The document provides a 3-page summary of current affairs from January to March 2015. It includes summaries of the Prime Minister's visits to various countries in March, the Supreme Court striking down Section 66A of the IT Act, India's rankings in various global indices, and other national and international news over that period. It also lists various figures to remember such as interest rates and India's rankings in different reports.

2. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 1
GENERAL AWARENESS
MAY 2015
Vol. 3, Issue 11
A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION &
TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.
SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH
Contents
CURRENT AFFAIRS
JAN TO MARCH 2015
01-34
BULLET NEWS
OCT TO DEC 2014
35-51
MCQs ON CURRENT AFFAIRS 52-57
FCI MODEL TEST PAPER 58-69
IBPS MODEL TEST PAPER 70-80
6 MONTHS GK BYTES 81-100
FIGURES TO REMEMBER
REPO RATE (04.03.2015) 7. 50%
REVERSE REPO RATE 6.50%
MARGINAL STANDING
FACILITY RATE
8.50%
STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 21.5%
CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00%
BANK RATE 8.50%
BASE RATE(s)
(of various banks)
10 to
10.25 %
INDIA’S RANK IN
Open Government Index 2015 37th
Press Freedom Index 2015 136th
Talent Competitiveness 78th
Travel and Tourism Index 65th
Corruption Perceptions Index 85th
The Web Index 2014 48th
Global Terrorism Index 2014 6th
Global Slavery Index 2014 1st
Gender Gap Index 114th
Ease of Doing Business (WB) 142nd
Global Hunger Index 2013 55th
Global Competitiveness 71st
Human Development Index 135th
Global Innovation Index 76th
Economic Confidence Index 01st
Choice for FDI 143rd
Social Progress Index 102nd
World Press Freedom Index 140th
NATIONAL NEWS
MARCH 2015
PM VISITS SEYCHELLES
With a view to expanding its footprint in the strategic Indian Ocean, India
signed four agreements with Seychelles for cooperation in hydrography,
renewable energy, infrastructure development and maritime security during
the visit of India’s Prime Minister’s visit on March 11.
He also launched a Coastal Surveillance Radar project to boost security
cooperation with the island nation. India promised to give one Dornier aircraft
and free visa on arrival for three months to the citizens of Seychelles.
PM VISITS MAURITIUS
Prime Minister visited Mauritius on March 12 and inked five MoUs with
Mauritius to give new impetus to bilateral co-operation. The agreements
signed included one on Ocean economy which will help utilise the rich marine
resources of Mauritius.
PM VISITS SRI LANKA
India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements during Mr. Modi's maiden visit to
the island nation on March 13-14. The agreements are on visa, customs, youth
development and building Rabindranath Tagore memorial in Sri Lanka.
 Facility of Tourist Visa on Arrival and Electronic Travel Authorization
Scheme to Sri Lankan citizens to start from April 14, 2015.
 India to cooperate in developing a Ramayana Trail in Sri Lanka and a
Buddhist Circuit in India.
P M PAYS HOMAGE TO MARTYRS
On March 23, PM Narendra Modi visited Hussainiwala on Indo Pak border in
Punjab's frontier district of Ferozepur and paid homage to freedom struggle
martyrs Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.
The three revolutionaries were cremated here on March 23, 1931. They were
awarded death sentence for shooting a British Police Officer Mr Saundras on the
17th December, 1928. In their honour, March 23 is observed every year as Martyrs
Day ( Shaheed Diwas).

3. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 2
MODI, SATYARTHI AMONG TOP 50 LEADERS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (5th) and Nobel laureate
Kailash Satyarthi (28th) have been named among the 50
greatest leaders in the world by Fortune magazine in its
annual list of extraordinary men and women
transforming business, government and philanthropy.
BHARAT RATNA CONFERRED UPON VAJPAYEE
The President of India, breaking away from the
protocol, conferred the Bharat Ratna on Shri Atal Bihari
Vajpayee on March 27 in New Delhi in a simple
ceremony held at the residence of Shri Vajpayee, on
account of his poor health condition.
Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya was accorded Bharat Ratna
posthumously during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan
on March 30th.
INDIA AND QATAR SIGN SIX AGREEMENTS
The Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani visited
India and held extensive talks with the Prime Minister.
The two countries inked six pacts for cooperation in
energy sector and boosting trade and investment. An
agreement was also signed on the transfer of sentenced
persons allowing the Indian convicts in Qatar to
complete their balance sentence in India and vice versa.
SC CANCELS RESERVATION FOR JATS
The Supreme Court of India has nullified the Central
Government's decision to include Jats in the Other
Backward Classes (OBC) category. The top court said
that caste can't be the sole factor to decide
backwardness, maintaining that Jats don't form socio-
economic backward class. The decision will prevent the
Jat population in India from availing of the special
benefits of reservation in jobs and educational
institutions.
AADHAAR NOT MUST FOR AVAILING SUBSIDY
The Supreme Court has given a landmark ruling,
confirming that the Aadhaar card is not compulsory for
availing of various government subsidies and any other
benefits, and warned that officials ignoring this would
be taken to task.
CONFERENCE ON COUNTER TERRORISM
A 3-day International
Conference on Counter
Terrorism 2015 was
held at Jaipur in March.
It was organised by
India Foundation in
association with the
Sardar Patel University
of Police Security and
Criminal Justice,
Jodhpur to develop an
integrated approach to counter terrorism.
S C RULES AGAINST SECTION 66A
The Supreme Court has struck down the controversial
2009 amendment to India's Information Technology Act
known as section 66A as it was “unconstitutional” and a
restriction on freedom of speech. Section 66A makes
the sending information of "grossly offensive or
menacing character" punishable by up to 3 years in jail
ATTORNEY GENERAL IS PUBLIC AUTHORITY
The Delhi High Court has ruled that the Attorney
General is not merely a lawyer for the government, but
is a constitutional authority and thus falls under the
ambit of the RTI Act.
The High Court reversed the 2012 decision of the Central
Information Commission in which a full bench had ruled
that the AG is only a person and can't be considered an
"authority" under the Act.
WORLD’S 1st SOLAR AIRCRAFT LANDS IN INDIA
Solar Impulse, claimed to be the world’s only solar-
powered aircraft, made a stopover in Ahmadabad on its
maiden global journey. The Swiss aircraft can fly day
and night without a drop of fuel, propelled solely by the
sun’s energy. The single-seater aircraft made of carbon
fibre has a 72 metre wingspan, larger than that of
Boeing-747 and weighs just 2,300 kg.
INDIA UNFURLS WORLD’s TALLEST FLAG
The world’s largest and tallest Indian national flag was
unfurled in Faridabad, Haryana. The flag has
dimensions of 96 feet by 64 feet and weighs 48
kilograms. The flag was hoisted at a height of 250 feet
(75 meters), thus, making it the world’s largest and the
highest hoisted Indian flag.
 The 58th All India Ayurvedic Congress was held at
Panjab University, Chandigarh – March 14-15.
 The 5th National Community Radio Sammelan held
in New Delhi – March 16.
 A three-day conference for strengthening maritime
trade and security among Indian Ocean Rim
countries held at Bhubaneshwar – March 20-22.
 The government has announced that India's first
National Skill Development University will be
established in Chhattisgarh.
 In the World Justice Project's ‘Open Government
Index 2015’ report, India was ranked 37th amongst
102 countries. Sweden was placed at first position

4. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 3
FEBRUARY 2015
GOVT ACCEPTS FINANCE COMMISSION REPORT
Union Government has accepted the recommendations
of the 14th Finance Commission for devolution of
revenue collection from the Centre to the states for the
period from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2020. The
commission was headed by Ex. RBI Governor Y V Reddy.
DIPLOMATS’ CONFERENCE IN NEW DELHI
A three day Heads of the Missions Conference was held
in New Delhi from Feb 7 to 9 in New Delhi. About 110
ambassadors/diplomats from various Indian embassies
took part in the conference that spelt the ways in which
diplomats can contribute to the country's development.
AERO INDIA SHOW HELD AT BENGALURU
The 10th edition of Aero India Show concluded in
Bengaluru. The show was focused on Make in India
campaign of the Union Government which is aimed at
encouraging small and medium industries to invest in
defence manufacturing in India.
INDIA SET TO JOIN BRICS BANK
The Union Cabinet approved India’s plans for the
establishment of a New Development Bank led by the
BRICS bloc of developing nations, and a Contingent
Reserve Arrangement (CRA) that will act as an extra
safety net in the event of financial crisis.
AIRTEL TO SERVE CHILDREN IN AFRICA
Indian telecom major
Bharti Airtel Limited
on 18 February 2015
tied-up with United
Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF) to
provide health, edu-
cation and youth-focused content to its customers in 17
African countries.
S C RULES ON CRIMINAL CANDIDATES
In a historic judgment, the Supreme Court has ruled that
the suppression of criminal antecedents, especially
relating to heinous crimes, by an election candidate
during nomination deprives voters to make an informed
choice and creates impediments in the free exercise of
electoral right and therefore, if such a candidate wins
the election, his election should be declared null and
void (invalid).
FENCED ELEPHANT SANCTUARY BY PETA
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
has announced to create India's first fenced elephant
sanctuary within the Bannerghatta Biological Park in
Karnataka. The forested space will allow elephants to
move around freely within the secure area.
MS. SWARAJ VISITS CHINA
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj went to China
on a four day official visit. She met the Chinese
President Xi Jinping also. The visit focused on resolving
the tensions on border issue. She also launched the Visit
India Year in China at a function in Beijing.
INDIA FARES POOR IN PRESS FREEDOM
India has been ranked 136TH in terms of press freedom
in 2015, out of 180 nations in the World Press Freedom
Index produced by Reporters without Borders.
Countries are ranked on the basis of media pluralism
and independence, respect for the safety and freedom of
journalists and the legislative, institutional and
infrastructural environment in which the media
operates. Finland, Norway and Denmark were on the
top of the list.
 Rajya Sabha was informed that 76.83 crore Aadhaar
cards have been generated till 15 February 2015 out
of a total population of 121.01 crore
 Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam, President of Singapore
visited India on Feb. 10 and inaugurated the
Singapore Festival in New Delhi.
 18th National Conference on e-Governance held in
Gandhinagar, Gujarat from 30 to 31 January 2015.
 Three Commemorative Postage stamps on the theme
of Swachh Bharat Mission were released on 30
January 2015 to mark the Martyrdom Day of
Mahatma Gandhi.
 The first National Tribal Festival “VANAJ”-2015 held
at New Delhi from 13 to 18 Feb., 2015.
 India and Sri Lanka have agreed to explore avenues
for enhancing cooperation in oil and gas sector.
JANUARY 2015
OBAMA CHARMS INDIA
Barrack Obama became the first U.S. President to be the
Chief Guest at the Republic Day and the first U.S.
President to visit India twice during his tenure.
 The two leaders agreed to operationalise the civil
nuclear deal, resolving the key hurdles pertaining to
the liability of suppliers of nuclear reactors in the
event of an accident and the tracking of fuel
supplied by the US.
 Obama announced new initiatives worth $ 4 billion
aimed at boosting trade and investment ties as well
as jobs in India through a new Indian Diaspora
Investment Initiative.
 For the first time in the history of India’s Republic
Day, all-women contingent from the three defence
forces-Army, Air Force and Navy, marched down in
the parade.
 India and the US signed MoUs for formulating action
plans for development of smart cities in Allahabad,
Ajmer and Visakhapatnam.

5. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 4
15 NRIS HONOURED AT PBD
15 persons were conferred with Pravasi Bharatiya
Samman Award including Microsoft CEO Satyanarayan
Nadella and Guyana President Donald Rabindernauth
Ramaotar at the three day Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas, Jan 7
to 9, held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
COINS AND STAMPS RELEASED IN PBD
Coins and stamps showing in the same frame pictures of
a young Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and another of
his transformation into Mahatma Gandhi were here
released on Jan 8 at Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas to
commemorate the centenary year of his return to India
from South Africa in 1915. The coins are in the
denomination of Rs 100 and Rs 10, while stamps are of
the value of Rs. 25 & Rs. 5.
TIGERS’ POPULATION UP BY 38.4%
Across India, the mean figure for tiger numbers
increased from 1,706 in 2010 to 2,226 in 2014,
registering an impressive growth of 30.48 per cent. With
406 tigers, Karnataka tops the list, followed by
Uttarakhand – 340 and Madhya Pradesh – 308.
INDIA TO HELP NEPAL FOR FIGHTING GOITRE
India will provide Rs 6.90 crore support to Nepal for
fighting against the Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control
Programme for goitre control across the country. Goitre
is an enlarged thyroid gland found in neck.
ASIA’s BIGGEST LITERARY EVENT AT JAIPUR
ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival, Asia’s biggest literary
event was held at Jaipur from 21st to 25th Jan 2015. Over
2.45 lakh persons took part in the festival. More than
300 authors from over 50 countries attended the
festival.
DSC Prize for Literature: The $50,000 prize won by
Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri for her book, The
Lowland.
Poet Arunadhathi Subramaniam was declared as the
winner of inaugural Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize
for poetry for her work “When God is a Traveler”.
H S BRAHMA IS THE NEW CEC
Former bureaucrat Hari Shankar
Brahma has been appointed as the
next Chief Election Commissioner
of India. The present incumbent, V
S Sampath turned 65 on Jan 15, the
upper age limit under the
Constitution for holding the post.
Mr. Brahma too is completing 65 years on April 19.
CEC has a tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65
years, whichever is earlier. He is appointed by the
President, on recommendations of the Union Government.
He enjoys the same official status, salary and perks as
available to Judges of the Supreme Court and High court.
NATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL AT GUWAHATI
The 19th National Youth Festival began in Guwahati on
Jan 8. The theme this year is, 'Youth for Clean, Green
and Progressive India'. A mascot performing Sattriya
dance and named as Baandhav has been designed for
the festival.
INDIA 78TH IN TERMS OF SKILLED LABOUR
In a list of 93
countries compiled
by INSEAD business
school, India has
been ranked 78th
globally in terms of
talent competitive-
ness of its human
capital, indicating
acute shortage of
skilled workforce. Switzerland has topped the list,
followed by Singapore.
SUPREME COURT ENDS SRINI’s GAME
The Supreme Court has barred N Srinivasan, the
controversial businessman and cricket official, from
contesting the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) election until he gives up his commercial interest
in the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
 India will provide 60 million dollars Line of Credit to
Guyana for its road infrastructure projects. Guyana is
a small republic on northern border of Brazil.
 Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan came to
India on a weeklong visit.
 The 13th Pune International Film Festival has held at
Pune in Maharashtra from January 8 to 15. The
theme of the festival was “War against War".
 102nd Indian Science Congress was held at Mumbai
University, Maharashtra.
 Two commemorative coins of Rs 100 and five were
released in the honour of Tata Group founder
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata's to mark his 175th birth
anniversary.
 January 12 is observed as National Youth Day on the
birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and
thinker Swami Vivekananda.
 India signed an agreement on transfer of prisoners
who are completing their sentence, with Hong Kong
 Germany has agreed to partner with India in
developing three smart cities. A six-member joint
committee has been set up to identify the cities in
next three months.
 The first Border Haat (market) along Tripura-
Bangladesh frontier was opened at Srinagar
(Tripura) - Purba Madhugram (Feni, Bangladesh).
 Indian Railways to run an additional weekly trip of
Maitree Express train between Kolkata and Dhaka.

6. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 5
NEWS FROM STATES
MARCH 2015
FIRST COMMERCIAL COURT SET UP IN DELHI
In March, the Delhi high court became the first court in
India to set up dedicated commercial divisions within it,
in line with the recommendation of the Law
Commission. These special benches will hear
commercial matters relating to intellectual property
rights, arbitration, insurance, banking, taxation,
company cases etc.
OLIVE RIDLEY BEGIN MASS NESTING
The mass nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles, an
endangered species, started in March near
river Rushikulya mouth in Odisha's Ganjam district. On
the first day, over 10,000 female turtles laid eggs in the
over 3-km-long sandy beach.
HARYANA MOVES TO BAN COW SLAUGHTER
The Haryana Legislative Assembly passed the Gauvansh
Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill, 2015, which bans
cow slaughter, sale of beef and prescribes rigorous
punishment for violations, ranging from punishment of
up to 10 years with a fine up to one lakh rupees.
'AAPKI BETI HUMARI BETI' SCHEME LAUNCHED
The Haryana government has launched 'Aapki Beti
Humari Beti' programme to provide cash assistance of
Rs 21,000 to first-born girl child of Scheduled Caste (SC)
and Below Poverty Line families and all second girl
children born on or after Jan 22, 2015 of all families.
THREE STATES EXEMPTED FROM PAP
In a written reply to a query, the Rajya Sabha was
informed that Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland have
been excluded from the Protected Area Permit (PAP)
regime for foreign tourists till December 31.
FEBRUARY 2015
MUFFLERMAN SWEEPS DELHI
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party on Feb 10
swept to power with 67 seats in the 70-member Delhi
Assembly, leaving only three to the Bharatiya Janata
Party and nil to the Congress. Later, Mr. Kejriwal was
sworn in as the Chief Minister of Delhi.
 Uttarakhand govt launched on Feb 7 its ambitious
“Himalaya Darshan” programme as part of its
ongoing efforts to boost tourism in the state.
 Haryana to set up Gram Sachivalayas to bring Gram
Panchayat and village level functionaries of all
departments under one roof for better functioning.
 The ten day long annual Taj Mahotsava, a cultural
extravaganza, began in Agra, UP from 18th February.
 Gujarat govt. has decided to set up ‘Plast India
International University’ in Vapi in partnership
with University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA.
 Madhya Pradesh won the 10th National Award for
excellent work in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA).
 Haryana launched e-registration of properties in all
the 130 tehsil and sub-tehsils of the State on Feb 04.
 The First World Ocean Science Congress (WOSC) was
held in Kochi, Kerala from 5 to 8 February 2015.
JANUARY 2015
PUNJAB BANS SALE OF LOOSE CIGARETTES
The Punjab state has banned the sale of loose cigarettes
(as single sticks) and loose tobacco, becoming the first
State to do so. Ban has been issued as the sale is in
violation of Section 7 of the COTPA (Cigarettes and
Other Tobacco Products, Prohibition of Advertisement
and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production,
Supply and Distribution Act, 2003). Since loose
cigarettes are affordable and do not carry a pictorial or a
written warning, these will not be permitted to be sold.
J&K BEST IN e-INITIATIVE
Jammu and Kashmir has been
selected, for the first time, for
National e-Governance Award
2014-15 for the best district-
level initiative in the country,
for the project e-Panchayat, launched in 2013-14
ASSAM ONLY PLACE TO GROW ‘PURPLE TEA’
According to a senior scientist and tea expert according
to Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Jorhat, Assam can
emerge as the only place in the world after Kenya to
become a producer of health-rich medicinal purple tea.
Currently, Kenya is the only country that produces
unique purple tea which fetches three to four times the
price of black tea.

7. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 6
 Amitabh Bachchan appointed as the brand
Ambassador for health sector in Andhra Pradesh.
 Hampi Utsav Jan 9 – 11, cultural festival of dance,
drama, art and music held at Hampi, the erstwhile
seat of the Vijayanagar Empire in Karnataka.
 Governor’s rule imposed in J&K as political parties
failed to muster the requisite number 44 MLAs in the
87-member Assembly.
 Voting for all 70 Delhi Assembly seats will be held on
February 7 and counting of votes will be done on
February 10.
 Haryana has appointed yoga guru Ramdev as the
state's brand ambassador to promote yoga and
ayurveda in a big way.
GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES
MARCH 2015
PRADHAN MANTRI SURAKSHA BIMA YOJANA
The scheme will be offered by all Public Sector General
Insurance Companies for giving insurance cover against
death by accident.
 Eligibility: Available to all persons in the age group
18 to 70 years, having a bank account.
 Premium: Rs.12 per annum to be directly debited by
the bank from the subscriber’s account.
 Risk Coverage: For accidental death and full
disability-Rs.2 Lac and for partial disability–Rs.1 Lac.
PRADHANMANTRI JEEVAN JYOTI BIMA YOJANA
The scheme will be offered by Life Insurance
Corporation and all other life insurers who are willing to
join the scheme to offer life insurance cover.
 Eligibility: Available to all persons in the age group of
18 to 50 and having a bank account.
 Premium: Rs.330 per annum to be debited from the
applicant’s account.
 Risk Coverage: Rs.2 Lac in death on any ground.
ATAL PENSION YOJANA
This scheme will be launched from 1st June, 2015 and
will be administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory
and Development Authority. The scheme will focus on
the unorganised sector workers and will replace the
previous Swavalamban - NPS Lite scheme.
 Eligibility: The scheme is open to all bank account
holders between 18 years and 40 years, who are not
members of any statutory social security scheme.
 Benefit: Pension ranging between Rs.1000 - Rs.
5000 is payable after the age of 60.
 Govt Funding: The government would co-contribute
50% of the subscriber’s contribution or Rs. 1000 per
annum, whichever is lower, for a period of 5 years
from 2015-16 to 2019-20, to those who join the
scheme before 31st Dec, 2015 and are not tax payers.
‘TWITTER SAMVAD’ LAUNCHED BY THE PM
As part of the government's Digital India campaign, a
new service ‘Twitter Samvad’ was launched in New
Delhi by the Prime Minister. Everyday, a set of curated
tweets will be delivered as SMS from the government
and leaders' accounts to those mobile users across the
country, who register for this service. Mr Modi and
several state Chief Ministers have joined the scheme.
LAND BILL PASSED BY LOK SABHA
The controversial Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill
was approved by the Lok Sabha in March despite a
walkout by all opposition parties. The bill has been
allowed to lapse as the government lacks majority in
Rajaya Sabha. The ordinance in this regard is expected
to be re-promulgated.
ANTI BLACK MONEY BILL PASSED BY CABINET
In a bid to unearth
black money and
illicit assets stashed
abroad, the Union
Cabinet has approved
the Undisclosed
Foreign Income and
Assets (Imposition of
New Tax) Bill, 2015
with stringent provisions for prosecution of such
offences with rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years.
Penalty at the rate of 300 % of taxes will be levied,
besides the applicable tax, on the concealed income.
P M KAUSHAL VIKAS YOJNA LAUNCHED
The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri
Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) with an outlay of Rs
1,500 crore to provide skills training to youth, including
Class 10 and 12 drop outs. The scheme will cover 24
lakh persons. It will be implemented by the Ministry of
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

8. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 7
33% RESERVATION FOR WOMEN IN POLICE
The Central government has announced 33 per cent
reservation for women in police forces of union
territories, including Delhi, for posts ranging from
constables to sub-inspectors, in a move aimed at making
police more gender-sensitive.
‘KAYA KALP’ COUNCIL TO OVERHAUL RLYs.
The Ministry of Railways has constituted the Kaya Kalp
council and appointed Ratan Tata its head to
recommend innovative methods and processes for the
improvement, betterment and transformation of the
Railways. The council will have two railway union
leaders also.
PHARMA JAN SAMADHAAN SCHEME LAUNCHED
Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministry has launched
the Pharma Jan Samadhaan scheme for redressal of
grievances of consumers related to drug pricing and
availability of medicines. It is a web based scheme
created by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
NEW WEBSITE FOR CEMENT SUPPLY
Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has
launched a new web portal, www.inampro.nic.in to
monitor the supply of cement at all India level. It will
benefit the bulk users like developers of big infra
projects as they can view the asking price as well as the
nearest factory.
INAM-PRO stands for platform for infrastructure and
materials providers
BACHCHAN TO LEAD WAR AGAINST HEPATITIS
The government has again roped in Amitabh
Bachchan as brand ambassador for its campaign against
Hepatitis B. According to the latest WHO data, Hepatitis
B is responsible for 1.4 million deaths every year
globally. India has over 40 million hepatitis B patients.
 Bharat-Nepal Maitri Bus Seva started between
Varanasi and Kathmandu from March 5 as per
Motor Vehicle Agreement signed with Nepal.
 The first Kisan Call Centre in N-E India was opened
in Agartala, Tripura to give information to farmers
for agriculture, fisheries and plantations etc.
 The Lok Sabha has passed the Motor Vehicles
(Amendment) Bill, 2015 to bring e-rickshaws and e-
carts into the ambit of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
FEBRUARY 2015
NITI AAYOG HOLDS ITS FIRST MEETING
In the first meeting of the Governing Council of NITI
Aayog in New Delhi, the Prime Minister described ‘Team
India’ as a combination of three teams – the Prime
Minister and Chief Ministers; the Union Council of
Ministers; and the bureaucracy in the Centre and States.
He suggested formation of three sub groups for
improved functioning of ‘Team India’.
 The first sub-group will study the 66 centrally-
sponsored schemes and recommend which schemes
should continue, which should be transferred to
states, and which to discontinue.
 The second sub-group will focus on skill
development and creation of skilled manpower
within states.
 The third sub-group will decide on the institutional
mechanisms to be evolved for Swachh Bharat
Abhiyaan, so that cleanliness becomes a part of life
in perpetuity.
 It was also decided that all the states should create
two task forces under the aegis of the NITI Aayog,
one to focus on poverty alleviation, and the other to
focus on future development of agriculture.
ALL INDIA MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY
From May 3, cell phone subscribers will be able to retain
the same mobile number on relocating to anywhere in
India. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
amended the mobile number portability (MNP)
regulations for this purpose.
At present, number portability is available only within a
telecom circle.
PM LAUNCHES SOIL HEALTH CARD SCHEME
The nationwide “Soil Health Card” scheme was launched
by the Prime Minister from Suratgarh, Rajasthan on Feb
19, focusing on the health of soil to boost productivity
and bring about increased prosperity. At least 14 crore
cards are to be issued over the next three years.
NATIONAL DEWORMING DAY ON FEB 10
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the
first National Deworming Day on Feb 10 to reduce the
threat of parasitic worm infections in children.
Medicine Albendazole will be orally administered to
pre-school and school-going children between one and
nineteen years of age in 12 states to begin with.

9. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 8
‘MADAD’ LAUNCHED FOR CONSULAR SERVICES
Government has launched Consular Grievances
Monitoring System named MADAD-Because You Are Us-
to register grievances pertaining to the Consular
Services offered by the Indian Missions abroad.
TWO CRORE TOILETS UNDER MNREGA
Govt plans to construct over two crore toilets in select
villages across the country under a programme of
making India free from open defecation by 2019. The
project will be implemented under MNREGA. Literate
and active women MNREGA workers will be selected as
the 'Sanitary Mates' to provide basic lessons about use
of toilets to people living in villages.
 The govt has launched a single window e-Biz portal
for 11 Central government services to bring
transparency in the ease of doing business.
 The government plans to launch a new scheme 'Krishi
Daak Service' to distribute improved seed varieties to
farmers at their doorstep, through post-offices.
 Govt has constituted a three-member Special
Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Pramod Asthana
for re-investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases.
JANUARY 2015
SCHEME LAUNCHED TO SAVE GIRL CHILD
Prime Minister launched the nationwide 'Beti Bachao-
Beti Padhao' (save girl child, educate her) campaign
from Panipat in Haryana on Jan 22 to counter the
adverse sex ratio in the country.
 Noted film actress Madhuri Dixit was roped in as
the brand ambassador of the campaign.
 A special savings scheme by the name ‘Sukanya
Samriddhi Account’ was also launched to encourage
special savings for girl child.
SUKANYA SAMRIDDHI ACCOUNT
 Account can be opened in the name of a girl child of
up to 10-year-old.
 After attaining the age of 10 years, the account
holder can herself operate the account.
 Accounts can be opened in name of girl child in
banks and post offices,
 Interest payment at 9.1 per cent per annum.
 Deposits can be made for 14 years from the date of
opening of the account.
 Half of the fund can be withdrawn for her higher
education and marriage after she attains 18 years of
age.
 The scheme would mature on completion of 21
years from the date of opening of the account.
 The account can be transferred anywhere in India
 Minimum deposit of Rs. 1000 and thereafter any
amount in multiple of Rs. 100 can be deposited.
 Amount deposited in the scheme is eligible for
income tax rebate.
 For one time, a girl child who has attained the age of
10 years prior to 1 year from the date of
introduction of scheme is also eligible.
 A maximum of Rs. 1,50,000 can be deposited in a
financial year.
 The account can be opened in any post office or
authorized branches of commercial banks in India
by producing birth certificate of the girl child.
 To meet the requirement of higher education
expenses of the account holder girl child, partial
withdrawal of 50 % of the balance would be
allowed after the girl child attains age of 18 years.
 The amount can be deposited in cash, cheque or
demand draft.
SCHEMES LAUNCHED FOR SC ENTREPRENEURS
In a bid to promote entrepreneurship among the
Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment launched two schemes on Jan 16:
1. Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes, with an
initial capital of Rs.200 crore to provide financial
assistance up to Rs.15 crore for up to six years to SC
entrepreneurs. IFCI Ltd. will act as Nodal Agency to
operate this fund.
2. Green Business Scheme to provide loans up to Rs.1
lakh at concessional rate of interest to SCs for running e-
rickshaw, solar pumps and other solar energy-powered
implements.
HRIDAY SCHEME LAUNCHED
The government has launched a Heritage City
Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) to
preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the
country. In the initial phase, 12 heritage cities have been
identified which will be rejuvenated and developed.
NITI AAYOG IN, PLANNING COMMISSION OUT
On Jan 1, the government announced that the Planning
Commission has been restructured and rechristened as
the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India)
Aayog. It will be a multi-tiered structure headed by
Prime Minister with a governing council comprising of
the chief ministers of all states and lieutenant governors
of union territories.

10. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 9
‘PRICE STABILISATION FUND’ LAUNCHED
Govt plans to set up a ‘Price Stabilisation Fund’ (PSF),
with a corpus of Rs 500 crore, to check price volatility
through procurement of selected perishable
horticulture produce, maintenance of buffer stocks and
their regulated release into the market. To begin with,
interventions would be supported for onions and
potatoes only and other commodities may be added
later on.
HELPLINE LAUNCHED FOR DRUG ADDICTS
Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has
launched a toll-free helpline (1800-11-0031) to assist
the alcoholic and drug-dependent persons. Initially, the
helpline will operate from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm from
Monday to Saturday and will be upgraded later on to a
24x7 helpline.
ON-LINE TRACKING OF TOILET USAGE
Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has
said that people would be mobilised to check and verify
the use of toilets in the rural areas and they can post
photos or upload data of non use or misuse of toilets
through mobile phones, tablets or I-Pads onto a website
in real time.
Shortage of toilets costs the country more than $50 billion
a year, mostly through premature deaths and hygiene-
related diseases, according to a World Bank study.
NORMS RELAXED FOR SEZs
Aiming to revitalise SEZs, the government has permitted
dual-use of non-processing areas in special economic
zones, allowing developers to set up social
infrastructure like schools, hospitals and hotels which
can be accessed by people within and outside these
conclaves.
FACILITY TO LODGE FIR IN TRAIN
Under a new initiative by North Central Railway, rail
passengers will now be able to lodge an FIR in the train
itself. Earlier the passenger had to cut short his visit and
register the FIR at the nearest Government Railway
Police (GRP) station.
DBTL LAUNCHED IN 622 DISTRICTS
The Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL) scheme, now
called ‘Pratyaksh Hanstantarit Labh’ (PAHAL), launched
in 622 districts w.e.f. Jan 1, 2015. Finally, the scheme
will cover over 15.3 crore consumers across 676
districts of the country.
CHANDIGARH COULD BE FIRST ‘SMART CITY’
Finance Minister has indicated that the first Indian
smart city to be created probably could be Chandigarh.
Smart cities would be built in a way so that they have
uninterrupted power, water, proper sanitation, efficient
management of solid waste, decongestion of roads, last
mile connectivity and effective use of ICT. Several
countries like Japan, Germany, Sweden, Singapore,
Israel, UK, US, Hong Kong and the Netherlands have
shown interest in building smart cities in India.
GREEN INDIA MISSION LAUNCHED
Govt launched 'Green India Mission' for undertaking
eco-friendly development of the rural areas. To begin
with 18 villages in Seraikela forest division in Jharkhand
have been selected.
DOMESTIC EFFICIENT LIGHTING PROGRAMME
Prime Minister launched a scheme for LED (light
emitting diodes) bulb distribution under Domestic
Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP) in Delhi on 5th
January. The LED bulbs will be supplied at an initial
payment of Rs 10 each and recovery of Rs 10 each for 12
months from their electricity bill. The programme shall
be launched all over the country.
SPECIAL PHABLET LAUNCHED FOR FARMERS
ICRISAT launched a customised low-cost combination of
phone and tablet computer ‘greenphablet’ for small
farmers. The device is powered by GreenSIM and is
dust- and shatter-proof, readable under bright sunlight;
operates from -20°C to +60°C.
ICRISAT: International Crops Research Institute for the
Semi-Arid Tropics. HQ: Hyderbad, Telangana
‘HIMMAT’- MOBILE APP
FOR WOMEN
India's first integrated mobile
application for women safety
called ‘Himmat' was launched
in Delhi on Jan 1. The app can
alert the police in the hour of
need by either shaking the
phone or pressing the power
button twice. It is directly
linked to the Police Control
Room and allows police to
locate the victim, with updation every ten seconds.

11. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 10
PRESIDENT APPROVES JUDICIAL COMMISSION
President gave his assent to the National Judicial
Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, nearly ending
the two-decade-old collegium system for appointment
of judges of the Supreme Court and 24 high courts.
The commission will be headed by the Chief Justice and
will have five other members - two senior-most judges of
the SC, the Law Minister and two eminent persons.
INDIA’s 1st CNG TRAIN STARTS FROM REWARI
Country’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) - powered
train was flagged from Rewari, Haryana on Jan 13. The
dual-fuel CNG Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) will
run between Rewari and Rohtak everyday and would
help in reducing the operating cost of locomotives by
over 50%.
 India’s first International Institute of Music will be set
up in Kerala by a trust headed by Sarod Maestro
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his family.
 Department of Disability Affairs has been renamed as
Department of Empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities (Viklangjan Sashaktikaran Vibhag).
 President signed the Citizenship Ordinance to merge
Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas
Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes and to grant life-
long Indian visa to PIOs.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
MARCH 2015
IMF PROJECTS 7.2% GROWTH FOR INDIA
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised
India's growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.2 per
cent taking into account the revised methodology
adopted by India earlier this year for calculating the
GDP figures.
ADB PUTS INDIA’S GROWTH AT 7.8 %
The Asian Development Outlook Report from the Asian
Development Bank says that India’s growth rate is
expected to surpass China and improve to 7.8 per cent
in next fiscal and further to 8.2 per cent in 2016-17 on
the back of government's structural reform agenda and
improved external demand.
INDIA TO GROW BY 7.7% - OECD
According to a recent OECD report, India is poised to
grow 7.7 %this year and 8 per cent in 2016 to become
the "fastest growing major economy" in the world,
beating even China which is expected to grow by 7%.
GDP SET TO GROW BY 7.5% IN 2015-16
The global rating agency Moody's has retained its stable
outlook on the sovereign rating of India at Baa3, citing
the country's large and diversified economy and healthy
private savings rate which may see India growing at 7.5
per cent in 2015-16.
TRADE DEFICIT SHRINKS TO $ 6.8 BILLION
The country's exports contracted by more than 15
percent, to $ 21.5 billion in February this year while
imports fell 15.7 percent, to $ 28.4 billion leading to a
lower trade deficit of $ 6.8 billion during the
month. Imports fell mainly due to the value of oil
imports plunging by 55 per cent.
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION UP BY 2.6%
According to the data released by the Central Statistics
Office, the country's industrial production as measured
by the Index of Industrial Production, grew 2.6 percent
in January this year, mainly on account of better
performance of the manufacturing sector and better off
take of capital goods.
CORE SECTOR SLOWS DOWN TO 1.8%
Growth in eight core industries slowed to 1.8% in
January, the lowest in 13 months. The eight core sector
industries — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery
products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity — had
expanded by 3.7% in January, 2014.
PER CAPITA INCOME UP BY 37.6%
As per a reply submitted in Parliament, India's per
capita annual income rose by 37.6 per cent in the last
four years to Rs 88,533 in 2014-15. It was Rs. 71,593 in
2012-13 and Rs 80,388 in 2013-14.
 India's foreign exchange reserves shot up to an all-
time high of 339.99 billion dollar in the week ended
20th March.
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12. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 11
FEBRUARY 2015
INDIA SET TO GROW BY 7.4%
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) data released on Feb
10 showed that India is set to grow 7.4 per cent in the
year 2014-15 and cross the $2.1-trillion mark against
6.9 per cent achieved in 2013-14 on the back of robust
manufacturing sector performance and a surge in public
expenditure.
 India's monthly per capita income is likely to be at
Rs 7,378.17 this financial year, up over 10 per cent
from last year, when it was Rs. 6,699.88 year.
 India grew 7.5 per cent in the October-December
quarter, overtaking China’s 7.3 per cent growth in
the same quarter, to become the fastest growing
major economy in the world.
 The Central Statistics Office has revised its base
year to 2011-12
JANUARY 2015
INDIA SET TO GROW BETTER THAN CHINA
As per Global Economics Prospects Report published by
the World Bank, India is set to clock a 7% rise in GDP in
2017 compared with 6.9% for bigger rival China. “India
will recover to 6.4% in the current calendar year itself
on the back of higher export growth and bolstered
investor confidence with the election of a reform-
minded government at the Centre”, said the report.
INDIA TO GROW BY 6.5% - MORGAN STANLEY
A report by global financial giant Morgan Stanley says
that Indian economy is on its way to grow by 6.5 per
cent as the government's reforms agenda is on track and
the pace is accelerating too.
 A United Nations report says that India will see
gradual growth acceleration with its GDP expected to
reach 5.9 per cent this year and 6.3 per cent in 2016.
 India's GDP growth has averaged 6.5 per cent over
the last 25 years, while in the last two years it
averaged 4.9% alongside very high inflation.
FISCAL DEFICIT TO BE CUT TO 3.6% OF GDP
The Expenditure
Management Comm-
ission, headed by
Bimal Jalan, has
recommended to the
government that it
should cut fiscal
deficit to 3.6 per
cent of the GDP during 2015-16. The recommendations
are as per the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility and
Budget Management Act, 2003.
NEW CPI FOR BETTER PROJECTION
For presenting a more accurate and realistic price
situation, government plans to release by next month a
new series of Consumer Price Index (CPI) with 2012 as
base year for computing retail inflation rate. Figures for
January 2015 will be compiled on revised base and will
be released on February 12.
 As per a Labour Bureau survey, unemployment rate
in the country rose to 4.9 per cent in 2013-14, mainly
on account of increase in joblessness in rural areas.
ECONOMY & INDUSTRY
MARCH 2015
P M TO MONITOR HELD UP PROJECTS
To give impetus to stalled projects and ensure their
timely execution across the country, the Prime Minister
plans to have a regular direct interaction with officials in
the states and the central ministries. Titled Pragati, an
acronym for Pro-active Governance and Timely
Implementation, the programme will be conducted
through video conferences.
CABINET APPROVES ‘SAGARMALA’ PROJECT
At least 12 smart cities at ports and several coastal
economic zones will come up under the ambitious
Sagarmala project approved by the Union Cabinet. The
project will include smart cities which will have
affordable housing, wind & solar power and green
industry, 1,208 islands to be developed for attracting
tourists and 189 light houses also.
NEW CPI TO COVER 460 ITEMS
Any increase in mineral water and potato-chip prices, as
well as changes in data usage charges will reflect in
the new Consumer Price Index released by the Central
Statistics Office as the number of items in the CPI basket
has been increased to 448 from 437 in rural areas and
to 460 from 450 in urban areas.
The CPI tracks inflation at the consumer level and has
become the key measure of inflation used by the Reserve
Bank of India for monetary policy action.

13. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 12
Rs 1.10 TRN FROM SPECTRUM AUCTION
The government has fetched about 1.10 lakh crore
rupees after rigorous bidding in the auctioning of
telecom spectrum. The auction was conducted for 800
MHz, 900 Mhz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz covering both
mobile telephony and broadband, including 4G.
NGT PULLS UP RLYs FOR CLEANLINESS
The National Green Tribunal
(NGT) has announced a fine of
Rs 5,000 on individuals
spotted littering or throwing
waste on the railway platforms
and tracks. The tribunal
directed the Railways to
collect, transport and treat the
waste at the treatment plants
instead of directly releasing
the garbage into sewer system.
AGRI PRODUCTION TO EXCEED 257 MT
As per the second advance estimates for 2014-15, the
foodgrain output in the country is estimated at 257.07
million tonnes, far more than the projected requirement
of 249 million tonnes for the year. The average annual
increase in the overall foodgrain production has been
3.48 per cent during the period 2009-10 to 2014-15.
WB AID FOR GANGA SAGAR DEVELOPMENT
The World Bank has sanctioned 100 crore rupees for all
round development of Sagar Island in South 24
Parganas District of West Bengal. Every year, lakhs of
pilgrims from India and abroad offer prayers at
Gangasagar on Sagar Island on the occasion of Makar
Sankranti.
LIC TO INVEST 1.5 TRILLION IN RAILWAYS
In the biggest ever funding for the Railways, the Life
Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) committed Rs 1.5
lakh crore for development of various railway projects
over the next five years. The investment would be made
through bonds issued by the Railways.
JOINT EFFORT FOR GREENER INDIA
The government has decided to merge the National
Mission for a Green India (GIM) and the Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(MGNREGA) to facilitate afforestation on 10 million
hectares of land over the next decade. This would, in
turn, help provide forest-based livelihood income to
three million households.
MACAU/HK BANNED FROM BUYING PROPERTY
The RBI has included Macau and Hong Kong in the list of
countries whose citizens are prohibited from acquiring
or transferring immovable property in India. The other
prohibited countries include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Nepal and Bhutan.
RELIANCE IS NO 1 CORPORATE IN INDIA
Among top 10 corporates in terms of assets, compiled
by the Corporate Affairs Ministry, Reliance Industries
Ltd is the largest corporate with assets worth 3.68 lakh
crore rupees, followed by the state-owned Indian Oil
Corporation with assets worth 2.52 lakh crore rupees.
CAIRN INDIA SERVED 20 CR TAX NOTICE
Income Tax Department has slapped a Rs. 20,495-crore
tax demand notice on Cairn India for failing to deduct
withholding tax on alleged capital gains made by its
erstwhile promoter, Cairn Energy.
 India and Kyrgyzstan have signed n MoU to
strengthen bilateral cooperation in textiles and
clothing.
FEBRUARY 2015
GOVT NOTIFIES ‘IND AS’ NORMS
Government has notified the rules for Indian Accounting
Standards (Ind AS) which are converged with global
standards IFRS. The norms will be mandatory for
companies from 1 April 2016. However, these norms
can be followed by corporates on a voluntary basis from
1 April 2015. For companies having net worth of Rs.500
cr. or more, norms would be a must from 1 April, 2016.
NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS NOT LIABLE
Govt has clarified
that the U.S.
suppliers of nuclear
reactors and parts
will not be directly
liable in case of a
nuclear accident,
nor can they be
sued by Indian nuclear operators unless the contract
they sign clearly states it. Further, the immediate
liability for any incident will be channelled only to the
operator — in this case the public sector unit Nuclear
Power Corporation of India Ltd. There will be no
changes in the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages
(CLND) Act, 2011.
ADB TO GRANT $400 MILLION LOAN TO INDIA
The Asian Development Bank has inked two loan
agreements worth USD 400 million with India to
upgrade district roads in Madhya Pradesh and to
support improvements to power transmission and
distribution systems in Assam. Of this, $350 million is
for Madhya Pradesh and remaining $50 mn. for Assam.
 India reclaimed its position as the leading consumer
of gold in 2014 with an estimated consumption of
880 tonnes against China’s 866 tonnes.
 World Bank agrees to grant $ 8 million loan to India
for sustainable livelihoods and adaption to climate
change project of National Rural Livelihoods Mission.

14. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 13
UNION BUDGET 2015 – 16
HIGHLIGHTS
ECONOMY
 GDP growth to be between 8 to 8.5% in 2015-16
 Housing for all - 2 crore houses in Urban areas and 4
crore houses in Rural areas.
 Basic facility of 24x7 power, clean drinking water,
toilets and road connectivity to all villages
 Electrification of the remaining 20,000 villages
including off-grid Solar Power- by 2020.
 Providing medical services in each village and city.
 Ensure a Senior Secondary School within 5 km reach
of every child,
AGRICULTURE
 Major steps to be taken to address the two major
factors critical to agricultural production, that of soil
and water.
 ‘Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’ to be fully
supported.
 ‘Pradhanmantri Gram Sinchai Yojana’ to provide
‘Per Drop More Crop’.
 Rs 5,300 crore to support micro-irrigation, watershed
development and the ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai
Yojana’.
 Target of Rs. 8.5 lakh crore of agricultural credit
(through banks) during the year 2015-16.
FUNDING THE UNFUNDED
 Micro Units Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA)
Bank, with a corpus of Rs. 20,000 crores, and credit
guarantee corpus of Rs 3,000 crores to be created.
 MUDRA Bank will be responsible for refinancing all
Micro-finance Institutions which are in the business of
lending to such small entities of business through a
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana.
 A Trade Receivables discounting System (TReDS)
which will be an electronic platform for financing of
trade receivables of MSMEs to be established.
 Comprehensive Bankruptcy Code of global standards
to be brought in towards ease of doing business.
 Postal network with 1,54,000 points of presence
spread across villages to be used for increasing access
of the people to the formal financial system.
 NBFCs registered with RBI and having asset size of Rs
500 crore and above may be considered for
notifications as ‘Financial Institution’ in terms of the
SARFAESI Act, 2002.
FROM JAN DHAN TO JAN SURAKSHA
 Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna to cover
accidental death risk of Rs 2 Lakh for a premium of
just 12 per year.
 Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana to cover
both natural and accidental death risk of Rs 2 lakh at
annual premium of Rs 330 for the age group of 18-50.
 Atal Pension Yojana to provide a defined pension,
depending on the contribution and the period of
contribution to the workers in unorganised sector.
 A new scheme for providing Physical Aids and
Assisted Living Devices for senior citizens, living
below the poverty line.
 Unclaimed deposits of about Rs 3,000 crores in the
PPF, and approximately Rs 6,000 crores in the EPF
corpus to be used for creating a fund which will be
used to subsidize the premiums on these social
security schemes through creation of a Senior Citizen
Welfare Fund.
INFRASTRUCTURE
 National Investment and Infrastructure Fund to be
established with an annual flow of Rs 20,000 crores.
 Tax free infrastructure bonds to be issued for the
projects in the rail, road and irrigation sectors.
 Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) to be established in
NITI to provide Innovation Promotion Platform
involving academicians, and drawing upon national
and international experiences to foster a culture of
innovation , research and development.
 Self-Employment and Talent Utilization - SETU to
be established as Techno-financial, incubation and
facilitation programme to support all aspects of start-
up business. Rs1000 crore to be set aside for this.
 5 new Ultra Mega Power Projects, each of 4000 MW,
to be started in the Plug-and-Play mode.
FINANCIAL MARKET
 Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) bringing
both external and domestic borrowings under one
roof to be set up this year.
 Forward Markets commission to be merged with SEBI.
 Sovereign Gold Bond, as an alternative to purchasing
metal gold scheme to be developed.
 Indian gold coins to be made for investment in gold.
 A student Financial Aid Authority to be formed to
administer all scholarships as well Educational Loan
Schemes, through the Pradhan Mantri Vidya
Lakshmi Karyakram.
 A post graduate institute of Horticulture Research &
Education is to be set up in Amritsar
 An autonomous Bank Board Bureau to be set up to
improve the governance of public sector bank.
BLACK MONEY
 Acceptance or re-payment of an advance of Rs 20,000
or more in cash for purchase of immovable property
to be prohibited.
 PAN being made mandatory for any purchase or sale
exceeding Rupees 1 lakh.

15. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 14
 General Anti Avoidance Rule (GAAR) to be deferred by
two years, to be applicable from 01.04.2017.
 Wealth-tax replaced with additional surcharge of 2
per cent on super rich with a taxable income of over
Rs 1 crore annually
 Service-tax plus education cess increased from
12.36% to 14% to facilitate transition to GST.
SWACHH BHARAT
 100% deduction for contributions, other than by way
of CSR contribution, to Swachh Bharat Kosh and Clean
Ganga Fund.
 Clean energy cess hiked from Rs 100 to Rs 200 per
metric tonne of coal, to finance clean environment
initiatives.
BENEFITS TO MIDDLE CLASS TAX-PAYERS
 Limit of deduction of health insurance premium
increased from Rs 15000 to Rs 25000, for senior
citizens limit increased from Rs 20000 to Rs 30000.
 Senior citizens above the age of 80 years, who are not
covered by health insurance, to be allowed deduction
of Rs 30000 towards medical expenditures.
 Deduction limit of Rs 60000 with respect to specified
decease of serious nature enhanced to ` 80000 in case
of senior citizen.
 Additional deduction of Rs 25000 allowed for
differently abled persons.
 Limit on deduction on account of contribution to a
pension fund and the new pension scheme increased
from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh.
 Additional deduction of Rs 50000 for contribution to
the new pension scheme u/s 80CCD.
 Payments to the beneficiaries including interest
payment on deposit in Sukanya Samriddhi scheme to
be fully exempt from income tax.
MAJOR BUDGETARY ALLOCATIONS
Defence 2,46,727
Subsidies of which
Food Subsidy – 1,24,419 cr
Petroleum Subsidy – 30,000 cr
Fertilizer Subsidy – 72,968 cr
2,27,387
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme
34699
National Livelihood Mission (Rural &
Urban)
3343
Housing for all (Rural and Urban)- 14200
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana 14291
National Social Assistance Programme 9074
Swachh Bharat 6000
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana 5300
Krishonnati Yojana, incl. Rs. 4500cr for
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana 12257
Micro, Small And Medium Enterprises 1350
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan 22000
Higher Education 11965
Women And Child Development 9694
Information Technology 2510
Telecommunications 4800
National Health Mission 18000
Urban Development 14585
Road Transport & Highways 40003
Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram
JyotiYojana
4500
Science and technology 3550
Namami Gange for cleaning of the Holy
Ganga
2100
For recapitalisation of Public Sector
Banks (Rs 7940cr)and other DFIs
9790
KEY BUDGET FIGURES – 2015-16
BUDGET HEAD Rs in Cr
1 Revenue Receipts (2+3) 1141575
2 Tax Revenue (net to centre) 919842
3 Non-Tax Revenue 221733
4 Capital Receipts (5+6+7) 635902
5 Recoveries of Loans 10753
6 Other Receipts 69500
7 Borrowings and other
liabilities
555649
8 Total Receipts (1+4) 1777477
9 Non-Plan Expenditure (10+12) 1312200
10 On Revenue Account - of
which,
1206027
11 Interest Payments 456145
12 On Capital Account 106173
13 Plan Expenditure (14+15) 465277
14 On Revenue Account 330020
15 On Capital Account 135257
16 Total Expenditure
(9+13)(Budget Size)
1777477
17 Revenue Expenditure
(10+14)
1536047
18 Of Which, Grants for
creation of Capital Assets
110551
19 Capital Expenditure
(12+15)
241430
20 Revenue Deficit (17-1) 2.8% of
GDP
394472
21 Effective Revenue Deficit (20-18)
2% of GDP
283921
22 Fiscal Deficit {16-(1+5+6)}
3.9% of GDP*
555649
23 Primary Deficit (22-11) 0.7% of
GDP*
99504
*GDP for 2015-16 has been projected at Rs. 141. 09 trillion cr.
GDP growth rate for 2015-16 is projected at 8 to 8.5%

16. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 15
RAILWAY BUDGET 2015-16
HIGHLIGHTS
 No new trains announced
 No increase in passenger fare
FINANCE
 No increase in passenger fares
 Plan outlay of Rs 1,00,011 crore, up by 52 %
 Rs 8.5 lakh crore to be invested in next 5 years
 Rs.96,000 crore for 77 new projects
 Rs 6,581 crore for rail safety
 Will set up infra funds for railways
 Plan to invite corporate sponsorship for stations
UPGRADES/NEW SERVICES
 New ‘Bullet-like’ trains to run on existing tracks
 Increase in track capacity by 10% to 1.38 lakh km
 Delhi-Kolkata and Delhi Mumbai to be overnight
journey
 6,000 km to be electrified in 2015-16
 Speed on 9 corridors to be increased to between 160-
200 km
 High speed bullet train between Mumbai and
Ahmadabad
 Direct line from Delhi to Arunachal Pradesh
PASSENGER CONVENIENCE
 All India helpline No. 138 from March 1
 No 182 helpline for women security
 Cameras in the women compartments in select trains
 Rs 1,000 Nirbhaya Fund, which was lying idle so far,
to be used to provide women's safety
 Multi-lingual online ticketing
 Ticket booking timing increased to 120 days
 Operation 5 minutes to ensure that a passenger
travelling unreserved can purchase a ticket within 5
minutes
 Lower berth preference for senior citizens, pregnant
women and differently abled
 Cleanliness in Railways highest priority under Swachh
Rail Swachh Bharat
 Food can be ordered online while booking ticket
 E-catering introduced on over 100 trains
 400 stations to get Wi-Fi facility
 SMS alert service for train arrival / departure timings
 Mobile App to address passenger complaints
 Lockers at all stations
 Innovation Council and Technology Portal will be set
up to invite suggestions on improvements
GREEN INITIATIVES
 17, 000 toilets to be replaced by bio toilets
 Will move towards paperless ticketing
 To introduce vacuum toilets in trains
 Disposable linen and garbage bags at all stations
JANUARY 2015
‘MAKE IN INDIA’ IS BIG HIT ONLINE
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion-led
Make In India (MII) initiative has become the largest
and fastest growing government initiative ever on
digital platform. Within three months of its launch, the
initiative has already touched over 2.1 Billion global
impressions on social media and reached an overall fan
base of over 3 Million on its Facebook page.
Make In India initiative focuses on attracting businesses
to invest and manufacture in India.
DUTY FREE IMPORTS FROM AFGHANISTAN
India has allowed duty free access to Afghanistan’s
export products in Indian markets under the Agreement
of South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA). The export
consignments will be allowed through the Integrated
Check Post at Attari in Amritsar, Punjab.
INFOSYS TO INVEST $ 250 MILLION
Leading IT company - Infosys has assured Indian
government that they will spend USD 250 million to
fund innovations in software and services in India. The
assurance was made by company CEO Vishal Sikka
during his meeting with the Prime Minister.
IMPORT OF MOBILES RESTRICTED
Government has prohibited imports of all kind of mobile
handsets with fake or duplicate Unique Identity
Numbers. The decision will help the security agencies to
track callers using different SIM (Subscriber Identity
Module) cards.
‘PK’ CREATES BOX OFFICE RECORDS
According to a report on
Boxofficeindia.com, the film PK
recorded a sale of Rs. 500 crore
gross worldwide within two
weeks of its release, there by
becoming first ever Indian
movie to have such huge
collection in this period.
OFFICE SPACE COST HIGHEST IN NEW DELHI
Connaught Place in the National Capital has become the
world’s sixth costliest office destination, with an annual
occupancy cost of around $ 160 per square feet, says a
report of global property consultant CBRE. (London is
the costliest, followed by Hong Kong and Beijing.)
NEW FERTILIZERS COMPANY FORMED
National Fertilizers Limited (NFL), Engineers India
Limited (EIL) and Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCIL)
on 14 January 2015 signed an agreement to form a Joint
Venture Company (JVC) Ramagundam Fertilizers and
Chemicals Limited in Karimnagar district of Telengana.

17. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 16
NEW NAME FOR IRDA
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority
(IRDA) has been renamed as ‘Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India’ after the promulgation
of Insurance Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014.
 European Union has decided to lift a seven-month-
long ban on the import of mangoes from India.
 Sun Edison USA and India’s Adani Group will invest
Rs.25,000 cr in setting up one of the world’s largest
solar photovoltaic manufacturing unit in Gujarat.
 ADB to give $ 75 million loan and $1.8 million grant
to Karnataka for Integrated Urban Water
Management Investment Program.
 India and Israel have signed a joint agreement to
implement the third phase of the agriculture
cooperation project for next three years, 2015-18.
 To boost the jute sector, govt has directed packaging
of sugar and food grains in jute bags to minimum
extent of up to 90 % of production.
 To meet the fiscal deficit, the government sold 10 per
cent stake in state owned Coal India Ltd to raise
about Rs 24,000 crore.
 Union Cabinet approved the hike of government stake
in Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Ltd.
to 51 percent from around 48 percent at present.
BANKING & FINANCE
MARCH 2015
REPO RATE SLASHED TO 7.5 %
Citing better fiscal consolidation, the Reserve Bank of
India cut its main lending rate known as repo rate by
0.25 percentage points to 7.5% w.e.f. 04.03.2015. It
raised hopes of lower EMIs for home loan borrowers
and cheaper bank finance for companies.
LOANS TO DISABLED UNDER PRIORITY SECTOR
The RBI has decided that priority sector loans to
persons with disabilities will now be eligible for
classification under weaker sections category of Priority
Sector lending. The RBI guidelines require the banks to
lend 10% of their total loans to the weaker section.
NEW RUPEE ONE NOTE RELEASED
After a gap of over 20 years, Re 1 note has been released
in the country and it bears the signature of Finance
Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi. The note was released at
Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, on March 6.
EASIER HOUSING LOANS UP TO Rs 10 LAKH
Giving a boost to affordable housing, the Reserve Bank
of India eased the norms for home loans for up to Rs 10
lakh by allowing the banks to include stamp duty and
registration charges in the cost of a house. As per the
current practice, the banks do not include stamp duty,
registration and other documentation charges in the cost
of housing property.
RBI GIVEN INFLATION TARGET @ 6%
The government and the Reserve Bank of India have
signed an agreement on Monetary Policy Framework
whereby the government has set a target for RBI to
bring down inflation below six per cent by January
2016. As per the agreement, if the RBI fails to meet the
target, it will have to report to the government the
reasons for the failure to achieve the target, what
remedial action it proposes to take and estimate of the
time period within which the target would be achieved.
Currently, the Centre and the RBI give inflation estimates,
but don’t set targets. Inflation targeting was suggested by
Urijit Patel Committee as per the practice adopted by
central banks in developed countries
RRBs ASKED TO CUT ON STAFF DEPLOYMENT
The government has directed the regional rural banks to
become slim by cutting jobs and by outsourcing non-
core functions such as IT maintenance, cash remittance
and house-keeping. The move, based on the
recommendations of the SK Mitra Committee on HR
policy for RRBs, is aimed at improving the productivity
and profitability of RRBs.
India has 56 RRBs with 19400 branches which have a
collective business volume of Rs 4.50 lakh crore. They lend
primarily to small farmers and artisans.
BANKS TO GIVE MORE LOANS TO MINORITIES
The government has advised the PSU banks to step up
lending to minorities with a view to ensuring that they
get loans in proportion to their population. In terms of
population, the Muslims make up the largest
community, followed by Christians and Sikhs, besides
Parsis, Buddhists and Jains.

18. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 17
NPA SALE NORMS EASED
The RBI has allowed the banks to reverse the excess
provision on sale of bad loans to their profit and loss
account, provided the transaction took place before
February 26, 2014 and the cash received by way of sale
assets is higher than the NBV (net book value)of the
NPAs sold to a securitisation company or an asset
reconstruction company (ARC),
LENDING BAN LIFTED FROM UNITED BANK
The Reserve Bank
has removed the
lending restriction
on United Bank of
India as the bank
demonstrated an
ability to arrest
bad loans after its
chairman's exit
last year amid
record non-
perfoming assets. The UBI will have to maintain a CRAR
(capital to risk weighted assets ratio) above 9.5% and a
credit to deposit ratio not exceeding 70%.
'SUKANYA SAMRIDHI SCHEME'
As many as 1.80 lakh accounts have been opened under
the 'Sukanya Samridhi Scheme' in less than two months
after the launch of the special programme for girl child,
with the maximum number of accounts being opened in
Karnataka.
 The National Payments Corporation of India reached
a major milestone of successfully linking 15 crore
bank accounts with the Aadhaar number.
 The Reserve Bank has directed all NBFCs to get
themselves rated by March 2016 and only investment
grade rate NBFCs will be allowed to accept deposits.
 The Reserve Bank will issue Rs 5 coins to
commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of
Jawaharlal Nehru that fell on Nov 14, 2014.
 RBI and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka agreed to
enter into a Currency Swap Agreement of 1.5 billion
dollar to help keep the Sri Lankan rupee stable.
FEBRUARY 2015
SLR SLASHED TO 21.5 PER CENT
In its 6th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement
announced on Feb 3, the Reserve Bank held interest
rates steady at 7.75 per cent but cut the statutory
liquidity ratio (SLR) by 50 basis points to 21.5 per cent
of their total deposits from February 7, prodding banks
to increase lending. This cut will spare around Rs 42,000
crore with the banks, giving them more leverage for
lending. RBI has estimated that the real GDP in 2015-16
is expected to rise by 6.5 percent.
INDIANS CAN INVEST $2.50 LAC OVERSEAS
Encouraged by foreign exchange reserves touching
record peak levels, the Reserve Bank in its by monthly
policy statement announced on Feb 3, doubled the
annual overseas investment ceiling for individuals to
$250,000 per person per year under the Liberalised
Remittance Scheme (LRS).
WELCOME THE NEW ONE RUPEE NOTE
The Reserve Bank of India will soon put in circulation
currency notes in one rupee denomination. The notes
will be printed by the Government of India as provided
in The Coinage Act 2011. The government had
discontinued printing of one rupee notes in November
1994 due to higher printing costs.
RBI ALLOWS NON-CALLABLE DEPOSITS
The RBI has allowed banks to offer deposit schemes up
to Rs 1 crore which cannot be broken prematurely —
so-called non-callable deposits — and they can earn
different rates of interest.
At present, all deposits accepted from individuals and a
Hindu Undivided Family up to Rs 1 crore can be
withdrawn prematurely, leading to asset-liability
mismatches in banks.
PMJDY GETS IN TO GUINNESS BOOK
Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana has got overwhelming
response all over the country. It entered the Guinness
Book of World Record for opening over 12.5 crore bank
accounts through the public sector banks with around
10,500 crore rupees. The Rupay Debit Cards have been
issued to over eleven crore account holders so far.
PMJDY OD TO BE PART OF PRIORITY SECTOR
Reserve Bank has advised
that the overdrafts
extended by banks up to
Rs.5,000 in PMJDY
accounts will be eligible
for classification under
priority sector advances
(‘others’ category) and
also under ‘weaker
sections’, provided the
borrower’s household annual income does not exceed
Rs.60,000 for rural areas and Rs.1.20 lakh in non-rural
areas.
GOVT TO INFUSE EQUITY NINE BANKS
Government will infuse Rs. 6,990 crore in nine public
sector banks including SBI, Bank of Baroda and Punjab
National Bank for enhancing their capital to meet the
global risk norms under Basel III guidelines of Bank for
International Settlements. This is the first tranche of
capital infusion for which the government had allocated
Rs. 11,200 crore in the budget for 2014-15.

19. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 18
BANKS TO BE CLOSED ON 2ND/4TH SATURDAY
As per an agreement reached between IBA and bank
unions, public sector banks will remain closed on
second and fourth Saturdays. However, they will work
full-day on remaining Saturdays. At present banks work
half-day on all Saturdays.
BANKS TO DISCLOSE UNCLAIMED DEPOSITS
In a bid to help people who have unclaimed deposits
lying with banks, RBI has directed banks to prominently
display such account holders' names on the websites
and provide them with a "Find" option to locate the
information easily.
BANKS TO INSTALL CASH DEPOSIT MACHINES
The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to install Cash
Deposit Machines/ Bunch Note Acceptor Machines at
locations selected by them (banks) without getting its
prior permission. RBI, however, advised banks to install
such machines with adequate security arrangements.
BANKS NOT TO SEND FAKE NOTES TO POLICE
The Union home ministry has asked the Reserve Bank to
direct the banks that in case the number of counterfeit
currency notes seized at a bank branch is up to four
pieces in a single transaction, they need not send notes
to the police but handle it themselves. Banks should not
return counterfeit or fake note to the customers;
instead, it should be cancelled & retained by the banks.
INSTANT REMITTANCE APP FROM ICICI BANK
ICICI Bank has launched ‘Pockets’, a digital banking
service, enabling users to instantly send money to any e-
mail id, mobile number, friends on Facebook and bank
account. Anyone, including those who are not customers
of ICICI Bank, can easily download the ‘e-wallet’ from
Google Playstore, fund it from any bank account in the
country and can start transactions immediately.
HDFC BANK RAISES 10,000 Cr FROM PUBLIC
HDFC Bank raised about Rs 8,000 crore by selling
American Depository Receipts in USA and another Rs.
2000 crore by selling India-listed shares to qualified
institutional investors in India. It was the largest follow-
on offer by a private sector firm. With this sale, HDFC
Bank became one of the best capitalised lenders in the
country with a capital adequacy ratio of 15.7 per cent.
CIC MEMBERSHIP COMPULSORY FOR LENDERS
Reserve Bank has asked all credit institutions to become
members of all Credit Information Companies. As per
present rules, NBFCs are required to become member of
at least one CIC and provide them credit data.
RULES FOR INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has said
that a bank or an NBFC which proposes to undertake
investment advisory services has to first obtain
permission by Reserve Bank of India and then shall
apply to SEBI for grant of registration.
 RBI has lifted the ban on import of gold coins and
medallions by banks but the sales will be permitted
against upfront payment only.
 R Gandhi, Dy. Governor RBI to head the committee
formed to review the structure and functioning of the
Urban Cooperative Banking Sector.
 HDFC Bank is set to introduce a new app, Chillr,
which will allow users to send money to any contact
in their phone books, 24X7.
JANUARY 2015
RBI LOWERS REPO RATE TO 7.75%
The Reserve Bank of India on 15th January, 2015 cut
down repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.75 percent from
8 percent, with immediate effect, yielding to growing
signs of slowing inflation and a flagging recovery. RBI
has announced this rate cut ahead of its next monetary
policy on February 3.
Consequently, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands
adjusted to 6.75 per cent, and the marginal standing
facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 8.75 per cent
with immediate effect. This cut in repo rate is likely to
reduce interest rate on various bank loans.
NEW GUIDELINES FOR BASE RATE
The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to notify the
Base Rate, or the minimum lending rate, at least once in
every three months, based on the cost of funds; a move
seen as a demand on bankers to pass on the changes in
the policy rate to borrowers. At present, the review of
the Base Rate does not have a fixed schedule. Further,
banks have been allowed to review the Base Rate
methodology after three years instead of the current
periodicity of five years.
‘GYAN SANGAM’ – BANKERS’ SUMMIT AT PUNE
India's top PSU bankers and select policy makers
gathered in Pune for a two-day (Jan 2-3) retreat - 'Gyan
Sangam’ for a brainstorming session to give a facelift to
PSU banks. Bankers made presentations on their
agenda for reforms with the focus on promotion of
financial inclusion.

20. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 19
RBI CLARIFIES ON SMALL BANKS
The Reserve Bank has clarified that business houses
with assets above Rs 1,000 crore and having finance
companies will not be eligible to apply for a small bank
license. Further, if the existing non-banking finance
companies apply for the small bank, they will have to
fold their operations into the small bank.
SMALL RRBs EXEMPTED FROM FATCA
The Reserve Bank has advised that Regional Rural
Banks with assets less than $175 million need not
register with the US Internal Revenue System under
FATCA- Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.
FATCA is a US law whereby foreign financial institutions
across the world have to report to the US IRS of any
transaction of clients who could be subjected to American
tax laws.
RBI TO SHARE INFO WITH US FEDRAL
The RBI has signed an
information sharing
agreement with US banking
regulators for better
coordination in supervising
financial institutions. RBI
concluded an agreement on
Supervisory Cooperation
and Exchange of
Supervisory Information with the Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve System, Office of the Comptroller of
Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, all
from USA.
TRANSPARENCY IN LOANS
RBI has asked banks to display on their website the total
fees and charges applicable on various types of loans
and should be disclosed to individual borrower also at
the time of processing of loan.
NABARD JOINS HANDS WITH IIM, A’BAD
Nabard has signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of
Management, Ahmedabad, to set up a Chair to
encourage research in climate change, rural livelihood
and financial inclusion, among others. The chair is
expected to offer inputs on issues confronting
agriculture marketing and suggest innovative models to
make farming a more profitable proposition for the
country's farmers.
ICICI BANK LAUNCHES CONTACTLESS CARDS
ICICI Bank has launched the country’s first contactless
debit and credit cards that use the near-field
communication technology, enabling customer to make
payments by just waving the card near merchant
terminals instead of swiping the same. The new
technology provides customers improved convenience
of speed and security as card remains with customer.
RBI TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH BRAZIL
The Reserve Bank of India has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding on “Supervisory Cooperation and
Exchange of Supervisory Information” with Banco
Central do Brasil, central bank of Brazil.
BANKS ALLOWED AS INSURANCE BROKERS
Seeking to increase insurance penetration in the
country, the Reserve Bank of India has allowed banks to
act as brokers for insurers, set up their own
subsidiaries, undertake referral services for multiple
companies.
KOTAK LAUNCHES JIFI SAVER ACCOUNT
Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched Jifi Saver, a social
savings bank account which can be seamlessly managed
via Twitter and Facebook, offering almost all the
features of a regular savings account.
NEW KYC NORMS FOR NBFCs
Keeping in view the practical difficulties faced in
frequent renewal of KYC norms, RBI has notified relaxed
KYC time norms as under:
– For high-risk accounts – at least every 2 years
– For medium risk accounts - at least every 8 years
– For low risk accounts – at least every 10 years
Earlier, NBFCs were required to renew KYC norms every
two years for high and medium risk accounts and every
five years for low risk accounts.
ATMs ALLOWED TO POST OFFICEES
The government has allowed certain eligible branches of
Post Offices to issue ATM cards for their Savings bank
accounts and also to issue account statements instead of
giving out passbooks.
BANK LOANS / DEPOSITS MOVE UP
Latest RBI data shows that the outstanding bank loans
rose by 10.7 per cent to 63.91 trillion rupees in the two
weeks up to January 9, compared to previous years
during the same period, deposits grew by 11.9 per cent
to Rs.84.16 trillion.
 Yes Bank signed an agreement with U.S. govt’s
Overseas Private Investment Corporation for $220
million loan for on-lending to micro, small and
medium enterprises.
 Reserve Bank and the European Central Bank (ECB)
have signed a memorandum of understanding for
cooperation in the area of central banking.
 RBI has allowed Indians to carry high value notes of
Rs 500 /1000 while travelling to Nepal and Bhutan
with a cap of Rs 25,000 on the total amount.
 Government has decided to separate the post of
Chairman and Managing Director and Chief
Executive Officer, CEO in public sector banks.

21. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 20

22. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 21
DEFENCE, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
MARCH 2015
ASTRA MISSILE TEST FIRED SUCCESSFULLY
The indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR)
air-to-air missile, Astra, was successfully launched from
a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft to hit a simulated target at
the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha. The all-
weather missile developed by DRDO can engage and
destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speed (1.2 Mach to
1.4 Mach) in head-on (up to 80 km) and tail-chase (up to
20 km) modes.
NAVY CONDUCTS ‘TROPEX 2015’
Indian Navy’s Theatre Level Readiness and Operational
Exercise (TROPEX) exercise concluded on 27 February.
The month long exercise aimed at validating the Indian
Navy’s Concept of Operations and the area of operations
spanned the Arabian Sea and Northern Indian Ocean.
 Three Immediate Support Vessels (ISVs), armed with
heavy machine guns, were commissioned by the
Indian Navy at Vishakhapatnam.
 INS Alleppey, the coastal minesweeper purchased
from Russia in the 1970s, was decommissioned in
March, after nearly 35 years of service
 Pakistan tested its Shaheen-III Surface to Surface
Ballistic Missile, having a strike range of 2750 kms.
IRNSS – 1D LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY
On March 29, India took another step towards putting in
place an alternative to the American GPS by putting in
orbit IRNSS-1D (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite
System), the fourth of the seven satellites that would
form a navigation satellite network.
The IRNSS -1D weighing 1,425kg was placed in a sub-
geostationary orbit by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
(PSLV-C27) launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre,
Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
INDIA’s POLAR REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE
India's first Polar
Remotely Operated
Vehicle (PROVe),
indigenously built
by National Insti-
tute of Ocean
Technology (NIOT),
was made operati-
onal for research in Marchin "Priyadarshini lake" on the
Schirmacher Oasis in North Antarctica.
‘ROTAVAC’ VACCINE AGAINST DIARRHOEA
India’s first indigenously developed and manufactured
rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac, was launched in New Delhi.
The vaccine will boost efforts to combat infant mortality
due to diarrhoea. Rotavirus is the most common cause of
severe diarrhea among infants and young children
WIRELESS TRANSFERR OF ELECTRIC POWER
In a breakthrough, Japanese researchers have
successfully transmitted electric power wirelessly to a
pinpointed target using microwaves, an advance that
brings space-based solar power closer to reality.
 NASA's Opportunity Rover on Mars has become the
first human-made vehicle that has completed 11
years marathon in a record time.
FEBRUARY 2015
INDO NEPAL JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE
The 8th India-Nepal Battalion level Combined Military
Training named Exercise Surya Kiran-VIII, commenced
on 23 February 2015 at Integrated Army Training
Centre, Saljhandi, Nepal. The exercise will end on 8
March 2015.
AGNI V TEST FIRED SUCCESSFULLY
India test fired its Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile
(ICBM), Agni-V, for the first time from a canister
mounted on a Tatra truck, from the Wheeler Island, off
the Odisha coast. It traversed its full range of more than
5,000 km before plunging into the Indian Ocean.
 India test-fired the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile
from warship INS Kolkata, in Arabian Sea. It has a
range of 290km and a top speed of Mach 2.8.
 Indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II
surface-to-surface missile with a range of 350 kms,
tested at a test range at Chandipur in Odisha.
WORLD’s HIGHEST RESEARCH STATION
The Defence Research and Development Organisation
has established the world’s highest research station in
Ladakh. Situated at an altitude of 17,586 feet at Chang
La, about 80 km east of Leh, the research station will be
used to develop and validate cold weather technologies
for agriculture and allied fields.
 Researchers in Australia have developed the world's
first 3D-printed jet engine that could pave the way
for cheaper, lighter and more fuel-efficient aircraft.

23. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 22
JANUARY 2015
LCA TEJAS INDUCTED IN AIR FORCE
The first of the indigenously-built Light Combat Aircraft,
LCA Tejas was handed over to the Indian Air Force on
Jan 17 at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in
Bengaluru. The project was sanctioned 32 years ago in
1983 to replace the ageing MiG-21s in Indian Air Force's
combat fleet but has missed several deadlines due to
several reasons. The project costed exchequer over Rs
17,000 crores. HAL plans to make 20 aircrafts by 2017-
2018, to make the first squadron of the aircraft.
DRDO TAPS GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Country’s first geothermal heating plant was launched
successfully by the Snow and Avalanche Studies
Establishment of DRDO at its Manali (HP) campus. The
plant taps the heat differential above and below the
Earth’s surface to achieve the desired temperature. It is
a renewable, non-polluting constant source of energy.
FIRST DISTT WITH BROAD BAND NETWORK
On Jan 12, Idukki district in Kerala became the first
district in the country to have all its gram panchayats
connected through National Optical Fiber Network
(NOFN) - hi-speed rural broadband network
MICROSOFT LAUNCHES CORTANA FOR PCs
Global IT giant Microsoft has announced that its new
operating system - Windows 10 will also bring its voice-
controlled assistant Cortana to PCs. Till now, Cortana
was available in Windows Phone handsets only.
Global IT giant - Apple Inc recorded highest quarterly
profit of $18 billion in quarter ending December 2014. It
was the largest profit ever made by a public company in
the corporate history worldwide.
MOST POWERFUL ANTIBIOTIC DISCOVERED
Scientists have discovered a powerful new antibiotic –
Teixobactin which can kill an array of germs without
the bugs easily becoming resistant to it, a potential
weapon against a range of diseases. The discovery is a
rare—and much-needed—breakthrough after almost
thirty years in the quest for new antibiotics to overcome
the problem of growing resistance to existing drugs.
INDIA TO JOIN NEUTRINO CLUB
India is on way to join the global high-end scientific
Neutrino Club as the govt has approved a project for
experiments in high energy physics. The project to be
set up near Pottipuram village Theni districts of Tamil
Nadu will have a world-class underground laboratory to
study fundamental issues in science.
NEW VACCINE FOR BLUE TONGUE DISEASE
Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), the wholly-owned
subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board
(NDDB), Hyderabad, has launched a vaccine ‘Raksha-
Blu’ for countering fir the first time the viral blue tongue
disease among sheep, goats, camels and cattle.
 The year 2014 was the hottest on record, with global
average temperature increasing about 0.8 degrees
Celsius since 1880, according to US scientists.
 India’s Mars Orbiter programme team has won the
2015 Space Pioneer Award from the US based
National Space Society (NSS).
INTERNATIONAL
MARCH 2015
150 KILLED IN GERMAN PLANE CRASH
Flight 4U 9525 of Germanwings went crashing into a
mountainside in French Alps on March 24, killing all 150
persons aboard as apparently its pilot Andreas Lubitz
deliberately sent the aircraft crashing as a case of
suicide and mass murder.
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TO JOIN ASIAN BANK
France, Germany and Italy have followed the UK in
joining the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB). With their joining it, the total
number of the bank's member states, including India,
has gone up to 30. The AIIB is an international financial
institution formed to provide support to infrastructure
projects in Asia. It is expected to be formally established
by the end of this year.

24. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 23
INDIA IS LARGEST IMPORTER OF WEAPONS
A report by Sweden-based think-tank Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reveals
that India has is the world’s largest buyer of weapons
and military equipment, accounting for 15% of all such
international imports during 2010-14. Saudi Arabia,
China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan, are
the next four biggest global importers.
GANDHI STATUE UNVEILED IN LONDON
In a historic development, a bronze statue of Mahatma
Gandhi was unveiled in March at Parliament Square in
London. It is a rare honour bestowed by the British
government, whose colonial regime was overthrown by
his non-violent campaign. Gandhi is the first Indian and
the only person never to have been in a public office to
be honoured with a statue at the Square.
‘HARVARD’ IS BEST IN THE WORLD
Once again, no Indian university made it to the list of top
100 most prestigious global universities in the latest
“world reputation ranking” of the 100 most prestigious
universities by Times Higher Education of UK. The
rankings placed Harvard University, USA at the top,
followed by the University of Cambridge and the
University of Oxford in the second and third place
respectively.
RECORD FALL IN WORLD FOOD PRICES
Global food prices fell to a nearly five-year low in
February this year on increased supply of key food
items and strong US dollar, says a report from Food and
Agriculture Organisation-FAO. Food prices averaged at
179.4 points in February, down from 208.6 points in
February 2014.
The FAO's Food Price Index is a trade-weighted index that
tracks prices of five major food commodity groups on
international markets - cereals, meat, dairy products,
vegetable oils and sugar.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
International Women’s Day was observed across the
world on 8 March 2015. United Nations declared this
year’s theme as ‘Make it Happen’ to encourage effective
action for advancing and recognizing women.
 Food and Agriculture Organisation observed March
21 as the International Day of Forests, with the
theme ‘Forests and Climate Change’.
FEBRUARY 2015
REBELS TAKE OVER THE CONTROL OF YEMEN
In Yemen, Shiite Houthi rebels dissolved the Parliament
and took over the reins of the impoverished nation.
They set up a five member Presidential council to run
the affairs of the country. The President, Prime Minister
and Cabinet had already quit in January 2014.
CHINA TOPS IN ATTRACTING FDI
China has overtaken the United States as the top
destination for foreign direct investment for the first
time since 2003. According to the United Nations
Conference of Trade and Development - UNCTAD,
foreign firms invested 128 billion dollars in China and
86 billion in the US last year. Indonesia and India have
been ranked at 3rd and 4th place respectively.
BRITAIN ALLOWS THREE PARENT BABIES
Britain has become the first country to allow a "three-
parent" IVF (in vitro fertilization) technique which
doctors say will prevent some inherited incurable
diseases. However, critics see it as a step towards
creating designer babies.
APPLE NO. 1 IN TERMS OF MARKET CAP
Apple Inc has set a world record on Wall Street, New
York becoming the first US company to be worth more
than $700 billion in terms of market capitalization
based on the price of its share @ 122.02/share at the
close of trading on Feb 10.
WINTER STORMS DISRUPT LIFE IN USA
In the United
States, more than
3,000 flights
were cancelled
as winter storms
dumped snow,
sleet and
freezing rain
across the
northeastern region of United States. The worst
affected airports were Chicago O'Hare International,
Newark in New Jersey, New York's La Guardia and
Boston Logan International.
 The Nepal has started a massive cleanliness
campaign in 33 municipalities of the country in order
to promote environment-friendly governance
 Summit of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank
Governors held in Istanbul, Turkey on 9-10 Feb. 2015
 The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine
met in Minsk, capital of Belarus to find solution to
end fighting in eastern Ukraine
 Musicians from around the world will gather this
April in Paris to celebrate the International Jazz Day
which is observed on April 30.

25. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 24
JANUARY 2015
MILITANTS ATTACK FRENCH OFFICE: KILL 12
Three alleged ISIS militants shot dead at least 12
persons, including two police officers on Jan 7 at the
Paris offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, for
publishing cartoons lampooning Muslim leaders and the
Prophet Mohammad. The attackers included two
brothers — Cherif Kouachi (32) and Said Kouachi (34)
who were later killed an encounter.
Millions of people around the world expressed their
solidarity with the slain French journalists by using the
hash tag #Je Suis Charlie which means I am Charlie.
WEF MEET HELD AT DAVOS
The World Economic Forum's five-day annual jamboree
of the global elite started on Jan 20 at Davos,
Switzerland. More than 2,500 political and business
leaders, including Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Piyush
Goyal and more than 100 industry leaders from India
attended the summit.
1% OWN MORE THAN REST OF THE WORLD
A study by Oxfam shows that the wealthiest 1% will
soon own more than the rest of the world's population
by 2016. Currently, 85 billionaires have the same
wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population.
DEADLIEST EVER MASSACRE BY BOKO HARAM
Boko Haram, extremists opposed to western-style
education and secular governance in Nigeria, carried out
a multi-day attack in the northeast of Nigeria, focusing
on the town of Baga, killing over 2,000 persons and
compelling several thousand more to flee from their
houses. The militants razed an estimated 16 towns
around Baga.
EL CAPITAN ROCK CONQUERED IN USA
Two Americans - Kevin Jorgerson and Tommy Cladwell
have become first persons to conquer the 914 meters
high, almost vertical granite rock - El Capitan in
Yosemite National Park, California, USA, with only
harnesses and ropes to stop them falling. They reached
the top on Jan 15, in about 20 days and slept in tents
suspended from the mountain face.
BRITAIN LAUNCHES ‘GREAT COLLABORATIONS’
Encouraged by the India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, the
United Kingdom announced 'Great Collaborations’ - a
campaign to forge collaborations with Indian
companies. The campaign aims to cover areas that
benefit both the countries across a range of sectors such
as energy, healthcare, advanced manufacturing,
financial service and infrastructure.
WORLD’S LARGEST LED LIGHTING
A dazzling show of New Year’s Eve gala using 70,000
LED bulbs around the world’s tallest building Burj
Khalifa in Dubai broke the Guinness World Record of the
‘Largest LED-Illuminated Facade’. The illumination
around Burj Khalifa spanned 32,467 square metres.
DUBAI MAKES A 5.5 KM, 256 KG GOLD CHAIN
Dubai has set yet another Guinness World Record with
the world’s longest hand-made 22 carat gold chain
measuring 5.522 kilometres, weighing 256 kg. Named
The Dubai Celebration Chain, it has been made to mark
the 20th anniversary of the Dubai Shopping Festival
 AirlineRatings.com, safety and product rating
website, has announced Quantas, the national airline
of Australia as the safest airline for 2015, from the
449 airlines.
 Australia has launched an Online Visa Pilot
Programme to make it easier for Indian business and
tourism visitors to apply online visa for travelling
Australia.
 The biggest cultural festival of the Mahayana sect of
Buddhism in Nepal - Tamu Lhochhar, observed to
mark the New Year, celebrated in Kathmandu.
 Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who will be 89 in April
this year, is now the world's oldest monarch following
the death of King Abdullah (90) of Saudi Arabia.
 Lithuania becomes 19th country to adopt Euro as
its currency w.e.f. Jan 1, 2015.
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26. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 25
PERSONS IN NEWS
MARCH 2015
AMITAV GHOSH: He is the only Indian among 10
authors finalized for this year’s Man Booker
International Prize for his contribution to English
language writing. The prize is awarded every two years to
a living author who has published fiction in English.
VENKATRAMAN RAMAKRISHNAN: The Indian-
American scientist, whose pioneering work in molecular
biology won him the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has
been elected to head Britain's prestigious Royal Society,
an association of the many of the world's most
distinguished scientists.
SMRITI IRANI: Union HRD Minister has been named the
Young Global Leader from India by the World Economic
Forum (WEF), Switzerland
M. C. MARY KOM: Veteran boxer from Manipur has
been appointed a brand ambassador for north-east
India to promote the region in the rest of the country
and abroad.
SAIF ALI KHAN: ‘Visit Britain’, the national tourism
agency for Britain, has announced the appointment of
the Nawab of Pataudi, Saif Ali Khan, as the spokesperson
for the ‘Bollywood Britain’ tourism campaign in India.
AZIZ QUERESHI: Governor of Mizoram was sacked By
the President without assigning any specific reasons.
TIM COOK: CEO of the IT giant Apple Inc has
announced to donate his entire wealth totalling to $ 785
million to charity.
CHRISTINE LAGARDE: Managing Director of the
International Monetary Fund was in news as she visited
India in March. She said that the recent policy reforms
had given a boost to India's business climate and
expected the Indian economy to grow by 7.5 per cent in
the fiscal year 2015-16.
MOHAMED NASHEED: Former Maldivian President was
sentenced to 13-year imprisonment by a criminal court
of Maldive under the anti-terrorism laws. He was
arrested over the detention of a judge in 2012.
MARK LIPPERT: The US ambassador to South Korea
was in news as he suffered a knife attack by a pro-North
Korean activist Kim Ki-jong, during a breakfast meeting
in Seoul on March 5
BILL GATES: stands atop Forbes magazine's annual list
of the world's richest people, with a net worth of 79.2
billion dollars.
FEBRUARY 2015
AMARTYA SEN: 81 year old Nobel laureate economist
was in news as he resigned as the Chancellor of Nalanda
University, alleging political interference in the affairs of
the University.
DEEPIKA MISRA: Squadron Leader of Indian Air Force
became the first and the only woman pilot to make it to
the helicopter acrobatic display team - Sarang of the
Indian Air Force.
SUMITRA MAHAJAN: Lok Sabha Speaker’s name was
included in the LIMCA book of records for being the only
woman of the country to represent the same Lok Sabha
constituency on the same party ticket for eight times in
a row.
SALONI DALAL: A 12 year old school girl from
Karnataka became the youngest medal winner in the
35th National Games in Kerala by winning a Bronze
medal in the 200 meter breast stroke swimming event.
RICKY KEJ: Bengaluru-based musician was in news as
his collaborative album 'Winds of Samsara' with African
flautist Wouter Kellerman won the ‘Best New Age
Album’ award at the 57th Grammy Awards announced
in Los Angeles, USA
NEELA VASWANI: won the Grammy in the Best
Children's Album category for rendering audio version
of the book 'I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For
Education and Changed the World’ by Malala Yousafzai.
AJAY BANGA: President and Chief Executive Officer of
MasterCard and the Chairman of the US India Business
Council, has been appointed as a member of the
Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
by the US government.
ANGELINA JOLIE: Cine actress -director of America has
been named the most admired woman in the world in a
survey by the British website dailymail.co.uk., leaving
behind ladies like Malala Yousafzai, Hillary Clinton.

27. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 26
JANUARY 2015
POOJA THAKUR: A Wing Commander from Indian Air
Force became the first woman to lead the ceremonial
tri-service guard of honour inspected by U.S. President
Barack Obama at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Jan. 25, 2015.
VIKRAM CHANDRA: Indian origin Novelist was named
among the finalists for prestigious National Book Critics
Circle (NBCC) Awards of USA for his non-fiction work
Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty.
MS. LEELA SAMSON: She resigned as Chairperson of
Central Board of Film Certification, CBFC to protest the
clearance of the controversial film Messenger of God by
the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT).
BHAKTI SHARMA: India's 24 year old open water
swimmer has set a world record by swimming 2.25 kms
in 52 minutes in one degree temperature in the
Antarctic Ocean. She is the first Asian girl and youngest
in the world to have achieved this feat.
AVINASH CHANDER: Secretary, Defence Research and
Development cum Director General, DRDO and Scientific
Advisor to the Defence Minister was in news as he was
removed 15 months before his contract was to end.
NARENDRA MODI, REKHA: Our Prime Minister and
veteran Bollywood actress, both were crowned ‘hottest
vegetarian celebrities’ by animal rights organisation
PETA India for making plant-based foods more popular
than ever in 2014.
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: Former Premier of Thailand
was impeached on Jan 23 for corruption charges.
Country’s first woman Premier and the sister of former
leader Thaksin Shinawatra, suffers an automatic five-
year ban from politics.
A P P O I N T M E N T S
MARCH 2015
KSHATRAPATI SHIVAJI: Chairman and Managing
Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India.
ARUN KUMAR SINGH: India’s next Ambassador to the
USA, An Indian Foreign Service officer, currently
Ambassador to France.
JAGMOHAN DALMIYA: President of the BCCI
VIKAS SWARUP: The new spokesperson for the
External Affairs Ministry. A 1986 batch IFS officer, he is
known for his book on which the Oscar-winning
film Slumdog Millionaire was made.
K M MANI: Kerala Finance Minister has been appointed
Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State
Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Re-elected Prime Minister of
Israel.
FEBRUARY 2015
L C GOYAL: New Union Home Secretary
SHEKHAR SEN: Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi; he
is a renowned music composer and actor
KRISHNA CHAUDHARY: Director General, Indo-Tibetan
Border Police (ITBP).
KSHATRAPATI SHIVAJI: New CMD of SIDBI
AJIT KUMAR: Ambassador and Permanent
Representative of India to the United Nations Offices in
Geneva
NITISH KUMAR: Chief Minister of Bihar, 4th time
ARVIND KEJRIWAL: Chief Minister of Delhi
MOHAMMAD SAYEED MUFTI: Chief Minister of J & K
KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIC: First female President
of Croatia
Ms. ZOE KONSTANTOPOULOU: New President of
Greece, from the left wing party Syriza.
SERGIO MATTARELLA: Italy’s new President
JANUARY 2015
APPOINTMENTS IN NITI AAYOG
The following appointments have been made by the
Prime Minister to the various positions in the Aayog:
Chairman: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Vice-Chairman: Arvind Panagariya (Economist)
CEO: Sindhushree Khullar
FULL TIME MEMBERS:
Bibek Debroy, Economist
Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Former Secretary Defence R&D
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS:
Rajnath Singh, Union Minister
Arun Jaitley, Union Minister
Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister
Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister
SPECIAL INVITEES:
Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister
Thawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister
Smt. Smriti Irani, Union Minister

28. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 27
PAHLAJ NIHALANI: Chairman, Central Board of Film
Certification, CBFC. He is a noted film producer
A S KIRAN KUMAR: Chairman of Indian Space
Research Organisation- ISRO and Secretary of the
Department of Space, Govt of India
AZIZ QURESHI: Governor of Mizoram (transferred
from Uttarakhand).
K K PAUL: Governor of Uttarakhand (shifted from
Meghalaya), with additional charge of Manipur
K N TRIPATHI: Governor of West Bengal will take
additional charge as the Governor of Meghalaya
KALYAN SINGH: Governor of Himachal Pradesh
(Additional Charge); He is Governor of Rajasthan
KAPTAN SINGH SOLANKI: Governor of Punjab
(Additional Charge); He is Governor of Haryana
S. JAISHANKAR: Union Foreign Secretary
MALINI PARTHASARATHY: veteran journalist
appointed the Editor of The Hindu, the first woman
editor of the century-old newspaper
H S BRAHMA: Chief Election Commissioner
ATUL KHARE: Under-Secretary-General, Department of
Field Support (DFS) in UNO
R KOTEESWARAN: MD & CEO, Indian Overseas Bank
ANIMESH CHAUHAN: MD & CEO, Oriental Bank of
Commerce
KISHORE KUMAR SANSI: MD & CEO, Vijaya Bank
P SRINIVAS: MD & CEO, United Bank of India
LEE WAN KOO: New Prime Minister of South Korea
SALMAN BIN ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD: New king of Saudi
Arabia
ALEXIS TSIPRAS: Prime Minister of Greece, from the
anti-austerity Syriza party
KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIC: First women
President of Croatia
MAITHRIPALA SIRISENA: 6th President of Sri Lanka,
from Sri Lanka Freedom Party - SLFP
MODIBO KEITA: Prime Minister of Mali, a West African
country.
AWARDS & HONOURS
MARCH 2015
62nd NATIONAL FILM AWARDS, 2014
Best Feature Film: Court (multilingual) by Chaitanya
Tamhane
Best Popular Film providing Wholesome
Entertainment: Mary Kom by Omung Kumar
Best Hindi Film: Queen by Vikas Bahl
Best Director: Srijit Mukherjee for Shotushkone
(Bengali)
Best Actor: Vijay for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada)
Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut for Queen
DADA SAHEB PHALKE AWARD: Actor-filmmaker
Shashi Kapoor (77), who has starred in over 100 Hindi
films and best known for his powerful portrayals in hits
like Namak Halaal, Deewar and Kabhie Kabhie.
The Award consists of a Swarn Kamal (Golden Lotus), a
cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs and a shawl.
INTERNATIONAL GANDHI PEACE PRIZE 2014:
awarded to ISRO for their contribution in bringing space
to the service of the common man and in the service of
the nation. The award was instituted by govt of India in
1995 on the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of
Mahatma Gandhi. The Award comprises an amount of Rs.
one crore and a citation.
SARASWATI SAMMAN 2014: M. Veerappa Moily,
Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader for
his Kannada poem Ramayana Mahanveshanam.
FOLIO PRIZE 2015: Novelist Akhil Sharma for his
novel Family Life. The prize is given by the Folio
Academy of UK.
GOLDEN GATE AWARD: Kerala Tourism at the
Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB-Berlin)
2015, Germany for its global multimedia campaign to
promote its backwaters.
KNIGHT OF THE ORDER OF ARTS AND LETTERS:
Artist Bharti Kher of India was conferred the Chevalier
dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in French, the
highest cultural award of France.
STOCKHOLM WATER PRIZE: Rajendra Singh, eminent
environment activist from Rajasthan for his innovative
water restoration efforts and extraordinary courage to
empower communities in Indian villages.
The prize is awarded by the King of Sweden and carries a
cash prize of $ 150000 and a specially designed sculpture.
ABEL PRIZE for 2015: US mathematician John F Nash
Jr and Canada-born American national Louis Nirenberg,
for their contributions to mathematical sciences. The
award, popularly known as the Nobel of Maths, is given
by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters.

29. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 28
GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE: Nancie Atwell, a teacher
from the USA. It is the world’s first $1 million prize set up
by the Varkey Foundation of USA to recognise one
exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding
contribution to the profession.
MO IBRAHIM PRIZE: Hifikepunye Pohamba, ex
President of Namibia for excellent leadership. The five
million dollar award is given each year to an elected
leader who governed well, raised living standards and
then left office.
FEBRUARY 2015
60th FILMFARE AWARDS ANNOUNCED
Best film: Queen by Vikas Bahl
Best Director: Vikas Bahl for Queen
Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut for Queen
Best Actor: Shahid Kapoor for Haider
THE 87th ACADEMY AWARDS, popularly known as
‘Oscars” were presented by the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences on February 22, 2015, at
Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA.
Best Picture: Birdman by Alejandro G Inarritu
Best Director: Alejandro G Inarritu for Birdman
Best Actress: Julianne Moore for Still Alice
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of
Everything
GRAMMY AWARDS
Announced on Feb 8 at Los Angeles, California, USA
Some major winners are as under:
 Record of the Year - "Stay with Me," Sam Smith
 Song of the Year - "Stay with Me" (Darkchild Version)
 Album of the Year - Morning Phase, Beck
 Best R&B Performance - "Drunk in Love," Beyoncé
 Best Rock Album - Morning Phase, Beck
 Best Pop Vocal Album - In the Lonely Hour, Sam
Smith
 Best Pop Solo Performance - "Happy," Pharrell
Williams
 Best Rap Album - The Marshall Mathers LP2,
Eminem
BAFTA
(British Academy of Film and Television Arts)
Awards announced on Feb 8 at London.
BEST FILM: Boyhood by Richard Linklater
BEST DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
BEST ACTOR: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of
Everything
BEST ACTRESS: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
50th JNANPITH AWARD - 2014: Bhalchandra Nemade,
Marathi novelist, known for his famous novels – Kosala,
Hindu.
STHREE SHAKTI AWARD: conferred upon Irom
Sharmila, Human rights activist from Manipur who has
been on an indefinite fast since November 4, 2000,
demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special
Powers) Act, 1958.
BEST MARCHING CONTINGENTS Trophy for Republic
Day Parade 2015 won jointly by the Brigade of The
Guards and the Sikh Regiment awarded jointly the
AMARTYA SEN: Eminent Indian economist and Nobel
laureate has been named as the first winner of a newly
established Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes
Prize in the UK, in recognition of his work on welfare
economics.
JANUARY 2015
PADMA AWARDS 2015 ANNOUNCED
Padma Awards, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma
Bhushan and Padma Shri are given by Govt. of India for
exceptional and distinguished service in any field
excluding service rendered by Government servants.
They are announced every year on the eve of Republic
Day, i.e. 25th January. Maximum number does not exceed
120, excluding award for foreigners and posthumous
awards. They do not carry any cash award.
PADMA VIBHUSHAN – 2015 (9)
S.
No.
Name of the
Awardee
Discipline State/Domicile
1. Lal Krishna Advani Public Affairs –
Politician
Gujarat
2. Amitabh Bachchan Art - Cinema Maharashtra
3. Prakash Singh
Badal
Public Affairs Punjab
4. Dr. D V Heggade Social Work Karnataka
5. Dilip Kumar Art - Cinema Maharashtra
6. Jagadguru
Ramanandacharya
Swami
Rambhadracharya
Others - Hindu
Scholar
Uttar Pradesh
7. M. R. Srinivasan Science and
Engineering -
Nuclear Scientist
Tamil Nadu
8. K. K. Venugopal Public Affairs -
Constitutional
Lawyer
Delhi
9. Karim Al Hussaini
Aga Khan
Trade and Industry France/UK

30. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 29
PADMA BHUSHAN 2015 (19)
S.
No
Name of the
Awardee
Discipline State/
Domicile
1. Shri Jahnu Barua Art – Films Assam
2. Dr. Subhash C.
Kashyap
Public Affairs -
Constitutional
Expert
Delhi
3. Harish Salve Public Affairs –
Advocate
Delhi
4. Rajat Sharma Media (India TV) Delhi
5. Manjul Bhargava
(NRI/PIO)
Science & Engg,
Mathematician
USA
6. Bill Gates Social Work USA
7. Melinda Gates Social Work USA
PADMA SHRI – 2015 (75)
S.
No.
Name of the
Awardee
Discipline State/Domicile
1. Mithali Raj Sports – Cricket Telengana
2. P.V. Sindhu Sports –
Badminton
Telengana
3. Sanjay Leela Bhansali Art – Films Maharashtra
4. Prasoon Joshi Art – Films Maharashtra
5. Tarak Mehta Art – TV Gujarat
6. Jean-Claude Carriere Literature and
Education
France
7. Late Pran Kumar
Sharma alias Pran
Art – Cartoonist Delhi
ASHOK CHAKRA: The highest peacetime military
honour awardaed posthumously to Major Mukund
Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh, the two
Army personnel who laid down their lives combating
militants in Kashmir Valley.
DSC Prize for Literature: The $50,000 prize won by
Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri for her book, The
Lowland at the Jaipur Literature Festival
Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for poetry won by
Arunadhathi Subramaniam for her work When God is a
Traveller, at the Jaipur Literature Festival
SOCIAL MEDIA PERSON of the Year Award 2015:
Amitabh Bachchan, conferred by the Internet and
Mobile Association of India
"GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR": Raghuram Rajan,
Governor, RBI was selected by the British magazine
‘Central Banking’ for this award at the global level.
‘AWARD FOR THE BEST BANK’: bagged by the Canara
Bank at the "MSME Banking Excellence Awards-2014" at
Bengaluru.
72ND GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS 2015
Announced at Beverly Hills, California, USA
Best Motion Picture-Drama: Boyhood
Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Best Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
MISS UNIVERSE 2015: Paulina Vega of Columbia at
Miami, USA.
Martin Luther King Jr. Award: Frank Islam, an
eminent Indian-American entrepreneur and
philanthropist for his contribution to the promotion of
the civil rights in USA.
Giraffe Hero Award 2015: Renowned Indian RTI
activist Subhash Chandra Aggarwal was conferred with
the by a US-based NGO The Giraffe Heroes Project.
FIFA Ballon d'Or Award- 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo of
Portugal, earning the title of world's best football player
for the third time.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
MARCH 2015
Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy- Speaker's Persp-ective
by Smt. Meira Kumar, former Speaker, Lok Sabha
'The Modi Effect: Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign to
Transform India' by Lance Price
FEBRUARY 2015
Editor Unplugged: Media, Magnates, Netas and Me
by Vinod Mehta
The Ever After of Ashwin Rao Padma Viswanathan
The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee, author of world
famous novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Recasting India: How Entrepreneurship is
Revolutionizing the World’s Largest Democracy by
Hindol Sengupta
JANUARY 2015
'Neither a Hawk nor a Dove' by Khurshid M Kasuri,
Pakistan's Ex-Foreign Minister
The Red Sari by Javier Moro; the book is the story of
Sonia Gandhi, originally written in Spanish.
The Indian Parliament – A Critical Appraisal: Sudha
Pai and Avinash Kumar
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
At Home in India: The Muslim Saga by Salman
Khurshid
The Tunnel of Time by R. K. Laxman (autobiography)

31. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 30
OBITUARY
MARCH 2015
VINOD MEHTA: Distinguished editor and commentator
who successfully launched a number of newspapers and
magazines, including the ‘Outlook’. He wrote his
autobiography “Lucknow Boy: A Memoir”.
D.K. RAVI: A young IAS officer was found dead under
mysterious circumstances at his apartment in
Bengaluru. The huge crowd of mourners bore testimony
to the goodwill he had earned by taking on the powerful
land mafia when he was Deputy Commissioner of Kolar
district till 2014.
LEE KUAN YEW: Great statesman and founding father
of modern Singapore passed away in March, after
dominating the politics of Singapore for over 50 years.
TERRY PRATCHETT: Famous British author, creator of
the science fantasy Discworld novels. He won worldwide
fame and a cult following his Discworld novels about a
flat, parallel universe balanced on the back of four
elephants which themselves stand on the shell of a giant
turtle.
FEBRUARY 2015
D. RAMANAIDU: Veteran film producer from Andhra
Pradesh, Padma Bhushan and Dada Saheb Phalke Award
winner, holder of the Guinness Book of World
Records for the most films produced by an individual,
having produced more than 150 films in 13 Indian
languages.
R.R. PATIL: Former Maharashtra Home Minister and
senior Nationalist Congress Party leader (16th Feb 2015)
RAJINDER PURI: Popular cartoonist, veteran columnist
and political activist (16th Feb 2015).
GAUR HARI SINGHANIA: Chairman, J K Group of
Industries that includes JK Tyres, JK Cements.
CHARLES H. TOWNES: American noble prize winner
scientist, inventor of laser –‘Light Amplification by
Stimulated Emission of Radiation’.
JANUARY 2015
R K LAXMAN: Full name Rasipuram Krishnaswamy
Iyer Laxman, legendary cartoonist, creator of the iconic
"The Common Man" cartoon published regularly for
several years in The Times of India, Padma Vibhushan
awardee. He wrote his autobiography titled ‘The
Tunnel of Time’.
B G VERGHESE: Eminent journalist, a Ramon
Magsaysay award winner and former editor of the
Hindustan Times and The Indian Express.
RAJNI KOTHARI: Noted political scientist, founder of
The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
JASWANT SINGH RAJPUT: Two-time gold medal
winning hockey Olympian
SUBASH GHISING: Former chief of Gorkha National
Liberation Front, who gave birth to the Gorkhaland
movement
SAIYID HAMID: Noted Muslim academician,
educationist, reformist and author. He was Chancellor
of Jamia Hamdard University, ex-Chancellor Jamia Millia
Islamia and former Vice Chancellor Aligarh Muslim
University
ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ: King of Saudi Arabia
PLACES IN NEWS
MARCH 2015
BACHHRAWAN: The town near Rae Bareli, UP was in
news as two coaches of the Dehradun-Varanasi Janta
Express derailed there, killing around 40 persons and
injuring over 150 others.
HYDERABAD: According to the Mercer Quality of Living
Rankings 2015, Austrian capital Vienna is the city with
the best quality of living in the world, while Hyderabad,
ranked 138th, was the best Indian city to live in.
DIMAPUR: The city in Nagaland was in news as
thousands of protesters stormed the central jail there
and dragged out Syed Sarifuddin Khan, accused of
raping a 20-year-old Naga student, and lynched him to
death, after brutally thrashing him.
ZOKHAWTHAR: The small town in Champhai district of
Mizoram was in news as a land customs station was
inaugurated there at the Indo-Myanmar border.
SANAA: The capital of Yemen was in news as over 150
persons, mainly Shia muslims were killed there in the
bomb attacks by the Sunny militants of the IS group.
TUNIS: The capital of Tunisia was in news as Islamic
militants stormed its Bardo National Museum killing 17
foreign tourists and three Tunisians. The United
Nations, United States, France and India have also
condemned the terrorist attack.
CYCLONE PAM: A super cyclone slammed the south
Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, east of Australia, leaving
complete devastation in its wake.

32. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 31
FEBRUARY 2015
MELBOURNE & CHRISTCHURCH: Cities in Australia
and New Zealand, respectively were in news as they
were host to the cricket extravaganza ICC World Cup.
JANUARY 2015
PERIYAR TIGER RESERVE: Sanctuary in Kerala won
the National Tiger Conservation Authority award for
encouraging local public participation in managing the
reserve.
MALIHABAD: Area of Lucknow was in news as around
50 lives were lost their due to a hooch tragedy that
occurred in its nearby villages. Hooch is a type of local
liquor, usually of inferior quality.
BAGA: A town in north east Nigeria was in news as the
Islamic militant group Boko Haram executed over 2000
persons there and in adjoining villages.
CHENYI SQUARE: Place in Shanghai's Huangpu district
was in news as a stampede broke out there during New
Year celebrations, killing over 35 persons and injuring
some 40 persons.
SPORTS WORLD
MARCH 2015
AUSTRALIA LIFTS WORLD CUP FOR 5TH
TIME
Lead by Captain Michael Clark Australia beat New
Zealand by seven wickets to lift their fifth World Cup
trophy on Final played on March 29 at Melbourne,
Australia.
TOP ACHIEVERS
Man of the Tournament: Mitchell Starc, bowler from
Australia.
Man of the Match (final): James Faulkner,Australia
Top scorer Martin Guptil (New Zealand) 547
Best strike rate: B Mc Cullum (NZ) 188.5
Top wicket taker Trent Boult (NZ) and Mitchell Starc
(Aus), both 22 each
Best economy rate: Mitchell Starc (Aus) – 3.5
HIGHLIGHTS OF WORLD CUP 2015
M S DHONI: By beating Bangladesh in Melbourne, he
became the first Indian captain and third in the world
history to win 100 ODI matches. He reached this
milestone in 178th ODI. The other two achievers are
Australian pair of Ricky Ponting (165 wins) and Allan
Border (107 wins).
MARTIN GUPTILL of New Zealand made the highest
score in the World Cup history with 237 not out against
West Indies in the match played at Wellington,
Australia.
KUMAR SANGAKKARA of Sri Lanka became the first
cricketer to score four successive one-day international
centuries as he scored 124 against Scotland at a World
Cup match played at Hobart, Australia. Also, he is the
only batsman having scored 4 centuries in one world
cup tournament.
Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara of Sri
Lanka have announced their retirement from the One
Day International (ODI) format of Cricket.
Pakistan cricketers Misbah-ul-Haq and Shaid Afridi
have also bid adieu to One Day International cricket.
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup will be hosted by
England and Wales in June 2019.
SAINA – INDIA’s FIRST WORLD NO 1
Saina Nehwal created history on March 28 as she
became the first Indian woman shuttler to attain the
world number one ranking after her closest challenger
for the spot, Spain's Carolina Marin, lost in the India
Open Super Series semifinal played in Delhi.
Later on March 29, she won the prestigious India Open
Badminton Championship at New Delhi beating
former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.
KIDAMBI SRIKANTH became the first Indian to win
the Swiss Grand Prix Gold badminton championship
beating Viktor Axelsen in Basel, Switzerland. He again
defeated Axelsen to win the India Open at New Delhi
RANJI TROPHY: Defending champions Karnataka
clinched their eighth title as they thrashed Tamil Nadu
in the final played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.
KARNATAKA LIFTED THE IRANI CUP after beating the
Rest of India team in the finals played in Bengaluru.
The 69th National Football Tournament for Santosh
Trophy held at Ludhiana. The Services team won the
trophy beating the Punjab team.
The Indian team won the Women's Hockey World
League Round Two competition title by beating Poland
in New Delhi.
WONDER KID CREATES ARCHERY RECORD
Two-year-old girl Cherukuli Dalli Shivani from
Vijaywada has achieved a stunning feat by setting a new
record in Archery and entering her name into the India
Book of Records. She became the youngest Indian to
score 200 points over five and seven-metre distances.

33. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 32
VIV BEATS SACHIN TO RANK NO 1 ODI PLAYER
West Indian star batsman Viv Richards has been voted
as the greatest ODI player in the history of cricket,
ahead of Sachin Tendulkar (second) in an online poll
conducted by ESPN cricinfo’s magazine ‘Cricket
Monthly’ and a jury of 50 eminent cricketers.
Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic to win the
Dubai Championship title for Tennis at Dubai.
Rafael Nadal won the Argentina Open title for Tennis
defeating Juan Monaco of Argentina at Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
BNP PARIBAS OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP:
Novak Djokovic won the Men's Singles at Indian Wells,
Californea (USA) beating Roger Federer.
 Women’s singles title was won by Simona Halep
beating Jelena Jankovic.
 Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the women’s
doubles title.
LEWIS HAMILTON of Britain won the Australian Grand
Prix Formula 1 race held in Melbourne, Australia.
SEBESTIAN VETTEL of Germany won the Malaysian
Grand Prix on March 29 at Sepang, Malaysia, beating
World Champion Lewis Hamilton of Britain.
FEBRUARY 2015
35TH NATIONAL GAMES
The 14 day sports extravaganza – The 35th National
Games that started on 31st January, came to an end on
14th Feb. at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
 In all, sportspersons competed for the 1334 medals
comprising of 405 Gold, 406 Silver and 523 Bronze
medals.
 Services created a record by topping the medal tally
for the third consecutive time. The group won 159
medals that included 91 golds. They won the Raja
Bhalendra Singh Trophy for best performance.
 Amongst states, Kerala topped the tally with 162
medals, including 54 gold.
 National Games mascot Ammu, the Great Hornbill,
has been selected for entry in to the Limca Book of
Records.
 The 36th National Games will be hosted by Goa in
2016.
Anirban Lahiri won his second European Tour title at
the Hero Indian Open Golf Championship on Feb 22 in
New Delhi.
Anil Kumble, former India Captain and ace Leg Spinner
has been chosen to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall
of Fame with all times greatest cricketers
Hero Hockey India League 2015: Ranchi Rays won the
championship by defeating Jaypee Punjab Warriors in
the finals played at New Delhi.
All India Football Federations (AIFF) has declared Sunil
Chhetri and Bala Devi as Player of the Year 2014 in
men and women category, respectively.
Paul van Ass of Netherland was appointed Head Coach
of India’s men’s Hockey team.
67th National track cycling championship held at
Thiruvananthapuram
A glittering opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World
Cup 2015 was held on Feb 12 at two places - at
Christchurch New Zealand and at Melbourne, Australia.
France has become the first team in handball history to
win World Handball Championships for the 5th time
beating the Qatar at Doha, Qatar.
Omega Dubai Desert Classic: World No. 1 Rory
McIlroy of UK won the prestigious golf cup.
Simona Halep of Romania won the WTA (Women's
Tennis Association) championship in Dubai.
Nicol David: World Women’s Squash champion from
Malaysia has set a new record for topping the world
rankings for the 106th month.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN held at Melbourne, Australia
Men’s: Novak Djokovic of Serbia won his 5th Australian
Open title beating Andy Murray of Britain
Women’s: Serena Williams of USA beats Maria
Sharapova of Russia. It was her 19th Grand Slam title.
She is tied for third on a list of the most Grand Slam
singles won by women.
Mixed Doubles: Leander Paes of India and Martina
Hingis of Switzerland won the title.
JANUARY 2015
AWARD MONEY RAISED FOR SPORTS MEDALS
The Sports Ministry revised its ‘Scheme of Special
Awards’ to medal winners in international events by
increasing the award money in Olympic and
Paralympics Games (summer and winter) from Rs 50
lakh to 75 lakh for gold, Rs 30 lakh to 50 lakh for silver
and Rs 20 lakh to 30 lakh for bronze.
Sania Mirza along with her American partner Bethanie
Mattek-Sands won doubles title at the Sydney
International Tennis Tournament.
Anirban Lahiri, Indian professional golfer voted as the
2014 Players’ Player of the year in Asian Tour.
National Billiards Championship: Pankaj Advani won
the national title in Kolkata beating Dhruv Sitwala.
Arantxa Sanchis won the women’s title.

34. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 33
Senior National Snooker Championship: Pankaj
Advani won the title defeating Varun Madan at Kolkata.
Amee Kamani won the women’s title.
Youth National Weightlifting Championship: Jimjang
Deru of Arunachal Pradesh created national record by
lifting 238 kilograms under the 56 kilograms category in
Yamuna Nagar, Haryana.
Bengaluru FC won the Federation Cup football title at
Margao, Goa, beating Dempo Sports Club
76th Table Tennis National Championship:
Petroleum Sports Promotion Board team won both -
men's and women's titles at Puducherry.
The 79th Senior National Badminton Championship
held in Vijayawada from January 29 to February 5.
Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland won the ATP
Chennai Open Tennis Singles title beating Aljaz
Bedene of Slovenia in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni Indian cricket captain has
decided to retire from Test cricket, citing strain of
playing all formats. He would prefer to concentrate on
ODI and T20 formats.
India will host the 2016 Twenty 20 World Cup from
11th of March to 3rd of April 2016.
Stephen Constantine appointed head coach of Indian
men's football team.
O P JAISHA: Indian runner broke the 19-year-old
national record of women marathon at the 12th
Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in Mumbai,
clocking a time of 2:37:29.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has won the FIFA Ballon
d'Or award for 2014, earning the title of world's best
football player for a third time.
Brett Lee: Australian cricketer, rated as third fastest
bowler in world, announced his retirement from all
forms of cricket after a 20-year career.
AB de Villiers, South Africa's cricket captain hit the
fastest century in one-day internationals cricket history,
31 balls to 100 against the West Indies in Johannesburg,
South Africa. He scored 149 runs off 44 balls.
Roger Federer of Switzerland reached the 1,000 ATP
Tour wins milestone as he won the Brisbane
International title on Jan 11, defeating Canada's Milos
Raonic at Brisbane, Australia. He becomes the third man,
after Jimmy Connors (1253) and Ivan Lendl (1071), to
secure 1,000 ATP wins. ATP: Association of Tennis
Professionals
Sean Abbott, the Australian bowler has been named
Australia's young cricketer of the year, winning the Sir
Bradman Award. He is the same bowler whose delivery
led to the death of Phillip Hughes.
DAYS AND DATES
MARCH
World Wildlife Day 03rd March
International Women’s Day 08th March
No Smoking Day 13th March
World Disabled Day 15th March
St. Patricks Day 17th March
World Sparrow Day 20th March
World Poetry Day 21st March
World Water Day 22nd March
World Meteorological Day 23rd March
World Stage Artists Day 27th March
World Earth Hour (8:30 pm to 9:30 pm) 29th March
Financial Year Ending 31st March
APRIL
April Fool’s Day 1st April
National Maritime Day 05th April
World Health Day 07th April
World Heritage Day 18th April
Civil Service Day 21st April
World Earth Day 22nd April
World Books Day 23rd April
World Maleria Day 25th April
World Intellectual Property Day 26th April
MAY
World Labour Day, Maharashtra Day 01st May
International Energy Day, World
Asthma Day
03rd May
Coal Minor's Day 04th May
World Midwives Day 05th May
World Red Cross and Red Cresent Day 08th May
National Technology Day 11th May
International Family Day 15th May
World Telecom Day 17th May
National Anti Terrorism Day 21st May
World No Tobacco Day 31st May
ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED
FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES

35. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 34

36. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 35
(October – December 2014)
For details please visit our website: www.gyanm.in
NATIONAL NEWS
DECEMBER 2014
 Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and
Late Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya honoured with
Bharat Ratna-country's highest civilian award.
 Putin Opens Economic Doors For India: Russian
President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi to
attend the India-Russia annual summit on Dec 11.
The two leaders unveiled the ‘Druzhba (friendship in
Russian)-Dosti' vision to strengthen the bilateral
partnership over the next decade
 As per the 2014 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness
Index, India has been placed at 65th position. The
index was topped by Switzerland.
 India is one of the top 3 countries that witnessed
highest outflow of black money in 2012 with about
$94.76 billion going out of the country.
 As per the Corruption Perceptions Index – 2014
released by the Transparency International, India
stands at 85th position among 175 countries
 UNO has declared June 21 as International Yoga
Day, recognising the ancient Indian science's
"holistic approach to health and well-being."
 Focusing on improving connectivity to the north-
east, Central govt plans to provide Rs 28,000 crore
for laying new railway lines in the region
 The Web Index 2014 which measures the internet's
contribution to social, economic and political
progress ranks India at 48th place and topped by
Denmark.
 The birthday of the former Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee on the 25th of December will be
observed as National Good Governance Day.
 Mahaparinirwan Diwas observed on 6 December
2014, death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.
 The Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings 2015
of UK has placed Bangalore-based IISc at No. 25 in
the overall 100, topped by China's Peking
University.
 India’s most prestigious Indian classical music
function – The Tansen Sangeet Samaroh held at
Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
 The first Arabic translation of the Indian
Constitution launched by the Arab League in Cairo,
Egypt.
 Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid arrived in
Kolkata on a two-day visit to West Bengal.
NOVEMBER 2014
 On Nov 11, P M Modi left India for a ten day foreign
visit, starting from Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar where he
attended the ASEAN-India Summit on 12th Nov.
NOV 13: He attended the 7th East Asian Summit
there.
NOV 14: Modi reached Brisbane, Australia to attend
Heads of Nations meet of G-20 nations on 15th-16th
Nov.
NOV 17: Modi addressed Indian diaspora at
Allphones Arena, Sydney.
NOV 18: Modi addressed the Australian Parliament
at Canberra, first Indian Prime Minister to do so.
NOV 19: Modi reaches Fiji and addressed their
Parliament, becoming first foreign dignitary to do
so.
NOV 20: Mr. Modi flied back to India.
 The 18th South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) summit held at Kathmandu
from 26th Nov to 27th Nov, attended by Sh. Modi.
 The 19th SAARC summit will be held in 2016 in
Islamabad, Pakistan.
 Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia
visited India to attend 20th session of the India-
Russia Inter-Governmental Commission at New
Delhi.
 Three global NGOs - the World Toilet Organisation,
WASTE and the Financial Inclusion Improves
Sanitation and Health to work to end open
defecation in India.
 As per the Global Terrorism Index 2014, Iraq
continues to be worst affected where 6362 lives

37. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 36
were lost in 2013 due to terrorism. India is 6th
worst affected nation.
 About 40% of the people trapped in modern
slavery, over 14.2 million live in India as victims of
trafficking-for sexual exploitation and forced
marriage / labour.
 President Pranab Mukherjee visited Bhutan on a
two-day visit - 7-8 Nov. He is the first Indian head
of state to visit to the country in 26 years.
 6th World Ayurveda Congress held in New Delhi
from 6 to 9 November 2014. This year’s theme was
“Health Challenges and Ayurveda”.
 A latest UN report says that, India has the world’s
largest youth population with 356 million 10-24-
year-olds, followed by China.
 Public Service Broadcasting Day observed on 12th
Nov to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's first and
only visit to All India Radio.
 Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd
(IREDA) and US Export-Import (Exim) Bank signed
a MoU for cooperation on clean energy investment.
 The 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
began in Goa on November 20. China is the focus
country of this festival.
 Children's Film Society of India organised the first
edition of the National Children's Film Festival from
14 to 16 Nov at New Delhi.
 The World Economic Forum (WEF) in partnership
with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
hosted the India Economic Summit in New Delhi
from Nov 4 to 6.
 Prasar Bharti announced to re-launch DD National
with new tagline “Doordarshan National – Desh Ka
Apna Channel.”
 India and Bhutan signed a MoU on 7th Nov. for the
establishment of Nalanda University in Bihar to
develop the institution as an international centre of
excellence.
 Sushma Swaraj: External Affairs Minister visited
Dubai on Nov. 10.
 India and Republic of Korea signed a Memorandum
of Understanding to facilitate technical cooperation
in Railway sector between the two countries.
 First Commonwealth Science Congress was held in
Bengaluru on 25th November.
OCTOBER 2014
 President Pranab Mukherjee became the first ever
Indian head of state to visit Norway. He also visited
Finland.
 Nguyen Tan Dung, Vietnam Prime Minister came on
a two-day visit to India.
 India ranks 55th on the Global Hunger Index 2014,
up from 63rd in 2013, better than Pakistan and
Bangladesh that ranked 57.
 Commemorative coins of denominations of Rs 100
and Rs 5 released to mark 100 years of historic
Komagata Maru incident.
 The work order for 'Statue of Unity' — the world's
tallest statue (182 mts) of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
has been issued to Larsen and Toubro (L&T).
 India has signed the Minamata Convention on
Mercury to control and reduce emissions from the
power plants.
 Union Ministry of Culture launched a year – long
birth centenary celebrations of Ghazal and Thumri
singer Begum Akhtar (07-10-1914).
 Areas around Visakhapatnam on Andhra coast were
severely lashed by the super cyclone Hudhud,
causing widespread destruction.
 The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index – 2014
has ranked India’s retirement system lowest among
the 25 countries surveyed.
 India has performed poorly in removing gender-
based disparities, ranking 114 out of 142 countries
in World Economic Forum's 2014 Gender Gap
Index.
 India has been placed at 142nd rank among 189
countries in the latest World Bank’s “Ease of Doing
Business” report.
 John Baird, Canada's Foreign Minister has said that
Canada has agreed to sign commercial contracts for
supply of uranium for Indian nuclear reactors.
 India signed a Memorandum of Understanding on
Culture Cooperation with UK for next five years.
 A commemorative postage stamp on Sri Lankan
Buddhist revivalist and writer Anagarika
Dharmapala was released by the President.
 Government decides to commemorate Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary (October 31)
as “National Integration Day”- Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.
 India and Mexico signed a MoU for cooperation in
space and working together in the areas of remote
sensing and satellite communication.
 India and Nepal have signed a Power Trade
Agreement to promote cooperation in the field of
production and transmission of electricity.
 India Heritage Research Foundation, Rishikesh has
released the ‘Encyclopedia of Hinduism’ consisting
of 11 volumes and approximately 7000 entries.
 India will contribute $4 million in the $5.4 billion
aid pool formed by the global donors for rebuilding
the Gaza Strip destroyed in the conflict with Israel.
 Prime Minister addressed the nation on Oct 3 for
the first time over radio in the programme ‘Mann Ki
Baat’ to reach out to maximum audience.
EDUCATION IS THE MOST POWERFUL
WEAPON WHICH YOU CAN USE TO CHANGE
THE WORLD.

38. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 37
NEWS FROM STATES
DECEMBER 2014
 India set a new world record on Dec 7 for forming
the largest human flag, when over fifty thousand
volunteers formed the Indian Tricolour in Chennai.
 Karnataka launched “Mobile one” app to enable
public to access 4000 govt and a few private
services on their mobile phones just by dialling 161.
 On Nov 29, Meghalaya got its first rail link when PM
Modi flagged off a train from Maligaon, Guwahati to
Mendipathar in Meghalaya, a distance of 131 kms.
 Andhra govt. signed a MoU with Singapore for the
development of its new capital that is set to come
up near Vijawayada region.
 The New Year festival of Tibetans known as Losar
festival is celebrated mainly in Lahaul Distt. It
denotes the start of winter session in the valley.
 Maharashtra to observe the year 2015 as “Year of
Digitised and Time-Bound Services” to standardise,
simplify and deliver the services electronically.
 Arunachal Pradesh won the Krishi Karman Award
for the year 2013-14 for showing exemplary agri-
performance in 14 different categories.
 Manipur to set up a Cultural University to promote
its rich cultural heritage, like Russia’s Moscow State
Art and Cultural University.
 Militants of the National Democratic Front of
Bodoland (Songbijit) gunned down over 80 persons
in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts of Assam.
NOVEMBER 2014
 The Bengaluru has set up a kiosk that lets anyone
file an FIR at any time, irrespective of area of
incident.
 The proposed 302 km long Lucknow - Agra
Expressway in UP would be the country’s longest
access controlled six lane expressway
 Madhya Pradesh has been chosen for union
government’s Best State Award for Empowerment
of Disabled for year 2014.
 The Karnataka Government aims at construction of
10 lakh toilets by 2018 and make the state
completely free from open defecation.
 Assam State Zoo in Guwahati has become the first
zoo in the world to house the critically endangered
pig Pygmy Hog.
 Kerala has decided to cull about 2,00,000 poultry
birds as a precautionary measure against the H5NI
avian influenza virus.
OCTOBER 2014
 Kerala Forest Research Institute plans to mark
public trees with a "health-card" that will show its
strength condition, risk factors and details of
damage etc.
 Union government plans to set up a mega handicraft
cluster in Kachch, Gujarat to promote handcraft
items and craft based textiles.
 Madhya Pradesh tops iin the field of organic farming
producing about five lakh metric ton of farm
products, about 40% of the country’s total organic
produce.
 The Kerala Government will provide free treatment
to every cancer patient in the state under the
project ‘Sukrutham’ at major government hospitals.
 Union Govt launches Jammu Kashmir Arogya Gram
Yojna to promote cultivation of scientifically tested
and commercially beneficial aromatic and medicinal
plants.
GOVT INITIATIVES
DECEMBER 2014
 Prime Minister launched a Rs 900-crore scheme
"Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on
Teachers and Teaching" at Varanasi.
 Government has decided to set-up Grahak Suvidha
Kendras (Consumer care centres) to provide
counseling to consumers in redressal of their
grievances
 Mission Indradhanush launched to cover all
unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children
against seven vaccine preventable diseases
 The government has decided to repeal Section 309
from the Indian Penal Code, for decriminalizing
attempt to commit suicide.
 A new train - The Sushaasan (good governance)
Express launched on Dec 25, from Gwalior , the
birth place of Mr. Vajpayee, to Gonda in Uttar
Pradesh.
 Govt has decided to pay 8.75 per cent interest on
provident fund deposits of Employees Provident
Fund Organisation (EPFO) for the year 2014-15.
 Justice G P Mathur committee set up to examine the
possibility of forming a Special Investigation Team
for re investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases.
NOVEMBER 2014
 National Education Day was observed on Nov 11 on
the 125th birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad, independent India’s first Education Minister.

39. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 38
 Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan launched to enable higher
educational institutions like IITs and NITs to work
with the people of rural India
 ‘Know Your College’ portal launched to enable
students view details of courses, labs, faculty,
library, hostels available etc.
 Skill Assessment Matrix for Vocational
Advancement of Youth launched to facilitate
students to switch between education and jobs.
 Saksham Scholarship launched for specially-abled
needy and meritorious students pursuing technical
education
 Pragati scholarship launched for girls pursuing
technical education at college level.
 Union Ministry of Minorities Affairs launched the
Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills (MANAS)
to impart training to youth in health and security
sector.
 Govt has relaxed Indian citizenship norms for Hindu
and Sikh refugees from Pakistan and Afghanistan.
 Govt. launched National Bal Swachhta Mission in
New Delhi on Nov 15 to improve over all cleanliness
amongst school children.
 Udaan programme launched to assist girl students
in preparing them for the IIT-JEE while studying in
classes XI and XII.
 Govt approves "Integrated Power Development
Scheme" for strengthening of sub-transmission and
distribution network of electricity in the urban
areas.
 India has launched the tourist visa on arrival facility
enabled by electronic travel authorization for 43
countries for boosting the tourist inflow.
 Govt has decided to lay an exclusive submarine
cable network for Andaman & Nicobar Islands from
Chennai to facilitate high speed internet/browsing
in the islands.
 The Central Government has allocated five thousand
crore rupees under AYUSH Mission for promoting
traditional methods of treatment in the country.
 The Delhi Transport Corporation has started a
Delhi-Kathmandu bus service from Nov. 26.
OCTOBER 2014
 Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate
Karyakram launched for creating a conducive
environment for industrial development and doing
business with ease.
 Labour Identification Number to be issued to all
industrial units for transparency and
accountability in labour inspections
 “Shram Suvidha"–a Unified Labour Portal
launched to facilitate "Labour Inspection Scheme
 Universal Account Number for Employees'
Provident Fund members
 Apprentice Protsahan Yojana to reimburse 50 per
cent of the stipend paid to apprentices
 Swachh Bharat Mission launched on October 2 to
make India neat and clean by Oct 2, 2019 at an
expected cost of Rs 62,000 crore.
 Govt to merge the ‘Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan’, a
campaign for rural sanitation with Swachh Bharat
Mission.
 Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana launched under which
every MP to adopt one village by 2016 and two
more by 2019.
 National Safai Karamcharis Finance and
Development Corporation launched “Swachhta
Udyami Yojana to provide financial assistance to
Safai Karamcharis
 Govt has reintroduced the Varishtha Pension Bima
Yojana- a single premium pension policy for senior
citizens, for a limited period of one year
 Government has launched an Adhaar based
Biometric Attendance System (BAS) for government
employees. named attendance.gov.in
 Universal Health Assurance Mission plans to bring
all Indians under health insurance cover
 UHAM to provide 50 essential drugs and 30 AYUSH
drugs to all citizens at govt. hospitals and health
centres.
 National Air Quality Index launched to create
awareness about the quality of air and its likely
health impact.
 Union Cabinet has decided to completely deregulate
the diesel prices and henceforth the price will be
linked to the market.
 The government has made it mandatory for tobacco
companies to carry health warnings on at least 85%
of the surface of cigarette packets
 T S R Subramanian committee set up to review the
laws related to protection of environment including
the Indian Forest Act, 1927
 India’s first-ever Offshore Wind Power Project in
India to come up along Gujarat coast.
 Govt plans to start “Sardar Patel National Housing
Mission” to ensure housing for all by 2022 and a
‘slum free India’.
 Union Government has decided to sell LED bulbs to
households at 10 rupees against the market price of
400 rupees.
 From November, 2014 all replies given under RTI
by ministries will be posted online, available for
access to all and not just to persons seeking the
information.
 Central govt has advised all states, union territories
and Central Armed Police Forces to recruit 33 per
cent women in their ranks.
 T.K. Vishwanathan Committee setup to review
Bankruptcy laws.

40. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 39
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
DECEMBER 2014
 Moody’s Projects India’s Growth @6%: Global
rating agency Moody’s has projected that Indian
economy is expected to pick up pace in 2015 and
grow in the range of 5 to 6 per cent, helped by
strong domestic demand.
NOVEMBER 2014
 Rating agency Fitch says that India's economic
growth is expected to pick up to 5.6 per cent in the
current fiscal on account of structural reforms
OCTOBER 2014
 A World Bank report says that India’s GDP is likely
to expand by 5.6 per cent this fiscal as reforms gain
momentum.
ECONOMY
DECEMBER 2014
 India has inked a US $1100 million IBRD Direct
Lending pact with the World Bank for phase two of
the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC).
 Union government mopped up around 1715 crore
rupees with the sale of 5 percent stake in SAIL at a
floor price of 83 rupees per share
 The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal for setting
up of a 500 crore rupees Credit Guarantee Fund for
Factoring for MSMEs
 Government has asked PSUs to ensure that they
procure 20% of their requirements from the
products manufactured by MSMEs, w.e.f. April 01,
2015.
 Snapdeal.com has announced the launch of ‘Agri
Store’, offering online products like seeds, fertilizer
and irrigation tools, among others, to farmers.
 World Bank will lend Rs 475 crore ($75 million) to
the Andhra Pradesh Government for implementing
a rural growth project.
 Government has fixed an export target of $340
billion for the current fiscal. Actual exports last
year were $312.6 billion.
 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will extend
$200 million loan to Punjab to improve the state's
fiscal situation.
 India Germany sign loan pact for euro 625 million
for the Green Energy Corridors project under the
Indo-German bilateral development cooperation.
 The World Bank has approved $130 million credit
for the Nepal Grid Solar and Energy Efficiency
Project to minimize energy shortages in Nepal.
NOVEMBER 2014
 The Government re-launched Kisan Vikas Patra
scheme on Nov 18 to encourage the habit of small
savings among the citizens.
 The KVPs will be available in denominations of
Rs. 1000, 5000, 10,000 and 50,000 with no
upper limit for investment
 The invested amount will become double in 100
months.
MSP FOR RABI CROPS FOR 2014-15 SEASON
CROP Rs./Qtl CROP Rs./Qtl
Wheat 1450 Gram 3175
Barley 1150 Rapeseed/ Musturd 3100
Masur dal 3075 Safflower 3050
 The market capitaliastion of all listed companies on
the Bombay Stock Exchange, Asia's oldest stock
exchange, hit a record Rs 100 trillion (lakh crore)
mark on Nov 28.
 Govt has come out with the mandatory standards
(BIS marks) for 15 electronic products, including
mobile phones, power banks and LED lamps.
 India signed Tax Information Exchange Agreement
– TIEA with Saint Kitts & Nevis, a two-island
Carribean country, perceived as a safe haven for
offshore funds.
 Exporters and SEZ units asked to realise and
repatriate overseas sales proceeds in nine months,
as against 12-month earlier, from the date of
shipment.
 Suzlon Energy installed the world’s tallest 120
meters high hybrid wind generator turbine in Asia’s
biggest wind energy park in Kutch, Gujarat.
 India signs a $200 million loan agreement with the
World Bank to finance the setting up of technology
centres to help MSMEs enhance their productivity.
 Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $350-
million loan assistance for upgradation of district
roads in Madhya Pradesh.
OCTOBER 2014
 A major crude oil discovery in the Kharenti-A well
near Ahmadabad in the Cambay basin by a private
oil company, makes it the biggest find of the year.
 SEBI barred India's largest real estate company DLF
and its top officials, including chairman KP Singh,
from accessing or dealing in stock markets for three
years.
 Amazon.com and India's Future Group, promoters
of ‘Big Bazaar’ retail chain, have signed a deal to
jointly sell goods over the Internet
 Delhi Metro has been ranked second among 18
international Metro systems in terms of overall
customer satisfaction in an online customer survey.

41. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 40
 Maruti Suzuki launched ‘Ciaz’ - its first sedan car in
past 7 years, to meet competition from Honda City
and Hyundai Verna.
 Government has decided to import potatoes for the
first time to augment domestic availability and to
check its rising prices.
 Country’s first olive oil refinery has been started in
Lunkaransar area of Bikaner, Rajasthan. The project
was started by taking assistance from Israel.
 IndiGo, India’s largest domestic airline by market
share, has signed a deal to buy 250 latest Airbus A-
320 neo aircrafts worth $26 billion or Rs 1.55 lakh
crore.
 India has imposed anti-dumping duty on Phenol
imported from the U.S. and China’s Taipei to
safeguard the interest of domestic manufacturers.
BANKING
DECEMBER 2014
 The Reserve Bank released a charter of customer
rights on Dec.3 that lays down five basic rights that
bank customers enjoy.
 Right to Fair Treatment with no discrimination on
any basis
 Right to Transparency, Fair and Honest Dealing
 Right to Suitability of products and services
 Right to Privacy of customers' personal
information
 Right to Grievance Redressal and Compen-sation
 RBI has defined the ‘non-cooperative borrower’ as
one who does not engage constructively with his
lender by defaulting in timely repayment of dues
 A bill to raise the authorised capital of Regional
Rural Banks to Rs 2,000 crore, from Rs 5 crore at
present was passed by the Lok Sabha on Dec 22.
Government has approved the continuation of
interest subvention for short-term crop loans up to
Rs 3 lakh to farmers.
 RBI has increased RTGS business hours to 12 hours
from 8 am to 8 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to
3.30 pm on Saturday.
 State Bank has launched two indices namely the SBI
Monthly Composite Index and the SBI Yearly
Composite Index for manufacturing sector.
 RBI has doubled the limit for pre-paid payment
instruments (PPI) to Rs. 1 lakh from Rs. 50,000 at
present.
 RBI issued final guidelines for the Bharat Bill
Payment System to help consumers pay multiple
bills like electricity, telephone etc at a single point.
 HDFC Bank launched its mobile banking initiative -
'Bank Aap Ki Muththi Mein' that works on both
smartphones as well as the basic phones
 The deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency
notes, including 500 and 1,000 rupees, has been
extended by six months till June 30, 2015.
 Yes Bank has raised $200 million loan from Asian
Development Bank for onward lending to small
farm households and rural women self help groups
(SHGs).
 RBI has imposed penalty of Rs. 5 million and 2.5
million, respectively, on ICICI bank and Bank of
Baroda for violation of KYC norms.
 Money supply rose by Rs 31,400 crore to Rs
101,950 crore ($1.61 trillion) in the fortnight to
December 12, growing by 10.2 per cent on year on
year basis.
NOVEMBER 2014
 The Reserve Bank on Nov 27 released the guidelines
for ‘payment banks’ and ‘small banks’.
 Payments banks can receive deposits and
remittances, but cannot lend; focusing on migrant
labour and low income households.
 Small banks will lend to “unserved and under-
served sections”, including small business units,
small and marginal farmers, and micro and small
industries.
 RBI has asked banks to inform their customers
about fall in the minimum balance and said that
penal charges should be levied only to the extent of
shortfall
 In an all stock amalgamation, ING Vysya
Bank decided to merge itself with Kotak Mahindra
Bank, creating the fourth largest private sector bank
in the country.
 RBI has Traised the net own funds requirements for
NBFCs that manage funds worth Rs 500 crore, from
Rs.25 lakh at present to Rs.1 crore by March, 2016
 Kerala and Goa have become the first states in the
country to have bank accounts for all households in
the state under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna.
 RBI has made it mandatory for banks to send SMS
alerts to both payer and drawer in cheque
transactions
 The SEBI has allowed the State Bank of India and
three mutual funds to launch Sharia funds. Sharia-
compliant funds invest in companies that follow
Islamic rules.
 The foreign investment promotion board (FIPB) has
allowed HDFC Bank to increase foreign investment
in the bank to 74 per cent.
 Country's oldest and largest foreign bank, Standard
Chartered Bank, opened its 100th branch in
Nakatia, Bareily (UP)

42. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 41
OCTOBER 2014
KYC COMPLIANCE ‘MUST’ FOR ALL ACCOUNTS
The RBI has made it mandatory for all bank customers,
including low risk ones, to be KYC-compliant.
 The accounts which are not KYC compliant, credits
would be allowed but debits won't be allowed
 However, the account-holder will have the option to
close the account and withdraw the money.
 To facilitate compliance of KYC norms, banks have
been asked to allow self-certification of documents
and accept a certified copy of the document
 KYC norms were introduced in 2001, after the 9/11
attacks in New York, America.
 Customers of the 6metros who had 3 free
transactions in a month at non-home ATMs can now
have 2 more free transactions at the non metro
centres.
 State Bank of India has launched a facility called
‘mPassBook’ on its ‘State Bank Anywhere’ mobile
application, for its retail banking users.
 Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched an instant bank
payment product – KayPay for Facebook users to
send money to each other in an instant.
 Federal Bank has won the IDRBT Banking
Technology Excellence award for 2013-14 in four
out of total five Categories in the mid-sized lenders
segment.
 RBI signs a pact with Central Bank of Kenya for
exchange of information and supervisory
cooperation.
DEFENCE, SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
DECEMBER 2014
 DRDO has successfully tested Panchi, wheeled
version of the unmanned aerial vehicle Nishant. It
can take off from and land on small airstrips.
 Nuclear-capable strategic ballistic missile Agni-IV,
with a strike range of 4,000 km, test fired
successfully from a test range off the Odisha coast.
 For the first time, India exported a war ship to a
foreign country. The ship is CGS Barracuda offshore
patrol vessel, purchased by Mauritius.
 India has tested a 1,000 kg indigenously-developed
glide bomb, which successfully hit a target 100 kms
away, off the Odisha coast.
 The indigenous nuclear-powered submarine, INS
Arihant, for the first time sailed out for sea-trials on
Dec 16, from its base at Visakhapatnam.
 INS Circars, the oldest naval establishment on the
Eastern seaboard in Visakhapatnam celebrated its
Platinum Jubilee on Dec 12.
 Sikorsky of the United States has been selected for
supply of 16 multirole helicopters for the Indian
Navy in a contract worth Rs. 6,000 crore.
 Russia successfully test fired its Angara-A5 rocket
from Plesetsk in northern Russia on 23 December.
 NATO forces formally ended their role in
Afghanistan, after 13 years of conflict that left the
country in the grip of worsening insurgent violence.
 India’s communication satellite GSAT 16 was
launched successfully from Kourou in French
Guiana on Dec. 7.
 ISRO launched from Sriharikota its heaviest rocket
till date - the 630-tonne three-stage rocket GSLV
Mark III, capable of carrying satellites up to four
tonne.
 Carbon-dioxide emissions from burning of fossil
fuels reached a high of 35.3 billion tonnes in 2013
where top 2 countries were China and USA
 NASA’s Kepler has discovered a ‘super-Earth’
located 180 light-years from Earth - HIP 116454b,
which is 2.5 times the diameter of Earth
 Nasa's Curiosity rover has detected methane on
Mars, a gas that could hint at past or present life on
the planet.
 Japan launched asteroid explorer Hayabusa 2 to
explore one of the C-type asteroids called 1999
JU3 and retrieve materials and bring them to Earth.
 NASA launched Orion spacecraft atop a Delta IV
Heavy rocket for a four-hour test flight, after which
it safely splashed down in to Pacific Ocean.
 American geologists have named the earth’s most
abundant mineral as ‘Bridgmanite’. It makes up
about 70 percent of the earth’s lower
 The International Ocean Discovery Program has
analysed life in the deepest ever marine drilling
expedition- microbes living 2,400 meters beneath
the seabed off the Japanese coast.
 International journal Science has declared the
European space mission spacecraft Rosetta as most
important scientific Breakthrough of the Year 2014.
NOVEMBER 2014
 India test-fired the Prithvi-II missile from
Chandipur, Odisha. Naval version of this missile –
Dhanush was also tested.
 The long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM)
with a range of 70 kms, developed jointly by DRDO
and Israeli Aerospace Industries tested successfully
on 10th Nov.
 The Indian Army’s team won the 48 hours rigorous
endurance competition – Cambrain Patrol held in
Wales, UK.
 DRDO successfully test-fired on Nov 9 its nuclear
capable ballistic missile – Agni-II having a strike
range of 2,000 km and beyond.

43. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 42
 Tejas (PV-6): India’s first indigenous Light Combat
Aircraft’s two-seater trainer jet version made its
maiden flight on Nov 8.
 Indian Air force tested its medium range surface-to-
air anti-aircraft missile Akash with a strike range of
25 km.
 In a freak accident, a Torpedo Recovery Vessel of
Indian Navy sunk off the Visakhapatnam coast
during a naval exercise due to a probable split in its
base.
 Mithra Shakthi: Three week Joint military exercise
between Indian and Sri Lankan military forces in Sri
Lanka in Nov 2014
 Hand in Hand 2014: 4th Joint anti terrorism military
exercise by Indian and Chinese forces held in Pune
at Aundh Military Station from Nov – 17.
 Rosetta spacecraft created history on 12th Nov by
landing its Philae probe on the comet
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, some 500 million
kms away from Earth.
 Scientists have developed antibiotic-free drug
named Staphefekt as an alternative to antibiotics to
fight against the antibiotics-resistant superbugs
 India’s Mars mission Mangalyaan, developed by
ISRO, has been listed among the 25 best innovations
of 2014 by the Time magazine.
 A study by the Internet & Mobile Association of
India shows that Mumbai has the largest number
16.4 million, of internet users in India, followed by
Delhi.
OCTOBER 2014
 India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable
cruise missile 'Nirbhay' from the Integrated Test
Range in Chandipur, Odisha, having a strike range of
700 kms.
 India and China to set up hotlines between their
army headquarters and establish new border
meeting posts to amicably address incidents of
incursions on border.
 China has test fired a new variant of its 10,000 km
range missile - Dongfeng-31B, capable of targeting
Europe and the West Coast of the United States.
 ISRO launched its third navigation satellite IRNSS
1C on board its PSLV-C26 rocket from Sriharikota
on Oct 16.
Education is the Best Friend.
An Educated Person is
Respected Everywhere.
Education Beats the Beauty and
the Youth.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
DECEMBER 2014
 A treaty laying down international rules for the $85
billion global arms trade came into force from Dec
24, after being signed by the USA
 USA announced a series of steps for normalising
relations with communist-ruled Cuba with which it
had severed diplomatic ties decades ago.
 Tehrik-e-Taliban gunmen stormed a school in
Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 140 students and nine
staff members on Dec 16.
 Hong Kong police forcefully ended the more than
two month old street demonstration - Occupy
Central
 Russian economy is in deep trouble due to sanctions
and slumping oil prices, leading to deep fall in value
of its currency against the US dollar.
 According to the World Economic Situation and
Prospects 2015 report by UNO, the global economy
will grow by more than 3 percent in 2015 and 2016.
 The countless doctors, nurses and caregivers
fighting the outbreaks of the Ebola virus, have been
collectively named as Time magazine's 2014
'Person of the Year'.
 112nations gathered in Lima, Peru on Dec 1 for the
12-day ‘Lima Climate Change Conference’ under the
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change-
UNFCCC
 World AIDS Day observed on December 01. The
theme for this year is, 'Focus, Partner, Achieve: An
AIDS-free Generation'.
HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection
AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome;
(advanced stage of HIV infection)
 Singapore launched a new National Day song in
Tamil to celebrate its 50 years of independence.
Tamil is 4th official language of Singapore.
 United Nations General Assembly on 5 December
2014 declared 2015 as the International Year of
Soils
 Bhutan became 181st member of Multilateral
Investment Guarantee Agency– a branch of the
World Bank Group.
 An Airbus A320-200 of Air Asia flight QZ8501 with
162 persons aboard disappeared on Dec 28 on way
from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore.
 Ukraine has decided to join North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (NATO), signalling its movement away
from Russia, towards western powers.
 Latvia will hold the Presidency of the Council of the
European Union in the first half of 2015. The
Presidency changes every six months.

44. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 43
 An Italian Ship - Norman Atlantic, carrying 478
passengers caught fire in mid sea, near Italian port
Ancona. Rescue teams could save 471passengers.
 Malaysia’s worst flooding in decades forced some
1,18,000 people to flee to safer places. Kelantan, in
north east Malaysia, was worst-affected area.
NOVEMBER 2014
 The World Bank released a report on the impact of
global warming titled “Turn Down the Heat:
Confronting the New Climate Normal.”
 A cargo train started on Nov 25 from the Chinese
city of Yiwu for Madrid, Spain on the world’s longest
rail journey of 10,000 kms following old Silk Route.
 The UNO has adopted the first-ever resolution
calling on governments to stop child marriages.
 30 nations meet in Berlin pledged $9.3 billion for a
fund to help developing countries cut emissions and
prepare for climate change to avoid global warming.
 The UNO has dedicated Nov 19th as World Toilet
Day to bring into limelight the plight of all those
people who do not have access to a toilet.
 Head of nations meet of the G20 nations held at
Brisbane, Australia on 15-16 Nov.
 Turkey will host 2015 G20 summit and the 2016
summit will be hosted by China.
 China and USA have agreed to limit emission of
greenhouse gases — ending a 20-year discord
between them on how to combat climate change.
 As per recent reports from IMF, in October 2014,
China overtook the US to become the world’s largest
economy in terms of Purchasing Power Parity.
 China’s GDP stood at $ 17.6 trillion, 16.48 percent of
the World GDP, followed by USA at $ 17.4 trillion.
India ranked 3rd with $ 7.3 trillion size.
 Thousands of Greeks took to the streets of Athens to
hold a nationwide strike to protest against the
government’s austerity drive involving job cuts.
 Japan's economy shrank for the second consecutive
quarter, marking a technical recession in the
world's third largest economy.
 Sweden has become the first European Union (EU)
country to officially recognise the State of Palestine.
 WHO released first ever ‘Guidelines for Indoor Air
Quality - Household Fuel Combustion’ to promote
use of clean fuels at household level.
 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
Summit was held in Beijing, China from 9th
November 2014 to 11th November 2014.
 Czech Republic celebrated the 25th anniversary of
the launch of the Velvet Revolution that toppled
communism and led to dawn of democracy in 1989.
 General council meeting of WTO held at GENEVA on
27th November, 2014
 International Buddhist Conference– Lumbini, Nepal.
OCTOBER 2014
 Hong Kong witnessed widespread clashes between
pro-democracy activists and counter-protesters
(pro-Beijing)
 The movement has been named as “occupy
central” and also given the name ‘umbrella
revolution’ due to extensive use of umbrellas by
the demonstrators.
 UNO observed the International Day for the
Eradication of Poverty on 17th October.
 Theme for 2014: Leave no one behind: think, decide
and act together against extreme poverty.
 The United Kingdom finally called it a day to its
presence in Afghanistan when it handed over its last
base there in Helmand province to the Afghan
forces.
 Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Venezuela and
Spain were elected as the new non-permanent
members of the UN Security Council for a two years
term.
 Jaffna-Colombo railway line, reconstructed with
Indian assistance in Sri Lanka's former war
zone,started 24 years after it was shut down during
the civil war.
 China and 20 other countries plan to set up an Asian
infrastructure Bank seen as a counterweight to
West backed international development banks.
 Google closed the social networking site Orkut on
30 September 2014. The site was started in 2004 by
Orkut Buyukkokten, a Google employee.
 Severe typhoon – Vongfong slammed into Japan on
13th Oct. at Makurazaki on Kyushu Island with
winds of
up to 180 kmph, causing widespread destruction.
 Strong typhoon Phanfone slammed into Japan on 5th
Oct. with winds of up to 180 kmph lashing the
shore, bringing heavy rain and chaos in areas
around Tokyo.
PERSONS IN NEWS
DECEMBER 2014
DR. K. RADHAKRISHNAN: Chairman of the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been selected
as one of the top ten scientists in 2014 chosen by the
prestigious science journal of UK-Nature.
PRIME MINISTER MODI: has been rated as the world’s
top policy maker, according to a new report of Harvard’s
prestigious Kennedy School of Government.
PAWAN CHAMLING: Sikkim Chief Minister, on 12
December 2014 became longest serving Chief Minister
of India as he completed his 20 years in the office.

45. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 44
TASHI MALIK AND NUNGSHI MALIK: The twin sisters
from Dehradun scaled Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s
highest mountain at 4,892 metres to become the world’s
first twins and siblings to climb the highest peaks on the
seven continents.
SARITA DEVI: The International Boxing Association
(AIBA) banned Indian boxer for one year for refusing to
accept the Asian Games bronze medal.
VIVEK MURTHY: The 37 year old Indian origin doctor
has been confirmed as the youngest ever Surgeon
General of the United States.
NOVEMBER 2014
NARENDRA MODI: joined the Forbes list of the world's
most powerful people at 15th rank. The list is topped by
the Russian President Vladimir Putin
ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA: The Chairperson of
country's largest bank- SBI, was named as the most-
powerful business woman in India by Fortune Magazine.
GEN. DALBIR SINGH SUHAG: Indian Army Chief was
conferred the title of honorary rank of General of Nepal
Army by the Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav.
FARHAN AKHTAR: Bollywood actor-director became
the first man in the history of “UN Women” to be
appointed as its Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia.
NIKKI HALEY: Governor of South Caorlina state, USA,
the youngest of current US Governors (42) was in news
as she visited Punjab
MALALA YOUSAFZAI: Pakistani teenage rights activist
donated $50,000 to help rebuild UN schools in Gaza that
have been damaged during the recent fight with Israel.
CHUCK HAGEL: U.S. Defense Secretary was in news as
he resigned from his post.
VLADIMIR PUTIN: Russian President walked out of the
G20 summit in Australia to protest the criticism from
Western leaders over Russia’s interference in Ukraine.
OCTOBER 2014
RAGHURAM RAJAN: Reserve Bank of India Governor
has received the Euromoney’s “Central Bank Governor
of the Year Award 2014” in Washington on October 10
for his excellent performance.
SHAKTI DEVI: An Indian police inspector won
International Female Police Peacekeeper Award 2014
by the UN's police division for her "exceptional
achievements" in her duty with the UN mission in
Afghanistan
HARSHIT SAUMITRA: A five-year-old Indian boy has
become the youngest person to reach the Everest Base
Camp at an altitude of 5,364 metres (17,598 ft).
LEELA SAMSON: Eminent Bharatnatyam dancer and
Chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification
resigned from the post of Chairperson of Sangeet Natak
Akademi.
THOMAS KAILATH: Indian-American professor from
USA is one of the nine scientists selected for the
prestigious National Medal of Science, the highest
honour for achievement in the fields of science and
engineering in USA.
JOSHUA WONG: 18 year old leader of students
organisation “Scholarism” which lead the pro
democracy youth movement in Hong Kong.
JEFFREY P. BEZOS: The Chief Executive of the world’s
largest e-tailer –Amazon.com, called on Modi and
committed $2 billion investment in the country.
MARK ZUCKERBERG: Founder and CEO of Facebook,
called on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New
Delhi.
ALAN EUSTACE: A senior Google vice-president (57)
created a new world record for highest free-fall
parachute jump from an altitude of 135908 ft (41.4kms)
A P P O I N T M E N T S
DECEMBER 2014
RAGHUBAR DAS (BJP): New Chief Minister of
Jharkhand
JYOTSNA SURI: President of the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
RAJINDER KHANNA: Chief of Research & Analysis
Wing (R&AW),
PRAKASH MISHRA: Director General of Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF).
DINESHWAR SHARMA: Director, Intelligence Bureau
ANIL Kr. SINHA: Director, Central Bureau of
Investigation
KLAUS IOHANNIS: President of Romania
BEJI CAID ESSEBSI: President of Tunisia
ANEROOD JUGNAUTH: Prime Minister of Mauritius
TABARE VAZQUEZ: President of Uruguay
SHINZO ABE: Re elected as Prime Minister of Japan
ASHTON CARTER: US Defence Secretary

46. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 45
NOVEMBER 2014
DEEPAK GUPTA: Chairman of Union Public Service
Commission (UPSC)
JUSTICE C K PRASAD: Chairman, Press Council of India
HASMUKH ADHIA: Union Financial Services Secretary
G S SANDHU: Chairman of National Chemical Weapon
Convention.
LAXMIKANT PARSEKAR: Chief Minister, Goa
ANITA KAPUR:Chairperson, Central Board of Direct
Taxes.
KLAUS WARREN LOHANNIS: President of Romania,
first non Romanian (German) to become President
OCTOBER 2014
MANOHAR LAL KHATTAR: New Chief Minister of
Haryana
DEVENDRA FADNAVIS: Chief Minister of Maharashtra
ARVIND SUBRAMANIAN: Chief Economic Adviser to
the Union Government. He is the former IMF economist
RAJIV MEHRISHI: Union Finance Secretary
Dr. A SURYA PRAKASH: Chairman, Prasaar Bharati
Board
HEMANT CONTRACTOR: Chairman of Pension Fund
Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)
DILMA ROUSSEFF: Re-elected as the President of
Brazil, second term leading her Workers Party
KHALED BAHAH: Prime Minister of Yemen
JENS STOLTENBERG: Secretary-General of NATO
India has been re-elected as member of the 47-nation
UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the period of
2015-17
AWARDS & HONOURS
DECEMBER 2014
THE GOLDEN PEACOCK: Award for the best film at the
45th International Film Festival of India, Goa won by the
Russian film ‘Leviathan’ directed by Andrey
Zvyagintsev. The award carries a cash prize of 40 lakh
Wong Kar Wai: The Chinese filmmaker was conferred
the lifetime achievement award at IFFI.
Swiss Ambassador's Award: Azim Premji, Chairman of
Wipro for inspirational and socially responsible
leadership.
Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards for 2010-
11 given at Delhi for outstanding performance in
exports. Canara Bank won the Niryat
Bandhu Silver Trophy, Banks
Yash Chopra Memorial Award: Amitabh Bachchan
Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014: Ruhi Singh
of India at Beirut, Lebanon.
Miss Intercontinental 2014: Wang Patraporn, from
Thailand at Magdeburg, Germany.
Miss World 2014: Rolene Strauss, from South Africa at
London
Olof Palme Human Rights Prize: Xu Youyu, Chinese
pro-democracy activist. It is an annual prize worth USD
75,000 granted by the Swedish labour movement.
Confucius Peace Prize: Fidel Castro, Former Cuban
leader. It is known as China's version of the Nobel Prize.
Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2014: Noted Pakistan-
born poetess Imtiaz Dharker for her poetry collection
‘Over the Moon’. This award is given by British Queen.
Turner Prize: Duncan Campbell, film artist from UK for
a video that reflects on African art. It is a popular UK
prize for art work.
NOVEMBER 2014
INDIRA GANDHI PRIZE for Peace, Disarmament and
Development for 2014: Indian Space Research
Organisation – ISRO for its contribution in
strengthening international cooperation in peaceful use
of outer space.
GANDHIAN PHILOSOPHY and Public Service
Broadcasting Award 2014: Won by Radio Kashmir,
Jammu for its programme Jeevan Rekha.
CENTENARY AWARD for Indian Film Personality of
the Year: Rajinikanth, super star of south cinema
SUMITRA CHARAT RAM AWARD 2014: Pandit Jasraj,
veteran classical vocalist for Lifetime Achievement.
INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S PEACE PRIZE: Neha
Gupta (18), an Indian-American from Philadelphia, for
her work to help orphans in India
IIM- JRD TATA AWARD for Excellence in Corporate
leadership: C S Verma, Chairman, SAIL
THE IPI INDIA AWARD for Excellence in Journalism,
2014, awarded jointly to Hindustan Times and The
Week for “outstanding journalistic work” during 2013.
IPI – International Press Institute, Vienna (Austria)
WORLD’S CHILDREN PRIZE: Malala Yousafzai in
Sweden

47. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 46
THE GRAND CORDON of the Order of the Paulownia
Flowers: One of Japan’s top national awards, conferred
on Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his
contribution to Indo-Japan ties. He is first Indian to
receive this honour.
SYDNEY PEACE PRIZE 2014: Julian Burnside, Human
rights advocate and barrister from Australia.
SAKHAROV PRIZE for Human Rights: Denis Mukwege
from Congo for treating victims of gang rape
OCTOBER 2014
NATIONAL RAIL AWARD: Harish Kanwar, Deputy
Director in Railway Board for his contribution in
completion of the Pirpanjal rail tunnel in J&K.
NATIONAL KISHORE KUMAR AWARD: Noted
Bollywood lyricist Sameer
LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI NATIONAL AWARD – 2014
for Excellence in Public Administration, Academics and
Management: Dr. A. Sivathanu Pillai, CEO and MD of
BrahMos Aerospace.
WORLD MEDIA SUMMIT Global Awards for
Excellence, 2014: P. Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor at The
Hindu got the Public Welfare Award. He is one of the
five other media entities honoured with these awards.
WILDSCREEN PANDA AWARD: The coveted wildlife
photography award in best newcomer category was
won by Ashwika Kapur for her film, Sirocco - how a
dud became a stud at the annual Wildscreen Film
Festival held at Bristol, UK.
CULTURAL MEDALLION 2014 (Singapore): KTM
Iqbal, an Indian-origin Singaporean poet and writer was
named for this highest cultural award of Singapore.
WORLD FOOD PRIZE 2014: Dr Sanjaya Rajaram for his
scientific research that led to a bumper growth in world
wheat production.
MAN BOOKER PRIZE: The Australian novelist Richard
Flanagan for book “The Narrow Road to the Deep
North.”
The book tells the harrowing story of an Australian
surgeon who is held in a Japanese P.O.W. camp and is
forced to work on the Thailand-Burma Railway.
WAISLITZ GLOBAL CITIZEN AWARD: Anoop Jain for
his work in founding Humanure Power in Bihar in 2011
that builds community sanitation facilities in rural India.
GLOBAL DIVERSITY AWARD 2014: Shah Rukh Khan
has been honoured with this award by British
Parliament for his contribution to cinema.
2014 Nobel Prizes Declared
PRIZE
FIELD
PRIZE
DECIDED
BY
WINNER
OF 2014
SELECTED WORK
Physiology
or
Medicine
The Nobel
Assembly at
Karolinska
Institute,
Stockholm
John O’Keefe
of the USA,
May-Britt &
Edward Moser
of Norway
For discovering brain’s
internal positioning
system, helping humans
find their ways and giving
clues to how strokes and
Alzheimer affect the brain.
Physics
The Royal
Swedish
Academy of
Sciences
Isamu Akasaki
and Hiroshi
Amano from
Japan and
U.S. citizen
Shuji
Nakamura
For inventing blue light-
emitting diodes, a
breakthrough that has
spurred the development
of LED technology to light
up homes, computer
screens and smartphones
worldwide.
Chemistry
The Royal
Swedish
Academy of
Sciences
Eric Betzig and
William
Moerner from
the USA;
Stefan Hell
from Germany
For finding ways to make
microscopes more
powerful than previously
thought possible, allowing
scientists to see how
diseases develop inside
the tiniest cells.
Literature
The Swedish
Academy
Patrick
Modiano,
France
For his moody, terse and
occasionally dreamlike
novels, often set during
the Nazi occupation of
France
Peace
The Norwegi
an Nobel
Committee
Indian child
right activist
Kailash
Satyarthi and
Pakistani child
education
activist Malala
Yousafzai (See
details below)
For their struggle against
the suppression of
children and young people
and for the right of
education for all children.
Economics
The Royal
Swedish
Academy of
Sciences
Jean Tirole,
France
For research on market
power and regulation that
has helped policy-makers
understand how to deal
with industries dominated
by a few dominant
companies
OBITUARY
DECEMBER 2014
K. BALACHANDER: Eminent South Indian filmmaker
and Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner from Chennai.
V.R. KRISHNA IYER: Legendary jurist, a Supreme Court
judge and post-retirement, a human rights activist
DEVEN VERMA: noted Bollywood comedy actor,
famous for his roles in films Chori Mera Kaam, Chor Ke
Ghar Chor and Angoor.
A R ANTULAY: Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra
and former Union Minister, veteran Congress leader

48. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 47
CHUNIBHAI VAIDYA: A veteran Gandhian and freedom
fighter from Ahmadabad, Gujarat.
JARBOM GAMLIN: Former C M of Arunachal Pradesh
JOE COCKER: Legendary rock singer from Colorado,
USA.
DAVID JOHN RYALL: Veteran British actor
NOVEMBER 2014
RAVI CHOPRA: Veteran Bollywood film director famous
for his tele serial – Mahabharat and movie – Baghban.
SADASHIV AMRAPURKAR: Mumbai Cinema actor,
winner of two Filmfare awards.
MURLI DEORA: Eminent Congress leader from
Maharashtra and former Union Petroleum Minister
SITARA DEVI: Eminent Kathak danseuse, Padma sri
awardee.
P D JAMES: Noted English crime thriller novelist from
UK. Popular as “Queen of Crime”
PHILLIP HUGHES: Australian batsman suffered a fatal
hit by a short-pitched bouncer by Sean Abbott in Sydney
KEN TAKAKURA: Noted Japanese film actor
WARREN ANDERSON: Former Union Carbide chief,
wanted in India in connection with the 1984 Bhopal gas
tragedy, died at 92 in New York – Sep 29.
OCTOBER 2014
M.V. KAMATH: Veteran journalist and former Prasar
Bharati Chairman, Padmasri awardee from Karnataka.
JAGDISH SHARAN PANDE: Noted freedom fighter from
Almora, Uttarakhand.
MARTIN PERL: Nobel Prize-winning physicist from
USA, known for discovery of a subatomic particle known
as the Tau Lepton.
P L A C E S I N N E W S
DECEMBER 2014
CHINTAGUFA, SUKMA: place in Chattisgarh was in
news as 14 CRPF personnel were killed there by
naxalites.
TYPHOON HAGUPIT: hit the eastern Philippines
creating misery for millions following a barrage of
deadly disasters.
NOVEMBER 2014
JAYAPUR: A village near Varanasi was in news as it was
adopted for development by the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi under ‘Sansad Gram Yojna’.
HAMPI: Place in Karnataka was in news as some 20
drawings of the Harappan (Sindhu) era in Gondi dialect
were discovered there at a nearby hilltop.
FERGUSON: A small town in Missouri State of USA was
in news as it suffered violent racial riots. The riots
sparked after a grand jury cleared a white police officer
in the fatal August 9 shooting of an unarmed black
teenager.
BERLIN WALL: Massive public celebrations were held
in Germany to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of
the Berlin Wall.
CATALONIA: A small but prosperous region in north
eastern Spain was in news as it voted in a symbolic
ballot on Nov 9 on the issue – “whether to break away
from Spain or not” to emerge as an independent state.
WORLD TRADE CENTER, NY: The 104-story, $3.9
billion skyscraper at Manhattan, New York, the tallest in
America, was inaugurated on Nov 03, almost thirteen
years after the 9/11 terrorist attack that destroyed the
original towers.
OCTOBER 2014
VISAKHAPATNAM: A major coastal city of Andhra
Pradesh suffered wide spread destruction under the
impact of severe super cyclone ‘Hudhud’
NALIYA: Small town on coast of Kutchh, Gujarat was in
news as it was struck by super cyclone Nilofer.
S P O R T S W O R L D
DECEMBER 2014
Blind Cricket World Cup: India lifted the Cup on Dec 7
after defeating Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa.
P V Sindhu: Won the Macau Grand Prix Gold trophy at
Macau, China, beating Kim Hyo Min of Korea
Viswanathan Anand won his maiden London Classic
title after defeating British Grandmaster Michael Adams
Ankita Raina won ITF singles tennis title defeating
British Katy Dunne in Pune, Maharashtra. She is the
first Indian to win this title in past 14 years.
M S Dhoni broke the world record for most number of
stumpings in international cricket after he claimed his
134th victim – Mitchell Johnson of Australia at
Melbourne, Australia.
Baichung Bhutia: Former Indian football captain
conferred with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
Hall of Fame Award in Manila, Philippines.
Sachin Tendulkar has been named as the brand
ambassador for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
Arjun Atwal has won the Inaugural edition of Dubai
Open Golf Championship.

49. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 48
Pragyan Ojha, The left-arm spinner has been banned by
BCCI from bowling in competitive matches as his
bowling action was found illegal, flexing elbow beyond
15 degrees.
India beats Turkey to win the World Youth Under-16
Chess Olympiad at Gyor in Hungary.
17th Asian Luge Championships: Shiva Keshavan
won Silver Medal at the Spiral Olympic Sliding Centre in
Nagano, Japan.
Indian Super League football tournament: Atletico de
Kolkata won the championship beating Kerala Blasters.
Champions Trophy: Germany beats Pakistan to win
the hockey trophy at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Deodhar Trophy: East zone beats West zone to lift
cricket trophy in Mumbai.
58th National Shooting Championships held in Pune,
Maharashtra
‘VINICIUS’ & ‘TOM’ – MASCOTS FOR RIO OLYMPICS
Brazil has declared ‘Vinicius’ as the mascot for the Rio
2016 Olympics to be held at Rio de Janeiro.
International Tennis Federation (ITF) has declared
following as the “Player of the Year 2014”
Men’s: Novak Djokovic from Serbia
Women’s: Serena Williams from USA
Hillel Oscar: An international umpire and former
captain of Israel's national cricket team died on Nov 30
after being hit in the jaw by a ball at Ashdod, Israel.
ASIAN GAMES -- INDIAN HIGHLIGHTS
Yogeshwar Dutt ended a 28-year gold drought for India
in wrestling after winning Gold
Jitu Rai, shooter won India's 1st gold in the 50m event.
MC Mary Kom became the first Indian woman boxer to
clinch a gold medal at the Asian Games
India won the Hockey gold medal beating Pakistan
Indian Kabaddi Teams, both men and women, beat
Iran’s teams to win the Gold.
Varsha Gautam and Aishwarya Nedunchezhiyan
made history by becoming the first Indian women to
win a sailing medal – Bronze in Dinghy event at the
Asian Games.
Khushbir Kaur won the country’s first-ever silver in
the women’s 20 kms race walk in Asiad.
With an aim to increase India`s medal tally in 2016 and
2020 Olympics, the Sports Ministry has decided to start
a "Target Olympic Podium Scheme"
The Indian Super League (ISL) heralded a new dawn for
football in India on 12 October, at the Salt Lake Stadium
in Kolkata.
Sharath Gayakwad, the para-swimmer made history at
the Asian Para-Games in Incheon, South Korea, by
winning six medals.
Anirban Lahiri won the Venetian Macau Open Golf Cup.
Pankaj Advani won World Billiards Point Format
Championship at Leeds, UK. He also won the World title
in time format beating Robin Wilson of UK.
World junior Chess title 2014: Lu Shanglei of China
defeated Aleksander Indjic of Serbia to win the title in
Pune, Maharashtra.
35th Senior National Archery Championship held in
New Delhi, won by Punjab.
Champions League Twenty 20: Chennai Super Kings
won the trophy by defeating Kolkata Knight Riders at
the M. Chinn aswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
The multi-sport Paralympic Games 2015 will be held
in India in February 2015.
4th Sultan of Johor Cup (hockey) for under 21 won by
India beating Great Britain at Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
James Tull: A club cricketer in Australia created history
by scoring a triple ton – 341 runs - with 25 sixes and 34
fours
Shanghai Rolex Masters (Tennis) – 2014 won by
Roger Federer (Switzerland) beating Gilles Simon
(France) in Shanghai, China.
KOHEI UCHIMURA: Japan’s gymnast won his fifth
straight all-around world title at the Gymnastics World
Championships in Nanning, China.
ATP CHINA OPEN Tennis Cup 2014, Beijing
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beats Tomas Berdych (Czech)
to win men’s singles title.
Maria Sharapova (Russia) beats Petra Kvitova(Czech)
to win women’s singles title
Serena Williams (USA) beat Simona Halep (Romania)
to lift the WTA Finals cup at Singapore.
Sania Mirza and Cara Black (Zimbabwe) won the WTA
finals women's doubles tennis title at Singapore.
NOVEMBER 2014
ROHIT SHARMA made history by scoring the highest
individual score of 264 runs (173b, 33x4, 9x6) in the
world history of ODIs, playing against Sri Lanka in
Kolkata’s Eden Garden Stadium on Nov 13.
C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2014:
Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar. The Award is
given by BCCI.

50. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 49
Polly Umrigar Award 2013-14: Pacer Bhuvneshwar
Kumar for being India’s best international cricketer of
the year, given by BCCI.
ICC’s LG People's Choice Award 2014: Indian fast
bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar
ABHINAV BINDRA: India’s ace shooter became the first
Indian to be elected as Chairman of International
Shooting Sport Federation's (ISSF) Athletes Committee.
Sachin Tendulkar was inducted into the Bradman Hall
of Fame on 5th October at the Sydney Cricket Ground,
Australia.
Ms Deborah, a tribal girl from Andaman and Nicobar
Islands has created history in National Level by winning
four Gold Medals in the Track Asia Cup Cycling
Championship 2014 held at New Delhi.
54th National Open Athletics Championships held at
New Delhi. Tintu Luka was adjudged the best female
athlete and Ankit Sharma was named the best male
athlete.
South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's
Championship: India wins beating Nepal in Islamabad,
Pakistan.
Indian cricket team won 5-match ODI series in a
whitewash against Sri Lanka, winning all the five
matches.
Saina Nehwal and K Srikanth clinched the women's
and men's singles title (Badminton) of the China Open
Super Series Premier in Fuzhou, China, on 15th Nov.
Duleep Trophy: Central Zone lifts the cricket cup after
beating South Zone at New Delhi.
43rd Handball National Championship (women’s):
Punjab beats Haryana to win the tournament at
Mastuana Sahib, Punjab.
127th Durand Cup: Salgaocar FC won the prestigious
Football championship in Goa, defeating Pune FC.
World Kabaddi League: United Singhs won the finals
beating Khalsa Warriors at Mohali, Punjab.
68th Sr. National Aquatic Championship held at
Kolkata.
Terry Walsh quits as the Head Coach of the National
Hockey team.
Mitchell Johnson: Australia’s fast bowler won the
International Cricket Council's (ICC) Sir Garfield Sobers
trophy for the Cricketer of the Year award for 2014.
AB de Villiers: South Africa’s batsman was voted the
ODI player of 2014.
Sarah Taylor: England’s wicketkeeper was named
women’s player of 2014.
Lionel Messi: FC Barcelona superstar became the all-
time highest scorer in La Liga history by scoring 253
goals, playing against Sevilla in Spain.
Lewis Hamilton of UK won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as
well as the Formula 1 racing championship title of the
year becoming the first British double world champion
since Jackie Stewart in 1971.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway has retained his World
Chess Championship title defeating five-time champion
Viswanathan Anand in the 11th game at Sochi, Russia
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) won the Barclays ATP World
Tour Finals on Nov 16 at London.
Switzerland won their first ever Davis Cup Tennis title
at Lille, France, beating France.
World Women's Boxing Championships held in Jiju,
South Korea. S Sarjubala and Saweety won the silver
medals for India.
World Tour Golf Championship held at Jumeirah Golf
states in Dubai is won by Henrik Stenson from Sweden.
2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships to be
hosted by Doha, Qatar. 2015 and 2017 games will be
hosted by Beijing and London, respectively.
Africa Cup of Nations 2015 - The 16 nation Football
tournament will be hosted by Equatorial Guinea.
Seaways IBSF World Snooker Championship held at
Bengaluru.
Lee Chong Wei: World number one in Badminton has
been suspended by The Badminton World Federation
due to an apparent anti-doping regulation violation.
OCTOBER 2014
The 17th Asian Games came to an end at Incheon on 4th
October. China topped with 342 medals (151 gold, 108
silver and 83 bronze) followed by South Korea (234)
and Japan (200).
 India was placed at 8th rank, securing 57 medals -
11 Gold, 10 Silver and 36 Bronze.
 Kosuke Hagino, the Japanese swimmer, was named
as the “Most Valuable Player” of the 17th Asian
Games.
 MC Mary Kom, gold medal winner boxer was
chosen as the ‘Most Valuable Player of India’ at the
recent Incheon Asian Games.
 The 18th Asian Games will be held in 2018 in
Jakarta, Indonesia.
FILA Senior World Wrestling Championship held in
Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Li Na, China's ace tennis star and only Grand Slam
winner announced her retirement at the age of 32.

51. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 50
BOOKS & AUTHORS
BOOK AUTHOR
Vande Bharatam Pandit Prabodh Kumar
Mishra.
How Modi Won It Harish Khare
The Last Illusion Porochista Khakpour
Adultery Paulo Coelho
Life is What You Make it Preeti Shenoy
In God’s Hands Desmond Tutu Templeton
prize winner
Family Life Akhil Sharma, the book has
been selected by The New
York Times Book Review
as one of the ten Best
Books of 2014.
Born Again on the
Mountain
Arunima Sinha, the first
Indian female amputee to
climb Mount Everest.
2014: The Election That
Changed India
Rajdeep Sardesai
Next China-India War -
World's First Water War –
2029
Gen. Sundarajan
Padmanabhan, former
Indian Army Chief
Your Dreams are Mine
Now
Ravinder Singh
7 Secretes of the Goddess Dev Dutt Pattnaik
The Dramatic Decade: The
Indira Gandhi Years
Pranab Mukherjee,
President of India
The Scatter Here is Too
Great
Bilal Tanweer of Lahore
won the 2014 Shakti Bhatt
First Book Prize
Truth Always Prevails Sadruddin Hashwani
The Rich John Kampfner
Final Test: Exit Sachin
Tendulkar
Dilip D’Souza
The Narrow Road to the
Deep North
Richard Flanagan
A Man and A Motorcycle,
How Hamid Karzai Came
to Power
Bette Dam
Worthy Fights: A Memoir
of Leadership in War and
Peace by Leon Panetta
Jim Newton
Sons of Brahama Dhruba Hazarika
The divided Island Samanth Subramanian
And then One Day: A Autobiography of noted
Memoir film artist Naseeruddin
Shah
The Highlights Frank Keating
Odyssey of My Life Autobiography of former
Union Home Minister
Shivraj Patil
Playing It My Way –My
Autobiography
cricket legend Sachin
Tendulkar
Gods of Antarctica Yashwardhan Shukla, a 13
year old school boy from
Delhi
The Lives of Others by
Neel Mukherjee, Kolkata-
born British author.
The book has been
shortlisted for the
prestigious Booker Prize
2014
Heaven is for Real Todd Burpo & Lynn
Vincent
The Boys in the Boat Daniel James Brown
Orange is the New Black Piper Kerman
The Book of Life Deborah Harkness
The Goldfinch Donna Tartt
Half Girlfriend Chetan Bhagat
Simian Vikram Balagopal
One Life is Not Enough Natwar Singh
Not Just an Accountant Vinod Rai
Assassination of Rajiv
Gandhi: An Inside Job
Faraz Ahmad
Strictly Personal,
Manmohan and Gursharan
Ms Daman Singh
The Lives of Others Neel Mukherjee
Finding Neema Juliet Reynolds
Half a Rupee Stories Gulzar
The Substance and The
Shadow
Udaya Tara Nayar, a
biography of veteran actor
Dilip Kumar
Innovation in India Shyama V. Ramani
Blood Feud: The Clintons
vs. The Obamas
Edward Klein
Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie
Americanah
Hannah Kent Burial Rites
Audrey Magee The Undertaking
Eimear McBride A Girl Is a Half-Formed
Thing

52. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 51

53. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 52
Latest MCQs
ON CURRENT AFFAIRS
1. The richest man in the world, as per the
latworldest Forbes data is………, with a total
net worth of $ …. billion.
A. Carlos Hemu, 99.6 B. Warren Buffett, 90
C. Bill Gates, 79.6 D. Larry Page, 120
2. The recent cut by the Reserve Bank in …….. has
raised hopes of a cut in interest rates and a fall
in Equated Monthly Installments.
A. Statutory Liquidity Ratio
B. Reverse Repo Rate
C. Repo Rate
D. Coupon rate on G-secs
3. Editor Unplugged: Media Magnates, Netas and
Me was the last book written by him. Before
that, his Lucknow Boy had become quite
popular popular. He was one of the most
outspoken anti-establishment journalists who
never spared anyone. Which famous editor,
who passed away recently, are we talking
about?
A. Aroon Purie B. B G Verghese
C. Vinod Mehta D. N Ram
4. To help build affordable housing in India (up to
Rs. 10 lakh), the Reserve Bank has decided to
A. include the stamp duty and registration charges
in the loan amount
B. introduce an interest subvention scheme
C. abolish the requirement of margin money
D. extend the repayment period upto 40 years
5. A Maitri Bus Seva has been started between
A. India – Bangladesh B. India-Pakistan
C. India- Nepal D. India-Mynamar
6. Which of the following is/ are NOT part/s of the
Atal Pension Yojana announced by the
government?
1. The scheme applies to people between 18 years
and 50 years.
2. The government will contribute a maximum of
Rs. 1000 per year for 5 years to help promote it.
3. It will replace the existing NPS - Lite and
Swavlamban schemes.
A. 1 only B. 1, 2
C. 2 only D. 2, 3
7. With which nation has India signed four deals
on hydrography, energy, infrastructure and
marine security during PM Modi’s visit in
March?
A. Nepal B. Maldives
C. Mauritius D. Seychelles
8. Which wing of India’s defence forces conducted
TROPEX, a month-long exercise for validating
its operational readiness?
A. All three forces B. Navy
C. Air Force D. Army
9. As per the Mercer Quality of Living Index 2015,
the best Indian city to live in, is
A. Chandigarh B. Bengaluru
C. Hyderabad D. Gandhinagar
10. The Rota vaccine was recently launched in
India as part of its fight against
A. Polio B. Malaria
C. Goitre D. Diarrhoea
11. Shaheen –III, a Surface to Surface missile, and
Hatf were recently tested by
A. Bangladesh B. Pakistan
C. Iraq D. India
12. Kumar Sangakkara was in news recently for
having
A. bowled out three cricketers in the opening ball
of an over.
B. scored a record three 100s consecutively in ODIs
C. scored a record four 100s consecutively in ODIs
D. scored 6 sixes in an over
13. Which state government has launched the
Aapki Beti, Hamari Beti campaign to help the
girl child?
A. Uttar Pradesh B. Himachal Pradesh
C. Delhi D. Haryana
14. Which financial institution will invest a record
1, 50, 000 crore in Indian Railways to help it
develop rail infrastructure?
A. Life Insurance Corp of India
B. Infrastructure Dev. Finance Corporation
C. World Bank
D. State Bank of India
15. The revised Consumer Price Index (CPI), a
barometer of retail inflation in India, has the
new base year as
A. 2008-09 B. 2004-05
C. 2012-13 D. 2011-12

54. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 53
16. Which two cricketers has been voted the two
greatest ODI Players by Cricket Monthly?
A. Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev
B. Sachin Tendulkar, Don Bradman
C. Don Brdaman, Viv Richards
D. Sachin Tendulkar, Viv Richards
17. The acronym ARC stands for
A. Asset Reconverted Into Capital
B. Asset Reconstruction Company
C. Agriculture Reinsurance Corporation
D. Asset Revaluation Company
18. The Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in a bank
are
A. the loans which have been extended many times
under the ever-greening norms
B. the loans against which only the principal is
repaid
C. those loans and advances which are not paid by
the borrowers and on which the bank does not
earn any income
D. those loans and advances which are partly paid
by the borrowers
19. All major economic data on industrial output,
inflation and economic growth in India are
collated and released by the
A. Central Statistics Office
B. Reserve Bank of India
C. National Sample Survey Organization
D. Planning Commission
20. Creator of the fantasy novel series Discworld,
who passed away recently, was
A. Geoffrey Archer B. Kate Blanchett
C. Robert Ludlum D. Terry Pratchett
21. The prices of essential drugs in India are
regulated by
A. Demand and supply forces in the market
B. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
C. National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
(NPPA)
D. Drugs Controller of India
22. Which of the following IS/ ARE true of
Mohammed Nasheed, who dominated the
newspaper headlines in March, 2015?
1. He is the ex-President of Maldives.
2. He was sentenced to a 13 year jail term on
charges of terrorism.
3. The case pertains to the illegal detention of a
judge in 2012.
A. 1, 3 B. 1, 2
C. None of these D. 1, 2, 3
23. Narendra Modi became the first Indian Prime
Minister to visit …… after a gap of more than 25
years.
A. Seychelles B. Maldives
C. Fiji D. Sri Lanka
24. As per the Union Budget 2015-16, the total
amount allowed as savings under Section 80 C,
is
A. Rs. 1 lakh B. Rs. 1.5 lakh
C. Rs. 2 lakh D. Rs. 2.5 lakh
25. Which political party was in news throughout
March due to internal wrangling among its
founder members?
A. Congress B. Aam Admi Party
C. BJP D. Samajwadi Party
26. Which of the following pairs is/are FALSE in the
context of some new appointments made
recently?
1. Arun Kumar Singh: India’s Ambassador to USA
2. Jagmohan Dalmia: President, BCCI
3. Kshatrapti Shivaji: Chairman, SIDBI
4. Satya Nadella: CEO, Microsoft
A. 1 only B. 2 only
C. 1 and 3 D. None of these
27. Solar Impulse, the world’s only solar-powered
aircraft, made a stopover at __________during its
first global flight.
A. Ahmadabad B. Mumbai
C. New Delhi D. Bengaluru
28. The task of linking the Aadhar cards to
respective bank accounts is being performed by
the
A. Reserve Bank of India
B. Unique Identification Authority of India
C. UTI Software and Technologies Ltd
D. National Payments Corporation of India
29. Saina Nehwal created history by becoming the
first Indian woman to
A. enter the finals of the Uber Cup
B. enter the finals of the All-England Badminton
Championship.
C. win the All England Badminton Championship
D. enter the finals of the Thomas Cup
30. The Santosh Trophy is awarded in
A. Hockey B. Cricket
C. Badminton D. Football
31. Dimapur in Nagaland hogged the national
headlines recently due to
A. a terrorist massacre there
B. 35th National Games being held there
C. a mob lynching incident there
D. None of these
32. Which of the following Day-Date pairs is/are
INCORRECT?
1. International Women’s Day: March 15
2. National Science Day: February 28
3. National Martyrs Day: March 23
4. National Youth Day: Jan 11

55. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 54
A. 1 only B. 1, 3
C. 1, 3, 4 D. All pairs are incorrect
33. The acronym GIM stands for
A. Give India Money
B. Green India Mission
C. Green International Mission
D. Go India Mission
34. The backwaters of …….. are a major tourist
draw, which get lakhs of visitors annually.
A. Goa B. Puducherry
C. Kerala D. Andamans
35. The most asset-rich company in India is
Reliance Industries Ltd, followed by
A. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
B. Bharat Petroleum Corporation
C. Indian Oil Corporation
D. Steel Authority of India Ltd
36. The apex authority under the Right To
Information Act is the
A. State Information Commission
B. Central Information Commission
C. Information Ombudsman
D. Supreme Court
37. The new Rs. 1 currency note released by the
Reserve Bank carries the signature of the
A. Chairman, Finance Commission
B. Governor, RBI C. Finance Minister
D. Finance Secretary
38. All complaints regarding unfair trade practices
like overcharging, manipulation of supply and
cartelization by the companies in India are
heard by the
A. Competition Commission of India
B. Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices
Commission.
C. National Consumer Forum
D. Food and Civil Supplies Ministry
39. The term Fiscal Consolidation, commonly found
in newspapers, refers to
A. Improvement in the fiscal deficit position
B. Better tax collections
C. Lesser public debt burden
D. Better economic growth
40. Moody’s, often mentioned in newspapers, is
a/an
A. Bank in Switzerland
B. Major housing finance player in the USA
C. Credit rating agency
D. International development finance institution
41. The level of industrial output in India is
measured by computing the
A. Core industrial output
B. Index of Industrial Production
C. S & P 500
D. GDP growth rate
42. The Saraswati Samman 2015 has gone to
A. Nirmala Sitharaman B. M Veerappa Moily
C. Kedar Nath Singh D. Bhalchandra Nemade
43. Which new bill generated great heat and even
walk-outs by the opposition in Parliament
recently?
A. Special Economic Zones Bill
B. National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill
C. National Food Security Bill
D. Land Acquisition Bill
44. A cut in the Repo Rate ……. a bank’s …… and is
likely to lead to ……….
A. increases, cost, higher EMIs
B. improves, liquidity, more loans
C. worsens, liquidity, lesser loans
D. lowers, cost, lower EMIs
45. The Lok Sabha recently okayed the Motor
Vehicles Act to
A. bring e-rickshaws and e-carts under it
B. reduce the minimum age for a driving license in
India
C. introduce more stringent norms for pollution
control
D. bring in severe penalties for violations of traffic
rules
46. Which states in India have been excluded from
the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime for
foreign tourists?
A. Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam
B. Manipur, Chhattisgarh, J & K
C. Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland, J& K
D. Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland
47. Pick the odd one out.
A. Roger Federer B. Rafael Nadal
C. Novak Djokovik D. Lewis Hamilton
48. The …….. committee constituted by the Reserve
Bank had recommended inflation targeting as
is the practice in developed countries and
consequently, the RBI and the government have
decide on an inflation target of ……. by January,
2016.
A. C Rangrajan, 5% B. R Gandhi, 6%
C. Urjit Patel, 6% D. KJ Udeshi, 6%
49. The first meeting of Lok Sabha in the year 2015
was addressed by
A. Aang San Su Kyi B. Pranab Mukherjee
C. Narendra Modi D. Barack Obama
50. Delhi is known as a limited state because
A. it is the national capital
B. it has a Lt. Governor as its Head of State
C. it has got comparatively lesser powers.
D. it is the National Capital Territory

56. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 55
51. Which Bollywood star has been roped into
promote British Tourism?
A. Salman Khan B. Saif Ali Khan
C. Amitabh Bachchan D. Aamir Khan
52. The brand ambassador for the Nirmal Bharat
Abhiyaan, which now forms part of the Swachh
Bharat Abhiyaan, is
A. Meeta Vashisht B. Shabana Azmi
C. Vidya Balan D. Nandita Dass
53. The revised Consumer Price Index (Urban) will
comprise how many items?
A. 448 B. 676
C. 536 D. 460
54. Which two nations have recently joined the
Reserve Bank’s list of countries whose
nationals CANNOT buy immovable property in
India?
A. Pakistan, Hong Kong B. Hong Kong, Singapore
C. Pakistan, Sri Lanka D. Hong Kong, Macau
55. An Asset Reconstruction Company is mainly
involved in
A. working with financial institutions, including
banks, to help them restructure bad loans and
recover the money due
B. buying the physical assets of sick financial
institutions to help them tide over a financial crisis
C. helping the banks rebuild their offices in line
with international norms
D. helping sick companies sell their physical assets
to let them recover money, to be paid to their
creditors
56. Securitization is a term frequently used in the
context of
A. The securities markets
B. Physical safety of the currency held with a bank
C. Non Performing Assets of banks and other
financial institutions
D. Granting of loans by a bank against a collateral
security
57. The Ranji Trophy 2015 title was lifted by
A. Panjab, after defeating Haryana
B. Karnataka, after defeating Tamil Nadu
C. Tamil Nadu, after defeating Karnataka
D. Karnataka, after defeating Kerala
58. Section 66 of the Information Technology Act,
quashed by the Supreme Court as being
unconstitutional, basically dealt with
A. phishing and cyber-squatting
B. freedom of online writing
C. guidelines on which topics and how long the
online posts can be
D. offensive online posts and comments
59. Which of the following international
organization tracks the supply of key food
items in the world?
A. Food and Agriculture Organization
B. World Trade Organization
C. World Food Organization
D. International Food Organization
60. Which of the following new laws have been
passed in the Lok Sabha recent?
1. Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill
2. Coal Mining Bill
3. Special Economic Zones Bill
Select your answer using the coder given below.
A. 1, 3 B. 1, 2, 3
C. 1 only D. 1, 2
61. …………. was the architect of modern Singapore,
who died recently. He had ruled it with an iron
hand since 1959 and transformed a poor port
city into an economically powerful nation.
A. Goh Chok Tong B. Ram Ghoolam
C. Lee Kuan Yew D. None of these
62. The President of which country in trouble had
to flee from his house due to violent attacks by
the extremists?
A. Burundi B. Yemen
C. Egypt D. Eriteria
63. Many states in India have been in the grip of a
fatal infectious disease called ………., which has
claimed hundreds of lives.
A. Bovine Flu B. Dengue
C. Tamiflu D. Swine Flu
64. India was defeated in the World Cup Cricket
semi-finals by
A. Pakistan B. Australia
C. New Zeland D. South Africa
65. Section 66 of the IT Act, recently quashed by the
apex court in India, violates which article of the
Indian Constitution, as per the court?
A. Article 19 B. Article 21
C. Article 14 D. Article 32
66. Christine Lagarde, who visited India recently, is
A. Managing Director, International Monetary
Fund
B. Chancellor of Germany
C. UN General Secretary
D. Chairperson, World Bank
67. The Olive Ridley turtles are found in abundance
in/ on the
A. Mithapur Coral Garden
B. Lakshadweep coast
C. Periyar river D. Odisha Coast
68. Which of the following pairs is wrongly
matched in the context of National Film
Honours 2015?
A. Best Movie for Wholesome Entertainment:
Queen
B. Best Male Playback Singer: Sukhwinder Singh

57. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 56
C. Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut
D. Best Music Direction: Vishal Bhardwaj
69. In a landmark order, the Supreme Court has
nullified the government decision to
A. include Jats in the Other Backward Classes (OBC)
category.
B. include Muslims in the Other Backward Classes
(OBC) category.
C. continue indefinitely the reservations for SC/ ST
categories in jobs
D. abolish the creamy layer in case of Other
Backward Classes
70. The projected foodgrain output in the FY 2015-
16 is expected to cross
A. 450 million tons B. 249 million tons
C. 157 million tons D. 257 million tons
71. The Minimum Support Prices (MSP) of farm
commodities in India are proposed by the
A. Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices
B. NITI Aayog C. Finance Ministry
D. Agricultural Prices Commission
72. As per the latest data, the biggest global buyers
of arms are
A. India, Saudi Arabia, China, UAE and Pakistan
B. Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, UAE and Pakistan
C. India, Israel, China, UAE and Pakistan
D. Saudi Arabia, China, UAE, Israel and Pakistan
73. France, Germany and Italy have decided to join
the
A. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
B. World Trade Organization
C. New Development Bank
D. Basel agreement
74. Which young IAS officer’s death in Bengaluru
sparked off massive public protests, resulting
in a CBI probe into his mysterious death?
A. Nirmal Subramanian B. DK Siddaramiah
C. Sanjeev Ravi D. DK Ravi
75. Who among the following is a recipient of the
Global Teacher Prize, a $ 1 million prize set up
by the Varkey Foundation, USA for exceptional
teachers?
A. Nancie Atwell B. Ashoke Sen
C. Dr. RA Mashlekar D. Jolie Atkinson
76. The new insurance plan to be offered by the
Life Insurance Corporation and other insurers
for life insurance is named
A. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Bima Yojana (DDUBY)
B. Mahatma Gandhi Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana
(MGJJBY)
C. Atal Jyoti Bima Yojana (AJBY)
D. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana
(PMJJBY)
77. Lucknow Boy: A Memoir is authored by
A. Vinod Mehta B. Aroon Purie
C. Hartosh Bal D. Saeed Naqvi
78. Which of the following constitute/s an act/s of
disrespect to the National Flag of India?
1. Flying the National Flag after the sunset
2. Not keeping the officially prescribed length to
width ratio
3. Letting it touch the lower part of one’s body
A. 2 Only B. 1, 2
C. 1, 2, 3 D. 1, 3
79. The National Financial Switch, which runs the
entire ATM network in the country, is managed
by the
A. National Payments Corporation of India
B. Reserve Bank of India
C. Private parties authorized by the Reserve Bank
of India D. None of these
80. Which of the following is/ are NOT eligible
beneficiary/es for priority sector loans in
India?
1. Handicapped people
2. Scheduled Castes/ Tribes
3. Women 4. Rural artisans
A. 3 only B. 1 and 3
C. 4 only D. None of these
81. Which city played host to the 55th National
Ayurvedic Congress?
A. Varanasi B. Jamnagar
C. Chandigarh D. Haridwar
82. A Public Limited Company in India, as per the
SEBI guidelines, must have a minimum ……..
shareholding with the general public in India.
A. 75% B. 25%
C. 50% D. 30%
83. The Earth Hour was observed on ………. in
March, 2015.
A. 15th B. 29th
C. 8th D. 28th
84. Which of the following terms is NOT related to
environmental protection?
A. COP 20 B. Carbon deficit
C. Carbon Trading D. Carbon Footprint
85. The acronym UMPP, which was in news
recently, implies
A. Ultra Modern Power Project
B. Unfinished Mega Power Project
C. Ultra Mega Power Project
D. Unified Mega Power Project
86. Which of the following was / were not part/s of
the General Budget 2015-16 presented
recently?
1. Enhanced individual tax threshold of Rs. 3.5 lac
2. Gold Bond Scheme
3. Reduction in Corporate Tax Rate

58. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 57
A. 2, 3 B. 1 only
C. 1, 2, 3 D. 1, 2
87. The Giving Pledge, a global initiative to
motivate multi-billionaires to donate half of
their wealth to charity, has been started by
A. Laxmi Narayan Mittal B. Bill Gates
C. Warren Buffett D. Carlos Hemu
88. God’s Own Country -- This is how ……… tries to
sell itself as a tourism destination.
A. Singapore B. Switzerland
C. Andamans D. Kerala
89. Which two global food and beverage companies
have decided to merge, thereby creating the 5th
largest food company globally?
A. Nestle and Heinz B. Kraft and Hershey
C. Heinz and Hershey D. Heinz and Kraft
90. India’s first International Financial Services
Centre (IFSC) called GIFT City is coming up in
A. Gandhinagar B. Bengaluru
C. Surat D. Mumbai
91. In a rare honour, Mahatma Gandhi’s bronze
statue was unveiled recently in/ at the
A. British Parliament, London
B. Public Square, Johannesburg
C. Tienmann Square Plaza, Beijing
D. Parliament Square, London
92. The first Indian to win the Swiss Grand Prix
Gold Badminton Championship is
A. Deepika Pallikal B. Saina Nehwal
C. Kidambi Srikanth D. Jawala Gutta
93. Which country’s capital city was in news for a
terrorist incident, involving killings of foreign
tourists?
A. Syria B. Yemen
C. Tunisia D. Algeria
94. Which of the following is/are FALSE in respect
of ASTRA, recently tested at the Integrated Test
Range, Chandipur?
1. It is a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air
missile, which can run at supersonic speeds
2. It can be launched in any kind of weather
conditions.
3. It has been developed by the Indian Army in
collaboration with Russia.
A. 1 only B. 2 Only
C. None of these D. 3 Only
95. Which India-born scientist has been chosen to
head the prestigious Royal Society of England?
A. Dr. CNR Rao B. Dr. V Ramakrishnan
C. Dr. RA Mashlekar D. Dr. Ashoke Sen
96. The Abel Prize given by Norway’s Academy of
Sciences and Letters is awarded in the field of
A. Medicine B. Mathematics
C. Chemistry D. Physics
97. The Sagarmala Project is related to
A. Strengthening India’s coastal defences in the
wake of Mumbai terror attacks
B. Improving India’s maritime commerce with
neighbouring island nations
C. The creation of 12 smart cities at ports and many
coastal economic zones.
D. The commissioning of new naval warships to
replace the outdated ones
98. The Dada Saheb Phalke Prize 2015 has been
awarded to
A. Shashi Kapoor B. Amitabh Bachchan
C. Rishi Kapoor D. D Nageshwar Rao
99. Which new tax regime would start rolling out
from the financial year 2016-17?
A. General Anti –Avoidance Rules (GAAR)
B. Direct Tax Code C. Goods and Services Tax
D. Both B and C
100. Sanaa in Yemen was in news recently due to
A. Killings of Shia Muslims by Sunni militants
B. Shia–Sunni riots there
C. A terrorist attack on a school there
D. A bombing incident at a foreign consulate office
there
ANSWER KEY
Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A.
1 C 2 C 3 C 4 A 5 C
6 A 7 D 8 B 9 C 10 D
11 B 12 C 13 D 14 A 15 D
16 D 17 B 18 C 19 A 20 D
21 C 22 D 23 D 24 B 25 B
26 D 27 A 28 D 29 B 30 D
31 C 32 C 33 B 34 C 35 C
36 B 37 D 38 A 39 A 40 C
41 B 42 B 43 D 44 D 45 A
46 D 47 D 48 C 49 B 50 C
51 B 52 C 53 D 54 D 55 A
56 C 57 B 58 D 59 A 60 D
61 C 62 B 63 D 64 B 65 A
66 A 67 D 68 A 69 A 70 D
71 A 72 A 73 A 74 D 75 A
76 D 77 A 78 C 79 A 80 D
81 C 82 B 83 D 84 B 85 C
86 B 87 C 88 D 89 D 90 A
91 D 92 C 93 C 94 D 95 B
96 B 97 C 98 A 99 C 100 A

59. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 58
F C I MODEL
TEST PAPER
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE
Directions: In question nos. 1 to 3, select the missing
number from the given responses.
1) 9 30 21
6 ? 14
12 40 28
a) 20 b) 33
c) 37 d) 70
2)
a) 22 b) 24
c) 25 d) 28
3)
a) 36 b) 117
c) 52 d) 26
4) Ram and Shyam started from a fixed place. Ram
moves 3 km to the North and turns right, then
walks 4 km. Shyam moves towards West and
walks 5 km, then turns to right and walks 3 km.
How far Ram is from Shyam?
a) 13 km b) 16 km
c) 9 km d) 10 km
5) Which one is true?
1. All players are not tall.
2. All basketball players are tall.
3. All tall people are players.
4. Some players are tall.
a) 4 b) 3
c) 2 d) 1
6) One statement is given followed by two
Assumptions, I and II. You have to consider the
statement to be true, even if it seems to be at
variance from commonly known facts. You are to
decide which of the given assumptions can
definitely be drawn from the given statement.
Indicate your answer.
Statement: All the people in Kerala are literate.
Assumption I: People of Kerala are well
educated and cultured.
Assumption II: People of Kerala are hard
working and sincere.
a) Only I is implicit. b) Only II is implicit.
c) Both I and II are implicit.
d) Neither I nor II is implicit.
7) A student walked out from the Classroom
towards the Library. She went first to the
Canteen on the left side, 24 ft away. After a cup of
tea, took a right turn and went to the Laboratory
13 ft away. She then went to the Physics Block, 15
ft to the left. She talked to a friend, in the garden
3 ft on the left and continued walking in the same
direction to the Library, 10 ft more. What was the
actual distance between the Library and the
Classroom?
a) 42 ft b) 65 ft
c) 39 ft d) 34 ft
Directions: In question no. 8 to 14, select the related
letter/word/number from the given alternatives.
8) India : Mango : : New Zealand :?
a) Apples b) Kiwi
c) Grapes d) Bananas
9) Put the correct words in the blanks:
Christmas : ? : : ? : Biryani
a) christian, Muslim b) Cashew, Rice
c) Jesus, Ramzan d) Cake, Id-ul-Fitre
10) VZS : EAH : : ? : JFM
a) QSM b) NUQ
c) QUN d) QNU

60. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 59
11) HJLN : PRTV : : BDFH : ?
a) JMOR b) JLNP
c) KLOR d) JKOR
12) DLOC : ECI : : TOH : ?
a) EET b) EAT
c) AET d) ETA
13) 42 : 20 : : 64 : ?
a) 31 b) 32
c) 40 d) 42
14) Ravishankar : Sitar : : Bismillah Khan : ?
a) Sarod b) Santoor
c) Shehnai d) Flute
Directions: In question nos. 15 to 16, choose the
numbers similar to the group of numbers given.
15) 536, 428, 365
a) 358 b) 435
c) 624 d) 266
16) 580, 265, 373
a) 366 b) 490
c) 428 d) 383
Directions: In question nos. 17 to 23, find the odd
number/letters/number pair from the given
alternatives.
17) a) NOTA b) NATO
c) NASA d) NAM
18) a) Diamond b) Gold
c) Silver d) Platinum
19) a) GHI b) PRS
c) UVW d) ABC
20) a) 45, 6, 7 b) 15, 3, 4
c) 32, 5, 6 d) 23, 4, 5
21) a) 725 b) 840
c) 632 d) 475
22) a) 64 – 36 b) 75 – 35
c) 57 – 43 d) 39 – 61
23) a) Orange b) Apple
c) Lemon d) Grapes
24) Which one of the given responses would be a
meaningful order of the following words?
1. Type 2. Print
3. Open 4. Save
5. Close
a) 3, 4, 1, 2, 5 b) 3, 5, 4, 2, 1
c) 3, 1, 4, 2, 5 d) 3, 2. 1, 4, 5
25) Which one of the given responses would be a
meaningful order of the following words?
1. Evaluation 2. Presentation
3. Recap 4. Aim announcement
5. Motivation
a) 1, 2, 5, 3, 4 b) 5, 2, 1, 4, 3
c) 5, 4, 2, 3, 1 d) 2, 1, 3, 4, 5
26) In the following question letters are skipped
between by following a particular rule. Which of
the following series observes the rule?
a) BDFIJ b) DGJLM
c) BDHPF d) ACFHJ
27) Which one is different from the rest three?
a) Polar Bear b) Penguin
c) Seal d) Tiger
28) Which one set of letters when sequentially placed
at the gaps in the given letter series shall
complete it?
_ ab _ b _ bc _ ca _
a) accbb b) abcca
c) cacab d) abacb
29) Select the odd word:
a) Compress b) Condense
c) Concise d) Convert
Directions: In ques. Nos. 30 to 34, choose the correct
alternative from the given ones that will complete the
series.
30) KKMLLNMMONNPOOQP?
a) PQ b) ST
c) QV d) PR
31) 30, 24, 19, 15, 12,?
a) 6 b) 8
c) 10 d) 11
32) 2, 7, 17, 32, 52, 77, ?
a) 107 b) 91
c) 101 d) 92
33) 30, 28, 23, 21,?
a) 15 b) 16
c) 18 d) 20
34) 1. A, C, E 2. B, D, F
3. G, I, K 4. ?
a) L, J, H b) Z, Y, X
c) H, J, L d) K, L, M

61. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 60
35) In a zoo, there are Rabbits and Pigeons. If heads
are counted, there are 200 and if legs are
counted, there are 580. How many pigeons are
there?
a) 90 b) 100
c) 110 d) 120
36) From the given alternatives, select the word
which cannot be formed using the letters of the
given word:
FRAGMENT
a) RAGE b) TEAR
c) MEAN d) RACE
37) If DEVELOPMENT is written as 45853106572,
how ENVELOPE can be written in that code?
a) 57851305 b) 57853105
c) 57835105 d) 57850135
38) If MARCH is coded as PXUZK, what will be the
code of APRIL?
a) DMUFO b) DSULO
c) ZKIRO d) ZKRIO
39) If A denotes +, B denotes – and C denotes x, then
(10 C 4) A (4 C 4) B 6 = ?
a) 46 b) 50
c) 55 d) 58
40) What sign should be changed to make the
equation
5 + 6, 3 – 12 x 2 = 17 correct?
a) + b) +x
c) -+ d) None of these
41) If 10 boys walk 10 km in 10 days, then how many
days it will take for 3 boys to walk 10 km?
a) 1 b) 3
c) 6 d) 10
42) How many rectangles are there in the given
figure?
a) 6 b) 4
c) 8 d) 10
43) From the answer figures, select the one which
can be formed from the components given in the
question figure.
Directions: In question no. 44 and 45, identify the
diagram that best represents the relationship among
classes given below:
44) Govt Servants, Lecturers, Doctors
45) M.K. Gandhi, Umesh Chandra Bandhopadhyay,
Jatin Das and Surya Sen
46) Which answer figure will complete the pattern in
the question figure?
47) Which of the answer figures is embedded in the
question figure?
48) A piece of paper is folded and cut as shown below
in the question figures. From the given answer
figures, indicate how it will appear when opened.

62. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 61
49) Identify the alternative which resemble the
mirror-image of the given word.
50) A word is represented by only one set of numbers
as given in any one of the alternative. The sets of
numbers given in the alternatives are
represented by two classes of alphabets as in two
matrices given below. The columns and rows of
Matrix I are numbered from 0 to 4 and that of
Matrix II are numbered from 5 to 9. A letter from
these matrices can be represented first by its row
and next by its column e.g., ‘A’ can be represented
by 00, 11, 20 etc and ‘P’ can be represented by 59,
68, 75, etc. Similarly, you have to identify the set
for the word ‘LOAD’.
Matrix I Matrix II
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
0 A B C D E 5 L M N O P
1 B A E D C 6 M L N P O
2 A C D B E 7 P L M N O
3 E A D C B 8 P O M N L
4 C E A D B 9 O M P L N
a) 55, 42, 86, 03 b) 66, 40, 31, 13
c) 89, 86, 11, 99 d) 76, 95, 20, 32
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Directions: In question no. 51 to 55, four alternatives
are given for the Idiom/Phrase underlined in the
sentence. Choose the alternative which best expresses
the meaning of the Idiom/Phrase and mark it in the
Answer Sheet.
51) Through the reporter’s efforts, many unknown
facts have come to light.
a) ignited b) flared up
c) brightened d) been revealed
52) I do not see eye to eye with you in this matter.
a) to give a correct decision
b) to obtain suitable punishment
c) to have the same eyesight
d) to have the same opinion
53) The boy was in Dutch with his friends.
a) in love b) in good terms
c) in awe d) in trouble
54) Their attempt to get back the stolen necklace
became a wild goose chase.
a) Wise decision b) useless search
c) timely action d) delayed action
55) The departmental store is open around the clock.
a) at different timings b) early morning
c) day and night
d) throughout the afternoon
Directions: In question no. 56 to 60, a part of the
sentence is underlined. Below are given alternatives to
the underlined part at (A), (B), (C) which may improve
the sentence. Choose the correct alternative. In case no
improvement is needed, your answer is (D). Mark your
answer in the Answer Sheet.
56) Have you ever been in New York?
a) at b) to
c) with d) No improvement
57) Wave after wave surrounded the tower.
a) engulfed b) circled
c) encircled d) No improvement
58) It is quite tough to declare which candidate will
win the presidential election.
a) predict b) augur
c) portend d) No improvement
59) Transcoding has one of the items in the new
syllabus.
a) is one of the items b) has one of the item
c) is one of the item d) No improvement
60) She does not tell lies, doesn’t she?
a) isn’t she? b) does she?
c) didn’t she? d) No improvement
Directions: In Question Nos. 61 to 65, out of the four
alternatives, choose the one which can be substituted
for the given words/ sentence.
61) The headmaster brought back to mind the
outstanding achievement of the school.
a) remembered b) reminded
c) reminisced d) recalled

63. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 62
62) Lack of feeling
a) Empathy b) Apathy
c) Sympathy d) Pity
63) Accidental good fortune
a) Serendipity b) Good luck
c) Chance d) Fluke
64) Short speech or poem given at the end of a play
or a book
a) Epilogue b) Epigram
c) Epitaph d) Epicure
65) A person who drive our motor cars
a) Driver b) Chauffeur
c) Conductor d) Lift-operator
Directions: In question Nos. 66 to 70, four words are
given in each question, out of which only one word is
correctly spelt. Find the correctly spelt word and mark
your answer in the Answer Sheet.
66) a) Narsicissism b) Narcicicism
c) Narcissism d) Narcisism
67) a) Seige b) Pharoah
c) Laison d) Portuguese
68) a) Acoustics b) Accoustics
c) Acusticts d) Accuoustics
69) a) Repertoire b) Repartoire
c) Repertwah d) Repertiore
70) a) Necessary b) Neccesarry
c) Necesarry d) Necessary
Directions: In question no. 71 to 80, in the following
passage some of the words have been left out. Read the
passage carefully and choose the correct answer to each
question out of the four alternatives and fill in the
blanks.
The other day I visited a refugee 71 where the
victims 72 the Gujarat Earthquake 73 in very 74
conditions. I was particularly 75 by an old woman who
was determined to give 76 grandchildren a better
future. She 77 a strong and 78 woman who even after
the 79 of her own children undertook such a journey
through life and never felt weak or broken but was an
80 for all.
71) a) house b) camp
c) home d) nest
72) a) of b) to
c) in d) at
73) a) was living b) are living
c) were living d) have lived
74) a) apathetic b) sympathetic
c) pathetic d) empathetic
75) a) cornered b) collected
c) worked d) moved
76) a) his b) her
c) its d) their
77) a) were b) had
c) was d) is
78) a) courageous b) continuous
c) ruinous d) careful
79) a) life b) death
c) motionless d) captivated
80) a) happiness b) determination
c) motivation d) inspiration
Directions: In question no. 81 to 85, some parts of the
sentences have errors and some are correct. Find out
which part of a sentence has an error and blacken the
oval corresponding to the appropriate letter (A, B, C). If
a sentence is free from errors, blacken the oval
corresponding to (D) in the Answer Sheet.
81) Ghana, Nigeria and Gambia, /
(A)
each have parts to play / in the
(B)
development of Africa. / No error
(C) (D)
82) In these days of inflation / a ten
(A)
rupees note will not buy you /
(B)
even an ordinary meal. / No error
(C) (D)
83) Most of my friends /
(A)
heard the earthquake /
(B)
but I was totally unaware of it. / No error
(C) (D)
84) He walks / as if the earth /
(A) (B)
belonged to him. / No error
(C) (D)

64. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 63
85) The United Nations / enquired for /
(A) (B)
a cease fire. / No error
(C) (D)
Directions: In question no. 86 to 90, sentences are
given with blanks to be filled in with an appropriate
word(s). Four alternatives are suggested for each
question. Choose the correct alternative out of the four
and indicate it by blackening the appropriate oval in the
Answer Sheet.
86) Communism and Socialism have always ____ the
sermons of economic equality.
a) said b) instructed
c) preached d) obeyed
87) Robert ____ Ali of his support.
a) assure b) ensured
c) insured d) assured
88) The students are told to ____ these words in the
dictionary.
a) look down b) look up
c) look into d) look after
89) Rama took his _____ for the wrong done to him.
a) avenge b) vengeance
c) revenge d) ravage
90) Students are not prepared ______ that kind of
question.
a) to b) with
c) for d) on
Directions: In question no. 91 to 95, out of the four
alternatives, choose the one which best expresses the
meaning of the given word and mark it in the Answer
Sheet.
91) Guile
a) Cunning b) Careful
c) Careless d) Greedy
92) Futility
a) Uselessness b) Insignificance
c) Irrelevance d) Unimportance
93) Sham
a) Real b) Genuine
c) Authentic d) Fake
94) Arduous
a) Troublesome b) Gloomy
c) Difficult d) Perilous
95) Jealous
a) Interested b) Hatred
c) Envied d) Admired
Directions: In question no. 96 to 100, choose the word
opposite in meaning to the given word and mark it in
the Answer Sheet.
96) Traditional
a) Avant-garde b) Present
c) Unusual d) Fresh
97) Turbulent
a) Harmony b) Gusty
c) Calm d) Windy
98) Profuse
a) Sparse b) Miserly
c) Brief d) Immoderate
99) Mitigate
a) Appease b) Enhance
c) Allay d) Relieve
100) Prudent
a) Dunce b) Silly
c) Foolish d) Careless
QUNTITATIVE APTITUDE
101) Two equal maximum sized circular plates are cut
off from a circular paper sheet of circumference
352 cm. Then the circumference of each circular
plate is
a) 176 cm b) 150 cm
c) 165 cm d) 180 cm
102) If a + b + c = 0, then the value of (a + b - c )2 + (b +
c – a)2 + (c + a – b ) is
a) 0 b) 8 abc
c) 4(a2 + b2 + c2) d) 4(ab + bc + ca)
103) If P3 + 3P2 + 3P = 7, then the value of P2 + 2P is
a) 4 b) 3
c) 5 d) 6
104) If x = 2015, y = 2014 and z = 2013, then value of
x2 + y2 + z2 – xy – yz – zx is
a) 3 b) 4
c) 6 d) 2
105) If 3a2 = b2  0, then the value of
is
)ba()ba(
)ba()ba(
22
33



65. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 64
a) b
2
3
b) b
c) b
2
1
d) b
3
2
106) A hemispherical bowl of internal radius 15 cm
contains a liquid. The liquid is to be filled into a
cylindrical- shaped bottles of diameter 5 cm and
height 6 cm. The number of bottles required to
empty the bowl is
a) 30 b) 40
c) 50 d) 60
107) AD is the median of a triangle ABC and O is the
centroid such that AO = 10cm. Length of OD (in
cm) is
a) 2 b) 4
c) 5 d) 7
108) The measure of the angle between the internal
and external bisector of an angle is
a) 60° b) 70°
c) 80° d) 90°
109) Two circles C1 and C2 touch each other internally
at P. Two lines PCA and PDB meet the circles C1
and C, D and C2 in A, B respectively. If BDC =
120°, then the value of ABP is equal to
a) 60° b) 80°
c) 100° d) 120°
110) DE is tangent to the circumcircle of ∆ABC at the
vertex A such that DE || BC. If AB = 17 cm, then
the length of AC is equal to
a) 16.0 cm b) 16.8 cm
c) 17.3 cm d) 17 cm
111) The distance between the centres of two circles
with radii 9 cm and 16 cm is 25 cm. The length of
the segment of the tangent between them is
a) 24 cm b) 25 cm
c) cm
3
50
d) 12 cm
112) If x > 1 and x +
12
1
2
x
1
 , then the value of x4 -
4
x
1
is
a)
20736
58975
b)
20736
59825
c)
20736
57985
d)
20736
57895
113) If tan  = ,
4
3
then the value of


22
22
cos3sin4
cos2sin4
is equal to
a)
21
1
b)
21
2
c)
21
4
d)
21
8
114) If 




 2
sinthen,b
sin
sin
,a
cos
cos
is equal to
a) 22
2
ba
1a


b) 22
2
ba
1a


c) 22
2
ba
1a


d) 22
2
ba
1a


115) Let A, B, C, D be the angles of a quadrilateral. If
they are concyclic, then the value of
Cos A + cos B + cos C + cos D is
a) 0 b) 1
c) -1 d) 2
116) If a pole of 12 m high casts a shadow of 4 3 m
long on the ground, then the sun’s angle of
elevation at that instant is
a) 30° b) 60°
c) 45° d) 90°
117) If sin ( + 18°) = cos 60° (0 < < 90°), then the
value of cos 5  is
a)
2
1
b) 0
c)
2
1
d) 1
118) The digit in unit’s place of the product
49237 x 3995 x 738 x 83 x 9 is
a) 0 b) 7
c) 5 d) 6
119) If x : y be the ratio of two whole numbers and z be
their H.C.F., then the l. c. m. of those two numbers
is
a) yz b)
y
xz
c)
z
xz
d) xyz
120) If the Universal Set
U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8} and
A = {1, 2, 3, 4}, then Ac is equal to
a) {5, 6, 7, 8} b) {5, 6, 1, 2}
c) {5, 6, 2, 3} d) {5, 6, 3, 4}

66. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 65
121) Find the nth term of the following sequence:
5 + 55 + 555 + ….. Tn
a) 5(10n – 1) b) 5n (10n-1)
c)
9
5
(10n-1) d)
n
9
5






(10n-1)
122) If 12 men or 24 boys can do a work in 66 days,
the number of days in which 15 men and 6 boys
can do it is
a) 44 b) 33
c) 55 d) 66
123) The 30th term of the series 30, ,
2
1
25 21, ,
2
1
16 …..
is
a) 0 b) -100
2
1
c) -183 d) -133
2
1
124) If diagonals of a rhombus are 24 cm and 32 cm,
then perimeter of that rhombus is
a) 80 cm b) 84 cm
c) 76 cm d) 72 cm
125) The inradius of an equilateral triangle is 3 cm,
then the perimeter of that triangle is
a) 18 cm b) 15 cm
c) 12 cm d) 6 cm
126) A double bed is marked at RS 7,500. The
shopkeeper allows successive discounts of 8%,
5% and 2%on it. What is the Net selling price?
a) Rs 6,500 b) Rs 6,000
c) Rs 6,423.90 d) Rs 6,500.50
127) X purchased an item at a discount of 10% and
sold it to Y at 10% and it to Y at 10% profit. The
marked price and the price for which Y
purchased the item are in ratio.
a) 1 : 1 b) 10 : 99
c) 20 : 99 d) 100 : 99
128) A man engaged a servant on the condition that he
would pay him Rs 90 and a turban after service of
one year. He served only for nine months and
received the turban and an amount of Rs 65. The
price of turban is
a) Rs 25 b) Rs 18.75
c) Rs 10 d) Rs 2.50
129) Tom is chasing Jerry. In the same interval of time
Tom jumps 8 times while Jerry jumps 6 times.
But the distance covered by Tom in 7 jumps is
equal to the distance covered by Jerry in 5 jumps.
The ratio of speed of Tom and Jerry is
a) 48 : 35 b) 28 : 15
c) 24 : 20 d) 20 : 21
130) Three years ago the average age of a family of 5
members was 17 years. A baby having been born,
the average age of the family remains the same
today. The age of the baby today is
a) 3 years b) 2 years
c) 1 year d) 1.5 years
131) The average marks secured by 36 students was
52. But it was discovered that an item 64 was
misread as 46. What is the correct mean of
marks?
a) 54 b) 53.5
c) 53 d) 52.5
132) A shoe company sold 50 pairs of shoes on a day
costing Rs 189.50 each for Rs 10,000. Then the
profit obtained in Rs is
a) 522 b) 525
c) 573 d) 612
133) Kamala bought a bicycle for Rs 1,650. She had to
sell it at a loss of 8%. She sold it for
a) Rs 1,581 b) Rs 1,518
c) Rs 1,510 d) Rs 1,508
134) A got twice as many marks in English as in
Science. His total marks in English, Science and
Mathematics is 180. If the ratio of his marks in
English and Mathematics is 2 : 3, what is his
marks in Science?
a) 20 b) 60
c) 30 d) 40
135) In a village 30% of the population is literate. If
the total population of the village is 6,600, then
the number of illiterate is
a) 1980 b) 4620
c) 2200 d) 3280
136) Two trains start from stations A and B and travel
towards each other at speeds of 50 kmph and 60
kmph respectively. At the time of their meeting,
the second train has travelled 120 km more than
the first. The distance between A and B is
a) 1200 km b) 1440 km
c) 1320 km d) 990 km
137) Find the difference between the compound
interest and the simple interest on Rs 32,000 at
10% p.a. for 4 years.
a) 2051.20 b) 2052.50
c) 2025.20 d) 2501.20

67. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 66
138) The whole surface of a cube is 150 sq. cm. Then
the volume of the cube is
a) 125 cm3 b) 216 cm3
c) 343 cm3 d) 512 cm3
139) If each edge of a square be doubled, then the
increase percentage of its area is
a) 200% b) 250%
c) 280% d) 300%
140) A solid metallic spherical ball of diameter 6 cm is
melted and recast into a cone with diameter of
the base as 12 cm. The height of the cone is
a) 2 cm b) 3 cm
c) 4 cm d) 6 cm
141) Subtracting x% of y from y means multiplying y
by
a)
100
x
b) 1
100
x

c)
100
x
1  d) x 






100
x
1
The marks obtained by 273 examinees is shown by
the frequency polygon. Given that mean marks is
59.5. Study the frequency polygon and answer Q. No
142 to 145.
Frequency of Marks obtained
2 4
12
26
35
42
72
48
24
8
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0-10 21-
30
41-
50
61-
70
81-
90
Marks range
Frequency
142) The number of examinees getting more than
average marks is
a) 72 b) 105
c) 152 d) 164
143) Percentage of the students who got above 80%
marks is
a) 9.81 b) 10.53
c) 11.28 d) 11.72
144) Percentage of the students got marks above 60%
and below 80% is
a) 43.95 b) 48.39
c) 51.06 d) 56.84
145) If 40 is the pass marks, percentage of students
failed is ______.
a) 14.56 b) 15.84
c) 16.11 d) 17.25
Study the bar diagram and answer Q. Nos. 146 to
150.
60
140
220
300
100
180
160
260
120
220
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Philoso Biology Anthro Sociolo Psycholo
Boys Girls
146) The percentage of the girls from Biology
Department comparing to the total number of
girls from all the other Department together is
a)
2
1
37 b) 37
c)
2
1
36 d)
2
1
35
147) The difference between the total number of boys
and the total number of girls from all the
Department together is
a) 540 b) 520
c) 460 d) 440
148) The average number of boys from all the
departments together is
a) 123 b) 132
c) 134 d) 142
149) The percentage of the boys from Biology
Department comparing to the total number of
boys from all the Departments together is
a)
2
1
33 b) 50
c)
3
1
33 d) 30
150) The respective ratio of number of girls from
Philosophy Department to the number of girls
from Psychology Department is
a) 7 : 11 b) 11 : 7
c) 7 : 10 d) 6 : 11

68. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 67
GENERAL AWARNESS
151) If the equilibrium constants for the systems
H2 + I2 2HI and 2HI H2 + I2 are K1 and K2
respectively, the relationship between K1 and K2
is:
a) K1 = K2 b) K1 = 2K2
c) K1 = K2/2 d) K1 = 1/K2
152) Water has maximum density at
a) 100° C b) 0° C
c) 4° C d) 273° C
153) Concentration of a material which is lethal to
50% animal is called as
a) LD50 b) LC50
c) NOAEL d) ADI
154) Neap tides are
a) Strong b) Weak
c) Medium d) Very strong
155) Sahara is located in which part of Africa?
a) Eastern b) Western
c) Northern d) Southern
156) The Ocean with the largest surface area is
a) Arctic Ocean b) Atlantic Ocean
c) Indian Ocean d) Pacific Ocean
157) About how many Indians cannot meet their
essential needs as per a report by Mc Kinsey
Global Institute (MGI) released on 19th February,
2014?
a) 66% b) 56%
c) 46% d) 36%
158) When a bond is formed between two atoms, the
energy of the system will
a) increase b) decrease
c) remain the same
d) may increase or decrease
159) Telephone was invented by
a) Alexander Graham Bell b) Baird
c) Stevenson d) Newton
160) Which was the first country to host the Asian
Games?
a) Korea b) India
c) Japan d) China
161) Who is the founder of Jainism in India?
a) Gautama b) Mahavira
c) Chandragupta d) Ashoka
162) Who compiled the tales of “The Panchatantra”?
a) Valmiki b) Veda Vyasa
c) Vishnu Sharma d) Tulsidas
163) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for 2012-13 was
awarded to
a) Sachin Tendulkar b) Sania Mirza
c) Major RVS Rathore d) Ronjan Sodhi
164) Human Rights Day is observed on
a) 10th March b) 10th July
c) 10th September d) 10th December
165) Ajanta Caves were built during period of
a) Gupta b) Kushana
c) Maurya d) Chalukya
166) Who was the painter of the famous painting
called – ‘Bharatmata’?
a) Gaganendranath Tagore
b) Abanindranath Tagore
c) Nandalal Bose d) Jamini Roy
167) Who discovered Cape of Good Hope in 1488?
a) Magellan b) Columbus
c) Bartholomew Dias d) Vasco da gama
168) Taxes are as certain as the death, because
a) They constitute the major source of
government revenue.
b) Government have no other source of revenue.
c) Most PSUs are run inefficiently.
d) Government has its own budget constraints.
169) Which is NOT a measure undertaken by
government to check inflation?
a) Increase in consumption
b) Increase in production
c) Reduction in Deficit financing
d) Taxation measures.
170) The ‘Slack Season’ in the Indian Economy is
a) March-April
b) September-December c) January-June
d) February-April
171) The relationship between the rate of interest and
level of consumption was first visualized by
a) Amartya K. Sen b) Milton Friedman
c) Irving Fisher d) James Duesenberry
172) Which one of the Constitutional amendment has
established Panchayati Raj Institution?
a) 72nd Amendment Act
b) 71st Amendment Act
c) 73rd Amendment Act
d) 78TH Amendment Act

69. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 68
173) ‘Take-off stage’ in an economy means
a) Steady growth begins.
b) Economy is stagnant.
c) Economy is about to collapse.
d) All controls are removed.
174) In the year 1977, an official committee was
appointed to examine Panchayat Raj under the
Chairmanship of
a) Ashok Mehta b) Shri Ram Mehta
c) Balwant Rai Mehta d) Manohar Lal Mehta
175) How many countries are the members of U.N.
General Assembly?
a) 190 b) 191
c) 192 d) 193
176) Which among the following States, first
introduced the Panchayat Raj System?
a) Rajasthan b) Haryana
c) Uttar Pradesh d) Maharashtra
177) Which was the backbone of Indus Economy?
a) Agriculture b) Trade
c) Wheel Made Pottery d) Carpentry
178) Which Mughal Emperor transferred the Mughal
Capital from Agra to Delhi?
a) Jahangir b) Aurangzeb
c) Shahjahan d) Bahadur Shah
179) Who said, “A living thing is born” after the League
of Nation’s Covenant was drafted?
a) Lord Robert Cecil b) Woodrow Wilson
c) Orlando
d) Neville Chamberlain
180) The author of ‘Arthashastra’ was a contemporary
of ____.
a) Ashoka
b) Chandragupta Maurya
c) Samudragupta
d) Chandragupta Vikramaditya
181) The Taj – Mahal was built by ___________________.
a) Jahangir b) Shahjahan
c) Sher Shah d) Nadir Shah
182) The Election Commission is established under the
Article
a) Article – 355 b) Article – 256
c) Article – 324 d) Article – 320
183) The percentage of India’s total population
employed in agriculture is nearly
a) 60% b) 50%
c) 70% d) 80%
184) The temperature increases rapidly above
a) Ionosphere b) Exosphere
c) Stratosphere d) Troposphere
185) Which one of the following continents lies in
Northern – Southern and Eastern-Western
hemispheres of the earth?
a) Australia b) Africa
c) Europe d) South America
186) Which Committee/Commission examined the
Centre and State relationship?
a) Ashok Mehta Committee
b) Indrajit Gupta Committee
c) Sarkaria Commission
d) N.N. Vohra Committee
187) Which one of the following is not a
photosynthetic pigment?
a) Chlorophyll b) Phycobilin
c) Carotenoid d) Anthocyanin
188) National Fruit of India is
a) Mango b) Pineapple
c) Apple d) Grapes
189) Which of the following is a fibrous protein?
a) Haemoglobin b) Albumin
c) Kertain d) Enzymes
190) Typhoid fever is caused by
a) Bacteria b) Virus
c) Protozoa d) Fungi
191) The International Commission on Zoological
Nomenclature was established in
a) 1898 b) 1988
c) 2001 d) 1664
192) Which one of the following is the world’s largest
desert?
a) Arabian b) Kalahari
c) Sahara d) Thar
193) A man standing at the top of a tower has two
spheres A and B. He drops sphere A downwards
and throws sphere B horizontally at the same
time. Which of the following is correct?
a) Both the spheres will reach the ground
simultaneously.
b) A will reach the ground first.
c) B will reach the ground first.
d) The question is incomplete because the masses
of the spheres are not given

70. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 69
194) The dimensional formula ML-1T-2 corresponds to
a) Modulus of elasticity b) Viscosity
c) Moment of a force d) Thrust
195) 1 Micron is equal to
a) 10-9m b) 10-12m
c) 10-6m d) 10-15m
196) A wavelength of 0.3 m is produced in air and it
travels at a speed of 300 m/s. Then it will be an
a) Audible wave b) Infrasonic wave
c) Ultrasonic wave d) Microwave
197) The time between program input and output is
called
a) Turn around time b) Waiting time
c) Execution time d) Delay time
198) The Indian National Grid Computing Initiative for
Scientific Engineering and Academic Community
is named
a) Ganga b) SAGA
c) Garuda d) PARAM
199) Sodium Carbonate is commonly known as
a) Baking Soda b) Washing Soda
c) Caustic Soda d) Caustic Potash
200) Carolus Linnaeus System of classification is
a) Natural b) Artificial
c) Binomial d) Phylogenetic
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ANSWER KEY
Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A.
1 A 2 B 3 A 4 C 5 A
6 D 7 C 8 B 9 D 10 C
11 B 12 B 13 A 14 C 15 D
16 B 17 D 18 A 19 B 20 C
21 C 22 D 23 B 24 C 25 B
26 C 27 D 28 C 29 D 30 D
31 C 32 A 33 B 34 C 35 C
36 D 37 B 38 A 39 B 40 D
41 D 42 C 43 C 44 D 45 B
46 B 47 A 48 D 49 D 50 D
51 D 52 D 53 D 54 B 55 C
56 B 57 A 58 A 59 A 60 B
61 C 62 B 63 A 64 A 65 B
66 C 67 D 68 A 69 A 70 D
71 B 72 A 73 C 74 C 75 D
76 B 77 C 78 A 79 B 80 D
81 B 82 B 83 B 84 D 85 B
86 C 87 D 88 B 89 C 90 C
91 A 92 A 93 D 94 C 95 C
96 A 97 C 98 A 99 B 100 C
101 A 102 C 103 B 104 A 105 A
106 D 107 C 108 D 109 A 110 D
111 A 112 A 113 A 114 C 115 A
116 B 117 A 118 A 119 D 120 A
121 C 122 A 123 B 124 A 125 A
126 C 127 D 128 C 129 D 130 B
131 D 132 B 133 B 134 C 135 B
136 C 137 A 138 A 139 D 140 B
141 C 142 C 143 D 144 A 145 C
146 A 147 D 148 B 149 C 150 A
151 D 152 C 153 A 154 B 155 C
156 D 157 B 158 B 159 A 160 B
161 B 162 C 163 D 164 D 165 A
166 B 167 D 168 A 169 A 170 C
171 B 172 C 173 A 174 A 175 D
176 A 177 A 178 C 179 B 180 B
181 B 182 C 183 B 184 B 185 C
186 D 187 A 188 C 189 A 190 A
191 C 192 A 193 A 194 A 195 C
196 A 197 C 198 C 199 A 200 C

71. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 70
I B P S P O
MODEL TEST PAPER
(REASONING AND QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE SECTION ONLY)
REASONING ABILITY
Directions (Q. 1-6): A word and number
arrangement machine when given an input line
of words and numbers rearranges them
following a particular rule in each step. The
following is an illustration of input
rearrangement.
Input: but 32 71 glory fair south 65 84
Step I: south but 32 71 glory fair 65 84
Step II: south 84 but 32 71 glory fair 65
Step III: south 84 glory but 32 71 fair 65
Step IV: south 84 glory 71 but 32 fair 65
Step V: south 84 glory 71 fair but 32 65
Step VI: south 84 glory 71 fair 65 but 32
And Step VI is the last step of the rearrangement.
As per the rules followed in the above steps, find
out in each of the following questions the
appropriate step for given input.
1) Step III of an input is: year 92 ultra 15 23
strive house 39
How many more steps will be required to
complete the rearrangement?
1) Three 2) Four
3) Two 4) Five
5) None of these
2) Input: any how 49 24 far wide 34 69
Which of the following steps will be the last
but one?
1) VI 2) VII
3) V 4) VIII
5) None of these
3) Step II of an input is: town 74 pair 15 31
nice job 42
Which of the following is definitely the
input?
1) pair 15 31 town nice job 42 74
2) pair 15 town 31 74 nice job 42
3) pair 15 town 74 31 nice job 42
4) Cannot be determined
5) None of these
4) Input: play over 49 37 12 match now 81
Which of the following will be step IV?
1) play 81 over 49 37 match now
2) play 81 over 49 37 12 now
3) play 81 over 49 now 37 match 12
4) There will be no such step.
5) None of these
5) Step II of an input is: war 58 box cart 33
49 star 24
Which of the following steps will be the
last?
1) V 2) VI
3) IV 4) VII
5) None of these
6) Input: shower fall water 34 51 67 98 goal
How many steps will be required to
complete the rearrangement?
1) Three 2) Four
3) Six 4) Five
5) None of these
Directions (Q. 7-12): In the following
questions, the symbols ©, @, $, % and  are
used with the following meaning as illustrated
below:
‘P@Q’ means ‘P is not greater than Q’.
‘P%Q’ means ‘P is not smaller than Q’.
‘PQ’ means ‘P is neither smaller than nor equal
to Q’.
‘P©Q’ means ‘P is neither greater t han nor equal
to Q’.
‘P$Q’ means ‘P is neither greater than nor smaller
than Q’.
In each question four statements showing
relationship have been given, which are followed
by four conclusions I, II, III & IV. Assuming that
the given statements are true, fin d out which
conclusion(s) is/are definitely true.
7) Statements: M © D, D  K, K @ R, R  F
Conclusions: I. F © K II. D  F
III. M © R IV. D  R
1) None is true 2) Only I is true
3) Only II is true 4) Only III is true
5) Only IV is true
8) Statement: B % K, K $ T, T  F, H © F
Conclusions: I. B $ T II. T © B
III. H © K IV. F © B

72. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 71
1) Only either I or II is true
2) Only III is true 3) Only IV is true
4) Only III and IV are true
5) Only either I or II and III and IV are true
9) Statements: W  B, B @ F, F © R, R $ M
Conclusions: I. W  F II. M  B
III. R  B IV. M  W
1) Only I and IV are true
2) Only II and III are true
3) Only I and III are true
4) Only II and IV are true
5) None of these
10) Statements: E @ K, K $ T, T © N, B % N
Conclusions: I. T % E II. K © N
III. B  T IV. B  E
1) Only I, II and II are true
2) Only II, III and IV are true
3) Only I, III and IV are true
4) All are true 5) None of these
11) Statements: Z $ B, B % M, M © F, F @ R
Conclusions: I. Z  M II. F  B
III. R  M IV. M @ Z
1) Only I and II are true
2) Only I, III and IV are true
3) Only III and IV are true
4) Only I or IV and II are true
5) None of these
12) Statements: H @ T, T $ N, F © N, B % F
Conclusions: I. F @ H II. F © T
III. B  T IV. B % H
1) None is true 2) Only I is true
3) Only II is true
4) Only III and IV are true
5) Only II and III are true
Directions (Q. 13-17): Study the following
information carefully and answer the
questions given below:
P, Q, R, S, T, V and W are seven students of a
school. Each of them studies in a different
standards – from Standard IV to Standard X – not
necessarily in the same order. Each of them has a
favourite subject from English, Science, History,
Geography, Mathematics, Hindi and Sanskrit, not
necessarily in the same order.
Q studies in VII Standard and does not like
either Mathematics or Geography. R likes English
and does not study either in V or in IX. T studies
in VIII Standard and likes Hindi . The one who
likes Science studies in X Standard. S studies in IV
Standard. W likes Sanskrit. P does not study in X
Standard. The one who likes Geography studies in
V Standard.
13) In which standard does W study?
1) VII 2) IX
3) X 4) Data inadequate
5) None of these
14) Which subject does P like?
1) Geography 2) Mathematics
3) English 4) History
5) None of these
15) Which subject does S like?
1) History 2) Geography
3) Mathematics 4) Data inadequate
5) None of these
16) In which standard does P study?
1) IV 2) VII
3) IX 4) X
5) None of these
17) Which of the following combinations of
student-standard-subject is correct?
1) T- VIII- Mathematics 2) W- VII- Sanskrit
3) Q- VII- Geography 4) V- X- Science
5) None of these
Directions (18): Read the following
information carefully and answer the
questions which follow
Small brands are now looking beyond local
grocery stores and are tying up with
supermarkets such as Big Bazaar to pull their
business out of troubled waters.
Which of the following can be inferred from
the given information? (An inference is
something that is not directly stated but can
be inferred from the given information)
1) Merchandise of smaller brands would not
be available at local grocery stores in the
near future
2) Smaller brands cannot compete with
bigger ones in a supermarket set-up.
3) There is a perception among small
brands that sale in a supermarket is higher
than that of small grocery stores.
4) Supermarkets generate more revenue by
selling products of bigger brands as
compared to the smaller ones.
5) Smaller brands have always had more
tie-ups with supermarkets as compared to
small grocery stores.
Directions (19-22): These questions are based
on the information given above and the
sentences labeled (A), (B),(C),(D),(E) and (F)
as given below
(A) A smaller brand manufacturing a certain
product of quality comparable with that of a
bigger brand, makes much more profit from
the local grocery stores than from the
supermarkets.
(B) As the supermarkets have been set up only
in bigger cities at present, this step would
fail to deliver results in the smaller cities.

73. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 72
(C) Supermarkets help the smaller brands
break into newer markets without investing
substantially in distribution.
(D) Supermarkets charge the smaller brands
10% higher than the amount charged to the
bigger brands.
(E) Being outnumbered by the bigger brands,
visibility of the smaller brands at local
grocery stores is much lower as compared
to the supermarkets.
(F) Smaller brands are currently making
substantial losses in their businesses.
19) Which of the statements numbered (A),
(B), (C), (D), (E) and (F) can be assumed
from the facts/information given in the
statements? (An assumption is something
supposed or taken for granted)
1) Only (A) 2) Only (B)
3) Both (B) and (C) 4) Both (D) and (E)
5) Only (F)
20) Which of the statements numbered (A),
(B), (C), (E) and (F) represents a
disadvantage of the small grocery stores
over the supermarkets from the
perspective of a smaller brand?
1) Only (A) 2) Only (C)
3) Only (E) 4) Only (F)
5) Both (B) and (C)
21) Which of the statements (A), (B), (C), (D)
and (E) mentioned above represents a
reason for the shift from local grocery
stores to supermarkets by the smaller
brands?
1) Only (A) 2) Only (B)
3) Only (D) 4) Both (A) and (D)
5) Only (C)
22) Which of the statements numbered (A),
(B), (C), (E) and (F) mentioned above
would prove that the step taken by the
smaller brands (of moving to
supermarkets) may not necessarily be
correct?
1) Only (A) 2) Only (C)
3) Only (E) 4) Only (F)
5) Both (B) and (E)
Directions (Q. 23-27): Study the following
information carefully and answer the
questions given below:
i) A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H are eight students,
each having a different height,
ii) D is shorter than A but taller than G.
iii) E is taller than H but shorter than C.
iv) B is shorter than D but taller than F.
v) C is shorter than G.
vi) G is not as tall as F.
23) Which of the following is definitely false?
1) G is shorter than F.
2) C is shorter than F.
3) F is taller than C.
4) B is taller than E. 5) All are true
24) If another students J, who is taller than E
but shorter than G, is added to the group,
which of the following will be definitely
true?
1) C and J are of the same height.
2) J is shorter than D.
3) J is shorter than H.
4) J is taller than A. 5) None of these
25) Which of the following will definitely be
the third from top when the eight
students are arranged in descending
order of height?
1) B 2) F
3) G 4) B or G
5) Cannot be determined
26) How many of them are definitely shorter
than F?
1) Three 2) Four
3) Five 4) Data inadequate
5) None of these
27) Which of the following is redundant to
answer all the above questions?
1) (ii) only 2) (ii) and (iii) only
3) (iii) and (iv) only 4) (ii) and (v) only
5) All are necessary to answer the above
questions.
Directions (Q. 28-33): In each question below
are four statements followed by four
conclusions numbered I, II, III and IV. You have
to take the four given statements to be true
even if they seem to be at variance with
commonly known facts and then decide which
of the given conclusions logically follows from
the four gives statements disregarding
commonly known facts. Then decide which of
the answers 1), 2) 3), 4) and 5) is correct and
indicate it on the answer sheet.
28) Statements:
All belts are rollers.
Some rollers are wheels.
All wheels are mats.
Some mats are cars.
Conclusions:
I. Some mats are rollers.
II. Some mats are belts.
III. Some cars are rollers.
IV. Some rollers are belts.
1) Only I and II follow
2) Only I, III and IV follow
3) Only I and IV follow

74. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 73
4) Only II, III and IV follow
5) None of these
29) Statements:
Some tyres are rains.
Some rains are flowers.
All flowers are jungles.
All jungles are tubes.
Conclusions:
I. Some jungles are tyres.
II. Some tubes are rains.
III. Some jungles are rains.
IV. Some tubes are flowers.
1) Only I, II and III follow
2) Only II, III and IV follow
3) Only I, III and IV follow
4) All follow
5) None of these
30) Statements:
All desks are chairs.
All chairs are tables.
All tables are boxes.
All boxes are trunks.
Conclusions:
I. Some trunks are tables.
II. All chairs are boxes.
III. Some boxes are desks.
IV. All desks are trunks.
1) Only I, II and III follow
2) Only I, II and IV follow
3) Only II, III and IV follow
4) All follow
5) None of these
31) Statements:
Some birds are goats.
Some goats are horses.
Some horses are lions.
Some lions are tigers.
Conclusions:
I. Some tigers are goats.
II. No tiger is goat.
III. Some lions are birds.
IV. No lion is bird.
1) Only either I or II follows
2) Only either III or IV follow
3) Only either I or II and either III or IV
follow
4) Only I and II follow
5) None of these
32) Statements:
All papers are bottles.
All bottles are cups.
Some cups are jugs.
Some jugs are plates.
Conclusions:
I. Some plates are cups.
II. Some plates are bottles.
III. Some cups are papers.
IV. Some bottles are papers.
1) Only III and IV follow
2) Only I and II follow
3) Only I and III follow
4) Only II and IV follow
5) None of these
33) Statements:
All bulbs are wires.
No wire is cable.
Some cables are brushes.
All brushes are paints.
Conclusions:
I. Some paints are cables.
II. Some wires are bulbs.
III. Some brushes are wires.
IV. Some cables are bulbs.
1) None follows 2) Only I & II follow
3) Only II follows 4) Only III follows
5) Only IV follows
Directions (Q. 34-38): Study the following
information carefully and answer the
questions given below.
At a recent international summit five delegates A,
B, C, D and E participated. A person observed and
made the following statements B and C spoke
English, although when D joined them they all
changed to Spanish, the only common language
among the three of them.
The only common language among A, B and E was
French. The only common language between C and
E was Italian, Three delegates could speak
Portuguese. The most common language was
Spanish. One of the delegates spoke all five
languages, another one spoke four, one spoke
three, one spoke two and one spoke only one
language.
34) The person who speaks all the five
language is
1) A 2) B
3) C 4) Can’t say
5) None of these
35) D does not speak which of the following
languages?
I) French II) Italian
III) Portuguese
1) Only I 2) I and II
3) I and III 4) II and III
5) All of these
36) E speaks which of the following
languages?
I) French II) Italian
III) Portuguese
1) Only I 2) I and II
3) I and III 4) II and III
5) All of these

75. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 74
37) The only person who does not speak
Spanish is
1) A 2) B
3) C 4) Can’t say
5) None of these
38) Which of the following indicates the
pair of persons who speak neither
English nor Italian?
1) AD 2) AB
3) BD 4) DE
5) None of these
Directions (39-42): Read the following
information and the five statements given
below it carefully and answer the questions
which follow. Steve Jobs himself said it:
“It’s smart to take an existing idea and enhance it
beautifully,” Apple did it and so did som e of the
most successful brands worldwide. To be
successful, it is not essential to imovation’ which
is a combination of innovation and imitation.
(A) As an innovation is a standalone product in
the market, it reaps in all the profit till the
‘innovators’ imitate it. ‘Imovation’, however,
is not profitable as there are many imitated
products in the market at the same time, all
reducing each other’s profits.
(B) Brand X duplicated Brand Y’s mobile phones
with exactly the same features and same
price range but failed to make an impact in
the market.
(C) No one remembers the innovators after
some time because they did not turn their
idea into success. On the other hands, the
imitators did what they had to just at the
right time.
(D) While Sanfy invented portable MP3 players,
it was Apple which enabled MP3 players to
play videos and games at a fairly reasonable
price, thus capturing the market.
(E) ‘Imovation’ is a lot less risky business
venture. An imitator is already equipped
with the analysis of how market received
the innovation.
39) ‘Blind imitation of a product can never be
successful and sustainable.
Which of the statements (A), (B), (C), (D)
and (E) mentioned above proves the above
statement most appropriately?
1) D 2) B
3) C 4) E
5) Both A and C
40) Which of the statements (A), (B), (C), (D)
and (E)mentioned above represented an
advantage of imitating an existing
product?
1) B 2) Both B and D
3) E 4) Both C and B
5) Both A and D
41) Which of the statements (A), (B), (C), (D)
and (E) mentioned above would
contradict the fact that imitation of
products is a successful market strategy?
1) A 2) C
3) D 4) E
5) Both B and E
42) Companies must add such values to their
imitated products that not only
distinguish their imitation but also add
to customer satisfaction.
Which of the statements numbered (A), (B),
(C), (D) and (E) mentioned above proves the
above statement most appropriately?
1) A 2) Both A and B
3) Both A and E 4) Both A and C
5) Both B and D
Directions (Q. 43-45): Each of the questions
below consists of a question and three
statements numbered I, II and III given below
it. You have to decide whether the data
provided in the statements are sufficient to
answer the question. Read all three statements
and give answer
1) if the data in statements I and II are
sufficient to answer the question, while the
data in statement III are not required to
answer the question.
2) if the data in statements I and III are
sufficient to answer the question, while the
data in statement II are not required to
answer the question.
3) if the data in statements II and III are
sufficient to answer the question, while the
data in statement I are not required to
answer the question.
4) if the data in either statement I alone or
statement II alone or statement III alone are
sufficient to answer the question.
5) if the data in all the statement I, II and III
together are necessary to answer the
question.
43) Out of five persons A, B, C, D and E, A is
in which direction with respect to E?
I. A is to west of D and to the south of C. C is
to the west of E.
II. B is to the west of C and south-east of D,
who is north of A. D is to the east of E.
III. E is to the south of D and north of B, who
is to the west of A.
44) How is ‘candle’ coded in a code language?
I. ‘su de fi ge’ is the code for ‘blow candle off
light’ and ‘ra se de pi’ is the code for ‘light
should cut never’.

76. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 75
II. ‘pi fi ta du’ is the code for ‘you should call
off’ and ‘ge ko mo tu’ is the code for ‘never
blow your trumpet’.
III. ‘fi si de et’ is the code for ‘light always
goes off’ and ‘ra fu se zu’ is the code for ‘cut
never tree ever.’
45) In a family of seven members, how is S
related to V?
I. T and U are offspring of R, who is the wife
of S.
II. Z, the cousin of W, is the niece of T.
III. V is the only brother-in-law of W.
Q 46-50) Study the following information
carefully and answer the given questions.
Eight colleagues A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H, are
sitting around a circular table facing the centre
but not necessarily in the same order. Each one of
them holds a different post – Manager, Company
Secretary, Chairman, President, Vice President,
Group Leader, Financial Advisor and Managing
Director. A sits third to the right of the Managing
Director. Only two people sits between the
Managing Director and H. The Vice President and
the Company Secretary are immediate neighbour.
Neither A nor H is a Vice President or a company
secretary. The Vice President is not an immediate
neighbour of the Managing Director. The Manager
sits second to the left of E. E is not an immediate
neighbour of H. The Manager is an immediate
neighbour of both Group Leader and the Financial
Advisor. The Financial Advisor sits third to the
right of B. B is not the Vice President. C sits on the
immediate right of the Chairman. A is not the
Chairman. G is not an immediate neighbour of the
Manager. F is not an immediate neighbour of A.
46) Who amongst the following sits third to
the left of E?
1) Manager 2) G
3) A 4) Financial Advisor
5) B
47) Four of the following five are alike in a
certain way based on the given
arrangement and thus form a group.
Which is the one that does not belong to
that group?
1) F – Chairman 2) G – President
3) D – Manager
4) A – Financial Advisor
5) B – Managing Director
48) Who among the following is the
President of the company?
1) A 2) C
3) H 4) G
5) D
49) Which of the following is true with
respect to the given seating
arrangement?
1) The Group Leader of the Company is an
immediate neighbour of the Vice President
2) G sits second to the right of D
3) The Group Leader and the company
secretary are immediate neighbours
4) The Chairman of the company sits to the
immediate left of the Managing Director
5) The Group Leader sits second to t he left
of D.
50) Which of the following posts does B hold
in the company?
1) Chairman 2) Manager
3) Company Secretary 4) Vice President
5) Financial Advisor
QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE
Directions (Q. 51-55): What value should come
in place of question mark (?) in the following
questions?
51) (119)4.8 x (119)5.01  (119)3.001 = (119)?
1) 7.3 2) 6.8
3) 5.2 4) 4.9
5) 3
52) ?76.39997.2808 
1) 17 2) 54
3) 16 4) 14
5) 15
53) 175% of 460 + 110% of 170 + (2) ? = (10)?
1) 3 2) 4
3) 5 4) 2
5) 1
54) ?55
4
3 6 9
6
4 6 8












1) 58 2) 516
3) 52 4) 54
5) None of these
55)
?
35
35
18
7
3
5
5
1
7
5
3
2
7
1
3 
1) 3 2) 5
3) 7 4) 9
5) 11
Directions (Q 56-60): What should come in
place of question mark (?) in the following
number series?
56) 81 512 2401 7776 15625 16384
?
1) 2187 2) 19683

77. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 76
3) 729 4) 512
5) 6561
57) 8 64 216 512 1000 1728 ?
1) 4096 2) 2744
3) 3375 4) 2197
5) 4913
58) 3 4 10 33 136 685 ?
1) 3430 2) 4802
3) 5145 4) 4116
5) 5488
59) 16 12 18 40.5 121.5 455.625 ?
1) 2050.1125 2) 2050.2125
3) 2050.3125 4) 2050.4125
5) 2050.5125
60) 4 18 48 100 180 294 ?
1) 448 2) 424
3) 436 4) 460
5) 412
Directions (Qs. 61-65): Following pie-chart
shows the percentage distribution of total
population of different cities and the
distribution of literate males and females
among them. Total population of all six cities
together is 1.5 crore and the ratio of males to
females among them is 8:7. Total literate
males and females in all cities are 40 and 25
lakh respectively.
61) What is the total illiterate population of
City A?
1) 10.8 lakh 2) 14.2 lakh
3) 16.8 lakh 4) 18 lakh
5) None of these
62) Total literate males of City E are what
percentage of total literate females of
City F?
1) 270% 2) 118%
3) 196% 4) 240%
5) 304%
63) Total literate population of City E is
what percentage of its total population?
1) 25.33% 2) 16.66%
3) 26% 4) 42%
5) 64%
64) What is the difference between total
illiterate population and total literate
population of City C?
1) 8.5 lakh 2) 9.5 lakh
3) 10.5 lakh 4) 11 lakh
5) 20.5 lakh
65) Total number of literate males of City D
is what percentage more than the total
number of literate female of City D?
1) 60% 2) 38.46%
3) 61.538% 4) 120%
5) 160%
Directions (66-70): Study the given
information carefully and answer the
questions that follows:
An urn contains 3 red, 6 blue, 2 green and 4
yellow marbles
66) If two marbles are picked at
random, what is the probably that both
are green?
1)
15
2
2)
15
1
3)
7
2
4) 1
5) None
67) If three marbles are picked at random,
what is the probability that two are blue
and one is yellow?
1)
15
2
2)
91
6
3)
91
12
4)
15
3
5) None of these
68) If four marbles are picked any random,
what is the probability that at least one
is yellow?
1)
123
91
2)
91
69
3)
143
125
4)
4
1
5) one of these
69) It two marbles are picked at random,
what is the probability that either both
are red or both are green?
1)
5
3
2)
105
4

78. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 77
3)
7
2
4)
91
5
5) None of these
70) If four marbles are picked at random,
what is the probability that one is green,
two are blue and one is red?
1)
15
4
2)
280
17
3)
91
6
4)
15
11
5) None of these
71) 35 women can do a price of work in 15
days. How many women would be
required to do the same work in 25 days?
1) 21 2) 24
3) 30 4) 36
5) None of these
72) A 280 meters long train travelling at a
uniform speed, crosses a platform in 60
seconds and a man standing on the
platform in 20 seconds. What is the
length of the platform?
1) 640 meters 2) 420 meters
3) 280 meters
4) Cannot be determined
5) None of these
73) If the numerator of a fraction is
increased by 500% and the denominator
is increased by 300%, the resultant
fraction is 1
17
1
. What was the original
fraction?
1)
17
12
2)
17
13
3)
7
3
4)
11
4
5) None of these
74-75): In the following questions two
equations numbered I and II are given. You
have to solve both the equations and –
Give answer if
1) x > y
2) x  y
3) x < y
4) x  y
5) x = y or the relationship
cannot be established
74) I. x
xx
11
915
 II.
y
yy 1
12
5
4

75) I. x
xx

68 II. Y3 -   0
14 2
7

y
Directions (Q. 76-80): Study the following
information carefully to answer the questions
that follow:
A company produces 4 different products, viz AC,
fans, refrigerators and ovens, each product of two
different qualities ie, Quality A and Quality B. The
company produces a total of 500 products. One -
fifth of total number of products are fans, out of
which 35% are of Quality B. Fifteen percent of the
total number of products are AC. Two -thirds of
the ACs are of quality A. Twenty five per cent of
the total numbers of products are refrigerators,
out of which 40% are of quality B. Ten per cent of
the number of ovens are of Quality B.
76) What is the total number of AC and
ovens of Quality B and fans and
refrigerators of Quality A together made
by the company?
1) 165 2) 205
3) 155 4) 185
5) None of these
77) What is the average number of products
of Quality A made by the company?
1) 90 2) 75
3) 80 4) 95
5) 92.5
78) What is the ratio of the number of ovens
of Quality B to the number of fans of
Quality A?
1) 5 : 2 2) 4 : 13
3) 5 : 13 4) 4 : 9
5) None of these
79) What is the difference between the
number of ACs of Quality A and Quality
B?
1) 25 2) 50
3) 35 4) 40
5) None of these
80) The number of refrigerators of Quality A
is approximately what percentage of the
total number of ovens (both Quality A
and B together)?
1) 39 2) 31
3) 35 4) 38
5) 49
Directions (Q. 81-85): Each question below is
followed by two statements A and B. You are to
determine whether the data given in the
statement is sufficient for answering the
question. You should use the data and your
knowledge of Mathematics to choose between
the possible answers.
Give answer 1) if the statement A alone is
sufficient to answer the question, but the
statement B alone is not sufficient.

79. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 78
Given answer 2) if the statement B alone is
sufficient to answer the question, but the
statement A alone is not sufficient.
Given answer 3) if both statements A and B
together are needed to answer the question.
Given answer 4) if either the statement A alone
or the statement B alone is sufficient to answer
the question.
Given answer 5) if you cannot get the answer
from the statements together, but need even more
data.
81) What is the rate of interest (pcpa) on an
amount of Rs. 6000 deposited in a bank?
A. The simple interest for four years is Rs.
2,400.
B. The difference between the simple
interest and compound interest is Rs. 384.6.
82) What is the number?
A. 75% of that number is three fourths o f
that number.
B. Three fourths of that number is less by 34
of that number.
83) The ages of Sakshi and Sanchit are in the
ratio 7:6. What is the age of Sanchit?
A. The ages of Sakshi and Smita are in the
ratio of 8:5
B. After 5years the ratio of S mita’s and
Sanya’s ages will be 3:2
84) Is B an odd number?
A. B multiplied by an odd number is equal to
an even number.
B. B is divisible by 2.
85) What is the salary of D, in group of A, B,
C, D, E and F whose average salary is Rs.
50, 5687?
A. Total of the salaries of A and F is Rs.
78,980.
B. Total of the salaries of B and C is Rs. 54,
665.
Directions (Q. 86-90): Study the table carefully
to answer the questions that follow:
Total number of students studying in various
colleges over the years.
Year College
A B C D E
2001 1125 1200 1170 1090 1114
2002 1345 1265 1342 1238 1278
2003 1290 1348 1560 1346 1662
2004 1785 1440 1660 1546 1784
2005 1890 1802 1864 1790 1986
2006 2000 2100 2200 1996 2265
2007 2160 2346 2178 2061 2448
86) What is the average number of students
studying in the College E over the given
years?
1) 1656 2) 1791
3) 1710 4) 1581
5) None of these
87) The number of students studying in
College B in the year 2003 is
approximately what per cent of the total
number of students in various college in
that year?
1) 37 2) 31
3) 19 4) 23
5) 14
88) What is the ratio of the number of
students studying in College B to the
number of students studying in College E
in the year 2007?
1) 23:24 2) 11:12
3) 24:23 4) 12:00
5) None of these
89) What is the difference between the
average number of students studying in
College B over the given years and the
average number of students studying in
College D over the given years?
1) 23 2) 148
3) 434 4) 62
5) None of these
90) What is the difference between the total
number of students studying in College A
over the given years and the total
number of students studying in College C
over the given years?
1) 907 2) 94
3) 434 4) 1036
5) 379
91) Which number should replace both the
question marks in the following
equation?
128
?
=
?
72
1) 96 2) 106
3) 92 4) 98
5) None of these
92) The C.I. on a certain sum is Rs. 104 for 2
years and S.I. is Rs. 100. Find the
principal.
1) Data inadequate 2) Rs. 625
3) Rs. 670 4) Rs. 700
5) Rs. 850
93) A sum of money is divided among A, B, C
and D in the ratio of 5:8:9:11. If the share
of B is Rs. 2,475 more than the share of A,
then what is the total amount of money of
A & C together?

80. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 79
1) Rs. 9,900 2) Rs. 11,550
3) Rs. 10,725 4) Rs. 9,075 3
5) None of these
94) By how much is
3
2
of 159 lesser than
8
5
of
224?
1) 36 2) 38.75
3) 32.25 4) 34
5) None of these
95) The ages of Shakti and Kanti are in the
ratio of 8:7. After 10 years the ratio of
their ages will be 13:12. What is the
difference in years between their ages?
1) 2 years 2) 4 years
3) 6 years 4) 8 years
5) None of these
Durations (Q. 96-100): The following graph
shows the percentage growth in population of
six cities from 1990 to 2000 and 2000 to 2010.
96) If the population of City F in year 1990
was 12 lakh, what will be its population
in year 2010?
1) 31.65 lakh 2) 32.55 lakh
3) 33.4 lakh 4) 34.64 lakh
5) None of these
97) The population of City D in year 2000
was what per cent of its population in
year 2010?
1) 57.8% 2) 60%
3) 62.5% 4) 96%
5) 160%
98) In year 1990 the population of City A and
City B are equal and the population of
City A in year 2010 is 37.7 lakh. What is
the population of City B in year 2010?
1) 38.4 lakh 2) 42 lakh
3) 43.5 lakh 4) 44 lakh
5) 46.6 lakh
99) If the population of City C in the year
2010 and that of city D in year 2000 are
equal and they are 27.2 lakh each the
population of City C in year 1990 is what
percentage of population of City D in the
same year?
1) 50% 2) 75%
3) 80% 4) 120%
5) 200%
100) The population of City E in year 1990 was
what fraction of its population in 2010?
1) 8 : 19 2) 10 : 19
3) 8 : 21 4) 10 : 21
5) 15 : 19
ANSWER KEY
REASONING ABILITY
Q. A. Q. A. Q. Q. A. Q. A. Q.
1 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 5 2
6 4 7 1 8 5 9 2 10 4
11 3 12 3 13 2 14 1 15 3
16 5 17 4 18 3 19 5 20 3
21 5 22 1 23 5 24 2 25 1
26 2 27 5 28 3 29 2 30 4
31 3 32 1 33 2 34 2 35 5
36 2 37 5 38 1 39 2 40 3
41 1 42 5 43 4 44 1 45 5
46 4 47 5 48 1 49 4 50 3
QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE
Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A.
51 2 52 4 53 1 54 4 55 2
56 5 57 2 58 4 59 3 60 1
61 1 62 5 63 4 64 2 65 1
66 5 67 3 68 2 69 2 70 3
71 1 72 5 73 1 74 1 75 5
76 4 77 5 78 2 79 1 80 4
81 1 82 2 83 5 84 3 85 5
86 2 87 3 88 1 89 5 90 5
91 1 92 2 93 2 94 4 95 1
96 2 97 3 98 2 99 1 100 4

81. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 80

82. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 81
Latest G.K. Bytes
MARCH – 2015
1) Kshatrapati Shivaji has been appointed Chairman and Managing
Director of which bank: Small Industries Development Bank of
India (SIDBI).
2) Mo Ibrahim Prize is given for what achievement: for excellence
in public governance
3) Mo Ibrahim Prize is given in which part of the world: Africa
4) Who has been elected as the new President of the BCCI:
Jagmohan Dalmiya
5) What is the full form of the BCCI – the apex body governing the
game of cricket in India: Board of Control for Cricket in India
6) The government has, for the first time, fixed a inflation target for
the RBI, at what level: 6% by January 2016
7) RBI has been given inflation target as per the recommendation of
which committee: Dr. Urjit Patel Committee
8) Arun Kumar Singh has been appointed India’s next Ambassador
to which country: USA
9) As per the Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's richest
people, ___________ has topped the list for the 8th year: Bill
Gates
10) Growth of core sector was lowest in January in past 13 months at
1.8 per cent. How many industries are there in the core sector:
Eight
11) As per recent data the per capita annual income in India has
been recorded at Rs. __________in 2013-14: Rs. 80,388
12) Which wing of defence forces recently conducted its operational
exercise ‘TROPEX 2015’: Navy
13) Write the full form of the abbreviation TROPEX: Theatre Level
Readiness and Operational Exercise
14) Indian navy recently conducted TROPEX 2015 exercise in which
area: Arabian Sea
15) Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic to win which title in
Dubai: Dubai Championship
16) the Argentina Open title of Tennis was won by __________
beating Juan Monaco of Argentina: Rafael Nadal
17) Reserve Bank of India cut its main lending rate--the repo rate by
_______ percentage points to 7.5% on Mar 4, 2015: 0.25
18) At which place world’s largest and tallest Indian national flag was
unfurled on March 3: Faridabad, Haryana
19) The Lok Sabha has passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill,
2015 to bring which category of vehicles into the ambit of the
Motor Vehicles Act 1988: e-rickshaws and e-carts
20) Name the popular news magazine that was founded by Vinod
Mehta, the eminent journalist who passed away recently:
Outlook
21) What is the name of the autobiography of Vinod Mehta:
Lucknow Boy
22) Reserve Bank of India eased the norms for home loans for up to
which amount: Rs. 10 lac
23) What are the expenses that now can be included in the amount
of home loan as permitted by RBI: Stamp duty and registration
charges etc
24) Name the new scheme that will be offered by all Public Sector
General Insurance Companies for giving insurance cover against
death by accident: Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana
(PMSBY)
25) The PMSBY is available to all persons in age group_________
years, having a bank account: 18 to 70
26) What is the annual premium amount payable for joining PMSBY:
Rs. 12
27) What is the amount of cover available under PMSBY in case of
accidental death: Rs. 2 lac
28) Name the new scheme that will be offered by Life Insurance
Corporation and all other life insurers for providing life insurance:
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)
29) The PMJJBY is available to all persons in age group_________
years, having a bank account: 18 to 50
30) What is the annual premium amount payable for joining PMJJBY:
Rs. 330
31) What is the amount of cover available under PMJJBY in case of
death by any reason: Rs. 2 lac
32) Name the new proposed pension scheme to be launched by the
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, focussing
the unorganised sector workers: Atal Pension Yojana (APY)
33) The APY is available to all persons in age group_________
years, having a bank account: 18 to 40
34) Name the badminton player who became the first Indian woman
to reach the finals of the All-England Badminton Championship:
Saina Nehwal
35) Which Indian organization reached a major milestone of
successfully linking 15 crore bank accounts with Aadhaar
number: National Payments Corporation of India
36) According to the Mercer Quality of Living Rankings 2015, which
Indian city has been selected as the ‘Best Indian City’ to live in:
Hyderabad
37) Name the three states that have recently been excluded from
the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime for foreign tourists till
December 31: Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland
38) International Women’s Day was observed across the world on
which date: March 8
39) United Nations declared this year’s theme for women’s day as
_________ to encourage effective action for advancing and
recognizing women: Make it Happen
40) Govt has decided to converge which national programme with
the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(MGNREGA) to facilitate afforestation on 10 million hectares of
land over the next decade: National Mission for a Green India
(GIM)
41) Name the special bus service that has been started between
Varanasi and Kathmandu from March 5: Bharat-Nepal Maitri
Bus Seva

83. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 82
42) What was the name of the world’s only solar-powered aircraft
which made a stopover in Ahmadabad on March 11: Solar
Impulse
43) Name the India’s first indigenously developed and manufactured
rotavirus vaccine which was launched in New Delhi: Rotavac
44) Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe ________ among
infants and young children: Diarrhea
45) Ambassador of which country to South Korea was in news as he
suffered a knife attack by a pro-North Korean activist: USA
46) Saraswati Samman is given for excellence in which field:
Literature
47) Saraswati Samman for 2014 has been awarded to which eminent
author: M. Veerappa Moily
48) Which state tourism won the silver prize of Golden Gate award at
the Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2015,
Germany. Kerala
49) Which country tested its Shaheen-III Surface to Surface Ballistic
Missile, having a strike range of 2750 kms: Pakistan
50) In which city first Kisan Call Centre (KCC) in North-Eastern India
was opened on 9 March 2015: Agaartala
51) Which is the top corporate in the list of top 10 corporates in
terms of assets, compiled by the Corporate Affairs Ministry:
Reliance Industries Ltd.
52) Which is the largest public sector corporate entity in India in
terms of its assets: Indian Oil Corporation
53) A recent Delhi High Court has clarified about which high public
office that it is covered under the RTI Act: Attorney General of
India
54) Which state government has launched 'Aapki Beti Humari Beti'
programme to provide cash assistance of Rs 21,000 families
having girl child: Haryana
55) National tourism agency of which country has appointed film star
Sai Ali Khan as its brand ambassador in India: Britain
56) Name the three countries that were visited by the Prime Minister
Mr. Modi in the second week of March 2015: Sri Lanka,
Mauritius and Seychelles
57) Name the country that was visited first of all by the Prime Minister
Modi on his recent visit of Indian Ocean Country: Seychelles
58) Name the Sri Lankan Cricket Star who became the first cricketer
to score four successive one-day international centuries: Kumar
Sangakkara
59) Which international organization has raised India's growth
forecast for the current fiscal to 7.2 per cent taking into account
the revised methodology adopted by India earlier this year for
calculating the GDP figures: International Monetary Fund
60) Which Indian organization has committed Rs 1.5 lakh crore for
development of various railway projects over the next five years:
Life Insurance Company of India
61) Which two countries have been prohibited by RBI from acquiring
or transferring immovable property in India: Macau & Hong
Kong
62) Which cricketer has been voted as the greatest ODI player in the
history of cricket by recent survey: Viv Richards
63) The new Consumer Price Index released by the Central Statistics
Office, number of items in the CPI basket has been increased to
_____ from 450 in urban areas: 460
64) The base year for the consumer price index has been revised
from 2004-05 to ________: 2011-12
65) After a gap of over 20 years, Re 1 note has been released in the
country and it bears the signature of which government official:
Finance Secretary, Rajiv Mehrishi
66) Name the university that has topped the list of the 100 most
prestigious universities compiled by Times Higher Education of
UK: Harvard University, USA
67) The final match of Ranji Trophy (Cricket) was played on March
12 at which place: Mumbai
68) Which team won the prestigious Ranji Trophy on March 12:
Karnataka by beating Tamil Nadu
69) 58th All India Ayurvedic Congress was held in which place
on March 14: Chandigarh
70) Which Union Ministry has launched a new web portal,
www.inampro.nic.in to monitor the supply of cement at all India
level: Road Transport & Highways
71) Name the two that is used by Central Statistics Office to measure
the level of industrial production in the country: Index of
Industrial Production (IIP)
72) Terry Pratchett who passed away recently was a famous science
fantasy novelist from which country: Britain
73) Name the new scheme that has been launched for redressal of
grievances of consumers related to drug pricing and availability
of medicines: Pharma Jan Samadhaan Scheme
74) Which Indian ministry has launched the Pharma Jan Samadhaan
Scheme: Chemicals and Fertilizers
75) A former President of which country was sentenced to 13-year
imprisonment by a criminal court: Maldives
76) In which country India has agreed to build a Rabindranath
Tagore memorial: Sri Lanka
77) Which Indian organization has agreed to enter into a currency
swap Agreement of 1.5 billion dollar to help keep the Sri Lankan
rupee stable: RBI
78) Name the super cyclone which slammed into the south Pacific
archipelago of Vanuatu, east of Australia, leaving complete
devastation in its wake: Pam
79) Indian navy decommissioned the INS Alleppey on March 13. It
was what type of ship: Coastal Minesweeper
80) On which corporate the Income Tax Department recently slapped
a tax demand notice of Rs. 20,495 crore: Cairn India
81) The 5th National Community Radio Sammelan held in which city:
New Delhi
82) Santosh Trophy is awarded for winning which national
tournament: Football
83) Name the winner of the 2014 Santosh Trophy: Services Team
84) A historic bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled on
March 14 at Parliament Square in which international city:
London
85) Name the Indian sports star who clinched the Swiss Grand Prix
Gold badminton championship title beating Viktor Alexson in
Basel, Switzerland: Kidambi Srikanth
86) Which state has opened the largest number of Sukanya Samridhi
Account in last two months: Karnataka
87) As per RBI guidelines, loans to which new category of persons
will now be included in the priority sector lending: Persons with
disabilities
88) RBI has said that loans to persons with disabilities can now be
classified in loans to _______ category under priority sector
lending: Weaker Section
89) As per RBI guidelines, banks are required to make _____ per
cent of their loans to the weaker section: 10
90) Priority sector lending target for all banks in India is fixed at ____
per cent of their total loans: 40

84. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 83
91) Name the Chief of International Monetary Fund (IMF) who visited
India recently: Christine Lagarde
92) Headquarters of IMF are located in _____________ in USA:
Washington DC
93) ___________ is known as the currency of IMF: SDR
94) Lewis Hamilton who won the Australian Grand Prix Formula 1
race held in Melbourne, Australia is from which country: Britain
95) Name the team that won the Women's Hockey World League
Round Two competition title: India
96) Final match of the Women's Hockey World League Round Two
competition was held in which city: New Delhi
97) As per a recent international report, _________ has emerged as
the world’s largest buyer of weapons and military equipment,
accounting for some 15% of total imports: India
98) What is the content of a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of
India on the issue of Aadhaar Cards: They are not compulsory
for availing various government subsidies and any other
benefits
99) The world’s first $1 million prize – Global Teacher Prize is given
in which country: USA
100) Which State has passed The Gauvansh Sanrakshan and
Gausamvardhan Bill, 2015 to ban cow slaughter and sale of beef:
Haryana
101) Supreme Court has reversed central government decision to
include Jats in the ____________ category: Other Backward
Classes (OBC)
102) Out of estimates of 250, 257, 358, 389 million tonnes,
___________ is the correct figure for estimated food grain
production during 2014-15: 257
103) Out of France, Germany, Italy and Spain, which country has not
decided to join Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: Spain
104) _______ is the main promoter country of the Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank: China
105) Union cabinet recently approved the Undisclosed Foreign Income
and Assets (Imposition of New Tax) Bill, 2015 for which objective:
To unearth black money and illicit assets stashed abroad
106) Which Indian State is famous for mass nesting by Olive Ridley:
Odisha
107) Olive Ridley, known for their mass nesting practices are which
type of animal: Sea Turtle
108) M.C. Mary Kom, Veteran boxer has been appointed brand
ambassador for north-east India to promote the region in the rest
of the country and abroad. She hails from which state of India:
Manipur
109) Capital of which country was in news as Islamic militants stormed
its Bardo National Museum killing 17 foreign tourists and three
locals: Tunisia
110) Which judicial authority has announced a fine of Rs 5,000 on
individuals spotted littering or throwing waste on the railway
platforms and tracks: National Green Tribunal
111) According to a recent report by the global think-tank OECD, India
is poised to grow 7.7 per cent this year. What is the full form of
OCED: Organization for Economic co-operation and
Development
112) Name the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR)
air-to-air missile that was successfully tested recently: Astra
113) The Astra missile is launched from which type of platform:
Aircraft
114) Which Union Minister has been named Young Global Leader
from India by the World Economic Forum (WEF) of Switzerland:
Smriti Irani
115) Bachhrawan, a town near Rae Bareli, UP was in news for what
reasons: A severe train accident
116) _________ has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of Israel:
Benjamin Netanyahu
117) A three-day conference for strengthening maritime trade and
security among Indian Ocean Rim countries was held at which
place: Bhubaneshwar
118) Name the Nobel Laureate who has been elected to head Britain's
prestigious Royal Society: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan
119) Ministry of Railways has constituted the________ council to
recommend innovative methods and processes for the
improvement, betterment and transformation of the Railways:
Kaya Kalp
120) Name the prominent industrialist who has been asked by the
government to head the Kaya Kalp council of railways: Ratan
Tata
121) M S Dhoni became the first Indian captain to score victory in 100
ODI matches. He achieved this fete in the match played against
which country: Bangladesh
122) Capital of which country was in news as over 150 persons,
mainly Shia muslims were killed there in the bomb attacks:
Yemen (Sanaa)
123) The Central government has announced ___ per cent reservation
for women in police forces of union territories, including Delhi: 33
124) Name the team that won the Irani Cup after beating Rest of India
in the finals played in Bengaluru: Karnataka
125) Government has directed regional rural banks to cut down on
which aspect of their operations: Staff Strength
126) Name the scheme that aims to provide skills training to youth,
including Class 10 and 12 drop outs: Pradhan Mantri Kaushal
Vikas Yojana
127) Which union ministry has been assigned the task of aggregating
all the stake holders linked with Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas
Yojana: Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
128) Reserve Bank will issue Rs. ____ coins to commemorate 125th
birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru that fell on Nov 14, 2014: 5
129) The government has roped in _______ _________as brand
ambassador for its campaign against Hepatitis B: Amitabh
Bachchan
130) Name the author of the book “Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy-
Speaker's Perspective”: Smt. Meira Kumar, former Speaker,
Lok Sabha
131) _________ of New Zealand made the highest score in the World
Cup history with 237 not out against West Indies: Martin Guptill
132) Which UN organization is associated with observing March 21 as
the International Day of Forests: Food and Agriculture
Organization
133) What is the theme of this year’s International Day of Forests:
Forests and Climate Change
134) Lee Kuan Yew, a great statesman who passed away on March
23 was credited with development of which country: Singapore
135) BNP Paribas Open Tennis Championship 2015 Men’s singles
title was won by which player: Novak Djokovic
136) BNP Paribas Open Tennis Championship 2015 Women’s singles
title was won by which player: Simona Halep
137) Which country is associated with the awarding of Stockholm
Water Prize: Sweden
138) Name the eminent Indian environment activist who has been
selected for Stockholm Water Prize: Rajendra Singh

85. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 84
139) A three day International Conference on Counter Terrorism 2015
was held at which place: Jaipur
140) Stockholm Water Prize winner Rajendra Singh works in which
part of India for promoting conservation of water resources:
Rajasthan
141) Prime Minister has launched Pragati programme to give impetus
to stalled projects and ensure their timely execution across the
country. What is the full form of Pragati: Pro-active Governance
and Timely Implementation
142) The Supreme Court on March 24 struck down the controversial
section 66A of which Act: Information Technology Act
143) The Asian Development Bank says that India’s growth rate is
expected to surpass China and improve to _____ per cent in
next fiscal: 7.8
144) Name the film that won the National Award for Best Feature Film:
Court
145) The Hindi film Mary Kom was honoured with Best Film in which
category of National Film Awards: Best Popular Film providing
Wholesome Entertainment
146) Which film won the National Award for Best Hindi Film: Queen
147) Name the male actor who won the National Award for Best Actor:
Vijay
148) Name the female actor who won the National Award for Best
Actor: Kangana Ranaut
149) Veteran actor-filmmaker Shashi Kapoor (77), who has starred in
over 100 Hindi films has been honoured recently with which
National Award: Dada Saheb Phalke Award
150) What is the amount of cash prize given in Dada Saheb Phalke
Award: Rs. 10 lacs
151) India's first National Skill Development University will be
established in which State: Chhattisgarh
152) Indian navy recently inducted 3 ISVs at Vishakhapatnam. What is
ISV: Immediate Support Vessel
153) What is the name of the new service that has been launched by
the government through which anyone can get the tweets directly
from the Prime Minister / Chief Ministers in form SMS messages:
Twitter Samvad
154) Name the author who is the only Indian among 10 authors
finalized for this year’s Man Booker International Prize for English
literature: Amitav Ghosh
155) In collaboration with which bank railways has launched the
RuPay debit card service to facilitate online booking of rail
tickets, payment of shopping bills and other service bills: Union
Bank of India
156) Who has been appointed as the Chairman of the Empowered
Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Services
Tax: K M Mani
157) For the development of which popular pilgrimage centre, world
bank has sanctioned a fund of Rs. 100 crore: Ganga Sagar
Tirath, West Bengal
158) After a rigorous bidding in the auctioning of which item the
government recently fetched about Rs. 1.10 lac crore: Telecom
spectrum
159) The Reserve Bank signed a $400 million currency swap
agreement with the Central Bank of which country for a period of
three years: Sri Lanka
160) Two-year-old girl Cherukuli Dalli Shivani from Vijaywada was in
news for her exceptional record achievement in which field:
Archery
161) With which country India recently signed 6 pacts including one for
the transfer of sentenced Indian convicts in that country to
complete their remaining sentence in India: Qatar
162) Which international prize given in the field of Mathematics is
popular as the Nobel of Maths: Abel Prize
163) Zokhawthar, a small town in Champhai district of _________was
in news as a land customs station was inaugurated there at the
Indo-Myanmar border trade centre: Mizoram
164) Who has been appointed as the new spokesperson for the
External Affairs Ministry: Vikas Swarup
165) By which country Indian artist Bharti Kher has been honoured
with ‘Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters’: France
166) Which high court became the first court in India to set up
dedicated commercial divisions within it, in line with
recommendation of the Law Commission: Delhi
167) India's first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle (PROVe), was
made operational at which place in North Antarctica:
Priyadarshini Lake
168) Name the ambitious project that aims to develop 12 smart cities
at ports and several coastal economic zones to promote tourism
and economic growth: Sagarmala
169) The Reserve Bank on March 25 removed the lending restriction
on which bank to allow it to restart normal lending operations:
United Bank of India
170) At which place Prime Minister Modi paid homage to 3 great
revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on March
23, 2015: Hussainiwala, Ferozepur, Punjab
171) For which offence the British govt. awarded the death sentence
to the revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev:
Killing British Police Officer Mr. Saundras.
172) International Gandhi Peace Prize 2014 is given for what purpose:
For promoting peace and harmony in public life
173) What is the amount of cash award in the International Gandhi
Peace Prize: Rs. 1 cr
174) Which organization has been selected for the international
Gandhi peace prize 2014: ISRO
175) Name the two Indians who have been named among the 50
greatest leaders in the world by Fortune magazine in its annual
list of extraordinary men and women transforming business,
government and philanthropy: Narendra Modi and Kailash
Satyarthi
176) Name the airlines whose aircraft went crashing into a
mountainside in French Alps on March 24, killing all 150 persons
aboard: Germanwings
177) Name the space vehicle that became the first human-made
vehicle that has completed 11 years marathon on a planet:
Opportunity Rover of NASA
178) Final match of Cricket World Cup – 2015 was played in which
stadium: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
179) Name the cricketer who scored highest runs in the Cricket World
Cup 2015: Martin Guptil (NZ) - 547
180) Which cricketer declared as the ‘Man of the Tournament’ in
Cricket World Cup 2015: Mitchell Starc (Aus)
181) _______________ was declared as the ‘Man of the Match’ in the
final match of Cricket World Cup 2015: James Faulkner (Aus)
182) Name the women badminton player of India who created history
by becoming the first Indian women to be ranked as No. 1 in
world: Saina Newal
183) Saina Nehwal defeated world champion _______________ to
win the women’s singles title in the India Open Badminton
Championship: Ratchanok Intanon

86. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 85
184) Name the male Indian badminton player who won the recently
held India Open Badminton Championship: Kidambi Srikanth
185) The prestigious India Open Badminton Championship was held
in March 2015 at which place: New Delhi
186) _____________ will host the 2019 ICC Cricket Word Cup:
England and Wales
FEBRUARY – 2015
187) The first Grand Slam of the tennis for 2015 – Australian Open
was held at which place: Melbourne, Australia
188) Name the winner of men’s singles title at the Australian Open
tennis tournament: Novak Djokovic
189) Name the winner of women’s singles title at the Australian Open
tennis tournament: Serena Williams
190) Name the Indian tennis player who won the mixed doubles title
at the Australian Open: Leander Paes
191) Name the Indian Union Minister who recently visited China on a
four day official visit, to launch the “Visit India Year” in China:
Sushma Swaraj
192) Nicol David, World Women’s Squash champion has set a new
record for topping the world rankings for the 106th month. She
is from which country: Malaysia
193) Country’s GDP growth rate was revised upwards to ________
per cent for 2013-14, as against 4.7 per cent estimated earlier:
6.9
194) The base year for measuring national accounts has recently
been revised to _______ from 2004 – 05 earlier: 2011-12
195) India test fired its Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM),
__________ for the first time from a canister mounted on a
Tatra truck, from the Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast:
Agni-V
196) What is the approximate range of India’s ICBM Agni – V: 5000
kms
197) Sergio Mattarella has been elected as the new President of
which country: Italy
198) Rory McIlroy is the world’s no. 1 player in which sports: Golf
199) Rory McIlroy is from which country: Britain
200) _______ has been appointed Head Coach of India’s men’s
Hockey team: Paul Van Ass
201) 18th National Conference on e-Governance was held in which
city: Gandhinagar, Gujarat
202) Name the film that won the Filmfare Award for the best film for
2014: Queen
203) The Filmfare award for the best actor for 2014 was won by
_________: Shahid Kapoor for Haider
204) The Filmfare award for the best actress for 2014 was won by
_________: Kangana Ranaut for Queen
205) The Filmfare award for the best director for 2014 was won by
_________: Vikas Bahl for Queen
206) Krishna Chaudhary has been appointed Director General of
which paramilitary force: Indian Tibetan Boarder Police (ITBP)
207) Name the renowned music composer and actor who has been
appointed Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi: Shekhar Sen
208) Which bank has introduced a new app, Chillr, which will allow
users to send money to any contact in their phone books, 24X7:
HDFC Bank
209) Charles H. Townes, American noble prize winner scientist
passed away recently. He was known for which popular
invention: Laser lights
210) What is the full form of the word laser: Light Amplification by
Stimulated Emission of Radiation
211) A high powered committee chaired by R Gandhi, has been
formed to review the structure and functioning of the Urban
Cooperative Banking Sector. Who is R. Gandhi: Dy. Governor,
RBI
212) India's first fenced elephant sanctuary is to be setup in which
Biological Park in Karnataka: Bannerghatta
213) The RBI recently slashed the statutory liquidity ratio by how
many basis points: 50
214) What will be the impact of recent reduction of SLR by 50 basis
points on the inflation front in the country: It may go up
215) What will be the impact of recent reduction of SLR by 50 basis
points on the growth of the economy of the country: It may go
up
216) What will be the impact of recent reduction of SLR by 50 basis
points on the bank loans: It may go up
217) What will be the impact of this reduction of SLR by 50 basis
points on the interest rates of the bank loans: It may go down
218) Which is the only country to win the Handball World
Championships for the record five times: France
219) Which country secured the no. 1 position in world in
consumption of gold in 2014: India
220) India overtook which country in becoming the top consumer of
gold in the world: China
221) Which American celebrity has been elected as the most
admired women in the world in a recent survey: Angelina Jolie
222) Winner of the “Most Admired Women” title, Angelina Jolie is
from which field: Cinema
223) The Reserve Bank on Feb. 3 doubled the annual overseas
investment ceiling for individuals to $_________ per person per
year under the Liberalised Remittance: 250,000
224) The deposit accounts in the banks in which there are no
transactions for 10 years or more are called _______ accounts:
Unclaimed
225) Under which project Govt plans to construct over two crore
toilets in select villages to make India free from open defecation
by 2019: MNREGA
226) The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to install which type of
machines at locations selected by them (banks) without getting
its prior permission: Cash Deposit Machines
227) Which country has overtaken the United States as the top
destination for foreign direct investment for the first time since
2003: China
228) According to the UNCTAD, foreign firms invested 128 billion
dollars in China and 86 billion in the US last year. Write the full
form of UNCTAD: United Nations Conference of Trade and
Development
229) Which country has become the first country in the world to allow
a "three-parent" IVF (in vitro fertilization) technique: Britain
230) Who is the author of world famous novel “To Kill a
Mockingbird”: Harper Lee
231) Saloni Dalal, a 12 year old girl became the youngest medal
winner in the 35th National Games in Kerala by winning a
Bronze medal in which field: 200 meter breast stroke
swimming event
232) Which state won the 10th National Award for excellent work in
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act,
2005 (MGNREGA): Madhya Pradesh
233) Which state launched e-registration of properties in all the 130
tehsil and sub-tehsils of the State on Feb 04: Haryana

87. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 86
234) Who has been appointed as the new Union Home Secretary:
LC Goyal
235) Gaur Hari Singhania, a noted industrialist passed away recently.
He was associated with which corporate group: J K Group of
Industries
236) ________ has been appointed as member of the Advisory
Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations by the US
government: Ajay Banga
237) Which state has decided to set up ‘Plast India International
University’ in partnership with University of Massachusetts
Lowell, USA: Gujarat
238) Who is the author of the book “The Bookman’s Tale”: Charlie
Lovert
239) Which Indian mobile handset maker took over Samsung to
become India’s biggest smartphone vendor and third largest in
the world: Micromax
240) Which Indian Bank raised about Rs 10,000 crore by selling
American Depository Receipts in the largest follow-on offer by a
private sector firm: HDFC Bank
241) A three day conference of India’s Heads of the Missions was
held in which place: New Delhi
242) Ms. Zoe Konstantopoulou has been elected as the new
President of which country: Greece
243) In which country Shiite Houthi rebels dissolved the Parliament
and took over the reins of the impoverished nation: Yemen
244) Noted novelist Bhalchandra Nemade has recently been
honoured with which prestigious literary award: Jnanpith
Award
245) Jnanpith Award winner Mr. Nemade writes in which language:
Marathi
246) Name the Indian musician who won the ‘Best New Age Album’
award at the 57th Grammy Awards: Ricky Kej
247) Name the Indian who won the Grammy in the Best Children's
Album category for rendering audio version of the book 'I Am
Malala’: Neela Vaswani
248) The Grammy award for the record of the year and song of the
year went to which song: Stay with me
249) BAFTA awards are given for excellence in which field: Cinema
250) The abbreviation BAFTA stands for what: British Academy of
Film and Television Arts
251) Which film won the BAFTA award for the best film: Boyhood
252) Government has decided to infuse Rs. 6,990 crore in nine
public sector banks to comply with which international norms /
guidelines: Basel III
253) Basel III guidelines have been issued for what purpose: To
ensure capital adequacy in banks
254) Basel III guidelines have been issued by which international
authority: Bank for International Settlements
255) Name the politician whose name name was included in the
LIMCA book of records for being the only woman of the country
to represent the same Lok Sabha constituency on the same
party ticket for eight times in a row: Sumitra Mahajan
256) Which state launched the “Himalaya Darshan” programme as
part of its ongoing efforts to boost tourism in the state:
Uttarakhand
257) Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam who visited India recently is the
President of which country: Singapore
258) National Deworming Day is observed on which date: Feb 10
259) Medicine Albendazole is orally administered to pre-school and
school-going children between one and nineteen years for what
purpose: For de-worming
260) Which Indian economist has been named as the first winner of a
newly established Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize
in the UK: Amartya Sen
261) Which bank has launched ‘Pockets’, a digital banking service,
enabling users to instantly send money to any e-mail id, mobile
number, friends on Facebook and bank account: ICICI Bank
262) The RBI has allowed banks to offer extra interest on deposit
schemes up to Rs 1 crore which cannot be broken prematurely.
Such deposits are called _________ deposits: Non Callable
263) Reserve Bank has given the directions that all credit institutions,
banks and NBFCs should become members of all the CICs in
the country. The abbreviation CIC stands for: Credit
Information Company
264) Summit of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors
held in _______ on 9-10 February 2015: Istanbul
265) The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine met in
Minsk, capital of Belarus to find solution to which international
problem: Fighting in Eastern Ukraine
266) What is the name of the mascot of the 35th National Games:
Ammu
267) Which animal has been made the mascot for the 35th National
Games: The Great Hornbill Bird
268) Which marching contingents were awarded jointly the Best
Marching Contingents Trophy for Republic Day Parade 2015:
The Brigade of The Guards and the Sikh Regiment
269) The First World Ocean Science Congress (WOSC) was held in
______, Kerala from 5 to 8 February 2015: Kochi
270) Govt. has constituted a three-member Special Investigation
Team (SIT) headed by _________for re-investigation of the
1984 anti-Sikh riot cases: Pramod Asthana
271) The opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World cup 2015 was
held on Feb 12 at which two places: Christchurch and
Melbourne
272) Which US Company has created a world record by crossing the
mark of $700 billion in terms of market capitalization: Apple Inc
273) RBI has decided to put in circulation currency note in One
Rupee denomination. These notes are printed under which Act
of Govt. of India: Coinage Act 2011
274) India's trade deficit narrowed to an 11 month low of 8.3 billion
dollar in January 2015. Trade deficit refers to what: The
amount by which exports are less than imports
275) In terms of freedom of press, the World Press Freedom Index
puts India at which rank: 136th
276) All India Football Federations (AIFF) has declared which sports
person as the player of the year 2014: Sunil Chhetri
277) Name the champions who won highest number of medals – 159
in the national games 2015: Services
278) Raja Bhalendra Singh Trophy is awarded for which
achievement: Sports Contingent that wins highest medals in
national games
279) The 36th National Games will be hosted by which state in 2016:
Goa
280) For which national programme World Bank has agreed to grant
$ 8 million loan to India for sustainable livelihoods and adaption
to climate change: National Rural Livelihoods Mission
281) India successfully test-fired the naval version of the supersonic
BrahMos cruise missile from which naval ship: INS Kolkata
282) Name the first National Tribal Festival that was held at New
Delhi from 13 to 18 Feb., 2015. “VANAJ”-2015

88. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 87
283) Which national scheme recently launched by the govt. of India
has been listed in Guinness Book of World Records for largest
coverage: Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
284) Which state has set up Gram Sachivalayas to bring Gram
Panchayat and village level functionaries of all departments
under one roof for better functioning and coordination: Haryana
285) Name the former Maharashtra Home Minister and senior
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader who passed away
recently: R. R. Patil
286) Name the Popular cartoonist, veteran columnist and political
activist who passed away in Feb 2015: Rajinder Puri
287) The 67th National track cycling championship was held at which
place: Thiruvananthapuram
288) Name the veteran film producer, holder of the Guinness Book of
World Records for the most films produced – 150, by an
individual, who passed away recently: D Ramanaidu
289) What is the strike range of recently tested nuclear capable
Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile: 350 kms
290) The nationwide “Soil Health Card” scheme was launched by the
Prime Minister from which place in Rajasthan on Feb19 :
Suratgarh
291) Which Indian telecom major has tied-up with United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide health, education and
youth-focused content to its customers in 17 African countries:
Bharti Airtel
292) Government has launched MADAD-Because You Are Us
system for what purpose: Consular Grievances Monitoring
293) Name the former India Captain and ace Leg Spinner has been
chosen to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame: Anil
Kumble
294) What is the short name for the recently notified Indian
Accounting Standards which are converged with global
standards IFRS: Ind AS
295) The Indian Accounting Standards – Ind AS will be mandatory for
companies from which date: 1st April 2016
296) Which organization compiles the weekly figures for India's
foreign exchange reserves: RBI
297) Name the tennis star who won the WTA championship in Dubai:
Simona Halep
298) Name the Indian golfer who won the European Tour title at the
Hero Indian Open on Feb 22 in New Delhi: Anirban Lahiri
299) Who has been elected as the new Chief Minister of Bihar:
Nitish Kumar
300) Amartya Sen, 81 year old Nobel laureate economist was in
news recently for what reasons: He resigned as the
Chancellor of Nalanda University
301) The famous international Nalanda University is located in which
State: Bihar
302) The 10th edition of Aero India Show was held in which place:
Bengaluru
303) The government plans to launch a new scheme 'Krishi Dak
Service' for what purpose: To distribute improved seed
varieties to farmers at their doorstep, through post-offices
304) ADB has agreed to grant $350 million loan to Madhya Pradesh
for what purpose: To upgrade district roads
305) Which organization has reached an agreement with the bank
unions to keep the banks closed on 2nd and 4th Saturday: Indian
Banks Association (IBA)
306) The Academy Awards are given for excellence in which field:
Cinema
307) What is the popular name for prestigious US Academy Awards:
Oscars
308) Which picture won the Oscar for best picture: Birdman
309) Name the actor who won the Oscar for best actor: Eddie
Redmayne for The Theory of Everything
310) The Oscar for the best actress for 2014 was won by which lady:
Julianne Moore for Still Alice
311) What is the name of the recently conducted Indo Nepal Joint
Military Exercise: Surya Kiran-VIII
312) The military exercise Surya Kiran – VIII was recently held at
which place: Saljhandi, Nepal
313) Who has been appointed as the Ambassador and Permanent
Representative of India to the United Nations Offices in Geneva:
Ajit Kumar
314) The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
has established the world’s highest research station at which
place: Chang La, Ladhakh
315) What type of research activities shall be carried out at the
world’s highest research station at Chang La: To develop and
validate cold weather technologies for agriculture and
allied fields
316) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had amended the rules to
introduce MNP on nationwide basis from May 3. What is MNP:
Mobile Number Portability
317) Musicians from around the world will gather this April in which
city to celebrate the International Jazz Day: Paris
318) International Jazz Day is celebrated on which date: April, 30
319) Irom Sharmila, Human rights activist has been conferred Sthree
Shakti Award for her fight against imposition of Armed Forces
(Special Powers Act, 1958). She is from which state: Manipur
320) Hero Hockey India League 2015 was played in which city: New
Delhi
321) Which team won the Hero Hockey India League 2015
Championship: Ranchi Rays
JANUARY – 2015
322) The 13th Pune International Film Festival was held at Pune and
Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra from January 8 to 15. What
was the theme this year: War against War
323) Name the biggest cultural festival of the Mahayana sect of
Buddhism in Nepal, observed to mark the beginning of the New
Year: Tamu Lhochhar
324) The famous new year festival of Nepal – Tamu Lhochhar is held
at which place: Kathmandu
325) ADB has agreed to give $ 75 million loan and $1.8 million grant
to which state in India for Integrated Urban Water Management
Investment Program for improving the water resource
management: Karnataka
326) Name the top Indian cricketer who has decided to retire from
the Test Cricket: MS Dhoni
327) Name the country that has recently adopted the Euro as its
currency: Lithuania
328) How many countries in Europe have adopted Euro as their
currency: 19
329) President gave his assent to the NJAC Act, nearly ending the
two-decade-old Collegium System for appointment of judges to
the Supreme Court and 24 high courts. NJAC stand for what:
National Judicial Appointments Commission
330) The NJAC will be headed by ___________ and will have
______ other members: Chief Justice of India, Five

89. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 88
331) _____________ has been shifted from Uttarakhand to Mizoram
to hold charge of Governor of State: Aziz Qureshi
332) ______________ has been appointed as new Governor of
Uttarakhand: K K Paul
333) Name the former editor of the Hindustan Times and The Indian
Express, who passed away recently: B G Verghese
334) As per a recent report by global property consultant CBRE,
__________ is the costliest office space in India: Connaught
Place
335) R Koteeswaran has been appointed MD & CEO of which public
sector bank: Indian Overseas Bank
336) _______________ is the new MD & CEO of the Oriental Bank
of Commerce: Animesh Chauhan
337) Kishore Kumar Sansi is the new MD & CEO of which bank:
Vijaya Bank
338) Name the recently appointed MD & CEO of United Bank of
India: P Srinivas
339) Name the India's first integrated mobile application for women
safety launched in Delhi on Jan 1: ‘Himmat'
340) Saiyid Hamid, noted Muslim academician, educationist,
reformist and author passed away recently. He was Chancellor
of which educational institution: Jamia Hamdard University
and Jamia Millia Islamia
341) What is the new name of the Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority (IRDA) after the promulgation of
Insurance Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014: Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority of India
342) On Jan 1, the government announced that the Planning
Commission had been revamped and rechristened as NITI
Aayog. What is the full form of NITI: National Institution for
Transforming India
343) _____________ is the Chairman of the NITI Aayog: Prime
Minister
344) Name the newly appointed vice chairperson of the NITI Aayog:
Arvind Panagariya
345) Ms Sindushree Khullar has been appointed CEO of which
important national level office: NITI Aayog
346) In which development financial institution government has
decided to increase its stake to 51% from around 48% at
present: Industrial Finance Corporation of India – IFCI
347) Which is the only state in India that has the potential to grow the
rare ‘purple tea’: Assam
348) ______________ is the only country in the world that produces
unique purple tea: Kenya
349) India's top PSU bankers and select policy makers gathered in
Pune for a two-day (Jan 2-3) retreat that was named
______________: Gyan Sangam
350) 102nd Indian Science Congress was held at which place:
Mumbai
351) Who is the author of the book ‘The Fault in Our Stars’: John
Green
352) Name the senior politician who has authored the book titled, ‘At
Home in India: The Muslim Saga’: Salman Khurshid
353) The RBI has signed an information sharing agreement with
which country for better coordination in supervising financial
institutions: Unite States of America
354) As per revised norms, NBFCs have been asked to review KYC
norms in their high risk category accounts every _________
years: Two
355) Two commemorative coins of Rs 100 and five were released in
the honour of Tata Group founder ________________ to mark
his 175th birth anniversary: Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata
356) Indian railways runs the Maitree Express train between which
two stations: Kolkata – Dhaka
357) Name the project launched by government for under taking eco
friendly development of the rural areas: Green India Mission
358) Govt. has launched domestic efficient lighting programme in
Delhi. What is the highlight of this project: LED bulbs to be
supplied at an initial payment of Rs. 10
359) What is the full form of LED: Light Emitting Diodes
360) What is the name of the customized low-cost combination of
phone and tablet computer launched for farmers by ICRISAT:
Greenphablet
361) Write the full form of the abbreviation ICRISAT: International
Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
362) Headquarters of ICRISAT are located at which place: Near
Hyderabad, Telangana
363) India is on way to join the global high-end scientific Neutrino
Club as the government has approved a high level research
laboratory in __________ field in Tamil Nadu: High energy
physics
364) Amitabh Bachchan has been appointed as the brand
Ambassador for health sector by which State: Andhra Pradesh
365) The 19th National Youth Festival began in ___________on Jan
8: Guwahati
366) The theme for 19th National Youth Festival is_______________:
Youth for Clean, Green and Progressive India
367) Which union ministry has launched a toll-free helpline (1800-11-
0031) to assist the alcoholic and drug-dependent persons:
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
368) As per a Labour Bureau survey, unemployment rate in the
country rose to ______per cent in 2013-14, mainly on account
of increase in joblessness in rural areas: 4.9
369) Name the satirical weekly of France whose office was attacked
recently by Islamic militants, killing over 12 persons: Charlie
Hebdo
370) Millions of people around the world expressed their solidarity
with the slain French journalists by using the hash tag # Je Suis
Charlie on Twitter. What is its meaning: I am Charlie
371) Name the senior Indian diplomat who has been named as the
new Under-Secretary-General, Department of Field Support
(DFS) in UNO: ATUL KHARE
372) Which bank recently launched the country’s first contactless
debit and credit cards that use the near-field communication
(NFC) technology, enabling customer to make payments by just
waving the card near merchant terminals instead of swiping the
same: ICICI Bank
373) India has agreed to provide 60 million dollars Line of Credit –
LoC to Guyana for its road infrastructure projects. Where is it
located: On Northern border of Brazil
374) Modibo Keita has been elected as Prime Minister of which
country: Mali
375) The country Mali is located in which part of the world: West
Africa
376) Hampi Utsav – 2015 a three-day mega cultural festival of
dance, drama, art and music was held in which State:
Karnataka
377) Ancient town of Hampi in Karnataka was the capital of which
empire: Vijayanagar Empire
378) Scientists have discovered a powerful new antibiotic which can

90. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 89
kill an array of germs without the bugs easily becoming resistant
to it. What is its name: Teixobactin
379) India will provide Rs 6.90 crore support to Nepal for fighting
against the Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme
(IDDCP) for control of which ailment: Goitre
380) In which country militants of Boko Haram massacred over 2000
persons in towns around Baga: Nigeria
381) Tshering Tobgay, who recently visited India is the _________ of
Bhutan: Prime Minister
382) Who has been elected as new President of Sri Lanka:
Maithripala Sirisena
383) 15 prominent NRIs were conferred which honour at the recently
held Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
Award
384) In whose honour, the coins of the denomination of Rs. 100 and
Rs. 10 and the stamps of value of Rs 25 and Rs 5 were
released at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: Mahatama Gandhi
385) National Youth Day is observed on which date: 12th January
386) Why January 12 is observed as National Youth Day: It is
birthday of Swami Vivekananda
387) Name the star footballer who won the FIFA Ballon d'Or award
for 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo
388) Name the ace tennis player who reached the 1,000 ATP Tour
wins milestone as he won the Brisbane International title on Jan
11: Roger Federer
389) In the field of tennis, the abbreviation ATP stands for:
Association of Tennis Professional
390) Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Indian
Space Research Organization: A S Kiran Kumar
391) Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has been elected as the first women
President of which country: Croatia
392) Which airline has been selected as the safest airline in the world
for 2015: Quantas
393) Quantas is the official air carrier of which country: Australia
394) A new vaccine ‘Raksha Blue’ has been launched to counter
which deadly disease in farm animals: Bluetongue
395) Golden Globe awards are given in which field: Cinema
396) Golden Globe award are given in which country: USA
397) Which film won the Golden Globe 2015 for the best motion
picture: Boyhood
398) Name the Secretary, Defence Research and Development cum
Director General, DRDO and Scientific Advisor to the Defence
Minister who was in news as he was removed by the govt. from
his seat, 15 months before his contract was to end: Avinash
Chander
399) Raghuram Rajan, Governor, RBI was selected as the ‘Governor
of the Year’ by international magazine Central Banking. This
magazine is from which country: Britain
400) Country’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) - powered train
was flagged on January 13 from which place: Rewari, Haryana
401) Encouraged by the India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, the United
Kingdom announced which campaign to forge collaborations
with Indian companies: Great Collaborations
402) Nabard has signed an MoU with which Indian Institute of
Management, to set up a Chair to encourage research in
climate change, rural livelihood and financial inclusion, among
others: IIM, Ahmedabad
403) India and ____________have signed a joint agreement to
implement the third phase of the agriculture cooperation project
for next three years, 2015-18: Israel
404) Which bank bagged three awards, including the ‘award for the
best bank’ at the annual flagship event "MSME Banking
Excellence Awards-2014" at Bengaluru: Canara Bank
405) Which Bank on Jan 13 launched a savings bank account
christened as Jifi Saver, which can be managed via Twitter and
Facebook: Kotak Mahindra Bank
406) Which Indian space project has won the 2015 Space Pioneer
Award in the science and engineering category from the US
based National Space Society (NSS): Mass Orbiter Mission
407) Which district in Kerala became the first district in the country to
have all its gram panchayats connected through
National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) - hi-speed rural
broadband network: Idukki
408) The first Border Haat (market) along with Bangladesh frontier
was opened on 13 January 2015 in which State: Tripura
409) Which country has launched an Online Visa Pilot Programme to
make it easier for Indian business and tourism visitors to apply
online visa: Australia
410) Name the Indian professional golfer who has been voted as the
2014 Players’ Player of the year in Asian Tour: Anirban Lahiri
411) Name the new Chief Election Commissioner of India: H S
Brahma
412) Bank Rate of Reserve Bank of India is calibrated with which
other policy rate: Marginal Standing Facility
413) Which top IT company of India has promised the Prime Minister
to invest $250 million for funding innovations in software and
services in India: Infosys
414) Who is the appointing authority for Chief Election
Commissioner: President of India
415) What is the tenure of Chief Election Commissioner: 6 years
416) The official status of Chief Election Commissioner is equivalent
to which other post: Judge of Supreme Court
417) Which area of Uttar Pradesh was in news as around 50 lives
were lost there due to a hooch tragedy that occurred in its
nearby villages: Malihabad, Lucknow
418) Bhakti Sharma, India's 24 year old open water swimmer has set
a world record by swimming 2.25 kms in 52 minutes in one
degree temperature in which ocean: Antarctic Ocean
419) 76th Table Tennis National Championship was held at which
place: Puducherry
420) The Red Sari by Javier Moro is a book return about which
Indian political celebrity: Sonia Gandhi
421) Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification recently
resigned from her post. What is her name: Ms. Leela Samson
422) Which Bollywood celebrity has been conferred Social Media
Person of the year award 2015 by the Internet and Mobile
Association of India: Amitabh Bachchan
423) Name the new indigenously built fighter aircraft recently
inducted in the Indian Air Force: Tejas
424) Tejas is a LCA acquired by the Indian Air Force. What is the full
form of LCA: Light Combat Aircraft
425) Stephen Constantine has been appointed head coach of which
Indian sports team: Men's Football
426) Sania Mirza along with her American partner Bethanie Mattek-
Sands won doubles title at which international tournament in
Australia: Sydney International Tennis Tournament
427) Giraffe Hero Award is given for excellence in which field: Social
Work
428) Which State has appointed yoga guru Ramdev as the state's
brand ambassador to promote yoga and ayurveda in a big way:

91. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 90
Haryana
429) Which state has banned the sale of loose cigarettes (as single
sticks) and loose tobacco, becoming the first State to do so:
Punjab
430) Which State has been selected, for the first time, for National e-
Governance Award 2014-15 for the best district- level initiative
in the country: Jammu & Kashmir
431) In a bid to promote entrepreneurship among the Scheduled
Castes (SCs), which Ministry launched two schemes for funding
ventures setup by them: Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment
432) Name the Australian cricketer, rated as third fastest bowler in
world, who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket
after a 20-year career: Brett Lee
433) Name the cueist who won the National Billiards Championship
held at Kolkata: Pankaj Advani
434) Name the cricketer who recently hit the fastest century in one-
day internationals cricket history: AB de Villiers
435) _________ state to host the 35th National Games: Kerala
436) Asia’s biggest literary event was recently held in which city:
Jaipur
437) Name the Indian-American author who won the coveted DSC
Prize for Literature at the Jaipur Literature Festival: Jhumpa
Lahiri
438) _________ was declared as the winner of inaugural Khushwant
Singh Memorial Prize Literature at the Jaipur Literature Festival:
Arunadhathi Subramaniam
439) Name the film producer who has been appointed as the
Chairman, Central Board of Film Certification: Pahlaj Nihalani
440) A report by the IMF says that India is expected to grow at 6.3
per cent this year and 6.5 per cent in 2016 by when it is likely to
cross growth rate of which country: China
441) The 79th Senior National Badminton Championship held in
________ from January 29 to February 5: Vijayawada
442) Name the Indian runner who broke the 19-year-old women
marathon national record at the 12th Standard Chartered
Mumbai Marathon in Mumbai: O P Jaisha
443) In which country the Houthi rebels seized the Presidential
palace in the capital Sanaa, forcing the President to resign:
Yemen
444) As per the recent tiger census in India, ________ State has
highest number of tigers: Karnataka
445) As per a study by Edelman, India has been placed at _____
rank in world in terms of faith reposed by its citizens in its
institutions: 2nd
446) Name the noted political scientist, founder of Centre for the
Study of Developing Societies who passed away recently: Rajni
Kothari
447) With which country India signed an agreement on transfer of
prisoners who are completing their sentence there: Hong Kong
448) Name the author of the book “Geek Sublime: The Beauty of
Code, the Code of Beauty”: Vikram Chandra
449) The prestigious National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Awards are
given in which country: USA
450) Jimjang Deru of Arunachal Pradesh recently created national
record in which sports: Weight Lifting
451) Which international organization has decided to lift a seven-
month-long ban on the import of mangoes from India:
European Union
452) Veteran journalist Malini Parthasarathy has been appointed as
the first women editor of a century old national news paper: The
Hindu
453) The government has launched HRIDAY to preserve and
rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country. Write full
form of HRIDAY: Heritage City Development and
Augmentation Yojana
454) What is the name of the Microsoft’s voice controlled assistant to
be introduced in its new operating system - Windows 10:
Cortana
455) India has allowed duty free access to which country’s export
products in Indian markets under the Agreement of South Asia
Free Trade Area (SAFTA): Afghanistan
456) Name the scheme launched by the Prime Minister to save and
empower the girl child: Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao
457) Which Bollywood celebrity has been appointed as brand
ambassador of Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign: Madhuri
Dixit
458) A special savings scheme by the name ________ has been
launched to encourage special savings for girl child: Sukanya
Samriddhi Account
459) What is the rate of interest payable in the Sukanya Samriddhi
Account: 9.1% per annum
460) A maximum amount of Rs. ______ can be deposited in a
financial year in the Sukanya Samriddhi Account: 1,50,000
461) Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, King of Saudi Arabia was in news
recently for what reasons: He passed away
462) India’s first International Institute of Music will be set up in
_____ by a trust headed by Sarod Maestro Ustad Amjad Ali
Khan and his family: Kerala
463) In which country its first women premier was impeached on Jan
23 for corruption charges: Thailand
464) Lee Wan Koo has been appointed new Prime Minister of which
Asian country: South Korea
465) The Reserve Bank has allowed Indians to carry high value
notes of Rs 500 /1000 while travelling to _______ and
_____with a cap of Rs 25,000 on the total amount: Nepal,
Bhutan
466) The World Economic Forum's five-day annual jamboree of the
global elite started on Jan 20 at______, Switzerland: Davos
467) Which Ministry has launched a new organisation “National
Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited”
(NHIDCL) to promote the road construction: Road Transport
and Highways Ministry
468) Name the controversial Australian bowler who has been named
Australia's young cricketer of the year, winning the Sir Bradman
Award: Sean Abbott
469) In a major boost to the jute sector, govt. has approved
mandatory packaging of _____ and _____ in jute material to
minimum extent of up to 90 per cent of production: Sugar and
Foodgrains
470) RBI has advised that RRBs with assets less than $175 million
need not to register under the US law FATCA. Write the full
form of FATCA: Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
471) Govt plans to set up a ‘Price Stabilisation Fund’ (PSF), with a
corpus of Rs 500 crore for what purpose: To control price
fluctuations in fruits and vegetables
472) The proposed price stabilization fund will initially focus on which
two commodities for their price regulation: Onions and
Potatoes
473) With which country India signed MoUs for formulating action

92. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 91
plans for development of smart cities in Allahabad, Ajmer and
Visakhapatnam: USA
474) Govt plans to introduce a new Consumer Price Index with
________ as base year for computing retail inflation rate: 2012
475) India has been ranked _______ globally in terms of talent
competitiveness of its human capital, indicating acute shortage
of skilled workforce: 78th
476) The Expenditure Management Commission, headed
by_______, has recommended to the government that it cut
fiscal deficit to 3.6 per cent of the GDP during 2015-16: Bimal
Jalan
477) Which Bank has launched Jifi Saver, a social savings bank
account which can be seamlessly managed via Twitter and
Facebook: Kotak Mahindra Bank
478) Who has been appointed as the new Union Foreign Secretary
of India: S. Jaishankar
479) Country’s first geothermal heating plant was launched
successfully by the Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment
of DRDO at its _____(HP) campus: Manali
480) R K Laxman, the legendary cartoonist who passed away
recently is known for the iconic cartoon character named
________:The Common Man
481) Veteran cartoonist R K Laxman was associated with which
news paper: The Times of India
482) Name the highest peacetime military honour awardaed
posthumously to Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj
Kumar Singh on Republic Day: Ashok Chakra
483) Paulina Vega of Columbia has been crowned with which
international beauty pageant: Miss Universe
484) Name the new national champion of snooker in men’s category:
Pankaj Advani
485) The Reserve Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding on
“Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory
Information” with central bank of which country: Brazil
486) Which Indian bank signed an agreement with U.S.
government’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation for
$220 million loan for on-lending to micro, small and medium
enterprises: Yes Bank
487) Pooja Thakur, the first woman to lead the ceremonial tri-service
guard of honour inspected by Mr. Obama is from which wing of
Indian Defence Forces: Air Force
488) Which MNC recorded highest ever quarterly profit of $18 billion
in quarter ending December 2014: Apple Inc.
489) Name the legal luminary, a senior advocate who has been
awarded Padma Bhushan recently: Harish Salve
490) Mr. Subhash Kashyap who has been honoured with Padma
Bhushan is an authority in which field: Constitutional Expert
491) Name the noted philanthropist couple honoured recently with
Padma Bhushan: Bill Gates and Melinda Gates
492) Name the noted TV journalist honoured with Padma Bhushan
this year: Rajat Sharma
493) Name the veteran politician, a serving Chief Minister who has
been decorated with Padma Vibhushan this year: Prakash
Singh Badal
494) Name the two noted bollywood actors who have been honoured
with Padma Vibhushan this year: Amitabh Bachhan and Dilip
Kumar
495) Name the UK businessman and spiritual leader who has been
honoured with Pamda Vibhushan this year: Karim Al Hussaini
Aga Khan
496) Sportsperson Mithali Raj has been honoured with Padma Shri.
She is from which sports: Cricket
497) Name the women badminton player honoured with Padma Shri
award this year: PV Sindhu
498) Noted film personality Prasoon Joshi who has been awarded
Padma Shri is from which field of film industry: Lyricist
499) Jhumpa Lahiri has been awarded DSC Prize 2015 for literature
for her book : The Lowland
500) India's FDI increased by 26 per cent in 2014 to an estimated 35
billion US dollar. Maximum FDI was attracted by which sector
of economy: Services
501) To meet the fiscal deficit, the government sold 10 per cent stake
in which state owned company to raise about Rs 24,000 crore:
Coal India Ltd
502) Which country will host the 2016 Twenty 20 World Cup from
11th of March to 3rd of April 2016: India
503) Name the Former chief of Gorkha National Liberation Front,
who gave birth to the Gorkhaland movement, who died recently:
Subash Ghishing
504) As per revised guidelines, winners of Gold medal in
international sports events will now get Rs. __________: 75
lacs
505) Jaswant Sing Rajput who won two times gold medal for India in
Olympics, passed away recently. He was from which Sports:
Hockey
506) The Payment Banks are not allowed to undertake which major
banking function: Giving Loans
507) The payment banks are not allowed to accept deposits beyond
Rs. ___________: One lac
DECEMBER – 2014
508) Name the Russian film that won the Golden Peacock for the
best film at the International Film Festival of India: Leviathan
509) The Golden Peacock Award for the best film carries a cash
award of __________ rupees: 40 lac
510) Noted film maker Wong Kar Wai was conferred the lifetime
achievement award at IFFI. He is from which country: China
511) Worlds Aids Day is observed on which date: December 1st
512) What is the full form of HIV infection: Human
Immunodeficiency Virus Infection
513) In the abbreviation of AIDS, the letter S stands for what:
Syndrome
514) Which Southeast Asian country has launched a Tamil version of
National Day Song: Singapore
515) Name the Indian footballer who has been given Hall of Fame
Award in Manila: Baichung Bhutia
516) Name the Indian woman badminton player who won the Macau
Grand Prix Gold trophy at Macau, China: PV Sindhu
517) Jarbom Gamlin who passed away recently was a formal Chief
Minister of which State: Arunachal Pradesh
518) Govt. has deiced to observe 25th December as which day:
National Good Governance Day
519) National Good Governance Day is observed in the honour of
which national leader: Atal Behari Vajpayee
520) Name the noted Bollywood comedy actor who passed away
recently: Deven Verma
521) A R Antulay, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra passed away
recently. He was from which political party: Congress
522) In a gruesome attack naxalites killed 14 CRPF personnel in
Sukma district of _________ state: Chhattisgarh

93. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 92
523) Tabare Vazquez has been elected as President of which South
American country: Uruguay
524) Who has been appointed as the new Director of Central Bureau
of Investigation: Anil Kumar Sinha
525) The international prize for art – Turner Prize is given in which
country: UK
526) Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards are given in which field:
For excellence in exports
527) Which bank won the Niryat Bandhu Silver Trophy for excellence
in exports: Canara Bank
528) American geologists have named the earth’s most abundant
________as ‘Bridgmanite’: Mineral
529) The world climate change conference was held at which place:
Lima, Peru
530) The recent world climate change conference was organized by
UNFCCC. What is the full form of UNFCCC: UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change
531) As per the Corruption Perceptions Index–2014 released by the
Transparency International, India stands at ___ position among
175 countries: 85th
532) As per the Corruption Perceptions Index–2014, which country is
least corrupt in world: Denmark
533) Name the India’s recently tested nuclear – capable strategic
ballistic missile having a range of about 4000 kms: Agni IV
534) Name the system launched by RBI to help consumers pay
multiple bills like electricity, telephone and school fees at a
single point of transaction: Bharat Bill Payment System
535) Which organization has been appointed as the nodal body for
implementing Bharat Bill Payment System: National Payment
Corporation of India
536) Government has fixed an export target of $______ billion for the
current fiscal: 340
537) India recently launched GSAT-16 satellite for what purpose:
Communications
538) The communication satellite GSAT-16 was launched at which
place: Kourou in French Guiana
539) United Nations has declared which day as International Yoga
Day: June 21
540) Why June 21 has been selected as World Yoga Day: This is
the longest day thus having maximum energy
541) Which state recently launched “Mobile one” e-governance
initiative to enable public to access 4000 govt/ private services
on their mobile phones just by dialing 161: Karnataka
542) Blind Cricket World Cup was recently held at which place: Cape
Town, South Africa
543) Name the country that won the Blind Cricket World Cup 2014:
India
544) RBI has hiked the limit for pre-paid payment instruments (PPI)
to Rs. _________ from Rs. 50,000 at present: One Lac
545) Name the legendary jurist, a Supreme Court judge, and post-
retirement, a human rights activist who passed away recently:
V.R. Krishna Iyer
546) Deodhar trophy is related to which place: Cricket
547) Deodhar trophy 2014 was lifted by which team: East Zone
548) Which US firm has been selected for supply of 16 multirole
helicopters for the Indian Navy: Sikorsky
549) Government has asked PSUs to ensure that they procure 20
percent of their requirements from the products manufactured
by MSME Units. What is meant by MSME: Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises
550) Who has been appointed as the new US Defence Secretary:
Ashton Carter
551) On December 5, NASA launched Orion spacecraft atop a Delta
IV Heavy rocket. It is what type of spacecraft: Returnable
Spacecraft
552) Name the author of the book “2014: The Election That Changed
India”: Rajdeep Sardesai
553) Which Indian state got its first rail link on Nov. 29, 2014:
Meghalaya
554) As per the 2013 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, India
has been placed at which position: 65th
555) Death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar – 6 December is
observed as what day: Mahaparinirwan Divas
556) United Nations General Assembly has declared 2015 as
the International Year of _______: Soils
557) Japan recently launched explorer Hayabusa 2 for what purpose:
For exploring asteroids
558) With which country Andhra Pradesh signed a MoU for
development of new capital: Singapore
559) The UNICEF has said that 2014 has been “devastating” for
some 15 million ______caught up in violent conflicts around the
world: Children
560) Ms. Wang Patraporn has been selected as Miss Intercontinental
2014. She is from which country: Thailand
561) In which country typhoon Hagupit caused wide spread
devastation on December 7: Philippines
562) The government has decided to decriminalise “attempt to
suicide” by deleting which section of the Indian Penal Code: 309
563) The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal for setting up of a
500 crore rupees Credit Guarantee Fund for Factoring for
MSME units. What is factoring: Collection of receivables of
business units
564) The first Arabic translation of the Indian Constitution has been
launched recently in which country: Egypt
565) Name the entity that has been selected as the ‘Person of the
Year 2014’ by Time magazine: Ebola Fighters
566) Which Indian bank has launched two indices to track
manufacturing activity and offer forward looking economic
trends: State Bank of India
567) Which country has become the 181st member of Multilateral
Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA): Bhutan
568) As per the Web Index 2014 India has been placed at which rank
in terms of internet's contribution to social, economic and
political progress: 48th
569) Noted corporate personality Azim Premji has been awarded
Swiss Ambassador's Award. He is chairman of which company:
Wipro Ltd.
570) The Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) links Ludhiana
in Punjab to __________ near Kolkata: Dankuni
571) India’s most prestigious Indian classical music function – The
Tansen Sangeet Samaroh was held at which place: Gwalior,
MP
572) INS Circars, the oldest naval establishment on the Eastern
seaboard celebrated its Platinum Jubilee. It is located at which
place: Visakhapatnam
573) Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India to attend which
important meeting: 15th India-Russia annual summit
574) Who is Arunima Sinha, writer of the book “Born Again on the
Mountain”: First Indian female amputee to climb Mount
Everest

94. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 93
575) The Druzhba – Dosti concept relates to strengthening of the
bilateral partnership of India with which country: Russia
576) Name the book by Akhil Sharma that has been selected by The
New York Times Book Review as one of the ten Best Books of
2014: Family Life
577) In which country police forcefully ended the more than two
month old street demonstration - Occupy Central: Hong Kong
578) The 14th Finance Commission submitted its report on December
11 to which authority: President of India
579) Who is the head of the 14th Finance Commission: Y V Reddy
580) What is the purpose of setting the finance commission: To
decide the devolution of tax receipts from the Centre to the
states
581) The recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission shall be
applicable from ______ to 31st March, 2020: 1st April, 2015
582) To promote electronic payments, the Reserve Bank of India has
increased the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) business
hours to 12 hours from ________ to _____ on weekdays: 8 am,
8 pm
583) Name the recent international chess title won by Viswanathan
Anand: London Classic
584) Name the indigenous nuclear-powered submarine that for the
first time sailed out for sea-trials on Dec 16: INS Arihant
585) Name the beauty queen that has been selected as Miss World
2014: Rolene Strauss
586) Miss World 2014, Rolene Strauss is from which country: South
Africa
587) National Energy Conservation Day is observed on which date:
Dec 14
588) Who is the author of the book ‘In God’s Hands’: Desmond Tutu
589) Who is Desmond Tutu, winner of Templeton Prize: Archbishop
from South Africa
590) Name the new chief of the Intelligence Bureau: Dineshwar
Sharma
591) Who has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of Japan:
Shinzo Abe
592) Champions Trophy is related to which sports: Hockey
593) Champions Trophy 2014 was won by which country: Germany
594) Champions Trophy 2014 was held at which city in India:
Bhubaneswar
595) Confucius Peace Prize, also known as China's version of the
Nobel Prize, has been given to which person for 2014: Fidel
Castro, Former Cuban leader
596) Vivek Murthy, the 37 year old Indian origin doctor in USA was in
news for what reasons: He has been appointed Surgeon
General of USA
597) Olof Palme Human Rights Prize is given in which country:
Sweden
598) Nasa's Curiosity rover has recently detected methane on which
planet: Mars
599) Government has approved the continuation of interest
subvention for short-term crop loans up to Rs _______ to
farmers: 3 lakh
600) Which state has won the Krishi Karman Award for the year
2013-14 for showing exemplary agri-performance in 14 different
categories: Arunachal Pradesh
601) Which bank has launched its mobile banking application by the
name ‘Bank Aapki Muththi Mein’: HDFC Bank
602) Name the heaviest ever rocket, weighing 630 tonnes launched
by ISRO on Dec 18: GSLV Mark III
603) GSLV Mark III carried CARE as its payload which is an Indian-
made unmanned crew module. What is full form of CARE: Crew
Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment
604) USA has announced a series of steps aimed at normalising
relations with which country: Cuba
605) Name the two banks that have been fined recently by the RBI
for violation of KYC norms: ICICI Bank and Bank of Baroda
606) Union Cabinet recently approved a constitutional amendment
bill on which important tax issue: Goods and Services Tax
607) Name the super power whose economy is in deep trouble due
to economic sanctions imposed on it and huge loss on account
of steep fall in oil prices: Russia
608) Opening ceremony for the International Cricket Council (ICC)
World Cup 2015 shall be held at which place: Melbourne,
Australia
609) Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik, the twin sisters from Dehradun
were in news for what reasons: They completed scaling
highest peaks
610) Name the beauty queen selected as the Miss Universal Peace
& Humanity 2014: Ruhi Singh
611) Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014 contest was held at
which place: Beirut, Lebanon
612) What is the name of the new Prime Minister of Mauritius:
Anerood Jugnauth
613) Among the chief ministers serving currently, who is the Chief
Minister with longest tenure of 20 years: Pawan Chamling
614) Pawan Chamling, who completed 20 years as Chief Minister on
Dec 12. He is from which State: Sikkim
615) In India the record for longest tenure as Chief Minister, 23
years, 4 months is held by which person: Jyoti Basu
616) Chunibhai Vaidya, a veteran Gandhian and freedom fighter
passed away recently. He is from which state: Gujarat
617) Rajinder Khanna has been appointed head of which national
intelligence agency: Research and Analysis Wing
618) Prakash Mishra has been appointed head of which paramilitary
force: CRPF
619) The festival of Losar celebrated to mark the beginning of new
year is observed at which place in India: Ladakh, J & K
620) Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas to be held from 7th to 9th January, 2015
will be which number in series: 13th
621) 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas will be held at which place:
Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat
622) Which Indian cricketer has been named as the brand
ambassador of ICC cricket world cup 2015: Sachin Tendulkar
623) Name the Indian golfer who won the Inaugural edition of Dubai
Open Golf Championship title: Arjun Atwal
624) Name the winning team of the Indian Super League Football
Championship: Atletico De Kolkata
625) Beji Caid Essebsi has been elected as President of which
African Country: Tunisia
626) Which Indian State has decided to set up a Cultural University
to promote its rich cultural heritage: Manipur
627) Klaus Iohannis has been elected as __________ of Romania:
President
628) Govt. has decided to pay __ % interest on provident fund
deposits of Employees Provident Fund Organisation: 8.75%
629) International Tennis Federation (ITF) has declared __________
as the men’s player of the year 2014: Novak Djokovic

95. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 94
630) _______ has been named as the women player of the year
2014 by International Tennis Federation: Serena Williams
631) The authorize capital of the Regional Rural Banks has been
raised from Rs.5 crore at present to Rs. _______ crore: 2000
632) The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has advised that the new IFRS
norms shall be applicable from April 1, 2015. What is the full
form of IFRS: International Financial Reporting Standards
633) Recently RBI has released a new set of norms defining which
type of borrowers: Non Cooperative Borrowers
634) Jyotsna Suri has recently been elected as President of the
prominent national trade body – FICCI. What is the full form of
FICCI: Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry
635) Name the President of Bangla Desh who visited Kolkata
recently: Abdul Hamid
636) Name the NASA’s planet-hunting spacecraft which discovered a
‘super-Earth’ located 180 light-years from Earth: Kepler
637) As per a recent survey which are the two top culprits for highest
global carbon-dioxide emissions from burning of fossil fuels:
China and United States– 29and 15 per cent
638) British Queen has honoured noted Pakistan-born poetess Imtiaz
Dharker for her poetry collection ‘Over the Moon’ with which
award: Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2014
639) Joe Cocker who died recently was a famous ________ from the
Colorado, USA: Rock Singer
640) Name the Indian player who won silver medal at the 17th Asian
Luge Championship: Shiva Keshavan
641) 58th National Shooting Championships was held in which place:
Pune
642) Vinicius – the cat, has been declared as mascot for which
international sports event: 2016 Rio Olympics
643) Name the European space mission spacecraft that has been
declared as the most important scientific Breakthrough of the
Year 2014: Rosetta
644) Bharat Ratna Award is given on recommendation of which
authority: Prime Minister
645) The declaration for Bharat Ratna Award is made by which
authority: President
646) Name the eminent South Indian filmmaker and Dadasaheb
Phalke Award winner from Chennai who died recently: K.
Balachander
647) The deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes of various
denominations, including 500 and 1,000 rupees, has been
extended upto which date: June 30, 2015
648) The World Youth Under-16 Chess Olympiad at Gyor in Hungary
was won by which country: India
649) For the first time, India exported an indigenously built war ship
to which country: Mauritius
650) For the first time, India exported an indigenously built war ship
to a foreign country. It was what type of ship: Offshore Patrol
Vessel
651) Which online shopping portal has announced the launch of ‘Agri
Store’, offering online products like seeds, fertilizer and irrigation
tools etc.: Snapdeal.com
652) Name the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand: Raghubar Das
653) Govt. has launched which programme to cover all those
children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated or partially
vaccinated against seven vaccine preventable diseases:
Mission Indradhnaush
654) Government has decided to set-up _______________to provide
counseling to consumers in redressal of their grievances and
assist them in registering their complaints in the appropriate
consumer forums: Grahak Suvidha Kendras (Consumer care
centres)
655) Union Cabinet approved promulgation of the ordinance on
Insurance Bill to raise foreign investment cap in the insurance
sector from 26 to _________ per cent: 49
656) Union Cabinet opened the medical devices sector to foreign
investment by allowing ______per cent FDI in these devices:
100
657) Which private sector bank has raised $200 million loan from
Asian Development Bank for onward lending to small farm
households and rural women self help groups (SHGs): Yes
Bank
658) Name the head of the committee setup to examine the
possibility of forming a Special Investigation Team for re
investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases: Justice G P
Mathur
659) Who has been selected as one of the top ten scientists in 2014
chosen by the prestigious science journal of UK-Nature: Dr. K.
Radhakrishnan
660) A new train - The Sushaasan (good governance) Express was
launched on Dec 25, from which place to which place: Gwalior
to Gonda
661) Ankita Raina won ITF singles tennis title becoming the first
Indian to win this title in past 14 years. This match was played
at which place: Pune
662) Name the cricketer who broke the world record for most number
of stumpings in international cricket after he claimed his 134th
victim: M S Dhoni
663) Which country has been assigned the Presidency of the Council
of the European Union for the first half of 2015: Latvia
664) Which southeastern country suffered worst flooding in decades
forcing some 1,18,000 people to flee to safer places: Malaysia
665) Name the wheeled version of the unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV) Nishant, recently tested by DRDO: Panchi
666) Name the mission that aims at creating an environment for
producing high quality teachers: Pandit Madan Mohan
Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching
667) Which country recently successfully test fired its Angara-A5
rocket: Russia
668) Name the country that has decided to join North Atlantic Treaty
Organization: Ukraine
669) Which Indian bowler has been banned by BCCI as his bowling
action was found illegal: Pragyan Ojha
670) World Bank will lend Rs 475 crore ($75 million) to the
___________Government for implementing a rural growth
project: Andhra Pradesh
671) The Reserve Bank released a charter of customer rights on
Dec.3 that lays down ____________basic rights that bank
customers enjoy: Five
672) Pragyan Ojha was banned as his bowling action was found
illegal, flexing elbow beyond ___degrees: 15
673) Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers
and Teaching was launched on 25th December at which place:
BHU, Varanasi
NOVEMBER – 2014
674) Julian Burnside, Human rights advocate and barrister from
Australia was honoured recently with which international prize:

96. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 95
Sydney Peace Prize 2014
675) Sydney Peace Prize is awarded by which organization: Sydney
University
676) Mithra Shakthi, the three weeks Joint military exercise was
conducted between India and which other country: Sri Lanka
677) Mithra Shakthi military exercise was held at which place: Sri
Lanka
678) What was the name of the 4th Joint anti terrorism military
exercise held by Indian and Chinese forces: Hand in Hand
2014
679) The 4th Hand in Hand 2014 joint exercise of Indian and Chinese
forces was held at which place: Pune
680) Which state aims at construction of 10 lakh toilets by 2018 to
make the state completely free from open defecation:
Karnataka
681) The Union Government has decided on 29th October, to relax
FDI norms in the ____________sector, allowing 100 per cent of
foreign funds in building projects: Constructions
682) Govt has fixed rupees _______ per quintal as the Minimum
Support Price for wheat for 2014-15 season: 1450
683) Name the Indian cricketer who was inducted into the Bradman
Hall of Fame on 5th October at the Sydney Cricket Ground,
Australia: Sachin Tendulkar
684) Name the former Union Carbide chief, wanted in India in
connection with the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, who passed
away recently: Warren Anderson
685) Name the India’s ace shooter who became the first Indian to be
elected as Chairman of International Shooting Sport
Federation's (ISSF) Athletes Committee: Abhinav Bindra
686) Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani teenage rights activist and Nobel
Peace Prize winner was in news for donating $50,000 for what
purpose: To help rebuild UN schools in Gaza
687) Name the Mumbai Cinema actor, winner of two Filmfare awards
who passed away in November: Sadashiv Amrapurkar
688) Duleep Trophy 2014 was won by which zone: Central Zone
689) Duleep Trophy is for which sports: Cricket
690) 43rd Handball National Championship (women’s) was held at
which place: Mastuana Sahib, Punjab
691) The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers is the
high level national civilian award of which country: Japan
692) Name the Indian dignitary who was honoured with The Grand
Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers: Manmohan
Singh
693) World Trade Center, New York was in news recently for what
reasons: It has been re-constructed and restarted
694) President Pranab Mukherjee recently visited which
neighbouring country of India: Bhutan
695) Recently a warship of Indian Navy sunk off the Visakhapatnam
coast during a naval exercise. What type of ship it was:
Torpedo Recovery Vessel
696) The Central Government has allocated five thousand crore
rupees under AYUSH Mission for what purpose: For promoting
traditional methods of treatment in the country
697) Children's Film Society of India organised the first edition of the
National Children's Film Festival from 14 to 16 Nov at which
place: New Delhi
698) Paris-based think tank, OECD has projected 5.4 percent growth
for the Indian economy this year. What is the full form of OECD:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
699) Who is Dmitry Rogozin, who visited India to attend 20th session
of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission: Deputy
Prime Minister of Russia
700) In the Forbes list of the world's most powerful people for 2014,
Mr. Modi has been placed at which rank: 15th
701) As per the Forbes list of the world's most powerful people for
2014, who has been placed at the top of the list: Vladimir Putin
702) Who has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the Central
Board of Direct Taxes: Anita Kapur
703) 54th National Open Athletics Championships held at which
place: New Delhi
704) Who was adjudged the best female athlete in the 54th National
Open Athletics Championships: Tintu Luka
705) Who was adjudged the best male athlete in the 54th National
Open Athletics Championships: Ankit Sharma
706) Tintu Luka, winner of the best national athlete (female) is from
which sport: Racing
707) Ankit Sharma, winner of the best national athlete (male) is from
which sports: Long Jump
708) Name the India’s fast bowler who has won this year's ICC’s LG
People's Choice Award: Bhuvneshwar Kumar
709) Name the batsman who became the quickest cricketer to reach
6,000 runs in ODIs: Virat Kohli
710) The Indian Army’s team of eight Garhwalis won the rigorous
endurance competition Cambrain Patrol in which country:
Wales, UK
711) Name the region of Spain which is agitating for its separation
from Spain: Catalonia
712) Name the village near Varanasi that has been adopted for
development by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi under
‘Sansad Gram Yojna’: Jayapur
713) Laxmikant Parsekar has been appointed as the new Chief
Minister of which state: Goa
714) What is the strike range of recently test fired ballistic missile
Agni – II: 2,000 kms
715) Name the India’s first indigenous Light Combat Aircraft’s two-
seater trainer jet: Tejas
716) Recently Germany observed silver jubilee of demolition of which
historical monument: Berlin Wall
717) With which country India signed a MoU for promoting the
Nalanda University in Bihar: Bhutan
718) In collaboration with which country India has developed the
long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) system with a range
of 70 kms: Israel
719) Who has been named as the most-powerful business woman in
India by Fortune Magazine: Arundhati Bhattacharya
720) RBI has made it mandatory for banks to send SMS alerts for
which type of transactions: Cheque Transactions
721) Where in India country’s longest access controlled six lane
expressway is being developed: Uttar Pradesh
722) Country’s longest access controlled six lane expressway shall
be connecting which two cities: Lucknow–Agra
723) Lipulekh Pass through which border trade worth over Rs 3 crore
took place between India and China this year lies in which state:
Uttarakhand
724) India has inked a USD 200 million loan agreement with the
World Bank to finance the setting up of technology centres to
help MSMEs enhance their productivity. What is full form of
MSMEs: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

97. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 96
725) The 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held at
which place: Goa
726) Which was the focus country for this year’s International Film
Festival of India: China
727) Which Cine Star was honoured with Centenary Award for Indian
Film Personality of the Year at the 45th IFFI: Rajnikanth
728) Which two States have opened the bank accounts for all
households in the state under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna
(PMJDY): Kerala and Goa
729) 6th World Ayurveda Congress was held in which place: New
Delhi
730) Durand Cup is related with which sports: Football
731) The 127th Durand Cup Championship was held at which place:
Goa
732) National Education Day is observed on which date: November
11
733) Name the India’s first Education Minister in whose honour
National Education Day is observed on November 11: Maulana
Abul Kalam
734) Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan has been launched for what purpose:
To promote role of IITs/NITs in rural development
735) Name the portal launched to enable students for selecting the
right college for their higher education: Know Your College
736) Govt. has launched SAMVAY to facilitate students to switch
between education and jobs. The acronym SAMVAY stands for:
Skill Assessment Matrix for Vocational Advancement of
Youth
737) Name the two scholarship schemes launched for girls pursuing
technical education at college level: Saksham and Pragati
738) ________ has been appointed Chairman of National Chemical
Weapon Convention: G.S. Sandhu
739) National Cancer Awareness Day observed on which date: 7
November
740) At which place in India Suzlon Energy company installed the
world’s tallest 120 meters high hybrid wind generator turbines:
Kutch, Gujarat
741) As per recent reports from IMF, in October 2014, which country
became the world’s largest economy in terms of Purchasing
Power Parity (PPP): China
742) Name the country who has become the first European Union
(EU) country to officially recognise the State of Palestine:
Sweden
743) Public Service Broadcasting Day is observed on 12th November
to commemorate the first and only visit of which celebrity to All
India Radio: Mahatma Gandhi
744) Gandhian Philosophy and Public Service Broadcasting Award
2014 has been won by which radio station: Radio Kashmir,
Jammu
745) Name the world number one Badminton player who has been
suspended due to an apparent anti-doping regulation violation:
Lee Chong Wei
746) What was the name of the first ever manmade mechanical
device landed on a comet: Philae Probe
747) In the 10 day foreign visit of Prime Minister Modi in November,
which was the first place visited by him: Nay Pyi Taw
748) How many members are there in the ASEAN group of nations:
10
749) Summit of ASEAN group of nations in November was held at
which place: Nay Pyi Taw
750) Apart from 10 ASEAN countries, how many more countries are
member of East Asian Summit: 8
751) ASEAN summit 2015 will be held in which country: Cambodia
752) While visiting Australia in November, Prime Minister Modi
visited which city first of all: Brisbane
753) While visiting Australia in November, which was the last city
visited by the Prime Minister Modi: Melbourne
754) What was the name of the venue in Sydney where Mr. Modi
addressed Indian diaspora: Allphones Arena
755) At which place in Australia, Mr. Modi addressed the Australian
Parliament: Canberra
756) Mr. Modi assured of life time visa to PIO and OCI card holders
of Australia. What is the full form of PIO and OCI: Persons of
Indian Origin; Overseas Citizens of India
757) Who is the constitutional head of Australia: British Monarch
758) __________ is the Prime Minister of Australia: Tony Abbott
759) __________ is the President of Myanmar: Thein Sein
760) Name the Oceanic Island country visited by Mr. Modi in
November: Fiji
761) ___________ is the capital of Fiji: Suva
762) Govt. has notified BIS mark for 15 electronic products, including
mobile phones, power banks and LED lamps. BIS stands for:
Bureau of Indian Standards
763) Which two countries have agreed on a timetable to limit
emission of greenhouse gases — ending a 20-year discord
between them: China and USA
764) The net own funds – NOF requirements for NBFCs has been
raised from Rs.25 lakh at present to Rs._____ by March, 2016:
One crore
765) As per a recent study, which city in India has the largest number
(16.4 million) internet users: Mumbai
766) Who has been named as the captain of ICC ODI Team of the
Year 2014: MS Dhoni
767) Who has been appointed as the new Union Financial Services
Secretary (FSS): Hasmukh Adhia
768) Name the winner of 2014 World’s Children Prize: Malala
Yousafzai
769) Name the Governor of South Caorlina state, USA who visited
India recently: Nikki Haley
770) Name the Bollywood actor-director who became the first man in
the history of “UN Women” to be appointed as its Goodwill
Ambassador for South Asia: Farhan Akhtar
771) Rohit Sharma made history by scoring the highest individual
score of 264 runs. He achieved this feet at which ground: Eden
Garden Stadium, Kolkata
772) Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag, Indian Army Chief was conferred the
title of honorary rank of General by which country: Nepal
773) Name the veteran film director from Bollywood, famous for his
tele serial – Mahabharat and movie – Baghban, who passed
away recently: Ravi Chopra
774) The IPI India Award for Excellence in Journalism, 2014, was
awarded jointly to which two publications: Hindustan Times
and The Week
775) The Indian army recently test-fired the Prithvi-II missile. What is
the name of its naval version: Dhanush

98. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 97
776) Name the cricketer who won the International Cricket Council's
(ICC) Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for the Cricketer of the Year
award for 2014: Mitchell Johnson
777) Mitchell Johnson, winner of the Cricketer of the Year award for
2014 is from which country: Australia
778) Name the cricketer who was voted the ODI player of 2014: AB
de Villiers
779) AB de Villiers is the batsman of which country: South Africa
780) 68th Senior National Aquatic Championship was held at which
place: Kolkata
781) Name the tennis star who won the Barclays ATP World Tour
Finals on Nov 16 at London: Novak Djokovic
782) Name the state that has been chosen for union government’s
Best State Award for Empowerment of Disabled for year 2014:
Madhya Pradesh
783) Which country will host the 16 nation Football tournament Africa
Cup of Nations 2015: Equatorial Guinea
784) The India Economic Summit, sponsored by the World Economic
Forum was held at which city in India: New Delhi
785) Govt of India has relaxed Indian citizenship norms for Hindu and
Sikh refugees from which two countries: Pakistan and
Afghanistan
786) Union Ministry of Minorities Affairs launched the Maulana Azad
National Academy for Skills (MANAS) to impart training to
youths in which sector: Health and Security Sector
787) Which UN organisation released first ever ‘Guidelines for Indoor
Air Quality - Household Fuel Combustion’ to promote use of
clean fuels at household level: World Health Organisation
788) 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit was
held in which place: Beijing
789) The 2015 G 20 summit will be hosted by which country: Turkey
790) The 2016 G 20 summit will be hosted by which country: China
791) To help in its efforts to crack down on suspected black money
stashed abroad, India signed which agreement with Saint Kitts
& Nevis: Tax Information Exchange Agreement
792) With which country India has reached an agreement on public
stockpiling of food in terms of Bali Package: USA
793) Which UN organisation is the coordinator for the Trade
Facilitation Agreement: WTO
794) International Buddhist Conference was held in which place:
Lumbini, Nepal
795) Men's singles title of the China Open Super Series Premier
(Badminton) was won by: K Srikanth
796) Women’s singles title of the China Open Super Series Premier
(Badminton) was won by: Saina Nehwal
797) China Open Super Series Premier (Badminton) was held in
which city: Fuzhou, China
798) RBI has asked banks to give liberal loans to landless farmers to
meet the govt’s target of financing five lakh JLGs in 2014-15.
JLG stands for what: Joint Liability Group
799) Which city in India has set up a kiosk that lets anyone file an
FIR at any time, irrespective of where an incident took place:
Bengaluru
800) The foreign investment promotion board (FIPB) has allowed
which bank to increase foreign investment in the bank to 74 per
cent: HDFC Bank
801) Which senior global leader left the G 20 summit under protest,
before its conclusion: Vladimir Putin
802) Which country celebrated the 25th anniversary of the launch of
the Velvet Revolution that toppled communism in 1989: Czech
Republic
803) What is the name of the small savings instrument recently re-
launched by the govt: Kisan Vikas Patra
804) What is the highest denomination in which the Kisan Vikas
Patra will be available: Rs 50,000
805) What is the maturity period for the Kisan Vikas Patra: 100
months
806) Which major economy of the world shrank for the second
consecutive quarter, slipping it into a technical recession: Japan
807) Klaus Warren Lohannis has been elected as President of which
country: Romania
808) IIM- JRD Tata Award For Excellence In Corporate Leadership
for 2014 has been won by which person: C S Verma,
Chairman, SAIL
809) Indian cricket team won 5-match ODI series against Sri Lanka,
winning all the five matches. This achievement is termed as
_____: Whitewash
810) What is the objective of the National Bal Swachhta Mission: To
improve over all cleanliness amongst school children
811) Which programme has been launched to assist girl students in
preparing them for the IIT-JEE while studying in classes XI and
XII: Udaan
812) Prasar Bharti announced to re-launch DD National with which
new tagline: Desh Ka Apna Channel
813) Which country is worst affected by the terrorism as per the
Global Terrorism Index 2014: Iraq
814) As per the Global Terrorism Index 2014, India is the ______
worst affected nation: 6th
815) Indian Air force tested its medium range surface-to-air anti-
aircraft missile ______ with a strike range of 25 km: Akash
816) International Children’s Peace Prize – 2014 has been won by
Neha Gupta. She is from which country: USA
817) 2015 IAAF World Athletics Championships will be hosted by
which country: China
818) ______ quit as the Head Coach of the National Hockey team:
Terry Walsh
819) 'Vape' has been chosen by Oxford Dictionaries as its
international word of the year for 2014. What is the meaning of
this word: Smoking electronic cigarette
820) Name the winner of BCCI’s C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement
Award for 2014: Dilip Vengsarkar
821) Name the winner of BCCI’s Polly Umrigar Award 2013-14 for
being India’s best international cricketer of the year:
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
822) A latest UN report says that, India has the world’s largest youth
population-356 million. What is their age group: 10-24 years

99. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 98
823) The book “Truth Always Prevails” has been written by
Sadruddin Hashwani. He is from which country: Pakistan
824) Sumitra Charat Ram Award is given in which field: Art and
culture
825) Name the noted Japanese film actor who passed away recently:
Ken Takakura
826) Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA)
and US Export-Import (Exim) Bank signed a MoU for what
purpose: For cooperation on clean energy investment
827) Name the winner of Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,
Disarmament and Development for 2014: Indian Space
Research Organisation – ISRO
828) 18th SAARC Summit was held in _____ on the 26th and
27th Nov: Kathmandu
829) What is the full form of the acronym SAARC: South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation
830) Which major oil company in India won a Rs 18, 000 crore
income tax order against it: Shell India
831) World Tour Golf Championship was held in which city: Dubai
832) UN World Toilet Day is observed on which date: Nov 19
833) World Women's Boxing Championships was held in which
place: Jiju, South Korea
834) The Union Cabinet has approved "Integrated Power
Development Scheme" for strengthening of distribution network
of electricity in which area: Urban India
835) Name the bank that has been merged with the Kotak Mahindra
Bank: ING Vysya Bank
836) Name the foreign dignitary who will be the Chief Guest at India's
2015 Republic Day celebrations: Barack Obama
837) The third South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's
Championship was held at which place: Islamabad, Pakistan
838) Name winner of the third South Asian Football Federation
(SAFF) Women's Championship: India
839) Which Indian invention has been listed among the 25 best
innovations of 2014 by the Time magazine: Mangalyaan
840) Which Indian zoo has become the first zoo in the world to house
the critically endangered pig Pygmy Hog: Guwahati
841) UN Climate Change Summit 2014 was held in which city: New
York
842) The United Nations has adopted the first-ever resolution calling
on governments to stop which undesirable social practice: Child
Marriage
843) Name the grand master who won the World Chess
Championship title defeating five-time champion Viswanathan
Anand: Magnus Carlsen
844) Magnus Carlsen, world chess champion is from which country:
Norway
845) Recent world chess championship was held at which place:
Sochi, Russia
846) Name the British F1 champion who won the Abu Dhabi Grand
Prix as well as the Formula 1 racing championship title of the
year, becoming the first British to do so since 1971: Lewis
Hamilton
847) Which country won the prestigious Davis Cup Tennis Title –
2014 for the first time: Switzerland
848) To Indian Christian priests were decorated with Sainthood by
the Pope Francis II. This process is known
as_______________: Canonisation
849) Finals of the World Kabaddi League were played in which city:
Mohali, Punjab
850) Name the football player who became the all-time highest
scorer in La Liga history by scoring 253 goals in first class
football: Lionel Messi
851) Name the new Defence Minister of India: Manohar Parrikar
852) Who has been appointed as the new Union Railway Minister:
Suresh Prabhu
853) Who is the new Information and Broadcasting Minister of India:
Arun Jaitely
854) Which organisation has started a Delhi-Kathmandu bus service
from Nov. 26: Delhi Transport Corporation
855) World’s longest rail journey, covering 10,000 kms has been
started between which two cities: Yiwu China and Madrid,
Spain
856) Name the book that won the 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize:
The Scatter Here is Too Great
857) Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Press
Council of India: Justice C. K. Prasad
858) Name the U.S. Defense Secretary who was in news as he
resigned from his post: Chuck Hagel
859) The SAARC summit that started in Kathmandu on 26 Nov, was
_____ in the series: 18th
860) Who has been named as the new chairman of SAARC: Sushil
Koirala
861) SAARC is a group of how many countries: 8
862) What is the theme of this year’s SAARC summit: 'Deeper
Regional Integration for Peace and Prosperity'
863) First Commonwealth Science Congress was held in November
2014 at which place: Bengaluru
864) Who is the author of the book titled “The Dramatic Decade: The
Indira Gandhi Years”: Pranab Mukherjee
865) The three organisations - World Toilet Organisation (WTO),
WASTE and the Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation and
Health (FINISH) have joined hands for what purpose: To end
open defecation in India
866) World Fisheries Day is observed on which date: Nov 21
867) Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of Union Public
Service Commission (UPSC): Deepak Gupta
868) Which UN organisation released a report on the impact of global
warming titled “Turn Down the Heat: Confronting the New
Climate Normal”: World Bank
869) Nov 25 is observed as International Day for what purpose:
Elimination of Violence Against Women
870) Name the fund launched by the Central Govt to build toilets in
schools, rural and urban areas: 'Swachh Bharat Kosh'
871) As per the Global Slavery Index 2014, India is home to about
___ per cent of the people trapped in modern slavery: 40

100. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2015 99
872) The H5NI avian influenza virus is spread by which bird: Poultry
birds
873) Name the country's oldest and largest foreign bank that recently
opened its 100th branch in India: Standard Chartered Bank
874) India observes December 16 as Vijay Diwas to commemorate
which event: Victory in 1971 Indo-Pak war
OCTOBER – 2014
875) Fitch has projected that India's growth is expected to accelerate
to 5.6 per cent in the year 2014-15. What type of organization is
Fitch: Rating Agency
876) Core sector growth for the month of August stood at 5.8
percent. How many industries are there in core sector: Eight
877) The Union Ministry of Culture is observing the year-long
centenary commemoration of the historic Komagata Maru
incident. What / who was Komagata Maru: Steamer Ship
878) The Komagata Maru incidents took place at which place in
India: Budge Budge Port, Kolkata
879) The US govt has assured its support for developing_________
smart cities in India: Three
880) Name the three proposed smart cities to be developed with US
assistance: Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam
881) Who has been appointed as new Chairman of Pension Fund
Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA): Hemant
Contractor
882) RBI has directed banks to disallow _________ in the accounts
where customers have not fulfilled KYC norms: Debits
883) What is the formal name of the cleanliness drive launched by
the PM across India, on Gandhi Jayanti: Swachh Bharat
Mission
884) _______ has been named as new Secretary General of NATO:
Jens Stoltenberg
885) In a recent global ranking of universities, ________ secured top
position in Indian universities: Panjab University
886) Name the Chief Executive of the world’s largest e-tailer
_________who visited India to meet our Prime Minister:
Jeffrey P. Bezos, Amazon.com
887) India has imposed anti-dumping duty on _________imported
from the U.S. and Chinese Taipei to safeguard the interest of
domestic manufacturers: Phenol
888) ATP China open tennis cup 2014 was held at which place:
Beijing
889) _________ won the Men’s singles trophy at ATP China open
tennis cup 2014: Novak Djokovic
890) Novak Djokovic is from which country: Serbia
891) _________ won the Women’s singles trophy at ATP China
open tennis cup 2014: Maria Sharapova
892) Maria Sharapova is from which country: Russia
893) Which country has test fired a new variant of its 10,000 km
range missile - Dongfeng-31B: China
894) At which place in the world, students are leading a
prodemocracy protest – “occupy central”: Hong Kong
895) In which part of the world a mass public protest is going on nick
named as ‘umbrella revolution’: Hong Kong
896) Name the Indian-American professor from USA honoured with
National Medal of Science: Thomas Kailath
897) Which country secured highest number of medals in 17th Asian
Games: China, 342
898) India was placed at 8th rank in the 17th Asian Games, securing
________medals: 57
899) Indian sportspersons won _______ gold medals in the 17th Asian
Games: 11
900) Indian sportspersons won _______ silver medals in the 17th Asian
Games: 10
901) _________ , the Japanese swimmer, was named as the “Most
Valuable Player” of the 17th Asian Games: Kosuke Hagino
902) The 18th Asian Games will be held in 2018 in_________, Indonesia:
Jakarta
903) ___________became the first Indian woman boxer to clinch a gold
medal at the Asian Games: MC Mary Kom
904) Indian won the hockey gold medal at Asian Games by beating
which country: Pakistan
905) In which sports India won gold medal in both Men’s and Women’s
category: Kabaddi
906) Name the Indian film celebrity who was honoured with Global
Diversity Award 2014: Shah Rukh Khan
907) The Global Diversity Award is given by which organization: British
Parliament
908) Name the proposed central govt. programme that aims at bringing
all Indians under health insurance cover: Universal Health
Assurance Mission
909) Name the winner of Champions League Twenty 20, 2014: Chennai
Super Kings
910) Country’s first olive oil refinery has been started in which State:
Rajasthan
911) What was the name of the first address of the Prime Minister over
radio broadcasted recently: Mann Ki Baat
912) Name the social networking site that was closed recently by
Google: Orkut
913) Which metro service in India has been ranked second among 18
international Metro systems: Delhi Metro
914) What is the name of the recently launched sedan car by Maruti
Suzuki: Ciaz
915) Strong typhoon Phanfone slammed into which country, with winds
of up to 180 kmph: Japan
916) Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award is given for excellence in which
field: Public Administration, Academics and Management
917) Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, winner of this year’s Lal Bahadur Shastri
National Award is head of which national organisation: BrahMos
Aerospace.
918) _______ would become the first state in India to have high-speed
internet connecting all the panchayats in the state by March next
year: Kerala
919) John O’Keefe of USA, May-Britt & Edward Moser of Norway won
the Nobel Prize 2014 for which field: Medicine
920) Nobel Prize 2014 for Physics has been won by three scientists from
which country: Japan
921) Eric Betzig, William Moerner and Stefan Hell won the Nobel Prize
2014 in which field: Chemistry
922) Patrick Modiano, winner of Nobel Prize for literature, is from which
country: France
923) Name the joint winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize: Malala
Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi
924) Name the economist who won the 2014 Nobel Prize for Economics:
Jean Tirole, France
925) Union Government has decided to sell ______bulbs to households
at 10 rupees against the market price of 400 rupees: LED
926) The first-ever Offshore Wind Power Project in India is to be setup at
which place: Along the Gujarat coast
927) What is the objective of the proposed “Sardar Patel Urban Housing
Mission”: Housing for all by 2022 and a ‘slum free India’

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928) Name the Japan’s gymnast who won his fifth straight all-around world
title to become the only gymnast to win more than three World all-
around titles: Kohei Uchimura
929) Name the super cyclone that caused wide spread devastation in the
coastal part of Andhra Pradesh: Hudhud
930) Name the city which suffered maximum damage from the super
cyclone Hudhud: Visakhapatnam
931) The name Hudhud has been derived from which object: National bird
of Israel
932) Waislitz Global Citizen Award 2014, won by ___________ for his work
in founding Humanure Power in Bihar in 2011 that builds community
sanitation facilities in rural India: Anoop Jain
933) In which athletics event Indian women’s team won gold in 17th Asian
Games: 4x400 relay race
934) In which sports Seema Punia won the only gold medal in athletics for
India in the 17th Asian Games: Discuss Throw
935) What is the objective of the recently launched “Swachhta Udyami
Yojana - Swachhta Se Sampannta Ki Aur”: To provide financial
assistance to Safai Karamcharis
936) Name the single premium pension policy for senior citizens launched
for a limited period of one year, from 15-08-2014 to 14-08-2015:
Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana
937) Leela Samson was in news as she resigned from the post of
Chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi. She is from which field:
Eminent Bharatnatyam dancer
938) Name the plan that has been launched to promote model villages by
each and every MP: Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana
939) The village selected under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana should have
a population of ______in plain areas and _____in hilly, tribal and
difficult areas. 3000-5000; 1000-3000
940) RBI has restricted free non-home ATM transactions to three in how
many metro cities: Six
941) RBI has allowed how many free non-home ATM transactions to metro
users in non-metro centres: Two
942) CEO of which international social networking site recently met Indian
Prime Minister in New Delhi: Facebook
943) _________ won the Shanghai Rolex Master- 2014 championship:
Roger Federer
944) Which Indian state has launched a health card scheme to protect
grand old trees in public places: Kerala
945) Name the famous Ghazal and Thumri singer whose birth centenary is
being celebrated in India: Begum Akhtar
946) President of India recently visited which two Scandinavian countries:
Norway and Finland
947) Name the India’s research station located in the middle of North Pole
and Norway: Himadri
948) With which country India recently signed an agreement for nuclear
cooperation: Finland
949) In which country a 400 kms long railway line reconstructed with Indian
assistance, was inaugurated recently: Sri Lanka
950) Which state govt. has decided to provide free treatment to every
cancer patient in the state: Kerala
951) As per the Global Hunger Index 2014, India has been ranked at
______ place: 55th
952) Name the India’s largest real estate company that was recently barred
for three years by SEBI: DLF
953) Shakti Devi, an Indian police inspector won international Female
Police Peacekeeper Award 2014 for her work in which country:
Afghanistan
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