GENERAL AWARENESS

MAY 2017
Vol. 5, Issue 11

A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION &

TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.
SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH

Contents NATIONAL NEWS

CURRENT AFFAIRS MARCH
03-42
JAN 2017 TO MARCH 2017
BULLET NEWS
IISc, BENGALURU IN TOP 10
43-58
OCT 2016 TO DEC 2016
LATEST 100 GK MCQs 59-65

SBI PO PRELIMS PAPER 66-77

CURRENT GK BYTES 78-102

FIGURES TO REMEMBER
REPO RATE (04.10.2016) 6.25%
REVERSE REPO RATE 5.75%
MARGINAL STANDING 6.75%
FACILITY RATE
STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 20.50%
CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00%
For the first time, an Indian university has broken into the top 10 of global
BANK RATE 6.75%
university rankings. In the Best Small Universities in the World 2017' compiled
BASE RATE(s) 9.25 to
(of various banks) 9.65%
by the Times Higher Education (THE), UK, the Indian Institute of Science,
Bengaluru, has been ranked eighth.
INDIAs RANK IN
MUMBAI IS HOME TO 1340 SUPER RICH
World Happiness Report 122nd Mumbai has ranked 21st in the 'City Wealth Index' list prepared by real estate
Human Development Index 131st agency Knight Frank of UK, tracking super-rich population in 125 cities across
The Global Energy Architecture 87th 89 countries. It is ahead of Toronto, Washington DC and Moscow. Delhi secured
Performance Index 35th rank. Mumbai is home to 1340 Ultra High Net Worth Individuals
Index of Economic Freedom 143rd UHNWIs, followed by Delhi with 680. UHNWIs are those who have net assets
Intellectual Property Index 43rd worth over $ 30 million (roughly Rs 200 crore).
Global Index of Talent Competitiveness 92nd
HYDERABAD IS BEST INDIAN CITY
Global Wind Power Index 4th As per the Mercer's Quality of Living
ICT Development Index 138th rankings 2017, Hyderabad, for the third
Gender Gap Index 87th year in a row, has emerged as the best
Youth Development Index 133rd Indian city in terms of living standards.
Ease of Doing Business (World Bank) 130th Delhi scored the lowest rank. Globally,
Global Hunger Index 97th
Vienna, Austrias capital, has secured the
top position.
World Economic Freedom Index 112th
World Risk Index 77th
Human Capital Index 105th EARTH HOUR OBSERVED ON MARCH 25
Sustainable Development Goals 110th
Indians observed the Earth Hour on March 25 by switching off all the
unnecessary lights between 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm. Earth Hour is an annual
Networked Readiness Index 91st
international event created by the World Wide Fund for Nature. It urges
Global Retail Development Index 02nd
households and businesses across the world to turn off their non-essential
Ranking in Total Wealth 07th
lights and electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness on the need to
Ranking in Attracting FDI 10th take action on climate change.

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 3

AADHAAR CARD NOT MANDATORY - SC
The Supreme Court has clarified that the government
cannot make Aadhaar number mandatory for availing
benefits of various welfare schemes like LPG subsidy,
foodgrains, mid day meals, etc. However, government
cannot be stopped from using Aadhaar in other schemes
like the opening of bank accounts, issuance of PAN card,
passport, etc.
INDIA HOME TO 101 BILLIONAIRES
The Forbes list of the 'World's Billionaires' 2017 states
that out of total 2,043 of billionaires in the world, India
is home to world's fourth highest number of billionaires
with Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani leading
the club of 101 billionaires. The list has been topped by
Bill Gates of Microsoft for the fourth year in a row.
MUMBAI IS THE RICHEST INDIAN CITY
As per a report released by the New World Wealth, a
global wealth intelligence research company, Mumbai is
the richest Indian city with a total wealth of $ 820
billion. It is followed by Delhi at $ 450 billion and
Bengaluru at $ 320 billion.
INDIA-BRAZIL TIE UP FOR SOCIAL SECURITY
India and Brazil have signed a social security agreement
to exempt detached workers of the two countries from
making social security contribution in either country,
provided they are making such contributions in their
own respective countries.
INDIA FESTIVAL IN EGYPT
The fifth edition of the mega cultural festival India by
the Nile was held in Cairo, Egypt. The festival aims to
showcase the diversity in Indias culture, art and cuisine
and also to strengthen Indias partnership with Egypt.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
SOCIAL SECURITY PACT WITH GERMANY
India and Germany have ratified a Social Security
Agreement, which will come into force from May 1 this
year. This will benefit citizens of both the countries in
each others country in matters like social security and
personal/medical insurance.
WOMEN LAG BEHIND IN POLITICS IN INDIA
The Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN Women have
launched the Women in Politics Map 2017 to show the
status of women in politics in various countries. In the
rankings of 193 member countries, India was ranked at
148th place while Rwanda scored top position. The
report shows that progress in the number of women in
parliament continues to be slow.
INDIA SLIPS TO 122 PLACE IN HAPPINESS
Norway displaced Denmark as the world's happiest
country in the World Happiness Report 2017 produced
by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a
global initiative launched by the United Nations. In list
of 155 countries, India at 122nd place slipped 4 positions
from 118th in 2016. Even countries like Ethiopia 119,
Iraq- 117 and Bangladesh at 110 are better than India.
The rankings are based on six factors -- per
capita gross domestic product, healthy life expectancy,
freedom, generosity, social support and absence of
corruption in government or business.
INDIA FARES POORLY IN ENERGY SECTOR
The Global Energy Architecture Performance Index
2017 released by the World Economic Forum ranked
127 countries on their ability to deliver secure,
affordable and sustainable energy. The index is topped
by Switzerland while India was placed at 87th position.
INDIA LAGS BEHIND IN HUMAN INDEX
India has ranked a lowly 131 among the 188 countries
surveyed for the Human Development Index 2016
compiled by the UN Development Programme. The
index based on 2015 data, is topped by Norway.
The index is a summary measure of average achievement
in key dimensions of human development: a long and
healthy life, being knowledgeable and have a decent
standard of living.
4
 Countrys tallest flag post, standing 360 feet high
with a 110 meter long flag was inaugurated near
Wagah check post at Pakistan border in Amritsar.
Indias first power boat racing event Indian Grand
Prix of the Seas was held at Mumbai coast.
Internet and Mobile Association of India and IMRB
data shows that internet users in the country may
rise to 450 to 465 million by June this year.
India contributed Rs 244 crore to the United Nations
in 2015-16, 55% more than previous fiscal.
India has offered to fund the three development
projects in Sylhet city in Bangla Desh.
The World Conference on Environment was held in
New Delhi on March 26.
The International Conference on Theory and Practice
of Electronic Governance was held in New Delhi from
March 7-9,
India to host its first mobile congress at Pragati
Maidan, Delhi on 27 September 2017 with focus on
reaching out to the South East Asian markets.
A three-day international conference on e-
governance `ICEGOV 2017' was held in New Delhi in
collaboration with UNESCO.
A national conference on Jal Kranti Abhiyan was held
in New Delhi to focus on consolidation of water
conservation and management in the country.
The week-long International Yoga Festival was held
in Rishikesh, Uttrakhand.
An international conference on Vision Zero and its
relevance to Occupational Safety and Health was
held in New Delhi in collaboration with Germany.
The three-day International Buddhist conference was
held in Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar from 17th
March.
India has signed a 'call for action' with World Health
Organization (WHO) and pledged to scale up
measures to end the Tuberculosis by 2030.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
FEBRUARY
INDIA STANDS 143RD IN ECONOMIC FREEDOM
The Heritage Foundation, a top American think tank has
ranked India at 143rd place in its Index of Economic
Freedom, covering 186 countries. It stated that a
restrictive and burdensome regulatory environment
discourages the entrepreneurship that could provide
broader private-sector growth. The index is topped by
Hong Kong, followed by Singapore and New Zealand.
INDIA RANKS 43RD IN INNOVATION
India has been placed at 43rd rank in a list of 45
countries compiled by 5th Annual International
Intellectual Property (IP) Index in USA. The index,
named as 'The Roots of Innovation', ranks countries on
the basis of the points received on various aspects of
patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and
market access, enforcement and ratification of
international treaties.
INDIA INNOVATION INDEX LAUNCHED
NITI Aayog launched Indias first online India
Innovation Index portal. It will capture data on
innovation from all Indian states and regularly update it
in real time. It will rank Indian states as per their
innovation prowess and encourage them to build their
respective innovation ecosystems.
INDIAs FIRST FLOATING SCHOOL
Indias first floating elementary school named Loktak
Elementary Floating School has been started in Indias
largest fresh water lake, Loktak Lake in Manipur to
provide education to poor drop out students.
Vice President Hamid Ansari made a five-day visit to
Rwanda & Uganda, along with a business delegation.
The Implementation and Assessment Group Meeting
of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism
held in New Delhi, with delegates from 150 countries.
19th Bharat Rang Mahotsav (International Theatre
Festival of India) was hosted by National School of
Drama in New Delhi.
3rd National Biodiversity Congress 2017 held in Thiru
vananthapuram. This years theme is
Mainstreaming Biodiversity for Sustainable
Development.
5
 A two day ASEAN India Digital Connectivity Summit NO VOTES ON RELIGIOUS GROUNDS
was held in New Delhi, attended by delegates from 30
countries.
The 11th International Aerospace and Defence
Exhibition - Aero India 2017 was held at the Air Force
Station, Yelahanka in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
A 3 day International Spice Conference was held at
Kovalam in Kerala.
A two-day Nature Fest was organised by the UNESCO
at the world heritage site Great Himalayan National
Park (GNHP) at Sairopa, Kullu in Himachal Pradesh.

JANUARY A seven-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court

INDIA CELEBRATES 68TH REPUBLIC DAY
of India has ruled that no politician can seek the vote in
the name of caste, creed, religion, community or
language. Any candidate found violating the order, will
be disqualified. It held that the Constitution forbids the
country from mixing religion with politics.

14TH PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIVAS

68th Republic Day of India was celebrated all over India
with pomp and show. In New Delhi, President of India
Mr. Pranab Mukherjee was given the military salute at
the Raj Path.
Indigenously built Tejas Light Combat Aircraft and the
Black Cat commandoes made the debut at the parade.
Another highlight of the event was the participation of
149 member contingent from United Arab Emigrate
(UAE).
This is for the first time that an indigenous fighter aircraft
has flown on Rajpath since Marut developd by Haindustan
Aeronautics Limited was showcased in 1960s.
The PBD convention was held in Bengaluru from Jan 7
to 9. Prime Minister of Portugal Dr Antonio Costa was
the Chief Guest of the PBD. The theme of 2017 PBS is
Redefined Engagement with Indian Diaspora. The
convention started with the Youth PBD, the theme of
which was Role of Diaspora Youth in the
Transformation of India. PBD convention is a very
important platform for engagement of the Central and
state governments with the Overseas Indian
Community.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is observed on 9th January every
year to commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi as a
Pravasi from South Africa to India in 1915.
KYOTO PROTOCOL APPROVED

CHIEF GUEST FOR REPUBLIC DAY

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme
Commander of the Armed Forces of the United Arab
Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan came
to India to be the chief guest for India's 68th Republic
Day celebrations. The two countries signed 14
agreements for mutual cooperation.

INDIA 6TH MOST POWERFUL COUNTRY

In a list of eight great powers
for the year 2017 compiled
by a leading American
foreign policy magazine,
India has been ranked at
sixth place. The list is topped
by USA, followed by China
and Japan jointly at second place and Russia at third.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Union Cabinet has approved ratification of the 2nd
Commitment Period of the Kyoto Protocol on containing
emission of green house gases, for the period 2013-17.
Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 and the 1st
commitment period was from 2008-2012. At Doha in
2012, the amendments to Kyoto Protocol for the 2nd
commitment period (the Doha Amendment) were
successfully adopted for the period 2013- 2020.
6
INDIA FARES POORLY IN DEVELOPMENT
As per the World Economic Forums Inclusive
Development Index, India has been ranked 60 among 79
developing economies. The index has three pillars --
growth and development, inclusion and
intergenerational equity, and sustainability.
PORTUGUESE PM VISIT INDIA
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa arrived in Goa
for a two-day trip. He was the chief guest for the 14th
Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas in Bengaluru. The two countries
signed seven agreements for mutual cooperation in
defence, marine research, besides some others.
INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS HELD AT TIRPUATI
The 104th Indian Science Congress was hosted by the
Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati in Andhra
Pradesh. The theme for the five-day event was Science
and Technology for National Development.
WAX MUSEUM IN DELHI
Madame Tussauds, the world famous museum of wax
sculptures and one of Londons biggest tourist
attractions, with 22 branches across the world, is set to
open its 23rd branch at the landmark Regal Cinema in
Delhis Connaught Place.
2016 - WARMEST YEAR SINCE 1901
Recent data released by the India Meteorological
Department (IMD) shows that 2016 was India's
warmest year ever since the documenting of
meteorological records began in 1901.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
ANNUAL STATUS OF EDUCATION REPORT
The largest annual household survey in rural India,
Annual Status of Education Report-2016 was released in
New Delhi. It focuses on the status of children's
schooling and basic learning.
INDIA 92ND IN TALENT COMPETITIVENESS
As per the Global Index of Talent Competitiveness
compiled to measure how countries grow, attract and
retain talent, India has been placed at a low 92nd rank.
The rankings are topped by Switzerland.
2nd Raisina Dialogue, a flagship geo-political
conference was held in New Delhi attended by more
than 250 participants from 65 countries.
The N.K. Singh panel, constituted to review the Fiscal
Responsibility and Budget Management Act,
submitted its report to the union finance minister.
As per the Global Passport Index, Indian passport has
been ranked a lowly 78th place. The index is topped
by Germany.
Mr. Modi released special commemorative stamps on
Prakash Parv to mark 350th birth anniversary of Guru
Gobind Singh in Patna on 5 January.
President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in New
Delhi. The two countries signed agreements for
cooperation in the area of agriculture.
The 58th edition of India International Garment Fair
was held in New Delhi.
The first edition of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Unions
International Television Dance Festival was held in
Hyderabad, Telangana.
Indian Space Research Organisation- ISRO and
French Space agency signed a partnership agreement
in satellite launch technology.
Japan has decided to be associated with the
development of Chennai, Ahmedabad and Varanasi as
smart cities.
The International Conference on Yoga for Diabetes
was held in New Delhi on January 4.
More than 111 crore people in India now have an
Aadhaar number, a number that covers more that
99% of the Indian adult population.
7

NEWS FROM STATES
MARCH
FIVE NEW CHIEF MINISTERS ELECTED
1. Yogi Adityanath-BJP Uttar Pradesh
2. Manohar Parriker-BJP Goa
3. N. Biren Singh-BJP Manipur
4. Amrinder Singh-Congress Punjab
5. Trivendra Singh Rawat-BJP Uttarakhand
HIMACHAL HAS 45% OF BIRD SPECIES
The Great Backyard Bird Count, 2017 report claims that
nearly 45 per cent of the 1263 species available in India
are found in Himachal Pradesh. It is an annual event
conducted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, New York
and National Audubon Society, USA to collect data on
wild birds and to display results in near real-time.
GANGA NAMED AS THE LIVING ENTITY
The Uttarakhand High Court has accorded the status of
"living human entities" to the Ganga and Yamuna, two of
India's most sacred rivers. It is expected to have a
positive bearing on efforts to clean up the polluted and
much abused rivers.
POWER GENERATION FROM WASTE
The country's largest waste-to-power plant was
inaugurated at Narela-Bawana in New Delhi. The 24
mega watt plant will consume around 1,300 metric
tonne waste on a daily basis.
COUNTRYs LONGEST EXTRADOSED BRIDGE
Countrys longest extradosed bridge, running for 1.4 km,
located across River Narmada at Bharuch in Gujarat,
was opened up for traffic. An extradosed bridge employs
a structure which combines the main elements of both- a
pre-stressed box girder bridge and a cable-stayed bridge.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
RAHAT FOR HEART PATIENTS
Rajasthan has launched a medical project Rajasthan
Heart Attack Treatment programme (RAHAT) to
provide people in remote and rural areas with timely
treatment during heart attacks. It has been launched by
the private hospitals in the state.
RAJASTHAN JUMPS IN OIL PRODUCTION
Rajasthan has become the second largest crude oil
producer in the country after the offshore field Bombay
High, producing nearly 90 lakh tones oil annually, which
is 24% of the total domestic crude oil production.
SHAHPUR KANDI PROJECT TO BE REVIVED
States of Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir have reached an
agreement to resolve issues relating to the Shahpur
Kandi Dam project, proposed to be built downstream
Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam) on the Ravi in Gurdaspur
district. Work on the project was halted two years ago
following a dispute. The project comes under the Indus
Water Treaty, thus helping India utilise its rights on
eastern rivers of the basin.
Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad International Airport stood
first in the world in the Airports Council International
(ACI) Airport Service Quality survey.
Indias first hit-tech virtual world fish aquarium is
being set up in Udaipur. It will host over 1500
varieties of fish.
Madhya Pradesh has announced Deendayal Rasoi
Yojna to provide meals to urban poor for Rs 5.
Initially it will cover four major cities.
Assam has decided to make Sanskrit a compulsory
language for students up to class 8th in the state.
Government has decided to start the National
Banana Research Centre at Gorole, Vaishali, Bihar.
India is number one producer of bananas in world.
National Theatre Festival was held in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from March 16 to 24.
Himachal Pradesh govt has launched a mobile app
and website titled Mera Hunar HP or My Talent to
help skilled and semi-skilled workers find jobs.
8
 The National Green Tribunal has banned camping
activities along the river bank of Ganga in
Uttarakhand
Assam to host its first river festival, Namami
Brahmaputra to promote its culture, heritage,
tradition and art.
Assam has decided to appoint a teacher in all of its
high schools who will be responsible for ensuring
cleanliness in the school.
The World Bank has agreed to provide $1 billion
support to Maharashtra in the areas of urban
transport and climate resilient agriculture.
The World Bank has signed a $100 million credit
agreement with the Centre and Uttarakhand to
improve quality of health care services in the state.
The World Bank will provide $210 million loan to
strengthen gram panchayats in West Bengal.
The World Bank to provide $63 million to Jharkhand
for implementing the Tejaswini project for socio-
economic empowerment of adolescent girls.
The World Bank to provide loan to develop internal
transmission arrangements of the upcoming Rewa
Ultra Mega Solar project in Madhya Pradesh.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sanctioned a
$350 million loan for improving about 1,500
kilometers of major district roads in Madhya Pradesh
FEBRUARY
ANDHRA HOSTS WOMENs PARLIAMENT
Indias first National Womens Parliament was held in
Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh. The
theme of the conference is 'Empowering Women -
Strengthening Democracy'. Large number of women
parliamentarians, legislators and social and corporate
sector women leaders from India and abroad took part
in it.
NAGALAND FACES VIOLENT PUBLIC PROTESTS
Towns of Kohima and Dimapur witnessed violent
protests by mobs demanding the resignation of Chief
Minister T.R. Zeliang and his entire Cabinet for going
ahead with the urban local bodies polls despite
opposition from powerful local tribal groups which are
against 33 per cent reservation for women in the
municipal bodies.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
634 MBBS ADMISSIONS CANCELLED IN MP
The Supreme Court
has cancelled the
admission of 634
MBBS students in
Madhya Pradesh.
They got admission
through the
entrance exam
conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Vyavasayik
Pareeksha Mandal (Vyapam) or Professional
Examination Board in various medical colleges in
Madhya Pradesh between 2008 and 2012 by illegal
means.
KHAJURAHO DANCE FESTIVAL
The world famous dance event was held in Madhya
Pradesh in the backdrop of the famous Khajuraho
temples. Live performances of classical dances like
Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Bharatnatyam, and
Mohniattam were the major attraction of the festival.
MICRSOFT TO TRANSFER ANDHRA DATA
Government of Andhra Pradesh has signed a MoU with
Microsoft to utilise their Azure Stack platform. It has not
been physically delivered or commercially used
anywhere in the world before. It will be used to migrate
live applications currently hosted in Hyderabad State
Data Centre to Andhras new data centre in
Visakhapatnam.
TELANGANA PROMOTES RURAL INNOVATION
The Telangana state has launched India's first social
innovation centre the Kakatiya Hub For Social
Innovation. It will function like a rural incubator to
encourage entrepreneurship at the grassroots level.
GUJARAT STARTS CASHLESS SYSTEM IN PDS
Gujarat has become the first state in the country for
establishing the cashless system in its public
distribution system (PDS) of food grains. The eligible
beneficiaries now will need to carry only Aadhaar cards
for getting their food grain in Gujarat.
Assam government launched the Chief
Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana, to bring
about paradigm shift towards holistic development of
villages.
Karnataka govt has passed a bill to facilitate the
conduct of traditional buffalo race Kambala and
bullock cart races in South Kanara and Udupi
districts.
Jammu & Kashmir state has declared 2017 as Year of
Apple to promote the famed Kashmiri apples in
domestic and foreign markets.
The first heliport in India has been started in North
Delhi, built by state-owned Pawan Hans.
9
 JANUARY
DHARAMSALA TO BE 2ND CAPITAL OF HP
Himachal Pradesh govt has declared that Dharamsala
would be the second capital of the State. The city is
important for the lower areas of Himachal Pradesh,
including Kangra, Chamba, Hamirpur and Una districts.
JALLIKATTU APPROVED BY ORDINANCE
Tamil Nadu witnessed unprecedented massive public
protests against the Supreme Courts order to ban the
immensely popular bull taming sport of Jallikattu. The
Govt. of Tamil Nadu issued an ordinance to bypass this
ban. The Supreme Court had banned holding of the
traditional event on the plea that it involves cruelty
against bulls.
JAIPUR FIRST CITY TO USE NOC
Jaipur has become the first city in the country and South
Asia to monitor and operate smart city infrastructure
using a single digital network, the Network Operation
Centre (NOC). It will integrate all recently developed
digital infrastructure such as intelligence kiosks,
wireless broadband, sensor-based dustbins, smart
streetlight, parking and apps.
POSTAL BALLOT THROUGH E-MAIL
Goa will become the first state in the country to opt for
electronic transmission of postal ballot to service voters
in the upcoming Assembly poll. The ballot will be sent
by e-mail and the voter will mail back the filled form.
STREET LIGHTING NATIONAL PROGRAMME
The worlds largest street light replacement prog-
ramme Street Lighting National Programme was
launched by the South Delhi Municipal Corp-oration to
replace over two lakh conventional lights with LEDs.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
WORLDS LONGEST HUMAN CHAIN
Worlds longest human chain was formed in Bihar,
covering an estimated distance of 11,292 kilometres,
involving over two crore citizens standing against
alcoholism and liquor.
AKHIRI AHUTI - A HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE
Delhi Police and IndiGo airlines have joined hands to
start Akhiri Ahuti - a humanitarian initiative under
which the bodies of the North-east residents who die in
Delhi will be carried free of cost to their homes in NE.
Arunachal Pradesh launched Dulari Kanya, a special
scheme to check infant mortality in the state.
More than 3.5 lakh people in Gujarats Rajkot district
set a new world record by singing the national
anthem together at an event organised at Khodal
Dham temple.
World Bank has sanctioned Rs 1,376 crore for
upgradations and improvement of the Tripura power
system network.
Jaipur Literature Festival was held in Jaipur, the pink
city. Celebrated writers, thinkers, journalists,
historians, poets, novelists and musicians
participated in it.
The World Bank has agreed to provide $48 million for
Nagaland Health Project to improve health services
in the state.
Kerala has launched the countrys first solar-powered
boat 'Aaditya' at Vaikom. It has seating capacity for
75 persons.
Sikkim has emerged as the Indias first fully organic
state by converting around 75,000 hectares of
agricultural land into sustainable cultivation.
Haryana plans to set up a pilot corridor for an
innovative concept of Indias first 'Caterpillar Train'
that will fly over citys traffic, in Gurugram city.
The second international kite festival was held in
Hyderabad in Telangana.
4th Assam International Agri-Horti show was held in
Guwahati, Assam.
The Election Commission announced the dates for the
assembly elections in five states Uttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.
Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar Islands hosted the
Island Tourism Festival 2017.
10

GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES
MARCH
NEW HEALTH POLICY 2017
Government has announced the new health policy as
per which the government promises to increase public
spending on health to 2.5 per cent of the GDP by 2025,
from 1 per cent at present. It aims to provide assured
services in the form of free drugs and diagnostics to
consumers across the country.
Other targets include reducing infant mortality rate to 28
per 1,000 live births, from 39/1000 at present and
bringing down under-5 mortality rate from 45 at present
to 23 by 2025.
COMMISSION FOR BACKWARD CLASSES
The Union Cabinet has decided to set up a National
Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward
Classes with constitutional status, at par with the panels
for SCs and STs. Accordingly, the National Commission
for Backward Classes (NCBC) will be dissolved,
repealing the law under which it was established.
INFRA BOOST FOR EXPORTERES
Govt has launched the Trade Infrastructure for Export
Scheme for addressing the infrastructure needs of the
exporters. The scheme would provide assistance for
setting up and up-gradation of infrastructure projects
with overwhelming export linkages like the Border
Haats, Land customs stations, quality testing and
certification labs, cold chains, trade promotion centres
and export warehousing and packaging.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
SCHEME FOR DISABLED SENIOR CITIZENS
Government plans to launch national level Rashtriya
Vayoshri Yojana from Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. This is
a Scheme for providing Physical Aids and Assisted-
living Devices for Senior citizens belonging to BPL
category
WI-FI HOTSPOT BY RAILWAY
Railways plan to set up Wi-Fi hotspot kiosks named
Railwire Saathi at about 500 stations to help people
access an array of online services like e-commerce,
online banking and access to various government
schemes.
NEW NAME FOR CBEC - CBIC
After the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax
(GST) regime, govt has decided to rename the Central
Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) as the Central
Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
PORTAL LAUNCHED FOR OIL & GAS SECTOR
Union Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has launched
MoP&NG e-Seva, a dedicated grievances redressal
platform on social media for speedy disposal of all
queries and grievances relating to oil and gas sector.
MISSION FINGERLING LAUNCHED
The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare
has launched Mission Fingerling, a programme aimed
at promoting the Blue Revolution by enabling holistic
development and management of fisheries.
WILDLIFE OPERATIONS LAUNCHED
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau under the Ministry of
Environment and Forests, in coordination with
International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL),
launched two missions Operation Thunder Bird to
combat illegal trade of wildlife animals and Operation
Save Kurma to curb smuggling of turtles.
SUICIDE NO MORE A CRIME
Lok Sabha passed the Mental Healthcare Bill, which
decriminalises suicide and guarantees the right to better
healthcare for people with mental illness. The Bill
mandates that a person who is attempting suicide shall
be presumed to be suffering from severe stress and
therefore, shall not be tried or punished by law.
11
4000 NEW PG MEDICAL SEATS WORLDs FIRST ATLAS FOR BLIND
An all-time record number of over 4,000 PG medical
seats have been approved by the Union Government in
various medical colleges and hospitals for the academic
session 2017-18, taking the total number of PG seats
available to 35,117.
Union Cabinet has approved setting up of 50 new
Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country to provide
quality education to around 50,000 students.
Govt launched Swachh Shakti Saptah, to highlight the
role of women in Swachh Bharat Mission and to
recognize their leadership.
Govt has shifted the responsibility of promoting
digital transactions in the country to the Ministry of
IT and Electronics (MEITY) from NITI Aayog. The worlds first comprehensive Braille atlas for visually
challenged people was released in New Delhi. It has
FEBRUARY been prepared by National Atlas and Thematic Mapping
Organisation under Deptt. of Science & Technology.
APPS FOR DIGITAL SECURITY
APP LAUNCHED FOR MINING SECTOR
Government has launched Transparency, Auction
Monitoring and Resource Augmentation (TAMRA)
mobile application and portal to ensure transparent
award of statutory clearances for mining operations.

POST OFFICES TO GIVE JOB INFORMATION

Post offices will now provide services such
as employment registration for rural youth
through National Career Services portal. This facility
will cover about 3000 professions in about 52 sectors.

With a view to offer better security to digital solutions,
govt has launched Cyber Swachhta Kendra in New
Delhi for Botnet cleaning and Malware analysis as a part
of digital India initiative. Two mobile apps namely
Mkavach to protect smart phones and tablets from
hackers and Samvid to protect Desktops from
suspicious applications from running, were also
launched.
CET FOR ENGG & ARCH
The Govt has approved the proposal for a single all India
exam for entrance in to all the engineering and
architecture colleges at the undergraduate level from
2018, on the lines of the national eligibility and entrance
test for medical colleges. The test will not cover the IITs.
PROG FOR RURAL DIGITAL LITERACY

ANTYODAYA EXPRESS ON RUSH ROUTES

Railways have started Antyodaya Express - a long-
distance, fully unreserved and super fast train service
for the common man. These trains are equipped with a
number of new features and will be operated only on
dense routes. Initially, 7 routes have been identified for
these trains.

SAATHIYA - NEW APP FOR ADOLESCENTS
The Union Health Ministry has launched the Saathiya
Resource Kit and mobile app named Saathiya Salah for
adolescents under the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya
Karyakram (RKSK). The kit and app will impart age
appropriate knowledge on key adolescent health issues
to the teenagers through their peer groups.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
The Union Cabinet approved Pradhan Mantri Gramin
Digital Saksharta Abhiyan to make 6 crore rural
households digitally literate by March 2019. As per
government Survey on Education in 2014, only 6 per
cent of rural households have a computer. The scheme
will be carried out under the supervision of Ministry of
Electronics and IT.
12
AADHAAR MUST FOR PDS RATION
The government has made Aadhaar mandatory for
availing subsidised foodgrains from public distribution
system (PDS) ration shops with a view to better target
the Rs 1.4 lakh crore subsidy under the food security
law. Those not having the Aadhaar number have been
asked to get the same by June 30.
Union Cabinet has approved setting up of 50 more
solar parks for doubling of solar park capacity to
40,000 MW.
Union Health Ministry launched the Measles-Rubella
(MR) vaccination campaign from Bengaluru to target
around 41 crore children across India.
JANUARY
POST OFFICE TO ISSUE PASSPORTS
The External Affairs Ministry and the Department of
Posts have agreed to utilise Head Post Offices in various
states as the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra for
delivering passport related services to the people.
SWACHH SWASTH SARVATRA LAUNCHED
Union Health Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry
of Drinking Water and Sanitation has launched Swachh
Swasth Sarvatra initiative, aimed at strengthening
community health centres in 708 open defecation-free
blocks to enable them to achieve higher levels of
cleanliness and hygiene.
PM ANNOUNCES NEW FINANCIAL SCHEMES
Prime Minister announced a number of new schemes to
help the poor, farmers, women and small business in his
New Year address to the nation. Following are the main
incentives announced by him:
Housing: Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
(grameen), home loans up to Rs 9 lakh will now get
4 % rebate in interest and home loans up to 12 lakh
rupees will attract 3% rebate.
In rural areas, 3 % interest relief will be given on
loan of up to 2 lakh rupees for the construction,
renovation and expansion of home.
Women: A national scheme was announced for the
would-be mothers to provide them Rs. 6,000 for
their delivery, vaccination, and nutritious meals.
Senior citizen: Senior citizens have been assured 8
per cent interest on their deposits up to Rs. 7.5 lakh,
for next 10 years.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Farmers:
i. Govt. to bear 60 days interest on select farm loans.
ii. To issue rupay debit cards to 3 crore farmers in
next three months.
Small and Medium businesses:
i. Loan guarantee scheme to small business
extended up to Rs. 2 crore.
ii. Banks and NBFCs not to levy high interest rate on
these loans as the govt. is bearing the cost of under
writing them.
iii. Banks to raise credit limit from 20% of turnover
to 25% for small business.
iv. Banks to raise working capital loan to 30% from
20% of sales for enterprises that transact digitally.
BHIM APP GETTING POPULAR
Governments online payments app Bharat Interface for
Money, BHIM has become the most popular Android app
in the country, topping the charts on Google's Play Store
in India.
SERVICE CHARGES NOT MANDATORY
Consumer Affairs Ministry has clarified that the service
charges, often ranging between 5 to 20 percent in lieu of
tips in restaurants, is not mandatory and consumer has
discretion to pay it or not.
MINIMUM MONTHLY PENSION INCREASED
The Government of India has increased the minimum
monthly pension for central govt. employees to Rs.
9,000 per person from Rs. 3500 earlier. Further, the ex-
gratia amount for the employees has been increased
from 10-15 lakh to 25-35 lakh rupees. There are about
50-55 lakh pensioners in the country.
VARISHTHA PENSION BIMA YOJANA 2017
The Union Cabinet approved this scheme to promote
financial inclusion. The scheme, implemented by LIC,
would provide an assured return of 8% per annum for
10 years to persons of age 60 years and above, with an
option to opt for pension on a monthly, quarterly, half-
yearly or annual basis.
DEGREES BY IIMs NOW
The Union Cabinet has approved the Indian Institute of
Management (IIM) Bill, 2017, which aims at permitting
the IIMs to grant degrees rather than diplomas and be
declared as Institutions of National Importance.
13
NSSF SCHEME AMENDED
The Union Cabinet has excluded States and Union
Territories except Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala and
Madhya Pradesh from National Small Savings Fund
(NSSF) investments. The decision was taken in view of
the recommendations made by the 14th Finance
Commission and representation by the other states. The
states mentioned that market borrowings were cheaper
than taking a loan from NSSF.
What is NSSF: It is a fund created in the public account of
India w.e.f. 1.4.1999. All small savings are credited in this
account and withdrawals are made out of it. The balance
is invested in central and state govt. securities.
SHAGUN TO MONITOR SSA
A dedicated web portal 'ShaGun', developed jointly by
the World Bank and Ministry of Human Resource
Development has been launched to monitor the
progress of countrys flagship educational programme
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
Railways has launched a new passenger mobile
application 'IRCTC Rail Connect' to promote ease of
booking tickets through digital mode.
Employees' Provide Fund Organisation (EPFO) has
made Aadhaar mandatory for its about 50 lakh
pensioners and around four crore subscribers.
The government has tied up with the National Yuva
Coop. Society to set up 1,000 Janaushadhi Kendras to
provide quality medicines at an affordable price.
Govt. has launched mobile app 'Haj Committee of
India', which will provide information and facilitate
e-payments for Haj pilgrimage.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
MARCH
DEC QR GROWTH RATE PUT AT 7%
Surprising the financial pundits, the data released by the
Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed that Indias
economic growth slowed marginally to 7% in October-
December, higher than what most economists have
predicted in view of the crippling effect that
demonetisation has had on consumption and
investment.
In the previous quarter, growth rate was 7.4 %. It also
maintained the growth rate estimate for 2016-17 at
7.1%.
TRADE DEFICIT FALLS BELOW $10 BN
Rising for the sixth straight month, exports posted a
17.48 per cent year-on-year hike in February, reaching
$24.49 billion. In the same period, imports touched
$33.88 billion, rising 21.76 per cent, leaving a trade
deficit of $9.39 billion.
Paris based think tank Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development (OECD) has cut India's
growth forecast for 2016-17 to 7% from 7.4% earlier
(2015-2016) due to impact of demonetization.
US based rating agency Fitch has projected Indian
economy to grow by 7.1%in 2016-17, but may jump
to 7.7% in the next two financial years.
Industrial growth rose to 2.7% in January due to
revival in manufacturing, mining, capital
goods and consumer durables sectors.
The growth of eight core sectors slowed down to a
five-month low of 3.4% in January mainly due to
contraction in output of refinery products, fertiliser
and cement.
FEBRUARY
INDIA TO GROW BY 6.6%-IMF
IMF says that Indias GDP growth is projected to slow
down to 6.6 per cent in 2016-17 fiscal due to the strains
that have emerged in the economy as a result of
temporary disruptions caused by demonetization.
Short term cash shortages and payment disruptions
resulted in shrinkage of consumption and business.
14
RBI LOWERS GROWTH RATE TO 6.9%
In its 6th bimonthly policy review, the RBI lowered the
GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal (2016-17) to
6.9 per cent from 7.1 per cent projected in 5th policy
review in Dec, 2016.
JANUARY
WORLD BANK LOWERS GROWTH RATE TO 7%
The World Bank has decelerated India's GDP growth for
2016-17 to 7 per cent from its previous estimate of 7.6
percent saying that immediate withdrawal of a large
volume of currency in circulation in November
contributed to slowing growth.
1% HOLD 58 % 0F INDIAs WEALTH
A study released by rights group Oxfam, UK, shows that
just 57 billionaires in India now have same wealth
($216 billion) as that of the bottom 70% population of
the country. Indias richest 1% hold as much as 58% of
the countrys total wealth.
ECONOMY & INDUSTRY
MARCH
INDIA GETS FIRST LOCAL EMU
Countrys first Make in India EMU (Electric Multiple United States with 815 million passengers was at
Unit) rake for suburban travel was launched in Western
Railways, from Dadar to Borivali in Mumbai. The new
rake is named Medha as it is powered by Hyderabad-
based firm Medha Servo Drives.
The rake has been manufactured by the Integral Coach
Factory (ICF) Chennai will save foreign exchange worth
$ 50 lakh per EMU rake along with 25 per cent saving in
the cost of manufacturing.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
IMPORT DUTY ON WHEAT AND TUAR
Govt has imposed 10% import duty on wheat and tuar
dal with immediate effect to protect domestic growers
from cheaper produce available from overseas
markets. It is expected to help curb imports of cheaper
wheat from Ukraine and Australia. Tuar is imported
from Myanmar, Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique.
AADHAAR MUST FOR PAN
The government has proposed to make Aadhaar card
mandatory for filing income tax returns and also
applying for a Permanent Account Number (PAN).
Besides, it also proposes to lower cash transaction limit
to Rs.2 lakh from Rs 3 lakh at present.
NBCC TO BUILD HOUSES IN MAURITIUS
National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC), a
Navratna construction major under the Ministry of
Urban Development has signed a MoU to execute a $ 20
million (Rs.130 crore) social housing project in
Mauritius.
RAILWAYS TO CARRY TRUCKS
Railways launched Roll-on Roll-off (RO-RO) service
from Gurugram to carry loaded trucks on flat wagons to
decongest roads in the national capital region (Delhi)
and to reduce pollution. In first attempt, 30 loaded
trucks were transported on the flat wagons from
Gurugram for Muradnagar in Uttar Pradesh.
100 MILLION AIR PASSENGERS IN INDIA
India has become the third largest aviation market in
terms of domestic passenger traffic, handling 100
million passengers in 2016, beating Japan at 97 million.
the top, followed by China with 490 million.
ADB LOAN FOR INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR
The Asian Development Bank has agreed to provide $
375 million loan for the development of
VisakhapatnamChennai Industrial Corridor, which is
the first phase of a planned 2,500-km East Coast
Economic Corridor - ECEC.
15
IDEA MERGES WITH VODAFONE
Idea Cellular Ltd, promoted by the Birla group has
agreed to merger with Vodafone India Ltd in a $23
billion deal, creating the worlds second largest and
Indias largest telco, overtaking Bharti Airtel Ltd. The
new entity will have almost 400 million customers with
35% customer and 41% revenue market share.
Govt has abolished the 1% tax on cash payments of
over Rs 2 lakh for the purchase of goods or services as
such transactions have been banned from April 1.
The NTPC has installed Indias largest floating solar
photovoltaic plant for 100 kw at Rajiv Gandhi
Combined Cycle Power Plant, Kayamkulam, Kerala.
Tata Sons has formally agreed to pay $1.18 billion to
settle its dispute with NTT DoCoMo of Japan, its joint
venture partner in Tata Teleservices Ltd.
Tata Steel Ltd and Wipro Ltd have been named in the
list of Worlds Most Ethical Companies 2017 by
American think tank Ethisphere Institute.
FEBRUARY
BUMPER CROP EXPECTED IN 2016-17
Agriculture Ministry in its 2nd advance estimates of pro-
duction of major crops for 2016-17 has stated that the
total foodgrain production in the country is estimated to
be at record 272 million tonne. It is higher by 6.94
million tonnes than the previous record production of
265 million tonnes in 2013-14.
DIGITAL PAYMENTS TO REACH $500BN
A report by global telecom body GSM Association and
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said that more than 50
per cent of India's Internet users will use digital
payments by 2020, by which the size of digital payments
industry in the country will be 500 billion dollars.
TCS LIMIT LOWERED TO Rs 2 LAKH
From April 1, 2017, if the amount of cash paid to buy
jewellery exceeds Rs 2 lakh, the seller will have to
collect one per cent tax collected at source (TCS). At
present this threshold limit is Rs 5 lakh.
NO CASH PAYMENT OF Rs 3 LAKH AND ABOVE
Finance Minister has stated that no person shall receive
an amount of Rs. 3 lakh or more by way of cash in
aggregate from a person in a day; in respect of a single
transaction; or in respect of transactions relating to one
event or occasion from a person.
Violation of this norm wef April 1, 2017 will attract fine
of equal amount on the receiver. This means that if a
person buys a costly watch, say for Rs. 4 lakh in cash, the
shopkeeper will be fined Rs. 4 lakh.
Indias iconic car brand Ambassador has been sold
off by the Hindustan Motors to European auto major
Peugeot for Rs 80 crore.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
JANUARY
UNION BUDGET 2017-18
In this years budget, India has moved from a
discretionary-based administration to a policy and
system-based administration. We are moving from
informal to formal economy. The governments
agenda for next year is to Transform, Energise and
Clean India.
Budget presentation has been advanced to help
begin implementation of schemes before the onset
of monsoon. Plan, non-plan classification of
expenditure has been done away with this budget to
give a holistic picture. The merger of railway budget
with the Union budget is a historic milestone this
year.
Besides, a massive war on black money has been
launched. Demonetisation will help in transfer of
resources from tax evaders to the government. It
will also lead to higher tax revenue.
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL SECTOR
Total allocation for Rural, Agriculture and Allied
sectors is Rs 1, 87, 223 crores
The govt is committed to double farm income in
next five years.
Agricultural credit from banks targeted at Rs 10
lakh crore
A model law for contract farming to be adopted
Mini labs by qualified local entrepreneurs to be set
up for soil testing in all 648 Krishi Vigyan Kendras in
the country.
Rs 5,000 crore allocated for per drop more crop
scheme.
Coverage of National Agricultural Market (e-NAM)
to be expanded from 250 markets to 585 APMCs.
NABARD to manage computerisation and
integration of all 63,000 functional Primary
Agriculture Credit Societies with the Core Banking
System of District Central Cooperative Banks
In a highest ever allocation, Rs 48,000 crore
allocated to MNREGA. Assets under MNREGA will
be geo-tagged to contribute to transparency.
16
 One crore households to be brought out of poverty
and 50,000 Gram Panchayats to be made poverty
free by 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi
ji.
100% village electrification by May, 2018
Rs 23,000 crore for Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana
Gramin to construct 1 crore houses by 2019
EDUCATION
Emphasis on science education and curriculum
design
Innovation fund will be created for secondary
education
Colleges will be identified on accreditation.
Swayam platform to be launched where students
can access courses by best faculty, take test and
access academic grades.
National Testing Agency will be established which
will conduct national level examination to free CBSE
etc from holding these exams.
EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL SECURITY
Allocation for women and children raised to Rs
1,84,632 crore
Five special tourism zones will be set up which will
be structured as special purpose vehicles.
There will be schemes for employment in textile,
leather and footwear sectors.
Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for
Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) programme to be
launched at a cost of Rs. 4000 crore to provide
market relevant training to 3.5 crore youth
Mahila Shakti Kendra will be set up with an
allocation of Rs. 500 crore in 14 lakh ICDS
Anganwadi Centres.
New rules regarding medical devices will be
formulated
2 news AIIMS to be opened in Gujarat and
Jharkhand.
Aadhaar based smart cards having health details for
senior citizens.
Under Maternity Benefit Scheme, Rs 6,000 each will
be transferred directly to the bank accounts of
pregnant women who undergo institutional
delivery and vaccinate their children.
RAILWAYS
Capital and development expenditure on railways to
be Rs 1, 31, 000 crore.
The Railways Safety Fund to be set up with an
allocation of Rs 1 lakh crore over 5 years.
Railway lines of 3,500 kms will be commissioned in
2017-18.
Unmanned crossings will be eliminated by 2020.
25 stations identified for redevelopment.
Waste-to-energy plants will be set up at New Delhi
and Jaipur stations
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
500 stations to get lifts, escalators to make them
friendly to the differently-abled
Solar power to be used in 2000 stations
By 2019, bio toilets will be available in all trains
Service charge on e-ticket to be withdrawn
2000 km of coastal roads have been identified for
development
Coach Mitra facility to redress grievances related to
rail coaches.
Railway public sector undertakings (PSUs)Indian
Railway Catering and Tourism Corp. (IRCTC), Indian
Railway Construction Co. Ltd (IRCON) and Indian
Railway Finance Corp. Ltd (IRFC) to be listed on
stock exchange.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Rs. 3.96 lakh crore, the highest ever allocation made
for infrastructure sector, including Rs. 97,000 crore
for the road sector.
The Foreign Investment Promotion Board will be
abolished
Allocation of Rs10,000 crore for Bharat Net project
for providing high-speed broadband
A DigiGaon initiative will be launched to provide
tele-medicine, education and skills through digital
technology
EASE OF DOING BUSINESS
No long term capital gains from transfer of
immovable property, if transferred after 2 years.
Under the scheme for profit-linked income tax
deduction for promotion of affordable housing,
carpet area instead of built up area of 30 and 60
sq.mtr. will be counted.
Income tax for companies with annual turnover up
to Rs 50 crore reduced to 25%
Allowable provision for Non-Performing Asset of
Banks increased from 7.5% to 8.5%.
No transaction above Rs. 3 lakh would be permitted
in cash subject to certain exceptions
Threshold limit for audit of business entities who
opt for presumptive income scheme increased to Rs
Rs. 2 crore.
BANKING
Allocation of Rs. 10,000 crore towards
recapitalisation of Public Sector Banks.
A payment regulatory board to be set up by RBI to
regulate fintech companies like Paytm etc.
Law soon to attach assets of bank loan absconders
(like Vijay Mallya)
PM Mudra Yojana - lending target raised to Rs 2.44
lakh crores, with a focus on Dalits, minorities,
backward and women
Aadhar-enabled payment system to be launched
soon
A Computer Emergency Response Team for our
Financial Sector (CERT-Fin) will be established.
17
 DEFENCE KEY BUDGET FIGURES 2017-18
Expenditure excluding pensions fixed at Rs 2.74
lakh crore
A Centralised Defence Travel System to be
developed through which travel tickets can be
booked online by our soldiers and officers

TAXATION
Only 24 lakh people declared an income above Rs.
10 lakh in 2016 - 17. Out of the 4.2 crore salaried
people, only 1.7 crore file tax returns
Tax for smaller companies with turnover up to Rs.
50 crore will be reduced by 5 percent
No capital gain if you sell your house after 2 years
No cash transactions above Rs. 3 lakh.
Max amount of cash donation a political party can
receive in cash reduced to Rs 2000 from earlier
limit of Rs 20,000 from one source
Income tax rate on income from Rs.2.5 lakh to Rs. 5
lakh reduced to 5 percent, from the earlier 10 per
cent.
Income up to Rs 3 lakh to be tax free from earlier
2.5 lakh
10 percent surcharge on income between Rs. 50
lakh to 1 crore
A single-page income tax return form for taxable
income under Rs 5 lakh.
GOVT HOUSE KEEPING ( %)
Rupee Comes From Rupee Goes To
Borrowings 19 Centrally Sponsored 10
Schemes
Corporate Tax 19 Plan Asst. to State / UTs 24
Income Tax 16 Finance Commission & 5
other Transfers
Customs Duties 9 Other-Plan Expenditure 13
Excise Duty 14 Central Sector Schemes 11
Service Tax 10 Interest Payments 18
*GDP for 2017-18 has been projected at Rs. 168.47 trillion.
Non-Tax Revenue 10 Defence 9
Non-Debit Capital 3 Subsidies 10
Receipt s ECONOMIC SURVEY -2017-18
Total 100 Total 100
THE HIGHLIGHTS
The Economic Survey is an important document that
summarises the economic status of the nation in the
current financial year and presents the expected
economic scenario in the next fiscal year.It is prepared
by chief economic adviser in the finance ministry
(Arvind Subramanian) and is presented in the
Parliament by the Finance Minister, a day before the
presentation of budget. Here are the highlights of the
Economic Survey 2016-17:
Growth this fiscal to be 6.5 per cent, down from 7.6
per cent recorded in the last financial year.
Growth in 2017-18 is expected to rebound in the
range of 6.75-7.5 per cent.
Prescribes cuts in individual I-T rates, real estate
stamp duties
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 18
 Income Tax net could be widened gradually by
encompassing all high income earners
Time table for cutting corporate tax should be
accelerated
Tax administration could be improved to reduce
discretion and improve accountability
Growth to return to normal as new currency comes
in circulation
Demonetisation to affect growth rate by 0.25-0.5
per cent, but to have long-term benefits
GST, other structural reforms should take the trend
growth rate to 8-10 per cent
Fiscal windfall likely from Pradhan Mantri Garib
Kalyan Yojana, low oil prices
Farm sector to grow at 4.1 per cent this fiscal, up
from 1.2 per cent last year
Fiscal gains from GST will take time to realise
Demonetisation may affect supplies of certain
agricultural products like sugar, milk, potatoes and
onions
INTERNATIONAL STOCK EXCHANGE IN INDIA
Indias first international exchange called India INX has
been opened at the International Financial Service
Centre (IFSC) of GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. GIFT
City stands for Gujarat International Financial Tech. It
will work for 22 hours in a day from sunrise to sunset
i.e. it will start when the Japan exchanges begin and will
close when the US markets end to facilitate international
investors and NRIs to trade from anywhere in the world.
INSURANCE COMPANIES TO BE LISTED
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has
approved listing of five government-owned General
Insurance Companies on stock exchanges. The
companies are National Insurance Company, New India
Assurance Company, Oriental Insurance Company,
United India Insurance Company and General Insurance
Corporation of India.
FACILITY TO EXCHANGE NOTES FOR NRIs
Ministry of External Affairs has informed that Indian
citizens, who are not residing in the country, will be
allowed to exchange their old 500 and 1,000 rupees
notes at RBI offices till the 30th of June, 2017.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
BANKING & FINANCE
MARCH
NOTES WITH MESSAGE ARE LEGAL TENDER
The RBI has clarified that currency notes on which some
message is scribbled, do not cease to be legal tender.
However, if message scribbled on it is political in nature,
then the note ceases to be legal tender. According to
RBIs Clean Note Policy 1999, no banks can deny to
exchange soiled or mutilated currency notes. Bank
branches refusing to exchange soiled notes from people
will have to pay a penalty of Rs 10,000.
The restriction for exchanging soiled notes is that if one
exchanges more than 20 notes or notes worth Rs 5,000 in
a day, then banks will levy service charges.
BANKS TO EDUCATE RURAL INDIA
The Reserve Bank has asked bank-operated Financial
Literacy Centers and rural branches to organize special
camps starting from April 1 to educate public about
digital payments through Unified Payments Interface,
UPI and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data-
USSD based *99# service code platforms. The camps
will be conducted for one year.
CHANGES IN NABARD ACT, 1981
Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for amending
NABARD Act, 1981, to increase the authorized capital of
NABARD from Rs. 5,000 crore to Rs. 30,000 crore and
to transfer 0.4 percent share of RBI in NABARD
amounting to Rs. 20 crores to the Government of India.
NABARD TO HELP KTAKA TO SAVE WATER
Nabard will help Karnataka with low-cost technologies
for water conservation and efficient use of water in the
drought-affected districts. The save water project will
focus on creating awareness about preservation and
efficient usage of water resources in villages.
19
 PATIALA 1 SCO 132, 1ST FLOOR, CHHOTI BARADARI: 9814695511
SCO 4-5, BASEMENT, BAJAJ TOWER,
PATIALA 2 OPP. PANJABI UNIVERSITY: Ph: 9814695511
ROPAR SCF-20, 1ST FLOOR, NEAR PIZZA PLANET, GIANI ZAIL SINGH
NAGAR, 9779642141, 9779642040
YAMUNANGAR 4612/19, 2ND FLOOR, ABOVE PUMA SHOWROOM,
SANTPURA GURUDWARA ROAD: 9728042123
DASUYA 2ND FLOOR, PURI COMPLEX, OPP. AXIS BANK, G.T. ROAD:
8146990736, 7527999088

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 20

IDFC BANK LAUNCHES 'AADHAAR PAY'
IDFC Bank has launched Indias first biometric-based
payment system 'Aadhaar Pay'. The app has been
developed under the guidance of the Ministry of IT, NITI
Aayog, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI),
and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
SBI TO TAKE FEE ON CASH TRANSACTIONS
From April 1, State Bank of India customers will have to
shell out extra charge for using debit cards and ATMs
above the mandatory limit. As per RBI guidelines, banks
have to allow at least 5 free ATM transactions per month
to their customers.
NEW PAYMENT SYSTEM LAUNCHED
American Express has launched Buyer Initiated
Payments, an electronic payment platform linked to
corporate card that reduces processing costs and offers
extended payment terms between companies and their
vendors, compared to traditional invoice payments.
CHARGES LEVIED ON CASH TRANSACTIONS
With a view to promote cashless and digital
transactions, the HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank
have decided to charge from March 1a minimum of Rs
150 per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals
beyond four free transactions in a month. The charges
will be levied on savings as well as salary accounts also.
RFID CARDS FOR BANK CUSTOMERS
Dena Bank has introduced Radio Frequency
Identification Card (RFID) enabled banking cards
whereby the branch manager can identify a valued
client entering the branch with the card. As the client
enters the branch, his complete profile will pop up on
the managers desktop.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
NEW CREDIT CARD UNNATI
State Bank of India's credit card arm SBI Card has
launched a new credit card 'Unnati' which will have zero
annual fee for the first four years of its subscription. The
card shall be available to all the SBI customers, including
Jan Dhan account holders.
RBI data says, ICICI Bank topped the list of banks that
witnessed most number of frauds during April to
December, 2016 with SBI taking the second spot.
RBI has directed that the NBFCs now cannot disburse
gold loan of more than Rs. 25,000 in cash. Earlier this
limit was Rs. one lac.
ICICI Bank has launched 'Mera iMobile' app for rural
customers to allow them to access banking services as
well as information on agri-services.
SBI has announced a one-time settlement scheme
worth 6,000 crore rupees primarily for tractor loans.
The scheme is open up to March 31, 2017.
State Bank of India has approved the 'Work from
Home' policy for its employees to enable them to
work while at home using various mobile devices.
HDFC Bank launched India's first AI-based banking
chatbot named Eva which can answer millions of
customer queries across multiple channels instantly.
FEBRUARY
RESTRICTIONS OVER ON CASH WITHDRAWALS
The RBI has announced that all restrictions on cash
withdrawal from savings bank account will be removed
from 13 March. But this will be done in two phases.
Beginning February 20, the cash withdrawal limit will
be increased to Rs. 50,000 per week from the existing
Rs. 24,000.
RBI PROMOTES BHARAT QR CODE
In its efforts to move towards less-cash economy, RBI
has promoted another digital payment initiative named
Bharat QR code, a common QR (Quick Response) code
that would enable seamless digital payments without
card swiping machines. It is the world's first inter-
operable payment acceptance solution. Payment
networks such as MasterCard and Visa have joined
hands with NPCI to launch Bharat QR.
21

SBI MERGER WEF APRIL 1
In the largest consolidation exercise in the banking
history of India, all the five associate banks will merge
with State Bank of India from April 1, 2017. Assets of
State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore,
State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Patiala and State
Bank of Hyderabad will be transferred to SBI on April 1.
With the merger of all the five associates, SBI is
expected to become a lender of global proportions with an
asset base of 37 lakh crore rupees, 22,500 branches and
58,000 ATMs. It will have over 50 crore customers.
GOVT TO LAUNCH INDRADHANUSH 2.0
The Government has decided to launch Indradhanush
2.0 for recapitalisation of public sector banks to ensure
compliance of the global Basel-III norms for capital
adequacy.
The government plans to infuse Rs 70,000 crore for
recapitalization in state-run banks over four years while
the banks had to raise a further Rs 1.1 lakh crore from the
markets to meet their capital requirement as per Basel-III
norms.
BILL PASSED FOR CESSATION OF OLD NOTES
The Lok Sabha passed the Specified Bank Notes
(Cessation of Liabilities) Bill which makes holding of
more than 10 old notes of Rs 500/1000 denomination
punishable with a fine up to Rs.10,000 or 5 times the
value of notes possessed, whichever is higher. The bill
aims to check parallel economy using the scrapped
notes.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
SBI GETS NEW DOMAIN NAME-bank.sbi
SBI has become the first banking organisation in India to
use a gTLD for its internet presence to provide
enhanced security to its customers. Now its web address
is bank.sbi.
A generic top level domain (gTLD) enables an
organisation to use its corporate name as their websites
top-level identifier instead of using a more traditional
".com" or ".co.in" domains.
The RBI has increased the gold loan limit for RRBs
(Regional Rural Banks) to Rs 2 lakh from the current
Rs 1 lakh to help the farmers and artisans.
The RBI kept the repo rate unchanged at 6.25% in its
6th bimonthly monetary policy review on Feb 8, citing
inflationary concerns in the coming months.
JANUARY
PAYMENT BANKS START OPERATIONS
Bharti Airtel started pan India operations of the
countrys first payments bank - Airtel Payments Bank.
Another player Paytm Payments Bank will soon start
operations.
Payments banks can accept demand deposits and
remittances but are not allowed to lend and accept fixed
deposits.
PAN/FORM 60 MADE COMPULSORY
Government has amended the Income-tax Rules, 1962
to allow banks to obtain and link PAN or Form No 60
(where PAN is not available) in all existing bank
accounts, other than Basic Saving Account by February
28, 2017.
40% BANK NOTES FOR RURAL AREAS
RBI has observed that the bank notes being supplied to
rural areas are not sufficient to meet their requirements.
It has directed that 40% of the bank notes be supplied to
rural areas to mitigate their problems.
Punjab National Bank has launched a contactless
credit card named PNB Wave N Pay to promote
digital payments.
22

DEFENCE, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
MARCH
DRDO TO DEVELOP MR-SAM
The Defense Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) and Israeli Aircraft Industry (IAI) will jointly
develop the medium-range surface-to-air missile (MR-
SAM) for the Indian army.
LCU INDUCTED IN INDIAN NAVY
IN LCU L51, the first of the eight ships of the Landing
Craft Utility (LCU) MK IV Class was commissioned into
the India Navy at Andaman Nicobar Islands. It will
assist in amphibious operations by carrying out
beaching operations and will improve surveillance
capacity of navy. It has been manufactures indigenously
by the Garden Reach Ship Builders, Kolkata.
NAVY RETIRES TU-142M AIRCRAFTS
The Indian Navy has decommissioned its iconic
Tupolev-142M anti-submarine warfare aircraft after
utilising its serviced for almost three decades. A total of
eight Russian TU -142Ms were inducted into the Navy
and currently only three of them are in operation.
These aircrafts are being replaced by most modern and
advanced P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft
manufactured by the Boeing Company of USA.
NAVY CONCLUDES TROPEX-17
Annual Theatre Level Readiness and Operational
Exercise (TROPEX 17) was hosted by the Indian Navy off
the western coast in Arabian sea. Apart from naval
warships, special troops from Army and selected fighter
aircrafts took part in the month long exercise.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
GOODBYE TO INS VIRAAT
INS Viraat, India's second aircraft carrier after INS
Vikrant, was decommissioned on March 6 after serving
the Indian Navy for nearly 30 years. Originally
christened HMS Hermes, it served the British Royal
Navy from 1959 to 1984 after which it was
decommissioned and sold to India. Now India is left with
only one aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
PRESIDENT HONOURS AIRFORCE UNITS
The President of India presented the Standard to 125
Helicopter Squadron and Colours to Mechanical
Training Institute of Indian Air Force at Air Force
Station, Tambaram, Tamil Nadu, for their excellent track
record.
An indigenously developed weapon locating radar
named Swati, has been inducted in Indian Army. It is
capable of locating artillery guns, tanks, etc. in a
range of up to 50 km.
The Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat was
conferred with the title of Hon. General of the
Nepalese Army during his official visit to Nepal.
Tanushree Pareek became the first woman combat
officer to be commissioned in the 51-year history of
the Border Security Force.
The 9th Gorkhas celebrated 200-years of its raising in
Secunderabad, Telangana. Their first battalion was
raised by the British government in 1817.
INS Tillanchang, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft
(WJFAC) was commissioned into the Indian Navy, at
Karwar, south of Goa.
A two week long joint military exercise SURYA
KIRAN-XI between India and Nepal was held in
Pithoragarh area of Uttarakhand
Indian and Royal Oman armies held their two week
long joint exercise named Al-Nagah-2 in Bakloh area
of Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh.
23
OLDEST ALGAE FOUND IN CHITRAKOOT
Scientists in India have uncovered a pair of 1.6 billion-
year-old fossils in Chitrakoot region on UP-MP border
that appear to contain red algae, which may be the
oldest plant-like life discovered on Earth. This
discovery could lead experts to rewrite the tree of life.
The oldest known red algae till now were 1.2 billion
years old.
FLUORESCENT FROG DISCOVERED
Scientists have discovered the worlds first fluorescent
frog near Santa Fe in Argentina that sports a muted
palette of greens, yellows and reds under normal light,
but gives off a bright blue and green glow in the dark.
NASA RELOCATES CHANDRAYAAN-1
India's first lunar mission the Chandrayaan-
1 spacecraft, which was generally considered lost in
August, 2009, is still orbiting the Moon. This has been
confirmed by NASA scientists using new technological
application of their interplanetary radar. It is still
circling some 200 kilometres above the lunar surface,
the scientists determined.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has
commissioned the worlds third largest hypersonic
wind tunnel at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Scientists in the Netherlands have developed a new
wireless technology based on infrared rays, which is
reportedly 100 times faster than the existing wireless
internet networks.
FEBRUARY
INDIA IS WORLDs TOP ARMS IMPORTER
A report released by the
Sweden-based think tank
Stockholm International
Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI) states that India
is worlds largest
importer of weapons and
military equipment,
accounting for 13 per cent of all such international
imports during the five-year period (2012-2016).
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, China and Algeria
are the next four biggest global importers of weapons.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
38 NEW RADARS FOR INDIAN COAST
The Ministry of Defence has approved setting up of 38
new radar stations to strengthen surveillance of the
countrys 7,517 km long coastline. These surveillance
stations will be integrated with the existing 46 radars
through Vessel Traffic Management System in the Gulf
of Kutch.
L&T FORMS JV TO DEVELOP MISSILES
Engineering and construction major L&T has entered
into a joint venture with European defence major MBDA
Missile Systems for development of missile systems in
India. In the beginning, they will develop fifth
generation anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM5s).
COBRA GOLD CONDUCTED IN THAILAND
Thailand and the United States jointly hosted Asias
largest military exercise Cobra Gold from Feb 14-24 in
jungles of Thailand. Over 29 countries, including India
took part in this gruelling war game.
Indian Navy launched sailboat 'Tarini' for the first
Indian all-women global circumnavigation by the
Indian Navy to begin in August.
Indigenously built offshore patrol vessel Shaunak
was inducted in Indian Coast Guard in Vasco, Goa.
INS Sarvekshak, the survey vessel of Indian Navy has
become the first Indian warship to install a 5 KW
solar power system on board.
India successfully test-fired its home grown Advanced
Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile from Abdul
Kalam Defence Base at Dhamara, off Odisha coast.
Indian Coast Guard Ship ICGS AYUSH was
commissioned in Indian Navy in Kochi, Kerala.
ISRO LAUNCHES 104 SATELLITES
On Feb 15, the ISRO scripted history by successfully
launching a record 104 satellites, including Indias earth
observation satellite Cartosat-2, on a single rocket. This
is the highest number of satellites ever launched in the
world in a single mission. The launch included 96
satellites from USA and 5 other foreign satellites.
ISRO used Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C37 to
achieve the mission. Cartosat-2 is an advanced remote
sensing satellite capable of providing scene-specific spot
imagery useful for map making.
24
SPECIAL TRAIN ON CLIMATE CHANGE AGNI-IV TESTED SUCCESSFULLY
Agni-IV, the nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic
missile with a strike range of 4,000 km was tested
successfully as part of a user trial from a test range off
Odisha coast.

SBI ATM ON WARSHIP

State Bank of India has installed an ATM on India's
largest warship, INS Vikramaditya to cater to the over
1,500 sailors and 110 officers who serve on board the
aircraft carrier.

With a view to increase understanding of the science of Pakistan successfully tested its long range surface-to-
climate change, a special train named Science Express surface ballistic missile Ababeel, having a strike
Climate Action Special (SECAS II) was flagged off from range of 2,200 km.
Safdarjung Railway station in Delhi. A new guided version of the Pinaka Rocket was
It will travel across the country covering 68 stations in successfully test-fired from Integrated Test Range at
20 states, completing its journey on Sep 8 in Chandipur in Odisha.
Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
A NEW HUMAN ORGAN FOUND
7 NEW PLANETS DISCOVERED Scientists in Ireland have
Astronomers at NASA have discovered seven Earth- classified a new organ
sized planets orbiting a star called Trappist-1. Three of named Mesentery
them are in the habitable zone which is believed to have inside human body in the
the qualities needed to support life. digestive system, proving
the anatomic description
ZEALANDIA A NEW CONTINENT DISCOVERED laid down over 100 years
A group of scientists have claimed that there exists an of anatomy as incorrect.
eighth continent also, named Zealandia. It is spread It is a small part that
around New Zealand, covering about 4.9 million sq km, connects the intestine to the abdomen
although most of it is submerged below the current sea
level.
Japan launched its first military communications
satellite Kirameki-2 to boost the broadband capacity
France has opened worlds first road made up of of its armed forces.
electricity-generating solar panels. This one km long
road has been constructed in a village in Normandy.
China has successfully launched Tongxin Jishu Shiyan,
a new-generation telecommunications satellite.
JANUARY NASA has approved a mission to explore an iron-rich
asteroid named 16 Psyche whose contents are said
NAVY GETS SUBMARINE KHANDERI to be worth over 100-thousand times the value of the
entire world economy.

Khanderi, the second Kalvari class Scorpene submarine,

was launched into water - or 'undocked' at the Mazagon
Dock, Mumbai. The submarine will undergo rigorous
tests and trials on the surface and underwater before it
is commissioned into the Indian Navy as "INS Khanderi"
at the end of the year in December.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 25

INTERNATIONAL
MARCH
EU CELEBRATES ITS 60 YEARS
The leaders of 27 countries that form European Union
gathered in Rome on March 25 to celebrate 60 years of
its formation. On this day in 1957, Treaty of Rome was
signed in Rome by six countries to lay the foundation of
European Union. The leaders issued a declaration that
"Europe is our common future" and presented a
roadmap for the next 10 years.
VENEZUELA FACES BREAD WAR
After living through shortages of water, electricity,
medicine, banknotes and beer, Venezuelans are now
struggling to find one of the most basic foodstuffs of all,
bread as the country has stopped importing flour for
bread. After several incidents of looting of bakeries,
President Nicolas Maduro has dubbed the phenomena
as Bread War.
GERMANY TO VOICE TEST THE MIGRANTS
Germany will begin testing new voice recognition
software which can indicate that migrants without
documentation have come from which country. The aim
is to detect Arabic-speaking migrants claiming to be
Syrian to increase their chances of asylum.
ITALY RANKED MOST HEALTHY COUNTRY
In the World Health Index 2017 released by US based
financial media group Bloomberg, Italy has been named
as the healthiest country, followed by Iceland and
Switzerland. The index graded 163 countries based on
variables such as life expectancy, causes of death and
health risks such as high blood pressure, malnutrition,
the availability of clean water and use of tobacco.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
CENSUS IN PAKISTAN
From March 15, Pakistan began its first census in past
about two decades. Over 2,00,000 troops and civilian
officials will collect crucial data that will be used for key
policy decisions, including delimitation of
constituencies.
COMMONWEALTH SUMMIT HELD IN LONDON
The inaugural commonwealth summit was held in
London on March 9. It focused on stimulating trade
within the group through a series of roundtable
discussions between ministers from over 30 countries
and chief executives.
NOKIA PHONES RE-ENTER THE MARKET
Finland-based HMD Global, a company formed by
veterans of Nokia, has launched new generation Nokia 3,
5 and 6 Android-based smart phones for global markets.
It will also launch the Nokia 3310, the iconic phone that
originally came out in 2000 and became one of the best-
selling mobile phones ever.
Nokia had earlier sold off its mobile phone business to
Microsoft. Later, HMD Global purchased it from Microsoft
to produce Nokia-branded mobile phones and tablets.
The finance ministers and central bank chiefs from
the G-20 nations held their meeting in Baden-Baden
in Germany from 17-18 March 2017.
13th summit of Economic Cooperation Organisation of
10 muslim nations was held in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Leaders of 22 Arab nations met in Sweimeh, Jordan
for the annual summit of Arab League to work out
strategies to handle terrorism in the region.
The first Summit of Indian Ocean Rim Association
(IORA) nations was held in Jakarta, Indonesia. India
and 20 other countries adopted a declaration on
countering terrorism.
Sweden will reintroduce compulsory military service
(conscription) starting this summer to respond to
global security challenges, including that from Russia
The award for the 'Most Popular Tourism
Destination was won by Sri Lanka at the Guangzhou
International Travel Fair (GITF) in China.
State of Kansas in USA has decided to observe March
16 as Indian-American Appreciation Day to honour
an Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla who was killed
last month in a racial hate crime.
26
 FEBRUARY
FAMINE CRISIS IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES
Officials of the UNICEF have advised that millions of
people, including 1.4 million children, are at risk of
dying as a severe famine takes hold in four countries -
Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. The crisis
has been declared as the first new famine in six years.
PAK PASSES HINDU MARRIAGE BILL
The Senate (upper house) of Pakistan unanimously
passed the Hindu Marriage Bill 2017 for the minority
Hindu community. It is the first elaborate law in
Pakistan for the Hindu community's personal law. The
Bill will help Hindu women get documentary proof of
their marriage.
CHINA TO CHECK FINGER PRINTS OF VISITORS
In a bid to step up security on its borders, China has
started taking fingerprints of all foreign visitors. It will
cover all foreign passport holders aged 14-70.
Countries like United States, Japan already have similar
requirements.
US WALL ON MEXICO BORDER
US Department of Homeland Security has advised that
the wall proposed by President Donald Trump along the
US-Mexico border would be a series of fences and walls
that would cost as much as $21.6 billion, and take more
than three years to construct.
WORLDs LONGEST AIR SERVICE
Qatar Airways conducted the worlds longest nonstop
commercial flight covering a distance of 14,535 kms
from Doha in Qatar to Auckland, New Zealand, in a
Boeing 777-200LR aircraft in 16 hours 20 minutes.
ROLLS-ROYCE SUFFERS HEAVY LOSS
British luxury carmakers Rolls-Royce reported a record
loss of 4.6 billion ($5.7 billion), the biggest in the
companys history since 1884. The loss is on account of
heavy penalties the company has agreed to pay to settle
bribery and corruption charges.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
ZIP LINE LINKS SPAIN-PORTUGAL
In a first of its kind venture in world, Spain and Portugal
have been linked by a 720 meter zip wire, allowing thrill
seeking tourists to cross into Portugal by flying through
the air at speeds of up to 50mph, across the Guadiana
River, in less than one minute.
2017 BRICS summit shall be held in Xiamen, China in
September 2017. This years theme is BRICS:
Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future.
In a survey conducted by the C-SPAN of USA on
Presidential Leadership, Abraham Lincoln was
ranked at the top as the Americas most esteemed
leader.
China generated 66.2 billion kilowatt-hours of energy
in 2016 to become the worlds largest producer of
solar energy, replacing Germany from the top.
Worlds longest elevated cycle path bulit in Xiamen,
China. Running for over 8 kms, it can handle over
2,023 cyclists with a speed up to 24 kmph.
JANUARY
TRUMP BANS VISAS FOR SEVEN NATIONALITIES
US President Donald Trumps latest bombshell order
has barred the entry of foreign nationals from seven
Muslim-majority nations: Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya,
Somalia, Yemen and Iraq - for 90 days.
The ban aims to find what information is needed from
each country to ensure that the visas are not issued to
individuals posing a national security threat. It also
imposes a blanket ban on all Syrian refugees until
"sufficient changes" are made to the refugee
programme.
WORLDS BIGGEST SOLAR PARK
China has built the worlds biggest solar
park, Longyangxia Dam Solar Park, in Qinghai. The park
spans over 27 square km of area and can produce 850
MW of power which is enough to supply up to 200,000
households.
FINLAND TO PROVIDE FREE SALARY
Finland has become the first country in the world to pay
a basic monthly income of Euro 560 to randomly picked
citizens on a national level with a view to minimize
poverty and unemployment.
27
FREIGHT TRAIN FROM CHINA TO LONDON GLOBAL ECONOMY SLOWS DOWN
Considering the stagnant global trade, subdued
investment and heightened policy uncertainty, the
World Bank has projected a growth of 2.7% for the
global economy in 2017.

NORWAY BIDS ADIEU TO FM

Norway became the first country in the world to start
shutting down its FM radio network in favour of digital
radio as it offers better sound quality and more channels
at one eighth of the cost of FM transmission.

MYANMAR FACES HEAT ON ROHINGYA ISSUE

China has launched its first freight train to London. The
train will depart from Yiwu in eastern China, cross
through western China to pass through Kazakhstan,
Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France
before arriving in London.

SHANGRI-LA OF THE WORLD

China launched its longest bullet train Shangri-la of the
World from Kunming, capital of southwest Chinas
Yunnan Province, to Beijing, covering a distance of
2,760-km in about 13 hours.
US ENDS WET FOOT, DRY FOOT POLICY
United States has ended a two-decade-old wet foot, dry
foot immigration policy that allowed Cuban migrants
who reach the American soil illegally to stay and
become legal residents. As a result, now the Cubans
crossing in to American side will be sent back to Cuba,
just like other migrants.
THE BEIPANJIANG BRIDGE HIGHEST
Myanmar government is facing strong international
criticism for failing to rein-in months-long military
crackdown on Rohingya Muslim community in northern
Rakhine State of the country. Thousands of Rohingyas
have fled as refugees to neighbouring Bangladesh.
INTERNATIONAL YEAR-SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
The United Nations General Assembly
has recognised the year 2017 as the International Year
of Sustainable Tourism for Development to celebrate
and promote the contribution of the tourism sector to
building a better world.
A study by Oxfam says, top eight rich men own the
same wealth as half the world's population which
threatens to pull societies apart.
The World Economic Forums Annual Meeting was
held in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland with the theme
Responsive and Responsible Leadership.

Worlds highest bridge has been thrown open for traffic

in China. The Beipanjiang Bridge soars 565 metres
(1,854 feet) above a river and connects the two
mountainous provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou.

APPLE MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANY

In a ranking of worlds 50 most innovative firms by the
Boston Consulting Group, technology giant Apple has
emerged as the most innovative company for 2016,
followed by Google and Tesla.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 28
 FEBRUARY
PERSONS IN NEWS SATINDER SARTAAJ: 34 year old folk singer from
MARCH Punjab has been selected for the awareness of project
against human trafficking named 'Blue Heart Campaign'
ARUN JAITLEY: Union Finance Minister was given the by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
additional charge of the defence ministry on 13 March
after Manohar Parrikar resigned from the post to take T.R. ZELIANG: Nagaland Chief Minister resigned in
on the role of Chief Minister of Goa. wake of widespread protests in the State against the
ADITYA PURI: American government decision to reserve 33 per cent seats in
financial magazine Barron's urban local bodies for women.
has ranked HDFC Bank Chief at O. PANNEERSELVAM: Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
23rd position in its list of resigned from his post as the party General Secretary. V
worlds 30 best CEOs. He is K Sasikala was elected as the new leader of the house.
ahead of Facebooks CEO Mark
Zuckerberg at the 30th spot. SUDARSAN PATTNAIK: World famous sand artist from
The list is topped by Mary Odisha has created a Guinness World Record for the
Barra, CEO of General Motors, highest sand made structure by creating a 48.8 feet tall
USA. sand castle at Puri beach in Odisha.
GAURI SINGH: 14-year-old girl from Udaipur became QUEEN ELIZABETH II: The worlds longest reigning
the first girl to swim across the 36 km route from Sea sovereign, became the first British monarch to reach her
Link near Worli Koliwada to the Gateway of India, Sapphire Jubilee, with 65 years on the throne.
Mumbai. She completed the distance in 6 hours and 30
minutes.
JANUARY
SHILPA SHETTY: Bollywood celebrity has been
appointed as a brand ambassador for the government's VINOD RAI: Former Comptroller and Auditor General
cleanliness initiative Swachh Bharat Mission. She will will head the 4-member panel of administrators for the
feature in TV and radio campaigns aimed at Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
discouraging people from littering on roads.
PRIYANKA CHOPRA: Bollywood
VANITA GUPTA: Indian-
star won, for the second year,
American woman has been
USAs prestigious Peoples Choice
appointed as the President and
Award for the Best Dramatic
CEO of The Leadership
Actress for her role in the popular
Conference on Civil and Human
TV series Quantico.
Rights, a US based global
human rights NGO, becoming
SUSHMITA SEN: Former Miss
the first woman to head the
Universe has been picked up to be on the judges panel of
prestigious organization.
the upcoming 65th edition of Miss Universe pageant
SEEMA VERMA: A leading health consultant of Indian that will take place on 30 January, 2017 in Philippines.
origin has been confirmed by the US Senate for a top
health care position in the Trump administration. ANEROOD JUGNAUTH: Indian origin Prime Minister of
Mauritius resigned from his post in favour of his son,
MAHERSHALA ALI: American actor, who won the Oscar
Pravind Jugnauth, who is the Finance Minister. The
for the best supporting actor for his role as Juan in Barry
President has approved appointment of Pravind as the
Jenkins' "Moonlight", is the first Muslim actor in history
next Prime Minister of Mauritius.
to win an Academy Award.
PARK GEUN-HYE: South IRIS MITTENAERE: The French beauty was declared
Koreas Constitutional Court on the new Miss Universe at a glittering pageant held in
10 March 2017 voted Manila, The Philippines.
unanimously to remove the ANJALI LAMA: The Nepalese model has become the first
countrys President from office transgender to walk at the Lakme Fashion Week.
on account of corruption
charges. Park becomes the first DONALD TRUMP: 70 year old American business
South Korean President to be tycoon and television personality took over as the 45th
removed from office. President of the United States on January 20.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 29
 AJAY TYAGI: Appointed as the new Chairman of the
APPOINTMENTS Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
SANJEEV SANYAL: Appointed as Principal Economic
MARCH Adviser in the Ministry of Finance. He is the former
global strategist and Managing Director of Deutsche
FIVE NEW CHIEF MINISTERS ELECTED Bank.
1. Yogi Adityanath-BJP UttarPradesh
2. Manohar Parriker-BJP Goa MOHAMED ABDULLAHI FARMAJO: Elected new
3. N. Biren Singh-BJP Manipur President of Somalia (East Africa)
4. Amrinder Singh-Congress Punjab FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER: Elected as the new
5. Trivendra Singh Rawat-BJP Uttarakhand President of Germany.
B.P. KANUNGO: Appointed as the Deputy Governor of GURBANGULY BERDYMUKHAMEDOV: Elected as the
the RBI. A senior RBI executive, he has been appointed new President of Turkmenistan
in place of Dr. R. Gandhi who is retiring on April 3.
MAHESH KUMAR JAIN: Appointed as Managing JANUARY
Director & CEO of IDBI Bank. He was earlier heading NATARAJAN CHANDRASEKARAN: CEO and MD of TCS
Indian Bank. has been appointed as the new Chairman of Tata Sons.
KISHORE PIRAJI KHARAT: Appointed as Managing PROF. DAVID R SYIEMLIEH: Appointed as the
Director and CEO of Indian Bank. He was earlier heading Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission
IDBI Bank. (UPSC).
MALLIKARJUN KHARGE: Former Rail Minister and ALOK KUMAR VERMA: New Director of the Central
senior Congress MP has been nominated for the post of Bureau of Investigation.
chairman of the Publics Account Committee (PAC) of RAJESH GOPINATHAN: Appointed as the new CEO of
Parliament. the Tata Consultancy Services TCS.
J.S. DEEPAK: Senior IAS officer has been appointed as NATARAJAN CHANDRASEKARAN: CEO and MD of TCS
Indias permanent representative to World Trade has been appointed as the new Chairman of Tata Sons
Organization (WTO).
PRAVIND JUGNAUTH: Appointed as the new Prime
DONALD TUSK: Polish diplomat has been re-elected as Minister of Mauritius.
the President of European Council.
ADAMA BARROW: New President of The Gambia, a
AMJAD HUSSAIN B SIAL: Pakistani diplomat has been small country in West Africa.
appointed Secretary General of the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) ANTONIO TAJANI: Elected as the new President of the
European Parliament.
NEIL GAIMAN: Noted author from New York has been
appointed as a global Goodwill Ambassador of the UN BERNARD CAZENEUVE: Appointed as the new prime
High Commissioner for Refugees - UNHCR minister of France
HASSAN SALEH: New Prime Minister of Sudan.

FEBRUARY
EDAPPADI K. PALANISWAMI: Elected as the new Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu
SHURHOZELIE LIEZITSU: New Chief Minister
of Nagaland
JUSTICE ABHAY MANOHAR SAPRE: Appointed the
chairman of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal
SANDEEP JAJODIA: Elected as the new President of
Assocham - The Associated Chambers of Commerce of
India. He is the CMD of Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd.
HEMANT BHARGAVA: Appointed as Managing
Director of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India.

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 30

DANIEL ORTEGA: Elected as the President of
Nicaragua for a third consecutive term.
JOVENEL MOISE: Elected as the President of Haiti.
SORIN GRINDEANU: Appointed as the new Prime
Minister of Romania.
AWARDS & HONOURS
MARCH
SARASWATI SAMMAN 2016: Awarded to eminent
Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail for his
novel Hawthan. The award is given annually for the
best book in any Indian language and carries cash
reward of Rs.15 lakh.
MOORTIDEVI AWARD: Awarded to eminent
Malayalam writer and journalist M P Veerendra Kumar
for his travelogue 'Haimavatha Bhoomiyil' which
unravels ancient trails of Indian culture and literature.
This award is given by Bhartiya Jnanpith for outstanding
work in an Indian language highlighting the Indian
philosophy and cultural heritage.
RAGHU RAI: Veteran photojournalist was conferred
with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th
National Photography Awards in New Delhi.
EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2016: Vivek Chaand
Sehgal of Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd by Ernest Young
Karur Vysya Bank has been adjudged the Best Small
Bank for 2016.
OSCAR AWARDS DECLARED
The 89th Academy Awards or Oscars 2017 were held
on Feb 26 at Los Angeles, USA. These awards are
presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences.
Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Picture: Moonlight by Barry Jenkins
Best Actor: Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea
Best Actress: Emma Stone for La La Land
ABEL PRIZE: The prestigious prize for excellence in
Maths has been awarded to French mathematician Yves
Meyer. The award famous as Nobel of Maths is given by
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE: Prestigious $ 1 million prize
was won by Maggie MacDonnell, a Canadian who
teaches at a school in a fly-in only village in the Arctic
region. The award is given by the Dubai-based Varkey
Foundation.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR: Rihanna, the 29-year-
old world famous pop singer from Barbados has been
named for this prestigious award given by the Harvard
University, USA.
FEBRUARY
VYAS SAMMAN 2016: Prestigious award for excellence
in Hindi literature was conferred upon Surendra Verma,
a well known Hindi scholar and writer for his novel
Kaatna Shami Ka Vriksha: Padma Pankhuri Ki Dhar Se.
NATIONAL MSME EXCELLENCE AWARD: won by
Corporation Bank. The award is instituted by the
Federation of Industry, Trade and Services (FITS).
KAYAKALP AWARD: The All India Institutes of Medical
Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi was awarded the first prize
under the Central Government Hospitals category for
maintaining high standards of sanitation and hygiene.
VISITORS AWARD: Jawaharlal Nehru University has
won this prestigious national award for the best Central
University in India. The award is given by President of
India.
SANDEEP DAS: Indian tabla player won the Grammy
Award for the Best Global Music category for the
composition Sing me Home in Yo-Yo Mas Silk Road
Ensemble.
A political satire film Newton, directed by Amit
Masurkar won the International Federation of Art
Cinemas award in its Forum segment. The film was
premiered at the 67th Berlin Film Festival.
BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM AND TELEVISION
AWARDS (BAFTA) announced on Feb 12 in London.
Best Film: La La Land directed by Damien Chazelle
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land, USA
Best Actor in a lead role: Casey Affleck for
Manchester by the Sea
Best Actress in a lead role: Emma Stone for La La
Land
59th GRAMMY AWARDS announced on Feb 12 in Los
Angeles, USA to recognize the best in the field of music.
Album of the year: 25 by Adele (Britain)
Record of the year: Hello by Adele
Song of the year: Hello by Adele
Best Rock Song: Blackstar by David Bowiey
Best Pop Solo Performance: Hello by Adele
Best Pop Vocal Album: 25 by Adele
Adele is the first artist in Grammy history to sweep the top
three categories twice and now has a total of 15
Grammys.
MISS UNIVERSE - 2016: Iris Mittenaere from France
GENESIS PRIZE-2016: Prestigious $1 million prize by
Israel was won by well known Indian-origin British
sculptor Anish Kapoor for his commitment to Jewish
values.
31
 JANUARY PADMA SHRI
Sr.
PADMA AWARDS 2017 DECLARED Name Field State
No
President of India approved conferment of Padma 15. Smt. Basanti Bisht Art-Music Uttarakhand
Awards on 89 persons comprising seven Padma Shri Chemanchery
Vibhushans, seven Padma Bhushans and 75 Padma Shri 16. Art-Dance Kerala
Kunhiraman Nair
awards, of which 19 awardees are women. Smt. Aruna
17. Art-Dance Odisha
PADMA VIBHUSHAN Mohanty
Smt. Bharathi
18. Art-Cinema Karnataka
Sr. Vishnuvardhan
Name Field State 19. Shri Sadhu Meher Art-Cinema Odisha
No
1. Shri K J Yesudas Art-Music Kerala 20. Shri T K Murthy Art-Music Tamil Nadu
Others- Shri Laishram
Sadhguru Jaggi
2. Spiritualis Tamil Nadu 21. Birendrakumar Art-Music Manipur
Vasudev Singh
m
Shri Sharad Public Shri Krishna Ram Uttar
3. Maharashtra 22. Art-Music
Pawar Affairs Chaudhary Pradesh
Shri Murli Public 23. Smt. Baoa Devi Art-Painting Bihar
4. Uttar Pradesh
Manohar Joshi Affairs 24. Shri Tilak Gitai Art-Painting Rajasthan
Prof. Udipi Science & Dr. Prof. Aekka Art-
25. Telangana
5. Ramachandra Engineeri Karnataka Yadagiri Rao Sculpture
Rao ng Shri Jitendra
26. Art-Music Odisha
Late Shri Sunder Haripal
Lal Public Madhy8Prade 27. Shri Kailash Kher Art-Music Maharashtra
6.
Patwa (Posthum Affairs sh Smt. Parassala B
ous) 28. Art-Music Kerala
Ponnammal
Late Shri PA Smt. Sukri
Public 29. Art-Music Karnataka
7. Sangma Meghalaya Bommagowda
Affairs
(Posthumous) 30. Shri Mukund Nayak Art-Music Jharkhand
Shri Purushottam
31. Art-Music Gujarat
PADMA BHUSHAN Upadhyay
Smt. Anuradha
Sr. 32. Art-Music Maharashtra
Name Field State Paudwal
No.
Shri Wareppa Naba
Shri Vishwa Mohan 33. Art-Theatre Manipur
8. Art-Music Rajasthan Nil
Bhatt
Shri Tripuraneni
Literature
Prof. (Dr.) Devi Prasad Uttar 34. Hanuman Civil Service Telangana
9. &
Dwivedi Pradesh Chowdary
Education
Shri T.K.
Shri Tehemton Maharasht 35. Civil Service Haryana
10. Medicine Viswanathan
Udwadia ra
36. Shri Kanwal Sibal Civil Service Delhi
Others-
Shri Ratna Sundar Shri Birkha
11. Spirituali Gujarat Literature &
Maharaj 37. Bahadur Limboo Sikkim
sm Education
Muringla
Swami Niranjana Others-
12. Bihar Literature &
Nanda Saraswati Yoga 38. Smt. Eli Ahmed Assam
Education
H.R.H. Princess Maha Literature
Literature &
13. Chakri Sirindhorn & Thailand 39. Dr. Narendra Kohli Delhi
Education
(Foreigner) Education
Prof. G. Literature &
Literature 40. Karnataka
Venkatasubbiah Education
&
Late Shri Cho Shri Akkitham
Education Tamil Literature &
14. Ramaswamy 41. Achyuthan Kerala
Nadu Education
(Posthumous) Namboothiri
Journalis
m Shri Kashi Nath Literature & Jammu &
42.
Pandita Education Kashmir

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 32

 Shri Chamu Krishna Literature & Smt. Nivedita
43. Delhi 71. Social work Tamil Nadu
Shastry Education Raghunath Bhide
Shri Harihar Literature & Uttar Shri Appasaheb
44. 72. Social Work Maharashtra
Kripalu Tripathi Education Pradesh Dharmadhikari
Literature & Baba Balbir Singh
45. Shri Michel Danino Tamil Nadu 73. Social Work Punjab
Education Seechewal
Literature & Sports-
46. Shri Punam Suri Delhi 74. Shri Virat Kohli Delhi
Education Cricket
Literature & Sports-
47. Shri VG Patel Gujarat 75. Shri Shekar Naik Karnataka
Education Cricket
Smt. V Literature & Andhra Sports-
48.
Koteswaramma Education Pradesh 76. Shri Vikasa Gowda Discus Karnataka
Literature & Throw
49. Shri Balbir Dutt Education- Jharkhand Sports-
77. Smt. Deepa Malik Haryana
Journalism Athletics
Literature & Shri Mariyappan Sports-
Smt. Bhawana 78. Tamil Nadu
50. Education- Maharashtra Thangavelu Athletics
Somaaya
Journalism Sports-
79. Smt. Dipa Karmakar Tripura
Literature & Gymnastics
51. Shri Vishnu Pandya Education- Gujarat Sports-
80. Shri P R Shreejesh Kerala
Journalism Hockey
52. Dr. Subroto Das Medicine Gujarat Sports-
81. Smt. Sakshi Malik Haryana
Dr. (Smt.) Bhakti Madhya Wrestling
53. Medicine
Yadav Pradesh Shri Mohan Reddy
Trade &
Dr. Mohammed 82. Venkatrama Telangana
54. Medicine Telangana Industry
Abdul Waheed Bodanapu
Dr. Madan Madhav Uttar Shri Imrat Khan
55. Medicine 83. Art-Music USA
Godbole Pradesh (NRI/PIO)
Dr. Devendra Shri Anant Agarwal Literature &
56. Medicine Gujarat 84. USA
Dayabhai Patel (NRI/PIO) Education
Prof. Harkishan Literature &
57. Medicine Chandigarh Shri H.R. Shah
Singh 85. Education- USA
(NRI/PIO)
58. Dr. Mukut Minz Medicine Chandigarh Journalism
Shri Arun Kumar Others- Late (Smt.) Suniti
59. Chhattisgarh
Sharma Archaeology 86. Solomon Medicine Tamil Nadu
Others- (Posthumous)
60. Shri Sanjeev Kapoor Maharashtra
Culinary Shri Asoke Kumar
Others-
Smt. Meenakshi Others- 87. Bhattacharyya West Bengal
61. Kerala Archaeology
Amma Martial Art (Posthumous)
Shri Genabhai Others- Dr. Mapuskar
62. Gujarat 88. Social Work Maharashtra
Dargabhai Patel Agriculture (Posthumous)
Shri Chandrakant Science & Smt. Anuradha
63. Telangana 89. Social Work Nepal
Pithawa Engineering Koirala (Foreigner)
Prof. Ajoy Kumar Science &
64. West Bengal ASHOK CHAKRA: The highest peace time gallantry
Ray Engineering
award was conferred upon Havildar Hangpan Dada, who
Shri Chintakindi Science & Andhra killed four terrorists before laying down his life in
65.
Mallesham Engineering Pradesh Kupwara on May 26 last year.
Shri Jitendra Nath Science &
66. Assam The Delhi International Airport Limited won the
Goswami Engineering
Shri Daripalli Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social
67. Social Work Telangana Responsibility in the aviation transport sector for the
Ramaiah
Shri Girish year 2016.
68. Social Work Karnataka
Bhardwaj PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD for the Best Dramatic
69. Shri Karimul Hak Social Work West Bengal Actress: Priyanka Chopra won this prestigious US
70. Shri Bipin Ganatra Social Work West Bengal award for her role in the popular TV series Quantico.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 33
62ND FILMFARE AWARDS HELD AT MUMBAI
Best Film: Dangal directed by Nitesh Tiwari
Best Actor: Aamir Khan for Dangal
Best Actress: Alia Bhatt for Udta Punjab
Best Director: Nitesh Tiwari for Dangal
Lifetime Acheivment: Shatrugan Sinha
AMITABH BACHCHAN: The megastar was honoured by
the US Embassy in appreciation for his invaluable
contributions to the US-India partnership on
tuberculosis.
THE 74TH GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS for cinema and TV
were held in Beverly Hills, California (USA)
Best Motion Picture: Moonlight directed by Barry
Jenkins
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert for Elle
Best Actor: Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea
BOOKS & AUTHORS
MARCH
Home of the Brave by Nitin A Gokhale & Brig S K
Chatterji. The book is about the history, glory and
achievements of the Rashtriya Rifles, a counter
insurgency/ anti terrorist force of the Indian Army.
50 Years The Great Indian Milk Revolution, a coffee
table book brought out by National Dairy Development
Board to commemorate 50 years of its existence.
My story, autobiography of Michael Clarke, former
Australian cricket captain
Numbers Do Lie by Akash Chopra, Former Indian
cricketer
Ashoka: Lion of Maurya by Ashok K Banker
FEBRUARY
Lankas Princess by Kavita Kane
An Unsuitable Boy by Karan Johar
Shadow Fighter: Sarita Devi and her Extraordinary
Journey by Suprita Das
Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl by Ram Kamal
Mukherjee
The Untold Vajpayee: Politician and Paradox by N. P.
Ullekh
A Season For Martyrs by Bina Shah.
From Kalburgi to Ayodhya, a collection of poems by
Gulzar, famous poet and lyricist.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Fearless in Opposition by P. Chidambaram, former
Union Finance Minister
Veerappan, Chasing the Brigand by K Vijay Kumar.
He headed the special task force that killed Veerappan
during the Operation Cocoon in 2004.
JANUARY
An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India by
Shashi Tharoor
The Spy by Paulo Coelho
Jinnah Often Came to Our House by Kiran Doshi. The
book won The Hindu Prize 2016
'Akhada' - biography of former wrestler and coach
Mahavir Singh Phogat on whose life film Dangal has
been made.
The People's President: Dr APJ Abdul Kalam by S M
Khan, Presidents press secretary
Brothers by Manju Kapur
Immortal by Krishna Udayasankar
Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt by Sarah
Jaffe
Khullam Khulla - Autobiography of Bollywood veteran
Rishi Kapoor
OBITUARY
MARCH
SYED SHAHABUDDIN: Former senior Indian diplomat
and 3 times MP from Kishanganj, Bihar, died at the age
of 82. He was known for his strong opposition to the
demolition of the Babri Masjid and was the leader of the
Babri Action Committee.
RABI RAY: Veteran socialist leader and eminent
Parliamentarian, former Union Minister for Health and
Family Welfare and Speaker of the Lok Sabha, passed
away at 91, after prolonged illness in Cuttack, Odisha.
TAARAK MEHTA: Renowned Gujarati humourist and
playwright passed away at 87. The popular TV series
Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is an adaptation of
his daily column Duniya Ne Undha Chasma.
P. SHIV SHANKAR: Former Union Minister and veteran
Congress leader passed away in Hyderabad. He was 88.
He was also the Governor of Kerala and Sikkim.
DAVID ROCKEFELLER: The billionaire businessman
and renowned philanthropist of USA died at the age of
101. To mark his 100th birthday in 2015, he donated
1,000 acres of land to the state government.
34
GEORGE A. OLAH: A great US scientist whose work won
a Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1994 and paved the way
for more effective oil refining and ways of producing
less polluting forms of gasoline, died at age 89 in
California, USA.
FEBRUARY
JOGINDER SINGH: Former CBI director passed away
after prolonged illness in New Delhi. He was 77. He
authored several books and wrote regularly for several
newspapers.
ALTAMAS KABIR: Former Chief Justice of Supreme
Court passed away in Kolkata. He was 68. He held the
top position from Sep 29, 2012 to July 18, 2013.
VED PRAKASH SHARMA: Popular Hindi novelist,
counted among the highest-selling Hindi writers in the
country, died in Meerut. He wrote over 176 novels, of
which Vardi Wala Gunda sold more than 8 crore copies.
BANO QUDSIA: Renowned Pakistani Urdu novelist and
playwright passed away at the age of 88. She was
honoured with Pakistans highest civil awards - Sitara-i-
Imtiaz in 2003 and Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2010.
SIR PETER MANSFIELD: British physicist who won
Nobel in 2003 for developing Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI), died at the age of 83. MRI uses magnetic
fields, radio waves, and field gradients to detect damage,
such as cancer, in various parts of the body.
JANUARY
OM PURI: Legendary cinema and theater actor passed
away after a massive heart attack in Mumbai. He will
always be remembered for his outstanding performance
in films like Ardhsatya, Aakrosh. He also acted in several
Pakistani, British and Hollywood films.
SURJIT SINGH BARNALA: Former Punjab Chief
Minister and former Governor of Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh and Uttarakhand, passed away at Chandigarh.
He was 91.
NAQSH LYALLPURI: Renowned Urdu poet and
Bollywood lyricist Jaswant Rai Sharma, known to the
world by his pen name, died at the age of 89. Some of his
best songs include, Main to har modh par tujh kodunga
sad; Na Jane kya hua, jo tune chhu liya and Ulfat me
zamane ki har rasm ko thukrao.
MASAYA NAKAMURA: The Father of Pac-Man, who
founded the Japanese video game company behind the
hit creature-gobbling game, is no more. Pac-Man, which
had gone on sale in 1980 has been played over 10 billion
times, a Guinness Book record.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
AKBAR HASHEMI RAFSANJANI: Two times former
Iranian President died at 82. He was an influential figure
in Iranian politics.
ALEXANDER KADAKIN: Russian Ambassador in India,
considered a great friend of India, passed away in New
Delhi after a brief illness.
NAT HENTOFF: Famous author, journalist, jazz critic
and civil libertarian of USA passed away at 91. He wrote
regularly for the Village Voice, The New Yorker, The
Washington Post, Down Beat magazine and authored
dozens of books.
TONY ATKINSON: Eminent British economist and a
noted scholar at the London School of Economics died in
Oxford, UK. His research in the field of income
distribution influenced studies of poverty and inequality
in India.
JOHN BERGER: The Booker-prize-winning British and a
revolutionary art critic passed away. His book, Ways of
Seeing, had a considerable effect on how visual art was
appreciated.
PLACES IN NEWS
MARCH
VILLAGE HABBI: in Kotranka in Rajouri district of
Jammu and Kashmir has been developed as the
countrys first tribal model village. The village has been
introduced with smart classes in the schools, better
roads, electricity and water facility.
SANJAULI: Police station in Sanjauli, a suburb of
Shimla, has become the first police post in the country to
be linked with Crime and Criminal Tracking Network
and Systems (CCTNS), a nationwide online crime
tracking system.
LONDON: British capital was in news as it witnessed
one of the worst terror attacks in recent times. The
attacker rashly drove a car along a pavement in
Westminster, just next to Parliaments wall, crushing
several pedestrians before smashing car against the
boundary wall. Five persons died and at least 40 were
injured before the attacker was shot dead by police in
the grounds of Parliament.
CHANGI AIRPORT: Singapore's airport has been voted
as the World's Best Airport by air travelers at the 2017
World Airport Awards for the fifth consecutive year.
ADDIS ABABA: More than 113 persons were killed and
around hundred were injured from the collapse of a
mountain of trash at a massive garbage dump on the
outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopias capital. The mishap
took place at Koshe garbage landfill where hundreds of
rag pickers stay in make shift shanties, scavenging for
food and collecting recyclable items that they can sell.
35
DEBBIE: A "monster" cyclone named Debbie made
landfall in northeast Australia on the Queensland coast,
cutting power and uprooting trees as coastal towns
went into lockdown in the face of lashing rain and
howling winds.
FEBRUARY
BARREN ISLAND VOLCANO: Indias only active volcano
in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands erupted once again,
spewing lava and ash several feet high in to the air. The
last recorded eruption was in 1991.
SEHWAN: At least 100 persons were killed and 150
injured when an IS suicide bomber blew himself up
inside the crowded shrine of revered Sufi Lal Shahbaz
Qalandar in Sehwan town, 200 km northeast of Karachi
in Pakistan.
HAFSI: Village in Bargmatal district of Nuristan
province of Afghanistan was in news as over 100
persons were killed there and in its adjoining areas as
they were struck by an avalanche.
JANUARY
DHARAMSALA: Himachal Pradesh govt has declared
that Dharamsala would be the second capital of the
State. The city is important for the lower areas of
Himachal Pradesh, including Kangra, Chamba, Hamirpur
and Una districts.
KARANG: A small island located in fresh water lake
Loktak in Manipur, has become the countrys first
cashless island.
BENGALURU: The
capital of Karnataka
has been ranked
number one in a
global study
conducted by World
Economic Forum to
identify dynamic
cities. It is followed by Ho chi Minh City, Vietnam with
Hyderabad at 5th place.
SPORTS WORLD
MARCH
Ravichandran Ashwin, star Indian spinner has broken
the world record for most wickets in a single Test
season, claiming 79 this season during the Dharamsala
Test against Australia.
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy the ICC Cricketer of the
Year 2016: Ravichandran Ashwin, ace Indian spinner
was honoured with the prestigious trophy for his
outstanding performance in 2016, best in the world.
Ankur Mittal won Gold medal in the Men's Double Trap
event at the International Shooting Sport Federation
(ISSF) World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico
Ravindra Jadeja has secured number one position in
the latest ICC rankings for Test bowlers.
Cheteshwar Pujara became first Indian batsman to face
over 500 balls in an innings. He played for more than 11
hours scoring 202 off 525 balls in the first innings
during the third test-match against Australia at the JSCA
Stadium at Ranchi.
BCCI ANNUAL AWARDS
Polly Umrigar award for the international
cricketer of the year: Virat Kohli
Dilip Sardesai Award: Ravichandran Ashwin for
the best performance in India's bilateral Test series
against West Indies
C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award:
Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar
Lifetime Achievement Award for Women: Former
captain, Ms. Shanta Rangaswamy. This award is being
given for the first time.
SSP Chawrasia won the Hero Indian Open Golf Cup in
Gurugram, Haryana, for the second time in succession.
Virat Kohli was named the Captain of the Year at the
10th ESPN cricinfo awards.

MAWLYNNONG: a village in Meghalaya has become a

role model for other states in maintaining cleanliness.
Termed as Asias cleanest village, Mawlynnong has
become tourists' hotspot.
PATNA: Capital of Bihar was in news as lakhs of
devotees from all over the world visited Gandhi Maidan
to participate in the grand Prakash Parv organised to
celebrate the 350th birth anniversary of the 10th Sikh
guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh.
QUEBEC: The city in Canada saw at least six killings in a
shooting incident at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 36
SACHIN TENDULKAR: Legendary cricketer was
announced as the official ambassador of Women's
Cricket World Cup 2017 by the International Cricket
Council (ICC)
Saina Nehwal, a member of the International Olympic
Committee's Athletes' Commission, would be
representing the IOC in the Badminton World
Federation (BWF).
Duo of Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu clinched the Gold
medal in the 10m mixed team air pistol event in the ISSF
shooting World Cup in New Delhi. Rai also won gold in
50 meter air pistol, also creating a new world record.
Ankur Mittal won the Silver medal in the double trap
event.
Tarun Kona and Alwin Francis of India won the Mens
Double title at the 2017 Uganda International Series in
Kampala, Uganda
Vietnam Open International challenger badminton
title: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won
the championship.
INDIA TOPS THE TEST RANKINGS
By winning the test series against Australia, India
retained the ICC Test Championship mace and also won
a cash award of one million US dollar for holding on to
the top position in the Test Team rankings on the annual
April 1 cut-off date.
India bagged record 73 medals - 37 gold, 10 silver and
26 bronze medals and secured fifth position in the
Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria.
Indian women hockey team won the five-match Test
series 5-0 against Belarus in Bhopal, MP.
5th Hockey India League: Kalinga Lancers lifted the
title by beating Dabang Mumbai team at Chandigarh.
Vijay Hazare Trophy: Tamil Nadu won the popular
cricket trophy by defeating Bengal in the Final played at
the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi.
Santiago Nieva of Sweden will be new foreign coach for
mens national boxing team.
Babul Supriyo has been named as Vice President of the
U-17 FIFA World Cup 2017.
Final match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup football shall be
held in Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on October 28, 2017
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has
announced that the 2017 Mens Hockey World League
final and the 2018 Mens Hockey World Cup will be
hosted by Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Lionel Messi, star player of Argentina has been banned
from next four competitive internationals, starting with
the World Cup's qualifier in Bolivia, for swearing at a
match official in La Paz, Bolivia in a match against Chile.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Sebastian Vettel of Germany won the Australian Grand
Prix for Ferrari team in Melbourne.
Dubai Tennis Championships: Britains Andy Murray
defeated Spain's Fernando Verdasco to win the trophy.
All England Open badminton championships: Lee
Chong Wei of Malaysia won the mens title.
ATP Mexico Open Tennis: USAs Sam Querrey
defeated Rafael Nadal to win the Mens Singles title.
All England Open Badminton Championships:
Womens title won by top seed Tai Tzu Ying of China by
defeating Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.
Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open, California (USA):
Roger Federer won the mens singles title beat fellow
Swiss Stan Wawrinka. Womens title was won by Elena
Vesnina of Russia beating fellow Russian Svetlana
Kuznetsova.
FEBRUARY
KOHLI CREATES HISTORY
Indian captain Virat Kohli created history by becoming
the first batsman to score double hundreds in four
successive Test series. He surpassed the legendary Sir
Donald Bradman and Rahul Dravid who achieved the
feat in only three successive series. Kohli achieved the
landmark in Hyderabad, playing against Bangla Desh.
He became the second Asian to be featured on the
latest cover of the bible of cricket - Wisden Cricketers'
Almanack, the other being Sachin Tendulkar.
He also became the first Indian sports personality to
strike a Rs 110-crore endorsement deal with a single
brand Puma.
Ravichandran Ashwin became the fastest bowler to
claim 250 Test wickets when he dismissed Bangladesh
skipper Mushfiqur Rahim on Feb 12 in Hyderabad. He
achieved the milestone in his 45th Test, three less than
former Australia fast bowler Dennis Lillee (48).
Jehan Daruvala became the first ever Indian to claim
the New Zealand Grand Prix at Chris Amon Circuit in
Manfeild, New Zealand.
Kush Bhagat, a second grade 7 year old student
from Mumbai has been awarded the title of Candidate
Master (CM) by World Chess Federation for his
outstanding victories in a number of international
tournaments.
Lakshya Sen, fifteen-year-old shuttler from
Uttarakhand has become the World No 1 Junior
Badminton player as per the latest rankings of the
Badminton World Federation.
Pankaj Advani won the Indian National Snooker
Championship held in New Delhi.
37
Senior National Badminton Championships, Patna
Mens Singles title won by Sourabh Verma
Womens Singles title won by Rituparna Das
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)
World Cup tournament held at the Dr Karni Singh
Shooting Range in New Delhi from Feb 23 to Mar 4.
T20 Blind World Cup: India beat Pakistan by 9-
wickets to win the finals played at Bengaluru's M
Chinnaswamy Stadium.
National Race Walking Championships: Sandeep
Kumar of Haryana won the men's 50-kilometre race
walk event held in New Delhi, creating a new national
record, completing the race in 3 hr, 55min 59.05 secs.
Asian Rugby Sevens Trophy: The Indian Women's
team won silver medal at the tournament held at
Vientiane, Laos.
ICC Women World Cup Qualifier 2017: India beat
South Africa in the final at Colombo, Sri Lanka. Final
tournament will be hosted by England in June, 2017.
Indian Womens League Football Championship:
Eastern Sporting Union won the final by beating Rising
Students Club in New Delhi.
The first ever ITTF World Tour event in India India
Open was held in New Delhi.
India to host FIBA Women's Asia Cup basketball
tournament at Bengaluru in July, 2017.
MISSION XI MILLION FOR FOOTBALL
The government launched the Mission XI Million
initiative, the biggest school sports outreach programme
in the country to promote football among school
children. It aims to instill the passion for football in 11
million children from every part of the country.
KHELEAO : MASCOT FOR FIFA U-17 CUP
A clouded leopard called Kheleao has been has been
named as the official mascot for FIFA Under-17 World
Cup India 2017 to be hosted by India from October 6 to
28 this year.
This leopard is an endangered wild cat whose habitat
extends from the Himalayan foothills to mainland
Southeast Asia.
Sports Authority of India began the work on Indias
first-ever Centre of Excellence for differently-abled
sportsmen in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. It will provide
world class facilities to the promising sportspersons.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Belgium's John-John Dohmen and Netherlands' Naomi
Van were named as male and female Hockey
Federation's Player of the Year award.
Diego Maradona, Argentinas former star soccer player
has been named as the new Ambassador of the FIFA.
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS declared in
Monaco
Sportsman of the Year: Sprint king Usain Bolt of
Jamaica. He has won this award for the record fourth
time.
Sportswoman of the Year: Star gymnast Simone Biles
from USA, winner of 4 Olympic medals in 2016 and
winner of more than 10 world championships.
The International Association of Athletics
Federations-IAAF has debarred Russia from
participation in the forthcoming World Athletics
Championships in London, after their doping ban was
extended.
JANUARY
INDIAN
PV Sindhu: The Olympic silver medallist won her
maiden women's singles crown at the Syed Modi Grand
Prix Gold badminton tournament in Lucknow. She
defeated Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska in the summit
clash
Virat Kohli became the fastest batsman in the world to
score 1,000 runs as captain in One-Day Internationals
(ODIs), playing against England at the Eden Gardens,
Kolkata.
Saina Nehwal defeated Pornpawee Chochuwong of
Thailand to win the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold
final in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Sania Mirza alongwith American Bethanie Mattek-
Sands won the Brisbane International women's doubles
title in Australia.
Virat Kohli, the young dynamic batsman has been
selected to lead Indian cricket team in all three formats
test match, ODI and T-20.
M S DHONI: Iconic cricketer and one of the most
successful Indian captains shocked his fans and admires
by announcing his retirement from the captaincy of ODI
and T20 format.
Cricket icon Kapil Dev was inducted into Legends Club
'Hall of Fame' in Mumbai.
Shreyas Mehta: India Under-13 squash player won the
prestigious Scottish Junior Open title in Edinburg,
Scotland.
38
FORMER CAG VINOD RAI TO STEER BCCI: The
Supreme Court has appointed the former Comptroller
and Auditor General Vinod Rai to head the 4-member
panel of administrators for the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI). The others on the panel include
cricket historian Ramchandra Guha, former Indian
women cricket captain Diana Aduljee and IDFC
Managing Director and CEO Vikram Limaye.
Irani Trophy (cricket): Rest of India clinched recent
Ranji Trophy champions Gujarat in Mumbai.
All India Football Federation launched the first ever
Womens Professional League, to be played in New
Delhi.
Pro Wrestling League: Punjab Royals won the title by
defeating Haryana Hammers in New Delhi.
Premier Badminton League: Chennai Smashers
defeated Mumbai Rockets at the Siri Fort Complex, New
Delhi, to win the tournament.
Ranji Trophy: Gujarat won this national trophy for the
first time, beating Mumbai in the final at Indore, Madhya
Pradesh.
Li Xiaoxia, China's table tennis Olympic champion has
announced her retirement.
Lionel Messi, iconic Football player from Argentina has
been named as the Worlds Best Playmaker for the year
2016 by the International Federation of Football History
& Statistics (IFFHS).
USAIN BOLT LOOSES A GOLD MEDAL: Jamaican mens
4x100m relay team has been stripped of the gold medal
won in Rio Olympics as their team mate Nesta Carter
failed the dope test. As a result, Usain Bolt, another
member of the team, also lost a gold medal, thereby
spoiling his haul of triple gold in three consecutive
Olympics.
SPECIAL STAMP ON 3 OLYMPIAN SPORTS GIRLS
The Indian postal department released a special stamp
cover titled Golden girls of India Pride of Nation. The
special cover feature the 2016 Olympic medalists
gymnast Dipa Karmakar, shuttler PV Sindhu and
wrestler Sakshi Malik, all three winner of nations
highest sports award Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2016.

Khelo India National level Sports Competitions were

held in New Delhi. Around one thousand participants DAYS & DATES
from over 25 states took part.
MARCH
INTERNATIONAL MARCH 3: World Wildlife Day
Roger Federer: The Swiss star annexed his 18th Grand
Slam trophy in the Men's Singles of Australian Open in
Melbourne. He defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain to claim
the title. Federer also became the second-oldest winner
of a Grand Slam tournament after the Australian player
Ken Rosewall.
Serena Williams: Sarena Williams Beats Venus
Williams to Win Her 7th Australian Open Title.
Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain won the mens singles
title of the 2017 Chennai Open Tennis Championship.

Abbu Ammaz, an eight-year old boy from Jammu and

Kashmir's Rajouri won gold medal in National level Observed across the world o to celebrate the beautiful
Thaiboxing Championship. and varied forms of wild fauna and flora. This years
theme is 'Listen to the young voices'.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Qatar Open tennis
MARCH 3: World Hearing Day
title in Doha, defeating Andy Murray of UK.
The day highlights actions which can be undertaken by
International Football body FIFA has decided to expand
decision-makers to address hearing loss by people. The
the World Cup Tournament to 48 teams from its current
theme for this year is Action for hearing loss: make a
32. The change will be effected from the 2026
sound investment'.
tournament.
MARCH 8 : International Women's Day
Cristiano Ronaldo was named the World's Best Player
Observed across the world to promote and encourage
at the Best FIFA Football Awards in Zurich, Switzerland.
wider participation of women in various fields of life.
The year's theme for the Day is Women in the
SAFF Womens Football Championship: India
Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030.
defeated Bangladesh in Siliguri, WB, to win the cup for
President of India conferred Nari Shakti Awards on this
the fourth consecutive time.
day upon 31 women for their outstanding achievements.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 39
MARCH 9: World Kidney Day
Observed around the world to promote awareness
about the harmful consequences of obesity and its
association with kidney diseases. The theme for this
year is Kidney Disease and Obesity: Healthy Lifestyle for
Healthy Kidneys.
MARCH 13: The Commonwealth Day
It is observed on second Monday of March by the 52
countries of the Commonwealth, 13 March this year. The
theme for this year is 'A peace-building
Commonwealth'.
MARCH 15: World Consumer Rights Day
Observed across the world to spread awareness about
the rights of consumers. It also gives people a chance to
protest against the market abuses and social injustices.
The theme for this year is 'Building a Digital World
Consumers can Trust. We also observe the National
Consumer Day on 24th of December every year.
MARCH 20: International Day of Happiness
Observed every year to organize public awareness-
raising activities about the importance of happiness in
our lives. To mark the occasion, the United Nations
released the World Happiness Report 2017, which
ranked 155 countries by their happiness levels.
MARCH 20: World Sparrow Day
Observed to raise awareness of the House Sparrow and
other common birds to urban environments and of
threats to their populations.
MARCH 21: International Day of Forests
Observed with UN support to promote the importance
of forests and trees in our lives. The 2017 theme
is 'Forests and energy'.
MARCH21: World Poetry Day
Celebrated globally with support from UNESCO to
promote linguistic diversity through poetic expression
as well as to offer endangered languages the
opportunity to be heard within their societies.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
MARCH 22: World Water Day
UN General Assembly in 1993 designated March 22 as
the World Water Day. United Nations says recycling
world's wastewater, almost all of which goes untreated,
would ease global water shortages while protecting the
environment.
MARCH 23: World Meteorological Day
The Day is organised every year by World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) to highlight the
contribution of meteorology in ensuring safety and well
being of the society. It marks the anniversary of the
convention establishing World Meteorological
Organization in 1950. The theme for this year is
'Understanding Clouds'.
MARCH 24: World Tuberculosis Day
Supported by the WHO, the day is observed to raise
awareness about the burden of tuberculosis (TB)
worldwide and the status of TB prevention and care
efforts. The theme for this year is Unite to End TB: Leave
no one behind. WHO report says that in 2015 over 10.4
million people were affected by TB, claiming 1.8 million
lives.
MARCH 27: World Theatre Day
Started by the International Theatre Institute, an NGO in
1961, this day is supported by UNESCO to promote
public participation in theatre. It is an opportunity with
the public authorities to popularise theatre by involving
the common man.
MARCH 28: New Year Celebrations
The new year festivals of Chaitra Sukladi (North India),
Ugadi (Andhra and Telangana), Gudi Padava
(Maharashtra), Cheti Chand (Sindhis), Navreh (Kashmiri
Pundits) and Sajibu Cheiraoba (Manipur) were
celebrated in different parts of the country on March 28.
FEBRUARY
FEBRUARY 4: World Cancer Day
Observed all over the world to commemorate the efforts
done by the WHO, United Nations, governmental and
non-governmental health organizations towards making
the strategy to fight against cancer. The theme for 2016-
2018 is We can. I can.
40
FEBRUARY 10: The National Deworming Day
Observed with a view to increase awareness about
worm infections in children. Government aims to reach
approximately 34 crore children in the age group of 1-
19 years in schools, aanganwadis and private schools
across the country to distribute Albendazole tablets.
FEBRUARY 12-18: National Productivity Week
Observed every year to stimulate and promote
productivity and quality consciousness across all
sectors in the country. This year the theme of week is
'From Waste to Profits-through Reduce, Recycle and
Reuse.'
On this day in 1958, National Productivity Council, an
autonomous body under Department of Industrial Policy
and Promotion was established.
FEBRUARY 13: World Radio Day
Observed every year supported by the UNESCO to
celebrate radio as the medium of entertainment, the
mode of communication and information. This years
theme is Radio is You.
FEBRUARY 21: International Mother Language Day
Observed every year with support from UNESCO to
promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity
and multilingualism. The theme for this year is Towards
Sustainable Futures through Multilingual Education".
FEBRUARY 28: National Science Day
Observed across India to mark the discovery of the
Raman Effect (a phenomenon of scattering of photons)
by Indian physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman
on this day in 1928. The years theme for the day is
"Science and Technology for Specially Abled Persons.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
JANUARY
JANUARY 4: World Braille Day
Observed across the world to commemorate the birth
anniversary of Louis Braille, the inventor of the Braille
language for the blind persons. The Braille language is
based on the patterns of raised dots on paper.
JANUARY 9: Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
Observed every year to commemorate the return of
Mahatma Gandhi as a Pravasi from South Africa to India
in 1915. Ministry of External Affairs holds a 3 day PBD
convention every year on this occasion to engage the
Central and state governments with the Overseas Indian
Community.
JANUARY 12: National Youth Day
Observed annually to commemorate the birth day of
Swami Vivekananda. The 21st National Youth Festival
was held in Rohtak. The theme of this years Festival is
Youth for Digital India.
JANUARY 10: World Hindi Day
Ministry of External Affairs celebrates this day through
its missions/posts abroad and the Department of
Official Language (Rajbhasha) to conduct special events
to spread the greatness of the Hindi language. Pl note
that National Hindi Day is observed every year on
September 14.
JANUARY 15: Indian Army Day
The day marks the taking over of the charge of Indian
Army by the first Indian Commander-in-Chief, Field
Marshal K M Cariappa, in 1948.
JANUARY 24: National Girl Child Day
Celebrated every year with the objective of raising
consciousness of the society towards the girl child so
that she can be valued and respected.
JANUARY 25: National Voters Day
Celebrated every year across the country for enhanced
participation of citizens in the electoral process. It is
also the foundation day of the Election Commission,
which came into being on this day in 1950.
JANUARY 30: Anti Leprosy Day
This day is observed to commemorate Mahatma
Gandhis death anniversary, who attained martyrdom
on this day in 1948, to remember his selfless efforts and
care for the people affected with leprosy.
ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED
FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES.
41
 Shining Stars of Gyanm

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 42

 Bullet News
(OCTOBER DECEMBER 2016)
For details visit www.gyanm.in
NATIONAL NEWS
DECEMBER
Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani,
Prime Minister of Qatar visited India.
President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Sharshenovich
Atambayev arrived in New Delhi on a four day state
visit.
Global campaign 100 Million for 100
Million launched for mobilising better-off children
to speak up for their disadvantaged counterparts.
The campaign lead by Nobel laureate Kailash
Satyarthee aims to involve youth to improve the
plight of children.
India and Vietnam signed a civil nuclear
cooperation agreement making it 14th nuclear
partner of India.
The Supreme Court has directed all the states to
remove all liquor shops located within 500 meters
from highways, both national and state.
Film Pink, directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury
has been selected for a special screening at the UN
headquarters, New York.
President of Indonesia Joko Widodo arrived in India
on a two day visit.
Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan arrived in
India on a 5 day visit from 14 to 18 December.
Home Ministry has cancelled Foreign Contribution
Regulation Act (FCRA) licenses of 20,000 NGOs. As a
result now they cannot receive foreign funds.
The World Economic Forum has ranked Hindi 10th
in the top 10 most powerful languages in world
while English is number one, followed by Mandarin.
Disney has launched its Hour of Code campaign in
India to teach computer programming to school
children through its free online tutorials.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
The National Green Tribunal has imposed a ban on
sale and use of glass powder coated manja and
other dangerous strings for flying kites.
A recent study released by Pew Research Centre,
USA shows that the Hindus are the best-educated of
all religious groups in North America and Europe.
The 6th Heart of Asia ministerial conference was
held at Amritsar to discuss peace, cooperation and
economic development in Afghanistan.
12th International Oil and Gas Conference,
PETROTECH-2016, was held in New Delhi
7th World Ayuerveda Congress was held in Kolkata
from Dec 2-4, supported by the Ministry of AYUSH.
The India-UK Conference on Ease of Doing Business
was held in New Delhi.
The 28th State Information Ministers Conference
(SIMCON) was held in New Delhi on Dec 9-10.
NOVEMBER
India is ranked low at 87th place globally in terms
of gender equality, in a study covering 144
countries, topped by Iceland.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Japan for a
two day visit to participate to participate in the
annual bilateral summit in Tokyo.
UKs Prime Minister Theresa May arrived in New
Delhi for her India visit. She announced a fast-track
visa service for "high net-worth" Indians.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin arrived in Mumbai
on a six-day visit to India to further strengthen
bilateral ties between the two countries.
India has been placed pretty low at 133rd place in
the Global Youth Development Index compiled by
the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Quami Ekta Saptah (Communal Harmony Week)
was observed across the nation from Nov 19 to 25
The 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
began in Goa on Nov 20. The Republic of Korea is
the focus country of the festival.
43
 The Golden Peacock for the best film was won
by the Iranian film "Daughter" directed by Reza
Mirkarimi.
President Pranab Mukherjee made a three-day state
visit to Nepal from Nov 2 to 4.
Antonio Costa, the Prime Minister of Portugal shall
be the Chief Guest at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas to be held in Bengaluru from Jan7 to 9, 2017.
New Zealand premier John Key arrived in India on a
two-day visit. The two countries may push for the
speedy conclusion of a free trade agreement (FTA).
India and Sri Lanka to set up a hotline between
officials of the two countries to address the
fishermen crisis and to facilitate easy exchange of
fishermen.
A coin of Rs.500 and Rs.10 were issued to mark
500th Anniversary of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhus
Coming to Vrindavan.
For the first time, the World Robot Olympiad was
held in India at the India Expo Mart, Noida, Uttar
Pradesh.
First ever International Agro-biodiversity Congress
was held in New Delhi.
The 7th Session of the Conference of Parties to
World Health Organisation Framework Convention
on Tobacco Control was held in Greater Noida, U P.
OCTOBER
The two-day BRICS Summit was held in Benaulim,
Goa on Oct 15-16. The group agreed to cooperate in
controlling the trans-border terrorism.
The BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for
Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation) meeting was held in Goa.
Vice President Hamid Ansari visited Nigeria and
Mali and held wide-ranging discussions with the
leadership of both the countries.
India's ranking in the World Bank's Ease of Doing
Business survey improved by just one notch to
130th in 2017 from 131st rank last year.
The State Counselor of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi
arrived in India on a four day visit to attend the
BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit in Goa.
Vice President Hamid Ansari visited Hungary and
Algeria to discuss bilateral cooperation in trade and
combating terrorism.
India climbed steep 16 places to the 39th rank on
the Global Competitiveness Index prepared by the
World Economic Forum.
India slipped to 97th rank amongst 118 countries on
the Global Hunger Index compiled by the
International Food Policy Research Institute.
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe
visited India. The two countries agreed to enhance
cooperation in fighting terrorism.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong
arrived in New Delhi on a five-day visit to India.
The first BRICS Trade Fair and Exhibition was held
in New Delhi to exhibit the advances made in
industrial development by BRICS nations.
A 10-day 'Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav' was held at
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New
Delhi from Oct 15 to 24.
The first National Tribal Carnival was held in New
Delhi to promote a sense of inclusiveness amongst
the Tribal and to showcase their culture.
The first ever International Conference on Voter
Education was held in New Delhi, hosted by the
Election Commission of India.
India donated Rs. 9.3 million to the Nelson Mandela
Foundation to help it in its welfare work for the
people of South Africa.
The UNO has selected north-eastern region of India
for setting up second global university to facilitate
study on resolution of conflicts and other subjects.
NEWS FROM STATES
DECEMBER
Char Dham highway project launched to allow
smooth access for pilgrims to shrines of Kedarnath,
Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri
Foundation stone for the memorial of Maratha
warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was laid at
an island near Mumbai Coast.
Assam has appointed Bollywood actress Priyanka
Chopra as the brand ambassador of state tourism to
promote brand entity of "Awesome Assam".
Rajasthan launched subsidised meal scheme
Annapurna Rasoi' to provide breakfast for Rs 5 and
lunch or dinner for Rs 8 to the poor and the needy.
Asias first and longest cycle highway, running for
207 kms, connecting the Taj City Agra and the Lion
Safari at Etawah, was inaugurated in Uttar Pradesh.
The first ever International Gita Mahotsav was
hosted by Kurukshetra in Haryana from Dec 6 to 10.
NOVEMBER
Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the
Punjab Governments 2004 law, terminating the
Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal water sharing
agreement.
Indias first liquefied natural gas-driven bus has
been launched in Kerala.
In State-wise Ease of Doing Business rankings,
Andhra Pradesh and Telengana topped with 98.78%
each, followed by Gujarat with 98.21%.
44
 India's longest expressway running for 302 kms,
connecting Agra with capital town Lucknow was
opened in Uttar Pradesh.
For the first time in Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF), a team of women commandos has been
inducted to counter Naxal insurgency in Jharkhand.
Indias first Cherry Blossom Festival was hosted by
Shillong in Meghalaya to showcase the beauty of the
flowers and the States cultural traditions.
The ADB will give a $500 million loan for
constructing Indias longest river bridge (9.8 kms)
across Ganga in Bihar.
Kerala has become the third Open Defecation Free
(ODF) state in the country. The first being Sikkim,
followed by Himachal Pradesh.
Himachal Pradesh has been declared as the Indias
second 'Open Defecation Free' state, first
being Sikkim.
As per the NITI Aayogs ease of doing agri-business
index, Maharashtra is at top, followed by Gujarat
and Rajasthan, in pursuing farmer-friendly policies.
OCTOBER
Jharkhand becomes first state to implement Direct
Benefit Transfer in Kerosene for crediting subsidy
into beneficiarys account.
Telangana, the youngest state of India, has added 21
more districts in its administrative map, hiking the
total number of districts to 31.
GOVT INITIATIVES
DECEMBER
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana launched to
allow assessees to disclose previously unaccounted
and undeclared income till March 31, 2017.
Assessees will have to pay 50% tax on declared
income and 25% of such wealth will have to be
kept into a four-year interest-free deposit.
Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana
launched to encourage cashless transactions
between 50 and 3,000 rupees.
Government has announced tax benefit for small
scale businessmen having annual turnover below
Rs. 2 crore.
If they adopt digital payments, their
presumptive income will be assessed at 6% for
filing of tax, against 8% for other traders.
Mobile app 'Smart Consumer' and an 'Online
Consumer Mediation Centre launched to provide
speedy redressal of consumer grievances.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
A helpline number 14404 was also launched for
consumer related grievances.
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI)
Aayog has decided to allocate Rs.5 lakh to every
district as seed money to kick start this drive.
India signed Open Skies agreement with 6 countries
to allow unlimited number of flights to six metro
airports namely Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata,
Bengaluru and Chennai.
Countrys first ever Indian Institute of Skills will be
opened in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
A new service in the name of Indian Enterprise
Development Service launched in the Ministry of
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)
Govt has decided to deploy 600 young professionals
as Zila Swachh Bharat Preraks across the country,
one in each district, to boost Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan.
The Lok Sabha passed the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities Bill, 2016 that identifies 19 conditions
as disabilities against the 7 at present.
It seeks to enhance reservation for Divyangs in
government jobs from 3% to 4%.
Govt. has launched a new TV channel Digi Shala to
educate people on various modes of electronic
payments, including e-wallets and mobile banking.
HRD ministry has launched Vittiya Saksharata
Abhiyan for making people aware about the use of
various cashless modes of transactions.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the
Health Outcomes Index developed by NITI Aayog to
rank states on the basis of their performance on
measurable health indicators.
Government plans to launch a toll-free number
10588 to provide directly the relevant information
and guidance needed by the pregnant women.
Power Ministry has launched 'Coal Mitra' web
portal to facilitate flexibility in utilization of
domestic coal.
Government has launched the GARV-II mobile app
to provide village-wise and habitation-wise base
line data on household electrification for all the
states.
Ministry of textiles has launched a mobile app E-
Dhaga to address the concerns of individual
weavers such as availability of raw material, delay
in supply.
NOVEMBER
The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of the
National Academic Depository at Tirupati.
School certificates, degrees and academic awards
will be digitised by academic institutions and
uploaded on the NAD portal.
45
 Govt has launched an Air Sewa Portal and Mobile
App to offer air travelers a convenient and hassle
free experience.
Railways has appointed Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, the
founder of Sulabh International, as the Brand
Ambassador for Swachh Rail Mission.
Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana launched to boost up
development of entrepreneurship for the youth.
A magazine Healthy India Initiative and an app No
More Tension launched for promotion of health and
health communications programmes.
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan to
provide free health check-ups to pregnant women
at govt health centres/hospitals on 9th of every
month.
OCTOBER
Govt has launched UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam
Naagrik) scheme under which fares will be capped
at Rs 2,500 for one-hour flights.
Union Cabinet has approved opening of the 20th IIM
(Indian Institute of Management) in Jammu.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
DECEMBER
The ADB trimmed its 2016 growth estimate for
India to 7.0 per cent from 7.4 per cent due to weak
investment, agricultural slowdown and
demonetisation.
NOVEMBER
Exports of goods grew 9.59% to $23.51 billion in
October while imports grew by 8.11% to $33.67
billion, leaving a trade deficit of $10.16 billion.
OCTOBER
A World Bank report says that Indias GDP growth
will remain strong at 7.6 per cent in 2016 and 7.7
per cent in 2017, supported by expectations of a
rebound in agriculture and civil service pay reforms
supporting consumption.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
ECONOMY
DECEMBER
India has been ranked 4th in the Global Wind Power
Installed Capacity Index, having installed wind
power generation capacity of 25088 MW.
A report published in Forbes magazine says that
India has now taken over the United Kingdom as the
fifth largest economy in the world.
Report ranks USA as the largest economy,
followed by China, Japan and Germany.
As per Global Wage Report, India has one of the
worst levels of gender wage disparity as men are
earning upto 30% more than women in similar jobs.
IRDA has approved the R3 application and granted
certificate of registration to five global reinsurers to
open their offices in India.
One of the oldest textile mills in India, Bombay
Dyeing Manufacturing Company has officially called
quits to manufacturing of textiles.
Ecommerce giant Amazon has launched a new
global program called Amazon Launchpad to help
startups in the country.
Railways has tied-up with SBI to install at least
10,000 Point of Sale machines to facilitate use of
debit/credit cards at the Public Reservation System
NOVEMBER
MSP for 2016-17 Rabi season
Commodity MSP (Rs./Qtl) Hike (Rs./Qtl)
Wheat 1625 100
Barley 1325 100
Gram 4000 500
Masur (Lentil) 3950 550
Rapeseed/Mustard 3700 350
Safflower 3700 400
The Finance Minister has announced the GST rates
as finalised by the GST council. The four bands of
tax rates have been fixed at 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent.
Food grains will be zero-rated to insulate
people from inflationary pressures.
Ultra luxuries, demerit and sin goods, will
attract a cess for five years on top of the 28%
GST.
OCTOBER
Litopenaeus vannamei, the white-leg prawn is
forming roughly 80% of the countrys
shrimp/prawn exports and 46% of all marine
exports.
46
 India has decided to destroy the most dangerous of
all greenhouse gases, called HFC-23 to minimize the
effect of global warming.
Indian Oil Corp to lay the nation's longest LPG
pipeline- running 1987 kms from Kandla in Gujarat
to Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Ashok Leyland has launched Indias first fully
electric bus made in India, named Circuit.
Russia's Rosneft Oil Company has acquired Indias
2nd biggest private oil and natural gas company
Essar Oil in an all-cash deal valued at about $13
billion.
Govt allows the Haldia Petrochemicals, West Bengal
for fuel retailing, becoming the 8th player to enter
the petroleum products business.
World Bank has agreed to provide $ 650-million
loan for the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor
extending from Ludhiana to Kolkata.
The Government has allowed British Petroleum,
Europe's third-biggest oil company, to set up 3,500
petrol pumps in India.
Govt has decided to sell subsidized pulses through
authorized Post Offices. The pulses will be sold in
one kg pre packed packets.
BANKING
DECEMBER
SBI in partnership with BSNL launched its mobile
wallet application State Bank MobiCash for feature
as well as smartphones.
RBI has opened a Banking Ombudsman office in
Dehradun, Uttarakhand to cover the entire state and
7 adjoining districts of Uttar Pradesh.
With this, the total number of RBI ombudsman
offices has increased to 17 in India.
ICICI Bank has launched easypay, a mobile app for
merchants that allows consolidation of all modes of
payments, including digital wallets.
NOVEMBER
Govt declared that from midnight of Nov 8, 500 and
1,000 rupee notes will cease to be legal tender.
Central Vigilance Commission has asked the public
sector banks to share with it their reports relating
to all loan frauds involving funds over Rs one crore.
RBI has permitted startups to raise external
commercial borrowings (ECBs) of up to USD 3
million in a financial year.
Airtel Payments Bank Ltd (Airtel Bank), a subsidiary
of the countrys largest telecom operator Bharti
Airtel, has started its retail operation from
Rajasthan.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
OCTOBER
The RBI announced a 25 basis points cut in its key
lending ratethe repo rate, to 6.25 percent.
As a result, the reverse repo rate stands at 5.75 per
cent, the MSF (marginal standing facility) and bank
rate stand at 6.75 per cent.
The Centre has constituted a four-member
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI)
under the Chairmanship of M S Sahoo
The Board will regulate the functioning of various
bodies dealing with insolvency under the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016.
Latest RBI data shows that India banking system
reported total deposits of Rs 100 lakh crore for the
first time ever in September this year.
Union Cabinet has approved a pact between Export-
Import Bank of India and New Development Bank to
strengthen trade and economic ties.
The State Bank of India became the first Indian bank
to open a branch in Yangon, capital city of Myanmar.
DEFENCE, SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
DECEMBER
DRDO has successfully tested the indigenously
developed Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW)
bomb at Chandipur off Odisha coast.
India tested intercontinental surface-to-surface
nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-5. It has a
range of more than 5,000 kilometre.
The INS Sahyadri stealth frigate and the Indian
Army's Poona Horse cavalry regiment held a joint
operation in Vishakhapatnam.
DRDO tested the indigenously developed long range
subsonic cruise missile 'Nirbhay' at Chandipur in
Odisha. It has a range of over 1,000 kms.
India has inked a Rs 5,000 crore deal with USA for
buying 145 M777 ultra-light howitzers, which will
be deployed near the borders with China.
Konkan 16, the annual bilateral maritime exercise
between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of
Britain, held off the Mumbai coast.
Ekuverin (Friends)-A two week military exercise
was held in Maldives between the Indian Army and
the Maldives National Defence Force from Dec 15 to
28.
Indra Navy-2016, the Indo-Russian naval exercise
held in Bay of Bengal, off the Visakhapatnam coast.
47
 India signed an agreement with Vietnam for
training her pilots for their Sukhoi-30 fighter jets.
ISRO successfully launched Indias latest Remote
Sensing satellite, Resourcesat-2A onboard PSLV-
C36 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
Team Indus, a group of young Indian scientists and
IT experts plans to launch with ISRO an unmanned
spacecraft to moon by January, 2018.
The Team Indus is aiming to win the $20
million Google Lunar X Prize.
Scientists in UK have identified materials such as
Hafnium Carbide that can withstand temperatures
of nearly 4,000 degrees Celsius.
Scientists have discovered a vast dead zone of an
estimated 60,000 square kilometers in the Bay of
Bengal.
This area contains little or no oxygen and
supports microbial processes that remove vast
amount of nitrogen from the ocean.
China launched satellite TanSat to understand
climate change by monitoring the concentration,
distribution and flow of CO2 in the atmosphere.
China launched Fengyun-4, the first of its new
generation weather satellites.
NOVEMBER
India will purchase 12 amphibious rescue aircraft
from Japanese manufacturer Shin Maywa
Industries.
The Extreme Altitude Research Centre (EARC), set
up at Chang La in Ladakh at an altitude of 17,600 ft
by the DRDO.
Jaguar DARIN III, the twin-seat aircraft, an advanced
version Jaguar fighter jet with the Indian Air Force,
has received the Initial Operation Clearance (IOC).
DARIN: Display Attack Ranging Inertial Navigation
INS Chennai, the third indigenously designed
Kolkata-class guided missile destroyer was
commissioned into the Navy.
The Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) has successfully tested its
unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Rustom-2.
10th Indo-Nepal joint military exercise Surya Kiran
was held at Saljhandi, Nepal.
The 6th joint training exercise Hand in Hand 2016
held between the Indian Army and the People's
Liberation Army of China in Pune, from Nov 15 to
27.
Sampriti-2016 - The joint military training
exercise was conducted between India and
Bangladesh near Dhaka, Bangladesh.
SIMBEX-16-Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral
Exercise between two navies took place in the Bay
of Bengal, off the Andhra coast.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
French machinery giant Alstom has developed
world's first hydrogen-powered and zero-emission
passenger train named Coradia iLint.
NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS)
set the Guinness World Record for the highest
altitude fix of a GPS signal, 70,000 kms above the
earth.
ICT development index ranks South Korea at top,
followed by Iceland and Denmark. India was placed
at 138th rank.
The Index is compiled by UN International Tele
communication Union to study the impact of
ICT on the society
NASA launched a highly advanced geostationary
weather satellite Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R).
Chinas Sunway Taihu Light declared as the worlds
fastest supercomputer with an efficiency of 6051.30
MFLOPS (Million Floating Operations per Second)
China has successfully launched its data satellite
Tianlian I-04 on a Long March-3C carrier rocket.
The 2016 World Internet Conference was held in
Wuzhen, China, attended by 120 nations.
OCTOBER
National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research,
Goa, has established Himansh, a high altitude
research station in in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.
Reliance Group and Dassault Aviation have formed
Dassault Reliance Aerospace for manufacturing of
spare parts of Rafale fighter jets.
India to buy the S-400 Triumf air defence systems
from Russia, worth over $5 billion.
Russia to collaborate in setting up a joint
production facility for making multipurpose Kamov
226T helicopters.
The 28th India and Indonesia Coordinated Patrol
(CORPAT) and Second Bilateral Maritime Exercise
were held in the Andaman Sea at Belawan,
Indonesia.
Indian Army's Gorkha Rifles won a gold medal at
one of the most gruelling exercises in the world -
Exercise Cambrian Patrol organized by the British
Army.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police celebrated its 55th
raising day on 24 October. It guards Indian borders
from Laddakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
Fast patrol vessel ICGS Gaidinliu, named after Naga
freedom fighter, was inducted in the Indian Coast
Guard.
Samsung has scrapped its flagship Galaxy Note 7
smart phone, less than two months after its launch,
dealing a huge blow to its reputation.
48
 ISRO's advanced communication satellite GSAT-18
was launched on board an Ariane 5 rocket from
Kourou in French Guiana, South America.
China sent two astronauts into orbit on board
manned spaceship Shenzhou 11 to spend a month
aboard the space laboratory Tiangong 2.
INTERNATIONAL
DECEMBER
The website Dictionary.com has named the word
'Xenophobia' as the Word of the Year for 2016 due
to a very high surge in its search.
Merriam-Websters dictionary has named surreal
as the Word of the Year 2016 as this word saw the
sharpest spike in search.
The UN Security Council passed a resolution
demanding Israel to stop building settlements on
occupied Palestinian territory.
China passed a new law to levy environment tax on
polluters, especially on heavy industries for fighting
recurring pollution covers enveloping its cities.
France has become the worlds first country to
make regular use of drone delivery in its national
postal service.
NOVEMBER
The 12 day Global Climate conference was held in
Marrakech, Morocco to discuss the details of
implementing the Paris deal.
The climate agreement became effective from 4th
November 2016, after being signed by 192
nations.
Over 20 countries signed the framework agreement
of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the
CoP22 to the UN FCCC at Marrakech, in Morocco.
With political upheavals like election of Trump and
Brexit, Oxford Dictionaries has declared post-
truth as its word of the year citing a 2,000% spike
in usage.
24 countries and the European Union have agreed
to create the world's largest Marine Protected Area
(MPA) in the Ross Sea next to Antarctica
The 24th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
summit was held in Lima, Peru.
The International Competition Network has
announced that the 2018 ICN Annual Conference
will be hosted by the Competition Commission of
India.
World Meteorological Organisation data shows that
2011 to 2015 were the warmest years and 2016 is
likely to break the record for the warmest year.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
OCTOBER
The U.N. General Assembly elected the former
Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Guterres as the
ninth U.N. Secretary-General.
A report by the World Economic Forum on Safety
and Security shows that the Finland is the safest
country in the world, followed by Qatar and UAE.
The UNO appointed the popular cartoon character
Wonder Woman as an honorary ambassador for
the empowerment of women and girls.
A postal stamp to commemorate Diwali festival was
launched by the US postal service.
The Maldives has decided to quit the
Commonwealth, a grouping of 53 nations that were
mostly territories of the former British Empire.
France has become the first country in the world to
legally ban usage of disposable plastic cups and
plates with a view to protect environment.
The law will come into effect in January 2020.
A report released by the World Bank says that more
than 767 million people are living in extreme
poverty, on less than a dollar and ninety cents a
day.
PERSONS IN NEWS
DECEMBER
NARENDRA MODI: Indian Prime Minister has been
ranked 9th among the top 10 most powerful people in
the world by Forbes. The list is topped by Russian
President Vladimir Putin for a fourth straight year.
NAJEEB JUNG: Lt Governor of Delhi was in news as he
tendered his resignation, after a nearly three-and-half-
year tenure, on the plea that he wanted to return to
academics.
SALMAN KHAN: As per Forbes India Celebrity List,
Salman Khan has been ranked no one, earning revenue
of Rs 270.33 crore, followed by Shah Rukh Khan at Rs
221.75 crore.
SUNNY LEONE: The Bollywood actress has been
declared PETAs Person of the Year by the People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for her
commitment for promoting the rescue of homeless dogs
and cats, as well as her compassion for abused animals.
MITHUN CHAKRABORTY: The 66-year-old actor was in
news as he resigned from the Rajya Sabha citing health
issues. He was nominated by West Bengal's ruling
Trinamool Congress.
49
DONALD TRUMP: US President-elect was named by
Time magazine as its Person of the Year 2016 for his
stunning upset victory in the US Presidential election.
JOHN KEY: New Zealand's popular Prime Minister
stunned the nation by announcing his resignation, after
serving eight years as leader. He quoted personal
reasons as the ground for stepping down.
NOVEMBER
ADITYA PURI: CEO of HDFC Bank has been ranked 36th
in the US magazine Fortune's top 50 business persons in
the world list for 2016.
RANVEER SINGH: Switzerland Tourism for the first
time has declared the Bollywood actor as the first Indian
ambassador for promoting tourism.
KAMALA HARRIS: She is the first black woman elected
to the upper chamber of Congress in USA, in more than
two decades.
PEGGY WHITSON: The veteran NASA astronaut is the
first woman to have commanded the International
Space Station-ISS and also holds the record for the
longest time spent in space by a woman and that of
oldest space woman.
OCTOBER
CYRUS MISTRY: He was sacked as chairman of Tata
Sons. He was appointed in December, 2012.
ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA: For the first time in
the history of the State Bank of India, its Chairman has
been given a years extension.
APPOINTMENTS
DECEMBER
JUSTICE JAGDISH SINGH KHEHAR: Appointed as the
next (44th) Chief Justice of India, first to become CJI from
the Sikh community.
ANIL BAIJAL: Former union home secretary has
been appointed Delhi's next Lieutenant Governor
Lt. Gen. BIPIN RAWAT: New Chief of the Indian Army
Staff
Air Marshal BIRENDER SINGH DHANOA: New Chief of
the Indian Air Force
ANIL DHASMANA: New Chief of Indias foreign
intelligence agency - Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
RAJIV JAIN: New Director General of the Intelligence
Bureau, Indias main domestic intelligence agency.
VIRAL V ACHARYA: Appointed as the fourth Deputy
Governor of RBI in place of Dr. Urjit Patel. Presently he
is a professor of economics at New York University.
V G KANNAN: Appointed Chief Executive Officer of the
Indian Banks Association (IBA)
O PANNEERSELVAM: Sworn in as new Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu
V K SHARMA: Appointed as the Chairman of the Life
Insurance Corporation (LIC) for five years.
Lt. Gen QAMAR BAJWA: Appointed as the Chief of
Pakistan Army
SULTAN MUHAMMAD V: Installed as the 15th King of
Malaysia
BILL ENGLISH: New Prime Minister of New Zealand
PAOLO GENTILONI: Named as Italy's new Prime
Minister
NANA AKUFO-ADDO: Elected as the new President of
Ghana.
BERNARD CAZENEUVE: New Prime Minister of France
SHAVKAT MIRZIYOYEV: Elected as the new President
of Uzbekistan
ALEXANDER VAN DER BELLEN: Elected new President
of Austria
ADAMA BARROW: New President of Gambia (West
Africa)
CROWN PRINCE MAHA VAJIRALONGKORN: 64 years
old Prince of Thailand was proclaimed as the new
monarch of Thailand.
NOVEMBER
PANKAJ R. PATEL: Elected as the President of the
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI). He is CMD of Cadila Healthcare.
DONALD TRUMP: Billionaire-turned-politician of
Republican Party has been elected the 45th President of
the United States of America.
GUY RYDER: Re-elected as the Director-General of the
International Labour Organisation (ILO) for another
five-year term.
DANIEL ORTEGA: Elected as the President of Nicaragua
for the third time.
KIM BYONG-JOON: New Prime Minister of South Korea
MARIANO RAJOY: Prime Minister of Spain
50
 OCTOBER
AJAY KUMAR BHALLA: Appointed as the Director
General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
O P SINGH: Appointed as the new Director General of
CISF. He is 1983 batch IPS officer.
SUSHIL CHANDRA: Senior IRS officer appointed
Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)
ANTONIO GUTERRES: New Secretary General of UNO
ABDELILAH BEKIRANE: Reappointed as the Prime
Minister of Morocco.
KERSTI KALJULAID: Elected as the first female
President of Estonia, a small country in North Europe.
AWARDS & HONOURS
DECEMBER
JNANPITH AWARD 2016: Eminent modern Bengali
poet Shankha Ghosh. He is an authority on Nobel
Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
BEST MSME BANK AWARD: Bagged by the
Corporation Bank in public sector and by Karnataka
bank in Private sector. The award is given by
ASSOCHAM.
BEST BANK FOR SME LENDING: bagged by the Vijaya
Bank. The award is given by ASSOCHAM.
SHILP GURU AWARDS: Presented by the President for
outstanding work by the artisans in promoting
traditional handicrafts.
INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN's PEACE PRIZE:
Awarded to Kehkashan Basu, a 16-year-old Indian
environmental activist for her fight for climate justice
and combating environmental degradation.
TURNER PRIZE: Britains top award for contemporary
art was awarded to multimedia artist Helen Marten of
London.
MISS SUPRANATIONAL 2016: Srinidhi Shetty of India
in Krynica Zdroj, Poland
MISS INTERNATIONAL 2016: Kylie Verzosa from
Philippines
MISS EARTH 2016: Katherine Espin, Ecuador
MISS WORLD 2016: Stephanie del Valle of Puerto Rico
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
NOVEMBER
WORLD SANSKRIT AWARD: Maha Chakri Sirindhorn,
Princess of Thailand became the first awardee of this
new award given for exemplary contribution for the
promotion of Sanskrit language.
Dr NAGENDRA SINGH INTERNATIONAL PEACE
AWARD: Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for his
efforts in ensuring world peace.
THE GOLDEN PEACOCK: award for the best film at IFFI
won by the Iranian film "Daughter" directed by Reza
Mirkarimi.
Ramnath Goenka Awards for Excellence in
Journalism are given annually to honour exceptional
work across 28 categories in journalism.
THE NEW SHAPE PRIZE: A Swedish investor and
philanthropist, Lrszlu Szombatfalvy, has offered a $5
million prize for the best idea to develop a decision-
making system capable of tackling global challenges
such as extreme poverty, spread of nuclear weapons
and climate change etc.
Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for
Water: Given once in two years by the Saudi Arabia to
recognize the persons for doing excellent work in
solving problems of water crisis.
MAN BOOKER PRIZE: Paul Beatty became the first
American writer to win this prestigious prize for Pound
50,000 for English literature for his novel The Sellout.
SAKHAROV PRIZE (for human rights): Awarded by
the European Parliament to Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji
Bashar, two Yazidi women who were held as sex slaves
by ISIS militants. They have campaigned for human
rights since escaping from ISIS.
OCTOBER
MOORTIDEVI AWARD - 2015: won by noted Telugu
writer Prof. Kalakaluri Enoch for his novel Ananta
Jeevanam.
MATHRUBHUMI LITERARY AWARD: Won by eminent
Malayalam writer C Radhakrishnan for his invaluable
contributions to literature.
U R RAO: Former ISRO chairman has become first
Indian to be inducted into the IAF Hall of Fame by the
International Aeronautical Federation, Paris.
NOBEL PRIZE 2016
Physiology or Yoshinori Ohsumi of Japan
Medicine
For his pioneering work on autophagy a process
whereby cells eat themselves which when disrupted
can cause Parkinsons and diabetes.
51
 US based scientists David Thouless,
Physics Duncan Haldane and Michael
Kosterlitz
For their work that "revealed the secrets of exotic matter"
by using advanced Mathematical methods
Jean-Pierre Sauvage (France), Sir
Chemistry Fraser Stoddart (USA) and Bernard
Feringa (Netherland)
For the development of the world's smallest nano
machines those are a thousand times thinner than a strand
of hair, for medical use.
Bob Dylan, legendary singer-song
Literature
writer from USA,
For his influential songs from the 1960s onwards. He is the
first non literary person to get the Nobel for literature.
Colombian President Juan Manuel
Peace
Santos
For his efforts to help end the 52 year long-running conflict
with FARC gorillas in his country.
US scientists Oliver Hart and Bengt
Economic Sciences
Holmstrom
For their work that covers issues from how best to reward
executives to whether schools and prisons should be
privately owned.
FIRST INTERNATIONAL PRIZE IN STATISTICS:
Awarded to noted British statistician Sir David Cox for
his famous work on proportional hazards.
Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mrite: (Knight in
the National Order of Merit), one of Frances highest
civilian award, conferred upon film-maker and elephant
researcher Prajna Chowta.
OBITUARY
DECEMBER
J. JAYALALITHA: The 68-year old charismatic AIADMK
Chief, 6 times Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu died on Dec
5, after prolonged illness in Chennai. She was
immensely popular with people who called her
Puratchi Thalaivi(revolutionary leader) with love.
SUNDARLAL PATWA: BJP veteran, former Union
minister and two-time Madhya Pradesh chief minister
died in Bhopal. He was 92.
SAUMITRA CHAUDHURI: Eminent economist and a
former member of the erstwhile Planning Commission,
passed away in New Delhi.
SRINIVASA IYER RAMA-SWAMY: Popularly known as
Cho Ramaswamy, political satirist and founder editor of
Thuglak magazine, passed away at the age of 82 due to
cardiac arrest in a Chennai hospital.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
CARRIE FISHER: Popular US actress, best known as Star
Wars Princess Leia Organa, died after suffering a heart
attack. She was 60.
GEORGE MICHAEL: Iconic British pop singer, prolific
songwriter and music producer, rated as one of the
world's biggest-selling artists, passed away at the young
age of 53. He was famous for his band Wham!
JOHN GLENN: A trailblazing US astronaut, who became
the first American to orbit the Earth and the first senior
citizen to venture into space, died aged 95.
NOVEMBER
DILEEP PADGAONKAR: A very eminent multifaceted
journalist of India passed away at the age of 72 in
Pune. He was associated with The Times of India as its
editor.
RAM NARESH YADAV: Former Governor of Madhya
Pradesh and ex Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh passed
away in Lucknow at the age of 89.
Lt Gen S K SINHA: Former Governor of Assam and
Jammu and Kashmir died at the age of 92.
Prof MGK MENON: An acclaimed physicist who played
a prominent role in the development of science and
technology in the country over the last five decades,
died at the age of 88. A former chairman of ISRO, he was
honoured with Padma Vibhushan.
M BALAMURALIKRISHNA: Padma Vibhushan awardee
veteran Carnatic vocalist and musician aged 86, passed
away in Chennai.
FIDEL CASTRO: The legendary communist
revolutionary and former President of Cuba died at age
of 90. He led a coup in 1959 to overthrow the regime of
the US-backed former Cuban president and remained
hostile to USA throughout his life.
OCTOBER
HEISNAM KANHAILAL: Manipur-based theatre legend
passed away at 75 in Imphal. He was decorated with
Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.
MEHAR MITTAL: Veteran Punjabi actor, who acquired
legendary status with his comic roles in over 100 films,
passed away at the age of 81.
PARMESHWAR GODREJ: Philanthropist and style icon,
wife of Godrej group chairman Adi Godrej, passed away
in Mumbai at 70.
KING BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ: A revered figure of
Thailand who helped unify the nation in his 70-year
reign, died at 88. He was world's longest-reigning
monarch.
52
ANDRZEJ WAJDA: A legend in the world of cinema,
Polish film director died aged 90.
SHIMON PERES: Israeli ex-President and Prime
Minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner, died at 93.
PLACES IN NEWS
DECEMBER
HAVELOCK ISLAND: Around 1,400 tourists were
stranded in this island and adjoining Neil Island in
Andamans due to cyclonic disturbances. Six ships of the
Indian Navy and two Indian Coast Guard ships were
deputed to rescue all the tourists safely.
AKODARA: Village in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat
has earned the title of becoming first digital village in
India. The village uses various cashless systems for all
payments of goods and services.
NAGROTA: A group of heavily-armed terrorists in police
uniform stormed an army unit in Nagrota, near Jammu
city on Nov 29, triggering an intense gunbattle that
lasted for several hours. Seven army personnel,
including two officers, were killed in the attack that
killed three terrorists.
MAJULI: Assam has decided to convert its island
district into India's first ever carbon neutral district by
2020 to fight against climate change and reduce the
emission of greenhouse gases.
CYCLONE VARDAH: It crossed the Chennai coast and
ripped through the city killing over ten persons and
leaving a trail of destruction in the form of uprooted
trees, damaged roof sheets and more.
NADA: Name of the cyclone that caused widespread
heavy rains in coastal Tamil Nadu.
PEARL HARBOR: The USA observed the 75th
anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii that claimed more than 2,400 American lives.
About 20 US vessels were sunk or damaged and over
300 US aircrafts were damaged or destroyed when over
350 Japanese warplanes launched attacks stealthily on
Dec 7, 1941.
PIDIE JAYA: Meureudu, a small town in Pidie Jaya Aceh
province in Indonesia was struck with a powerful earth
quake claiming around 100 lives.
NOVEMBER
PUKHRAYAN: Place near Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh was in
news as over 145 passengers were killed and more than
180 persons were injured in a major train mishap.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
SENDAI: A powerful earthquake rocked Sendai in
northern Japan, generating a tsunami that hit the same
region that was devastated by a massive tsunami and
nuclear disaster in 2011.
OCTOBER
RANI KI VAV: Gujarats 900-year-old World Heritage
Site has won the award for the Cleanest Iconic Place in
the Indian Sanitation Conference (INDOSAN) 2016, New
Delhi.
THE TERMINAL 3: of Indira Gandhi International
Airport (IGIA), Delhi has become first green terminal
building to achieve Platinum rating from Indian Green
Building Council (IGBC).
TYPHOON HAIMA: The strongest storm to hit
the Philippines in past three years, killed at least 12
people and inundated vast tracts of rice and corn fields.
TYPHOON SARIKA: Parts of Philippines and Vietnam
were devastated by a strong tropical typhoon named
Sarika, causing extensive loss of life and assets.
HURRICANE MATTHEW: A very strong storm slammed
into the coast of Haiti, a small island country in
Carribean Sea, claiming over 900 lives.
SPORTS WORLD
DECEMBER
Pankaj Advani, ace Indian cueist won his 11th World
Billiards (150-Up format) Championship title after
defeating world champion Peter Gilchrist of Singapore
in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
He also won the bronze medal at the IBSF World
Snooker Championship in Doha, UAE and the National
title in 6-red Snooker championship held in Mumbai.
Arjun Bhati, a 12 year old school boy from Noida won
the Kids Golf World Championship in Malaysia, beating
golfers from 21 countries.
Anmol Jain, 18 year old boy from Haryana shocked the
senior Olympians by winning the mens 10m air pistol
event in the National Shooting Championship held in
Pune. Satyendra Singh of Indian Army clinched the gold
medal in the mens 50m rifle 3 positions event.
Yuki Bhambri won the $10000 ITF Hong Kong F4
Futures Tennis Cup in Hong Kong.
Smriti Mandhana has become the first Indian
batswoman to figure in the ICCs Womens team of the
year.
53
Iqbal Sayed of Mumbai won the silver medal in the
Classic Bodybuilding category in Olympia Amateur Asia
Contest in Hong Kong.
Mukesh Kumar became the oldest golfer (51 years) to
win an Asian Tour title by winning Panasonic Open Golf
Championship in New Delhi.
Hashim Mansoor, seven-year-old primary school
student from Bandipora, J&K won the gold medal at the
Asian Youth Karate Championship in New Delhi.
Shiva Keshavan of India clinched a gold medal at the
Asian Luge Championships in Nagano, Japan.
L Y Suhas, Uttar Pradesh-based IAS officer won the
Asian Para-Badminton Championships in Beijing.
P V Sindhu won the Badminton World Federations
Most Improved Player of the Year award
Virat Kohli became first Indian and fifth batsman in
world to score three double centuries consecutively in
one calendar year. The record was made playing test
match against England in Mumbai.
Ravichandran Ashwin has become the third Indian
player ever to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after
being named the ICC Cricketer of the Year and also the
ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have
made it a rare instance of two Indian bowlers topping
the ICC Test rankings.
Karun Nair has become the second Indian player after
Virender Sehwag to hit triple century in test cricket. He
made 303 run, not out, playing against England in
Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Vijender Singh knocked out former world champion
Francis Cheka to retain WBO-Asia Pacific Super
Middleweight title in a challenging fight in New Delhi.
Indian boys defeated Sri Lanka to lift the Asian Cricket
Councils Under-19 Asia Cup title in Colombo.
India won the five-match test series against England
in a clean sweep of 4-0. The first match ended in draw.
Virat Kohli was declared man of the series with a total
of 655 runs.
Atletico De Kolkata Football team won the Indian
Super League football tournament after defeating Kerala
Blasters in Kochi, Kerala.
Junior World Cup Hockey Indian boys won the cup
after a gap of 15 years by beating Belgium in the finals
played in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Asia Cup Twenty-20 tournament: Indian Women's
team lead by Mithali Raj defeated arch-rivals Pakistan
by 17 runs in the final played at Bangkok.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
The Bank of Baroda has become the first Indian
company to sign up as a national supporter for the FIFA
Under-17 World Cup India to be held in October, 2017
AIBA (Amateur International Boxing Association) has
granted full membership to the recently-formed Boxing
Federation of India.
Gujarat Cricket Association plans to make Sardar Patel
Cricket Stadium in Motera, Ahmadabad as the worlds
biggest cricket stadium in terms of seating capacity for
1,10,000 spectators.
The 2022 National Games will be hosted by
Meghalaya.
YOGA DELISTED AS SPORTS
Union Sports Ministry has decided that from January 1,
2017, yoga will no longer be a sports discipline. The
Health Ministrys department of AYUSH will take charge
of yoga and it will be performed purely for recreational
purpose from January 1, 2017.
IAAF Athlete Of The Year Awards
Men: Sprint king Usain Bolt of Jamaica
Women: Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia, 10,000m world
record holder
IAAF - International Association of Athletics Federations
International Tennis Federation Declares
World Champions 2016
Men: Andy Murray of Britain
Women: Angelique Kerber of Germany
BBC Sports Personality of the Year-2016: Andy
Murray, the first British Tennis player to get this award.
Hideki Matsuyama of Japan won the Hero World
Challenge Golf Championship in Nassau, Bahamas.
Cristiano Ronaldo, (of Portugal)forward player of Real
Madrid Club, Spain, won the prestigious Ballon d'Or
award, 2016 for a fourth time.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the World Chess
Championship for the third consecutive time after
defeating challenger Sergey Karjakin of Russia.
2016 Women's Hockey Junior World Cup won by
Argentina by defeating Netherland in Santiago, Chile.
PLANE CRASH KILLS FOOTBALL TEAM
A chartered plane of Lamia airlines, carrying a Brazilian
first division football team crashed near Medellin,
Colombia, killing 71 people. The Chapecoense team from
southern Brazil was going to play a match in Medellin,
Colombia.
54

NOVEMBER
Aditi Ashok scripted history becoming the first Indian
woman to win a Ladies European Tour title by clinching
the Hero Women's Indian Open at Gurugram, Haryana.
She also won the inaugural Qatar Ladies Open Golf Cup
in Doha.
Sachin Singh became the third Indian boxer ever to bag
gold at the AIBA Youth World Championships.
Pratul Joshi won the mens singles title of the Bahrain
International Challenge badminton tournament.
Gaganjeet Bhullar won the BANK BRI-JCB Indonesia
Open Golf Championship in Jakarta.
P V Sindhu clinched the Super Series Premier title at
China Open after edging out Sun Yu of China in the final
in Fuzhou, China.
Eight-year-old Tajamul Islam scripted history at the
World Kickboxing Championship in Italy, becoming first
ever Indian to win gold medal in the sub-junior
category.
Indian golfer SSP Chawrasia clinched the $1 million
(Rs. 6.8 crore) Resorts World Manila Masters in the
Philippines, his first ever Asian Tour title outside India.
International Master Padmini Rout won the National
Women Premier Chess Championship for the third time
in a row.
Sania Mirza ended the current season as world's top
doubles Tennis player for the second straight year.
M C Mary Kom, five time world champion and Olympics
bronze winner Indian boxer was honoured with the
'Legends Award' by the International Boxing
Association (AIBA)
Narinder Batra has become the first Indian to be
elected the President of the International Hockey
Federation.
Indian womens team defeated Sri Lanka to win the
gold at the World carrom championship in Birmingham
(UK). Indian mens team won silver, beaten to gold by
Sri Lanka.
Indian wushu team won five medals, including four
silver and one bronze, in the 8th Sanda World Cup held
at Xian, China.
Indian Roller Skaters team claimed their first ever
International medal by securing the bronze medal in the
3000m team relay event in Lishui, China.
Men's Asian Champions (Hockey) Trophy: India
lifted the trophy by defeating Pakistan in the finals
played at Kuantan, Malaysia.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Asian Champions Trophy (women): The Indian
hockey team lifted the trophy by a win over China in
Singapore.
The U-17 FIFA World Cup will be held in India next
year, from October 6 to 28 in 2017. India will host a
FIFA-accredited football tournament for the first time.
DHONI RANKS 10TH IN BRAND VALUE
The annual Forbes Fab 40 list, which estimates the
brand value of top sports labels, athletes, teams and
events, reveals that Dhonis brand value stood at $11
million this year, placing him at 10th rank in world and
at the top in India. (first rank in the world is held by
Roger Federer, Lawn Tennis)
Lewis Hamilton of Britain won the Abu Dhabi Grand
Prix and also the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico
City, besides winning the Brazilian Grand Prix Formula
1 championship.
Andy Murray of Britain won the ATP World Tour
Finals in London after beating Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
He attained the world number one ranking in Tennis for
the first time, replacing Djokovic.
Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia defeated Angelique
Kerber of Germany to win the WTA Finals played in
Singapore.
Manny Pacquiao of Philippines reclaimed the WBO
welterweight title for the third time in Las Vegas, USA
by beating Jesse Vargas of USA.
WTA Elite Singles Trophy: Czech Republics Petra
Kvitova won the trophy by defeating Elina Svitolina of
Ukraine in Zhuhai, China.
Argentina won the Davis Cup (tennis) beating Croatia
in the finals in Zagreb, Croatia.
OCTOBER
Saina Nehwal: In a rare honour for an Indian
sportsperson, star shuttler has been appointed as a
member of the International Olympic Committees (IOC)
Athletes Commission.
Kieren Dsouza of Bengaluru has become the first
Indian to complete the Spartathlon, widely described as
the "world's toughest race", in Greece.
Neeraj Goyat retained his WBC welterweight Asia title
in boxing by beating Australias Ben Kite in New Delhi.
Jitu Rai clinched a silver medal in the 50 metre pistol
event of the ISSF World Cup Final in Bologna, Italy
Gaganjeet Bhullar won the Korea Open 2016 Golf Cup
(Shinhan Donghae Open) in Incheon, South Korea.
Sourabh Verma clinched the men's singles title in the
Chinese Taipei Open badminton, defeating Malaysia's
Daren Liew.
55
Mukesh Singh Gehlot and Gaurav Sharma won gold The Indian womens handball team won the
medal in their respective categories at the World International Handball Federation Trophy after beating
Powerlifting Championship held in England. Bangladesh in Dhaka.

Viraat Kohli scored his career-best 211 runs playing
against New Zealand in Indore (MP), becoming the first
Indian captain to get to the landmark of a double
century for the second time in his career.
Virat Kohli was presented with the ICC Test
Championship mace for leading his team to the top of
the Test Team Rankings.
Ruthvika Shivani Gadde won the womens title in
the Russian Open Grand Prix in Valadivostok.
Arjun Vajpai, a 23-year-old professional mountaineer
from Noida, UP became the youngest in the world to
scale the Mount Cho Oyu on Nepal China border, the
sixth highest mountain peak in the world at 8,188
metres above sea level.
India bagged a silver and a bronze in the 56kg
category at the IWF Youth World Weightlifting
Championships at Penang, Malaysia.
56th Atheletics Open Nationals: Services emerged as
the overall champions in the games held in Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh.
Indian Cricket team became the first team in world to
play its 900th ODI. The match was played against New
Zealand in Dharamshala on 16th Oct 2016.
INTERNATIONAL
Nico Rosberg of Germany won the Japan Grand Prix
at Suzuka Circuit.
Andy Murray of Britain won the mens title in the final
of the China Open in Beijing while womens title was
won by Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.
Lewis Hamilton of Britain won the United States Grand
Prix in Austin, Texas.
Daniel Ricciardo of Australia won the Malaysian Grand
Prix F1 championship in Sepang, Malaysia.
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup: North Korea won the
cup after defeating Japan in finals played in Amman,
Jordan.
Shanghai Masters Tennis tournament: Britain's Andy
Murray won mens singles title.

India won the Kabddi World Cup in Ahmadabad by
defeating Iran
Indian women's beach kabaddi team won the gold in
the 5th Asian Beach Games in Danang, Vietnam.
Zabivaka the wolf has been named as the official
mascot of the 2018 FIFA Football World Cup to be
hosted by Russia.

Subroto Cup Junior Boys (U-17): Brazil's Club Atletico BOOKS & AUTHORS
Paraneanse lifted the trophy after beating Army Boys,
Bengaluru in the final in New Delhi. The Wonder Emma Donoghue
Fantastic Beasts and Where J K Rowling.
1st BRICS U-17 Football Tournament: Brazil lifted the to Find Them
trophy defeating the South Africa in Goa Black Water Lilies Michel Bussi
Many Everests Ravindra Kumar, an
4th Men's Under-18 Asia Hockey Cup: India lifted the IAS officer of 2011
trophy by defeating Bangladesh in the final in Dhaka, batch who scaled Mt
Bangladesh. Everest.
Conflicts of Interest: My Sunita Narain. She is a
The Indian football team on 20 October achieved its Journey through India's noted environment
best FIFA ranking in over six years, at 137th place in Green Movement activist.
world rankings. Courts of India Past to a book edited by a
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi has been Present board of the Supreme
declared as the first venue for hosting the 2017 FIFA U- Court of India. It is a
17 World Cup. comprehensive history
Indian Railways have won the World Railway Shooting of courts and judicial
Championship Cup held at Saint Mandrier, France. system in India.
Death Under The Deodars Ruskin Bond
Indian wrestlers won four medals, including one gold,
The Legend of Lakshmi Twinkle Khanna,
at the TAFISA World Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Prasad Bollywood celebrity.
TAFISA - The Association for International Sport for All
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 56
 India Rising: Fresh Hope Ravi Vellor Mazumdar Shaw, bio-
New Fears tech queen of India,
An Era of Darkness: The Dr. Shashi Tharoor, MP CMD of Biocon.
British Empire in India The Scout Shirish Thorat, Sachin
The Ministry of Utmost Arundhati Roy Waze
Happiness: Title of the The Gene Siddhartha Mukherjee.
forthcoming novel Carefree Days: Many Roles, Pran Nevile
Harry Potter and the J. K. Rowling Many Lives
Cursed Child Half-Lion: How PV Vinay Sitapati
This Love That Feels Right Ravinder Singh Narasimha
Selection Day Aravind Adiga Rao Transformed India
The Sellout Paul Beatty The Great Derangement: Amitav Ghosh
Magic Danielle Steel Climate Change and the
Sunshine Lanes Prasoon Joshi, famous Unthinkable
Bolywood lyricist. Courage & Commitment: Margaret Alva, senior
Being the Other: The Saeed Naqvi, noted An Autobiography Congress leader,
Muslim in India media personality. former Governor of
Citizen and Society Hamid Ansari (Vice Uttarakhand, Rajasthan
President of India) The Wars of Doughlas R.Egerton
Selection Day Aravind Adiga. Reconstruction
Six Machine An autobiography of Zindaginama Krishna Sobti
Chris Gayle, explosive Favourite Ghost Stories Ruskin Bond.
batsman from West From Around The World
Indies Old History New Jairam Ramesh
Perilous Interventions: The Hardeep Singh Puri, Geography: Bifurcating
Security Council and the Indias former Andhra Pradesh
Politics of Chaos ambassador to UNO. A Life in Diplomacy M K Rasgotra
My Olympic Journey Digvijay Singh Deo and The Age of Genius: The AC Grayling
Amit Bose. Seventeenth Century and
The Assassination of Rajiv Neena Gopal the Birth of the Modern
Gandhi Mind by
Me, The Jokerman Khushwant Singh The Spy Paulo Coelho
(late), a compilation of The Unseen Indira Gandhi Dr. K P Mathur
his essays. Muslims Against Partition Shamsul Islam.
Grassroots Innovation Prof. Anil K. Gupta of The Invention of Nature Andrea Wulf
IIM Ahmedabad Vanishing Shangri La K N Raghavan.
Jihadi Jane Tabish Khair The Drowned Detective Neil Jordan,
Ace Against Odds Sania Mirza, an Blood on my Hands: Kishalay Bhattacharjee
autobiography by star Confessions of Staged
tennis champion Encounters
Who Moved My Interest Former Reserve Bank The Outside Lands Hannah Kohler
Rates of India Governor, D A Man Called Ove Fredrik Backman
Subbarao Me Before You Jojo Moyes
The Phoenix Moment Praful Bidwai. An Economist in the Real Kaushik Basu, Chief
Myth Breaker Seema Singh, a book World Economist at World
about the life of Kiran Bank

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 57

 PATIALA 1 SCO 132, 1ST FLOOR, CHHOTI BARADARI: 9814695511
SCO 4-5, BASEMENT, BAJAJ TOWER,
PATIALA 2 OPP. PANJABI UNIVERSITY: Ph: 9814695511
ROPAR SCF-20, 1ST FLOOR, NEAR PIZZA PLANET, GIANI ZAIL SINGH
NAGAR, 9779642141, 9779642040
YAMUNANGAR 4612/19, 2ND FLOOR, ABOVE PUMA SHOWROOM,
SANTPURA GURUDWARA ROAD: 9728042123
DASUYA 2ND FLOOR, PURI COMPLEX, OPP. AXIS BANK, G.T. ROAD:
8146990736, 7527999088

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 58

 Latest M CQs
ON CURRENT AFFAIRS
MARCH GK - 01 7. Who has been bestowed with the 2016
Saraswati Samman?
A. Naiyer Masud B. Sugatha Kumari
1. Which country will host the 2018
C. Surjit Pattar
Commonwealth Heads of Government
D. Mahabaleshwar Sail
Meeting? (CHOGM)?
E. Veerappa Moily
A. United States B. United Kingdom
8. The cultural festival India by the Nile
C. Germany D. France
recently started in
E. India
A. Nigeria B. Egypt
2. Which of the following is an objective of
C. Kenya D. Mauritius
Monetary Policy?
E. Turkey
A. Regulate capital markets
9. Which information has to be furnished by a
B. Regulate insurance trade
remitting customer to a bank for initiating a
C. Regulate commodity markets
RTGS remittance?
D. Other than those given as options
A. Name of the beneficiary bank and branch
E. Accelerate economic growth, obtain price
B. Sender to receiver information, if any
stability and stabilize exchange rates
C. The IFSC Number of the receiving branch
3. Magnetic Ink Character Recognition Code
D. Name of the beneficiary customer
(MICR Code) is a character recognition
E. All of the above
technology used mainly in the
10. The PAN card issued by the Income Tax
A. Insurance Industry
Department cannot be used for which of the
B. Banking Industry
following purposes?
C. Stoke Brokerages
A. Proof of identity
D. Mutual Fund Industry
B. Proof of a registered tax payer
E. Investment Brokerage
C. Proof of address
4. What was the theme of the 2017 World
D. Proof of date of birth
Consumer Rights Day (WCRD)?
E. All of these
A. Antibiotics off the menu
11. Where is the headquarters of the National
B. Fix our phone rights
Archives of India (NAI) located?
C. Building a digital world the consumers can
A. Bhubaneswar B. New Delhi
trust
C. Bhopal D. Jaipur
D. Consumer Justice Now!
E. Lucknow
E. Consumer Delight
12. Rabi Ray, the former Lok Sabha speaker, who
5. Bank Holidays are covered by which of the
passed away recently, hailed from
following?
A. Odisha B. Assam
A. As per the order of the GOI
C. Manipur D. Tripura
B. As per the orders of the IBA
E. Uttar Pradesh
C. Negotiable Instruments Act
13. Which Indian university has been ranked
D. Other than those given as options
among top 10 in Times Higher Education
E. RBI Act
(THE)s 2017 Worlds Best Small Universities?
6. George A. Olah, the Nobel laureate has passed
A. Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru
away. He had won the Nobel prize in
B. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati
A. Physics B. Economics
C. Savitribai Phule University, Pune
C. Chemistry D. Medicine
D. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay
E. Peace
E. Jawahar Lal Nehru University, New Delhi

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 59

14. Which of the following financial markets 22. A Current Account can be opened in the name
facilitates issue of new securities? of
A. Secondary Market B. Spot Market A. Company B. Individual
C. Derivative Market D. Forex Market C. Partnership firm D. All of these
E. Primary Market E. None of these
15. Thomas Earl Starzl, who performed the 23. The RBI has amended the provision for cash
worlds first human liver transplant, has loan against gold by NBFC from Rs. 1 lakh to
recently passed away. He hailed from A. Rs.25, 000 B. Rs.75, 000
A. France B. Germany C. Rs.50, 000 D. Rs.70, 000
C. United Kingdom D. United States E. Rs. 60, 000
E. None of these 24. Which city ranks as the worlds topmost city
16. The National Financial Switch (NFS) which is offering the highest quality of life as per the
the largest network of shared ATMs in India, Mercers Quality of Living Survey 2017?
was designed, developed and deployed by the A. Zurich B. Auckland
A. Reserve Bank of India C. Vienna D. London
B. Indian Banks Association E. Sydney
C. National Institute of Bank Management 25. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is
D. Institute for Development Research Banking headquartered in
Technology A. Vienna, Austria B. Paris, France
E. National Payments Corporation of India C. New York, USA
17. Which university has bagged Visitors Award D. Lausanne, Switzerland E. New York
for Best University 2017? 26. Park Geun-hye, who was forced out from
A. Central University of Himachal Pradesh office on corruption charges, served as the
B. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) President of which country?
C. Banaras Hindu University (BHU) A. Taiwan B. Philippines
D. Tezpur University C. North Korea D. South Korea
E. Panjab University, Chandigarh E. None of these
18. How much penalty will be imposed on banks 27. What are Term Loans?
if they refuse to exchange soiled or scribed A. They are sanctioned for acquisition of fixed
currency notes from people, according to assets like machinery or land and building
Reserve Bank of India (RBI)? B. They are repayable in installments over a
A. Rs. 10,000 B. Rs. 15, 000 period ranging normally from 3 to 8 years
C. Rs. 5,000 D. Rs. 20, 000 C. They can be short-term, medium-term and
E. Rs. 1 lakh long-term loans
19. Which of the following statement regarding D. All of these E. None of these
commercial banking is true? 28. Which of the following is considered an
A. The commercial banks do not grant loan for informal method of getting credit / finance?
infrastructure purposes A. Internet Banking B. Commercial Bank
B. One commercial bank can give loan to other C. Telebanking D. Moneylenders
commercial bank E. All of these
C. They can give term loans only 29. The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill,
D. They can accept demand deposits only 2016 seeks to increase the maternity leave to
E. They undertake remittance of funds ____________ from the earlier 12 weeks.
20. Who has been conferred with the 2017 A. 26 weeks B. 24 weeks
Harvard Humanitarian of the Year award? C. 15 weeks D. 20 weeks
A. Aung San Suu Kyi E. None of these
B. Robyn Rihanna Fenty 30. The NBFCs are registered under the
C. Thorbjorn Jagland Companies Act,
D. Bishop Desmond Tutu A.1962 B. 2007
E. None of these C.1956 D. 2000
21. The RBI has decided to change the E. 2013
nomenclature of no-frill account to 31. Who has been appointed Indias next
A. Basic Saving Bank Account Ambassador to the World Trade
B. Primary Account Organization?
C. Fully Covered Savings Bank Account A. Arun Kumar Singh B. Navtej Sarna
D. Small Account E. None of these C. JS Deepak D. Nirupama Rao
E. Syed Akbaruddin

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 60

32. Pick the odd man out. 41. The 2017 G20 Finance Ministers and Central
A. Pay Order B. Demand Draft Bank Governors Meeting has started in which
C. Travellers Cheque D. Cheque country?
E. RTGS/ NEFT A. Italy B. France
33. Where is the International Monetary C. Germany D. India
Fund (IMF) headquartered? E. Russia
A. Geneva B. Washington D.C 42. The International Buddhist conference on
C. Paris D. Vienna Buddhism in 2lst Century began in which
E. New York state?
34. Preet Bhrara, an Indo-American, was in news A. Arunachal Pradesh B. Bihar
recently as C. Sikkim D. West Bengal
A. he has been appointed Chief justice of the US E. Himachal Pradesh
Supreme Court 43. Which state government recently launched
B. he has been appointed the US Attorney General Adarsh Gram Yojana for rural poor to
C. he has been nominated the US Surgeon-general develop 123 model villages by 2017-18?
D. he has been fired from the Prosecutors office A. Sikkim B. Himachal Pradesh
by the Trump administration C. Arunachal Pradesh D. Assam
E. he is the new Defence Advisor to the trump E. Haryana
administration 44. In the year 2016, the RBI issued guidelines for
35. The Moortidevi Award is presented for issuance of "on tap" universal banking
contribution in the field of licences. This means that
A. Arts A. the applicants can apply for a new bank licence
B. Literature on Indian culture and philosophy as and when they feel like
C. Science D. Peace B. the applicants will get a new bank licence
E. Womens empowerment without any scrutiny
36. The International Yoga Festival was C. the applicants can apply for a new bank licence
inaugurated in which city on March 8, 2017 by only when the RBI opens the licensing window
Union Information and Broadcasting D. the applicants can open as many types of banks
Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu? as they want on the strength of a single bank
A. Indore B. Ahmedabad licence
C. New Delhi D. Amritsar E. None of these
E. Mumbai 45. Payment Banks are required to invest ______ %
37. A Work from Home facility has been of their demand deposit balances in SLR
launched by which bank on for its employees? securities.
A. Bank of Maharashtra B. Bank of Baroda A. 75 B. 20.5
C. State Bank of India D. Union Bank of India C. 40 D. 50
E. Punjab National Bank E. 60
38. Pick the only retail bank set up under the New 46. The RBI has asked the banks to exchange up
Banking Policy, which is owned by the to ____________ pieces of soiled currency notes
Government of India. with a maximum value of up to ___________, free
A. ICICI Bank Ltd B. IDBI Bank of charge, beyond which they may levy
C. Axis Bank D. HDFC Bank reasonable service charges.
E. Yes Bank A. 50, Rs. 50, 000 B. 10, Rs. 5000
39. When did the demonetization of Rs. 500 and C. 30, Rs. 5000 D. 20, Rs. 10, 000
Rs. 1000 notes take place? E. 20, Rs. 5000
A. November 18, 2016 B. December 8, 2016 47. Under the Inflation Targeting arrangement
C. October 18, 2016 D. November 8, 2016 made in consultation with the RBI, the
E. None of these government has notified an inflation target of
40. In 2016, the RBI, once again, gave the status of ___________ for the next five years.
D-SIB to A. not more than 3% B. not more than 5%
A. State Bank of India and ICICI Bank C. 4% to 5% D. not more than 6%
B. State Bank of India and HDFC Bank E. average 4%
C. Panjab National Bank and ICICI Bank 48. Who is the newly appointed Defence Minister
D. State Bank of India and Panjab National Bank of India?
E. State Bank of India only A. Nitin Gadkari B. Rajnath Singh
C. Arun Jaitley
D. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi E. Rajnath Singh

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 61

49. Which country successfully test-fired a naval E. Criminal and Crime Tracking National System
strike ballistic missile Hormuz 2? 5. With which BRICS nation has India signed its
A. Iran B. Israel first ever Social Security Agreement (SSA)?
C. Pakistan D. India A. Brazil B. China
E. Bangladesh C. Russia D. South Africa
50. Which of the following changes was/were E. All of them
most recently made by the RBI to the 6. According to the Women in Politics 2017 Map,
monetary policy arrangement? what is the rank of India among 193 UN
A. The government has formed a 6-member member nations in terms of representation of
committee for formulation of comprehensive a women in government and parliament?
Monetary Policy A.110 B.91
B. Under the Inflation Targeting arrangement C.89 D.148
made in consultation with the RBI, the E. 130
government has notified an inflation target for 7. My Story is an autobiography of which cricket
the next five years player?
C. Under the Inflation Target arrangement, the A. Brett Lee B. Michael Clarke
government has notified an inflation target for C. Shane Lee D. Chris Adams
the next three years E. Gautam Gambhir
D. A and B E. None of these 8. The term Paper Audit Trail is related to
A. Electronic Voting Machine
B. Banking
MARCH GK - 02 C. Money Laundering
D. Competitive exams conducted by the CBSE
E. none of these
1. Which of the following statements regarding
9. Who is the President of the International Bank
the Basic Savings Bank Account is true?
for Reconstruction and Development?
A. Minimum balance of Rs. 500/- is required to be
A. Matthew Rycroft B. Joaquim Levy
maintain
C. Jim Yong Kim
B. Maximum withdrawals are restricted to four
D. Kristalina Georgieva E. Levis Strauss
per month
10. Jwala Gutta, who has been recently appointed
C. Maximum balance in the account can be Rs.
as a member of the Sports Authority of India
50,000/-at any point of time
(SAI), is related to
D. Maximum withdrawals per month is restricted
A. Tennis B. Badminton
to Rs. 10,000 per month
C. Athletics D. Boxing
E. None of these
E. None of these
2. What are the implications of the account
11. The instances of violations of the Prevention
payee crossing?
of Money Laundering Act in banking are to be
A. This crossing does not affect negotiability of a
reported to the
cheque
A. FIU IND (Financial Intelligence Unit) India in
B. The proceeds of the cheque can be deposited
the Ministry of Finance
into only the payee account
B. SFIO (Serious Frauds Investigation Office) in
C. The cheque can be endorsed to only one person
the Ministry of Finance
D. All of these E. None of these
C. ED (Enforcement Directorate.
3. The process of compliance with Basel III
D. Vigilance Directorate of the Reserve Bank of
guidelines is to be completed by all the banks
India
in India by
E. Banking Ombudsman
A. March 31, 2017 B. September 30, 2018
12. Which of the following is NOT a foreign bank
C. March 31, 2019 D. March 31, 2016
operating in India?
E. None of these
A. ABN Amro B. HSBC
4. The acronym CCTNS refers to
C. Standard Chartered Bank
A. Crime and Criminal Tracking Network &
D. Yes Bank
Systems
E. All these are foreign banks
B. Computerized Crime Tracking Network &
13. Under the arrangement mentioned in
Systems
Question No. 11, the banks are also required
C. Compilation of Crime, Tracking Network &
to report all cash transactions of above
Systems
____________ on a monthly basis by submitting
D. Crime and Criminal Tracking Network &
Cash Transactions Report CTR.
Systems
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 62
 A. Rs. 10 lac B. Rs. 1 lac 21. What is the full form of IRR as used in
C. Rs. 20 lac D. Rs. 50 lac banking/financial sectors?
E. Rs. 50, 000 A. Internal Rate of Return
14. Under the DRI scheme, loans are sanctioned to B. Internal Revaluation Rate
the poorest section of the society by the banks C. Investment Reserve Ratio
at simple rate of interest of 4% per annum. D. Internal Risk Return
What is the full form of DRI? E. None of these
A. Differential Rate of Interest 22. Which digital payment is suitable for a person,
B. Discounted Rate of Interest who has neither a smartphone nor a basic
C. Directed Rate of Interest feature phone?
D. Decreed Rate of Interest A. m-wallet B. USD
E. None of these C. AEPS -Aadhaar Enabled Payment System
15. Which of the following institutions is a wholly D. AEPS - ATM-enabled Payment System
owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of E. None of these
India? 23. What is the full form of the acronym UPI?
A. ARCIL B. DICGC A. Unified Payments Interface
C. ARSEC D. CIBIL B. Universal Payments Interface
E. ONICRA C. Union Payments Interface
16. The Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of D. Union of India Payments Interface
Liabilities) Bill 2017 was given parliamentary E. Universal Payments India
approval to 24. Which of the following is NOT a banking-
A. end the liability of the RBI and the government related term?
regarding old demonetized notes lying with the A. SME Finance B. Overdraft
public C. Drawing power D. Sanctioning
B. empower the government to declare the money E. Equinox
recovered in old currency during IT raids as 25. The hugely popular technological solution
national wealth. BHIM, launched by the government, refers to
C. give effect to the demonetization order of the A. an app that lets you make simple, easy and
Reserve Bank of India quick payment transactions using the UPI
D. empower the government to issue currency B. an app that lets you make simple, easy and
notes of any denomination in future quick payment transactions using the USSD
E. None of these interface
17. Pick the odd one out. C. a website that lets you make transactions using
A. Phishing B. Skimming the UPI
C. Card Cloning D. Malware D. A and C E. None of these
E. Spamming 26. The Government has decided to launch
18. Which of the following has become the first Indradhanush 2.0 to
Indian bank to achieve a customer base of 50 A. create world-class Public Sector Banks in India
crore? B. improve the per person productivity in
A. State Bank of India B. HDFC Bank government-owned banks
C. Panjab National Bank D. ICICI Bank C. recapitalize the public sector banks with Rs
E. The consolidated State Bank of India after the 70,000 crore to ensure compliance with Basel-III
merger of its associates with it norms
19. The acronym CVV printed on the back of D. tackle the problems of NPAs in banks E. None
debit/ credit card refers to of these
A. Card Verification Value 27. The acronym IndAS refers to
B. Credibility Value Verification A. Indian Accounting Standards
C. Card Value Verification B. Indian Audit Service
D. Credit Verification Value C. Indian Auditing Standards
E. Customer Verification Value D. Indian Administrative Standards
20. The USSD (Unstructured Supplementary E. Indian Accounts Service
Service Data) works on which of the following 28. The Participatory notes are a part of ODIs, an
codes? investment vehicle used by the investors who
A. *99# B. *999# are not registered with SEBI. ODI stands for
C. *111# D. *101# A. Ordinary Derivatives Instrument
E. *555# B. Original Derivatives Instrument
C. Open Derivatives Instrument

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 63

 D. Obsolete Derivatives Instrument D. Urban Development Ministry
E. Offshore Derivatives Instrument E. None of these
29. Which of the following type of account is 39. What is the catchline of Jan Dhan Yojana?
known as Demat Account? A. Mera Khata, Mera Vidhata
A. Zero Balance Accounts B. Mera Khata, Naya Naata
B. Accounts opened for repayment of a loan C. Mera Khata, Bhagya Vidhata
C. Accounts to keep record of sale/purchase of D. Mera Khata, Mera Bhagya
shares E. Naya Khaata, Naya Naata
D. Accounts opened for salary transactions 40. The financial instrument used in trade and
E. None of these credit transactions, as a form of remittance to
30. A private members bill in Parliament is transfer money, as a credit instrument and as
A. introduced by an MP a bill of exchange issued by indigenous
B. introduced by a non-MP bankers is locally called
C. one which can be discussed but is not voted A. Dabba B. Rokdi
upon in the house C. Bahi-Khaata D. Dasti
D. introduced by an MP, who is not a part of the E. Hundi
Council of Ministers 41. Which of the following is considered by banks
E. introduced by member of the Council of as a risky form of lending?
Ministers A. Education Loan
31. The current UN Secretary General is B. Loan against property
A. Antonio Guterres C. Credit card
B. Ban Ki Moon D. Housing loan
C. Jim Yong Kim E. None of these
D. Peter Sutherland 42. The Credit/Debit card payment made without
E. None of these actually swiping the credit/debit card but just
32. Which country has been witness to Bread by using the details on the card are known as
Riots over the scarcity of eatables? A. Over the counter payment (OTCP) transactions
A. Sudan B. Zambia B. Physical/cash transactions
C. Ethiopia D. Venezuela C. ATM Transaction s
E. Zimbabwe D. Card Not Present transactions (CNP)
33. The inflation caused by a rise in input costs is E. PoS Transactions
referred to as 43. Which of the following statements regarding
A. Demand-Pull Inflation B. Cost-Pull Inflation the Reserve Bank of India is false?
C. Cost-Push Inflation D. Hyperflation A. Reserve Bank of India is Banker to the Central
E. Stagflation and the State Govts
34. Pick the RIGHT pair/s. B. Reserve Bank of India is the custodian of
A. Mogadishu: Somalia B. Lusaka: Zambia foreign exchange reserves of the country
C. Both A and B C. Reserve Bank of India represents India at
D. Port Louis: Maldives World Bank and IMF
E. Ho Chi Minh City: Combodia D. Reserve Bank of India represents India at
35. The FIDE world championship is related to World Trade Organization summits
A. Golf B. Chess E. None of these
C. Athletics D. Boxing 44. The loss of value of a countrys currency with
E. Football respect to one or more foreign reference
36. La Tomatina (Tomato Festival), quite similar currencies due to play of market forces is
to Holi, is celebrated in which country? known as
A. Spain B. The Phillipines A. Currency Depreciation
C. Thailand D. Italy B. Currency Revaluation
E. The USA C. Currency Depression
37. Which country is a part of the European Union D. Currency Devaluation
but does not use the euro as a currency? E. Currency Deflation
A. Denmark B. The UK 45. Wage inflation would be an a example of a/an
C. Greece D. France A. Demand-Pull factor
E. The Netherlands B. Cost-Push factor
38. The National Housing Bank is a subsidiary of C. Deflationary factor
A. RBI B. State Bank of India D. Inflationary factor
C. HUDCO E. Stagflationary factor

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 64

46. For how long can a non-MP stay as a Union
Minister?
A. 24 months B. 12 months
C. There is no such time limit
D. 3 months E. 6 months
47. Which of the following is the regulator of
credit rating agencies in India?
A. Reserve Bank of India B. SEBI
C. SIDBI D. IRDA
E. NABARD
48. Which of the following is not a Banking
Organization?
A. ICICI Prudential B. Axis Bank
C. Kotak Mahindra D. ICICI Bank
E. HDFC Bank
49. Buy now, Pay now refers to which of the
following?
A. Affinity Card B. Smart Card
C. Business Card D. Credit Card
E. Debit Card
50. When a bank returns a cheque unpaid, it is
called
A. Payment of cheque B. Dishonor of cheque
C. Cancelling of cheque D. Drawing of cheque
E. None of these

MARCH GK - 01

1. B 2. E 3. B 4. C 5. C
6. C 7. D 8. B 9. E 10. E
11. B 12. A 13. A 14. E 15. C
16. E 17. B 18. A 19. E 20. B
21. A 22. D 23. A 24. C 25. D
26. D 27. D 28. D 29. A 30. C
31. C 32. E 33. B 34. D 35. B
36. C 37. C 38. B 39. D 40. A
41. C 42. B 43. C 44. A 45. A
46. E 47. E 48. C 49. A 50. D

MARCH GK - 02

1. B 2. B 3. B 4. A 5. A
6. D 7. B 8. A 9. C 10. B
11. A 12. D 13. A 14. A 15. B
16. A 17. D 18. E 19. A 20. A
21. A 22. C 23. A 24. E 25. A
26. C 27. A 28. E 29. C 30. D
31. A 32. D 33. C 34. C 35. B
36. A 37. A 38. A 39. C 40. E
41. C 42. D 43. D 44. A 45. B
46. E 47. B 48. A 49. E 50. B

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 65

SBI PO PRELIM (Model Test Paper)
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Directions (1-9): Read the following passage
carefully and answer these questions. Certain words
are given in bold in the passage to help you locate
them while answering some of the questions.
Swami Vivekanand had said, So long as the
millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold everyone
traitor, who, having been educated at their expense pays
not the least heed to them.
This issue has become relevant in the light of the
recent fall from grace of the American capitalist image.
The Enron, Worl.com and Xerox exposures have
revealed the ugly side of Western style capitalism under
which, in the quest for short-term gains, wrong doings
are overlooked. As a result people have lost trust in
corporate performance and those involved in it.
Further, many of those involved in these scandals
were highly educated. In India too, we have had our
share of such scams in the stock market and the actors
involved in them were educated men.
Earning of profits is, no doubt, the main aim of
business. But, if they are earned with principles they
enrich peoples lives. As the Jagadguru Sankaracharya
says, All for each and each for all should be the motto
of enlightened men.
JRD Tata used to say While profit motive, no
doubt, provides the main spark for any economic
activity any enterprise which is not motivated by
consideration of urgent service to the community
becomes obsolete soon and cannot fulfill its real role in
modern society.
When we talk of investing in education, a
question arises as to what kind of education needs to be
given to the youngsters. Our aim is to evolve not only an
affluent society, but an egalitarian, just, humane and
compassionate society. For that we need people who
possess not only high skills but high values as well.
So the need of the hour is not only skill-based
education but also value inspired and value-based
education. We can find answer for the present sickness
in contemporary civilisation in the Indian philosophy.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
1) According to the author, a true businessman
should
a) earn profit regardless of any consideration
b) run business profitably and ethically
c) conduct business with principles despite
making losses
d) should have least concern for enrichment of
peoples lives e) None of these
2) The author has pointed out that the people
involved in scandals and scams were
a) Social workers b) Political leaders
c) Educated people
d) Corporate governors e) None of these
3) The author has given the example of Enron,
Xerox, etc. to emphasize the point that
a) the Western style of capitalism is
advantageous
b) overcoming short-term gains is not desirable
c) we should build up trust in corporate
performance.
d) we should get involved into long-term gains
e) None of these
4) As per Swami Vivekanand, which of the
following will be the most appropriate
definition of traitor?
a) Educated people ignoring the starving and
illiterate masses
b) Million who live in hunger and ignorance
c) All those educated people who look after the
masses
d) All Social Workers who are duty-bound
e) None of these
5) What is the ultimate expectation from
education to be imparted to the youngsters?
(A) To evolve an effluent society
(B) To make people inculcate high values
(C) To help the youth acquire higher skills
a) A & B only b) B & C only
c) A & C only
d) All the three A, B and C e) None of these
6) Which of the following can be the most
appropriate title for the above passage?
a) Capitalism of the Western countries
b) Profit earning as a business motto
c) Establishing communal harmony
d) Education for earning wealth
66
 e) Need for high skill and value oriented 15) Enlightened
education a) Ignorant b) Unimaginative
7) What, according to the author, is a way to c) Impolite d) Rustic
improve the evils in the society? e) Malevolent
a) Teachings of Indian Philosophy
b) High value based and skill based education Directions (16-20): Read each sentence to find out
c) Skill oriented training whether there is any grammatical error in it. The
d) Contemporary education as in the western error, if any, will be, in one part of the sentence. The
countries e) None of these number of that part is the answer. If there is no
8) All for each, each for all means error, the answer is (5) i.e. No Error. (Ignore the
a) All of us should be having business as motto errors of punctuation, if any.)
b) Each of us should be concerned for highest
profit 16) Our customers are always visit (a)/ our branches
c) All businessmen should run business for each to (b)/discuss their problems (c)/with our staff.
of them (d)/No Error (e)
d) Everyone in the country should look for the
benefits of all the others e) None of these 17) Although he was desired (a)/ to work quite hard,
9) Which of the following is the view of JRD Tata (b)/he could not do so (c)/owing to his
as described by the author? prolonged illness. (d)/No Error (e)
a) Consideration of urgent service to community
should be sidelined 18) Just before the demonstration started (a)/the
b) The main purpose for any economic activity police arrive at the site (b)/ as if they had (c)/
should be only profitability received invitation. (d)/ No Error (e)
c) Profit should be earned with due consideration
to social service 19) The Habit of (a)/regular saving (b)/helps us (c)/
d) Motivation to earn profit has become an in bad times. (d)/No Error (e)
outdated concept e) None of these
20) To know what people react to (a)/ an unforeseen
Directions (10-12): Choose the word which is most situation (b)/is very important (c)/it lacks
nearly the same in meaning as the word printed in resources. (d)/ No Error (e)
bold.
Directions (21-30): In the following passage, there
10) Quest are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These
a) Search b) Quality numbers are printed below the passage and against
c) Zeal d) Enthusiasm each, five words are suggested. Find out the correct
e) Find word that fits the respective blank appropriately.
11) Evolve Investors are now .(21) their old inhibitions
a) Involve b) Develop about the state of West Bengal. Many .(22)are taking
c) Generate d) Envisage a fresh look at its prospects. Japanese have .(23)as
e) Expect one of the major foreign investors, .(24)their biggest
12) Obsolete projects in West Bengal. For the first time, the West
a) Complete b) Unreliable Bengal has set up a Special Committee to .(25)land
c) Unimaginable d) Outdated suitable for industries in every district as well as to
e) Useful .(26)any allotment .(27)It is a known
.(28)that with the slowdown in the U.S. economy,
Directions (13-15): Choose the word which is most .(29)by the September 11 terrorists attacks, the
opposite in meaning of the word printed in bold. recession in India has only .(30) West Bengal will
also be hit harder by the recession.
13) Affluent
a) Responsible b) Inconsiderate 21) a) Enlivening b) Absorbing
c) Unrealistic d) Idealistic c) Reaffirmed d) Inducing
e) Deprived e) Shedding
14) Relevant
a) Relative b) Irregular 22) a) Users b) Creditors
c) Unrelated d) Irrespective c) Entrepreneurs d) Customers
e) Unimportant e) Retailers

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 67

23) a) Emerged b) Resolved 5) 72 x 6 + 30 + 10 = ?
c) Embarked d) Withdrawn
a) 25 b) (519)1/2
e) Declared
c) 519 d) 529
e) None of these
24) a) Winding up b) Managing
c) Closing d) Locating
Direction (Q. 6 - 10): In each of the following, a
e) Laying off
number series is given. Below it a number is given
followed by (a) (b) (c) (d) & (e). You have to
25) a) Occupy b) Identify
complete the series starting with the number given
c) Cultivate d) Sell
according to the sequence for the given series.
e) Tilt
6) 25 194 73 154 105
26) a) Prolong b) Discuss
14 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
c) Eliminate d) Aggravate
Which of the following numbers will come in
e) Intensify
place of (d)?
a) 62 b) 74
27) a) Risks b) Funds
c) 86 d) 94
c) Procedures d) Deals
e) 106
e) Delays
7) 3 4 10 33 136
7 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
28) a) Fact b) Result
Which of the following numbers will come in
c) Aberration d) Solution
place of (e)?
e) Misunderstanding
a) 57 b) 1165
c) 18 d) 1398
29) a) Demolished b) Ruined
e) None
c) Collapsed d) Compounded
8) 140 68 36 16 10 3
e) Destroyed
284 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
Which of the following numbers will come in
30) a) Developed b) Accentuated
place of (b)?
c) Reduced d) Defended
a) 68 b) 72
e) Implemented
c) 74 d) 140
e) 144
QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE 9) 2 9 57 337 1681
3 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
Directions (Q. 1 5): What will come in place of ? in Which of the following numbers will come in
the following questions? place of (e)?
a) 673 b) 3361
1) 764 5145 147 = ? x 36 c) 13441 d) 17
a) 21 b) 20.25 e) None
c) 21.25 d) 20 10) 6 9 18 45 135
e) None of these 20 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
1 1 3 1 Which of the following numbers will come in
2) 3 1 ? 1 1
3 9 7 2 place of (c)?
5 1 a) 30 b)40
a)3 b) 3 c) 90 d) 150
63 126
e) 180
19 11 11) I. x2 10x + 21 = 0
c)2 d) 4
126 63 II. y2 16y + 63 = 0
e) None of these a) x > y b) x y
3) (0.064) (0.16)3 x (0.0256) = (0.4)?+1 c) x < y
a) 0 b) 1 d) relationship between x and y cannot be
c) -1 d) -2 determined
e) None of these e) x y
4) 54.5% of 600 + 30.5% of 1800 = (?)2 + 147 12) I. x2 (16)2 = (23)2 56
a) 36 b) 18 II. y1/3- 55 + 376 = (18)2
c) -81 d) 81 a) x > y b) x y
e) None of these
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 68
 c) x < y 16) What is the average consumption of Mutton in
d) relationship between x and y cannot be all the hotels together?
determined a) 440 kg b) 420 kg
e) x y c) 430 kg d) 400 kg
12 8 e) 450 kg
13) I. ( x) 17) What is the ratio of the amount of Paneer,
( x) ( x) Chicken and Mutton consumed in Hotel B to
that consumed in Hotel D?
(18) 5 / 2
II. y2 0 a) 26 : 47 b) 21 : 26
y c) 26 : 21 d) None of these
a) x > y b) x y e) 21 : 47
c) x < y 18) The amount of Chicken consumed in Hotel B is
d) relationship between x and y cannot be approximately what per cent of the amount of
determined Paneer consumed in all the hotels together?
e) x y a) 27% b) 28%
c) 30% d) 35%
14) I. (36) x (64) 0 e) 25%
19) What is the average amount of Paneer,
II. (81) y (4) 2 0 Chicken and Mutton consumed in all the
a) x > y b) x y hotels?
c) x < y a) 1300 kg b) 1240 kg
d) relationship between x and y cannot be c) 1100 kg d) 1340 kg
determined e) 1245 kg
e) x y 20) What is the ratio of the amount of Paneer
25 9 consumed in Hotel B and C to that of Mutton
15) I. 17 ( x) consumed in Hotel D and E together?
( x) ( x) a) 19 : 16 b) 19 : 35
c) 16 : 19 d) 16 : 35
( y ) 5 ( y) 3
II. e) 35 : 19
3 6 ( y)
Directions (Q. 21 - 25): Study the following pie-chart
a) x > y b) x y
carefully and answer the questions given below:
c) x < y
Preferences of students for six chocolates in terms of
d) relationship between x and y cannot be
degrees of angle in the pie-chart
determined
e) x y

Directions: (16-20): Study the following graph

carefully and answer the questions given below:
Consumption of paneer, chicken and mutton (in kg) in
various hotels in the year 2014

Total number of students = 6800

21) What is the difference between the total
number of students who prefer Dairy Milk
and Perk together and the total number of
students who prefer Munch and Temptation
together?

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 69

 a) 958 b) 953 a) 5% decrease b) 5% increase
c) 952 d) 957 c) 7% decrease d) 12.5% increase
e) None of these e) 8% increase
22) What is the ratio of the number of students 30) Find the no. of lead balls of diameter 4 cm
who prefer Temptation to the number of each that can be made from a sphere of
students who prefer Dairy Milk? diameter 32 cm.
a) 3 : 11 b) 4 : 13 a) 256 b) 556
c) 8 : 11 d) 5 : 13 c) 216 d) 512
e) None of these e) 1024
23) The number of students who prefer KitKat 31) An oblong piece of ground measures 17m by
and Temptation together is what per cent of 18m. From the centre of each side, a path 3m
the total number of students? wide goes across the centre of the opposite
a) 22% b) 16% side. What is the area of the path? Also, find
c) 28% d) 24% the cost of paving the path at the rate of Rs 2.5
e) None of these per sq metre.
24) The number of students who prefer Perk is a) 66 sq m, Rs 165 b) 66 sq m, Rs 363
approximately what per cent of the number of c) 90 sq m, Rs 225 d) 96 sq m, Rs 252
students who prefer Munch? e) 96 sq m, Rs 240
a) 9% b) 12% 32) If some goods are purchased for Rs 400 and
c) 16% d) 24% one-fourth of it is sold at a loss of 20%, at
e) None of these what per cent should the remaining goods be
25) What is the ratio of the average of the sold so as to gain 20% on the whole
students who prefer Dairy Milk, KitKat and transaction?
Temptation together to those who prefer a) 30% b) 25%
BarOne, Perk and Munch together? 1
a) 23 : 27 b) 23 : 29 c) 27.5% d) 33 %
c) 27 : 23 d) 29 : 23 3
e) None of these e) 35%
26) Nayan spends 80% of his earning. His earning 33) A bag contains 5 blue and 8 green balls. Two
increased by 20% and his expenses increased draws of three balls each are made, the balls
by 10%. By what per cent did his savings being replaced after the first draw. What is
increase? the probability that the balls were blue in the
a) 60% b) 50% first draw and green in the second draw?
1 140 270
c) 42% d) 33 % a) b)
3 20449 20449
e) 45% 270 180
c) d)
27) A cistern is normally filled in 6 hours but it 20994 20749
takes 4 hours longer to fill it because of a leak
in its bottom. If the cistern is full, in how many
140
e)
hours will the leak empty it? 20799
a) 12 hours b) 13 hours 1
c) 15 hours d) 13.5 hours 34) A man can row at 10 kmph in still water,
e) 12.5 hours 3
28) Two trains start at the same time from Patna and he finds that it takes him thrice as much
and Jaipur respectively and proceed towards time to row upstream as to row downstream
each other at the rate 60 km and 45 km per for the same distance in the river. Find the
hour, respectively. When they meet it is found speed of the stream.
that one train has travelled 200 km more than 5 7
the other. Find the distance between Jaipur
a) 5 kmph b) 4 kmph
7 9
and Patna.
a) 1650 km b) 1750 km
2 1
c) 14 kmph d) 8 kmph
c) 1600 km d) 1800 km 3 3
e) 1400 km 1
26) The tax on a commodity is diminished by 16% e) 5 kmph
and its consumption increases by 25%. Find 6
the effect on revenue.

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 70

35) P and Q can do a piece work in 8 days each. R a) Only II and III are true
takes as long as P and Q would take working b) All I, II and III are true
together. How long will Q and R take to c) Only III are true
complete the work together? d) Only I and II are true
7 7 e) None of these
a) days b) days
2 3 Directions (6-11): Read the following information
8 carefully and answer the questions which follow:
c) days d) 4 days
3 P, Q, S, T, U, V and W live on a different floors of a
building having seven floors numbered one to seven
14 (the ground floor is numbered 1, and the floor above it
e) days
3 is numbered 2 and so on. The topmost floor is
numbered 7.) All of them like cars of different colour, viz
REASONING ABILITY Yellow, Black, Green, Orange, Red, White and Pink but
not necessarily in the same order.
There are two floors between the floor on which
Directions (1-5): In the given questions, assuming
Q and U live. Q lives two floors below Ws floor and likes
the given statements to be true, find which of the
Green car. There are three floors between W and P. P
given three conclusions numbered I, II and III is/are
likes Yellow car and lives on an odd-numbered floor.
definitely true and give your answer accordingly.
The one who likes Pink car lives on floor no. 6. The one
who likes Yellow car lives on floor no. 3. The one who
(1-2):
likes Orange car does not lives on an even-numbered
floor. Neither S nor U lives immediately above or
1) Statements: L QR>T, S=U<N=E, TE immediately below Ts floor. S likes White car and there
Conclusions: I. L N is one floor between the floors on which T and S live. T
II. R > E live on an even-numbered floor but he does not live on
III. S = E floor no. 4. P lives immediately above Us floor. V likes
a) Only I is true Black car but he does not live on the topmost floor. U
b) Only II is true likes Red car and lives immediately below Ps floor.
c) Only II and III are true
d) All I, II, III are true 6) On which of the following floors does V live?
e) None of these a) Third b) Second
2) Conclusions: I. Q T c) Fifth d) Fourth
II. E > U e) First (ground)
III. S < Q 7) Who among the following lives on the topmost
a) Only I is true b) Only II is true floor?
c) Only II and III are true d) All I, II, III are true a) W b) Q
e) None of these c) T d) U
e) S
(3-4): 8) How many floors are there between the floors
Statements: KN=C<W, X>V=QZ, X=W on which T and V live?
a) Two b) Three
3) Conclusions: I. K < X c) Four d) One
II. W > V e) None
III. K = Z 9) Which of the following is true regarding Q?
a) Only I is true b) Only III is true a) Q lives on an even-numbered floor.
c) Only II and III are true b) Q likes Yellow car.
d) Only I and II are true e) None of these c) Q likes Green car and lives on floor no. 5.
4) Conclusions: I. W > Q d) Q lives on floor no. 7
II. C Z e) Q lives between S and U.
III. X > N 10) Which of the following combination is true?
a) Only I is true b) Only III is true a) U Floor no. 6 Green
c) Only I and III are true d) None is true b) T Pink Floor no. 6
e) None of these c) Q- Floor no. 4 Red
5) Statements: DW>E=M, GH<J=E d) P Red Floor no. 2
Conclusions: I. D > H e) V- Floor no. 1 Orange
II. M = J III. E > G

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 71

11) Which of the following is true regarding W? 17) What is the position of L with respect to the
a) W lives on the topmost floor. Scientist?
b) W likes Green car. a) Third to the left b) Second to the right
c) W lives between T and Q. c) Second to the left d) Third to the right
d) None is true e) Immediate right
e) Other than the given options.
18) Which of the following statements is true
Directions (12 13): Study the following according to the given arrangement?
information carefully and answer the given a) The Lawyer is second to the left of the Doctor
questions. b) E is an immediate neighbour of the Financial
R is married to U. U is mother of L. L is sister of D. U has Analyst
only one daughter. D is married to J. K is son of J. F is c) H sits exactly between F and the Financial
mother of J. Analyst
d) Only four people sit between the Columnist
12) How is D related to F? and F
a) Cannot be determined b) Daughter e) All of the given statement are true
c) Daughter-in-law d) Son-in-law
e) Son Directions (19-23): Study the following information
13) How is R related to K? carefully and answer the questions.
a) Cannot be determined b) Father-in-law Seven people P, Q, R, S, T, U and V have a seminar,
c) Grandfather d) Father but not necessarily in the same order, in seven different
e) Uncle months (of the same year), namely January, February,
March, June, August, October and December. Each of
Directions (14-18): them also likes a different fruit, namely Banana, Grapes,
Eight people E, F, G, H, J, K, L and M are sitting around a Papaya, Orange, Mango, Litchi and Apple, but not
circular table facing the centre. Each of them is of a necessarily in the same order.
different profession Chartered Accountant, Colomnist, R has a seminar in a month which has less than
Doctor, Engineer, Financial Analyst, Lawyer, Professor 31 days. Only two people have a seminar between R and
and Scientist but not necessarily in the same order. F is S. The one who like Banana has a seminar immediately
sitting second to the left of K. The Scientist is an before S. Only one person has a seminar before the one
immediate neighbour of K. There are only three people who likes Papaya. Q has a seminar immediately after the
between the Scientist and E. Only one person sits one who likes Papaya. Only three people have a seminar
between the Engineer and E. The Coloumnist is to the between Q and the one who likes Mango. T likes neither
immediate right of the Engineer. M is second to the right Mango nor Papaya. P has a seminar immediately before
of K. H is the Scientist. G and J are immediate neighbours T. V likes Apple. The one who likes Grapes has a seminar
of each other. Neither G nor J is an Engineer. The in the month which has less than 31days. The one who
Financial Analyst is to the immediate left of F. The has a seminar in March does not like Orange.
Lawyer is second to the right of the Columnist. The
Professor is an immediate neighbour of the Engineer. G 19) In which of the following months does S have
is second to the right of the Chartered Accountant. a seminar?
a) January
14) Who is sitting second to the right of E? b) Cannot be determined
a) The Lawyer b) G c) October d) December
c) The Engineer d) F e) June
e) K 20) Who among the following have seminars in
15) Who amongst the following is the Professor? January and June respectively?
a) F b) L a) V, S b) U, S
c) M d) K c) Q, T d) V, R
e) None of these e) U, R
16) Four of the following five are alike in a certain 21) How many people has/have a seminar
way based on the given arrangement and between the months in which V and R have
hence from a group. Which of the following seminars?
does not belong to that group? a) None b) Two
a) Chartered Accountant- H c) Three d) One
b) M Doctor e) More than three
c) J Engineer
d) Financial Analyst L e) Lawyer K

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 72

22) As per the given arrangement, R is related to 27) Who amongst the following studies in Std. 3?
Banana and Q is related to Orange following a a) C b) F
certain pattern. Which of the following is V c) G d) B
related to following the same pattern? e) Cannot be determined
a) Mango b) Litchi 28) How many person sit between D and the
c) Apple d) Papaya student of Std. 4, when counted from the left
e) Grapes hand side of student of Std. 4?
23) Which of the following fruits does U likes? a) None b) One
a) Orange b) Papaya c) Two d) Three
c) Mango d) Banana e) Four
e) Grapes 29) Which of the following is true?
a) Only one person is sitting between student of
Directions (24-25): Study the following information Std. 4 and Std. 6
to answer the given questions. b) D studies in Std. 2
Point P is 9m towards the East of Point Q. Point R is 5m c) The one studying in Std. 3 is an immediate
towards the South of Point P. Point S is 3m towards the neighbour of H
West of Point R. Point T is 5m towards the North of d) One person sits between H and the student of
Point S. Point V is 7m towards the South of Point S. Std. 2
e) None is true
24) If a person walks in a straight line for 8 m 30) Who amongst the following represent
towards West from Point R, which of the immediate neighbours of G?
following points would he cross the first? a) A, B
a) V b) Q b) E and the student of Std. 2
c) T d) S c) H and the student of Std. 6
e) Cannot be determined d) E, F e) A, D
25) Which of the following points are in a straight
line? Directions (31-35): In the following questions, only
a) P, R, V b) S, T, Q one Conclusion is given and five statements are
c) P, T, V d) V, T, R given as a), b), c), d) and e. From this you have to
e) S, V, T take the statements to be true even if they seem to
be at variance with commonly known facts and then
Directions (26-30): Read the following information decide which of the given statement logically
carefully and answer the questions which follow. follows.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H study in different standards viz.
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th. All of them are seated 31. Conclusions:
around a circular table facing the centre. Some mouse are not monitors.
C sits third to right of H. H studies in Std. 8. F sits second Some keyboards are monitor.
to left of E. E is not an immediate neighbour of C or H. a) Statements I: Some screens are monitors. No
The one who studies in Std. 1 is an immediate neighbour monitor is keyboard. All keyboards are mouse.
of E. Three people sit between H and the student of Std b) Statements II: All screens are monitor. No
7. H, C and also their immediate neighbours do not study monitor is keyboard. Some keyboards is mouse.
in Std. 2. Only one person sits between the student of c) Statements III: No screen is monitor. No
Std. 2 and G. Students of Std. 3 and 4 are immediate monitor is keyboard. All keyboards are mouse
neighbours of each other. C is neither in Std. 4 nor in Std. d) Statements IV: All screens are monitor. All
3. Only one person sits between A and the student of Std monitors are keyboard. No keyboard is mouse
5. A does not study in Std. 2 or 3. B does not study in Std. e) Statements V: Some keyboards are mouse. All
2. monitors are screen. No keyboard is a screen.
32. Conclusions:
26) Which of the following is true regarding F? Some walls are not brick.
a) F studies in Std. 5 Some cement is not water.
b) D and G are immediate neighbours of F a) Statements I: Some bricks are cement. No
c) One person sits between F and the student of cement is wall. All walls are water.
Std. 4 b) Statements II: All bricks are cement. Some
d) F sits second to right of A Cement is wall. All walls are water.
e) None is true c) Statements III: No brick is cement. All cement
is wall. No wall is water.

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 73

 d) Statements IV: No brick is cement. No cement QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE
is wall. All walls are water.
e) Statements V: All walls are bricks. Some walls Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A.
are cement. All waters are bricks. 1 B 2 E 3 A 4 E 5 E
33. Conclusions: 6 D 7 B 8 B 9 C 10 D
Some silver are platinum. 11 E 12 E 13 A 14 C 15 C
Some diamonds are silver. 16 B 17 C 18 A 19 B 20 C
a) Statements I: All silver are gold. Some gold are 21 C 22 A 23 D 24 B 25 A
diamond. No diamond is platinum. 26 A 27 C 28 E 29 B 30 D
b) Statements II: Some silvers are gold. All gold 31 E 32 D 33 A 34 E 35 C
are diamond. All diamond is platinum.
c) Statements III: All silvers are diamond. No gold REASONING ABILITY
is silver. Some diamonds are platinum.
d) Statements IV: All silvers are gold. No gold is Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A.
diamond. All diamond is platinum 1 B 2 C 3 D 4 C 5 B
e) Statements V: All platinum are silver. Some 6 E 7 A 8 C 9 C 10 B
gold is silver. No gold is diamond. 11 A 12 D 13 C 14 B 15 D
34. Conclusions: 16 C 17 B 18 A 19 D 20 D
Some crows are not parrot. 21 B 22 B 23 B 24 D 25 E
Some crows are owl. 26 B 27 D 28 D 29 B 30 C
a) Statements I: All parrot are owl. No owl is
31 D 32 C 33 B 34 C 35 D
crow. Some crows are Dove.
b) Statements II: Some parrots are owl. Some
owls are crow. All crows are dove. SOLUTIONS
c) Statements III: No parrot is owl. All owls are
crow. Some crows are dove. ENGLISH LANGUAGE
d) Statements IV: All parrots are owl. Some owls
are Dove. Some crows are dove. 10) Here, quest means search.
e) Statements V: All owls are Parrot. All Parrots 11) Evolve means develop.
are crow. All crows are dove. 12) Here, obsolete means outdated.
35. Conclusions: 13) Opposite of Affluent is Deprived.
Some white are not brown. 14) Here, opposite of Relevant is unimportant.
Some maroon is brown. 15) In this situation, Enlightened means intelligent
a) Statements I: All white are black. All black is so, opposite is Ignorant.
brown. No brown is maroon. 16) Remove are.
b) Statements II: Some white are black. All black 17) Replace desired by expected.
is brown. All brown is maroon. 18) Replace arrive by arrived.
c) Statements III: Some black are white. No black 19) Replace saving by savings.
is brown. No brown is maroon. 20) Replace what by how.
d) Statements IV: All white is black. No black is
brown. All brown is maroon QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE
e) Statements V: No white is black. No black is
brown. No brown is maroon
1) 764 5145 147 = x 36
764 35 = x 360
ANSWER KEY 729
x, So x 20.25
ENGLISH LANGUAGE 36
1 1 3 1
Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 2) 3 1 x 1 1
3 9 7 2
1 B 2 C 3 C 4 A 5 D
6 E 7 B 8 D 9 C 10 A
1 1 3 1
3 1 11 x
11 B 12 D 13 E 14 E 15 A 3 9 7 2
16 A 17 A 18 B 19 B 20 A 2 13 19
21 E 22 C 23 A 24 D 25 B 4 x So, x 5
9 14 126
26 C 27 A 28 A 29 D 30 B
3) 0.064 (0.16)3 x (0.0256) = 0.4x+1
0.43 0.46 x 0.44 = 0.4x+1 So x = 0
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 74
4) 54.5% of 600 + 30.5% of 1800 = x2 + 147 34 2 y 5 y 3
Or, 60% of 545 + 18% of 3050 147 = x2 15) = 17 x =
x 6 y
327 + 549 147 = x2
x2 = 729 So, x = 27 x=2 7y = 18
y = 18/7
5) 72 6 30 10 x
x y
6) 25 + 132 = 194, 194 112 = 73, 73 + 92 x<y
= 154, 154-72= 105. 2 18 / 7
Similarly 14 + 132 = 183, 183 112 = 62, 62 + 92 200 450 500 400 550
= 143, 143 72 = 94 16)
5
17) 550 300 450
7) The series is x1+1, x2+2, x3+3, x4+4, x5+5,..
300 350 400
8) The series is 2 2 and 2 + 2 alternately.
18) 300
100
9) The series is x8 7, x7 6, x6 5, x5 4, x4 3, 500 550 250 300 450
10) The series is x1.5, x2, x2.5, x3, .
11) x2 10x + 21 = 0 y2 16y + 63 = 0 19) 500 + 450 + 200 + 550 + 300 + 450 + 250 + 450 +
7, 3 7, 9 500 + 300 + 350 + 400 + 450 + 500 + 550 / 15
x = 7, 3 y = 7, 9
x y 20) 550 250
7 7 400 550
3 9 93.6 o 144 o
21) 6800 = 952
360 o 360 o
x=y
x<y 22) 21.6 : 79.2
o
x<y 3 : 11
x<y 64.8 o 21.6 o
xy 23) 100 = 24%
360o
12) x2 256 = 528 56
y1/3 + 321 = 324 14.4
24) 100 = 11.76 12%
x2 = 729 y1/3 = 3 122.4
x = 27 y = 27 79.2 64.8 21.6 57.6 14.4 122.4
25) :
x y 3 3
165 : 6 : 194.4
27 27
23 : 27
27
x=y 16) Income Exp. Saving
x<y Old 100% 80% 20%
xy New 120% 88% 32%
20 32 20
13) = x 100 = 60%
x 20
27) A 6 hrs 5
5 /2
18 A+B 10 hrs 3 30
y2 = y2 y = 185/2
y
B 1 hour 3 5 = 2
x = 20 30
Time taken by leakage = = 15 hours
2
1 5 2
2 28) One train has traveled more distance than other
y 2 18 5 / 2 y = 18 5
2 = 18 for 1 hour
y = 18 x>y = 60 45 = 15 km
14) 6x````````````````````````````````` + 8 = 0 200 40
9y + 16 = 0 Meeting Time = hrs
15 3
x = 8/6 = 4/3 y = 16/9 Relative speed = 60 + 45 = 105 km/hr
x y Total distance = S T
4 / 3 16 / 9 40
= 105 = 1400 km
x>y 3
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 75
29) 16%, +25% REASONING ABILITY
16 25
16 + 25 + = 5% increase (6-11):
100
4 FLOORS PERSON COLOUR
30) Volume of bigger sphere = (32)3 7 W Orange
3
4 6 T Pink
Volume of smaller sphere = (4)3 5 Q Green
3
4 S White
4 / 3(32)3
Reqd. no. of sphere = = 512 3 P Yellow
4 / 3(4)3 2 U Red
31) Area of path = 17 3 + 18 3 3 3 = 96 m2 1 V Black
3m
3m (12-13):
17m

18m
Cost of Pair y = 96 2.5 = 240 Rs. 240 (14-18):
32) C.P. = 400
For Gain 20% on the whole transactions
120
S.P. = 400 = 480
100
80
100 = 80 480 80 = 400
100
Remaining = 400 100 =300, Profit on this
amount = 400 400 = 100
100 1
100 = 33 %
300 3
33) Blue balls = 5 Green Balls = 8 (19-23)
5
C 8
C MONTH PERSON FRUIT
5 4 3 87 6
= 13 3 13 3 = January V Apple
C3 C3 13 12 11 13 12 11
February U Papaya
140 140 March Q Lichi
= =
20443 20449 June R Grapes
1 August P Orange
34) S of boort = 10 km/hr
3 October T Banana
D : U December S Mango
S 3 : 1 (24-25):
D
T 1 : 3
D s Us 3 1
S of boat = = 2 & S of River
2 2
D U3 3 1 1
= 2 = =1 2 = 10
2 2 3
31 1 31 1 (26-30):
1= = = 5 km/hr
3 2 6 6
35) P 8 days
Q 8 days
1 8 Units
R 4 days
2
T arg et 8
Q+R days
One day work 3

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 76

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 77
 Latest G.K. Bytes
MARCH 2017 18) What is the full form of RAHAT: Rajasthan Heart
Attack Treatment Programme
1) The popular Oscars awards are given by which
19) India and Germany have ratified a Social Security
organization: The Academy of Motion Picture
Agreement. It will cover which services:
Arts and Sciences
Insurance, Medicare, Pension, etc.
2) Who is the director of the movie Moonlight that
20) Name the former Governor of Kerala and Sikkim
won the Oscar for the best picture: Barry Jenkins
who passed away recently: P. Shiv Shankar
3) _____________ won the Oscar for the best director for
21) Duo of Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu clinched the Gold
his film ____________: Damien Chazelle for La La
medal in which international event: ISSF
Land
shooting World Cup in New Delhi
4) For which film Casey Affleck won the Oscar for
22) In which shooting event Jitu Rai created a new
the best actor: Manchester by the Sea
world record: 50 mts air pistol
5) Name the heroine who won the Oscar for the best
23) Which Indian badminton star has been selected to
actress for her role in the La La Land: Emma
represent IOC in the Badminton World
Stone
Federation: Saina Nehwal
6) _____________ won the fifth Hockey India League at
24) Which Indian warship was decommissioned
Chandigarh: Kalinga Lancers
on March 6 after serving the Indian Navy for
7) ADB to give $ 375 million loan to develop
nearly 30 years: INS Viraat
VisakhapatnamChennai Industrial Corridor. It
25) What type of warship was INS Viraat: Aircraft
is part of which major infra project: East Coast
Carrier
Economic Corridor
26) What was the original name of INS Viraat: HMS
8) In collaboration with which country the DRDO is
Hermes
developing the medium-range surface-to-air
27) What is the name of the only aircraft carrier now
missile (MR-SAM) for the Indian army: Israel
available with the Indian Navy: INS
9) India has offered to fund the three development
Vikramaditya
projects in Sylhet city in which country:
28) ______________was named the Captain of the Year
Bangladesh
at the 10th ESPN cricinfo awards: Virat Kohli
10) ____________ has become the second largest crude
29) Which wing of Indian armed forces recently
oil producer state in the country: Rajasthan
hosted the war exercise named Tropex-17:
11) This area produces largest portion of crude oil
Indian Navy
production in India. Can you name it: Bombay
30) The war exercise Tropex-17 was held at which
High
place: Off the western coast in Arabian sea
12) Which bank has introduced RFID cards for its VIP
31) What is the full form of Tropex: Theatre Level
customers: Dena Bank
Readiness and Operational Exercise
13) What is the full form of RFID: Radio Frequency
32) Moorti Devi Award is given for excellence in
Identification
which field: For outstanding work in an Indian
14) Shilpa Shetty has been named the brand
language highlighting the Indian philosophy
ambassador for which national mission: Swachh
and cultural heritage
Bharat Mission
33) Who is the winner of the 2016 Moorti Devi award:
15) Vivek Chaand Sehgal has been selected as the EY
M P Veerendra Kumar
Entrepreneur of the Year 2016. Who is he: CEO of
34) For which book Mr. Kumar won the Moorti Devi
Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd
award: 'Haimavatha Bhoomiyil'
16) As per a report released by the New World
35) M P Veerendra Kumar is a prominent writer and
Wealth, _________ is the second richest Indian city,
journalist from which language: Malayalam
first being Mumbai: Delhi
36) Name the famous global mobile phone brand that
17) Rajasthan has launched a medical project Rahat
re-entered the market after a gap of few years:
for what purpose: To provide heart treatment
Nokia
in remote rural areas

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 78

37) ____________ became the first Muslim actor in the
history who win an Academy Award (Oscar):
Mahershala Ali
38) M Ali won the Oscar for best ___________ in the film
Moonlight: Supporting Actor
39) 13th summit of Economic Cooperation
Organisation of 10 muslim nations was held
in___________, Pakistan: Islamabad
40) The data released by the Central Statistics Office
(CSO) showed that Indias economic growth
slowed marginally to _____% in October-
December: 7
41) As per CSO data, the GDP growth rate is estimated
to be at ___ per cent in 2016-17: 7.1
42) Name the renowned Gujarati humourist and
playwright, inspiration behind the popular TV
series Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, who
passed away recently: Tarak Mehta
43) To which Japanese company Tata Sons agreed to
pay $1.8 billion to settle its dispute with it: NTT
DoCoMo
44) ___________has been appointed as Indias
permanent representative to World Trade
Organization (WTO): J. S. Deepak
45) Hassan Saleh has been elected as the new ______ of
Sudan: Prime Minister
46) ____________ won the Polly Umrigar award for the
international cricketer of the year: Virat Kohli
47) Dilip Sardesai Award is given annually by the
BCCI in which category: For the best
performance in India's bilateral Test series
against West Indies
48) Which state has announced Deendayal Rasoi
Yojna to provide meals to urban poor for Rs 5:
Madhya Pradesh
49) Which state plans to appoint a teacher in all of its
high schools for ensuring cleanliness in the
school: Assam
50) Which day is observed to mark the discovery of
the Raman Effect (a phenomenon of scattering of
photons) by Indian physicist Sir Chandrasekhara
Venkata Raman: National Science Day
51) India observers National Science Day on which
day of February: 28th
52) An indigenously developed weapon locating radar
has been inducted in Indian Army. What is its
name: Swati
53) Britains ___________ won the Dubai Tennis
Championship: Andy Murray
54) __________ has introduced India's first AI-based
banking chatbot named Eva which can answer
millions of customer queries across multiple
channels instantly: HDFC Bank
55) Indias first power boat racing event Indian
Grand Prix of the Seas was held at which place:
Mumbai coast
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
56) Indias first hit-tech virtual world fish aquarium is
being set up in which city: Udaipur, Rajasthan
57) Which Indian university has been placed at 8th
rank in the Best Small Universities in the World
2017' compiled by the Times Higher
Education (THE), UK: Indian Institute of
Science, Bengaluru
58) Which Indian city hosted the International Yoga
Festival: Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
59) A two week long joint military exercise SURYA
KIRAN-XI between India and _________: Nepal
60) SURYA KIRAN-XI military exercise between India
and Nepal was held at which place: Pithoragarh
area of Uttarakhand
61) With the army of which country Indian army held
a joint exercise named Al-Nagah-2: Oman
62) Military exercise Al-Nagah-2 was held in which
area: Bakloh area of Chamba district in
Himachal Pradesh
63) The first Summit of Indian Ocean Rim Association
(IORA) nations was held in________ , Indonesia:
Jakarta
64) Rabi Ray, veteran socialist leader and eminent
Parliamentarian who passed away recently,
hailed from which state: Odisha
65) A three-day international conference on e-
governance `ICEGOV 2017' was held in New Delhi
in collaboration with which UN agency: UNESCO
66) Which city hosted the national conference on Jal
Kranti Abhiyan: New Delhi
67) Which two Indian bowlers have been jointly
ranked number one in the ICC Test rankings for
bowlers: Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra
Jadeja
68) Name the Pakistani diplomat who has been
appointed Secretary General of the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC):
Amjad Hussain B Sial
69) Rihanna, the winner of Humanitarian of The Year
Award is from which field: Famous Pop Singer
70) Name the former senior Indian diplomat and 3
times MP from Kishanganj, Bihar, who passed
away recently: Syed Shahabuddin
71) Which two states have reached out an agreement
to resolve issues relating to the revival of Shahpur
Kandi Dam project: Punjab and J&K
72) The Shahpur Kandi Dam project is located on
which river: Ravi
73) President of India conferred _________ awards on
the International Womens Day to 31 women:
Nari Shakti
74) International Womens Day is observed on which
date: March 8
75) Countrys longest extradosed bridge, running for
1.4 km, is located across River Narmada at
Bharuch in which state: Gujarat
79
76) Village __________ in J&K has been developed as the
countrys first tribal model village: Habbi
77) Who defeated Rafael Nadal to win the ATP Mexico
Open Tennis championship: Sam Querrey of USA
78) The Great Backyard Bird Count, 2017 report
claims that nearly 45 per cent of the 1263 species
available in India are found in ____________ state:
Himachal Pradesh
79) Countrys tallest flag post, standing 360 feet high
and supporting a 110 meter long national flag was
inaugurated at which place: Wagah border
check post at Pakistan Attari border in
Amritsar
80) World Hearing Day is observed on which date:
March 3
81) Saraswati Samman is given for excellence in
which field: Literature
82) Saraswati Samman is given for outstanding work
in which language: Any Indian language
recognized by constitution
83) Who is the winner of 2016 Saraswati Samman:
Mahabaleshwar Sail
84) Sh. Mahabaleshwar Sail won the Saraswati
Samman for which novel: Hawthan
85) Sh. Sail is a prominent writer of which language:
Konkani
86) Konkani language is popular in which part of
India: Goa and surrounding area
87) Which bank has launched Indias first biometric-
based payment system 'Aadhaar Pay': IDFC Bank
88) INS_________, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC)
was commissioned into the Indian Navy:
Tillanchang
89) Which Egyptian city hosted the mega cultural
festival India by the Nile: Cairo
90) Name the South Korean President who was asked
to quit the office by the constitutional court of
South Korea: Park Geun-Hye
91) The inaugural commonwealth summit was held in
________on March 9: London
92) Which Indian spacecraft, considered as lost, was
recently discovered by NASA as still orbiting:
Chandrayaan-1
93) _________ has been appointed as the Deputy
Governor of the RBI: B. P. Kanungo
94) The country's largest waste-to-power plant was
inaugurated at Narela-Bawana in _____________:New
Delhi
95) George A. Olah, a great US scientist whose work
won a Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1994 was in
news for what reason: He passed away
96) __________, Polish diplomat has been re-elected as
the President of European Council: Donald Tusk
97) Mens title in All England Open badminton
championships was won by whom: Lee Chong
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Wei
98) Ace badminton player Lee Chong Wei hails from
which country: Malaysia
99) Which state has decided to make Sanskrit a
compulsory language for students up to class 8th
in the state: Assam
100) RBI has directed that Bank branches refusing to
exchange soiled notes from people will have to
pay a penalty of Rs. __________: 10,000/-
101) RBI has advised that if a _____________ message is
scribbled on currency note, it ceases to be legal
tender: Political
102) As per RBI guidelines, banks should not take any
charges for exchanging up to ____ notes: 20
103) The award for the 'Most Popular Tourism
Destination was won by ___________ at the
Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF) in
China: Sri Lanka
104) Numbers Do Lie is a book written by Akash
Chopra on which topic: Cricket Statistics
105) "Ashoka: Lion of Maurya" is a book written by
which author : Ashok K Banker
106) The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
functions under which Union Ministry: The
Ministry of Environment and Forests
107) The WCCB has launched Operation Thunder Bird
for what purpose: To combat illegal trade of
wildlife animals
108) The WCCB has launched "Operation Save Kurma"
for what purpose: To curb smuggling of turtles
109) Which Indian airport has secured first position in
the world in the prestigious Airports Council
International (ACI) Airport Service
Quality survey: Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad
International Airport
110) Which public sector bank has approved the 'Work
from Home' policy for its employees: State Bank
of India
111) ____________ hosted the International Conference on
Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance:
New Delhi
112) RBI has directed that the NBFCs now cannot
disburse gold loan of more than Rs. _____in cash:
25,000/-
113) Himachal Pradesh government has launched a
mobile app and website titled Mera Hunar HP or
My Talent for what purpose: To help skilled
and semi-skilled workers find jobs
114) SSP Chawrasia won the _________Golf Cup in
Gurugram, Haryana, for the second time in
succession: Hero Indian Open
115) In which civil operation, Pakistan recently
deployed over 2,00,000 troops and civilian
officials: Conducting of census
116) In which African city more than 113 persons were
killed and around hundred were injured from
80
 the collapse of a mountain of trash: Addis Ababa
117) As per recent RBI data, which bank topped the list
of banks that witnessed most number of frauds
during April to December, 2016: ICICI Bank
118) Which day is observed on March 9 to promote
awareness about the harmful consequences of
obesity and its association with kidney diseases:
World Kidney Day
119) Which union minister has been given additional
charge of the defence ministry: Arun Jaitley
120) The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer's
Welfare has launched Mission Fingerling for
what purpose: For the development of fisheries
121) Development of fisheries is covered under which
revolution: Blue Revolution
122) As per the Mercer's Quality of Living rankings
2017, ______ has emerged as the best Indian city in
terms of living standards: Hyderabad
123) As per the Mercer's Quality of Living rankings
2017, which city has secured top position:
Vienna, Austria
124) World Consumer Rights Day is observed on which
date: March 15
125) On which date India observes National Consumer
Day: December 24
126) State Bank of India has announced a one-time
settlement scheme worth 6,000 crore rupees
primarily for ___________ loans: Tractor
127) In which country, Seema Verma, a leading health
consultant of Indian origin has been appointed to
the top healthcare position of the country: USA
128) Who has been announced as the official
ambassador of Women's Cricket World Cup 2017
by the International Cricket Council (ICC): Sachin
Tendulkar
129) Which PSU has installed Indias largest floating
solar photo voltaic plant for 100 kw at the Rajiv
Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant: National
Thermal Power Corporation - NTPC
130) The Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant is
located at which place: Kayamkulam, Kerala
131) The Commonwealth Day is observed on second
Monday of which month: March
132) What is the theme for this years Commonwealth
Day: 'A peace-building Commonwealth'
133) All England Open Badminton Championships
Womens title was won by top seed Tai Tzu Ying
of which country: China
134) National Theatre Festival was held in which city
of Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram
135) Govt. has launched which scheme for addressing
the infrastructure needs of the exporters: Trade
Infrastructure for Export Scheme
136) Government has decided to start the National
Banana Research Centre at Gorole in which state:
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Bihar
137) India ranks at __________ place in production of
Bananas in World: No. 1
138) The World Bank has agreed to provide loan to
develop internal transmission arrangements of
the upcoming Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMS)
project in which state: Madhya Pradesh
139) _________ has been named as Vice President of the
U-17 FIFA World Cup 2017: Babul Supriyo
140) Which two Indian companies have been named in
the list of Worlds Most Ethical Companies 2017
by American think tank Ethisphere Institute: Tata
Steel Ltd and Wipro Ltd
141) India recently contributed Rs. 244 crore to as its
annual contribution to which international
organization: United Nations
142) India and __________have signed a social security
agreement to exempt detached workers of the
two countries from making social security
contribution in either country: Brazil
143) As per the Women in Politics Map 2017 compiled
to show the status of women in politics in various
countries, _____________ has been ranked at no. 1:
Rwanda
144) As per the Women in Politics Map 2017, what is
the rank of India: 148th
145) Which foreign country partnered the three-day
international conference on Vision Zero and its
relevance to Occupational Safety and Health held
in New Delhi: Germany
146) Scientists have discovered the worlds first
fluorescent frog near Santa Fe in which country:
Argentina
147) Union Cabinet has approved setting up of 50 new
Kendriya Vidyalayas in which state: All over
India
148) Which country had decided to begin testing new
voice recognition software which can tell that
migrants without documentation have come from
which country: Germany
149) The new health policy promises to increase public
spending on health to _____ per cent of the GDP by
2025: 2.5
150) The new health policy aims at reducing infant
mortality rate to 28 per 1,000 live births, from
_______ at present: 39/1000
151) India has committed to which global organization
to scale up measures to end the Tuberculosis by
2030: World Health Organization
152) Singapore's ___________ airport has been voted as
the World's Best Airport by air travelers at the
2017 World Airport Awards: Changi
153) The finance ministers and central bank chiefs
from the Group of 20 (G20) member nations held
their meeting in Baden-Baden in ___________ from
17-18 March 2017: Germany
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154) The three-day International Buddhist conference
was held in _________in Nalanda district of Bihar:
Rajgir
155) The World Bank will provide $210 million loan to
strengthen gram panchayats in which Indian
state: West Bengal
156) ___________ has been declared as the world's
happiest country in the World Happiness Report
2017 produced by the Sustainable Development
Solutions Network: Norway
157) What is the rank of India as per the World
Happiness Report 2017: 122nd
158) ____________ has been nominated for the post of
chairman of the Publics Account Committee
(PAC) of Parliament: Mallikarjun Kharge
159) Police station in Sanjauli, a suburb of________, has
become the first police post in the country to be
linked with Crime and Criminal Tracking Network
and Systems: Shimla
160) Countrys first indigenously made EMU (Electric
Multiple Unit) rake for suburban travel was
launched in which railway zone: Western
Railway
161) Country made EMU rake has been manufactured
by which factory: Integral Coach Factory,
Chennai
162) Why the newly introduced EMU rakes have been
named Medha: Because they are powered by
drives made by Medha Servo Drives of
Hyderabad
163) Which state of USA observed March 16 as Indian-
American Appreciation Day to honour an Indian
techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla who was killed last
month in a racial hate crime: Kansas
164) Which telco has agreed to merge with Vodafone
India Ltd in a $23 billion deal, creating the worlds
second largest and Indias largest telco: Idea
Cellular Ltd.
165) Which High Court has accorded the status of
"living human entities" to the Ganga and Yamuna,
two of India's most sacred rivers: Uttarakhand
166) Vijay Hazare Trophy is related to which sports:
Cricket
167) ____________ won the Vijay Hazare Trophy for 2017:
Tamil Nadu
168) Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open is associated with
which sports: Tennis
169) Finals of Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open were
played at which place: California
170) Santiago Nieva of Sweden will be new foreign
coach for mens national ____________ team: Boxing
171) _________ won the mens singles title at the Indian
Wells BNP Paribas Open: Roger Federer
172) Womens title at the Indian Wells BNP Paribas
Open was won by ____________ of Russia: Elena
Vesnina
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
173) Who has been elected as the new Chief Minister of
Manipur and Uttrakhand: N Biren Singh and
Trivendra Singh Rawat
174) Global Teacher Prize is awarded by which
organization: Varkey Foundation, Dubai
175) Global Teacher Prize has been won by Maggie
MacDonnell of __________ who teaches at a school in
a fly-in only village in the Arctic region: Canada
176) Mahesh Kumar Jain has been appointed as
Managing Director & CEO of which bank: IDBI
Bank
177) Kishore Piraji Kharat has been appointed as
Managing Director & CEO of which bank: Indian
Bank
178) On March ______, International day of happiness is
observed across the world: 20
179) Scientists in ___________have developed a new
wireless technology based on infrared rays, which
is reportedly 100 times faster than the existing
wireless internet networks: The Netherlands
180) __________became first Indian batsman to face over
500 balls in an innings: Cheteshwar Pujara
181) Worlds Sparrow Day is celebrated on which date:
March 20
182) The leaders of 27 countries that form European
Union gathered in __________on March 25 to
celebrate 60 years of its formation: Rome
183) Which treaty was signed in 1957 to lay the
foundation of present day European Union:
Treaty of Rome
184) Govt. proposes to lower cash transaction limit to
Rs.___ lakh from Rs 3 lakh at present: Two
185) March 22 is devoted to conservation and
recycling of which precious natural resource:
Water
186) David Rockefeller, the billionaire businessman
and renowned philanthropist of ______died at the
age of 101: USA
187) International Day of Forests is observed on which
date in March: 21st
188) What is the theme of International Day of Forests
2017: Forests and Energy
189) ICICI Bank has launched a mobile banking
app __________ for rural customers: 'Mera iMobile'
190) In the World Health Index 2017 released by
Bloomberg, ____ has been named as the healthiest
country: Italy
191) National Building Construction Corporation
NBCC, A navratna company is under control of
which Union Ministry: Ministry of Urban
Development
192) NBCC has signed a MoU to execute a $ 20 million
(Rs.130 crore) social housing project in which
country: Mauritius
193) World Poetry Day is observed on which date:
82
 March 21
194) Among the 188 countries surveyed for the Human
Development Index 2016, India ranks low at
_______ place: 131st
195) As per the Human Development Index 2016
__________ is the best country: Norway
196) Which UN agency is associated with the
compilation of Human Development Index: UN
Development Programme
197) In terms of number of billionaires in a country,
Indias rank is _________ in the world: 4th
198) Which Army unit celebrated 200-years of its
raising in Secunderabad, Telangana on 16 March:
Ninth Gorkhas
199) Which day is celebrated by World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) to highlight the contribution
of meteorology in ensuring safety and well being
of the society: World Meteorological Day
200) What is the theme of this years World
Meteorological Day: Understanding clouds
201) Capital of which European country recently
suffered a one man terror attack: Britain
202) The World Bank has signed a $100 million credit
agreement to improve quality of health care
services in which Indian state: Uttarakhand
203) Ankur Mittal won Gold medal in the Men's
________event at the International Shooting Sport
Federation (ISSF) World Cup: Double Trap
204) The Union Cabinet has decided to set up a
National Commission for _____________Classes with
constitutional status, at par with the panels for
SCs and STs: Socially and Educationally
Backward
205) Why the government has abolished the 1% tax on
cash payments of over Rs 2 lakh for the purchase
of goods or services: Because cash dealings
above Rs. 2 lakh have banned from April 1
206) ISRO has commissioned the worlds third largest
hypersonic wind tunnel at which place:
Thiruvananthapuram
207) In which country shortage of food items led to
riots and looting of bakeries, creating a bread
war situation: Venezuela
208) Scientists in India have uncovered a pair of 1.6
billion-year-old fossils containing red algae in
which region on UP-MP border: Chitrakoot
209) Which global bank has sanctioned a $350 million
loan for improving 1,500 kilometers of
district roads in Madhya Pradesh: Asian
Development Bank
210) Govt has launched which scheme for providing
Physical Aids and Assisted-living Devices for
Senior citizens belonging to BPL category:
Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana
211) Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for
amending NABARD Act, 1981, to increase the
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
authorized capital of NABARD from Rs. 5,000
crore to Rs. _____ crore: 30,000
212) NABARD has launched save water project in
which state for conservation and efficient use of
water in the drought-affected districts:
Karnataka
213) Observation of World Tuberculosis Day on March
24 is supported by which UN organization: WHO
214) Able prize, popular as the Nobel Prize of Maths
has been won by Yves Meyer of which country:
France
215) The Able prize in Maths is awarded by which
authority: The Norwegian Academy of Science
and Letters.
216) Name the veteran photojournalist who was
conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award
at the 6th National Photography Awards: Raghu
Rai
217) 50 Years The Great Indian Milk Revolution
is a coffee table book brought out by which
organization: National Dairy Development
Board
218) My story is a autobiography of which famous
Australian cricketer: Michael Clarke
219) A "monster" cyclone named Debbie made
landfall on which coast in northeast Australia:
Queensland coast
220) Which states celebrate Ugadi as its New Year
festival as per solar calendar: Andhra and
Telangana
221) ____________ state celebrates Gudi Padva as its New
Year festival: Maharashtra
222) Which community observes Cheti Chand to mark
the beginning of New Year: Sindhis
223) Final match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup football
shall be held in __________ in October 2017:
Kolkata
224) Which Indian city will host 2017 Mens Hockey
World League final and the 2018 Mens Hockey
World Cup: Bhubaneswar
225) At which international event India bagged record
73 medals - 37 gold, 10 silver and 26 bronze
medals: Special Olympics World Winter Games
in Austria
226) Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are
related to which sports: Badminton
227) Which country won the Vietnam Open
International challenger badminton champion-
ship: India
228) The Indian Navy has decommissioned its iconic
Tupolev-142M aircraft. What type of aircraft is
this: Anti-submarine warfare aircraft
229) Indian navy has selected which maritime
surveillance aircraft to replace Tupolev-142M
aircraft: P-81 aircraft
230) _________of Germany won the Australian Grand
83
 Prix for Ferrari team in Melbourne: Sebastian
Vettel
231) Govt has imposed __________% import duty on
wheat and tuar dal with immediate effect to
protect domestic growers: 10
232) Indian Navy has inducted IN LCU L51 warships
for what purpose: To carry out amphibious
operations and surveillance
233) What is the full form of IN LCU: Indian Navy
Lending Craft Utility
234) Arab leaders of 22 nations met in_________, Jordan
for the annual summit of Arab League: Sweimeh
235) Which noted international football star was
banned for four international matches for
swearing at a match official: Lionel Messi
236) Which country won the ICC Test Championship
mace for best team rankings in 2016-17: India
237) In what manner the Earth Hour was observed on
March 25: By switching off non-essential lights
and electrical appliances between 8.30 pm to
9.30 pm
238) Which international organization supports the
observation of Earth Hour: World Wide Fund for
Nature
239) The newly passed Mental Healthcare Bill has what
provisions for suicide: Person committing
suicide shall not be tried or punished by law
240) After implementation of GST, the CBEC will be
renamed as __________: CBIC - Central Board of
Indirect Taxes and Customs
241) Which Indian spinner has broken the world
record for most wickets in a single Test season:
Ravichandran Ashwin
242) Railways plan to set up Wi-Fi hotspot kiosks
named _____________at about 500 stations: Railwire
Saathi
243) India has become the _________ largest aviation
market in terms of domestic passenger traffic:
Third
244) Which country in the world handles largest
number of air passengers: USA-815 million
245) World Theatre Day on March 27 a supported by
which UN organization: UNESCO
246) American financial magazine Barron's has ranked
which Indian at 23rd position in its list of worlds
30 best CEOs: Aditya Puri, CEO HDFC Bank
247) Tanushree Pareek became the first woman
combat officer to be commissioned in the 51-year
history of ___________ force: Border Security Force
248) Govt has launched MoP&NG e-Seva, a dedicated
online grievances redressal platform for what
purpose: For queries and grievances relating
to Oil and Gas Sector
249) ____________Indian-American woman has been
appointed as the President and CEO of The
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Rights: Vanita Gupta
250) ________________has been adjudged the Best Small
Bank for 2016: Karur Vysya Bank
251) What is the special feature of the Unnati credit
card launched by the SBI card: No annual fee for
first four year
252) The Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat
was conferred with the title of Honorary General
by the army of which country: Nepal
253) The book 'Home of the Brave' highlights the
history, glory and achievements of which unit of
Indian army: Rashtriya Rifles
254) Who won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy the ICC
Cricketer of the Year 2016: Ravichandran
Ashwin
255) The Supreme Court has clarified that the
government ___________ make Aadhaar number
mandatory for availing benefits of various welfare
schemes like LPG subsidy, foodgrains, mid day
meals, etc: Cannot
256) The World Conference on Environment was held
in ___________: New Delhi
257) The Global Energy Architecture Performance
Index 2017 ranks India at which place: 87th
258) ___________ topped the Global Energy Architecture
Performance Index 2017: Switzerland
FEBRUARY - 2017
259) Village Hafsi where over 100 persons were killed
in a earthquake, is located in which neighbouring
country of India: Afghanistan
260) Name the former CBI director who passed away
in New Delhi: Joginder Singh
261) Prestigious $ one million Genesis Prize is awarded
by which country: Israel
262) Indian-origin British sculptor Anish Kapoor was
recently honoured with which international prize:
Genesis Prize
263) Which Indian state suffered wide spread violent
public protests against 33 per cent reservation for
women in the municipal bodies: Nagaland
264) _________ is the capital of Nagaland: Kohima
265) __________, Chief Minister of Nagaland resigned
recently: T. R. Zeliang
266) Data released by the CSO says that the GDP
growth for 201516 has been hiked to _____ %
from the earlier estimate of 7.6%: 7.9
267) What is the full form of CSO: Central Statistics
Office
268) Iris Mittenaere from France recently was crowned
with which international beauty title: Miss
Universe
269) _________appointed as Principal Economic Adviser
in the Ministry of Finance: Sanjeev Sanyal
270) Lakshya Sen, fifteen-year-old boy from
Uttarakhand has become the World No 1 Junior
84
 player in which sports: Badminton
271) _________ won the Indian National Snooker
Championship: Pankaj Advani
272) Which international day linked with a dreaded
disease is observed on Feb 4: World Cancer Day
273) What is the theme for this years World Cancer
Day: We can, I can
274) Bano Qudsia, a renowned Urdu novelist and
playwright who passed away recently, was from
which country: Pakistan
275) Which Indian city will host FIBA Women's Asia
Cup basketball tournament in July, 2017:
Bengaluru
276) What is the full form of FIBA: International
Basketball Federation
277) Which airways conducted the worlds longest
commercial flight covering a distance of 14,535
kms: Qatar Airways
278) Worlds longest flight connects Doha with which
city: Auckland, New Zealand
279) Which Indian state has launched India's first
social innovation centre the Kakatiya Hub For
Social Innovation: Telangana
280) Which state has launched Samagra Gramya
Unnayan Yojana, to bring about paradigm shift
towards holistic development of villages: Assam
281) Who is the Chief Minister of Assam: Sarbananda
Sonowal
282) Indias first-ever Centre of Excellence for
differently-abled sportsmen is being established
in which place: Gandhinagar, Gujarat
283) National campaign for Measles-Rubella (MR)
vaccination was launched from which city:
Bengaluru
284) Which apex national organization has launched
an online index to capture data on innovation
from all Indian states: Niti Aayog
285) What is the name of innovation index launched by
Niti Aayog: India Innovation Index
286) The 19th Bharat Rang Mahotsav was held to
celebrate which performing art: Theatre
287) Which national body hosted the 19th Bharat Rang
Mahotsav: National School of Drama
288) National School of Drama is located in which city:
New Delhi
289) Visitors award is given for excellence in which
field: Performance by Central Universities
290) Which university won the Visitors Award 2017:
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
291) In its 6th bimonthly monetary policy review,
which key rate was changed by RBI: No Change
292) Senior National Badminton Championships was
hosted by which city: Patna
293) ________ won the Mens singles title in the Senior
National Badminton Championship: Sourabh
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Verma
294) ________ won the Womens singles title in the
Senior National Badminton Championship:
Rituparna Das
295) As per a new bill, holding of more than ____ old
notes of Rs 500/1000 denomination is a
punishable offence: Ten
296) Who is the worlds longest reigning monarch who
recently completed 65 years of reign: Queen
Elizabeth II
297) Govt. has launched which programme to make 6
crore rural households digitally literate by March
2019: Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital
Saksharta Abhiyan
298) Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan
shall be implemented by which Union Ministry:
Ministry of Electronics and IT
299) Which country has started taking fingerprints of
all foreign visitors to enhance security on its
boarders: China
300) The Implementation and Assessment Group
Meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism was held in which city: New Delhi
301) India has been placed at ______rank in a list of 45
countries compiled by 5th Annual International
Intellectual Property (IP) Index in USA: 43rd
302) Sir Peter Mansfield, who died recently was
associated with development of which medical
technique: MRI
303) What is the full form of MRI: Magnetic
Resonance Imaging
304) The government has made Aadhaar mandatory
for availing subsidised foodgrains from PDS. What
is PDS: Public Distribution System
305) _______ has become the worlds largest producer of
solar energy, replacing Germany from the top:
China
306) IAAF has debarred Russia from participation in
the forthcoming World Athletics Championships
due to what reasons: Their athletes failed the
dope test
307) World Athletics Championship 2017 will be
hosted by __________ in August: London
308) What is the full form of IAAF: International
Association of Athletics Federations
309) "Veerappan, Chasing the Brigand" is a book
written by K Vijay Kumar. What is his linkage
with Veerappan: He headed the special task
force that killed Veerappan during the
Operation Cocoon in 2004
310) The 'National Deworming' Day is observed on
which date: February 10
311) Which popular de-worming tablet is distributed
in schools and anganwadis: Albendazole
312) The Govt has approved the proposal for a single
all India exam for entrance in to all the
85
 _________and _________colleges: Engineering,
Architecture
313) ___________appointed as the new Chairman of the
Securities and Exchange Board of India: Ajay
Tyagi
314) Which Indian sand artist has created a Guinness
World Record for the highest sand made
structure: Sudarsan Pattnaik
315) India successfully test-fired its home grown AAD
interceptor missile. What is AAD: Advanced Air
Defence
316) ________ has been has been named as the official
mascot for FIFA Under-17 World Cup: Kheleao
317) Which country will host FIFA Under 17 World
Cup in October 2017: India
318) Mascot Kheleao has been developed after which
animal: Clouded Leopard
319) USA plans to build a defence wall at a huge
expenditure with which neibhouring country:
Mexico
320) Virat Kohli created history by becoming the first
batsman to score double hundreds in four
successive Test series. He reached this milestone
in which city against which team: Hyderabad,
Bangladesh
321) __________ has become the first state in the country
for establishing the cashless system in its public
distribution system (PDS) of food grains: Gujarat
322) The government launched the Mission XI Million
initiative for what purpose: To promote football
among school children
323) Indias first National Womens Parliament was
held in_________, the new capital of Andhra
Pradesh: Amaravati
324) Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo had been elected as
the new _________of Somalia (East Africa):
President
325) Frank-Walter Steinmeier elected as the new
President of _________: Germany
326) Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has been elected
as the new President of which country:
Turkmenistan
327) Worlds first road made up of electricity-
generating solar panels has been constructed in
which country: France
328) From Kalburgi to Ayodhya is a collection of
poems by which famous poet and lyricist: Gulzar
329) What is the proper name of Gulzar Sahib:
Sampooran Singh Kalra
330) Fearless in Opposition is a book authored by
which former Union Finance Minister: P.
Chidambaram
331) Which iconic Indian car brand has been sold off
by the Hindustan Motors to European auto major
_____: Ambassador, Peugeot
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
332) World Radio Day is observed on which date:
February 13
333) Which UN body supports the celebrations of the
World Radio Day: UNESCO
334) What is this years theme for World Radio Day:
Radio is you
335) BAFTA awards are associated with excellence in
which field: Cinema
336) BAFTA awards 2017 were held in which city:
London
337) What is the full form of BAFTA: British Academy
of Film and Television Awards
338) Which popular film won five BAFTA awards
including award for best film and best director: La
La Land
339) Who is the director of the highly awarded popular
film La La Land: Damien Chazelle of USA
340) Which city hosted the 59th Grammy Awards: Los
Angeles
341) Which artist won the Grammy for both record of
the year and song of the year: Ms. Adele
342) Immensely popular pop singer Adele is from
which country: Britain
343) Which state has passed a bill to facilitate
traditional animal sports Kambala: Karnataka
344) Animal sports Kambala is associated with which
animal: Buffalo (Race)
345) Which country hosted the T-20 Blind World Cup:
India
346) __________ won the T-20 Blind World Cup 2017:
India
347) Finals of the T-20 Blind World Cup were played in
_________ stadium, Bengaluru: M Chinnaswamy
348) The Supreme Court has cancelled the admission
of 634 MBBS students in which state: Madhya
Pradesh
349) The scam involving the cancellation of 634 MBBS
students became notorious as Vyapam scam.
What is Vyapam: Vyavasayik Pareeksha Mandal
(Professional Examination Board)
350) ____________ claimed 250 test wickets in shortest
time in world: Ravichandran Ashwin
351) Which country has produced the worlds first
comprehensive Braille atlas for visually
challenged people: India
352) _________ will host the 2017 BRICS summit:
Xiamen, China
353) Which Punjabi folk singer has been selected for
the awareness of project against human
trafficking named 'Blue Heart Campaign':
Satinder Sartaj
354) Which national organization celebrates the
National Productivity Week in February: National
Productivity Council
355) What is the theme of National Productivity Week
86
 for this year: From Waste to Profits-through
Reduce, Recycle and Reuse
356) National Productivity Council functions under
which govt. department: Department of
Industrial Policy and Promotion
357) Which govt. portal has been launched to provide
employment registration for rural youth:
National Career Services
358) Which Indian Navy warship has become the first
Indian warship to install a 5 KW solar power
system on board: INS Sarvekshak
359) The 11th International Aerospace and Defence
Exhibition - Aero India 2017 was held in which
place: Yelahanka, Bengaluru
360) The first ever ITTF World Tour event in India
India Open was held in which city: New Delhi
361) What is the full form of ITTF: International
Table Tennis Federation
362) Which Indian engineering giant has entered into a
joint venture with European defence major MBDA
Missile Systems: L&T Larsen and Toubro
363) L & T and MBDA missile systems joint venture
will manufacture ATGM5s in India. What is
ATGM5s: 5th Generation Anti-Tank Guided
Missiles
364) __________ elected as the new President of
Assocham: Sandeep Jajodia
365) What is the full form of ASSOCHAM: The
Associated Chambers of Commerce of India
366) Sandeep Jajodia is the CMD of which company:
Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd.
367) A 3 day International Spice Conference was held
at ______ in Kerala: Kovalam
368) ____________, Argentinas former star soccer player
has been named as the new Ambassador of the
FIFA: Diego Maradona
369) Where in India, countrys first floating elementary
school has been started: Loktak Lake, Manipur
370) On Feb 15, the ISRO scripted history by
successfully launching a record _______ satellites:
104
371) ISRO launched 104 satellites using which satellite
launch vehicle: PSLVC37
372) What is the name of Indian satellite launched
among the 104 satellites: Cartosat-2
373) The satellite Cartosat-2 will be used for what
purpose: For providing scene-specific spot
imagery useful for map making.
374) The Union Cabinet has approved the merger of
State Bank of India with _______of its associate
banks: Five
375) Government has launched Transparency, Auction
Monitoring and Resource Augmentation (TAMRA)
mobile application and portal for which sector:
Mining
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
376) The Untold Vajpayee: Politician and Paradox is
a book written by which author: N. P. Ullekh
377) Who has been declared as the Sportsman of the
Year by the Laureus World Sports Awards: Usain
Bolt
378) Star gymnast Simone Biles has been declared as
the Laureus Sports Woman of the year. She is
from which country: USA
379) As per the Index of Economic Freedom covering
186 countries, what is the rank of India: 143rd
380) Which country tops the Index of Economic
Freedom: Hong Kong
381) Which global luxury auto giant suffered its biggest
loss in history - $5.7 billion: Rolls-Royce
382) With a view to increase understanding of the
science of climate change, a special train named
_____________ has been launched: Science Express
Climate Action Special (SECAS II)
383) Government has launched which programme for
recapitalisation of public sector banks:
Indradhanush 2.0
384) Govt. plans to infuse Rs. 70,000 crore for
recapitalization in public sector banks in view of
which international requirements: Basel III
norms
385) In which country worlds longest elevated cycle
path was opened recently: China, in Xiamen
386) A two-day Nature Fest was organised by the
UNESCO at the Great Himalayan National Park in
which state: Himachal Pradesh
387) _____________became the first ever Indian to claim
the New Zealand Grand Prix race: Jehan
Daruvala
388) Kush Bhagat, is 7 year old boy from Mumbai was
in news for winning international title of
Candidate Master in which field: Chess
389) Thailand and the United States jointly hosted
Asias largest military exercise named ________:
Cobra Gold
390) Asias largest military exercise named Cobra Gold
was hosted by which country: Thailand
391) Vyas Samman is awarded for excellence in which
field: Hindi Literature
392) Who is the winner of 2016 Vyas Samman:
Surendra Verma
393) For which novel Surender Verma won the
prestigious Vyas Samman: Kaatna Shami Ka
Vriksha: Padma Pankhuri Ki Dhar Se
394) Name the Indian tabla player who won the
Grammy Award for the Best Global Music
category: Sandeep Das
395) Pakistan recently passed which bill to recognize
marriages in Hindu Community: Hindu Marriage
Bill 2017
396) RBI has decided to start reimbursement of MDR
87
 charges to banks for payments made through
debit cards since January 1, 2017. What is MDR:
Merchant Discount Rate
397) The RBI has increased the gold loan limit for RRBs
(Regional Rural Banks) to Rs. ______lakh from the
current Rs 1 lakh: Two
398) Kayakalp award are given in which category:
Hospitals
399) Which AIIMS won the first prize under the Central
Government Hospitals category for maintaining
high standards of sanitation and hygiene: New
Delhi
400) Government has imposed TCS on cash purchase of
jewellery above which limit: Rs. 2 lakh
401) What is the full form of TCS: Tax Collected at
Source
402) Vice President Hamid Ansari made a five-day visit
two African countries: Rwanda & Uganda
403) World famous Khajuraho dance festival is held in
which state: Madhya Pradesh
404) Indian Womens team won which medal in the
Asian Rugby Sevens Trophy: Silver
405) Indias only active volcano which erupted
recently, is located in which place: Barren Island,
Andaman Nicobar
406) Which bank won the National MSME Excellence
Award: Corporation Bank
407) The Indian Navy launched sailboat _________as the
platform for the first Indian all-women global
circumnavigation: 'Tarini'
408) ___________of Haryana won the national
championship for men's 50-kilometre race walk:
Sandeep Kumar
409) ICGS AYUSH was commissioned in Indian Navy in
Kochi, Kerala. Write full form of ICGS: Indian
Coast Guard Ship
410) __________: Beyond the Dream Girl is a book witten
by Ram Kamal Mukherjee: Hema Malini
411) UNICEF has declared emergency conditions due
to famine in which three African countries:
Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan
412) As per the report released by SIPRI, Sweden,
_________ is the worlds largest importer of
weapons and military equipment in 2012-16:
India
413) What is the full form of SIPRI: Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute
414) As per the report by SIPRI, India imports ______
percent of worlds total arms trade: 13
415) An Unsuitable Boy is the autobiography of
which Bollywood celebrity: Karan Johar
416) Shurhozelie Liezitsu has been elected as the new
Chief Minister of which Indian state: Nagaland
417) Virat Kohli became first Indian to strike a Rs. 110
crore endorsement deal with which company:
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Puma
418) The Union Health Ministry has launched the
Saathiya Resource Kit and mobile app named
Saathiya Salah for which target group:
Adolescent Boys and Girls
419) Saathiya Salah app is aimed at providing
information on which subject: Health
420) In a survey conducted by the C-SPAN of USA on
Presidential Leadership, ___________was ranked at
the top spot: Abraham Lincoln
421) Name the popular Hindi novelist, counted among
the highest-selling Hindi writers in the country,
who died recently: Ved Prakash Sharma
422) Scientists have claimed to discover a new 8th
continent. What is its name: Zealandia
423) The Zealandia continent is supposed to be located
in which part of the world: Around New Zealand
424) What is the possible use of the newly developed
material coating called LiquiGlide: To make daily
use containers like bottles etc. super slippery
from inside
425) RBI has promoted a new digital payment initiative
to enable seamless digital payments without card
swiping machines. What is its name: Bharat QR
Code
426) Which is the first bank in India to use a gTLD for
its internet presence: State Bank of India
427) What is the full form of gTLD: generic Top Level
Domain
428) International Mother Language Day is observed
on which date: Feb 21
429) Film Newton, directed by Amit Masurkar won
the International Federation of Art Cinemas
award at which film festival: Berlin Film Festival
430) IMF says that Indias growth is projected to slow
to _____ % in 2016-17 fiscal due to effects of
demonetization: 6.6
431) International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)
World Cup tournament was held at which place in
India: New Delhi
432) Indias first heliport has been started in North
Delhi by which company: Pawan Hans
433) Govt. has launched Mkavach and Samvid Apps for
what purpose: For digital security of mobiles,
tablets and computers
434) Which state has declared 2017 as the Year of
Apple: Jammu & Kashmir
435) Indigenously built offshore patrol vessel
Shaunak was inducted in which Indian defence
force: Indian Coast Guard
436) Justice___________appointed the chairman of
Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal: Abhay
Manohar Sapre
437) Which two countries, for the first time in world,
have started a zip line to cross the border: Spain
88
 and Portugal
438) Which state has signed a MoU with Microsoft to
utilise their Azure Stack platform: Andhra
Pradesh
439) The Ministry of Defence has approved setting up
of 38 new radar stations to strengthen
surveillance of which part of country: Coast line
440) Railways have started __________- a long-distance,
fully unreserved and super fast train service for
the common man: Antyodaya Express
441) From which date the branches of 5 associates
banks of SBI will be converted into SBI branches:
April 1, 2017
442) Astronomers of which organization have
discovered seven Earth-sized planets orbiting a
star called Trappist-1: NASA.
443) _________ has been elected as the new chief
minister of Tamil Nadu: Edappadi k.
Palaniswami
JANUARY 2017
444) About which restaurants charges the Consumer
Affairs Ministry has notified that they are not
mandatory: Service Charges
445) The 104th Indian Science Congress was hosted by
the __________University in Tirupati in Andhra
Pradesh: Sri Venkateswara
446) __________ has been appointed as the Chairman of
the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC):
Prof. David r Syiemlieh
447) Govt. has launched a new online payment named
BHIM. What is its full form: Bharat Interface for
Money
448) China has launched its first long route freight
train to which European city: London
449) Khullam Khulla is an autobiography of which
Bollywood star: Rishi Kapoor
450) What is the main objective of the initiative,
Swachh Swasth Sarvatra: Strengthening of
community health centres
451) The Swachh Swasth Sarvatra initiative is
proposed to be implemented in which type of
blocks: Blocks free from open defecation
452) Which Union Ministry has launched Mission
Swachh Swasth Sarvatra: Health Ministry in
collaboration with the Ministry of Drinking
Water and Sanitation
453) Which state plans to set up a pilot corridor for an
innovative concept of Indias first 'Caterpillar
Train': Haryana, in Gurugram
454) The Beipanjiang Bridge, the highest in the world,
has been opened up in which country: China
455) Sorin Grindeanu has been appointed as the new
_________ of Romania: Prime Minister
456) ___________ has emerged as the Indias first fully
organic agriculture state: Sikkim
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
457) The Supreme Court of India has ruled that no
politician can seek the vote in the name of ___, ____,
_____ community or language: Caste, Creed,
Religion
458) ________ has been named as the Worlds Best
Playmaker for the year 2016: Lionel Messi
459) Iconic football player Lionel Messi hails from
which country: Argentina
460) _________has become the first country in the world
to pay a basic monthly income to its deserving
citizens: Finland
461) Li Xiaoxia, China's _________Olympic champion has
announced her retirement: Table Tennis
462) Name the legendry cinema and theater actor who
acted in several Pakistani, British and Hollywood
films, who passed away recently: Om Puri
463) Iconic cricketer MS Dhoni announced his
retirement from the captaincy of which format of
cricket: ODI and T20
464) Which country is facing strong international
criticism for failing to rein-in months-long
military crackdown on Rohingya Muslim
community: Myanmar
465) China has successfully launched Tongxin Jishu
Shiyan, a new-generation __________ Satellite:
Telecommunications
466) Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar islands hosted
the _________Festival 2017: Island Tourism
467) The grand Prakash Parv to celebrate the 350th
birth anniversary of the 10th Sikh guru, Sri Guru
Gobind Singh was hosted by which city: Patna
468) Scientists in Ireland have classified a new organ
named Mesentery inside human body in the
_______ system: Digestive
469) The United Nations General Assembly
has recognised the year 2017 as the International
Year of ________for Development: Sustainable
Tourism
470) Jovenel Moise has been elected as the _______ of
Haiti: President
471) Tony Atkinson, eminent British economist and a
noted scholar at the London School of Economics
was in news for what reasons: He passed away
472) World Braille Day is observed on which date:
January 4
473) Why January 4 is observed as World Braille Day:
It is the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, the
inventor of the Braille language for the blind
474) Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, home loans
upto Rs. _____ lakh will now get 4 % rebate in
interest: 9
89
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 90
475) Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, home loans
upto Rs. _____ lakh will now get 3 % rebate in
interest:12
476) In a new scheme, senior citizens have been
assured _____ per cent interest on their deposits
up to Rs. _____ lakh, for next 10 years: 8, 7.5
477) NRIs have been permitted to exchange their old
500 and 1000 rupees notes at RBI offices till what
date: 30th June, 2017
478) 14th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was held at which
place: Bengaluru
479) Who was the chief guest of the 14th Pravasi
Bhartiya Divas: Dr. Antonio Costa
480) Dr. Antonio Costa is the prime minister of which
country: Portugal
481) Pravasi Bhartiya Divas is observed on which date:
January 9
482) Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is observed every year to
commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi as a
Pravasi from ________to India in 1915: South
Africa
483) As per the recent data released by the CSO, Indias
GDP growth is estimated at ________per cent in
2016-17: 7.1
484) Who has been selected to lead Indian cricket team
in all three formats test match, ODI and T-20:
Virat Kohli
485) Which country has launched worlds longest
bullet train running for 2760 kms: China
486) Which city hosted the International Conference
on Yoga for Diabetes: New Delhi
487) The People's President: Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam is a
book written by S M Khan. Who is he: Former
Press Secretary of Sh. Kalam
488) ___________ was named the World's Best Player at
the Best Fifa Football Awards: Cristiano Ronaldo
489) Shreyas Mehta, Indias Under-13 _______player
won the prestigious Scottish Junior Open title in
Edinburg, Scotland: Squash
490) _________ became the first country in the world to
start shutting down its FM radio network in
favour of digital radio: Norway
491) The Golden Globe Awards are given for excellence
in which field: Cinema
492) The Golden Globe Awards are given in which
country: USA
493) Which film won the Golden Globe for best motion
picture: Moonlight
494) Damien Chazelle won the Golden Globe for Best
Director for which film: La La Land
495) What is the name of the Kalvari class Scorpene
submarine recently acquired by the Indian Navy:
INS Khanderi
496) Which national day is observed on January 12:
National Youth Day
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
497) Why National Youth Day is observed on January
12: It is the birthday of Swami Vivekananda
498) _________elected as the President of Nicaragua for a
third consecutive term: Daniel Ortega
499) International Football body FIFA has decided to
expand the World Cup Tournament to _____teams
from its current 32 w.e.f 2026: 48
500) Which country has offered its help for
development of Chennai, Ahmedabad and
Varanasi as smart cities: Japan
501) Sania Mirza alongwith American Bethanie Mattek-
Sands won which women's doubles title in
Australia: Brisbane International
502) Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who died recently,
was two times former President of which country:
Iran
503) The World Hindi Day is observed on which date in
January: 10th
504) Which Union Ministry sponsors the World Hindi
Day celebrations around the world: Ministry of
External Affairs
505) Which Bollywood star was honoured by the US
Embassy in appreciation for his invaluable
contributions to the US-India partnership on
tuberculosis: Amitabh Bachchan
506) Abbu Ammaz, an eight-year old boy from Jammu
and Kashmir won gold medal in National level
_______Championship: Thaiboxing
507) President of__________, Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in
New Delhi on his India visit: Kenya
508) What is the name of the biography of former
wrestler and coach Mahavir Singh Phogat:
Akhada
509) ISRO has signed a partnership agreement in
satellite launch technology with which other
space agency: French Space agency
510) Railways has launched a new passenger mobile
application 'IRCTC Rail Connect' for what
purpose: To promote ease of booking tickets
through digital mode.
511) Indias first international exchange called India
INX has been opened in which city: Gandhinagar,
Gujarat
512) Linking of Pan card has been made mandatory in
all listing bank accounts except _________ account:
Basic Savings Account
513) DRDO recently tested a new guided version of the
Pinaka. What it is: Rocket
514) __________ has been appointed as the new
Chairman of Tata Sons: Natarajan
Chandrasekaran
515) Name the first payments bank of India that
started operations in January: Airtel Payments
Bank
516) Payment Banks are not allowed to accept which
type of deposits: Time Deposits (FD and RD)
91
517) Madame Tussauds, the world famous museum of
wax sculptures is opening its first branch in India
which city: New Delhi
518) The World Bank has projected a growth of ________
per cent for the global economy in 2017: 2.7%
519) Which country has ended a two-decade-old wet
foot, dry foot immigration policy: USA
520) USAs wet foot, dry foot immigration policy was
aimed at nationals of which country: Cuba
521) Govt. has increased the minimum monthly
pension to Rs.______ per person for Central Govt.
employees: 9,000
522) The ex-gratia amount for the employees has been
increased from 10 -15 lakh to ______ lakh rupees:
25-35
523) Delhi Police and ___________airlines have joined
hands to start humanitarian initiative Akhiri
Ahuti: IndiGo
524) Which state has launched the countrys first solar-
powered boat 'Aaditya': Kerala
525) Which team won the Ranji Trophy for the first
time in 2017: Gujarat
526) Khelo India National level Sports Competitions
were held in which city: New Delhi
527) Indian Army Day is observed on which date:
January 15
528) For what reasons Indian Army Day is observed on
January 15: On this date in 1948 first Indian
took over as the chief of army
529) Filmfare award for best film was won by which
picture: Dangal
530) __________ won the Filmfare award for the best
director: Nitesh Tiwari
531) Who is the author of the book Jinnah Often Came
to Our House: Kiran Doshi
532) The World Bank has agreed to provide $48
million for health project of which state:
Nagaland
533) An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India
is a book written by which author: Shashi
Tharoor
534) The Spy is a novel written by which famous
novelist: Paulo Coelho
535) As per a global study, Indias richest 1% hold as
much as _____% of the countrys total wealth: 58
536) As per India Meteorological Departments data,
______ was Indias warmest year since 1901: 2016
537) As per the Inclusive Development Index, India has
been placed at __________ rank among 79
developing economies: 60th
538) Mawlynnong, a village in __________ state has
become a role model for maintaining cleanliness:
Meghalaya
539) NASA has approved a mission to explore asteroid
named 16 Psyche for what purpose: To harness
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
its extremely rich iron content
540) ________ has been elected as the new President of
the European Parliament: Antonio Tajani
541) Which Indian city has been ranked number one in
a global study to identify dynamic cities:
Bengaluru
542) Asias largest literature festival was hosted by
which city in India: Jaipur
543) Name the cricket icon who was inducted into
Legends Club 'Hall of Fame' in Mumbai: Kapil
Dev
544) As per the Global Passport Index, passport of
which country has been ranked as the best:
Germany
545) Govt. has approved listing of how many public
sector insurance companies: Five
546) Which web portal has been launched to monitor
the progress of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan: ShaGun
547) Premier Badminton League 2017 was won by
which team: Chennai Smashers
548) In which country Priyanka Chopra won the
Peoples Choice Award for best actress: USA
549) Who has been named new Director of the Central
Bureau of Investigation: Alok Kumar Verma
550) Himachal Pradesh has declared that ______ would
be the second capital of the State: Dharamsala
551) Adama Barrow has been elected as the new
President of the Gambia. It is in which part of the
world: Western Africa
552) National Girl Child Day is observed on which date:
January 24
553) Which Indian Navy warship has become the first
ship to have an ATM on board: INS Vikramaditya
554) What was the actual name of the famous Urdu
poet Naqsh Lyallpuri: Jaswant Rai Sharma
555) Which is the first state in the country to opt for
electronic transmission of postal ballot: Goa
556) Saina Nehwal defeated Pornpawee Chochuwong
of Thailand to win which international title:
Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold
557) Who was the head of the panel constituted to
review the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget
Management Act: N. K. Singh
558) Raisina Dialogue, a flagship geo-political
conference was held in which Indian city: New
Delhi
559) World Bank has sanctioned Rs. 1,376 crore for
upgradations and improvement of the power
system network in which state: Tripura
560) Donald Trump took over as the _______ President
of United States: 45th
561) In which state more than 3.5 lakh people set a
new world record for singing the national anthem
together: Gujarat
562) Which Indian state, worlds longest human chain
92
 was formed, covering around 11,292 kms: Bihar
563) What was the mission behind forming the worlds
longest human chain: To support ban on
alcoholism and liquor
564) In a ranking of worlds 50 most innovative firms,
___________ has been placed at No. 1: Apple
565) Annual meeting of the World Economic Form was
held in ________ in Switzerland: Davos
566) Which insurance company has been given the
charge for implementing the
Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana 2017: LIC
567) Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana 2017 will provide
an assured return of ____% per annum for _____
years: 8, 10
568) The threshold age limit for the
Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana 2017 is_____ years:
60
569) Which airport won the Golden Peacock Award for
Corporate Social Responsibility in the aviation
transport sector for the year 2016: Delhi
International Airport
570) Name the Indian beauty queen who has been
picked up to be on the judges panel of the
upcoming 65th edition of Miss Universe pageant:
Sushmita Sen
571) Annual Status of Education Report-2016 relates
to which subject: Childrens schooling in rural
India
572) Recently Union Cabinet has approved which
change for IIMs: They have been allowed to
issue degrees rather than diplomas
573) Crown Prince of which country was the chief
guest for this years Republic Day Parade
function: Abu Dhabi (UAE)
574) National Voters Day is celebrated on which date:
25th January
575) For what reason National Voters Day is observed
on 25th January: On this date in 1950, Election
Commission came into being
576) The External Affairs Ministry has joined hands
with which organization to expand outlets for
issuance of passports: Department of Posts
577) The Supreme Court of UK has issued what orders
in context of Britains exit from European Union:
They have asked the govt. to obtain consent
from the Parliament
578) The Indian postal department released a special
stamp cover titled Golden girls of India Pride of
Nation. Name these girls: Dipa Karmakar, PV
Sindhu and Sakshi Malik
579) Who became the fastest batsman in the world to
score 1,000 runs as captain in ODIs: Virat Kohli
580) ________ has been appointed as the new Prime
Minister of Mauritius: Pravind Jugnauth
581) The Union Cabinet has approved ratification of
the Second Commitment Period of the Kyoto
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Protocol. This protocol relates to which issue:
Containing the emission of green house gases
582) Name two active politicians who have been
conferred Padma Vibhushan in 2017: Mr. Sharad
Pawar and Sh. Murli Manohar Joshi
583) Padma Vibhushan has been conferred on which
politicians posthumously: Sh. Sunder Lal Patwa
and Sh. P A Sangma
584) Prof. U R Rao has been decorated with which
national award: Padma Vibhushan
585) Which country has built the worlds biggest solar
park spanning and area or 27 sq. kms: China
586) _________ defeated Gujarat to clinch the Irani
Trophy (Cricket): Rest of India
587) Name the gallant soldier who was conferred with
the highest peace time gallantry award Ashok
Chakra on this Republic Day: Havildar Hangpan
Dada (posthumously)
588) In a list of eight great powers for the year 2017
compiled by a leading American foreign policy
magazine, India has been ranked at ______place:
Sixth
589) Which country tops this list: USA
590) The Supreme Court has appointed ___________ to
head the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI). Vinod Rai (former Comptroller and
Auditor General)
591) ____________ was declared the new Miss Universe at
a glittering pageant held in Manila (Philippines):
Iris Mittenaere
592) Iris Mittenaere, the new Miss Universe, belongs to
which country? France
593) The Father of Pac-Man, who founded the
Japanese video game company, died recently. Can
you name him? Masaya Nakamura
594) As per reports, more than _________ of the Indian
adult population now has an Aadhaar number.
99%
595) The Anti Leprosy Day is observed in the memory
of: Mahatma Gandhi
596) Quebec, a city in news recently due to an attack
on a mosque, is located in which country? Canada
597) _________ defeated __________ to claim the Men's
Singles of Australian Open in Melbourne. Roger
Federer, Rafael Nadal
598) The first-ever transgender model to walk at the
Lakme Fashion Week was: Anjali Lama (Nepal)
599) Which latest order issued by US President Donald
Trump has created a flutter around the world?
The order bars the entry of foreign nationals
from seven Muslim-majority nations
600) Name the seven countries, whose nationals have
been banned by the US government from entering
America: Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia,
Yemen and Iraq
93
601) What is the reason behind the latest ban on awareness to the Aids pandemic caused by the
Muslim-dominant nations imposed by the US? It spread of the HIV infection: World Aids Day
wants to ensure that the visas are not issued 619) What is the theme for this years World Aids Day:
to individuals posing a national security
Hands Up for HIV Prevention
threat.
602) Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by 620) HRD ministry has launched Vittiya Saksharata
_____________, which usually affects the skin and Abhiyan (Financial Education Mission) for what
peripheral nerves. Mycobacterium leprae purpose: To spread awareness about digital
DECEMBER 2016 cashless modes of transactions
621) Name the Indian girl who has won the
603) The Reserve Bank has placed a limit of
International Children's Peace Prize: Kehkashan
____________rupees on monthly withdrawals from
Basu
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan bank accounts: 10,000
622) Kehkashan Basu won the peace prize for which
604) __________ has been appointed as the Chief of
achievement: For her fight for climate justice
Pakistan Army: Lt. Gen Qamar Bajwa
and combating environmental degradation
605) L Y Suhas, UP-based IAS officer won the Asian
623) Why the National Pollution Control Day is
________Championships: Para-Badminton
observed on December 3: Thousands lost their
606) Akodara village in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat
lives on this day in 1984 due to the Bhopal gas
was in news recently for what reasons: For
tragedy
becoming first cashless village in India
624) _______ has been chosen for the IAAF Athlete of
607) Conflicts of Interest: My Journey through India's
The Year Award for men: Sprint king Usain
Green Movement is a book written by Sunita
Bolt of Jamaica
Narain. Who is she: Noted environment activist
625) _______ has won the IAAF Athlete of The
608) The website Dictionary.com has named the word
Year Award for women: Almaz Ayana of
________as the Word of the Year for 2016:
Ethiopia, 10,000m record holder
Xenophobia
626) What is the full form of IAAF: International
609) Xenophobia describes which type of fear or
Association of Athletics Federations
apprehension: Fear or hatred of foreigners,
627) Name the New Zealand's popular Prime Minister
people from different cultures, or strangers
who stunned the nation by announcing his
610) Which Indian film was selected for a special
resignation: John Key
screening at the UN headquarters, New York:
628) Who has been elected as the new Prime Minister
Pink
of New Zealand: Bill English
611) What is the major issue in the film Pink: Gender
629) Which European Prime Minister announced his
based violence or violence against women
stepping down from the office after he lost a
612) Asias first and longest cycle highway, running for
referendum on constitutional reforms: Matteo
207 kms has been opened in which state: Uttar
Renzi of Italy
Pradesh
630) Srinidhi Shetty of India won which international
613) India has inked a Rs 5,000 crore deal with USA for
beauty queen title: Miss Supranational 2016
buying 145 M777 ultra-light __________.: Howitzers
631) Name the Philippines beauty queen who has been
614) Magnus Carlsen of ________ won the World Chess
crowned Miss International 2016: Kylie Verzosa
Championship: Norway
632) Indian navy celebrates which day as the Indian
615) Which Indian player has won the bronze medal at
Navy Day: December 4
the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Doha,
633) Why Indian Navy day is celebrated on December
UAE: Pankaj Advani
4: To commemorate their achievements in
616) Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was
1971 Indo Pak war.
proclaimed as the new monarch of which country:
634) J. Jayalalitha, the charismatic Chief Minister of
Thailand
Tamil Nadu, passed away on Dec 5. Popularly she
617) Monarchy in Thailand belongs to which dynasty:
was known as _____: Puratchi Thalaivi
Chakri
(revolutionary leader), Amma
618) Which international day is devoted to raise

GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017 94

635) The world soil day celebrated on Dec 05 is
supported by which UN organization: FAO-Food
and Agriculture Organization
636) _________ has been elected as the new President of
Uzbekistan: Shavkat Mirziyoyev
637) Justice___________has been appointed as the next
(44th) Chief Justice of India: Jagdish Singh
Khehar
638) ISRO successfully launched Indias latest satellite
Resourcesat-2A for what purposes: Remote
Sensing and imaging
639) Srinivasa Iyer Ramaswamy, political satirist and
founder editor of Thuglak magazine, passed away
recently. What was his popular name: Cho
Ramaswamy
640) What is the main purpose of celebrating Armed
Forces Flag Day: To collect the funds for the
wellbeing of the staff of the Indian Armed
Forces
641) NITI Aayog has decided to allocate Rs.____ lakh to
every district as seed money to kick start
digitization drive: Five
642) The first ever International Gita Mahotsav was
hosted by which city: Kurukshetra
643) Konkan 16, the annual bilateral maritime exercise
was held between the Indian Navy and which
other navy: Royal Navy of Britain
644) Turner Prize, a top award for contemporary art is
given in which country: Britain
645) ___________ has been named by Time magazine as
its Person of the Year 2016: Donald Trump
646) Name the international statesman who scored
highest 18 per cent of popular online votes for the
Time Person of the year 2016: Narendra Modi
647) Which country observed the 75th anniversary of
the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor: USA
648) Team Indus, a group of young Indian scientists
and IT experts was in news for what reasons:
They have tied up with ISRO for launching an
unmanned spacecraft on Moon by January,
2018
649) Name the South Korea's President who was
impeached by the parliament over a corruption
scandal: Park Geun-Hye
650) International Anti-Corruption Day is celebrated
on which date: December 09
651) Name the trailblazing US astronaut, who became
the first American to orbit the Earth and the first
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
senior citizen to venture into space, died aged 95:
John Glenn
652) Which Indian language has been included at 10th
place in the top 10 most powerful languages in
the world: Hindi
653) Which great Indian leaders birth anniversary
now shall be celebrated as Water Day: Dr. B. R.
Ambedkar
654) Which public sector bank won the Best MSME
Bank Award given by ASSOCHAM: Corporation
Bank
655) Which public sector bank won the Best Bank for
SME Lending Award given by ASSOCHAM: Vijaya
Bank
656) India signed an agreement with ________for
training her pilots for their Sukhoi-30 fighter jets:
Vietnam
657) The RBI has relaxed the norms for AFA for online
card transactions. What is AFA: Additional
Factor of Authentication
658) RBI has relaxed AFA norms for card transactions
of up to what amount: Rs. 2000
659) Which day is celebrated on Dec 10 to
commemorate the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights by the General Assembly of the
United Nations: Human Rights Day
660) Name the new TV channel launched to educate
people on various modes of electronic payments:
Digi Shala
661) Joko Widodo, President of _______ arrived in India
on a two day visit: Indonesia
662) Where in India worlds biggest cricket stadium in
terms of seating capacity is proposed to be built
up: Motera, Ahmadabad
663) Name the ace Indian cueist who won his 11th
World Billiards (150-Up format) Championship in
Bengaluru: Pankaj Advani
664) Cristiano Ronaldo won the prestigious Ballon d'Or
award, 2016 for a fourth time. He is from which
football club: Real Madrid, Spain
665) China launched Fengyun-4 satellite for what
purpose: Weather Study
666) 100 Million for 100 Million campaign has been
launched for what purpose: For mobilising
better-off children to speak up for their
disadvantaged counterparts
667) Name the Nobel laureate who is the guiding force
behind the campaign 100 Million for 100
95
 Million: Kailash Satyarthee
668) Which Bollywood star has been once again named
UNICEFs (United Nations Childrens Fund) Global
Goodwill Ambassador: Priyanka Chopra
669) The Hero World Challenge Golf Championship in
Nassau, Bahamas was won by which player:
Hideki Matsuyama
670) The government has waived the import
duty on which food grain: Wheat
671) 7th World Ayuerveda Congress was held in which
city: Kolkata
672) 7th World Ayuerveda Congress was supported by
which union ministry: Ministry of AYUSH
673) 2016 Women's Hockey Junior World Cup won by
_______ defeating Netherland: Argentina
674) Who became first Indian and fifth batsman in
world to score three double centuries
consecutively in one calendar year: Virat Kohli
675) Who is the only Indian statesman to figure in the
Forbes top 10 most powerful persons in world:
Narendra Modi
676) The Supreme Court has directed all the states and
the Centre to remove which shops from the
highways: Liquor
677) 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' is a
book written by which author: J K Rowling
678) Name the book written by Ravindra Kumar, an
IAS officer of 2011 batch who scaled Mt Everest:
Many Everests
679) A recent study shows that the ____are the best-
educated of all religious groups in North America
and Europe: Hindus
680) International Tennis Federation has declared
_________as World Champion (men) 2016: Andy
Murray, Britain
681) Name the women tennis player who won the
World Champion (women) 2016: Angelique
Kerber, Germany
682) Who won the Badminton World Federations
Most Improved Player of the Year award: P V
Sindhu
683) Sultan Muhammad V has been installed as the
15th King of which country: Malaysia
684) The Indian Railways has tied-up with which bank
to install at least 10,000 Point of Sale (PoS)
machines: State Bank of India
685) Which day is celebrated every year on December
16 to commemorate Indias historic victory over
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Pakistan in 1971 war: Vijaya Diwas
686) The Niti Aayog launched which two schemes to
encourage cashless transactions between 50 and
3,000 rupees: Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi
Dhan Vyapar Yojana
687) Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar
Yojana shall be implemented by which
organization: National Payment Corporation of
India
688) V K Sharma has been appointed as
the Chairman of which public sector insurance
company: Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)
689) Courts of India Past to Present book has been
compiled by which national institution: Supreme
Court of India
690) Which judicial authority has imposed a ban on
sale and use of glass powder coated manja and
other dangerous strings for flying kites: National
Green Tribunal
691) V G Kannan has been appointed Chief Executive
Officer of which organization: Indian Banks
Association
692) Majuli, India's first ever proposed carbon neutral
district by 2020, is in which state: Assam
693) Name the joint military exercise undertaken by
armies of India and Maldives: Ekuverin
694) __________ has become the first Indian batswoman
to figure in the ICCs Womens team of the year:
Smriti Mandhana
695) What is the name of the recent tax amnesty
scheme launched by the government: Pradhan
Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana
696) Assessees will have to pay ______ per cent tax on
amount declared under Pradhan Mantri Garib
Kalyan Yojana: 50
697) Which corporate has taken the responsibility of
recruiting and funding 600 Zila Swachh Bharat
Preraks: Tata Trusts
698) We hear a lot about UPI payment system these
days. What is UPI: Unified Payment Interface
699) Digital payments can also be made through USSD-
based *99#. What is USSD: Unstructured
Supplementary Service Data
700) In the context of digital payments, what is IMPS:
Immediate Payment Service or Interbank
Mobile Payment Service
701) While making transaction through card swipe
machines, banks usually charge MDR. What is
96
 MDR: Merchant Discount Rate
702) The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2016
identifies how many conditions as disabilities: 19
703) As per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill,
2016, reservation for Divyangs in government
jobs has been raised to ________ per cent: 4%
704) Junior World Cup Hockey for boys was won by
which country: India
705) Who has been named as the New Chief of the
Indian Army Staff: Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat
706) Who has been named as the new Chief of the
Indian Air Force: Air Marshal Birender Singh
Dhanoa
707) Anil Dhasmana has been appointed new Chief of
RAW. Write its full form: Research and Analysis
Wing
708) What is the function of RAW: To collect foreign
intelligence inputs
709) Who has been appointed as the new Director
General of the Intelligence Bureau: Rajiv Jain
710) What is the function of Intelligence Bureau: To
collect domestic intelligence inputs
711) Who has won the BBC Sports Personality of the
Year-2016: Andy Murray
712) Countrys first ever Indian Institute of Skills will
be opened in which city: Kanpur
713) The Indian Institute of Skills will be opened in
collaboration with which country: Singapore
714) Stephanie del Valle of Puerto Rico recently which
international beauty crown: Miss World 2016
715) SBI has launched its mobile wallet application
State Bank MobiCash in partnership with which
organisation: BSNL
716) Which state launched a subsidised meal scheme
Annapurna Rasoi' to provide breakfast for Rs 5
and lunch or dinner for Rs. 8 to the poor and the
needy: Rajasthan
717) Name the former World Champion in Super
Middleweight Boxing who was knocked out by
Vijender Singh: Francis Cheka
718) Animation giant Disney has launched its Hour of
Code campaign in India for what purpose: To
teach computer programming to school
children through its free online tutorials
719) After Virender Sehwag, who is the only other
Indian batsman to hit triple century: Karun Nair
720) Ministry of textiles has launched a mobile app E-
Dhaga to address the concerns of which artisan
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
community: Weavers
721) Merriam-Websters dictionary has named _______
as the Word of the Year 2016: Surreal
722) What is the meaning of word Surreal: Very
strange or unusual : having the quality of a
dream
723) Assam government has appointed which
Bollywood actress as the brand ambassador of
state tourism: Priyanka Chopra
724) International Human Solidarity Day is observed
on which date: December 20
725) India has been ranked _______ in the Global Wind
Power Installed Capacity Index: 4th
726) Which country has been placed at the top as per
the Global Wind Power Installed Capacity Index:
China
727) Which country launched TanSat - a global carbon
dioxide monitoring satellite to understand climate
change: China
728) DRDO conducted the flight test of indigenously-
designed and developed 'Nirbhay'. What it is:
Long range subsonic cruise missile
729) India signed Open Skies agreement with six
countries for what purpose: To allow unlimited
number of flights to six metro airports
730) Scientists have discovered a vast dead zone of an
estimated 60,000 square kilometers in the Bay of
Bengal. What is its main feature: This area
contains little or no oxygen
731) Which Indian cricketer has been named ICC
Cricketer of the Year: Ravichandran Ashwin
732) Which trophy is given to the ICC Cricketer of the
Year: Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy
733) As per a report by Forbes magazine, India has
replaced which country to become the fifth
largest economy in the world: Britain
734) The Bank of Baroda has become the first Indian
company to sign up as a national supporter for
which international sports event: FIFA Under 17
World Cup
735) GARV-II mobile app will provide village-wise and
habitation-wise base line data on which issue:
Household electrification
736) Which bank has launched easypay, a mobile
application for merchants that allows
consolidation of all modes of digital payments:
ICICI Bank
737) Where in India is located the proposed grand
97
 memorial of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj: An Island of the Mumbai Coast
738) Why National Consumer Day is observed on
December 24: On this day, the Consumer
Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent
of the President
739) RBI has opened its 17th banking ombudsman
office recently in which city: Dehradun,
Uttarakhand
740) The UN Security Council, for the first time, passed
a resolution asking Israel to refrain from what
action: From building settlements on occupied
Palestinian territory
741) Shiva Keshavan of India clinched a gold medal at
the Asian _________Championships in Nagano,
Japan: Luge
742) Who won the National title in 6-red Snooker
championship held in Mumbai: Pankaj Advani
743) Shankha Ghosh, eminent modern poet, winner of
the 2016 Jnanpith award, writes in which
language: Bengali
744) Which physical exercise discipline has been
delisted as sports: Yoga
745) As per Forbes India Celebrity List, ________ has
been ranked number one, earning revenue of Rs
270.33 crore: Salman Khan
746) Which Bollywood actress has been declared
PETAs Person of the Year by the People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Sunny
Leone
747) Name the Indias indigenously developed
intercontinental surface-to-surface nuclear
capable ballistic missile that was successfully
tested in December: Agni - V
748) What is the approximate range of the ICBM Agni
V: Over 5000 km
749) Which Ministry has launched 'Coal Mitra' web
portal to facilitate flexibility in utilization of
domestic coal: Union Power Ministry
750) December 23 is observed as Kisan Diwas to
celebrate the birth anniversary of which great
leader: Chaudhary Charan Singh
751) ________ has become the worlds first country to
make regular use of drone delivery in its national
postal service: France
752) According to Global Wage Report by the
International Labour Organisation, in India men
earned ______ per cent more than women for
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
similar job: 30
753) A helpline number 14404 has been launched for
what purpose: For consumer related
grievances
754) NITI Aayog has developed which index to rank
states on the basis of their performance on
measurable health indicators: Health Outcomes
Index
755) Health Outcomes Index will be implemented by
which union ministry: Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare
756) Birth anniversary of which great leader is
observed as Good Governance Day on December
25: Atal Bihari Vajpayee
757) RBI has given an additional _____days to repay
their crop loans due in November-December: 60
758) Name the 18 year old boy who is the new national
champion in the mens 10m air pistol event:
Anmol Jain
759) Name the material that has been identified to
withstand temperatures up to 4000 degrees
Celsius: Hafnium Carbide
NOVEMBER 2016
760) In the recent Global Gender Gap index, India
jumped 21 places to reach which rank: 87th
761) __________has topped the annual Global Gender Gap
index 2016: Iceland
762) The Ministry of AYUSH has launched which
campaign to fight Diabetes: Mission Madhumeha
763) What is the salient feature of the Marine
Protected Area: A blanket ban on commercial
fishing in this area
764) RBI has permitted startups to raise ECBs of up to
USD 3 million per annum. What is ECB: External
Commercial Borrowings
765) Govt has approved setting up of the National
Academic Depository for what purpose: For
keeping digital record of various educational
degrees
766) Who can authorize to take out a print or digital
copy of educational degrees from the National
Academic Depository: concerned student
himself
767) Sakharov Prize is given in which field: For
excellent work in the field of human rights
768) Which organization awards the Sakharov Prize:
European Parliament
769) Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, two Yazidi
98
 women who were held as sex slaves by ISIS
militants, have recently been honoured with
which international prize: Sakharov Prize
770) Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed on which date:
October 31
771) Why Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed on October
31: It is the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel
772) We also observe death anniversary of a
prominent national leader on October 31. Name
the leader: Indira Gandhi
773) What is SIMBEX-16: Singapore-India Maritime
Bilateral Exercise
774) Which wing of Indian defence force took part in
SIMBEX-16: Navy
775) SIMBEX-16 was held in which area: off the
Andhra coast, Bay of Bengal
776) In terms of 'Ease of Doing Business' rankings,
which two states are the joint first in the country:
Andhra and Telengana
777) ________ won the Men's Asian Champions (Hockey)
Trophy: India
778) All loan frauds involving funds over Rs _______
crore and above are now to be reported to Central
Vigilance Commission: One
779) Man Booker Prize is given in which field: English
literature
780) Name the English author who is first American to
win Man Booker Prize (money awarded 50,000)
: Paul Beatty
781) Paul Beatty won the Man Booker Prize for which
novel: The Sellout
782) Which state has become the second open
defecation free state in India: Himachal Pradesh
783) Which state has become the third open
defecation free state in India: Kerala
784) Which state has become the first open defecation
free state in India: Sikkim
785) In the Global Youth Development Index 2016,
India has been placed at which rank: 133rd
786) Which country has topped the Global Youth
Development Index 2016: Germany
787) Kim Byong-Joon has been appointed new Prime
Minister of which country: South Korea
788) Joint military exercise Surya Kiran was held with
which country: Nepal
789) Surya Kiran exercise was held at which place:
Saljhandi, Nepal
790) Ministry of Railways has appointed Dr.
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
Bindeshwar Pathak as the Brand Ambassador for
Swachh Rail Mission. Who is he: The founder of
Sulabh International
791) Govt. has announced how many slabs for the
proposed GST tax rates: Four
792) What are the four tax rate slabs proposed for GST:
5, 12, 18 and 28%
793) The proposed GST slabs have now to be approved
by which constitutional body: Parliament
794) Which major daily consumption item has been
exempted from GST: Food grains
795) Which Indian organization has setup worlds
highest research lab: DRDO
796) Where in India DRDO has setup worlds highest
research lab: Chang La, Ladakh
797) Sampriti-2016 - The joint military training
exercise was conducted between which two
countries: India and Bangladesh
798) Sampriti-2016 held at which place: Near
Dhaka
799) Ramnath Goenka Awards are given for excellence
in which field: Journalism
800) Sh. Ramnath Goenka was associated with which
major national daily of India: Indian Express
801) The Paris Agreement which became effective
from 4th November 2016 worldwide, deals with
which issue: Climate Control
802) Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize
for Water is given by which country: Saudi
Arabia
803) World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed on
which date: November 5
804) Sir C V Raman is famous for which invention:
Raman Effect
805) Asian Champions Hockey Trophy (women) was
won by which country: India
806) Daniel Ortega has been elected as the President of
which country: Nicaragua
807) The govt declared that from midnight of Nov 8,
500 and 1,000 rupee notes will cease to be
________: Legal tender
808) Name the MP who has authored the book An Era
of Darkness: The British Empire in India: Dr.
Shashi Tharoor
809) NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale
Mission (MMS) now holds the Guinness World
Record for which achievement: For the highest
altitude fix of a GPS signal at 70,000 kms
99
810) 'Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan' has
been launched to provide which facility to
pregnant lady: Free health check-ups on every
9th day of the month
811) Which country recently tested zero-emission
hydrogen engine passenger train named Coradia
iLint: Germany
812) Donald Trump is the _________ president of the
USA: 45th
813) Which central government ministry has launched
a new app named No More Tension: Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare
814) Guy Ryder has been re-elected as the Director-
General of which UN organization: International
Labour Organisation (ILO)
815) Recently Supreme Court declared
unconstitutional the Punjab Governments 2004
law relating to sharing of waters of which river:
Sutlej
816) Which are the two states involved in the dispute
on Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal: Haryana and
Punjab
817) Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana has been launched
for what purpose: To boost up development of
entrepreneurship for the youth
818) During his recent visit to Japan, Mr. Modi
travelled in which bullet train: Shinkansen
819) Where in India is the first high speed bullet train
corridor proposed: Mumbai to Ahmadabad
820) What is the historical reason for observing Public
Service Broadcasting Day on November 12:
Mahatma Gandhi addressed the nation for the
first and the last time on radio on this date
821) World Diabetes Day is observed on which date in
November: 14
822) What is the theme of this years World Diabetes
Day: Eyes on Diabetes
823) Name the Israeli President who visited India
recently: Reuven Rivlin
824) November 12 is observed around the world to
raise as a day devoted to raising awareness about
which disease: Pneumonia
825) The World carrom championship (women) in
Birmingham (UK) was won by which country:
India
826) ___________ won the World carrom championship
(men): Sri Lanka
827) What event is Hand in Hand 2016: A joint
GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2017
military exercise
828) With the army of which country India hosted the
Hand in Hand 2016: China
829) Narinder Batra has become the first Indian
President of which international sports body:
International Hockey Federation
830) Padmini Rout won the National Women Premier
Championship in which sports: Chess
831) Why the moon on November 14 was termed as
Supermoon: Because it was brightest and
biggest in size on that day
832) _______ is the technical name for supermoon:
perigee-syzygy
833) Which Rabi crop enjoys highest per quintal price
of Rs. 4000: Gram
834) Which is the main Rabi crop: Wheat
835) Govt. has recently announced MSP for various
Rabi crops. What is MSP: Minimum Support
Price
836) What is the MSP announced for wheat crop for
the 2016-17 Rabi season: Rs. 1625 per quintal
837) International Solar Alliance is a group of 121
countries as per which common factor: All these
countries lie fully or partially between two
tropics and are member of UNO
838) CoP22 to the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change was held at which place:
Marrakech, Morocco
839) The ADB has sanctioned a $500 million loan for
constructing Indias longest river bridge on which
river and where: Ganga in Bihar
840) Peggy Whitson, the veteran NASA astronaut was
in news for what reasons: She has become
oldest women at 57, still active in space as she
left for joining the International Space Station
841) 'The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad' is a book written
by which Bollywood celebrity: Twinkle Khanna
842) Which paramilitary force has inducted, for the
first time, a team of women commandos to fight
Naxalites: CRPF
843) What is the full form of CRPF: Central Reserve
Police Force
844) Aditya Puri is the sole Indian, ranked 36th in the
US magazine Fortune's top 50 business persons in
the world. Who is he: CEO of HDFC Bank
845) Fortune's top 50 business persons in the world
list for 2016 has ranked _______ as No. 1: Mark
Zuckerburg
100
846) Sunway Taihu Light has been declared as the ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION FORM
worlds fastest supercomputer. It belongs to FOR SOFT COPY ONLY
which country: China
(Online Mode)
847) Name the wonder girl who became first Indian to
win gold at the World Kickboxing Championship SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD: ONLY 12 MONTHS
in Italy: Tajamul Islam
FROM (MONTH) ..TO. (MONTH)
848) UNO celebrates which day on November 20 to
promote childrens welfare worldwide: Universal AMOUNT:
Childrens Day Rs. 400/-
849) India's longest expressway running for 302 kms
has been inaugurated at which place: Lucknow Name: Mr./Ms.
(to Uttar Pradesh)
850) For what reasons the Agra Lucknow expressway
was in news: Indian Air Force fighter jets used Address:.
a section of this expressway for simulated

landing and takeoff
851) A recent news headline was 47th IFFI begins in City:District:.
Goa. What is IFFI: International Film Festival of
State: ....PIN:
India
852) Name the legendary singer honoured with Email: ..
'Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of
the year' at the IFFI: SP Bala Subramanyam
853) Name the spiritual leader honoured with the Dr. Ph./Mob..
Nagendra Singh International Peace Award: Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar
854) Which space agency launched the highly The subscription amount can be
advanced geostationary weather satellite
Geostationary Operational Environmental remitted to our following account:
Satellite-R (GOES-R): NASA
855) Which telecom operator of India launched its
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856) Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has been honoured with BANK : ALLAHABAD BANK Branch: Sector 34, Chandigarh
the first World Sanskrit Award. Who is she: ACCOUNT NO.: 502 1311 7700 IFSC CODE: ALLA0211989
Princess of Thailand

857) As per the ICT development index, ________ has
PARTICULARS OF REMITTANCE:
been ranked as no. 1 country: South Korea
858) What is the rank of India in the ICT development Amount remitted: Rs Date:././
index 2016: 138th
Bank..Branch
859) The 24th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit was held in which place: Lima, Transaction no..
Peru
860) _________ has been elected as the President of the
DATE:_________ Signature
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI): Pankaj R. Patel (Magazine will be sent through Online Mode only)
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