Bank coaching In kerala

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1. Renowned indian author Anuradha Roy has bagged the DSC Prize for South Asian
Literature 2016 for her novel, Sleeping on Jupiter, which deals with the subject
of violence against women at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe awarded her a cash prize of USD 50,000 and a
trophy. she has authored three novels viz. An Atlas of Impossible Longing (2008),
The Folded Earth (2011), Sleeping on Jupiter (2015).
2. Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has won National Award on e-Governance
2015-16 for launching the Universal Account Number (UAN).The EPFO won the gold award
in the ‘innovative use of technology in e-governance’ category and it will also get a cash prize
of Rs 2 lakh. 19th National Conference on e-governance to be held in Nagpur on January 22.
3. Balkrishna Garg has been honoured with the second Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award
2015 for his collection of poems for children, titled BaalGeet. The award recognises noted
work in the field of childern literature.
4. Noted Hindi writer and journalist Ravindra Kalia passed away in New Delhi as he has been
suffering from liver cirrhosis. He was 78. Kalia was known for his works like Ghalib Chutti
Sharab and Nau Saal Chotti Patni.
5. RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has been conferred with the Central Banker of the Year
Award (Global and Asia Pacific) for year 2016. The award was conferred upon him by the
The Banker, a monthly publication of Financial Times Group.
6. Madhya Pradesh has been conferred the Union Government’s prestigious Krishi Karman
Award in maximum food grains production category for year 2014-15 for the 4th consecutive
year.
7. Delhi-based Journalist-writer Ankita Anand has won the prestigious Lorenzo Natali Media
Prize for 2015 under Asia and the Pacific–Amateur category.
8. The British writer, Kate Atkinson has won the 2015 Costa novel award for her novel “A God
in Ruins”, the companion her previous novel to ‘Life After Life’.
9. Former Cricketer Syed Kirmani was honoured with the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime
Achievement Award in Mumbai (Maharashtra) for his contribution to Indian cricket.
10. India’s Test captain Virat Kohli was awarded with the Polly Umrigar Trophy for Cricketer of
the Year. Mitali Raj was bestowed with Best Woman Cricketer Award in senior player
category for the season 2014-15.
11. South Indian classical vocalists Sanjay Subrahmanyam has conferred with prestigious 2015
Sangita Kalanidhi award. The prestigious award was bestowed upon him by renowned
mathematician Manjul Bhargava at 89th annual conference of the Madras Music Academy
in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
12. The Drug Authentication and Verification Application (DAVA) project of The Department of
Commerce has won the 2015 eASIA Award under Trade Facilitation category. The award was
announced by Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation (APCTF) and Tehran based (Iran)
Electronic Business
13. An Indian-origin cancer research expert Harpal Singh Kumar on 31 December 2015 received
a Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his influential work on prevention and treatment
of cancer.
14. Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan on 12 January 2016 was bestowed honorary life
membership of Kolkata’s soccer outfit Mohammedan Sporting.Sporting president Sultan
Ahmed handed over the club’s life membership to Bachchan.

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15. Bengaluru-based activist Subhashini Vasanth on 13 January 2016 was honoured with Neerja
Bhanot Award. She was presented the award for her endeavour to help people in distress
and for empowering widows of martyrs and their families across the country. She started the
Vasantharatna Foundation in memory of her husband. She and Veena Prasad have co-
authored the biography of Col Vasanth, titled Forever Forty.
16. David Beckham on 12 January 2016 was presented with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian
Leadership Award at the sixth biennial UNICEF Ball in Los Angeles. Beckham has been a
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2005. In 2015, the footballer launched 7: The David
Beckham UNICEF Fund.
17. Dr Jancy James, the first woman Vice Chancellor of Kerala, was on 15 January 2016 selected
for the Prof MV Pylee Award for the Distinguished Academician of India.
18. Person of Indian Origin Rahul Thakkar on 8 January 2016 was named as one of winners
of the Scientific and Technical Awards given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences, famously called Oscar Awards.He shares the award with Richard Chuang in
the category ofgroundbreaking design of the DreamWorks Animation Media
Review System.
19. Ace Indian Shuttler and two-time World Championship bronze-medallist, India’s P.V.
Sindhu (World No.12) has bagged the 2016 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold Badminton
title by defeating Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour (World No.20).
20. Viktor Troicki from Serbia has won the 2016 WTA Apia International title of Tennis in the
men’s single category by defeating Grigor Dimitrov from Bulgaria
21. Former World No.1 tennis player Marat Safin of Russia has been inducted in the
International Tennis Hall of Fame. He will be formally inducted in the official ceremony
scheduled on July 16, 2016. It should be noted that Safin is the first Russia to be inducted in
the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
22. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis have won the 2016 WTA Apia International title in the
women’s doubles category. With this victory the Indo-Swiss pair created world record for
most successive matches won consecutively by a women’s doubles pair in professional
tennis. This is the first time ever that a women’s doubles pair has won 30-matches in a row.
They broke previous record held by Gigi Fernandez (Puerto Rico) and Natasha Zvereva
(Belarus) who had notched up 28 straight victories in 1994.
23. Swiss professional tennis player Stan Wawrinka (World No. 4) has won the 2016 Chennai
Open title of tennis. In the final match held at Nungambakkam tennis stadium (Chennai) he
defeated the Borna Coric (World No. 33) of Croatia by a score of 6-3, 7-5 .
24. Indian Formula Car driver and Sahara Force India Academy racer, Jehan Daruvala has won
the 2016 Lady Wigram Trophy in New Zealand.
25. World No. 14 Milos Raonic from Canada has won the 2016 WTA Brisbane International
Tennis trophy in the men’s single category. In the final match played at Brisbane (Australia),
he defeated Roger Federer (world No. 3) from Switzerland by 6–4, 6–4 score.
26. Indian ace shooter Apurvi Chandela has set a new world record in the women’s 10 metre air
rifle event at the 2015 Swedish Cup Grand Prix. She set the new record after winning gold
medal in the women’s 10 metre air rifle event shooting score of 211.2.
27. 15-year-old cricketer Pranav Dhanawade created a world record by scoring 1009 runs (not
out) in HT Bhandari Cup, an under-16 inter-school tournament held in Mumbai
(Maharashtra). Runs scored: 1009 (not out) in 323 balls with strike rate of 312.38
comprising of 129 fours and 59 sixes in the entire match.

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28. India has won the 2015 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) championship for record
seventh time. In the final match played at Thiruvanantapuram (Kerala), India defeated
defending champion Afghanistan by 2-1 goal score. Jeje Lalpekhlua (72nd minute) and Sunil
Chhetri (101th) had scored goals for India.
29. India’s star amputee mountaineer Arunima Sinha has successfully scaled Mount Aconcagua
in Argentina as part of her Mission 7 Summits. With this, she created World record by
becoming First Female amputee to climb 5 Mountains of the World. These are Mt. Everest
(Asia), Mt. Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mt. Elbrus (Europe), Mt.Kosizko (Australia) and Mt.
Aconcagua (Argentina), Mt. Aconcagua (6,960.8 metres) is the highest mountain outside
Asia and is also known as second Everest. Her autobiography is Born Again on the
Mountain.
30. Japan's Izumo Takuto and Hong Kong's Zhu Chengzhu on 24 January 2016 became
champions in the boys' and girls' categories, respectively, in the 11Even Sports 2015 ITTF
World Junior Circuit Finals at the Abhay Prashal Stadium, Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
31. India on 24 January 2016 won the first T20 Asia cup cricket for Blind. In the final clash
played at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium of Kochi, India defeated Pakistan by 44 runs.
32. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on 21 January 2016 announced that it signed a marketing
deal with Infinity Optimal Solutions (IOS).
33. Uttar Pradesh on 20 January 2016 won its maiden Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy with a 38-run
win over two- time champions Baroda in the final played at the Wankhede Stadium in
Mumbai.
34. Disciplinary Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 18 January
2016 pronounced the orders in the cases related to the involvement of Ajit Chandila and
Hiken Shah in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal.
35. Ronnie O'Sullivan on 17 January 2016 won his sixth Snooker Masters title after defeating
Barry Hawkins 10-1 in the final at the Alexandra Palace in London.
36. The former Barcelona and AC Milan player Ronaldinho on 11 January 2016 was announced
as the Brand Ambassador of the Nagjee International Club Football Tournament. The
tournament will be held at the Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode, Kerala
37. FIFA Emergency Committee on 9 January 2016 decided to dismiss Jerome Valcke from the
position of FIFA Secretary General with immediate effect.
38. Danish kayaker Rene Holten Poulsen on 9 January 2016 was named the Denmark’s
sportsperson of the year 2015.
39. South African Cricketer Hashim Amla on 6 January 2016 resigned as Test captain of South
Africa. ODI Skipper AB de Villiers will take over as Captain for the remaining two Tests.
40. Australia on 5 January 2016 withdrew from the Under-19 World Cup Tournament in
Bangladesh. It pulled-out citing security reasons.
41. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on 3 January 2016 won the 26th Lal Bahadur
Shastri Hockey tournament.To win the title, the ONGC defeated Indian Railways 3-0 on
penalties in the final match held at the Shivaji Stadium in New Delhi.
42. Eminent tabla player Pandit Shankar Ghosh passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal following
a prolonged illness.
43. Former Deputy Speaker of Gujarat Assembly and Social Activist Nirmala Gajwani passed
away in Rajkot, Gujarat. She was first woman MLA from Kutch district in Gujarat Assembly
and also served as deputy speaker of the house.
44. Indian Revenue Service (IRS) Officer Atulesh Jindal has been appointed chairman of Central
Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). His appointment was cleared by Appointments Committee of

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Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is a statutory authority
established under The Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963. The composition of CBDT
includes Chairman and six members.
45. Senior journalist and scholar Aroon Tikekar passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was
72. He has authored over 20 books in Marathi as well as in English including The cloister’s
pale: A Biography of the University of Mumbai.
46. Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey passed away in New York City from complications arising from
rheumatoid arthritis, colitis and pneumonia.
47. Renowned Kannada filmmaker and lyricist Geethapriya passed away after a battle with
throat cancer in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
48. Former Sikkim Governor and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ventrapragada
Rama Rao passed away in Hyderabad, Telangana
49. Noted filmmaker Anil Ganguly passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra after a brief illness.
50. Independence Opposition candidate of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen
(59) has been elected as first female and 14th President of Taiwan.
51. British actor Alan Rickman passed away in London, England. He was 69 and was suffering
from cancer. He was one of Britain’s best-loved acting stars especially for his complex
antagonist acting in films like Harry Potter, Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
52. Jacob-Farj-Rafael “JFR” Jacob (Retired Lieutenant General), a key architect in India’s
victory in 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War passed away in New Delhi. He was 92. Books:
Surrender at Dacca: Birth of a Nation, An Odyssey in War and Peace: An Autobiography Lt
Gen. J.F.R. Jacob.
53. Music Legend David Bowie passed away on 10 January 2016 in New York, United States
following a battle with liver cancer.
54. The first female F1 (Formula One) driver Maria Teresa de Filippis passed away on 8 January
2016 in Italy. She was given the opportunity to represent the Maserati team in Monaco
Grand Prix of Formula one in 1958.
55. Flipkart has promoted co-founder Binny Bansal to the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
from current post Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the company. He will succeed incumbent
CEO Sachin Bansal (since inception of company) who has been appointed as newly-created
post of Executive Chairman of the company.
56. Senior IAS officer Sailesh has been appointed as Registrar General and Census
Commissioner (RGCC) of India. His appointment was confirmed by Appointments
Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
57. Micromax has appointed Vikas Thapar as its Vice-President for Finance.
58. The Union Government has reappointed Dr Urjit Patel as Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) for a second three-year term.
59. Union Government has appointed former IAS Devender Kumar Sikri as Chairman of
Competition Commission of India (CCI). He will have tenure of two and half years i.e. till he
attains the age of 65 years.
60. Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away due to multiple
organ failure at the AIIMS hospital in New Delhi. In 1989, he became first Muslim Minister
for Home Affairs in the Union Cabinet headed by then PM V.P. Singh. He had served as
Union Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation in Rajiv Gandhi Government in 1986.
61. Renowned telecom engineer and inventor Sam Pitroda has been appointed as Technology
Advisor to the Odisha Government. He is the founding Chairman of India’s Telecom

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Commission (ITC) and famously known as father of Indian telecommunication revolution.
Autobiography: Dreaming Big: My Journey to Connect India.
62. Noted Gujarati writer and poet Labhshankar Thakar passed away after prolonged illness in
Ahmedabad. He was popularly known by his penname Punarvasu and Vaidya Punarvasu.
63. Senior United Nations (UN) official Filippo Grandi from Italy has taken the charge as new
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
64. Every year World Braille Day is being observed across the world on 4 January to mark the
birth anniversary of Louis Braille, inventor of Braille script or Braille code.
65. Veteran Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan passed away in
Mumbai, Maharashtra.
66. Sweden's Bjorn Isberg on 30 December 2015 was appointed as the Tournament Director of
Coal India Hockey India League (HIL), the premier league for hockey in India.
67. Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra have been chosen as the new
brand ambassadors of the Incredible India campaign following the expiration of Aamir
Khan’s contract as it's brand ambassador.
68. Gunter Butschek has been appointed Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of Tata
Motors, ending a long search for a suitable candidate for the post.
69. India, one of the founding members of the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank (AIIB) has been elected to it's 12-member board of directors. Dinesh Sharma,
Additional Secretary of Ministry of Finance has been elected to the 12-member board for
which a secret ballot was held. China is the largest shareholder of AIIB with 26.06 per cent
voting shares. India is the second largest shareholder with 7.5 per cent followed by Russia
5.93 per cent and Germany with 4.5 per cent.
70. Noted environmentalist Ravi Chellam on 20 January 2016 took charge as the Executive
Director of Greenpeace India, a Non-Government Organisation (NGO).
71. Amitabh Kant was on 7 January 2016 appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
NITI Aayog.
72. Dr Achyuta Samanta was on 6 January 2016 elected as the General President of the 105th
Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) that is scheduled for 2017-18.
73. Atul Sobti on 1 January 2016 took charge as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of
state-owned power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) for a period
of five years.
74. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 30 December 2015 approved the
appointment of Dr Gyanendra D Bandgaiyan as the Director General of the National Centre
for Good Governance.
75. Economist Paul Kaba Thieba was named as the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso on 7 January
2016 by the President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
76. Italian director Ettore Scola passed away on 19 January 2016 following a prolonged illness in
Rome.
77. Mohammed Abdul Rahim Qureshi, Assistant General Secretary and Spokesman of All India
Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), died of a cardiac arrest on 15 January 2016 in
Hyderabad, Telangana.
78. Bollywood actor Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay died on 14 January 2016 due to a heart attack in
Hyderabad. He was 66.Rajesh was mainly known for his roles in films
like Lagaan andSwades.
79. Acclaimed stage actor Brian Bedford passed away due to cancer on 13 January 2016 in Santa
Barbara, California, the USA.

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80. Pierre Boulez, the former principal conductor of the New York Philharmonic, passed away
on 5 January 2016 in Baden-Baden, Germany.
81. Former Wigan Athletic defender Steve Gohouri passed away. His body was recovered from
the River Rhine in the western city of Krefeld on 2 January 2015.
82. Ex-Chief Justice of India Sarosh Homi Kapadia passed away on 4 January 2016 in Mumbai.
He was 68.
83. Sussex fast bowler Matthew Hobden, regarded as one of the most talented up-and-coming
players in the country, died on 3 January 2016. He was 22.
84. Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, winner of an Oscar for Steven Spielberg’s Close
Encounters of the Third Kind, passed away on 1 January 2016 in California, United
States. He was 85.
85. Grammy-winning singer Natalie Cole passed away on 31 December 2015 due to congestive
heart failure following complications from a kidney transplant in Los Angeles. She was 65.
86. Ian Murdock, best known for founding one of the world's best known Linux distributions,
passed away on 28 December 2015 in San Francisco. He was 42.
87. India and the World Bank have signed USD 250 million financing agreement for Bihar Kosi
Basin development project. World Bank’s concessionary lending arm International
Development Association (IDA) has sanctioned the loan. The loan has an implementation
period of 5 years. Government of Bihar is the implementing agency.
88. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi has given it's approval for setting up over 5,000 MW of Grid-Connected Solar PV
Power Projects on build, own and operate (BOOT) basis.
89. The annual conference of World Economic Forum (WEF) has began in Davos, Switzerland.
World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss nonprofit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva.
Motto : "committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political,
academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas"
90. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has launched an algorithm trading test facility for investors
on its equity and derivatives platform.
91. French President Francois Hollande has declared state of economic emergency to redefine
France’s economic and social model.
92. India’s largest public sector bank, State Bank of India, has opened its first branch dedicated
to serving startup companies called ‘SBI InCube' in Bengaluru. It was launched by by SBI
Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
93. Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the
National Remote Sensing Centre of the Department of Space for monitoring mining activity
through satellite technology. As part of the MoU, the IBM would set up an exclusive remote
sensing cell under the technical guidance of NRSC at its offices in Nagpur and Hyderabad.
94. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has achieved a milestone by
successfully launching the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Jason-3 Ocean-monitoring
satellite. The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
95. Chinese scientists have developed a new bioartificial liver that can help liver failure patients
survive long enough for an organ transplant. This milestone in Science and Technology was
achieved by team of researchers from the Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences and
doctors from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital.
96. State-run telecom service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has started 4G
services on non-commercial basis in Chandigarh promising broadband speed of up to 100
megabit per second (Mbps).

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97. State owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has received environmental
clearance for a project in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin in Andhra Pradesh. Under this
clearance, ONGC project has been allowed to drill 45 development wells and other related
infrastructure will cost over 53,000 crore rupees at offshore KG-DWN-98/2 block.
98. As per recently released United Nations (UN) World Economic Situation and Prospects 2016
Report, India will be the fastest growing big economy in the world in 2016. The report has
projected India’s growth rate by 7.3 % in the year 2016 and 7.5 % in 2017 slightly up from an
earlier estimated 7.2 % rate in 2015.
99. Global Economic Prospect report published recently by the World Bank (WB) has projected
a robust 7.8 per cent growth for the Indian economy in the year 2016. It will grow at a 7.9
per cent growth in the next two years 2017 and 2018. China will grow at 6.7 per cent in the
year 2016 and 6.5 per cent each in next two years 2017 and 2018.
100. Reliance Capital Asset Management (RCAM) has received nod from Competition
Commission of India (CCI) to acquire Goldman Sachs’s mutual funds and exchange-traded
funds business in India. Under the acquisition deal, RCAM will acquire all 12 onshore
mutual fund schemes of Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) India with total asset
under management of 7132 crore rupees.
101. India’s third largest IT exporter Wipro Limited has appointed Abid Ali Z. Neemuchwala as
the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Member of the Board of the company. He will
succeed incumbent CEO T.K. Kurien who has been elevated as the Executive Vice Chairman
of the company.
102. State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned a 660 MW unit of
Prayagraj Super Thermal Power Project at Bara town in Allahabad district of Uttar Pradesh.
It is Greenfield thermal power project is owned by Prayagraj Power Generation Company
Limited (PPGCL), a subsidiary company of Jaiprakash Power Ventures Limited.
103. SBI also has launched wealth management service ‘Exclusif’ to target the fast-growing
affluent segment in the country.
104. India’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has partnered with FINO PayTech to foray
into the payments bank space. ICICI Group has purchased about 16 per cent stake in the
FINO PayTech making it one of the largest domestic shareholder. Presently, RBI regulations
allow universal banks to invest up to 30 per cent in payments bank. RBI regulations also
mandate 51 per cent of the equity of the payments bank should be with domestic entities.
105. Andhra Bank has launched Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) at all its branches across the
country to provide inter-bank electronic fund transfer service. The customer-friendly service
was launched by Andhra Bank in association with the National Payments Corporation of
India (NPCI).
106. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of one crore rupees on
State Bank of Travancore, an SBI associate bank for violation of some of its instructions. The
monetary penalty was imposed on State Bank of Travancore for violation of its instructions
including reporting of data to Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC).
107. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing
Centre (NRSC) for web-based monitoring of watershed projects. Under this MoU Web-based
monitoring will be undertaken for India-German Watershed Development (IGWDP)
projects in three states viz. Rajasthan, Gujarat and Telangana. NABARD only assists the
watershed projects of Union Ministry of Rural Development by providing funds under
Watershed Development Fund (WDF).

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108. Clean energy firm ReNew Power Ventures on 18 January 2016 announced the
commissioning of 40 megawatt wind power project in Karnataka.With this, the total wind
capacity commissioned by ReNew Power has reached 693 megawatts and in Karnataka, it
raised to 68.4 megawatts from earlier 28.4 megawatts.It commissioned first of its kind wind
project at Bhesada, Rajasthan.
109. Mindtree on 18 January 2016 signed a definitive agreement to acquire Magnet 360, a
Salesforce Platinum consulting partner. It was a deal to accelerate leadership in cloud
computing and digital transformation. It is headquartered in Minneapolis with offices in
New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
110. Analjit Singh on 15 January 2016 resigned as the Chairman of Max Financial Services Ltd
following the demerger of Max India Ltd. However, Singh will continue to serve as Chairman
of Max Ventures and Industries Ltd.
111. Mumbai-based Jet Airways on 15 January 2016 entered into a Frequent Flyer Partnership
with Bangkok Airways.
112. The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) Board of Directors on 12 January 2016 selected
Council board members Edward Monser, President of Emerson, and Punit Renjen, CEO of
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (Deloitte Global), as USIBC Vice Chairs.The
announcement came at the heels of former Cisco CEO John Chamber’s recent appointment
to USIBC Chairman.
113. Illumina, the world’s largest DNA sequencing company, on 10 January 2016 announced the
launch of the startup named GRAIL to develop blood-based cancer tests.The company was
launched in association with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezo’s
venture fund Bezos Expeditions and Arch Venture Partners.
114. Quikr on 7 January 2016 announced acquisition of the property search website
Commonfloor.com for an undisclosed amount in a majority stock-swap transaction.Quikr
bought the website in a distress sale orchestrated by Tiger Global Management Llc.
115. Vedanta Limited on 6 January 2016 appointed Samir Cairae as Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of Diversified Metals (India).
116. FreeCharge co-founder and CEO Kunal Shah was on 5 January 2016 appointed as the
Chairman of Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
117. Nokia Corporation on 5 January 2016 announced that it completed the regulatory
formalities for acquiring the French telecom equipment company Alca-Lucent.The deal,
worth 15.6 billion euro, was signed in 2014 and later approved by the European
Commission.With this acquisition, Nokia holds 79.32 percent of outstanding Alcatel-Lucent
shares and at least 78.97 percent of the French company's voting rights.
118. Mary Barra was on 4 January 2016 elected as Chairman of General Motors (GM) Board of
Directors with immediate effect. Barra succeeds Theodore Solso, who will continue serving
as the Lead Independent Director of the Board.
119. Leading automobile manufacturer Volvo Group on 5 January 2016 announced the merger of
its bus manufacturing arm Volvo Buses India and joint company Volvo India Pvt Ltd (VIPL).
120. SpiceJet launched an end-to-end travel solutions platform, SpiceVacations.com. The
platform offers customized travel packages to customers who can avail various services while
planning their holiday, at no added cost.
121. Konstantin Batygin and Michael E. Brown, the researchers at the California Institute of
Technology claimed it as a possible ninth planet and their research papers were published in
The Astronomical Journal on 20 January 2016 with the title ‘Evidence for a distant Giant
Planet in the Solar System.’

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122. Japanese astronomers’ team discovered the second largest black hole in Milky Way. They
mapped high-velocity compact cloud called CO-0.40-0.22 with a mass 100000 times that of
the Sun around 200 light years away from the centre of the Milky Way.
123. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on 30 December 2015
announced discovery and assignment of elements with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and
118.IUPAC was formed in 1919 by chemists from industry and academia and headquartered
in Zurich, Switzerland.
124. Scientists at Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) in Hisar on 10 January 2016
claimed to have successfully produced a cloned buffalo offspring Cirb Gaurav.
125. An international team of scientists led by Indian-American Sukanya Chakrabarti devised a
new method, galactoseismology, to detect dwarf galaxies dominated by dark matter. The
method also explains ripples on the outer disk of the galaxy.
126. National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on 13 January 2016 signed Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) under Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) and North East Centre for Technology Application and
Research (NECTAR) to use spatial technology for monitoring and managing National
Highways.
127. A mosquito-borne virus called Zinka was in news in the third week of January 2016. It was
found that the virus is spreading rapidly through the American continent.The first case
was confirmed in Texas, USA in January 2016 when a traveler returning from Latin
America.
128. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on 7 January 2016 announced that
it had formalized its ongoing program for detecting and tracking near-Earth objects (NEOs)
as the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO).
129. As per recently released United Nations world economy report India will be the world's
fastest growing large economy at 7.3 per cent in 2016, improving further to 7.5 per cent in
the following year. In the South Asia region, India’s economy will account for over 70 % of
regions GDP.
130. As per Global Human Development Report (HDR) 2015 released by the UN Development
Programme (UNDP ), Sri Lanka has maintained its high ranking in human development. Sri
Lanka has been placed at the 73rd rank with an HDI value of 0.757. Rankings of other seven
South Asian Countries are Maldives (104), India (130), Bhutan (132), Bangladesh (142),
Nepal (145), Pakistan (147) and Afghanistan (171). India and Bhutan fall under the medium
human development countries the category. The report, which studied a total of 188
countries and territories, has determined the HDI values by assessing long-term progress in
three basic dimensions of human development—a long and healthy life, access to knowledge
and a decent standard of living.
131. In the annual Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2015-16 realeased recently India
has slipped 11 places to rank 89th among 106 assessed countries in terms of talent
competitiveness of its human resource. Last year, India was ranked 78th on the index.GTCI
list was compiled by INSEAD business school in partnership with Adecco and Human
Capital Leadership Institute of Singapore (HCLI). It measures the nation’s competitiveness
based on the quality of talent it can produce, attract and retain. Top 3 countries : Switzerland
(1st), Singapore (2nd), Luxembourg (3rd).In Bottom-Burkina Faso (108th) and Madagascar
(109th).

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132. The World Health Organisation declared an end to the deadliest Ebola outbreak ever in West
Africa after no positive case was reported in last 42 days (two 21-day incubation cycles of the
virus) and all known chains of transmission have been stopped.
133. The 2-day 4th India Africa Hydrocarbons Conference (IAHC) has begun in New Delhi. The
Conference was inagurated by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas (I/C) Shri
Dharmendra Pradhan.
134. Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave ex-post facto approval for
the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in November, 2015 between India and
the United Kingdom for cooperation in public administration and governance reforms.
135. Western sanctions against Iran have been lifted after the UN nuclear watchdog the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran has met its commitments
under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Vienna agreement with P5+1
countries signed in July 2015.
136. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its ex-post
facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Maldives
on co-operation in the field of health.
137. The union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given it's ex-post-facto
approval to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and Bangladesh for
setting up 'Border Haats'. Presently 4 Border Haats are already operational along India-
Bangladesh border which are Kalaichar (Meghalaya), Balat (Meghalaya), Kamlasagar
(Tripura), Srinagar (Tripura). In addition to these hats both Governments also have agreed
to further establish 2 Border Haats in Tripura and 4 Border Haats in Meghalaya along the
border.
138. In the midst of uneasiness in India-Nepal relations, a friendship bus service between India
and Nepal via Champawat in Uttarakhand resumed today after a gap of 27 years. The service
had been suspended 27 years back in the wake of the Indo-Nepal Trade and Transit Treaty .
The resumed bus service will run regularly between Kanchanpur in Nepal close to Banbasa
border in Champavat district of Uttarakhand and Anand Vihar, Delhi
139. Sri Lanka and Pakistan have agreed to expand their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) by
inclusion of services and investment.
140. Union Government has launched Sahaj Scheme for online booking of LPG cylinders. It was
launched by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas (Independent Charge)
Dharmendra Pradhan as part of Government’s 2016-Year of the Consumers initiative.
141. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has celebrated the 6th National Voters’ Day across
the country. Theme for year 2016 is Inclusive and Qualitative Participation. Chief Election
Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi also released the book titled Belief in the Ballot and
presented the first copy to the President.
142. The first Ministerial Meeting of Arab-India Cooperation Forum was held Manama, capital
city of Bahrain. The meeting was inaugurated by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khalid bin
Ahmed Al Khalifa and was attended by representatives of 22 Arab League nations.
143. The first Solar Power operated Mini-Water Supply Plant of Maharashtra was commissioned
in Hingna village of Mouda Taluka in Nagpur district.
144. The Union cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recommended imposition
of President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh under Article 356 (1) of the Constitution. Union
Government took this decision after state assembly failed to comply with the provisions of
Article 174 (sessions of the state legislature, prorogation and dissolution) of the Constitution.

11
145. India’s largest tricolour was hoisted atop the tallest pole at Pahari Mandir in Ranchi, by
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Dimensions of flag: It measures 66 feet in height and
99 feet in width in the proper ratio 2:3. It was hoisted on pole with height of 293 feet. It
weighs 80 kg.
146. The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has signed MoU with
Department of Telecommunication (DoT) for Skill Development in Telecom Sector. The
MoU has signed to implement National Action Plan for Skill Development in Telecom
Sector. The Ministry also has launched the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY)
Rupay ATM Cum Debit card of Bank of India (BoI). This card will be issued to the students
with 1 Lac Rupee PA Insurance Cover.
147. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to
Policy on Promotion of City Compost. For increasing production and consumption of City
Compost, provision for Market development assistance of Rs. 1500 per tonne of city compost
has been added.
148. The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Union Ministry of Power for
amendments in the Power Tariff Policy 2006. The comprehensive amendments bring
required changes for holistic view of the power sector and also to achieve the objectives of
Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) with the focus on 4 Es. These 4 Es are: Electricity
for all, Environment for a sustainable future, Efficiency to ensure affordable tariffs, Ensure
financial viability and Ease of doing business to attract investments.
149. Union Cabinet has apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Indian
Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR) on
cooperation in the exploration of outer space and use of outer space technology for peaceful
purposes.
150. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved development of the six
laning of National Highway-2 from Aurangabad-BarwaAdda section in Bihar and
Jharkhand. It will be undertaken on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer
(BOT/DBFOT) basis with an estimated cost of Rs.4918.48 crore.
151. Expert Committee to simplify income tax laws headed by Justice (retired) R.V. Easwar has
submitted its report to Union Finance Ministry.
152. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled the ‘Start-up India, Stand-up India’ action plan
in New Delhi to boost startup ventures in the country. Start-up profits to be tax-free for 3
years and also no labour inspections for 3 years of launch of the venture. Compliance regime
based on self-certification for labour and environmental laws. Easy exit policy for start-ups
with 90 days. Tax exemption to be provided on capital gains if money is invested in another
start up. Government to create Rs. 10,000 crore corpus fund for development and growth of
innovation driven enterprises. It will be Rs. 2500 crore a year for four years Liberalised Fast-
track mechanism for start-up patent applications under intellectual property rights
protection with 80% cost rebate. Encouraging startups to participate in public procurement
by easing norms of minimum turnover/experience. Mobile apps, portal for register start-ups
in a day from 1st April 2016. Establishing Credit guarantee fund and special scheme for
women entrepreneurs. Sector specific incubators 500 tinkering labs, per-incubation and
seed funds under the Atal Innovation mission Public-private partnership (PPP) model for 35
new incubators, 7 new research parks, 31 innovation centres at national institutes and 5 new
Bio clusters will be set up to help Biotech Sector. Government to start Atal Innovation
Mission to give an impetus to innovation and encouraging talent among young people by

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instituting national awards. Government to promote the provision of core innovation
programmes in 5 lakh schools across the country.
153. Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has announced that India’s grid-connected
solar power generation capacity has crossed the 5,000 Mega Watt (MW) mark. Under the
National Solar Mission (NSM), Union Government increased the solar power generation
capacity addition target by five times from 20,000 MW to 100 GW by 2022.Top state—
Rajasthan.
154. India has decided to become member country of the International Energy Agency – Ocean
Energy Systems (IEA-OES) to boost for country’s quest for tapping ocean energy sources.
Inter-governmental organization established in 1974 as per framework of the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Headquarters (Secretariat): Paris,
France.
155. Union Government has inaugurated Second Liquid Chemical Berth of Mumbai Port Trust
(MbPT) at Pir Pau, Mumbai. The facility was inaugurated by Union Shipping Minister Nitin
Gadkari.
156. Union Government has constituted a committee to fast track the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-
Speed Rail Corridor, meant for connecting two cities with bullet trains. The committee will
be headed by Arvind Panagariya, vice-chairman of the NITI Aayog.
157. India-Australia social security Agreement signed between both countries came into
operation.
158. In India, January 12 is being observed as National Youth Day. This day marks birth
anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda. The theme for
the festival is “India Youth for Skill, Development and Harmony”.
159. World Hindi Day is being observed annually on 10 January.
160. 24th edition of New Delhi World Book Fair began at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. It was
inaugurated by Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani. This
year the theme of fair is “Vivid Bharat – Diverse India” based on Cultural Heritage of India.
China has been accorded the Guest of Honour Country status for this edition of fair. The
message of India-China partnership for the New Delhi Book Fair 2016 is “Renaissance of
Civilizations- Understanding through exchanges“.
161. The 14th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) was held in New Delhi. The event was
inaugurated by the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and attended by Priti
Patel, United Kingdom’s Minister of State (MoS) for Employment.
162. Union Government has decided to merge Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) with
the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
163. The Union Cabinet has approved creation of a Credit Guarantee Fund (CGF) for Micro Units
Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA) loans. The CGF is expected to guarantee more
than 1,00,000 crore rupees worth of loans to micro and small units in the first instance.
164. In the Union Budget speech for 2015-16, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed
to set up MUDRA Bank and CGF with a refinance corpus of 20,000 crore rupees and a
corpus of 3,000 crore rupees respectively. MUDRA Ltd. was set up as a corporate subsidiary
of SIDBI in March 2015 prior to the launch of the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY)
in April 2015.
165. The Stand-up India is component of Start-up India, Stand up India slogan anchored by
Department of Financial Services (DFS) to encourage greenfield enterprises by Women and
SC/ST entrepreneurs. It will refinance window through Small Industries Development Bank
of India (SIDBI) with an initial amount 10,000 crore rupees. It would provide women and

13
SC/ST entrepreneurs bank loans repayable up to 7 years. It would be between 10 lakh to 1
crore rupees for greenfield enterprises in the non-farm sector. The overall intent is to
leverage the institutional credit structure to reach out to this under-served population. For
this margin money of the composite loan will be up to 25%.
166. Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for signing a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between India and Singapore on cooperation in the field of civil
aviation.
167. The Union Government has launched Ganga Gram Yojana to develop 1600 villages in Uttar
Pradesh (UP) situated along the banks of Ganga River. The scheme was launched by the
Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma
Bharti at Puth village in Hapur district of UP. Under this programme, these selected villages
will be developed under the Sichewal model (Village in Punjab) which is based on
cooperation of the villagers for water management and waste disposal.
168. The Union Government has abolished export duty on iron ore pellets in order to make the
commodity more competitive amid weakening prices due to subdued demand.
169. The Union Government has reserved 33 per cent posts of Constables for women in Central
Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to enhance their representation.
170. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 103rd edition of the Indian Science
Congress (ISC) on January 3, 2016 in Mysuru, Karnataka. The theme of this edition of the
Congress is “Science and Technology for Indigenous Development in India.” During the
inaugural speech Prime Minister gave a new mantra comprising five Es – “Economy,
Environment, Energy, Empathy and Equity”. The 5th Women’s Science Congress was
inaugurated on January 4, 2015. While the Children Science Congress was inaugurated by
Nobel Laureate John B Gurdon.
171. The Union Government is going to roll out LPG-like Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme
for kerosene from 1st April 2016. The scheme in the initial phase will be implemented in
selected 26 districts of eight states. These states are Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan.
172. The Union Government has constituted a committee to examine the wage structure, service
conditions of the Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) in the Department of Posts (DoP). It is one
member committee comprising of Kamlesh Chandra, Retired Member of Postal Services
Board.
173. India and Pakistan have exchanged the list of their nuclear installations and facilities under
the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear installations. This is the 25th
consecutive exchange of such list between the two countries, the first one having taken place
on 1 January 1992.
174. The Union Government has signed a Financing Agreement of 50 million dollars with the
World Bank for Nai Manzil Scheme- Education and Skills Training for Minorities. Under
this agreement, the credit will be facilitated by the International Development Association
(IDA), World Bank’s concessionary lending arm. This credit will be in the form of loan which
carries a maturity of 25 years, including a 5-year grace period.
175. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the India-Australia
Civil Nuclear Cooperation deal that came into force on November 13, 2015.
176. Andhra Pradesh Government has launched Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam Scheme to
support the tribal women in their quest for livelihood. It was launched by Minister for Social
Welfare Ravela Kishore Babu. The scheme seeks to reduce rampant infant mortality and

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child marriages among tribal people. The scheme is designed to provide a onetime financial
assistance of 50,000 rupees to each tribal woman who gets married.
177. Bihar Government has formally approved 35 per cent reservation for women in government
jobs in the state.
178. Maharashtra Government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tata
Trust for a skill training programme for the youth in the state. This programme has been
undertaken under the state government’s ambitious Kushal Maharashtra, Rojgaryukt
Maharashtra initiative.
179. Sikkim has formally become India’s first fully organic state after it successfully implemented
organic farming practices on around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land. Formal
declaration in this regard was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after inaugurating
the Sikkim Organic Festival 2016 in Gangtok, Sikkim. PM also handed the Organic
Certificate to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling. The Sikkim Organic Festival 2016 has
been organised on the sidelines of the National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare. On this occasion, PM also launched three new orchid species developed in
Sikkim which is also known as the Land of Flowers viz. Cymbidium Sardar (named after
Sardar Patel), Cymbidium Deen Dayal (named after Deen Dayal Upaddhyay) and
Cymbidium Namo (named after Narendra Modi). For this state had implemented principles
ad guidelines prescribed in National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP).
180. Union Government has inaugurated the first phase of permanent campus of the Indian
Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) at Vithura in Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala.
181. Kerala has become the first Indian state to achieve 100 per cent primary education.
Declaration to this effect was made by the Vice President Hamid Ansari during his speech at
special ceremony organised at Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala state was able to achieve 100
per cent primary education through its flagship primary education equivalency drive
Athulyam Scheme. The second stage of the scheme was Mission 676 that also aimed at
targeting those who had dropped out of the formal education process.
182. Reliance Defence Ltd (RDL) has inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Andhra
Pradesh Government to set up a world class naval facility in the state. It was announced by
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu during the CII Partnership Summit
titled ‘Sunrise Andhra Pradesh Investment Meet’ in Visakhapatnam. The proposed naval
facility will be established at Rambilli, 70 kilometers south of Visakhapatnam on the East
Coast of India with an initial investment of 5000 crore rupees.
183. Telangana has become the first State in the country to introduce compulsory gender
education at the graduate level. In this regard, state government has introduced bilingual
textbook titled ‘Towards a World of Equals’ on a pilot basis in engineering colleges. These
engineering colleges are affiliated to the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU-
Hyderabad).
184. Governor’s rule has been imposed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) for sixth time
as the process of formation new government following the death of Chief Minister Mufti
Mohammad Sayeed is taking some time. In case of failure of constitutional machinery in any
other state of India, the President’s Rule is imposed under Article 356 of the Constitution.
But in case of J&K, as per Section 92 of state Constitution, the Governor’s Rule can be
imposed for a period of six months in the state. Thus, there is little practical difference
between the two provisions.

15
185. Jharkhand, a mineral-rich but energy-deficit state has become first state in country to sign
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme
with Union Government. In this regard a tripartite MoU was signed between the state
government, Union Ministry of Power and state power distributor Jharkhand Bijli Vitaran
Nigam Ltd (JBVNL).
186. Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) ----The Scheme was launched on 20th November
2015 to help financially stressed Distribution companies (DISCOMs) to supply adequate
power at affordable rates.
187. Telangana Government has launched e-Vahan Bima Scheme to issue motor insurance policy
in digital form. With this, Telangana became the first state in the country to legally accept
motor vehicle insurance policy in digital form.
188. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on 24 January 2016 won the Presidential election of Portugal.
Sousa, a centre-right Social Democrats candidate and a former journalist, won the election
by securing 52 percent of votes
189. India and France on 24 January 2016 inked 16 agreements at the India-France Business
Summit in Chandigarh.
190. Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a US-based think-tank, on 14 January 2016 released the
2016 Nuclear Security Index with the theme Building a Framework for Assurance,
Accountability, and Action. Australia was adjudged as the safest, India was among the least
safe with the 21st rank. 2016 Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) that is scheduled to be held in
March 2016 in Washington DC.
191. Moldovan parliament on 20 January 2016 appointed Pavel Filip as the Prime Minister.
192. In order to protect children, Kenya on 8 January 2016 published new broadcast regulations
that place strict limits on sexual content.
193. California Governor Jerry Brown on 6 January 2016 declared a state of emergency over a
methane gas on the outskirts of Los Angeles County. Governor ordered that all necessary
and viable actions be taken to stop it.
194. Sri Lanka and Pakistan on 5 January 2016 signed 8 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU)
to enhance the cooperation between the two countries in several fields in Colombo.
195. The Union Cabinet on 30 December 2015 gave ex-post facto approval for signing of
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) among BRICS countries on BRICS Network
University.
196. Japan and South Korea on 28 December 2015 reached an Agreement on Issue of Comfort
Women.The agreement was reached after a meeting between Fumio Kishida, Minister for
Foreign Affairs of Japan and Yun Byung-se, Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea in
Seoul.
197. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on 3 January 2016 announced that his
country has broken off diplomatic ties with Iran. The announcement was made amid a row
over the Saudi execution of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric. Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46
others were executed by Saudi Arabia on 2 January 2016 after being convicted of terror
related offences.
198. The Union Cabinet, presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 30 December 2015
approved the construction of 69 bridges including approach roads on the Tamu-Kyigone-
Kalewa (TKK) road section of the trilateral highway in Myanmar.
199. The Union Cabinet approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and
Jordan for promoting cooperation in the field of information technology and electronics.

16
200. United States and Jordan on 11 January 2016 signed a Joint Action Plan (JAP) to improve
efforts against nuclear and radiological smuggling. The partnership will help in enhancing
the efforts to combat nuclear terrorism.
201. Nepal on 9 January 2016 was elected to the UNICEF executive board, representing the
group of Asia-Pacific countries for the term 2016-2018.Nepal's Permanent Representative to
the United Nations (UN), Durga Prasad Bhattarai, was also unanimously elected vice-
president to the Bureau of the Executive Board of the UNICEF for 2016.
202. The Nai Manzil scheme was on 20 January 2016 launched for the first time in Jammu and
Kashmir. The scheme was launched for girls in Srinagar in three institutions- Skill
Development Centre, University of Kashmir and two Madarsas.
203. The Chhattisgarh Government on 20 January 2016 signed a share-holding agreement with a
few central government-run corporations for the second phase of Jagdalpur-Raoghat railway
project.A special purpose vehicle (SPV)-Chhattisgarh Dakshin Railway Pvt Ltd-was
constituted through the agreement to build 142 km railway line at a cost of 2000 crore
rupees.
204. The Girls First initiative was in news in the third week of January 2016 as the results showed
that it helped in improving emotional and physical well-being of school children in Bihar.
205. Andhra Pradesh Government on 18 January 2016 reconstituted the Commission for
Backward Classes with immediate effect.AP Commission for Backward Classes (APCBC) will
be a two member commission with Justice KL Manjunath, (Retd.) as its chairman and
Member Secretary, APCBC as the other member.
206. Union Government on 19 January 2016 sanctioned 33000 crore rupees for the
development of infrastructure projects in Tamilnadu.Union Road Transport, Highways and
Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the sanctioned amount and at his discretion, he
announced additional 17000 crore rupees. With this, the total amount sanctioned was raised
to 50000 crore rupees.
207. The Goa Legislative Assembly on 15 January 2016 approved reclassification of coconut tree
as palm. The reclassification was approved by the legislature through the passage of the Goa
Preservation of Trees (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
208. The High Level Committee (HLC) of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
on 14 January 2016 sanctioned 791 crore rupees to the drought affected Telangana.
209. Madhya Pradesh (MP) Government on 14 January 2016 signed four MOUs with Singapore
to collaborate in urban planning, skill development, clean energy and food processing.
210. MP Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan was awarded with Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship
for his contribution in development and international harmony.
211. For speedy trial of cases relating to witchcraft incidents, the Jharkhand Government on 13
January 2016 decided to set up fast track courts in five districts.As per an official release, the
courts will be formed in Ranchi, Chaibasa, Khunti, Palamau and Simdega districts.
212. Jharkhand government on 12 January 2016 decided to add the ongoing crisis of drinking
water in the list of special local disasters of the State.
213. The 20th National Youth Festival was on 12 January 2016 inaugurated by Union Road
Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari at Rajyostav Sthal in Naya Raipur,
Chhattisgarh to mark the National Youth Day. For the 20th National Youth Festival,
Chhattisgarh was chosen as the partner state with the theme India Youth for Skill,
Development and Harmony. On this occasion, Tata Group announced that it would establish

17
40 skill centres.Mascot: Wild Buffalo, the state animal of Chhattisgarh, in famous dancing
pose was chosen as the mascot of the event.The mascot was named as Sanghi (friend), which
symbolises strength, gives message of physical fitness to youth of nation and its dancing
pose signifies festive zeal.
214. Union Minister for Fertilizers and Chemicals Ananth Kumar on 12 January 2016 announced
the sanction of greenfield petrochemical complex and National Institute of Pharmaceutical
Education and Research (NIPER) in Visakhapatnam and a Central Institute of Plastics
Engineering & Technology (CIPET) in Vijayawada.
215. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) on 11 January 2016 announced that it commissioned
the first unit of the 2x520 MW Vizag thermal power project in Andhra Pradesh.While the
project, which is located in Visakhapatnam, is owned by the Hinduja National Power
Company Limited (HNPCL), it is being executed by BHEL on engineering, procurement
and construction (EPC) basis.
216. Simhadri Super Thermal Power Station of NTPC in Visakhapatnam district.
217. Reliance acquired the Pipavav shipyard on West Coast in Gujarat.
218. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant,
on 11 January 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Andhra Pradesh
government.The MoU envisages investment of around 38500 crore rupees to take up
various projects at Visakhapatnam.
219. Thermal Power companies in Odisha will now have to transport fly ash free of cost to road
construction site located within 100 kms perimeter of their plant
220. The Rajasthan Government on 7 January 2016 signed Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with Cairn Enterprise Centre Society, supported by oil and gas exploration company
Cairn India.The MoU aims at providing clean drinking water in Barmer district.
221. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on 6 January 2016 issued a notice to
Bihar government over the reported deplorable conditions prevailing in the prisons of the
state.
222. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) on 5 January 2016 commissioned the 600 MW
Kakatiya Thermal Power Plant Stage-II at Bhoopalapally in Warangal district of Telangana.
The plant was dedicated by the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
223. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on 4 January 2016 inaugurated the state's land
bank web portal, jharbhoom.nic.in, that will help investors know land-related information.
224. State election commissioner (SEC) Ashok Kumar Chauhan on 4 January 2016 announced
that toilets will be mandatory requirement for eligibility to contest panchayat elections.This
declaration means that no one can contest the Bihar panchayat elections scheduled in 2016
without having a toilet at their home
225. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy
Piyush Goyal on 31 December 2015 announced setting up of CCL Sports University in
Jharkhand.
226. Javed Ahmed was on 1 January 2016 appointed as Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar
Pradesh by the state government.
227. The 15th edition of bilateral exercise by the Indian Coast Guard and its Japanese counterpart
titled ‘Sahayog-Kaijin 2016’ has begun off the coast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the Bay of
Bengal. Japanese Coast Guard ship Echigo along with its integral helicopter is participating.
It will also involve Indian coast guard ships like Samudra Pahredar, Rajkamal, Vishwast,
Rajtarang, Hovercraft, C-415, C-417, one Dornier and one Chetak helicopter.

18
228. The indigenously-built third generation anti-tank missile Nag was successfully test fired at
Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan. Operational range: 500m to 4km (Land version),
7-10km (Air-launched).
229. Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette INS Kadmatt has been commission in the Indian
Navy by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan at naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam
It is the second ship of Project 28 (P28) class ASW corvettes and is the latest ship after
Shivalik class, Kolkata class and INS Kamorta.
230. India and France have started their eight-day counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency
bilateral military exercise Shakti-2016 in Rajasthan. In this bilateral exercise, French
contingent comprising 56 personnel of 35th Infantry Regiment of 7th Armoured Brigade are
participating. Indian side is being represented by the 2nd Battalion of Garhwal Rifles which
is part of the Sapta Shakti Command.
231. Recently scientists have discovered presence of several colonies of an invasive species of
snowflake coral (Carijoa riisei) off the coast of Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari.
232. President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2015,
raising the ceiling of the impost from Rs 25 to Rs 200 per quintal, a measure that will help
sugarcane growers and cash-starved mills.
233. The union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recommended imposition of
President's Rule in Congress-ruled Arunachal Pradesh, which is facing a political turmoil
under Article 356 (1) of the Indian Constitution.
234. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, has come into force from
today and repeals the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000. Union
Ministry of Woman and Child Development has passed orders in this regard for the
enforcement of the Act.
235. Roger Federer became the first man to achieve 300 singles wins at grand slams. Presently,
Martina Navratilova holds the all-time record of 306 singles wins at grand slams.
236. United Nations (UN) World Economic Situation and Prospects 2016 Report, India will be
the fastest growing big economy in the world in 2016. The report has projected India’s
growth rate by 7.3 % in the year 2016 and 7.5 % in 2017 slightly up from an earlier estimated
7.2 % rate in 2015.
237. India defeated Pakistan in the final match to win the first-ever Blind T20 Asia Cup at
Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi.
238. International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) is an independent
non-profit organisation working for advancing sustainable development through trade-
related policymaking. It was founded in 1996 and its headquarters are located in Geneva,
Switzerland.
239. Indian Shuttler P V Sindhu has won the 2016 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold Badminton
title. In the final match played at Penang, she defeated Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour.
240. The first Ministerial Meeting of Arab-India Cooperation Forum was held in Manama, capital
city of Bahrain. The meeting was attended by representatives of 22 Arab League nations.
Indian side was represented by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. At the end
of the meeting, both sides issued a joint statement called the Manama Declaration.
241. Kolkata cueist Sourav Kothari beat Siddharth Parekh in the final of the National Billiards
Championship.
242. Google India and Indian Railways’ telecom arm RailTel has launched free Rail Wire Public
Wi-Fi service for railway passengers at the Mumbai Central Station. With this, Mumbai

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Central has become the first railway station in India to have free high-speed Wi-Fi Internet
facility.
243. Goa government has initiated a process to tag Feni as heritage brew outside the state.
244. Uttar Pradesh team has clinched Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy with a thumping 38- run win
over two-time champions Baroda in the final under lights at the Wankhede Stadium,
Mumbai.
245. Maharashtra has become the first state in the country where women employees in
government jobs can avail up to 180 days maternity leave, while having a baby through
surrogacy.
246. Delhi Acers team won against Mumbai Rockets in the summit clash to clinch the revamped
Premier Badminton League (PBL) title.
247. Rahul Thakkar, the Person of Indian Origin (PIO), has won the 2016 Scientific and Technical
achievement award given by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, famously known
as Oscar Awards. He will share the honour with Richard Chuang for “ground breaking
design” of the DreamWorks Animation Media Review System.
248. The leading digital payments company, TranServ has launched ‘Udio’ India’s first Social
Mobile Wallet.
249. The noted environmentalist Ravi Chellam has been appointed as the executive director of
Green peace India.
250. Rajasthan government has inaugurated the state’s second biological park ‘Machia Biological
Park’ in Jodhpur.
251. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently released a book named “The Z Factor: My
Journey as the Wrong Man at the Right Time”. The book is the autobiography of Essel Group
Chairman Dr. Subhash Chandra.
252. India will host a seven-day military exercise “Exercise Force Eighteen” that to be held on
March 2 to 8, 2016 in Pune, Maharashtra.
253. Union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has set up a 12-member committee
on Yoga Education in Universities, which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Yoga
guru Prof. H.R. Nagendra.
254. Russian chess grandmaster, Ivan Popov has recently won the 14th Parsvnath Delhi
International Open Chess Title.
255. 2016 World Economic Forum (WEF)’s 46th annual conference has been started at the Swiss
ski resort of Davos, Switzerland. The official theme is “Mastering the Fourth Industrial
Revolution”.
256. Haryana off-spinner, Ajit Chandila has been given a life ban from all forms of cricket by the
BCCI for his involvement in 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, while Mumbai batsman Hiken
Shah has given a 5-year suspension for making a corrupt approach to a fellow player.
257. The book titled ” She Will Build Him A City” has been authored by Raj Kamal Jha, who is the
Chief Editor of the daily newspaper The Indian Express
258. 4th All India Police Archery Championship has started at Nagaland Armed Police Training
Centre, NAPTC Stadium, Chumukedima in Nagaland.
259. In a recent terrorist attack at a Burkina Faso hotel, several people are killed. Burkina Faso is
a Western Africa nation. Its capital city is Ouagadougou.
260. ‘World Economic Outlook (WEO)’ , the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has kept India’s
growth projection unchanged at 7.3 % in the current fiscal and 7.5 % in the FY17. Though,
the neighbour China’s growth would slow to 6.3 % in 2016 and further to 6 % in 2017. The
IMF has also forecasted the world economic growth at 3.4 % for 2016 and 3.6 % for 2017.

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261. BHEL has commissioned the second 660 MW supercritical unit of Lalitpur Super Thermal
Power Project (STPP) in Uttar Pradesh. The main plant of the 3×660 MW Lalitpur STPP is
being executed by BHEL. Located in Lalitpur in Bundelkhand district of Uttar Pradesh
262. The veteran Kannada filmmaker and lyricist, Lakshman Rao Mohite, was better known by
his pen-name ‘Geethapriya’ (84) passed away in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
263. The Nandi Natakotsavam’, the prestigious state-organised theater festival, has begin at
Mahati auditorium in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh from January 18, 2016.
264. Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) is located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. To
reconstruct the park as it got heavily damaged during cyclone Hudhud 2014, World Bank in-
principle has sanctioned $250 million.
265. Easterine Kire from Nagaland has won The Hindu Literary Prize 2015 for her novel ‘When
the River Sleeps’. The book is about a lone hunter seeking a heart stone in a faraway sleeping
river and fighting all odds to get it.
266. National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog has collaborated with the IDFC
Bank Ltd to conduct an enterprise survey of manufacturing firms including start-ups, across
India to assess the ease of doing business.
267. IFC, a member of the World Bank Group has announced a tie-up with the Madhya Pradesh
government to set up a 750-Mw Rewa ultra-mega solar power project. This will be the
largest single-site solar power project in the world.
268. Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena has won the 2016 Pritzker Architecture Prize, who is
best known for his work with “do tank” Elemental.
269. Delhi-based Journalist-writer, Ankita Anand has won the prestigious 2015 Lorenzo Natali
Media Prize in Asia and the Pacific – Amateur category.
270. Indian government has signed a loan agreement with World Bank for the Neeranchal
National Watershed Project. The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Rural
Development over a six-year period from 2016 to 2021. The Neeranchal project was
approved by the cabinet with a total budget outlay of Rs.2142 crore with the Government
share of Rs.1071 crore and the rest 50% by the World Bank.
271. Magh Bihu is a harvest festival of Assam and it marks the end of the harvesting season.
Magh Bihu is observed on the first day of Magh month as per Bengali Panjika. Magh Bihu is
also known as Bhogali Bihu and Maghar Domahi.
272. Vice president Hamid Ansari has conferred the Sree Chithira Tirunal National Award to T.P.
Sreenivasan, who is former Ambassador and vice chairman of the Kerala Higher Education
Council .
273. Madhya Pradesh has been conferred the Centre’s prestigious Krishi Karman Award for the
4th consecutive year in maximum food grains production category for year 2014-15.
274. Kiran Bedi’s latest book ‘Creating Leadership’ has illustrations from her top cop years.
275. World Bank has published the 2016 World Development Report
276. Union government has set up a high-powered panel headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha
to process the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission which will have bearing on the
remuneration of 47 lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners.
277. Indian Army Day is celebrated on 15 January every year in India. It is celebrated in
recognition of Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa who took over as the first Commander-in-
Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-
Chief of India, on January 15, 1949.
278. Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho Gaucho will inaugurate the Nagjee International Club
Football Tournament in Kerala, which is being revived after a gap of 21 years.

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279. Mohammedan Sporting Football Club has bestowed life-time membership to Amitabh
Bachchan.
280. 66th Senior National Basketball Championship for Men and Women is hosted by Mysuru
from 9-16 January. The championship returned to Mysuru after a gap of 29 years.
281. Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali received the World Peace and
Prosperity Foundation Award for the year 2016 from Prince Mohsin Ali Khan, Founder-
Chairman of World Peace and Prosperity Foundation, London.
282. A T Kearney’s 2016 Global Services Location Index (GSLI) rated India as number one out of
the total 55 countries analysed. According to the study, India is the world’s biggest
outsourcing destination in terms of financial attractiveness and business environment.
283. Nati folk dance of Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh had made it to the Guinness World
Records Book as the largest folk dance in the world. Kullu Dussehra is a centuries-old
festival .
284. Wrestler Vijay Chaudhari has won the 2016 Maharashtra Kesri title by winning the 59th
Maharashtra Kesri Wrestling Championship in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
285. Andhra Pradesh government has organised the Flamingo Festival from 9-10 January. The
State government has been organising the festival for the past 10 years aiming at creating
awareness on conservation of these rare species. The festival provides a good opportunity for
the people, environmentalists and bird watchers to study the bio-diversity of Pulicat lake
and Nellapattu Bird Sanctuary
286. Hopman Cup is an annual international team indoor tennis tournament held in Perth,
Western Australia in early January every year. It was founded in 1989. In the recently held
tournament, Australia won the cup for the first time in 17 years.
287. Border Security Force (BSF) has launched ‘Operation Cold’ along the international border in
Rajasthan covering Sriganganagar, Bikaner, Barmer and Jaisalmer. It will continue till
January 30.
288. Gujarat Chief Minister inaugurated the 28th edition of International Kite Festival in
Ahmedabad.The Kite festival of Gujarat marks Uttarayan, the day when winter begins to
turn into summer, according to the Indian calendar.
289. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released a book titled “Maru Bharat Saru Bharat “(My
India Noble India) written by Jain Acharya Ratnasundersuriswarji Maharaj.
290. China’s country code domain “.cn” has become the world’s most commonly used in the
internet by surpassing Germany’s ‘.de’ domain.
291. Google’s Project Tango, a technology platform first revealed in 2014, gives a form of
computer vision to mobile devices. Recently, Chinese computing giant Lenovo said it has
partnered with Google to launch a new smartphone that can see and map out surroundings
with help from the US-based company’s 3D technology named Project Tango.
292. Asia’s oldest stock exchange BSE will get its own postage stamp. BSE had recently become
the world’s fastest stock exchange clocking a median trade speed of six micro seconds.
293. Gajendra Chauhan took charge as the chairman of Film and Television Institute of India
(FTII).
294. 8-day counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency joint exercise ‘Shakti-2016’ has started
between India and France in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. This is the 3rd edition in the series of
bilateral exercises under this banner.
295. Priyanka Chopra has won the Favourite Actress in a New TV series award at the People’s
Choice Awards 2016 for her leading role in American TV thriller series ‘Quantico’.

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296. Hurun India Philanthropy List 2015, Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro, is the most generous
Indian of the year for the third time in a row. He is followed by Nandan Nilekani and wife,
Rohini Nilekani, while Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy stood third.
297. Reserve Bank has relaxed norms for the units of banks operating from International
Financial Services Centres (IFSC) and permitted them to open foreign currency current
accounts.
298. Yadgar-e-Taqseem, or the Memories of Partition museum, is the brainchild of Kishwar
Desai, writer and former media professional. It will be opened in Amritsar in early 2017, the
70th anniversary of Independence.
299. World’s first slum museum will be set up in Dharavi, Mumbai.
300. Chinese state-owned power company Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) will develop the
Kohala Hydropower Project in Pakistan. It is part of the implementation of $ 46 billion
China—Pakistan Economic Corridor connecting the two countries through Pakistan
Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
301. Economic Intelligence Council (EIC) is the apex forum which is responsible for coordination,
strategy and information-sharing amongst the government agencies responsible for
intelligence and control of economic offences like smuggling, money laundering tax evasion
and fraud. The chairperson of the council is the Finance Minister of India. It was formed in
1990.
302. World’s largest blue star sapphire stone has been found in the southern Sri Lankan city of
Ratnapura, which is known as the city of gems. The 1,404.29-carat blue star sapphire is
worth up to $100 million, is nicknamed as the Star of Adam.
303. The well-known Gujarati poet, playwright and story writer, Labshankar Jadavji Thakar (80)
passed away .
304. Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings, Indian Shuttler Siril Verma (16) has been
ranked World No. 1 in the junior men’s singles category.
305. The Country of First Boys is Amartya Sen’s intellectual journey through the past and present
to seek an understanding of India’s history and the demands of its future.
306. According to the study conducted by international real estate consultant JLL , Delhi and
Mumbai are in the list of world’s top-30 most powerful, productive and connected cities.
Mumbai has been ranked 22nd while Delhi is placed at No. 24. The list is topped by Tokyo
along with New York, London and Paris, are named the world’s top four ‘super cities’.
307. Louise Richardson, a prominent academic specialising terrorism and security studies, has
taken over as the first woman vice-chancellor in the 900-year history of the University of
Oxford on January 1.
308. Rajasthan is the first state to brought minimum qualification of Class X for contesting the
zilla parishad or panchayat samiti polls, Class VIII to contest sarpanch elections, and Class V
for scheduled areas. The minimum education qualification set by the Haryana law to contest
panchayat polls is Class X for general candidates, Class VIII pass for women and Dalits,
Class V for Dalit women.
309. Harper Lee’s second novel – Go Set a Watchman topped the US bestseller list in 2015,
selling 1.6 million copies more than half a century after her Pulitzer-winning first book was
published.
310. Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an economic indicator of business activity, is
published by Markit Limited. The index is a survey-based measure in the manufacturing and
services sectors. The index figure above 50 denotes expansion in business activity and
anything below 50 denotes contraction.

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311. The unique architectural structure “fountain of oneness” has been opened by the Sant
Nirankari Mission in Nirankari Sarovar Complex at Burari Road, Nirankari Chowk in Delhi
(North).
312. Star Wars is a science fiction franchise comprised of movies, books, comics, video games,
toys, and animated shows. It is a fictional universe created by George Lucas.
313. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched Jeevan Labh scheme, a limited
premium paying, non-linked, with-profits Endowment Assurance plan on January 4, 2016.
The Plan is available from ages 8-59. The plan is designed to meet long-term saving with less
premium paying term.
314. Kiran Doshi is the author of the book – Jinnah Often Came To Our House. He is an Indian
Foreign Service Officer and former ambassador to Austria.
315. World Braille Day is observed every year on January 4 across the world to commemorate the
birth anniversary of Louis Braille.
316. Jharkhand has become the first state to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Union Government for the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) reforms for state-owned
power distribution companies.
317. The 14-km long Zojila tunnel will be constructed by the IRB Infrastructure Developers in
Jammu & Kashmir state. After completion, it will be the longest tunnel of South Asia. The
tunnel will provide all weather connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh region.
318. The Indian Army has successfully completed user-assisted trials of Pinaka II, a multi-barrel
rocket launcher (MBRL) system, at Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan, India.
319. The Indian Army has successfully completed user-assisted trials of Pinaka II, a multi-barrel
rocket launcher (MBRL) system, at Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan, India.
320. Tamil Nadu government has launched Amma Seeds scheme to provide certified quality
seeds to farmers with a view to increase agricultural production in the State.
321. Raja Rani Music Festival is one of the famous festivals of Odisha. It is organized at the
Rajarani Temple every year from January 18 to 20 by the Government of Odisha. The
Rajarani Temple is a 11th-century Hindu temple located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
322. 21st International Conference on Frontiers in Yoga Research and its applications was
inaugurated by Prime Minister of India at Jigani, Bengaluru. The theme of the Conference is
“Yoga in Integrated Healthcare System dealing with Diabetes, Oncology, Cardiology and
Mental Health”. It is organised by the Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (VYASA).
323. Union Government has constituted a committee headed by filmmaker Shyam Benegal for
holistic interpretation of the provisions of the Cinematograph Act.
324. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has suspended the 2016 InSight
Mars mission due to vacuum leak in critical seismometer instrument. It was scheduled to lift
off in March 2016. The acronym of space craft InSight is ‘Interior Exploration using Seismic
Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport’
325. Music maestro Ilaiyaraja has been selected for Kerala Tourism’s Nishagandhi Puraskaram
2016 for his artistic excellence and contribution to the Indian film music industry. The
award carries a purse of Rs 1,50,000, citation and a statuette.
326. 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has launched an EU-inspired
economic bloc – ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The economic bloc is formed to boost
the region’s trading clout and attracting more investment
327. Jawaharlal Nehru and The Indian Polity in Perspective: Prof (Dr) P J Alexander
328. Objective Railway Engineering- Track, Works & Others: MM Agarwal

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329. Go Set a Watchman written by Harper Lee was in news in the first week of January 2016 as
it topped the 2015 US bestseller list.
330. The Bose Brothers and Indian Independence – An Insider’s Account: Madhuri Bose, the
grand-niece of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
331. International Hockey Federation or FIH has named Robert Van der Horst and Lidewij
Welten of Netherlands as the 2015 Players of the Year in the men’s and women’s categories
respectively. India’s Akashdeep Singh missed out on the junior player award.
332. Union Minister of Human Resource Development Smriti Zubin Irani launched ‘Veer Gaatha’
a series of books on Param Veer Chakra awardees in New Delhi.
333. Government will pay banks a 2.5 per cent commission for mobilising gold under the gold
monetisation scheme and depositors will be permitted premature withdrawal of the
deposited metal.
334. UM Motorcycles will make its debut at the Auto Expo 2016 on February 3, 2016. It is the
Indian concern of an American company, UM International LLC. It will unveil its Renegade
range of cruiser motorcycles – Renegade Sport S, Renegade Commando and Renegade
Classic.
335. Veteran West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the seventh highest Test match run
maker in history, has announced his international retirement, 22 years after his debut.
336. Prince Narula finally won the Bigg Boss 9.
337. India and France on January 25 signed a Memorandum of Understanding towards an Inter-
governmental agreement (IGA) over the purchase of 36 Rafale jets from Dassault Aviation.
The purchase of the 36 Rafale jets from France would cost India around Rs 60,000 crore.
338. India submitted its first Biennial Update Report (BUR) on January 22, to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to fulfill the reporting obligation
under the Convention.
339. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will fund and set up the satellite tracking
and data reception centre in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) to monitor satellite launches.
340. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sought an additional Rs 26,000 crore from the government
to be injected into state-run banks by 2018. The government has pledged Rs 70,000 crore
toward this end until FY19; Rs 25,000 crore of this in the next fiscal year.
341. Deposits in accounts opened under the government’s flagship financial inclusion programme
— Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) — have crossed the Rs 30,000 crore mark. As
many as 20.38 crore bank accounts were opened under the PMJDY as on the January 20, as
per the latest data available. These bank accounts had deposits of Rs 30,638.29 crore.
342. Mobile wallet player FreeCharge has launched its new virtual card ‘FreeCharge Go’, in
partnership with Yes Bank and powered by MasterCard.
343. India Post has opened exclusive counters at the business post centres in Gurgaon and
Faridabad for eBay India sellers.
344. The Haryana chief minister met Wanda Group Chairman Wang Jianlin and a MoU was
signed for development of a World Class Comprehensive Industrial Park at Kharkhoda
district in Sonipat.
345. The Financing Agreement for World Bank (IDA) assistance of US$ 250 million for Jhelum
and Tawi Flood Recovery Project has been signed between Government of India and the
World Bank.
346. For more than a century, two mysterious tree frog specimens collected by a British naturalist
in 1870 and housed at the Natural History Museum in London were assumed to be part of a

25
vanished species, never again found in the wild. A group of scientists, led by renowned
Indian biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju
347. Three northeastern states of Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya have organised numerous
programmes and events to celebrate their Foundation Days----June 21
348. In a global survey of more than 16,000 people, Singapore was named the second most “up-
and-coming” economy among 60 countries, after top-ranked India and ahead of China in
third. This was one of the findings of the 2016 Best Countries rankings, produced by the US
News & World Report in collaboration with brand strategy firm BAV Consulting and the
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
349. World’s fifth largest watchmaker Titan Company Ltd, of the Tata Group has unveiled JUXT,
a smart watch in partnership with global technology giant HP Inc.
350. PayU, one of the world’s largest payment services platforms, has appointed Laurent Le Moal
as its new global CEO.
351. Ratan Tata has invested in baby care eCommerce platform FirstCry, continuing the slew of
investments he has made in various startups globally.
352. New figures from Brazil show a further rise in the number of babies born with abnormally
small heads to mothers infected with the Zika virus. There have been 3,893 cases of
microcephaly since October, when the authorities first noticed a surge, up from 3,500 in last
week’s report. Zika is transmitted by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also
spreads dengue and chikungunya.
353. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
has given its approval for development of the six laning of Aurangabad – Bihar/Jharkhand
Border – BarwaAdda section on National Highway-2 in Bihar and Jharkhand.
354. Ratan Tata has invested in online cashback and coupons venture CashKaro.com.
355. Satellite images confirm that the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq has been destroyed by
the jihadist group Islamic State (IS). St Elijah’s stood on a hill near the northern city of
Mosul for 1,400 years.
356. Adele, the singer-songwriter’s music track ‘Hello’ has achieved a ten-digit viewcount on
YouTube. By achieving that feat in just 88 days, it has entered the Guinness Book of World
Records as the fastest video to one billion YouTube hits.
357. Nasscom Inaugurates T-Hub Startup Warehouse in Hyderabad
358. India is home to the fourth largest population of millionaires in the Asia Pacific region, with
2.36 lakh high net worth individuals (HNWIs), while Japan topped the list with 12.60 lakh
people. According to the Asia Pacific 2016 Wealth Report, by New World Wealth.
359. International Cricket Council (ICC) and MRF Tyres has announced a four-year deal which
confirms the tyre maker as a Global Partner for ICC events from 2016.
360. A team of experts discovered ancient Buddhist caves at Mumbai National Park in India.
They found a total of seven caves that they assume to be at least 2,000-years old.
361. Tourists travelling to Uttarakhand will now be able to enjoy the aerial view of the Himalayas
as the first helicopter service between the city of Haldwani and Munsiyari town started from
January 19, 2016.
362. The Cabinet has cleared ex-post facto the stand taken by India on food security at the last
meeting of the World Trade Organisation held in Nairobi.
363. The heavy civil infrastructure business of L&T Construction, along with its joint venture
partner, Daewoo E&C of South Korea, has won an order worth Rs 3,115 crore from the Bihar
State Road Development Corporation Limited (BSRDCL) for the Ganga Bridge Project.
364. Doordarshan will increase the channels available under FreeDish to 112 by March end.

26
365. Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced to institute a new award
category under the National Film Awards titled – The Most Film Friendly State/UT.
366. Microsoft has announced that it will donate cloud computing resources worth $1 billion to
global nonprofits over the next three years.
367. Stating that India and Israel face challenges of terrorism, the two countries on January 19
agreed to intensify coordination to deal with the menace
368. GOI would develop three major ports in the country in 2016. GOI will start three new major
ports. One is at Colachel in Tamil Nadu, the second at Sagar in West Bengal and third at
Dahanur, Wadhwad in Maharashtra.
369. Ronnie O’Sullivan eased to win the Dafabet Masters title 2016. He defeated Barry Hawkins
on January 17 in the final at London’s Alexandra Palace.
370. Tinystep, India’s first parenting social network has raised seed capital from Flipkart.
371. West Indian opener Chris Gayle went out with a bang in the Big Bash League, smashing the
equal-fastest 50 in Twenty20 history. The burly Jamaican equalled Yuvraj Singh’s 50 off 12
deliveries for India against England at the 2007 T20 World Cup in Durban.
372. British oil explorer Cairn Energy said it would seek over $600 million from India in damages
for the loss of value of its holding because of a retrospective taxation claim of Rs 10,247
crore.
373. In order to boost Delhi government’s tax collection and bring in transparency, deputy chief
minister Manish Siodia has launched ‘DVAT BILL’ app and said that people can play an
important role in governance through this mobile application.
374. The world’s oldest man has died at the age of 112 in the Japanese city of Nagoya. Yasutaro
Koide, who was born on 13 March 1903, was officially named the oldest man by Guinness
World Records in August this year.
375. India and UK have agreed to strengthen their economic cooperation in infrastructure and
financial services as they vowed to address cross-border tax evasion and avoidance.
376. The Ministry of Shipping has started ‘Project Green Ports’ which will help in making the
Major Ports across India cleaner and greener. ‘Project Green Ports’ will have two verticals –
one is ‘Green Ports Initiatives’ related to environmental issues and second is ‘Swachh Bharat
Abhiyaan’.
377. The first flower has finally bloomed in outer space. Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly has tweeted a
photo of the first ever flower (Zinnia) grown in space.
378. After over three years of being told to ‘Surf Safely’, Internet users in the country were able to
access the popular video-sharing website, YouTube, following orders from the Pakistan
Telecommunication Authority (PTA) that the website be unblocked.
379. Actor Kamal Hassan and director Gautam Ghosh has been included in the Shyam Benegal
committee. The committee has been recently set by the Union Ministry of Information and
Broadcast to look into the functioning of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
380. IIT Kharagpur has launched an innovation centre to promote the culture of innovation
among its undergraduate students right from their first year. Named after its alumnus and
former faculty, the MN Faruqui Innovations Centre
381. Virat Kohli became the fastest to register 24 hundreds and pile up 7,000 runs in one-day
cricket, surpassing the twin milestones in just his 161st innings.
382. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has declared that its spacecraft
Juno has broken the Solar Power Distance Record. The solar powered spacecraft of NASA
named Juno broke the previous record of travelling farthest distance set by Rosetta

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spacecraft of the European Space Agency. NASA’s Juno travelled 793 million kilometer to
break this record on January 13, 2016.
383. The government of India has launched four mobile health services, including M-Cessation
which reaches out to those who want to quit tobacco through text messages on mobile
phones. The objective is to enhance access and make schemes more cost effective and
robust. Union Health Minister JP Nadda while launching the four services (m-Health) –
Kilkari, Mobile Academy, M-Cessation and TB Missed Call initiative.
384. French IT services firm Capgemini has appointed Srinivas Kandula as the chief executive
officer of its India operations.
385. The government on January 14 said it will conduct road safety audit of 3,000 km of central
and state highways this year, to avoid increasing accidents.
386. The country’s first ‘water tourism’ will begin in Madhya Pradesh next month with the aim of
attracting more tourists to the state.Named as ‘Jal Mahotsav’, the 10-day extravaganza will
be inaugurated on February 12 in Hanuwantiya at Indra Sagar Dam, one of Asia’s largest
man-made water reservoir. Hanuwantiya, which is under Khandwa district of the state, is
about 130 kms from Indore and 280 kms from state capital Bhopal.
387. India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has opened its first branch in South Korea.
The Seoul branch is expected to play an important role in strengthening economic
partnership between the two nations
388. Based on the recent ‘International World Leader Index’ survey, Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has been voted as the seventh most popular leader in the world. US
President Barack Obama has topped the list
389. South Korea appointed Yoo Il-ho as its new finance minister, the presidential Blue House
putting him in charge of Asia’s fourth-largest economy amid slow growth and low inflation.
390. World Bank has said that India’s Aadhaar ID will save the government $1 billion annually by
curbing corruption.
391. Israel has took delivery of its fifth German-built submarine, an advanced Dolphin-class
vessel said to be capable of remaining submerged for up to a week. Speaking at an official
welcome ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the undersea fleet allows
Israel “to deter enemies who seek to destroy us.” The new arrival is named “Rahav” after a
biblical sea monster.
392. Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha has announced that the capitals of all north-
eastern states would be connected by rail by 2020 and Agartala would be brought onto the
map of broad gauge network by March.
393. Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated Implementation of E-enabled
Track Management System (TMS) & Mobile Application of TMS on Indian Railway and
Track Inventory Management System on Northern Railways.
394. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced MoneyGram International, a leading
global provider of money transfer services, as their event partner in an eight-year deal from
2016-2023.
395. Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar launched two initiatives by Mumbai Railway Police —
SAMEEP (Safety Alert Messages Exclusively For Passengers) and B-Safe.
396. Wendell Lira won the 2015 FIFA Puskas Award for his spinning bicycle kick while playing
for Goianesia in the Brazilian Goias state championship. Lira, 27
397. Drug firm Aurobindo Pharma has received approval from the US health regulator to
manufacture and market generic Norethindrone Acetate tablets in the American market. The

28
company has received the final nod from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to
manufacture and market Norethindrone Acetate tablets in the strength of 5 mg.
398. Angus Scrimm, the veteran character actor best known for playing the terrifying “Tall Man”
in the Phantasm horror franchise, has died at the age of 89.
399. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a new ammunition
for India’s main battle tank Arjun. The new ammunition is more destructive than the
previous one and was successfully test fired at Chandipur in Odisha.
400. The Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena has been voted as the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Month
for December
401. Former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming has been named chief coach of the new Pune
franchise of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament.
402. Mexico recaptured the world’s top drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in a pre-dawn
shootout and chase through drains, returning him to the same prison he escaped from six
months ago, in a boost for the beleaguered government.
403. According to the poll carried out by WIN/Gallup International, Saudi Arabia is the third
happiest country in the World.
404. India has donated ambulances and eight buses to various hospitals, non-profit charitable
organisations and educational institutions in Nepal to strengthen the education and health
services in the Himalayan nation.
405. Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has launched the LPG emergency helpline number 1906
for the cooking gas consumers across the country.
406. Kochi Metro Rail Ltd has received the first set of 25 trains for Kochi Metro from French
company Alstom. The order was placed in August 2014 and the company today delivered the
first set from its plant inside Sri City. The coaches have been manufactured at a tendered
cost of 632.95 crore .
407. Mahindra & Mahindra on inaugurated a bio-CNG facility here to create carbon neutral
ecosystem at Mahindra World City (MWC).
408. Popular online streaming service Netflix is likely to launch in India next week during the
trade show CES 2016.
409. India’s biggest state owned gas importer Petronet LNG has signed a revised contract with
RasGas of Qatar to import gas at a significantly lower price than earlier. Under the new
contract, Rasgas will supply Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Petronet at 6-7 dollar per
million British thermal units (mmBtu) from January 1, 2016.
410. Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria has took over as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, a
post that oversees the critical procurement process of the force.
411. Olympic champion boxer Howard Davis Jr, who won the 1976 gold medal and was named
over US teammate Sugar Ray Leonard as the most outstanding fighter in the Montreal
Games, has died of cancer.
412. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled a plaque to mark the laying of the
foundation stone of the of 74 km long Delhi-Dasna-Meerut 14 lane Expressway and
upgradation of 22 Km long Dasna-Hapur section of NH-24, at Sector-62 in Noida.
413. The first nuclear power plant located in one of China’s ethnic autonomous regions has began
commercial operations of its first reactor that will cut coal burning and CO2 emissions and
can create upto 64,0000 jobs annually. The first reactor of the Fangchenggang Nuclear
Power Plant in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region can supply 24 million kilowatt-hours of
electricity a day

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