News (04'15)

India ranks 13th in generating electricity
from nuclear source

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April 30, 2015No comments
India ranks at 13th position in the world in terms of generation electricity from nuclear source.
This information was given by Minister of State (MoS) Dr Jitendra Singh in written reply in the
Rajya Sabha to an unstarred question.
As per the written reply
The ranking was based upon the data published by Power Reactor Information System
(PRIS) of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2014.
Indias current installed nuclear power capacity is 5780 MW. It is expected to increase to
10080 MW by 2019 on progressive completion of projects.
Union Government also has accorded sanction for two more projects with a total capacity
of 3400 MW.
In future more nuclear power projects based both on indigenous technologies and with
international cooperation are planned.
The total requirement of nuclear fuel i.e. natural uranium is over 5 five years is estimated
to be around 5,940 tons.
It should be noted that India ranks 13th among the thirty one countries in the world which are
generating electricity from nuclear source.
Tags: Energy Nuclear Power Rajya Sabha
India, Japan ink action agenda to boost

trade, investment
India and Japan have signed a Five-point action agenda to increase bilateral trade and investment
between the two nations.
The action agenda was signed between Japans Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Yoichi
Miyazawa and Minister of State (independent charge) for Commerce and Industry Nirmala
Sitharaman.
The five-point agenda includes
Development of selected townships in India as Japanese industrial townships.
Promotion of investment and infrastructure development.
Further development and cooperation in IT sector.
Enhancing cooperation in strategic sectors.
Asia-Pacific economic integration.
This five-point action agenda is a follow-up of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Japan in
2014 and will play important role in improving the trade relationship between India and Japan.
It also comes in line with Union Governments flagship Make in India programme as it will
further increase investments from Japan into the Indias manufacturing sector.
It should be noted that Japan is the fourth largest foreign direct investment (FDI) contributor to
India. Its major FDI interests is in automobiles, pharmaceuticals and services sectors which
accounts for 7.46 per cent of total FDI equity inflows into India.
Tags: Business Economy India-International Relations India-Japan Make in India
Union Government extends e-Tourist Visa

scheme to 31 more countries
Union Government has extended e-Tourist Visa scheme to 31 more countries with an effect from
31 May 2015.
In this regard, Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a notification. With this the
total number of countries under the scheme has gone up to 76.
The 31 countries are: Antigua & Barbuda, Anguilla, Bahamas, Bolivia, Barbados, Belize,
Canada, Costa Rica, Chile, Cayman Island, Dominic an Republic, Dominica, Estonia, El
Salvador, Ecuador, France, Grenada, Georgia, Haiti, Honduras,Vatican, Lithuania, Liechtenstein,
Latvia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Nicaragua, Montserrat, St.Kitts & Nevis Paraguay, and
Seychelles.
Background
India had launched e-Tourist Visa Scheme (as Tourist Visa on Arrival scheme) in November
2014. Initially during the launch only 45 countries were under ambit of the scheme.
Later in the phased manner, the scheme was extended to more countries. By the end of current
financial year Government intends to extend the scheme to 150 countries.
Tags: E-Visa Government Schemes Home Ministry Tourism
Flipkart acquires mobile marketing firm

Appiterate
Online marketplace Flipkart has acquired mobile marketing start-up Appiterate in order to
strengthen its mobile platform.
The financial details of the acquisition deal were not disclosed. This acquisition comes in line
with Flipkarts Mobile First focus which aims to increase its presence in the area of mobile
technology.
Now the Appiterates mobile marketing automation platform will be integrated with Flipkarts
mobile app, in order to target it users base on their activity based on the app and website.
Tanuj Mendiratta is Co-founder & CEO of Appiterate and was founded in 2013. Its unique
technology helps to validate new design or changes to an element on a webpage to improve the
sales (conversion rate).
In the past, Appiterate had helped leading e-commerce firms to combine the power of mobile
apps and big data. Its technology also had allowed the e-commerce firms to do one-on-one
targeting of users though push notifications and in-app messages.
As a startup company, it has raised money from institutional investors like SAIF Partners and
angel investors such as Greg Badros who was ex-VP of Product and Engineering at Facebook.
Tags: Business e-commerce Economy Flipkart
PropTiger.com acquires its rival

Makaan.com
Real estate portal PropTiger.com has acquired its rival Makaan.com to ramp up its presence in
Indias secondary property market. After the acquisition both portals will run separately.
In this regard, Elara Technologies parent firm of PropTiger.com has entered into a transaction for
an undisclosed amount with Makaan.com.
This acquisition will help PropTiger.com to create a comprehensive online real-estate platform in
India which will offer end-to-end services to real estate developers, home buyers, property
brokers, private equity investors and banks.
PropTiger is Noida-based firm founded in February 2011. It is backed by media magnate Rupert
Murdoch-led News Corp. The News Corp had had acquired 25% stake in PropTiger as part of its
strategy to expand presence in digital media.
Since 2011, through PropTigers platform around 12,000 homes worth $1.2 billion have been
purchased.
While, Makaan.com was founded by entrepreneur and investor Anupam Mittal within People
Group whose other digital ventures include Mauj Mobile and Shaadi.com.
Currently, it has around 200,000 active property listings in 50 Indian cities and relationships with
40,000 brokers.
Tags: Business Economy
Three super-Earths orbiting nearby star

discovered
Scientists have discovered three planets orbiting a nearby star named HD 7924 that is only 54
light-years away.
These planets were discovered by Automated Planet Finder (APF) Telescope located at Lick
Observatory in California and W M Keck Observatory, Hawaii.
They were traced out using the Doppler technique and the APT made crucial measurements of
the brightness of HD 7924 to assure the validity of the planet discoveries.
Each of the discovered planets has mass 7 to 8 times that of Earth and complete their orbits in
just 5, 15, and 24 days around HD 7924.
The first evidence of planets orbiting HD 7924 was found by the Keck Observatory in 2009
using the HIRES instrument installed on the 10-meter Keck I telescope.
Two additional planets orbiting HD 7924 were later discovered by Keck Observatory after
additional observations and the campaign by the APF Telescope.
Tags: Science and Technology
Veteran Marathi film and stage actress Bimba Modak passes away
Eminent Marathi film and stage actress, Shanta alias Bimba Modak of yesteryear passed away on
28 April 2015 in Pune. She was 97.
Modak, had entered into the film industry during the time when it was considered as taboo for
women to work in cinema.
Her debut film was Chul aani Mul in 1946, which was directed by noted playwright and writer
Vishram Bedekar.
Around the same time, she had earned a wide acclaim in both the art streams after she also had
acted in her first role on the Marathi stage in Bhavabandhan. Some of her best films included In
Min Sadetin and Un Paus.
She also had learned Natyasangeet from legendary Bal Gandharvas musicals and had acted in
the plays like Swayamwar, Manapaman and Saubhadra which had held sway over Marathi
audience with their content based on mythology and classical music.
Awards: For her versatile acting talent, Maharashtra government had honoured her with lifetime
award in 1980.
Tags: Maharashtra Obituary
Dr. Pramod Patil and Dr. Ananda Kumar won 2015 Whitley Awards for wildlife
conservation
Two Indians, Dr. Pramod Patil and Dr Ananda Kumar have been awarded with the prestigious
2015 Whitley Awards for their contribution to wildlife conservation in developing countries.
Both of them received a Whitley prize worth 35000 pound along with seven other
environmentalists at a ceremony in Royal Geographical Society, London.
Dr. Pramod Patil was awarded for his work to protect the iconic great Indian bustard (GIB) in the
Thar Desert.
While, Dr Ananda Kumar received this award for developing innovative communication systems
namely Elephant Information Network (EIN) has enabled human-elephant coexistence in
southern India.
About Whitley Award
The Whitley Award was established in 1994 by Edward Whitley and given by
the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN).
Every year, the award recognises and celebrates effective national and
regional conservation leaders across the globe.
The award is also dubbed as Green Oscar.
Tags: awards Environment

Union Cabinet gives nod to amendments in the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988
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).
Key Amendments
Proposes more stringent punishment for the offences of bribery, both for the
bribe giver and the bribe taker.
Enhances punishment from the minimum 6 months to 3 years and from the
maximum five years to seven years.
Extends the protection of prior sanction for prosecution to public servants

who cease to hold office due to retirement and resignation.
Non-monetary gratification is also be covered within the definition of the word

gratification in the PCA 1988.
Background
The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in
August 2013. But the Bill was not passed in Rajya Sabha.
The amendment Bill incorporates the recommendations given by the 20th Law Commission
headed by Justice (retd) AP Shah in its 254th Report in order to bring anti-corruption law in line
with the UNCAC.
Tags: Bills and Amendments Cabinet Decisions Narendra Modi
Seychelles becomes 161st member of World Trade Organisation
Seychelles, an archipelago of 90000 inhabitants became the 161st member of the World Trade
Organization (WTO). It is one of the smallest nations among the WTO members.
This approval by WTO ended Seychelles 20-year long wait to become a member of WTO since
it had applied for WTO membership in May 1995.
Seychelles also became the 33rd government to accede to the rules-based multilateral trading
system through Article XII negotiations since the WTO was established in 1995.
The President of Seychelles, James Michel had signed the legal instrument for the island nation
to the WTO on March 25, 2015 a day after the accession protocol was ratified by the Seychelles
National Assembly.
As per the WTO rules, the 30-day countdown to its WTO membership was activated on March
27, 2015 and Seychelles officially became a WTO member on April 26, 2015.
It should be noted that the Protocol of Accession was signed by former Seychelles Minister of
Trade, Finance and Investment Pierre Laporte and WTO Director General (DG) Roberto
Azevedo.
Tags: Seychelles WTO
International Day of Yoga logo launched in New Delhi
The logo for International Day of Yoga was launched in New Delhi on 29 April 2015.
It was launched by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Union Minister of State
(MoS) for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik.
The logo was selected by the Committee of Yoga experts, which was constituted by Union
Ministry of AYUSH and has been approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Facts about International Day of Yoga logo
Reflects peace and harmony for the humanity which is the essence of Yoga.
Folding of both hands in the logo reflects the union of individual

consciousness with universal consciousness.
It also reflects a perfect harmony between mind and body, man and nature
and the holistic approach to health and well-being.
The sun in the logo symbolise the source of energy and inspiration. While the
brown leaves symbolise the earth element.
The green leaves symbolise the nature and blue the fire element.
Background
The idea to observe 21 June as the International Day of Yoga was proposed
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2014 during his speech at
United Nations General Assembly (UN-GA).
In December 2014, UN-GA had unanimously had adopted an India-led

resolution to observe 21 June as the International Day of Yoga.
The resolution was passed within a record time of 75 days. It was also first
resolution in which 177 countries had become co-sponsors and was a world
record.
Tags: Days and Events International Day of Yoga Narendra Modi United Nations
Mohammed bin Nayef appointed as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia by King Salman
bin Abdulaziz al-Saud
Mohammed bin Nayef was appointed as Crown Prince and as Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi
Arabia by King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud.
This appointment relieved Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz from his duties and comes
during a major Cabinet reshuffle.
Prior to this appointment he was Interior Minister of the kingdom. While Kings son, Prince
Mohammed bin Salman, was appointed Deputy Crown Prince.
Saudi Arabias ambassador to United States Adel al-Jubeir was appointed as the Foreign
Minister. He replaced Prince Saud al-Faisal.
While, Khalid al-Falih was appointed as the Health Minister and chairman of Saudi Aramco.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (aged 78) had acceded to the throne in January 2015 after
the death of his half-brother Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, who was Saudi Arabias de facto leader
for 10 years.
Sri Lankan Parliament amends constitution

to reduce Presidents power
Sri Lankan Parliament has amended the constitution to reduce the power of Executive President
and to put into place a Constitutional Council for making key government appoints.
In this regard, the Parliament has adopted 19th (19A) Amendment of the Constitution. The
reform amendment bill overwhelmingly received 215 votes in favour and just one vote against it
in the 225-member assembly.
The bill brings reforms to
Ensure an independent judiciary and police.
Curbs and checks Presidents power to dissolve the parliament.
Two-term limit of Presidents is restored.
The term of the President is reduced from 6 to 5 years.
This amendment will also now put into place several independent commissions that will handle
key areas of governance such as elections, public service, police and the judiciary and will
function outside the influence of the Executive.
Background
The 19th Amendment of the Constitution reversers the changes in constitution made by former
President Mahinda Rajapaksa who had accumulated large powers during his decade-long stint as
President.
Incumbent Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena during his presidential election campaign
(which ousted Rajapaksa) had pledged key reforms in the country and to curtail excessive
powers of the presidency.
Tags: Constitution President Sri Lanka
Raja Rajeswari, first Indian-American

woman judge of New York
Ms. Raja Rajeswari became the first Indian-born woman to be appointed a judge in New York
City. She was sworn-in as a criminal court judge in New York by Mayor Bill de Blasio along
with 27 other judges.
They were appointed as judges earlier to the Family Court, Criminal Court, and Civil Court,
which are part of the New York State Unified Court System.
Previously, Rajeswari had worked for her entire career with the Richmond County District
Attorneys (DA) Office in several bureaus such as Criminal Court, Sex Crimes Special Victims
Bureau and Narcotics, Supreme Court.
Prior to this appointment she had served as Deputy Chief of the Special Victims Unit for more
than four years in DAs office.
Ms. Rajeswari was born in Chennai and had migrated to United States when she was 16. Apart
from her legal acumen, she is also an accomplished Bharathanatyam and Kucchipudi dancer.
Currently, there are two male judges of Indian descent in civil court settings. They are Jaya
Madhavan in the New York City Housing Court in Bronx County and Anil C. Singh of 1st
District of New York County Supreme Court.
Tags: Indian Diaspora Persons in News United States
NGT bans burning of waste in Delhi NCR

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered a complete ban on burning of any kind of
garbage, leaves, plastic waste and rubber in the open in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR).
This decision of NGT bench headed by its chairperson Swatanter Kumar comes in line with a
series of orders to control air pollution in the Delhi- NCR and on an application by a person
identified as Vardhaman Kaushik.
In this regard, NGT also has directed authorities to levy a fine of Rs 5,000 on anyone found
burning such material in the open.
NGT also mentioned that burning of garbage and other material like plastic in open accounts for
nearly 30% of the air pollution in the capital and its suburbs.
Earlier, NGT had banned over 15-year-old petrol vehicles and over 10-year-old diesel vehicles
from plying on Delhi-NCR roads and also had issued detailed guidelines to tackle air pollution
from construction activity in the Delhi-NCR area.
Tags: Delhi Environment NGT
Railways win 5th Senior Mens National Hockey championship
Railway Sports Promotion Board has won the 5th Senior Mens National Hockey Championship
2015.
In the final match, they defeated Uttar Pradesh Hockey by 5-3 goals which was played at Pune.
While in this championship, the 3rd Position was secured by Air India Sports Promotion Board
who had outplayed Hockey Gangpur-Odisha by 5-3 goals.
Individual awardees in this tournament are
Best Goal Keeper- Arpit Chaudhari of Jharkhand.
Best Defender- Amit Rohidas of Railway Sports Promotion Board.
Best mid Fielder- Jasjeet Singh of Railway Sports Promotion Board.
Best Forward- Lalit Upadhyay of Utter Pradesh.
Promising player of the championship- Vikramjeet Singh of Punjab.
Promising player from Maharashtra- Akash Chikate.
Tags: Hockey Indian Railways Sports Uttar Pradesh

Novelist Siddhartha Gigoo wins 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize in Asia region
Novelist Siddhartha Gigoo has won 2500 pounds 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize in Asia
region for his novel Umbrella Man.
With this win he will compete with the other four regional winners for the 5000 pounds grand
prize which will be announced in London on 8 September 2015.
Other region winners are
African Region: Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria) for Light.
Canada and Europe Region: Jonathan Tel (UK) for The Human Phonograph.
Caribbean Region: Kevin Jared Hosein (Trinidad) for The King of Settlement
4.
Pacific Region: Mary Rokonadravu (Fiji) for Famished Eels.
About Siddhartha Gigoo
Born in 1974 in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir.
He had studied English Literature at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Gigoos first novel was The Garden of Solitude, first published in 2011.
He also has written two poetry books, Fall and Other Poems (1994) and
Reflections (1995).
Gigoo also had produced and directed a short film The Last Day. His recent
film is titled Goodbye, Mayfly.
Tags: awards Jammu & Kashmir Novelist

ISRO successfully tests indigenous cryogenic engine with four-tonne capacity
April 28, 20153 Comments
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 28 April 2015 successfully tested an indigenous
cryogenic engine.
The powerful version of the cryogenic engine was tested successfully at ISROs propulsion
complex at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. A team headed by Director D
Karthikesan had led the testing.
This engine will allow launch vehicles to carry satellites of up to capacity of four tonnes in
geostationary orbit. It will also give boost to Indias interplanetary probes and manned space
missions.
Facts about cryogenic engine
A cryogenic engine is more efficient as it provides more thrust for every

kilogram of propellant burnt.
Cryogenic fuels are extremely clean as they give out only water while
burning. The engine uses liquid oxygen at -253 0C and liquid hydrogen at
-1830C
It can develop the thrust needed in the final state of the rocket to put
satellites, weighing two tonnes or more, into a geosynchronous orbit.
It is essential to master this technology for any space power as launching

heavier satellites requires cryogenic engines even in the lower stages of the
rocket.
It will also make India self-reliant in sending heavier satellites to the required
orbits and eliminate need of dependence on foreign launch vehicles.
It should be noted that India sixth spacefarer after US, Russia, the European Space Agency,
China and Japan to develop a cryogenic engine.
Earlier in January 2015, India had successfully launched GSLV-D5, the first successful launch
vehicle with an indigenous cryogenic engine. But it had capacity to launch satellites of up to two
tonnes.
Tags: ISRO Science & technology Space technology
ank (RRB) from Rs 5 crore to Rs 2000 crore divided into Rs 200 crore of fully paid share
of Rs 10 each.
As per the parent Act the Rs 5 crore share capital of RRBs is split into 5 lakh shares of Rs
100 each.
Issued capital: It also provides that the authorised capital issued by any RRBs shall not
be reduced below Rs 1 crore and shares in all cases to be fully paid up shares of Rs 10
each.
Shareholding: The Bill allows RRBs to raise capital from sources other than the central
and state governments, and sponsor banks.
Board of directors: The Bill adds provision that any person who is a director of an RRB
is not eligible to be on the Board of Directors of another RRB.
It also mentions that directors will be elected by shareholders based on the total amount
of equity share capital issued to such shareholders.
Tenure of directors: The bill raises the tenure of directors to 3 years from existing 2
years. The Bill also states that no director can hold office for a total period exceeding six
years.
Closure and balancing of books: The parent Act had provision which mentioned that
the balance books of RRBs should be closed and balanced by 31st December every year.
However this amendment bill changes this date to 31st March in order to bring RRBs
balancing of books in uniformity with the financial year.
It should be noted that the parent Act of 1976 mainly has provisions for the incorporation,
regulation and winding up of RRBs.
Tags: Bills and Amendments Lok Sabha Parliament Rajya Sabha
Parliament passes Payments and Settlement

Bill, 2014
Parliament has passed Payments and Settlement Bill, 2014. It was first passed in Lok Sabha on
December 9, 2014 and later in Rajya Sabha on April 27, 2015.
The bill seeks to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
The bill aims at
Addressing the problem of insolvency in the payment and settlement system by

increasing transparency and stability in it.
Bringing Indias banking payment system in sync with international practices.
Key facts of Bill
Seeks to improve the payment and settlement systems by increasing transparency and
stability of Indian financial market.
Has provision to protect funds collected from the customers by the payment system
providers and to extend the Act to cover trade repository and legal entity identifier issuer.
A Legal Entity Identifier will be a unique ID associated with a single corporate entity.
Mentions that the decision of the court, tribunal or any authority will not impact the
settlement which had become final prior to the issuance of the order.
Ensure that if a system participant becomes insolvent, the dues of people whose money is
with it would be cleared first.
Norms of banking as well as companies laws would not be applicable till such dues are
cleared.
Capgemini acquires IGATE for $4 bn in allcash deal

French IT services firm Capgemini has announced its plan to acquire US based information
technology (IT) outsourcer IGATE for US 4 billion dollars.
This acquisition will help Capgemini to strengthen its foothold in the North American market.
As per the merger agreement, Capgemini will acquire IGATE for a cash consideration of $ 48 per
share and the whole transaction will amount to $4 billion.
This transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2015 and will be financed through a
combination of cash and equity.
The combined entity will have revenue of estimated 12.5 billion euros in 2015 and around 1.9
lakh employees.
This merger is also one of the largest in the Indian IT sector. This acquisition will also provide
Capgemini offshore capabilities to compete with IBM, Accenture and large Indian infotech
services players.
Tags: Business IT sector
Loretta Lynch sworn-in as first black female

Attorney General of US
Loretta Lynch has sworn-in as United States first African-American woman Attorney General.
She is 83rd Attorney General of country.
Loretta Lynch succeeded Eric Holder who left the position on April 24, 2015 after serving
Attorney General for six years. Earlier, her appointment was confirmed by senate on April 23,
2015.
Prior to this appointment she had served as US Attorney for the eastern district of New York,
which encompasses much part of New York City.
Lynch was born on May 21, 1959 in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is graduate from Harvard
College in 1981 and holds Bachelor of Arts in English and American literature. She also holds a
Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School (1984).
Tags: Persons in News United States
Sudan President Omar al-Bashir re-elected

with 94 percent of vote
Sudans President Omar al-Bashir has won 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.
In this election Omars National Congress Party (NCP) also won 323 of 426 parliamentary seats.
Omar is facing war crimes charges and is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of
ordering genocide in the Darfur conflict in 2003 in which the UN estimates 300,000 people had
died and more than two million displaced.
Election summary
The voting was for four-day and had started on 13th April 2015. Sudanese opposition had
boycotted this election. Official voter turnout in this election was low at 46%.
Tags: International Sudan
Union government cancels licences of 9,000

NGOs
The Union government has cancelled licences of nearly 9,000 Non-Governmental Organisations
for violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
In this regards, Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had issued an order. The order has
mentioned that notices were issued to 10,343 NGOs for not filing annual returns for the three
years i.e. for 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.
These notices were served to the NGOs in October 2014 and had asked NGOs to file their annual
returns for mentioned years. They were also asked to specify amount of foreign funds received,
sources of funds and the purpose for which they were received and manner in which they were
utilised.
However, to this notices only 229 NGOs replied out of the 10,344 NGOs leading to cancellation
of their registration.
Tags: Ministry of Home Affairs NGOs
Indian Army conducts AkramanII defense exercise in Rajasthan
Indian Army on 26 April 2015 conducted a major exercise Akraman-II in Rajasthan.

The exercise was conducted by the Chetak Corps, a part of South Western Command based in
Bhatinda, Punjab.
The exercise aimed to test a new generation of weaponry and platforms which are employed in
the desert region to provide real time battle and situational awareness to its commanders.
In this exercise more than 300 Combat Vehicles including Main Battle Tanks, Long Range
Artillery Guns participated along with 10,000 troops.
The Akraman-II exercise also tested the capabilities of Indian Air Force in launching deep
insertion of helicopter-borne and airborne army units.
The exercise envisaged at orchestration of an integrated battle field scenario in network-centric
environment.
This orchestrated environment was an integration of reconnaissance, electronic warfare &
surveillance and communication assets in order to provide real time battle and situational
awareness to commanders.
Tags: Indian Army Military Rajasthan
NTPC flags off Mobile Science labs to revolutionize rural education
April 27, 20151 Comment
Indias largest power producer, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) flagged off a
Mobile Science Lab (MSL) as part of its efforts to promote scientific learning.
MSL seeks to revolutionize rural education in India and make hands-on learning accessible to
underprivileged children.
Union Minister for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal flagged off three
Mobile Service Labs.
MSL is a vehicle fitted with LCD TV and is carrying working science models that give emphasis
to curiosity-based learning for children in rural India.
These three labs will be deployed at NTPCs ongoing projects at Darlipalli, Pakri Barwadih and
Kahalgaon through Agastya International Foundation.
Each of the MSL will cover a set of about 20 schools around NTPC project and generate
exposure to about 16000 students per year. While in next three years more than 1,40,000 student
exposure will be generated in order to enhance the level of curiosity and creativity among
children. These mobile science labs will have the instructors from neighborhood community of
deployment.
Tags: Education NTPC Science Socio-Economic
Yashwant Sinha gets highest French honour of Officier de la Lgion dHonneur
French Government has honoured former Union Finance Minister and veteran BJP leader
Yashwant Sinha with Officier de la Lgion dHonneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour).
It is the highest French civilian distinction bestowed upon him in recognition of his international
action taken during his stint as Union Minister of Finance, Minister External Foreign Affairs and
for his invaluable contribution to international issues.
The honour was given to Sinha by French Ambassador to India Franois Richier in Delhi.
Sinha as External Affairs (from 2002-2004) had chaired Indo-French Parliamentary Friendship
Group since its very inception (from 2009-2014).
He had contributed in deepening of the Indo-French strategic partnership which was launched
during the visit of them Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Paris in September 1998.
About Officier de la Lgion dHonneur
Officier de la Lgion dHonneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour) was created

in 1802 by first emperor of France Napoleon Bonaparte.
It is the highest civilian award given by the French government to person for
his outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality.
Tags: awards France India-France

Bharatiya Mahila Bank wins Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015
Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) has won The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015.
The award was presented to the BMB in the Technology Implementation category of Best
Outsourcing Project (New Bank).
Usha Ananthasubramanian, Chairman and Managing Director of BMB received the award at a
function held in Hongkong as a part of The Asian Banker Summit 2015.
About Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB)
BMB is Indias first all-women public sector bank and was formally launched
on November 19, 2013.
Its objective is to focus on the banking needs of the women and promote
economic empowerment.
It also seeks to address the gender related issues and will be helpful in
financial inclusion.
In Budget 2013-14, Union Government had approved Rs 1,000-crore seed

capital for the bank.
Headquarter of Bharatiya Mahila Bank is located in New Delhi.
Tags: Award Banking Socio-Economic Women Related Issues

Norways Magnus Carlsen wins Shamkir chess tournament in Azerbaijan
World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway on 26 April 2015 won the Shamkir Chess
tournament held in Azerbaijan.
In the ninth and final round, he defeated Rauf Mamedov of Azerbaijan in 35 moves and scored
seven points.
Former world champion Viswanathan Anand finished second in this tournament after he drew
against Fabiano Caruana of Italy.
With this win, Magnus Carlsen took his rating to 2875 points and Viswanathan Anand entered
the 2800 rating club to gain number two in world ranking.
About Shamkir Chess tournament
Shamkir Chess tournament is played Shamkir in Azerbaijan and also known

as the Gashimov Memorial.
It was established in 2014 and is played in the honour of Vugar Gashimov

(1986-2014).
The total prize fund for the tournament is 100,000 euros and held in a double
round robin format.
Tags: Azerbaijan Chess Sports

Indian-Origin Scientist Sangeeta Bhatia wins Heinz Award 2015
Sangeeta Bhatia, an Indian-Origin scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

has won prestigious Heinz award for year 2015.
She had won this award for her work in tissue engineering and disease detection in the
Technology, the Economy, and Employment category of the award.
Ms Bhatias team has developed artificial human microlivers for drug testing. These artificial
microlivers are being used to test the toxicity of drug candidates by many biopharmaceutical
companies.
She is also using these microlivers to model malaria infection and test drugs that can eradicate
malaria parasites completely in the laboratory.
This model seeks to eradicate malaria parasites completely as the reservoirs of parasite remains
in the liver even after a patients symptoms subside.
About Heinz Award
Heinz Award is an annual award established in 1993 and given by the Heinz
Family Foundation.
Every year it hounours and recognize outstanding individuals for their

innovative contributions in five areas. They are Environment, Public Policy,
Arts and Humanities, Human Condition and the Economy, Technology and
Employment.
The award carries a cash prize of US 2, 50, 000 dollars and a medallion.
Tags: awards Diseases Indian Diaspora Science & technology

Peter Jan Graaff of Netherlands appointed as head of UN Mission for Ebola
Emergency Response
United Nations (UN) has nominated Peter Jan Graaff of the Netherlands as the new chief of UN
Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).
He will replace Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed who was recently appointed as
special UN envoy for Yemen.
With this appointment, Peter Jan Graaff will work closely with Special Envoy on Ebola David
Nabarro, along with governments in the region.
Since October 2014, Graaff had served as Ebola crisis manager for Liberia, one of the African
countries which were affected by the Ebola epidemic along with Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Previously Graaff had worked for the World Health Organisation (WHO) in several African
countries, Afghanistan and Haiti. He also had led the Civil Affairs and Development team for the
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
Some facts about Ebola epidemic
As per WHO estimates, more than 26,000 people have been infected with
Ebola since the outbreak which began late in 2013.
In this epidemic more than 10,800 people have died since its outbreak.
More than 99 per cent of the death cases were reported in Liberia, Guinea
and Sierra Leone.
Tags: Africa Diseases Ebola Guinea Liberia Netherlands Sierra Leone United Nations
WHO
Indias rescue operation in quake-hit Nepal named as Operation Maitri
Indian Army has named the rescue and aid to Nepal Operation Maitri or friendship which was
aftermath of 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal.
This operation will involve number of Indian military aircraft and choppers along with bus
services through road route.
Along with them more than 1000 trained personnel of the National Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) will also take part in this operation.
Under the operation, a Multi-National Coordination Centre (MNCC) has been set up. In addition,
for relief operations Head-quarters has been established in PPO Pokhra.
Since the launch of operation more than 1000 Indian citizens have been safely flown from Nepal.
It should be noted that India was the first nation to respond to the earthquake crisis in Nepal, by
launching a full-fledged rescue and relief.
Tags: Disaster Management Indian Army NDRF Nepal
Indias S. Sarjubala and Pinki Jangra clinch gold medals at Presidents Cup
International Boxing in Indonesia
Indias Shamjetsabam Sarjubala and Pinki Jangra have clinched gold medals at the 22nd
Presidents Cup Open International Boxing Tournament held in Indonesia.
Pinki Jangra won the gold medal in 51kg category by defeating Mongolias Nandintsetseg by 2-1
score.
On the other hand, Shamjetsabam Sarjubala won the gold medal in 48kg category by defeating
Russias Iseva Joya in the final match played at Palembang, South Sumatra.
Both of them helped India to win two gold medals in 22nd Presidents Cup Open International
Boxing Tournament.
In this edition of tournament, more than 130 boxers from 30 countries had participated.
The other Indians who had participated were Preeti Beniwal (60 kg), Bilao Basumatary (57 kg)
and Priya Dayal (54 kg). But, failed to enter into the medal rounds.
Tags: Boxing Indonesia Sports
7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal
A high-intensity earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale had struck central Nepal
between its capital Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara on 25 April 2015.
Earthquakes epicenter was 80 kilometers east of Pokhra near Kathmandu. It had a depth of only
11 kilometers (7 miles) i.e. in geological terms it was a shallow depth.
The intensity of this earthquake was high due to its shallower depth which had more destructive
power. It has resulted in thousands of deaths and tremendous loss of property.
The tremors of this quake were felt in north Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Assam, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Haryana, and Punjab. The tremors were
also reported in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Earlier, Nepal had suffered its worst recorded earthquake in 1934. It was measured 8.0 and had
destroyed the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.
Reasons for catastrophic earthquake in Nepal
This earthquake in Nepal may have occurred because of two converging

tectonic plates, the India plate and the overriding Eurasian plate.
These tectonic plates are the large, thin, relatively rigid and are moving
relative to one another on the outer surface of the Earth. Both of these plates
are slowly moving and sometimes get stuck at their edges due to friction.
Earthquake might have occured because of these overriding plates after the
stress on the edge overcomes the friction. It releases tremendous energy in
form of waves that travel through the Earths crust and causes earthquake on
the surface.
Tags: Disaster Management India Nepal

Bank of Baroda ties up with UAE Exchange for instant money transfer
Leading Indian public sector bank Bank of Baroda (BoB) has partnered with UAE Exchange to
offer Non-resident Indian (NRI) customers an instant cash transfer facility.
In this regard agreement was signed between both parties. This agreement will facilitate
customers can send money within minutes to their desired bank accounts in BoB in India.
This facility is also supported by SMS alert, which will notify the moment the amount is credited
in the bank account of desired customer.
UAE Exchange is a global remittance and foreign exchange (FOREX) company. It serves over
7.9 million customers worldwide and currently has presence in 32 countries with over 750
branches across 32 countries.
Currently, Bank of Baroda (BoB) has a network of more than 5,000 branches across United
States, Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia. Its financial centres are located in cities like New
York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai.
Tags: Banking FOREX remittances
50th Jnanpith Award conferred on Marathi litterateur Bhalchandra Nemade
50th Jnanpith Award was conferred on eminent Marathi litterateur Bhalchandra Nemade on 25
April 2015.
He was presented award comprising of 11 lakh rupees and a citation plaque and a bronze replica
of Saraswati by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a function in Parliament House Complex in
New Delhi.
His novel, Kosala, written in 1963 is considered as a path breaking in Marathi literature.
About Bhalchandra Nemade
He was born in 1938 in the village of Jalgoan district of Maharashtra.
He completed his bachelors degree from Fergusson College, Pune and

received PhD and D.Lit. degrees from North Maharashtra University.
He had taught English, Marathi, and comparative literature at various

universities including the School of Oriental and African Studies at London
and retired from Mumbai Universitys Gurudeo Tagore Chair for comparative
literature studies.
In the 1960s, he had edited Marathi magazine Vacha.
His work
Novel Collection- Kosla, Bidhar, Hool, Jarila, Jhool, Hindu- Jagnyachi

Samruddha Adgal.
Poem Collection- Melody, Dekhani.
Criticism Collection- Teekaswayamvar, Sahityachi Bhasha, Tukaram, The

Influence of English on Marathi: A Sociolinguistic and Stylistic Study, IndoAnglian Writings: Two Lectures, Prasaranga Prakashan, Mysore, Nativism
(Desivad).
Awards- He has received Sahitya Akademi Award (1990) for his critical work Teeka Svayanwar.
He was also awarded Padma Shri (2011).
It should be noted that Bhalchandra Nemade is the 4th Marathi writer to receive the honour.
Others are
Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar (1974) for his work Yayati.
Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar (1987). He is famously known as Kusumagraj.
Vinda Karandikar (2003).
Tags: awards Persons in News

Anil Kapoor conferred with Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2015
Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor conferred with prestigious Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award
2015.
He was presented the award by noted historian and writer Babasaheb Purandare.
Apart from Anil Kapoor, veteran Marathi actor Dilip Prabhavalkar was also bestowed with the
prestigious Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2015.
About Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award
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.
The awards carries monetary award of Rs 101 001, memento and citation.
Dinanath Mangeshkar was born on December 29, 1900 and died on April 24,
1942. The award ceremony is held annually on 24 April.
In 2014, the award was given to Bollywood legend Rishi Kapoor and eminent musician Zakir
Hussain.
Tags: awards Bollywood Entertainment
Gopinath Pillai awarded Outstanding Service Award for his services in Singapore
Indian-origin diplomat Gopinath Pillai was awarded Outstanding Service Award for his services
by the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Current he is serving as Ambassador-at-Large of Singapore and special envoy to Andhra
Pradesh.
About Gopinath Pillai
Gopinath Pillai was born in Singapore to Indian parents and had spent eight
years of his childhood in Kerala.
In 1961, he is graduate from University of Malaya and holds degree of

Bachelor of Arts (BA).
He had started his career as a journalist with Reuters. He also has worked in a
number of fields including banking and currently is chairman of IT company
Savant Infocomm and is Director of Gateway Distriparks Ltd in India.
Pillai has significantly contributed to Singapore through his distinguished

service as a diplomat for more than 25 years.
His diplomatic career started in 1980s with an assignment with Singapores

Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Foreign Affairs.
He had served as the non-resident Ambassador to Iran from 1990 to 2008.
Later, he had served as the Singapore High Commissioner to Pakistan.
Awards: He was conferred with Padma Shri in 2012 by the Government of

India.
Tags: awards Indian Diaspora Singapore

Rajya Sabha passes The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014
Rajya Sabha on 24 April 2015 unanimously passed The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014
by voice vote.
It should be noted that it was a private members bill moved by DMK MP Tiruchi Shiva to
protect the rights of transgender persons.
It is the first private members bill to be passed in 46 years. In the past, 14 Private Members Bills
have been passed. Now, the bill will go to the Lok Sabha for the passage.
Key features of the Bill
Seeks to provide framework for the formulation and implementation of a

comprehensive national policy for ensuring overall development of the
transgender persons and their welfare.
Two percent reservation in primary, secondary and higher education and in

government jobs.
Establishment of Employment Exchange, National and State Commissions for

Trasngender Persons and Special Transgender Rights Courts.
No child who is transgender will be separated from his or her parents on the
grounds of being a transgender except on an order of competent court.
Penalty for hate speech against transgender persons includes imprisonment

extending upto one year and with fine.
This bill will help government take necessary steps in order to ensure that transgender persons
enjoy the right to life with dignity and to personal liberty guaranteed by the Constitution.
It should be noted that 29 nations and leading democracies in the world including US, UK,
Canada, France, Australia, Italy and Singapore have legislations protecting rights of transgender
persons.
Tags: Bills and Acts Rajya Sabha Socio-Economic
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Indias Healthcare Tourism Portal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 April 2015 inaugurated Indias Healthcare Tourism Portal
www.indiahealthcaretourism.com at the SAAARC Trade Mart in the Global Exhibition on
Services (GES).
It was inaugurated on the occasion of three-day Global Exhibition on Services (GES) that
commenced on 23 April, 2015 in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
Key facts about Healthcare Tourism Portal
The portal is developed by the Union Governments Department of

Commerce and the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC).
It is a comprehensive one-point information site that covers hospital and

travel-related information in India.
Presently, it covers 124 accredited medical facilities. It includes 93 medical

centers, 30 Ayurveda and Wellness centers and 1 special category center.
Among these medical facilities 74 facilities are located in Tier I cites and the
rest are in Tier II cities.
These covered accredited medical facilities on portal are easily locatable. It is

also easy to find by search options by location, medical specialty, key
procedures, language options etc.
Details such as costs related to treatment in hospitals, visa and travel

formalities, tariff options on stay etc are also mentioned on the portal.
Tags: Healthcare SAARC Tourism

India-Bangladesh join hands to protect spectacled Langur
India and Bangladesh have decided to take concerted conservation efforts to protect the rare
spectacled Langur.
These conservation efforts will be taken to protect this species of Langur found in Patharia Hills
Reserve Forest on either side of the fenced border along both nations in Karimganj district of
Assams Barak Valley.
Decision in this regard was taken into effect at the meeting of higher officials of both countries.
The primary focus of this conservation effort is to preserve the habitat for the survival of the
primates in the Patharia Hills Reserve Forest that is posing a major threat to the wildlife present
in the forest.
It also seeks to spread awareness campaigns which will be conducted in the fringe villages to
urge people not to destroy the forests for firewood.
Spectacled Monkey is popularly known as the Chasme vala bandar. They have white spectacle
like patches around the eyes.
The Patheria Hills reserve Forest is spread over an area of around seven thousand hectares on the
Indian side and consists of two blocks Patheria A and B.
It is only the forest in Assam, where the Spectacled Monkey is found while Mizoram and Tripura
are the other two states in the country where it inhabits.
Apart from spectacled Langur, the reserve forest is also home to the endangered Hoolock Gibbon
and Golden Langur.
It should be noted that Golden langue is one of endangered primate species in India.
Tags: Assam Environment India-Bangladesh
India ranked 117 in World Happiness Report 2015
India was placed at 117th position in the recently released World Happiness Report 2015 among
the 158 studied nations.
The report was published by the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Solutions
Network (SDSN).
Key facts from report
Top five countries: Switzerland (1st), Iceland (2nd), Denmark (3rd), Norway
(4th) and Canada (5th).
Bottom five countries: Rwanda (154th), Benin (155th), Syria (156th),

Burundi (157th) and Togo (158th).
Other countries: United States (15th), United Kingdom (21th), Japan (46th)
and China (84th).
India is ranked below countries like Pakistan (81st), Bangladesh (109th),

Ukraine (111th) and Iraq (112th).
About World Happiness Report
The report aims at influencing government policy.
The report is prepared based upon study undertaken by Gallup World Poll.
The data is used to ranked nations based upon variables such as real GDP per
capita, healthy life expectancy, corruption levels and social freedoms.
Tags: Canada Denmark Iceland India Norway Switzerland

Assam awarded as Best e-Panchayat state on National Panchayati Raj Diwas
State of Assam has been awarded as the Best e-Panchayat state on 25 April 2015 on the occasion
of National Panchayati Raj Diwas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the award to state Rural Development minister Rakibul
Hussain in New Delhi.
Apart from this award, 8 Panchayat Raj Institutes of state also received Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat
Shasaktikaran award.
These panchayat raj institutes are Agomoni Anchalik Parishad, Morigaon Zila Parishad, Ketri
Gaon Panchayat, Mayong Gaon Panchayat, Boitamari Anchalik Parishad, Halakula Gaon
Panchayat, Chandrapur Gaon Panchayat and Baghara Gaon Panchayat.
Tags: Assam e-governance
25 April: World Malaria Day
Every year World Malaria Day (WMD) is observed on 25 April. The day is observed to
recognise the global efforts to control preventable disease malaria. The theme of this year WMD2015 is Invest in the Future and Defeat Malaria.
This day also seeks to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political
commitment for elimination and control of malaria.
WHO also had called on the global health community to urgently address significant gaps in the
treatment, prevention and diagnosis of malaria.
Background
World Malaria Day was instituted in 2007 by World Health Organization (WHO)
member nations during World Health Assembly.
This day is one of the eight official global public health campaigns currently
marked by the WHO.
Some facts
As per United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) report more than 1200
children die every day worldwide from Malaria. At least three quarters of
malaria deaths occur in children under 5.
According to the recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) since
2000, Malaria deaths worldwide have declined by 47 percent. In Africa alone,
Malaria deaths during the period declined by 54 percent.
Tags: Days and Events Diseases Events and Observances WHO

Calbuco volcano erupts in Chile
Calbuco volcano in southern Chile erupted on 23 April 2015 for the first time after more than 42
years.
It had erupted twice in the space of a few hours which led to billowing of huge ash cloud over a
sparsely populated, mountainous area in southern Chile.
Chilean Government authorities after the eruption have ordered evacuation of the 1,500
inhabitants of the nearby towns.
Facts about Calbuco Volcano
Calbuco Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes of the Southern Chilean
Andes.
It is 2015 metre high and is capped by 400-500 metre wide summit crater.
It also considered as one of the top three most potentially dangerous among
Chiles 90 active volcanos.
It had erupted last time in 1972.
It should be noted that Chile has the second largest chain of volcanoes in the world after
Indonesia which has about 500 that are potentially active. Both countries fall on the Ring of Fire.
Tags: Chile Disaster Management Natural Disaster
Russia, Argentina sign agreements on

economic & energy co-operation
Russia and Argentina have signed a series of framework agreements on economic and energy cooperation.
These agreements were signed following talks between Argentine President Cristina Fernandez
de Kirchner and her counterpart Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Both leaders hailed their co-operation as a comprehensive strategic partnership.
The signed agreements include
Russian investment in a hydroelectric plant in Argentinas Neuquen River.
Russias Rosatom nuclear corporation to build a new reactor at Argentinas Atucha 3

nuclear power plant.
Memorandum of co-operation (MoC) on defence between both nations.
Comment
Russia is eager to boost trade and economic relations with Latin American countries to offset the
effects of sanctions imposed by the West over the crisis in Ukraine. While, Argentina is looking
for foreign investment in order to restructure its defaulted debt because of US hedge funds.
Tags: Argentina Economy Nuclear Power Russia
India fourth largest supplier of generic

medicines to US: Government
India has emerged as the fourth largest supplier of generic medicines to the United States.
It was announced by Minister of State (MoS) for Chemicals and Fertilizers Hansraj Ahir gave
this information in the Rajya Sabha in reply to a question.
Indias generic medicines exports have touched over US 4 billion dollars in 2013-14 in spite of
stringent regulatory measures imposed by US.
Union Government also announced that Indian pharmaceutical companies are already exporting
generic medicines to Africa, West Asia and European countries.
Tags: Business India Pharma sector Rajya Sabha US
Union Government allows EPFO to invest

5% corpus in stock markets
Union Government has allowed Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Indias
retirement fund body to invest five per cent of its corpus in exchange traded funds i.e. in stock
markets.
In this regard, Union Labour ministry has notified the new investment pattern for the EPFO.
The new pattern allows EPFO to invest 5% of its incremental income in Exchange Traded Funds
(ETFs) from the current financial year i.e. 2015-16.
This limit will start from 1% with an effect from April 1, 2015 and reach upto 5% by the end of
the FY 2015-16.
This decision of Union Government will result in an inflow of around 5000 crore rupees into the
stock markets during this fiscal.
The EPFO has more than 5 crore subscribers across the country and has a corpus of over Rs 6
lakh crore.
Tags: Business Stock Exchange
National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology inks MoU with Snapdeal
National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) on 23 April 2015 signed
a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with e-commerce giant Snapdeal to roll out digital
marketing courses.
The MoU aims at helping small and medium enterprises/businesses and artisans who want to
take the online route to become entrepreneurs.
Snapdeal by being a knowledge partner will provide inputs on the course and will facilitate
industry interactions for the participants.
These digital marketing courses will help
To widen participants business prospects by teaching them the nuances of

using online space to market and sell their products. Thus it will indirectly to
eliminate the need for middlemen/brokers to sell their products.
Trainees understand the fundamentals of digital marketing and effectively

utilise the online sales channel.
To begin with, the course will be launched in six centres across India. They are Srinagar, New
Delhi, Calicut, Chennai Aurangabad and Kolkata.
Tags: Business Economy IT sector
India and France begin naval exercise Varuna
10-day naval exercise Varuna between India and France began on 23 April 2015 off the Goa
coast.
It is the fourteenth edition of this naval exercise which will host of naval assets of both countries
and will conclude on 3 May 2015.
Scope of exercise: It will include the entire gamut of various maritime operations from aircraft
carrier operations, maritime interdiction operations, anti-submarines warfare exercises to multiship replenishment exercise.
Key facts
French Navys Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle with its fighter aircraft Rafale
M, E2C Hawkeye AWACS and helicopters Dauphin, Strike Aircraft Super
Etendard and Alouette 3 is going to take part.
Apart from it two destroyers Chevalier Paul and Jean de Vienne,

replenishment tanker Meuse and a maritime patrol aircraft Atlantique 2 are
also going to take part.
From Indian side fleet of aircraft carrier INS Viraat, destroyer INS Mumbai and
stealth frigate INS Tarkash are going to take part.
Apart from them submarine INS Shankul, guided missile frigate INS Gomati,
replenishment tanker INS Deepak and a few Fast Attack Craft are also
participating.
Indian Navys carrier-borne fighter aircrafts like Sea Harriers, maritime

reconnaissance aircraft P-8I and Dorniers along with integral helicopters
Chetak and Seaking 42B are also be participating.
About Varuna naval exercise
Following the establishment of strategic partnership in 1998 between both

countries, every year Indian Navy and French Navy are conducting naval
exercises.
In 2001, the naval exercise was named as Varuna. Thirteenth edition of this
naval exercise was conducted in the Mediterranean Sea.
Tags: Defense India-France Indian Navy

First battalion of Gorkha rifles celebrates Bicentenary year
First Battalion the First Gorkha Rifles (1/1 GR) on 24 April 2015 celebrated its Bicentenary at
Pathankot, Punjab.
To mark this day, hundreds of serving and veteran Officers, Junior Commissioned Officers and
Other Ranks of the battalion both from India and Nepal attended the function.
Bicentenary celebrations of the battalion commenced with a solemn memorial service in honour
of the martyrs.
About First Gorkha Rifles Battalion
The First Gorkha Rifles Battalion was raised on 24 April 1815.
It was raised from the remnants of Gorkha General Amar Singh Thapas
forces that had valiantly fought the British at the Malaun Fort near Shimla in
the Anglo Nepal War of 1814-16.
Later the raising of battalion had signalled the birth of present day Gorkha
Brigade which is also present in Bristish Army apart from Indian Army.
In last two Centuries, the battalion had shown its gallant actions in various
fields of battle across the world including in two World Wars, the Indo-Pak
wars and in the conflicts of the sub-conventional realm.
After independence, the Gorkha Regiments have been awarded numerous

awards and medals. It includes 3 Param Vir Chakras, 33 Maha Vir Chakras,
and 84 Vir Chakras.
Tags: Days and Events Events and Observances

24 April: National Panchayati Raj Diwas
Every year April 24 is being observed as National Panchayati Raj (PR) Diwas across India.
This day marks the passing of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force
with effect from 24 April 1993.
This amendment had led a defining moment in the history of India which helped in
decentralization of political power to the grassroots level. In turn it had lead to
institutionalization of Panchayati Raj (PR) through the village, Intermediate and District level
Panchayats.
On this day Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj organises National Conference every year to
commemorate the National Panchayati Raj Diwas.
Best performing Gram Panchayats are conferred with Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Purskar by
the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj on this day.
Tags: Days and Events Observances
Indian-American Dr. Vivek Murthy takes oath as US Surgeon General
Indian-American Dr. Vivek Murthy was sworn-in as the US Surgeon General on 23 April 2015.
He was administered oath by US Vice President Joe Biden at a ceremony held at Fort Myer in
Virginia.
Vivek Murthy is 19th US Surgeon General and youngest-ever (37-year-old) to become in- charge
of the countrys public health. With this appointment he is also the highest ranking IndianAmerican in the Obama Administration.
About Dr. Vivek Murthy
Born: July 10, 1977 in Huddersfield, United Kingdom.
Education: He holds BA from Harvard University, an MBA from Yale School of

Management, and an MD from Yale School of Medicine.
Career: Prior to this appointment Dr Murthy was physician at Brigham and

Womens Hospital in Boston and a Hospitalist Attending Physician and
Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
In 2009, he founded Doctors for America, a group of 15,000 physicians and

medical students supporting comprehensive health reforms of US President
Barack Obama.
It should be noted that U.S. surgeon general does not set any government policy but is an
advocate for the peoples health. He is nominated by US President and confirmed by a majority
vote of the Senate and has term of four-years.
Tags: Indian Diaspora United States
NASA develops first 3-D printed copper rocket engine part
NASA engineers have developed the first full-scale three dimensional (3-D) printed copper
rocket engine part.
The part developed was a combustion chamber liner that operates at extreme temperatures and
pressures using additive manufacturing technique.
Combustion chamber was manufactured by using selective laser melting machine in the
Laboratory located in Marshall Space Flight Centres Materials and Processing.
The machine had fused 8,255 layers of copper powder to make the chamber in 10 days and 18
hours.
The raw material used was GRCo-84, a copper alloy created by scientists at NASAs Glenn
Research Centre in Ohio. This alloy has an extensive materials characterization which helped
engineers to validate the 3-D printing processing parameters and ensure build quality.
3-D printing or additive manufacturing technique has the potential to reduce the time and cost of
making rocket parts. It can help to manufacture engine parts 10 times faster and reduce the cost
by more than 50 per cent.
Tags: NASA Space technology
Union Cabinet approves lowering of age of

Juveniles from 18 to 16 years for heinous
crimes
Union Cabinet has approved lowering of age of juveniles from eighteen to sixteen years for
heinous crimes. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
The cabinet also approved to introduce Amendment to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection
of Children) Bill, 2014.
This amendment will propose and add special provisions to tackle heinous offences like murder
and rape committed by juveniles in the age group of 16-18 years.
The proposed bill will amend the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000. The parent Act clearly defines and
classifies offences as serious, petty and heinous and defines differentiated processes for each
classified category.
While the amendments in the bill adds provisions that in case a heinous crime committed by a
person between 16 and 18 years, will be examined by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) to assess
if the crime was committed as a child or as an adult.
Then the trial of the case will take place as a juvenile or as an adult on basis of JJBs assessment
and decide whether the culprit should be sent to observation home or tried in a regular court.
Background
The changes in the Parent Act come against the backdrop of outrage over the conviction
of a minor in the Delhi gang-rape case of December 2012.
The minor in this case was tried in a juvenile court and was sentenced to three years in a
reform home.
However, the lighter punishment to this minor had triggered a debate on punishment for
juveniles convicted of heinous crimes.
Tags: Bills and Amendments Cabinet Decisions
Zomato acquires NexTable

Online restaurant guide Zomato has acquired United States (US) based online table reservation
platform NexTable for undisclosed amount. It is Zomatos ninth acquisitions since past nine
months.
This acquisition also comes shortly after Zomato had acquired MaplePOS, a cloud-based POS
product for restaurants on 14 April 2015.
NexTable services help its users make restaurant reservations in real time and it also includes
table management and marketing tools for restaurants.
With this acquisition, NexTable will be renamed as Zomato Book and it will help Zomato to
move beyond restaurant search and discovery into table reservations, online ordering services.
NexTable was founded by TC DeSilva and currently he is CEO of the company.
Tags: Business Technology firm
Railway Ministry launches mobile app for

paperless unreserved tickets
The Railway Ministry has launched utsonmobile, a mobile application for paperless
unreserved tickets.
The application service was launched by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi.
This application will allow its passenger to buy a ticket on the move and to board the train with
the ticket secured on his mobile phone in digital format, without any need for printing the ticket.
Initially, it has been launched as a pilot project and cover 15 stations in Southern Railway. Later
on it will be extended to entire country in phases.
Key facts
The application has been developed by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS).
It aims to eliminate the need for printing of unreserved tickets.
The application provides necessary on-screen alerts to guide the passenger during the
booking process.
Payment for the ticket will be done through the Railway Wallet, a feature inbuilt in the
App.
Passenger will get ticket confirmation on their mobile screen after booking the ticket
which will contain limited information of the ticket.
This app can be downloaded from Windows Store and Google Play Store.
Background
This paperless ticketing service using mobile applications comes in line with
announcement made by Union Government in the Union Railway Budget of February
2015.
In this budget, Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had announced that the Indian
Railways is committed to Operation Five Minutes that is, purchase of an unreserved
ticket within five minutes and launching of paperless unreserved mobile ticket is the first
step in this area.
Tags: Indian Railways Ministry of Railways
CCEA gives nod to three highway projects in

three states
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved three highway projects in
Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra with a total cost of 5,150 crore rupees.
All the three projects will be implemented on Buildoperatetransfer BOT (toll) model. The
private sector will invest in it to meet the capital cost of projects which will be recovered by
collection of toll during the concession period.
These projects include
Eight-laning of Mukarba Chowk to Panipat section of National Highway (NH)- 1 in

Delhi and Haryana. The total length of the project will be around 70 kilometer and will
cost of over 2204 crore rupees.
Six laning of Agra-Etawah section of NH- 2 in Uttar Pradesh. The total length of the road
will be over 124 kilometer at an estimated cost of over 1787 crore rupees.
Four laning of the Solapur-Bijapur section of NH- 13 in Maharashtra and Karnataka. It

will cost around 1538 crore rupees.
Tags: Cabinet Decisions CCEA
Union Cabinet approves agreement between

India and Jordan on maritime transport
Union Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 April 2015 gave its
approval for signing of a shipping agreement between India and Jordan.
The agreement aims at strengthening cooperation between both nations in the area of shipping
and to provide sustained mutual assistance and advice on merchant shipping and other related
maritime matters.
The agreement will help both countries to
Facilitate and encourage development of their maritime relationship.
Cooperation in the task to enhance and stimulate steady growth of maritime traffic.
Training and exchange of staff and students from various maritime establishments.
Accelerate and facilitate flow of commercial goods at sea and at ports by exchange of
necessary information.
Establishment of joint ventures (JV) in maritime transportation, shipbuilding and repairs,

maritime training, information technology, including development of simulators, port
facilities and related activities.
Tags: Cabinet Decisions India India-Jordan Jordon
Information and Broadcasting Ministry

receives ISO 9001:2008 certification
Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) on 22 April 2015 received an ISO
9001:2008 certification from the British Standards Institute (BSI).
The ISO certification was granted to Ministry in respect of various permissions and licences
issued by it for the broadcasting and print media and films.
These licences or permissions include for satellite Television channels, multi-system operators,
teleports, community radio stations and DTH services.
It also includes publication of Indian editions of technical and scientific and foreign magazines
of news and current affairs, facsimile editions of foreign newspapers and permission for foreign
film producers.
The Ministry has undertaken this initiative in order to bring in more transparency and efficiency
in the processes related in granting of various permissions and licenses to the eligible applicants.
In this regard, the Ministry has put in place a well-defined procedure and measures in order to
ensure quality of services offered to the customers on the basis of ISO 9001:2008. It will also
ensure delivery of services by the Ministry in a qualitative manner.
Tags: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
MoU signed between NRL & BPC to export petroleum products through IBFPL
pipeline
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Numaligarh Refinery Limited

(NRL) and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) to export petroleum products to
Bangladesh.
It was signed by General Manager (Planning and Development) of BPC, Mustafa Qudrat-I-Elahi
and NRLs General Manager (Marketing and Business Development) Bruno Ekka in Dhaka,
Bangladesh.
The MoU seeks to provide cooperation in export of petroleum products from NRLs marketing
terminal in Siliguri, West Bengal to BPCs depot at Parbatipur in Bangladesh.
The petroleum products will be exported through the proposed Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline
(IBFPL) of 130 km length and capacity of one Million Metric Tonne Per Annum (MMTPA).
The IBFPL pipeline will be implemented through a joint venture (JV) company formed by NRL
and Bangladesh Petroleum.
Tags: Bangladesh India India-Bangladesh Petroleum Industry
MakeMyTrip acquires travel startup website Mygola.com
Online travel services provider MakeMyTrip.com has acquired Mygola, a startup travel guide
firm.
The acquisition was done through MakeMyTrips Innovation Fund, which invests in early-stage
or start-up companies in the travel technology space.
With this acquisition, MakeMyTrip will get a greater foothold in the mobile space as Mygolas
entire team has joined them.
Mygola was founded by IIT Mumbai batchmates Anshuman Bapna and Prateek Sharma in 2009.
Since its formation it had raised capital from Helion Ventures, Blumberg Capital and
500Startups, among other angel investors.
Presently, Mygols app is present in 16 cities across the world and has up to 5,000 installs on the
Google Playstore i.e. on Android Operating System.
It should be noted it is MakeMyTrips seventh overall acquisition and third of an Indian
company. MakeMyTrip.com was founded in 2000 by Deep Kalra.
Tags: Business Technology firm Tourism
Japans Maglev train makes new world speed record
Japans state-of-the-art Magnetic levitation technology (Maglev) train has clocked a new world
speed record smashing through the 603 kilometre per hour mark in a test run near Mount Fuji.
The new record has surpassed its previous record of 581 kilometre per hour which was set in
2003.
Central Japan Railway Company owns this fastest passenger train and is planning to have a train
in service in 2027 on the 286-km route between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya.
Japan had launched its first bullet train named Shinkansen in 1964. Currently, Japan has the
Worlds most sophisticated rail network.
By successfully testing these new train technologies, Japan is seeking to sell its Shinkansen
Bullet and Maglev train systems to other countries.
How Maglev train works?
Maglev train hovers 10 centimetres above the tracks and is propelled by

electrically charged magnets which lift and moves train carriages above the
rail tracks.
This train travels along a guideway using magnets to create both lift and
propulsion.
This lift and propulsion reduces friction and allow it to attain higher speeds
compared to conventional wheeled trains.
Tags: Japan Records Science & technology

Xi Jinping conferred with Nishan-e-Pakistan award
Pakistan Government on 21 April 2015 conferred Nishan-e-Pakistan, top civilian award on

Chinese President Xi Jinping.
He was bestowed with this award for his outstanding contribution in promotion of relationship
between the two countries by Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain.
About Nishan-e-Pakistan
The Nishan-e-Pakistan (Order of Pakistan) is the highest of civilian award and

decoration given by the Pakistan Government.
The award is awarded to a person for his highest degree of service to the
country and nation of Pakistan. It is conferred on them for their merit and
distinguished services to the country, foreign relations and international
community.
Established on 19 March 1957.
Former Prime Minister of India Morarji Desai is only Indian to receive this
award. He was awarded this award in 1990.
Tags: awards China Pakistan Xi Jinping

Renowned historian Christopher Alan Bayly passes away
Sir Christopher Alan Bayly, a renowned historian passed away on 20 April 2015 in Chicago,
United States. He was 70.
As a historian he was specialised in global, Indian and British Imperial history. His works were
based on the 18th and 19th century India and British imperial.
It also had included the study British imperial in India that led the transformation on colonialism
and pre-modern societies and structures.
He was also Professor of History at University of Cambridge, Queen Mary University of London
and University of Chicago. He was Vivekananda Professor at the University of Chicago during
2014-15.
Honour- He was Knighted in 2007 for his contribution to historical scholarship.
Some of his famous books are
Local Roots of Indian Politics: Allahabad, 1880-1920 (1975).
Rulers, Townsmen and Bazaars: North Indian Society in the Age of British
Expansion, 1780-1870 (1983).
Indian Society and the Making of the British Empire (1988).
Imperial Meridian: The British Empire and the World, 1780-1830 (1989).
Empire and Information: Intelligence Gathering and Social Communication in

India, 1780-1870 (1996).
Tags: History Obituary Persons in News

2015 Pulitzer Prize Winners
All the Light We Cannot See, a novel based on Second World War by author Anthony Doerr has
won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
While, The New York Times has won two prestigious Pulitzer prizes for coverage of the Ebola
outbreak in West Africa.
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.
Tags: awards Ebola Outbreak

Earth Day is being observed on 22 April
Earth day is being observed on the 22nd April every year. This day seeks to build support for
environmental protection around the world.
This years theme for the day is Its Our Turn to Lead and is 45th anniversary of Earth Day.
On this day more than one billion people participate in Earth Day campaigns every year from all
around the globe of all nationalities, faiths and backgrounds.
Background
The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. Since then it is being observed in
more than 192 countries.
The concept of observing Earth Day was formally proposed by John McConnell
at a UNESCO conference on Environment in 1969 as a global holiday.
Later in 1971, a proclamation was signed to observe international Earth Day

annually on the Vernal Equinox by UN Secretary-General U Thant.
Tags: Days and Events Environment Observances

Indian Railways launches E-Samiksha to monitor rail projects online
Indian Railways on 21 April 2015 launched E-Samiksha, an online monitoring mechanism.

E-Samiksha aims at monitoring implementation of various ongoing projects of Indian Railways
on real-time basis including Rail Budget proposals.
It was launched by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi.
Facts about E-Samiksha
E-Samiksha is designed by National Informatics Centre (NIC).
It has been developed to make it a highly interactive web-based, user-friendly

and customised system.
E-Samiksha will be used to monitor budget-related projects and also for

monitoring the infrastructure target and board meeting follow-up.
Currently, it is being used by Cabinet Secretariat, Prime Ministers Office and

other Ministries for monitoring progress implementation of various
programmes and follow-up of meetings.
Tags: e-governance Government policy Indian Railways

ICICI Bank launches Tap-n-Pay, a near-field communications-enabled payment
service
Indias largest private sector lender Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI)
Bank has launched a payment service Tap-n-Pay. It was launched by bank in collaboration with
Tech Mahindra.
This payment service is based on the near-field communications (NFC) technology which will
enable its customers make over-the-counter payments without using cash.
Key features of Tap n Pay
NFC technology will allow users to tap NFC enabled tag or mobile phone at
the merchants point-of-sale device to make payments.
It is a prepaid account which will be available to customers of any bank by

simply registering for it and transferring money online from any bank
account.
ICICI Bank customers can also transfer money to the Tap-n-Pay account
through an SMS.
To start with this service bank has offered it at large campuses of corporate
offices.
ICICI Bank and Tech Mahindra also are planning to extend this service across the country.
Tags: Banking ICICI Bank
Former Odisha CM Janaki Ballabh Patnaik passes away
Former Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha and senior Congress leader Janaki Ballabh Patnaik
passed away on 21 April 2015 in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. He was 89.
Patnaik had served as CM of Odisha for three times and was in office from 1980 to 1989 and
again from 1995 to 1999.
About Janaki Ballabh Patnaik
J B Patnaik was born on 3rd January, 1927 in Puri district of Odisha.
He had a bachelor degree in Sanskrit from the Utkal University of Odisha in

1947 and MA degree in Political Science from the Banaras Hindu University in
1949.
Political Career: He started his political career in 1950 as President of the

Odisha state unit of the youth wing of the Congress.
For the first time he became CM of Odisha in 1980 and was in power till 1989
and again in 1995. He had held the post of CM of odisha for the longest time
on record before the incumbent CM Naveen Patnaik.
He also had served as Union Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation and Labour
and in the Union Cabinet of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
He was the Governor of Assam from 2009 to 2014
J B Patnaik also had written a number of books on religion and literature

which had won thousands of hearts.
Tags: Obituary Odisha

New species of Geckos discovered at Hampi in Karnataka
A new species of a gecko was spotted at the ruins of the World Heritage Site of Hampi in
Karnataka. It was named as Cnemaspis adii after a young herpetology researcher Aditya
Srinivasulu from Hyderabad, Telangana.
It was spotted by the researchers from the Osmania University in Hyderabad.
Cnemaspis adii gecko is similar to a type of lizard usually found in warm climates. It belongs to
the family of day geckos which are characterized by round pupils unlike regular geckos which
have vertical pupils.
This discovery of the gecko in Hampi is significant because for the first time species of day
gecko was found in the central regions of the peninsular India.
The other species of day geckos are commonly found in Western Ghats and southern Eastern
Ghats of peninsular India.
Tags: Biology Karnataka Science
India 5th biggest generator of e-waste in 2014: UN report
As per recently released Global E-Waste Monitor 2014 report by United Nations, India is the
fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world.
The report was compiled by UN think tank United Nations University (UNU).
Key facts from report
Top 5 e-waste producing nations: US, China, Japan, Germany and India.
In case of wealthy nations top 5 e-waste producers are Norway, Switzerland,

Iceland, Denmark, and United Kingdom.
US and China have produced the most e-waste in 2014. Both nations account
for 32 percent of total e-waste produced in the world in 2014.
India has discarded around 1.7 million tonnes (Mt) of e-waste in 2014.
In 2014, around 41.8 Mt of e-waste was produced all over world and it is
expected to rise by 21 percent to 50 million Mt in 2018.
In terms of continent wise, Asia has produced most e-waste per inhabitant in
year 2014 by producing 16 Mt i.e. 3.7 kg per inhabitant.
Top three Asian e-waste producing nations are- China (6.0Mt), Japan
(2.2Mt) and India (1.7Mt).
While, Africa has generated lowest amount of e-waste per inhabitant by

producing 9 Mt i.e. 1.7 kg per inhabitant.
Tags: China Germany India Japan US
Sitaram Yechury unanimously elected as

General Secretary of CPI (M)
Sitaram Yechury was unanimously elected as the general secretary Communist Party of India
(Marxist) on 19 April 2015.
He is the fifth general secretary of the 50 year old party which was formed in 1964.
He was unanimously elected by 91-member new Central Committee (CC) of Party after
Ramachandran Pillai had withdrawn from the race.
Yechury succeeded Prakash Karat, who was the General Secretary of the party for one decade i.e.
from 2005 to April 2015.
Presently he is member of Rajya Sabha and was elected from West Bengal in July 2005.
Tags: Person in news Political
INS Visakhapatnam, stealth destroyer of

Indian Navy launched
Indian Navys new stealth destroyer named INS Visakhapatnam was launched on 20 April 2015
at the Mazgaon Docks Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Visakhapatnam is the Kolkata-class warship and the first of P15-B stealth destroyers which is
designed indigenously and fitted with advanced features. It is the largest destroyer commissioned
in India.
Features of INS Visakhapatnam
The ship is designed by the Directorate of Naval Design, Indian Navys in-house design
organization and made of entirely of Indian steel.
It is 163-metre-long vessel and weighs approximately 3,000 tons.
Propelled by four gas turbines, and capable to achieve maximum speed of over 30 knots
at a displacement of approximately 7,300 tons.
Fitted with state-of-the-art weapons, advance Action Information System (AIS),

Integrated Platform Management system (IPMS), sophisticated Power Distribution
System (PDS) and a Combat Management System.
Also equipped with the Israeli Multi-Function Surveillance Threat Alert Radar (MFSTAR). MF-STAR will provide it with targeting information to 32 Barak 8 long-range
surface-to-air missiles on board the warship. It will also be carrying 8 BrahMos missiles.
It has four 30 mm rapid-fire guns which will provide the ship with close-in-defence
capability and also has an MR gun that will enable ship to provide effective naval gunfire
support.
Tags: Defence industry Indian Navy
Neeraj Kumar appointed chief adviser to

BCCIs ACSU
Former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar was appointed as chief adviser of the Board of
Control for Cricket in Indias (BCCI) Anti-Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU).
Decision in this regard was taken at the Governing Council Meeting of the Indian Premier
League (IPL) chaired by IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla in New Delhi,.
He will succeed Ravi Sawant as his term ended and will have term of one year.
In 2013, Delhi Police arrested former Test bowler S Sreesanth along with domestic spinners
Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila for allegedly getting involved in spot-fixing during the sixth
edition of the IPL under Kumars leadership.
Neeraj Kumar is a 1976 batch IPS officer of the AGMU cadre. He police force career spanned
nearly around 37 years. His tenure as the Delhi Police commissioner was of 13 months i.e. from
June 2012 to July 2013.
Tags: BCCI IPL Sports
Kerala government launches Subodham project to end liquor, drug abuse

Kerala government has launched Subodham, a major campaign in a bid to wean people away
from addiction to liquor, drug and other substance abuse.
It was launched by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Art of Living Foundation founder Sri
Sri Ravishankar.
About Subodham project
Subodham project aims to free one lakh people in the state each year from
alcohol addiction, through systematic, comprehensive awareness campaigns.
It also aims to achieve the ambitious target of making the state totally
alcohol free over the next 10 years.
The project is supported by the United Nations International Childrens

Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
Several non-governmental organisations (NGOs), religious leaders and other

stake holders are also participating in the project.
Under this project, state government also has decided to introduce anti-drug
and alcohol awareness content in the curriculum from the academic year
2016.
The Subodham project is envisaged by the state excise department and will be implemented by a
high-level committee comprising experts from various fields.
This project is also state governments first step towards Punarjani 2030 Project, an initiative to
completely eradicate the menace of substance abuse.
Tags: Government policy Government Schemes Kerala
Centre Party wins Parliamentary Elections of Finland, ousts incumbent PM Alexander
Stubb
Finlands opposition Centre Party has won the General Election 2015 by defeating the left-right
coalition National Coalition party of incumbent Prime Minister Alexander Stubb.
With this win, Centre Partys leader Juha Sipila, an IT millionaire and newcomer to countrys
politics, is set to become Finlands next prime minister.
In this election, Juha Sipilas Centre Party has won 42 seats in the 200 seats of Parliament and
Finns Party (formerly known as True Finns) was runner-up by winning 38 seats in parliament.
While the ruling Coalition Party has won 37 seats and the Social Democratic Party got 34 seats.
Comment
In this election the Centre Partys campaign was dominated by economic woes and had
advocated wage freeze and spending cuts to regain Finlands competitiveness. This may help to
get an economic revamp that could rescue Finland which is facing economic slowdown in the
past four-year.
Tags: Elections Finland International
Three Indian race walkers qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics
Three Indian race walkers Khushbir Kaur, Manish Rawat and Sandeep Kumar have qualified for
2016 Rio Olympics.
In the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Race Walking Challenge held at
Rio Maiorin Portugal, National womens 20km walk record holder Khushbir Kaur clocked 1
hour 33 minute and 58 seconds below the Rio Oympic qualification time of 1 hour and 35
minutes.
In the mens 20km race walk event Manish Rawat and Sandeep Kumar qualified for Rio Games.
In this event, Manish Rawat logged his personal best performance with a timing of 1 hour 22
minutes and Sandeep Kumar clocked 1 hour 23 minute and 32 seconds. Both of them performed
above the Rio Oympic qualification time of 1 hour and 24 minutes.
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates centenary celebration of Patna High Court
The centenary celebration of Patna High Court was inaugurated on 18 April 2015 by President
Pranab Mukherjee.
He also released a commemorative postage stamp on this occasion to mark HCs glorious
judicial history.
Bihar Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi was in the chair and Chief Justice of India (CJI) H.L.
Dattu was guest of the honour on this occasion.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Law Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Union IT
Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also had attended the function.
Facts about Patna High Court
On 1 December 1913, then Viceroy of India, Lord Charles Hardine had laid the
foundation stone of the existing Patna High Court building.
On 3 February 1916, the building was formally opened by Lord Hardine. The
court had started functioning with a chief justice and 6 judges under the
provisions of Government of India Act 1915.
At present it has sanctioned strength of 43 judges.
Rajendra Prasad, Indias first President and Sachchidanand Sinha, first

president of the constituent assembly also had practised at this court.
3 Chief Justices from Patna High Court went on to become the Chief Justice of
India (CJI). They are Justice B.P. Sinha (6th CJI), Justice Lalit Mohan Sharma
(24th CJI) and Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha (41st CJI).
Tags: Bihar High courts Pranab Mukherjee

Dr. Nasim Zaidi takes over as Chief Election Commissioner
Dr Nasim Zaidi on 19 April 2015 assumed the charge as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
He is Indias 20th CEC and succeeded Hari Shankar Brahma, who had retired on April 18, 2015.
At present, Dr Zaidi will be the sole member of the three-member Election Commission till the
government fills up the two vacant posts of election commissioners.
Dr Zaidi will have tenure of two years i.e. till he attains the age of 65 in July 2017.
About Dr. Nasim Zaidi
Nasim Zaidi is a 1976 batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
He had served as the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
He had retired from IAS as Secretary to the Union Government in Ministry of

Civil Aviation in July 2012.
About Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
As per the provisions of Article 324 of Constitution, Chief Election

Commissioner and Election Commissioners are appointed by the President.
They hold office for the term of 6 years or until they attain age of 65 years,
whichever is earlier.
The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only through
impeachment by Parliament.
Tags: Article 324 Election Commission Uttar Pradesh

Lewis Hamilton wins Bahrain Grand Prix of Formula One
Mercedes Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton from Britain on 19 April 2015 won Bahrain Grand
Prix of Formula One on the Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit.
This was his third win of the season and his second Bahrain Grand Prix win. It was also Lewis
Hamiltons overall 36th Grand Prix win.
In Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton was followed by Ferrari F1 driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany
to the second position.
Other Rankings
Mercedes F1 driver Nico Rosberg (Germany) and Valtteri Bottas (Finland) of

Williams took third and fourth places respectively.
Sebastian Vettel (Germany) of Ferrari and Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) of Red

Bull Team were placed at fifth and sixth places.
Romain Grosjean (France) of Lotus team and Sergio Perez (Italy) of Force India
Team were placed at seventh and eight places.
Daniil Kvyat (Russia) of Red Bull Team was placed at ninth position. Felipe
Massa (Brazil) of Williams team finished at tenth position.
Tags: Bahrain Formula One
Indias Y Pranjala wins Asian Junior Tennis

title
Indias Y Pranjala has won the Asian Junior Tennis championship title on 18 April 2015.
In the final match played at New Delhi she defeated Chinas Zheng Wushuang with a 5-7, 6-2, 75 scoreline.
She also had won the Asian Junior Tennis doubles title along with partner Zheng Wushuang on
17 April 2015.
Presently, Pranjala is coached by former Davis Cup player Ilyas Ghouse and trains at GVK
Tennis Academy in Hyderabad, Telangana.
Tags: China India Tennis
Maharashtra government sets up task forces

on agriculture development and poverty
alleviation
Maharashtra government on 18 April 2015 set up a task force on agriculture development and
poverty alleviation to address the issues.
It will be 12-member panel for agriculture development and will be headed by the states
additional chief secretary (Agriculture).
Members: Secretaries of the departments of finance, planning, water conservation, water
resources, forest, cooperation, dairy development will be its members.
Task force for poverty alleviation
State government also has set up another task force for poverty alleviation. It will be headed by
principal secretary (Social Justice Department).
Members: Secretaries of departments of tribal development, rural development, finance,
housing, urban development, labour and public health will be its members.
Background
During the first meeting of National Institution for Transformation of India (NITI) Aayog held in
February 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested to all state governments to set up
panels for agriculture development and poverty alleviation to address the issues.
Tags: Agriculture Maharashtra Niti Aayog
Vankadarath Saritha, first woman bus driver

of Delhi Transport Corporation
Vankadarath Saritha, a 30-year-old driver became first woman bus driver to be inducted in Delhi
Transport Corporation (DTC).
DTC has currently posted her at Sarojini Nagar depot and will work in day-time duty at a route
in the central part of the city, starting from 20 April 2015.
Saritha hails from Nalgonda district in Telengana. She had started her career as an autorickshaw
driver and previously had worked as a bus driver in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Prior to joining
DTC, she was working as a taxi driver in Delhi.
Delhi governments this step will allay its concern regarding womens security in the capital and
also encourage womens contribution to such sectors where theyre currently not participating.
Tags: Delhi Women Related Issues
RVNL Sings MoU with Private Sector Dighi Port Limited for Rail Connectivity
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 18 April 2015 between Rail Vikas
Nigam Limited (RVNL) and Dighi Port Limited.
The MoU will facilitate construction of 34 km of railway link between Roha and Dighi Port in
Raigad district of Maharashtra. The project cost is estimated around Rs. 723 crore.
It was signed in the presence of Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Maharashtra Chief
Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai.
Dighi Port is the first non- major private sector seaport in Maharashtra located on the banks of
Rajapuri Creek in Raigad district over 150 km from Mumbai.
The port is being developed by Balaji Infra Projects Ltd (BIPL) under a 50 year Build, Own,
Operate, Share, Transfer (BOOST) concession agreement.
The agreement was signed by BIPL with the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), Government
of Maharashtra in order to develop, operate, finance and maintain the Port.
Tags: Indian Railways Maharashtra
Andhra Pradesh Government inks MoU with IISL Company to replace streetlights in
13 municipalities with LED lights
Andhra Pradesh Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the IISL
Company to replace the existing streetlights in 13 municipalities with LED lights in the state.
MoU was signed by Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development P. Narayana
and IISLs representatives in Amaravati, the new capital state.
As per the agreement, IISL will maintain replace and maintain LED streetlights in the 13
municipalities for seven years.
The all existing streetlights in all the municipal corporations and municipalities will be changed
to LED streetlights in a phased manner.
By installing LED streetlights, state government aims to reduce the power consumption by 50
per cent.
Tags: Andhra Pradesh Energy
International Paralympic Committee derecognises Paralympic Committee of India
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has suspended the Paralympic Committee of
India (PCI) for indefinite period.
IPCs this move comes after PCI had provided shoddy treatment to athletes during the National
Para-Athletics Championships held in Ghaziabad from March 20 to 22, 2015.
This is second time PCI has been suspended by IPC. With this suspension, Indian para-athletes
will not be able to participate in any IPC-sanctioned competition, including 2016 Paralympic
Games at Rio de Janeiro.
In this regard, Union Sports Ministry also has issued a show cause notice to PCI. This notice was
issued based upon enquiry conducted by Sports Authority of India (SAI).
SAI in its enquiry had reported that the sports venue did not have proper facilities to conduct
National Championship and also lacked allied facilities required for differently abled athletes.
About Paralympic Committee of India (PCI)
PCI was founded in 1992 as the Physically Handicapped Sports Federation of

India.
It was recognized in November 2011, as National Sports Federation (NSF) for

promotion of sports amongst the physically challenged sportspersons in the
country.
It is also responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at

the Paralympic Games and other international athletic meets.
Tags: Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports Sports

Ashish Jakhar from Haryana sets National Youth record in hammer throw
Ashish Jakhar from Haryana on 17 April 2015 set a national youth record in boys hammer throw
event and won gold medal in the 12th National Youth Athletics Championships held in
Bambolim, Goa.
In this event, Ashish had hurled 5kg ball-and-chain at record distance of 72.04 metres in a second
throw which made a national youth record. In his opening throw he had hurdled at a distance of
71.92 metres.
With this, he broke the previous national record of 70.35 metres which was set by Haryanas
Sukhdev Singh in 2009.
While, Uttar Pradeshs Miraj Ali took the silver medal with a 68.35 metres throw in the meet.
Hammer throw event in the 12th National Youth Athletics Championships is also the selection
trials for the inaugural Asian Youth Championships which are to be held in Doha in May 2015.
At present and so far this season, only Chinese thrower Xu Wenjie has a better mark than Ashish
in the Asian rankings, with a 72.35 metres throw.
Tags: Haryana Records Sports
US President Barack Obama to honour Satya Nadella with Champion of Change
award
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.
Under Nadellas leadership, Microsoft recently had announced that all the suppliers doing
business with Microsoft in the US will have to provide at least 15 days of paid leave to their
employees who handle Microsoft work each year starting from 2016 onwards.
Apart from him, 11 other persons were honoured with Champions of Change award for their
exemplary leadership.
About Satya Nadella
Originally from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and was born in 1967.
Educational Qualification: He holds bachelors degree in electrical

engineering from Mangalore University, Masters degree in computer science
from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and a masters degree in

business administration (MBA) from the University of Chicago.
Microsoft career- He had joined Microsoft in 1992. He was appointed CEO

of company in February 2014.
About Champions of Change award
It is given to those who support working families and help make change in
their companies or communities.
In this regard, White House had created the Champions of Change

programme in order to feature these individuals and to empower and inspire
members of their communities.
Tags: awards Indian Diaspora Microsoft Satya Nadella United States

SC appoints CBI SP Vivek Priyadarshi as head of team probing IPL scandal
Supreme Court has appointed Vivek Priyadarshi to head an investigating team to further probe
the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 6 spot-fixing and betting scandals.
Decision in this regard was taken by a SC bench comprising Justices T S Thakur and F M I
Kalifulla. The bench took this decision on the recommendation of a three member panel headed
by former Chief Justice of India (CJI) RM Lodha which was appointed in January 2015.
Vivek Priyadarshi currently is serving as Superintendent of Police (SP) in the anti-corruption cell
of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He will succeed 1983-batch Assam-Meghalaya
cadre IPS officer B B Mishra as the head of the probe team following his retirement.
SC also has given Priyadarshi liberty to form his own team and seek the services of police
officers from the central and state governments as and when required to probe into this case.
Tags: CBI Sports Supreme Court
Punjab government approves release of Gharials in Sutlej and Beas rivers to
promote eco-tourism
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on 17 April 2015 approved release of Gharials in
Sutlej and Beas rives in the state to promote eco-tourism.
Initially, 10 Gharials (last surviving species of the family Gavialidae) will be released in the
Harike Wildlife Sanctuary as a part of Gharial Recovery Action Plan.
Decision in this regard was taken after recommendations of the State Board for Wildlife.
Union Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) also had given
permission for release of Gharials under Section 12 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
About Gharial
The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is also known as the gavial.
It is a fish-eating crocodile and belongs to one of the three crocodilian species

found in the Indian Sub-Continent.
It is listed in Schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
It is also listed as Critically Endangered in the International Union for

Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species.
In historic times it was present in Indus River system, including Beas and
Sutlej rivers, indicating healthy river system.
Tags: Environment Punjab
Oil India commissions 54 MW capacity wind energy projects in Gujarat, Madhya

Pradesh
Indias second largest state-owned oil explorer company, Oil India Limited (OIL) has
commissioned 54 MW wind energy projects saddled between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The spilt capacity of project between both states is 38 MW plant located at Chandgarh in
Madhya Pradesh and 16 MW plant located at Patan in Gujarat.
The Project is fully funded by OIL and its total cost is Rs 439 crore that includes Rs 126.5 crore
for the Gujarat plant and Rs 312.45 crore for the Madhya Pradesh plant.
The Project is being run by Chennai based Gamesa Wind Turbines who are the project
developers. Delhi based Power and Energy Consultants are the project Management consultants.
With commissioning of these plants, OILs installed renewable energy capacity i.e. commercial
wind energy and solar energy projects capacity has rose to 126.60 MW.
Tags: Business Gujarat Madhya Pradesh Renewable Energy
Russia, Pakistan to hold first-ever joint military exercises
Russia and Pakistan have agreed to hold first-ever joint military exercises as part of their
enhanced defence cooperation.
In this regard, an agreement was reached between both nations during a meeting between
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Asif in Moscow.
As per the agreement, both nations will strive for
Enhancing cooperation in defence industry and military training.
Promoting joint participation in military exercises.
Increasing military cooperation in training and import of arms and equipment.
Resolving conflicts through diplomatic means rather than using of force.
Apart from above, both nations also have reached a consensus that a multi-polar world would
ensure peace and balance in international relations.
In 2014, both nations had signed a military cooperation agreement to deepen their defence ties.
They also had vowed to translate their relationship in tangible terms.
The military agreement was signed during the first-ever visit of a Russian defence minister in 45
years to Pakistan in November 2014.
Tags: International Russia-Pakistan
UN Peace Envoy Jamal Benomar Resigns
United Nation (UN) peace envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar has resigned, after losing support
from Gulf countries for his mission in the conflict-riven nation.
His resignation comes after UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for the swift
resumption of peace talks and an end to violence in Yemen on 14 April 2015.
The adopted resolution adopted calls on the Huthis to withdraw from Sanaa and all other areas
they have seized.
About Jamal Benomar
Since 2012, he was serving as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moons special

envoy for Yemen.
He joined UN in 1994 and had served at various key of posts of different UN

agencies.
It included United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Office of the UN

High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN Department of
Political Affairs (DPA).
Background
The security situation in Yemen deteriorated after the Shia Houthis rebels had seized power by
dissolving Yemens government and parliament in January 2015. Since then they had taken
control of key government buildings in capital Sanaa including Presidential Palace.
Tags: United Nations Yemen Yemen crisis
Vijender Gupta appointed Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly
Vijender Gupta was appointed the leader of opposition (LoP) in the Delhi assembly on 16 April
2015 with immediate effect.
Delhi Assembly Speaker has recognized him as LOP as per Section 2 of the Leader of
Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory ( NCT) of Delhi (Salary
and Allowances) Act, 2001.
Gupta is one of three legislators of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has greatest numerical
strength as opposition party in the legislative assembly. Prior to this he was leader of the house of
the party in opposition in the house.
In February 2015 Assembly election, BJP had won three seats which is less than one-tenth of the
total strength of 70 of the Delhi assembly. While, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had won 67 seats.
Gupta is a former BJP state president. In 2015 Assembly election he had won from Rohini
constituency by defeating AAP candidate C.L. Gupta by around 5,000 votes.
Tags: Delhi Legislative Assembly
Gujarat Government forms task force to devise strategy to eliminate poverty
Gujarat government on 16 April 2015 formed a task force to make strategy and provide
suggestions on poverty elimination in the state.
The task force will work in the direction to device an effective strategy to make sure that benefits
of various schemes reach needy citizens.
Members
Chairman: Ramanlal Vora Gujarats Minister for Social Justice and

Empowerment.
Members: Saurabh Patel, State Finance Minister.
Mangubhai Patel, Forest and Environment Minister.
Principal Secretary, General Administrative departments will be member.
Task force also has been given power to add invited members.
Tags: Gujarat Soco-Economic

Former Nepalese PM Surya Bahadur Thapa passes away
Surya Bahadur Thapa, former Prime Minister (PM) of Nepal passed away on 15 April 2015 in
Gurgaon. He was 87.
Thapa had served as Prime Minister of Nepal for five times under three different kings. His was
in office from 1963-64, 196569, 197983, 199798 and 2003-04.
About Surya Bahadur Thapa
Surya Bahadur Thapa was born on 21 March 1928 in Muga village, Dhankuta
district. He had completed his higher studies from Allahabad University, Uttar
Pradesh.
His political career spanned more than 50 years. He had started his political
career in 1950 by executing underground student movement.
In 1958, he was elected to the Assembly and became Chairman of the

Advisory Council. He was elected to the Upper House of Nepal in 1959.
In 1960, under the newly introduced Panchayat system of Nepal, he was

appointed Minister of Agriculture, Forest and Industry.
Surya Bahadur Thapas son Sunil Bahadur Thapa at present is serving as the Minister of
Commerce and Supplies in the Sushil Koirala-led coalition government.
Tags: International Nepal Obituary
India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile
Nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-III ballistic missile was successfully tested on 16 April

2015.
The test was conducted from Wheelar Isalnd off the Odisha coast in the Bay of Bengal by the
Strategic Force Command (SFC) with support of Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO).
Facts about Agni III missile
It is surface-to-surface nuclear capable intermediate-range ballistic missile.
Indigenously developed by DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile

Development Programme (IGMDP).
Range: 3000 km.
Dimensions: 17 metres in length, 2 metres in diameter. Launch weight is

around 50 tonnes.
Payload: It can carry a nuclear warhead of 1.5 tonne and is protected by

carbon all-composite heat shield.
It is a two-stage solid-propelled missile.
Equipped with the hybrid guidance, navigation and control systems along
with advanced on-board computer.
At present India has arsenal of Agni-I, II and III and Prithvi missiles with strike reach of over
3000 km, giving an effective deterrence capability.
Tags: Agni-III DRDO missile technology Odisha
Susanta Lahiri awarded Hevesy Medal Award 2015
Professor Susanta Lahiri was awarded prestigious the Hevesy Medal Award 2015.
The award was presented to him for his outstanding contributions in heavy ion induced
radioisotope production, converter targets, tracer packet technique and green chemistry.
About Professor Susanta Lahiri
He is a Professor at Chemical Sciences Division at Saha Institute of Nuclear

Physics in Kolkata.
He is credited for co-creating super heavy chemical element Ununseptiumm

which has atomic number 117.
He is also a professor at Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai.
Apart from Lahiri, Professor Kattesh V. Katti of the Centre for Radiological Research,
University of Missouri, Columia were also awarded this award.
About Hevesy Medal Award
It is an international award of excellence that honours scientist for their

outstanding achievements in nuclear and radio chemistry.
Established in 1968 by Editor-in-Chief and the publishers of the Journal of

Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry (JRNC).
Named after renowned chemical scientist George de Hevesy who was

awarded Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1943.
At present the award is administrated by International Committee on

Activation Analysis of the Modern Trends in Activation Analysis Conferences
(ICAA-MTAA).
Tags: awards Science & technology
Former Czech Republic Prime Minister

Stanislav Gross passes away
Former Czech Republic Prime Minister Stanislav Gross passed away on 16 April 2015. He was
45.
Stanislav Gross was the youngest PM of Czech Republic and was elected in July 2004 at the age
of 34. He had led the Social Democrat government as PM for one year i.e. till 2005.
Prior to becoming PM he had served as interior minister from 2000 to 2004 in two governments,
including under Milos Zeman, who is now president of Czech Republic.
He had joined the Social Democratic party (SDP) in 1989 and was elected for first time to Czech
Republics parliament in 1992.
Stanislav Gross was born on 30 October 1969 in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Tags: Czech Republic Obituary
Canada to Supply Uranium to India for 5

Years
Canada has agreed to supply 3,000 metric tonnes of uranium to India under a $254 million fiveyear deal to power Indian atomic reactors.
The agreement for uranium supply was signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his
Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper after comprehensive talks in Ottawa, Canada.
The agreement comes in line with the Canada- India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement that took
effect in 2013.
As per uranium supply agreement, Canadas Cameco Corporation will supply uranium to India
for next five years starting from this year. These supplies will be under the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.
Canada is the second-largest producer of uranium globally and is the third country to supply
uranium to India after Russia and Kazakhstan.
It should be noted that in the 1970s, Canada had banned exports of uranium and nuclear
hardware to India after it was alleged that India had used Canadian technology to develop a
nuclear bomb.
However, Canada- India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement signed in 2013, Canada moved away
from ban and agreed to supply uranium to India.
Tags: Civil Nuclear Cooperation India-Canada Narendra Modi Uranium deal
Dr. Mohan Kumar appointed as new

Ambassador to France
Senior diplomat Dr. Mohan Kumar has been appointed the Indias next Ambassador to France.
He will succeed Arun Kumar who was recently appointed Ambassador to the United States.
About Mohan Kumar
Mohan Kumar is a 1981-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer.
Prior to this appointment, he was serving as Ambassador of India to Bahrain.
He holds a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) and a doctorate (PhD)

from the reputed Sciences Po University in Paris.
In his over 30 years IFS career, he had served at various posts and had handled variety of
interesting and challenging assignments.
Mohan Kumar had served Deputy High Commissioner at the Indian Diplomatic Mission
in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2001.
He also has served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Paris for 3 years.
Tags: France India

BHEL, Russian firm INTMA ink MoU to set up power plant in Kazakhstan
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)
with a Russian company INTMA to set up a gas-based power project in Kazakhstan.
The MoU aims set combined path to execute projects of mutual interest in Russia and
Kazakhstan. In this regard, BHELs competence in design and manufacturing of power plants
will play important role and INTMAs strength in handling engineering procurement and
construction contractors (EPC) contracts will implement the projects.
By signing this MoU, BHEL will be able to expand its footprint in the commonwealth of
independent states (CIS) region.
At present, BHEL is has a presence in more than 75 countries and is executing 23 major projects
in 16 countries. The state owned company is primarily engaged in manufacturing of power plant
equipment like steam turbines, gas turbines, hydro turbines and boilers.
While, INTMA is Russia and Kazakhstans one of the leading general EPC. It has wide
experience in industrial construction, automation, renovation of facilities and other energy
related sectors.
Tags: BHEL Kazakhstan Power sector Russia
Sachin Tendulkar inducted into Laureus Sports Academy
Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on 15 April 2015 was inducted into the prestigious Laureus
Sports Academy.
Along with him four other sportspersons were inducted as new members in the Academy. They
are
Yao Ming- Retired Chinese professional basketball player.
Tegla Loroupe- Kenyan long-distance runner.
Li Xiaopeng- Chinese gymnast.
Yang Yang- Former Chinese short track speed skater Yang Yang.
About Sachin Tendulkar
In his 24 years cricket career, he had played for India in 200 Tests, 463 OneDay Internationals (ODIs) and one Twenty20 International.
Test career: In 200 Test matches he had scored 15,921 runs at an average
of 53.78. It comprised of 51 centuries and 68 half centuries. Highest test
score was 248 runs (not out).
ODI career: In 463 ODI matches he had scored 18,426 runs at an average of
44.83. It comprised of 49 centuries and 96 half centuries. Highest ODI score
was 200 runs (not out).
Tags: Cricket Cricket records Honours Sachin Tendulkar

Nokia announces to buy Alcatel- Lucent
Finnish telecom network equipment maker Nokia on 16 April 2015 announced acquisition of
French telecom network firm Alcatel- Lucent.
This merger will create the worlds largest supplier of telecom equipments that powers
mobilephone networks by surpassing Ericsson and Huawei.
As part of the deal,
The merged entity will be called Nokia and current Nokia Chairman Risto
Siilasmaa will chair it.
Nokia will buy Alcatel- Lucent in an all-stock deal valued at 15.6 billion euros
($16.6 billion).
Nokia is going to give Alcatel-Lucent shareholders 0.55 shares in the merged

company for each of their old shares.
In the combined entity Nokia shareholders will own 66.5 per cent shares of
the company and Alcatel- Lucent shareholders will own 33.5 per cent shares.
The deal is likely to be completed in the first half of 2016. The combined company will have a
total workforce of about 1.14 lakh employees.
Tags: Business Technology firm telecom company Telecommunications
Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai sworn in as first lady judge of Sikkim High Court
Mrs. Meenakshi Madan Rai was sworn in as the first lady judge of the Sikkim High Court.
Governor of Sikkim Srinivas Patil administered the oath of office to her at Raj Bhavan in
Gangtok.
After taking oath of office, she took charge as judge. With this Sikkim High Court again got its
full strength of three judges after a gap of about one year.
It should be noted that Mrs. Rai is also the third High Court judge who hails from Sikkim.
About Sikkim High Court
Established:1975.
Sikkim High Court was established under Article 371-F which was added in
Constitution by Constitutional (Thirty-Sixth Amendment) Act, 1975.
Seat of the court: Gangtok.
Sanctioned Judge strength: 3.
Incumbent Chief Justice: Pius C Kuriakose.
Tags: High courts Sikkim

Renowned Assamese Film director, actor Bidyut Chakraborty passes away
Renowned Assamese film director, actor Bidyut Chakraborty passed away on 15 April 2015 in
Guwahati, Assam. He was 55.
In his film career he had directed several Assamese movies including Goon Goon Gaane Gaane,
Dwaar and Raag-Biraag.
His directorial film Rag-Birag is based on a novel written by Jnanpith award-winner Mamoni
Raisom Goswami.
Chakraborty s last film was Dwar (2012) which was based on a short story by Swarnakamal
winning film critic Apurba Sharma.
Apart from being film Director Chakraborty also had acted in several Assamese movies and
serials.
Awards- He was awarded Indira Gandhi award for Best First Film of a Director for his film RagBirag in 1996.
Tags: Assam Filmmaker Obituary
Pankaj More appointed as Technology Head of Walmart India
Pankaj More on 15 April 2015 was appointed as Technology Head of Wal-Mart India Private
Limited.
In his new role, he will play a key role in strengthening companys technology and Information
Technology (IT) infrastructure and will report directly to Walmart India President and CEO
Krish Iyer.
Pankaj has over 19 years of experience and had had joined WalMart in January 2013. He was
leading the ISD strategy for the Walmart Asia market including Japan, China & India.
He holds B.Tech degree in Computer Engineering from Mangalore University.
About Wal-Mart India Private Limited
It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart Stores Inc, the worlds leading

multinational retail corporation.
At present it owns and operates 20 Best Price Modern Wholesale stores in 9

States across India.
The first store was opened in Amritsar, Punjab in May 2009.
Incumbent CEO: Krish Iyer.
Tags: Business Technology firm

Union Government forms task force to expedite work on inter-linking of rivers
Union Government on 14 April 2015 constituted a task force on interlinking of rivers in the
country.
The Task Force will be chaired by former Secretary of Ministry of Water Resources B N
Navalawala and comprises experts and senior officials.
Terms of References of Task Force
Take up all issues related to expediting the work on interlinking of rivers in

the country.
Consider alternative plans in case of infeasible links in the present National

Perspective Plan (NPP) apart from examining the existing links which are laid
out as per the NPP under both Himalayan and Peninsular components.
Facilitate interlinking of intra-basin and intra-state Rivers, along with that of

inter-state and inter-basin links.
Recommend time schedules for completing feasibility studies of all the river
links along with implementation schedule.
Suggest different means of funding mechanisms for the interlinking of rivers

project.
Provide guidance norms of appraisal for individual projects in respect of

economic viability, environmental impacts, socio-economic and preparation
of resettlement plans.
Device suitable mechanisms in order to bring speedy consensus among the

states.
To implement the interlinking of Rivers, propose suitable organizational

structure.
Tags: Committee Government policy

Zomato acquires Delhi based data firm MaplePOS
Online restaurant guide Zomato on 14 April 2015 acquired MaplePOS, a cloud-based point of
sale product for restaurants developed by Delhi based MapleGraph.
After the acquisition, Zomato has renamed MaplePOS product to Zomato Base which will help
the company and its restaurant partners to manage business into online orders and payments.
MaplePos, a sale product offers various features of restaurants such as inventory and menu
management, and has in-built payment solution to accept debit and credit card payments.
It should be noted that, this is the first product acquisition done by Zomato. Earlier, it had
acquired 7 restaurant search and listing companies in various parts of the world.
MapleGraph was founded in 2011 by Varun Tangri, Arun Tangri and Abhishek Rohilla. The
company offers software solutions to manage menus, inventory, electronic receipts, recipes, and
other features in restaurant management.
Tags: Business Software services
Ministry of Home Affairs renames Visa on Arrival scheme to e-Tourist visa
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has renamed Tourist Visa on Arrival-Electronic Travel
Authorization scheme (TVoA-ETA) to e-Tourist Visa with effect from 15 April 2015.
With this ambiguities faced by foreign tourists especially by schemes nomenclature VoA,
presuming that they would be granted visa on arrival upon landing will be removed.
Background
MHA move comes after some of Indian embassies had requested to change
the nomenclature of the scheme.
A committee of officers from the External Affairs Ministry, MHA and Bureau of
Immigration also had suggested renaming the scheme.
Foreign tourists were confused with Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme as other
countries allowed tourist to land and then get visa.
About e-Tourist Visa Scheme
e-Tourist Visa Scheme is a pre-authorization of Visa to foreigners that being

given prior to travel.
Under the scheme, a foreign tourist is required to apply for a visa online by
uploading his photograph and passport and also paying his visa fee online.
Then visa authorities will process his application and send him an electronic
travel authorization, or simply e-visa, via e-mail within 72 hours.
TVoA-ETA was launched in November 2014. It had enabled Electronic Travel Authorization to
44 countries at nine airports across India.
It also facilitated short duration international travelers. Since the launch of the scheme, around
1.10 lakh visas have been granted.
Tags: E-Visa Government Schemes Tourism
BSF launches nationwide tele-medicine programme for troops
Border Security Force (BSF) on 14 April 2015 launched nationwide satellite-based tele-medicine
programme for its troops.
The programme will address medical and health-related problems of its troops deployed in farflung frontier areas and difficult regions in the hinterland in case of an emergency or illness.
Facts about Tele-medicine programme
It will be operated and hosted from the BSFs Kadamtala-based composite

hospital in Siliguri, West Bengal.
The full-time team of doctors at hospital will be connected with BSF posts
along the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangla frontiers.
The hospital has been equipped with required technology including satellite
phones and the VSAT platform to host the programme.
BSFs anti-Naxal operations units in Chhattisgarh and Odisha will also be

linked with the same facility.
The programme will be made fully operational in 2015 which marks 50th year of BSFs Raising.
Tags: BSF Health Indian Armed Forces Medical
Turkey begins construction of first nuclear power plant

Turkey on 14 April 2015 began the construction of its first nuclear power plant located at
Akkuyu in Mersin province on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
It will be built by Akkuyu Project Company, a subsidiary of Russias nuclear agency Rosatom.
Key Facts
In 2010, Turkey and Russia had signed an agreement to set up $20 billion
Akkuyu nuclear project.
Akkuyu Project Company will own, build and operate the plant that comprises
four 1,200 MW VVER units.
The site was chosen at Akkuyu by Turkish government because it has low
population density and low risk of earthquakes.
It should be noted that Akkuyu nuclear plant is the first of three nuclear power plants planned by
Turkey. Second plant is due to be built in the Black Sea city of Sinop by a French-Japanese
consortium and third plants location is not finalised yet.
With these nuclear plants, Turkish government is aiming to bring greater energy self-sufficiency
by reducing its dependence on energy imports from like Russia and Iran.
Tags: Nuclear Power Russia Turkey
US President nominates Indian-American businesswoman Shamina Singh to key post
Indian-American businesswoman Shamina Singh has been nominated as the member of the
Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).
She was nominated to top most post by United States President Barack Obama for term of four
year i.e. till October 2019.
About Shamina Singh
Prior to this, Shamina was global director for government services and
solutions at MasterCard Centre for Inclusive Growth.
Prior to joining MasterCard, she had led government and public affairs for
sports brand Nike and had 5 five years with Citigroups Global Community
Development Group.
She also had held senior positions within the Bill Clinton Administration and
the US House of Representatives.
Singh also was a Deputy Director for America Votes in 2003. She also had
served as a Senior Advisor to US House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
In 2002, she was the Deputy Campaign Manager for the Ron Kirk for US
Senate campaign.
From 1999 to 2001, Singh was Executive Director for the Presidents Advisory
Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the White House
Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Tags: Indian Diaspora United States

Arun Jaitley launches FM transmission of Vividh Bharati Service of Delhi
FM transmission of Vividh Bharati Service was launched by Union Information and

Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley on 14 April 2015.
It was launched at function held at New Broadcasting House of All India Radio (AIR) in Delhi.
Key facts
Vividh Bharti service will be available on 100.1 Megahertz (MHz) frequency. It

will be also available on mobile phone.
It will be available to listeners in and around Delhi within a range of 60-65

km.
Listeners will now enjoy the programmes with much clarity at all times in all
weather conditions without any hitch.
About Vividh Bharati
It is a service of All India Radio (AIR).
First Aired on: October 2, 1957.
Programmes offered: Mix of film music, skits, short plays and interactive
programmes.
Vividh Bharati is also known to have the largest collection of film and non-film
songs in India.
Tags: All India Radio Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

BHEL commissions 600-MW thermal unit in Chhattisgarh
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) on 13 April 2015 commissioned 600 MW unit of a thermal
power project for the Dainik Bhaskar Power Limited (DBPL) at Dhabra in Janjgir Champa
district of Chhattisgarh.
The commissioned unit is the second unit of DBPLs 2 600 MW power project. The first 600
MW Unit was commissioned in 2014.
BHEL is partner in the power development programme of the state of Chhattisgarh.
With this commissioning of second unit, BHELs cumulative installed capacity has increased at
11,400MW in Chhattisgarh and accounts for 68 per cent share of the total installed capacity in
the state.
About Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
BHEL is a power plant equipment manufacturer completely owned by Union

Government.
It is largest engineering and manufacturing company of its kind in India.
Established:
It was awarded a Maharatna Company status in 2013.
Tags: BHEL Chhattisgarh Power sector

National Judicial Appointment Commission Act, 2014 comes into force
Union Government has brought into force the National Judicial Appointments Commission
(NJAC) Act, 2014 along with the 99th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2014.
In this regard, notification to effect from 13 April 2015 was issued by the Union Law Ministry.
With this new law the collegium system to appoint members to the higher judiciary has come to
an end. Now President will appoint judges in the Supreme Court (SC) and 24 High Courts (HCs)
in consultation with the NJAC.
Facts about NJAC Act, 2014
Composition of NJAC
As per Article 124A, NJAC is a 6 member constitutional body. Consisting of
Chairman- Chief Justice of India (CJI).
Members- Two senior most Judges of the Supreme Court, the Union Minister
of Law and Justice and two eminent persons.
Two eminent persons will be nominated by committee led by Prime Minister

of India, the CJI, and the Leader of the Opposition in the House of the People.
As per 124B, functions of NJAC are
Recommend persons for appointment as CJI, Judges of SC, Chief Justices and
other Judges of High Courts.
Recommend transfer of Chief Justices and other Judges HCs from one HC to
another HC.
About Collegium system
Previously, under the collegium system, five top judges of the Supreme court
recommended transfer and elevation of judges to Supreme Court and High
Courts.
It came into existence in 1993 after a Supreme Court judgement.
Tags: Article 124A Article 124B High courts NJAC Supreme Court
German Nobel laureate novelist Gunter Grass passes away
German Nobel laureate novelist Guenter Grass passed away on 12 April 2015 in Berlin. He was
87.
Grass is recognized for his efforts to revive German culture in the aftermath of World War II and
also had given voice and support to democratic discourse in the post war Germany.
About Guenter Grass
Guenter Grass was born on 16 October 1927 in Danzig-Langfuhr (now the

Polish city of Gdansk)
Apart from being novelist, he was poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist
and sculptor.
In 1944 at the age of 16, he had served in the Waffen-SS, the combat arm of
former German dictator Adolf Hitlers notorious paramilitary organization.
Grass had made his literary reputation with The Tin Drum published in
1959. It was followed by Cat and Mouse and Dog Years. These novels
were called the Danzig Trilogy named after his birth town.
Awards and Honours- In 1999, he was awarded Nobel Prize for literature
for his efforts to revive German literature after the Nazi era. Hermann Kesten
Prize (1995).
He was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1993.
Tags: Germany Novelist Obituary

NCTI inks MoU with Paytm to promote Indian MSMEs
Mobile commerce platform Paytm on 13 March 2015 inked memorandum of understanding

MoU with National Centre for Trade Information (NCTI) to promote Micro, Small & Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs).
As per MoU, Paytm will offer a virtual marketplace platform for NCTI members and will extend
its services and enable them to sell online.
In this regard, Paytm will set up payment gateways platform for online ticketing and membership
fees for NCTI.
This tie-up will play a pivotal role in the growth of MSMEs by providing them with value-added
trade information generally for the trading community. It will also provide platform to NCTI
members that will serve as an opportunity to trade online and scale faster.
Note- National Centre for Trade Information (NCTI) provides value added trade information for
the benefit of the international trading community, especially Indian MSMEs in the form of
Electronic Trading Opportunities, Live Trade Leads.
Tags: Business Economy
Haryana Government gives yoga guru Ramdev Cabinet Minister Status

Haryana government on 13 April 2015 decided to give status equivalent to state Cabinet Minister
to yoga guru Ramdev.
Earlier in January 2015, state government had appointed him as its brand ambassador to promote
yoga and ayurveda.
By promoting yoga and Ayurveda, Haryana state government is seeking amalgamation of
tradition and modernity in order to turn Haryana into a model state based on Indian values and
traditions.
In this regard state government is also planning to include yoga in the school syllabus and
develop herbal forest in the state under the supervision of yoga guru Ramdev which will include
thousands of species of ayurvedic herbs.
State government will also construct yogshalas in all the towns and about 6,500 villages of the
state to make Yoga a compulsory subject in Haryanas schools.
Tags: Ayurveda Haryana
Gujarat government launches industrial tourism to showcase development
Gujarat government has launched industrial tourism package to promote its development by
showcasing its major industrial installations which have earned global acclaim for state.
It is a first of its kind initiative India, offered by Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL) in
collaboration with Ahmedabad based Akshar Travels Pvt Ltd.
The tour package is called as Industrial Tour of Gujarat and will cover some of the major
industrial attractions of the state. It includes Tata Nano plant in Sanand, Amul Dairy in Anand,
Alang ship breaking yard in Bhavnagar and Pipavav port near Amreli.
It will also include Mrbi-based ceramic industry, Tata Chemicals factory in Mithapur, Asias
biggest Ajanta clock factory, Reliance Refinery in Jamnagar.
The package will also take tourists to salt pans near Okha and Kadi in Mehsana, which has the
highest number of cotton gins in Asia.
Tags: Gujarat Industries Tourism
New Zealand wins Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament 2015
New Zealand has won the 24th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament 2015 for
second time.
In the final match, New Zealand defeated World Champions Australia by 3-1 goals in the penalty
shoot-out. In regulation 60 minutes time, both teams had tied at 2-2 goals.
Earlier, New Zealand had won the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament in 2012. It is third
time Australia came as runner-ups position in tournament (1999, 2006 and 2015).
India won the bronze i.e. finished third by defeating South Korea by 4-1 goals in the penalty
shoot-out after both the teams were tied at 2-2 at regulation time.
About Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament
It is an annual tournament held in Malaysia and was established in 1983.
Initially it was a biennial tournament but since 1998, it is played every year.
Named after 9th king of Malaysia and Father of Malaysian Hockey Sultan
Azlan Shah.
Australia has won the tournament for record 8 times in 1983, 1996, 2004,
2005, 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2014.
Tags: Australia Hockey India Malaysia New Zealand South Korea Sports
Retired Lieutenant General Hanut Singh, a 1971 Indo-Pak war hero passes away
Lieutenant General Hanut Singh (retd) on 12 April 2015 passed away in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
He was 82.
He was a 1971 Indo-Pak war hero and one of the most famous officers of the Indian Army.
About Lt Gen Hanut Singh
In 1952, Hanut Singh was commissioned in 17 HORSE (also known as the

Poona Horse) an armoured regiment of Indian Army.
In 1971, as a Lieutenant Colonel he had commanded 17 HORSE regiment in

the famous Battle of Basantar in Indo-Pak war.
During this battle, squadron of his regiment had dashed across the heavily
mined enemy areas and successfully had repulsed repeated counter attacks
by Pakistan forces.
During this war his regiment had destroyed a large number Pakistan tanks
and had earned him the name Hero of Battle of Basantar.
After his retirement in 1991, he had founded Shivbala Yogi Ashram Parisar in
Dehradun.
He was born on 6 July 1933 in Barmer district of Rajasthan and was a cousin
of former Union Minister Jaswant Singh.
Awards- He is recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra, Indias second highest

gallantry award for his personal bravery and outstanding leadership.
Tags: India Indian Army Obituary Pakistan
Sania Mirza becomes first Indian female

tennis player ranked World No.1 in Womens
Doubles
Sania Mirza on 12 April 2015 created history by becoming the first 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.
With this win Sania scored 470 points, making her tally to 7965 and surpassing Italys Sara
Errani (7640) and Roberta Vinci (7640) to the number one rank in the ranking table.
In WTA Family Circle Cup finals, the top-seeded Indo-Swiss pair had defeated of Casey
Dellacqua and Darija Jurak by 6-0, 6-4 score.
Earlier, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi were only Indians who had achieved the top rank in
Mens Doubles after they had dominated mens doubles circuit in the late 1990s.
It should be noted that Sania Mirza is also first Indian female tennis player to win Grand Slam
tournaments.
Tags: Sania Mirza Sports Tennis
Lewis Hamilton wins Chinese Grand Prix of

Formula One
Mercedes Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton from Britain on 12 April 2015 won Chinese Grand
Prix of Formula One on the Shanghai International Circuit in China.
This was his second win of the season and his fourth Chinese Grand Prix win. It was also Lewis
Hamiltons overall 35th Grand Prix win.
In Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton was followed by teammate Nico Rosberg at second place.
Other rankings
Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel (Germany) and Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) took third and
fourth places respectively.
Williams drivers Felipe Massa (Brazil) and Valtteri Bottas (Finland) took fifth and sixth
places.
Romain Grosjean (France) of Lotus Team and Felipe Nasr (Brazil) of Sauber team took
seventh and eight position.
Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) of Red Bull Team was placed at ninth position.
Marcus Ericsson (Swedan) of Sauber Team finished at tenth position.
Tags: China Formula One Sports
Jitu Rai wins bronze at ISSF World Cup
Ace Indian shooter Jitu Rai on 12 April 2015 won a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol event at
the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Changwon, South Korea.
Rai won the bronze medal after he scored 181.1 points in the final and had missed out for the
gold medal shoot-out by 0.4 points.
In 10m air pistol event, Jin Jongoh of South Korea won gold medal with a score of 206.0 in the
gold medal shoot-out. Naung Ye Tun of Myanmar won silver medal with score of 201.0.
Earlier, Apurvi Chandela had won bronze in the 10-metre air rifle event in the same tournament
and became second Indian shooter after Jitu Rai to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Jitu Rai after winning won silver in the 50m Free Pistol event in 2014 at the World
Championships in Granada, Spain had qualified for the 2016 Olympics.
Tags: India Olympics Shooting South Korea Sports
17 Agreements signed between India and France during PM Narendra Modis visit
India and France on 11 April 2015 signed 17 agreements in various fields during Prime Minister
(PM) Narendra Modis visit to France.
They were signed in presence of Indian PM and his counterpart French President Francois
Hollande after they had held wide-ranging talks in Paris.
Some of key agreements signed are
MoU between Larsen and Tubro and AREVA- It aims at improve the
financial viability of the Jaitapur Nuclear plant project by reducing cost by
increasing localization.
It will also enable France to transfer of technology to India for development of

indigenous nuclear energy industry in India.
Pre-engineering agreements (PEA) between NPCIL and Areva- It

intends to bring clarity on all technical aspects of the plant.
It will help all parties including AREVA, Alstom and NPCIL to fix their price and
optimise all provisions for risks (still included at this stage) in the costs of the
project.
MoU between CNES and ISRO on Megha Tropiques satellite- It extends

MoU for two more years of joint project for sharing and use of data from the
satellite.
The satellite was launched in October 2011 on board of Indian launch vehicle
PSLV.
MOU between ISRO, CNES and ONERA- It proposes cooperation in the

areas of satellite remote sensing, satellite communications and satellite
meteorology and others field.
MoU between Union Sports Ministry and French Ministry of Sports- It

envisages cooperation and exchange of experiences in the fields of sports
medicine and institutional cooperation.
Railway protocol between Union Railways Ministry and French

National Railways (SNCF)- It seeks to establish cooperation between
Indian and French Railways for semi-high speed rail and station renovation.
Other agreements signed between both nations in the fields of economy, energy, culture, tourism,
conservation, Ayurveda, skill development and science and technology.
Note- NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India), CNES (French National Centre for Space
Studies), ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).
Tags: India-France ISRO Narendra Modi NPCI Space technology

Asteroid 316201 named after Malala Yousafzai
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 under the International Astronomical Union rules.
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.
About Malala Yousafzai
Malala was born on 12 July 1997 in Mingora city in Swat province of Pakistan.
At the age of 11 she had caught international attention as female education

activist after writing for the BBC about life under the Taliban in Pakistan under
pseudonym Gul Makai.
In 2012, Malala had survived an assassination attempt after she was shot in
the head Taliban gunmen.
Awards- In 2014, at the age of 17 she was awarded Nobel peace prize,
becoming youngest Nobel Laureate in the history of Nobel award. She had
shared this prize with Indian childrens rights activist Kailash Satyarthi
She is also conferred with National Youth Peace Prize (2011), Mother Teresa
Awards for Social Justice (2012), Simon de Beauvoir Prize (2013), Sakharov
Prize for Freedom of Thought (2013), Anna Politkovskaya Award (2013) and
many more.
United Nations has declared November 10 as Malala Day in her honor.
Tags: Astronomy Education Malala Yousafzai Pakistan

Yuki Bhambri wins $15,000 ITF Futures tournament title
Yuki Bhambri on 11 April 2015 has won the 15,000 US Dollar ITF Futures tournament title.
In the final he recorded a straight-set win over Dzmitry Zhyrmont of Belarus played at Karshi,
Uzbekistan.
Bhambri defeated his rival with Bhambri with 6-2 6-4 score. This win has pocketed 27 ranking
points on Bhambri which will take him to a rank between 215 and 220. It was also Yukis 10th
ITF Futures singles title.
This win also has ensured Yukis entry into the French Open qualifying event which will be the
Clay Court Grand Slam that will begin on the19 May 2015.
About ITF Futures tournament title
ITF Futures tournament title is a series of professional tennis tournaments

held around the world.
These tournaments are organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
This title represents the lowest rung of the mens professional tennis ladder.
These tournaments are incorporated into the ATP rankings which helps young
professionals to progress on to the ATP Challenger Tour and then in ATP World
Tour.
Tags: Belarus India Tennis Uzbekistan
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates

Songs and Dances of the North East festival
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated first Songs and Dances of the North East, a cultural
festival in New Delhi.
The day long festival was organized by Government of Meghalaya and sponsored by the North
Eastern Council (NEC).
The purpose of festival is to showcase the culture of Indias northeast region and highlight the
immense contribution made by the people of the region in nation building.
This festival will be held by rotation in different parts of the country as part of the series of
events planned by NEC and Union Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER).
All eight States of the northeast region will collaborate to host the festival in different parts of the
country with an aim to attract investors and visitors to the region.
Tags: Festivals Meghalaya North East Socio-Economic
Apurvi Chandela wins Bronze in ISSF Rifle

and Pistol World Cup
Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela on 11 April 2015 won Bronze medal in the 10-metre air rifle
event at the (International Shooting Sport Federation) ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup in
Changwon, South Korea.
She won the bronze after she shot score of 185.6 in the qualifying fifth final round.
In this world cup, Pejcic Snjezana of Croatia with score of 209.1 won gold medal and Ivana
Maksimovic of Serbia with score of 207.7 won the silver medal.
With this win, Apurvi Chandela has qualified for the 2016 Olympics, which will be held in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil. She was placed at third position in the list of eight-strong competitors. Among
these eight competitors six were qualified for the Olympics.
It should be noted that Apurvi Chandela is the second Indian marksman after pistol shooter Jitu
Rai to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
Jitu Rai after winning won silver in the 50m Free Pistol event in 2014 at the World
Championships in Granada, Spain had qualified for the 2016 Olympics.
Tags: Brazil Croatia Olympics Serbia Shooting Sports
Indias first IFSC becomes operational at

GIFT City in Gujarat
Indias first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) became operational at Gujarat
International Finance Tec (GIFT) City in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat.
It became operational after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled the rules and
regulations for this global financial hub.
Key facts of IFSC rules and regulations
Aim at creating a vibrant IFSC on the lines of those in Dubai and Singapore.
They also seek to check the flight of trading in rupee and Indian securities to such
offshore financial hubs.
These rules will allow companies incorporate outside India to raise money in foreign
currencies by issuance and listing of their equity shares on stock exchanges within the
IFSC.
They will also allow individual and institutional investors from India and abroad,
including NRIs to trade.
Allows foreign and Indian stock exchanges to set up separate bourses within IFSC as
subsidiaries.
Relaxes capital and other requirements for some time in order to facilitate exchanges,
clearing corporations and depositories to set shop in the IFSC.
Allows alternative investment funds and mutual funds that have set up in the IFSC to
invest in the securities listed there.
Tags: Exchange Gujarat IFSC

NGT directs Real Estate Sector to check air pollution due to dust emanating from
construction sites
National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Real Estate Sector in the Delhi and National Capital
Region (NCR) to check air pollution caused by dust emanating from construction sites.
The ruling was given by NGT bench headed by Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar on 10
April 2015.
NGT in its ruling
Ordered to stop to all construction activity in the NCR immediately which do

not follow rules stipulated in the 2010 guidelines of Ministry of Environment
and Forest (MoEF).
Directed developers to provide masks to every workers working on the

construction site or engaged in loading and unloading of building materials.
Directed every owner and builder to put tarpaulin sheets around area of
construction so the material does not disperse through air.
Trucks or vehicles carrying construction material and debris must be fully

covered
Banned builder and owner from throwing construction material particularly

sand on the roads or inside colonies.
Any developer if found violating these orders, shall be liable to pay a fine of
50 thousand rupees.
In this regard, NGT has directed all concerned authorities to take appropriate measures in order
to ensure follow and implement all these directions.
Tags: Delhi Environment Ministry of Environment and Forests NGT
India to chair 9th International Renewable Energy Agency council meet
India is going to chair the ninth International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) council
meeting to be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The 9th IRENA council is scheduled to start from 10 June 2015 and will be a two day event.
In this meeting 21 member nations of IRENA council are going to take part. They will guide the
agencys future programmes and activities.
About International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
IRENA is an intergovernmental organization to promote adoption and

sustainable use of renewable energy. It is the global hub for renewable
energy cooperation and information exchange within its member nations.
Founded: in 2009 and its statute entered into force on 8 July 2010.
Headquarters: Abu Dhabi.
Two governing structure: IRENA Assembly which takes decisions at macro

level and gives policy guidance.
IRENA Council is main governing body and is responsible for implementing

various decisions of assembly.
Members: In total it has 140 Members. India is one of the 33 Permanent and
founder members of IRENA.
Tags: Abu Dhabi Renewable Energy UAE

April 11: National Safe Motherhood day
Every year on 11 April, National Safe Motherhood day is being observed across India.
Objective of the day
To create awareness on proper healthcare and maternity facilities to pregnant

and lactating women.
It also seeks to create awareness about the institutional delivery, reducing

anemia among women and better pre and post natal health care are
necessary for mothers.
It should be noted that safe motherhood also means to ensure that all women receive the care
they need to be safe and healthy throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
Some facts about Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in India
India has registered an overall 70 percent decline in MMR during period from
1990 to 2012 as compared to global decline of 45 percent.
During 2011-13, the MMR has declined 167 per one lakh live births compared
to 178 per one-lakh live births in 2010-12.
The rate of decline in MMR is showing an increasing trend from annual rate of
6.2 percent in 2011-13 compared to 4.1 percent in 2001-03.
Apart from MMR, the institutional delivery in India has risen sharply from 47 per cent in 200708 to over 75 per cent in 2013.
Tags: Days and Events Events and Observances Healthcare Women Related Issues
Arun Kumar Jha appointed CEO of Khadi and Village Industries Commission
Arun Kumar Jha on 10 April 2015 was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Khadi
and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Mumbai.
Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has appointed him to the post of CEO (Joint
Secretary level post) in order to balance period of his overall 5 year tenure up to September
2016.
Jha is a 1985-batch officer of Indian Economics Service (IES). Presently, he is working as

Director General of National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development
(NIESBUD).
About Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)
KVIC is a statutory body formed under the Khadi and Village Industries
Commission Act, 1956.
It is an apex organization under the aegis of Union Ministry of Micro, Small

and Medium Enterprises.
KVIC seeks to establish and develop khadi and village industries in the rural
areas by assisting, planning and promoting them.
Tags: Khadi KVIC

Veteran Australian Cricket legend and former Captain Richie Benaud passes away
Former Australia captain and legendary cricket commentator Richie Benaud passed away on 10
April 2015. He was 84.
About Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud was an Australian Test cricket all-rounder and a pioneering legspin bowler.
Test career- In his Test cricket career, he had played 63 matches. His debut
match was against West Indies in 1952. He had made 2201 runs and had
taken 248 wickets.
In 1958, he was appointed captain of Australian Test Team. He had led the
team in 28 Test matches.
First class cricket career- He had played 259 first-class matches and had
taken 945 wickets and made 11,719 first-class runs at an average of 36.50.
He had scored 23 centuries in first class cricket.
Commentary Career- After retiring from cricket he pursued his career in

journalism and broadcasting.
In 1960, he made first radio cricket commentary for BBC in Britain. His last
commentary was in 2005 Ashes series. But till 2013, he continued to work for
Channel Nine in Australia.
Autobiography- Anything But published in 1998.
Awards- Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to
cricket (1961), inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (1985),
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame (2007) and ICC Cricket Hall of Fame (2009).
Tags: Australia Cricket Obituary Sports

Retired Air Chief Marshal Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar passes away
Retired Air Chief Marshal Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar passed away on 9 April 2015 in Pune,
Maharashtra. He was 95.
About Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar
Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar had joined Indian Air Force (then Royal Indian Air
Force) in November 1940 as the rank of an acting Pilot Officer.
He was appointed Chief of Air Staff in February 1976. He had succeeded then
Air Chief Marshal Om Prakash Mehra.
During this tenure, one of his major achievements was bring flight safety in
the Indian Air Force (IAF). Moolgaonkar had personally implemented the new
safety measures and brought down the accident rates at that time.
He had led the fly-past of IAF on Independence Day in August 15, 1947 and
also on the Republic Day in January 26, 1951 when he was a Squadron
Leader.
He had served in 38 years in the IAF and had retired in August 1978.
He was born on 14 August 1920 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Awards- He was recipient of the prestigious Param Vishisht Seva medal and
Mahaveer Chakra.
Tags: Indian Air Force Obituary

Union Government suspends Greenpeace Indias registration for 6 months
Union government has suspended the registration of Greenpeace India, a non-profit

environmental organization for six months with immediate effect.
Decision in this regard was taken by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) after Greenpeace
India had prejudicially acted against the public interests and economic interests of the country.
As per MHA, Greenpeace India has used its funds received from foreign sources for
unauthorised purposes and has violated the rules mentioned Foreign Contribution (Regulation)
Act (FCRA), 2010.
If Greenpeace India fails to make a satisfactory presentation to the Union government in this
regard, its licence may be cancelled permanently.
Background
Governments action against the Greenpeace came in the wake of the

Intelligence Bureaus (IBs) report on foreign funding of NGOs.
In the IB report, it had charged the Greenpeace and other lobby groups for
preventing economic growth of country by campaigning against mining,
power projects and genetically modified food.
Security agencies also have alleged that nearly 200 foreign donors were
indulged in money laundering under the garb of donating money to some of
these organisations.
Tags: Environment Intelligence Bureau Ministry of Home Affairs NGOs

India elected to four key bodies of UN ECOSOC
India was elected to four key bodies of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN
ECOSOC).
India was elected to these bodies during ECOSOCs coordination and management meeting held
at UN headquarters in New York, United States (US) by acclamation i.e. form of election that
does not use a ballot.
Four key subsidiary bodies are
Executive Board of United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) - India is

elected for a 3 year term beginning January 2016. It was elected, along with
13 other nations.
Executive Board of World Food Programme (WFP) India is re-elected

to the for a 2 year period starting from January 2016, along with 5 other
nations.
Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) India

is elected for a 3 year period starting from January 2016. India was elected
along with 19 other nations. Some of them are Iran, Pakistan, Austria, France,
Saudi Arabia, Sweden and US.
Governing Council of United Nations Human Settlements Programme

(UN-Habitat) India is elected for a 3 year period starting from January
2016 along with 13 other nations.
With this, India has created significant 100 percent record of winning the UNECOSOC elections.
Tags: India-UN UNICEF United Nations
Newly discovered Spider named after Telangana state
Newly discovered spiders of Thomisidae family have been named as Telangana crab spider
(Thomisus telanganensis) i.e. after Indian state of Telangana.
These spiders were discovered by G.B. Pravalikha and Chelmala Srinivasulu, wildlife and
taxonomy researchers from the Zoology Department of Osmania University at an expedition at
Nagnur in Karimnagar district of Telangana.
Key facts Telangana crab spiders
Morphologically they resemble crabs and are hence also called crab spiders.
Have tendency to walk sideways like crabs.
They lie on flowering plants and wait for prey so they are also known as
flower spiders.
Do not weave webs like traditional spiders.
They attack immobilise their prey with venom and prey all of a sudden.
Size is between 3 mm and 23 mm.
Colour varies from dull to bright and colourful.
Generally are bio-controlling agents and help to keep the insect population
under control. Thus are important to the ecosystem.
Tags: Biology Science Telangana

India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable Dhanush missile from ship
India on 9 April 2015 successfully test fired nuclear weapons-capable Dhanush missile from a
ship, off the Odisha coast.
Test- The ship-based missile was launched from an Offshore Patrolling Vessel (OPV), deep
inside the Bay of Bengal to test its full range. It successfully hit the target point with high degree
of accuracy.
Facts about Dhanush Missile
Indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation

(DRDO).
The surface-to-surface missile is a naval variant of Prithvi missile.
Capable of carrying of 500 to 1000 kilogram conventional as well as nuclear

payload.
It is a single-stage, liquid-propelled missile and has range of 350 km.
Capable to target both land-based and sea-based targets. It gives Indian

Navy capability to strike enemy targets with great precision.
It should be noted that Dhanush is one of the 5 missiles developed by the DRDO under the
Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
The previous trial of the missile was successfully conducted in November 2014.
Tags: DRDO missile technology Missiles
Nasim Zaidi appointed as Chief Election Commissioner
President Pranab Mukherjee on 9 April 2015 appointed the senior most Election Commissioner
(EC), Dr. Nasim Zaidi as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
He will succeed incumbent CEC HS Brahma, who retires on 19 April 2015 after attaining age 65.
Dr Zaidi will have tenure of two years i.e. till he attains the age of 65 in July 2017.
About Dr. Nasim Zaidi
Nasim Zaidi is 1976 batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
He had served as the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
He had retired from IAS as Secretary to the Union Government in Ministry of

Civil Aviation in July 2012.
About Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
As per the provisions of Article 324 of Constitution, Chief Election

Commissioner and Election Commissioners are appointed by the President.
They hold office for the term of 6 years or until they attain age of 65 years,
whichever is earlier.
The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only through
impeachment by Parliament.
Tags: Article 324 Election Commission Ministry of Civil Aviation Nasim Zaidi Pranab
Mukherjee
Legendary Tamil writer Jayakanthan passes away
Legendary Tamil writer Jayakanthan passed away on 8 April 2015 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He
was 81.
He was known for charting a new course in Tamil literature with his bold and progressive works.
About Jayakanthan
Jayakanthan was born on 24 April, 1934 in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.

He was famously known as JK among novelists and literary enthusiasts.
Apart from being novelist, he was also journalist, essayist, pamphleteer,

filmmaker and critic.
In his entire career, he had written around 40 novels and 200 short stories.
His work mostly highlighted social injustices and economic inequality.
Jayakanthans novels Cinemavukku Pona Chithalu, Sila Nerangalil Sila

Manithargal, Oru Nadigai Nadagam Paarkiral and Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan
were adapted into films.
He was also associated with undivided Communist Party of India (CPI).
He was founder of the Indo-Russian Cultural and Friendship Society.
Awards- Sahitya Akademi Award (1972) for his Tamil novel Sila Nerangalil
Sila Manithargal, Jnanpith Award (2002), Padma Bhushan (2009).
Russian government had conferred Order of Friendship (2011) on him for his
translation works of Russian novelist Pushkin.
Tags: Author Obituary Tamil Nadu

UP government confers Sahitya Shiromani Samman on Gopal Das Neeraj
Uttar Pradesh government has conferred Sahitya Shiromani Samman upon noted Hindi poet
Gopal Das Neeraj.
The award carrying cash prize of 21 lakh Rupees was bestowed upon Neeraj by UP Chief
Akhilesh Yadav. While presenting award, CM Akhilesh Yadav also announced to give Rashtra
Ratn- Sitara-e Hind award to Neeraj for his lifelong service to Hindi literature.
Along with Gopal Das Neeraj, veteran Hindi litterateur Uday Pratap Singh was also conferred
with Sahitya Shiromani award and cash prize of 21 lakh Rupees.
About Gopal Das Neeraj
Gopal Das Neeraj was born on January 4, 1925 in Etawah district of Uttar
Pradesh. He had written poems under the pen name Neeraj.
He is among the renowned poets and authors in Hindi literature and also is a
famous poet of Hindi Kavi Sammelan.
He also was Professor of Hindi Literature in Dharma Samaj College, Aligarh

and also a chancellor of Mangalayatan University, Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.
Several of his poems have been used as songs in Hindi movies.
Awards- Padma Bhushan (2007).
Tags: awards Poet Uttar Pradesh

Renowned Tamil singer EM Hanifa passes away
Renowned Tamil Muslim devotional singer EM Hanifa passed away on 9 April 2015 in Chennai,
Tamil Nadu. He was 90.
He was well-known for his number of devotional songs and was a leading propagandist of
Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) Party for more than five decades.
About EM Hanifa
EM Hanifa hailed from pilgrim town of Nagore in Nagapattinam district of

Tamil Nadu.
His voice had transcended religious lines and Iraivanidam Kaiyenthungal (look
up to God he never says no) song of him was an evergreen which was liked
by all crossing across religious barriers.
Apart from lending his voice for religious songs he was also well-known singer
for popularizing the Dravidian ideals.
Political career- He was a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council

(now defunct) in the early 1970s.
In 2002, he had contested as a DMK Candidate from Vaniyambadi but was not
able to win.
Tags: Culture Obituary Singer Tamil Nadu

India and US sign MoC on Transportation
India and United States (US) have signed Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) transportation
between both countries.
It was signed by Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari and
Anthony Foxx, US Secretary of Transportation in New Delhi.
Key facts
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.
It will also cover rail transportation, fuel efficiency, vehicle and behavioral
safety, intermodal transportation and maritime shipping.
The MoC will enable India to make use of worlds latest technology which is
available with the US for developments of waterways and multi-modal hub
projects.
Tags: India-US Transport and Highways
Union Government issues revised norms for

disaster relief
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued orders on revision norms with respect of the
Centrally notified disasters. These disasters include tsunami, earthquake, floods, cyclones,
drought, hailstorm, etc.
Facts about revised norms
Norms related to various aspects of response and preparedness like ex-gratia to the kins
in case of loss of lives, disability and livelihoods have been revised.
Permitted State governments to use upto 10% of allocation of the State Disaster Relief
Fund (SDRF) on equipment. On capacity building, maximum of 5% of SDRF allocation
can be spent.
State Governments also can use upto 10% of their SDRF allocation on local disasters. In
this case the State Executive Committees have to work out the criteria and modalities.
Procedure for adjustment of available balances under SDRF is simplified while releasing
assistance from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) in case of severe disasters.
Automatic annual updation of the norms by reference with the movement of wholesale
price index (WPI) is also enabled.
Tags: Disaster Management Ministry of Home Affairs NDRF
Union Government allows pharmaceutical

companies to hike rates of 509 essential
medicines
Union government has allowed pharmaceutical companies to hike rates of 509 essential
medicines by 3.84 per cent. The new prices will be effective from 1 April 2015.
In this regard, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has issued a notification under
Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013 in line with the wholesale price index of 2014.
These essential medicines are used for treating various ailments like hepatitis B and C, diabetes,
and cancer.
Presently, Union government regulates prices of a total of 348 essential medicines based on the
simple average of all medicines in a particular therapeutic segment with sales of more than 1 per
cent.
Union government also regulates prices of all other medicines and pharma companies are
allowed to hike prices of such drugs by only up to 10 per cent in a year.
DPCO, 2013 was notified by the Union government with an effect from May 2014. It has
replaced the 1995 order that regulated prices of only 74 bulk drugs and covers 680 formulations.
Tags: Business Drugs NPAA Pharma sector Socio-Economic
India registers record production of nuclear

fuel
India has registered a major milestone for the nuclear industry by producing record nuclear fuel
i.e. producing over 1,252 Metric Tonne (MT) of uranium bundles.
Hyderabad-based Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) has contributed to achieve this milestone by
producing over 30 per cent more fuel compared to its 961.023 MT fuel production in 2013-14.
The recorded production also has exceeded countrys annual fuel requirement of 650 MT for the
Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). This surplus nuclear fuel production can last for at
least a few months.
Nuclear fuel production in India
Since 2008, the nuclear fuel production in the country has seen a steady increase.
This increase in production has been attributed to the Indo-US nuclear deal and the
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which had simplified the process of acquiring uranium.
In 2008-09, NFC had produced 226.89 MT nuclear fuel, prior to signing Indo-US nuclear
deal in 2008.
But after the Indo-US nuclear deal the production had increased to 600.91 MT in 200910.
At present, India produces around 5,780 megawatts (MW) of nuclear power. Of this total power
produced 4,780 MW of electricity is generated by fuel processed at the NFC.
Tags: India-US Nuclear Power
PM Narendra Modi launches MUDRA Bank to provide credit to small entrepreneurs
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 April 2015 launched Micro Units Development Re-finance
Agency (MUDRA) Bank in New Delhi.
MUDRA Bank will act as a regulator for Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) involved in
manufacturing, trading and service activities to promote their growth.
The Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana will be the main support system for the bank and will be
the part of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
The MUDRA bank was proposed in Budget 2015-16 by Union Government with an initial
corpus of 20,000 crore rupees. Apart from this, 3,000 crore rupees also has been earmarked as
credit guarantee corpus.
The envisaged roles for MUDRA Bank include
Formulate policy guidelines for micro-enterprise financing business and

registration of MFI entities.
Undertake rating and accreditation of MFI entities.
Develope standardized set of guidelines in order to govern last-mile lending

to micro enterprises.
Promote appropriate technology solutions for the last mile.
Formulate and operate a credit guarantee schemes in order to provide

guarantees to loans and portfolios that are extended to micro enterprises.
Support promotional and development activities in the sector and create a

good architecture for last-mile credit delivery.
MUDRA Bank will provide financing on 3 stages- Shishu, Kishore and Tarun.
Shishu is first stage in which loan cover upto Rs 50,000 will be given to a
business entity at start of business.
Kishore is second stage in which loan cover ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5

lakh will be given.
Tarun is the third stage in which loan cover up to Rs. 10 lakh will be given.
Tags: Banking Business Economy IBPS MUDRA bank

Snapdeal acquires FreeCharge
Online marketplace Snapdeal on 8 April 2015 acquired Indias fastest growing mobile
transaction platform FreeCharge.
With this acquisition, Snapdeal has become Indias largest mobile commerce firm with 40
million users and the largest mobile transactions base for any company.
Now Snapdeal can offer wide range of services and products including financial services, mobile
recharge and utility payments to its growing user base.
About FreeCharge
FreeCharge is a mobile commerce platform where users can recharge any

prepaid mobile phone, postpaid mobile, DTH & Data Cards in India.
Founded in 2010 by Kunal Shah and Sandeep Tandon.
It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Since 2011, it had raised over $120 million in financing backed by top tier
institutional investors.
About Snapdeal
Snapdeal was started in February 2010.
It was founded by Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, an alumnus of IIT Delhi.
Since its formation Snapdeal has grown to become the largest online
marketplace in India.
At present it offers an assortment of 4 million+ products across diverse

categories from over 50,000 sellers, shipping to 4,000 towns and cities in
India.
Tags: Business e-commerce FreeCharge Snapdeal

Gujarat wins Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 trophy 2014-15
Gujarat won the Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 cricket trophy for the tournament season 2014-15.
In the final match played at KIIT Stadium, Odisha they defeated Punjab by two wickets. Punjab
by batting first had scored 117 for 9 wickets in 20 overs. Gujarat by chasing the target had scored
123 in 19.5 overs for 8 wickets.
With this win, Gujarat has won this trophy for second, earlier they won in 2012-13 season.
About Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 Trophy
Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 Trophy is a Twenty20 cricket domestic championship in

India named after famous Indian cricketer, Syed Mushtaq Ali.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) organizes the tournament and
played among the teams from Ranji Trophy.
Inaugural season of tournament was 2008-09 and was won by Maharashtra

cricket team.
Tags: Cricket Gujarat Punjab

Sumit Mazumder elected as new President of CII for year 2015-16
Sumit Mazumder was elected as the President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for the
year 2015-16. He is Chairman & Managing Director (MD) of TIL Limited.
He will succeed Ajay Shriram, Chairman of DCM Shriram Consolidated Ltd.
Moreover, Shobana Kamineni was elected as Vice-President of CII for the year 2015-16.
Presently, she is Executive Vice-Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited (AHEL).
Dr Naushad Forbes is the President-designate of CII for the year 2015-16. He is Director of
Forbes Marshall.
About Sumit Mazumder
Mazumder is a graduate of St Xaviers College, Calcutta and holds MBA from

Sam Houston State University, US.
He also has undertaken the Advanced Management Program at Harvard

University, Massachusetts, USA.
At present he is also the Executive Chairman of TIPL (Tractors India Pvt. Ltd.),
distributor Company for Caterpillar.
In the past years, Mazumder was an active member of CII and had chaired its
various Committees and Councils.
He also had served as President of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce &

Industry, Director on the Board of West Bengal Industrial Development
Corporation (WBIDC).
Tags: Business CII Industry Manufacturing

Union Cabinet gives nod to Real Estate Regulation Bill to curb malpractices in real
estate sector
The Union Cabinet on 7 April 2015 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.
Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
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.
Facts about Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2013
Regulates transactions in real estate projects between the promoters and

buyers.
Establishes state level regulatory authorities called Real Estate Regulatory

Authorities (RERAs) and tribunals called Real Estate Appellate Tribunals to
settle disputes.
Promoters and real estate agents must register project details with RERAs
who intend to sell any plot, apartment or building.
All information for registered projects must be disclosed on website of the

RERA. It will include details of promoters, land status, layout plan, schedule of
execution and status of various approvals.
The bill enforces the contract between the developer and buyer and fast
track the mechanism to settle disputes.
50% of the amount collected from buyers for a project must be maintained in
a separate bank account and must only be used for construction of that
project.
The Bill was initially introduced in Rajya Sabha by then UPA-2 government led by former Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh. It was only applicable only for residential real estate and is still
pending in Rajya Sabha.
The approved amendments by current Union Government seeks to bring commercial real estate
under the ambit of bill.
Tags: Bills and Amendments Business Narendra Modi Union Cabinet
Union Cabinet approves release of additional installment of DA and DR
The Union Cabinet on 7 April 2015 gave its nod to release an additional installment of Dearness
Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners.
The approved additional installment of DA/DR is at the rate of six percent increase over the
existing rate of 107 percent with effect from 1 January 2015. This decision is going to benefit 48
lakh government employees and 55 lakh pensioners.
Decision in this regard was taken in Union meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra
Modi in accordance with the accepted formula based on the recommendations of the 6th Central
Pay Commission.
With this Central Government employees as well as pensioners are entitled for DA/DR at the rate
of 113 percent of the basic pay with effect from 1 January 2015.
This decision will have combined impact on the exchequer on account of both DA and DR will
be of the order of 6762.24 crore rupees per annum and 7889.34 crore rupees in the Financial Year
2015-16. FY 2015-16 will be for a period of 14 months from January 2015 to February 2016.
Tags: Cabinet Decisions Socio-Economic
TRAI recommends 112 as single emergency

number for India
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 7 April 2015 has proposed 112 as a single
emergency number that can be used all across the country including for police, fire and
ambulance departments.
This emergency number will be similar to the 911 an all-in-one emergency service in the
United States.
At present, for emergency disaster management different numbers for different emergencies such
as 100 for police, 101 for fire and 102 for ambulance are in existence.
TRAI has suggested that existing emergency numbers can be retained as secondary numbers and
the calls made to them be re-routed to 112. After time being, once a call to the secondary
numbers significantly reduces, they can be withdrawn gradually.
Callers seeking help in emergency can dial 112 from mobile or landline phones even when
outgoing facility has been debarred or the service temporarily suspended. TRAI also has
proposed SMS-based access for the emergency services.
The regulator also has recommended setting up of Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) a
call centre through which all calls to 112 will be routed.
Depending upon type of emergency, PSAPs will send police, fire, medical and other emergency
response servieces.
Tags: Disaster Management TRAI
National Green Tribunal bans diesel vehicles

older than 10 years in Delhi
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 7 April 2015 held that all diesel vehicles heavy or light
which are more than 10 years old will not be permitted to ply in Delhi and NCR.
The judgment was given by bench headed by NGT Chairman Justice Swatanter Kumar on a
petition filed by Vardhaman Kaushik who had contended that the level of particulates in Delhi is
raising manifold.
NGT bench held that
Diesel is prime source of air pollution in Delhi. The current situation is so alarming that
people have been advised to leave Delhi due to adverse effects on health.
Numbers of countries like Brazil, China, and Denmark etc are in the process or have
prohibited diesel vehicles. They have achieved it by imposing stringent taxes on the
vehicles.
Certain stringent measures need to be taken to ensure that residents of Delhi do not travel
closer to ill-health with each breath they take.
In this regard, tribunal bench directed the Transport department of Delhi government and other
concerned authorities to prepare a comprehensive data of registration of all such vehicles which
are 10 or more years old.
Earlier in November 2014, NGT had banned all the petrol vehicles over 15-year old in Delhi and
NCR.
Tags: Delhi Environment Health NGT Pollution
CCEA approves strengthening and widening

of three sections of highways connecting
Varanasi and Madurai
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on 7 April 2015 approved strengthening and widening of three sections connecting the two
temple towns of Varanasi and Madurai.
CCEA approved four laning of
Sultanpur-Varanasi section of National Highway-56 in Uttar Pradesh- This project

will upgrade 138 km long stretch NH-56 at the cost of 3,800 crore rupees. It will
substantially upgrade Varanasis connectivity to Lucknow and other parts of Central UP.
Varanasi to Ghazipur, Gorakhpur and Nepal section of NH- 29 in UP- This project
will upgrade 200 km long stretch NH- 29 at the cost of 4,400 crore rupees. It will
improve regional connectivity and facilitate improved movement of people and goods in
the region and across the border.
Madurai-Ramanathapuram section of NH- 49 in Tamil Nadu- This project will

upgrade 115 km long stretch NH- 49 at the cost of 1,400 crore rupees. It will be
undertaken under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) Phase-III.
Tags: CCEA Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh

April 7: World Health Day
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.
The theme highlights
Need to make food free from viruses, microbes and chemicals substances
that are responsible for more than 200 diseases. Indirectly unsafe food is
linked to the annual deaths of some 2 million people, mostly children.
Need to create awareness about food safety as it possesses challenges from

the changes in food production, distribution and consumption.
Changes in the environment and new emerging pathogens and antimicrobial

resistance are also challenge to food safety.
In this regard, WHO is also working with countries to strengthen efforts to detect, prevent and
respond to foodborne disease outbreaks in line with the Codex Alimentarius.
About World Health Day
Every year on April 7, World Health Day is celebrated under the sponsorship
of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Purpose: To focus on increasing the life expectancy by adding good health to

the lives of people and promoting healthier living habits.
This day marks the WHOs founding and is observed since 1950,
Since then April 7 every year is seen as an opportunity by the WHO to draw
worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health each
year.
Tags: Events and Observances Food Safety Health Socio-Economic

Pratap Singh wins Institute of Physics Prize
15-year-old Indian-origin student, Pratap Singh from United Kingdom (UK) has won
prestigious award Institute of Physics (IOP) Prize.
Singh, who is a student at The Perse School, Cambridge received the prize for his experiment to
verify an effect of Albert Einsteins special relativity theory.
The award comprises 500 cash prize and a trip to a national physics-related activity. His
research will be also published in international journal Physics Education.
Pratap Singhs experiment
Singh in his experiment used two Geiger-Muller tubes to detect cosmic-ray

muons. They are the high-energy particles created high above the Earth.
Using these tubes, he created a mathematical model for cosmic-ray muons

arrival rate with and without time dilation.
By statistical analysis and using a Raspberry Pi computer he showed that

these cosmic ray munons follow the model predicted by Einsteins 1905
theory of special relativity.
Tags: awards Science United Kingdom

Dena Bank inks MoU with Life Insurance Corporation to provide insurance cover
State owned Dena Bank has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Life Insurance
Corporation (LIC) of India to provide insurance cover to its all Aadhaar-linked savings account
holders in the age group of 18 to 50 years.
LIC will provide insurance cover under the Union Governments flagship Pradhan Mantri Jeevan
Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJBY) scheme.
Under the MoU
LIC will give a life cover of Rs 2 lakh in case of death of the insured person.
In this regard, a nominal premium of 330 rupees per annum will be charged
from account holder.
Those who join the scheme before completing 50 years can continue to have
the risk of life cover up to the age of 55 years.
Tags: Aadhaar Banking LIC
Bangladesh Cabinet approves revised trade

deal with India
Bangladesh cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved the revised
India-Bangladesh trade agreement.
The revised agreement will facilitate both countries to use each others land and water routes for
trade with a third country and remove long standing barrier in regional trade.
With this Bangladesh will be able to use Indian railways, roads and waterways in transshipment
of goods to Bhutan and Nepal. While, India will be able to send goods to Myanmar through
Bangladesh.
Under the modified deal both countries will be able to use transport networks for transporting the
goods for a fee. These fees and charges for transporting goods will be the same for both the
countries and will be fixed through bilateral discussions.
The deal will be in force for 5 years instead of the existing tenure of 3 years, and further can
amended through mutual agreement.
At present, India has similar agreement with Nepal and Bhutan but Bangladeshs trade with
Nepal and Bhutan was hindered for want of such a treaty with India.
Previously, trucks from Nepal and Bhutan entering from Bangladesh along the Indian border
were required to park at a specific point near border. But under the revised deal, trucks from
Nepal and Bhutan will enter Bangladesh through the Indian corridors.
Tags: Bhutan India-Bangladesh Myanmar Nepal Trade Policy
Dr. Mayilsamy Annadura took charge as

Director of ISRO satellite centre
Dr Mayilsamy Annadurai has assumed the office of Director, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) in
Bengaluru, Karnataka. He replaced Dr. S.K. Shivakumar, who had retired on 31 March 2015.
About Dr Mayilsamy Annadurai
Annadurai had joined ISRO in 1982. He had started his career at ISAC as the team leader
to design and develop Software Satellite Simulator.
He was Mission Director of ISROs INSAT Missions from 1992 to 2005. He was also
lead member of ISROs satellite mission team and brought about the efficient ground
automation for satellite operations.
Annadura also had served as Project Director of Indias first Lunar Mission,
Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2.
In 2011, he was Programme Director of Indian Remote Sensing Satellites and Small
Satellite Systems (IRS&SSS).
He also had served as Programme Director of Indias first interplanetary mission- Mars
Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called Mangalyaan.
Annadura has authored 3 books and has 75 papers to his credit.
Tags: ISRO Karnataka Mars Orbiter Mission
BCCI re-appoints Rajeev Shukla as IPL

Governing Council chairman
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has 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 spotfixing scandal.
Former Indian Cricket team Captain Sourav Ganguly was also selected in the IPL Governing
Council.
Head of Senior national selection committee, Sandeep Patil was retained for another season in
the IPL Governing Council along with Team India Director Ravi Shastri.
Former captain Anil Kumble also has been retained as chairman of the Technical committee IPL
Governing Council while Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia will head the powerful finance
committee.
Other members of IPL Governing Council are
Jagmohan Dalmiya (BCCI president) Chairman of the Constitution Review

Committee.
Chetan Desai- Head the Marketing Committee.
Gokaraju Gangaraju- In-charge of the Tours and Programmes Committee.
Biswarup Dey- Head of the Media Committee.
Anurag Thakur- Head of Affiliations Committee.
Tags: BCCI Cricket

First indigenously-built Scorpene Submarine Kalvari undocked
First indigenously-built Scorpene Submarine on 6 April 2015 was undocked at the Mazagaon
Dockyard Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
The undocked submarine was named Kalvari and is expected to be commissioned into Indian
Navy by September 2016.
The submarine is part of the Indian Navys ambitious submarine programme- Project 75. This
programme is undertaken in collaboration France to build fleet of six such submarines.
Remaining 5 Submarines will delivered by the MDL to the Indian Navy by 2020 and will form
core of the navys submarine arm for the next two decades
Features about Scorpene submarine
Has superior stealth capability.
Can undertake various operations including multifarious warfare, Antisubmarine warfare, Intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc.
Ability to launch attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons. The
attack can be launched from underwater or on surface.
Designed to operate in all theatres including the tropics.
Built using special steel that can withstand high yield stress that can
withstand high hydrostatic force and enabling to dive deeper.
Equipped with Weapons Launching tubes (WLT) that can carry weapons on
board and can be easily reloaded at sea.
Tags: Indian Navy Maharashtra Mumbai

Arab poet Adonis chosen for 2015 Kumaran Asan World Prize for poetry
Syrian-Lebanese Arab poet Adonis has been chosen for 2015 Kumaran Asan World Prize for
poetry.
Adonis was born as Ali Ahmad Said Esber in Western Syria in 1930. Since 1985, he had settled
in Paris, France.
He has been described as one of the greatest living poet of the Arab world.
Adonis has authored more than twenty volumes of poetry in Arabic, which are widely translated
into almost all languages.
His poems had helped him to be a perennial contender for the Nobel Prize for many years.
His famous work includes- If Only the Sea Could Sleep, Pages of Day and Night, Songs of
Mihyar the Damascene, Not A Star, A Voice, A King is Miyhar, The Adoring Rock, Take me to
God.
About Kumaran Asan World Prize for poetry
The award is instituted by Chennai based Kumaran Asan Memorial

Association.
Named after eminent Malayalam poet Kumaran Asan to honour poets of

international stature and introduce them to Indian readers.
The award carries a cash prize of three lakh rupees, a memento and citation.
Tags: awards France Poet Syria

Dronavalli Harika wins bronze in World Womens chess championship
Indian chess Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika on 6 April 2015 won the bronze medal in the World
Womens chess championships along with Swedish Grandmaster Pia Cramling.
In the semifinal match played at Sochi in Russia, Harika lost to Ukraines Mariya Muzychuk and
settled to Bronze medal with US $ 20,000.
World Womens chess championships winners are
Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine) Won Gold medal along with US $ 60,000 by

2.5 points.
Natalija Pogonina (Russia) Won Silver medal along with US $ 30,000 by

1.5 points.
About Womens World Chess Championship

It is played to determine the womens world champion in chess. It is administered by World
Chess Federation (FIDE).
Tags: Chess Sports
India to host 5th meeting of SAARC Health

Ministers in New Delhi
India is going to host the 5th meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) Health Ministers in New Delhi.
The 5th meeting will start on 9 April 2015 and is being held in pursuance of decisions taken by
the SAARC Summit of Heads of States held at Kathmandu in November 2014.
Purpose of the meeting- Find out ways and means to synergise collective efforts in order to
provide better health and a better quality of life to the citizens of SAARC countries. It also seeks
to implement identified best practices and share strategies among member countries.
The meeting will
Deliberate on key issues including HIV-AIDS, prevention of non-communicable and

communicable diseases and to strengthen collaborations amongst the member nations.
Frame a road map for strengthening collaboration among SAARC countries on a number
of issues and challenges faced by them.
Maldives had hosted the 4th meeting of the SAARC Health Ministers in April 2012.
Tags: Health Maldives SAARC
MoU inked for construction of BR Ambedkar

memorial at Indu Mills land
A three party MoU was signed between Union Ministry of Textiles, Maharashtra government and
National Textile Corporation on 5 April 2015 for transfer of land for construction of the
memorial for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar memorial in Mumbai.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra Chief
Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union textile minister Santosh Gangwar in New Delhi.
The agreement will
Pave the way for construction of memorial on the 12 acre land adjacent to the
Chaityabhoomi in the Indu Mills Compound which belongs to the National Textiles
Corporation (NTC).
Facilitate the transfer the land of NTC to the state government as per section 11 of The
Textile Undertakings Nationalisation Act-1995 which mentions that it can be transferred
with prior permission of Union government.
The memorial will be constructed on the site where the last rites of architect of the Indian
Constitution, Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar were performed after he had died on December 6,
1956.
Tags: B R Ambedkar Maharashtra Mumbai Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches

National Air Quality Index to give pollution
information
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched National Air Quality Index (AQI) to give pollution
information on real time basis.
Initially the new index will cover 10 cities. They are Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kanpur,
Lucknow, Agra, Faridabad, Varanasi, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Later it will be extended to
more than 60 cities with a population exceeding one million.
Facts about National Air Quality Index (AQI)
AQI will be used to inform people about daily air quality in turn it will provide advisories
on health consequences.
It will also tell how clean or polluted the air is and what associated health effects.
The AQI has been developed for six pollutants- nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, ozone,
Particle Pollution (PM)2.5, PM10 and carbon monoxide.
The new AQI is hosted on the website of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Tags: Environment Narendra Modi Pollution
Winners of 2015 Miami Open Titles
Mens Singles Title

World No. 1 and Serbian ace tennis player Novak Djokovic has won the 2015 Miami Open
Mens Singles Title. In the final match he defeated Britains Andy Murray by 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-0
score. This was Djokovics fifth Miami Open trophy.
Womens singles Title
World No. 1 and American ace tennis player Serena Williams has won the 2015 Miami Open
Womens singles Title. In the final match she defeated Spains Carla Surez Navarro by 6-2, 6-0
score.
Mens doubles Title
American Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan pair has won the 2015 Miami Open Mens doubles Title.
In the final match they defeated Vasek Pospisil (Canada) and Jack Sock (US) pair by 63, 16,
108 score.
Womens doubles Title
Indias Sania Mirza and Switzerlands Martina Hingis pair has won 2015 Miami Open Womens
doubles Title. In the final match they defeated Russian pair of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena
Vesnina by 75, 61 score.
Tags: India Russia Serbia Spain Tennis United States
Delhi airport wins Golden Peacock National Quality Award 2015
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has won the prestigious Golden Peacock National
Quality Award for the year 2015.
DIAL was bestowed this award for their efforts in building a culture of Total Quality across
Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister for culture, youth and development Sheikh Nahyan bin
Mubarak Al Nahyan will present this award to DIAL at a specially organized presentation
ceremony to be held in Dubai on April 20, 2015.
DIAL is a joint venture (JV) company comprising of Airports Authority of India (AAI), GMR
Group, Fraport and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad.
About Golden Peacock National Quality Award
GPNA have been instituted in 1991 by Institute of Directors (IOD) a registered

non-profit apex association of company directors.
Since its inception, it is globally regarded as a benchmark of corporate

excellence.
The Award is bestowed annually to encourage total improvement in each

sector of the business.
Tags: awards Delhi Airport

K.N. Tripathi sworn in as Governor of Mizoram
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.
Justice Michael Zothankhuma of the Gauhati High Court administered oath of office to him at
Raj Bhavan in Aizawal.
Tripathi was given additional charge of Mizoram after Union Government had sacked then
Governor Aziz Qureshi.
About Keshari Nath Tripathi
Tripathi was member of Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly for six times and
had represented BJP.
He also had served as the Speaker of the UP Legislative Assembly three

consecutive times in 1991, 1997 and 2002.
He also had held position of Cabinet Minister from 1977-1979 in UP

Government.
Tripathi had practised as a lawyer in the Allahabad High Court from 1956.
From 1987 to 1989, he was the President of the Allahabad High Court Bar
Association.
Article 153 of Constitution- It says that there shall be Governor for each state. 7th
Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956 facilitated the appointment of the same person as a
governor for two or more states.
Tags: Article 153 Bihar Governor Mizoram West Bengal
Pedro Cateriano Bellido appointed as Prime Minister of Peru
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.
About Pedro Cateriano Bellido
Prior to this appointment, he was serving as Perus Defence Minister and was
appointed in July 2012,
Cateriano, by profession is a lawyer and is specialized in constitutional law.
He was member of the Peruvian parliament from 1990 to 1992.
Cateriano also had served as deputy justice minister from 2001 to 2002.
He also teaches law at the University of Lima.
Tags: Peru Prime Minister

Union Government launches Give It Up movement in Karnataka
Union Government on 4 April 2015 formally launched the Give It Up movement in Karnataka.
It was launched by Union Minister of State (MoS) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra
Pradan.
The movement appeals to the rich people to voluntarily give up their subsidy amount given on
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders.
The money surrendered under this movement will be utlised for poor to get LPG connection in
rural as well as in urban areas who are still using firewood for cooking.
Earlier in this regard, Give it Up campaign was launched Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the
annual energy-focussed summit Urja Sangam 2015. During this summit, Prime Minister had
asked companies and banks to encourage their employees to give up the subsidy on LPG.
PM also had mentioned that Give it Up campaign should be taken up on the lines of Union
Governments initiatives like Swacch Bharat and Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.
Tags: Government policy Petroleum Industry Subsidy
88th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan begins in Ghumaan, Punjab
88th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (All India Marathi Sahitya Sammelan) on 3
April 2015 began in Ghumaan village in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.
It was inaugurated by Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari along with the Chief
Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
The three-day long sammelan is dedicated to Marathi Saint Bhagat Namdev (Sant Namdeo). In
this conference large contingent of Marathi litterateurs is going to take part.
The President of 88th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan is Dr. Sadanand More. Apart
from inaugurated the sammelan, foundation stone of Bhagat Namdev Degree College was also
laid in the Ghumaan village.
Village Ghumaan is the place where Marathi Saint Bhagat Namdev had spent 18 years of his life
and gave valuable teachings to the society.
It is believed that in Ghuman, Sant Namdeo had composed his shlokas in Awadhi, Marathi and
Punjabi. His 61 shabads were included in holy scripture of the Sikhs i.e. in Guru Granth Sahib.
Tags: Events Punjab
Union Government extends National Food

Security Act deadline by 6 months
Union Government again has extended rolling out deadline for National Food Security Act
(NFSA), 2013 by six months.
It was announced by Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in order to give more time to states
to roll out NFSA. The extension will help remaining states adopt and implement the law within
next six months.
It is third time, this deadline has been extended and the second deadline was to end on 4 April
2015.
So far only 11 states and Union Territories (UTs) have implemented NSFA which was passed by
Parliament in September 2013. Remaining 25 states/UTs have not implemented it yet.
11 states and UTs that have implemented NSFA fully or partially are- Punjab, Haryana,
Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka,
Delhi and Chandigarh.
Facts about National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013
NSFA aims at providing legal entitlement to 5 kg of subsidised foodgrains to the

identified person per month.
Grains like wheat, rice and coarse grain will be distributed at the price of 3 Rs. 3, Rs. 2
and Rs. 1.
Pregnant women and lactating mothers and children are entitled to get meals under the
prescribed nutrition by MDM and ICDS. The age group would be 6 months to 14 years.
NFSA 2013 will provide high nutrition food to the age group of 6 years.
Pregnant women and lactating mothers will be entitled to get maternity benefit of not less
than Rs. 6,000.
Tags: Bills and Acts Food Security Government policy Subsidy
Malli Mastan Babu, Indias ace mountaineer

passes away
Malli Mastan Babu, one of Indias top mountaineers passed away. His dead body was recovered
in the Andes Mountains between Argentina and Chile after he went missing on 24th March,
2015 during an expedition to Cerro Tres Cruces Sur.
Babu was regarded as the fastest 7 summiteer that is fastest mountaineer to climb summits in
all seven continents from India. In 2006, he had famously scaled 7 summits of the world in
record 172 days.
He was the first Indian mountaineer to summit the tallest peak in Antarctica, Mt Vinson Massif.
He was also the first person from Andhra Pradesh to scale the Mt Everest.
He was also known for fast climbing and in 2005, he had summitted Mt Kilimanjaro in three and
half days. In his 15 years mountaineering career, he had summitted more than 150 mountains.
Babu hails from Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh and was a 2000-2002 IIM Kolkata pass out.
He also had a degree from IIT Kharagpur.
Tags: Argentina Chile Obituary Sports
President Pranab Mukherjee gives assent to

re-promulgation of Land Ordinance
President Pranab Mukherjee on 3 April 2015 gave his assent to re-promulgate the Land
Acquisition Ordinance as per Article 123 of Constitution.
Earlier, in this regard Union Cabinet had made a recommendation to President as present Land
Acquisition Ordinance promulgated in December 2014 is going to lapse on 5 April.
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.
Lok Sabha had passed the bill in the budget session in March 2015. However, the bill is pending
before the Rajya Sabha, where government is in minority.
Earlier, President had prorogued the 234th session of the Rajya Sabha in order to pave the way
for re-issuing of the Ordinance as per provisions of Constitution.
Article 123 of Constitution
It gives legislative power to President. He can issue ordinances when Parliament is in

recess i.e. not in session if there is urgent need to have a law on some urgent public
matter.
The ordinance has similar effect to an act of parliament. However, every ordinance must
be laid and approved by both houses of the parliament within 6 weeks from the
reassembling.
If not placed and approved by both houses of the parliament after reassembling it
becomes invalid or lapses.
Tags: Article 123 Ordinance President Union Cabinet

Minor planet named as 4538 Vishyanand after Indian Chess legend Viswanathan
Anand
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
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. Initially, the planet was unnamed for almost 10 years.
With this, Vishwanathan Anand has joined the league of former world chess champions
Alexander Alekhine and Anatoly Karpov who also have minor planets named after them.
What is Minor planet?
A minor planet is a term used to describe an astronomical object that is

neither a dominant planet nor a comet and thus includes the dwarf planets
that orbit around the Sun.
The orbital categories of these planets are the asteroids, Kuiper belt objects,
trojans, centaurs and other trans-Neptunian objects.
The first minor planet discovered was Ceres in 1801.

Naming of Minor Planets
Traditionally, the practice of naming a minor planet is left to its discoverer. If the discovered
minor planet remained unnamed for over 10 years, than International Astronomical Union (IAU)
names the planet.
Tags: Astronomy Chess Science Sports
India ranks 119 on 2015 FM Global Resilience Index
In recently released 2015 FM Global Resilience Index, India has been ranked a low 119 out of
130 countries.
India despite having scope and global potential was ranked 119 compared to 112th rank in 2014
Global Resilience Index.
Top 10 Countries- Norway (1), Switzerland (2), Netherlands (3), Ireland (4), Luxembourg (5),
Germany (6), Qatar (7), Canada (8), Finland (9) and United States (10).
Bottom 4 countries- Dominican Republic (126), Nicaragua (127) Kyrgyz Republic (129) and
Venezuela (130).
Facts about Indias ranking
India is ranked 115 position on the economic parameter that takes into
account GDP, political risk and oil intensity. This rank is same as in year 2014.
In the risk quality factor, India is ranked 109 for its quality of natural hazard
and fire risk management. In this parameter, India has shown slight
improvement from its 113th rank in 2014.
In the supply chain category that looks at corruption control, local supplier
quality and infrastructure, India is ranked 89th position. In this category, India
has fallen 11 spots from the previous year 2014.
About FM Global Resilience Index
The Index measures business resilience of 130 nations. It is based on

economic, risk quality and supply chain factors.
The higher ranking of country in this index indicates that it is best suited for
companies seeking to avoid disruptions in their global supply chain
operations.
Tags: Business India Netherlands Norway Switzerland

Captain Anoop Kumar Sharma takes over as CEO of Essar Shipping
Captain Anoop Kumar Sharma has taken over as whole-time director and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Essar Shipping Ltd (ESL).
He replaced Ramakrishnan A. R. who had retired from service on 31 March 2015.
Sharma has been associated with ESL since August 2008. Previously he was associated with
Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) for 16 years.
In SCI he had served as the Senior Vice President of the Chartering division and was responsible
for exploring global business opportunities for SCI.
Sharma is an Alumni of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai and was a
fellow of Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, London. He is also member of the Governing
council of Narottam Morarjee Institute of Maritime studies and Services export promotion
council.
Earlier ESL also had appointed S. Gayathri as an Additional Director of the Company to fulfill
the requirement of having at least one woman director on board.
Essar Shipping Ltd operates a diversified fleet of 15 vessels. It includes very large crude carriers
(VLCCs), Capesize, Mini-capesize, Supramaxes, tugs and mini-bulk carriers.
Tags: Business Persons in News
Kailash Vajpeyi, Renowned Hindi poet passes

away
Kailash Vajpeyi, renowned Hindi poet passed away on 1 April 2015 in New Delhi due to cardiac
arrest.
He was one of the prominent poets in a group known as San saatth ke baad ki kavita (Post-1960
poetry) that had shaped Hindi literature.
About Kailash Vajpeyi
Kailash Vajpeyi was born at Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh in 1936.
He had completed his PhD in Hindi at the age of 24. He began his career as a journalist
and later taught at Delhi University.
In his entire career, 28 books were published including 14 volumes of poetry.
Some of his notable works includes Sankrant, Dehant Se Hatkar, Teesra Andhera and
Sufinama.
Awards- He was conferred with Sahitya Akademi award (2009) for his work Hawa mein
hastakshar (Signature in the air). Lucknow University had awarded him with Vachaspati
title.
Tags: Obituary Poet
Union Government unveils new Foreign

Trade Policy
Union Government has unveiled new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) to make India an exporting
powerhouse in the next five years.
The new trade policy will incorporate government ambitious initiatives such as Make in India,
Digital India mission, Skill India programme, ease of business in order to boost jobs and take
Indias exports to 900 billion dollars by 2020.
The goals of the new policy will be achieved by simplifying complex procedures, addressing
infrastructural bottlenecks and eliminating manufacturing hurdles.
Focus areas of the new FTP are
Labour intensive sectors to generate more employment.
Boosting to environment-friendly products.
High tech value addition.
Involving skill India programme to promote entrepreneurship.
Moving towards branding of products.
Incentives for units located in SEZs.
Making the life of traders easier.
Key facts
FTP also takes into consideration e-commerce. Under the new policy, Indias nascent, ecommerce sector would also be extended sops.
The new trade policy will be based on two new schemes- Merchandise Exports from
India Scheme (MEIS) and Services Exports from India Scheme (SIES). Under these two
schemes, government has merged all earlier export promotion schemes.
MEIS is for export of specified goods in specified markets with the rate of rewards range
from 2 to 5%. SIES is for increasing exports of notified services and the selected services
will be rewarded at the rates of 3 to 5%.
The new also move towards paperless working. In this regard, a facility has been created
to upload documents in exporter/ importer profile in order to avoid need of repeatedly
submitting documents.
Tags: Business Government policy Trade Policy
Mariyam Asif Siddiqui, Muslim girl wins

Bhagwad Gita contest
Mariyam Asif Siddiqui, a 12-year-old Muslim girl from Mumbai has secured first place Shrimad
Bhagwad Gita Champion League.
She won the first prize in an inter-school competition for explaining the teachings of the holy
book- Bhagwad Gita. The Shrimad Bhagwad Gita Champion League was organised by
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in March.
In this contest, around 4,500 students from 195 schools had participated. They were given the
English version of Bhagwad Gita for a month for preparation purpose for explaining the
teachings of the holy book. The competition included recitation of the Gita in English along with
a written test.
Tags: awards Mumbai
Sunita Tomar, poster girl of Indias Anti-Tobacco campaign dies
Sunita Tomar, poster girl of Indias anti-tobacco campaign passed away at her hometown in
Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh. She was 28 and was diagnosed with oral cancer.
She had appeared in governments 30-second video titled Sunita which had highlighted the
devastating effect of smokeless tobacco. The video had shown her personal testimony before and
after an operation to remove the cancerous growth and a part of her mouth.
For this video Sunita had teamed with Voice of Tobacco Victims (VoTV) in order to create
awareness about the tobacco-cancer.
It is estimated that tobacco causes 40% of the cancer in India. Around 10 lakh new cancer cases
are reported every year. In fact, India has the highest incidence of oral cancer in the world,
prompting its link to the habit of chewing tobacco among Indians. While, 60% of oral cancer
patients in India die within a year or two of their diagnosis because of their late treatment.
Tags: Diseases Health Madhya Pradesh Obituary Sunita Tomar
Amaravathi named as new capital of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh government has approved Amaravathi as name of the new capital city of the
state coming up in the Vijayawada-Guntur region.
The name Amaravathi was chosen in view of the historical and spiritual significance as it was
ancient seat of Satavahana rulers kingdom.
Decision in this regard was taken by Andhra Pradesh Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister
N Chandrababu Naidu. Apart from this, cabinet also approved the first phase of the master plan
prepared by Singapore government.
Facts about ancient Amaravathi city
Amaravathi is located on the banks of river Krishna. It was the capital seat of
Satvahana rulers for 400 years who ruled 2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE.
The city derives its name from Lord Amareswara temple in the village. It is
also known as Dakshina Kashi (Kashi of the south).
It also has Buddhist significance. It is believed that Lord Buddha had visited
the city. It is also believed that King Ashoka and famed Chinese traveller
Hsuan Tsang have visited the city.
Tags: Amaravathi Andhra Pradesh Culture Singapore

Union Cabinet approves amendments to the Homoeopathy Central Council Act,
1973
Union Cabinet gave its approval for the amendment of the Homoeopathy Central Council Act,
1973. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
The approved amendments in parent act aims at improving the quality of homeopathy education
in the country to provide better healthcare through the homeopathy system of medicine.
The amendments will add provisions related to granting permission by Union Government to all
homoeopathic medical colleges for continuing courses to impart quality education.
Amendments approved
Union Governments permission is being made mandatory for all the

homoeopathy colleges to undertake annual admissions.
Union Government can give permission for 5 years to homoeopathy colleges

which conform to the prescribed standards as specified in the Act.
Background
The existing provisions of parent Act do not empower Union Government to stop admissions in
existing homoeopathy colleges which are not conforming to standards specified in the Act. Thus,
comprising the quality of homoeopathy education.
Tags: Bills and Amendments Cabinet Decisions Health Medical Narendra Modi Union
Cabinet
Odisha Government launches Aahar scheme
Odisha Government on 1 April 2015 launched Aahar- cheap meal scheme for providing
subsidised food to urban poor.
It was launched by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Capital Hospital in
Bhubaneswar on the occasion the foundation day of the state i.e. Utkala Dibasa.
Facts about Aahar- cheap meal scheme
It aims at providing meal at Rs. five to the urban poor.
In the first phase scheme was launched simultaneously in five cities of state
including Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur.
The subsidised meals will be provided at four crowded places each in these
five cities to people visiting urban areas for various work
Following companies have sponsored the scheme in particular city
Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) in Rourkela.
Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) in

Sambalpur.
Tata Steel in Berhampur.
Tags: Government Schemes Naveen Patnaik Odisha Tata Steel

Union Government launches FAME-India scheme to boost electric, hybrid vehicle
sales
Union Government on 1 April 2015 launched Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and
Electric vehicles (FAME) India Scheme.
The scheme was launched as part of the National Mission for Electric Mobility to boost ecofriendly vehicles sales in the country.
Facts about FAME India scheme
Objective- to support the hybrid or electric vehicles market development

and its manufacturing eco-system in the country in order to achieve selfsustenance in stipulated period.
The overall scheme is proposed to be implemented over a period next 6

years i.e. till 2020.
It envisages providing Rs 795 crore support till 2020 for the manufacturing
and sale of electric and hybrid vehicles.
It also seeks to provide demand incentives to electric and hybrid vehicles

from two-wheeler to buses.
Implementation- It will be implemented in phases. The Phase-1 will be

implemented over a two year period in FY15-16 and FY16-17.
Based on the outcome and experience from the Phase-1, it will be reviewed
for implementation after 31 March 2017. Then appropriate fund will be
allocated for future.
Four focus areas of scheme- Technology development, Pilot Projects,

Demand Creation and Charging Infrastructure.
In the first two years Rs 260 crore and Rs 535 crore will be spent on the focus
areas.
The Department of Heavy Industries under the aegis of Union Ministry of Heavy Industries will
be will be nodal department for the scheme.
Tags: Government Schemes Manufacturing Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public
Enterprises
Gulshan Rai takes charge as Indias first cyber security chief
Gulshan Rai on 1 April 2015 took charge as Indias first cyber security chief under the Prime
Ministers Office (PMO) as Special Secretary for cyber security.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2015 had created this new post in PMO and had
appointed Rai as its head.
Prior to this appointment, he was Director-General Computer Emergency Response Team
(CERT) at the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).
He also heads the E-Security and Cyber Law division in the Union Ministry of Communications
and Information Technology.
About Gulshan Rai
Rai has more than two decades of experience in different areas of IT and had
served at various capacities in field of cyber security.
He also had served in various fields like e-governance, legal framework and
the Information Technology Act for e-commerce.
Rai holds M.Tech and doctoral degree. He has published several reports and
papers on e-commerce, cyber laws, cyber security and networking at several
national and international conferences.
Tags: CERT cyber security DeitY e-commerce Gulshan Rai Ministry of Communications
and Information Technology Narendra Modi
Misao Okawa, Worlds oldest person dies in

Japan at age 117
Misao Okawa, the Worlds oldest person on 1 April 2015 died in Japan at the age of 117 and 27
days.
She was awarded the Guinness World Records title of oldest living person as well as the oldest
living woman on 27 February 2013, a few days before her 115th birthday.
She was born in on 5 March 1898 in Osaka city of Japan. She is survived by three children and
four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren.
Okawa was the 30th verified person who had reached the age of 115, the 10th verified person to
reach the age of 116 and the 5th verified person to reach the age of 117.
Now the oldest living person is Sakari Momoi from Japan. He had turned 112 in February 2015.
According to Guinness World Records, the oldest person who has ever lived was Jeanne Calment
of France. She had lived 122 years and 164 days and had died in August 1997.
Tags: Japan Misao Okawa Records
Punjab Government launches Padho PunjabKhedo Punjab Mission

Punjab Government has launched Padho Punjab- Khedo Punjab Mission i.e. Learn PunjabPlay Punjab Mission.
It is a special mission launched to provide school students a separate period in the curriculum for
playing along with studies.
The purpose of the mission is to encourage more youngsters towards sports to produce quality
players for the country. This will also inculcate the sportsmanship spirit and competitiveness
amongst them.
Under this mission a 40 to 50 minute special period has been kept for sports. During this period
students of middle schools will be taught various games including the games played locally.
Missions pilot project was launched by State Education Minister Dr. Daljeet Singh Cheema at a
government girls school in Rupnagar district of state.
As part of it five teachers have been trained for purpose Padho Punjab-Khedo Punjab Mission.
They will further give training to other teachers to physically train students in sports.
Tags: Education Government Schemes Punjab Sports
Pakistan 8th most dangerous country in the

world: Country Threat Index
Recently released Country Threat Index (CTI) by US-based intelligence think tank- Intel Center
has placed Pakistan eighth in the list of the most dangerous countries in the world as of March
2015.
Top 10 Most Dangerous Countries in the world
Rank Country
CTI Score
Iraq
811
Syria
717
Nigeria
272
Somalia
257
Afghanista
n
186
Libya
157
Yemen
132
Pakistan
122
Ukraine
103
10
Egypt
74
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two South Asian countries in the list.
The rankings were prepared based upon CTI after examining the volume of terrorist and rebel
alerts, messaging traffic, videos, photos, incidents and the number of killed and injured in a
country over the past 30 days.
Intel Center is a Washington-based company established in 1989. It works globally for
intelligence agencies a by providing them counterterrorism intelligence services.
Tags: Afghanistan Egypt Iraq Libya Nigeria Pakistan Somalia Syria Terrorism
Ukraine Yemen
New Zealand cricketer Kyle Mills retires from international cricket
New Zealand cricketer Kyle Mills on 1 April 2014 announced retirement from international
cricket.
He made this announcement after New Zealand lost to Australia in ICC World Cup 2015 final.
Kyle Mills cricket career spanned 14 years. In his entire cricket career he had played 19 Tests
matches, 170 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 42 T20s.
He had made his international debut in a ODI against Pakistan in 2001 and test debut in 2004
against England.
In 170 ODI matches he had taken 240 wickets, second highest wicket taker among New Zealand
bowlers after Daniel Vettori. In 19 tests matches, he had taken 44 wickets and 43 wickets in his
42 Twenty20 internationals.
Tags: Cricket Kyle Mills New Zealand Sports
Muhammadu Buhari elected as President of Nigeria
Former military ruler Genral Muhammadu Buhari won the Presidential election in Nigeria. He
defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan by more than two million votes.
With this historic win, Buhari became the first opposition candidate in history of Nigeria to win a
presidential election.
In this election Buharis All Progressives Congress (APC) party has received around 15,424,921
votes and Jonathans Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has recieved 12,853,162 votes.
About Muhammadu Buhari
He is native of Daura in Katsina State of Nigeria and belongs to Fulani ethnic

background.
Buhari was military ruler of Nigeria from 1984 to 1985 and had taken power
by a military coup.
He had served in Nigerian Army from 1961 to 1985 and had retired as a Major
General.
Comment
Gen Buharis victory in this presidential election is considered as historic

moment in Nigerias turbulent history. For the first time sitting president was
defeated in an election.
Since independence from Britain in 1960, Nigeria had faced numerous

military coups and most of the elections were rigged in the past.
2015 Presidential election is considered as important in Nigeria because it

was conducted fairly indicating roots of democracy, deepening in Nigeria.
Tags: General Elections Genral Muhammadu Buhari Nigeria President

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India ranks 13th in generating electricity

from nuclear source

India, Japan ink action agenda to boost

Development of selected townships in India as Japanese industrial townships.

Promotion of investment and infrastructure development.

Further development and cooperation in IT sector.

Enhancing cooperation in strategic sectors.

Asia-Pacific economic integration.

Union Government extends e-Tourist Visa

Flipkart acquires mobile marketing firm

PropTiger.com acquires its rival

Three super-Earths orbiting nearby star

The award is also dubbed as Green Oscar.

Tags: awards Environment

Extends the protection of prior sanction for prosecution to public servants

Non-monetary gratification is also be covered within the definition of the word

Folding of both hands in the logo reflects the union of individual

In December 2014, UN-GA had unanimously had adopted an India-led

Sri Lankan Parliament amends constitution

Ensure an independent judiciary and police.

Curbs and checks Presidents power to dissolve the parliament.

Two-term limit of Presidents is restored.

The term of the President is reduced from 6 to 5 years.

Raja Rajeswari, first Indian-American

NGT bans burning of waste in Delhi NCR

Best Goal Keeper- Arpit Chaudhari of Jharkhand.

Best Defender- Amit Rohidas of Railway Sports Promotion Board.

Best mid Fielder- Jasjeet Singh of Railway Sports Promotion Board.

Best Forward- Lalit Upadhyay of Utter Pradesh.

Promising player of the championship- Vikramjeet Singh of Punjab.

Promising player from Maharashtra- Akash Chikate.

Tags: Hockey Indian Railways Sports Uttar Pradesh

African Region: Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria) for Light.

Pacific Region: Mary Rokonadravu (Fiji) for Famished Eels.

About Siddhartha Gigoo

Born in 1974 in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir.

He had studied English Literature at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Tags: awards Jammu & Kashmir Novelist

A cryogenic engine is more efficient as it provides more thrust for every

It is essential to master this technology for any space power as launching

Parliament passes Payments and Settlement

Addressing the problem of insolvency in the payment and settlement system by

Bringing Indias banking payment system in sync with international practices.

Key facts of Bill

Capgemini acquires IGATE for $4 bn in allcash deal

Loretta Lynch sworn-in as first black female

Sudan President Omar al-Bashir re-elected

Union government cancels licences of 9,000

April 27, 2015No comments

Indian Army on 26 April 2015 conducted a major exercise Akraman-II in Rajasthan.

Officier de la Lgion dHonneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour) was created

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About Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB)

In Budget 2013-14, Union Government had approved Rs 1,000-crore seed

Headquarter of Bharatiya Mahila Bank is located in New Delhi.

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Shamkir Chess tournament is played Shamkir in Azerbaijan and also known

It was established in 2014 and is played in the honour of Vugar Gashimov

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Sangeeta Bhatia, an Indian-Origin scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Every year it hounours and recognize outstanding individuals for their

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This earthquake in Nepal may have occurred because of two converging