GYANM GENERAL AWARENESS ISSUE SEPTEMBER 2015

GENERAL AWARENESS – SEPTEMBER 2015 1
An Ode to Mahatma Kalam
Former President Bharat Ratna APJ Abdul Kalam
passed away in Shillong on July 27 after delivering his
lecture in the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong.
He was 83. Known as the "Missile Man" of India, he rose
from humble beginnings and earned the reputation of
being the "People's President" who endeared himself to
all sections, especially the young. In his sudden demise,
India lost not only a visionary scientist and an
institution-builder, but also a staunch nationalist who
was an inspirational figure for people across
generations.
A devout Muslim and son of a boat
owner, Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen
Abdul Kalam was born and raised in
Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu on
October 15, 1931.
An Aeronautical Engineer from
Madras Institute of Technology,
he is acknowledged as the
driving force behind India's
quest for cutting-edge defence
technologies. His contributions to
India's satellite programmes,
guided and ballistic missiles project,
nuclear weapons programme and the
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project
made him a household name.
He made significant contribution as Project Director to
develop India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle
(SLV-III) which successfully injected the Rohini satellite
in the near earth orbit in July 1980 and made India an
exclusive member of the space club. During his tenure
as Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister from
July 1992 to December 1999, he led the weaponisation
of strategic missile systems and the Pokhran-II nuclear
tests, which made India a nuclear weapon state.
He has been awarded the coveted civilian awards -
Padma Bhushan (1981) and Padma Vibhushan (1990)
and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in 1997.
Royal Society, UK decorated him with King Charles II
Medal in 2007.
He became the 11th President of India on July 18, 2002,
with a focus to transform India into a developed nation
by 2020. The country's first bachelor President’s flowing
grey hair was seen as being at odds with what Indians
thought a President ought to look like, but he proved to
be one amongst the most respected people of the
country who contributed immensely both as a scientist
and as a President.
He transformed the office of President from being
merely formal and ceremonial in nature in to a platform
to inspire youth, who were readily impressed by his
earthy demeanour and discursive approach to public
speaking.
The missile man had his critics, but India’s
most popular president leaves behind the
legacy of more than one generation of
inspired Indians.
SOME FAMOUS BOOK BY
Dr. KALAM
 Wings of Fire – An
Autobiography of APJ Abdul
Kalam by Dr. Kalam and Arun
Tiwari
 Ignited Minds –
Unleashing the Power Within
India by Dr. Kalam
 India 2020: A Vision for
the New Millennium by Dr. Kalam
and Y S Rajan
 Target 3 Billion by Dr. Kalam and
Srijan Pal Singh
 Indomitable Spirit by Dr. Kalam
WORDS OF WISDOM BY Dr. KALAM
 You have to dream before your dreams can come true.
 All birds find shelter during a rain. But eagle
avoids rain by flying above the clouds
 “If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a
sun
 Dream is not that which you see while sleeping, it is
something that does not let you sleep
 Learning gives Creativity, Creativity leads to
Thinking, Thinking provides Knowledge, Knowledge
makes you Great.

GENERAL AWARENESS
SEPTEMBER 2015
Vol. 4, Issue 03
A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION &
TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.
SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH
Contents
CURRENT AFFAIRS
MAY TO JULY 2015
01-38
BULLET NEWS
FEB TO APRIL 2015
39-53
IBPS PO MOCK TEST 54-64
SSC CORNER 65-69
LATEST 100 GK MCQs 70-77
6 MONTHS GK BYTES 80-100
FIGURES TO REMEMBER
REPO RATE (02.06.2015) 7. 25%
REVERSE REPO RATE 6.25%
MARGINAL STANDING
FACILITY RATE
8.25%
STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 21.5%
CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00%
BANK RATE 8.25%
BASE RATE(s)
(of various banks)
9.70 to
10 %
INDIA’S RANK IN
Global Competitiveness 44th
In terms of Peace 143rd
Motherhood Index 140th
Environmental Democracy Index 24th
Human Capital Index 100th
Global Resilience Index 119th
Global E-Waste Monitor 5th
World Happiness Report 117th
Global Networked Readiness 89th
Social Progress Index 101st
Open Government Index 2015 37th
Press Freedom Index 2015 136th
Talent Competitiveness 78th
Travel and Tourism Index 65th
Corruption Perceptions Index 85th
The Web Index 2014 48th
Global Terrorism Index 2014 6th
Global Slavery Index 2014 1st
Gender Gap Index 114th
NATIONAL NEWS
JULY 2015
INDIA TOPS IN 3 SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES
The World Bank has ranked the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as the world's largest public works programme,
providing social security net to almost 15 per cent of the country's population.
India's Mid-day Meal Scheme has been classified as the biggest school feeding
programme covering 10.5 crore beneficiaries. The Janani Suraksha Yojna, with
7.8 crore beneficiaries, has topped the category of social security programme
with conditional cash transfers.
INDIA MAKES PROGRESS IN ACHIEVING MDGs
As per a UN report on the progress made under the UNO’s Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), India has already achieved the target for reducing
poverty by half and is set to achieve reducing hunger also by half. But India lags
behind in meeting goals like universal primary school education and universal
youth literacy and lags in empowering women through wage employment and
political participation.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were set by the United Nations in the
year 2000 and were to be achieved by December 2015.
MODI VISITS 5 COUNTRIES
Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook 8 day trip to five Central Asian
countries and Russia on from July 6 to 13. He visited Uzbekistan (July 6-7),
Kazakhstan (July 7-8), Russia (Ufa) (July 8-10), Turkmenistan (July 10-11),
Kyrgyzstan (July 11-12) and Tajikistan (July 12-13) for the summits of BRICS
(Brazil-Russia-India-China and South Africa) and the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO).
SIX SOLAR CITIES IN NORTHEAST
The six cities - Guwahati and Jorhat in Assam,
Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland, Itanagar in
Arunachal Pradesh and Agartala in Tripura -
will be developed under the Development of
Solar Cities Programme of the union ministry
of new and renewable energy.

LONGEST TUNNEL TO START NEXT YEAR
The last wall between the 9-km long Patnitop tunnel
between Chenani and Nashri, the longest in South Asia,
was broken, thereby reducing the road distance
between Jammu and Srinagar by 30 km. The tunnel is
likely to be operational in the next ten months.
2ANGLOINDIANS NOMINATED TO LOK SABHA
President has nominated 2 members of Anglo-Indian
Community to Lok Sabha as per the provisions of Article
331 of Indian Constitution. They are – Prof. Richard Hay,
Economist from Kerala and George Baker, noted film
actor from West Bengal.
WORLD BANK HELP FOR ANDHRA
The World Bank has agreed to provide $250-million
financial assistance for the Andhra Pradesh Disaster
Recovery Project which will help the state enhance its
capacity to respond promptly in times of crisis.
INDIA FORMS 17.25 % OF WORLD POPULATION
On the World Population Day (July 11), at 5 pm, the
number of Indians hit 127, 42, 39, 769, which is 17.25
per cent of the global population, as per the National
Population Stabilization Fund (NPSF), an autonomous
body under the Union Health Ministry.
NSSO 71ST ROUND DATA RELEASED
National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) released the
survey data of the 71st round related to key indicators of
Social Consumption: Education, showing prime
indicators on education as on 31 March 2014.
NAKSHATRA VATIKA LAID OUT IN HYDERABAD
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated a 'Nakshatra
Vatika' in the Rashtrapati Nilayam gardens in
Hyderabad. The layout of the garden has been
developed in various geometrical combinations
corresponding to the Sree Chakra of Vedic astrology.
PANEL FOR HIKE IN MPs SALARY
A panel, headed by BJP MP Yogi Adityanath, has sought
doubling of the existing Rs 50,000 salary of MPs and
favoured increasing their pension from Rs 20,000 to Rs
35,000. It has also recommended doubling of the daily
allowance of MPs for attending the Parliament sessions,
from Rs 2,000 at present to Rs 4,000.
CASTE CENSUS SHOWS DEPRIVED RURAL INDIA
The Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data
released on July 3 shows that of the total 17.9 crore
rural households across the country, 2.37 crore or 13%
still live in houses with only one room, kuccha walls and
kuccha roof.
This is the first such survey in more than 8 decades.The
country has a total of 24.39 crore households, putting
73% of them in rural areas. Manual casual labour is the
main source of income for rural households, with nearly
51% engaged in such jobs, followed by cultivation,
which provides employment to 30% of households.
About a fourth of the rural households don't have a
literate adult above the age of 25 and only 64 per cent of
the rural Indian population is literate,
The Union Cabinet has formed an expert group chaired by
Arvind Panagariya, Vice-Chairperson of NITI Aayog, to
classify the Caste names returned in the Socio Economic
and Caste Census (SECC), 2011.
RAIL LINK WITH BANGLADESH
Government has sanctioned around Rs.1,000 crore for a
15-km India-Bangladesh railway project from Agartala
in Tripura to Akhaura in Chitagong, Bangladesh. The
link will reduce distance between Kolkata and Agartala
by over 1100 kms.
ADB LOAN FOR NORTHEAST
The Asian Development Bank to give a loan of $ 300
million to India for improving road connectivity and
increasing the domestic and regional trade along the
North Bengal—North Eastern Region (NER).
IDEAS INVITED FOR INDIAN CITIES
The Union Urban Development Ministry organized a six
day competition "Mera Shahar Mera Sapna" in New
Delhi to encourage the citizens to contribute their ideas
and solutions for addressing the challenges faced by
Indian cities.
FOR BEST COACHING BY BEST TEACHERS FOR
BANK PO / CLERK
SSC / HARYANA JOBS
JOIN
GYANM COLLEGE OF COMPETITIONS
Avail 30% Discount on Fees
AMBALA CANTT
SCO 76, TOP FLOOR, ABOVE SBI, MAHESH NAGAR,
8929666646, 8054225207

 India and Kazakhastan issued a joint statement - Tej
Kadam highlighting the continuation of strategic
partnership between the two nations.
 Government has decided to give Cabinet minister’s
rank to the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, Arvind
Panagariya.
 Asian Development Bank to provide $ 300 million
loan to support the Government’s flagship program,
the National Urban Health Mission.
 The 46th Session of the Indian Labour Conference held
in New Delhi.
 India and Georgia signed an MoU in New Delhi for
cooperation in election management and
administration.
 26th July was celebrated as the Kargil Vijay Diwas as
the 16th anniversary of the Indian victory in the 1999
Kargil war.
 Of the 31 countries which produce power from
nuclear sources, India is ranked 12th, producing 5308
MWe. The list is topped by USA producing 98639
MWe.
 National Broadcasting Day was observed on 23
July. It is on this day in 1927, the Indian Broadcasting
Company started first radio broadcasting from
Bombay.
 Government has announced that 14 States and Union
Territories have achieved or exceeded the literacy
rate of 80 percent.
JUNE 2015
INDIA BREAKS TWO GUINNESS RECORDS
Led by the Prime
Minister himself, India
broke two Guinness
records – one for the
largest yoga assembly
of 35,985 at a single
venue and the other
for participation from
84 nationalities in a
single event on the
occasion of the
International Yoga Day at Rajpath, New Delhi.
The Department of Posts released a special stamp on
yoga and the Finance Ministry released coins of the
denomination of Rs 10 and Rs 100 on the occasion.
MODI VISITS BANGLADESH
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Dhaka on June 6
on a two-day visit to Bangladesh. 22 agreements were
signed between two countries during the visit and a
credit line of $2 billion was announced for the
neighbouring country.
Mr Modi also received the “Bangladesh
Liberation War Honour” on behalf of former Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in recognition of his role
in the Bangladesh Liberation War.
The two countries agreed to start Kolkata-
Dhaka-Agartala (466+152 kms) bus service and
Guwahati – Dhaka (496 kms) bus services.
PRESIDENT VISITS SWEDEN
President of India visited Sweden on May 31 on his five-
day visit to the country and Belarus. This is first ever
visit by an Indian President to Sweden. Several
agreements were signed with Sweden to boost ties and
to find ways for investment in India’s defence sector
under the ambitious ‘Make in India’ initiative.
INDIA, BELARUS SIGN SIX AGREEMENTS
During the visit of Indian President, the Belarus
Goernment signed six agreements in fields like
textiles, double taxation, media etc. Besides, the State
University of Belarus conferred the Professor Honoris
Causa degree on the President. India has extended a
USD 100 million line of credit to Belarus.
INDIA BEST CHOICE FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT
As per the Baseline Profitability Index (BPI) compiled in
New York, USA, India has been ranked the best country
in terms of attracting foreign investors, in a study of 110
countries. China has secured the 65th position and the
U.S. is at the 50th place.
INDIA GOOD FOR INVESTMENTS
According to a World Bank report, India figures among
top five emerging economies for the highest investment
commitments in private sector, infrastructure sectors -
energy, transport and water. The top five countries are
Brazil, Turkey, Peru, Colombia and India.
DUTCH PRIME MINISTER VISITS INDIA
Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of Netherland, arrived in
New Delhi on a two-day visit to India. The two
countries announced a joint working group on counter
terrorism and working closely in areas such as
extremism, defence, maritime and cyber security while
the Dutch expressed interest in supporting the Make in
India and Clean India campaign.
MINIMAL ELDER ABUSE IN INDIA
A new global study reveals that elder abuse in India is
the lowest in Asia with an incidence of 14 per cent only
while it is the highest in China at 36 per cent. In other
countries, it varied from 2 percent in Ireland to 61
percent in Croatia.
Elder abuse includes psychological, physical and sexual
abuse, neglect and financial exploitation.

GITA MARKS ITS DEBUT IN CHINA
Bhagavad Gita, the sacred ancient Indian scripture, has
made its debut in China after its Chinese version was
released during an international yoga conference held in
Dujiangyan in the south-western Sichuan, China.
NATHU LA ROUTE OPENED BY CHINA
China opened the second land crossing in Tibet via
Nathu La in Sikkim, 4,000 metres above the sea level to
allow the first batch of Indian pilgrims undertaking the
arduous Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra. The route was
closed after the 1962 clash with China.
PRABHU ATTENDS G 20 MEET AT ISTANBUL
At the G-20 sherpa meeting in Turkey, India pressed for
petroleum pricing reforms globally to ensure stability in
the energy sector. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu
represented India at the meet.
'Sherpa' is a senior official responsible for preparing the
agenda for top leaders for a big meet.
E C SUSPENDS NATIONAL PEOPLE’s PARTY
The Election Commission has suspended the recognition
of former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma’s National
People’s Party because it failed to submit its poll
expenditure statement within the specified time frame
of 90 days since the general election last year.
IIT TO VENTURE INTO MEDICAL SCIENCE
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur will soon
become the first engineering institute in India to
venture into medical education. The super-specialty
hospital named Dr BC Roy Institute of Medical Science &
Research is to become operational by 2017.
HEALTH AGREEMENT SIGNED WITH USA
India and USA have signed a series of agreements for
cooperation in health sector in areas like cancer
research, medical infrastructure development and
application of new diagnostic technologies etc.
TALKS HELD WITH JAPAN, AUSTRALIA
India, Australia and Japan held trilateral talks in New
Delhi to discuss a range of issues including the security
situation in the Asia Pacific as also infrastructure and
developmental projects.
INDIA SIGNS GLOBAL TAX TREATY
India has joined the Multilateral Competent Authority
Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic Exchange of Financial
Account Information by signing the pact in Paris. This
will enable India to access the data related to bank
accounts from across the world, including tax havens
that had refused to cooperate earlier.
54 countries have already joined the MCAA. India is
among the six countries that signed the pact, taking the
number to 60. The target is to reach 94 countries by 2017.
INDIA STILL LOW IN COMPETITIVENESS
India was ranked 44th in the annual global
competitiveness report by a Switzerland-based business
school, which cited problems like high corporate taxes
and a parallel economy for the low ranking. The USA
ranked number one in the study.
INDIA HOME TO 24% OF WORLD’S HUNGRY
India is home to the highest number of hungry people in
the world, at 194 million, surpassing China, according to
the United Nations annual hunger report - 'The State of
Food Insecurity in the World 2015' by FAO. India
accounts for over 24 per cent of the total 795 million
hungry people in the world.
INDIA RANKED 143RD IN TERMS OF PEACE
According to research by Australia-based Institute for
Economics and Peace (IEP), India ranked among 20
most violent places globally, standing at 143rd rank in
2014. Syria and Afghanistan were rated the least
peaceful countries in the world while Iceland held its
position as most peaceful, followed by Denmark.
INDIA RANKS HIGH IN CARBON EMISSIONS
Data released by the US based World Resources
Institute shows that in terms of emissions of climate -
damaging greenhouse gases, India ranks fourth in
world, accounting for roughly 7 per cent of emissions.
The top three are China, USA and European Union.
However, in terms of per capita emissions, India ranks far
below at the 10th place.
 The three-day World Bangla Conference organized by
the Vishwa Bangla Sammelan was held in Nagpur,
Madhya Pradesh.
 India has emerged as Britain's third biggest job
creator in 2014 as it saw a 65% increase in FDI from
India, leading to 9,350 new jobs in 122 projects.
 India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh signed a Motor
Vehicles Agreement for the regulation of passenger
and cargo vehicular traffic.
 India emerged the top donor country for Nepal by
pledging $ one billion aid for reconstruction of earth-
quake hit Nepal
 World Bank gave a $250 million loan for Jhelum and
Tawi Flood Recovery Project for reconstruction of
flood-affected infrastructure in J&K.

MAY 2015
MODI VISITS THREE NATIONS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a six day (May 14-
20) visit to three countries – China, Mongolia and South
Korea.
May 14 - Reached Xi'an city, home town of Chinese
President in Shaanxi province. Breaking the protocol,
President Xi Jinping received him in Xi’an city and
accompanied him on his local sightseeing. Modi visited
the famous Terracotta Warriors Museum, which has a
large collection of clay sculptures depicting the armies
of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.
May 15- He met Chinese Premier (Prime Minister) Le
Keqiang. The two leaders launched the State and
Provincial Leaders’ Forum in Beijing. Mr Modi
announced to extend electronic tourist visas to Chinese
nationals.
India and China signed 24 agreements to strengthen
bilateral relationship in several fields including trade
and commerce, railways, education, skill development,
human resource and other areas.
May 16-17 - Arrived in Mongolian capital Ulaan Baator,
making the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister
to Mongolia. He met Prime Minister Chimed
Saikhanbileg and announced a $1-billion credit line to
Mongolia for infrastructure development. He received a
brown race horse named Kanthaka as gift.
President: Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj Currency: Togrog
Parliament: State Great Khural
May 18-20 - Arrived in Seoul, capital of South Korea. A
slew of agreements were signed, including one on
Double Taxation Avoidance Convention, cooperation in
shipping and logistics, audiovisual co-production,
transport, highways and electric power development in
new energy industries.
South Korea agreed to provide $ 10 billion to India for
infrastructure, development of smart cities, railways,
power generation.
President: Park Geun-hye–Currency: South Korean Won
DELHI AIRPORT RANKS FIRST IN WORLD
Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi has
been adjudged the world's best airport for the year
2014, under the category of handling 25 to 40 million
passengers per annum by the Airports Council
International of Canada.
PRESIDENT VISITS RUSSIA
President Pranab Mukherjee visited Russia from May 7
to 10. He was conferred with honorary Doctorate by the
Russian Diplomatic Academy. He attended the
magnificent celebrations of the 70th Victory Day Parade.
Eight agreements in the field of science and
technology and higher education were signed during the
visit. The Institutions of higher learning in India and
Russia signed eleven Memorandum of Intent to
establish Network of Institutions of Higher Education
50 YEARS OF CONQUERING MOUNT EVEREST
Indian Mountaineering Foundation celebrated 50 years
of first climbing by Indian team, of Mt. Everest, the
world’s highest peak, on 20 May 1965. Indian team was
led by Captain Mohan Singh Kohli of Indian Navy and
team’s Sherpa, Nawang Gombu was the first person to
reach the peak.
CABINET NOD FOR EXCHANGE OF ENCLAVES
The Parliament passed the Constitution (119th
Amendment) Bill 2013 to implement the land boundary
agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh. It is 100th
Amendment to the constitution and was approved by
President on May 28, opening the process for exchange
of identified territories (enclaves) between the two
countries. Enclaves are tiny landlocked territories that
each country has within the borders of the other nation.
SC BANS USE OF PHOTOS IN GOVT ADs
The Supreme Court issued guidelines to place a ban on
the use of photographs of ministers and party leaders in
the advertisements released by government institutions,
public sector undertakings, local bodies and other
autonomous bodies established under a statute to
prevent ruling politicians from misusing tax payers’
money to enhance their image or of their parties.
Further, official advertisements cannot carry the name
of any political party, political symbol, logo or flag.
The ban, however, would not cover late national leaders,
while the President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India
(CJI) were free to use or not to use their photographs in
such advertisements.

INDIA RANKS POOR IN ENVIRONMENT CARE
India has ranked 24th out of 70
countries in the first
Environmental Democracy Index
that evaluates nations' progress
in enacting laws to promote
transparency, accountability and
citizen engagement in
environmental decision making. Lithuania tops the list
released by the Washington-based World Resources
Institute and Access Initiative.
INDIA RANKS 140TH IN MOTHERHOOD INDEX
Save the Children's 'State of the World's Mothers' report
for 2015 shows that India ranks at 140th place in a study
of 179 countries to assess risk of maternal death, under-
five mortality rate, expected number of years of formal
schooling, the gross national per capita income and
participation of women in government.
Norway was ranked first, followed by Finland.
 India ranks 100th on 124 nations Human Capital
Index, which measures countries on development and
deployment of human capital. Finland topped the list.
 A commemorative coin released to mark the birth
centenary of Swami Chinmayananda to honour his
work in the field of education and social reform.
 World Bank to offer $ 250 million to Bihar govt as
part of a programme to help improve effectiveness of
elementary school teachers in the state
 India and Vietnam signed a Joint Vision Statement
on Defence Cooperation in New Delhi to promote
the mutual cooperation in maritime security.
 6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy was
held in New Delhi on 15 May 2015.
 The 10th World Hindi Conference will be held from
10 September to 12 September 2015 in Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh.
YOUR SEARCH FOR THE BEST COACHING FOR
BANK PO / CLERK
SSC / PUNJAB JOBS
ENDS AT
KOTKAPURA
KRISHNA TOWERS, ABOVE PNB, MUKTSAR ROAD
9780843440, 9464792000
NEWS FROM STATES
JULY 2015
GOA TO HOLD YOUTH DELPHIC GAMES 2016
The 5th Youth Delphic Games for cultural events will be
held in Goa in February 2016. Started a 100 years after
the modern Olympics in Delphy, Greece, the games are
hosted every four years for participants in the age group
15-25 years.
They are being hosted in India for the first time. The
motto of the 2016 Games is ‘Celebrating Arts and
Cultures.’ It will include competitions in six categories —
musical arts & sounds, performing arts, language arts,
visual arts, social arts and ecological arts & architecture.
BANGALORE RANKS 12TH IN WORLD AS IT CITY
Bangalore has been ranked 12th in the list of top 20
technology-rich cities in the world, according to a
survey conducted by global property consultant Jones
Lang LaSalle. Good economic growth, investments in
infrastructure, presence of startups and significant
supply of prime office space are some of the factors that
contributed in Bangalore's strong performance in the
survey. London, San Jose (California) and Beijing are top
three c
NADIA WINS UN PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
The "Abar Souchagar" (toilet for all) project in West
Bengal's Nadia district, aimed at making the district free
from open defecation, has won the prestigious United
Nations Public Service Award for making Nadia the first
'Open Defecation Free' district in the country.
ities on the list.
XINJIANG TO AID GROWTH OF VADODARA
Vadodara in Gujarat and China's Xinjinag province have
signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to
enhance infrastructure growth and development
between the two regions.
U P TO HAVE GPS IN ALL STATE BUSES
Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation
(UPSRTC) has become the first State transport
corporation to have a vehicle tracking system for its
over 9600 inter-city buses, which has led to a reduction
in accidents and deaths as drivers are wary of crossing
the speed limits.
HARYANA TOPS IN SKILL DEVELOPMENT
A report brought out by National Skill Development
Corporation (NSDC) states that Haryana is number one
state in India in automobile production, accounting for
50% of total passenger cars and two-wheelers produced
in India.

HARYANA TO GIVE 24 HR ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
The Haryana government has launched the ‘Mhara
Gaon Jagmag Gaon’ scheme from Dyalpur village of
Kurukshetra district to ensure 24-hour power supply to
the villages which fulfill all parameters, particularly
avoiding power theft.
NAGALAND DECLARED ‘DISTURBED AREA’
The Home Ministry has declared Nagaland a “disturbed
area” under section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special
Powers) Act 1958, as it finds that a “dangerous
condition” prevails in the State and the armed forces
should assist the civil administration in maintaining law
and order.
 The Kerala Tourism has won Pacific Asia Travel
Association award for its Muziris Heritage
Conservation Project in the 'Heritage & Culture'
category.
 Uttarakhand became the first state in India to
successfully install an Earthquake Warning System
to detect earthquakes and disseminate warnings.
 Chennai is 6th city in India to have the Metro train.
The first train covered an overhead stretch between
Koyambedu and Alandur for 10 km.
 The Tripura government has introduced a pension
scheme for transgenders allowing them a pension of
Rs 500 per month.
JUNE 2015
KERALA STARTS PUBLIC DIGITAL LOCKERS
Kerala Government launched the Digital locker system
‘Akshay’, under which the public can store important
records and certificates such as birth and marriage
certificates, pan card, school/ college transfer certificate,
passport etc. in the digital format. The records can be
downloaded as and when required.
RAJASTHAN TOPS IN SOLAR POWER
Data released by the Union Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy shows that Rajasthan, with an
installed capacity of 1147 megawatt for solar power,
topped the list of states commissioning grid connected
solar power projects in the country, followed by Gujarat
(1,000 mw).
HEMIS FESTIVAL HELD AT LADAK
A two-day long annual Hemis festival dedicated to Guru
Padmasambha was held in Ladakh region of Jammu and
Kashmir the largest monastery of Ladakh - Hemis
monastery.
3 MORE DISTRICTS COME UNDER NCR
The Government has decided to include Muzaffarnagar
district of Uttar Pradesh and the Jind and Karnal
districts of Haryana as part of the urban conglomerate
of National Capital Region (NCR).
LIPULEKH PASS OPENED FOR BUSINESS
The 17,500-feet high Lipulekh Pass in Pithoragarh
district of Uttarakhand was opened for this year's India-
China trade and Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The route
will remain open till October 31.
 Jaipur Metro, touted as one of the fastest built metro
systems in the country, has been thrown open to
public.
 India’s first of its kind Tier-I Oil Spill Response
Centre for Mumbai Port Trust, Jawaharlal Nehru
Port Trust and ONGC near Mumbai was inaugurated.
 Steffi Graf, Tennis legend from Germany, has been
appointed the brand ambassador for Ayurveda by
Kerala.
MAY 2015
BLUE WHALE FOUND NEAR MAHARASHTRA
A group of researchers has spotted for the first time,
two Blue Whales (mother-calf pair) and four Bryde’s
whales near Kunkeshwar off the Sindhudurg coast in
Maharashtra. This is for the first time after 100 years
that the Blue Whales were sighted off the coast of
Maharashtra.
 Punjab becomes first state to issue Soil Health Cards
to all its farmers. The cards will show the details of
the soil composition for every farm.
 In Gujarat, the number of Asiatic lions in Gir
sanctuary and its surrounding areas has gone up to
523, registering 27 percent increase since 2010.
 World’s largest solar power plant is to be set up at
Gurh tehsil in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh
to produce 750 megawatt (MW) of electricity.
 Govt of Tripura withdrew on May 27 the Armed
Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 from the
remaining areas of the state with immediate effect.
 Among Indian states, Maharashtra attracts largest
number of foreign tourists followed by Tamil Nadu.

GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES
JULY 2015
E-KISSAN TO START ONLINE MANDIS
The Ministry of Agriculture plans to launch E-kisan, a
portal that will go online on July 27, to allow the farmers
to showcase their farm produce on the Internet for
wholesalers to bid remotely before the crop is harvested
and sent to the buyer. Now the farmer need not bring
produce to the mandi and play in the hands of
commission agents for right price. Apart from ensuring
remunerative prices to farmers, the portal will be an
attractive alternative for wholesale buyers as they will
not have to pay any mandi tax.
PORTAL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE
The Ministry of Environment and Forests has launched a
web portal for online submission of applications for
Environment Clearance by State Environment Impact
Assessment Authorities for Category ‘B’ projects. This
facility is already there for projects cleared directly by
the Ministry.
WEB PORTAL LAUNCHED FOR EMPLOYMENT
The government has launched the National Career
Counseling Portal under the National Career Service
(NCS) project to coordinate all government-run
employment exchanges. The web portal will act as a
one-stop platform for both job seekers and job
providers where registration can be done online.
‘DIGITAL INDIA’ INITIATIVE LAUNCHED
The government has launched the 'Digital India'
initiative for digital delivery of all essential services
online to citizens and transform India into a digitally
empowered society and a knowledge economy by
leveraging IT. It plans to cover all the 2, 50, 000 village
panchayats with broad band connectivity. It aims to
reduce corruption in government services by making
them available online. It plans to provide Aadhaar card-
based ‘digital lockers’, wherein one can store all
documents like birth/death certificates, various
permissions, registrations etc.
DIGITAL INDIA
15 SALIENT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PM
NARENDRA MODI'S PROJECT
Moving ahead on yet another pet project, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi launched the 'Digital India' campaign,
aimed at creating a digitally empowered society and
knowledge economy.
The programme comprises of various initiatives, each
targeted to prepare India for becoming a knowledge
economy and for bringing good governance to citizens
through synchronized and co-ordinated engagement of
the entire government.
The vision of Digital India programme also aims at
inclusive growth in areas of electronic services,
products, manufacturing and job opportunities etc. The
vision of Digital India is centred on three key areas –
(i) Digital Infrastructure as a utility to every citizen
(ii) Governance & services on demand
(iii) Digital Empowerment of citizens
9 PILLARS OF DIGITAL INDIA
The Digital India programme aims to provide
Broadband highways; Universal access to mobile
connectivity; Public internet access programme; E-
governance’ eKranti - Electronic delivery of services;
Information for all; Electronics manufacturing: Targeted
at net zero imports; IT for jobs & Early harvest
programmes aimed at wifi in all universities, e-books
etc.
In line with these objectives, the government has
launched several initiatives. We take a look at some of
them:
1. Digital Locker System aims to minimize the usage
of physical documents and enable sharing of e-
documents across agencies. The sharing of the e-
documents will be done through registered
repositories thereby ensuring the authenticity of
the documents online, says the government.

2. MyGov.in has been implemented as a platform for
citizen engagement in governance, through a
"Discuss", "Do" and "Disseminate" approach. The
mobile app for MyGov would bring these features
to users on a mobile phone.
3. Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Mobile app would
be used by people and Government organizations
for achieving the goals of Swachh Bharat Mission.
4. eSign framework would allow citizens to digitally
sign a document online using Aadhaar
authentication.
5. The Online Registration System (ORS) under the
eHospital application has been introduced. This
application provides important services such as
online registration, payment of fees and
appointment, online diagnostic reports, enquiring
availability of blood online etc, the government
claims.
6. National Scholarships Portal is said to be a one
stop solution for end to end scholarship process
right from submission of student application,
verification, sanction and disbursal to end
beneficiary for all the scholarships provided by
the Government of India.
7. DeitY has undertaken an initiative namely
Digitize India Platform (DIP) for large scale
digitization of records in the country that would
facilitate efficient delivery of services to the
citizens.
8. The Government of India has undertaken an
initiative namely Bharat Net, a high speed digital
highway to connect all 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats
of country. This would be the world's largest
rural broadband connectivity project using
optical fibre.
9. Policy initiatives have also been undertaken by
DeitY in the e-Governance domain like e-Kranti
Framework, Policy on Adoption of Open Source
Software for Government of India, Framework for
Adoption of Open Source Software in e-
Governance Systems, Policy on Open Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs) for Government
of India, E-mail Policy of Government of India,
Policy on Use of IT Resources of Government of
India, Policy on Collaborative Application
Development by Opening the Source Code of
Government Applications, Application
Development & Re-Engineering Guidelines for
Cloud Ready Applications.
10. BSNL has introduced Next Generation Network
(NGN), to replace 30 year old exchanges, which is
an IP based technology to manage all types of
services like voice, data, multimedia/ video and
other types of packet switched communication
services.
11. BSNL has undertaken large scale deployment of
Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the country. The user
can latch on the BSNL Wi-Fi network through
their mobile devices.
12. BPO Policy has been approved to create BPO
centres in different North Eastern states and also
in smaller / mofussil towns of other states.
13. Electronics Development Fund (EDF) Policy aims
to promote Innovation, R&D, and Product
Development and to create a resource pool of IP
within the country to create a self-sustaining eco-
system of Venture Funds.
14. National Centre for Flexible Electronics
(NCFlexE) is an initiative of Government of India
to promote research and innovation in the
emerging area of Flexible Electronics.
15. Centre of Excellence on Internet on Things (IoT)
is a joint initiative of Department of Electronics &
Information Technology (DeitY), ERNET and
NASSCOM.
It is understood that programme of this scale has never
been conceived and implemented hitherto. It is an
ambitious programme with a projected cost of 1,13,000
crore, an investment for knowledge based
transformation of India and delivery of good governance
to citizen both at central and the state level.
The programme will generate huge number of IT,
Telecom and Electronics jobs, both directly and
indirectly. Success of this programme will make India
Digitally empowered and the leader in usage of IT in
delivery of services related to various domains such as
health, education, agriculture, banking, etc," the
government claims.
Source Economic Times: July 1, 2015
Don’t Waste Your Time Here & There
BANK PO / CLERK
SSC / HARYANA JOBS
JOIN
PANCHKULA
SCO 21, 2ND FLOOR, SECTOR 11
9988489977, 9988589977

ALL INDIA NUMBER PORTABILITY
The nationwide mobile number portability, MNP which
will allow customers to keep their existing mobile
phone numbers while shifting between States and
circles, is now operational. Until recently the users
could change their operator while retaining the same
number only in the same State or telecom circle.
HELPLINE LAUNCHED FOR RAILWAYS
The government has launched an All India Railway
Helpline number, 1512, using which the passengers can
lodge a complaint in the event of falling prey to a crime
on both, running trains and stations across, anywhere in
the country.
HRIDAY SCHEME LAUNCHED FROM AMRITSAR
The National Heritage City Development and
Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) was launched from
Amritsar in Punjab for development of 12 historical
cities in the country. The central government has
sanctioned Rs. 69.31 crore as 100% grant for Amritsar..
OVER 100 MILLION YOUTH TO BE SKILLED
The government has set a target to provide skill
development training to 102 million youth over the next
five years under the National Skill Development Mission.
A skill loan initiative will also be started, under which
loans from Rs 5000 to Rs 1.5 lakh will be given to more
than 34 lakh youth.
MINIMUM WAGE HIKED TO Rs 160
The National Floor Level Minimum Wage has been
increased to Rs. 160 per day from the existing Rs. 137
effective from July 1 this year. It is expected from the
state governments that they do not pay less than this
rate as it is mandatory.
GOVT TO CONDUCT SOCIAL AUDITS
With a view to focus on safety and health aspects of
workers, govt plans to prescribe norms for the quality of
air and water within the factory premises, along with
the extent of exposure of employees to particulate
matters within the factory. Social audits of workers will
be conducted to check implementation of these norms.
Over 93% of the country's workforce is still in the
unorganised sector, where most workers are deprived of
protection measures and are often exposed to hazardous
air and water.
RULES NOTIFIED FOR FOREIGN ASSETS
The government has notified the rules for calculating
overseas income and assets under the Black Money
(Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and
Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. The rules notified by
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) say that the value
of overseas assets, including immovable property,
jewellery, archaeological collections and paintings,
shares and securities and shares in unlisted firms
abroad will be calculated at their fair market value.
BLACK MONEY WINDOW TILL 30th SEPTEMBER
The government has given three months time till 30th
September for people to declare their undisclosed
foreign income and assets to escape prosecution under
the new Black Money Law. Those making the disclosure
during this period will have a further three-month
period till 31st December this year to pay the taxes and
the penalty on their foreign income and assets. Those
availing of the one-time compliance window would have
to pay a tax of 30% and a penalty of a similar amount.
The ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana’
for power sector reforms in rural areas to ensure round
the clock electricity supply to farmers and rural
households, was formally launched in Patna on July 25.
The earlier scheme Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran
Yojana has been subsumed in the new scheme.
 The govt will give national awards with a cash prize
of Rs 1.5 lakh to 3 best rag-pickers and 3 associations
for their contribution to keeping India clean.
 The govt has launched the Surakshit Khadya
Abhiyan to create mass awareness and capacity
building for safe and hygienic food.
 The govt has decided to start an exhibition train—
Science Express to sensitise the people, especially
children and the youth, about Climate Change.
 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
approved the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee
Yojana with an outlay of Rs. 50000 crore.
 The retirement fund body Employees’ Provident Fund
Organisation, EPFO, has launched a public outreach
initiative by the name ‘Nidhi Aapke Nikat'.

JUNE 2015
3 SCHEMES LAUNCHED FOR URBAN INDIA
Prime Minister launched three schemes to rejuvenate
the urban infrastructure in India.
i) Smart Cities Mission for applying smart solutions to
improve infrastructure and service delivery in the cities.
The Rs 48,000 crore mission aims to develop the overall
quality of life for citizens in 100 selected cities and make
them role models for others to follow.
ii) Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban
Transformation-AMRUT: A Rs 50,000 crore project
for infrastructure development of 500 cities with
population of over one lakh, covering basic
infrastructure like sanitation, drinking water, solid and
waste management and transport.
iii) Housing For All: To ensure decent houses for all the
needy, particularly the economically weaker sections
and low income group in all the 4041 notified towns
across the country. The scheme aims to construct 2
crores house for urban poor with central assistance of
Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.3 lakh to promote slum-free cities.
NAND-GHAR YOJANA LAUNCHED
The government launched the first modernised
Anganwadi centre of India at Hasanpur village of
Sonepat in Haryana.. The centre has been set up as part
of Nand-Ghar Yojana of Union Government which aims
to transform the anganwadi centres.
JAL KRANTI ABHIYAN LAUNCHED
Ministry for water resources launched a Jal Kranti
Abhiyan from Jaipur on June 6 aimed at turning at least
one water stressed village in each district of the country
into a water surplus village.
HEALTH PHONE PROGRAMME LAUNCHED
Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) in collaboration
with Ministry of Women and Child Development
launched the IAP Health Phone programme, the
world's largest digital mass education programme to
address malnutrition in women and children.
WEBSITE LAUNCHED FOR ‘MISSING CHILDREN’
The Women and Child Development Ministry has
launched a new website - www.khoyapaya.gov.in to
serve as a platform for people to not only report a
missing child but also track the efforts towards his or
her recovery. The website will answer all queries as to
what action is to be taken when a child goes missing.
APP LAUNCHED TO CLEAN GANGA
The Centre has started a mobile application, Bhuvan
Ganga, where the public can upload pictures of pollution
sources of the Ganga River for further action by the
authorities concerned. The app will be supported by the
National Remote Sensing Centre and ISRO.
EPFO MAKES ‘UAN’ MANDATORY
Employees Provident Funds Organisation-EPFO has
decided to make Universal Account Number (UAN)
mandatory for all employers covered under the EPF and
Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952.
BILL TO REPLACE BIS ACT 1986
The government approved a new bill to replace the
existing Bureau of Indian Standards, BIS Act 1986 to
ensure supply of quality products and services to the
consumers. Currently, only products and systems come
under the ambit of standards and the bill proposes to
include services under the standardisation regime.
FREE WI-FI HOT SPOT AT TAJ MAHAL
Visitors to Taj Mahal will soon be able to access internet
through wi-fi hotspots with launched by the BSNL from
June 16. The service will be free of cost for 30 minutes
in 24 hours and shall be charged subsequently. BSNL
plans to set up 40,000 such Wi-Fi hotspots across the
country in three years at a cost of Rs. 6,000 crore.
INSURANCE POOL FOR NUCLEAR RISKS
The Union government has launched an insurance pool
of Rs. 1,500 crore, mandatory under the Civil Liability
for Nuclear Damage Act to offset the financial burden on
foreign nuclear suppliers in case of an accident. Under
the pool, nuclear operators’ liability and suppliers’
special contingency insurance policies will be offered.
SMS WEATHER ALERTS FOR FARMERS
The government has launched a web portal and weather
alert system for the benefit of farmers called Crop
Insurance Portal www.farmer.gov.in/insurance, which
will give information on adverse weather condition to
farmers through SMS. So far, one crore farmers have
registered with the portal for receiving SMS alerts.
APP LAUNCHED FOR BLOOD BANK LOCATION
Government has launched a mobile application for easy
access of information regarding the nearest blood bank
in the country. Prepared by the National Blood
Transfusion Council, it covers all the 2760 licensed
blood banks of the country.

WORKDAYS UNDER NREGA INCREASED TO 150
Govt. has decided to increase the number of workdays
under NREGA scheme from 100 days to 150 days, only
in drought affected areas. The scheme will be
applicable only to those households which complete 100
days of work.
RAILWAY TIES UP WITH AIRLINES
Railways have entered in to a tie-up with Spice Jet and
Go Air airlines to enable the train travellers whose ticket
is wait-listed to cancel the train ticket and instead get on
to a flight of either airline by paying some extra fare.
NEW INCOME TAX RETURN FORMS
Union Finance Ministry has introduced two new forms
for filing income tax returns (ITR) for the year 2014-15 -
ITR-2 and ITR-2A. Form ITR-2 is for individuals and
Hindu Undivided Families (HUF) having income from
more than one house property and capital gains. Form
ITR-2A is for individuals who have income from more
than one residence.
 Individuals having income only from salary /
interest will fill Form ITR-1 (Sahaj) and those
having income from business will fill Form ITR-4S.
 The Govt has decided to rename Solar Energy
Corporation of India (SECI) as the Renewable
Energy Corporation of India (RECI).
 The Government has withdrawn the customs import
duties for drugs and test kits used to treat HIV and
AIDS infections.
 The Railway Ministry has decided to run Suvidha
trains from next month with dynamic fares to
address the rush during the peak travel season.
 The second border haat (rural market) opened at
Kamalasagar in Sipahijala district of Tripura
bordering Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh.
 Indian Renewable Energy and Development
Agency has been awarded the Mini Ratna-I status
by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
 Indian Railways has named Haridwar Mail running
between Ahmedabad-Haridwar as Yoga Express to
commemorate the International Yoga Day.
 The Railways has commenced the SMS alerts to
inform the passengers about the cancelled trains to
enable them to make alternative arrangements.
MAY 2015
‘KISSAN CHANNEL’ LAUNCHED FOR FARMERS
A farmer-centric 24 hour TV channel by Doordarshan
named DD Kissan was formally launched on May 26. The
channel programmes would focus on promoting
development of agriculture sector and rural India. It
will be mandatory for every cable and DTH operator to
relay this channel.
THREE SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES LAUNCHED
Prime Minister launched three social security schemes
at Kolkata on May 9. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima
Yojana for accidental insurance cover of Rs two lakh for
a premium of Rs.12. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima
Yojana for life insurance cover of Rs two lakh for a
premium of Rs. 330. Atal Pension Yojana to address old
age income security needs.
ANTI BLACK MONEY BILL PASSED
Seeking to unearth unaccounted funds and assets
stashed by Indians abroad, Parliament on May 13th
passed the historic “Undisclosed Foreign Income and
Assets (Imposition of New Tax) Bill, 2015”. For the first
time, unlawful, undisclosed income abroad has been
taxed under this law at a tax rate of 30 per cent with an
additional 30 percent penalty. Further, it provides for
120 % tax and penalty in addition to 10-year jail term.
LOK SABHA CLEARS GST BILL
The Goods and Services Tax Bill was passed by the Lok
Sabha on May 6, clearing its way to Rajya Sabha. The
GST is proposed to be implemented from 1st of April
next year. It seeks to create a new indirect tax regime
which will replace various central and state levies like
sales tax, excise and services tax except taxes on the
supply of alcohol for human consumption and
petroleum products.
Select Your Pathway to Success
JOIN
BANK PO / CLERK
SSC / PUNJAB JOBS
BATHINDA
St. No. 21/1 A, 100 Feet Road, Near Ghora Chowk,
7696225975, 9780080900

SOCIAL SECURITY FOR MNREGA WORKERS
The Centre has asked all the states to enrol all MNREGA
workers under the three newly-launched social security
schemes and open bank accounts for each worker under
the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. 3 schemes include
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan
Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana.
CABINET APPROVES SMART CITIES MISSION
Union Cabinet on April 29 approved the Smart Cities
Mission for development of 100 smart cities with an
outlay of Rs. 48,000 crore. It also approved the Atal
Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation
(AMRUT) for 500 cities with outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore
to replace the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban
Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
GOLD MONETISATION SCHEME LAUNCHED
The government on May 19 unveiled the draft of the
Gold Monetisation Scheme aimed at getting gold-
hoarding Indians to deposit their holdings with banks in
return for an interest payment. The finance ministry
has sought the comments from the public on the scheme
by June 2. A minimum 30 grams of gold could be
deposited and Banks will decide the rate of interest.
Minimum deposit period is one year, after which the
customer may ask for gold or cash.
GOVT TO START HIGHWAY RADIO
In a move to keep highway commuters updated about
road blocks, crashes, bad road condition and even
weather forecast, government plans to start Highway
Advisory Radio (HAR) system like a radio channel.
Besides broadcasting music/ songs, it will also provide
uninterrupted real-time information on traffic
condition, local points of interest, suggest alternate
routes etc.
USTAAD SCHEME FOR BANARAS WEAVERS
Union Government formally launched USTAAD
(Upgrading the Skills and Training in Ancestral
Arts/Crafts for Development) Scheme in Varanasi, Uttar
Pradesh in order to improve degrading conditions of
world famous Banarasi Saree weavers and other
artisans of the state.
LOK SABHA PASSES JUVENILE JUSTICE BILL
After elaborate discus-
sions on the merits of
trying juveniles as adults
in case of grave offences
such as the 2012 Delhi
gang rape, the Lok Sabha
passed on May 7 the
controversial Juvenile
Justice (Care and
Protection of Children)
Bill, 2014 which allows
16 to 18 year old child
offenders in heinous
crimes to be tried like adults.
The law defines heinous offences as IPC offences with
minimum punishment of seven years. These include rape,
murder, dacoity, kidnapping, and even attempted murder.
20,000 CR FOR ‘NAMAMI GANGE’ PROGRAMME
The Union Cabinet approved a massive Rs 20,000 crore
budget for the ‘Namami Gange Programme’ for the next
five years. The amount is a five-fold increase over the
money spent in the last three decades towards the
conservation of the river. The government plans to
involve people living on the banks of the river to attain
sustainable results.
LOK SABHA PASSES N I ACT AMENDMENT
The Lok Sabha passed the Negotiable Instruments
(Amendment) Bill, 2015, on May 13. The amendment
aims at easing the process of lodging court cases for
cheque-bouncing. Now all such cases can only be filed at
the place where the account of beneficiary is there i.e.
place where the cheque was deposited for clearance.
CHILDREN BELOW 14 ALLOWED TO WORK
The government has approved a proposal for allowing
children below 14 years of age to work only in family
enterprises or entertainment industry with certain
conditions, while completely banning their employment
elsewhere. It also says that children up to 18 years of
age will not be allowed to work in the hazardous
industries.
FIPB POWERS RAISED TO 3,000 CRORE
With an aim to expedite FDI clearance process, the govt
has enhanced FIPB's powers to recommend foreign
investment proposals of up to Rs. 3,000 crore, against Rs
1,200-crore limit at present. The FIPB recommended
proposals are cleared by the Finance Minister and any
investment beyond the new ceiling of Rs. 3,000 crore will
go to Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
headed by the Prime Minister.
FIPB: Foreign Investment Promotion Board

CHANGES TO COMPANIES ACT NOTIFIED
New amendments to the Companies Act have done away
with the norms of minimum capital requirement of Rs 1
lakh for private limited company and Rs 5 lakh in case of
a public sector unit. Besides, the concept of company
seal has also been done away with.
PAN CARD MUST FOR EXCISE REGISTRATION
Ministry of Finance has
made quoting the
Permanent Account
Number (PAN) manda-
tory for private firms
seeking central excise
registration to facilitate
efficient online collection of excise duty. Applicant shall
also quote his or her e-mail address and mobile number
in the application form for quick and online
communication with the department.
 Govt launched “Kayakalp” scheme for awarding
public health facilities to encourage improvement in
keeping the facilities clean and hygienic.
 “Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for SC”
launched to finance to the SC entrepre-neurs. The
scheme will be implemented by the IFCI Ltd.
 Doordarshan News has launched an app to enable
live streaming of DD news channel by lakhs of smart
phone users in the country.
 Govt approves continuation of minimum monthly
pension at not less than Rs 1000 for pensioners under
the Employees' Pension Scheme
 Amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act,
1988 approved for enhancing the penalty under it to
a maximum of 7 years imprisonment from 5 years.
 A 10-member panel formed under Vijay Kelkar to
revisit and revitalise public private partnership mode
of infrastructure development.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
JULY 2015
ADB PUTS INDIA’s GROWTH AT 7.8%
The Asian Development Bank has projected that Indian
economy is likely to grow at 7.8 per cent in the year
2014-15, making it the fastest growing economy, but
cautioned that delay in land and taxation reforms could
hinder growth.
INDIA TO GROW BY 7.8% - FITCH
Global rating agency Fitch says that India is expected to
grow at 7.8 per cent in 2015. Its Global Growth Outlook
report says that the Indian Government's strong drive to
implement structural reforms should lead to
improvements in the business environment and, over
the time, to an increase in investments.
INDIA SET TO GROW BY 7.5% - IMF
In its World Economic Outlook Update, the IMF has
retained India's growth forecast for current year at 7.5
percent, which is higher than China's 6.8 per cent. The
report projects current year global economy growth
forecast at 3.3 per cent.
GDP CROSSES $2 TRILLION MARK – W B
According to latest World Bank data, India’s GDP
reached the $2.06 trillion mark in 2014. After taking 60
years to reach the $1-trillion mark, India added the next
trillion in just seven years. India’s gross national
income per person rose to $1,610 (around Rs. 1 lakh) a
year during 2014. India’s growth rate, at 7.4 per cent in
2014, makes it the fastest growing major economy.
MAY IIP UP BY 2.7 %
Industrial output growth slowed in May due to sluggish
manufacturing sector expansion, triggering demand for
a cut in interest rates to support growth. The data show
that the index of industrial production (IIP) rose 2.7% in
May compared to a downwardly revised 3.4% growth.
CORE SECTOR UP BY 4.4 % IN MAY
The index of eight core industries rose by 4.4 per cent in
May 2015, compared to its level in May 2014, the fastest
growth seen since November 2014, after two straight
months of contraction. The eight core industries — coal,
crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel,
cement, and electricity — account for a combined weight
of 37.9 per cent in the overall IIP.
TRADE DEFICIT SHRINKS TO $ 10.8 BN
Falling for the seventh straight month, India's exports
plunged 15.8 per cent in June, year-on-year, to 22.3
billion dollars. Exports fell due to the global slowdown,
and a fall in crude oil prices that impacted shipments of
petroleum products. The imports declined 13.4 per cent,
to 33.1 billion dollars in June, amid a fall in oil and gold
shipments, resulting in a trade deficit of $10.8 billion.
 Recording losses for fourth week in a row, India’s
foreign exchange reserves shrunk by $1.03 billion to
$353.33 billion in the week ended 17th July.

JUNE 2015
GDP GROWS BY 7.3% IN 2014-15
According to the data released by the Central Statistics
Office (CSO), the Indian economy grew at 7.3 per cent in
2014-15 (base year 2011-12) due to improvement in
the performance of both services as well as
manufacturing sectors. It was 6.9 per cent in 2013-14.
The fourth quarter (January-March) of last fiscal saw the
economy grow at 7.5 per cent.
INDIA MAY GROW BY 8 %: NOMURA
Global brokerage firm Nomura said in a research note
that lower inflation, easier financial conditions, policy
efforts and rising profit margins are expected to back up
a cyclical recovery in Indian economy that may grow by
8 per cent this fiscal.
INDIA TO TOP IN GROWTH – WORLD BANK
The latest Global Economic Prospects report from the
World Bank says that India is expected to top the
growth chart in world, growing by 7.5 per cent this year,
surpassing China which is projected to grow at 7.1 per
cent this year.
OECD PUTS INDIA’s GROWTH AT 7.3%
Paris-based think tank Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said that
India’s economic growth is projected to remain “strong
and stable” at 7.3% in 2015 on the back of revival in
investments even as more reforms are needed to reduce
uncertainties over taxation norms.
RBI LOWERS GDP GROWTH TO 7.6%
The Reserve Bank has lowered the economic growth
forecast for the year 2015-16 to 7.6 per cent from 7.8
per cent projected in April, citing various risks,
including poor monsoon and rising crude oil prices.
Both lower than average monsoon and higher food
inflation would lead to reduction in demand.
MAY 2015
UN REPORT PUTS INDIA’s GROWTH AT 8.1%
Indian economy is likely to clock 8.1 per cent growth in
the current financial year, spurred by strong consumer
spending amid low inflation, infrastructure projects and
government's reform measures, says a UN report.
INDIA TO GROW BY 7.5 % - MOODY’s
Global rating agency Moody's says that India will grow
at a strong pace of 7.5 per cent in 2015-16, the highest
among G20 economies, helped by the reforms drive and
lower oil prices.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION DOWN BY 5.25%
As per the third advance estimates released for 2014-
15, India’s foodgrain production is estimated to decline
by 5.25 per cent to 251.12 million tonnes. Production of
most of the Kharif crops fell because of the poor
monsoon last year and Rabi crops due to the recent
unseasonal rain and hailstorms. The country had
registered a record foodgrain production of 265.04
million tonnes in 2013-14 crop year.
ECONOMY & INDUSTRY
JULY 2015
IOC IS TOP CORPORATE OF INDIA
Seven Indian companies are among the world's 500
largest companies, according to a list compiled by
Fortune Magazine, USA. The list is topped by retail giant
Walmart. The 7 Indian companies are Indian Oil
(119th), followed by Reliance Industries, Tata Motors,
State Bank of India, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan
Petroleum, and ONGC.
SUBSIDY ON KEROSENE FIXED AT Rs 12/LTR
The government has decided to cap the subsidy on
kerosene at Rs 12 per litre. Currently, it is being sold
through the public distribution system at Rs 14.96 per
litre against the actual cost of Rs 33.47.
TELE CONNECTIONS CROSS 1 BILLION MARK
The total number of telephone connections in India
crossed the 1 billion mark in May, reaching 1,002.05
million, of which 975.78 million connections were
wireless or mobile, the data released by TRAI shows
MILLIONAIRES GROWING IN INDIA
A report by the Wealth X and UBS bank, Switzerland
says that the number of dollar millionaires in India in
2014 rose to 2.5 lakh from 1.96 lakh in 2013, an
increase of 27 per cent.

RECORD MARINE EXPORTS IN 2014-15
The marine product exports from India crossed all
previous records in quantity, rupee value and dollar
terms in 2014-15, touching an all time high of Rs 33,441
crore. Frozen shrimps continued to be the flagship
product among Indian seafood exports by earning 67
per cent of the total value.
MOBILE APP FOR DAIRY FARMERS
The National Dairy Development Board has launched a
mobile application named ‘Pashu Poshan’ that will help
dairy farmers in boosting their income by raising milk
yield and cutting feed cost.
INDIAN ARMY/RLYs AMONG TOP EMPLOYERS
As per the World Economic Forum, the Indian Army and
the Indian Railways are among the world’s biggest
employers, employing 1.4 and 1.3 million, respectively,
securing 7th and 8th rank. The US Department of Defence
is at number one, employing over 3.2 million persons,
followed by China’s People’s Liberation Army with 2.3
million employees.
ICRISAT LAUNCHES GREEN PHABLET
Scientists at the Hyderabad based ICRISAT-
International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid
Tropics and the Government of Telangana have
collaborated to launch the Green Phablet for farmers in
Telangana to provide online information and weather
alerts.
WORLD BANK FUNDING FOR EDFC
The World Bank has approved an additional loan of
$650 million for the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor
(EDFC), which is aimed at faster delivery of goods
between the northern and eastern parts of the country,
from Ludhiana to Kolkata.
LIMIT ON EPF WITHDRAWAL
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)
has proposed that an employee be allowed to withdraw
only 75% of the overall kitty, instead of 100% as
permitted under the existing Employees' Provident
Funds Scheme, 1952, in case of resignation from a job or
for any other use before retirement.
CIBIL TO CHECK BIMA CLAIMS
The Life Insurance Council has engaged Credit
Information Bureau India Ltd (CIBIL) to detect
duplication of death claims under the Pradhan Mantri
Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojna. There is a possibility that
several customers bought policies from many banks and
therefore the need to check duplicate claims arise.
 The Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system was
launched on the Chennai-Bengaluru corridor on
July26, aiming to help road-users save time and
money.
 BSNL, along with Andhra Bank and Pyro, has
launched a mobile VISA prepaid card SPEEDPAY to
allow users to do cash transactions up to Rs 1 lakh.
 The government plans to import 5,000 tonnes of Urad
dal to improve domestic availability and check price
rise.
India and Thailand signed the Double Taxation
avoidance treaty and the extradition treaty for
seeking extradition of fugitive offenders.
JUNE 2015
MSP FOR PADDY AND PULSES HIKED
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has
increased the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy
by Rs 50 to Rs 1,410 per quintal for this year, as per the
recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural
Costs and Prices (CACP).
Commodity
(Rs. per
quintal)
Commodity (Rs./quintal)
Paddy 1410 Ragi 1650
Paddy 1450 Tuar / Urad 4625
Jowar 1570 Moong 4850
Bajra 1275 Groundnut 4030
Maize 1325 Sunflower Seed 3800
Cotton Med. 3800 Cotton long 4100
JOIN THE BEST…!! FORGET THE REST…!!
BANK PO / CLERK
SSC / PUNJAB JOBS
Join
MOHALI
SCF 20, TOP FLOOR, PHASE 7
09888685322, 0172-4052127

TARGET FOR SOLAR ENERGY UP BY 5 TIMES
The Cabinet has approved stepping up of India’s solar
power capacity target under the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Solar Mission by five times, reaching 1,00,000
Mega Watt by 2022. The target will principally comprise
of 40,000 mega watt Rooftop and 60,000 mega watt
through Large and Medium Scale Grid Connected Solar
Power Projects.
TWO COMMITTEES FOR GST IMPLEMENTATION
Finance Ministry has set up two committees for
facilitating the implementation of Goods and Services
Tax from 1st of April next year. The first committee will
suggest tax rates and look into IT preparedness for the
new indirect tax regime. The second committee would
monitor the progress of IT preparedness of
GSTN/CBEC/Tax authorities.
LITTLE INDIAN MONEY IN SWISS BANKS
As per the latest data released by Switzerland's central
banking authority SNB (Swiss National Bank), Indians'
money in Swiss banks declined by over 10 per cent to
about 1.8 billion Swiss francs (USD 1.98 billion or Rs
12,615 crore) in 2014. India has moved down to the
61st place in terms of foreigners' money in Swiss banks,
having a share of just 0.123 per cent.
MEP HIKED FOR ONIONS
The government has hiked the
Minimum Export Price (MEP)
of onion by 175 dollar per
tonne to 425 dollar per tonne
to discourage exports and
ensure adequate supply in the
domestic market and contain
price rise of the commodity
LISTING NORMS RELAXED FOR STARTUPS
The Securities & Exchange Board of India has
announced relaxed listing norms and liberalized several
other terms to encourage the booming start-up industry
to tap the local market so that local investors can also
access to the dramatic growth opportunities offered by
such firms.
IPO NORMS REVISED BY SEBI
Investment in all IPOs (Initial Public Offering) opening
on or after 1 January 2016, has been made cheque-free
by SEBI by making ASBA (Application Supported by
Blocked Amount) mandatory for investors. Further, in a
bid to reduce the time period between the closure of an
IPO to its listing, the time allowed has been reduced
from the current 12 days to 6 days.
In the ASBA facility, the required amount is blocked in the
investor’s bank account and is debited only when the
shares are allotted to the investor. This helps in doing
away with the entire refund process that normally takes a
couple of days.
MUMBAI MOST EXPENSIVE IN INDIA
Luanda, capital of Angola has been rated as the world’s
costliest city to live in, as per Global HR firm Mercer’s
"Cost of Living Survey 2015". Mumbai was rated as the
most expensive city in India.
INDIA HAS GOOD NUMBER OF SUPER RICH
India is home to the fourth largest number (928) of
ultra-high-net-worth households that have more than
100 million dollars in private wealth, according to the
Boston Consulting Group's 'Global Wealth 2015 report.
USA stands at number one (5201), followed by China
(1037) and UK (1019).
VEDANTA TAKES OVER CAIRN INDIA
India’s largest private miner Vedanta, headed by
billionaire Anil Agarwal, decided to absorb oil firm Cairn
India in a $2.3-billion all-share deal to create India’s
largest diversified natural resources company.
IMPORT PRICE HIKED FOR ARECA NUTS
The government has decided to increase the Minimum
Import Price, MIP on import of Areca nuts from existing
Rs 110 per kilogram to Rs 162 with immediate effect in
order to protect local growers from the cheaper
imports.
PROJECT LAUNCHED FOR WATERWAYS
The 'Jal Marg Vikas' (National Waterway-1) project on
River Ganges, which envisages developing a 1620 kms
water way between Allahabad and Haldia stretch, has
taken off with a $3.5 million funding from World Bank.
 Bangladesh has granted permission to Life
Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India to do business
in the country
 India has agreed to be a partner country in Russia’s
major Industrial Fair named INNOPROM-2016 to be
held at Yekaterinburg, Russia in July 2016
 World Bank granted a $400-million loan for the
Tamil Nadu Sustainable Urban Development Project
to improve services in urban local bodies.

MAY 2015
NORTH EAST GETS ITS FIRST MEGA FOOD PARK
The first mega food park of the North East was
inaugurated on May 28 at Nathkuchi in Nalbari distt. of
Assam. The park has 27 food processing units spread
over 50 acre of land. The park will prevent wastage of
local farm produce and find ready customers.
NGT IMPOSES ‘SEWAGE CESS’ IN DELHI
The National Green Tribunal has directed every
household in Delhi that is generating sewage, to pay a
monthly charge proportionate to their property tax or
water bill and, in the case of unauthorized colonies, a
minimum of Rs.100 per family, on the polluters pay
principle. The collected funds shall be utilized for
cleaning of drains and Yamuna River.
MoU SIGNED WITH IRAN FOR CHABAHAR PORT
India and Iran have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding for the development of the strategically
important Chabahar Port in Iran. The port will be used
to ship crude oil and urea, saving India transportation
costs. India will get sea-land access route to Afghanistan
bypassing Pakistan.
BIG BAZAAR MERGES WITH BHARTI RETAIL
Owners of Big Bazaar retail chain, Future Retail Ltd have
agreed to merge its retail operations with rival Bharti
Retail Ltd to create one of India's biggest retail chain
with more than 570 stores across the country.
INFOSYS JOINS RE100 GROUP
The Climate Group, the global NGO working for climate
change has announced that Indian IT giant Infosys has
become the first Indian company to join RE100, a global
platform for corporates committed to use 100%
renewable power.
 SEBI has replaced the three colour risk code with a
'riskometer' that will help investors to better
understand the risks involved in mutual funds.
 Asian Development Bank signed a 31 million US
dollars loan agreement to boost water availability in
selected river basins in Karnataka.
 Government has cleared the lone bid of Airbus-TATA
consortium for replacing Indian Air Force's ageing
fleet of Avro transport aircraft for Rs 11,930 crore.
 P M dedicated the Rs 16,000-crore revamped IISCO
Steel plant at Burnpur, West Bengal to the nation. It
now has largest blast furnace in India.
 Govt decides to sell 10% stake in Indian Oil
Corporation and 5% in NTPC to mop up Rs 13,600
crore in this fiscal’s first disinvestment approval.
 Reliance Industries tops the 56 Indian companies
listed in the world's 2000 largest and most powerful
public companies list compiled by the Forbes.
BANKING & FINANCE
JULY 2015
BANK ACCOUNTS SWELL UNDER PMJDY
Latest data on the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana
website shows that 16.9 crore accounts were opened as
of July 15, across public, private and rural regional
banks with a combined balance of Rs 20,288 crore. The
share of zero-balance accounts has come down to
50.6%, suggesting that the usage of accounts is
increasing.
SMALL BANKS MAY ISSUE DEBIT CARDS
The Reserve Bank has permitted the banks without ATM
network to collaborate with bigger banks that have their
ATM network to issue debit cards in tie-up to promote
cashless transactions. Co-op banks will also be allowed
to issue debit cards with a bigger bank as a sponsor.
INTT SUBVENTION OF
3% ON FARM LOANS
The Union Cabinet has agreed
to continue the interest
subvention of three per cent
on short-term crop loans of
up to Rs. 3 lakh to farmers to
enable public sector banks,
private sector commercial
banks, regional rural banks,
cooperative banks and
NABARD to provide these
loans at 7 per cent per anum during 2015-16.
RBI ASKS BANKS TO MAKE USE OF CRILC DATA
With a view to improving credit discipline and reducing
the NPA levels, the Reserve Bank has asked the banks to
use the credit information available with Central
Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC), a
database for all big borrowers launched by it, for
verifying the credit history of the applicant before the
opening their current accounts.
QUICK AUTO LOANS FROM HDFC BANK
HDFC Bank's digital banking offering christened Go
Digital has designed a 30-minute auto loan and 15-
minute two-wheeler loan for loan seekers, based on
their Aadhaar card and finger prints.
NPAs IN PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS JUMP TO 5.4%
Bad loans in public sector banks have increased to Rs
2.67 lakh crore at the end of March 2015 from Rs 2.16
lakh crore in the last year. Gross NPA Ratio of these
banks increased to 5.43 per cent at the end of March
2015 as compared to 4.72 per cent last year.

UNITED BANK DOWN WITH NPAs
The United Bank of India has topped the list of public
sector banks with the maximum bad loans including
restructured assets as a percentage of total advances;
with 21.5 per cent of its loans classified as NPA or have
been restructured to save them from turning NPA.
FASTER HOME LOANS FROM SBI
The State Bank of India has launched 'Project Tatkal' to
attract home loan seekers by offering them the loan
within 10 days after the receipt of application form and
the relevant supporting documents.
ICICI BANK GOES FOR FASTER TRANSACTIONS
ICICI Bank has created a dedicated payments gateway
for much faster transactions for its customers. Over 60
per cent of the bank’s transactions are happening
through mobile and internet banking channels.
SBI TO REWARD ITS CUSTOMERS
The State Bank of India has launched a mobile banking
app State Bank Rewardz to give reward points to all its
customers for almost every banking transaction done
with the bank. The customers can view and redeem
their reward points by shopping through this mobile
app or at merchant establishments. Every 4 points
earned by a customer would get a reward of Rs 1.
MTS OPERATORS TO ISSUE PRE PAID CARDS
The RBI has allowed Mass Transit System operators
such as Mumbai Metro, Delhi Metro, Indian Railways
and even local buses to issue their pre-paid cards to
provide ease to the commuters. The balance in these
cards should not exceed Rs 2000 at any point of time.
The card will have a minimum validity of six months and
the amount will be non-refundable
 Axis Bank has signed a $200 million loan deal with
the Asian Development Bank for extending
customized and affordable agriculture credit to
farmers.
 Axis bank has launched 'Touch ID' - a one touch
authentication for doing transactions through its
mobile app using Apple iPhone 5s and above.
 The State Bank of India plans to offer up to 3% of its
annual profit to employees as part of a talent
retention and motivation initiative.
 RBI has set up a committee headed by Deepak
Mohanty to work out a five-year action plan to
spread the reach of financial services to unbanked
population.
 Corporation Bank has launched the country’s first
MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance
Agency) card based on the RuPay platform.
 The Reserve Bank has signed a currency swap
agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to let it
draw up to $ 1.1 billion for up to 6 months.
 HDFC Bank plans to roll out handheld machines that
could work like micro ATMs, in areas where setting
up of full-fledged ATMs is not commercially viable.
 The State Bank to open more digital branches like
InTouch and InTouch Light, e-corners at existing
branches to target young, tech-savvy customers.
JUNE 2015
RBI LOWERS REPO RATE TO 7.25%
Reserve Bank of India has cut the repo rate by 25 basis
points to 7.25 per cent from 7.5% in its first monetary
policy review on June 2. The Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)
was kept unchanged at 4%.
This is the third reduction in rates during this
year aimed at boosting investment and growth. It is
expected that now the banks may lower the interest rate
on loans, leading to reduction in the amount of EMIs.
The new rates are as under: (w.e.f. 02.06.2015)
Repo Rate………………………7.25% Reverse Repo…………………6.25%
Marginal Standing Facility…8.25% Bank Rate…………………………8.25%
Statutory Liquidity Ratio…..21.5% Cash Reserve Ratio……………4.0%
NEW DOCUMENTS FOR ADDRESS PROOF
Reserve Bank of India has allowed postpaid mobile
service, piped gas and water supply bills to be submitted
as proof of address (not more than 2 months old) for
opening bank account of low-risk persons. The
government has amended the Prevention of Money
Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005 for
providing these relaxations.
Some other documents approved as officially
valid documents (OVDs) for proof of address include
Bank/ post office account statement; pension or family
pension payment orders (PPOs), letter of allotment of
accommodation from official bodies.
NEW SAFER 100 RUPEE NOTE
The RBI has issued Rs 100 denomination bank notes in
Mahatma Gandhi Series - 2005 with new security
features. Now the numerals in both the number panels
of these bank notes will be in ascending size from left to
right, while the first three alpha0numeric characters
(prefix) will remain constant in size.

BANKS ALLOWED BORROWING FROM ABROAD
The Reserve Bank has allowed the banks to borrow
from global multilateral financial institutions for general
banking business. They can do so without seeking the
central bank’s approval. The objective is to make the
funding process easier.
RBI ALLOWS RUPEE LINKED BONDS OVERSEAS
RBI has permitted Indian corporates, eligible to raise
external commercial borrowings (ECBs), to issue rupee-
linked bonds overseas. The RBI has proposed that the
subscription, coupon payments and redemption might
be settled in foreign currency.
NEW RBI RULES FOR GOVT SECURITIES
The RBI has issued the final guidelines for the 6-year
and 13-year cash settled Interest Rate Futures (IRF) on
government securities with residual maturity of 4-8
years and 11-15 years, respectively, under the Interest
Rate Futures (RBI) Directions, 2015.
BANKS TO TAKEOVER LOANEE COMPANIES
The Reserve Bank has allowed the banks to take control
of debt-laden companies by converting loans into equity
if a debt restructuring fails to revive them within a
stipulated time frame. Allowing loan conversion will
now be a pre-condition for all debt restructuring deals.
In a first such case, IDFC has replaced the promoters of
SV Power and brought in a new equity investor to revive
the company that missed payment schedules.
NSFR GUIDELINES ISSUED BY RBI
The Reserve Bank has issued the draft guidelines on the
net stable funding ratio (NSFR) under Basel III
framework on liquidity standards for banks and sought
comments from all stakeholders by June 26.
The NSFR is defined as the amount of available stable
funding relative to the amount of required stable funding.
PAYMENT NORMS FOR BANK DIRECTORS
The Reserve Bank has capped the remuneration of non-
executive director of private banks to Rs 10 lakh per
annum while the compensation of non-executive part-
time chairman will require a prior approval from the
RBI. Banks will have to disclose the remuneration paid
to the directors on an annual basis in their annual
financial statements.
CARD FREE PAYMENT APP FROM HDFC BANK
HDFC Bank has launched a mobile phone application,
PayZapp, for online payments and money transfer.
Customers would be able to make money transfers, e-
shopping, buy tickets, pay utility bills and recharge their
mobile and DTH connections with just one click and a
single PIN entry, without using debit / credit cards.
SBI TO PROMOTE ‘YOUTH FOR INDIA’
State Bank of India has selected 100 highly qualified
candidates for its 13-month fellowship programme
`Youth for India'. These candidates will work with one
of the seven NGOs that have a partnership with the bank
to work in rural areas.
PURI IS HIGHEST PAID CEO IN INDIAN BANKS
Aditya Puri, the Managing Director of HDFC Bank, has
again become the highest paid bank chief in the country,
earning a salary of Rs 7.39 crore compared to Rs 6.07
crore last year, up 21.74%. The next in line is Chanda
Kochhar, CEO ICICI Bank at Rs 5.85 crore, followed by
Shikha Sharma, CEO, Axis Bank at Rs 4.17 crore.
10 LAKH CARD SWIPE MACHINES FROM SBI
State Bank of India will install 10 lakh payment card
swipe machines (point of sales terminals) across the
country, which will double the number of places where
card payments are accepted. The bank will also launch a
huge campaign to make public aware about the cash
withdrawal of up to Rs 1,000 at these terminals to
reduce pressure on ATMs.
 The Department of Post (India Post) has signed a deal
with CMS Info Systems to personalise over 15 million
debit cards for its savings account holders.
 The RBI has extended the date for exchange of pre-
2005 currency notes by six months to December 31,
2015. The earlier deadline was to expire on June 30.
 Reserve Bank of India has allowed non-resident
Indians (NRIs) to invest in chit funds to encourage
flow of capital into the country.
ENSURE UR CAREER IN GOVT JOBS
Join
BEST COACHING BY BEST TEACHERS
BANK PO / CLERK
SSC / PUNJAB JOBS
PATIALA
SCO 104, GROUND FLOOR, CHHOTI BARADARI
Ph: 0175-5014949, 09592507966

 ICICI Bank became the first bank to partner with
Alibaba.com for providing trade finance to their
India-based sellers
 Kolkata-based micro lender Bandhan Financial
Services has been cleared by the RBI to start
functioning as Bandhan Bank from August 23.
 SBI has launched an internet-based platform ‘SBI
eforex’, to enable customers to book their foreign
exchange transactions online.
MAY 2015
BANKS TO HAVE THEIR OWN OMBUDSMAN
The Reserve Bank has asked all public sector banks and
large private and foreign banks to appoint internal
ombudsman for resolution of customer complaints. The
internal ombudsman would be designated Chief
Customer Service Officer (CCSO) and he should not be
from the same bank in which he is being appointed.
NFC PAYMENTS ALLOWED UP TO Rs. 2000
The Reserve Bank has relaxed the additional factor of
authentication (AFA) requirement for transactions by
cards up to Rs.2,000 per transaction to facilitate contact-
less payments (without PIN authentication) through
NFC (Near Field Communications technology). Further,
banks were free to facilitate their customers to set lower
per transaction limits.
‘EARLY WARNING SYSTEM’ FOR BANK LOANS
To check the rising instance of frauds in the banking
system, the Reserve Bank has asked banks to put in
place early detection and prompt reporting mechanism
in place. The early warning signals in a loan account
should immediately put the bank on alert regarding a
weakness or wrong doing which may ultimately turn
out to be fraudulent.
Besides, the central bank will set up a Central Fraud
Registry that can be accessed by all banks to identify
borrowers having committed frauds with any bank in
the past.
A new concept of a ‘Red Flagged Account’ (RFA) is being
introduced. An RFA is one where a suspicion of
fraudulent activity is thrown up by the presence of one
or more early warning signals.
BANKS PENALIZED FOR VIOLATING KYC NORMS
RBI imposed a penalty of Rs 1.5 crore each on Bank of
Maharashtra, Dena Bank and Oriental Bank of
Commerce for violation of Know Your Customer (KYC)
norms and anti-money laundering norms.
NFC CARDS LAUNCHED BY SBI
State Bank of India has launched the contactless debit
and credit cards-SBIinTouch. These cards are more
secure and hassle-free to use at merchant outlets or
ATMs as they use the NFC technology to enable users to
make payments by waving or tapping the card near the
contactless reader instead of swiping or dipping it.
SBI LAUNCHES PLATINUM DEBIT CARD
State Bank of India in association with National
Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched ‘State
Bank RuPay Platinum Debit Card’ targeting the affluent
segment. It offers a range of value added benefits such
as 5 % cash-back on utility bill payments, up to one per
cent fuel surcharge waiver and complimentary airport
lounge access.
 RBI has asked banks to issue only chip-based and
PIN-enabled debit/credit cards from September 1
onwards to protect customers from frauds.
 RBI has advised that the urban coop banks can issue
only general purpose cards to their customers and
not allowed to issue co-branded credit cards.
 The RBI has done away with the mandatory calendar
of reviews for boards of banks in order to make their
functioning of more effective.
 The Reserve Bank has dropped the condition of its
prior permission for distribution of mutual fund
products by non-banking finance companies (NBFCs).
 India’s largest private sector bank, ICICI Bank opened
its branch in Shanghai, China. It was inaugurated by
the Prime Minister Modi on May 16.
 Scheduled commercial banks' credit grew at 10.16%
to Rs 66.32 trillion in the fortnight ended May 15, and
deposits were up by 11.85% to Rs 87.39 trillion.
 ICICI Bank launched a service where customers can
make transactions using just their voice, without
using other means of authentication like a password.
 IDBI Bank plans to roll out e-huts to provide services
to people in rural areas. E-hut is a western concept
set up at relatively populated areas, such as malls.

DEFENCE, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
JULY 2015
INS VIRAAT TO BECOME A MUSEUM
INS Viraat, the oldest aircraft carrier in the world, will
soon be converted into a museum. It will be docked at
the shores of Kakinada port on Andhra coast and is to be
decommissioned in 2016. It was first commissioned in
1959 in the British Royal Navy as HMS Hermes and was
transferred to India in 1987.
‘AKASH’ INDUCTED INTO AIR FORCE
The ingeniously-developed supersonic surface-to-air
missile "Akash" was formally inducted into the Indian
Air Force in Gwalior. It has a speed three times faster
than that of sound and can hit eight targets at a time. It
has already been inducted into the Indian Army.
 The USA has agreed to provide technological support
to India for building the next aircraft carrier and the
Light Combat Aircraft jet engine.
 India and Russia have agreed to jointly manufacture
200 military helicopters in India.
 India test-fired its indigenously developed anti-tank
guided missile ‘Helina’ in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. It can
hit a target up to seven km away from a helicopter.
 The indigenously-built Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV)
ICGS Rani Durgavati was commissioned by the Indian
Coast Guard in Vishakhapatnam.
ISRO TESTS ITS CRYOGENIC ENGINE
The ISRO successfully test-fired the first
indigenous high-thrust cryogenic rocket
engine for more than its full duration at its
Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri in
southern Tamil Nadu. The engine was run for
800 seconds, which is 25 per cent more than
the burn duration of the engine during flight.
This test will boost India’s Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV-Mark III project
aimed at carrying four-tonne payloads.
ISRO LAUNCHES ITS HEAVIEST EVER
PAYLOAD
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV C-28
successfully put into orbit five British
satellites within 20 minutes of its lift off from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta,
Andhra Pradesh. It was Indian Space Research
Organisation’s biggest and the heaviest
commercial launch till date. The overall liftoff
mass of the five satellites added up to 1,440 kg that was
placed at a height of about 653 km above the earth.
RASHTRIYA AVISHKAR ABHIYAN
The HRD Ministry has launched a Rashtriya Avishkar
Abhiyan under which the government schools will be
mentored by top-level higher education institutes like
IITs, IIMs, Universities etc. to inculcate a spirit of
inquiry, creativity and love for science and mathematics
among school children. The govt. has decided to name
this programme after late Sh. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
NEW HORIZONS PASSES BY PLUTO
NASA’s New Horizons
spacecraft has provi-
ded the closest-ever
pictures of the Pluto,
showing the details of
its geology. It was
launched nine years
ago, and is still going
on at a speed of
50,000 kmph.
ONLINE SIGNING SERVICE LAUNCHED
eMudhra Ltd of Bengaluru became the first company in
India to launch online electronic signature service
called eSign. Based on the Aadhaar number, these
signatures are legally valid under the Information
Technology Act, 2000.
EARTH LIKE PLANET DISCOVERED
Astronomers at NASA have found a planet which is 'the
closest twin to Earth' ever seen. Named Kepler-452b, it
is the smallest world discovered orbiting in the
habitable zone of a star. It is located about 1,400 light
years away in the constellation Cygnus.
FIRST EVER VACCINE AGAINST MALARIA
The world's first malaria vaccine Mosquirix has got a
green signal from the European drugs regulators. It has
been licensed for use on babies in Africa to contain the
risk of the mosquito-borne disease.
WORLD’S LARGEST RADIO TELESCOPE
China is about to complete construction of the world's
largest single-aperture radio telescope FAST in 2016.
Built in the deep mountains of China’s Guizhou province,
the diameter of the telescope’s reflector will be 500
meters and will be made up of 4,450 panels. Each panel
is an equilateral triangle with a side length of 11 metres.
SOLAR PLANE CREATES NEW RECORDS
Solar Impulse, the solar-powered airplane, created two
new world records when it landed in Hawaii after
making a historic 7,200 km flight across the Pacific in
118 hours from Nagoya, Japan. The distance covered
and the times spent in the air are the new records by a
manned, solar-powered flight.

JUNE 30 TO HAVE LEAP SECOND
June 30 this year will officially be a bit longer than usual
because an extra second, or 'leap' second, will be added
to the day. According to NASA, the earth's rotation is
gradually slowing down a bit, so leap seconds are a way
to account for this change.
CLIMATE SCIENTISTS MEET IN PARIS
Nearly 2,000 climate scientists gathered in Paris for a
four day international science conference to deliberate
on curbing the greenhouse gas emission levels. The
meet was in preparation for the forthcoming UN climate
conference to be held in December 2015, at which 195
nations will finalize a new global climate pact.
 A tiny butterfly species has been discovered in the
forests of Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh. It has been
named Banded Tit (Hypolycaena Narada).
 Facebook has launched a new version of its app-
Facebook Lite, a lighter version optimised for slower
data connections for Android phones in India.
JUNE 2015
INS VIKRANT COMPLETES FIRST PHASE
India crossed a major milestone in defence shipbuilding
when its first indigenous aircraft
carrier INS Vikrant was undocked on completion of
structural work at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd. The ship
will undergo a series of fitment and trial processes
before it is ready for induction in the Navy.
ARMY KILLS 50 MILITANTS IN MYANMAR
Indian Army, in coordination with the Air Force, carried
out surgical operations (cross-border operation) inside
Myanmar to target the militant groups responsible for
killing of 18 Indian soldiers. In this first-of-its-kind
cross-border operation, about 50 militants of groups
namely NSCN (K) and KYKL were killed.
DEFENCE AGREEMENT SIGNED WITH USA
India and US have signed a new strategically important
10-year defence framework agreement setting the stage
for co-development of defence equipment
manufacturing and technology.
AJEYA WARRIOR, joint military exercise of India and
UK held from June 13 to 28 in UK. The exercise is held
biannually in the two countries, alternately.
CSIR SETS UP MAV TEST TUNNEL
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has
set up a first-of-its-kind in India, Micro Air Vehicle
Aerodynamics Research Tunnel (MART) in Bengaluru to
test the fixed-wing, flapping-wing and rotary-wing
MAVs (Micro Air Vehicle).
ANDROID APP ‘SAKAAR’ LAUNCHED BY ISRO
ISRO has developed an android-based, augmented
reality application named ‘Sakaar’ to highlight the
achievements of the Department of Space during the
past one year.
Augmented Reality is a live, direct view of a physical,
real-world environment whose elements are augmented
(or supplemented) by computer-generated 3D models,
animations, videos etc.
COLOUR CHANGING SKIN INVENTED
Scientists led by an Indian-origin researcher in USA
have developed the world's first full-colour, flexible
ultra-thin nano-structured film that can change colours
by applying voltage. Traditional displays like those on a
mobile phone require a light source, filters and glass
plates but this new method doesn't need its own light
source. Rather, it reflects the ambient light around it,
just like colour changing by octopus and chameleons.
OPTION TO ‘UNDO’ SENT MAIL
Technology giant Google has now introduced an ‘Undo’
option that will help its users to cancel the delivery of
misdirected or inappropriate emails within 30 seconds
of hitting the send button.
GALAXY NAMED AFTER RONALDO
A team of European
scientists has discovered
the brightest galaxy in
the early universe – CR-7
that contains the first
generation of stars, and
have nicknamed it after
popular Portuguese foot-
ball player Cristiano
Ronaldo.
CHINA MAKES WORLD’s FIRST ELECTRIC PLANE
China has made the world's first electric passenger
aircraft that could be used in pilot training, tourism,
meteorology and rescue operations. Named BX1E, it can
carry a payload of up to 230 kgs. at an altitude of 3,000
meters. Its charging is completed within two hours,
allowing a flight time of 45 minutes to one hour, at a
maximum speed of 160 km per hour.

PHILAE WAKES UP TO SAY ‘HELLO EARTH’
The European space probe Philae woke up overnight on
June 13 after seven months-long sleep as it hurtled
towards the Sun on the back of a comet. "Hello Earth!
Can you hear me?" the tiny robot lab tweeted under the
hashtag #WakeUpPhilae.
The 100-kilogramme robot lab touched down on the
comet "67P /Churyumov-Gerasimenko” on November 12,
2014, after a 10-year piggybacking on space ship Rosetta.
WATER BASED COMPUTER DEVELOPED
A computer that operates using the unique physics of
moving water droplets has been developed by Manu
Prakash, an Indian-origin scientist and his team at
Stanford University, California, USA.
 Chinese researchers have successfully developed the
first ATM with facial recognition technology to
reduce the risk of frauds related to ATMs.
MAY 2015
MIRAGE 2000 LANDS ON HIGHWAY
In a first in the history of Indian Air Force, a Mirage
2000, supersonic fighter jet of Indian Air Force landed
successfully on Yamuna Expressway in U P on May 21as
part of developing road runway for emergency landing.
NAVY GETS NEW SUBMARINE–SINDHUKIRTI
INS Sindhukirti, the Russia made diesel electric
submarine of Indian Navy, was launched for sea trials on
May 21, after successful completion of retrofitting at
Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam.
JOINT NAVAL EXERCISE WITH SINGAPORE
Indian Navy along with The Republic of Singapore Navy
conducted the annual Singapore-Indian Maritime
Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX), from 23 to 26 May in sea
east of Singapore.
‘AKASH’ JOINS INDIAN ARMY
The Army inducted on May 5 its first regiment of the
indigenously-developed Akash surface-to-air missile
system, capable of targeting a multitude of aerial threats
up to a range of 25 km.
 INS Sardar Patel, new naval base commissioned in
Porbandar, Gujarat for better coordination of ships,
submarines deployed in coastal regions of Gujarat.
 Indian Navy's latest anti-submarine warfare class
stealth corvette, the INS Kavaratti was launched on
May 19 at Kolkata
ISRO MAKES INDIA’s GPS- ‘GAGAN’
ISRO and Airports Authority of India have implemented
the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation-GAGAN
project as a Satellite Based Augmentation System
(SBAS) for the Indian Airspace. It will be also be useful
for intelligent transportation, maritime, highways,
railways, surveying, geodesy, security agencies, telecom
industry, personal users of position location
applications etc
LHC CREATES NEW WORLD RECORD
The world’s largest particle smasher- the Large Hadron
Collider [LHC] broke the record for energy levels on May
20 when it successfully collided protons at the record-
breaking energy of 13 TeV for the first time. The LHC’s
previous highest energy for collisions was 8TeV,
reached in 2012.
NEW SUPER METAL DISCOVERED
Scientists in Japan have discovered a new state of
matter called the ‘Jahn-Teller-metal’ that appears to be
an insulator, superconductor, metal and magnet all
rolled into one. The research could help develop new
molecular materials that are superconductors at even
higher temperatures.
SCIENTISTS LOCATE FARTHEST GALAXY
Astronomers have found the most distant exceptionally
luminous galaxy, EGS-zs8-1, located some 13.1 billion
light-years away from Earth. This is the largest distance
ever measured between Earth and another galaxy.
The light from distant galaxies we see via today's
advanced telescopes travels for billions of years before it
reaches us - so we're seeing what those galaxies looked
like billions of years ago.
Don’t Waste Your Time Here & There
BANK PO / CLERK
SSC / HARYANA JOBS
JOIN
PINJORE
SHARDA COMPLEX, OPP. RAUNAK HOTEL
8222899077, 8683999077

GYANM GENERAL AWARENESS ISSUE SEPTEMBER 2015

GYANM GENERAL AWARENESS ISSUE SEPTEMBER 2015

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to GYANM GENERAL AWARENESS ISSUE SEPTEMBER 2015

Similar to GYANM GENERAL AWARENESS ISSUE SEPTEMBER 2015 (20)

More from Grover's Gyanm

More from Grover's Gyanm (10)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

GYANM GENERAL AWARENESS ISSUE SEPTEMBER 2015