GK Notes 3

The Supreme Court lifted the centuries-old ban on entry of women aged between 10 and 5
Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple, thereby allowing women of all ages to enter the 800-year-o
government supported the entry while the temple board opposed it.

Ola Acquires Ticketing App Firm Ridlr

Ride-hailer Ola has acquired Mumbai-based Ridlr, an end-to-end public transport ticketing
app. The acquisition will complement Ola’s efforts to integrate its mobility platform with pub
transportation infrastructure.

India, World’s 6th Largest Economy at $2.6 trillion: IMF

India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the worth of the economy, clocked in at $2.6 trillion
according to the database of the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook (
2018.
India is now the world’s sixth largest economy, displacing France. The Top 5 economies o
The United States, China, Japan, and Germany and, The United Kingdom.

Government Revises Target to Complete PMGSY from Year 2022 to 2019

The Union Government has stated that the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana or PMGS
way to achieving the target by March 2019. The scheme, since its inception in 2000, has b
provide connectivity to more than one lakh 50 thousand habitations.
Sensing the importance and urgency of rural roads for national development, the target da
of PMGSY-I has been preponed from 2022 to 2019.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Launched in Delhi

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) sc
and distributed new LPG connections and cylinders to beneficiaries.
Remember these points
PMUY was launched in May 2016.
2. Objective of this scheme is to provide deposit-free LPG connections with monetary assi
from below poverty line (BPL) households.
3. Target under this scheme has been increased from the existing 5 crore connections to 8
connections by 2020

NYSE Names 1st Woman Chief in Exchange’s 226-year History

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has promoted Stacey Cunningham to President, m
first sole woman head of the 226-year-old exchange.

Venezuela’s President Maduro Wins Re-election

Page 1 of 16
 Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro was reelected for a second six-year term in preside
according to the National Electoral Council (CNE).

· FB Appoints Product Exec Chris Daniels to Take Over WhatsApp

Facebook has announced that the company’s Vice President of Product Chris Daniels
over Whatsapp after Co-founder Jan Koum announced his departure, recently.
· Government appoints Subhash Chandra Khuntia as new cairman of IRDAI
IRDA is an apex statutory body that regulates and develops insurance industry in India
Polish author Olga Tokarczuk awarded Man Booker International Prize 2018. It make
from Poland to win this prestigious English- language literary award. She won prize with E
of her novel Flights, which charts multiple journeys in time, space and human anatomy. It w
published in Polish language in 2007 and was translated into English in 2017 by Jennifer C

· Indian Premier League 2018

Winners : Chennai Super Kings

Runners up : Sunrisers Hyderabad

Player of the series (Most Valuable Player) : Sunil Naraine (KKR)

Leading run scorer (Orange Cap) : Kane Williamson (SRH)

Leading wicket taker (Purple Cap) : Andrew Tye (KXIP)

Emerging Player of the tournament : Rishabh Pant (DD)

Media rights purchased by : Star Sports

IPL Fairplay Award : Mumbai Indians

Opening and Final match played at : Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Number of times CSK has won the trophy : 3 times (2010, 2011 and 2018)

AB de Villiers Retires From International Cricket

Star South African batsman AB de Villiers has announced his decision to retire from intern
with immediate effect.
The World Record for the fastest ODI 50 (16 balls), 100 (31 balls) and 150 (64 balls).

Real Madrid lifts Champions Trophy defeating Liverpool

Page 2 of 16
Real Madrid has lifted Champions Trophy defeating Liverpool 3-1 in Kiev, Ukraine.

Indian Tea Industry Records Highest Ever Production, Export in FY18

Indian tea industry has recorded the highest ever production as well as exports in FY18. T
production was 1325.05 million kgs, an increase of 74.56 million kgs as compared to 2016
percentage terms, the increase is around 6%.

Walmart Buys Flipkart in World’s Largest e-Commerce Dea

US-based retail giant Walmart has confirmed that it will buy 77% stake in India’s largest e-
startup Flipkart for $16 billion. Walmart bought the stake in Flipkart for 16 billion dollars

Bharti Airtel completes acquisition of Telenor India

The government has approved the merger of the local unit of Norway’s Telenor with Bharti
the last hurdle for the deal to go through. The Department of Telecom (DoT) had transferre
and liabilities of Telenor India to Bharti Airtel

Yahoo has launched its own new group chat app named Squirrel.
Squirrel Group Chat App is still in testing. It is available on Google Play and the App Store
start using the app, you need a friend who already uses the app to invite you into a group.
on group chats. It has features that enables you to organise conversations with several pe

Tata Steel to Acquire Bhushan Steel Through its Step-Down Subsidiary Bamnipal St
Tata Steel, whose bid for debt-ridden Bhushan Steel was approved by NCLT, would implem
resolution plan through its step-down subsidiary Bamnipal Steel Ltd. Bamnipal Steel would
debt-ridden company and acquire control on the closing date.

Airtel Payments Bank Appoints Anubrata Biswas As MD and CEO

Airtel Payments Bank has appointed Anubrata Biswas as its Managing Director and Chief
Officer. Biswas fills the position, which was lying vacant since end-December, after Shash
post.
Airtel Payments Bank was the first payments bank to start operations in India

Patanjali Launches New Messaging App ‘Kimbho’

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali launched a new swadeshi messaging application call
compete with WhatsApp. Kimbho caters to private and group chats with free phone and vi
The tagline of Kimbho is “Ab Bharat Bolega”. Patanjali has recently tied up with Bharat Sa
(BSNL) to enter the telecom sector by launching Swadeshi Samriddhi SIM cards.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the country’s most valued and largest IT outsourcing
history by becoming the first Indian company to reach Rs. 7 lakh crore market capitalisatio
milestone. M-cap is value of company that is traded on stock market, calculated by multipl
number of shares by present share price.

India’s largest commodities exchange platform, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limite
launched country’s first copper options contracts. Copper is third-most-consumed indus

Page 3 of 16
 world, after iron and aluminium.

The railway station in Assam which has become the first in the country to run on solar pow

The State in which the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone fo
Super Thermal Power Project: Jharkhand

UNEP recongnises Cochin International Airport as world’s first fully solar energy-po
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has recognised Cochin Internationa
(CIAL) in Kerala as the world’s first fully solar energy-powered airport. CIAL is India’s first
constructed in public-private-partnership (PPP) model in 1999.

PM Modi Laid Foundation Stone of India’s Longest Road Tunnel in J&K

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a day-long visit to Jammu and Kashmir. During his vis
laid down the foundation stone of ‘Zojila Tunnel’ on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway in
kilometre long Zojila tunnel will be India’s longest road tunnel and Asia’s longest bidirectio

ASEAN India Film Festival was held in New Delhi from May 25 to 30, 2018.
The film festival provided platform for people from film industries of respective member co
areas of cooperation in domain of cinema and cultural cooperation

· Colombia joins NATO as global partner

Colombia has formally joined North Atlantic Treaty Organization as global partner. It m
Latin American to join NATO. The announcement came after Organization for Econom
and Development (OECD) approved Colombia as a new member
· Germany to host first edition of Global Wind Summit
The first edition of Global Wind Summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany from Septe
2018. It will be largest and most important meeting of the wind industry worldwide. The
see participation of of speakers from about 100 countries, including India, China, the U
Denmark.
· No Nobel Prize in Literature This Year
The Swedish Academy has decided to postpone the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature, w
of awarding it in 2019. The decision has been taken in the wake of a sexual and financ
that has engulfed the Swedish Academy, the cultural institution responsible for awardin
prestigious prize.
According to the Swedish Foundations Act, the Nobel Foundation is ultimately respons
fulfilling the intentions in the will of Alfred Nobel. For the first time since 1949, the secr
not unveil a winner this autumn.Kazuo Ishiguro was the winner of Nobel Prize 2017.
· Wimbledon Champions’ Prize Money Hiked by £50,000
According to the Wimbledon officials, the 2018 men’s and women’s singles champions
£2.25 million, an increase of £50,000 on last year.
Wimbledon Open is an annual British tennis tournament created in 1877 and is played
UK.

Page 4 of 16
· WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum Quits Facebook
WhatsApp Co-founder and CEO Jan Koum has announced his resignation from the pa
Facebook. This comes shortly after a report claimed Koum would leave due to disagre
data privacy and weakening encryption.
Koum will also step down from Facebook’s Board of Directors, a position he took up w
was bought for $19 billion by Facebook in 2014.
· SpaceX Launches Most Powerful Falcon 9 Rocket
The California-based aerospace company, SpaceX has blasted off its most powerful F
which is certified to carry humans to space later this year.
Nepal, 1st Country in South-East Asia to Eliminate Trachoma: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Nepal as free from Trachoma, the world’s
infectious cause of blindness.
With this, Nepal becomes the first country in WHO’s South-East Asia Region to eliminate T
Trachoma was the second leading cause of preventable blindness in Nepal in the 1980s.

Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, to succeed Sunil Bharti Mittal as Chairman of Internation
Commerce (ICC).

Indian-American Dhivya Suryadevara To Become CFO of General Motors

An Indian-American woman, Dhivya Suryadevara has been named the Chief Finance Offic
largest automaker, General Motors.
She will report to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mary Barra, 56, who has been head of the
since 2014.

Mumbai Based Swadhaar FinServe Acquired By RBL Bank

RBL Bank has raised its stake in Swadhaar Finserve Pvt. Ltd to 100% from 60.48%. The b
the stake it did not own from US-based non-profit Accion. Swadhaar FinServe started ope
banking finance company in 2008

Kailash Satyarthi and Former ISRO Chief Gets ‘Santokbaa Humanitarian’ Award
President Ram Nath Kovind presented the ‘Santokbaa Humanitarian Award’ to Child rights
Noble Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and space scientist A S Kiran Kumar, Former Chairman
Research Organisation (ISRO) in Surat, Gujarat

The countries which have won the bid to hold 2026 FIFA World Cup jointly: US, Canada &

Ordinance to Set Up Country’s 1st National Sports University Gets President’s Asse
President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to an ordinance to set up the country’s fi
sports university in Manipur.

Mumbai’s Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles has been inscribed as a UNESCO World
Site. This was announced at the Unesco world heritage committee meeting in Bahrain.
The Heritage enclave is situated in South Mumbai’s historic core and comprises an urban
straddling two heritage precincts of the Fort Precinct and Marine Drive Precinct.

Page 5 of 16
The Outcome of Kim-Trump Summit:
The historical Trump-Kim summit meeting was the first of its kind between a sitting Americ
Donald Trump and a leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un.
US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Unsigned a document ple
toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in return for US providing secu
to the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea (DPRK).

US Pips India As Top Greenfield FDI Investment Destination: Report

The U.S. has surpassed India to become the top destination for greenfield foreign direct in
2017, according to the FDI Report 2018, compiled by FDI Intelligence, a division of The Fi
Ltd. The number of greenfield FDI projects in India during the year fell sharply by 21% to 6
India had maintained the top slot in greenfield FDI investment in 2015 and 2016. However
U.S. reclaimed the spot from India, recording $87.4 billion of announced FDI. In the Asia a
region, *China was on top in terms of FDI in the total number of new projects and capital in
followed by India

44th G7 summit was held in Canada

The 44th G7 summit was held on June 8–9, 2018, in Quebec, Canada. This was the sixth
that Canada has hosted the meetings. The 44th G7 summit was the first summit for Italian
Giuseppe Conte.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has hosted this summit. The 45th G7 summit or n
will be held in 2019
in France.

World’s Most Experienced Spacewoman Peggy Whitson Retires As Astronaut

NASA’s record-breaking astronaut, Peggy Whitson, retired after a 22-year-long career. Wh
joined NASA as a researcher in 1986, has spent more time off Earth than any other Ameri
days over three International Space Station missions.
The 58-year-old is the oldest woman to go into space and also the most experienced fema
with 10 missions.

Maharashtra CM Meets World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva
DC to seek assistance for a Multimodal Transport Corridor and the Rural Livelihood Projec
provide sustainable livelihood enhancements in 10,000 villages in the state.

Microsoft Acquires Education Start-up Flipgrid

Microsoft has acquired Flipgrid, an education start-up with an app that lets students record
videos on specific topics with their classmates.

Mongolia broke ground for the construction of country’s first oil refinery with the help of a
loan from India. Home Minister Rajnath Singh attended the groundbreaking ceremony for
of the refinery at ‘Stantsiin Hooloi’ and described it as an important milestone in the bilater
Mongolia Capital- Ulaanbaatar, Currency- Mongolian togrog.

The world’s largest multilateral naval exercise involving 26 countries including India being
western Pacific Ocean is named: RIMPAC

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Elected Mexico’s President

Government Approves Hike in Minimum Support Price For Kharif Crops

The government has decided to sharply increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP)
crops, as it responds to concerns about distress in the country’s farm economy despite tw
monsoons.
The MSP for common variety paddy, the most important Kharif crop, will be raised by R
year’s Rs 1,550 per quintal. That works out a 13%t increase for the financial year ended
compared to a 5.4% increase in FY18.

Haryana Top State In Per Capita Revenue Collection Under GST

Haryana has topped other states in per capita revenue collection under GST and is
highest generator of e-way bills in the country. The Finance Minister of Haryana Capt.
Abhimanyu claimed Haryana has widened the tax base by 82.22% and logged 19% hike
collections.

The Union Government has reduced minimum yearly deposit required under popular girl c
scheme, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana to Rs 250 from Rs 1,000 This has been lowered to e
people to enjoy benefits of this scheme. In this regard, Government has amended Sukany
Account Rules, 2016.
Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: It was launched as a small savings scheme under Beti Bach
(BBBP) in January 2015

RBI Licences Bank of China To Operate In India

The Reserve Bank of India licensed Bank of China to operate in India. This decision c
the commitment made by PM Modi to the Chinese leadership. Bank of China will now hav
offices in India. This will be the second Chinese bank to be operating in the country.
As on 1 January, 2018 Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd was operating in Ind
other foreign banks. The United Kingdom’s Standard Chartered has the highest, 100 b
India as of now.Bank of China (BOC) headquarters in Beijing. BOC was formally establi
1912. Chen Siqing is the Chairman of BOC.

YES Bank Gets SEBI Nod To Launch Mutual Fund Business

Private lender YES Bank announced that it has received final regulatory approval from
& Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to start mutual fund business.

Global Innovation Index: Switzerland Tops, India Ranks 57th

The Global Innovation Index (GII) has ranked India as the 57th most innovative natio
The country has improved its ranking from 60th position in 2017. India has been improving

Page 7 of 16
was ranked 81st in 2015.

Andhra Pradesh Tops Ease Of Doing Business Rankings

For the second year in a row, Andhra Pradesh has been ranked as the easiest Indian s
business in, according to a survey. The Chandrababu Naidu-led state took the pole positi
rankings for Ease of Doing Business that was released by the Department of Industrial
Promotion and Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Delhi. Telangana came second f
Haryana, Jharkhand and Gujarat. The north-eastern state of Meghalaya was ranked lowes

India Becomes 69th Shareholder of European Bank For Reconstruction & Developm
India has become the 69th shareholder of the European Bank for Reconstruction an
(EBRD). This move paved the way for more joint investment with Indian companies across
regions of operation.
The Board of Governors voted unanimously in favour of the country’s application. The EBR
promote the private and entrepreneurial initiative in emerging Europe and invests in 38 em
economies.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is a multilateral development ban
after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Suma Chakrabarti is the President of EBRD. It headquarte
UK.

Amazon, 2nd Company To Hit $900 billion Valuation After Apple

E-commerce giant Amazon briefly crossed $900-billion market cap for the first time in i
becoming only the second company after Apple to achieve this milestone.
This comes after Amazon announced it sold over 100 million products during its Prime Da
currently the world’s most valuable company with a market cap of $935 billion.

Asia’s 1st Patent Arbitration Centre to Open in Tokyo

Asia’s first arbitration centre specialised in intellectual property is slated to open in

September 2018 to resolve the growing number of disputes in the region.
The International Arbitration Centre in Tokyo (IACT) is set to have around a dozen arb
around the world, who would try to resolve disputes within a period of one year.

Nigeria Replaces India to Become World’s Largest Poor Population: Brookings Rep
With the persistent decline in poverty, India is no longer a nation having the largest nu
people in the world,according to a study published by the US-based think tank, Brookin
According to the study, Nigeria has already overtaken India as the country with the lar
extreme poor in early 2018, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo could soon take
2 spot.

10th BRICS Summit 2018 held In Johannesburg

The 10th edition of BRICS Summit began in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is a 3-day
and will be attended by all the BRICS leaders.
The theme for this summit is ‘BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for inclusive growth and

Page 8 of 16
prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution’. Modi is likely to meet Chinese President Xi
sidelines of the summit.

4th BIMSTEC Summit To Be Held In Kathmandu

The 4th BIMSTEC Summit will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal. The announcement in this r
by Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.
The main focus of the summit will be to increase connectivity between the BIMSTEC n
roads, airways and transmission lines.

Two Plus Two Dialogue Between India and US To Be Held In New Delhi
US State Department has announced that the inaugural ‘two-plus-two dialogue’ betwee
United States will be held in New Delhi in September 2018. Recently, the US had postpo
dialogue due to ‘unavoidable reasons’.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis will travel to Ind
dialogue with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala

Myanmar Joins International Solar Alliance

Myanmar joined the India-initiated International Solar Alliance (ISA) thus, becoming t
signatory to the Framework Agreement of the ISA that aims for optimum utilisation of so
Myanmar Minister for International Cooperation, Kyaw Tin handed over the ISA Framewor
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during a bilateral meeting on Delhi Dialogue 2018
The International Solar Alliance was launched jointly by Indian Prime Minister Narendra M
President Francois Hollande on the first day of the COP-21 summit at Paris in 2015.

The UN members have unanimously elected Iceland to take a seat on the world bod
Human Rights Council.
US had left the UNHRC in June, 2018 calling it a cesspool of political bias for its criticism o
crimes against Palestinians.

Rahul Dravid, 5th Indian to Be Inducted Into ICC Hall of Fame

Former captains Rahul Dravid of India, Ricky Ponting of Australia and retired Englan
wicketkeeper-batter Claire Taylor were inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame 201
glittering ceremony in Dublin, Ireland.
Former Team India captain Rahul Dravid has become the fifth Indian cricketer after An
Gavaskar, Bishan Singh Bedi and Kapil Dev to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

Artist Anjolie Ela Menon Conferred Kalidas Award

Noted artist Anjolie Ela Menon had received the National Kalidas Samman in Delhi
the Madhya Pradesh government.
With her first solo exhibition being held in Delhi in 1958, Menon is counted among India’s m
accomplished artists and is the recipient of numerous national and international awards in
Padma Shri.

Indian recipients of Ramon Magsaysay Award 2018

Page 9 of 16
Dr. Bharat Vatwani: Psychiatrist and founder of Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation in 19
unite mentally ill street people with their families. He has united 2000 people with their fam
Sonam Wangchuk: Ladakhi engineer, innovator and education reformist. Founder of Stud
Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL). He invented the Ice Stupa tech
creates artificial glaciers used for storing winter water in form of conical shaped ice heap.

The renowned vocalist who has been chosen for the 2018 Sangita Kalanidhi Award by the
Academy, Madras: Aruna Sairam

‘The English Patient’ By Michael Ondaatje Declared ‘Best Booker Prize Winner In 50
Michael Ondaatje’s bestselling novel ‘The English Patient’ was announced as the winn
Man Booker Prize at the Southbank Centre in London.
The prize was instituted as part of celebrations to mark the Booker’s having completed 50

National Sports Day: 29 August

The National Sports Day is celebrated on 29th August every year to mark the birthday
hockey player Dhyan Chand.

Chile’s Michelle Bachelet To Be Next UN Human Rights Chief

The United Nations announced that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has chosen
President Michelle Bachelet to be the UN’s new human rights chief. Bachelet would b
succeeding Jordanian diplomat Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein.
Bachelet’s name will now go forward for consideration and approval by the 193-member U
Assembly.

Balesh Sharma Appointed Vodafone Idea’s 1st CEO

Balesh Sharma takes over as Vodafone Idea’s first CEO. He was the Chief Operating O
Vodafone India and a member of its executive committee.

Treasurer Scott Morrison Elected New Prime Minister of Australia

Treasurer Scott Morrison has been elected the new Prime Minister of Australia after w
an internal vote of 45-40 against former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. Morrison wil
charge as PM from Malcolm Turnbull.

Imran Khan becomes the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan took oath as Pakistan’s new prime minister. Kha
of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), secured 176 votes while his only rival and the Pakista
League-Nawaz chief Sharif got 96 votes, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser announ

Fortune 500 List of World’s Largest Companies Released

Seven Indian companies have been listed in Fortune’s 500 list 2018 of world biggest co
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is the highest ranked company from India followed by RIL. T
based retail company, Walmart has topped the list.
IOC ranked 137th in 2018 with a significant jump from 168th position from 2017. RIL is th

Page 10 of 16
sector company in India. It ranked 148th in 2018 from 203rd from 2017. ONGC ranked
2018 which not even featured in 2017. SBI got 216th rank 1 place higher than 217th in 20

India’s GDP Growth To Rise To 7.5% This Fiscal: Morgan Stanley

PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi To Step Down As CEO

PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi will step down in October after serving for 12 years as the to
global beverage giant, PepsiCo. Indian-origin Indra Nooyi was the first ever woman to be a
CEO at PepsiCo, in the year 2006.
She will be succeeded by company President Ramon Laguarta, who has held the pos
2017. She will remain chairman till 2019.

Google Releases ‘Android 9 Pie’

Google’s latest Android operating system update, Android 9 Pie, was officially release
following a beta testing period that started earlier this year.
Android Pie introduces a new gesture-based system interface that’s similar to the interface
X, with iPhone-like swipes for navigating through the operating system.

SBI changes names, IFSC codes of nearly 1,300 branches across India, post merger
associates
Names and IFSC codes of a total of 1,295 branches have been changed across the count
list enlisting the old and new IFSC codes after rationalisation/merger with six associate ba
Mahila Bank (BMB). The merger of six associate banks and Bhartiya Mahila Bank (BMB) w
of India (SBI) came to effect from April 1, 2017 resulting into increase in size and valuation
SBI had 22,428 branches across India by the end of the first quarter of the current fiscal.

PNB Gets Top Rank in Digital Transaction

Punjab National Bank (PNB) has announced that the Department of Financial Service
rated it as number one state-owned bank in terms of digital transactions. The bank is
sixth overall amongst all banks in India for digital performance. The bank is rated as ‘Good
government with a score of 71 which is the highest category of performance.

Smitha V. Crishna Tops List of India’s Wealthiest Women

Smitha V. Crishna, a third-generation heir of the Godrej family, ranks first in the Kotak We
Leading Wealthy Women 2018 list with an estimated wealth of Rs37,570 crore. Ms. Smi
fifth of the Godrej Group.
Roshni Nadar, CEO and executive director at HCL, ranks second in the list with an es
Rs30,200 crore. She also heads the Shiv Nadar Foundation.
The chairperson of the Times Group, Indu Jain, ranks third in the list. Her wealth is esti
Rs26,240 crore.

Ambani’s Reliance Jio tops Fortune’s ‘Change the World’ list

Mukesh Ambani-led telecom company Reliance Jio secured the top spot in Fortune’s glob
World’ list released on August 20. American pharma company Merck ranked second while

Page 11 of 16
 America ranked third on the list. Chinese group Alibaba is ranked 5th on the list.

3rd Indian Ocean Conference

Venue: Hanoi (Vietnam)
Dates: 27 and 28 August 2018
Chairperson: Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe, PM of Sri Lanka

Santhali Becomes India’s 1st Tribal Language To Get Own Wikipedia Edition
Santhali (Santali), a tribal language primarily spoken in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, rece
recognition when it got a Wikipedia edition in its own script. The language is been spoken
million people in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Assam.

Mahabaleshwar beats Cherrapunji to become India’s wettest place this year

Maharashtra’s Mahabaleshwar has become the wettest place in India this year, leaving be
Meghalaya’s Cherrapunji. India Meteorological Department (IMD) data revealed that the h
state of Maharashtra received a staggering 5661.6 mm rainfall this season till now, much m
Cherrapunji’s 4735 mm.
Bangalore’s Kempegowda International Airport is now the World’s second fastest g

Japan Pips China to Become World’s 2nd Largest Stock Market

Japan has pipped China as the world’s number two stock market, according to a Bloombe
of the time, the Chinese market was worth $6.09 trillion next to Japan’s $6.17 trillion. Both
ranked after the US which is the worlds largest at just over $31 trillion. China lost to Ja
Chinese stocks and currency fell this year amid a trade spat with the US.

G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting Held in Argentina

The theme of the meeting was ‘Building consensus for fair and sustainable developm
Its three key issues for the agenda were future of work, infrastructure for development, an
food future.
The G20 comprises of total 19 countries plus European Union (EU), representing 85% of g
of international trade, 65% of the world’s population.

Forbes Released List Of Highest Paid Female Athletes: Serena Williams Tops, PV Sin

Karunanidhi death: Served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for 5 times.

Popularly referred to as Kalaignar meaning artist in Tamil.
He worked as a screenwriter for films, his first film being Rajakumaari.
His Party Name: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)

· Kofi Annan death – 7th UN Secretary General from 1997 to 2006

Nationality: Ghana, Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 along with UNO
· Atal Bihari Vajpayee death
Prime Minister of India from: 16.05.96 to 01.06.96; 19.03.98 to 10.10.99; 10.10.99 to 22.05

Page 12 of 16
 Minister of External Affairs: 26.03.1977 to 28.07.1979
Birth Place: Gwalior
AWARDS: Bharat Ratna: 2015; Padma Vibhushan: 1992; Outstanding Parliamentarian Aw
Bangladesh Liberation War Honour: 2015
Events during his tenure as the PM of India: 2nd Nuclear Test named Smiling Buddha c
India at Pokhran in May 1998

· Ajit Wadekar death -First Captain of India’s ODI Cricket team

· Somnath Chatterjee death– Speaker of the Lok Sabha from: 2004 to 2009
· VS Naipaul death.
Born in Trinidad and Tobago
Nationality: British
Booker Prize: 1971 for “In a Free State”
Nobel Prize: 2001
Notable works: A House for Mr Biswas; A Flag on the Island; In a Free State; A Bend in the
of Darkness; India: A Wounded Civilization India: A Million Mutinies Now

GDP Growth Soars To 8.2% In 1st Quarter Of Current Fiscal

Indian economy grew by 8.2% in the first quarter (April-June) of the current fiscal, the high
years.
Explanation:-
A financial year starts from 1st April and ends on 31st March.
There are 4 quarters in a financial year. 1st quarter is April-June.
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final
services produced in a period of time.

Alastair Cook Announces International Retirement

England’s highest Test run-scorer Alastair Cook announced his retirement from Internation
final Test against India. He has scored 12,254 runs and made 32 centuries in 160 Tests al
records.

Arif Alvi Elected Pakistan’s New President

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi was elected as the 13th Pre
Pakistan.

National teachers day: 5th September

The birth date of the second President of India, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, 5 Septembe
been celebrated as Teacher’s Day since 1962.

Indian Boxer Mary Kom Signed as Brand Ambassador By BSNL

State-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) roped in Indian boxer MC Mary
ambassador for two years. BSNL will run television commercials, print advertisements and
endorsement with Kom.
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India-US 2+2 Dialogue: India-US Sign COMCASA
India and US have signed the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (CO
will facilitate India to obtain critical defence technologies from the US, and access critical c
network to ensure interoperability among the US and the Indian armed forces.
After the 2+2 dialogue, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Nirmala
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Defence Secretary James Mattis stated that the
committed to work towards strengthening Indo-US relationship.

Homosexuality Not A Crime In India Anymore: SC Abolishes Section 377

The Supreme Court abolished Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the 1862 law w
criminalised homosexuality

Luka Modric Wins ‘UEFA Men’s Player of The Year Award’

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has been named UEFA Men’s Player of the Year for 2
beat off competition from former Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool forwa
Salah, who joined him on the three-man shortlist announced on 20 August.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Receives Meryl Streep Award for Excellence

The ceremony was established to honour the best female talent in Bollywood and Hollywo

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is launched

About Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana or the Ayushman Bharat scheme

Indu Bhushan appointed as a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Beneficiaries will receive Ayushman Bharat Family Health Cards.
This centrally sponsored flagship scheme aims to provide an annual health cover of up to
vulnerable 10 crore families (approximately 50 crore persons – 40% of country’s populatio
Socio Economic and Caste Census database.
5 lakh health and wellness centres will be opened across India by 2022 under the scheme
provide comprehensive health care for diseases like diabetes, cancer, hypertension and c
diseases.
Ayushman Bharat consists of two major elements.1. National Health Protection Scheme. 2
centres. National Health Protection Scheme will provide cashless treatment to patients. An
centres will provide primary care to the patients.

Justice Ranjan Gogoi Appointed Next Chief Justice Of India

The President of India has appointed Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of Ind
assume the office of Chief Justice on 3rd October, 2018 after the retirement of the current
Justice Dipak Misra.
Justice Harilal J. Kania was the first Chief Justice of Independent India.

The Global Climate Action Summit 2018 was held at San Francisco, California, Unite
4000 businesses, cities, states and civil society delegates attended the summit and showe

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commitments to achieve the goals set by the Paris Agreement.

G-20 Trade And Investment Ministerial Meeting Held in Argentina

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu participated in G-20 trade and investmen
meeting at Mar del Plata in Argentina. Issues including increasing protectionism challenge
global commerce and the new industrial revolution were discussed at the meeting.

Human Development Index 2017: India ranks 130th in HDI 2017 published by United
Development Programme.
India climbed one spot to 130 out of 189 countries in the latest human development rankin
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). India’s HDI value for 2017 is 0.640,
country in the medium human development category.

Time Magazine Acquired by Salesforce Founders for $190 million

Government announced Mergers of Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank.

Infosys Acquires Finnish Company ‘Fluido’ For Rs 545 crore

Infosys has acquired Finnish company Fluido, a top consulting partner of Salesforce, for 6
(about Rs 545 crore). This is Infosys’s second acquisition under CEO Salil Parekh.
Recently, it had acquired US digital creative and consumer insight agency WongDoody for
Fluido acquisition will make Infosys the largest Salesforce consulting partner in the Nordic

Emmy Awards 2018

Emmy awards are US Television awards.
Best Comedy: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Best Drama: Game of Thrones

India Ranks 3rd On Family-Owned Business List: CSRI Report

India ranks third globally in terms of number of family-owned businesses with 111 compan
market capitalisation of $839 billion. India closely follows China with 159 firms and the US
firms,according to the ‘Credit Suisse Family 1000 in 2018’ study, published by the Credit S
Institute (CSRI).

PM Modi Inaugurated Sikkim’s First Airport in Pakyong

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pakyong Airport in Sikkim on September 2
after the foundation stone was laid. The airport is the hilly state’s first and only airport. Cur
nearest airport for the people of Sikkim is 124 kilometre (km) away in Bagdogra, West Ben

Croatia’s Luka Modric Won FIFA’s Best Player Of The Year Award
Luka Modric broke a decade of award dominance by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi a
crowned world footballer of the year by FIFA.

Nepal to become world’s first country to double its tiger population

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FDI in Telecom Sector Jumped Five Times In Three Years
FDI in the telecom sector has jumped nearly five times in the last three years – from USD
2015-16 to USD 6.2 Billion in 2017-18.

UN Declared Nelson Mandela Decade Of Peace 2019-2028

PM Modi Got UN’s Highest Environmental Honour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been awarded with the UN’s highest environmental hon
to five other individuals and organisations, for his leadership of the International Solar Allia
to eliminate single use plastic by 2022. Cochin International Airport was given the award fo
in the use of sustainable energy.

Argentina Gets Biggest Loan in IMF’s History At $57 billion

Argentina has received $57.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the bigge
ever from the global body aimed at boosting the country’s struggling economy.

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