GK Updates | SA Point

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

President Ram Nath Kovind visit to Chile
President Shri Ram Nath Kovind, reached Santiago, Chile in the evening of 30th March, 2019. This was the final leg of his visit to three nations – Croatia, Bolivia and Chile.

Ram Nath Kovind addressed India-Chile Business Forum
India and Chile agreed to strengthen global response to defeat terrorism
Ram Nath Kovind visited Pablo Neruda Museum
Ram Nath Kovind reviewed Guard of Honour……………………………………….. Click here to read more

113 mn people of 53 countries faced severe hunger in 2018, as per Global Report on Food Crises 2019
In accordance with the annual 2019 Global Report on Food Crises, around 113 million people across 53 countries faced severe huger in 2018. In comparison to the figures of 2017, the number is reduced from 124 million but it requires urgent humanitarian assistance.
GRFC-2019 i. The report prepared by 15 leading global and regional organizations was led by UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). It was released by Food Security Information Network (FSIN).
ii. The report examined 53 countries that are vulnerable to food crises and provided the causes of severe food insecurity for 27 countries which were mainly persistent conflict and adverse weather events.
iii. The two-thirds of the total number of people facing acute food insecurity are in 8 countries viz. Yemen, Congo, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria.
iv. The report mentioned the short-term forecast of food insecurity in the year 2019 also, stating the above mentioned countries, will remain among the world’s most severe food crises.
Related Points :
♦ Establishment : 1961
♦ Headquarters : Rome, Italy
♦ Head: David Beasley
♦ Parent organization: United Nations General Assembly

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI sets WMA Limit for Government at Rs 75000 crore for the first half of the FY 2019-20

The Reserve Bank of India has set the limits for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) to Rs. 75000 crore for the first half of the financial year 2019-20 (April 2019 to September 2019).
As and when the government of India utilises 75% of the WMA limit, the central bank would activate fresh floatation of market loans.
The rate of interest issued on the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) will be Repo Rate while the overdraft will exceed the Repo Rate by flat 2%. The WMA needs to be vacated after 90 days.
What is Ways and Means advances (WMA)?
Ways and Means advances, guided under Section 17(5) of the RBI Act, 1934 are temporary loan facilities or overdrafts that are extended to the government (both central and the state) by the central bank of India……………………………………… Click here to Read more

First Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement for 2019-20-RBI cuts repo rate by 25 basis points
On 6^th April 2019, Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s six-member monetary policy committee chaired by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das released its 1^st Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy for 2019-20.

RBI cuts repo rate by 25 basis points KeyPoints:
i. RBI has reduced 0.25 basis points in the Policy Rates under liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) with immediate effect.The Change in Policy rates are as follows:

Policy Rates	1^st Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy 2019-2020(Apr-2019)	6^th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy(Feb 2019)
Repo Rate	6.00 %	6.25%
Reverse Repo Rate	5.75 %	6.00%
Marginal Standing Facility Rate	6.25 %	6.50%
Bank Rate	6.25 %	6.50%
Reserve Ratios	1^st Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy 2019-2020(Apr 2019)	6^th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy(Feb 2019)
Cash Reserve Ratio(CRR)	4%	4%
Statutory Liquidity Ratio(SLR)	19.25%	19.25%

ii. RBI projected the GDP growth forecast of India for the current fiscal to 7.2% from the earlier estimate of 7.4 per cent.
iii. RBI has estimated the retail inflation forecast between 3.2% and 3.4% for the H1FY20.
iv. The objective of the amendment is to achieve the medium-term target for the inflation of the CPI (Consumer Price Index) by 4% (within a band of ‘+2’ or ‘-2’ i.e. 2% and 6%). The expectation for the CPI inflation for first half of FY 20 is between 2.9% and 3% while for the second half, it is estimated from 3.5% to 3.8%. For the last quarter of FY19 (January to March) CPI inflation revised at 2.4%.
v. The Monetary Policy Committee points out the grave fact that domestic economy is facing a decline and the output gap remains negative. To improve upon this, the domestic growth impulses should be strengthened by encouraging private investments.
vi. The inflation path in the 2019-20 is shaped by multitude of factors. They are as follows:
– The low food inflation during January-February will have an impact on the near-term inflation overview.
– A reduction in the fuel group inflation during February will have a bearing.
– The CPI inflation including food and fuel in February was lower than approximated, which again impacts the near-term inflation outlook.
– The price of international crude oil has surged by around 10% since the last policy.

About Reserve Bank of India:
♦ Governor-Shaktikanta Das
♦ Headquarter-Mumbai.

RBI makes NPA divergence rule easier for banks
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has altered the bad loan divergence rule for banks which aims at improving transparency in asset classification and preventing under-reporting of bad loans.
Key Points
i. The RBI brought leniency in its rule on 1st April, 2019 by asking banks to disclose bad loan divergences in their financial statements.

Condition: Additional provisioning if divergence exceeds 10% of profit prior to provision and contingencies.

ii. Earlier banks were able to make suitable disclosures only when:

Mandated provisioning by the RBI exceeded 15% of the net profits after taxfor the reference period.
RBI thus improved upon the additional provisioning requirements.

iii. As per RBI, disclosures have to be made:

Condition: Additional gross NPAs if material divergence exceeds 15% of the reported gross NPAs for the reference period.

Fitch kept India’s rating unchanged at BBB- with Stable outlook
On 4^th April 2019, Fitch Rating affirms India’s sovereign rating at the lowest investment grade of BBB-with a stable outlook. The growth rate of India forecasted by Fitch is 6.8% in financial year 2019-20 and 7.1% in FY 2020-21.

Fitch Rating Key Points
i. According to Fitch, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) regulations has been eased and there is reduction in red tape but still there are some difficulties in doing business in India due to which India’s rating is not upgraded.
ii. Since 2006, this is the 13th year in a row that India is getting “BBB” ranking from Fitch. On August 1, 2006, Fitch had upgraded the India’s rating from “BB+” to “BBB”.
About Fitch Rating
♦ Fitch Ratings is a subsidiary of Hearst Corporation.
♦ Headquarters: New York, USA
♦ CEO: Paul Taylor
♦ President: Ian Linnell

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

US has consented the sale of 24 “MH-60R Seahawk” helicopters to India for $2.6 bn
At an estimated cost of $2.6 billion, the United States has approved the sale of 24 multi-mission Lockheed Martin-built MH-60 “Romeo'”Seahawk helicopters to India. These choppers designed for targeting ships, hunting submarines and conducting search-and-rescue operations at sea, would replenish the age-old fleet of British-made Sea King helicopters, used by India.

US 'Romeo' Seahawk helicopters to India i. This particular sale proposal would help in strengthening the US-India strategic relationship by aiding the foreign policy and the national security of the US.
ii. The sale approval by the US will not only provide India’s defence forces the ability to carry out anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions but also the capability to perform secondary missions. The secondary missions is inclusive of vertical replenishment.
iii. The choppers are currently deployed with the US navy and are reviewed as the world’s most capable maritime helicopter constructed to operate from aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers and frigates.
v. The whooping cost of $2.6 billion includes other supporting equipment and ammunition, namely, 10 Hellfire missiles, 30 MK 54 torpedoes and 38 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rockets.
vi.The main contractor of the deal is Lockheed Martin’s “Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems”.
vii. Defence trade between India and the US has risen extravagantly in the last 10 years and is estimated to reach $18 billion in 2019.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

UAE honours PM Modi with the highest civilian honour, Zayed Medal
On the 3rd of April, 2019, UAE honoured PM Narendra Modi with its highest civilian award, the Zayed Medal for boosting the bilateral ties between both of the nations.

Eligibility to acquire this award :-
i.United Arab Emirates’s highest civilian decoration, the Order of Zayed, awarded to those who contribute to international leadership in strengthening relations with the country.
ii.Past recipients of this award were Russian president Vladimir Putin, former US president George W Bush, French leader Nicolas Sarkozy and German politician Angela Merkel.
Background:-
i.The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India on 24-26 of January, 2017 as the chief guest for Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited UAE on February 10-11, 2018.
ii.India-UAE’s commercial relations are broadly based on energy cooperation, investments made by UAE in India, business and investments made by Indian expatriates in the UAE.
About UAE
Country– UAE (United Arab Emirates)
Capital– Abu Dhabi
Currency– AED (the United Arab Emirates Dirhams)

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Vipin Anand has been appointed as the new Managing Director of LIC
Vipin Anand has assumed the charge of Managing Director of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). In March 2019, he was appointed by Centre as the LIC MD. He will succeed interim chairman, Hemant Bhargava.
i. In the tenure of more than 35 years, he served as the head of LIC’s western zone, comprising of 23 divisions. He has also headed LIC’s east-central zone headquartered at Patna.
Related Points LIC:
♦ Establishment – 1956
♦ Headquarters – Mumbai
♦ Tagline – Zindagi ke Saath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi.

Vinod Dasari was appointed as Royal Enfield CEO
Vinod K. Dasari has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Royal Enfield and also became an executive director in the board of Eicher Motors, parent organization of Royal Enfield.
i. Vinod K. Dasari will replace Siddhartha Lal for CEO post. But Mr. Siddhartha Lal will continue as MD of Eicher Motors Ltd.
ii. Priorly, he was serving as the MD and CEO at Ashok Leyland since 2011.

Rakesh became next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Cameroon
Shri Rakesh Malhotra, currently serving as Consul General, Consulate General of India, Melbourne has been appointed as the High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Cameroon.
About Cameroon
♦ Capital : Yaounde
♦ Currency : Central African CFA franc (XAF)
♦ President: Paul Biya
♦ Prime Minister: Joseph Ngute

Former Bollywood Actress, Mayoori kango has appointed the Industry Head of Google India
Ex-Bollywood actress and Managing Director of Performics (A Performance Marketing Agency), Mayoori Kango has been appointed as the Industry head of Google India. She will lead Google engagement with Publicis (Parent Company of Performics) and DAN.
i. Mayoori Kango started her career at the age of 15 and featured in Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s National Award winning film, Naseem. Her other movies includes “Papa Kehte Hai (1996)”, Betaabi (1997), Hogi Pyaar ki Jeet (1999) and Badal (2000).
ii. She quit her acting career and moved to USA after her marriage with NRI Aditya Dhillon.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Chatbot Making Startup Haptik was acquired by Reliance Jio Digital for Rs.700 Crore
Reliance Jio Digital, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries has acquired a chatbot making startup firm Haptik for Rs.700 Crore.

Haptik was acquired by Reliance Jio Digital KeyPoints:
i. In this Rs.700 Crore deal, Rs.230 Crore will be used for business transaction and Rs.470 Crore will be used for business expansion.
ii. After this acquisition, Reliance Jio Digital now hold 87% stake in Haptik, while Existing investor Times Internet which held 70% stake will exit the company.
iii. Haptik Co-founders Aakrit Vaish and Swapan Rajdev will have a minority stake of 13% in Haptik.
About Reliance:
♦ CEO: Mukesh Ambani
♦ Founder: Dhirubhai Ambani
♦ Founded: 8 May 1973, Maharashtra
♦ Haptik is the 6^th company to be acquired by Reliance Industries in the last 2 months.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

CCMB scientists discovered a new enzyme “Murein EndopeptidiaseK” to break the bacteria cell wall
The Center for Cell and Molecular Biology (CCMB) scientists have discovered a new enzyme called “Murein EndopeptidiaseK” while studying the cell growth in bacteria. This new discovery has paved the way for a new drug treatment that prevents anti-bacterial resistance by existing antibiotics.
I. It would act on the protein of cell wall in Escherichia coli (E. coli), a bacterium found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms.
ii. Pavan Kumar Chodisetti, research student and his mentor Dr. Manjula Reddy were the backbone of this discovery. The finding has been published in the latest issue of Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, USA.
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology:
♦ Director: Rakesh K. Mishra
♦ Location : Hyderabad, Telangana, India
♦ CCMB has been selected as a Centre of Excellence by UNESCO Global Network for Molecular and Cell Biology.

Messaging app WhatsApp unveiled ‘Checkpoint Tipline’ to check authenticity of news
In order to check the authenticity of information during Lok Sabha Election, Messaging app WhatsApp unveiled a platform named “ Checkpoint Tipline”, which can review the content in the form of pictures, video links or text. This tipline is unveiled by an India-based media skilling start-up, Proto.
Usage of the platform:
i. Subscribers in India can submit misinformation or rumours they receive to the Checkpoint Tipline on WhatsApp (+91-9643-000-888).
ii. After sharing the information, the app will check with the checkpoints and inform the user whether the submitted information is fake or not using the key terms – true, false, misleading, disputed or out of scope and include any other related information that is available.
iii.The platform can review the text in English as well as in four regional languages viz- Hindi, Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam can also be reviewed.
iv. This newly launched platform will form a database of rumours to study misinformation during elections for the research project Checkpoint , technically assisted by WhatsApp.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Mine Awareness Day – 4^th April
United Nations’ International Mine Awareness Day is observed on 4^th April every year to raise awareness about landmines and the actions that need to be taken towards their eradication. The Theme for International Mine Awareness Day 2019 is “United nations promotes SDGs –Safe Ground –Safe Home” (SDG –Sustainable Development Goals).
Key Points
i. A multimedia exhibition was organized by the United Nations Mine Service (UNMS) at the United Nations headquarters in New York to raise awareness about threats caused by mines.
ii. On 8^th December 2005, United Nations General assembly declared that International Mines awareness Day will be observed on 4^th April every year.
About United Nations
♦ Headquarters: New York, USA
♦ Secretary General: Antonio Guterres

Dec 2018 Current Affairs Study Material

INTERNATIONAL

Centre to rename 3 islands of Andaman & Nicobar
The Centre has reportedly decided to rename Ross Island, Neil Island and Havelock Island in Andaman and Nicobar as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island, Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep respectively.

Japan Formally Announces IWC Withdrawal to Resume Commercial Whaling
In a landmark policy shift, Japan formally announced that it would withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and resume commercial whaling in its territorial waters next year for the first time in more than 30 years.

Gitega named as the new capital of Burundi
The government of Burundi has declared Gitega as the country’s new political capital on 22nd December 2018. Bujumbura, the previous capital of Burundi will serve as the economic capital of the country. President Nkurunziza had made this promise of shifting the capital in 2007 which has been implemented now.

Japan gives Rs 6668.46 cr loan for developing projects in India
India will receive loan to the tune of Rs 6668.46 crore from Japan for various development projects. The loan will used to develop the phase two of the Chennai metro project, a dairy development project and a programme for Japan-India cooperative actions towards Sustainable Development Goals in India.

UAE Declares 2019 as the Year of Tolerance
UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan declared 2019 as the Year of Tolerance, an extension of the Year of Zayed which has run this year. The leader stated that 2019 would highlight the UAE as a global capital for tolerance, instilling the values of co-existence and peace in local, regional and international communities. In 2016, the UAE Cabinet introduced the first post of the Minister of State for Tolerance and launched the National Tolerance Programme.

Ranil Wickremesinghe Sworn in as PM of Sri Lanka
Mr. Ranil Wickremsinghe was sworn in as Prime minister of Sri Lanka by President Maithripala Sirisena thus bringing an end to the weeks-long political crisis in the country. Mr. Wickremsinghe was removed as Prime minister in October and was replaced by Mahinda Rajapaksa who resigned after failing to garner a majority in Parliament.

Australia recognizes west Jerusalem as capital of Israel
Australia became one of the few countries to formally recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel however it will not move its embassy from Tel Aviv until a peace settlement is reached. Both Israel and the Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their Capital and this despite is not resolved yet. USA under the leadership of Donald Trump already recognized the disputed city as the Capital of Israel.

Luxembourg to become first country to make Public Transport Free
Luxembourg is set to become the first country in the world to make all its public transport free. Fares on trains, trams and buses will be lifted next summer under the plans of the re-elected coalition government led by Xavier Bettel, who was sworn in for a second term as prime minister recently.

UAE Passport Ranked Most Powerful Globally: Arton Capital
The UAE now has the world’s most powerful passport, achieving the top ranking in an achievement hailed as a tribute to the legacy of the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed, and the country’s diplomacy. The number 1 spot in the global Passport Index was achieved just as the UAE celebrates it 47th National Day and its achievements since 1971.

World’s 1st 3D-Printed Functional e-Bike made in Germany
German firm BigRep and NOWlab produced the world’s first fully functioning e-motorbike NERA using a 3D printer. The bike was conceptualized and developed in 12 weeks and includes 15 parts excluding the electrical components.

Qatar to leave OPEC from January 2019
Qatar has announced its decision to leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) from January 2019 and focus more on the production of natural gas. The announcement was made by Qatar’s new energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi. Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of LPG.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sworn in as Mexico President
With promises of uprooting corruption, poverty and violence in the country, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was sworn in as the President of Mexico for a term of six years. Holding the majority in Congress, Obrador would now enjoy the confidence of at least 56 per cent approval ratings, as compared to his predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto.

Australia become first Country to Recognise Orphanage Trafficking as Slavery
Australia becomes the first country in the world to recognize ‘orphanage trafficking’ as a form of modern slavery. Children from smaller countries are recruited in orphanages in the West for the purpose of profit through foreign aid.

Georgia elects Salome Zurabishvili as first woman president
Salome Zurabishvili has won Georgia’s presidential election, becoming the first woman to hold the office. Zurabishvili, a government-backed independent candidate, won with 59.52 percent of some 1.98 million votes cast. Grigol Vashadze — backed by former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili — got some 40.48 percent of the vote.

INDIA & WORLD

India Takes Over Operations Of Chabahar Port in Iran
India Ports Global Limited Company has opened its office and took over operations at the Shaheed Behesti port at Chabahar. It happened during the occasion of the first meeting of the follow-up committee for implementation of the trilateral Chabahar agreement between India, Afghanistan and Iran.

India’s stock market overtakes Germany to become 7th largest in the world
India achieved another milestone when Indian Stock market overtakes Germany for the first time in seven years to become the world’s seventh largest stock market. This move reflects India’s positive returns this year as companies dependency on domestic demand enabled them to avoid meltdown in other emerging markets spurred due to U.S. – China trade war.

India retained highest Aviation Safety Ranking: US Watchdog FAA
The US regulator Federation of Aviation Administration (FAA) retained the highest aviation safety ranking for India. According to FAA, India’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) rating remains ‘Category 1’. This ranking was based on an audit of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

India sets World Record in Nuclear Plant Operation
The indigenously developed Kaiga Atomic Power Station in Karnataka has set a new world record, with one of its units operating uninterrupted for more than 940 days. This is a record for all kinds of nuclear power-generating units, including advanced gas-based reactors in the world.

India is fourth highest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world: Study
India is the fourth highest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, accounting for 7 percent of global emissions in 2017, according to a study by Global Carbon Project. The top 10 emitters were China, the US, the EU, India, Russia, Japan, Germany, Iran, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.

Tactical exercise ‘Vajra Kayaa’ completed
The Special Forces of India and United States completed their three-day tactical exercise called ‘Vajra Kayaa’ on December 01, 2018. ‘Vajra Kayaa’ is a part of the joint military drill ‘Vajra Prahar 2018’. ‘Vajra Kayaa’ was based on the narrative of an imaginary country going into a civil war due to a weak democratic structure. ‘Vajra Prahar 2018’ is being held between India and the US.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to be chief guest at Republic Day celebrations 2019
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be the Chief Guest at the 2019 Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, at a time when India is celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, it is our honour to welcome President Ramaphosa as the Chief Guest for 2019 Republic day celebrations.

NATIONAL

India ranked 108th in WEF’s Gender Gap Index
India has come at 108th position in the recently released Gender Gap Index 2018 by World Economic Forum. India was ranked at the same position in 2017 rankings as well. The Global Gender Gap Report is published annually by the World Economic Forum since 2006.

Delhi HC Bans Online Sale of Medicines across India
The Delhi High Court ordered a ban on the sale of online medicines by e-pharmacists across the country. The court directed both Central and state government to ensure immediate implementation of the order.

Gender Wage Gap Highest in India, Women are Paid 34% Less than Men: ILO
Women are paid the most unequally in India, compared to men, when it comes to hourly wages for labour. On average, women are paid 34 per cent less than men, a recent report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) has found. This gap in wages, known as the gender wage gap, is the highest among 73 countries studied in the report.

STATES

Telangana & AP to get separate High Courts
President Ramnath Kovind issued orders constituting a separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh. The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad will now become the High Court for Telangana. With the creation of the new High Court for Andhra Pradesh, the country now has 25 High Courts.

Manipur CM Biren Singh gets ‘Champions of Change’ award
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh was conferred the ‘Champions of Change’ award by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu for exemplary leadership in bringing about transformation in governance. The other awardees included Union Minister of State for Food Processing Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Sudarshan and Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey.

Maharashtra Launches Vajpayee International Schools For Rural Students
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched the ‘Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Schools’ for students in rural areas. Initially, 13 Zilla Parishad (ZP) schools would be part of the international board and it would be expanded in the coming years.

Madhya Pradesh Declares Kuno as National Park
Madhya Pradesh State government has declared Kuno wildlife sanctuary as a national park in compliance with the last condition imposed by a Supreme Court-appointed committee for the much awaited ‘translocation of Asiatic lions from Gir in Gujarat.’

Experts call to revisit ban on Plastic in Tamil Nadu
The government of Tamil Nadu on World Environment day 2018 on 5th June had announced that it would ban the use of plastic items, including non-biodegr adable bags, from January 1, 2019, with some exceptions. Plastic was allowed only for only milk, oil, medicine packets and other items of basic needs.

Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana Launched in Uttarakhand
‘Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana’ has been launched in Uttarakhand. Under the scheme, each household in the state will be able to avail medical treatment of up to 5 lakh rupees annually. The scheme will benefit 23 lakh households and cover 1,350 critical diseases. Launching the Yojna in Dehradun, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat distributed scheme-related golden cards to beneficiaries.

PM Modi inaugurates Bogibeel Bridge in Assam
PM Modi inaugurated the Bogibeel Bridge on the birth anniversary of the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee i.e. December 25 which is observed as ‘Good Governance Day’. This 4.9 km-long bridge is the nation’s only fully welded bridge and for the first time European codes and welding standards were adhered to and for the first time European codes and welding standards were adhered to and it has a life of about 120 years.

Odisha government announces Rs 10,000 crore KALIA scheme
Odisha Cabinet headed by CM Naveen Patnaik announced the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme to empower small, marginal & landless farmers as well as landless labourers. The Rs 10,000 crore scheme, which would be executed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode, covers 92% (over 30 lakh) of cultivators, loanee and non-loanee, share-croppers & landless labourers.

NITI Aayog releases Sustainable Development Goals Index
The NITI Aayog has released a first-of-its-kind Sustainable Development Goals index. According to the SDG Index, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu have been ranked on top 3 positions and are on track to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Jharkhand announces Rs 2,250-crore scheme to help farmers: Mukhya Mantri Krishi Yojana
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das announced a Rs 2250 crore scheme named as “ Mukhya Mantri Krishi Yojana” which will help around 22.76 lakh medium and marginal farmers to double their income by 2022. The Central Government has set a goal to double the income of all the farmers by 2022.

Startup Ranking 2018 released by DIPP
The National Report on States’ ‘Startup Ranking 2018’ was unveiled by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Gujarat has emerged as the best-performing state in the Startup Ranking 2018. Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, and Rajasthan, with a score of more than 85 percentile, have been adjudged the top performers.

Jammu & Kashmir to come under President’s rule
President’s rule will be imposed in Jammu and Kashmir from 20 December with President Ram Nath Kovind signing a proclamation to give effect to the recommendation of the state Governor Satya Pal Malik. Kovind has signed the proclamation based on the proposal sent by the ministry following a report by the state governor.

Bhupesh Baghel to become the new CM of Chhattisgarh
Bhupesh Baghel, who is also the president of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee, will be the new chief minister of Chhattisgarh state. Bhupesh Baghel has been named as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) by the newly elected legislators in Raipur. Bhupesh Baghel is a politician from Chhattisgarh and belongs to Indian National Congress.

Punjab Assembly passed resolution to seek 33% reservation for women in Parliament
Punjab Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution for seeking 30% reservation for women in Parliament and State legislative assembly. The resolution was moved by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, urging the Centre to enact it. The bill would ensure the representation of men and women equally in national electoral process.

Gehlot to be Rajasthan CM, Pilot Deputy CM
The Congress declared that Ashok Gehlot will be the Rajasthan Chief Minister while state Congress chief Sachin Pilot will be his deputy. The announcement was made by party observer for the state K.C. Venugopal. He said the decision was taken by party President Rahul Gandhi.

Kamal Nath to be new CM of MP
Congress party has chosen MP statue unit president Kamal Nath as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. He will replace outgoing Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. A one-line resolution has been passed at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Bhopal to choose the Madhya Pradesh chief minister. Congress party high command will now take the final decision.

TRS won the 119-member Telangana Assembly elections for second straight term
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has won 60 seats in Telangana, while Congress is in second position with 13 seats. TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao won from his constituency Gajwel by 58,290 votes. Asauddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won seven of the eight seats it contested in the Telangana assembly polls.

Shi Yomi becomes 23rd district of Arunachal Pradesh
Shi Yomi formally became 23rd district of Arunachal Pradesh after it was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pema Khandu in presence of Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju. It was created by bifurcating West Siang district with its headquarters at Tato.

Delhi govt to begin 10 day minimum wages enforcement campaign
Labour and Employment Minister Gopal Rai said that the Delhi government will be carrying out a 10-day enforcement drive as the government has said that the workers will be paid with higher minimum wages. The Central government has set new minimum wage rates that are to be paid to the workers for their November salaries that will be disbursed in the first week of December.

CONFERENCES

12th Annual ISDSI Conference held in Mumbai
SPJIMR hosted the 12th Annual Indian Subcontinent Decision Sciences Institute (ISDSI) Conference at SPJIMR, Mumbai. The theme of this international conference is ‘Data-Driven Decision Making in the Digital Age’.

Eminent Sitar Player Manju Mehta conferred Tansen Samman, 2018
The Madhya Pradesh Government has conferred the annual Tansen Samman upon eminent Sitar Player Manju Mehta for her contribution in the field of Hindustani Classical Music.

15th Global SME Business Summit in New Delhi
15th edition of a two day Global SME Business Summit was organised by the Ministry of MSME and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with Government e-marketplace in New Delhi. The agenda of the summit is to bring together renowned speakers with unbounded experience and expertise, a global audience, and various national and international SME stakeholders to integrate Indian MSMEs into the Global Value Chains (GVCs).

9th India-ROK Joint Commission meeting held in New Delhi
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Affairs Minister of South Korea Kang Kyung-wha co-chaired the 9th India-ROK Joint Commission meeting. Ms. Kyung-wha arrived in New Delhi on a two-day visit to India.

UN Climate Conference 2018 held in Poland
The UN Climate Conference 2018 was held recently in Katowice, Poland. In the meeting ministers of 200 nations finally reached consensus on rules to implement the 2015 Paris climate agreement. The Paris accord aims to limit the rise in global atmospheric temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial revolution levels.

Annual Startup India Venture Capital Summit 2018 held in Goa
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Government of Goa, hosted the annual Startup India Venture Capital Summit in Goa. The theme of the Summit was ‘Mobilizing Global Capital for Innovation in India.’

Asia Pacific Summit 2018 began in Kathmandu
The ‘Asia Pacific Summit-2018’ was held in Kathmandu on 1 December 2018. The theme of the Summit is ‘Addressing the Critical Challenges of Our Time: Interdependence, Mutual Prosperity, and Universal Values’. It was organised by the South Korea-based ‘Universal Peace Federation’ and supported by the Government of Nepal.

EAM Sushma Swaraj Co-Chairs India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited United Arab Emirates to co-chair the 12th session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting for Economic and Technical Cooperation with UAE Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

South Asia Youth Peace Conference held in New Delhi
The three day South Asia Regional Youth Peace Conference was held in New Delhi as part 150th birth anniversary celebrations of father of nation Mahatma Gandhi. It was organised by Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) and STEP (Standing Together to Enable Peace).

AWARDS & HONOURS

Swachh Surveksahan Award For GHMC
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation was awarded Best Capital City in the Solid Waste Management in the Swachh Survekshan 2018 rankings. The GHMC was also at the 27th place among 4,041 cities.

Luka Modric wins Balkan Athlete of The Year Award 2018
Croatia captain Luka Modric was named Balkan Athlete of the Year, becoming only the second soccer player to scoop the prize after Bulgaria’s former European Footballer of the Year Hristo Stoichkov in 1994.

Aadi Sai Vijaykaran wins ‘Top Debater in the World’ Title
Aadi Sai Vijaykaran created history by winning the Junior Debate Championship at the World Scholar’s Cup held at Yale University, the USA. The theme for the cup was ‘An Entangled World: diplomacy, human relationships, the science of memory, and literature, art’.

Mohammed Rafi Awards conferred
Mohammed Rafi Award instituted by the NGO Spandan Arts was bestowed upon late music composer Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and playback singer Usha Timothy. The Mohammed Rafi Lifetime Achievement Award consisting of Rs 1 lakh and a trophy was conferred to Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar.

Suresh Prabhu conferred with Skoch Award 2018
Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu has conferred the Skoch Golden Jubilee Challenger Award at the 55th Skoch Summit in New Delhi. The Skoch Challenger Awards are the highest independently instituted civilian honours.

Mamata Banerjee awarded the Skoch CM of the Year Award
The Chief Minister of West Bengal has been awarded the Skoch Chief Minister of the Year Award for the year 2017. The award was given to Mamta Banerjee recognising her contribution in the overall development of West Bengal as West Bengal emerged as the best-performing state in the field of Governance.

40 workers conferred Prime Minister Shram Awards 2017
The Union Government has announced to confer the Prime Minister’s Shram Awards 2017 to 40 workers across country. These awardees have been selected among the workers of Departmental Undertakings & Central and State Government PSUs and Private Sector companies having 500 or more workers.

Pakistan activist Asma Jahangir honoured with top UN human rights award
The top United Nations human rights prize, which was posthumously awarded to Pakistan’s iconic human rights activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir, was received by her daughter, Munizae, at an impressive ceremony in the General Assembly hall of United Nations.

Textiles Minister gives away Handicrafts Export awards
Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani, presented awards to handicrafts exporters for their outstanding performance in exports for the year 2015-16 and 2016-17 at a function at India Expo Centre & Mart in Greater Noida, Delhi NCR.

Sonam Kapoor Named PETA India’s 2018 Person of the Year
Sonam Kapoor, a vegan, has been named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India’s Person of the Year for 2018. Whether she’s enjoying vibrant vegan meals or rallying her fans to do their part to stop animal suffering, Sonam Kapoor never hesitates to help animals any way she can,” said PETA India Associate Director Sachin Bangera in a statement.

Popular singers Shaan & Arijit Singh were given ‘Sangeet Mahasamman’ award by WB Govt
popular singers Shaan and Arijit Singh were given the “Sangeet Mahasamman” award by the West Bengal government at the inaugural session of the Bengal music and folk culture festival held in Kolkata. Legendary singer Sandhya Mukhopadhyay gave away the awards.

Ashok Amritraj was honoured with the French Knight of the National Order of Merit award
Producer Ashok Amritraj was honoured with the French Knight of the National Order of Merit for his contribution to the world of cinema and Indo-French film industry. The award was presented to him at the Closing ceremony of 2 day Indo-French Professional Meeting for the Film and Television Industry held in Mumbai, India.

Author Amitav Ghosh honoured with 54th Jnanpith award
Noted English author Amitav Ghosh has been honoured with Jnanpith Award for 2018, an award for outstanding contribution to literature. The decision was taken in a meeting of Jnanpith Selection Board chaired by eminent novelist, scholar and Jnanpith laureate Pratibha Ray.

Manika becomes first Indian to win ‘Breakthrough Star’ award at ITTF ceremony
Manika Batra became the first ever Indian table tennis player to be decorated with the ‘Breakthrough Table Tennis Star’ award at the prestigious ITTF Star Awards in Incheon, South Korea. Manika started the year on a high at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, guiding India to it’s first-ever gold medal in the Women’s Team category.

Mary Kom honoured with ‘Meethoileima’ title
Manipur Government honored AIBA World Women Boxing Gold medalist MC Mary Kom with the title “Meethoileima” (par excellent queen) at a function in Imphal, Manipur. On the occasion, State Chief Minister N. Biren Singh handed over a cheque of ten lakh rupees to her.

Mushtaq Ahmad Tantray bags Sahitya Academy Award
Prominent Kashmiri short-story writer and eminent broadcaster Mushtaq Ahmad Tantray bagged this year’s Sahitya Academy Award for his collection of short stories “AAKH’’. Mr Tantray is presently posted as Head of the Regional News Unit at Radio Kashmir Srinagar.

Janhvi Kapoor to get Norwegian honour
Actress Janhvi Kapoor will be awarded ‘Arets Stjerneskudd’ rising talent of the year by the Norwegian Consulate General in Mumbai. Janhvi, who made her debut with “Dhadak”, will be felicitated at an event organised in association with theatre chain INOX.

Ministry of New & Renewable Energy conferred Skoch Award for National Significance
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India has been conferred the Skoch Award for National Significance at an event held recently in New Delhi. The award was received by Secretary, Ministry of New Renewable Energy Shri Anand Kumar.

Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper nominated for Golden Globe awards
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper have earned nominations at the 2019 Golden Globe awards for their performances in the film ‘A Star is Born’. Gaga was nominated alongside Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy in the ‘Best Actress – Drama’ category. Cooper was nominated in the ‘Best Actor – Drama’ category along with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ star Rami Malek, among others.

Croatia’s Luka Modric wins Men’s Ballon d’Or award 2018
Croatia’s midfielder Luca Modrich (33) has won prestigious honor of football, Ballon d’Or. He was rewarded for his key role in Croatia’s historic run to FIFA World Cup final (defeated by France) and his club Real Madrid’s third straight Champions League trophy.

Delhi Minister Imran Hussain Awarded By PETA For Ban On Chinese Manjha
Hussain received a ‘Hero to Animals Award’ by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India for saving the lives of humans and animals by banning all forms of manja throughout the National Capital Territory of Delhi. In July, Hussain called for a complete ban on the sale, production, storage and import of Chinese ‘manja’, saying these sharp-edged threads not only hurt birds but also children.

Myanmar Leader Suu Kyi to be Stripped of Freedom of Paris award
The city of Paris will strip Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary freedom of the Paris award over her failure to speak out against a crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. She has already been stripped of her honorary Canadian citizenship and her Amnesty International’s ‘Ambassador of Conscience Award’.

Abhinav Bindra conferred with Shooting’s Highest Honour by ISSF
India’s Olympic and world champion shooter Abhinav Bindra has been conferred the sport’s highest honour for his outstanding services as the chairman of the International Shooting Sport Federation’s Athletes Committee. He was a member of the ISSF Athletes Committee from 2010 to 2014 and chairman from 2014 to 2018.

Donbass wins the Golden Peacock at IFFI 2018
Donbass’ directed by Sergei Loznitsa has won the coveted Golden Peacock Award at the 49th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which concluded in Goa. The Golden Peacock Award carries a cash prize of Rs 4 million (Rs 40 lakhs) to be shared equally between the Producer and the Director, Trophy and the citation.

SPORTS & GAMES

3rd Edition of Women’s National Boxing Championships Begins
The third edition of women’s national boxing championships begins in Vijayanagara, Karnataka. Country’s top boxers will be vying for top honors as the tournament will be held at the JSW Sports-owned Inspire Institute of Sport.

Virat Kohli breaks Dravid’s 16 year old Test record with 82-run knock
Indian Cricket team Captain, Virat Kohli surpassed former India’s Captain Rahul Dravid’s 16 years record of highest runs in overseas Tests after playing a knock of 82 runs on the second day of 3rd Test against Australia.

Ricky Ponting Inducted into ICC Hall of Fame
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting was formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Ponting received his commemorative cap from compatriot ICC Cricket Hall of Famer, Glenn McGrath at the MCG.

American Shiffrin youngest woman to reach 50 World Cup wins
American Mikaela Shiffrin became the youngest woman to win 50 World Cup ski races with victory in the slalom in the French Alps recently.

Real Madrid Beats Al Ain 4-1 To Win Club World Cup
Spain’s Real Madrid won the Club World Cup for a third consecutive year, and record fourth in total, by beating Abu Dhabi side Al Ain in the final. Real now hold the record for most victories in the competition, which was first held in 2000, moving one clear of Spanish rivals Barcelona.

India’s Vedangi Kulkarni becomes Fastest Asian to Cycle the Globe
Vedangi Kulkarni, a 20-year-old cyclist from Maharashtra’s Pune, achieved the feat by completing the 29,000-km distance required to qualify as bicycling across the globe in 159 days. She reached Kolkata after pedalling up to 300 km a day in 14 countries across the 159 days

Kabaddi Player Anup Kumar announces his Retirement
Anup Kumar, legendary Indian Kabaddi player and former World Cup-winning captain, announced his retirement from the sport with immediate effect on December 19, 2018, bringing an end to his 15-year-long career. Kumar, known to be one of the most efficient players, has led his team to victory on several occasions and contributed to the overall growth of the sport in the nation.

37th Senior National Rowing Championship begins in Pune
The 37th Senior National Rowing Championship began in the Army Rowing Node in Pune. Around 500 rowers and coaches from various rowing associations across the country are taking part in the Championship. The Rowers for the World Championships-2019 will be selected from this event. World Championship -2019 is the first qualifying Championship for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep named 2018 ITF world champions
The International Tennis Federation announced that Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Romania’s Simona Halep as the 2018 ITF World Champions.The ITF World Champions will receive their awards at the 2019 ITF World Champions Dinner, in Paris, during Roland Garros.

Joshna Chinappa wins National Squash Women’s Singles Title
Joshna Chinappa won the National Squash Women’s Singles title after she defeated Urwashi Joshi in the final match of the competition by 9-11, 11-1, 11-6, 11-5. It was her 16th National title and with this win, she has equalled the record of Bhuvaneshwari Kumari of winning 16 titles.

PV Sindhu becomes 1st Indian to Win BWF World Tour Finals
PV Sindhu defeated world number five Nozomi Okuhara of Japan to record her 300th career match victory across categories and clinch the BWF World Tour Finals women’s singles title. Sindhu, who is ranked sixth worldwide, won the final with scoreline of 21-19, 21-17. It was the 23-year-old shuttler’s first title victory in 2018, after having lost five finals this year.

Belgium wins Hockey World Cup 2018 Title
Belgium Hockey team won their first ever Word cup title on 16th December 2018 after they defeated The Netherlands in sudden death. Belgium, which also won a silver medal in Rio Olympics 2016, made history by beating the opponents by 3-2 in the penalty shoot-out after finals ended without any goal.

Khelo India Youth Games to be held in Pune
Khelo India Youth Games-2019 will be held in Pune of Maharashtra in January. Sports Minister Col Rajyavardhan Rathore announced that 9000 youth will participate in this edition of the game. Under Khelo India programme, the government is providing scholarships to 1500 students from across the country.

SAIL Hockey Academy wins Aga Khan Gold Cup tournament
Steel Authority of India’s Hockey Academy beat Army XI Danapur 2-1 to clinch the 115th All India Aga Khan Gold Cup hockey tournament. Jay Prakash Patel scored the match-winning goal for the SAIL Hockey Academy (SHA) in the final match played at Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium in New Delhi.

Sascha Bajin, Naomi Osaka’s coach became first ever WTA Coach of the Year
Sascha Bajin, coach of the world number five Naomi Osaka, became the first-ever recipient of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Coach of the Year Award. Under his guidance, Osaka won her career first WTA title at the Paribas Open (Indian Wells) and claimed her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open after defeating American tennis ace Serena Williams.

Virat Kohli becomes first Asian skipper to win a Test in South Africa, England & Australia
Indian Skipper Virat Kohli became the first Indian skipper to win a Test in South Africa, England and Australia after defeating Australia by 31 runs in the First Test Match of the Four Match Test Series at Adelaide. Former Indian Captains Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni won Test matches as Captains in England and South Africa but not in Australia. Out of 43 Tests, India won 25 Tests in Kohli’s Captaincy.

Ranji Trophy: Ajay Rohera creates world record for highest first-class debut score
Madhya Pradesh opener Ajay Rohera etched his name in the record books by slamming the highest first-class score on debut. He remained unbeaten on 267 against Hyderabad in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group-B Cricket in Indore. 21-year-old Rohera’s 267 not out is a world record.

Shubhankar clinches 2018 Asian Tour Order of Merit title
Shubhankar Sharma emerged as the 2018 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion following a dream season which saw him achieve many milestones and rewrite many Indian records. The 22-year-old Chandigarh-based Sharma now becomes the fifth and youngest Indian to top the Asian Tour money list in a particular season.

Anushka, Chaitanya youngest winners at U.S. Kids Golf’s first event in India
Golf in India took a major step towards the next level with the successful staging of the U.S. Kids Golf India Tours first event at the Jack Nicklaus designed Classic Golf and Country Club in Gurugram. The effort bore fruit as Anushka Gupta emerged champion in the U-7 girls’ category. Chaitanya Gupta won among the U-7 boys.

Yasir Shah becomes fastest bowler to take 200 Test wickets
Breaking an 82-year-old record, Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah became the fastest bowler in the world to reach the milestone of scalping 200 Test wickets. Earlier, the record was held by former Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett who had scalped 200 wickets in 36 Tests. Shah, on the flip side, did the same in just 33 Test matches.

Eliud Kipchoge & Caterine Ibarguen named IAAF Athletes of the year
Kenyan distance runner Eliud Kipchoge and Colombian long and triple jumper Caterine Ibarguen have been named male and female world athletes of the year. The pair were honoured by the IAAF (The International Association of Athletics Federations ) at a ceremony in Monaco.

Gautam Gambhir announces retirement from all forms of Cricket
Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir represented India in 58 Tests, 147 ODIs and 37 T20Is. He made his debut in 2003 and last played for India in a Test against England in Rajkot in 2016. He retires with nine Test centuries and 11 ODI centuries to his name. He played key roles in India’s title victories in the 2007 World T20 and the 2011 World Cup, top-scoring for India with 75 and 97 in the respective finals.

Commonwealth Senior Fencing Championships in Canberra, Australia
From 23rd to 28th November 2018, Commonwealth Senior Fencing Championships, was held in Canberra, Australia. India won a total of 3 medals: 2 gold and 1 bronze, in the championship. The medal tally was topped by England with 6 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze medals.

Ullas Narayan wins India’s 1st International medal in ultra running
Ullas Narayan became the first ever Indian individual medal winner in an international ultra running event by clinching a bronze in the 2018 International Association of Ultra Running (IAU) 24 Hour Asia & Oceania Championships in Taipei.Japan won the team event gold with a distance of 756 km and Australia (684 km) got the silver.

Minjee Lee becomes the first woman to win Australia’s Greg Norman Medal
22 Years old Australian Golfer, Minjee Lee became the first woman to win prestigious Greg Norman Medal as the best Australian golfer on the international stage after her brilliant performance in 2018. Minjee Lee who breaks into the Top 10 of the world ranking with the sixth rank joined the Jason Day and Marc Leishman in the list of winners of Australian golf’s prestigious individual honour.

Vinesh, Sakshi win gold at wrestling nationals
Vinesh Phogat announced her return from injury after a successful day out by grabbing the 57 kilogram title while Sakshi Malik emerged the champion in the 62 kg on the second day of the Tata Motors Senior Women’s National Championship in Gond, U.P.

National Shooting Championship: Esha Singh wins 3 Gold Medals
Telangana teenager Esha Singh prevailed over big names such as Manu Bhaker and Heena Sidhu to win 3 gold at the 62nd National Shooting Championships in Thiruvananthapuram. Esha shot 241.0 in the Women’s final to leave behind Youth Olympic games champion Manu who finished with 238.9. Shweta, representing ONGC, won bronze with a score of 217.2.

Magnus Carlsen retains his title as World Chess Champion
Norway’s Magnus Carlsen retained his title as World Chess Champion beating US opponent Fabiano Caruana in a tie-breaker event at the World Chess Championship held in London. Magnus Carlsen has won the Chess Championship thrice earlier. He had two match lead and he needs only a draw in the third tie-breaker to seal his victory.

ECONOMY

India’s Forex Reserves declined by USD 613.9 million to USD 393.12 billion
India’s foreign exchange reserves declined in this week by USD 613.9 million reaching USD 393.12 billion. This decline has been attributed to the fall in foreign currency assets as per the Reserve Bank of India. The Forex reserves had increased by USD 16.6 million to reach USD 393.734 billion in the previous week.

CAD Widened to 2.9 % of GDP in Q2
Current account deficit (CAD) widened to 2.9% of GDP for the July-September quarter due to higher trade deficit compared with 1.1% during the same period of the previous year, according to the Reserve Bank of India.

India to retain top position in remittances with $80 billion:World Bank
India retain its position as the world’s top recipient of remittances this year with its diaspora sending $80 billion back home.India is followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico and the Philippines ($34 billion each) and Egypt ($26 billion).

Fitch Ratings lowered India’s GDP growth forecast to 7.2% on higher financing costs
Fitch Ratings, in its report- Global Economic Outlook, slashed India’s GDP growth forecast to 7.2 per cent for current fiscal, even lower than RBI’s projection of 7.4%. The main reasons cited for the decline are higher financing cost and reduced credit availability.

India’s growth forecast cut by 10 bps to 7.4% on weakening global growth: CRISIL
Crisil cut India’s growth forecast for current fiscal, by 10 basis points, to 7.4 per cent citing weakening global GDP and trade growth as the reasons for the decline. Due to lower global trade and GDP growth, emerging economies such as India would face a downward growth.

GDP in India will grow 7.2% in the year ending March 2019: Moody’s
Moody’s expects the real gross domestic product (GDP) in India to grow 7.2 per cent in the year ending March 2019 and 7.4 per cent in the following year. Earlier Moody’s Investors service growth prediction for India was 7.5% in 2018-19, 7.5% in 2019-20 released on 23rd August, 2018.

India’s economy grows at 7.1 per cent for 2nd part of 2018-19
Central Statistics Office (CSO) released a report showing that Indian Economy grew at 7.1 per cent in the second quarter (July-September) of 2018-19 which is lower than the first quarter in which GDP growth was 8.1 per cent. As per the report of CSO, despite having Manufacturing growth at 7.4, Indian Economy growth moderated in the second quarter of 2018 but it is higher than the second quarter of 2017-18 which shows a growth rate of 6.3 per cent.

Non-food bank credit grows at 15.6%: RBI
According to a Reserve Bank of India data, total credit growth from banks to the commercial sector grew at 15.6 per cent to Rs 97.32 lakh crore from previous Rs 84.22 lakh crore in the fortnight, the highest growth since demonetization of Rs.500 and Rs.1000 currency notes in 2016, as per Reserve Bank of India data.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

China’s navigation satellite system BeiDou starts providing global service
China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has started offering global service. It is touted as a rival to America’s Global Positioning System (GPS). Pakistan has become the first foreign nation to use the BeiDou system ending its reliance on GPS.

ISRO Completes Fourth Orbit-Raising Manoeuvre Of GSAT-7A
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has completed the fourth manoeuvre to position the GSAT-7A military communication satellite closer to its final position. The satellite is currently between 35,800 and 36,092 kilometres from earth and is very close to its final position in the geostationary orbit, which is located at an altitude of around 35,786 km from Earth.

India successfully test-fires Agni-IV ballistic missile
India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable long-range Inter Continental Ballistic Missile Agni-IV, with a strike range of 4,000 km. The test was part of a user trial by the Army. The strategic surface-to-surface missile was flight tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Dr Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast.

ISRO Launched GSAT- 7A Communication Satellite
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched GSLV-F11 which carried communication satellite GSAT-7A. The satellite is meant to enhance the communication infrastructure of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

ISRO to launch communication satellite GSAT-7A
India will launch its latest communication satellite, GSAT-7A aboard Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F11) on December 19, 2018 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The GSLV-F11 is ISRO’s fourth generation launch vehicle with three stages. The launch vehicle, which is in its 13th flight, will inject GSAT-7A into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

Agni-5 missile successfully test-fired
India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable ballistic missile ‘Agni-5’ from Dr Abdul Kalam Island, off the Odisha coast. The missile was launched with the help of a mobile launcher from launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Dr Abdul Kalam Island in the Bay of Bengal. It was a user associated trial and was conducted by the Strategic Force Command with DRDO scientists.

Chang’e-4: China Launches 1st Mission to Land on the Far Side of the Moon
China launched the first-ever spacecraft, Chang’e 4, that will attempt landing on the far side of the Moon, which always shows the same face to Earth as it’s close enough to be locked by the planet’s gravitational field.

SpaceX Launches 64 Satellites Aboard Reusable Rocket
SpaceX successfully launched 64 small satellites, including India’s ExseedSAT-1 in the company’s largest-ever “rideshare” mission on a twice-reused Falcon 9 rocket that lifted off from a California launchpad. This is a new US record.

NASA’s InSight spacecraft successfully lands on Mars
NASA’s robotic InSight lander successfully landed on Mars after the six-month journey. The US space agency’s InSight mission team in a statement said, the lander sent signals indicating that its solar panels are open and collecting sunlight on the Martian surface. NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter relayed the signals of the landing, which were received on Earth.

APPOINTMENTS

Ambika Prasad Panda appointed CMD of SECL
Ambika Prasad Panda was appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL). She is at present Director of finance in SECL. She has been appointed the CMD of SECL for a period of five years.

Justice Praveen Kumar appointed Acting Chief Justice of Andhra High Court
Honorable President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Justice Chagari Praveen Kumar as the fresh acting Chief Justice of Andhra High Court. He would assume the charge. Upon the requirement of creation of a new High Court for Andhra Pradesh in the state capital of Amravati, Mr. Praveen Kumar was hired for the new position.

Tata Coffee appoints Chacko Thomas as MD & CEO
Tata Coffee Executive Director and Deputy CEO Chacko Purackal Thomas has been promoted as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. He will take over from Sanjiv Sarin. A decision in this regard was taken in the board meeting, according to a regulatory filing.

Rajesh Subramaniam is appointed as CEO of FedEx Express
FedEx Express, a U.S. multinational courier delivery giant, has named Rajesh Subramaniam, an Indian-American, as the President & Chief Executive Officer of the firm. He will assume his new role. He replaces David L Cunningham. Mr. Subramaniam currently holds the executive vice- president, chief marketing and communications officer position of FedEx Corporation.

CA Kuttappa appointed India’s new chief men’s boxing coach
Dronacharya awardee C A Kuttappa has taken over as India’s chief boxing coach. The 39-year-old Kuttappa, credited with shaping some of the country’s most successful boxers such as Vijender Singh, M Suranjoy Singh and Shiva Thapa among others, took over from veteran coach S R Singh.

P.V. Bharathi Appointed MD and CEO of Corporation Bank
P V Bharathi has been appointed as managing director and chief executive officer of the Corporation Bank. Bharathi is at present Executive Director, Canara Bank. She will replace Jai Kumar Garg. Birupaksha Mishra and Balakrishna Alse S have been appointed as executive director in the Corporation Bank and the Oriental Bank of Commerce, respectively.

BVP Rao Elected Archery Association of India President
B V P Rao was elected as the President of Archery Association of India(AAI),the election was held under the Supervision of former Chief Election Commissioner S. Y. Quraishi. Maha Singh was elected as secretary of Archery Association of India,D K Vidyarthi was elected as the treasurer. Sunil Sharma was elected senior vice-president and Rajendra Singh Tomar and Purnima Mahato will be the vice presidents.

Trump Replaces Defence Head Mattis With Deputy Patrick Shanahan
US President Donald Trump announced that he would replace Defence Secretary Jim Mattis with his deputy Patrick Shanahan as acting Pentagon chief. Shanahan will assume charge of Acting Secretary of Defense. Mattis resigned in protest after Trump announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria over the strong objections of Mattis and others on the national security team.

Nevada becomes 1st US state with female-majority Legislature
Twenty-three of the 42 available State Assembly seats will now be represented by a woman. This came after Clark County Commissioners appointed Rochelle Thuy Nguyen and Beatrice Angela Duran to Las Vegas-area legislative seats.

Infosys appoints Airtels Nilanjan Roy as new CFO
Infosys Ltd has appointed Bharti Airtel Ltd’s global CFO Nilanjan Roy as chief financial officer. He replaces interim CFO Jayesh Sanghrajka, who will resume his responsibilities as deputy CFO. Roy spent 13 years with Airtel, before which he worked for 15 years with Unilever across their global operations.

WV Raman appointed as the new coach of the India women’s cricket team
Ex-Indian men’s cricket team opener WV Raman has been appointed as the coach of the Indian women’s cricket team despite India’s 2011 men’s World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten being the first choice. Raman, who played 11 Tests and 27 ODIs, is now one of the most qualified coaches in the country. Raman is currently a batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

Harsh Vardhan Shringla appointed India’s Ambassador to the US
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) appointed Harsh Vardhan Shringla as the new Ambassador of India to the United States of America. Shringla is currently serving as the High Commissioner in Bangladesh. He would be succeeding Navtej Singh Sarna.

Ashok Kumar appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Djibouti
Ashok Kumar was appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Djibouti. He is presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Pranab K. Das new CBIC Chairman
Senior bureaucrat Pranab Kumar Das has been appointed as Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), the apex policy-making body for indirect taxes. Das, Special Secretary and Member (Customs) at CBIC, will succeed S. Ramesh, who superannuates.

Uday Shankar elected Vice President of FICCI
Uday Shankar is the first ever Indian media and entertainment executive to assume the leadership position in a national industry chamber – The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Govt Appoints Interim CBI Head Nageswara Rao as Additional Director
CBI’s Joint Director M Nageswara Rao, who is currently the interim CBI Director, was promoted to the rank of Additional Director by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. The 1986-batch IPS officer from the Odisha cadre had joined the CBI in 2016.

Sandip Somany takes over as new Ficci President
Leading industry chamber Ficci announced that it has elected Sandip Somany as the association’s President for 2018-19. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) also announced that the current Joint Managing Director Apollo Hospitals Sangita Reddy has been elevated as Ficci Senior Vice President for next year, while Uday Shankar has joined the chamber as Vice President. Somany takes over as President from Rashesh Shah.

Madhavi Divan appointed Additional Solicitor General
With her appointment, Divan becomes only the third woman to become an ASG (Additional Solicitor General) in the Supreme Court. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment and Divan will hold office till June 30, 2020. Senior advocate Indira Jaising was the first woman to be appointed as the ASG, while the second one was Pinky Anand, who still holds the post.

Ramphal Pawar appointed as Director of NCRB
The government of India appointed Ramphal Pawar as Director of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). He is the former Joint Secretary of NATGRID. He is the Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from West Bengal cadre.

Andreas Goss is appointed as CEO of Thyssenkrupp Tata Steel B.V
Andreas Goss is appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Thyssenkrupp Tata Steel B.V., the proposed joint venture (JV) between Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp. Mr.Goss is currently the CEO of Thyssenkrupp’s steel division.

Ashok Kumar Singh appointed Secretary of NCST
Ashok Kumar Singh, Lok Sabha Secretariat assumed charge as Secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST). NCST is empowered to investigate and monitor matters relating to safeguards provided for STs under the Constitution or under other laws or under Govt. order.

Yes Bank names Brahm Dutt as Interim Chairman
Yes Bank Ltd is likely to name independent director Brahm Dutt as the bank’s non-executive interim chairman after former finance secretary Ashok Chawla resigned from the position last month. Brahm Dutt is a former bureaucrat and is one of the oldest members of Yes Bank’s board.

CAG Rajiv Mehrishi appointed as Vice-Chair of UN Panel of Auditors
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Rajiv Mehrishi was elected as Vice-Chair of United Nations (UN) Panel of Auditors at its annual meeting held in New York. In this meeting CAG of UK was also appointed as Chair of Panel for another term (2019).

Ex-SBI Chief Arundhati Bhattacharya appointed as SWIFT India Chairman
Arundhati Bhattacharya will be seen replacing Mavila Vishwanathan Nair, the present Chairman of The Indian arm of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) SWIFT India Domestic Services, whose term is going to end after five years. Arundhati Bhattacharya served India’s largest bank by assets SBI as its 24th Chairman.

Shaktikanta Das: 25th Governor of RBI
India’s former economic affairs secretary and current member of the Finance Commission Shaktikanta Das is to be appointed as next RBI Governor. He will be the 25th Governor of the apex bank of the country. Shaktikanta Das is a 1980 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu Cadre and a very prominent bureaucrat who served under both NDA and UPA governments.

Sameer Aggarwal is appointed as CBO of Walmart India
Walmart India, the U.S. retail major, appointed Sameer Aggarwal as its Chief Business Officer. Mr.Sameer has been elevated from his position as EVP, chief strategy and administrative officer to the Chief Business Officer with immediate effect. Aggarwal will now lead strategy, merchandising, cost analytics, e-commerce, technology, marketing, and replenishment.

Shalindra Kumar is appointed as CEO of Jammu & Kashmir
Shalindra Kumar will take over as the Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir. He will be replacing the incumbent Shaleen Kabra. His office will take effect a day after the completion of the ongoing nine-phased panchayat polls in the State. The panchayat elections in J&K is being held after a gap of seven years.

James Quincey to Succeed Muhtar Kent as Chairman of The Coca-Cola Company
James Quincey was elected as the 14th chairman of the Coca-Cola Company, succeeding Muhtar Kent, who plans to retire in April after a Coca-Cola system career that started in 1978. Quincey, currently serves as president and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company and will become chairman following the company’s annual meeting in April 2019.

Axis Bank inducts Amitabh Chaudhry on its board
Axis Bank inducted Amitabh Chaudhry as additional director on its board. He will replace incumbent Shikha Sharma whose fourth term has been curtailed by the RBI by nearly two-and-half years. The board also gave its nod for the reappointment of Samir Barua, Som Mittal and Rohit Bhagat as independent directors.

Atul Sahai appointed CMD of New India Assurance
Atul Sahai has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the country’s largest general insurance company New India Assurance. The post had been lying vacant since July 2018 after former chairman and managing director G Srinivasan retired.

Krishnamurthy Subramanian appointed as new Chief Economic Advisor
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian as the new Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) for a term of three years. This comes nearly six months after former CEA Arvind Subramanian stepped down from the post.

Trump names Heather Nauert as US Ambassador to United Nation
US President Donald Trump nominated State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as the US Ambassador to the United Nations. The former Fox News presenter’s appointment to the UN role will have to be approved by the US Senate. Nauert will replace Nikki Haley, who will be leaving the post by the end of 2018.

Government appointed Lalit Kumar as its nominee on ICICI Bank
The government appointed Lalit Kumar, a 1995-batch Indian Economic Service (IES) officer as the new government nominee on private sector ICICI Bank. He is currently an Economic Advisor in the department of financial services of the finance ministry.

Indian-origin woman Shamila Batohi named South Africa’s 1st female chief prosecutor
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Indian-origin Shamila Batohi as the country’s first female chief prosecutor. Batohi will start her new role as the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) in February 2019. Batohi is a former state prosecutor from KwaZulu-Natal and has served as a senior adviser to the prosecutor in the International Criminal Court since 2009.

Ajay Jha appointed new finance secretary
Government of India appointed Ajay Narayan Jha as new Finance Secretary. He replaced Hasmukh Adhia. He was the former secretary of Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. He is a 1982-batch IAS officer of Manipur Tripura cadre.

SBI ropes in Swapna Barman as brand ambassador for YONO
State Bank of India roped in Asian Games gold medalist Swapna Barman as brand ambassador for its digital app YONO(You only need one). YONO is an integrated digital banking platform offered by State Bank of India (SBI) to enable users to access a variety of financial and other services such as taxi bookings, online shopping, or medical bill payments.

Jon Ridgeon appointed as CEO of IAAF
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced the appointment of Jon Ridgeon as its new CEO following approval by the IAAF Council on the first day of its 215th Council Meeting in Monaco. Ridgeon will take up the new role.

Raninder Singh becomes first Indian to be elected ISSF Vice President
The elections were held during the General Assembly meeting of ISSF in Munich in which Raninder secured 161 votes to make it to the coveted position. The 51-year-old Raninder is currently the president of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

Bank of Maharashtra appoints A.S. Rajeev as MD & CEO
The 54-year-old previously served as the Executive Director of Indian Bank and had also been the CFO of Vijaya Bank. He will hold the position for a period of three years or till further orders, whichever is earlier.

Mohammad Azharuddin appointed working president of Telangana Congress
AICC has appointed former MP and Cricketer Mohd Azharuddin as working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee. Congress General Secretary Ashok Gehlot announced this in a release in Delhi. He informed that Party President Rahul Gandhi also approved 14 more appointments for the Telangana PCC office bearers.

Ajay Bhushan Pandey takes over as Revenue Secretary
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey took over as the Union Revenue Secretary. He will continue to head the UIDAI as its CEO and will also hold his position as the Chairman of Goods and Services Tax Network.

OYO appoints Rohit Kapoor as CEO of Real Estate Business
Hospitality startup OYO has appointed Max Healthcare Executive Director Rohit Kapoor as the CEO of its new real estate business. Rohit Kapoor stated that he is thrilled to join OYO’s mission of upgrading different forms of real estate and creating unique accommodations experiences.

World Gold Council appoints David Tait as next CEO
The World Gold Council announced the appointment of David Tait as its next CEO. David will join the organisation as CEO Designate for a transitionary period before becoming CEO. He will succeed Aram Shishmanian, who served as CEO over the last 10 years.

RESIGNS

PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed resigned
Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Shahbaz Ahmed resigned over mistreatment of the national sport in the country. He had earlier been the captain and has been serving as the secretary for 3 years.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis resigns from his post
The United States Defence Secretary James Mattis has resigned from his post. His resignation came after his disagreement with the US President Donald Trump over the withdrawal of US troops from Syria.

Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel Resigns
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has resigned amid pressure on his government over his support for the UN global compact on migration. The pressure increased after his biggest coalition partner, the right-wing N-VA party, quit the government over the issue.

Sri Lankan PM Rajapaksa Resigned
In Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned to pave the way for the formation of new government under ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremsinghe. Earlier, the Supreme Court had refused to vacate interim order of lower court restraining Rajapaksa and his Cabinet from functioning.

Economist Surjit Bhalla resigns from EAC-PM
Economist Surjit S Bhalla has resigned from his position as the part-time Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. The Council is headed by NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy. Other part-time members on the Council include economists Rathin Roy, Ashima Goyal and former bureaucrat Ratan Watal.

Raman Singh resigns as Chhattisgarh CM
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh resigned taking moral responsibility for the BJP’s stunning defeat in Assembly election. He said that he had sent his resignation to Governor Anandiben Patel. Raman Singh, who was Chief Minister for 15 years, said as it became clear that the Congress was headed for a thumping victory in the 90-member House.

Upendra Kushwaha resigns from Union Council of ministers
Upendra Kushwaha, leader of the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), announced his resignation from the Union Council of ministers and his party’s exit from the NDA. He was Minister of State for Human Resource Development.

RBI Governor Urjit Patel Resigns
A day before the results of polling in the five states, Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel stepped down from his post. Patel, who cited ‘personal reasons’ behind his decision, was in a conflict with the Union finance ministry over matters related to the monetary policy.

Axis Capital CEO Dharmesh Mehta Resigns
Leading Investment Bank Axis Capital announced that its MD & CEO Dharmesh Mehta has stepped down. The bank has elevated Salil Pitale and Chirag Negandhi as Joint Managing Directors and Co-Chief Executive Officer. Pitale and Negandhi’s appointment will be with immediate effect.

Paul Polman step down as Unilever’s CEO
Unilever’s Chief Executive Paul Polman will step down next month after ten years in the job. The Anglo-Dutch group was forced to ditch a controversial post-Brexit plan to move its headquarters from London to the Rotterdam, Netherlands. Mr Polman will be succeeded by Alan Jope, the Scottish executive who has been running Unilever’s beauty and personal care business, its biggest division.

DEATHS

Former Nigerian President Shagari passed away at 93
Former Nigerian President Shehu Shagari passed away in the country’s capital city of Abuja at the age of 93. He served seven times in a ministerial or cabinet post as a federal minister and federal commissioner from 1958-1975 before he was elected president in 1979.

Prof Hamidi Kashmiri Passes Away
Dr. Hamidi Kashmiri, the tallest literary figure in the world of Urdu language, literature and literary criticism passed away. He was a prolific creative writer, an acclaimed critic and propounder of “Iktishaafi Tanqueed”. He has also been the Vice Chancellor of the University of Kashmir for years.

Paddy Ashdown: Ex-Liberal Democrats Leader Passes Away
Centrist politician Paddy Ashdown has died aged 77 after a short illness. Ashdown, who was born in India and moved to Northern Ireland as a young child, headed up the Lib Dems for more than a decade. He quit in 1999 and went on to become the European Union’s special representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Padma Shri Awardee Sulagitti Narasamma Passes Away
Social worker and Padma Shri awardee Sulagitti Narasamma passed away in Bengaluru. She was 98 years old. Narasamma had helped deliver more than 15,000 babies, free of charge, in Krishnapura, a remote village in Pavagada Taluk in Karnataka. Narasamma was awarded multiple honors for performing the traditional deliveries during her 70 years of service.

‘Nightingale of Assam’ Dipali Borthakur Passes Away
Legendary Assamese singer Dipali Borthakur popularly referred to as the “Nightingale of Assam” passed away. She was 77. Borthakur had been suffering from a motor neuron disease for the last four decades. For her outstanding contributions to the field of arts, Borthakur was honored with the Padma Shri award in 1998.

Noted Tamil writer Prabhanjan dies in Puducherry
Noted Tamil writer and Sahitya Akademi award winner Prabhanjan died due to Cancer at the age of 83 in Puducherry. Prabhanjan started his career as a Tamil Teacher and got Sahitya Akademi Award for his historic novel ‘Vaanam Vasapadum’ in 1995.

Ex-Nepal PM Tulsi Giri passes away
Former Nepalese Prime Minister Tulsi Giri passed away in Kathmandu. He was 92. The veteran politician breathed his last in his residence at Budhanilkantha after suffering from liver cancer. Giri was politically active from 1960 to 2005.

Renowned classical singer Pandit Arun Bhaduri passes away
Renowned classical singer Pandit Arun Bhaduri passed away at a city hospital in Kolkata after a prolonged illness. He was 75. Pandit Bhaduri, considered to be one of the masters of Bengali songs and bhajans. The veteran singer had served as a guru (teacher) at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, and was a top radio and television artiste.

Malayalam film director Ajayan passes away
Ajayan, noted filmmaker and director of classic Malayalam movie Perumthachan, passed away at Thiruvananthapuram. Ajayan had directed the movie Perumthachan, scripted by MT Vasudevan Nair, in 1990. He won both the national award for debutant director and state award for debutant director for the movie. Also Perumthachan won the award for most popular movie in 1990.

Senior Kerala Congress Leader CN Balakrishnan passed away at 87
Senior Congress leader and former Kerala minister CN Balakrishnan passed away at 87 in Kochi, Kerala. He was the Thrissur district Congress committee president for 17 years and the state unit treasurer. In 2011, he became the state Cooperation Minister in the Oommen Chandy cabinet.

Mushirul Hasan, noted historian, passes away
Historian Mushirul Hasan, who has extensively written on India’s Partition, passed away. He was 69 years old. An alumnus of the Aligarh Muslim University and the University of Cambridge, Mr. Hasan was the Vice-Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia University.

PM Modi’s PRO Jagdish Thakkar dies
Jagdish Thakkar, a public relations officer in the Prime Minister’s Office, died. Thakkar worked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi since his days as the chief minister of Gujarat and later joined him in the PMO. He also served nearly a dozen other chief ministers in Gujarat for over three decades.

Former Colombian president Belisario Betancur passed away at 95
Former Colombian president Belisario Betancur passed away at 95. He became president in 1982, after failing 3 times for the presidential election, and governed till 1986. He was the first president under whom the rebel groups, that emerged in the 1960s, signed a peace agreement.

Congress MP Maulana Asrar-ul-Haque Qasmi passes away at 76
Maulana Asrar-ul-Haque Qasmi, noted Islamic scholar and Congress Lok Sabha MP from Bihar’s Kishanganj constituency, passed away recently. He was 76. The state government has announced his funeral will take place with state honour. Qasmi won the Kishanganj seat in 2009 general elections by contesting on an Indian National Congress ticket after five consecutive failures.

Former National Champion Swimmer Arun Kumar Shaw passes away
Seven-time former national champion swimmer Arun Kumar Shaw passed away following a prolonged illness. He was 82. He was the first swimmer from Bengal to receive the Arjuna Award in 1967.

Senior AIR broadcaster Ashutosh Jain passes away
Senior Hindi News Reader of All India Radio, Ashutosh Jain passed away in New. He was 60. Ashutosh Jain, who joined the AIR in 1989 in Chandigarh retired from Delhi in April this year.

Former US President George H.W. Bush passes away
George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States who helped steer America through the end of the Cold War, passed away. He was 94. He is survived by four sons namely George W Bush, Jeb, Neil and Marvin and a daughter Dorothy Bush LeBlond.

WII vet, social activist Harry Leslie Smith dies at 95
British World War II veteran and political activist Harry Leslie Smith died at 95. Smith was an outspoken human rights activist and worked as an advocate of National Health Service to protect refugees.

VISITORS

Bhutanese PM Dr. Lotay Tshering on 3-day Visit to India
Prime Minister of Bhutan Dr. Lotay Tshering arrived in New Delhi on a three-day official visit to India. The visit of the Bhutanese Prime Minister is taking place during the Golden Jubilee year of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Overview of President of Maldives Ibrahim Solih’s maiden 3-day state visit to India
The President of the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Mr Ibrahim Mohamed Solih concluded his maiden 3-day state visit to India. Prime Minister announced financial assistance up to US$ 1.4 billion in the form of budgetary support, currency swap and concessional lines of credit to fulfil the socio-economic development programmes of the Maldives Maldives to re-join the Commonwealth and became the newest member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association.

Maldives President arrives in India
Maldives new President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih arrived in New Delhi on a three-day state visit during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed at strengthening bilateral ties. Solih, who surprisingly defeated Maldivian strongman Abdulla Yameen in polls in September, arrived in New Delhi on his first foreign visit after assuming office and was received by Union minister Hardeep S Puri.

Overview of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s 2 day Visit to UAE
External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj participated in the two day 12th session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) for Economic and Technical Cooperation in Abu Dhabi. EAM Sushma Swaraj along with the Foreign Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan co-inaugurated the Gandhi-Zayed Digital Museum in Abu Dhabi.

MISCELLANEOUS

Barack Obama named most admired man for 11th year in a row
Former President of United States of America (USA), Barack Obama has been named as the most admired man by Americans for the 11th year in a row according to a gallup poll. Present President of USA, Donald trumps ranked 2nd for the fourth consecutive year. Former First Lady of USA Michelle Obama was also voted as the most admired women by American.

American adventurer O Brady First Person to complete solo trek across Antarctica
American adventurer Colin O Brady became the first person to complete a solo journey across Antarctica, unaided and unsupported, after finishing a two-month expedition in frigid temperatures and winds of 30 mph.

Madhya Pradesh’s Divya Patidar Joshi Crowned Mrs. India 2018 Title
Divya Patidar Joshi from Madhya Pradesh was crowned with the Mrs. India 2018 title at the Mrs. India My Identity Beauty Pageant 2018 finale held in New Delhi. She defeated 24 promising contestants and won all the rounds of Beauty with Brain contest along with Best Cat Walk title.

Aadhaar not mandatory for admission in schools
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has made it clear that schools cannot make Aadhaar a pre-condition to admit the students. UIDAI has categorically made it clear that asking for Aadhaar card for admissions is not as per the provisions of law and doing so will be against the recent order of the Supreme Court.

PM Modi releases Rs 100 commemorative coin in honour of ex-PM Vajpayee
On the eve of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 94th birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a â‚¹100 commemorative coin in the memory of the former premier. The front of the Rs 100 coin features the National Emblem of India along with ‘Satyamev Jayate’ in Devanagari script inscribed below. The reverse side of the Rs 100 coin features a portrait of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Miss Philippines Catriona Gray crowned Miss Universe 2018
Miss Philippines Catriona Gray was crowned Miss Universe after she won the final round of the Miss Universe 2018 pageant, held in Bangkok. Outgoing Miss Universe Demi Leigh Nel Peters from South Africa crowned her successor.

Indian American Shree Saini from USA crowned Miss India Worldwide 2018
Indian-American Shree Saini crowned Miss India Worldwide 2018 at the 27th annual global pageant held in the Fords City of New Jersey. It is Organised by the New York-based India Festival Committee (IFC). Sakshi Sinha from Australia was declared as the first runner-up and Anusha Sareen from the United Kingdom declared as the second runner-up.

Four Indians among world’s 100 most powerful women, list topped by Germen Chancellor Angela Merkel: Forbes
Forbes released The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women of 2018. Four Indians among world’s 100 most powerful women, list topped by Germen Chancellor Angela Merkel. The four members are Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Shobhana Bhartia & Priyanka Chopra.

Mexico’s Vanessa Ponce de Leon wins Miss World 2018 Crown
Mexico’s Vanessa Ponce de Leon won the coveted Miss World 2018 crown at a grand event held in the Chinese city, Sanya. Thailand’s Nicolene Pichapa Limsnukan was declared the runner-up. Former Miss World Manushi Chillar (India) presented the crown to the new winner during the pageant in which 118 contestants participated.

Salman Khan tops Forbes’ richest Indian celebrity list for third time
Salman Khan has been named the highest-earning celebrity in India for the third time in a row by Forbes, with earnings of ₹253.25 crore. The second spot was captured by Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli, with Rs 228.09 crore to his name, to become the first sportsperson to reach the position.

PM Modi most followed world leader on Instagram
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as the most popular global leader on social media platform Instagram with 14.8 million followers. According to a list published by online platform twiplomacy, Mr Modi is closely followed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo with 12.2 million followers.

Microsoft passes Apple to become most valuable company
Microsoft has surpassed Apple as the most valuable US company with a market value of about $812 billion. Apple’s market cap was about $1 billion less. In August 2018, Apple became the first US company with a $1 trillion valuation.

4 Indian-Origin Women in Forbes US Top 50 Females In Tech
Four Indian-origin technology executives have made it to the Forbes’ list of America’s 50 women in technology space in 2018. The list includes Neha Narkhede, chief technology officer and co-founder of streaming platform Confluent; Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan, CEO, and founder of identity-management company Drawbridge; Padmasree Warrior, former chief technology officer (CTO) of Cisco, and Komal Mangtani, senior director at Uber.

BOOKS IN NEWS

Book ‘Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From’ By Tony Joseph Released
The book titled ‘Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From’ written by Tony Joseph was released. The book talks about the migration of the First Indians also known as ‘Aryans’ who arrived here 65,000 years ago.

‘A Rural Manifesto – Realising India’s Future through her Villages’
The book “A Rural Manifesto – Realising India’s Future through her Villages” authored by BJP MP Varun Gandhi was released in Bengaluru. The book focuses on challenges faced by farmers, labourers, student and teachers in villages across the country.

Book ‘Changing India’ By Manmohan Singh Released
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, ridiculed for his silence by his political opponents for years, had taken an unusual dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the release of his book, Changing India. Dr Manmohan Singh said he wasn’t ‘the PM who was afraid of talking to the Press’.

PM Modi releases book on renowned cartoonist R.K. Laxman
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a book “Timeless Laxman”, based on the life and times of legendary cartoonist, the late R.K. Laxman. The book has been penned by cartoonist’s daughter-in-law Usha Srinivas Laxman. He passed away in January 2015 in Pune aged 93.

Book named ‘God of Sin: The Cult, The Clout and Downfall of Asaram Bapu’ released
Book on self-styled godman Asaram Bapu released after a Chandigarh court refused to stay its publication.The Book is Authored by Ushinor Majumdar. The plea was filed seeking a permanent injunction against publishing of the book. Book was published by Penguin Random.

‘Of Counsel:The Challenges of the Modi Jaitley Economy’ launched
Former Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Arvind Subramanian said both demonetisation and implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) led to moderation of the Indian Economy. Speaking at the launch event of his book, ‘Of Counsel: The Challenges of the Modi-Jaitley Economy’, he said the structure of GST implemented to eliminate cascading taxes could have been much better.

‘The Republican Ethic’ in English & ‘Loktantra ke Swar’ in Hindi
Vice President of India Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu released two books on the compilation of selected speeches made by the President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind in the first year of assuming the office. The books are titled as, ‘The Republican Ethic’ in English and ‘Loktantra ke Swar’ in Hindi.

Admiral Sunil Lanba released book titled ‘Blue Waters Ahoy!’
Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff, released a book titled ‘Blue Waters Ahoy!’ – chronicling the Indian Navy’s History from 2001-10. The unveiling was a part of an At Home function held at the Navy House in the presence of Ramnath Kovind, the President of India and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

Book on ‘anti-farmer policies’ of Modi government launched
A book detailing how Modi government’s policies have led to a drop in farmers’ income and caused rural distress across the country was launched in New Delhi. The book ‘Modiraj Main Kisan, Double Aamad Ya Double afat’ is authored by Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav.

COMMITTEES

Forty First Meeting of Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee held in New Delhi
The 41st meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee was held in New Delhi. In the meeting, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has approved the construction of another 3,10,597 more affordable houses for the benefit of urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).

1st Meeting of Follow-up Committee held in Iran
The first meeting of the Follow-up Committee for implementation of the Trilateral Chabahar Agreement between India, Afghanistan and Iran was held in the port city of Chabahar in Iran. India Ports Global Limited company opened its office and took over operations at Chabahar.

Logistics Development Committee constituted under the Chairmanship of Dr. Bibek Debroy, Chairman EAC-PM
The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) constituted a Logistics Development Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. Bibek Debroy, Chairman EAC-PM.

IOC sets up human rights advisory committee starting in 2024
The International Olympic Committee IOC has set up an advisory committee on human rights chaired by Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the former United Nations commissioner for human rights starting in 2024. President Thomas Bach said Saturday at meetings in the Japanese capital that ‘human rights standards’ will be included in Olympic host-city contracts beginning with the 2024 Olympic in Paris.

DAYS & DATES

25 December: Good Governance Day
Bharat Ratna and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday is celebrated as Good Governance Day across the country on 25 December. The Samadhi of Bharat Ratna and Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee Sadaiv Atal was dedicated to the Nation.

23 December: National Farmers Day
National Farmers’ Day (Kisan Diwas) 2018 was celebrated all over India on 23rd of December. It is celebrated in the honour of the former Prime Minister of India Chaudhary Charan Singh with the focus on the upliftment of the status of farmers.

20 December: International Human Solidarity Day
International Human Solidarity Day is organized across the world on 20th December. It is a day to celebrate our unity in diversity and also a day to remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements.

18 December: International Migrants Day
The International Migrants Day 2018 observed on 18th December across the world. In accordance with the Resolution 55/93 of the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA), the International Migrants Day is observed every year on 18 December. The Resolution 55/93 was adopted by UN.

14 December: National Energy Conservation Day
The National Energy Conservation Day is celebrated annually on 14th December. The 14th President of India Mr. Ram Nath Kovind was the Chief Guest on the occasion. The ECD is organized on 14th December each year by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under Ministry of Power. The Day is celebrated with an aim to demonstrate India’s achievements in energy efficiency and conservation.

12 December: International Universal Health Coverage Day
International Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day) is celebrated globally on 12 December. In 2017 the United Nations proclaimed 12 December as International Universal Health Coverage Day by resolution 72/138. The theme for the 2018 UHC Day is- ‘Unite for Universal Health Coverage: Now is the Time for Collective Action’.

11 December: International Mountain Day
International Mountain Day is held every year on 11 December, which was established by the UN General Assembly in 2003 to encourage sustainable development in mountains. The theme for 2018 IMD is ‘Mountains Matter’.

10 December: Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. On this day, the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year, Human Rights Day marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. #StandUp4HumanRights is the global campaign launched on for year 2018.

05 December: World Soil Day
World Soil Day is celebrated annually on the 5th of December at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome, the regional offices and through national and local events. #StopSoilPollution is the objective of this World Soil Day on 5 December and throughout the year.

04 December: Navy Day
The day is celebrated in honor of the maritime force’s role during the war with Pakistan in 1971 when Indian warships attacked Karachi port and successfully hurt Pakistani operations in the western coast. The Day is also celebrated to highlight the role the Navy plays in securing the country’s marine borders during peacetime and carrying out humanitarian missions.

03 December: International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Since 1992, the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) has been annually observed on 3 December around the world. The theme for this year’s IDPD is ‘Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality’.

1 December: World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day is designated on 1 December every year since 1988. The day provides an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. The theme for the World AIDS Day 2018 is ‘Know Your Status’.

BANKING AWARENESS

ESAF SFB Gets RBI Nod to operate as Scheduled Bank
ESAF small finance bank has got RBI approval to operate as a scheduled bank. This makes ESAF small finance bank (SFB) the fifth scheduled bank from Kerala. ESAF microfinance institution, started in 1992, was one among the ten applicants to receive approval from RBI to start banking operations in 2016.

ICICI Topped List of Banks Penalising Staff For Fraud in 2015-2017: RBI data
According to data furnished by the Reserve Bank of India, between 2015 and 2017, private lender ICICI Bank penalized the highest number of employees for defrauding bank assets in the last three year out of 60 scheduled commercial banks operating in India. It is followed by State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank.

RBI to soon release New Rs 20 Note
The Reserve Bank of India will soon introduce Rs 20 notes with additional features. The reserve bank has already issued new-look currency notes in the denominations of Rs 10, Rs 50, Rs 100, and Rs 500, besides introducing Rs 200 and Rs 2000 notes after demonetisation.

RBI limits total outstanding ECBs to 6.5% of GDP
The Reserve Bank of India, in consultation with the government, has decided to have a rule-based dynamic limit for outstanding stock of External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) at 6.5% of GDP at current market prices.

IDFC Bank & Capital First merged
IDFC Bank completed the merger process with non-banking financial company ‘Capital First’. After the merger, ‘Capital First’ has been renamed as ‘IDFC First Bank’. V. Vaidyanathan is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the merged entity.

India & ADB sign Loan Agreement of $60 million for Assam
Union Government (Ministry of Finance) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed $85 million loan agreement for Odisha Skill Development Project. It aims to improve the skill development eco-system in Odisha and establish World Skill Center (WSC), an advanced skill training center in state capital Bhubaneswar.

The Government of India and ADB sign a $31 Million Loan Agreement
The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a Loan Agreement for $31 million to build-up the State Tourism Industry and boost visitor arrivals. The Project will support the conservation and restoration of eight heritage monuments, one museum, three temples, and a pond.

SBI hikes Fixed Deposit Interest Rates
Country’s largest bank State Bank of India has increased fixed deposit or FD rates for some select maturity periods. According to the revised rates, SBI is offering 6.8% interest rate on FDs with maturity period of one to two years, as compared to 6.7% earlier. The interest rate for senior citizens also goes up to 7.30% on SBI FDs with tenure between one year and two years, from 7.2% earlier.

INTERNATIONAL

India gifts 30 ambulances, 6 buses to Nepal on Republic Day
India on Saturday donated 30 ambulances and six buses to Nepal and extended its support to the country in achieving prosperity. India’s gesture came as it marked 70th Republic Day. India’s Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri handed over keys of the ambulances and buses to the recipient organisations amidst celebrations in Indian Embassy premises, Katmandu.

Sultan Abdullah elected New Malaysian King
Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah was elected as Malaysia’s new king by the members of the country’s royal families. The 59-year-old was earlier appointed the Sultan of the Malaysian state of Pahang. He replaced Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan, who stepped down recently, making it the first abdication in Malaysia’s history.

Burkina Faso President appoints Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire as new PM
West African country Burkina Faso President appointed Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire new Prime Minister as Paul Kaba Theiba and his cabinet resigned last week. Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire is a politician and economist. He takes the reins of government at the time when Burkina Faso is economic and security challenges.

Venezuela breaks off Diplomatic ties with the US
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced that he is breaking off diplomatic ties with the United States after his American counterpart Donald Trump recognized Opposition leader Juan Guaido as the South American country’s interim President.

Andry Rajoelina sworn in as President of Madagascar
Andry Rajoelina was sworn in as President of Madagascar. The oath-taking ceremony was attended by delegation from 35 countries and international organizations.

Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven wins second term
Sweden’s parliament has elected Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to a second four-year term ending more than four months of political deadlock.

Asif Saeed Khosa sworn in as Chief Justice of Pakistan
Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, known for adding lyrical flair in his judgments, sworn in as the Chief Justice of Pakistan in a ceremony at Islamabad. It was attended by foreign legal luminaries, including former Indian SC judge Madan Bhimarao Lokur. He is the 26th Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Palestine Takes Reins at UN’s Group G77
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has pledged to protect the interests of all 134 countries in the UN’s Group of 77, as Palestine took the chairmanship of the group from Egypt for 2019.

British Parliament rejects Brexit deal
British Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a crushing defeat in Parliament over Brexit deal. May’s bid to get the Withdrawal Agreement, struck between Britain and European Union, passed by House of Commons was defeated by a margin of 202 to 432 – a majority of 230 votes.

Taiwan President appoints new PM
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen appointed a new Prime Minister following the resignation of the incumbent over the recent electoral setback suffered by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. The President announced the appointment of Su Tseng-chang to replace Lai Ching-te at a press conference in Taipei. Lai announced his resignation and made it effective after a cabinet meeting.

Maduro Sworn in as Venezuela President for 2nd Term
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro started a second term in office, amid the economic and humanitarian crisis faced by the Latin American country. Maduro was re-elected last year amid allegation of vote buying and electoral fraud. The US, EU and 13 other countries have said that they would not recognise Maduro’s Presidency.

Pakistan’s Provincial Government declares Panj Tirath Hindu religious site as national heritage
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial government of Pakistan has declared the ancient Hindu religious site of Panj Tirath in Peshawar of North Western Pakistan as national heritage. The Directorate of Archaeology and Museums of KP has issued a notification under the KP Antiquities Act 2016 declaring the land in the Panj Tirath Park as a heritage site.

Pakistan, India exchange list of nuclear installations
India and Pakistan exchanged the list of nuclear installations and facilities covered under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear installations between them. This is the 28th consecutive exchange of such lists between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. The list was exchanged through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad.

Jair Bolsonaro takes oath as new President of Brazil
Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in as Brazil’s President in a ceremony at Brazil’s National Congress Building. Bolsonaro is a former Army captain and admirer of the country’s 1964-1985 military dictatorship.

Qatar Withdraws From OPEC
Qatar has withdrawn its membership from Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The country had sent an official notification to the OPEC expressing its wish to pull out and to focus on its liquefied natural gas production. Qatar has been in OPEC for 57 years. The decision came amid the ongoing diplomatic and economic blockade imposed on the country by its Persian Gulf neighbours and several Arab states.

US, Israel Quit UNESCO Citing Bias
The United states of America (USA) and Israel officially quit the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) amid concerns that the organization fosters anti-Israel bias. UNESCO was established in 1945 after the end of world war II to foster peace and it is best known for its World Heritage programs which designates cultural sites and aims to preserve traditions.

Sheikh Hasina wins third consecutive term as prime minister
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina secured her third consecutive term and fourth overall with a landslide victory in the nation’s general elections. The results were announced by the Election Commission.

INDIA & WORLD

India replaces Japan to be world’s second largest steel producer
India has replaced Japan as the world’s second-largest steel producing country, only behind China, which is the largest producer of crude steel accounting for more than 51 per cent of production, as per the latest report by World Steel Association.

Global Corruption Index Released, India Ranks 78
Transparency International has released the Global Corruption Index 2018. India rose by 3 points to 78 in the list of 180 countries in the world with a score of 41. China lagged far behind at 87 and Pakistan ranked 117. The top countries on the list are Denmark and New Zealand, with scores of 88 and 87. Somalia, Syria and South Sudan remained at the bottom, with scores of 10, 13 and 13.

India replaces Japan to be world’s second largest steel producer
India has replaced Japan as the world’s second-largest steel producing country, only behind China, which is the largest producer of crude steel accounting for more than 51 per cent of production, as per the latest report by World Steel Association. The report noted that India’s crude steel production in 2018 was at 106.5 MT, which is up by 4.9 per cent from 101.5 MT in 2017.

IAFTX 2019: India Africa Field Training Exercise held in Pune
The final planning conference to work out the modalities for Indian Africa Field Training Exercise (IAFTX)-2019 was conducted at Pune, Maharashtra. Delegates from Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Namibia, Mozambique, Uganda, Niger & Zambia attended the conference.

India Ranks 79th, Japan Tops List of Most Powerful Passports
According to Henley Passport Index, which keeps in record and analyses of every country’s travel afford revealed a report of powerful passport holding country, in which Japan has retained its position to the top for the consecutive year due to access the document’s access to 190 countries and India has leaped two steps forward to 79th rank from 81st rank.A total of 190 countries are analyzed here.

Former Indian envoy to Myanmar, Vikram Misri, took charge as India’s new envoy to China
India’s new ambassador to China, Vikram Misri, took charge of the post. He reported to Hong Lei, Deputy Director General of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. He is a 1989-batch India Foreign Service (IFS) officer, and replaced Gautam Bambawale.

India to contribute Rs 4,500 cr to Bhutan for 12th five-year plan
India will contribute Rs 4,500 crore to Bhutan for the 12th five-year plan, announced Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The announcement comes during the official three-day visit of Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering. He also revealed that the Mange-Dechchu project will soon be completed and the tariff of the project has also been agreed upon.

NATIONAL

India ranks 54th in ‘Bloomberg Innovation Index’ of 60 Economies
India has been ranked in Bloomberg’s 2019 list of most innovative countries in the world – 2019 Bloomberg Innovation Index – for the first time ever.

Indian Railways has named Train 18 as Vande Bharat Express
Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal announced the name Vande Bharat Express for Train 18, acknowledging its made-in-India status. This train set has been manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in the period of 18 months under ‘Make in India’ program. Vande Bharat Express is India’s first semi-high speed train equipped with world class passenger amenities.

Govt declares sugarcane juice as ‘national drink’ of Pakistan
The government of Pakistan has declared sugarcane juice as the ‘national drink’ of the country. Poll includes three option including orange juice, carrot juice and sugarcane juice. But it is sugarcane juice which won the poll with 81 percent votes. Over 7,600 people participated in the poll and declared sugarcane as national drink ok Pakistan with 81 percent votes. 15 percent of the participants voted in favor of orange juice while 4 percent choose carrot juice.

India among the Most Trusted Nations Globally: Report
India is among the most trusted nations globally when it comes to government, business, NGOs and media. The 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer report, noted that the Global Trust Index witnessed a marginal increase of 3 points to 52. China topped the Trust Index among both the informed public and the general population segments.

Indias longest single lane steel cable bridge opened in Arunachal
India’s longest 300-metre single lane steel cable suspension bridge was inaugurated by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu. The bridge across the Siang river at Yingkiong in Upper Siang district has been named Byorung Bridge. The bridge, built at a cost of 48.43-crore provided by the DONER (Department for Development of North Eastern Region) Ministry, will reduce the distance from Yinkiong to Tuting by almost 40 km.

STATES

Uttarakhand’s First Tulip Garden in Pithoragarh
Uttarakhand’s First Tulip Garden will come up over 50 hectares of forest land near Chandak hilltop in Pithoragarh district at a cost of Rs 50 Crore. It will be developed by the ONGC under its corporate social responsibility programme. The proposed tulip garden will be the Country’s second after the one located in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir.

Odisha announces Jiban Sampark Project
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced ‘Jiban Sampark’ project in partnership with UNICEF India to generate awareness about the development and welfare initiatives of state government among the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of the state. The announcement was made after Patnaik inaugurated the annual tribal fair popularly known as ‘Adivasi Mela’.

‘Operation Olympics’ commences in Kerala
‘Operation Olympics’, an expert programme to train athletes in 11 disciplines has commenced in Kerala. The Kerala sports department and the state sports council are preparing the 123 athletes, who are participating in the programme. The objective of ‘Operation Olympics’ is to provide international standard training with the help of eminent trainers from both India & abroad.

Bihar top state in terms of GDP growth in FY18
Bihar has been ranked the top state in terms of GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) growth in financial year 2017-18, according to a report by Crisil. The state has topped the list with 11.3 percent GSDP growth in fiscal 2018. It was ranked at eighth spot in fiscal 2017 with 9.9 percent GSDP growth. The second spot has been secured by Andhra Pradesh, whose GSDP growth in FY18 jumped to 11.2 percent. Gujarat listed third with growth of 11.1 percent.

Assam govt to give 10% quota to economically weaker sections in general category
Assam Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has approved 10 percent quota for the economically weaker sections of the general category in government employment and government education institutes.

AP Cabinet approved 5% quota for Kapus and EBCs
The Andhra Pradesh State Cabinet has decided to give 5% quota for Kapu community and another 5% to the Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) among the forward castes.

UP third state to approve quota for poor among upper castes
Uttar Pradesh became the third state after Jharkhand and Gujarat to approve the 10 per cent reservation for economically backward among upper castes in jobs and educational institutions. The Approval was given in a meeting headed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath.

Gujarat becomes The First State to Implement 10% Quota for General Category
Gujarat has become the first state to implement the 10% reservation for economically weaker sections of the general category. This comes a day after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the bill. Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani stated that it will also be applicable to jobs for which announcement has been made but the procedure is yet to commence.

West Bengal exits Ayushman Bharat scheme
The government of West Bengal has decided to exit from the Centre’s ambitious Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana. The Government of India was issuing entitlement letters to the beneficiaries without the knowledge of the state government

Kallakurichi announced as 33rd district, after bifurcating
Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswam announced the formation of a new district Kallakurichi by bifurcating Villupuram district which is one of the large districts in the State. With this, the state will now have 33 districts.

Andhra Pradesh tops ACIs Ease of Doing Business Index
The Asia competitiveness institute (ACI) has released the Ease of Doing Business Rankings for Indian states. Andhra Pradesh came on first position while Maharashtra and Delhi came on second and third position respectively. The weakest indicators for the state of Andhra Pradesh were Worker density, foreign direct investment per capital, labour productivity, and the illiteracy rate.

India floats mega tender of 7.5 GW for Jammu & Kashmir
Solar Energy Corporation of India has invited solar power developers to construct 7.5 GW grid connected projects in Leh and Kargil Districts in the state of Jammu & Kashmir under a competitive bidding process. Out of the 7.5 GW capacity, 2.5 GW will be constructed in the Kargil district and 5 GW in Leh district. The tender is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of building 100 gigawatts of solar capacity in the country by 2022.

Home Ministry approved UP’s proposal of renaming Allahabad as Prayagraj
Ahead of the ‘Kumbh Mela 2019’, the Union Home Ministry (MHA) approved the Uttar Pradesh government’s proposal to rename Allahabad as Prayagraj. MHA had earlier approved the renaming of the British-era railway station Robertsgang as Sonbhadra, Farah Town railway station near Mathura and iconic Mughalsarai junction after Deen Dayal Upadhyay – both in Uttar Pradesh.

Centre Approves Rs 1,146.12 cr Cyclone ‘Gaja’ Assistance for Tamil Nadu
The High-Level Committee (HLC) chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh approved additional assistance of Rs 1,146.12 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to Tamil Nadu, which was affected by cyclone ‘Gaja’ recently.

MP Government to create an Adhyatmik Vibhag (Spiritual department)
The Government of Madhya Pradesh has announced setting up of a new Adhyatmik Vibhag (spiritual department). The proposed new department will be set up by merging several existing departments.

CONFERENCES

South India MSME summit 2019 held in Bengaluru
southern Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Association organized the South India MSME Summit-2019 at Bangaluru. Basavaraj S Javali chaired the event. The summit is held with a motive to find solution for their major problems like absence of good infrastructure, technology issues, marketing, procurement issues, regulatory issues, red tape, harassment and victimization.

2+2 Inter-Sessional meeting between India and US held in New Delhi
The inaugural round of a 2+2 Inter-Sessional meeting between the United States and India which focused on the progress of defence and foreign policy issues between the two countries took place in New Delhi. Shri Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (AMS), Ministry of External Affairs and Shri Shambhu S. Kumaran, Joint Secretary (PIC), Ministry of Defence led the Indian delegation.

Global Investors Summit held in Chennai
Tamil Nadu Government organised the 2nd edition of Global Investor summit in Chennai. The state government would soon unveil e-vehicle policy to give a boost to electric vehicles manufacturing in the state. In the opening ceremony, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was the chief guest.

WEF Annual Meet Begins in Switzerland
The World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meet had begun in Davos, Switzerland. The meeting will continue for 5 days. The theme of the event would be ‘Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution’. More than 100 CEOs from India expected to be participating in the meet.

Arab Economic & Social Development Summit held in Beirut
The Arab Economic and Social Development Summit held in Lebanon’s capital Beirut. The leaders of many Arab countries took part in the summit aimed to make a joint statement on a 29-item agenda that ranges from discussions on an Arab free trade zone and the economic effect of Syrian refugees on host countries.

India to Host the 14th Session of the Conference of Parties to UNCCD
India will host the 14th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to address the issue of land degradation and desertification which will have participation from over 100 countries.

‘Global Aviation Summit 2019’ begins in Mumbai
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the ‘Global Aviation Summit 2019′ in Mumbai. The summit is a union and it will address the problems being faced. The summit, with a theme ‘Flying for all-especially the next 6 Billion’, is being organized by Ministry of Civil Aviation in association with FICCI.

9th International Conference on Micro Irrigation
Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India is organizing the 9th International Micro Irrigation Conference on Modern Agriculture at Aurangabad in Maharashtra, in association with International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), Indian National Committee on Surface Water (INCSW) and WAPCOS Limited.

4th Meeting of CTDP held in New Delhi
Union Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, chaired the 4th meeting of the Council for Trade Development and Promotion (CTDP) in New Delhi. Suresh Prabhu informed in the meeting that the Government of India has formulated an Agricultural Export Policy for the first time with a focused plan to boost India’s agricultural exports to USD 60 billion by 2022.

29th Indian Paint Conference 2019 Started in Agra
The Indian Paint Association (IPA), the apex body of the country’s paint industry announced that the 29th biennial Indian Paint Conference started in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The theme of the Conference is ‘Paints Pe Charcha – Naye Aayaam’.

PM Modi Inaugurated 106th Indian Science Congress at Jalandhar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 106th Indian Science Congress (ISC-2019) at Jalandhar, Punjab. The ISC is an annual congregation that witnesses deliberations by top scientific minds of the country. The theme for which is ‘Future: India-Science and Technology’. This will be his 5th address to Indian Science Congress after assuming office as Prime Minister.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Tamil Nadu won Best State award in the Swasth Bharat Yatra
Tamil Nadu has bagged the Best State Award for its active participation in the Swasth Bharat Yatra, a pan-India cyclothon. It aimed at promoting the concept of ‘eating right for a healthy life’. The movement is to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It is organized by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

India bags the award of Excellence for Best in Show at NYTTS 2019
India received the Award of Excellence for ‘Best in Show’ at the New York Times Travel Show 2019, the largest travel show in North America. India was honored during the Closing Bell Ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India participated as the ‘Presenting Partner’ in the New York Times Travel Show (NYTTS 2019) organised at Jacob K Javits Centre, New York with a view to scale up its tourism promotional efforts in the US, enhance India’s visibility and to increase its share of US Outbound travel market.

Jayant Kaikini Wins DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
Noted Kannada writer Jayant Kaikani won the 2018 edition of the DSC South Asian Literature Prize for his short story collection No Presents Please. The $25,000 prize was jointly awarded to Kaikini and Tejaswini Niranjana, the translator of the book, at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet.

Dhirendra nath chakravathi to be conferred with Republic Day Journalism Award
The ‘Republic Day Journalism Award 2019′ will be conferred upon Dhirendra Nath Chakraborty, veteran journalist & former Editor of Dainik Asom, Dainik janambhumi and Ajir batori Kakot newspapers. The award which would be presented under the aegis of the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), contains Rupees 1 Lakh, a citation, a memento, xaraai, jaapi and an angabastra.

NRL receives ‘Best Miniratna PSU’ award
Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) has been awarded the best miniratna PSU in strategic performance (financial category) at the Governance Now Sixth PSU awards. The award, comprising of a trophy, was presented to NRL MD S K Barua by Member of Parliament Manoj Tiwari at an award function held in New Delhi.

Bharat Ratna Awards 2019
The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted in 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order, without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The Bharat Ratna 2019 awarded to Nanaji Deshmukh, Dr Bhupen Hazarika and Pranab Mukherjee.

BJP MP Anurag Thakur honoured with Sansad Ratna Award
Anurag Thakur, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, was bestowed with Sansad Ratna Award for distinguished performance as a parliamentarian. He is the first MP from the BJP, besides being the only Member of Parliament from north India, to have been awarded the Jury Committee Special Award.

3 Indian expats From UAE win Prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award
Three Indian expats from the UAE are amongst those who won the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award the highest honor conferred on Indian diaspora. President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the award on Girish Pant, Surender Singh Kandhari and Dr. Zulekha Daud and other awardees at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention in Varanasi.

President conferred Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2019
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2019 at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The awards were given to 26 shortlisted awardees. The names of awardees were finalized by the National Selection Committee under the Chairpersonship of WCD Minister, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi.

Ranjani Murali Wins ‘Woman’s Voice Award’ at AKLF 2019
US Based Indian poet Ranjani Murali was awarded the “Woman’s Voice Award” at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF). The Objective of the award is to recognize and encourage creative writing by women in India. The Award carried a cash prize of Rs 1 Lakh along with a citation.

Gurinder Singh Khalsa presented with the prestigious Rosa Park Trailblazer award
Indian-American philanthropist and entrepreneur, Gurinder Singh Khalsa(45), has been presented with the prestigious Rosa Park Trailblazer award for his campaign that forced US authorities change their policy towards headgear of the Sikh community.

Sheikh Saud International Prize for Materials Research awarded to C N R Rao
The first Sheikh Saud International Prize for Materials Research has been awarded to C N R Rao. The award will be presented to Rao by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi ruler of Ras Al Khaimah emirate during the International Workshop on Advanced Materials at Ras Al Khaimah.

Yohei Sasakawa received Gandhi Peace Prize for 2018
Yohei Sasakawa was named to receive Gandhi Peace Prize for 2018,who is the Goodwill Ambassador of the World Health Organization for Leprosy Elimination. The award will be given to Yohei Sasakawa in recognition of his work towards the eradication of the disease in India and across the world.

Dr. Rattan Lal Honoured with 2019 Japan Prize
The Japan Prize Foundation announced India born professor Dr. Rattan Lal, University Professor of Soil Science at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A, as the recipient of the 2019 Japan Prize for his contributions in the field of ‘Biological Production, Ecology’.

India born, Dr. Rattan Lal honoured with 2019 Japan Prize
Two scientists are being recognized with the 2019 Japan Prize for original and outstanding achievements that not only contribute to the advancement of science and technology, but also promote peace and prosperity for all mankind.

Gandhi Peace Prize Conferred for Last 4 Years
The Gandhi Peace Prize for the years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 has been conferred. The Gandhi Peace Prize conferred to Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari in 2015, Akshaya Patra Foundation in 2016, Ekal Abhiyan Trust in 2017 & Shri Yohei Sasakawa in 2018.

First-ever Philip Kotler Presidential award presented to PM Modi
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi received the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential award, at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi. The Award focuses on the triple bottom-line of People, Profit and Planet. It will be offered annually to the leader of a Nation.

Yu Wensheng wins Franco-German Human Rights Award
A detained Chinese rights lawyer Yu Wensheng has won a Franco-German human rights award for his ‘exceptional contribution’ to the protection and promotion of human rights. Yu Wensheng, who is in pretrial detention on subversion charges, has been held incommunicado by authorities in Jiangsu’s Xuzhou city for more than a year.

Namita Gokhale wins Sushila Devi Literature Award
Writer Namita Gokhale has won the Sushila Devi Literature Award for her novel ‘Things to Leave Behind’. She was awarded in the ‘Best Book of Fiction Written by a Woman Author’ category at the inaugural edition of Bhopal Literature and Art Festival (BLF).

Adi Godrej conferred ICSI lifetime award
Industrialist and Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej was conferred the ICSIs Lifetime Achievement Award for ‘Translating Excellence in Corporate Governance into Reality.’ The awards were instituted by The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), which is celebrating its golden jubilee.

Journalist Dinu Randive conferred with lifetime achievement award
Veteran journalist Dinu Randive has been conferred with the lifetime achievement award by the Mantralaya and Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh, an association of journalists covering Maharashtra legislature and secretariat.

Rami Malek, Glenn Close win Best Acting awards at Golden Globes 2019
Rami Malek won the Best Actor Award in the drama category for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ at the 76th Golden Globe Awards while Glenn Close got the Best Actress Award in the drama category for ‘The Wife’. Olivia Colman won the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy for ‘The Favourite’.

M Gunasekaran, Sandhya Ravishankar & Vijay Kumar honoured with Ramnath Goenka Award
Three Journalists from Tamil Nadu win, this year, the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award that includes News18 Tamilnadu’s Chief Editor M Gunasekaran, Freelance Journalist Sandhya Ravishankar for her contribution to The Wire and Vijay Kumar S from The Hindu for his Investigative reporting on Gutka Scam.

Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi to confer National Awards to Anganwadi Workers under ICDS Scheme
Union Minister for Women & Child Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi will confer National Awards to 97 Anganwadi Workers(AWWs) for Exceptional Achievements for the year 2017-18, on the 07th of January 2018, in New Delhi. Government of India formulated a scheme for awarding Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) at the National and State Levels in the year 2000-2001. The award is given to motivate the AWWs and recognise their exemplary service in the field of child development and related areas under the ICDS Scheme.

AP govt bags CBIP award for Polavaram project
The Andhra Pradesh government bagged the Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP) award for speedy execution of Polavaram multipurpose project on the Godavari river. AP Water Resources Minister Devineni Umamaheswar Rao received the award in the category of “Best Implementation of Water Resources Project” for better planning, implementation and monitoring.

Vijay Mallya First Tycoon to be named Fugitive Economic Offender
Vijay Mallya became the first tycoon to be charged under a new anti-fraud law, with a court in Mumbai naming him as an offender under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018. The anti-corruption court was hearing an application by the Enforcement Directorate, seeking a direction to declare Mr. Mallya a fugitive economic offender.

IIT Professor awarded with the National Geospatial Award for Excellence
Jayanta Kumar Ghosh, a professor at the civil engineering department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Roorkee, was conferred the National Geospatial Award for Excellence-2017 (Lifetime Achievement Award) at the Space Application Centre in Ahmedabad. The Indian Society for Remote Sensing is an organisation known in the area of space science, remote sensing and geo-spatial technology.

National Nritya Shiromani Award 2019 for Anindita
US-based Kathak dancer Anindita Neogy Anaam will be honoured with the National Nritya Shiromani award for promoting the dance form across the world. This award of national repute has been given in the past to the outstanding Indian classical dance performers and musicians of India and abroad.

03 Indian-origin women scientists awarded by Australian government un STEM
Three Indian-origin women scientists were among the 60 Superstars of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) list awarded by Australian government. The 3 scientists are Onisha Patel, Devika Kamath and Asha Rao. Under the initiative, due to gender gap in STEM courses, the government there is planning to train these scientists for one year to become influencers for female students.

ISRO chairman K.Sivan was awarded gold medal by SSI
ISRO chairman K.Sivan was presented the National Systems Gold Medal by the Systems Society of India (SSI) during the 42nd National Systems Conference held in Thiruvananthapuram. The medal acknowledges his outstanding contributions to system science and engineering. B.N. Suresh, the Chancellor, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), presented the medal at a function held at the VSSC.

SPORTS & GAMES

Kartik Sharma won New South Wales men’s Amateur Golf Championship
Kartik Sharma won the New South Wales Men’s Amateur Golf Championship held in Australia by defeating Australia’s Nathan Barberie in the scheduled 36-hole final. He is playing for India as a part of National Squad since the age of 10.

Saina Nehwal wins Indonesia Masters 2019
Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal won her first Indonesia Masters title after three-time world champion Carolina Marin limped out of the final due to a leg injury. Marin was leading 10-4 in the first game at Jakarta when she developed an injury in the knee.

Novak Djokovic claims title of men’s singles final
Novak Djokovic (R) of Serbia changes jersy during the men’s singles final match between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Rafael Nadal of Spain at 2019 Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia.

Botha announces retirement from all forms of Cricket
Former South Africa all-rounder Johan Botha has announced his immediate retirement from all forms of Cricket. Botha played for South Africa in five test matches, 78 one-day internationals and 40 T20 Internationals from 2005 to 2012. Botha captained the Proteas in 10 ODIs and took the team to the No. 1 ranking after they defeated Australia 4-1 in Australia in 2009.

Shami becomes fastest Indian to reach 100 ODI wickets
Mohammed Shami became the fastest Indian to claim 100 wickets in One-day Internationals. This was his 56th game in the 50-over format. Shami’ wicket number 100 was New Zealand opener Martin Guptill. Before Shami, Irfan Pathan reached the 100-wicket mark in 59 ODIs.

Rishabh Pant Named ICC Emerging Player of the Year
Rishabh Pant was named the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Emerging Player Of The Year following an impressive show in India’s first-ever Test series win in Australia. The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman scored 350 runs in the four-match Test series that India won 2-1 to script history in 71 years and 11 attempts.

Lovlina wins gold medal, Manisha settles for silver
World Championship bronze medallist Assam’s Lovlina Borgohain claimed the gold medal while Haryana boxer Manisha Moun had to settle with silver at the Women’s National Boxing Championships held at the JSW Sports’ Inspire Institute of Sports, Vijayanagara, Karnataka. Lovlina Borgohain of Assam won the gold in 69 kg category bout.

Ankita Raina Wins ITF’s Tournament in Singapore
India’s Ankita Raina has won the International Tennis Federation’s 25,000-dollar Women’s tournament in Singapore. In the Final, Ankita defeated top seed Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands, 6-3, 6-2. She toppled four seeded players in the tournament to win her first title of the season and eighth overall.

Vinesh Phogat becomes first Indian athlete to be nominated in Laureus World Comeback of Year Award
Indian female wrestler Vinesh Phogat has become the first Indian athlete to receive a nomination in the prestigious Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award. She has been nominated alongside US Tour Championship winner Tiger Woods, who won his first tournament in five years. The Awards will be presented in Monaco on the 18th of next month.

Petr Cech announces retirement from professional football
Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech (from Czech Republic) announced that he would be retiring from professional football at the end of the current season. The 36-year-old, who had signed his first professional contract 20 years ago, was of the view that it was the right time to retire.

Chennai’s Gukesh Crowned India’s Youngest Grandmaster
Tamil Nadu lad D Gukesh became the 2nd youngest Grand Master in the world and the youngest Indian to achieve the feat at 12 years, 7 months and 17 days, erasing the mark set by his state-mate R Praggnanandhaa.

Bengaluru Raptors won 1st Ever PBL Title
Bengaluru Raptors have won their first ever Premier Badminton League, PBL title. In the title clash played at Bengaluru, Bengaluru edged out Mumbai Rockets, with a 4-3 win. Star player Kidambi Srikanth, Vu Ji Trang and the Men’s Doubles pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Satiawan won their matches for Bengaluru guiding them to victory.

Mohamed Salah Named African Footballer of the Year
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah named as the 2018 Confederation of African Football Player of the Year. For the second consecutive year he has won the award. Egypt forward Salah, 26, beat Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane of Senegal and Arsenal and Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the title. He received the award at a ceremony in Senegal.

Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri receive honorary membership of Sydney Cricket Ground
Indian national cricket team’s captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri received the honorary membership of the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for their contribution to the sport of cricket. The Indian team defeated Australia 2-1 in the four-match Test series, ending the country’s 71-year-old wait for a rare series win Down Under.

Albie Morkel retires from All Forms of Cricket
South African allrounder Albie Morkel retired from all forms of cricket. His career spanned for nearly 20 years. He represented South Africa in 58 ODIs, 50 T20Is and one Test.

Mary Kom Attains No. 1 Position in AIBA Rankings
The celebrated MC Mary Kom became the World No 1 Boxer in 45-48 kg category in the latest International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) World Rankings. Mary Kom was placed by AIBA at top of the charts in the 45-48 kg category weight division with 1700 points.

Mohamed Salah Named African Footballer of the Year
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah was conferred with the 2018 Confederation of African Football Player of the Year award, for the second time, in Senegal. He also won the BBC African Footballer of the Year award for the second time. He beat Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane of Senegal and Arsenal and Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the title.

Sydney & Brisbane chosen to host $15 million 24 team ATP Cup in 2020
Australian cities Sydney and Brisbane have been announced as the first two host locations for the newest team event in men’s tennis for the multi-million dollar ATP Cup from 2020. The two cities have beaten competition from other parts of Australia to host the re-launched team event, the ATP Cup, slated to start from 3-12 January next year with a 24-team competition. The third Australian city for the tournament is yet to be determined.

2nd Edition of Khelo India Youth Games begins in Pune
The second edition of Khelo India Youth Games has officially begun in Pune, Maharashtra. Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attended a virtual torch ceremony at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the event through a video message. More than 9,000 players from different states will participate in 18 different events.

India thrash Thailand 4-1 in AFC Asian Cup
In Football, India made a thrilling start in the opening encounter at the AFC Asian Cup campaign defeating Thailand 4-1 at Abu Dhabi. Captain Sunil Chettri scored twice, while Anirudh Thapa and Jeje were other scorers for India. At halftime, India and Thailand were at the level score of one goal each. This is India’s fourth Asian Cup appearance, having last appeared in the 2011 edition of the tournament. This was India’s first victory against Thailand since the Merdeka Cup of 1986.

Hopman Cup: Roger Federer & Belinda Bencic Retain Title For Switzerland
Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic secured victory over Germany’s Angelique Kerber and Alexander Zverev to win the Hopman Cup for the second year in a row. In a rerun of 2018 final, Federer beat Zverev to give the Swiss an early 1-0 lead.

Head Constable Rani wins gold medal in Senior National’s Judo C’Ship
Lady head constable Rani of 5th Indian Reserve Battalion of Himachal Pradesh Police won a Gold medal in the Senior National Women’s Judo Championship at Visakhapatnam. She claimed top honours in the 78 kg category. Rani was also declared the best Judoka at the Championship.

80th National Table Tennis Championship begins in Cuttack
The 80th National Table Tennis Championship began at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack. As many as 35 teams, including 550 players from different parts of the country are participating in the mega championship. Medal winners at Commonwealth Games and Asian Games Manika Batra, Senior players like Sharath Kamal, Madhuriba Patkar, Olympian Ankita Das are some of the key players who will be in the limelight during the event.

Kohli, Rabada maintain top spot in year-end ICC Test Player Rankings
It turned out to be a glorious 2018 for India captain Virat Kohli and South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada. Both maintained their respective pole positions in the year-end ICC Test Player Rankings. Kohli enjoys a 34-point lead over nearest rival Kane Williamson of New Zealand.

Smriti Mandhana Named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year
India’s left-handed opener Smriti Mandhana has won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year. Mandhana was also adjudged as the ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Year. The announcement was made by the International Cricket Council.

ECONOMY

GST on Haj Reduced from 18% to 5%
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stated that GST on Haj has been reduced from 18% to 5% and this will significantly lower the airfare thus saving Haj pilgrims’ 113 crore rupees this year. Mr. Naqvi also stated that for the first time since the independence 2,340 women from India will go on 2019 Haj without Mehram.

India’s growth to accelerate from 7.4% to 7.6% in FY20: UN Report
With robust private consumption and 7.4% GDP growth rate in the current fiscal, the Indian economy is expected to accelerate at a rate of 7.6% in 2019-20, according to a report by the United Nations titled United Nations’ World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2019. As per the report, the world trade growth moderated over the course of 2018 to 3.8% from growth of 5.3% in 2017.

India knock Down UK In Largest Economy Rankings
India surpassed the UK in the 2019 rankings of world’s largest economies by increased rate 1.65% GDP growth. India became the World’s Fifth-Largest Economy. France also surpassed the UK in the world’s largest economy rankings in 2019, knocking it from fifth to seventh place with an increased rate of 1.7% GDP.

China’s Economy Grew at 6.6% in 2018, Slowest Rate in 3 Decades
China’s economy grew at 6.6% in 2018, its slowest rate in almost 3 decades. The world’s 2nd biggest economy was grappling with the effects of the current trade war with the US and declining exports. In the 3 months to December, the economy grew 6.4% from a year earlier, down from 6.5 % in the previous quarter.

India to Surpass UK in World’s Largest Economy Rankings in 2019: PwC
India is likely to surpass the United Kingdom in the world’s largest economy rankings in 2019, to become the world’s fifth largest economy, according to a report by global consultancy firm PwC. PwC’s Global Economy Watch report projects real GDP growth of 1.6% for the UK, 1.7% for France and 7.6% for India in 2019.

GDP to be A Tad Higher to 7.5% in FY20: India Ratings
India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), a Fitch Group Company, estimated India’s GDP growth could touch 7.5 % in the financial year 2019-20 as against 7.2 % during current fiscal i.e. 2018-19. India Ratings believes investments are slowly but steadily gaining traction with gross fixed capital formation growing 12.2 % in FY19 and projected to clock 10.3 % in FY20.

Consumer retail inflation fell 18-month-low to 2.19% in December 2018: CSO report
According to an official release by Central Statistics Office (CSO), citing cooling food and fuel prices as the reasons, it stated that wholesale and retail inflation reduced to a multi month low with CPI falling to an 18-month low.

India to become world’s third largest consumer market by 2030: WEF
A report by World Economic Forum said that India is set to become the world’s third largest consumer market behind only USA and China by 2030. The report said consumer spending in India is expected to grow from 1.5 trillion US dollar at present to six trillion US dollar by 2030. The report said that with the annual GDP growth rate of 7.5 percent, India is currently the world’s sixth largest economy.

Per Capita Income Doubled In 7 Years: CSO
The income earned by an average Indian doubled in 7 years, from Rs 63,642 per year in 2011-12 to Rs 1.25 lakh in 2018-19, the first advance estimates of national income released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show. The year-on-year growth in per capita income had touched its bottom in 2017-18 under the current national accounts series (the base year 2011-12) at 8.6 %. In 2018-19, it has bounced back to 11.1%.

CSO Forecasts Indian Economy to Grow at 7.2% in 2018-19
Releasing the first advance estimates of National Income for 2018-19, Central Statistics Office (CSO) stated that the growth in GDP during 2018-19 is estimated at 7.2% as compared to the growth rate of 6.7% in 2017-18, mainly due to improvement in the performance of agriculture and manufacturing sectors.

CII Forecasts India’s Economy to Grow 7.5% In 2019
Growth Outlook for 2019’, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) stated that India will remain the fastest growing major economy with GDP growth estimated to be 7.5% in FY19. RBI to have lending restrictions on banks under the PCA (prompt and corrective action) and create a limited special liquidity window to meet emergencies of financial institutions.

India’s core sector growth drops to a 16-month low in November
The data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industries has shown that the growth in the eight core sectors of the economy fell to a 16-month low of 3.5 per cent in November. The eight core sectors are coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizer, steel, cement and electricity.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO successfully launched Microsat R into space
Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) first mission of 2019, Microsat-R, was successfully launched into space. PSLV-C44 was launched from the older First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The 130-kg Microsat-R is a military imaging satellite.

ISRO to launch two unmanned space missions in 2020 and 2021
ISRO announced that two unmanned space missions to be launched in the year 2020 and 2021. Country’s first manned space flight Gaganyaan will send three humans into space for seven days by December 2021,which will carry humanoids not animals. Inorder to boost the Space Mission in India,the Union Cabinet had approved Rs 10,000 crore budget for the proposed human spaceflight mission.

Japan Launches Satellite For World’s 1st Artificial Meteor Shower
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has launched Tokyo-based startup Star-ALE’s mini-satellite aimed to deliver the world’s first artificial meteor shower. The satellite carries 400 tiny balls, will be enough for 20-30 events, that will glow as they rush down the atmosphere on being released. ALE plans to deliver its first show in Hiroshima in early 2020.

India’s 1st Manned Mission To Space By December 2021: ISRO
ISRO Chairman Dr. K Sivan has announced that the organization is well prepared to meet the targets of launching Gaganyaan manned mission to outer space by December 2021. Under Gaganyaan project, India is planning to send three astronauts to outer space for seven days and bring them back.

NASAs TESS found a new planet
Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), NASA’s latest planet-hunting probe, has discovered a new world outside our solar system, orbiting a dwarf star 53 light years away. This is the third new planet confirmed by TESS. The planet has been named as HD 21749b.

China: Lunar rover named ‘Yutu-2’, lands on the far side of the moon
Lunar rover Yutu-2 or Jade Rabbit-2 of the Chang’e-4 spacecraft made the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon. Images were sent back to the Earth via the relay satellite ‘Queqiao’.

Chandrayaan-2 mission launch most likely in Feb
Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will most likely launch Chandrayaan-2, the country’s second mission to the Moon in the month of February. Chandrayaan-2 mission is a totally indigenous venture comprising of an orbiter, a lander and a rover. There would be a controlled descent and the lander would soft-land on the lunar surface at a specified site and deploy a rover.

APPOINTMENTS

Dilip Sadarangani appointed as Chairman of Federal Bank
South India based private sector lender Federal Bank appointed Dilip Sadarangani as the part-time Chairman. He has been on bank’s board since 2013. The appointment of Mr.Dilip Sadarangani who has been guiding person in technology in multiple banks, as Chairman of the board of Federal Bank comes at a time when the bank makes confident strides in gaining market share in India.

Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh appointed as Regional Director WHO SOUTH EAST Asia
Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh appointed Regional Director for World Health Organization South-East Asia, for a second five-year term. Her second term of office. She is the first woman to become Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia Region Previous year,Thailand became the first in Asia-Pacific to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.

Pakistan appoints first ever female Hindu civil judge
Pakistan has appointed the country’s first ever Hindu female civil judge after she passed an examination for induction of judicial officers. Suman Kumari, who hails from Qambar-Shahdadkot in Sindh province, will serve in her native district. Kumari passed her LL.B. examination from Hyderabad and did her masters in law from Karachi’s Szabist University.

Hrithik Roshan as it Brand Ambassador for Flamingo
Medical products maker Ascent Meditech appointed Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan as the brand ambassador for its brand ‘Flamingo’. Ascent Meditech’s product ranges from orthopaedic, healthcare, wound and injury, till to date it have over 300 products available to 47 countries in the world.

IndiGo Airlines appointed Ronojoy Dutta as its new CEO
IndiGo Airlines appointed global aviation professional Ronojoy Dutta as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Mr.Ronojoy Dutta replaces the former CEO Aditya Ghosh. The place has been vacant after his resignation in April 2018. Mr. Dutta was president of United Airlines, where he worked for nearly twenty years. He has served on the boards of United Airlines, US Airways, and Marsico Trust Funds.

Ravneet Gill as Yes Bank MD & CEO
Yes Bank has appointed veteran banker Ravneet Singh Gill as its new MD & CEO and the lender has also received the RBI’s approval for the same.He will join the bank. Mr Gill is currently the chief Deutsche Bank’s India operations.

Piyush Goyal named Interim Finance Minister
Piyush Goyal has been named the interim Finance Minister and interim Minister of Corporate Affairs during Arun Jaitley’s indisposition. Goyal will retain his existing portfolios of coal and railways.

Shri Jha was appointed Member of CERC
Shri Indu Shekhar Jha was appointed the member of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) and Shri Lalchharlian Pachuauwas appointed as a member of Joint Electricity Regulation Commission for Manipur and Mizoram by Power Ministry. Union Minister of State for Power and the New & Renewable Energy, Shri R K Singh administered the oath of Office and Secrecy to Indu Shekhar Jha.

V Vaidyanathan appointed as MD, CEO of IDFC First Bank
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the appointment of V Vaidyanathan as MD and CEO of IDFC First Bank for a period of three years. The Tenure of V Vaidyanathan. V Vaidyanathan is the founder and chairman of Capital First.

Prabhat Singh Appointed DG in NHRC
The Department of Personnel & Training, Government of India has appointed Senior IPS Officer Prabhat Singh as Director General (Investigation) in the National Human Rights Commission. Singh, a 1985 batch IPS Officer of AGMUT cadre is at present Special Director, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Mary Kom named event ambassador of 16th Tata Mumbai Marathon
Six-time women’s world boxing champion and Olympic medallist M C Mary Kom was named as the event ambassador for the16th Tata Mumbai Marathon. The marathon will have a prize money of USD 405,000 and will see the participation of over 46,000 runners.

Raja Krishnamoorthi is appointed as a new member of HPSCI for the 116th Congress
Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democratic lawmaker, has been appointed as a member of a Congressional committee on intelligence. He is the first South Asian to serve in the powerful body tasked to strengthen U.S.’s national security. Mr.Krishnamoorthi, 45, who represents Illinois’s 8th Congressional District in the House.

President approved elevation of Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari to SC
President Ram Nath Kovind approved the elevation of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dinesh Maheshwari to the Supreme Court. Justice Khanna is presently a judge of the Delhi High Court. Justice Maheshwari is the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.

ECI appointed Dwivedi as CEO of Andhra Pradesh
The Election Commission of India (ECI) appointed Gopal Krishna Dwivedi as has Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra Pradesh with immediate effect. Mr.Dwivedi will replace R. P. Sisodia. The ECI termed the CEO’s replacement as an administrative decision.

Sanjay Jain, K M Nataraj appointed as Additional Solicitor Generals
President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed senior advocates Sanjay Jain & K M Nataraj as Additional Solicitor Generals of India. The appointments were made by the President as per the recommendations of the Appointments Committee of the cabinet.

Manu Sawhney named as new ICC CEO
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the appointment of Manu Sawhney as its new Chief Executive Officer. Sawhney, the former CEO of Singapore Sports Hub and Managing Director of ESPN Star Sports, will join the organisation next month before formally taking over the reins from David Richardson in July following the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Mohammed Ali Qamar appointed Women’s Team Coach
Mohammed Ali Qamar, the man who won India’s first Commonwealth Games gold medal in boxing, has taken over as the chief coach for the country’s female boxers. He has replaced veteran Shiv Singh. Qamar, who is set to turn 38, is also the youngest person to land the job. Qamar’s CWG gold came in the 2002 Manchester edition in the light flyweight category.

ICICI Bank appoints B Sriram, Rama Bijapurkar Independent Directors
Private sector ICICI Bank inducted former SBI Managing Director B Sriram and management consultant Rama Bijapurkar on its board as independent director. Both are appointed for 5 years, subject to the approval of shareholders, ICICI Bank stated in a regulatory filing on stock exchanges.

TCS appoints Daniel Callahan as Independent Director
India’s largest software exporter Tata Consultancy Services has appointed Don Callahan as an additional and independent director for a period of 5 years, based on the recommendations of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. He was the Chief Administrative Officer and Head of Operations and Technology at Citigroup and was a member of Citi’s Operating Committee earlier.

Senior bureaucrat Jaideep Govind appointed as Secretary General of NHRC
According to an announcement by the Personnel Ministry, The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of senior bureaucrat Jaideep Govind as the Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu elected to US Congress to run for President in 2020
Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu elected to US Congress and a four-time Democratic lawmaker, has said she will run for President in 2020, becoming the latest member of her party to challenge Republican President Donald Trump. Gabbard, 37 years old , said she will formally announce her candidacy within a week.

M. Nageshwar Rao again takes charge as new CBI chief
A day after the removal of Alok Verma, Additional Director M. Nageswara Rao again took charge of the office of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director. Verma was removed as the CBI Director on account of the ‘extremely serious nature of observations made by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) against him’.

Yes Bank appoints Brahm Dutt as Non-Executive Part-Time Chairman
Yes Bank, India’s fourth-largest private sector bank, announced the appointment of Brahm Dutt as non-executive part-time chairman. He is currently also the chairman of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

Ex-Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan officially joined Facebook India as VP and MD
Ajit Mohan officially took over as Facebook India’s new Vice President and MD. He succeeded Umang Bedi who left the post Mohan, a former CEO of Hotstar, was earlier appointed to lead as India’s head for the company.

Gita Gopinath becomes the first female chief economist of IMF
Gita Gopinath has joined International Monetary Fund as its chief economist. She is the first woman to occupy the post of chief economist of IMF. She is the 11th chief economist of the IMF.

Pranav R Mehta becomes 1st Indian to Head Global Solar Council
A visionary in the field of Solar Energy and the chairman of National Solar Energy Federation, Pranav R Mehta, has taken over as the president of Global Solar Council (GSC). He has become the first Indian to head the GSC.

Kumar Rajesh Chandra Appointed Director-General of SSB
Civil Aviation Security head and senior IPS officer Kumar Rajesh Chandra was appointed as the director general of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Chandra, a 1985-batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre, is at present the director general of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

Alok Verma Reinstated as CBI Chief by Supreme Court
Alok Verma reinstated as the CBI chief by the Supreme Court, three months after the government divested him of his powers and sent him on forced leave. Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana were both sent on leave in October amid a bitter feud between the CBI’s top two. Supreme Court strikes down CBI Chief Alok Verma’s removal.

Rakesh Aggarwal took over as new JIPMER director
Dr Rakesh Aggarwal assumed charge as the new director of Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Puducherry. He succeeded Dr S Vivekanandan. He is also an elected fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences (India) and National Academy of Medical Sciences (India).

PayU India CEO Amrish Rau joined parent company Naspers as head of financial technology
PayU India’s CEO Amrish Rau joined as the head of financial technology partnerships and investments for Naspers’ fintech business. Nasper is South African parent of PayU. Rau will continue to report to Laurent le Moal the chief executive of PayU, which is headquartered in the Netherlands. He joined PayU after Citrus Pay was acquired by PayU in 2016 for $130 million in cash.

Chhabilendra Roul takes charge as Secretary, Department of Fertilizers
Chhabilendra Roul has assumed the charge of Secretary, Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India. Shri Roul is an Indian Administrative Services Officer of 1985 batch, from Punjab Cadre.

Justice Cholendra Rana takes over as Nepal’s new Chief Justice
Justice Cholendra Shamsher J B Rana Wednesday took over as the new Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath to Rana at the swearing-in ceremony at Sheetal Niwas, the official residence of the President, The Himalayan Times reported.

Justice Asif Saeed Khosa appointed as the new Chief Justice of Pakistan
Justice Asif Saeed Khosa will take oath of his office a day after incumbent CJP Justice Saqib Nisar retires. Justice Khosa has been a senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He will remain as the top judge of Pakistan.

Hemant Bhargava Appointed LIC’s Acting Chairman
The government has appointed Hemant Bhargava, Managing Director, Life Insurance Corporation of India, as the Acting Chairman. The move comes after VK Sharma retired from the top job at LIC.

New chairman for the Ordnance Factory Board
Saurabh Kumar has been appointed as the Director General of Ordnance Factories (DGOF) and chairman of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) in Kolkata. Indian Ordnance Factories organisation is a family of 41 Ordnance Factories under the aegis of its corporate headquarters Ordnance Factory Board, Kolkata. It is working under the aegis of Ministry of Defence.

Justice AK Sikri nominated as Executive Chairman of NALSA
President Ram Nath Kovind has nominated Justice AK Sikri as Executive Chairman of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). He will be replacing Justice Madan B Lokur.

Vinod Kumar Yadav appointed as Railway Board Chairman
General Manager of South Central Railway, Vinod Kumar Yadav, has been appointed as Chairman of Railway Board and ex-officio Principal Secretary to Government of India. His appointment came after Ashwani Lohani’s superannuation. Vinod Kumar Yadav belongs to the 1980 batch of Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE).

Justice T B N Radhakrishnan sworn in as first Chief Justice of Telangana HC
Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court. The oath to the office was administered to Justice Radhakrishnan by Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan at a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan. The ceremony was attended by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and other judges, lawyers and senior government officials.

Sudhir Bhargava Appointed New Chief Information Commissioner
The government has appointed Sudhir Bhargava as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), along with four information commissioners. Mr. Bhargava was Information Commissioner in the CIC. An alumnus of St Michael’s High School in Patna and St Stephen’s College in Delhi, Mr. Sinha is a 1981-batch Indian Foreign Service officer who was the High Commissioner of India in the United Kingdom.

Y.K. Sailas Thangal concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Liberia
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India announced that Mr. Y.K. Sailas Thangal who is the ambassador of the India to the Republic of Cote d’ Ivoire has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Liberia with residence in Abidjan.

RESIGNS

Accenture CEO Pierre Nanterme steps down from the post
Accenture,a Dublin based consultant firm’s CEO Pierre Nanterme steps down from his post due to his health issues. Financial Officer of the company David Rowland was named interim CEO. Though resigned as CEO of the company,Pierre Nanterme will continue at Accenture as advisor to the CEO. THE lead independent director Marge Magner was named non-executive chair.

Stephen Constantine Resigns as Coach of Indian Football Team
Indian football team head coach Stephen Constantine has stepped down after the team’s shock 0-1 defeat to Bahrain which led to its exit from the Asian Cup. The Anglo-Cypriot coach took over the reins of the team in 2015 for a 2-year tenure. He was given one-year contract extension twice. It was his second stint as India coach after serving as the coach in 2002-05.

Ananth Narayanan resigned his position as CEO of Myntra & Jabong
Ananth Narayanan, CEO of Myntra and Jabong, has decided to step down from his position as the CEO. He cited his reasons as his interest to pursue external opportunities. Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy named Amar Nagaram, head, Myntra and Jabong as the new CEO for the company. As a part of the new structure, Myntra and Jabong has been brought under Flipkart.

Ashok Chawla Resigned as NSE Chairman
Ashok Chawla resigned as chairman of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) with immediate effect ‘in light of recent legal developments’. Chawla’s resignation came on a day the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told a special court in Delhi that it has obtained the sanction of the ministries concerned to file charges against him and four other former bureaucrats in the Aircel-Maxis case.

Malaysia’s monarch, Sultan Muhammad V, stepped down
Malaysia’s monarch Sultan Muhammad V resigned, as the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, from the throne before completing their five-year tenure for the first time in Malaysia’s history. he selection of the next king can be decided by a vote in the Council of Rulers, made up of all nine royal households, who takes turns to sit on the throne.

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim to step down
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim announced that he will step down from his position on February 1 – much before the end of his term in 2022. Kim, 58, has been in this position for over six years now. In a statement, the World Bank said he will join a firm and focus on increasing infrastructure investments in developing countries. Kristalina Georgieva, World Bank CEO, will assume the role of interim President effective 1st of next month.

Pentagon Chief of Staff Kevin Sweeney Resigns
Kevin Sweeney, the chief of staff of the US Department of Defence, resigned from his position. Kevin Sweeney retired as a Rear Admiral from the US Navy in 2014.

SC judge Justice M B Lokur retired from his duties
The second senior-most Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur retired. He was among the four judges who held the controversial press conference against the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra over the issue of allocation of sensitive cases. He also played an active role in the pursuit of judicial reforms — computerisation of courts, judicial education, legal aid and legal services.

DEATHS

Former Defence Minister George Fernandes Passes Away
Former Defence Minister George Fernandes passed away in Delhi at the age of 88. Fernandes also served as the Railways Minister in former Prime Minister VP Singh’s government. His last stint as a parliamentarian was as a Rajya Sabha MP between August 2009 and July 2010.

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Columnist Russell Baker died at 93
Pulitzer winning author yet well known for his columns in The New York Times passed away at the age of 93 due to severe health complications. Baker won Pulitzers in 1979 for the “Observer,” the Times column , and in 1983 for his autobiography ‘Growing Up’.

Jnanpith Winning Hindi Writer Krishna Sobti Passes Away
Eminent Hindi author and essayist Krishna Sobti passed away in Delhi. She was 93. She was a recipient of many coveted awards like Sahitya Akademi, Jnanpith awards and was also offered Padma Bhushan, which she had declined. Some of her celebrated works include Daar Se Bichhudi, Mitro Marjani, Zindaginama, Dil-o-Danish, Badalom ke Ghere, Ai Ladki and Gujarat Pakistan Se Gujarat Hindustan.

Siddaganga mutt seer Sri Shivakumara Swamiji passed away
Siddaganga mutt seer Sri Shivakumara Swamiji, popularly known as “Nadedaduva Devaru” (Walking God) passed away in Tumakuru, Karnataka at the age of 111. Siddaganga Swamiji was conferred honorary doctorate by Karnatak University, Dharwad in 1965.

INLD MLA Jaswinder Sandhu passes away in Haryana
Indian National Lok Dal (INLD)’s senior leader and MLA Jasvinder Singh Sandhu passed away after Suffering from Cancer at the age of 63 in Haryana. He had been elected to the Haryana Vidhan Sabha from the Pehowa seat in 1991, 1996, 2000 and 2014. He had also served as the agriculture minister of the state.

World’s Oldest Man Masazo Nonaka Passes Away at 113
The world’s oldest man, Masazo Nonaka of Japan, has died at the age of 113. Nonaka, who was officially recognized as the oldest male in the world by Guinness World Records in April 2018, passed away at his home in the north of Japan’s Hokkaido island.

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver dies at 83
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver died at her residence in Hobe Sound, Florida due to a disease caused lymphoma at the age of 83. She was critically acclaimed for her rapturous odes to nature and the animal life. Mary Oliver wrote more than 15 poetry and essay collections.

Vanguard Group Founder John C. Bogle passed away
John C. Bogle, who founded the Vanguard Group of Investment Companies in 1974 and built it into a giant kingdom, with $4.9 trillion in assets under management today, died at the age of 89. Bogle was also a best-selling author,Stay the Course: The Story of Vanguard and the Index Revolution is the recent and the last masterpiece written by him.

Assam Accord signatory Biraj Sarma passes away
Senior AGP leader and one of the signatories of the Assam Accord, Biraj Kumar Sarma, has passed away after suffering from chronic liver disease. Sarma along with former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and the late Bhrigu Kumar Phukan signed the Assam Accord, marking the end of the six-year-long Assam movement against ‘foreigners’.

Malayalam Director Lenin Rajendran Passes Away
Malayalam director and screenwriter Lenin Rajendran has passed away at 67. He was a five-time recipient of the Kerala State Film Awards and also received the International Federation of Film Critics Award for the best Malayalam film for his film ‘Makaramanju’. He was also chairman of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation.

Fields Medal-Winning Mathematician Passes Away
Sir Michael Atiyah, a British mathematician who received the 1966 Fields Medal, also known as the ‘Nobel for Mathematics,’ passed away at the age of 89. Atiyah was best known for his co-development of a branch of mathematics called topological K-theory and the Atiyah-Singer index theorem. Atiyah was also the President of the Royal Society from 1990-1995.

Former banker and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Meera Sanyal passed away
Banker-turned-politician Meera Sanyal passed away at 57. She was the country chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland when she quit and joined the Aam Aadmi Party. She also unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha election from Mumbai twice, in 2009 and 2014. In 2018, she also wrote a book named: ‘The Big Reverse: How Demonetization Knocked India Out’.

Veteran Kannada actor C H Loknath passes away
Veteran Kannada actor C H Loknath passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He was 91.

Sachin’s Coach Ramakant Achrekar Passes Away
Veteran cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar, who trained Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli, among others, passed away following a heart attack. He was 87 and breathed his last at his home in Dadar. Achrekar, honoured with Padma Shri in 2010 and Dronacharya Award in 1990, was instrumental in shaping the careers of Tendulkar, Kambli and over a dozen other top cricket stars.

Bollywood actor Kader Khan passes
Kader Khan was an Afghan-born Indian-Canadian film actor, screenwriter, comedian, and director. As an actor, he appeared in over 300 films after his debut film in the 1973 film Daag, starring Rajesh Khanna, in which he acted as a prosecuting attorney.

Norman Gimbel, Grammy and Oscar Winning Lyricist Passes Away
Norman Gimbel, the Oscar and Grammy-winning lyricist, has passed away at the age of 91. Gimbel’s work included Killing Me Softly With His Song – recorded by Roberta Flack, the Fugees and others – and the theme to TV series Happy Days.

Noted filmmaker Mrinal Sen passed away
Legendary filmmaker Mrinal Sen passed away at the age of 95 in Kolkata. A Padma Bhushan and Dada Saheb Phalke awardee, Sen paved the way for parallel cinema in the country with films like Ek Din Achanak, Padatik,Mrigaya, Akaler Sandhane, Chorus, Kharij, Khandahar, Bhuwan Shome, Akash Kusum and Calcutta 71.

VISITORS

Overview of P.M’s Visit to TamilNadu & Kerala
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, laid the foundation stone for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Thoppur near Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, dedicated to the nation an Integrated Refinery Expansion Project Complex (IREP) of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and laid the foundation stone for a petrochemical complex in Kochi, Kerala.

Norwegian PM Erna Solberg in India on 3-Day Visit
Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg has arrived in New Delhi on a three-day state visit to India. She was accompanied by senior officials from her government and a large business delegation. She will participate in the Indo-Norwegian Business Conference.

MISCELLANEOUS

Dubai Airport retains top position as world’s Busiest Airport
Dubai International (DXB) airport became the world’s busiest airport for international passengers for the fifth consecutive year. Dubai International (DXB) shows an increase of 1% in passenger traffic when compared to previous year. It is the slowest growth for Dubai Airport in the past decade.

Jallikattu event breaks Guinness record
The jallikattu (bull taming sport) event in Tamil Nadu’s Viralimalai made to Guinness records for the highest number of bulls to have taken part in it i.e. 1,353. According to the Viralimalai Jallikattu committee, they had expected 2,000 bulls for the event. Jallikkattu is a traditional bull taming sport in the state and is conducted during the Pongal festival.

Women to get 20% jobs in Military Police
The Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced the decision to induct women in Personnel Below Officer Rank, PBOR, role in Corps of Military Police. The women will be inducted in a graded manner to eventually comprise 20% of total Corps of Military Police. Accordingly, the Army chalked out induction of approximately 800 women in military police with a yearly intake of 52 personnel per year.

Mukesh Ambani in top Global Thinkers List of Foreign Policy
Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani who is also the Richest Indian, has been featured in the Top ‘Global Thinkers 2019′ ranking released by the prestigious Foreign Policy publishing. Alibaba’s founder Jack Ma, Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos and IMF Head Christine Lagarde also featured in the list of few names released by Foreign Policy Publishing.

India’s Satyarup becomes World’s Youngest Mountaineer to Climb 7 Peaks, 7 Volcano Summits
Mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta conquered Antartica’s highest point, Mount Sidley. With this feat, he became the first Indian and youngest man to climb the 7 highest peaks and volcanic summits across all continents.

PM releases commemorative coin and stamp on Sikh Guru Gobind Singh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative coin and stamp on Guru Gobind Singh to mark the 350th birth anniversary. On the occasion, Prime Minister Modi underlined the role of Guru Gobind Singh in uniting the country through Khalsa sect.

Arunima Sinha becomes world’s first woman amputee to scale Mount Vinson
Arunima Sinha, the Indian mountaineer who became the world’s first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest in 2013, has now become the first woman amputee to climb Mount Vinson (highest peak of Antarctica). Sinha is a national level volleyball player who had one of her legs amputated in 2011 after she was pushed from a running train by dacoits she had resisted.

BOOKS IN NEWS

Malala Pens New Book on Refugee Girls Titled We Are Displaced
Nobel Peace Prize winner and Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai pens a new book, titled ‘We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World,’ charting her experiences traveling the world and visiting refugee camps.

Rajya Sabha Vice Chairman launches ‘A Crusade Against Corruption’ book
Vice-Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh launched Manohar Manoj’s book ‘A Crusade against corruption’. Manoj has written this book after massive research and deep observations on the subject during the last 15 years and claimed that this is a kind of ‘Encyclopedic Snapshots on Corruption in India’.

Sanjay Khan announces second book on 78th birthday
On the occasion of his 78th birthday, veteran actor-producer Sanjay Khan announced his second book, ‘Assalamalaikum Watan’. He is the recipient of the ‘National Citizen Award’ twice, the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Award for Excellence’ and the ‘Gem of India Award for Excellence’ among many other honours.

Centre brings booklet on cyber safety for school children titled ‘A Handbook for Students on cyber Safety’
The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has released a booklet titled ‘ Handbook for Students on cyber Safety’ to inform the school children about the different aspects of cyber safety. The booklet aims to create awareness among citizens especially students about cyber threats and provides details about the various safeguards that can be adopted by the children in order to protect themselves from cyber grooming.

COMMITTEES

IBBI sets up committee under SEBI chairman UK Sinha
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India has set up a working group under former Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairman UK Sinha. The committee will set up regulatory framework to facilitate insolvency resolution and liquidation of debtors in a corporate group within the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

Sushil Modi to Head Committee on GST Revenue Shortfall Faced by States
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi will head the 7-member committee to look into revenue shortfall being faced by the states after the GST roll-out and suggest steps for augmenting collections.

SEBI Constitutes Research Advisory Committee Headed By Sankar De
Market regulator Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has constituted a ‘Research Advisory’ committee which will assist in formulating policy to undertake research relevant for development and regulation of capital markets. According to SEBI, the committee would comprise prominent financial economists and market practitioners. It will be headed by Sankar De.

RBI Forms Committee To Boost Digital Payments
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted a High-Level Committee on Deepening of Digital Payments to encourage digitisation of payments and enhance financial inclusion. The five-member committee headed by UIDAI’s former Chairman Nandan Nilekani will include RBI’s former Deputy Governor Mr. H.R. Khan and Former Secretary, Ministry of Information Technology, Mrs. Aruna Sharma among others.

High-level Committee Notified on Assam Accord
The government has notified a High-Level Committee for implementation of Clause six of the Assam Accord. The clause envisaged that appropriate constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, should be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the people of Assam. The nine-member committee, comprising of eminent Assamese persons from different fields, is headed by former bureaucrat MP Bezbarauah.

Committee Meeting of Members of Parliament on National Sugar Institute, Kanpur
The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri Ram Vilas Paswan chaired the meeting of Consultative Committee of Members of Parliament attached with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. The Consultative Committee Meeting reviewed the functioning of National Sugar Institute established at Kanpur.

A new high level committee to protect Assams heritage
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the setting up of a high-level committee for implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. It provides for constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of Assam.

DAYS & DATES

January 28: Data Protection Day
The Council of Europe had launched a Data Protection Day to be celebrated each year on 28 January, the date on which the Council of Europe’s data protection convention, known as “Convention 108”, was opened to the signature. Data Protection Day is now celebrated globally and is called Data Privacy Day outside Europe.

25 January: National Voters Day
25 January is celebrated every year as National Voters Day to spread awareness about the necessity of voting and to encourage young generation towards the voting rights. National Voters Day Theme 2019 is ‘No Voter to be left behind’. This is the ninth year of celebrating National Voters Day.

24 January: International Day of Education
24th January is International Day of Education. The United Nations General Assembly adopted with consensus a resolution proclaiming 24 January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development.

15 January: Indian Army Day
Army Day is observed on January 15 in India. On this day in 1949, Field Marshal Kodandera M Cariappa took over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief. Army day is dedicated to the soldiers who fought to safeguard the country’s honour. This is the 71st celebration of the Indian Army Day.

12 January: National Youth Day
The National Youth Day is celebrated across the country on 12th January. NYD 2019 is the 156th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Known for his pragmatic approach towards spirituality, inter-faith harmony and modernization, Vivekananda is often considered an inspiration for India’s youth.

January 10: World Hindi Day
Every year 10th January is celebrated as World Hindi Day to create awareness about the language of Hindi across the World and to present Hindi as an international language. The first world World Hindi Conference was organized in Nagpur.

BANKING AWARENESS

RBI to Inject Rs 37,500 Crore Through OMO in February
The Reserve Bank of India has stated that it will inject Rs 37,500 crore into the system through the purchase of government securities in February to increase liquidity. RBI stated that it has decided to conduct the purchase of government securities under Open Market Operations (OMOs) for an aggregate amount of Rs 375 billion in the month of February 2019 through three auctions of Rs 125 billion each during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th week.

Nepals Central Bank announces Ban of Indian Notes above Rs 100
Nepal’s central bank banned the use of Indian currency notes of Rs 2,000, Rs 500 and Rs 200 denominations, a move that could affect Indian tourists visiting the Himalayan nation where Indian currency is widely used. Nepal Rastra Bank issued a circular prohibiting Nepali travelers, banks and financial institutions from holding or carrying and trading Indian bank notes higher than Rs 100.

HDFC Standard Life Insurance renamed to HDFC Life Insurance
HDFC Standard Life Insurance on Friday changed its name to HDFC Life Insurance following the receipt of relevant approvals from regulatory authorities. The change in name is effective right off the bat and the company will henceforth operate under the name HDFC Life Insurance Company Ltd.

Cabinet approves Rs 6,000 recap of EXIM Bank
The Union Cabinet approved capital infusion of Rs 6,000 crore in Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) through recapitalisation bonds to boost the bank’s capacity in export financing.

IDFC Bank re-named IDFC First Bank: Registrar of Companies, Chennai
Private sector lender IDFC Bank changed its name to IDFC First Bank Ltd owing to the merge of the bank with Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) Capital. The change was effective by virtue of ‘Certificate of Incorporation pursuant to change of name‘ issued by the Registrar of Companies, Chennai.

Sri Lanka’s Central Bank gets USD 400 Million Swap from RBI
Sri Lanka’s Central Bank announced that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has agreed to provide USD 400 million under a swap arrangement to boost the island nation’s reserves. It stated that a further request to the RBI for another SWAP arrangement of USD 1 billion is ‘Under consideration’.

RBI expected to pay government up to Rs 40,000 crore interim dividend
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to transfer an interim dividend of up to Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 40,000 crore ($4.32 billion-$5.8 billion) to the government by March. The funds are crucial to meet the fiscal deficit target of 3.3 percent of the GDP for the financial year ending in March, as the government’s revenue shortfall may be as high as Rs 1 lakh crore.

ICICI Bank, SBFC Joined Hands to Provide Loans Worth Rs. 1 Crore to MSMEs for 15-year Tenure
ICICI Bank, in a first-of-its-kind programme, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Small Business FinCredit India Pvt. Ltd. (SBFC), a systemically important Non-Banking Finance Company for entrepreneurs, to jointly provide credit worth up to Rs 1 crore to MSMEs for a tenure of 15 years.

Cabinet approves merger of Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda
The Cabinet has approved the merger of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda. The move will help create a strong globally competitive bank with economies of scale and enable the realization of wide-ranging synergies, leveraging of networks and low-cost deposits and substantial rise in customer base and operational efficiency. The pay and allowances and services of the employees of all three banks will remain same as earlier.

Banks Recover Rs 40,400 crore From Defaulters: RBI Report
Banks have seen a significant improvement in recovery of stressed assets helped by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and amendments in the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interests (SARFAESI) Act, during FY18, according to the RBI data.

INTERNATIONAL

Muhammadu Buhari Re-Elected Nigerian President
Muhammadu Buhari was re-elected Nigeria’s President, results showed, after a delayed poll that angered voters and led to claims of rigging and collusion. Buhari, 76, took an unassailable lead of more than four million votes as the last states were yet to be declared, making it impossible for his nearest rival, Atiku Abubakar, to win.

Cuba votes on new constitution
Voters in Cuba took part in a referendum on a new constitution that expands recognition of private property. The referendum contained only two options: yes or no to the new constitution. More than eight million were registered to voters. The new constitution, replacing the 1976 version, recognises a limited role for the free market and private investment, but only under the control of the Communist Party.

Zimbabwe Starts Trading New Currency RTGS dollar
Zimbabwe started to trade its new currency, the RTGS dollar, two days after the central bank announced measures to try and resolve a chronic monetary crisis. The bank unveiled a foreign exchange trading system that effectively devalued its quasi-currency, the bond note, which was officially pegged at parity with the US dollar.

Donald Trump Signs SPD-4 to Create US Space Force
US President Donald Trump signed Space Policy Directive-4 (SPD-4), ordering the Pentagon to establish the Space Force as the 6th branch of the United States military, to go along with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, in order to secure and extend American dominance of the space domain.

Cobra Gold Military Exercises held in Thailand
Thailand and the United States hosted the annual Cobra Gold military exercise, the biggest activity of its type in the Asia-Pacific region with 29 nations taking part as participants or observers. Apart from the 2 countries, 7 countries who participated in the exercise were India, Singapore, Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea.

President Bashir Declares Year-Long State of Emergency in Sudan
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a year-long state of emergency, dissolving his cabinet and local governments throughout the country. Omar al-Bashir in a televised address called on Sudan’s parliament to postpone constitutional amendments that would allow him to run for another term in a presidential election in 2020.

Squash Great Nicol David Announces Retirement
Malaysia’s 8-time World Champion Nicol David has announced that she will call time on her record-breaking career at the end of the 2018/19 season. The 35-year-old from Penang is one of the most successful squash players of all time and spent an unprecedented 9 years at World No.1 between 2006-2015.

Saudi becomes 73rd Nation to Sign International Solar Alliance
Saudi Arabia became the 73rd nation to sign the International Solar Alliance. ISA was unveiled by PM Narendra Modi and former French President Francois Hollande in 2015. The move came at Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visit to India.

Chris Gayle announces retirement from One-day Internationals
West Indian batsman Chris Gayle has announced that he will retire from One-day Internationals after the forthcoming World Cup. The 39-year old left-hander has scored 9,727 ODI runs, second only to the legendary Brian Lara among West Indians in 284 matches. He needs 677 more runs to surpass Lara, he will be hoping to achieve at his fifth World Cup.

Argentina becomes 72nd country to sign solar agreement
Argentina became the 72nd country to sign the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The agreement was inked on the sidelines of the official three-day visit of Argentinian President Mauricio Macri to India by Argentina’s Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie in the presence of ISA’s Director-General Upendra Tripathy.

India hiked the custom duty of Pakistan goods to 200 percent
After the Pulwama terror strike, the Union government has hiked the basic customs duty on all goods imported from the neighbouring country to 200% with immediate effect. This comes after India revoked the ‘Most Favoured Nation’ (MFN) status to Pakistan on February 15 following the Pulwama terror strike, that killed 40 CRPF personnel. The two main items imported from Pakistan are fruits and cement, on which the current customs duty is 30-50% and 7.5%, respectively.

Macedonia Officially Changed Its Name to North Macedonia
The country, formerly known as the Republic of Macedonia officially changed its name to the Republic of North Macedonia, on paper ending a decades-long dispute that should pave the way for NATO membership. The freshly named country celebrated the event with a flag-raising ceremony marking its prospective – and long-awaited – accession to NATO.

Women with four children to get life tax exemption in Hungary
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that women in the country with four children or more will be exempted for life from paying income tax. The move aims at boosting the country’s population. The PM said that this is a way of defending Hungary’s future without depending on immigration.

Egypt’s President el-Sissi Elected as the new chairman of African Union
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took over as chair of the African Union (AU). The post rotates annually between the five regions of the continent. He is expected to focus on the fight against armed groups on the continent and rebuilding efforts of countries recovering from conflict. Sisi takes the helm from Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who focused on creating an Africa wide free-trade zone during his tenure.

Macedonia signs accord to join NATO
Macedonia signed an accord to join NATO to become the 30th member of the US-led alliance. At a formal signing of the NATO accession protocol, Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov hailed the moment as showing that the country will never walk alone once in the alliance.

Former mayor Nayib Bukele wins El Salvador’s presidential election
Nayib Bukele, a former mayor of San Salvador was declared the winner in El Salvador’s presidential race, saying the country had left behind the postwar period by electing a young alternative to the two-party system.

Cory Booker to run for the 2020 presidential election
U.S. Senator Cory Booker, who gained national prominence in the fight over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, announced that he would seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 2020 presidential election, injecting more youthful energy to the expanding Democratic field.

Interim Budget 2019
Finance minister Piyush Goyal will present the Interim Budget for 2019-20 amid heightened expectations that he will announce an income support scheme for distressed farmers who have seen their incomes stagnate because of plunging prices, barely enough to pay for loans and input costs.

INDIA & WORLD

India destroys Jaish-e-Mohammeds biggest camp in Pakistan
Indian government confirmed that Indian Air Force (IAF) jets destroyed the biggest training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pakistan’s Balakot in the strike carried out by 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets. IAF dropped around 1,000 kg bombs on JeM terror camps across the Line of Control (LoC) in Muzafarabad sector.

India to Attend OIC Meet for 1st Time in Abu Dhabi
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has been invited to deliver an address at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Abu Dhabi. This is the first time that a leader of the non-Muslim country has been invited to the OIC conference. Ms Swaraj will be the Guest of Honour and address the inaugural plenary of the 46th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC.

India to stop its share of water flowing into Pakistan
The Minister of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari has said that India would fully utilise its share of unused water from rivers Ravi, Beas and Sutlej that has been flowing into Pakistan. The comment was made by the Minister in the backdrop of the Pulwama Terror attack which took the life of 40 CRPF soldiers.

India withdraws Most Favoured Nation status granted to Pakistan
India has withdrawn the Most Favoured Nation status granted to Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. A decision in this regard was taken during the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, CCS in New Delhi. Union Minister Arun Jaitley said that Ministry of External Affairs will initiate all possible diplomatic steps which are to be taken to ensure the complete isolation Pakistan from the international community.

India & Bangladesh sign MOU for training 1800 Bangladesh civil servants
India and Bangladesh have signed an MOU for training 1800 Bangladesh Civil Servants under Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG). The Mou was signed between the NCGG and the Ministry of Public Administration, and Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh for the tenure of 6 years.

NATIONAL

India 47th in ‘Inclusive’ Internet list: Facebook
India ranked 47th in the overall “Inclusive Internet Index 2019” score while Sweden topped the chart, followed by Singapore and the US, a Facebook-led study has revealed. According to the Inclusive Internet Index (3i) prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for Facebook, there are demonstrable benefits from comprehensive female e-inclusion policies, digital skills programmes and targets for women and girls to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Swine flu deaths reached 377 across India
Swine flu deaths reached 377 across India. The number of those infected by the flu has crossed 12,000. Rajasthan reported the highest number of cases (3,508) and fatalities (127). The governments of the states most affected by the virus have now issued advisory to control the pandemic.

Govt panel proposes national minimum wage of Rs 375 per day
A government panel has recommended a national minimum wage of ₹375 per day or ₹9,750 per month plus an additional housing allowance of ₹1,430 per month for workers in cities. The minimum wage would be ‘irrespective of sectors, skills, occupations and rural-urban locations’. Currently, minimum wages are decided by respective state governments.

India Signs Legal Agreements with The World Bank
The Government of India, Government of Himachal Pradesh (GoHP) and the World Bank signed a $40 Million Loan Agreement to help bring clean and reliable drinking water to the citizens of the Greater Shimla area, who have been facing severe water shortages and water-borne epidemics over the last few years.

Indian Foreign Exchange Reserves increased by $2.063 billion
The data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shows that the Foreign Exchange Reserves of India increased by $2.063 billion to $400.24 billion in the week to February 1. The foreign exchange reserves had increased by USD 1.497 billion to reach USD 398.178 billion in the previous week corresponding to January 25. The increase in the value of the Foreign Exchange Reserves is attributed to the increase in foreign currency assets.

India to Host 13th Conference of Parties of Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species
The 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (CMS), an environmental treaty under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme, is going to be hosted by India during 15th to 22nd February 2020 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

India Jumps 8 Place to 36th on International IP Index 2019
US Chambers of Commerce released the annual International IP Index of top 50 economies in the world, in the index, India climbed 8 positions up to the 36th rank and USA, as the lead. In 2018, India’s rank was 44th of 50 countries, the increase in the rank is dedicated to the various reforms made to the better alignment of India’s IP environment and one of the reforms, was the agreement with Japan to initiate a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH).

India becomes World’s Second Largest Consumer and importer of LPG
As per Oil Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, India has become the second largest importer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) after China,due to rising demands of cleaner alternatives to the traditional cooking fuels like firewood and cow dung. India surpassed Japan as the imports of LPG grew 12.5% over the last 5 years to 12 million metric tons.

India’s Tourism Sector Registers 19% Growth in 2018
Union Minister KJ Alphons has announced that the country’s tourism sector fetched revenue of 234 billion US Dollar in 2018, registering a growth of over 19%. This revenue was contributed by 87% domestic and 13% foreign tourists. He made the announcement at the 2nd ASEAN-India Youth Summit in Guwahati.

India’s Unemployment Rate Hit 4 Decade High of 6.1% in 2017-18: NSSO
As per the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO’s) periodic labor force survey (PLFS) India’s unemployment rate hit a 45 year high of 6.1% in 2017-18. It is the first comprehensive survey on employment conducted by a government agency after demonetization.

STATES

MP Govt launched 100-day employment scheme for youths
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath launched the State Government’s flagship scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Yuva Swabhiman Yojana’ that guarantees 100 days of employment every year to urban youth from economically weaker sections. Under the scheme, Rs 4,000 stipend per month during 100 days of period, would be given to the youth and they will also be given skill development training in order to become independent.

Odisha launches boat ambulance service for remote areas
A boat ambulance service has been launched by the Odisha government. It would be used to transport patients to hospitals in remote areas.The cost of the project is Rs 5.40 crore. The ambulance service can be availed by dialling ‘108’. The first boat ambulance was introduced at Batighar in Kendrapara district.

TN becomes First State in mainland to get 2 Coast Guard Districts
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit inaugurated the second Coast Guard district headquarters at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is the first state in India to get a second Coast Guard district headquarters. The first district headquarters is Chennai.

Bihar becomes the 1st State to Deploy Dog Squad to Check Liquor Smuggling
Bihar has become the first state to deploy specially-trained dogs to check smuggling of liquor which continues to take place inspite of the total ban imposed in the state for the last 3 years. 20 liquor-tracker dogs were trained rigorously for nine months in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Telangana gets two new districts
The State government announced the creation of two more districts, Narayanpet and Mulugu. Now the the number of districts in the State is 33. Narayanpet has been carved out of Mahbubnagar district and Mulugu from Jayashankar Bhupalpally.

India’s First District Cooling System to be Built in Amravati
United Arab Emirates (UAE) based international cooling provider, National Central Cooling Company PJSC (Tabreed) entered into a 30-year concession with Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) to build India’s first district cooling system in Amaravati.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal commissions first Aqua Mega Food Park in Andhra Pradesh
Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park, first aqua mega food park was commissioned by Secretary of Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Pushpa Subrahmanyam on behalf of Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal via video conferencing in Andhra Pradesh.

‘Exercise Rahat´ Concluded in Jaipur
Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise `Exercise Rahat´ concluded in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It was demonstrated in Jaipur, Kota, and Alwar in Rajasthan. With a view to co-operating efforts for humanitarian assistance and Disaster Relief operations, NDMA coordinated the exercise. Indian Army was represented by Jaipur based Sapta Shakti Command.

Jharkhand banned Popular Front of India
The Jharkhand government banned the Popular Front of India (PFI) in the State to curb its anti-national activities and for links with terror outfits like the IS. The PFI has been banned with immediate effect under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1908.

Senior National Badminton Championships begins in Guwahati
The 83rd edition of Senior National Badminton Championships has begun in Guwahati. Defending champion Saina Nehwal and last edition’s runner-up PV Sindhu will be the biggest attractions in Women’s Singles. The Men’s Singles will be without defending champion HS Prannoy and runners-up Kidambi Srikanth who are suffering from injuries.

Prajnesh Gunneswaran breaks into men’s singles top 100
Prajnesh Gunneswaran has made it to the top-100 of Men’s Singles Tennis rankings. He ranked 97 with a jump of six places. Prajnesh is the third Indian player to break into the top-100 barrier after Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri. He reached the semifinals of the ATP Chennai Challenger last week to ensure his entry into the coveted bracket.

Ladakh declared Jammu & Kashmirs third administrative division
The Jammu & Kashmir Government on Friday declared Ladakh as the third administrative division of the state. An order issued by Governor Satya Pal Malik‘s administration said, “The Government has approved the creation of a separated administrative/revenue division of Ladakh”.

Himachal pegs growth at 7.3% this fiscal
Himachal Pradesh’s economic growth is expected to be 7.3 per cent this fiscal and its per capita income is estimated at Rs 1,76,968. The economic growth was 6.5 per cent in the previous fiscal, the highest in three years. The per capita income at current prices witnessed an increase of 7.8 percent as it rose to Rs 1,60,711 in 2017-18 from Rs 1,49,028 in 2016-17.

Maharashtra Sets Up Panel To Review Welfare Schemes For Tribals
The Maharashtra government has set up a committee to review various schemes being implemented for the welfare of tribals in the state. The 17-member committee, headed by former MLA and Shramjeevi Sanghatna president Vivek Pandit, will undertake study of various works done for providing employment opportunities, minimum wages and proper livelihood to tribals, as per a recent government order.

Centre is not willing to recommend President’s rule in Bengal
After the City Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit fund scam, the BJP leaders demanded President’s rule in the State. Saradha scam is about Rs.2500 crore. Centre declared that the incident bordered on the failure of constitutional machinery, but the situation was not grave enough to invoke Article 356 of the Constitution enabling the President’s rule.

Kerala becomes 1st State to Set Up Price Monitoring And Research Unit
Kerala has become the first State to set up a Price Monitoring and Research Unit (PMRU) to track violation of prices of essential drugs and medical devices under the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO).

Punjab Government approves ‘Smart Village Campaign’ Worth of Rs 385 Crores
The Punjab government approved a rural development scheme worth Rs 384.40 crore to supplement the ongoing works to build village infrastructure and provide essential amenities. Named ‘Smart Village Campaign’, the scheme would be financed with funds from the 14th Financial Commission and MGNREGA works.

CONFERENCES

Global Business Summit held in New Delhi
The Global Business Summit can be the Davos of the East, said Vineet Jain, Managing Director of the Times group in the welcome address for the Economic Times Global Business Summit 2019 in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Global Business summit in New Delhi.

International Conference ENCO-2019 held in New Delhi
The International Conference and Exhibition on Energy and Environment – Challenges and Opportunities (ENCO-2019) held in New Delhi. The conference was inaugurated by the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind.

55th MSC held at Munich, Germany
55th Munich Security Conference (MSC), an annual meeting that brings together leaders and security experts from across the world. Deputy National Security Adviser Pankaj Saran attended the conference and participated in various events besides holding bilateral meetings with several countries.

4th Agri Leadership Summit 2019 held at Sonipat, Haryana
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh, inaugurated the 4th Agri Leadership Summit 2019 at the India International Horticulture Market (IIHM) in Ganaur, Sonipat district, Haryana. It was a 3-day summit. The theme of the summit was ‘Entrepreneurship & Agri-Business; Agri Allied – A Promising Sector and Agri Service- Direct Marketing’.

16th Lok Sabha Session Concludes
The last session of 16th Lok Sabha came to an end on 13th of February 2019. Giving the details for the tenure of 16th Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed that there were a total number of 331 sittings for Lok Sabha. 205 bills were passed and the productivity was 85%. For Rajya Sabha, 154 bills were passed and the productivity was 68%.

2nd ASEAN-India Youth Summit held in Guwahati
Union Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the 2nd ASEAN-India Youth Summit at Hotel Taj Vivanta in Guwahati.

ISC 2019 held in Hyderabad
The fourth edition of international spice conference (ISC 2019) held in Hyderabad. The conference is hosted by the All India Spices Exporters Forum (AISEF) which represents around 80% of spices export from India. ISC will bring under one roof more than 800 delegates from over 50 nationalities, 45 speakers and 72 exhibitors The theme for the conference is challenges of change-redefining the value chain.

AWARDS & HONOURS

President Conferred Gandhi Peace Prize
President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Gandhi Peace Prize for the years 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. The recipients of the award are Vivekananda Kendra for the year 2015, Akshaya Patra foundation and Sulabh International for 2016, Ekal Abhiyan Trust for 2017 & Yohei Sasakawa for 2018.

Lifetime Achievement award for G.R. Karthikeyan
G.R. Karthikeyan, father of India’s first Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement award at the FMSCI annual awards function. FIA president Jean Todt was the chief guest and handed over the awards.

Digital India Awards conferred for Excellence in Web Space
The Digital India Awards have been instituted under the ambit of the National Portal of India by National Informatics Centre, MeitY, to promote exemplary initiatives in e-governance using the medium of World Wide Web. Hon’ble Minister of Electronics & IT, Law & Justice Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad conferred ‘Digital India Awards 2018′ in an exclusive ceremony.

Divya Karnad becomes First Indian Woman to receive Future For Nature Award
33-year-old Ashoka University teacher and Wipro Sustainable Fellow, Divya Karnad became the First Indian Woman to be honoured with the ‘Future for Nature Award’ for her work on marine conservation. She is the second Indian to receive this award after Dr. Charudutt Mishra.

Dr Soumitro Chakraborty wins ‘CEO of the year’ award
Dr Soumitro Chakraborty, Chief Executive Officer of Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd. (Fiinovation), was conferred with ‘CEO of the year’ award at the 8th World CSR Congress held in Mumbai. The World CSR Congress this year focussed on the integration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in corporate strategies, innovation, and strategic alliances.

Narendra Modi Conferred with Seoul Peace Prize
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 for his contribution to international cooperation and fostering global economic growth.

Abdul Aziz Muhamat wins International Human Rights Prize
Sudanese refugee, Abdul Aziz Muhamat, who spent 5 years in the Australian detention centre on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, was given the Martin Ennals Award 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland, for exposing ‘the very cruel asylum seeker policy of the Australian Government’.

Sunil Chhetri Given First Ever Football Ratna Award
Football Delhi conferred Sunil Chhetri with first ever “Football Ratna” Award. Delhi Dynamos player Shubham Sarangi was also honoured. About Sunil Chhetri: Sunil Chhetri is popularly known as Captain Fantastic. He has scored 2nd highest number of goals in international football matches among active players after Cristiano Ronaldo. Chhetri has also been named AIFF (All India Football Federation) Player of the Year five times in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2017.

De Goede, Van Doren win 2018 FIH Player of the year Awards
Eva de Goede from Netherlands and Arthur van Doren of Belgium were titled the International Hockey Federation’s Players of the Year for 2018. Eva de Goede, 29, was named the Female Player of the Year and Arthur van Doren, 24, won the Male Player of the Year award for the second year in a row.

Bradley Cooper wins Best Director From PETA for ‘A Star is Born’
Bradley Cooper has been awarded the ‘Oscat’ by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The animal rights organisation awarded Cooper ‘for his enlightened decision to cast his own canine companion in ‘A Star Is Born’ rather than using one supplied by a notorious animal exhibitor’.

Indian Historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam wins the Dan David Prize
Indian historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam has won prestigious Dan David Prize of Israel for the year 2019 for his work on inter-cultural encounters between Asians, Europeans and people of North and South America during the early modern era. Sanjay Subrahmanyam shares the award in the category of ‘past time dimension’ with Prof Kenneth Pomeranz of the University of Chicago.

Deepa Mehta to be Feted with Lifetime Achievement Award
Acclaimed Indo-Canadian filmmaker, Deepa Mehta will be conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. This award will be presented in privilege of Deepa’s enormous impact and impression she has had on the essence of Canada’s entertainment industry. Deepa Mehta is best known for her trilogy- “Fire”, “Earth” and “Water”.

YES Bank wins Data Science Innovation Award
YES BANK has been announced as the winner of the 9th edition of Aegis Graham Bell Award 2018 for its ‘Yes Engage Enrich Excel (EEE)’ project in data science. YES EEE program is an industry-first analytics tool that aids the Bank’s relationship managers with top three talking points to engage with their customers. Aegis Graham Bell Award has been promoting innovations and entrepreneurship in the ICT domain.

Francois Laborde Conferred France’s Highest Civilian Honour
Father Francois Laborde, a 92-year-old priest, was conferred the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour), the highest civilian award of France, in recognition of his work for specially-abled children. He is the third person from the state to have been awarded the Legion of Honor after film maestro Satyajit Ray and actor Soumitra Chatterjee.

SBI UK Chief Honoured ‘Freedom of the City of London
The State Bank of India’s Uk chief Mr. Sanjiv Chadha has been honored with the ‘Freedom of the City Of London’ by the city of London Corporation in recognition of his contribution to promoting the bilateral relations. Sanjiv Chadha was nominated for the honor by Lord Mayor of London Peter Estlin and Sheriff Vincent Keaveny.

P.S.Krishnan received K.Veeramani Award for Social Justice in 2018
K.Veeramani Award for Social Justice 2018 will be conferred on P.S. Krishnan, former Secretary, Government of India. Dravidar Kazhagam leader Veeramani will felicitate the awardee at a function in New Delhi.

Azim Premji awarded EY Lifetime Achievement Award
Azim Premji Chairman of Wipro Ltd will be felicitated with the Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award. Ernst & Young, famously known as EY is a multinational professional services firm and is one of the “Big Four” accounting firms.

P.S.Krishnan is to receive K.Veeramani Award
K.Veeramani Award for Social Justice 2018 will be conferred on P.S. Krishnan, former Secretary, Government of India. Dravidar Kazhagam leader Veeramani will felicitate the awardee at a function in New Delhi. About the award: Periyar International Inc., (USA) gives an annual award for outstanding contributions to Social Justice, which is named his honor.

Manus Island refugee Behrouz Boochani won Australian literary prize
Manus Island ’s refugee Behrouz Boochani ’s debut book ‘No Friends But the Mountains’ won both the 25,000 dollars non-fiction prize at the Victorian premier’s literary awards and the 100,000 dollars Victorian prize for literature , in Australia.

Health Minister confers ‘Award of Appreciation’
Rajiv Nath was conferred with the prestigious ‘Award of Appreciation’ by Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare for his contribution to the Global Public Healthcare sector at The Award of Appreciation Ceremony held at Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi, organized by Diaspora Foundation.

SPORTS & GAMES

Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta wins Cannes International Open Trophy
Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta lifted the Cannes International Open trophy. He took an easy draw with Pier Luigi Basso of Italy in the ninth and final round. Abhijeet won the tournament with 7.5 points. It is his first solo International tournament victory.

Saurabh Chaudhary clinches gold in 10m air rifle at Shooting World Cup
Saurabh Chaudhary has clinched the country’s second gold medal at the ongoing ISSF World Cup at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. Saurabh, who had already won gold medals at Youth Olympics and Asian Games gold, attained the top spot in the 10m air pistol event of the World Cup. Saurabh shot a total of 245 (World Record) to claim the top spot. He has also booked a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Manpreet Singh honoured with AHF’s Player of the Year
The Asian Hockey Federation has honoured Indian skipper Manpreet Singh with the 2018 Player of the Year award. Women team’s striker Lalremsiami has bagged the Rising Player of The Year prize. Manpreet led the Indian team to an unbeaten streak at the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat where the team was declared joint winners with Pakistan.

Apurvi wins gold at shooting World Cup
Apurvi Chandela won the first gold for India at the ISSF World Cup by finishing on top of the women’s 10 metre Air Rifle category in New Delhi. She also set a new world record with 252.9 points on the way to the title. Apurvi, who had booked a quota place for the 2020 Olympics last year, thus bagged her third individual medal at a World Cup.

Jitendra Singh wins National Race Walking Championship
Jitendra Singh Rathore claimed the top honours in the men’s 50km race walk competition at the 6th National Open Race Walking Championships that concluded in Chennai The Rajasthan athlete clocked a time of 4:23.23. and beat out Gujarat’s Joshi Sagar who registered 4:24.21 to take the silver medal. The National Open Race Walking Championships were meant to serve as an opportunity to qualify for the Athletics World Championships to be held in Doha in September this year.

Elise Mertens beats Simona Halep to win Qatar Open
Elise Merten, world number 21 from Belgium beat world number 3, Simona Halep to win the Qatar Open held in Doha, Qatar. This is her first WTA Premier-level crown and fifth title of her overall career. Mertens’ triumph over the Romanian was her third win over a top 10 player in Doha.

Saina Nehwal won her women’s title at the Yonex-Sunrise Senior Nationals
Saina Nehwal won her fourth title at the Yonex-Sunrise 83rd Senior Nationals. She defeated P.V.Sindhu. Sourabh Verma completed a hat-trick of titles, claiming the men’s singles crown after defeating young Lakshya Sen. The pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Chirag Shetty outclassed top seed duo Arjun M.R and Shlok Ramachandran to clinch the Men’s Doubles title.

Derrick Pereira becomes the India U-23 Football team coach
Derrick Pereira was named head coach of the India U-23 team for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qualifiers slated to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from March 22, ON Wednesday. Besides India, the other teams in the group are Tajikistan and Pakistan.

PV Sindhu, Vaishnavi Bhale, Ashmita Chaliha enter semi finals of women’s singles in NBC
PV Sindhu sailed into the semi-finals, while Nagpur’s Vaishnavi Bhale and Ashmita Chaliha of Assam booked their maiden last-4 spots. Sindhu had an easy outing as she defeated Riya Mookerjee 21-16, 21-7 to progress to the semis on Thursday.

‘Clouded Leopard’ to be Mascot for National Games 2022
The Sports and Youth Ministry in the meeting of Executive Committee of the National Games 2022 has chosen the Smiling Clouded Leopard to be the Mascot for the National Games 2022. Meghalaya will host the 2022 National Games, which is coinciding with its 50 years of statehood. Clouded Leopard is among the wild cats that live throughout the forests of Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia Hills.

Corentin Moutet Clinched Chennai Open ATP Challenger Title
In Tennis, France’s Corentin Moutet has clinched the Chennai Open ATP Challenger tournament title after beating Andrew Harris of Australia in the singles final. It was the second Challenger title for Moutet, who received 80 ATP points, while Andrew got 48 ATP points.

India’s young paddlers clinch four medals
In Table Tennis, India’s young paddlers clinching four medals include a gold, at the Bahrain Junior and Cadet Open tournament in Manama. Besides the gold, India won two silver and a bronze. In the final, the India-A team of Suhana Saini and Anargya Manjunath proved too strong for India-B and clinched the Gold. In the Junior girls’ competition, the Indian team of Manushree Patil and Swastika Ghosh beat three teams before losing to eventual champions Russia to settle for a Silver.

Vidharbha lift Ranji Trophy for second time in a row
Vidarbha lifted their second successive Ranji Trophy title with a comfortable 78-run win over Saurashtra. Left arm spinner, Sarwate was adjudged man of the match. Vidarbha is only the sixth team in the tournament’s long history to have defended the title.

Mirabai Chanu Notched up Gold at EGAT Cup in Thailand
World champion Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu notched up a gold medal at the EGAT Cup in Thailand. Chanu won the 48kg category gold with an effort of 192 kg in the silver level Olympic qualifying event.

Ramit Tandon wins Seattle Open
Indian squash player Ramit Tandon defeated Egyptian Mohamed El Sherbini in the finals to win the Seattle Open, a PSA challenger squash Tour event. The top-seeded Indian, who rose to his career high ranking of 58 in the latest February list, won his first PSA title in the new year and fourth title overall in his career.

Smriti Mandhana becomes World No.1 Women’s ODI Batter
Indian women’s cricket team opener Smriti Mandhana has become the top-ranked batter in women’s ODI cricket, as per the latest rankings released by the ICC. The 22-year-old moved up three spots in the batters’ rankings to reach the top spot. In the 15 ODIs Smriti has played since the beginning of 2018, she has scored two centuries and eight half-centuries.

Australia Cricketer Greg Chappell decided to retire as after Ashes 2019
Former Cricketer,Greg Chappell confirmed to retire after the Ashes 2019. Greg Chappell have played 87 Tests for Australia. After his retirement in 1984,he worked as Team selector in three separate regimes, from 1984 to 1988, 2010 to 2011, and 2016 to the present. He was also appointed as national talent manager in 2010.

Sana Mir becomes 1st Asian Woman to Play 100 T20Is
Former captain of the Pakistan women team Sana Mir has become the first Asian woman to play hundred T20Is. Mir, 33, is one of Pakistan’s most senior women cricketers and has been representing the country since 2005.

Qatar won their First-ever Asian Cup Title In Football by defeating Japan
Qatar won its first major soccer title by beating four-time champion Japan 3-1 in the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup held in United Arab Emirates(UAE). Sudan born Almoez Ali, became the first player to score nine goals at a single Asian Cup.

INS Dronacharya wins Kochi Area Boat Pulling Regatta 2019
The INS Dronacharya team won the Regatta trophy in the Kochi Area Pulling Regatta 2019 of the Southern Naval Command (SNC) held in the Ernakulam Channel. Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) School & Diving School secured the runners up position.

Vani Kapoor becomes First Indian to Grab Australian LPGA Card
Golfer Vani Kapoor has become the first Indian to grab Australian Ladies PGA Tour (LPGA) after securing 12th Rank tied with three others in the first-ever qualifying tournament at the Ballarat Golf Club in Australia. Total 81 players participated in the Qualifying tournament out of which top-20 earned the card for LPGA.

Indian Captain Mithali Raj becomes 1st female cricketer to play 200 ODIs
Indian captain Mithali Raj became the first female cricketer to play 200 ODI. The 36-year-old is also the highest run-getter in ODIs with 6622 runs at an average of 51.33. Mithali made her ODI debut way back in 1999 and has featured in 200 games out of the 263 ODIs India have played.

ECONOMY

EPFO Hikes Interest Rates on EPF by 0.1%
Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has hiked interest rate on employees’ provident fund to 8.65% from 8.55% for the 2018-19 fiscal year. The announcement was made by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar. The proposal would now go to the Finance Ministry for approval, Gangwar said after the CBT meeting.

WPI Inflation Hits 10-Month Low
The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries has released the data on WPI Inflation. The data makes the observations of The WPI Inflation fell to a 10-month low of 2.76 per cent in January owing to softening prices of fuel and some food items. The WPI inflation has stood at 3.8 per cent in December 2018, and 3.02 per cent in January 2018.

Government to borrow additional Rs 36,000 cr in FY19
In order to meet additional expenses, the government has decided to raise additional Rs 36,000 crore through dated securities taking the total borrowing through the instrument to Rs 96,000 crore in the remaining period of the current fiscal.

6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement Released
RBI has released 6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement. On the basis of an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation at its meeting, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided Reduce the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 6.5% to 6.25% with immediate effect. Consequently, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.0%, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 6.5%. On the supply side, the FAE has placed the growth of real gross value added (GVA) at 7.0% in 2018-19 as compared with 6.9% in 2017-18.

FDI during April-September 2018-19 fell 11 per cent to $22.66 billion
According to commerce and industry ministry data Foreign direct investment (FDI) into India has declined 11% to $22.66 billion during April-September period of the current fiscal. Sectors that received maximum foreign investment are services ($4.91 billion), computer software and hardware ($2.54 billion), telecommunications ($2.17 billion), trading ($2.14 billion), chemicals ($1.6 billion) and automobile industry ($ 1.59 billion).

GST collection increases to one lakh crore in January
The data from the Ministry of Finance shows that goods and services tax collections stood at Rs. 1,02,503 crore in the month of January. Of the Rs. 1,02,503 crore GST revenue, Central GST is Rs 17,763 crore, State GST (SGST) is Rs 24,826 crore, Integrated GST (IGST) is Rs 51,225 crore (including Rs 24,065 crore collected on imports) and Cess is Rs 8,690 crore.

Fiscal deficit pegged at 3.4% of GDP for 2019-20
The Interim Budget 2019-20 has pegged the fiscal deficit for the year 2019-20 at 3.4% of GDP. The fiscal deficit for the current fiscal has been revised upward to 3.4 per cent from the Budgeted target of 3.3 per cent in previous year. Fiscal deficit for FY21 has been pegged at 3 percent.

GST collections for January expected at Rs 103,000 cr
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for January have crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore mark and is expected to be Rs 103,000 crore, acting Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said. The Rs 1 lakh crore barrier in average monthly collections seen over the past two years had finally been broken this January with the collection for last month expected to be at around Rs 103,000 crore.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Scientists discovered new Universe map which unveiled 3,00,000 more galaxies
A new map of the night sky published in charts hundreds of thousands of previously unknown galaxies discovered using a LOFAR telescope that can detect light sources optical instruments cannot see. More than 200 astronomers from 18 countries were involved in the study, which used radio astronomy to look at a segment of the sky over the northern hemisphere, and found 3,00,000 previously unseen light sources thought to be distant galaxies.

NASA to Launch SPHEREx Mission to Investigate Universe
NASA has announced a new space telescope mission dedicated to understanding the origins of life and the universe. It’s called the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer or SPHEREx, for short. The space agency is aiming for a 2023 launch.

NASA Announces the end of Opportunity
NASA announced that its Opportunity Rover mission is complete after the rover failed to respond despite repeated trials since August 2018. The space agency inferred that a planet-encircling dust storm cut off communications with Opportunity, disabling its solar panels from storing power. Since then NASA has beamed over 830 unanswered rescue commands.

NASA lost contact first mini-spacecraft MarCO CubeSats
NASA has lost touch with the first mini-spacecraft that ventured into deep space, according to the US space agency which said that it is unlikely the twin CubeSats will be heard from again.The MarCO CubeSats were launched last year to test if such low-cost technology can operate in deep space. WALL-E sent back stunning images of Mars as well, while EVE performed some simple radio science.

DRDO Successfully Flight Tests Indigenously Developed Missile System SFDR
The second indigenously developed ‘Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR)’ propulsion-based missile system was successfully flight tested in Odisha by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The success of SFDR propulsion technology is a significant milestone and will pave the way for the development of long-range air-to-air missiles in the country.

India successfully tests Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet Propelled Missile
India has successfully undertaken the demonstration of the indigenously developed propulsion technology. The successful demonstration of indigenous technology is a step forward in the development of long-range air-to-air missiles.

ISRO to launch its 40th communication satellite GSAT-31
The Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, is all set to launch its 40th communication satellite GSAT-31 on February 6 from the spaceport in French Guiana. The satellite with a mission life of 15 years will provide continuity to operational services on some of the in-orbit satellites and augment the Ku-band transponder capacity in Geostationary Orbit.

India to launch communication satellite GSAT-31 aboard Ariane-5
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would be launching its latest communication satellite GSAT-31, aboard Ariane-5 (VA 247) from French Guiana. Ariane-5 is the launch vehicle of the European launch services provider Arianespace. According to Arianespace, the launch of Ariane-5 (VA 247) is scheduled for 2:31 am India time. In its first mission on 2019, Arianespace would be launching two telecommunications satellites with Ariane 5.

ISRO to get its new communication satellite
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is to get its new communication satellite GSAT-31 aloft in space on February 6 from French Guiana on a hired European rocket. GSAT-31 will replace the INSAT-4CR. GSAT-31 weighs roughly 2,500 kg. The latter with 12 Ku-band transponders was put to orbit in September 2007 to drive what was then a new DTH industry. The launch of Ariane-5 V247 mission is fixed for 2.31 a.m. IST.

APPOINTMENTS

NBT appoints Govind Prasad Sharma as Chairman
The National Book Trust (NBT) has appointed educationist and author Govind Prasad Sharma as its new Chairman. NBT, an autonomous organisation under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, was previously chaired by Baldeo Sharma since 2015.

Indra Nooyi joins Amazon Board of Directors
PepsiCo’s India-born former CEO Indra Nooyi has joined Amazon’s board of directors. Nooyi, who stepped down as CEO of Pepsico in October last year, is the second woman to be added on the Amazon’s board of Directors. Early this month, Starbucks executive Rosalind Brewer joined the Amazon Board.

State Governor of Ayala appointed Sudan’s Prime Minister
Mohamed Tahir Ayala, governor of Gezira state, was appointed Sudan’s prime minister. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said in November 2017 that he would support Ayala in the 2020 presidential election if he decided to run.

Brij Bhushan Sharan elected as WFI President
Brijbhushan Sharan Singh has been elected unopposed as President of Wrestling Federation of India. This marked the third time that Singh had assumed the post of WFI’s president. He is also a Member of Parliament from the Kaiserganj constituency of Uttar Pradesh. He was the chef-de-mission of the Indian contingent for the Asian Games 2018 held in Jakarta and Palembang.

Kelly Knight Craft is the new US ambassador to the UN
US President Donald Trump has announced the nomination of Kelly Knight Craft as the new US ambassador to the UN. The post of the US ambassador to the UN was vacant due to the resignation of Nikki Haley. Kelly Knight Craft is currently serving as the US ambassador to Canada. The appointment would be formalised after the approval by the US Senate.

Saudi Arabia appoints first female ambassador to United States
Saudi Arabia has appointed Princess Reema bint Bandar, a former business executive and philanthropist, as its first female ambassador to the United States. She replaced Prince Khalid bin Salman, amid fallout over journalist Khashoggi’s murder. She has been a leading advocate of female empowerment in the kingdom.

Kareena Kapoor Khan appointed ambassador of Swasth Immunised India campaign
Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has been appointed as an ambassador of Swasth Immunised India campaign. The Swasth Immunised India campaign has been launched by Serum Institute of India (SII) and Network 18. The Swasth Immunised India campaign aims to build a robust campaign aimed at spreading awareness on the importance and benefits of immunisation among the masses.

Justice Uma Nath Singh takes oath as First Lokayukta of Nagaland
The first Lok Ayukta of Nagaland, Justice Uma Nath Singh, took the oath of office. Nagaland Governor PB Acharya administered the oath to him at a function held at Raj Bhavan. Justice Uma Nath Singh was a former Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court. He will hold the office for a term of five years or till he attains the age of 70 years whichever is earlier.

Additional charge as Secretary of Department of Fisheries given to Tarun Shridhar
The PM administration gave the Secretary of Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Tarun Shridhar the additional charge of Secretary of Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.Department of Fisheries is a newly created department under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Tarun Shridhar is an IAS officer from 1984 batch.

PayU India appoints Anirban Mukherjee as CEO
Naspers-owned PayU, a leading online payments service provider, has a new Chief Executive for its Indian operations in Anirban Mukherjee. Besides leading PayU’s Indian business, Anirban will join PayU’s global leadership team to support its ambitious plans to unlock innovative credit and financial services for under-served populations in high-growth markets. Mukherjee will now report to Laurent Le Moal, CEO, PayU Global.

Ajay Singh Appointed as the Head of AIBA Elite Foundation
Ajay Singh, president of the Boxing Federation of India has been selected as the president of the Foundation Board for Better Boxing of AIBA (International Boxing Association). He has been elected to the post for a tenure of 4 years. AIBA formed the Foundation Board for Better Boxing in the last meeting of its Executive Committee to formulate an action plan for global development of the sport in future.

SC Appoints Former Judge Justice D.K. Jain as BCCI Ombudsman
The Supreme Court appointed a retired judge of the court Justice D.K. Jain as the first ombudsman under the new BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) Constitution approved by the court in a judgment. Bringing a quietus to the quibbling between the Committee of Administrators (CoA) which runs the BCCI and the State bodies that form the Board, a Bench of Justices S.A.

Mary Kom designated as women’s training Ambassador of PUMA
German sports and lifestyle brand PUMA has appointed the 6 time world champion woman M C Mary Kom as its new brand ambassador. Mary Kom is now PUMA India’s new ambassador for their women’s training category and will be representing the brand in marketing campaigns.

CBIC appoints Sandeep Mohan Bhatnagar and Ashok Kumar Pandey as its members
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) appointed 2 senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers, Sandeep Mohan Bhatnagar and Ashok Kumar Pandey as its members. Ashok Kumar Pandey is a 1983-batch Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) officer and Sandeep Mohan Bhatnagar is a 1984-batch IRS officer.

Dr G C Anupama elected as President of ASI
Dr G C Anupama has been elected president of the Astronomical Society of India (ASI). Dr G C Anupama was elected to the post in the ASI Executive Council elections for triennium 2019-22. She has become the first woman to head the prime association of professional astronomers in the country.

UN Appoints C Ramanathan as Controller & ASG for Programme Planning, Budget and Finance
Chandramouli Ramanathan has been appointed as Controller, Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Budget and Finance in the management strategy, policy and compliance department. He succeeds Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas of Uruguay. Ramanathan brings to the position nearly 40 years of executive international experience in diverse organisational settings in finance and budget, management and information technology.

Dr. B. P. Sharma re-appointed as the CMD of Pawan Hans
The Ministry of Civil Aviation with the approval of Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) re-appointed Dr. B. P. Sharma as the new Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of the state-run helicopter manufacturer Power Hans. He had taken charge as the CMD of Raj Hans in March 2015 and superannuated in January 2019.

William Barr sworn in as US Attorney General
William Barr was sworn in for second time as the new Attorney General of United States. Barr, who also served as the Attorney General from 1991 to 1993 during President George HW Bush’s administration, succeeds Jeff Sessions.

Hina Jaiswal became the first Indian Woman Flight Engineer
Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal from Chandigarh, became the First Indian Woman Flight Engineer of the Indian Air Force(IAF). She was commissioned in the IAF’s engineering branch in 2015 and completed the 6-month Flight Engineer course from the 112 Helicopter Unit attached to the Air Force Station in Yelahanka, Bengaluru. The Flight Engineer branch was opened to women officers in 2018.

P C Mody appointed as Chairman of CBDT
Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has appointed senior IRS officer Pramod Chandra Mody as chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). He will succeed Sushil Chandra, who was recently appointed Election Commissioner.

Jaitley resumes charge as Finance Minister
Union Minister Arun Jaitley resumed charge as finance minister after his return from the US. He attended the Cabinet Committee of Security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Pulwama terror attack. Arun Jaitley had stopped attending office last month and had gone to New York for medical treatment.

Sushil Chandra is appointed as an Election Commissioner
President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Sushil Chandra as an Election Commissioner of India. Mr.Chandra is the second Indian Revenue Service (IRS) official to hold the post after T.S.Krishnamurthy.

Ashwani Lohani reappointed Air India CMD
Ashwani Lohani, a retired bureaucrat, has been appointed the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of national carrier Air India in New Delhi. Lohani held the position for around two years from 2015. In August 2017, he was named the Chairman to the Railway Board. The government appointed Air India CMD Pradeep Singh Kharola as the new Civil Aviation Secretary.

Ruchira Kamboj to be India’s Ambassador to Bhutan
Ruchira Kamboj, currently serving as the High Commissioner of India to South Africa, was appointed as the Ambassador of India to Bhutan. Kamboj is a 1987 cadre Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer who has previously served as the Ambassador/PR to Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO, Paris.

Ricky Ponting appointed as Assistant Coach of Australia for 2019 World Cup
Cricket Australia appointed Ricky Ponting as the assistant coach for Australia’s cricket team for 2019 World Cup. Ponting was appointed after David Saker’s resignation from the post. Ricky Ponting worked as the assistant for Australia’s T20 in 2017 and 2018.

Shane Warne named as brand ambassador of Rajasthan Royals
Australian spinner, Shane Warne has been named the brand ambassador of Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming edition of IPL. He led Rajasthan Royals to its first and only IPL title in 2008. Also, Rajasthan Royals has decided to change its jersey colour from blue to pink this year.

Dinkar Gupta takes over charge of DGP Punjab
Dinkar Gupta has taken over the charge of Director General of the Punjab Police. He took over the charge as DGP from Suresh Arora at a simple ceremony at the Punjab Police headquarters at Chandigarh. Previously, Gupta was posted as Director General of Police, Intelligence, Punjab.

Shri Sailesh assumed Charge as Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs
Shri Sailesh, IAS, Assam-Meghalaya Cadre,took charge as the Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs. He will also hold the post of Secretary, Department of Official Language as an additional charge.

Air India Chairperson Pradeep Singh Kharola appointed Civil Aviation Secretary
The government appointed Air India chief managing director and Chairperson Pradeep Singh Kharola the secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Kharola will take over from Rajiv Nayan Choubey. Kharola, an Indian Administrative Services officer of Karnataka cadre from the 1985 batch, was named chairperson of Air India.

Nilambar Acharya appointed Nepal’s envoy to India
Nilambar Acharya, Nepal’s former law minister,was appointed as Nepal’s ambassador to India in Kathmandu. Nilambar Acharya’s oath of office position was administered by President Bidya Devi Bhandari in Kathmandu. The position of Nepalese ambassador to India was vacant after Deep Kumar Upadhyay resigned.

Dinesh Bhatia appointed as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Argentina
The government has appointed Dinesh Bhatia, the present Consul General, Consulate General of India at Toronto as the next Ambassador of India to Argentina. The MEA stated that present India’s envoy to Argentina Sanjiv Ranjan has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Colombia.

P.V.Bharathi appointed as the MD & CEO of Corporation Bank
The government has appointed P.V.Bharathi as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Corporation Bank. Earlier she has served as the Executive Director of Canara Bank. Corporation Bank is public-sector banking The company headquartered in Mangaluru, India. The bank has a pan-Indian presence.

Rishi Kumar Shukla appointed CBI Director
IPS officer Rishi Kumar Shukla has been appointed as the chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a fixed tenure of two years. Rishi Kumar Shukla is currently serving as the chairman of Madhya Pradesh Police Housing Corporation in Bhopal.

K.P.Singh appointed as DGP of Haryana
K.P.Singh, Senior Indian Police Service officer, took charge as officiating Director-General of Police, Haryana. This is in addition to his present duty as D-G Human Rights Commission. Mr.Singh has been assigned the charge of DGP of the Haryana police till the finalization of the ongoing process of regular appointment to the post as per guidelines of the Supreme Court.

Nilambar Acharya Appointed Country’s Ambassador to India
Former Law Minister of Nepal Nilambar Acharya has been appointed as country’s ambassador to India. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Acharya in Kathmandu. He has been appointed on the recommendation of the cabinet.

Ramesh Abhishek given additional charge as Civil Aviation Secretary
The government gave senior bureaucrat Ramesh Abhishek additional charge as Secretary of Civil Aviation Ministry. Abhishek holds the position of Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Abhishek takes over from R.N. Choubey who retired recently. He will join the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) as a member.

Sanjiv Ranjan appointed as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Colombia
Ministry of External Affairs announced that Sanjiv Ranjan has been appointed as new Ambassador to the Republic of Colombia. Ranjan, who is the current Ambassador to Argentina, is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

Punit Goenka re-elected as new BARC India chairman
Punit Goenka, managing director and CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd has been re-elected the new chairman of TV viewership measurement company, BARC India. Punit Goenka was the founder of BARC India. Punit Goenka succeeded Nakul Chopra who completed his year-long tenure as chairman.

LT Gen Rajeev Chopra takes over as DG NCC
Lt Gen Rajeev Chopra assumed the appointment of Director General of NCC (DGNCC). Commissioned in the Madras Regiment in December 1980, Lt Gen Chopra is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He has been awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for his distinguished service.

Ajai Kumar is appointed as the interim CEO of Yes Bank
Ajai Kumar is appointed as the interim CEO of Yes Bank. He will hold the charge of MD & CEO till the new CEO Ravneet Gill joins the lender. Yes Bank said that the Reserve Bank of India had approved the interim appointment.

RESIGNS

Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif resigns
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced his resignation. However his resignation can only take effect once President Hassan Rouhani accepts it. Zarif played a prominent role in negotiating the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and major international powers.

CEO of DHFL, Harshil Mehta resigned from his post
Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL) has notified that its CEO Harshil Mehta has resigned from his position. Mr. Mehta will further hold the position of DHFL’s Executive President in Retail business from 14th February, 2019. DHFL’s board has further appointed Sunjoy Joshi as an Independent Director and Srinath Sridharan as a Non-Executive director.

Yes Bank senior group president Pralay Mondal resigns
Yes Bank Senior group President and head of retail and business banking, Pralay Mondal resigned from his post. Pralay Mondal joined Yes Bank in 2012 and he was elevated along with Rajat Monga who handled financial management as Executive Directors of the Yes Bank.

DEATHS

Veteran Kannada writer Ko Channabasappa passes away
Veteran freedom fighter and noted Kannada writer Ko Channabasappa passed away in M S Ramaiah hospital in Bengaluru. He was 96. He was former Judge and had written more than 80 books. He was winner of Nadoja and Kannada Rajyotsava Awards.

Veteran Telugu filmmaker Kodi Ramakrishna passes away
Well-known Telugu filmmaker Kodi Ramakrishna, best known for directing memorable films such as ‘Ankusam’, ‘Ammoru’ and ‘Arundhati’ among others passed away in Hyderabad. Ramakrishna made his directorial debut with 1982 Telugu romantic comedy ‘Intlo Ramayya Veedhilo Krishnayya’ with megastar Chiranjeevi.

Veteran Film Producer Raj Kumar Barjatya Passes Away
Veteran Bollywood producer and father of filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya, Raj Kumar Barjatya passed away in Mumbai. He was popularly and affectionately known as Raj Babu and helmed several Bollywood hit films including ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’, ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’, ‘Vivah’, ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’, ‘Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon’ among others.

Bengali singer Pratik Choudhury passes away at 55
Bengali singer Pratik Choudhury passed away at a City hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest. The popular singer, known for his albums on contemporary Bengali songs invluding ‘Mukhosh’, ‘Bhusandir Mathe’, and ‘Ebar Pratiker Pallay’. Choudhury, a graduate from Calcutta University, began his music career in 1994 by singing jingles. He also sung in numerous TV serials, Bengali movies.

Noted Hindi Writer Namvar Singh Passes Away
Noted Hindi writer Namvar Singh passed away in New Delhi. He was 92. Prof. Namvar Singh was ill for some time and was being treated at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Singh was the first chairman of JNU’s Centre of Indian Languages. He has authored over dozen books including ‘Kavita Ke Naye Pratiman’, ‘Chhayavad‘ and ‘Dusri Parampara Ki Khoj’ among others.

‘Badge of Honor’ Military Novelist, W.E.B. Griffin Passes Away
American military veteran and novelist, William E. Butterworth III, better known as W.E.B. Griffin (his pen name), passed away at the age of 89. He joined the army at the age of 17 and has served in the Korean War.

Climate Scientist Wallace Smith Broecker Passes Away
Climate scientist Wallace Smith Broecker, who popularised the term “global warming” has passed away in New York. Eighty-seven-year-old Columbia University professor breathed his last at a New York City hospital.

Best-selling British Author ‘Andrea Levy’ Passed Away
The best-selling British author Andrea Levy, who explored the experience of Jamaican British people in a series of novel over 20 years, has died from cancer at the age of 62. She was known for penning books ‘The Long Song’ and ‘Small Island’. She was conferred with Orange prize for fiction, Whitbread book of the year, Commonwealth writers prize and many more.

Swiss Actor Bruno Ganz Passed Away
77 years old Swiss actor, Bruno Ganz who is famous for his role of German dictator, Adolf Hitler in the Oscar-nominated film Downfall, passed away in Zurich, Switzerland due to Colon Cancer. Bruno Ganz was born in 1941 and he was active in German theatre, film, and television for more than 50 years.

Ex-Goa Dy CM Francis D’Souza passes away at 64
Former deputy chief minister of Goa and BJP MLA Francis D’Souza passed away. He was 64. He was elected to Goa Legislative Assembly in the year 1999 as Goa Rajiv Congress party candidate and was later shifted to BJP to get elected to the state legislative assembly in 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017 from Mapusa constituency.

Clouded Leopard’ to be Mascot for National Games 2022
The Sports and Youth Ministry in the meeting of Executive Committee of the National Games 2022 has chosen the Smiling Clouded Leopard to be the Mascot for the National Games 2022. Meghalaya will host the 2022 National Games, which is coinciding with its 50 years of statehood. Clouded Leopard is among the wild cats that live throughout the forests of Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia Hills.

England football great Gordon Banks passes away
England football great, goalkeeper Gordon Banks, whose safe pair of hands helped the Three Lions to their only World Cup final victory in 1966, has passed away at the age of 81.Banks won 73 caps for England between 1963 and 1972 and made nearly 200 appearances for Stoke before his playing career was brought to an end due to a car crash that cost him the sight in one eye.

Bollywood actor Mahesh Anand passed away at age of 57
Hindi film actor Mahesh Anand passed away at age of 57 in Mumbai. Mahesh Anand, was best known for negative roles in the movies of 80s and 90s. The villainous actor was last found in the Govinda’s film ‘Rangeela Raja’.

Oscar-Nominated British Actor Albert Finney Passes Away
Oscar-nominated British actor Albert Finney passed away peacefully after a short illness. He aged 82. He was a five-time Oscar nominee who began his career at the Royal Shakespeare Company before making his mark in film. His big film break came as “angry young man” Arthur Seaton in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.

Longest-Serving US Congressman John Dingell Passes Away
John Dingell, the longest-serving congressman in US history, has passed away aged 92. He was first elected in 1955, serving in the House of Representatives for the next 59 years. He retired in 2015. Mr. Dingell served through the terms of 11 US presidents.

Noted freedom fighter Priyanath Dey passes away
Noted freedom fighter and former Odisha MLA Priyanath Dey passed away in Bhubaneswar. He was 97. Dey had joined freedom movement in 1942 and was jailed several times. He was elected to Odisha Legislative Assembly from Jagatsinghpur seat in 1961.

Veteran Marathi Actor Ramesh Bhatkar Passes Away
Veteran Marathi actor Ramesh Bhatkar passed away aged 70 after battling cancer for over one and a half years. During his career, spanning over 30 years, the actor starred in several Marathi films and television series including ‘Aai Pahije’ and ‘Commander’. The actor also featured in Hindi films like ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ and ‘Bhavesh Joshi Superhero’.

Padma Shri R.B.Patil passed away
Padma Shri R.B. Patil, 93-year-old, passed away in Hubballi. He established North Karnataka’s first comprehensive centre for cancer in 1977 from voluntary donations. Dr.Patil completed his education in England and continued to see patients until recently before his health deteriorated.

Former IIMC Director Hiten Bhaya Passes Away
Former Planning Commission member and ex-director of IIMC Hiten Bhaya passed away in Delhi. Bhaya was 98. Bhaya was a member of the Planning Commission in the Rajiv Gandhi government and had also served as director of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and chairman of Hindustan Steel.

VISITORS

PM Modi on a two-day visit to Seoul
Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Seoul on a two-day visit to South Korea. Mr Modi will hold bilateral talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and receive the Seoul Peace Prize. He will receive the prize in recognition of his dedication to international cooperation, global growth and human development. He addressed the India-Korea Business Symposium and also launched India-Korea Startup Hub in Seoul.

Overview of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Visit to Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first ever diesel to electric converted locomotive twin engine of 10000 Horse Power(HP) at DLW Varanasi. Prime Minister,Narendra Modi inaugurated Virtual Experiential Museum (VEM) under Archeological Survey of India, Man – Mahal,in the bank of the River Ganges.

Overview of PM Narendra Modi’s Visit to Bihar & Jharkhand
Foundation stone for the Patna Metro Rail Project was laid down by PM Narendra Modi, which is worth more than Rs 13,000 crore (estimated cost Rs 13,365.77crore) and will be completed in the next 5 years. The project will benefit about 27 lakh people of the state. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the River Front Development at Patna and the Patna City Gas Distribution Project(CGD).

BJP President Amit Shah to visit Kumbh in Prayagraj
BJP President Amit Shah visited Kumbh in Prayagraj along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Mr Shah met various saints and seers during his visit. Meanwhile, the departure of Akharas from Kumbh has already begun.

Overview of Prime Minister’s visit to Tripura
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi visited Agartala in the final leg of his a day long tour to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura. PM Modi during his visit to Agartala, Tripura inaugurated various development projects. It was the final destination of a day long tour to 3 North Eastern States.

Overview of Official Visit Of Monaco’s Prince Albert II to India
Prince Albert II of Monaco made his first Official 2 days Visit to India along with a high level delegation on 4-5 February 2019 to review the bilateral relations between India and Monaco. Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu addressed India-Monaco Business Forum which was hosted by New Delhi.

MISCELLANEOUS

China’s Xinhua Unveils World’s First Female AI News Anchor
Chinese news agency Xinhua unveiled the world’s first female AI news anchor Xin Xiaomeng. She has been developed in collaboration with Sogou Inc, a search engine company. She is expected to make a debut in March, during the upcoming meetings of China’s national legislature.

Mukesh Ambani tops Hurun India Philanthropy list 2018
Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and also richest person in Asia topped the Hurun India Philanthropy list with a donation amount of 437 crores. Mukesh Ambani is followed by the chairman of the Piramal Group, Ajay Piramal who donated 200 crores. Top 10 list of Hurun India Philanthropy list.

BOOKS IN NEWS

‘Simplicity & Wisdom’ Authored by Mr. Dinesh Shahra Launched
A book ‘Simplicity & Wisdom’ written by Dinesh Shahra was launched at Parmarth Ashram in Kumbh Mela. Launched by the Governor of West Bengal– Keshari Nath Tripathi and Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Head of Parmarth Ashram, this book is dedicated to Late Vedanti Swami Pragananandji.

Book containing Venkaiah Naidu’s selected speeches released by Pranab Mukherjee
Former President Shri Pranab Mukherjee released the book, which is a compilation of 92 selected speeches of Vice President Shri Venkaiah Naidu, in New Delhi. It contains the wide experience of the Vice President in Public Affairs. Mr. Mukherjee and Mr. Naidu also paid homage to the martyrs of Pulwama terror attack and said that the country must stand together to fight against terrorism.

Keshari Nath Tripathi launches book dedicated to Swami Pragyananandji at the Kumbh Mela
Famous industrialist and philanthropist Dinesh Shahra’s book, ‘Simplicity & Wisdom’ was launched at Parmarth Ashram in the ongoing Kumbh Mela. The book is dedicated to Late eminent Vedanti Swami Pragananandji. The book was formally launched by Keshari Nath Tripathi, Governor of West Bengal, and Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Head of Parmarth Ashram.

‘Let’s Talk on Air: Conversations with Radio Presenters’
The book titled ‘Let’s Talk On Air: Conversations with Radio Presenters’ has been authored by Rakesh Anand Bakshi,was launched on World Radio Day (WRD-2019) on February 13 in Mumbai. This book is depicted as the comprehensive guide on radio-presenting in India.

Book ‘Undaunted: Saving The Idea of India’ by former finance minister P Chidambaram launched
Former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram expressed disapproval of the Madhya Pradesh government’s decision to slap NSA for alleged cow slaughter, saying the party leadership has conveyed its reservations to the state leadership.

Manish Tewari launches book on economic justice
Former Union Minister and author Manish Tewari launched “What Marx Left Unsaid”, authored by Malay Chaudhuri, Arindam Chaudhuri and Che Kabir Chaudhuri at the India International Centre in New Delhi. It was launched to commemorate the 200th birth anniversary of Karl Marx. The book is jointly written by three generations of authors from the same family, and has been published by Times Group Books.

Law, Justice and Judicial Power Justice P N Bhagwatis Approach Book Launched
The book “Law, Justice and Judicial Power – Justice P N Bhagwati’s Approach” written by Mool Chand Sharma was launched by the Chief Justice of India, Shri Justice Ranjan Gogoi. The first edition of the book was received by President Ramnath Govind.

COMMITTEES

CBDT Set Up Panel to help bring down Tax Litigation
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) formed a 4-member committee, headed by income tax commissioner Sanjeev Sharma, to look into the matter of taxation related pain points and submit its final report and recommendations by mid-March. It will tackle the issue by addressing some current pain points and recommending some steps borrowed from international best practices.

5th India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Committee Meeting held in New Delhi
The 5th India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Committee Meeting, co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Affairs Minister of Bangladesh Dr. Abdul Momen was held in New Delhi.

5-Member Committee to Promote Dairy Farming was set up by Punjab
Punjab government headed by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh decided to constitute a high-powered committee to prepare a comprehensive action plan for boosting the dairy sector with the aim of supplementing the income of farmers in a result-oriented manner.

Government Sets up Committee to Explore Prepaid Payments
On the recommendation of Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, the government constituted a committee under the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to explore prepaid payments by state electricity distribution companies to power plants. The CEA led committee has been asked to submit its recommendations to the power ministry in one month.

DAYS & DATES

21 February: International Mother Language Day
International Mother Language Day has been observed every year on 21st February since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. This year, International Mother Language day 2019 will be framed by the International Year of indigenous languages 2019 (IYIL19) around the theme ‘Indigenous languages matter for development, peace building and reconciliation’.

20 February: World Day of Social Justice
The World Day of Social Justice is celebrated annually all over the world on 20 February. The theme for WDSJ 2019 is ‘If You Want Peace & Development, Work for Social Justice’. The International Labour Organization unanimously adopted the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization on 10 June 2008.

13 February: World Radio Day
13 February is celebrated as World Radio Day by UNESCO all over the world. The theme of WRD 2019 is ‘Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace’. This day marks a time where people around the world celebrate the radio and how it shapes our lives. Radio informs, transforms and unites us.

10 February: World Pulses Day
February 10, 2019, was the first-ever World Pulses Day, a United Nations global event to celebrate pulses worldwide and continue the important gains made with the 2016 International Year of Pulses. The aim is to celebrate, raise awareness and promote the consumption of pulses at events around the globe.

04 February: World Cancer Day
World Cancer Day is being observed observed globally on 4th February. This year, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), which organizes World Cancer Day, is launching a new 3-year (2019-2021) campaign with the theme: ‘I Am and I Will’. The Day aims to save millions of preventable deaths each year through education, raising awareness and by pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action against the deadly disease.

February 02: World Wetlands Day
World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on the 2nd of February to raise global awareness on the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet. The theme of World Wetlands Day 2019 is ‘Wetlands and Climate Change’.

BANKING AWARENESS

BoB Ties Up With German KfW for USD 130m to Refinance Solar Units
State-run Bank of Baroda has tied up with Germany’s KfW Development Bank for funding of USD 113 million to refinance solar projects. The tie-up is part of an Indo-German Solar Energy Partnership signed in 2015.

World Bank, UN, SIDBI launch Rs 300 crore Women’s Livelihood Bond
World Bank, UN Women, and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) have joined hands to launch a new social impact bonds exclusively for women, called Women’s Livelihood Bonds (WLBs), with an initial corpus of Rs 300 crore. The proposed bond will enable individual women entrepreneurs in sectors like food processing, agriculture, services and small units to borrow around Rs 50,000 to Rs 3 lakh at an annual interest rate of around 13-14 per cent or less.

RBI formalised USD 75-billion swap pact with Bank of Japan
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)and the Bank of Japan formalised the USD 75- billion swap agreement, which would act as a cushion against any sharp swings in the local currency whenever the international financial markets turn volatile. The proposal for entering into an agreement for the bilateral swap arrangement was approved by the Union Cabinet.

Government to Infuse Rs 48,239 crore in 12 PSB
The government has approved recapitalization of Rs 48,239 crore in 12 public sector banks in this fiscal to help them maintain regulatory capital requirements and finance growth plans. The government will infuse over nine thousand crore rupees in Corporation Bank and six thousand 896 crore rupees in Allahabad Bank.

RBI to pay Rs 28,000 crore interim dividend to government
The Reserve Bank has announced that it will transfer an interim surplus of 28,000 crore rupees to the central government for the half-year ended 31st December 2018. The central bank follows a July-June financial year and usually distributes the dividend in August after annual accounts are finalised.

J P Morgan became First US Bank With Cryptocurrency
JP Morgan rolled out as the first US bank with cryptocurrency. The change in opinion of JP Morgan is the first step in the program of making it more competitive. The currency is designed to be decentralized so that no one has control over transactions being sent over the network. JP Morgan will be using the cryptocurrency to see its potential in using digital coins to reduce risk and enable instant transfers.

Yes Bank cleared of Divergence charges imposed by RBI
Reserve Bank of India cleared Yes Bank of Divergence charges i.e. disparity in reporting bad loans and provisioning numbers for the year ended March 2018. The final report has observed nil divergence in the bank’s asset classification and provisioning from the norms of the RBI. In FY16, after its first assessment, Yes Bank was found a divergence of Bad loans by RBI at Rs. 4,176 crores higher than the reported gross NPA of Rs. 748.9 crore.

RBI MSME package to help recast Rs 1-trn loans for 700k accounts: Govt
The Reserve Bank’s restructuring package for small businesses announced last month will help recast Rs 1 trillion of loans for 700,000 eligible micro, small and medium enterprises. The estimate from the Department of Financial Services (DFS) secretary Rajiv Kumar is much higher than domestic rating agency Icra’s assessment of Rs 10,000 crore.

RBI doubles the limit of Bulk Deposits from Rs. 1 Crore to Rs 2 Crore
Reserve Bank of India decided to treat deposits to over Rs.2 crore as ‘bulk’ as they doubled the limit for the same from the earlier Rs.1crore. This move will enhance the operational freedom of Banks. According to current RBI rules, last reviewed in January 2013, banks have the option of not permitting premature withdrawals of ‘large rupee term deposits’ of INR 1 crore and above.

RBI announces bi-monthly monetary policy
The Monetary Policy Committee headed by Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das, announced a reduction in policy repo rate. The repo rate will reduced from 6.5 per cent to 6.25 per cent with immediate effect. Consequently, the reverse repo rate stands adjusted to 6.0 per cent, and the marginal standing facility rate and the Bank Rate to 6.5 per cent.

Two RRBs to be merged to form Tamil Nadu Grama Bank
Public sector Indian Bank said two regional rural banks (RRBs), Pallavan Grama Bank and Pandyan Grama Bank will be merged to form Tamil Nadu Grama Bank as per the Finance Ministry. The integration. The new Tamil Nadu Grama Bank will be under the sponsorship of Indian Bank with head office in Salem,Tamil Nadu. Originally the Pallavan Grama Bank was sponsored by Indian Bank and Pandyan Grama Bank by Indian Overseas Bank.

13 मार्च की महत्त्वपूर्ण घटनाएँ

13 मार्च की महत्त्वपूर्ण घटनाएँ
👉1560 – स्पेन की नौसेना ने त्रिपोली के डीजेरबा पर कब्जा किया।
1878 – वर्नाकुलर प्रेस एक्ट प्रभाव में आया और अगले ही दिन अमृत बाजार पत्रिका अंग्रेजी समाचार पत्र बना।1
884 – अमेरिका ने मानक समय अपनाया।
1921 – मंगोलिया ने चीन से स्वतंत्रता हासिल की।
1940 – भारतीय क्रांतिकारी ऊधम सिंह ने अंग्रेजों से जलियांवाला बाग का बदला लेने के लिए पंजाब के पूर्व गवर्नर माइकल ओ डायर की लंदन में गोली मारकर हत्या की।
1961 – ब्रिटेन की दो महिला और तीन पुरुष अधिकारियों पर रूस के लिए जासूसी करने का आरोप लगा था। कहा गया था कि वो देश के सुराग रूस भेज रहे थे।
1961 – भूस्खलन से सोवियत संघ में 145 लोगों की मौत हुई।
1963 – इंडोनेशिया और नीदरलैंड के बीच राजनयिक संबंध बहाल हुए।
1963 – खेलों में उत्कृष्ट प्रदर्शन के लिये अर्जुन पुरस्कार की घोषणा हुई।
1964 – तुर्की ने साइप्रस के खिलाफ हमले की धमकी दी।
1973 – सीरिया में संविधान को अंगीकार किया गया।
1996 – स्कॉटलैंड के डनब्लेन के स्कूल में एक बंदूकधारी ने घुसकर गोलियों की बौछार कर दी जिसमें 16 बच्चे और उनके शिक्षक की मौत हो गई।
1997 - सिस्टर निर्मला का चयन नेता के रूप में ईन्डियन मिशनरीज ऑफ चैरिटी में मदर टेरेसा द्वारा किया गया।
1999 - शेख़ हमाज बिन ईसा अल ख़लीफ़ा बहरीन के नये शासक बने ।
1999 - 23 वर्षों के अंतराल के बाद श्रीलंका सरकार ने हत्या एवं मादक द्रव्य तस्करी सदृश अपराधों के लिए मृत्युदंड की सज़ा पुन: बहाल करने का निश्चय किया।
2002 - राबर्ट मुगावे पुन: जिम्बाब्वे के राष्ट्रपति निर्वाचित ।
2002 - पाकिस्तान के राष्ट्रपति परवेज मुशर्रफ़ की जापान यात्रा प्रारम्भ , सी.टी.बी.टी. पर हस्ताक्षर के लिए समय मांगा।
2003 - इराक पर ब्रिटेन के प्रस्तावों को फ़्रांस ने नामंजूर किया।
2008 - राज्यपाल ने खाद्य सुरक्षा और मानक संशोधन विधेयक, 2008 को पारित किया।2008 - 'हिन्दुस्तान टाइम्स' और पाकिस्तान के अखबार 'डॉन' को पत्रकारिता के क्षेत्र में उल्लेखनीय योगदान के लिए कुलिश सम्मान प्रदान किया गया।
2008 - नासा का अंतरिक्ष यान एंडेवर सकुशल अंतर्राष्ट्रीय अंतरिक्ष स्टेशन पर पहुँचा।
2008 - सैक्स स्कैण्डल में फंसे न्यूयार्क के गवर्नर एलिमट स्पित्जर ने अपने पद से इस्तीफ़ा देने की घोषणा की।
2009 - सार्क साहित्योत्सव आगरा में शुरू हुआ।
2012 – बंगलादेश की राजधानी ढाका के समीप एक तेल टैंकर और एक नौका के बीच हुई टक्कर में 110 लोगों की मौत हुई।
2018 - छत्तीसगढ़ के सुकमा में नक्सलियों के हमलें में केंद्रीय रिज़र्व पुलिस बल (सीआरपीएफ) के 9 जवानों की मौत। 13 मार्च को जन्मे व्यक्ति
👉1899 - बुर्गुला रामकृष्ण राव, आंध्र प्रदेश के राजनैतिक नेता रहे।
1971 - आत्मा रंजन , हिंदी के प्रसिद्ध कवि।
1980 - वरुण गांधी, एक युवा राजनेता।13 मार्च को हुए निधन
👉1800 – मराठा साम्राज्य के जाने माने राजनीतिज्ञ नाना फडणवीस का महाराष्ट्र के पुणे में निधन हुआ।
1996 - शफ़ी ईनामदार, हिन्दी फ़िल्मों के अभिनेता।
2004 - विलायत ख़ाँ - भारत के प्रसिद्ध सितार वादक।

Rank	Name	Total net worth	Country	Industry
1	Jeff Bezos	$140B	United States	Technology
2	Bill Gates	$98.3B	United States	Technology
3	Bernard Arnault	$83.1B	France	Consumer
4	Warren Buffett	$83.0B	United States	Diversified
5	Amancio Ortega	$67.9B	Spain	Retail
6	Mark Zuckerberg	$67.3B	United States	Technology
7	Larry Page	$56.8B	United States	Technology
8	Larry Ellison	$56.1B	United States	Technology
9	Sergey Brin	$55.2B	United States	Technology
10	Carlos Slim	$55.2B	Mexico	Diversified
11	Francoise Bettencourt Meyers	$51.0B	France	Consumer
12	Mukesh Ambani	$48.6B	India	Energy
13	Jim Walton	$46.9B	United States	Retail
14	Rob Walton	$46.0B	United States	Retail
15	Alice Walton	$44.9B	United States	Retail
16	Charles Koch	$44.4B	United States	Industrial
17	David Koch	$44.4B	United States	Industrial
18	Jack Ma	$42.8B	China	Technology
19	Steve Ballmer	$42.2B	United States	Technology
20	Pony Ma	$36.9B	China	Technology
21	Jacqueline Mars	$35.8B	United States	Food & Beverage
22	John Mars	$35.8B	United States	Food & Beverage
23	Hui Ka Yan	$35.4B	China	Real Estate
24	Francois Pinault	$34.7B	France	Consumer
25	Sheldon Adelson	$33.1B	United States	Entertainment
26	Phil Knight	$32.9B	United States	Consumer
27	Michael Dell	$31.0B	United States	Technology
28	Li Ka-Shing	$30.8B	Hong Kong	Real Estate
29	Dieter Schwarz	$25.3B	Germany	Retail
30	Tadashi Yanai	$25.3B	Japan	Retail
31	Giovanni Ferrero	$24.2B	Italy	Food & Beverage
32	Lee Shau Kee	$23.7B	Hong Kong	Real Estate
33	Elon R Musk	$22.8B	United States	Technology
34	Jorge Paulo Lemann	$22.1B	Brazil	Food & Beverage
35	Vladimir Potanin	$21.0B	Russian Federation	Commodities
36	Alain Wertheimer	$21.0B	France	Consumer
37	Gerard Wertheimer	$21.0B	France	Consumer
38	Yang Huiyan	$21.0B	China	Real Estate
39	Pallonji Mistry	$20.9B	Ireland	Industrial
40	Carl Icahn	$20.6B	United States	Diversified
41	Susanne Klatten	$20.5B	Germany	Industrial
42	Leonardo del Vecchio	$20.3B	Italy	Consumer
43	Leonid Mikhelson	$20.0B	Russian Federation	Energy
44	Vladimir Lisin	$19.9B	Russian Federation	Industrial
45	Wang Jianlin	$19.7B	China	Real Estate
46	Laurene Powell Jobs	$19.4B	United States	Media & Telecom
47	Rupert Murdoch	$19.1B	United States	Media & Telecom
48	Joseph Safra	$19.0B	Brazil	Finance
49	Azim Premji	$18.9B	India	Technology
50	Vagit Alekperov	$18.8B	Russian Federation	Energy
51	Len Blavatnik	$18.8B	United States	Diversified
52	Alexey Mordashov	$18.6B	Russian Federation	Industrial
53	Robert Kuok	$17.9B	Malaysia	Diversified
54	Jim Ratcliffe	$17.9B	United Kingdom	Industrial
55	Takemitsu Takizaki	$17.7B	Japan	Technology
56	Leonard Lauder	$17.6B	United States	Consumer
57	Gina Rinehart	$17.5B	Australia	Commodities
58	Donald Bren	$17.2B	United States	Real Estate
59	Thomas Peterffy	$17.2B	United States	Finance
60	Masayoshi Son	$17.2B	Japan	Technology
61	Stefan Quandt	$17.2B	Germany	Industrial
62	Lee Kun Hee	$17.1B	Korea, Republic of	Diversified
63	Aliko Dangote	$16.8B	Nigeria	Industrial
64	Ron Perelman	$16.8B	United States	Diversified
65	Jim Simons	$16.6B	United States	Finance
66	Iris Fontbona	$16.6B	Chile	Commodities
67	He Xiangjian	$16.5B	China	Consumer
68	Ray Dalio	$16.2B	United States	Finance
69	Lukas Walton	$16.1B	United States	Retail
70	Henry Cheng	$16.0B	Hong Kong	Retail
71	Alisher Usmanov	$16.0B	Russian Federation	Diversified
72	Colin Huang	$16.0B	China	Technology
73	Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken	$15.8B	Netherlands	Food & Beverage
74	Ernesto Bertarelli	$15.7B	Switzerland	Diversified
75	Roman Abramovich	$15.7B	Russian Federation	Diversified
76	Heinz Hermann Thiele	$15.6B	Germany	Industrial
77	Alwaleed Al Saud	$15.5B	Saudi Arabia	Diversified
78	Zhang Zhidong	$15.5B	China	Technology
79	Elaine Marshall	$15.3B	United States	Industrial
80	Lui Che Woo	$15.2B	Hong Kong	Entertainment
81	Budi Hartono	$15.1B	Indonesia	Diversified
82	Dietrich Mateschitz	$15.0B	Austria	Food & Beverage
83	Stefan Persson	$15.0B	Sweden	Retail
84	James Dyson	$14.8B	United Kingdom	Consumer
85	Lakshmi Mittal	$14.7B	India	Commodities
86	Shiv Nadar	$14.5B	India	Technology
87	Abby Johnson	$14.4B	United States	Finance
88	Gennady Timchenko	$14.4B	Russian Federation	Diversified
89	Michael Hartono	$14.3B	Indonesia	Diversified
90	Andrey Melnichenko	$14.1B	Russian Federation	Industrial
91	Viktor Vekselberg	$14.1B	Russian Federation	Industrial
92	John Menard Jr	$13.9B	United States	Retail
93	Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi	$13.8B	Thailand	Food & Beverage
94	Eric Schmidt	$13.7B	United States	Technology
95	William Ding	$13.6B	China	Technology
96	Carl Cook	$13.3B	United States	Health Care
97	Alejandro Santo Domingo	$13.2B	Colombia	Food & Beverage
98	Mikhail Fridman	$13.0B	Russian Federation	Diversified
99	Harold Hamm	$12.9B	United States	Energy
100	Steve Schwarzman	$12.8B	United States	Finance
101	Hasso Plattner	$12.8B	Germany	Technology
102	Georg Schaeffler	$12.7B	Germany	Industrial
103	Donald Newhouse	$12.7B	United States	Media & Telecom
104	Li Shu Fu	$12.6B	China	Industrial
105	Klaus-Michael Kuehne	$12.6B	Germany	Industrial
106	Thomas Frist	$12.5B	United States	Health Care
107	Hugh Grosvenor	$12.4B	United Kingdom	Real Estate
108	Raymond Kwok	$12.3B	Hong Kong	Real Estate
109	Thomas Kwok	$12.3B	Hong Kong	Real Estate
110	Dustin Moskovitz	$12.1B	United States	Technology
111	Robin Li	$12.1B	China	Technology
112	Hans Rausing	$12.1B	Sweden	Diversified
113	Wang Wei	$11.9B	China	Services
114	Phil Anschutz	$11.9B	United States	Diversified
115	Peter Woo	$11.9B	Hong Kong	Real Estate
116	Dave Duffield	$11.8B	United States	Technology
117	Lei Jun	$11.8B	China	Technology
118	Petr Kellner	$11.8B	Czech Republic	Diversified
119	Micky Arison	$11.5B	United States	Entertainment
120	Jim Goodnight	$11.4B	United States	Technology
121	Michael Kadoorie	$11.4B	Hong Kong	Energy
122	Autry Stephens	$11.4B	United States	Energy
123	Stefano Pessina	$11.3B	Monaco	Retail
124	Uday Kotak	$11.2B	India	Finance
125	Joseph Tsai	$11.2B	Canada	Technology
126	David Tepper	$11.2B	United States	Finance
127	Reinhold Wuerth	$11.1B	Germany	Industrial
128	Tan Siok Tjien	$11.0B	Indonesia	Consumer
129	Luis Sarmiento	$10.9B	Colombia	Finance
130	Jan Koum	$10.8B	United States	Technology
131	Ricardo Salinas	$10.7B	Mexico	Diversified
132	Charlie Ergen	$10.7B	United States	Media & Telecom
133	Mikhail Prokhorov	$10.7B	Russian Federation	Diversified
134	George Kaiser	$10.5B	United States	Energy
135	Gordon Moore	$10.5B	United States	Technology
136	Karl Albrecht Jr	$10.2B	Germany	Retail
137	Beate Heister	$10.2B	Germany	Retail
138	Marcel Telles	$10.2B	Brazil	Food & Beverage
139	Steve Cohen	$10.2B	United States	Finance
140	Eyal Ofer	$10.1B	Israel	Services
141	Stephen Ross	$10.1B	United States	Real Estate
142	Alberto Bailleres	$10.1B	Mexico	Commodities
143	Dmitry Rybolovlev	$10.0B	Russian Federation	Diversified
144	Harry Triguboff	$9.94B	Australia	Real Estate
145	Sara Mota de Larrea	$9.92B	Mexico	Commodities
146	Ken Griffin	$9.81B	United States	Finance
147	Liu Yonghao	$9.66B	China	Diversified
148	Sun Hongbin	$9.65B	United States	Real Estate
149	Robert Rowling	$9.62B	United States	Energy
150	Yongxing Liu	$9.56B	China	Industrial
151	Pang Kang	$9.44B	China	Food & Beverage
152	Pierre Omidyar	$9.31B	United States	Technology
153	Eduardo Saverin	$9.30B	Brazil	Technology
154	Carlos Sicupira	$9.21B	Brazil	Food & Beverage
155	Mohammed Al-Amoudi	$8.98B	Saudi Arabia	Energy
156	Marijke Mars	$8.92B	United States	Food & Beverage
157	Victoria Mars	$8.92B	United States	Food & Beverage
158	Pam Mars-Wright	$8.92B	United States	Food & Beverage
159	Valerie Mars	$8.92B	United States	Food & Beverage
160	Victor Rashnikov	$8.90B	Russian Federation	Industrial
161	Ma Jianrong	$8.90B	China	Consumer
162	August von Finck	$8.78B	Germany	Diversified
163	John Malone	$8.75B	United States	Media & Telecom
164	German Khan	$8.70B	Russian Federation	Diversified
165	Charles Schwab	$8.66B	United States	Finance
166	Wu Yajun	$8.66B	China	Real Estate
167	Jim Kennedy	$8.60B	United States	Media & Telecom
168	Dilip Shanghvi	$8.60B	India	Health Care
169	Blair Parry-Okeden	$8.59B	United States	Media & Telecom
170	Sun Piaoyang	$8.53B	China	Health Care
171	Joseph Lau	$8.51B	Hong Kong	Real Estate
172	Robert Pera	$8.48B	United States	Technology
173	Bertil Hult	$8.33B	Sweden	Diversified
174	Dan Gilbert	$8.29B	United States	Real Estate
175	Goh Cheng Liang	$8.25B	Singapore	Industrial
176	Jim Davis	$8.24B	United States	Consumer
177	Andy Beal	$8.20B	United States	Finance
178	John Fredriksen	$8.20B	Cyprus	Industrial
179	Gianluigi Aponte	$8.19B	Switzerland	Services
180	Cyrus Poonawalla	$8.18B	India	Health Care
181	Ned Johnson III	$8.15B	United States	Finance
182	David Geffen	$8.14B	United States	Entertainment
183	Patrick Soon-Shiong	$8.12B	United States	Health Care
184	Wee Cho Yaw	$8.11B	Singapore	Finance
185	Zeng Yuqun	$8.09B	Hong Kong	Industrial
186	Xu Shihui	$8.04B	China	Food & Beverage
187	Radhakishan Damani	$8.04B	India	Retail
188	Stan Kroenke	$8.02B	United States	Real Estate
189	Wu Shaoxun	$7.94B	China	Food & Beverage
190	Paolo Rocca	$7.87B	Italy	Commodities
191	Reinhold Schmieding	$7.86B	United States	Health Care
192	Charles Gerald John Cadogan	$7.78B	United Kingdom	Real Estate
193	Dietmar Hopp	$7.72B	Germany	Technology
194	Leonid Fedun	$7.65B	Russian Federation	Energy
195	John Albert Sobrato	$7.64B	United States	Real Estate
196	Sherry Brydson	$7.64B	Canada	Media & Telecom
197	Gong Hongjia	$7.56B	China	Technology
198	Gustaf Douglas	$7.54B	Sweden	Diversified
199	Teh Hong Piow	$7.47B	Malaysia	Finance
200	Melker Schorling	$7.45B	Sweden	Diversified
201	Richard Kinder	$7.43B	United States	Energy
202	Silvio Berlusconi	$7.42B	Italy	Media & Telecom
203	Patrick Drahi	$7.38B	France	Media & Telecom
204	Christy Walton	$7.33B	United States	Retail
205	Emmanuel Besnier	$7.26B	France	Food & Beverage
206	Gautam Adani	$7.22B	India	Industrial
207	Hui Wing Mau	$7.22B	Hong Kong	Real Estate
208	Jorn Rausing	$7.20B	Sweden	Services
209	Galen Weston	$7.19B	Canada	Retail
210	Mohamed Al Jaber	$7.19B	Saudi Arabia	Retail
211	Savitri Jindal	$7.19B	India	Commodities
212	Tim Sweeney	$7.18B	United States	Technology
213	Hansjoerg Wyss	$7.08B	Switzerland	Health Care
214	Ronald McAulay	$7.08B	Hong Kong	Energy
215	Theo Albrecht Jr	$7.06B	Germany	Retail
216	Nusli Wadia	$7.04B	India	Diversified
217	Graeme Hart	$7.03B	New Zealand	Finance
218	Nicky Oppenheimer	$7.03B	South Africa	Diversified
219	Nassef Sawiris	$7.01B	Egypt	Industrial
220	George Soros	$7.00B	United States	Finance
221	Heinrich Deichmann	$6.98B	Germany	Retail
222	Ralph Lauren	$6.98B	United States	Consumer
223	Richard Liu	$6.93B	China	Technology
224	Eli Broad	$6.92B	United States	Diversified
225	George Lucas	$6.91B	United States	Entertainment
226	Kei Hoi Pang	$6.87B	China	Real Estate
227	Alexander Abramov	$6.86B	Russian Federation	Industrial
228	Sandra Ortega Mera	$6.85B	Spain	Retail
229	Mike Cannon-Brookes	$6.84B	Australia	Technology
230	Scott Farquhar	$6.84B	Australia	Technology
231	Marc Benioff	$6.81B	United States	Technology
232	Johann Rupert	$6.74B	South Africa	Diversified
233	Jay Y Lee	$6.72B	Korea, Republic of	Diversified
234	Frederik Paulsen	$6.69B	Sweden	Health Care
235	Zhang Jindong	$6.67B	China	Retail
236	Milane Duncan Frantz	$6.61B	United States	Energy
237	Jeff Hildebrand	$6.59B	United States	Energy
238	Randa Duncan Williams	$6.58B	United States	Energy
239	Dannine Avara	$6.58B	United States	Energy
240	Alexey Kuzmichev	$6.58B	Russian Federation	Diversified
241	Andy Bechtolsheim	$6.57B	Germany	Technology
242	Antonia Axson Johnson	$6.57B	Sweden	Industrial
243	Scott Duncan	$6.55B	United States	Energy
244	Vivien Chen	$6.54B	Hong Kong	Real Estate
245	Vivek Sehgal	$6.53B	Australia	Industrial
246	Marian Ilitch	$6.52B	United States	Food & Beverage
247	Jim Pattison	$6.52B	Canada	Media & Telecom
248	Johann Graf	$6.48B	Austria	Entertainment
249	Zhang Bangxin	$6.47B	China	Services
250	Prakash Lohia	$6.42B	Indonesia	Industrial
251	Les Wexner	$6.41B	United States	Retail
252	Giorgio Armani	$6.32B	Italy	Consumer
253	Kirsten Rausing	$6.30B	Sweden	Services
254	Finn Rausing	$6.30B	Sweden	Services
255	Aloys Wobben	$6.26B	Germany	Energy
256	Seo Jung-Jin	$6.22B	Korea, Republic of	Health Care
257	Simon Reuben	$6.18B	United Kingdom	Diversified
258	David Reuben	$6.18B	United Kingdom	Diversified
259	Pedro Moreira Salles	$6.12B	Brazil	Finance
260	Tsai Eng-Meng	$6.12B	Taiwan	Food & Beverage
261	Kumar Birla	$6.08B	India	Industrial
262	Ludwig Merckle	$6.08B	Germany	Industrial
263	Zhou Hongyi	$6.06B	China	Technology
264	Natie Kirsh	$6.03B	South Africa	Food & Beverage
265	Charles Butt	$6.02B	United States	Retail
266	Jerry Jones	$6.02B	United States	Entertainment
267	Niels Louis-Hansen	$6.02B	Denmark	Health Care
268	Henry Kravis	$6.00B	United States	Finance
269	George Roberts	$5.98B	United States	Finance
270	Steven Spielberg	$5.98B	United States	Entertainment
271	Lu Weiding	$5.94B	China	Diversified
272	Joao Moreira Salles	$5.93B	Brazil	Finance
273	Fernando Moreira Salles	$5.93B	Brazil	Finance
274	Walter Salles	$5.93B	Brazil	Finance
275	Guo Guangchang	$5.93B	China	Finance
276	Bob Rich	$5.92B	United States	Food & Beverage
277	Rinat Akhmetov	$5.90B	Ukraine	Industrial
278	Ronda Stryker	$5.89B	United States	Health Care
279	Stef Wertheimer	$5.88B	Israel	Diversified
280	Wolfgang Marguerre	$5.84B	Germany	Health Care
281	Nie Tengyun	$5.80B	China	Services
282	Leon Black	$5.77B	United States	Finance
283	Jude Reyes	$5.75B	United States	Consumer
284	Chris Reyes	$5.75B	United States	Consumer
285	Joe Lewis	$5.71B	United Kingdom	Diversified
286	Theo Mueller	$5.70B	Germany	Food & Beverage
287	Margaretta Taylor	$5.69B	United States	Media & Telecom
288	James Chambers	$5.69B	United States	Media & Telecom
289	Katharine Rayner	$5.69B	United States	Media & Telecom
290	John Sall	$5.63B	United States	Technology
291	Petr Aven	$5.62B	Russian Federation	Diversified
292	John P Grayken	$5.61B	Ireland	Finance
293	Benu Gopal Bangur	$5.60B	India	Commodities
294	Shari Arison	$5.58B	Israel	Diversified
295	Kim Jungju	$5.57B	Korea, Republic of	Technology
296	Rocco Commisso	$5.55B	United States	Media & Telecom
297	Jack Dorsey	$5.53B	United States	Technology
298	Ray Hunt	$5.52B	United States	Energy
299	Diane Hendricks	$5.52B	United States	Services
300	Philip Ng	$5.51B	Singapore	Real Estate
301	Izzy Englander	$5.49B	United States	Finance
302	John Paulson	$5.48B	United States	Finance
303	Richard LeFrak	$5.48B	United States	Real Estate
304	Arthur Irving	$5.47B	Canada	Energy
305	Sultan Al Kabeer	$5.47B	Saudi Arabia	Consumer
306	Charles Dolan	$5.47B	United States	Media & Telecom
307	Majid Al Futtaim	$5.45B	United Arab Emirates	Real Estate
308	Travis Kalanick	$5.45B	United States	Technology
309	Terry Pegula	$5.43B	United States	Energy
310	Dhanin Chearavanont	$5.42B	Thailand	Retail
311	Robert Ng	$5.41B	Singapore	Real Estate
312	Frank Wang	$5.39B	China	Technology
313	Xu Jingren	$5.39B	China	Health Care
314	Lynn Schusterman	$5.38B	United States	Energy
315	David Shaw	$5.32B	United States	Finance
316	Manny Villar	$5.30B	Philippines	Diversified
317	Richard Branson	$5.30B	United Kingdom	Diversified
318	Tan Kim Choo	$5.28B	Singapore	Real Estate
319	Tamara Hughes Gustavson	$5.27B	United States	Services
320	Yasumitsu Shigeta	$5.25B	Japan	Media & Telecom
321	JK Irving	$5.25B	Canada	Commodities
322	Alexander Otto	$5.23B	Germany	Real Estate
323	Lucio Tan	$5.23B	Philippines	Diversified
324	Cai Kui	$5.22B	China	Real Estate
325	Ivan Glasenberg	$5.21B	Australia	Commodities
326	Lino Saputo	$5.20B	Canada	Food & Beverage
327	Bidzina Ivanishvili	$5.20B	Georgia	Diversified
328	David Thomson	$5.19B	Canada	Media & Telecom
329	Micree Zhan	$5.19B	China	Technology
330	Laurence Graff	$5.18B	United Kingdom	Consumer
331	Dennis Washington	$5.18B	United States	Industrial
332	Quek Leng Chan	$5.13B	Malaysia	Diversified
333	Pansy Catilina Ho	$5.13B	Hong Kong	Entertainment
334	Jeff Sutton	$5.11B	United States	Real Estate
335	Tilman Fertitta	$5.09B	United States	Entertainment
336	Li Shuirong	$5.08B	China	Energy
337	Leonard Stern	$5.07B	United States	Real Estate
338	John Reece	$5.07B	United Kingdom	Industrial
339	Andrew Forrest	$5.06B	Australia	Commodities
340	Stan Druckenmiller	$5.06B	United States	Finance
341	Vincent Bollore	$5.04B	France	Diversified
342	Yao Zhenhua	$5.04B	China	Diversified
343	Hiroshi Mikitani	$5.04B	Japan	Retail
344	Andrew Currie	$5.04B	United Kingdom	Industrial
345	Edward Roski	$5.03B	United States	Real Estate
346	Axel Oberwelland	$5.01B	Germany	Food & Beverage
347	Alain Merieux	$5.01B	France	Health Care
348	Naguib Sawiris	$5.00B	Egypt	Media & Telecom
349	Shigenobu Nagamori	$5.00B	Japan	Industrial
350	Magdalena Martullo-Blocher	$4.99B	Switzerland	Industrial
351	Nancy Walton Laurie	$4.97B	United States	Retail
352	Anil Agarwal	$4.93B	India	Industrial
353	Taylor Thomson	$4.93B	Canada	Media & Telecom
354	Ermirio de Moraes	$4.93B	Brazil	Commodities
355	Maria Helena Moraes	$4.93B	Brazil	Industrial
356	Samuel Yin	$4.92B	Taiwan	Diversified
357	Peter Thomson	$4.91B	Canada	Media & Telecom
358	Clive Calder	$4.90B	United Kingdom	Entertainment
359	Trevor Rees-Jones	$4.89B	United States	Energy
360	Kenneth Dart	$4.89B	Cayman Islands	Finance
361	Pierre Bellon	$4.88B	France	Retail
362	Helen Johnson-Leipold	$4.88B	United States	Consumer
363	Zhang Yong	$4.88B	Singapore	Food & Beverage
364	Shu Ping	$4.88B	Singapore	Food & Beverage
365	Tom Love	$4.87B	United States	Retail
366	Judy Love	$4.87B	United States	Retail
367	David Filo	$4.87B	United States	Technology
368	Rahel Blocher	$4.86B	Switzerland	Industrial
369	Anthony Pratt	$4.85B	Australia	Industrial
370	Jeff Skoll	$4.85B	Canada	Technology
371	Guenther Fielmann	$4.84B	Germany	Consumer
372	Rahul Bajaj	$4.84B	India	Diversified
373	Lee Shin Cheng	$4.83B	Malaysia	Commodities
374	Kjeld Kristiansen	$4.82B	Denmark	Consumer
375	Charles Johnson	$4.81B	United States	Finance
376	Francis Choi	$4.80B	Hong Kong	Real Estate
377	Shahid Khan	$4.79B	United States	Consumer
378	Terry Gou	$4.79B	Taiwan	Industrial
379	Udo Tschira	$4.79B	Germany	Technology
380	Harald Tschira	$4.79B	Germany	Technology
381	Herbert Johnson III	$4.78B	United States	Consumer
382	Winnie Johnson	$4.78B	United States	Consumer
383	Curt Johnson III	$4.78B	United States	Consumer
384	Zhang Shiping	$4.78B	China	Industrial
385	Anders Holch Povlsen	$4.77B	Denmark	Retail
386	Wang Chuan-Fu	$4.75B	China	Consumer
387	Barry Diller	$4.74B	United States	Technology
388	Kelcy Warren	$4.70B	United States	Energy
389	Agnete Thinggaard	$4.67B	Denmark	Consumer
390	Sofie Kiaer Kristiansen	$4.67B	Denmark	Consumer
391	Thomas Kristiansen	$4.66B	Denmark	Consumer
392	Yao Liangsong	$4.66B	China	Retail
393	Odd Reitan	$4.65B	Norway	Food & Beverage
394	Sumet Jiaravanon	$4.64B	Thailand	Diversified
395	Thomas Schmidheiny	$4.64B	Switzerland	Industrial
396	Kjell Inge Rokke	$4.63B	Norway	Industrial
397	Iskander Makhmudov	$4.63B	Russian Federation	Commodities
398	Jaran Chiaravanont	$4.60B	Thailand	Diversified
399	Richard Li	$4.57B	Hong Kong	Media & Telecom
400	Reed Hastings	$4.55B	United States	Technology
401	Pat Stryker	$4.54B	United States	Health Care
402	Jiang Rensheng	$4.54B	China	Health Care
403	Judy Faulkner	$4.54B	United States	Technology
404	Sam Zell	$4.53B	United States	Real Estate
405	David Sun	$4.53B	United States	Technology
406	John Tu	$4.53B	United States	Technology
407	Vikram Lal	$4.52B	India	Industrial
408	Montri Jiaravanont	$4.52B	Thailand	Diversified
409	Vera Michalski-Hoffmann	$4.51B	Switzerland	Health Care
410	Maja Hoffmann	$4.51B	Switzerland	Health Care
411	Frank Lowy	$4.50B	Australia	Real Estate
412	Jaime Gilinski Bacal	$4.48B	Colombia	Finance
413	Rupert Johnson	$4.48B	United States	Finance
414	Andre Hoffmann	$4.47B	Switzerland	Health Care
415	Liz Mohn	$4.47B	Germany	Media & Telecom
416	Olav Thon	$4.47B	Norway	Real Estate
417	Lin Bin	$4.44B	United States	Technology
418	Wang Xing	$4.44B	China	Technology
419	Ananda Krishnan	$4.43B	Malaysia	Diversified
420	Denise Coates	$4.43B	United Kingdom	Entertainment
421	Tom Morris	$4.42B	United Kingdom	Retail
422	Zhou Qunfei	$4.41B	China	Technology
423	Idan Ofer	$4.41B	Israel	Energy
424	Frits Goldschmeding	$4.39B	Netherlands	Retail
425	Chung Mong-Koo	$4.39B	Korea, Republic of	Industrial
426	Sarath Ratanavadi	$4.39B	India	Energy
427	Bernie Marcus	$4.38B	United States	Retail
428	Bob Kraft	$4.36B	United States	Entertainment
429	Masatoshi Ito	$4.35B	Japan	Retail
430	Suh Kyung-Bae	$4.31B	Korea, Republic of	Consumer
431	Abdullah Al Ghurair	$4.31B	United Arab Emirates	Diversified
432	Enrique Razon	$4.30B	Philippines	Services
433	B Wayne Hughes	$4.30B	United States	Services
434	David Cheriton	$4.29B	Canada	Technology
435	Micky Jagtiani	$4.28B	India	Retail
436	Ross Perot	$4.28B	United States	Diversified
437	Gabe Newell	$4.27B	United States	Technology
438	K P Singh	$4.26B	India	Real Estate
439	Michael Herz	$4.25B	Germany	Consumer
440	Wolfgang Herz	$4.25B	Germany	Consumer
441	Isaac Perlmutter	$4.25B	United States	Entertainment
442	Andrey Guryev	$4.24B	Russian Federation	Industrial
443	Ajay Piramal	$4.22B	India	Finance
444	Thomas Strungmann	$4.22B	Germany	Health Care
445	Andreas Strungmann	$4.22B	Germany	Health Care
446	Woody Johnson	$4.21B	United States	Diversified
447	Anthoni Salim	$4.20B	Indonesia	Diversified
448	Margarita Louis-Dreyfus	$4.20B	Switzerland	Commodities
449	Antti Herlin	$4.18B	Finland	Industrial
450	Rafael del Pino	$4.18B	Spain	Industrial
451	Walter Faria	$4.17B	Brazil	Food & Beverage
452	Ted Lerner	$4.17B	United States	Real Estate
453	Whitney MacMillan	$4.16B	United States	Commodities
454	Pauline MacMillan Keinath	$4.16B	United States	Commodities
455	Gwendolyn Sontheim Meyer	$4.16B	United States	Commodities
456	Ann Walton Kroenke	$4.15B	United States	Retail
457	Bill Koch	$4.14B	United States	Diversified
458	Zong Qinghou	$4.14B	China	Food & Beverage
459	John Overdeck	$4.14B	United States	Finance
460	David Siegel	$4.14B	United States	Finance
461	Igor Olenicoff	$4.13B	United States	Real Estate
462	Traudl Engelhorn-Vechiatto	$4.13B	Switzerland	Diversified
463	Yan Bin	$4.12B	Thailand	Food & Beverage
464	Thomas Pritzker	$4.12B	United States	Finance
465	Wang Wenyin	$4.10B	China	Commodities
466	Mark Cuban	$4.10B	United States	Technology
467	Michael Otto	$4.09B	Germany	Retail
468	Peter-Alexander Wacker	$4.08B	Germany	Industrial
469	Sergey Galitskiy	$4.07B	Russian Federation	Retail
470	Ned Johnson IV	$4.07B	United States	Finance
471	Elizabeth Johnson	$4.07B	United States	Finance
472	Jeremy Jacobs	$4.06B	United States	Food & Beverage
473	Ben Ashkenazy	$4.05B	United States	Real Estate
474	Edwin Leong	$4.05B	Hong Kong	Real Estate
475	Mark Shoen	$4.04B	United States	Services
476	Ira Rennert	$4.03B	United States	Commodities
477	Jim Leprino	$4.03B	United States	Food & Beverage
478	Henry Laufer	$4.03B	United States	Finance
479	Tung Chien-Cheng	$4.03B	Hong Kong	Services
480	Robert Smith	$4.02B	United States	Finance
481	Xavier Niel	$4.01B	France	Technology
482	Jorge Moll	$4.01B	Brazil	Health Care
483	Oleg Deripaska	$4.01B	Russian Federation	Commodities
484	John Brown	$4.00B	United States	Technology
485	Walter Scott	$3.99B	United States	Energy
486	Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor	$3.98B	Russian Federation	Industrial
487	John Gandel	$3.98B	Australia	Real Estate
488	Brian Acton	$3.98B	United States	Technology
489	Gordon Getty	$3.98B	United States	Diversified
490	Friede Springer	$3.97B	Germany	Media & Telecom
491	Jiravat Yoovidhya	$3.96B	Thailand	Food & Beverage
492	Mary Malone	$3.95B	United States	Food & Beverage
493	Peter Hargreaves	$3.92B	United Kingdom	Finance
494	Chase Coleman	$3.90B	United States	Finance
495	Red Emmerson	$3.90B	United States	Industrial
496	Dick Schulze	$3.90B	United States	Retail
497	Anthony Chey	$3.88B	Korea, Republic of	Diversified
498	Howard Schultz	$3.88B	United States	Food & Beverage
499	Guenter Herz	$3.88B	Germany	Diversified
500	Daniela Herz	$3.88B	Germany	Diversified

Current Affairs Knowledge

China ends One Child Policy after 35 years

China ends “One Child Policy” after 35 years and allowed all couples to have two children.

One Child Policy was introduced in 1980 as a way to curb the population and limit demands for water and other resources. The controversial policy restricted most couples to only a single offspring, and for years’ it was debated that the policy resulted in China’s economic boom.

Sanjeev Mohanty appointed as CEO and MD of Jabong

On saturday Online fashion marketplace Jabong has appointed Sanjeev Mohanty as its CEO and Managing Director.

Prior to this, he has worked with Benetton India for over 11 years, including 8 years as Managing Director.

P.S. Jayakumar appointed as MD and CEO of Bank of Baroda.

Bank of Baroda has said P S Jayakumar has assumed the charge of the office of Managing Director and CEO, Bank of Baroda, on October 13, 2015," it said in a filing on BSE.

18 years old Indian boy Rajkumar Raman Becomes World's Youngest Chartered Accountant (CA)

According to the Khaleej Times report, Prince Raman who complete graduation from Indian High School of Dubai have must complete three years of work experience qualified in graduation Chartered Certified Accountants Association (ACCA).

Raman's Officer ACCA, recognized as the youngest ACCA Affiliate in all the other candidates registered so far in the Middle East.

ACCA Middle East academic advisor Harriet fit Gerald told the newspaper, "At this point in our records Raman Affiliate ACCA is the youngest." Raman said, "I started to get coaching for exams in September 2012 and in June 2015 was the final exam."

Railways has launched IT enabled passenger services for the convenience of passengers. These include paperless unreserved ticketing through mobile phones on suburban stations of Central Railway and paperless platform tickets at select stations of Northern, Western and Central Railways.

The other application relates to paperless monthly season ticket on suburban sections of Western Railway, Central Railway and New Delhi-Palwal section of Northern Railway.

Godavari River was formally interlinked with the Krishna River at Ibrahimpatnam near Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.

River Godavari and Krishna were linked after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated a pylon at Ibrahimpatnam. State government has named this historic occasion as ‘Krishna-Godavari Pavitra Sangamam’.

US Open 2015 Grand Slam winners List:-

Dear Readers,

We are providing you list of single and double US open winner list 2015.

US Open 2015 Winners List
Men’s Singles title	Novak Djokovic of Serbia
Women’s Single title	Flavia Pennetta of Italy
Men’s Doubles title	Pierre Hugues Herbert and Nocolas Mahut of France
Women’s Doubles title	Sania Mirza of India and Martina Hingis of Switzerland
Mixed Doubles title	Leander Paes of India and Martina Hingis of Switzerland

Quiz : General Awareness

1. भारत के निम्न में से किस शहर का चयन यूनेस्को के क्रिएक्टिव सिटीजन नेटवर्क में ‘सिटी आॅफ म्यूजिक’ श्रेणी के अन्तर्गत हुआ है?

(1) जयपुर      (2) जोधपुर      (3) वाराणसी

(4) लखनऊ     (5) इनमें से कोई नही

2. प्रधानमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी ने निम्न में से किस स्थान पर भारतीय कृषि शोध संस्थान की आधारषिला रखी है?

(1) हजारीबाग, झारखण्ड          (2) गोपालगंज, बिहार

(3) उज्जैन, मध्य प्रदेष           (4) पुणे, महाराष्ट

(5) इनमें से कोई नही

3. आईईपी द्वारा जारी वैष्विक शांति सूचकांक में शामिल 162 देषों में भारत का स्थान कौन-सा है?

(1) 160वाँ       (2) 143वाँ       (3) 125वाँ

(4) 105वाँ       (5) इनमें से कोई नही

4. केन्द्रीय नवीन एवं नवीकरणीय ऊर्जा मंत्रालय द्वारा जारी आँकड़ों के अनुसार निम्न में से कौन-सा राज्य सौर ऊर्जा उत्पादन के मामले में शीर्ष पर है?

(1) गुजरात      (2) राजस्थान    (3) महाराष्ट्र

(4) मध्य प्रदेष   (5) इनमें से कोई नही

5. प्रधानमंत्री की उज्बेकिस्तान यात्रा के दौरान दोनों देषों के मध्य कितने हस्ताक्षर हुए?

(1) 3                        (2) 5                 (3) 6

(4) 7                        (5) इनमें से कोई नही

6. श्रम एवं रोजगार मंत्रालय ने राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर न्यूनतम मजदूरी को रूपये 137/- से बढ़ाकर कितने रूपये कर दिया है?

(1) रूपये 150/-     (2) रूपये 160/-     (3) रूपये 170/-

(4) रूपये 180/-     (5) इनमें से कोई नही

7. केन्द्रीय मंत्रिमंडल की आर्थिक मामलों की समिति ने कृषि से संबंधित निम्न में से कौन-सी योजना को मंजूरी दी है?

(1) अखिल भारतीय कृषि सिंचाई योजना

(2) प्रधानमंत्री कृषि सिंचाई योजना

(3) अटल कृषि सिंचाई योजना

(4) कृषि सिंचाई योजना

(5) इनमें से कोई नही

8. सामाजिक, आर्थिक एवं जाति आधारित जनगणना, 2011 के अनुसार देष में (षहरी एवं ग्रामीण दोनों) कुल कितने परिवार है?

(1) 30 करोड़    (2) 24.39 करोड़ (3) 23.49 करोड़

(4) 29.34 करोड़   (5) इनमें से कोई नही

9. केन्द्रीय विदेषी मंत्री सुषमा स्वराज की थाइलैण्ड यात्रा के दौरान दोनों देषों के मध्य कितने हस्ताक्षर हुए?

(1) 5                        (2) 6                        (3) 7

(4) 8                        (5) इनमें से कोई नही

10. प्रधानमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी के कजाखस्तान यात्रा के दौरान निम्न में से किस महत्वपूर्ण वस्तु के 5,000 टन की आपूर्ति हेतु समझौते पर हस्ताक्षर किए गए?

(1) दालें        (2) गेहूँ         (3) पेट्रोलियम

(4) यूरेनियम    (5) इनमें से कोई नही

Answer:

Q.            Ans.

1              3

2              1

3              2

4              2

5              1

6              2

7              2

8              2

9              1

10           4

Quiz:Banking Questions

1. Pre-shipment finance is provided by the banks only to…..?

(1) Credit card holders

(2) Students aspiring for further studies

(3) Brokers in equity market

(4) Exporters

Ans-4

2. In banking business, when the borrowers avail a Term Loan, initially they are given a repayment holiday and this referred as……….?

(1) Subsidy

(2) Interest Waiver

(3) Re-phasing

(4) Moratorium

Ans-4

3. When a person opens an account in a bank, the bank is a ………. Towards the person

(1) Creditor

(2) Debtor

(3) Agent

(4) Borrower

Ans-2

4. Concept of Tobin Tax is associated with which field?

(1) Foreign Exchange Transactions

(2) Share Trading

(3) Commodity Trading

(4) Bullion Trading

Ans-1

5. Which act pertains to effectively dealing with the problem of non- performing assets (NPAs) in Indian Banking ?

(1) RBI ACT

(2) Banking and Regulation Act

(3) SARFAESI Act

(4) Banking Ombudsman

Ans-3

6. Which agency/ institution is the regulatory authority for home loans in India?

(1) Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC)

(2) National Housing Bank (NHB)

(3) National Housing Board

(4) Housing Finance Corporation ltd.(HFCL)

Ans-2

7. Which of the following countries has ranked as top gold producer in World?

(1) Germany

(2) South Africa

(3) China

(4) India

Ans-3

8. Commercial paper can be issued……..?

(1) By all corporate

(2) By all corporate with net worth of at least Rs 10 crore

(3) By all corporate with net worth of at least Rs 5 crore

(4) Can be issued only by Banks

Ans-3

9. Sub-prime lending refers to……..?

(1) Lending to the customer who are most value for the banks

(2) Lending to the customer who vist bank for the very first time

(3) Lending to the people with less than standard credit status

(4) None of these

Ans-3

10. This committee is associated with finance to small scale industries

(1) C.E Kamath (2) Malegam

(3) G.S Patel (4) Chatelier

Ans-2

Quiz : General Awareness in Hindi

1. विष्व बैंक द्वारा 3 जुलाई, 2015 को जारी रिपोर्ट अनुसार भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था का आकार 2008 के 1 ट्रिलियन डाॅलर से बढ़कर 2014 में कितना हो गया?

(1) 2 ट्रिलियन डाॅलर (2) 8 ट्रिलियन डाॅलर

(3) 4 ट्रिलियन डाॅलर (4) 5 ट्रिलियन डाॅलर

(5) इनमें से कोई नही

Ans : 1

2. भारतीय रिजर्व बंैक से जुलाई, 2015 में निम्न में से किस एषियाई देष के केन्द्रीय बैंक के साथ स्पेष्ल करेंसी स्वैप समझोता किया है?

(1) पाकिस्तान (2) नेपाल

(3) श्रीलंका (4) बांग्लादेष

(5) इनमें से कोई नही

Ans : 3

3. सहकारी बैंक भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक की पूर्व अनुमति लेकर निम्न में से किस/किन मानदण्ड को पूरा करने के बाद मोबाइल एटीम लगा सकते है?

(1) CRAR को 9 फीसदी से कम नहीं किया जा सकता

(2) शुद् NPA 5 फीसदी से कम होना चाहिए

(3) पिछले वित्त वर्ष के दौरान CRR/SLR के रख-रखाव में कोई दोष नहीं होना चाहिए

(4) उपरोक्त सभी

(5) इनमें से कोई नही

Ans : 4

4. सार्वजनिक क्षेत्र के बैंकों के कुल ऋण में सबसे अधिक गैर-निष्पादित आस्तियाँ ¼NPA½ किस बैंक की है?

(1) एसबीआई (2) यूबीआई (3) पीएनबी

(4) बीएमबी (5) इनमें से कोई नही

Ans : 2

5. केन्द्रीय कृषि मंत्रालय ने सौर-ऊर्जा पम्पों की खरीद पर कितने रूपये तक की वित्तीय सहायता देने की घोषणा की है?

(1) रूपये 50,000/- (2) रूपये 52,000/-

(3) रूपये 55,000/- (4) रूपये 57,000/-

(5) इनमें से कोई नही

Ans : 4

6. केन्द्रीय सरकार ने ग्रामीण बैंकों (RRBs) की वित्तीय स्थिति को सुधारने के लिए कितनी वित्तीय सहायता मंजूर की है?

(1) रूपये 700 करोड़ (2) रूपये 725 करोड़

(3) रूपये 750 करोड़ (4) रूपये 775 करोड़

(5) इनमें से कोई नही

Ans : 1

7. केन्द्र सरकार ने विदेषी निवेष के नियमों को आसान बनाते हुए निम्न में से किन निवेषों को एक की वर्ग में रखने का निर्णय लिया है?

(1) विदेषी संस्थागत निवेष (2) प्रत्यक्ष विदेषी निवेष

(3) प्रवासी भारतीयों द्वारा निवेष

(1) 1 व 2 (2) 2 व 3

(3) 1 व 3 (4) 1, 2 एवं 3

(5) इनमें से कोई नही

Ans : 4

8. केन्द्र सरकार ने चीनी टेलीकाॅम उपकरण निर्माता कम्पनी हुआवे को किस राज्य में निर्माण इकाई लगाने को मंजूर दे दी है?

(1) कर्नाटक (2) केरल (3) तमिलनाडू

(4) आंध्र प्रदेष (5) इनमें से कोई नही

Ans : 3

9. देष भर में किस तिथि से पूर्ण मोबाइल नम्बर पोर्टेबिलिटी ¼MNP½ की सुविधा लागू हो गई?

(1) 1 जुलाई, 2015 (2) 2 जुलाई, 2015

(3) 3 जुलाई, 2015 (4) 4 जुलाई, 2015

(5) इनमें से कोई नही

Ans : 3

10. शहरों को विकास के इंजन के तौर पर विकसित करने के लिए प्रधानमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी ने 25 जून, 2015 को निम्न में कौन-सी योजना/योजनाएँ लाॅन्च की है?

(1) प्रधानमंत्री आवास योजना (2) स्मार्ट सिटी येाजना

(3) कायाकल्प एवं शहरी सदभाव के लिए अटल मिषन

(4) उपर्युक्त सभी (5) इनमें से कोई नही

Ans :4

Quiz : General Awareness

1. शिक्षा ऋण चाहने वाले छात्र-छात्राओं के लिए कहा की सरकार ने वेबसाइट 'विद्यालक्ष्मी डॉट सीओ डॉट इन' शुरू की है?

(A) राजस्थान (B) हिमाचल प्रदेश

(B) आन्ध्र प्रदेश (D) गुजरात

(E) नयी दिल्ली

2. भारतीय प्रतिभूति एवं विनिमय बोर्ड (सेबी) की वजह से कर चोरी के लिए शेयर बाजार मार्ग के कथित हेरफेर करने के लिए कौन सा स्टोक एक्सचेंज ने ट्रेडिंग से 59 संस्थाओं पर रोक लगा दी गई है?

(A) नेशनल स्टॉक एक्सचेंज (B) बंबई स्टॉक एक्सचेंज

(C) निकेई स्टॉक एक्सचेंज (D) न्यूयॉर्क स्टॉक एक्सचेंज

(E) इनमें से कोई नहीं

3. किस व्यक्ति के बीच हॉटलाइन की शुरुआत हो गई है?

(A) नरेंद्र मोदी और नवाज शरीफ

(B) नरेंद्र मोदी और व्लादिमीर पुतिन

(C) नरेंद मोदी और शेख हसीना

(D) नरेंद्र मोदी (प्रधानमंत्री) और बराक ओबामा

(E) इनमें से कोई नहीं

4. विश्व के सात अजूबे में से एक अजूबे ताजमहल को दुनिया में सबसे आकर्षक यात्रा हॉटस्पॉट की प्रतिष्ठित सूची में कौन सा स्थान दिया गया है?

(A) तीसरा (B) सातवां

(C) पांचवां (D) पहला

(E) इनमें से कोई नहीं

5. केंद्रीय अल्पसंख्यक मंत्रालय ने 'नई रोशनी' योजना के लिए किस की शुरूआत की है?

(A) ICSS (B) OAMS

(C) OSMA (D) OMSA

(E) FSSAI

6. हाल में श्रीलंका के प्रधानमंत्री के तौर पर रानिल विक्रमसिंघे ने ______बार शपथ ली है|

(A) चौथी बार (B) पहली

(C) दूसरी (D) तीसरी

(E) इनमें से कोई नहीं

7. पीडीएस योजना के लिए हाल ही में राजस्थान सरकार ने किसके साथ करार किया है?

(A) अदानी ग्रुप (B) भारती ग्रुप

(C) रिलायंस ग्रुप (D) फ्यूचर ग्रुप

(E) उपरोक्त में से कोई नहीं

8. कौन से राज्य में 'रिश्ता' योजना का आरम्भ हुआ है?

(A) दिल्ली (B) असम

(C) मध्य प्रदेश (D) हिमाचल प्रदेश

(E) इनमें से कोई नहीं

9. विश्व फोटोग्राफी दिवस कब मनाया जाता है?

(A) 19 अगस्त (B) 1 जून

(C) 2 फ़रवरी (D) 25 मार्च

(E) 6 जुलाई

10. किस राज्य के सेवानिवृत्त IAS (1977 बैच) अधिकारी ओम प्रकाश रावत को नया चुनाव आयुक्त नियुक्त किया गया है?

(A) मध्य प्रदेश (B) उत्तर प्रदेश

(C) हिमाचल प्रदेश (D) असम

(E) इनमें से कोई नहीं

Answer:

Q. Ans.

1 E

2 B

3 D

4 C

5 B

6 A

7 D

8 D

9 A

10 A

Quiz : General Awareness

1. The recently decommissioned torpedo lunch and recovery vessel

(a) INS Vikarant (b) INS Wikhashapatnam

(c) INS Rohini (d) INS Astravahini

(e) None of these

2. India’s GDP growth rates FY 16 and FY17 respectively as per ADB-

(a) 7.8%, 8.2% (b) 7.5%, 8.5%

(c) 7.8%,8.5% (d) 5.5%, 8.5%

(e) None of these

3. The city from where the govt lunched the HRIDAY scheme on 15 Jul

(a) Nagaland (b) Delhi

(c) Sikkim (d) Amritsar

(e) None of these

4. The head of the RBI’s committee on financial inclusion

(a) Deepak Kumar (b) Deepak Mohanty

(c) Sandeep Mohanty (d) Deepak Lodha

(e) None of these

5. The noted artist confeerd with the highest French civilian award Commndeur de la Legion d’honneur (the Legion of Honour) reently

(a) Syed Haider Raza (b) Syed klam

(c) Sandeep Choudhry (d) Md Aftab

(e) None of these

6. The indigenously helicopter- launched anti- tank missile

(a) Helen (b) Nag (HeliNa)

(c) Ashtra (d) Widhwansk

(e) None of these

7. The new Vice –Chief of the Indian Army

(a) Dalbir Singh Suhag (b) Samer Jeet singh

(c) Man Mohan SIngh (d) Man Mohan

(e) None of these

8. The SC committee which suspended two IPL franchisees for two years recently

(a) RM Lodha Committee (b) Shivraman

(c) RS Sharma (d) Madusudan Das

(e) None of these

9. The new MD and CEO of Credit Informational Bureau India Ltd (CIBIL)

(a) Raghuram Rajan (b) Manmohan Singh

(c) Satish Pillai (d) Suraj Chouhan

(e) None of these

10. The chairman of the upcoming Kolkata-based Bandhan bank

(a) Chandra Shekhar Rao (b) Rameshwar Das

(c) Ashok Kumar Lahiri (d) Ram Mohan Desai

(e) None of these

Answer :

Q. Ans.

1 D

2 A

3 D

4 B

5 A

6 B

7 D

8 A

9 C

10 C

Quiz: General Awareness

1. The Russian cosmonaut who has created a record for the longest time spent in space (803 days as Jul 2015)

(a) Tom Kruj (b) Robert Disulva

(c) Sunita Williums (d) Genndy Padalka

(e) None of these

2. The two countries which got full membership of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at its Ufa summit recently

(a) India and China (b) Pakistan and Srilanka

(c) India and Pakistan (d) India and Bangladesh

(e) None of these

3. The country where the proposed USD 10-bn TAPI gas pipeline originates

(a) Turkmenistan (b) Pakistan

(c) Afghanistan (d) Iran

(e) None of these

4. The number of people the govt has target to skill by 2022

(a) 40.25cr (b) 40.20cr

(c) 40.15cr (d) 45.20cr

(e) None of these

5. The state which has started She-Bus service exclusively for women

(a) Kerala (b) Uttar Pradesh

(c) Delhi (d) Rajasthan

(e) None of these

6. Winner of the women’s single title of the Wimbledon 2015

(a) Serena Williams (b) Saina nehwal

(c) Saniya Mirza (d) Carolina Marin

(e) None of these

7. ISRO’s rocket which carried five British satellites to the space on 10 Jul

(a) PSLV- C26 (b) PSLV – C25

(c) PSLV-C28 (d) PSLV – C27

(e) None of these

8. India’s scheme ranked as the 2nd –large unconditional cash transfer social security programme

(a) Indira Gandhi National New

(b) Indira Gandhi National Modern

(c) Rajiv Ratna Gandhi

(d) Indira Gandhi National Old age Pension Scheme

(e) None of these

9. The chairman of the committee set up by the govt on bankruptcy law reforms

(a) TK Viswanarhan (b) Urjit Patel

(c) Deepak Mohanti (d) Tendulkar Committee

(e) None of these

10. Asia’s oldest stock exchange which completed 140 years of operations on Jul 9, 2015

(a) NIFTY (b) SENSEX

(c) BSE (d) DSE

(e) None of these

Answer:

Q. Ans.

1 D

2 C

3 A

4 B

5 A

6 A

7 C

8 D

9 A

10 C

Quiz : GENERAL AWARENESS

1. Which of the following is the Capital of Italy?

(a) Milan (b) Rome

(c) Paris (d) Tokyo

(e) Berlin

2. Who among the following is the president of Nepal at present?

(a) Ram Baran yadav (b) Jhala Nath Khunal

(c) Baburam Bhattarai (d) Surya Bahadur Thapa

(e) None of these

3. The winner of Golden Peacock National Quality Award for the year 2015 is __?

(a)Hindustan Aeronautics Limited

(b)Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

(c)Delhi International Airport Limited

(d)Bharat Electronics Limited

(e) None of these

4. Who among the following presents the General Budget in the Parliament?

(a) Prime Minister of India

(b) Vice President of India

(c) Governor, reserve Bank of India

(d) Finance Minister of India

(e) Finance Secretary

5. A Nuclear power plant is situated in which of the following places?

(a) Lucknow (b) Jodhpur

(c) kota (d) Shimla

(e) Srinagar

6. Famous Bhakra Nagal Dam is built on which of the following rivers?

(a) Ganga (b) Narmada

(c) Godavari (d) Krishna

(e) Satluj

7. Who among the following is a famous cricket player?

(a) Cheteshwar Pujara (b) Gagan Narang

(c) Mahesh Bhupati (d) Pankaj Advani

(e) Pargat Singh

8. Which instrument is used for measuring the intensity of electric current?

(a) Lactometer (b) Micrometer

(c) Ammeter (d) Radar

(e) Periscope

9. ‘Black Box’ is an apparatus installed on/in the-

(a) Radars (b) Atomic power plant

(c) Aircrafts (d) ‘X’ ray machines

(e) Railway engines

10. Which among the following organization declared Year 2013 as Year of Water Cooperation?

(a) Govt. of India (b) UN (c) IMF

(d) UNICEF (e) None of these

Answer:

Q. Ans.

1 B

2 A

3 C

4 D

5 C

6 E

7 A

8 C

9 C

10 B

Taking a new leap forward, Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) are organizing Pan-India Computer Based Online Examination for the recruitment.

It will be start first time, For 3273 vacancies of Senior Section Engineers and Junior Engineers which will be start from 26th August to 4th September, 2015. Applications were also called Online for this Recruitment.

Around 18 lakh candidates have applied for the On-line Computer Based examination. Sharp increase in vacancy to candidate ratio indicates wide popularity and acceptance of On-line mode.

This new format is very user friendly for both the candidates and Railway Recruitment Board to keep records of 18 lacks candidates perfectly and expected to enhance objectivity, transparency and credibility of Railway Recruitment Board (RRB).

This examination is being conducted in 242 cities all over India including far off locations in North East and J&K.

Quiz : General Awareness

1. अंतरराष्ट्रीय एथलेटिक्स महासंघ के नए अध्यक्ष कौन हैं?

(A) सेबेस्टियन (B) एंथेनी

(C) सर्जेइ बुबका (D) जेसन

(E) इनमें से कोई नहीं

2. व्हाइट हाउस में पहली ट्रांसजेंडर महिला कर्मचारी की नियुक्ति की है, उनका नाम बताएं?

(A) हन्नाह विन्तेर्बौरने (B) एटलांटा जॉर्जिया

(C) मैरी एलिज़ाबेथ क्लार्क (D) रैफी फ्रीडमैन

(E) इनमें से कोई नहीं है

3. हाल में राष्ट्रीय एयरलाइन्स एयर इंडिया लिमिटेड ने चेयरमैन और प्रबंध निदेशक के रूप में किसे नियुक्त किया है?

(A) अशोक गजपथी राजू पुसापति (B) रोहित नंदन

(C) अश्वनी लोहानी (D) नरेश गोयल

(E) कालानिथी मारन

4. विशाल सिक्का किस कंपनी के सीईओ हैं?

(A) अनंत गुप्ता (B) टी.के कुरियन

(C) सी.पी गुरनानी (D) इन्फोसिस

(E) नटराजन चंद्रसेकरन

5. 'ही फॉर शी' अभियान के लिए संयुक्त राष्ट्र ने निम्न में से किसे दूत के रूप में नियुक्त किया है?

(A) विराट कोहली (B) अनुपम खेर

(C) शाहरुख़ खान (D) दीपिका पादुकोण

(E) सचिन तेंदुलकर

6. हाल ही में किस ब्रिटिश लेखक को "टेट ब्लैक प्राइज" से सम्मानित किया गया है?

(A) डैन ब्राउन (B) इअन मैकएवन

(C) सलमान रुश्दी (D) जिया हैदर रहमान

(E) इनमें से कोई नहीं

7. ऑस्ट्रेलिया सरकार ने हाल में ______को भारत के लिए एजुकेशन एम्बेसेडर नियुक्त किया है?

(A) माईकल क्लार्क (B) गिलक्रिस्ट

(C) मिचेल जॉनसन (D) ब्रेड हेडेन

(E) शेन वोर्न

8. किसके लिए इंग्लैंड के खिलाफ एशेज सीरीज आखिरी होगी?

(A) एरेन फिंच (B) स्टीव स्मिथ

(C) डेविड वार्नर (D) क्रिस रोजर्स

(E) इनमें से कोई नहीं

9. निम्न में से किसे पेमेंट बैंक के लिए आरबीआई से मंजूरी नहीं मिली है?

(A) इंडिया पोस्ट (B) टेक महिंद्रा

(C) रिलायंस इंडस्ट्रीज (D) फ्यूचर ग्रुप

(E) एयरटेल

10. सौर उर्जा से चलने वाला कौन सा एअरपोर्ट विश्व में पहला एयरपोर्ट बन गया है?

(A) त्रिवेंद्रम अंतरराष्ट्रीय एयरपोर्ट

(B) श्री गुरु राम दास जी अंतरराष्ट्रीय एयरपोर्ट

(C) कोचीन अंतरराष्ट्रीय एयरपोर्ट

(D) बीजू पटनैक

(E) तिरुचिरापल्ली

Answer :

Q. Ans

1 A

2 D

3 C

4 D

5 B

6 D

7 B

8 D

9 D

10 C

Dear Readers,

Cheers for the bank Employee, lakhs of bank employees happy with this great news, Government has accepted the long-pending demand of workers to declared that from 1st September 2015 2nd and 4th Saturdays will be holiday on every month.

At present, all PSU and private sector banks work half-day on Saturdays.

Quiz : विविध प्र्श्न

प्रिये दोस्तों,

आज मै आप लोगो को विविध प्र्श्न दे रहा हूँ. जो कि SSC, Railway, PCS, Lekhapaal और SSCGD मे आ सकता है . आप इस प्र्श्न को हल कर के अच्छे अक ला सकते है

1. निम्न में से कौन यशद पुष्प कहलाता है?

(A) जिंक ब्रोमाइड (B) जिंक नाइट्रेट

(C) जिंक आॅक्साइड (D) जिंक क्लोराइड

Ans : C

2. मानव शरीर में पुच्छ कौन-सी संरचना में संलग्न होता है?

(A) Large Intestine (B) Small Intestine

(C) Gall Bladder (D) Stomach

Ans : A

3. अधिकांश कीट श्वसन (Insects) कैसे करते हैं?

(A) त्वचा (Skin) (B) क्लोम (Gills)

(C) फेफड़ा (Lungs) (D) वातकतंत्र (Tracheal System)

Ans : D

4. निम्न प्रकार के काँचों में से कौन-सा एक पराबैंगनी किरणों को विच्छेदन कर सकता है?

(A) सोडा काँच (B) पाइरेक्स काँच

(C) जेना काँच (D) क्रुक्स काँच

Ans : D

5. निम्न अधातुओं में से कौन-सा एक विद्युत का मन्द चालक नहीं है?

(A) सल्फर (B) सिलीनियम

(C) ब्रोमीन (D) फाॅस्फोरस

Ans : B

6. हिन्डाल्को किस देष की सहायता से तैयार हुआ?

(A) अमेरिका (B) कनाडा

(C) जर्मनी (D) रूस

Ans : A

7. तारापोर समिति निम्नलिखित में से किस एक से संबंधित थी?

(A) विषेष आर्थिक क्षेत्र (B) पूर्ण पूँजी लेखा संपरिवर्तनीयता

(C) विदेशी मुद्रा बाजार (D) भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था पर तेल की कीमतों का प्रभाव

Ans : B

8. प्रथम लोकसभा के अध्यक्ष कौन थे?

(A) हुकूम सिंह (B) जी॰बी॰ मावलंकर

(C) के॰एम॰ मुंषी (D) बलराम भगत

Ans : B

9. शेवराय पहाडि़या अवस्थित है: -

(A) केरल (B) तमिलनाडू

(C) कर्नाटक (D) महाराष्ट्र

Ans : B

10. पाटलिग्राम की स्थापना किसने की थी?

(A) बिन्दुसार (B) बिम्बिसार

(C) उद्यन (D) अशोक

Ans : C

प्रिये पाठको,

हाल ही के दिनो मे हुये घट्नाये.....

1. अन्तरराष्ट््रीय एथलेटिक्स संघ के अध्यक्ष है

Ans: सेबास्टियन कोए

2. Sri Lanka के नये प्रधानमंत्री चुने गये है

Ans : रानिल विक्रमसिंघे

3. संयुक्त राष्ट्र संघ के ‘ही फोर शी’ अभियान के दूत चुने गये है

Ans: अनुपम खेर

4. स्मार्टफोन के लिये हाल ही मे नया ओप्रेटिंग सिस्टम आया है

Ans : मार्शमेलो

5. भारत का पहला पूर्ण डिजिटल राज्य बना है

Ans : केरला

6. हाल ही मे पोलैन्ड मे आयोजित वैश्विक व्यापार चैलेंज मे किस भारतीय ने ग्लोबल अवार्ड पुरस्कार जीता है

Ans : केशव पसारी

7. हाल ही मे केंद्र सरकार ने छात्रो को स्कूल में पोधारोंपण के प्रति जागरुक करने के लिये योजना शुरु की है

Ans : स्कूल नर्सरी योजना

8. किस राज्य मे वोट ना डालने पर जुर्माना लगाया जाएगा ?

Ans : गुजरात

9. देश के सबसे लम्बा रैल सह सडक पुल है

Ans : दीघा- पहलेजाघाट रेलवे पुल ( बिहार)

10. हाल ही मे राष्ट्रपति ने किसे नया चुनाव आयुक्त नियुक्त किया है ?

Ans : ओमप्रकाश रावत

Quiz : GENERAL AWARENESS

Dear Readers,

We are providing you General Awareness quiz. General Awareness which has immense importance, if you want to score maximum in minimum time. This section plays tremendous role in time management. So keep studying and keep rising.

1. The Russian oil major which will take up to 49% of the Essar Group’s Vadinar oil refinery

(a) Gazprom (b) transneft

(c) Lukoil (d) Rosneft

(e) None of these

2. The country whose 23 Meiji period (1868-1312) sites have been granted Whole Heritage status by Unesco

(a) Russia (b) Japan

(c) China (d) India

(e) None of these

3. The state declared ‘disturbed area’ by the Union home ministry recently

(a) Nagaland (b) Mizoram

(c) Manipur (d) Assam

(e) None of these

4. The state which tops in practice of manual scavenging as per SECC 2011

(a) Tamilnadu (b) Maharashtra

(c) Madhya Pradesh (d) Karnatka

(e) None of these

5. India’s 1^st and world’s 2^nd woman cricketer to score 5000 run in ODIs

(a) Jhulan Goswami (b) Ekta Bisht

(c) Mithali Raj (d) Soniya Dabir

(e) None of these

6. The person nominated by china to be the first president of the AIIB

(a) Lou Jiwei (b) Li Xenti

(c) Xi Nhetaho (d) Jin Liqun

(e) None of these

7. The new Director of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Programme Director of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)

(a) Dalbir Singh Suhag (b) Arup Rah

(c) Commodore CD Balaji (retd.)

(d) Admiral RK Dhowan

(e) None of these

8. The currency of Yemen classified as endangered heritage site by the UNESCO

(a) Taka (b) Sana’a

(c) Rand (d) Peseta

(e) None of these

9. The state which entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the number of simultaneous hand washes

(a) Utrakhand (b) Madhya Pradesh

(c) Sikkim (d) Uttar Pradesh

(e) None of these

10. India’s GDP in 2014 in terms of PPP

(a) $6.98 (b) $6.78tn

(c) $6.87 (d) $7.87

(e) None of these

Answer:

Q. Ans.

1 D

2 B

3 A

4 C

5 C

6 D

7 C

8 B

9 B

10 B

At Red Fort on the eve of celebration of 69th Independence Day PM Narendra Modi announced a new campaign ‘Start-up India; Stand up India’ an initiative to promote bank finance for Start-ups (an entrepreneurial venture). The campaign was announced with an aim to boost entrepreneurship among the youth and to create employment in India. As per the initiative PM urged 1.25 lakh bank branches to provide finance to at least one Dalit or Adivasi and at least one woman entrepreneur. The initiative is expected to open a new dimension to entrepreneurship and to set up a network of start-ups in the country. It also aims to make India a number one country in Start-ups.

Other Announcements by PM:

1. Government will rename the "Agriculture Ministry" as ‘Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Ministry’
2. For low-skilled government jobs he announced to replace the current practice of ‘interview-based’ selections with online merit based recruiting .
3. Under the Skill India and Digital India initiative government to provide package of incentives to manufacturing units. To provide houses and access to basic services to all and to make India a developed nation by 2022.
4. Set deadline of 1000 days to connect 18,500 villages with electricity.

National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has signed two Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) for skill development training in eastern states and Bihar.

The first MoU: As per the MoU NTPC will provide skill training to 5000 youth and women across 22 locations with special focus on the eastern states. The cost of this project is Rs 6.5 Crore for two years

The second MoU: As per the MoU NTPC will train over 25000 candidates in services and manufacturing sectors across under-served locations in Bihar. The cost of this project is Rs 30 crore for five years. Both the projects will be funded by NTPC and executed by NSDC through its Training Partners.

About The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)

The National Skill Development Corporation India (NSDC) is a Public Private Partnership Company with the primary mandate of promotion of the skills landscape in India.

It aims to proactively catalyze creation of large, quality vocational training institutions by providing grants and equity.

It main objective is to upgrade skills to international standards through significant industry involvement and through appropriate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models.

It strives to develop necessary frameworks for standards, curriculum and quality assurance by bringing financing, particularly in sectors where market mechanisms are ineffective or missing.

In New Delhi, On Tuesday In a major judgment, the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court said Aadhar card can be used for availing government schemes but it's not compulsory for the citizens.

A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court said the Centre to publicise the decision widely.

“The Centre shall ensure wide publicity through print and electronic media that Aadhar card is not mandatory,” In its ruling, the court said Aadhar can be used for Public Distribution Schemes like (PDS) foodgrains, kerosene and LPG, but it was not mandatory to avail the benefits of such schemes.

The Constitution Bench was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Centre's ambitious scheme to provide Aadhar card to all citizens and decide whether right to privacy is a fundamental right.

Earlier in the day, an apex court bench had referred the matter to a constitution bench as it wanted an authoritative pronouncement on whether right to privacy is a fundamental right.

The Constitution Bench ruled that Aadhar card will remain optional for availing various welfare schemes of the government except for PDS and LPG distribution system.

The court indicated that “no personal information of Aadhar card holders shall be shared by the authorities concerned”.

However, the court allowed the Aadhar card number for any criminal investigation.

On Monday, Through video-conferencing in New Delhi Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu launched new train services in the Northeast after the completion of North Lakhimpur-Murkongselek (Assam) and Balipara- Bhalukpong (Arunachal pradesh) sections into broad-gauge.

It's the "Golden day" and history of Arunachal Pradesh, with the commissioning of Balipara-Bhalukpong gauge conversion, Suresh Prabhu said the state Arunachal Pradesh is getting second Broad Gauge connectivity in it's History.

Earlier in 2015, direct train service was launched between Arunachal Pradesh’s capital Itanagar and Delhi.

About Project:

These 510 km gauge conversion project was approved in 2002-03 with the budgetary outlay of 3600 crore rupees, but this project was delayed mainly due to low funds. But in 2014-15, another budgetary outlay of 713 crore rupees was provided for this line and additional balance of 300 crore rupee was provided in 2015-16.

In a significant restructuring at Google,the company co-founder Larry Page announced on Monday, Sundar Pichai who born in india has been named the new CEO of the technology giant as the formation of a new umbrella firm Alphabet, of which Google will be a part.

In a blog post, Larry Page announced the formation of the new parent company Alphabet, of which he will be the CEO and Google co-founder Sergey Brin will be its President. He Said Sundar Pichai will be a "key part" of the new structure that will "allow us to keep tremendous focus on the extraordinary opportunities we have inside Google."

Previously Pichai served as senior vice-president of product at Google.

"Gills Said" Sundar is in high demand and offered for top job at Google. he was the natural choice to lead Google.

About Sundar Pichai:

He is 43 years old born in Chennai India.

“I would challenge you to find anyone at Google who doesn’t like Sundar or who thinks Sundar is a jerk,” Caesar Sengupta, a vice-president who has worked with Pichai for eight years, told Bloomberg last year.

“If there’s anybody that could take over as CEO one day, I would see Sundar as being a great choice for doing that,” Maarten Hooft, partner at the venture capital firm Quest Venture Partners told Business Insider last year. Hooft and Pichai worked together for six years between 2006 and 2012. “There’s a lot of smart people [at Google], but in terms of the consumer products he’s worked on so far, I doubt they would be as successful without Sundar being there.”

Quiz : Computer

Dear Friends,

Today we are providing you Quiz on Computer .This Good chance to take online Quiz with easy Navigation Method.

1. Which one of the following is NOT a computer language?

(a) MS-Excel (b)BASIC

(c) COBAL (d) C++

(e) None of these

2. Each memory cell has a unique number, assigned to it is called as the ......of the cell

(a) Address (b) Register

(c) Number (d) Path

(e) None of these

3. The server on the internet is also known as :

(a) Repeater (b)Host

(c) Gateway (d)AND Gate

(e) None of these

4. Website is a collection of

(a) HTML, documents (b) Graphic files

(c) Audio and video files

(d) All of these (e) None of these

5. .......is a method in which multiple communication device are connected to one another efficiently.

(a) Switching (b) Redundancy

(c) Capacity (d) Detecting

(e) None of these

6. Where are you likely to find an embedded operating system?

(a) on a desktop (b) on a networked PC

(c) on a network server

(d) on a PDA (e) on a mainframe

7. A hard copy of a file created on a computer refers to data

(a) saved on a floppy disk

(b) printed on a printer

(c) backed up on a tape drive

(d) sent as an e-mail

(e) None of these

8. The standard protocol of the Internet is

(a) TCP/IP (b) Java

(c) HTML (d) Flash (e) None of these

9. Data mining means analyzing the data stored with

(a) The DSA (b) the front-office staff

(c) the back-office staff

(d) the customers (e) None of these

10. What is backup?

(a) adding more components to your network

(b) Protecting data by copying it from the original source to a different destination

(c) Filtering old data from the new data

(d) Accessing data on tape

(e) None of these

Answer :

Q. Ans.

1 A

2 A

3 B

4 D

5 A

6 D

7 B

8 A

9 C

10 B

Prime Minister Mr. Narendra modi declares that 7th august will be celebrated as National Handloom Day which is announced at the special function held in chennai. The day Swadeshi Movement was launched in 1905.

The main aim of "India Handloom" to promote handloom of india in the global market.

7th August was selected to reminisce the 110 year old Swadeshi Movement.

Union Textiles Minister Santosh Gangwar said to prime minister regard this and plans to organise a national level function in which a large number of handloom weavers and eminent personalities would be invited.

Union Textiles Minister Santosh Gangwar invited Mr. Modi to be the chief guest on the occasion to boost the morale of handloom weavers of the country.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated the performance of Indian contingent for winning 173 medals, including 47 Gold, 54 Silver and 72 Bronze have been won by our athletes in Los Angeles at the Special Olympic World Summer Games 2015. He twitted, Achievements of Indian player at LA 2015 Special Olympics are truly gladdening. They are pride of India.

Prime minister wrote, the LA 2015 Special Olympics were a triumph of determination, hard work and sportsman spirit. Congratulations to all athletes who participated. The 275-member strong Indian contingent won 47 gold, 54 silver and 72 bronze in 14 disciplines during the nine-day event which was ended on 2nd August. In the last edition of the games held in Athens, Greece India had won 156 medals 56 gold, 48 silver and 52 bronze.

Medals won by Indian Athlete:-

Discipline	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Aquatics	2	2	3	7
Athletics	17	14	16	47
Badminton	5	2	3	10
Cycling	6	9	8	23
Golf	2			2
Powerlifting	2	6	24	32
Roller-skating	10	17	12	39
Table Tennis	2	3	1	6
Team Events
Basketball			2	2
Football (Unified 7 a side)			1	1
Softball	1			1
Volleyball			2	2
Handball		1		1
Total	47	54	72	173

Quiz : Computer

Dear Reader,

Today we are providing you quiz on Computer which is one of the most important sections of Banking Exams, in which you can score maximum with ease if you are practice on very regular basis...

1. The CPU and memory are located on the :

(A) expansion board

(2) motherboard

(C) storage device

(D) output device

(E) display board

2. ........... is the science that attempts to produce machines that display the same type of intelligence that humans do

(A) Nanoscience

(B) Nanotechnology

(C) Simulation

(D) Aritificial intelligence (Al)

(E) None of these

3. Servers are computers that provide resources to other computers connected to a :

(A) networkd

(B) mainframe

(C) supercomputer

(D) client

(E) internet

4. When creating a computer program, the ........... designs the structure of the program

(A) End user

(B) System Analyst

(C) Programmer

(D) All of the above

(E) None of these

5. A computer program that converts an entire program into machine language at one time is called a/ an

(A) interpreter

(B) simulator

(C) characters

(D) numbers

(E) None of these

6. Computers process data into information by working exclusively with :

(A) multimedia

(B) words

(C) characters

(D) numbers

(E) None of these

7. The difference between people with access to computers and the Internet and those without this access is known as the :

(A) digital divide

(B) Internet divide

(C) Web divide

(D) broadband divide

(E) None of these

8. Computers manipulate data in many ways, and this manipulation is called .....

(A) upgrading

(B) processing

(C) batching

(D) utilizing

(E) None of these

9. The ability to recover and read deleted or damaged files from a criminal's computer is an example of a law enforcement specialty called:

(A) robotics

(B) simulation

(C) computer forensics

(D) animation

(E) None of these

10. Where does most data go first with in a computer memory hierarchy ?

(A) RAM

(B) ROM

(C) BIOS

(D) CACHE

(E) None of these

Answer:

Q. Ans.

1 B

2 D

3 B

4 B

5 C

6 D

7 A

8 B

9 C

10 A

Quiz : General Awareness for Banking

1. The first female president of Basketball Federation of India is __?

(a)Poonam Mahajan (b)Menaka Gandhi

(c)P T Usha (d)Roopam Harish Sharma

(e) None of these

Ans: A

2. Where is located Asia's largest tulip garden?

(a)Himachal Pradesh (b)Jammu & Kashmir

(c)Uttar Pradesh (d)Uttarkhand

(e) None of these

Ans: B

3. The winner of Golden Peacock National Quality Award for the year 2015 is __?

(a)Hindustan Aeronautics Limited

(b)Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

(c)Delhi International Airport Limited

(d)Bharat Electronics Limited

(e) None of these

Ans : C

4. The Queensberry rules are related to which sports?

(a)Tennis (b)Boxing

(c)Badminton (d)Hockey

(e) None of these

Ans : B

5. Which state in India has highest number of ports?

(a)Gujarat (b)Maharashtra

(c)Tamil Nadu (d)Andhra Pradesh

(e) None of these

Ans : B

6. Which state has launched "Aahar", a subsidised meal scheme meant for urban poor in the state?

(a)Bihar (b)Jharkhand

(c)West Bengal (d)Odisha

(e) None of these

Ans : D

7. Which is the first state in the country to make faster clearance of business proposal a statutory status?

(a)Telangana (b)Odisha

(c)Kerala (d)Goa

(e)None of these

Ans : A

8. What is the upper limit of GNI per capita for low-income economies as per World Bank?

(a)$1,045 (b)$945

(c)$860 (d)$1200

(e)None of these

Ans : A

9. What is the average Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of normal persons?

(a)100 to 120 (b)90 to 110

(c)70 to 130 (d)50 to 100

(e)None of these

Ans : B

10. In which country Prime Minister Modi inaugurated Hannover Industrial Fair-2015?

(a)Canada (b)Germany

(c)France (d)South Africa

(e)None of these

Ans : B

Quiz : Puzzle For RBI

Directions (1 - 5): Study the information carefully and answer the given questions.

Each of the seven plays viz P, Q, R, S, T, V and W are scheduled to be staged on a different day of a week starting from Monday and ending on Sunday of the same week. Play V is scheduled on Thursday. Two plays are scheduled to be held between play V and play P. Only one play is scheduled between play T and play S. Play T is not scheduled on the days immediately before or immediately after the day when play V is scheduled. Play R is scheduled the day immediately before the day when play W is scheduled. Play S is not scheduled after play Q.

1. How many plays are scheduled to be staged between Play R and Play S?

(a) None (b) One (c) Two

(d) Three (e) Four

2. Which of the following plays is scheduled on Saturday?

(a) Q (b) W (c) R

(d) S (e) T

3. R is related to S in a certain way. In the same way P is related to V based on the given scheduled. Which of the following is W related to following the same pattern?

(a) P (b) Q (c) R

(d) T (e) Cannot be determined

4. On which of the following days is play W scheduled?

(a) Monday (b) Tuesday

(c) Wednesday (d) Saturday

(e) Cannot be determined

5.Which of the following plays is scheduled on Friday?

(a) R (b) T (c) Q

(d) W (e) S

Q. Ans.

1 C

2 A

3 B

4 C

5 E

Current Affairs - 29th July 2015

Rajiv Gandhi Killers: Supreme Court Confirmed that Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi Killers Will Not Hang. The Court had commuted the death sentence of three persons - Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan, citing the 11-year delay in deciding their mercy petitions.

FSSAI: Ashish Bahuguna Appointed as Chairman of FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of india)

TRAI: Ram Sevak Sharma appointed as Chairman of TRAI

SpiceJet: SpiceJet Ltd is in talks with Boeing Co and Airbus Group to acquire about 100 new narrow-body jets, its chief financial officer said on Wednesday, in a deal worth about $11 billion at list prices.

CONCACAF CUP: Mexico has won CONCACAF Gold Cup

Constitution of Nepal: Nepal has decided to remove the word "secularism" from their Constitution

Passport News: In Bengaluru Online police verification started for Passport which is announced on 27th July 2015

Quiz : Banking and Financial Awareness

1. Financial inclusion means provision of

(A) financial services namely, payments, remittances, savings, loans and insurance at affordable cost to persons not yet given the same

(B) ration at affordable cost to persons not yet given the same

(C) house at affordable cost to persons not yet given the same

(D) food at affordable cost to persons not yet given the same

(E) education at affordable cost to persons not yet given the same

2. Interest payable on savings bank accounts is.......

(A) not regulated by RBI

(B) regulated by Sate Governments

(C) regulated by Central Government

(D) regulated by RBI

(E) regulated by Finance minister

3. Fixed deposits and recurring deposits are........

(A) repayable after an agreed period

(B) repayable on demand

(C) not repayable

(D) repayable after death of depositors

(E) repayable on demand or after an agreed period as per bank's choice

4. Which of the following states became the first state in the country to launch RBI's e-payment system for commercial tax payers?

(A) Andhra Pradesh (B) Kerala

(C) Gujarat (D) Maharashtra

(E) Karnataka

5. When a bank returns a cheque unpaid, it is called

(A) payment of the cheque

(B) drawing of the cheque

(C) cancelling of the cheque

(D) dishonor of the cheque

(E) taking of the cheque

6. What type of loan is granted by banks for purchase of white goods?

(A) Consumption loan

(B) Mortgage loan

(C) Consumer durables loan

(D) Home loan

(E) None of these

7. Largest shareholder (in percentage shareholding) of a nationalized bank is

(A) RBI (B) NABARD

(C) LICI (D) Govt. of India

(E) IBA

8. What is money laundering?

(A) Conversion of assets into cash

(B) Conversion of Money which is illegally obtained

(C) Conversion of cash into gold

(D) Conversion of gold into cash

(E) Conversion of gold with foreign currency

9. Which one of the following constitutes the largest percentage of Retail loans in India?

(A) Auto loans (B) Personal loans

(C) Personal overdrafts (D) Consumer loans

(E) Home loans

10. What is the maximum period for which domestic term deposits are normally accepted by banks in our country?

(A) 3 years (B) 5 years

(C) 7 years (D) 10 years

(E) 12 years

Answer :

Q. Ans.

1 A

2 D

3 B

4 E

5 D

6 C

7 D

8 B

9 E

10 D

Sunday Quiz : General Awareness

Dear Readers,

We are providing you current affairs quiz. General Awareness which has immense importance, if you want to score maximum in minimum time. This section plays tremendous role in time management. So keep studying and keep rising.

1. With which among the following countries has India signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)?

(a) Japan (b) Singapore

(c) Malaysia (d) France (e) None of these

2. In India, the commercial banks are required to provide ____ ____ % of their ANBC (Adjusted Net Bank Credit) to priority sector.

(a) 15 (b) 25

(c) 35 (d) 40 (e) None of these

3. What does FSDC stand for?

(a) Financial Security and Development Council

(b) Financial Stability and Development Council

(c) Fiscal Security and Development Council

(d) Fiscal Stability and Development Council

(e) None of these

4. _____has been declared the first 'total banking state' in India, successfully implementing the total financial inclusion thereby ensuring banking facility to all households.

(a) Maharashtra (b) Kerala

(c) Himachal Pradesh (d) Uttarakhand

(e) None of these

5. Since April 1, 2012__________has become the validity of cheques and bank drafts.

(a) 2 months (b) 3 months

(c) 4 months (d) 6 months (e) None of these

6. On what basis is Ad Valorem Tax levied?

(a) Volume (b) Value

(c) Imports (d) Exports (e) None of these

7. RBI is coming up with the concept of_________to protect banks against possible harmful effects arising from the operations of their non-banking financial subsidiaries.

(a) Financial Holding Company

(b) Bank Holding Company

(c) Bureau of Credit Union

(d) Financial Institutions Audit Cell

(e) None of these

8. RBI has introduced "Marginal Standing Facility" with the objective of:

(a) Controlling Inflation

(b) Containing instability in long term inter-bank rates

(c) Containing instability in the overnight inter-bank rates

(d) All of the above

(e) None of these

9. ______are the beneficiaries of the "Reverse Mortgage Scheme".

(a) Government employees (b) Senior citizens

(c) Unemployed persons (d) Persons of BPL category

(e) None of these

10. RBI was nationalized in the year

(a) 1949 (b) 1952

Answer:

Q. Ans.

1 A

2 D

3 B

4 B

5 B

6 B

7 A

8 C

9 B

10 A

-:Mughal Period:-

1. Who is believed to have created the raga Miyan Ki Malhar ?

(a) Tansen

(b) Bajiu Bawara

(c) Amir Khusrau

(d) Swami Haridasa

2. Mughal presence in the Red Fort ceased with the fall of ---

(a) Aurangzeb

(b) Muhammad Shah

(c) Shah Alam

(d) Bahadur Shah 'Zafar'

3. The world famous Thakht -i-taus (the Peacock Throne) was kept in which of the following Mughal buildings?

(a) The Diwan -I - Khas at Fatehpur Sikri

(b) Agra Fort

(c) The Rang Mahal at the Red Fort at Delhi

(d) The Diwan - Am at the Red Fort at Delhi

4. The famous Kohinoor diamond was produced from one of the mines in -

(a) Orissa

(b) Chhotanagpur

(c) Bijapur

(d) Golconda

5. A renowned Jain scholar who was greatly honoured by Akbar was -

(a) Hemchandra

(b) Harivijaya

(c) Vastupala

(d) Bhadrabahu

6. Which one is NOT situated at Fatehpur Sikri?

(a) The Panch Mahal

(b) Moti Masjid

(c) Tomb of Salim Chisti

(d) The Mariam Palace

7. The original name of Tansen, the most famous musician at the court of Akbar was -

(a) Lal Kalawant

(b) Banda Bahadur

(c) Ramtanu Pande

(d) Markandey Pande

8. Where did Babur die ?

(a) Agra

(b) Kabul

(c) Lahore

(d) Delhi

9. Which of the undermentioned facts about Taj Mahal is NOT correct ?

(a) It is a magnificent mausoleum

(b) It was built by Shahjahan

(c) It was situated outside Agra Fort

(d) The names of artisans who built it are engraved on it

10. Between which two rulers was the First Battle of Panipat fought ?

(a) Akbar and Bahlol Lodi

(b) Babur and Ibrahim Lodi

(c) Bairm Khan and Sikandar Lodi

(d) Shahjahan and Daulat Khan Lodi

Answer :

Q. Ans.

1 A

2 D

3 D

4 D

5 B

6 B

7 C

8 A

9 D

10 B

Quiz : Banking Terms

Dear Readers,

We are providing you Banking Terms quiz. Banking Terms which has immense importance, if you want to score maximum in minimum time. This section plays tremendous role in time management. So keep studying and keep rising.

1. Reserve Bank of India was national in :

(a) 1947

(b) 1948

(d) 1951

2. Open market operational of RBI refer to buying and selling of :

(a) Commercial bills

(b) Foreign exchange

(c) Gold

(d) Government bonds

3. The Narasimhan Committee(1991) on financial reforms proposed for establishment of a :

(a) Four tier hierarchy of the Banking structure

(b) Three tier hierarchy of the Banking structure

(c) Two tier hierarchy of the Banking structure

(d) United control by the apex institutions

4. Green Banking means :

(a) Development of forestry by banks

(b) Financing of environmental friendly projects by banks

(c) Financing of irrigation projects by banks

(d) None of above

5. Which one of the following in NOT a quantitative credit control technique?

(a) Bank rate

(b) Cash Reserve Ration (CRR)

(c) Increase of interest rate on saving deposit

(d) Statutory Liquidity ratio (SRR)

6. An instrument of qualitative credit control in India is :

(a) Open market operations

(b) Credit rationing

(c) Change in reserve ratio

(d) Bank rate policy

7. The Bank rate is the rate of interest at which the reserve Bank of India provides loans to the:

(a) Scheduled Commercial Banks

(b) Public Sector

(c) Corporate sector

(d) Foreign Institutional Investors

8. The Monetary Policy of India is announced by the:

(a) Prime minister of India

(b) Governor of the RBI

(c) Union Finance Minister

(d) Union commerce minister

9. Which of the following rates is NOT decided by the Reserve Bank of India?

(a) Bank Rate

(b) Repo Rate

(c) Reverse Repo rate

(d) Income tax Rates

(e) All of these

10. India has different categories of commercial bank which of the following is NOT one such category?

(a) Nationalised Banks

(b) Co-operative Banks

(c) Private Banks

(d) Foreign Banks

(e) Commodity Banks

Answer:

Q. Ans.

1 C

2 D

3 A

4 B

5 D

6 B

7 A

8 B

9 D

10 E

Quiz : General Awareness

Dear Readers,

We are providing you current affairs quiz. General Awareness which has immense importance, if you want to score maximum in minimum time. This section plays tremendous role in time management. So keep studying and keep rising!

1. What is understood by Fiduciary Issue of currency?

(a) The issue of currency notes without keeping gold or silver as deposit

(b) The issue of currency notes keeping gold or silver as deposit

(c) The issue of currency notes with partial gold or silver deposits

(d) The issue of currency notes with comparative gold or silver deposits

(e)None of these

2. ______is the percentage of total deposits of a bank which it has to keep with itself in the form of liquid assets.

(a) Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)

(b) Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)

(c) Statutory Reserve Ratio

(d) Cash Ratio

(e) None of these

3. The exchange rate in India is dependent upon:

1. Government policy

2. Demand-supply forces

3. Monetary policy objectives

(a) Only 2 (b) 2 & 3

(c) 1 & 2 (d) 1, 2 & 3 (e) None of these

4. For paying which among the following will a bank standing order be suitable?

(a) Telephone bills (b) Electricity bills

(c) Grocery bills (d) Mortgage repayments

(e) None of these

5. Often, we read in newspapers that the RBI has changed the Repo rate and the Reverse Repo rate by a few basis points. What is a basis point?

(a) Ten % of one hundredth point

(b) One hundredth of 1%

(c) One tenth of 1%

(d) Ten % of 100

(e)None of these

6. Banks generally don't pay interest on money deposited in which of the following accounts?

(a) Savings account (b) Current account

(c) Fixed deposit account (d) None of these

(e)None of these

7. 'Fiat Money' is defined as the money which is

(a) Accepted internationally

(b) Accepted temporarily in lieu of gold

(c) Issued by keeping gold or silver as deposi

(d) Decreed as money by the government

(e)None of these

8. Demand-pull inflation can be caused by which of the following?

(a) A decline in consumption expenditure

(b) A sharp increase in lending rates

(c) A steep decline in income tax

(d) An increase in direct taxation

(e) None of these

9. For obtaining which among the following does a customer not require a bank account?

(a) A loan (b) A cheque

(c) A banker's draft (d) A credit card

(e)None of these

10. RBI isn't expected to perform the role of

(a) Acting as a clearing house

(b) Working as a banker to the government

(c) Managing forex

(d) Accepting deposits from general public

(e)None of these

All the Best.....

Answer:

Q. Ans.

1. A

2. A

3. A

4. D

5. B

6. B

7. D

8. C

9. C

10. D

Quiz : Banking Terms

1. What are 'Open Market Operations' ?

(a) Activities of SEBI- registered brokers

(b) Selling of currency by the RBI

(c) Selling of gilt-edged securities by the Government

(d) Sale of shares by fIIs

2. Which from the following is NOT true when the interest rate in the economy goes up?

(a) Saving increases

(b) Lending decreases

(c) Cost of production increases

(d) Return on capital increases

3. Rate of interest is determined by :

(a) The rate of return on the capital invested

(b) Central Government

(c) Liquid Preference

(d) Commercial Banks

4. 'Interest ' is the reward for abstinence'. Who says this?

(a) Keynes

(b) Marshal

(c) Malthus

(d) David Ricardo

5. Which bank was earlier called the 'Imperial Bank of India'?

(a) RBI

(b) SBI

(c) UBI

(d) PNB

6. The abbreviation NABARD stands for:

(a) National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development

(b) National Bank for agricultural Refinance and Development

(c) National Board of Agricultural Research and Development

(d) National Academy of Banking on Agricultural Research and Development

7. It is said that 'good banker is one who knows the distinction between Mortgage and a .....'

(a) Hundi

(b) Bill of exchange

(c) Liquid assets

(d) bond

8. India's largest commercial bank is :

(a) Center Bank of India

(b) State Bank of India

(c) Indian Overseas Bank

(d) Bank of India

9. Bank deposits that can be withdrawn without notice are called :

(a) Account payee deposits

(b) Fixed deposits

(c) Variable deposits

(d) Demand deposits

10. Which bank in India performs duties of Central Bank?

(a) Central Bank of India

(b) State Bank of India

(c) Booth 'a' and 'b'

(d) Reserve Bank of India

Answer :

Q. Ans.

1 c

2 d

3 d

4 b

5 b

6 a

7 c

8 b

9 d

10 d

1. Which among the following is the oldest dynasty?

(a) Maurya (b) Glupta

(c) Kushan (d) kanva

2. What do the painting of Ajanta depict?

(a) Ramayana (b) Mahabharata

(c) Jatakas (d) Panchatantra

3. The subject- matter of Ajanta painting pertains to--

(a) Jainsim (b) Buddhism

(c) Vaishnavism (d) Shavism

4. Where did the game of Chess originate?

(a) India (b) Persia

(c) Arabia (d) Europe

5. The caves and rock-cut temples at Ellora are--

(a) Hindu and Buddhist

(b) Buddhist and Jain

(c) Hindu and jain

(d) Hindu, Buddhist and Jain

6. When was the 'Panchtantra' written?

(a) Maurya period (b) Kanishka period

(c) Gupta period (d) Harsha period

7. Which one of the following source of Islam is associated with the teachings of Prophet Mohammad?

(a) Quran (b) Hidaya

(c) Fiqah (d) Sunah

8. Taxila University was situated in--

(a) Pakistan (b) India

(c) Bangladesh (d) Burma

9. Bhagavatism centered around the worship of --

(a) Siva (b) Bhagavati

(c) Skanda (d) Vishnu

10. Which of the following is considered an encyclopedia of India Medicine ?

(a) Charaka Samhita (b) Surya Siddhanta

(c) Brihat samhita (d) Lokayata

Answer :

Q. Ans.

1 a

2 c

3 b

4 a

5 d

6 c

7 a

8 a

9 d

10 a

Quiz : English Rearrange for RRB PO

Directions (Q. 1-5): Rearrange the given six sentences (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) and (F) in a proper sequence so as to form a meaningful paragraph and then answer the given questions.

(A) The study also shows that firms also contribute a significant amount to property taxes, sales taxes, environmental taxes and so on.

(B) In fact, a study by PWC (an accountancy firm), shows that on average companies pay more tax on labour such as employer’s social security contributions, than on profits.

(C) This widely held belief is wrong.

(D) The only tax paid by business is the one levied on their profits.

(E) Accordingly their analysis of data shows that the average global company pays some 43.1 percent of its commercial profits in tax, of which 16.3 percentage points is labour related, 16.1 profit related and 10.7 others.

(F) But while the challenging face of business, this traditional distribution of taxation needs a second look.

1. Which of the following should be the THRID sentence after the rearrangement?

(a) A (b) B

(c) D (d) E

(e) F

2. Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after the rearrangement ?

(a) A (b) B

(c) C (d) D

(e) E

3. Which of the following should be FIFTH sentence after the rearrangement?

(a) A (b) C

(c) D (d) E

(e) F

4. Which of the following should be FIRST sentence after the rearrangement?

(a) A (b) B

(c) C (d) D

(e) E

5. Which of the following should be SIXTH (LAST) sentence after the rearrangement?

(a) S (b) B

(c) C (d) D

(e) F

Answer :

Q. Ans.

1 b

2 a

3 c

4 e

5 e

Quiz : Computer Knowledge

Dear Reader,

Computer Knowledge is highly scoring section in IBPS PO and RRB (Regional Rural Banks) Examinations. All the questions will be from well known concepts such as Computer Terminology, Basic Computer Architecture, Internet, MS-Office, E-Commerce, Computer Network etc. The questions may be theoretical and also require knowledge of facts and application.

1. ....... is the combination of keys to switch between the last four places that you have edifed.

(a) ALT + CTRL +Z

(b) ALT + CTRL +Y

(c) ALT + TAB +Z

(d) ALT + SHIFT +Z

(e) None of these

2. ......... is the keyboard shortcut key to insert auto sum.

(a) ALT

(b) ALT =

(c) ALT +

(d) ALT -

(e) ALT + CTRL

3. Data becomes .......... when it is presented in a formed that people can understand and use.

(a) processed

(b) graphs

(c) information

(d) presentation

(e) None of these

4. The term ........ designates equipment that might be added to a computer system to enhance its functionality.

(a) Digital device

(b) System add-on

(c) Desk pack

(d) Peripheral device

(e) None of these

5. A ...... is a microprocessor based computing device.

(a) Personal computer

(b) Mainframe

(c) Workstation

(d) Server

(e) None of these

6. RAM can be thought of as the ........ for the computer's processor.

(a) Factory

(b) Operating room

(c) Waiting room

(d) Planning room

(e) None of these

7. Which of the following are the functions of a operating system

(a) Allocates resources

(b) Monitors activities

(c) Manages disks and files

(d) All of these

(e) (a) and (b)

8. To move a copy of file from one computer to another over a communication channel is called?

(a) File transfer

(b) File encryption

(c) File modification

(d) File copying

(e) None of these

9. The primary function of the ...... is to set up the hardware and load and start an operating system.

(a) System programs

(b) BIOS

(c) CP

(d) Memory

(e) None of these

10. What kind of memory is both static and non-volatile?

(a) RAM

(b) ROM

(c) BIOS

(d) CACHE

(e) None of these

All the best....

Answer :

Q. Ans

1 a

2 b

3 c

4 d

5 a

6 c

7 d

8 a

9 a

10 b

Quiz : Computer Knowledge

Dear Reader,
Computer Knowledge is highly scoring section in IBPS POs and RRB (Regional Rural Banks) Examinations. All the questions will be from well known concepts such as Computer Terminology, Basic Computer Architecture, Internet, MS-Office, E-Commerce, Computer Network etc. The questions may be theoretical and also require knowledge of facts and application.

1. Data becomes ................ when it is presented in a format that people can understand and use
(1) processed
(2) graphs
(3) information
(4) presentation
(5) None of these

2. The term ............. designates equipment that might be added to a computer system to enhance its functionality.
(1) digital device
(2) system add-on
(3) disk pack
(4) peripheral device
(5) None of these

3. A ............ is a microprocessor - based computing device.
(1) personal computer
(2) mainframe
(3) workstation
(4) server
(5) None of these

4.RAM can be thought of as the ......... for the computer's processor
(1) factory
(2) operating room
(3) waiting room
(4) planning room
(5) None of these

5.Which of the following are the functions of a operating system
(1) Allocates resources
(2) Monitors Activities
(3) Manages disks and files
(4) All of the above
(5) Only 1 and 2

6.To move a copy of file from one computer to another over a communication channel is called ?
(1) File transfer
(2) File encryption
(3) File modification
(4) File copying
(5) None of these

7.The primary function of the ............ is to set up the hardware and load and start an operating system
(1) System Programs
(2) BIOS
(3) CP
(4) Memory
(5) None of these

8.What kind of memory is both static and non - volatile ?
(1) RAM
(2) ROM
(3) BIOS
(4) CACHE
(5) None of these

9........... is computer software designed to operate the computer hardware and to provide platform for running application software
(1) Application software
(2) System software
(3) Software
(4) Operating system
(5) None of these

10.The ......... is the amount of data that a storage device can move from the storage medium to the Computer per second
(1) data migration rate
(2) data digitizing rate
(3) data transfer rate
(4) data access rate
(5) None of these

11.A device, which is not connected to CPU, is called as .......
(1) land-line device
(2) On-line device
(3) Off-line device
(4) Device
(5) None of the above

12.What is the other name for programmed chip?
(1) RAM
(2) ROM
(3) LSIC
(4) PROM
(5) None of these

13.On-line real time systems become popular in ........... generation
(1) First Generation
(2) Second Generation
(3) Third Generation
(4) FOurth Generation
(5) None of thes

14.You use a(n) ....., such as a keyboard or mouse, to input information
(1) output device
(2) input device
(3) storage device
(4) processing device
(5) None of these

15............. is the ability of a device to "jump" directly to the requested data
(1) Sequential access
(2) Random access
(3) Quick access
(4) All of the above
(5) None of these

Anskey

Q. Ans.
1 3
2 4
3 1
4 3
5 4
6 1
7 2
8 2
9 2
10 3
11 3
12 2
13 3
14 2
15 1

Dear Readers,

Today we are posting the part of the General Science Quiz which is on the pattern of the section which is coming in actual examinations like RRB.

So participate in the quiz as this will help you all to score good marks in your examination.

1. The diploid number of chromosomes in human body is ?
(a) 24
(b) 40
(c) 46
(d) 48

2. The largest cell in the human body is
(a) Nerve cell
(b) Muscle cell
(c) Liver cell
(d) Kidney cell

3. Lichens are formed due to the symbiotic association of
(a) moss and fungi
(b) bacteria and fungi
(c) algae and fungi
(d) None of these

4. Insects form the largest class of animals living on land and sea. They are grouped into
(a) 22 orders
(b) 26 orders
(c) 29 orders
(d) 32 orders

5. Which of the following statements is true for planktons?
(a) They live on the surface of lake water.
(b They live on the bottom of lakes.
(c) They live on the plants growing in water.
(d) They live in the water column.

6. Which of the following has the smallest egg?
(a) Ostrich
(b) Humming bird
(c) Pigeon
(d) Homo sapiens

7. The population of which of the following is maximum on the earth?
(a) Reptiles
(b) Fishes
(c) Birds
(d) Beetles

8. Poison glands of snakes are homologous to
(a) stings of rays
(b) salivary glands of vertebrates
(c) electric organs of fishes
(d) sebaccous glands of mammals

9. The phylum chordata is characterised by the presence of
(a) spinal cord
(b) notochord
(c) nerve chord
(d) None of these

10. Which of the following activities is suppressed by the presence of auxins in plants?
(a) Growth of lateral buds
(b) Cell division
(c) Root initiation
(d) Development of fleshy fruits

Q. Ans.

1 C

2 A

3 C

4 C

5 B

6 C

7 D

8 B

9 D

10 C

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