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Current GK - Awards & Honours

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Current GK - Business & Corporate

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Current GK Economy & Banking

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Current GK - Committees / Schemes / Policies

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Current GK India and the World

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AWARDS & HONOURS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released commemorative coins to honour Tata Group founder Jamsetji
Nusserwanji Tata. PM released coins in the denomination of 100 and five rupee to mark Jamsetji Tatas 175th birth
anniversary. Thus, Jamsetji will be the first industrialist in India to be felicitated by the government in such a
manner. So far government has minted coins in honour of artists, freedom fighters, scientists, institutions and
organisations.
French economist Thomas Piketty, who rose to international fame after the publication of his book, Capital in the
Twenty-First Century, in 2013, turned down Legion D'Honneur -- Frances highest distinction. Piketty, along
with economist Jean Tirole and writer Patrick Modiano, had been named in a list published by the French
government. Piketty, who has been a fierce critic of the Francois Hollande-led government, reportedly stated that
it wasnt the governments job to decide who is honorable.
The Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari presented the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Awards - 2015 to 15
distinguished persons at the Valedictory Session of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas at Gandhinagar. The list of
prominent recipients is:-

Satyanarayan Nadella- CEO of tech giant Microsoft.

Donald Rabindernauth Ramaotar- President of Guyana and awarded for his work for the Indian
diaspora in Guyana.

Mala Mehta- For her contribution to Hindi language. She is founder of Indo- Australian Bal Bharatiya
Vidyalaya in Thornleigh suburb in Sydney. Since its establishment, she has been pursuing the growth
of Hindi in Australia.

Shah Bharatkumar Jayantilal

Ashraf Palarkunnummal

ISRO's Mars Mission team has won the prestigious 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the science and engineering
category in recognition of achieving the rare feat in its very first attempt. The prestigious award given by the
National Space Society would be presented to the ISRO's Mars Orbiter Programme Team during the National Space
Society's 2015 International Space Development Conference to be held in Toronto from May 20-24. The mission
was launched on November 5, 2013 and went into Mars orbit on September 24, 2014. The Mars Orbiter
programme team located in Bangalore is headed by Dr Mylswamy Annadurai.
Indian American writer Jhumpa Lahiri won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature that was announced at the
Jaipur Literature Festival. Ms. Lahiri, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, received the prestigious $50,000 award for
her book The Lowland, set in both New England and the eastern state of West Bengal during the late 1960s
when the Naxalite movement, a separatist uprising, began.The Lowland was long listed for the Man Booker Prize
for fiction in 2013 but did not win. Her book Interpreter of Maladies won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2000.
Miss Colombia Paulina Vega was crowned Miss Universe. Miss USA Nia Sanchez from Las Vegas was named a
runner-up, along with Miss Ukraine Diana Harkusha. Vega, the 21-year-old granddaughter of celebrated Colombian
singer Gastn Vega, is a student of business from the northern Colombia city of Barranquilla.

2
Padma Awards - one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely,
Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of
activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and
education, sports, civil service, etc. Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service;
Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field. The
awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year. This year the President of India approved
conferment of Padma Awards to 104 persons as per the list below. The list comprises of 9 Padma Vibhushan, 20
Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri Awardees. 17 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 17
persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and 4 Posthumous awardees.

Padma Vibhushan
S. No.

Name of the Awardee

Discipline

State/Domicile

1.

Shri L. K. Advani

Public Affairs

Gujarat

2.

Shri Amitabh Bachchan

Art

Maharashtra

3.

Shri Prakash Singh Badal

Public Affairs

Punjab

4.

Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade

Social Work

Karnataka

5.

Shri Mohammad Yusuf Khan alias Dilip Kumar

Art

Maharashtra

6.

Shri Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami

Others

Uttar Pradesh

Rambhadracharya
7.

Prof. Malur Ramaswamy Srinivasan

Science and Engineering

Tamil Nadu

8.

Shri Kottayan K. Venugopal

Public Affairs

Delhi

9.

Shri Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan (Foreigner)

Trade and Industry

France/UK

The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. Newcomer British
artist Sam Smith won four awards, including Best New Artist, and Record and Song of the Year for "Stay with Me"
from the album In the Lonely Hour, which won for Best Vocal Album. Beck's album Morning Phase was named
Album of the Year. Both Pharrell Williams and Beyonc took three honors; with her wins, Beyonc became the
second-most-honored female musician in Grammy history following Alison Krauss. Lifetime Achievement awards
were given to the Bee Gees, George Harrison, Pierre Boulez, Buddy Guy, and Flaco Jimenez. In all, 83 Grammy
Awards were presented, one more than in 2014. This year two Indians won Grammy Awards. They are - (i) Ricky
Kej- His collaborated album Winds of Samsara won the Best New Age Album Trophy. (ii) Neela Vaswani- She won
award in Childrens Album category for her album I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education and Changed
the World (Malala Yousafzai).
The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was
held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The Academy Awards (commonly referred as Oscars) were
presented in twenty four categories. The prominent ones are;
Best Picture- Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).
Best Actor- Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything).
Best Actress- Julianne Moore (Still Alice).
Best Supporting Actor- J. K. Simmons(Whiplash).
Best Supporting Actress- Patricia Arquette (Boyhood).
Best Director- Alejandro G. Irritu for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).
Best Original Screenplay- Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).

3
Best Adapted Screenplay- The Imitation Game.
Best Original Song- Glory (Selma).
Best Original Score- The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Best Animated Feature Film- Big Hero 6
Delhi Airport was adjudged the best among the world's most performing airports in the 25-40 million passengers
per annum category by the Airport Council International (ACI), with Mumbai Airport also figuring in the top five
list. Indira Gandhi International Airport won the annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award, which recognizes
and rewards the best airports in the world based on Geneva-based ACI's ASQ passenger satisfaction survey. Both
Delhi's IGI and Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International (CSI) airports are operated under a joint venture
between Airports Authority of India (AAI) and private firms. IGI is run by Delhi International Airport Limited
(DIAL), a joint venture between the AAI and GMR Group-led consortium, while the CSI is run by Mumbai
International Airport Limited (MIAL), a joint venture between the AAI and GVK group-led consortium.
A retired judge of either Supreme Court or High Court will now head the Selection Committee for Arjuna Awards
as the government has revised the schemes of various awards it present to sports persons. From now onwards, a
sportsperson of eminence or a sports administrator or sports expert belonging to para sports will also be a
member of Arjuna Awards selection committee. As per the amendments brought in by the government, not more
than one sportsperson of eminence or coach from a particular sporting discipline shall be a member of the
Selection Committee. The step has been taken to avoid any bias in favour of a particular discipline.
Kerala Tourism bagged a silver prize in the worlds leading travel and trade event, Golden Gate awards at the
Internationale Tourismus-Brse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2015 for The great Backwaters Campaign. The Das Golden
Stadttor (Golden Gate) awards recognised Kerala tourism as the silver prize winner in the multimedia campaign
category. The Golden Gate award is considered the most prestigious award in tourism communication and is being
presented in the ITB-Berlin for the last 14 years. The campaign had also won the Golden Gate Gold Prize in print
category in ITB -Berlin, the last year. This year its extensive aerial coverage of the backwaters as a single
destination was highly acclaimed. The campaign was conceptualised by Kerala Tourisms creative and marketing
agency Stark Communications.
The outgoing Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba won the world's most valuable individual award, the Mo
Ibrahim prize for African leadership. The $5m (3.2m) award is given each year to an elected leader who
governed well, raised living standards and then left office. Mr. Pohamba, a former rebel who fought for his
country's independence, has served two terms as Namibian president. He was first elected in 2004, and again in
2009.
Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader M. Veerappa Moily has been selected for the prestigious
Saraswati Samman for 2014 for his Kannada work. Divided into five volumes, the poem Ramayana
Mahanveshanam was first published in 2007 in Kannada and has been translated into English, Hindi, Telugu and
Tamil. Instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation in 1991, the award is given annually for outstanding literary work in
any Indian language. The award carries a purse of Rs. 10 lakh, citation and a plaque. In the poem, Moily tried to
explore the Ramarajya or the true principle of the ideal State from a secular and modern point of view.
President of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, awarded Stree Shakti Puraskar 2014 to six illustrious women on
International Womens Day for their distinguished services for the upliftment of women. The award was given in

4
six categories named after eminent women personalities in the Indian history. Awardees of Stree Shakti Puraskar
2014 are:Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award: Sister Mariola (Rajasthan).
Rani Lakshmibai Award: Seema Prakash (Madhya Pradesh).
Rani Rudramma Devi Award: Astha Sansthan- NGO (Rajasthan).
Mata Jijabai Award: Chandraprabha Bokey (Maharashtra).
Kannagi Award: P. Bhanumati (Kerala).
Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Award: Anay Rahit Zindagi- NGO (Goa).
Freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya was posthumously awarded India's highest civilian award Bharat
Ratna. A multifaceted personality, Madan Mohan Malviya was an educationist who founded the Banaras Hindu
University and became one of the torchbearers of the freedom struggle acting as a bridge between the Moderates
and the Extremists. Known for his espousal of Hindu nationalism-being one of the initial leaders of the far-right
Hindu Mahasabha, Malaviya was a social reformer and a successful Parliamentarian.
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was conferred with India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna
by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee. Vajpayee is the seventh prime minister to receive the award after
Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Gulzarilal Nanda.
Multidisciplinary artist Bharti Kher was conferred with Frances highest cultural award, Chevalier dans lOrdre
des Arts et des Lettresalso known as the Knight of the Order of Arts and Lettersfor her contributions to the
landscape of contemporary art. Celebrated for her large-scale sculptures, photography and painting, Khers
artwork addresses issues of gender roles, Indian traditions and the widening gap between nature and technology
in contemporary society. Established in 1957, the Chevalier dans lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres is given out three
times a year to figures who have made significant contributions to society in the fields of art, culture and
literature.
Veteran actor and film producer Shashi Kapoor has been named for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award
2014. The veteran actor-producer, 77, is the 46th winner of the honour, conferred by the government for
outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. A popular name in Bollywood during
the 1960s, 1970s and until the mid-1980s, Shashi was one of Indias first actors to go international. He is known
internationally for starring in many British and American films, notably Merchant Ivory Productions run by Ismail
Merchant and James Ivory, such as The Householder (1963), Shakespeare Wallah (1965), Bombay Talkie
(1970) and Heat and Dust(1982). He also starred in other British and American films such as Siddhartha
(1972) and Muhafiz (1994). In 1978, Shashi set up his production house Film Valas, which produced critically
acclaimed films such as Junoon (1978), Kalyug (1981), 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981), Vijeta (1982) and
Utsav (1984).
Aditi Arya from New Delhi won the Femina Miss India 2015 crown at the 52nd edition of the beauty pageant.
The runners up were Aafreen Rachel Vaz (1st runner-up) from Mangaluru, Karnataka and Vartika Singh (2nd
runner-up) from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
India's space agency -- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) -- has been selected for the Gandhi Peace
Prize for the year 2014.The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted in 1995. It is given to individual or organisation
for making social, economic and political transformation through non-violence means.

5
Renowned water conservationist and environment activist Rajendra Singh was conferred with 2015 Stockholm
Water Prize. He was awarded this prize for his innovative water restoration efforts and consistent attempts to
improve the water security in villages in India.
Renowned ecologist Madhav Gadgil has been chosen for the prestigious 2015 Tyler Prize for Environmental
Achievement. The prize, instituted in 1973, is awarded by the international Tyler Prize Executive Committee with
the administrative support of the University of Southern California. Prof. Gadgil, who was Chairman of the Western
Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), will share the $200,000 cash prize with noted American marine ecologist Dr.
Jane Lubchenco for their work in changing policy and specifically for their leadership and engagement in the
development of conservation and sustainability policies in the United States, India and internationally.
Bangladesh won the prestigious Women in Parliaments (WIP) Award for regional leadership in the South and
Southeast Asia category for closing the gender gap in politics.

Bangladesh is only country in the world where the

Prime Minister, Parliament speaker, Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Leader of the house, and a major opposition
leader are all women. In the World Economic Forum report it has been placed among the top 10 countries in the
world in reducing gender gap.
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) bagged the prestigious Golden Peacock National Quality Award for
the year 2015. Golden Peacock Awards were founded by the Institute of Directors, India in 1991 and are globally
regarded as a benchmark of corporate excellence. The National Quality Award Scheme was instituted to encourage
total quality improvements in both manufacturing and service organizations in India.
President of India presented National Geoscience Awards (NGA)-2013. Dr. Indra Bir Singh, a professor of
Lucknow University, was conferred with the highest honour National Geoscience Award for Excellence for his
outstanding contributions in the field of sedimentary technologies. Along with him, 22 other geoscientists were
being given the awards in ten disciplines including Mining Technology, Basic Geosciences, Geo-Information
System, etc. The annual awards are presented to honour individuals and team of scientists for their outstanding
contributions in the field of fundamental or applied Geosciences, Mining and Allied areas.
United States (US) President Barack Obama is going to honour Microsofts Indian-origin CEO Satya Nadella with
the Champions of Change award. He will be honoured with this award for bringing change within his company
to support working families.
Srinagar-born novelist Siddhartha Gigoo won the 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Asiaregion for
"Umbrella Man", a tale of surreal meditation on mental health and the environment. Gigoo won 2500 pounds and
will now compete with the other four regional winners for the 5000 pounds grand prize, to be announced in
London on September 8. Born in Srinagar in 1974, Gigoo's first novel "The Garden of Solitude" was first published
in 2011. He has also written two poetry books, "Fall and Other Poems" (1994) and "Reflections" (1995). Gigoo,
whose writings have appeared in various literary journals has also produced and directed a short film "The Last
Day." His latest film is titled "Goodbye, Mayfly".
Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor was conferred with the prestigious Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award2015.
Master Dinanath Mangeshkar was instituted in 1999 in memory of Dinanath Mangeshkar, father of Lata
Mangeshkar. Since then it is awarded annually to persons for their outstanding contributions to music and movies.

6
The French Government appointed former Finance Minister and BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, Officier dela Lgion
dHonneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour), the highest French civilian distinction, in recognition of his
international action as Union Minister of Finance (1998-2002), then External Affairs (2002-2004), and his
invaluable contribution to thought on international issues.
The 2015 Pulitzer Prizes were awarded by the Pulitzer Prize Board for work during the 2014 calendar
year. The Pulitzer

Prize is

an

award

for

achievements

in newspaper and online

journalism,

literature,

and musical composition in the United States. It was established in 1917. Prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one
categories.

List of 2015 Pulitzer Prize Winners

Books, Drama and Music

Fiction- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

Drama Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis

History Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People by Elizabeth A. Fenn.

Biography The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe by
David I. Kertzer.

Poetry Digest by Gregory Pardlo. General Nonfiction- The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by
Elizabeth Kolbert.

Music Anthracite Fields by Julia Wolfe.

Journalism

Public Service- The Post and Courier, Charleston.

Breaking News Reporting- The Seattle Times Staff.

Investigative Reporting- Eric Lipton of New York Times and Wall Street Journal Staff.

Explanatory Reporting- Zachary R. Mider of Bloomberg News.

Local Reporting- Rob Kuznia, Rebecca Kimitch and Frank Suraci of the Daily Breeze.

National Reporting Carol D. Leonnig of Washington Post.

International Reporting New York Times Staff.

Feature Writing Diana Marcum of the Los Angeles Times.

Commentary- Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle.

Criticism Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times.

Editorial Writing Kathleen Kingsbury of Boston Globe. Editorial Cartooning Adam Zyglis of Buffalo
News.

Breaking News Photography St. Louis Post-Dispatch Photography Staff.

Feature Photography Daniel Berehulak, freelance photographer of New York Times.

Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd won The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015 for Technology Implementation in
the category of Best Outsourcing Project (New Bank). The award was received by Usha Ananthasubramanian,
Chairman and Managing Director, Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd.

7
An Indian-American professor of chemistry from Tamil Nadu won the University of North Carolina (UNC) Board of
Governors 2015 Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Sivanadane (Siva) Mandjiny was one of the 17 winners
of the annual awards that serve to underscore the importance of teaching. It also carries a commemorative bronze
medallion and a $12,500 cash prize.
Veteran actor and film producer Shashi Kapoor was conferred with prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2014.
He is the 46th film personality to receive this honour and third member of his illustrious family after father
Prithviraj Kapoor and elder brother Raj Kapoor.
Man Booker-shortlisted author Neel Mukherjee was adjudged the winner of the 2014 Encore award worth 10,000
pounds for his book, 'The Lives of Others', which is set in Kolkata of the 1960s when Naxalite violence was at its
peak. London-based Mukherjee beat other short-listed second novels by authors including Will Wiles, Deborah Kay
Davies and Amanda Coe to win the award founded by Lucy Astor in 1990 to celebrate second novels.
Neel Mukherjee's first novel, 'A Life Apart', was published in 2010. 'The Lives of Others' was shortlisted for the
2014 Man Booker Prize and the Costa Novel Award.
The winner of the 2015 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was Syrian journalist and
human rights activist, Mazen Darwish, currently imprisoned. The Prize was awarded during the celebration of
World Press Freedom Day, 3 May.
West Bengal's Nadia district was declared the winner for the '2015 United Nations Public Service Award' in
the category of improving delivery of public services.
In a huge boost to Indian cinema, debutant director Neeraj Ghaywans Masaan won the prestigious critics prize in
the Un Certain Regard category, which runs parallel to the competition for the main prize, Palme dOr, at the
68thCannes Film Festival.Masaan, a joint production of Manish Mundra, Macassar Productions, Arte France
Cinema, Sikhya Entertainment & Phantom Films, stars newcomers like Vicky Kaushal and Shweta Tripathi. It
received a five-minute standing ovation at the festival where it premiered on May 20
Two Indian peacekeepers were among the 126 military, police and civilian personnel who were posthumously
awarded a prestigious UN medal for their courage and sacrifice while serving in the world body's peacekeeping
operations last year. Lance Naik Nand Ram, who served with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and Raju Joseph, who had served in a civilian capacity with the UN
Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), were awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal on the International Day of
United Nations Peacekeepers observed annually on May 29.
The 2015 Man International Booker prizewas awarded to the Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai .The 61year old writer was among a shortlist of 10 writers that included India-born Amitav Ghosh.The literary prize, worth
60,000 is awarded to a living author of any nationality who has published fiction either in English or in English
translation. Unlike the annual Man Booker Prize for Fiction, the Man Booker International Prize, which is awarded
once in two years, is in recognition of a writers body of work and overall contribution to fiction rather than to a
single novel.
The Sahitya Akademi announced the Bal Sahitya Puraskar for this year, in which five novelists, four writers of
short stories, and three authors of poetries, among others, were awarded for their contribution to childrens
literature. Instituted by the Sahitya Akademi, the award comprises Rs 50,000 and a casket containing an inscribed

8
copper plaque and a citation. Tiren Boro (Bodo), Sowmya Rajendran and Nivditha Subramaniam (English),
Ramnath G Gawade (Konkani), Ramdeo Jha (Maithili) and Mukti Upadhyay Baral (Nepali) were awarded for their
novels. Those who were awarded for their short stories were Nayeem Kashmiri (Kashmiri), Thokchom Thouyangba
Meitei (Manipuri), Krishna Kumar Ashu (Rajasthani) and Janardhan Hegde (Sanskrit). Tara Chand Kalandri
(Dogri), Srikanta Saren (Santali) and Sella Ganapathi (Tamil) were awarded for their poetry collections. Bano
Sartaj (Urdu) was honoured for her book on a one act play. Eli Ahmed (Assamese) and Kartik Ghose (Bengali),
among others, were honoured with the Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2015 for their contribution to Childrens Literature.
Historian-author Ramachandra Guha was selected for Japans prestigious Fukuoka Prize in the Academic
category. Guhas fellow winners were Thant Myint-U (Grand Prize) and Minh Hanh (Arts and Culture). Fukuoka
Prize honours those who have made outstanding contributions to academia, arts and culture across Asia.
Eminent scientist and recipient of Bharat Ratna CNR Rao was conferred the 'Order of the Rising Sun, Gold
andSilverStar', Japan's highest civilian award, for promoting academic interchange and mutual understanding in
science and technology between the two countries.
G.D. Birla Award for Sanjeev Galande
Professor Sanjeev Galande of IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research), Pune has been chosen
by the K.K. Birla Foundation for the prestigious G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research in 2014. The Awards is
given annually to recognize research by Indian scientists aged below 50 years and living and working in India. It
carries a cash prize of Rs. 2.5 lakhs.
Budhha in a Traffic Jam wins at Madrid Film Festival
Buddha in a Traffic Jam is an unreleased Bollywood film directed by Vivek Agnihotri and stars Anupam Kher,
Pallavi Joshi, Arunoday Singh, Vivek Vaswani, Aanchal Dwivedi and Mahi Gill.
Sayed Haider Raza conferred the highest French civilian honour
Modern Indian artist Sayed Haider Raza was conferred with the highest French civilian honour, the Commandeur
de la Legion d Honneur (the Legion of Honour).
Kerala Tourism's Muziris Heritage Project bags PATA Award
Kerala Tourism's Muziris Heritage Project (MHP) bagged the 2015 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) award in
the Heritage & Culture category. Muziris heritage project was awarded for its conservational aspect, uniqueness,
and impact on local community.
Honor for Peter Higgs
Nobel Prize winner Dr. Peter Higgs was awarded the worlds oldest scientific prize, Copley Medal by the Royal
Society of London. He was awarded the medal for his contribution to particle physics and his pioneering work on
the theory of the Higgs boson or God Particle that explains the origin of mass in elementary particles. The
presence of Higgs boson was confirmed by the experiments at Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012.
Pagdi: The Honor made tax free in Haryana
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that the film Pagdi: The Honour will be tax-free. He also
announced a discretionary grant of 10 lakh for the film.

9
Pagdi: The Honour is the first Haryanvi film to win two national awards. It bagged the title of best Haryanavi film
and its actress Baljinder Kaur won best supporting actor (female) awardat the 62nd National Film Awards.
First-ever Nelson Mandela Prize winners announced
Helena Ndume of Namibia and Jorge Sampaio of Portugal were awarded the first-ever Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
Prize, to be given by the United Nations (UN). Ndume, an ophthalmologist, was awarded for treating blindness and
eye-related illnesses in Namibia and the other developing countries. Sampaio is a former president of Portugal. He
was awarded for his contribution to his countrys struggle for the restoration of democracy.
Honour for Tamil film
Tamil thriller 'Visaaranai' will have its world premiere in the competition section of the upcoming 72nd Venice
International Film Festival. Visaaranai will be the first Tamil film to premiere at the Venice International Film
Festival.
TN institutes Youth Award to honor Kalam
The state government of Tamil Nadu instituted a youth award in the name of former President Dr APJ Abdul
Kalam. The annual Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Award will consist 8 gram gold, 5 laks rupees in cash and a citation. The
award would be given from 2015 onwards on Independence Day (15 August) to a person from the state who
works with exceptional merit in science, humanities and students welfare.
Kochi is the first Indian city to be a member WTCF Council
Kochi became the first Indian city to be a member of Beijing headquartered World Tourism Cities Federation
(WTCF) Council and join its league of leading tourism cities across the world. The WTCF, headquartered at Beijing,
is a non-profit, non-governmental international organization voluntarily formed by tourist cities like Los Angeles,
Berlin, Barcelona and others.
Raghavendra Gadagkar
Indian sociobiologist Raghavendra Gadagkar was awarded with Germany's highest civilian honour Cross of Order
of the Merit at the German Consulate in Bengaluru. He was awarded for his contribution in the field of behavioural
ecology and sociobiology and for strengthening research corporation between India and Germany.
PAHAL enters Guinness Book of World Record
Union Governments ambitious Pratyaksha Hastaantarit Laabh (PAHAL) scheme was acknowledged as the worlds
largest cash transfer program (households) by the Guinness Book of World Records. The scheme was formally
launched as Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme for LPG subsidy in 2013 in 291 districts under the aegis of Union
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Rajendra Singh conferred the 2015 Stockholm Water Prize
The Waterman of India Rajendra Singh was conferred with the 2015 Stockholm Water Prize. Singh was named for
the prestigious award for his innovative water restoration efforts, improving water security in rural India, and for
showing extraordinary courage and determination in his quest to improve the living conditions for those most in
need.

10
Union Government announced awardees for Rajiv Gandhi KhelRatna 2015 and Arjuna Awards 2015
The Union Government announced the awardees for the Rajiv Gandhi KhelRatnaaward and Arjuna Award for the
year 2015. SaniaMirza will be conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi KhelRatna Award and 17 other prominent sport
personalities will receive the Arjuna Awards.
Indian-American Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri was selected for the prestigious 2014 National Humanities
Medal. The first National Humanities Medal was awarded in 1996. Since then, there have been 175 recipients,
163 individuals and 12 organisations, including this year's. Jhumpa is an Indian-American author who was born as
Nilanjana Sudeshna but goes by her nickname (or in Bengali her "Daak naam") Jhumpa. Her debut short story
collection 'Interpreter of Maladies' won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and her book 'The Lowland' was a
nominee for the Man Booker Prize. She is currently a professor of creative writing at Princeton University.
The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), London conferred G Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Adviser to the Defence
Minister, with the Society's 2015 Silver Medal for work contributing to major advances or contributions in
aerospace. RAeS is the world's only professional body dedicated to the entire aerospace community. Established in
1866 to further the art, science and engineering of aeronautics, the Society has been at the forefront of aerospace
ever since. The Royal Aeronautical Society has been honouring outstanding achievers in the global aerospace
industry since 1909, when Wilbur and Orville Wright came to London to receive the Society's first Gold Medal.
Haryana Government won the Skoch Order-of-Merit national award for implementing 6 e-Governance and IT
initiatives in the state. Haryana Government has notified 163 e-Governance services which would be delivered to
the citizens at their doorsteps with a view to provide time-bound and hassle-free services. The Skoch Order-ofMerit national award is bestowed upon top performing government organisations and private organisations
working with the government. It is given by Skoch Consultancy Services Private Limited, a strategy and
management consulting firm founded in 1997, and recognises the best practices and governance models that aim
for excellent and efficient implementation of programmes and services delivery.
India won the top UNESCO prize 'Award of Excellence' 2015 for the remarkable conservation efforts of the
majestic Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple in Kerala. The Award of Excellence for the conservation of Sree
Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur, won this year's top prize in the Asia Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural
Heritage Conservation.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was announced as one of the winners of the United Nations
Champions of the Earth award in recognition of her country's initiatives to address climate change. UNEP noted
that Bangladesh is one of the world's most populated countries, with over 159 million people. It is also one of the
most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The award cited among other initiatives, the progressive
Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan of 2009, which made the South Asian nation the first
developing country to frame such a coordinated action plan. Bangladesh is also the first country to set up its own
Climate Change Trust Fund, supported by nearly USD 300 million of domestic resources from 2009-2012. The
award also noted that the Bangladesh government currently earmarks 6 to 7 per cent of its annual budget - some
USD 1 billion - on climate change adaptation, with only 25 per cent of this coming from international donors.
M.R. Poovamma and Babita Kumari were conferred with prestigious Arjuna Award 2015 for their individual
achievements in sports. M.R. Poovamma has been conferred with this award for her contributions in Athletics and
Babita Kumari in the field of Wrestling.

11
Indian-origin author Sunjeev Sahota is among the half a dozen authors short-listed for the prestigious 2015 Man
Booker Prize for Fiction. Sahota, who was adjudged the Granta Best Young British Novelist 2013, competes with
fellow Briton Tom McCarthy, Jamaican Marlon James, US-based Anne Tyler and Hanya Yanagihara and Nigerian
Chigozie Obioma for his second book The Year of the Runaways which deals with the experience of illegal
immigrants from the Indian subcontinent in Britain. This is the second year that the prize, first awarded in 1969, is
open to writers of any nationality, writing originally in English and published in Britain. Previously, the prize was
open only to authors from Britain and the Commonwealth, Ireland and Zimbabwe.
The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) received the SKOCH Award for smart governance for its
initiatives on UAN programme and transformation of social security agenda in India. It is the 5th Award won by
EPFO in the last two years for its initiatives for the welfare of various stakeholders.
Afghan refugee teacher Aqeela Asifi, who has dedicated her life to bringing education to refugee girls in Pakistan,
won the 2015 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award. Aqeela Asifi, 49, is being recognised for her brave and tireless
dedication to education for Afghan refugee girls in the Kot Chandana refugee village in Mianwali, Pakistan while
herself overcoming the struggles of life in exile. Despite minimal resources and significant cultural challenges, Asifi
has guided a thousand refugee girls through their primary education.
Indian Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi was selected for the prestigious Harvard Humanitarian of the Year
Award. The annual award by the prestigious Harvard University is given to an individual whose works and deeds
have served to improve the quality of lives and have inspired us to greater heights. Satyarthi has been
championing the cause of child reform and ending all forms of violence against children. He has been at the
forefront of driving these agendas into The Sustainable Development Goals announced at The United Nations SDG
Summit in September.
Jamaican author Marlon James won the prestigious 2015 Man Booker Prize for his novel A Brief History of Seven
Killings. With this, he became first Jamaican to win Man Booker Prize. The prize, launched in 1969, aims at
promoting the finest literary work in fiction by rewarding the best novel of the year written in English and
published in the United Kingdom.
Author Svetlana Alexievich of Belarus was selected for the prestigious 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature. With this
she became 14th women Literature Laureate and also the first writer from Belarus to receive this award.
National Dialogue Quartet (NDQ) in Tunisia won the prestigious 2015 Nobel Peace Prize. The award of the 2015
Nobel Peace Prize to the National Dialogue Quartet comprising the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), the
Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA), the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH) and
the Tunisian Order of Lawyers, is richly deserved. This quartet of civil society institutions, that came together in
2013, had managed tortuous political negotiations for a consensus-based Constitution and a transition to a robust
democracy in Tunisia. The UGTT in particular played a pivotal role, after massive protests erupted in 2013 against
the Ennahda-led government.
Three scientists Youyou Tu (China), Satoshi Omura (Japan) and William Campbell (Ireland) won 2015 Nobel Prize
for Physiology or Medicine. They were chosen for their pioneering discoveries which have led to the
development of potent new drugs against parasitic diseases such as malaria and elephantiasis.

12
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2015 was awarded to Angus
Deaton "for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare".

An Indian short film, An Old Dogs Diary, won prestigious Best Short Film Award at the 2015 London
Film Festival (LFF). The award was bestowed by the British Film Institute (BIF) at 59th edition of LFF. The
11-minute film has been directed by Shai Heredia and Shumona Goel.

Indian filmmaker Pan Nalin's movie Angry Indian Goddesses bagged the BNL People's Choice Award
at the 10th Rome Film Festival. The film is described as a fresh and unbridled portrayal of women in India
today.

Renowned music composer A R Rahman was conferred with Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award. Veteran
filmmaker Subhash Ghai presented the fifth Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award to Rahman on the 78th
birthday of Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar, well-known composer and the younger brother of Lata
Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.

Noted criminologist K Chockalingam was conferred with the Paul H Appleby Award for his distinguished
services to public administration. The prestigious award was conferred by Indian Institute of Public
Administration (IIPA) to honour Chockalingam, who has served as professor and researcher in criminology
in University of Madras and is Vice President of World Society of Victimology. The award by IIPA is a
tribute to Paul Appleby, a noted author of works in the field of public administration who helped in
developing the vision of the institute in the early years of its founding.

Model-actress Urvashi Rautela was crowned as Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva 2015. With this, she became
Indias representative for the Miss Universe pageant.

13

BUSINESS & CORPORATE

BAE Systems appointed Deepak Parekh, Chairman of HDFC Ltd, as a non-executive Director and Chairman of its
Indian subsidiary, BAE Systems India (Services) Private Limited, with effect from1st January, 2015. BAE Systems
is one of the worlds leading defence, aerospace and security companies, with more than 80,000 employees across
six continents, delivering a wide range of advanced defence, aerospace and security solutions.
The Reserve Bank has allowed foreign investors to buy up to 49 per cent of the paid-up capital of Bajaj Corp Ltd.
"Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs)/Registered Foreign Portfolios Investors (RFPIs) can now invest up to 49 per
cent of the paid-up capital of Bajaj Corp under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS)," RBI said in a notification.
FIIs, NRIs and PIOs (Persons of Indian Origins) can invest in primary and secondary capital markets in India
through PIS. The RBI monitors the ceilings on FII/NRI/PIO investments in Indian companies on a daily basis. It
has fixed the cut-off points two percentage points lower than the actual ceiling.
Auto component maker Bharat Forge acquired France-based Mecanique Generale Langroise for 11.8 million euros
(around Rs 90 crore). CDP Bharat Forge GmbH, a 100 per cent Germany-based subsidiary of Bharat Forge Ltd
(BFL), acquired 100 per cent equity shares of Mecanique Generale Langroise (MGL), the Pune-based firm said in a
filing to the BSE.
Homegrown chat application Hike messenger announced its first acquisition of US-based free voice-calling
company, Zip Phone, with an aim to expand product range in the internet-based communication space. Zip Phone,
a one-man startup founded by Anuj Jain in the US, has developed a voice calling app, which works globally.
Joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India programme, top lender ICICI Bank launched its own 'digital
village' project while adopting an entire village in Gujarat to provide services ranging from cashless banking to
digitised school teaching. This village, named Akodara, in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat incidentally happens to
be the same place where Modi started Gujarat's first animal hostel in 2011 when he was the Chief Minister of the
state.
ICICI Bank, Indias largest private sector bank, announced the launch of the countrys first contactless debit and
credit cards, enabling its customers to make electronic payments by just waving the cards near the merchant
terminal in lieu of dipping or swiping them. These cards are based on the Near Field Communication (NFC)
technology, which provides customers the improved convenience of speed as these cards require significantly less
time than traditional cards to complete a transaction along with enhanced security as they remain in control of the
customer.
Private sector Kotak Mahindra Bank secured its shareholders' approval for amalgamation of Bangalorebased ING Vysya Bank with itself. In November, Kotak Mahindra Bank had announced the buyout of ING Vysya
Bank in an all-stock deal valued at Rs 15,000 crore.
Vistara airline, a joint venture of Tata-SIA (Singapore Airlines), started its flight operation in India on 9 January
2015. Vistara flight took off with its first flight from Delhi to Mumbai. Vistara will be the third full-service carrier in
India, after state-run Air India and private carrier Jet Airways. In December 2014, Vistara announced the launch of
its operation from 9 January 2015 with flight from Delhi to Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Vistara airline will operate

14
flights from Delhi to Goa, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Srinagar, Jammu and Patna in
the first year.
Technology firm Apple smashed the global record for quarterly profits after racking up a surplus of 18 billion US
dollars (11.9 billion). The figure for the final quarter of last year was the highest ever recorded by a public
company, beating the previous record set by ExxonMobil in 2012. The landmark performance followed the sale of a
record 74.5 million iPhones, which drove the company's revenues up by 30% to 74.6 billion US dollars (49.2
billion).
HDFC Bank is the lone Indian entity among the world's 50 most valued lenders in 2014 with a market
capitalisation of close to $41 billion. Ranked at the 45th position, the private sector bank is ahead of global
majors Credit Suisse, DBS Group, and Standard Chartered with a market capitalisation of $40.58 billion. In the top
50 list compiled by Relbanks, SBI has been ranked at 51th with market capitalisation of $36.40 while ICICI
Bank with $33.42 billion is 55th. With more than 70 million customers and over 9,000 locations and a market cap
of $284.39 billion, Well Fargo of the USA is the largest bank in the world based on market capitalisation. It is the
second largest bank in the US by deposits and debit cards. Well Fargo is followed by the Industrial & Commercial
Bank of China (ICBC) with the market capitalisation of $269.70 billion. It is followed by JP Morgan Chase of again
the USA with the market capitalisation of $ 233.94 billion. Top ten banks of the world include 4 from the USA, 4
from China and one each from the UK and Australia.
Fast-food giant McDonald's Corp. announced late that President and Chief Executive Officer Don Thompson will
retire from the positions and also as a member of the Board of Directors, effective March 1, after serving the
company for nearly 25 years. The company said its board has elected Steve Easterbrook to succeed Thompson to
the positions of president and CEO as well as a member of the Board of Directors. The board has also elected
Margo Georgiadis as a Director of the company.
Space agency NASA joined hands with Japanese automaker Nissan to develop self-driving cars and aims to start
testing the first such vehicle by the end of this year. Researchers from Nissan's US Silicon Valley Research Center
and NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California formed a five-year research and development
partnership to advance development of autonomous vehicle systems and their commercial applications. Nissan
CEO Carlos Ghosn said the company will begin offering autonomous features "beginning in 2016," and wants to
have commercially available self-piloting vehicles that can "navigate in nearly all situations," including urban
environments, by 2020.
State Bank of India signed a loan agreement for 100 million euro (about Rs 700 crore) with European
Investment Bank for lending to private businesses in the country. This is the third tranche of a total sanctioned
loan of 200 million euro by EIB. The loan will be utilised to support the development of private sector, in particular
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), social and economic infrastructure as well as climate change
mitigation and adaptation in the country.
Jack Ma-owned Alibaba, the largest e-tailer in the world, will acquire 25-per cent stake in One97
Communications, the parent of mobile commerce firm Paytm, as the Chinese e-commerce giant makes its debut in
the rapidly expanding m-commerce space in India. Ant Financial Services, part of the Alibaba Group, said that it
has entered in a strategic agreement to acquire 25-per cent stake in One97 to support the growth of mobile
payment and commerce platform in India. Paytm will use the funds to grow its mobile payment ecosystem and
further boost its commerce user base. The deal represents Ant Financial's first-ever investment in an Indian

15
company. Ant Financial will also provide Paytm with strategic and technical support for its business. Established in
October 2014, Ant Financial Services Group focusses on small and micro enterprises and consumers.It operates
business like Alipay, Yu'e Bao, Zhao Cai Bao and Ant Credit and Alipay Wallet- largest mobile payment service
provider in China with over 190 million users.
Facebook tied-up with Reliance Communications to launch the internet.org app, an initiative to provide internet
access to those who don't have it, along with the free basic services. This is the first time the Internet.org app will
be available in the region. Internet.org provides access to popular websites and services with zero data charges in
order to make it easier for people to access the internet, across both 2G and 3G platform.
ICICI Bank, Indias largest private sector bank, launched first digital Bank in the country, Pockets, on a mobile
phone. Anyone, including those who are not customers of ICICI Bank, can easily download the e-wallet from
Google Playstore, fund it from any bank account in the country and start transacting immediately. This wallet uses
a virtual Visa card which enables the users to transact on any website or mobile application in India. Customers
can also request for a physical card to use it at any retail outlet, ICICI Bank said. The wallet allows users to
instantly send money to any e-mail id, mobile number, friends on Facebook and bank account. The users can pay
bills, recharge mobiles, book movie tickets, order food, send physical and e-gifts, split and share expenses with
friends by using this e-wallet. The limit for transaction is of worth Rs. 10,000, if it is not linked to a savings
account of the ICICI Bank. Users can choose to add a zero-balance savings account to the wallet, which will allow
them to earn interest on their idle money. The universal wallet and the savings account are the first two products
to be launched as part of the Pockets digital bank. These products come with a new youth centric look and feel.
ICICI Bank said that the wallet comes with best-in-class security features. It allows only one registration for a
unique mobile number and requires mandatory authentication with user id and password for every login, among
others.
Homegrown handset maker, Micromax has become India's biggest smartphone vendor, replacing Korean
electronics giant Samsung, as per research firm analysis. In the recently concluded October-December 2014
quarter, the Gurgaon-headquartered firm controlled 22% market share in smartphones shipments in India -- one
of the world's largest market for handsets -- beating Samsung which had 20% market share. Micromax's flagship
line of products has very effectively targeted the $150-200 (Rs 9,000-12,000) segment with products like Canvas
Nitro and Canvas Hue, it added. The top four players in Q4 2014 in India by units shipped were Micromax,
Samsung, Karbonn and Lava. Overall, the Indian market experienced very strong annual growth of 90%, with 21.6
million units shipped in the fourth quarter, analysis said.
Six Indian women entrepreneurs and businesswomen have been named by Forbes magazine as among the 50
Power Businesswomen from Asia. Indians included in the list are Arundhati Bhattacharya (Chairperson of State
Bank of India), Chanda Kochchar- MD & CEO of ICICI Bank (Forbes list referred her as Indias second-mostpowerful banker after Bhattacharya), Akhila Srinivasan-MD of Shriram Capital, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw-Chairman &
MD of Biocon, Shikha Sharma- CEO of Axis Bank and Usha Sangwan- MD of Life Insurance Corporation of India
(LIC).
Leading bourse NSE said it will set-up an international exchange in Gujarat's GIFT City, to be developed as the
country's first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). The new exchange will provide an electronic platform
for facilitating trading, clearing and settlement of securities, and will also explore the possibility of starting trading
facilities in different asset classes like equities, interest rates, currencies, among others. NSE signed a

16
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with GIFT SEZ, a wholly owned subsidiary of GIFT City (Gujarat
International Finance Tec-City), at Gandhinagar
Social networking giant Facebook embraced e-commerce after it acquired shopping search engine TheFind,
signalling its aspirations in two of the Internet's biggest moneymakers: search and e-commerce. Both Facebook
and TheFind cast the acquisition as a way to lift the digital advertising business of Facebook, which with $12.6
billion in annual ad sales last year, is unquestionably a dominant player in the industry.
Taxi service aggregator Ola Cabs acquired its rival TaxiForSure in a cash and equity deal worth $200 million.
With this deal, Ola has further deepened its footprint with TaxiForSure's operator-led model.
The Delhi high court restrained Indian firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals from manufacturing, marketing or selling
its anti-diabetes drugs Zita and Zita-Met, saying it has prima facie infringed the patent of US drug major Merck
Sharp and Dohme (MSD). The US firm had said it had invented Sitagliptin salt used in its anti-diabetes drugs and
has patent over the molecule.Glenmark, on the other hand, had contended that it has used Sitagliptin Phosphate
in its anti-diabetes drugs, Zita and Zita-Met, and the US firm has no patent right over this salt.
HDFC Bank launched Chillr, a mobile app that allows users to instantly transfer money to any contact in their
phonebook 24 hours a day and seven days a week. HDFC Bank partnered with MobME, a Kochi-based technology
firm, to launch this app. Chillr allows users to send money in three simple steps -- choose the recipient from list
of Chillr contacts, enter the amount to be transferred and a message to recipient, enter secret M-PIN & press PAY.
The recipient will instantly receive money in his/her bank account.
U.S.-based Mirach Capital said it is initiating a $400 million defamation lawsuit against the Sahara group, while
alleging that the failed financing deal with the Indian conglomerate has caused irreparable harm and shaken
investor confidence. Accusing Mirach Capital of cheating and forgery in the failed $2.05 billion loan arrangement,
Sahara had also said last month that it has initiated legal action against the U.S.-based firm. The crisis-hit group
had alleged that Mirach and its CEO Saransh Sharmas criminal conduct and lack of financial capabilities to honour
such huge commitments led to the breaking down of the deal, leading to the loss of precious time, resources and
position of Sahara.
Bharti AXA General Insurance (GI) Company Ltd. launched 'Smart Traveller' that offers global coverage for
students, individuals, families and frequent travellers.
A demand of over Rs 570 crore was raised against Cadbury India, the confectionery giant, for allegedly evading
excise duty by fraudulently taking exemption for one of its 'ghost' production units in Himachal Pradesh.
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to deepen partnership between Indian companies and the bank
in those countries where the bank has operations.
Godrej Nature's Basket, the food retail arm of the diversified Godrej Group, joined hands with Amazon for
selling its products through the e-commerce giant's platform in India.

17
Online search giant Google entered into a strategic partnership with consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to go
after the Digital India projects and large enterprise deals. With the Indian partnership, which is an extension of a
global deal signed in October, Google wants to push itself into large e-governance projects and improve the sales
for its cloud services in India.
Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company, and Vedanta Foundation adopted 3,056 anganwadi centres in five
districts of Rajasthan. The adoption will benefit 90,000 underprivileged children in the age group of 3-6 years in
Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, Rajsamand and Ajmer districts for five years
Online marketplace Snapdeal announced to buy mobile recharge service Freecharge in the biggest-ever deal in
the countrys start-up domain, betting that it can sell products and services to millions of users who currently use
the Internet company only to recharge their mobile phones.
Jasper Infotech, which owns and operates online marketplace Snapdeal.com, picked up a majority stake in digital
financial services platform RupeePower.com as part of its plans to create a financial services marketplace. In
August last year, Snapdeal had, in partnership with several banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs),
launched Capital Assist, which is aimed at enabling its sellers by helping them meet their working capital
requirements as they scale up their businesses on the marketplace platform.
Bharti AXA General Insurance (GI) Company Ltd. launched 'Smart Traveller' that offers global coverage for
students, individuals, families and frequent travellers.
A demand of over Rs 570 crore was raised against Cadbury India, the confectionery giant, for allegedly evading
excise duty by fraudulently taking exemption for one of its 'ghost' production units in Himachal Pradesh.
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to deepen partnership between Indian companies and the bank
in those countries where the bank has operations.
Godrej Nature's Basket, the food retail arm of the diversified Godrej Group, joined hands with Amazon for
selling its products through the e-commerce giant's platform in India.
Online search giant Google entered into a strategic partnership with consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to go
after the Digital India projects and large enterprise deals. With the Indian partnership, which is an extension of a
global deal signed in October, Google wants to push itself into large e-governance projects and improve the sales
for its cloud services in India.
Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company, and Vedanta Foundation adopted 3,056 anganwadi centres in five
districts of Rajasthan. The adoption will benefit 90,000 underprivileged children in the age group of 3-6 years in
Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, Rajsamand and Ajmer districts for five years
Online marketplace Snapdeal announced to buy mobile recharge service Freecharge in the biggest-ever deal in
the countrys start-up domain, betting that it can sell products and services to millions of users who currently use
the Internet company only to recharge their mobile phones.

18
Jasper Infotech, which owns and operates online marketplace Snapdeal.com, picked up a majority stake in digital
financial services platform RupeePower.com as part of its plans to create a financial services marketplace. In
August last year, Snapdeal had, in partnership with several banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs),
launched Capital Assist, which is aimed at enabling its sellers by helping them meet their working capital
requirements as they scale up their businesses on the marketplace platform.
Online marketplace Flipkart announced the acquisition of Appiterate, a mobile engagement and marketing
automation company based out of Delhi. Appiterate helps ecommerce companies target consumers better and
increase sales by using push notifications and in app messages.
Largest private sector lender ICICI Bank in collaboration with Tech Mahindra launched a payment service 'Tap-nPay' based on the near-field communications (NFC) technology, enabling customers make over-the-counter
payments without using cash. It can be used for merchant payments by merely tapping a NFC-enabled mobile
phone or a tag on the counter.
Drug firm Lupin launched anti-bacterial Zaxine tablets, under a licensing pact with Salix Pharmaceuticals Inc, in
the Canadian market.
Online travel services provider MakeMyTrip has acquired Mygola, a startup travel guide firm. MakeMyTrip Group
CEO Deep Kalra said the company has acquired 100 per cent of Mygola. Mygola, founded in 2009 by Anshuman
Bapna and Prateek Sharma, has raised capital from Helion Ventures, Blumberg Capital and 500Startups, among
other angel investors.
Arun Pudur, a relatively unknown tech entrepreneur born in Chennai topped the latest WealthX Report of Richest
Under-40 Entrepreneurs from Asia. With a net worth of $4 billion (Rs 25000 crore), he beat entrepreneurs from
China & Japan to secure the top rank. Interestingly, he is the only Indian entrepreneur in the top 10 list, which is
dominated by China and Japan. Another highlight of the report is that, 9 out of 10 entrepreneurs have made their
fortunes from technology niche, including Arun Pudur.
Online retailer Myntra.com acquired Native5 Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd, a Bengaluru-based mobile app-enabling
company, for an undisclosed sum. Native5 will cease to exist after the deal.
India-born Nikesh Arora was appointed as president of Japan's SoftBank Corp and was named as a potential
successor to CEO Masayoshi Son.
Country's largest lender State Bank of India launched a RuPay Platinum debit card in association with National
Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). The card would be initially issued free to customers maintaining a quarterly
balance of Rs 50,000. The card offers various benefits like 5 per cent cash back on utility bills, complimentary
airport lounge access, personal accident death and permanent total disability insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh, among
others. Currently, SBI has 19.7 crore debit cards in circulation and of which 4.5 crore are RuPay cards.
State Bank of India launched contact-less credit and debit cards, using the latest near-field technology (NFC),
wherein a customer can transact using the card by just tapping or waving it against the reader of the point-of-sale
machine. Called sbiINTOUCH, these cards are more secure and hassle-free, according to the bank. Private lenders
ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank have already launched such NFC cards. In a move that could boost the acceptance of
SBIs tap and pay cards, the RBI, in a notification, has said that banks can now enable transactions in contactless

19
cards for values up to R2,000 without the requiring a separate PIN authentication. For amounts higher than that,
the customer must be given the option of contact payment and would require pin authentication. SBI chairman
Arundhati Bhattacharya said the bank has already issued 1.08 lakh new cards to its customers in the eight largest
metros and the remaining customers will get the cards in the following months.
Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered an FIR to be filed against the CEO and the directors of
Internet shopping company Snapdeal for allegedly selling prescription drugs online.
Vedanta Limited, which represents a diversified natural resources group, launched a new logo. The move is in
line with the company's rechristening and came days after Sesa Sterlite was renamed as Vedanta Limited. It aims
at a united and aligned identity and reflects Vedanta's quest to strengthen the linkage between its global business,
communities and stakeholders. Along with the brand name, the significant change in the new logo is the use of
two colors - leaf green and a shade of Yale blue, which symbolize distinct virtues of Vedanta's professionalism,
sustainability, ethics and integrity. The color 'green' symbolizes Vedanta's ethical credentials and the color 'blue'
reflects Vedanta's un-waivered integrity and professionalism. A leaf, which represents 'symbol of life' has been
included into the Vedanta globe, signifying commitment to the triple bottom line approach of People, Planet and
Prosperity. The 'globe' represents the centricity and dependence on natural resources found in the earth as well as
the responsibility that Vedanta has towards communities.
ICICI Bank, Indias largest private sector bank, launched voice recognition service which authenticates customers
based on their speech patterns and allows them to execute banking transactions through the Banks call centre in
a quick, secure and convenient manner. The-first-of-its kind service by a Bank in the country, it is available to
over 33 million customers of its savings account and credit card. With the voice recognition technology in place,
customers are no longer required to enter their card numbers, PIN and answer security questions to authenticate
themselves. Their voice will now act as the password for banking transactions through the call centre.
To help Indian and Chinese corporates in cross-border businesses, top private sector lender ICICI Bank opened
its first branch in China, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Infosys, a leader in consulting, technology, outsourcing and next-generation services, with clients across 50
countries, become the first Indian company to join RE100, a global platform for major companies committed to
100% renewable power.As part of its commitment to RE100, Infosys aims to become carbon neutral by 2018. The
company is already working to reduce its per capita electricity consumption by 50 per cent from its 2007-2008
levels and source all its electricity from renewable resources by 2018.
Microsoft announced to open the Indias first Digital Experience Centre in Vadodara, Gujarat. Microsoft will open
the centre in collaboration with the Vadodara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). The centre aims to
bring to life these experiences for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), entrepreneurs and educational
institutions and help them leverage contemporary cloud technology to drive business growth as well as enhance
skills and promote learning.
Global e-commerce major Amazon opened its biggest fulfilment centre (FC) or warehouse in India, at Kothur in
Telangana. Spread over 280,000 square feet, the facility has come up in Mahabubnagar district, about 60 km from
Hyderabad. This has taken to 11 Amazons FCs in eight states.

20
Fortune released the 61st edition of list of top 500 companies. The list was topped by retail behemoth Walmart
with revenue of 485.6 billion US dollar. It was followed by Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Berkshire Hathaway and Apple at
the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th position respectively. The top five of 2015 list remains unchanged as compared to the
2014 list. Further, Apple was the most profitable company with profit of 39.5 billion US dollars followed by Exxon
Mobil.
Cult bike maker Harley-Davidson tied up with fashion portal Myntra to sell its casual merchandise through an
exclusive online store. The online store offers a range of casual outerwear, sportswear, denims and accessories.
Hero MotoCorp Ltd (HMCL), the worlds largest two-wheeler manufacturer, appointed Mr. Pawan Munjal as its
new Chairman. Under the leadership of Mr. Pawan Munjal, Hero has remained the worlds largest two-wheeler
manufacturer in terms of unit volumes sold in a calendar year by a single company since 2001 the year he took
over as the MD & CEO.
Indias leading private Bank, HDFC Bank announced launch of PayZapp, an all-in-one mobile payment and money
transfer app that promises to make any sort of payments in a single click. The PayZapp app users can make
variety of transactions like mobile recharges, instant money transfers, bill payments, shopping on various
ecommerce portals to groceries, to even big-ticket purchases such as foreign holidays and designer clothes.
PayZapp features a section called Smartbuy a sort of a aggregator of the major ecommerce sites across various
verticals. PayZapp has partnered with sites like Flipkart, Makemytrip, Cleartrip, Yatra, Big Basket among others.
PVR Cinemas, India's biggest multiplex operator controlled by Ajay Bijli, agreed to buy DT Cinemas, a wholly
owned subsidiary of DLF, for Rs 500 crore to strengthen its position in the movie exhibition business.
Private insurer Bajaj Allianz launched a weather-based crop insurance scheme for orange crops in Nagpur,
Hingoli and Washim districts of Maharashtra. The index-based insurance policy will cover losses incurred by orange
fruit-growing farmers due to deviation in weather conditions and has been approved by Central and the State
government.
Blue Star, India's largest central air-conditioning company, launched VRF (variable refrigerant flow) IV Plus air
conditioning (AC) system. This is the first-ever locally-developed-and-produced VRF ACs in India.
Micromax Informatics Ltd launched a 5.1mm thick smartphone in New Delhi, claiming that its the worlds
slimmest 4G-enabled phone when measured end-to-end. Priced at Rs 17,999, the company announced M! Onsite Care, a 7 day doorstep service policy. The phone is bundled with a free 4G SIM from Airtel, with a double data
offer that doubles the 4G data cap upon activation for the first three months.
SoftBank Corp.formed a solar and wind energy joint venture that could invest as much as $20 billion in
producing 20 gigawatts of power in India, partnering the countrys top wireless provider, Bharti Enterprises Ltd.,
with Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn Technology Co. Ltd. SoftBank is one of the largest investors in
Indias biggest ridesharing services provider Ola Cabs and Snapdeal.com, which is the countrys second-largest ecommerce company. Subject to certain conditions, SoftBank, Bharti and Foxconn will jointly invest in the new
venture, called SBG Cleantech Ltd. India has set itself the target of generating 100 gigawatts of electricity through
solar installations and a further 60 gigawatts via wind turbines by 2022.

21
Japans SoftBank Corp announced that it was setting up a joint venture with Chinese online shopping giant
Alibaba and electronics supplier Foxconn Technology to sell its human-like robot Pepper around the world.
Ratan Tata picks up stake on Ola
Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, has acquired a stake in the popular Taxi hailing service, Ola Cabs in
his personal capacity. Earlier, in October 2014, Ola raised about $200 million from Japans telecom giant,
Softbank.
BSNL launches mobile wallet
BSNL launched a pre-paid card linked mobile wallet service, called Speed Pay, which would allow its customers to
transfer money, pay for services and withdraw cash up to Rs. 1 lakh. Customers will be able to load money even
without a bank account. Further, they can transfer the money to bank accounts and even withdraw money at bank
branches or BSNL outlets.
Airbus and Mahindra JV to make helicopters in India
Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Defence, a subsidiary of Mahindra signed an Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) to form a joint venture to produce helicopters and bid for defense contracts in India under the governments
Make in India programme. The tie-up would help to develop an indigenous industrial ecosystem dedicated to
helicopters.
Internet Saathi
Tata Trust has teamed up with Google to launch Internet Saathi aimed at reducing the technologygender divide
in India. It aims at empowering women in rural India by providing training on the usage and benefits of the
internet through specially designed internet cycle-cart that will visit villages to provide easy access to women.
Intel, which has been a long-term partner of Google Indias Helping Women Get Online (HWGO) initiative, will
also support this initiative.
HDFC launches Watch Banking
HDFC Bank became the first bank in India to launch Watch Banking for Apple Watch. It aims to provide all banking
services through all wearable devices across platforms like iOS and Android.
Corporation Bank launches first MUDRA card
The Corporation Bank launched the MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) card, under the
Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY). The card facilitates the withdrawal and use of money for working capital
finance by micro entrepreneurs. Under this, three loan schemes are offered to the entrepreneurs based on their
capacity to repay. Shishu scheme provides loans up to Rs. 50,000, while a loan amount up to Rs. 5 lakh will be
lent under Kishore scheme. Under Tarun scheme, loan up to Rs. 10 lakh will be offered.
Ratan Tata picks up stake on Ola
Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, has acquired a stake in the popular Taxi hailing service, Ola Cabs in
his personal capacity. Earlier, in October 2014, Ola raised about $200 million from Japans telecom giant,
Softbank.
BSNL launches mobile wallet
BSNL launched a pre-paid card linked mobile wallet service, called Speed Pay, which would allow its customers to
transfer money, pay for services and withdraw cash up to Rs. 1 lakh. Customers will be able to load money even

22
without a bank account. Further, they can transfer the money to bank accounts and even withdraw money at bank
branches or BSNL outlets.
Airbus and Mahindra JV to make helicopters in India
Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Defence, a subsidiary of Mahindra signed an Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) to form a joint venture to produce helicopters and bid for defense contracts in India under the governments
Make in India programme. The tie-up would help to develop an indigenous industrial ecosystem dedicated to
helicopters.
Internet Saathi
Tata Trust has teamed up with Google to launch Internet Saathi aimed at reducing the technologygender divide
in India. It aims at empowering women in rural India by providing training on the usage and benefits of the
internet through specially designed internet cycle-cart that will visit villages to provide easy access to women.
Intel, which has been a long-term partner of Google Indias Helping Women Get Online (HWGO) initiative, will
also support this initiative.
HDFC launches Watch Banking
HDFC Bank became the first bank in India to launch Watch Banking for Apple Watch. It aims to provide all banking
services through all wearable devices across platforms like iOS and Android.
Corporation Bank launches first MUDRA card
The Corporation Bank launched the MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) card, under the
Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY). The card facilitates the withdrawal and use of money for working capital
finance by micro entrepreneurs. Under this, three loan schemes are offered to the entrepreneurs based on their
capacity to repay. Shishu scheme provides loans up to Rs. 50,000, while a loan amount up to Rs. 5 lakh will be
lent under Kishore scheme. Under Tarun scheme, loan up to Rs. 10 lakh will be offered.
Glenmark launches the affordable anti-diabetic drug
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited launched the affordable third-generation oral anti-diabetic drug Teneligliptin for
the treatment of Type-2 Diabetes mellitus. The company introduced Teneligliptin under the brand names Zita and
Zita Plus.
7 Indian Companies in Fortune 500 list of 2015
7 Indian companies find mention in the 61st Fortune 500 companies list. Amongst the Indian companies, the list is
topped by Indian Oil at 119th rank with revenues of USD 74 billion and is followed by Reliance Industries, Tata
Motors, State Bank of India, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
(ONGC).
In 2015, Fortune 500 companies account for USD 12.5 trillion in revenue, USD 945 billion in profit and USD 17
trillion in market value. They employ around 26.8 million people worldwide. The overall list has been topped by the
retail giant Walmart and is followed by petroleum refining giants Exxon Mobil and Chevron at 2nd and 3rd place,
respectively. Warren Buffets Berkshire Hathaway comes at the 4th place, followed by Apple Inc at the 5th place.

23
Indian gold jewelry major acquires worlds largest gold refining company
Indian gold jewelry major Rajesh Exports Limited (REL) announced the acquisition of Switzerland-based worlds
largest gold refining company, Valcambi. It acquired European Gold Refineries, the 100% per cent holding
company of Valcambi in an all cash deal of USD 400 million US dollars.
CCI penalizes Hyundai
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed a penalty of Rs. 420 crore on Hyundai Motors India Ltd.
Hyundai is one the three auto companies found guilty of adopting anti-competitive practices in violation of the
Competition Act, 2002. The other two companies were Mahindra Reva Electric Car Company (P) Ltd and Premier
Ltd.
Airtel launches pan-India 4G services
Bharti Airtel launched pan-India 4G high-speed data services. The service was launched in 296 towns across India
and it will be available to customers through 4G-enabled mobile phones, internet dongles and Wi-Fi routers. With
this the largest telecom company of India became the first company to roll out the pan-India 4G network which is
built on an open partner ecosystem model.
Snapdeal Instant launched
eCommerce firm Snapdeal launched its new service named Snapdeal Instant to enable delivery of packages to
customers as early as within an hour of placing the order. Snapdeal Instant is aimed at further improving
customer experience on the eCommerce platform by enabling faster deliveries and maintaining product quality at
the same time.
Airtel acquires YTS solutions
Indias largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel acquired financial solutions firm YTS Solutions for an undisclosed
amount. With this acquisition, YTS Solutions will be integrated with the operations of Airtel Money Services Ltd, a
subsidiary of Airtel. This acquisition will help Airtel to expand its footprint in the payments sector by integrating
business capabilities and unique service delivery model of the YTS.
Xiaomi and Foxconn to set up Assembly line in Andhra
China-based Smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp tied up with Taiwan-based Foxconn to set up their first Assembly line
in Andhra Pradesh under Union Government's Make in India initiative. These two Smartphone manufacturers will
together roll out Xiaomis first locally made Smartphone, the Redmi2 Prime to expand Xiomi's market share in
India.
Google launches Parent Company Alphabet Inc.
Search engine giant Google Inc launched a new parent company called Alphabet Inc that separates its highly
profitable search and advertising business. Google will be replaced by Alphabet Inc as the publicly-traded entity
and all its shares will automatically converted into the shares of new parent entity with same rights. Alphabet Inc
will comprise of the search engine unit and all other subsidiaries.
Uber Cabs ties-up with BhartiAirtel to set up WiFi hotspots in cabs
BhartiAirtel Limited tied-up with the Uber Cabs, allowing Uber riders to pay using Airtels mobile wallet service
Airtel Money. With this partnership, Uber will set up WiFi hotspots in each of its cabs. Uber will pay Airtel for the
bandwidth consumed.

24
SBI launches M-Wallet App
State Bank of India (SBI) launched a mobile wallet (M-wallet) application named SBI Buddy. The application was
launched in collaboration with Accenture and Mastercard.
ICICI Bank launches Smart Vault
ICICI Bank launched Smart Vault, a first-of-its-kind locker facility by a bank in India with robotic technology. The
Smart Vault uses robotic technology to access the lockers from the safe vault and enables customers to
conveniently access their lockers at any time of their preference, in the comfort of a secure lounge where the
locker automatically comes up to the customer.
YouTube ties up with WWI to set up YouTube Space
Google-run video sharing portal YouTube tied-up with Whistling Woods International (WWI) to set up YouTube
Space in Mumbai. Slated to open in late 2015, the YouTube Space Mumbai facility will allow YouTube creators and
students at WWI to learn about video production and collaborate with other creators.
PrasarBharti and Digital Television Russia sign MoU
PrasarBharti and Digital Television Russia signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation, which will set
the stage for a new media era in both the countries. The MoU is aimed at co-producing TV programmes,
repackaging and dubbing popular programmes from the both countries.
Housing.com acquires HomeBuy360
Mumbai based Real estate listing portal Housing.com on 16 August 2015 acquired Bengaluru-based customer
relationship management software company HomeBuy360 in all cash deal of 2 million US dollars
.
The World Federation of Exchanges (WEF) announced that the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has the highest
number of listed companies in the world - a total number of 5689 companies were listed with the BSE by the end
of June 2015. However, out of 5689, only one company was a foreign company. Shanghai stock exchange of China
(having 1070 companies) was at the top in terms of value of share trading. BSE was established in 1855 and is
considered as the oldest exchange in Asia.
Doha Bank announced its tie up with the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group to generate business opportunities in
the Gulf Cooperation Council nations and India. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman are part
of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Doha Bank has a robust presence in the financial services, telecom,
infrastructure, entertainment, power, healthcare, and defence industries. The scope of the partnership will
strengthen Doha Banks presence in India and the banks strategic role in trade finance, banking, and financial
services across the region and in creating business opportunities between GCC and India.
Seven Indians featured in Forbes Asia's ninth Heroes of Philanthropy list, highlighting most noteworthy
contributions to philanthropy from 13 countries across Asia Pacific. Of them, four are co-founders of Infosys, one
of India's largest information technology (IT) services company. Kerala-born entrepreneur Sunny Varkey, who in
June pledged about half of his USD 2.25 billion dollar fortune to charity as part of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet-led
Giving Pledge initiative, topped the list of philanthropists in the region. Dubai-based Varkey is founder of GEMS
Education, a chain of 70 private schools in 14 counties.
Infosys co-founders Senapathy Gopalakrishnan, Nandan Nilekani and S D Shibulal featured on the list for their
individual contributions to the health and education sectors. Another Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy's

25
son Rohan was on the list for donating a whopping USD 5.2 million to Harvard University Press for promoting
ancient Indian literary classics. The other two Indian philanthropists were brothers Suresh Ramakrishnan and
Mahesh Ramakrishnan, both London-based entrepreneurs and founders of Whitcomb & Shaftesbury Tailors on
London's Saville Row. The brothers donated USD 3 million for training of more than 4,000 people in tailoring
across India. Beneficiaries include the 2004 tsunami victims and "ill-fated" women.
A milestone was achieved at Port Blairs Veer Savarkar International Airport after a Kolkata flight of budget carrier
SpiceJet made the first ever night landing by a civil airliner at the airport. The airport was recently upgraded with
improved runway, lighting and navigation systems to allow commercial night flying.
Didi Kuaidi Joint Co., Chinas largest taxi-hailing company, invested an undisclosed amount in Ola, as the two
firms joined hands to fight Uber Technologies Inc., a common competitor. The partnership between the two comes
at a time when taxi companies across the globe are looking to forge an alliance against their marquee rival Uber.
Beijing-based Didi Kuaidi was formed by the merger of two of the main taxi firms in ChinaDidi Dache and Kuaidi
Dache. Didi Kuaidi serves 200 million Chinese users and holds 99% of Chinas taxi-hailing market. Didi Kuaidi is
backed by Chinas e-commerce giantsAlibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd, and is the second
most valuable company in China after smartphone seller Xiaomi Corp. With its financial muscle, Didi Kuaidi has
been bankrolling many international taxi-hailing companies to stem the fast pace of expansion of Uber across the
globe. In India, Uber is a distant second to Ola, claims to have roughly 250,000 drivers on its technology platform
that connects drivers and passengers, doing 750,000 rides a day across 100 cities. Uber says it is growing 40% a
month, with roughly 150,000 drivers on its platform in 22 cities.
Forbes released the Forbes list of richest Indians. The list contains names of 100 wealthiest people of India with a
collective wealth amounting to 345 billion dollars. Industrialist Mukesh Ambani retained the tag as Indias richest
for the ninth year in a row with a net worth of 18.9 billion dollar. The list include names of four women who have a
collective wealth of 9.2 billion dollar- Savitri Jindal (Chairperson of the OP Jindal group), Leena Tewari (
Chairperson of generic drugs maker USV Pharma group), Indu Jain (Chairperson of India's largest media group,
Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd group) and Vinod Gupta (wife of Havells founder Qimat Rai Gupta).
Google teamed up with Indian Railways to provide free Wi-Fi at 500 railway stations in a short time. The plan will
initially start with 100 busiest railway stations. Later, the facility will be extended to the remaining stations. The
project will make Internet hot-spots available to more than 10 million people just with the first 100 stations online.
This will make it the largest Wi-Fi project in the country.
Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn resigned following the revelation that the firm manipulated US
diesel car emissions tests. VW announced setting aside 6.5bn (4.7bn) to cover the costs of the scandal. The
world's biggest carmaker admitted that it deceived US regulators in exhaust emissions tests by installing a device
to give more positive results. The company said that it affected 11 million vehicles worldwide.
In one of the mega acquisitions in the global IT space, PC maker Dell Inc announced to acquire EMC Corporation
for about USD 67 billion to create the "world's largest privately-controlled, integrated technology company". The
combined entity will be "a leader in the extremely attractive high-growth areas of the USD 2 trillion information
technology market with complementary product portfolios, sales teams and R&D investment strategies". With EMC
in tow, Dell would look at expanding its product lineup in high-end data storage equipment as it competes with the
likes of Hewlett-Packard Co and others. Dell went private for about USD 25 billion in 2013. EMC Corporation has
over 5,000 employees as part of its centre of excellence and another 550 in sales and marketing. The company

26
had operations in India in October 2000 and has since scaled up its presence with the government sector
accounting for a significant part of its business.
Forbes released the inaugural list of Forbes' 50 richest families in Asia. The list was topped by Lee (Byung-Chull)
family of South Korea with 26.6 billion dollars. The revenue of Lees of Samsung Group in 2014 was equivalent to
22 percent of South Koreas GDP. Ambani family of Reliance Group was ranked at 3rd position with combined
wealth of 21.5 billion dollar. Premji family of Wipro was ranked at the 7th position with combined wealth of 17
billion dollar.
Top private sector lender ICICI Bank launched a mobile-payment solution based on 'mVisa' that will allow its
customers pay for services using their smartphones. The service, which can be used by customers who have
installed an app of the bank's mobile wallet 'Pockets', works by scanning QR codes. They can make electronic
payments from smartphones at physical stores, accept e-commerce deliveries, pay radio taxis and utility bills
among others. The service is based on 'mVisa', a new mobile payment solution from Visa, and ICICI Bank is the
first globally to launch a mobile-app based 'mVisa' solution for consumers and merchants.
Tata Power launched LED tube light scheme in Mumbai for its residential consumer under which it will provide
five lights to each household at Rs 525 per piece against market price of Rs 1,325.The consumer can register
online for the scheme and the LED tube light fittings will be home delivered.
Twitter named Omid Kordestani, Google's former chief business officer, as its new executive chairman. He
succeeded Jack Dorsey, who stepped down as Executive Chairman to take up the post of Chief Executive Officer of
Twitter.
In a major relief to Indian subsidiary of British telecom major Vodafone, the Bombay High Court set aside an
order of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal which had ruled that I-T had the powers to raise tax demand on the
company in a Rs 8500 crore transfer pricing case. The transfer pricing case dates back to FY08 relating to sale of
one of its call centres in Ahmedabad in 2007.
BlackBerry India announced Narendra Nayak as the new managing director for the company's India operations.
The Canadian company is currently focusing on its restructuring operations in India.
Exim Bank announced to set up a development firm KPDC in Africa, in partnership with others, to facilitate Indian
participation in infrastructure projects across the continent. Other shareholders in the company are IL&FS Group,
African Development Bank and State Bank of India.
Infosys announced to buy Noah Consulting, which provides information management consulting services in the oil
and gas sector, for $70 million in cash, marking the Indian IT company's third acquisition this year. Founded in
2008, Noah Consulting has 122 employees and offices in Houston and Texas in the US, and Calgary in Canada.
Former Benetton India MD Sanjeev Mohanty was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing
Director (MD) of fashion focused e-tailer Jabong with effect from December 2015.
Reliance Capital Ltd. announced to acquire the mutual fund business of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in India
for Rs.243 crore (about $37.5 million) in an all-cash deal, marking the exit of yet another foreign fund manager
from a market that has been witnessing increasing redemption, razor-thin margins and intense competition. With
the acquisition, Reliance Capital Asset Management Ltd (RCAM), the third largest fund house in India with assets

27
under management (AUM) of Rs.152,919 crore, will own 12 mutual fund schemes, including 10 exchange -traded
funds (ETF) of one of the largest ETF providers in IndiaGoldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM).
Reliance Industries announced that it had signed new listing agreements with the BSE and the National Stock
Exchange (NSE). With this, RIL has become the first company to comply with the Securities and Exchange Board
of Indias (SEBI) new requirement.
Thomson Reuters released Gold Survey 2015 Review and Outlook report. As per the survey India regained its
top position replacing China as the biggest overall consumer of gold in the first nine months of year 2015.
Hard drive manufacturing giant Western Digital announced to buy out flash storage maker SanDisk. The board
of directors of both companies have finalised an acquisition price of US $19 billion, which Western Digital is paying
in cash and company stock. The deal is definitely a big plus for WD, as hard drives might slowly be on their way
out as people begin relying more and more on cloud storage offerings. Flash storage, however, is still a very stable
business option, due to the ever-growing smartphone industry.

28

COMMITTEES / SCHEMES / POLICIES

Union Government accepted recommendations of Bezbaruah Committee, set up to look into the concerns of the
people of the North East living in other parts of India.
President Pranab Mukherjee signed the citizenship ordinance a day before the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas kicked off in
Gujarat. The ordinance that amends the Citizenship Act, 1955, will benefit People of Indian Origin (PIO) and will
give them benefits like life-long visa and exemption from appearing before the local police station on every visit.
The decision to amend the Act was taken after a large number of complaints were received from PIOs, about
problems faced during visits to local police stations and stringent visa norms that barred them from buying
property in India, in comparison to those holding Overseas Citizens of India card. PIO cardholders are eligible for
15-year visas in comparison to lifelong visas given to those having OCI cards.
Union cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved setting up of India-based Neutrino
Observatory (INO) in Bodi West Hills, Tamil Nadu. The project will be jointly supported by the Department of
Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology. The infrastructural support will be given by the
Government of Tamil Nadu as the project is located in the State. This will be the second big project that the
government has approved, the first being the thirty-metre telescope, which would come up in Hawaii.
Union Government has merged Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card-holders with Overseas Citizens of India
(OCI) card-holders. Union Home Ministry in this regard has issued notification mentioning that all PIO card-holders
henceforth are deemed to be OCI card-holders with effect from 9th January 2015, thus withdrawing PIO cards with
immediate effect. Now only OCI cards facility with enhanced benefits will exist to provide maximum possible
benefits to Indian Diaspora.
Observing that corporate seek "short cuts" to get clearance for their environment projects, a high level committee
has suggested setting up of a 'single window' clearance system for green projects to significantly reduce the
processing time. After studying six environment laws, the four-member panel -- headed by former Cabinet
Secretary T S R Subramanian -- has recommended setting up of a full-time expert body, National Environmental
Management Authority (NEMA), at the Centre, and State Environmental Management Authority (SEMA) to evaluate
project clearance in a time bound manner. A 'fast track' procedure for 'linear' projects which provide benefit
to community at large, as well as power and mining projects, as also projects of national importance has also been
recommended by the committee.
Government's ambitious 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign to save and empower girl child was launched by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Panipat in Haryana, the state with the lowest sex ratio. The campaign will be
implemented in 100 districts of the country, including 12 of Haryana where the number of girl child is dismally low.
The districts of Haryana where the scheme will be launched are-- Mahendergarh, Jhajjar, Rewari, Sonepat,
Ambala, Kurukshetra, Rohtak, Karnal, Yamuna Nagar, Kaithal, Bhiwani and Panipat. BBBP campaign is the fourth
major initiative of the Narendra Modi-led Central Government after Jandhan Yojna, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and
Make in India.
India and the US agreed to cooperate in the field of Information & Communications Technology and Electronics
(ICTE) to facilitate, among others, the ambitious 'Digital India' programme aimed at transforming India into a
digital-empowered society and knowledge economy. The relevant Joint Declaration of Intent for cooperation in the

29
field of Information & Communications Technology and Electronics (ICTE) was signed by Secretary in the
Department of Electronics and IT R.S. Sharma, and US Ambassador to India Richard Verma. The Intent will
facilitate the 'Digital India' programme, electronic manufacturing, cyber security and several other such related
fields between two countries.
The Union Ministry of Urban Development, along with the Ministries of Tourism and Culture,launched the
HeritageDevelopment and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY).According to M Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for
Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of India, the
initiative aims to preserve, conserve, and revitalise the soul of Indian cities of heritage importance by showcasing
each citys distinctive character in an appealing, accessible, informative, and secured environment. In the first
phase of this Central sectoral scheme, 100% funding of Rs 500 crore would be provided to 12 cities.
The High Level Committee for Restructuring of Food Corporation of India submitted its report to the Prime
Minister. The Committee was chaired by Shri Shanta Kumar. The Committee was required to examine the present
day administrative, functional and financial structure of FCI and modus operandi of its various operations, and
suggest a model for restructuring FCI to improve its operational efficiency and financial management, and suggest
measures for overall improvement in management of foodgrains by FCI.

The government made it clear that Indias liability law will not be amended as it released the
understanding reached with the U.S. recently under which foreign suppliers of equipment for the nuclear
reactors cannot be sued by the victims in case of a mishap. The Foreign suppliers of the reactors cannot
be sued for the damages by victims of a nuclear accident but can be held liable by the operator who has
the right of recourse that could be operationalised through the contract between the operator and the
supplier.

Heeding the long pending demand of states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi formed a sub-group of chief
ministers under NITI Aayog to suggest further rationalisation of 66 centrally funded schemes. This could
prune the number of programmes, transfer some of them to the states and even end the not so popular
ones. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government also set up sub-groups on skill development
and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The 14th Finance Commission headed by former Reserve Bank of India
Governor YV Reddy had proposed a significant increase in the quantum of funds that the Centre gives to
the states as their share of central tax revenue as well as a major jump in the amount that they can
spend on their own without being accountable to the Centre. The Centre's assistance to states for the 66
schemes was Rs 3.38 lakh crore in 2014-15, more than double the amount of Rs 1.36 lakh crore in 201314. Flagship central schemes include Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme,
Bharat Nirman, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana. In the 11th Plan
period (2007-12), the provision for central schemes stood at over Rs 6.6 lakh crore.

The Supreme Court held that a person can be accorded Scheduled Caste (SC) status on his re-conversion
to Hinduism if he is accepted by fellow caste men and proves that either he or his forefathers previously
belonged to that caste before embracing another religion.

The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the creation of two additional benches of the Authority for Advance
Rulings (Income Tax), one in New Delhi and one new bench in Mumbai. The creation of two additional
benches of the Authority would dispose of increased number of cases and pendency of cases would be
reduced benefitting the tax payer and the Government. Besides, this will operationalise the facility of

30
advance ruling for resident tax payers. The proposed additional Benches of Authority for Advance Rulings
(Income Tax) will facilitate the cause of the resident tax payers in obtaining tax clarity in certain
situations.

Union Government blocked private email network like Yahoo and Gmail for official work. The aim of the
move is to monitor staff's online activities. Union Government notified E-mail Policy of Government of
India and Policy on use of Information Technology resources of Government of India on 18 February 2015.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a Soil Health Card scheme, under which the Centre plans to target
over 14 crore farmers in the next three years to check the excess use of fertilisers. Pointing out that soil
health has deteriorated due to high usage of fertilisers, Modi asked farmers to take care of soil. The card,
to be issued after testing soil, would help them save up to Rs 50,000 in 3 acres of land, he added.

Parliament gave nod to a Bill seeking to pave the way for plying of e-rickshaws on the roads of the
National Capital Region, with the government considering a proposal to provide credit to buy these
battery-operated vehicles. The Rajya Sabha passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to amend
the 1988 Act by a voice vote. E-rickshaws or battery-operated three-wheeler vehicles had gone off roads
after Delhi high court had banned their plying in July last year on safety concerns. On January 7, President
Pranab Mukherjee had promulgated an Ordinance as the bill to regularise e-rickshaws, passed by the Lok
Sabha on 18 December, had got stuck in Rajya Sabha. The government in October last had notified the
rules for plying of e-rickshaws, making drivers licence mandatory for operating them and limiting their
maximum speed to 25 kmph.

Parliament passed a bill to amend the Citizenship Act to remove disparity between Persons of Indian
Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2015 was
one of the six bills on which ordinances had been promulgated by the ruling NDA government. The Bill
merges Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes. It also adds that
the Union government may notify that Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders shall be considered to
be Overseas Citizen of India card holder. It also provides 30-day break to person who applies for Indian
citizenship if they have to leave India for some time.

A seven-year long wait came to an end when the Rajya Sabha on 12 March 2015 passed the Insurance
Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015. On March 4, the Lok Sabha had passed the Insurance Bill to increase
foreign investment limit in local insurers to 49 percent from 26 percent. Narendra Modi led BJP
government introduced the Insurance Bill replacing the Ordinance issued last year. The Insurance Laws
(Amendment) Bill, 2015, seeking higher foreign equity participation in Indian insurance companiesThe Bill
was first introduced in Rajya Sabha in 2008 but non concurrence amongst parties stalkled its passage
since.

President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill,
1995. It received assent nearly after 19 years it was passed by State Assembly in 1995. Key facts This bill
amends Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act 1976 and bans slaughter of bulls and bullocks in the state.

Rajasthan became the first State in the country to fix a minimum educational qualification for contesting
elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions. The Assembly passed the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj
(amendment) Bill, 2015, which makes Class VIII pass mandatory for the post of sarpanch except in

31
tribal reserved areas, where the minimum qualification is Class V and Class X for Zila Parishad or
Panchayat Samiti elections. The amendments to Section 19 of the Rajasthan Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 also
make a functional toilet mandatory in the house of a contestant.

The Supreme Court (SC) struck down the Section 66A of the Information and Technology Act 2000 calling
it unconstitutional and untenable. SC in its ruling held that Section 66A interferes with freedom of speech
and expression envisaged under Article 19 of Constitution of India and also hit the root of two cardinal
pillars of democracy liberty and freedom of expression.

Parliament passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2015. This
Bill amends certain provisions of the MMDR Act, 1957. The Amendment Bill, 2015, became necessary to
address the emergent problems in the mining industry. In the last few years, the number of new Mining
Leases granted in the country has fallen substantially. In addition, second and subsequent renewals have
also been affected by certain Supreme Court judgements. As a result, the output in the mining sector has
come down drastically, leading to import of minerals by users of those minerals. The salient provisions of
the Amendment Bill are as follows:

Removal of discretion: auction to be sole method of allotment

Impetus to the mining sector

Safeguarding interests of affected persons

Encouraging exploration and investment

Simplification of procedures and avoidance of delay

Stringent provisions against illegal mining

Union Cabinet cleared the black money bill to curb the menace of black money in the country. Union
Government is seeking to introduce this bill the current budget session of Parliament.The proposed bill
gives powers to tax authorities to track and deal with illegal wealth stashed abroad. Under the provisions
of the new Bill, the offences related to black money will be non-compoundable and the offenders will not
be permitted to approach the Settlement Commission. The bill also has provision of punishment to deal
with the black money cases. It proposes penalty at the rate of 300 per cent of taxes to be levied on the
concealed income and assets, in addition to 10 years rigorous imprisonment.

The Ministry of Railways appointed Ajay Shankar committee to review the performance of the Public
Private Partnership (PPP) cell functioning under the Railway Board.Ajay Shankar is a former Secretary,
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry constituted Ajay Shankar committee to simplify clearances. The
Expert Committee examines the possibility of replacing multiple prior permissions with pre-existing
regulatory mechanism and prepares draft legislation for this purpose.

To expedite the implementation of river interlinking programme, the Central Government constituted a
task force under former UPSC member B N Navalawala to forge a consensus amongst the states on the
issue. The Ministry of Water Resources has constituted the task force to look into all the issues related to
interlinking of rivers.

32

The Union Cabinet approved amendments to the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2013 to
protect the interests of consumers and curb the malpractices in the real estate sector. The bill seeks to
create a uniform regulatory mechanism across the country and enhance the growth of construction sector.
It also ensures to bring transparency and accountability in the real estate sector to access capital and
financial markets essential for its long term growth.

To boost eco-friendly vehicles sales, the government launched FAME India scheme that envisages to
provide Rs 795 crore support till 2020 for the manufacturing and sale of electric and hybrid vehicles. The
scheme envisages providing demand incentives to electric and hybrid vehicles -- from two-wheeler to
buses -- in range of Rs 1,800 to Rs 66 lakh.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its nod to amendments to the Prevention
of Corruption Act (PCA), 1988 by pursuing the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013. The
proposed amendments in the bill to amend parent Act mainly aim at laying down more stringent measures
to tackle corruption. It also seeks to fill in the perceived gaps in the domestic anti-corruption law as per
the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

In a rare action, a private members Bill protecting and providing rights for transgenders was passed by
the Rajya Sabha. The Bill also guarantees reservation in education and jobs, financial aid and social
inclusion. This is the first time in 45 years that a private members' Bill has been passed by the House. The
Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014, paves the way for a law on the matter in the near future.

The Rajya Sabha passed Payments and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill, 2014 .The bill seeks to
amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 so as to address the problem of insolvency in the
payment and settlement system by increasing transparency. It is also aimed at bringing India's banking
payment system in sync with international practices.

With an aim of monitoring implementation of various ongoing projects including Rail Budget proposals,
railways launched E-Samiksha, an online monitoring mechanism. It is a very good beginning and now
each and every project implementation can be monitored on real-time basis, Railway Minister Suresh
Prabhu announced after launching the system. Apart from budget-related projects, the E-Samiksha can
also be used for monitoring the infrastructure target and board meeting follow-up.

Lok Sabha passed The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The Bill amends the Negotiable
Instruments Act, 1881 in order to make cheque-bounce filing of cases more convenient for check payees
(person who receives the cheque). The bill adds provision to specify the territorial jurisdiction of the courts
in cases related to bouncing of cheques which was not present in the parent Act. It says that cases in this
regard need to be filed only in a court in whose jurisdiction the bank branch of the payee lies. The bill was
necessitated due to a Supreme Court order that cases against those having defaulted on their cheque
payments could only be filed in courts under which jurisdiction the bank account of the accused fell.

Lok Sabha passed the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill, 2015 by a voice
vote. The bill seeks to deal with the menace of black money and to replace the Income Tax (IT) Act, 1961
for the taxation of foreign income. The bill will now go to Rajya Sabha. Under the proposed law, there
would be a short compliance window within which persons with undisclosed income abroad can come

33
clean by paying 30 per cent tax and 30 per cent penalty. Once the window closes, anyone found having
undeclared overseas wealth would be required to pay 30 per cent tax, 90 per cent penalty and face
criminal prosecution. There could be a two-month window to declare overseas assets and income and a
six-month period to pay tax and penalty.

The parliament of India passed the 119th constitutional amendment bill 2013, which now after the assent
of the President will enter in to the statue book [as Constitution 100th Amendment Act 2015]. The 119th
constitutional amendment bill 2013 seeks to ratify the land boundary agreement between India and
Bangladesh.

A controversial Bill, Juvenile Justice Bill that provides for trying juveniles aged between 16 and 18 years
for heinous crimes under laws for adults was cleared by the Lok Sabha. The government, arguing that the
Bill had been framed to ensure no injustice was done to innocent children, finally used its numbers to
squash all Opposition fears about possible misuse of the law. Women and Child Development Minister
Maneka Gandhi, who piloted the Bill, told the House that she had tried to be pro-child and to strike a
fine balance between justice to victims and rights of children.

Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014 which is also known as Constitution (122nd
Amendment) Bill. The Bill seeks to amend the Constitution in order to introduce the goods and services
tax (GST). Consequently, the bill also seeks to carry out new indirect tax regime in the country that will
subsume various central and state levies like sales tax, excise and service tax except taxes on the supply
of alcoholic liquor for human consumption and petroleum products.

Former Union Minister and BJP MP S.S. Ahluwalia was appointed chairman of a Joint Committee of
Parliament that will go into the provisions of the controversial land acquisition Bill. Mr. Ahluwalia is a BJP
Lok Sabha member from Darjeeling in West Bengal. Almost the entire Opposition and even some allies of
the ruling NDA such as the Shiv Sena and the Swabhimani Paksha, are against the various provisions of
the amendment Bill brought by the government.The Congress and the Left parties have been specially
targeting the Modi dispensation as anti-farmer and pro-corporate. The 30-member Joint Committee of the
Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will submit its report on the first day of the monsoon session.

The controversial land ordinance was re-promulgated for the third time with President Pranab Mukherjee
giving his assent notwithstanding opposition protests over the measure,insisting it was necessary for
maintaining continuity and providing a framework to compensate people whose land is acquired. The
ordinance was promulgated for the first time in December last year to amend the Right to Fair
Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. It was
then replaced by a bill. While Lok Sabha passed it with 10 official amendments, the government did not
take it to Rajya Sabha where it lacked majority. The ordinance was re-promulgated in March this year and
would have lapsed on June 3. To re-promulgate the ordinance, the government had prorogued Rajya
Sabha. An amended land acquisition bill is under consideration of a joint committee of parliament.

Union Ministry of Finance constituted a Committee on Revisiting and Revitalizing the Public Private
Partnership (PPP) Model of Infrastructure Development under the Chairmanship of Vijay Kelkar.Vijay
Kelkar is a former Finance Secretary and Chairman, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy
(NIPFP), New Delhi.

34

The Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs notified the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2014 in the Official
Gazette. The act received the assent of the President of India in early May 2015. Sixteen amendments
pertaining to winding up of companies, board resolutions, bail provisions and utilisation of unclaimed
dividends have been incorporated into the Act by amending the Companies Act, 2013.

Union Government gave nod for promulgation of Ordinance to amend Negotiable Instruments Act,
1881.The ordinance paves way for filing of cheque bounce cases in place where the cheque was issued.
This move that will benefit around 18 lakh people involved in such cheque bounce cases.

The panel on restructuring of the Indian Railways, headed by Mr. Debroy, submitted its final report. The
committee has set a five-year timeframe for implementing its recommendations and has suggested doing
away with the Railway Budget, Improving accountability, decentralising power and setting up an
independent regulator are the key recommendations.

Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejunivetion Uma Bharti launched
nationwide Jal Kranti Abhiyan from Jaipur, Rajasthan. The aim is to consolidate water conservation and
management in the country.

Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi launched the Indian Academy of
Pediatrics (IAP) Health Phone programme in Delhi. The programme is the world's largest digital mass
education programme for addressing malnutrition in women and children. This programme has been
launched by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) in partnership with the Ministry of Women and Child
Development, UNICEF and supported by Vodafone India. This programme aims to tackle the challenge of
malnutrition in mothers and children across India.

Union Cabinet approved introduction of Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 in coming session of
Parliament. The new bill seeks to replace the existing Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act, 1986 with an
aim to bring in more products under the mandatory standard regime and end the inspector raj.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) announced that it will soon constitute an expert
group to regulate salt, sugar and fat in food products, following a Delhi High Court order. The committee
will advise FSSAI on matters related to health risks, dietary intake and current levels of sugar, salt and fat
in products in the market. It will also provide recommendations on regulations and labelling of these
elements in food being manufactured, sold, marketed and imported.

Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) notified an order to make Universal Account Number (UAN)
mandatory for all employers covered under the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions
Act, 1952. The UAN facility that remains portable throughout the lifetime of an employee was launched by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2014.

Union Government launches National Mission for Skill Development

This mission aims to develop the institutional capacity to train a minimum of 300 million people by the year 2022.
GoI launches 4 Schemes for Skill Development
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched four schemes - National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
2015, National Skill Development Mission (NSDM), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and Skill Loan

35
scheme-aimed at achieving the vision of the umbrella scheme, Skill India. They were launched on the occasion of
the first-ever World Youth Skills Day in New Delhi. The four initiatives are aimed at making India as a hub of
worlds human resource capital.
Soil Health Card Portal launched
Union Agriculture Minister, Radha Mohan launched the Soil Health Card Portal. The portal has been developed for
registration of soil samples, recording test results of soil samples and generation of Soil Health Cards (SHC),
including fertilizer recommendations.
Fertilizer Quality Control System Portal (FQCS) launched
FQCS is a web based application developed by NIC (National Informatics Centre) for processing sample collection,
testing and generation of analysis reports of fertilizers. The system will lead to automation of most of the manual
activities and help in online tracking the status of the sample.
Participatory Guarantee System launched by Agriculture Ministry
Participatory Guarantee System was launched to ensure certifications for organic products, which guarantees
agriculture production in accordance with the standards laid down for organic products.
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana launched
The PM launched the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana in New Delhi. This program aims to impart skill training
to 24 lakh youth during 2015-16 with focus in first time entrants to the labor market and class10 and 12-dropouts.
National Career Counseling Portal launched
Union Government launched the National Career Counseling Portal to modernize all government-run employment
exchanges. The portal was launched as part of the National Career Service (NCS) project of Union Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship.
Surakshit Khadya Abhiyaan
Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan launched the Surakshit
Khadya Abhiyan. It is a countrywide program aimed at creating mass awareness and capacity building for safe and
hygienic food.
Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) launched
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi launched Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) in Patna. This
scheme is aimed at electrification of villages and improvement of power transmission infrastructure in the rural
areas. The Scheme has an outlay of Rs. 76,000 crore for implementation of the projects under which Union
Government shall provide a grant of Rs. 63,000 crore.
SAMANVAY
Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh launched SAMANVAY, a compilation of all schemes of both
Union and State governments for Gram Panchayats. SAMANVAY was launched with an aim to help MPs in utilizing
relevant schemes in the planning and implementation of Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY). It will also compile
all information on gram panchayat activities on the schemes undertaken by the Centre and State Governments.

36
Suraksha Bandhan Mission
Union Government launched Suraksha Bandhan drive in a Mission Mode through participating banks and insurance
companies to facilitate enrolment under social security schemes. The schemes are Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima
Yojana (PMSBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY). Participating
Banks supported by the participating Insurance Companies will work towards local outreach, awareness building
and enrolment facilitation during this drive.
Nai Manzil scheme launched in Patna
The Union Minister for Minority Affairs Najma Heptulla launched a new Central Sector Scheme Nai Manzil in Patna.
The scheme will address educational and livelihood needs of minority communities in general and muslims in
particular as it lags behind other minority communities in terms of educational attainments.
School Nursery Yojana
Union Government launched the School Nursery Yojana, an initiative to bring students closer to nature. The Yojana
seeks to engage class VI to IX in planting saplings in nurseries in schools. The scheme seeks to plant a tree for
sustainable future and to make the nation clean and green.
RBI notifies new Interest Subvention Scheme
Reserve Bank of India notified the Union Budget-2015-16 Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS) and asked all banks
to provide interest concession of 2 percent on short-term crop loans of up to Rs. 3 lakh.

The Ministry for Water Resources constituted a seven-member committee led by former Planning
Commission member Mihir Shah to restructure the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central
Ground Water Board (CGWB) to encourage optimal development of water resources in the country.
With most Indian rivers found to be polluted as per a Central Pollution Control Board assessment, the
move holds the potential to help revive rivers in a big way.

Shares of various Jewellery retailers rose on BSE after Union Cabinet gave its approval for
introduction of Gold Monetization Scheme, as announced in the Union Budget 2015-16. Gold
Monetization Scheme (GMS) would benefit the Indian gems and jewellery sector which is a major
contributor to India's exports. In fiscal year 2014-15, gems and jewellery constituted 12% of India's
total exports and the value of gold items alone was more than $13 billion. The new scheme consists of
the revamped Gold Deposit Scheme (GDS) and a revamped Gold Metal Loan (GML) Scheme. The
revamped GDS and the GML Scheme involves changes in the scheme guidelines only. The risk of gold
price changes will be borne by the Gold Reserve Fund that is being created. Under the revamped GML
Scheme, a gold metal loan account, denominated in grams of gold, will be opened by the bank for
jewelers. The gold mobilized through the revamped GDS, under the short-term option, will be
provided to jewelers on loan, on the basis of the terms and conditions set-out by banks, under the
guidance of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). When a gold loan is sanctioned, the jewelers will receive
physical delivery of gold from refiners. The banks will, in turn, make the requisite entry in the
jewelers' gold loan account. The interest rate charged on the GML will be decided by banks, with
guidance from the RBI.

The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme (bonds will be issued on
payment of money and would be linked to the price of gold). The purpose of the scheme is to reduce

37
the demand for physical gold and to shift part of the estimated 300 tons of physical bars and coins
purchased every year for investment into Demat (Dematerialised) gold bonds.

Rajasthan became the first state in the country to submit State Annual Action Plan under Atal Mission
for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) targeting universal coverage in respect of water
supply connections and sewerage connections to all urban households in the state. The State
Government proposed projects under these two categories worth Rs.1,087 cr for approval by the
Union Urban Development Ministry during the current financial year.

The Rajasthan Assembly

passed separate Bills providing five per cent reservation to Gujjars and

other communities under Special Backward Classes (SBC) and 14 per cent to Economically Backward
Classes (EBC) of unreserved categories. The House also passed resolutions requesting the state
government to make efforts to get the Bills Rajasthan Special Backward Classes (Reservation of
Seats in Educational Institutes in the State and of Appointments and Posts in Services under the
State) Bill 2015 and Rajasthan Economically Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Educational
Institutes in the State and of Appointments and Posts in Services under the State) Bill 2015
included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. With the passing of the Bills, the State exceeds the
50 per cent limit of reservation laid down by the Supreme Court as the reservation under Scheduled
Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBC categories remains unchanged. Vasundhara Raje-led previous BJP
government had in 2008 passed a Bill providing 5 per cent reservation to SBC and 14 per cent to EBC
but it was stayed by the High Court. This time the government decided to bring in separate Bills for
both the categories.

An expert committee was formed by the government to examine various issues related to age
relaxation, eligibility, syllabus and pattern of civil services examination to select IAS and IPS officers.
Based on the report of the committee, further changes in the civil services exam pattern will be
contemplated with the primary objective of providing a level-playing field to aspirants from diverse
streams of curriculum like mathematics, engineering, medicine or humanities. The panel was formed
as follow-up to the decision taken by the government in May this year to form such a committee. The
panel will be headed by former Chhattisgarh-cadre IAS officer B S Baswan and consist of leading
academicians, technocrats and senior bureaucrats.

Government think-tank NITI Aayog constituted an expert group on land leasing, headed by former
CACP chairman T Haque.The 10 member committee will have representation from Andhra
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Maharashtra, Assam, Rajasthan and Meghalaya The terms of the
reference of the expert committee are to review the existing agricultural tenancy laws of states,
including hilly states and schedule areas, to examine the distinctive features of land system in
erstwhile

zamindari,

ryotwari

and

mahalwari

areas.

Besides,

it

would

suggest

appropriate

amendments, keeping in view the need to legalise and liberalise land leasing for much needed
agricultural efficiency, equity, occupational diversification, and rapid rural transformation. It will also
prepare a model agricultural land leasing act in consultation with states.

Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari launched the Green
Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification & Maintenance) Policy, 2015 .The aim of the
policy is to promote greening of Highway corridors with participation of the community, farmers,
private sector, NGOs, and government institutions. The Green Highway Policy will help in making
India pollution free. It will also help in curtailing the number of road accidents in India. The vision of
the policy is to provide dignified employment to local people and communities.

38

In line with the 'Digital India', a knowledge portal for dissemination of detailed information on Indian
Railways was launched by railway minister Suresh Prabhu. Indian Railway Knowledge Portal is an
initiative of the National Academy of Indian Railways and has aggregated most of the available
knowledge about Indian Railways at one location by linking websites, documents for dissemination of
knowledge on the public transporter.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved World Bank assisted National
Watershed Management Project- Neeranchal. The project will ensure access to irrigation to every
farmland (Har Khet Ko Pani) and help to achieve objectives of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana
(PMKSY) for efficient use of water (Per Drop More Crop).

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the second phase of Mission Indradhanush to
achieve full immunisation of children below two years. In the second phase, the week-long
programme will be implemented in 352 districts of the country. Mission Indradhanush depicts 7
colours of the rainbow which aims to cover all those children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated or
are partially vaccinated against 7 vaccine preventable diseases. These 7 diseases are Diphtheria,
Whooping cough, Tetanus, Polio, Tuberculosis, Measles and Hepatitis B. WHO (World Health
Organisation), UNICEF, Rotary International and others are donor partners for Mission Indradhanush.

Union Government launched KISAN (Crop Insurance using Space Technology and Geoinformatics)
Project to benefit farmers. This project will favour use of satellites, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles)
and other geospatial technology to collect crop yield data and to assess damage from natural
calamities.

Government approved the formation of the Indian Skill Development Service (ISDS), a Group 'A'
service of the technical cadre of the ministry of skill development & entrepreneurship (MSD&E). It was
earlier called the directorate general of employment & training under the ministry of labour
employment.

The Ministry of Law & Justice notified that the Delhi High Court Amendment Act, 2015, which received
the assent of the President in August this year, was brought into force. The Act provides for
enhancement of pecuniary jurisdiction of the District Courts of Delhi from Rs. 20 lakh to Rs. 2 crore.
The last revision of pecuniary jurisdiction of District Courts in Delhi was done in 2003, when it was
raised from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh. Increasing the pecuniary jurisdiction of Districts Courts of Delhi
would lessen the burden of Delhi High Court and there would be substantive improvement in disposal
of cases in subordinate Courts.

Amid unrelenting protests by students against the scrapping of the non-NET fellowship by the
University Grants Commission, the government appointed a five-member panel to review the research
grants offered by UGC which has been asked to continue all existing grants. The government
reiterated that it has directed the UGC not to implement the decision to discontinue the non-NET
fellowships.

Indian and France signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conserve, develop and publicize
written heritage at the National Library in Kolkata, West Bengal.

The Finance Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley, launched an e-Sahyog pilot project which furthers the
Departments commitment to work in an e-environment and reduces the need for the taxpayer to
physically appear before tax authorities. The e-Sahyog project launched on a pilot basis is aimed at

39
reducing compliance cost, especially for small taxpayers. The objective of e-Sahyog is to provide an
online mechanism to resolve mismatches in Income-tax returns of those assesses whose returns have
been selected for scrutiny, without visiting the Income Tax Office. Under this initiative the Department
will provide an end to end e-service using SMS, e-mails to inform the tax assesses of the mismatch.

Union Government constituted a committee to simplify the provisions of the Income Tax Act (IT),
1961 under the Chairmanship of former Delhi High Court Judge, Justice R.V. Easwar. The committee,
constituted for one year, will suggest modifications and alternatives to the existing provisions and
identified areas in order to bring predictability and certainty in tax laws without substantial impact on
the revenue collection and tax base.

The third India-Africa forum summit (IAFS) began in New Delhi on 26 October 2015. The four day
summit (from 26 October to 30 October 2015) was one of the largest gatherings of African countries
outside Africa as all 54 nations of the continent participated. It addressed the key challenges faced by
African nations includin food, health and environmental security etc. It also provided

India an

opportunity to forge a constructive and deeper alliance with the resource-rich continent.

The Supreme Court struck down the Narendra Modi government's move to take away the power of
appointing judges from judges and vesting it on a more transparent body. The apex court instead
promised to usher in reforms to make the collegium system more transparent and accountable. The
top court struck down both the laws passed by the Modi government amending the Constitution to
create the National Judicial Appointments Commission to handle all future appointment of judges.

40

ECONOMY & BANKING

The Government has replaced Planning Commission with a new institution named NITI Aayog (National
Institution for Transforming India). The institution will serve as Think Tank of the Government-a
directional and policy dynamo. NITI Aayog will provide Governments at the central and state levels with
relevant strategic and technical advice 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
within the country as well as from other nations, the infusion of new policy ideas and specific issue-based
support.

The Union Cabinet approved the largest ever telecom spectrum auction that is targeted to fetch at least
Rs.64,840 crore from the sale in February 2015. The government will sell 380.75 megahertz of second
generation (2G) spectrum in three bands the premium 800 MHz, 900 MHz and 1800 MHz. Spectrum in
2100 MHz may also be put on auction simultaneously after Defence Ministry vacates it. The government
had garnered about Rs.62,162 crore from the last auction in February, 2014. Proceeds from this years
auction will help government reach its fiscal deficit target of 4.1 per cent of GDP.

Forward Markets Commission gave approval to agri commodity bourse NCDEX (National Commodity and
Derivative Exchange) to launch forward contracts in additional seven commodities including some pulses.
The approval has been given to launch both transferable and non-transferable specific delivery forward
contracts at a fixed price in urad, tur, yellow peas, yellow soya bean meal, pepper, RBD palmolein and
bajra.

Indias Index of Industrial production (IIP) grew 3.8 percent in November 2014. IIP was released by
Central Statistics Office of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation for the month of
November with base 2004-05.

Raghuram Rajan, Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Mario Draghi, President of the European
Central Bank (ECB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of central
banking. The MoU provides a framework for regular exchange of information, policy dialogue and technical
cooperation between the two institutions. Technical cooperation may take the form of joint seminars and
workshops in areas of mutual interest in the field of central banking, said the RBI.

The Reserve Bank of India cut its repo interest rate by 25 basis points to 7.75 per cent in a surprise move,
making its first reduction in a year as inflation showed signs of slowing and the government was making
efforts to contain the fiscal deficit. The RBI added it could cut interest rates further should inflation
continue to ease, while it would also monitor the government's progress on fiscal consolidation. Helped by
plunging global oil prices, India's wholesale price index for December rose just 0.11 percent year-on-year,
after staying flat in November.

National Fertilizers Limited (NFL), Engineers India Limited (EIL) and Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCIL)
signed an agreement to form a joint venture company (JVC) for setting up new ammonia and urea plants
at the existing site of Ramagundam Fertilizer plant in Karimnagar district of Telengana. The joint venture
agreement for the new company, named Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited, was signed in
the presence of Ananth Kumar, Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, and Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of
State for Petroleum and Natural Gas.

In its latest World Economic Outlook report released in January 2015, the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) projected that India will grow 6.5 per cent in 2016, overtaking China which, it projected, will

41
slowdown to 6.3 per cent. For 2015, the IMF forecast India will grow at 6.3 per cent, up from 5.8 per cent
in 2014. Chinas 2014 growth rate was 7.4 per cent. In a separate forecast, the United Nations World
Economic Situation and Prospects UN WESP report too predicted a smart recovery for India during 2015.It
pegged its 2015 India growth forecast lower than the IMFs at 5.9 per cent. At 6.3 per cent, the UNWESP
2016 India growth forecast is, however, closer to that of the IMF. The IMF said that global growth will
receive a boost from lower oil prices, which reflect to an important extent higher supply. But this boost is
projected to be more than offset by negative factors, including investment weakness as adjustment to
diminished expectations about medium-term growth continues in many advanced and emerging market
economies. It cut its global growth projection for 2015 to 3.5 per cent and for 2016 to 3.7 percent,
downward revisions of 0.3 per cent relative to its October 2014 forecast.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) cleared a proposal of HDFC Bank to raise Rs 10,000
crore from foreign investors. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the HDFC
Bank proposal that will raise its foreign holding to 74 per cent, enabling inflow of around Rs 10,000 crore
from overseas investors. Total foreign investment in HDFC Bank was 73.39 per cent at the end of June
2014. It had come down to 73.2 per cent at the end of September. The funds would be raised by issuing
shares to non- resident Indians or FIIs or foreign portfolio investors subjected to aggregate foreign
shareholding not exceeding 74 per cent of the post issue paid up capital.

The government has decided to offer Coal India Limited (CIL) shares at a floor price of Rs 358 a piece for
offloading up to 10-per cent stake in the staterun behemoth, which would fetch an estimated Rs 22,600
crore. Government is planning to divest 5 per cent stake in the company via share sale and the remaining
5 per cent through the green-shoe option.Currently, the government holds 89.65 per cent stake in CIL. As
per the minimum shareholding norms for listed companies, the government needs to lower its stake to 75
percent.

India and United States signed three Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) to give a boost to the Centre's
flagship 'smart cities' scheme.The U.S. has agreed to partner with Indian in developing three smart cities
in Allahabad, Ajmer, and Visakhapatnam. As per the pacts, the U.S. will assist the cities in project
planning, infrastructure development, feasibility studies and capacity building.The State Governments for
their part will provide resources like technical information and data related to smart cities planning; staff,
logistical and travel support and budgetary resources.

Union Cabinet has given its nod for conducting FM Phase-III auction and renewal of Private FM Radio
licenses from Phase-II to Phase-III in 69 existing cities for 135 channels.

The government has decided to infuse Rs. 6,990 crore in nine public sector banks (PSBs) out of the
current years budget to strengthen their capital base. The capital infusion has been done on the basis of
their efficiency in performance. The countrys top lender State Bank of India got the maximum of Rs.
2,970 crore, followed by Bank of Baroda (Rs. 1,260 crore), Punjab National Bank (Rs. 870 crore), Canara
Bank (Rs.570 crore) and Syndicate Bank (Rs. 460 crore). To infuse capital on efficiency parameters,
weighted average of return on assets (ROA) for all PSBs for last three years was put together and all
PSBs, which were above the average, were considered for capital infusion. The second parameter that was
considered was return on equity (ROE) for these banks during the last financial year, and similarly those
performing better than average have been rewarded. So far, the Union government was infusing capital to
those banks hit by equity erosion. The other four banks chosen for capital infusion include Allahabad Bank
(Rs. 320 crore), Indian Bank (Rs. 280 crore), Dena Bank (Rs. 140 crore) and Andhra Bank (Rs. 120
crore).

42

The Reserve Bank of India announced that soon the currency notes of one rupees denomination will be in
circulation. The notes will be printed by the Government of India. RBI in its release informed that these
currency notes are legal tender as provided in The Coinage Act 2011.

Telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a report on subscriber base.
India telecom subscriber base reaches all-time high at 970 million at the end of December 2014.The
number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 964.20 million at the end of November 2014 to
970.97 million at the end of December 2014. This surpasses the previous record of 965.5 million reached
in June 2012. The total broadband subscribers base increased by 4.28% on monthly basis to 85.7 million
at the end of December 2014 from 82 million in November 2014.Bharti Airtel has maintained its
leadership with 217.2 million mobile customers. It is followed by Vodafone with 178.6 million mobile
subscribers, Idea Cellular 150.5 million, Reliance Communications 106.2 million, BSNL 81.3 million, Aircel
78.6 million, Tata Teleservices 66.1 million and Uninor 43.6 million.

The Reporters without Borders (RWB) released the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) 2015. In the WPFI
2015, India was placed at 136th position out of 180 nations that were surveyed worldwide in terms of
press freedom. In the top of the list were three Scandinavian countries: Finland on the 1st position
followed by Norway and Denmark. At the other end of the scale, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea
were the worst performers securing the last places in the index. The 2015 World Press Freedom Index
highlights the worldwide deterioration in freedom of information in 2014. World Press Freedom Index is
produced by France-based international non-governmental organization Reporters without Borders (RWB).
WPFI aims to promote and defends freedom of information and freedom of the press. The WPFI ranks the
performance of countries according to index calculated based upon various parameters. These parameters
include media pluralism and independence, respect for the safety and freedom of journalists and the
legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which the media operate.

Ratnakar Bank Ltd. has signed an agreement with technology major IBM to use the latters Mobile First
Platform to build, deploy and manage its applications, aimed at improving the overall customer
experience.

Reliance Industries has teamed up with the nations largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) to apply for
a payments bank licence.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has tied up with Amazon.in to sell various
products to IRCTC customers. However, the products are not sold on IRCTCs website, instead clicking on
Shop by Amazon redirects users to Amazon.in, which sports an IRCTC logo on it.

In a bid to boost fixed line phone connections in the country, telecom regulator Trai removed charges that
a landline service provider has to pay to the other service providers for transmitting its customers' phone
calls - a move that is likely to lead to lower tariffs. Now, calls made from landline-to-landline or landlineto- mobiles will not include the interconnection charge, which was 20 paise.

Trai has also reduced

network interconnection usage charges (IUC) on callsmade from mobile phones by about 30 per cent to
14 paise per call from 20 paise earlier.

In order to facilitate 'Ease of Doing Business', the Government launched a single window government-tobusiness (G2B) portal for 11 central government services.

The services, available on the portal,

www.ebiz.gov.in, include those from Corporate Affairs Ministry (MCA), Reserve Bank of India (RBI),
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Directorate
General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

43

Indian citizens living abroad will now be able to file consular grievances online as the government
Saturday

launched

an

e-portal

to

address

such

complaints

promptly

with

high

degree

of

accountability.The portal Madad (Help) was launched by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who
said the grievance monitoring facility would enhance accessibility for people and fix greater
accountability and responsibility on officials. Among the chief characteristics of Madad are to speed up
forwarding and handling of complaints, improve tracking and redressal and escalate unresolved cases.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced a budget aimed at high growth, saying the pace of cutting the
fiscal deficit would slow as he seeks to boost investment and ensure that ordinary people benefit. Here are
the highlights of Jaitley's budget for the fiscal year that begins on April 1:-

Taxation

Abolition of Wealth Tax.

Additional 2% surcharge for the super rich with income of over Rs. 1 crore.

Rate of corporate tax to be reduced to 25% over next four years.

No change in tax slabs.

Total exemption of up to Rs. 4,44,200 can be achieved.

100% exemption for contribution to Swachch Bharat, apart from CSR.

Service tax increased to14 per cent.

Agriculture

Rs. 25,000 crore for Rural Infrastructure Development Bank.

Rs. 5,300 crore to support Micro Irrigation Programme.

Farmers credit - target of 8.5 lakh crore.

Infrastructure

Rs. 70,000 crores to Infrastructure sector.

Tax-free bonds for projects in rail road and irrigation

PPP model for infrastructure development to be revitalised and govt. to bear majority of the risk.

Atal Innovation Mission to be established to draw on expertise of entrepreneurs, and researchers to foster
scientific innovations; allocation of Rs. 150 crore.

Govt. proposes to set up 5 ultra mega power projects, each of 4000MW.

Education

AIIMS in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Assam.

IIT in Karnataka; Indian School of Mines in Dhanbad to be upgraded to IIT.

PG institute of Horticulture in Amritsar.

Kerala to have University of Disability Studies

Centre of film production, animation and gaming to come up in Arunachal Pradesh.

IIM for Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh.

Defence

Allocation of Rs. 2,46,726 crore; an increase of 9.87 per cent over last year.

Focus on Make in India for quick manufacturing of Defence equipment.

44
Welfare Schemes

GST and JAM trinity (Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and Mobile) to improve quality of life and to pass benefits
to common man.

Six crore toilets across the country under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

MUDRA bank will refinance micro finance orgs. to encourage first generation SC/ST entrepreneurs.

Housing for all by 2020.

Upgradation 80,000 secondary schools.

DBT will be further be expanded from 1 crore to 10.3 crore.

For the Atal Pension Yojana, govt. will contribute 50% of the premium limited to Rs. 1,000 a year.

New scheme for physical aids and assisted living devices for people aged over 80.

Govt. to use Rs. 9,000 crore unclaimed funds in PPF/EPF for Senior Citizens Fund.

Rs. 5,000 crore additional allocations for MGNREGA.

Govt. to create universal social security system for all Indians.

Financial Sector

Forward Markets Commission to be merged with the Securities and Exchange Board of India

NBFCs registered with the RBI and having asset size of Rs 500 crore and above to be considered as
financial institution under Sarfaesi Act, 2002, enabling them to fund SME and mid-corporate businesses

Permanent Establishment norms to be modified to that mere presence of offshore fund managers in the
country does not lead to adverse tax consequences.

Indian Railways inked an MoU with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to raise Rs 1.5 lakh crore for financing
the development of its various commercially viable infrastructure projects.

Five public sector undertakings (PSUs) will be closed down by the government, which has included some
of the best known state-run enterprises like Air India, MTNL and Hindustan Shipyard, in the list of 65 sick
PSUs. The five state-run organizations to be closed down include three HMT units whose brand of watches
and tractors once ruled the market,. Air India and MTNL, once market leaders in aviation and mobile
telephony sectors respectively, were declared sick as per the criteria for a PSU to be declared as such,
after they incurred losses worth 50 per cent or more of their average net worth during four preceding
years.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 March 2015 cut down repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.5 percent
from 7.75 percent, with immediate effect. However, RBI kept the cash reserve ratio (CRR) unchanged at 4
percent. It is the second change in rates by 25 basis points since January 2015. This change, is in
accordance with the fiscal consolidation measures announced in the Budget.

The Budget 2015-16 is a vision document that encompasses the Governments long term goals of
development by 2022 as several projects has been targeted to be achieved by that period. It had laid
down the vision of the Government by empowering Indian states, corporate and individuals. The Budget
math kept the fiscal deficit at 3.9% for FY2015-16 which in all likelihood is likely to be contained within
the limit because of a host of positive factors more particularly decline in crude oil prices and cut in
subsidies. Fiscal deficit target for FY16-17 has been set at 3.5% and it is set at 3% for FY17-18. Oil has
been pegged at $70/ a barrel despite the current price of $62 currently which shows the intent to rather
under shoot than overshoot. But there are less soft measures and more harsh measures from taxes point
of view as it has made clear that development will come at a cost and cost has to be borne by the rich and
the affluent. The Budget speech highlighted three major achievements of the Government which lays the

45
boundary for participation from broader sections of society in economic development, i.e, Financial
inclusion that brought 12.5 crore families under financial mainstream in 100 days; transparent coal
auctions that garnered a `100000 crores, and Swatch Bharat Mission that has become not only a symbol
of hygiene and cleanliness but also a tool to regenerate India. A final timeline of GST implementation is
set from April 1, 2016, which is the much awaited reform that would help ease doing business and prop
up the economy. The Year 2022 has been labeled as significant as Indias 75th year of Independence and
marked as Amrut Mahostav. The Government targets 2crores houses for urban India and 4 crores houses
for rural India, with basic facilities of sanitation, Water. Road connectivity and 24 X 7 electricity by that
period. The broader objective of the Budget 2015-16, in a nutshell, is that the Finance Minister has laid
down the vision for a long term India growth story by being a facilitator with minimum government and
maximum governance.

India and Mauritius inked 5 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) to give new impetus to bilateral cooperation between the two nations. The MoUs were signed in Port Luis in presence of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Sir Anerood Jugnuth.

The government is set to earn Rs 1.1 lakh crore from the spectrum auction that concluded on March 25,
with eight operators jostling to buy precious radiowaves after 19 days and 115 rounds of fierce bidding.
The process of auction was conducted for 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz spectrum covering
both mobile telephony and broadband, including 4th Generation (4G). However, mobile tariffs are likely to
go up to meet the high cost of spectrum following the aggressive bidding. The Comptroller and Auditor
General had estimated a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer from not auctioning spectrum.
Revenue from spectrum suction is also key for the government to adhere to its fiscal deficit the
measure of the amount of money the government borrows to fund it expenses target.

Railway passengers can now book their tickets, do shopping and pay service bills using RuPay pre-paid
cards, as the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) launched the debit card service in
collaboration with the Union Bank of India and the National Payment Corporation of India. RuPay is India's
own card payment gateway network like Visa and Master Card, and provides an alternative system for
banks to provide a debit card service. IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director A K Manocha said the card
is a first-of-its-kind in the market as both virtual as well as physical cards are being issued to customers in
two variants.Cards can be made available from UBI offices or through IRCTC online. Initially the service
will be available for booking tickets and later on shopping and bill payments.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved guidelines to govern international financial
services centres (IFSC). Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), coming up near Ahmedabad,
is expected to be the first such centre. In a slew of reforms, the capital market regulator also paved the
way for municipal bonds for infrastructure projects in urban areas. In addition, it revised the norms for
conversion of the debt of a stressed listed company into equity by banks and financial institutions and
tightened disclosure norms.

Union Government's Ministry of Food Processing has approved 17 mega food parks for food processing
across the country. Out of 72 proposals received, the ministry approved 17 food parks from both state
governments and private players. 7 mega food parks have been allocated to state governments and 10 to
private sector. Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, have been allocated one food park
each, while Kerala government has been allocated 2 food parks. Adani Ports, Jain Agro Trading Company
and Ruchi Acroni Industries are among 10 private players who have been allocated food parks by the
Centre. The estimated cost of these 17 mega food parks is Rs 2,030 crore, of which the government's
contribution would be of Rs 850 crore. The Mega Food Park Scheme aims at facilitating the establishment

46
of a strong food processing industry in the country. It will be backed by an efficient supply chain, which
includes collection centres, central processing center (CPC) and cold chain infrastructure.

India has overtaken the US to become the third-largest steel producer in the world with a production of
14.56 million tonnes (MT) in first two months of the year.India has been the fourth-largest steel producer
for the past five years, behind China, Japan and the US. Data compiled by World Steel Association (WSA)
showed that the country's production growth was the highest during the January-February period at 7.6
per cent as compared to the global average of just 0.6 per cent at 127.6 MT.

The Reserve Bank of India signed the Currency Swap Agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The
Central Bank of Sri Lanka can make drawals of US Dollar or Euro in multiple tranches up to a maximum of
US$ 400 million or its equivalent. This is expected to further economic co-operation between the two
countries.The agreement is valid for a period of three years from the date of signing. The swap
arrangement is intended to provide a backstop line of funding for the SAARC member countries to meet
any balance of payments and liquidity crises till longer term arrangements are made or if there is need for
short-term liquidity due to market turbulence. The arrangement will also further financial stability in the
region.

The Reserve Bank of India penalised 16 central cooperative banks with a fine of Rs 5 lakh each for nonadherence of the Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering guidelines.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Mudra bank which will provide loans of up to Rs 10 lakh to
small entrepreneurs including shopkeepers and beauty parlour owners, hoping that it will promote growth
and create jobs. Short for Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Bank, the financial institution
will act as a regulator for micro-finance institutions (MFIs). Mudra Bank will have a corpus of Rs 20,000
crore.

The Reserve Bank of India notified government's decision to raise foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in
the insurance sector to 49 per cent. The RBI notification follows DIPP, Commerce Ministry's press note in
March regarding operationalisation of increased FDI limit of up to 49 per cent in the insurance sector. The
FDI cap in the sector has been hiked to 49 per cent and that includes foreign investment in the forms of
FPI, FII, QFI, FVCI, NRI and DR. A foreign player can now invest in insurance company, insurance brokers,
third party administrators, surveyors and loss assessors and other insurance intermediaries appointed
under the provisions of IRDA Act 1999.

Capital market regulator Sebi raised the transaction limit in exchange traded currency derivatives to 15
million US Dollars, from 10 million dollars previously, for both foreign and domestic investors without
having any underlying exposure.

The World Bank released South Asia Economic Focus report which has projected the economic growth of
South Asia for the year 2016 and 2017 i.e. It will increase from 7 percent in 2015 to 7.6 percent by
2017. Together with favorable food prices, cheaper oil has contributed to a rapid deceleration of inflation.
South Asia went from having the highest inflation rate among developing regions to having the lowest in
barely one year. In India, GDP growth is expected to accelerate to 7.5 per cent in fiscal year 2015/16. It
could reach 8 per cent in FY 2017/18, on the back of significant acceleration of investment growth to 12
per cent during FY 2016-FY 2018, the bank said in its semi-annual report. The report highlighted that
India has already taken encouraging steps to decouple international oil prices from fiscal deficits and to
introduce carbon taxation to address the negative externalities from the use of fossil fuels. The World
Economic Forum (WEF) report said India needs a "stable policy framework" to bring in private investments
for developing urban infrastructure which faces a fund shortage of $110 billion. As India needs more than

47
$640 billion investments between 2012 and 2031 to deliver basic infrastructure for the country's growing
urban population. With 410 million city dwellers, India has the world's second largest urban population, it
noted.

India and France signed 17 agreements, including on the stalled nuclear project in Jaitapur in
Maharashtra, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with French President Francois
Hollande. An MoU was signed between Larsen and Tubro and AREVA aimed at cost reduction by increasing
localisation, to improve the financial viability of the Jaitapur project. The agreement will also enable
transfer of technology and development of indigenous nuclear energy industry in India. An MoU on
cooperation between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and French Ministry of Sports, Youth Affairs,
Public Education and Community Life was also signed that envisages cooperation and exchange of
experiences in the fields of sports medicine and institutional cooperation. The two countries also signed
agreements increasing bilateral cooperation in the economic sector.

Indias first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) became operational at Gujarat International
Finance Tec (GIFT) City in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat. IFSC rules allow companies incorporated
outside India to raise money in foreign currencies by issuance and listing of their equity shares on stock
exchanges within the IFSC, where individual and institutional investors from India and abroad, including
NRIs, would be allowed to trade. The IFSC regulatory regime allows Indian and foreign stock exchanges to
set up separate bourses within IFSC as subsidiaries, while market entities from India and abroad would be
allowed to operate there by providing issuance and trading in depository receipts and debt securities of
domestic as well as overseas companies.

India and United States (US) signed Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) transportation between both
countries. The MoC aims at fostering cooperative work between both nations on key issues of mutual
interest for all modes of transportation, coordinating public and private sector resources and expertise to
advance safe, secure, efficient and integrated transportation systems. It seeks to cover areas like urban
transportation, highway transportation, safety and environmental protections.

Government decided to continue its Rs 1,000 per minimum monthly pension scheme in perpetuity, a move
which would benefit over 20 lakh pensioners under social security scheme run by EPFO. Retirement fund
body EPFO had suspended the Rs 1,000 minimum monthly pension scheme from April 1. The Employees
Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) had to suspend the scheme in the absence of any direction from the
government to continue with this benefit beyond March 31. The scheme was launched with effect from
September 2014, hiking the pension amount to a flat Rs 1,000 per month for those who were getting
lower amount earlier. The Cabinet also approved corresponding grant of continuous annual budgetary
support for implementing the minimum pension, which will be to the tune of Rs 850 crore per year on a
tapering basis.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revamped priority sector lending (PSL) norms. Now, loans to sectors such
as social infrastructure, renewable energy and medium enterprises will also be treated as PSL. While
retaining the 40 per cent PSL target for domestic banks, the distinction between direct and indirect
agriculture has been done away with. This means banks can meet their entire agriculture lending target 18 per cent of their net loans disbursed in the previous year - by funding to indirect agriculture, which
includes loans to companies engaged in the agriculture sector. Direct agriculture refers to individual
farmers or groups directly engaged in agriculture and allied activities. Now, food and agro processing units
will form part of agriculture. In the renewable energy segment, bank loans of up to Rs 15 crore for solarbased power generators, biomass-based power generators, wind mills, micro-hydel plants, etc, will be
considered part of PSL. For individual households, the loan limit will be Rs 10,00,000 a borrower. On the

48
home finance front, loans of up to Rs 28 lakh to individuals in metropolitan centres and up to Rs 20 lakh in
other centres will qualify as PSL, provided the overall cost of the dwelling unit is Rs 35 lakh in the
metropolitan centres and Rs 25 lakh in other centres.

Moving ahead in line with Digital India, railways launched mobile application for paperless unreserved
tickets. Developed by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) utsonmobile the paperless
unreserved ticketing feature in mobile application aims to eliminate the need for printing of unreserved
tickets.

India emerged as the fourth largest supplier of generic medicines to the United States. Indias generic
medicines exports touched over US 4 billion dollars in 2013-14 in spite of stringent regulatory measures
imposed by US.

Eminent banker Kundapur Vaman Kamath was appointed as first President of New Development Bank
(NDB) of BRICS nations. He will have a five year term after the bank becomes operational within one
year. BRICS group of nations comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in 2014 had inked a
pact to set up NDB and emergency reserve fund. Initially, the bank will start operating with $50 billion
initial capital with the five BRICS contributing $10 billion each. According to the pact, the capital of the
bank will be divided equally among the five participating nations and initially it will focus on infrastructure
projects member countries. The headquarters of the bank will be located in Shanghai, China.

The government announced to sell its 10 per cent stake in blue-chip Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and 5
per cent in power producer NTPC to mop up about Rs 13,600 crore in this fiscals first disinvestment
approval. The proposed share sale of 5 per cent in NTPC will fetch Union government 5,565 crore rupees
while that of 10 per cent in IOC will bring in 7,932 crore rupees.The approvals are part of Rs 41,000 crore
disinvestment target for the current financial year.

Reserve Bank of India allowed banks to enable transactions in contactless cards for values up to Rs 2,000
without requiring a separate PIN authentication. The move is expected to hasten acceptance of `tap and
pay' electronic payments at retail outlets, in transport services and for toll payments. 'Tap and pay' refers
to the use of near field communication technology in payment cards where instead of the traditional
swiping of the card and punching in payment details, all the customer needs to do is wave a card in front
of an acceptance device for the bill to be settled. RBI's announcement comes on the day that State Bank
of India announced the largest roll-out of contactless card payments in the country.

Moodys, the US research analytics firm, released the quarterly Global Macro Outlook: 2015-16 report. As
per the report, stronger US dollar and shifts in capital flows will widen the gap between global economies
in 2015-16. The anticipated tightening of US monetary policy as compared to monetary easing by other
central banks reflects different prospects for growth and inflation around the world. Moody's also expects
that GDP growth in G20 economies will be 2.8 percent in 2015, which remains broadly unchanged
compared to 2014, however, the G20 GDP growth will increase to around 3 percent in 2016. Indias GDP
will grow at a strong pace of 7.5 percent 2015-16, which is the highest among G20 economies, helped by
the reforms drive and lower oil prices.

To ensure undivided attention in resolving customer complaints and to further boost the quality of
customer service, the Reserve Bank of India advised all public sector banks and some private sector and
foreign banks to appoint an internal ombudsman. The internal ombudsman will be a forum for bank
customers to resolve customer complaints before approaching the Banking Ombudsman. The internal
ombudsman shall be designated as Chief Customer Service Officer (CCSO). Among private and foreign
banks, RBI said it had chosen ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank,

49
Standard Chartered Bank, Citi Bank NA and HSBC, based on parameters such as asset size and business
mix, among others. The regulator introduced the Banking Ombudsman Scheme in 1995 to redress
grievances related to deficiency in services provided by banks. It is based on 27 parameters and is
available to all, free of cost.

In a major boost to Real Estate Investment Trusts, the government approved changes to FEMA
regulations that will allow such instruments to tap foreign funds. Currently, REITs -- which are mainly
aimed at bringing in funds into the realty sector in a transparent manner -- are prohibited from getting
overseas investments under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Following the decision, the
government said these trusts, regulated by Sebi, would be able to access foreign investments which as of
now are prohibited under FEMA regulations.

The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with
South Korea. The bilateral DTAA was signed in 1985 for the avoidance of double taxation and for the
prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income for the citizens of both the countries.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated the new Bank Note Paper Line unit of 6000 metric tonne
capacity at Security Paper Mill in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh. With opening of this, India will become
self-reliant in producing Bank Note Paper for big denominations. Earlier, India was considerably dependent
on import of bank note paper for currency of big denominations.

The Reserve Bank of India proposed that banks maintain a minimum 100% net stable funding ratio under
Basel-III guidelines to have access to stable sources of funding on a continued basis. In draft guidelines
released recently, the central bank said that banks will have to maintain net stable funding ratio (NSFR)
from January 2018. The NSFR is defined as the amount of available stable funding relative to the amount
of required stable funding. Banks are required to meet the NSFR requirement on an ongoing basis and
should have the required systems in place for such calculation and monitoring. The NSFR as at the end of
each quarter, starting from December 2017, should be reported to the RBI within 15 days from the end of
the quarter, the RBI said.The central bank has prescribed five categories of stable funding sources, and
weights known as ASF factor will be assigned to these different classes of capital and liabilities to
arrive at the total available stable funding to the bank. Accordingly, while total regulatory capital,
excluding Tier-II instruments with less than one-year maturity, will have 100% weight, term deposits with
maturity of less than one year and demand deposits through retail customers would have an ASF factor of
95%.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposed to introduce a separate category of semi-closed Prepaid
Payment Instruments (PPI) for Mass Transit System (PPI-MTS). The PPI-MTS can be used within the mass
transit systems and will have a minimum validity of six months from date of issue. Such PPIs will be reloadable instruments subject to an outstanding limit of Rs.2,000 at any point of time. PPI for mass transit
systems, which handle a large number of small value cash payments, will facilitate the migration to
electronic payments in line with the countrys vision of moving to a less-cash society, the RBI added.

The National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) launched Gold Now, an online forward trading
channel facilitating buying and selling of the metal, for the benefit of jewelers. This platform proposes to
allow delivery of gold originating from domestic refineries through recycling. Gold Now will offer bullion in
1-kg and 100-gram forward contracts for six centres with daily delivery facility through T+1 and T+2
settlement system. The cities where delivery will be available are Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi,
Hyderabad and Chennai.

50

The government decided to liberalise foreign direct investment norms for NRIs and overseas citizens of
India (OCI) as it aims to increase capital flows into the country. A decision in this regard was taken by the
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Cabinet approved
amendments to FDI policy on investments by NRIs, PIOs & OCIs. This will give PIOs & OCIs parity with
NRIs in eco & edu (economy and education). As per the DIPPs proposal any investment made by NRIs,
OCIs and PIOs from their rupee account in India, will not be treated as foreign investment.

The government has allocated Rs 5,000 crore for the growth of Department of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga
and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) and launched an independent National AYUSH Mission
aimed at capacity building for the sector.

PM Narendra Modi launched Indias first television channel DD Kisan dedicated to farmers in New Delhi. It
is a 24X7 hours channel. DD Kisan channel is dedicated to agriculture and allied sectors and owned by
public service broadcaster Doordarshan (DD). Prior to launching this channel, Prasar Bharati was running
Krishi Darshan programme on DD1 for farmers. It was one of the longest running programmes on DD
and was launched on January 26, 1967.

ArcelorMittal and Steel Authority of India signed a MoU to set up an automotive steel manufacturing
facility in India, marking renewed interest in the country by the Luxembourg-based steelmaker. The
project will be set up through a joint venture. The MoU, the first step towards establishing the JV, was
signed by ArcelorMittal Chairman & Chief Executive Lakshmi Niwas Mittal and SAIL Chairman CS Verma.

Recently released UN World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) Report for Mid update -2015 has
projected that Indias economic growth will surpass Chinas growth in 2016. The report has projected
Indias economy to grow by 7.6 per cent in year 2015 and 7.7 per cent in 2016. While, it has projected
Chinas economic growth will be 7 per cent in year 2015 and 6.8 per cent in 2016.

India joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic Exchange of Financial
Account Information (AEOI) on 3rd June, 2015, in Paris, France, alongwith Australia, Canada, Costa Rica,
Indonesia and New Zealand. With six countries joining the MCAA on 3rd June, 2015, the total number of
countries/jurisdictions agreeing to exchange information automatically in accordance with MCAA has gone
to sixty. The new global standards are very wide in scope and oblige the treaty partners to exchange wide
range

of

financial

information

after

collecting

the

same

from

financial

institutions

in

their

country/jurisdictions including information about the ultimate controlling persons and beneficial owners of
entities. AEOI based on CRS, when fully implemented, would enable India to receive information from
almost every country in the world including offshore financial centres and would be the key to prevent
international tax evasion and avoidance and would be instrumental in getting information about assets of
Indians held abroad including through entities in which Indians are beneficial owners. This will help the
Government to curb tax evasion and deal with the problem of black money.

Bangladesh has granted permission to Indias state-owned insurance group Life insurance Corporation
(LIC) to do business in the country. LIC will start its operations in Bangladesh as a joint venture (JV)
entity to be called LIC Bangladesh Ltd with a paid up capital of one billion Taka. In this JV entity LIC will
hold half of the amount while the rest would be owed by its Bangladeshi partners. The capital will be
raised from the Bangladeshs capital market and local entrepreneurs.

Adani Power Limited of India and Reliance Power Limited of India signed separate memorandums of
understanding with state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB). Reliance Power and BPDB
today signed a MoU to develop four units of power plants to produce 3,000 MW of electricity with a cost of
$3 billion. Adani Power will set up two, coal-fired plants with a total capacity of 1,600 MW that will cost

51
more than $1.5 billion. Bangladesh produces 7,000 MW of electricity but demand far exceeds supply, with
a daily deficit of up to 1,500 MW.

Union Cabinet approved an interest-free loan i.e. soft loan to the tune of 6,000 crore rupees to enable
sugar mills pay arrears to farmers. As per this decision, interest on the loan will not be charged for a year
but the interest will be borne by the Union government from sugar development fund. The money to be
paid as arrears to farmers under this loan will be directed credited in Jan Dhan accounts of farmers.

The United States has overtaken Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest oil producer in 2014 while India has
recorded the highest growth in energy consumption among major economies. The US produced 15.9%
more oil in 2014 at 11.6 million barrels of oil per day to topple Saudi Arabia's 11.5 million bpd production,
according to BP Plc's Statistical Review of World Energy released in June 2015. Russia with 10.8 million
bpd oil production was placed third.

Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan cut the key interest rate by 0.25 per cent, third time this year,
meeting market and government expectations of boosting growth by lowering borrowing cost. While the
RBI cut the repo rate from 7.5 per cent to 7.25, it left all other policy tools like cash reserve requirement
unchanged at 4 per cent and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) at 21.5 per cent.

The Cabinet approved the revised target of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) to generate
100,000 Mw by 2022 five times the previous target. The target will comprise 40 Gw power generated
through rooftop units and 60 Gw through large and medium scale grid connected solar power projects.
The total investment in setting up projects with capacity of 100 Gw will be around Rs 6 lakh crore.

The government will provide additional employment of 50 days under its flagship rural employment
scheme in areas affected by drought. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
approved a proposal that sought to raise the number of work days to 150 from 100 under the Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in drought-hit areas.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley approved the formation of two committees to facilitate the
implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from next April. A steering committee, chaired by
the Additional Secretary, Department of Revenue, and the Member Secretary of the Empowered
Committee of State Finance Ministers, will monitor the setting up of IT infrastructure for the GST network,
the Central Board of Excise and Customs and other tax authorities. The committee will monitor the
progress of consultations with stakeholders such as trade and industry and the training of officers. The
other committee, chaired by Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser, will recommend possible tax
rates under the GST that would be consistent with the present level of revenue collected by the Centre
and the States. While making recommendations, the committee will take into account the expected levels
of economic growth, the different levels of compliance, and the broadening of the tax base. The panel
would assess the sector- and State-wise impact of the GST on the economy.

The association of bond dealers, local currency traders and bankers formed a new firm to fix the Mumbai
Inter-Bank Offer Rate (Mibor), in line with a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) panel recommendation which
seeks to avoid a Libor (London Interbank Offer Rate) like fiasco in India. Mibor is the rate at which banks
lend and borrow overnight money to each other. The Fixed Income Money Market and Derivatives
Association of India (FIMMDA), the Foreign Exchange Dealers Association of India (FEDAI) and the Indian
Banks Association have together formed a new firm named the Board of Financial Benchmarks India Pvt.
Ltd (FBIL), which will henceforth administer the Mibor.

52

The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to apply to the
Registrar of Companies for converting it into a Section 3 company under the Companies Act, 2013 and its
renaming.The new corporation shall be known as Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI). The
major impact of the decision will be that SECI will become a self-sustaining and self-generating
organisation and will engage itself in owning solar power plants generating and selling power and in other
segments of solar sector activities, including manufacturing of solar products and materials. After it is
rebranded, the corporation will take up development of all segments of renewable energy namely, geothermal, off-shore wind, tidal and so on, apart from solar energy.

India regained its position in the list of top 10 destinations for foreign direct investments (FDI) in 2014,
after failing to make it to the list a year ago, according to the World Investment Report 2015 released by
the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad). India is ranked ninth in the latest
report; it was 15th last year. During 2014, FDI inflows into India jumped 22% to $34 billion at a time
when global FDI fell by 16% to $1.23 trillion. Unctad projected global FDI flows to rise 11% to $1.4 trillion
in 2015. Indias rank as a top prospective host country for FDI also rose to third place from fourth place in
an Unctad survey for the period 2015-17. However, India fell to the seventh rank from sixth last year in
the survey as a source country for FDI for 2014-2016 period.

The Reserve Bank of India released its Financial Stability Report (FSR), the 11th issue of its bi-annual
publication. The report states the easing global crisis and strong macroeconomic fundamentals in the
domestic market, including increased FDIs in the past year offer India a "reasonable degree of resilience"
to fight uncertainties, but poor asset quality of banks and managing expectations are key challenges for
regulators and the government. "There has been a significant improvement in the macroeconomic
environment, and going forward, economic performance is expected to be better," the FSR said.

Digital India Week

Digital India Week was launched by the PM in New Delhi. It is being organized by the Department of Electronics
and IT (DeitY) which is also responsible for implementing the governments ambitious Digital India Programme.

53
Top corporates pledged to invest Rs. 4.5 lakh crore for initiatives under Digital India Programme, which is
expected to generate up to 18 lakh jobs in the country.
India is now a $2-trillion economy
Indias GDP crossed the $2-trillion mark in 2014, as per the latest data released by the World Bank. Indias gross
national income per person was $1610 (around Rs. 1 lakh) for 2014, which puts India in the lower middle income
category ($1046-$4125). The Indian Economy was one the fastest growing in the world, registering 7.4% growth
in 2014. However, it has much catching up to do with China, which has a GDP of $10.4 trillion.
AMRUT, Smart City and Housing for All Scheme launched
The Prime Minister launched Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Smart City Mission
and Housing For All scheme. These projects are aimed at transforming urban infrastructure.
RBI constitutes panel on Financial Inclusion
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) constituted a committee under RBI Executive Director Deepak Mohanty to
formulate a medium-term action plan for financial inclusion for the next 5 years. The Committee will work to
spread the reach of financial services to unbanked population.
Swiss Challenge for the Railways
The Union Cabinet gave its approval for adopting the Swiss Challenge method for the redevelopment of 400
railway stations in India.Under this method, a Private Sector Entity may submit a proposal and draft contract
principles for undertaking a project, which has not already been initiated by the Government. The concerned
Government Agency or the Local Authority will then invite competitive counter proposals.
RBI signs Currency Swap Agreement with Sri Lanka
The Reserve Bank of India signed a Special Currency Swap Agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Under
this, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka can draw up to USD 1.1 billion for a maximum period of six months. This
special arrangement is in addition to the existing Framework on Currency Swap Arrangement for SAARC member
countries.
India ranked 12th in Nuclear Power Generation
India is ranked 12th in the world in terms of power generation from nuclear sources with total power generation
from nuclear reactors at 5308 MWe. Further, in terms of number of nuclear reactors in operation, India was
ranked at the 7th position with 21 reactors.
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund to be set up
Union Cabinet approved the setting up of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) to finance new
and stressed projects. The fund will have an initial corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore, which can be leveraged by
infrastructure companies. NIIF is proposed to be set up as a Trust, and would raise debt to invest in the equity of
infrastructure finance companies such as Indian Rail Finance Corporation (IRFC) and National Housing Bank (NHB).
SBI Life Insurance launches Smart Humsafar
SBI Life Insurance launched Smart Humsafar, a unique plan that offers multiple benefits of savings and insurance
cover for husband and wife under a single policy.

54
Telemedicine initiative Sehat launched
The Union government launched a telemedicine initiative 'Sehat' in collaboration with Apollo Hospitals to provide
healthcare facilities in rural areas. Under the initiative people will be able to consult doctors through video link and
also order generic drugs. It will also help in providing quality and affordable healthcare is one of the emerging
needs for citizens in rural areas.
SAHAJ Scheme
Union Government launched a scheme named SAHAJ for online release of new LPG connections for the consumers.
The scheme launched by Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister DharmendraPradhan can be availed through the
portal mylpg.in. At present, the scheme will be available in 13 cities of the country, and will be expanded panIndia within the next few days.
Government declares names of 98 smart cities
The Union Government declared the names of 98 cities for its ambitious smart cities project. The State
governments selected the aspirant cities and Union Territories on the parameters set by the Centre. The selected
cities include 12 cities from Uttar Pradesh, 12 from Tamil Nadu, 10 from Maharashtra, 7 from Madhya Pradesh, 3
each from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. All other states have also got one or two cities for the purpose, except
Jammu and Kashmir. Nearly 13 crore population across 98 cities, which constitute 35 percent of urban population,
will be covered under the mission.
Educational Loan Portal for students launched
The Union Government launched a web portal named Vidya Lakshmi (www.vidyalakshmi.co.in) for the benefit
of students seeking Educational Loans.It is the first portal of its kind that provides single window for students to
access information and make application for educational loans provided by banks as well as for government
scholarships.
Bandhan starts operations as SCB
Bandhan Financial Services, a Micro Financial Institution (MFI) started operations as a Scheduled Commercial Bank
(SCB). Henceforth it will be called as Bandhan Bank.With this, Bandhan became the first micro finance company in
the country to start operations as a full-fledged commercial bank. It is also the first commercial bank from Eastern
India to get RBI clearance since independence.
Cochin Airport is the first solar powered airport in India
Kerala Chief Minister OommenChandy inaugurated a 12 MW solar power project at the Cochin International
Airport. Spread over 50 acres, the project is reportedly the single largest solar project which has been constructed
in an airport in India. With this project, Cochin airport became the first airport in India to run on solar power.
RBI grant in-principle approval to 11 payment banks
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted in-principle approval to 11 payment banks applicants under the
Guidelines for Licensing of Payments Banks. RBI's in-principle nod will be valid for a period of 18 months, during
which time the applicants have to comply with the requirements under the Guidelines and fulfill the other
conditions as may be stipulated by the RBI.
Union Government appoints two private sector professionals to head BoB and Canara Bank
Union Government appointed private sector professionals, namely PS Jayakumar and Rakesh Sharma, as
Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Canara Bank, respectively.

55
This is the first time that private sector professionals were appointed to head the Public Sector Banks (PSBs).
Earlier, the heads of PSBs were selected from among the state-run banks or government officers.

The Global Investors Meet 2015 was held in Tamil Nadu to attract investors to invest in the state. The
first-of-its-kind investors summit in Tamil Nadu, the meet was aimed at targeting investment
commitment of 1 lakh crore rupees. Over 5000 delegates including from foreign nations attended the twoday summit, from 9 September to 10 September 2015. This event sought to realize the States vision of
inclusive growth through investment inflows, growth in employment, balanced regional development and
environmentally sustainable long term development. Nine countries registered themselves as partner
nations for this mega investment event.

The Union Cabinet approved a proposal to allow 100 pct foreign direct investment without any further
required approvals for companies to set up independent ATM networks for banks. The move is aimed at
expanding the governments financial inclusion agenda and attract more investments in the sector.
Companies such as Muthoot Finance, Srei Infrastructure Finance and Vakrangee Software, install and
operate indepedent ATM networks and are called White label ATM operators. Currently White Label ATM
operators need government approval to bring in foreign investments. This required some processing time
and projects were consequently delayed, dissuading investors from investing in such critical areas. White
Label ATM operators can be set up by companies who are not in the banking sector, and need to have a
minimum net worth of Rs 100 crore as per the latest financial years audited balance sheet, which is to be
maintained at all times. Also, if the entity is engaged in any other 18 Non-Banking Finance Companies
(NBFC) activities, then the foreign investment in the company setting up WLA, shall also have to comply
with minimum capitalization norms for foreign investments in NBFC activities. Besides, FDI in the WLAO
will be subject to specific criteria and guidelines issued by RBI.

World's 20 largest economies, including India launched W20, an engagement grouping of women leaders,
to push for gender inclusive global economic growth. The G20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil,
Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia,
South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. The
Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for global economic and financial cooperation that brings
together the world's major advanced and emerging economies, representing around 85 per cent of global
GDP.The G20 started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the
aftermath of the Asian financial crisis.

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) bought a 15 per cent stake in Russias secondlargest oil field Vankor from Rosneft for about 1.35 billion US dollars. In this regard, ONGC Videsh Ltd
(OVL) the overseas investment arm of ONGC signed agreements to buy 15 per cent stake in the Vankor
oil field located in East Siberia.

The government notified the merger of commodities market regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC)
with Sebi with effect from September 28. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his Budget speech, had
announced the merger of FMC with the capital market regulator Sebi to strengthen the regulation of
commodity futures market. A unified regulator for commodities and capital markets will help streamline
monitoring of commodity futures trading and curb wild speculations. In the wake of a Rs 5,500-crore
payment crisis at the National Spot Exchange Ltd, FMC was brought under Finance Ministry in 2013.
Currently, there are three national and six regional bourses for commodity futures in the country. The
Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) had recommended that Sebi, IRDA, PFRDA and
FMC should be merged into a single entity into a unified financial agency (UFA).

56

In a big relief to foreign institutional investors, the government accepted recommendation of a high level
panel (headed by Law Commission of India chairman Justice AP Shah ) that minimum alternate tax (MAT)
should not be imposed on overseas portfolio investors retrospectively. Foreign investors have invested
about $20 billion in Indian stocks in the past year and $28 billion in bonds. MAT has been levied on all
companies except those in infrastructure and power sectors, since late 1980s. Historically, foreign
investors have not paid this tax because it was believed that only Indian companies were subject to it. In
2010, a tax tribunal ruled that MAT was not applicable to companies that don't have a permanent
establishment in India. In 2010, Mauritius-based investment firm Castleton Investment approached the
Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) to get confirmation that it was not required to pay MAT on a
transaction it wanted to execute. However, AAR in 2012 ruled that even foreign companies are subject to
MAT. FIIs had argued that MAT is applicable only to domestic companies that had their base in India. By
virtue of not being established in India, they should be "exempted". FIIs also contend that there was
inconsistency in the application of MAT as ever since it was introduced, FIIs were always exempted from it
and hence, arbitrary application should be avoided. After FIIs started getting notices for MAT payments,
the stock market had reacted adversely on concerns that foreign investors may pull out in a big way.

Union Government released 2,000 crore rupees to Employees Pension Scheme (EPS), 1995 as its
contribution for the year 2015-16. This contribution is in addition to the 250 crore rupees contributed by
the government as grant-in-aid in the EPS in order to provide minimum pension of 1,000 rupees to
pensioners under the scheme.

Union Minister of State for Coal, Power and New and Renewable Energy, launched Access to Clean
Cooking Energy and Electricity - Survey of States Report. The report

provides a first of a kind multi-

dimensional evaluation of the state of energy access in India. It highlights that about 300 million Indians
rely on kerosene for lighting, and more than 800 million relying on traditional biomass and that the access
to modern forms of energy is still a significant barrier to our development.

Fourth Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement 2015-16 was announced. Against the backdrop of
deflationary tendencies-lowering inflation and decelerating nominal GDP-in the economy, the monetary
policy cut the repo rate, the rate at which RBI lends to commercial bank, by 0.50 percent from 7.25
percent to 6.75 percent with immediate effect. As a result, the reverse repo rate, the rate at which RBI
borrows from commercial banks, stands adjusted to 5.75 percent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF)
rate and the Bank Rate to 7.75 per cent. However, the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks was
kept unchanged at 4 percent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL).

National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) released the data of 68th Round on Status of Education and
Vocational Training in India. This report is based on the employment and unemployment survey
conducted in the 68th round of NSS during July 2011 to June 2012. As per the report :

18.2 percent of households in rural areas and 5.9 percent in urban areas do not have a single
literate member in the age-group 15 years and above who could read and write a simple message
with understanding.

Among persons of age 15 years and above, only 2.4 percent had technical degrees or diplomas or
certificates. The proportion was 1.1 percent in rural areas and 5.5 percent in urban areas.

Among persons of age 15-59 years, about 2.2 percent reported to have received formal
vocational training and 8.6 percent reported to have received non-formal vocational training.

57

The data poses a serious challenge for the Skill India Mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA
government which aims to train about 40 crore people by 2022.

Reserve Bank of India granted in-principle licence for small finance banks to ten entities. The name of the
applicants that were granted the licence include- Au Financiers, Capital Local Area Bank , Disha Microfin,
Equitas Holdings, ESAF Microfinance and Investments, Janalakshmi Financial Services, RGVN (North East)
Microfinance, Suryoday Micro Finance, Ujjivan Financial Services and Utkarsh Micro Finance. The inprinciple approval granted by RBI will be valid for a period of 18 months.Small Finance Banks will be
similar to the existing commercial lenders and will undertake basic banking activities of accepting deposits
and lending to unserved and under-served sections. The maximum loan size and investment limit
exposure to single and group obligators cannot be more than 10 per cent and 15 per cent of its capital
funds, respectively.

The government's ambitious Sagarmala project, which aims to develop port infrastructure along the
country's 7,500 km coastline, is likely to see an investment of more than Rs 70,000 crore in coming years
as per an announcement made by Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari. The project includes modernisation of
ports and islands, setting up of coastal economic zones, new major ports and fish harbours. Most of this
investment is expected to be made by government. But some projects, including development
of islands and tourism facilities, would be taken up in public-private partnership (PPP) mode. According to
the plan, the government intends to develop 30 projects in the current fiscal at a cost of Rs 14,226 crore.
The projects mainly include increasing the capacity of existing major ports and adding new ports.

The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the Revised Cost Estimate (RCE) of 2904.04 crore rupees for the
Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project in Myanmar,

which is intended to create a multi-modal

mode of transport for cargo shipment from the eastern ports of India to Myanmar.

India is going to chair Group of Twenty (G20) nations forum in year 2018 and New Delhi could be the host
of the prestigious annual G20 summit. The G20 operates as a forum and not as an organization.
Therefore, it does not have any permanent secretariat or management and administrative structure. One
of the G20 countries is selected to hold the Chair in rotation, also known as G20 presidency.

Easing norms for foreign ownership of government debt, the RBI announced higher investment limits in
rupee terms in government securities by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) with a view to bringing in an
additional Rs. 1.2 lakh crore by March 2018. The announcement followed a decision by the RBI to fix FPI
investment limits in rupee terms and raise it in phases to reach 5 per cent of the outstanding stock by
March 2018. For the current fiscal, RBI announced to enhance the limit for investment by FPIs in G-secs in
two tranches from October 12, 2015 and January 1, 2016. The limit will be increased from Rs. 1.53 lakh
crore to Rs. 1.7 lakh crore from October 12 and Rs. 1.86 lakh crore from January 1. There will be a
separate limit for investment by all FPIs in State development loans (SDLs), to be raised in phases to
reach 2 per cent of the outstanding stock by March 2018.

UCO Bank registered the highest increase in gross Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in percentage terms
against total loans in the 2014-15 fiscal year. With this, UCO Bank became the worst performer among
the other public sector banks.

The Union Cabinet approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Union Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy and Mozambique in field of renewable energy. The objective of MoU is to establish
the basis for a cooperative institutional relationship to encourage between both countries and strengthen
bilateral cooperation.

58

To enable Indians living abroad to access old age income security, Reserve Bank

has allowed non-

resident Indians (NRIs) to subscribe to the National Pension System (NPS). NRIs may subscribe to the
NPS governed and administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA),
provided such subscriptions are made through normal banking channels and the person is eligible to
invest as per the provisions of the PFRDA Act, it said. The subscription amounts shall be paid by the NRIs
either by inward remittance through normal banking channels or out of funds held in their NRE/FCNR/NRO
account.

Gujarat-based Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) to handle import and exports of pulses across its
ports in the country. The MoU seeks to Develop an efficient and dedicated supply chain for pulses using
Adani Ports strategically located facilities to all key consumption centres in the country.

The Narendra Modi government's attempts to improve the ease of doing business yielded good result with
the country jumping 12 ranks to 130 in the latest ranking compiled by the World Bank. India was ranked
142 in the ranking for 2015. Singapore topped the ranking again.

In its latest report, the World Bank said remittances to India, South Asia's largest economy and the
world's largest remittance recipient, are projected to increase by 2.5 per cent in 2015, below the regional
average but well above the 0.6 per cent increase in 2014. According to the Reserve Bank of India, about
35 per cent of remittances to India originate in North America, and another 35 per cent in the GCC
countries. Nevertheless, the regional growth rate of remittances is projected to moderate to about four
per cent over the next two years, in part because remittances to Nepal and Pakistan are expected to
decelerate after the large inflows following the earthquake, while lower oil prices may reduce remittance
inflows from the GCC countries eventually. In its report, the Bank said remittances to developing countries
are expected to reach USD 435 billion in 2015, registering a modest growth rate of two per cent from last
year.

The Reserve Bank of India issued a Direction to all Scheduled Commercial Banks (excluding Regional Rural
Banks) on implementation of the Gold Monetisation Scheme, 2015 notified by the Central Government.

The GMS will replace the existing Gold Deposit Scheme, 1999. However, the deposits outstanding
under the Gold Deposit Scheme will be allowed to run till maturity unless the depositors
prematurely withdraw them.

Resident Indians (Individuals, HUF, Trusts including Mutual Funds/Exchange Traded Funds
registered under SEBI (Mutual Fund) Regulations and Companies) can make deposits under the
scheme.

The minimum deposit at any one time shall be raw gold (bars, coins, jewellery excluding stones
and other metals) equivalent to 30 grams of gold of 995 fineness. There is no maximum limit for
deposit under the scheme. The gold will be accepted at the Collection and Purity Testing Centres
(CPTC) certified by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and notified by the Central Government
under the Scheme. The deposit certificates will be issued by banks in equivalence of 995 fineness
of gold.

The principal and interest of the deposit under the scheme will be denominated in gold.

The designated banks will accept gold deposits under the Short Term (1-3 years) Bank Deposit
(STBD) as well as Medium (5-7 years) and Long (12-15 years) Term Government Deposit
Schemes. While the former will be accepted by banks on their own account, the latter will be on

59
behalf of Government of India. There will be provision for premature withdrawal subject to a
minimum lock-in period and penalty to be determined by individual banks.

Interest on deposits under the scheme will start accruing from the date of conversion of gold
deposited into tradable gold bars after refinement or 30 days after the receipt of gold at the CPTC
or the banks designated branch, as the case may be and whichever is earlier.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the IDFC Bank in New Delhi. IDFC Bank Limited, started its
operations on 1 October 2015, and is an Indian Banking company with headquarters in Mumbai that forms
a part of IDFC, an integrated infrastructure finance company.

Government raised the import tax on wheat to 25 per cent from 10 per cent to curb cheaper imports from
Australia and France. The duty will remain applicable until March 31, 2016.

For the first time in 8 years, Indias fiscal balance turned from deficit to surplus in the month of August, as
per the latest data from the Controller-General of Accounts (CGA). The fiscal deficit, the excess of the
Centres expenditure over its revenues, was (-) Rs. 15,808 crore in August. The negative figure indicates
surplus of revenues over expenditure. In contrast, the Centre ran up a fiscal deficit of Rs. 73,005 crore in
August 2014. A sharp surge in the Centres revenue receipts as well as a steep decline in its total
expenditures made the fiscal surplus possible.

60

PEOPLE IN NEWS
Andhra Pradesh Government appointed Bollywood Megastar Amitabh Bachchan as Brand Ambassador for Health
and Medical Sector.
Eminent Economist Arvind Panagariya took charge as first Vice-Chairman of the newly-created National
Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog on 13 January 2015. He is an Indian-American economist and
Professor of Economics at Columbia University. He was an ex-Chief Economist at the Asian Development Bank
(ADB). He has also worked for the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and the
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in various capacities.
Union

Government

sacked chief

of

Defence Research

and Development Organization

(DRDO) Avinash

Chander, 16 months before his contract termination date. He is the chief architect of Agni series of ballistic
missile systems and considered as Agni man of India. He was awarded Padma Shri for his contribution in the
successful development of 5000-km range Agni-V missile.
Aziz Qureshi was sworn in as the Governor of Mizoram. Earlier Aziz Qureshi was governor of Uttarakhand. But in
December 2014, he was transferred from Uttarakhand and was appointed as the Mizoram Governor.
Edward Brooke -- the first African-American to be popularly elected to the U.S. Senate -- passed away at 95.
Brooke served in the Senate from 1967-1979 and has often been heralded by both parties as a trailblazer. He is
the only African-American to be elected to a second term and was the first black Republican elected to the Senate
since Reconstruction. President Barack Obama hailed Brooke as someone who led "an extraordinary life of public
service."
Leela Samson resigned as the censor board chief, protesting against what she termed interference by the
government, while denying that her exit was linked to controversial film "MSG", ready for release after the Film
Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) gave it the green signal. The Censor Board headed by Ms. Samson had
earlier denied the clearance certificate to the film saying that the movie depicts Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh as a
God. She is arecipient of many awards for her contributions to Bharatanatyam, including Padma Shri (1990) and
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (19992000).
Maithripala Sirisena, candidate of the New Democratic Front, was declared as the new President of Sri Lanka on
January 9, 2015. Sirisena beat the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa after securing 51.28 percent of the votes
cast. Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena is the 7th President of Sri Lanka. Sirisena joined
mainstream politics in 1989 and has held several ministries since 1994. He was the general-secretary of the Sri
Lanka Freedom Party and was Minister of Health until November 2014 when he announced his candidacy for the
2015 presidential election as the opposition coalition's 'common candidate.'
Haryana government has announced yoga guru Ramdev as its brand ambassador. By appointing the yoga guru as
its brand ambassador state aims to promote yoga and Ayurveda in the state.
Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha was appointed Chief Justice of Bangladesh by President Mohammad Abdul Hamid.
With this appointment, he has become the first Hindu to hold highest judicial post in the Muslim-majority country.

61
Sindhushree Khullar was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the newly-formed NITI Aayog, which has
replaced the Planning Commission of the Nehruvian era. Mr Khullar was Secretary in the erstwhile Planning
Commission. Mr Khullar, a retired IAS officer, has been appointed on contract basis for a period of one year from
January 1.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz died at 93. Abdullah had ruled Saudi Arabia as king since 2006, but
had run the country as de facto regent for a decade before that after his predecessor King Fahd suffered a
debilitating stroke. Abdullah played a guiding role in Saudi Arabia's support for Egypt's government after the
military intervened in 2012, and drove his country's support for Syria's rebellion against President Bashar alAssad.
The governor of Rajasthan, Kalyan Singh took additional charge as the 26th governor of Himachal Pradesh. He
has also served two terms as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Haryana governor Kaptan Singh Solanki took over the additional charge of Governor of Punjab. He will be 34th
governor of Punjab.
Colombias Paulina Vega was crowned 63rd Miss Universe .Miss USA Nia Sanchez from Las Vegas was named a
runner-up, along with Miss Ukraine Diana Harkusha.
Wing Commander Pooja Thakur has become the first woman officer to lead the ceremonial Guard of Honour at
Rashtrapathi Bhavan.On 25 January 2015, she led the ceremonial Guard of Honour which was inspected by the
U.S. President Barack Obama at Rashtrapathi Bhavan.
Queen Elizabeth II became the oldest living monarch in the world. She gained the title at 88 years old after the
death of 90-year-old King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in January 2015.
R K Laxman, the country's best-known cartoonist, passed away at 93. Born in 1921 in Mysore, Laxman had no
formal training in cartooning but the work he put out over decades was sheer genius. He began by drawing for
local papers, and illustrating the stories of his famous elder brother, novelist R K Narayan, while still at college.
The recipient of numerous awards, among them the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Magsaysay Award,
Laxman's fan base ran into millions.
Eminent political scientist, scholar and former Planning Commission member Rajni Kothari passed away at 86. In
1980, he had founded Lokayan (Dialogue of the People), a forum for interaction between activists and
intellectuals. In 1985 on behalf of Lokayan, he has received the Right Livelihood Award from the Swedish
Parliament in Stockholm (widely referred as the Alternative Nobel Prize). He has also received the UGCs Swami
Pranavananda Award in Political Science.
An eminent Indian academician, Saraswathi Menon, is among seven experts nominated by UN chief Ban Kimoon to be part of an advisory group that will conduct a policy and institutional review of the world body's peacebuilding architecture and make recommendations.Saraswathi Menon, former Director of the Policy Division in UN
Women, will be among the members of the Advisory Group to review peace building architecture.

62
Subash Ghising principal architect of violent hill politics in West Bengal that challenged the Left Front
governments might in the 1980s died at 79. Ghising, a former Gorkha Rifles soldier who later became a
teacher, founded the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) in 1980. He led the GNLF to a violent movement for
carving a separate Gorkhaland out of Bengal resulting in bloodbath in the Darjeeling Hills between 1986 and
1988. The Gorkhaland movement posed the biggest challenge to the unquestioned authority of Jyoti Basu heading
the Left Front government. The violent statehood movement was tackled using force. Though Basu could save
Bengal from getting divided once again, the Left Front government had to strike a hard in with Ghising to buy
peace in the Hills. The movement also led to the ouster of the Left from the Hills though they held sway over the
rest of Bengal till 2011.
In a significant development, the Narendra Modi government appointed Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, currently
India's Ambassador to the United States, the next Foreign Secretary, replacing Sujatha Singh with immediate
effect. Dr Jaishankar, whose father K Subrahmanyam was the legendary guru of strategic affairs, has the appetite
to take bold decisions and capable of out of box thinking. Before he moved to Washington, DC, Dr Jaishankar
served as ambassador in China and as high commissioner in Singapore.
Former DRDO chief V K Saraswat assumed charge as a full-time member of the NITI Aayog. Saraswat was
Secretary of Defence (Research & Development) and Director General of Defence Research & Development
Organisation (DRDO).
US President Barack Obama has announced to appoint top Indian- American CEO Ajay Banga to a key
administration position. Banga, chairman of the US India Business Council, has been appointed as member of the
Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. Banga, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management
Ahmedabad, is president and CEO of MasterCard, a position he has held since 2009.
Capping a momentous journey, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal took oath as the eighth Chief
Minister of Delhi, promising to make Delhi the first corruption-free state and act against communal elements.
Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung administered the oath of office and secrecy to Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia
and five other ministers exactly an year after Kejriwal quit after a short 49-days regime.
The Janta Dal United (JDU) has replaced their leader Jitan Ram Manjhi with Nitish Kumar.
Loksabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan's name was included in LIMCA book of records as she is the only woman in
India to represent the same constituency on the same party ticket eight times in a row.
Croatia's first woman president, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, was sworn in and pledged to help kickstart the EU
member's ailing economy. The 46-year-old conservative former foreign minister and NATO official narrowly
defeated her left-wing predecessor Ivo Josipovic in an election run-off in January. The leading member of the main
opposition HDZ party will serve a five-year term
Senior JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the chief minister of Bihar, marking his return for the fourth
time in the state's most coveted political office. In 2000, for first time he was made CM of Bihar but had resigned
within 7 days. In 2005, he was sworn in as the CM of Bihar for second time and in 2010 for third time. In May
2014 he had resigned from the CM post taking the responsibility of his partys (JDU) dismal performance in the
2014 Lok Sabha polls.

63
First Hindu Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Rana Bhagwandas passed away in Karachi, Pakistan, at the age of 72.
He was the first Hindu and the second non-Muslim to head of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Microsoft Co-founder, Bill Gates retained the title of the worlds richest person in the Forbes 2015 billionaire list.
Mr. Gates has topped the list for 16 of the last 21 years, with a net worth of $79 billion and Mexicos
telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim Helu is at second place.
Union Government selected legendary boxer and five-time world boxing champion MC Mary Kom as Brand
Ambassador for the North East Region.
Taking a cue from the success of pulse polio campaign, the government has roped in Amitabh Bachchan once
again, this time as the brand ambassador for its drive against hepatitis B, a critical public health problem in
India.According to latest World Health Organisation (WHO) data, hepatitis B is responsible for 1.4 million deaths
every year globally, as compared to 1.5 million deaths from AIDS and 1.2 million each from malaria and
tuberculosis. India has over 40 million hepatitis B infected patients (second only to China) and constitutes about
15% of the entire pool of hepatitis B in the world. Every year, nearly 600,000 patients die from HBV (hepatitis B
virus) infection in the Indian subcontinent.
First Prime Minister (PM) of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew passed away at age of 91.Mr. Lee is described as the
founding father and architect of modern Singapore. He is also considered as pioneer for transforming the island
country from a small port city into a wealthy global hub after its independence from United Kingdom and
separation from Malaysia.
Former Lok Sabha Meira Kumars book entitled Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy Speakers Perspective was
released. The book features an account of the parliamentary diplomacy and its role in furthering foreign policy and
strengthening international relations.
Dr.Rajendra Kumar Pachauri stepped down as Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC). The organisation will now be led by acting chair Ismail El Gizouli until the election for a new chairperson is
conducted.
Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu has roped in noted industrialist Ratan Tata to head a new innovation council
called Kaya Kalp he proposes to set up to turn around the ailing state-run rail network.
India-born Nobel laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan was confirmed as president elect of Britain's
prestigious Royal Society. Ramakrishnan, who will be the first Indian-origin scientist to hold the post, was born in
Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, and studied biology in the US.He is currently deputy director of the British Medical
Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge University.He was elected a Fellow of the Royal
Society in 2003 and was knighted by Britain's Queen in 2012.The Royal Society dates back to 1660 and its
president is a key advocate for science in the UK and the world.Previous presidents of the Royal Society have
included

Isaac

Newton, Christopher

Wren,

Samuel

Pepys,Joseph

Banks,

Humphry

Davy,

and

Ernest

Rutherford.Ramakrishnan will succeed geneticist Sir Paul Nurse, also a Nobel laureate.
Novelist and diplomat Vikas Swarup, who wrote the book Q&A that went on to be made into Oscar winning
film Slumdog Millionaire has been named the new spokesman of Indias Ministry of External Affairs. Swarup is
currently joint secretary in charge of UN (Political) and is expected to take over his new assignment in the middle

64
of April 2015. Swarup joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1986 and has served in Turkey, the US, Ethiopia,
the UK and South Africa. He also served as Consul General of India in Osaka-Kobe, Japan from 2009 to 2013.
Retired Air Chief Marshal Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar passed away in Pune at the age of 95. He was commissioned
in the Royal Indian Air Force on 30 Nov 1940. He served in the Indian Air Force for 38 Years during which he
fought bravely against the Japanese Army in 1941. For his dedication in Kashmir Operation in 1948 and
exceptional gallantry and leadership during the famous Battle of Zoji La, he was awarded the Mahavir Chakra in
1948. He was the captain of the first flight of four Ouragan fighters flown to India from France. At that time he
became the first Indian to fly faster than sound, flying a Mystere-II fighter Bomber in 1951. On 01 Feb 76, he took
over as Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force and took upon himself the task of bringing the IAFs accident
rate under control. He retired from service in 1978 and settled down at Pune.
West Bengal and Bihar Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi took additional charge of Mizoram. He was sworn in as
16th Governor of Mizoram on 4 April 2015. Tripathi was given additional charge of Mizoram after Union
Government had sacked then Governor Aziz Qureshi.
Asteroid 316201 was named as 316201 Malala after the youngest Nobel laureate and girls education campaigner
Malala Yousafzai. The asteroid was named after her by Amy Mainzer, astronomer at NASAs Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in California, United States. In 2010, Mainzer had discovered the asteroid which was known as 316201.
As a discoverer of the asteroid she had owned the rights to name it. Asteroid 316201 Malala is located in the Main
Belt between Mars and Jupiter. It orbits around the Sun every 5.5 years and is more-than 2 mile wide.
Ace mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu who went missing in the Andes mountains on March 24 during a climbing
mission was found dead. Babu was a top Indian mountaineer, having achieved the feat of becoming the "fastest
seven summiteer" in the world (172 days in 2006, during which he climbed seven summits on seven days of the
week in each calendar month). He was also the first Indian to summit Mt. Vinson Massif, the tallest peak in
Antarctica and the first person from Andhra Pradesh to conquer the Everest. He was an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur
and IIM Kolkata.
Pedro Cateriano Bellido was appointed as Prime Minister of Peru by the President Ollanta Humala. He will
replace Ana Jara, who had lost a confidence vote and was sacked by Peruvian Congress amid allegations of
corruption.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) re-appointed Rajeev Shukla as chairman of the Indian Premier
League (IPL) Governing Council. Previously, he was IPL chairman till 2013 but had resigned from the post after the
IPL spot-fixing scandal.
Sunita Tomar, who became the poster girl of India's anti-tobacco campaign after the Union ministry made a 30second video - 'Sunita' - highlighting the devastating effect of smokeless tobacco died at the age of 28. She died
just two days after writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing displeasure at the statement of BJP MP
Dilip Gandhi, chairman of Lok Sabha committee of sub-ordinate legislations, who said there are no Indian studies
that link tobacco to cancer.
Minor planet was named after Indias chess legend and first grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand by the Minor
Planet Center. His name was given to the minor planet which was previously identified as planet 4538. Now the

65
planet will be called as 4538 Vishyanand and is located somewhere between the Mars and Jupiter. Minor planet
4538 Vishyanand was discovered on 10 October 1988 by Japanese astronormer Kenzo Suzuki.
Christopher Alan Bayly, one of the foremost historians of nineteenth century India and a member of the
influential Cambridge school of historiography, passed away at the age of 70. Baylys body of work has been
essential reading in History and related disciplines in Indian and other universities across the globe. His expertise
was Benares and north India during the nineteenth century, which colleagues said was his natural home.
Mohammed bin Nayef was appointed as Crown Prince and as Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia by King
Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud.
Dr.Nasim Zaidi assumed the charge as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). He is Indias 20th CEC and succeeded
Hari Shankar Brahma, who retired on April 18, 2015.
Former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar was appointed as chief advisor of the Board of Control for
Cricket in Indias Anti Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU) for a term of one year. It was under Mr. Kumars
leadership that Delhi Police arrested former Test bowler S. Sreesanth along with domestic spinners Ankeet Chavan
and Ajit Chandila for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the sixth edition
of the IPL.
Sudans President Omar al-Bashir won the Presidential re-election by securing 94 per cent of the vote. With this
win he will have additional term of five years in office which will extend his current 25-year rule. He is in power
since 1989.
Sitaram Yechury was unanimously elected as the general secretary Communist Party of India (Marxist). He is the
fifth general secretary of the 50 year old party which was formed in 1964.
Indian-American Dr. Vivek Murthy was sworn-in as the 19th US Surgeon General.He is the youngest-ever (37year-old) to become in- charge of the countrys public health. With this appointment he is also the highest ranking
Indian-American in the Obama Administration.
Supreme Court appointed Vivek Priyadarshito head an investigating team to further probe the Indian Premier
League (IPL) season 6 spot-fixing and betting scandals.
President Pranab Mukherjee appointed Retired IAS officer Achal Kumar Jyoti as the Election Commissioner. He
will serve as Election Commissioner for a period of three years, i.e. till he attains the age of 65 years old. With this
appointment, the strength of three members Election Commission of India (ECI) has now gone to two.
Justice Cyriac Joseph was appointed as acting Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). His
appointment comes after then Chairman of NHRC Justice K.G. Balakrishnan completed his tenure.
President Pranab Mukherjee appointed Governors in six states. Former Odisha Minister Droupadi Murmu was
appointed as Governor of Jharkhand. She will replace Dr Syed Ahmed. Dr Syed Ahmed has been transfered to
Manipur for remaining period of his term. J P Rajkhowa was appointed as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. He will
replace Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma. Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma was transferred and appointed as
Governor of Mizoram for the remainder of his term. Tathagata Roy will be the Governor of Tripura. V.
Shanmuganthan has been appointed as Meghalaya Governor.

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Lu Ping, the Chinese official who oversaw Hong Kong's transition from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997,
died at the age of 87. Beijing's chief negotiator in the years before handover, Lu was known for his hard-line
stance. Lu also helped draft Hong Kong's mini constitution, the Basic Law.
A 20-year-old student became Britains youngest lawmaker for centuries, defeating one of the countrys most
senior politicians to do it. Mhairi Black of the Scottish National Party defeated Labours Douglas Alexander in the
seat of Paisley and Renfrewshire South. Alexander (47) was the opposition Labours foreign policy spokesman. She
not only the "Baby of the House", an unofficial term given to the youngest MP of the Parliament, but the countrys
youngest lawmaker since Christopher Monck, who entered Parliament in 1667 at age 13.
An Egyptian court sentenced the country's former president, Mohammed Morsi, and more than 100 other
defendants, to death over a mass prison escape during the 2011 uprising that toppled then President Hosni
Mubarak. Morsi's case will now be referred to a religious authority before an execution can take place.
Eminent Bengali writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passed away. She was one of the most popular and powerful
novelists of contemporary Bengali literature. Her writings dwelt on contemporary social issues mainly affecting the
urban middle class and also highlighted the pains and sufferings of women in contemporary society.
US President Barack Obama named Akhil Amar, an Indian-American professor from Yale University, as a member
of the prestigious National Council on Humanities. Amar is a member of the Board of Directors of the
Constitutional Accountability Center and the Coalition of Freedom Advisory Board of the National Constitution
Center.
Aruna Shanbaug, a former nurse who lived in a vegetative state for the past 42 years after being brutally
sexually assaulted at the KEM Hospital in Mumbai and became the face of the debate on euthanasia in India, died
at the age of 66. Aruna was working as a staff nurse at the KEM hospital when on November 27, 1973, she was
raped by ward boy Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki. He had strangled her with a dog chain. The asphyxiation cut off
oxygen supply to her brain, leaving her in a vegetative state since then. Sohanlal was caught and convicted, and
served two concurrent sevenyear sentences for assault and robbery, but neither for rape or sexual molestation,
nor for the alleged unnatural sexual offence. Nearly 38 years after she suffered the brutal assault, the Supreme
Court had on January 24, 2011 responded to the plea for euthanasia filed by journalists Pinki Virani, by setting up
a medical panel to examine her. Virani had moved the Supreme Court seeking euthanasia for Aruna. The court
turned down the mercy killing petition on March 7, 2011. However, it allowed passive euthanasia of withdrawing
life support to patients in permanently vegetative state (PVS) but rejected outright active euthanasia of ending life
through administration of lethal substances. Refusing mercy killing of Aruna, the court had laid a set of tough
guidelines under which passive euthanasia can be legalised through high court monitored mechanism.
SBI Chief Arundhati Bhattacharya, ICICI bank head Chanda Kochhar, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
and HT Media Chair Shobhana Bhartia are among the worlds 100 most powerful women, according to the Forbes
annual list which is topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The 59-year-old Bhattacharya has been ranked
30th on the list, followed by Kochhar on the 35th spot, Mazumdar-Shaw (85) and newcomer on the list Bhartia is
on the 93rd spot.Two women of Indian-origin PepsiCo Chief Indra Nooyi and Cisco Chief Technology and Strategy
Officer Padmasree Warrior also make the list.Forbess 12th annual list of the 100 most influential women feature
extraordinary entrepreneurs, visionary CEOs, politicians, celebrity role models, billionaire activists and pioneer
philanthropists who are transforming the world and have been ranked by dollars, media presence and impact.
The top 10 include US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton (2), philanthriopist Melinda Gates (3), Federal Reserve

67
Chair Janet Yellen (3), GM CEO Mary Barra (5), IMF Chief Christine Lagarde (6), Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff
(7), Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg (8), YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki (9) and US First Lady Michelle Obama (10).
Ms. Draupadi Murmu was sworn in as the first woman and overall ninth Governor of Jharkhand since the state
was granted statehood status after bifurcating from Bihar in November 2000. She succeeds Syed Ahmed who was
recently transferred as Governor of Manipur by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Hemant Sonawala, one of the founders of the country's IT industry and chairman of Hinditron Group, passed
away at the age of 78. Sonawala was one of the founders of the domestic IT industry, having started Hinditron
way back in 1966 and its computer division in 1971. He was also the founder of Digital Equipment India, which
later became a part of HP India in 1988. Digital Equipment India was the first technology IPO in India.
AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa was sworn in for the fifth time as Tamil Nadu chief minister, nearly eight months
after she was forced to quit over corruption charges. With this, Jayalalithaa became 29th chief minister of Tamil
Nadu for record fifth time which matches the record of former state CM and DMK leader M Karunanidhi.
Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa was sworn-in as the 19th Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.Mr. Rajkhowa is a retired
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from 1968 batch. He is the former Chief Secretary of Assam and had
retired from service in 2004.
Lt General (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma was sworn-in as the 17th governor of Mizoram. Mr. Sharma will succeed West
Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi who was given additional charge of Mizoram in April 2015.
Eminent scientist Dr. Selvin Christopher has been appointed as the Director General (DG) of Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with the rank of a secretary
Tathagata Roy was sworn in as the 16th Governor of Tripura in Agartala. He replaced Padmanabh Balkrishna
Acharya, Governor of Nagaland, who had held the additional charge of Tripura.
Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar was crowned as the new Maharaja at the of Mysuru, a titular and
nominal head of the 600-year-old Wadiyar dynasty in southern India.
Prominent scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim was sworn as president of Mauritius, becoming the first woman to
hold the ceremonial position in the Indian Ocean island nation. Gurib-Fakim, 56, is the first female president of the
island, which gained independence from Britain in 1968 and replaced Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as its head of
state in 1992. Mauritius is one of the richest -- and least corrupt -- countries in Africa, a middle-income nation of
some 1.3 million people with a per capita GDP of just over US $9,000 (7,200 euros).
K V Chowdary, the former chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes, was appointed the Central Vigilance
Commissioner and senior-most information commissioner, Vijai Sharma was named the new Chief Information
Commissioner. A retired Indian Revenue Service officer, Mr Chowdary had been working as the adviser to the
Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team, which is probing black money cases. Mr. Sharma, a former
Environment Secretary, has been working as an Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission
since 2012. Both posts had been vacant for months. The issue became politically charged after Congress president
Sonia Gandhi raised it in the Lok Sabha last month, accusing the Narendra Modi government of undermining the
posts by keeping them vacant.

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Mahendra Kumar Sharma was appointed as non-executive chairman of Indias largest private sector lender
Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank. He will replace K V Kamath who had resigned
in order to join as President of the Shanghai based New Development Bank established by the BRICS nations.
Former bureaucrat Dr. Mahesh N. Buch who was widely regarded as the architect of modern Bhopal, passed
away at the age of 80. He was known for his clear views in context of urban planning and environment protection
for betterment of Bhopal and Madhya Pradesh. He received Padma Bhushan in 2011 for his services to the nation.
Nek Chand, creator of the iconic Rock Garden who amazed people for decades with his unique sculptures made
from waste, died at the age of 90. The Padma Shri awardee, whose 90th birthday was celebrated by the
Chandigarh Administration and the City residents on December 15, had millions of fans across the globe. Working
as a roads inspector of the Public Works Department in Punjab from 1951, Nek Chand had quietly built his magical
kingdom clearing a little forest patch near the famous Sukhna lake to create a small garden. Waste like broken
crockery, electrical fittings, glass bangles, bathroom tiles, wash basins and bicycle frames were used to make
mosaic sculptures of men, women, animals and gods. The iconic Rock Garden, inaugurated in 1976, is now spread
over an area of forty acres and more than 2.5 lakh people from India and abroad visit it every year with the
annual revenue generated from ticket sales around Rs 1.8 crore. Nek Chands unique art has also been showcased
in museums abroad, including at the National Childrens Museum in Washington.
Union Home Ministry appointed Senior IPS Officer RC Tayal as the new Director General (DG) of Indias elite
counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG). He succeeds JN Choudhury who had retired on 31 May 2015.
He will have tenure till August 2016.
Former Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB) Syed Asif Ibrahim was appointed as Prime Ministers Special Envoy
for Counter Terrorism and Extremism in National Security Council (NSC) Secretariat.
Journalist and writer Aakar Patel joined Amnesty International India as its new Executive Director. Patel will head
Amnesty International India's operations. Amnesty International India is one of the movement's three national
offices, set up to increase our impact in countries with growing global influence which continue to face human
rights challenges.
Bangladesh's Supreme Court upheld the death sentence against the second highest ranking leader of the
fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami for war crimes, including massacre of intelligentsia during the liberation war
against Pakistan, paving the way for his execution. Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha's four-member bench
confirmed the death penalty for 67-year-old Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid, Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general
and a former commander of Al-Badr, the militia raised by Pakistan to crush the Bangladesh's struggle for
independence.
Indias greatest contemporary architect Charles Correa passed away at the age of 84. He had played a pivotal
role in the creation of architecture for post-Independence India. He was known for his sensitivity to the needs of
the urban poor and use of traditional methods and materials for construction.
Britains longest-serving Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz, was re-elected as Chairman of Home Affairs Select
Committee (HASC) in House of Commons of UK Parliament.

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Mogens Lykketoft from Denmark was unanimously elected as President of United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA). He was only the nominee put forward by the Western Europe and other group (WEOG).
Sister Nirmala, who succeeded Mother Teresa as superior general of the Missionaries of Charity, died at the age
of 81. Nirmala became the second head of the Missionaries of Charity after its founder Mother Teresa stepped
down from the post in March 1997.
A comprehensive book in Dogri on the Dogri literature of 20th century, entitled Beehmi Sadi Da Dogri Da Gadya
Sahitya: Ik Jayzaa written by noted scholar of Dogri Dr Vijay Seth, was released in Jammu.
Pioneer of SMS technology passes away
Matti Makkonnen, the Finnish Technocrat who gave the idea of Short Messaging Services (SMS) passed away in
Finland.
Anisa Rasouli
Anisa Rasouli was nominated as the first female judge in Afghanistan Supreme Court
Darshan Jain
Darshan Jain, an Indian-American teacher named for US Presidential Awards. This award is presented annually to
outstanding K-12 Science and Mathematics teachers in USA. It carries and cash prize of USD 10,000.
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed of Bangladesh won the prestigious World Food Prize -2015. The award is given in recognition
of the work in improving quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world. Sir Abed is credited with establishing
Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), the largest NGO in the world.
Professor R. Paul Singh
Indian-American Professor R. Paul Singh was awarded GCHERA World Agriculture Prize 2015 in recognition of his
contributions to food engineering research, education, development, consulting and technology transfer.
AS Daulat and Aditya Sinha
The book, Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years authored by AS Daulat and Aditya Sinha was released. It highlights the
initiative taken by the Vajpayee government between 1998 and 2004 to restore normalcy in Kashmir.
Gennady Padalka
Russian Cosmonaut, Gennady Padalka entered Guinness World records for spending maximum number of days in
space. He surpassed fellow Russian Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalevs record of 804 days aboard the International
Space Station.
Swati Maliwal
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Swati Maliwal took over as the new Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women
(DCW). Maliwal, an RTI Activist, has succeeded Barkha Shukla.
Khagesh Dev Burman
Khagesh Dev Barman released his book titled R.D. Burman: The Prince of Music on the 76th birth anniversary of
eminent music director of Bollywood, Rahul Dev Burman.

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Ajay Mathur
Ajay Mathur has been appointed as the Director-General (DG) of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). He
succeeds RK Pachauri, who was removed from his position due to sexual harassment charges.
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
Former Indian President Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen (APJ) Abdul Kalam passed away following a massive cardiac
arrest during a lecture in the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong. He was 83. He was also known as the
Missile Man of India. Considered as the People's President, Dr. Kalam became the 11th President of the country
and occupied the post between 2002 and 2007 in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee led NDA government.
Ashish Bahuguna
Ashish Bahuguna was appointed as the Chairman of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). He will
take over from K Chandramouli, whose tenure ended in January 2015. Since then the position was lying vacant
and the Health Secretary Bhanu Pratap Sharma was given the interim charge of chairman of FSSAI.
Dr. Suniti Solomon
Dr. Suniti Solomon, the pioneer of HIV/AIDS research in India died at her residence in Chennai on 28 July 2015.
She was 76. Dr. Solomon documented the Indias first HIV/AIDS case in 1986 and later set up Y R Gaitonde
Centre for AIDS Research and Education (YRG CARE) the first voluntary testing and counseling center for the
disease.
Roelant Oltmans
Roelant Oltmans of the Netherlands was appointed as the coach of mens national team. He has been associated
with the Indian hockey team as High Performance Director and will replace Dutchman Paul van Ass, who was
unceremoniously sacked by Hockey India.
Amitabh Bachchan
Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan accepted the proposal of Maharashtra State Government to be the tiger
ambassador of the state.
Ram Nath Kovind
Senior Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Nath Kovind was appointed as Governor of Bihar. He succeeds West
Bengal Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi, who was holding additional charge of Bihar.
Om Prakash Munjal
The founder of Hero Cycle Om Prakash Munjal passed away on 13 August 2015 following a brief illness at the DMC
Hero Heart Centre, Ludhiana. He was 87.
Acharya Dev Vrat
Acharya Dev Vrat was sworn-in as the Governor of the Himachal Pradesh at the Raj Bhawan in Shimla. He will be
the 27th Governor of this hill-state.
Twinkle Khanna
The book titled MrsFunnybones: Shes Just Like You and a Lot Like Me authored by former Bollywood actress
Twinkle Khannahas been released. It is about how a modern woman looks at India and how India looks back at
her.

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DilipVengsarkar
Former India captain DilipVengsarkar was elected as the president of the Association of Indian Statisticians and
scorers of India (ACSSI).
AmolPalekar
Film Federation of India (FFI) appointed veteran actor and director AmolPalekar as the Chairman of Indias Oscar
jury.
ChetanBhagat
Rupa Publications released the book titled Making India Awesome, authored by ChetanBhagat. This is the second
non-fiction book written by the countrys best-selling author. His first non-fiction book, What Young India Wants
was well received by readers.
DrMalleshappaMadivalappaKalburgi
Unidentified persons shot the veteran Kannada writer and former vice-chancellor of Kannada University
DrM.M.Kalburgi dead at his residence in Dharwad. The 77-year-old Kannada epigraphist was a renowned scholar of
Vachana literature. He was awarded the SahityaAkademi award (2006) for Marga, a collection of his research
articles.
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic, the worlds top ranked tennis player, was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the United
Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), after having served as the UNICEFs Serbia Ambassador.
AditiChauhan
AditiChauhan, Indias international football goalkeeper, became the countrys first woman to play English league
football. She made her debut for the womens team of the West Ham United in the opening game of the season
against Coventry City.
KishorPirajiKharat
KishorPirajiKharat was appointed as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Industrial
Development Bank of India (IDBI).
TarunKhanna
A book titled The KumbhMela: Mapping the Ephemeral Megacity authored by TarunKhanna was released by Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister AkhileshYadav.
Suvra Mukherjee
Indias First Lady Suvra Mukherjee, wife of President Pranab Mukherjee, passed away on 18 August 2015 following
a cardiac arrest in New Delhi. She was 74. Suvra was a vocalist of RabindraSangeet and was an ardent fan of
Indias national poet Rabindranath Tagore.
Indra Nooyi, CEO of food and beverage giant PepsiCo is the sole Indian-origin executive in 2015 edition of
Fortunes list of 50 Most Powerful Women in Business. India-born Nooyi was placed at second position in this
years list and has moved up by single position from her previous third position in year 2015. This edition of the
list was topped by General Motors CEO Mary Barra. She heads United States largest auto-maker and it is her
second year as head.

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Queen Elizabeth II, on 9th September 2015, became the longest-reigning Monarch of Britain and the longestreigning female monarch in history surpassing the previous record held by her great-great-grandmother, Queen
Victoria. At present, Queen Elizabeth II (88 years old) is worlds oldest living monarch.
After a gap of 32 years, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan became the first tamilian to lead the
opposition of in the Sri Lankan parliament. A Amirthalingam of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) was the
only other tamilian to hold the position. He was the leader of the opposition between 1977 and 1983.
Renowned water policy expert Ramaswamy R. Iyer passed away. Mr. Iyer was known for producing a rich body
of commentary on water policy and environmental issues. His last held position was that of an honorary research
professor at the Centre for Policy Research at New Delhi. Mr. Iyer served as Secretary of Water Resources in the
central government and was instrumental in drafting Indias first National Water Policy in 1987.
Alexis Tsipras, leader of Greece's Radical Left Syriza party, was sworn in as prime minister after his party's win
in the recent general elections. The 41-year-old Leftist leader took a civil oath instead of a religious oath to "serve
the laws, the constitution and the interests of Greek people" to form the government for second time in 8 months.
Government appointed NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya as the Sherpa for G-20 talks, replacing
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. As per the practice, the Deputy Chairman of the erstwhile Planning Commission
used to be the Sherpa for G-20 talks. During the a decade long UPA regime, former Deputy Chairman of the
Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia was the sherpa for G-20 talks. The next G20 Leaders' Summit is scheduled
on November 15-16 at Antalya in Turkey in November this year.
E Sreedharan,

the Principal Advisor to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and popularly known as Mtero Man, was

invited to the United Nations' High Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport (HLAG-ST). The service is for a
period of three years. He has been conferred with Padma Shri (2001), Padma Vibhushan (2008) and French
Governments Chevalier de la Lgion dhonneur (2005).
British-American romance novelist Jackie Collins passed away in United States at 77. In her four decades of
writing career, she had written more than 32 novels, all of them had appeared on The New York Times bestsellers
list. She was honoured with Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2013.
Jagmohan Dalmiya, the president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), passed away at 75. Dalmiya
was involved with the BCCI for more than three decades and had started his journey as its treasurer in 1983
before becoming its secretary.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ireland in September 2015. He is the first Prime Minister of India to visit
Ireland in 59 years. During his visit, Modi held discussions with Prime Minister Enda Kenny of Ireland; the two
nations agreed to develop closer partnership & cooperation. They also agreed to chart out a roadmap for
collaboration in the digital world. India sought Irelands support for Indias membership of the NSG and other
international export control regimes.
Sherif Ismail was sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Egypt. He will succeed Ibrahim Mehleb who had resigned
from office following a corruption scandal involving his cabinet minister.
After remaining headless for almost a year, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) appointed
Stuti Narain Kacker, a 1978 batch IAS officer, as its Head. Kacker retired as Secretary from Disability Affairs, in
the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. She was heading the management committee of the Central
Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).

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Meghalaya Governor V. Shanmuganathan was given additional charge of Manipur following death of incumbent
Syed Ahmed.
Renowned Hindi poet Viren Dangwal passed away at the age of 68. Viren Dangwal was one of the leading Hindi
poets. HIs famous poem collection Dushchakra me Shrista had earned him prestigious Sahiya Academy award in
2004.
The World-renowned Indian composer, singer, songwriter, music producer, musician and philanthropist AllahRakha Rahman was named as a cultural ambassador for Seychelles in India. He has won multiple international
awards including 2 Academy Awards (famously known as Oscars), 2 Grammy Awards, BAFTA Award and Golden
Globe Award.
Hoesung Lee of South Korea was elected Chairman of Inter-governmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). Lee
succeeds environmentalist R.K. Pachauri of India who had resigned following the sexual abuse scandal in which he
was allegedly involved.
Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist)-CPN-UML was elected as new
Prime Minister of Nepal, thus becoming the first Prime Minister of Nepal under the newly adopted secular, republic
and federal Constitution of Himalayan country.
Indias second largest software services firm, Infosys appointed Ranganath D Mavinakere as new Chief Financial
Officer (CFO).
Shashank Manohar was elected President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Manohar, who also
served as the 29th President of the board from 2008 to 2011, will remain at the helm for two years. He is known
for his spotless track record and integrity in cricketing circles.
Renowned scientist Shekhar Basu was appointed as the Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and
Secretary of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
V Shanmuganthan was sworn in as the 17th Governor of Manipur, succeeding Dr. Syed Ahmed who died in
September 2015.
Senior IAS officer Alok Rawat became first male person to be appointed as member of National Commission for
Women (NCW), thus filling the fourth seat in the five-member body that seeks to review the constitutional and
legal safeguards for women.
Bidhya Bhandari was elected as Nepal's first woman president, after the adoption of a landmark constitution in
September 2015. Ms Bhandari, currently the vice-chair of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist
Leninist), defeated her opponent Kul Bahadur Gurung of the Nepali Congress to become the Himalayan nation's
ceremonial head of state.
John Pombe Magufuli of ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party won the 2015 Tanzanian Presidential election
and became the fifth President of Tanzania
Justin Trudeau of Liberal Party was elected as 23rd Prime Minister of Canada. He is eldest son of Canadas
former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau who was in office for 16 years and led the country till 1984.
M K Surana was appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL),
India's third largest oil marketing company.

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Renowned Irish-American actress and singer Maureen OHara passed away at 95. She was one of the last living
stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood of the 1940s and 1950s.
Union Government appointed senior IRS officer Najib Shah as the chairman of Central Board of Excise and
Customers (CBEC) for a tenure of 2 years i.e. till March 2017. CBEC is the nodal government agency on Indirect
Taxes responsible for administering Customs, Central Excise, Service Tax and Narcotics in India.
Retired Lieutenant General Nasser Khan Janjua was appointed as the new National Security Advisor (NSA) of
Pakistan.
Luxembourg envoy to the United Nations (UN) Sylvie Lucas was appointed as the next chair of the InterGovernmental Negotiations (IGN) of UN Security Council Reforms. Luxembourg had served as a non-permanent
member of the 15 nation UNSC for year 2013-14. It is also part of the BENELUX countries comprising Belgium,
Netherlands and Luxembourg which are supporting UNSC reforms.
Veteran sports administrator V K Malhotra was named by the government as head of the All India Council of
Sports, which will have a host of eminent sports persons, including cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and chess wizard
Vishwanathan Anand, as members.

75

SPORTS
Andy Murray won his first title of 2015 after Novak Djokovic withdrew from the Mubadala World Tennis
Championship final in Abu Dhabi because of illness.
Bhakti Sharma, the open water swimming champion of India set a world record by swimming 1.4 miles in 52
minutes in one degree temperature in the Antarctic Ocean.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo won the 2014 FIFA Ballon dOr award for the best footballer of the year in
the world.
Former Dutch National Hockey team coach Paul van Ass was appointed as the head Coach of Indian men's hockey
team. He succeeded Terry Walsh of Australia
Weightlifter Jimjang Deru created a national record in weightlifting by lifting 238 kilograms under the 56 kilograms
category at 10th Youth National Weightlifting Championship held in Yamuna Nagar, Haryana.
Pankaj Advani won National Billiards title for seventh time. This was his seventh Senior National Billiards
Championship. Advani, the 12-time world champion won the previous six titles in 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007
and 2005.
South Africa batsman and ODI captain AB de Villiers hit a century off 31 balls to record the fastest ever one-day
international ton. He surpassed Corey Andersons record of a century off 36 balls.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that following remedial work and retests, the bowling actions of
Pakistans Saeed Ajmal and Sohag Gazi of Bangladesh had been found to be legal, and the players can now
resume bowling in international cricket.
Malaysias female professional squash player Nicol David has set a new record by topping the world squash
rankings for 106th month. She is first Asian to achieve this milestone and has overtaken previous 105th month
record set by four time world champion Susan Devoy from New Zealand which was set in February 1993.
South Africa captain AB de Villiers smashed the second fastest World Cup century and fastest ever 150 in ODIs,
against West Indies in a Pool B match of ICC World Cup 2015 at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). He set a new
record in ODI history, scoring 150 off just 64 balls. He now owns records of fastest 50 (16 balls), 100 (31) and
150 (64) in 50-over international cricket. The previous fastest 150 was in the name of Australia's Shane Watson,
off 83 deliveries, against Bangladesh in 2011.
West Indies opener Chris Gayle became the first batsman to score a double century in a World Cup innings when
he reached the landmark against Zimbabwe. It was also only the fifth double century in all ODI cricket and the
first by a non-Indian, with Rohit Sharma (two), Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag the only other batsmen to
achieve the feat.
Martin Crowe, former New Zealand captain and player of the ICC Cricket World Cup 1992, was inducted into the
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Crowe became the third New Zealander, after Sir Richard Hadlee and Debbie Hockley,
and the 79th overall to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

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Carolina Marin Martin of Spain has won the prestigious Womens Singles Title in the All England Open
Badminton Championships 2015, when she defeated Indias Saina Nehwal in the final match. With this victory,
Carolina Marin became the first Spanish player to win this prestigious title.
Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara became the first player to score four successive one-day international centuries,
setting a new record in a World Cup match against Scotland. The left-hander surpassed six players who had scored
three ODI centuries in a row. They were Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar of Pakistan, the South African trio of
Herschelle Gibbs, AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock, and Ross Taylor of New Zealand.
Former Sri Lankan cricket captain and batsman Kumar Sangakkara announced his retirement from Test cricket.
He will retire after playing the three-match Test series against India in August 2015.Sangakkara had already taken
retirement from One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty-20 cricket. He retired from Twenty-20 cricket format
after Sri Lanka won the T20 World cup in 2014. While, he had announced to retire from ODI cricket format after
the ongoing ICC World Cup 2015. Presently, Sangakkara is fifth highest run scorer in Test cricket. He has scored
12203 runs in 130 Test matches at an average of 58.66.
Indias ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth won badmintons prestigious $120,000 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold title in
Mens singles category after defeating Denmarks defending champion Viktor Axelsen . With this victory, Kidambi
Srikanth became the first Indian to win this prestigious title in Mens singles category.
Australia won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 for the record fifth time. In the final match Australia defeated cohosts of the tournament, New Zealand by 7 wickets. Previously, Australia had won the Cricket World Cup in 1987,
1999, 2003 and 2007.It was first time of New Zealand to enter final of Cricket World Cup.
The legendary Balbir Singh Senior, member of three Olympic gold medal winning teams, was honoured with a
Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Hockey India Awards. The 90-year-old received the trophy for Major
Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award along with a cheque of Rs 30 lakh. Balbir Singh was part of the famous
gold winning teams from 1948 to 1956 Olympics. His 1952 record of most goals (five) in an Olympic final still
stands and he also figures in the list of 16 iconic Olympians of all-time.
A two-year-old girl archery prodigy Cherukuli Dalli Shivani from Vijaywada achieved a stunning feat by setting a
new record and entering her name into the India Book of Records. Shivani, the kid sister of late Indian coach and
international archer Cherukuri Lenin who died in a road accident soon after 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games,
became the youngest Indian to score 200 points over five and seven-metre distances.She shot 36 arrows each
from five metres and seven metres to score 388 points at a show in the presence of senior sports personalities and
India Book of Records officials.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni became first Indian Cricket team Captain to register the 100 One Day International
(ODI) match wins.He was able to achieve this feat after Indian team defeated Bangladesh in the 2015 ICC World
Cup quarter-final match. He is the third captain in the history of the cricket to record 100 wins. Other two captains
to achieve this feat are Australians Allan Border and Ricky Ponting.
New Zealands Martin Guptill created a Cricket World Cup record by scoring highest score of 237 runs not out. He
achieved this feat in match against West Indies in the 2015 ICC World Cup quarter-final. Martin Guptill also
became the first New Zealand cricketer to score double century in One Day Internationals (ODIs). He also broke
the previous record of Chris Gayle (West Indies) who had scored first double century in Cricket World Cup

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2015.Guptill is 5th cricketer to score double century in ODIs. Others are Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar,
Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma and West Indies Chris Gayle.
Saina Nehwal became the first Indian woman player to attain a rare feat of becoming the World No 1 player after
Carolina Marin lost her match to Ratchanok Intanon in the second semi-final of the India Open Super Series
badminton tournament. Prakash Padukone is the only other India player who had the distinction of being the No. 1
men's badminton player. Saina is first Indian to win Olympics medal in Badminton and had won Bronze medal at
the London Olympics 2012. She has been conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award (2009), Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna (20092010) and Padma Shri (2010) for her contribution to sports.
Indian chess Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika won the bronze medal in the World Womens chess championships
along with Swedish Grandmaster Pia Cramling. Ace Indian shooter Jitu Rai won a bronze medal in the 10m air
pistol event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Changwon, South Korea.
New Zealand won the 24th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament 2015 for second time. In the final
match, New Zealand defeated World Champions Australia. Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament is an annual
tournament held in Malaysia and was established in 1983.
Former Australia captain and legendary cricket commentator Richie Benaud passed away at the age of 84.
Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar was inducted as one of the five new members into the prestigious Laureus
Sports Academy. Besides Tendulkar, retired Chinese professional basketball player Yao Ming, Kenyan long-distance
runner Tegla Loroupe, Chinese gymnast Li Xiaopeng and former Chinese short track speed skater Yang Yang were
the other athletes to be inducted into the Laureus academy. Arguably the greatest batsman in contemporary
cricket, Tendulkar had walked into international sunset after a glorious career spanning 24 years, in front of his
home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium following a Test series against the West Indies in November 2013. In his
over two-decade international career, Tendulkar amassed 18,426 runs in 463 one-dayers at an average of 44.83,
while in Tests, he has 15,645 runs at an average of 54.32 in 194 matches. The tally includes 51 hundreds and 66
half-centuries.
Three Indian race walkers Khushbir Kaur, Manish Rawat and Sandeep Kumar have qualified for 2016 Rio
Olympics.
Mercedes Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton from Britain won the Bahrain Grand Prix of Formula One on the
Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit.
World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the Shamkir Chess tournament by defeating Rauf Mamedov of
Azerbaijan. Former world champion Viswanathan Anand finished second in this tournament.
Indias Shamjetsabam Sarjubala and Pinki Jangra clinched gold medals at the 22nd Presidents Cup Open
International Boxing Tournament held in Indonesia.
Indias Y Pranjala won the Asian Junior Tennis championship title by defeating Chinas Zheng Wushuang in the
final match.

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Indias lead shooter Gagan Narang won the bronze medal in the 50m Rifle Prone Event of the International
Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup. With this win he qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
India's top rifle shooters won a rich haul of three gold and two bronze medals at the International
Shooting Competition of Hannover. Beijing Games gold medallist Bindra won both the individual and team gold
in his pet 10m air rifle event, while upcoming talent Chain Singh added the 50m men's rifle prone yellow metal to
his 10m air rifle team gold, which he won alongside Bindra and London Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang.
Maniram Patel from Gujarat won Gold medal in the mens 20 kilometre walk in the 19th Federation Cup senior
athletics championship held at Mangaluru, Karnataka.
The Indian government has finally recognized motor sports as a sport by including governing body FMSCI in the
list of sports ministry-backed National Sports Federations (NSF). The ministry has included motor sports in its
latest revision of sports disciplines, albeit in the Others category, meaning no financial assistance will be provided
to the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).
Talented Indian youngster Tejaswini Sagar won her maiden world title bagging the gold in the under-15 category
of World School Chess Championship at Pattaya, Thailand.
Abhinav Bindra became the fourth Indian shooter to win a quota place for the 2016 Rio Olympics. He got
qualified to 2016 Olympics after finishing sixth in the Mens 10 metre Air Rifle final at the International Shooting
Sport Federation (ISSF) Shooting World Cup held in Munich, Germany.
Ace Indian archer Deepika Kumari outclassed Chang Hye Jin of Korea in straight sets to clinch the bronze medal
in the women's individual recurve event of the World Cup.
Mumbai Indians (MI) won the eight edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 by defeating Chennai Super
Kings (CSK).
Indias ace discus thrower Vikas Gowda won a bronze medal in the second leg of the prestigious International
Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Diamond League series in Shanghai, China.
Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the only Indian among Forbes magazines 100 highest-paid athletes in the
world. American boxer Floyd Mayweather tops the list, which also includes golfer Tiger Woods, tennis star Roger
Federer and Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo. Dhoni has been ranked 23rd, dropping a notch from his
ranking of 22 last year. Dhonis total earnings stood at $31 million, including amount from salary/winnings at $4
million and endorsements worth $27 million. The 33-year old cricketer retired from Test cricket at the end of 2014,
but remains Indias skipper at the One Day International and T20 levels.
President of the Fdration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Sepp Blatter resigned amid a corruption
scandal which is under investigation in United States. Earlier on 30 May 2015, he was re-elected as the FIFA
President for a fifth term by defeating his rival candidate Prince Ali bins Al Hussein of Jordan.
Serena Williams of United States won French Open womens single title after defeating Lucie Safarova of
Czechoslovakia. This was her third French Open title and overall 20th Grand Slam title.

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Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland won his first French Open Mens single title of Tennis. After defeating Novak
Djokovic of Serbia. It his first his first French Open title and second grand slam title.
Indias Sundaram Ravi was inducted into the Elite Panel of International Cricket Council (ICC) Umpires for year
2015-2016.With this appointment, Sundaram Ravi became second Indian umpire after S Venkataraghavan to be
inducted into the ICCs elite panel. S Venkataraghavan was inducted in this panel in 2004.
Astronomers named a newly discovered galaxy as CR7 (COSMOS Redshift 7) after Portuguese footballer Cristiano
Ronaldo. Ronaldo is famously known as CR7 after his initials and his jersey number. He had won Fifas Ballon
dOr award consecutively for two years in 2013 and 2014.
Indian pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwni Ponappa won the womens doubles title of the Canada Open Badminton
tournament when they defeated Dutch pair of Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek in the finals.
Indias legendary batsman and Bharat Ratna recipient Sachin Tendulkar was voted the Best Test player of the
21st century in an online poll conducted by Cricket Australias website for the list of the 100 best Test players
since 2000.
Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first Indian basketball player to be drafted in the National Basketball
Association (NBA) after being picked by Dallas Mavericks. The 19-year-old, who hails from a remote village in
Punjab and stands 7 feet 2 inches tall, was the 52nd pick in the NBA Draft.
Tennis legend Steffi Graf was appointed the Ayurveda brand ambassador of Gods Own Country Kerala. The 46year-old Graf, who retired in 1999, married former World No. 1 mens tennis player Andre Agassi. Keralas
Ayurveda, an ancient system of health care which is famous for its holistic effect on body and mind, attracts large
number of people from the country and abroad every year.
Sunil Chhetri became the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals. He achieved this feat in his 87th
match i.e. during 2018 World Cup qualifying match between India and Guam.
Former Pakistan cricket team captain Zaheer Abbas was selected the new President of International Cricket
Council (ICC) for one year term. He will be the 13th President of ICC and succeeds Mustafa Kamal of Bangladesh.
Chile wins Copa America Crown after 99 years
Chile defeated Argentina in the finals of Copa America in a dramatic penalty shoot out (4-1), dashing hopes of star
footballer Lionel Messi of his first international title.
Sunil Chhetri, most expensive
Mumbai City got Sunil Chhetri, for Rs. 1.2 crore, spending the most on a single player, at the Hero Indian Super
League 2015 s first player auction.

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Wimbledon Results
Mens Singles World No. 1 Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer to win his third Wimbledon Crown
Womens Singles - World no 1 Serena Williams won her 21st singles grand slam by beating Garbine Muguruza
from Spain.
Mixed Doubles Won by Leander Paes and Martina Hingis
Womens Doubles Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis
Sumit Nagpal brought glory for the country by winning the Boys Doubles crown with Nam Hoang Ly of Vietnam.
CSK, RR owners out of IPL for 2 years
The R.M. Lodha Committee on the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting scandal, appointed by the SC, suspended
India Cements Ltd. (ICL) and Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt. Ltd. (JIPL) from the League for 2 years. The ICL owned
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the JIPL owned the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Gurunath Meiyappan, CSK official was
suspended for life for being involved in and type of cricket matches. Also, Raj Kundra, former RR part-owner was
suspended for life from being involved with the BCCI in any type of cricket matches.
BCCI constitutes committee to study Lodha Committee Report
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) constituted a working group to study the verdict of the Supreme Court
appointed RM Lodha Committee on the IPL 2013 scandal. The four-member group includes IPL chairman Rajiv
Shukla, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, BCCI treasurer Anirudh Choudhury and former India captain Sourav
Ganguly.
All India Council of Sports established
The Government of India announced the formation of All India Council of Sports as an advisory body for the Union
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The Council will have recommendatory powers and the advice rendered by it
will not be binding on the ministry or the government.
Chris Froome of Britain wins the 102nd Tour de France
Chris Froome from Team Sky of Britain won the 102nd Tour de France in a three-week long race around the
Champs Elysees, Paris. With this, Froome became the first Briton to win the Tour de France twice.
Beijing to host 2022 Winter Olympics
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics and
Paralympics. The Chinese capital was chosen ahead of Almaty, Kazakshtan.
Prabhroop Sekhon wins two gold medals Special Olympics World Summer Games
14 year old Master Prabhroop Sekhon won two gold medals in 300 metre and 500 metre in Roller Skating at the
Special Olympics World Summer Games. The event was held at Los Angeles, USA.
Indian women's recurve win a silver at the World Archery Championships
Indian women's recurve team of Deepika Kumari, Laxmirani Majhi and Rimil Buriuly won a silver medal at the
World Archery Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. In the Summit clash, the Indian trio lost the World
Championship final to top seeded Russians 4-5 to settle for the silver.

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Dipa Karmakar wins bronze in gymnastics
Ace Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar clinched the women's vault bronze medal at the 6th Senior ART Gymnastics
Asian Championships at Hiroshima, Japan.
U Mumba wins Kabaddi League 2015
Anup Kumar led U Mumbai won the Pro Kabaddi League 2015 title by defeating Bengaluru Bulls 36-30 in the final
match held in Mumbai. While the winners got one crore rupees as prize money, the Bengaluru Bulls won 50 lakh
rupees.
Indian women hockey team qualifies for Olympics after 36 years
Indian women hockey team qualified for Olympics after 36 years. Indian women last qualified in Moscow Olympics
held in 1980. The present qualification will allow India to participate in the 2016 Summer Olympics will be held in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Bolt wins 200 m world title
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won the 200-meter title at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics held at Beijing
in China. Bolt completed the race in 19.55 seconds surpassing his American rival Justin Gatlin who completed the
race in 19.74 seconds.
Kumar Sangakkara retires from international cricket
Former Sri Lankan cricket captain and batsman Kumar Sangakkara retired from International Cricket. He played
his last match against India as part of three match test series held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sangakkara had already
taken retirement from One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty-20 cricket. He retired from Twenty-20 cricket
format after Sri Lanka won the T20 World cup in 2014. He retired from ODI cricket format after the ICC World
Cup 2015.
De Villiers break Gangulys Record
South African skipper AB de Villiers became the fastest batsman to reach 8000 One Day International (ODI) runs.
He went past 8000 runs in just 182 innings, surpassing the previous record held by former Indian captain
SouravGanguly, who achieved the fete in 200 innings.
AbhishekVerma clinches gold in Archery
India's AbhishekVerma won the gold medal in the compound men's individual section in the Archery World Cup
Stage 3 competition at Wroclaw, Poland.
SainaNehwal is the first Indian to win silver in the World Badminton Championship
Indias ace shuttlerSainaNehwal became the first Indian to win silver in the World Badminton Championship. She
lost the women's singles summit clash to Spain's Carolina Marin 16-21, 19-21 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Olympic
bronze medallist had reached the finals of the event on 15 August 2015 by defeating Indonesia's LindaweniFanetri.
Ace golfer Anirban Lahiri became the first Indian to qualify for the prestigious Presidents Cup. He will be part of
the International Team in the 2015 championship. The championship is scheduled to be held at Incheon in South
Korea between 2 October and 4 October 2015.

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The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) General Assembly selected South African city Durban as the host for
the XXII Commonwealth Games. With this, South Africa became the first country from Africa to host the games in
its 85 years history.
Flavia Pennetta of Italy won the US Open Womens Singles title by defeating Roberta Vinci in the finals. With this
win, Pennetta became the oldest woman in the Open era to become a Grand Slam champion for the first time.
Leander Paes and Swiss Martina Hingis won the US Open Mixed Doubles Title 2015.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the US Open Mens Singles title when he defeated Roger Federer in the finals. For
Djokovic, it was a second US Open singles title and a 10th Grand Slam singles title.
India's tennis star Sania Mirza bagged her second consecutive Grand Slam title of the season, and fifth overall,
as she won the US Open women's doubles with Swiss partner Martina Hingis. The top-seeded Indo-Swiss team
outplayed the fourth seed team of Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova in the final.
Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket teams Test captain, was named co-owner of International Premier Tennis League
(IPTL) franchise UAE Royals. UAE Royals was set up last year as one of IPTLs franchises by a group of investors
called Ace Ventures. The group was led by passionate tennis fans including Sachin Gadoya, co-founder and
managing director of travel website Musafir.com, and his friends Sawan Ravani, Rahul Saharia, Kaushal Majithia,
Chirag Vora and Kunal Bansal. IPTL, promoted by tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi, will be played across five countries
in Asia. The other teams are Manila Mavericks, Singapore Slammers, Micromax Indian Aces and Japan Warriors.
The tournament will be played between 2 December and 20 December this year.
Indias Ajay Jayaram won silver medal in 2015 Korea Open Badminton tournament in the Mens singles category,
when he lost to World no. one Cheng Long of China. Ajay Jayaram is currently ranked 32nd in the world.
Indias ace cueist Pankaj Advani won 2015 IBSF World Billiards Championship in Adelaide, Australia. It was his
overall 14th World title.
Former Indian Cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly was appointed as President of Cricket Association of Bengal
(CAB).
Ace Indian shuttler, Ajay Jayaram won the 2015 Dutch Open Grand Prix badminton tournament.
Indias ace shooter Heena Sidhu clinched a Gold medal in the 10-metre air pistol event of the Asian Air Gun
Championships in New Delhi.
Punjab National Bank (PNB) won the 2015 Beighton Cup hockey tournament by defeating Indian Oil Corporation
(IOC) in the finals.
Sergey Karjakin of Russia won the 2015 World Cup Chess Championship by defeating Peter Svidler (Russia).
India seamer Zaheer Khan announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket. He will, however,
continue to play in the IPL for one more season. With 610 international wickets, Zaheer finishes as one of India's
most successful bowlers, being the fourth-highest wicket-taker for India across formats. He has the second-

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highest wickets tally - 311 - for an India seamer in Tests, behind Kapil Dev's 434. Zaheer, though, played few
international matches in recent years after being dogged by injuries.
Ace Indian archer Abhishek Verma won Silver medal in the 2015 Archery World Cup Final in the mens individual
compound section. It was Indias first ever Archery World Cup Final medal in the compound section in this edition
of World Cup.
Indias ace women archer Deepika Kumari won the Silver medal in recurve event at the 2015 Archery World Cup
Final held in Mexico City. In the final match, South Koreas Choi Misun defeated Deepika Kumari and won the gold
medal.
Hockey India (HI) signed a three-year partnership with Sports Authority of India (SAI), extending its
commitment towards helping hockey regain its position as the country's top sport. This would mark the beginning
of a new era for Indian hockey, enabling SAI to invest in innovative programmes, developing India as a world class
hockey nation. The three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) acknowledges hockey as a medium for the
development and promotion of values in the youth of the nation
Himachal Pradesh's Bir-Billing in the picturesque Kangra Valley - voted the second best flying site in the world
after Lake Como in Italy hosted India's first AAI Paragliding World Cup 2015.
Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag announced his retirement from international cricket. He had started his
international cricket career in 1999 after he played his first One Day International (ODI) against Pakistan and later
in 2001 joined the Indian Test team. In his career, he scored 17,253 international runs across all formats.
Chinas Xuerui Li won the prestigious 2015 Denmark Open Badminton Title in the womens single category by
defeating P V Sindhu of India in the final match.

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MISCELLANEOUS

Japanese automaker Honda has agreed to pay US 70 million dollars in fines to the US authorities for
failing to report safety issues involving its cars.

The first ministerial meeting of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean
States (CELAC) concluded in Beijing with the announcement that the forum's next meeting will be held in
Chile in 2018. The two-day meeting, co-chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Costa Rican
counterpart, Manuel Gonzalez Sanz, passed three major documents: the Beijing Declaration, a five-year
cooperation plan and the regulations on the China-CELAC forum. China and CELAC have also reached a
consensus on deepening political mutual trust, expanding cooperation and promoting development of the
forum.

A British-built space probe Beagle 2 has been found on the surface of Mars, 11 years after it was thought
that it was lost on Mars. After the discovery, the Royal Society has announced an award in
commemoration of Prof Colin Pillinger (died in 2014) who was Principal Investigator of Beagle2 probe.

Indian Government decided to provide 69 million rupees to Nepal as assistance to launch the Iodine
Deficiency Disorder Control Programme (IDDCP).

Union Railway minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated Indias first compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered
train.

Minister for Communications and IT Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad commissioned the first high speed rural
broadband of India at the Idukki district in Kerala. With the commissioning of the NOFN network, Idukki
district of Kerala has become the first in India to be connected with high speed rural broadband. Currently
the District has a total of 8 Block Offices & 53 Gram Panchayats of which 8 Block Offices & 52 Gram
Panchayats have been connected on Optical Fibre and one Gram Panchayat, namely Edamalakudy, is
connected through VSAT. Edamalakudy, is a Tribal Gram Panchayat consisting of 26 Tribal villages with a
population of around 2200.

Union government reconstituted pollution control board working group to simplify procedures to get
consent certificates and categorisation of industries.

UNCTAD released Global Investment Trends Monitor Report in January 2105. In 2014, global foreign direct
investment (FDI) inflows declined by 8% to an estimated US$1.26 trillion, due to fragility of the global
economy, policy uncertainty and geopolitical risks. A large divestment in the United States also reduced
the global level of FDI flows. FDI flows to developed countries dropped by 14% to an estimated US$511
billion, significantly affected by a large divestment in the United States. FDI flows to the European Union
(EU) reached an estimated US$267 billion; this represents a 13% increase on 2013, but is still only onethird of the 2007 peak. Flows to transition economies more than halved to US$45 billion as regional
conflict, sanctions on the Russian Federation, and negative growth prospects deterred foreign investors
(especially from developed countries) from investing in the region.Developing economies saw their FDI
inflows reach a new high of more than US$700 billion, 4% higher than 2013, with a global share of 56%.
At the regional level, flows to developing Asia were up, those to Africa remained flat, while FDI to Latin
America declined. In 2014, China, with an increase of 3%, became the world's largest recipient of FDI.
The United States fell to the 3rd largest host country with almost a third of their 2013 level. Among the
top five FDI recipients in the world, four are developing economies.

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Thailands ousted former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was impeached for her role in overseeing a
rice subsidy program, which cost the government billions of dollars. Thailand's military-appointed
legislature voted to impeach Shinawatra, a decision that would ban her from politics for five years. The
impeachment could further worsen the political situation in the country, which has been under martial law
since May, when the military seized power after months of protests.

India signed an agreement on transfer of sentenced persons with Hong Kong. Under the agreement, the
two sides will exchange sentenced prisoners in each other's jurisdiction. The agreement will mostly apply
to Indian prisoners as there are very few Hong Kong residents in Indian prisons.

India has challenged a World Trade Organisation (WTO) panels ruling that challenges countrys ban on
United States (US) poultry product imports.In this regard, India has appealed to the Dispute Settlement
Board (DSB) of the WTO.

Every year National Voters Day (NVD) is observed on 25th January.This year i.e. 2015 was fifth National
Voters Day and theme of this year was Easy Registration, Easy Correction.

Hurun Report released the Hurun Global Rich List 2015, a ranking of the US dollar billionaires currently
found in the world. "New Energy King" Li Hejun, 48, is now the richest man in China and Bill Gates takes
the top spot in the world, according to the report. Li is the board Chairman and CEO of Hanergy Holdings
Group Limited, a Beijing-based thin-film photovoltaic solar panel manufacturer. The combined net worth
of the Chinese billionaires is US$1.2 trillion (S$1.61 trillion). China is the number 1 in the world in terms
of most self-made billionaires90 percent of all the Chinese billionaires are self-made. Wealth calculations
are a snapshot of January 17, 2015. This is the fourth year that Hurun Report has released a ranking of
the dollar billionaires in the world.

Japan, on 1 February 2015, successfully launched the Information Gathering Satellite, a spy satellite. The
Satellite was launched from the Tanegashima Space Centre in the Kagoshima Prefecture in the south of
Japan. The satellite was taken into orbit by the H-2A (H-IIA) carrier rocket. The satellite carries a
sophisticated radar payload designed to survey the globe night and day in all weather conditions from an
orbit about 300 miles above Earth.

China has over taken the US as the top destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for the first time
since 2003 as per the data released by the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development
(UNCTAD).

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the Delhi Assembly Election 2015 by record a landslide victory and
secured 67 out of the 70 seats.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister has launched the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS)
project in state. It will help in connecting 177 sites and 114 police stations in the state besides 13 district
headquarters, 26 sub-divisional police officers and three police ranges along with state crime records
bureau.

House of Lords of the United Kingdom (UK) passed a legislation allowing creation of babies using DNA of
three people (called mitochondria donation procedure), making the United Kingdom the first country to
legalize the creation of three-parent IVF designer babies.

China launched a massive Silk Road Infrastructure project worth 79.8 billion US dollars in the northwest
province of Gansu. The project was launched as a part of Chinas ambitious Silk Route plan.

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Government of Maharashtra started a helpline to address the social, physical and psychological issues
faced by adolescents. This helpline has been set up under the aegis of National Adolescent Health
Programme (Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram) which was launched on 7 January 2014 as a part of
the National Health Mission.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has launched Northeast India's first Kisan Call Centre in Agartala. The
Kisan Call Centre will give immediate solution and real time advisory to farmers if they need expert
consultation regarding seed procurement, agro-metric, fertilizer, soil health, pesticides usage and
marketing of the produces. Apart from that the farmers' portal will be issuing advisory for farm production
under direct supervision of the experts.

ADBs flagship annual economic publication, Asian Development Outlook 2015 (ADO) forecasts developing
Asia will achieve gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.3% in both 2015 and 2016. The region also
grew 6.3% in 2014. From the trough of the global financial crisis in 2009, developing Asia has contributed
2.3 percentage points to global GDP growthnearly 60% of the worlds annual 4.0% pace. Eight
economies in the region posted growth exceeding 7.0% in nearly every year of the post-crisis period,
including the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, and Sri Lanka.
Growth in the United States (US), where recovery seems to have turned a corner, is leading major
industrial economies. While signs are mixed in the euro area and Japan, soft oil prices and accommodative
monetary policy will support growth. As a group, these economies are forecast to expand by 2.2% in
2015, up 0.6 percentage points from 2014, and 2.4% in 2016. India is forecast to overtake the PRC in
terms of growth as the initial phase of government efforts to remove structural bottlenecks is lifting
investor confidence. With the support of stronger external demand, India is set to expand by 7.8% in
FY2015 (ending 31 March 2016), a sharp rise from 7.4% growth in FY2014. This momentum is expected
to build to 8.2% growth in FY2016, aided by expected easing of monetary policy and a pickup in capital
expenditure.

Delhi High Court (HC) on 25 March 2015 became the first court in India to set up dedicated commercial
courts within it to ensure speedy disposal of cases.

The Haryana assembly unanimously passed the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill,
2015, under which cow slaughter and sale of beef have been banned in the state. The new law will
prohibit the slaughter of cows, promote conservation and development of indigenous breeds of cows and
establish institutions to keep, maintain and take care of the infirm, injured, stray and uneconomic cows.
Anyone found guilty of cow slaughter will face rigorous imprisonment of not less than three years which
may extend up to 10 years alongwith fine ranging from Rs.30,000 to Rs.1 lakh. Any person found
indulging in export of cows for the purpose of slaughter will face rigorous imprisonment of not less than
three years which may extend up to seven years with fines ranging from Rs.30,000 to Rs.70,000. Sale of
beef will be completely banned and this offence will be punishable with rigorous imprisonment of not less
than three years and up to five years with fine of up to Rs.50,000.

India has been elected to four key subsidiary bodies of the United Nations' agency on economic and social
issues, continuing its impressive record of winning elections at the world body. With the election wins,
India maintained its 100 per cent record of winning elections held in the UN Headquarters. It was elected,
along with 13 other nations, to the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for a
three-year term beginning January 2016.UNICEF addresses the needs of children with emphasis on giving
long-term benefits to children everywhere, particularly those in developing countries. India was also reelected to the Executive Board of the World Food Programme for the 2016-2018 term along with five
other nations. WFP is the food assistance arm of the UN which provides food assistance to around 90

87
million people in 80 countries in a year. It was among the 20 nations to be elected to the Commission on
Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) for a three-year term, beginning January 2016. India also
got re-elected to the Governing Council of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) for the
term 2016-2019. UN-Habitat is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and
environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

World health Day was observed all over the world on April 7, 2015. Theme for year 2015 was food
safety with the slogan from farm to plate, make food safe.

Haryana School Education Department ordered 10% reservations to EWS in private unaided schools. The
10% reservation is meant for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Below Poverty Line (BPL) category
students from Classes I to XII in private unaided schools.

Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved Amaravathi as capital of the State. Amaravathi, located at Tullur
between Vijayawada and Guntur on the banks of River Krishna, derives its name from Lord Amareswara
temple in the village and it is known as Dakshina Kashi (Kashi of the south).

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) welcomed Seychelles as its 161st member, ending 20 years of
negotiating its accession terms.

Haryana Government inaugurated the excavation work on the Rs. 50-crore Saraswati Revival Project at
Rolaheri village in Yamunanagar district. It is said that river Saraswati flows through 41 villages of
Yamunanagar district. It originates from Adi Badri and its water falls in Somb river. It has been proposed
that a check dam would be constructed on Somb river to store rain-water and divert it to Saraswati.

The Kerala government launched a major campaign "Subodham" to help people in the state overcome
alcohol, drug and other substance abuse. The "Subodham" project, envisaged by the excise department,
will be implemented by a high-level committee comprising experts from various fields.

David Camerons Conservative Party won the UK General election 2015 by securing 331 seats in a
Parliament of 650. With this win, the incumbent Prime Minister David Cameroon will continue to be in the
office.

Rajasthan Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Health Mission
(NHM), UNICEF and GAIN (Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition) to tackle the severe problem of
malnourishment of the state. Initially, the programme will be implemented in thirteen districts in which
more than 10000 children have been identified as malnourished.

India and Vietnam signed a Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation for the period 2015-2020 in
New Delhi. The statement is an outcome of delegation level talks held in New Delhi to discuss cooperation
on maritime security.

The World Day against Child Labour was observed across the world on 12 June to bring awareness against
child labour. The theme of this year was No to Child Labour, Yes to Quality Education.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) announced that in past one decade renewable
energy targets have quadruple globally. As per the report released in June 2015, 164 countries have
adopted at least one type of renewable energy target compared to 43 countries in 2005. All nations are
adopting renewable energy targets to meet multiple objectives including energy security, environmental
sustainability and socio-economic benefits.

African countries signed a historic The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) that facilitates creation of Africas
largest free-trade zone, covering 26 countries in an area from Cape Town to Cairo. The deal, signed in

88
Egypt, is intended to ease the movement of goods across member countries which represent more than
half the continent's GDP. With this agreement comes into fruition a century-old dream to link the
continent from the Cape to Cairo. Explorers and freedom fighters alike all shared the vision to integrate
African economies.

Jind and Karnal districts of Haryana and Muzaffarnagar of Uttar Pradesh were included in National Capital
Region in June 2015.

India was among the 50 founding countries that signed an agreement providing the legal framework for
the China-led $100 billion multilateral Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) which is being seen as
a rival to the US and Europe-dominated banking institutions. The 60-article agreement specified each
member's share as well as governance structure and policy-making mechanism of the bank, which is
designed to finance infrastructure in Asia. Australia was the first country to sign the agreement, followed
by 49 other members.

According to a research published by the World Economic Forum, the US department of defense is the
world's biggest employer which claims over 3.2 million employees on its roster. Second is People's
Liberation Army (the Chinese military) with 2.3 million, and in third is the US supermarket giant Walmart
with 2.1 million workers. Indian Railways was placed at 8th position with 1.4 million staff, while Indian
Army was placed at 9th position with 1.3 million employees in the list of worlds biggest employers.

India is the fourth largest carbon emitter in the world in terms of per capita emission accounting for 6.6 %
of global emissions for the year 2012. It was revealed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in its latest
analyses of the country-wise carbon emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases (GHGs). According
to the analysis figures of WRI, Top 5 emitters are: China (25.26%), US (14.4%), European Union
(10.16%), India (6.69%) and Russia (5.36%).

India pledged an assistance of one billion US dollars to the quake-ravaged Nepal for its massive reconstruction programme.

Olympics of Arts come to India

The Youth Delphic games will be held in Goa in February 2016. These games are held every 4 years and are aimed
at participants in the age group of 15 to 25 years. It will include competitions ranging over six categories
musical arts and sounds, performing arts, language arts, visual arts, social arts and architecture.
Big B sings for Pro Kabaddi League
Amitabh Bachhan has lent his voice to Le panga, a promotional sing for Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). The song has
been released in 4 versions.
INS Vikramaditya set to join the Navy
Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya will sail out of the harbor in Karwar after its first short refit and join the Navy.
Vikramaditya, acquired from Russia for $2.3 billion, was commission into the Navy in November 2013 without the
crucial air-defence systems.
GoI and Facebook launch #100women Initiative
Government of India and Facebook launched the #100Women Initiative to recognize 100 women achievers of
India. The initiative is aimed at recognizing and acknowledging women who are making a difference in their
communities across the country.

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Maharashtra derecognizes full-time religious education
Maharashtra government courted controversy as it declared that any student obtaining full time religious
education, either in madrassas or Vedic schools, will be considered uneducated in the State.
French film to showcase Super 30
The Super 30 program of mathematician Anand Kumar will now feature in a 90-minute film The Big Day made by
French director, Pascal Plisson. The Super 30 program helps students of deprived section to crack the prestigious
IIT entrance examination and has achieved phenomenal success since its inception.
National Broadcasting Day
National Broadcasting Day was observed on 23 July 2015 across the country. It is on this day in 1927, the Indian
Broadcasting Company started radio broadcasting from Bombay station.
RBI to issue Rs. 10 coins to commemorate Yoga Day
The Reserve Bank of India decided to put into circulation special Rs. 10 coins to commemorate the International
Day of Yoga. The Government of India has minted the commemorative coins.
Special Habitat for Gharials in Punjab
Punjab Government will develop Beas Belt, near Harike Patan as a habitat of Gharials (Gavialisgangeticus).
Nelson Mandela International Day
Nelson Mandela International Day was observed across the world on 18th July 2015 to honor the former South
African President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nelson Mandela (1918-2013).
Conakry named as the World Book Capital for 2017 by UNESCO
United Nations Organization Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) named Conakry, the capital of the Republic
of Guinea, as the World Book Capital for 2017.
Aadi Perukku festival celebrated
Aadi Perukku festival was celebrated in Tamil Nadu. On this day, thousands of people including newlywed couples
performed pooja in Cauvery River in Erode Tiruchirapalli and Salem. Aadi Perukku is a Hindu Tamil festival
celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month of Aadi (mid-July to mid-August) in gratitude to water bodies
especially Cauvery River.
Tendong Lho Rum Faat celebrated
Tendong Lho Rum Faat (Prayer of the Tendong Mountain), an ancient festival of the ethnic Lepcha tribe of Sikkim
was celebrated with traditional devotion and fanfare. It is an annual festival celebrated in the month of JulyAugust. On this day, the tribe worships the Mount Tendong, which is regarded as their savior deity.
National Sports University to come up in Manipur
Manipur Government handed over 336.93 acres of land at YaithibiKhunou in Thoubal district to Union Ministry of
Youth Affairs and Sports for construction of National Sports University.

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Wealth-X Report on Wealthiest People Under 35
Global wealth intelligence and prospecting company Wealth-X released the report on Top 20 Wealthiest People
Under 35. As per the report, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the wealthiest individual under the
age of 35, with a personal fortune of USD 41.6 billion.
World Humanitarian Day observed
World Humanitarian Day was observed on 19 August 2015 with the theme Inspiring the World's Humanity. The
theme calls on people to join any of the worlds humanitarian organizations and become an active messenger of
Humanity. The day is dedicated to recognize humanitarian personnel and those who have lost their lives working
for humanitarian causes.
UNFCCC, MSSRF to work for conservation of coastal resources of Andhra Pradesh
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Chennai-based MS Swaminathan
Research Foundation (MSSRF) have agreed to work together for the conservation of coastal resources in Andhra
Pradesh. The UNFCCC has sanctioned 3.8 crore rupees for the potential adaptation strategy of MSSRF in Krishna
district through an adaptation fund.
War Museum Inaugurated
Jaisalmer War Museum established in the Military Station of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan was inaugurated by Lieutenant
General Ashok Singh, General Officer Commanding in Chief of Southern Command to mark the Golden Jubilee
Commemoration Year of 1965 Indo Pak War.
Commemorative postal stamp on emperor Ashoka
Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad released a commemorative postal stamp on emperor Ashoka. The
postal stamp of 5 rupees will be available for sale in the post offices.

Malcolm Turnbull was sworn in as the 29th Prime Minister of Australia after defeating Tony Abbott in an
internal party leadership ballot.

India and Indonesia signed a pact for repatriation of wanted prisoners and cooperation in all criminal
matters including gathering evidence. Under the agreement, India will execute summons to an accused
person or to any person requiring to attend and produce documents or a search-warrant issued by an
Indonesian court. While, Indonesia will reciprocate with similar action, if there is any request from any
Indian court.

First Telangana Language Day (Telangana Bhasha Dinosthavam) was observed on 9 September 2015. The
day was observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of noted poet Kaloji Narayana Rao, who was
called peoples poet.

A first-of-its-kind conference on the contemporary relevance of the 'Bhagvad Gita' was held in London,
during which Indian and British experts came together with an aim to seek answers to the "innumerable
questions that exercise and confound all of us today."

The 193-Member United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) formally adopted the Transforming Our
World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is
an agenda for people to end poverty in all its forms. It is composed of 17 goals and 169 targets to wipe
out poverty.

91

Portugal became the first European country to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the
establishment of Nalanda University, thus becoming the 17th country overall and the fourth outside the
East Asia Summit to do so.

EU launched second phase of Operation Sophia to fight traffickers in Mediterranean Sea. Operation Sophia
is a naval operation launched by the European Union against human smugglers and traffickers in the
Mediterranean Sea.

The Joint Declaration of the Heads of the Migration Authorities of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa) nations was released on 9 October 2015 after the first BRICS Ministerial meeting on
Migration. The meeting was held in Sochi, Russia. The declaration guided by the Ufa Declaration and the
commitment to respect human rights is a major milestone so far as orderly and legal migration amongst
BRICS countries is concerned.

Government of India and Federal Republic of Germany (KFW) signed two loan agreements worth 125
million Euros for financing two projects under the Green Energy Corridor programme. These two projects
are in Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

China, world most populous country, announced to abandon its three decades-long one-child policy and
changed it two-child policy.

Hurricane Patricia struck Mexicos Pacific coast with destructive winds that forced thousands of people to
flee homes and beach front resorts.

Britain signed a landmark nuclear deal with China to build the United Kingdoms first nuclear power plant
since the 1980s.

Pakistan and Russia signed a major agreement to build a 1,100-km North-South gas pipeline from Lahore
to Karachi.

Government of Andhra Pradesh signed a MoC for development of economic infrastructure and a MoU to
develop Amaravati with the Government of Japan.

92

INDIA AND THE WORLD

India-Uzbekistan to intensify security cooperation and exchanges
India and Uzbekistan release a Joint Statement calling for partnership in creating favorable conditions for
investments by Indian companies in Uzbekistan in the framework of Special Economic Zones in Navoi, Angren and
Jizzakh.
India and Kazakhstan launch first drilling at Satyapev oil block
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kazakhstan Prime Minister Karim Massimov jointly launched the first exploratory
drilling of the Satyapev oil block. Also, the two leaders signed 5 bilateral agreements including a contract for
supply of Uranium.
India and Turkmenistan sign 8 agreements
India and Turkmenistan signed 8 Agreements to increase regional cooperation and connectivity including a MoU on
supply of chemical products between Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited and the Turkmenhimiya, a
government owned Chemical company.
India and Pakistan become full-time members of SCO
India and Pakistan were accepted as full-time members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). SCO is a
regional grouping including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It was founded as
Shanghai Pact in 1996, with its headquarters in Beijing, China.
India launches eMigrate System for Foreign Employees
India launched an online registration system named eMigrate for foreign employees who want to recruit Indian
workers, including nurses. Under the system, foreign employees will have to register in the eMigrate system.
Indo-Singapore agreement on Maritime Co-operation
India and Singapore signed an Agreement on sharing white-shipping information to enhance maritime cooperation
between the two navies. The agreement was signed during the visit of Indias Navy Chief, Admiral R K Dhowan to
Singapore. White shipping refers to commercial shipping information about the movement of cargo ships.
e-Visa facilities extended to China
The e-Tourist Visa scheme was extended to China, Hong Kong and Macau. With the inclusion of these countries/
territories, the total number of countries/territories covered under the e-Tourist Visa scheme will go up from 74 to
77.
Indo-UK bilateral Air Exercise Indradhanush
Indo-UK bilateral Air Exercise Indradhanush between Indian Air Force (IAF) and British Royal Air Forces (RAF)
concluded successfully. It was held in Britain.
Land Border Agreement between India and Bangladesh comes into effect
162 enclaves of India and Bangladesh were integrated with the main land with the execution of Land Border
Agreement, 1974 between the two countries at midnight on 31 July 2015. According to the agreement, 51
Bangladeshi enclaves situated at Indian soil in Cooch Behar District of West Bengal amalgamated with India, while
111 Indian enclaves in Bangladeshi territory integrated with Bangladesh.

93
India to boycott Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference
India will boycott the 61st Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, which was to be held in Islamabad, Pakistan
from 30 September to 8 October 2015. The unanimous decision to boycott the meeting was taken after the
conclusion of the meeting of the Speakers of all State Legislative Assemblies in New Delhi. The meeting was called
to discuss the Pakistan's deliberate decision to not invite the Speaker of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Kavinder
Gupta.
India to set up Software Training Institute in Myanmar
India and Myanmar inked an agreement to set up Centre of Excellence in Software Development and Training
(CESDT) in Myanmar. The project will be set up with the financial support from ASEAN-India Cooperation fund and
will be implemented by C-DAC. The project envisages setting up of a state of the art Information and
Communication Technology Centre, imparting intensive teachers training, extending support for ICT curriculum
development.
Indo-Australian MoU on Education, Training and Research
India and Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of education,
training and research. The MoU will help intensify existing partnerships between India and Australia in higher
education & research, including technical and professional education, schools, vocational education and training
and will open up new and innovative areas of cooperation.
Australias BRIDGE programme
The BRIDGE programme is run by Australian Schools in collaboration with Indian Schools came in news after
Australia agreed to include JawaharNavodayaVidyalayas (JNVs) within its ambit.
USITC extends anti-dumping duty on Indian Mushrooms
The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) extended the anti-dumping duty on Indian preserved
mushrooms for another five years. The extension was done as part of extension of anti-dumping duty orders on
preserved mushrooms from Chile, China, India, and Indonesia.
Indo-Nepal MoU on Petroleum Pipeline
India and Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for constructing a Petroleum Product Pipeline that
will be built from Raxaul in India to Amlekhgunj in Nepal.
India and Bangladesh on sign MoU to tackle FICN smuggling
India and Bangladesh on signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to tackle the menace of fake Indian
currency notes (FICN) smuggling. The MoU was signed during a maiden meeting of the Joint Task Force on Fake
Currency Notes (JTFFC) in Dhaka.
Indo-Australian MoU on Education, Training and Research
India and Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of education,
training and research. The MoU will help intensify existing partnerships between India and Australia in higher
education & research, including technical and professional education, schools, vocational education and training
and will open up new and innovative areas of cooperation.

94
Australias BRIDGE programme
The BRIDGE programme is run by Australian Schools in collaboration with Indian Schools came in news after
Australia agreed to include JawaharNavodayaVidyalayas (JNVs) within its ambit.
USITC extends anti-dumping duty on Indian Mushrooms
The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) extended the anti-dumping duty on Indian preserved
mushrooms for another five years. The extension was done as part of extension of anti-dumping duty orders on
preserved mushrooms from Chile, China, India, and Indonesia.
Indo-Nepal MoU on Petroleum Pipeline
India and Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for constructing a Petroleum Product Pipeline that
will be built from Raxaul in India to Amlekhgunj in Nepal.
India and Bangladesh on sign MoU to tackle FICN smuggling
India and Bangladesh on signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to tackle the menace of fake Indian
currency notes (FICN) smuggling. The MoU was signed during a maiden meeting of the Joint Task Force on Fake
Currency Notes (JTFFC) in Dhaka.

95

INTERNATIONAL
US-Cuba rapprochement after 54 years
USA and Cuba announced the re-opening of embassies in each others capitals after the 1960 snapping of
diplomatic ties by USA after Fidel Castro established a Communist Regime by overthrowing US-backed dictator,
Batista. The plans for restoring ties were announced in December 2014 by the Cuban leader, Raul Castro, who
took over from Fidel Castro in 2008. President Obama of US is now pushing for removal of US arms embargo on
Cuba, which was imposed in 1962.
BP to pay $18.7 bn for 2010 oil spill
British Petroleum (BP) to pay a civil penalty to US government and 5 states as compensation for environmental
damage and human casualties caused by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill caused by the explosion in British
Petroleums Deepwater Horizon oil rig.
Jin Liqun to be AIIB Chief
Former Finance Minister of China, Jin Liquns name has been nominated by China to lead the Asian Infrastructure
and Investment Bank (AIIB).
Iran reaches historical Nuclear Deal
Major world powers clinched a historic deal aimed at ensuring Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons, in exchange
for opening up of Irans economy. The deal was reached between P5+1 (USA, Russia, China, France, UK and
Germany) and Iran after 18-days marathon talks in Vienna in Austria. The deal puts strict limits on Irans nuclear
activities for at least a decade and calls for stringent UN oversight. In return, Iran will get relief from economic
sanctions imposed by on it by the western powers on trade and commerce.
Cubas medical achievement
Cuba became the first country in the World to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of Human-Immuno
Deficiency Virus (HIV) and Syphillis.
Japan abandons pacifist stance
The Lower House of Japans Parliament (Diet) approved changes in its security and defense policy, followed by
Japan since World War -II. The change paves the way for the Japanese military to fight abroad for the first time
since World War II.
iWTO strikes major IT trade deal
World Trade Organization (WTO) members struck a significant deal, which adds more than 200 products to the list
of goods covered by zero-tariff and duty-free trade. In value terms, the deal cuts tariffs on USD 1 trillion worth of
information technology (IT) products, which is equal to global trade in iron, steel, textiles and clothing combined.
Nepal to remove secularism from its constitution
Nepals political parties agreed to remove the word secularism from its yet-to-be framed Constitution. The
political parties reached consensus on the controversial issue after a majority of people demanded replacing the
term secularism by either Hindu or religious freedom.

96
Kazakhstan to be the 162nd member of WTO
The General Council of the World Trade Organization (WTO) approved the membership terms of Kazakhstan, thus
enabling it to join WTO as its 162nd member. In order to formally become a WTO member, the Kazakhi Parliament
will have to ratify the deal by 31 October 2015. It will become a member 30 days after the ratification.
Nepal temple bans animal sacrifice
Gadhimai Temple Trust of Nepal banned animal sacrifice that occurs during the Gadhimai festival, worlds biggest
animal sacrifice event held every five years. The temple authorities have announced the end of the centuries-old
tradition that attracted thousands of worshippers. This decision is a result of years of campaigning and lobbying by
animal-right activists.
UNGA reach consensus on new SDG
The 193 member states of the United Nations reached agreement on a new Sustainable Development Agenda for
the next 15 years. It calls for eradicating poverty and hunger, achieving gender equality, improving living
standards and taking urgent action to combat climate change. The draft agreement outlines 17 goals with 169
specific targets on issues ranging from ending poverty in all its forms everywhere to ensuring quality education
and affordable and reliable energy.
Egypt unveils Suez Canal expansion
Egypt on unveiled a major expansion of the new Suez Canal. It was inaugurated by Egyptian President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi in a ceremony held at port city of Ismailiya, located on west bank of canal. This new waterway is
expected to boost traffic that passes through the canal. The project got completed in one-year span with an
estimated cost of USD 8 billion.
70th Hiroshima Day observed
70th Hiroshima Day was observed on 6 August 2015. The day is observed to commemorate 6 August 1945, the
day when an American Boeing B-29 Super fortress bomber, named the Enola Gay, dropped an atomic bomb on the
Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Sino-Pak agreement on economic corridor
China and Pakistan signed 20 agreements worth USD 1.6 billion to implement the ambitious China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. These agreements were signed during the CPEC Forum that was held at
Karamay city in Xinjiang province of China bordering. The CPEC connects Xinjiang Province of China with
Pakistans strategic Gwadar Port and passes through Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
ISIS destroys ancient Syrian Temple
Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants destroyed Palmyra's ancient temple of Baalshamin in Syria. As per
the reports, the militant group placed a large quantity of explosives in the temple of Baalshamin and then blew it
up.
RanilWickremesinghe sworn in as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
RanilWickremesinghe was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. He was administered the oath of office by
President MaithripalaSirisena at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. Wickremesinghe, a legislator since 1977,
has served the country as its Prime Minister on three occasions. He held the post from 1993-94, 2002-2004 and
since January 2015.

97
Bangladesh to receive funds from the United Nations (UN) for solar home systems
Bangladesh became the first country to receive funds from the United Nations (UN) for its fast growing solar home
systems. The UN Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) issued carbon credits worth USD 3.56
million to two Bangladeshi organizations.
UNP led UNFGG coalition won the Sri Lanka Parliamentary Elections 2015
United National Party (UNP) led United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) coalition with 106 seats
emerged as the winner in the 2015 Parliamentary elections of Sri Lanka. But it failed to secure absolute majority in
the Parliament of 225 members.

98

POLITY/ SC JUDGMENTS
No Compromise on Rape
The Honble SC overturned the recent order by Madras HC, which permitted a compromise between a 15-year old
rape victim and the rapist on the condition of marriage between the two. The SC held that there can be no
compromise in rape cases and the parents of minor victims do not have any rights to make peace with the rapist.
Unwed mother can be sole guardian
The SC in a landmark judgment upheld the right of an unwed mother to apply for sole guardianship over her minor
son without the prior consent of the childs absentee biological father
A K Bhargava Committee Report on Net Neutrality
The report of the Committee on Net Neutrality, led by A K Bhargava was released by the Department of
Telecommunications (DoT). The six-member committee was appointed in January 2015. The Committee
recommended adherence to the core principles of Net Neutrality, but it also suggested a few exceptions in the
interest of national security and businesses.
SC rejects Yakub Menons plea
SC rejected Mumbai Serial blasts accused Yakub Menons Curative Petition after the SC, upholding his death
sentence, rejected his review petition. A curative petition is meant to ensure natural justice and to prevent abuse
of process. Menon was later executed by hanging on 31st July.
Historic Peace Pact with Naga Rebels
Union Government signed a landmark peace accord with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland Isak-Muivah
(NSCN (I-M)), putting an end to almost two decades long pending peace talks. The signing of the pact is the end
of over 80 rounds of negotiations that spanned 16 years with first breakthrough in 1997 when ceasefire agreement
was sealed.
Tripura passes a resolution against the death penalty
Tripura legislative assembly passed a resolution against the death penalty. The resolution requested the Union
government to amend the Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and replace it with life sentence unto death.
The resolution was passed in the light of Yakub Memon shanging, the prime accused in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.
SC stay on banning Santhara
The Supreme Court of India (SC) stayed the Rajasthan High Court (HC) judgment that banned Santhara ritual of
Jainism. Santhara is a voluntary religious practice of facing death at the end of one's life. The Rajasthan HC in
August the Santhara as illegal and an offence punishable under the section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The section deals with abetment to committing suicide.
Himachal to make Sanskrit mandatory in Govt Schools
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh announced that Sanskrit will be introduced as a mandatory
subject in all Government schools of the state. The announcement came while he was presiding over the meet of
the Himachal Sanskrit Academy.

99

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Inter-state Mobile number portability launched
Various mobile service providers, including Airtel and Vodafone announced the rollout of nation-wide mobile
number portability (NMNP). It will allow users to keep their existing phone numbers while shifting between states
or across circles either with the same operator or by shifting to a new operator.
PSLV C-28 launched 5 UK satellites
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched its heaviest commercial satellite. ISRO
launched five satellites on its Polar Satellite launch Vehicle (PSLV), weighing 1440 kg for a United Kingdom based
company. PSLV C-28 launched three identical mini satellites of the Disaster monitoring Constellation (DMC),
besides two technology demonstrators CBNT-1 and De-OrbitSail for Surrey Space Technology Limited.
Satellite-based Navigation System launched
India launched the GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system, which will offer seamless navigation
to the aviation industry. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI)
developed GAGAN jointly. India became the fourth country to offer space-based navigation services to the aviation
sector. GAGAN will augment GPS signals over Indian landmass, Bay of Bengal, South East Asia, Middle East and
expanding up to Africa.
Pluto fly-by
New Horizons, an unmanned spacecraft launched by NASA in 2006 flew by Pluto and took photographs of the
dwarf planet, and its moons.
Indias first Earthquake Warning System installed in Uttarakhand
The system was designed and manufactured by Italian Space Dynamics, which has also installed this system in
Japan, Italy and USA.
Microsofts White-Fi technology to boost Digital India Project
Microsoft announced plans to introduce White-Fi technology or TV White Space Technology in India to provide last
mile connectivity and give a boost to the Digital India initiative. This technology can provide free Wi-Fi connectivity
to the roughly one billion Indians who don't have any net access. White-Fi technology uses the unused spectrum
in frequencies utilized for broadcasting of television signals. The 200-300 MHz spectrum, which the White-Fi uses,
has a range of up to 10 km. Wi-Fi technology has a range of only about 100 meters.
DRISHTI
An indigenously designed and developed Visibility Measuring System, DRISHTI was installed at the Indira Gandhi
International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi. The IGI Airport became the first Airport in the country to have 10
indigenous systems operating in all its three runways. The system will be used for reporting runway visual range,
a critical parameter for safe landing and take-off in poor visibility conditions.
Worlds first Malaria Vaccine get EU nod
The worlds first malaria vaccine called RTS,S or Mosquirix got approval from European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The vaccine was licensed for use on babies aged between 6 weeks and 17 months in Africa, who are at highest risk
of the mosquito-borne disease. British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline, in partnership with the PATH Malaria Vaccine

100
Initiative has developed the vaccine. Research on the vaccine was part-funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. It has been in development since 1987.
Kepler 452b
The Kepler Mission has discovered an Earth-like exoplanet Kepler 452b. Its discovery was announced during a
NASA press conference in July 2015. It resides in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star in the constellation of
Cygnus located some 1400 light-years away. It has a revolution period almost equal to that of the earth.
SALt
A company in the Philippines has developed a lamp named SALt (Sustainable Alternative Lighting)that runs on a
glass of water and two tablespoons of salt. The lamp can burn for eight hours and will be able to generate enough
energy to charge a smart-phone through a USB cable.
World's Largest Radio Telescope being constructed in China
Technicians started the assembly of the World's Largest Radio Telescope, Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical
Telescope (FAST), is being constructed in Guizhou province of south-west China, whose dish size will be equivalent
to 30 football fields.
Forbes releases Highest-Paid Actors list
Forbes magazine released the list of 2015 World's Highest-Paid Actors. Robert Downey Jr. topped the list for the
third year in a row, with earnings of USD 80 million. Jackie Chan was placed at the second place in the list with
earnings of USD 50 million.
Satellite renamed to honor Kalam
Global satellite called Global Sat for DRR will be named after former Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam who
died in July 2015. The satellite to be used for earth observation and disaster risk reduction will be renamed as UN
Kalam Global Sat.
GSAT-6 launched successfully
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-D6 was successfully launched from the SatishDhawan Space
Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. GSLV-D6 inducted 2117 kg GSAT-6, an advanced
communication satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The satellite is intended to provide S-band
communication services in the country.
Gene identified THSD7A responsible for obesity in Indians
Scientists belonging to various research organizations in India identified THSD7A as primarily responsible for
obesity in Indians. The research was published in the International Journal of Obesity. It was led by the CSIRCentre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad.
NASA spacecraft LADEE found presence of neon gas in Moons atmosphere
NASA spacecraft LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) confirmed the presence of Neon gas
in Moons atmosphere. This is the first time that the availability of the gas in the atmosphere was confirmed.

MBA Current GK 2015 Jan 01

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
Adani Enterprisesand US-basedSunEdison will invest about Rs 25,000 crore to set up a solar park in .. that will create
20,000 new jobs.
A)Maharashtra

B)Gujarat

C)Kerala

D)Karnataka

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
Indias leading online restaurant guide Zomato, in January 2015, acquired US-based food portal Urbanspoon in a deal of nearly
$60 million (Rs 370 crore). After acquiring Urbanspoon, Zomato will now be present in . countries.
A)22

B)30

C)43

D)9

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
BAE Systems appointed Deepak Parekh,as a non-executive Director and Chairman of its Indian subsidiary, BAE Systems India
(Services) Private Limited, with effect from1st January, 2015. Who is Deepak Parekh?
A)Chairman of HDFC Ltd
E)None of these

B)Chairman of YES Bank

C)Chairman of HUL

D)Chairman of Kotak Mahindra

Question No. : 4
Vistara airline, a joint venture of Tata-SIA (Singapore Airlines), started its flight operation in India on 9 January 2015, with its first
flight taking off from .
A)Delhi to Chennai

B)Mumbai to Kolkata

C)Delhi to Mumbai

D)Mumbai to Bengaluru

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
Auto component maker Bharat Forge, in January 2015, acquired based Mecanique Generale Langroise for 11.8 million
euros (around Rs 90 crore).
A)Germany

B)France

C)Spain

D)Brazil

E)None of these

Question No. : 6
Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings Limited, in January 2015, launched China's first online bank to boost small businesses.
What is the name of this bank?
A)WeBank

B)YouBank

C)ChinaBank

D)SmallBank

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
Which company, in January 2015, acquired Wit.ai, a voice recognitionstart-upthat processes speech and turns it into actionable
data, helping the company to get more information for targeted advertisements?
A)Facebook

B)Google

C)Yahoo

D)Microsoft

E)None of these

Question No. : 8
Tech MahindraLtd., announced in January 2915 that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SOFGEN Holdings Limited , a
niche consulting and services company with worldwide presence specializing in Private / Wealth, Commercial and Retail Banking
solutions. Where is the headquarter of SOFGEN?
A)France

B)UK

C)USA

D)Switzerland

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
Which organization, in January 2015,launched its own 'digital village' project while adopting an entire village in Gujarat to provide
services ranging from cashless banking to digitised school teaching?
A)YES Bank

B)ICICI Bank

C)HDFC Bank

D)Kotak Mahindra Bank

E)None of these

A)YES Bank

B)ICICI Bank

C)HDFC Bank

D)Kotak Mahindra Bank

E)None of these

Question No. : 10
Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), in January 2015, imposed a penalty of Rs 100 crore on and also cancelled
its nominated agency certificate (NAC) for violation of RBI norms.
A)Riddhi Siddhi Bullion

B)India Bullion

C)Bullion India

D)Pushpak Bullions Pvt. Ltd.

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
The Government, in January 2015, replaced Planning Commission with a new institution named NITI Aayog. What is the fullform
of NITI?
A)National Institution for Transforming India B)National Institution for Training India
C)National Initiative for Transforming India D)New Institution for Transforming India

E)None of these

Question No. : 12
Amending rules forNBFCswith regard to their KYC(Know-Your-Customers) exercise, the Reserve Bank,in January 2015, relaxed
the time limit during which such due diligence is required. What is the full form of NBFC?
A)Non-Banking Financial Companies
D)New Banking Financial Companies

B)Non-Banking Foreign Companies

E)None of these

C)Non-Banking Financial Corporations

Question No. : 13
The Union Cabinet, in january 2015, approved the largest ever telecom spectrum auction that is targeted to fetch at least .
from the sale in February 2015.
A)Rs.84,840 crore

B)Rs.64,840 crore

C)Rs.74,840 crore

D)Rs.94,840 crore

E)None of these

Question No. : 14
Who was appointed as the chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in January 2015?
A)AS Kiran Kumar

B)M Y S Prasad

C)Shailesh Nayak

D)K Radhakrishnan

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
Which state Government appointed Bollywood Megastar Amitabh Bachchan as Brand Ambassador for Health and Medical Sector?
A)Gujarat

B)Andhra Pradesh

C)Haryana

D)Maharashtra

E)None of these

Question No. : 16
Who took charge as first Vice-Chairman of the newly-created National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog on 13
January 2015?
A)Arvind Panagariya

B)Montek Singh Ahluwalia

C)Amartya Kumar Sen

D)C. Rangarajan

E)None of these

Question No. : 17
Why was Atul Khare, an Indian diplomat, in news in January 2015?
A)He was named as UN Under Secretary-General for Field Support, Department of Field Support, making him one of the
highest ranking Indian officials in UN.
B)He was awarded an award for excellence in strengthening diplomatic ties. C)He committed suicide.
D)He was appointed as an advisory consultant to the UN President. E)None of these
Question No. : 18
Union Government, in January 2015, sacked chief of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO),16 months
before his contract termination date. Identify the person.
A)Avinash Chander

B)Shekhar Basu

C)Avinash Sethi

D)Avinash Sharma

Question No. : 19
Aziz Qureshiwas, in Janaury 2015, sworn in as theGovernor of
A)Mizoram

B)Uttarakhand

C)Assam

D)Nagaland

E)None of these

E)None of these

A)Mizoram

B)Uttarakhand

C)Assam

D)Nagaland

E)None of these

Question No. : 20
Who was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the newly-formed NITI Aayog, which has replaced the Planning
Commission?
A)Arvind Panagariya

B)Montek Singh Ahluwalia

C)Sindhushree Khullar

D)Bina Agarwal

E)None of these

Question No. : 21
JusticeSurendra Kumar Sinhawas, in January 2015, appointed Chief Justice of
A)Bangladesh

B)Nepal

C)Bhutan

D)India

E)None of these

Question No. : 22
Which state government, in January 2015, announced yoga guruRamdevas its brand ambassador?
A)Himachal Pradesh

B)Uttarakhand

C)Uttar Pradesh

D)Haryana

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka, in January 2015, became the fastest cricketer to reach 12000 Test runs. He achieved the milestone
in 224th innings played against
A)Pakistan

B)India

C)New Zealand

D)Australia

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
Who among the following, in January 2015, won the 2014 FIFA Ballon dOr award for the best footballer of the year in the world?
A)Cristiano Ronaldo

B)Marco Reus

C)Franck Ribery

D)Lionel Messi

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
S Shrikrishna won his maiden National Sub-Junior .. title in January 2015.
A)Chess

B)Snookers

C)Billiards

D)Golf

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in January 2015, announced their final 15-man squad for the ICC Cricket World
Cup 2015, jointly co-hosted by and .
A)India, Pakistan

B)England, Australia

C)India, Sri Lanka

D)Australia, New Zealand

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
Andy Murray won his first title of 2015 in January 2015, after withdrew from the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
final in Abu Dhabi.
A)Novak Djokovic

B)Roger Federer

C)Rafael Nadal

D)Marin Cilic

E)None of these

Question No. : 28
Which movie won the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture (Drama)?
A)Boyhood

B)Still Alice

C)The Theory of Everything

D)The Grand Budapest Hotel

E)None of these

Question No. : 29
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, released coins in the denomination of 100 and five rupee to mark the 175th birth anniversary
of ..

A)Mahatma Gandhi

B)Rabindra Nath Tagore

C)Ranii Laksmi Bai

D)Jamsetji Tata

E)None of these

Question No. : 30
Which bank won the prize for Central Bank of the Year at the Central Banking Awards for 2015 ?
A)Reserve Bank of India

B)Reserve Bank of New Zealand

C)Bank of Canada

D)Federal Reserve Bank (US)

A)Reserve Bank of India

E)None of these

B)Reserve Bank of New Zealand

C)Bank of Canada

D)Federal Reserve Bank (US)

Question No. : 31
Why was French economist Thomas Piketty, who rose to international fame after the publication of his book, Capital in the
Twenty-First Century, in news in January 2015?
A)He turned down Legion D'Honneur -- Frances highest distinction.
D)He was killed by ISIS. E)None of these

B)He committed suicide.

C)He visited India.

Question No. : 32
Which state was, in January 2015, selected forNational e-Governance award2014-15 for its best district level initiative in the
country?
A)Haryana

B)Kerala

C)Gujarat

D)Jammu and Kashmir

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
Under which scheme did Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in January 2015, adopt four villages in Vadodara district of Gujarat
?
A)Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana B)Make in India C)Beti bachao beti padhao
D)Mukhyamantri Amrutam Maa Vatsalya Yojana E)None of these
Question No. : 34
Union Government, in January 2015, accepted recommendations of Bezbaruah Committee, set up to look into
A)Railway infrastructure B)Urban development C)Modernisation of cities
D)The concerns of the people of the North East living in other parts of India E)None of these
Question No. : 35
Observing that corporates seek "short cuts" to get clearance for their environment projects, a high level committee has suggested
setting up of a 'single window' clearance system for green projects to significantly reduce the processing time. The four-member
panel -- headed by former Cabinet SecretaryT S R Subramanian -- has recommended setting up of a full-time expert body, NEMA
at the Centre.What is the full form of NEMA?
A)National Environmental ManagementAuthority B)National Environmental Market Authority
C)National Energy ManagementAuthority D)National Environmental Motivational Authority E)None of these
Question No. : 36
Union Home Ministry, in January 2015, issued notification mentioning that all PIO card-holders henceforth are deemed to be OCI
card-holders with effect from 9th January 2015, thus withdrawing PIO cards with immediate effect. What is the full form of PIO?
A)Persons of Indian Origin
E)None of these

B)People of Indian Origin

C)Persons of International Origin

D)People of Indian Originality

Question No. : 37
Union cabinet, in January 2015, approved setting up of India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) in . The project will be
jointly supported by the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology.
A)Gujarat

B)Kerala

C)Tamil Nadu

D)Haryana

E)None of these

Question No. : 38
An ordinance to amend the Motor Vehicles Act got the President's assent in January 2015, paving the way for plying of erickshaws on roads of national capital region.
A)The Cabinet, in December 2014, had approved promulgation of the ordinance, as a Bill in this regard could not get through
Parliament to pave the way for plying of e-rickshaws.
B)E-rickshaws, or battery-operated three-wheeler vehicles, had gone off roads after Delhi High Court banned their plying in
July on safety concerns.
C)A Bill to regularise e-rickshaws was passed by the Lok Sabha in the recently concluded winter session of Parliament but it is
stuck in the Rajya Sabha. The government in October had notified the rules for plying of e-rickshaws and making driver's
licence mandatory for operating them and limiting the maximum speed to 25 kmph.
D)The new rules provide that e-rickshaws will be allowed to carry four passengers and 40 kg luggage while e-carts would

transport goods up to 310 kg.

E)All of these
Question No. : 39
Which country, in January 2015, enacted a new law to create constitutional military courts to try and punish terrorists?
A)Iraq

B)Syria

C)Pakistan

D)Afghanistan

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
Which global automaker, in January 2015, agreed to pay US 70 million dollars in fines to the US authorities for failing to report
safety issues involving its cars?
A)Honda

B)Toyota

C)Hyundai

D)Ford

E)None of these

MBA Current GK 2015 Jan 02

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
To facilitate greater economic engagement between Indian and .. SMEs, Confederation of Indian Industry, in January 2015,
signed an MOU with the e-commerce giant Alibaba to build business-to-business linkages through global online platform.
A)Japanese

B)Korean

C)Chinese

D)American

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
Online restaurant search service provider Zomato Media Pvt Ltd, in January 2015, acquired a company called Mekanist. Which
country does this company belong to?
A)Finland

B)Italy

C)Norway

D)Turkey

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
Which company, in January 2015, acquired United Kingdom based startup firm Semetric Ltd to add music analytics tool in its
devices?
A)Apple

B)Yahoo

C)Google

D)Samsung

E)None of these

Question No. : 4
Suzlon Energy Ltd signed a binding agreement in January 2015 tosell itsGermansubsidiary, Senvion SE to private equity firm,
Centerbridge Partners LP for approximately 1 billion or Rs 7,200 crore, as a part of its ongoing debt-reduction strategy. Who is
the CMD (Chairman & Managing Director) of the Suzlon Group?
A)Tulsi Tanti

B)Anil Ambani

C)Cyrus Mistry

D)Arup Roy Chaudhary

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
Which company smashed the global record for quarterly profits after racking up a surplus of 18 billion US dollars (11.9 billion),
for the final quarter in the year 2014?
A)Yahoo

B)Google

C)Apple

D)Nokia

E)None of these

Question No. : 6
Emami Ltd., one of the major personal and health care FMCG companies in India, has acquired controlling stake (66.67 percent) in
Fravin Pty Ltd.. Which country does Fravin Pty Ltd. Belong to?
A)Australia

B)France

C)England

D)USA

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
State Bank of India, in January 2015, signed a loan agreement for with European Investment Bank for lending to
private businesses in the country.
A)150 million euro

B)100 million euro

C)200 million euro

D)300 million euro

E)None of these

Question No. : 8
Which online company, in January 2015, entered into a 50:50 joint venture with DEN, India's television distribution company, to
launch a 'TV Commerce' channel?
A)Snapdeal

B)Amazon

C)Flipkart

D)Myntra

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
Which bank is the lone Indian entity among the world's 50 most valued lenders in 2014 with a market capitalisation of close to
$41 billion as per a list compiled by Relbanks in January 2015?
A)HDFC

B)ICICI

C)SBI

D)Kotak Mahindra

E)None of these

Question No. : 10
Who has been nominated as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fast-food giant McDonald's Corp. effective March 1,
2015?
A)Don Thompson

B)Steve Easterbrook

C)Margo Georgiadis

D)Don Bosco

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
In its latest World Economic Outlook report released in January 2015, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected that India
will grow 6.5 per cent in 2016, overtaking China which, it projected, will slowdown to 6.3 per cent.
A)6.3 and 6.1 respectively
E)None of these

B)6.5 and 6.3 respectively

C)6.5 and 6.1 respectively

D)6.3 and 5.9 respectively

Question No. : 12
What growth rate did the IMF forecast for Indian economy for the year 2015?
A)6.4 %

B)6.2%

C)6.3%

D)6.1%

E)None of these

Question No. : 13
What growth for Indian economy was predicted by the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects UN WESP report,
released in January 2015?
A)6.3%

B)5.7%

C)6.1%

D)5.9%

E)None of these

Question No. : 14
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz died in January 2015 at the age of 93. Which country did he rule?
A)Egypt

B)Kuwait

C)Saudi Arabia

D)Oman

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
Former DRDO chief V K Saraswat was in news in January 2015 because he .
A)assumed charge as a full-time member of the NITI Aayog.
D)reassumed charge as chief of DRDO. E)None of these

B)passed away.

C)he was involved in a scam.

Question No. : 16
Who was the Chief Guest on Republic Day celebrations this year?
A)Chinese President

B)Prime Minister of England

C)US President

D)Prime Minister of Australia

E)None of these

Question No. : 17
Who was appointed as the new Foreign Secretary of India in January 2015?
A)SubrahmanyamJaishankar

B)SujathaSingh

C)Ranjan Mathai

D)Montek S Ahluwalia

E)None of these

Question No. : 18
Bibek Debroy, a renowned economist, was in news in January 2015 as he
A)took over as memberNITI Aayog. B)propounded a new economic theory. C)passed away.
D)became chief economic advisor to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. E)None of these
Question No. : 19
Which of the following is true regarding Subash Ghising, who was in news in January 2015?
A)He died in January 2015 at the age of 79.
B)He was the principal architect of violent hill politics in West Bengal that challenged the Left Front government's might in the
1980s.
C)He was a former Gorkha Rifles soldier who later became a teacher and then founded the Gorkha National Liberation Front
(GNLF) in 1980.
D)He led the GNLF to a violent movement for carving a separate Gorkhaland out of Bengal resulting in bloodbath in the

Darjeeling Hills between 1986 and 1988.

E)All of these
Question No. : 20
Carl Djerassi, an eminent chemist who died at 91 in January 2015, was best known for ..
A)his contribution to the development of oral contraceptive pills.
B)his contribution to the development of cancer curing drugs. C)his contribution to the development of atomic structure.
D)his contribution to the development of influenza curing drugs. E)None of these
Question No. : 21
Why was Saraswathi Menon, an eminent Indian academician, in news in January 2015?
A)He is among seven experts nominated by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to be part of an advisory group that will conduct a policy
and institutional review of the world body's peace- building architecture and make recommendations.
B)He was nominated for the Bharat Ratna. C)He passed away. D)He was involved in an education related scam.
E)None of these
Question No. : 22
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe was appointed the new chairman of the African Union (AU). How many countries are
currently members of the AU?
A)50

B)51

C)54

D)53

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
Paul van Ass was appointed as the head Coach of Indian men's hockey team in January 2015. He was a former
A)Dutch National Hockey team coach B)Australian National Hockey team coach
D)British National Hockey team coach E)None of these

C)French National Hockey team coach

Question No. : 24
Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, in January 2015, revised the Scheme of Special Awards to medal winners in
international events. In the revised scheme, the amount of award money for medal winners in Olympic Games (summer and
winter) has been enhanced from existing 50 lakh rupees (gold medal), 30 lakh rupees (silver medal) and 20 lakh rupees (bronze
medal) to ..
A)70 lakh rupees, 50 lakh rupees and 30 lakh rupees respectively.
B)75 lakh rupees, 55 lakh rupees and 30 lakh rupees respectively.
C)75 lakh rupees, 50 lakh rupees and 30 lakh rupees respectively.
D)75 lakh rupees, 50 lakh rupees and 35 lakh rupees respectively.

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
ICC, in January 2015, lifted the five-year ban imposed on .. who was jailed and banned for a spot fixing scam during
Pakistans tour of England in 2010.
A)Mohammad Amir

B)Mohammad Asif

C)Salman Butt

D)Shoaib Malik

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
Which country will host the 2016 Twenty20 World Cup?
A)Sri Lanka

B)South Africa

C)India

D)Australia

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
Saina Nehwal won womens single of Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold Badminton Tournament 2015. She defeated World Champion
Carolina Marin of . in the finals played in Lucknow in January 2015.
A)France

B)Spain

C)US

D)Germany

E)None of these

Question No. : 28
For which book did the Indian American writer Jhumpa Lahiri win the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature in January 2015?
A)The Lowland

B)Interpreter of Maladies

C)The Namesake

D)Unaccustomed Earth

E)None of these

A)The Lowland

B)Interpreter of Maladies

C)The Namesake

D)Unaccustomed Earth

E)None of these

Question No. : 29
Who won the inaugural Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for Poetry in January 2015?
A)Arundhathi Subramaniam

B)Sridala Swami

C)Ranjit Hoskote

D)Keki N Daruwalla

E)None of these

Question No. : 30
Frank Islam was presented with the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr Award in January 2015, in recognition of his contribution to
the legacy of the great leader. Who is Frank Islam?
A)An eminent Pakistan-British entrepreneur and philanthropist B)An eminent Indian-American writer
C)An eminent Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist D)An eminent Indian-American sportsperson
E)None of these
Question No. : 31
Paulina Vega wascrownedMiss Universe, in January 2015. Which country does she belong to?
A)Columbia

B)USA

C)Ukraine

D)France

E)None of these

Question No. : 32
Who, in January 2015, was conferred the Election Commission of India's National Special Category Award for the Best Electoral
Practices-2014?
A)CV Rao

B)CV Anand

C)CV Mathur

D)CV Sharma

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
Government's ambitious campaign to save and empower girl child was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January
2015 from Panipat in Haryana, the state with the lowest sex ratio. Which campaign is being talked about?
A)'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao'
E)None of these

B)'Beti Bachao Beti kamaoh'

C)'Beti kamaoh Beti Padhao'

D)'Beti Padhao'

Question No. : 34
Indiaand .., in january 2015, agreed to cooperate in the field of Information & Communications Technology and Electronics
(ICTE) to facilitate, among others, the ambitious 'Digital India' programme aimed at transforming India into a digital-empowered
society and knowledge economy.
A)France

B)Australia

C)US

D)England

E)None of these

Question No. : 35
The Union Ministry of Urban Development, along with the Ministries of Tourism and Culture, launched the HRIDAY in January
2015. What does this abbreviation stand for?
A)Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana B)Heritage Development and Agreement Yojana
C)Health Development and Augmentation Yojana D)Health Direction and Augmentation Yojana E)None of these
Question No. : 36
The High Level Committee for Restructuring of Food Corporation of India, submitted its report to the Prime Minister in January
2015. Who is the Chairperson of the committee?
A)Shanta Kumar

B)Leela Samson

C)Chanchal Verma

D)Bijender Singh

E)None of these

Question No. : 37
PresidentPranab Mukherjeelaunched the Pulse PolioImmunization Programme by administering polio drops to children aged
below five years at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, on the eve ofNational Immunization Day. Which day was celebrated as the National
Immunization Day for the year 2015?
A)26th January

B)18th January

Question No. : 38

C)1st January

D)15th January

E)None of these

In a bid to encourage budding and existing entrepreneursfrom Scheduled Castes, the government, in January 2015, launched a
scheme under which members of the reserved community will be offered concessional finance to start new business ventures.
What is the name of this scheme?
A)Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes B)Smart Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes
C)Enterprising Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes D)Venture Market Fund for Scheduled Castes

E)None of these

Question No. : 39
UNCTAD released Global Investment Trends Monitor Report in January 2105. Which of the following is true in this regard?
A)In 2014, global foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows declined by 8% to an estimated US$1.26 trillion.
B)FDI flows to developed countries dropped by 14% to an estimated US$511 billion, significantly affected by a large
divestment in the United States.
C)Developing economies saw their FDI inflows reach a new high of more than US$700 billion, 4% higher than 2013, with a
global share of 56%.
D)In 2014, China, with an increase of 3%, became the world's largest recipient of FDI. E)All of these
Question No. : 40
Which countrys Prime Minister, in January 2015, announced an anti-terror law criminalising public terror threats?
A)Australia

B)Iraq

C)Canada

D)England

E)None of these

MBA Current GK 2015 Feb 01

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
Which group, in February 2015, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Rajasthan Government for developing
solar parks with a capacity of 10,000 MW in the next ten years?
A)Adani Enterprises Ltd.

B)Tata Group

C)Reliance Industries

D)Dabur

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
Jack Ma-owned Alibaba, the largest e-tailer in the world, announced in February 2015, to acquire 25-per cent stake in
A)Snapdeal

B)Flipkart

C)Amazon

D)One97 Communications

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
Which company, in February 2015, tied-up withReliance Communicationsto launch the internet.org app, an initiative to provide
internet access to those who don't have it, along with the free basic services?
A)Google

B)Yahoo

C)Facebook

D)Motorola

E)None of these

Question No. : 4
Which company, in February 2015, announced to acquire Hospira Inc., a provider of injectable drugs, infusion technology and
biosimilars, for about $17 billion?
A)Pfizer Inc.

B)Abbott Laboratories

C)Actavis Inc.

D)Novartis

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
Which company, in February 2015, announced the launch of its nationwide Litter Free TV Campaign in India?
A)Dabur

B)ITC

C)Parle Products

D)HUL

E)None of these

Question No. : 6
Micromax has become India's biggest smartphone vendor, replacing Korean electronics giant Samsung, as per research firm
Canalys. In the recently concluded October-December 2014 quarter, Micromax controlled 22% market share in smartphones
shipments in India, beating Samsung which had 20% market share. Where is the headquarter of Micromax?
A)Pune

B)Mumbai

C)Gurgaon

D)Bengaluru

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
This software services exporter announced in February 2015, to acquire US-based automation technology firm Panaya Inc. for
1200 crore rupees. Identify this software company.
A)Infosys Limited

B)TCS

C)Wipro

D)Cognizant

E)None of these

Question No. : 8
Which Indian bank, in February 2015, launched first digital Bank in the country, Pockets, on a mobile phone?
A)HDFC Bank

B)YES Bank

C)ICICI Bank

D)SBI

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
ICICI Bank, in February 2015, tied up with UAE Exchange to offer an instant bank transfer service to the Indians residing in the Gulf
nation. What is the service known as?
A)FLASHremit

B)QUICKremit

Question No. : 10

C)INSTANTremit

D)FASTremit

E)None of these

Star India Pvt. Ltd., a unit of 21st Century Fox, announced in February 2105, the acquisition of .. television channel
network, Maa Television Network Ltd.
A)Tamil

B)Marathi

C)Telugu

D)Gujarati

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory(CSIR-NCL) signed an MoU with SPMCILfor research and technological expertise for testing
bank notes and security documents, in February 2015. What does SPMCIL stand for?
A)Strategic Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd B)Safe Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd
C)Schematic Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd D)Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd
E)None of these
Question No. : 12
What amount did the government, in February 2015, decide to infuse in nine public sector banks (PSBs) out of the current years
budget to strengthen their capital base?
A)Rs. 6990 crore

B)Rs. 5990 crore

C)Rs. 4990 crore

D)Rs. 2990 crore

E)None of these

Question No. : 13
The government, in February 2015, decided to pump in money in nine public sector banks. Which of the following is true in this
context?
A)The capital infusion has been done on the basis of their efficiency in performance.
B)The countrys top lender State Bank of India got the maximum.
C)The nine PSU banks are State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank, Allahabad
Bank, Indian Bank , Dena Bank and Andhra Bank.
D)To infuse capital on efficiency parameters, weighted average of return on assets (ROA) for all PSBs for last three years was
put together and all PSBs, which were above the average, were considered for capital infusion.
E)All of these
Question No. : 14
US PresidentBarack Obama, in February 2015, announced to appoint this top Indian- AmericanCEOas member of the Advisory
Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. Identify the person being talked about?
A)Ajay Banga

B)Indra Nooyi

C)Kavita Ramdas

D)Satya Nadella

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal took oath as the . Chief Minister of Delhi, in February 2015.
A)Seventh

B)Sixth

C)Ninth

D)Eighth

E)None of these

Question No. : 16
Veteran theatre artist and film actor Atmaram Bhende passed away in February 2015 at the age of 91.He was considered the
doyen of experimental theatre and had graced the stage for more than sixty years.
A)Marathi

B)Telugu

C)Tamil

D)Hindi

E)None of these

Question No. : 17
Why was Nickolay Mladenov of Bulgaria in news in February 2015?
A)United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed him as new Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace
Process and Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority.
B)He passed away. C)United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon leveled charges of corruption against him.
D)He visited the chief guest for Indias republic day celebrations this year. E)None of these
Question No. : 18
The Janta Dal United (JDU), in February 2015, replaced their leader . with .
A)Nitish Kumar and Jitan Ram Manjhi respectively
C)Jitan Ram Manjhi and Nitish Kumar respectively
E)None of these

B)Nitish Kumar and Laloo Prasad Yadav respectively

D)Laloo Prasad Yadav and Jitan Ram Manjhi respectively

Question No. : 19
This senior NCP leader, who was Maharashtras Home Minister during the 26/11 terror attacks, died at the age of 57, in February
2015. The NCP leader, a six-term MLA from Tasgaon in Sangli district, was admired for his clean image and easy accessibility, and
was among the top rung leaders of NCP. Identify the person.
A)R R Patil

B)Devendra Fadnavis

C)Ashok Chavan

D)Vilasrao Deshmukh

E)None of these

Question No. : 20
Sergio Mattarella, a Constitutional Court Judge was, in February 2015, elected as the President of ...
A)France

B)Italy

C)Germany

D)Brazil

E)None of these

Question No. : 21
Why was Ashton B Carter in news in February 2015?
A)He replaced Chuck Hagel as the new Defense Secretary of U.S
D)He visited India. E)None of these

B)He passed away.

C)He was caught in a political scam.

Question No. : 22
Mrinalini Mukherjeepassed away in February 2015 at the age of 65.She was a celebrated Indian
A)Author

B)Sculptor

C)Dancer

D)Chef

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
In February 2015, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports suitably revised the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar which was
introduced to encourage involvement of corporate and sports promotion boards in the development of sports in the country.In
which year was the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar scheme introduced?
A)2009

B)2010

C)2011

D)2012

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
The International Cricket Council (ICC), in February 2015, confirmed that the bowling actions of Pakistans Saeed Ajmal and Sohag
Gazi of . had been found to be legal, and the players can resume bowling in international cricket.
A)Pakistan

B)Bangladesh

C)Zimbabwe

D)Sri Lanka

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
Professional squash player Nicol David, in February 2015, set a new record by topping the world squash rankings for 106th
month, overtaking the previous 105th month record set by four time world champion Susan Devoy from New Zealand which was
set in February 1993. Which country does Nicol David belong to?
A)Indonesia

B)Malaysia

C)China

D)North Korea

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
In February 2015, BCCI President-in-exile N Srinivasan led India Cements' board approved transfer of its IPL team to a whollyowned subsidiary. Which team is being talked about?
A)Chennai Super Kings

B)Kolkata Knight Riders

C)Mumbai Indians

D)Sunrisers Hyderabad

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, in February 2015, revised the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan
Puruskar. According to the revised plan, Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar scheme, will now be given in .. categories,
encouraging corporate entities to extend their support to Indian sports.
A)Three

B)Five

C)Four

D)Six

E)None of these

Question No. : 28
Which movie won the Best Film BAFTA award in February 2015?
A)Boyhood

B)The Theory of Everything

C)Still Alice

D)Whiplash

E)None of these

Question No. : 29
This elite economist and Noble laureate was recently awarded the newly instituted Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize for
the year 2015.Identify the person.
A)Amartya Sen

B)Jean Tirole

C)Alvin Roth

D)Lloyd Shapley

E)None of these

Question No. : 30
Distinguished journalist Vinod Mehta was conferred the states highest civilian award Yash Bharti by the State government, in
February 2015. Which state is being talked about?
A)Haryana

B)Madhya Pradesh

C)Uttar Pradesh

D)Gujarat

E)None of these

Question No. : 31
Which film, directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, bagged The Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for the best
feature-length film and also received a special mention at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival?
A)Dhanak

B)Lakshmi

C)Dor

D)Iqbal

E)None of these

Question No. : 32
Dr. Zakir A Naik won the prestigiousKing Faisal International Prize in February 2015. In which category didhe receive this award?
A)Medicine

B)Service to Islam

C)Science

D)Literature

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
The Union Home Ministry, in February 2015, announced a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) for re-investigation of
the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases, mainly in Delhi and other States. Who has been appointed as the head of this SIT?
A)Pramod Asthana

B)Rakesh Kapoor

C)Kumar Gyanesh

D)Narendra Modi

E)None of these

Question No. : 34
The Union Government, in February 2015, constituted a High Level Panel to suggest a framework to assess Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) activities undertaken by companies under .. The panel will be headed by former Union Home
Secretary Anil Baijal.
A)The Companies Act, 2012
E)None of these

B)The Companies Act, 2013

C)The Companies Act, 2014

D)The Companies Act, 2011

Question No. : 35
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in February 2015, formed a sub-group of chief ministers under NITI Aayog to suggest further
rationalisation of 66 centrally funded schemes. How much was the Centre's assistance to states for these 66 schemes in 2014-15?
A)Rs 3.38 lakh crore

B)Rs 1.36 lakh crore

C)Rs 5.36 lakh crore

D)Rs 2.38 lakh crore

E)None of these

Question No. : 36
Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda, in February 2015, announced the launch of National
Deworming Day. Which of the following is true in this context?
A)He declared 10 February as the National Deworming Day.
B)National Deworming Day is an initiative which is focused on reducing the threat of parasitic worm infections, a widespread
health issue affecting over 24 crore children in India alone according to WHO estimates.
C)The day will be observed in 11 states and Union Territories including Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and
Haryana.
D)The initiative will be aimed at providing Albendazole tablets to children. E)All of these
Question No. : 37
The model villages adopted by the Members of Parliament under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) will now get rural
roads under PMGSY on priority basis, as per a meeting chaired by Union Minister for Rural Development, in February 2015. What
is the full form of PMGSY?
A)Pradhan Mantri Gram Saansad Yojana
D)Pradhan Mantri Gaon Saansad Yojana

B)Pradhan Mantri Gaon Sadak Yojana

E)None of these

C)Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

Question No. : 38
The government, in February 2015, made it clear that Indias liability law will not be amended as it released the understanding
reached with recently under which foreign suppliers of equipment for the nuclear reactors cannot be sued by the victims in
case of a mishap.
A)France

B)U.S.

C)Germany

D)China

E)None of these

Question No. : 39
Which state, in February 2015, announced that Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and girl students of the state will be
granted free education till Post Graduation in the state?
A)Uttar Pradesh

B)Odisha

C)Bihar

D)Madhya Pradesh

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
Which state government, in February 2015, gave nod to some significant solar and wind energy policies, like the single window
system, easy permissions and industry like treatment for rendering clearances?
A)Andhra Pradesh

B)Uttar Pradesh

C)Gujarat

D)Maharashtra

E)None of these

MBA Current GK 2015 Feb 02

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
Which company was the global telecom sponsor of the ICC World Cup 2015, and partnered with Twitter to provide its customers
with a platform to follow the global commentary with no data charges?
A)Reliance Communications

B)Bharti Airtel

C)Tata Indicom

D)BSNL

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
Global supplier and aero-structure components integrator RUAG Aerostructures entered into a multi-year contract with Tata
groups TAL Manufacturing Solutions, for manufacture and supply of aero-structural components and sub-assemblies. The
contract has a potential value of over $150 million. Where is RUAG Aerostructures headquartered?
A)France

B)Germany

C)Switzerland

D)UK

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
Which Indian company, in February 2015, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Russias largest coal producer
Siberian Coal Energy Company (SUEK), as a part of which, both the companies will cooperate with each other to identify and
target opportunities in the energy sector?
A)Tata Power

B)Reliance Power

C)NTPC Limited

D)Jindal Steel & Power

E)None of these

Question No. : 4
Expanding its presence in the high-end fashion segment, online marketplace . acquired luxury fashion portal
Exclusively.com in February 2015. With this acquisition, the Delhi-based firm that gets a little over $1 billion in gross merchandise
value (GMV) from its fashion business expects this figure to touch $2 billion by the end of 2015.
A)Flipkart

B)Snapdeal

C)Amazon India

D)eBay India

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
Six Indian women entrepreneurs and businesswomen were named by Forbes magazine in February 2015, as among the 50
Power Businesswomen from Asia. Which of the following is NOT one of them?
A)Usha Sangwan

B)Chanda Kochchar

C)Akhila Srinivasan

D)Shikha Sharma

E)Aishwarya Nair

Question No. : 6
Arundhati Bhattacharya was ranked by Forbes magazine in February 2015, as the most powerful Indian business woman among
the 50 Power Businesswomen from Asia. She was also referred to as the "first lady of Indian banking" and as chair of the Indian
behemoth with 225 million customers and assets of $300 billion. Which organization is she heading as the Chairperson?
A)ICICI Bank

B)State Bank of India

C)Axis Bank

D)HDFC Bank

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
Which software company, in February 2015, announced to acquire US-based automation technology firm Panaya Inc. for 1200
crore rupees in cash?
A)Infosys Limited

B)TCS

C)Wipro

D)Cognizant

E)None of these

Question No. : 8
Which Indian telecom major, in February 2015, tied-up with United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) to provide health, education
and youth-focused content to its customers in 17 African countries?
A)Reliance Infocomm

B)MTNL

C)Tata Indicom

D)Bharti Airtel Limited

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
In February 2015, Swedish mobile telecom gear maker Ericsson sued .. for patent infringement.

A)Samsung

B)AppleInc

C)Google

D)Yahoo

E)None of these

Question No. : 10
Which company, in February 2015, tied-up with Tech Mahindra Limited to build a platform for the development of cloud-based
apps for its clients to increase hybrid services adoption?
A)Google

B)Apple

C)IBM

D)Yahoo

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
With which online company did Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) tie up in February 2015, to sell various
products to IRCTC customers?
A)Amazon

B)Snapdeal

C)Flipkart

D)eBay

E)None of these

Question No. : 12
India and .., in February 2015, held a Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting to find ways and means to enhance the bilateral
trade and investment ties between the two countries.
A)Sri Lanka

B)Bangladesh

C)Myanmar

D)Nepal

E)None of these

Question No. : 13
Indian citizens living abroad will now be able to file consular grievances online as the government, in February 2015, launched an
e-portal to address such complaints promptly with a high degree of accountability. What is the portal called?
A)Madad

B)Aasha

C)Umeed

D)Pardesi

E)None of these

Question No. : 14
Acclaimed US actor Leonard Nimoy passed away in February 2015. He was best known for his half-human, half-Vulcan character
of Mr Spock in the cult sci-fi series .
A)Star Trek

B)Star Wars

C)Star Galaxy

D)Star Dreams

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
Who was appointed as an independent director on the board of Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), in February
2015? The appointed person is popularly known as the man behind the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modis brainchild
event- Vibrant Gujarat summit.
A)Maheshwar Dutt

B)Maheshwar Sahu

C)Maheshwar Gupta

D)Maheshwar Soni

E)None of these

Question No. : 16
Eminent filmmaker Nirad Mahapatra passed away in February 2015. As a film-maker, he was best-known for his cultural,
ecological and industrial documentaries. Which state did he belong to?
A)Mahrashtra

B)Kerala

C)Odisha

D)Uttar Pradesh

E)None of these

Question No. : 17
Veteran .. Aloysius Vincent passed away in February 2015, at the age of 86.
A)Cinematographer

B)Singer

C)Author

D)Social Worker

E)None of these

Question No. : 18
Justice Amitava Roy was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court, in February 2015. With his elevation, the strength of the apex
court judges has gone up to .., two less than the upper limit.
A)28

B)31

C)29

D)27

E)None of these

Question No. : 19
Veteran multilingual . Daggubati Ramanaidu passed away at the age of 78. D Ramanaidu was popularly known for his
contribution in different languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Punjabi and English.
A)Film producer

B)Author

C)Poet

D)Singer

E)None of these

A)Film producer

B)Author

C)Poet

D)Singer

E)None of these

Question No. : 20
Indian-American was, in February 2015, appointed Special Envoy and Coordinator for Strategic Counterterrorism
Communications to expand global engagement and partnerships of the US to counter violent extremism.
A)Rashad Hussain

B)Ravi Chaudhary

C)Ajay Banga

D)Bobby Jindal

E)None of these

Question No. : 21
, an Indian American was, in February 2015, appointed as Executive director for Regions and Center Operations at the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a key federal aviation post of United States.
A)Ravi Chaudhary

B)Ajay Banga

C)Rashad Hussain

D)Nitin Nohria

E)None of these

Question No. : 22
Which Japanese automaker, in February 2015, appointed Takahiro Hachigo as its new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO),
to assume charge in June 2015?
A)Honda

B)Toyota

C)Mitsubishi

D)Nissan

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
Who among the following smashed the second fastest World Cup century and fastest ever 150 in ODIs, against West Indies in a
Pool B match of ICC World Cup 2015, in February 2015?
A)AB de Villiers

B)Virat Kohli

C)Chris Gayle

D)Aaron Finch

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
Former India spinnerAnil Kumblewas, in February 2015, inducted into the prestigiousInternational Cricket Council(ICC)Hall of
Fame. Kumble became the . Indian to be given the honour.
A)Second

B)Third

C)Fourth

D)Fifth

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
Which famous Indian golfer won theIndian Open title of Golfin February 2015?
A)Anirban Lahiri

B)SSP Chowrasia

C)Jeev Milkha Singh

D)Arjun Atwal

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
Who among the following, in February 2015, became the first batsman to score a double century in a World Cup innings when he
reached the landmark against Zimbabwe?
A)Virat Kohli

B)Chris Gayle

C)MS Dhoni

D)Aaron Finch

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
Martin Crowe, former New Zealand captain and player of theICC Cricket World Cup1992, was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall
of Fame in February 2015. Crowe became the . New Zealander to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
A)First

B)Second

C)Third

D)Fourth

E)None of these

Question No. : 28
Which airport, in February 2015, was adjudged the best, among the world's most performing airports in the 25-40 million
passengers per annum category by theAirport Council International(ACI)?
A)Delhi

B)Mumbai

C)London

D)Toronto

E)None of these

Question No. : 29
This Indian-American was, in February 2015, awarded a prestigious award (American Chemical Society Division of Analytical
Chemistry J. Calvin Giddings Award) for his special contribution in the field of chemistry. Identify the person.
A)Shivam Dasgupta

B)Purnendu Dasgupta

C)Ram Kumar

D)Sim Bhullar

E)None of these

Question No. : 30
A retired judge of either Supreme Court or High Court will now head the Selection Committee for Arjuna Awards as the
government revised the scheme of these awards in February 2015. In which field are the Arjuna Awards given?
A)Literature

B)Science

C)Sports

D)Medicine

E)None of these

Question No. : 31
Which university, in February 2015, honored chairman emeritus of IndiasTata MotorsRatan Tata with an honorary Doctorate of
Automotive Engineering?
A)Clemson University

B)Oxford University

C)Harvard University

D)Cambridge University

E)None of these

Question No. : 32
Which regiment of Indian Army was, in February 2015, honoured with Presidents Standardsfor its meritorious and distinguished
service to the nation for more than three decades?
A)44 Armoured

B)43 Armoured

C)40 Armoured

D)41 Armoured

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
UnionCabinet, in February 2015, approved the implementation of the scheme for setting up of 15,000 Mega Watt Grid-connected
Solar Photo Voltaic Power projects under the National Solar Mission.The scheme will be implemented through .
A)NTPC

B)BHEL

C)Reliance Power

D)Tata Power

E)None of these

Question No. : 34
The UnionCabinet, in February 2015,gave its approval to the creation of additional benches of the Authority for Advance
Rulings (Income Tax), which would dispose of increased number of cases and pendency of cases would be reduced benefitting the
tax payer and the Government.
A)Three

B)Two

C)Four

D)Five

E)None of these

Question No. : 35
Rajya Sabha, in February 2015, unanimously passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders Amendment Bill, 2014. The bill
seeks to modify the list of Scheduled Castes in the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and three states. Which of the
following is a correct representation of these three states?
A)Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab B)Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha
D)Punjab, Karnataka, Odisha E)None of these

C)Haryana, Karnataka, Gujarat

Question No. : 36
The Supreme Court, in February 2015, held that a person can be accorded Scheduled Caste (SC) status on his re-conversion to
if he is accepted by fellow caste men and proves that either he or his forefathers previously belonged to that caste before
embracing another religion.
A)Hinduism

B)Islam

C)Christianity

D)Sikhism

E)None of these

Question No. : 37
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in February 2015, launched a Soil Health Card scheme, under which the Centre plans to target
over farmers in the next three years to check the excess use of fertilisers.
A)14 crore

B)10 crore

C)12 crore

D)8 crore

E)None of these

Question No. : 38
Pointing out that soil health has deteriorated due to high usage of fertilisers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a Soil Health
Card scheme in February 2015. The card, to be issued after testing soil, would help them save up to . in 3 acres of land.
A)Rs 50,000

B)Rs 40,000

C)Rs 30,000

D)Rs 70,000

E)Rs 80,000

Question No. : 39
Which country, in February 2015, passed a legislation allowing creation of babies using DNA of three people (called mitochondria
donation procedure), making it the first country to legalize the creation of three-parent IVF designer babies?

A)UK

B)USA

C)Canada

D)France

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
Which State Government, in February 2015, announced its decision to increase the cash reward under the Inter-Caste Marriage
Scheme from 50000 rupees to 1 lakh rupees?
A)Haryana

B)Gujarat

C)Punjab

D)Uttar Pradesh

E)None of these

MBA Current GK 2015 Mar 01

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
Which bank, in March 2015, launched Chillr, a mobile app that allows users to instantly transfer money to any contact in their
phonebook 24 hours a day and seven days a week?
A)ICICI Bank

B)HDFC Bank

C)YES Bank

D)SBI

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
HTC Corp, in March 2015, named as its Chief Executive Officer, giving its founder and chairwoman a bigger role in leading
a potential turnaround of the organization.
A)Cher Wang

B)Cho Wang

C)Lee Wang

D)Pi Wang

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
Insurance Australia Group Ltd. announced, in March 2015, to raise its stake to the maximum allowed 49% in a general insurance
joint venture with . reducing the latters stake in the venture to 51% from 74%.
A)State Bank of India

B)Bajaj Allianz

C)ICICI Lombard

D)TATA AIG

E)None of these

Question No. : 4
Which company, in March 2015, announced the launch of generic drug Sofosbuvir for treating chronic Hepatitis C under the
brand name Hepcvir?
A)Cipla

B)Ranbaxy

C)Pfizer

D)Dr. Reddys Laboratories

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
Ashu Suyashhas been appointed as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CRISIL. What is the full form of
CRISIL?
A)Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited B)Credit Resolving Information Services of India Limited
C)Credit Redeeming Information Services of India Limited D)Credit Rating Intelligence Services of India Limited
E)None of these
Question No. : 6
In March 2015 the Delhi high court restrained Indian firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals from manufacturing, marketing or selling its
anti-diabetes drugs Zita and Zita-Met, saying it has prima facie infringed the patent of drug major Merck Sharp and
Dohme (MSD).
A)French

B)Dutch

C)US

D)British

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
Which online company, in March 2015, acquired logistics firm GoJavas to strengthen its delivery operations in the Indian market?
A)eBay

B)Amazon

C)Snapdeal

D)Flipkart

E)None of these

Question No. : 8
Lupin Limited inked a pact, in March 2015, to acquire an additional 40 per cent stake in South Africa's Pharma Dynamics. With this
acquisition, Lupin has 100 per cent stake in the company. Lupin Limited is a transnational pharmaceutical company based in

A)New York

B)Mumbai

C)Paris

D)Tokyo

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
Colin Macdonald was, in March 2015, appointed as Managing Director of RNAIPL. He will assume charge on 1 April 2015. What is
the full form of RNAIPL?

A)Renault Nissan Automotive India Parts Limited B)Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Limited
C)Reliance Nissan Automotive India Private Limited D)Renault Nokia Automotive India Private Limited

E)None of these

Question No. : 10
In March 2015 U.S.-based Mirach Capital said it is initiating a $400 million defamation lawsuit against the . group, while
alleging that the failed financing deal with the Indian conglomerate has caused irreparable harm and shaken investor
confidence.

A)Tata

B)Reliance

C)Sahara

D)Jindal

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
What is the estimated earning of the government from the spectrum auction that concluded on March 25, conducted for 800 MHz,
900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz spectrum covering both mobile telephony and broadband, including 4th Generation (4G)?
A)Rs 1.1 lakh crore

B)Rs 1.1 crore

C)Rs 1.1 lakh

D)Rs 11 crore

E)None of these

Question No. : 12
What is the name of the debit card service launched by the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) in March
2015 in collaboration with the Union Bank of India and the National Payment Corporation of India?
A)RuPay

B)Paisa

C)Daulat

D)Aasan

E)None of these

Question No. : 13
In March 2015 Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved guidelines to govern international financial services centres
(IFSC). In which state is the first such centre coming up?
A)Gujarat

B)Kerala

C)Maharashtra

D)Haryana

E)None of these

Question No. : 14
In March 2015 Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu roped in noted industrialist . to head a new innovation council called
Kaya Kalp to turn around the ailing state-run rail network.
A)Ratan Tata

B)Mukesh Ambani

C)Anil Ambani

D)Sunil Bharti Mittal

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
In March 2015 Ruth Porat was appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the search engine giant .
A)Yahoo

B)Google

C)Facebook

D)Baidu

E)None of these

Question No. : 16
Why was Sohail Aman in news in March 2015?
A)He was appointed as Chief of Pakistan Air Force. B)He was appointed as Chief of Pakistan Navy.
C)He was appointed as Chief of Pakistan Army. D)He was appointed as Chief Justice of Pakistan. E)None of these
Question No. : 17
In March 2015 Vice Admiral Surinder Pal Singh Cheema took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of
the.. Naval Command, the sword arm of the Indian Navy.
A)Western

B)Eastern

C)Northern

D)Southern

E)None of these

Question No. : 18
In March 2015 Thenphunga Sailo, one of the prominent voices against the human rights violation by the armed forces in 1970s,
passed away. He was a former Chief Minister of ..
A)Mizoram

B)Sikkim

C)Arunachal Pradesh

D)Manipur

E)None of these

Question No. : 19
India-bornNobel laureateSir Venkatraman Ramakrishnanwas, in March 2015, confirmed as president elect of the prestigious
Royal Society of ..


A)France

B)Britain

C)Spain

D)US

E)None of these

Question No. : 20
Novelist and diplomat .., who wrote the book Q&A that went on to be made into Oscar winning film Slumdog
Millionairewas, in March 2015, named the new spokesman of Indias Ministry of External Affairs.
A)Vikas Swarup

B)Vikas Sharma

C)Vikas Garg

D)Vikas Negi

E)None of these

Question No. : 21
Renowned poet Yusufali Kechery, who left a deep impression in the cultural realm of as a lyricist, died in March 2015.
Kecher was known for his mystic lyrics on Hindu Gods, particularly Lord Krishna.
A)Gujarat

B)Odisha

C)Kerala

D)Andhra Pradesh

E)None of these

Question No. : 22
Who among the following was, in March 2015, roped in by the government as the brand ambassador for its drive against hepatitis
B, a critical public health problem in India?
A)Amitabh Bachchan

B)Salman Khan

C)Shah Rukh Khan

D)Aamir Khan

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
A two-year-old girl prodigy Cherukuli Dalli Shivani from Vijaywada achieved a stunning feat in March 2015 by setting a new
record and entering her name into the India Book of Records. Which field is being talked about?
A)Archery

B)Chess

C)Shooting

D)Swimming

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
This New Zealand cricketer announced his retirement from international cricket in March 2015. He made this announcement after
playing last match in ICC World Cup 2015 Final against Australia. Earlier in 2011, he had retired from Tests and Twenty-20s cricket
format. He is the ninth player to take more than 300 wickets in both Tests and ODIs, having finished his test career with 362
wickets and is the second-highest Test wicket-taker for New Zealand. Identify the person.
A)Daniel Vettori

B)Ross Taylor

C)Martin Guptill

D)Brendon McCullum

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
Mahendra Singh Dhoni became first Indian Cricket team Captain to register the 100 One Day International (ODI) match wins. He
was able to achieve this feat after Indian team defeated Bangladesh in the 2015 ICC World Cup quarter-final match in March 2015.
He is the . captain in the history of the cricket to record 100 wins.
A)Second

B)Third

C)Fourth

D)First

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
Australia won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 for the record .. time in March 2015.
A)Fourth

B)Fifth

C)Second

D)Sixth

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
This legendary member of three Olympic gold medal winning teams, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the
inaugural Hockey India Awards in March 2015. Identify the person.
A)Balbir Singh Senior

B)Dhyan Chand

C)Pargat Singh

D)Dhanraj Pillay

E)None of these

Question No. : 28
Multidisciplinary artist Bharti Kher was, in March 2015, conferred with highest cultural award of ., known as the Knight
of the Order of Arts and Letters, for her contributions to the landscape of contemporary art.
A)Germany

B)UK

Question No. : 29

C)France

D)Spain

E)None of these

Who among the following was, in March 2015, named for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2014?
A)Shashi Kapoor

B)Shammi Kapoor

C)Rishi Kapoor

D)Dilip Kumar

E)None of these

Question No. : 30
Who among the following won the Femina Miss India 2015 crown at the 52nd edition of the beauty pageant held in March 2015?
A)Aafreen Rachel Vaz

B)Aditi Arya

C)Vartika Singh

D)Katrina Kaif

E)None of these

Question No. : 31
Which freedom fighter was, in March 2015, posthumously awarded India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna?
A)Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya

B)Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

C)MK Gandhi

D)Sardar Patel

E)None of these

Question No. : 32
Former Prime MinisterAtal Bihari Vajpayeewas, in March 2015, conferred with India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna by
the President of India Pranab Mukherjee. Vajpayee is the Indian prime minister to receive the award.
A)Sixth

B)Seventh

C)Fifth

D)Fourth

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
In March 2015 the Ministry of Railways appointed .. to review the performance of the Public Private Partnership (PPP)
cell functioning under the Railway Board.

A)Ajay Shankar committee

E)None of these

B)Ajay Sharma committee

C)Ajay Gupta committee

D)Ajay Soni committee

Question No. : 34
Which of the following, in March 2015, became the first State in the country to fix a minimum educational qualification for
contesting elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions?
A)Gujarat

B)Haryana

C)Rajasthan

D)Kerala

E)None of these

Question No. : 35
Which section of the Information and Technology Act 2000 was, in March 2015, struck down by the Supreme Court calling it
unconstitutional and untenable?
A)Section 66A

B)Section 65A

C)Section 64A

D)Section 62A

E)None of these

Question No. : 36
Parliament passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2015. Which of the following is a
provision of this bill?
A)Removal of discretion: auction to be sole method of allotment B)Simplification of procedures and avoidance of delay
C)Safeguarding interests of affected persons D)Stringent provisions against illegal mining E)All of these
Question No. : 37
Parliament passed Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015 in March 2015. Which of the following is true in this context?
A)It was first passed in Lok Sabha on 4 March 2015 and later in Rajya Sabha on 20 March 2015.
B)The bill has provisions for allocation of coal mines through a transparent bidding process i.e e-auction.
C)The e-auction of coal blocks will ensure the continuity in coal mining operations and promoting optimum utilization of coal
resources.
D)The bill also facilitate e-auction of coal blocks for private companies for captive use and allot mines directly to state and
central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
E)All of these
Question No. : 38
Union Cabinet cleared the black money bill to curb the menace of black money in the country. Which of the following is true in this

context?
A)The proposed bill gives powers to tax authorities to track and deal with illegal wealth stashed abroad.
B)Under the provisions of the new Bill, the offences related to black money will be non-compoundable and the offenders will
not be permitted to approach the Settlement Commission.
C)The bill also has provision of punishment to deal with the black money cases.
D)It proposes penalty at the rate of 300 per cent of taxes to be levied on the concealed income and assets, in addition to 10
years rigorous imprisonment.
E)All of these
Question No. : 39
Who among the following has been named as the greatest leader in the world byFortunemagazine in its annual list of
extraordinary men and women transforming business, government and philanthropy, released in March 2105?
A)Tim Cook

B)Barack Obama

C)Narendra Modi

D)Vladimir Putin

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
Who among the following has been named among the 50 greatest leaders in the world byFortunemagazine in its annual list of
extraordinary men and women transforming business, government and philanthropy, released in March 2015?
A)Narendra Modi and Mukesh Ambani B)Narendra Modi and Kailash Satyarthi
D)Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal E)None of these

C)Mukesh Ambani and Kailash Satyarthi

MBA Current GK 2015 Mar 02

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
In March 2015 taxi service aggregatorOla Cabs acquired its rival .. in a cash and equity deal worth $200 million.?
A)TaxiForSure

B)Easy Cabs

C)Mega Cabs

D)Uber

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
Which company, in March 2015, acquired 44 per cent stake in Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company Ltd. to
manufacture warships, submarines and even aircraft carriers in India along with civil application structures like oil rigs and
platforms?
A)Reliance Infrastructure

B)Greaves Limited

C)Ashok Leyland

D)Tata Advanced Systems

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
Which quick service restaurant chain opened an all-women operated outlet in Mumbai, to mark International Womens day on
March 8? With this new outlet opening the companys store count has now reached 500 in India.
A)Dominos

B)Pizza Hut

C)KFC

D)Subway

E)None of these

Question No. : 4
Which company, in March 2015, announced to take overTotal hypermarkets owned by Jubilant Retail in atuck-in acquisition
deal?
A)Aditya Birla Retail

B)Infinity Retail

C)Future Retail

D)Shoppers Stop Ltd.

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
Which Social networking company acquiredshopping search engine TheFind, in March 2015, signalling its aspirations in two of
the Internet's biggest moneymakers: search and e-commerce?
A)Facebook

B)Orkut

C)Yahoo

D)Google

E)None of these

Question No. : 6
Which company, in March 2015, acquired Bangalore-based global mobile network AdIQuity for an undisclosed amount?
A)Flipkart

B)Snapdeal

C)Amazon

D)eBay

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
In March 2015, telecom equipment maker Huawei launched its first smartwatch, a round-faced device that works with Android
phones, joining a crowded market weeks before the introduction of the highly anticipated Apple Watch. Which country is Huawei
headquartered in?
A)Japan

B)China

C)Singapore

D)France

E)None of these

Question No. : 8
Which company, in March 2015, announced to buy GlaxoSmithKlines opiate business in Australia to strengthen its pain
management portfolio?
A)Sun Pharmaceutical

B)ABL Biotechnologies Ltd.

C)Dr. Reddys Laboratories

D)Ranbaxy

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
In March 2015, Union Ministry of Shipping signed an agreement with .for export of automobile units through Kamarajar
Port Limited (KPL).
A)Honda

B)Nissan

C)Toyota

D)Hyundai

E)None of these

Question No. : 10
, in March 2015, appointed Ashwin Mittal as chief operating officer and Javier Rojo as real estate and business
development head.
A)Walmart India

B)Amazon India

C)Amway India

D)Ford India

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
Indian Railways, in March 2015, inked an MoU with .. to raise Rs 1.5 lakh crore for financing the development of its various
commercially viable infrastructure projects.
A)Bajaj Allianz

B)ICICI Prudential

C)HDFC Life

D)Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)

E)None of these

Question No. : 12
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 March 2015 cut down repo rate by 25 basis points to .., with immediate effect.
A)7.0 percent

B)7.75 percent

C)7.25 percent

D)7.5 percent

E)None of these

Question No. : 13
Which of the following is true regarding the monetary policy statement of RBI, released on March 4, 2015?
A)Keep the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL)
B)Continue to provide liquidity under overnight repos at 0.25 per cent of bank-wise NDTL at the LAF repo rate and liquidity
under 7-day and 14-day term repos of up to 0.75 per cent of NDTL of the banking system through auctions.
C)Continue with daily variable rate repos and reverse repos to smooth liquidity.
D)The reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.5 per cent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the
Bank Rate to 8.5 per cent with immediate effect.
E)All of these
Question No. : 14
Who among the following was ranked as the worlds richest person in the Forbes 2015 billionaire list in March 2015?
A)Bill Gates

B)Carlos Slim Helu

C)Mukesh Ambani

D)Warren Buffett

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
Why was the Senior Congress leader and Kerala Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan in news in March 2015?
A)He passed away B)He changed his party to BJP C)He was caught in a scam
D)He was appointed as speaker of the Lok Sabha E)None of these
Question No. : 16
Who was elected as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Dalmiya will succeed?
A)Jagmohan Dalmiya

B)N. Srinivasan

C)Sunil Gavaskar

D)Ravi Shastri

E)None of these

Question No. : 17
K.S. Lavkumar Khachar died at the age of 84, in March 2015. He was a reputed
A)Ornithologist

B)Poet

C)Author

D)Singer

E)None of these

Question No. : 18
Dr. Alka Beotra, Scientific Director, National Dope Testing Laboratory, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, was nominated to the
Executive Board of WAADS, in March 2015. Which of the following is true in this context?
A)WAADS is an acronym for World Association of Anti Doping Scientists.
B)Her tenure on the Executive Board of WAADS will be for a period of three years, i.e. from March 2015.
C)The WAADS is an organisation comprising anti doping scientists from all the WADA- accredited labs across the world, to
combat the issue of doping in sport.
D)In the six-member Executive Board of WAADS, Dr. Beotra is the only member from Asia. E)All of these
Question No. : 19
Senior IFS officer, Arun Singh was, in March 2015, named as the new Indian Ambassador to .

A)France

B)US

C)Germany

D)Pakistan

E)None of these

Question No. : 20
In March 2015 Human Resource & Development Minister Smriti Irani appointed Baldev Sharma as the new chairman of
A)National Book Trust
E)None of these

B)Press Trust of India

C)Education & Social Welfare Trust of India

D)Unit Trust of India

Question No. : 21
Lia van Leer, the legendary first lady of ., passed away in March 2015 at the age of 90.
A)Israeli cinema

B)French cinema

C)British cinema

D)American cinema

E)None of these

Question No. : 22
Who was, in March 2015, selected by the Union Government as Brand Ambassador for the North East Region?
A)MC Mary Kom

B)Sania Mirza

C)Saina Nehwal

D)Priyanka Chopra

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
Carolina Marin Martin of won the prestigious Womens Singles Title in the All England Open Badminton Championships
2015, when she defeated Indias Saina Nehwal in the final match in March 2015.
A)Spain

B)Germany

C)France

D)UK

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
Which Olympic medallist announced to quit after the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as he/she would not be able to cope with the
rigours of the sport any further?
A)MC Mary Kom

B)Abhinav Bindra

C)Sushil Kumar

D)Saina Nehwal

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
Which state won the Ranji Trophy for season 2014-2015 after defeating Tamil Nadu, in March 2015?
A)Gujarat

B)Punjab

C)Karnataka

D)Maharashtra

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
Services won 69th Santosh Trophy 2014-15 by defeating host Punjab in the final match in March 2015. Which sport is being
talked about?
A)Hockey

B)Football

C)Cricket

D)Badminton

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
Indias Kidambi Srikanth won the prestigious $120,000 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold title after defeating Denmarks defending
champion Viktor Axelsen, in March 2015. Which sport is being talked about?
A)Lawn Tennis

B)Badminton

C)Table Tennis

D)Golf

E)None of these

Question No. : 28
The outgoing President of ., Hifikepunye Pohamba, won the world's most valuable individual award, the Mo Ibrahim prize
for African leadership, in March 2015.
A)Namibia

B)Nigeria

C)Kenya

D)Ethiopia

E)None of these

Question No. : 29
In March 2015 Professor Minoti Apte was named the2015 NSW (New South Wales) Woman of the Year for her contributions to

A)Pancreatic cancer research

Question No. : 30

B)Quantum Physics

C)Anthropology

D)Corporate Responsibility

E)None of these

 Tourism, in March 2015, bagged a silver prize in the worlds leading travel and trade event, Golden Gate awards at the
Internationale Tourismus-Brse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2015.
A)Andhra Pradesh

B)Gujarat

C)Rajasthan

D)Kerala

E)None of these

Question No. : 31
Three South Asian women were selected for the 2015 prestigious International Women of Courage Award by the US Secretary of
State, in March 2015. Match the correct woman- country pair out of the options below:Woman Country
(a) Niloofar Rahmani (i) Afghanistan
(b) Nadia Sharmeen (ii) Bangladesh
(c) Tabassum Adnan (iii) Pakistan

A)(a) (ii), (b) (i), (c) (iii)

B)(a) (i), (b) (ii), (c) (iii)

C)(a) (iii), (b) (i), (c) (ii)

D)(a) (i), (b) (iii), (c) (ii)

E)None of these

Question No. : 32
Which former Union Minister and a senior Congress leader was, in March 2015, selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman
for 2014?
A)M. Veerappa Moily

B)Shiela Dikshit

C)Ajay Maken

D)P C Chacko

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
Which State Government, in March 2015,launched Bhagyashree scheme in place of the Sukanya scheme which caters to girls
from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families?
A)Gujarat

B)Maharashtra

C)Haryana

D)Kerala

E)None of these

Question No. : 34
Which state government, in March 2015, launched a scheme for girl child - Aapki Beti Humari Beti, with an aim to combat the
problem of declining child sex ratio in the state?
A)Haryana

B)Punjab

C)Uttar Pradesh

D)Gujarat

E)None of these

Question No. : 35
Which of the following is true of the Aapki Beti Humari Beti scheme launched in March 2015 by one of the states?
A)Under the scheme, the first girl child born on or after 22 January 2015 in Scheduled Caste (SC) and Below Poverty Line (BPL)
families will be eligible to receive 21000 rupees.
B)The second girl child born on or after 22 January 2015 of all families will also receive 21000 rupees.
C)Families where twin girls or multiple girls are born will also get 21000 rupees per girl child.
D)The Scheme will be implemented in both rural and urban areas of the state covering first-born girl child of SC and BPL
families all second girl child born on or after 22 January 2015 of all families.
E)All of these
Question No. : 36
Parliament, in March 2015, gave nod to a Bill seeking to pave the way for plying of e-rickshaws on the roads of the National
Capital Region, with the government considering a proposal to provide credit to buy these battery-operated vehicles. Which of the
following is true in this context?
A)The Rajya Sabha passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to amend the 1988 Act by a voice vote.
B)E-rickshaws or battery-operated three-wheeler vehicles had gone off roads after Delhi high court had banned their plying in
July last year on safety concerns.
C)On January 7, President Pranab Mukherjee had promulgated an Ordinance as the bill to regularise e-rickshaws, passed by
the Lok Sabha on 18 December, had got stuck in Rajya Sabha.
D)The government in October last had notified the rules for plying of e-rickshaws, making drivers licence mandatory for
operating them and limiting their maximum speed to 25 kmph.
E)All of these
Question No. : 37
A seven-year long wait came to an end when the Rajya Sabha on 12 March 2015 passed the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill,
2015. Which of the following is true in this context?

A)On March 4, the Lok Sabha had passed the Insurance Bill to increase foreign investment limit in local insurers to 49 percent
from 26 percent.
B)Narendra Modi led BJP government introduced the Insurance Bill replacing the Ordinance issued last year.
C)The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015, seek higher foreign equity participation in Indian insurance companies.
D)The Bill was first introduced in Rajya Sabha in 2008 but non concurrence amongst parties stalked its passage since.
E)All of these
Question No. : 38
President Pranab Mukherjee, in March 2015, gave his assent to the Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 1995 in ..,
imposing a ban on slaughter of bulls and bullocks in the state.
A)Gujarat

B)Kerala

C)West Bengal

D)Maharashtra

E)None of these

Question No. : 39
An Egyptian court, in March 2015, listed the Palestinian group, .. as a terrorist organization, accusing it of meddling into
the countrys internal affairs and supporting insurgents.
A)Hamas

B)ISIS

C)Taliban

D)Boko Haram

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
In March 2015 Government of started a helpline to address the social, physical and psychological issues faced by
adolescents.This helpline has been set up under the aegis of National Adolescent Health Programme (Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya
Karyakram), as a part of the National Health Mission.
A)Gujarat

B)Haryana

C)Maharashtra

D)Kerala

E)None of these

MBA Current GK 2015 April 01

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
Which insurance company, in April 2015, launched 'Smart Traveller' that offers global coverage for students, individuals, families
and frequent travellers?
A)Bharti AXA General Insurance Company Ltd. B)ICICI prudential
D)Life Insurance Corporation of India E)None of these

C)Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Limited

Question No. : 2
Which bank, in April 2015, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India to
provide insurance cover to all Aadhaar-linked savings account holders of the bank in the age group of 18 to 50 years?
A)Dena Bank

B)HDFC Bank

C)SBI

D)ICICI Bank

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
GodrejNature's Basket, the food retail arm of the diversifiedGodrej Group, joined hands with .., in April 2015,for selling its
products through the e-commerce giant's platform in India.
A)Snapdeal

B)Flipkart

C)Amazon

D)eBay

E)None of these

Question No. : 4
With which consulting firm did online search giant Google enter into a strategic partnership in April 2015 to go after theDigital
India projects and large enterprise deals?
A)McKinsey & Company
E)None of these

B)The Boston Consulting Group

C)Bain & Company

D)PricewaterhouseCoopers

Question No. : 5
In April 2015, BMG music rights company of announced that it had signed a music digital distribution deal with China's
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. The deal, one of the first in China made by a major music publisher rather than a label, will bring more
than 2.5 million copyrights to Alibaba.
A)France

B)Germany

C)Switzerland

D)UK

E)None of these

Question No. : 6
In April 2015, a demand of over Rs 570 crore was raised against , the confectionery giant, for allegedly evading excise
duty by fraudulently taking exemption for one of its 'ghost' production units in Himachal Pradesh.

A)Candico

B)Cadbury India

C)Dabur

D)Britannia

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in April 2015, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the EBRD to deepen
partnership between Indian companies and the bank in those countries where the bank has operations. What is the full form of
EBRD?
A)European Bank for Restructuring and Development B)European Bank for Recovery and Development
C)European Bank for Reconstruction and Development D)European Bank for Replenishment and Development
E)None of these
Question No. : 8
Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company, and Vedanta Foundation adopted 3,056 anganwadi centres in five districts of ..
The adoption will benefit 90,000 underprivileged children in the age group of 3-6 years for five years.
A)Uttar Pradesh

B)Rajasthan

C)Haryana

D)Gujarat

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
In the biggest oil and gas deal in a decade, Royal Dutch Shell announced acquisition of smaller British rival BG Group Plc for about
USD 70 billion to create the worlds largest independent producer of LNG. Where is Royal Dutch Shell headquartered in?
A)France

B)Netherlands

C)Germany

D)Switzerland

E)None of these

Question No. : 10
In April 2015, online marketplace . announced to buy mobile recharge service Freecharge in the biggest-ever deal in the
countrys start-up domain, betting that it can sell products and services to millions of users who currently use the Internet
company only to recharge their mobile phones.
A)Flipkart

B)Snapdeal

C)Amazon

D)eBay

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
Union Government, in April 2015, gave a nod for release of additional installment of DA and DR. Dearness Allowance (DA) to
central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners is increased by
A)5%

B)6%

C)7%

D)8%

E)None of these

Question No. : 12
The Reserve Bank of India, in April 2015, notified government's decision to raise foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the
insurance sector to ...
A)45%

B)51%

C)49%

D)100%

E)None of these

Question No. : 13
Capital market regulator Sebi, in April 2015, raised the transaction limit in exchange traded currency derivatives to . US
Dollars, from 10 million dollars previously, for both foreign and domestic investors without having any underlying exposure.
A)15 million

B)12 million

C)13 million

D)14 million

E)None of these

Question No. : 14
In April 2015 West Bengal and Bihar Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi took additional charge of
A)Mizoram

B)Assam

C)Sikkim

D)Arunachal Pradesh

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
In April 2015 Asteroid 316201 was named as 316201 Malala after the youngest Nobel laureate and girls education campaigner
Malala Yousafzai. Asteroid 316201 Malala is located in the Main Belt between ... It orbits around the Sun every 5.5 years
and is more-than 2 mile wide.
A)Mars and Jupiter

B)Mars and Venus

C)Jupiter and Saturn

D)Mars and Earth

E)None of these

Question No. : 16
Malli Mastan Babu died in April 2015. He was a famous ..
A)Author

B)Singer

C)Artist

D)Mountaineer

E)None of these

Question No. : 17
Dr. Mayilsamy Annadurai was in news in April 2015 because he
A)assumed the office of Director, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) in Bengaluru B)passed away
C)was caught in a multi crore scam D)assumed the office of Director, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
E)None of these
Question No. : 18
Pedro Cateriano Bellido was appointed as Prime Minister of in April 2015.
A)Argentina

B)Cuba

Question No. : 19

C)Peru

D)Brazil

E)None of these

In April 2015 Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) re-appointed as chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL)
Governing Council. Previously, he was IPL chairman till 2013 but had resigned from the post after the IPL spot-fixing scandal.
A)Rajeev Shukla

B)Rahul Dravid

C)Lalit Modi

D)Narayanaswami Srinivasan

E)None of these

Question No. : 20
US PresidentBarack Obama, in April 2015,nominated prominent Indian-American businesswoman .. as the member of
the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service for a term expiring in October 2019.
A)Shamina Singh

B)Indra Nooyi

C)Nikki Haley

D)Kamala Harris

E)None of these

Question No. : 21
Sumit Mazumder was, in April 2015, elected as the President of .. for the year 2015-16. He is Chairman & Managing
Director (MD) of TIL Limited.
A)Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FICCI)
B)National Association of Software and Services Companies C)National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
D)Confederation of Indian Industry E)None of these
Question No. : 22
Sunita Tomar, who became the poster girl of India's . campaign after the Union ministry made a 30-second video 'Sunita' died at the age of 28 in April 2015.
A)Anti-tobacco

B)Polio

C)Sanitation

D)Literacy

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
Which country, in April 2015, won the 24th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament 2015 for second time.
A)New Zealand

B)Australia

C)Malaysia

D)India

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
Former .. captain and legendary cricket commentator Richie Benaud passed away in April 2015 at the age of 84.
A)England

B)Australia

C)West Indies

D)New Zealand

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
Indian cricket icon..was, in April 2015, inducted as one of the five new members into the prestigiousLaureus Sports
Academy.
A)Sunil Gavaskar

B)Kapil Dev

C)Sachin Tendulkar

D)Rahul Dravid

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
Sania Mirza, in April 2015, became the .. Indian female tennis player to achieve the world number one rank in doubles
category. She achieved this feat after winning WTA Family Circle Cup along with her Swiss partner Martina Hingis.
A)First

B)Second

C)Third

D)Fourth

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
Yuki Bhambri won the 15,000 US Dollar ITF Futures tournament title in April 2015. In the final he defeated Dzmitry Zhyrmont of
Belarus. Which sport is being talked about?
A)Badminton

B)Lawn Tennis

C)Golf

D)Chess

E)None of these

Question No. : 28
Why was Pratap Singh, a 15-year-old Indian-origin schoolboy in the UK, in news in April 2015?
A)He was awarded the Institute of Physics Prize for conducting an experiment that verified an effect of Albert Einstein's theory
of special relativity.
B)He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for conducting an experiment that verified an effect of Albert Einstein's theory of
special relativity.
C)He was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for conducting an experiment that verified an effect of Albert Einstein's

theory of special relativity.

D)He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Peace.

E)None of these

Question No. : 29
This senior lecturer at the School of Health Sciences (Nursing) at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), was named winner of the 2015
International Achievement Award in April 2015, thus becoming the first Singaporean to get the biennial prize since its
introduction in 1999. Name the person.
A)Subadhra Devi Rai

B)Asha Devi Rai

C)Anupama Devi Rai

D)Pratima Devi Rai

E)None of these

Question No. : 30
A 12-year-old girl, studying in Class6 of a school in Mumbai, secured the first place in April 2015 in a Bhagwad Gita
competition organised by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
A)Hindu

B)Christian

C)Muslim

D)Parsee

E)None of these

Question No. : 31
Which of the following bagged the prestigious Golden PeacockNational Quality Awardfor the year 2015 (globally regarded as a
benchmark of corporate excellence)?
A)Delhi International Airport Limited B)Chhatrapati Shivaji InternationalAirport
D)HyderabadRajiv Gandhi InternationalAirport E)None of these

C)BangaloreInternationalAirportLimited

Question No. : 32
Professor Susanta Lahiri, Chemical Sciences Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, received the Hevesy Medal Award
in April 2015. Which of the following is true in this context?
A)He received the award for his outstanding contributions to heavy ion induced radioisotope production, tracer packet
technique, converter targets, and green chemistry.
B)The other person to also win the award this year is Professor Kattesh V. Katti of the Cedntre for Radiological Research,
University of Missouri, Columia.
C)This premier international award named after George de HEVESY, the 1943- Chemistry Nobel Laureate, for his work on the
use of isotopes as tracers in the study of chemical processes, is given to an individual in recognition of excellence through
outstanding, sustained career achievements in the fields of pure as well as applied nuclear and radiochemistry, in particular
applications to nuclear analytical chemistry".
D)Prof. Lahiri, also a professor at Homi Bhabha National Institute, published nearly 180 papers in peer-reviewed journals such
asPhysical Review.He is a co-creator of super heavy element 117.
E)All of these
Question No. : 33
The Union Cabinet, in April 2015, approved amendments to the .. (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2013 to protect the
interests of consumers and curb the malpractices in that sector.
A)Real Estate

B)Energy

C)Insurance

D)Retail

E)None of these

Question No. : 34
The Government, in April 2015, notified the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014 and the Constitution (Ninetyninth Amendment) Act, 2014 for bringing in a change in the existing system for ..
A)appointment of Judges in Supreme Court and High Courts
B)revising salaries of Judges in Supreme Court and High Courts C)removing Judges of Supreme Court and High Courts
D)charge sheeting Judges of Supreme Court and High Courts E)None of these
Question No. : 35
Which scheme did the government launch in April 2015 to boost eco-friendly vehicles sales, aiming to provide Rs 795 crore
support till 2020 for the manufacturing and sale of electric and hybrid vehicles?
A)FAME India

B)AUTO India

C)SMART India

D)ECO India

E)None of these

Question No. : 36
Which committee was constituted by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry in April 2015 to simplify clearances and to

examine the possibility of replacing multiple prior permissions with pre-existing regulatory mechanism?
A)Ajay Shankar

B)Shanta Kumar

C)K.C Tyagi

D)Sitaram Yechury

E)None of these

Question No. : 37
To expedite the implementation of river interlinking programme, the Central Government, in April 2015, constituted a task force
under to forge a consensus amongst the states on the issue.
A)B N Navalawala

B)Brajesh Pathak

C)Shantaram Naik

D)Oscar Fernandes

E)None of these

Question No. : 38
President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to re-promulgate the Land Acquisition Ordinance as per of Constitution.
The new ordinance includes 9 amendments that were part of Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
A)Article 123

B)Article 121

C)Article 122

D)Article 124

E)None of these

Question No. : 39
Which country has been chosen to chair the ninth International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) council meeting to be held in
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) in June 2015?

A)India

B)China

C)US

D)UK

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
Which country was, in April 2015, elected to four key subsidiary bodies of the United Nations' agency on economic and social
issues, continuing its impressive record of winning elections at the world body?
A)US

B)China

C)Japan

D)India

E)None of these

MBA Current GK 2015 April 02

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
Which bank,in collaboration with Tech Mahindra, launched a payment service 'Tap-n-Pay' in April 2015, enabling customers to
make over-the-counter payments without using cash?
A)ICICI Bank

B)HDFC Bank

C)SBI

D)Axis Bank

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
Which organization, in April 2015, elected Lynne Doughtie as its next Chairperson and CEO, adding to the growing ranks of
women in prominent leadership positions?
A)Price Waterhouse Coopers

B)Deloitte

C)KPMG

D)Cap Gemini

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
Drug firm Lupin launched anti-bacterial Zaxine tablets, under a licensing pact with Salix Pharmaceuticals Inc, in the Canadian
market in April 2015. Which country is Lupin headquartered in?
A)India

B)US

C)Australia

D)Canada

E)None of these

Question No. : 4
Online travel services provider MakeMyTrip acquired Mygola, a startup travel guide firm, in April 2015. Who is the Group CEO of
MakeMyTrip?
A)Deep Sharma

B)Deep Kalra

C)Deep Gupta

D)Deep Negi

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
Which bank, in April 2015, tied up with UAE Exchange to offer an instant cash transfer facility to NRI customers?
A)Allahabad Bank

B)Bank of Baroda

C)HDFC Bank

D)SBI

E)None of these

Question No. : 6
In April 2015 Cap Gemini SA, a . information technology services company, announced to buy U.S.-based rival IGATE
Corp for $4 billion in a deal that would make North America into its biggest market and hand IGATE's founders a $1 billion
windfall.
A)German

B)Swiss

C)French

D)British

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
Which firm, in April 2015,acquired car-pooling startup firmRidingo, as it plans to grow aggressively and achieve Rs 6,000 crore
revenue by having presence in 250 Indian cities in the next five years?
A)Carzonrent

B)Carzonpool

C)Cabzonrent

D)Carrent

E)None of these

Question No. : 8
Which online company, in April 2015,announced the acquisition of Appiterate, a mobile engagement and marketing automation
company based out of Delhi?
A)Flipkart

B)Snapdeal

C)Amazon India

D)eBay

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
Real estate portal PropTiger acquired rival Makaan.com in April 2015. Which business tycoon supports PropTiger?
A)Rupert Murdoch
Question No. : 10

B)Ratan Tata

C)Warren Edward Buffett

D)Mukesh Ambani

E)None of these

In April 2015 Bengaluru-based United Spirits Limited announced the resignation of Pathai Ananthasubramanian Murali, who was
its executive director and chief financial officer. United Spirits is controlled by the worlds largest spirits maker, Diageo, which has
raised its stake in the Indian firm to 54.78 per cent. Where is Diageo headquartered in?
A)London

B)New York

C)Tokyo

D)Paris

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
TheLabour ministry, in April 2015,notified the new investment pattern for the EmployeeProvident Fund Organisation(EPFO),
seeking to allow the retirement fund body to invest of its incremental income in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) from the
current financial year.
A)6%

B)5%

C)4%

D)8%

E)None of these

Question No. : 12
Moving ahead in line with digital India, railways, in April 2015, launched mobile application for paperless unreserved tickets. What
is the feature known as?
A)Utsonmobile

B)Utsonpaperless

C)Utsoncellular

D)Utsonrail

E)None of these

Question No. : 13
The government, in April 2015, announced to retain the rate of interest forGeneral Provident Fund(GPF) and other related
schemes at .. per cent for the current fiscal. The rate of interest will be effective from April 1, 2015
A)8.7

B)7.7

C)6.7

D)9.7

E)None of these

Question No. : 14
The countrys opposition Centre Party won the general election in April 2015, ousting Prime Minister Alexander Stubb's left-right
coalition after a campaign dominated by the country's economic woes. Centre Party leader Juha Sipila, a 53-year-old IT millionaire
and newcomer to politics, is set to become the next prime minister.Which country is being talked about?
A)Finland

B)Norway

C)Australia

D)France

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
Loretta Lynch was, in April 2015, sworn in as the 83rd attorney general of .., the first African-American woman to serve as
the top law enforcement official of the country.
A)US

B)South Africa

C)UK

D)Australia

E)None of these

Question No. : 16
Mohammed bin Nayef was, in April 2015, appointed as Crown Prince and as Deputy Prime Minister of . by King Salman bin
Abdulaziz al-Saud.
A)Oman

B)Saudi Arabia

C)Syria

D)Jordan

E)None of these

Question No. : 17
Dr Nasim Zaidi, in April 2015, assumed the charge as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). He is Indias .. CEC and
succeeded Hari Shankar Brahma, who retired on April 18, 2015.
A)21st

B)20th

C)19th

D)22nd

E)None of these

Question No. : 18
Former Delhi Police Commissioner .. was, in April 2015, appointed as chief advisor of the Board of Control for Cricket in
Indias Anti Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU) for a term of one year.
A)Neeraj Kumar

B)Neeraj Gupta

C)Neeraj Chawla

D)Neeraj Sharma

E)None of these

Question No. : 19
The Presiddent of .., Omar al-Bashir won the Presidential re-election in April 2015 by securing 94 per cent of the vote. With
this win he will have additional term of five years in office which will extend his current 25-year rule.
A)Sudan

B)Oman

C)Bhutan

D)Saudi Arabia

E)None of these

Question No. : 20
In April 2015 United Nations (UN) nominated Peter Jan Graaff of the Netherlands as the new chief ofUNMEER. What is the full
form of UNMEER?
A)UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response B)UN Mission for Ebola Evacuation Response
C)UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Reaction D)UN Mission for Ebola Extinction Response E)None of these
Question No. : 21
Chennai-born Raja Rajeswari was in news in April 2015 as she was sworn-in as a criminal court judge in , becoming the
first India-born woman to be appointed a judge in the City.
A)New York

B)London

C)Paris

D)Sydney

E)None of these

Question No. : 22
Sitaram Yechury was in news in April 2015 because he .
A)was elected as the general secretary Communist Party of India (Marxist). B)passed away
C)was caught in a multi crore scam D)changed his party E)None of these
Question No. : 23
Ashish Jakhar from Haryan was in news in April 2015 as he set a national youth record in boys .. event and won gold medal
in the 12th National Youth Athletics Championships held in Goa.
A)Hammer Throw

B)Long Jump

C)High Jump

D)Shot Put

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
Indian race walkers Khushbir Kaur, Manish Rawat and Sandeep Kumar were in news in April 2015 as they ..
A)qualified for 2016 Rio Olympics B)were accused of doping
D)received the Arjuna award E)None of these

C)were nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

Question No. : 25
Mercedes Formula 1 driver . from Britain won the Bahrain Grand Prix of Formula One in April 2015.
A)Lewis Hamilton

B)Lewis Paris

C)Lewis Lennon

D)Lewis Watson

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
World champion Magnus Carlsen was in news in April 2015 as he won the Shamkir Chess tournament by defeating Rauf
Mamedov of Azerbaijan. Which country does he belong to?
A)Spain

B)Germany

C)Norway

D)UK

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
In April 2015 Railway Sports Promotion Board won the 5th Senior Mens National .. Championship.
A)Football

B)Hockey

C)Lawn Tennis

D)Cricket

E)None of these

Question No. : 28
Which Bollywood actor was, in April 2015, conferred with the prestigious Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2015, instituted
in 1999 in memory of Dinanath Mangeshkar, father of Lata Mangeshkar?
A)Aamir Khan

B)Anil Kapoor

C)Amitabh Bachchan

D)Salman Khan

E)None of these

Question No. : 29
In April 2015 Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain conferred the Nishan-e-Pakistan, top civilian award on President of .
He was bestowed with this award for his outstanding contribution in promotion of relationship between the two countries.
A)Japan

B)India

Question No. : 30

C)China

D)Sri Lanka

E)None of these

The French Government appointed former Finance Minister, ., Officier de la Lgion dHonneur (Officer of the Legion of
Honour), the highest French civilian distinction, in recognition of his invaluable contribution to thought on international issues.
A)Yashwant Sinha

B)Arun Jaitley

C)P. Chidambaram

D)Pranab Mukherjee

E)None of these

Question No. : 31
Which countrys university, in April 2015, awarded Indian-origin diplomat Gopinath Pillai an Outstanding Service Award for his
services?
A)Malaysia

B)Singapore

C)Japan

D)US

E)None of these

Question No. : 32
The 2015 Pulitzer Prizes were awarded in April 2015 by the Pulitzer Prize Board for work during the 2014 calendar
year.ThePulitzer Prizeis an award for achievements innewspaperandonline journalism, literature, andmusical composition in
.
A)US

B)UK

C)France

D)Switzerland

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
The Union Cabinet, in April 2015, cleared plans to spend nearly Rs 1 lakh crore in five years on two programmes which are on top
of its agenda: Narendra Modi's pet project to build 100 smart cities, and AMRUT? What does AMRUT stand for?
A)Atal Mission for RejuvenationandUrban Transformation B)Atal Mission for Rehabilitation and Urban Transformation
C)Awesome Mission for RejuvenationandUrban Transformation D)Atal Mission for Recreation and Urban Transformation
E)None of these
Question No. : 34
Under the decision made by the Cabinet, in April 2015, the Smart Cities project will get crore over five years.
A)Rs. 48,000

B)Rs. 38000

C)Rs. 28000

D)Rs. 58000

E)None of these

Question No. : 35
The Rajya Sabha passed Payments and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill, 2014 in April 2015. Which of the following is true in
this context?
A)The bill seeks to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 B)It serves to address the problem of insolvency
C)It serves to streamline the payment and settlement system by increasing transparency
D)It aims at bringing India's banking payment system in sync with international practices E)All of these
Question No. : 36
With an aim of monitoring implementation of various ongoing projects including Rail Budget proposals, railways launched
.. in April 2015, an online monitoring mechanism
A)E-Saral

B)E-Samiksha

C)E- Aasha

D)E- Jagrati

E)None of these

Question No. : 37
The Supreme Court of India, in April 2015, declared that the fundamental right to speech and expression as provided by the
. of the Indian Constitution should not be misused to abuse nationally revered figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Subash
Chandra Bose.
A)Article 19 (1)

B)Article 18 (1)

C)Article 24 (1)

D)Article 20 (1)

E)None of these

Question No. : 38
A bill to amend the Regional Rural Banks Act was passed by Parliament in April 2015. Which of the following is true in this
context?
A)The government said it was necessary to empower such financial institutions which are the "jewel in the crown" of the
country's financial system
B)The Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2014, which got the assent of the Rajya Sabha, seeks to help Regional Rural
Banks (RRBs) raise their authorised capital and will enable them to mop up funds fromcapital marketto help strengthen
them
C)This amendment bill increases the authorised capital of each Regional Rural Bank (RRB) from Rs 5 crore to Rs 2000 crore

divided into Rs 200 crore of fully paid share of Rs 10 each

D)This bill amends Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976 and aims to strengthen the Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and deepen their
financial inclusion
E)All of these
Question No. : 39
Seychelles, in April 2015, became the . member of theWorld Trade Organization(WTO).
A)161st

B)162nd

C)163rd

D)160th

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
Thegovernment, in April 2015, launched a major campaign "Subodham" to help people in the state overcome alcohol,
drug and other substance abuse.
A)Kerala

B)Gujarat

C)Maharashtra

D)Haryana

E)None of these

MBA Current GK 2015 May 01

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
India-born Nikesh Arora was, in May 2015, appointed as president of SoftBank Corp. Which country is the bank headquartered
in?
A)China

B)North Korea

C)Australia

D)Japan

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
In May 2015 the world's largest Islamic clothing company announced to make its India debut by opening an online store at ecommerce marketplace Snapdeal and plans to make the country a manufacturing hub for international markets. Which brand is
being talked about?
A)East Essence

B)West Essence

C)Islamic Essence

D)Muslim Essence

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
Global mobile multi-channel messaging platform mGage acquired Bengaluru-based counterpart Unicel Technologies in May
2015.With this acquisition, mGage will gain a strong foothold in enterprise mobile marketing and mobile CRM market in India.
What does CRM stand for?
A)Customer Rationalization Matrix B)Customer Relationship Management
D)Code Realization Matrix E)None of these

C)Customer Rationalization Management

Question No. : 4
Online retailer . acquired Native5 Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd, a Bengaluru-based mobile app-enabling company, in May
2015. Native5 will cease to exist after the deal.
A)Myntra.com

B)Amazon

C)eBay

D)Flipkart

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
In May 2015 internet firm announced that it had acquired grocery marketplace 'BestAtLowest.com' for about USD 10
million (about Rs 63 crore). As part of the agreement, BestAtLowest.com will become part of this firm, further expanding the
company's search plus capabilities and enable near real-time inventory sync between online and physical stores.
A)Askme

B)Amazon

C)eBay

D)Snapdeal

E)None of these

Question No. : 6
Which bank, in May 2015, launched aRuPayPlatinum debit card in association with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI)
offering various benefits like 5 per cent cash back on utility bills, complimentary airport lounge access, personal accident death
and permanent total disability insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh, among others?
A)HDFC Bank

B)State Bank of India

C)ICICI Bank

D)YES Bank

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
In May 2015 State Bank of India launched contact-less credit and debit cards, using NFC technoogy, wherein a customer can
transact using the card by just tapping or waving it against the reader of the point-of-sale machine. Called sbiINTOUCH, these
cards are more secure and hassle-free, according to the bank. What does NFC stand for?
A)Near Field Coding
E)None of these

B)Nice Field Communication

C)Node Field Communication

D)Near Field Communication

Question No. : 8
In May 2015 Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered an FIR to be filed against the CEO and the directors of
Internet shopping company .. for allegedly selling prescription drugs online.
A)Flipkart

B)eBay

C)Snapdeal

D)Amazon

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
Vedanta Limited, which represents a diversified natural resources group, was in news in May 2015 because they ..
A)launched a new logo B)diversified into the African market
D)were acquired by the Tata Group E)None of these

C)were caught in a multi crore scam

Question No. : 10
,a relatively unknown tech entrepreneur born in Chennai topped the latest WealthX Report of Richest Under-40
Entrepreneurs from Asia, in May 2015. With a net worth of $4 billion (Rs 25000 crore), he beat entrepreneurs from China & Japan
to secure the top rank.
A)Arun Kumar

B)Arun Pudur

C)Arun Gandhi

D)Arun Sharma

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
Reserve Bank of India allowed banks to enable transactions in contactless cards for values up to without requiring a
separatePINauthentication. The move is expected to hasten acceptance of `tap and pay' electronic payments at retail outlets, in
transport services and for toll payments.
A)Rs 2,000

B)Rs 3,000

C)Rs 4,000

D)Rs 5,000

E)None of these

Question No. : 12
Eminent banker Kundapur Vaman Kamath was, in May 2015, appointed as first President of NDB of BRICS nations. BRICS group of
nations comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in 2014 had inked a pact to set up NDB and emergency reserve
fund. What does NDB stand for?
A)New Dynamic Bank
E)None of these

B)Nodal Development Bank

C)New Development Bank

D)National Development Bank

Question No. : 13
The government, in May 2015, announced to sell its . per cent stake in blue-chip Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and
per cent in power producer NTPC to mop up about Rs 13,600 crore in this fiscals first disinvestment approval. The proposed
share sale in NTPC will fetch Union government 5,565 crore rupees while that in IOC will bring in 7,932 crore rupees.
A)10 and 5 respectively

B)5 and 10 respectively

C)20 and 10 respectively

D)10 and 20 respectively

E)None of these

Question No. : 14
In May 2015 President Pranab Mukherjee appointed Governors in six states. Which of the following is not one of these states?
A)Manipur

B)Arunachal Pradesh

C)Mizoram

D)Haryana

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
In May 2015 Former Odisha Minister Droupadi Murmu was appointed as Governor of .
A)Jharkhand

B)Manipur

C)Mizoram

D)Haryana

E)None of these

Question No. : 16
Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, in May 2015, appointed K Satish Reddy as the chairman of the National Safety Council
(NSC). NSC is the apex non-profit making body under the aegis of Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, headquartered at
.
A)New Delhi

B)Lucknow

C)Hyderabad

D)Mumbai

E)None of these

Question No. : 17
This Chinese official oversaw Hong Kong's transition from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 and died at the age of 87 in May
2015. Beijing's chief negotiator in the years before handover, he was known for his hard-line stance. He also helped draft Hong
Kong's mini constitution, the Basic Law. Identify the person.
A)Lu Ping

B)Xi Jinping

Question No. : 18

C)Li Keqiang

D)Shinz? Abe

E)None of these

In May 2015 President Pranab Mukherjee appointed Retired IAS officer Achal Kumar Jyoti as the

A)Election Commissioner

B)Lok Sabha Speaker

C)Rajya Sabha Speaker

D)Attorney General

E)None of these

Question No. : 19
In May 2015 Justice Cyriac Joseph was appointed as acting Chairman of NHRC. His appointment comes after then Chairman of
NHRC Justice K.G. Balakrishnan completed his tenure. What does NHRC stand for?
A)National Human Rights Commission B)New Human Rights Commission
D)National Human Reservation Commission E)None of these

C)National Human Rights Committee

Question No. : 20
Indian-origin Daniel Mookhey created history in May 2015 by becoming the first politician to be sworn in to the
parliament on the Gita.
A)Canadian

B)British

C)Australian

D)French

E)None of these

Question No. : 21
In May 2015 Union Ministry of Finance appointed . as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA). CGA is the principal
Accounts Adviser to the Union Government, responsible for maintaining and establishing a technically sound management
accounting system.
A)M J Joseph

B)M J Sharma

C)M J Gandhi

D)M J Pujara

E)None of these

Question No. : 22
Maya Plisetskaya, one of the greatest . of the 20th century from Russia passed away at the age of 89 in May 2015.
A)Ballerinas

B)Tennis Players

C)Authors

D)Singers

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
In May 2015 ace tennis player Andy Murray won the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open Mens Singles by defeating defending champion
Rafael Nadal of Spain. Which country does Andy Murray belong to?
A)Britain

B)France

C)Germany

D)Australia

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
In May 2015 this State Government decided to include Deaflympics in its Sports Policy in order to boost the morale of differentlyabled sportspersons in the State. Which State is being talked about?
A)Uttar Pradesh

B)Haryana

C)Gujarat

D)Kerala

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
Indias lead shooter won the bronze medal in the 50m Rifle Prone Event of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)
World Cup in May 2015. With this win he qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Who is being talked about?
A)Gagan Narang

B)Abhinav Bindra

C)Manavjit Singh Sandhu

D)Mansher Singh

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
Maniram Patel from Gujarat won Gold medal in the 19th Federation Cup senior championship held at Mangaluru,
Karnataka in May 2015.
A)Lawn Tennis

B)Chess

C)Athletics

D)Badminton

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
The Indian government, in May 2015, finally recognized . as a sport by including governing body FMSCI in the list of
sports ministry-backed National Sports Federations (NSF).
A)Motor Sports
Question No. : 28

B)Kabaddi

C)Gulli Danda

D)Gatka

E)None of these

This Man Booker-shortlisted author was, in May 2015, adjudged the winner of the 2014 Encore award worth 10,000 pounds for
his book, 'The Lives of Others', which is set in Kolkata of the 1960s when Naxalite violence was at its peak. Identify the author.
A)Neel Mukherjee

B)Will Wiles

C)Deborah Kay Davies

D)Amanda Coe

E)None of these

Question No. : 29
President Pranab Mukherjee, in May 2015, conferred the National Florence Nightingale Awards to 35 nursing personnel from
across the country on the occasion of International Nurses Day. Which day is celebrated as International Nurses Day?
A)May 13

B)May 12

C)May 10

D)May 15

E)None of these

Question No. : 30
Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari, in May 2015, conferred the Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award to Anurradha Prasad. She was
bestowed with this award for her contribution in the field of .
A)Journalism

B)Music

C)Art

D)Sports

E)None of these

Question No. : 31
President Pranab Mukherjee, in May 2015, presented the Presidential Awards for Classical Tamila for 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Which of the following is/are true in this context?
A)The Tolkappiyar award for 2011-12 was given to Tamil Litterateur S V Shanmugam while for 2012-13 was given to R
Krishnamurthi.
B)The Kural Pritam award for the 2011-12 was given to Eva Maria Wilden. K Iyyappan, E Ezhilvasanthan and K Jwahar were
conferred with young scholar awards for the year 2011-12 while for 2012-13, the award was presented to A Sathish, R
Venkatesan, B Jaiganesh, M R Evaki and U Alibava.
C)The Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil were instituted to give recognition and honour to distinguished scholars, who
have made outstanding contribution to classical Tamil language and literature.
D)The awards include Thokappiyar Award for life time achievement to an Indian scholar for outstanding contribution in the
field of Tamil studies; Kural Pitam Award for eminent scholars of Classical Tamil of non-Indian origin and Young Scholar
Awards for young scholars in the age group of 30-40 years for showing interest and excellence in Tamil studies with
publications.
E)All of these
Question No. : 32
The winner of the 2015 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was Syrian journalist and human rights activist,
Mazen Darwish, currently imprisoned. The Prize was awarded during the celebration of World Press Freedom Day in May 2015.
Which day is celebrated as World Press Freedom Day?
A)May 01

B)May 04

C)May 03

D)May 05

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
In May 2015 Lok Sabha passed The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The Bill amends the Negotiable Instruments
Act, 1881 which deals with .
A)cheque-bounce filing of cases B)menace of unaccounted wealth inside the country
C)menace of black money and to replace the Income Tax (IT) Act, 1961 for the taxation of foreign income
E)None of these

D)double taxation

Question No. : 34
The Union Cabinet, in May 2015, approved the new Benami Transaction (Prohibition) Bill that seeks to
A)fight the menace of unaccounted wealth inside the country, especially in real estate.
B)provide for attachment and confiscation of benami properties and also fine with imprisonment.
C)provide for stringent punishment to violators such as confiscation of wealth, imprisonment, and fine.
D)address the problem of black money inside the country. E)All of these
Question No. : 35
In May 2015 Lok Sabha passed the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill, 2015 by a voice vote. Which of
the following is/are true in this context?
A)The bill seeks to deal with the menace of black money and to replace the Income Tax (IT) Act, 1961 for the taxation of foreign

income. The bill will now go to Rajya Sabha.

B)Under the proposed law, there would be a short compliance window within which persons with undisclosed income abroad
can come clean by paying 30 per cent tax and 30 per cent penalty.
C)Once the compliance window closes, anyone found having undeclared overseas wealth would be required to pay 30 per cent
tax, 90 per cent penalty and face criminal prosecution.
D)There could be a two-month window to declare overseas assets and income and a six-month period to pay tax and penalty.
E)All of these
Question No. : 36
In May 2015 the parliament of India passed the 119th constitutional amendment bill 2013. The bill seeks to ratify the land
boundary agreement between India and
A)Nepal

B)Pakistan

C)Bangladesh

D)China

E)None of these

Question No. : 37
A controversial Bill, Juvenile Justice Bill, that provides for trying juveniles aged between 16 and 18 years for heinous crimes under
laws for adults was cleared by the Lok Sabha in May 2015. Women and Child Development Minister .., who piloted the Bill,
told the House that she had tried to be pro-child and to strike a fine balance between justice to victims and rights of children.
A)Maneka Gandhi

B)Sushma Swaraj

C)Mamta Banerjee

D)Vasundhara Raje

E)None of these

Question No. : 38
In May 2015 Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014. The Bill, which is the .. amendment to the
Constitution, seeks to amend the Constitution in order to introduce the goods and services tax (GST).
A)121st

B)122nd

C)123rd

D)124th

E)None of these

Question No. : 39
In May 2015 . Agriculture Department launched an ambitious pan-state program to monitor the soil health of every farm
in the state by issuing them personalized soil health card keeping in view the over exploitation of soil during last 20 years.
A)Punjab

B)Haryana

C)Gujarat

D)Uttar Pradesh

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
Which of the following, in May 2015, launched the state level Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme?
A)Goa

B)Kerala

C)West Bengal

D)Assam

E)None of these

MBA Current GK 2015 May 02

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
To help Indian and Chinese corporates in cross-border businesses, .. opened its first branch in China in May 2015, which
was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A)ICICI Bank

B)HDFC Bank

C)SBI

D)YES Bank

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
Which of the following, in May 2015, became the first Indian company to join RE100, a global platform for major companies
committed to 100% renewable power?
A)Wipro

B)Infosys

C)TCS

D)Cognizant

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
Kakinada SEZ Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Ltd., signed an MoU with Guizhou International Investment Corporation
(GIIC) in May 2015 to set up industrial park for . equipment manufacturing companies.
A)Japanese

B)Korean

C)Chinese

D)Japanese

E)None of these

Question No. : 4
Which bank, in May 2015,launched co-branded medical benefits card with Apollo Hospitals, which allows corporates to disburse
medical allowances to their employees and has insurance cover for accidents?
A)ICICI Bank

B)HDFC Bank

C)YES Bank

D)Axis Bank

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
Which bank, in May 2015, launched voice recognition service which authenticates customers based on their speech patterns and
allows them to execute banking transactions through the Banks call centre in a quick, secure and convenient manner?
A)HDFC Bank

B)ICICI Bank

C)YES Bank

D)Axis Bank

E)None of these

Question No. : 6
Which e-commerce company, in May 2015, acquired Hyderabad-based mobile technology startup,MartMobi, a move that will
help the firm strengthen its mobility platform for merchant partners?
A)Snapdeal

B)Amazon India

C)Flipkart

D)Paytm

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
Which company, in May 2015, announced to open Indias first Digital Experience Centre in Vadodara, Gujarat, aiming to bring to
life these experiences for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), entrepreneurs and educational institutions?
A)Google

B)Yahoo

C)Microsoft

D)Facebook

E)None of these

Question No. : 8
Which of the following, in May 2015, launched Online Customer Acquisition Solution (OCAS), an online platform to apply for
home loans, car loans, education loans and personal loans, helping the customers gauge their eligibility and get a quote
personalised to their requirement?
A)SBI

B)Allahabad Bank

C)HDFC Bank

D)ICICI Bank

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
In May 2015 Shantanu Khosla resigned as the Managing Director (MD) of Procter and Gamble (P&G), India. Where is P&G
headquartered?
A)US

B)UK

C)France

D)Japan

E)None of these

Question No. : 10
Mahindra World City Developers Ltd (MWCDL), a subsidiary of Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd (MLDL) of the Mahindra Group
and Sumitomo Corporation of .. entered into an agreement to form a joint venture to set up an industrial park in North
Chennai in May 2015.
A)China

B)North Korea

C)Singapore

D)Japan

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in May 2015, inaugurated the new Bank Note Paper Line unit of 6000 metric tonne capacity
in Hoshangabad in .. With opening of this, India will become self-reliant in producing Bank Note Paper for big
denominations.
A)Madhya Pradesh

B)Uttar Pradesh

C)Rajasthan

D)Gujarat

E)None of these

Question No. : 12
The Central Statistics Office (CSO), in May 2015, released the provisional estimates (PE) of national income for the financial year
(FY) 2014-15 both at constant (2011-12) and current prices. As per it, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at constant prices in the
FY 2014-15 will grow at .. percent while at current prices it is expected to grow at 10.5 percent, respectively.
A)7.3, 10.5

B)6.3, 9.5

C)8.3, 11.5

D)7.5, 8.3

E)None of these

Question No. : 13
The Reserve Bank of India, in May 2015, proposed that banks maintain a minimum 100% net stable funding ratio under Basel-III
guidelines to have access to stable sources of funding on a continued basis. Which of the following is true in this context?
A)In draft guidelines released recently, the central bank said that banks will have to maintain net stable funding ratio (NSFR)
from January 2018.
B)The NSFR is defined as the amount of available stable funding relative to the amount of required stable funding. Banks are
required to meet the NSFR requirement on an ongoing basis and should have the required systems in place for such
calculation and monitoring.
C)The NSFR as at the end of each quarter, starting from December 2017, should be reported to theRBIwithin 15 days from the
end of the quarter, the RBI said.
D)The central bank has prescribed five categories of stable funding sources, and weights known as ASF factor will be
assigned to these different classes of capital and liabilities to arrive at the total available stable funding to the bank.
E)All of these
Question No. : 14
This former nurse who lived in a vegetative state for the past 42 years after being brutally sexually assaulted at the KEM Hospital
in Mumbai and became the face of the debate on euthanasia in India, died at the age of 66 in May 2015. Identify the person.
A)Karuna Shanbaug

B)Aruna Shanbaug

C)Aruna Sharma

D)Karuna Sharma

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
Who among the following is among the worlds 100 most powerful women, according to the Forbes annual list released in May
2015?
A)SBI Chief Arundhati Bhattacharya B)ICICI bank head Chanda Kochhar
D)HT Media Chair Shobhana Bhartia E)All of these

C)Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Question No. : 16
Who among the following is the most powerful woman of the World according to the Forbes annual list released in May 2015?
A)German Chancellor Angela Merkel B)US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton
D)US First Lady Michelle Obama E)None of these

C)Philanthropist Melinda Gates

Question No. : 17
Ms. Draupadi Murmu was, in May 2015, sworn in as the first woman and overall ninth Governor of
A)Jharkhand

B)Uttar Pradesh

Question No. : 18

C)Madhya Pradesh

D)Gujarat

E)None of these

US President Barack Obama, in May 2015, named .., an Indian-American professor from Yale University, as a member of
the prestigious National Council on Humanities.
A)Akhil Amar

B)Aatif Amar

C)Akhil Aslam

D)Akbar Aslam

E)None of these

Question No. : 19
Which of the following, in May 2015, appointed an Indian- origin businessman, S Chandra Das, as its non-Resident High
Commissioner toSri Lanka?
A)Turkey

B)Singapore

C)Malaysia

D)Japan

E)None of these

Question No. : 20
Eminent scientist Dr. Selvin Christopher was, in May 2015, appointed as the Director General (DG) of DRDO along with the rank of
a secretary. What is the full form of DRDO?
A)Domestic Research and Development Organisation B)Defence Research and Development Organisation
C)Detailed Research and Development Organisation D)Directional Research and Development Organisation
E)None of these
Question No. : 21
In May 2015 an Indian-American home-schooled boy surprised one and all by graduating from a US college at the age of 11 with
three associate degrees in maths, science and foreign language studies. Who is being talked about?
A)Taseer Abraham

B)Tanishq Abraham

C)Tanishq Aslam

D)Tariq Abraham

E)None of these

Question No. : 22
Tathagata Roy was, in May 2015, sworn in as the 16th Governor of .
A)Manipur

B)Tripura

C)Assam

D)Arunachal Pradesh

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
Abhinav Bindra, in May 2015, became the fourth Indian . to win a quota place for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
A)Shooter

B)Boxer

C)Wrestler

D)Archer

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
Ace Indian .. Deepika Kumari outclassed Chang Hye Jin of Korea to clinch the bronze medal in the women's individual
recurve event of the World Cup, in May 2015.
A)Shooter

B)Boxer

C)Wrestler

D)Archer

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
Gurpreet Singh, in May 2015, secured India a fifth quota place in for the Rio Olympics.
A)Boxing

B)Shooting

C)Wrestling

D)Weight Lifting

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan clinched their maiden I-League title and their first domestic championship in 13 years after
managing a 1-1 draw against defending champions Bengaluru FC, in May 2015. Which sport is being talked about?
A)Hockey

B)Football

C)Basketball

D)Volleyball

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
Who among the following won the eight edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 in May 2015?
A)Mumbai Indians

B)Chennai Super Kings

C)Delhi Dare Devils

D)Kolkatta Knight Riders

E)None of these

Question No. : 28
In a huge boost to Indian cinema, the movie Masaan won the prestigious critics prize in the Un Certain Regard category, which
runs parallel to the competition for the main prize, Palme dOr, at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in May 2015. Who is the director
of this movie?

A)Neeraj Ghaywan

B)Neeraj Sharma

C)Anurag Kashyap

D)Karan Johar

E)None of these

Question No. : 29
Two Indians from Indian Institute of Science (Shivani Agarwal), and University of Delhi (Maharaja Pandit) were, in May 2015,
named for this University's prestigious Radcliffe fellowship. Which university is being talked about?
A)Stanford

B)Harvard

C)Purdue

D)Oxford

E)None of these

Question No. : 30
Two Indian peacekeepers were among the 126 military, police and civilian personnel who were posthumously awarded a
prestigious UN medal in May 2015 for their courage and sacrifice while serving in the world body's peacekeeping operations last
year. Lance Naik Nand Ramm and Raju Joseph were awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal on the International Day of United
Nations Peacekeepers observed annually on ..
A)May 28

B)May 29

C)May 17

D)May 18

E)None of these

Question No. : 31
Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai was, in May 2015, awarded this prestigious literary prize, worth 60,000. The prize is
awarded to a living author of any nationality who has published fiction either in English or in English translation. Which prize is
being talked about?
A)Man Booker Prize for Fiction
E)None of these

B)Man Booker International Prize

C)Nobel Prize for Literature

D)Pulitzer prize

Question No. : 32
. film Dheepan was awarded Palme dOr Award at 68th Cannes Film Festival in May 2015.
A)German

B)Hungarian

C)French

D)Swiss

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
Who among the following was, in May 2015, was appointed as chairman of a Joint Committee of Parliament that will go into the
provisions of the controversial land acquisition Bill.
A)S.S. Ahluwalia

B)Bibek Debroy

C)Madhav Menon

D)Arun Jaitley

E)None of these

Question No. : 34
The controversial land ordinance was, in May 2015, re-promulgated for the .. time with President Pranab Mukherjee giving
his assent notwithstanding opposition protests over the measure, insisting it was necessary for maintaining continuity and
providing a framework to compensate people whose land is acquired.
A)Second

B)Third

C)Fourth

D)Fifth

E)None of these

Question No. : 35
The Union Government, in May 2015, formed a committee under the Chairpersonship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to
oversee the celebrations of 125th birth anniversary of , also called Bhim Jayanti which is annually celebrated on 14 April.
A)Dr. BR Ambedkar

B)Rabindranath Tagore

C)Vallabhbhai Patel

D)Sarojini Naidu

E)None of these

Question No. : 36
Union Ministry of Finance, in May 2015, constituted a Committee on Revisiting and Revitalizing the Public Private Partnership
(PPP) Model of Infrastructure Development under the Chairmanship of .
A)Vijay Kelkar

B)S.S Ahluwalia

C)Dr. D Prabhakaran

D)Arun Jaitley

E)None of these

Question No. : 37
Which state, in May 2015, announced development and welfare measures worth over 1800 crore rupees, including improvement
of roads & drinking water facilities and extending assistance to needy families headed by women?
A)Haryana

B)Tamil Nadu

Question No. : 38

C)Kerala

D)Gujarat

E)None of these

The Union Ministry of Finance, in May 2015, released the draft outline of GMS after due deliberations and consultations with
various stakeholders which includes banks, refineries, hallmarking centres, jewellers associations, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and
various government departments. Which of the following is true in this context?
A)The scheme is aimed at mobilizing the gold held by households and institutions in the country.
B)The scheme aims to provide a boost to the gems and jewellery sector in the country by making gold available as raw
material on loan from banks.
C)The scheme will reduce reliance on import of gold to meet the domestic demand.
D)GMS stands for Gold Monetization Scheme. E)All of these
Question No. : 39
India and .. signed a Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation for the period 2015-2020 in New Delhi in May 2015.
A)Thailand

B)Vietnam

C)Malaysia

D)Singapore

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
Forum for Human Rights and Justice (FHRJ) in May 2015 organised a Marathon named asAjanmi Beti Ke liye Daud(Protecting
the Unborn Girl) in The objective of this Marathon is to save girl child and arrest the declining sex ratio in the state.
A)Himachal Pradesh

B)Madhya Pradesh

C)Uttar Pradesh

D)Punjab

E)None of these

MBA Current GK 2015 June 01

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
Which company/group appointed Mr. Pawan Munjal as its new Chairman in June 2015?
A)Hero MotoCorp Ltd

B)Honda

C)Bajaj Auto Ltd

D)Tata Group

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
ICICI Bank, in June 2015, announced the appointment of , a former vice chairman of Hindustan Unilever Limited, as the
non-executive chairman for a period of five years.
A)M K Sharma

B)K V Sharma

C)K V Kamath

D)M K Gupta

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
Which leading private Bank, in June 2015, announced the launch ofPayZapp, an all-in-one mobile payment and money
transfer app that promises to make any sort of payments in a single click?
A)ICICI Bank

B)HDFC Bank

C)YES Bank

D)SBI

E)None of these

Question No. : 4
In June 2015 PVR Cinemas, India's biggest multiplex operator agreed to buy DT Cinemas, a wholly owned subsidiary of ..,
for Rs 500 crore to strengthen its position in the movie exhibition business.
A)DLF

B)Tata Group

C)Reliance Industries

D)Infosys

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
In June 2015 E-commerce marketplace acquired mobility solutions company Letsgomo Labs to improve its mobile
technology capabilities.
A)Flipkart

B)Amazon

C)Snapdeal

D)eBay

E)None of these

Question No. : 6
Which e-commerce company, in June 2015, opened its biggest fulfilment centre (FC) or warehouse in India, at Kothur in
Telangana?
A)Flipkart

B)Amazon

C)Snapdeal

D)eBay

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
In June 2015 mid-tier FMCG firm Emami Ltd acquired the 'Kesh King' brand of hair and scalp care products from SBS Biotech for
Rs 1,651 crore, one of the largest deals in the segment in recent times. What does FMCG stand for?
A)Fast Moving Consumer Goods B)Fast Moving Convenience Goods
D)Fast Moving Consumer Gifts E)None of these

C)Fluent Moving Consumer Goods

Question No. : 8
In June 2015 Fortune released the 61st edition of list of top 500 companies. Which company topped the list in terms of revenue?
A)Walmart

B)Exxon Mobil

C)Apple

D)Chevron

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
In June 2015 Fortune released the 61st edition of list of top 500 companies. Which company was the most profitable?
A)Apple

B)Walmart

Question No. : 10

C)Berkshire Hathaway

D)Exxon Mobil

E)None of these

In June 2015 cult bike maker Harley-Davidson tied up with fashion portal Myntra to sell its casual merchandise through an
exclusive online store.Where is Harley-Davidson headquartered?
A)England

B)US

C)Germany

D)France

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
Which country, in June 2015, granted permission to Indias state-owned insurance group Life insurance Corporation (LIC) to do
business in the country?
A)Bangladesh

B)Nepal

C)Sri Lanka

D)Burma

E)None of these

Question No. : 12
In June 2015 India slapped anti-dumping duty of up to USD 316 per tonne on imports of certain steel products from three
countries, including China, to protect domestic producers from below-cost inbound shipments. Which are the other two countries?

A)Malaysia, Singapore

B)Malaysia, Korea

C)Malaysia, Bangladesh

D)Singapore, Korea

E)None of these

Question No. : 13
In June 2015 Adani Power Limited of India and Reliance Power Limited of India signed separate memorandums of understanding
with the state-run Power Development Board of
A)Bangladesh

B)Nepal

C)Sri Lanka

D)Burma

E)None of these

Question No. : 14
Why was K V Chowdary, the former chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes, in news in June 2015?
A)He was appointed the Central Vigilance Commissioner. B)He was appointed the Chief Information Commissioner.
C)He was caught in a multi crore scam. D)He joined the BJP. E)None of these
Question No. : 15
In June 2015 Vijai Sharma was named the new .
A)Chief Information Commissioner
E)None of these

B)Central Vigilance Commissioner

C)Chairman of NABARD

D)Governor of Delhi

Question No. : 16
ICICI Bank, in June 2015, replaced K V Kamath as its non-executive Chairman, who had resigned in order to join as President of
the based New Development Bank established by the BRICS nations.

A)Shanghai

B)Tokyo

C)New Delhi

D)London

E)None of these

Question No. : 17
Former bureaucrat Dr. Mahesh N. Buch who was widely regarded as the architect of modern .., passed away in June
2015 at the age of 80. He also received Padma Bhushan in 2011 for his services to the nation.
A)Hyderabad

B)Bhopal

C)Amritsar

D)Baroda

E)None of these

Question No. : 18
In June 2015 the appointed Meena Hemchandra as the executive director who would be in charge of
department of banking supervision. She will also be in charge of department of non-banking supervision and department of cooperative banking supervision.
A)SBI

B)ICICI bank

C)RBI

D)IDBI

E)None of these

Question No. : 19
Why was Nek Chand, creator of the iconic Rock Garden in Chandigarh, who amazed people for decades with his unique
sculptures made from waste, in news in June 2015?
A)He was awarded the Padma Shri
E)None of these

B)He celebrated his 100th birthday

C)He passed away

D)He was appointed as the Mayor of Chandigarh

E)None of these
Question No. : 20
In June 2015 Union Home Ministry appointed Senior IPS Officer RC Tayal as the new Director General (DG) of Indias elite
counter-terror force NSG. What is the full form of NSG?
A)National Security Guard
E)None of these

B)National Sovereign Guard

C)National Security Grade

D)National Strategic Guard

Question No. : 21
Legendary . actor, singer and writer, Sir Christopher Lee, passed away in June 2015 at the age of 93. The veteran actor
was famously known as the master of horror for his famous villainy acting roles in numerous movies such as Dracula, The Wicker
Man, James Bond, Lord of the Rings trilogy etc.
A)American

B)Australian

C)English

D)Canadian

E)None of these

Question No. : 22
Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar, a senior scientist, was appointed Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) a
premier research institute of Union Government based in .
A)New Delhi

B)Mumbai

C)Hyderabad

D)Pune

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
In June 2015 Barcelona FC won a European Champions League trophy for the fifth time after defeating Juventus FC in the finals.
Which sport is being talked about?
A)Hockey

B)Football

C)Cricket

D)Badminton

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
Which Indian player is the only Indian amongForbesmagazines 100 highest-paid athletes in the world, as per a report released
in June 2015?
A)Sachin Tendulkar

B)Mary Kom

C)MS Dhoni

D)Virat Kohli

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
Indias Rohan Bopanna along with his Romanian partner Florin Mergea won the ATPs Stuttgart Open final doubles trophy in June
2015 after defeating Austrian-Brazilian pair of Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares. Which sport is being talked about?
A)Table Tennis

B)Lawn Tennis

C)Squash

D)Golf

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
In June 2015 President of the Fdration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) resigned amid a corruption scandal
which is under investigation in United States.
A)Sepp John

B)Tim Blatter

C)Sepp Blatter

D)Stanley Rous

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
In June 2015 Serena Williams of United States won French Open womens single title after defeating Lucie Safarova of
Czechoslovakia. This was her . French Open title and overall 20th Grand Slam title.
A)Fifth

B)Fourth

C)Third

D)Second

E)None of these

Question No. : 28
In June 2015 the Norwegian Academy of Literature and Freedom of Expression awarded this 31-year old fugitive the Bjornson
Prize -- named after a Norwegian Nobel literature laureate -- "for his work protecting privacy and for shining a critical light on US
surveillance of its citizens and others." Who is being talked about?
A)Edward Snowden

B)Albert Snowden

C)Edward John

D)Albert John

E)None of these

Question No. : 29
Former paceman Sir Wesley Winfield Hall was, in June 2015, inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Which team did he

represent?
A)England

B)Australia

C)West Indies

D)South Africa

E)None of these

Question No. : 30
Which country hosted the 16th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) informally known as the Bollywood
Oscars, in June 2015?
A)Canada

B)Malaysia

C)Singapore

D)US

E)None of these

Question No. : 31
Which movie was awarded the most awards (09) in the IIFA awards held in June 2015?
A)PK

B)Haider

C)Queen

D)2 States

E)None of these

Question No. : 32
For which of the following was Rajkumar Hirani awarded the Best Director Award at the IIFA awards in June 2015?
A)Queen

B)Haider

C)PK

D)2 States

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
In June 2015 the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved two road projects, one in Madhya Pradesh and another
in .. The projects will be executed under the flagship road building programme National Highways Development Project
(NHDP) at a cost of Rs 4,721 crore.
A)Telangana

B)Gujarat

C)Uttar Pradesh

D)Haryana

E)None of these

Question No. : 34
The panel on restructuring of the Indian Railways, headed by Mr. Debroy, submitted its final report . The committee has set a fiveyear timeframe for implementing its recommendations Which of the following is the key recommendation of this report?
A)Doing away with the Railway Budget
D)Setting up an independent regulator

B)Improving accountability
E)All of these

C)Decentralising power

Question No. : 35
In June 2015 the Telangana government unveiled its new industrial policy which focuses on time-bound approvals for setting up
projects in the state.Which of the following is true in this context?
A)As per the new policy Telangana State Industrial Project Approval and Self-certification System (TS-iPASS), penal action will
be taken against government officials if there is any undue delay in processing applications.
B)Mega projects would get permissions in 15 days.
C)The policy prescribed norms for giving permissions to mega (investments of Rs 200 crore and above), large (Rs 10 crore-Rs
200 crore) as well as small and medium project proposals.
D)The government identified 14 core areas for a focused approach which include life sciences, pharma, information
technology, aerospace, automobiles, textiles, minerals and transportation and logistics, among others.
E)All of these
Question No. : 36
Which citys Municipal Corporation announced USE and GET PAID scheme in June 2015, under which people will be paid one
rupees for using public toilets. The announced scheme aims to eradicate the practice of open defecation and will help to keep the
city clean?
A)Ahmadabad

B)Gandhinagar

C)Baroda

D)Surat

E)None of these

Question No. : 37
In June 2015 Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejunivetion, Uma Bharti ,launched
nationwideinitiative from Jaipur, Rajasthan. The aim is to consolidate water conservation and management in the country. What is
the name of this initiative?
A)Jal Kiran Abhiyan
Question No. : 38

B)Jal Kranti Abhiyan

C)Jal Kranti Ayojna

D)Jal Kiran Ayojna

E)None of these

In June 2015 Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi, launched the (IAP) HealthPhone programme in
Delhi. Which of the following is true in this context?
A)The programme is the world's largest digital mass education programme for addressing malnutrition in women and
children.
B)This programme has been launched by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) in partnership with the Ministry of Women
and Child Development, UNICEF and supported by Vodafone India.
C)This programme aims to tackle the challenge of malnutrition in mothers and children across India.
D)IAP stands for Indian Academy of Pediatrics E)All of these
Question No. : 39
The World Day Against Child Labour was observed across the world on .. to bring awareness against child labour. The theme
of this year was No to Child Labour, Yes to Quality Education.
A)June 12

B)June 10

C)June 11

D)June 13

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
In June 2015 the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) announced that countries have adopted at least one
type of renewable energy target compared to 43 countries in 2005. All nations are adopting renewable energy targets to meet
multiple objectives including energy security, environmental sustainability and socio-economic benefits.
A)102

B)164

C)150

D)124

E)None of these

MBA Current GK 2015 June 02

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
Private insurer Bajaj Allianz, in June 2015, launched a weather-based cropinsurancescheme for orange crops in select districts of
... The index-based insurance policy will cover losses incurred by orange fruit-growing farmers due to deviation in weather
conditions and has been approved by Central and theState government.
A)Gujarat

B)Maharashtra

C)Kerala

D)Haryana

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
Which of the following, in June 2015, launched VRF (variable refrigerant flow) IV Plus air conditioning (AC) system, the first-ever
locally-developed-and-produced VRF ACs in India?
A)Blue Star

B)LG

C)Voltas

D)Videocon

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
In June 2015 Bahrain-basedGFH Financial Groupsigned an agreement with Indian conglomerateAdani Groupfor developing an
economic development zone in ..
A)Mumbai

B)Pune

C)New Delhi

D)Hyderabad

E)None of these

Question No. : 4
Which company, in June 2015, launched a 5.1mm thick smartphone in New Delhi, claiming that its the worlds slimmest 4Genabled phone when measured end-to-end?
A)Samsung

B)Micromax

C)Apple

D)Nokia

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
In June 2015 the Bombay High Court allowed the export of Maggi noodles, currently banned in Maharashtra and many other
States. Which company owns this brand?
A)Dabur

B)ITC

C)Nestle

D)HUL

E)None of these

Question No. : 6
In June 2015 SoftBank Corp. formed a solar and wind energy joint venture that could invest as much as $20 billion in producing
20 gigawattsof power in India, partnering the countrys top wireless provider, , with Taiwanese contract manufacturer
Foxconn Technology Co. Ltd.
A)Reliance Communications

B)Tata Docomo

C)Bharti Enterprises

D)Vodafone India

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
In June 2015 SoftBank Corp announced that it was setting up a joint venture with Chinese online shopping giant Alibaba and
electronics supplier Foxconn Technology to sell its human-like robot Pepper around the world. Which country does SoftBank Corp
belong to?
A)China

B)US

C)Japan

D)UK

E)None of these

Question No. : 8
In June 2015 US-based SunEdison Inc. announced to acquire Continuum Wind Energy Ltd, a based company with assets
in India, for an undisclosed sum. Continuum has more than 1,000 MW of wind power plants in development across six states in
India.
A)Japan

B)China

C)Singapore

D)Malaysia

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
Which of the following, in June 2015, launched a Next-Gen Technology Solutions Center of Excellence (CoE) at its campus in

Hyderabad, dedicated to research and development of futuristic technologies and creation of next-generation products and
solutions for its global customers in the Semiconductors, Devices and Networks space?
A)Infosys

B)TCS

C)Wipro

D)Cognizant

E)None of these

Question No. : 10
Wealth-X, in June 2015, released the Worlds Wealthiest Self-Made Billionaires List. It includedworlds top 25 richest self-made
billionaires. Who among the following topped the list?
A)Bill Gates

B)Carlos Slim

C)Warren Buffett

D)Mukesh Ambani

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
According to data released by the commerce ministry in June 2015, which of the following is true?
A)Continuing its declining trend, Indias exports shrank by about 20.19 per cent in May 2015 to USD 22.34 billion, marking a
fall for the sixth straight month.
B)The slump in exports is mainly due to global slowdown, dip in crude oil prices and rupee appreciation.
C)The main exporting sectors, including petroleum products, gems and jewellery, engineering and chemicals reported a
negative growth in April.
D)Imports, too, declined 16.52 per cent to USD 32.75 billion. Trade deficit narrowed to USD 10.4 billion in the month under
review compared with USD 11.23 billion in May 2014.
E)All of these
Question No. : 12
The Cabinet, in June 2015, approved the revised target of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) to generate .
Mw by 2022 five times the previous target.
A)100,000

B)200,000

C)50,000

D)300,000

E)None of these

Question No. : 13
In June 2015 the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a proposal that sought to raise the number of
work days to . from 100 under theMahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in drought-hit areas.
A)120

B)130

C)140

D)150

E)None of these

Question No. : 14
Why was journalist and writerAakar Patel in news in June 2015?
A)He joinedAmnesty International Indiaas its new Executive Director. B)He passed away.
C)He was honored with the Jnanpith Award 2015. D)He joined National School of Arts as its Executive Director.
E)None of these
Question No. : 15
Supreme Court of .. upheld the death sentence against Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid, the second highest ranking
leader of the fundamentalistJamaat-e-Islamifor war crimes, paving the way for his execution.
A)Sri Lanka

B)Bangladesh

C)Malaysia

D)India

E)None of these

Question No. : 16
Anshula Kant was, in June 2015, appointed as the Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of
A)SBI

B)RBI

C)HDFC Bank

D)ICICI Bank

E)None of these

Question No. : 17
In June 2015 Indias greatest contemporary Charles Correa passed away at the age of 84.
A)Architect

B)Author

C)Singer

D)Painter

E)None of these

Question No. : 18
Senior Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leader and Lok Sabha MP Dileep Singh Bhuria was in news in June 2015 because he ..
A)was ousted from the party B)was caught in a multi crore scam
D)was honored with a national level award E)None of these

C)passed away

D)was honored with a national level award

E)None of these

Question No. : 19
James Horner, the consummate film composer known for hisheart-tugging scores forField of Dreams,BraveheartandTitanic, for
which he won two Academy Awards, in news in June 2015 because he
A)died in a plane crash B)was nominated for another Academy Award
D)opened his own Institute in New York E)None of these

C)planned a visit to India

Question No. : 20
Britains longest-serving Indian-origin MP was, in June 2015, re-elected as Chairman of Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) in
House of Commons of UK Parliament. Who is being talked about?
A)Keith Vaz

B)John Vaz

C)Keith Kumar

D)Kumar Vaz

E)None of these

Question No. : 21
Billionaire financier Kirk Kerkorian, one of the founders of modern .., died in June 2015 at the age of 98.
A)New York

B)San Jose

C)Las Vegas

D)Toronto

E)None of these

Question No. : 22
Mogens Lykketoft from was, in June 2015, unanimously elected as President of United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA). He was only the nominee put forward by the Western Europe and other group (WEOG).
A)Norway

B)UK

C)Germany

D)Denmark

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
In June 2015 astronomers named a newly discovered galaxy as CR7 (COSMOS Redshift 7) after footballer Cristiano Ronaldo of
.. Ronaldo is famously known as CR7 after his initials and his jersey number. He had won Fifas Ballon dOr award
consecutively for two years in 2013 and 2014.
A)Brazil

B)Portugal

C)Argentina

D)Spain

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
India was ranked third in Anti-Doping Rule Violations Report for year 2013 released by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in
June 2015. Which country was ranked first?
A)Russia

B)Turkey

C)Germany

D)Pakistan

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
Indian pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwni Ponappa won the womens doubles title of the Canada Open .. tournament in June
2015 when they defeated Dutch pair of Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek in the finals.
A)Lawn Tennis

B)Badminton

C)Table Tennis

D)Squash

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
IndiacaptainMahendraSinghDhoniand fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman were fined 75 and 50 per cent of their match
fees respectively after being found guilty of breaching the ICCCode of Conduct during the first One-Day International in June
2015.
A)Pakistan

B)Bangladesh

C)England

D)South Africa

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg from .. won the Austrian Grand Prix Formula One (F1) World Championship title in June
2015. It is Rosbergs eleventh overall championship title and the third win in the 2015 season.
A)Germany

B)France

C)Spain

D)Austria

E)None of these

Question No. : 28
Which organization, in June 2015, announced the Bal Sahitya Puraskar for this year, in which five novelists, four writers of short
stories, and three authors of poetries, among others, were awarded for their contribution to childrens literature?

A)Sahitya Akademi
E)None of these

B)Sangeet Natak Akademi

C)Centre for Performing Arts

D)National Arts Academy

Question No. : 29
Indias oldest and largest shipping trade union, National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) was, in June 2015, honoured with the
Best Welfare Organisation of the Year 2015 award. The award is promoted by the based International Seafarers
Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) and recognise excellence of organisation in the provision of welfare services and
facilities for seafarers.
A)United Kingdom

B)France

C)Germany

D)US

E)None of these

Question No. : 30
Which organization, in June 2015, conferred 4 scholars with prestigious Bhasha Samman for their contribution to classical and
medieval literature in various languages?
A)Sahitya Akademi
E)None of these

B)Sangeet Natak Akademi

C)Centre for Performing Arts

D)National Arts Academy

Question No. : 31
Historian-author Ramachandra Guha was, in June 2015, selected for prestigious Fukuoka Prize in the Academic
category.
A)Chinas

B)Japans

C)Singapores

D)Malaysias

E)None of these

Question No. : 32
In June 2015 veteran .. Vishwanath Tripathi was selected for the 28th Moorti Devi Award for the year 2014.
A)Singer

B)Writer

C)Painter

D)Music Director

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
Which State Government, in June 2015, decided to evoke the Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act against those involved in
black marketing of essential commodities and sand mafia?
A)Gujarat

B)Maharashtra

C)Kerala

D)Haryana

E)None of these

Question No. : 34
Union Cabinet, in June 2015, approved the introduction of BIS Bill, 2015 in the coming session of Parliament. The new bill seeks to
replace the existing BIS Act, 1986 with an aim to bring in more products under the mandatory standard regime and end the
inspector raj. What is the full form of BIS?
A)Bureau of International Standards B)Best of Indian Standards
D)Bureau of Indian Standards E)None of these

C)Bureau of Indian States

Question No. : 35
Union Ministry of Finance, in June 2015, constituted a 10 member Task Force on FRA which will be headed by Dhirendra Swarup,
who has also served as first chairman of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) in 2004.What is the
full form of FRA?
A)Financial Redress Agency
D)Forensic Redress Agency

B)Financial Reinforcement Agency

E)None of these

C)Financial Redress Agenda

Question No. : 36
In June 2015 FSSAI announced that it will soon constitute an expert group to regulate salt, sugar and fat in food products,
following aDelhi High Courtorder. The committee will adviseFSSAIon matters related to health risks, dietary intake and current
levels of sugar, salt and fat in products in the market. What is the full form of FSSAI?

A)Food Safetyand Standards Authority of India B)Fertilizer Safetyand Standards Authority of India
C)Food Scrutinyand Standards Authority of India D)Food Safetyand Swift Authority of India E)None of these

Question No. : 37
The Union Government of India, in June 2015, increased The National Floor Level Minimum Wage (NFLMW) for workers from
rupees 137 to rupees effective from 1st July 2015. It was fixed at 35 rupees per day in 1996 and has since been revised
almost regularly every two years taking into account the increase in the CPI (IW).
A)150

B)160

C)170

D)145

E)None of these

Question No. : 38
In June 2015 Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) notified an order to make Universal Account Number (UAN)
mandatory for all employers covered under the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.The UAN
facility that remains portable throughout the lifetime of an employee was launched by the Prime Minister of India in ..
A)October 2013

B)October 2014

C)January 2015

D)January 2012

E)None of these

Question No. : 39
In June 2015 India was among the 50 founding countries that signed an agreement providing the legal framework for the Chinaled $100 billion multilateral AIIB which is being seen as a rival to the US and Europe-dominated banking institutions. What is the
full form of AIIB?
A)Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank B)Asian Intrinsic Investment Bank
D)Asian Interest Investment Bank E)None of these

C)Asian Infrastructure Investment Bureau

Question No. : 40
According to a research published by the World Economic Forum in June 2015, the US department of defense is the world's
biggest employer which claims over 3.2 million employees on its roster. Indian Railways was placed at position with 1.4
million staff, while Indian Army was placed at position with 1.3 million employees respectively in the list of worlds
biggest employers.
A)3rd, 4th

B)7th, 8th

C)8th, 9th

D)9th, 10th

E)None of these

MBA Current GK 2015 July 01

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
Where was the 7th BRICS Summit 2015 held?
A)Ufa, Russia

B)Yekaterinberg, Russia

C)Shanghai, China

D)New Delhi, India

E)Johannesburg, South Africa

Question No. : 2
Full membership of India and _____________ to Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) was approved at its meeting in Ufa,
Russia.
A)Afghanistan

B)Pakistan

C)Mongolia

D)Iran

E)Myanmar

Question No. : 3
India and Uzbekistan release a Joint Statement calling for partnership in creating favorable conditions for investments by Indian
companies in Uzbekistan in the framework of Special Economic Zones in:

a. Navoi
b. Angren
c. Jizzakh
A)Only (a)

B)Only (b)

C)Only (b) and (c)

D)All of the above

Question No. : 4
In the recently issuedjoint statement on climate changeby USA and Brazil, both countries have agreed toincrease the share of
renewable energy to _________of their energy mix by 2030.
A)10%

B)20%

C)30%

D)40%

E)50%

Question No. : 5
Which country, declared Ebola free by the World Health Organization a few months ago, saw its first death due to the deadly virus
recently?
A)Guinea

B)Sierra Leone

C)Ivory Coast

D)Liberia

E)Ghana

Question No. : 6
Which Middle East nation declared a 30-day emergency after a ISIS attack which killed many foreign tourists?
A)Saudi Arabia

B)Tunisia

C)Jordan

D)Oman

Question No. : 7
USA has imposed a penalty of $18.7 bn on oil major, BP to compensate for environmental damages and human casualties caused
by a 2010 oil spill in ___________
A)Gulf of California

B)North Sea

C)Gulf of Florida

D)Gulf of Mexico

Question No. : 8
Which European nation held a historic referendum to reject the bailout offer from its creditors on the condition of instituting
austerity measures?
A)Portugal

B)Ireland

C)Italy

D)Spain

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
Jin Liqun, the former Finance Minister of China has been nominated to lead which institution?
A)New Development Bank (NDB) B)Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
D)World Trade Organization (WTO) E)None of these

C)World Bank (WB)

D)World Trade Organization (WTO)

E)None of these

Question No. : 10
Professor SanjeevGalande of IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research), Pune has been chosen by the K.K. Birla
Foundation for the ______________
A)G.D. Birla Award

B)M.M. Birla Award

C)G.M. Birla Award

D)K.K. Birla Award

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
Budhha in a Traffic Jam, a critically acclaimed movie directed by VivekAgnihotri won an award in the
A)Madrid Film Festival

B)Cannes Film festival

C)Goa Film Festival

D)Berlin Film Festival

Question No. : 12
Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, has acquired a stake in the popular Taxi hailing service, ___________
A)Uber Cabs

B)Taxi-For-Sure

C)Ola Cabs

D)Meru Cabs

Question No. : 13
______________ launched a pre-paid card linked mobile wallet service, called Speed Pay which would allow its customers to
transfer money, pay for services and withdraw cash up to Rs. 1 lakh.
A)Vodafone

B)Airtel

C)Vodafone

D)BSNL

Question No. : 14
Mahindra Defence, a subsidiary of Mahindra signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to from a joint venture to produce
helicopters with which international company?
A)Boeing

B)Lockheed Martin

C)Airbus

D)None of these

Question No. : 15
Which Indian major Pharmacompany marked its entry into the Russian market by acquiring ZAO Biocom of Russia?
A)Lupin

B)Ranbaxy

C)Biocon

D)Zydus Cadila

Question No. : 16
Tata Trust has teamed up with Google to launch Internet Saathi aimed at
A)Providing free internet for all B)Promoting e-literacy in rural India
D)Promoting literacy in backward area

C)Reducing the technologygender divide in India

Question No. : 17
Which country introduced compulsory military service for men aged between 18 and 30 years, in June 2014?
A)ICICI Bank

B)HDFC Bank

C)SBI

D)HSBC

E)Canara Bank

Question No. : 18
SBI launched Project Tatkal to ensure home loan applicants get the loan within _________ days after the receipt of the loan
application form.
A)5

B)10

C)15

D)20

E)22

Question No. : 19
Which insurance company has launched the countrys first digitise dinsurance policy ?
A)India First Life Insurance B)Life Insurance Corporation of India
D)Reliance Life Insurance E)New India Assurance

C)IDBI Federal Life Insurance

Question No. : 20
The Digital India Week was launched in New Delhi by:
A)Narendra Modi

B)Arun Jaitley

C)Nitin Gadkari

D)Smriti Irani

A)Narendra Modi

B)Arun Jaitley

C)Nitin Gadkari

D)Smriti Irani

Question No. : 21
Recently launched National Mission for Skill Development aims to develop the institutional capacity to train a minimum of
_____________ people by the year 2022.
A)100 million

B)200 million

C)300 million

D)350 million

E)400 million

Question No. : 22
Which ISRO launch vehicle recently launched 5 UK satellites weighing 1440 kg, marking the heaviest commercial satellite launch
of ISRO?
A)PSLV C-26

B)PSLV C-27

C)PSLV C-28

D)PSLV C-29

E)PSLV C-30

Question No. : 23
With the launch of GAGAN (GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation), India became the ___________ country in the world to offer
space-based navigation services to the aviation sector.
A)Second

B)Third

C)Fourth

D)Fifth

E)Sixth

Question No. : 24
What was the name of the unmanned spacecraft launched by NASA in 2006 that flew by Pluto recently and took photographs of
the dwarf planet, and its moons?
A)New Horizons

B)Horizons

C)Voyager II

D)Victory I

E)Victory II

Question No. : 25
In which state was Indias first Earthquake Warning System installed?
A)Himachal Pradesh

B)Uttarakhand

C)Jammu and Kashmir

D)Gujarat

E)Arunachal Pradesh

Question No. : 26
Lt. Gen. M.M.S. Rai, Eastern Army Commander, has been appointed as the next
A)Vice Chief of Army Staff
E)None of these

B)Chief of Army Staff

C)Chief of Naval Staff

D)Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee

Question No. : 27
Why was Anisa Rasouli in the news recently?
A)She was nominated as the first female judge in Afghanistan Supreme Court
B)She is the first Afghanistan woman to win the Oscar for best director
C)She is the first woman from Afghanistan to win the Magsaysay award
D)She is the first woman from Afghanistan to win the Webby award E)None of these
Question No. : 28
Sir FazleHasan Abed, who won the prestigious World Food Prize-2015, belong to which country?
A)India

B)Pakistan

C)Bangladesh

D)UK

Question No. : 29
The students of Film and Technology Institute of India (FTII), Pune have been protesting against the appointment of which TV
personality as the Chairman of FTII Council?
A)Anu Kapoor

B)Anupam Kher

C)Om Puri

D)None of these

Question No. : 30
Why has Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal, a department under Government of Madhya Pradesh been in the news lately?
A)They have achieved record growth in number of people trained
B)A scam has surfaced regarding cheating and fraud in admissions to medical colleges
C)It has been selected for the Magsaysay Award D)India submitted its name for the Nobel Prize

E)None of these

C)It has been selected for the Magsaysay Award

D)India submitted its name for the Nobel Prize

E)None of these

Question No. : 31
As per Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011, which state has the highest number of households with a mobile phone?
A)Maharashtra

B)Tamil Nadu

C)Uttar Pradesh

D)Karnataka

E)Andhra Pradesh

Question No. : 32
Which country won the under-21 Euro football championship?
A)Portugal

B)England

C)France

D)Sweden

Question No. : 33
Chile won the Copa America 2014, after a gap of ______ years
A)76

B)84

C)95

D)99

Question No. : 34
Which country did India defeat in the finals to retain the SABA (South Asian Basketball Association) Championship title in Sree
Kanteerava Stadium indoor courts in Bengaluru?
A)Pakistan

B)Sri Lanka

C)Bangladesh

D)Myanmar

Question No. : 35
Which franchise of the Hero Indian Super League purchased Indian football star, Sunil Chhetri, for a record Rs. 1.2 crore?
A)Delhi Dynamos FC

B)FC Goa

C)FC Pune City

D)Mumbai City FC

Question No. : 36
Sumit Nagpal brought glory for the country by winning the Wimbledon Boys Doubles crown with Nam Hoang Ly of ___________.
A)China

B)Japan

C)Vietnam

D)Thailand

E)Laos

Question No. : 37
The Youth Delphi Games 2016, will be held in which city of India?
A)Cochin

B)Pune

C)Thiruvanantapuram

D)Bengaluru

E)None of these

Question No. : 38
What is the title of the promotional song that Amitabh Bachhan has sung for Pro Kabaddi League (PKL)?
A)Dangal

B)Dikha Josh

C)Le Panga

D)Dikha Zor

E)None of these

Question No. : 39
Maha Godavari Pushkuralu, an event dedicated to worshipping rivers in the two Telugu speaking states of Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh, is held after a period of how many years?
A)12 years

B)108 years

C)144 years

D)None of these

E)

Question No. : 40
Government of India, along with which major international company launched the #100Women Initiative, which aims to recognize
100 women achievers of India?
A)Google

B)Facebook

C)Yahoo

D)Microsoft

E)Twitter

MBA Current GK 2015 July 02

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
India recently signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for co-operation in the field of civil aviation, which will focus on
exchanges in experience and technical knowledge in Civil Aviation between the two countries.
A)USA

B)UK

C)Canada

D)France

Question No. : 2
The World Bank has agreed to grant a loan of USD 250 million for a Disaster Recovery Project in which state of India?
A)Andhra Pradesh

B)Odisha

C)West Bengal

D)Uttarakhand

Question No. : 3
The recently held first meeting of the India-Myanmar Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) in New Delhi was chaired by
___________________ of both the countries
A)National Security Advisers

B)Prime Ministers

C)Foreign Ministers

D)Defense Ministers

E)Rural Ministers

Question No. : 4
India and _______________ on signed an Agreement on sharing white-shipping information to enhance maritime cooperation
between the two navies
A)Singapore

B)Seychelles

C)Maldives

D)Hong Kong

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide financial assistance in the form of a loan of USD _____________ for the
National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) of India.
A)200 million

B)300 million

C)400 million

D)500 million

E)700 million

Question No. : 6
With the extension of the e-Tourist Visa scheme to China, Hong Kong and Macau, what is the total number of countries/territories
covered under the e-this scheme
A)74

B)75

C)76

D)77

Question No. : 7
Who among the following personalities launched Breakthrough Listen project to search for Aliens?
A)Bill Gates

B)Larry Page

C)Mark Zuckerberg

D)Stephen Hawking

Question No. : 8
What is the name of Japans Lower House of Parliament?
A)Diet

B)Loya Jirga

C)Bundestag

D)Parlamento

Question No. : 9
Nepals political parties agreed to remove the word ____________ from the yet-to-be framed Constitution.
A)Hinduism

B)Fraternity

C)Communalism

D)Secularism

Question No. : 10
Recently, Indian filmmaker, Benoy Behl won the Best Documentary Producer award for the documentary film Indian Roots of
Tibetan Buddhism, in which major international film festival?
A)Berlin International Film Festival

B)Madrid International Film Festival

C)Paris International Film Festival

A)Berlin International Film Festival

D)Rome International Film Festival

B)Madrid International Film Festival

C)Paris International Film Festival

Question No. : 11
Pamarthy Shankar, a cartoonist working with a Telugu Daily newspaper Sakshi, won the Grand Prix World Press Cartoon 2014
Award for his sketch on which world-famous political leader?
A)Winston Churchill

B)Jawaharlal Nehru

C)Nelson Mandela

D)Joseph Stalin

Question No. : 12
Nobel Prize winner Professor Peter Higgs was awarded the worlds oldest scientific prize, Copley Medal. Which organization
confers this medal?
A)The Royal Society, London
E)None of these

B)The Louvre Museum, Paris

C)United Nations Organization (UNO)

D)UNESCO

Question No. : 13
Which movie was recently acknowledged by the Government of Haryana for being the first haryanvi movie to win a national
award?
A)Pagdi

B)Lathi

C)Aag

D)None of these

Question No. : 14
Which famous Indian Historian was chosen for the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize 2015 in the Academic Category?
A)Bipin Chandra

B)Ramachandra Guha

C)Romila Thapar

D)KG Tyagi

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
Helena Ndume and Jorge Sampaio were awarded the first-ever Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize, to be given by the United
Nations (UN). Which pair of countries do they belong to respectively?
A)Nigeria and Poland

B)Ghana and Puerto Rico

C)Namibia and Portugal

D)Kenya and Mexico

Question No. : 16
Visaaranai will be the first __________ film to premiere at the Venice International Film Festival.
A)Telugu

B)Kannada

C)Malayalam

D)Tamil

Question No. : 17
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) constituted a committee under RBI Executive Director Deepak Mohanty to formulate a mediumterm action plan for ____________ in India for the next 5 years.
A)Financial Inclusion B)Banking Regulation
E)Corporate Governance

C)Financial Sector Regulation

D)Monetary Policy Reforms

Question No. : 18
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed __________________ with Core Banking Solution (CBS) to issue ATM-cum-debit cards in
partnership with a sponsor bank.
A)Commercial Banks

B)Non-Commercial Banks

C)Regional Rural Banks

D)Co-operative Banks

E)Foreign Banks

Question No. : 19
The Union Cabinet gave its approval for adopting the Swiss Challenge method for the redevelopment of 400 railway stations in
India. What are the features of this method?

(a) Private Sector Entity submits a proposal for undertaking a project

(b) The private sector entity may submit the proposal suomoto i.e. on its own.
(c) The government agency or local authority invites competitive counter proposals.
A)a only

B)b & c only

C)a & c only

D)a, b, & c

E)None of these

Question No. : 20
The Reserve Bank of India signed a Special Currency Swap Agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Under this, the Central
Bank of Sri Lanka can draw up to ______________ for a maximum period of six months.
A)USD 1.1 billion

B)USD 2.1 billion

C)USD 3.1 billion

D)USD 4.1 billion

Question No. : 21
India is ranked _______________ in the world in terms of power generation from nuclear sources with total power generation from
nuclear reactors at 5308 MWe.
A)7th

B)9th

C)10th

D)12th

Question No. : 22
Which of the following are true with respect to the proposed National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF)

(a) it is being set up to finance new and stressed projects

(b) to be set up as a Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC)
A)a only

B)b only

C)Both a and b

D)Neither a or b

Question No. : 23
Which Pharmaceutical major has recently released the affordable third-generation oral anti-diabetic drug Teneligliptin for the
treatment of Type-2
A)Diabetes mellitus

B)Glaxo Smith Kline

C)Lupin

D)Glenmark

E)Ranbaxy

Question No. : 24
How many Indian Companies are there in the 61st Fortune 500 companies list?
A)5

B)6

C)7

D)8

Question No. : 25
Which is the Indian company that ranked the highest in the recently released 61st Fortune 500 companies list?
A)Reliance India Limited B)Tata Sons C)Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL)
D)Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) E)None of these
Question No. : 26
Which American company is at the top of the recently released 61st Fortune 500 companies list?
A)Walmart

B)Exxon Mobil

C)Chevron

D)Berkshire Hathway

E)Apple Inc.

Question No. : 27
In what is the largest suspension imposed on the sales and distribution of generic drugs by the EU, it banned the marketing of
close to 700 generic medicines manufactured by which Indian pharmaceutical research company?
A)Ranbaxy

B)Lupin

C)GVK Biosciences

D)None of these

Question No. : 28
Indian gold jewelry major Rajesh Exports Limited (REL) recently acquired the worlds largest gold refining company, Valcambi.
Which country is Valcambi headquartered in?
A)USA

B)Belgium

C)Austria

D)Switzerland

Question No. : 29
Which of the following schemes recently launched by the Government of India are related to Skill Development?

A. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)

B. Skill Loan Scheme
C. Participatory Guarantee System

A)A only

B)A and B only

C)B and C only

D)A, B & C

E)None of these

Question No. : 30
The recently launched Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) aims to impart skill training to ________________ youth
during 2015-16
A)20 lakh

B)22 lakh

C)24 lakh

D)25 lakh

E)27 lakh

Question No. : 31
What is the name of the indigenously built Torpedo launch and recovery vessel (TLRV), which was decommissioned after 31 years
of service in the Indian Navy?
A)INS Talwar

B)INS Vikramaditya

C)INS Arihant

D)INS Astravahini

E)INS Vikramaditya

Question No. : 32
Microsoft has announced plans for introducing White-Fi technologyor TV White Space Technology in India to provide last mile
connectivity and give a boost to the Digital India initiative.White-Fi technology can provide high-speed wi-fi connectivity up to
what range?
A)5 km

B)10 km

C)15 km

D)20 km

E)25 km

Question No. : 33
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully tested Indias first indigenously designed and manufactured High Thrust
Cryogenic rocket engine. What is the meaning of the term Cryogenics?
A)The study of behavior of materials at very low temperatures B)The study of liquid based fuels for rocket engines
C)The use of nanoparticles as catalysts for rocket fuels D)The use of nano-crystals for the construction of rocket engines
E)None of these
Question No. : 34
The indigenously designed and manufactured Visibility Measuring System, DRISHTI was installed at which international airport in
India?
A)ChattrapatiShivaji International Terminal, Mumbai B)Bengaluru International Airport, Bengaluru
C)Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi D)Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata
E)None of these
Question No. : 35
Alcides Edgardo Ghiggia who was instrumental in his country winning its second football World Cup title against Brazil, belonged
to which South American Nation?
A)Uruguay

B)Paraguay

C)Argentina

D)Bolivia

E)Colombia

Question No. : 36
AshishBahuguna, was recently appointed the Chairman of which statutory body?
A)Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
C)Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

B)Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

D)Central Right to Food Commission E)None of these

Question No. : 37
The Bangladesh National Cricket team created history by winning 4 consecutive at home one-day series by defeating which
cricketing heavyweight?
A)India

B)Sri Lanka

C)South Africa

D)Australia

Question No. : 38
What will be the main function of the proposed body, All India Council of Sports?
A)It will select coaches for all national sporting teams
B)It will be the nodal body to manage the proposed All India Sports Services
C)It will aid and advise the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
D)It will formulate and execute the Sports Policy of India E)None of these

D)It will formulate and execute the Sports Policy of India

E)None of these

Question No. : 39
Which city has been chosen to host the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics?
A)Yekaterinberg, Russia

B)Tokyo, Japan

C)Beijing, China

D)Seoul, South Korea

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
The Reserve Bank of India has decided to launch a special Rs 10 coin to commemorate which international event?
A)International Day of Yoga B)International Day of Youth
E)International Day of Ayurveda

C)International Day of Sports

D)International Day of Health

MBA Current GK 2015 Aug 01

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
Indradhanush bilateral air exercise was held between India and _____________
A)France

B)Germany

C)Britain

D)USA

Question No. : 2
The Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh, which was recently executed, was originally signed in which year?
A)1972

B)1973

C)1974

D)1975

Question No. : 3
Which global pharmaceutical company attempted to patent the use of turmeric, pine bark and tea for treating hair loss, which was
foiled by India?
A)Lupin

B)Novartis

C)Glaxo Smith Kline

D)Pangaea Laboratories

Question No. : 4
India recently decided to boycott the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference 2015, which was to be held in?
A)Pakistan

B)Sri Lanka

C)Nepal

D)Bhutan

Question No. : 5
UNGA recently adopted the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for eradicating poverty and hunger, achieving gender
equality, improving living standards and taking urgent action to combat climate change. For which time period have these goals
been adopted?
A)2015-2020

B)2015-2025

C)2015-2030

D)2015-2035

Question No. : 6
The World Population Prospects: The 2015 report, which says that India will overtake China to become the most populous nation
in the world by 2022; has been released by?
A)World Health Organisation (WHO) B)United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF)
C)International Labour Organization (ILO) D)United Nations (UN)
Question No. : 7
The SDG have specific goals on issues ranging from ending poverty in all its forms globally, to ensuring quality education and
affordable and reliable energy. How many goals are there?
A)12

B)14

C)17

D)21

Question No. : 8
Suez Canal, which has been recently expanded, is located in which African country?
A)Egypt

B)Somalia

C)Ethiopia

D)North Sudan

Question No. : 9
What was the name of the American Boeing B-29 Superfortress Bomber, which dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of
Hiroshima on 6th August 1945?
A)Fat Boy

B)Little Man

Question No. : 10

C)Enola Gay

D)Enola May

Amalendu Krishna won the Ramanujan Prize for year 2015. In what field is the Ramanujan Prize awarded?
A)Physics

B)Chemistry

C)Hindi Literature

D)None of these

Question No. : 11
Dilip Parulekar became the first Minister of a State to win the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) - Safari India South
Asia Travel Award 2015. He is the Tourism Minister of which state in India?
A)Goa

B)Maharashtra

C)Gujarat

D)Kerala

Question No. : 12
On which of the following waterways of India, Indias first river information system (RIS) is to be deployed in August 2015?
A)National Waterway-1

B)National Waterway-2

C)National Waterway-3

D)National Waterway-4

Question No. : 13
Which bank has signed an agreement with Mudra Bank for refinancing of loans given to small enterprises recently?
A)ICICI

B)Axis Bank

C)Bank of Maharashtra

D)IDBI

Question No. : 14
Which among the following countries is the worlds largest exporter of beef in FY-2015?
A)Brazil

B)China

C)India

D)Australia

Question No. : 15
Which Indian telecom company is the first in the country to launch pan-India high speed internet 4G services?
A)Videocon

B)Vodafone

C)Reliance

D)None of these

Question No. : 16
Smart Humsafar, a unique plan that offers multiple benefits of savings and insurance cover for husband and wife under a single
policy has been launched by
A)SBI Life Insurance

B)Bajaj Allianz

C)LIC

D)Max Life Insurance

Question No. : 17
The International LabourOrganisation (ILO) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) signed the
Phase II of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation for establishing a National Coordination Centre for
Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) Training Services in India. It will mainly facilitate:
A)Small and Medium Enterprises (SME)

B)IT/ITeS companies

C)Informal Sector

D)Unorganized Sector

Question No. : 18
The Murugappa Group signed an agreement with Organo Corp to form a Joint venture (JV) of an industrial water treatment
requirement company. Which country is the Organo Corp based in?
A)USA

B)Britain

C)Japan

D)China

Question No. : 19
eCommerce firm Snapdeal launched its new service named Snapdeal Instant to____________________
A)facilitate payment through m-wallets B)facilitate payment through paytm
C)enable delivery of packages within an hour of placing the order D)None of these
Question No. : 20
Global electronic manufacturing giant Foxconn will invest USD 5 billion in which state of India
A)Andhra Pradesh
Question No. : 21

B)Gujarat

C)Karnataka

D)Maharashtra

China based Xiaomi Mobiles has tied up with Foxconn to set up its first assembly line in India. What is the proposed name of their
first locally made smart phone?
A)Redmi Alpha

B)Redmi2 Prime

C)Blu3 Beta

D)Simi

Question No. : 22
Which of the following Health Insurance companies had launched Dengue Care, first health insurance policy to cover dengue
related expenses?
A)Star Health Insurance

B)Apollo Munich Health Insurance

C)AEGON Religare

D)ICICI Prudential

Question No. : 23
Which of the following automakers recently launched the premium crossover S-Cross in India?
A)General Motors

B)Hyundai

C)Ford

D)Maruti Suzuki

Question No. : 24
Which Indian private firm recently got license from DRDO to manufacture Lakshya for Indias military?
A)Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd

B)Larsen and Toubro

C)BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited

D)Tata Advanced Systems

Question No. : 25
Google Inc. will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. Who will take over the CEO role at Google?
A)Mr. Sergey Brin

B)Mr. Larry Page

C)Mr. Sundar Pichai

D)None of the above

Question No. : 26
Which one of the following statement/s is/are true for the newly launched scheme SAMANWAY

A. It subsumes all schemes of both State and Central governments for Gram Panchayats
B. It is designed to help MPs in utilizing relevant schemes in the planning and implementation of SaansadAdarsh Gram Yojana
(SAGY)
C. It will compile all information on gram panchayat activities on the schemes undertaken by the Centre and State Governments.
A)A and B only

B)B and C only

C)A and C only

D)A, B and C

Question No. : 27
Union Government recently launched Suraksha Bandhan drive in a Mission Mode through participating banks and insurance
companies to facilitate enrolment under social security schemes. Which of the following scheme/s were covered under this drive?

A. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha BimaYojana (PMSBY)

B. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti BimaYojana (PMJJBY)
C. Atal Pension Yojana (APY)
A)A and B only

B)B and C only

C)A and C only

D)A, B and C

Question No. : 28
The NaiManzil scheme launched by the Union Minister for Minority Affairs NajmaHeptullahin Patna will seek to improve
____________________ status of minority communities in general and muslims in particular
A)Economic

B)Political

C)Social

D)Educational

Question No. : 29
Recently, work was started on the assembly of the World's Largest Radio Telescope, Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical
Telescope (FAST). Where is FAST located?
A)Iceland

B)Hawaii Islands

C)Japan

D)China

Question No. : 30
Global satellite called GlobalSat for DRR will be named to honor the former Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam who died in July
2015. What is the main purpose of the GlobalSat for DRR?
A)Weather Monitoring

B)Disaster Management

C)Traffic Studies

D)Mineral Exploration

A)Weather Monitoring

B)Disaster Management

C)Traffic Studies

D)Mineral Exploration

Question No. : 31
Which Bollywood megastar has recently agreed to be the Tiger Ambassador for the State of Maharashtra?
A)Salman Khan

B)Aamir Khan

C)Shahrukh Khan

D)None of these

Question No. : 32
Which of the following state assemblies recently passed resolution on abolishing death penalty?
A)Manipur

B)Arunachal Pradesh

C)Tripura

D)Meghalaya

Question No. : 33
Which of the following High Courts of India banned Santhara ritual in Jain Community recently?
A)Gujarat

B)Rajasthan

C)Andhra Pradesh

D)Maharashtra

Question No. : 34
The Union government recently signed a historic peace accord with which extremist organization in the North East?
A)ULFA

B)NSCN(IM)

C)NSCN(K)

D)NDFB

Question No. : 35
In which US city were the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2015 held?
A)Chicago

B)Los Angeles

C)Las Vegas

D)Miami

Question No. : 36
With which sport is Joshana Chinappa associated?
A)Archery

B)Hockey

C)Squash

D)Athletics

Question No. : 37
Aadi Perukku is a Hindu festival celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month of Aadi (mid-July to mid-August) in gratitude to
water bodies especially Cauvery River. In which state is it primarily celebrated?
A)Kerala

B)Karnataka

C)Tamil Nadu

D)Andhra Pradesh

Question No. : 38
TendongLho Rum Faat (Prayer of the Tendong Mountain), an ancient festival of the ethnic Lepcha tribe is an annual festival
celebrated in the month of July-August. Where is the Lepcha tribe mainly found in India?
A)Arunachal Pradesh

B)Sikkim

C)Mizoram

D)Tripura

Question No. : 39
According to the recently released Forbes list of World's Highest-Paid Actors in 2015, who is the highest paid actor in the world?
A)Robert Downey Jr.

B)Christian Bale

C)Tom Hardy

D)Jacky Chan

Question No. : 40
Maharashtra government has declared the northern part of Thane Creek as?
A)Flamingo sanctuary

B)Great Indian Bustard sanctuary

C)Vulture Protection Area

D)Ecological Sensitive Area

MBA Current GK 2015 Aug 02

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
The Second Forum for India-Pacific Island Cooperation Summit was held in August 2015 in which city of India?
A)New Delhi

B)Gurgaon

C)Chandigarh

D)Jaipur

Question No. : 2
India, in collaboration with the Australian government runs the BRIDGE programme. What is main focus of this programme?
A)Primary Health facilities

B)Universal Immunization

C)School Education

D)None of these

Question No. : 3
The USITC extended the anti-dumping duty on Indian preserved mushrooms for another five years. What is the full form of USITC?
A)United States International Trade Commission B)United States International Trading Convention
C)United States International Trade Committee D)United States Internal Trade Commission
Question No. : 4
The Call To Action Summit 2015 was held in New Delhi as a prelude to the United Nations Summit for the adoption of post-2015
development agenda that will be held in September 2015 in New York. What was the main agenda of this Summit?
A)Malnutrition

B)Primary Education

C)Ending preventable child and maternal deaths

D)Combating HIV/AIDS

Question No. : 5
Ranil Wikremesinghe was recently sworn in as the _______________ of Sri Lanka
A)Prime Minister

B)President

C)Speaker of Lower House

D)None of These

Question No. : 6
Which sub-continental nation became the first to receive funds form the United Nations for its fast growing solar home systems?
A)Bangladesh

B)Bhutan

C)India

D)Pakistan

Question No. : 7
Who is popularly known as Waterman of India?
A)Dashrath Manjhi

B)Rajendra Singh

C)Verghese Kurien

D)Baba Amte

Question No. : 8
Which port of India was recently adjudged the Major Port of the Year amongst 12 major ports in the country for the year 201415?
A)Vishakhapatnam

B)Chennai

C)Kolkata

D)Kandla

Question No. : 9
The airport of which Indian City became the first one in the country to be powered by solar energy?
A)Chennai

B)Kolkata

C)Mumbai

D)Cochin

Question No. : 10
To how many companies did the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) grant in-principle approval for working as Payment Banks?
A)10

B)11

C)12

Question No. : 11

D)13

Which of the following statements regarding payment banks is/are correct?

A. Payment bank cannot give out loans

B. Payment bank can invest money in SLR securities
A)A only

B)B only

C)Neither is correct

D)Both are correct

Question No. : 12
In a first of its kind move, the Union Government appointed two professionals from the private sector to head to major Public
Sector Banks (PSB) in India. Which are these two banks?
A)Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank B)Bank of Allahabad and Canara Bank
D)Union Bank of India and United Bank of India

C)Bank of Baroda and State Bank of Patiala

Question No. : 13
Anil DhirubhaiAmbani Groups Reliance Communications Ltd. (RCoM) entered into an agreement with the Jasper Technologies,
Inc. to offer Internet of Things (IoT) services in India. In which country is Jasper Technologies based?
A)UK

B)Australia

C)USA

D)Japan

Question No. : 14
SBI has recently launched a m-wallet app application in collaboration with Accenture and Mastercard named _____________
A)SBI Dost

B)SBI Friend

C)SBI Buddy

D)None of these

Question No. : 15
Which privately-owned bank became the first in the country to launch locker facility operated with robotic technology?
A)HDFC Bank

B)HSBC

C)RBS

D)ICICI Bank

Question No. : 16
Google-run video sharing portal YouTube recently tied-up with Whistling Woods International (WWI) to set up YouTube Space in
which city of India?
A)Mumbai

B)Hyderabad

C)Bengaluru

D)Gurgaon

Question No. : 17
Which of the following has recently acquired Bengaluru-based HomeBuy360?
A)Housing.com

B)SoftBank

C)Indian Real Estate Forum (IREF)

D)None of the above

Question No. : 18
PrasarBharti recently digned a MoU with the government-run television production agency of which country, which is aimed at
co-producing TV programmes, repackaging and dubbing popular programmes from both the countries?
A)USA

B)Britain

C)Russia

D)Pakistan

Question No. : 19
The recently launched tele-medicine initiative of the Union government was launched in collaboration with ______________
A)Vedanta Hospital

B)Apollo Hospitals

C)Escorts Hospitals

D)Fortis Hospitals

Question No. : 20
How many cities have been chosen for the Smart City initiative by the Union government?
A)97

B)98

C)99

D)100

Question No. : 21
Which 2 states have the maximum number of cities, which have been chosen for the Smart City initiative of the Union
Government?
A)Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra

B)Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

C)Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh

A)Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra B)Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

D)Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh

C)Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh

Question No. : 22
What is the name of the first portal of its kind launched by the Union government for the benefit ofstudents seeking Educational
Loans?
A)Vidyadhan

B)Vidyalakshmi

C)Gyanlakshmi

D)VidyaNidhi

Question No. : 23
ISRO recently launched GSAT-6 aboard the GSLV-D6 into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). What will be the main function
of the GSAT-6 satellite?
A)Communication

B)Minerals Exploration

C)Weather Forecasting

D)Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Question No. : 24
Who is the author of the recently released book MrsFunnybones: Shes Just Like You and a Lot Like Me?
A)Twinkle Khanna

B)Rinke Khanna

C)Gauri Khan

D)Suzzanne Khan

Question No. : 25
Which former Indian Test Cricketer has been elected recently as the President of the Association of Indian Statisticians and scorers
of India (ACSSI)?
A)Sunil Gavaskar

B)Ravi Shastri

C)Kapil Dev

D)Dilip Vengsarkar

Question No. : 26
President Barack Obama of the USA recently appointed an Indian-American Vince Chhabria as a full-time federal judge of the
court of which state of the US?
A)Arizona

B)Philadelphia

C)California

D)Florida

Question No. : 27
Which High Court canned the Santhara ritual in Jainism?
A)Bombay High Court

B)Madras High Court

C)Rajasthan High Court

D)Punjab & Haryana High Court

Question No. : 28
Which state has recently decreed that Sanskrit be made mandatory on all its government schools?
A)Gujarat

B)Madhya Pradesh

C)Haryana

D)Himachal Pradesh

Question No. : 29
Which top-ranking mens tennis player has been recently appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Childrens
Fund (UNICEF)?
A)Roger Federer

B)Raphael Nadal

C)Andy Murray

D)Novak Djokovic

Question No. : 30
The former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe was elected as the sixth President of the International Association of Athletics
Federations (IAAF). Which country does he belong to?
A)USA

B)Poland

C)Russia

D)UK

Question No. : 31
Aditi Chauhan, Indias international football goalkeeper, became the countrys first woman to play English league football. Which
club will she be playing for?
A)West Ham United
Question No. : 32

B)Newcastle

C)Manchester United

D)None of these

Mare Dibaba became the first female from her country to win the womens marathon title at the 2015 World Athletics
Championship held in Beijing, China. Which country does she belong to?
A)Nigeria

B)Kenya

C)Ethiopia

D)Eritrea

Question No. : 33
Which franchise won the Pro Kabaddi League 2015 title?
A)Bengal Warriors

B)Bengaluru Bulls

C)U Mumba

D)Dabang Delhi

Question No. : 34
Indian Womens hockey team created history by qualifying for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics games after a long gap. In which
Olympics did they last qualify?
A)Moscow 1980

B)Los Angeles 1984

C)Seoul 1988

D)Barcelona 1992

Question No. : 35
Who stood second when the ace Jamaican sprinter won the 200-meter title at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics held at
Beijing in China?
A)Zharnel Hughes

B)Justin Gatlin

C)Tyson Gay

D)Mike Rodgers

Question No. : 36
Which Indian golfer became the first Indian women to win the Ladies British Amateur stroke play golf championship at the
Moortown Golf Club at Leeds, United Kingdom recently?
A)Sharmila Nicolette

B)Aditi Ashok

C)Gaurika Bishnoi

D)Gauri Monga

Question No. : 37
Which Sri Lankan Test cricket star recently took retirement from all forms of international cricket?
A)Kumara Sangakkara

B)Lasith Malinga

C)Kumara Dharamsena

D)None of these

Question No. : 38
South African Skipper AB de Villiers recently became the fastest batsman to reach 8000 One Day International (ODI) runs. Who
held the record before him?
A)Sachin Tendulkar

B)Saurav Ganguly

C)Shahid Afridi

D)Sanath Jayasuriya

Question No. : 39
What is considered to be the most auspicious day of the Onam festival?
A)Atham

B)Chithira

C)Chothi

D)Thiru Onam

Question No. : 40
In which state of India will the proposed National Sports University be set up?
A)Manipur

B)Tripura

C)Assam

D)Arunachal Pradesh

MBA Current GK 2015 Sep 01

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
In September 2015online automobile classifieds portal, Cardekho.comannounced to acquireTimes Internet owned auto portal
Zigwheels.Cardekho.com is backed by
A)Mukesh Ambani

B)Sunil Bharti Mittal

C)Ratan Tata

D)Anil Ambani

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
Which of the following , in September 2015, announced its tie up with the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group to generate business
opportunities in the Gulf Cooperation Council nations and India?
A)Doha Bank

B)Qatar National Bank

C)Emirates NBD

D)National Bank of Abu Dhabi

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
In September 2015 Dr Reddys Laboratories and . based medical nutrition company PanTheryx announced a multi-country
supply and licensing agreement.
A)France

B)UK

C)US

D)Australia

E)None of these

Question No. : 4
In September 2015 seven Indians featured in Forbes Asia's ninth Heroes of Philanthropy list, highlighting most noteworthy
contributions to philanthropy from 13 countries across Asia Pacific. Of them, four are co-founders of one of India's
largest information technology (IT) services company.
A)TCS

B)Infosys

C)Wipro

D)Cognizant

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
In September 2015 Vinod Dasari was appointed as President of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the apex
Industry body representing leading vehicle and vehicular engine manufacturers in India. Dasari is the Managing Director of
A)Ashok Leyland

B)M&M

C)Tata Motors

D)Hyundai India

E)None of these

Question No. : 6
A milestone was achieved at Port Blairs Veer Savarkar International Airport in September 2015 after a Kolkata flight of ..
made the first ever night landing by a civil airliner at the airport.
A)SpiceJet

B)Indigo

C)Air India

D)GoAir

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
Bazmi Husain was, in September 2015, appointed as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of ABB India Ltd with effect from January
2016. ABB is a multinational corporation headquartered in .., operating mainly in robotics and the power and automation
technology areas.
A)UK

B)Germany

C)Switzerland

D)US

E)None of these

Question No. : 8
The World Federation of Exchanges (WEF) announced that the . has the highest number of listed companies in the
world.
A)Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) B)National Stock Exchange (NSE)
D)Tokyo Stock Exchange E)None of these

C)Shanghai Stock Exchange

Question No. : 9
Which of the following, in September 2015,announced to offer a minimum broadbandspeed of 2 mega bit per second (Mbps)
from October 1 onwards to its customers, at no extra cost?

A)BSNL

B)Bharti Airtel

C)Vodafone

D)Idea

E)None of these

Question No. : 10
In September 2015 Rakesh Sharma took over as Managing Director and CEO of Canara Bank, which is headquartered in
A)Mumbai

B)New Delhi

C)Bengaluru

D)Hyderabad

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
In September 2015 The Union Cabinet approved a proposal to allow 100% foreign direct investment without any further required
approvals for companies to set up independent ATM networks for banks. Companies such as Muthoot Finance, Srei Infrastructure
Finance and Vakrangee Software, install and operate independent ATM networks and are called . label ATM operators.
A)Green

B)White

C)Black

D)Yellow

E)None of these

Question No. : 12
In September 2015 the Union Cabinet approved much awaitedspectrum trading guidelines. Which of the following is true in this
context?
A)It will allow telecom companies to buy and sell spectrum
B)This is expected to help address the problem of shortage of spectrum, leading to better quality of services for mobile phone
users.
C)The decision comes close on heels of the government allowing companies toshare airwavesin the same band so as to
reduce call drops.
D)Presently, spectrum can be acquired by companies only through government auctions. E)All of these
Question No. : 13
India and.. set atradetarget of $1 billion to achieved by 2018. This target was decided at the Seventh Session of the
Inter-Governmental Commission of the two countries in September 2015.
A)Belarus

B)Cyprus

C)Brazil

D)Peru

E)None of these

Question No. : 14
Who among the following is the sole Indian-origin executive in 2015 edition of Fortunes list of 50 Most Powerful Women in
Business, released in September 2015?
A)Indra Nooyi

B)Chanda Kochhar

C)Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

D)Shikha Sharma

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
J Manjula was, in September 2015, appointed as the Director-General of the Electronics and Communication Systems cluster of
Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). With this, Manjula became the . woman DG of DRDO.
A)First

B)Second

C)Third

D)Fourth

E)None of these

Question No. : 16
Which scheme was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19 August 2014 to meet the irrigation needs of all farmers
across the country, with a sum of 1000 crore rupees being allocated for implementation of the scheme?
A)She was sworn-in as the first woman postmaster of Sacramento city in California. With her swearing-in, Sacramento got a
female postmaster after a span of 166 years.
B)She was sworn-in as the first woman Mayor of Sacramento city in California. With her swearing-in, Sacramento got a female
Mayor after a span of 166 years.
C)She was sworn-in as the first woman Mayor of San Jose in California. With her swearing-in, San Jose got a female Mayor
after a span of 166 years.
D)She was sworn-in as the first woman postmaster of San Jose in California. With her swearing-in, San Jose got a female
postmaster after a span of 166 years.
E)None of these
Question No. : 17
John P Connell, best known as the star of the daytime drama Young Dr. Malone, was in news in September 2015 because he
A)passed away

B)was nominated for a national level award

C)was caught in a scam

D)visited India

E)None of these

Question No. : 18
In September 2015 . was appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Indian Trade Promotion
Organization (ITPO), the nodal agency of the Union Government under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry for
promoting country's external trade.
A)L.C. Goyal

B)L.C. Gupta

C)L.C. Sharma

D)L.C. Sahni

E)None of these

Question No. : 19
Queen Elizabeth II, on 9th September 2015, became the longest-reigning Monarch of Britain and the longest-reigning female
monarch in history surpassing the previous record held by Queen .
A)Elizabeth I

B)Victoria

C)Diana

D)Oxford

E)None of these

Question No. : 20
After a gap of 32 years, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan, in September 2015, became the first tamilian to lead
the opposition in the parliament of
A)Bangladesh

B)Nepal

C)Sri Lanka

D)India

E)None of these

Question No. : 21
In September 2015 renowned . policy expert Ramaswamy R. Iyer passed away. Mr. Iyer was instrumental in drafting
Indias first National . Policy in 1987
A)Water

B)Land

C)Agriculture

D)Nuclear

E)None of these

Question No. : 22
In September 2015 agriculture expert Ramesh Chand was appointed as new member of the Niti Aayog.Chand is the
member to join the government's think tank which has replaced the erstwhile planning commission.
A)Third

B)Second

C)First

D)Fourth

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
In September 2015 Anirban Lahiri became the first Indian to qualify for the prestigious Presidents Cup. Which sport is being
talked about?
A)Lawn Tennis

B)Golf

C)Squash

D)Badminton

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
In September 2015 the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) General Assembly announced that the host for the XXII
Commonwealth Games will be ..
A)New Delhi

B)Tokyo

C)Durban

D)Beijing

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
In September 2015 Flavia Pennetta of . won the US Open Womens Singles title by defeating Roberta Vinci in the finals.
A)Germany

B)UK

C)Italy

D)Russia

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
Lewis Hamilton of . and Mercedes racing driver won the 2015 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix title in September 2015.
A)Britain

B)Germany

C)France

D)Switzerland

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the US Open Mens Singles title in September 2015 when he defeated Roger Federer in the finals.
For Djokovic, it was a second US Open singles title and a .. Grand Slam singles title.
A)9th

B)10th

C)8th

Question No. : 28

D)11th

E)None of these

An Indian-origin Sikh migrant driver in Australia, Tejinder Pal Singh, was, in September 2015, named . of the Day
for feeding the homeless for the past three years.
A)Australian

B)American

C)Canadian

D)German

E)None of these

Question No. : 29
In September 2015 President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2014 on
A)Indian Space Research Organization B)National Thermal Power Corporation
D)Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited E)None of these

C)Steel Authority of India

Question No. : 30
Which Bollywood actor was, in September 2015, conferred with the Honoured Guest of Texas award for his contribution to the
cinema and the world of art?
A)Salman Khan

B)Shah Rukh Khan

C)Anupam Kher

D)Amitabh Bachchan

E)None of these

Question No. : 31
Renowned Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri was, in September 2015, selected for the prestigious 2014 National Humanities
Medal. Which Nation is being referred to here?
A)India

B)England

C)America

D)Australia

E)None of these

Question No. : 32
The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), conferred G Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Adviser to the Indian Defence Minister, with the
Society's 2015 Silver Medal for work contributing to major advances or contributions in aerospace. RAeS is the world's only
professional body dedicated to the entire aerospace community and is based in ...
A)London

B)New York

C)Sydney

D)Paris

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
In September 2015 Union Cabinet approved .. percent hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government
employees and Dearness Relief (DR) pensioners, effective from 1 July 2015.
A)Five

B)Six

C)Seven

D)Four

E)None of these

Question No. : 34
In September 2015 shares of various jewellery retailers rose on BSE after Union Cabinet gave its approval for introduction of Gold
Monetization Scheme, as announced in the Union Budget 2015-16.
A)Gold Monetization Scheme (GMS) would benefit the Indian gems and jewellery sector which is a major contributor to India's
exports.
B)In fiscal year 2014-15, gems and jewellery constituted 12% of India's total exports and the value of gold items alone was
more than $13 billion.
C)The new scheme consists of the revamped Gold Deposit Scheme (GDS) and a revamped Gold Metal Loan (GML) Scheme.
The revamped GDS and the GML Scheme involves changes in the scheme guidelines only. The risk of gold price changes will
be borne by the Gold Reserve Fund that is being created.
D)Under the revamped GML Scheme, a gold metal loan account, denominated in grams of gold, will be opened by the bank for
jewelers. The gold mobilized through the revamped GDS, under the short-term option, will be provided to jewelers on loan,
on the basis of the terms and conditions set-out by banks, under the guidance of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
E)All of these
Question No. : 35
In a significant decision for the oil and gas sector, the Union Cabinet gave its approval for shifting to a revenue sharing model for
the auction of . marginal fields of ONGC and Oil India.
A)59

B)69

C)79

D)89

E)None of these

Question No. : 36
Which State, in September 2015, became the first state in the country to submit State Annual Action Plan under Atal Mission for
Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) targeting universal coverage in respect of water supply connections and
sewerage connections to all urban households in the state?

A)Haryana

B)Rajasthan

C)Gujarat

D)Kerala

E)None of these

Question No. : 37
In September 2015 the Ministry for Water Resources constituted a seven-member committee led by former Planning Commission
member . to restructure the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) to encourage
optimal development of water resources in the country.
A)Mihir Shah

B)Alam Shah

C)Mir Shah

D)Sultan Shah

E)None of these

Question No. : 38
In September 2015 Union Government decided to provide additional .. days of unskilled manual work in the financial year
2015-16 in drought-hit areas under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.
A)30

B)40

C)50

D)60

E)None of these

Question No. : 39
In September 2015 India and signed a pact for repatriation of wanted prisoners and cooperation in all criminal matters
including gathering evidence.
A)Canada

B)Australia

C)England

D)France

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
In September 2015 India and signed a pact for repatriation of wanted prisoners and cooperation in all criminal matters
including gathering evidence.
A)Indonesia

B)Malaysia

C)Singapore

D)China

E)None of these

MBA Current GK 2015 Sep 02

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:
Question No. : 1
Which of the following, in September 2015, teamed up with Indian Railways to provide free Wi-Fi at 500 railway stations in a short
time?
A)Google

B)Yahoo

C)Facebook

D)Microsoft

E)None of these

Question No. : 2
Which of the following, in September 2015, signed around Rs 100 crore deal with content recommendations engineTaboolato
power its entire network of desktop and mobile sites?
A)Star Group

B)NDTV Group

C)Sony

D)Zee

E)None of these

Question No. : 3
Under its ambitious plan to explore renewable energy sources, public sector Neyveli Lignite Corporation, in September 2015, set
up its first 10 MW solar power plant at Neyveli in
A)Gujarat

B)Andhra Pradesh

C)Tamil Nadu

D)West Bengal

E)None of these

Question No. : 4
In September 2015 Forbes released the Forbes list of richest Indians. Forbes is a/an ................ Business Magazine.

A)British

B)Australian

C)American

D)German

E)None of these

Question No. : 5
In September 2015 .................. chief executive Martin Winterkorn resigned following the revelation that the firm manipulated US
diesel car emissions tests.
A)Volkswagen

B)Hyundai

C)Honda

D)Fiat

E)None of these

Question No. : 6
Which of the following was, in September 2015, selected as a member of the global Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) - 2015
for the sixth year in succession?
A)Wipro

B)Infosys

C)TCS

D)Cognizant

E)None of these

Question No. : 7
In September 2015 Didi Kuaidi Joint Co., the largest taxi-hailing company of ., invested an undisclosed amount in Ola, as the
two firms joined hands to fight Uber Technologies Inc., a common competitor.
A)Japan

B)China

C)Singapore

D)North Korea

E)None of these

Question No. : 8
In September 2015 Forbes released the Forbes list of richest Indians. The list contains names of 100 wealthiest people of India
with a collective wealth amounting to 345 billion dollars. Industrialist retained the tag as Indias richest for the ninth
year in a row with a net worth of 18.9 billion dollar.
A)Azim Premji

B)Anil Ambani

C)Mukesh Ambani

D)Sunil Bharti Mittal

E)None of these

Question No. : 9
In the Forbes list of richest Indians, released in September 2015, there are four women with a collective wealth of 9.2 billion
dollar. Please match them correctly with their respective business identity.

A. Savitri Jindal i. Chairperson of the OP Jindal group

B. Leena Tewari ii Chairperson of generic drugs maker USV Pharma group
C. Indu Jain iii. Chairperson of India's largest media group, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd group
D. Vinod Gupta iv. Wife of Havells founder Qimat Rai Gupta
A)A-i, B-ii, C-iii, D-iv

B)A-ii, B-i, C-iii, D-iv

C)A-iii, B-ii, C-i, D-iv

D)A-iv, B-iii, C-ii, D-i

E)None of these

Question No. : 10
Which of the following, in September 2015, signed a strategic pact with Emirates Defence Industries Company (EDIC), for
collaboration in maintenance, repair and overhaul category?
A)Tata

B)Reliance

C)DRDO

D)Bharti Enterprises

E)None of these

Question No. : 11
In September 2015 theAsian Development Bank(ADB) lowered growth projections for India for the current fiscal to per
cent, from the 7.8 per cent earlier, citing weak monsoon, poor external demand and inability of the government to push economic
reforms in Parliament.
A)7.4

B)6.9

C)6.5

D)7.1

E)None of these

Question No. : 12
The labour ministry, in September 2015, agreed to significantly enhance insurance benefits under the Employees Deposit Linked
Insurance (EDLI) Scheme of the retirement fund body EPFO. Which of the following is true in this context?
A)The proposed new limit is Rs 6 lakh, an over 66% from the current limit of Rs 3.6 lakh
B)The ministry also agreed to do away with the mandatory requirement of continuous employment of one year under current
employer before being eligible for insurance benefits
C)The move is likely to give incentive to 4 crore subscribers of the scheme to stay put in the EPFO
D)It comes at a time when the BJP-led NDA government is working towards making the National Pension System (NPS) as an
alternative to EPFO, thus threatening the existence of the EPFO
E)All of these
Question No. : 13
In September 2015 the Reserve Bank of India granted in-principlelicencefor small finance banks to . entities. The inprinciple approval granted by RBI will be valid for a period of 18 months.
A)7

B)8

C)9

D)10

E)None of these

Question No. : 14
In September 2015 Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited in September 2015. He is the first Prime Minister of India to
visit Ireland in 59 years. During his visit, the two nations agreed to develop closer partnership & cooperation.
A)China

B)Ireland

C)France

D)Singapore

E)None of these

Question No. : 15
Dr. P Sivakumar wasin news in September 2105 because .
A)He was elevatedas Distinguished Scientist with immediate effect by the Union Defence Ministry Ministry.
B)He passed away. C)He was caught in a multi crore scam. D)He was nominated for the Bharat Ratna. E)None of these
Question No. : 16
In September 2015 S K Sharma was appointed Chairman of BBMB. What does BBMB stand for?
A)Bhakra Beas Marketing Board B)Bhakra Beas Management Bureau
D)Bhakra Beas Marginal Board E)None of these

C)Bhakra Beas Magnificent Board

Question No. : 17
In September 2015 Sherif Ismail was sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of .. He will succeed Ibrahim Mehleb who had
resigned from office following a corruption scandal involving his cabinet minister.
A)Israel

B)Syria

C)Egypt

D)UAE

E)None of these

Question No. : 18
After remaining headless for almost a year NCPCR appointed Stuti Narain Kacker, a 1978 batch IAS officer, as its Head, in
September 2015. What does NCPCR stand for?
A)National Committee for Protection of Child Rights
C)National Commission for Protection of Civil Rights
E)None of these

B)National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

D)National Commission for Protection of Constitutional Rights

Question No. : 19
In September 2015 Meghalaya Governor V. Shanmuganathan was given additional charge of following death of
incumbent Syed Ahmed.
A)Manipur

B)Sikkim

C)Arunachal Pradesh

D)West Bengal

E)None of these

Question No. : 20
Renowned personality Viren Dangwal passed away in September 2015 at the age of 68. Viren Dangwal was a leading
A)Hindi poet

B)National Dancer

C)National Artist

D)National Singer

E)None of these

Question No. : 21
In September 2015 AlexisTsipras was sworn in as prime minister of after his party's win in the recent general elections, to
form the government for second time in 8 months.
A)Spain

B)Italy

C)Norway

D)Greece

E)None of these

Question No. : 22
In September 2015 Government appointed NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman .. as the Sherpa for G-20 talks, replacing Railway
Minister Suresh Prabhu.
A)Suresh Prabhu

B)Arvind Panagariya

C)Montek S Ahluwalia

D)Raghuram Rajan

E)None of these

Question No. : 23
In September 2015 Indo-.. tennis pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won womens doubles title of 2015 Guangzhou
Open Tennis Tournament by defeating Chisese pair of Shilin Xu and Xiaodi You.
A)French

B)Swedish

C)American

D)German

E)None of these

Question No. : 24
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel from .. won 2015 Singapore Grand Prix of Formula One in September 2015, earning his
third victory of the season 2015.
A)Netherlands

B)Germany

C)France

D)Sweden

E)None of these

Question No. : 25
legend Yogi Berra from United States passed away in September 2015 at 90. He is one of only five players to win the
American League Most Valuable Player Award for three times.
A)Baseball

B)American Football

C)Rugby

D)Golf

E)None of these

Question No. : 26
Indias Ajay Jayaram won silver medal in September 2015 in Korea Open .. tournament in the Mens singles category, when
he lost to World no. one Cheng Long of China.
A)Lawn Tennis

B)Table Tennis

C)Badminton

D)Chess

E)None of these

Question No. : 27
Indias ace .. Gurpreet Singh won silver medal at 2015 Asian Championship held in New Delhi in September 2015.
A)Shooter

B)Golfer

Question No. : 28

C)Wrestler

D)Boxer

E)None of these

In September 2015 PepsiCoChairmanIndra Nooyiand . chairpersonShobhana Bhartiawere presented with the2015

Global Leadership Awardof the US India Business Council, for their commitment to driving a more inclusive global economy and
their roles as women leaders.
A)Hindustan Times Group

B)Times Group

C)Zee TV

D)Indian Express

E)None of these

Question No. : 29
Which of the following is true with respect to Shamim Hanfi, who was in news in September 2015?
A)He is an eminent Urdu litterateur. B)He was conferred the Jnangarima Manad Alankaran by Bharatiya Jnanpith
C)He is best known for his books on criticism like "Jadidiyat ki Falsafiyani Asas," "Ghazal Ka Naya Manzarnama" and "Infiradi
Shaoor aur Ijtemai Zindagi."
D)He has also been a freelance columnist for various Urdu and Hindi newspapers and periodicals, besides writing features and
plays for radio and television
E)All of these
Question No. : 30
Indian-origin author Sunjeev Sahota was , in September 2015, among the six authors short-listed for the prestigious 2015
. This is the second year that the prize, first awarded in 1969, is open to writers of any nationality, writing originally in
English and published in Britain.
A)Man Booker Prize for Fiction B)Nobel Prize in Literature
D)International Rubery Book Award E)None of these

C)Man Booker International Prize

Question No. : 31
In September 2015 EPFO received the SKOCH Award for smart governance for its initiatives on UAN programme and
transformation of social security agenda in India. It is the 5th Award won by EPFO in the last two years for its initiatives for the
welfare of various stakeholders. What does EPFO stand for?
A)Employees Personal Fund Organisation B)Empirical Provident Fund Organisation
C)Employees Provident Fund Organisation D)Energy Provident Fund Organisation E)None of these
Question No. : 32
Why was the Afghan refugee teacher Aqeela Asifi, who dedicated her life to bringing education to refugee girls in Pakistan, in
news in September 2015?
A)She won the 2015 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award B)She was killed by the Taliban
C)She was honored by the Indian Prime Minister D)She was alleged in a corruption scam

E)None of these

Question No. : 33
In September 2015 Government think-tank NITI Aayog constituted an expert group on , headed by former CACP
chairman T Haque.
A)land leasing

B)green energy

C)water replenishment

D)rural development

E)None of these

Question No. : 34
In September 2015 State Government of . constituted a one-member Commission to probe the Petlawad
explosionincident.Retired High Court judgeJustice Aryendra Kumar Saxenawas appointed as the Chairman of the Commission.
A)Uttar Pradesh

B)Madhya Pradesh

C)Himachal Pradesh

D)Gujarat

E)None of these

Question No. : 35
Which of the following is true with respect to the launch of Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification &
Maintenance) Policy, 2015?
A)Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari launched the policy in September 2015.
B)The aim of the policy is to promote greening of Highway corridors with participation of the community, farmers, private
sector, NGOs, and government institutions.
C)The Green Highway Policy will help in making India pollution free. It will also help in curtailing the number of road accidents
in India.
D)The vision of the policy is to provide dignified employment to local people and communities. E)All of these

Question No. : 36
In line with the 'Digital India', a knowledge portal for dissemination of detailed information on . was launched in
September 2015.
A)Indian Railways

B)Indian Roadways

C)Indian Navy

D)Indian Army

E)None of these

Question No. : 37
Which State government, in September 2015, passed the State Vexation Litigation Prevention Bill, 2015, the objective of which is
to prevent filing of baseless cases and to check the misuse of law for personal benefits?
A)Rajasthan

B)Goa

C)Madhya Pradesh

D)Gujarat

E)None of these

Question No. : 38
In September 2015 the Rajasthan Assembly passed separate Bills providing five per cent reservation to Gujjars and other
communities under Special Backward Classes (SBC) and per cent to Economically Backward Classes (EBC) of unreserved
categories.

A)12

B)10

C)14

D)5

E)None of these

Question No. : 39
A first-of-its-kind conference on the contemporary relevance of the 'Bhagvad Gita' was held in September 2015 in , during
which experts came together with an aim to seek answers to the "innumerable questions that exercise and confound all of us
today."
A)London

B)Tokyo

C)New York

D)Beijing

E)None of these

Question No. : 40
Which of the following, in September 2015, successfully launched a new model of carrier rocket the Long March-11 from the
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre?
A)Japan

B)China

C)Korea

D)Singapore

E)None of these

DIRECTIONS for the question: Mark the best option:

1.

In October 2015 Youyou Tu (China), Satoshi Omura (Japan) and William Campbell (Ireland) won the
2015
A. Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine
C. Nobel Prize for Physics
E. None of these

2.

Inuit and Arctic activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier of .. won the 2015 Right Livelihood Award in
October 2015. Ms. Watt-Cloutier was honoured for her lifelong work to protect the Inuit of the Arctic and
defend their right to maintain their livelihoods and culture, which are acutely threatened by climate
change.
A. Uganda

3.

B. Canada

B. Albert Einstein

E. None of these

B. Cambridge University
E. None of these

C. Oxford University

B. Compaq

C. Nokia

D. Cognizant

E. None of these

B. Hyundai

C. Samsung

D. Daewoo

E. None of these

Which of the following, in October 2015, entered into a partnership with Baba Ramdev-promoted
Patanjali Ayurved to sell the latter's FMCG products through its stores with plans for joint manufacturing
in future?
A. Future Group

8.

C. Thomas Edison D. Steve Jobs

In October 2015 Forbes released the inaugural list of Forbes' 50 richest families in Asia. The list was
topped by Lee (Byung-Chull) family of South Korea with 26.6 billion dollar. Which business group is
owned by this family?
A. LG Corp

7.

E. None of these

In October 2015 Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways announced to sign a 10-year technology services
agreement worth approximately $700 million with .. aimed at improving efficiency.
A. IBM

6.

D. Italy

In October 2015 Indian Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi was selected for the prestigious Humanitarian
of the Year Award. Which university gives this award?
A. Harvard University
D. Princeton University

5.

C. US

In October 2015 the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of . was
awarded to Angus Deaton "for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare".
A. Alfred Nobel

4.

B. Nobel Prize for Peace

D. Nobel Prize for Literature

B. Nestle

C. Reliance

D. Tata Group

E. None of these

Which of the following, in October 2015, launched a mobile-payment solution based on 'mVisa' that will
allow its customers pay for services using their smartphones?
A. HDFC Bank
C. Kotak Mahindra Bank

B. ICICI Bank
D. YES Bank

E. None of these

9.

In October 2015 iGate chief executive Ashok Vemuri quit just about six months after IT giant
Capgemini acquired the Nasdaq-listed IT services firm, ending a two-year reign that was marked by
top-level exits, largescale strategic overhauls and ultimately the hiring of an external consultant to
validate its strategy. Which country is Capgemini headquartered in?
A. France

10.

B. US

E. None of these

B. Birla Power Solutions Ltd.

E. None of these

C. Essar Power Ltd.

In October 2015 Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the second phase of Mission
.. to achieve full immunisation of children below two years.
A. Indradhanush

12.

D. UK

Which of the following was in news in October 2015 for launching LED tube light scheme in Mumbai for
its residential consumer under which it will provide five lights to each household at Rs 525 per piece
against market price of Rs 1,325?
A. Tata Power
D. Reliance Energy

11.

C. Germany

B. Akaash

C. Umang

D. Balak

E. None of these

The Centre notified the mid-day meals rules in October 2015. Which of the following is true in this
context?
A. The State governments will be held accountable for non-delivery of service.
B. If a school fails to serve food to students for three consecutive school days or five days a month, the
State government will have to pay a food security allowance as compensation.
C. Under the rules, children in the six-14 age group, studying from classes I to VIII, will be provided hot
cooked meal on all working days.
D. School management committees will monitor the implementation of the meal scheme, oversee the
quality of the food served and ensure cleanliness of the cooking place.
E. All of these

13.

In October 2015 Union Government launched this project to facilitate crop Insurance using Space
Technology and Geoinformatics to benefit farmers. This project will favour use of satellites, drones
(unmanned aerial vehicles) and other geospatial technology to collect crop yield data and to assess
damage from natural calamities. What is the project called?
A. KISAN

14.

B. GAUN

C. TARAQI

E. None of these

In October 2015 Government approved the formation of the ISDS, a Group 'A' service of the technical
cadre of the ministry of skill development & entrepreneurship (MSD&E). What is the full form of ISDS?
A. Indian Skill Development Society
C. Indian Skill Development Service
E. None of these

15.

D. SEHAR

B. Indian Software Development Service

D. Indian Societal Development Service

Lifting its earlier restriction, the Supreme Court, in October 2015, permitted voluntary use of
in welfare schemes that also included MGNREGA, all pension schemes and the provident fund besides
the NDA Governments flagship programmes such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna.
A. Aadhaar cards

B. PAN cards

C. Voter ID cards

D. Passports

E. None of these

16.

In October 2015 the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) projected that
Indias gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow at per cent in 2015.
A. 6.5

17.

B. 7.5

B. Eight

C. Nine

D. Ten

E. None of these

B. Nigeria

C. Egypt

D. Syria

E. None of these

B. Mozambique

C. Germany

D. UK

E. None of these

B. Mozambique

C. Germany

D. Ecuador

E. None of these

The government's ambitious project, which aims to develop port infrastructure along the country's 7,500
km coastline, is likely to see an investment of more than Rs 70,000 crore in coming years as per an
announcement made by Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari in October 2015. What is the project called?
A. Sagarmala

24.

C. Bank of Baroda

In October 2015 India and . signed a Protocol for the establishment of the India-. Joint
Economic and Trade Committee to enhance bilateral trade and investment relations.
A. Jordan

23.

B. Allahabad Bank
E. None of these

India and . signed six Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) in various fields in October 2015.
Both countries also assured to enhance their cooperation in counter-terrorism and defence.
A. Jordan

22.

C. Rs. 1.8 lakh crore

In October 2015 the Union Cabinet approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the
Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and in the field of renewable energy.
A. Mozambique

21.

B. Rs. 2.2 lakh crore

E. None of these

The Index of .. Core Industries with base year 2004-05 was released by the Department of
Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. As per official
figures released on 30 September 2015, growth of these core sectors grew by 2.6 percent in August
2015, as compared to the August 2014.
A. Seven

20.

E. None of these

Which of the following registered the highest increase in gross Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in
percentage terms against total loans in the 2014-15 fiscal year, as per a report in October 2015, thus
becoming the worst performer among the other public sector banks?
A. UCO Bank
D. State Bank of Patiala

19.

D. 6.8

Easing norms for foreign ownership of government debt, the RBI, in October 2015, announced higher
investment limits in rupee terms in government securities by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) with a
view to bringing in an additional by March 2018.
A. Rs. 1.2 lakh crore
D. Rs. C.2 lakh crore

18.

C. 7.0

B. Sagaryatra

C. Sagarkinara

D. Sagarvidhi

E. None of these

In October 2015 the Union Cabinet gave its approval for the Revised Cost Estimate (RCE) of 2904.04
crore rupees for the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project in . which is intended to
create a multi-modal mode of transport for cargo shipment from the eastern ports of India to this
country.
A. Sri Lanka

B. Bangladesh

C. Myanmar

D. Nepal

E. None of these

25.

In October 2015 Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli was elected as the new Prime Minister of .., thus
becoming its first Prime Minister under the newly adopted secular, republic and federal Constitution.
A. Nepal

26.

B. Myanmar

C. Bhutan

B. Telugu

B. TCS

E. None of these

C. Wipro

D. Cognizant

E. None of these

B. Canara Bank
D. Oriental Bank of Commerce

E. None of these

B. Ravindra Jain
E. None of these

C. Shailendra Jain

Telenor India appointed Sharad Mehrotra as its new Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1
November 2015. What was Telenor earlier known as?
A. Uninor

33.

B. State Bank of Hyderabad

D. Allahabad Bank

This veteran music director and lyricist passed away at the age of 71 in October 2015. A Padma Shri
awardee, he composed music for hit films like 'Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se', 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili' and
'Heena'. During the 1980s and 1990s, he widely composed music for many mythological movies and
television serials. Identify the person.
A. Ravindra Sharma
D. Ravindra Saini

32.

E. None of these

Rakesh Sharma of Lakshmi Vilas Bank was, in October 2015, appointed as the new MD and CEO of

A. Bank of Baroda
C. State Bank of Patiala

31.

D. Gujarati

Indias second largest software services firm, appointed Ranganath D Mavinakere as new
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in October 2015.
A. Infosys

30.

C. Marathi

In October 2015 P S Jayakumar, the former chief executive of VBHC Value Homes, took charge as the
new MD and CEO of the state-owned for three years.
A. Bank of Baroda
C. Punjab National Bank

29.

B. Fuel and Atomic Organization

D. Food and Agrarian Organization

Veteran actor, comedian, stage artiste and singer Manorama passed away at the age of 78 in
October 2015. In her career spanning almost six decades she had acted in over 1,500 films, 1,000
stage performances and several television series in five languages and was also a Padma Shri
awardee.
A. Tamil

28.

E. None of these

Kundhavi Kadiresan was, in October 2015, appointed as the Assistant Director (AD) of United Nations
FAO and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific. What does FAO stand for?
A. Fertilizer and Agriculture Organization
C. Food and Agriculture Organization
E. None of these

27.

D. Bangladesh

B. Unitel

C. Unicorn

D. Uninorm

E. None of these

Renowned scientist . was appointed as the Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
and Secretary of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), in October 2015.
A. Shekhar Basu

B. Shekhar Sharma C. Rajat Basu

D. Shekhar Gupta E. None of these

34.

In October 2015 Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the 2015 Mens Singles title of .. Open after
defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain in the finals.
A. Japan

35.

D. France

E. None of these

B. Cricket

C. Hockey

D. Boxing

E. None of these

Sergey Karjakin of Russia won the 2015 World Cup .. Championship in October 2015 by
defeating Peter Svidler (Russia).
A. Billiards

37.

C. Australia

In October 2015 Punjab National Bank (PNB) won the 2015 Beighton Cup tournament by defeating
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in the finals. Which sport is being talked about?
A. Football

36.

B. China

B. Snookers

C. Chess

D. Squash

E. None of these

Why was the India seamer Zaheer Khan in news in October 2015?
A. He announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket.
B. He was caught in a match fixing scam.
C. He got into a major altercation with a Pakistani counterpart.
D. He was nominated for Arjuna awards.
E. None of these

38.

Which country, in October 2015, became the first European country to sign the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of Nalanda University, thus becoming the 17th country
overall and the fourth outside the East Asia Summit to do so?
A. Spain

39.

C. France

D. Germany

E. None of these

In October 2015 EU launched the second phase of Operation .. to fight traffickers in

Mediterranean Sea. This is a naval operation launched by the European Union against human
smugglers and traffickers in the Mediterranean Sea.
A. Sophia

40.

B. Portugal

B. Maria

C. Human Chain

D. Sandra

E. None of these

In October 2015 Government of India and Federal Republic of Germany (KFW) signed two loan
agreements worth 125 million Euros for financing two projects under the Green Energy Corridor
programme. These two projects are in the states of .
A. Himachal Pradesh & Andhra Pradesh
C. Uttar Pradesh & Andhra Pradesh
E. None of these

B. Himachal Pradesh & Punjab

D. Madhya Pradesh & Andhra Pradesh

Bulls Eye

Answer keys

www.hitbullseye.com

Current GK Tests Answer key

MBA
Current Gk
Jan Test 01

MBA
Current Gk
Jan Test
02

MBA
Current Gk
Feb Test 01

MBA Current
Gk Jan Feb
02

MBA
Current Gk
March Test
01

MBA Current
Gk March
Test 02

1.

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40.

40.

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40.

Bulls Eye

Answer keys

www.hitbullseye.com

MBA
Current Gk
April Test
01

MBA
Current Gk
April Test
02

MBA
Current Gk
May Test 01

MBA Current
Gk May Test
02

MBA
Current Gk
June Test
01

MBA Current
Gk June Test
02

1.

1.

1.

1.

1.

1.

2.

2.

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31.

31.

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31.

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32.

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39.

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Bulls Eye

Answer keys

www.hitbullseye.com

MBA
Current Gk
July Test 01

MBA
Current Gk
July Test 02

MBA
Current Gk
Aug Test 01

MBA Current
Gk Aug Test
02

MBA
Current Gk
Sep Test 01

MBA Current
Gk Sep Test
02

1.

1.

1.

1.

1.

1.

2.

2.

2.

2.

2.

2.

3.

3.

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15.

15.

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17.

17.

17.

17.

18.

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18.

18.

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18.

19.

19.

19.

19.

19.

19.

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20.

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20.

20.

20.

21.

21.

21.

21.

21.

21.

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22.

22.

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22.

23.

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23.

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23.

24.

24.

24.

24.

24.

24.

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25.

25.

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25.

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26.

26.

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27.

27.

27.

27.

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27.

28.

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28.

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28.

29.

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29.

29.

29.

29.

30.

30.

30.

30.

30.

30.

31.

31.

31.

31.

31.

31.

32.

32.

32.

32.

32.

32.

33.

33.

33.

33.

33.

33.

34.

34.

34.

34.

34.

34.

35.

35.

35.

35.

35.

35.

36.

36.

36.

36.

36.

36.

37.

37.

37.

37.

37.

37.

38.

38.

38.

38.

38.

38.

39.

39.

39.

39.

39.

39.

40.

40.

40.

40.

40.

40.

Answer keys

Bulls Eye
www.hitbullseye.com

MBA
Current Gk
Oct Test 01
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.