geoppert Mayer. She also created history by becoming the first woman in 55
years to receive this prestigious prize. Gerard Mourou and Donna Strickland who received
half of the prize were jointly awarded for their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-
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short optical pulses. Ashkin is now the oldest person to win a Nobel. He invented
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“optical tweezers” that grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells, received the
other half of the prize.
29. The Noble Committee picked Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi activist
Nadia Murad for 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. Nadia Murad has become the first Iraqi
citizen to win Nobel Prize. She was kidnapped, enslaved and raped by Islamic State
Militants in Mosul in 2014; she later became an advocate for the Yazidi minority in Iraq. Dr.
Mukwege is a Gynecologist in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who along with his
colleagues has treated tens of thousands of victims of sexual violence. They were honoured
for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
30. Guadeloupean author Maryse Conde won an alternative award formed in protest of the
Nobel Literature Prize. The New Academy Prize in Literature was formed in protest to
denounce what its founders called the “bias, arrogance and sexism” of the Swedish
Academy, which selects Nobel Laureates.
31. Anna Burns won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for fiction ‘Milkman’, a vibrant,
violent story about men, women, conflict and power set during Northern Ireland’s years of
Catholic – Protestant violence.
32. The Cochin International Airport also received the UN Award for “Entrepreneurial
Vision and for its leadership in the use of sustainable Energy”.
33. PM Narendra Modi was conferred the Champion of the Earth Award by United
Nations Secretary General Antiono Gueterres at ceremony in Delhi. He is among the six
winners who received this award. PM Modi was jointly awarded this award along
with French President Emmanuel Macron under the ‘Political Leadership’
category for their work in championing International Solar Alliance (ISA) and
promoting new areas of cooperation on environmental action.
34. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently conferred Swachh Survekshan Grameen Awards
2018 to top ranked states and districts. Haryana was ranked as best State, Satara
District of Maharashtra was ranked as best district.

35. The Madhya Pradesh Government has conferred the annual Tansen Samman upon
eminent Sitar Player Manju Mehta for her contribution in the field of Hindustani
Classical Music.
36. Kathak exponent Anindita Neogy Anaam has been honoured with the prestigious National
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Nritya Shiromani award for her contribution towards preserving and promoting
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the dance form across the world.
37. Sikkim was awarded UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Future Policy
Gold Award (Gold Prize) for its achievement in becoming the world’s first totally
organic agriculture state. Sikkim beat out 51 other nominees from around the world for
the award.
38. MS Swaminathan was awarded the first World Agriculture Prize for his
contributions to Indian agriculture by Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu. The prize money
of $1,00,000 (₹73,45,500), instituted by the nongovernmental Indian Council of Food and
Agriculture,
39. Eminent jurist Fali S. Nariman was awarded 19th Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award
for Excellence in Public Administration.
40. Seoul Peace Prize Committee has decided to confer 2018 Seoul Peace Prize on Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. He is the fourteenth recipient of this award.
41. Asma Jehangir, Pakistan’s late human Rights activist was one of the recipients of The
United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights (UN Human Rights Prize)
42. Kannada author Jayant Kanikini along with translator Tejaswini Niranjana, won
the prestigious DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for the book, “No Presents
Pleases”: Mumbai stories for 2018.
43. The ICC awards recognize and honour the best international cricket players of the previous
12 months. Virat Kohli bagged three prestigious awards namely; Sir Garfield
Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year, ICC Men’s Test Player of the Year
and ICC ODI Player of the Year. ICC Emerging Player of the Year was awarded to
Rishabh Pant.
44. The Nation’s highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna has been conferred on former President
Pranab Mukherjee along with social activist Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumous) and
Assamese musician Bhupen Hazarika (posthumous)
45. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded first ever Philip Kotler Presidential
Award.

46. Behrouz Boochani, an Iranian asylum-seeker detained in Papua New Guinea under
Australian asylum laws has won the Victorian Prize for Literature. Behrouz Boochani was
awarded for his work “No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison”.
47. Father Franois Laborde a 92-year-old priest from Bengal was conferred with Légion
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d’Honneur (Legion of Honour) in recognition of his work for specially abled and
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destitute children.
48. Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro Ltd will be felicitated with the Ernst & Young Lifetime
Achievement Award.
49. Netflix drama 'Roma' won the top prize at the 72nd edition of the British Academy
of Film and Television Arts or BAFTA awards.
50. The CEO and Managing director of Eicher Motors, Siddhartha Lal has been named the
EY Entrepreneur of the Year for 2018 on 12th February 2019 in Mumbai.
51. The 61st GRAMMY Awards were held on February 10, 2019, at Staples Center in Los
Angeles. The winners are: Record of the Year: THIS IS AMERICA. Album of the Year:
GOLDEN HOUR. Song of The Year: THIS IS AMERICA. Best Pop Solo Performance:
JOANNE (WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOIN’?) Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
SHALLOW.
52. Indian historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam has won prestigious Dan David Prize of
Israel for the year 2019 for his work on inter-cultural encounters between
Asians, Europeans and people of North and South America during the early
modern era.
53. The Laureus World Sports Awards 2019 were presented on 18 February 2019 to honour
the greatest sporting achievements of 2018 and celebrate the power of sport to change the
world. Awardees of Laureus World Sports Awards 2019 Sportsman of the Year: Novak
Djokovic, (Serbia) Tennis. Sportswoman of the Year: Simone Biles (USA) Gymnastics.
Comeback of the Year: Tiger Woods (USA) Golf. Breakthrough of the Year: Naomi
Osaka (Japan) Tennis. Team of the Year: France World Cup Team (France) Football
54. The 91st Academy Awards (commonly known as Oscars), presented by the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2018,
on February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
It was the first ceremony in three decades, since the 61st Academy Awards in 1989,
to be conducted with no host.

55. Bohemian Rhapsody won the most awards in total with 4, while Roma, Green
Book, and Black Panther won 3 awards each.
56. India-set short film, “Period. End of Sentence.”, a short documentary film based
on menstruation won the Oscar for “Best Documentary Short” category. It is directed
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by Iranian-American film director, Rayka Zehtabchi.
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57. Best Picture was won by ‘Green Book’. Rami Malek was adjudged Best actor for
the movie Bohemian Rhapsody. While, Olivia Colman won the Best actress award
for the movie, ‘The Favourite’.
58. Roma” created history by becoming the first Mexican feature to win “Best Foreign
Film” Oscar.
59. The first Sheikh Saud International Prize for Materials Research has been
awarded to C N R Rao. The award was presented to Rao by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al
Qasimi ruler of Ras Al Khaimah emirate during the International Workshop on Advanced
Materials at Ras Al Khaimah on February 25.
60. Dr Divya Karnad, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Ashoka University has
been awarded the prestigious Global Future For Nature Award 2019 for her work
on marine conservation

International Summits
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17
S No Summit Place Date
1. NATO Summit 11th & 12th of July
Brussels
2. 6th Biennial World Cities Singapore July 8 to 12, 2018.
Summit
3. Russian President Vladimir Helsinki, Finland July 16th
Putin and U.S. President
Donald Trump held their
first official summit.
4. The fourth Bay of Bengal Kathmandu, August 30,31 2018
Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Nepal.
Technical and Economic
Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
summit
5. The International Buddhist New Delhi 23-26 august 2018
Conclave (IBC)
6. 2 + 2 dialogue between New Delhi September 6th
India and the US
7. The 3rd summit between Pyongyong September 18-20 2018
the North and South
Korean leaders Kim Jong-
Un and Moon-Jae-In
8. India and Russia summit New Delhi 5th October
9. The annual bilateral summit of Japan 28, 29 October 2018
India –Japan.
10. 33rd edition of ASEAN Singapore 11 to 15 November
(Association of Southeast 2018.

Asian Nations) Summit.
11. 13th edition of Meeting of Buenos Aires, 30 November 2018 and

the Heads of State of G20 Argentina 1 December 2018.
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18 12. The 4th Arab Economic and Beirut, Lebanon. January 20th 2019
Social Development
Summit
13. World Hindu Congress Chicago 10th September 2018
14. World Government Dubai, United Arab 10th – 12th February
Summit Emirates (UAE) 2019
15. Indian History Congress Bhopal Madhya 9th – 20th January 2019
(IHC Pradesh.
16. The 24th meeting of Katowice, 3rd to 14th December

Conference of Parties Poland.
(COP-24) to United Nations
Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC)
17. BRICS Summit 2018 Johannesburg, 25-27th July
South Africa
S No Upcoming Summits in 2019 Place Date

1 BRICS Brazil
2. G7 Biarritz, Nouvelle- August 25th – 27th
Aquitaine France
3. G 20 Japan 28–29 June
4. ADB(Asian Development Nadi,Fiji
Bank)
5. APEC Chile
6. NAM Azerbaijan
7. NATO London, England December
8 World Tamil Conference Chicago July 4 – 7th
(WTC)

IMPORTANT NEWS - INDIA
1. The 42nd session of World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting of United

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Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held in
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Manama, Bahrain has inscribed four cultural sites on the World Heritage
List. These four cultural sites are Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble
of Mumbai (India), Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars region
(Iran), Hidden Christian Sites in Nagasaki Region (Japan) and Sansa,
Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea.
2. Indigenous fighter aircraft Tejas of No 45 Squadron (The Flying Daggers)
of Indian Air Force (IAF) has formally commenced operations from Sulur Air
Force station in Tamil Nadu.
3. The Law Commission of India (LCI) in its report “Legal Framework: Gambling
and Sports Betting including Cricket in India”, has recommended that
gambling and betting on sports be allowed as regulated activities. It
recommended number of changes in law for regulating betting for
making it taxable under direct and indirect tax regimes and used as
source for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). The Law commission is
led by former Supreme Court Justice B.S. Chauhan. According to him,
cashless gambling in sports will be a means to increase revenue and a deal a
blow to unlawful gambling. The money generated could be used for public
welfare measures.
4. The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has granted
Institution of Eminence (IoE) status to six educational institutions. It
includes 3 institutions from Public Sector and 3 from Private Sector. They were
selected by Empowered Expert Committee headed by former Chief Election
Commissioner, N. Gopalaswami. Public Sector: Indian
Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru (Karnataka); Indian Institute
of Technology (IIT), Bombay (Maharashtra) and IIT, Delhi. Private
Sector: Birla Institute of Technology & Sciences, Pilani (Rajashtan);
Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal (Karnataka) and
proposed Jio Institute of Reliance Foundation in Pune (Maharashtra)

under Green Field Project.
5. Gujarat Government has granted religious minority status to Jews
living in the state. In this regard, State’s Department of Social Justice and
Empowerment has issued GO to this effect. Gujarat is third state in India to
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grant religious minority status after West Bengal and Maharashtra.
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6. The Union Cabinet approved proposal of renaming Agartala Airport in
Tripura as ‘Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore Airport, Agartala.
7. Andhra Pradesh Government has launched 60 Anna Canteens across
the state in the first phase to provide subsidised food to urban poor.
8. On July 17, 2018, BSE building Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Towers located on
Dalal Street, in Mumbai got its trademark under Trade Marks Act, 1999 by
the government.
9. The West Bengal Assembly passed a resolution to rename West Bengal
as ‘Bangla.
10. Satyarup Siddhanta has become second Indian mountaineer after Malli
Mastan Babu to climb Mt Ojos del Salado (6893 m), the highest volcano in the
world.
11. In recently released Global Innovation Index (GII) 2018, India was ranked
57th among 130 countries.
12. According to updated World Bank figures on GDP of countries for 2017, India
has become world’s sixth-biggest economy surpassing France to
seventh place.
13. According to Asian Development Bank (ADB), India will continue to be
fastest growing major economy, ahead of China, with growth rate of
7.3% n 2018-19 and 7.6% in 2019-20.
14. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued new Rs. 100 denomination
banknotes in lavender colour in Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series. The
front side of new Rs. 100 note depicts Mahatma Gandhi’s face and
back side features motif of “RANI KI VAV”, highlighting the country’s
cultural heritage. Rani ki Vav, a UNESCO world heritage step-well site in
Patan, Gujarat.
15. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated ‘Dharohar Bhawan’ – the new
headquarters building of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at 24,

Tilak Marg in New Delhi.
16. The Ease of Living Index an initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs (MoHUA) released its first ever Ease of Living Index report. Pune
ranked first followed by Navi Mumbai and Greater Mumbai. Patna
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ranked lowest of 111 cities.
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17. The 72nd Independence Day was celebrated on 15th August. Addressing
the nation from the Red Fort, PM Narendra Modi announced the launch date
as September 25th for his ambitious health insurance scheme the Pradhan
Mantri Jan Aarogya Abhiyan (PMJAA). Further, he also announced the
permanent commission for women officers on short service commission
in the uniformed services and plans for manned space mission by 2022.
18. In the memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Chhattisgarh
Government has decided to rename Naya Raipur as Atal Nagar.
19. Axis Bank became first bank in the country to introduce Iris Scan
Authentication feature for Aadhaar-based transactions through its micro ATM
tablets.
20. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) unveiled details of its first
indigenous human space mission dubbed as Gaganyaan to be launched in
2022. This will be the first human space mission to be indigenously developed
by ISRO. If successful, India will become fourth nation in the world to send
astronaut into space after US, Russia and China.
21. According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, Mauritius was top source
of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India in 2017-18 followed by
Singapore.
22. The Odisha State Assembly has passed resolution seeking creation of
Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad or second house of legislature).
23. Rajasthan becomes the first state to implement Centre’s ‘Biofuel Policy.
For this Rajasthan has established a Centre of Excellence in Udaipur to
promote research in alternate fuels and energy sources. To expand ethanol
production, it has allowed using sugarcane juice and starch containing
materials for production of ethanol. The state installed a biodiesel plant of
capacity of 8 tonnes a day with the financial assistance of Indian Railways.
24. Ranjit Srivastava has developed Rashmi, India’s first humanoid robot, which

can speak Hindi, Bhojpuri, Marathi and English. Ranjit Srivastava claimed
Rashmi as the world’s first Hindi speaking realistic humanoid robot and India’s
first lip-synching robot.
25. ISRO’s Aditya-L1 mission, India’s first mission to study the solar corona, is
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planned to be launched in 2019-2020, by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-
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XL) from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
26. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will have a yearlong Vikram
Sarabhai centenary year celebration starting from August to honour the
visionary scientist and legendary founding father. It also plans to roll out a
dedicated ISRO TV channel.
27. India’s first flight using biofuel will fly from Dehradun (capital of
Uttarakhand) to Delhi. The first ever biofuel test flight was conducted by
Spice Jet on its turborporp Q-400 plane. With this India will join elite club of
nations who have operated flight on alternative energy source like biofuel.
28. Mukesh Ambani-led oil-to-telecom behemoth Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL)
became first Indian company to cross Rs 8 lakh crore ($114 billion)
market capitalisation
29. Idea Cellular has merged Vodafone India with itself to create the
country’s largest telco with a subscriber base of 408 million overtaking Bharti
Airtel. The merged entity Vodafone Idea Ltd will have Kumara Mangalam
Birla as the Chairman and the board has appointed Balesh Sharma as the
CEO.
30. . Amidst much fanfare, PM Narendra Modi launched the India Post Payment
Bank (IPPB), a financial service provider that will operate under the
country’s age-old postal department. The Government owned payments
bank will be able to accept deposits of up to one lakh from customers.
31. The Union Government has proposed the amalgamation of Bank of Baroda,
Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank. This move has been proposed with aim to
revive the stressed banking sector through consolidation. The merged new
entity will become India’s third largest bank after SBI and ICICI. Post
this merger, number of PSU banks will come down to 19 from 21.
32. Election Commission of India (EC) had removed NOTA (None of the Above)
option from ballot papers of Rajya Sabha, Legislative Council elections

following directive of Supreme Court. The NOTA option henceforth will be only
available in direct elections such as Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.
33. Sikkim became the part of India’s aviation map as Prime Minister Narendra
Modi inaugurated the state’s first airport at Pakyong on 24 September
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2018. This airport also got the distinction of the 100th operational airport
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of India. The airport is spread over 201 acres and is located on top of a hill
about two km from Pakyong village, at 4,500 feet above sea level.
34. India ranks 158th position in the world for its investments in
education and healthcare according to the first-ever scientific study
ranking countries for their levels of investment in human capital. The
study places Finland at the top.
35. India had launched massive humanitarian operation Samudra Maitri to
provide assistance to earthquake and tsunami victims in Indonesia.
36. Mumbai is likely to get Uber air taxies by 2023.
37. Tamil Nadu Government has issued order banning manufacture, sale and
possession of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) or e-
Cigarettes with immediate effect.
38. Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has mandatory for unlisted public
companies to issue new shares or transfer of all shares in dematerialised or
demat (i.e. in electronic form) form beginning October 2, 2018.
39. PM Narendra Modi launched the mega healthcare scheme “Ayushman
Bharat”, also known as the Pradhan Mantri – Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-
JAY) from Ranchi. The scheme provides an annual coverage of Rs.5
Lakhs per family for nearly 1350 diseases. The scheme aims to reach out to
500 million people. PMJAY will provide cashless and paperless access to
services for the beneficiary at the point of service.
40. Odisha’s second airport – Jharsuguda was inaugurated by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on 22 September 2018. It is state’s second operational airport
after capital Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport.
41. Village Rockstars”, an Assamese language feature film by National Award-
winning filmmaker Rima Das, was selected as India’s official entry for the
best foreign language film category of the 2019 Academy (Oscar)
Awards

42. A special court to try the criminal cases relating to elected Members
of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the Legislative Assembly
(MLAs) was inaugurated on the Chennai Collectorate campus.
43. In the Barclays Hurun India Rich List 2018, a compilation of the
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individuals in India having a net worth of Rs.1000/- crores or more, Mukesh
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Ambani was declared the richest individual for the seventh
consecutive year.
44. President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent Karnataka Good Samaritan
and Medical Professional (Protection and Regulation during
Emergency Situations) Bill, 2016 under Article 200 of Constitution.
45. The inauguration of the first general assembly of the International Solar
Alliance [ISA] took place in New Delhi on October 2nd. UN Secretary
Antonio Guterres was present at the occasion. The International Solar Alliance
was launched in 2015 and is head-quartered in India. About 70 countries
have signed its framework agreement and 44 have ratified it.
46. The same event also marked inauguration of second Indian Ocean Rim
Association (IORA) Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting and
second Global RE-Invest Renewable Energy Investors’ Meet and
Expo).
47. India was elected to the United Nations’ top human rights body, the
United Nations Human rights Council, UNHRC for a period of three
years beginning from January 1, 2019.
48. India has been ranked at the 103rd position among 119 countries in the
Global Hunger Index prepared by Welthungerhilfe together with Concern
Worldwide.
India is among the 45 countries that have “serious levels of hunger.” India is
ranked below many neighbouring countries, including China, Nepal Myanmar
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh .
49. India’s longest river bridge with total length of 19.3 kilometres will be built on
Brahmaputra river in Assam. This bridge will connect Dhubri of Assam
to Fulbarani of Meghalaya. This bridge will reduce the distance between
these two places by 203 kms and also travel time. At present, India’s largest

river bridge is Dhola-Sadia bridge, its length is 9.15 kilometres.
50. India railways announced its plan to link New Delhi and Ladakh by means of a
railway line that will run along the India-China Border. The proposed
Bilaspur-Manali-Leh Line would be the world’s highest railway line
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once launched.
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51. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the world’s tallest statue to honour the Iron
Man of India – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on 31st October. The statue is
called the statue of Unity, as a tribute to the leader who united India. It
measures about 182 metres and stands on Sadhu Bet island near Sardar
Sarovar Dam, Gujarat. It was built at a cost of Rs. 2,989 crore and
was built by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in 33 months.
52. Avni, the tigress that is said to have killed 13 villagers was shot dead near
Barati village in Yavatmal in Maharashtra by a team of Forest Department
Officials and civilian hunter Asghar Ali Khan, son of Nawab Shafat Ali Khan.
53. The Union Cabinet has approved renaming of Jharsuguda Airport in
Odisha as “Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda” after Veer Surendra
Sai who is well known freedom fighter of Odisha
54. Odisha Government has launched Saura Jalnidhi scheme to encourage
use of solar energy in irrigation by farmers.
55. Maharashtra state cabinet approved plan for conversion of Indian Navy’s
longest-serving aircraft carrier INS Viraat, into India’s first-ever moored
maritime museum-cum-marine adventure centre. At present, INS Viraat
is at Mumbai’s Naval dockyard after it was decommissioned in 2017.
56. On November 4, 2018, First Lady of the Republic of Korea, Her
Excellency Mrs. Kim Jung-Sook visited India on a four-day visit. She
inaugurated a park in Ayodhya dedicated to Indian-born Korean Queen Heo
Hwang-ok at Queen Huh park in Ayodhya
57. Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow was renamed after
former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, just a day before it is scheduled
to hold its first international T20 match between India and West Indies.
58. V.P Venkaiah Naidu unveiled a national war memorial for Indian soldiers to
recognise the sacrifice and contributions of a million soldiers of undivided
India in World war I. This is the second overseas memorial for Indian

soldiers. The first one is the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium which is in
recognition of 130000 Indian soldiers who fought in WWI in Belgium.
59. Uttar Pradesh Government has approved renaming of Faizabad and
Allahabad divisions as Ayodhya and Prayagraj respectively.
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60. National Education Day of India is celebrated every year on 11
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November to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad, the first education Minister of independent India.
61. Communication satellite GSAT-29 was launched successfully by the
second developmental flight of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark
III (GSLV MKIII-D2) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR,
Sriharikota.
62. 49th International Film Festival of India began in Panaji, capital of
Goa. The theme of for this year’s film festival is New India through a variety
of genres of cinema, including history, action, romance and sports.
63. “Gaja” was the name given to the severe cyclonic storm that hit
Tamil Nadu with huge intensity on 16 November 2018. The districts affected
by this storm are Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Ramanathapuram and
Pudukottai
64. Shri Ramayana Express, a special tourist train to run on Ramayana circuit
to cover major spots related to Hindu epic was flagged off by Indian Railway
from Safdarjung Railway Station, New Delhi. The pilgrimage circuit of Shri
Ramayana Yatra will have two travel components — one each in India and Sri
Lanka. In India, after leaving New Delhi, 800-seat Shri Ramayana Express will
make its first stop in Ayodhya followed by Hanuman Garhi Ramkot and Kanak
Bhawan temple. Then it covers important destinations of Ramayana circuit
such as Nandigram, Sitamarhi, Janakpur, Varanasi, Prayag, Shringverpur,
Chitrakoot, Nasik, Hampi and Rameswaram.
65. The National Press Day (NPD) is celebrated every year on November
16 as symbolic of free and responsible press in India.
66. West Bengal Assembly unanimously passed West Bengal Land
Reforms (Amendment) Bill, 2018 to give land rights to enclave
dwellers in north Bengal. The bill will end era of uncertain future for the
people residing in those enclaves as it will help them to get full-fledged status

as citizens of India, along with all civic amenities and rights. It will also help in
distribution of land rights documents people of enclaves in border district of
Cooch Behar.
67. 27th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change held in New Delhi
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has urged advanced countries to enhance their support to developing nations
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in effectively implementing Paris Agreement to combat climate change. BASIC
countries comprise Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
68. On November 19, 2018, Maharashtra government led by CM Devendra
Fadnavis passed the Maratha Reservation Bill. As per the bill, Maharashtra
will create a new category called SEBC (socially and educationally backward
class) in order to give reservation.
69. On November 25, 2018, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unveiled a 70-feet
tall statue of Lord Buddha at Rajgir in Nalanda district in Bihar.
70. On November 26, 2018, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath unveiled
the finalized details for the construction of a 221-metre long bronze statue
of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. While the height of the actual statue would be
151 metres, its overhead umbrella would be 20 metres while the pedestal
would be 50 metres
71. The Constitution Day of India (or Samvidhan Diwas) is observed
every year on 26th November to mark the anniversary of adoption of
Constitution
72. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu laid foundation stone for construction of
Kartarpur Sahib corridor on Indian side at Mann village in Gurdaspur
district. Punjab. The corridor will provide visa free passage to Indian Sikh
pilgrims to visit holy site of Gurudwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan.
73. Japanese electronics company ‘CASIO’ has launched world’s first Goods
and Services Tax (GST) calculator in India for simplify the GST
calculations for tax payers.
74. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched
country’s first advance earth observation satellite Hyper Spectral
Imaging Satellite
HysIS) along with 30 other satellites from eight countries. These satellites
were launched on board of ISRO’s workhorse PSLV-C43 from Satish Dhawan

Space centre.
75. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was the chief guest at India’s
70th Republic Day celebrations on 26 January 2019.
76. India’s first indigenously designed locomotive-less (engine less) train known as
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Train 18, breached the 180 kmph speed limit during test run in Kota- Sawai
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Madhopur section. This train is the country’s fastest train. It is touted as
next generation Shatabdi Express.
77. Indian Navy Day is observed annually on 4 December to celebrate
magnificence, achievements and role of naval force of the country.
78. India will host G20 Summit In 2022, when it celebrates its 75th year
of Independence.
79. India’s heaviest and most advanced communication satellite GSAT-11
was launched from the European spaceport at Kourou in French
Guiana in the early hours of 5 December 2018. GSAT- also called Big
Bird has been indigenously developed by ISRO. It was placed into its orbit by
Ariane 5 VA246 rocket of the European Space Agency. The 5,854-kg GSAT-11,
built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is expected to enable
much faster Internet services than now to users down home over the next 15
years. It will play a vital role in providing broadband services across the
country. It will also provide a platform to demonstrate new generation
applications.
80. Himachal Pradesh became the first Indian state to launch a single
emergency number "112" which will connect to police, fire, health and
other helplines through an Emergency Response Centre (ERC) in the state.
81. Union Minister Suresh Prabhu and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
inaugurated the Kannur International Airport in Malabar area of Kerala
state on 9 December 2018. With this the total number of international
airports in Kerala rose to four and thus becoming the first state in India to
have earned this distinction.
82. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched
country’s first advance earth observation satellite Hyper Spectral
Imaging Satellite
HysIS) along with 30 other satellites from eight countries. These satellites

were launched on board of ISRO’s workhorse PSLV-C43 from Satish Dhawan
Space centre.
83. In a surprising development RBI Governor Urjit Patel resigned from his
post with immediate effect on 10 December 2018
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84. According to World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief, India will
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retain its position as world’s top recipient of remittances in 2018,
receiving a total remittance of $80 billion from its diaspora. India is followed
by China ($67 billion), Mexico and Philippines.
85. Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly Election, 2018 was held on 28
November 2018 in a single phase. The election resulted in win of Indian
National Congress and consequently, senior congress leader Kamal Nath
was selected to be Chief Minister of the state.
86. Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Election, 2018 was held on 7 December
2018 in a single phase. Indian National Congress won the election and, senior
congress leader Ashok Gehlot was selected to be Chief Minister of the
state. Sachin Pilot has been selected to be deputy chief minister of
the state for the first time.
87. Punjab Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution for seeking
30% reservation for women in Parliament and State legislative
assembly.
88. Mr. Zoramthanga has been sworn in as the Mizoram’s new chief
minister of Mizoram. Zoramthanga belongs to the Mizo National Front
(MNF).
89. Bhupesh Baghel, who is also the president of Chhattisgarh Pradesh
Congress Committee, will be the new chief minister of Chhattisgarh
state.
90. On 15 December 2018, Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal dedicated
India’s first railway university to the Nation in Vadodara. The Railway
University will be first of its kind institution in the nation and the third in the
world after Russia and China. It is named as the National Rail and
Transportation Institution (NRTI).
91. The Union Government has notified Flight and Maritime Connectivity Rules,
2018, thereby allowing phone calls and internet on flights and ship

voyage within India’s territory.
92. The Delhi High Court convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984
anti-Sikh riot case. In convicting Sajjan Kumar, the high court overturned a
lower court order that had acquitted the Congress leader in the case. The
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Delhi High Court also sentenced Sajjan Kumar to life in prison.
30
93. Cyclone “Phetai” made a landfall in East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh
on 17th December.
94. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the
communication satellite GSAT-7A on 19th December 2018 from the
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. GSAT-7A
weighing 2250 kg was launched using Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle (GSLV-F11).
95. Union home ministry notification has authorised 10 Central agencies to
intercept, monitor and decrypt “any information generated, transmitted,
received or stored in any computer”.
96. PM Modi on 24th December 2018, a day before Vajpayee’s 94th birth
anniversary released a commemorative coin worth Rs 100 in honour of
former prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
97. PM Modi announced setting up of a Chair on the Paika Rebellion, in Utkal
University, Bhubaneswar. He also released a commemorative stamp and
coin on the Paika Rebellion.
98. The GST rate on 23 goods and services has been reduced by the GST Council
on 22nd December 2018. These goods include movie tickets, TV and monitor
screens, power banks and others. After this reduction, only 28 goods are
left in the highest tax bracket of 28 percent and includes cement, sin
goods (tobacco, alcohol), auto parts and luxury goods such as Air Conditioner
and dishwasher. The new GST rates will be applicable from 1st of January
2019.
99. Sadaiv Atal, the Samadhi of Atal Bihari Vajpayee was dedicated to the Nation
on the birth Anniversary of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. To
emphasise on the unity in diversity, stones from various parts of the country
have been used in the construction of Samadhi near Rajghat in New Delhi.
100. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched the ‘Bharat

Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Schools’ for students in rural
areas on the 94th birth anniversary of the late prime minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee.
101. India celebrated 22nd December 2018 as the National Mathematics
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Srinivasa Ramanujan.
102. India has successfully test-fired nuclear-capable long-range ballistic
missile Agni-IV from the Dr Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha. It was the
7th trial of Agni-IV missile.
103. The central government has launched Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda
Prabandhan Puraskaar annual awards to recognise the excellent work done
by individuals and institutions in the country in the field of disaster
management.
104. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up an expert committee, headed by
its former governor Bimal Jalan, to suggest how the central bank should
handle its reserves and whether it can transfer its surplus to the government.
The committee will submit its report within 90 days of its first meeting.
105. The new government of Rajasthan has abolished the condition of a
minimum educational qualification to contest local body elections. As
per the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Amendment Bill 2015, Candidates were:
Required to have passed Class X for contesting municipal elections, Class VIII
for contesting panchayat polls for the post of a sarpanch, and Class X for
contesting zila parishad or panchayat samiti elections.
106. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the renaming of three islands in
Andaman & Nicobar archipelago as a tribute to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
The Ross island was renamed as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
Dweep, the Neil Islands as Shaheed Dweep and the Havelock islands
as Swaraj Dweep.
107. PM Modi inaugurated the Bogibeel Bridge on the birth anniversary of the
late Atal Bihari Vajpayee i.e. December 25 which is observed as “Good
Governance Day’. This 4.9 km-long bridge is the nation’s only fully welded
bridge. The Bogibeel Bridge connects the southern bank of the Brahmaputra
River in Assam’s Dibrugarh district with Silapathar in Dhemaji district,
bordering Arunachal Pradesh.

108. India’s Arunima Sinha has become the first woman amputee to have
climbed Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica.
109. Presidential notification was issued on the 26th December, declaring
constitution of AP High Court at Amaravathi and its functioning from
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January 1,2019. Until 2018, cases of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
32
were being heard by the high court at Hyderabad. The court will function from
a temporary structure till a permanent building comes up in the Justice City
complex in Amaravati. The new High Court will be India’s 25th High Court.
110. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has declared 6 monuments as
Monuments of national importance in 2018. Monuments of national
importance declared are: Old High Court Building in Nagpur,
Maharashtra Haveli of Agha Khan in Agra Haveli of Hathi Khana in
Agra Neemrana Baori in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, Group of Temples
at Ranipur Jharail in Odisha’s Bolangir district Vishnu Temple in
Kotali, Pithoragarh district, Uttarkhand.
111. On 1st January, around 30 lakh women stood shoulder to shoulder to form
Vanitha Mathil, “women’s wall” that ran across the length of Kerala. The
wall stretched from Kasaragod in the north to Thiruvananthapuram in
the south for about 620 Kms.
112. Andhra Pradesh has topped the Ease of Doing Business rankings.
Maharashtra and Delhi came in second and third place respectively. The Asia
competitiveness institute (ACI) has released the Ease of Doing Business
Rankings for Indian states.
113. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for the Mandal
Dam Project on the North Koel River. The Mandal Dam Project would be
boon for both Bihar and Jharkhand.
114. Shah Faesal, the J &K resident who topped the IAS examination in
2010 resigned from the Indian Administrative Services citing the
marginalisation of Muslims and continued killings in the State as
reason.
115. The Chief Minister of Sikkim Pawan Kumar Chamling has announced the One
family one job scheme to provide employment to the youth of
Sikkim.

116. The Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.2 per cent in the
financial year 2018-19 which is higher than the 6.7 per cent GDP
growth in the previous year as per the first advance estimates of
National Income for 2018-19 released by The Central Statistics
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Office (CSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
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Implementation.
117. World's largest science meet 'Indian Science Congress (ISC)-2019' was held
from 3rd to 7th January 2019, in Jalandhar, Punjab.
118. The Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) court in Mumbai has declared
Vijay Mallya as a Fugitive Economic Offender. Vijay Mallya is the first
businessman to be charged under the new fugitive economic
offender’s Act 2018. According to the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act,
2018 a fugitive economic offender is a person against whom an arrest warrant
has been issued for his or her involvement in economic offences involving at
least Rs. 100 crore or more and has left India to avoid prosecution.
119. India celebrated Army Day on January 15. Army Day is celebrated to salute
the valiant soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country and its
citizens.
120. The Supreme Court of India had reinstated CBI director Alok Kumar Verma,
setting aside the Centre’s order to divest him of his powers. However,
Alok Verma was removed by the high-powered selection panel after his re-
instatement. He was transferred and made director-general of fire services,
civil defence and home guards, However, Alok Verma resigned following
this transfer.
121. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released the Democracy Index
which ranks 167 countries by 60 indicators across five broad categories. While
Norway was ranked at number 1 position, India was at the 41st place
and was placed in the flawed democracies category.
122. Gulshan Mahal, the elegant 19-century bungalow in South Mumbai, once
known for qawwalis and cultural gatherings will now house the National
Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC). It will showcase 100 years of
Indian cinema. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the museum on 19th
January.

123. The government of West Bengal has decided to exit from the Centre’s
ambitious Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana scheme.
124. The government of Odisha has launched the scheme Ama Ghare LED to
provide LED bulbs at free of cost to about 95 lakh families in the state
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125. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s first mission of 2019 will be to
34
put into space a 130-kg military imaging satellite, Microsat – R.
126. India celebrated National Youth Day on January 12 to commemorate
the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
127. The Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb unveiled the official logo of
Tripura Tea. The Tripura Tea logo features Neermahal, the iconic
landmark.
128. Charge sheets were filed in sedition case against Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar
Khalid under Section 124 A of Indian Penal Code after three years after
“anti-India “slogans were allegedly raised by them on the JNU campus.
129. Sedition charges were also slapped against noted Assamese scholar Hiren
Gohan and two others for remarks made by them against the
proposed citizenship law.
130. National Girl Child Day (NGCD) is celebrated in India on January
24th with an aim to raise awareness about Child Sex Ratio (CSR) levels and
promote the empowerment of girls.
131. India celebrated National Voters Day on 25th January 2019 for enhanced
participation of citizens in the electoral process.
132. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the Kalamsat-V2
from Sriharikota space centre. It is the lightest satellite to be ever built and
launched into orbit and it is also Isro’s first launch of a satellite built by a
private firm.
133. The 15th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) was held at Varanasi on
January 21 - 23, 2019. The theme of the PBD 2019 was “Role of Indian
Diaspora in building a New India.” The Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind
Jugnauth was the chief guest of the event while Himanshu Gulati, member of
Parliament of Norway, was the special guest.
134. Cyril Ramaphosa became the second president from South Africa to grace
the Republic Day celebrations as Chief Guest.

135. An all-woman contingent of the Assam Rifles in the 70th Republic Day
parade created history by walking down Rajpath for the first time.
136. Major Khushboo Kanwar was the all-woman contingent commander of the
Assam Rifles in the Republic Day parade.
Page | 137. The government of West Bengal has announced the Krishak Bandhu
35
scheme to address the farm distress in the state.
138. Jammu & Kashmir became the first State to approve a law to prevent
people in power from exploiting subordinates sexually by amending the Ranbir
Penal Code (RBC) provisions of the law. A new section 354E of the RPC
provides for the offence of “Sextortion”.
139. Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Aparna Kumar who is on deputation to
Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) become the first woman (IPS) and
ITBP officer to successfully conquer the South Pole.
140. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
Museum, Yaad-e-Jallian Museum (museum on the Jallianwala Bagh
and World War I), the Museum on 1857- India’s first war of
Independence, and Drishyakala-Museum on Indian Art within the
Red Fort complex.
141. Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation
(KALIA) is a support scheme of Odisha whose primary targets are
small farmers, cultivators and landless agricultural labourers. The
scheme involves payments to encourage cultivation and associated activities.
142. The traffic police authorities of Pune are planning to introduce a robot named
‘Roadeo’ which would move around city roads, functioning as a quasi-
traffic policeman and cautioning commuters about traffic rules and offences.
143. Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik has given his assent to the
Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2014, providing
reservation for the Pahari community.
144. Eminent writer Gita Mehta who is the sister of Odisha CM, Naveen
Patnaik declined to accept the Padma Shri award stating that the
timing of the award might be misconstrued.
145. India’s fastest indigenous train, Train 18 named as Vande Bharat
Express will ply between Delhi and Varanasi. Train 18 is an indigenously
developed world-class train under Make in India.

146. The Election Commission of India has sought an amendment to the
Representation of People Act 1951 to prevent print media, social media
and other digital platforms from carrying political advertisements in
the last 48 hours before the polling begins.
Page | 147. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National Salt Satyagraha
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Memorial at Dandi in Navsari district, Gujarat.
148. The word Nari Shakti is chosen as the Hindi word of the Year 2018 by
the Oxford dictionaries.
149. The Justice Srikrishna Panel indicted ICICI Chief, Chanda Kochhar of
having violated the code of conduct of the bank, laws and regulations failing
to discharge her fiduciary responsibilities. It may be noted that Kochhar had
resigned in October last year.
150. Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal presented an Interim Budget for
2019 in Parliament on February 1st 2019.
151. Individuals with gross income of ₹5 lakhs are exempt from income tax;
the earlier limit was Rs. 2.5 lakhs.
152. The interim budget 2019 has announced a farm income support scheme PM
Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). Under this scheme the Centre
Government will transfer Rs 6,000 every year to small and marginal
farmers. This scheme will benefit farmers having land ownership less than 2
hectares. The scheme will cost Rs 75,000-crore to the exchequer.
153. The Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal announced the Pradhan Mantri
Shram Yogi Mandhan scheme in the interim budget 2019 for workers in
the unorganised sector. Under the scheme, an assured monthly pension of Rs
3,000 per month will be provided to workers in the unorganised sector after
60 years of age.
154. The 22nd AIIMS would come up in Haryana. The announcement was
made regarding this at the Interim Budget 2019. The AIIMS would be
established at Maneth village in Haryana’s Rewari district.
155. The Sentinelese Tribe are indigenous people inhabiting North
Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal in India and are considered one of the
world’s last uncontacted peoples. They are considered as Particularly
Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). The entire North Sentinel Island along with 5
km coastal sea from high water mark is notified as a tribal reserve.

156. India is now the second largest consumer and importer of the LPG in
the world.
157. The Jammu and Kashmir government ordered the creation of a separate
administrative division for Ladakh region.
Page | 158. The Helicopter-launched anti-tank missile Helina was successfully
37
test fired from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur in Balasore
district of Odisha. Helina is the indigenously designed and built missile
system.
159. A service called Emergency Response support system, which compress
police (100), fire (101), health (108) and women (1090) help lines will now
have a single emergency number 112. This service will be available in 16
states and union territories in India like the 911 service in the US.
160. About 40 CRPK personnel were killed a convoy in which they were travelling
was attacked by a Jaish-e-Mohammed (Jen) suicide bomber in Kashmir’s
Pulwama District.
161. A day after the Pulwama terror attack on 14th February 2019, India has taken
a stern step of withdrawing the Most Favoured Nation or MFN Status of
Pakistan. This move would enable India to increase customs duty on goods
coming from Pakistan.
162. Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal became the first woman flight engineer of
IAF which was till now an exclusive man’s club. The flight engineer branch
was opened to women officers in 2018.
163. The authorities in Agar Malwa district of Madhya Pradesh booked two persons
under the draconian law, National Security Act (NSA) for allegedly
transporting cattle illegally and disrupting public peace. Earlier 3 accused of
slaughter in Khandva district were also arrested under NSA.
164. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National War Memorial
adjoining the India Gate in New Delhi. The memorial honours the
fallen soldiers after Independence. The memorial is spread over an area
of approximately 40 acres. The memorial comprises four concentric circles,
namely ‘Amar Chakra, Veerta Chakra, ‘Tyag Chakra’ and ‘Rakshak
Chakra’. The National War Memorial pays tribute to soldiers who laid down
their lives defending the nation during the India-China war in 1962, Indo-Pak
wars in 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka
and in the Kargil conflict of 1999.

165. Drishti is the name of the state-of-the-board online dashboard
service of the Indian Railways that was launched on 25 February 2019.
166. The Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal has announced the creation of
new railway zone for Andhra Pradesh, Southern Coast Railway Zone to be
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38 headquartered at Vishakapatnam.
167. The Rajasthan Assembly has passed the Rajasthan Backward Classes
Amendment Bill, 2019. The bill aims to address the demands of the Gujjars
who are fighting for reservations. This Bill It provides five per cent quota in
jobs and educational institutions to Gurjars, Banjaras, Gadia Lohars,
Raikas and Gadaria communities.
168. The last session of 16th Lok Sabha came to an end on 13th of February
2019. Giving the details for the tenure of 16th Lok Sabha, Parliamentary
Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed that there were a total
number of 331 sittings for Lok Sabha. 205 bills were passed, and the
productivity was 85%. For Rajya Sabha, 154 bills were passed, and
the productivity was 68%.
169. The Aero India 2019 was inaugurated by Union Defence Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru.
170. The expert panel set up by Union Ministry of labour & employment to
determine the national minimum wage has estimated the about to be
Rs.375 per day and Rs.9750 per month.
171. With a net worth of $54 billion, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh
Ambani has broken into the global top 10 richest billionaire list compiled
by Hurun Research.
172. The Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan passed the Rajasthan Panchayati
Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and the Rajasthan Municipality
(Amendment) Bill, 2019 to end the minimum education criterion for
panchayat and civic polls candidates.

173. The Union Government has announced the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) as
the mascot for the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the UN
Convention on the conservation of migratory species (CMS) to be held
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39 in Gujarat in 2020. The mascot for the event, Great Indian Bustard has been
fondly named as ‘Gibi’.
174. The World Sustainable Development Summit 2019 was inaugurated
by the Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi.
The World Sustainable Development Summit 2019 organized by The Energy
and Resources Institute – TERI.

IMPORTANT NEWS
International
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40
1. Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held their
first official summit in Helsinki , Finland on July 16th.
2. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has adopted Resolution 2428
(2018) to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan, almost five years
after ruinous civil war was started in infant country.
3. Nelson Mandela International Day 2018 marks the 100th birth anniversary
of Nelson Mandela, who was born on 18th July 1918.The Nelson Mandela
Foundation has dedicated Nelson Mandela International Day 2018 to Action
Against Poverty.
4. According to updated World Bank figures on GDP of countries for 2017, India
has become world’s sixth-biggest economy surpassing France to
seventh place.
5. On July 21, 2018, Myanmar, after joining International Solar Alliance
(ISA), became the 68th member of the association
6. Austrian Capital city Vienna has been ranked the “World’s most liveable
city” in a new survey released by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Melbourne occupied the second spot followed by Osaka
7. Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Imran Khan was sworn in by the President
Mamnoon Hussain.
8. On August 25, 2018, the World Bank has launched the world’s first public
bond created and managed using only blockchain technology. It has been
named: Bondi Bond stands for Blockchain Operated New Debt
Instrument. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is the sole manager
of the deal that has been priced by the World Bank at A$100 million
($73.16 million) with a two-year maturity. The price for the “kangaroo”
deal at 23 basis points above benchmark rates
9. Qatar has officially made permanent residency an option for a limited number

of foreigners. This step is seen as a landmark development in the energy-rich
Gulf.
10. Typhoon Jebi considered the strongest typhoon to strike Japan since
Typhoon Yancy in 1993.
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11. The International Day for Preservation of Ozone Layer (or World Ozone Day)
41
is observed every year on September 16 for the preservation of the Ozone
Layer. This year, the theme for the Day is ‘Keep Cool and Carry On: The
Montreal Protocol’.
12. Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire and online fashion tycoon, will be
the first man to fly on a monster SpaceX rocket around the Moon as
early as 2023.
13. Germany has rolled out the world’s first hydrogen powered train
signalling the era of non-polluting fuel for trains.
14. The third summit between the North and South Korean leaders Kim
Jong-Un and Moon-Jae-In took place at Pyongyong aimed at reviving their
stalled nuclear diplomacy.
15. Conservative US Judge Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the US
Supreme Court by a thin margin in the Senate. He was sworn in as the 9th
Judge of the Supreme Court.
16. Indian-American Nikki Haley resigned as the United States Ambassador
to the UN amidst speculation that she might be a candidate in the 2020
presidential election.
17. Hurricane Michael wrecked damage in Florida, resulting in loss of lives and
caused severe damage to property.
18. Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated a 55- km bridge, the world’s
longest sea- crossing bridge. It is located at the heart of an
integrated Greater Bay Area (GBA) covering 11 major neighbouring cities,
which includes Hong Kong, Macao, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. This bridge is
officially called the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB).
19. Canada has become the first industrialised nation to legalise recreational
use of marijuana, after nearly a century – long ban.
20. Bangladesh was elected as Vice Chairman of Indian Ocean Rim
Association (IORA) for the period of 2019-21 and eventually as IORA

Chairman for 2021-23 at 18th IORA Council of Ministers’ Meeting held in
Durban, South Africa.
21. India and Morocco sign an agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal
matters, mainly aimed at containing menace of terrorists funding.
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22. Maldives Cabinet approves to re-join Commonwealth, 2 year after
42
withdrawing from 53-nation grouping. On 19th November 2018,
Maldives new President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made the announcement.
23. UN cultural agency UNESCO has added six new elements viz.
Jamaican reggae, Georgian wrestling and Japanese ritual into its
coveted list of “intangible heritage”. They were added at UNESCO’s
Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage meeting held in Mauritius
24. The small, gas-rich state of Qatar on 2 December 2018 announced that it will
leave the powerful oil cartel,OPEC
25. Catriona Elisa Gray from the Philippines was crowned as the Miss
Universe 2018, beating 93 contestants from other countries.
26. Central Indonesia’s Mount Soputan volcano erupted on 16th December
2018, sending ash about 7.5 km high in the sky.
27. Merriam-Webster has declared ‘Justice’ as the 2018 Word of The Year.
28. The violent protests and riots in Paris erupted as part of the
ongoing “Yellow Vests” movement that sprang up during November 2018
as a response to hikes in car fuel taxes.
29. US Defence Secretary, Jim Mattis quit his post after a fall out with US
President, Donald Trump over his foreign policies including the decision to
yank troops from Syria.
30. Time magazine has named a group of journalists including Jamal Khashoggi
and a pair of Reuters journalists imprisoned by Myanmar as its
“Person of the Year”.
31. The government of Burundi has declared Gitega as the country’s new
political capital on 22nd December 2018. Bujumbura, the previous
capital of Burundi.
32. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party and its allies
won a landslide victory in the general elections in Bangladesh.

33. Former Pakistani leader Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to seven years
imprisonment for corruption. He is also disqualified in holding any public
office for 10 years.
34. Italy’s Mount Etna volcano erupted on 24th December 2018 resulting in
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more than 130 earthquakes of up to 4.3 in magnitude.
43
35. On December 11, 2018, Russia’s Akademik Lomonosov, the world’s first
floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) has become operational.
36. The government of Pakistan has decided to launch Panda Bonds to raise
loans from Chinese capital markets. Launching of Panda Bonds is part of
Pakistan to move towards giving the Chinese currency, a status at par with
that enjoyed by the US dollar.
37. The US and Israel officially quit the UNESCO on 1st January 2019.
38. Rio de Janeiro has been recognised as ‘World Capital of Architecture’
for 2020 by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation.
39. The world’s first television channel dedicated to human rights was
launched in London by the International Observatory of Human Rights (IOHR.
40. Palestine has taken over the chairmanship of G77 from Egypt.
Palestine will be formally elected chair at the annual G77 ministerial meeting,
scheduled to be held in September.
41. China’s Chang’e 4 probe spacecraft has become the first spacecraft to
land on the far side of the moon. Chang’e 4 is a Chinese lunar
exploration mission that aims to achieve soft-landing on the far side of the
Moon. The mission aims to deliver samples of Moon rock and soil to Earth.
42. The central banks of the UAE and Saudi Arabia will launch a common
digital currency called Aber.
43. Japan has announced its decision to withdraw from the International
Whaling Commission (IWC).
44. UNESCO has declared 2019 as the International Year of the Period
Table of Chemical Elements to commemorate the 150th birthday of
the periodic table of chemical elements.
45. Macedonia will become the 30th member of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO).

46. The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2019 as the
International Year of Indigenous Languages.
47. International Court of Justice (ICJ) has advised the UK to return the Diego
Garcia (Chagos Islands) to Mauritius as rapidly as possible.
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48. The second summit of the North Korean leader with US President
44
Donald Trump took place in Hanoi, Vietnam on 27th - 28th February
2019. This was the second meeting between the leaders of the North
Korea and the United States, following the first meeting in June 2018
in Singapore. However, the summit in Vietnam was abruptly cut short as the
pair failed to reach an agreement over how North Korea should denuclearise.
49. Abu Dhabi has included Hindi as the third official language to be used
in its courts, alongside Arabic and English.

Eminent Persons Who

Passed Away
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45
1. M Karunanidhi, five-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK

President for nearly 50 years died on August 7th.
2. Sir V S Naipaul, the Trinidad-born India-origin author and Nobel Laureate
passed away in London.
3. Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee passed away following a
heart attack.
4. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the only non-Congress leader to have completed his
full-term as Prime Minister, breathed his last on 16th August. He was 93 years.
Mr. Vajpayee was PM thrice in 1996, 1998-1999 and 1999-2004 and
a 12-time parliamentarian.
5. Ajit Wadekar, one of India’s greatest batsman and skipper passed away.
6. Former United Nations General Secretary and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kofi
Annan passed away in Bern, Switzerland.
7. India’s first women IAS officer after independence Anna Rajam Malhotra
died on 17th September in Mumbai.
8. Indian’s prominent woman film director who carved a niche for herself,
Kalpana Lajmi, passed away.
9. Noted Gandhian Natwar Thakkar, commonly known as “Nagaland’s
Gandhi” passed away in Guwahati.
10. Legendary Hindustani classical musician Annapurna Devi who played the
Surbahar (bass sitar) and first wife of Pandit Ravi Shankar passed away.
11. Former Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari
passed away in New Delhi.
12. Dr T.N.Srinivasan, one of India’s notable economists passed away in
Chennai.
13. Senior BJP leader and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Chemicals
and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar passed away.

14. Asia’s first woman neuro surgeon T.S. Kanaka passed away at the age
of 86.
15. Popular advertising and theatre personality Alyque Padamsee passed away
in Mumbai on 17 November 2018.
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16. Geeta S. Iyengar, the eldest daughter of legendary yoga guru, B.K.S.
46
Iyengar and noted yoga exponent in her own right, passed away.
17. Veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, Nirupam Sen passed
away in Kolkata.
18. Mrinal Sen, the last of the three legendary filmmakers of India that
included Satyajit Ray and Ritwick Ghatal, passed away in Kolkata.
19. Kader Khan, acclaimed Bollywood screenwriter and actor passed away in
Mumbai.
20. Ramakant Achrekar, the renowned guru of cricketing legend, Sachin
Tendulkar and other stalwarts in Indian cricket, passed away in Mumbai.
21. George Fernandes, former Defence Minister and prominent leader of the
socialist movement in the 1970s passed away on 29th January 2019.

IMPORTANT NEWS
Sports
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47
1. France has won 2018 FIFA World Cup Football by defeating Croatia by
4-2 goals in the final match held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow,
Russia .
2. Golden Ball award: Luka Modric (Croatia). Golden Boot award: Harry Kane
(England captain) for scoring six goals across six games. Golden Glove award:
Thibaut Courtois (Belgium). FIFA Young Player award: 19-year-old Kylian
Mbappe (France). FIFA Fair Play Award: Spain for superb disciplinary record.
3. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton secured the first position in the German Grand
Prix 2018.
4. Fast Bowler Mohammed Shami has become the fastest Indian to claim 100
wickets in One-day Internationals.
5. Rah Sarnobat became the first Indian woman shooter to win a gold at
the Asian games.
6. The Lok Sabha has passed a Bill on the 3rd of August establishing a National
Sports University in Manipur as part of a vision to enhance country’s
standing in sports.
7. According to the latest United World Wrestling [UWW] rankings, Bajrang Punia
has become the first Indian to secure the No.1 slot in the world
rankings in men’s freestyle 65 kg championship.
8. India’s leading gymnasts Dipa Karmakar created history by becoming first
Indian gymnast to win gold medal in the vault event of FIG Artistic
Gymnastic World Challenge Cup at Mersin, Turkey. This is her first medal
in World Challenge Cup.
9. Assam’s Hima Das scripted history by winning Gold at the women’s 400 m
at the World U20 athletics championship. This is India’s first- ever gold in a
track event at a world championship.
10. Angelique Kerber (Germany) won the 2018 Wimbledon title in

women’s singles category by defeating Serena Williams (United
States)
11. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic won the 2018 Wimbledon title in men’s singles
category by defeating Kevin Anderson (South Africa)
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12. The 18th Asian Games got off to an extravagant and colourful start at
48
the Gelora Bung Karna Stadium in Jakarta and Palembang. The Indian
contingent was led by 20-year-old Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, the
country’s first-ever world champion in athletics. India has sent a contingent of
569 athletes who participated in a total of 36 sport events.
13. Bajrang Punia won India’s first gold on the opening day of Asian Games.
14. India’s final tally at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia
read 69 medals – 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze to surpass the medal
count from 2010 Games in Guangzhou, China and match the gold medal tally
from the first-ever Asian Games in 1951. Rani Rampal as the flag bearer at the
closing ceremony.
15. The games saw India create new national records, register some firsts – first
medal in sepaktakraw (kick volley ball), Rahi Sarnobat became first Indian
woman to win Asian Games gold in shooting and Vinesh Phogat became first
Indian woman to win gold in wrestling.
16. While China topped the medal tally at the Asian Games 2018, followed
by Japan and South Korea India emerged at the 8th position.
17. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton delivered one of his greatest
races at the Italian Grand Prix.
18. Magnus Carlsen won his fourth World Chess Championship title as took
unassailable 3-0 lead over American challenger Fabiano Caruana in the best-of-
four rapid format on 28 November 2018.
19. India’s boxing legend Mary Kom won gold medal at World Women’s
Boxing Championships held in New Delhi. It was her sixth medal in World
Boxing Champion In the final, she defeated 22-year-old Ukrainian boxer Hana
Okhaya of Ukraine. With winning this medal, Mary Kom has become the most
successful boxer in world boxing history with 6 gold medals.
20. India’s top junior shuttler Lakshya Sen won bronze medal at Li Ning BWF
World Junior Badminton Championships 2018 held at Markham, Canada.

21. India recorded its best-ever showing in the Asian Para Games by
bagging 72 medals including 15 gold. China topped the medals tally with 172
gold, 88 Silver and 59 Bronze. South Korea and Iran were second and third
respectively.
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22. Five-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton steered to victory at the
49
Brazilian Grand Prix.
23. 20-year-old Naomi Osaka became the first player ever from Japan to
lift a Grand Slam title.
24. Former world number one Novak Djokovic from Serbia won 2018 US Open
title of tennis in men’s singles category by defeating Argentina’s Juan Martín del
Potro (world no 3). It was Djokovic’s third US Open title and overall 14th Grand
Slam title. With this win, he equalled Pete Sampras’ haul of 14 Grand Slams.
25. The 3rd Youth Olympic Games were held between October 6 - 18. The
games were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
26.
27. Carolina Marin defeated P V Sindhu in the Badminton World
Championship in Nanjing in China.
28. Former India captain Rahul Dravid was officially inducted into the
International Cricket Council's (ICC) Hall of Fame on 1 November
2018.
29. Lewis Hamilton won the Russian Grand Prix.
30. Thangjam Tababi Devi became India’s first judo medallist at the Youth
Olympic Games by winning a silver.
31. India opened its medal account at the Youth Olympic Games with shooter
Tushar Mane bagging a silver in the 10m air rifle event.
32. India’s next generation of athletes scripted history at the Youth Olympics when
weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Shooter Manu Bhaker picked up the
country’s maiden set of gold medals. Jeremy Lalrinnunga became the
first Indian to claim the yellow metal in the Youth Olympics in Beunos
Aires.
33. Russia emerged at the top position followed by China and Japan in the
2018 Youth Olympics.
34. India ended their Youth Olympics campaign in the 16th spot with 13 medals

(three gold, nine silver and one bronze).
35. India recorded its best-ever showing in the Asian Para Games by
bagging 72 medals including 15 gold. China topped the medals tally with 172
gold, 88 Silver and 59 Bronze. South Korea and Iran were second and third
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respectively.
50
36. Keerthana Pandian won the IBSF World under-16 snooker championship in St.
Petersburg on 6th October after beating her compatriot Anupama
Ramachandran.
37. Indian Shuttler Lakshya Sen bagged the silver medal after he lost to Li
Shifeng of China in the Men’s finals at the Youth Olympics.
38. Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix. With this win, he has five
Formula One titles.
39. India won the U-19 Asia Cup after beating Sri Lanka in the final at the
Sher-e-Bangla stadium.
40. Lewis Hamilton won the Singapore Grand Prix in his Mercedes at the
Marina Bay street circuit.
41. Roger Federer won his 99th career ATP Tour title defeating Marius Copil in
the Swiss Indoors final.
42. Virat Kohli was awarded the International Cricket of the Year for 2017
and 2018 by England’s Barmy Army after the first day of India’s tour match
against Essex, in Chelmsford, England.
43. The ICC awards recognise and honour the best international cricket players of
the previous 12 months. Virat Kohli bagged three prestigious awards
namely; Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year, ICC
Men’s Test Player of the Year and ICC ODI Player of the Year. ICC
Emerging Player of the Year was awarded to Rishabh Pant.
44. India’s next generation of athletes scripted history at the Youth Olympics when
weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Shooter Manu Bhaker picked up the
country’s maiden set of gold medals. Jeremy Lalrinnunga became the
first Indian to claim the yellow metal in the Youth Olympics in Beunos
Aires.
45. India ended their Youth Olympics campaign in the 16th spot with 13 medals
(three gold, nine silver and one bronze).

46. Elina Svitolina of Ukraine beat Sloane Stephens at the WTA Finals in
Singapore.
47. Roger Federer won his 99th career ATP Tour title defeating Marius Copil in
the Swiss Indoors final.
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48. Five-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton steered to victory at the
51
Brazilian Grand Prix.
49. India’s boxing legend Mary Kom won gold medal at World Women’s
Boxing Championships held in New Delhi. It was her sixth medal in World
Boxing Champion.
50. Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha is hosted the 2018 Men's Hockey
World Cup, which is the 14th edition of this prestigious FIH tournament. The
tournament was held at the Kalinga Stadium in the city. Olly, the Olive Ridley
turtle, is the official mascot of 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup. The tournament
concluded on 16 December 2018.
51. Belgium Hockey team won their first ever Word cup title on 16th
December 2018 after they defeated the Netherlands in sudden death.
52. Croatian midfielder Luka Modrich who led Croatia to their first-ever FIFA
World Cup final, won this year's Ballon d'Or on 3 December 2018.
53. Indian badminton ace P.V. Sindhu became the first-ever Indian player
to win BWF World Tour Finals as she defeated Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in
the World Super Series women’s singles finals in Guangzhou on 16 December
2018.
54. At the HCL 75th National Squash championship, Joshna Chinnappa won her
16th title and Mahesh Vikram Malhotra won his maiden title under the
Men’s Squash championship.
55. Belgium Football team came at number one position in the end-of-the-
year FIFA global rankings. France and Brazil occupied the second and third
places respectively.
56. A 20-year-old Pune woman Vedangi Kulkarni has become the fastest Asian to
cycle the globe. She has completed the 29,000 km distance required to qualify
as bicycling across the globe.
57. Harmanpreet Kaur has been named captain of the ICC Women’s T 201
Team – of -the – Year.

58. Smriti Mandana has been adjudged the Women’s Cricketer of the Year
as well as the Women’s ODI player of the Year by the ICC
59. D. Gukesh became the world’s second youngest and India’s youngest
Grandmaster.
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60. The second edition of Khelo India School Games rechristened as Khelo India
52
Youth Games was held from January 9-20, 2019 in Pune, Maharashtra.
61. Khelo India Youth games are held annually in January or February as the
national level multidisciplinary grassroot games. The games are held in two
categories- under-17 years school students and under-21 college
students. Khelo India Youth games 2019 were held at Shree Shiv
Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune. The game’s mascot was “Vijay”.
62. Maharashtra stayed way ahead of others in the overall medals tally at the
Khelo India Youth Games with a total of 177 medals. Delhi and Haryana
came second and third in the medal tally.
63. Roger Federer took the honours in the much-anticipated mixed doubles clash
with Serena Williams at the Hopman Cup. Federer also became the first player
to win three Hopman Cups.
64. Saina Nehwal won the Indonesian Masters Badminton Tournament
2019 held at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta, Indonesia.
65. Fast Bowler Mohammed Shami has become the fastest Indian to claim 100
wickets in One-day Internationals.
66. Japan’s Naomi Osaka beat Petra Kvitova to win the Australian Open in
a three- set thriller. She became the first Asian to reach World No.1
position in Tennis. Osaka is also the first player to win her first two
Grand slam back – to back since Jennifer Wazniacki.
67. Novak Djokovic won a record magnificent seventh Australian Open
Title by routing Rafael Nadal. This is his 15th Grand slam. Djokovic is the
first player to clinch seven Australian Open Crowns going past Roger Federer
and Roy Emerson.
68. Veteran paddler, A. Sharath Kamal won the National Men’s Single Table
tennis championship for a record 8th time
69. India’s One-day International (ODI) captain Mithali Raj has become the first
woman cricketer to play 200 ODI matches with her appearance in the

match against New Zealand.
70. In the Senior National Badminton Championships 2019 held in Guwahati on
February 16, Saina Nehwal beat P.V. Sindhu. This is her 4th Singles title.
71. Sourabh Verma clinched his third Senior Badminton Nationals title,
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defeating young Lakshya Sen in straight games in the men's singles final.
53
72. Belgium’s Elise Mertens has claimed the biggest title of her career by beating
top seed Simona Halep of Romania to win the Qatar Open in Doha.
73. Pankaj Advani claimed his ninth senior National snooker title win over
Laxman Rawat in Indore.
74. The Sports and Youth Ministry in the meeting of Executive Committee of the
National Games 2022 has chosen the Smiling Clouded Leopard to be the
Mascot for the National Games 2022. Meghalaya will host the 2022 National
Games, which is coinciding with its 50 years of statehood
75. Saurabh Chaudhary won the men’s 10m air pistol in his maiden senior
World Cup appearance in the ISSF World Cup.
76. Apurvi Chandela has won the gold medal in the women's 10-metre air
rifle event at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi.
77. Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary clinched the gold medal in the 10m
Air Pistol Mixed Team event at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi

NEW LEGISLATIONS PASSED
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54
1. The Parliament passed the Constitution [123rd Amendment] Bill, 2017 to grant
Constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes.
2. Lok Sabha has passed Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2017 to
reduce the number of cheque dishonour cases pending in courts. The bill amends
Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 to primarily address issues of dishonor of
cheques and deal with unnecessary delay in disposal of such cases
3. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed in Lok Sabha. The protests
have erupted in Assam against the passage of the bill. The people of Assam fear
that the amendment bill undermines the Assam Accord of 1985. The bill aims to
grant Indian citizenship to all persecuted religious minorities like
Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis from three
neighbouring countries of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The
government would set the cut-off date at December 31, 2014, to provide
citizenship to persecuted religious minorities.
4. Rajya Sabha has passed Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill,
2013 to amend various provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA),
1988. The amendment to PCA, 1988 was necessitated to its review existing
provisions to bring it in line with United Nations Convention against Corruption
(UNCAC) as agreed to by India.
5. Lok Sabha has passed The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory
Education (Second Amendment) Bill, 2017 to abolish the ‘no detention
policy’ in schools. The Bill amends provision related to no detention policy in the
parent Act to empower central or state government to allow schools to hold back
child in class 5, class 8, or in both classes.
6. Lok Sabha has passed Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018 to provide
death penalty to those convicted of raping girls less than twelve years.
7. The Lok Sabha passed on 1st August the Commercial Courts, Commercial

Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts [Amendment]
Bill, 2018. The Bill will pave way for some Courts to be designated as
Commercial Courts for speedy disposal of commercial disputes and will reduce the
pecuniary jurisdiction of these Courts from Rs 1 crore to Rs 3 lakhs.
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8. Lok Sabha has passed Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill,
55
2017 by voice vote to extend the facility of ‘proxy voting’ to overseas
Indians, on the lines of service voters. The Bill seeks to amend Representation of
People Act (RPA), 1950 and Representation of People Act (RPA), 1951 to allow for
proxy voting and make certain provisions of these Acts gender-neutral.
9. Lok Sabha has passed Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 that aims to
curb practice of evading criminal prosecution by economic offenders fleeing from
country to evade clutches Indian law by remaining outside jurisdiction of Indian
courts. The bill will replace an ordinance promulgated by President in April
2018. The Bill empowers special courts to direct the central government to
confiscate all the assets belonging to a fugitive economic offender.
10. The Lok Sabha has passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights)
Bill, 2016, which seeks to empower the transgender community in the
country by providing them a separate identity.
11. The Lok Sabha has passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on
Marriage) Bill, famously referred to as Triple Talaq Bill. The bill would
replace the ordinance passed in the month of September. The bill makes the all
declaration of triple talaq (Talaq-e-biddat), including in written or electronic
form, to be void (i.e. not enforceable in law) and illegal. Declaration of Triple Talaq
would be a cognizable offence, attracting up to three years’ imprisonment with a
fine. The bill states that the offence will be cognizable only if information relating
to the offence is given by the married woman (against whom talaq has been
declared), or any person related to her by blood or marriage.
12. The government has announced a decision to provide ten per
cent reservation in jobs and higher education for those belonging to the
economically backward sections of the general category. As per the
reports, those with annual family income below Rs 8 lakhs and owning less than
five acres of land will be provided reservations. The Lok Sabha has passed the
124th constitutional amendment bill to give effect to this proposed

reservation. The Bill is brought into to fulfil the commitments under the Directive
principles of the state policy listed in the Article 46 of the Constitution of the
Constitution which urges the government to protect the educational and economic
interests of the weaker sections of society. Soon after the Bill was passed by the
Page |
Parliament and the President gave his assent to it, a not for profit organisation
56
Youth for Equality has challenged the constitutional validity of this 103rd
Constitutional Amendment Act which provides for 10 per cent quota for
economically weaker sections in the general category.
13. The Lok Sabha has passed the Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
The bill moved by Minister of State for Law PP Chaudhary seeks to remove
leprosy as a ground for divorce in five personal laws – Hindu Marriage Act,
Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, Divorce Act (for Christians), Special Marriage
Act and the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act.
14. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed in Lok Sabha. The protests
have erupted in Assam against the passage of the bill. The people of Assam fear
that the amendment bill undermines the Assam Accord of 1985. The bill aims to
grant Indian citizenship to all persecuted religious minorities like
Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis from three
neighbouring countries of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The
government would set the cut-off date at December 31, 2014, to provide
citizenship to persecuted religious minorities.
15. The Lok Sabha has passed the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre
Bill to set up a revamped International Arbitration Centre at New Delhi with aim to
make India the hub of arbitration.
16. The Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was
passed in Lok Sabha. Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act, 1951 provided for
the erection of a National Memorial in memory of those killed or wounded on April
13, 1919, in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar.
17. The government has introduced the 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill in
the Parliament to increase the financial and executive powers of the 10
Autonomous Councils in the Sixth Schedule areas of the north eastern
region.

18. The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the
Cinematograph Amendment Bill 2019. The amendment bill aims to amend the
Cinematograph Amendment Act 1952. The amendment bill makes film piracy
offences punishable with imprisonment up to three years and fines that may
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extend to 10 lakh or both.
57

BOOKS & AUTHORS [2018-19]

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58
Requiem in Raga Janki, Fiction. Neelum Saran Gour
“Interrogating my Chandal Life: An Manoranjan Byapari
Autobiography of a Dalit”,
“Notes of a Dream: The Authorised Krishna Trilok
Biography of A. R. Rahman,
“Shades of Truth” Kapil Sibal
“Moving on, Moving Forward – A Year in Vice President Venkaiah Naidu
Office
“Gandhi: The years that changed the world Ramachandra Guha
(1914-1948)”
‘The Wheel of Justice” Veerappa Moily
‘Milkman’, Anna Burns
Maharana Pratap: The Invincible Rima Hooja’s
Warrior”
VVS Laxman – 281 & Beyond VVS Laxman & R.Kaushik
No Spin Shane Warne
Law, Justice and Judicial Power – Justice P Mool Chand Sharma
N Bhagwati’s Approach
Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India P. Chidambaram
We are Displaced Malala Yousafzai

“A Rural Manifesto – Realising India’s Varun Gandhi
Future through her Villages”
'Changing India Manmohan Singh
Timeless Laxman", Usha Laxman
“The Paradoxical Prime Minister” Shashi Tharoor

Intertwined Lives: P.N. Haksar and Indira Jairam Ramesh

Gandhi
Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature Jairam Ramesh
Page | A Century is not Enough Sourav Ganguly

59 Triple Talaq: Examining Faith Salman Khurshid
Of Counsel: The Challenges of the Modi- Arvind Subramaniam
Jaitley Economy
“Maharana Pratap: The Invincible Warrior” Rima Hooja
The Accidental Prime Minister Sanjaya Baru

Indian Military Exercises– 2017-18

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60
1. Joint platoon level military exercise Maitree 2018 between India and
Thailand was conducted in Thailand from 6 to 19 August 2018.
2. The second edition of Nepal-China joint military exercise named Mt Everest
Friendship Exercise-2018 (Sagarmatha Friendship-2018) commenced in
China’s southwestern Sichuan province
3. India, Mongolia joint exercise Nomadic Elephant 2018 commenced at
Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area in Ulaanbaatar (capital of
Mongolia)
4. India and United States joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 commenced at
Chaubattia, Uttarakhand.
5. The 3rd edition of Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) commenced at
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
6. The 25th edition of the India-Singapore bilateral naval exercise SIMBEX has
begun at the tri-services command in Port Blair off the Andaman sea and Bay of
Bengal.
7. The inaugural edition India, Indonesia Bilateral Naval Exercise ‘Samudra
Shakti’ was held at the port of Surabaya, Indonesia.
8. The joint military exercise between Indian and Russia EXERCISE INDRA
2018 was conducted at Babina Field Firing Ranges, Babina Military Station Jhansi,
UP.
9. India, US Joint Special Forces Exercise 2018 named Vajra Prahar
commenced at Mahajan Field Firing Range (MFFR), Bikaner in Rajasthan.
The exercise was called between Special Forces of both countries to deal with
operations for counter-terrorism and is being done at unit as well as sub-unit levels.
10. Air Forces of India and US began their 12-day joint exercise “Ex Cope
India-2018” in West Bengal. It is fourth edition in series of bilateral joint exercise.
held by Air Forces of two nations conducted in India.
11. The tenth edition of INDRA NAVY maritime exercise between India and

Russia was conducted off Visakhapatnam coast, Andhra Pradesh from December 9-
16 2018.
12. India and China concluded the ‘Hand-in-Hand’ military exercise on 22nd December
2018 in China’s Chengdu city. This was the 7th edition of the ‘Hand-in-Hand military
Page |
exercise.
61
13. India-Myanmar bilateral army exercise, IMBEX 2018-19, begun at Chandi
mandir Military Station.
14. A mega exercise, EXERCISE VAYU SHAKTI-2019 involving 140 fighter jets and
attack helicopters, in a firepower demonstration was held close to the border with
Pakistan at Pokhran in Rajasthan.
15. The disaster relief exercise ‘Exercise Rahat’ was demonstrated in Jaipur, Kota and
Alwar in Rajasthan on February 11-12.

Supreme Court Judgments 2018-19
Page |
62 1. A five- judge Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court unanimously held
that Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Anil Bajpai is bound by the “aid and advice of
the Kejriwal Government”. The court as reiterated that the L-G has not been
entrusted with any independent decision- making power. In case of difference of
opinion, the L-G should refer the dispute to the President for final decision.
2. Supreme Court struck down Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that
makes adultery punishable offence for men. This provision
gives a husband exclusive right to prosecute his wife’s lover and if found guilty on
charges of adultery, the adulterer faces five years of imprisonment. Observing that
husbands are not their wives’ masters, these colonial provisions were struck down.
Presently, adultery remains only a civil offence and a ground for divorce.
3. In a landmark judgment, a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme
Court decriminalized homosexuality declaring Sec.377 of IPC as
unconstitutional. The Court however, held that the section would apply to
“unnatural” sexual acts like bestiality. Sexual acts without consent continues to be a
crime under sec.377. Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of cases, close to 999
registered under Sec.377 of the Indian Penal Code during 2016.
4. The Supreme Court has upheld the Aadhar as a reasonable restriction on
individual privacy in a majority judgment on the 26th September. In a
landmark verdict, the five judge Constitution Bench in its 4:1 ruling struck down
Sec.57 of the Aadhar Act which allows private companies to avail Aadhar data. The
bench also ruled that bank accounts and Mobile numbers need not be linked to the
Aadhar number. The court noted that Aadhar empowers the marginalised sections of
society by giving them a unique identity. The hearing in this Aadhaar case went on
for 38 days – the second longest hearing in the history of Supreme Court.
The longest was in the landmark, Kesavanandha Bharathi case in 1973.
5. The Supreme Court upheld the plea for live-streaming of its proceedings,
observing that the use of technology is to “virtually” expand the court
beyond the four walls of the courtroom.

6. A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has modified a 2006 judgment
requiring the State to show quantifiable data to prove the “backwardness”
of a Scheduled Cast/Scheduled Tribe community in order to provide quota
in promotion in public employment. The Court held that the proportion of data
Page |
collection in the M. Nagraj judgment of 2006 was “contrary to the Indira Sawhney
63
verdict and held it “invalid”. However, the present judgment upheld that “creamy
layer” applied to SC/ST in promotions.
7. In a landmark judgment through a 4:1 verdict, Supreme Court lifted Sabarimala
temple ban on the entry of girls and women in the 10 – 50 age group from
entering Kerala’s Sabarimala temple. The 5 judge Constitutional Bench termed
this practice as illegal and unconstitutional. It held that Art.25(1) would become a
dead letter if women are excluded from practising their right to worship and set
aside the Rule 3(b) of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of
Entry) Rules, 1965. In a dissenting judgment given by Justice Indu Malhotra,
she was of the view that courts should not strike down religious practices
except social evils. The PIL seeking to ensure entry of women devotees between
the age group of 10 and 50 at the temple was filed by Indian Young Lawyers
Association in 2006.

India’s Position in various indices in 2018-19
Page |
64
Index Title Index prepared by India's Rank Top slot
Corruption Perception 78th out of 180

Transparency International Denmark
Index 2018 countries
United Nations
Human Development Index 130 out of 189
Development Programme Norway
2018 countries
(UNDP)
115 out of 157

Human Capital Index 2018 World Bank Singapore
countries
Welthungerhilfe &
103 out of 119
Global Hunger Index 2018 Concern Worldwide Belarus
countries
Ease of Doing Business 77 out of 190

World Bank New Zealand
Index 2018 countries
The Human Freedom Index

Cato and Fraser Institute 110 New Zealand
2018
Global Gender Gap Index World Economic Forum 108 out of 149
Iceland
2018 (WEF) countries
Delhi 112th Rank

Global Liveability Index The Economist Intelligence Austria's Capital
and Mumbai
2018 Unit(EIU) Vienna
117th Rank
The World Intellectual

Global Innovation index
Property 57th Switzerland
2018
Organisations(WIPO)

World Inequality Index Oxfam 147th Denmark
Environmental 177th out of 180

World Economic Forum Switzerland
Performance Index 2018 countries
Page |
65 EIU (Economist
Inclusive Internet Index 47th Sweden
Intelligence Unit)
International Intellectual
US Chambers of Commerce 44th USA
Property Index
UN Sustainable
133 out of 156
World Happiness report Development Solutions Finland
countries
Network
Hurun Global Rich List

2018 – Highest Number of Hurun Research Institute 3rd China
Billionaires
Institute of Economics & 136th out of 163

Global Peace Index 2018 Iceland
Peace countries

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