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1 May 2014
International Labour Day Observed Across The World On 1 May 2014
International Labour Day is also known as the International Workers Day and May Day was observed
across the world on 1 May 2014. The annual day, promoted by the international labour movement, is
a celebration of labour and the working classes. Over 80 countries observe national public holiday on
this occasion. Many countries celebrate a Labour Day unrelated to International Workers Day on
other dates significant to the labour movement in that country.

Switzerland and Norway Are Worlds Most Expensive Economies
According to a new ranking by the World Bank, Switzerland and Norway are the worlds most
expensive economies, followed by Bermuda, Australia and Denmark. Economies with the lowest prices
are Egypt, Pakistan, Myanmar, Ethiopia and Laos, according to a review of economic data which
seeks to compensate for exchange rate effects and measure spending power across countries. The
United States, the worlds largest economy, was in relatively affordable 25th place, lower than most
other high-income countries.

2 May 2014
India Successfully Test Fired Akash Missile
India successfully testfired indigenously-developed surface-to-air Akash missile from the Integrated
Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha coast. The Missile has a strike range of 25 km and capability to
carry warhead of 60 kgs. Akash is a medium range surface-to-air anti-aircraft defence system
developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of the Integrated
Guided Missile Development Programme.

Supreme Court Reconstitutes Special Investigation Team On Black Money
The Supreme Court reconstituted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to monitor probe into black
money case. To provide guidance and direction to the SIT in investigation of all cases of black money
in the country and abroad, the Court appointed retired judge MB Shah as its Chairman and retired
Judge Arijit Pasayat as the Vice Chairman.

3 May 2014
World Press Freedom Day Celebrated Across the World
World Press Freedom Day 2014 was celebrated across the world on 3 May 2014. The theme for World
Press Freedom Day 2013 is Media Freedom for a Better Future: Shaping the post-2015 Development
Agenda . This day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993 after
recommendations of General Conference of UNESCO. Ever since then, 3 May is observed as the World
Press Freedom Day on the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek.

India 3rd On List of Green Buildings Countries Outside US
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India has been ranked third on the list of top 10 countries in leadership in energy and environmental
design outside America, according to the latest US Green Building Council report. Canada followed by
China occupy the top two slots in the ranking of the top 10 countries for Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) outside the US. The index list countries outside US for constructing
energy efficient green buildings.

4 May 2014
India Successfully Test-Fired Astra Missile
India has successfully test-fired its first indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) Astra
missile from a Russian-built Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet. On 4 May , the air-to-air missile was fired
from a Sukhoi-30MKI military aircraft at a naval range in western India, and met all its mission
objectives.The missiles have undergone rigorous testing on Su-30 in the captive mode for avionics
integration and seeker evaluation in 2013. The project has thus reached the final stage of testing and
evaluation, and the Mark-II variant with higher range capability is also planned to be tested by the
end of 2014.

Sania Mirza and Cara Black Won Portugal Open Womens Doubles Title
Indias Sania Mirza and her Zimbabwean partner Cara Black won their first WTA title of the season
beating Eva Hrdinova (Czech) and Valeria Solovyeva (Russia) in the womens doubles final of the
Portugal Open in Oeiras (Portugal) on 3 May.


5 May 2014
DBT secretary VijayRaghavan Elected To US National Academy of Sciences
K VijayRaghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology(DBT), has been elected a Foreign Associate
of the US National Academy of Sciences (USNAS). VijayRaghavan is one of 21 foreign associates
elected in 2014. He had joined a select group of Indians which includes the former NCBS Director,
Obaid Siddiqi ; National Research Professor C.N.R. Rao, evolutionary biologists Raghavendra
Gadagkar and Madhav Gadgil, and aerospace engineer Roddam Narasimha.

Slovenia Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek Resigned
Slovenian Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek was resigned from his post on 5 May after losing the
leadership of her party 10 days ago, paving the way for an early election in the small euro zone
member that narrowly avoided an international bailout in 2013.

6 May 2014
Vice President Released The Book A Stamp Is Born
The Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari released a book entitled A Stamp is Born authored by
C. R. Pakrashi, a renowned stamp designer, at a function on 6 May. The author Pakrashi, who is also
a renowned Stamp designer in the book, has described his first-hand experiences with all stages of
production of the stamp right from conception to final execution and printing. The book includes 56
commemorative stamps.

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Minors Over 10 Years Can Operate Bank Accounts
Minors above 10 years of age can open and operate independently savings bank account and use
other facilities like ATM and cheque books. The Reserve Bank on 6 May issued the guidelines allowing
minors to operate bank accounts independently with a view to promote financial inclusion and bring
uniformity in opening of such accounts in banks.

7 May 2014
Two Indian-American Chefs Won US Food Awards
Two Indian-origin chefs have been conferred with the prestigious James Beard Food Awards for 2014,
considered as the Oscars of the US food and beverage industry. Chefs Vikram Sunderam and
Vishwesh Bhatt were awarded the Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic and Best Chef in South
respectively.The James Beard Food Awards, which were presented during a ceremony at the Lincoln
Centre at the James Beard Foundations annual awards ceremony .

Mark Selby Won World Snooker Championship 2014
Englands Mark Selby has won the World Snooker Championship 2014 in Sheffield, England. He
defeated five-time world snooker champion Ronnie OSullivan 18-14 to win the World Championship
for the first time.

8 May 2014
ATM 2014 Honours India with New Frontiers Award
Arabian travel Market (ATM) awarded India with New Frontiers Award 2014 on 8 May. It was awarded
for its outstanding contribution to rebuild physical infrastructure and its rural tourism economy in
the wake of the June 2013 floods, landslides in the northern state of Uttarakhand, the devastation
wreaked by tropical Cyclone Phailin. The award includes crystal trophy, the New Frontiers Award
comprises ATM exhibition space valued at 10000 US dollars along with additional marketing support
in promoting the outstanding tourism opportunities offered by the India.

Pakistan Successfully Test-Fires Ballistic Missile Hatf-III (Ghaznavi)
Pakistan on 8 May successfully test-fired a short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Hatf III
(Ghaznavi), capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads up to a range of 290 kilometres,
that could cover parts of India. The field training exercise was performed with an aim to test the
operational readiness of a Strategic Missile Group besides up gradation of various capabilities of
Weapon Systems.

9 May 2014
Two Indian-American Women Named Champions of Change
Two Indian American women have been named as Champions of Change within the Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community for their efforts to promote President Barack Obamas
controversial Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) legislation. Manjusha P. Kulkarni, director of South
Asian Network (SAN) and Ranjana Paintal, programme manager for the Asian Health Coalition, were
named among the 11 healthcare-related professionals announced by the White House.
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Ramdin Named West Indies Test Captain
Denesh Ramdin has been named as the new captain of the West Indies Test team. The 29-year-old
wicketkeeper replaces all-rounder Darren Sammy, who will remain as Twenty20 skipper. Sammy was
appointed Test captain in 2010 and led the side to series victories over Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and
New Zealand during his spell in charge.

10 May 2014
Caparo Group Won International Business of the Year Award 2014
Caparo Group won International Business of the Year award 2014 at Asian Business Awards
Midlands in Birmingham. Lord Paul the Indian born British Industrialist, is the founder of Caparo
Group and it has more than 1.5 billion euro turnover. This group has a wide range business which is
spread all over the world.

Indian Documentary Silent Screams Won US festival Awards
A documentary film, Silent Screams Indias Fight Against Rape directed by Pria Somiah and written
by Manira A.Pinto won a Gold World Medal for Best Investigative Report as well as two Bronze Gold
Medals each in the Current Affairs and Human Concerns sections respectively. The film is about
politics of rape in India. The documentary was produced by Miditech for Channel NewsAsia.The
documentary tells the story of the brutal Delhi gang-rape of the 23-year-old paramedical student,
Nirbhaya on 16 December 2012.

11 May 2014
Srichand and Gopichand Hinduja Top UK billionaires List
The Hinduja brothers have emerged as the richest persons in the UK, which boasts of 102 billionaires,
including Lord Swraj Paul and four others of Indian-origin. The London-based Srichand and
Gopichand Hinduja, who have a fortune of 11.9 billion pounds up by an astonishing 1.3 billion
pounds in the past year, edged out steel tycoon Lakshmi N Mittal and Russian magnate Alisher
Usmanov, according to the Sunday Times Super-Rich List published on 11 May 2014.

National Technology Day was Observed On 11 May 2014
National Technology Day was Observed On 11 May 2014. The day glorifies the importance of science
in day to day life and motivates students to adopt science as the career option. Every year, `National
Technology Day is celebrated across India on May 11; being commemorated to memorize the
anniversary of Shakti, the Pokhran nuclear test held on 11 May 1998. Several events are organised in
various engineering colleges and technical institutes to mark the occasion. Lectures, competitions,
quizzes, presentations and interactive sessions on different aspects of science are organized all over
the planet. The day is important for scientists, engineers, planners and all others engaged in
governance and nation building.

12 May 2014
International Nurses Day 2014 Observed Across The World
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International Nurses Day 2014 was observed across the world on 12 May . This years theme is
Nurses: A Force for Change A vital resource for health . The day is observed every year on the 12
May on anniversary of birth of Florence Nightingales birth. The day is observed to mark contributions
of nurses towards peoples health. International Nurses Day was initiated by the International Council
of Nurses and was first celebrated in 1965.

Rafael Nadal Won Madrid Open Tennis Title
Spains Rafael Nadal won the Madrid Open Tennis Tournament mens singles title. He defeated Kei
Nishikori of Japan in the final in Madrid, Spain. He became the first player to win four Madrid titles,
adding to his victories in 2005 , 2010 and 2013 .

13 May 2014
Manipur Won Senior National Womens Football Champions Title
Manipur won the 20th Senior National Womens Football Championships title at the Golaghat
Stadium in Assam. To clinch the title, Manipur defeated the defending champions Orissa by 3-1. At
the end of the tournament, Bala Devi of Manipur was adjudged as the player of the tournament. Last
time, Manipur won the Championships in 2010.

Kristin Lund Becomes First Female UN Peacekeeping Force Commander
UN chief Ban Ki-moon named Major General Kristin Lund of Norway to take command of the UN
peacekeeping force in Cyprus. The Norwegian commander will be the first female to command a UN
force. Lund will replace Major General Chao Liu of China on 13 August 2014, who has led the UN
Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) since 2011.

14 May 2014
Indira Talwani Becomes First South Asian Judge In Massachusetts
Indian-American Indira Talwani has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a federal judge in
Massachusetts, making her the first Asian Pacific American federal judge in this State. She is the first
person of Asian descent to serve as a judge in Massachusetts and in the First Circuit, which includes
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and Rhode Island. Talwani is also only the
second female judge of South Asian descent nationwide.

Odisha Signed MoU with TiE Silicon Valley To Attract Investment In IT sector
The Odisha government has signed an agreement with the TiE Silicon Valley as part of its efforts to
develop the state as an IT hub and attract US investment. Under the agreement, Odisha government
would have a professional stationed at the headquarters of Silicon Valley in Santa Clara, California.
The MoU was signed by a senior delegation from Odisha that included Vishal K Dev, the Odisha
Industries Secretary, and G Mathi Vathanan, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Industrial
Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited.

15 May 2014
Six Indo-Americans Felicitated with Ellis Island Medal of Honor
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Six Indian Americans have been felicitated with the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor for the
year 2014. The Ellis Island Medals of Honor by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organization is given
annually to US citizens who have distinguished themselves within their own ethnic groups while
exemplifying the values of the American way of life. Among the recipients of the award are Yash Paul
Soi, considered to be the pioneer in popularizing Bollywood in the US , Silicon Valley entrepreneur
Narpat Bhandari and Massachushets-based entrepreneur and philanthropist Samir Desai. Arun
Kumar Pramanik, Neonatologist and a professor of pediatrics at Louisiana State University Health
Shreveport, Ketki Sharadkumar Shah, clinical director of an outpatient program in New York City
and Abdul M Suleman president and CEO of Equinox Hotels, a hotel development and management
firm, were also felicitated with the prestigious award.

B Pandya Appointed Chairman of Central Water Commission
B Pandya has been appointed as the Chairman of Central Water Commission (CWC) and Ex-officio
Secretary to the Union Government. Pandya was holding additional charge of the post since
November, 2013.

16 May 2014
RBI To Launch Plastic Notes In 2015
The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Raghuram Rajan announced that plastic currency
notes will be launched in 2015 after field trials. It was announced after the Central Board of Directors
of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI ) Meet in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Earlier in February 2013,
Union Government had informed Parliament that it will introduce one billion plastic currency notes in
five cities in later half of 2014 on a pilot basis. The five selected cities for pilot testing are Shimla,
Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, and Bhubaneswar.

Grant Flower Named As Pakistan Batting Coach
Grant Flower, the former Zimbabwe batsman, has been named Pakistans batting coach for two years.
He will be joining at this post on 1st August 2014 before the Pakistan-Sri Lanka series. Grant Flower
is 43 years old and has served as the batting coach of Zimbabwe for over three years from October
2010. In cricketing he had a lengthy career which included 221 ODIs and 67 Tests.

17 May 2014
Pankaj Advani Won CCI Biliards Title
Pankaj Advani won Cricket Club of India (CCI) Classic Billiards and Snooker tournament. He defeated
two-time world runner-up Dhruv Sitwala in the final. Pankaj Advani is a 8-time World Champion. He
won his first world title when he was just 18. He is the only Asian to have ever won both the Billiards
and Snooker World Championships.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Resigned
Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar resigned from his office. He tendered his resignation to the
Governor of Bihar Dnyandeo Yashwantrao Patil after his party Janata Dal United was able to win only
two seats of the 40 in the 16th Lok Sabha elections.

18 May 2014
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Nabam Tuki Sworn In As CM of Arunachal Pradesh
Nabam Tuk was sworn in as the 8th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on 18 May . Nabam Tuki is
the veteran Congress leader from the state and this is his second consecutive term. Congress had won
a clear majority in the Assembly elections by winning 42 of the total 60 seats. BJP won 11 seats and
was followed by Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA) with 5 seats. Remaining seats were shared by
independent candidates. The results for states Assembly elections were announced on 16 May 2014.

Novak Djokovic Won Rome Open Title
Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Rome Open tennis title in Rome, the capital Italy. He defeated
Rafael Nadal of Spain in the Mens singles final. It was his third Italian Open title. Djokovics other
Rome titles came in 2008 and 2011. It was was also Djokovics 19th career Masters title and his 19th
win against Nadal in 41 meetings.
19 May 2014
PMEAC Chairman C Rangarajan Resigned
Dr C Rangarajan, Chairman of the Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC), resigned on
19 May. He sent his resignation to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Since the term of the PMEAC
was parallel to that of the Prime Minister, hence with the resignation of the PM Manmohan Singh on
17 May 2014, the PMEAC also needs to resign. C Rangarajan has been the Chairman of PMEAC since
2005. He is a well known economist and a former Member of Parliament. He has also served at the
Reserve Bank as its governor from 1992-97.

Three Time F-1 Champion Sir Jack Brabham Died
Sir Jack Brabham, the three-time Formula One world champion, has died on 19 May at his home in
Australia. He was 88 years old. He was also known as Black Jack. He won the F-1 titles in 1959, 1960
and 1966. In 1966, he won the F-1 title in his own car named Brabham, which was built by him.

20 May 2014
Jitan Ram Manjhi Sworn In As Bihar CM
Janata Dal (United) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi was sworn in as Bihars Chief Minister by Governor D Y
Patil in Patna on 20 May. A total of 17 ministers also took oath along with the new Chief Minister.
Manjhi was SC/ST welfare minister under former CM Nitish Kumar who resigned owning
responsibility for the poor performance of JD (U) in the parliamentary polls.

Thailands Army Chief Declares Martial Law
Commander-in-Chief of Royal Thai Army, General Prayuth Chan-ocha declared to impose martial law
in Thailand on 20 May. The decision to impose martial law was taken after caretaker government
headed by Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan refused to step down. The Army chief
signed the military statement imposing the martial law in accordance with the 1914 law that allowed
military to intervene during crisis time.

21 May 2014
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Naveen Patnaik Sworn In As Odisha CM for Fourth Time
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik was sworn-in as Chief Minister of Odisha for the
fourth consecutive term in Bhubaneswar on 21 May. Naveen Patnaik won a huge victory in both the
2014 Indian General Elections and the Legislative Assembly of Odisha elections in 2014. Naveen
Patnaiks Biju Janata Dal secured 20 out of the 21 Lok Sabha Seats of Odisha and 117 of the 147
Odisha Vidhan Sabha Seats. Patnaik had become the Chief Minister for the first time on 5 March
2000 when the BJD-BJP alliance came to power when the people ousted the Congress.

Pawan Chamling Sworn In As Sikkim CM for Record Fifth Time
Pawan Chamling was on 21 May sworn in as Sikkim Chief Minister for the record fifth consecutive
time. Governor Shriniwas Patil administered the oath of office to Chamling and 11 ministers at a
function in Raj Bhawan. The Chamling-led Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) had secured a two-thirds
majority in the Assembly elections winning 22 seats out of 32. In power since December 12, 1994,
the 63-year-old Chamling has already completed two uninterrupted decades as the CM of the
erstwhile Himalayan kingdom which had merged with India in 1975. After being sworn in for the fifth
consecutive time, he was on his way to break the late Communist patriarch Jyoti Basus record of
being Indias longest serving Chief Minister. Basu had ruled West Bengal for 23 years from 1977 till
2000.

22 May 2014
Anandiben Patel Sworn In As Gujarats First Woman CM
Anandiben Patel has been sworn in as Gujarats first woman chief minister on 22 May, after Narendra
Modi gave up the post. Patel was elected as the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party by its MLAs on
21 May. She was the Cabinet Minister of Road and Building, Revenue, Urban development and
Urban Housing, Disaster Management and Capital Projects in the Government of Gujarat from 2007
to 2014. Anandiben Patel has been a key leader in the BJP cadre of Gujarat, alongside former Chief
Ministers of Gujarat Keshubhai Patel and Narendra Modi. At present, she is one of the longest serving
women MLA in Gujarat. She started her political journey as a Member of Rajya Sabha in 1994 and
moved to Gujarat during the state elections in 1998.

Three Geo TV channels Suspended For Allegations On ISI
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) suspended three television channels of Geo
TV network. Geo TV network is the countrys largest and most influential. These were suspended for
leveling allegations against the Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) and showing blasphemous morning
show on its entertainment channel. The three channels that have been suspended by the five-member
Pakistani electronic media watchdog are Geo News, Geo Entertainment and Geo Tez.

23 May 2014
Former IB Chief Rajiv Mathur Takes Over As New CIC
Former IB chief Rajiv Mathur took over as the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) in the
Central Information Commission. He was administered the oath of office by President Pranab
Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mathur succeeds Sushma Singh, who demitted office on 21 May,
as the sixth chief of the transparency watchdog. He will have a tenure till August 23, when he attains
65 years of age. According to rules, CIC is appointed either for a maximum of five-year term or till 65
years of age, whichever is earlier. Mathur had in March 2012 joined as Information Commissioner in
the CIC. His predecessor Sushma Singh had joined as CIC on December 13, last year. Deepak
Sandhu, Satyananda Mishra, A N Tiwari and Wajahat Habibullah have also served as CICs.
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Nine Indian Firms In Forbes Most Innovative Growth List
Nine Indian firms have made it into the Forbes list of the Worlds 100 most innovative growth
companies, which has been topped by New Zealand software accounting firm Xero. Among the Indian
companies, Godrej Consumer Products leads the pack and was ranked 31st globally on the list with
an enterprise value of USD 4.25 billion. Other Indian firms on the list include ABB India, Marico,
United Breweries, Siemens India, Asian Paints, Nestle India, Colgate Palmolive India and Divis Labs.
The list has been made on the basis of Innovation Premium, which Forbes described as a measure of
how much investors have bid up the stock price of a company above the value of its existing business
based on expectations of future innovative results (new products, services and markets).

24 May 2014
World Bank Named Hiroshi Naka As New Vice President
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim announced the appointment of Japanese national Hiroshi Naka
as the banks Vice President and Auditor General effective July 2014. He has over 25 years of
experience working with the Japanese Ministry of Finance and multilateral organisations, where he
specialised in issues such as economic sanctions, anti-money laundering and supervision of financial
institutions.

TR Zeliang Sworn In As Nagaland CM
TR Zeliang, leader of Naga Peoples Front ( NPF), was on 24 May sworn in as the Chief Minister of
Nagaland following the resignation of Neiphio Rio, who has been elected to Lok Sabha. The NDF-led
ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland ( DAN-III) government was formed in March 2013. Neiphi
Rio demitted office on 23 May 2014 after being chief minister for over 11 years following his victory in
the recent Lok Sabha polls.

25 May 2014
Japan Won Thomas Cup 2014
Japan won the 2014 edition of badmintons Thomas Cup on 25 May . Japan defeated Malaysia 3-2 in
the finals of the championship played at Delhi. This was Japans maiden Thomas Cup title. Malaysia,
who won the last of their five Thomas Cup titles in 1992, had also lost in the final in 1994, 1998 and
2002. Thomas Cup is the premier title for mens team badminton.

Nico Rosberg Won Monaco F1 Grand Prix
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, of Germany, won the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix title on 25 May .
His teammate Lewis Hamilton (UK) was second and third place in the winning podium was taken by
Australias Daniel Ricciardo for Red Bull team. Force Indias Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) claimed the
fifth place to get 10 points. With this win Rosberg again took the lead over Hamilton in the 2014 F1
season, which has been completely dominated by Mercedes team.

26 May 2014
Narendra Modi Sworn In As Indias 15th Prime Minister
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Narendra Damodardas Modi was sworn-in as the 15th Prime Minister of India on 26 May. Along with
him, 45-member Council of Ministers that includes 23 Ministers with Cabinet rank, 10 Ministers of
State with independent charges and 12 Ministers of State also took oath of their offices. Oath to the
office and secrecy was administered by the President Pranab Mukherjee in the forecourt of
Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Sushma Swaraj Became The First Woman External Affairs Minister of India
Sushma Swaraj became the first woman External Affairs Minister of India on 26 May . She was also
been given the charge of Overseas Indian Affairs. Although, Indira Gandhi held the post of Union
External Affairs Minister prior to Sushma Swaraj, but it was in addition to the post of Prime Minister
which she held in 1967 and 1984.

27 May 2014
Film Winter Sleep Honoured with Palme dOr Award At Cannes Film Festival
The richly ruminative Chekhovian drama Film Winter Sleep was honoured with Palme dOr Award
at the 67th Cannes Film Festival held in Cannes from 16 May to 25 May 2014. The film has been
directed by Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Winter Sleep is the second film by a Turkish director
to win the highest honour of Cannes Film festival. Earlier in 1982, the film The Way directed by
Turkish Directors Yilmaz Guney and Serif Goren won the Plame dOr Award.

Portfolios of the Union Council of Ministers
23 cabinet ministers, 10 Ministers of State (MoS) with independent charge and 12 MoS took oath
along with Narendra Modi. With this Narendra Modis council of ministers presently comprises of 45
ministers.
Narendra Modi : Prime Minister , Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions , Department of Atomic
Energy Department of Space , All important policy issues and all other portfolios not allocated to any
Minister
List of Cabinet Ministers with Portfolios :-
1) Rajnath Singh Home Minster
2) Sushma Swaraj External Affairs & Overseas Indian Affairs
3) Arun Jaitley Finance Corporate Affairs & Defence
4) M. Venkaiah Naidu Urban Development Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation & Parliamentary
Affairs
5) Nitin Jairam Gadkari Road Transport and Highways Shipping
6) D.V. Sadananda Gowda Railways
7) Uma Bharati Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
8) Dr. Najma A. Heptullah Minority Affairs
9) Gopinathrao Munde Rural Development, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water and Sanitation
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10) Ramvilas Paswan Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
11) Kalraj Mishra Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
12) Maneka Gandhi Women and Child Development
13) Ananthkumar Chemicals and Fertilizers
14) Ravi Shankar Prasad Communications and Information Technology & Law and Justice
15) Ashok Gajapathi Raju Civil Aviation
16) Anant Geete Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
17) Harsimrat Kaur Badal Food Processing Industries
18) Narendra Singh Tomar Mines & Steel Labour and Employment
19) Jual Oram Tribal Affairs
20) Radha Mohan Singh Agriculture
21) Thaawar Chand Gehlot Social Justice and Empowerment
22) Smriti Zubin Irani Human Resource Development
23) Dr. Harsh Vardhan Health and Family Welfare
List of Minister of State :-
Nihalchand Chemicals and fertilizers
GM Siddeshwara Civil Aviation
Manoj Sinha Railways
Upendra Kushwaha Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation
Radhakrishnan P Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Kiren Rijiju Home Affairs
Sanjeev Kumar Balyan Agriculture,Food Processing Industries
Krishan Pal Road Transport and Highways, Shipping
Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava Tribal Affairs
Raosaheb Dadarao Danve Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Vishnu Deo Sai Mines, Steel, Labour and Employment
Sudarshan Bhagat Social Justice and Empowerment
Minister of State with Independent Charge: -
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Dharmendra Pradhan Petroleum and Natural Gas
Prakash Javadekar Information and Broadcasting
Piyush Goyal-Power Coal, New and Renewable Energy
Inderjit Singh Rao Planning, Statistics and Programme Implementation, Defence
Nirmala Seetharaman Commerce and Industry , Finance , Corporate Affairs
Dr. Jitendra Singh Science and Technology
General VK Singh Development of North Eastern Region, External Affairs, Overseas Indian Affairs
Santosh Kumar Gangwar Textiles, Parliamentary Affairs, Water Resources, River Development and
Ganga Rejuvenation
Shripad Yesso Naik Culture, Tourism
Sarbananda Sonowal Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Youth Affairs and Sports

28 May 2014
Sachin Tendulkar is Goodwill Ambassador of the 35th National Games
Sachin Tendulkar was selected as the goodwill ambassador of 35th National Games that is scheduled
to be held in Kerala from January-February 2015. The games will be held in seven cities of the
state. Sachin was selected as the ambassador during his meeting with Oommen Chandy, the Chief
Minister of Kerala. Besides, Oommen Chandy also announced the name of the Kochi franchise team
owned by Sachin Tendulkar in the Indian Super League Football Tournament. The team owned by
Sachin will be called Kerala Blasters Football Club.

SBIs Arundhati Bhattacharya, ICICIs Chanda Kochhar Among Forbes Most Powerful Women
State Bank of India Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya and ICICI Bank Managing Director Chanda
Kochhar are among the five women from India featured in Forbes 100 most powerful women in the
world, a list topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Bhattacharya is ranked 36th on the power
list, while Kochhar is 43rd. Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is ranked 92nd on the
list. PepsiCos India-born Chief Indra Nooyi is 13th on the list while Ciscos Chief Technology and
Strategy Officer Padmasree Warrior is ranked 71st on Forbes. Merkel, who retained her numero uno
spot this year, has made the list 10 times out of the past 11 editions and nine times as No.1.

29 May 2014
India Test-Fires Pinaka Rockets Successfully
India on 29 May successfully test-fired the indigenously developed Pinaka from a base at Chandipur-
on-sea near Balasore, off the Odisha coast. Three rounds of Pinaka rockets were successfully tested
from the proof and experimental establishment ( PXE) at Chandipur. Pinaka, which has undergone
several tough tests since 1995, has been inducted into the armed forces and the present trials were
conducted with some improvements in the system. The unguided rocket system is meant to neutralise
large areas with rapid salvos. Pinaka is an area weapon system with a range of 40 km. Pinaka system
can fire a salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds. The battery of six launchers can neutralise at a time a
target area of 3.9 sq km.
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Mukul Rohatgi is the new Attorney General of India
Senior Supreme Court lawyer Mukul Rohatgi has been appointed as the 14th Attorney General (AG) of
India. He will succeed Gulam Vahanvati. He was the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) under the
NDA regime in 1999. He has represented top companies in the 2G Scam trial.

30 May 2014
Two Indian-Americans Jointly Won Scripps National Spelling Bee Championship
Two Indian-American school boys Sriram J Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe jointly won the prestigious
Scripps National Spelling Bee Championship in the U.S. This was for the first time since 1962 that
Scripps National Spelling Bee ended in a tie. This is the seventh consecutive year that Indian-
Americans have retained the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Scripps National Spelling Bee is the most
famous spelling competition for school students of the US.

Former Intelligence Bureau Chief Ajit Doval Appointed as National Security Advisor
Former Intelligence Bureau Chief Ajit Kumar Doval was on 30 May appointed as the National Security
Advisor (NSA) to Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. Ajit Doval is a former chief of the Intelligence
Bureau (IB) during the earlier NDA regime of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Doval replaces Shivshankar
Menon.


31 May 2014
Gariphema First Tobacco Free Village In India
Gariphema village in Nagaland has been declared the countrys first tobacco-free village. The
declaration was made by Principal Secretary R Benchilo Thong on the occasion of World No Tobacco
Day on 31 May at the Gariphema Village Council hall near Kohima.

World No Tobacco Day 2014 was Observed Across The World
World No Tobacco Day 2014 is observed across the world on 31 May 2014. The day is celebrated to
raise awareness of the adverse effects of tobacco use, which currently lead to 5.4 million deaths
worldwide every year. The day was instituted by WHO in 1987. The call for this year No Tobacco Day
is for all the member states to raise taxes on tobacco and implement relevant policies in order to deter
tobacco consumption.