Gyanm General Awareness Issue May 2016

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2016 1
GENERAL AWARENESS
MAY 2016
Vol. 4, Issue 11
A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION &
TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.
SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH
Contents
CURRENT AFFAIRS
JAN TO MARCH
01-39
BULLET NEWS
OCT TO DEC 2015
40-60
LATEST 100 GK MCQs 61-67
QUIZ & SSC CORNER 68-74
FOUR MONTHS GK BYTES 75-100
FIGURES TO REMEMBER
REPO RATE (29.09.2015) 6.75%
REVERSE REPO RATE 5.75%
MARGINAL STANDING
FACILITY RATE
7.75%
STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 21.5%
CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00%
BANK RATE 7.75%
BASE RATE(s)
(of various banks)
9.30 to
9.70%
INDIA’s RANK IN
World Happiness Index 118th
Intellectual Property Index -2016 37th
Overall Growth Prospectus 5th
Global Talent Competitiveness Index 89th
Nuclear Security Index 21st
Ease of Doing Business (Forbes) 97th
Human Development Index 130th
ICT Development Index 131st
Rank in Brand Value 7th
Legatum Prosperity Index 99th
Global Terrorism Index 06th
Financial Secrecy Index 45th
Ease of Doing Business (World Bank) 130th
Number of Startups 03rd
Global Competitiveness Index, WEF 55th
Protection of Minority Investors 08th
Global Innovation Index 81st
Global Competitiveness 44th
In terms of Peace 143rd
Motherhood Index 140th
NATIONAL NEWS
MARCH 2016
INDIA TO HOST 8TH BRICS SUMMIT
India will host the eighth annual summit
of BRICS from October 15-16 in Goa, in its
capacity as chair of the influential bloc
comprising five countries — Brazil, Russia,
India, China, South Africa.
The logo for the summit is a lotus with
colours from all the five member-countries
and a traditional ‘namaste’ in the centre.
MODI GOES FOR A THREE COUNTRY TRIP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for a three - nation tour to Belgium, the US
and Saudi Arabia from March 30 to April 2. He attended India-EU summit in
Brussels. In USA, he attended the fourth Nuclear Security Summit in
Washington D.C. Before returning to India, he stopped in Saudi Arabia to hold
talks with their leaders.
WORLD CULTURE FESTIVAL AT YAMUNA BANK
The first World Culture Festival, a three-day event celebrating cultural diversity
and Art of Living's 35 years of service to humanity, was held on Yamuna bank in
New Delhi on March 11-13. Over 36,000 artists from 155 countries took part in
the event.
The Art of Living is a global spiritual movement founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
NEW SHIPPING SERVICE TO BANGLADESH
A new beginning was made in maritime trade and bilateral cooperation
between India and Bangladesh with the launch of direct shipping service
between Krishnapatnam in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh and Chittagong in
Bangladesh. The new service will lower the transportation cost thereby
boosting the exports.
COURT ALLOWS PHOTOS OF LEADERS IN ADs
Supreme Court has now allowed use of pictures of Chief Ministers, Governors
and Cabinet ministers in the government's media advertisements. Earlier, in
May 2015, court had imposed a ban on publishing such photos treating it as
misuse of public funds.

GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2016 2
WORLD’s LONGEST ALL WOMEN FLIGHT
Air India on March 6 flew the “world’s longest” all-
women operated and supported flight, nonstop, from
New Delhi to San Francisco, USA. The flight covered a
distance of around 14,500 km in close to 17 hours. It
was operated as part of International Women’s Day
celebrations.
FOREIGN MINISTRY HOLDS RAISINA DIALOGUE
The Raisina Dialogue, a joint initiative of the Ministry of
External Affairs and a leading think tank, Observer
Research Foundation, New Delhi on March 2. The
summit is seen as India’s flagship conference of
geopolitics and geo-economics, designed to explore
prospects and opportunities for Asian integration.
PAK BETTER THAN INDIA IN HAPPINESS
When it comes to happiness quotient, India lags behind
neighbors like China, Pakistan and Bangladesh, ranking
118th in a study of 156 nations, according to The World
Happiness Report 2016, prepared on behalf of the
United Nations. Denmark takes the top spot displacing
Switzerland.
The report takes into account GDP per capita, life
expectancy, social support and freedom to make life
choices as indicators of happiness.
INDIAN WOMEN LAG BEHIND IN BUSINESS
As per the Grant Thornton’s Women in Business 2016
report of 36 countries, Russia held the top spot with 45
percent of senior-business roles occupied by women;
and Japan held the lowest spot at 7%. India faired very
poorly in this regard, being ranked at a lowly 34th spot.
BANGALORE, MUMBAI ARE MOST INEXPENSIVE
In a list compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit that
compares the cost of a basket of goods in 133 cities
across the world, the cheapest were Lusaka, the capital
of Zambia, followed by Bengaluru and Mumbai in India.
Singapore is most expensive, followed by Zurich, Hong
Kong, Geneva and Paris.
INDIA DISAPPOINTS IN ENERGY SECTOR
Global Energy Architecture Performance Index compiled
by the WEF for 126 countries to assess their ability to
deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy,
placed India pretty low at 90th rank. Top rank was
secured by Switzerland followed by Norway.
IMF TRAINING CENTRE IN DELHI
India and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) have
signed an agreement to set up a South Asia Regional
Training and Technical Assistance Centre (SARTTAC) in
Delhi for training officials in dealing with macro-
economic and financial issues on behalf of IMF.
 Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
nations was held Pokhara, Nepal.
 Union Ministry of Shipping will host ‘Maritime India
Summit’ at Mumbai from 14 to 16 April, with
Republic of Korea as the partner country.
 India hosted a three-day conference in New Delhi
with IMF on the theme of 'Advancing Asia: Investing
for the Future' from March 12 to 14.
 6th National Community Radio Sammelan held in
New Delhi. The theme of the conference is
‘Community Radio in India: Towards Diversity and
Sustainability’.
 National Conference of Women Legislators held in
New Delhi, March 5-6, with theme Women
Legislators-Building Resurgent India.
 India signed a MoU with Bahrain on cooperation for
prevention of human trafficking, especially in women
and children, their repatriation and rehabilitation.
 India has signed an agreement with Maldives for
avoiding double taxation of income from
international air transport.
 First meet of World Sufi Forum was held in New Delhi
from March 17-20. Sufi leaders from over 20
countries took part in it.
 The India Aviation 2016, an international exhibition
on civil aviation held in Hyderabad, Telangana with
over 200 participants from across the globe.
 Parsi Zoroastrians of India celebrated their Navroz
festival on March 21to mark beginning of their new
year.
 Germany has assured its support for developing
three Indian cities as smart cities. The selected cities
are - Kochi, Bhubaneswar and Coimbatore.
 Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi has been
declared as the world’s number one airport in 25-40
million passengers per annum (MPPA) category by
the Airports Council International.

FEBRUARY 2016
MYSURU IS THE CLEANEST CITY
Swachh Survekshan-2016 conducted by the Quality
Council of India to rank the Indian cities on the basis of
cleanliness has ranked Mysuru at number one, followed
by Chandigarh and Tiruchirapalli. The least clean cities
included Dhanbad (Jharkhand), Asansol (West Bengal).
Among the cities in the Smart City Mission,
Bhubaneswar has emerged as the top.
ANSARI VISITS BRUNEI, THAILAND
Vice President Hamid Ansari paid a five day (Feb 1-5)
visit to South East Asia covering Brunei and Thailand to
boost the bilateral relations and trade prospects.
Agreements were signed with Brunei in the fields of
defence, health and sports.
ABU DHABI PRINCE VISITS INDIA
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin
Zayed Al Nahyan visited India. The two countries signed
nine agreements covering cooperation in the fields of
currency swap, culture, investments in the
infrastructure sector, renewable energy, space research,
insurance supervision, cyber security, skill development
and commercial information sharing.
NATIONAL AROGYA FAIR HELD IN DEHRADUN
The 4-day National Arogya Fair organised by the central
and state government in collaboration with CII was held
in Dehradun, Uttarakhand to showcase and promote the
strengths, efficacy and affordability of the AYUSH
(Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and
Homoeopathy) systems of medicines.
Rs.580 CRORE FOR BANGLA RAIL LINK
The Indian government has finally sanctioned Rs.580
crore for the vital Agartala (India)-Akhaura
(Bangladesh) rail link, a project that was finalized in
January 2010. This project will reduce rail distance
between Kolkata and Agartala from 1700 kms (via
chicken neck) at present to 350 kms.
NATIONAL DEWORMING DAY – FEB 10
India observed the first National Deworming Day on Feb
10 in schools and preschools (anganwadis) to combat
parasitic worm infections among children.
Free Albendezole deworming tablets were provided to
children across the country.
INDIA ASEAN HOLD DELHI DIALOGUE
The eighth Delhi Dialogue was held in New Delhi to
discuss politico-security, economic and socio-cultural
engagement between the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) and India. The theme for this year's
dialogue is ASEAN-India Relations: A New Paradigm.
ANTI-LEPROSY DAY – 30TH JANUARY
Anti-Leprosy Day was observed on 30 January
nationwide in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, who
attained martyrdom on 30 January 1948, to honour his
selfless efforts to care for the people affected by this
infectious disease.
COINS IN MEMORY OF LAJPAT RAI
Ministry of Culture released a commemorative coin of
150 rupees and a circulation coin of 10 rupees on the
occasion of 150th birth anniversary of great freedom
fighter Lala Lajpat Rai.
ROAD TO RESILIENCE PROGRAMME
The Road to Resilience, an initiative of the World Bank
to survey the entire Indian coastline was completed on
15 February 2016. It aims to implement support for six
coastal disaster management and climate resilience
projects covering all ten coastal states of India.
GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT IN INDIA
Birdwatchers from all over India took part in four day
annual Great Backyard Bird Count and shared the
information online. With more than 7,000 lists, totaling
735 species, India has second rank in world. House
crow, common myna, Asian koel and black drongo were
the most common species reported in India.

3 INDIANS IN TOP 50 RICHEST IN WORLD
Three Indians — Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Group),
Azim Premji (Wipro) and Dilip Shanghvi (Sun Pharma)
—have made it to a global list of 50 wealthiest people at
27th, 43rd and 44th place, respectively. The list compiled
by Wealth-X in collaboration with Business Insider is
topped by Bill Gates.
JNU STIRRED BY ANTI NATIONAL SLOGANS
Nation’s prestigious university caught attention of
intellectuals around the world, although for non
academic reasons. A group of students of Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi staged a demonstration
and raised anti national slogans leading to arrest of
Kanhaiya Kumar, President of JNU students union and
two other student leaders on charges of sedition. The
issue raised a storm in the country with different groups
favouring and opposing the charge of sedition against
the students.
INDIA HAS 111 BILLIONAIRES
The total number of billionaires from India has risen to
111, consolidating the country's third position after
China and the US, according to Hurun Global Rich List
2016. The list is topped by Bill Gates while Mukesh
Ambani is the richest Indian at 21st rank.
INDIA VERY POOR IN PROTECTING IPR
In a survey of top 38 countries to assess the protection
of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), India ranked 37th
on the 2016 Intellectual Property Index released by the
Global Intellectual Property Centre, USA. The top rank
was secured by USA, followed closely by UK, Germany
and France while Venezuela was ranked last – 38th.
 Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli arrived in New
Delhi on Feb 19 on a six-day visit to India. The two
countries signed 7 agreements for cooperation.
 India and Afghanistan have agreed to allow visa-free
travel for diplomatic passport holders of the two
countries.
 India has extended one million dollars assistance to
cyclone-hit Fiji. The category five cyclone Winston
had wind speed of upto 325 km per hour.
 Global brand valuation firm Brand Finance has rated
Tata Consultancy Services as the World’s Most
Powerful Brand in IT Services.
 The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) completed ten years in
first week of February.
 Banaras Hindu University (BHU) founded by Freedom
fighter Pt Madan Mohan Malviya has turned 100
years on 13th February 2016.
 The 42nd Khajuraho Dance Festival, a world famous
annual classical dance festival, was held in the temple
town of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.
 The biennial automotive show Auto Expo was held in
Greater Noida in the National Capital Region.
 The 47th two-day Conference of Governors of all
Indian states and Lt. Governors of UTs was hosted by
the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
 India and Pakistan have agreed to extend the rail
communication agreement by mutual consent for
three years from 19 January 2016.
 The 6th National Science Film Festival & Competition
was held at Nehru Science Center in Mumbai.
 13th World Spice Congress was held in Ahmedabad
from Feb 27-29 with the theme 'Target 2020: Clean,
Safe and Sustainable Supply Chain'.
JANUARY 2016
HOLLANDE PRESIDES OVER REPUBLIC DAY
President of France, Francois Hollande arrived in
Chandigarh on Jan 24 for a three–day visit to India. He
was the honourable Chief Guest at the 67thRepublic Day
Parade at New Delhi.
An agreement was signed to provide technical and
financial assistance for developing Puducherry, the
erstwhile French protectorate, Chandigarh and Nagpur
as a smart city. Besides, 16 other agreements, including
one for purchase of 36 Rafale advanced fighter aircrafts,
were also signed.
He also inaugurated the interim secretariat of the
International Solar Alliance - ISA and laid the foundation
stone of its headquarters in Gurgaon, Haryana.
FRENCH FORCES IN REPUBLIC DAY PARADE
For the first time, a military contingent of a foreign
country will take part in the Republic Day Parade on
January 26. A contingent of the French army, which is
already in India for a joint military exercise, will take
part in the parade along with Indian armed forces.
INDIA 5TH BEST COUNTRY FOR GROWTH
According to the annual global CEO survey of
consultancy giant PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) the
top five markets considered as most important for
overall growth prospects are USA, China, Germany, the
UK and India. CEOs in India are showing much more
confidence than their global counterparts when it comes
to revenue growth for their companies.

US HAS LARGEST NUMBER OF INDIANS
India sends the largest number of engineers and
scientists to the US with about 950,000 immigrant
scientists and engineers coming from the country,
according to a report. The number of scientists and
engineers residing in the US rose from 21.6 million to 29
million from 2003 to 2013.
INDIA IMPROVES ITS CORRUPTION STATUS
In the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)-2015 by the
anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International
(TI), India has been ranked at 76th position in public
sector corruption out of 168 countries, improving its
slot from 85 in 2014 and 94 in 2013. The Index is
topped by Denmark, followed by Finland, Sweden and
New Zealand.
NATIONAL VOTERS’ DAY
6th National Voters’ Day was celebrated across the
country on Jan 25. The theme for this year was
‘Inclusive and Qualitative Participation’. It was on this
day in 1950 that the Election Commission came into
existence.
FIRST BLIND FRIENDLY TRAIN
The Mysuru-Varanasi Express has become the country’s
first blind friendly Braille-embedded train. It has been
provided with metallic Braille signage indicating berth
numbers, location of alarm chains, toilets, and
emergency windows.
INDIA HAS LARGEST DIASPORA
India’s diaspora population is the largest in the world
with 16 million people from India living outside their
country in 2015, according to a latest survey conducted
by the UN Department of Economic and Social
Affairs. India is followed by Mexico, Russia and China.
20th NATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL
The 153rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda was
observed as National Youth Day across the country.
Main event was the five day 20th National Youth
Festival held in Naya Raipur, the new capital city of
Chhattisgarh. The theme for the festival was "India
Youth for Skill, Development and Harmony". The mascot
for the event was Wild Buffalo, the state animal of
Chhattisgarh and named as 'Sangi', which means
"friend".
‘JALLIKATTU’ – CENTRE ALLOWS, S C BANS
The Union Government has allowed the conduct of the
traditional bull-taming sports, ‘Jallikattu’, in Tamil Nadu.
It is celebrated around Pongal in Tamil Nadu. However,
on Jan 12, Supreme Court stayed the Central
government notification allowing ‘Jallikattu’.
MUMBAI 22ND, DELHI 24TH BEST CITY
According to a study conducted by international real
estate consultancy JLL, India’s financial capital Mumbai
has been ranked 22nd, while the National Capital is
placed at number 24 in the top-30 list of the world’s
most powerful, productive and connected cities. The list
is topped by Tokyo, followed by New York and London.
N E INDIA STRUCK BY EARTHQUAKE
A strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck northeast
India on Jan 4. The epicentre of the earthquake was at
Tamenglong, 33 kilometres away from Imphal in
Manipur. Several persons were killed and many a
buildings collapsed in Tamenglong.
GOVT TO SIGN RAPTOR AGREEMENT
The government has approved the signing of the Raptor
MoU which aims at promoting internationally
coordinated actions to conserve and reverse the decline
of birds of prey such as eagles, kites, vultures, hawks
and owls. India will become the 54th country to sign
this agreement.
INDIA TO MAKE BRIDGES IN MYANMAR
The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of 69
bridges on the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa (TKK) road
section of the trilateral highway in Myanmar. This will
facilitate all season movement of goods from Imphal to
Mandlay in Myanmar and further entering Thailand.
WORLD BANK LOAN FOR MINORITY YOUTH
World Bank will provide a $ 50 million loan for ‘Nai
Manzil'–Education and Skills Training for Minorities.
Youth in BPL category in the age group of 17-35 years
will be the main beneficiaries of the project.
WORLD BANK LOAN FOR ZOO IN ANDHRA
In a global first, the World Bank has agreed to provide $
20 million assistance to reconstruct the Indira Gandhi
Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam (Andhra) which got
devastated during cyclone Hudhud in October 2014.
INDIA RANKS LOWLY 89TH IN TALENT HUNT
The Global Talent Competitiveness Index compiled by
the INSEAD Business School, France to rank the 103
countries on the basis of their ability to attract talent,
has placed India at 89th rank, 11 steps below its rank last
year. The index is topped by the Switzerland, followed
by Singapore.

INDIA RANKS LOW IN NUCLEAR SAFETY
A Nuclear Security Index compiled by the Nuclear
Threat Initiative of USA for 176 countries to assess
global nuclear security conditions, for both – weapon
grade nuclear material and possibility of sabotage, has
placed India low at 21st rank among the 24 countries
having one kg or more of the weapon grade nuclear
material. Australia has been ranked as the safest
country.
‘BHARAT PARV’ HELD IN DELHI
A four day cultural festival 'Bharat Partv' was held at the
Red Fort lawns in Delhi from Jan 26-29 to highlight the
rich cultural and ethnic heritage of India, including
cuisine and handicrafts from across the country.
INDIA TO SHARE CLIMATE INFORMATION
The World Meteorological Organisation has nominated
India as the Regional Climate Centre to provide
information to other South Asian countries on
temperature and monsoon, including that about El Nino.
 Ministry of Commerce and Industry is organising
“Make in India Week” in Mumbai during February 13-
18, 2016 to hold investors meet for the
manufacturing sector.
 India’s share in IMF has increased to 2.75% from
2.44%, making it the eighth-largest shareholder in
the Fund. Its voting rights now will rise to 2.6% from
2.34%.
 The World Bank will give $ 250 million loan for
Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project for
reconstruction and recovery support in flood-affected
areas.
 India and Armenia signed an amended Double
Taxation Avoidance Treaty (DTAA) to share
information on banking and financial transactions.
 The largest tricolour (66 x 99 feet) in the country was
hoisted atop the Pahari Mandir in Ranchi, Jharkhand
on the tallest pole – standing 293 foot.
 Union Ministry of Finance released the draft report of
Justice R V Easwar (Retd) Committee to simplify the
provisions of Income-tax Act, 1961.
 The child sex ratio in India now stands at 918 (per
thousand male babies), dipping further from 927 in
2001, and reaching the lowest level since 1961.
 Govt has decided to merge the Ministry of Overseas
Indian Affairs with the Ministry of External Affairs to
avoid duplication of work and to improve efficiency.
 India-Nepal Bus Service between Banbasa border in
Uttarakhand and Kanchanpur in Nepal started on
4th January, after a gap of 27 years.
 The 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) was held on
9 January 2016 in New Delhi. It was a limited edition
as now it will be organised once in two years.
 National Conference on e-Governance held in Nagpur,
Maharashtra.
 India’s first World Music Festival will be held in
Udaipur on Feb 12-13. Over 100 artistes from over
12 countries will take part in the festival.
 103rd Indian Science Congress held at University
of Mysore, Karnataka. Theme for this year
was "Science & Technology for Indigenous
Development in India".
 International Kite Festival held at Sabarmati River
front in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
 The Jaipur Literature Festival held at Hotel Diggi
Palace, Jaipur (Rajasthan) from January 21 to 25.
NEWS FROM STATES
MARCH 2016
PRESIDENT RULE IMPOSED IN UTTRAKHAND
Central government recommended to the President to
invoke Article 356 in Uttarakhand to impose the
President’s rule in the state as the present government
led by Harish Rawat lost the majority support.
On March 18, the state govt failed to secure majority vote
for passing the bill. This caused a constitutional crisis as
no state govt can spend money from April 1 based on a
failed Appropriation bill.
UNESCO SELECTS AGASTHYAMALA BIOSPHERE
UN’s top cultural body UNESCO has included
Agasthyamala biosphere reserve in its World Network
of Biosphere Reserves. Located in the Western Ghats, in
the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Agasthyamala is
home to 2,254 species of higher plants and has three
wildlife sanctuaries.
ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS ANNOUNCED
Election Commission has announced the schedule for
the forthcoming Assembly elections in April in four
States and one UT - Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal,
Assam and Puducherry. The Counting for all five will be
held on 19th of May.
MUZIRIS HERITAGE PROJECT
India’s largest heritage conservation project - Muziris
Heritage Project (MHP) was inaugurated by the
President at Trissur in Kerala. It is the ancient port city
dotted with monuments up to 3000 years old.

KERALA GOES FULLY DIGITAL
Kerala has been declared as the first digital state of India
for achieving digital connectivity of all villages and
panchayats. The state has achieved 100 per cent mobile
connectivity and 75 per cent Internet literacy.
 Delhi has become the first state in the country to
launch the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine as
a public health programme for school children.
 The HPV vaccine protects people against the
group of 150-odd HPVs, some of which can cause
cervical cancer.
 Surat, Rajkot railway stations in Gujarat stood first
and second in terms of cleanliness, as per a survey
conducted by the Ministry of Railways.
 Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh is celebrating
150 years of its existence.
 Kerala has started India’s first Gender Park, an
autonomous institution to promote the gender equity
in development to promote participation of women.
 Kerala has taken first of its kind initiative by
launching the Air Ambulance in the state.
FEBRUARY 2016
HARYANA SINGED BY JAT AGITATION
Prosperous state of Haryana suffered big loss due to
widespread violent agitation by its Jat community
demanding reservation for Jats in government jobs. The
stir claimed around 30 lives, leaving over 300 as injured.
The Supreme Court had rejected inclusion of Jats into the
Central OBC list on ground that National Commission of
Backward Castes does not consider them socially and
economically backward in Haryana.
LONGEST RAIL BRIDGE TO COME UP AT KATNI
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has
approved construction of India’s longest railway bridge
on Katni – Bina route in Madhya Pradesh. This 14 kms
long bridge is three and half folds longer than the
present longest Vembanad rail Bridge 4.6 Km in length,
in Kerala.
HARYANA TO CONDUCT AQUIFER MAPPING
Haryana to become the first state in the country to have
aquifer mapping done for its groundwater resources by
May 2016.
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing rock,
from which groundwater can be extracted.
VARANASI HAS WORST AIR QUALITY
Central Pollution Control Board released its National Air
Quality Indices (NAQI) for 24 cities. The index has a
colour code and a numerical value to help in comparing
pollution levels in different cities. Varanasi in Uttar
Pradesh and Muzzafarpur in Bihar topped the list for the
worst air quality.
 30th Surajkund International Crafts Mela began at
Surajkund in Faridabad, Haryana on Feb 1.
Telangana is the Theme State this time.
 The World Bank to give $ 35 million credit for
the Citizen Access to Responsive Services Project of
Madhya Pradesh.
 Haryana and the Province of Ontario in Canada have
signed a MoU for enhancing commercial and cultural
ties between the two states.
JANUARY 2016
‘FREE’ WI-FI AT MUMBAI RLY STATION
Mumbai Central has become the first ever railway
station in India to have free high-speed Internet facility
for thousands of its passengers. Railway plans to extend
this facility to 400 stations in near future. The service
has been rolled out by Indian Railway’s telecom arm,
RailTel in collaboration with Google.
SIKKIM BECOMES FULLY ‘ORGANIC’
Sikkim has become India's first fully organic state by
converting around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land
into sustainable cultivation. Organic cultivation is free
of chemical pesticides and chemical fertilisers as it tries
to strike a harmonious balance with a complex series of
ecosystems.

KULLU NATI DANCE CREATES WORLD RECORD
In Himachal Pradesh, the Nati folk dance of Kullu district
has made a world record by entering the Guinness Book
of World Records as the folk dance by largest number–
9,892 women. The dance was arranged last year on
26th October during International Dussehra festival.
GANGA GRAM YOJANA TO START FROM U P
Govt has launched Ganga
Gram Yojana from Village
Puth in Hapur district of
Uttar Pradesh (UP). Under
the scheme, 1600 villages of
UP situated along the banks
of river Ganga will be
developed to minimize/stop
pollution of the river from these villages.
 For the first time, a study by the World Wide Fund-
India has captured on camera evidence of the highly
endangered species Snow Leopard inhabiting the
high mountains of northern Sikkim.
 The 14th edition of Mumbai International Festival for
Documentary, Short and Animation Films was held in
Mumbai from Jan 28 to Feb 03.
 The Ardh Kumbh mela formally started at
Haridwar on Jan 12.
 Kerala has become the first Indian state to achieve
100 per cent primary education (up to class iv) by
implementing the programme ‘Athulyam’.
 World Bank to provide $ 250 million loan for the
Bihar’s Kosi Basin Development Project.
 Bihar government has decided to give 35%
reservation for women in all state government jobs.
 Bihar govt has announced that no one can contest the
panchayat elections scheduled in 2016 in the state,
without having a toilet at their home.
 Telangana has become the first state in the country
to officially accept electronic motor insurance
policies by the name ‘e-Vahan Bima’.
GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES
MARCH 2016
NEW COLOUR SCHEME FOR POLLUTION LEVELS
Govt has launched the new four colour scheme for re-
classification of industries based on the Pollution Index
(PI) scores.
Pollution
Category
P I Score No. of
industries
covered
Red 60 and Above 60
Orange 41 to 59 83
Green 21 to 40 63
White Up to 20 36
The purpose of the categorization is to ensure that the
industry is established in a manner which is consistent
with the environmental objectives.
ONE CRORE HOUSES IN RURAL AREAS
The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of one
crore houses in next three years in rural areas under
‘Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin’ to achieve the
objective of ‘Housing for All’. The scheme replaces be
earlier Indira Awas Yojana.
A financial assistance of Rs.1.20 lakh will be provided
for construction of pucca houses to homeless families in
plain areas and Rs. 1.30 lakh in hilly and difficult areas.
The beneficiary will also be entitled to 90 days of
unskilled labour from MGNREGA.
STUDENTS TO ACT AS ‘PARYATAK MITRA’
Union Ministry of Tourism has launched the ‘Paryatak
Mitra’ (tourist’s friend) programme to inculcate
appropriate tourism traits and knowledge amongst the
college students enrolled in NCC/NSS to enable them to
act/work as Tourist Facilitators.

WOMEN CONQUER ITBP FORTE ALSO
Government has allowed women to be inducted as
officers in combat roles in the Indo-Tibetan Border
Force (ITBP), the last paramilitary force to do so. The
four other paramilitary forces – CRPF, CISF, BSF and SSB
have already been allowed to recruit women officers in
the combat roles.
WOMEN TRANSFORMING INDIA INITIATIVE
The NITI Aayog has launched the Women Transforming
India initiative in partnership with the UN in India and
MyGov. It will invite success stories from women
making efforts for empowerment of women, to
encourage and recognize them.
BRIGHT DAYS AHEAD FOR HOUSE BUYERS
The Rajya Sabha passed the landmark Real Estate
(Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 on March 10 to
address corruption and inefficiency in the sector. The
bill aims to protect house buyers from the widely
prevalent opaque and fraudulent practices in the real
estate sector. Lok sabha has already passed this bill.
GOVT STARTS HEALTHCARE ATMs
Union Health Ministry has started, on trial basis, five
healthcare ATMs in four states — Madhya Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The
ATMs combine telemedicine with a rudimentary free
drugs programme.
Each ATM will be manned by a multipurpose public
health worker (MPHW) or an auxiliary nurse midwife
(ANM) armed with a multi-parameter patient vital
monitor and other devices required for checking basic
health parameters.
AADHAAR BILL PASSED BY PARLIAMENT
The Aadhaar (Target Delivery of Financial and Other
Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016 has been
passed by the Parliament to provide a legal back up to
the usage of Aadhaar card for various social welfare
schemes. It will empower the states to distribute
resources to deserving people and save the resources
that undeserving people get
‘UJALA’ SCHEME FOR LED BULBS
Govt has announced the ‘UJALA' scheme for the LED
based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme, which is
currently running successfully in over 120 cities across
India to replace incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs.
UJALA is an acronym for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs
for All.
PRADHAN MANTRI UJWALA YOJANA
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
approved the Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana for
providing 5 crore free LPG connections to women from
below poverty line (BPL) households at a cost of Rs
8,000 crore.
‘SETUBHARTAM’ - CROSSING FREE HIGHWAYS
Govt has launched the Setubharatam project on Mar 4 to
make all national highways free of railway crossings by
2019. Some 208 such points have been identified for
construction of rail over-bridges or underpasses.
UNIVERSITIES TO HAVE WEB PAGE FOR SC/ST
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked
varsities and colleges across the country to launch a
special page on their websites for checking
discrimination against SC/ST students.
The move comes amidst the debate on the issue of alleged
discrimination in higher educational institutions in the
aftermath of Rohith Vemula's suicide at Hyderabad
Central University.
UNRESERVED TICKET VALID FOR 3 HOURS
As per new rules, from March 1, an unreserved train
ticket for travelling up to 199 kms will no longer be
valid after 3 hrs of purchase of the ticket, or up to the
departure of first train for the destination, whichever is
later.
ENEMY PROPERTY ACT, 1968 AMENDED
Lok Sabha passed a bill to amend the Enemy Property
Act, 1968. The properties covered by the Bill are those
left behind by people who became Chinese or Pakistani
nationals, after leaving India in the wake of wars fought
with these countries. The new bill also ensures that the
law of succession does not apply to enemy property.
 Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
has launched the 'Clean Street Food Project' in
Delhi to sensitise the street food vendors about health
and hygiene aspects of food.
 Railways launched an online “clean my coach”
service that allows travellers to get their
compartments cleaned by sending an SMS to 58888
or by using an app or a designated website.
 Government has decided to digitally connect all the
Post Offices in rural areas by March 2017. There are
about 1,55,000 Post Offices in the country.

 The Telecom Commission has approved the idea of
having a common number for emergencies such as
police, fire, ambulance, etc. all over India. The
proposed number is 112.
FEBRUARY 2016
20 SMART CITIES ANNOUNCED
Central government has announced the names of the
first 20 urban areas that will be developed as smart
cities. The selected cities will be equipped with basic
infrastructure, efficient urban mobility and public
transport, IT connectivity and e-governance
mechanisms. The 20 selected cities are from 11 states
and UT of Delhi.
1. Bhubaneswar 2. Pune 3. Jaipur
4. Surat 5. Kochi
6. Ahmedabad 7. Jabalpur
8. Vishakapatnam 9. Sholapur
10. Davangere 11. Indore 12. New Delhi
13. Coimbatore 14. Kakinada 15. Belagavi
16. Udaipur 17. Guwahati 18. Chennai
19. Ludhiana 20. Bhopal
RURBAN MISSION LAUNCHED IN DONGARGARH
The ambitious Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban (rural-
urban) Mission was launched from Chhattisgarh's
Dongargarh block. It aims to draw an investment of
over Rs 5,000 crore in three years to transform rural
areas to economically, socially and physically
sustainable spaces aimed at minimising rural migration
to cities through skill development programmes.
GOVT TO SET UP AIM AND SETU
The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of Atal
Innovation Mission (AIM) and Self Employment and
Talent Utilisation (SETU) in NITI Aayog to encourage
innovations and entrepreneurship in the country.
APP LAUNCHED FOR CLEAN TOURIST CENTERS
Ministry of Tourism has launched a mobile app ‘Swachh
Paryatan’ to facilitate the public to communicate their
complaints about any unclean area/garbage piles in and
around 25 listed prime tourist destinations.
E-TOURIST VISA FOR 37 MORE COUNTRIES
Govt has decided to extend E-Tourist visa facility to 37
more countries from Feb 26, making the total count of
countries under the scheme 150. The new countries
include Austria, Brunei, Denmark, Greece, South Africa,
Switzerland and Tajikistan.
EPFO COVERAGE FOR 10 WORKER UNITS
The Union Labour Ministry has decided to halve the
threshold for coverage of firms under the Employees’
Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) from 20 at present
to 10 workers. This will benefit over 50 lakh workers.
YOU TUBE CHANNEL FOR FINANCE MINISTRY
Finance Ministry has launched its official YouTube
channel with a view to disseminate information to the
public on a real-time basis. The channel showcases
videos featuring schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan
Mantri Mudra Yojana, Insurance schemes, among
several others.
PROJECT SUNRISE LAUNCHED TO FIGHT AIDS
Government has launched Project Sunrise for
prevention of AIDS in the 20 districts of eight North-
Eastern states. The project seeks to improve
interventions against human immunodeficiency virus
infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(HIV/AIDS) among people who inject drugs (PWID).
24x7 TOLL FREE TOURIST INFOLINE
Union Ministry of Tourism has launched the 24x7 Toll
Free Tourist Infoline in 12 International Languages
including Hindi and English in New Delhi. It will assist
the callers, particularly those who know little about
India, with advice on action to be taken during times of
distress while travelling in India to ensure a hassle free
comfortable journey.
TATA TO HEAD RAIL RESEARCH TEAM
Government plans to set up a dedicated, cross functional
team called Special Unit for Transportation Research
and Analytics (Sutra) headed by veteran industrialist
Ratan Tata for carrying out detailed analytics leading to
optimised investment decisions and operations in
railways.
NDRF RAISES ‘DOG SQUAD’
In a maiden initiative, the National Disaster Response
Force (NDRF) has raised a squad of 162 dogs to aid its
personnel in rescuing people trapped under debris in
the aftermath of natural calamities like earthquake.

 India’s first-ever Aviation Park will come up near
Bagodara village in Ahmadabad to strengthen the
aviation sector. The park will promote special units
to manufacture spare parts for aircrafts.
 National Framework for Malaria Elimination 2016-
2030 released to define the strategy for elimination of
the disease by 2030, in a phased manner.
 The National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-2031
unveiled by the environment ministry to focus on
rehabilitation of threatened species of wildlife.
JANUARY 2016
“START-UP INDIA, STAND-UP INDIA”
Govt. has started a 19 point Start-up Action Plan with a
Rs. 10,000 crore fund for funding of Start-ups. The new
ventures will be exempted from paying income tax on
their profit and visit of inspectors for 3 years.
They will enjoy 80 per cent exemption in patent fee. An
Atal Innovation Mission will be launched to give a boost
to innovation.
NEW CROP INSURANCE FOR FARMERS
Government has launched the “Pradhan Mantri Fasal
Bima Yojana", under which the premium will be paid by
Central and state govt and the farmers will have to pay
only a token premium of 2 per cent for kharif, 1.5 per
cent for rabi and 5 per cent for commercial crops.
33% WOMEN IN PARA FORCES
Govt has approved 33% reservation for women in
Central Armed Police Forces such as CRPF and CISF at
constable–level positions and 14-15% reservation at the
constable level in border guarding forces such as BSF,
SSB and ITBP.
HYBRID ANNUITY MODEL FOR HIGHWAYS
The government has approved the hybrid annuity
model as one of the modes for implementing highway
development projects. Under this model, 40% of the
project cost is provided by the government during
construction and the balance 60% is paid as annuity
(installments) payments later on.
E-TENDERS MUST FOR OVER 2 LAKH DEALS
With a view to bring transparency in government
purchases, it has been decided that all central ministries
and public sector units will have to float e-tenders for
procuring goods and services exceeding Rs 2 lakh. At
present the limit is Rs 5 lakh.
61 MORE DISTRICTS UNDER ‘BETI BACHAO’
The Government has decided to extend the Beti Bachao
Beti Padhao scheme to 61 more districts this year to
improve skewed child sex ratio. The programme was
launched in January 2015 in 100 districts with poor sex
ratio across the country.
SOCIAL SECURITY PACT WITH AUSTRALIA
A new social security agreement signed between India
and Australia has come into operation enabling people
of both nations to avail retirement benefits in each
other's country, a pact likely to boost bilateral business
linkages.
GAVI TO PROMOTE VACCINATION IN INDIA
To improve the quality and coverage of vaccination in
India, Union Health Ministry has decided to use the
expertise of Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), a global
NGO working for promotion of vaccination in poor
countries.
 Operation Green Hunt refers to an all-out offensive
by India’s paramilitary forces against the Naxalites in
the Naxal affected five states.
 River Information System - the first of its kind in
India launched to facilitate safe and accurate
navigation on National Waterway-1 (Ganga River).
 Union Govt in coordination with the Jammu and
Kashmir Govt has launched an initiative ‘Wattan ko
Jano’ to familiarize the local youth with the
development of the country in other states.
 Sahaj Scheme launched for online booking of LPG
cylinders through the unified web portal
www.mylpg.in, available in 13 languages.

 Government has decided to institute a new award
category under the National Film Awards titled The
Most Film–Friendly State/UT.
 The Union Ministry of Shipping has started Project
Green Ports to make Major Ports across India
cleaner and greener.
 Eight states have agreed to implement direct benefit
of transfer of subsidy in kerosene in 26 districts w.e.f.
April 1, 2016.
 Finance Ministry to organise the India Investment
Summit from Feb. 4 in New Delhi to attract global
investors to promote Indian infrastructure sector.
 The government has constituted a committee headed
by noted film-maker Shyam Benegal to look into
revamp of Censor Board.
 A new luxury super fast express train 'Mahamana
Express' named after Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya
has been started between Varanasi to Delhi.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
MARCH 2016
IMF PROJECTS INDIA’S GROWTH AT 7.3%
Bullish on India, the International Monetary Fund has
projected a robust growth rate of 7.3 per cent for the
country this fiscal, picking up to 7.5 per cent next year.
The growth is based on recent measures aimed at
increasing public infrastructure spending, rationalising
subsidies, creating more flexible labour and product
markets as well as enhancing financial inclusion.
FITCH PUTS INDIA’s GROWTH AT 7.5%
Fitch Ratings has lowered India’s economic growth
forecast for next fiscal to 7.7 per cent, but maintained
the GDP projection for current fiscal at 7.5 per cent.
The improvement is based on expectations of higher real
disposable income, assuming a normal monsoon after two
years of below-average rainfall and a substantial wage
increase for Central government employees.
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION DOWN BY 1.5%
As per the data released by Central Statistics Office
(CSO), industrial production measured in terms of Index
of Industrial Production (IIP), contracted for the third
straight month by 1.5% in January, 2016. It is feared
that the fragile recovery of manufacturing is going to
impact the overall economic growth.
EXPORTS CONTINUE TO DIP
Exports dipped for the 15th month in a row, down by
5.66% in February at $20.73 billion, due to contraction
in shipments of petroleum and engineering goods.
Imports too dipped 5.03% to $27.28 billion in February,
leaving a trade deficit of $6.55 billion.
 The country’s foreign exchange reserves rose to an all
time high of $355.94 billion for the week ended
March 18, on the back of sustained inflows in the
equity market.
FEBRUARY 2016
INDIA RECORDS 7.3% GROWTH IN OCT-DEC QR
According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), growth
of the Gross Domestic Product is estimated at 7.3% in
the October-December 2015 quarter. The economy is
projected to record a five-year high growth rate of 7.6%
in 2015-16 with consumption supporting growth and
manufacturing being a surprise performer.
GDP GROWTH TUNED DOWN TO 7.2%
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has marginally
revised downward the GDP growth for 2014-15 to 7.2%
from the earlier estimate of 7.3% after factoring in the
latest data on agriculture and industrial production.
The real GDP or GDP at constant prices (2011-12) for
the year 2014-15 stands at Rs 105.52 lakh crore.
The per capita Net National Income at current prices is
estimated as Rs 79,412 and Rs 86,879, respectively for the
years 2013-14 and 2014-15. For 2015-16, the Net
National Income at Current Prices is expected to be Rs.
93,231.00
MOODY’s PUTS INDIA’s GROWTH AT 7.5%
Moody’s Investors Services has projected that Indian
economy will grow at 7.5% in 2016 and 2017 as it is
relatively less exposed to external headwinds like
China’s slowdown and will benefit from lower
commodity prices.
JANUARY 2016
INDIA TO GROW BY 7.8% - WORLD BANK
The Global Economic
Prospect by the World Bank
has projected a robust 7.8
per cent growth for the
Indian economy in the
current year based on
strong investor sentiment in
India and the positive effect
of the recent fall in oil prices.
 UNCTAD says that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
inflows into India nearly doubled to $ 59 billion in
2015 as against 36 per cent rise at the world level.

ECONOMY & INDUSTRY
MARCH 2016
100% FDI ALLOWED IN E-COMMERCE
The government has allowed 100% foreign direct
investment (FDI) in the marketplace format of e-
commerce via the automatic route but not under the
inventory led model. This means that companies such as
Amazon and Alibaba can set up an online marketplace
legally now where sellers can hawk their products.
‘NO’ TO ‘WILLFUL DEFAULTERS’ – SEBI
To curb the menace of willful defaulters, the Securities
and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has barred them
from making a public issue or acquiring another listed
entity.
The RBI defines a willful defaulter as an entity that
defaults on its payment obligations even if it has the
capacity to pay back debts.
INDIAN LOCOMOTIVES FOR MYANMAR
Railways have signed a contract to supply eighteen
Meter Gauge 1350 HP Diesel Electric Locomotives to
Myanmar Railways. The engines will be manufactured
by the Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi.
URIDASHI MASALA BONDS LAUNCHED BY IFC
International Finance Corporation (IFC) launched its
first Uridashi Masala Bonds (Japanese bonds) to
mobilise Rs 30 crore from Japanese retail investors. The
proceeds will be used for promoting private sector
development in India.
Masala bonds are rupee-denominated instruments sold
only to foreign investors.
INDIA HIKES QUOTA IN IMF
The government has decided to invest Rs. 69,575 crore
towards increasing India’s quota in the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2.44% to 2.75% to have
increased voting rights of 2.6% from the previous
2.34%.
INDIA’s BIGGEST EVER CREDIT LINE
India signed its biggest ever overseas credit line,
extending $2 billion loan facility to Bangladesh,
repayable over 20 years. Managed by the Exim Bank,
the funds will be used for development of infrastructure
and social sector.
ALTO FIRST CAR TO CROSS 3 MILLION SALES
Maruti’s hatchback Alto has achieved cumulative sales
of three million units in the Indian market. It has taken
15 years and 6 months to achieve this record and is the
only Indian auto brand to cross this milestone. Around
2.50 lakh Alto are sold annually.
MAHINDRA ONLINE TRACTOR RENTING
India’s number one tractor producer, Mahindra&
Mahindra plans to launch Trringo – a digital app, to start
online tractor rental business. It will offer a digital
platform to connect those looking to hire tractors and
those willing to rent their self-owned machines.
CALL DROPS NOT TO EXCEED 2% - S C
The Supreme Court has asked telecom operators to give
an undertaking that they have not exceeded the two
percent threshold limit of call drops as mandated in the
regulations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
 The U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) and the A have signed a MoU to provide $
848 million to develop solar parks across India.
 As per the Brand Trust Report, e-retailer Amazon has
been ranked as India's most trusted online shopping
brand, followed by Snapdeal and Flipkart.
 The World Bank to provide $250 million loan for
improving the performance of electricity distribution
in Rajasthan.
 The government has formally withdrawn the
recognition of Delhi Stock Exchange (DSE) after it
was de recognised by SEBI "serious irregularities".
 The govt has relaxed FDI norms for the insurance
sector to allow 49% foreign stake in local insurance
companies without prior approval, as against 26%
earlier.
 Railways have tied up with the ISRO to use space
technology for providing the passenger information
in all trains and to explore new route alignments.
 India and France have signed a MoU for construction
of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra.
 World Bank to provide $ 35 million loan for Madhya
Pradesh citizen access to responsive services project.
 World Bank to grant $ 300 million loan for the
Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Quality
Improvement Project

FEBRUARY 2016
‘MAKE IN INDIA WEEK’ INAUGURATED
Prime Minister Mr. Modi inaugurated the Make in India
Week on Feb 13 in Mumbai. He told representatives
from 68 countries participating in the event that India
was blessed with Democracy, Demography, and
Demand, and his government has added 4th D –
Deregulation, making it a four-dimensional India
waiting for foreign investment and manufacturing
companies.
The week attracted investment commitments of over
Rs.15 lakh crore.
10,000 Cr FUND FOR ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY
In a bid to kick start manufacturing in the electronics
sector, government has launched a Rs. 10,000-crore
Electronic Development Fund. It will provide risk
capital to companies developing new technologies in
electronics, nano-electronics and information
technology.
15.27 LAKH COMPANIES IN INDIA
As per the latest data released by the Ministry of
Corporate Affairs, the total number of companies
registered in the country rose to more than 15.27 lakh
in January 2016. However, only 10.76 lakh of them
were active ones.
G I TAG FOR BASMATI OF 7 STATES
The Intellectual Property Appellate Board has directed
Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai to issue
‘Geographical Indication’ tag for basmati rice to 7 states
in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. These states are Punjab,
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, parts of Uttar
Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. This tag will help to
preserve the unique identity of India’s aromatic basmati
rice in the international market.
FIRST PETROCHEMICAL PLANT IN NORTH EAST
Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL)
started the Assam Gas Cracker project, the first ever
Petrochemical project in entire North East India. The
plant at Lepetkata near Dibrugarh, Assam will produce
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Linear Low
Density polyethylene (LLDPE) totaling 2, 20,000 Tonnes
per Annum (TPA) and 60,000 TPA of Polypropylene
(PP) for downstream plastic processing industries.
TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT APPROVED
Union Cabinet has approved (TFA) of the World Trade
Organization (WTO), becoming 71st country to do so.
The TFA seeks to ease customs procedures to boost
commerce.
eKYC LAUNCHED FOR MUTUAL FUNDS
India’s leading transfer agency for most of the mutual
funds-CAMS (Computer Age Management Services) has
launched Aadhaar-based eKYC app using OTP (one-time
password) authentication to make mutual fund account
opening and transactions a paperless and presence less
process through the app myCAMS at
www.camsonline.com .
PARADIP REFINERY STARTS PRODUCTION
Indian Oil Corporation’s latest oil refinery in Paradip,
Odisha started production of petrol from the Rs. 34,555-
crore facility that took over 14 years to complete. The
Refinery, largest on the eastern coast, will primarily be
producing BS-IV fuels for local consumption and for
exports.
With this refinery, IOC has now become country’s largest
refiner, overtaking Reliance Industries Ltd.
TRAI RULES IN FAVOUR OF ‘NET NEUTRALITY’
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has
barred telecom service providers from charging
differential rates for data services, effectively
prohibiting Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel’s Airtel
Zero platform. TRAI said a fine of Rs. 50,000 would be
levied per day, subject to a maximum of Rs. 50 lakh, for
any violation of these regulations by the service
providers.
INDIA TO GIVE $150 MN FOR CHABAHAR PORT
India has approved a $150 million credit line for the
development of Iran’s Chabahar port. The port in
southeast Iran will allow direct trade with Iran, avoiding
Pakistan and open up a new route to Afghanistan.
INS VIKRANT REBORN AS ‘V’ MOTOR BIKE
Bajaj Auto has launched a 150-cc motor bike named ‘V’
that contains metal sourced from India’s first aircraft
carrier, INS Vikrant. The ship was decommissioned in
Jan 1997 and was sold as scrap in November 2014.
 For the first time, 6 metro coaches, each 75 feet long,
were shipped to Australia from Mumbai port as the
first installment of 450 such coaches.
 Govt has cut interest rates by 0.25% on short-term
post office deposits, Kisan Vikas Patras and other
small saving schemes below five years of maturity.
 Govt to set up the National Organic Farming
Research Institute in Sikkim as the state is country's
first organic farming State.

 Govt about Rs 5,030 crore from sale of its 5% stake in
the Maharatna PSU National Thermal Power
Corporation-NTPC, through OFS (offer for sale).
 South Arabia emerged as the largest exporter of
crude oil to India in Jan. 2016, exporting 9.4 lac
barrels per day, followed by Iraq at 9.3 lac bpd.
 Apprehensive of the name Zika, the virus, Tata Motors
have decided to rename their latest hatchback model
as Tiago instead of Zika.
 Asian Development Bank will provide a $80 million
loan for improving the infrastructure in the two
North-Eastern cities of Agartala and Aizawl.
JANUARY 2016
2.36 LAKH MILLIONAIRES IN INDIA
India is home to the fourth largest population of
millionaires in the Asia Pacific region, with 2.36 lakh
such high net worth individuals, while Japan topped the
list with 12.60 lakh people, according to the Asia Pacific
2016 Wealth Report.
HNWIs (millionaires) were defined as those individuals
with net assets of USD 1 million or more.
HALDIA TO GET WATERWAYS HUB
The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is
planning to set up a modern Indian Waterways Hub at
Haldia, West Bengal to attract more investment in the
state. The Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) is the main
gateway for import and export of cargo destined or
originating from Eastern, North Eastern and Northern
parts of the country as well as landlocked countries like
Nepal and Bhutan.
GOVT SAYS ‘GOODBYE’ TO HMT WATCHES
Govt has decided to close down three loss-making
subsidiaries of HMT Ltd, (Hindustan Machines Ltd)
namely HMT Watches Ltd, HMT Chinar Watches Ltd,
and HMT Bearings Ltd.
BS VI NORMS FROM APRIL 1, 2020
With a view to minimize the air pollution from vehicles,
Govt has decided to implement strict emission norms of
Bharat Stage (BS) VI from April 1, 2020, by skipping BS-
V altogether.
Bharat Stage (BS) emission norms, introduced in 2000,
are standards that have been set up the Centre to
regulate the output of air pollutants from internal
combustion engine equipment, including motor vehicle.
WORLD BANK LOAN FOR ‘NEERANCHAL’
World Bank has agreed to provide Rs 1071 crore
funding for the Neeranchal National Watershed Project
which will benefit all the states in India by supporting
their various irrigation projects.
 India has overtaken Thailand as the world's largest
rice exporter in 2015, shipping 10.23 million tonnes
as against 9.8 million tonnes by Thailand.
 The Asian Development Bank to extend a $625
million loan for the proposed $840 million
Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor.
BANKING & FINANCE
MARCH 2016
BANKS TO PAY Q’LY INTEREST ON SB A/Cs
RBI has asked banks to pay interest on savings accounts
on a quarterly basis or a shorter duration, a move which
will benefit crores of savings account holders.
At present, the interest is credited in savings bank
accounts on a half-yearly basis. Banks are free to decide
rate of interest on savings bank accounts. It is calculated
on the daily balance basis.
SMALL SAVINGS RATES SLASHED
The government has reduced interest rates payable on
small savings including Public Provident Fund, National
Savings Certificate and Kisan Vikas Patra to align them
closer to market rates. From 1st of April, PPF and NSC
will earn 8.1 per cent and KVP 7.8 per cent.

BANKERS MEET ‘GYAN SANGAM’ IN GURGAON
The two day meet of public sector banks and insurance
companies and other financial institutions with the
government officials - Gyan Sangam, was held in
Gurgaon, Haryana on March 5-6 to discuss their
performance with particular focus on mergers, bad
debts (NPAs) and credit growth.
It was indicated that the government may go in for the
consolidation of banks, led by 6-10 major public sector
banks acting as ‘anchor banks’, to strengthen weak banks.
ACCOUNT AGGREGATOR NBFCs
RBI has come out with a draft regulatory framework for
new kind of Account Aggregator Non-Banking Financial
Companies (NBFC) which would act as an account
aggregator to help people view their accounts across
financial institutions in a common format.
ICICI BANK STARTS ‘WORK FROM HOME’
Keeping in mind the difficulties faced by the
women who very often opt to drop out from the
workplace at key life stages, ICICI Bank has announced
an initiative called iWork@home that uses technology to
enable women employees to work from home for an
extended period of time depending on their needs.
 NPCI, issuer of Rupay card, plans to venture into the
credit card space by September 2016. It plans to
issue 100,000 such cards in the first year.
 The RBI has signed a pact with Bank of Israel for
exchange of information pertaining to banking
supervision.
 The Reserve Bank granted the first license for the
Small Finance Bank on 4 March to the Capital Local
Area Bank Ltd to start operations as India’s first SFB.
 Indian Overseas Bank has become the first bank to
commence the sale of Indian Gold Coin. The coins are
available in the 5, 10 and 20 gram category.
FEBRUARY 2016
NO RATE CHANGE BY RBI
The Reserve Bank maintained a status quo in its sixth
bi-monthly monetary policy review for year 2015-16
announced on Feb 2 by not changing any of the policy
rates. Stating that current momentum of growth is
reasonable, RBI maintained the FY 16 growth at 7.4 per
cent, with downward bias.
BANKS TO FOLLOW ‘IND AS’ NORMS
The Reserve Bank has advised that banks should follow
accounting standard ‘Ind AS’ converged with
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from
April 1, 2018. Ind AS implementation is likely to
significantly impact the financial reporting systems and
processes such as profit planning and budgeting,
taxation, capital planning, and impact on capital
adequacy.
P G APTE REPORT RELEASED ON IROs
The Reserve Bank of India has released the Report of the
Working Group (Chairperson: Prof. P.G. Apte) on
Introduction of Interest Rate Options in India. The
report recommends liberalization of the interest rate
derivatives market by allowing simple call and put
Options, caps, floors and collars.
PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS HIGH ON NPAs
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance headed
by M. Veerappa Moily, a senior Congress MP submitted
the report on the Net Non performing Assets (NPAs) of
Public Sector Banks (PSBs). As per the report, NPAs in
the country’s PSBs were around 205,024 crore rupees
till September 2015 and the Gross NPAs during the
same period were around at 369,990 crore rupees.
S C ASKS RBI TO DISCLOSE BIG DEFAULTERS
The Supreme court has asked the Reserve Bank of India
to submit within six weeks a list of the companies which
are in default of loans by the banks and financial
institutions in excess of Rs 500 crore or whose loans
have been restructured under corporate debts
restructuring scheme. The list is to be furnished in a
sealed cover to maintain confidentiality about the
identity of defaulters.
INCOGNITO VISITS TO CHECK CUSTOMER CARE
Reserve Bank has decided to undertake ‘incognito visits’
by its officials to bank branches to check culture
towards customer complaints and how banks have
implemented Charter of Customer Rights.
FDI RULES RELAXED FOR START UPS
The Reserve Bank has relaxed several rules including
foreign direct investment norms to boost start-up
activity in the country. Now the start-ups are allowed to
receive foreign funds irrespective of the sector in which
they operate.
SBI LAUNCHES "FLEXIPAY HOME LOAN"
State Bank of India launched a new home loan scheme
"FlexiPay Home Loan", offering higher amount and up to
five years of interest moratorium to young professionals
in the age group of 21 to 45 years. Borrowers will have
the option of paying only interest during the
moratorium (pre-EMI) period and thereafter pay
moderated EMIs.

 Govt to infuse Rs 5,000 crore as capital in the public
sector banks to strengthen their balance sheet for
compliance of Basel III capital norms.
 RBI has extended the $2 billion currency swap
arrangement to SAARC nations till mid-November
2017 to enhance economic cooperation.
 State Bank of India has started an exclusive ‘Japan
Desk’ as a single nodal point for attracting FDI worth
$30 billion from Japan.
JANUARY 2016
NEW 100 AND 500 RUPEE NOTES
Continuing its efforts to deter counterfeiting activities,
the Reserve Bank of India, RBI, will soon introduce new
banknotes of 500 rupees and 100 rupees denominations
with enhanced security features. These notes will have
ascending size of numerals in the number panels, bleed
lines and enlarged identification mark.
MASTER DIRECTIONS FROM RBI
Reserve Bank has started the process of issuing 'Master
Directions' on various regulatory issues in its bid to
simplify the communication process. To begin with, 17
such Master Directions were issued covering foreign
exchange transactions.
ALL BIG VILLAGES TO HAVE BANK BRANCHES
Reserve Bank has asked banks to ensure that every
village with a population over 5,000 should have a bank
branch by March 2017 and asked the State Level
Bankers' Committees (SLBCs) to identify such villages in
their state.
BANKS TO SELL ‘INDIA GOLD COINS’
Reserve Bank has permitted banks to sell India Gold
Coins (IGC) with Ashok Chakra minted by Metals and
Minerals Trading Corporation of India (MMTC) through
their branches. Coins are available in denominations of
5 and 10 grams while a 20 gram bar is also being
manufactured by MMTC.
INCENTIVE FOR GOLD MONETISATION SCHEME
RBI has advised that the government will pay 2.5%
commission to banks for attracting more gold in the
Gold Monetisation Scheme, as it has received very poor
response from banks and customers. Only a few
kilograms gold could be mobilized by the banks from
the massive 2,000 tons of gold stashed in Indian
households.
Under the current scheme, citizens are encouraged to
deposit jewellery, bars or coins with banks so it can be
refined to meet fresh demand and cut the need for
imports. The consumer would earn interest and, at the
end of the deposit term, get the gold back in the form of
bars.
LOANS FOR WOMEN SHGs
The RBI has asked banks to provide loans of up to Rs 3
lakh at 7 per cent interest rate to Women Self-Help
Group (SHG) under the National Rural Livelihoods
Mission (NRLM) Aajeevika scheme during 2015-16.
RBI IMPOSES FINE ON SBT
RBI imposed monetary penalty of one crore rupees on
State Bank of Travancore for violation of its instructions
including non–reporting of data to Central Repository of
Information on Large Credits (CRILC).
280/-

GOVT CHEQUES TO BE PAID THROUGH CTS
RBI has decided to dispense with the requirement of
physically forwarding paid central government cheques
to the departments for clearance. From Feb 1, 2016,
cheques will be paid through Cheque Truncation System
(CTS) facilitating the presentation and payment of
cheques without their physical movement.
DECKS CLEARED FOR MUDRA BANK
The Union Cabinet has approved conversion of MUDRA
Ltd, an NBFC, into MUDRA Bank. It was also decided to
set up a Credit Guarantee Fund for MUDRA Units
(CGFMU) for guaranteeing loans - sanctioned under the
Pradhan Mantri Micro Units Development Refinance
Agency (MUDRA) Yojana.
 RBI has granted operational freedom to banks to
offer all their products and services through the ATM
channels provided technology permits the same.
 RBI has hiked its shareholding in National Housing
Bank by contributing Rs 1,000 crore towards the paid
capital, bringing the total capital to Rs 1450 crore.
 RBI has asked banks not to issue such 1000 rupee
notes which, by mistake, were printed without
security thread.
 State Bank of India has become the first public sector
bank to launch wealth management service ‘SBI
Exclusif’ to cater to fast-growing affluent segment of
the country.
 The country's largest private sector lender ICICI Bank
became the first private bank to achieve the
milestone of Rs 1 lakh crore in housing loan.
DEFENCE, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
MARCH 2016
‘FORCE 18’ HELD IN PUNE
The multinational mega Military Exercise Force 18 was
held in Pune, Maharashtra from March 2 to 8. Hosted by
Indian Army, it included 18 forces from ASEAN and
several other countries.
The theme of the exercise was `Humanitarian Mine
Action’ (HMA) and `Peacekeeping Operations’ (PKO).
ICGS Arnvesh, the Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) built by the
Cochin Shipyard was commissioned in the Indian Coast
Guard (ICG) in Visakhapatnam.
Iron Fist 2016 - Indian Air Force conducted its biggest
fire power combat exercise at Pokhran in Rajasthan on
March 18.
Indian army test-fired indigenously built nuclear-
capable Agni-I ballistic missile with a range of 700 kms
from the Abdul Kalam Island on the Odisha coast.
Garuda Shakti, the 4th edition of joint army training
exercise between India and Indonesia was held at
Magelang, Indonesia, from March 11 to 23.
Defence Ministry has issued the order for purchase of
transport helicopters CH-47 Chinook and attack
helicopter AH-64 Apache, from the Boeing Corp of USA.
NATIONAL SCIENCE DAY – FEB 28
It was observed Feb 28 with the
theme “Scientific Issues for
Development of the Nation”. The
day is observed to mark the
discovery of the Raman Effect
(phenomenon of scattering of
photons) by Indian physicist Sir C V
Raman, Nobel laureate on 28
February 1928.
ISRO PUTS UP SPACE RESEARCH RADAR
A new 30MHz radar system, Gadanki Ionospheric Radar
Interfereometer (GIRI), second largest in the world, has
been established at National Atmospheric Research
Laboratory (NARL) at Gadanki in Andhra Pradesh for
ionospheric, meteor and space weather research in a
comprehensive way. NARL functions under ISRO.
ISRO LAUNCHES 6TH IRNSS SATELLITE
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 10
March launched the country’s sixth Indian Regional
Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS)-1F, on board its
launch vehicle PSLV C-32 from Sriharikota, Andhra
Pradesh. IRNSS is a set up of seven satellites to serve as
GPS (global positioning system) of India.
‘EXOMARS’ LAUNCHED TO STUDY MARS
ExoMars 2016, an unmanned spacecraft was launched
jointly by Europe and Russia on a Russian Proton rocket
from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to study the
Mars' atmosphere for gassy evidence that life once
existed on the Red Planet.
Australian scientists have created the world’s thinnest
lens which is 2,000 times thinner than human hair, a
breakthrough set to revolutionise nanotechnology.

FEBRUARY 2016
FLEET REVIEW OF NAVY HELD IN VIZAG
Indian President and the Prime Minister inspected one
of the largest maritime events in the recent past – the
International Fleet Review 2016 held on 4 Feb to 8 Feb
at Visakhapatnam coast. The theme of event was United
through Oceans and mascot concept was Dolphin. Close
to 75 Indian warships and 52 from Navies across the
globe took part in the grand event.
INS ARIHANT BECOMES OPERATIONAL
The Indian Navy's first locally developed nuclear
submarine INS Arihant is now ready for full fledged
operations after passing a number of deep sea diving
drills as well as weapons launch tests.
INS VIRAAT TO RETIRE IN JUNE 2016
After nearly 60 years of sailing across the oceans, the
Indian Navy's warhorse aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat is
destined to be decommissioned in June, 2016. It was
inducted in Indian Navy in May 1987 as refitted British
warship – HMS Hermes. Government of Andhra
Pradesh has agreed to base the ship off Visakhapatnam
coast, converting it into a luxury hotel for promotion of
tourism in the State.
INDIA LARGEST IMPORTER OF ARMS
A study by the Stockholm-based think-tank SIPRI states
that India continues to be the world’s largest importer
of arms, accounting for 14% of global arms imports in
the period 2011–15. China ranks second with 4.7%,
followed by Australia (3.6%), Pakistan (3.3%).
PRITHVI II TESTE SUCCESSFULY
Indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile, capable of
carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads up to 350 kms,
was tested successfully as part of a user trial by the
Army from a test range near Chandipur, Odisha.
INDIA HOLDS JOINT NAVAL FEAT - IBSAMAR
The fifth edition of 'Exercise IBSAMAR' (India, Brazil,
South Africa Maritime) between the navies of Brazil,
India and South Africa was held off the Goa coast from
Feb 19 t0 29. This is for the first time that India is
hosting this exercise.
LIGHT REVOLVER ‘NIDAR’ LAUNCHED
India’s first indigenously developed lightest revolver
Nidar, weighing just 250 grams, was launched under the
"Make In India" initiative by the state-run Ishapore Rifle
Factory in West Bengal.
‘COBRA GOLD 2016’
Indian Army participated in the ‘Cobra Gold 2016’ – the
biggest multilateral military exercise hosted by
Thailand, along with its counterparts from 35 countries,
including USA, China and Pakistan.
“SINO-INDIA COOPERATION 2016’’
Focusing on humanitarian aid and disaster relief, the
Indian and Chinese troops held their first joint tactical
exercise “Sino-India Cooperation 2016’’ in Chushul-
Moldo area of Ladakh border with China.
MAHINDRAS TO M 777 HOWITZERS IN INDIA
Leading gun-maker BAE Systems, the UK based
multinational company has announced selection of
Mahindra as its Indian partner for the around $700-
million deal for the supply of 145 M777 ultra light
howitzers to the Indian Army—the first new artillery
guns after the Bofors scandal.
The gun, with a strike range of 25 km, will form the
backbone of the Mountain Strike Corps, being raised by
the government for the mountainous borders with China.
 LAMITYE 2016, the 7th joint military training exercise
between the Indian Army and the Seychelles People’s
Defence Forces (SPDF) was held in Seychelles.
 The 9th edition of India-Nepal Combined Military
Exercise ‘Surya Kiran IX’ was held in Pithoragarh
district of Uttarakhand.
 The Ministry of Defence to locally produce 106
upgraded Light Combat Aircraft “Tejas Mark 1-A” jets
to replace the ageing fleet of MiG fighter aircraft.
 The 4th India-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol was
conducted jointly by both navies along the
International Maritime Boundary Line in the
Andaman Sea.

 Japan joined the US, Russia, and China as one of the
only countries to produce its own fifth-generation
stealth fighter jet- X-2-‘Shinshin’
 Saudi Arabia launched a massive military exercise –
‘North Thunder’ that included troops from 20 nations
in King Khalid Military City in Saudi Arabia.
‘KSHEER-SCANNER’ TO DETECT MILK PURITY
Government has launched a device developed by the
CSIR –CEERI, Pilani, Rajasthan, named ‘Ksheer-Scanner’
that instantaneously detects the adulterants like urea,
salt, detergent, soda etc in milk.
YOUTUBE RED LAUNCHED
YouTube has launched its YouTube Red service. The
original movies and show are part of Google parent
Alphabet Inc's efforts to offer more to customers on
YouTube Red, the $10-a-month service that allows
viewers to watch videos across YouTube without ad
breaks.
ELUSIVE GRAVITATIONAL WAVES DISCOVERED
After decades of search for Scientists working with the
gigantic optical instruments in the LIGO [Laser
Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory], USA,
have detected for the first time, signals of gravitational
waves emanating from two merging black holes 1.3
billion light years away. These ripples in space-time
were predicted by Albert Einstein, some 100 years ago.
NOD FOR GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTOR
Union Cabinet has given ‘in principle’ approval for a
proposal to have a gravitational wave detector in India
under LIGO-India Project. It would cost at least Rs.
1,200 crore and may take at least eight years to be
operational.
JAPANESE SATELLITE TO STUDY BLACK HOLES
The Japanese space agency has successfully launched a
new X ray astronomy satellite – Astro–H to study the
origin of black holes. The satellite has four telescopes
that will enable the space agency to peer into far off
galaxy clusters, providing data on how they were
formed.
5 NEW JUPITER LIKE PLANETS DISCOVERED
Scientists have discovered five new Jupiter-like planets
having similar characteristics to the biggest planet in
our solar system and orbit very close to their host stars.
Newly discovered planets have been named as WASP-
119 b, WASP-124 b, WASP-126 b, WASP 129 b and
WASP-133 b.
 Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
has launched the country's first anti-diabetic
ayurvedic drug BGR -34 for Diabetes type 2 patients.
 Hyderabad-based biotechnology research company
Bharat Biotech has announced that it has developed
the world’s first vaccine for Zika virus.
 Mobile messaging app WhatsApp crossed the one
billion user milestone globally on Feb 02.
JANUARY 2016
‘RUDRA’ SHOWS UP AT R. DAY PARADE
Indigenously designed and built advanced light
helicopter (ALH) — “Rudra” made its debut at the
Republic Day parade. This multirole attack helicopter is
produced by the Defence Ministry’s unit Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for Indian Army.
BARAK MISSILE TESTED BY INS KOLKATA
Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata successfully test-fired
long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) Barak NG
against a remotely piloted flying target over the Arabian
Sea. Developed in collaboration with Israel, it has a
range of over 80 kms.
THE 68TH ARMY DAY was observed on 15 January, all
over India. On this day in 1949, Lt.–Gen. (later Field
Marshal) K M Cariappa became the first Indian
Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.
‘SAHAYOG-KAIJIN 2016’
The 15th edition of bilateral exercise by the Indian Coast
Guard and its Japanese counterpart began off the coast
of Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the Bay of Bengal.
 The DRDO successfully test-fired Nag anti-tank
missile at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in
Rajasthan. It is a third generation fire-and-forget
anti-tank missile and can be fired during night as
well.

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 India will host a joint military exercise at Pune in
March, 2016. Ten member countries of the ASEAN
and its eight dialogue partners will take part in the
exercise.
 INS Kadmatt, the second indigenous stealth Anti-
Submarine Warfare (ASW) Corvette, was inducted in
Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam.
 India and France began their eight-day counter-
terrorism and counter-insurgency joint
exercise ‘Shakti-2016’ in Rajasthan.
 India has supplied three Mi-25 gunship helicopters to
Afghan Air Force.
NEW THRUSH BIRD FOUND IN NE INDIA
Scientists have found a new variant of Thrush bird
named as the Himalayan Forest Thrush in the
northeastern India and parts of Tibet, Nepal and China.
The scientific name of the bird is Zoothera Salimalii after
the name of the great Indian ornithologist Salim Ali.
NEW BREED OF TREE FROG DISCOVERED
A class of frogs that grows in tree holes who as tadpoles
feed on eggs laid by their mother, has been discovered
in the north-east region. It has been named as
Frankixalus Jerdonii.
FIRST 3D PRINTED LIVER
A Bengaluru-based technology startup has developed
India’s first artificial liver tissue with the help of 3-D
printing technology. This is a major step forward in the
on-demand manufacturing of 3D printed human organs.
NETFLIX STARTS SERVICES IN INDIA
Global streaming pioneer Netflix (of USA) has launched
its service in India, allowing viewers to access unlimited
TV and cinema content online at prices starting Rs 500 a
month. It has over 70 million members in over 190
countries watching over 125 million hours of content.
FALCON 9 ROCKET FAILS AGAIN TO LAND BACK
The NASA successfully launched Falcon 9 rocket made
by SpaceX Company, from California to place ocean
monitoring satellite Jason-3 in orbit. However, the
rocket that was supposed to land back on a floating
platform failed in its attempt and ended up in a blast
due to crash landing.
MOST ENERGETIC LIGHT EVER DETECTED
Scientists have discovered the most energetic light ever
detected in the universe from the centre of a supernova
known as ‘Crab pulsar’ which is situated 6,500 light
years away from Earth. It is surrounded by a region of
intense magnetic field 10 thousand billion times
stronger than that of the Sun.
LARGEST SOLAR SYSTEM FOUND
Astronomers have discovered the largest known solar
system, consisting of a large planet that takes nearly a
million years to orbit its star. The gas giant is one trillion
kilometres away, making its orbit 140 times wider than
Pluto's path around our Sun.
CHEMISTRY GETS FOUR NEW ELEMENTS
The periodic table of elements in Chemistry now has its
seventh row completed with the introduction of four
new chemical elements - 113, 115, 117 and 118,
discovered by scientists in Japan, Russia and US. The
new additions were formally verified by the
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
(IUPAC) on December 30, 2015. New elements can be
named after a mythological concept, a mineral, a place
or country, a property or a scientist.
The first true iteration of the table was done by Russian
chemist Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869.
HUMAN LIKE ROBOT CREATED
Scientists in Singapore have developed a human-like
social robot named ‘Nadine’, with soft skin and flowing
brunette hair, which is capable of autonomously
expressing emotions and gestures like shaking hands
and conversing.
 China successfully launched Gaofen-4 Earth
Observation Satellite toward a geostationary orbit
from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan,
China.
INTERNATIONAL
MARCH 2016
USA STARTS NEW CHAPTER WITH CUBA
US President Barack Obama scripted history by
becoming first US President to visit its island neighbour
Cuba, after 88 years of strained relations. The US
snapped ties with Cuba in 1959 when the Cuban
revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro ousted a pro-
American government.

USA TOPS IN INNOVATIONS
According to the latest figures released by the Geneva-
based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO),
the US continued to dominate the world of innovation
and inventions by filing 57,385 international patent
applications last year, followed by Japan and China. In
comparison India lagged behind by filing for only 1423
patents. In terms of companies, Huawei Technologies of
China with 3,898 applications was at top.
UN TO SET UP ‘BLUE DOTS’ FOR REFUGEES
The United Nations has decided to set up 20 child and
family support hubs known as "Blue Dots" from Turkey,
through Greece all the way to Slovenia as special
support centres for migrant children and families along
the most travelled route in Europe.
The centres will be looked after by the United Nations
High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United
Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
WORLD’s COSTLIEST RAILWAY STATION
The World Trade Center Transportation Hub was
opened to public on March 3 at New York. Built at a cost
of $ 4 billion, it took 12 years to complete. It' will serve
250,000 daily commuters and 11 subway lines.
GATE CONTINUES TO BE RICHEST
Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates continues to be the
world’s richest person with a net worth of $75 billion,
according to Forbes’ annual ranking of billionaires.
Ranked 36th, Mukesh Ambani, with a net worth of $20.6
billion, leads the pack of 84 Indian billionaires in the list.
WORLD CONGRESS OF BIOSPHERE RESERVES
was held at Lima in Peru from 14-17 March 2016 to
address different issues related to the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) for promotion of biosphere
reserves across the world.
 According to a new law in Uganda, parents who fail
to vaccinate their children will face six months in jail.
It also requires children to have an immunisation
card to allow them to go to school.
 9th International Abilympics started at Bordeaux in
France.
 Abilympics is coined from 'Olympics of abilities' of
persons with disabilities. It is a global work skills
competition held every four years.
 Changi Airport in Singapore has been voted the
World’s Best Airport for the fourth year in a row at
the 2016 World Airport Awards
 The 59th Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs
was held in Vienna, Austria to prepare for the UN
General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug
Problem to be held in April 2016.
 World's first fully electric double decker bus service
was launched by London's transport authority. The
buses have been made by China automaker BYD.
 China's National People's Congress has set the
country's growth target for 2016 in a range of 6.5 to
7 per cent.
FEBRUARY 2016
DAWN OF DEMOCRACY IN MYANMAR
Myanmar embarked upon a new democratic era on Feb
1 as the MPs of National League for Democracy party
lead by the democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, took their
seats in the parliament, marking end to the military rule
since 1962.
A RAY OF HOPE IN SYRIA
A landmark UN-backed ceasefire came into effect in
Syria at midnight of 26 Feb, supported by both – USA
and Russia. This is the first major truce in five years of
civil war that has claimed more than 2.7 lakh lives.
BRITAIN TO HOLD REFERENDUM ON ‘BREXIT’
Britain is facing a big debate these days on the issue of
‘Brexit’–Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Opinions are widely divided. Leaving EU has its own
pros and cons. To decide the issue, it has been decided
to conduct a referendum on June 23, 2016.

WHO DECLARES ZICA EMERGENCY
World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Public
Health Emergency of International Concern over the
explosive spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus,
which is linked to birth defects in the Latin American
countries like Brazil, Mexico and even USA.
ONE HUMANITY: SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon has
released a report called 'One Humanity: Shared
Responsibility' which has called for a global campaign to
prevent the destruction of humanitarian laws and to
protect civilians in conflict. The report is a part of the
World Humanitarian Summit to be held in May, 2016.
FRANCE BANS WASTING OF FOOD
France has become the first country in the world to
legally ban supermarkets from throwing away or
destroying unsold food, forcing them instead to donate
it to charities and food banks. Non compliance will
attract fines and jail up to two years.
WORLD GOVERNMENT SUMMIT IN DUBAI
The three day annual World Government Summit was
held in Dubai. 4500 participants from more than 130
countries participated to discuss challenges and
opportunities before present and future governments
worldwide.
WORLD’s LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANT
The Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex, world’s largest
solar power plant’s first phase started operations on
February 4 in the Souss-Massa-Drâa area in Morocco.
The plant holds the capacity to produce 580 MW to
power over one million homes by 2018 and reduce
carbon emissions by an estimated 760000 tons per year.
WORLD’s LONGEST TRAIN ROUTE OPENS
The first cargo train under Beijing led-Belt and Road
connectivity initiative along the New Silk Road from
China to Iran completed its first journey from Yiwu near
Shanghai on China’s eastern coast to Bander Abbas port
in Iran. The 10,400 kms trip took just 14 days, a full 30
days shorter than the maritime voyage from Shanghai’s
port to the Iranian port.
HISTORICAL MEET OF TWO CHRISTIAN HEADS
Nearly 1,000 years after the Eastern and Western
branches of Christianity split apart, a first ever meeting
between a Roman Catholic Pope and a Russian Orthodox
patriarch took place on Feb 12 in Havana, Cuba. Pope
Francis, head of Roman Catholics and Orthodox
Patriarch Kirill embraced and kissed each other and
issued a global appeal for the protection of Christians
under assault in the Middle East.
USA LEADS HISTORICAL TRADE DEAL
The Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, lead by USA, one of
the biggest trade deals in history, was signed in New
Zealand on Feb 4. The deal aims to eliminate nearly all
tariffs among the 12-member nations, accounting for
about 40 per cent of the global economy.
BANK OF JAPAN IMPOSES -IVE INTEREST RATE
In a historic measure intended to boost the growth of
the world's third largest economy, Bank of Japan has
imposed, for the first time, a negative interest rate of
minus 0.1 per cent for certain bank deposits placed with
it. The decision, which penalises financial institutions
for storing excess funds, aims to stimulate investment
and credit and is meant to force a reduction of interest
rates applied by banks.
ALPHABET IS MOST VALUABLE COMPANY
Alphabet, the company that owns Google, has overtaken
rival Apple Inc in terms of value of market capitalisation
on Feb 1 to emerge as the most valuable company of the
world, having a market cap of $ 547.1 billion, higher
than Apple's $529.3 billion.
MERCER PLACES VIENNA AT THE TOP
The survey of 230 cities for assessing quality of life by
the global consulting firm Mercer has placed Austria’s
capital Vienna at the top, followed by Zurich,
Switzerland and Auckland in New Zealand. The worst
life quality was in Baghdad, Iraq. New Delhi was placed
at 142nd rank.
 Finance ministers and central bankers from the
Group of 20 major rich and developing economies
began a two-day meeting in Shanghai on Feb 26.
 A two day summit between leaders from the ASEAN
and The United States was held in California to dwell
upon maritime security in the South China Sea.
 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and
the European Union (EU) have signed an agreement
to improve cooperation in cyber defense.
 Apple notched a record $18.4 billion in profit for the
quarter ending 31st Dec 2015, the largest ever profit
recorded by a single company in world's history.
 A Twin Otter plane of Tara Air crashed on Feb 24 in
Dana of Myagdi district of Nepal, killing all 23 people
aboard.

 On Feb 23, Pakistan’s parliament became the world’s
first parliament to run fully on solar power.
 World Radio Day was observed globally by UNESCO
on 13 February 2016 with the theme ’Radio in Times
of Emergency and Disaster’.
 The United Nations' (UN) World Day of Social Justice
observed on February 20 to encourage people to look
at how social justice affects poverty eradication.
 World Cancer Day was observed across the world on
4th February. This year’s theme was – We can, I can.
JANUARY 2016
EASTERN USA BURIED UNDER 3 FEET SNOW
A monster blizzard named ‘Snowzilla’ paralysed the
entire US East Coast on Jan 24 with hurricane-force
winds and record snow, killing over 25 persons and
hitting some 85 million others, prompting up to 10
states to declare a state of emergency.
The storm left as much as three feet of snow, paralysing
transport links in New York and Washington DC. Several
other parts of world in South Korea, Eastern China and
Hon Kong also reeled under record breaking severe cold.
FIRST ‘BEST COUNTRY REPORT’ RELEASED
A joint team of U.S. News & World Report, BAV
Consulting and Wharton School of Business has
compiled a ‘Best Country Report’ to rank countries
on 75 factors such as sustainability, adventure, cultural
influence, entrepreneurship and economic influence.
A survey of more than 16,200 business leaders,
highfliers and other members of the public was carried
out in 60 countries to select the best country in various
categories.
Germany was ranked as the best country, followed
closely by Canada, U K, USA and Sweden. India was
placed at the 22nd place.
Some other winners are:
Most modern country – Sweden
Best Country to Raise Kids – Sweden
Best Nation for Green Living - Sweden
Best Country for Women - Denmark
Most powerful country - USA
No. 1 upcoming economy - India
No. 1 nation to visit - Brazil
CHINA’s GROWTH SLIPS TO 25 YEARS LOW
The data released by China's the National Bureau of
Statistics shows that China's economy grew 6.9 per cent
in 2015, the slowest pace in last 25 years. GDP in 2015
reached about $10.3 trillion.
ZIKA ATTACK IN SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRIES
Countries like Brazil, Colombia and El Salvador are
facing the threat of the Zika virus spread by mosquito
bite. It is highly infectious and may also cause death. It is
particularly harmful for pregnant ladies as it affects the
foetus growth adversely.
The Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes,
which also spread dengue and chikungunya viruses. But
in pregnant women, the virus can spread to the foetus and
cause microcephaly, a condition involving brain
shrinkage that severely limits a child's intellectual and
physical development or death.
HYDROGEN BOMB TESTED BY N KOREA
North Korea conducted a powerful Hydrogen bomb test
in a defiant and surprising move as there is a UN ban on
testing and development of nuclear weapons. The test
has drawn grave criticism from all major countries of
the world, terming it as a ‘serious threat to the
international peace and security’.
A Hydrogen bomb is much smaller and easy to make than
an Atom bomb but is far more destructive.
CRUDE PRICES FALL TO 12 YEARS LOW
Global crude oil prices plunged to 12 year low at $ 29.93
a barrel, plagued by abundant oversupply and the
ongoing row between key producers Iran and Saudi
Arabia dimming prospects for production cuts. Also,
falling prices have prompted some producers to
maximize output to prevent income falling too rapidly
and to keep market share.
EURO 2 BILLION TO SAVE FRENCH ECONOMY
French President has announced what he called "a state
of economic and social emergency" involving a Euro 2
billion plan to revive job creation and catch up with the
world’s economy. The plan includes training half a
million jobless workers, greater use of apprenticeships,
and 2,000 Euro aid for small businesses.
CHINA DEVALUES YUAN AGAIN
China weakened the value of
its Yuan currency by 0.51
percent to 6.5646 against the
US dollar on January 7,
its lowest value since 2011.
It triggered a selloff in global
markets, bringing alive the
fears of competitive
devaluation among emerging economies.

THE WORLD'S LARGEST BLUE STAR SAPPHIRE
The stone that weighs 1404.49 carats was discovered in
a mine in Sri Lanka. Named as ‘The Star of Adams, its
estimated cost is $100 million but could fetch much
more when auctioned.
WORLD DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2016
Digital Dividends, a report by the World Bank explores
the impact of the internet, mobile phones, and related
technologies on economic development in the world.
THE WORLD TOURISM BAROMETER
Released by the U N World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO), it states that the international tourist arrivals
grew by 4.4 per cent in 2015 to reach a total of 1184
million in 2015.
THE NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS —
persons living in a country other than where they were
born — reached 244 million in 2015 for the world as a
whole, a 41 per cent increase compared to 2000.
 World Economic Forum’s prestigious annual meeting
held at Davos, Switzerland, from January 20 to 23.
 The World Health Organization has declared Liberia
free of Ebola virus. Now there is no other country
officially reporting Ebola cases.
 Asia's largest underground railway station, covering
a total area of 147,000 square metres, opened in
Futian in Shenzhen city in south China.
 Toyota continues to be the world’s biggest automaker
selling 10.15 million vehicles in 2015, closely followed
by Volkswagen and General Motors.
 World Economic Forum’s prestigious annual
meeting held at Davos, Switzerland, from January 20
to 23.
 Star Wars: The Force Awakens became the world's
fastest film to make one billion dollars at the global
box office.
PERSONS IN NEWS
MARCH 2016
ARVIND KEJRIWAL has been ranked 42nd among the
world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine. He is
the sole Indian on the list, topped by Amazon CEO Jeff
Bezos.
PM NARENDRA MODI is among “The 30 Most
Influential People on the Internet” list compiled by the
Time magazine, USA, describing him as an ‘Internet star’
who often uses social media to conduct diplomacy.
MOTHER TERESA: The Nobel Laureate who spent 45
years serving the poor and sick on the streets of Kolkata
in her Missionaries of Charity, till her death in 1997, was
in news as the Pope Francis, religious chief of Christians,
has announced to confer Sainthood on her on
September 4, 2016.
ATIUR RAHMAN: Governor of Bangladesh Bank,
country’s beleaguered central bank, resigned after
hackers stole over $100 million from its accounts
maintained with the Federal Reserve Bank, New York.
AMAR SINGH: An Indian-origin Sikh has become the
Police Commissioner of Malaysia's capital Kuala
Lumpur, the first Sikh to achieve the top police post in
the Muslim-majority country.
3SCOTT KELLY: The commander of the International
Space Station, returned to earth on March 1, completing
340 days stay in space, becoming the American with
longest stay in space. Record for longest stay in space is
held by Russia’s Valeri Polyakov, 437.7 days.
FEBRUARY 2016
U K SINHA: The government has extended Sinha's term
as the Chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of
India (Sebi) till March 01, 2017. He took over as Sebi
chairman in 2011.
SAMEER ANJAAN:
Bollywood’s popular lyricist has made into the Guinness
Book of World Records for writing the most number of
songs for Bollywood films. He wrote 3,524 songs for
650 Bollywood movies, as verified on December 15,
2015.
NEYMAR: Iconic football player from Brazil was in news
as Courts in Brazil issued warrants to freeze his assets
worth almost $ 50 million, including a yacht, a jet and
several properties, on charges of tax evasion of around $
16 million.
GEN. RAJENDRA CHETTRI: Nepalese Army Chief was
conferred the honorary rank of General of the Indian
Army by the President Pranab Mukherjee.
JANUARY 2016
RAGHURAM RAJAN: RBI Governor was named ‘Global
and Asia-Pacific Central Bank Governor of the Year
2015’ by the prestigious UK magazine The Banker for
stabilising the Indian rupee, initiating key reforms to
attract much needed foreign capital in the country and
reining in a runaway price appreciation.

AZIM PREMJI: Chairman of Wipro has been ranked as
the most generous Indian of the year for the third time
in a row with donations worth Rs. 27,514 crore, mainly
in the education sector, as per the Hurun India
Philanthropy List 2015.
APARNA KUMAR: An IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh
cadre, has successfully climbed the Mount Vinson
Massif, the highest peak in the Antarctic sub-continent.
She is the first woman officer of any All-India Services to
have done so
SHEIKH NIMR AL-NIMR: A prominent Shia cleric,
highly critical of the ruling Al Saud dynasty, was
executed by the Saudi Arabian govt for his alleged
involvement in shooting policemen. His execution
sparked widespread angry protests in eastern Saudi
Arabia and in neighbouring Shia dominated Iraq and
several other Shia territories.
APPOINTMENTS
MARCH 2016
VINOD RAI: Former Comptroller and Auditor General
(CAG) has been appointed as the first Chairman of Banks
Board Bureau (BBB). BBB will start functioning from
April 1, 2016 to approve the appointments of banks’ top
executives and improve their governance.
JUSTICE BALBIR SINGH CHAUHAN: appointed as the
chairperson of the 21st Law Commission. He is a former
Supreme Court judge.
HTIN KYAW: elected as the first civilian President of
Myanmar to lead the country after 53 years of military
rule. He is a close aide of the iconic crusader of
democracy Aung San Suu Kyi.
H DEEP SAINI: Noted Indian scholar and plant
physiologist has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor
of the prestigious University of Canberra, Australia.
ASHLEY JUDD: The American actor and activist has
been appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the
United Nations Population Fund - UNFPA, (formerly
the United Nations Fund for Population Activities).
MICHELLE YEOH: Famous action heroine of Malaysia-
China has been appointed as United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill
Ambassador.
AHMED ABUL GHEIT: Veteran Egyptian diplomat and
former Foreign Minister has been named as new
Secretary General of the Arab League.
ALI MOHAMED SHEIN: Re-elected as the President of
Zanzibar.
MAHAMADOU ISSOUFOU: Re elected as the President
Niger for a second term
HASHIM THACI: Elected as the President of Kosovo, a
tiny country in southeastern Europe.
FEBRUARY 2016
JUSTICE H L DATTU: Former Chief Justice of India has
been appointed as the Chairman of the National Human
Rights Commission.
RAJENDRA SINGH: Appointed as the new Director
General of the Indian Coast Guard.
KALYAN SINGH: Governor of Rajasthan given the
additional charge of Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
K N VYAS: Appointed new Director of Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai
AMIT MITRA: West Bengal Finance Minister has been
appointed as the new chairman of the Empowered
Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and
Services Tax (GST).
KALIKHO PUL: New CM of Arunachal Pradesh.
PARAMESHWARAN IYER: Appointed as the new
Secretary of the Drinking Water and Sanitation
Department to steer the Swachh Bharat Mission. He is
the World Bank’s water and sanitation specialist.
ARUNA SETHI: Appointed as the first women head of
the Indian Cost Accounts Services

Gyanm General Awareness Issue May 2016

Gyanm General Awareness Issue May 2016

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Gyanm General Awareness Issue May 2016