Ca Aug 2014

Current
Affairs
August 2014
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R.A.C.E
Rapid Academy of Competitive Exams
[Unit of Seeman Education]
August 2014
Aug 1, 2014
1. S. S. Mundra takes charge as RBI deputy
governor
i. Reserve Bank of India's new deputy governor S S
Mundra has been given charge of banking supervision,
currency management, financial stability and rural
credit. The government on Thursday notified his
appointment for a period of three years.
ii. Prior to taking charge Mundra was chairman of Bank
of Baroda, the country's second large bank. He had
begun his career as a probationary officer in Bank of
Baroda in March 1977.
iii. The position of deputy governor had fallen vacant in
March after former deputy governor KC
Chakrabarty put in his papers three months before his
term ended.
2. CWG 2014: Vikas Gowda wins India's first
athletics medal in Glasgow
i. Vikas Gowda gave India its first athletics gold medal
of the 20th Commonwealth Games by winning the
men's discus throw event on Friday.
ii. The 31-year-old US-based Indian pocketed the gold
with an effort of 63.64m, way below his personal best
effort of 66.28m, under incessant rain at the Hampden
Park.
iii. The silver went to Apostolos Parellis of Cyprus who
threw the discus to 63.32m, while the bronze was
bagged by Jason Morgan of Jamaica with an effort of
62.34m.
3. One Life is Not Enough written by Natwar
Singh released
i. One Life is Not Enough: An Autobiography written by
Kunwar Natwar Singh was published on 1 August 2014.
The book is an autobiography of the former External
Affairs Minister and senior Congress Party leader
Natwar Singh. The book has been published by Rupa.
4. CWG: Pinki Rani bags first medal in Boxing
i. Pinki Rani in the 48 to 51 kg category bagged a
bronze. She lost in the semi-final to Michaela Walsh
from Northern Ireland making her eligible for a bronze
medal.
5. Indo-Russia pact planned for new BrahMos

missile version
i. Supersonic cruise missile manufacturer BrahMos
Aerospace on Friday said it is hopeful that a pact to
develop a sleeker and faster 'mini' version of the
missile will be signed during Russian President Vladimir
Putin's visit to India in December this year.
ii. The new BrahMos CEO said he was expecting that
the missile would be inducted into the services by 2017
and "there would be a huge market for the new missile
in India, Russia and friendly foreign countries".
iii. The Su-30MKI is undergoing modification so as to
carry the strike weapon in its belly in partnership with
the HAL. The Indo-Russian joint venture firm was set
up in 1998.
6. CWG 2014: Indian wrestler Babita Kumari wins
gold in 55kg freestyle
i. Indian wrestler Babita Kumari won the gold
medal beating Canada's Brittanee Laverdure in the
final of the women's 55kg freestyle category in the
2014 Commonwealth Games at the SECC Hall on
Thursday.
ii. The 24-year-old Babita, who had bagged silver in
2010 Commonwealth Games, won 9-2 against the 32year-old Brittanee, who ended up injuring her finger
during the bout.
iii. It was the fourth gold medal for India in wrestling.
Aug 2, 2014
7. Muzaffar Ali selected for Rajiv Gandhi National
Sadbhavana Award
i. Muzaffar Ali, a noted filmmaker of India was selected
for Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award.
This will be the 22nd edition of the Sadbhawna
award and presented at Jawahar Bhawan on 20 August
2014 at a special ceremony.
Note: Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was
recipient of the 21st Rajiv Gandhi National Sadhbhavna
Award.
About Muzaffar Ali
He had directed several movies like Bollywood classic
Umrao Jaan, Gaman and Khizan
69-year-old, Ali is also a social worker and a Sufi poet
In 2005, he became the recipient of Padma Shri
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He was born on 21 October 1944 in Lucknow, Uttar
Pradesh
*. About Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana
Award
i. Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award (Rajiv
Gandhi National Communal Harmony Award) is an
award of India that is given for outstanding
contribution towards promotion of communal harmony,
national integration, peace and fight against violence.
It was constituted in 1992.
ii. It is given away on 20 August, the birth anniversary
of former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi, which is
also celebrated as the Sadbhavna Diwas (Harmony
Day). The award carries a citation and cash award of 5
lakh rupees.
8. RBI canceled the Licence of The Vasavi Cooperative Urban Bank Ltd., Hyderabad
i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cancelled the licence
of The Vasai Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd., Hyderabad
(Telangana). The order came into effect with the
notification.
ii. The order was issued in view that the bank has
ceased to be solvent and all its efforts to revive the
bank have also failed and the depositors were being
inconvenienced by continued uncertainty.
iii. Apart from this, RBI has also requested Registrar of
Co-operative Societies, Telangana State to issue an
order for winding up the bank and appoint a liquidator.
9. Cheque bouncing: SC settles law on where to
file a complaint
- Bounced cheque must only be filed at the place where
the bank dishonoured it.
i. The Supreme Court (SC) ruled on Friday that a
complaint about a bounced cheque must only be filed
at the place where the bank dishonoured it, settling
doubts raised by its own earlier conflicting judgments
on the jurisdiction of a magistrate.
ii. Some judgments had specified the place where the
cheque was issued, others from where the notice of
dishonour was sent and still others the place of receipt.
Owing to this confusion in law, the matter was referred
to a larger bench of the SC.
iii. A three-judge bench headed by T S Thakur
unanimously laid down that the place of dishonour is
the right place to file a complaint. However, to avoid
inconvenience to persons already prosecuting such

cases, the new rule is to come into force only with
respect to cases in the future. Those in which trials
have begun will remain in the same courts.
10. Deputy National Security Adviser Nehchal
Sandhu resigned
i. Deputy National Security Adviser Nehchal Sandhu
resigned. His resignation was accepted by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 31 July 2014.
ii. Sandhu was appointed Deputy NSA in March 2013
for a fixed three year term. He was the Director of the
Intelligence Bureau between 2010 and 2012.
11. Bachendri Pal conferred Bharat Gaurav by
East Bengal Club
i. Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman mountaineer to
scale Mount Everest was conferred with Bharat Gaurav,
the highest honour of merit of East Bengal Club.
ii. The 60-year-old, Pal was honoured at a function
held at the Khudiram Indoor hall at East Bengal's to
celebrate the 95th foundation day celebrations. She
was given a cheque of 2 lakh rupees.
12. Dipa Karmakar became first Indian woman
gymnast to win medal in Commonwealth Games
i. Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian woman
gymnast and second person of the country to win a
medal at the Commonwealth Games. She bagged
a bronze in the vault event and scripted history for
and in India.
ii. Karmakar, 20-year-old from Tripura collected 14.366
points to finish third in the womens vault final at the
SSE Hydro in Glasgow.
13. CWG: S. Khatun wins bronze in lightweight
category of women power lifting
i. India's S. Khatun won a Bronze medal in the light
weight category of women power lifting. The Gold went
to Nigeria in this event.
14. Guitar legend Dick Wagner died at 71
i. Dick Wagner, the famous rock guitarist of Alice
Cooper died due to respiratory failure at Scottsdale
Healthcare Shea Medical Centre in Arizona. He was 71.
ii. He suffered from the respiratory failure, two weeks
after undergoing a cardiac procedure. He was also a
songwriter and an author

R.A.C.E
15. CBI arrests Syndicate Bank CMD for taking
bribe
i. The CBI on Saturday arrested six persons including
chairman-cum-managing director of Syndicate Bank
SK Jain for allegedly taking bribe of Rs. 50 lakh for
increasing credit limit of some companies in violation of
banking rules.
Aug 3-4, 2014
16. India, Nepal signs 3 agreements; work on
Pancheshwar dam to start soon
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met his
Nepalese counterpart Sushil Koirala during which the
two sides signed three agreements
i. Under the first agreement, India would provide Rs 65
million to procure and distribute iodised salt in the rural
areas of Nepal. This would be the extension of the
ongoing goiter control project being implemented under
India's grant.
ii. The two governments also signed MOU regarding the
amendment of Terms of Reference (ToR) of the 5,600
MW Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project on the Mahakali
river.
iii. Under the agreement, the two countries have
agreed to move forward works relating to Pancheshwar
Development Authority by declaring Pancheshwar
authority regulation.
iv. The project falls under the integrated treaty on
Mahakali River, bordering both Nepal and India, which
was signed in 1996. It could not be developed earlier
as the two countries could not decide on the terms of
reference.
17. PM offers $1 bn credit to Nepal
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is on an official
visit to Nepal offered a line of $1 billion credit to the
Himalayan nation.
ii. The fund is for road and hydro-power projects,
Nepalese Finance Minister Ram Saran Mahat briefed the
media.
iii. Modi is on a two-day visit to Nepal which is
expected to strengthen bilateral and regional ties
between the two neighbouring countries.
18. Ramon Magsaysay Award 2014 announced
i. The prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards for year
2014 was announced. The list of awardees included six
winners among five individuals and one organization

from Pakistan.
The 2014 Awardees are:
i. Hu Shuli: She is a Chinese investigative journalist founder and former editor of Caijing a business
magazine famed for its ground breaking investigative
reporting that has had a profound impact on China.
ii. Saur Marlina Manurung: She is being recognized
for her ennobling passion to protect and improve the
lives of Indonesias forest people, and her energizing
leadership of volunteers in SOKOLAs customized
education program. She put up a Jungle School
program for children of Indonesias Orang Rimba, or
forest people.
iii. Omara Khan Masoudi from Afghanistan: He is
being recognized for his courage, labor, and leadership
in protecting Afghan cultural heritage. Masoudi was
awarded for his courage in protecting Afghan cultural
heritage.
iv. The Citizens Foundation from Pakistan: It is a
non-profit organisation (NGO) in Pakistan founded by
six business leaders. It was recognized for building
1000 schools over hundreds of cities and towns in the
country with the worlds second highest number of
children who are out of school.
v. Wang Canfa from China: Wang Canfa founded the
Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims, which
has offered free legal services to thousands of people
and provided environmental law training to lawyers and
others.
vi. Randy Halasan for Emergent Leadership from
the Philippines: He was chosen for the award for
serving the indigenous Matigsalug tribe. He put in huge
efforts in teaching the children of the Matigsalug tribe
in one of the remotest mountain villages in Mindanao.
About Ramon Magsaysay Awards
i. The award was established in 1957. The Ramon
Magsaysay Award is Asias highest honor and is widely
regarded as the regions equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
ii. It celebrates the memory and leadership example of
the third Philippine president after whom the award is
named.
iii. The award is given every year to individuals or
organizations in Asia who manifest the same selfless
service that ruled the life of the late and beloved
Filipino leader.

R.A.C.E
19. P Kashyap wins gold in Badminton
i. Parupalli Kashyap etched his name firmly in the
history books by becoming the first Indian male
shuttler in 32 years to win a gold medal at the
Commonwealth Games, but women's doubles pair of
Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa had to settle for a
silver on Sunday.
ii. A bronze-medallist at the Delhi Games, Kashyap
rose to the occasion and played a sensational game of
nerves to eke out a breath-taking 21-14 11-21 21-19
triumph against Derek Wong of Singapore in the final
showdown which lasted for over an hour.
iii. Kashyap joined badminton legend Prakash
Padukone and late Syed Modi, who had won the title in
the past. While Padukone had won the mens singles
gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in
Canada, Modi retained it four years later.
iv. It turned out to be a red letter day for World No. 22
Kashyap who bagged the biggest title of his career. He
reached the quarterfinals of the London Olympics and
won the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold in 2012.
20. Jwala-Ashwini settle for silver
i. Jawala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa failed to recreate
the same magic as their title defence lay in tatters after
a 17-21 21-23 defeat against World No. 18 Malaysian
combo of Vivian Kah Mun Hoo and Khe Wei Woon in the
41-minute summit clash at the Emirates Arena in
Glasgow on Sunday.
ii. Nonetheless, the silver medal is yet another feather
in the caps of Jwala and Ashwini who had clinched the
2011 World Championship bronze and also bagged the
bronze at the Asian Badminton Championship in April
this year.
21. 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games
concluded; India finished 5th with 64 medals
i. 20th Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2014 concluded
at Hampden Park stadium in Glasgow, Scotland on 3
August 2014 at.
ii. The game that saw 17 sports in a competition of 11
days was held from 23 July to 3 August 2014.
iii. The Glasgow 2014 CWG was declared closed in
presence of British Prime Minister David Cameron,
Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex and vice patron of
Commonwealth Games Federation.
The 21st Commonwealth Games will be held in
Gold Coast in Australia.
22. India in the 2014 Commonwealth Games,

Glasgow, Scotland
i. India in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow,
Scotland stood at the fifth position in the rankings after
closing its account with total 64 medals (15 Gold, 30
silver and 19 Bronze). This was third highest medal
haul after 2010 Delhi CWG (101 medals) and 2002
Manchester CWG (69 medals).
ii. On closing ceremony, the Indian contingents flag
bearer was Seema Punia, who won Silver in women's
discus throw. While, the torch bearer in the opening
ceremony was ace shooter Vijay Kumar, the 2012
London Olympics Silver medallist.
Medal Standings
Rank
Nation
1
England
2
Australia
3
Canada
4
Scotland
5
India
Gold
58
49
32
19
15
Silver
59
42
16
15
30
Bronze
57
46
34
19
19
15 Indians who won gold at 2014 Commonwealth

Games, Glasgow
Yogeshwar Dutt: Men's wrestling, 65 kg freestyle
Babita Kumari: Women's wrestling, 55 kg freestyle
Sushil Kumar: Men's wrestling, 75kg
Amit Kumar: Men's wrestling, 57kg
Vinesh Phogat: Women's wrestling, 48kg
Satish Sivalingam: Men's weightlifting, 77 kg
(broke the Commonwealth Games record for the snatch
with a mark of 149kg)
Vikas Gowda: Men's discus throw (first person to
win a gold medal for India in 56 years in Men's
Athletics after Milkha Singh in 1958)
Jitu Rai: Men's shooting, 50 m Pistol
Rahi Sarnobat: Women's shooting, 25 m Pistol
Apurvi Chandela: Women's shooting, 10 m Air Rifle
Abhinav Bindra: Men's 10m Air Rifle
K Sanjita Chanu: Women's weightlifting 48 kg
category
Sukhen Dey: Men's weightlifting 56 kg category
Dipika Pallikal and Joshana Chinappa: Women's
squash
Parupalli Kashyap: Men's Badminton

R.A.C.E
About the Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international sporting
event that involves athletes from 71 nations and
territories connected with the Commonwealth. The
Commonwealth Games is a unique, world class, multisports event which is held once every four years. It is
often referred to as the Friendly Games.
Aug 5, 2014
23. RBI keeps key interest rates unchanged, Cur
SLR by 0.5%
Note: RBI has, however, reduced the statutory
liquidity ratio (SLR) of scheduled commercial
banks by 50 basis points from 22.5 per cent to
22.0 per cent with effect from the fortnight beginning
9th August, 2014.
Current Rates are as follows
1. Repo Rate 8% (unchanged)
2. Reverse Repo Rate 7% (unchanged)
3. CRR 4% (unchanged)
4. SLR 22% (changed from 22.5 per cent to
22.0)
5. Bank Rate 9% (unchanged)
6. MSF 9% (unchanged)
The fourth bi-monthly monetary policy statement is
scheduled on 30th September, 2014.
24. Arvind Gupta appointed as Deputy National
Security Advisor
i. The government has appointed Indian Foreign
Service officer Dr. Arvind Gupta as Deputy National
Security Advisor and Secretary, National Security
Council Secretariat for a period of three years.
ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
yesterday approved his name for the post. Mr Gupta, a
1979 batch IFS , is currently serving as the Director
General in the Institute of Defence Studies and
Analysis.
25. Lt Gen Philip Campose takes over as Army
Vice Chief
i. Lt Gen Philip Campose- a veteran mechanised
infantry officer, has taken over as the new Vice Chief of
Army Staff succeeding Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, who is
now heading the 1.3 million strong force.
ii. 59-year-old Lt Gen Campose, who was till now the

Western Army Commander, took over as the Vice Chief
on August 1, an Army release said in New Delhi.
26. India, Nepal to build pipeline for petroleum
products' supply to Himalayan nation
i. India and Nepal have agreed to build a pipeline for
supply of petroleum products to the Himalayan nation.
ii. According to a joint statement, issued at the end of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Nepal, the
request was made from the Nepalese side to which the
Indian side agreed to take up the project for
construction of the pipeline from Raxual in Bihar to
Amlekhganj in Nepal in the first phase and extend it to
Kathmandu in the next phase.
iii. Nepal is dependent on India for its all fuel
requirements. Currently, petrol, diesel, LPG and jet fuel
are transported to Nepal through trucks from India.
27. World Bank pledges 200 mln to fight Ebola
i. The World Bank has pledged USD 200 million in
emergency funding to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone to help the West African countries
contain spread of deadly Ebola infections
and improve public health systems.
ii. World Bank President Dr Jim Yong Kim, who is
experienced in treatment of infectious diseases, said
the new financing commitment was in response to a
call from both the three African countries hardest-hit by
Ebola and the World Health Organisation for immediate
assistance to contain the outbreak.
iii. In a statement, he said the World Bank Group would
step up social safety net assistance for affected
communities and families and help to build up public
health systems in West Africa to strengthen the
region's disease control capacity.
iv. With the Ebola virus now directly and indirectly
impacting economies in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone
and neighboring countries, the new WB Group
emergency response will also help countries and
communities cope with financial hardship caused by the
outbreak, a media statement said.
28. CIBIL to start Risk Index for corporate sector
i. The Credit Information Bureau (India) Ltd (CIBIL) on
Tuesday said it will come up with a risk index which will
help banks and financial institutions in the process of
granting loans and advances to corporates.

R.A.C.E
ii. It is basically a risk management tool which will help
banks and financial institutions while sanctioning any
loan to the corporate sector, CIBIL Senior Vice
President-Consumer Relations and Communications
Harshala Chandorkar said.
Note: i. CIBIL provides credit information about
individual customer and business entities that helps
banks in taking decision on sanctioning credit to any
customer. It maintains account credit information of
350 million accounts of individual consumers and 19
million accounts of businesses.
ii. CIBIL has also recently launched new product
for banks called Alert wherein it will send an alert to
the bank whenever there is a change in the profile of a
customer.
the Calcutta High Court.

iii. Prior to this she was the Chief Justice of the Kerala
High Court. The West Bengal Chief Minister Miss
Mamata Banerjee, State Law Minister Mrs. Chandrima
Bhattacharjee, Senior Judges of the High Court and
other distinguished persons were present.
29. HDFC Bank opens branch in Dubai

i. HDFC Bank Ltd has opened its branch in Dubai at the
International Financial Centre, and will provide wealth
management services to non-resident Indians based in
the UAE.
ii. A bank statement said after Bahrain and Hong Kong,
this is HDFC Banks third branch overseas. It also
operates two more representative offices in the UAE at
Dubai and Abu Dhabi which will continue to function.
iii. As of June 30, the bank had a network of 3,488
branches and 11,426 ATMs in 2,231 cities and towns.
33. Tagores Gitanjali part of WWI

commemorative event at UN
i. A poem from Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagores
masterpiece The Gitanjaliwas recited by Indian
Ambassador to the U.N. Asoke Kumar Mukerji as part
of a commemorative ceremony held here marking 100
years of the outbreak of the World War I.
ii. Mr. Mukerji was among the 15 UN envoys who
chose, recited and recorded poems related to the war
by authors from their respective countries.
iii. The poems and their recordings were displayed at
an interactive exhibition organised by the U.K.s
mission to the U.N. on Monday as it took over the
rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for the
month of August.
30. Manipur tops in employment growth

i. Manipur at 83.29 per cent tops the list of percentage
of growth in employment followed by Assam, Sikkim,
Uttar Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Himachal
Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Gujarat
and Rajasthan.
ii. As per the provisional results of the Sixth Economic
Census released by the Union Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on July 30, Assam
was placed at the second position in terms of
percentage of growth in employment at 78.84 per cent
as against the national average of 34.35 per cent.
31. Justice Dr. Chellur sworn in as CJ of Calcutta
HC
i. Justice Dr. Manjula Chellur was sworn in as the Chief
Justice of the Calcutta High Court today.
ii. The West Bengal Governor Mr. Keshari Nath Tripathi
administered the oath of office and secrecy to Justice
Dr. Chellur. She will be the first Lady Chief Justice of
32. UP Governor Ram Naik given additional

charge of Rajasthan
i. Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik has been given
additional charge of Rajasthan in place of Margaret
Alva, who completes her tenure today.
ii. A Rashtrapati Bhawan press communiqu said
Governor of Gujarat Om Prakash Kohli has also been
given additional charge of Goa.
34. Sayeeda Warsi resigned from British

government over Gaza conflict
i. Sayeeda Warsi, the Foreign Office minister of Britain
resigned from the government on 5 August 2014 in
protest of Britains policy on Gaza.
ii. She described the British policy on the crisis in Gaza
as morally indefensible. She tendered her resignation
to the British Prime Minister David Cameron.
iii. She was the fir st female Muslim cabinet minister to
serve United Kingdom during David Cameron led
government. She, although, has never won an election.
Aug 6, 2014
35. Cartoonist Pran, creator of iconic Chacha
Chowdhury, dead

R.A.C.E
i. Eminent cartoonist Pran Kumar Sharma, popularly
known as Pran, who gave life to lovable comic
characters Chacha Chaudhury and his friend Sabu, is
no more
ii. Pran succumbed to cancer early this morning at a
hospital in Gurgaon, according to his publisher
Diamond Comics. He was 75. "Pran passed away at 9
AM at the Medanta hospital. He had been suffering
from cancer of the intestine for the past eight months.
iii. He is survived by a son and a daughter," Gulshan
Rai, Publisher, Diamond Comics, told reporters.
iv. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to twitter to
express his grief over the passing away of the
cartoonist. Modi described Pran "as a versatile
cartoonist who brought smiles on the faces of people
through his rich work".
v. Born in Kasur, near Lahore in Pakistan in 1938, Pran
began his career in 1960 as a cartoonist for the Delhibased newspaper 'Milap' with comic strip 'Daabu'. In
1969, Pran sketched Chacha Chaudhary for the Hindi
magazine 'Lotpot', which made him famous. "Pran was
making small cartoons for newspapers when I first
contacted him in 1981.
vi. At that time there were no Indian comics, it was all
reproductions of foreign titles. For the last 35 years we
have been the sole publisher of his cartoons," said Rai.
vii. With a career spanning over five decades, Pran
employed a simple style of art and sense of humour to
create a family of characters like Shrimatiji, Pinki,
Billoo, Raman and Channi Chachi, which are regularly
published in Indian magazines.
36. Doordarshan signs pact with German channel
i. In an effort to distribute its content to international
markets, DD India has signed an agreement with
German public service broadcaster Deutsche Welle
(DW).
ii. This agreement will help Indias public broadcaster
get a global footprint with its programmes becoming
part of the Free-to-Air basic pack on a DTH platform.
iii. Under this agreement, DDs overseas channel will
be available on the DTH platform of Hotbird-13 B
satellite and DW-TV will be distributed on DD Freedish.
This will be the first time in the history of Prasar
Bharati that DD programmes will be available on an
international DTH platfo rm.
iv. DDs international channel will be beamed across
120 million households in Europe, Northern Africa,
Central Asia as well as West Asia. Prasar Bharati has

paid about 90 lakhs to DW under this agreement
37. Lok Sabha passes Securities Laws
(Amendment) Bill
i. A Bill to enhance the powers of market regulator
SEBI to curb the menace of Ponzi schemes and protect
investors from fraudulent diversion of monies raised
from them was passed by Lok Sabha here on
Wednesday.
ii. The Securities Laws (amendment) Bill was passed by
the Lower House through a voice vote after Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley replied to the issues raised by
various members on the functioning of SEBI and its
ability to curb collective investment schemes that thrive
at the expense of gullible investors.
iii. Replying to the discussions on the Bill, Jaitley said
that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will in the next
few days announce a financial inclusion project that
would seek to open two bank accounts in each of the
7.5 crore families identified for the exercise, which will
be undertaken on a mission mode.
38. Fifth India-US Energy Summit to focus on
renewable energy
i. Renewable energy and energy security would be the
focus of the two-day annual India-US Energy Summit
to be held here next month.
ii. Noting that energy security is critical for both the US
and India, Dr R.K Pachauri, president of The Energy
and Resources Institute North America (TERI NA), said
the two countries must work together, both in energy
security as well as on policy fronts, so as to bring in
some positive changes.
iii. The two-day event from September 30 being
organised by TERI and Yale University is likely to be
attended by top officials and energy experts from both
the countries.
iv. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is expected to
be in the city to meet President Barack Obama, has
been invited to address the meeting in energy, a
subject close to his heart.
v. According to a TERI statement, the focus of the
Summit will be on bilateral cooperation in the energy
sector and related areas.
39. Banks Tier-I capital need for 5 years surges
to Rs.20,000 cr: ICRA

R.A.C.E
i. With the capital requirement of Indian banks likely to
go up gradually till 2018-19 (FY2019), Tier I issuances
are likely to increase significantly till that year,
according to an ICRA report
ii. Tier I issuances include common Equity and
additional Tier I or AT1.
iii. While the AT1 requirement for this fiscal year 2015
would be around Rs. 20,000 crore, in subsequent
years, the annual requirement could be as high
as Rs. 40,000 crore 50,000 crore, the rating agency
said in a statement.
iv. However, these instruments come with significant
risk. The guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
on Basel III introduce stringent loss absorption clauses
for hybrid instruments so that loss absorption kicks in
before the public injection of funds.
v. While both Tier I and Tier II instruments have
significant loss absorption features, Tier I instruments
are meant to absorb losses on a going concern basis,
and therefore, the loss absorption trigger kicks in fairly
early.
40. ICICI Bank launches travel card for students
going abroad for studies
i. ICICI Bank, the countrys largest private sector bank,
has announced the launch of the ICICI Bank Student
Travel Card, which enables students going abroad for
higher studies to take care of their expenses.
ii. The card offers both students and parents a
convenient, safe and hassle-free way to manage their
education-related expenses abroad. While it helps the
students pay for expenses such as application fee,
university admission and other course-related fees,
hostel fee and day-to-day living expenses, their
parents can reload the card from India. Also, the card
allows withdrawal from ATMs across the globe in local
currency, the bank said in a statement.
iii. The unique feature of the card is that it is bundled
with membership of the International Student Identity
Card (ISIC). ISIC is the only internationally accepted
proof of full-time student status and offers 40,000
benefits and discounts at 120,000 merchant outlets
across 130 countries.
iv. ICICI Bank Student Travel Card is available in the
dollar, pound, euro, Australian dollar and Canadian
dollar. It is valid for three years and can be applied for
from any foreign exchange-enabled ICICI Bank branch.
Anyone, including non-customers, can apply for this

card.
41. Angela Nemeth, the 1968 Olympic javelin
champion died
i. Angela Nemeth, the 1968 Olympic Javelin champion
of Hungary died in 5 August 2014 after a long illness.
She was 68.
ii. She won a Javelin throw gold medal in 1968
Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico with career
best throw of 60.36meter. Till date, she is the only
Hungarian woman to win an Olympic title in a throwing
event.
Aug 7, 2014
42. 18th BASIC Ministerial Meeting begin from
today
i. Environment Ministers of BASIC countries will meet in
New Delhi to discuss important issues relating to
current United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations.
ii. The 18th BASIC Ministerial Meeting will be held on
August 7-8, 2014 at New Delhi.
iii. The two-day 18th BASIC Ministerial Meeting, to be
held from tomorrow, will provide an important
opportunity to BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa,
India and China) to enhance coordination on
important issues under consideration in Climate Change
negotiations and arrive at a common position
iv. Issues related to Warsaw COP, Durban Platform for
Enhanced Action (ADP), the Green Climate Fund (GCF),
the Standing Committee on Finance, the Technology
Executive Committee (TEC) and the Climate
Technology Center and Network (CTCN) were discussed
during the meeting.
Note: i. The 17th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on
Climate Change was held in Hanzghou, China in
October last year.
ii. India hosted the 14th BASIC Ministerial Meeting
on Climate Change on in February 2013 at Chennai
which was attended by representatives from Brazil,
South Africa, India and China.
43. Norms tightened for asset reconstruction
companies
i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has tightened norms
for asset reconstruction companies to improve

R.A.C.E
discipline and bring about transparency in the sale and
purchase of bad loans.
ii. Now, asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) will
have to pay upfront 15 per cent of the bid value of
non-performing loans, against five per cent earlier.
iii. Also, those planning to buy bad loans will get more
time (at least two weeks) to carry out due diligence
before bidding for stressed assets. So far, banks have
enjoyed complete discretion in deciding the timeframe
for due diligence.
iv. RBI said ARCs would get up to six months to plan
recoveries from the non-performing assets acquired.
Currently, ARCs get about a year for this.
v. On the valuation of securities receipts, RBI said the
initial valuation of these receipts should be carried out
within six months of acquiring the asset, instead of the
current one year.
vi. ARCs will have to mandatorily disclose the basis of
valuations in case the acquisition value of assets is
more than the book value. They will also have to
disclose the details of the assets disposed of at
substantial discount during a year and the reasons for
this.
44. Mizoram Governor Kamla Beniwal removed
i. Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India removed
Kamla Beniwal the Governor of Mizoram on 6 August
2014. She was removed two months before her tenure
was supposed to end.
ii. The President directed that Beniwal shall cease to
hold the office and gave additional charge of the office
to Vinod Kumar Duggal, Governor of Manipur.
iii. Duggal will discharge the functions of the Governor
of Mizoram in addition to his own duties, until some
regular arrangement for the office of Governor of
Mizoram is made.
45. Aditya Vardhan Agarwal, new Vice-President
of Indian Chamber of Commerce
i. Aditya Vardhan Agarwal, Director, Emami Group, has
been nominated and appointed as the Vice-President of
the Indian Chamber of Commerce.
ii. He is the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Ethiopia
in Kolkata. Earlier, he served as an Executive
Committee Member of Assocham and as a Director of
the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation.
46. Union Cabinet approved the Juvenile Justice

Bill, 2014 to amend the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000
i. The Union cabinet on 6 August 2014 approved the
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill,
2014 to amend the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, 2000. The
Union government plans to introduce the bill in the
Monsoon session of Parliament.
Age of a Juvenile in the JJ Bill, 2014
i. The bill will treat minors above the age of 16 as
adults, who are accused of heinous crimes like rape
and murder. The JJ Act, 2000 treats any person below
the age of 18 as juvenile.
ii. The bill empowered the Juvenile Justice Board to
decide whether a minor would be tried in a regular
court or sent to a correctional centre.
iii. The bill provides that if a minor is sent to regular
court, he would not be sentenced to life or death if
found guilty. Currently, the maximum punishment
under the Juvenile Justice Act is three years
confinement at correctional homes.
47. The Provision for Children in conflict zones
and Corporal punishment in the JJ Bill, 2014
i. The Bill proposes up to seven year rigorous
imprisonment, 5 lakh rupees fine or both for militant
groups who recruit child soldiers or use children for any
purpose.
ii. The Bill widens the definition of corporal punishment
by including physical and verbal abuse.
iii. It proposes stringent punishment for those who
subject "a child to corporal punishment causing hurt
and emotional distress for the child".
iv. Offenders could face jail term between six months
on first conviction. Depending on the gravity of physical
injury and mental trauma of the child, the offender
could be punished with three to five years in jail and up
to 1 lakh rupees fine.
v. If the offender is an employee of an institution
dealing with children, he can be dismissed from service
for repeat offence. Even the management of such
institution can be sentenced to up to three year jail and
1 lakh rupees fine for non-compliance or noncooperation in any probe.
vi. Those ragging students within or outside an
institution can be sentenced to up to three years in jail
and fined up to 1 lakh rupee. Anybody found to abet or
propagate ragging can land in jail, too.

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R.A.C.E
Note: If the Bill is passed in Parliament, India will join
40 other countries where corporal punishment is a
penal offence.
48. Arijit Basu is new MD & CEO of SBI
Life Insurance
i. Arijit Basu has taken over as Managing Director and
CEO of SBI Life Insurance, from Atanu Sen, who retired
on July 31, 2014, said the company in a release issued
on Wednesday.
ii. A graduate in Economics and MA in History, Basu
started his career with State Bank of India in 1983 as a
Probationary Officer.
iii. He has over three decades of experience in the
banking sector.
49. Padho Pardesh scheme for minority
community
i. Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptullah has said the
government has launched a scheme titled, Padho
Pardesh, for providing interest subsidy on educational
loans for overseas studies for students belonging to the
notified minority communities like Muslims, Christians,
Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis.
ii. She said the objective of the scheme is to award
interest subsidy to meritorious students belonging to
economically weaker sections of the notified minority
communities so as to provide opportunities for higher
education abroad and enhance their employability.
iii. The Minister said under the scheme, 100 per cent
interest subsidy will be provided on the interest
payable on the education loan availed for the period of
moratorium, which includes the course period plus one
year or six months after getting the job, whichever is
earlier.
50. Vladimir Putin signed decree baning imports
of agricultural products from West
i. Russian President Vladimir Putin on 6 August 2014
signed a decree that bans imports of agricultural
products from all countries that have imposed
sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine. Major
sanctions were made by the US and EU.
ii. Putin by targeting the western food exports aims to
ensure the safety of Russia and this move threatens to
upset trade worth tens of billions of dollars.
iii. Ban on the food imports, should continue for up to
one year. The decree that immediately came into force
asked the government to draw up a detailed list of

products that would be banned.
iv. The decree stating ban on imports of agricultural
products would have a heavy impact on Russia, as it
hugely depends on imported foodstuffs of which
making are from West.
Background
The Western Nations like the US and European Union
(EU) has imposed several sanctions on Russia after
alleging that Russia is supporting the rebels of Ukraine.
They imposed asset freezes and loan bans on a score of
individuals and companies.
51. 8 injured in blast at NTPC plant
i. Eight persons, including two engineers, sustained
burn injuries in a blast on Wednesday evening in a
pipeline at one of the units of an NTPC plant in Korba
district of Chhattisgarh, police said.
ii. The incident occurred at around 9 P.M. at Unit No.7
of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)
plant when labourers and engineers were at work
there, a senior police official told reporters.
52. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, CMD of
Bandhan won Entrepreneur of the Year award
i. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, CMD of Bandhan, has
received the Entrepreneur of the Year award from the
All India Management Association (AIMA).
ii. Among the other awardees of the year were M G
George Muthoot, Chairman, Muthoot Group (Emerging
Business Leader of the Year), N Chandrasekaren, CEO
& Managing Director, TCS (Indian MNC of the Year),
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Film Producer, Director of
Bhaag, Milkha Bhaag (Director of the Year) and S. S.
Badrinath, Founder and Chairman, Emeritus of Sankara
Nethralaya (Outstanding Institution Builder).
iii. The AIMA Managing India Awards 2014 were given
away at a function in the Capital by Union Home Affairs
Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday.
iv. Every year, AIMA celebrates the achievements of
outstanding companies, entrepreneurs and managers,
who have made salutary contribution to nation
building.
53. SEBI gets powers to clamp down on
fraudulent deposit schemes

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R.A.C.E
i. The Securities Laws (amendment) Bill, 2014, which
was approved unanimously by the Lok Sabha on
Wednesday, allows SEBI to issue disgorgement orders.
ii. SEBI, in its little over two decades of existence, has
issued disgorgement orders only on two occasions;
once, in 2006, during the IPO irregularities issue, and
for the second time in the Satyam Computer scandal.
iii. The money collected will now be parked in SEBIs
Investor Protection and Education Fund.
iv. This fund should not be confused with the Investor
Education and Protection Fund that has been set up
under the company law, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
clarified during a parliamentary discussion on the Bill.
v. They are two separate funds. The IEPF under SEBI
will have disgorged monies from the regulators
directions. The other investor protection fund
maintained under the company law is mainly unclaimed
dividends, Jaitley said.
vi. Over the last one year since the promulgation of
an ordinance to initiate action against illegal deposittaking schemes the IEPF under SEBI has garnered a
corpus of 30 crore.
vii. This move to explicitly empower SEBI to issue
disgorgement orders is a big thing and augurs well for
investor protection. So far, SEBI saw it only as an
implicit power. Now that it will be explicit, SEBI will, in
all its actions, first look at the possibility of
disgorgement from the offenders, MS Sahoo,
Secretary, Institute of Company Secretaries of India,
said.
Aug 8, 2014
54. WHO declares Ebola epidemic a global
emergency
i. The World Health Organisation today declared the
killer Ebola epidemic ravaging parts of West Africa an
international health emergency and appealed for global
aid to help afflicted countries.
ii. The decision after a two-day emergency session
behind closed doors in Geneva means global travel
restrictions may be put in place to halt its spread as the
overall death toll nears 1,000.
iii. WHO director Dr Margaret Chan, appealed for
greater international aid for the countrys worst hit by
the outbreak, which she described as the most serious
in four decades, echoing an earlier claim by MSF that
the epidemic is unprecedented in terms of
geographical distribution, people infected and deaths.
iv. States of emergency were in effect across

overwhelmed west African nations, including Liberia,
Guinea and Sierra Leone.
v. Ebola has claimed at least 932 lives and infected
more than 1,700 people since breaking out in Guinea
earlier this year, according to the WHO.
vi. Ebola causes severe fever and, in the worst cases,
unstoppable bleeding. It is transmitted through contact
with bodily fluids, and people who live with or care for
patients are most at risk.
Note: First discovered in 1976 and named after a river
in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ebola
has killed around two-thirds of those infected, with two
outbreaks registering fatality rates approaching 90 per
cent. The latest outbreak has a fatality rate of around
55 per cent.
55. RBI proposes 'anytime anywhere' bill
payment system
i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 7 August 2014
issued draft guidelines for implementation of Bharat Bill
Payment System (BPPS), an anytime anywhere bill
payment system. The proposed guidelines describe the
basic requirements of operating the BBPS.
ii. Bharat Bill Payment System is intended for the
implementation of a unified bill payment system across
the country.
iii. It would enable the customers to pay the bills with
the help of agents and getting instant confirmation of
the payment made. School fees, municipal taxes and
utility bills payments would become easier now.
This integrated bill payment system will comprise
of two entities:
i. Entity operating at Bharat Bill Payment System
(BBPS) will be setting up the standards related to
payments, clearance and settlement process
ii. Second entity would be Bharat Bill Payment
Operating Units (BBPOUs). It will be carrying out the
operations in adherence to the standards fixed by
BBPS.
iii. Authorised entities such as agents, banks, service
providers, payment gateways would be the participants
at the Bharat Bill Payment System.
Bill Payment in India
Generally, most of the retail transactions are carried
out through bill payments. The G. Padmanabhan

12
R.A.C.E
Committee was formed by RBI to study the Feasibility
of Implementation of GIRO-based Payment Systems
anticipated that around 30800 million bills amounting
to more than 600000 crore rupees are paid each year
in 20 Indian cities.
56. ASEAN foreign-minister-meeting to kick off in
Myanmar
i. Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) have gathered in Myanmar's
capital of Nay Pyi Taw for their 47th meeting and
related meetings due to begin later on Friday.
ii. As the ASEAN Chair for 2014, Myanmar Foreign
Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin will preside over the
meeting.
iii. Marking the 47th ASEAN Day, Myanmar President U
Thein Sein will deliver a keynote address on the
occasion.
iv. The annual ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM)
at the Myanmar Convention Center will also brings their
counterparts from dialogue partner countries to discuss
political, security and developmental issues that have
significant impact on the region, said a press release of
the bloc.
v. Following the AMM, ASEAN Foreign Ministers will
meet with their counterparts of the bloc's dialogue
partners on Saturday that include Australia, Canada,
China, European Union (E.U.), India, Japan, South
Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.
57. IDFC appoints Ravi Shankar as head of Bharat
Banking
i. Ravi Shankar joined infrastructure finance company
IDFC as the head of Bharat Banking with effect from
August 8, 2014.
ii. IDFC, which recently bagged a commercial banking
licence, plans to start bank operations by October next
year.
iii. With about 29 years of experience across sectors,
Shankar will be responsible for conceptualizing and
building the rural and inclusion business at IDFC Bank,
IDFC said in a statement.
iv. Prior to IDFC, Shankar was head of business and
marketing at Fullerton India Credit Co Ltd and Senior
Vice-President at TNS India Pvt Ltd.
v. Prior to IDFC, Shankar was head of business and
marketing at Fullerton India Credit Co Ltd and Senior
Vice-President at TNS India Pvt Ltd.
vi. He holds a bachelors degree in economics and a

post-graduate diploma in management.
58. Kapil Dev to head Arjuna Award selection
committee
i. Former India cricket captain Kapil Dev will head the
Arjuna Awards selection committee for choosing this
year's outstanding sportspersons of the country while
former hockey skipper Ajitpal Singh is likely to be in
charge of selecting the Dronacharya awardees.
ii. While Kapil, who bagged 434 wickets in 131 Tests in
his 16-year-long career, got the Arjuna in 1980, former
Olympian Ajitpal was conferred the Award in 1970, and
awarded it in 1972.
iii. A source in the sports ministry said the government
had issued a notification in writing to all persons
concerned. The awards will be conferred on National
Sports Day which is August 29.
iv. Each committee will have 15 members, including 12
eminent sportspersons and three officials.
v. The three officials -- director general of the Sports
Authority of India and a joint secretary and deputy
secretary from the ministry -- will be on both
committees.
59. National rural scheme on PPP model launched
i. Rural Development Minister Nitin Gadkari today
launched the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee National Rural
Mission on PPP model with an allocation of 100 crore
rupees.
ii. The scheme will be initially available in three
districts of the country on pilot basis. The districts are
Warangal in Andhra Pradesh and two districts in
Maharashtra.
iii. The scheme is intended to stop migration from rural
areas to cities. He said that the government wants to
create infrastructure in villages so that people can get
employment there and do not migrate to cities.
Aug 9, 2014
60. India Ratings ups FY15 GDP forecast to 5.7%
i. India Ratings & Research revised its FY15 gross
domestic product (GDP) growth forecast to 5.7 per cent
from its April 2014 forecast of 5.6 per cent.
ii. Even though the Union Budget FY15 has addressed
certain supply-side issues plaguing the economy, we
believe a single budget or one years policy reforms are
not enough to ensure a non-inflationary, sustained and

13
R.A.C.E
higher economic growth. Moreover, policy
announcements take time to play out, the rating
agency said in a statement.
iii. We expect agricultural growth to drop to 1.3 per
cent in FY15 (FY14: 4.7 per cent) on delayed as well as
weak monsoon. Although the monsoons poor spread
over space and time in June 2014 (43 per cent below
average) recovered in July 2014, the deficiency
continues to be 21 per cent, the statement said
61. SEBI imposes penalty of 13 crore rupees on
Reliance Industries Limited
i. The Securities and Exchange Board of India, SEBI
has imposed a penalty of 13 crore rupees on Reliance
Industries Limited for alleged irregularities in issuance
of warrants by the company to its promoters.
ii. The case related to 2007 earnings and the
company's repeatedly failed to disclose the key
earnings ratio. SEBI began adjudication proceedings to
probe the violation of relevant clauses under the Listing
Agreement and the Securities Contracts (Regulation)
Act for not disclosing the Diluted Earnings per Share.
iii. As per the terms of the Listing Agreement, the
companies have to disclose these earnings in their
quarterly statements filed with the stock exchanges.
iv. Noting that a specific quantum of any direct or
indirect unfair gain made by RIL and the loss caused to
the investors were not available on records, SEBI said
it cannot ignore the fact that millions of
shareholders/investors were deprived of correct
disclosures.
V. This penalty comes a year after SEBI had imposed
another fine of 11 crore rupees on Reliance
Petroinvestments, a subsidiary of RIL, in an insider
trading case.
62. RBI revises guidelines on mortgage
guarantee companies
i. The Reserve Bank on Saturday revised guidelines for
mortgage guarantee companies and said that
guarantees provided by them may be treated as
contingent liabilities, for which credit conversion factor
would be 50 percent.
ii."While calculating capital adequacy of MGCs,
mortgage guarantees provided may be treated as
contingent liabilities and the credit conversion factor
applicable to these contingent liabilities will be 50
percent as against the present 100 percent," RBI said

in a notification.
iii. The revision of guidelines on mortgage guarantee
companies came after RBI received representations
from the industry.
iv. As per the extant guidelines, MGCs have to provide
for a lower appropriation to contingency reserves if
provisions made towards losses exceeded 35 percent of
the premium or fee earned during a financial year, but
it does not specify the exact level of such contingency
reserves.
v. "In such a case, contingency reserves could go to a
minimum of 24 percent of the premium or fee earned,
such that the aggregate of provisions made towards
losses and contingency reserves is at least 60 percent
of the premium or fee earned during a financial year,"
the RBI said.
63. India to give grant of $1 million for
construction of cricket stadium in Afghanistan
i. India is to give a grant of 1 million US dollars for
construction of a cricket stadium in Afghanistan.
ii. The centre has given approval for the grant to
construct the stadium in Afghanistan's southern
province of Kandahar. A report says, the stadium is set
to come up in Aino Mina, a northern suburb of
Kandahar city on land donated to the Afghanistan
Cricket Board in 2012.
64. Former Hockey Captain Ajitpal Singh to head
Dronacharya Award Selection Committee
i. Three-time Olympian and former Hockey Captain
Ajitpal Singh was selected as the Chairman of the
Dronacharya Award Selection Committee on 7 August
2014.
ii. The committee will have 15 members, including 12
eminent sportspersons and three officials. The three
officials -- Director General of the Sports Authority of
India and a joint secretary and deputy secretary from
the ministry -- will also be in the committee.
iii. The Dronacharya award is scheduled to be
presented on 29 August 2014 (National Sports Day).
The Committee will recommend the deserving
sportspersons for the prestigious awards and a final
decision vests with Union Sports Minister Sarbanand
Sonowal.
iv. In 2013, the Dronacharya Award Selection
Committee was headed by Mountaineer HPS Ahluwalia.

14
R.A.C.E
Note: Dronacharya Award instituted in 1985 by
Government of India recognizes excellence in sports
coaching. The award comprises a bronze statuette of
Dronacharya, a scroll of honour and a cash component
of 500000 rupees.
65. Munger through the Ages written by late DP
Yadav released
i. A book entitled Munger through the Ages authored by
late Devendra Prasad Yadav was released on 7 August
2014 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The first
copy of the book was received by President of India
Pranab Mukherjee.
ii. The President received the book by Dr. Karan Singh,
the Chairman of ICCR, who formally released the book.
66. Miihier Singh to represent India at 48th Asian
Bodybuilding Championship
i. Miihier Singh, who won the Mr India title this year,
will represent the country in the 48th Asian
Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championship.
ii. The event is to be held at Macau in China, from
August 26 to September 1. More than 350 athletes are
expected to participate in the championship.
iii. The top five finishers will get a chance to participate
in World Bodybuilding and Physique Championship to
be held on November 23 at Balewadi Stadium in Pune.
iv. Miihier finished fourth in the last edition of the
tournament held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2013
and represented India at the 5th World Bodybuilding
and Physique Sports Championships at Budapest,
Hungary in November 201
67. Indian Men thrash Bangladesh 5-1 in the
second hockey match at Dhaka
i. The Indian Men's Hockey team thrashed Bangladesh
5-1 in the Second Test played at Dhaka today. With the
win, India clinched the three-match test series against
the hosts. India now expects a clean sweep by winning
the third and last match of the series tomorrow.
ii. The goal scorers for India were: Harjeet Singh,
Yuvraj Walmiki, SK Uthappa, Devender Sunil Walmiki
and Affan Yousuf.
Aug 10-11, 2014
68. Indian economy expected to grow by 5.5% in
current fiscal: UN
i. India's economy is expected to record stronger

growth momentum of 5.5 percent in the current fiscal,
underpinned by "solid expansion" in industrial and
services sectors, and impetus to economic reforms by
the new government, according to a UN report.
ii. In its report, the United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) said a
fragile global economy has "weighed" on Indian
economy in recent years, but "delays" in tackling
"structural impediments", such as rising inequality,
high inflation and infrastructure shortages have also
affected the growth rate.
iii. "Indian economy expanded by 4.7 per cent in the
fiscal year 2013, up from 4.5 per cent in the previous
year. This rate is, however, far below the 9.5 per cent
pace registered in the years prior to the global financial
crisis," said the report, released at a meeting of
UNESCAP.
69. Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins Turkish
presidential election
i. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has
won his country's first direct presidential election.
ii. With almost all the votes counted, Mr Erdogan had
won about 52%, against 38% for main rival
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.
iii. The huge margin of victory means there is no need
for a run-off.
iv. Mr Erdogan, who has vowed to bolster the power of
the president, promised supporters a "social
reconciliation period", saying: "Let's leave the old
discussions in the old Turkey."
v. The veteran leader, who has spent three terms as
prime minister, is revered by supporters for boosting
the economy and giving a voice to conservatives.
70. World Bank to fund ecologically safe power
projects
i. A World Bank economist has said that the lender will
fund only those hydro-power projects where safeguards
are in place to prevent any adverse impact on the
environment.
ii. "We are prepared to support only those good hydropower projects in India which make economic sense as
well as take socio-environment safeguards very
seriously," Michael Toman, lead economist on climate
change in World Bank said here during a visit to the
city.

15
R.A.C.E
iii. "The impact in terms of environment, relocation of
people, availability of water to farmers should be
minimum. We want all these environment and social
factors to be taken care of," he said when asked to
comment on protests against power projects in states
like Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.
iv. World Bank lends money to a number of
development projects in India, including power
projects. Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on
energy security organised by research body CUTS
International, he said large grid-connected power
projects have the advantage of being cheaper through
the economies of scale. "
71. ASEAN to boost cooperation with India in
various fields
i. The ASEAN, considered one of the world's fastest
growing regions, today resolved to significantly
enhance cooperation with India in combating growing
challenges of maritime security, terrorism, drug
trafficking and cyber crime besides expanding trade
ties.
ii. The 10-nation grouping, particularly emphasised on
close engagement with India to deal with issues
relating to maritime security, freedom of navigation
and maritime security in the seas of the region.
iii. The comments by ASEAN (Association of Southeast
Asian Nations) came on a day when the dispute relating
to China's territorial claims over the South China Sea
was dominating the meeting of foreign ministers of the
powerful bloc here.
iv. Addressing the 12th India-ASEAN meeting here,
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had yesterday
said India supported freedom of navigation and access
to resources in the South China Sea in accordance with
principles of international law, including the 1982 UN
Convention on the Law of the Sea.
72. Sikkim gets highest number of foreign
tourists among NE states
i. Sikkim has become the most favoured destination of
foreign tourists in the north-eastern states of the
country.
ii. While the state received 23602 tourists in 2011, the
figures were 26489 in 2012 and 31698 in 2013
respectively, a press release issued by the ruling
Sikkim Democratic Front quoting the latest figures of
the Tourism Ministry issued by the Centre said.
iii. Sikkim is followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,

Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura
respectively, the release said.
iv. Tourism development has been the priority of the
SDF government and the state government has been
working for tourism development for a long time
creating "world class tourism infrastructure in the
state", the SDF release said.
v. The release said the state has already been
recognised as the best place to visit, in the world
famous travel guidebook 'Lonely Planet'.
73. Tsonga beats Federer in Toronto final
i. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won the Rogers Cup, beating
second-seeded Roger Federer 7-5 7-6 (3) for his fourth
straight victory over a higher-seeded opponent.
ii. The 13th-seeded Frenchman won his first ATP Tour
title of the season and 11th overall.
iii. He beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic on Thursday,
eighth-seeded Andy Murray on Friday and seventhseeded Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday.
iv. Tsonga improved to 5-11 against Federer. Federer
dropped to 2-5 in finals this season, with his victories
coming in Dubai and Halle.
v. The Swiss star made several uncharacteristic errors
and had a hard time with Tsonga's powerful serve and
ground strokes. The first set was a rather choppy
affair.
74. Archery World Cup: Deepika Kumari-led
women's archery recurve team wins gold
i. World number two Deepika Kumari bagged a Gold
and two Bronze medals yesterday, as India finished the
Archery World Cup Stage IV in Wroclaw, Poland with a
total of 5 medals.
ii. The Gold came in the Recurve Women's Team event
which saw Deepika, Bombayala Devi Lashram and
Lakshmi Rani Manji beat Mexico, 6-0 in the final.
Deepika, however, settled for a Bronze in the Recurve
Individual event and the Recurve Mixed team pair
event in which she partnered with Jayanta Talukdar.
75. England win 4th cricket test match against
India
i. England have won the fourth Cricket Test against
India at Old Trafford, Manchester, by an innings and 54
runs.

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ii. After taking a massive first innings lead of 215 runs
on the third day yesterday, the hosts dismissed the
visitors for a paltry score of 161 in their second innings.
England made 367 runs in reply to India's first innings
score of 152.
iii. England now lead the five-match series Two-One.
India had won the second Test while England emerged
winner in both the third and fourth Test matches. The
first match had ended in a draw.
76. India complete clean sweep in hockey series
i. India have made a clean sweep of the three-match
hockey series against Bangladesh. Continuing their
dominating performance, the men's hockey team
defeated Bangladesh 3-1 in the third and final match in
Dhaka yesterday.
ii. India had taken a winning lead by clinching the
second encounter played on Friday by a 5-1 margin.
Aug 12, 2014
77. Haider al-Abadi named as New Iraqi Prime
Minister
i. Iraqi President Mohammed Fuad Masum named
Haider al-Abadi as the new Iraqi Prime Minister. Masum
has given thirty days to Haider al-Abadi to form the
next government and present it for the approval of
parliament.
ii. Before being nominated for the post of Iraqi Prime
Minister, Haider al-Abadi was deputy parliament
speaker. He was nominated for the post by the Iraqi
National Alliance, a coalition of Shia parties.
iii. The purpose of this move is to ensure countrys
security which collapsed during rule of Nuri al-Maliki,
Prime Minister of Iraq since 2006. It was believed that
Malikis policies were partly responsible for the violence
that has gripped Iraq badly.
78. PM dedicates two hydro power projects in Leh

and Kargil
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation
the Leh Srinagar Transmission Line in Leh and Chutak
hydro-power project in Kargil on Tuesday.
ii. "These projects are the 44 MW Chutak hydro-electric
project in Kargil district and the 45 MW Nimoo Bazgo
project in Leh district," an official statement said.
iii. The 45 MW Nimoo-Bazgo hydro-electric project is a
run-of- the-river scheme to harness the potential of
river Indus in the state. The project is designed to

generate 239 million units of energy.
iv. The Nimoo Bazgo power station is located on river
Indus in Leh district of the state and has an installed
capacity of 45 MW (3x15 MW).
v. The approval for the project was accorded at an
estimated cost of Rs 611 crore. However, on account of
escalation, statutory charges and higher cost of award,
project cost has now been revised to Rs 985 crore.
vi. State run Power Grid Corporation of India is
implementing the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar Transmission
System for connectivity with Northern Region Grid for
meeting demands of the Ladakh region.
vii. The Leh-Srinagar transmission line will connect the
Ladakh region with the country's northern grid and
ultimately solve the electricity woes of the energy
starved Leh and Kargil districts.
79. K.V. Chowdary appointed as new Chairman of
Central Board of Direct Taxes
i. Senior IRS officer K V Chowdary appointed as new
Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). He
was apoointed on 1 August 2014. CBDT is the apex
authority of the Income Tax department.
ii. He succeed R K Tewari. He retired on 31 July 2014.
iii. Presently, he is working as the Member
(Investigations) in the CBDT and is expected to take
over the new charge from 1 August 2014. He will have
tenure of three months.
80. TATA-SIA Airlines brand name to be called
Vistara
i. Tata-Singapore Airlines (SIA) named its upcoming
joint venture airline asVistara and will start its
operation from October 2014. SIA on 11 August 2014
disclosed the name of their airline.
ii. Vistara is an inspiration from Sanskrit word,
Vistaar that means limitless expanse. It has drawn
inspiration from the brands domain the limitless sky.
iii. The Tata Group and Singapore International Airlines
will be headquartered in Delhi and reports suggest that
Vistara will give competition to Air India and Jet
Airways. Vistara will start its operation with an Airbus
320 aircraft and would add 20 aircraft in next first five
years of operations.
81. Modi announces Rs. 8,000 crore special
assistance for J&K road projects

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i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced
special Central assistance of Rs. 8,000 crore for
construction of four important surface communication
projects in Jammu and Kashmir while writing off the
States liability of Rs. 60 crore towards Food
Corporation of India.
ii. Addressing a public meeting, attended by about
8,000 people at the Polo Ground in Leh, during his
maiden visit to Ladakh region and second to Jammu
and Kashmir after taking over as Prime Minister, Mr.
Modi said that his Cabinet would soon sanction four
major road communication projects for Jammu and
Kashmir. He said that these projects would be fully
funded by the Centre to the tune of. Rs 8,000 crore.
82. Oscar Winning Actor Robin Williams died
i. Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams
was found dead at his home in Tiburon, California on
11 August 2014. He was 63.
ii. Robin Williams was remarkably known for his
accurate impersonations. He will be remembered for his
crazy comic personality and great dramatic
performances hereafter.
83. R Ashwin ranked no. 1 Test all-rounder; India
slipped to 4th position: ICC Test Ranking
i. Indias Ravichandran Ashwin was ranked number one
Test all-rounder in ICC Test team rankings released on
11 August 2014. He was ranked at the top after his fine
show with the bat in the fourth cricket Test against
England played in Manchester.
ii. He successfully scored 40 and 46 not out at the Old
Trafford though India lost the Test by an innings and
54 runs. The latest ICC Test ranking was released in
Dubai.
iii. Ashwin the Indian off-spinner with 372 rating points
displaced South Africa's Vernon Philander (365) at the
top of the ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders.
iv. Apart from this, India slipped to fourth position
behind South Africa, Australia and Pakistan in the Test
team rankings for its dismal performance against
England in two test matches one after another. England
is placed at fifth position in the ranking.
v. As per the released test rankings, Africa leads the
ICC Test team ranking with 124 points followed by
Australia with 123 points, Pakistan with 103 points.
However, India has slipped to fourth position with 102
points.
Aug 13, 2014

84. Lok Sabha passes Judicial Appointment Bill
I. The National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill,
2014 was passed by voice vote along with one official
amendment.
II. Along with it, the 99th Constitution Amendment
Bill, which will give Constitutional status to the
proposed Commission, was passed by 367 in favour
and nil against.
III. Under the new law where a Commission will decide
appointment of judges to Supreme Court and High
Courts, seniority along with ability and merit will be
considered for elevation.
85. Major mathematics awards to two Indian
origin scientists
I. Two mathematicians of Indian origin, Manjul
Bhargava and Subhash Khot, are among the eight
winners of the prestigious awards of the International
Mathematical Union (IMU) that were announced at the
inaugural of the 9-day International Congress of
Mathematicians (ICM) which began today at Seoul,
Republic of Korea.
II. The President of Korea, Park Geun-hye, gave
away the awards.
NOTE
I. The ICM is held every four years and, traditionally,
the IMU awards are presented at this quadrennial
event.
II. The awards include the Fields Medal, the highest
award in mathematics, the Rolf Nevanlinna Prize and
the Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize.
86. UNHRC appointed members of Commission of
Inquiry to probe human rights violations in Gaza
I. United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on
12 August 2014 appointed three member to its
Commission of Inquiry to probe possible war crimes
and human rights violations during a month long
conflict in Gaza
II. The panel will also investigate human rights
violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory including
Jerusalem. The conflict on the Gaza strip began on 13
June 2014.
III. The commission will be headed by William
Schabas a Canadian international criminal law and
human rights professor at Middlesex University in
London.

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IV. The other two members include Amal Alamuddin
of United Kingdom (British-Lebanese lawyer,
specialising in international law and human rights)
and Doudou Diene of Senegal (was the United
Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of
racism, xenophobia and related intolerance from 2002
to 2008).
87. Miroslav Klose of Germany announced
retirement from International Football
I. Miroslav Klose of Germany announced his retirement
from international football.
II. He was the part of Germany team that won the
FIFA World Cup 2014 held in Brazil.
III. During the FIFA World Cup 2014, he scored 2
goals taking his total goals in all the editions of World
Cup to 16. With this he became the leading goal scorer
in World Cup overtaking 15 goals scored by Ronaldo of
Brazil.
NOTE I. He also is the all-time top scorer for Germany with
71 goals in 137 appearances.
88. TRAI proposes ownership curbs, independent
regulator for media
II. Indias telecom and media regulator on Tuesday
recommended an independent regulator for the media,
barring political parties and government departments
from entering either broadcasting or TV distribution
(through cable and direct-to-home, or DTH, TV), and
suggested a formula for calculating media dominance
that will likely affect at least some media companies in
some markets.
III. Trai hasrecommended restrictions on cross-media
ownership, but only if a media company has dominance
across print and television.
IV. The dominance will be calculated by the
Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), and be marketspecific, which could cause problems for some
companies in some markets.
89. Supreme Court gets four new Judges
Four new judges was sworn-in by the Chief Justice of
India R.M. Lodha today. The new judges areI. Senior advocate Uday Umesh Lalit, who hails from
Maharashtra joined the Bar in June 1983 is practising in
the apex court since 1986. He will have a tenure of
about eight years, including about months as the Chief

Justice of India in 2022 after the retirement of Justice
N.V. Ramana.
II. Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, who hails from
Madhya Pradesh became a Judge of Madhya Pradesh
High Court in 1999. Initially he was appointed Chief
Justice of Manipur and later shifted to Gauhati High
Court as its Chief Justice. He will have a tenure of over
five years.
III. Justice R. Banumathi, who hails from Tamil Nadu
was elevated as Judge of the Madras High Court on
April 3, 2003 and elevated as Chief Justice of
Jharkhand High Court in November 2013. She will be
first woman judge from Tamil Nadu to occupy the
highest judicial office. She will have a tenure of over six
years.
IV. Justice Prafull Chandra Pant, who hails from the
then undivided Uttar Pradesh became a Judge of
Uttarakhand High Court in 2004. He was appointed
Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court from September
2013. He will have a brief tenure of little over three
years.
Aug 14, 2014
90. PAK celebrates its 68th Independence Day.
i. Celebrating the 68th Independence of Pakistan,
Google has posted a doodle on the Pakistan homepage.
The doodle features the blooming flower-shaped
Pakistan Monument in Islamabad, Pakistan.
ii. As Pakistan celebrated its Independence Day on
Thursday, fear of violence loomed large with the capital
turned into a fortress ahead of two massive antigovernment rallies, demanding resignation of Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif and fresh elections.
iii. The two groups, led by cricketer-turned-politician
Imran Khan and Canada-based cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri,
plan to converge on Islamabad to press Sharif to call
an early election little over a year after his landslide
victory in the polls.
91. Himachal Pradesh selected to host First Paragliding World Cup in India
i. Paragliding World Cup Association selected Himachal
Pradesh as a venue to host the 2015 para-gliding World
Cup. This will be the first para-gliding World Cup to be
hosted in India. The tournament will be organised
under the aegis of Para-gliding World Cup Association,
France.

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ii. The information was disclosed by Urban
Development Minister Sudhir Sharma, who is also
Chairman of the Billing Paragliding Association on 13
August 2014.
iii. The World Cup will be hosted in Kangra district of
Himachal Pradesh from 24 October 2015 and will see
around 150 top ranked pilots of the world besides 500
free flying pilots as participants.
iv. Himachal got the chance to organise and host the
world cup event by the Paragliding World Cup
Association after successfully hosting the para-gliding
pre-World Cup in 2013.
92. Inflation at 5-month low of 5.19 per cent in
July
i. Inflation dipped to a five month low of 5.19 per cent
in July mainly on account of decline in prices of some
food articles, vegetables and protein rich items. It was
at 5.43 per cent last month and 5.84 per cent in July
2013.
ii. Inflation in the overall food articles basket, which
account for 14 per cent of the total Wholesale Price
Index (WPI), stood at 8.43 per cent. It was at 8.14 per
cent in June.
iii. Inflation in vegetables declined 1.27 per cent, and
for onion it was ()8.13 per cent on an annual basis in
July, as per the WPI data released on Thursday.
iv. However, potato prices shot up 46.41 per cent and
fruits 31.71 per cent during the month. Rate of price
rise in milk was at 10.46 per cent.
v. The BSE Sensex extended gains for the fourth
straight session on Thursday soaring by 184 points to
reclaim the 26,000-mark after two weeks as inflation
dropped to five-month low level and foreign capital
inflows rose.
93. Roger Federer advances with milestone
Masters match win
i. Roger Federer became the first man to win 300
matches at the ATP Masters 1000 level, beating Vasek
Pospisil 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-2 on Wednesday in
Cincinnati.
ii. The victory in just over two hours put the 33-yearold world number three into the third round of his final
tune-up tournament for the US Open.
iii. The Swiss great, who had notched his 200th
Masters match win against Lleyton Hewitt at Cincinnati
five years ago, arrived at the tournament he has won
five times off a runner-up finish to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in

Toronto.
94. Real Madrid won UEFA Super Cup in Cardiff
i. European champions and Spanish giant Real Madrid
football club on 13 August 2014 lifted the UEFA Football
Super Cup, the first European trophy of the season. To
lift the trophy, Real Madrid defeated Sevilla football
club, 2-0 in Cardiff, Wales. With this win, Madrid has 14
major European trophies.
ii. Both the goals were scored by Cristiano Ronaldo.
First goal was scored on the half-hour mark, whereas
the second goal was made after half-time.
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football match that is
played between the reigning champions of the two
main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions
League and the UEFA Europa League.
95. Life sentence to Sher Singh Rana for killing
Phoolan Devi
i. A Delhi court on Thursday pronounced life sentence
to lone convict Sher Singh Rana for the murder of
bandit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi in 2001.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Rana.
ii. Rana, 35, had been convicted under sections 302
(murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common
intention) of the IPC for murdering Phoolan at her
residence here on July 25, 2001.
iii. The prosecution had sought death penalty for Rana,
calling him a threat to society.
96. Asian Games torch unified with Incheon flame
i. The Asian Games torch was unified with the Incheon
flame in a colourful ceremony amidst huge fanfare at
the Incheon Culture and Arts Centre in Incheon on
Thursday.
ii. The torch relay started on Saturday from the
National Stadium in Delhi, the first venue of the
Games, and arrived in Incheon on Wednesday morning
after covering 5700 km.
iii. The flame was received by Mijito Vinto, third
secretary, Embassy of India, in the presence of
Ambassador Vishnu Prakash at the Incheon Culture and
Arts Centre. Hundreds of persons including a large
number of Korean dignitaries were present at the
occasion.

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97. Modi to announce ambitious financial
inclusion mission on Independence Day
i. India would be celebrating the 68th Independence
Day on 15th August 2014.
ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to unveil
an ambitious financial inclusion scheme on
Independence Day tomorrow to provide bank accounts
to 15 crore poor persons with an overdraft facility of Rs
5,000 and accident insurance of Rs 1 lakh.
iii. The-two phase "financial inclusion mission", which
has been approved by the Cabinet, will be formally
launched by Modi here at the end of this month,
sources said.
Aug 15-16, 2014
98. RBI cuts number of free cross-bank ATM
transactions to 3 per month
i. Frequent withdrawal of money from ATMs will
become expensive from November, with the RBI
imposing a limit of 3 transactions per month from ATMs
of other banks and 5 from the same bank in six
metropolitan cities.
ii. A customer will be required to pay a fee of up to Rs
20 for using Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) beyond
the permitted numbers of transactions in Delhi,
Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and
Hyderabad.
iii. The new guidelines, which were issued in pursuance
of a representation made to the central bank by Indian
Banks' Association, will come into effect from
November 1, 2014.
iv. "The number of mandatory free ATM transactions
for savings bank account customers at other banks
ATMs is reduced from the present 5 to 3 transactions
per month (inclusive of both financial and non-financial
transactions) for transactions done at the ATMs located
in 6 metro centres," RBI said in a notification.
v. With regard to own bank ATMs, RBI said that banks
will have to permit at least 5 free transactions per
month (both financial and non-financial).
vi. Banks have been allowed to charge a maximum
fee of Rs 20 per transaction beyond the stipulated
ceilings.
vii. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also made it clear
that the said reduction will not apply to small/no
frills/basic savings bank deposit account holders.
Note: i. Also, it will not be applicable for account

holders other than the six metro cities.
ii. The Reserve Bank said the cap on the number of
free ATM transactions have been imposed in view of
the growing cost of ATM deployment and maintenance
incurred by banks and also in view of rising interchange
outgo due to free usages.
99. Govt. launch Jan Dhan scheme to promote
financial inclusion
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 'Pradhan
Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana' to help the poor open bank
accounts which will come with the facility of a debit
card and an insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh.
ii. Observing that people have mobile phones but not
bank accounts, Modi said, the scheme will help in
bringing the benefits of formal banking system to
them.
iii. Under the Jan Dhan Yojana, he said, "the person
who will open bank account will get a debit card and
the family will get Rs 1 lakh insurance cover.
iv. The Union Cabinet has already cleared the twophase financial inclusion scheme under which bank
accounts will be opened for 15 crore poor persons with
an overdraft facility of Rs 5,000 and accident insurance
of Rs 1 lakh.
Note: i. The main features of the scheme include Rs
5,000 overdraft facility for Aadhar-linked
accounts, Ru Pay Debit Card with inbuilt Rs 1 lakh
accident insurance cover and minimum monthly
remuneration of Rs 5,000 to business correspondents
who will provide the last link between the account
holders and the bank.
ii. The scheme, to be pushed by the government in a
mission mode, seeks to provide two accounts to 7.5
crore identified households by August 2018.
100. Prime Minister Modi announces 'Sansad
Aadarsh Gram Yojana'
i. Prime Minister also announced the 'Sansad Aadarsh
Gram Yojna' on the occasion of Independence Day.
ii. Announcing the scheme for cleanliness drive, Modi
said, "There are several schemes under Prime
Minister's name. But today I announce a scheme under
Parliament's name, 'Sansad Aadarsh Gram Yojna'.
iii. The blue print of Sansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana will
be declared before the nation on October 11, the birth
anniversary of Jaiprakash Narain, he said.

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R.A.C.E
iv. Earlier, he also announced the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan
Dhan Yojna' for farmers, under which the farmers will
be given the insurance of one lakh rupees.
101. PM Modi inducts INS Kolkata, says it will
boost our military prowess
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday
commissioned INS Kolkata, India's largest indigenously
built warship, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.
ii. It is an advanced version, but significantly more
versatile, of the Delhi-Class ships INS Delhi, INS
Mysore and INS Mumbai which will add considerable
teeth to India's maritime warfare capabilities with allround capabilities against enemy submarines, surface
warships, anti-ship missiles and fighter aircraft.
iii. Defence minister Arun Jaitley and chief of naval
staff Admiral RK Dhowan were also present during the
ceremony.
iv. "INS Kolkata is entirely built in India and it is a
symbol of self-reliance," said Modi while addressing the
sailors at the commissioning ceremony.
v. The warship, constructed by the Mazagon Dockyards
Limited, has been designed by Navy's design bureau.
The 6,800 tonne warship is a technology demonstrator
and will showcase a giant leap in shipbuilding
technology in the country.
Note: The Prime Minister had dedicated India's largest
warship INS Vikramaditya to the nation in June in his
first outing after taking charge.
102. Govt re-launches Varishtha Pension Bima
Yojana
i. The government has re-launched the Varishtha
Pension Bima Yojana, for the benefit of citizens aged 60
years and above.
ii. The scheme will provide financial security to almost
half a million people by ensuring regular income during
their advancing year.
iii. After re-launching the scheme in New Delhi
yesterday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitely said it will
benefit the vulnerable section of society with limited
resources as it will provide monthly pension ranging
from 500 to 5,000 rupees per month to senior
citizens of the country.
Note: The Scheme will be administrated by the Life
Insurance Corporation, LIC.
103. Bhutan, Nepal two most peaceful countries

in South Asian region: GPI
i. Bhutan and Nepal are the two most peaceful
countries in the South Asian region.
ii. According to Global Peace Index, 2014 released
recently Bhutan stands at 16th position and Nepal
at 76th position.
iii. Banghladesh is ahead of India, Pakistan and
Afghanistan in terms of 'state of peace'.
iv. While Bangladesh occupied 98th position, India
was rated at 143, Pakistan 154, and Afghanistan at
161.
v. The Global Peace Index is the world's leading
measure of global peacefulness produced by the
Institute for Economics and Peace, gauging domestic
and international conflict, safety and security in 162
countries by using 22 indicators.
vi. Sri Lanka has been rated at 105th position.
Note: Iceland, Denmark and Austria were ranked
first, second and third respectively. India was rated
at 143.
104. Former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan to head
the Expenditure Management Commission
i. The Union Government decided to appoint former RBI
governor Bimal Jalan as the head of the Expenditure
Management Commission. ii. He would be tasked to
suggest ways for managing public finances by reducing
food, fertiliser and oil subsidies to include fiscal deficit.
Expenditure Management Commission
i. Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced
the setting up of an Expenditure Management
Commission in the Union Budget 2014-15 in July 2014.
ii. The purpose of setting up the commission is to cutoff the spending and review government expenditure to
get maximum output.
iii. The Commission will submit its interim report before
the Budget of 2015-16 and its final report before the
Budget of 2016-17.
105. Karnataka, Kerala sign MoU for rural
livelihood mission
i. Karnataka and Kerala governments have signed an
MoU for rural livelihood mission.
ii. The Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and
Panchyatraj, H K Patil, and the Kerala Chief Minister,

22
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Ommen Chandy, had signed the MoU on August 13 at
Thiruvanathapuram.
iii. As per the MoU, Kerala Governements
Kudumbashree and Karnataka State Rural Livelihood
Mission are to help train and hand-hold rural Self Help
Groups (SHGs) in Karnataka.
106. Gadkari announces 15,000 cr road projects
for UP, Haryana
i. Union Minister for Roads, Highways and Shipping
Nitin Gadkari on Friday announced Rs 15,000 crore
road projects in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
ii. The Centre would invest over 15,000 crore for
construction of roads in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
5,000 crore would be allotted for road projects in Uttar
Pradesh whereas Haryana would get 10,000 crore,
Gadkari at the foundation stone laying ceremony of a
flyover to be built over Yamuna river here.
iii. The Minister said the 200 crore flyover project,
stretching over 23 km, would connect Greater Noida
and Greater Faridabad.
iv. The flyover would be completed in two years. It
would help in the development of both the districts, he
said.
107. Ravichandran Ashwin nominated for 2014
Arjuna Award
i. Offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been nominated
for the 2014 Arjuna Award for his performances as
India's leading spinner.
ii. The Tamil Nadu player, who made his Test debut in
2011, was part of India's World Cup victory that year
and recently became the number one allrounder in the
ICC rankings.
iii. In the Test rankings, Ashwin displaced South
Africa's Vernon Philander at the number one spot.
iv. The 27-year-old Ashwin has been India's premier
offspinner for the last few years and he has taken 104
Test wickets from 20 matches and 106 scalps from 79
ODIs.
108. Delhi University professor Dr. Sunil Kumar
received Global South Award of IPSA
i. Delhi University professor Dr. Sunil Kumar received
Global South Award given by International Political
Science Association (IPSA). The award was given at the
23rd world congress of political science held in
Montreal, Canada.
ii. Dr. Kumar received the award in recognition of

outstanding work on the politics of the developing
world. He was awarded for his paper titled Changing
Landscape of Electoral Democracy and Political
Demography: A Study of 2014 General Elections in
India.
iii. He is an Associate Professor in Political Science
Department of Shyam Lal College of Delhi Univeristy.
iv. The first Global South Award was bagged by Aam
Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav in 2009.
109. China unveiled next generation ICBM
Dongfeng -41
i. China on 3 August 2014 unveiled its next generation
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Dongfeng
41 (DF-41).
ii. The missile with an operation range varying between
12000 km to 15000 km is amongst the worlds longest
range missiles.
iii. DF-41 with its long range has similar abilities to the
US rocketMinuteman, which has a range of 13000 km
or Russian RS-24M Yars.
iv. The DF-41 missile is a nuclear solid fuelled road
mobile intercontinental ballistic missile and the
weapons are meant for deterrence. Further it is
speculated that the DF-41 missiles will be able to carry
three nuclear warheads.
110. Maryam Mirzakhani became the first woman
to bag Fields Medal
i. Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian born mathematician,
became the first woman to win coveted Fields Medal on
13 August 2014 in Seoul, South Korea.
ii. The award recognized her contributions to the field
of geometry particularly in studying the symmetry of
curved surfaces such as spheres.
iii. Mirzakhanis work has implications for the study of
cryptography and prime numbers as well as for physics
and quantum field theory.
iv. She was one of four mathematicians who were
awarded the Fields Medal 2014. Three other awardees
were:
Artur Avila of the Institute of Mathematics of Jussieu,
for his contributions in Dynamical Systems Theory
Manjul Bhargava of Princeton University, for
developing new approach in the geometry of numbers
Martin Hairer of the University of Warwick, for his

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contributions to the Theory of Stochastic Partial
Differential Equations
111. Kush Kumar became first Indian player to
reach semi final of World Junior Squash
Championship
i. Kush Kumar on became the first Indian player to
reach the semi-final of World Junior Squash
Championship. The championship is being held in
Windhoek, Namibia.
ii. He achieved this feat when he defeated England's
George Parker 11-8, 11-8 in straight games in
quarterfinal of the WSF World Junior Individual Squash
Championship. From the outset, Kumar had a firm
control of the proceedings, getting his drive on
direction and drops to perfection.
Aug 17-18, 2014
112. Janmashtami' fervour grips nation
i. Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, is being
celebrated in various parts of the country today.
ii. The President, Vice President and Prime Minister
have greeted the people on the occasion.. In his
message, President Pranab Mukherjee said that Lord
Krishna's message of righteous conduct and action
inspires everyone to strengthen moral foundations of
the society and strive selflessly to take the country to
new heights
iii. Vice President Hamid Ansari said that Lord Krishna's
message of performing our duties with sincerity and
devotion, without attachment to the results of our
actions remains a pertinent principle for salvation of
humanity.
iv. In his message, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said,
may Lord Krishna bless people with peace, prosperity
and happiness.
113. Rajni Razdan takes over as new UPSC chief
i. Rajni Razdan on 16 August 2014 became the new
Chairperson of the Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC). She was appointed as Chairperson of UPSC by
the President Pranab Mukherjee on 14 August 2014.
ii. She replaced Prof. D P Agrawal who completed his
six-year tenure as Chairman of UPSC on 16 August
2014. He was appointed as Chairman of UPSC on 16
August 2008.
iii. She will serve as UPSC Chairperson for next six

years. She had joined as UPSC member on 19 April
2010.
114. India ranked 5th amongst top 10 wind
power producers: Report
i. India ranked fifth amongst top ten wind power
producers in the world by adding 1,700 MW capacity in
2013, a report said.
ii. China was the leading wind power producer by
adding 16,100 MW capacity in 2013, followed by USA,
Germany and Spain, Renewables 2014 Global Status
Report said.
iii. By the end of 2013, China, the US, Brazil, Canada
and Germany remained the top countries for total
installed renewable power capacity, the report said.
iv. According to the report, over the past few years the
costs of electricity generation from onshore wind and
particularly solar PV (photo-voltaic) have fallen sharply
which has resulted in an increase in wind and solar
power projects being built without public financial
support.
v. In terms of annual investment in the wind energy
sector and production, China ranked number one
followed by Germany, UK, India and Canada.
vi. Worldwide more than 35,000 MW wind power
capacity was added taking the total number to
3,18,000 MW in 2013 to which India contributed 1,700
MW.
115. HDFC Bank opens branch in Dubai
i. Expanding its global footprint, HDFC Bank has
opened a branch in Dubai to provide wealth
management services to large Indian diaspora in the
Gulf city.
ii. This is the banks third overseas branch after
Bahrain and Hong Kong, the bank said in a statement.
iii. In the United Arab Emirates, the second largest
private lender has representative offices in Dubai and
Abu Dhabi, and plans to continue running both of them,
it said.
iv. The new branch at Dubai International Finance
Centre (DIFC) will offer advisory services to NRIs
regarding treasury products, trade finance, loans and
other related services, it said.
v. The branches at Bahrain and Hong Kong offer
corporate, trade finance, loans and deposits to

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corporates and ultra high net worth individuals, it
added.
116. AFI president Sumariwala to be Chef-deMission for Asian Games
i. Athletics Federation of India President Adille
Sumariwala has been appointed the Chef-de-Mission of
the Indian contingent for next months Asian Games in
Incheon, South Korea.
Note: India won 65 medals in the 2010 Asian Games in
Guangzhou in China with 12 medals (5 gold, 2 silver, 5
bronze) coming from athletics.
117. Haryana Government increases age of
retirement from 58 to 60 years
i. The Haryana government announced a windfall for
the state governments employees which includes
raising the retirement age from 58 to 60 years, 25%
per cent increment in Dearness Allowance, full pension
after 20 years service, and various other benefits.
ii. After 58 years of service, the employee will be given
the option to either continue his service or seek
retirement.
118. Inflation dips to 5-month low of 5.19 % in
July
i. Wholesale inflation dropped to a 5-month low of 5.19
per cent in July this year, due to a fall in vegetable
prices compared to the same month last year.
ii. Wholesale Price inflation had stood at 5.43 percent
in June this year, and at 5.84 per cent in July last year,
according to data released by the government today.
iii. Inflation in the overall food articles basket rose to
8.43 percent in July this year. But vegetables prices as
a group actually declined 1.27 percent from last July,
although they were up 22.83 percent from June.
iv. Onion prices fell 8.13 per cent, year-on-year, in
July. But potato prices shot up 46.41 per cent, and
fruits surged 31.71 per cent in July. Inflation in
manufactured products stood at 3.67 percent.
119. Jayalalithaa appoints P.Venugopal as
Parliamentary party leader in LS
i. AIADMK Party Chief Jayalalithaa has appointed
A.Navaneethakrishnan as the leader of the
Parliamentary party in the Rajya Sabha and has
removed Dr.Maitreyan who had been holding the post
for quiet a long time.
ii. Maitreyan has also been removed from the post of

the leader of the Medical wing. Mrs. Sasikala Pushpa
has been named the Whip of the AIADMK party in the
Rajya Sabha.
iii. A press release from the party also stated that
Dr.P.Venugopal would be the leader of the AIADMK
Parliamentary party in the Lok Sabha .
iv. K.N.Ramachandran has been nominated as the whip
of the party in the Lok Sabha.
120. Jayawardene ends test career in nearperfect style
i. Mahela Jayawardene ended his illustrious 17-year
test career in near perfect style in the whitewash win
for Sri Lanka against Pakistan on Monday.
ii. A half-century at his home ground, another century
stand with his friend and favourite batting partner
Kumar Sangakkara, capped with his teammates
carrying him off the field on their shoulders.
iii. In retirement he will be preparing a special place in
his trophy cabinet for his 15-year test cap as he turns
his attention to playing at next years World Cup,
before quitting international cricket altogether.
iv. Jayawardene made his debut against India in 1997
as a 20-year-old and scored a half-century in his first
innings which largely went unnoticed because of Sri
Lankas record breaking 952-6 with Sanath Jayasuriya
(340) and Roshan Mahanama (225) in a 576-run
partnership.
121. Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall dead at 89
i. Legendary actress Lauren Bacall, an icon of
Hollywood's golden age who lit up the silver screen in a
series of classic movies opposite her husband
Humphrey Bogart, has died at the age of 89, her family
said.
ii. "With deep sorrow, yet with great gratitude for her
amazing life, we confirm the passing of Lauren Bacall,"
the Bogart estate Tuesday confirmed in a brief
statement on Twitter.
iii. US media reports said Bacall had died after
suffering a massive stroke at her home in New York
Tuesday morning.
iv. Born Betty Joan Perske "a nice Jewish girl from the
Bronx," as she later put it Bacall electrified Hollywood
in her 1944 screen debut "To Have and Have Not",
when she famously met Bogart and "taught him how to
whistle."

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Aug 19, 2014
122. PM invites ideas from people on new plan
body
i. Taking a step further towards scrapping the Planning
Commission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday
invited ideas from the people on the new institution to
replace the plan body.
ii. The government also announced creation of a
special open forum on the website mygov. Nic. In for
suggestions on the new institution.
iii. "We envision the proposed Institution as one that
caters to the aspirations of 21st century India and
strengthens participation of the States.... Let the ideas
flow," the Prime Minister said in a statement. It said,
"The Prime Minister has invited ideas from people on
what shape the new institution to replace the Planning
Commission can take."
iv. Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on
Independence Day, Modi had said that the 64-year old
Planning Commission, a vestige of socialist era, would
be soon replaced with a new institution to address the
current economic challenges and strengthen the federal
structure.
v. "We need a new body with a new soul.... We will
have to think about giving a new shape to the Planning
Commission.... Very soon this new institute will start
working in place of Planning Commission," Modi had
said.
123. ICICI Bank offers EMI on debit cards
i. ICICI Bank, the countrys largest private sector bank,
has launched EMI (equated monthly instalments)
facility on debit cards to enable its customers to
convert their high value transactions into easy
instalments.
ii. The private lender has tied up with Samsung India
to offer this facility across 9,000 stores in the country,
including large format retailers, multi-brand outlets and
standalone stores, for purchase of Samsung products
like mobile phones, tablets and consumer electronics,
among others.
iii. The bank is the first in the country to
introduce this facility, ICICI Bank said in a
statement.
iv. ICICI Bank debit cardholders having fixed deposits
with the bank can avail themselves of this facility to
buy products on EMIs of 3, 6, 9 or 12 months.s
124. Ravi Shastri appointed as the Director of

Indian Cricket Team
i. The Board of Cricket Control India (BCCI) appointed
Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri as the Director of
Indian Cricket Team on 19 August 2014. The decision
came after seeing defeat of Indian Cricket Team in Test
series against England.
ii. Ravi Shastri would be assisting the team for the
upcoming ODI series (25 August 2014-5 September
2014) and a single Twenty-20 (7 September 2014)
against England. He would be handling overall cricket
affairs of the team. However, Duncan Fletcher will
continue to serve as the head coach of the team.
125. Chhattisgarh to develop marine fossil park in
Manendragarh
i. Chhattisgarh government had proposed to set up a
marine Fossil Park in Manendragarh area of Koriya
district.
ii. The department of forests of the state government
would develop the park in Amakherwa area of
Manendragarh in Koriya district -- located in the
Northern part of Chhattisgarh.
iii. The presence of marine fossil was first discovered
by the forest officials during the visit in the area
located in the Northern part of the state.
iv. According to forest officials, the scientists had
confirmed the presence of Fossil and suggested to the
state government to develop the area as Geoheritage
centre.
126. Australia, Japan to assist India in civilian
nuclear deal
i. Australia are soon expected to be the new entrant in
the club of cooperating countries with India in the civil
nuclear sector.
ii. Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) official told
Business Standard'', Japan is the leading producer
of turbine required for 1,000 MW capacity.
iii. The civil nuclear deal will be mutually helpful to
both India and Japan. While Japan can tap huge
business potential in India's nuclear sector, India will
certainly benefit from the equipment which is not
available generally.''
iv. As far as India's civil nuclear deal with Australia is
concerned, the official said Australia with huge uranium
reserves will be able to meet India's future supplies.

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v. Australia holds about a third of the world's
recoverable uranium resources, and exports nearly
7,000 tonnes a year.
vi. The official informed that so far India since 2005
onwards has entered into civil nuclear agreements with
the US, Mangolia, Australia, Namibia, Argentina, UK,
Canada, Kazakhstan and South Korea.
127. Google buys travel guide app startup Jetpac
i. Google confirmed that it has bought the startup
behind a Jetpac mobile application that creates
insightful travel guides by analyzing pictures from
social networks such as Instagram.
ii. Jetpac said that its application would be removed
from Apple's online App Store in the days ahead and
that it would stop supporting the software in the middle
of September.
iii. Jetpac was founded about three years ago and is
based in San Francisco.
128. Roger Federer won Cincinnati Tennis Open
i. World number three tennis player, Roger Federer of
Switzerland won Cincinnati Tennis Open, also called
Western & Southern Open.
ii. He defeated David Ferrer of Spain 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 in
the final played in Cincinnati, US. This was sixth
Cincinnati title for 33-year-old Federer and was the first
Masters title for Federer since 2012.
iii. With this, he became the third oldest winner to win
Cincinnati Open after Ken Rosewall (35 in 1970), Andre
Agassi (34 in 2004). Besides, he also became the third
player in the Open Era to reach the 80 titles landmark,
joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Ivan Lendl (94).
129. Founder of Delhi Gymkhana Club Dilbagh
Singh died at 81
i. Dilbagh Singh, the noted club cricketer and founder
of Delhi Gymkhana Club, died on 18 August 2104. He
was 81. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a
daughter.
ii. His younger son Bantu Singh also was a dependable
middle-order batsman who played for Delhi during the
mid 80's to early 90's and has also captained the side.
130. Humiliating defeat against England puts
India to 5th position in ICC Rankings
i. With a humiliating defeat in the test series against
England, India has been relegated to fifth position
behind South Africa, Australia, England and Sri Lanka

in the latest ICC Test team rankings.
ii. The latest ICC Test ranking was released in Dubai
today.
South Africa leads the ICC Test team ranking with 124
points followed by Australia with 123 points, England
with 104 points and Sri Lanka with 101 points.
iii. A pathetic display in England has pushed the Men in
Blue to the fifth position in the ranking table. No Indian
batsman or bowler has been able to find a place in top
ten.
Aug 20, 2014
131. K V Thomas takes over as new PAC
Chairman
i. Senior Congress leader K V Thomas today took over
as the new Chairman of Parliaments Public Accounts
Committee.
ii. The key committee, which examines CAG reports
after they are tabled in Parliament, will hold its first
meeting next week.
iii. The post of the PAC Chairman is held by a senior
member of the Opposition party. Murli Manohar Joshi
(BJP) was the Chairman of the PAC in the last Lok
Sabha.
Note: i. The PAC, constituted every year, consists of
not more than 22 members 15 members elected by
the Lok Sabha and not more than seven members from
the Rajya Sabha.
ii. The PACs controversial 2011 draft report on the 2G
scam, which had strongly indicted former Telecom
Minister A Raja and come down heavily on the PMO and
the Cabinet Secretariat for not taking corrective
action, continued to be on its unfinished agenda for
three years.
132. Yoga guru BKS Iyengar passes away
i. World-renowned yoga guru and founder of the
Iyengar School of Yoga BKS Iyengar passed away here
early this morning following illness.
ii. 96-year-old Iyengar had been ailing since some time
and was admitted to a private hospital here a week
back. He was put on dialysis after his condition
worsened two days back.He breathed his last at 3.15
am.
iii. Iyengar, honoured with Padma Vibhushan, is
survived by a son and daughter.

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133. HDFC Bank accorded most valued brand
i. HDFC Bank with a brand value of $ 9.4bn is Indias
most valuable brand according to the first edition of the
BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indian Brands ranking
that was announced in Mumbai today.
ii. At pole position, HDFC Banks valuation was much
higher than telecom major Airtel at $ 8.2 bn that
occupied the second spot.
iii. Other banking sector leaders like State Bank
of India (SBI) at $ 6.8 bn were placed at number
three with ICICI Bank ($ 3.53 billion) at fourth position.
iv. The combined brand value of all the 50 top brands
in the ranking was about $70bn.
Note: The study, undertaken by marketing and brand
consultancy Millward Brown in conjunction with the
WPP Group, claims to be the only one in India that
takes into account consumer opinions of brands to
calculate the contribution that product brands make to
business success.
134. IDBI donates Rs9 cr to build toilets in rural
schools
i. The IDBI Bank has donated Rs 9 crore towards the
building of 300 gender-segragated toilets in schools
close to the banks branches in rural and semi-urban
areas.
ii. IDBI CMD M.S. Raghavan said this was the Banks
contribution to the Swachh Bharat Mission announced
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day.
iii. This was part of its CSR initative, he said, lauding
the national mission which was sure to go a long way
to improve health and sanitation facilities for rural India
and encourage the girl childs education.
135. 2015-16 to be observed as Water
Conservation Year: Uma Bharti
i. Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti has stressed
the need for interlinking of rivers to save excess water
from floods.
ii. Speaking at an International Seminar in New Delhi
today, Ms Bharti said that her Ministry has finalized 30
river interlinking projects which will be implemented in
the next 10 years.
iii.The Union Cabinet has recently approved the KenBetwa link.
iv. She said that interlinking is being done keeping in
view the aqua life and ecological balance.
136. TCS and Bharti Foundation announced to

spend 200 crore rupees for Clean India Campaign
i. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Bharti
Foundation announce to spend 200 crore rupees
for Clean India Campaign.
ii. TCS has decided to provide hygienic sanitation
facilities in 10000 schools for girl students. On the
other hand, Bharti Foundation (development arm of
Bharti Enterprises) decided to build toilets in Ludhiana
in next three years covering every rural household.
iii. This initiative of Bharti Foundation is part of Satya
Bharti Abhiyan where in it will invest in improving
sanitation facilities in government schools in rural
Ludhiana by building new toilets for girls where no such
facilities exist.
137. Indian neuroscientist Partha Mitra awarded
research grant to map the human brain
i. Partha Mitra, an Indian neuroscientist in the United
States, was awarded Early Concept Grants for
Exploratory Research (EAGER) to map the human brain
on 19 August 2014 under President Barack Obamas
multi-year BRAIN Initiative.
ii. Brain Research through Advancing Innovative
Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) is an Initiative by the US
government to identify brain structures.
iii. Partha Mitra was awarded this grant along with
Florin Albeanu, a researcher at the National Science
Foundation. With this grant, they would develop a
virtual neuroanatomist, an artificial-intelligence system
that can recognize neural structures and cell types in
tiny images of brain slices. They would also be
developing conceptual and physical tools that may help
to promote neuroscience.
138. Hindu eco-temple opens in London
i. A Hindu temple, claiming to be the world's first 'ecotemple' featuring solar panels and a rainwater
harvesting system, has been opened in northwest
London in the UK.
ii. The ornate Shree Swaminarayan Mandir in
Kingsbury combines traditional Indian architecture,
intricate carvings and masterful artistry with green
technology.The temple opened yesterday.
iii. Mayor of London Boris Johnson described the new
temple and facilities as stunning and impressive during
his recent visit to the temple.

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139. India and Czech Republic signed MoU on
technical cooperation in Railway
i. India and Czech Republic on 19 August 2014 signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) on technical
cooperation in railway sector. This MoU was signed
between the Union Ministry of Railways and Czech
Railways (Ceske Drahy) of the Czech Republic and
Association of Czech Railway Industry (ACRI) of the
Czech Republic.
ii. The MoU was signed at Rail Bhawan in New Delhi by
Chairman of Railway Board, Arunendra Kumar and
Ambassador of Czech Republic, Miloslav Stasek.
140. Jammu and Kashmir to host Football
Federation Cup in August 2015
i. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced
on 18 August 2014 that Jammu and Kashmir will host
Football Federation Cup in August 2015.
About Federation Cup
i. The Federation Cup is an annual club level football
tournament of India. It was started in 1977.
ii. Presently it is the most important club tournament
after the I-League to which it has become a de facto
League Cup. The winning club of the Federation Cup
gets a chance to compete in the continental level in
AFC Cup.
iii. The current holders of the Federation Cup are
Churchill Brothers which defeated Sporting Clube de
Goa by 31 in the 2014 final held in Kochi.
141. Dutch teenager Max Verstappen to become
youngest Formula One driver
i. Max Verstappen of Netherlands will become the
youngest Formula One (F1) driver in the F1 history
when he will compete for the 2015 season. For the
2015 season he will make the F1 debut with Scuderia
Toro Rosso
ii. Verstappen currently racing in Formula Three is the
son of former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen, who
had contested for 106 Grands Prix for teams such as
Benetton and Tyrrell between 1994 and 2003.
iii. The youngest driver to earn a Championship point is
Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat, who was 19 when he
finished ninth in this season's opening race in Australia.
The Russian will be Verstappen's team-mate in 2015.
Aug 21, 2014
142. Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha elected new PM of

Thailand
i. Thailand coup leader, Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha,
has been elected Prime Minister of Thailand.
ii. He was backed by 191 members of the 197-strong
junta-picked national assembly, with three abstentions
and three voters absent. No assembly member
opposed the selection of the army chief, who was the
sole candidate for the post.
iii. Prayuth seized power from an elected government
in a bloodless coup on May 22nd, shortly after Yingluck
Shinawatra was dismissed as Prime Minister in a
controversial court ruling.
Note: Prayuth seized power from an elected
government in a bloodless coup on May 22nd, shortly
after Yingluck Shinawatra was dismissed as Prime
Minister in a controversial court ruling.
143. Bangladesh to join BRICS Bank
i. Bangladesh has decided to join the newly formed
BRICS Bank, an initiative of the world's five emerging
economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa.
ii. This was informed to news reporters by Finance
Minister A.M.A. Muhith last evening. Talking to our
correspondent, the Finance Minister said the Ministry
had sent letters to Bangladesh Missions in the five
countries to know about the details of joining the bank.
iii. The Finance Minister also said that he had earlier
expressed willingness of Bangladesh to join the BRICS
Bank to Indian High Commissioner, Pankaj Saran.
Note: Named as 'New Development Bank', BRICS Bank
was formed after an agreement was signed by BRICS
countries during July, 2014 Summit in Brazil, with the
aim at easing financing constraints faced by BRICS and
other developing countries to address infrastructure
gaps and sustainable development needs.
144. RBI issues guidelines for NBFCs on lending
against shares
i. To reduce volatility in the capital market arising from
non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) offloading
shares pledged by borrowers who have defaulted on
loans, the Reserve Bank of India on Thursday
introduced a minimum set of guidelines on lending
against shares.
ii. According to the guidelines applicable to NBFCs with
asset size of Rs. 100 crore and above, the NBFCs

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have to maintain a loan-to-value (of shares
pledged) of 50 per cent and accept only Group 1
securities as collateral for loans of a value more
than Rs. 5 lakh.
iii. All NBFCs with asset size of Rs. 100 crore and
above should report online to stock exchanges
information on the shares pledged in their favour by
borrowers to avail themselves of loans.
iv. RBI said the NBFCs also have to ensure that these
do not in any way come in the way of meeting the
requirements of genuine borrowers. The guidelines
come into effect immediately.
145. PM dedicates Ranchi-Dharamjaygarh-Sipat
transmission line to the nation
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today dedicated to the
nation the Ranchi-Dharamjaygarh-Sipat 765kv interregional power transmission line in Jharkhand.
ii. This line is the first inter-regional link between
eastern region and western region, an official
statement said.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the
commencement of work at state-run NTPCs thermal
power plant (3x660 MW) at North Karanpura at Chatra
in Jharkhand.
iii. Central transmission utility Power Grid Corporation
has implemented the Ranchi-Dharamjaygarh-Sipat
inter-regional transmission line at a total cost
of Rs. 1,600 crore.
iv. Two new sub-stations have been built at Ranchi in
Jharkhand and Dharamjaygarh in Chhattisgarh, the
statement added.
146. Squash Legend of Pakistan Hashim Khan
died
i. Squash Legend of Pakistan Hashim Khan died. He
died due to congestive heart failure. He was believed to
be 100. He died at his home in Aurora, Colorado.
ii. He was born in Nawakille near Peshawar in Pakistan
in 1916.
iii. In 1942, Khan became a squash coach at a British
Air Force officers' mess. In 1944, he won the first Allof-India squash championship in Bombay, and
successfully defended this title for the next two years.
iv. When Pakistan became an independent state, he
was appointed a squash professional at the Pakistan Air
Force, and won the first Pakistani squash championship
in 1949.
147. Australian Cyril Baldock is oldest to swim

English Channel
i. Australian Cyril Baldock has set the world record for
the oldest person to swim the English Channel.
ii. The 70 year old Bondi Surf Life Saving Club member
completed the swim between England and France in 12
hours and 45 minutes yesterday.
iii. It was his second Channel swim, after first
completing the test considered the Everest of
swimming in 1985, when he became the fifth Australian
to do so.
Aug 22, 2014
148. RBI projects 5.5 % GDP growth during
current fiscal
i. The Reserve Bank has said the economy is likely to
grow at 5.5 per cent in the current fiscal as it sees
pick-up in manufacturing and investment.
ii. As per the RBIs annual report for the Financial Year
2013-14 released yesterday, there are signs of
improvement in mining and manufacturing activity,
expected pick-up in investments, improved external
demand and stabilizing global commodity prices.
iii. The RBI also said that its surplus for the Financial
Year 2014 fiscal declined 14.75 per cent to 52,679
crore rupees as its interest income from investments in
foreign sovereign bonds declined during the year even
as its investments increased.
149. Arvind Subramanian all set to be the Chief
Economic Advisor (CEA).
i. The Modi Government is likely to name Arvind
Subramanian, the Dennis Weatherstone Senior Fellow
at the Peterson Institute for International Economics
and senior fellow at the Centre for Global Development
as its Chief Economic Advisor (CEA).
ii. The CEAs post has been vacant since last
September after Dr. Raghuram Rajan took over as
Reserve Bank Governor.
iii. The Modi Government that has the economys
revival high on its agenda presented its maiden Budget
last month without a full-time senior economist onboard.
iv. The appointment could also give the Centres war
on food price rise a key strategist as the CEA normally
heads the Inter-Ministerial Group on inflation, of course
if the Modi Government decides to retain it

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150. Import duty of sugar hiked from 15 to 25
per cent
i. Government today hiked the import duty on raw and
refined sugar from 15 per cent to 25 per cent to help
the sugar industry clear cane arrears to farmers.
ii. The hike in duty is aimed at curbing import of sugar
and improving the bearish sentiment in domestic
market.
iii. The sugar imports have been putting pressure on
domestic prices and have prevented millers from
clearing cane arrears to farmers.
iv. However the move is expected to make the
sweetener costlier for the common man.
151. B'desh to set up exclusive Economic Zone for
Japan
i. Bangladesh has decided to set up an Exclusive
Economic Zone for Japan to attract investors and
entrepreneurs. Ii. Commerce Minister Tofail
Ahmed told this to reporters last evening after a
meeting with visiting Japanese Vice Minister for
Economy, Trade and Industry.
iii. The first Bangladesh-Japan Public-Private Economic
Dialogue aimed at deepening economic and commercial
co-operation was held in Dhaka yesterday.
iv. Japan has been moving investment away from
China after adoption of "China plus One" policy in 2008
to reduce over dependence on Beijing. Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina during her visit to Japan in May, 2014
had offered 40 industrial plots in the Export Processing
Zones to Japan.
v. The Commerce Minister told reporters that the
allocation of the Exclusive Economic Zone will be
finalised during the forthcoming visit of the Japanese
Premier to Bangladesh on 6th September.
152. Hockey India inducts Madhya Pradesh as
new Associate Member
i. Hockey India on Thursday added its 23rd associate
member by welcoming on board Hockey Madhya
Pradesh under its wings.
ii. Prior to being the associate member of Hockey
India, Hockey Madhya Pradesh was known as Madhya
Pradesh Hockey Association, HI said in a statement.
iii. Speaking on the newly formed Hockey Madhya
Pradesh, HI Secretary General Narinder Batra said, "I
welcome Hockey Madhya Pradesh to the family of
Hockey India and we look forward to them to

continuing their commendable work that they have
been doing since their inception as Madhya Pradesh
Hockey Association.
Note:i. Hockey India currently has 25 permanent, 23
associate, 2 members through State Olympic
Associations, 6 Academy members and 1 Hoc-Key
Member.
ii. Nitin Dhimole is the President and Lok Bahadur is
the General Secretary of the Hockey Madhya Pradesh.
153. Lifter Rahul bags first gold for India at Youth
Olympics
i. Weightlifter Ragala Venkat Rahul bagged India's first
medal of the second Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing,
China on Thursday.
ii. In the 77 kg category, Rahul won the Silver by lifting
141 kgs in Snatch, and 175 kgs in Clean and Jerk to
finish with a total of 316 kgs. This was also India's first
medal in Weightlifting in Youth Olympics.
iii. India had won eight medals, 6 Silver and 2 Bronze,
in the inaugural Youth Olympics in 2010 in Singapore.
154. India maintain its 2nd position in ICC ODI
team rankings
i. India has maintained its second position in the latest
ICC ODI team rankings after Australia despite not
having played ODIs for quite some time.
ii. Australia has 115 points while India has 112 points
followed closely by South Africa and Sri Lanka with 111
points each.
iii. Among the batsmen, Virat Kohli is placed third while
skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is sixth and Shikhar
Dhawan is ranked eleventh in the ranking list.
iv. Hashim Amla is at the top followed by AB Devillliers.
Amoong the bowlers, Indias Ravindra Jadeja is placed
fifth while Ashwin is at 18th place.
Aug 23, 2014
155. T M Bhasin elected as Chairman of Indian
Banks Association
i. T M Bhasin was elected as Chairman of Indian Banks
Association (IBA) . He will be the Chairman of IBA for
2014-15.T M Bhasin is the chairman and managing
director of Indian Bank. He replace KR Kamath.
ii. Besides, Chanda Kochhar who is ICICI Bank's
managing director, Arun Kaul, CMD of UCO Bank and S

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L Bansal who is the head of Oriental Bank of Commerce
have been elected as the deputy chairpersons of the
association. Arundhati Bhattacharya, chairperson of
State Bank of India was elected as Honorary Secretary
of IBA for 2014-15.
Note: K R Kamath, who is the chairman and managing
director of Punjab National Bank, was the previous
chairman of this Association. K R Kamath was chairman
for two consecutive tenures, that is, 2012-13 and
2013-14.
About Indian Banks Association
i. The Indian Banks' Association (IBA) was formed on
the 26 September 1946 with 22 members. As on 1
April 2014 IBA has 189 members.
ii. Homi P Mody was the First Chairman of IBA.
iii. IBA is an association of Indian banks and financial
institutions. It is based in Mumbai.
iv. The members comprises of Public Sector Banks,
Private Sector Banks, Foreign Banks having offices in
India and Urban Co-operative Banks.
156. RBI notifies increase in deposit money under
PPF
i. RBI has notified the increase in deposit money under
Public Provident Fund, PPF to 1.5 lakh rupees from 1
lakh rupees.
ii. This is in pursuance to an announcement made by
the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley earlier this month.
After the new ruling, people can now deposit up to 1.5
lakh rupees annually in their PPF account. The Finance
Minister had raised the investment limits in tax saving
schemes with an aim to encourage household savings.
157. INS Kamorta Anti-submarine corvette
inducted into the Navy
i. INS Kamorta, an indigenously built anti-submarine
warfare corvette, was inducted into the Eastern Fleet of
the Indian Navy on Saturday.
ii. INS Kamorta is the first of four ASW stealth
corvettes designed by the Navys in-house
organisation, the Directorate of Naval Design (DND),
under Project 28, with around 90 per cent indigenous
components. Measuring 110 meters in length, 14
meters in breadth and displacing 3,500 tonnes, the
ship can achieve speeds of 25 knots.
iii. The ship is fitted with anti-submarine rockets and
torpedoes, medium and close-in weapon systems, and
an indigenous surveillance radar.
158. Eminent Kannada writer UR Anantha Murthy

passes away
i. Eminent Kannada writer and Jnanpith Award winner
UR Anantha Murthy, 82, passed away here on Friday.
ii. Anantha Murthy, a writer and critic, was considered
one of the pioneers of the Navya movement in Kannada
literature.
iii. He is the sixth person among eight recipients of the
Jnanpith Award for the Kannada language. In 1998, he
was conferred the Padma Bhushan.
iv. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma
Gandhi University in Kottayam, Kerala, during the late
1980s.
Note: i. Anantha Murthy was one of the finalists of Man
Booker International Prize in 2013.
ii. His important literary works
include Samskara and Avasthe (both of which were
made into movies and won several
awards), Bhava and Bharathi Pura. He has also written
numerous short stories.
iii. Several of his novels and short fictions have been
made into movies. One of his short stories, Bara, was
also made into a movie by renowned director MS
Sathyu.
159. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Seenchayi Yojana
i. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Seenchayi Yojana was
announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi . The
Yojna has been announced to meet the irrigation needs
of all farmers across the country. Sum of 1000 crore
rupees has been allocated for implementation of the
scheme.
Background
Earlier, the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Seenchayi Yojana
was proposed in the Lok Sabha on 10 July 2014 by
Arun Jaitley, the Union Finance Minister in his maiden
Budget Speech. The scheme was planned to provide
assured irrigation to mitigate risk to the farmer since
bulk of the farm lands are rain fed and it depends on
monsoon.
160. 20th edition of annual Delhi Book Fair begins
in New Delhi
i. Twentieth edition of annual Delhi Book Fair began at
Pragati Maidan in New Delhi today. Theme of the nineday event is 'Literature in Cinema'.

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ii. Around 530 stalls have been set up and 300
publishers are participating in the event. Online
booking option to avoid queue and ten air-conditioned
buses to ferry visitors from different gates of Pragati
Maidan to exhibition halls have been arranged.
iii. Conferences, seminars, painting competitions, book
launches and debates have also been planned. Fair is
being jointly organised by India Trade Promotion
Organisation (ITPO) and Federation of Indian
Publishers(FIP). Entry charge for adult is 20 rupees and
for children 10 rupees.
161. Weightlifter Ragala Venkat Rahul won first
gold for India at Youth Olympics
i. Weightlifter Ragala Venkat Rahul on 22 August 2014
bagged Silver medal in the 77 kg category by lifting
141 kg in Snatch and 175 kg in Clean and Jerk to finish
with a total of 316 kg. With this, Rahul won India's first
medal of the second Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing,
China.
ii. Silver medal of Rahul was also India's first medal in
Weightlifting in Youth Olympics. It was also his
personal best performance in the total lift, which was
six kg more than he did at the 2013 Asian Youth
Games held in Nanjing.
iii. Apart from this, Maymon Poulose in the 110 meter
hurdles and Mithra Varun in the discus throw qualified
for the Final-A stage, which is the second stage.
162. Veteran CPI-M leader Amitava Nandy died at
71
i. Veteran Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)
leader Amitava Nandy died in Kolkata. He was 71 and
was suffering from cancer in pancreas.
ii. He was a Member of Parliament of 14th Lok Sabha
(2004-09).
iii. He represented the Dum Dum constituency in North
24 Parganas of West Bengal and was a member of the
Communist Party of India (Marxist) political party.
163. Guru Hanuman Akhara chosen for 2014
Rashtritya Khel Protsahan Puraskar
i. Guru Hanuman Akhara, a Delhi-based wrestling
academy was chosen for the 2014 Rashtritya Khel
Protsahan Puraskar (RKPP) . The Akhara was chosen in
the category of establishment and management of
sports academies of excellence.
ii. Rashtritya Khel Protsahan Puraskar will be given on

29 August 2014 at the National Sports Awards function
by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee along with
Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand awards.
Other awardees of Rashtritya Khel Protsahan
Puraskar are
i. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (employment of
sports persons and sports welfare measures)
ii. Jindal Steel Works (community sports
identification and nurturing of budding/young talent)
iii. Child Link Foundation of India Magic Bus (other
forms of sports activities not covered in the categories
mentioned in the schemes)
164. Afghanistan celebrated 95th Independence
Day
i. Afghanistan celebrated its 95th Independence Day on
19 August 2014. It is celebrated to mark the signing of
the 1919 Anglo-Afghan treaty, which gave the country
complete independence from British Empire.
ii. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this eve
greeted Afghanistans President Hamid Karzai on behalf
the Government and people of India.
Aug 24-25, 2014
165. Textiles Ministry, Flipkart join hands for
handloom weavers
i. Textiles Ministry today inked a pact with homegrown
e-retailing major Flipkart to provide an online
marketing platform to handloom weavers across the
country, an initiative to boost the handloom sector,
empower the weavers and uplift manufacturing in the
country.
ii. Textiles Minister Santosh Gangwar, who was present
on the occasion, emphasised that the focus of this
association should be to help weavers and weaver
entrepreneurs to produce products in tune with the
buyer requirements and grow them significantly so that
they may become manufacturers not only at a local but
also at a national level.
iii. This (MoU) will help us reach out to thousands of
weavers across India... Through this initiative we are
giving a direct platform to the weavers to reach out to
the customers. There will be no middlemen.
iv. The customer will get access to variety of products
across India. Flipkart will help them (weavers) to list on
the marketplace, Ankit Nagori, Vice President
Marketplace at Flipkart.

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166. 'Gandhi' filmmaker Richard Attenborough
dies at 90
i. Oscar-winning British filmmaker Richard
Attenborough, renowned for his critically-acclaimed
biopic on Mahatma Gandhi, has died at the age of 90.
ii. Lord Attenborough won an Academy Award for best
director for 'Gandhi', one of many highlights of a
distinguished career that spanned six decades, on both
sides of the camera.
iii. One of Britain's leading actors before becoming a
highly successful director, he appeared in films like
'Brighton Rock', World War II prisoner of war thriller
'The Great Escape' and later in blockbuster 'Jurassic
Park' as a theme park developer.
167. U.S. Open Tennis Championships begins
today
i. The U.S. Open Tennis Championships begin today.
Serena Williams, who opens her quest for a third
successive US Open title with a meeting against fellow
African American Taylor Townsend tomorrow, said
Arthur Ashe would have been proud.
ii. On Arthur Ashe Kids' Day that drew legions of young
hopefuls to the National Tennis Center on Saturday,
Williams pondered the significance of her clash against
the 18-year-old Townsend and the legacy of Ashe,
whose name graces the center court stadium.
168. Indira Sivasailam Endowment Award for T
M. Krishna
i. Carnatic vocalist T. M. Krishna has been chosen for
the fifth Indira Sivasailam Endowment Medal and
Concert.
ii. The fifth Indira Sivasailam Endowment Concert will
be held at The Music Academy in Chennai on
September 25 during the Navaratri season.
iii. The artist is selected by a panel comprising
members from the Endowments Committee of The
Music Academy and Ms. Mallika Srinivasan (Chairman TAFE Limited), daughter of late A. Sivasailam (Former
Chairman - Amalgamations Limited) and late Indira
Sivasailam.
iv. Every year, the Indira Sivasailam Endowment Fund
recognizes an outstanding Carnatic musician based on
an established set of criteria.
i. Gandhinagar-based Gujarat Energy Research and

Management Institute (GERMI) Director, Prof T
Harinarayana has been conferred with Energy and
Environment Foundation Global Excellence Award-2014
in Renewable Energy Sector on August 21.
170. Maharashtra Gov K Sankaranarayanan quits
i. Maharashtra governor K Sankaranarayanan resigned
from his office on 24 August 2014. He tendered his
resignation in the backdrop of being transferred to
Mizoram. He refused to take charge of his new
assignment. His tenure would have ended in 2017.
171. RN Ravi appointed new chief of Joint
Intelligence Committee
i. Government has cleared the name of R N Ravi as the
new chief of Joint Intelligence Committee, a body
tasked to assess intelligence gathered by various
intelligence agencies including IB and RAW
ii. Ravi, a 1976 batch IPS officer from Kerala, who
retired in 2012 as Special Director of Intelligence
Bureau, will hold the charge for next three years in the
rank and pay of a Secretary to the Government. The
JIC functions under the National Security Council
Secretariat.
Aug 26, 2014
172. Four new Governors appointed
i. Kalyan Singh has been appointed Governor of
Rajasthan
ii. Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala appointed Governor of
Karnataka
iii. Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao has been appointed
Governor of Maharashtra and
iv. Mridula Sinha appointed Governor of Goa.
ii. Maharashtra Governor's post fell vacant yesterday
when incumbent K Sankaranarayanan resigned after he
was transferred to Mizoram.
iii. Post of the Governor of Karnataka has remained
vacant since July end when former Law Minister H R
Bhardwaj had completed his five year tenure while the
post of Rajasthan Governor fell vacant after Margaret
Alva completed her tenure early this month.
iv. Goa Governor's post fell vacant when former SPG
chief B V Wanchoo resigned last month.
173. Kerala Governor Sheila Dikshit resigns
169. Renewable energy award for GERMI director

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i. Kerala Governor Sheila Dikshit tendered her
resignation on Tuesday, a day after she met President
Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
ii. The former Delhi chief minister was appointed the
Governor of Kerala by the UPA-II government about
five months ago.
iii. Ms. Dikshit said she will speak on the issue only
after she gets an official word on the acceptance of the
resignation.
174. EPFO retains interest rate on provident fund
at 8.75%
i. Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has
decided to retain interest rate on provident fund at
8.75 percent for the current fiscal.
ii. A decision in this regard was taken at the meeting of
the Central Board of Trustees, the apex decision
making body of the EPFO, in New Delhi today.
175. Indian origin Seema Malhotra appointed as
Shadow Minister in U.K.
i. Indian Origin Seema Malhotra was appointed as
Shadow Minister in U.K. on 25 August 2014. Seema
Malhotra became the first MP from any party to be
shadow Minister.
ii. She belonged to Labour Party. Labour Party
appointed Seema Malhotra to tackle domestic violence
and related issues and to prevent violence against
women and girls.
iii. She will replace Helen Jones. Helen Jones resigned
from the post of Shadow Minister in July 2014.
176. Shiv Nadar gets ICSI award for corporate
governance
i. Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has
bestowed the ICSI Life Time Achievement Award 2013
for Excellence in Corporate Governance to HCL Founder
and Chairman Shiv Nadar.
ii. HCL represents a culture of evolving globally
acceptable standards of corporate governance. We are
pleased to felicitate Nadar for his exemplary work in
institution building and good governance, ICSI
President CS R Sridharan said.
177. Ranjan Ben Bhatta is BJP's candidate for
Vadodara LS seat
i. BJP today announced the name of Vadodara deputy
mayor Ranjan Ben Bhatta as its candidate for the
Vadodara Lok Sabha seat vacated by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi.
ii. The party also announced the name of local
municipal corporator Suresh Patel as the candidate for
the Maninagar Assembly constituency that Modi
represented as Chief Minister of Gujarat.
iii. It was widely speculated that BJP President Amit
Shah would be fielded from the seat, but Shah has
decided not to contest keeping in view the
responsibility entrusted upon him in steering the party.
iv. The party has also declared the name of local leader
Prem Singh Shakya as the candidate for the Mainpuri
Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh vacated by SP chief
Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Aug 27, 2014
178. Supreme court: People facing criminal,
corruption charges shouldn't be made ministers
i. Sending a strong message that people against whom
criminal and corruption charges have been framed be
not inducted as ministers, the Supreme Court today
said Prime Minister and Chief Ministers should desist
from making such appointments and act in national
interest.
ii. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief
Justice RM Lodha, however, stopped short of
prescribing disqualification for such people from
becoming ministers, leaving it to the wisdom of the PM
and CMs not to recommend such names to the
President and Governor.
iii. Observing that it cannot add disqualification in
Article 75 (1) (appointment of PM and Council of
Ministers), the Bench, however, said that the PM and
CMs should not consider people with criminal
antecedents and against whom charges have been
framed in serious offences, including corruption, for
appointment as ministers.
iv. It further said that the Constitution reposes
immense trust in the PM and CMs and they are
expected to act with constitutional responsibility and
morality.
179. Mother Dairy, SBI launch 'SmartChange
Card'
i. Dairy products major Mother Dairy and the State
Bank of India today announced the launch of the
'SmartChange Card' for Mother Dairy booths in the
National Capital Region.

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ii. The card, introduced to facilitate convenience of
payment has been rolled out 76 booths already and the
company plans to expand coverage to 150 booths over
the next three months.
iii. The card, priced at Rs. 25 at the time of issuance,
will have a top up limit of Rs. 1,000 while the limit per
transaction has been set at Rs. 500. Customers can use
the card to shop for various items available at the
booths, including milk and other dairy products, Safal
products like fruit and vegetables and Dhara oil.
180. C.S.Verma elected as First President of
Indian Steel Association
i. C.S.Verma was elected as First President of Indian
Steel Association (ISA). Other members of the ISA
were Sajjan Jindal, Chairman & Managing Director,
JSW, Mr. TV Narendran, MD, Tata Steel, , P
Madhusudan, CMD, RINL.
About ISA : The Indian Steel Association was formally
launched on 26 August 2014 by the Major domestic
steel producers of India.
181. Avia Indra-2014, the Indo-Russia maiden
aerial exercise started
i. Indian Air Force (IAF) and Russian Federation Air
Force (RFAF) Indo-Russian Air Force Exercise, Avia
Indra-2014 at Astrakhan region, near the Caspian Sea
in Russia.
ii. Avia Indra-2014 is the first Indo-Russia aerial
exercise that involves the air forces of the two
countries. The exercise will go on till 5 September
2014.
iii. The exercise is being conducted to boost
cooperation between the air forces of two countries and
involves aircraft like Su030MKI and Mi-17 helicopters.
iv. It also involves fighter pilots, helicopter pilots,
missile combat crew, as well as engineers from the IAF
along with their counterparts of the RFAF.
182. Reliance Jio Infocomm signed tower sharing
deal with BSNL
i. Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL) on 26 August 2014
signed a deal with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(BSNL) for sharing around 4000 mobile towers.
ii. Along with tower sharing deal, Reliance Jio signed
Infrastructure sharing deal with Bharti Airtel, Viom
Network, Ascend Telecom Infrastructure, Reliance
Communications and American Tower Company to

utilise their infrastructure.
183. Mithali Raj Remains Number One
Batswoman in ICC Rankings
i. India captain Mithali Raj has retained the top spot in
the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) women's
rankings for batters.
ii. Mithali maintained her reign on the top with scores
of 34 and 30, respectively, to be the second-highest
run-scorer for her side in the series India lost 2-0 in
England.
iii. Her teammate Smriti Mandhana is the biggest
mover on the table, jumping 23 places to a career-high
40th, following her knocks of 32 and 74.
iv. England captain Charlotte Edwards has jumped five
places to second position after leading her side to a
thumping victory over India in the opening round of the
ICC Women's Championship.
184. First private wildlife corridor to come up in
M.P
i. With an aim to develop countrys first private wildlife
corridor between Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserve,
telecom major Vodafone and Grow-Trees.com will plant
3,00,000 saplings under its Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
ii. The company and Grow-Trees.com, the exclusive
Indian planting partner for United Nations Environment
Programmes Billion Tree Campaign, today announced
the launch of its joint initiative to create Indias first
private wildlife corridor.
iii. The corridor is being developed between KanhaPench Wildlife Reserve by planting 3,00,000 trees over
a period of three years
Aug 28, 2014
185. Prime Minister launches 'Pradhan Mantri Jan
Dhan Yojana
i. The 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana', an ambitious
financial inclusion scheme under which the government
intends to provide every household with a bank account
and insurance cover, was launched by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Thursday.
ii. The scheme, about which Modi made the
announcement in his Independence Day speech, was
launched across the country simultaneously amid his

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emphasis that it lies at the core of "our development
philosophy of 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas'".
iii. '1.5 crore bank accounts will be opened on first day
of Jan Dhan Yojana'
iv. Jan Dhan Yojana, a dream project to open at least
one bank account to every household.
v. Noting that 10 crore people do not have bank
account, the Finance Minister aims to cover 7.5 crore
people under Jan Dhan Yojana by January 25, 2015.
vi. As a first step, under the scheme, every account
holder will get a 'RuPay' debit card with Rs 30,000 life
insurance besides accidental insurance of up to Rs 1
lakh.
vii. The scheme will provide overdraft, debt card
facility," she said. "Jan Dhan Yojana will provide
accidental insurance cover,".
186. Erdogan to be sworn in as Turkey's new
president
i. Turkey's outgoing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan is to be sworn in as president on Thursday to
extend his more than decade-long domination of the
country.
ii. Erdogan was due to take his oath of office at 1100
GMT (1630 IST) in Ankara and usher in a new era for
Turkey, where he is expected to push for a new
constitution and seek to further transform the country
with development projects.
iii. Taking over Erdogan's post of prime minister is
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, a long standing ally
who is expected to do little to challenge the Turkish
number one.
187. Iran's Mirzakhani first woman to win
prestigious math prize
i. An Iranian-born mathematician has become the first
woman to win a prestigious global prize known as the
Field Medal, the International Congress of
Mathematicians has announced.
ii. Maryam Mirzakhani, a Harvard educated
mathematician and professor at Stanford University in
California, was one of four winners announced at the
group's conference in Seoul.
iii. An expert in the geometry of unusual forms, she
has come up with novel ways to calculate the volumes
of oddly-shaped hyperbolic surfaces, which can be
curved like a saddle or curly like a piece of crochet.
iv. Mirzakhani was born in Tehran in 1977 and earned

her PhD in 2004 from Harvard University.
v. She has previously won the 2009 Blumenthal Award
for the Advancement of Research in Pure Mathematics
and the 2013 Satter Prize of the American
Mathematical Society.
vi. The Fields Medal is given out every four years, to
four separate winners.
vii. The other three winners this year were Artur Avila
of France, Manjul Bhargava of Princeton University in
New Jersey, and Martin Hairer of the University of
Warwick in Britain.
188. IOC removes four independent directors
appointed by UPA
i. After Governors, the Narendra Modi government is
removing independent directors appointed by the
previous UPA regime on PSU boards, beginning with
sacking of four directors on the board of Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC).
ii. IOC, the nations largest oil company, in a filing to
the stock exchanges said, K Jairaj, Nesar Ahmad,
Sunil Krishna and Sayan Chatterjee have ceased to be
Independent Directors on the Board of the company on
August 27, 2014
iii. All the four directors were appointed to IOC board
in March this year for a three-year term. Their
appointment was to be confirmed/ratified by the
company shareholders but IOC did not move a
resolution to this effect at its annual general meeting
(AGM) in Mumbai yesterday, leading to their cessation.
iv. The new government wants to change all previous
UPA appointed directors but to start with it is looking at
appointments that need confirmation now, they said.
189. Centre notifies minimum monthly pension,
wage ceiling enhancement
i. Government has notified minimum monthly pension
of 1,000 rupees and a higher wage ceiling
enhancement to15,000 from 6,500 rupees for social
security schemes run by retirement fund manager
Employees Provident Fund Organisation.
ii. Both schemes will be implemented from 1st
September of the next month. According to EPFO
estimates, the raising of wage ceiling is expected to
bring 50 lakh more workers under the ambit of social
security schemes run by it.
iii. The government decision to fix pension of 1,000

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rupees will benefit 28 lakh people including 5 lakh
widow pensioners, who get less than this amount at
present.
iv. EPFO had recently retained rate of interest to 8.75
per cent on provident fund deposits for the current
fiscal year 2014-15.
190. SC directs DLF to pay Rs 630 cr fine imposed
by CCI
i. Real estate major DLF was on Wednesday directed by
the Supreme Court to deposit Rs 630 crore fine slapped
on it by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for
allegedly resorting to unfair business practices.
ii. The apex court said the total ammount will be
deposited within three months with its Registry pending
the outcome of the appeal filed by DLF against May 19
order of Competition Appellate Tribunal's upholding the
penalty of Rs 630 crore imposed by the CCI.
iii. The bench said so far as the interest on the amount
was concerned it has to be determined as per the
November 9, 2011 order of the CCI that was fixed at 9
per cent.
iv. It also directed DLF to file a fresh undertaking that
in the event of dismissal of the appeal it will pay such
amount as directed by the court.
v. DLF pleaded that it should be granted at least six
months time to deposit the amount.
191. SRK becomes Interpols Ambassador of
Turn Back Crime campaign
i. Modern-era Don Shah Rukh Khan has become the
first Indian actor to be roped in as Ambassador of
Interpols initiative Turn Back Crime campaign, aimed
at promoting greater awareness on how to prevent
crime.
ii. The actor who gave new twist to Amitabh
Bachchans character Don in the Farhan Akhtars
remake of the movie, tweeted late night yesterday,
Don on the right side of Interpol. How ironically cool is
that...ha ha.
iii. Honoured to be the Ambassador for Turn Back
Crime, the Interpol initiative. Thanx Mr. Noble for the
opportunity, the actor wrote on his social media page.
iv. The Turn Back Crime campaign is aimed at raising
public awareness that organised crime is often involved
in seemingly unrelated crimes.
192. National Sports Day was celebrated on the

29 August
i. National Sports Day was celebrated on the 29 August
throughout the country.
ii. National Sports Day is celebrated to mark the birth
anniversary of hockey player Dhyan Chand. This day is
celebrated by organizing friendly matches between
different Indian hockey teams at the Dhyan Chand
National stadium in New Delhi.
iii. The National Stadium was constructed in the
respect and honor of Dhyan Chand.
Major Dhyan Chand The Hockey Wizard
Major Dhyan Chand was Indias greatest hockey player.
He has scored over 1000 goals between 1926 and
1948. He helped India win 3 Olympic Gold medals
including the first in 1928 (Amsterdum Olympic games)
and then in 1932 ( Los Angeles Olympic games) and
1936 (Berlin Olympic games).
193. Sivaramakrishnan Committee submitted
report to Union Home Ministry on AP Capital
i. Sivaramakrishnan committee constituted by the
Union Government to suggest the place to build the
capital city of Andhra Pradesh submitted its report to
the Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
ii. The committee gave options about the capital and
positive and negative points of the places. But the
committee did not Zero in on any particular place for
the capital. It only mentioned the availability of lands
and other factors.
iii. Interestingly, the committee objected Vijayawada
to be the capital, in the context of the AP government
transferring certain departments to Vijayawada,
declaring it as the future capital.
194. Manipur Governor Vinod Kumar Duggal
resigned
i. Vinod Kumar Duggal resigned as Manipur Governor.
He was appointed as governor of Manipur by President
Pranab Mukherjee on 23 December 2013.
ii. Thus, Vinod Kumar Duggal became the ninth
governor to resign since the NDA Government came to
power in May 2014. Eight other governors -- M.K.
Narayanan (West Bengal), Ashwani Kumar (Nagaland),
B.L. Joshi (UP), B.V. Wanchoo (Goa) Shekhar Dutt
(Chhattisgarh), Sheila Dikshit (Kerala), V
Aug 29, 2014

38
R.A.C.E
Purushothaman (Mizoram), K. Sankaranarayanan
(Maharashtra) had resigned before.
195. God of Antarctica written by Yashwardhan
Shukla
i. Delhi-based 13 year old school boy Yashwardhan
Shukla authored a novel, Gods of Antarctica. The book
is fictional tale of gods and monsters. It was put into
print by the Readers Paradise publishers.
ii. The boy said Amish Tripathis Shivas Trilogy and J
K Rowlings Harry Potter series has inspired him in
writing. He also said Rick Riordan remains his favourite
author.
196. Australian PM Tony Abbott to visit India next
week
i. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is all set to
make his first official visit to India next week to further
strengthen the strategic partnership and promote trade
and investment between the two sides.
ii. I will travel to India and Malaysia from September 4
to 6. On my first visit to India as Prime Minister, I will
visit New Delhi and Indias financial capital, Mumbai, to
strengthen the strategic partnership between our two
countries, he said.
iii. Noting that the two nations have strong and
growing economic and trade ties, he said India is
Australias fifth largest export market with total exports
of $11.4 billion.
197. Child marriage on rise in Kerala: UNICEF
i. Notwithstanding a better gender balance in the
southern part of the country, child marriage has been
found to be on the rise in Kerala in recent years,
according to UNICEF.
ii. In the southern part of India we have a relatively
better gender balance which explains lower rates of
child marriage. Nevertheless, recent studies have
shown a rising rate in Kerala, UNICEFs Child
Protection Specialist in India Dora Giusti said.
iii. Child marriage is more common among certain
groups and among disadvantaged communities. In
Kerala it was not the case even a few years back, but
of late there has been a rise in it due to migration from
the northern part of India, Ms. Giusti explained.
iv. According to a UNICEF report, in India there were
more child marriages in rural areas than urban. While
52.5 per cent of currently married women in age group
20-24 years in rural areas and 28.2 per cent in urban

areas got married before they were 18 years.
v. Although the gap between urban and rural areas has
almost halved from 30.2 per cent in 1992-1993 to 18.6
per cent in 2007-2008, currently married women in
rural areas were twice more likely to be child brides
than their urban counterparts, the report said.
vi. Bihar has the highest incidence of child marriage at
68 per cent while Himachal Pradesh with around nine
per cent has the lowest incidence, it stated.
vii. Six states Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal have the
highest incidence of child marriage ranging from 51.9
per cent to 68.2 per cent, the report revealed.
198. Cristiano Ronaldo crowned UEFA Best Player
in Europe
i. Cristiano Ronaldo was on Thursday named the UEFA
Best Player in Europe, defeating Bayern Munich duo
Manuel Neuer and Arjen Robben for the prestigious
award.
ii. Ronaldo earned 24 votes from a panel of European
football journalists to claim the title in Monte Carlo just
after the draw was made for the Champions League
group stage.
iii. Neuer was second on 19 votes, ahead of his Bayern
teammate Robben who took nine.
iv. It is the second time Ronaldo has picked up the
award having also won in 2008 when playing for
Manchester United in the Premier League. He is also
currently the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year.
Aug 30, 2014
199. India, Japan sign MoU to develop Varanasi
into smart city
i. Varanasi, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi
represents in the Lok Sabha, will be developed into a
smart city by using the experience of Kyoto, the
smart city of Japan, under a pact signed b/w India &
Japan.
ii. A Partner City MoU was signed by Indian
Ambassador Deepa Wadhwa and Kyoto Mayor Daisaka
Kadokawa at a ceremony witnessed by Modi and his
Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
iii. The MoU, which was signed soon after Modis arrival
here on a five-day visit, provides for cooperation in
heritage conservation, city modernisation and
cooperation in the fields of art, culture and academics,

39
R.A.C.E
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin
told reporters. This will serve as framework for Smart
heritage city programme between the two countries, he
added.
Note: Kyoto, which is a heritage city with Buddhist
culture, provides special symbolism to the visit as the
Prime Minister has the vision of rejuvenating Indian
cities.
200. President confers National Sports Awards to
eminent sportspersons
i. President Pranab Mukherjee presented the National
Sports Awards to eminent sportspersons on the
occasion of National Sports Day at Rashtrapati Bhavan
yesterday. Boxer Jai Bhagwan, shuttler V. Diju and
shooter Heena Sidhu are among 14 sports persons who
received the Arjuna Award - 2014 for their outstanding
performance in the field of sports.
The awardees:
Arjuna award: Abhishek Verma (archery), Tintu Luka
(athletics), H.N. Girisha (para-athletics), V. Diju
(badminton), Geethu Anna Jose (basketball), Jai
Bhagwan (boxing), R. Ashwin (cricket), Anirban Lahiri
(golf), Mamta Pujari (kabaddi), Saji Thomas (rowing),
Heena Sidhu (shooting), Anaka Alankamony (squash),
Tom Joseph (volleyball), Renubala Chanu
(weightlifting), Sunil Kumar Rana (wrestling).
Dronacharya award: Mahabir Prasad (wrestling);
Lifetime achievement: N. Lingappa (athletics), G.
Manoharan (boxing), Gurcharan Singh Gogi (judo),
Jose Jacob (rowing).
Dhyan Chand award: Gurmail Singh (hockey), K.P.
Thakkar (swimming-diving), Zeeshan Ali (tennis).
Tenzing Norgay Awards: Land adventure: Subedar
Jagat Singh, Passang Tenzing Sherpa; Air
adventure: MWO Surender Singh; Lifetime
achievement: Wg. Cdr. (retd) Amit Chowdhury.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy: Punjabi
University, Patiala.
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar: Oil and Natural
Gas Corporation (employment of sports persons and
sports welfare measures); Jindal Steel Works
(community sportsidentification and nurturing of
budding/young talent); Guru Hanuman akhara
(establishment and management of sports academies
of excellence); Child Link Foundation of IndiaMagic
Bus (other forms of sports activities not covered in the
categories mentioned in the schemes).
Note: i. Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand

Awardees receive statuettes, citations and cash prize of
5 lakh rupees each, whereas recipients of Rashtriya
Khel Protsahan Puruskar were given Trophies.
ii. No sportsperson was selected for Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna Award this year.
201. Indian Bank to revise FCNR (B) term
deposits
i. Public sector Indian Bank will revise the interest rate
on foreign currency non-resident (banking) term
deposits from tomorrow.
ii. For FCNR (B) deposits, in USD, the revised interest
rate has been revised to 2.34 per cent (from 2.36 per
cent) for deposits of one year and above but less than
two years, the Chennai-based bank said in a
statement.
iii. For deposits of two years and above but less than
three years, it has been revised to 2.71 per cent from
the existing 2.76 per cent.
iv. Interest rates have been revised to 3.64 per cent
for deposits of three years and above but less than four
years from the existing 3.71 per cent, it said.
202. Malaysia, India to review economic
cooperation pact
i. Malaysia and India will soon review their economic
cooperation pact, signed in 2011, to chart out ways to
enhance and diversify trade further, the Indian High
Commissioner to Malaysia, T S Tirumurti, has said.
ii. The two sides are expected to review the
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement
(CECA) either in December or February next year, he
said.
iii. He said, although, the agreement had helped in a
big way and the bilateral trade now stood at $13.38
billion in 2013, as per Malaysian statistics, the trade
balance was in Malaysias favour.
iv. Malaysia exported goods worth $9.95 billion to
India, while it imported $4.44 billion from India last
year.
v. The CECA, which came into force on July 1, 2011, is
a free trade agreement, which covers trade in goods
and services and investment, as well as, economic
cooperation.
203. Noted historian Bipin Chandra passes away

40
R.A.C.E
i. Noted historian Bipin Chandra died today at his
residence after prolonged illness. He was 86.
"He had not been keeping well since last few months.
ii. A Padma Bhushan awardee, Chandra had donned
multiple roles including that of chairperson of the
Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, Member of the University Grants
Commission (UGC) and the Chairman of the National
Book Trust (NBT).
iii. Considered to be a specialist in economic and
political history of India, Chandra had authored several
books including 'The Rise and Growth of Economic
Nationalism', 'In the Name of Democracy: The JP
Movement and the Emergency', 'Nationalism and
Colonialism in Modern India' and 'The Making of Modern
India: From Marx to Gandhi', among others.
iv. The left leaning author had founded the journal
'Enquiry' and was a member of its editorial board for a
long time.
v. Born in 1928 in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh,
Chandra studied at the Forman Christian College,
Lahore, Stanford University, US and the University of
Delhi.
vi. He worked as the Reader at Hindu College of Delhi
University and then became the professor of History at
Jawaharlal Nehru University.
204. US actor Harry Belafonte to receive Jean
Hersholt Humanitarian Oscar Award
i. US actor and singer Harry Belafonte was named for
honorary Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Oscar Award on
29 August 2014. Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Oscar
Award is one of the three Governor's Award given by
the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for
lifetime achievement.
ii. The academy noted his films such as Carmen Jones,
Odds Against Tomorrow and The World, the Flesh and
the Devil strived to bring attention to the injustices of
racism and inequality. He will recieve the award in
November 2014.
About Harry Belafonte
Belafonte, also known as the King of Calypso, who has
spent much of his life campaigning for various causes
including Aids awareness, famine relief, education and
civil rights. He was a supporter of the Civil Rights
Movement and marched alongside Martin Luther King
Jr. He was also named as a UNICEF Goodwill
Ambassador in 1987.
205. India Signed agreement with World Bank for

MSRPII project
i. India on 29 August 2014 signed loan agreement with
World Bank for Mizoram State Roads Project (MSRP II).
As per the agreement, soft loan window of World Bank,
International Development Agency (IDA) will provide
assistance of 107 million US dollars for the Project.
ii. The agreement was signed by Nilaya Mitash, Joint
Secretary (MI), Department of Economic Affairs and
Onno Ruhl, Country Director, World Bank, India.
iii. The objective of the project is to enhance transport
connectivity along regional trade corridors in
Mizoram.The project will focus on improvement of
priority cross-border roads connecting Myanmar and
Bangladesh , as also on trade related infrastructure.
iv. Thus, the MSRPII will be an important milestone in
enhancing the connectivity for the state of Mizoram and
the rest of North-East India with Myanmar and
Bangladesh.
v. The project is the first project facilitating regional
connectivity in transport sector undertaken in India
with Bank support.
Aug 31, 2014
206. SBI, Japan Bank partner for export credit of
$152 mn
i. State Bank of India (SBI) and Japan Bank for
International Cooperation (JBIC) today signed a dualcurrency loan agreement to set up an export credit
line.
ii. The loan is co-financed with the Bank of TokyoMitsubishi UFJ Ltd (BTMU) amounting to 13.5 billion
Japanese Yen ($135 million) and $21 million
approximately. The total co-financing amount came to
$152 million (about Rs. 927 crore), SBI official said.
iii. This credit line will be utilised by Meja Urja Nigam
Pvt Ltd (MUNPL) to finance the procurement of steam
turbine generator equipment from Japanese company
Toshiba Corporation and its subsidiary in India Toshiba
JSW Turbines & Generator Ltd to construct a
supercritical pressure coal-fired power plant (660MWx2
units) in Meja, Uttar Pradesh.
iv. MUNPL is a joint venture equally invested by NTPC
Ltd and UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd, SBI said
in a statement.

41
R.A.C.E
v. Hiroshi Watanabe, Governor of JBIC, and Arundhati
Bhattacharya, Chairman of SBI, signed the loan
agreement in Tokyo, Japan.
207. Asia's first Ballistic Research Centre to open
in Gujarat
i. India will have Asia's first Ballistic Research Centre
which will help it in achieving self-reliance in testing of
armored vehicles.
ii. The research centre will soon be functioning at
Gujarat Forensic Science University, GFSU, in
Gandhinagar. This was disclosed by GFSU's Director
General J M Vyas.
iii. Till now, the armored vehicles from India are sent
to countries like the UK, USA and France for testing.
iv. Ballistic Research Centre will conduct tests for
armored vehicles of the Indian Army and also provide
services to private players who supply vehicles to the
VIPs.
208. Former CJI P Sathasivam to be the next
Kerala Governor
i. Former Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam is all set
to become the Governor of Kerala after former Delhi
chief minister Sheila Dikshit vacated the post earlier
this week.
ii. Justice Sathasivam served as the CJI from 2007-14.
iii. Dikshit was the seventh UPA-appointed governor to
quit after the change of power at Centre.
209. Reliance Group, Nippon Life launch India
funds for Japan investors
i. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought greater
investments from Japan, financial sector giant Nippon
Life today said it will partner Anil Ambani-led Reliance
Group for a proposed Reliance Bank and launched two
India-focussed funds for Japanese investors.
ii. The two funds will direct investments by Japanese
retail investors into Indian equity and bond
markets. This was stated by Nippon and Reliance Life in
a joint statement.
iii. The announcements coincided with Mr Modi's first
official visit to Japan as Prime Minister, during which he
invited Japanese investments into India and said that
businessmen from the two countries can give a
direction to world economy.
210. 'Blue Economy' workshop on sustainable

growth begins in Bangladesh
i. A two-day international seminar on 'Blue Economy'
begins in Dhaka today to discuss better ways to explore
the resources of the Bay of Bengal.
ii. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is
scheduled to inaugurate the workshop at a city hotel.
iii. Representatives from 20 countries including
Myanmar, Srilanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and
Japan besides experts on marine resources are
expected to participate and share experiences.
iv. The aim is to establish links with countries and
organisations working in ocean research and resources
to ensure the protection and sustainable utilization of
the resources of the Bay of Bengal.
211. Bapu, the artist, filmmaker, humourist
passes away
i. The 80-year-old Sattiraju Lakshminarayana,
popularly known as Bapu, passed away in Chennai, the
city that was home for him and his long-time friend
Mullapudi Venkata Ramana, for over half a century.
ii. The duo made some of the memorable works in
Telugu literary world and film industry. He directed
films such as Mutyala Muggu, Pelli Pustakam and
Sampoorna Ramayanam. Ramana passed away three
years ago, leaving his friend for 50 years alone. A loss
Babu could not cope well. People close to him said half
of him was gone with Ramana.
iii. Bapu directed mythological and social genre movies
in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi, with his friend Ramana
taking care of the writing part. Known for depth and
detail, his scripts reflected male chauvinism and untold
sufferings of women.
212. A Nageswara Rao became first Indian actor
to be honoured by US post sevice
i. Indian Telugu Actor, Akkineni Nageswara Rao
became the first Indian actor to be honoured with a
postage stamp by the US Post Service (USPS). It was
announced by the Akkineni Foundation of America
(AFA) on 30 August 2014.
ii. The stamp will be issued on the birth anniversary of
Nageshwara Rao that is on 20 September 2014 in
Dallas Texas. The AFA is planning to release the stamp
in India on 17 December 2014 at the first International
Akkineni Awards Ceremony being planned at ANR
College, Andhra Pradesh.

42
R.A.C.E
213. Revived Nalanda University started its first
session on 1 September 2014
i. The revived Nalanda University on 1 September 2014
started its first session with 15 students in its
makeshift campus at the Buddhist pilgrim town of
Rajgir, about 100 km from Patna.
ii. The University started its first session 2014-15 with
the classes for the School of Ecology and
Environmental Studies and the School of Historical
Studies. At present, the University has 10 faculty
members. The University started its first session after
completing the three-day orientation programme for
students.
iii. The formal inauguration of the University work will
commence in mid-September, while the fullyresidential university will be completed by 2020. Then
it will have seven schools for post-graduate and
doctoral students and will offer courses in science,
philosophy and spirituality and social sciences.
iv. In the process of enrolling, the University received
applications from the US, Russia, England, Spain,
Germany, Japan, Myanmar, Austria and Sri Lanka,
among others, as also from West Asian and Southeast
Asian countries.
Note: Nalanda University Vice-Chancellor - Gopa
Sabharwal
Chairman of the Governing Body of the
university - Economist Amartya Sen
of the tournament, Jaipur Pink Panther defeated U

Mumba 35-24 at the NSCI Stadium in Mumbai.
ii. U Mumba that emerged as the runner up of the
tournament is owned by Unilazer Sports.
216. Zimbabwe beat Australia for first time in 31
years
i. In Cricket, hosts Zimbabwe defeated Australia by 3
wickets in the fourth match of the tri-nation series, also
featuring South Africa. This is was Zimbabwe's first
victory over Australia in 31 years.
ii. Opting to bat first at the Harare Sports Club,
Australia posted 209 for 9 in the stipulated 50 overs.
Skipper Michael Clarke top scored with an unbeaten
68.
iii. In reply, Zimbabwe overhauled the target with 2
overs to spare, courtesy captain Elton Chigumbura's
battling 52 not out. He was adjudged man of the
match.
Important days
August 3 - Independence Day of Niger
August 5 - Independence Day of Upper Volta
August 9 - International day of the World's Indigenous
People
August 12 - International Youth Day
August 15 - Independence Day (India)
August 23 - Internatinal Day for the Remembrance of
the Slave Trade and its Abolition
August 29 - National Sports Day ( Birthday of Dhyan
Chand)
214. Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland set world record

in womens hammer throw
i. Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland on 31 August 2014 set
world record in the womens hammer throw at the
Internationales Stadionfest (ISTAF) Berlin Athletics
meet at Berlin's Olympic stadium in Germany.
ii. With a throw of 79.58 meters she improved the
world record by 16 centimetres.
iii. She broke the three year old world record of 79.42
meters set by Betty Heidler of Germany in May 2011 in
Halle, Germany.
215. Jaipur Pink Panthers won the inaugural title
of Pro Kabaddi League
i. Jaipur Pink Panther (JPP) owned by Abhisek
Bachchan on 31 August 2014 won the inaugural title of
the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. To win its first title

43

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5. Indo-Russia pact planned for new BrahMos

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winners among five individuals and one organization

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22. India in the 2014 Commonwealth Games,

15 Indians who won gold at 2014 Commonwealth

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ii. 59-year-old Lt Gen Campose, who was till now the

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the Calcutta High Court.

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30. Manipur tops in employment growth

32. UP Governor Ram Naik given additional

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iv. States of emergency were in effect across

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vi. He holds a bachelors degree in economics and a

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percent as against the present 100 percent," RBI said

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i. India's economy is expected to record stronger

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78. PM dedicates two hydro power projects in Leh

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Aug 13, 2014

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about eight years, including about months as the Chief

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five times off a runner-up finish to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in

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Note: i. Also, it will not be applicable for account

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103. Bhutan, Nepal two most peaceful countries

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124. Ravi Shastri appointed as the Director of

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behind South Africa, Australia, England and Sri Lanka

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136. TCS and Bharti Foundation announced to

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142. Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha elected new PM of