The document discusses the ongoing issues related to terrorism and the rise of extremist groups like ISIS. It makes the following key points: 1) Both Western countries and the Muslim world share blame for the current situation due to actions like the Iraq war, abuses at Guantanamo Bay, and the provocation over religious cartoons. 2) Defeating terrorist groups requires addressing issues like Islamophobia, radicalization of youth, and economic disparity through religious open-mindedness, upholding human rights, and prioritizing education. 3) The ISIS poses a new threat as an extremist group that considers other Muslims who disagree with it as apostates. Countering their ideology will be

2. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 1
CURSE OF
TERRORISM
Nations are struggling with disbelief at the appalling barbarism
in Paris. It's time we took stock of the various discourses of faith
and freedom to arrive at a more meaningful discourse. It is the
origin and the rise of the ISIS and the anti-Muslim discourse
that lie at the heart of the problem. Going beyond stereotypes, a
balanced view has to emerge in which both the West and Islam
may be held accountable, so that 'collateral damage' is made as
culpable as the innocents’ killings by terrorists.
The post-9/11 attack on Iraq and Afghanistan and the
war on terror have aggravated the situation, bringing the world
to a level of panic not seen since World War II. The abuses in
Abu Gharaib and Guantanamo, the provocation over the
cartoons in Europe, and now the Paris carnage, add enough fuel
to the raging ethnic hatred for which the blame falls squarely on
both the West and the Muslim world. Ten months after the
Charlie Hebdo killings, it is apparent that any solution to such
brutality across the world must take recourse to religious open-
mindedness and inviolability of human rights. The world is now
a single battleground where attention has to be given to refugee
influx, islamophobia, uncontrolled radicalisation and economic
disparity.
It has to be admitted that rabid Islamic
fundamentalism is inherently flawed in its outrageous discourse
of wholesale destruction of the existing order to usher in a better
world. While there is terrorism all over the world, here is a
characteristic religious endorsement of violence hardly seen
elsewhere. The ISIS is the new scourge of terrorism and its
unabashed barbarity is for all to see. These are the people who
will slit the throat of another Muslim as easily as they would
that of a non-Muslim.
Unlike the al-Qaida, the ISIS is against all those it
sees as apostates, who do not subscribe to its orthodox
interpretation of Islam, including even the Muslims. The
question is how best to defeat and overpower the diabolical
mindset of the radical terrorist who, armed with the mullahs’
fiery words, feels vindicated by blowing himself up along with
scores of innocents. This new jihadi is young, educated and raised
in the West, who desires to turn the clock back to a narrow
interpretation of his religion, dreaming of an Islamic caliphate in
the 21st century. How is one to counter, in this modern world,
such misplaced vision of grandiosity?
Notwithstanding a clear denunciation of
Islamaphobia, significant lessons are to be learnt by the West as
well: if it hopes to save itself from the effects of bigotry, it has to
uphold broad secularism. Attention to a comprehensive national
identity, where all sections of society can be subsumed, is primary
for Western nations. 'Liberal' societies need to be receptive to a
much broader range of religions that are not necessarily inflexible
or dogmatic as they are made out to be. Right-wing Western
ideologies with a parochial anti-Muslim stance must be guarded
against equally lest the differences break up multi-ethnic
societies. Coordinated information among various European
states, better surveillance and stricter background checks can
check cross-border terrorism. Tough measures to check the easy
availability of WMD have to be introduced. Understandably,
better technology means bigger risks as is obvious from the
Internet and its misuse. Primarily, of course, the de-radicalisation
of youth through education is the need of the hour. Retaliatory
bombing, as such, will hardly suffice to check terrorism.
Similarly, denigrating Islam as a means of promoting radicalism
is a miscalculation as a vast majority of Muslims are non-violent,
law-abiding citizens.
If the West were to make a concerted effort to educate
and integrate the disgruntled elements into the mainstream, we
could perhaps hope for a solution. This solution flies in the face
of the Paris attacks mastermind, who was involved in
gangsterism, petty crimes and drug peddling. Unfortunately, a
sizable portion of these immigrants, largely Muslim, have not
been assimilated within the French society where
multiculturalism is still on paper. France's record of social
welfare schemes for the marginalised is dismal.
There is no quick fix but one thing is certain: the ISIS
is a terrorist organisation and the entire world must counter it in
one voice. But it is unlikely given the conflicting interests of
these nations. The state patronage by the House of Saud and the
UAE and the impossibility of uniting the Muslim countries in
the Middle East, overrides the global imperative to defeat it.
Until the Muslim nations see it as dangerous, the ISIS will
continue to wreak havoc. The question remains: where are the
millions of moderate Muslims, and should they not rise against
it?
It is time to intensify the war until this relentless foe is
neutralised. The battle may be long, arduous and costly but it
must be waged to preserve our freedom of choice in how we live,
work, play and love. The new geo-political reality has thrown
strange bedfellows together, visible in the teaming of Russia and
France in their joint war on the ISIS. A global collaboration
might be a viable answer to this conflagration but one wonders if
violence will not bring further violence. Tempers are running high
but the situation must not compel a hasty strategy. To pledge
'action without mercy', as the French President angrily
proclaimed, is to repeat the ISIS language. A reminder of the
post-9/11 blunders could be a meaningful lesson regarding the
drawbacks of the Western nations’ policies.
– Based on article by Shelley Walia in The Tribune, 25/11/2015

3. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 2
GENERAL AWARENESS
JANUARY 2016
Vol. 4, Issue 07
A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION &
TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.
SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH
Contents
CURRENT AFFAIRS
SEPT TO NOVEMBER 2015
01-36
BULLET NEWS
JUNE TO AUGUST 2015
37-56
LATEST 100 GK MCQs 57-63
SSC CORNER 64-72
6 MONTHS GK BYTES 73-100
FIGURES TO REMEMBER
REPO RATE (29.09.2015) 6.75%
REVERSE REPO RATE 5.75%
MARGINAL STANDING
FACILITY RATE
7.75%
STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 21.5%
CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00%
BANK RATE 7.75%
BASE RATE(s)
(of various banks)
9.30 to
9.70%
INDIA’s RANK IN
Rank in Brand Value 7th
Legatum Prosperity Index 99th
Global Terrorism Index 06th
Financial Secrecy Index 45th
Ease of Doing Business (World Bank) 130th
Number of Startups 03rd
Global Competitiveness Index, WEF 55th
Protection of Minority Investors 08th
Global Innovation Index 81st
Global Competitiveness 44th
In terms of Peace 143rd
Motherhood Index 140th
Environmental Democracy Index 24th
Human Capital Index 100th
Global Resilience Index 119th
Global E-Waste Monitor 5th
World Happiness Report 117th
Global Networked Readiness 89th
Social Progress Index 101st
Open Government Index 2015 37th
Press Freedom Index 2015 136th
NATIONAL NEWS
NOVEMBER 2015
‘CONSTITUTION DAY’ ON NOV 26
The ‘Constitution Day’ of India was observed on 26th November to spread
awareness of Indian Constitution and its architect Dr. B R Ambedkar, Chairman
of the Drafting Committee of Constituent Assembly. On this day in 1949,
Constitution of India was adopted which came into force on January 26, 1950
marking the beginning of a new era in the history of free India.
MODI VISITS UK
Prime Minister Mr. Modi visited England on November 12 for a three day trip.
He became the first serving Prime Minister of India to address the UK's
Parliament. India signed a civil nuclear pact with United Kingdom during his
visit. The two countries announced deals worth 9-billion pound in the field of
defence and cyber security and railways. Britain announced 2017 as the UK-
India Year of Culture to mark the 70th Anniversary of Indian Independence.
NUCLEAR DEAL FINALIZED WITH AUSTRALIA
India and Australia have announced the completion of procedures for bringing
the two-nation nuclear deal into force. The announcement was made at the
bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Australian
counterpart Malcolm Turnbull in the G-20 Summit at Antalya in Turkey.
CHINESE VICE PRESIDENT VISITS INDIA
Li Yuanchao, the Vice-President of China visited India to review cooperation on
better river water management and cultural exchanges. The two countries
signed a MoU on smooth sharing of hydrological data related to the common
Himalayan Rivers.
INDIA STANDS 7TH IN TERMS OF BRAND VALUE
As per the annual report on world's most
valuable nation brands compiled by Brand
Finance, India has moved up one position to
become the world's seventh most valued nation
brand with an increase of 32 per cent in its
brand value to 2.1 billion dollars.
The US remains on the top with a valuation of
19.7 billion dollars, followed by China and
Germany at the second and the third positions.

4. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 3
MODI IS 9TH MOST POWERFUL IN WORLD
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has been ranked as the world's
ninth most powerful person by
Forbes magazine in a 2015 list
which is topped by Russian
President Vladimir Putin. German
Chancellor Angela Merkel is at
the second spot followed by US President Barack Obama
(3rd) and Pope Francis (4th) and Chinese President Xi
Jinping (5th).
INTERNET BOOM IN INDIA
According to a report by Internet and Mobile
Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International,
the number of internet users in India is expected to
touch 402 million by December 2015, a 49 per cent
jump over last year, making India home to the second
largest online user base after China.
SALARY BONANZA FOR GOVT EMPLOYEES
7th Central Pay Commission headed by Justice AK
Mathur submitted its report to the Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley on Nov 19. It recommended 23.55 percent
hike in pay and allowances of government employees.
The pay will go up by 16 percent, allowances by 63
percent and pension by 24 percent. It has suggested a
minimum basic pay of 18 thousand and maximum of Rs
2.5 lakh per month. The pay revision will come into
effect from January 2016.
INDIA 99TH IN TERMS OF PROSPERITY
India has been ranked 99th in Legatum Prosperity Index
2015 out of 142 countries. The report is based on the
results of eight sub-indices - economy, entrepreneurship
and opportunity, governance, education, health, safety
and security, personal freedom, social capital.
INDIA FARES POORLY IN GENDER EQUALITY
The Global Gender Gap Report 2015 released by the
World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked 145 economies
according to how well they are leveraging their female
workforce. Iceland topped the list, followed by Norway
and Finland. India ranked low at 108th rank while
Pakistan was second last.
INDIA 6TH WORST HIT BY TERRORISM
As per the Global Terrorism Index 2015, India ranks 6th
in list of 162 nations most impacted by terrorism in
2014. Islamic State and Boko Haram are now jointly
responsible for more than half of all global fatalities
from terrorist attacks. The other top five countries
worst hit by terrorism are Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria,
Pakistan and Syria.
INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL
First India International Science Festival, a joint event of
Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of
Earth Sciences, is being organized at Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) Delhi from Dec 4 to 8. The festival
aims to provide a platform to young scientists from all
over the country to share and spread their scientific
ideas, achievements and inventions.
 46th International Film Festival of India, IFFI
began in Panaji, Goa with the screening of ‘The Man
Who Knew the Infinity’, a biopic based on the life of
mathematical wizard Srinivas Ramanujan, was the
opening film.
 Prime Minister Mr. Modi visted Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia to attend Asean-India meet, Asean summit
and the East Asian Summit.
 Prime Minister Mr. Modi visited Singapore for two
days, Nov 23-24 and signed 10 agreements on mutual
co-operation.
 Hamid Ansari, Vice President visited Indonesia on
Nov 2. Agreements in the field of cultural exchange
and renewable energy were signed with Indonesia.
 Francois Hollande, President of France will be the
chief guest at the 2016 Republic Day celebrations.
 Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay visited
India to preside over the 'India Ideas Conclave' in
Goa.
 The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, ranked
99th in a list of top 100 institutions by the ‘Times
Higher Education Rankings for Engg. & Technology’.
 A report by global consultancy firm KPMG says that
India has emerged as the top country when it comes
to corporate responsibility reporting.
 India re-elected on the United Nations Commission on
International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) for a period of
six years.
 Seven Indian celebrities including Asha Bhosle, Sania
Mirza and veteran actress Kamini Kaushal have
made it to BBC's list of 100 most aspirational women.
 Telephone subscriber base in India reached 102.26
crore at the end of September while fixed line base
continued to fall, as per data compiled by TRAI.
 As per the global Financial Secrecy Index released by
Tax Justice Network of UK, India ranked 45th among
92 countries in terms of financial transparency.

5. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 4
 11th National Tribal Crafts Mela ‘Aadishilp’ held
in New Delhi.
 First international film festival for the persons
with disabilities (IFFPD) will be held in Delhi from 1
to 3 December 2015.
 Second World Congress on Disaster Management
was held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, from 19
to 22 November.
 Global Cancer Summit held at the Indian Institute of
Science, Bengaluru from Nov 18 to 20.
 The 17th Asia Pacific Youth Forum meet was held
in Kozhikode, Kerala to share ideas for the
empowerment of youth to protect the Earth.
 According to a global survey of 26 countries, India is
the fourth most vacation-deprived nation with 65%
saying they feel very or somewhat vacation-deprived.
 Militant outfit National Socialist Council of Nagaland
(Khaplang), declared as a terrorist organization
under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
 The National Milk Day was observed on 26
November to mark 94th birth anniversary of the
Father of the White Revolution - Dr Verghese Kurien.
 The British Government has selected Pune and
Amravati from Maharashtra and Indore from
Madhya Pradesh for developing them as 'Smart City'.
OCTOBER 2015
INDIA TOPS IN GLOBAL ENERGY LISTINGS
India has emerged as the country with the best
representation on the 2015 Platts Top 250 Global
Energy Company Rankings. The top three Indian
companies in the list are Reliance Industries-14th,
ONGC-17th and Coal India-38th.
THE 3RD INDIA-AFRICA FORUM SUMMIT
This summit was held in New Delhi from Oct 26 to 29.
Heads of States and Representatives of all 54 African
countries participated in it. India also announced a $ 10
billion Line of Credit at a concessional rate for Africa for
a period of five years for development related and
capacity building projects.
‘DOORDARSHAN’ IS MOST VIEWED CHANNEL
As per the All India viewership data released by the
Broadcast Audience Research Council, public
broadcaster Doordarshan has emerged as the most
watched Hindi channel in terms of time spent per
viewer, ahead of top General Entertainment Channels.
INDIA 130TH IN ‘EASE OF DOING BUSINESS’
India has improved its position to 130 from 142 in 2015
in the World Bank's 2016 rankings in terms of ease of
doing business. Improvement in two indicators, 'starting
a business and getting electricity' pushed India up the
ladder. However, it still takes 29 days and over 12
procedures to begin a new venture in India. Singapore
claimed the top rank.
1.85 LAC MILLIONAIRES IN INDIA
Global Wealth Report by The Credit Suisse Research
Institute shows that only 3% of India's adult population
falls into the middle class wealth band and the number
of millionaires, persons with surplus of one million
dollar or more, stands at 185,000.
INDIA RANKS 3RD IN NUMBER OF STARTUPS
India has emerged as the youngest startup nation in the
world where over 72 per cent of founders are less than
35 years old. With the presence of more than 4,200
startups, the country has also become the third largest
startup base, after the U.S. and the U.K.
PRESIDENT VISITS MIDDLE EAST
President Pranab Mukherjee made a six-day visit to
Jordan, Palestine and Israel from Oct 10 to15. He
became the first Indian President to visit Israel and
address their Parliament Knesset.
In Palestine he met President Mahmoud
Abbas and offered him a cheque for $ 5 million as
budgetary support. India also committed $17.79 million
for five projects in the Palestinian territory.
INDIA TO HOST 2018 G20 SUMMIT
The prestigious annual summit of Heads of G20 nations
for 2018 will be hosted by India in New Delhi. The 2016
summit will be hosted by China and the 2017 summit
will be hosted by Germany.

6. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 5
The G20 operates as a forum and not as an organisation.
Therefore, it does not have any permanent secretariat or
management and administrative structure. One of the
G20 countries is selected to hold the Chair in rotation, also
known as ‘G20 Presidency’.
GERMAN CHANCELLOR VISITS INDIA
Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, came to New Delhi
on an official visit to take part in the third Inter-
Governmental Consultations (IGC) between India and
Germany. 18 important MoUs were signed between the
two countries during the visit.
INDIA RANKS 55TH IN COMPETITIVENESS
India has moved up 16 positions, from 71st in 2014 to
55th place on the Global Competitiveness Index 2015-16
compiled by the World Economic Forum for the world’s
most competitive economies. Switzerland tops the index
for the 7th year.
INDIA RANKED 8TH FOR MINORITY INVESTORS
When it comes to protection of minority investors, India
ranks 8th, ahead of many developed economies including
the US, Germany and Japan, as per a study conducted by
the World Bank. It reflects the reforms carried out by
the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and
the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in Capital market.
S C ALLOWS LIMITED USE OF ‘AADHAAR’
The Supreme Court has allowed the use of Aadhaar
cards for all central and state schemes, including
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act (MNREGA), Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and
employee provident fund and pension schemes, on
voluntary basis.
NJAC ACT HELD NULL & VOID BY S C
The Supreme Court has
rejected the National Judicial
Appointments Commission
(NJAC) Act and the 99th
Constitutional Amendment
which sought to give
politicians and civil society a
final say in the appointment of judges to the highest
courts. It held that the collegium system, as it existed
before the NJAC, would again become “operative.”
 The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Conference
2016 will be held in New Delhi from 8 to 10 January,
2016.
 The 19th International Children's Film Festival, India
is to be held in Hyderabad from November 14-20
 India and France signed a MoU to conserve, develop
and publicize written heritage at the National
Library in Kolkata.
 The Environment Ministry has approved annual plans
for Kerala, Mizoram, Manipur and Jharkhand under
the National Mission for a Green India (GIM).
 Portugal became the first European and 17th overall
country to sign the MoU on the establishment of
Nalanda University in Bihar.
 The Union Cabinet has approved Double Taxation
Avoidance Agreement with Israel and Vietnam.
 India signed Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement
with Israel.
SEPTEMBER 2015
INDIA 11TH IN TERMS OF ‘SUPERRICH’
The “World Wealth Report 2015”, released by
Capgemini and RBC Wealth Management, showed that
there were 1.98 lakh High Net worth Individuals
(HNWIs) in India in 2014, placing the country at 11th
rank in the world. The US topped the list with 43.51 lakh
millionaires, followed by Japan-24.52 lakh.
The report defines HNWIs as those having investable
assets of $1 million (Rs 6.5 crore) or more, excluding
primary residence, collectibles, consumables, and
consumer durables.
2 INDIAN UNIVERSITIES IN TOP 200
Only two of the Indian universities, The Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore and the Indian Institute of
Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) have been placed 147 and 179
respectively in the Quacquarelli Symonds’ list of top 200
universities for 2015-16, which has the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard at the top
two positions.

7. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 6
INDIA RANKS 81ST IN INNOVATION
India's ranking has slipped further down to 81 in the list
of Global Innovation Index, compared to 76 in 2014, on
account of factors like consistently poor performance in
ease of doing business, slow pace of policy decision-
making and changing political environment. The index
is compiled for 141 countries by Cornell University,
INSEAD France and World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO).
9TH RPB DIWAS TO BE HELD IN LOS ANGELES
The Government of India will be organizing the 9th
Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (RPBD) at Los
Angeles, California, USA on the 14th and 15th November
2015. This year’s theme will be – “The Indian Diaspora:
Defining a New Paradigm in India-US Relationship”.
JOINT MEET OF INDIA AND BELARUS
The seventh session of India-Belarus Inter-
governmental Commission on Trade, Economic,
Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation was
held on 7 September 2015 in Minsk, capital of Belarus.
The two countries agreed to increase bilateral trade to $
one billion by 2018, from the present $ 400 million.
FIRST EVER LEOPARD CENSUS
The first ever count of India's leopards, has put the
spotted cat population at 7,910 in and around tiger
habitats across the country, except the northeast.
Madhya Pradesh leads with around 1,817 leopards,
followed by Karnataka (1,129).
SAARC MEET ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT
A two day Disaster Mitigation conference of SAARC
nations was held in New Delhi on September 3-4 to
chalk out and undertake various joint efforts on various
issues related to disaster mapping and mitigation in the
member nations.
GOVT GETS AMBEDKAR’s HOUSE
Maharashtra govt has acquired the house at 10 King
Henry's Road, in northwest London where Dalit icon
and architect of Indian Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar
lived in 1921-22 when he was studying at London
School of Economics. The house will be turned into an
educational and cultural centre.
UIDAI SHIFTED TO I T MINISTRY
Government has decided to shift the administrative
control of the Unique Identification Authority of India
(UIDAI), which issues Aadhaar cards, from Niti Aayog
(erstwhile Planning Commission) to the Ministry of
Communication and Information Technology with a
view to make it integral part of Ministry’s Digital India
programme.
 Prime Minister Modi addressed the Sustainable
Development Summit at the UN Headquarters in New
York on Sep 25.
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Dublin,
capital of Ireland on Sep 23 to have bilateral talks
with his Irish P M Endy Kenny.
 National award-winning Marathi film, 'Court' has
been selected to officially represent India at the 88th
Oscars next year in the Best Foreign Film category.
 Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari had a
four-day visit to the South East Asian countries of
Cambodia and Laos.
 Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
arrived in New Delhi on Sep 14 to have delegation
level talks on various important bilateral issues.
 A two day Hindu-Buddhist Conference was held at
Bodhgaya, Bihar on Sep 5-6.
 All India Radio released the digital version of the
grand epic Ramcharitmanas as a set of digital CDs
produced by its old recordings.
 India and Indonesia have signed a treaty for
repatriation of wanted prisoners and cooperate in all
criminal matters.
 The three-day Vishwa Hindi Sammelan (World
Hindi Conference) was held in Bhopal, Madhya
Pradesh, Sept. 10-12.
NEWS FROM STATES
NOVEMBER 2015
TAMIL NADU LASHED BY HEAVY RAINS
In Tamil Nadu, heavy rains by north east monsoon
claimed over 102 lives. The rains threw normal life out
of gear in almost all parts of the state with coastal and
northern districts bearing the brunt.

8. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 7
INDIA’s 1ST BLIND FRIENDLY RLY. STATION
Mysuru Railway Station in Karnataka has become the
first blind-friendly Railway Station in India. Train
schedules and over 400 metal signages have been
installed in Braille for the benefit of visually
handicapped persons.
S. AUSTRALIA TIES UP WITH RAJASTHAN
South Australia state has signed a historic 'sister-state
agreement' with Rajasthan to pave new ways to boost
export and investment opportunities between the two
states based on a two-way exchange of research and
technical capabilities.
CHHATH OBSERVED IN BIHAR-U P
Chhath festival was celebrated in different parts of the
country on Nov 17-18 with great religious fervour and
gaiety. Large number of devotees offered prayers to the
rising sun at the banks of rivers and other water bodies.
It is one of the most popular festivals of Bihar and
eastern Uttar Pradesh.
MIGRATORY GUESTS ARRIVE IN CHILKA
Migratory birds mostly from Northern Eurasia, the
Caspian region, Siberia, Kazakh and remote areas of
Russia and Southeast Asia have started arriving in
Chilka Lake, Odisha.
They follow long routes, possibly up to 12,000 km, to
reach here. The Lake, hosts about a million migratory
birds comprising over 160 species in the peak migratory
winter season.
 Annual Hundred Drums Wangala Festival held near
Tura, Meghalaya. It is the thanksgiving post-harvest
festival of the Garo tribes of North East India.
 APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojna launched in
Maharashtra to provide at least one full hot cooked
nutritious meal for pregnant and lactating women in
the tribal areas.
 The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport has
been adjudged the best-maintained international
airport in the country
 Northeast’s first exclusive hospital for elephants has
been established at the Kaziranga National Park,
Assam.
 Norway reopened its Consulate General office in
Mumbai after four decades of closure in 1973.
 Karnataka launched the ‘Tourist Mitra’, a 175-
member friendly force, to reinforce smooth and
secure experiences for tourists.
OCTOBER 2015
ALL POLICE STATIONS ON-LINE IN ODISHA
In Odisha, all the 531 police stations in the state have
been computerized to allow online filing of FIR from
anywhere in the state under its 'e-FIR' system under the
Centre-sponsored Crime and Criminal Tracking
Network and Systems (CCTNS) project.
 Mission ‘Abaas’ launched in Odisha to provide (EWS),
Low Income Groups (LIG) and slum dwellers.
 Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has been appointed
Maharashtra’s brand ambassador for Tigers
 District Court in Khunti, Jharkhand became county's
first solar powered district court.
SEPTEMBER 2015
GODAVARI AND KRISHNA RIVERS LINKED
Andhra govt has successfully linked two of its major
rivers - Godavari and Krishna towards making the state
"drought-proof". The 'Pattiseema' lift irrigation scheme
on Godavari River at Pattisam village in West Godavari
district will lift the Godavari waters to the Krishna
River. Nearly 1.3 lakh acres in Vizianagaram and
Srikakulam districts will be irrigated with the help of
this project.
GUJARAT IS BEST FOR DOING BUSINESS
A World Bank's report on ease of doing business in
states ranks Gujarat as the best place in the country to
do business, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand
and Chhattisgarh. The ranking of 32 states and union
territories was based on eight specified parameters
which include setting up of business, allotment of land,
labour reforms and procedure for environmental
clearance etc.
ORDER ON SANTHARA STAYED BY THE SC
The Supreme Court on August 31 stayed the August 10
order of Rajasthan High Court which had termed the
Jain religious practice of Santhara, a ritualistic fast unto
death, an act of suicide. The court has called for reply
from the Centre and State.

9. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 8
GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES
NOVEMBER 2015
UDAY SCHEME TO HELPOUT DISCOMS
The government launched Ujjwal Discom Assurance
Yojna (UDAY) to improve the ability of power
distribution companies (DISCOMs) to procure power at
a much lower capital cost. The scheme allows DISCOMs
to convert their debt into state bonds and to launch
measures to improve efficiency at power plants.
10 SCHEMES FOR THE BENEFIT OF DISABLED
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched
10 schemes for the benefit of disabled persons. The
schemes are:
 DISHA: Early Intervention and School Readiness
Scheme
 VIKAAS: Day Care Scheme
 SAMARTH: Respite Care Scheme
 GHARAUNDA: Group Home for Adults Scheme
 NIRAMAYA: Health Insurance Scheme
 SAHYOGI: Caregiver training scheme
 GYAN PRABHA: Educational support Scheme
 PRERNA: Marketing Assistance Scheme
 SAMBHAV: Aids and Assisted Devices Scheme
 BADHTE KADAM: Awareness and Community
Interaction Scheme
FUND FOR TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
Government has launched the Technology Acquisition
and Development Fund (TADF) under the National
Manufacturing Policy, 2011 to facilitate acquisition of
clean, green and energy efficient technologies. It will
also catalyse the manufacturing growth in Micro, Small
& Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector with an aim to
contribute to ‘Make in India’ initiative. The scheme will
be implemented through Global Innovation and
Technology Alliance (GITA), a joint venture company.
GOVT TO IMPLEMENT CCTNS AND ICJS
With a view to revamp criminal justice system in the
country, the govt has approved implementation of two
systems - Crime and Criminals Tracking Network and
Systems (CCTNS) and Integrated Criminal Justice
System (ICJS) Project. The two systems aim at bringing
online all the police stations of the country and
integrating them with online judicial system to ensure
speedy settlement of offences and disputes.
ACCESSIBLE INDIA CAMPAIGN
The government has launched Accessible India
campaign under which 27 international airports and 75
railway stations in India will be surveyed to identify the
areas that need to be improved to make them disabled-
friendly.
ACTION PLANS APPROVED FOR 81 CITIES
Govt has approved State Annual Action Plans (SAAP) of
81 mission cities in 5 states-Tamil Nadu, Madhya
Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Mizoram under Atal
Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation
(AMRUT) for 2015-16. Earlier, SAAPs were approved
for 89 cities in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh
in October 2015.
SCHEME FOR INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS
The Union Ministry of Tourism launched the National
Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual
Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) and Swadesh Darshan
schemes to achieve 1% share of international tourist
arrivals by 2016-17 from the present 0.68 %.
USE OF PLASTIC WASTE ‘MUST’ IN ROADS
The government has made it mandatory for road
developers to use waste plastic along with bituminous
mixes for road construction to overcome the growing
problem of disposal of plastic waste in India's urban
centres. The rule will applyfor constructing bitumen
roads within 50 km of periphery of any city that has a
population of over five lakh.
‘AMRIT’ OUTLET AT AIIMS, NEW DELHI
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has
launched the Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants
for Treatment (AMRIT) pharmacy outlet at the All India
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

10. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 9
FIPB POWERS HIKED TO Rs 5,000 CRORE
To expedite FDI clearance process, the government has
enhanced the monetary limit to approve foreign
investment proposals of the Foreign Investment
Promotion Board – FIPB to Rs 5,000 crore, from Rs.
3,000 crore at present.
3 NEW EDUCATIONAL WEB PORTALS
Govt has launched three web portals / apps - e-
Pathshala for educational resources, Saaransh for
educational improvements and National Programme on
School Standards and Evaluation Framework (Shala
Siddhi) for online evaluations.
 The deadline for completion of Pradhan Mantri Gram
Sadak Yojana for rural connectivity through all-
weather roads, reduced from 2022 to 2019.
 Agriculture Ministry to launch ‘Blue Revolution:
Integrated Development and Management of
Fisheries’ for growth and development of fisheries.
 Govt has allowed German language to be taught as
an additional foreign language in Kendriya
Vidyalayas as per the National Education Policy,
1986.
 From November 12, a railway ticket could be booked
online up to 30 minutes prior to the departure of a
train as Railways has modified their booking system.
 Govt to continue 90% central funding for the core
Centrally Sponsored Schemes in the 8 northeastern
states, while 10% will be borne by the states.
OCTOBER 2015
IITs WAIVE FEE FOR HANDICAPPED
The highest decision-making body of Indian Institutes of
Technology (IITs) – IIT Council has decided to waive full
fee (Rs. 90,000/- at present) for the physically
challenged students from the current academic session
in all the 15 IITs for all the semesters.
E-SAHYOG LAUNCHED FOR TAX PAYERS
Govt has launched an e-Sahyog pilot project of Income-
Tax Department aimed at reducing compliance cost,
especially for small taxpayers and provide an online
mechanism to resolve mismatches in Income-tax
returns of the assesses whose returns have been
selected for scrutiny.
A NEW FUND FOR VARIOUS VICTIMS
Government has launched Central Victim Compensation
Fund with an initial amount of 200 crore rupees to
support the victims of various attacks, such as rape,
acid attacks, human trafficking and women killed or
injured in the cross border firing.
‘CLIMATE CHANGE’ SPECIAL TRAIN LAUNCHED
Government has launched the 'Science Express Climate
Action Special' exhibition train from Delhi, aimed at
spreading awareness about the effects of climate change
and to make the science behind it easier to understand.
The train will run till May 7, 2016, covering 64 stations,
all over India.
TRANSFER OF BLOOD ALLOWED
The Union Health Ministry has permitted transfer of
blood from one blood bank to another, a step that will
help in transferring blood to the hospitals that face
scarcity. Further, an exchange value of Rs 1600 per litre
of plasma has also been fixed to benefit the blood banks
with surplus plasma.
BONUS CEILING RAISED TO Rs 7,000
Govt has decided to raise the wage ceiling for calculating
bonus to Rs 7,000 for factory workers and
establishments with 20 or more workers. Further, all
industrial workers drawing a monthly salary up to Rs
21,000 will be eligible for bonus, as opposed to the
current ceiling of Rs 10,000.
DD TO TELECAST - HUNARBAAZ
National channel of Doordarshan will telecast a ten-
episode Programme on Apprenticeship Training Scheme
- Hunarbaaz, from Oct 18. The programme is aimed at
generating public awareness about Apprenticeship
Training Scheme and its utilities in building skill in the
country, especially for the youth.

11. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 10
‘NEERANCHAL’ LAUNCHED FOR IRRIGATION
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
approved implementation of the World Bank assisted
National Watershed Management Project Neeranchal
with a total outlay 2142.30 crore rupees for promoting
effective irrigation in nine states.
APP FOR HAILSTORM CROP DAMAGE
To expedite payment of crop insurance claims to
farmers, the govt has launched a pilot programme -
Kisan, which will use satellite and drone-based imaging
and other geospatial technology to get timely and
accurate data on crop yields. Also, to access large-scale
damage to standing crops, it launched an Android-based
app for collection of data of hailstorm.
RULES NOTIFIED FOR MID-DAY MEALS
The Central Government has notified ‘Mid Day Meal
Rules, 2015’under the National Food Security Act, 2013
for improved administration and efficiency of the
scheme. New rules set nutritional standards of 450
calories and 12 gm of protein for primary and 700
calories and 20 gm protein for upper primary students
and provides for payment of food security allowance in
case food is not served due to any reason.
HEALTH INSURANCE FOR DISABLED
Govt has signed a MoU with the New India Assurance
Company to provide Swavlamban Health Insurance
Scheme, for the Persons with Disabilities in the age
group of 18 to 65 years with family annual income of
less than Rs. 3,00,000. It provides health insurance
cover up to Rs. 2,00,000 per annum as family floater.
ONLINE SUBMISSION OF FORM 15 G & H
The Central Board of Direct Taxes, CBDT has simplified
the format and procedure for self declaration by
individuals in 15G and 15H forms. These forms are filed
by persons whose incomes are below the taxable
threshold to seek exemption from TDS on interest.
GOVT GOES FOR GREENER HIGHWAYS
Government has launched Green Highways policy to
promote greening of Highway corridors with
participation of farmers, private sector and government
institutions for creating clean, green, and pollution free
India. One per cent of the total project cost of all
highways projects will be kept aside for the highway
plantation and its maintenance.
NIRF TO RANK EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Government has unveiled ‘National Institutional
Ranking Framework’ (NIRF) -- a framework for annual
ranking of engineering and management institutes of
the country. It would enable parents, students, teachers,
educational institutions and other stakeholders to rank
institutions on the basis of a set of objective
parameters.
 Government has eased the penal provisions for
undeclared or mis-declared baggage that will attract
arrest or prosecution, from Rs 5 lac to Rs 20 lac.
 To enable Indians living abroad to access old age
income security, RBI has allowed NRIs to subscribe to
the National Pension System (NPS) of PFRDA
 India's first community reserve to protect the
endangered Gangetic River Dolphins will come up on
River Hooghly in West Bengal.
 Govt has approved setting up of three new AIIMS at
Nagpur in Maharashtra, Manglagiri in Andhra
Pradesh and at Kalyani in West Bengal
 Govt has launched Green Highways (Plantation,
Transplantation, Beautification & Maintenance)
Policy-2015 to promote greening of Highways.
 The Union cabinet has approved construction of a
National War Memorial and Museum near the famed
India Gate in the national capital.
 Govt plans to spend around 70,000crore rupees in 12
major ports in the next 5 years under Sagarmala
Project for port-led development in coastal areas.
 Govt has formed a Committee headed by Justice RV
Easwar, former Judge of Delhi High Court to suggest
simplifications in the Income Tax Act, 1961.
SEPTEMBER 2015
TWO GOLD SCHEMES ANNOUNCED
With a view to reduce the regular demand for the gold
and to mobilize part of around 22,000 tonne gold lying
in Indian households, govt has approved the Sovereign
Gold Bond and the Gold Monetisation Scheme. India,
along with China, is among top consumers of gold in the
world.
GOVT ANNOUNCES OROP PACKAGE
The government has announced to roll out the welfare
measure under One Rank One Pension-OROP for Armed
Forces personnel from July 1, 2014, with 2013 as the
base year. The annual expenditure for implementing
OROP would be between Rs 8,000 to 10,000 crore.

12. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 11

13. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 12
‘HOUSING FOR ALL’ TO COVER 305 CITIES
The government has identified 305 cities and towns
across nine states for implementation of its ambitious
'Housing for All' scheme, named 'Pradhan Mantri Awaas
Yojana. The scheme provides financial assistance in the
range of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.30 lakh per housing unit. Govt
aims to construct 2 crore houses for urban poor by the
year 2022, coinciding with the 75 year of Independence.
SPECIAL SCHEME FOR MINING AREAS
The Government has launched the Pradhan Mantri
Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) for the
welfare of people and areas affected by mining related
operations, using the funds generated by District
Mineral Foundations.
SCHEME TO TRANSFORM RURAL CLUSTERS
Govt has approved Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban
Mission to transform rural areas into economically,
socially and physically sustainable spaces by creating
300 Rurban growth clusters over the next 3 years.
The clusters will be geographically contiguous to Gram
Panchayats with a population of about 25000 to 50000 in
plain and coastal areas and a population of 5000 to
15000 in desert, hilly or tribal areas.
50 MORE DAYS UNDER NREGA
Government has decided to provide additional 50 work
days in 2015-16 in drought-hit areas under Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(MGNREGA) scheme to provide relief to farmers in view
of deficit monsoon in various parts of the country.
SIMPLE REGISTRATION FOR MSMEs
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Ministry
has come out with a one-page Udyog Aadhaar
Memorandum which must be filled online by all MSMEs,
with a view to simplify registration procedure for
entrepreneurs and promote ease of doing business.
EPFO HIKES INSURANCE COVER TO 6 LAKH
Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has
increased the maximum amount assured under its
Employees' Deposit inked Insurance Scheme (EDLI) to
Rs 6 lakh, from the existing Rs 3.6 lakh. The move will
benefit over 4 crore subscribers.
DIPP FIRST GOVT DEPTT TO GO CASHLESS
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
(DIPP) has implemented an electronic payment system
to become the first government department to have 100
per cent cashless transactions. The move is part of the
government's efforts to encourage use of plastic money.
 Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of Indian
Sign Language Research and Training Centre
(ISLRTC) at New Delhi.
 Life Insurance Corporation of India has created a
platform where policyholders may avail of electronic
KYC norms linked to the Aadhar card.
 Railways has launched a paperless unreserved
ticketing mobile application for the passengers
travelling from New Delhi to Palwal Section.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
NOVEMBER 2015
OECD PUTS GROWTH RATE AT 7.2 %
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) has said that the Indian economy
is expected to grow by 7.2 per cent this fiscal. It will be
followed by 7.3 per cent in 2016-17 and 7.4 per cent in
2017-18 period.
TRADE GAP SHRINKS BELOW $10 BILLION
Contracting for the 11th month
in a row, the country's
merchandise exports slumped
17.5 per cent in October, to $21.4
billion. Exports declined mainly
due to a steep fall in the
shipments of petroleum and
engineering products, and of iron ore, amid a broader
demand slowdown. Imports shrank 21.2 per cent, to
$31.1 billion in October, bringing trade gap to $9.7 bn.
IIP SLIPS TO 3.6%
Industrial production growth measured in terms of the
Index of Industrial Production (IIP) fell to four-month
low of 3.6 per cent in September due to subdued
performance by manufacturing and non-durable
consumer goods segments.
CORE SECTOR BETTER IN SEPTEMBER
Led by fertilisers and electricity sectors, output of the
eight core infrastructure industries improved in
September to 3.2 per cent from 2.6 per cent in August.
However, growth slowed to 2.3 per cent in the first six
months compared with 5.1 per cent in the
corresponding period last year.
 Moody's Investors Service has said that the Indian
economy would grow at 7.5 per cent in the current
fiscal and improve marginally in the following year.

14. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 13
OCTOBER 2015
INDIA TO GROW BY 7.5% - IMF
The World Economic Outlook Update from the IMF says
that India's growth is expected to strengthen from 7.3
per cent this year and last year to 7.5 per cent next year.
On the other hand, growth in China is expected to
decline to 6.8% this year and 6.3% in 2016.
INDIA TO GROW BY 7.5% - WORLD BANK
A latest report from the World Bank says that India is
expected to overcome the global slowdown and its GDP
growth is projected to increase to 7.5 per cent despite a
weak export recovery. However, the delay in
implementing key reforms on the domestic front, a
weak trade performance and the recent slowdown in
rural wage growth pose risks to growth, it said.
 Global rating agency Fitch has lowered India's GDP
growth rate for 2015-16 to 7.5% from 7.8% projected
earlier, on account of average monsoon.
 Moody’s Investors Service says that India will grow by
7-7.5%, best among the G20 nations in 2015-16 as it
is less exposed to external shocks than its peers.
SEPTEMBER 2015
FIRST QR GDP GROWS BY 7%
Data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO),
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
shows that the GDP at constant prices for April to June
this year rose by 7 percent compared to a growth rate of
7.1 percent for the same period in last fiscal. Under the
present circumstances, the government may not be able
to achieve its target of 8.1-8.5% growth for 2015.
INDIA LIKELY TO GROW BY 7.5%
Finance Ministry has stated that India's growth in the
current fiscal will exceed 7.5 per cent as there are "silver
linings" in the global financial turmoil, with government
committed to ensuring that the country remains a
"bright spot" in the world economy.
 The ADB has cut India’s growth forecast to 7.4% on
concerns of delay in reforms, weak demand, external
slowdown and weak monsoon.
ECONOMY & INDUSTRY
NOVEMBER 2015
MSP OF RABI CROPS HIKED
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has
approved a hike of Rs. 75 a quintal to Rs. 1575 per
quintal in the Minimum Support Price of wheat, the
main rabi crop for season 2015-16. A bonus of Rs 75
per quintal, over and above MSP, for the two dals has
also been approved. Rs./Qtl
CROP MSP CROP MSP
Wheat 1525 Rapeseed / Mustard 3350
Barley 1225 Masoor 3325
Safflower 3300 Grams 3425
E-COMMERCE PORTAL FOR SMALL UNITS
The Confederation of All India Traders has launched an
e-commerce portal, ‘e-lala’ to promote interests of 5.77
crore small businesses in the context of rapid expansion
of e-commerce. It will enable physical stores to have
their own online stores to generate more business.
TRIM GENDER GAP TO BOOST GDP - IMF
As per a recent IMF study, India's GDP can expand by 27
per cent if the number of women workers increases to
the same level as that of men. The gender gap is around
50 per cent in India, compared with an average gap of
12 per cent in OECD countries.
0.5% SWACHH BHARAT CESS IMPOSED
Government has announced the levy of a Swachh Bharat
cess of 0.5% on all services liable for service tax (14%)
from November 15. This means a tax of 50 paisa on
every Rs 100 worth of taxable services like mobile bills,
eating out, saloon services etc.
 With Cotton production estimated at around 400
lakh bales, India is expected to emerge as the largest
cotton producer in the world in 2015-16.
 35th India International Trade Fair,IITF was held at
Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The theme of the fair
this year is Make in India
 CCEA has approved 10% stake sale in Coal India Ltd
to mop up around Rs 20,000 crore. Govt has targeted
Rs 69,500 crore disinvestment in this fiscal.
 France has committed to invest over 2 billion Euros
for Smart City projects in India with special focus on
Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry.
 India and Brazil have signed a MoU to cooperate for
raising productivity of cattle and buffaloes
 World Bank granted $75 million loan to the Andhra
Pradesh for its Rural Inclusive Growth project aimed
at enhancing agricultural incomes of small farmers.
 Asian Development Bank to give $ 273 loan for
improving rural roads in Assam, Chhattisgarh,
Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.

15. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 14
OCTOBER 2015
INDIA NO. ONE IN ATTRACTING FDI
India has emerged as the top destination for foreign
direct investment (FDI) as compared with China and
United states in the first half of 2015. A report published
in London's Financial Times has mentioned that India
has attracted roughly 31 billion US dollar ahead of 28
billion dollar of china and 27 billion of United States.
INDIA BEST FOR MAKING INVESTMENTS
India has been ranked as the most attractive investment
destination in the world for the next three years,
followed by China, Southeast Asia and Brazil. This was
revealed in a survey released by Global consultancy
firm, Ernst and Young.
NEW GOLD COINS FOR INVESTMENT
Government plans to bring out 5 and 10 gram India Gold
Coins — which are being manufactured by Security
Printing and Minting Corporation of India. They will be
sold through banks, post offices and offices of MMTC at a
rate slightly lesser than the market rate.
PHONE SUBSCRIBER BASE CROSSES 101 CRORE
Data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India shows that the subscriber base has touched 101
crore (or 1,014.70 million) in August this year in the
country, driven by growth in mobile phone users,
increasing by 0.53 per cent over the July figure.
S C IMPOSES ENVIRONMENT CESSS
The Supreme Court has imposed 'Environment
Compensation Charge' of Rs 700 and Rs 1300 on
commercial vehicles entering Delhi from November 1
for 4 months. The money will be collected by toll
operators and handed over to the Delhi govt on every
Friday. The funds will be used to clean up Delhi's air.
MUMBAI CHEAPEST CITY FOR BUSINESS
A study by the Savills World Research shows that t
Mumbai has emerged as the world's cheapest city to live
and work in, among 12 top metropolitan cities of the
world. London, Hong Kong and New York are the
world's most expensive cities for companies to
accommodate their employees.
SIN TAX TO BE PART OF GST
Govt plans to include Sin Tax in the proposed Goods and
Services Tax (GST) law that will be effective from 1 April
2016. Sin tax is an excise tax levied on products and
services like alcohol, tobacco and gambling considered
bad for health or society.
GERMANY TO FINANCE GREEN CORRIDORS
India and Germany have signed two loan agreements
worth 125 million Euros for financing Green Energy
Corridor project in Himachal Pradesh and Andhra
Pradesh. The project seeks to facilitate the flow of
renewable energy into the national grid.
Anil Baijal committee submitted its report for
developing suitable methodologies for monitoring CSR
(Corporate Social Responsibility) provisions and
suggested measures for their evaluation.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has made it
mandatory for telecom operators to compensate
consumers by Rs.1 for call drops with effect from 1
January, 2016.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has
offered $ 15 billion long term soft loan along with
technology for starting the Bullet Train between
Ahmadabad and Mumbai.
India left China behind just by 63 tonnes to emerge as
the world’s top gold consumer with a total consumption
of 642 tonnes in first nine months of 2015 as per the
GFMS Gold Survey.
 Railways would soon start country's first-ever double
decker Shatabdi Express that would ply between
Mumbai and Goa.
 The Ministry of Environment has granted
environment clearance for the greenfield
international airport at Mopa in Goa.
 Railway plans to launch Vikalp scheme from 1st of
November to give passengers the option of journey by
another train if they decide to do so.

16. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 15
 National Green Tribunal has directed all trucks etc,
entering Delhi, to pay an environmental
compensation charge in addition to the toll tax.
 The Export Import Bank of India has extended a Line
of Creditof $87 million to Zimbabwe for renovation
and up-gradation of Bulawayo Thermal Power Plant.
 The World Bank has promised $30 billion financial
assistance to the Railways for its forthcoming
infrastructure projects.
 ADB has agreed to give a $123.51 million loan to
upgrade tourism infrastructure and services in
Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
 Bajaj Auto has launched ‘Qute’, the quadricycle RE60
for export to 16 countries in Latin America, Africa,
Europe and Asia at price of around $2000.
 Future Group has entered into a partnership with
Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved to sell the
latter's FMCG products through its Big Bazaar stores.
 Real estate developer Tata Housing has tied-up with
social networking firm Facebook to sell its affordable
homes online.
SEPTEMBER 2015
FIIs EXEMPTED FROM MAT
As per the recommendations of the Justice A.P. Shah
Committee, govt has announced that the minimum
alternate tax (MAT) will not be applicable on capital
gains made by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs)
prior to April 1, 2015. The decision is a big relief to FIIs
that pulled out more than Rs. 17,555 crore ($2.65
billion) from India in August. MAT is the minimum tax @
18.5 per cent that a company has to pay on its profits,
even if no tax is payable due to certain eligible deductions.
MANDATORY EXPORT OF SUGAR NOTIFIED
The Food Ministry has notified mandatory export of four
million tonne of sugar for the 2015-16 sugar season
starting October 1. The export quota would be
distributed among all sugar mills based on their average
production in the past three years.
FMC MERGED WITH SEBI
From 28 September 2015, the commodities market
regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC) has
become part of the Securities and Exchange Board of
India (SEBI). This merger will strengthen the regulation
of commodity futures market by SEBI under Securities
Contracts Regulation Act (SCRA) 1956.
NTPC ACHIEVES RECORD POWER PRODUCTION
NTPC – National Thermal Power Corporation achieved a
record highest single-day electricity generation of
733.12 million units on August 27 from its 33 power
plants of which 18 are coal-based, 7 gas-based and 8 are
solar and hydro power stations.
WOMEN CAN BOOST GDP
According to a new report by McKinsey Global Institute,
if the gender inequality issue in India is resolved and
more women are allowed to join workforce, India's
gross domestic product (GDP) could see a jump of
around 60 per cent by 2025.
SALE OF DICLOFENAC RESTRICTED
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has
banned the sale of Diclofenac drug in multidose vial.
Henceforth, it will be sold only in single-dose vial
packaging for human use.
The drug is administered to cattle and is the chief cause of
mass extinction of vultures as the vultures feeding on
cattle having traces of Diclofenac either die from acute
kidney failure within a few days or lose their ability to
reproduce.
CHINESE COMPANY TO INVEST IN HARYANA
In one of the biggest investment in India by a Chinese
company, the real estate major Dalian Wanda Group
plans to invest around Rs. 66,000 crore to acquire 100
square km of land in two parcels in Haryana to develop
an industrial zone and township.
‘SAHAJ’ FOR ONLINE LPG CONNECTIONS
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry launched
SAHAJ scheme on August 30 for online booking of LPG
connections through the websites of all public sector oil
companies and the LPG portal, Pahal.
 The West-Central Railway zone, Jabalpur, Madhya
Pradesh has become the first Railway Zone to
eliminate all unmanned level crossings.
 The World Federation of Exchanges has confirmed
that the Bombay Stock Exchange has the highest
number of listed companies in the world - 5689.
 Asian Development Bank to provide $ 500 million
loan for better management of essential urban
services and financing of water supply in Rajasthan.
 ADB to extend a loan of $ 200 million to Jharkhand
for upgrading roads in next four years.

17. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 16
BANKING & FINANCE
NOVEMBER 2015
3% INTEREST SUBVENTION ON EXPORT LOANS
With a view to boost exports, the government has
approved three per cent interest subvention scheme to
allow exporters to avail loans from banks at a lower
rate. The scheme will be applicable from April 1, 2015
for next five years.
RUPAY CARD USAGE CONDITION RELAXED
Government has extended RuPay card usage condition
of at least one transaction in 45 days to 90 days for filing
a claim under in-built accident insurance cover under
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana with effect from
November 25, 2015.
RBI RESTRICTS SHARE HOLDING IN BANKS
RBI has made it mandatory for individuals and
companies to take its prior approval before acquiring
shares or voting rights in a private bank for increasing
the aggregate holding to 5 percent or more. The decision
has been taken to ensure that only the genuine persons
enter the banking sector.
SBI LAUNCHES ‘NEEV’ FUND
State Bank of India launched the country's first low-
income state infrastructure equity partnership (or the
Neev fund) in London. The fund aims at providing
equity partnerships for small infrastructure
development in sectors like water and sanitation, clean
energy and urban infrastructure.
INDIAN CORPORATES’ ‘MASALA BONDS’
Some of the top rated companies like housing finance
major HDFC, state-owned NTPC and India Railways
Finance Corporation (IRFC) are firming up plans to raise
fund by issuing rupee-denominated ‘masala bonds’ in
foreign capital markets.
Masala bonds are Indian rupee denominated bonds issued
in overseas capital markets by Indian corporates.
SOVEREIGN GOLD BONDS ISSUE OPENED
Recently introduced Sovereign gold bonds were opened
for public subscription from November 5-30. Bonds will
earn interest at rate of 2.75 per cent. Investors will have
a choice to buy bonds worth 2 grams of gold, up to a
maximum of 500 grams.
COOP BANKS ALLOWED NET BANKING
RBI has allowed state and district central co-operative
banks to offer internet banking to its customers subject
to certain conditions. Only those cooperative banks that
have implemented Core Banking Solution and migrated
to Internet Protocol Version 6 will be allowed to offer
‘view only’ internet banking.
View only facility means the customers can only use
online services such as balance enquiry, balance viewing,
account statement download and request for supply of
cheque books.
TRADE RECEIVABLES DISCOUNTING SYSTEM
RBI has granted an "in-principle" approval to three
companies to set up and operate a new Trade
Receivables Discounting System (TReDS). This will
allow small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to post
their receivables on the system and get them financed,
bringing in much needed transparency to the trade
receivable system.
HDFC BANK FIRST TO USE MUSICAL LOGO
HDFC Bank has become the first Indian bank to launch
Sonic branding (Musical Logo) to be used across
multiple touch points like ATMs, phone banking, mobile
banking and the bank's website. It will help the bank to
create distinct brand imagery and recall among various
stakeholders
INDIA's BANKING ‘STABLE’ - MOODY's
Moody's Investors Service has upgraded its outlook for
India's banking system to 'stable' from 'negative' on
expectation that a gradual improvement in the
operating environment for lenders will lead to slow
down in bad loans in future
BARTER TO END ON MYANMAR BORDER
Indo-Myanmar border is perhaps one of the few places
on the earth where barter trade still exists. However,
with the improvement in banking presence in the
border, the RBI has now decided to officially stop the
barter system - trading of goods without exchange of
money, from December 1.
 The RBI has allowed foreign investors to buy default
non-convertible debentures and bonds provided their
maturity is for three years or more.
 RBI has decided that a foreign bank in India can
deploy a maximum of four expatriates for each
branch and not more than six for their Head Office
functions.

18. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 17
OCTOBER 2015
FINANCIAL INCLUSION FUND BY RBI
The RBI has decided to create a new Financial Inclusion
Fund- FIF with a corpus of 2,000 crore rupees by
merger of two different funds - Financial Inclusion Fund
and Financial Inclusion Technology Fund into a single
Fund to support 'developmental and promotional
activities' of banking services. The new Fund will be
maintained by the National Bank for Agriculture and
Rural Development - NABARD.
CHEAPER LOANS FOR SC COMMUNITY
RBI has advised that the condition of up to only 4 per
cent variance between minimum and maximum interest
rates on loans given by micro finance lenders will not be
applicable on sections belonging to scheduled castes
living below double poverty line (i.e. annual income
below Rs. 40,000/- in rural areas and Rs. 55,000/- in
urban areas)
MOVE TO CURB NPAs
With a view to curb the incidence of non-performing
assets (NPAs) in banks, the government has made it
mandatory for all financial institutions to obtain an
affidavit from auditors who sign balance sheets of
companies applying for loans.
100% FDI ALLOWED IN WLAs
Govt has decided to allow foreign investment up to 100
per cent in White Label ATM operations under the
automatic route to promote financial inclusion.
The Reserve Bank has revised downwards its real GDP
forecast for 2015-16 to 7.4 per cent from earlier
expectation of 7.6 per cent, saying that growth is
expected to pick up in the latter part of the fiscal.
QR CODE BASED PAYMENTS BY ICICI BANK
ICICI Bank has become the first bank in the world to
launch mVisa - a card-less and device-less payment
solution. It has incorporated the mVisa application in its
Pockets app, which allows payments to be made by
scanning a static QR code and entering the amount.
UCO BANK WORSE IN NPAs
Recent RBI data shows that among public sector banks,
the UCO Bank had highest ratio of NPAs at 8.5 per cent
of its loans in 2014-15, followed by Indian Overseas
Bank (8.30) and Bank of Maharashtra (6.18).
State Bank of India has received in principle approval
from the RBI to set up a subsidiary to frame and
implement a uniform policy for all the real estate
properties owned or rented by the bank.
Schedule commercial banks' credit increased by
9.54% to Rs 67.8 billion while deposits increased by
11.25% to Rs 91.6 billion in the fortnight ended October
16, according to RBI data.
 RBI has said that the banks will be free to set interest
rate on Gold Deposit Schemes and principal and
interest of the deposit will be denominated in gold.
 Reserve Bank of India has opened its sub-office in
Imphal in Manipur.
 The RBI has granted permission to the Indian
corporate to issue rupee bonds outside India. These
bonds would be exempted from capital gains tax.
 The Reserve Bank has signed a MoU with Bangladesh
Bank for exchange of supervisory information.
 The government plans to bring down its stake in the
IDBI Bank to 49 per cent, from 76.5 per cent at
present with a view to make it more efficient.
 HDFC Bank has automated its personal loan
approvals through their ATMs that would track the
customer's history and authorize a loan accordingly.
 HDFC Bank has been rated 27th safest bank in the
world, according to the Bank Safety Ranking done by
the international financial magazine 'The Banker’.
SEPTEMBER 2015
RBI CUTS REPO RATE TO 6.75 %
In its 4th bi-monthly monetary policy review announced
on Sep 29, RBI cut the benchmark repo rate by 50 basis
points, from 7.25 to 6.75 per cent.
Consequently, the reverse repo rate stands
adjusted to 5.75 per cent, and the marginal standing
facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 7.75 per cent.
Apart from boosting demand in economy, the
rate cut may help in accelerating investment and
industrial growth at a time when the global growth
outlook is getting weaker.
It’s a bonanza for households just before the
festival season as home and auto loans are likely to
become cheaper. The flip side is that for those relying
on savings, interest rates on small savings schemes and
fixed deposits are set to come down.

19. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 18
NEW HIGH SECURITY NOTES
In its continuing effort to curb the menace of fake notes,
RBI plans to put into circulation banknotes in the
denominations of 500 and 1000 rupees incorporating
three new/revised features - ascending size of numerals
in the number panels, introduction of bleed lines, and
enlarged identification mark.
BANKS TO PROVIDE EASY LOANS UNDER PMMY
Public Sector Banks have been asked to conduct Mega
Credit Campaigns all over the country from Sep 25 to
Oct 2 to generate easy availability of credit to Micro
Enterprises under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana
(PMMY). All state-run banks, regional rural banks and
private banks together have been given a target of 1.22
lakh crore for 2015-16 for disbursement to small and
micro enterprises up to Rs.10 lakh.
Mudra has been established as a subsidiary of SIDBI, with
an initial corpus of Rs 5,000 crore to provide refinance to
all banks seeking refinancing of small business loans
under PMMY.
SBI AND ICICI BANK DECLARED D-SIB
The Reserve Bank has declared State Bank of India and
ICICI Bank as Domestic Systemically Important Banks
(D-SIBs). The D-SIB framework requires the RBI to
disclose the names of banks designated as D-SIBs every
year in August starting from August 2015.
Systemically Important means anything or feature
which is important for entire system. Thus, D-SIBs are
those banks any changes in which may have the effect on
the entire banking system.
LICENSES GRANTED FOR 10 SMALL BANKS
Seeking to promote financial inclusion, the RBI has
granted in principal approval to 10 entities to set up
small finance banks.
These banks can provide basic banking services like
accepting deposits and lending to the unbanked sections
such as small farmers, micro business enterprises, micro
and small industries and unorganised sector entities.
CONCESSIONAL LOANS TO BANK DIRECTORS
The RBI has permitted banks to offer loans below base
rate to their whole time directors and CEOs. However,
the rate charged should not be lower than the rate that
is charged to their employees.
MORE POWERS TO BANKS TO TACKLE NPAs
RBI has allowed banks to change the ownership of an
errant corporate even before the loan account turns
'bad' or non performing asset – NPA. Further, two of the
country's largest lenders — State Bank of India and
ICICI Bank will play a key role in turning around a
company after it defaults. These two measures are
aimed at checking sticky loans and forcing truant
borrowers to fall in line.
BANKS TO BE READY FOR FATCA / CRS
The Reserve Bank has asked all banks and financial
institutions to be prepared for the implementation of
due diligence and reporting standards under FATCA and
CRS meant for international tax compliance. This is in
response to India’s signing an agreement with the US
govt for improving International Tax Compliance and
implementing the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
(FATCA) and agreement for Common Reporting
Standards (CRS).
BANKS TO RECEIVE NPA REPORTS
RBI has asked concurrent auditors of commercial banks
to submit their review of non-performing loans directly
to the banks and discontinue the practice of submitting
it to the statutory auditors who conduct quarterly and
half yearly review of bank accounts.
Concurrent audit means doing the examination of the
financial transactions at the time of happening or parallel
with the transaction. It is regarded as part of a bank's
early warning systems.
RBI SUGGESTS FORMULA FOR BASE RATE
To bring in uniformity among banks for calculation of
base rate and for effective transmission of policy rates,
the Reserve Bank has proposed a formula to calculate
the base rate for lending wef April 1, 2016. The
components of Base Rate will include cost of funds,
negative carry on CRR/SLR, un-allocable overhead costs
and average return on net worth.

20. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 19
INDIA JOINS UN’s PAYMENT ALLIANCE
India is joining the UN-based 'Better Than Cash
Alliance', which promotes transition from cash to digital
payments to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth.
The alliance is made up of governments, companies, and
international organizations for digitisation of payments
to promote financial inclusion.
 RBI has inked a MoU with the Nepal Rastra Bank for
Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of
Supervisory Information.
 Two commemorative coins of Rs 125 and Rs 10 were
released on the eve of Teachers' Day in the memory of
former President Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.
 The Reserve Bank of India will shortly put into
circulation Rs 5 coins to commemorate golden jubilee
of Indo-Pak War 1965.
 The RBI has liberalised external commercial
borrowing norms for NBFCs, allowing them to use the
foreign funds to finance domestic equipments.
 RBI plans to permit domestic companies to borrow
money from pension funds, sovereign wealth funds
(SWFs) and insurance funds as part of the ECBs.
 Axis Bank has rolled out a full-fledged mobile app
‘Lime’ that enables shopping, making payments and
banking, all under one window.
 Indian Bank has launched IndPay mobile app service
to enables its customers to operate bank accounts
anytime from anywhere.
DEFENCE, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
NOVEMBER 2015
LRSAM SUCCESSFULLY TESTED BY DRDO
The Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM), jointly
developed by the Israel Aerospace Industry and Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was
successfully flight tested from the Israel Naval Platform
for the first time on Nov 26.
‘DHANUSH’ TESTED SUCCESSFULLY
The nuclear-capable ballistic missile Dhanush was
successfully test fired from warship INS Subhadra, off
the Puri coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal. It is the
naval variant of the Prithvi – II missile, having a strike
range of 350 kilometres.
‘BRAHMOS’ TESTED SUCCESSFULLY BY THE ARMY
Indian Army successfully test-fired the land attack
variant of the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise
missile at the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan.
BrahMos, a joint effort between India and Russia, is the
fastest and only supersonic cruise missile in the world
capable of flying at 2.8 times the speed of sound and can
be launched from land, sea and air.
 Agni-IV, the nuclear-capable ballistic missile, tested
for a range of 4,000 kms from Abdul Kalam Island
(formerly Wheeler Island), off the Odisha coast.
 India test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear
capable Prithvi-II missile, which has a strike range of
350 kms from the test range off the Odisha coast.
 The DRDO test-fired an Advanced Air Defence (AAD)
interceptor missile from Abdul Kalam Island in
Odisha’s Balasore district.
 DRDO has developed Advanced Torpedo Defence
System “Maareech” and “Vaarunaastra” for use by
the Indian Navy
 INS Kadmatt, the second of the four indigenously
built stealth Anti-Submarine Warfare corvette, was
formally handed over to the Navy on Nov 26.
 INS Vishwakarma, a premier training establishment
of the Indian Navy for the shipwrights commissioned
in Vishakhapatnam.
 ICGS Arinjay, a Fast Patrol Vessel was commissioned
in Indian Navy at Kochi. ICGS – Indian Coast Guard
Ship
 ‘Indra-2015’, the seventh edition India-Russia Joint
Military Exercise held in Bikaner district of
Rajasthan.
 China has displayed its strongest combat and
reconnaissance drone CH – 5 that can fly with a
weight of 3,000 kg and carry 900 kg of equipment
and weapons.
GSAT-15 TO AUGMENT COMMUNICATIONS
India’s latest communication satellite GSAT-15 was
successfully launched by the European Ariane rocket
from Kourou in French Guiana. It will augment
telecommunication, Direct-to-Home and radio
navigation services. The satellite will be navigated and
controlled by the ISRO’s Master Control Facility at
Hassan in Karnataka.
GOOGLE TO LAUNCH ‘PROJECT
LOON’ IN INDIA
Google is working with the Indian
government on a pilot project for
providing Internet connectivity
by using large balloons. Under its
‘Project Loon’, Google is using big
balloons floating at a height of 20 kilometres above
earth surface for transmission of Internet services.

21. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 20
EARLY WARNING SATELLITE BY RUSSIA
Russia has launched its first early warning system
satellite named EKS or Integrated Space System. Its
official name is Kosmos 2510 (Tundra 11L). It is
designed to restore Moscow's capability to identify and
track worldwide missile launches from space.
WORLD’s FASTEST SUPERCOMPUTER
China’s Tianhe-2 supercomputer has emerged as the
world’s most powerful supercomputer system for the
sixth consecutive time, performing calculations with
processing speed of 33.86 petaflops per second. Second
on list is Titan of the USA, performing @ 17.59 Pflop/s.
FIRST EVER ‘POROUS’ LIQUID DISCOVERED
In a breakthrough, scientists in U K have developed the
world's first 'porous' liquid that can potentially be used
to capture and dissolve unusually large amounts of
harmful carbon gas emissions to prevent its absorption
in the Earth's atmosphere.
 Facebook has partnered with Bharat Sanchar Nigam
Ltd. (BSNL) to create 100 Wi-Fi hotspots in rural
areas of western and southern India.
 A new species of the Dracula ant, likely to be of
Stigmatomma group of predaceous ants, was
discovered by scientists in the Western Ghats of
Kerala.
 China's first lunar rover, Yutu, set a record for the
longest stay on the Moon by completing almost two
years stay, landing on moon on Dec 14, 2013.
 Japan conducted its first commercial satellite launch
on August 24, with an H-IIA rocket carrying a
Canadian communications spacecraft, Telstar 12V,
into orbit.
 China launched a civil communication satellite
ChinaSat-2C from the Xichang space center in
Sichuan province.
OCTOBER 2015
INS KALVARI RELEASED FOR SEA TRIALS
Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders released the first Scorpene
category submarine INS 'Kalvari' for sea trails at the
Naval Dockyard Mumbai. After successful completion of
all the rigorous trials and tests, it will be formally
inducted in Indian Navy later in 2016.
JOINT NAVAL OPERATION – MALABAR
The navies of India, United States and Japan began a
five-day joint operation-'Malabar exercise' on October
14 on the eastern coast in Bay of Bengal, in which
several warships, aircraft carriers and fast attack
submarine participated.
INDIA SRI LANKA CONDUCT ‘SLINEX’
The Indian and Sri Lankan Navies conducted the 4th
edition of Sri Lanka-India Exercise (SLINEX) in Bay of
Bengal, off the Trincomalee coast in Sri Lanka, from
October 27 to November 1.
‘MITRA SHAKTI’ HELD WITH SRI LANKA
A 14-day joint training exercise 'Mitra Shakti 2015',
involving military contingents from India and Sri Lanka,
was held in Pune from Sep 29 to Oct 12 to secure a
better understanding of the modern day warfare
requirements.
MICRO-LIGHT AIRCRAFTS FROM SLOVENIA
India has signed a deal with Slovenia for supply of 194
Pipistrel micro-light aircraft to be used by Indian Air
Force, the Navy and the National Cadet Corps (NCC). The
Indian version of the aircraft will be renamed as Garud.
 Indigenously built naval warship INS Kochi, the
stealth guided missile destroyer, was inducted in
the Indian Navy on Sep 30.
 The Defence Ministry has approved the induction of
women officers into the combat stream of IAF,
allowing them for first time, to fly fighter aircrafts.
 The Indo-Tibetan Border Police, for the first time, has
decided to deploy women in combat duties at its high-
altitude posts along the Indo-China border.
 Fast patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS Anmol was inducted
in the Coast Guard Region (North East) in Kolkata.
 India’s first indigenously built torpedo launch and
recovery vessel - INS Astradharini, inducted in Indian
Navy on Oct 6 at Vishakhaptnam.
 5th Indo-China Joint Military Training Exercise-
HAND-IN-HAND conducted at Kunming Military
Academy, Yunnan, China from 12 to 23 October.
 A joint maritime exercise of naval patrol vessels -
Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) between India and
Indonesia began on 3 Oct in the Andaman Sea.

22. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 21

23. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 22
ISRO PLACES ASTROSAT IN ORBIT
India’s first dedicated astronomy research satellite
Astrosat was successfully launched on Sep 28 by the
Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C30 from Sriharikota. The
satellite weighing 1531 kg was placed in an equatorial
orbit at about 650 kilometre height. With this launch,
India has joined a select league of nations having their
observatories in space.
INDIA SETS NEW CLIMATE TARGETS
In a climate-change policy statement released ahead of a
UN climate summit in Paris in December, 2015, India
has decided to cut the carbon produced per unit of GDP
growth by 33-35 per cent by 2030 from what it was in
2005. It also committed to generate 40 percent of
cumulative installed power capacity from non-fossil fuel
sources by 2030. India is the world's third-largest
emitter of greenhouse gases.
‘CIPS’ LAUNCHED TO PROMOTE YUAN
China has launched the first phase of “China
International Payment System (CIPS)” to promote
Yuan’s global usage and furthering cross-border
clearing of its currency from the Chinese mainland
instead of offshore centres abroad.
‘MAGIC CUBE’ – CHINA’s SUPER OMPUTER
China plans to employ a special $ 14 million "magic
cube" super computer as tall as a two-storey building in
its quest to know the earth's future and calculate the
potential changes to the climate and biological systems.
MICROSOFT AND GOOGLE BURY THE HATCHET
Microsoft Corp and Google Inc have agreed to bury all
patent infringement litigation against each other,
settling 18 cases in the United States and Germany. In
another sign of the winding down of the global smart
phone wars, the companies said the deal puts an end to
court fights involving a variety of technologies, including
mobile phones, wi-fi and patents used in Microsoft's
Xbox game consoles and other Windows products.
 NASA scientists claimed to have found the strongest
ever evidence of liquid water on Planet Mars that
could help sustain future manned missions.
SEPTEMBER 2015
INDIA TO GET CHINOOK AND APACHE COPTERS
The Cabinet Committee on Security has approved the
purchase of 15 Chinook helicopters that will lift heavy
loads and 22 AH-64D Apache advanced attack
helicopters at an estimated cost $2.5 billion (around Rs
16,500 crore). Both of them are produced by Boeing
Company of USA.
INDO US NAVIES ISSUE A JOINT COIN
India and the US have created a "joint challenge coin" to
symbolise their unique partnership in creating a next-
generation aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy. One side
of the coin reads "Chale Chale Saath Saath" in Hindi and
the other reads “Forward Together We Go".
CCS CLEARS ‘IACCS’ FOR AIR FORCE
The Cabinet Committee on Security has approved the
proposal to form the ‘Integrated Air Command and
Control System (IACCS)’worth around 8000 crore
rupees for the Indian Air Force. The system aims at
integrating and automating all air and ground sensors
use by the Air Force.
INS VAJRAKOSH STARTS IN KARWAR
Indian Navy has established its largest missile storage
and replenishment facility named INS Vajrakosh at
Karwar base in Karnataka for warships operating in the
western coast. It will store the long-range BrahMos
missiles and armaments.
 Indian Coast Guard has commissioned two new ships
named Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS Apoorva and
Interceptor Boat C-421.
 India to buy 10 Heron TP armed drones capable of
firing missiles, from Israel to enhance our cross-
border military strike capability.
 The first bilateral maritime exercise between
Australia and India ‘Ausindex-2015’ began on Sep 12
off the shores of Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
PRESERVATION OF THE OZONE LAYER
On 16 September, International Day for the
Preservation of the Ozone Layer was observed across
the world. The theme and the slogan for the year 2015
are 30 Years of Healing the Ozone Together and Ozone:
All there is between you and UV, respectively.

24. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 23
NXT DIGITAL TO OFER 500 TV CHANNELS
Hinduja business group has launched an innovative Hits
(Headend-in-the-Sky) digital broadcasting platform
under the brand name NXT Digital that will provide over
500 TV channels to cable operators. It aims to tap the
transition from analog to digital mode of cable TV
services under the government's digitisation drive.
CHINA LAUNCHES LONG MARCH -6
China has successfully launched a newly-developed
satellite launch rocket Long March-6 (Chang Zheng-6). It
was launched from the base in the Northern Province of
Shanxi, carrying 20 micro satellites into the space.
GOOGLE TO PROVIDE FREE WI-FI ZONES
Google and Indian Railways are planning to work jointly
on Project Nilgiri to set up free Wi-Fi hotspots across
400 select railway stations throughout the country to
offer seamless connectivity to passengers.
 Facebook has decided to rebrand its Internet.org
programme to 'Free Basics' for providing more
services and stronger security measures.
 Study by researchers at the Yale University, USA
shows that there are over 3 trillion trees on Earth,
based on ground survey data and satellite pictures.
INTERNATIONAL
NOVEMBER 2015
ISIS MILITANTS ATTACK PARIS
In one of the worst gruesome terrorist attacks, over 129
people were killed and more than 300 were wounded in
multiple ISIS terrorists’ shootings in Paris and
explosions outside the national stadium - Stade de
France. Nations around the world have joined hands to
fight back ISIS.
UNSC ADOPTS RESOLUTION AGAINST ISIS
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
unanimously adopted a France sponsored resolution
calling all nations to take all necessary measures to
prevent and suppress the terrorist acts of Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other extremist groups.
NEPAL REELS UNDER MADHESI AGITATION
Several persons, including policemen have been killed in
Terai region of Nepal due to ongoing Madhesi agitation.
The violence comes as the landlocked country, heavily
dependent on India for supplies of essential goods,
continues to reel under acute shortage of fuels,
medicines and other items for over two months now,
due to roads blocked by Madhesis.
Madhesis, the Indian-origin inhabitants of the Terai
region, have been protesting against division of their
ancestral homeland in the new Constitution. They are also
demanding proportionate representation in government
mechanism, allocation of Parliament seats on the basis of
population and re-demarcation of the federal provinces.
G-20 SUMMIT HELD IN ANTALAYA
A two day summit of Heads of G-20 nations was held in
Antalaya, Turkey to dwell on inclusive economic growth
and climate change. A special resolution was also
passed to condemn the gruesome terrorist attack in
Paris and make united efforts to eliminate terrorism
across the globe. Prime Minister Modi represented
India at the meet.
APEC SUMMIT HELD IN MANILA
Leaders of economies which account for nearly half of
the world's trade and about 57 per cent of global gross
domestic product met in Manila for the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. This year, the
theme of the summit is Building Inclusive Economies,
Building a Better World.
ASEAN DECLARES FORMATION OF AEC
Leaders of the ASEAN group of nations have declared
the establishment of an EU-style regional economic bloc,
ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), a single market
with a free flow of goods, capital and skilled labour in
the region. It will integrate Southeast Asia's diverse
economies, a region with 620 million people and a
combined gross domestic product of $2.6 trillion.

25. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 24
MYANMAR VOTES TO END MILITARY RULE
Free General elections were held in Myanmar after a gap
of almost 25 years. Voters came out in very heavy
numbers to exercise their right. The pro-democracy
party National League for Democracy, led by its
charismatic leader Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to form
the government after a decades-long struggle against
army dictatorship.
WORLD’s SECOND BIGGEST DIAMOND FOUND
The world's second-largest gem quality diamond has
been discovered in Botswana in southern Africa. It is
the biggest diamond to be found in more than a century.
The 1,111 carat gem is only second in size to the 3,106
carat Cullinan diamond, which was unearthed in South
Africa in 1905.
AN EMOJI IS 2015 WORD OF THE YEAR
For the first time, Oxford Dictionary has
chosen an emoji pictograph,
commonly referred to as an
emoticon, as its 2015 Word of the
Year after it made history due to its
popularity on social media and
instant messaging. This was the most
commonly used emoji in 2015.
WIDESPREAD DOPING IN RUSSIA
A report from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
outlined systematic doping in Russian athletics. As a
result, Russia was provisionally suspended from all
international track and field events by International
Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
ISIS MILITANTS DOWN RUSSIAN PLANE
Russia suspended all its flights to Egypt after one of its
aircraft suffered mid-air bomb blast soon after take-off
from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, killing all 224 people on
board. It is suspected that a bomb blast in the aircraft
caused the crash.
The International Day for Tolerance observed
globally on 16 November with an aim to educate people
about the need for tolerance in society and help them
understand the negative effects of intolerance.
 27th ASEAN summit (Association of Southeast Asian
Nations) was held in Kuala Lumpur on November 21.
 The 10th East Asia Summit was held in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia on Nov 22, under the theme Our
People, Our Community, Our Vision.
 UNESCO rejected Kosovo's bid for membership as it
failed to receive the support of two-thirds of the
UNESCO’s member nations.
 Islamist militants laid siege to the Radisson Blue
Hotel in Bamako, capital of Mali killing at least 27
persons from different nations.
 The World Health Organisation on 16 November
2015 launched the World Antibiotic Awareness Week
with the theme Antibiotics: handle with care.
 Operation Inherent Resolve is the name of US
military operation against the Islamic State of Iraq
and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria.
 The World Meteorological Organisation has said that
global average temperatures this year are likely to be
the warmest on record.
 Young supporters of Hong Kong's democracy
movement, known as 'Umbrella Soldiers', won few
seats in the elections dominated by pro-Beijing forces.
 Sierra Leone has been declared Ebola-free by the
WHO, prompting nationwide celebrations tinged with
sadness over the loss of 4,000 victims to the disease.
 Global pharma major Pfizer and Botox maker
Allergan have entered into a $ 160 billion merger
agreement, the biggest ever deal in pharma sector.
 China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba created a new
record in online sales netting $14.33 billion on the
annual Singles Day on Nov 13.
OCTOBER 2015
POORS’ POPULATION TO BE LESS THAN 10 %
As per the latest World Bank report on global poverty,
the number of people living in extreme poverty is likely
to fall for the first time below 10% of the world’s
population in 2015.
 Around 702 million people or 9.6% of the world’s
population will be living in extreme poverty in
2015, down from 902 million or 12.8% in 2012.
 India had largest number of poor in 2012, but its
poverty rate at 21.2 per cent is one of the lowest
among developing countries.
 The World Bank has revised its benchmark poverty
from living on or below $1.25 a day to $1.90 a day.
OPERATION SOPHIA BY EU TO NAB REFUGEES
The European Union has started a new operation
termed Operation Sophia to actively intercept boats
smuggling refugees. Now the EU officials will be able to
board, search, seize and divert vessels suspected of
being used for human smuggling or trafficking on the
high seas, in line with international law.

26. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 25
PAK-AFGHANISTAN HIT BY EARTHQUAKE
A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake killed over 400
persons in Pakistan and Afghanistan and left over 1600
as injured. The epicentre of the earthquake was near
Jurm in northeast Afghanistan.
V-20 GROUP OF NATIONS FORMED
Finance Ministers of 20 nations vulnerable to climate
change launched the V-20 Group on 8 October 2015 in
Lima, Peru. The Group aims to pool resources for their
fight against the impact of global warming and is a
counterpoint to the G20 group of leading industrialised
and emerging economies.
UNO CELEBRATES 70TH ANNIVERSARY
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the United
Nations on October 24, more than 200 landmark monu-
ments in 60 countries from the Pyramids in Egypt to the
Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Empire State Building in
New York will be lit up in blue- the official colour of
UNO.
INDIA RECEIVED OVER $70 BILLION IN 2014
A report from the World Bank says that the remittances
to India are projected to increase by 2.5 per cent this
year even as weak economies in Europe, especially
Russia, are slowing the growth of remittance flows. In
2014, India is estimated to have received remittances
worth $70.3 billion.
NATO CONDUCTS ‘TRIDENT JUNCTURE – 2015’
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) forces
conducted their massive field exercise TRIDENT
JUNCTURE 2015 from October 3 to November 6 in 16
locations across Italy, Spain and Portugal to train,
exercise and learn from one another. Over 36.000
troops – from air, land and maritime forces – from more
than 30 Allied and Partner Nations took part.
UNCTAD PUTS WORLD GROWTH RATE @2.5%
The Trade and Development Report 2015 by the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) says that the growth rate for world in 2015 is
expected to remain more or less unchanged from last
year, at 2.5 per cent. However, India’s GDP is expected
to grow at 7.5% in 2015 compared to China’s 6.9%.
USA SIGNS TRADE DEAL WITH 11 COUNTRIES
11 Pacific Rim nations, including Canada and Chile to
Japan and Australia have agreed to sign with USA, the
largest regional trade accord in history, The Trans-
Pacific Partnership for global commerce and worker
standards, forming over 40 per cent of the world’s
economy.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF OLDER PERSONS
This day was observed on October 1 to raise awareness
about issues affecting the elderly and to appreciate the
contributions that older people make to society. The
theme this year is, 'Sustainability and Age Inclusiveness
in the Urban Environment'.
WORLD’S HIGHEST HYDRO POWER STATION
China has operationalised the world’s highest mega
hydropower station at Zam in Tibet, built on
Brahmaputra River which has raised concerns in India
over the likelihood of disrupting water supplies of River.
 China has announced the end of its hugely
controversial 45 years old one-child policy. Now, all
couples would be allowed to have two children.
 China's GDP decelerated to 6.9 per cent in the third
quarter of this year, posting its worst growth since
the 2009 global financial crisis
 China successfully launched the Tianhui-1C mapping
satellite into its designated orbit from Jiuquan
satellite launch centre
 Senior executives of IMF and World Bank Group held
their annual three-day meeting in Lima, Peru to
address current challenges facing the world economy.
 The World Trade Organization, WTO, has lowered
2015 global trade forecast to 2.8 percent in the face
of a slowdown in the economies of emerging
countries.
SEPTEMBER 2015
UNGA ADOPTS 17 SDGs
United Nations General Assembly formally adopted on
Sep 25 the new global 17 sustainable development goals
(SDGs) that aim to end poverty, hunger, assure gender
equality, and build a life of dignity for all, over the next
15 years. These goals cover three important aspects -
economic growth, social inclusion and environmental
protection.
UN SECURITY COUNCIL REFORMS
The UN General Assembly has unanimously adopted a
document on reform of the Security Council for
discussions at its 70th session, boosting India's bid for a
permanent seat in the revamped world body. India
termed this as "historic" and "path-breaking"
development for achieving UNSC reforms.

27. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 26
US INDIANS LAUNCH ‘MISSION 2022’
The three million strong Indian diaspora (community)
in the USA has launched "Mission 2022" in partnership
with the Confederation of Indian Industries to promote
and strengthen the business ties between two countries.
NEPAL GETS A NEW CONSTITUTION
Nepal's parliament has overwhelmingly approved a new
constitution, which will come into effect from Sep 20. It
comes after years of political wrangling, while Nepal
was governed by an interim constitution after the
monarchy was abolished in 2008.
NEPAL SAYS ‘NO’ TO HINDU STATE
Nepal’s Constituent Assembly on Sep 14 rejected the
demand for converting the country in to a Hindu state,
sparking violent protests across the nation. Nepal was
Hindu state for centuries when kings ruled, but has been a
secular state since the monarchy was abolished in 2006.
PENTAGON TO HAVE INDIA SPECIAL CELL
The US Defence headquarters Pentagon has established
a first-ever country special cell-India Rapid Reaction
Cell to strengthen its defence ties with India and to
accelerate the process of co-development and co-
production of military equipment in the country.
W20 GROUP LAUNCHED BY G20
The Group of leading economies G-20 at their meet of
Finance Ministers in Ankara, Turkey, launched a new
grouping – W20 (women 20) aimed at boosting the role
of women in global economic growth.
CANADA SLIPS INTO RECESSION
Canada, world's 11th-biggest economy has fallen into a
recession, dragged down by falling energy prices and
economic troubles in China. Canadian economy
retreated @ 0.5 per cent in the quarter ending 30th June,
after sliding 0.8 percent the previous quarter.
Negative GDP growth in two consecutive quarters is the
technical definition of a recession.
 In recently concluded 2015 Singapore General
Elections, People’s Action Party (PAP) led by Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong has emerged victorious.
 Two-day Conference of G-20 Finance Ministers and
Central Bank Governors held in Ankara, Turkey on
September 4 and 5.
 As per the new secular constitution of Nepal, Cow has
been declared as the National Animal of Nepal.
PERSONS IN NEWS
NOVEMBER 2015
PAWAN MUNJAL: Managing Director of Hero MotoCorp,
was the highest paid director with a remuneration of
Rs.43.91 crore during the 2014-15 financial year.
ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA:
Chairperson of country's largest
bank SBI remains the most
powerful woman in the Indian
business sector, according to
Fortune India’s latest rankings of
Indian business women. ICICI
Bank's Chanda Kochhar and
Shikha Sharma of Axis Bank
follow at the second and third place, respectively.
LIONEL MESSI: International iconic Football star has
been picked up by the Tata Motors as their global brand
ambassador for their passenger vehicles.
VICTOR PONTA: Romanian Prime Minister was in news
as he announced his resignation bearing moral
responsibility for a nightclub blaze that killed 32 people.
OCTOBER 2015
NAYANTARA SAHGAL, ASHOK VAJPAYEE: Several
noted writers returned their Sahitya Akademi Awards in
protest against what they called the “vanishing space”
for diversity. It was with reference to the recent killings
of rationalists and writers M.M. Kalburgi, Narendra
Dabholkar and Govind Pansare and of Dadri resident
Mohammad Akhlaq, who was lynched on suspicion of
consuming beef.
NAINA LAL KIDWAI: Chairperson of HSBC India since
2009 will retire by the end of this year, having
completed 58 years of age.
JERRY SEINFELD: He has been named as the world’s
highest paid comedian by Forbes. The 61-year-old
comedian earned $ 36 million between June 1, 2014 and
June 1, 2015.
SEPTEMBER 2015
ARVIND PANAGARIYA: Vice-
chairman of Niti Aayog, has
been appointed as the sherpa
for G20 negotiations. A sherpa
represents the government or
the Prime Minister at Group of
20 countries meetings and
helps articulate the official
position on critical issues.

28. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 27
ANUPAM KHER: Bollywood actor was in news as he
was conferred with the Honoured Guest of Texas award
in Houston, USA for his contribution to the cinema and
the world of art.
CHANDA KOCHHAR and Arundhati Bhattacharya have
been ranked as top two in a list of most powerful
business women in Asia-Pacific, prepared by the global
magazine Fortune. They head ICICI Bank and State Bank
of India, respectively.
INDRA NOOYI: PepsiCo CEO is the sole Indian-origin
executive in Fortune's list of 50 most powerful women
in business (placed 2ND), which has been topped by
General Motors CEO Mary Barra.
JHUMPA LAHIRI: Noted Indo American novelist was
honoured with the prestigious National Humanities
Medal by the American President in recognition of her
works highlighting human relation-ships.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II: The 89 year old Queen of Great
Britain reached a major milestone on Sep 8 by becoming
the longest-reigning monarch (since Feb 02, 1952) in
Britain’s history, crossing the earlier record of Queen
Victoria, her great-great-grandmother, who was on the
throne for 63 years, 7 months and two days.
GENNADY PADALKA: Russian astronaut was in news
as he created the record for having spent the most time
in space. His latest mission lasted 168 days, bringing his
total to 879 days in space over five trips.
MARTIN WINTERKORN: The embattled CEO of German
auto major - Volkswagen, resigned in the wake of a
massive scandal in which the company was accused of
systematically manipulating data of exhaust emissions
tests in millions of diesel cars sold worldwide.
AUGUST 2015
SUNDAR PICHAI: India-born technocrat has been
named as the new CEO of the technology giant Google at
an reported annual package of $ 50 million.
ANUPAM KHER: Bollywood actor has been named an
advocate for the UN’s campaign on gender equality.
HARDIK PATEL: 21 year old firebrand youth leader
from Gujarat was in news as he engineered a massive
(and violent) state wide agitation in Gujarat demanding
job reservation for Patel community in the OBC quota.
AMITABH BACHCHAN: Bollywood megastar has been
appointed as ambassador for promoting tiger tourism in
Maharashtra.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: World’s top ranked tennis player
appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
APPOINTMENTS
NOVEMBER 2015
JUSTICE T S THAKUR: New Chief Justice of India
(43rd), succeeding Justice HL Dattu.
NITISH KUMAR: Elected as the new Bihar Chief
Minister
SYED AKBARUDDIN: 1985 batch officer of Indian
Foreign Service has been appointed as the next
Permanent Representative of India to the United
Nations at New York.
NAVTEJ SINGH SARNA: Veteran diplomat, an IFS officer
of 1980 batch, has been appointed as India’s next High
Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
VIJAY KESHAV GOKHALE: Senior diplomat has been
appointed as India’s Ambassador to China.
RAGHURAM RAJAN: Governor RBI has been elected
Vice-Chairman of the Bank of International Settlement
(BIS) at Basel, Switzerland.
SUBIR GOKARAN: Former RBI Deputy Governor has
been appointed as an Executive Director on the board of
the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He will
represent India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
MAHESH KUMAR JAIN: MD and CEO of Indian Bank.
R K TAKKAR: MD and CEO UCO Bank
J K GARG: Managing Director of Corporation Bank
SURESH N PATEL: Appointed as the Managing Director
& Chief Executive Officer of Andhra Bank.
T.S.R. SUBRAMANIAN: Former Cabinet secretary has
been appointed chairperson of a committee set up by
the Human Resource Development Ministry to draft the
new education policy.

29. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 28
HARSHAVARDHAN NEOTIA: Elected as the President
of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI) for the year 2016. He is the Chairman
of Ambuja Neotia group of industries.
SUNIL KANORIA: Appointed as the President of The
Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India
(ASSOCHAM). He is the Vice Chairman of the SREI
Infrastructure Finance Ltd.
Ms. ZARIN DARUWALA: Appointed as Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Standard Chartered Bank, India.
JUSTICE AJIT PRAKASH SHAH: Appointed as the ethics
officer (ombudsman) of the Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI).
MAURICIO MACRI: elected as the new President of
Argentina. He is expected to be Argentina’s most
economically liberal leader since the 1990s. He defeated
the incumbent Mrs. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
JOHN POMBE MAGUFULI: Elected as the new
President of Tanzania
OCTOBER 2015
ARUN JAITLEY: chosen as Finance Minister of the Year,
Asia by London-based publication Emerging Markets.
SHEKHAR BASU: Renowned scientist has been
appointed as the Chairman of Atomic Energy
Commission.
SHASHANK MANOHAR: New President of the Board of
Control for Cricket in India
NAJIB SHAH: Appointed as Chairman of Central Board
of Excise and Customs (CBEC)
VIDYA DEVI BHANDARI: Noted Nepali Communist
leader elected as Nepal’s first woman President by the
Parliament.
K P SHARMA OLI: Veteran Communist party leader
elected as Nepal's new Prime Minister
JIMMY MORALES: elected as the President of
Guatemala
ALPHA CONDE: Re elected as the President of Guinea
JUSTIN TRUDEAU: Newly elected Prime Minister of
Canada from Liberal Party.
ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO: re elected as the President
of Belarus
PEDRO PASSOS COELHO: Newly elected Prime
Minister of Portugal
JIOJI KONROTE: elected as new President of the Pacific
island mini country Fiji.
SEPTEMBER 2015
RATAN P WATAL: New Union Finance Secretary
RAJIV MEHRISHI: Appointed as the new Union Home
secretary.
DEEPAK GUPTA: Appointed as Chairman of Union
Public Service Commission (UPSC).
J MANJULA: Director General, Electronics &
Communication Systems cluster of the DRDO. She is the
first woman DG of a DRDO cluster.
Ms. STUTI NARAIN KACKER: Appointed as the
Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection
of Child Rights (NCPCR).
ALEXIS TSIPRAS: Re-elected as the Prime Minister of
Greece. He had resigned last month.
SHERIF ISMAIL: Elected as the new Prime Minister of
Egypt
MALCOLM TURNBULL: New Prime Minister of
Australia.
AWARDS & HONOURS
NOVEMBER 2015
THE INDIRA GANDHI PRIZE FOR PEACE,
DISARMAMENT AND DEVELOPMENT- 2015:
Awarded to the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) in recognition of its “immense
contributions” in assisting millions of refugees and for
working under difficult circumstances to bring about
changes to reduce the flow of refugees.
KIREN RIJIJU: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs,
was designated as the Disaster Risk Reduction
Champion for the Asia Region by the United Nations
Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). He is the
first Indian to be conferred with this honour.
RAMNATH GOENKA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD: Kuldip Nayar, a veteran journalist, columnist
and author for his contribution to journalism.
KALA SHIKHAR AWARD: Santoor maestro Pandit Shiv
Kumar Sharma for lifetime achievement.
NEW YORK GLOBAL LEADERS DIALOGUE
HUMANITARIAN AWARD: Bindeshwar Pathak, Social
Activist and founder of Sulabh International, for his
contribution to improving the quality of life for millions
of manual scavengers.
INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S PEACE PRIZE:
awarded to Abraham Keita (17) of Liberia for his
“tireless campaigning” to end violence against minors.

30. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 29
OCTOBER 2015
SASTRA Ramanujan Prize 2015: Jacob Tsimerman of
the University of Toronto, Canada.
The age limit for the prize has been set at 32 because
Ramanujan achieved so much in his brief life of 32 years.
MAN BOOKER PRIZE FOR
LITERATURE 2015: won by
Jamaican author Marlon James for his
novel A Brief History of Seven Killings
inspired by the attempted
assassination of famous music icon of
Jamaica Bob Marley in the 1970s.
An Indian short film of 11 minutes, An Old Dog’s Diary
has won prestigious Best Short Film Award at the
2015 London Film Festival.
CONFUCIUS PEACE PRIZE (China): Robert Mugabe,
the Zimbabwean President, for “injecting fresh energy”
into the global quest for harmony.
HARVARD HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD:
Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi has been selected for
the prestigious award given by the Harvard University,
USA annually to an individual whose works and deeds
have served to improve the quality of lives and inspired
people to greater heights.
European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom
of Thought has been awarded to the Saudi blogger Raif
Badawi, whose flogging sentence for causing insult to
Islam invited global criticism.
SEPTEMBER 2015
SKOCH AWARD (India) FOR SMART GOVERNANCE:
Won by Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation
(EPFO) for its initiatives on Universal Account Number
(UAN) Programme.
VYAAS SAMMAN FOR 2014: Noted Hindi writer Dr
Kamal Kishore Goenka for his work 'Premchand ki
Kahaniyon ka Kaal Kramanusaar Adhyayan'
GANDHI PEACE PRIZE-2014: Awarded to ISRO for its
contribution in natin’s development through satellite
based education, health care and connectivity to
community activities.
The Award carries an amount of Rupees one crore in cash,
a plaque and a citation.
UNESCO ‘Award of Excellence’ 2015: Won by India for
the remarkable conservation efforts of the majestic Sree
Vadakkunnathan Temple in Kerala
Indian film Angry Indian Goddesses, a story about a
group of Indian girls in Goa gone wild, was voted as the
first runner-up at the 40th Toronto International Film
Festival in Canada.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
NOVEMBER 2015
Combating Hunger and Achieving Food Security by
M.S. Swaminathan
Chronicles of Time and Chance by Raymond Francis
Isar
Because We Say So by Noam Chomsky
Why India Is Not A Great Power (Yet) by Bharat
Karnad
My Gita by Devidutt Pattnaik
The Mare's Trap by Wendy Doniger.
What Happened to Netaji by Anuj Dhar
Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations by
Nandan Nilekani and Viral Shah
India-Myanmar Relations by Rajiv Bhatia.
OCTOBER 2015
The Clintons' War on Women by Roger Stone and
Robert Morrow
Mrs Funnybones by Twinkle Khanna
To the Brink and Back: India’s 1991 Story
by Jairam Ramesh.
A Children’s History of India by Subhadra Sen Gupta.
The Country of First Boys by Amartya Sen
Baat Niklegi toh Phir by Sathya Saran
Dreaming Big: My Journey to Connect India – an
autobiography of Sam Pitroda, noted technocrat who
brought telecom revolution in India.
The Chinar Leaves by veteran Congress leader and
close aide of the Gandhi family M L Fotedar

31. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 30
Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider’s Account of
Pakistan’s Foreign Policy by Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri,
ex Foreign Minister of Pakistan.
The Courage to Act - A Memoir of a Crisis and Its
Aftermath by Ben S. Bernanke. The author is the ex
governor of the Federal Reserve of USA and the book is
about the lessons learnt from the recessions like 2008
Financial Crisis.
SEPTEMBER 2015
The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue, an autobiography of
Frederick Forsyth, noted thriller novelist.
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Days
by Salman Rushdie.
The Monsoon War: Young Officers Reminisce 1965
India-Pakistan' by Capt Amarinder Singh and Lt. Gen.
Tajindar Shergill
The Curse of Surya by Dev Prasad.
Hubris: Why Economists Failed to Predict the Crisis
and How to Avoid the Next One by Meghnad Desai.
The Power of Meow by David Michie
Muslim Cosmopolitanism in the Age of Empire by
Seema Alavi
Portrait of a Serial Killer by Khushwant Singh (edited
by Mala Dayal)
OBITUARY
NOVEMBER 2015
RAM KRISHNA TRIVEDI: Former Gujarat governor,
Chief Election Commissioner of India and Central
Vigilance Commissioner, passed away after prolonged
illness. He was 94. He is credited with the introduction
of the voter ID cards in Indian Elections.
K. SANKARAN NAIR: Former Chief of the Research and
Analysis Wing (RAW) passed away in Bengaluru. He was
94. Decorated with Padma Bhushan, he was the main
strategist of the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war.
ASHOK SINGHAL: Veteran patron of the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad (VHP) passed away in Gurgaon due to a
prolonged illness. He was 89. He served as the
international working president of the VHP organisation
for over 20 years.
BRIJMOHAN LALL MUNJAL (92): Hero Motocorp Ltd
founder died in Delhi after prolonged illness.
SAEED JAFFREY: Veteran Bollywood actor died in
London. He was 86. He was known for his roles in
movies like Gandhi, Shatranj Ke Khilari, Henna, and
Masoom.
T R GOVINDARAJAN: Senior football administrator and
veteran referee from Tamil Nadu, died after a brief
illness. He was 90.
MAHIP SINGH: Noted writer and journalist passed
away in Gurgaon, after a brief illness. He was 85.
HELMUT SCHMIDT: Former West German Chancellor,
who led the country for eight years (1974-82) at the
height of the Cold War, died at the age of 96.
OCTOBER 2015
RAVINDRA JAIN: Veteran music director-singer-lyricist
passed away in Mumbai. He was 71. Though blind, he
gave music for hit films like Chor Machaye Shor, Geet
Gaata Chal, Chitchor and Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se, in
the 70s and was associated with epic TV serials like
Ramayana and Mahabharata.
SYED ZAHOOR QASIM: Renowned marine biologist
considered as the founder of Polar Biology in India,
passed away in New Delhi. He was 88. He was part of
the first Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1981-82.
K S L SWAMY: Renowned Kannada filmmaker,
producer, actor and playback singer passed away in
Bengaluru. He was 77.
ASHWANI KUMAR: Ex DGP of Border security Force
and ex President of the Indian Hockey Federation,
passed away at 95.
LABH JANJUA: Noted Punjabi singer, famous for
chartbusters like “London Thumakda” and “Jee karda bi
jee karda”, died untimely in Mumbai
MANORAMA (Achhi): Legendary Tamil comedian and
actress, who had starred in over 1,000 southern films,
died at 78 in Chennai.
GAJANAN PENDHARKAR: Chairman of world famous
ayurvedic cosmetics company – Vicco Laboratories, died
in Mumbai. He was 81. He is credited with introduction
of Vicco Vajradanti Toothpaste and Vicco Turmeric
ayurvedic cream.
Dr. SYED AHMED: Governor of Manipur passed away
at Mumbai. He was 73. He was a senior Congress leader.
HENNING MANKELL: Best-selling Swedish crime
writer, whose detective character Kurt Wallander
became a worldwide phenomenon, died at 67 after a
battle with cancer.
SEPTEMBER 2015
JAGMOHAN DALMIYA:
President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI), hailed as the architect of India's rise as the
game's financial superpower, passed away in Kolkata on
Sep 20. He was 75. He was a veteran administrator and
master of marketing. He also served as President of the
International Cricket Council (1997-2000).

32. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 31
AADESH SHRIVASTAVA: Noted Bollywood music
composer passed away at a young age of 51 as he was
suffering from cancer.
M M KALBURGI: 77 year old Kannada scholar and ex
Vice Chancellor of Kannada University was shot dead by
two men at his Dharwad home in Karnataka. Owing to
his iconoclastic views against idol worship, he had
annoyed a section of the Lingayat community and
hardline Hindu groups.
JACKIE COLLINS: Popular British-American romance
novelist passed away in California, United States. She
was 77 and died of breast cancer. She wrote 32 novels,
all of which appeared on The New York Times
bestsellers list. Her books sold more than 500 million
copies in 40 countries.
YOGI BERRA: Legendary Baseball player from USA,
whose humorous quotes made him one of America's
most beloved sports icons, died at the age of 90
CHANDRA BAHADUR DANGI: verified by the Guinness
Book of Records as the world's shortest man - at 21.5
inches (54.6cm) - died of an undisclosed illness in
American Samoa. He was 75 and was ill for long.
PLACES IN NEWS
NOVEMBER 2015
MOUNT RINJA: In Indonesia, hundreds of tourists were
stranded for a third day as volcanic ash from eruptions
from Mount Rinja forced the closure of airports in three
Indonesian islands.
OCTOBER 2015
DADRI: Small town in Uttar Pradesh was in news due to
mob lynching of 52-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq Saifi in
village Bisara on Sep 28 on rumors that he killed a cow
for consuming beef. The incident led to strong reactions
all over India as a strong example of surging ideological
intolerance, particularly in context of religion, leading to
return of government honours by several eminent
intellectuals.
KOTKAPURA: Town in district Faridkot, Punjab
witnessed widespread violent protests by Sikhs against
the alleged desecration of a 'bir' of Guru Granth Sahib in
Bargari village. Later, the protests spread to several
other towns, even in certain places in UK and Canada.
CHANG LA: Situated about 80 km east of Leh (J&K), the
place was in news as the world’s highest research
station, established by the DRDO at an altitude of 17,500
ft became functional there. The station would be used
for extreme altitude bio-medical, material and agro-
animal researches and conservation of endangered
species of plants.
BIR BILLING: Place in Kangra district of Himachal
Pradesh was in news as the first Paragliding World Cup
of South East Asia started there from October 16.
SUNPERH: village in district Faridabad of Haryana was
in news as a Dalit family of four was set afire inside their
house, killing two babies, allegedly by members of the
Rajput community to revenge the killing of three
Rajputs by Dalits, last year. The incident led to
widespread agitation by the Dalit families.
HURRICANE PATRICIA, one of the most powerful
storms on record, struck Mexico's Pacific coast on 23
October, carrying destructive winds with a speed of
165mph, forcing thousands to flee homes and beach
front resorts.
TYPHOON KOPPU attacked the northeastern
Philippines on October 18 with fierce winds, displacing
16,000 villagers and knocking out power in entire
provinces.
SANTA CATARINA PINULA: A small town in
Guatemala, a mini country south of Mexico, was in news
s at least 171 persons were killed there in sudden
mudslides that smashed into a nearby village.
BAGHDAD: The heavily fortified Green Zone in the
capital of Iraq has been opened to the public for the first
time in 12 years as a part of a reform drive. The 10 sq.
kms area is home to government buildings and foreign
embassies and was closed in 2003 after American
invasion.
ARCH OF TRIUMPH: A historical monument built about
2,000 years ago in Palmyra, Syria was in news as it was
blown up by the ISIS terrorists.
SEPTEMBER 2015
PETALWAD, JHABUA: Small town in Madhya Pradesh
was in news as around 100 people were killed and many
more injured after a massive blast caused by mining
explosives stored in a building ripped through a
crowded market area.

33. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 32
MINA: Holy place for Muslims, near Mecca was in news
as over 720 people were killed and over 860 others
injured there in a stampede as Haj pilgrims jostled their
way to perform symbolic stoning of the devil, marking
the culmination of the annual Haj pilgrimage.
MECCA: Muslims’ holiest place in Saudi Arabia was in
news as at least 107 persons were killed and over 200
injured in an accident caused by crane collapsed on Sep
11 during the annual hajj pilgrimage.
COQUIMBO, CHILE: Area in Northern Chile was in
news as more than 9,000 people were left homeless
after it was struck by a 8.3-magnitude quake on
September 16.
MOUNT ASO: One of the largest volcanoes on Japan's
main southern island of Kyushu, erupted on Sep 14,
sending a plume of black smoke 2 km high, but there
were no reports of damage or injuries.
SPORTS WORLD
NOVEMBER 2015
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis lifted their ninth
trophy of the season, winning BNP Paribas WTA Finals
in Singapore
Pankaj Advani, India's most
successful cueist won the
record 15th world title by
winning the IBSF World
Snooker Championship in
Egypt, defeating Zhua Xintong
of China.
Heena Sidhu has won Gold in 10 metre Air Pistol event
at 13th Asian Shooting Championships in Kuwait. Jitu
Rai won silver medal
Shiva Thapa, top Indian boxer was ranked number 2 in
the latest international rankings in the 56 kg category.
Siril Verma, 16 year old shuttler from India won the
silver medal at the BWF World Junior Championships
held in Lima, Peru.
8th Men’s Junior Asia Hockey Cup: India’s junior
men’s team won the cup at Kuantan, Malaysia by
defeating Pakistan.
69th senior National Aquatic Championships 2015:
Mana Patel (women) and Virdhawal Khade (men) were
declared the best swimmers, at Rajkot, Gujarat.
Surjit Hockey Tournament: Railways defeated Indian
Oil in the finals played in Jalandhar.
Wasim Jaffer became the first player in Ranji Trophy
history to notch up 10,000 runs. He reached the
milestone playing against Bengal in Kolkata.
Anju Bobby George, former long
jump world champion has been
appointed as the chairperson of the
Target Olympic Podium Scheme
(TOPS).
Shashank Manohar, BCCI President was authorised to
represent BCCI in ICC (International Cricket Council) as
its Chairman.
China Open Superseries Premier Badminton
tournament: Xuerui Li of China beats Saina Nehwal to
win the Women's Singles title at Fuzhou, China.
World number one Novak Djokovic has become the
first player to win the season-ending ATP World Tour
Finals for the fourth consecutive time by beating Roger
Federer in the finals played in London.
Swiss Indoors Basel Tennis title: Won by Roger
Federer by defeating Rafael Nadal
Agnieszka Radwanska, of Poland, won the BNP Paribas
WTA Finals title at Singapore, beating Petra Kvitova
Nico Rosberg of Germany won the Mexican Grand Prix
F1 championship in Mexico City and the Brazilian
Formula One Grand Prix at Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The Czech Republic won the prestigious women’s team
tennis trophy - Fed Cup after beating Russia in final
played in Prague, capital of Czech Republic.
FIFA Under 17 Football World Cup: Nigeria defeated
Mali to win the championship held in Chile.
The Rugby World Cup: New Zealand lifted the cup
beating Australia in the Final played in London
Mitchell Johnson, Australia’s most devastating fast
bowler of his era, retired from all international cricket
on Nov 17.
The first ever day-night Test match in the history of
cricket started as the third Test between Australia and
New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval in Australia.
Belgium moved to the top of the FIFA world ranking list
in football for the first time, leaving behind giants like
Argentina and world champions Germany. India ranks
pretty low at 172nd place.
OCTOBER 2015
HIGHER DIET MONEY FOR SPORTSPERSONS
Ministry of Sports has decided to enhance the diet
allowance for national level sports persons. The athletes
competing in the power games under Category ‘A’
(boxing, judo, taekwondo, weightlifting and throw
events in athletics) will receive Rs. 700 per day against
Rs. 320 at present. Athletes under Category ‘B’ (sprint
and team events) will get Rs400 per day, while
sportspersons under Category ‘C’ (golf, shooting and
archery) will be entitled for Rs. 300 per day.

34. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 33
Indian archer Abhishek Verma created history by
winning a silver medal in the Archery World Cup Final
held in Mexico City, becoming the first ever Indian to
bag Archery World Cup Final medal. Deepika Kumari
also bagged a silver medal.
Deborah Herold, 20 year old Indian cyclist became
the first ever Indian to win a gold medal, three silver
and one bronze medal in women's elite section in the in
Taiwan Cup Track International Classic in Taiwan.
Anirban Lahiri won the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of the
Month award at Singapore
Yuki Bhambri achieved a career-best rank of 99,
becoming the first Indian tennis player to come under
100 since 2010 in the ATP world rankings.
Shweta Rathore became the first Indian female
bodybuilder to win a silver medal in the 49th Asian
championship held in Uzbekistan
Urvashi Rautela won the Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva
2015 title to become India’s representative for the Miss
Universe pageant.
Saketh Myneni, India’s tennis player won the Vietnam
Open trophy in the finals played at Ho Chi Minh City.
Amit Kumar, Indian para-athlete bagged silver in men's
club throw F51 event in the IPC Athletics World
Championships in Doha
Zaheer Khan, one of India's greatest fast bowlers, bid
adieu to international cricket, admitting that he could no
longer handle the rigours of the game.
Ajay Jayaram won the men’s Badminton title at the
Dutch Open Grand Prix at Almere (The Netherlands).
Pankaj Advani won the IBSF World Billiards
Championship in Adelaide, Australia.
Abhinav Bindra clinched gold in the men's 10 metre
Air Rifle event of the Asian Air Gun Championships in
New Delhi.
Heena Sidhu clinched a Gold medal in the 10-metre air
pistol event of the Asian Air Gun Championships in New
Delhi.
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won their seventh
title together on Oct 3 by winning the Wuhan Open
women’s doubles title at Wuhan, China. Earlier, they
also won the Guangzhou Open on Sep 26.
The Indian teams won five out of six team events in the
Commonwealth Youth, Junior & Senior weightlifting
championships held in Pune, Maharashtra.
Virender Sehwag, one of the world’s most destructive
batsmen to have played the game, announced his
retirement from international cricket and the Indian
Premier League, bringing an end to an illustrious career
spanning 14 years.
Vijender Singh, India’s Olympian boxer made a
smashing professional debut by knocking out Britain's
Sonny Whiting in the middleweight category at
Manchester, UK.
The 12th SAF (South Asian Games) games will be held
from February 6 to 16 in 2016 in Guwahati and
Shillong.
VIJAY KUMAR MALHOTRA: Govt of India has
appointed veteran sports administrator as the President
of the All India Council of Sports.
The 16th National Women Boxing Championship
was held at Bongaigaon in Assam
REFUGEES ALLOWED IN OLYMPICS
The International Olympic Committee has announced
that refugee athletes will be allowed, for the first time,
to take part in next year's Olympics. They will compete
under the Olympic flag. Until now, such athletes have
been unable to participate, because they could not
represent their home country.
Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal to win men’s title in
the China Open at Beijing, China.
Spain’s Garbine Muguruza won the women's singles title
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won their eighth title
of the season by lifting the women’s doubles title.
Cristiano Ronaldo of The Real Madrid won the record
fourth Golden Boot for scoring highest – 48 goals in the
season.
China’s Xuerui Li won the Denmark Open Badminton
Title in the women’s single category, defeating P V
Sindhu of India at Odense, Denmark.
Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia clinched the French
International Badminton title in Paris.
Sultan of Johor Cup (Hockey): Great Britain defeated
Indian junior men's team to lift the cup in Malaysia.
Sergey Karjakin of Russia won the World Cup Chess
Championship, defeating compatriot Peter Svidler in
Baku, Azerbaijan.

35. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 34
Lewis Hamilton of Britain won the Formula 1 Russian
Grand Prix at Sochi, Russia, Japanese Grand Prix at
Suzuka, Japan and U S Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
Luis Leao Pinto of Portugal won the Asia’s premier
mountain biking race to get the crown of ‘King of the
Himalaya’. He took time of 27:29:22 to complete the
600 km long 7 stages biking race.
Women’s European Volleyball Championship was
won by Russia at Rotterdam, Russia.
China won the International Basketball Federation
(FIBA) Asia Championship by defeating the Philippines
at Changsha, China.
Some 2,000 athletes from many indigenous ethnic
groups from 30 countries took part in the first World
Indigenous Games held in Palmas, Brazil.
SEPTEMBER 2015
YOGA GIVEN SPORTS STATUS
The Sports Ministry has decided to recognize Yoga as a
sports discipline and place it in the Priority category.
Fencing has also been upgraded from Others to General
category, based on the past performance in major
international events.
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
NAME SPORTS
1. Jot Singh (ITBP) Mountaineering
2. Arunima Sinha Mountaineering
3. Wg. Cdr. Paramveer Singh Aqua sport
4. Col. Satish Chander Sharma Mountaineering
5. Lt. Col Satyendra Verma Sky diving
The Indian wushu team fetched a rich haul of 1 gold, 4
silver and 7 bronze medals at the 5th International Pars
Wushu Cup in Tehran, Iran.
Deepak Lather won a gold in the 62 kg category in
weight lifting in the fifth Youth Commonwealth Games
in Apia, Samoa.
India stood fifth in the final medal tally in the
Commonwealth Youth Games.
Anil won the gold medal in the 50 kg freestyle category
at the Cadet Wrestling World Championships at
Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
OP Jaisha and Sudha Singh finished 18th and 19th
respectively in the women's marathon at the World
Athletics Championships in Beijing.
Jaisha, however, set a new national record by registering
a time of two hours, 34 minutes and 43 seconds.
Manpreet Kaur of Railways created a new national
record in shot-put throwing, claiming a distance of
17.96 meters at the 55th National Open Athletics
Championship at Kolkata.
Apurvi Chandela clinched the silver medal in women’s
10m air rifle event of the ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup
Finals in Munich, Germany.
Ravi Shastri to continue as the Team Director of the
Indian cricket team till the 2016 T20 World Cup to be
held in India.
55th National Open Athletics Championship started
at SAI Complex in Kolkata on Sep16.
The 42nd World Bridge Teams Championships opened
in Chennai on Sep 26.
U.S. OPEN TENNIS ENDS AT NEW YORK
Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic won the title beating
Roger Federer
Women’s Singles: Flavia Pennetta won the title by
beating Roberta Vinci, both from Italy. Flavia
announced her retirement after winning the title.
Men’s mixed doubles: won by Leander Paes and
Martina Hingis. Paes becomes the player to have won
highest number, of mixed doubles grand slams (Nine).
Women’s doubles: Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis
won the title.
Sebastian Vettel from Germany won 2015 Singapore
Grand Prix of Formula One car race
Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix F1
championship at Monza, Italy.
Shane Watson: Australia's veteran all-rounder
announced his retirement from Test cricket on
September 6, playing his last match in Cardiff, UK.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held in
Durban, South Africa, for the first time.
Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang Province in East
China, has been chosen by the Olympic Council of Asia
(OCA) to host the 2022 Asian Games.
ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED
FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES

36. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 35
DAYS AND DATES
NOVEMBER
Formation Day for Andhra Pradesh
Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya
Pradesh, Punjab
01st Nov
Pneumonia Day 02nd Nov
World Cancer Day 07th Nov
Legal Services Day 09th Nov
National Education Day 11th Nov
World Diabetes Day, National Children
Day
14th Nov
UN’s International Day for Tolerance 16th Nov
National Day for the Deaf 17th Nov
Territorial Army Day 18th Nov
National Integration Day 19th Nov
World Fisheries Day 21st Nov
Flag Day 25th Nov
National Law Day 26th Nov
National Flag Day 30th Nov
DECEMBER
BSF Raising Day, World AIDS Day 01st Dec.
International Day for Abolition of Slavery
(UNO)
02nd Dec.
International Day of Disabled Persons,
World Conservation Day
03rd Dec.
Navy Day 04th Dec.
Armed Forces Flag Day 06th Dec.
International Civil Aviation Day 07th Dec.
National Immunization Day 09th Dec.
Human Rights Day 10th Dec.
UNICEF Day 11th Dec.
National Energy Conservation Day 14th Dec.
Vijay Divas (1971 Pak Victory) 16th Dec.
Minorities Rights Day 18th Dec.
Mathematics Day 22nd Dec.
Kisan Day (Birthday of Ch. Charan Singh) 23rd Dec.
National Consumer Day 24th Dec.
X-Mas Day 25th Dec.
International Day for Biological Diversity 29th Dec.
JANUARY
National Youth Day( B’day of Swami
Vivekanand)
12th Jan.
Army Day 15th Jan.
Desh Prem Divas (B’day of Neta ji Subash
Chandra Bose)
23rd Jan.
National Girl Child Day ( Day Indira Gandhi
became PM of India )
24th Jan.
National Voters Day ( Establishment of
Election Commission)
25th Jan.
International Customs Day 26th Jan.
Martyrs' Day ( Death of Mahatma Gandhi) 30th Jan.
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37. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 36

38. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 37
( JUNE – AUGUST 2015 )
For details please visit our website: www.gyanm.in
NATIONAL NEWS
AUGUST 2015
 Census 2011 data shows that the proportion of
Muslims has registered 0.8 per cent growth from
2001 to 2011 to reach 14.23 per cent, numbering
17.22 crore.
Hindus population share showed a decline by 0.7
per cent to reach 79.80 per cent at 96.63 crore.
 Pahal (Pratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh) for LPG has
made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as
the world's largest cash transfer plan for
households.
 Bengaluru has been ranked as the cleanest among
capital cities in India and Mysuru as the most clean
city as per the Swachh Bharat rankings.
 India and China opened their fifth border meeting
point on August 1 at Daulat Beg Oldie in northern
Ladakh for local military commanders meetings.
 On July 31, 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in Coochbehar,
West Bengal merged with India, while 111 Indian
enclaves in Bangladesh merged with that country.
 7th August will be celebrated every year as National
Handloom Day to promote quality handloom
products in international markets
 World Bank has agreed to provide $ 412.40 million
assistance for the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation
Project- I & II
 Prime Minister Modi made a two day visit to the
strategically-important UAE on August 16-17. He is
the first Indian PM to visit UAE after 34 years.
 James Alix Michel, President of the Seychelles
came to New Delhi on 25 August on a three-day visit
to India.
 Filipe J Nyusi, President of Mozambique arrived in
India on August 5 on a five day visit. The two
countries signed MoU on expanding cooperation in
energy sector.
 Adam Gilchrist, former Australian cricketer has
been appointed Australia's first education
ambassador to India.
 India has started the hotlines between Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack
Obama and their national security advisers.
 Govt released a commemorative postal stamp of Rs
5 on August 24 on emperor Ashoka who ruled the
Indian subcontinent from 269 BC to 232 BC.
 Latest release from the Census 2011 data shows
that only 6.8 crore Indians (8.15%) have
qualification of graduation and above.
 The 18th Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
started functioning from its temporary campus at
Palakkad, Kerala.
 Second summit of Forum for India Pacific Island
Countries (FIPIC) was held in Jaipur on August 21.
 India signs tax information exchange agreement
with Seychelles to curb generation of black money.
JULY 2015
 The World Bank has ranked three social welfare
schemes as the biggest in the world:
 MGNREGA as the world's largest public works
programme
 Mid-day Meal Scheme as the biggest school feeding
programme covering 10.5 crore beneficiaries.
 The Janani Suraksha Yojna, with 7.8 crore
beneficiaries, in the category of social security
programme
 The World Bank has agreed to provide $250-million
financial assistance for the Andhra Pradesh Disaster
Recovery Project
 Modi visited Russia and five Central Asian countries
from July 6-13, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,
Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
 The six cities – Guwahati, Jorhat, Kohima, Dimapur,
Itanagar and Agartala will be developed under the
Development of Solar Cities Programme.

39. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 38
 Digging work over for the 9-km long Patnitop
tunnel between Chenani and Nashri, the longest in
South Asia.
 President has nominated 2 members of Anglo-
Indian Community to Lok Sabha as per the
provisions of Article 331 of Indian Constitution.
 They are – Prof. Richard Hay, Economist from
Kerala and George Baker, noted film actor from
West Bengal.
 On the World Population Day (July 11), at 5 pm, the
number of Indians hit 127, 42, 39, 769, which is
17.25 per cent of the global population
 Yogi Adityanath panel has sought doubling of the
existing Rs 50,000 salary of MPs and increasing
their pension from Rs 20,000 to Rs 35,000.
 The Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data
released on July 3 shows that there were total 24.39
crore households in country.
 Of this, 17.9 crore – 73% were rural households, of
which 2.37 crore or 13% still live in houses with
only one room, kuccha walls and kuccha roof.
 Manual casual labour is the main source of income
for 51% of rural households, followed by
cultivation, pursued by 30% of households.
 Govt has sanctioned Rs.1,000 crore for a 15-km
India-Bangladesh railway project from Agartala in
Tripura to Akhaura in Bangladesh.
 ADB to give a loan of $ 300 million to India for
improving road connectivity in the North Eastern
Region.
 India and Kazakhastan issued a joint statement - Tej
Kadam highlighting the continuation of strategic
partnership between the two nations.
 Government has decided to give Cabinet minister’s
rank to the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, Arvind
Panagariya.
 Asian Development Bank to provide $ 300 million
loan to support the Government’s flagship program,
the National Urban Health Mission.
 India and Georgia signed an MoU in New Delhi for
cooperation in election management and
administration.
 26th July was celebrated as the Kargil Vijay Diwas as
the 16th anniversary of the Indian victory in the
1999 Kargil war.
 Of the 31 countries which produce power from
nuclear sources, India is 12th, producing 5308 MWe.
The list is topped by USA producing 98639 MWe.
 National Broadcasting Day was observed on 23 July.
It is on this day in 1927, the Indian Broadcasting Co.
started first radio broadcasting from Bombay.
 Government has announced that 14 States and
Union Territories have achieved or exceeded the
literacy rate of 80 percent.
JUNE 2015
 India broke two Guinness records on the occasion of
the International Yoga Day at Rajpath, New Delhi
 One for the largest yoga assembly of 35,985 at a
single venue and the other for participation
from 84 nationalities in a single event.
 Prime Minister Modi reached Dhaka on June 6 on a
two-day visit to Bangladesh.
 The two countries agreed to start Kolkata-
Dhaka-Agartala (466+152 kms) bus service and
Guwahati – Dhaka (496 kms) bus services.
 President of India visited Sweden on May 31 on his
five- day visit to the country and Belarus. This is
first ever visit by an Indian President to Sweden.
 As per the Baseline Profitability Index (BPI)
compiled in New York, USA, India has been ranked
the best country in terms of attracting foreign
investors.
 According to a World Bank report, India figures
among top five emerging economies for the highest
investment commitments in private sector.
 Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of Netherland, arrived
in New Delhi on a two-day visit to India, June 5-6.
 A new global study reveals that elder abuse in India
is the lowest in Asia with an incidence of 14 per cent
only while it is the highest in China at 36 per cent.
 China opened the second land crossing in Tibet via
Nathu La in Sikkim, to allow Indian pilgrims
Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra.
 Bhagavad Gita, the sacred ancient Indian scripture,
has made its debut in China after its Chinese version
was released in the country.
 The Election Commission suspended the
recognition of National People’s Party because it
failed to submit its poll expenditure statements.

40. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 39
 India and USA have signed a series of agreements
for cooperation in health sector in areas like cancer
research, medical infrastructure development etc.
 India, Australia and Japan held trilateral talks in
New Delhi to discuss a range of issues including the
security situation in the Asia Pacific
 Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur will soon
become the first engineering institute in India to
venture into medical education.
 India has joined the Multilateral Competent
Authority Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic
Exchange of Financial Account Information by
signing the pact in Paris.
 India is home to the highest number of hungry
people in the world, at 194 million, surpassing
China, according to the United Nations annual
hunger report
 India ranked among 20 most violent places globally,
standing at 143rd rank in 2014.
 India was ranked 44th in the annual global
competitiveness report by a Switzerland-based
business school
 In terms of emissions of climate - damaging
greenhouse gases, India ranks fourth in world,
accounting for roughly 7 per cent of emissions.
 The three-day World Bangla Conference organized
by the Vishwa Bangla Sammelan was held in
Nagpur, Madhya Pradesh.
 India has emerged as Britain's third biggest job
creator in 2014 as it saw a 65% increase in FDI from
India, leading to 9,350 new jobs in 122 projects.
 India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh signed a Motor
Vehicles Agreement for the regulation of passenger
and cargo vehicular traffic.
 India emerged the top donor country for Nepal by
pledging $ one billion aid for reconstruction of
earth- quake hit Nepal
 World Bank gave a $250 million loan for Jhelum and
Tawi Flood Recovery Project for reconstruction of
flood-affected infrastructure in J&K.
NEWS FROM STATES
AUGUST 2015
 Birth centenary celebrations of freedo fighter Rani
Gaidinliu were inaugurated in Nagaland on August
24.
 Gujarat witnessed widespread violent clashes after
the massive rally on August 25 for demanding
special job reservation for Patel community.
 Cochin International Airport, Kochi on August 18
became the first airport in the world to operate
completely on solar power.
 Maharashtra government has accorded the status of
adventure sport to the art of forming ‘human
pyramids’ in Dahi Handi festival.
 Two war memorials were inaugurated in Jaisalmer
and Longowal in Rajasthan in the honour of war
heroes of 1965 and 1971 Indo Pak war,
respectively.
 Telangana govt has signed a MoU with the
Department of Posts for sale of stamp papers at post
offices from September 1 to avoid fraud and forgery.
 Kerala would be the first fully digital state in the
country by March 2016 by utilising e-governance to
deliver efficient and transparent services.
JULY 2015
 The 5th Youth Delphic Games for cultural events will
be held in Goa in February 2016.
 Bangalore has been ranked 12th in the list of top 20
technology-rich cities of world, as per a survey by
Jones Lang LaSalle.
 The "Abar Souchagar" project in West Bengal's
Nadia district, has won the UN Public Service Award
for becoming the first 'Open Defecation Free'
district
 Vadodara in Gujarat and China's Xinjinag province
have signed a MoU to enhance infrastructure
growth and development between the two regions.
 U P State Road Transport Corporation has become
the first transport corporation to have a vehicle
tracking system for it’s over 9600 inter-city buses,
 A report by NSDC says that Haryana tops in
automobile production, accounting for 50% of total
passenger cars and two-wheelers produced in India.
 The Haryana government has launched the ‘Mhara
Gaon Jagmag Gaon’ scheme to ensure 24-hour
power supply to the villages
 The Home Ministry has declared Nagaland a
“disturbed area” under section 3 of the Armed
Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958
 Kerala Tourism has won Pacific Asia Travel
Association award for its Muziris Heritage
Conservation Project in Heritage & Culture
category.
 Uttarakhand became the first state in India to
successfully install an Earthquake Warning
System to detect earthquakes and disseminate
warnings.
 Chennai is 6th city in India to have the Metro train.
The first train covered an overhead stretch between
Koyambedu and Alandur for 10 km.

41. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 40
 The Tripura government has introduced a pension
scheme for transgenders allowing them a pension of
Rs 500 per month.
JUNE 2015
 Rajasthan, with an installed capacity of 1147
megawatt for solar power, topped the list of states
commissioning grid connected solar power projects.
 Kerala launched the Digital locker system ‘Akshay’,
under which the public can store records and
certificates and downloaded as and when required.
 A two-day long annual Hemis festival dedicated to
Guru Padmasambha was held in Ladakh region of
Jammu and Kashmir.
 The Govt has decided to include Muzaffarnagar
district of U P and the Jind and Karnal districts of
Haryana as part of the National Capital Region
(NCR).
 The 17,500-feet high Lipulekh Pass in Pithoragarh
district of Uttarakhand was opened for this year's
India-China trade and Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
 Jaipur Metro, touted as one of the fastest built
metro systems in the country, has been thrown
open to public.
 India’s first of its kind Tier-I Oil Spill Response
Centre for Mumbai Port Trust, Jawaharlal Nehru
Port Trust and ONGC near Mumbai was
inaugurated.
 Steffi Graf, Tennis legend from Germany, has been
appointed the brand ambassador for Ayurveda by
Kerala.
GOVT INITIATIVES
AUGUST 2015
 The Centre declared the names of 98 cities for its
smart cities project. U P leads by getting 13 cities,
followed by Tamil Nadu-12
 The Government launched a health service called
SEHAT (Social Endeavour for Health And
Telemedicine) in collaboration with the Apollo
Hospitals
 Government has launched the web portal "Vidya
Lakshmi” (www.vidyalakshmi.co.in) for the benefit
of students seeking educational loans.
 India has ratified the International Seafarers’
Identity Documents Convention, 2003 to provide a
globally recognised identity document to its
seafarers.
 Online beneficiary registration system, ‘On-line On-
Site’ launched to provide assistive aids to persons
with disabilities.
 Government has decided that from this year
onwards, IAS probationers will start their career
from New Delhi before joining their respective
states
 Govt has launched Suraksha Bandhan Yojna through
banks and insurance companies to facilitate
enrolment under two social security schemes –
 Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan
Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana
 Govt launched a new national scheme Nai Manzil
from Patna to address educational and livelihood
needs of minority communities
 Sendai framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
2015-2030 adopted to increase preparedness for
response and recovery in case of disaster.
 This framework was adopted during the third UN
World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held
in Sendai, Japan in March 2015.
 A peace accord was signed with the National
Socialist Council of Nagaland-NSCN (Isak-Muivah
group), to end two decades old insurgency problem.
 Ministry of Rural Development has launched
‘SAMANVAY’ web portal to monitor progress of the
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.
 Government has extended e-Tourist Visa facility to
China, Hong Kong and Macau with effect from 30
July 2015.
 The Union Cabinet has approved direct benefit
transfer to beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
(MGNREGS).
 Government has launched the School Nursery
Yojana, to bring students closer to nature by
involving them in raising of saplings in school
nurseries.
 Govt proposes to rename the present Agriculture
Ministry as 'Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
Ministry’ to focus on the welfare of farmers.
JULY 2015
 Govt has launched E-kisan portal to allow the
farmers to showcase their farm produce on the
Internet for wholesalers to bid remotely.
 Govt has launched a web portal for online
submission of applications for Environment
Clearance by State Environment Impact Assessment
Authorities
 The government has launched the 'Digital India'
initiative for digital delivery of all essential services
online to citizens

42. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 41
 The government has launched the National Career
Counseling Portal to coordinate all government-run
employment exchanges.
 Govt launched an All India Railway Helpline
number, 1512, to allow passengers to lodge a
complaint in both, running trains and stations in
India.
 The National Heritage City Development and
Augmentation Yojana(HRIDAY) launched for
development of 12 historical cities across India.
 The National Floor Level Minimum Wage has been
increased to Rs. 160 per day from the existing Rs.
137 effective from July 1 this year.
 Govt plans to provide skill development training to
10 crore youth over the next five years under the
National Skill Development Mission.
 Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana launched
for power sector reforms in rural areas to ensure
round the clock electricity supply
 The govt will give national awards with a cash prize
of Rs 1.5 lakh to 3 best rag-pickers and 3
associations for their contribution to keeping India
clean.
 The govt has launched the Surakshit Khadya
Abhiyan to create mass awareness and capacity
building for safe and hygienic food.
 The govt has decided to start an exhibition train—
Science Express to sensitise the people, especially
children and the youth, about Climate Change.
 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
approved the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee
Yojana with an outlay of Rs. 50000 crore.
 The retirement fund body Employees’ Provident
Fund Organisation, EPFO, has launched a public
outreach initiative by the name ‘Nidhi Aapke Nikat'.
JUNE 2015
 Smart Cities Mission launched for applying smart
solutions to improve infrastructure and service
delivery in the cities.
 Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban
Transformation-AMRUT launched for infrastructure
development of 500 cities
 Housing For All launched to ensure decent houses
for all the needy, particularly the economically
weaker sections and low income group in all towns.
 The government launched the first modernised
Anganwadi centre of India as part of Nand-Ghar
Yojana
 BSNL starts wi fi hotspot for free internet service at
Taj Mahal from June 16.
 The Women and Child Development Ministry has
launched a new website - www.khoyapaya.gov.in
 It will help people to not only report a missing
child but also track the efforts towards his or
her recovery. .
 Govt has started a mobile app, Bhuvan Ganga,
where public can upload pictures of pollution
sources of the Ganga River for further action by
authorities.
 Jal Kranti Abhiyan started from Jaipur aimed at
turning at least one water stressed village in each
district of the country into a water surplus village.
 EPFO has decided to make Universal Account
Number (UAN) mandatory for all employers
covered under the EPF and Miscellaneous
Provisions Act 1952.
 Railways have tied up with Spice Jet and Go Air to
enable the wait listed train travellers to cancel the
train ticket and get an air ticket by paying some
extra fare.
 Govt has launched an insurance pool of Rs. 1,500
crore, to offset the financial burden on foreign
nuclear suppliers in case of an accident.
 Government has launched a mobile application for
easy access of information regarding the nearest
blood bank in the country.
 The government has launched a web portal and
weather alert system for the benefit of farmers
called Crop Insurance Portal
www.farmer.gov.in/insurance.
 Govt. has decided to increase the number of
workdays under NREGA scheme from 100 days to
150 days, only in drought affected areas.
 Individuals having income only from salary /
interest will fill Form ITR-1 (Sahaj) and those
having income from business will fill Form ITR-4S.
 The Govt has decided to rename Solar Energy
Corporation of India (SECI) as the Renewable
Energy Corporation of India (RECI).

43. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 42
 The Government has withdrawn the customs
import duties for drugs and test kits used to treat
HIV and AIDS infections.
 The Railway Ministry has decided to run Suvidha
trains from next month with dynamic fares to
address the rush during the peak travel season.
 The second border haat (rural market) opened at
Kamalasagar in Sipahijala district of Tripura
bordering Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh.
 Indian Renewable Energy and Development
Agency has been awarded the Mini Ratna-I status
by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
 Indian Railways has named Haridwar Mail running
between Ahmedabad-Haridwar as Yoga Express to
commemorate the International Yoga Day.
 The Railways has commenced the SMS alerts to
inform the passengers about the cancelled trains to
enable them to make alternative arrangements.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
AUGUST 2015
 Moody's Investors Service has reduced India's
growth forecast for 2015-16 to around 7% from 7.5
% projected earlier, citing below-normal rainfall.
JULY 2015
 Global rating agency Fitch says that India is
expected to grow at 7.8 per cent in 2015.
 IMF has retained India's growth forecast for current
year at 7.5%, which is higher than China's 6.8%.
JUNE 2015
 According to the data released by the Central
Statistics Office (CSO), the Indian economy grew at
7.3 per cent in 2014-15 (base year 2011-12)
 World Bank says that India is expected to top the
growth chart in world, growing by 7.5 per cent this
year, surpassing China’s expected 7.1 per cent.
 RBI has lowered the economic growth forecast for
2015-16 to 7.6% from 7.8 % projected in April.
ECONOMY
AUGUST 2015
 Three Indian companies have been named among
the world’s 100 most innovative companies list
compiled by Forbes magazine of USA.
 These companies are Hindustan Unilever, Sun
Pharma Ind. and Tata Consultancy Services. The list
is topped by Tesla Motors of USA.
 Foodgrains production in India in 2014-15 was
252.68 million tonnes, down by 12.36 million
tonnes (4.9%) from last year’s production of 265.04
million tonnes.
 India plans to spend $1.5 billion in the next three
years to help farmers grow oil palm trees to make
the nation self-sufficient in edible oils.
 The country's most popular scooter - the Honda
Activa - has set a new record by crossing the one
crore unit sales landmark.
 Rajesh Exports Ltd. Bengaluru, has acquired
Switzerland based Valcambi gold processing
company to become world’s largest gold jewellery
manufacturer
 Union Cabinet has approved setting up of National
Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) to
support new and delayed projects.
 The Union Cabinet has approved construction of
petroleum products pipeline from Raxaul (Bihar) in
India to Amlekhgunj in Nepal.
 Kolkata Port adjudged as the best ‘Major Port of the
Year’ in the country for the year 2014-15 on basis of
its turnover, efficiency and customer satisfaction.
 The government's 10 %stake sale in Indian Oil
Corporation on Aug 24 fetched around Rs. 9300 cr.
 Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn to invest $5
billion in Maharashtra to set up large scale research
& development and manufacturing facilities.
JULY 2015
 Seven Indian companies are among the world's 500
largest companies, according to a list compiled by
Fortune Magazine, USA, lead by IOC at 119th rank.

44. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 43
 The government has decided to cap the subsidy on
kerosene at Rs 12 per litre.
 The marine product exports from India crossed all
previous records in quantity, rupee value and dollar
terms in 2014-15
 The National Dairy Development Board has
launched a mobile app ‘Pashu Poshan’ to help dairy
farmers in raising milk yield and cutting feed cost.
 The Indian Army and Railways are among the
world’s biggest employers, employing 1.4 and 1.3
million, respectively, securing 7th and 8th rank.
 ICRISAT and Telangana have collaborated to launch
the Green Phablet for farmers in Telangana to
provide online weather alerts.
 The World Bank has approved an additional loan of
$650 million for the Eastern Dedicated Freight
Corridor
 EPFO has proposed that an employee be allowed to
withdraw only 75% of the overall kitty, instead of
100% as permitted under the existing rules.
 The Life Insurance Council has engaged CIBIL to
detect duplication of death claims under the
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojna.
 The Electronic Toll Collection system was launched
on the Chennai-Bengaluru corridor on July26,
aiming to help road-users save time and money.
 BSNL, along with Andhra Bank and Pyro, has
launched a mobile VISA prepaid card SPEEDPAY to
allow users to do cash transactions up to Rs 1 lakh.
 The government plans to import 5,000 tonnes of
Urad dal to improve domestic supply and check
price rise.
 India and Thailand signed the Double Taxation
avoidance treaty and the extradition treaty for
seeking extradition of fugitive offenders.
JUNE 2015
 The Cabinet has revised solar power capacity target
under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission
by 5 times, reaching 1,00,000 MW by 2022.
 SEBI has announced relaxed listing norms to
encourage the booming start-up industry to tap the
local market so that local investors can also benefit.
 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
increased the MSP of paddy by Rs 50 to Rs 1,410 per
quintal for this year.
Commodity Rs./quintal Commodity Rs./quintal
Paddy 1410 Ragi 1650
Paddy 1450 Tuar / Urad 4625
Jowar 1570 Moong 4850
Bajra 1275 Groundnut 4030
Maize 1325 Sunflower Seed 3800
Cotton Med. 3800 Cotton long 4100
 India is home to the fourth largest number (928) of
ultra-high-net-worth households that have more
than 100 million dollars in private wealth.
 Investment in all IPOs from 1 January 2016, has
been made cheque-free by SEBI by making ASBA
mandatory for investors.
 Further, for listing of new shares, the time
allowed has been reduced from the current 12
days to 6 days from the closure of the issue.
 Luanda, capital of Angola has been rated as the
world’s costliest city to live in while Mumbai was
rated as the most expensive city in India.
 India’s largest private miner Vedanta, to absorb oil
firm Cairn India to create India’s largest diversified
natural resources company.
 Govt has decided to hike the Minimum Import Price
on import of Areca nuts from Rs 110/ kg Rs 162/kg
to protect local growers from cheaper imports.
 The 'Jal Marg Vikas' project on River Ganges to start
between Allahabad and Haldia with a $3.5 million
funding from World Bank.
Bangladesh has granted permission to Life
Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India to do
business in the country
 India has agreed to be a partner country in Russia’s
major Industrial Fair named INNOPROM-2016 to be
held at Yekaterinburg, Russia in July 2016
 World Bank granted a $400-million loan for the
Tamil Nadu Sustainable Urban Development Project
to improve services in urban local bodies.
BANKING
AUGUST 2015
 The Reserve Bank of India gave in principle
approval for 11 entities on August 19 to set up
payments banks.
 Concept of payment banks was proposed by the
Nachiket Mor committee.
 They differ from conventional banks as they cannot
give loans nor can they accept time deposits.
 Balance in deposit accounts cannot exceed Rs 1 lakh.
 They can issue debit cards but not credit cards.
 They will need to invest 75 percent of their funds in
government securities
 RBI has allowed banks to extend repayment period
of farm loan upto 5-years if 50 percent or more of
crop is damaged due to drought or flood.
 R Gandhi committee has recommended allowing
UCBs to exit from the ambit of the Multi State Co-
operative Societies Act and come under the
Companies Act.

45. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 44
 The RBI has asked banks to provide 2% subvention
on short term farm loans upto Rs. 3 lacs provided
they charge not more than 7% to farmers.
 Further, additional subvention of 3% will be
available to farmers who repay such loans in time.
 IRDAI has allowed banks to tie up with insurers to
sell three products each from life, non-life and
standalone health insurance segment.
 SIDBI launched SIDBI Make in India Loan for
Enterprises (SMILE) for providing soft loans to
MSMEs.
 It also launched The India Aspiration Fund to create
7.5 lakh jobs in five years.
 Bandhan Bank began operations on August 23 as a
full-fledged bank with 501 branches and 1.43 crore
accounts across the country.
 SBI launched a mobile wallet application, SBI
Buddy, in collaboration with Accenture and
Mastercard.
 ICICI Bank has launched the first of its kind fully
automated digital locker named 'Smart Vault'.
 Project “Indra-dhanush” launched to lay down the
framework for the revival of public sector banks.
 It aims to provide immediate capital support, create
a Bank Board Bureau, improve governance
standards and focus on the quality of the business
 Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched ‘Kotak Bharat’
app to provide mobile banking services to
customers without using internet support.
 RBI to transfer its surplus profit of Rs 65,896 crore
to the Centre, which is about 25% more than the
amount given last year.
 RBI to issue 10 rupee coins to commemorate Inter-
national Yoga Day. The coins will have image of lion
capital on one side and logo of Yoga Day on the
other.
 Govt has notified that the second and fourth
Saturday of every month would be a holiday for
banks, with effect from September 1, 2015.
 NABARD has been accredited by the Green Climate
Fund of UNO as an implementing entity for
undertaking climate change related projects in
India.
 HDFC Bank has launched ‘Dhanchayat’, an
educational film to raise awareness on the dangers
of borrowing money from unorganised sources.
 ICICI Bank has announced ‘Saral-Rural Housing
Loan’ up to Rs. 15 lakh with a special interest rate
equal to its base rate which is currently at 9.70 %.
JULY 2015
 The Reserve Bank has permitted the banks without
ATM network to collaborate with bigger banks to
issue debit cards
 The Union Cabinet has agreed to continue the
interest subvention of three per cent on short-term
crop loans of up to Rs. 3 lakh to farmers
 RBI has asked banks to use Central Repository of
Information on Large Credits – CRILC data to verify
the credit history of their customers.
 HDFC Bank's digital banking offering christened Go
Digital has designed a 30-minute auto loan and 15-
minute two-wheeler loan for loan seekers
 The United Bank of India has topped the list of
public sector banks with 21.5% of its loans
classified as NPA.
 SBI has launched 'Project Tatkal' to attract home
loan seekers by offering them the loan within 10
days after the receipt of application
 SBI has launched an app State Bank Rewardz to give
reward points to all its customers for almost every
banking transaction done with the bank.
 RBI has allowed Mass Transit System operators
such as Mumbai Metro, Delhi Metro, Indian
Railways and even local buses to issue their pre-
paid cards.
 Axis Bank to get $200 million loan from the Asian
Development Bank for extending customized and
affordable agriculture credit to farmers.
 Axis bank has launched 'Touch ID' - a one touch
authentication for doing transactions through its
mobile app using Apple iPhone 5s and above.
 The State Bank of India plans to offer up to 3% of its
annual profit to employees as part of a talent
retention and motivation initiative.
 RBI has set up a committee headed by Deepak
Mohanty to work out action plan to spread the
reach of financial services to unbanked population.
 Corporation Bank has launched the country’s first
MUDRA (Micro Units Development and
Refinance Agency) card based on the RuPay
platform.

46. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 45
 The Reserve Bank has signed a currency swap
agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to let
it draw up to $ 1.1 billion for up to 6 months.
 HDFC Bank plans to roll out handheld machines that
could work like micro ATMs, in areas where setting
up of full-fledged ATMs is not commercially viable.
 The State Bank to open more digital branches like
InTouch and InTouch Light, e-corners at existing
branches to target young, tech-savvy customers.
JUNE 2015
 Reserve Bank of India has cut the repo rate by 25
basis points to 7.25 per cent from 7.5% in its first
monetary policy review on June 2.
The new rates are as under: (w.e.f. 02.06.2015)
Repo Rate………………………7.25%
Reverse Repo…………………6.25%
Marginal Standing Facility…8.25%
Bank Rate…………………………8.25%
Statutory Liquidity Ratio…..21.5%
Cash Reserve Ratio……………4.0%
 RBI has allowed postpaid mobile service, piped gas
and water supply bills to be submitted as proof of
address for opening bank account of low-risk
persons.
 Some other proof of address include Bank/ PO
a/c statement; pension payment orders,letter of
allotment of accommodation from official
bodies.
 The RBI has issued Rs 100 denomination bank notes
in Mahatma Gandhi Series - 2005 with new security
features.
 Now the numerals in both the number panels of
these bank notes will be in ascending size from
left to right.
 The Reserve Bank has allowed the banks to borrow
from global multilateral financial institutions for
general banking business.
 RBI has permitted Indian corporates, eligible to
raise external commercial borrowings (ECBs), to
issue rupee- linked bonds overseas.
 The RBI has issued the final guidelines for the 6-
year and 13-year cash settled Interest Rate Futures
(IRF) on government securities
 RBI has allowed banks to takeover debt-laden
companies by converting loans into equity if
company fails to revive within a stipulated time
frame.
 The Reserve Bank has issued the draft guidelines on
the net stable funding ratio (NSFR) under Basel III
framework on liquidity standards for banks
 RBI has capped the remuneration of non-executive
director of private banks to Rs 10 lakh
 HDFC Bank has launched a mobile phone
application, PayZapp, for online payments and
money transfer.
 State Bank of India will install 10 lakh payment card
swipe machines to double the number of places
where card payments are accepted.
 The Department of Post (India Post) has signed a
deal with CMS Info Systems to personalise over 15
million debit cards for its savings account holders.
 The RBI has extended the date for exchange of pre-
2005 currency notes to December 31, 2015. The
earlier deadline was to expire on June 30.
 Reserve Bank of India has allowed non-resident
Indians (NRIs) to invest in chit funds to encourage
flow of capital into the country.
 ICICI Bank became the first bank to partner with
Alibaba.com for providing trade finance to their
India-based sellers
 SBI has launched an internet-based platform ‘SBI
eforex’, to enable customers to book their foreign
exchange transactions online.
DEFENCE, SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
AUGUST 2015
 Ten day bi-lateral air exercise between Indian and
British Air forces named
Indradhanush concluded in Britain.
 Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd and Europe’s
Airbus Helicopters set up a joint venture to manu-
facture military helicopters for the first time in India.
 India’s first Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence
and Surveillance System was commissioned in Kochi,
Kerala to beef up coastal security.
 ISRO launched its 25th home-made communications
satellite GSAT-6 on August 27, using the Geo-
synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D6)
 A global satellite for earth observation and disaster
risk reduction -- GlobalSat for DRR under UN
framework, will be named as “UN Kalam GlobalSat”
 A new Science and Innovation Museum called
'Navachara Kaksh' was inaugurated at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 5.
 Google has reorganized itself into a multiple
company organization under a new umbrella
company called Alphabet.
 Google will now be the biggest company in the fold
of Alphabet.
 Google India launched in Mumbai, a special
programme named Internet Saathi in collaboration
with Tata Trust on July 3 to bring more women
online.
 NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment
Explorer (LADEE) has confirmed the presence of
glowing neon gas in the moon’s atmosphere.

47. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 46
 A new vaccine against the Ebola virus disease ‘rVSV-
ZEBOB’, developed by the Public Health Agency of
Canada has shown 100 % efficiency in a trial run.
 Microsoft has rolled out its new operating system
Windows 10 with a host of new features like
Cortana, an Xbox app and Microsoft Edge.
 Asia’s biggest multi-application solar telescope
(MAST) has been started in the Udaipur Solar
Observatory in Rajasthan.
JULY 2015
 INS Viraat, the oldest aircraft carrier in the world,
will soon be converted into a museum, at the shores
of Kakinada port on Andhra coast
 The ingeniously-developed supersonic surface-to-
air missile "Akash" was formally inducted into the
Indian Air Force in Gwalior.
 The USA has agreed to provide technological
support to India for building the next aircraft
carrier and the Light Combat Aircraft jet engine.
 India and Russia have agreed to jointly manufacture
200 military helicopters in India.
 India test-fired its indigenously developed anti-tank
guided missile ‘Helina’ in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. It
can hit a target up to seven km away from a
helicopter.
 The indigenously-built Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV)
ICGS Rani Durgavati was commissioned by the
Indian Coast Guard in Vishakhapatnam.
 The ISRO successfully test-fired the first indigenous
high-thrust cryogenic rocket engine for more than
its full duration
 The PSLV C-28 successfully put into orbit five
British satellites It was ISRO’s biggest and the
heaviest commercial launch till date.
 Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan launched to train govt
schools by IITs, IIMs and Universities etc. to
inculcate a spirit of inquiry, creativity and love for
science
 China is about to complete construction of the
world's largest single-aperture radio telescope
FAST in 2016.
 NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has provided the
closest-ever pictures of the Pluto, showing the
details of its geology.
 NASA has found a planet which is 'the closest twin
to Earth', named Kepler-452b, located about 1,400
light years away in the constellation Cygnus.
 June 30 this year will officially be a bit longer than
usual because an extra second, or 'leap' second, will
be added to the day.
 The world's first malaria vaccine Mosquirix has got
a green signal from the European drugs regulators.
 eMudhra Ltd of Bengaluru became the first
company in India to launch online electronic
signature service called eSign.
 Nearly 2,000 scientists gathered in Paris for a four
day conference to deliberate on curbing the
greenhouse gas emission levels.
 A tiny butterfly species has been discovered in the
forests of Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh. It has
been named Banded Tit (Hypolycaena Narada).
 Facebook has launched a new version of its app-
Facebook Lite, lighter version optimised for slower
data connections for Android phones in India.
JUNE 2015
 India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was
undocked on completion of structural work at the
Cochin Shipyard Ltd.
 India and US have signed a new 10-year defence
framework agreement for co-development of
defence equipment manufacturing and technology.
 AJEYA WARRIOR, joint military exercise of India
and UK held from June 13 to 28 in UK. The exercise
is held biannually in the two countries, alternately.
 Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has set
up a first-of-its-kind in India, Micro Air Vehicle
Aerodynamics Research Tunnel in Bengaluru
 ISRO has developed an android-based, augmented
reality application named ‘Sakaar’ to highlight its
achievements during the past one year.
 US scientists have developed the world's first full-
colour, flexible ultra-thin nano-structured film that
can change colours by applying voltage.
 Google has introduced an ‘Undo’ option to cancel
the delivery of misdirected or inappropriate emails
within 30 seconds of hitting the send button.
 China has made the world's first electric passenger
aircraft BX1E that could be used in pilot training,
tourism, meteorology and rescue operations.

48. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 47
 A computer that operates using the unique physics
of moving water droplets has been developed by an
Indian-origin scientist at Stanford University, USA.
 Chinese researchers have successfully developed
the first ATM with facial recognition technology to
reduce the risk of frauds related to ATMs.
INTERNATIONAL
AUGUST 2015
 The IAEA and Kazakhstan have signed an
agreement to create the world's first
internationally-controlled bank of low-enriched
uranium to ensure nuclear fuel supplies for power
stations and preventing its use for weapons.
 Bangladesh has become the first country to receive
funds from UNFCCC for solar home systems to cut
carbon emissions by reducing use of kerosene
 List of Top 20 Wealthiest People Under 35 ranks
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg as the wealthiest
individual with assets of $ 41.6 billion.
 The Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr was ranked
as the world's top-earning actor by Forbes, earning
$ 80 million during 2014-15.
 City of Hiroshima in Japan observed on August 6 the
70th anniversary of the first atomic bomb being
dropped by a US aircraft.
 Singapore marked 50 years of independence on
August 9 with nationwide celebrations.
 Bangladesh's Grameen Bank has found a place in
Fortune's inaugural 'Change the World List' for
creating economic opportunities for the poor.
 Japan’s leading financial media house - Nikkei to
buy the noted European financial paper - Financial
Times from UK’s Pearson in a $1.3 billion deal.
 As per the U N report ‘World Population Prospects:
The 2015 Revision’, India is likely to become the
most populous nation by 2022, surpassing China.
 After a run of poor economic data, China devalued
the Yuan on August 11, guiding the currency to its
lowest point in past three years.
JULY 2015
 The seventh BRICS summit was held at Ufa in
Russia. The theme of the summit was “BRICS
partnership - a powerful factor for global
development”.
 The BRICS group launched its New Development
Bank (NDB) in Shanghai. The bank is seen as an
alternative to the World Bank.
 India to contribute $18 billion to the $100 billion
foreign-exchange reserve pool being set up by the
BRICS to help each other.
 PM Modi attended the SCO – Shanghai Cooperation
Organization meet at Ufa. The SCO decided to
include India and Pakistan as a full member.
 The World Trade Organization on July 24 finalised a
list of 201 information technology products to be
freed from import tariffs.
 Trial run of the Egypt's second Suez Canal went off
successfully on July 25. The 72km (44 mile) route
allows two-way traffic
 A landmark nuclear agreement was finalized
between Iran and USA in Vienna to allow the UN
inspectors to visit Iranian military sites
 The World Population Day was observed on July 11.
This year’s theme was 'vulnerable populations in
emergencies'.
 The ministerial conference of The Regional
Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems
(RIMES) nations was held in New Delhi
 France’s vineyards in Champagne, famous for
sparkling wine Champagne, have been included in
UNESCO ‘World Heritage’ sites.
 The World Trade Organisation has admitted
Kazakhstan as its 162nd member.
JUNE 2015
 South Korea struggled to ease growing panic over
an outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome virus that infected 181 persons and
claimed over 31 lives.
 57 countries, including India, signed an agreement
in Beijing for the formation of China sponsored
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
 On June 15, Britain marked the 800th anniversary of
the historic charter Magna Carta.
 The leaders of G-7 countries held their 41st summit
at Schloss Elmau, southern Germany.
 African leaders have agreed to create the
continent's largest free trade zone, covering 26
countries in an area from Cape Town, South Africa
to Cairo, Egypt.
 USA has overtaken Saudi Arabia as the world's
biggest oil producer in 2014 by producing 11.6
million barrels of oil per day.
 China launched the world’s longest freight train
route, linking Harbin in northeast China with the
German city of Hamburg, via Russia.
 Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons has declared that it has destroyed 90 per
cent of the global chemical weapons stockpile.
 US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can
marry nationwide, establishing a new civil right and
handing gay rights advocates a historic victory.
 Parliament of Japan has lowered the age of voters
from 20 to 18.

49. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 48
 The movie Jurassic World has become the first film
in world to have collections of more than 500
million dollars in first week.
 The 25th African Union summit was held at
Pretoria, South Africa on 7-8.
 The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking observed on 26 June with the theme
“Let’s Develop our Lives, our Communities, our
identities without Drugs”.
 China plans to form a huge gold investment fund of
about 100 billion Yuan (over $16 billion) aiming to
bolster Beijing's role in global gold trade.
 Global wealth intelligence agency Wealth-X in a
survey of self made billionaires has ranked the Bill
Gates at number one, with $86 billion of wealth.
 President of Sri Lanka dissolved the Parliament,
paving the way for fresh parliamentary elections in
mid August, eight months ahead of the schedule.
 France has put a ban on wearing earphones while
driving a vehicle and riding a cycle, w.e.f. July 1,
2015.
PERSONS IN NEWS
AUGUST 2015
SUNDAR PICHAI: India-born technocrat has been
named as the new CEO of the technology giant Google at
an reported annual package of $ 50 million.
ANUPAM KHER: Bollywood actor has been named an
advocate for the UN’s campaign on gender equality.
HARDIK PATEL: 21 year old firebrand youth leader
from Gujarat was in news as he engineered a massive
(and violent) state wide agitation in Gujarat demanding
job reservation for Patel community in the OBC quota.
AMITABH BACHCHAN: Bollywood megastar has been
appointed as ambassador for promoting tiger tourism in
Maharashtra.
ADNAN SAMI: Pakistani singer has been allowed to stay
in India for an indefinite period following his appeal to
legalise his stay on humanitarian grounds.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: World’s top ranked tennis player
appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
JULY 2015
BENOY BEHL: Noted documentary maker won the Best
Documentary Producer award at Madrid International
Film Festival for his documentary film titled Indian
Roots of Tibetan Buddhism.
MANISH S. SHARMA: A senior IPS officer of the Madhya
Pradesh cadre was in news as the Mayor of San Diego,
California, proclaimed July 20, 2015, as “Manish S.
Sharma Day” in recognition of his contribution towards
enhancing India-U.S. relationship.
MILIND SOMAN: Bollywood actor-model aged 50, has
won the Ironman title at a triathlon held in Zurich in
Switzerland. The triathlon includes a .8-km swim,
180.2-km cycle ride and 42.2-km run, to be completed in
16 hours.
VICTOR PONTA: Romania's Prime Minister resigned as
he battled corruption charges against him.
JUNE 2015
BENO ZEPHINE: The 25-year-old woman from Chennai
became the first ever 100 per cent visually-challenged
person to get selected for the Indian Foreign Service.
NIKESH ARORA: Appointed the President of Japan’s
telecommunications giant SoftBank Corp with a
remuneration of $135 million for the year 2014, making
him the highest paid executive in the world.
CHIRIL GABURICI: Prime Minister of Moldova, a small
state on the border of Ukraine, was in news as he
resigned after the prosecutors questioned the
authenticity of his school-leaving certificate. He became
the PM in February, 2015.
EDWARD SNOWDEN: Former US security contractor
and electronic surveillance whistleblower was in
news as he was awarded a Norwegian prize for
freedom of expression (also called as Bjornson Prize).
SEPP BLATTER: President of world’s top football body
– FIFA was in news as he offered to step down after a US
criminal investigation report levied charges of
corruption against him in the functioning of FIFA.
APPOINTMENTS
AUGUST 2015
OM PRAKASH RAWAT: Appointed as the second
Election Commissioner of India.
ACHARYA DEV VRAT: New Governor of Himachal
Pradesh
RAM NATH KOVIND: New Governor of Bihar
ASHWANI LOHANI: Appointed as the Chairman and
Managing Director of Air India.
USHA ANANTHASUBRAMANIAN: New Managing
Director & CEO of Punjab National Bank

50. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 49
KISHOR PIRAJI KHARAT: Managing Director and CEO
of IDBI Bank
MELWYN REGO: Managing Director and CEO of Bank of
India
P S JAYAKUMAR: MD and CEO of Bank of Baroda*
RAKESH SHARMA: MD and CEO of Canara Bank*
*This is for the first time that persons from the private
sector have been given top positions in the public sector
banks.
AJIT KUMAR SETH: Former Cabinet Secretary has been
appointed as the Chairman of the Public Enterprises
Selection Board (PESB)
RANA KAPOOR: YES Bank co-founder has been
approved by RBI for re-appointment as MD and CEO of
the bank for 3 years.
SEBASTIAN COE: President, International Association
of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
RANIL WICKREMESINGHE: Elected as the new Prime
Minister of Sri Lanka as his United National Party won
the general elections.
JULY 2015
R. S. SHARMA: Appointed as the new Chairman of
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for three years.
PRASHANT PATHRABE: Appointed Director, Film and
Television Institute of India (FTII)
SRIRAM KALYANARAMAN: New Managing Director &
Chief Executive Officer (CEO of the National Housing
Bank (NHB), the national regulator for housing finance.
JIN LIQUN: Former Finance Minster of China was
nominated the first President of the Beijing-backed
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
JUNE 2015
VIJAI SHARMA: New Chief Information Commissioner
K V CHOWDARY: New Central Vigilance Commissioner
R C TAYAL: Appointed new Director General of the elite
counter-terror force National Security Guards
SYED ASIF IBRAHIM: Appointed Prime Minister’s
Special Envoy on Countering Terrorism and Extremism
GEORGE YEO: Former Foreign Minister of Singapore
has been appointed the new Chancellor of Nalanda
University, Rajgir, Bihar.
M K SHARMA: New non-executive Chairman of the
Board of ICICI Bank
R. SESHASAYEE: Appointed Non-Executive Chairman
of the Board of IT giant Infosys Ltd.
PAWAN MUNJAL: Has taken over as Chairman,
Managing Director and CEO of Hero MotoCorp, world’s
number one two-wheeler company.
MOGENS LYKKETOFT: Elected President for the 70th
session of the United Nations General
AMEENAH GURIB-FAKIM: First woman President of
Mauritius.
AWARDS & HONOURS
AUGUST 2015
CROSS OF ORDER OF THE MERIT, GERMANY: Indian
socio biologist Raghavendra Gadagkar was awarded
with the Germany's highest civilian honour for his
contribution in strengthening research cooperation
between India and Germany.
ICTP RAMANUJAN PRIZE 2015: Mathematician Dr.
Amalendu Krishna; the prize is given to a mathematician
below the age of 45 by the ICTP, Italy.
ICTP: International Centre for Theoretical Physics
STOCKHOLM JUNIOR WATER PRIZE 2015: Perry
Alagappan from USA for inventing a filter through which
toxic heavy metals from electronic waste can be
removed from water.
SOLIDARITY HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD: Awarded to
Zhanna Nemtsova, the journalist daughter of slain
Russian democracy advocate Boris Nemtsov.
SUNHAK PEACE PRIZE (first): Noted Indian
agricultural scientist Modadugu Vijay Gupta. He is joint
winner of the prize along with President of Kiribati
Islands Anote Tong.
ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (OBE): Ameetpal
Gill, PM David Cameron's Indian-origin adviser and
speech writer. This is highest civil honour of UK.
JULY 2015
RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD: Whistleblower
bureaucrat Sanjeev Chaturvedi and human rights
activist Anshu Gupta, the founder of NGO Goonj, are
among five persons selected for Asia’s coveted award.
28th MOORTI DEVI AWARD 2014: The prize was
presented to veteran Writer Vishwanath Tripathi for his
book Vyomkesh Darvesh, a lifetime story of veteran
literateur Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi.

51. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 50
The Prem Bhatia Awards for Journalism: Suhasini
Haider of The Hindu for political reporting and Priyanka
Kakodkar, The Times of India, for excellence in
environmental and development reporting.
G.D. BIRLA AWARD FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH:
Prof. Sanjeev Galande from the Indian Institute of
Science Education and Research, Pune.
NELSON MANDELA PRIZE: awarded for the first time
by UNO to Helena Ndume of Namibia and Jorge Sampaio
of Portugal for their extraordinary service to humanity.
Grand Prix World Press Cartoon Award-2014: Noted
Telugu cartoonist Pamarthy Shankar for his sketch of
Nelson Mandela.
ROYAL SOCIETY’s COPLEY MEDAL: World’s oldest
scientific prize awarded to Nobel Prize winner Peter
Higgs for his pioneering work on the theory of the Higgs
boson (God Particle) which was discovered in 2012.
SAYED HAIDER RAZA: Noted modern Indian artist, has
been conferred with the highest French civilian honour,
the Commandeur de la Legion d'Honneur (the Legion of
Honour) for his peerless achievements.
WORLD FOOD PRIZE: Sir Fazle Hasan Abed of Bangla
Desh. It is the most prominent global award given by
the World Food Foundation of the USA for individuals
whose breakthrough achievements help to alleviate
hunger and promote global food security.
Global Confederation for Higher Education
Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences World
Agriculture Prize: Indian-American professor R Paul
Singh for inventing food-processing equipment for a
manned mission to the Mars.
JUNE 2015
IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) Awards
announced at Kualalumpur, Malaysia
Best Picture: Queen by Vikas Bahl
Best Actress Kangana Ranaut for Queen
Best Actor: Shahid Kapoor for Haider
Best Direction: Rajkumar Hirani for PK
10th NAVLEKHAN AWARD OF BHARATIYA
JNANPITH: Hindi writers Babusha Kohli and Upasana
for the poem Prem Gilhari Dil Akhrot and
novel Ek Zindagi Ek Script Bhar, respectively.
SANGITA KALANIDHI AWARD: Sanjay Subrahmanyam,
veteran Carnatic music maestro from Tamil Nadu.
SPACE PIONEER AWARD 2015: Awarded to ISRO by
the US National Space Society for its low-cost
Mangalyaan Mars orbiter mission.
BEST WELFARE ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR –
2015: Won by the National Union of Seafarers of India,
NUSI, India's oldest and largest shipping trade union.
SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE CONTEST, USA:
Won by Indian origin American children - Vanya
Shivashankar, 13, and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14.
OBITUARY
AUGUST 2015
SUVRA MUKHERJEE: wife of President Pranab
Mukherjee passed away. She was an accomplished
dancer, painter and lover of Rabindra Sangeet.
OM PRAKASH MUNJAL: Co-Chairman of Hero Cycles
Ltd and a leading industrialist passed away in Ludhiana
on August 13. He was 87. Hero cycles is the world’s
largest bi-cycle manufacturing unit.
JULY 2015
APJ ABDUL KALAM: Former President of India, great
scientist and philosopher, popular as ‘Missile Man’
breathed his last on July 27.
B K Handique: Senior Congress leader, six times Lok
Sabha member from Jorhat, Assam, passed away on 26
July. He was 82.
R.S. GAVAI: Former Governor of Kerala, Sikkim and
Bihar, MP and a veteran associate of Dr Ambedkar
passed away on July 25.
SARDAR ANJUM: Renowned revolutionary poet, Urdu
lyricist and a Padma Bhushan awardee, passed away in
Panchkula, Haryana.
M S VISWANATHAN: One of the most popular music
composers of south Indian cinema, having over 750
movies to his credit, passed away in Chennai.
Y K SABHARWAL: Former Chief Justice of India has
passed away.
BASHAR NAVAAZ: Noted Urdu poet and critic passed
away in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
TOM MOORE: Noted cartoonist who brought to life the
escapades of Riverdale residents in Archie comics,
passed away in his home town El Paso, Texas, USA.
ALEX ROCCO: The US actor best known for his role in
The Godfather, passed away in California, USA.
ALCIDES E GHIGGIA: The Uruguayan soccer legend,
died following a heart attack. He was 88 years old.

52. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 51
OMAR SHARIF: Noted Hollywood film actor from Egypt,
best known for his portrayal of Doctor Zhivago in the hit
1966 film and for his work in “Lawrence of Arabia”, died
in Cairo at the age of 83.
MATTI MAKKONEN: The man who invented the idea of
short messaging service (SMS) technology, died in
Finland. He was 63.
JUNE 2015
PRAFUL BIDWAI: A veteran press journalist, author
and anti-nuclear activist, died in the Netherlands while
having dinner. He was 65.
SISTER NIRMALA: The nun who succeeded Mother
Teresa in 1997 as the head of the Missionaries of
Charity in Kolkata, died at the age of 81.
CHARLES CORREA: Noted Indian architect, known for
his unique architectural style, melting 20th-century
Western modernism with Indian traditions, died at 84.
SHEILA KAUL: Former Union Minister, a sister-in-law
of Jawaharlal Nehru and oldest surviving former
parliamentarian, died at ate age of 100.
NEK CHAND SAINI: Padma Sri awardee, creator of the
world famous iconic ‘Rock Garden’ at Chandigarh,
passed away AT the age of 90 years.
SULEYMAN DEMIREL: Turkey’s former President and
Prime Minister, a political giant for over half a century,
heading the nation for over five times, died at 90.
SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE: Legendary English actor,
singer and writer passed away in London, United
Kingdom. He was 93.
IRWIN ROSE: Noted biochemist from America who
shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry passed
away at the age of 88.
PLACES IN NEWS
AUGUST 2015
KOCHI: has become the first Indian city to become a
member of Beijing-headquartered World Tourism Cities
Federation (WTCF) Council.
HARDA: Over 30 passengers were killed and many
others injured when several coaches of two trains
derailed over a railway bridge and plunged into the
swollen Machak River in Harda, Madhya Pradesh
JULY 2015
CONAKRY: The capital of the Republic of Guinea, was
named as the World Book Capital for 2017 by UNESCO.
DINANAGAR: Town in Gurdaspur district of Punjab was
in news as it suffered a terrorist attack that killed seven
people including one SP and 3 policemen.
PUDUCHERRY: City’s application for smart city became
the first nomination to be received by the Urban
Development Ministry for the Smart City Mission.
VARANASI: has been selected by the UNESCO as the
"City of Music" under the Creative Cities Network.
MOUNT RAUNG: The volcano in East Java (Indonesia)
suddenly started eruption in the first week of July,
spewing clouds of ash into the air, forcing temporary
closure of six airports.
JUNE 2015
SHRI ANANDPUR SAHIB
Holy city of Punjab celebrated its 350th foundation day
of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in the city.
ASHOBAA: The cyclonic storm over east-central
Arabian Sea that was expected to hit Maharashtra and
Gujarat coast, moved away westward towards Oman.
MALVANI: Locality in Mumbai was in news as over 100
persons were killed there due to consumption of
spurious liquor.
CHANDEL: District in Manipur was in news it witnessed
one of the worst attacks by insurgents on the Indian
Army in two decades, killing at least 20 army personnel
and injuring 11 others.
KARACHI: Pakistan's port city in south was in news as
about 1200 people, including women and children, were
killed in the city and the surrounding areas due to the
country's worst heat wave in more than a decade.
YANGTZE: The Eastern Star, a cruise ship carrying 456
people, capsized on the Yangtze River in China on the
night of June 1 in high winds and heavy rain. Only 14
persons survived the tragedy, leaving remaining as
missing or dead.
ACCRA: Capital of Ghana was in news as at least 150
people died in a fire at a petrol station. President of
Ghana announced three days of national mourning for
the dead.
SPORTS WORLD
AUGUST 2015
SANIA HONOURED WITH KHEL RATNA
Iconic tennis player Sania Mirza has been honoured
with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for
2015. The award carries a medal and cash award of Rs.
7.50 lacs.

53. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 52
DRONACHARYA AWARDS announced for excellence in
coaching. Award carries a statue & cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh.
Sr. No. NAME SPORTS
1. Naval Singh Athletics Para-sports
2. Anoop Singh Wrestling
3. Harbans Singh Athletics
4. Swatantar Raj Singh Boxing
5. Nihar Ameen Swimming.
DHYAN CHAND AWARDS (For Lifetime Achievement)
declared. Award carries a statue & cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh.
Sl. No. Name Discipline
1. TPP Nair Volleyball
2. SP Misra Tennis
3. Romeo James Hockey
ARJUNA AWARDS announced. The Award carries a
statue and cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.
S. No. Name of the
sportsperson
Discipline
1. Naib Subedar Sandeep
Kumar
Archery
2. Ms. M.R. Poovamma Athletics
3. Mr. Kidambi Srikanth
Nammalwar
Badminton
4. Mr. Mandeep Jangra Boxing
5. Mr. Rohit Sharma Cricket
6. Ms. Dipa Karmakar Gymnastic
7. Mr. Sreejesh P.R. Hockey
8. Mr. Manjeet Chhillar Kabaddi
9. Ms. Abhilasha S Mhatre Kabaddi
10. Mr. Sawarn Singh Rowing
11. Mr. Anup Kumar Yama Roller Skating
12. Mr. Jitu Rai Shooting
13. Shri S. Sathish Kumar Weightlifting
14. Mr. Bajrang Wrestling
15. Ms. Babita Kumari Wrestling
16. Ms. Yumnam S. Devi Wushu
17. Mr. Sharath M.
Gayakwad
Para-Swimming
SAINA NEHWAL, ace Indian shuttler regained the world
no. 1 rank on August 20. She also became the first
Indian to win silver in the World Badminton
Championship.
IBSF World 6-Red Snooker Championship: Pankaj
Advani won the title outplaying Chinese Yan Bingtao at
Karachi, Pakistan on August 11.
Dutee Chand won the gold medal in the 200m at the
13th Federation Cup Junior Athletics Championship in
Hyderabad
Anirban Lahiri finished 5th at the US PGA
championship at Whistling Straits, USA, claiming the
highest position ever won by an Indian at a Golf Major.
Aditi Chauhan, India’s international football goalkeeper
became the country’s first woman to play English league
football when she made her debut for English third tier
club West Ham United Ladies.
Ace Indian golfer Aditi Ashok became first woman and
youngest (17 years) player from India to win the
prestigious Ladies British amateur stroke-play
Championship 2015 at Leeds, United Kingdom.
Ajinkya Rahane became the first fielder in Test history
to take eight catches in a single match, achieving the feat
in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka.
Abhishek Verma won the gold medal in the men’s
compound individual category in the Archery World
Cup in Wroclaw (Poland).
World Archery Championships, Copenhagen,
Denmark: Indian women's recurve team won the silver
medal on August 2.
Special Olympic World Summer Games 2015
Indian contingent won 173 medals (47gold, 54 silver
and 72 bronze) in the games held in Los Angeles, USA.
 Sneha Verma, (21) suffering from Down syndrome,
won gold medal in the 50m freestyle swimming
event.
 Prabhroop Sekhon (14) won gold medals in 300
metre and 500 metre Roller Skating event.
KUMARA SANGAKKARA: Sri Lanka’s ace batsman and
wicketkeeper announced his retirement from the
international Cricket. He played his last match at
Colombo, against India.
Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix F1
championship at Spa, Belgium on August 23.
The 15th WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS held
in Beijing, China
 Usain Bolt (Jamaica) finished the 100 meters sprint
in 9.79 seconds to emerge as world’s number one.
 Shelly-Ann Fraser, also from Jamaica, retained gold
in Women’s 100 meters.
 Usain Bolt also claimed his fourth consecutive world
200 metre title
CINCINNATI OPEN 2015: Roger Federer beats world
no 1 Novak Djokovic to win the title on August 23 in
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Serena Williams won the
women’s singles title by defeating Simona Halep of
Romania.
ROGERS CUP MASTERS TOURNAMENT, Montreal,
Canada: Andy Murray won the men’s title by beating
world number one Novak Djokovic. Women’s title was
won by 18 year old Belinda Bencic of Switzerland by
beating world number two Simona Halep

54. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 53
 The world governing body of athletics, the
International Association of Athletics Federations -
the IAAF, has chosen the British former Olympic
racing champion Sebastian Coe as its new President.
 The International Olympic Committee has granted
recognition to the sport of flying disc, commonly
known as "frisbee" as an Olympic sport.
 Beijing has become the first city in the world to have
hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics after it
was chosen to stage the 2022 Winter Games. It hosted
the summer Olympics in 2008.
JULY 2015
NATIONAL
10-year old Indian Golfer Shubham Jaglan scripted
history as he became the first Indian to win the
International Junior Golf Academy's World Stars Junior
Golf Tournament played at Las Vegas, USA.
Sania Mirza has become the first woman tennis player
from India to become top-seeded in a grand slam in the
Wimbledon tournament in London.
Rajat Chauhan created a new national record in
archery by scoring 711 points in the Senior National
Ranking Archery Tournament held at Patiala, Punjab.
Skipper Mithali Raj scripted a new chapter in the
history of Indian women's cricket as she became the
first Indian and the second globally to reach the 5000-
run milestone in one-day internationals.
Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta won the 19th
Commonwealth Chess Championship in Mumbai.
Ajinkya Rahane was captain of the Indian team for the
Zimbabwe tour held in July.
Jwala Gutta and Ashwni Ponappa won the women's
doubles title of the Canada Open Badminton tournament
in Calgary, Canada.
Indian wrestlers secured 16 medals, including three
gold, at the Junior Asian Freestyle, Greco-Roman and
Female Wrestling championship at Nay Pyi Taw,
Myanmar.
India won the three-match One Day International
(ODI) Series against Zimbabwe 3-0 played in Harare,
capital of Zimbabwe.
The finals of the 2016 World Twenty20 cricket
tournament will be held in the iconic Eden Gardens
ground in Kolkata on April 3, 2016.
Considering the declining interest of the fans and
popularity, the BCCI has decided to scrap the Champions
League Twenty 20 (CLT20) with immediate effect.
The BCCI has decided to scrap the Duleep Trophy due to
packed schedule.
TWO IPL TEAMS SUSPENDED FOR TWO YEARS
The Justice R M Lodha Committee appointed by the
Supreme Court to probe the IPL spot fixing and betting
scandal, has submitted its report. It suspended the
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals teams from
the Indian Premier League (IPL) for two years.
Former CSK team official Gurunath Meiyappan and
Royals co-owner Raj Kundra were suspended for life
from any cricketing activity undertaken by the Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as they were found
guilty of betting.
INTERNATIONAL
WIMBLEDON Finals played in London, 2015
Men’s singles: Novak Djokovic of Serbia beat Roger
Federer of Switzerland
Women’s singles: Serena Williams of United States
beat Garbine Muguruza of Spain
Women’s doubles: Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis
beat Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina
Mixed doubles: Leander Paes and Martina Hingis beat
Timea Babos and Alexander Peya
Boys doubles: Sumit Nagal with Nam Hoang Ly of
Vietnam won the title. He is the sixth Indian to win a
Grand Slam junior title.
CHRIS FROOME of Britain won the three week multiple
stage bicycle race - Tour de France at Champs Elysees
in Paris on July 26.
Veselin Topalov won the Norway Chess 2015 title in
Stavanger, Norway by defeating the Indian grand master
Viswanathan Anand.
Sebastian Vettel, German driver won the Hungarian
Grand Prix at Budapest, Hungary on July 26.
Roelant Oltmans of Netherlands has been appointed
chief coach of the Indian hockey team till the 2016 Rio
Olympics.
Genezebe Dibaba of Ethiopia created a new world
record in the women’s 1500m, clocking a time of
3:50:07, shattering old world record of 3:50:46 set in
1993 by China’s Qu Yunxia.
Amelie Mauresmo, a former number one tennis player
of France, was inducted into the International Tennis
Hall of Fame. She is also the first woman to coach a top
male tennis player – Andy Murray.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: International boxer was in
news as he was stripped by the World Boxing
Organization (WBO) of the Welterweight World title
which he had won two months ago, as he had failed to
pay $200,000 fee required by the WBO after he won the
richest fight of all time, earning $220 million.
The 9th World Youth Athletics Championship was
held in Cali, Colombia.

55. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 54
FIFA Women's World Cup: United States lifted the cup
for the third time, beating Japan. In the Final played at
Vancouver, Canada.
Copa America Football Tournament: Chile defeated
Argentina on penalties on July 5 to end their 99-year
wait for this prestigious crown. Finals were played in
Santiago, capital of Chile.
British Grand Prix F1 won by the reigning world
champion Lewis Hamilton of UK on July5 at Silverstone
circuit, UK.
South Asian Basketball Championship: India won by
beating Sri Lanka in Bengaluru.
World University Games, Gwangju, South Korea:
Inderjeet Singh won the gold in shot-put event on July 8.
2015 World Police and Fire Games held in Fairfax
County, Virginia, in the United States.
The first day-night test match under lights will be
played in Australia against New Zealand at the Adelaide
Oval in November this year.
Canada Open Badminton Tournament: Lee Chong
Wei of Malaysia and Michelle Li of Canada won the
men's and women’s singles title, respectively in Calgary,
Canada.
To end the undue advantage to batsmen, the ICC has
decided to scrap the batting power–plays and allow five
fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the last ten overs in
one-dayers to be played from July 5.
JUNE 2015
Satnam Singh Bhamra created history by becoming the
first Indian basketball player to be drafted in the
National Basketball Association (NBA)
21st Asian Athletics Championships at Wuhan, China
Inderjeet Singh bagged the gold medal in the men’s shot
put event at this meet. Tintu Luka won the gold in
women’s 800 mt race. Lalita Babar bagged gold in
3000m steeplechase race while Vikas Gowda won the
gold for discuss throw. China topped the medal tally
with 41 medals while India stood third with 13 medals.
Indian wrestlers won nine medals, including eight gold
in Men's Freestyle event in the International Wrestling
tournament in Sassari City, Italy.
Sachin Tendulkar: India’s legendary batsman got the
highest number of votes to emerge on top of the list of
the 100 best Test players since 2000, in a poll conducted
by cricket.com.au. in Australia.
Bangladesh defeated Team India by 6 wickets at Mirpur,
Dhaka to register their first ever series win against
India.
Sunil Chhetri became the first Indian footballer to score
50 international goals in 87 matches. He scored his 50th
goal in the 2018 World Cup qualifying match against
Guam.
DHONI IS RICHEST INDIAN SPORTSMAN
Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni with earnings of over $
31 million in 2014-15, ranks 23rd among Forbes
magazine's 100 highest-paid sportspersons in the
world. He is the only Indian sportsman on the list that
has been topped again by American boxer Floyd
Mayweather with earnings of $300 million.
Inderjit Singh and Jinson Johnson of India bagged a
gold in shot put and 800 mt race, respectively, in the
Asian Athletics Grand Prix in Bangkok, Thailand.
Anantjeet Singh Naruka won the gold in the skeet
match in the 7th International junior shotgun cup held
in Orimattila, Finland.
Leander Paes became the first Indian to play with 100
different partners on ATP Circuit.
RAVI SHASTRI: Re-appointed Director of Indian cricket
team.
Former captain Rahul Dravid has been appointed coach
of the India A and Under-19 cricket teams
INDIA THIRD IN DOPING IN SPORTS
According to a report for 2013 by WADA (World Anti
doping Agency), Russia has the maximum number of
dope offenders with 212 testing positive while the
figures for Turkey and India were 155 and 91
respectively.
Zaheer Abbas, Former Pakistan captain has been
selected the new President of the International Cricket
Council (ICC) for a one year term.
Nico Rosberg of Germany won the Austrian Grand Prix
F1 championship at Spielberg, Austria.
Halle Open ATP title won by Roger Federer (Swiss)
defeating Italian Andreas Seppi in Halle, Germany.
Barcelona lifted the UEFA Champions League Football
trophy by beating Juventus at Berlin, Germany.
Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix at
Montreal, Canada beating his rival Nico Rosberg.
FRENCH OPEN CONCLUDES IN PARIS
Men’s title was won by Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland
by beating world champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
Serena Williams of USA won the women’s singles title by
beating Czech Lucie Safarova.
The event is popularly known as Rolland Garros
tournament and is famous for its red clay courts

56. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 55
BOOKS & AUTHORS
BOOK AUTHOR
Making India Awesome Chetan Bhagat
Combating Hunger and
Achieving Food Security
Prof. M. S. Swaminathan
The Country of First Boys Amartya Sen
The Devil take Love Sudhir Kakar
R. D. Burman: The Prince of
Music
Khagesh Dev Burman
Locale, Everyday Islam and
Modernity
M. Raisur Rahman
Ghosts of Calcutta Sebastian Ortiz
India Former Union
Environment and Forest
Minister, Jairam Ramesh.
Green Signals: Ecology,
Growth, and Democracy in
India Central Asia Relations:
The Economic Dimension
Amiya Chandra
‘Kashmir: The Vajpayee
Years’
A S Dulat. He was the
Chief of Research and
Analysis Wing (RAW) and
Special Advisor on
Kashmir in Vajpayee's
PMO after his retirement.
The Making of Miracles in
Indian States
Arvind Panagariya and M
Govinda Rao
Who Will Cry When You Die Robin S Sharma
Conflict Resolution in
Multicultural Societies —
The Indian Experience
Jhumpa Mukherjee
Chaos of the Senses Ahlem Mosteghanemi
Flood of Fire Amitav Ghosh
Men Explain Things to Me Rebecca Solnit
The Crown Prince, the
Gladiator and the Hope:
Battle for Change
Ashutosh
Super Economies: America,
India, China and the Future
of the World
Raghav Bahl
Green Signals: Ecology,
Growth and Democracy in
India
Jairam Ramesh, ex Union
Minister for environment
At Home in India- The
Muslim Saga
Salman Khurshid
The Past Before Us Romila Thapar
Your Dreams are Mine Now Ravinder Singh
World’s Best Boyfriend Durjoy Datta
Unbelievable – Delhi to
Islamabad
senior Advocate Prof.
Bhim Singh
More Bad Time Tales Humra Quraishi
India–Central Asia Relations Amiya Chandra
Gandhi at First Sight Thomas Weber
Vanessa and Her Sister Priya Parmar
Me Hijra Me Laxmi Laxminarayan Tripathi,
autobiography of a
transgender, a crusader
for rights of LGBT
community
A Practitioner’s Diary Pradip Baijal
Water, Peace, and War—
Confronting the Global
Water Crisis
Brahma Chellaney
No Free Left — The Futures
of Indian Communism
Vijay Prashad
KP: The Autobiography Kevin Pietersen.
India Shastra— Reflections
on the Nation in Our Time
Shashi Tharoor
Secularism, Identity, and
Enchantment
Akeel Bilgrami
At The Helm— A Memoir V. Krishnamurthy
The Girl on the Train Paula Hawkins
Mightier Than the Sword Jeffrey Archer
On Religion Late Khushwant Singh
God's Bankers: A History of
Money and Power at the
Vatican
Gerald Posner
Prince of Gujarat Rajmohan Gandhi
Sahib: the British Soldier in
India
Richard Holmes

57. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 56
120

58. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 57
Latest MCQs
ON CURRENT AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER GK TEST – 01
1. The TK Vishwanathan committee report
submitted recently deals with
A. The working of urban cooperative banks
B. General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR)
C. Bankruptcy law reforms
D. Pension sector reforms
E. Liberalization of FDI norms in retail sector
2. Justice TS Thakur was in news recently as
A. He submitted his report comprising 7th Pay
Commission recommendations
B. He has resigned in protest against another
judge’s nomination as the Chief Justice of India
C. He will be the next Chief Justice of India
D. He was appointed to resolve the Collegium vs.
NJAC dispute by the Supreme Court
E. He has been nominated as the Chief Justice,
International Court of Justice
3. Japan Post, a Japanese government enterprise,
was in news recently due to which reason?
A. It has been taken over by Sony Corp.
B. It has emerged as the biggest postal network
globally
C. It has been ranked the largest post and courier
company in the world
D. It is the first-ever disinvestment move by the
Japanese government
E. It mobilized a record $ 12 billion through its
triple IPO, the biggest privatization move in Japan
in the past three decades.
4. The International Day of the Girl Child is
observed on which of the following days?
A. October 6th B. October 8th
C. October 11th D. October 12th
E. October 2nd
5. Who has been appointed as Chairman of the
Atomic Energy Commission?
A. Das Gupta B. Sekhar Basu
C. RK Sinha D. Kumar Sinha
E. Dr. Anil Kakodkar
6. The National Dialogue Quartet (NDQ), which
won the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, belongs to
A. Uganda B. Belarus
C. Tunisia D. Ireland
E. Yemen
7. In which country was the Vulnerable 20 (V20)
countries meeting held recently?
A. India B. Peru
C. Vietnam D. Bangladesh
E. Austria
8. As per the latest findings, which chemical
present in sunscreens is killing coral reefs
around the world?
A. Oxybenzone B. Benzophenone
C. Isopropyl alcohol
D. Diethanolamine Oxybenzone
E. Methyl Isocyanate
9. “Dreaming Big: My Journey to Connect India”,
is ……..’s autobiography.
A. Mukesh Ambani B. Sam Pitroda
C. Arun Jaitley D. E Sridharan
E. Sunil Bharti Mittal
10. With which movie did the International Film
Festival of India (IFFI) begin?
A Dheepan B. Masaan
C. Rainbow D. Pagdi-The Honour
E. The Man Who Knew Infinity
11. The Similipal National Park is situated in
A. Odisha B. Himachal Pradesh
C. Uttar Pradesh D. Madhya Pradesh
E. Gujarat
12. Which technology giant has partnered with
BSNL to install free Wi-Fi Hotspots at railway
stations?
A. Google B. Microsoft
C. Facebook D. IBM
E. Airtel
13. Brijmohan Lall Munjal, who passed away
recently, is related to
A. Mahindra & Mahindra B.TVS group
C. Hero group D. Tata Motors
E. Kinetic Motors
14. Which one is the world’s largest cotton
producer this year?
A. The USA B. China
C. Australia D. India
E. Egypt
15. According to the ‘Freedom on the Net 2015’
report, which country is the world’s worst in
terms of Internet freedom?
A. Iran B. China
C. Syria D. North Korea E. Afghanistan

59. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 58
16. Which country successfully tested the Emad
missile, a new generation long-range ballistic
missile?
A. China B. Iran
C. Iraq D. Japan
E. Saudi Arab
17. Manorama, who died recently, was a famous
actress in ……. cinema.
A. Tamil B. Kannada
C. Malayalam D. Marathi
E. Hindi
18. Who has won the European Union’s Sakharov
Prize for Human Rights and Freedom of
Thought?
A. Syed Kamal B. Raif Badawi
C. Edward Snowden D. Malala Yousafzai
E. Dr. Binayak Sen
19. Who was recently honoured with the fifth
Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award?
A. Amir Khan B. A R Rahman
C. Shahrukh Khan D. Akshay Kumar
E. Yesu Das
20. Who won in Tanzania’s Presidential elections
recently?
A. John Magufuli
B. Samia Suluhu Hassan C. Edward Lowassa
D. Ruth Nesoba E. Kenneth Kaunda
21. Which of the following banks is/ are not
eligible to implement the Gold Monetization
Scheme (GMS) 2015?
A. Public Sector Banks B. Foreign Banks
C. Regional Rural Banks
D. Private Sector Banks
E. All of them are eligible
22. Which state government has imposed a ban
on fishing along the sea coast to protect the
endangered Olive Ridley turtles?
A. Odisha B. Andhra Pradesh
C. Tamil Nadu D. West Bengal
E. Maharashtra
23. Which language is now third most common
language in the House of Commons in Canada?
A. Punjabi B. French
C. German D. Hindi
E. Spanish
24. The only merger of two public sector banks
took place between
A. Bank of India and New Bank of India
B. Punjab National Bank and New Bank of India
C. Allahabad Bank and United Bank of India
D. Punjab National Bank and Bank of Rajasthan
E. State Bank of India and New Bank of India
25. Who is the Chairman of the Drafting
Committee for framing New Education Policy?
A. TSR Subramanian B. R V Easwar
C. B S Baswan D. T Haque
E. J Rajput
26. Which of the following terms is used in
banking?
A. Interest rate swap B. Input devices
C. Sedimentary D. Zero Hour
E. Merchant banking
27. What does M in M-Banking offered by banks
stand for?
A. Money B. Marginal
C. Message D. Mobile Phone
E. Maximum
28. Whose birthday was celebrated as National
Unity Day (Rashtriya Ekta Diwas) in India?
A. Indira Gandhi
B. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
C. P V Narasimha Rao D. Pt Jawaharlal Nehru
E. Rajeev Gandhi
29. Next to State Bank of India, which of the
following banks has the largest number of
offices?
A. Punjab National Bank B. Bank of India
C. Andhra Bank D. Canara Bank
E. Oriental Bank of Commerce
30. Which one defines the teaser loan rates
charged by the banks?
A. Rate of interest which is competitively changed
in relation to other banks
B. Floating rate of interest charged by banks
C. Low rate of interest in the initial period which
goes up subsequently
D. Higher rate of interest in the initial period
which goes down subsequently
E. None of these
31. Who is the author of the book, Rebooting
India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations?
A. Nandan Nilekani and Radha Kant Bharati
B. Nandan Nilekani and Santosh Singh
C. Nandan Nilekani and Viral Shah
D. Nandan Nilekani and Sam Pitroda
E. Nandan Nilekani and Narayan Murthy
32. Which organization has signed the Moscow
Declaration for partnership in addressing
common regional and global socio-economic
challenges by utilizing science, technology
and innovation (STI)?
A. BRICS B. SAARC
C. ASEAN D. SCO
E. None of these
33. The Bank Rate is decided by the
A. Reserve Bank of India
B. Government of India C. State Bank of India
D. Securities and Exchange Board of India E. Both
A and B
34. Teaser rates are mostly offered in case of
A. Home loans B. Personal loans
C. Auto loans D. Reverse mortgage loans
E. All of these

60. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 59
35. Which of the following was/were of the Sub-
Prime Crisis?
1. It was a mortgage crisis referring to credit
default by the borrowers.
2. Sub-prime borrowers were borrowers who
were rated poor in creditworthiness and were
high risk borrowers.
3. This crisis originated due to negligence in
credit rating of the borrowers.
A. Only 3 B. Only 2
C. Only 1 D. 1, 2 and 3
E. 1, 2
36. Match the following bank mergers:
List I List II
A. Centurion Bank of
Punjab
1. ICICI Bank
B. Bank of Rajasthan 2. Punjab National
Bank
C. Global Trust Bank 3. HDFC Bank
D. Nedungadi Bank 4. Oriental Bank of
Commerce
A. A - 4; B - 1; C - 2; D – 3
B. A - 3; B - 1; C - 4; D - 2
C. A - 2; B - 1; C - 4; D – 3
D. A - 3; B - 1; C - 4; D – 2
E. None of these is correct
37. The statutory minimum reserve required to
be held by Commercial Banks with the RBI,
are called
A. Cash Reserves Ratio
B. Deposit Reserves Ratio
C. Required Reserves Ratio
D. Momentary Reserves Ratio
E. Contingency Fund
38. In which year was the Imperial Bank of India
rechristened as State Bank of India?
A. 1955 B. 1962
C. 1965 D. 1980
E. 1948
39. Which state has launched APJ Abdul Kalam
Amrut Yojna?
A. Madhya Pradesh B. Gujarat
C. Tamil Nadu D. Maharashtra
E. None of these
40. Regional Rural Banks are sponsored by
A. Nationalized Commercial Banks
B. Reserve Bank of India
C. State Bank of India
D. Government of India
E. Any of these
41. Which one is India’s third largest private
sector lender whose name has been officially
changed to Axis Bank?
A. Lord Krishna Bank B. Centurion Bank
C. HDFC Bank D. UTI Bank
E. IndusInd Bank
42. Which team topped the FIFA World Ranking
for Men's category released recently?
A. Portugal B. Belgium
C. Argentina D. Germany
E. France
43. The acronym LIBOR as used in financial and
banking sectors implies
A. Local Indian Bank Offered Rate
B. London-India Bureau of Regulations
C. Liberal International Bank Official Ratio
D. London Inter Bank Offered Rate
E. None of these
44. Which of the following apex institutions
handles refinance for agriculture and rural
development in India?
A. RBI B. SIDBI
C. NABARD D. SEBI
E. MUDRA
45. With which of the following is the SARFAESI
Act related?
A. Recovery of bad loans
B. Regulation of Foreign Exchange
C. Sanctioning of bank loans
D. Ceiling on urban land
E. Land acquisition process
46. Which of the following is NOT a function of the
Reserve Bank of India?
A. Acting as banker to the Government
B. Custody of Foreign Exchange Reserves
C. Issuance of one rupee notes and coins
D. Regulating credit in the country
E. All of these are the functions of the Reserve
Bank
47. Which bank was nationalized on January
1,1949 :
A. United Bank of India
B. Indian Overseas Bank
C. Reserve Bank of India
D. State Bank of India E. Federal Bank
48. What is the rate of the new Swachh Bharat
cess levied on services?
A. 0.25% B. 0.50%
C. 0.75% D. 1.00%
E. 2%
49. Heena Sidhu is related to which game :
A. Handball B. Badminton
C. Shooting D. Archery
E. Golf
50. Which of the following has been named the
world’s healthiest country?
A. Italy B. Singapore
C. Australia D. Switzerland
E. Norway

61. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 60
NOVEMBER GK TEST – 02
1. The "Turn the World UN Blue" global
campaign was a part of the
A. United Nations' 70th anniversary
B. United Nations’ 75th anniversary
C. United Nations’ 60th anniversary
D. United Nations’ 50th anniversary
E. United Nations’100th anniversary
2. Alphabet is the parent company of
A. Yahoo B. Google
C. Microsoft D. Cisco
E. IBM
3. Which of the following is the Mutual Fund
regulator in India?
A. CIBIL B. MCX-SX
C. SEBI
D. National Stock Exchange
E. Reserve Bank of India
4. According to Swachh Bharat Survey 2015,
which of the following is the cleanest city in
India?
A. Bangalore B. Chennai
C. Mysore D. Pune
E. Chandigarh
5. A debt instrument in which an investor lends
money to a company at a fixed interest rate
for a fixed period is called a
A. Bond B. Share
C. Preference share D. Coupon
E. Rights share
6. The 8th BRICS Summit will be held in
A. China B. South Africa
C. Brazil D. India
E. Russia
7. Which among the following is at times
mentioned as a kind of Direct Debit Facility?
A. RTGS B. ECS
C. NEFT D. Cheque
E. None of these
8. The MICR present on bank cheques is a 9-digit
code which stands for
A. Monetary Ink Cheque Recognition
B. Magnetic Ink Character Retrieval
C. Magnetic Information Code Recognition
D. Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
E. None of these
9. India's biggest telescope "Multi Application
Solar Telescope" (MAST) has been installed at
A. Ladakh B. Udaipur
C. Jaipur D. Ahmedabad
E. Pune
10. Mission Indradhanush is related to
A. Universal Immunization Programme
B. Revival of public sector banks
C. Development of Electronics Manufacturing
Hubs
D. Skill development of rural youth
E. Climate change
11. Richard Heck, who died recently, was a Nobel
laureate in
A. Chemistry B. Medicine
C. Economics D. Physics
E. Peace
12. Which country is set to become the first ever
cashless economy in the world?
A. Sweden B. The Netherlands
C. Austria D. Singapore
E. Norway
13. As per the Broadcast Audience Research
Council report, which Hindi channel has
emerged as the most watched channel?
A. Zee News B. Doordarshan
C. Aaj Tak D. Star News
E. Life OK
14. Sin Tax was in news recently. Which type of
tax is this?
A. Customs duty B. Excise duty
C. VAT D. Service Tax
E. Direct tax
15. Which country won the Rugby World Cup
recently?
A. Australia B. Netherland
C. New Zealand D. USA E. France
16. Who will be India’s permanent representative
at the UNO?
A. Vikas Swaroop B. Syed Akbaruddin
C. Sujahta Singh D. TSR Subramaniam
E. Karan Singh
17. Rupee denominated bonds issued by Indian
companies abroad are commonly known as
A. External Bonds B. Masala Bonds
C. Vehicle Bonds D. Beggar Bonds
E. Robust Bonds
18. A _________ contract is a contract between two
parties wherein both agree to buy and sell a
particular asset at a predetermined price, at a
specified date in future.
A. Spot deal B. Forward
C. Option D. Fixed E. Truncated deal
19. Which country saw heavy floods caused by the
tropical cyclone Chapala in November?
A. Georgia B. Syria
C. Yemen
D. Northern Philippines E. China
20. Which state government approved a scheme
named APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojna for
pregnant and lactating women in the tribal
areas of the state?
A. Maharashtra B. Uttar Pradesh
C. Karnataka D. Tamil Nadu
E. Haryana

62. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 61
21. Name the social activist who has been
selected for a top US humanitarian award for
his contribution to sanitation.
A. Sujoy Pillai B. Bindeshwar Pathak
C. Pradeep Kumar Sinha D. Kapil Shrivastava
E. Rajinder Singh
22. According to a survey, India has become the
biggest overall gold consumer surpassing
which country :
A. Australia B. Japan
C. China D. France
E. The USA
23. Which country tops the list of World Bank’s
2016 rankings in Ease of Doing Business?
A. Singapore B. Denmark
C. Switzerland D. New Zealand
E. The USA
24. According to World Bank’s 2016 rankings of
Ease of Doing Business, what rank has been
given to India?
A. 142 B. 130
C. 135 D. 139
E. None of these
25. In the recent Bihar assembly elections, …….
won a majority of seats.
A. UPA B. BJP
C. HAM D. Mahgathbandhan
E. JDU
26. India has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with ……. on digital
conservation and development of written
heritage at the National Library, Kolkata?
A. France B. Sweden
C. China D. Spain
E. UK
27. Under the “Housing for All” scheme launched
by PM Narendra Modi, how much grant is
given per house?
A. Rs. 1.5 Lakh B. Rs. 1 Lakh
C. Rs. 2 Lakh D. Rs.2.5 Lakh
E. Rs.1 Lakh-2.3 Lakh
28. Which among the following is to buy flash
memory giant SanDisk (SNDK) for $19 billion?
A. Sony B. Western Digital
C. Seagate D. Toshiba
E. Moser Baer
29. The minimum and maximum investments
allowed under the Sovereign Gold Bond
Scheme (SGBS) 2015 are
A. 2 grams and 500 grams of physical gold
B. 5 grams and 400 grams of physical gold
C. 2 grams and 400 grams of physical gold
D. 5 grams and 500 grams of physical gold
E. 5 grams and 500 grams of physical gold
30. The Baglihar Hydro Electric Power Project is
located in which Indian state?
A. Himachal Pradesh
B. Jammu and Kashmir
C. Uttarakhand
D. Punjab
E. Uttrakhand
31. What does the letter T in RTGS stand for?
A. Time B. Transaction
C. Tax D. Transfer
E. Technology
32. Who is the newly elected Prime Minister of
Canada?
A. Vivian Barbot B. Denis Lebel
C. David Johnston D. Justin Trudeau
E. Kim Campbell
33. A/An _________ is a temporary pass-through
joint account opened by a bank and a
borrower, into which all the receipts of the
borrower go and over which the bank has the
first right of withdrawal.
A. Company Account B. Current Account
C. Escrow Account D. Nominal Account
E. Overdraft Limit
34. What is the deadline for total rural
electrification under the Deendayal
Upadhyaya Grameen Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY)?
A. 31st March 2016 B. 2nd October 2016
C. 31st December 2016 D. 31st March 2017
E. None of these
35. The stated principal amount of a financial
instrument is known as
A. Face Value B. Book Value
C. Market Value D. None of these
E. Par Value
36. The International day of the Girl Child is
celebrated on
A. December 9 B. November 14
C. October 11 D. July
E. January 1
37. The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics is
located in
A. Jaipur B. Chennai
C. Hyderabad D. Pune
E. Kodaikanal
38. A ……… refers to a market in which the prices
are rising or are expected to rise. The term is
often used in the stock market, but can be
applied to anything that is traded like bonds,
currencies and commodities.
A. Bear Market B. Bull Market
C. Currency Market
D. Commodity Market
E. Range-bound Market
39. The Indian origin man Harjit Sajjan has been
sworn in as Defence Minister of which
country?
A. Australia B. Mauritius
C. Canada D. Singapore
E. The USA

63. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 62
40. The Doha Round of talks is related to
A. G- 20 B. IAEA
C. WTO D. ASEAN
E. UNO
41. What is name of the Indian culture week
launched in China, recently?
A. India in Beijing B. India in Shanghai
C. India in Tianjin D. India in China
E. Indo-China Week
42. Which of the following ministries has
launched the SATYAM programme?
A. Ministry of Finance
B. Ministry of External Affairs
C. Ministry of Science and Technology
D. Ministry of Power
E. Women and Child Development Ministry
43. What is the full form of CBS?
A. Cash Banking Solutions
B. Core Banking Solutions
C. Cash Balance Solutions
D. Capital Banking Solutions
E. None of these
44. Under the Indian Gold Coin Rules 2015, what
denominations of gold coins are issued?
A. 5, 10 and 15 gram
B. 5, 10 and 20 gram
C. 10, 15 and 20 gram
D. 10, 15 and 25 gram
E. None of
45. Who ranks no. 1 on the Fortune India list of 50
most powerful businesswomen for 2015?
A. Chanda Kochhar B. Shikha Sharma
C. Arundhati Bhattacharya D. Nishi Vasudeva
E. Naina Lal Kidwai
46. Saint Denis, which was in news of late, is
located in
A. London
B. Paris
C. Washington
D. Amsterdam E. None of these
47. Syed Jaffery, who passed away recently,
belonged to
A. Cinema B. Painting
C. Literature D. Theatre
E. Science
48. The GAAR guidelines are related to
A. Corporate Mergers
B. Bank Directors’ appointments
C. Environmental Protection
D. Corporate Social Responsibility
E. None of these
49. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
has approved a disinvestment of …….. in Coal
India Ltd. this year?
A. 6 % B. 10 %
C. 4% D. 18%
E. 20%
50. At present, the fastest supercomputer in the
world is the
A. Titan B. Tianhe
C. Sequoia D. Meera
E. Deep Blue
ANSWER KEY TEST – 01
Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A.
1 C 2 C 3 E 4 C 5 B
6 C 7 B 8 A 9 B 10 E
11 A 12 A 13 C 14 D 15 B
16 B 17 A 18 B 19 B 20 A
21 C 22 A 23 A 24 B 25 A
26 A 27 D 28 B 29 A 30 C
31 C 32 A 33 A 34 A 35 D
36 B 37 A 38 A 39 D 40 A
41 D 42 B 43 D 44 C 45 A
46 C 47 C 48 B 49 C 50 B
ANSWER KEY TEST – 02
Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A.
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 C 5 A
6 D 7 B 8 D 9 B 10 B
11 A 12 A 13 B 14 B 15 C
16 B 17 B 18 B 19 C 20 A
21 B 22 C 23 A 24 B 25 D
26 A 27 E 28 B 29 A 30 B
31 A 32 D 33 C 34 D 35 A
36 C 37 D 38 B 39 C 40 C
41 B 42 C 43 B 44 B 45 C
46 B 47 A 48 E 49 B 50 B

64. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 63

65. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 64
SSC CORNER
THE HUMAN BRAIN –
AN INTRODUCTION
Making sense of the brain's mind-boggling complexity
isn't easy. It makes us human, gives people the capacity
for art, language, moral judgment and rational thought.
It's also responsible for each individual's personality,
memories, movements, and how we sense the world.
The brain performs an incredible number of tasks
including the following:
1. It controls the body temperature, blood
pressure, heart rate and breathing.
2. It accepts a flood of information about the
world from various senses (seeing, hearing,
smelling, tasting and touching).
3. It handles your physical movements when you
walk, talk, stand or sit.
4. It lets you think, dream, reason and experience
emotions.
All these tasks are coordinated, controlled and regulated
by the brain --- an organ the size of a small head of
cauliflower. Your brain, spinal cord and peripheral
nerves make up a complex, integrated information-
processing and control system known as the central
nervous system. Together, they regulate all the
conscious and unconscious facets of your life. The
scientific study of the brain and nervous system is called
neuroscience or neurobiology. Because the field is so
vast -- and the brain and nervous system are so complex
-- we will start with the basics and give you an overview
of this complicated organ.
The Structure of Human Brain
We'll examine the brain structure and how each part
controls our daily functions, including motor control,
visual processing, auditory processing, sensation,
learning, memory and emotions.
All this comes from a jellylike mass of fat and protein
weighing about 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms). It is one of the
body's biggest organs, having some 100 billion nerve
cells that not only put together thoughts and highly
coordinated physical actions but regulate our
unconscious body processes, such as digestion and
breathing.
The brain's nerve cells are called neurons, which make
up the organ's so-called "gray matter." The neurons
transmit and gather electrochemical signals that are
communicated via a network of millions of nerve fibers
called dendrites and axons. These are the brain's "white
matter."
Cerebrum
The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain, accounting
for 85 percent of the organ's weight. The distinctive,
deeply wrinkled outer surface is the cerebral cortex,
which consists of gray matter. Beneath this lies the
white matter. It's the cerebrum that makes the human
brain—and therefore humans—so formidable. The
capacity to think, reason, argue, remember, visualize ---
all these faculties come from this part. So when you are
reading this article, the most active part of your brain is
the cerebrum. Whereas animals such as elephants,
dolphins, and whales have larger brains, humans have
the most developed cerebrum. It's packed to capacity
inside our skulls, enveloping the rest of the brain, with
the deep folds cleverly maximizing the cortex area.
Cerebral Hemispheres And Functional Localization
The cerebrum has two halves, or hemispheres. It is
further divided into four regions, or lobes, in each
hemisphere. The frontal lobes, located behind the
forehead, are involved with speech, thought, learning,
emotion, and movement. Behind them are the parietal
lobes, which process sensory information such as touch,
temperature, and pain. At the rear of the brain are the
occipital lobes, dealing with vision. Lastly, there are the
temporal lobes, near the temples, which are involved
with hearing and memory.
Right Brain-Left Brain
In most respects, the left and right sides are
symmetrical in function. For example, the counterpart of
the left-hemisphere motor area controlling the right
hand is the right-hemisphere area controlling the left
hand. There are, however, several important exceptions,

66. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 65
involving language and spatial cognition. In most
people, the left hemisphere is "dominant" for language:
a stroke that damages a key language area in the left
hemisphere can leave the victim unable to speak or
understand, whereas equivalent damage to the right
hemisphere would cause only minor impairment to
language skills.
Cerebellum
The second largest part of the brain is the cerebellum,
which sits beneath the back of the cerebrum. It is
responsible for coordinating muscle movements and
controlling our balance. Consisting of both grey and
white matter, the cerebellum transmits information to
the spinal cord and other parts of the brain.
Diencephalon, Thalamus, Hypothalamus
The diencephalon is located in the core of the brain. A
complex of structures roughly the size of an apricot, the
two major sections are the thalamus and hypothalamus.
The thalamus acts as a relay station for incoming nerve
impulses from around the body that are then forwarded
to the appropriate brain region for processing. The
hypothalamus controls hormone secretions from the
nearby pituitary gland. These hormones govern growth
and instinctual behavior such as eating, drinking, sex,
anger, and reproduction. The hypothalamus, for
instance, controls when a new mother starts to lactate.
Brain Stem
The brain stem, at the organ's base, controls reflexes
and crucial, basic life functions such as heart rate,
breathing, and blood pressure. It also regulates when
you feel sleepy or awake. The brain is extremely
sensitive and delicate, and so requires maximum
protection. This is provided by the surrounding skull
and three tough membranes called meninges. The
spaces between these membranes are filled with fluid
that cushions the brain and keeps it from being
damaged by contact with the inside of the skull.
Brain Injuries/ Disorders
Despite being protected by the thick bones of the skull,
suspended in cerebrospinal fluid, and isolated from the
bloodstream by the blood–brain barrier, the human
brain is susceptible to damage and disease.
The most common forms of physical damage are closed
head injuries such as a blow to the head, a stroke, or
poisoning by a variety of chemicals which can act as
neurotoxins, such as ethanol alcohol. Infection of the
brain, though serious, is rare because of the biological
barriers which protect it. The human brain is also
susceptible to degenerative disorders like Parkinson's
disease, and Alzheimer's disease (mostly due to aging)
and multiple sclerosis. Many psychiatric conditions like
schizophrenia and clinical depression are associated
with brain dysfunctions, although they are not well
understood.
Mental disorders like clinical depression, schizophrenia,
bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder may
involve particular patterns of neuropsychological
functioning related to various aspects of mental and
somatic functions. These disorders may be treated by
psychotherapy, psychiatric medication, social
intervention and personal recovery work or cognitive
behavioural therapy; the underlying issues and
associated prognoses vary significantly between
individuals.
Corticalization
A dominant feature of the human brain is corticalization.
The cerebral cortex in humans is so large that it
overshadows every other part of the brain.
Corticalization is reflected in function as well as
structure. In a rat, surgical removal of the cerebral
cortex leaves an animal still capable of walking around
and interacting with the environment. In a human,
comparable cerebral cortex damage produces a
permanent coma. The cerebral cortex is a neural tissue,
folded in a way that allows a large surface area to fit
within the confines of the skull.
The cerebral cortex is nearly symmetrical with left and
right hemispheres that are approximate mirror images
of each other. Each hemisphere is conventionally
divided into four "lobes", the frontal lobe, parietal lobe,
occipital lobe, and temporal lobe.
Neural signals from eyes
Each hemisphere of the brain interacts primarily with
one half of the body, but the connections are crossed:
the left side of the brain interacts with the right side of
the body, and vice versa. Motor connections from the
brain to the spinal cord, and sensory connections from
the spinal cord to the brain, both cross the midline at the
level of the brainstem. The result is that connections
from the left half of the retina in both eyes go to the left
side of the brain, whereas connections from the right
half of the retina go to the right side of the brain.
Because each half receives light coming from the
opposite half of the visual field, the functional
consequence is that visual input from the left side of the
world goes to the right side of the brain, and vice versa.
Thus, the right side of the brain receives somatosensory
input from the left side of the body, and visual input
from the left side of the visual field—an arrangement
helpful for visuomotor coordination.
***

67. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 66
Directions: Given below are certain words printed in
BOLD letters, followed by four choices in each case.
Find out the choice which best conveys the meaning of
the word in question. You will find the detailed
solution to this exercise in this issue only.
1. INDUSTRIOUS
A. Hardworking B. Lazy
C. Sensible D. Urgent
2. VIVACIOUS
A. Swaying B. Confused
C. Likely D. Lively
3. PONDERING
A. Shining B. Praiseworthy
C. Thoughtful D. Reckless
4. PERSEVERING
A. Persistent B. Dirty
C. Interesting D. Worthy of hatred
5. PERTINENT
A. Smooth B. Relevant
C. Handsome D. From Germany
6. SHRILL
A. Through voice B. Critical
C. In disagreement D. Loud and sharp
7. DUMB
A. Stay at a place B. Silent
C. Closed
D. Change dramatically
8. CHATTER BOX
A. Aged B. Abusive
C. Excessive talker D. Fond of writing
9. TACITURN
A. Speaking little B. Decent
C. Connected D. Related to eyes
10. BELLICOSE
A. Trigger-happy B. Roundabout way
C. Peace-loving D. Pungent
11. SPECTACUALR
A. Horrible
B. Looking like a terrorist
C. Worthy of being seen
D. Highly commendable
12. TRICKLE
A. Going deep into a river
B. A bunch of some objects
C. Flexibility D. Drop
13. PACIFIST
A. Broker B. Full of love
C. Peace-loving D. Related to oceans
14. LEGEND
A. Related to mythology B. Historical
C. Of heights D. Unproven
15. DEBONAIR
A. Sophisticated B. Having holes
C. Well-educated D. Practical
MY SCORE RATING
0-3 Get going!
4-7 Work hard!
8-11 Great, you’re almost there!
12-15 Wow!
SOLUTION -WORD WISE
1. Industrious: adjective: persevering, hardworking
Popular synonyms: diligenct, sedulous
Derivation: Industry
Examples: A. Her industrious attitude was finally
recognized by her boss with a promotion.
B. One may be extremely intelligent, but without
industrious application of mind, one cannot get
success.
2. Vivacious: adjective: lively
Popular synonyms: sprightly, animated
Examples: Her vivacious manners turned every
party into a super hit event.
3. Pondering: adjective: serious, in a thinking
mood
Popular synonyms: thoughtful, pondering,
cogitative
Examples: Newton sat pondering under a tree as
an apple fell into his lap.
4. Persevering: adjective: hardworking, persistent
Popular synonyms: sedulous
Examples: A. Every successful person needs to
have a persevering attitude in the face of
difficulties.

68. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 67
B. The mantra of success is getting up after every
failure and persevere to overcome weaknesses.
5. Pertinent: adjective: related, relevant, to the
point
Popular synonym: germane
Examples: A. Your ideas were rejected as they
were not pertinent to the discussions going on.
B. All the issues pertinent to Indo-Pak relations
will be taken up at the summit-level talks.
6. Shrill: adjective: loud, vocal, forceful
Popular synonyms: voluble, strident
Examples: A. The MPs made a shrill demand for
the minister’s resignation over the scandal.
B. There is shrill opposition to the proposal to
make the Aadhar card compulsory.
7. Dumb: adjective: silent, unable to speak
Popular synonym: mute
Examples: A. We cannot become dumb
spectators to this murder of democracy.
B. I went to a special school for the deaf and
dumb yesterday.
8. Chatterbox: excessive talker
Popular synonyms: vocal, voluble
Example: The chatterbox politician did not sotp
even for a second and talked non-stop.
9. Taciturn: adjective: silent, speaking very little
Popular synonym: reticent
Examples: A. Many people are taciturn at social
gatherings but you will find them very vocal with
their friends.
B. To become a public speaker, you need to get
rid of your taciturn nature.
10. Bellicose: adjective: fighting, contentious
Popular synonyms: belligerent, pugnacious
Examples: A. Bellicose nations like North Korea
always keep global tensions alive with their
nuclear threats.
B. The bellicose attitude she carried to the
meeting did not let reach a compromise with
others.
11. Spectacular: adjective: must-see, great
Example: Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s spectacular
acting helped the movie become a super hit.
12. Trickle: noun: drop, small quantity
Example: The college got only a trickle of
applications for admissions this year.
13. Pacifist: adjective: related to peace, peace-loving
Popular synonyms: peaceful, pacifist
Examples: The pacifist leader used to make
peace between the warring parties in her college.
14. Legend: noun: story of doubtful origin, unproven
Popular synonym: unsubstantiated, apocryphal
Example: Several legends about the freedom
struggle are quite popular but most historians do
not accept them.
15. Debonair: adjective: sophisticated, well-bred
Popular synonym: suave
Example: The girl’s debonair nature greatly
helped her bag the job of an airhostess.
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69. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 68
Profit And Pleasure
ON BOOKS
Profit and Pleasure not only tickles your nerve cells but
also makes you learn interesting facts about the world.
This time around, we are focusing on classic books and
their writers. Here we go!
1. This book was written after a king in India had
commissioned a well-known writer to compose
interesting moral stories for children. The king
wanted to inculcate good moral values among his
sons. The book contained short stories with a moral
lesson and featured animals as characters. It served
its purpose well and remains popular till date, with
many of these stories being a part of school books in
India.
Which all-time classic are we talking about?
2. The authoress of this classic mystery is known as the
Grand Dame of Mystery Writing. The play The
Mousetrap holds the world record for the longest
uninterrupted stage drama in the world. Written by
this iconic detective novelist, it has been running to
packed houses in London even after 25 years of its
start.
Can you recall her name?
3. The title of this book is a misnomer, as it hardly
focuses on it. But otherwise, it is regarded as an
ancient classic on how to govern a state, control
government offices, collect taxes etc. Its writer is
known for his famous mantra- saam, daam, dand,
bhed (साम, दाम, दंड, भेद).
Does it ring a bell somewhere?
4. This book is the world record holder for being the
Bestseller of All Times. Billions have read it and
continue to do so even now.
Can you identify it?
5. This book on economics by Adam Smith is known as
the foundation of capitalism. It talks of lassaiz faire
or no government intervention in any economic
activity and supports the cause of private sector
dominance in running a country’s economy.
Can you recall this all-time classic?
6. This famous romantic classic has been made into a
film many times by film-makers and will be remade
many more times in future, too. Its first cinematic
version had starred Dilip Kumar, the second one
Shah Rukh Khan, the third one Abhay Deol while the
fourth one is currently under production.
Does it remind you of this legendry romantic classic?
7. The biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag made on the life of
Milkha Singh, the Flying Sikh, had bagged several
movie honours at the red carpet. It was actually
based on an autobiography for which Milkha Singh
had charged just Rs. 1 as his copyright fee.
Can you recall this autobiography?
8. Rousseau’s ideas of Liberty, Equality and fraternity,
which ultimately led to the French Revolution, are a
part of the Preamble to the Indian Constitution too.
In fact, these ideas form the foundation of a modern,
liberal democracy. These ideas come to come from a
well-known book which he had authored?
Do you remember the name of this popular book?
9. The blockbuster movie Three Idiots was actually
based on a popular book written by Chetan Bhagat in
the initial years of his writing career. The movie
retains many important details from his book,
including the settings and the incidents therein.
Which novel is being referred to above?
10. This all-time bestseller book on popular science still
maintains its reputation as the no. 1 selling book in
its genre. It gives the story of how the universe was
formed and how life became possible in an easy-to-
understand, layman-like style. It has been authored
by a legendry physicist, who has been confined to a
wheelchair for life due to a neuro-muscular disease.
Can you identify this physicist, often called the
greatest physicist after Einstein?
SOLUTIONS
1. Panchtantra (Vishnudatt Sharma)
2. Agatha Christie
3. Artshastra (Chanakya aka Vishunugupt, Kautilya)
4. The Bible
5. Wealth of Nations
6. Devdas (Sharat Chandar Chattopadhyaya)
7. The Race of My Life
8. Theory of Social Contract (Jean Jacques Rousseau)
9. Five Point Someone
10. Stephen Hawking

70. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 69
GYANM QUIZ - 08
How much do you know about the world around you?
Take the quiz below to find out for yourself and WIN
some exciting prizes as rewards.
1. Who among the following was a well-known
poet-musician in the court of Allauddin Khilji?
A. Kabir B. Tansen
C. Goswami Tulsidas D. Amir Khusro
2. A bullet train runs on
A. Petrol B. Diesel
C. Magnetic power D. Electric power
3. A commonly used moderator in nuclear
reactors is
A. Heavy water B. Ozone
C. Aluminum Carbide D. Ordinary water
4. The National Nursing Day in India is observed
in the memory of
A. Anne Frank B. Mother Teresa
C. Florence Nightingale D. Maid of Orleans
5. In the acronym GST, the letter T stands for
A. Time B. Transaction
C. Technology D. Tax
6. In case of luxury goods, the demand for a
product will …… with a rise in prices.
A. fall B. fluctuate
C. remain unchanged D. rise
7. The Silent Valley forest is located in
A. Kerala B. Tamil Nadu
C. Maharashtra D. Himachal Pradesh
8. Which of these countries is NOT a part of
North America?
A. Mexico B. Canada
C. Argentina D. The USA
9. The active ingredient used in wines is
A. Ethyl alcohol B. Propyl alcohol
C. Acetic Acid D. Methyl alcohol
10. Which country’s capital faced an attack by the
ISIS recently?
A. Germany B. France
C. Russia D. The USA
Heartiest congratulations to the winners of Gyanm
Quiz-07!
1. Kamal Gautam – Raipur
2. Chander Shekhara – Tamil Nadu
The winners are being informed by post.
Name: ______________________________________
Address: ____________________________________
____________________________________________
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My answers to Gyanm Quiz - 08 are:
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4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9.
10.
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your COMPLETE ADDRESS and PIN CODE, by 25th
December, 2015. The responses can be sent
By e-mail to gynam.college@gmail.com OR
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By post to Gyanm College of Competitions,
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5. The winners’ names shall be announced in the
February, 2016 issue.

71. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 70
Financial
Glossary
…… continued from previous issue
BANKING CHANNELS ........
ATM (Automated Teller Machine)
The ATMs facilitate cash withdrawal from one’s account
– any time – anywhere. Of late, the banks have begun a
wide variety of services through ATMs, such as fee
deposit, online bill payment, mobile recharge, and fund
transfers. Usually, the ATMs are operated through Debit
Cards, although Credit Cards can also be used. A card
user has to enter his confidential PIN (Personal
Identification Number) to activate the ATM. The inter-
bank connectivity of ATMs is provided through the
National Financial Switch, maintained by the NPCI.
The customers are allowed a maximum of five
withdrawals in a month from non-bank ATMs (non-metro
locations).
ATM-FAILED TRANSACTION
Whenever there is a mismatch between the cash
received from an ATM and the amount debited to the
account, such a transaction is called ATM-failed
transaction. The RBI guidelines stipulate that in all such
cases, the banks are required to refund the difference
amount within 7 working days of the complaint, failing
which the bank needs to pay a fine @ Rs. 100 per day of
delay to the customer, with no upper limit, provided the
complaint is lodged thin 30 days of the transaction.
BROWN LABEL ATM
These are the ATMs licensed to a bank but serviced and
maintained by third parties. Most bank ATMs are
brown label ATMs.
WHITE LABEL ATM
White-label ATMs are those which do not belong to a
particular bank. They are licensed to, owned and
operated by the private non-banking companies, which
rent out these ATMs to other banks. Customers of any
bank can carry out transactions at these ATMs in
exchange for a fee.
DEBIT / CREDIT CARDS
Also called plastic money, they are one of the most
popular means of making payments or withdrawing
cash. A debit card is linked to a specific bank account
and can be used to operate only that account.
In contrast, a credit card is not linked to any account
and is like a loan limit granted by a bank. Every credit
card has a specific loan limit and can be used to
buy/make payment only up to this limit. The credit card
holder gets a monthly bill for the transactions done by
him and gets an interest-free credit period, after which
interest is payable.
Debit / Credit cards work on the following principles:
Debit Card: Buy now, pay now.
Credit Card: Buy now, pay later.
VISA / MASTER CARD
These are two international card service providers
(Global Payment Gateways). All transactions put
through various debit / credit cards are coordinated and
serviced by these two companies. All card issuing banks
in India coordinate with either of these two companies
before issuing any card. However, now a third option –
RuPay card is also available.
EMV CARDS
EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa. These
three global companies follow a common EMV chip. RBI
has directed Indian Banks that all debit / credit cards
issued by them should now be EMV chip and pin based
only.
RUPAY CARD
It is the Indian domestic card payment network set up
by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to
facilitate debit/credit card transactions. It is likely to
emerge as a strong challenge to payments gateways
such as Master Card and Visa.
CNP TRANSACTIONS
Refers to Card Not Present transactions i.e. transactions
done by using particulars of debit / credit cards, usually
for online transactions. A similar transaction is
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) transaction where
the payments are made through debit / credit card and
the card particulars are conveyed over the phone or the
internet. It is mandatory for all banks to issue an SMS
alert for all CNP / IVR transactions.

72. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 71
POINT OF SALE BANKING
Any place where a card swipe machine is installed is
known as a Point of Sale terminal. Transactions done
through these swipe machines are part of ‘point of sale
banking’. The RBI has allowed cash withdrawals of up to
Rs. 2000/- per day at PoS terminals in centres with
population below 50,000 and Rs. 1,000 in other centres.
NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION - NFC
NFC is a short-range wireless connectivity that uses
magnetic field induction to enable communication
between devices when they are touched together, or
brought within a few centimeters of each other.
Banks are now using NFC technology for making
transactions with debit / credit cards without the need
to swipe or insert the card as transactions are put
through merely by waving the card before the card
reader machine, thereby avoiding the need for
disclosing the password. State Bank is the first to use
this technique.
GREEN CHANNEL BANKING
It is an initiative started by the State Bank of India
wherein the focus is on minimizing the use of paper in
making routine payment and receipt transactions. Here,
instead of filing a paper voucher for withdrawal or
deposit, the particulars are fed into a small machine
placed on the counter, thereby minimizing the use of
paper.
TYPES OF BANKING
Depending upon the nature of their business, the banks
in India are involved in several types of banking
operations:
RETAIL BANKING
Retail banking refers to dealing with individuals for
comparatively small deposits/ advance amounts.
Typical retail banking products in deposits are savings /
current accounts, fixed deposits etc. In advances, retail
banking products include home loans, vehicle loans,
personal loans etc. Retail banking touches everyday
lives and is thus the most common and the most
popular variety of banking.
WHOLE SALE BANKING
In contrast to retail banking, wholesale banking refers
to large scale banking with corporates, institutions etc.
It covers large loans to corporates, channel financing,
institutional accounts etc.
UNIVERSAL BANKING
With technological advances and computerization, the
gap between retail and whole sale banking has
narrowed and same banks are getting involved in both
retail and wholesale banking, which is called Universal
Banking. It also refers to some banks doing both long
term and short term financing as traditionally, the banks
did only short term financing.
PARA BANKING
Traditionally, the banks were in the business of
accepting deposits and making loans. However, with
time, they have taken up a variety of other functions like
selling insurance policies, mutual funds, debit / credit
card, accepting fees, earnest money deposit etc. All these
activities are together called para banking.
MERCHANT BANKING
Merchant bankers are the intermediaries who arrange
for transfer of capital funds to those borrowers who are
looking for them. Some common merchant banking
activities are:
a) Management of customers’ securities
b) Management of investment portfolio
c) Appraisal / Management of projects
d) Issue management and underwriting of shares
e) Syndication of loans
ISLAMIC BANKING
It refers to banking activities done as per the provisions
of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat). As per the
Shariat, paying or charging of interest is considered a
sin. Thus, Islamic banking prohibits payment or levying
of any interest. This type of banking is prevalent in some
Arabian countries but is not allowed in India.
BANCASSURANCE (Banking + Insurance)
Bancassurance is the selling of insurance through bank
branches. The banks cannot sell their own insurance
products as they do not have the license for this. But
they can become the corporate agent of an insurance
company and sell its products. Now the banks have
been allowed to become insurance brokers also to
enable them to take agency of more than one insurance
company.
SHADOW BANKING
It refers to the banking activities of entities outside the
regular banking system. For example, the loans made
and the deposits accepted by various NBFCs.
OFFSHORE BANKING
An Indian bank branch located in a special economic
zone (SEZ), with a special set of rules aimed at
facilitating exports from the region. It is like a "deemed
foreign branch" of the parent bank situated within India.
GREEN BANKING
It refers to following environmental-friendly practices in
banking. It includes financing of environment-friendly
projects, financing of anti-pollution plant and
machinery, minimising the use of paper.
…………To Be Continued
SOURCE: FINANCIAL GLOSSARY,
A GYANM PUBLICATION

73. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 72

74. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 73
Latest G.K. Bytes
NOVEMBER – 2015
1) Indian Vice President visited which South-East
Asian country in first week of November:
Indonesia
2) Chilka Lake of India is famous for receiving
thousands of migratory birds from Siberia region. It
is located in which state: Odisha
3) In terms of brand value of nations, India ranks ______
in world: 7th
4) In terms of brand value of nations, which country
enjoys the top rank: U.S.A
5) Swiss Indoors Basel Tennis title was won by which
sports person: Roger Federer
6) BNP Paribas WTA Finals were held in which
country: Singapore
7) Women’s doubles title at the BNP Paribas WTA
Finals was won by which couple: Sania Mirza and
Martina Hingis
8) The Rugby World Cup was hosted by which city:
London
9) Name the country which won the Rugby World
Cup: New Zealand
10) Brijmohan Lall Munjal, a famous industrialist
passed away recently. He was founder of which
company: Hero Motocorp Ltd
11) _______Veteran diplomat, an IFS officer of 1980
batch, has been appointed as India’s next High
Commissioner to the United Kingdom: Navtej
Singh Sarna
12) India-Myanmar Relations is a book written by which
author: Rajiv Bhatia
13) Name the gold scheme that was opened for public
subscription from November 5-30: Sovereign Gold
Bonds Scheme
14) John Pombe Magufuli has been elected as the new
President of which country: Tanzania
15) Lunar rover, Yutu, set a record for the longest stay
on the Moon by completing almost two years stay.
It is from which country: China
16) Name the Indian who has been honoured by the
New York Global Leaders Dialogue Humanitarian
Award: Bindeshwar Pathak
17) Social activist Bindeshwar Pathak is famous for
which contribution: Establishment of Sulabh
Shochalayas
18) With Cotton production of around 400 lakh bales,
which country is likely to become largest cotton
producer in the world in 2015-16: India
19) Which Global rating agency has upgraded its
outlook for India's banking system to 'stable' from
'negative': Moody’s Investors Service
20) As per Legatum Prosperity Index 2015 of 142
countries, India has been placed at _______ place in
terms of overall prosperity: 99th
21) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked as
the world's ______ most powerful person by Forbes
magazine in a 2015 list: 9th
22) As per the Forbes list of most powerful persons in
world in 2015, president of which country has been
ranked as number one: Russia, Vladimir Putin
23) Which IT giant is working with the Indian
government on a pilot project for providing
Internet connectivity by using large balloons:
Google
24) What is the purpose of ‘Project Loon’ being
implemented in India: Providing Internet
Services
25) Recent news line in paper was – ‘core sector shows
improvement in September’. It refers to
improvement in which sector: Industrial
production
26) Volcanic ash eruptions from Mount Rinja in which
country paralysed the tourism industry there as it
led to cancellation of several flights: Indonesia
27) Name the Indian shooter who won silver medal in
the 13th Asiald in n Shooting Championship: Jitu
Rai
28) 13th Asian Shooting Championship was held in
which city: Kuwait City
29) Who has been appointed as the new Chief Justice
of India (43rd), succeeding Justice HL Dattu: Justice
T S Thakur
30) Prime Minister of which country announced his
resignation bearing moral responsibility for a
nightclub blaze that killed 32 people: Romania
31) Which state has launched APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut
Yojna: Maharashtra
32) What is the purpose of APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut
Yojna: to provide at least one full hot cooked
nutritious meal to pregnant and lactating
women in the tribal areas
33) _______ Railway Station in Karnataka has become the
first blind-friendly Railway Station in India:
Mysuru
34) 69th senior National Aquatic Championships 2015
were held in which place: Rajkot Gujrat

75. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 74
35) Virdhawal Khade has won the National Title in
which sports: Swimming
36) First international film festival for the persons with
disabilities (IFFPD) will be held in _______ from 1 to
3 December 2015: Delhi
37) Which social networking company has partnered
with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) to create
100 Wi-Fi hotspots in rural areas of western and
southern India: Facebook
38) ICGS Arinjay, a Fast Patrol Vessels was
commissioned in Indian Navy at Kochi. What is the
full form of ICGS: Indian Coast Guard Ship
39) Which city hosted the 11th National Tribal Crafts
Mela ‘Aadishilp’: New Delhi
40) Which international iconic Football star has been
picked up by the Tata Motors as their global brand
ambassador for their passenger vehicles: Lionel
Messi
41) Who has been appointed chairperson of a
committee set up by the Human Resource
Development Ministry to draft the new education
policy: T.S.R. Subramanian
42) Nico Rosberg won the Mexican Grand Prix F1
championship in Mexico City. He is from which
country: Germany
43) Shiva Thapa was ranked number 2 in world in the
latest international rankings in the 56 kilogram
category of which sports: Boxing
44) Which country reopened its Consulate General
office in Mumbai after four decades of closure in
1973: Norway
45) A new species of the Dracula ant, likely to be of
Stigmatomma group of predaceous ants, was
discovered by a group of citizen scientists in which
part of Kerala: Western Ghats
46) Which country has committed to invest over 2
billion euros for Smart City projects in India with
special focus on Chandigarh, Nagpur and
Puducherry: France
47) According to the global Financial Secrecy Index
report released by Tax Justice Network of UK, India
ranked ________ in the list of 92 countries in 2015 in
terms of financial transparency: 45th
48) Suresh N Patel has been appointed as the Managing
Director & Chief Executive Officer of which Bank:
Andhra Bank
49) _______ Kumar Jain has been appointed MD and CEO
of Indian Bank: Mahesh
50) _______ has been appointed MD and CEO UCO Bank:
R K TAKKAR
51) J K Garg has been appointed as the Managing
Director of which Bank: Corporation Bank
52) RBI has allowed to offer ‘view only’ internet
banking to which category of banks: State and
district central co-operative banks
53) Which government authority fixes the minimum
support prize for various crops: Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs
54) The Minimum Support Price of wheat, the main rabi
crop for season 2015-16 has been fixed at Rs ______
per quintal: 1575
55) The government launched Ujjwal Discom
Assurance Yojna (UDAY) to improve the
performance of which companies: Power
distribution companies.
56) Government has announced the levy of a Swachh
Bharat cess of ______ % on all services liable for
service tax (14%) from November 15: 0.5
57) Swachh Bharat cess means a tax of ______on every
Rs 100 worth of taxable services: 50 paisa
58) Surjit Hockey Tournament was won by which team:
Railways
59) Li Yuanchao from China visited India to review
cooperation on better river water management and
cultural exchanges. Who is he: Vice President of
China
60) ________ has won Gold in 10 metre Air Pistol event at
13th Asian Shooting Championships in Kuwait:
Heena Sidhu
61) Which country moved to the top of the FIFA world
ranking list in football for the first time, leaving
behind giants like Argentina and world champions
Germany: Belgium
62) Russia suspended all its flights to which country
after one of its aircraft suffered mid-air bomb blast
soon after take-off from Sharm el-Sheikh: Egypt
63) Name the authors of the book ‘Rebooting India
Realizing a Billion Aspirations’: Nandan Nilekani
and Viral Shah
64) Free General elections were held in which
neighbouring country, after a gap of almost 25
years of Military rule: Myanmar
65) The pro-democracy party National League for
Democracy, led by its charismatic leader ______ won
the recent general elections in Myanmar: Aung San
Suu Kyi
66) The RBI has decided to officially stop the barter
system - trading of goods without exchange of
money, from December 1 on which international
border: Indo-Myanmar border
67) Indian Army successfully test-fired the land attack
variant of the 290-km range supersonic cruise
missile named ______: BrahMos
68) Indian Army successfully test-fired the BrahMos
Missile at the Pokhran range. It is in which state:
Rajasthan
69) ________ became the first player in Ranji Trophy
history to notch up 10,000 runs: Wasim Jaffer
70) Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma has been honoured with
Kala Shikhar Award for lifetime achievement in
which field: Playing Santoor
71) What Happened to Netaji is a book written by

76. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 75
which person: Anuj Dhar
72) Name the nuclear-capable ballistic missile which
was tested successfully for a range of 4,000 kms:
Agni-IV
73) Which international financing agency has agreed to
give $ 273 loan for improving rural roads in Assam,
Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West
Bengal: Asian Development Bank
74) UNESCO rejected which country’s bid for
membership as it failed to receive the support of
two-thirds of the UNESCO’s member nations:
Kosovo
75) OECD has said that the Indian economy is expected
to grow by 7.2 per cent this fiscal. What is the full
form of OECD: Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development
76) According to Fortune India’s latest rankings of
Indian business women, _________ has been ranked
as the most powerful business woman: Arundhati
Bhattacharya
77) ________ defeated Mali to win the FIFA Under 17
Football World Cup: Nigeria
78) The FIFA Under 17 Football World Cup was hosted
by which country: Chile
79) Britain has announced _______ as the UK-India Year
of Culture to mark the 70th Anniversary of Indian
Independence: 2017
80) Name the venue in London where Prime Minister
Modi addressed a massive gathering of over 60
thousands persons: Wembley Stadium
81) Which country was provisionally suspended from
all international track and field events by
International Association of Athletics Federations
(IAAF) due to widespread doping in its athletes:
Russia
82) India’s satellite GSAT-15 was successfully launched
by the European Ariane rocket from Kourou in
French Guiana. It will work in which field:
Communications
83) Some of the top rated companies are firming up
plans to raise fund by issuing ‘masala bonds’. What
are they going to do: Issuing rupee-denominated
bonds in foreign markets
84) Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay visited
India to preside over the 'India Ideas Conclave' in
which city: Goa
85) Northeast’s first exclusive hospital for elephants
has been established at the Kaziranga National Park
in which state: Assam
86) Name the former RBI Deputy Governor who has
been appointed as an Executive Director on the
board of the International Monetary Fund: Subir
Gokaran
87) Name the only Indian institute that has secured a
place in a list of top 100 institutions compiled by
the ‘Times Higher Education Rankings for
Engineering & Technology: The Indian Institute of
Science (IISc), Bangalore
88) Helmut Schmidt, a veteran and famous statesman
passed away recently at the age of 96. He was from
which country: Germany
89) _________ won the International Children’s Peace
Prize for 2015 for his “tireless campaigning” to end
violence against minors: Abraham Keita, (17)
90) Abraham Keita hails from which country: Liberia
91) Which global e-commerce company created a new
record in online sales netting $14.33 billion on the
annual Singles Day on Nov 13: Alibaba
92) Which International Airport has been adjudged the
best-maintained international airport in the
country for the third quarter commencing July this
year: Thiruvananthapuram
93) Raghuram Rajan, Governor RBI has been elected
Vice-Chairman of which international financial
institution: Bank of International Settlement
94) Headquarters of the Bank of International
Settlement are located at which place: Basel,
Switzerland
95) What was the name of the seventh edition India-
Russia Joint Military Exercise held in Bikaner
district of Rajasthan: Indra – 2015
96) Justice Ajit Prakash Shah has been appointed as the
ethics officer (ombudsman) of which national
sports body: Board of Control for Cricket in India
97) India has been re-elected on the UNCITRAL for a
period of six years. What is the full form of
UNCITRAL: United Nations Commission on
International Trade Law
98) In the eight north-eastern states, government has
decided to contribute _________per cent funds in the
centrally sponsored Schemes: 90
99) The government has enhanced the monetary limit
to approve foreign investment proposals of the
Foreign Investment Promotion Board – FIPB to Rs
________ crore, from Rs 3,000 crore at present: 5,000
100) In which city of France, over 129 people were killed
and more than 300 were wounded in multiple
terrorists’ shootings: Paris
101) Which city hosted the 35th India International
Trade Fair: New Delhi
102) DRDO has developed Advanced Torpedo Defence
System “Maareech” and “Vaarunaastra” for use by
which wing of defence forces: Navy
103) INS Vishwakarma, a premier training establishment
of the Indian Navy for the shipwrights is located at
which place: Vishakhapatnam
104) With which country India has announced the
completion of procedures for bringing the two-
nation nuclear deal into force: Australia
105) Government has declared which militant outfit of
Nagaland as a terrorist organization under the
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967:

77. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 76
National Socialist Council of Nagaland
(Khaplang), NSCN (K)
106) In which Indian state heavy rains by north east
monsoon claimed over 102 lives: Tamil Nadu
107) As per a recent IMF study, India's GDP can expand
by 27 per cent if the number of women workers
increases to _______ as that of men: Same level
108) Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) group held their annual summit at which
place: Manila
109) China Open Superseries Premier Badminton
tournament was held at which city in China:
Fuzhou
110) Ace badminton player Saina Nehwal clinched which
rank at the China Open Superseries Premier
Badminton tournament: Second
111) Name the veteran Bollywood actor who recently
died in London. He is remembered for his
outstanding performance in films like Gandhi,
Shatranj Ke Khilari and Masoom: Saeed Jaffrey
112) A two day summit of Heads of G-20 nations was
held in ______Turkey to dwell on inclusive economic
growth and climate change: Antalaya
113) Nico Rosberg won the Brazilian Formula One Grand
Prix at _________Brazil: Sao Paulo
114) Hundred Drums Wangala Festival, the thanks
giving post-harvest festival is celebrated in which
state of India: Meghalaya
115) The Union Ministry of Tourism launched the
National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and
Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) and
Swadesh Darshan schemes for what purpose: To
increase the arrival of foreign tourists in India
116) World Bank granted $75 million loan to which
Indian state for its Rural Inclusive Growth project
aimed at enhancing agricultural incomes of small
and marginal farmers: Andhra Pradesh
117) The International Day for Tolerance was observed
globally on ________ November with an aim to
educate people about the need for tolerance: 16
118) Name the veteran patron of the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad (VHP) who passed away in Gurgaon due
to a prolonged illness: Ashok Singhal
119) Govt has approved State Annual Action Plans
(SAAP) of 81 mission cities in 5 states-Tamil Nadu,
Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Mizoram
under AMRUT Scheme for 2015-16. Write the full
form of AMRUT: Atal Mission for Rejuvenation
and Urban Transformation
120) Name the 1985 batch officer of Indian Foreign
Service who has been appointed as the next
Permanent Representative of India to the United
Nations: Syed Akbaruddin
121) Which country won the prestigious women’s team
tennis trophy - Fed Cup after beating Russia in final
played in Prague: The Czech Republic
122) Name the 16 year old shuttler from India who won
the silver medal at the BWF World Junior
Championships held in Lima, Peru: Siril Verma
123) What is the objective of the Accessible India
campaign recently launched by government of
India: To make international airports and major
railway stations disabled friendly
124) Which bank has launched the country's first low-
income state infrastructure equity partnership (or
the Neev fund) in London: State Bank of India
125) In a breakthrough, scientists in U K have developed
the world's first 'porous' liquid that can potentially
be used to capture and dissolve unusually large
amounts of which harmful gas: Carbon Gas
126) Chhath festival was celebrated in different parts of
the country on Nov 17-18. It is the most popular
festival of which state: Bihar
127) Name the Australia’s most devastating fast bowler
of his era who retired from all international cricket
on Nov 17: Mitchell Johnson
128) Global Cancer Summit was held in which city of
India from Nov 18 to 20: Bengaluru
129) Ms. Zarin Daruwala has been appointed as Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of which foreign bank in
India: Standard Chartered Bank
130) With a view to boost exports, the government has
approved ___________ per cent interest subvention
scheme to allow exporters to avail loans from
banks at a lower rate: Three
131) Government has launched the Technology
Acquisition and Development Fund (TADF) for
what purpose: To facilitate acquisition of clean,
green and energy efficient technologies
132) Government plans to link all the police stations of
the country online under the CCTNS. What is full
form of CCTNS: Crime and Criminals Tracking
Network and Systems
133) Which Indian city hosted the Second World
Congress on Disaster Management from 19 to 22
November: Visakhapatnam
134) Tianhe-2 supercomputer has emerged as the
world’s most powerful supercomputer system for
the sixth consecutive time. It has been developed by
which country: China
135) Name the former Chief of the Research and Analysis
Wing (RAW) who passed away in Bengaluru: K.
Sankaran Nair
136) Name the Indian Minister who has been designated
as the Disaster Risk Reduction Champion for the
Asia Region by the United Nations Office for
Disaster Risk Reduction: Kiren Rijiju
137) Govt has allowed ________language to be taught as an
additional foreign language in Kendriya Vidyalayas
in conformity with the National Education Policy,
1986: German
138) The World Health Organisation (WHO) on 16

78. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 77
November 2015 launched the World Antibiotic
Awareness Week. What was its theme: Antibiotics
handle with care
139) 7th Central Pay Commission headed by Justice AK
Mathur submitted its report to which union
ministry: Finance Ministry
140) Ram Krishna Trivedi, Former Gujarat governor
passed away recently. He also held a very
important national office. Name this office: Chief
Election Commissioner
141) The world's second-largest gem quality diamond
has been discovered in which country in southern
Africa: Botswana
142) Recently the United Nations Security Council
passed a resolution to take action against which
terrorist organisation: Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria (ISIS)
143) The Indira Gandhi Prize For Peace, Disarmament
And Development- 2015 has been Awarded to
which International Organisation: United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees
144) As per the Global Terrorism Index 2015, India
ranks __________ in list of 162 nations most impacted
by terrorism in 2014: 6th
145) As per the Global Terrorism Index 2015, which
country is worst affected by the terrorism: Iraq
146) The Global Gender Gap Report 2015 ranks India at
_________ place in terms of utilisation of its female
work force: 108th
147) Which country tops The Global Gender Gap Report
2015: Iceland
148) In which country Islamist militants laid siege to the
Radisson Blu Hotel, killing at least 27 persons from
different nations: Mali
149) Which ministry plans to launch Blue Revolution
Integrated Development and Management of
Fisheries for growth and development of fisheries:
Agriculture Ministry
150) Which Indian city hosted the 17th Asia Pacific
Youth Forum meet: Kozhikode, Kerala
151) _________ has been elected as the new Chief Minister
of Bihar: Nitish Kumar
152) 27th summit of Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) was held in _________on November
21: Kuala Lumpur
153) Vijay Keshav Gokhale, Senior diplomat has been
appointed as India’s Ambassador to which country:
China
154) Government plans to mobilise around Rs. 20,000
crore by selling 10% of its stake in which public
sector undertaking: Coal India Ltd
155) Harshavardhan Neotia has been elected as the
President of the FICCI for the year 2016. Who is he:
Chairman of Ambuja group of industries
156) 46th International Film Festival of India began in
Panaji, Goa with the screening of The Man Who
Knew the Infinity. It is a biopic of which famous
mathematician: Srinivas Ramanujan
157) Name the two South-East Asian nations visited by
Prime Minister Modi in the 3rd week of November:
Malaysia and Singapore
158) Name the India's most successful cueist who won
the record 15th world title by winning the IBSF
World Snooker Championship in Egypt: Pankaj
Advani
159) Who has become the first player to win the ATP
World Tour Finals for the fourth consecutive time:
Novak Djokovic
160) Leaders of the ASEAN group of nations have
declared the establishment of an EU-style regional
economic bloc. Give its name: ASEAN Economic
Community (AEC)
161) Name the President of France who will be the chief
guest at the 2016 Republic Day celebrations:
Francois Hollande
162) The DRDO test-fired an Advanced Air Defence
(AAD) missile from Abdul Kalam island. What kind
of missile is it: Intreceptor missile
163) Which South-American country has elected
Mr.Mauricio Macri as its new President: Argentina
164) In which country, the young pro-democracy voters
are known as Umbrella Soldiers: Hong Kong
165) Name the India’s neighbour which is experiencing
hardships due to ongoing Madhesi Agitation: Nepal
166) Madhesis, the Indian-origin inhabitants of Nepal
are found in which part of Nepal: Terai region
167) In a $ 160 billion merger agreement, the biggest
ever deal in the healthcare sector, pharma major
Pfizer Inc has acquired which other big pharma
company: Allergan Plc
168) The Confederation of All India Traders has
launched an e-commerce portal, ‘e-lala’ for what
purpose: To promote bussiness of 5.77 crore
small units
169) The 8th Men’s Junior Asia Hockey Cup at Kuantan,
Malaysia was won by which country: India
170) Ramnath Goenka Lifetime Achievement Award is
given for excellence in which field: Journalism
171) Who is the recent winner of Ramnath Goenka
Lifetime Achievement Award: Kuldip Nayar
172) Which country has launched its first early warning
system satellite named EKS or Integrated Space
System: Russia
173) Name the three Indian cities selected by the British
government for developing them as 'Smart City':
Pune, Amravati (Maharashtra) and Indore (MP)
174) Rajasthan government has signed a ‘sister-state
agreement’ with which state of Australia: South
Australia
175) Which international organization has said that
global average temperatures this year are likely to
be the warmest on record: World Meteorological

79. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 78
Organisation
176) Name the naval variant of the Prithvi – II missile,
having a strike range of 350 kilometers that was
tested successfully recently: Dhanush
177) Mahip Singh, who passed away passed away in
Gurgaon, after a brief illness was a noted figure
from which field: Literature & Journalism
178) Japan conducted its first commercial satellite
launch on August 24, with which launch vehicle: H-
IIA rocket
179) Government has reduced the deadline for
completion of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana
for rural connectivity through all- weather roads
from 2022 to which year: 2019
180) Which state has launched the ‘Tourist Mitra’ to
ensure a smooth and secure experience for tourists:
Karnataka
181) The 10th East Asia Summit was held in which city
of Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur
182) Name the former long jump world champion who
has been appointed as the chairperson of the Target
Olympic Podium Scheme: Anju Bobby George
183) Why The National Milk Day is observed on 26
November: To mark 94th birth anniversary of
the Father of the White Revolution - Dr
Verghese Kurien
184) T R Govindarajan, distinguished football
administrator and veteran referee who died
recently at the age of 90, was from which state:
Tamil Nadu
185) What is the US military operation name for the
intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria: Operation Inherent
Resolve
186) Which union ministry recently launched 10
schemes for the benefit of disabled persons:
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
187) Who is the author of the book “Because We Say So”:
Noam Chomsky
188) “Why India Is Not A Great Power (Yet)” is a book
written by which author: Bharat Karnad
189) INS Kadmatt the indigenously built stealth ASW
corvette, was formally handed over to the Navy on
Nov 26. What is ASW: Anti-Submarine Warfare
190) In the naval language what is a corvette: A small
war ship
191) The first ever day-night Test match in the history of
cricket started in last week of Nov. at which place:
Adelaide Oval in Australia
192) The Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM),
jointly developed by the ______________ and DRDO
was successfully tested: Israel Aerospace
Industry
193) The RBI has allowed foreign investors to buy
default non-convertible debentures and bonds
provided their maturity is for _____ years or more:
Three
194) Name the highest paid director of the Indian
Corporate world for the year 2014-15: Pawan
Munjal of Hero Moto Corp
195) ______________ has been appointed as the President of
The Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry
of India (ASSOCHAM): Sunil Kanoria
196) India successfully test-fired its indigenously
developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile. What
is its strike range: 350 kms
197) India observes ‘Constitution Day’ on which date:
November 26
198) RBI has allowed three companies to start Trade
Receivables Discounting System (TReDS). This will
benefit which category of enterprises: Small and
Medium Enterprises – SMEs
199) The government has made it mandatory for road
developers to use __________ along with bituminous
mixes for road construction: Waste Plastic
200) Which country has developed world’s strongest
combat and reconnaissance drone CH – 5 that can
fly with a weight of 3,000 kg: China
201) First India International Science Festival will be
hosted by which educational institution: Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi
202) Government has extended RuPay card usage
condition of at least one transaction in 45 days to
____ days for filing a claim under PMJDY: 90
203) Which Indian bank has become the first Indian
bank to launch Sonic branding (Musical Logo):
HDFC Bank
OCTOBER – 2015
204) What is the name of the India’s first dedicated
astronomy research satellite recently launched by
ISRO: Astrosat
205) Astronomy research satellite Astrosat has been
placed in which orbit: Equatorial
206) Senior congress leader, Dr. Syed Ahmed passed
away recently. He was governor of which State:
Manipur
207) The Japanese Grand Prix F1 race at Suzuka, Japan
was won by _________: Lewis Hamilton
208) Name the Indian who won the IBSF World Billiards
Championship in Adelaide, Australia: Pankaj
Advani
209) Abhinav Bindra clinched gold in the men's 10 metre
Air Rifle event of which championship: Asian Air
Gun Championship, New Delhi
210) What is the name of the stealth guided missile
destroyer which was inducted in the Indian Navy
on Sep 30: INS Kochi
211) Naval warship INS Kochi is the stealth guided
missile destroyer. What is meant by Stealth: Ability
to avoid detection by Radars
212) Government has unveiled ‘National Institutional

80. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 79
Ranking Framework’ (NIRF) for what purpose: For
annual ranking of engineering and management
institutes of the country
213) Government has launched Green Highways policy
for what purpose: To promote plantation of more
trees along Highways
214) With USD 31 billion of foreign capital inflows in the
first half of 2015, India ranks at which place in
world in attracting FDI: First
215) In its 4th bi-monthly monetary policy review
announced on Sep 29, RBI cut the benchmark repo
rate by how many basis points: 50
216) The repo rate from Sept 29 stands at which value:
6.75 per cent
217) The recent cut in Repo Rate may have what impact
on investment and industrial growth in the country:
It may go up
218) The recent cut in Repo Rate may have what impact
on the rate of interest of bank loans: It is likely to
come down
219) The recent cut in Repo Rate may have what impact
on EMIs of housing / car loans: It is likely to come
down
220) The recent cut in Repo Rate may have what impact
on Interest rate of bank deposits: It is likely to
come down
221) The recent cut in Repo Rate may have what impact
on volume of bank loans in general: It is likely to
go up
222) NASA scientists claimed recent that they have
found the strongest ever evidence of liquid water
on which Planet : Mars
223) “The Country of ________” is the title of the recent
book authored by Amartya Sen: First Boys
224) “Baat Niklegi toh Phir”, a book written by Sathya
Saran is about which celebrity: Jagjit Singh
225) SASTRA Ramanujan Prize is given for excellence in
which field: Mathematics
226) SASTRA Ramanujan Prize 2015 has been won by
Jacob Tsimerman. He is from which country:
Canada
227) International day of Older Persons is observed
on which date: October 1
228) Microsoft Corp has agreed to bury all patent
infringement litigation against which major IT
giant: Google Inc.
229) The Central Board of Direct Taxes, CBDT has
simplified the format and procedure of which forms
for claiming exemption from TDS: 15G and 15 H
230) ___________ clinched a Gold medal in the 10-metre air
pistol event of the Asian Air Gun Championships in
New Delhi: Heena Sidhu
231) Name the German Chancellor who came to New
Delhi on an official visit to take part in the third
Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) between
India and Germany: Angela Merkel
232) Which city of Iraq the heavily fortified Green Zone
was opened to the public for the first time in 12
years as a part of a reform drive: Baghdad
233) Pedro Passos Coelho has been elected Prime
Minister of which country: Portugal
234) Arch of Triumph, a historical monument built about
2,000 years ago in Palmyra, Syria was in news for
what reasons: It was blown up by the ISIS
terrorists
235) Which global organization has lowered 2015 world
trade forecast to 2.8 percent in the face of a
slowdown in the economies of emerging countries:
World Trade Organization (WTO)
236) Who has been elected as the new President of the
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI):
Shashank Manohar
237) Luis Leao Pinto of Portugal won which Asian sports
event to get the crown of ‘King of the Himalaya’:
Mountain Biking Race
238) “Mrs Funnybones” is a recent _________ by Twinkle
Khanna: Book
239) Which Indian organization has started the world’s
highest research station at an altitude of 17,500 ft
at Chang La: DRDO
240) In which country at least 171 persons were killed in
sudden mudslides that smashed into a village:
Guatemala
241) The 2016 G-20 summit will be hosted by which
country: China
242) _________ will host the 2017 G-20 summit: Germany
243) Which country will host 2018 summit of G-20
nations: India
244) In the Global Competitiveness Index 2015-16
compiled by the World Economic Forum for the
world’s most competitive economies, what is the
rank of India: 55th
245) In the Global Competitiveness Index 2015-16
compiled by the World Economic Forum, which is
the best country: Switzerland
246) What is the name of the quadricycle RE60 launched
for export to 16 countries by Bajaj Auto: Qute
247) A 14-day joint training exercise 'Mitra Shakti 2015',
involving military contingents from India
and________, was held in Pune from Sep 29 to Oct 12:
Sri Lanka
248) ADB has agreed to give a $123.51 million loan to
Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh for
what purpose: To upgrade tourism
infrastructure
249) District Court in Khunti has become county's first
solar powered district court. It is in which State:
Jharkhand
250) Which Indian State has computerized all its 531
police stations to allow online filing of FIR from
anywhere: Odisha
251) Which Indian Bank has become the first bank in the

81. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 80
world to launch mVisa - a card-less and device-less
payment solution: ICICI Bank
252) A joint maritime exercise of naval patrol vessels -
Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) between India and
__________ began on 3 October 2015 in the Andaman
Sea: Indonesia
253) Nobel Prize (half) for medicine for 2015 has been
won by William Campbell (Ireland) and Satoshi
Omura (Japan) for which achievement: For
discovering a new drug to treat infections
caused by roundworm parasites
254) Govt plans to spend around 70 thousand crore
rupees in 12 major ports in the next five years
under _______Project, aimed at port-led development
in coastal areas: Sagarmala
255) Henning Mankell, a noted crime writer, whose
detective character Kurt Wallander became a
worldwide phenomenon, died at 67. She was from
which country: Sweden
256) The Trans-Pacific Partnership for global commerce
and worker standards has been formed by 11
Pacific Rim nations with which country: USA
257) Govt has signed a MoU with the New India
Assurance Company to provide Swavlamban Health
Insurance Scheme, for which category of persons:
Persons with Disabilities
258) As per the latest World Bank report on global
poverty, the number of people living in extreme
poverty line is likely to fall for the first time below
_____ % of the world’s population in 2015: 10
259) The World Bank has revised its benchmark poverty
from living on or below $1.25 a day to $_____ a day:
1.90
260) The Central Government has notified ‘Mid Day Meal
Rules, 2015’ under which Act for improved
administration and efficiency of the scheme: The
National Food Security Act, 2013
261) The new mid day meal rules prescribe ___calories
and ____ gm of protein for primary class students:
450, 12
262) The new mid day meal rules prescribe ___calories
and ____ gm of protein for upper primary class
students: 700, 20
263) Which country won the International Basketball
Federation (FIBA) Asia Championship by defeating
the Philippines at Changsha, China: China
264) Nobel Prize of Physics for 2015 has been given to
scientists for discovering which elusive subatomic
particles, opening a new window onto the
fundamental nature of the universe: Neutrinos
265) Govt has decided to allow foreign investment up to
______ per cent in White Label ATM operations
under the automatic route to promote financial
inclusion: 100
266) India has decided to cut the carbon produced per
unit of ________ by 33-35 per cent by 2030 from what
it was in 2005: GDP growth
267) Recent RBI data shows that among public sector
banks, the _____ Bank had highest ratio of NPAs at
8.5 per cent of its loans in 2014-15: UCO
268) Naina Lal Kidwai, noted Indian banker will retire by
the end of this year from the headship of which
international bank in India: Hongkong Shanghai
Banking Corporation (HSBC)
269) The government plans to bring down its stake in
which bank to 49 per cent, from 76.5 per cent at
present with a view to make it more efficient: IDBI
Bank
270) Sergey Karjakin, who won the World Cup Chess
Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan, is from which
country: Russia
271) Nayantara Sahgal, Ashok Vajpayee, noted writers
returned the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award as
a protest on which issue: Recent killings of
rationalists and writers
272) Name the India’s first totally indigenously designed
and built torpedo launch and recovery vessel
(TLRV) that has been inducted in Indian Navy: INS
Astradharini
273) The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Conference
2016 will be held in _____ from 8 January to 10
January 2016 to mark the contribution of the
overseas Indian community to the development of
India: New Delhi
274) The Clintons' War on Women is a book written by:
Roger Stone and Robert Morrow
275) The Union cabinet has approved construction of a
National War Memorial and Museum near which
historical monument in New Delhi: India Gate
276) IIT Council has decided to waive full fee for which
category of students in all the 15 IITs for all the
semesters: Physically Challenged Students
277) Three scientists have won the Nobel Prize 2015 in
which field for working out how cells repair
damaged DNA, providing new ammunition in the
war on cancer: Chemistry
278) Which celebrity has been appointed Maharashtra’s
brand ambassador for Tigers: Amitabh Bachchan
279) The Courage to Act - A Memoir of a Crisis and Its
Aftermath is a book written by Ben S. Bernanke on
which mega event of financial world: 2008
Financial Crisis in USA
280) A report by UNCTAD says that the growth rate for
world in 2015 is expected to be around 2.5 per
cent. What is Full form of UNCTAD: United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development
281) NGT has directed all commercial vehicles, including
trucks, entering Delhi to pay an environmental
compensation charge in addition to the toll tax.
What is NGT: National Green Tribunal
282) Which country won the Women’s European
Volleyball Championship: Russia

82. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 81
283) India signed two loan agreements worth 125
million Euros with which country for financing
Green Energy Corridor project in Himachal Pradesh
and Andhra Pradesh: Germany
284) Govt has approved setting up of three new AIIMS In
which cities at a cost of 4949 crore rupees: Nagpur,
Manglagiri and Kalyani
285) Name the Indian cyclist who became the first ever
Indian to win a gold medal, three silver and one
bronze medal in women's section in the in Taiwan
Cup Track International Classic in Taiwan:
Deborah Herold
286) Senior executives of IMF and World Bank Group
held their annual three-day meeting in _____, Peru to
address current challenges facing the world
economy: Lima
287) Svetlana Alexievich of Belarus has won the Nobel
Prize for literature for 2015 for her portrayal of life
of women in which country: The former Soviet
Union
288) India's first community reserve to protect the
endangered Gangetic River Dolphins will come up
on River ______ in West Bengal: Hooghly
289) Gajanan Pendharkar, Chairman of world famous
ayurvedic cosmetics company passed away
recently. Name his company: Vicco Laboratories
290) Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved has
entered into a partnership with which chain of
mega retail store to sale its product: Big Bazaar
291) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
approved implementation of the World Bank
assisted Neeranchal project for promoting effective
irrigation in nine states. What is its formal name:
National Watershed Management Project
292) Name the veteran blind music director-singer-
lyricist who passed away in Mumbai: Ravindra
Jain
293) President Pranab Mukherjee made a six-day visit to
which three countries from Oct 10 to 15: Jordan,
Palestine and Israel
294) Mr. Mukherjee became first Indian President to
visit Israel and address their Parliament. What is
the name of their parliament: Knesset
295) Shekhar Basu, renowned scientist has been
appointed as the Chairman of which national
organization: Atomic Energy Commission
296) Finance Ministers of 20 nations vulnerable to
climate change launched which group on 8 October
2015 in Lima, Peru: V20
297) The European Union has started a new operation
termed Operation Sophia to actively intercept boats
smuggling of_________: Refugees
298) Which committee has submitted its
recommendations for developing suitable
methodologies for monitoring CSR (Corporate
Social Responsibility) provisions: Anil Baijal
299) What is the name of 5th Indo-China Joint Military
Training Exercise 2015 that was conducted at
Kunming Military Academy of Yunnan province in
China from 12 to 23 October: Hand in Hand
300) China has launched the first phase of “China
International Payment System (CIPS)” to promote
which item: Yuan
301) Which city in India has emerged as the world's
cheapest city to live and work in, among 12 top
metropolitan cities of the world: Mumbai
302) _______ defeated Rafael Nadal to win men’s title in
the China Open at Beijing, China: Novak Djokovic
303) Spain’s Garbine Muguruza won the women's singles
title in which international tennis event: China
Open
304) Name the legendary Tamil comedian and actress,
who had starred in over 1,000 southern films, died
at 78 in Chennai: Manorama (Achhi)
305) Name the veteran communist party leader elected
as Nepal's new Prime Minister: K P Sharma Oli
306) Dutch Open Grand Prix Badminton singles titles in
men’s category was won by which Indian player:
Ajay Jayaram
307) Neither a Hawk nor a Dove is a book written by
Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri. Who is he: Ex Foreign
Minister of Pakistan
308) Which state has launched Mission ‘Abaas’ to
provide affordable houses to Economically Weaker
Sections (EWS), Low Income Groups (LIG) and slum
dwellers: Odisha
309) Jioji Konrote has been elected as new President of
which Pacific island mini country: Fiji
310) Alexander Lukashenko has been re elected as the
President of which country: Belarus
311) 2015 Nobel Prize for Economics has been won by
Angus Deaton for his work on which topic:
Consumption, poverty and welfare
312) 2015 Nobel Prize for Economics has been won by
Angus Deaton. He is from which country: UK
313) India has signed a deal with which country for
supply of 194 Pipistrel micro-light aircraft to be
used by Indian Air Force: Slovenia
314) To which country India offered a cheque for $ 5
million as budgetary support: Palestine
315) The Supreme Court has imposed 'Environment
Compensation Charge' of Rs 700 and Rs 1300 on
commercial vehicles entering which metro city:
Delhi
316) Man Booker Prize For Literature 2015, won by
Jamaican author ______ for his novel A Brief History
of Seven Killings: Marlon James
317) Shweta Rathore became the first Indian female
_______ to win a silver medal in the 49th Asian
championship held in Uzbekistan: Bodybuilder
318) With the presence of more than 4,200 startups,
India has also become the ______largest startup base

83. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 82
in world: 03rd
319) The navies of which countries began a five-day joint
operation-'Malabar exercise' on October 14 on the
eastern coast in Bay of Bengal: India, USA and
Japan
320) National channel of Doordarshan will telecast a ten-
episode Programme on Apprenticeship Training
Scheme. What is its name: Hunarbaaz
321) Harvard Humanitarian Of The Year Award – 2015
has been won by which Indian: Kailash Satyarthi
322) Name one of India's greatest fast bowlers who bid
adieu to international cricket: Zahir Khan
323) Name the star player of The Real Madrid who won
the record fourth Golden Boot for scoring highest –
48 goals in the season: Cristiano Ronaldo
324) China has operationalised the world’s highest mega
hydropower station at Zam in Tibet, built on which
river: Brahmaputra
325) Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS Anmol was inducted
in which paramilitary force of India: Indian Coast
Guard
326) Data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority
of India shows that the subscriber base has crossed
_______ crore by the end of Sept. 2015: 101
327) The RBI has decided to create a new Fund with a
corpus of 2,000 crore rupees for promotion of
financial inclusion. What is its name: Financial
Inclusion Fund
328) Real estate developer Tata Housing has tied-up
with which social networking firm to sell its
affordable homes online: Facebook
329) Which bank has automated its personal loan
approvals by deploying an analytics engine on their
ATMs that would track the customer's history and
based on that, automatically authorize a loan: HDFC
Bank
330) Which bank has received in principle approval from
the RBI to set up a subsidiary to frame and
implement a uniform policy for all the real estate
properties owned or rented by the bank: State
Bank of India
331) As per a new notification by the Union Health
Ministry, what has been now allowed to the blood
banks: Transfer of blood from one blood bank to
another blood bank
332) Govt has decided to raise the wage ceiling for
calculating bonus to Rs. _______ for factory workers
and establishments with 20 or more workers:
7,000
333) The Supreme Court has given what decision with
regards to the National Judicial Appointments
Commission (NJAC) Act: It has rejected formation
of NJAC
334) After rejection of NJAC, what system will be
adopted for selection of High Court / Supreme
Court judges: Through collegium system
335) As per recent RBI guidelines, interest rate on Gold
Deposit Schemes will be decided by which
authority: Banks themselves
336) Which country has offered $15 billion long term
soft loan along with technology for starting the
Bullet Train between Ahmadabad and Mumbai:
Japan
337) First World Indigenous Games were held in Palmas
in which country: Brazil
338) Name the noted Punjabi singer, famous for
chartbusters like “London Thumakda” and “Jee
karda bi jee karda”, who died untimely in Mumbai:
Labh Janjua
339) Who is M L Fotedar, author of the book The Chinar
Leaves: Veteran Congress leader and close aide
of the Gandhi family
340) Name the ex DGP of Border security Force and ex
President of the Indian Hockey Federation who
passed away at 95: Ashwini Kumar
341) ____ has been elected as the new Prime Minister of
Canada from Liberal Party: Justin Trudeau
342) Name the Indian golfer who won the Hilton Asian
Tour Golfer of the Month award at Singapore:
Anirban Lahiri
343) Name the India’s ace batsman who announced his
retirement from international cricket and the
Indian Premier League: Virender Sehwag
344) Jerry Seinfeld has been named as the world’s
highest paid ____ by the Forbes Magazine:
Comedian
345) Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean President has
been awarded which global honour for “injecting
fresh energy” into the global quest for harmony:
Confucius Peace Prize
346) Typhoon Koppu attacked the northeastern part of
which country on October 18 with fierce winds,
displacing 16,000 villagers: Philippines
347) ‘Science Express Climate Action Special’ train has
been started from______ , as part of its initiative to
sensitize the masses, especially children and the
youth about climate change: Delhi
348) Name the new fund started to support the victims
of various attacks, such as rape, acid attacks, human
trafficking and women killed or injured in the cross
border firing: Central Victim Compensation Fund
349) An Indian short film of 11 minutes, An Old Dog’s
Diary has won prestigious Best Short Film Award at
the 2015 ______ Film Festival: London
350) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has made it
mandatory for telecom operators to compensate
consumers by Rs._____ for call drops with effect
from 1 January 2016: One
351) India was placed at which position in the Sultan of
Johor Cup (Hockey): Second
352) Name the winner Sultan of Johor Cup: Great
Britain

84. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 83

85. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 84
353) __________ was the host country for Sultan of Johor
Cup: Malaysia
354) Saketh Myneni, India’s ace _______ player won the
Vietnam Open trophy in the finals played at Ho Chi
Minh city, Vietnam: Tennis
355) P. V. Sandhu, Indian badminton star was placed at
which rank in the Denmark Open Badminton Title:
Second
356) ______ of China won the Denmark Open Badminton
Title: Xuerui Li
357) ____________ won the Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva 2015
title to become India’s representative for the Miss
Universe pageant: Urvashi Rautela
358) Govt of India has appointed _____, veteran sports
administrator as the President of the All India
Council of Sports: Vijay Kumar Malhotra
359) NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) forces
conducted their massive field exercise from
October 3 to November 6. What was its name:
Trident juncture 2015
360) K S L Swamy, renowned _______ filmmaker,
producer, actor and playback singer passed away in
Bengaluru: Kannada
361) Name the sportsperson who became the first Indian
tennis player to come under 100 since 2010 in the
ATP world rankings: Yuki Bhambri
362) Alpha Conde has been reelected as the President of
which country: Guinea
363) Bir Billing, place in Kangra district of Himachal
Pradesh was in news for what reasons: First
Paragliding World Cup of South East Asia
started there
364) The Commonwealth Youth, Junior & Senior
weightlifting championships were held in which
city in India: Pune, Maharashtra
365) Reserve Bank of India has opened its sub-office
recently in which city in North East India: Imphal
in Manipur
366) Government plans to bring out __ and __ gram India
Gold Coins with lion emblem, for sale to public: 5
and 10
367) Which apex global organization celebrated its 70th
anniversary on October 24: United Nations of
India - UNO
368) What special event was organized to commemorate
the 70th anniversary of the United Nations on
October 24: More than 200 landmark
monuments in 60 countries were lit up in blue
light
369) The Defence Ministry has approved, for the first
time in the history of Indian Air Force what role for
its women officers: They will be allow to fly
fighter aircraft
370) Dreaming Big: My Journey to Connect India is the
autobiography of which noted telecom icon of
India: Sam Pitroda
371) Hurricane Patricia, one of the most powerful
storms on record stuck which country recently:
Mexico’s Pacific coast
372) Jimmy Morales has been elected as the _____ of
Guatemala: President
373) The 3rd India-Africa forum summit was held in
which place from Oct 26 to 29: New Delhi
374) __________ won the United States Grand Prix Formula
1 Championship in Austin, Texas: Lewis Hamilton
375) Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia clinched which men’s
singles international badminton title recently:
French International
376) Government has hiked the limit for penal
provisions for undeclared or mis-declared baggage
that will attract arrest or prosecution, to Rs. ______
from Rs 5 lac at present: Rs 20 lac
377) The 19th International Children's Film Festival,
India is to be held in __________ from November 14-
20: Hyderabad
378) Govt has launched an e-Sahyog pilot project of
Income-Tax Department for what purpose: To
reduce compliance cost, especially for small
taxpayers
379) India has improved its position to ______ from 134 in
2015 in the World Bank's 2016 rankings in terms of
ease of doing business: 130
380) Which state hosted the 16th National Women
Boxing Championship: Assam
381) The International Olympic Committee has
announced that _______ athletes will be allowed, for
the first time, to take part in next year's Olympics:
Refugee
382) The Indian and Sri Lankan Navies conducted the
4th edition of SLINEX in Bay of Bengal, off the
Trincomalee coast in Sri Lanka. What is form of
SLINEX: Sri Lanka-India Exercise
383) Which Paramilitary Force has decided to deploy
women personnel in combat duties at its high-
altitude posts along the Indo-China border: Indo
Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
384) As per the All India viewership data which TV
channel has emerged as the most watched Hindi
channel in terms of time spent per viewer:
Doordarshan
385) Railways plans to start country's first-ever double
decker Shatabdi Express between which two
stations: Mumbai and Goa
386) What do we call the excise tax levied on products
and services like alcohol, tobacco and gambling
considered bad for health or society: Sin Tax
387) Name the Indian who created history by winning a
silver medal for the first time in the Archery World
Cup Final held in Mexico City: Abhishek Verma
388) With which country RBI has signed a MoU for
exchange of supervisory information: Bangladesh
389) Which country has launched the Tianhui-1C

86. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 85
mapping satellite: China
390) Railway plans to launch Vikalp scheme from 1st of
November to give passengers which new option:
Choice to travel by an alternate train
391) The 12th SAF (South Asian Games) games will be
held from February 6 to 16 in 2016 in which place:
Guwahati and Shillong
392) Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders released the first
Scorpene category ________ INS 'Kalvari' for sea
trails at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai: Submarine
393) Name the noted Nepali Communist leader who has
been elected as Nepal’s first woman President by
the Parliament: Vidya Devi Bhandari
394) Govt has formed a Committee headed by Justice RV
Easwar (Retd.), former Judge of Delhi High Court
for what purpose: To suggest simplifications in
the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961
395) ________ has been appointed as Chairman of Central
Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC): Najib Shah
396) With which country India signed a MoU to
conserve, develop and publicize written heritage at
the National Library in Kolkata: France
397) In the 2015 Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company
Rankings, which are the top 3 Indian companies:
Reliance Industries-14th, ONGC-17th and Coal
India-38th
398) Which country has announced an end to its 45
years old policy of allowing only one child per
family: China
399) The Ministry of Environment has granted
environment clearance for the greenfield
international airport at Mopa in which state: Goa
400) In terms of protection of minority investors, India
ranks______ , ahead of many developed economies:
8th
401) As per the GFMS Gold Survey 2015, ______ is the
largest consumer of gold in world: India
402) Exim Bank has extended a Line of Credit of $87
million to which country: Zimbabwe
403) __________ has been ranked as the safest bank of
India, and 27th in world by the ‘The Banker’
magazine: HDFC Bank
404) RBI has allowed which new category of persons to
subscribe to the National Pension System (NPS) of
PFRDA: Non Resident Indians (NRIs)
405) Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded
annually by which international body: European
Parliament
SEPTEMBER – 2015
406) The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry has
launched SAHAJ scheme for what purpose: Online
booking of LPG connections
407) Maharashtra govt recently acquired the house
where Dr. B. R. Ambedkar lived in 1921-22. It is in
which city: London
408) Anil won the gold medal at the world championship
of which sport: Wrestling
409) OP Jaisha finished 18th in which sports in the world
athletics championship, creating a new national
record: Women’s Marathon
410) Who has been appointed as the new Union Home
secretary: Rajiv Mehrishi
411) All India Radio released the digital version of which
grand epic as a set of digital CDs produced by its old
recordings: Ramcharitmanas
412) As per the data released by the Central Statistics
Office, what was the GDP growth rate for the 2015
April – June quarter: 7%
413) M M Kalburgi, 77 year old Kannada scholar and ex
Vice Chancellor of Kannada University was in news
for what reasons: He was shot dead in Dharwad,
Karnataka
414) ‘Portrait of a Serial Killer’ is a book written by
which famous author: Khushwant Singh
415) The Reserve Bank declared which two banks, for
the first time, as D-SIBs: SBI and ICICI Bank
416) What is the full form of D-SIBs: Domestic
Systemically Important Banks
417) What is the meaning of Systemically Important:
Any thing or feature which is important for
entire system
418) Tenzing Norgay National Sports awards are given
in which field: Adventure Sports
419) Which bank has launched IndPay mobile app
service to enables its customers to operate bank
accounts anytime from anywhere: Indian Bank
420) The government has identified how many cities and
towns across nine states for implementation of its
ambitious 'Housing for All' scheme: 305
421) What is the formal official name of the ‘Housing for
All’ scheme: Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana
422) The Reserve Bank has asked all banks to be
prepared for the implementation of due diligence
and reporting standards under FATCA. What is the
full form of FATCA: Foreign Account Tax
Compliance Act
423) The Sports Ministry has decided to recognize ______
as a sports discipline and place it in the Priority
category: Yoga
424) Name the govt. department which has implemented
an electronic payment system to become the first
government department to have 100 per cent
cashless transactions: Department of Industrial
Policy and Promotion
425) India is joining the UN-based 'Better Than Cash
Alliance' for what purpose: For promotion of
transition from cash to digital payments
426) The Reserve Bank has proposed a new formula to
calculate the base rate for lending wef April 1,
2016. What is Base Rate: The interest rate below
which a bank is not allowed to lend

87. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 86
427) Govt has announced that the MAT will not be
applicable on capital gains made by Foreign
Institutional Investors prior to April 1, 2015. What
is MAT: Minimum Alternate Tax
428) Jhumpa Lahiri, noted Indo American author has
been honoured with National Humanities Medal by
which country: USA
429) The Reserve Bank of India will shortly put into
circulation Rs. 5 coins to commemorate golden
jubilee of which important national event: Indo-
Pak War 1965
430) Two-day Conference of G-20 Finance Ministers and
Central Bank Governors was held at which place on
September 4 and 5: Ankara (Turkey)
431) Which historical monument in Kerala has won the
prestigious UNESCO Award of Excellence 2015:
Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple
432) The highest mountain of North America - Mt
McKinley has been renamed as _________ by the US
President: Denali
433) The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held at
which place in South Africa: Durban
434) Name the noted Bollywood music composer who
passed away at a young age of 51 as he was
suffering from cancer: Aadesh Shrivastava
435) Name the first Railway Zone in Indian Railways,
which has eliminated all un-manned level crossings
in its area: West Central Railway Zone
436) Name the erstwhile commodities market regulator
which has been merged with SEBI: Forward
Markets Commission
437) A two day Disaster Mitigation conference of SAARC
nations was held at which place: New Delhi
438) Two commemorative coins of Rs 125 and Rs 10
were released recently on which important
occasion: Teachers’ Day
439) Name the Australia's veteran all-rounder who
announced his retirement from Test cricket on
September 6, playing his last match in Cardiff, UK:
Shane Watson
440) Name the sportsman, who won the Italian Grand
Prix F1 championship at Monza, Italy: Lewis
Hamilton
441) A two day Hindu-Buddhist Conference was held at
_______, Bihar: Bodhgaya
442) The government has announced to roll out the
welfare measure under OROP for Armed Forces.
What is OROP: One Rank One Pension
443) Name the new group launched by G-20 nations for
boosting the role of women in global economic
growth: W20 (Women – 20)
444) As per the first ever count of India’s leopards,
which state is at rank No. 1 with around 1817
leopards: Madhya Pradesh
445) Name the 89 year old Queen of Great Britain, who
reached a major milestone on Sep 8 by becoming
the longest-reigning monarch (since Feb 02, 1952)
in Britain’s history: Elizabeth II
446) Apurvi Chandela won the silver medal at the
international championship in which sports: 10 m
air rifle shooting
447) Deepak Lather won a gold in which sports in the
fifth Youth Commonwealth Games in Apia, Samoa:
Weight lifting
448) ‘The Power of Meow’ is a famous book written by
which author: David Michie
449) Name the new gold scheme launched by govt. with
a view to reduce the regular demand for the gold,
usually for investment purpose: Sovereign Gold
Bond Scheme
450) Name the new gold scheme launched by govt. with
a view to mobilize part of around 22,000 tonne gold
lying in Indian households: Gold Monetisation
Scheme
451) The Union Cabinet has allowed 100% foreign direct
investment (FDI) under the automatic route for
installing which type of ATMs: White Label ATMs
452) The three-day Vishwa Hindi Sammelan (World
Hindi Conference) was held at which place: Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh
453) Name the lady scientist who has been made the
first women Director General in the DRDO: J
Manjula
454) Which Indian stock exchange has the highest
number of listed companies in the world,
numbering 5689: Bombay Stock Exchange
455) Men’s singles title at the US Open Tennis was won
by __________: Novak Djokovic
456) Women’s singles title at the US Open Tennis was
won by __________: Flavia Pennetta (Italy)
457) Name the Indian tennis player who won the men’s
mixed doubles title at the US open: Leander Paes
458) Name the Indian tennis player who won the
women’s doubles title at the US open: Sania Mirza
459) Indian Navy has established its largest missile
storage and replenishment facility named _______ at
Karwar base in Karnataka for warships operating in
the western coast: INS Vajrakosh
460) Name the prestigious national award recently won
by ISRO for its contribution to nation’s
development through satellite based education:
Gandhi Peace Prize
461) ___________ to continue as the Team Director of the
Indian cricket team till the 2016 T20 World Cup to
be held in India: Ravi Shastri
462) Name the first bilateral maritime exercise held
between Australia and India off the shores of
Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh: Ausindex–2015
463) With which country India recently signed a treaty
for repatriation of wanted prisoners and cooperate
in all criminal matters: Indonesia
464) Who is Mary Barra, declared as the most powerful

88. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 87
business women in the world by the Fortune
magazine: CEO of General Motors, USA
465) Name the writer of the popular book ‘The Curse of
Surya’: Dev Prasad
466) As per the World Bank's ranking on ease of doing
business in Indian states, _______ ranks at no. 1:
Gujarat
467) Name the two Indian universities which have been
placed 147 and 179 respectively in the Quacquarelli
Symonds’ list of top 200 universities for 2015-16:
The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and
the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
468) Parliament of which erstwhile Hindu country has
rejected the proposal for declaring the country a
Hindu state: Nepal
469) Gennady Padalka who created the new record for
having spent the most time in space, totaling into
879 days in over five trips, is from which country:
Russia
470) Which political party won the recently concluded
general elections in Singapore: Peoples Action
Party
471) Which business women has been ranked no. 1 in
India in a list compiled by the global business
magazine Fortune: Chanda Kochhar, CEO ICICI
Bank
472) Name the Sri Lankan Prime Minister who visited
India on Sept 14: Ranil Wickremesinghe
473) Name the two south east Asian countries which
were visited by our Vice – President, Hamid Ansari:
Cambodia and Laos
474) _________ has been elected as the new Prime Minister
of Australia: Malcolm Turnbull
475) Which international IT company plans to work with
Indian Railways on Project Nilgiri to set up free Wi-
Fi hotspots across 400 select railway stations:
Google
476) In terms of no. of High Net Worth Individuals
(HNWIs), India has been placed at _______ rank in
the World Wealth Report – 2015: 11th
477) Government has approved the purchase of 10
Heron TP armed drones capable of firing missiles,
from which country: Israel
478) 55th National Open Athletics Championship started
at SAI Complex in which city: Kolkata
479) The RBI has granted in principal approval to how
many entities to set up small finance banks: 10
480) The Small Banks will focus on financing of which
category of borrowers: Small farmers and micro
business enterprises
481) Andhra govt. has successfully linked which two of
its major rivers towards making the state "drought-
proof": Godavari and Krishna
482) International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone
Layer was observed on __ across the world: 16
Sept.
483) Govt has approved which scheme to transform
rural areas into economically, socially and
physically sustainable spaces: Shyama Prasad
Mukherji Rurban Mission
484) The 2022 Asian Games will be hosted by which city
of China: Hangzhou
485) Manpreet Kaur of Railways created a new national
record in which game, claiming a distance of 17.96
meters at the 55th National Open Athletics
Championship at Kolkata: Shot-put throwing
486) Which neighbouring country of India recently
adopted a new constitution, after years of political
wrangling: Nepal
487) Hinduja business group plans to launch a digital
broadcasting platform under the brand name NXT
Digital for what purpose: For providing over 500
TV digital channels to cable operators
488) Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)
has increased the maximum amount assured under
its insurance scheme to Rs. _______: 6 lac
489) The Government has launched which scheme for
the welfare of people and areas affected by mining
related operations: Pradhan Mantri Khanij
Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY)
490) In the Global Innovation Index 2014 compile for
141 countries, India has been placed at which rank:
81st
491) India and the US have created a "joint challenge
coin" to symbolise their unique partnership in
which field: Creating a next-generation aircraft
carrier for the Indian Navy
492) Government has decided to shift the administrative
control of Unique Identification Authority of India
(UIDAI) to which ministry: Ministry of
Communication and Information Technology
493) The Food Ministry has notified mandatory export of
four million tonne of which food item for the 2015-
16 season: Sugar
494) The RBI has permitted banks to offer loans below
which rate to their whole time directors and CEOs:
Base Rate
495) Name the President of BCCI, hailed as the architect
of India's rise as the game's financial superpower,
who passed away in Kolkata on Sep 20: Jagmohan
Dalmiya
496) Name the country in South America which recently
suffered a massive 8.3 magnitude earthquake:
Chile
497) What is the title of the recent book written by
Salman Rushdie: Two Years Eight Months and
Twenty Eight Days
498) What is the topic of the book ‘The Monsoon War’
written by Capt Amarinder Singh and Lt. Gen.
Tajindar Shergill: 1965 Indo-Pak war
499) The Singapore Grand Prix 2015 of Formula One car
race was won by which sports person: Sebastian

89. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 88
Vettel
500) Jackie Collins, popular British-American novelist
passed away in California, United States. She was
known as queen of ________ novels: Romantic
501) Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has
banned the sale of Diclofenac drug in multi-dose
vial for what reasons: Its traces in dead animals
are harmful for vultures
502) Sherif Ismail has been elected as the new Prime
Minister of which country: Egypt
503) Which country has successfully launched a newly-
developed satellite launch rocket Long March-6
(Chang Zheng-6): China
504) Deepak Gupta has been appointed as the head of
which important national organization: UPSC –
Union Public Service Commission
505) As per the new secular constitution of Nepal, ______
has been declared as the National Animal of Nepal:
Cow
506) RBI plans to put into circulation banknotes in the
denominations of _____ and _____ rupees
incorporating three new security features: 500,
1000
507) The Government of India will be organizing the 9th
Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (RPBD) on 14th –
15th November, 2015 in which city of USA: Los
Angeles
508) Name the two advanced military helicopters for
purchase of which India has recently confirmed a
deal with USA: Chinook and Apache
509) What type of helicopter is Chinook: A heavy load
carrier
510) What type of helicopter is Apache: Advanced
Attack helicopter
511) India's first AAI Paragliding World Cup 2015 will be
held in October at which place in Himachal
Pradesh: Bir Billing
512) Which bank has rolled out a full-fledged mobile app
‘Lime’ that enables shopping, making payments and
banking, all under one window: Axis Bank
513) Which Indian film has been selected to officially
represent India at the 88th Oscars next year in the
Best Foreign Film category: Court
514) Name the Legendary Baseball player from USA who
passed away recently at the age of 90: Yogi Berra
515) ‘The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue’ is the
autobiography of which popular thriller novelist:
Frederick Forsyth
516) Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of
Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre
(ISLRTC) at which place: New Delhi
517) The three million strong Indian diaspora
(community) in the USA has launched "Mission
2022" in partnership with the Confederation of
Indian Industries for what purpose: To promote
and strengthen the business ties between two
countries
518) Vyaas Samman is given for excellence in which
field: Hindi Literature
519) Who is the winner of 2014 Vyaas Samman: Dr.
Kamal Kishore Goenka
520) _________ has been re-elected as the Prime Minister
of Greece, a position that he quit just 8 months
back: Alexis Tsipras
521) The Indian ‘wushu’ team won 12 medals at the 5th
International Pars Wushu Cup in Tehran, Iran.
What type of sports is wushu: Chinese Martial
Arts
522) Public Sector Banks have been asked to conduct
Mega Credit Campaigns all over the Country from
Sep 25 to Oct 2 for what purpose: To generate
easy availability of credit to MSMEs
523) CEO of which major global auto giant resigned in
the wake of a massive scandal of manipulating data
of exhaust emissions tests in millions of diesel cars:
Volkswagen
524) RBI has allowed domestic companies to borrow
funds from overseas SWFs. What is the full form of
SWFs: Sovereign Wealth Funds
525) Name the recently approved security system for the
Air Force which aims at integrating and automating
all air and ground sensors use by the Air Force:
Integrated Air Command and Control System
526) Ms.Stuti Narain Kacker has been appointed as the
Chairperson of which important national body:
National Commission for Protection of Child
Rights
527) The RBI has asked concurrent auditors of
commercial banks to submit their review of non-
performing loans directly to _______, instead of to
statutory auditors: Banks
528) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
Ministry has come out with a one-page Udyog
Aadhaar Memorandum for what purpose: To
simplify registration procedure for
entrepreneurs
529) RBI has asked two banks, ______________ and
_____________ to guide other banks in turning around
of the companies which may default in repayment
loans: State Bank of India and ICICI Bank
530) United Nations General Assembly formally adopted
on Sep 25 which new global 17 goals that aim to
end poverty, hunger, assure gender equality, and
build a life of dignity for all, over the next 15 years:
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
531) The 42nd World Bridge Teams Championships were
held at which city in India: Chennai
532) Which Indian film, was voted as the first runner-up
at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival in
Canada: Angry Indian Goddesses
533) Prime Minister Modi addressed which Summit at
the UN Headquarters in New York on Sep 25:

90. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 89
Sustainable Development Summit
534) What is the new name for the internet.org
programme of the Facebook: Free Basics
AUGUST – 2015
535) What is the name of the new operating system
rolled out by Microsoft on July 30th: Windows 10
536) Union Cabinet has approved setting up of National
Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) for what
propose: To support new and delayed projects
537) Name the India’s neighbour that has been granted
e-tourist visa facility w.e.f. 30 July, 2015: China
538) National Handloom Day is observed on which date:
7th August
539) 'Sleeping on Jupiter' is a book written by which
author: Anuradha Roy
540) What is the name of the agreement as per which
India and Bangladesh have agreed to exchange
some disputed land pockets: Land Border
Agreement
541) On the midnight of July 31, 51 Bangladeshi enclaves
situated on Indian soil in _________ district of West
Bengal amalgamated with India: Coochbehar
542) _________ has become the first city to have hosted
both the Summer and Winter Olympics after it was
chosen to stage the 2022 Winter Games: Beijing
543) A new vaccine named ‘rVSV-ZEBOB’, developed by
the Public Health Agency of Canada has proved
effective to fight which dreaded virus: Ebola virus
544) Name the ten day bi-lateral air exercise that took
place between Indian and British Air forces in UK:
Indradhanush
545) Special Olympics World Summer Games were held
at which place: Los Angeles, USA
546) What type of sports persons take part in the Special
Olympics World Summer Games: Persons
suffering from some mental disability
547) Name the Indian who won gold medals in 300
metre and 500 metre Roller Skating at the Special
Olympics World Summer Games: Prabhroop
Sekhon
548) The World Archery Championships were held in
_________, Denmark: Copenhagen
549) India and China opened their fifth border meeting
point on August 1 at Daulat Beg Oldie in which
State: Jammu & Kashmir
550) The International Olympic Committee has granted
recognition to which new game as an Olympic
sport: Frisbee (Flying Disc)
551) Which bank has launched ‘Dhanchayat’, an
educational film to raise awareness on the dangers
of borrowing money from unorganised sources:
HDFC Bank
552) India’s first Integrated Underwater Harbour
Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) has
been commissioned at which place: Kochhi, Kerala
553) With which militant group of Nagaland, Govt. of
India has signed a landmark peace accord on
August 3: National Socialist Council of Nagaland-
NSCN (Isak-Muivah group)
554) UN General Assembly has adopted what number of
non-binding goals that will succeed the eight
Millennium Development Goals: 17
555) The 18th Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
started functioning from its temporary campus at
which place: Palakkad, Kerala
556) Google India launched in Mumbai, a special
programme named ____________ in collaboration with
Tata Trust on July 3 to bring more women online:
Internet Saathi
557) What is the name of the new Science and
Innovation Museum that was inaugurated at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 5: Navachara
Kaksh
558) Asia’s biggest multi-application solar telescope
(MAST) has been started in which place in India:
Udaipur
559) World’s most prestigious award in the field of
human rights – Solidarity Human Rights Award is
given in which country: Poland
560) Latest release from the Census 2011 data shows
that only ___________ per cent Indians have
qualification of graduation and above: 8.15%
561) ICTP Ramanujan Prize 2015 is given for excellence
in which field: Mathematics
562) ICTP Ramanujan Prize 2015 is given for excellence
in Mathematics to person below which age: 45
years
563) Which Union Ministry has launched ‘SAMANVAY’
web portal to monitor progress of implementation
of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana: Union Ministry
of Rural Development
564) India signed a MoU with Mozambique on August 5
for cooperation in new and renewable energy
sector. It lies in which continent: Africa
565) Which Indian company has signed an agreement
with Europe’s Airbus Helicopters to manufacture
military helicopters for the first time in India:
Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd
566) RBI has allowed banks to shift, merge or close
branches, except in ________ areas, at their own
discretion: Rural
567) _________ is the world’s largest gold jewellery
manufacturer in India: Rajesh Exports Ltd.
568) A report says that banks in India need an additional
core capital of Rs 2.5 trillion under ________
guidelines. Basel-III
569) Suraksha Bandhan scheme aims at paying the
premium for which two social security schemes:
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana
570) Government has launched the School Nursery

91. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 90
Yojana, to bring students closer to nature by
involving them in which activity: Raising the
saplings in school nurseries
571) Which country marked 50 years of its
independence on August 9 with nationwide
celebrations: Singapore
572) Acharya Dev Vrat has been appointed new
Governor of which state: Himachal Pradesh
573) ___________ has been appointed as the new Governor
of Bihar: Ram Nath Kovind
574) A global satellite for earth observation and disaster
risk reduction under the UN framework is to be
named after which great Indian statesman: APJ
Abdul Kalam
575) Which capital city has been ranked as the cleanest
under a survey done by the Urban Development
Ministry: Bengaluru
576) ___________ has been ranked as the cleanest city in
India in a recent govt. survey of 476 cities: Mysuru
577) What are the two parameter of cleanliness on the
basis of which Urban Development Ministry
selected the cleanest city from the top 476 cities in
India: Solid waste management and eradication
of open defecation
578) Name the India-born technocrat who has been
named as the new CEO of the technology giant
Google: Sundar Pichai
579) Dutee Chand won the gold medal in the 200m at the
13th Federation Cup Junior Athletics Championship
held at which place: Hyderabad
580) Which Bank has announced ‘Saral-Rural Housing
Loan’ up to Rs. 15 lakh with a special interest rate
equal to its base rate: ICICI Bank
581) Which Indian film was screened at the National
Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan to mark its
20th anniversary: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
(DDLJ)
582) Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn has
committed to invest $5 billion in which state to set
up research & development and manufacturing
facilities: Maharashtra
583) Filipe J Nyusi, President of ________ arrived in India
on August 5 on a five day visit: Mozambique
584) World Biofuel Day is observed every year on 10th
August in the memory of which great scientist: Sir
Rudalph Diesel
585) For what purpose Government proposes to infuse
Rs 70,000 crore in public sector banks in next four
years: For capital infusion to meet Basel III
requirements
586) Which Indian organization has been accredited by
the Green Climate Fund of UNO as an implementing
entity for undertaking climate change related
projects in India: NABARD
587) Which Indian organization planted more than 4
lakh saplings at its head quarters and units across
the country on August 12 between 10 to 10.30 am:
Border Security Force (BSF)
588) IT giant Google has reorganized itself into a
multiple company organization under a new
umbrella company. Name this company: Alphabet
589) Name the popular festival of Maharashtra
where art of forming human pyramids has
been given status of adventure sports:
Dahi Handi
590) Name the Indian who won the IBSF World 6-
Red Snooker Championship in Karachi, Pakistan:
Pankaj Advani
591) For which Indian states World Bank has agreed to
provide $ 412.40 million assistance for the National
Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project: All coastal states
592) Which actor was ranked as the world's top-earning
actor by Forbes, with earnings of $ 80million
during 12 months ending June 2015: Robert
Downey Jr.
593) Gas subsidy scheme PAHAL has entered Guinness
Book as the largest cash transfer plan in world.
What is full form of PAHAL: Pratyaksh
Hanstantrit Labh
594) The official name for PAHAL initiative is DBTL.
What is full form of DBTL: Direct Benefit Transfer
for LPG
595) RBI has announced interest subvention of __________
per cent on short term farm loans (crop loans):
Two
596) Short term farm loans upto what amount are
eligible for subvention of 2%: Rs. 3 lacs
597) Farmers who repay their loan in time (upto Rs. 3
lacs) are eligible for additional interest subvention
of ______ per cent: Three
598) Name the Co-Chairman of Hero Cycles Ltd and a
leading industrialist who passed away in Ludhiana
on August 13: Om Prakash Munjal
599) Name the Chinese city which suffered massive
explosions in the port, killing 121 persons and
causing huge loss of property: Tianjin
600) The Union Cabinet has approved construction of
pipeline from Raxaul (Bihar) in India to
Amlekhgunj in Nepal to transport which item:
Petroleum Products
601) Sh. Om Prakash Rawat has been appointed to which
important constitutional office of India: Election
Commissioner
602) Prime Minister of which country announced his
resignation in a surprise move, live on television on
August 12: Libya
603) What is the recent direction given by the central
govt. in contest of services of newly recruited IAS
officers: They have to serve for first three
months in Delhi in central govt. offices
604) Name the project that has been launched by the
govt. to lay down the framework for the revival of

92. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 91
public sector banks: Indradhanush
605) According to the Fourth Advance Estimates of
production of foodgrains in 2014-15, the total
quantity was less by ________ per cent from the
previous year: 4.9
606) Prime Minister Modi visited which middle east
country on August 16-17: United Arab Emirates -
UAE
607) For the first time, govt. has appointed executives
from private sector as MD and CEO of how many
public sector banks: Two
608) Name the two public sector banks whose MD and
CEO has been appointed from private sector:
Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda
609) Rogers Cup Masters Tournament is related to
which sports: Lawn Tennis
610) Rogers Cup Masters Tournament was held at which
place: Montreal, Canada
611) Men’s singles title at the Rogers Cup Masters
Tournament was won by ________: Andy Murray
612) Women’s singles title at the Rogers Cup Masters
Tournament was won by ________: Belinda Bencic
613) Name the Indian who finished 5th at the US PGA
championship at Whistling Straits, USA, claiming
the highest position ever won by an Indian at a Golf
Major: Anirban Lahiri
614) Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal became the first Indian
to win silver medal on August 17 in which
international competition: World Badminton
Championship
615) World Badminton Championship was held in
________ Indonesia: Jakarta
616) Abhishek Verma won the gold medal in the men’s
compound individual category in the __________
World Cup in Wroclaw (Poland): Archery
617) Who has been appointed as the Chairman of the
Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB): Ajit
Kumar Seth
618) Ajinkya Rahane became the first fielder in Test
history to achieve which feat: Taking eight catches
in a single match
619) Which ministry has launched an online beneficiary
registration system - ‘On-line On-Site’ for persons
with disabilities: Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment
620) Name the multipurpose mobile wallet application
launched by SBI recently: SBI Buddy
621) Which bank has launched the first of its kind fully
automated digital locker named 'Smart Vault': ICICI
Bank
622) Name the scooter that set a new record in India by
crossing the one crore unit sales landmark: Honda
Activa
623) India plans to spend $1.5 billion in the next three
years to help farmers grow_____________ to make the
nation self-sufficient in edible oils: Oil Palm Trees
624) The India Aspiration Fund with corpus of Rs 2,000
crore has been launched by which financial
institution to create 7.5 lakh jobs in five years:
SIDBI
625) A 10,000 crore rupees fund named SIDBI Make In
India Loan For Enterprises (SMILE) has been
launched for providing soft loans to which sector:
MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises)
626) High Court in which state has directed that children
of all public servants should go to govt. schools
only: Uttar Pradesh
627) Usha Ananthasubramanian has been appointed
new Managing Director & CEO of which bank:
Punjab National Bank
628) What is the new name proposed by the Prime
Minister for the Agriculture Ministry: Agriculture
and Farmers' Welfare Ministry
629) Which international credit rating agency on August
18 reduced India's growth forecast for 2015-16 to
around 7 per cent from 7.5 per cent projected
earlier, citing below-normal rainfall: Moody’s
Investors Service
630) Name the wife of President Pranab Mukherjee who
passed away on August 18: Suvra Mukherjee
631) Ranil Wickremesinghe has been elected as the new
prime minister of which country: Sri Lanka
632) Name the political party that won the recently held
General Elections in Sri Lanka: United National
Party
633) Which country sank 38 intruding foreign fishing
vessels on August 18 to demonstrate the country’s
seriousness concerning the protection its territorial
integrity: Indonesia
634) The Reserve Bank of India gave in principle
approval for_____ entities on August 19 to set up
payments banks: 11
635) Concept of payment banks was proposed by which
committee: Nachiket Mor committee
636) Payment banks can accept only demand deposits
and are not allowed to accept which deposit: Time
deposits
637) Which major bank activity cannot be undertaken
payment banks: Lending
638) Balance in demand deposits accounts opened by
payment banks cannot exceed what limit: Rs. 1 lac
639) Which company tops the world’s 100 most
innovative companies list compiled by Forbes
magazine of USA: Tesla Motors
640) How many sports persons has been given Arjun
Awards in the year 2015: 17
641) Sebastian Coe has been elected as the new
President of the International Association of
Athletics Federations. He is from which sports:
Athletics (Runner)
642) Name the Bollywood actor who has been named an
advocate for the UN’s campaign on gender equality:

93. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 92
Anupam Kher
643) ‘Making India Awesome’ is a book written by which
author: Chetan Bhagat
644) Sneha Verma, a 21-year-old girl suffering from
Down syndrome, won gold medal in which sports at
the Special Olympics World Summer Games:
Swimming
645) Aditi Chauhan, India’s international football
goalkeeper became the country’s first woman in
what way: To play English league football
646) __________, former Australian cricketer has been
appointed Australia's first education ambassador to
India: Adam Gilchrist
647) What is the main recommendation of R Gandhi
committee on urban cooperative banks: They
should be allowed function as regular banks
648) Name the web portal launched by the govt. for the
benefit of students seeking educational loan:
www.vidyalakshmi.co.in
649) Which Indian international airport became the first
airport in the world to operate completely on solar
power: Kochi
650) _________ has become the first country to receive
funds from UN for solar home systems:
Bangladesh
651) Solar home systems are helping Bangladesh cut
carbon emissions by reducing use of ________ in rural
areas: Kerosene
652) RBI has allowed banks to extend repayment period
of farm loan upto 5-years in case _________percent or
more of crop is damaged due to natural calamities
like drought and flood: 50
653) The World Athletics Championships were held in
end of August in which place: Beijing, China
654) Which city hosted the second summit of Forum for
India Pacific Island Countries: Jaipur
655) India has recently started the hotlines between
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and which
important international statesman: Barack Obama
656) From September 1 2015, which two days will be
observed as public holiday every month: Second
and Fourth Saturday
657) Dhyan Chand awards in sports are given by the
govt. for what purpose: Life time achievement
awards
658) NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment
Explorer has confirmed the presence of which
glowing gas in the moon’s atmosphere: Neon
659) Name the new bank that began operations on
August 23 as a full-fledged bank with 501 branches
and 1.43 crore accounts across the country:
Bandhan Bank
660) James Alix Michel, President of the ____________ came
to New Delhi on 25 August on a three-day visit to
India: Seychelles
661) _____________ confirmed his position as fastest man
on earth by winning the 100 m sprint in 15th IAAF
World Championships: Usain Bolt
662) Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix
championship in which sports: F1 racing
663) Cincinnati Open 2015 tournament belongs to which
sports: Lawn Tennis
664) Cincinnati Open 2015 tournament was held at
which place: Cincinnati, USA
665) The government's 10 per cent stake sale in which
public sector company on August 24 fetched
around 9,300 crore rupees: Indian Oil
Corporation
666) Name the Sri Lanka’s ace batsman and
wicketkeeper who announced his retirement from
the international Cricket: Kumara Sangakkara
667) Aditi Ashok became first woman and youngest (17
years) player from India to win the prestigious
Ladies British amateur stroke-play Championship
of which sports: Golf
668) Name the Indian shuttler who regained the world
no. 1 rank on August 20: Saina Nehwal
669) A commemorative postal stamp of rupees five was
released on August 24, on which great Indian king.:
Ashoka
670) Which Indian actor has been selected to head the
Indian Oscar jury to select the country’s official
entry for the 88th Academy Awards: Amol Palekar
671) According to 4th Advance Estimates, the food grain
production for the year 2014-15 in India is
expected to be: 252.68 million tonnes
672) As per 2011 census data, which religious
community has recorded highest growth rate of
24.6% during 2001-11: Muslims
673) The Government launched a health service called
SEHAT in collaboration with the Apollo Hospitals:
SEHAT stands for: Social Endeavour for Health
And Telemedicine
674) Which Bangladeshi bank has found a place in
Fortune's inaugural 'Change the World List' for
creating economic opportunities for the poor:
Grameen Bank
675) Which State has secured maximum 13 cities for the
ambitious smart cities project: Uttar Pradesh
676) On August 27, ISRO launched which satellite
successfully: GSAT-6
677) What is the purpose of launching GSAT-6 satellite:
To provide Special secure lines of
communication to India’s defence forces
678) Global financial giant Wealth-X has ranked which
person as the richest “Under 35” person in the
world: Mark Zuckerberg
679) Name the tennis player who has been appointed as
the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF): Novak Djokovic
680) Central govt. has approved four communities to be
included in the Central List of OBCs in which two

94. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 93
states: Gujarat and Uttarakhand
681) Which Indian port has been declared as the best
major port of 2014-15: Kolkata
682) Birth centenary celebrations of freedom fighter
Rani Gaidinliu were inaugurated on August 24 in
which State: Nagaland
683) Recently two war museums were opened at which
stations in Rajasthan: Jaisalmer and Longewala
684) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
has decided to create the world's first
internationally-controlled bank of low-enriched
uranium in which country: Kazakhstan
JULY – 2015
685) One extra second was added this year on June 30th
due to slowing of earth’s rotation. This extra second
is given what name: Leap second
686) The "Abar Souchagar" (toilet for all) project in
Nadia district, has won the prestigious United
Nations Public Service Award for making Nadia first
‘Open Defecation Free’ district in the country. It is
in which State: West Bengal
687) Jwala Gutta and Ashwni Ponappa won the women's
doubles title at an international championship of
which sports: Badminton
688) The Wimbledon Tennis Championships, famous for
its grass courts, began in which city on June 28:
London
689) With a view to end undue advantage to batsmen,
the ICC has decided to scrap which feature in the
ODIs: Batting power plays
690) Name the player who captained the Indian Cricket
Team for its Zimbabwe tour: Ajinkya Rahane
691) The Moorti Devi Award is given for excellence in
which field: for books on Indian philosophy and
literature
692) ___________ became the 6th city in India to start the
Metro train services on June 29: Chennai
693) India and Thailand signed the extradition treaty for
what purpose: For seeking extradition of fugitive
offenders
694) __________ won the Norway Chess 2015 title in
Stavanger, Norway defeating Indian grand master
Viswanathan Anand: Veselin Topalov
695) Rajat Chauhan created a new national record on
June 29 in which sports: Archery
696) Government has given ________ months time to
people to declare their undisclosed foreign income
and assets to escape prosecution under the new
Black Money Law: Three
697) Name the oldest aircraft carrier in the world,
presently with Indian Navy that will soon be
converted into a museum: INS Viraat
698) The controversial book ‘Kashmir: The Vajpayee
Years’ has been written by which author: A S Dulat
699) A panel, headed by BJP MP_____ , has sought
doubling of the existing Rs 50,000 salary of MPs:
Yogi Adityanath
700) Which is the only Indian city that has been included
in the list of top 20 technology-rich cities in the
world: Bengaluru
701) According to latest World Bank data, India’s GDP
crossed USD _______ trillion mark in 2014: Two
702) During his visit to Central Asian countries, PM Modi
attended which two important summits: BRICS
and CSO
703) Which agency has been assigned the work of
detecting duplication of death claims under the
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojna: Credit
Information Bureau India Ltd (CIBIL)
704) FIFA Women's World Cup was held at which place:
Vancouver, Canada
705) Name the country that won the FIFA Women's
World Cup for the third time, beating Japan: USA
706) Government has decided to give __________ rank to
the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, Arvind
Panagariya: Cabinet Minister
707) Champagne vineyards where the world’s famous
sparkling wine Champagne is produced have been
included in UNESCO ‘World Heritage’ sites. They
are in which country: France
708) Copa America Football Tournament was held in
__________ capital of Chile: Santiago
709) Which country won the popular Copa America
Football Tournament after a wait of 99 years: Chile
710) British Grand Prix F1 was won by the reigning
world champion Lewis Hamilton. He is from which
country: Britain
711) ________ has become the first woman tennis player
from India to be ranked as top-seeded in any grand
slam, by reaching this spot in the ongoing
Wimbledon at London: Sania Mirza
712) World Food Foundation of USA gives which
prestigious prize to individuals whose
breakthrough achievements alleviate hunger and
promote global food security: World Food Prize
713) The World Food Prize 2015 has been awarded to
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed. He is from which country:
Bangladesh
714) The World Bank has approved an additional loan of
$650 million for EDFC for faster delivery of goods
between the northern and eastern parts of the
country. What is the full form of EDFC: Eastern
Dedicated Freight Corridor
715) Eastern Dedicated Freight corridor runs between
which two places: Ludhiana to Kolkata
716) The Union Urban Development Ministry organized
a six day competition "Mera Shahar Mera Sapna"
from June 15 to20 at New Delhi what purpose: To
encourage citizens to contribute their ideas for
improving Indian cities
717) Name the web portal that Ministry of Agriculture

95. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 94
plans to launch to allow farmers to showcase their
farm produce on the Internet for wholesalers for
online bidding: E-Kissan
718) Reserve Bank provides relevant data for all big
borrowers on CRILC for use by various banks for
better credit appraisal. What is full form of CRILC:
Central Repository of Information on Large
Credits
719) Which bank has started Rewardz scheme to give
reward points to all its customers for almost every
banking transaction done with the bank: State
Bank of India
720) World Bank has ranked which Indian social welfare
scheme as the world's largest public works
programme, providing social security net to almost
15 per cent of the country's population: Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee
Act (MGNREGA)
721) Which Indian scheme has been classified as the
biggest school feeding programme by the World
Bank, covering 105 million beneficiaries: Mid- day
meal
722) As per a recent UN report, India has achieved the
goals for reducing poverty and hunger by half,
under MDGs. What is MDGs: Millennium
Development Goals
723) ICRISAT- and Govt of Telangana have collaborated
to launch the Green Phablet for farmers to provide
online information and weather alerts to farmers.
What is ICRISAT: International Crops Research
Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics
724) The International Crops Research Institute for
Semi-Arid Tropics is situated in which Indian city:
Hyderabad
725) Which union ministry has launched on July 2 a web
portal for online submission of applications for
Environment Clearance for Category ‘B’ projects:
Ministry of Environment and Forests
726) Name the govt initiative launched on July 1 to
digitally deliver all the essential services online to
citizens and transform India into a digitally
empowered society and knowledge economy by
leveraging IT: Digital India
727) Govt plans to provide Aadhaar card based online
facility wherein one can store all documents issued
by the government, such as birth/death certificates,
various permissions, registrations etc. Name this
facility: Digital Locker
728) As per a study by the World Economic Forum _____
and ______ are among the world’s biggest employers,
employing 1.4 and 1.3 million, respectively,
securing 7th and 8th rank :Indian Army and Indian
Railways
729) Which bank has created a dedicated payments
gateway for the mobile banking transaction which
will enable much faster transactions for its
customers: ICICI Bank
730) The National Floor Level Minimum Wage (NFLMW)
has been increased to Rs. _______per day from the
existing Rs. 137 effective from July 1 this year: 160
731) State Bank of India has launched 'Project Tatkal' to
attract which category of borrowers, offering them
the loan within 10 days: Home Loan seekers
732) Which state in India accounts for 50% of total
passenger cars and two-wheelers produced in
India: Haryana
733) Abhijeet Gupta won the 19th Commonwealth
__________ Championship held at Mumbai: Chess
734) __________ has been nominated by China to be the
first President of the Beijing-backed Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank: JIN LIQUN
735) Which bank has launched Go Digital scheme
offering the 30-minute auto loan and 15-minute
two-wheeler loan: HDFC Bank
736) President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated
'Nakshatra Vatika' on July 6 in which city:
Hyderabad
737) Name the cricketer who became the first women
from the country and second in world to reach the
5000-run milestone in one-day internationals:
Mithali Raj
738) BSNL along with _________ Bank and Pyro has
launched a prepaid card SPEEDPAY to allow users
to transfer cash, pay for services as well as
withdraw cash up to Rs 1 lakh: Andhra
739) Name the solar aeroplane which created new world
records for longest distance covered and time spent
in air in its flight from Nagoya, Japan to Hawaii-
7,200km in 118 hours: Solar Impulse
740) The Home Ministry has recently declared which
state as a “disturbed area” under section 3 of the
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958:
Nagaland
741) 5th Youth Delphic Games will be held in _____ in
February 2016: Goa
742) RBI has allowed MTS operators such as Mumbai
Metro, Delhi Metro, Indian Railways to issue their
pre-paid cards to provide ease to the commuters.
What is full form of MTS: Mass Transit System
743) Matti Makkonen, who died recently, was associated
with development of which very important feature
of present day mobile phones: SMS
744) Which city in Gujarat has signed a MoU with China's
Xinjinag province to enhance infrastructure growth
and development between the two regions:
Vadodara
745) Sriram Kalyanaraman has been appointed as the
new Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of
which national bank: National Housing Bank
746) World University Games were held at which place
in South Korea: Gwangju
747) Gennady Padalka, Russian cosmonaut entered

96. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 95
Guinness World Records for which achievement:
for spending most number of days in the space-
804
748) India issued a joint statement titled Tej Kadam with
which country highlighting the continuation of
strategic partnership between the two
nations since 2009: Kazakhastan
749) The National Dairy Development Board has
launched a mobile application named _________ to
help dairy farmers in boosting their income by
raising milk yield and cutting feed cost: Pashu
Poshan
750) Who is the author of the book - India Central Asia
Relations: The Economic Dimension: Amiya
Chandra
751) Which Bank launched country’s first MUDRA (Micro
Units Development and Refinance Agency) card
based on the RuPay platform: Corporation Bank
752) South Asian Basketball Championship was held at
which place: Bengaluru, Karanataka
753) Name the country that won the South Asian
Basketball Championship: India
754) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
approved the PMKSY with an outlay of Rs. 50000
crore rupees over a period of next five years. Write
full form of PMKSY: Pradhan Mantri Krishi
Sinchayee Yojana
755) Name the country that hosted 2015 World
Police and Fire Games: USA
756) Name the Bengaluru firm that became first
company in India to launch online electronic
signature service called eSign: eMudhra Ltd
757) Government plans to start an all India exhibition
train to sensitise people, especially children and the
youth, about the Climate Change. What is its name:
Science Express
758) The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV C-28
successfully put into orbit five satellites of which
country on 10th July: Britain
759) In the abbreviation PSLV C-28, the digits 28 denote
what: 28th successful launch
760) What was the special feature of the July 10 launch
of PSLV C-28: It was the ISRO’s biggest and
heaviest commercial launch till date
761) What is the theme of the this year’s World
Population Day observed on July 11: Vulnerable
populations in emergencies
762) Ministerial conference of The Regional Integrated
Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems (RIMES)
nations was held in _________ on July 10: New Delhi
763) The ingeniously-developed supersonic surface-to-
air missile _________ was formally inducted in the
Indian Air Force at Gwalior on July 10: Akash
764) A tiny butterfly species has been discovered for the
first time in the science in the forests of Changlang
in which State: Arunachal Pradesh
765) Finals of the grand slam of tennis – Wimbledon
were played at which place: London
766) ___________ won the Men’s singles title in the
Wimbledon 2015: Novak Djokovic
767) Women’s singles title in the Wimbledon 2015 was
won by which player: Serena Williams
768) Sania Mirza won the Wimbledon 2015 women’s
doubles title. Who was her partner: Martina Hingis
769) Name the Indian boy who became the sixth Indian
to win a Grand Slam junior title in tennis: Sumit
Nagal
770) In which State construction of the longest tunnel in
South Asia, running 9 kms is in the final stage: J & K
771) Total users of which public utility crossed the
record 1 billion mark in May, reaching 1,002.05
million: Telephone Connections
772) India test-fired it’s indigenously developed anti-
tank guided missile named ________ in Jaisalmer,
Rajasthan: ‘Helina’ (Nag)
773) Prime Minister of which country resigned on July
12 as he battled corruption charges that compelled
him to quit: Romania
774) Name the NASA’s spacecraft which has provided
the closest-ever pictures of Pluto, showing details
of its geology: New Horizons
775)Name the former Union Environment and Forest
Minister who wrote the book Green Signals:
Ecology, Growth, and Democracy in India: Jairam
Ramesh
776) The 12 day Godavari Maha Pushkaralu festival is
celebrated in which State: Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh
777) Under which mission the government has set a
target to provide skill development training to 102
million youth over the next five years: National
Skill Development Mission
778) M S Viswanathan, a prominent film personality of
South Indian cinema, passed away recently. He was
master of which field: Film Music
779) Simhastha Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious
congregations on the earth, began in July in which
city: Nashik
780) The Junior Asian Freestyle, Greco-Roman and
Female Wrestling championship was held at
_____________, Myanmar: Nay Pyi Taw
781) With which country India recently signed an MoU
in New Delhi for cooperation in election
management and administration: Georgia
782) HRIDAY was launched from Amritsar in Punjab for
development of 12 historical cities in the country.
What is the full form of HRIDAY: National Heritage
City Development and Augmentation Yojana

97. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 96
783) A committee headed by ____________ suspended the
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals teams
from the Indian Premier League (IPL) for two
years: Justice R M Lodha
784) Considering the declining interest of the fans and
popularity, the BCCI has decided to scrap which T-
20 tournament: Champions League Twenty 20
785) The government has decided to cap the subsidy on
kerosene at Rs. _____ per litre: 12
786) The Reserve Bank has set up a committee headed
by ______________ to work out a five-year action plan
to spread the reach of financial services to
unbanked population: Deepak Mohanty
787) Against which country India won the three-match
One Day International (ODI) Series in July:
Zimbabwe
788) The Prem Bhatia awards are given for excellence in
which field: Journalism
789) The 9th World Youth Athletics Championship was
held in which place: Cali, Colombia
790) Which bank plans to offer up to 3% of its annual
profit to employees as part of a talent retention and
motivation initiative: State Bank of India
791) What is the four digit All India Railway Helpline
number recently launched by the govt.: 1512
792) Which Indian city has been selected by the UNESCO
as the "City of Music" under the Creative Cities
Network: Varanasi
793) The Union Cabinet has formed an expert group
chaired by ___________ to classify the Caste names
returned in the Socio Economic and Caste Census
(SECC), 2011: Arvind Panagariya
794) Name the noted modern Indian artist who has been
conferred with the highest French civilian honour,
the Commandeur de la Legion d'Honneur (the
Legion of Honour) for his peerless achievements:
Sayed Haider Raza
795) Which city hosted the 46th Session of the Indian
Labour Conference: New Delhi
796) Which country has agreed to jointly manufacture
200 military helicopters in India: Russia
797) Which country has agreed to provide technological
support to India for building the next aircraft
carrier and the Light Combat Aircraft jet engine:
USA
798) Genezebe Dibaba created a new world record in the
women’s 1500m, clocking a time of 3:50:07. She is
from which country: Ethiopia
799) Which Indian organization has signed a currency
swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka
to let it draw up to 1.1 billion dollars for a
maximum period of 6 months: Reserve Bank of
India
800) For which of its project, the Kerala Tourism has
bagged 2015's Pacific Asia Travel Association
award: Muziris Heritage Conservation Project
801) Name the type of the first indigenous high-thrust
rocket engine recently successfully test fired by
ISRO at its Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri in
southern Tamil Nadu: Cryogenic
802) The BCCI has decided to scrap which Trophy due to
packed schedule: Duleep
803) What is the name of the new bank launched by
BRICS group of nations to promote infrastructure
financing: New Development Bank
804) Headquarters of New Development Bank is located
in which city: Shanghai
805) The Union Cabinet has agreed to continue the
interest subvention of __________ per cent on short-
term crop loans of up to Rs. 3 lakh to farmers:
Three
806) The government has launched the National Career
Counseling Portal for what purpose: To coordinate
all government-run employment exchanges
807) Which international financial body has agreed to
provide $250-million financial assistance for the
Andhra Pradesh Disaster Recovery Project: The
World Bank
808) Which Indian city will host the 2016 World Twenty
20 cricket tournament: Kolkata
809) Name the Bollywood actor-model aged 50 who won
the Ironman title at a triathlon held in Zurich in
Switzerland: Milind Soman
810) The government has launched the Surakshit
Khadya Abhiyan, a countrywide campaign to create
mass awareness about which issue: Safe and
hygienic food
811) What is the name of the world's first malaria
vaccine which has got a green signal from the
European drugs regulators: Mosquirix
812) In a list of 500 largest companies of the world
compiled by the Fortune magazine, USA, which is
the largest Indian corporate: Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC)
813) Name the 10-year old Indian Golfer who scripted
history as he became the first Indian to win the
International Junior Golf Academy's World Stars
Junior Golf Tournament played at Las Vegas, USA:
Shubham Jaglan
814) Name the two members of Anglo Indian
Community recently nominated by the President to
Lok Sabha: Prof. Richard Hay and George Baker
815) As per which article of the Indian Constitution,
President can nominate two members of Anglo
Indian Community to Lok Sabha: 331
816) Under the Development of Solar Cities Programme
of the union ministry of new and renewable energy,
in which part of India six solar cities have to be
developed: North East
817) The World Trade Organization on July 24 finalised a
list of 201 products of which category products to
be freed from import tariffs resulting in reduction

98. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 97
in their prices: Information Technology
818) Which country is about to complete construction of
the world's largest single-aperture radio telescope
FAST in 2016: China
819) Trial run of the Egypt's second Suez Canal went off
successfully on July 25. Name the two seas linked
by this canal: Mediterranean Sea with the Red
Sea
820) Name the former Governor of Kerala, Sikkim and
Bihar, MP and a veteran associate of Dr Ambedkar
who passed away recently: R. S. Gavai
821) Name the cyclist from Britain who won the three
week multiple stage bicycle race - Tour de France
at Champs Elysees in Paris on July 26: Chris
Froome
822) Name the German driver who won the Hungarian
Grand Prix at Budapest, Hungary on July 26:
Sebastian Vettel
823) ____________of Netherlands has been appointed chief
coach of the Indian hockey team till the 2016 Rio
Olympics: Roelant Oltmans
824) Name the world’s first malaria vaccine that has
recently been approved by European drugs
regulators: Mosquirix
825) The Indian women's wrestling team finished at
which rank in the fifth Senior International
Wrestling Tournament -- Cup of the President of
Republic of Kazakhstan in Astana: Second
826) Name the bank that plans to roll out handheld
machines across rural India that could work just
like micro ATMs: HDFC Bank
827) Royal Society’s Copley Medal, world’s oldest
scientific prize has been awarded to which
scientist: Peter Higgs
828) What is the name of the newly found planet which
is 'the closest twin to Earth' ever seen: Kepler-
452b
829) The first radio broadcasting was done from
_____________ on 23 July, 1927: Mumbai
830) 23rd July is observed as which national day:
National Broadcasting Day
831) Tom Moore, noted cartoonist from USA passed
away recently. He was associated with which
cartoon character: Archie
832) Name the capital of the Republic of Guinea which
was named as the World Book Capital for 2017 by
UNESCO: Conakry
833) UNO has started the Nelson Mandela Prize for
honouring people in which field: extraordinary
service to humanity
834) Name the Indian cartoonist who won the Grand
Prix World Press Cartoon Award-2014: Pamarthy
Shankar
835) Benoy Behl, noted documentary maker won the
Best Documentary Producer award at Madrid
International Film Festival for which film: Indian
Roots of Tibetan Buddhism
836) ____________has been appointed as the new Chairman
of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for
three years: R. S. Sharma
837) __________ July was celebrated as the Kargil Vijay
Diwas: 26th
838) Ramon Magsaysay Award are given for excellence
in which filed: Social Work & Service to
Humanity
839) Ramon Magsaysay Awards are given in which
country: Philippines
840) Name the two Indians who won the Ramon
Magsaysay Award 2015: Sanjeev Chaturvedi and
Anshu Gupta
841) Asian Development Bank has agreed to provide $
300 million loan to support which flagship program
of Indian govt.: National Urban Health Mission
842) Which Indian state has introduced a pension
scheme for transgenders allowing them a pension
of Rs 500 per month: Tripura
843) The Asian Development Bank has agreed to give a
loan of $ 300 million to India for development of
which region: North East
844) Government has sanctioned around Rs.1,000 crore
for a 15-km India-Bangladesh railway project from
which place to which place: Agartala in Tripura to
Akhaura in Chitagong, Bangladesh
845) Which country has been admitted as the 162nd
member of World Trade Organization: Kazakhstan
846) The ETC system was launched on the Chennai-
Bengaluru corridor on July26, aiming to help road-
users save time and money. What is ETC:
Electronic Toll Collection
JUNE – 2015
847) According to the data released by the Central
Statistics Office (CSO) on May 29, the Indian
economy grew at __________ per cent in 2014-15: 7.3
848) According to United Nations annual hunger report -
'The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015' by
FAO, which country accounts for over 24 per cent of
the total 795 million hungry people in the world:
India
849) Which ministry has launched a new website -
www.khoyapaya.gov.in: Women and Child
Development Ministry
850) What is the objective of the recently launched
khoyapaya.gov.in website: To report about a
missing child and to track the efforts towards
his or her recovery
851) Deepika Kumari won a bronze medal in the
women's individual Recurve event of the World
Cup at Antalya, Turkey. She participated in which
game: Archery
852) Name the prestigious spelling contest of USA which
was won by Indian origin American children -

99. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 98
Vanya Shivashankar, 13, and Gokul Venkatachalam,
14: Scripps National Spelling Bee Contest
853) Name the three star cricketers who joined the BCCI
in a newly-constituted advisory panel to guide the
board in all matters related to the game: Sachin
Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V V S Laxman
854) Which country has successfully developed the first
ATM with facial recognition technology to reduce
the risk of frauds related to ATMs: China
855) George Yeo, Former Foreign Minister of Singapore
has been appointed as the new Chancellor of which
prestigious university of India: Nalanda
University, Rajgir, Bihar
856) Ameenah Gurib-Fakim has been elected as the first
woman President of which country: Mauritius
857) Vijai Sharma has been appointed to which top
constitutional post: Chief Information
Commissioner
858) __________ has been appointed as the new Central
Vigilance Commissioner: K V Chowdary
859) The book “Men Explain Things to Me” has been
written by which author: Rebecca Solnit
860) Name the book written on Indian political scenario
recently by the noted journalist Ashutosh: The
Crown Prince, the Gladiator and the Hope:
Battle for Change
861) The Reserve Bank has capped the remuneration of
non-executive director of private banks to Rs.
______lakhs per annum: 10
862) RBI has issued the draft guidelines on the NSFR
under Basel III framework on liquidity standards
for banks. What is the full form of NSFR: Net Stable
Funding Ratio
863) The 'Jal Marg Vikas' (National Waterway-1) project
has been launched on which river: Ganga
864) The 1620 kms long National Waterway–1 is
proposed to be launched between which two cities:
Allahabad and Haldia
865) Global brokerage firm Nomura has projected that
India will grow by 8% in 2015-16. This firm is
based in which country: Japan
866) India was ranked at ______ rank in the annual global
competitiveness report by a Switzerland-based
business school: 44th
867) In terms of competitiveness, which country has
been ranked at the top in a recent Swiss study: USA
868) On June 3 India joined the Multilateral Competent
Authority Agreement for what purpose: For
Automatic Exchange of Financial Account
Information
869) Name the 17,500 feet high mountain pass in
Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand that was
opened on June 1 for this year's India-China trade
and Kailash Mansarovar Yatra: Lipulekh Pass
870) Edward Snowden, former US security contractor
and electronic surveillance whistleblower was
honoured with which international prize
recently: Norwegian prize for freedom of
expression
871) Bangladesh has granted permission to which
Indian insurance company to book business in
Bangladesh: Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)
of India
872) The 21st Asian Athletics Championships were held
at which place in China: Wuhan
873) Name the star athlete who bagged the gold medal in
the men’s shot put event at the 21st Asian Athletics
Championships: Inderjeet Singh
874) Tintu Luka won the gold medal in which event at
the Asian Athletics Championship: 800 m race
875) Ace Indian athlete Vikas Gowda won the gold medal
at the 21st Asian Athletics Championship in which
event: Discuss throw
876) Name the veteran cricketer who has been
appointed as the Director of the Indian cricket
team: Ravi Shastri
877) World Milk Day is observed on which date: June 1
878) Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of ______arrived in New
Delhi on a two-day (June 5-6) visit to India:
Netherland
879) The government has decided to increase the
Minimum Import Price of which item to protect
local growers from the cheaper imports: Areca
Nuts
880) The leaders of G-7 countries held their 41st summit
on June 7-8 in which country: Germany
881) The G-7 group includes as member an international
union of states also. Which is that: European
Union
882) Name the honour that was conferred on Sri Atal
Bihari Vajpayee by the Bangladesh Govt.:
Bangladesh Liberation War Honour
883) Name the three Indian cities which now have direct
bus service with Dhaka, Bangladesh: Kolkata,
Agartala and Guwahati
884) What is the full form of MERS: Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome
885) The virus of MERS is suspected to have come from
which animal: Camel
886) French Open 2015 Men’s title was won by Stan
Wawrinka. He is from which country: Switzerland
887) _____________ won the women’s title in the French
Open 2015: Serena Williams, USA
888) French Open tournament is popularly known by
which other name: Rolland Garros
889) The Department of Post (India Post) has signed a
deal with which IT company to personalise over 15
million debit cards for its savings account holders:
CMS Info Systems
890) R. Seshasayee has been appointed Non-Executive
Chairman of the Board of which Indian IT major:
Infosys Ltd.

100. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 99
891) The Cabinet has approved stepping up of India’s
solar power capacity target under the Jawaharlal
Nehru National Solar Mission by five times,
reaching __________ Mega Watt by 2022: One Lac
892) According to a report for 2013 by WADA, India has
third largest number of dope offenders in sports.
What is Wada: World Anti-doping Agency
893) Which country has made the world's first electric
passenger aircraft: China
894) State Bank of India has launched SBI eforex, an
internet- based platform to enable customers to do
what type of transactions online: Foreign
exchange transactions
895) _____________ became the first Indian footballer to
score 50 international goals in 87 matches: Sunil
Chhetri
896) As per Global HR firm Mercer’s "Cost of Living
Survey 2015”, __________was rated as the most
expensive city in India: Mumbai
897) Which major industrial country has lowered
the age of voters from 20 to 18: Japan
898) The Navlekhan award of Bharatiya Jnanpith is given
to which category of persons: Upcoming Hindi
Writers
899) EPFO has decided to make UAN mandatory for all
employers covered under the EPF and
Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952. Write full form
of UAN: Universal Account Number
900) __________ became the first bank in India to partner
with Alibaba.com to provide easier trade finance to
India-based sellers on the portal: ICICI Bank
901) ____________ is the author of the book titled ‘World’s
Best Boyfriend’: Durjoy Dutta
902) Name the IIT that will soon become the first
engineering institute in India to venture into
medical education: IIT Kharagpur
903) India broke which two Guinness world records in
the Yoga event organized at Rajpath in New Delhi
on June 21: Largest Yoga assembly and
participation by largest number of nationalities
in a single event
904) Finance Ministry released coins of the
denomination of Rs _____ and Rs ______ on the
occasion of International Yoga Day: 10 and 100
905) European scientists have discovered the brightest
galaxy and have nick named it CR-7 after which
popular football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
906) China opened which mountain pass on Sikkim
border to facilitate Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra:
Nathu La
907) Sangita Kalanidhi Award is given every year in
Chennai for excellence in which field of music:
Carnatic Music
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101. GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 100