Current Affairs PDF (May 2015) by DayTodayGK

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Category Wise Current Affairs from May 01 to May 31 2015

1) Awards and Honours
2) Appointments
3) Banking and Finance
4) Indian Affairs
5) Bills and Amendments
6) Prime Minister Narendra Modis Tri-Nation Tour
7) International Affairs
8) Important Mergers and Acquisitions
9) Science and Technology
10) Sports
11) Obituary
12) Important days observed in May
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Current Affairs May 2015

Awards and Honours
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan conferred with Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan Ibn Ali Peace Award
Eminent Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan has been conferred with the Sayyidina Imam Al
Hassan Ibn Ali Peace Award in Abu Dhabi. The 90 year old activist is well known for his knowledge and
efforts in keeping peace. He has also authored several books and articles on Islam.
Maulana has adopted peace as the mission of his life and he is known for his Gandhian views as he
considers non-violence as the only method to achieve success. He has penned more than 200 books
on Islam, prophetic wisdom, spirituality and peaceful co-existence in a multi-ethnic society. His most
recent book is The Prophet of Peace: The Teachings of Prophet Muhammad.
Prannoy Roy gets RedInk Lifetime Achievement Award 2015
Dr Prannoy Roy, the Executive Co-Chairman of NDTV, has been conferred with the 2015 RedInk Award
for Lifetime Achievement for Excellence in Journalism. The award has been presented to him for his
consistent and pioneering contribution to news television in India. The award instituted by the
Mumbai Press Club comprising a trophy and a citation. The awards were presented by the Union
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. The other Award Winners are,
Sreenivasan Jain of NDTV was presented Journalist of the Year award for his Truth versus
Hype and other programmes.
Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Times Now, was honoured with Impact Editor of the Year
award for his The News Hour show.
News website Scroll.in was given the news start-up of the year award.
CNR Rao Awarded with Japans highest civilian award

Famous Indian Chemist Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao, also known as CNR Rao, has been
conferred with Japans highest civilian award for his huge contributions to science and Indo-Japanese
science co-operation. Japans emperor awarded the countrys highest award, the Order of the Rising
Sun, Gold and Silver Star, on CNR Rao.
Rao is also the only Indian to be elected as a foreign member of the Japan Academy in Jawaharlal
Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research.
Laszlo Krasznahorkai conferred with Man Booker International Prize 2015
Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai has been conferred with the prestigious Man Booker
International Prize 2015 at an award ceremony in London. He is the sixth recipient to win this
eminent award. He was selected from a list of 10 contenders from around the world. The Man
Booker International Prize is awarded once in two years. The prize worth 60,000 and it is awarded
to a living author of any nationality who has published fiction either in English or in English
translation.
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Raymond Crossword Book Awards 2014 announced
The Raymond Crossword Book Award for 2014 has been announced. The awards are given to five
writers on five different categories, which include Fiction, Non-Fiction, Indian Language Translation,
Childrens Writing, and Popular Award. The Award carrying a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a trophy and a
citation were given out.
List of Winners
Name of the Author
Award Category
Name of the Book
Indian Language
Translation
Childern, Women,
Men by Sundara
Ramaswamy
Non Fiction
The Divided Island

Stories from the Sri
Lankan War
Anees Salim
Fiction
The Blind Ladys

Descendants
Shals Mahajan
Kotak Junior
Childrens Writing
Timmi in Tangles
Ravi Subramanian
Popular Award
Bankerupt
Lakshmi Holmstrom
Samanth Subramanian
Indira Gandhi International Airport is now the Worlds Best Airport

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI has been declared as the worlds best airport for the year
2014, under the category of handling 25 to 40 million passengers per annum. The Airport Service
Quality Award was presented to IGIA by Airports Council International at a ceremony of the ACI AsiaPacific/World Annual General Assembly in Jordan. ACI, founded in 1991, is a trade association of the
worlds airports.
Imprisoned Journalist Mazen Darwish wins UNESCO press freedom prize
The United Nations cultural body has awarded its annual press freedom prize to Mazen Darwish, a
Syrian journalist and rights activist who has been jailed by the regime for more than three years.
Darwishs wife Yara Bader accepted the award on his behalf.
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Darwish was arrested on February 2012, along with Hani Zaitani and Hussein Ghreir, his colleagues at
the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression. They are accused of promoting terrorist
acts.
Charlie Hebdo receives PEN award at literary gala in New York City
Famous satirical magazine of France, Charlie Hebdo has been awarded with a freedom of expression
award from PEN American Center. The editors get standing ovation from the visitors. Salman
Rushdie, Neil Gaiman and Roz Chast were present at the award giving ceremony held at the
American Museum of Natural History.
Ornithologist Pramod Patil conferred with Whitley Award
Pune-based ornithologist Pramod Patil has been conferred with the distinguished Whitley Award,
which is well known as the Green Oscar at a ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London.
He has been awarded for his work on the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard. A total of 9
winners were honored at the award giving ceremony and each winner received a sum of 35,000
and a memento from the U.K.-based Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN).
Dr. Patil bagged the prize along with Dr Ananda Kumar, a wildlife scientist with the Nature
Conservation Foundation (NCF), who has worked extensively in Valparai in Coimbatore (Tamilnadu)
to facilitate human-animal coexistence.
Jitu Rai awarded Times of India Sports Awards Sportsperson of the Year
Jitu Rai, Indian shooter of Nepalese origin, has been declared the Sportsperson of the Year at the
Times of India Sports Awards. Jitu Rai won an unprecedented seven medals in the last one year.
Times of India Sports Awards Winners List
Sportsperson of the Year - Jitu Rai

Lifetime Achievement Award - Milkha Singh
Popular Choice Award - Pankaj Advani
Emerging Players Jury Award - Malaika Goel
Popular Choice Award - Sanjita Chanu
Popular Choice Award - Virat Kohli
Cricketer of the Year Award - Harmanpreet Kaur
Youth Icon of the Year - Saina Nehwal
UN Public Service Award goes to Nadia District

Nadia district in West Bengal has been declared as the winner of the 2015 United Nations Public
Service Award in the category of improving delivery of public services. The district has earned this
prestigious award for constructing toilets for all the people under the programme Sabar
Shouchagar.
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Recently Nadia was declared as the first open defecation free district in country. The Nadia project
began in 2013 and around Rs 400 crore was spent to build toilets in 3,55,609 households in the
district. When the project was started, more than 33.8 per cent of the people in the district
defecated defecated. This figure is now down to 0.02 per cent.
Modi releases Commemorative coin on Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released a commemorative coin on Swami Chinmayananda
Saraswati in New Delhi. The PM has released the coin to mark the birth centenary of Swamiji.
Shashi Kapoor Conferred with The Dada Phalke Saheb Award
Charming Shashi Kapoor has been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2014 on 10th
May 2015. The actor-producer, 77, is the 46th winner of the honour, conferred by the government
for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. It is Third Padma
Bhushan and third Phalke award in the family. Prithviraj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor being the other
recipients.
Dr. Sivanadane Mandjiny conferred with UNC Award for Excellence in Teaching
Dr. Sivanadane Mandjiny, an Indian-American Professor in US is named UNC Pembrokes recipient of
the UNC Board of Governors 2015 Award for Excellence in Teaching. He will receive this award along
with each professor of the other 16 UNC campuses. The award carries commemorative bronze and
US $ 12,500 cash prize.
Fourteen year old Indian-American Karan Menon wins National Geographic Bee Championship
Karan Menon of New Jersey, a 14-year-old Indian-American and an eighth grader at John Adams
Middle School, has won the prestigious 27th annual National Geographic Bee Championship held at
Washington, D.C. The Indian-American has also packeted a prize money of $50,000 college
scholarship and a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society.
Indian-American boy Karan Jerath wins prestigious young scientist award
Karan Jerath, an Indian-American boy of 18 years old, has won the eminent Intel Foundation Young
Scientist Award in the United States. He has been presented with this award for inventing a device
that shuts down the undersea oil spills in a speedy manner. Karan Jerath has packeted a sum of USD
50,000 at the 2015 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (IISEF), held in Pittsburgh.
Anurradha Prasad conferred with Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award
Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari conferred the Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award to Anurradha
Prasad, the editor-in-chief of News-24 Channel on 15th May 2015. Vice President Ansari while
conferring the award said that the media persons should always do news reporting in an impartial
and responsible manner with objectivity like Anurradha Prasad.
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Indian-American conferred with Top Civilian Supervisor of the Year award
Harkeert Singh Saini, a An 44-year-old Indian-American policeman has been conferred with the
prestigious Top Civilian Supervisor of the Year award for his excellent services to the Houston
Police department in the US state of Texas. Saini has been working for the Houston Police
department for the last 15 years.
Aditya Birla Group First among the most reputed Indian companies
According to Nielsens Corporate Image Monitor (CIM) 2014-15 survey, Aditya Birla Group has
retained its top position as the Most Reputed Company in India. The second position os bagged by
Tata Motors followed by ITC, Axis Bank and Tata Steel.
Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards named Englands cricketers of the year 2014-15
Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards have been named England mens and womens cricketers of the
year respectively for 2014-15 by the England and Wales Cricket Board (EC . The other Award winners
are,
Lancashires right-arm seamer Saqib Mahmood England Development Programme Cricketer

of the Year award
Luke Sugg from Englands Visually Impaired team Disability Cricketer of the Year.
Two Indians named for Harvard Universitys Radcliffe Fellowship

The Harvard University has named two Indians for its annual prestigious Radcliffe Fellowship. Shivani
Agarwal from Indian Institute of Science and Maharaja Pandit from University of Delhi are among 50
scholars, who are going to begin their one-year fellowships at the Radcliffe Institute in September
2015. Shivani has been selected for learning to make choices in the era of big data. Maharaja Pandit
has been selected for his project life in Himalaya.
UNs prestigious Dag Hammarskjold Medal
wo Indian peacekeepers will be conferred posthumously for United Nations Dag Hammarskjold
Medal. The name of those Indians are- Lance Naik Nand Ram and Raju Joseph. Both of them are
among the 126 police, military and civilian personnel who have been posthumously awarded a
prestigious UN medal.
Lance Naik Nand Ram had served with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). While, Raju Joseph had served in a civilian capacity with the UN
Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
Sangakkara, Rahane conferred with CEAT awards
Ajinkya Rahane won the CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year award at a ceremony on 26th May 2015.
The awards honoured the cricketers based on their performances in international cricketing in all
formats Test, ODI and T20 as rated by the CEAT Cricket ratings (CCR) for the year 2014 2015.
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List of Awardees
International Lifetime Achievement Award: Kapil Dev

International Cricketer of the Year: Kumar Sangakkara
Indian Cricketer of the Year: Ajinkya Rahane
International Batsman of the Year: Hashim Amla
International Bowler of the Year: Rangana Herath
T20 Player of the Year: Dwayne Bravo
Popular Choice Award: Kieron Pollard
Special Award: Rohit Sharma
Domestic Cricketer of the Year: R Vinay Kumar
Young Player of the Year: Deepak Hooda.
Gurnimrat Nimmy Sidhu conferred with Oxford University award

An Indian-origin teacher named Gurnimrat Nimmy Sidhu has been conferred with the Oxford
University Award for helping one of her students get into the world-famous varsity. Gurnimrat
Nimmy Sidhu is one among the twelve teachers to win the University of Oxford Inspirational Teacher
Award. The award was set up to encourage more state-funded schools to connect with the university.
Sidhu is currently the head of science at Oaks Park High School in north-east London.
Director Subhash Ghai to be awarded with IIFA Lifetime Achievement award 2015
Veteran filmmaker and writer Subhash Ghai will be presented the lifetime achievement award at the
16th edition of International Indian Film Academy (IIF award ceremony, to be held in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, in June. He will be honored for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.
Four Indians among the Forbes list of 100 most powerful women
According to Forbes list of Worlds 100 most Powerful Women, four Indians have made to the list.
They are SBI Chief Arundhati Bhattacharya, ICICI bank head Chanda Kochhar, Biocon founder Kiran
Mazumdar- Shaw and HT Media Chair Shobhana Bhartia. Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel topped
the list.
Two women of Indian-origin PepsiCo Chief Indra Nooyi and Cisco Chief Technology and Strategy
Officer Padmasree Warrior also made to the list.
Two young Indian-Americans win US Spelling Bee
Two Indian-Americans children have won the worlds prestigious US spelling bee competition in a tie.
Vanya Shivashankar, 13, and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, were declared co-champions of the Scripps
National Spelling Bee competition. The winners will each receive over USD 37,000 in cash and prizes.
Indian-Americans have won totally 14 of the past 18 contests and the eighth year in a row.
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Appointments
Surender Singh appointed as DG of Central Industrial Security Force
Senior IPS officer Surender Singh took over as the new Director General (DG) of Central Industrial
Security Force (CISF). An order was issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (AC headed
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Surender Singh will succeed Arvind Ranjan who had retired as the DG of the CISF. He will have tenure
of till August 2016. Singh is a 1980-batch IPS officer from West Bengal cadre. Prior to this appointment
he was serving as a Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (I .
Daniel Zhang is Alibabas new Chief Executive Officer
Daniel Zhang has been appointed as the new chief executive (CEO) of Alibaba, China based eCommerce company owned by Jack Ma. The investors have upvoted Jack Mas move. Zhang, 43, who
has been working in Alibaba for the last eight years will replace Jonathan Lu on May 10. Zhang is the
present Chief Operating Officer at Alibaba and he joined the company as Chief Financial Officer.
Navneet Rajan Wasan as the DG of Bureau of Police Research & Development
GOI has appointed Navneet Rajan Wasan as the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research &
Development. Navneet Rajan currently working as the Special Director General in the National
Investigation Agency (NI . Wasan, a 1980-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, is going to fill
the post, that had been lying vacant since March 2015 after the retirement of Rajan Gupta.
Achal Kumar Jyoti appointed as Election Commissioner
Former Gujarat chief secretary Achal Kumar Jyoti has been appointed as Election Commissioner. Mr
Jyoti is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1975 batch, who had served as the
Chief Secretary of Gujarat during the tenure Narendra Modi as the Chief Minister. His appointment
has filled one of the two vacancies in the three membered constitutional body. Jyoti will have a tenure
of three years and he will retire at the age of 65.
US President nominates IIT alumni Sanjita Pradhan to key post
United States President Barack Obama has nominated Sanjita Pradhan, an IIT alumni, to his advisory
commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. SanjitaPradhan has a BA from the Institute of
Agriculture and Animal Science in Nepal and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Technology.
S Ravi Kant is the new CEO of Titans Watches Division
Titan company has appointed S Ravi Kant as the new CEO of its Watches Division. Ravi Kant is the
current CEO of Titans Eye Wear Division. The CEO of Watches Division, H G Raghunath, is getting
retired on June 30, 2015. Ravi Kant will take over the post from July 1, 2015. In the past Ravi Kant
served as the COO of Titan Companys international business.
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KV Kamath of ICICI Bank is now the President of BRICS Bank
Eminent banker Kundapur Vaman Kamath also known as KV Kamath has been appointed as head of
the New Development Bank, which is likely to be operationalised within one year. The bank is being
set up by the five emerging economies of BRICS group. KV Kamath will have a tenure of five years. As
per the agreement, India got the right to nominate the first president of the Shanghai headquartered
New Development Bank.
KV Thomas of Congress renominated as PAC Chariman
KV Thomas has been renominated as the Chairman of Public Accounts Committee till April, 2016 by
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. Thomas was first nominated in August 2014. He is from Kerala
and he is the senior Congress Parliamentarian from Ernakulum Constituency.
Indian-origin Priti Patel gets British cabinet rank
UKs Prime Minister David Cameron has promoted Indian-origin MP Priti Patel by making her the new
Minister of State for Employment. Priti Patel was re-elected from Witham by securing 58% of the
votes in the May 7 general election. Priti was previously a junior Treasury minister from July 2014 to
May 2015.
Justice Cyriac Joseph as acting Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHR
President has appointed Justice Cyriac Joseph to be Chairman of National Human Rights Commission
(NHR . He will succeed Justice K.G. Balakrishnan after he completes his tenure. He will serve in office
till New Chairman is appointed.
Satish Reddy appointed as Chairman of National Safety Council
Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has appointed K Satish Reddy as the new chairman of the
National Safety Council (NS . He will replace Venu Srinivasan, who was appointed in July 2011. As the
chairman of the NSC, Mr. Reddy will oversee its functioning to generate and develop initiatives on
Safety, Health and Environment at the national level.
Arun Shrivastava appointed as MD & CEO of Syndicate Bank
Arun Shrivastava, the Executive Director of Bank of India, has been promoted to Managing Director
and Chief Executive Officer of Syndicate Bank. The post has been lying vacant since the arrest of Jain in
August 2014. Jain was arrested by CBI for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 50 lakh for increasing credit
limit of some companies.
GOI appoints M J Joseph as Controller General of Accounts
Union Ministry of Finance has appointed M J Joseph as the Controller General of Accounts (CG . He
will succeed Jawahar Thakur, who was recently appointed as OSD (Accounting Reforms) in the office of
CGA. Earlier, he was a Director General (DG) of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
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Lee Alan Johnson named Head Coach of U-19 Football team of India
Lee Alan Johnson of England on 12 May 2015 was named as the Head Coach of Under-19 football
team of India by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). He will also act as the Head Scout for the
national side and will also perform the role of Assistant Coach of the senior team.
Draupadi Murmu sworn in as first woman Governor of Jharkhand
Draupadi Murmu has sworn in as the first woman Governor of Jharkhand. She replaces Mr Syed
Ahmed, who is going to take charge as Manipur Governor. Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Virendra
Singh administered the oath of office to Ms. Murmu. Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das, MoS for Rural
Development Sudarshan Bhagat, Former CM Shibu Soren were present at the ceremony.
Pinky Mehta to become first Woman CFO at Aditya Birla Group
Twenty years ago, Pinky Mehta was the first woman officer hired by Aditya Birla Group. Now Pinky
Mehta is all set to become the First Woman Chief Financial Officer at the same Aditya Birla Group
(ABG). She is going to take charge as the CFO Aditya Birla Nuvo (ABGs holding company) in July.
SS Ahluwalia to head joint parliamentary panel on land bill
BJPs Vice President and former Union minister SS Ahluwalia has been appointed as the Chairman of a
Joint Committee of Parliament that will go into the provisions of the land acquisition bill. Ahluwalia, a
BJP Lok Sabha member from Darjeeling, West Bengal, has appointed by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
New Governor Appointments in Tripura and Meghalaya
Tathagata Roy, a BJP Leader from West Bengal, has sworn in as Tripura Governor before Tripura High
Court Chief Justice Deepak Gupta. He raised many controversies because of his anti-Muslim tweets.
He was a teacher in a University before joining politics.
Senior BJP leader V Shanmuganathan sworn-in as the Governor of Meghalaya before the Chief Justice
of the Meghalaya High Court Uma Nath Singh. Shanmuganathan is a post-graduate and an M Phil in
political Science. He joined RSS in 1962 and later joined BJP and was given many party positions.
Obama names Indian-American Yale professor Akhil Amar to key admin post
US President Barack Obama has named Indian-American Akhil Amar as a member of the prestigious
National Council on Humanities. Amar is a Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale
University since 2008. He had worked as Professor in various Universities. Amar received a B.A. from
Yale College and a J.D. from Yale Law School. He was co-editor of Processes of Constitutional
Decision-making, constitutional law casebook. He also authored several books on constitutional law.
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G Mohan Kumar appointed as new Defence Secretary
Senior IAS officer G Mohan Kumar has been appointed as the new Defence Secretary. He will be
replace Radha Krishna Mathur, a 1977 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre IAS officer, who is completing his
tenure on May 28. Mohan Kumar was a 1979 batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre. He is currently holding
the position of Secretary in Department of Defence Production.
Foreign Investment Promotion for Korea appoints Pawan Goenka as Ambassador
Pawan Goenka, Executive Director of Mahindra & Mahindra has been appointed as Honorary
Ambassador of foreign investment promotion for South Korea. The appointment was made after
Korea-India CEO Forum in Seoul which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Korean
President Park Geun-hye.
JP Dua New Chairman of Board for Industrial & Financial Reconstruction
The government of India has elevated JP Dua as the Chairman of Board for Industrial & Financial
Reconstruction (BIFR). Previously the post was held by BS Meena, who had resigned in February. The
board was unable to function as there is no Chairman to constitute a bench and resume hearings.
Manoj Mishra appointed as CMD of National Fertilizers Ltd
Government of India has appointed Manoj Mishra as Chairman and Managing Director of National
Fertilizers Ltd (NFL). The CMD post was vacant since February 2014, after the retirement of Neeru
Abrol. Mishra is currently working as Director Finance at State Trading Corporation (ST . Mishra
willassume the charge of CMD of NFL in couple of days.
FIBA endorses Govindraj as the President of Basketball Federation of India
International Basketball Federation (FIB has declared K Govindraj as president of the Basketball
Federation of India (BFI). A rival group led by former BFI CEO Roopam Sharma had conducted their
own elections and had elected Poonam Mahajan as the president on March end. FIBA secretarygeneral Patrick Baumann said that the international basketball body had reviewed documents from
both groups and amde decision on the basis of BFI Constitution and election guidelines issued by the
Government of India.
Ranjit Singh Baxi elected as Head of Bureau of International Recycling
Ranjit Singh Baxi, Chairman of J & H Sales (International) ltd, has been elected as the head of the
Bureau of International Recycling (BIR). He will serve a two-year term as president of the Brusselsbased recycling association. BIR is a global organisation that facilitates free and fair trade of
recyclables in a sustainable and competitive world economy. The election was held at the associations
World Convention & Exhibition in Dubai. Baxi has succeeded Bjorn Grufman, a Swedish Nationality.
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Saurabh Kumar named Indias new envoy to Iran
Saurabh Kumar, an IFS officer, appointed as the next Indian Ambassador to Iran on 25th May 2015.
Keeping aside the US objections, India had earlier this month signed an agreement with Iran for the
development of the strategically important Chabahar port which will provide India sea-land access
route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan.
Nirbhay Sharma sworn in as Governor of Mizoram
Lt General (Ret Nirbhay Sharma has sworn-in as the Governor of Mizoram at Raj Bhavan. Justice T
Vaiphei, Judge of the Gauhati HC has administered the oath of office to General Sharma. The sworn in
ceremony was attended by State CM Lal Thanhawla, his cabinet ministers, legislators from both the
ruling Congress and the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF)..etc.
GOI forms Committee led by Vijay Kelkar to revisit PPP infra model
The GOI has named former finance secretary and economist Vijay Kelkar to head a panel that will to
revisit and revitalize the public private partnership (PPP) model of infrastructure development. This
committee has been asked to submit its report in three months. Finance minister Arun Jaitley, in his
budget speech, advocated increased public spending and promised to look into ways to resolve issues
hampering the so-called public-private-partnership (PPP) model.
Manabi Bandopadhyay : Indias first transgender college principal
Manabi Bandopadhyay, a transgender, is going to make history by taking charge as the Principal of
Krishnagar Womens College in Nadia district of West Bengal. She is currently an associate professor in
Bengali at the Vivekananda Satobarshiki Mahavidyalaya. She has created history for the transgender
community. Manabi lives with her adopted son Debashish Manabiputro.
Singapore appoints Indian-origin diplomat S Chandra Das as envoy to Sri Lanka
The foreign Ministry of Singapore has announced that it has appointed Indian-origin businessman S
Chandra Das as its non-Resident High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. He served as Singapores
Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, resident in Singapore, from 2006 to 2015. He had also
previously served as Singapores Trade Representative from 1970 to 1972 in the USSR, the former
Soviet Union.
Indian-origin UK MP Keith Vaz appointed Vice-Chairman of Labour Party
Indian Origin British MP Keith Vaz has been appointed as the vice-chairman of the Labour party. In the
latest general election, Keith Vaz was re-elected from his Leicester East. He currently serves as the
chair of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons.
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S Christopher appointed as Director General of DRDO
The central government has appointed eminent scientist S Christopher as the new Director General of
DRDO for the term of two years. Christopher is currently heads the centre for airborne systems. DRDO
has been without a head for the last four months after the contract of Dr. Avinash Chander as
Secretary, DoDRD & DG DRDO and Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister was terminated with effect
from January 31.
Pradeep Kimar Sinha appointed as the next Cabinet Secretary
Power Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha has been appointed as the next Cabinet Secretary of India. He
will replace Ajit Seth who has been holding the position for the last four years. Pradeep Kumar Sinha is
a 1977-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre. He has been asked to take over as Officer on Special
Duty (OS in Cabinet Secretariat. He will officially take over the new charge on June 13.
Sepp Blatter wins FIFA presidential election
Sepp Blatter has been re-elected as the President of FIFA for the fifth term. His rival, Prince Ali bin alHussein of Jordan, withdrew after the first round of voting. He received 133 votes in the first round of
voting and Prince Ali received 73. Mr Blatter fell seven short of the two-thirds needed, but Prince Ali
opted not to contest further.
Recently FIFA was plagued by 100million corruption and bribery scandal. Seven top officials were
arrested in Switzerland on Wednesday as part of a US prosecution that indicted 14 people.
Veena Jain appointed as the Director General of Doordarshan
The information and broadcasting (I& ministry has Veena Jain as the new Director General (news)
of Doordarshan. She is replacing Akshay Rout and also she has been asked to report directly to the
ministry. Jain will also hold the charge as Officer on Special Duty (OS and will oversee the ministrys
new media wing and social media cell and report to the ministry for all purposes.
George Yeo is the new Chancellor of Nalanda University
The External Affairs Minister has announced that George Yeo, a former foreign minister from
Singapore will be the new chancellor of Nalanda University. Yeo is currently serving as a member in
the governing board of the prestigious university. Yeo was conferred the Padma Bhushan the third
highest civilian award in 2012. He played a major role in the setting up of the university from the
beginning.
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Banking and Finance
CEA Arvind Subramanian to head panel to fix data issues
The government of India has formed a Coordination Committee with Chief Economic Advisor (CE
Arvind Subramanian as Committees head. The main objective of the committee is to address issues
while reporting Government Finance Statistics (GFS) data. The committee will have members from
RBI, the Controller General of Accounts (CG , the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the Comptroller and
Auditor General (CAG)and the Department of Economic Affairs (DE .
Reserve Bank of India allocated Rs 10 K Crore to SIDBI
Banking Regulator, The Reserve Bank of India has allocated Rs 10,000 crore to SIDBI for setting up a
venture capital (V fund to attract private capital for start-ups. The proposal to establish a VC fund was
unveiled by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while presenting the interim Budget last year.
The MoS (Independent Charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap said the
allocation of Rs 10,000 crore as venture capital will act as a catalyst to bring in more private capital by
providing equity, quasi equity, soft loan, and other risk capital for start-up companies.
PM Modi to launch three Social Security Schemes
The Government of India has decided to launch three social security schemes related to pension and
insurance on May 9 2015. The launch functions will also be held at 116 locations, including the
national capital and major centres of different states and district headquarters. Chief Ministers and
Union Ministers will attend the functions at various locations in the country.
The schemes will be launched by PM Narendra Modi in Kolkata.The names of the social security
schemes are,
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)
Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
The schemes are expected to address the issue of very low coverage of life or accident insurance and
income for old aged people in India.
PMJJBY will offer a renewable one year life cover of Rs 2 lakh.

Age group 18-50 years (must be savings bank account holders).
It covers death due to any reason.
Annual Premium Rs 330 per annum.
The scheme would be administered through LIC or other Life Insurance companies.
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PMSBY will offer a renewable one year accidental death-cum-disability cover of Rs 2 lakh for
partial/permanent disability.
Age Group 18-70 years (must be savings bank account holders)
Annual Premium Rs 12 per annum.
The scheme would be administered through public sector general insurance companies or
other general insurance firms.
Atal Pension Yojana (APY)
The pension scheme will focus on the unorganised sector.

The scheme provide subscribers a fixed minimum pension of Rs 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 or
Rs 5,000 per month starting at the age of 60 years.
The minimum pension amount is depend on the contribution option exercised on entering at
an age between 18 and 40 years.
The period of contribution by any subscriber under APY would be 20 years or more.
The fixed minimum pension would be guaranteed by the government.
Fortis Healthcare to sell RadLink for Rs 530 crore

Indias Fortis Healthcare Ltd has decided to sell its stake in Singapore based healthcare unit RadLinkAsia Pte Ltd to Fullerton Healthcare group Pte Ltd for S$111 million ($83.47 million or Rs 530 crore).
Fortis has announced in a statement that the deal will be completed on or about May 12.
GOI approves revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement with South Korea
The Union Cabinet has gave its approval for the revision of the present double taxation avoidance
agreement (DTA
with South Korea. The current agreement was signed in 1985. The revised
agreement will
Provide tax stability to the residents of India and Korea

Facilitate mutual economic cooperation.
Stimulate the flow of investment, technology and services.
Incorporates provisions for effective exchange of information.
Provides residence based taxation of shipping income.
Asian Development Bank to give $31 million for water resource management in Karnataka
The Asian Development Bank (AD has signed an agreement with India to provide a huge sum of USD
31 million as loan for sustainable water resource management in river basins in Karnataka. The loan is
the first portion of the USD 150 million project named Karnataka Integrated and Sustainable Water
Resources Management Investment Programme, which was approved by the ADB in 2014.
Under the first project, it will support modernisation of the Gondi irrigation scheme, while under the
second project it will target Vijaynagara and the Tungabhadra left Bank Canal.
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State Bank of India launches RuPay Platinum Debit Card
Indias largest public sector bank, the State Bank of India has launched a RuPay Platinum debit card in
association with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). The special feature of the card is that it
is accepted at all payment channels- ATMs, PoS and eCommerce. This feature has been added for the
convenience of the customers. The card would be initially issued free to customers maintaining a
quarterly balance of Rs 50,000.
HDFC among the Worlds Top-10 List of Consumer Finance Firms
According to the report compiled by business magazine Forbes, HDFC has ranked Seventh in the
worlds biggest consumer financial services firms, after giants like American Express, Visa and
Mastercard. It is the only Indian company among the worlds top 10.
Forbes magazine has compiled a list of 2,000 biggest and most powerful companies globally. Among
the 2000, a total of 56 companies are from India. The overall ranking of HDFC is 485 and Mukesh
Ambani-led Reliance Industries has been ranked at 142nd overall position.
Reserve Bank of India to Banks : Appoint Internal Ombudsman
Indias Banking Regulator, the Reserve Bank of India has asked all public sector banks, some private
and foreign sector banks to appoint internal ombudsman. RBI has asked the banks to improve the
customer service and also to ensure that customer complaints in banks get resolved fast. The banks
internal ombudsman will be a forum available to bank customers for grievance redressal before they
can even approach the Banking Ombudsman.
The designation of the Internal Ombudsman will be Chief Customer Service Officer (CCSO). RBI has
clearly said that the CCSO should not have worked in the bank in which he/she is appointed as CCSO.
SBI launches contactless debit and credit card with Rs 1 lakh fraud cover
Indias largest public sector bank, the State Bank of India has launched contactless debit and credit
card with Rs 1 lakh fraud cover. The contactless cards uses the latest field technology (NF . The
advantage of NFC is that the users dont need to swipe the cards. They can just waive or tap the card
near the contactless reader to make payments.
ICICI Bank launched an app named eftCheque to replicate cheque book
Indias largest private sector bank, ICICI bank has launched a mobile app named eftCheque to
motivate customers migrate to electronic mode from using cheque. The advantage of this app is it just
replicates the look and feel of the physical cheque. It remits funds instantly to anyone without having
to register beneficiaries and without the recipients bank details. The app also facilitate to deposit a
physical cheque received by the customer electronically by clicking a photo using the mobile apps
magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) reader option.
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HDFC Bank launches pre-paid medical card with Apollo Hospitals
The second largest private lender HDFC Bank on 18th May 2015 launched co-branded medical benefits
card with Apollo Hospitals, which allows corporates to disburse medical allowances to their employees
and has insurance cover for accidents.
About HDFC Bank-Apollo Medical Benefits Cards
Corporates can load the specified allowance onto the card each month, which can later be
used by employees for medical expenditure Visa/MasterCard outlets.
The bank claimed that this is the first-of-its kind product in the country.
The card comes with a free accidental death insurance of Rs 3 lakh.
The card also provides accident hospitalisation insurance of Rs 30,000.
This card also provides Employees with discounts at Apollo network including Apollo Hospitals,
Apollo Pharmacies, Apollo Clinics and Apollo White Dental.
SBI extends overdraft facility against FD for online customers

Countrys largest lender State Bank of India(SBI) has extended overdraft facility against fixed deposit
for its internet banking users on 19th May 2015. Until now the facility was available for customers at
branches only. SBI have launched an online facility for overdraft against fixed deposit. This will help
them to use the facility at their own convenience.
Indias economic growth to surpass Chinas in 2015-16 : UN WESP report
According to the UN WESP report, Indias economic growth is expected to surpass Chinas economic
growth, with GDP projected to zoom by 7.7% in next year. The mid-year update from UN World
Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) states that Indias economy is projected to grow by 7.6% in
2015 and 7.7 per cent in 2016, overtaking China. China is projected to grow by 7 per cent in 2015 and
6.8 per cent next year.
State Bank of India partners with PayPal and Amazon
MoU with PayPal
The Banking Giant, The State Bank of India (SBI) has partnered with PayPal to enable customers to
use their debit cards for buying products from overseas websites. The SBI has announced the
partnership with the digital payments firm, PayPal, on Thursday (May 20).
MoU with Amazon
SBI has signed an MoU with Amazon, the American e-commerce company. This will pave the way for
the development of payment and commerce solutions for customers and small businesses. The bank
sees it a multi-billion Rupee opportunity in the years ahead while the move is also aimed at securing
its own asset quality.
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SBIs partnership with Amazon will facilitate trusted payments and commerce solutions for
customers and small businesses.
National Payments Corp of India gets RBI nod to tie-up with China UnionPay
The National Payments Corp of India (NPCI) has received approval from Reserve Bank of India for a
tie up with Chinese government-supported payment card network China UnionPay. As per the
approval, China UnionPays cards will be accepted at all the ATMs and point of sale terminals in India
through NPCIs network.
This agreement will greatly benefit Chinese tourists and people working in India to use automated
teller machines (ATMs) and point of sale (PoS) terminals in India to withdraw cash in the Indian
currency.
RBI signs MoU with Central Bank of Seychelles on info exchange
The Reserve Bank of India has signed an MoU with the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS) on exchange
of information and mutual assistance in the banking sector supervision. The MoU was witnessed by C
Edmond, First Deputy Governor, CBS and SS Mundra, Deputy Governor of the RBI. Signing MoU with
overseas banks will promote greater co-operation and sharing of supervisory information among the
authorities.
Government of India relaxes FDI norms for NRIs, PIOs, and OCIs
The union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister approved that non-repatriable investments by NRIs,
OCIs and PIOs will be treated as domestic investments here after. These investments will not be
subjected to foreign direct investment caps. Cabinets move is aimed at attracting more investments
from overseas and also greater inflow of foreign exchange remittance.
Reserve bank of India : The Latest Updates
Reduction of Cash Usage
The Reserve Bank of India is in discussions with the central government for the reduction of cash
usage. RBI is looking at various ways to incentivise cashless transactions. The government as well as
the RBI are doing many things to promote cashless transactions. At present, a commission of up to 2
per cent is charged for card transactions.
RBI eases rules for sale of bad loans to ARCs
The Reserve Bank of India has decided to ease the provisioning norms relating to loses arising out of
sale of bad loans to asset reconstruction companies (ARCs). The RBI has now allowed banks to
spread losses on sale of bad loan to such ARCs up to March 2016. Previously it was up to March
2015.
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RBI wins battle to keep debt management role
The Reserve Bank of India has won its biggest battle in its 80-year history. The Union Finance
Ministry is reworking its proposal for setting up the Public Debt Management Authority. The new
Authority will be having limited powers. It will take over merely the front office for the
management of the Centres borrowings. The control over the back office will remain with the RBI.
SEBI ropes in Narayana Murthy to head panel on start-ups
SEBI on 22nd May 2015 set up an 18-member panel which will be headed by IT czar N R Narayana
Murthy to advise on policy matters. The Alternative Investment Policy Advisory Committee ( AIPA
includes representatives from the industry, Private equity firms, Start-up organisations, Besides
senior officials of Sebi, RBI, and The Finance Ministry.
RBI to soon set up Central Fraud Registry
The Reserve Bank of India has decided to set up a Central Fraud Registry to check out the impact of
frauds on banks financials. The setting up of such a registry will quicken the sharing of information
about unscrupulous borrowers and help banks fight bad loans. The Registry will work under the
supervision of the Central Bank of the country.
Bank of India ties up with MasterCard to launch three cards
State-run lender Bank of India tied up with MasterCard to launch three new cards and also two new
banking solutions for its card holders. The bank launched Business Debit MasterCard, Platinum Credit
MasterCard and International Travel MasterCard to improve customers payment experiences. It will
also offer two banking solutions- In Control for spend management and MasterCard rewards
program for its customers.
ICICI launches voice password facility for users
Indias largest private sector bank, the ICICI bank has launched a voice password facility where
customers can make transactions using just their voice. Now there is no need to use other methods
like authentication of password. The voice recognition facility authenticates customers on the basis
of their speech patterns. It allows customers to execute banking transactions through the banks call
centre.
For phone banking transaction, customers usually use authentication like entering card numbers,
Answering security questions and entering a personal identification number. Now the service is
more secure as the voice of the customer acts as a password. This service is now available to more
than 33 million savings bank and credit card customers.
Singapores DBS Bank seeks RBI nod to set up arm in India
Singapore DBS Bank is the first international bank to seek approval to set up a subsidiary in India,
which will stand parri passu with local lenders. The central bank, in November 2013 had said that it
would treat foreign banks operating in India on the same level with local lenders.
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DBS is expected to get the statutory approvals by the end of first quarter of next year. Recent
changes in priority sector guidelines and tax laws have initiated the bank to seek the shift and scale
up its presence.
Bank of China may open first India branch in Mumbai
Bank of China may open its first branch in India at Mumbai soon. The bank got clearance from
National Security Advisor (NS Ajit Doval, who also has conveyed to Maharashtra Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis. On Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent China visit, Fadnavis had
accompanied him and he also met Bank of China chairman Tian Guoli.
Bimal Jalan panel to submit its report by December 2015
GOIs Expenditure Management Commission will submit its final report by December 2015. The
announcement was made by the commissions Chairman Bimal Jalan. The government of India had
set up the Commission under the former RBI Governor in August 2014 to suggest steps to reduce
subsidies on food, fertiliser and oil and narrow the fiscal deficit. Former finance secretary Sumit Bose
and former RBI deputy governor Subir Gokarn are members of the Commission.
RBI plans IT wing to deal with cyber crime
The Reserve Bank is planning to set up an information technology wing to face the rising security
challenges in the cyber world.
The Governor, Mr. Raghuram Rajan addressed the issue with Media on 14th May 2015. Mr. Rajan
Said that the proposed IT entitysclean structure has to be made, focusing on issues such as cyber
security by supervising the nature of technical capabilities of banks.
It is done to curb the online frauds in the financial sector. The cyber thieves have even been using
RBI logos to send out mails to cheat customers.
ICICI Bank opened its first Chinese branch in Shanghai
Top private sector lender,ICICI Bank, on 16th May 2015, opened its first branch in China, which was
inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modiin Shanghai. The new branch would begin with 17
banking professionals handling myriad functions including corporate banking, operations, finance
and treasury.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the branch in the presence of ICICI Banks MD and CEO Chanda
Kochhar, senior Chinese and Indian government officials and business representatives. ICICI Bank
with presence in 17 countries, earlier had a representative office in China, which it had opened over
10 years ago in 2003.
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State Bank of India launched Online Customer Acquisition Solution
Arundhati Bhattacharya, the Chairman of the State Bank of India (SBI), has launched an Online
Customer Acquisition Solution (OCAS). It is simply an online platform to apply for Home Loans, Car
Loans, Education Loans and Personal Loans. The Banking Giant has launched OCAS with an aim to
empower customer and reduce the processing time of their loan.
HDFC Bank among top 100 most valuable global brands in 2015
According to a survey named BranZ List compiled by Millward Brown, a global research agency,
private sector lender HDFC Bank has managed to place it among the top 100 most valuable global
brands. The list includes giants like Apple, Google, Microsoft, IBM and Facebook. HDFC Bank is
ranked at 74th position and it is the only Indian entity in the top 100. As per the report, the bank is
the Indias most valuable brand with a value of USD 14 billion.
Indian Affairs
Nadia district in West Bengal the first open defecation-free district of India
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has declared Nadia District as the first Open
Defecation Free (ODF) district in India. The district has achieved this feat due to its collaborative
effort with the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and World Bank. Both of these organizations
aimed at construction of toilets across the district.
Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee launched Mission Nirmal Bangla (MN on 30 April
2015 and declared the day as Nirmal Bangla Diwas to mark the occasion.
Coastal security exercise Theera Vetta conducted
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has held a security exercise, Theera Vetta, in the Arabian Sea. The exercise
was intended to augment the preparedness of the security agencies in protecting the porous
maritime borders of Kerala, Lakshadweep, Minicoy Islands and Mahe (part of Puducherry) from
external attacks.
The exercise was conducted by the ICG from its Operation room at Kochi and Kavaratti and
monitored from the Joint Operation Centre (JO located at the Kochi Naval base. In the two day
exercise, along with the ICG, Indian Navy, Coastal Police and other central and state/Union Territory
(UT) police agencies were involved.
DoT extended Mobile Number Portability deadline by another 2 months
The Department of Telecom(DoT) has extended the deadline to fully implement the mobile number
portability(MNP) across the country by another two months.
The DoT has amended NNP asking telecom operators to allow their subscribers to dial on to mobile
numbers within the same circle as well as inter circle without any prefix. Calls can also be made using
the prefix 0 and/or +91.
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Gadkari dedicated two major Highway Projects in North East
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari on 1st May 2015 dedicated to the
nation two major Highway projects in the North East at a function near Shillong. The projects will
make easy for travelers to travel from Guwahati towards Shillong and other parts of the North East.
These include Shillong Bypass and four laning of Jorabat-Barapani Section of NH-40.
India and US agreed to renew pact on agricultural cooperation
United States Ambassador to India Richard Rahul Verma and Indian Agriculture Minister Radha
Mohan Singh have agreed to initiate steps to renew the 2010 agri pact between the two big
democracies of the World. It is expected that the cooperation will include new areas in agriculture.
Mr Singh has expressed interest in the US technology, importantly weather forecasting systems for
improving preparedness as well as redressal of problems caused by natural calamities.
Rajasthan government allocates 12 crore rupees for Project Great Indian Bustard
The Rajasthan Government has allocated more than Rs 12 crore for Project Great Indian Bustard, a
bird conservation program. A financial support of Rs 3 crore will be given by a Japan Bank. The Great
Indian Bustard is also known locally as Godawan is also the state bird of Rajasthan.
Under the GIB Project, closures will be made at many places in Khudi rasla, Pokhran and Shahgarh of
Jaislmer district for safe habitat of bird. In order to regularly monitor the bird information chips will
installed.
Boxing india removes Sandeep Jajodia after No- Confidence Motion
Boxing India (BI) President Sandeep Jajodia and Secretary General Jay Kowli lost no confidence
motion at the Special General Meeting held on 3rd May 2015. Most of the state units have revolted
against him. Kowli had resigned on 2nd May 2015.
Jajodia, who took charge of Boxing India in September last year after elections monitored by the
International Boxing Association, received two votes against 55. BIs disgruntled units had claimed
that things have come to a standstill in the organisation due to a lack of trust between the president
and general secretary Jay Kowli. In the follow-up, Jajodia had declared to all BI members that he
could no longer work with Kowli.
Defence Ministry clears procurements worth Rs 1,10,000 crore
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has announced that the defence ministry has cleared
procurement worth Rs. 1,10,000 crore. He also announced that of the total procurement, around
90% is coming under PM Modis Make in India campaign.
The Ministry has planned to set up a government to government committee to deal with
negotiations on the deal wrt procurement of Rafale fighter jets for IAF. The French Defence Minister
is expected to be in New Delhi on 6th May to finalise the modalities for the negotiations.
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Doordarshan to telecast a serial on Modis Community
Doordarshan is going to telecast a serial on Modis community to highlight the eminent and
successful people from the oil-pressers community. Modi belongs to the Ghanchi community of oilpressers in Gujarat. The serial will put the eminent persons in the community in the league of
emperors Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka.
The serial named as Diye Jalte Hain will be telecast on Doordarshan by October. The serial will
narrate the history of the Ghanchi-Teli community. The serial director Saif Subedar said the casting
for Modis role had not been done so far. The Director said that the first phase of the serial had 128
episodes and was likely to run for nothing less than ten years.
Rajasthan inaugurates a Cow-urine refinery in Jalore
A cow-urine refinery has been inaugurated at Jalore, Rajasthan by the states medical and health
minister Rajendra Rathore. The refinery will prepare cow-urine extract for use in the formulation of
various products.
An MoU has been signed between Jodhpurs Dr S Radhakrishnan Ayurveda University and the
Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Bikaner. According to the minister, a byproduct derived from cow-urine extract will be used for cleaning at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in
Jaipur.
Minister Sharma inaugurates the first ever Science Centre and Planetarium in Puducherry
Mahesh Sharma, the MoS for Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent Charge) and Civil
Aviation has inaugurated the first ever Science Centre and Planetarium set up by the National
Council of Science Museums in the Union Territory of Puducherry. The Science Center and
Planetarium has been set up with an expense of 5.5 crore rupees. It is the 47th Science Museum in
the country. It has interactive exhibition galleries on Marine Biology and Fun Science, in addition to a
8 meter dome digital planetarium and an open-air science park. The planetarium can accommodate
55 people at a time.
Air Missile Akash inducted into Indian Army arsenal
The Indian Army has inducted the surface to air missile Akash into its arsenal to protect India from
any kind of possible aerial threats. The missile Akash is a short range defence system that is capable
of operating up to a maximum range of 25 kilometres and upto an altitude of 20 kilometers.
The missile system is also capable of detecting aerial threats from enemys fighter planes,
helicopters, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles. It can evaluate and track danger and will launch
missiles based on the information obtained by the radar system. Akash is a multi target, multi
directional, all weather air-defence system.
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India seeks Chinas cooperation in Agriculture sector
India has sought Chinas cooperation in the agriculture sector to improve the bilateral trade in
products like basmati rice, beef and fish between the two super powers of Asia. Agriculture Minister
Radha Mohan Singh has discussed the important matters in detail with the Chinese delegation, led
by its Agriculture Minister Han Changfu. The meeting is considered highly important as it is just being
held ahead of Prime Ministers maiden visit to China next week (May 14 2015).
GOI launched Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for SCs
Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Union Ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment, has launched the Credit
Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes (SCs). The scheme will be properly
implemented by Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Ltd. The minister said that a sum of
Rs.200 crores has been allocated towards Credit Enhancement Guarantee for young and start-up
entrepreneurs, belonging to Scheduled Castes. The allocation is under Social Sector Initiatives in
order to promote entrepreneurship among the scheduled castes and to facilitate concessional
finance.
Arun Jaitely launched DD News Mobile App
Arun Jaitley, the Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, has launched
Mobile Application of DD News

E-version of India 2015 & Bharat 2015 and
E-book of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on its initiatives and achievements.
Mr Jaitely said digitalization will enable quicker dissemination of News. The DD News mobile App will
bring DD News and its authentic news coverage to each and every phone and reach each and every
corner of the country.
It is possible to watch news updates and top videos in mobile phone. Other than streaming main
news, DD News has three sports & two business bulletins daily along many current affairs
programmes. The App also gives updates on health, youth issues, cinema, art & culture, flagships
schemes.
India ranks 140 in 2015 Mothers Index out of 179 countries
In a shocking ranking, India has slipped down by three ranks to 140 from last year in Mothers Index
rank. A total of 179 countries were ranked. India is one of the 10 countries in the world with the
greatest survival divide between wealthy and poor urban children. India is among Rwanda,
Cambodia, Nigeria, Vietnam, Bangladesh..etc. The US ranked 33rd and the UK 23rd.
The Index is based on five different criteria. They are,
Maternal health
Childrens well being
Educational status
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Economic status
Political status.
Cabinet approves amendment in Whistle Blowers Protection Act 2011

The Union Cabinet has given its nod for the amendment of Whistle Blowers Protection Act 2011. The
Bill seeks to provide protection to the whistleblowers, who disclose sensitive information related to
act of corruption, misuse of power, or criminal offence by a public servant. The amendments would
address concerns relating to national security. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting headed
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is expected that the amendment bill will be moved during the
budget session of parliament.
Crash Test to become mandatory for all new cars in India
The Road Transport Ministry has set a deadline for new model cars to pass frontal and side crash
tests. The deadline is October 2017. As per the notification, the frontal crash tests will be at 56
kmph, while the norm set for side crash tests is 50 kmph. Once these norms are implemented, Indian
cars will be at par with international test norms that make the vehicles safer for people.
The notification further adds that the front and other portions of the new cars sold after October
2017 should be be designed in such a way that pedestrians dont receive major injury when they are
hit by these vehicles.
INS Sardar Patel Commissioned in Gujarat
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel has commissioned INS Sardar Patel Naval Base in Porbandar,
Gujarat. The naval base at Porbandar is strategically important and it will boost security of Gujarats
1600-km coastline. INS Sardar Patel is the second naval base in Gujarat after INS Dwarka, which is
near to Okha.
The commissioning of INS Sardar Patel would enable the Navy to supplement its infrastructure and
organisational effectiveness in Gujarat. The name Sardar Patel has been chosen to signify the role of
Indias Iron Man Vallabhai Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India.
Every Household in Delhi to pay Environmental Compensation : NGT
The National Green Tribunal has put an order to every household in Delhi to pay Environmental
Compensation every month for cleaner Yamuna. The payment is for all households irrespective of
having a sewage connection. This order is applicable for unauthorized colonies too.
The compensation to be paid would be directly proportional to the property or water tax, whichever
is higher, paid by a particular household. In case of households in unauthorised colonies which do
not pay property tax or water bill, the amount would be Rs. 100 to Rs. 500.
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Modi inaugurates Indias largest blast furnace plant in Burnpur
PM Modi has inaugurated the upgraded steel plant of IISCO that has Indias largest blast furnace
plant and has been expanded and modernized at a cost of Rs.16,000 crore. Modi dedicated the plant
to the nation at a function held in Kolkata. Now the plants production capacity has increased from
0.85 million tonnes per annum to 2.9 million tonnes per annum.
The Steel Authority of India has said that it would make fresh investments of more than Rs 40,000
crore by 2025 to expand its two steel units in the state. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
accompanied Modi in the inauguration function.
Government to provide free diagnostic tests for all
The Government of India has decided to provide free diagnostic tests, which include several blood
tests, x-rays and advanced CT scans, for those visiting public health facilities. This scheme will be
available for anyone who is visiting public health facility (all village and district hospitals). According
to the report, the cost of drugs and diagnostics constitute about 70% of health expenditure in India
and are estimated to push 5 crore people below the poverty line (BPL) annually.
The health ministry has also consulted some of the biggest companies in the diagnostic sector,
including SRL, Dr Lal PathLabs, Quest Diagnostics, Mahajan Imaging and Star Imaging to thrash out all
service provider issues.The scheme to be implemented comes under the National Health Mission,
which has always seen the allocated money remaining unspent.
Dedicated E-Commerce Centre of India Posts launched in New Delhi
Union Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has launched a dedicated E-Commerce
Centre of India Posts, a postal system fully operated by Government at Safdarjang, New Delhi. The
main objective of launching this centre is to cater the e-commerce business enterprises. This project
is implemented by Department of Posts, through Delhi Postal Circle.
The processing centre is capable of handling 30000 parcels (articles) per day. It will handle all the ecommerce business. It should be noted that e-commerce business in India has been growing like
anything. The center is also facilitating immediate processing as well as dispatching within 24 hours
to the destination. For this purpose the centre will use all possible quickest transportation facility like
flight or trains.
GOI approved two new projects for reducing pollution in Yamuna
The Government of India has approved two new projects at a cost of Rs 217.87 crore in Sonepat and
Panipat towns for reducing the pollution of river Yamuna. The MoS for Water Resources Sanwar Lal
Jat said that the project include construction of new sewage treatment plants (STPs) of 70 million
litres per day (ml capacity and rehabilitation of existing STPs of 75 mld capacity. The works are being
implemented by Public Health Engineering Department (PHE , Haryana.
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Supreme Court allows photos of only President, PM or CJI in Government Advertisements
The Supreme Court has released the instructions for publication of government advertisements. As
per the new guideline, the photographs of the President, Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of
India (CJI) are allowed on government advertisements. This has been released to avoid the misuse of
public funds for plugging the ruling party and glorifying politicians. A bench headed by Justice Ranjan
Gogoi approved the suggestions given by a three-member committee on regulation of public
advertisements, barring a few exceptions.
Cabinet Approved Namami Gange programme under National Ganga River Basin Authority
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the ambitious Namami Gange Program which
integrates the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner. The total
budget for the program is Rs. 20,000 crore for the next 5 years. This is a significant four-fold increase
over the expenditure in the past 30 years.
The program would be implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). A three-tier
mechanism has been proposed for project monitoring. They are,
High level task force chaired by Cabinet Secretary assisted by NMCG at national level
State level committee chaired by Chief Secretary assisted by SPMG at state level
District level committee chaired by the District Magistrate.
Orange-finned Mahseer Fish Cauvery Basin fish is on the brink of extinction
According to the study conducted by Indian and British biologists, the population of Humpback
Mahseer, a freshwater fish, which is found only in Cauvery Basin of Tamil Nadu, has been reducing
drastically. The major reasons behind the population reduction of the orange-finned fish are
pollution, sand extraction and hydel power projects.
The fish is now endangered and it is expected that it may go extinct with in a generation. Four of the
species of Mahseer are already listed as Endangered on the IUCN (International Union for
Conservation of Nature) Red List.
MHRD Gave Nod for Setting Up IIIT in Nagpur, Maharashtra
Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHR on 14 May 2015 gave an in-principle
approval for setting up an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
It will be the first IIIT to be set up in the state. The decision was taken by MHRD in 2008 to set up 20
such institutions during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12).
New Institute to be set up in the city will be the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and
Indian Institute of Management (IIM). The main aim of increasing no. of institute in Nagpur is at
improving educational infrastructure in the backward Vidarbha region.
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In December 2014, the Parliament has passed the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIIT)
Bill, 2014 to grant four existing IIITs situated in Uttar Pradesh, Tami Nadu and Madhya Pradesh
independent statutory status.
Sixth Edition of National Conference on Nuclear Energy held in New Delhi organised by ASSOCHAM
Sixth edition of National Conference on Nuclear Energy was held in New Delhi. The theme of this
edition was Nuclear Energy: a Clean Energy option. It was organized by Associated Chambers of
Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).
The conference discussed the issue related to the status of Nuclear Energy in India. Apart from this,
various issues were also discussed including on nuclear energy to the decarbonisation of power
sector, Climate change & the future of nuclear energy, nuclear energy expansion & Make in India.
At present 3.5% of Indias electricity is generated by Nuclear power plants. In future its share will be
less than 10% even if the installed capacity is tripled.
Gujarat Govt to set up Task force to study growing habitat of Asiatic lions
Gujarat State Government has decided to set up a high level task force to observe and study the
growing habitat of Asiatic Lions in the state. The recent report states that the population of lions has
been increased outside the protected area of Gir National Park and Sanctuary. The main objective of
the task force is to prepare a report about growing habitat of lions outside the sanctuary and give
recommendation and measures to reduce man-animal conflicts.
According to the 14th lion census, the lion population has increased to 523, which was 411 in the
2010 census. The Gir sanctuary is spread across 1,412 sq kms. The census report of 2015 showed
that the habitat area of the lions has increased to around 22,000 sq kms.
GOI to launch agri training programme in 593 Sansad Adarsh Grams
The Government of India has planned to launch an agri training programme in 593 villages under
Modis ambitious scheme Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, to boost the agriculture sector in India. The
training program will commence on July. The Agriculture Ministry is preparing guidelines for
implementing the training program in each village adopted by the MPs of Parliament under Sansad
Adarsh Gram Yojana.
The center is planning to conduct field-level demonstrations on,
Organic farming
Soil testing
Agri-technologies
Fertilizer Use
Marketing Strategies
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The National Centre of Organic Farming and Central Fertilizer Quality Control and Training Institute
will conduct the training program for two days in each villages with the support from the respective
state government.
Indias Defence Ministry clears first project under Indo-US DTTI
Indias defence Ministry has cleared a proposal that could give impetus to the first joint defence
development project between India and United States for new, lightweight, protective clothing for
soldiers. The project has been named as Defence Trade and Technology Initiative. The initial amount
allocated for the project is Rs 300 crore. The Indian Army has planned to modernize it and also have
plans to acquire chemical and biological resistant clothing in the current five year plan.
Under the DTTI, the project is being called Uniform Integrated Protection Ensemble Increment 2
(UIPE I2). The private companies from United States will collaborate with an Indian partner for the
new-generation clothing for soldiers.
INS Kavaratti: Anti-submarine warfare class stealth corvette launched
INS Kavaratti, Indian Navys latest anti-submarine warfare class stealth corvette was launched on 19
May 2015 in Kolkata. Kavaratti is the last of the four anti-submarine warfare class stealth corvettes
being built for India under Project 28.
Features of INS Kavaratti
Weight: 3,300-tonne
Length: 109.1 metres
Measures 13.7-m at beam.
pushed by four diesel engines and can reach a speed of over 25 knots.
It has an endurance of more than 3,400 nautical miles.
It is 90 percent indigenous, adding feather to the cap of the domestic manufacturing for the
Indian Naval forces.
Equipped with an X-shaped hull, full beam superstructure, inclined ship sides and an InfraRed Signature Suppression (IRSS) system increase the stealth feature of the ship.
It has a Total Atmospheric Control System (TACS) making it capable fight in nuclear, chemical
and biological warfare conditions.
Designed by the Directorate of Naval Design and built by Garden Reach Ship Builders and
Engineers (GRSE) under Project-28.
GOI to award road projects worth Rs 3 lakh crore

The Government of India has planned to award Rs 3 lakh crore for road projects to give big push for
infrastructure development. It has also planned to increase the construction to 30 kilometer per day.
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced this funding plans.
The Minister said, within one year of NDA rule, the road construction has raised to 14 km per day
from mere 2 km in UPA rule.
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Other than upgrading the National Highways, GOI has also panning to construct a 1000 km road,
under the Chaar Dham Yatra Project, to connect the four holy towns of Yamunotri, Gangotri,
Kedarnath and Badrinath with highways. The estimated cost of this project is Rs 11,000 crore.
Under a new scheme named Bharat Mala, GOI is planning to construct 5,000-km of road network
all along the borders and coastal areas. The estimated cost of this project is Rs 5000 crore. Other
projects include Eastern by-Pass Project to de-congest New Delhi, expressways from Hyderabad to
Bengaluru and Amritsar to Katra.. etc.
GOI sanctions cold chain projects with Rs 725 crore outlay
Government of India has sanctioned proposals for launching 30 new cold chain projects in India with
a total investment of Rs 724.9 crore. The Food Processing Ministry provides financial assistance of up
to Rs 10 crore for these projects. Totally 138 integrated cold chain projects were approved by the
GOI. Out of 138, 108 have been sanctioned so far, and remaining 30 are sanctioned on May 18.
Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Badal said the cold chain projects will reduce food wastage to a
great extent. She also added that the Ministry has decided to provide grant of Rs 274.9 crore on
these projects.
DD Kisan a Channel for Farmers is all set for launch
The Government of India is all set to launch Indias first channel for farmers DD Kisan. The 24/7
channel will be launched on May 26. In the 2014 union budget, the first announcement was made
about the channel. According to the TOI, PM Narendra Modi could launch the Farmers channel at a
farmers rally, which is plannedon May 26 in Uttar Pradesh.
The DD Kisan will give National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange, daily market rates for
commodities and weather updates everyday. Many agriculture experts will share their views with
the people everyday via the channel. The channel is also expected to talk about government
campaigns like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao on improving the child sex ratio and Swachch Bharat.In the
initial phase, the channel will broadcast live program every day for 3.5 hours. It include,
One hour of mandi and weather reports

One hour of agricultural issues, horticulture, animal husbandry
One hour of phone-in on core agricultural issues
Half an hour of news bulletin.
GOI allocates Rs 5000 crore for development of AYUSH

The Government of India has allocated a total of Rs. 5,000 crore for the growth of Department of
AYUSH. Union Minister of State for AYUSH Sripad Naik has launched an independent National AYUSH
Mission aimed at capacity building for the sector. The Minister, while launching the mission, said that
the GOI is considering to observe National Ayurveda Day. He also added the main objective of the
mission is to create a centre of excellence for Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy
independently.
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NHPC gets environmental clearance for Rs 25 K crore Dibang project
The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation has received the environmental clearance for setting
up of multipurpose hydropower cum flood moderation project in Dibang, Arunachal Pradesh. The
total estimation of the project is Rs 25,000 crore. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
change has given the approval for the Dibang Project on May 19 2015.
Dibang Project is not only a hydropower generating project but also facilitates flood moderation. The
project will be capable of moderating floods in the areas downstream of the Dibang Dam to the
extent of 3000 cumecs. On completion this project will generate electricity upto 2880 MW. All North
Eastern and Eastern states would benefit a lot from this project.
Meghalaya achieves 100% financial inclusion under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna
Meghalaya has achieved 100 percent success in implementing Union Governments flagship scheme
for financial inclusion-Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY). In the state, all eleven districts have
been able to open at least one bank account of every household under the ambitious scheme. More
than 5.53 lakh households have been covered with 1.55 lakh new bank accounts.
The rural population has given more response in the state compared to the urban population. Over
1.8 lakh bank accounts have been opened in rural areas, while in urban area the figure is over
47,000. All banks both from private and public sectors have contributed in successfully implementing
the scheme.
IAFs Mirage 2000 jet successfully test lands on Yamuna Expressway
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully carried out the landing of IAFs Mirage 2000 combat jet on
Yamuna expressway near Mathura. This test was conducted as a part of trials to use national
highways for emergency landing. The IAF has been considering the use of national highways for
emergency landing by fighter aircraft.
Road runways are used for emergency landing and become important if airbases are crippled during
war times. At present, countries such as Germany, Poland, Finland, Switzerland, Singapore and
Pakistan..etc have dedicated stretches on their expressways and highways for airplanes to land and
take off in case of an emergency.
Israel will partner India to develop missile system
India is going to partner with Israel in a mega military project, which will further strengthen the
already expansive but secretive defence cooperation under way between India and Israel. The
contract negotiation committee has made the deal for the joint development of a medium-range
surface-to-air missile system (MR-SAM) for the Indian Army through collaboration between DRDO
and Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI).
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India ranks 24th in the first Environmental Democracy Index
India has ranked 24th in Environmental Democracy Index. The index has been calculated on the basis
of,
Progress in enacting laws to promote transparency

Accountability
Citizen engagement in environmental decision making.
The index evaluates environmental democracy in a total of 70 countries in the world. The report says
93 per cent of the assessed countries have established the right to environmental information. The
report also added that around 45 per cent of the countries do not have any strong protections to
ensure that access to information is affordable and timely.
The Environmental Democracy index has been released by Washington-based World Resources
Institute (WRI) and Access Initiative. The top ten countries are,
1. Lithuania
2. Latvia
3. Russia
4. The US
5. South Africa
6. The UK
7. Hungary
8. Bulgaria
9. Panama
10. Colombia
Delhis world heritage city bid withdrawn by the Center
The central government has withdrawn the nomination of Delhi for UNESCOs World Heritage City tag.
The government has taken the decision without any proper explanation and abruptly ended the long
quest. The decision has shocked conservationists and heritage lovers as it came just a month before
UNESCOs review of nominations from different countries.
As Delhi is the only entry from India, the ancient country is totally out of the running at this years
World Heritage Committee session. Cities like Kanchenjunga, Nalanda and Chandigarh were
nominated this year in February and they will be reviewed only in June 2016. If India re-nominates
Delhi again, it would take two to four years for the process of submitting the tentative and final
dossiers.
India continues to lead in global confidence index
India continued to maintain a lead in the global confidence index. According to global information and
insights provider Nielsen, in the first quarter of 2015, Indias consumer confidence score rose to 130
followed by Indonesia and Philippines.
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While, the consumer confidence in urban India has increased by 9 points from first quarter in 2014, 44
per cent of respondents polled feel that India is still in economic recession.
Website Khoyapaya.gov.in launched to track missing child
The government of India has launched a web portal named khoyapaya.gov.in to track the missing child
in India. Anyone can upload visuals and details of missing children and help track them. The website
will act as an enabling platform for Indians to report missing children or those found as well as
sightings.
Khoyapaya.gov.in has been initiated by the ministry of women and child development (WC along with
the department of electronics and information technology (DEITY). The portal will be run with the
assistance of Childline and local police.
Union Cabinet approves PSLV continuation programme
The Cabinet has granted the permission to continue Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) programme
for fifteen operational flights (PSLV-C36 to PSLV-C50). The total fund requirement for the cost of 15
PSLVs, programme elements, programme management and launch campaign are estimated to be Rs
3090 crore. PSLV continuation programme has enabled the launch of satellites required for Earth
Observation, Navigation and Space Sciences along with the possibility of clinching commercial launch
service contracts. All the 15 operational flights would be completed during the period 2017-2020.
Law Commission of India suggests joint custody of kids in case of divorce
The Law Commission of India has submitted a draft law to the central government proposing
amendments to the existing guardianship and custody laws. The proposed amendment give joint
custody rights of a child to both parents in case of divorce. In India the idea of shared parenting is
completely new to custody jurisprudence. The amendment paves the way for equal legal status with
respect to guardianship and custody.
The Commission said the amendments are necessary in order to bring these laws in tune with modern
social considerations. Major amendments are recommended to the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890,
by introducing a new chapter on custody and visitation arrangements.
Joint Committee of Parliament seeks public opinion on Land Bill
The Land Bill is being examined by the Joint Committee of Parliament. They have sought the opinion of
the common man and various stakeholders. A copy of the bill can be found in the Lok Sabha
Secretariat website. The inputs from public bodies, organisations, associations, individuals and other
stakeholders is expected by June 8.
Medals of Air force legend Jumbo Majumdar set to return to India
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has finally purchased the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross (DF and Bar
from a London Auction house. The award was presented to Wing Commander Karun Krishna Jumbo
Majumdar, the first Indian officer to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
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The awards were planned to be sold in an auction house in London. The IAF intervened and bought
the decorations, barely a few days before they were to go under the hammer. Majumdars awards will
be brought back to India and displayed at the Air Force Museum.
Home Ministry calls national conference for SMART policing
SMART policing will quickly be a actuality within the nation as Home Ministry is calling a national
conference to chalk out the plans for establishing such police models in all states. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi had launched the idea of SMART Police on the DGP conference in Guwahati.
What is SMART Policing?
The abbreviation of the word SMART is
S-Sensitive and Strict
M-Modern with mobility
A- Alert and Accountable
R- Reliable and Responsive
T- Trained and Techno-savvy
India and Vietnam sign a Joint Vision Statement on defence cooperation
India and Vietnam have signed a Joint Vision Statement on defence cooperation for 2015-2020. The
statement was witnessed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and the Vietnamese Minister for
National Defence Phng Quang Thanh in New Delhi. The ministers have discussed issues concerning
defence cooperation, including cooperation in the area of maritime security. Both sides have promised
their commitment to further enhancing the ongoing defence engagements.
The Vietnamese are keen on India training their submarine personnel. India was also looking at selling
the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile to Vietnam. But the official announcement is yet to release.
India and Vietnam have forged a closer economic and strategic relationship in the last decade after
increasing Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea as well as Indias own Act East policy.
Jayalalitha takes charge as Tamil Nadu CM for the 5th time
AIADMK general secretary Jayaraman Jayalalitha has sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for
the fifth time. The party cadres and supporters are all celebrating all over the state. Jayalalitha returns
to power after eight months as she was forced to quit over corruption charges.
Governor K Rosaiah gave oath to Jayalalitha and 28 others were sworn in as Ministers at the Madras
University Centenary Auditorium. Actor Rajinikanth, ICC Chairman N. Srinivasan and Union Minister
Pon Radhakrishnan attended the ceremony.
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Jayalalitha was convicted and sentenced for four years by Karnataka trial court in the Rs 66.66 crore
disproportionate assets case. The Karnataka High Court had subsequently released her of the charges
on May 11.
India and Germany agree to deepen bilateral defence ties
India and Germany have decided to strengthen their bilateral defence ties. Germanys defence
Minister Ursula von der Leyn, who is on three day tour to India, has held talks with Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar. They talked about PMs Make in India initiative as Germany is the major partner in
it. The German minister also visited the Army Research and Referral Hospital, the flagship medical unit
of the Armed Forces Medical Services here.
E-Naga summit held in Kohima
E-Naga Summit, an initiative of the Nagaland department of Information Technology and
Communication in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) has been conducted
in Kohima, Nagaland. The theme of the summit is Ideas and Solutions to transform North East India
through Information Communication Technology.
PM Narendra Modi launches DD Kisan channel
Prime Minister Modi Ji has launched a television channel for farmers named DD Kisan to mark the
completion of his governments first year in office. DD Kisan would provide information about best
agricultural practices and related content. While launching the channel, Modi said the India cannot
move forward without Farmers progress and called for increase in crop productivity by 50 percent.
Tripura government withdraws AFSPA from state after 18 years
The state government of Tripura has withdrawn the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSP as
insurgency is on the wane in the State. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar
after a meeting with his Council of Ministers. The central act was first enforced in Tripura on 16
February, 1997 when terrorism was at its peak in the state, which shares an 856-km border with
Bangladesh. Tribal parties of the state had been demanding the withdrawal of the Act, saying it was
aimed at suppressing the States 33 per cent tribal population.
India leads World Hunger list with 194 million people
According to the United Nations annual Hunger Report, India is home to the highest number of hungry
people in the world. It is estimated that Indias hunger people is around 194 million. India has
surpassed China in hunger list. The report states that globally, the number of undernourished people
has fallen by 216 million between 1990-92 and 2015. However, Indias contribution to this fall has
been small, with its numbers down by just 15.5 million.
India Ranks 100th on human capital Index
India ranked at 100th position on a global Human Capital Index, compiled by World Economic Forum
(WEF), which measures the countries in terms of the economies leveraging their human capital.
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Finland is on the top among 124-nation list. Other emerging economies such as Russia, China, Brazil
and South Africa are ranked ahead of India.
India assumed Presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly (WH after 19 years.
India assumed the presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly (WH held in Geneva after a Leap of
19 years. The 68th WHA session began on 18 May 2015 and it will conclude on 27 May 2015. The WHA
session is presided by Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda who is also leading the high-level
Indian delegation to the Assembly.
The Assembly will encourage the following Agenda:
Anti-microbial resistance.
Air pollution and health
Global health emergency, preparedness and surveillance.
Global strategy and plan of action on public health.
Innovation and intellectual property.
Research and development in neglected tropical diseases.
Google in talks with Arunachal govt for Chromebook laptops in schools

Google is in discussions with the Arunachal Pradesh government for deploying Chromebook laptops
for school students. The pilot is proposed to be introduced in schools in two cities, namely, Itanagar
and Ziro.
Chromebooks along with Google Apps for Education can play an important role in helping students
create, collaborate and learn.
Ms. Hashim said a lot of applications like Googles Drive and Gmail as well as others like VLC player are
being made available offline so that they can be used without being connected to the internet.
India remains at 44th rank in the annual global competitiveness report
India has been ranked at 44th position in the Annual Global Competitiveness report prepared by a
Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development. The report has cited
problems like high corporate taxes and existence of a parallel economy for the low ranking. The
United States has been ranked at top due to its strong business efficiency and financial sector, its
innovation drive and the effectiveness of its infrastructure.
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India launches Virtual Memorial Wall to honour Peacekeepers
India has launched a virtual memorial wall to honour the United Nations peacekeeping heroes who
died in service as the first step towards building a permanent monument at the UN headquarters. The
digital memorial wall has been unveiled by Permanent Representative Asoke Kumar Mukerji hosted at
the headquarters to honour the 125 recipients of the Dag Hammarskjold Medal.
Arun Jaitley inaugurates New Bank Note Paper Line unit in Hoshangabad
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has inaugurated a New Bank Note Paper Line unit of 6000 metric
tonne capacity at Security Paper Mill in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh. On operation of this unit, the
nation will become self-reliant in producing Bank Note Paper for big denominations. Earlier, India was
considerably dependent on import of bank note paper for currency of big denominations. He also
flagged off the first consignment of one thousand rupee bank notes made indigenously from this
paper mill to the Currency Note Press Nasik.
Bills and Amendments

Union Cabinet gave its nod for introduction of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Bill, 2015
The Union Cabinet on 29 April 2015 gave its nod for introduction of the Compensatory Afforestation
Fund (CAF) Bill, 2015 in the Parliament.
The objective of the legislation is to provide for institutional mechanism, both at the Centre and in
each State and Union Territory, to ensure expeditious utilization of amounts realised in lieu of forest
land diverted for non-forest purpose.
Key Provisions of the bill
Establishment of the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) and the State CAFs to credit
amounts collected by Union Territory Administrations and State Governments to compensate loss of
forest land diverted for non-forest purpose.
Constitution of National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority
(CAMP to manage and utilise amounts credited to the National CAF.
Constitution of State CAMPA in each State and Union Territory to manage and utilise the amounts
credited to the State CAFs.
Establishment of a Monitoring Group to assist the National CAMPA in monitoring and evaluation of
activities undertaken from amounts released from the National CAF and State CAFs.
Lok Sabha Passed the Finance Bill, 2015
The Lok Sabha on 30 April 2015 gave its nod for the Finance Bill, 2015 through voice vote. The bill
deals with the income side (basically tax proposals) of the Union Government for the financial year
2015-16 as proposed in the budget which was introduced in the Parliament on 28 February 2015.
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The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha, after the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved as many
as 41 official amendments which among others include:
Promoters of foreign real estate investment trusts were exempted from paying Minimum
Alternate Tax (MAT) on the notional gains arising from shares of a Special Purpose Vehicle
(SPV) to a business trust in exchange of units allotted by that trust.
Foreign companies including Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) are exempted from paying
MAT on any interest, royalty or fees for technical services including incomes earned on
investments in Government and other fixed income securities.
Diluted tax proposals applicable to sovereign wealth funds which plan to relocate to India, in
case they are floated by foreign government.
The above amendments are intended to attract much needed foreign capital to sustain the
growth momentum and reach double digit Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth target in
the years to come, as envisaged by the 2015-16 budget.
Cabinet approved 119th Constitutional Amendment Bill on LBA between India and Bangladesh
The Union cabinet has approved the legislation the 119th Constitutional Amendment bill on land
boundary agreement (LB with Bangladesh. The bill seeks to exchange several enclaves located along
the common border of both nations. The land borders involved in the exchange are located in the
North eastern states of Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura. Once approved by Parliament,
the law will enable exchange of territories between the two countries.
The Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill, 2013 aims to ratify the LBA between India and Bangladesh
under the Indira-Mujib pact of 1974 to exchange areas and people on either side of the border.
LS passes Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014
The Lower house of the Parliament has passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)
Bill to make changes in the existing juvenile justice act. The amendment will pave the way for
juveniles between the ages of 16 to 18 years to be tried in adult courts if they are found to commit
any heinous crimes. All parties voted unanimously in favour of the bill.
The bill states that whether an accused between 16 and 18 years should be tried as an adult will be
decided by a Juvenile Justice Board. Based upon the preliminary inquiry of the board, juvenile
offender will be either sent for rehabilitation or will be tried as an adult.
The bill also has provision for the establishment of Child Welfare Committees (CW in every district of
the country. The Welfare committees will determine institutional care for juvenile in need of care
and protection.
Lok Sabha passes Foreign Black Money Bill
The Lok Sabha on 11th May 2015 passed a stringent law to unearth black money stashed overseas,
putting in strong deterrent for those who do not come clean in a one-time window being provided
under the law and declared unaccounted foreign wealth.
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India and other G-20 members have committed to a global framework on automatic information
exchange. It will also receive information on assets held by its citizens from the US under FATCA.
Points to Remember
The bill provides for rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years for offenders.

There would be short compliance window for persons having undisclosed income abroad to
come clean by paying 30 per cent tax and 30 per cent penalty.
The duration of the window would be notified separately once the bill gets approval of
Parliament.
There could be a two-month window to declare overseas assets and within six months one
would have to pay tax and penalty.
No action would be taken against persons having Rs 5 lakh or equivalent amount in their
overseas bank accounts.
Cabinet approves amendment to Child Labour Act

The Union Cabinet has approved the amendment in Child Labour Act, which paves a complete ban
on employment of children below 14 years. It has also a warning that children can engage
themselves in family businesses, entertainment and sports activities after school or in vacations. The
punishment for employing a child under 14 years have been increased to jail term of three years and
fine of up to Rs 50,000.
As per the amendment, Children can be employed only in,
Non-hazardous family enterprises

TV serials
Films
Advertisements
Sporting activities (except circus)
with a condition that they would be made to do these jobs after school hours.
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986 banned the employment of children up to
the age of 14 in only hazardous occupations. The approved amendment bill prohibits employment of
children below 14 years in all occupations and processes.
The Cabinet has also barred employment of adolescents (14 to 18 years) in hazardous occupations
and processes like chemicals and mines.
Cabinet gives nod to Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015
Union Cabinet gave to Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
The Bill seeks to amend the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 by adding additional
provisions that provides for strict measures against violators in order to scan and check the
generation of black money in the country.
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Points To Remember
It also adds provisions for attachment and confiscation of benami properties and imposes fine
with imprisonment.
The Bill seeks to amend the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988
The Bill aims to act as a major route for blocking benami property, especially in real estate.
Earlier in 2011, then ruling UPA-II government had introduced Benami Transactions
(Prohibition) Bill, 2011, which had proposed replacing the 1988 parent Act.
The bill provides for stringent punishment to violators such as confiscation of wealth,
imprisonment, and fine.
The bill was not able to pass in Parliament and had lapsed with the dissolution of Lok Sabha
The bill provides for stringent punishment to violators such as confiscation of wealth,
imprisonment, and fine.
Rajya Sabha passed the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014

Rajya Sabha on 13 May 2015 passed the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014 by voice vote. Bill is
passed by both the houses of Parliament as Lok Sabha had already passed the bill on 17 December
2014.
Some sixteen amendments pertaining to winding up of companies, board resolutions, bail provisions
and utilisation of unclaimed dividends have been incorporated into the Companies Act and are
designed to address some issues raised by stakeholders.
Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014
The bill seeks to amend the Companies Act, 2013 that came into effect on 1 April 2015.
The relevant amendment now prohibits public inspection of board resolutions filed in the
registry.
The paid-up capital criteria have been removed while threshold limits for various transactions
for getting shareholders nod has now been added.
One of the amendments approves specific punishment for deposits accepted, that was left
out in the Companies Act accidentally.
Amendments also exempts corporate from the need to get shareholders nod in the case of
related party transactions for valued less than 100 crore rupees or 10 percent of net worth.
Amendments also exempts related party transactions between holding companies and wholly
owned subsidiaries from the requirement of approval of non-related shareholders.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modis Tri-Nation Tour
Prime Minister Narendra Modis Visit to China
On Prime Minister Narendra Modis maiden visit to China, a total of 24 deals has been signed to
strengthen the bilateral relationship between India and China in various fields. The agreements cover
area such as education, health, infrastructure development, environment, railways..etc The
agreements have covered industries such as renewable energy, small and medium scale industries,
power infrastructure, Steel industry..etc
Narendra Modi in China List of Agreements
1. Establishment of consulates-general at Chengdu and Chennai.
2. MoU has been signed between Skill development and entrepreneurship Ministry of India and the
Ministry of HR and social security of China on mutual cooperation in vocational education as well as
skill development.
3. Setting up of Mahatma Gandhi National Institute for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in
Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
4. MoU on consultative mechanism for cooperation in trade negotiations.
5. MoU on cooperation between Indias External affairs Ministry and Chinas International
department.
6. Action plan for enhancing cooperation in the railway sector.
7. MoU on education exchange programme.
8. MoU between the Mining ministries of both countries for the cooperation in the mining and
minerals sector.
9. Space Cooperation Outline (2015-2020).
10. MoU on health and safety regulations on importing Indian rapeseed meal.
11. MoU between Doordarshan and China Central Television (CCTV) on cooperation in the field of
broadcasting.
12. Agreement between the Tourism ministries for mutual cooperation in the field of tourism.
13. MoU on establishing India-China think-tanks forum.
14. MoU between Indias Niti Aayog and Chinas Development Research Centre.
15. MoU between Indias ministry of earth sciences and the China Earthquake Administration for
cooperation in the field of earthquake science and earthquake engineering.
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16. MoU between Indias ministry of earth sciences and the State Oceanic Administration of China on
mutual cooperation in the field of ocean science, ocean technology, climate change, polar science
and cryosphere.
17. MoU on scientific cooperation between Geological Survey of India, ministry of mines of India and
the China Geological Survey, ministry of land and resources of China in geoscience.
18. MoU between the ministry of external affairs of India and ministry of foreign affairs of China on
establishment of states/provincial leaders forum.
19. Agreement on the establishment of sister-state/province relations between state government of
Karnataka and provincial government of Sichuan of China.
20. Agreement on establishment of sister-city relations between Chennai and Chongqing of China.
21. Agreement on establishment of sister-city relations between Hyderabad and Qingdao of China.
22. Agreement on establishment of sister-city relations between Aurangabad and Dunhuang of
China.
23. MoU between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Fudan University on the
establishment of a centre for Gandhian and Indian studies.
24. MoU between Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Yunnan Minzu University on the
establishment of a yoga college.
PM Narendra Modi in Mongolia : Key points to Note
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on two days visit to Mongolia, of Mongolia. Modi has also
agreed to deepen the defence cooperation between the two countries. Narendra Modi said Today,
Mongolia is also an integral part of Indias Act East Policy.
Modi and Chimed Saikhanbileg, the Prime Minister of Monglolia, have had wide range of discussions.
The leaders have agreed to upgrade the comprehensive partnership to strategic partnership and
also to renew their Treaty of Friendly Relations and Cooperation.
Modi met Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj and discussed bilateral ties and issues of
mutual interests. It should be noted that Narendra Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit
Mongolia. A total of 14 important agreements have signed with respect to economic relations,
development partnership, defence and security..etc
Modi in Mongolia : List of Agreements An Overview
1. Joint statement for India-Mongolia strategic partnership.
2. Air services agreement between the two countries.
3. Agreement between the two countries on cooperation in the field of animal health and dairy.
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4. Treaty on the transfer of sentenced persons.
5. MoU between the two countries on cooperation in the field of traditional systems or medicine and
homeopathy.
6. MoU between the two countries for enhancing cooperation in border guarding, Policing and
surveillance.
7. Programme of cooperation between Mongolia and India in the field of culture for the Years 20152018.
8. MoU on the establishment of cyber security training centre in the Ministry of Defence of
Mongolia.
9. MoU between the foreign service institute of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of
India and the diplomatic academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia.
10. MoU on cooperation between the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India and the
Ministry of foreign affairs of Mongolia.
11. MoU on cooperation in the field of renewable energy.
12. MoU for Cooperation between the National Security Councils of both the countries.
13. MoU for the establishment of India-Mongolia Friendship Secondary School in Mongolia.
14. MoU between Tata Memorial Centre of India and National Cancer Center of Mongolia for Gifting
of Bhabhatron-II Terecobalt Unit along with a radiotherapy simulator.
PM Narendra Modi in South Korea : Signed 7 important pacts
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on Tri-nation tour, has signed seven important pacts with
South Korea. The nations have agreed to upgrade bilateral relationship to special strategic
partnership and deepen cooperation in defence sector. Modi held wide-ranging talks with South
Korean President Park Geun-hye at Cheong Wae Dae. The Prime Minister said South Korea is the
second country (after Japan) with which India will have a diplomatic and security dialogue in 2+2
format.
Agreements Signed between India and South Korea
1. Agreement for the avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to
taxes on income.
2. Co-operation in Audio-Visual Co-Production.
3. Co-operation between the National Security Councils of two countries.
4. Co-operation in the field of electric power development and New Energy Industries.
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5. Co-operation in Youth Matters.
6. Co-operation on the field of Road Transport and Highways.
7. Co-operation on the filed of Maritime Transport and Logistics.
PM Modi welcomed South Koreas diplomatic efforts to maintain peace and stability on the Korean
Peninsula.
International Affairs
CISCOs Chief Executive John Chambers would step down in July after 20 years
CISCOs Chief Executive John Chambers would step down in July after 20 years , will be replaced by
company veteran Chuck Robbins. Chambers, one of the longest-serving CEOs of a Silicon Valley
company, will become the network equipment makers executive chairman and continue to be
chairman.
Cisco has been looking for a new CEO for the past 16 months, board member Roderick McGeary
wrote in a blog post. Robbins who will now be the new CEO has been Ciscos senior vice president of
worldwide operations, leading the companys global sales and partner team. He joined Cisco in 1997
and became a board member on May 1.
Fiorina running for President of the United States in 2016
Former Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N) Chief Executive Carly Fiorina on 4th May 2015 announced she is
running for president, and took a shot at Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. Once one of the
most powerful women in American business said the She and her husband, belong to an out-oftouch political elite.
As the only woman so far in the crowded Republican field, Fiorina is confident her candidacy could
be a counterweight to Clinton, the Democratic front runner who is also aiming to be the nations first
female commander-in-chief.
United States approves first ferry service to Cuba
The Barack Obama administration has approved ferry service to Cuba from Florida for the first time
in the last 5 decades. The U.S. Treasury and Commerce department has given license to
Havana Ferry Partners of Fort Lauderdale

Baja Ferries of Miami
United Caribbean Lines Florida of Greater Orlando
Airline Brokers Co. of Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
This approval has clearly sets a new path for huge number of people and hundreds of millions of
dollars in goods that travel between Florida and Havana every year.
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India Signs MoU with Iran on developing Chabahar Port
India has signed a historical agreement with Iran for the development of Chabahar port which will
give India sea-land access route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan. The strategically important port is
located in Sistan-Balochistan Province on Irans southeastern coast. With this agreement India can
reach Afghanistan via sea-land access route and also completely bypassing Pakistan.
The pact was signed after extensive talks between visiting Road Transport and Highways Minister
Nitin Gadkari with the Irans Minister for Transport and Urban Development Dr Abbas Ahmad
Akhoundi in Tehran. The port will be used to ship crude oil and urea, saving India transportation
costs.
China proposes joint mining of Indian Ocean with India
China has expressed its eagerness in cooperating with India on deep seabed mining in the Indian
Ocean. It is reported earlier that the Chinas deep diving vessel have founded large deposits of
precious metals like gold and silver in the Indian Ocean.
The Deputy Director of China Ocean Mineral Resource R&D Association, He Zongyu, who proposed
the joint mining of Indian Ocean, termed India an Ideal Partner and said both countries are on about
the same level in terms of the development of deep seabed mining. He also added deep seabed
mining is high-cost and high-risk work, with costs for a mining site topping $1.6 billion.
Philippines and Japan coast guards hold anti-piracy drills
The coast guards of Philippines and Japan have staged an anti-piracy drill in Manila Bay. The drills
were watched by the coast guard chiefs of 17 Asian nations. This is the first drill held by the two
countries after signing a strategic partnership pact in 2012.
Both Philippines as well as Japan face a huge challenge from Chinas growing dominance over
territorial claims in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Japan has been helping the
Philippines improve its skills in maritime law enforcement, safety and environment protection. The
countries have been facing problems like pirates and illegal trafficking, drug trafficking, and firearms
trafficking.
Google startup campus of Asia opened in Seoul
Google has opened its first start-up campus of Asia in Seoul, South Korea. This google startup campus
will mainly help entrepreneurs and start-ups. Google picked South Korea for countrys flourishing
start-up scene and pervasive smartphone use. Campus Seoul is located in Gangnam and covers an
area of 2,000 square meter. It also plans to host events for tech startups and for female
entrepreneurs with children. It is opened by President Park Geun-Hye
The start-up campus will offer mentoring and training by Google teams and experienced
entrepreneurs, as well as access to other start-up communities in Asia and beyond.
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UK Election David Cameron and Conservatives Get Majority
British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Conservative Party have won ultimate majority in the
recently held UK Election and have won 331 seats out of 650 seats. Labour leader Ed Miliband said
he would stand down and his party must rebuild with a new leader. The seats won by the
Conservative Party is well enough to form a government without a coalition partner.
Labour Party has won 232 seats with 30.4% vote share, emerging as largest opposition party.
Scottish National Party (SNP) has emerged third largest party in this election by winning 56 seats with
9% of vote share. SNP has won 56 seats of the 59 seats from Scotland.
North Korea test-fires submarine launched ballistic missile
North Korea has conducted a successful underwater test-fire of a submarine-launched ballistic
missile. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, who personally oversaw the test, hailed the newly
developed missile as a world-level strategic weapon. Leader Kim Jong-Un gave the order to testfire the missile and watched as it was launched from an attack submarine.
If the tests were successful as reported by North Korea, it would take North Korea to a whole new
level in military strength. It will be a threat to countries like South Korea and Japan. It would even be
able to attack U.S. military bases in East Asia.
No more Ebola in Liberia says WHO
After losing thousands of its people to the deadly virus, Liberia has been finally declared free of the
Ebola virus by the World Health Organization. The WHO has confirmed that the country has had no
new cases in the last 42 days. The Ebola in Liberia had killed more than 4500 people in the last one
year.
The deadly virus had trembled the countrys economy, education, and also the mind of the people.
Liberia is one of three West African countries (Guinea and Sierra Leone are the other two) at the
center of the largest epidemic by far of Ebola since the disease was first reported in 1976.
PM Modi to inaugurate first Gandhian Studies Centre in China
On his maiden vist to China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would inaugurate the first Gandhian
Studies Centre at Shanghais prestigious Fudan University on May 16. The staff for the center will be
provided by Indian Council of Cultural Relations.
It is stated that Modi will announce about setting up of a Yoga College at Yunnan Minzu University in
Chinas Yunnan province. India will provide Yoga specialists and help China to bring about a
standardisation of Yoga techniques. In recent years Yoga has become a very popular fitness
programme in China.
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1995 Pablo Picasso sells for $ 179 Million
A Pablo Picasso masterpiece freezes under the hammer for a world record auction price on 11th May
2015 for $179.4 million (116m) resulting to be one of the most expensive auction. The action took
place in Christies Rockefeller Centre auction room in midtown Manhattan when the biderss
voluntrily shouted their bids for the artwork.
Merlin is the New king of Purrs
A UK Cat has set a new Guinness World record for the loudest purr by a domestic cat, with its sound
measuring almost 68 decibel. This noise is equal to noise of an air conditioner and nearly as loud as a
shower. Merlin is the 13 year old cat, who was adopted from an animal rescue centre in
Kingskerswell by its owner Tracy Westwood and her daughter Alice from Torquay. Merlin registered
a purr measuring 67.8 decibels, beating the previous record of smokey which can purr upto 67.68
decibels in 2011.
Egypt Court sentences Mohammed Morsi to death
Ousted President of Egypt Mohammed Morsi has been sentenced to death by the Egypt Court over
2011 mass prison break that took place during the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. He was
already sentenced to imprisonment of 20 years for ordering the arrest and torture of protesters
during his time in power.
As per the rules, Egypts religious authorities should give their opinion before the sentence can be
carried out. Morsi was removed from the President post by the military in July 2013 following mass
street protests against his rule. After his arrest, the higher authorities have banned his Muslim
Brotherhood movement. Thousands of Mohammed Morsis supporters have been arrested in the
last one year.
Larsen B ice shelf of Antarctica to disappear by 2020 NASA
Larsen B ice shelf, Antarcticas massive ice shelf was partially collapsed in 2002. As per the latest
report by NASA, it is expected that the Larsen B ice shelf may collapse and disappear by the year
2020. A team led by Ala Khazendar of NASA found that the ice is melting drastically. The shelf itself
will be gone by the end of the decade.
Larseb B ice shelf is about 1,600 sq kms in area and about 500 metres thick at its thickest point. In
2002, NASA released an image of Larsen B, in which a part of the shelf was collapsed.
European drone Program signed by Germany, Italy, and France
Italy, France and Germany have signed the European drone program for reconnaissance and
surveillance. These countries are currently relied on technology developed by Israel and United
States. Spain and Poland have expressed their interest in joining the project.
The defence ministers of three countries have signed the agreement in a ceremony. They pledged a
two-year study to lay the basis for a European drone to be operating by 2025.
www.DayTodayGK.com

TCS ranks 57th in US brands survey
IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been ranked at the 57th position in the United States by
Brand Finance in its II annual Top 500 US Brands survey. TCS is the only Indian brand to appear on
the US top 100 brand rankings. TCS is one of the fastest growing brands in the United States. The
company has sustained the industry AA+ rating for three years in a row.
The survey evaluates key things such as
Financial value of a companys brand name

Intellectual assets
Trademark
The IT leaders brand value grew 271% in the last five years alone (globally). It has grew from $2.3
billion in 2010 to $8.7 billion in 2015.
Next NATO summit will be on July 2016 in Warsaw
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the NATO has announced that its next summit will take
place July 8-9, 2016 in Warsaw, Poland. The announcement was made by NATO Secretary-General
Jens Stoltenberg. US President Barack Obama and other NATO leaders last met in Wales in
September. They agreed on a Readiness Action Plan to adapt the 28-nation alliance to the new
security environment.
China, India, Russia to be top 3 shareholders of AIIB
China, India and Russia will be the top three shareholders of Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AII
. China will be the largest shareholder in the AIIB followed by India and Russia. China is likely to have
a 30.85 per cent share in the bank, followed by India with 10.4 per cent. Based on the GDP and
Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), China was expected to get the post of President and India as one of
the Vice Presidents. German Ambassador to China Michael Clauss notified Germany will have a
director on the board of the AIIB.
ISIS militants take control of Syrias ancient city of Palmyra
The militants of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have taken full control of the ancient Syrian city
of Palmyra, which us an UNESCO designated World Heritage site. Palmyra is also the home to some
of the worlds most magnificent ancient ruins. The officials of United Nations and Syria have
expressed fears that ISIS will destroy the ruins, just as it demolished the ancient Assyrian city of
Nimrud and also smashed statues in Iraqs Mosul Museum.
India-Bangladesh to sign pact on Internet connectivity soon
India and Bangladesh will soon join hands through an agreement for Internet connectivity through
the International-Gateway. The Internet connectivity agreement through the International-Gateway
will be signed hopefully sometime by May 27, Chief General Manager Telecom said. All BSF outposts
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along the Indo-Bangla border of Meghalaya would soon be equipped with high-tech optical fibres to
improve the connectivity.
Eager Lion 2015 concludes with joint drill in Jordan
Eager Lion, a military drill hosted by Jordan and attended by 18 nations has come to an end with a
joint drill on May 18. Military forces from countries like Pakistan, Jordan, France and the U.S. have
participated in the drill in the coastal city of Aqaba. A total of 10000 troops have taken part in the
exercise. The exercise was held among five sites across Jordan.
The annual multi-nation drill has been conducted since 2011. It involves troops from five different
continents. The drill provides an opportunity to promote cooperation and inter-operability among
participation forces, build functional capacity, practice crisis management, and enhance readiness.
Ireland becomes the first country in the World to approve Gay Marriage
Ireland becomes first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote summary. Ireland has
passed the same-sex marriage referendum by 1,201,607 votes to 734,300. Thats 62.1% yes to 37.9%
no. The total turnout of voters was 60.5%.
India-Singapore bilateral naval exercise SIMBEX commences
SIMBEX-15, a bilateral naval exercise between Singapore and India will be held from May 23 -26,
2015. INS Satpura, INS Kamrota and P 8I are participating in the event from the Indian side. The
engagement emphasises on more complex maritime exercises involving various facets of naval
operations such as air defence, air and surface practice firing, maritime security and search and
rescue.
Abraj Kudai Worlds largest hotel coming up in Mecca
Mecca will be having the Worlds largest luxury hotel by 2017. The hotel will be built on a 4.6 million
square feet area. The hotel has been named Abraj Kudai and will cost about $3.6 billion, featuring
10,000 bedrooms, 70 restaurants. The hotels area is almost equivalent to 80 football fields in the
United States. The hotel will also be having floors just for royals, a full-size convention centre and
multiple helipads.
The Abraj Kudai was funded by the Saudi Ministry of Finance and designed by the Dar al-Handasah
group. The hotel will be located just two kilometres away from Mecca.
China sets up largest gold fund for nations along Silk Road
China has set up a gold sector fund which involves 65 countries and the ancient Silk Road. It was set
up during ongoing forum on investment and trade in Chinas northwest Xian city. The fund shall be
led by Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) and is expected to raise 16.1 billion dollars in three phases.
China is the only country to set up such a largestfund for nations. There are 60 Countries which fall
along the routes of 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) and Silk Road Economic Belt have made
their investment in the fund.
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Cannes film Festival: 2015
This Years Cannes Film Festival was 68th Cannes Festival. It was held from 13 to 24 May 2015.
Cannes festival previously known as International Festival. It changed its name after 2002. It is held
in Cannes France. The Cannes Film Festival has its origins in the late 1932s.
Palme dOr Award
The films competing for the Palme dOr were announced at a press conference on 16 April 2015.
Two films were added to the main competition line-up on 23 April 2015, Valley of Love, and Chronic.
The Palme dOr was awarded to the French film Dheepan directed by Jacques Audiard.
Festival Poster
It featured Hollywood star and Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman, photographed by David Seymour.
The poster was chosen to pay tribute to Bergman for her contributions to films and who also served
as the Jury President at 1973 Cannes Film Festival.
The Swedish documentary Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words was screened in the Cannes Classics
section.
Festival Opening film: Standing Tall
Director: Emmanuelle Bercot.
Festival Closing Film: Ice and the Sky
Honoary Palme dOr at the festivals closing ceremony: Agns Varda
Russia launches large-scale air defence drills involving 250 aircraft
Russia has started its air defence drill in the Ural mountains and western Siberia. The exercise
involves 12,000 soldiers and 250 aircraft. The four days of exercise is meant to help the military
prepare for a larger drill in September. After the annexation of Ukraines Crimea region, Russia has
held many number of large-scale military drills checking combat readiness.
NATO launched Arctic Challenge Exercise
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO launched the Arctic Challenge Exercise based in the
north of Norway, Sweden and Finland. The exercise involves 115 fighter planes and 3600 troops from
nine countries. Eurofighter Typhoons, Tornado GR4 fighters, Lockheed Martin F-16s are just some of
the aircraft that will take part in the exercise. United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland,
Netherlands, Germany and France are some of the participants of the exercise.
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UNSC resolution on protection of journalists in conflict zones
The United Nations Security Council (UNS has unanimously adopted a resolution to protect
journalists, who are working in conflict zones. The council has condemned abuses committed against
journalists in armed conflict. The 15-member body said journalists in areas of armed conflict shall be
considered as civilians and shall be respected and protected as such, provided that they take no
action adversely affecting their status as civilians.
United States removes Cuba from list of state sponsors of terror
In a historical and landmark move, the United States has removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors
of terrorism. The decision has eliminated a major obstacle toward restoring diplomatic ties. This
move will pave way for normalizing and strengthening ties between US and Cuba, which were frozen
for half a century after the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.
Mergers and Acquisitions

Myntra acquires Native5, a Bengaluru based company
This acquisition will strengthen and expand Myntras mobile technology team. They did not share
any financial details. Native5 was founded in 2012. The company builds tools and services to enable
cross platform app development on the cloud. It is led by Kunal Abhishek, Barada Sahu, Shamik
Dattaand and Manish Priyadarshi.
Birlas Madura- Pantaloon merger
Aditya Birla Group has decided to merge two of its arms the Aditya Birla Nuvo-owned fashion
retailing business with Pantaloons Fashion & Retail to create a Rs 12,000-crore (nearly $2-billion)
branded apparel . The new entity will be Known as Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail (ABFRL), it would be
the largest not only among listed branded apparel retail companies but also in the non-listed space.
Royal Enfield acquires design and engineering firm Harris Performance
Royal Enfield, the two-wheeler division of Eicher Motors, has acquired UK-based Harris Performance
Products Ltd for an undisclosed sum. Under the terms of the deal, Royal Enfield will acquire all
assets, employees, trade names, technical know-how and intellectual property of Harris Performance
Products Ltd, the company said in a statement without disclosing the deal value.
Oil refiner, IndianOil and gas utility GAIL have cracked a deal with an Adani Group
Oil refiner, IndianOil and gas utility GAIL have cracked a deal with an Adani Group firm for booking
capacity at a liquid gas import terminal in Odisha.
GAIL said the two firms signed an MoU with Dhamra LNG Terminal which proposes to build a
terminal at the Dhamra port in Bhadrak district of the state for importing gas in ships.
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Dhamra LNG Terminal proposes to build the project with an initial capacity of handling imports of 5
million tonnes per year of imported gas. IndianOil is planning a project in Ennore district of Tamil
Nadu. Similarly, GAIL is working on projects at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
Goldman announced $250 million investment in Nitesh estates
Goldman announced $250 million investment with property developer Nitesh Estates, to form a joint
venture. The details of the joint venture were not disclosed. It is being estimated that Goldman will
hold 74%,and Nitesh will be left 26% in the joint venture entity. Goldman Sachs is active in investing
across different sectors of the Indian economy.
NTPC to take over DVCs bengal project
NTPC is taking over the Raghunathpur project of DVC, once the powerhouse of the east with a
capacity of 5,800 mw end due to years of bad management. A meeting has been scheduled of NTPC
and DVC managements on the terms and conditions for taking over the project located in Purulia
district of Bengal.
Science and Technology

NASAs 10-engine electric plane Greased Lightning completes flight test
In an extraordinary achievement, NASA has successfully completed the maiden test of a batterypowered plane with 10 engines that can take off and land like a helicopter. The plane flies efficiently
like an aircraft and it is not making any noise. The plane is named as Greased Lightning, also known
as GL-10, is a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that has just successfully completed its first test
flight.
Brahmos Supersonic Cruise Missile Test-fired Successfully
India successfully test-fired the advanced version of the BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile from the
Car Nicobar Islands. The official statement states that the land-to-land configuration of BrahMos
Block-III version was test launched from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL) for its full-range of
290-km successfully. This is the 47th test-fire of the missile. The missiles steep dive capabilities are
tested by which it can take out targets hidden behind mountain ranges.
ZSI Scientists discovered new catfish species in Manipur
New catfish species named Glyptothorax senapatiensis was recently discovered by scientists from
the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). It was discovered in Chindwin river drainage in Senapati district
of Manipur. In Local region, this catfish species is known as Ngapang and mainly used by people for
food.
In case of Manipur, it has a high diversity of aquatic fauna because of the two important river
drainage systems i.e. Barak-Brahmaputra.
www.DayTodayGK.com

Astra missile successfully test-fired from Sukhoi-30 MKI
India has successfully test fired Astra, the indigenously missile from Sukhoi-30 MKI Fighter Jet in
Chandipur, Odisha. The missile was fired in two developmental trials to prove its long range
capability. In the Initial trial- the missile was released when the fighter jet was performing a very
high-g manoeuvre. In the second trial-it was fired when the manoeuvre was higher than in the first
exercise. These tests serves as the part of seven developmental trials of the missile. The missile is
expected to be inducted in the Indian Army by 2016.
IMD, POSOCO sign MoU for optimum use of weather information
Earth System Science Organization-India Meteorological Department and Power System Operation
Corporation Ltd (POSOCO) have signed a memorandum of understanding for positive use of weather
information in the power sector.
This tie aims to enable power operators,generators to make optimum use of their generation and
supply capacities along with knowledge of weather conditions. For eg. during winters, demand for
power diminishes, while during poor rains, demand from the agriculture sector increases.
Worlds first artificial molecular pump developed
Researchers have developed a molecular pump, which can transport key proteins needed for cells to
function effectively. The pump can also be used to power artificial muscles. The artificial pump works
by drawing power from chemical reactions, driving molecules step-by-step from a low-energy state
to a high-energy state-far away from equilibrium.
The US Air Forces mysterious X-37B space plane
The robotic X-37B space plane has been launched in United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from
Floridas Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
It is unclear what exactly the X-37B will be doing as it zooms around Earth, or how long it will remain
aloft. Also on board the Atlas V were 10 miniscule cubesats, including the LightSail solar sail that
was developed by the nonprofit Planetary Society. LightSail aims to prove out key solar-sailing
technology ahead of a more ambitious orbital trial next year.
Experimental Ebola Drug Shows More Promise
Ebola, the deadly virus, that had killed more than 10,000 people in Western Africa, has no vaccine
against it. The US Food and Drug Administration is yet to approve any therapeutic drugs or vaccines
against the virus. Now scientists in America have found out a promising Ebola drug against the virus.
They have found out that the potential drug is capable of treating 90% of the mice exposed to the
virus.
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Researchers all around the World are working to develop the vaccine against the virus. Some are
investigating number of compounds or molecules. They found that those 70 to 90% of the mice
infected with ebola survived after getting treatment with the non-toxic compounds they have
formulated. The survived mice did not showed up any side effects.
SpaceX Cargo ship begins journey back to Earth
SpaceXs, unmanned Dragon supply ship began its journey back to Earth at 7:04 am (1104 GMT),
when the US space agency broadcast images of the white capsule floating away from the space
stations robotic arm. The vessel, supported by parachutes, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off
the coast of Long Beach, California at 1642 GMT. It is the only supply ship capable of returning to
Earth intact. This time it carried some 3,100 pounds (1,400 kilograms) of cargo back from the orbiting
outpost.
Blast proof wallpaper developed by US Army
The US Army Engineers has developed a Blast Proof Wallpaper to protect the soldiers from
explosions. A prototype was displayed at an exhibition of army innovations held at the Pentagon. The
lightweight sticky wallpaper is lined with tough Kevlar fibres. It can be easily carried by troops to
reinforce the walls of temporary buildings. The special fabric acts as a net to stop shrapnel flying
around and injuring soldiers or civilians who are stuck inside.
Scientists successfully converted Blood Cells to Neural Cells
Scientists led by Indian-origin Researcher Mick Bhatia have successfully converted adult human
blood cells to neural cells or Neurons. The team has directly converted adult human blood cells to
both central as well as peripheral neurons of the nervous system. Neurons are special kind of cells
that processes and transmits information through electrical and chemical signals. Mick Bhatia is the
current director of the Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute at McMaster University.
Neupogen The first US FDA approved drug to treat radiation injuries
The US Food and Drug Administration (FD has approved the drug Neupogen, the first ever for the
treatment of acute radiation injury. This drug will help to reduce the deleterious effects of radiation
exposure following a nuclear incident. The research was done by Professor Thomas J MacVittie and
Assistant Professor Ann M Farese of University of Maryland School of Medicine. The research was
held in a non-human clinical model of high-dose radiation.
Neupogen was approved by FDA based on studies in animals, as studies in humans could not be
ethically conducted. Radiation damages the bone marrow, and as a result decreases production of
infection-fighting white blood cells.
Pinaka Mark II rocket successfully test-fired
The new and updated version of the indigenously developed Pinaka Mark II rocket has been
successfully test-fired from Indian Armys Chandan firing range near Pokhran using a multi-barrel
launcher. The target was successfully hit in Keru area which was situated 55 km from the firing point.
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Pinaka Mark II Rocket was jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation
and the Indian Army. The multi-barrel rocket launcher has many advanced features such as high
operational mobility, flexibility and accuracy.
Sports
Rafael Nadal received a gold medal from Spanish Prime Minister
Rafael Nadal has received a gold medal from Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy at a ceremony in
Madrid in honour of the 14-time Grand Slam champions career success on 1st May 2015. Spains
government decided in June 2014 to award him the honour, which aims to highlight an exemplary
performance in any job or profession.
He is at five in the world rankings and has maximum points to defend at next weeks Madrid Masters
where he is the double defending champion. Nadal has just one title to his name this season, on clay
in Buenos Aires.
World Welterweight title : Floyd Mayweather Jr defeats Manny Pacquiao
American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr defeated Manny Pacquiao of Philippines and won the unified
World Welterweight title of World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organisation and World Boxing
Association. The judges scores were: 118-110, 116-112, 116-112, all in favor of the Floyd
Mayweather Jr.
The fight was termed as Fight of the Century and was played at iconic MGM Grand, Las Vegas. This
fight was also the highest watched and most revenue generating with almost 400 million dollars of
all time.
Roger Federer wins Istanbul Title
Roger Federer won Istanbul Open final on 3rd May 2015, recording the 85th title of his professional
career and his first clay-court success in three years. Federer, 33, took a 4-1 lead early on with some
precise hitting and defeated Pablo Cuevas. With the win, Turkey became the 19th different country
in which Federer has won an ATP World Tour title.
Englands Jonathan Trott retires from International Cricket
England batsman Jonathan Trott has announced his retirement from international cricket with
immediate effect after a disappointing tour of the West Indies. The 34 year old batsman returned to
the England side last month after an extended break from the game due to a stress-related illness. In
his last test-series against West Indies, Trott scored a meagre 72 runs, including three ducks, at an
average of just 12. Trott one of the most consistent performers in a side that climbed to the top of
the world test rankings. He was well known for his ability to score runs in any situation.
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Andy Murray wins his first ever title on clay
In the Munich Open Final, Britains Andy Murray has won his first clay-court title by defeating Philipp
Kohlscreiber of Germany 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 7-6 (7-4). It is Andy Murrays 32nd ATP title and he is preparing
for the French Open at the end of the month. He became the first Briton to win an ATP-ranked event
on clay since Buster Mottram in Palma in April 1976.
Rory McIlroy wins WGC World Match Play in San Francisco
World Number one Rory McIlroy form Norther Ireland has won the WGC World Match Play
Championship by defeating Gary Woodland of United States in the final at Harding Park. McIlroy has
packeted $1.57m jackpot on offer with an imperious 4 and 2 win over the American.
McIlroy was trailing by one hole at the 16th after a roller-coaster of a match when he first hit his teeshot to within four feet for birdie at the par-three 17th. He then drained a 44-foot eagle putt at the
last to stun the veteran American.
Jaiveer Singh wins Gold
Jaiveer Singh in the mens 3000m steeplechase of the Federation Cup Athletics Championships
defeated Asian Games bronze medalist Naveen Kumar on 3rd May 2015. Jaiveer won the race in
8:48.56, leaving Naveen (8:49.38) yards behind. Maharashtras Sachin took the bronze in 8:58.13 at
the Mangala Stadium.
Rajiv and Poovamma wins Gold
Quarter-milers Arokia Rajiv and M.R. Poovamma struck gold as India collected nine medals in all,
including four gold, in the second leg of the Asian Grand Prix athletics series in Chonburi, Thailand.
The 21-year-old Arokia Rajiv clocked a career-best 46.54 seconds to improve on his silver won in the
first leg in Bangkok, when he had a time of 46.91.It was the second gold for Poovamma as she
clocked 53.57 seconds. Poovamma won the battle against Keralas Anu R and Tintu Luka, powering
her way to the finish line in a modest time of 53.41 seconds which was still inside the qualifying mark
of 53.49 seconds.
Yuki Bhambri wins doubles title in ATP Challenger Event
Yuki Bhambri has won his first doubles title of the season with his partner Adrian MenendezMaceiras from Spain in the final match of the ATP Challenger event. They defeated Sergey Betov and
Mikhail Elgin 5-7 6-3 10-8 in a match that extended for one hour and 23 minutes.
Now the total number of doubles titles of Yuki has raised to five. This is the first win for him in the
current season. Last year, he had won two titles, and one each in 2012 and 2013. This win has earned
Yuki 90 points and he packeted 3,100 USD for his title win.
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Petra Kvitova wins Madrid Open WTA Title
Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova of Czech wins the Madrid Open WTA Title by defeating Russias
Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1 6-2. Petra Kvitova gave a big shock to the world by defeating Serena
Williams in the semi finals. She ended Williamss 27-match winning streak. Kuznetsova had defeated
Maria Sharapova in semi-finals, showed great determination to finally get on the board in the
second.
Rosberg wins Spanish one formula Grand Prix
The 29-year-old German, Rosberg, wins Spanish one formula Grand Prix. It was his first win since last
Novembers Brazilian Grand Prix and the ninth of his career.He defended champion Lewis Hamiltons
from 27 points to 20. Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Germany, came home third for Ferrari
ahead of Finns Valtteri Bottas of Williams and Kimi Raikkonen, in the second Ferrari.
Vikas Gowda Wins Gold in Jamaican International Invitation Meet
Discus thrower Vikas Gowda has set a new meet record of 65.14 m and won gold in the Jamaican
International Invitation meet in Kingston. He broke his own record of 61.38 m set two years ago.
Chad Wright of Jamaica came second with an effort of 61.84 m while Jared Schuurmans of United
States was third with 61.62 m.
Gowda, the Commonwealth Games champion and 2014 Asian Games silver medallist, has breached
the 65m three times recently. He is yet to qualify for next years Rio Olympics for which he need to
cross the qualifying standard of 66 m. His national record stands at 66.28 m.
Rohan Bopanna won his third title of the 2015 season- lifts Madrid Open Trophy
Indian tennis ace Rohan Bopanna won his third title of the 2015 season and first with new partner
Florin Mergea as they lifted the Madrid Open trophy with a win over Nenand Zimonjic and Martin
Matkowski on 11th April 2015. Bopanna and his Romanian partner saved a match point of the fifth
seeds 6-2 6-7(5) 11-9 in one hour and 24 minutes in the final of the euro 4,185,405 clay court
Masters event. Bopanna had won two titles with Daniel Nestor in Sydney and Dubai at the start of
the season before splitting with the Canadian. With Mergea it was his second final, having ended
runners-up at the Casablanca event.
Asafa Powell ran the fastest 100m in the world
Asafa Powell ran the fastest 100m in the world this year, clocking 9.84 seconds at the Jamaica
International Invitational in Kingston on 9th April 2015. The former world record holder, 32, who
served a drugs ban last year,beat American Ryan Bailey (9.93) and fellow Jamaican Nesta Carter
(9.98). It was his best time in five years. US Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross ran the first sub50 seconds of 2015 in the womens 400m, ahead of Britains Christine Ohuruogu who finished fifth.
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Andy Murray wins Madrid Open Title by defeating Rafael Nadal
Scotlands Andy Murray has defeated Spains undisputed king of clay Rafael Nadal in the finals of
Madrid Open 6-3, 6-2 and claimed his second career clay court title. Murrays record on clay is now
9-0 this season while Nadal has suffered four defeats on the mud. Murray is just the fourth player to
beat Nadal in a clay court final. In the last 20 previous meetings, Murray had won only five matches,
and he had never beaten Nadal in six attempts on clay.
Tejaswini Sagar wins gold at Under-15 World School Chess Championship
Tejaswini Sagar from India won under-15 category of World School Chess Championships in her
maiden attempt. In the ninth and final round played at Pattaya, Thailand, she defeated Kavinya
Miyuni Rajapaksa of Sri Lank and consequently won Gold Medal. Tejaswini landed up scoring seven
points out of nine by winning six, drawing two and losing one game.
Novak Djokovic wins the Italian Open Title
Serbias Novak Djokovic, who has been warming up for the French Open Title, has won the Italian
Open Title for the fourth time by defeating Switzerlands Roger Federer 6-4, 6-3. Djokovic has
displayed a flawless game in the finals and dominated the game completely. Federer had defeated
his fellow country man Stan Wawrinka in the Semi finals.
Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis lose Rome Masters Doubles Final
Top seeded Indo-Swiss Pair, Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis, have lost the finals of Rome Masters
Doubles Title. They were defeated by Hungarian-French pair of Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic
in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. The winners have packeted $2,428,490. The Mirza-Hingis pair, is on
outstanding form, have won Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston Titles this year. They were the
favorites of Rome Masters too. But the top seeded pair could not match Timea and Kristina. They
completely dominated the game.
Sudirman Cup : China defeated Japan by clean sweep
China has defeated Japan and claimed the Sudirman Cup for the sixth straight time. It is Japans first
time in the finals.
Mens Singles
Chinas superstar Lin Dandefeated Japans Takuma Ueda 21-15, 21-13.
Womens Singles
Chinas Li Xuerui defeated Akane Yamaguchi 23-21, 21-14.
Mens Doubles
Chinas Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan defeated Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa 21-17, 20-22, 21-17
in a tight match.
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Brad Haddin: Australia wicketkeeper quits one-day game
Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has announced his retirement from one-day internationals.
Haddin made the announcement on his departure for Australia`s Test tours of the West Indies and
the United Kingdom on 17th May 2015. Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said:
Australian cricket congratulates Brad on a fine one-day international career.
Barcelona won the title
Barcelona won the Spanish La Liga title for the 23rd time, securing a 1-0 win at dethroned champion
Atletico Madrid. Luis Enrique, the man in charge of Barcelona has now won 29 times in his clubs last
32 games. They now sit four points clear at the top with one game left. Real Madrid will finish
runner-up despite Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat trick in a 4-1 win at Espanyol. It trails Barcelona by
four points with one round left.
World Badminton Rankings : Saina Nehwal regains top spot
Indias Star shuttler Saina Nehwal has been ranked World number one by the Badminton World
Federation. Saina has been facing tough competition from Chinas Li Xuerei. Saina, the Olympic
bronze winner, has ranked number one for the second time ahead of the Australian Open.
Rankings of Other Indian Players
PV Sindhu 12th place (Womens).

K Srikanth 4th place (Mens).
P Kashyap 13th place (Mens).
H S Parnnoy 15th place (Mens).
Indians won 3 gold at World Junior boxing

Indian junior boxers gave a superb performance at the AIBA Womens Junior World Junior Boxing
Championships and clinched a total of 5 medals in which three are gold and two are silver medals.
The Gold Medal Winners are Savita (50kg), Mandeep Sandhu (52kg) and Sakshi (54kg). The Silver
medal winners are Soniya (48kg) and Niharika Gonella (70kg).
Kamalpreet breaks own hammer throw national record
Kamalpreet Singh broke hisown record, by a hammer throw national record with an effort of 72.86m
while finishing third at the Tuscon Elite Classic in Arizona, United States on 22nd May 2015.
Kamalpreet came up with his best throw in his first of the six attempts at the University of Arizona at
Tuscon. Kamalpreets effort was the third best this season so far among Asian hammer throwers. He,
however, has a bad luck and could not find a place in the Indian team for the June 3-7 Asian Athletics
Championships in Wuhan, China. This was the second time in two months that Kamalpreet had
improved upon his national record. He had registered 70.37m at the same venue in May 2014.
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Four gold medals for India in Doha
With as many as four gold, a silver and two bronze medals, the Indian contingent left the Doha
International Boxing Tournament 2015 as the top team yesterday. L Devendro Singh (49kg), Shiva
Thapa (56kg), Manish Kaushik (60kg) and Manoj Kumar (64kg) won the gold medals. This is just a
prelude to the October World Championships which will take place again in Doha.
Nico Rosberg wins Monaco Grand Prix
Nico Erik Rosberg, a German racing driver, currently driving for the Mercedes Formula One team, has
won the Monaco Grand Prix. He becomes the fourth driver in history to win three straight races at
Monaco. Ferrari Driver Sebatian Vettel finished second and Lewis Hamilton finished third after a
pitstop blunder from Mercedes. This win is Nico Rosbergs 10th career victory, his second victory in a
row this season and his third victory in a row in Monaco.
Mumbai Indians win IPL 2015 with 41-run win over Chennai Super Kings in final
Mumbai Indian clinched their 2nd IPL win in Eden Gardens. Mumbai win over the Chennai Super
Kings in the IPL 2015 final with 41 Runs and made their largest victory in terms of runs all season.
Their second biggest victory came in the first Qualifier against the same opponents. MI joined
Kolkata Knight Riders and CSK and become the third team to win the IPL twice.
Mumbai Indians who lost their 4 matches in IPL-8, shine like a bright star in the dark sky. Dwayne
Smith provided the opposition only with 57 rns from 48 balls. CSK made 161 runs wih the loss of 8
wickets. CSK have total lost the 3 IPL- IN 2012,2013 and 2015. Capital Rohit Sharma banged the Man
of The Match.
Tidbits of this IPL Season 2015
Captains of Mumbai Indains: Rohit Sharma.

Captain of Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Player of the Tournament: Andre Russell (KKR).
Orange Cap Winner: David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderaba .
Purple Cap Winner: Dwayne Bravo (CSK).
Emerging Player of the Season: Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Daredevils).
Most Valuable Player: Andre Russell (KKR).
James DeGale claims historic super middleweight world title

Britains James DeGale has defeated American Andre Dirrell and won the International Boxing
Federation super middleweight crown. DeGale becomes the first British fighter to win Olympic gold
and a professional title. DeGale won a unanimous decision by judges scores of 114-112, 114-112 and
117-109. DeGale has now won 11 fights in a row.
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Kapil Dev launches golf team for Louis Philippe cup
Kapil Dev, the former Indian cricket team captain, has launched a golf team for the upcoming Louis
Philippe cup. His team include top-ranked players like Siddikur and Om Prakash Chouhan for his team
Dev-Ellora Pune. The fourth edition of the tournament returns to Bengaluru for the second time
between June 11 to 13. The prize money of the tournament is Rs 1.2 crore. It is the second-highest of
any domestic tournament.
Totally seven teams are participate in the tournament. They are,
Take Chennai
DLF Gurgao
Jaypee Green Greater Noida
Dev-Ellora Pune
Laqshya Mumbai
Zion Hills Bengaluru
Navratna Ahmedabad
Alastair Cook becomes England's leading Test run scorer

Alastair Cook has become England's leading Test run scorer by passing Graham Gooch. He achieved
this feat while scoring 32 on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand. Cook overtook
Gooch's mark of 8,900 runs, which has stood since 1995. Cook achieved this amazing record on his
114th Test.
Now Cook has moved up to 13th place on the all-time list of leading run-scorers in Test cricket. The
first position is hold by the Great Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar with 15,921 runs in 200 matches.
Obituary
Legendary Singer Ben E King Passed away
Legendary singer Benjamin Earl Nelson also known as Ben E King, who is well known all around the
world for the classic song Stand By Me, has died at the age of 76, due to natural causes. King was
survived by his wife of 51 years, Betty.
Ben E King was a native of North Carolina who moved to New York City as a boy. He started his
career in the late 1950s with The Drifters, singing hits including There Goes My Baby and Save The
Last Dance For Me. After going solo, he hit the US top five with Stand By Me in 1961. The song
Stand By Me, inspired by a gospel song, which he recorded on his own.
Writer and Director Philip S Goodman dies at 89
Famous American film television Screenwriter and Director Philip S Goodman has passed away at the
age of 89. He is survived by his daughter Jody, a lawyer, son Nicholas, a film producer, and two
grand-children.
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Goodman wrote episodes of TV shows of 1950s and 1960s such as,
Profiles in Courage
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Johnny Staccato.
He directed the 1963 feature We Shall Return, which was focused on anti-Castro Cuban fighters in
Miami and starred Cesar Romero.
Crime Writer Ruth Rendell passes away at 85
The best selling Crime Novelist, Ruth Rendell has passed away at the age of 89 due to serious stroke.
Rendell, who was born in Essex, had penned more than 60 novels in a writing career of 50 years. She
still holds the credit for taking social and psychological crime fiction to the next level. Her works
were translated into more than 20 languages and often adapted for television.
Oscar Winning Screenwriter Michael Blake dies
Academy Award-winning screenwriter Michael Blake has died in Arizona due to heart failure at the
age of 69. Blake won an Oscar for penning the script of Dances With Wolves.
Blake wrote the novel Dances With Wolves in 1988. It was turned into an Oscar-winning feature
film. Along with screenplay, the movie won six other Oscars, including best picture. The script also
won the prize at the WGA Awards and the Golden Globes. The extraordinary book has sold more
than 3.5 million copies and was translated into 15 different languages.
Oscar Holderer, the US moon rocket expert, passes away
German born engineer, Oscar Holderer, who designed the Saturn V rocket that took astronauts to
the moon, has passed away at the age of 95 due to stroke. Holderer was the last known surviving
member of the German engineering team that came to the US, as part of Operation Paperclip,
which brought German rocket technology to America. He was survived with his wife, two sons and
two stepchildren.
Mr Holderer became a US citizen in 1955. After retiring from NASA in 1974, he built training devices
that are still in use at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville.
Veteran Historian and Social Scientist Dr Amalendu Guha dies at 91
Veteran Historian and social scientist Dr Amalendu Guha has passed away at the age of 91 due to age
related issues. Guha is survived by his wife and eminent writer Anima Guha and a son. Guha became
very famous for his book Planter Raj to Swaraj. Guhas body was donated to the Gauhati Medical
College as per his will he wrote in 2005. He also pledged his eyes to Shankardev Nethralaya,
Guwahati. He was known for his extensive research related to the socio-economic history of Assam.
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Father of the euro Alexandre Lamfalussy dies at 86
Alexandre Lamfalussy, a Hungarian-born economist and banker considered a founding father of the
euro, died on 9th April 2015, in Ottignies, Belgium. He was 86. Mr. Lamfalussy was the founding
president of the European Monetary Institute, which later became the European Central Bank and
which now oversees the eurozone monetary system.
Actress Elizabeth Wilson dies
Elizabeth Wilson, a longtime character actress who appeared in such films as The Graduate, 9 to
5 and Quiz Show, died on 9th May 2015. She was 94. Wilson died at Yale New Haven Hospital.
Wilson had more opportunity to show her range on stage. Her first Broadway role was in William
Inges Picnic in 1951. She won a Tony in 1972 for her performance in David Rabes Sticks and
Bones and Obies for performances in 1979s Taken in Marriage and 1986s Anteroom. Wilsons
last part was as Sara Delano Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelts mother, in 2012s Hyde Park on
Hudson.
Bengali writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passed away
Noted Bengali Writer Suchitra Bhattacharya has died at the age of 65 after suffering a cardiac arrest
in Kolkata. Bhattacharya was well known for her beautiful portrayal of urban, social and feminist
issues via her novels. She had penned more than 20 novels, Some of her famous works are,
Dahan
Kachher Manush
Hemonter Pakhi
Aleek Shukh
Some of her books are the best sellers in Bengali literature. Many of her works have been adapted
into films, including Dahan, a National Award winning film directed by late Rituparno Ghosh.
B B King, the king of Blues, dies at 89
Legendary singer and guitarist BB King has died at the age of 89 in his sleep in Las Vegas. He had
been ill for few months. He was once ranked as the third greatest guitarist of all time. Until now King
has performed in at least 100 concerts a year. King was awarded his 15th Grammy award in 2009 for
his album One kind favor. He was also placed into both the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Extreme athlete Dean Potter dies in US jumping accident
Two prominent Base jumpers, Dean Potter and Graham Hunt, died in a wingsuit accident in Yosemite
national park on this weekend. Potter was a climbing and wingsuit pioneer and the creator of
freebase, a hybrid extreme sport that combined rock climbing without ropes and skydiving. Potter
and Hunt crashed late on 16th May 2015 after leaping from, 3,000ft above the valley floor. A friend
called Yosemite search when the pair did not return from their jump.
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Eminent Economist Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri passes away
Eminent economist and academics Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri passed away on 20 May 2015 in Pune,
Mahrashtra. He has died at the age of 81. Chaudhuri who also served as the policy advisor to the
previous UPA government was known for providing valuable policy inputs to the Indian planning
process and the economy as a whole through his research papers. He also was known for authoring a
research paper on challenges of economic reform in the context of both State and market failures in
1990, just before the collapse of the erstwhile Soviet Union and Indias lurch towards globalization.
Veteran jazz musician Bob Belden passed away
Veteran jazz musician Bob Belden passed away on 20 May 2015 . He suffered a heart attack. He was
58. Belden is famous for conceiving and producing multi-artist thematic albums, on which Indian and
American musicians performed Miles Davis tunes. His best releases was the 2001 Blue Note album
Black Dahlia, an orchestral suite.
US mathematician John Nash killed in crash
Nobel prize Laureate, US mathematician John Nash was killed with his wife in New Jersey in a car
crash on 24th May 2015. Nash was 86. He died along his 82-year-old wife Alicia. They were riding in
a taxi when the taxi took place.
Earlier this month, Nash and mathematician Louis Nirenberg received Norways prestigious Abel
Prize for their contributions to the theory of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) and its
applications to geometric analysis.
Important Days of the Month

May 01 - World Labour Day or May Day or Workers Day, Maharashtra Day
May 03 - Press Freedom Day, International Sun Day, World Asthma Day, International Energy Day
May 04 - Coal Miners Day, International Fire fighters Day
1st Sunday of May - World Laughter Day
May 05 - World Athletics Day, World Midwives Day
May 06 - World No Diet Day
May 08 - World Red Cross Day or Red Crescent Day, Remembrance and Reconciliation for Lost Lives
of Second World War
May 09 - World Thalassaemia Day
2nd Sunday of May - World Mother Day
May 10 - International Migratory Bird Day
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May 11 - National technology day
May 12 - International Nurses Day
May 13 - International Criminal Court Day
May 15 - International Day of the Families
May 17 - World Tele-communication and Information Society Day, Wold AIDS Vaccination day,World
Hypertension Day, International day against Homophobia and Transphobia
May 18 - World Museum Day
May 20 - World Meteorology Day
May 21 - National Anti Terrorism Day, National Day for Cultural Development
May 22 - International Day for Biological Diversity
May 24 - Commonwealth Day
May 25 - World Missing Children day
May 29 - International Day of Peacekeepers
May 31 - World Anti Tobacco Day
May Month Current Affairs Questions and Answers

1. Who has been conferred with Japans highest civilian award recently?
Answer CNR Rao
2. Nadia District has been declared as Indias first open defecation district. It is in
Answer West Bengal
3. Who has been conferred with RedInk Lifetime Achievement Award 2015?
Answer Prannoy Roy
4. The International Workers Day is observed on
Answer May 1
5. The Islamic Scholar conferred with the Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan Ibn Ali Peace Award is
Answer Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
6. Who is appointed as the head of a panel to fix data issues?
Answer Arvind Subramanian
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7. Who won the Raymond Crossbook Award under Fiction Category?
Answer Anees Salim
8. The Book Bankerupt won the Popular Prize in recently announced Raymond Crossbook Award. Who is the
author?
Answer Ravi Subramanian
9. What is Theera Vetta?
Answer Coastal Security Exercise
10. Who has been appointed as the Director General of Central Industrial Security Forces?
Answer Surender Singh
11. India and _________ have agreed to renew pact on Agricultural Co-operation.
Answer United States
12. NASAs spacecraft that has ended a four-year mission to Mercury by crashing into Mercury recently is
Answer Messenger
13. What is Dynamic Mangoose?
Answer Anti-submarine warfare exercise
14. Which of the following state government has announced Rs 12 Crore for Project Great Indian Bustard?
Answer Rajasthan
15. Mazen Darwish, who was recently conferred with UNESCO Press Freedom Prize, is an activist and also a
journalist from
Answer Syria
16. Who won the Gold medal in mens 20 kilometre walk in the 19th Federation Cup senior athletics
championship?
Answer Maniram Patel of Gujarat
17. The venue for 19th Federation Cup is
Answer Karnataka
18. The National women hockey championship title has claimed by
Answer Railways
19. The World Press Freedom Day is observed on
Answer May 3
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20. The 14th Edition of Indo-French naval exercise Varuna was concluded on
Answer Goa
21. Who won the Istanbul Tennis Title?
Answer Roger Federer
22. A free drug distribution scheme named Nirmaya has been launched by
Answer Odisha
23. What is the name of the Microsofts new Web browser that is going to replace Internet Explorer?
Answer Edge
24. Who is the author of the book Destruction of Babri Masjid A National Dishonour?
Answer AG Noorani
25. Michael Blake, who passed away recently, was a
Answer Novelist
26. Which of the following state Government has signed an MoU with National Health Mission, UNICEF and
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition to tackle Malnourishment?
Answer Rajasthan
27. Amitabha Choudhary, who passed away recently, was associated with
Answer Journalism
28. Indias first ever Science Centre and Planetarium was recently inaugurated in
Answer Puducherry
29. The WCG World Match Play 2015 title winner is
Answer Rory McIlory
30. Jonathan Trott has announced his retirement from International Cricket. He represented
Answer England
31. Who is running for the Republican Partys nomination for President of the United States in 2016?
Answer Carly Fiorina
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32. The Union Cabinet has approved _____ Constitutional Amendment Bill on Land Boundary Agreement
between India and Bangladesh.
Answer 119
33. France has signed 7.02 billion US dollar agreement with _______ to supply 24 Rafale fighter jets.
Answer Qatar
34. Microsoft India unveiled a computing-based offering associated with education is called
Answer Edu-Cloud
35. India has signed a pact with which country on developing Chabahar port?
Answer Iran
36. Who is known as Mango Man of India?
Answer Kaleem Ullah Khan
37. The F-16 Fighter Aircrafts were given to Pakistan by
38. The World Asthma Day is observed on
Answer May 5
39. Recently India seeks the cooperation of which country in Agriculture Sector?
Answer China
40. The champions in the 19th Federation Cup National Senior Athletic Championships are
Answer Indian Army
41. Which country has recently approves its first ferry service to Cuba after more than 50 years?
42. Which country has proposed Joint Mining of Indian Ocean with India?
Answer China
43. Oscar Holderer, who passed away, recently was
Answer Rocket Expert
44. Who has been conferred with the Prestigious Whitley Award?
Answer Pramod Patil
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45. GOI has recently launched Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for
Answer Scheduled Caste
46. GOI has recently revised the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement with
Answer South Korea
48. How much rupees has been allocated towards Credit Enhancement Guarantee for young and start-up
entrepreneurs, belonging to Scheduled Castes?
Answer 200 Crore
49. What is the name of NASAs 10 engine electric plane, that was recently completed its flight test?
Answer Greased Lightning
50. The amendment Whistle Blowers Protection Act 2011 incorporates necessary provisions to keep issues of
________ out of its purview.
Answer National Security
51. Who has been appointed as the new CEO of e-Commerce company Alibaba?
Answer Daniel Zhang
52. The Juvenile Justice bill has provision for the establishment of Child Welfare Committees (CW in
Answer Every District
53. Who has been awarded as the Times of India Sports Person of the Year?
Answer Jitu Rai
54. Philippines and _____ coast guards have staged an anti-piracy drill in Manila Bay.
Answer Japan
55. _______ has acquired Native5, a Bengaluru based company.
Answer Myntra
56. Google has opened its first start-up campus of Asia in
Answer Seoul
57. India has signed 11 memorandums of Intents with which country recently to establish the Network of
Institutions of Higher Education?
Answer Russia
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58. Indian Army has signed a pack with ___________ on the Defence Salary Package.
Answer Bank of India
59. Who has been named as the new CEO of Titans Watches Division?
Answer S Ravi Kant
60. Yuki Bhambri wins doubles title in ATP Challenger Event with
Answer Adrian Menendez
61. INS Sardar Patel has been commissioned in
Answer Porbandar
62. Crash Test for cars to become mandatory in India by
Answer October 2017
63. Recently which bank launched Rupay Platinum Debit Card?
Answer State Bank of India
64. Who has been nominated by US President for the Key post in US Administration?
Answer Sanjita Pradhan
65. PM Narendra Modi has recently released commemorative coin on
Answer Swamy Chinmayananda
66. Who has been appointed as the Election Commissioner of India?
Answer Achal Kumar Jyoti
67. Dr Amaledu Guha, who passed away recently, was a
Answer Historian
68. Which District has won the UN Public Service Award recently?
Answer Nadia
69. Which state government has recently launched hot air balloon and amphibious vehicles?
Answer Goa
70. Which state government has included Deaflympics in its sports policy?
Answer Haryana
71. Who has been appointed as DG of Police Research and Development Bureau?
Answer Navneet Rajan
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72. Who is the author of the book Unbelievable Delhi to Islamabad?
Answer Bhim Singh
73. Who became the youngest lawmaker of Britain?
Answer Mhairi Black
74. Who was removed from the President post of Boxing India?
Answer Sandeep Jajodia
75. Who is the author of the book Indian Bumblebees?
Answer MS Saini
76. Which country has recently test-fired Submarine launched Ballistic Missile that has gained attention and
condemnation from International Community?
Answer North Korea
77. Which country has been declared free of Ebloa recently?
Answer Liberia
78. The NGT has ordered every household in ______ to pay Environmental Compensation for Cleaner
Yamuna?
Answer New Delhi
79. Who won the Madrin Open Womens Title 2015?
Answer Petra Kivotova
80. Who has been appointed as the President of ICICI Bank?
Answer KV Kamath
81. Who has been re-nominated as the President of Public Accounts Committee?
Answer KV Thomas
82. Who has been conferred with the Dada Shaheb Phalke Award?
Answer Shashi Kapoor
83. Which is the only Indian bank placed among the top 10 Consumer Finance Firms?
Answer HDFC
84. Who won Gold in Discus Throwing in Jamaican International Invitation Meet?
Answer Vikas Gowda
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85. Andy Murray has defeated whom to win the Madrid Open Singles Title?
Answer Rafael Nadal
86. Who won the Spanish One Formula Grand Prix?
Answer Nico Rosberg
87. Elizabeth Wilson, who passed away recently, was associated with?
Answer Cinema
88. Name the Indian Origin MP who recently got placed in British Cabinet Rank.
Answer Priti Patel
89. RBI has asked banks to appoint an Internal Ombudsman. What will be his designation?
Answer Chief Customer Service Officer
90. Royal Enfield acquires design and engineering firm Harris Performance, which was based in
Answer United Kingdom
91. What is the maximum punishment under the recently passed Foreign Black Money Bill?
Answer 10 Years
92. Government of India has approved two new projects at a cost of Rs 217.87 crore in which of the following
towns?
Answer Sonepat and Panipat
93. International Nurses Day is observed on
Answer May 12
94. Which state has announced to create a digital repository of the land records in the State?
Answer Andhra Pradesh
95. Who became the first Asian elected Mayor in UK?
Answer Harbhajan Kaur Dheer
96. Name the first Indian state which has issued Soil Health Cards to farmers?
Answer Punjab
97. Suchitra Bhattacharya, who passed away recently, was a famous writer from
Answer West Bengal
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98. Tech giant Google Inc is to build biggest campus outside US in which city in India?
Answer Hyderabad
99. Droupadi Murmu has been appointed as the Governor of which Indian state?
Answer Jharkhand
100. Name the Indian Author who won the UKs Encore Award for the best second novel?
Answer Neel Mukherjee
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