RBI/Banking/Business News

January 29: RBI signs an information sharing agreement with Brazils Central Bank
January 28: RBI Asks Banks to Ease Norms for Individual Borrowers
January 28: DBS Bank launches Tab banking
January 26: SBIs loan agreement with European Investment Bank (UIB)
January 26: Grocery Stores, Mobiles Seen Crucial For Next Banking Revolution
January 25: New direction of RBI for External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) Policy
January 25: HDFC Bank launches 11 toll-free numbers to cater to 32 nations
January 23: RBI Asks Banks to Display Loan Interest Rates on Websites
January 22: CII and Alibaba signed agreement to provide international platform to Indian SMEs
January 22: Reserve Bank of India has allowed travelers from India and Nepal or Bhutan to carry currency
notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000
January 22: Apple Inc acquired British startup firm Semetric Limited
January 21: 11.5 crore bank accounts have been opened under the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana'
financial inclusion scheme,
January 20: State Bank of India (SBI) was ranked 51 in most valuable banks in 2014 with a market
capitalization of 36.40 Billion U.S. dollars....
January 19: Kotak Mahindra Bank on Monday announced the launch of Jifi Saver, a social savings bank
account which can be seamlessly managed via Twitter and Facebook.
January 19: Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has increased its stake in public sector lender Central
Bank of India to 15 per cent.
January 19: ICICI Bank, country's largest private sector lender, now allows its customers to transfer money
via social networking site Twitter
January 16: RBI cuts repo rate by 25 bps after 20 months.
January 13: Zomato acquired US based food portal Urbanspoon
January 12: SEBI planned easier norms for domestic mutual fund managers
January 12: Reserve Bank and the European Central Bank (ECB) have signed a memorandum of
understanding for cooperation in the area of central banking.
January 12: Mahila Bank will have 80 branches pan-India by March
January 8: ICICI Bank launches contactless credit and debit cards
January 6: PNB revises interest rate on FDs by up to 0.5%
January 2: ICICI launches 'digital village' project; adopts Gujarat village

National
January 29: Union Government launched Website, Logo, Vision, Mission of NHIDCL
January 29: Union Cabinet approved MoU on Tourism between India and Oman
January 23: Sukanya Samridhi Yojana will enable parents to open bank accounts of girls who are under 10
years of age.
January 28: Maharashtra government has announced that, September 17 (on Vishwakarma Jayanti) will
be observed as Industries Day in each district.
January 22: The Union Ministry of Urban Development on 21 January 2015 launched the HRIDAY
campaign that seeks to preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country.
January 20: Union Government prohibited imports of all kind of mobile handsets with fake or duplicate
Unique Identity Numbers. The move will help the security agencies to track callers using different SIM
cards.
January 17: Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on 16 January 2015 launched two schemes
Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes and Green Business scheme.
January 17: Union government reconstituted pollution control board working group to simplify
procedures to get consent certificates and categorization of industries.
January 14: Union government reconstituted pollution control board working group to simplify
procedures to get consent certificates and categorization of industries.
January 14: As part of it, 8 Block Offices & 52 Gram Panchayats of the Idukki district were connected on
Optical Fiber and one Gram Panchayat, namely Edamalakudy, was connected through VSAT (Very Small
Aperture Terminal).
January 14: The Union Ministry of Health proposed the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products
(Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and
Distribution) (Amendment) Bill 2015.
January 13: Union Railway minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated Indias first compressed natural gas (CNG)powered train.
January 9: Indian Government on 8 January 2015 decided to provide 69 million rupees to Nepal as
assistance to launch the Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme (IDDCP)
January 8: Union Government launched National Toll Free Helpline to assist the drug dependent persons
January 6: The Union Petroleum Ministry launched the sale of subsidized 5 kg cooking gas cylinders to
benefit Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, students and migrant labourers.
January 5: Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on 5 January 2015 launched a National Programme for
LED-based Home and Street Lighting in New Delhi to reduce energy consumption.
January 2: To replace the 65 year old Planning Commission, the Union Government has set up the
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.
January 2: The President signed 121 constitutional Amendment Bill that approves to set up National
Judicial Appointments Commission.

Indian Economy
January 30: Union Government divested 10 percent stake in Coal India Limited
January 29: CCEA (The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) approved HDFC Banks proposal to raise
foreign holding limit to 74 per cent.

 January 28: RBI inked MoU on Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information with
Banco Central do Brasil (BCB).
January 24: The directions have been issued under sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange
Management Act, 1999. Changes are effected during the tenure of the ECB.
January 22: Shanta Kumar Committee on 21 January 2015 submitted its report on restructuring of Food
Corporation of India (FCI) to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
January 20: In response to Make in India initiative of Prime Minister, ONGC and Pan-IIT signed

MoC to enhance exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons and alternate sources of energy.
January 20: UNESCAP released WESP 2015 report and projected that regional growth will pick up in 201516, as average GDP growth will accelerate from 5.0 percent in 2014 to 5.3 percent in 2015 and 5.7 percent
in 2016.
January 17: CCEA chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 16 January 2015 approved revision in
buffer norms of food grains in the Central Pool.
January 16: The wholesale price index based inflation raised marginally to 0.11 percent in December 2014
from zero percent in November 2014.
January 16: Final guidelines that allow banks to act as insurance brokers were issued by Reserve Bank of
India on 15 January 2015.
January 15: The Joint Venture agreement is aimed at setting up new Ammonia and Urea plants at the
existing site of Ramagundam Fertilizer plant in District Karimnagar in Telangana.
January 15: RBI cut its main lending rate (repo rate) by 0.25 per cent with immediate effect in its sixth BiMonthly Monetary Policy that was announced on 15 January 2015.
January 14: Tech Mahindra on ten Jan 2015 signed definitive agreement to acquire the Swiss firm SOFGEN
Holdings Ltd
January 13: The proposed norms aimed to make it easier for domestic mutual funds to manage offshore
pooled assets.
January 12: Andhra Pradesh governments formed the Fourth State Finance Commission under the
chairmanship of M L Kantha Rao, the Prof. of Economics and Dean S K University.
January 10: Kotak Mahindra Bank secured its shareholders approval for amalgamation with ING Vysya
Bank. It was declared by the Kotak Mahindra Bank on eight January 2015
January 9: Vistara airlines, a joint venture of Tata-SIA, started its flight operation in India on nine Jan 2015.
January 3: RBI amended KYC norms for NBFCs, as they were facing practical difficulties and constraints in
getting KYC documents at frequent intervals.

International/World
January 30: The World Bank has released report scaling the Heights: Social inclusion and sustainable
development on Himachal Pradesh.
January 29: US technology giant Apple, has reported the biggest quarterly profit of 18 billion US dollar.

 January 27: Joint Strategic Vision aimed to promote peace, prosperity and stability in Asia-Pacific and
Indian Ocean region.
January 26: Alexis Tsipras became the first prime minister in Greek history to be sworn in without the
traditional oath on a Bible and blessing of basil and water from the Greek Archbishop.
January 24: Yingluck is the first Prime Minister to be impeached by parliament in Thailands history. The
impeachment was a result of an allegation for failing to stop corruption in rice-pledging scheme.
January 23: Dubais Maze Tower was listed in the Guinness World Record for being the worlds largest
vertical maze. The maze tower was built by Al Rostamani Group of Dubai.
January 20: EU foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini decided to appeal in a meeting with other foreign
ministers from the 28 EU-member states.
January 20: National Small Industries Corporation Limited on 19 January 2015 signed a Memorandum of
Understanding of Cooperation with the Black Business Council of South Africa.
January 20: Haitian President Michel Martelly on 18 January 2015 announced the formation of new
government that will be led by newly elected Prime Minister Evans Paul.
January 19: Parliament of Europe adopted a resolution calling on India to allow the return of two Italian
marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone.
January 17: The measures include better threat information sharing and the creation of a new joint cyber
task force which will have a physical presence in both the countries.
January 17: Japan committed 2620 crore rupees development loan assistance to India for PPP
infrastructure financing project of IIFCL.
January 16: China will launch the construction of at least five new nuclear reactors with a total capacity of
more than 5 Gigawatts.
January 16: Chinese drug regulator China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) on 15 January 2015
approved a new vaccine S-IPV to treat the Poliomyelitis.
January 15: Union Government has identified five areas for rejuvenating the holy city under the KyotoVaranasi partnership deal that was entered between India and Japan in August 2014.
January 14: The Cabinet of Japan headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved its largest ever defence
budget for 2015 on 14 January 2015.
January 14: India China trade deficit increased to 37.8 billion US dollars in 2014 despite the increase in
bilateral trade by 7.9 percent.
January 13: Australia on 12 January 2015 launched Online Visa Pilot Programme to make it easier for
Indian business and tourism visitors to apply online visa for travelling Australia.
January 12: Kolinda belongs to the conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party and is a former
Assistant Secretary General at NATO and former Croatian ambassador to the United States.
January 12: US House of Representatives passed a legislation that approves construction of a
controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline with 266-153 votes.
January 12: US Attorney General Eric Holder announced that an Anti-terror Summit will be held in
Washington. The summit will be held on 18 February 2015.
January 9: Mithripala Sirisena won presidential elections 2015 of Sri Lanka that was announced by the
Election Department.
January 9: Egypt will hold parliamentary elections in two phases that was announced by the Egypt
election commission.
January 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to provide 60 million dollars Line of Credit to Guyana for
its road infrastructure projects and passenger ferry service.

January 8: The airline was lauded for amassing an extraordinary record of firsts in safety history and
operations over its 94-year history.
January 8: China included potatoes as staple diet after rice, wheat and corn
January 8: Pak-India Dosti bus service was restricted up to Wagah Border that was announced by the
Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation.
January 7: Russian President issued decree to enable foreign soldiers to serve in Russian Military
January 5: Israel stopped transfer of about 500 million shekels of taxes for the month of December 2014
that was collected on behalf of the Palestinians to the Palestinian Authority Government.
January 5: China on 4 January 2015 launched website www.weain.mil.cn to guarantee transparency in
arms procurement.

Appointments/Resignation
January 29: Divya Prakash Sinha was appointed as Secretary (Security) in the Union Cabinet Secretariat.
His appointment was approved by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
January 29: Eminent singer, composer, lyricist and actor Shekhar Sen has been appointed as the chairman
of the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA).
January 29: Union Government has appointed Subrahmanyam Jaishankar as the new Secretary of Ministry
of External Affairs (i.e. Foreign Secretary).
January 28: Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh has sworn in as the 26th Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
January 28: Union Government appointed an IPS officer of 1981 batch from Andhra Pradesh K Durga
Prasad as the Special Director General of the CRPF on 27 January 2015.
January 26: Indian sociologist Saraswathy Menon in UNs peace-building panel
January 20: Taranjeet Singh appointed as Head of Sales of Twitter for India operation.
January 17: Nepali Congress leader Deep Kumar Upadhyay was on sixteen January 2015 appointed as
Nepal's ambassador to India.
January 16: Anupam Shrivastava is the new CMD of BSNL
January 13: Alur Seelin Kiran Kumar appointed as Chairman of ISRO
January 10: K K Paul became new Governor of Uttarakhand
January 6: Arvind Panagariya appointed as the Vice-Chairman NITI Aayog
January 4: A.K. Mittal : New Chairman of Railway Board

Awards/Honours
January 30: University of Hyderabad wins visitors award for Best University
January 29: Poet Arundhathi Subramaniam won the inaugural Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for Poetry
for her work When God is a Traveller at Jaipur Literature Festival.
January 27: Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh were on 26 January 2015
posthumously awarded with the highest peacetime military honour the Ashok Chakra by President Pranab
Mukherjee.
January 27: The President of India Pranab Mukherjee approved the conferment of Padma Awards 2015 on
104 persons from the fields of art, social work, public affairs, science, trade, medicine, literature, etc.

 January 27: Paulina Vega of Colombia crowned as Miss Universe 2014. She was crowned by the 2013
pageant winner Venezuelan Gabriela Isler.
January 24: Prime Minister presented National Bravery Awards 2014 to 24 awardees
January 17: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman R.K. Tyagi was on 16 January 2015 conferred
with the JGBS-Top Rankers' Excellence Award for CEO of the year 2014.
January 17: 2015 Screen Awards were announced in Mumbai. Shahid won the Best Actor (male) trophy
for Haider and Priyanka won Best Actor (female) for Mary Kom.
January 15: Eminent Sanskrit scholar Prabhu Nath Dwivedi was on 14 January 2015 named as the winner
of the Sahitya Akademi Award 2014 for Sanskrit language
January 13: The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) Team of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 12
January 2015 won the 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the Science and Engineering category.
January 13: RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan received the Governor of the Year for 2015.
January 12: 72nd Golden Globe Awards were presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in
Beverly Hills, California, US.
January 12: The director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota Range (SHAR) MYS Prasad was
on 10 January 2015 selected for the Vikram Sarabhai memorial award 2015.
January 10: Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari on 9 January 2015 presented the Pravasi
Bharatiya Samman Awards 2015 to sixteen personalities.
January 10: Chinese nuclear physicist Yu Min was on 9 January 2015 presented with the State Preeminent
Science and Technology Award 2014 by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
January 2: Indian-origin Nilesh Jayantilal Samani awarded knighthood as part of Queens New Year
Honours.

Sport News

January 29: India to host ICC Twenty20 World Cup in 2016

January 29: Sean Abbott of Australia named as the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year 2015
January 28: Saina Nehwal won womens single of Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold Badminton Tournament
2015
January 27: Argentine playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme retired from Football
January 20: 4th Gun for Glory (GFG) Shooting Championship :Ayonika Paul and Annu Raj Singh won gold
medal
January 20: ONGC won 10th Savio Cup All India Basketball tournament
January 19: Jimjang Deru created national record in weightlifting in 56-kg category
January 19: Pankaj Advani won National Billiards title for seventh time
January 19: South Africa's AB de Villiers hit fastest century in ODIs
January 18: Petra Kvitova won womens single title of Sydney International tennis tournament
January 17: Mark Knowles and Ellen Hoog were named as the International Hockey Federation (FIH)
Player of the Year 2014 in men and women category, respectively.
January 17: Stephen Constantine appointed as head coach of India's men football team
January 17: Andrey Baryshpolets won the 13th Parsvanth International Grandmasters Chess Tournament
January 17: All India Football Federation (AIFF) appointed Englishman Stephen Constantine was as the
head coach of Indian mens football team.
January 15: Australian cricketer Brett Lee on 14 January 2015 announced his retirement from all forms of
cricket after a 20-year career

January 15: Bhakti set world record by swimming 1.4 miles in 52 minutes in the Antarctic Ocean
January 13: Misbah-ul-Haq will take retirement from ODIs after Cricket World Cup 2015
January 13: Brisbane International tennis title: Roger Federer became winner
January 13: Cristiano Ronaldo won the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or Award
January 12: Australia won 4-match Border-Gavaskar Test series, 2-0
January 8: India to host World Bridge Championships 2015
January 7: Russian Popov Ivan won 7th Chennai International Open Grandmaster Chess title
January 7: Ishpreet Singh Chadha won National Sub-Junior Snooker title 2015
January 7: Indian weightlifters bagged a total of 14 medals including 6 Gold Medals in the 17th Asian
Youth (boys & girls), 22nd Junior Women and 29th Junior Men Asian Weightlifting Championships 2015 at
Doha, Qatar.
January 6: BCCI announced 15-man Indian cricket team for World Cup 2015
January 6: S Shrikrishna won the National Sub-Junior Billiards title 2015
January 5: Andy Murray won ATP World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi
January 5: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on 2nd Jan 2015 declared Boxing India as the governing
body to represent boxing in India
January 7: Binny and Akshar Patel included in Indias squad for the 2015 World Cup
January 3: Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara became fastest to score 12000 Test runs

Eulogies

January 30: Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) founder Subhash Ghisingh has passed away in New
Delhi. He was 78.
January 29 : Kelvin David George Nagle, winner of British Open in 1960 died on 29 January 2015 in Sydney
at the age of 94
January 28: Veteran Malayalam actor Mala Aravindan passed away.
January 28: Justice R.K. Patra probing Odisha chit fund scam died.
January 28: Hockey Olympian Jaswant Singh Rajput passed away.
January 27: Legendary cartoonist R K Laxman to be cremated in pune.
January 24: Ernie Banks, Hall of Famer known as "Mr Cub," died at 83.
January 23: Popular Telugu comedian MS Narayana died.
January 23: Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz died
January 22: Russian tennis player Violetta Degtiareva died of heart failure at 23.
January 22: Russian tennis player Violetta Degtiareva died of heart failure at 23.
January 19: Eminent political scientist Rajni Kothari passed away.
January 13: Odia actor Hara Patnaik died.
January 12: Veteran Telugu filmmaker V B Rajendra Prasad passed away.
January 9: Actor Rod Tyler, the star of "The Birds" and "The Time Machine" died at 84, just days ahead of
his 85th birthday.
January 8: Freedom fighter Perin Chandra died.
January 5: Telugu writer Ganesh Patro died.
January 4: Gujarati actor Upendra Trivedi passed away, PM Modi condoles death.
January 4: Veteran Chinese sports administrator He Zhenliang died.

Miscellaneous
January 29: Union Cabinet reconstituted Empowered Committee on setting up of Semiconductor Wafer
FAB projects
January 24: Goa to host Indo-Russian Musical Festival ZimaFest
January 21: Doctors successfully performed the first organ transplant on a newborn baby in Britain
January 21: Hindi Novel Farishta authored by Kapil Isapuri
January 15: Scientists from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts discovered a new antibiotic
named Teixobactin capable of fighting infections that kill hundreds of thousands of people each year.
January 16: Indian-Americans Jonodev Osceola Chaudhuri and Deven J Parekh nominated to key posts in
US.
January 17: Book on Sonia Gandhi titled The Red Sari written by Javier Moro released in India
January 17: Flash floods in Malawi; hundreds killed.
January 9: All-women contingent of Indian defence to march past for the first time on 2015 Republic Day
parade.
January 9: Commemorative Postage Stamps released to mark 100 Years of Mahatma Gandhis Return to
India.
January 9: The Lunchbox nominated for BAFTA 2015 under Non-English Best Film Category
January 9: PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Dandi Kutir museum
January 9: Kailash Satayarthi dedicated his Nobel Peace Prize to the Nation.
January 9: The Indian Parliament A Critical Appraisal written by Sudha Pai and Avinash Kumar released
January 8: Hike Messenger acquired Zip phone to launch free voice calling
January 7: Prime Minister released commemorative coin to mark 175th birth anniversary of Jamsetji Tata.
January 7: Facebook Inc acquired voice recognition startup company Wit.ai
January 5: Scientists at University of Southampton has planned to grow first life on Mars under project
Lettuce on Mars.
January 3: Bharat Forge acquired France-based Company Mecanique Generale Langroise

Recurring Terms
1. ICG Rajratan: The Inshore Patrol Vehicles
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Rajratan, the fifth ship in the series of eight Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPVs) ordered after the
26/11 attack, was in news in the first week of January 2015.
The ship was deployed in 48-hour search operation at and around the site where the Pakistani terror boat sank
after its crew set it ablaze on 1 January 2015.
However, the ship could neither gather the debris of the fishing boat nor traced any survivors of bodies of the
boats suspected terrorist crew.
The only evidence of the incident that occurred now lies in the footage shot by sailors onboard ICGS Rajratan.
Specifications of ICG Rajratan
The ship has been indigenously built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata.

 The ship is 50-meter long and can achieve a maximum speed of 34 knots
It has an endurance of 1500 nautical miles at an economical speed of 16 knots
It is equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry and advanced communication and navigational equipments.
It provides an ideal platform for undertaking multifarious close-coast missions such as surveillance, interdiction,
search and rescue and medical evacuation.
It is fitted with Integrated Bridge Management System (IMBS), Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS) and
an integrated gun mount with indigenous Fire Control system (FCS).
It is based in Porbandar and is commanded by Commandant (JG) C S Joshi and has a complement of five Officers
and 30 other ranks

2. Charlie Hebdo: a French satirical weekly magazine

Charlie Hebdo: A French satirical weekly magazine featuring cartoons, reports and jokes
Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly magazine, featuring cartoons, reports, polemics, and jokes was in news in
first week of January 2015.
It was in news after masked gunmen on 7 January 2015 attacked its Paris office killing at least 12 people. The killed
ones included five of Charlie Hebdo's cartoonists, including the editor Charbonnier.
The magazine has been under threat since 2006, the year when it published cartoons on Prophet Mohammad
under title Muhammad overwhelmed by fundamentalists (Mahomet dbord par les intgristes). Earlier, it was
firebombed in 2011.
History of Charlie Hebdo
Charlie Hebdo first appeared in 1970 as a successor to the Hara-Kiri magazine, which was banned for mocking
the death of former French President Charles de Gaulle.
Hara-Kiri magazine was launched as a monthly magazine in 1960 by Georges Professeur Choron Bernier and
Franois Cavanna
In February 1969, Hara-Kiri launched its weekly issue named Hara-Kiri Hebdo focusing current affairs. It was later
in May 1969 renamed as LHebdo Hara-Kiri
In 1970, the Hara-Kiri magazine was renamed as Charlie Hebdo deriving its name from a monthly comics
magazine called Charlie which had been started by Bernier and Delfeil de Ton in 1969
In 1981 publication ceased, but the magazine was resurrected in 1992
The magazine's current editor is Grard Biard who took over the role after Charbonnier, who had been editor
since 2009, was killed on 7 January 2015

3. AMCA: Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft

AMCA was in news in the first week of January 2015. It was revealed by the sources from Defence Ministry that the
preliminary design stage of the futuristic fighter aircraft is over and the development work on the project is
expected to start in 2015.
The main purpose of the AMCA is to replace the aging SEPECAT Jaguar & Dassault Mirage 2000.
Features of fifth generation fighter aircraft AMCA
Single seat, twin engine with a diamond-shaped planform and an internal weapons bay
High maneuverability which tends to include short-field capabilities
Advanced avionics
Networked data fusion from sensors and avionics
Multirole capabilities
Complement HAL Tejas, the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA, the Sukhoi Su-30MKI and the Dassault Rafale
AMCA would be powered by K 9 or K 10 Engine with Super cruise capability without after burner.
Genesis of AMCA
The seed for developing the indigenous fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) was sowed in 2008 but its finalised
form was unveiled during Aero India 2013.
The aircraft will be developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in collaboration with Indian Air Force (IAF),
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).
The amount required for the initial design and development phase is 4000 crore rupees and the initial design of
AMCA is expected to be ready by 2018. The first flight of the AMCA though will only be possible by 2025.

Abbreviation
AD - Authorized Dealer
ADB- Asian Development Bank
ADR- American Depository Receipt
AIRCSC- All India Rural Credit Survey Committee
ARIMA - Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average
ASSOCHAM - Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India
ECS - Electronic Clearing Scheme
EDMU - External Debt Management Unit
EEFC - Exchange Earners Foreign Currency

EFR- Exchange Fluctuation Reserve

EXIM Bank- Export Import Bank of India
FCA- Foreign Currency Assets
FCCB - Foreign Currency Convertible Bond
FCNR (B) - Foreign Currency Non-resident (Banks)
FCNRA- Foreign Currency Non-resident Account
FCNRD- Foreign Currency Non-Repatriable Deposit
FDI - Foreign Direct Investment
FEMA- Foreign Exchange Management Act
FICCI- Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
FIMMDA- Fixed Income Money Market and Derivatives Association of India
FISIM- Financial Intermediation Services Indirectly Measured
FLAS- Foreign Liabilities and Assets Survey
UCN- Uniform Code Number
VC- Venture Capital
WGMS- Working Group on Money Supply: Analytics and Methodology of Compilation
WSS - Weekly Statistical Supplement
YTM - Yield to Maturity

Important Days

January: 31 Street Childrens Day

January: 30 (Martyr's day) Mahatma Gandhi's Martyrdom Day; Sarvodaya Day, World Leprosy Eradication
Day -Anti Leprosy Day.
January: 26 Republic Day India , International Customs Day
January: 25 National tourism day/ Voters Day.
January: 24 National Girl Child Day is observed on 24 January 2015 across the nation.
January: 18 National Immunization Day for the year 2015 was observed across India.
January: 15 India on 15 January 2015 observed the 67th Army Day.
January: 12 National Youth Day (Birthday of Vivekananda) observed across India on 12
January: 10 World Hindi Day , World Laughter Day
January: 9 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (English: Non-resident Indian Day), is celebrated in India.

Special feature of the month

1. Padma Awards 2015
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 26 January 2015 approved the conferment of Padma Awards
2015 on 104 persons from the fields of activities including art, social work, public affairs, science, trade,
medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.
The 2015 list of Padma Awardees comprises of 9 Padma Vibhushan, 20 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma
Shri Awardees. Out of these 104 awardees, 17 of the awardees are women.
Major Mukund Varadarajan, Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh posthumously awarded with Ashok Chakra.
The awards will be given in March/April 2015 at a ceremonial function in Rashtrapati Bhavan in New
Delhi.

Padma Vibhushan
S. Name of the
Discipline
No.
Awardee
1 Lal Krishna Advani Public
Affairs
2 Amitabh
Art
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Padma Bhushan

BachchanSingh
Prakash
Badal
Dr.
D Veerendra
Heggade
Mohammad Yusuf
Khan
alias Dilip
Jagadguru
Kumar
Ramanandacharya
Malur
Swami
Ramaswamy
Kottayan K.
Rambhadracharya
Srinivasan
Venugopal
Karim Al Hussaini
Aga Khan
(Foreigner)

State/Domicile
Gujarat
Maharashtra

Public
Punjab
AffairsWork Karnataka
Social
Art

Maharashtra

Others
Science
and
Public
Engineering
Affairs
Trade and
Industry

Uttar Pradesh
Tamil Nadu
Delhi
France/UK

S. No.

Name of the Awardees

Discipline

State/Domicile

Shri Jahnu Barua

Art

Assam

Dr. Vijay Bhatkar

Science and Engineering Maharashtra

Swapan Dasgupta

Literature and Education Delhi

Swami Satyamitranand Giri

Others

Uttar Pradesh

N. Gopalaswami

Civil Service

Tamil Nadu

Dr. Subhash C. Kashyap

Public Affairs

Delhi

Dr. (Pandit) Gokulotsavji Maharaj

Art

Madhya Pradesh

Dr. Ambrish Mithal

Medicine

Delhi

Sudha Ragunathan

Art

Tamil Nadu

10

Harish Salve

Public Affairs

Delhi

11

Dr. Ashok Seth

Medicine

Delhi

12

Rajat Sharma

Literature and Education Delhi

13

Satpal

Sports

Delhi

14

Shivakumara Swami

Others

Karnataka

15

Dr. Kharag Singh Valdiya

Science and Engineering Karnataka

16

Science and Engineering USA

17

Professor Manjul Bhargava

(NRI/PIO)
David Frawley (Vamadeva)

Others

USA

18

(Foreigner)
Bill Gates (Foreigner)

Social Work

USA

19

Melinda Gates (Foreigner)

Social Work

USA

20

Saichiro Misumi (Foreigner)

Others

Japan

Padma Shri
S. No.

Names of the Awardees

Discipline

State/Domicile

Dr. Manjula Anagani

Medicine

Telangana

S. Arunan

Science and Engineering Karnataka

Kanyakumari Avasarala

Art

Dr. Bettina Sharada Baumer

Literature and Education Jammu and Kashmir

Naresh Bedi

Art

Delhi

Ashok Bhagat

Social Work

Jharkhand

Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Art

Maharashtra

Dr. Lakshmi Nandan Bora

Literature and Education Assam

Dr. Gyan Chaturvedi

Literature and Education Madhya Pradesh

10

Professor Yogesh Kumar Chawla

Medicine

Chandigarh

11

Jayakumari Chikkala

Medicine

Delhi

12

Bibek Debroy

Literature and Education Delhi

13

Dr. Sarungbam Bimola Kumari Devi

Medicine

Manipur

14

Dr. Ashok Gulati

Public Affairs

Delhi

15

Dr. Randeep Guleria

Medicine

Delhi

16

Dr. K. P. Haridas

Medicine

Kerala

17

Rahul Jain

Art

Delhi

18

Ravindra Jain

Art

Maharashtra

19

Dr. Sunil Jogi

Literature and Education Delhi

20

Prasoon Joshi

Art

Maharashtra

21

Dr. Prafulla Kar

Art

Odisha

22

Saba Anjum

Sports

Chhattisgarh

23

Ushakiran Khan

Literature and Education Bihar

24

Dr. Rajesh Kotecha

Medicine

Rajasthan

25

Professor Alka Kriplani

Medicine

Delhi

26

Dr. Harsh Kumar

Medicine

Delhi

27

Narayana Purushothama Mallaya

Literature and Education Kerala

Tamil Nadu

28

Lambert Mascarenhas

Literature and Education Goa

29

Dr. Janak Palta McGilligan

Social Work

Madhya Pradesh

30

Veerendra Raj Mehta

Social Work

Delhi

31

Tarak Mehta

Art

Gujarat

32

Neil Herbert Nongkynrih

Art

Meghalaya

33

Chewang Norphel

Others

Jammu and Kashmir

34

T. V. Mohandas Pai

Trade and Industry

Karnataka

35

Dr.Tejas Patel

Medicine

Gujarat

36

Jadav Molai Peyang

Others

Assam

37

Bimla Poddar

Other

Uttar Pradesh

38

Dr. N. Prabhakar

Science and Engineering Delhi

39

Dr. Prahalada

Science and Engineering Maharashtra

40

Dr. Narendra Prasad

Medicine

41

Ram Bahadur Rai

Literature and Education Delhi

42

Mithali Raj

Sports

Telangana

43

P. V. Rajaraman

Civil Service

Tamil Nadu

44

J. S. Rajput

Literature and Education Uttar Pradesh

45

Kota Srinivasa Rao

Art

46

Bimal Roy

Literature and Education West Bengal

47

Shekhar Sen

Art

48

Gunvant Shah

Literature and Education Gujarat

49

Brahmdev Sharma (Bhaiji)

Literature and Education Delhi

50

Manu Sharma

Literature and Education Uttar Pradesh

51

Yog Raj Sharma

Medicine

52

Vasant Shastri

Science and Engineering Karnataka

53

S. K. Shivkumar

Science and Engineering Karnataka

54

P. V. Sindhu

Sports

Telangana

55

Sardara Singh

Sports

Haryana

56

Arunima Sinha

Sports

Uttar Pradesh

57

Mahesh Raj Soni

Art

Rajasthan

58

Dr.Nikhil Tandon

Medicine

Delhi

59

H. Thegtse Rinpoche

Social Work

Arunachal Pradesh

60

Dr.Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi

Medicine

Gujarat

61

Huang Baosheng (Foreigner)

Others

China

62

Science and Engineering France

63

Professor Jacques Blamont

(Foreigner)
Late Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin

64

(Posthumous)
Jean-Claude Carriere (Foreigner)

Literature and Education France

65

Dr. Nandrajan Raj Chetty

(NRI/PIO)
George L. Hart (Foreigner)

Trade and Industry

USA

Others

USA

66

Others

Bihar

Andhra Pradesh
Maharashtra

Delhi

Maharashtra

67

Others

Portugal

68

Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha

Raja(NRI/PIO)
Late Meetha Lal Mehta (Posthumous)

Social Work

Rajasthan

69

Tripti Mukherjee (NRI/PIO)

Art

USA

70

Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori (NRI/PIO)

Medicine

USA

71

Dr. Raghu Rama Pillarisetti (NRI/PIO)

Medicine

USA

72

Dr. Saumitra Rawat (NRI/PIO)

Medicine

UK

73

Annette Schmiedchen (Foreigner)

Literature and Education Germany

74

Late Pran Kumar Sharma (Posthumous) Art

Delhi

75

Late R. Vasudevan (Posthumous)

Tamil Nadu

Civil Service

Padma Awards
Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian Awards of the country that are conferred in three categories
Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year. The Awards are given in various fields of
activities including art, social work, public affairs, science, trade, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil
service, etc.
Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; Padma Bhushan is awarded for
distinguished service of high order and Padma Shri is awarded for distinguished service in any field.

2. About Ashok Chakra

The Ashok Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for bravery, courageous action or self-sacrifice away
from the battlefield. It is the peace time equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra and is awarded for the most
conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent bravery or self-sacrifice other than in the face of the enemy.
The decoration could also be awarded either to military or civilian personnel and may be awarded posthumously.
The medal is circular gold gilt, 1-3/8 inches in diameter. In the centre, the chakra (wheel) of Ashoka, encircled by a
lotus wreath and with an ornate edge. Suspended by a straight bar suspender. The medal is named on the edge.
Ashok Chakra has been awarded to the following:
MAJOR MOHIT SHARMA (POSTHUMOUS)
HAVILDAR RAJESH KUMAR (POSTHUMOUS)
MAJOR D. SREERAM KUMAR
Ashok Chakra Awardee (26th January 2015): Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh, raj Rif / 57 RR (POSTHUMOUS )
Indian Army Winners of Gallantry Awards fifteen August 2014: Maj Mukund Varadarajan
(POSTHUMOUS), 22 Rajput, 44 RR
Ashok Chakra Awardees (26th January 2014): Sub-Inspector K Prasad babu (POSTHUMOUS)
Ashok Chakra Awardees (26th January 2012): Lieutenant Navdeep Singh (POSTHUMOUS)
Ashok Chakra Awardees (26th January 2011): Major Laishram Jyotin Singh

3. NITI (National institution for transforming India) Aayog

The Government of India has replaced planning commission with a new body known as NITI Aayog ( i.e. National
institution for transforming India). A govt Resolution issued on 01-January-2015 gave details of the new body. The
institutional framework of govt. has developed and matured over the years. This has allowed the development of
domain expertise which allows us the chance to increase the specificity of functions given to institutions. Specific
to the planning process, theres a desire to separate as well as energize the distinct process of governance from
the strategy of governance.
In the context of governance structures, the changed requirements of our country, point to the need for
establishing an institution that serves as a think tank of the govt. a directional and policy generator. The
proposed institution must provide governments at the central and state levels with relevant strategic and technical
recommendation across the spectrum of key elements of policy. This includes matters of national and
international import on the economic front, dissemination of best practices from in the country as well as from
other nations, the infusion of new policy ideas and specific issue-based support. The institution has to be able to
respond to the changing and more integrated world that India is part of.
An important evolutionary modification from the past will be replacing a centre-to-state one-way flow of policy by
a genuine and continued partnership with the states. The institution must have the mandatory resources,
knowledge, skills and, ability to act with speed to provide the strategic policy vision for the govt. as well as contend
with contingent issues.
Perhaps most significantly, the institution must adhere to the tenet that whereas incorporating positive influences
from the world, no single model can be transplanted from outside into the Indian scenario. We need to find our
own strategy for growth. The new institution has to zero in on what will work in and for India. It will be a
Bharatiya approach to development.

Objectives of NITI Aayog

The institution to give life to these aspirations is the NITI Aayog (National institution for remodeling India). This is
being proposed after extensive consultation across the spectrum of stakeholders including inter alia state
governments, domain experts and relevant institutions. The NITI Aayog will work towards the following objectives:

To evolve a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and techniques with the active
involvement of States in the light of national objectives. The vision of the NITI Aayog will then provide a
framework national agenda for the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers to provide impetus to.

To foster cooperative federalism through structured support initiatives and mechanisms with the States
on a continuous basis, recognizing that strong States create a powerful nation.

To develop mechanisms to formulate credible plans at the village level and aggregate these progressively
at higher levels of government.

To ensure, on areas that are specifically referred to it, that the interests of national security are
incorporated in economic strategy and policy.

To pay special attention to the sections of our society that will be at risk of not benefitting adequately
from economic progress.

To design strategic and long run policy and programme frameworks and initiatives, and monitor their
progress and their efficacy. The lessons learnt through monitoring and feedback will be used for making
innovative improvements, including necessary mid-course corrections.

To provide recommendation and encourage partnerships between key stakeholders and national and
international like-minded think Tanks, as well as educational and policy research institutions.

To create a knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurial support system through a collaborative

community of national and international experts, practitioners and other partners.

To offer a platform for resolution of inter-sectoral and inter-departmental issues in order to accelerate
the implementation of the development agenda.

To maintain a state-of-the-art Resource Centre, be a repository of research on good governance and best
practices in sustainable and equitable development as well as help their dissemination to stake-holders.

To actively monitor and evaluate the implementation of programmes and initiatives, including the
identification of the needed resources so as to strengthen the probability of success and scope of delivery.

To focus on technology upgradation and capability building for implementation of programmes and
initiatives.

To undertake other activities as may be necessary in order to further the execution of the national
development agenda, and the objectives mentioned above.

The NITI Aayog will comprise the following:

Prime Minister of India as the chairman

Governing Council comprising the Chief Ministers of all the States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories

Regional Councils will be formed to address specific problems and contingencies impacting more than one
state or a region. These will be formed for a specified tenure. The Regional Councils will be convened by
the Prime Minister and will comprise of the Chief Ministers of States and Lt. Governors of Union
Territories within the region. These will be chaired by the chairman of the NITI Aayog or his nominee.

Experts, specialists and practitioners with relevant domain knowledge as special invitees nominated by
the Prime Minister
The full-time organizational framework will comprise of, in addition to the Prime Minister as the
Chairperson:

Vice-Chairperson: To be appointed by the Prime Minister

Members: full-time

Part-time members: maximum of two from leading universities research organizations and other relevant
establishments in an ex-officio capability. Part time members will be on a rotational basis.

Ex Officio members: maximum of four members of the Union Council of Ministers to be nominated by the
Prime Minister.

Chief executive officer : To be appointed by the Prime Minister for a fixed tenure, in the rank of Secretary
to the govt. of India.

Secretariat as deemed necessary.

4. National Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY)

The Union Ministry of Urban Development on 21 January 2015 launched the National Heritage Development and
Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) that seeks to preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country.
Highlights of HRIDAY
HRIDAY seeks to promote an integrated, inclusive and sustainable development of heritage sites, focusing on
maintenance of monuments and on advancement of the entire ecosystem.
In the initial phase of HRIDAY, 12 heritage cities have been identified which will be rejuvenated and developed.
Union Government will provide 500 crore rupees to these 12 cities. These 12 cities are Varanasi (Uttar Prdesh),
Amritsar (Punjab), Warangal (Telangana), Ajmer Ajmer (Rajasthan), Gaya (Bihar), Mathura (Uttar Pradesh,
Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu), Vellankini (Tamil Nadu), Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), Badami (Karnataka), Dwaraka
(Gujarat) and Puri (Orissa).
The scheme will be completely funded by union Government to create infrastructure and provide facilities
around the heritage sites to attract more tourists.

5. Republic Day
US President Barack Obama has become the first American President to be Chief Guest on Republic Day
celebrations.
He is also the first American President to visit India twice (earlier he had visited India in November 2010).
Key highlights of 66th Republic Day celebrations
In this Parade, US President witnessed Indias military might and cultural diversity. This years parade was more
based on cultural diversity rather than showing on military might.
For the parade, Barack Obama arrived in his own vehicle named Cadillac one (The Beast) and not with President
Pranab Mukherjee. Thus, breaking the traditional practice, as the Chief Guest usually comes to the venue with the
President, the Head of the State.
Several States displayed tableaux depicting their local flavor and traditions.
While, some Union government departments displayed tableaux related to government initiatives like
Make in India and save the girl child.
For first time in history, all women contingents of the three services Army, Navy and Air Force marched in
the parade.

 Some of Indias latest military arsenal was displayed in this years parade. However, Nuclear-capable Agni
missiles- a highlight for the past several years was not displayed this year.

6. Sukanya Samridhi Yojana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 January 2015 launched a small deposit scheme Sukanya Samridhi
Yojana for girl child under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign.
The scheme will ensure equitable share to a girl child in resources and savings of a family in which she is
generally discriminated against a male child.
Sukanya Samridhi Yojana will enable parents to open bank accounts of girls who are under 10 years of
age.
About the Sukanya Samridhi Account
Sukanya Samridhi Account will fetch an interest rate of 9.1 percent and provide income tax rebate.
Sukanya Samridhi Account can be opened at any time from the birth of a girl child till she attains the age
of 10 years with a minimum deposit of 1000 rupees.
A maximum of 1.5 lakh rupees can be deposited during the financial year. The account can be opened in
any post office or authorised branches of commercial banks.
The account will remain operative for 21 years from the date of opening of the account or marriage of
the girl child after attaining 18 years of age.
To meet the requirement of higher education expenses, partial withdrawal of 50 percent of the balance
amount will be allowed after the girl child has attended 18 years of age.